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When I was in the East Coast Page Program at NBC, the Pages created what was known as the Page Graph of Happiness. Like typical graphs, there were peaks and valleys, and the occasional all-time low if you got passed over for an assignment or had to spend the day giving tours to a bunch of spring-breakers from out of town. (Tours were capped at 35 people, and sometimes it was 33 kids and two chaperones.) The peaks and valleys over the course of the program were an 80/20 split, as the peaks were far more plentiful when you zoomed out. However, the day-to-day of being a Page was anything but glamorous. It was a slog, except for the few weekly perks of free leftover food in conference rooms, sneaking into 8H to watch rehearsals, and Quesadilla Wednesdays! Similarly, Joe Biden’s presidency has been a lot like the Page Graph of Happiness. Over the past two years, Americans have watched Biden work through the peaks and valleys that come with occupying the Oval Office. As we head into the midterms, Biden is hitting the campaign trail to make the case to elect more Democrats, while also showcasing the peaks of his presidency. Currently, there’s a bit of voter malaise happening among the electorate, as they no longer feel compelled to monitor Twitter to see in real time what unhinged thing the president will Tweet next, or go to bed wondering if America will become an extension of Russia by the morning. Biden Republicans, who committed to a four-year relationship with Joe Biden, have gotten comfortable. They have checked their Trump-sized worries at the door, for now. For many voters, especially those Biden Republicans, they need to be re-energized and reminded why they voted for 46 in the first place. Last night, President Biden delivered. As a Biden Republican myself, voting for 46 wasn’t a suicide pact. It was a calculated decision, because I had more faith and trust in Biden’s ability to protect and restore the soul of America than I did in Donald Trump. That being said, I haven’t agreed with Biden at every turn. In fact, if I had to chart my approval of Biden since taking office in January 2021, it would have both peaks and valleys. No presidency is perfect, and that’s okay. The job of the president is a tough one. And like the Page Program, it has peaks and valleys. But the good news is, we as Americans have a chance to ensure November 2022 is a peak for democracy and a valley for the authoritarian crowd. —Mary Anna Mancuso, Political Strategist
Mark Meadows ordered to testify in Fulton County probe of Trump election overturn efforts — [ [link removed] ]Politico [ [link removed] ]
Inflation falls for first time in more than two years, key U.S. gauge shows, due to sinking gas prices — [ [link removed] ]MarketWatch [ [link removed] ]
White House shines light on Republicans who are criticizing student debt cancellation after getting their PPP loans forgiven — [ [link removed] ]NBC News [ [link removed] ]
Ukraine narrowly escapes nuclear catastrophe as plant loses power, Zelensky says — [ [link removed] ]Reuters [ [link removed] ]
Truth Social reportedly faces major money, trademark woes — [ [link removed] ]HuffPost [ [link removed] ]
GOP gets the Corn Pop treatment 
The president has zero shucks left to give. On the campaign trail for Democratic candidates in Maryland last night, the fiery Joe Biden of his U.S. Senate years made a return. Bolstered perhaps by a string of recent political wins and mildly improved economic conditions, Biden took on the “MAGA Republicans,” calling their agenda “almost semi-fascism.” He appealed to "Democrats, independents, and mainstream Republicans" to unite to “save democracy again,” as in 2020. "America must choose. You must choose. Whether our country will move forward or backward,” Biden declared. “Trump and the extreme MAGA Republicans have made their choice—to go backwards full of anger, violence, hate, and division,” he continued, warning that they "refuse to accept the will of the people.” —Reuters [ [link removed] ]
In MAGA Republican world… Its leader, Donald Trump, chose his social media platform, Truth Social, to rant and rave yesterday. He wrote: “Even though I am as innocent as a person can be, and despite MY campaign being spied on by the Radical Left, the FISA COURT being lied to and defrauded, all of the many Hoaxes and Scams that were illegally placed on me by very sick & demented people, and without even mentioning the many crimes of Joe and Hunter Biden, all revealed in great detail in the Laptop From Hell, it looks more and more like the Fake News Media is pushing hard for the Sleaze to do something that should not be done.” Yes, a former President of the United States actually wrote that. 🤦‍♀️ —The Independent [ [link removed] ]
The affidavit in the middle of it all. Between the former and current chief executive lies the Justice Department’s investigation. Today, a judge made public the redacted affidavit that supported the FBI search of Trump's Florida resort, Mar-a-Lago, earlier this month. The 32-page document indicates the FBI had "probable cause to believe that additional documents that contain classified [National Defense Information] or that are Presidential records subject to record retention requirements currently remain at [Mar-a-Lago]." —ABC News [ [link removed] ]
“Some of our most sensitive intelligence.” Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Mark Warner has requested, on a bipartisan basis, “a damage assessment of any national security threat posed by the mishandling of this information,” according to a statement issued by Warner after the affidavit’s release. “The Department of Justice investigation must be allowed to proceed without interference,” he wrote. Stay tuned. —The Hill [ [link removed] ]
MORE: NYT Ed Board: Donald Trump is not above the law — [ [link removed] ]The New York Times [ [link removed] ]
Pignanelli & Webb: Do Democrats really have a midterm shot?
“A few thousand votes in a few key races may mean the difference in control of Congress. Republicans need to win moderate and independent votes in those races. But Trump and his ‘stolen election’ claims and the cringy candidates he got nominated, are not attractive to those mainstream voters. Were it not for Trump, some of his nominees, and the whole ’stolen election’ nonsense, Republicans would be winning in a landslide.“ —Frank Pignanelli & LaVarr Webb in Deseret News [ [link removed] ]
Frank Pignanelli is an attorney, lobbyist, and political adviser who served as a Democrat in the Utah State Legislature. LaVarr Webb is a former journalist and Republican political consultant.
MORE: Democrats gain momentum: 5 takeaways from the last big primary night of 2022 — [ [link removed] ]Politico [ [link removed] ]
Craig: Yes, it really was an attempted coup
“The riot at the Capitol was only one piece—the final piece—of a failed attempt to overthrow the Constitution of the United States, directed by the president and aiming to install him as an unelected autocrat. Only speaking of it as an attempted coup properly conveys how serious that is and accurately describes what really happened. Getting this right isn’t just semantics. It’s also crucial to how we respond to what happened. A mere riot does not lead to, for example, reforming the Electoral Count Act, the impeachment of a president, or the reining in of unilateral executive power. But these are the kinds of responses, among others, that a well-ordered political system will take in the wake of an attempted coup.” —Andy Craig in The UnPopulist [ [link removed] ]
Andy Craig is a staff writer at the Cato Institute.
MORE: FBI says five militia members charged with storming Capitol — [ [link removed] ]Associated Press [ [link removed] ]
Koenig: Want to get rid of dysfunction? Reform the filibuster
“Congressional dysfunction breeds popular dysfunction. Although we don’t like to admit it, our leaders (particularly those of our own party) shape our perceptions of politics. When they can’t work together and do anything meaningful with those on the other side of the aisle, many of us internalize the message: The other side is hopelessly misguided or hateful, and the only path forward is to win at all costs and go it alone.” —Thomas Koenig in The Dispatch [ [link removed] ]
Thomas Koenig is a Harvard Law student and the author of the “Tom’s Takes” newsletter. 
MORE: Democrats, Republicans see each other as 'immoral,' some seek third party — [ [link removed] ]NewsNation [ [link removed] ]
Richie: The Last Frontier is the first to adopt new voting format
“[Alaska is] the first state to merge the nonpartisan primary used in a pair of West Coast states with ranked-choice voting—that is, four candidates advance from the primary (rather than only two, as in Washington and California), and voters then use RCV to elect the candidate with the greatest support. That means voters will almost always have a competitive general election.” —Rob Richie in The Fulcrum [ [link removed] ]
Rob Richie is the president and CEO of FairVote. He is the co-author of "Every Vote Equal" and "Whose Votes Count?"
MORE: Ranked-choice voting advances as election deniers, voting right limitations gain traction — [ [link removed] ]Route Fifty [ [link removed] ]
Michelson: Will women make the difference in the midterms?
“Women do not take their right to vote—or any rights—for granted, so they are exercising that right in droves this year, with women voter registrations soaring. What will happen in November’s midterms? We’ll find out, but looks like women voters will certainly be speaking loud and clear when they vote.” —Joan Michelson in Forbes [ [link removed] ]
Joan Michelson is a Forbes contributor and the host of the podcast “Electric Ladies.” She covers energy, climate, sustainability, and women’s issues.
MORE: Women’s Equality Day 2022: What women’s fight for voting rights can teach us today — [ [link removed] ]Forbes [ [link removed] ]
I personally would love to see Liz Cheney serve as President of the United States! But I can't see that ever happening within the Republican Party. As a resident of Arizona, where Rusty Bowers was punished for telling the truth—similarly to Liz Cheney—I see no hope for saving the Republican Party. In our recent primary election, the most extremist Trump supporters and election deniers won the nominations in all the major races. It's very disheartening. —Nancy, Arizona
As for Liz Cheney bringing back the Republican Party, I don't think so. I think the country is ready for a new party that is more "center"/independent. I know I am. I am tired of the partisan fighting. Thank goodness the Democratic Party has been able to accomplish legislation on their own in several cases. However, I truly believe that the majority of Americans would be able to come together for the benefit of all if our representatives and senators would LISTEN and forget the party lines. —Ruth, Illinois
I'm a lifelong Democrat, but I would vote for a presidential ticket that featured Liz Cheney. I've been contributing to RAM since its inception and am now on board with the Forward Party. I contributed to Cheney's re-election campaign and plan to contribute to her PAC. Although my political views don't align with Cheney's past views perfectly, we do align on her push to defend democracy in this country and protect us from another Trump presidency that could easily take us in the direction of autocracy (a la what's happening in India under Modi's party).
I have tremendous respect for Liz Cheney. She's one of the few members of the GOP with a spine and a functioning moral compass. I'm willing to put politics and party loyalty aside to focus on preserving our constitutional democracy. I'll tell you my secret "dream team" for the 2024 presidential ticket: Joe Manchin and Liz Cheney. I don't care which way they organize the ticket—I'd accept either one for president or vice president. I'll leave that up to them. But they are in the very small group of people I respect in Congress, or in politics in general right now, because they are principled and unwavering in their push to uphold the democratic principles upon which our government was founded. I would like to see them at the helm of the executive branch. —Lisbeth L., Oregon
The views expressed in "What's Your Take?" are submitted by readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff or the Renew America Foundation.

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