Biden slams president’s Russia dealings; Trump’s Cabinet takes to the Hill

Salt Lake City adopted three new city flags yesterday, an effort to circumvent a new Utah law that effectively banned flying LGBTQ pride and other flags at public buildings in the state.

Mayor Erin Mendenhall, a Democrat, presented the proposal to the City Council, which adopted it at its meeting last night. It incorporates the city’s flag into designs celebrating Juneteenth, LGBTQ rights and trans rights.

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Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin slammed the Trump administration’s tariff policies in an interview on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” arguing that if “you put a tax on goods, the people who buy those goods are going to pay more.”

Republicans were trying to obfuscate reality on the issue, Martin said. He noted that Democrats were engaging in town halls to address the concerns of constituents about the economy, while Republicans were refraining from such public events.

Republican lawmakers have been advised against in-person town halls after numerous confrontations by angry attendees gained attention. But GOP leaders have accused Democratic activists of aiming to disrupt the events.

Republican-led town halls were canceled “because they don’t want Americans to know what’s actually happening out there right now,” Martin said in the interview.

Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi is launching a campaign for the Senate in Illinois, jumping into a growing Democratic primary field for a coveted seat in the solidly blue state.

He joins Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton and Democratic Rep. Robin Kelly in the race for a seat being vacated by Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin, 80, who is retiring after more than four decades in Congress. Other Democrats are also weighing running.

Krishnamoorthi, 51, who was first elected to the House in 2016, represents a Democratic-leaning district near Chicago. He said he’ll hit the campaign trail Friday to make stops in Peoria, Chicago and Schaumburg.

His launch video includes fierce criticisms of Trump, calling him a “convicted felon” who has tapped “billionaires like Elon Musk” to exploit Americans to boost their own “egos and personal profit.” He makes light of his “funny name,” comparing it to that of former President Barack Obama, whom he once worked for, and encourages voters to simply call him “Raja.”

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Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp’s decision to pass on a Senate bid has top Republican officials now scrambling to find a backup plan and avoid a divisive primary — or, at the very least, one divisive candidate.

There are growing concerns in Georgia GOP circles that if Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene becomes the Republican nominee to take on Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff, she could hurt the party’s chances to flip the seat, given her divisive reputation and rhetoric, seven GOP sources familiar with the matter told NBC News. Republicans view the battleground race  as a key opportunity to expand their three-seat majority next year.

While a Kemp run would have essentially ended the primary, numerous potential candidates — including Greene — are now considering campaigns, setting up a potentially contentious nominating contest.

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Former President Joe Biden has accused the Trump administration of “modern-day appeasement” in its dealings with Russia’s Vladimir Putin and of risking the transatlantic alliance that has prevented a world war for 80 years.

In his first interview since leaving office in January, Biden told BBC Radio 4’s “Today” program that it was “foolish” to think that Putin would be satisfied by permanently gaining the territory his forces seized after the 2022 invasion, which Trump and senior officials have said may be necessary to secure a peace deal.

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