by Justin Lin, policy intern

NEWS:

• It seems that Sen. Rand Paul and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell have quite the interesting relationship. Joe Scarborough, a former member of the House, called the relationship between McConnell and Paul a “marriage of convenience” designed to boost Paul’s chances of election come 2016. According to Jesse Benton, who worked for both Rand Paul and Ron Paul, tolerating McConnell is to boost Rand Paul’s chances of election. (Washington Times)
• House Democrats who are looking to pass some sort of re-expansion of the Voting Rights Act may receive support from Eric Cantor, the House Minority Leader. Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) has stated that he anticipates cooperation from Cantor, though other House Republicans have not expressed much interest in restoring the aspects of the Voting Rights Act struck down by the Supreme Court. (The Hill)
• Barack Obama recently called his relationship with John McCain as that of a “classic romantic comedy.” McCain responded with a little ribbing by saying that a more fitting comedy would be I Love Lucy or The Honeymooners. In an interview with CNN’s John Brennan, McCain pointed to potential areas that both sides of the aisle can work together. (Politico)
• According to Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.), around 40-50 GOP House members are in favor of comprehensive immigration reform, meaning the bill would pass the House if brought to the floor for a vote. However, with regards to immigration, House Speaker has promised to only bring votes to the floor that have received support from a majority of support from those in the House Majority. (Washington Post)
• Many Americans are quite disgruntled with Congress and don’t think they deserve their August recess. In a poll by Fox News, 82% of those surveyed said that they did not think Congress worked hard enough to merit the break. The same poll found that 48% believed that President Obama deserved his vacation, with 80% of Democrats believing he worked hard enough. (Politico)