Republicans' Putin problems linger: The Note

The TAKE with Rick Klein

It's an awful war with an American ally asking for more than an increasingly unpopular Democratic president is willing to give -- and gas prices are showing voters the costs along the way.

A range of ambitious Republicans see this as a moment for a new take on foreign policy that gets the party back to its traditional roots. But there's a contrarian voice that happens to be a loud one, and it isn't going away.

Former President Donald Trump's latest call for Russian President Vladimir Putin to release what he knows about Hunter Biden -- "I think he should release it," Trump said in an interview this week, referring to information on financial relationships involving Biden's son -- is particularly ill-timed for the GOP.

It comes at a time where Putin is isolated and erratic and while the federal investigation centering on the president's son is intensifying, without any help from Putin.

Trump's influence on the party on the Putin question is evident in comments such as those from Rep. Madison Cawthorn, R-N.C., who earlier this month called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a "thug."

The House vote two weeks ago to strip Russia and Belarus of normal trade status was unanimous except for eight Republicans. Some of their names -- Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs, Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert -- are familiar figures in the MAGA orbit.

From the White House perspective, the latest comments from Trump are an opportunity to turn questions about the president's son into answers.

"What kind of American, let alone an ex-president, thinks that this is the right time to enter into a scheme with Vladimir Putin and brag about his connections to Vladimir Putin?" White House communications director Kate Bedingfield asked Tuesday.

The RUNDOWN with Averi Harper

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, a Republican, has signed legislation that will prohibit transgender students from participating in girls and women's sports. Stitt signed the bill, called the "Save Women's Sports Act," into law Wednesday -- the eve of Transgender Day of Visibility.

"When it comes to sports and athletics, girls should compete against girls. Boys should compete against boys," Stitt, who is running for re-election, said.

Oklahoma's controversial legislation is a part of a wave of similar legislation targeting transgender athletes pushed by GOP lawmakers in states across the country. Advocates widely consider this sort of legislation harmful to transgender youth.

"These bills are wrong," President Joe Biden said in a proclamation marking Transgender Day of Visibility 2022. "Efforts to criminalize supportive medical care for transgender kids, to ban transgender children from playing sports and to outlaw discussing LGBTQI+ people in schools undermine their humanity and corrode our Nation's values."

Stitt's signage also came on the same day that a group of 21 House Republicans introduced a resolution that not only misgenders Lia Thomas, an NCAA swimming champion and transgender student athlete at the University of Pennsylvania, but also uses her birth name to claim that Thomas "stole" the championship trophy and declares another female swimmer the "rightful winner."

The push led by Rep. Lauren Boebert is unlikely to gain traction, but it is noteworthy given that it has cosponsors who represent 15 states across the country.

The TIP with Alisa Wiersema

The political implications of ending Title 42 are once again highlighting divisions over the nation's immigration policies both across the aisle and within parties. The Trump-era emergency order remains part of the U.S. public health code and allows for the expulsion of migrants without giving them a chance to apply for asylum within the United States.

"Title 42 is a public health directive. It is not an immigration or migration enforcement measure. So the decision on when to lift Title 42 we defer to the CDC," White House communications director Kate Bedingfield told reporters Wednesday.

"We are planning for multiple contingencies, and we have every expectation that when the CDC ultimately decides it's appropriate to lift Title 42, there will be an influx of people to the border, and so we are doing a lot of work to plan for that contingency," she added.

Those comments come on the heels of the Department of Homeland Security saying the agency is ​​bracing for as many as 18,000 migrants per day at the southern border and also after the Biden administration announced it would welcome 100,000 Ukrainian refugees, all while signaling a push for Americans to bounce back from pandemic times.

The overlapping priorities present a complicated scenario for the administration to navigate, especially as several members of the president's own party -- some of whom are tied up in pivotal midterm races -- say they disagree with ending the policy at this time. Democrats representing border areas, including Arizona Sens. Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly as well as Texas Reps. Vicente Gonzalez and Henry Cuellar, have called on the White House to leave Title 42 in place. Sen. Joe Manchin was also among those asking for an extension of the policy.

NUMBER OF THE DAY, powered by FiveThirtyEight

220-223. That's the number of red-leaning seats that will likely show up on the 2022 congressional map. While congressional redistricting is not quite finished, it's getting darn close. It looks like Republicans' historical advantage in the House will be smaller than it has been in decades -- mostly because Democrats have gained seats through gerrymandering.

Based on the new House maps that have already passed and the range of possible outcomes in the remaining states, FiveThirtyEight estimates that the 2022 congressional map will end up with 220-223 districts with Republican-leaning partisan leans and 212-215 districts with Democratic-leaning partisan leans, making it a pretty even split. Read more from Nathaniel Rakich at FiveThirtyEight.

THE PLAYLIST

ABC News' "Start Here" Podcast. "Start Here" begins Thursday morning with ABC's Jessica Hopper on a "Nightline" investigation into the lasting trauma from the boarding of indigenous children. Then, ABC's Karen Travers explains the president's push for COVID-19 funding. And, ABC's Jordana Miller details new security threats in Israel. http://apple.co/2HPocUL

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The Note is a daily ABC News feature that highlights the day's top stories in politics. Please check back tomorrow for the latest.