Good Monday morning! Biden campaign fights to assuage Dem fears; Supreme Court to rule on Trump immunity claim today; France’s far-right wins first round of parliamentary election in blow to Macron.

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Good morning,

The US Olympic gymnastics trials ended last night with Simone Biles on top. Her floor routine, starting with the instrumentals from ‘…Ready For It,’ even got Taylor Swift excited.

🇺🇸 At age 27, Biles will be the oldest female gymnast to represent the US since the 1950s. She will be joined by Hezly Rivera, Jade Carey, Suni Lee, and Jordan Chiles at the Olympics later this month.

Go girls! We’ll be watching 📺

Mosheh, Jill, & Lauren

PS: Don’t forget to refer friends & family to subscribe to the Mo Newsletter… you could get free Mo News merch — DETAILS at the bottom of this newsletter!

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📌 BIDEN MEETS WITH FAMILY AS TOP DEMS WORK TO QUELL PANIC WITHIN PARTY

As President Biden’s aides publicly tried to dismiss his debate performance as a bad 90 minutes, they have been privately trying to reassure concerned legislators and donors that the president can still handle the job. The president conceded that he did terribly at a debate, where he repeatedly lost his train of thought, but believes he is still the guy to beat former President Trump.

• Meanwhile, his family gathered over the weekend and urged him to stay in the race — with some family members privately blaming Biden’s staff for the bad debate. The First Lady and his son, Hunter, are reportedly among the most vocal about him staying in the race.

It comes after numerous Democratic campaign operatives, former lawmakers, commentators, and columnists spoke out over the weekend calling for Biden to step aside. Notably, current Democratic leaders are expressing concerns privately, and via anonymous media quotes, but none are willing to come out publicly against the president….yet.

• There were a number of leaks over the weekend from people familiar with Biden and his cognitive abilities of late.

  • White House staffers say he’s best from 10am to 4pm. After that, the president slows down — like we saw on Thursday night (the debate was at 9pm ET).

  • Presidential aides have shielded Biden from White House staff for years.

  • European officials say Biden skipped the G7 leaders dinner and struggled during the recent summit.

• The New York Times Editorial Board wrote that “Biden is not the man he was four years ago,” and should end his campaign. VIDEO: Here is a clip of Biden speaking to the NY Times board 4.5 years ago. It is remarkable for his delivery and the topic.

  • The NYT board endorsed against him in the 2020 Democratic primary, so their editorial likely will have the opposite effect on the president, and inspire him to fight on.

THE PR GAME
President Biden and his allies over the weekend tried to reassure anxious donors, party leaders, and supporters.

• Publicly, top Democrats argued that Biden should be judged on his record as president over the past three and a half years vs. a 90-minute debate.

  • Biden got support from former Presidents Obama and Clinton, along with Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, and others on Friday in an attempt to tamp down concerns.

• Behind closed doors, several top donors and some Democratic members of Congress expressed concerns about whether Biden should be the nominee at August’s Democratic National Convention. They argue that if this is the president at age 81, what will he be like at age 86— at the end of a second term?

  • Bottom line: Unless Biden decides to give up his reelection bid on his own, a fight at the convention to replace him is very unlikely. The primaries are over. Biden has more than 90% of the pledged delegates. As former Obama adviser David Axelrod put it, “the discussion that is going on now was timely a year ago, when few wanted to have it.”

    • Privately, one of the reasons Biden is staying in the race is that he does not think VP Kamala Harris can beat Trump. At the same time, bypassing her as the next nominee would be logistically and politically perilous.

WHAT THE VOTERS THINK
The first major post-debate national poll out Sunday from CBS News found an increased number of voters, including nearly half of Democrats, no longer think Biden should be running for president at all.

⚖️ SUPREME COURT’S LAST DAY: TRUMP IMMUNITY RULING & MORE

The Supreme Court has been releasing its biggest rulings of the year. Here’s an update on Friday’s decisions and what to expect today — the last day of this term.

• January 6th Capitol Riot Case: Fischer v. US.

  • The court ruled 6-3 that a rioter who attacked the Capitol on January 6, 2021 cannot be prosecuted under a federal obstruction law. The justices said the statute was only intended to apply to evidence tampering.

    • Now, the Justice Department will need to show if hundreds of other people facing the change — including Trump — altered or destroyed records.

• The ‘Chevron’ Precedent : Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo

  • The court ruled 6-3 to kill a legal precedent that conservatives have attacked for decades known as the "Chevron deference.”

    • The court decided back in 1984 that judges should defer to federal agencies in interpreting ambiguous parts of statutes. The idea was that if Congress passes a law where something is unclear, it is up to an agency like the EPA to fill in the gap. It has been used in more than 18,000 cases. No more. The ruling is a win for conservatives and business groups.

• Homelessness Laws: Grants Pass v. Johnson.

  • Cities can now outlaw sleeping on the streets, even when no beds are available in local shelters. It was a 6 to 3 vote, along ideological lines.

FINAL TERM DECISIONS TODAY

• We will hear the court’s decision on the Trump January 6 immunity case. The former president argues that he should be immune from prosecution for all “official acts” he took while in office. One of the questions they may answer: Was he was acting as president, or as a private citizen, when he attempted to overturn the election?

• The court will also release decisions on state laws limiting the power of social media companies to ban users over politics and violating their policies.

🇫🇷 FRANCE’S FAR-RIGHT PARTY MAKES MAJOR GAINS

France’s far-right party made historic gains in yesterday’s parliamentary elections, exit polls showed. It is a major initial defeat to centrist President Emmanuel Macron, and shows that his decision to call snap elections earlier this month appeared to have backfired. But, it’s just the first of two rounds.

• The National Rally (NR), led by far-right politician Marine Le Pen, comfortably secured the top spot with 34% of the national vote.

  • Second place was an alliance of leftist parties, the New Popular Front, with about 28%, while Macron’s Together alliance only got about 20% of votes.

  • Macron hoped the election would be a rebuke of what he called the NR’s anti-immigrant, ‘xenophobic threat,’ as it calls for deportations. However, the gamble appears to have backfired. French voters are frustrated by the economy, an influx of migrants from North Africa and the Middle East, and leadership they see as out-of-touch.

    • Macron’s term lasts through 2027. Though, he may soon need to share power with a prime minister from NR, depending on how a second round of voting goes on July 7. He could also try to strike a deal with the leftist parties.

⏳ SPEED READ

🚨NATION

📌 Hurricane Beryl sets records as he it heads into Caribbean, aims for Mexico (ACCUWEATHER)

📌 Several US military bases in Europe put on heightened state of alert for potential terror attack (ABC NEWS)

📌 Authorities say 13-year-old boy with replica handgun fatally shot by police after chase in upstate New York (CBS NEWS)

📌 Steve Bannon remains defiant after Supreme Court rejects case, is set to report to prison today (NBC NEWS)

🌎 AROUND THE WORLD

📌 Ayataollah Khamenei’s protege, reformist to battle in Iranian presidential runoff (REUTERS)

📌 US and Europe warn Lebanon’s Hezbollah to ease strikes on Israel and back off from wider Mideast war (AP)

📌 North Korean officials sport Kim Jong Un pins for first time (REUTERS)

📌 Bolivian president accused of organizing ‘self-coup’ (AP)

📌 Russia wants to confront NATO but dares not fight it on the battlefield – so it’s waging a hybrid war instead (CNN)

📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH

📌 Hurricane Beryl — the first of the season — is super-charged by warm seas, stuns experts, and is expected to make first landfall today (AXIOS)

📌 Study suggests connection between anxiety and Parkinson’s disease (NEWSWEEK)

📌 Warren Buffett warns Gates Foundation there is no guarantee his support of the charity will continue once he’s gone (FORTUNE)

📌 Scientists create smiling robot face from living human skin cells (NPR)

🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

📌 ‘Inside Out 2’ becomes first movie of 2024 to hit $1 billion at global box office (VARIETY)

📌 Khloé Kardashian celebrates 40th birthday with a saloon-themed party featuring denim, diamonds and Snoop Dog (PEOPLE)

📌 Jennifer Lopez looks tense in LA after Ben Affleck moved things out of their $60M mansion amid marital woes (PAGE SIX)

📌 Behind Olivia Culpo’s traditional Dolce & Gabbana ballgown for her Rhode Island wedding over the weekend (VOGUE)

🗓 ON THIS DAY: JULY 1

• 1941: First TV commercial airs on NYC station. The 9-second Bulova watch spot appeared on screens before a game between the Brooklyn Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies

• 1963: The US Post Office began using five-digit ZIP codes.

• 1979: Sony launched the Walkman.

• 1991: President George H.W. Bush nominates a 43 year old Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court. The confirmation hearings were marked by allegations of sexual harassment by lawyer Anita Hill.