Biden's middle moves

Plus: McCarthy vs. McConnell on Jan. 6 tapes and rural funding woes [View this email online]( [NPR Politics]( March 11, 2023 --------------------------------------------------------------- The Big Picture: Biden’s middle moves Evan Vucci/AP There’s an old debate in politics: Is it better to be bold to motivate disaffected voters who might be open to voting for you or try to appeal to persuadable voters, who have more established habits of voting? Clearly, this White House subscribes to the latter. Since the State of the Union, President Biden has taken steps to position himself to the middle. This week, we saw that on crime, immigration and even with his budget. - He opposed a [Washington, D.C., crime bill]( that would have, among other things, reduced mandatory maximums for carjackings at a time when auto thefts are way up in the district; - He is [reportedly considering reviving stricter family detention policies]( for migrants who cross the border illegally; - His [budget included poll-tested priorities]( like extending the life of Medicare through the 2050s by raising taxes on the wealthy and capping costs of prescription drugs. Biden surprised some in his party with the moves on immigration and crime. He is making the bet that he needs to shore up independents, a group he is struggling with but had won over in 2020. — [Domenico Montanaro]( NPR’s senior political editor/correspondent [Read More]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- ICYMI: Top Stories Spencer Platt/Getty Images Another battle over election security: Three Republican states [announced they were pulling out of a multi-state partnership to securely share voter registration data](. The Electronic Registration Information Center, or ERIC, was until recently a bipartisan success story. But a growing number of Republican states are starting to reject the program amid conspiracy theories about partisan election fraud and a far-right pressure campaign. McCarthy vs. McConnell on Jan. 6 tapes: House Speaker Kevin McCarthy defended his decision to turn over 41,000 hours of Jan. 6 security footage to Tucker Carlson. But after Carlson used that footage to describe the day as a peaceful protest, [Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell rebuked the Fox News narrative.]( Rural funding woes: There are hundreds of federal programs and millions of dollars that can help rural communities rebuild from disasters, address housing issues, upgrade their broadband and achieve other projects. The problem is, [those communities don’t always know how to access it.]( Hill health data breached: Members of the House and their staffers [were notified that their personal information may have been compromised by a “significant data breach”]( within a D.C. health insurance marketplace. While the size and scope of the breach are not yet known, the FBI said "that account information and PII [Personal Identifiable Information] of hundreds of Member and House staff were stolen," according to a letter received by House staff. The chief administrative officer of the House advised those affected to freeze their credit. President Biden releases his budget: Biden’s proposal is a [$6.9 trillion package that includes spending]( on some of his long-time priorities like universal preschool, paid leave and child care funding. With a divided Congress, the offer is most likely dead on arrival, but it will serve as a starting point for negotiations with a GOP-led House. -- [Lexie Schapitl]( NPR Politics producer --------------------------------------------------------------- It all comes down to you Your financial support is the NPR Network's greatest strength. You keep the facts flowing. You bring more stories to more ears. You make a real difference when you contribute to independent, trustworthy media. [Please donate today](. --------------------------------------------------------------- The Shot: Anti-drag bills are nothing new Mickey Bernal/Getty Images A slew of proposals to ban or limit drag performances are moving through Republican-led statehouses. Last week Tennessee passed a bill to restrict “adult cabaret performances” in public or in the presence of children; LGBTQ people in the state fear the bill could be used to police their gender expression and discriminate against them. [At least nine other states are considering]( similar anti-drag bills, and queer organizers are pushing back. Despite the renewed fight, anti-drag legislation is nothing new in America, [as NPR’s Consider This podcast covered this week.]( -- [Lexie Schapitl]( NPR Politics producer --------------------------------------------------------------- Listen to your local NPR station. 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