| Welcome to The Daily 202! Tell your friends to sign up here. On this day in 1921, White rioters in Tulsa systematically burned buildings in the district of Greenwood, one of the country's most prosperous Black communities. They may have killed as many as 300 people. | | |  | The big idea | | Worried about China, U.S. lays out 'space diplomacy' goals |  This photo released by Xinhua News Agency shows a screen image captured at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on May 30 of the Shenzhou-16 crewed spaceship successfully docking with the radial port of core module Tianhe of the Chinese space station. (Li Jie/Xinhua via AP) | | | It's not breaking news that cutthroat competition between the United States and China has gone to infinity and beyond — outer space, that is. But the State Department unveiled a blueprint Tuesday to showcase a new hope of setting up a "rules-based international framework" for managing it. The "Strategic Framework for Space Policy" is the kind of government document that earnestly prescribes "[c]ontinue identifying synergies" as a policy goal. But it makes for an interesting one-stop-shop for assessing U.S. fears and ambitions — and the depth of the rivalry with China in the final frontier. | | It had impeccable timing: | - Beijing on Tuesday sent three crew, including its first civilian astronaut, to its Tiangong space station in Earth orbit (China's the only individual country to operate a space station. The name is sometimes translated as "Heavenly Palace.")
- China, the only nation to land a spacecraft and launch a rover on the far side of the Moon, announced Monday it hoped to land people on Earth's natural satellite by 2030.
| | In case you were somehow missing the point, the report quotes from the Director of National Intelligence's 2023 Threat Assessment, which cites China's assertive space policy "with the intent to match or surpass the United States by 2045." | - "China's space activities are designed to advance its global standing and strengthen its attempts to erode U.S. influence across military, technological, economic, and diplomatic spheres" that section continues.
| | "China's intention to send astronauts to the moon has alarmed NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, who has said the United States is now in a space race with China," my colleague Christian Davenport noted in his Tuesday report on the new blueprint. "If you let China get there first, what's to stop them from saying, 'We are here. This is our area. You stay out,'" Christian quoted Nelson as recently telling Congress. "That is why I think it is important for us to get there on an international mission and establish the rules of the road." | So what would you say this does, exactly? | | Christian noted the framework splashed down "[w]ith tensions rising in space, low Earth orbit becoming increasingly congested, and everyday life growing dependent on satellites." "The goals are to 'build international partnerships for civil and national security space, promote a rules-based international order for outer space and work to secure the United States and its allies from space-enabled threats,'" Christian wrote. | - The State Department document says "[a]s appropriate, we will raise space-related issues, activities and programs at the highest levels of foreign governments."
- But, Christian noted "there are few details on how, specifically, the outline goals would be met or how it would ensure other nations comply with norms of behavior."
| | Among the developments the framework attempts to address is the sharp rise of commercial space travel — think Virgin Galactic or SpaceX. | | The report "comes at a time when new technologies developed by a growing commercial space sector are changing the way space is used in everyday life and in warfare. Satellite data, the framework document notes, is essential for international responses to disasters, combating climate change, and tracking illegal fishing and the flow of refugees," Christian wrote. | - And here, the report has two warnings.
| | One is about the temptation countries that are trying to develop space programs may feel to partner with, well, not just not-the-United States but competitors or hostile rivals. "Distinct civil and military space policies and programs do not exist in all nations. New, emerging space partners balance space relationships with us and our strategic competitors. Some governments may not recognize the vulnerabilities of increased intermingling with competitors' space industries," it says. Another is about the State Department's dual-hat role. It will promote the U.S. space industry, while encouraging new players to adopt U.S.-endorsed best practices. But it will also try to keep U.S. space technologies out of the hands of bad actors. And they aren't always compatible, the report suggests: "Technology transfer concerns and corresponding regulation mean an inherent necessary tension exists between our dual missions of protecting national security and promoting the U.S. space industry and the benefits of space for all." In other words: How can encouraging widespread adoption of U.S. know-how be made compatible with keeping certain technologies away from competitors or rivals? | | The report doesn't touch on unidentified aerial phenomena (what the government is calling the old UFOs these days) nor possible future contacts with extraterrestrial civilizations. In space, no one can hear you dream. | | |  | Politics-but-not | | | Click through to submit ideas for potential inclusion in our weekly roundup of stories you might not find in other political newsletters. Read more » | | | | | |  | What's happening now | | House to vote on debt ceiling deal as leaders scramble for support |  House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) speaks to reporters outside the House floor on Tuesday. The House is expected to vote Wednesday on a bill to raise the debt ceiling and limit federal spending. (Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters) | | - "The final bill — brokered over the weekend by President Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) — is expected to pass, despite criticism from far-right Republicans and some progressive Democrats alike. What isn't clear yet is how many members of the GOP majority will back the legislation, which is turning into a key test of McCarthy's hold on power."
| Chris Christie plans to launch 2024 presidential campaign | | "Former New Jersey governor Chris Christie will enter the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination next week, according to a person with knowledge of his plans who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the decision has not yet been announced publicly," Amy B Wang and Maeve Reston report. | North Korea says it will try again 'soon' to launch spy satellite | | "North Korea said it would launch another rocket carrying a military spy satellite 'as soon as possible,' after admitting Wednesday's attempt had failed in midflight due to 'serious' defects," Min Joo Kim reports. | | |  | Lunchtime reads from The Post | | How a fossil fuel pipeline helped grease the debt ceiling deal |  The Mountain Valley Pipeline, under construction near Elliston, Va. (Charles Mostoller/Reuters) | | | "Immediately after House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) reached an elusive agreement with President Biden to raise the debt ceiling on Saturday, the speaker emerged from his office and called a little-known congresswoman about a once obscure energy project," our Climate 202 colleague Maxine Joselow reports. | - "We got Mountain Valley Pipeline done," McCarthy told Rep. Carol Miller (R-W.Va.), according to people familiar with the conversation.
| | "The speaker was referring to a controversial gas pipeline that the debt limit deal sought to fast-track. Its inclusion shocked many in Washington, including several lawmakers, aides and lobbyists. Yet the phone call, which has not been reported previously, capped a week of behind-the-scenes negotiations among House Republicans, White House officials and others over the 303-mile pipeline, which would carry natural gas across West Virginia and Virginia — over the opposition of local residents and climate activists." | In debt deal, centrists push back against those on the fringes | | "In the end, the two leaders opted for a middle-of-the-road settlement, aiming to coalesce center-right and center-left lawmakers around the idea that an imperfect deal was preferable to a historic default that could devastate the economy. It was the first significant test for the Biden-McCarthy era of divided government, and if a theme emerged, it was the unmistakable reassertion of the political center," Toluse Olorunnipa reports. | Unexcusable: Philly schools' chronic absence crisis |  In this March 2019 photo are learning guides to be distributed to students at John H. Webster Elementary School in Philadelphia. (Matt Rourke/AP) | | | "Missing school is a way of life for nearly half of the students in the Philadelphia School District. An alarming 46% of all district students are 'chronically absent,' meaning they missed more than 10% of their school days, according to an Inquirer analysis of internal district data. This puts them at far greater risk of falling behind in reading and math, or eventually not graduating at all," Julie K. Brown, Dylan Purcell, and Kristen A. Graham report for the Philadelphia Inquirer. | Pride month guide for brandsN – Navigating LGBTQ+ marketing amid the culture wars | | "In recent years, June has been a time for brands to showcase their inclusivity and try to be seen as modern and progressive in support of Pride Month and the LGBTQ+ community. That is not the case this year, at least for now. Amid a frenzy of anti-LGBTQ+ activity from a growing faction of alt-right conservatives, many brands are staying silent," Adrianne Pasquarelli writes for AdAge. | Suspected Chinese spies, disguised as tourists, tried to infiltrate Alaskan military bases | | "Many of the encounters have been chalked up to innocent mistakes by foreign visitors intent on viewing the Northern Lights and other attractions in Alaska, officials say. Other attempts to enter U.S. military bases, however, seem to be probes to learn about U.S. military capabilities in Alaska, according to multiple soldiers familiar with the incidents but who were not authorized to speak publicly about them," USA Today's Tom Vanden Brook reports. | | |  | The Biden agenda | | Are Black and Hispanic Americans abandoning Biden? |  President Biden speaks to reporters before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House on May 26. (Elizabeth Frantz for The Washington Post) | | | "We took a look at the numbers and found that yes, Biden's approval has dropped dramatically among Black Americans since he took office in January 2021. But the biggest decline wasn't among Black Americans: It was among Hispanic Americans," FiveThirtyEight's Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux reports. | - "These approval trends, and other recent polls, suggest that while Biden does have reasons to be concerned about tepid interest among Black voters, his problems aren't confined to this group."
| Tara Reade, who accused Biden of assault, says she has moved to Russia | | "Tara Reade, the former Senate aide who accused President Biden of sexual assault as he ran for president in 2020, said on Tuesday that she had moved to Russia and was seeking citizenship there, according to Sputnik, a Russian-government-run news site," the NYT's Eduardo Medina reports. | U.S. Senate confirms GOP-backed Biden pick to Louisiana federal court | | "The U.S. Senate on Tuesday confirmed lawyer Darrel Papillion to a federal judgeship in Louisiana, after he was backed by both of the state's Republican senators. Papillion, a former president of the Louisiana State Bar Association, was confirmed on a 59-31 vote. He was previously a longtime partner at a Baton Rouge law firm," Reuters's Jacqueline Thomsen reports. | | |  | Where land is sinking around the world, visualized | | | "Many of the fastest sinking places in the world appear in populated areas in southeast Asia largely because of groundwater extraction, but the United States also faces substantial land subsidence. There, you may not notice land settling around you in your daily life, but scientists found that many places are sinking faster than global sea levels are rising — increasing flood risk in coastal cities. (Sea levels are rising at an average global rate of about 3.4 millimeters, or 0.13 inches, per year,)" Kasha Patel reports. | | |  | Hot on the left | | Two House Democrats to miss debt ceiling votes over medical issues |  Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.), seen here in July 2022. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP) | | | "Two House Democrats say they will miss votes expected this week on the bipartisan deal to raise the debt ceiling ahead of the default deadline. Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.) suffered an ankle injury Monday that will require surgery, and Rep. Deborah K. Ross (D-N.C.) tested positive for the coronavirus Tuesday morning," Azi Paybarah reports. | - "In a statement posted on Twitter on Tuesday announcing her absence, Ross noted that the House eliminated the ability for lawmakers to vote by proxy, which had been allowed during the pandemic. Ross also said she is 'disappointed' not to be able to vote in support of the budget that President Biden had 'negotiated to prevent a catastrophic default.'"
| | |  | Hot on the right | | Roger Stone and the key to Trump's Evangelical support |  Roger Stone is seen before former president Donald Trump announces his bid for president at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., on Nov. 15, 2022. (Thomas Simonetti for The Washington Post) | | | "So what does it signal that some of Donald Trump's closest and most strategically savvy allies and advisers—who, as Stone makes clear, are not famous for their religiosity—are now building credibility and influence within these extremist independent Charismatic networks? I think it shows a deep awareness within Trump's political operation that, when it comes to the MAGA coalition, not all evangelicals are created equal, especially given the 'disloyalty' he claims some have shown him by not endorsing his new presidential bid," Matthew D. Taylor writes for the Bulwark. | | |  | Today in Washington | | | At noon, Biden will meet with emergency preparedness officials for a briefing on extreme weather preparedness. Biden will leave for Joint Base Andrews at 4:15 p.m., where he will fly to Colorado Springs. He's expected to land at Peterson Space Force Base at 7:40 p.m. Eastern time. | | |  | In closing | | | Thanks for reading. See you tomorrow. | | |
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