Today in one sentence: Biden pledged to codify Roe v. Wade into law if Democrats retain control of Congress in the November midterm elections; the Interior Department announced the first-ever lease sale for offshore wind development in the Pacific Ocean; the Biden administration plans to release 10 million to 15 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in an effort to keep gasoline prices from climbing; primary source for the Trump-Russia dossier was acquitted of four counts of lying to the FBI about where he got his information for the 2016 "Steele dossier"; the special master reviewing documents seized from Mar-a-Lago warned Trump's lawyers that there was a “certain incongruity” to their executive privilege claims that at least one document was both Trump's personal property and government property; and 70% of voters say they are dissatisfied with the way things are going in the U.S. today, and 64% are pessimistic about the state of politics in the country.

1/ Biden pledged to codify Roe v. Wade into law if Democrats retain control of Congress in the November midterm elections. In a speech at a Democratic National Committee, Biden promised that the first bill he sends to Congress next year would be legislation to restore abortion rights under Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision that the Supreme Court overruled in June. “If you care about the right to choose, you got to vote,” Biden said, adding: “If Republicans get their way with a national ban, it won’t matter where you live in America.” While Biden has repeatedly advocated for changing the Senate’s 60-vote filibuster requirement to protect a woman’s right to an abortion and a broader constitutional right to privacy, at least two Democrats — Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema — have said they oppose the move. Earlier this year, Biden promised to codify Roe v. Wade if voters elected two more Democrats to the Senate. (Politico / CNN / NBC News / New York Times / Washington Post / ABC News / Axios)

  • A covert abortion network rises after Roe. “Amid legal and medical risks, a growing army of activists is funneling pills from Mexico into states that have banned abortion.” (Washington Post)

2/ The Interior Department announced the first-ever lease sale for offshore wind development in the Pacific Ocean. The Dec. 6 sale will target five areas in the Pacific Ocean off central and northern California, which could produce over 4.5 gigawatts of energy when fully developed – enough to power more than 1.5 million homes. The Biden administration is aiming to develop 30 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030 using traditional technology – enough to power 10 million homes – as well as an additional 15 gigawatts of floating offshore wind, which could power another 5 million homes. (Axios / CNN / Associated Press)

3/ The Biden administration plans to release 10 million to 15 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in an effort to keep gasoline prices from climbing. In March, the White House said it planned to release 180 million barrels of crude oil into the market throughout the year. There are about 15 million barrels remaining since the program was put into effect. The national average price was $3.87 a gallon. (Blomberg / Politico)

4/ The primary source for the Trump-Russia dossier was acquitted of four counts of lying to the FBI about where he got his information for the 2016 “Steele dossier.” In 2019, Attorney General William Barr asked John Durham to review the FBI’s investigation of the Trump campaign in 2016. Since then, Durham has lost both cases that have gone to trial as part of his investigation. The trial against Igor Danchenko, the analyst who was a primary source for the Steele dossier, is expected to be the special counsel’s last prosecution. (Washington Post / CNN / New York Times / Wall Street Journal)

5/ The special master reviewing documents seized from Mar-a-Lago warned Trump’s lawyers that there was a “certain incongruity” to their executive privilege claims that at least one document was both Trump’s personal property and government property. “It’s a little perplexing as I go through the log,” Judge Raymond Dearie said of the documents over which Trump is seeking to claim privilege. “What’s the expression — ‘Where’s the beef?’ I need some beef.” Dearie, who is reviewing the documents to determine which ones the Justice Department can use in its criminal investigation, said that neither side has provided him with enough facts to make recommendations about Trump’s claims that certain documents were protected by either attorney-client privilege or executive privilege. “I don’t want to be dealing with nonsense objections, nonsense assertions,” Dearie said. (Bloomberg / CNN)

poll/ 19% of voters said recent disagreements with family or friends over political issues have hurt their relationship, and 48% of voters said a person’s political views reflect whether they are a good person. (New York Times)

poll/ 64% of voters say the country is moving in the wrong direction, naming the economy (26%) and inflation (18%) as the most important problem facing the country today. 24% see the U.S. as on the right track. (New York Times)

poll/ 65% of voters say the economy is getting worse, and 68% say the Biden administration could be doing more to combat inflation. (CBS News)

poll/ 70% of voters say they are dissatisfied with the way things are going in the U.S. today, and 64% are pessimistic about the state of politics in the country. (AP-NORC)

Last year today: Day 272: "Untethered."
Three years ago today: Day 1002: White House confessional.
Four years ago today: Day 637: Personal commitments.
Five years ago today: Day 272: Knew what he signed up for.