‘Union Joe’ pickets with UAW while Ford pauses EV battery plant

Ford Motor Company paused construction on a controversial $3.5 billion electric vehicle battery plant in Michigan that’s been caught between the United Auto Workers’ ongoing strike, President Joe Biden’s historic visit to the picket lines, and the GOP’s anti-China rhetoric. POLITICO’s James Bikales breaks down how Ford’s announcement and Biden’s visit may impact the UAW strike negotiations and the complicated politics of electric vehicle manufacturing in America. Plus, coastal lawmakers are pushing Congress to pass a short-term extension of the National Flood Insurance Program in case of a government shutdown.   For more news on energy and the environment, subscribe to Power Switch, our free evening newsletter: https://www.politico.com/power-switch And for even deeper coverage and analysis, read our Morning Energy newsletter by subscribing to POLITICO Pro:  https://subscriber.politicopro.com/newsletter-archive/morning-energy   Catherine Morehouse is an energy reporter for POLITICO and the host of the POLITICO Energy podcast. James Bikales is the host of Morning Energy and a reporter for POLITICO.  Nirmal Mulaikal is a POLITICO audio host-producer.  Kara Tabor is an audio producer for POLITICO. Gloria Gonzalez is the deputy energy editor for POLITICO.  Matt Daily is the energy editor for POLITICO.