Play Ball! By Emily Goodin
Washington came together Thursday night in the most American of places – a baseball field. Republicans, Democrats, members of Congress, White House officials, members of the media, and others there to show their support -- a record 24,959 fans in all -- swarmed Nationals Park for the annual Congressional Baseball Game. Cheering on from the front row were members of the Women’s Congressional Softball team, including Reps. Cheri Bustos and Norma Torres along with Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Kirsten Gillibrand. First daughter Ivanka Trump and two of her children were on the field before the game, speaking to GOP players in their dugout. Also representing the administration were Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, and Energy Secretary Rick Perry. Congressional leadership came together too -- Speaker Paul Ryan, in a Capitol Police T-shirt and LSU hat (in honor of Louisiana Rep. Steve Scalise, who had been shot during practice the day before); House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, in an LSU jersey; Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer took to the field together to announce “Play Ball!” Democrats won, 11-2, and among the many moving moments of the night was when the Democrats’ manager, Rep. Mike Doyle, gave the trophy to his GOP counterpart, Rep. Joe Barton, to put in Scalise’s office while he recovers from his wound. And Capitol Police officer David Bailey, who was on crutches from being injured during Wednesday’s exchange of gunfire at the GOP practice field, received the game ball from former New York Yankees manager Joe Torre for the game’s ceremonial first pitch. More than $1.5 million was raised for charity but it was the mood of the night that mattered – a feeling of togetherness and a sense that, even though it was just a baseball game, everyone was on one team. But how long will it last? Lawmakers will be back in Washington on Tuesday with a lot on their plate. Republican senators have said they want to vote on their version of a health care plan and a repeal of Obamacare before the July congressional recess. With only two weeks left before that time, it’s looking less and less likely. Plus there are still several Trump nominees to confirm. Tax reform is also on the agenda and being worked on at the committee level, but it, too, is moving at a slow pace and likely not to come up for a vote until after health care reform is settled. These two topics alone give lawmakers a lot to argue about. The Thrill of Victory: RealClearSports’ editor Cory Gunkel looks at how sports can bring triumph to tragedy and is an equalizing force among us all: “Sports have a way of overlooking our impurities, bridging divides, and allowing us to escape the daily doldrums. It’s the great equalizer. The things you do on a diamond, field, or court don’t change no matter who you are or what you do. Money can’t buy you a touchdown catch, and power doesn’t lower the height of the basketball goal so you can dunk.” http://bit.ly/2rDTQaz Trump Tweets: Meanwhile, the president made news Friday morning when he appeared to confirm in a tweet he is under investigation related to his firing of FBI Director James Comey. He also complained, for not the first time, that he is the victim of a “witch hunt.” He wrote: “I am being investigated for firing the FBI Director by the man who told me to fire the FBI Director! Witch Hunt” http://bit.ly/1Gb8pUt Trump is in Miami today to announce plans to roll back Obama-era steps to normalize relations with Cuba. RealClearPolitics’ Alexis Simendinger has the details. http://bit.ly/2rDRxnZ
Topics du Jour Trump Job Approval: His rating is at a negative-13.7 points in the RealClearPolitics Polling Average. http://bit.ly/2slB9gm Georgia on My Mind: Voters in the Peach State’s 6th Congressional District head to the polls on Tuesday to choose their replacement for former Rep. Tom Price, who’s now Trump’s health and human services secretary. Democrat Jon Ossoff is up by 3.2 points in the RCP average. Both sides are watching this race closely as a possible harbinger of the 2018 midterms. http://bit.ly/2r2B79b Old Dominion Politics: Virginia voters selected their gubernatorial nominees on Tuesday with Republican Ed Gillespie set to face off against Democrat Ralph Northam. RCP’s David Byler offers three takeaways from the race, including how the GOP primary wasn’t a snoozer, how the Dem primary wasn’t a replay of Bernie Sanders vs. Hillary Clinton, and how Northam starts off the general campaign in the best position. http://bit.ly/2rADmjK Clock Ticks for Mattis: At RealClearDefense, Pentagon correspondent Sandra Erwin looks at the pressure Defense Secretary James Mattis is under before “a July deadline to deliver President Trump a fresh menu of options to defeat ISIS.” http://bit.ly/2rw8eqj Erwin also reports that “at a time when the defense market is poised for growth, established military contractors like Boeing are nonetheless coming under extraordinary pressure to stay competitive.” http://bit.ly/2t6JCRX
In Other Originals
Best and the Brightest: At RealClearDefense, Tara Carcillo, the president and CEO of The Clearing, Inc., a Washington, D.C.-based management consulting firm, dissects what it means to national security interests to have top federal department jobs unfilled. “Not having the best and brightest in place leads to everything from inconsistent policy, misdirected initiative, and mission creep [as well as] … unaccountability and a lack of critical response. Relying on a skeleton crew may suffice for daily management of routine operations, but an absence of designated authorities in a crisis can have tragic consequences.” http://bit.ly/2rSNXtI Tracking the Travel Ban: At RealClearPolicy, the Niskanen Center’s Kristie de Peña and Melanie Huettman examine the Ninth Circuit Court’s decision on Trump’s travel ban: “At a time when we need accountability in refugee policy and firm fiscal and social commitments from world leaders, the president remains dead set on pulling back from our position as global frontrunner of humanitarian aid. The Ninth Circuit has dealt another blow to this aim, and it may now be in the hands of the Supreme Court to determine the future of refugee policy, executive authority, and — by extension — the U.S.’s standing as a humanitarian global leader.” http://bit.ly/2sxK2U9 Drink Up: At RealClearInvestigations, Erin Clark details a state-by-state pushback against long-established alcohol regulations that clash with modern, more permissive sensibilities. http://bit.ly/2rlfUro Calling On the Competition: At RealClearMarkets, the Brookings Institution’s Ryan Nunn writes on employers’ use of non-compete clauses: “As policy evolves—and with so many unresolved questions about the costs and benefits of pre-dispute employment arbitration—it is striking how little data there is to inform the debate. We do not have a clear sense of how widespread the agreements are, what their detailed provisions are, or how often they are enforced. Without this information, it will be difficult for policymakers to make sound decisions that benefit workers and the economy. Efforts should begin now to develop more reliable, comprehensive data about pre-dispute employment agreements, non-competes, and other labor market institutions that determine workers’ fates.” http://bit.ly/2sp6saB At First Tweet: At RealClearHealth, Dr. Kevin Campbell examines the role social media plays in medicine, noting: “No longer can an academic society survive solely on their previous reputation. Physician members are increasingly digitally engaged and expect innovation and forward thinking from their societies.” http://bit.ly/2rw5eKo Warp Speed: At RealClearScience, Ross Pomeroy looks at an experiment designed to slow down the speed of light and asks: “Why would anybody want to slow down the speed of light? After all, it's already slow enough!” http://bit.ly/2sUPZru Perfect Pitch: In latest installment of RealClearLife's "The Secret Is" franchise, Mets Pitcher Noah Syndergaard reveals how he approaches pitching battles. http://bit.ly/2t70o3G Best In Show: With the Warriors established as NBA juggernauts, the RealClearSports staff offers its list of the top 10 sports dynasties. http://bit.ly/2trPKDP
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