Axios

On Tuesday, Joe Biden told his advisers he wanted to give a speech in South Carolina to address, and preempt, the mounting attacks on his record concerning race and civil rights. Sources close to Biden told me he was still rewriting the draft on Saturday in the car en route to Sumter, South Carolina, where he gave the speech to a mostly black audience.

The president is giving a speech on the environment on Monday. And some people think that's a little weird.

What we're hearing: Two senior administration officials told Axios they were surprised when they first heard that President Trump would be giving a speech about his administration's "environmental leadership." Both said the president probably won't win a public debate on environmentalism, given he's spent much of his time in office proudly repealing President Obama's environmental regulations.

2020 Democratic hopeful Rep. Seth Moulton said in an interview aired on ABC’s “This Week” Sunday that he thinks it will be a tough election for Democrats if they continue "rehashing votes from 40 years ago."

Why it matters: The comment serves as an indirect defense of Vice President Joe Biden, who's faced criticism in recent weeks for his working relationships with segregationist senators while serving in Congress.

In an interview with CNN's Jake Tapper on Sunday, Rep. Justin Amash (I-Mich.) said his former Republican colleagues have thanked him behind closed doors for speaking out against President Trump.

What they're saying: Amash, who had been the only congressional Republican to call for an impeachment inquiry against Trump, says Republicans have told him "thank you for what you're doing."

The Democratic presidential candidates have stark differences on a number of issues, but on foreign policy there are big changes they'd all be almost certain to make.

The big picture: Trump’s unusually cozy ties with Saudi Arabia and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his warm words for Russia’s Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong-un, and his adversarial relationships with allies are all ripe for course corrections from day one.

A strong U.S. economy has helped propel President Trump to his highest ever approval rating. But former Vice President Joe Biden would beat him in an election, according to an ABC News/Washington Post poll published Sunday morning.

Details: The survey of 1,008 adults finds Trump is polling competitively for re-election against 4 of 5 possible Democratic presidential candidates. However, the poll of all adults shows Biden leading by 14 points (55%-41%). Among all registered voters, Biden is ahead by 10 points (53%-43%).

Young Democrats and their older, battle-weary counterparts are at odds over hot-button progressive issues because they come from two political eras: before and after Ronald Reagan's election, WashPost's Ryan Grim writes.

The big picture: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden are two old-world Democrats "shaped by their traumatic political coming-of-age during the breakup of the New Deal coalition," while Obama-era politicians like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez believe "Democratic attempts to moderate and compromise [with Republicans] have led to nothing but ruin."

Mayor Pete Buttigieg's campaign raised $24.8 million in the second quarter of the year, and is using the cash to grow his previously lean on-the-ground operations, reports Politico.

Why it matters: The boost in funds comes at an important time as Buttigieg's staff plays catch up with rivals' campaigns in early voting states. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) built a robust ground operations months ago, per Politico. Buttigieg also needs to find a way to connect with black Democrats — many of whom are wary of him following a police shooting in South Bend, Ind., says AP.

Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) pitched her new 2020 plan to invest $100 billion in black homeownership at Essence Fest in New Orleans on Saturday in an effort to close the racial wealth gap and eliminate racial disparities in U.S. homeownership rates.

The big picture: Harris and other 2020 candidates attended 25th annual Essence Fest to pitch themselves to black female voters, ABC News reports. The event is hosted by Essence Magazine — a monthly publication that caters to black women.