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Here's what we're talking about:
With Jordan Erb
1. INSIDE THE ROOM: President Joe Biden regularly meets with just seven staffers out of a roster of hundreds. These senior advisors are lifers in Bidenworld, trusted campaign alums, and a couple of newer additions.
Insider took a look at these often agenda-less meetings where Biden gets frank advice behind closed doors.
Here's a look at the some of the people who are in the room:
The understated lifer: Mike Donilon, senior advisor, has been described as "fluent in Bidenese," and he's said to be the last person to look at every speech or presidential communication before it goes to the Resolute Desk.
- Key quote: "I call him the president's secret weapon. He's very quiet, very low profile, very low key, not ever, ever wanting to be in front of a camera," Moe Vela, an aide to Biden during his vice-presidential years, said of Donilon.
The veteran campaign hand: Jennifer O'Malley Dillon, deputy chief of staff, served as Biden's general-election campaign manager and became the first woman to successfully lead a Democrat into the White House.
- Her current portfolio is expansive: "It's honestly tough to even pinpoint her involvement because what she says and does touches on everything, providing critical advice to the president," a White House aide said.
A relative newcomer to Bidenworld whom the president wants by his side: Cedric Richmond, senior advisor to the president and director of the Office of Public Engagement, was the national cochair of Biden's campaign while also serving in Congress. He's now involved in inequality issues but has been involved in other critical issues, including Biden's sweeping pandemic-relief law.
- Biden notices when he's not there: "He's one of the people that the president turns to most often to ask his opinion," a White House aide said, "and if he's not in the room, the president will say, 'Can somebody get Cedric?' Or, 'Where's Cedric?'"
More on Biden's tight inner circle here.
2. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu potentially days away from ouster: Rivals of Netanyahu say they have reached an agreement to form a broad coalition government that some say is united on little more than removing the nation's longest-serving prime minister. But Netanyahu is not out yet. His loyalists could leverage their power to delay a vote on the new government, giving him time to claw his way back.
- More details: Under the agreement, Naftali Bennett, a former Netanyahu protégé who is viewed as further right than his old ally, would lead Israel until 2023. If things go according to their plan, Yair Lapid, a centrist, would then take over until 2025. The agreement would also mark the first time an Arab party had joined a governing coalition.
3. Clock may be running out on an infrastructure deal: "Patience is not unending, and he wants to make progress," the White House press secretary, Jen Psaki, told reporters, among a series of signals the Biden administration has sent that bipartisan talks need to bear fruit soon. In a sign of the stalemate, Biden's Wednesday meeting with Republican Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, her party's top negotiator, ended without any public sign of progress, The Washington Post reports. White House officials now point to June 9 as a critical date.
4. FBI says Russian group was behind cyberattack of meatpacking giant: The group, known as REvil, is one of the most prolific and sophisticated ransomware organizations. It has been linked to attacks against nearly two dozen Texas cities and even Apple, The New York Times reports. JBS is responsible for about one-fifth of all US beef and pork processing capacity, and the disruption from the attack caused the Agriculture Department to delay a daily price report. JBS says its operations are now back to normal.
5. Prosecutors are reportedly investigating whether Rep. Matt Gaetz obstructed justice: Federal prosecutors are said to be investigating whether the Republican lawmaker obstructed justice during a phone call he had with a witness in the sex-crimes investigation surrounding him, according to Politico. Gaetz has denied any wrongdoing, and a spokesperson said he did not break any laws in this case. More on the latest turn in the scandal.
6. Meme stocks are soaring (to the moon) again: Among the retail favorites gaining steam were Bed Bath & Beyond, GameStop, and Virgin Galactic. Shares of AMC Entertainment led the pack. On Wednesday, the stock surged as high as 126% to about $72 before paring some gains. Retail traders have remained bullish on the company despite a stock dump Tuesday by the hedge fund Mudrick Capital. More on the latest surge here.
AMC's epic 3,325% year-to-date rally now makes it bigger than 10 well-known companies
7. Educational agency backed by Betsy DeVos lost recognition for signing off on a college that seemed fake: Biden's Education Department canceled its recognition of the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges & Schools for approving a school that a report found had no evidence of faculty or students but received federal funds anyway. DeVos, the Trump administration education secretary, stood by ACICS and affirmed that the agency had followed proper procedure when choosing to accredit the school. ACICS had also accredited now-defunct for-profit schools that were accused of defrauding students.
8. Trump reportedly nixed his blog because people mocked its low readership: The 45th president's "beacon of freedom" is dead after 29 days, or just under three Scaramuccis. An advisor to the former president told The Post that his boss was miffed at the jokes about its dismal performance. Trump is still said to be trying to start his own social-media site.
9. FDA advises against eating cicadas if you're allergic to shellfish: Cicadas are in the same animal family as shrimp and lobsters. If you're not allergic to shellfish, my colleague collected some recipes for easy home cooking. I'll leave it to you to see whether they are the fruit of the trees.
10. Want free beer and a chance to win tickets to the next Super Bowl? Get vaccinated: The White House released a list of incentives that companies would offer if 70% of the country got vaccinated — including free beer for everyone over the age of 21 from Anheuser-Busch. Here are all the goodies companies are offering if America reaches that goal.
Today's trivia question: What was Susan B. Anthony talking about when she said, "[This] has done more to emancipate women than any one thing in the world"? Email your guess and a suggested question to me at bgriffiths@insider.com.
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