On Politics: Mueller Time

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/24/us/politics/robert-mueller-congress.html

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Good Wednesday morning. Here are some of the stories making news in Washington and politics today.

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• After two years of silence, the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, will finally sit for prolonged questioning at two House hearings today. But for all the anticipation, will it be more fizzle than sizzle? Here’s why expectations are low. And here’s what you need to know before the questions start.

• Who’s the guy sitting next to Mr. Mueller? That’s Aaron Zebley, his longtime right-hand aide. Here’s the story behind the last-minute request to include him.

• The symbol was central to Hillary Clinton’s campaign. But in this barrier-breaking field of female candidates, nobody wants to talk about the “glass ceiling.” These are the metaphors of a new generation of candidates.

• Posing for the camera with a presidential candidate used to be a perk generally reserved for wealthy donors. At Senator Elizabeth Warren’s events, though, all it costs is passing some time in a well-organized selfie line. Here’s an inside look at how her campaign keeps things running so smoothly.

• Several Democratic senators running for president aligned themselves with Senator Kirsten Gillibrand on Tuesday, standing by their calls for Al Franken to resign from the Senate more than 18 months ago. Their statements came as a number of other lawmakers said they had second thoughts about their role in pushing out Mr. Franken.

• The Senate overwhelmingly confirmed Mark T. Esper as secretary of defense on Tuesday, ending the longest period by far that the Pentagon had been without a permanent leader.

• Congress gave final approval to legislation that would extend lifetime compensation to emergency workers who became ill after the Sept. 11 attacks.

• Joe Biden, whose long record on criminal justice matters has overshadowed his campaign, is out with a criminal justice reform plan of his own.

• President Trump relies on populist language to appeal to the white working class. But a look at his legislative record shows that he has accomplished little for them, instead favoring corporate interests.

• At the Teen Student Action Summit 2019, Mr. Trump repackaged his campaign-rally red meat into child-size portions, calling a Muslim congresswoman a “crazed lunatic,” falsely claiming that undocumented immigrants can vote, and accusing the election system in states like California of being rigged.

• More than three million people would lose their food stamps under a new rule proposed Tuesday by the Agriculture Department to change the program’s eligibility requirements. Critics say the rule will punish the working poor.

• Boris Johnson, the brash standard-bearer for a British exit from the European Union, won the contest to become the next prime minister on Tuesday. Here’s what that could mean for Brexit, and a look at his relationship with Mr. Trump.

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Today’s On Politics briefing was compiled by Isabella Grullón Paz in New York.

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