Mark Halperin’s Three Things

Mark Halperin's three things to watch for in politics for Tuesday, May 19.
1. Watch as President Obama announces his plans for new fuel efficiency standards at 12:15 pm ET in the White House Rose Garden. It’s another big, bold move on the auto industry by the president and the administration has brought together major automakers, environmental groups, state governments and various government agencies in support of emissions limits that would save billions of barrels of oil in just the next few years. Watch to see what the reaction is and if Obama has hit the sweet spot with not too much criticism and enough support from all sides.

2. Watch Nancy Pelosi’s public events today. She seems to have cooled things off a little bit with her post-presser statement late Friday afternoon, but watch for more questions to be asked of her or for her to make another statements in hopes of quieting down controversy and moving on in the dialogue on interrogation techniques.

3. Watch Vice President Biden as he travels overseas in the Balkans. He arrived in Bosnia today and will visit Serbia and Kosovo tomorrow and Thursday. He’s taken on a lot of responsibility behind the scenes — especially on foreign policy – so this trip could give us a sense of whether he’s effective in handling challenges abroad. Watch his mission and what he may accomplish today and throughout this trip.