Another day, another tease from Joe Biden.
The former vice president still hasn't told the world about his 2020 ambitions, turning everything Biden says into an opportunity to speculate about whether he's running or not. But after his Tuesday comments to the International Association of Fire Fighters in Washington, it's seems pretty clear where Biden is leaning.
Biden spoke at the group's annual meeting on Tuesday, stepping onto the stage to cries of "run, Joe, run" and a sea of signs reading the same. "I appreciate the energy you showed when I got up here," Biden said, then added "save it a little bit longer — I may need it in a few weeks," per Bloomberg's Jennifer Epstein. That prompted more cheers, to which Biden said "Be careful what you wish for." And after the event, Biden told reporters asking his 2020 plans that "we’ll announce that pretty soon."
Biden came very close to running in 2016, only declining due to the recent death of his son Beau Biden. He's now "95 percent committed" to the 2020 race, and is only second guessing a run because he fears attacks on his family, people close to the former vice president have said.
If Biden enters the race, he'll have the support of the IAFF, its president tells Bloomberg. In his Tuesday speech, Biden decried President Trump's budget that would cut Medicaid funding and defended collective bargaining rights, per Bloomberg. He also addressed his recent comments saying Vice President Mike Pence is a "decent guy," saying "if you noticed, I get criticized for saying anything nice about a Republican." Read more about what Biden said at Bloomberg. Kathryn Krawczyk
Morale is low at Customs and Border Protection, Politico reports, and Border Patrol agents are apparently none too thrilled with President Trump.
In a deep dive published on Monday, Politico detailed the dysfunction that has plagued the Border Patrol for years. There was reportedly hope that a White House led by Trump, who ran a 2016 presidential campaign centered on being tough on the southern border, would give the agency its time in the sun.
Turns out, two years in, that's not the case. Workforce morale is reportedly terrible, as it always has been, and it's been difficult both to recruit new members and retain old ones. And, despite the president's promises, the Patrol has made no progress toward hiring 5,000 new agents. In fact, the Trump-era Border Patrol is actually smaller than it was during the Obama years. Their pilot ranks are especially depleted; since Trump took office, the agency has reportedly been unable to meet four out of five requests for helicopter assistance.
That's seemingly doubly disappointing for those in the agency now, though, considering the high expectations for Trump.
"The results haven't held up to the hope," said one former Border Patrol union official, who was speaking on condition of anonymity. "The agents thought they were going to be the belles at the ball [under the Trump administration]. Trump is not delivering." Read more at Politico. Tim O'Donnell
Game of Thrones and Veep should come out of Tuesday's Emmy nominations announcement ready to dominate this fall.
The two HBO series that ended in recent months are already favorites to win in the top categories of Outstanding Drama Series and Outstanding Comedy Series respectively at September's show. But experts on the awards website Gold Derby also see Better Call Saul, Killing Eve, Ozark, Pose, Succession, and This Is Us as series likely to join Game of Thrones in the drama category, while the comedy category should be rounded out by The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Barry, as well as Fleabag, GLOW, The Good Place, The Kominsky Method, and possibly Russian Doll.
Fleabag may have been snubbed during its first season, but star Phoebe Waller-Bridge is thought to have a shot at a lead actress in a comedy series nod, with Russian Doll's Natasha Lyonne also potentially joining her, although Veep's Julia Louis-Dreyfus is a shoo-in to win. Jim Carrey, Michael Douglas, and Don Cheadle may also join past nominees like Barry's Bill Hader in the lead comedy actor category, and Jim Parsons could receive recognition for The Big Bang Theory's last season.
On the drama side, Thrones' Kit Harington and Emilia Clarke should be nominated in the lead actor categories after previously being snubbed, although some experts, including those at Vanity Fair, predict Harington will be left out in the Winterfell cold again as Succession's Brian Cox, Pose's Billy Porter, and Bodyguard's Richard Madden instead get nods.
Still, the Thrones cast should fare well overall, and some prognosticators believe Sophie Turner will score a nod in the supporting actress category alongside repeat nominees from the series. The show isn't expected to take much of a hit despite the divisive nature of its final season, but we'll get a better sense of its reception among voters when the nominations are unveiled on July 16. Brendan Morrow