by Justin Lin, Policy Intern

NEWS:

• Senate Republicans are starting an ad campaign based on the Nintendo game “Duck Hunt” to gain the six seats needed for a Senate Republican majority. This ad targets Senator Mary Landrieu of Louisiana and is part of a broad range of efforts, including a mock app store describing various Democratic candidates. (Roll Call)
• This should come as a surprise to few, but Newark Mayor Cory Booker has finally won the Democratic primary for the special election. He is expected to win the general election due to his strong fundraising advantage and the overall strong Democratic base. (Roll Call)
• Former Rep. Mark Critz (D-PA), who lost re-election in 2012 by four points, says he is not running for the Senate seat, opting instead to run for Lieutenant Governor. Critz first entered congress in 2010 through a special election, winning two more races afterward. (Roll Call)
• Democrats are urging state Senator Wendy Davis, who first received national attention for her filibuster of an abortion restriction law, to run for governor of Texas. If she decides to run, her likely opponent will be Greg Abbott, the attorney general of Texas.
• Republicans, especially those in the House, have received a lot of attention for their attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare. However, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich criticized those in his own party for having no suitable replacement for the Act; he has also said that it was possible he would run in 2016 and denied that the GOP suffered because of the 1995 government shutdown. (NPR)
• Gina McCarthy, the EPA administrator, has suggested that she will bypass congress with regards to climate change and begin working on certain policies at the federal level, though she has not stated what those policies may be. Senators have criticized Obama’s Climate Action Plan that he unveiled in a June 25 speech at Georgetown, saying these policies would lead to fewer jobs. McCarthy, however, stated that the perceived trade-off between economic growth and reducing emissions is a “false choice.” (Washington Times)