| | | | | |  | | By Tara Palmeri, Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels and Ryan Lizza | Presented by |  | | | | | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | Lots of action on the McCarthy-Cheney front, but first … WILL TWITTER TAKE TRUMP BACK? — Facebook's oversight board is deciding today whether to allow former President DONALD TRUMP back on. If it does, will Twitter be pressured to follow suit? Twitter CFO NED SEGAL smacked down that possibility in an interview with Yahoo Finance on Tuesday. "There [have] been no changes to anything we have shared in the past around the former president's account," he said. FWIW, Twitter upheld the permanent suspension of a Republican candidate during a congressional campaign after she made threatening comments against Rep. ILHAN OMAR (D-Minn.). When it will get really tricky for Twitter is if Trump runs for president again. — Read Meridith McGraw and Sam Stein's take on the significance of Facebook's decision for Trump: "[I]t's not the megaphone the platform offers him — it's the money." And Michael Kruse, reporting from Northeast Ohio, goes deep for POLITICO Mag on how the Facebook ban has hurt Trump. TRUMP LAUNCHES A NEW 'PLATFORM' — We've been waiting with bated breath for the Twitter-less Trump to announce his new social media platform. On Tuesday, he launched something that is decidedly not that. Fox News: "The space allows Trump to post, and allows followers to share the former president's posts to Twitter and Facebook, however, the new platform does not have a feature to allow users to 'reply' or engage with Trump's posts. 'This is just a one-way communication,' one source familiar with the space told Fox News. 'This system allows Trump to communicate with his followers.'" Sounds a lot like … a website? Indeed, Trump adviser JASON MILLER told Fox that "this is not a new social media platform," and, "We'll have additional information coming on that front in the very near future." While we're on the topic of social media … SUING FOR A BLUE CHECKMARK — That's what Republican ANNA PAULINA LUNA, who ran against Rep. CHARLIE CRIST (D-Fla.) in 2020 and is trying for a House seat again in 2022, is doing after Twitter denied her privileged verified status. "Twitter, Inc. continues to selectively verify accounts, providing something of value to certain candidates while denying the same to Plaintiff—likely based on Twitter's political views (though the reason for Twitter's discrimination is irrelevant to this proceeding)," her lawsuit states, according to Fox News' writeup. MCCARTHY MOVES QUICKLY TO OUST CHENEY — House Minority Leader KEVIN MCCARTHY made it all but official Tuesday, going on Fox News to declare that House Republicans have lost confidence in Rep. LIZ CHENEY, before getting caught on a hot mic moment saying, "I've had it with her." As our Mel Zanona and Olivia Beavers write, McCarthy allies are already making calls on behalf of Rep. ELISE STEFANIK, seeking to lock down a replacement quickly to push Cheney out the door. (More on this in a minute.) In their last-ditch effort to save Cheney, the Wyoming Republican's allies have been framing her potential ouster as a litmus test for Republicans: Do they stand for truth or for lies? McCarthy would push back on this narrative, of course, but at least one major conservative media outlet agrees: The WSJ editorial page writes that "purging Liz Cheney for honesty would diminish the party." The newspaper also called out McCarthy for coordinating her takedown when he "knows Ms. Cheney is right. The election wasn't stolen." "Republicans will look foolish, or worse, to swing voters if they refight 2020 in 2022 … Republicans should find a way to speak this truth to voters in 2022 — and quickly turn to running on an agenda for the future that will check [President JOE] BIDEN and his cradle-to-grave entitlement state." McCarthy has been arguing that Cheney's rebukes of Trump are distracting from that very mission of taking back the House. But the reality is that her position in leadership means that he and other Republicans keep having to answer questions about Trump and Jan. 6 — the last topic they want to discuss. | | A message from Blue Cross Blue Shield Association: The racial health disparity crisis in the U.S. is unconscionable and unacceptable. That's why Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies are working to reduce disparities in maternal health by 50% in 5 years – part of our multi-year commitment to promote health equity. | | | KNOWING STEFANIK — The New York Republican known for her adamant defense of Trump during his first impeachment has quickly emerged as the frontrunner to replace Cheney — and is making calls to gauge support. The 36-year-old lawmaker has a relatively moderate voting record, scoring a mere 48% — an F, in case it wasn't clear — on the conservative Heritage Action scorecard. But Stefanik somehow balanced voting with the center and still being among Trump's most fervent House defenders, a rarity for moderates. As Mel and Olivia report, Stefanik is known for her prolific fundraising ability. She is also almost singlehandedly responsible for recruiting the record number of women who now make up the GOP freshman class. She's well liked in the conference, from members of the centrist Tuesday Group to Freedom Caucus leader JIM JORDAN, who had nice things to say about her on Fox on Tuesday. More Stefanik, via CNN: "Elise Stefanik moves to quickly consolidate GOP support as Liz Cheney replacement: 'The fix is in'" MEANWHILE … The Hill's Scott Wong and Mike Lillis have a fun story about how the move to oust Cheney has surfaced tensions over gender in the GOP Conference, as some Republican men grumble about being told to stand down. This quote made us laugh: "Many in the conference are offended being told that we are ineligible because we are men. There are several very capable members who are interested in having conversations and reject the notion that it has to be a woman." FULL DISCLOSURE — TUCKER CARLSON ripped into both pollster FRANK LUNTZ and McCarthy on consecutive nights, even breaking some news that they share a pad together. While tearing into them for their lack of disclosure, Carlson failed to mention that his brother, BUCKLEY CARLSON, worked as "vice president of message development" in the early 2000s for Luntz, who is a notoriously hard-charging boss. We're told they had an acrimonious split. Tucker Carlson and Luntz didn't get back to us with a comment. On the topic of Fox, read CHARLIE SYKES' open letter to his old friend PAUL RYAN, a member of its corporate board: "Paul Ryan, It's Time for You to Stand Up to Fox" TRUMP-GIULIANI INTRIGUE — "Giuliani's Legal Bills Are Growing. His Allies Want Trump to Pay Them," by NYT's Maggie Haberman and Ben Protess. Key sentence in paragraph 22 of the story: "Although there are many differences between the two situations, for some of Mr. Trump's advisers, the standoff with Mr. Giuliani has raised uncomfortable echoes of a similar dispute with another of Mr. Trump's former personal lawyers, Michael D. Cohen." Flashback from last week: "Cohen: Rudy Giuliani will flip on Trump 'in a heartbeat'" Good Wednesday morning and thanks for reading Playbook, where we treat all readers equally — blue checkmark or not. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza, Tara Palmeri. EARMARKS, BY THE NUMBERS — Check out this Twitter thread from PBS' Lisa Desjardins breaking down earmark requests from members of the House. The toplines: Just under half of Republicans requested earmarks. Only one Democrat did not: California's KATIE PORTER. | | | | A message from Blue Cross Blue Shield Association:   Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies are committed to creating a more equitable health care system. See how we're promoting health equity. | | | VOTERS BACK BIDEN'S NEXT PRIORITY — In our latest POLITICO/Morning Consult poll, Biden's latest big piece of proposed legislation, the American Families Plan, clocks 58% support among registered voters, including 54% of independents and 25% of Republicans. The most popular individual component is free universal preschool, which commands 63% support. The most fascinating finding in the poll: Support for Biden's infrastructure plan was 1 point higher when the price tag was mentioned (57%) than when it wasn't (56%). When was the last time you saw that for a massive chunk of government spending? … Taking a step back, voters listed reducing health care costs as their top priority for Congress — ahead of even recovering from the pandemic. BIDEN'S WEDNESDAY — The president will receive the President's Daily Brief at 9:50 a.m. He'll deliver remarks about American Rescue Plan implementation at 2 p.m. in the State Dining Room. — VP KAMALA HARRIS will head to Providence, R.I., at 10:05 a.m. She'll take part in an event at 1 p.m. about small businesses that emphasize social impact, and then a roundtable of woman-led small businesses at 2:05 p.m. with Commerce Secretary GINA RAIMONDO. Harris will leave Rhode Island for D.C. at 4:55 p.m. — The White House Covid-19 response team and public health officials will brief at 11 a.m. Press secretary JEN PSAKI will brief at 12:30 p.m. with Agriculture Secretary TOM VILSACK. THE HOUSE is out. Education Secretary MIGUEL CARDONA will testify before an Appropriations subcommittee at 10 a.m. THE SENATE is out. | | | | SUBSCRIBE TO "THE RECAST" TODAY: Power is shifting in Washington and in communities across the country. More people are demanding a seat at the table, insisting that politics is personal and not all policy is equitable. The Recast is a twice-weekly newsletter that explores the changing power dynamics in Washington and breaks down how race and identity are recasting politics and policy in America. Get fresh insights, scoops and dispatches on this crucial intersection from across the country and hear critical new voices that challenge business as usual. Don't miss out, SUBSCRIBE . 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PHOTO OF THE DAY: California Republican gubernatorial candidate John Cox greets a 1,000-pound bear at the start of a campaign rally at Miller Regional Park in Sacramento, Calif., on Tuesday, May 4. | Justin Sullivan/Getty Images | THE WHITE HOUSE YES, NO, MAYBE SO — "Yellen Says She Isn't Predicting Higher Interest Rates," WSJ: "[Treasury Secretary JANET] YELLEN said Tuesday she is neither predicting nor recommending that the Federal Reserve raise interest rates as a result of President Biden's spending plans, walking back her comments earlier in the day that rates might need to rise to keep the economy from overheating. "Ms. Yellen suggested earlier Tuesday that the central bank might have to raise rates to keep the economy from overheating, if the Biden administration's roughly $4 trillion spending plans are enacted. Ms. Yellen's remarks come as lawmakers debate the merits of the administration's spending proposals, which many Republicans have said are too costly and risk stoking inflation." CONGRESS FLOUTING THE RULES — "Earmark intrigue splits Senate Republicans," by Jennifer Scholtes and Caitlin Emma: "At least six GOP senators plan to violate their conference's toothless earmark ban and more than a dozen others won't commit either way, citing fears that they're relinquishing power to Democrats if they don't participate, according to a POLITICO survey of all 50 upper-chamber Republicans. "Less than 30 Senate Republicans have definitively sworn off earmarks as Democrats revive the practice of congressionally directed spending this year. Ten said they were still chewing on the issue, while several didn't comment or refused to say whether they will honor the earmark prohibition that remains in place — although technically unenforceable — for the entire Senate GOP. The fact that half a dozen Republicans are willing to openly flout the ban suggests that Washington is returning to its traditional horse-trading ways after President Donald Trump's free-spending dismissal of the nation's $3 trillion deficit wiped away much of the tea party's influence on the GOP." JAN. 6 AND ITS AFTERMATH FASCINATING — "Proud Boys saw wave of contributions from Chinese diaspora before Capitol attack," USA Today: "The donations, which are included in a trove of hacked GiveSendGo data provided to USA TODAY and posted on the whistleblower site Distributed Denial of Secrets, raise several questions. Chiefly: Why would people from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, and members of the Chinese American community, donate to an organization with deep ties to white supremacists, whose members flash white power signals and post racist memes on social media? "The surprising answer to this question is that the Proud Boys enjoy significant support from a slice of the Chinese American community and the broader Chinese diaspora." PANDEMIC TALKER — "The Liberals Who Can't Quit Lockdown," The Atlantic: "For this subset, diligence against COVID-19 remains an expression of political identity — even when that means overestimating the disease's risks or setting limits far more strict than what public-health guidelines permit. … Public figures and policy makers who try to dictate others' behavior without any scientific justification for doing so erode trust in public health and make people less willing to take useful precautions. The marginal gains of staying shut down might not justify the potential backlash." LOWERING EXPECTATIONS — "Biden aims to vaccinate 70% of American adults by July 4," AP: "Demand for vaccines has dropped off markedly nationwide, with some states leaving more than half their available doses unordered. Aiming to make it easier to get shots, Biden called for states to make vaccines available on a walk-in basis and he will direct many pharmacies to do likewise. … Biden's goal equates to delivering at least the first shot to 181 million adults and fully vaccinating 160 million. It's a tacit acknowledgment of the declining interest in shots." | | | |   | | | POLITICS ROUNDUP THE DEMS' CHALLENGE — "Retirements, redistricting and Texas surprise squeeze House Democratic majority," by Ally Mutnick and Sarah Ferris: "Democratic lawmakers and party officials say it is extremely early in the election cycle, with plenty of chances remaining to ramp up fundraising, lure strong recruits and defy the historical headwinds that would suggest their party is in for losses next November. They note that many of the most endangered Democrats already have strong flush campaign accounts. "Still, the early fallout from the Texas special election reveals some of the risks of the first post-Trump campaign cycle, underscoring the pressure on the DCCC to successfully defend their 5-seat majority with virtually no room for error. "There's the historical challenge: The president's party loses an average of 26 House seats in a first-term midterm election. And some of Democrats' most-tested warriors are walking out before the battle." IN THE NEW YORK MAYOR'S RACE — "Claims by Scott Stringer Accuser Unravel as Progressives Flee New York Mayoral Candidate," The Intercept: "New details about Jean Kim's role on Stringer's 2001 campaign and her relationship to the candidate paint a very different portrait of the power dynamic at play." ANOTHER TRUMP GROUP — "Trump attorney, other allies launch voter fraud organization," by Alex Isenstadt: "American Greatness Fund, which was founded by former Trump campaign manager BRAD PARSCALE, is part of an ever-expanding web of Trump-aligned advocacy groups that have popped up since the 2020 election. Former Trump senior advisers BROOKE ROLLINS and LARRY KUDLOW have started the America First Policy Institute; BEN CARSON, who served as secretary of Housing and Urban Development in the Trump administration, has launched the American Cornerstone Institute; RUSS VOUGHT , who oversaw Trump's Office of Management and Budget, has unveiled the Center for American Restoration." BEYOND THE BELTWAY WHAT MCCONNELL IS HATE-READING — "American Airlines, Unilever, Others Oppose Texas Voting Access Laws," WSJ: "Nearly 50 companies, including Microsoft Corp., Unilever PLC and American Airlines Group Inc., signed a letter opposing 'any changes that would restrict eligible voters' access to the ballot' in Texas, days ahead of an expected vote in the state legislature on a voting bill. "As state legislatures consider new voting access bills, companies in Texas and elsewhere have grappled with how much to weigh in, amid pressure from employees and civil-rights organizations and pushback from Republicans lawmakers. After Georgia legislators added vote-by-mail identification requirements and limited drop boxes, companies including Delta Air Lines Inc. and Coca-Cola Co. lodged public opposition." BEHIND THE PUSH — "How two Black CEOs got corporate America to pay attention to voting rights," WaPo: "In taking on voting legislation in Georgia and elsewhere, [former American Express CEO KEN] CHENAULT, [KENNETH] FRAZIER and a small group of Black business leaders were able to win the support of a wide array of chief executives and companies, including boldface brands such as Delta Air Lines, Microsoft and Target. "But so far, most corporations haven't gone beyond supportive statements and applied sustained pressure on lawmakers. And the effort led by Black business executives also has earned the ire of conservative lawmakers, who have derisively accused them of 'woke capitalism.' Georgia's bill was signed into law. A bill in Florida is expected to be signed soon. And other states, such as Texas, are marching forward with their own restrictive voting rules." AMERICA AND THE WORLD GROUNDHOG DAY IN ISRAEL — "Netanyahu misses deadline, political future in question," AP: "Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday failed to meet a midnight deadline to put together a new governing coalition, raising the possibility that his Likud party could be pushed into the opposition for the first time in 12 years. "The deadline closed a four-week window granted to Netanyahu by Israel's figurehead president. The matter now bounces back to President Reuven Rivlin, who announced just after midnight that he would contact on Wednesday the 13 parties with seats in parliament to discuss 'the continuation of the process of forming a government.'" | | | | DON'T MISS OUT ON OUR NEW PLAYBOOK DEEP DIVE PODCAST: Washington is full of whispers, colorful characters and little-known back stories that even D.C. insiders might not know. Playbook Deep Dive is a new, weekly podcast that pulls back the curtain on the stories behind the power. From Congress and the White House to bar stools and backrooms, POLITICO's top reporters and Playbook authors bring you the most compelling and confounding stories that explain what's really going on in Washington. SUBSCRIBE NOW. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | SPOTTED ...
|  | A PLAYBOOK TRANSITION — Some in-house news: Zack Stanton has joined the Playbook team as deputy editor. Zack is a Detroit booster and devotee of all things Midwestern with a tendency to steer any conversation about politics into something to do with Macomb County. He also had a very interesting role in taking down Mark Foley, a story that we recently turned into a podcast. Zack most recently has been digital editor at POLITICO Magazine, for which he'll continue writing. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Comms veteran Don Baer will be the inaugural Frank A. Daniels Jr. executive-in-residence at the University of North Carolina Hussman School of Journalism and Media this fall. He'll also host a capstone discussion in September with Thomas Friedman. — Cole Leiter is joining Purple Strategies as a director. He previously was DCCC comms director in the 2020 cycle and on the DCCC team that flipped the House in 2018. TRANSITIONS — Nina Palmer is joining the Center for American Progress' national security and international policy team as a senior fellow, leading work on U.S.-China policy. She most recently was at Stonebridge Albright, and is a DOE alum. … Adrienne Kimmell has been named acting president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, leading the organization after Ilyse Hogue departs this month until a permanent replacement is chosen. … Ralph Jones Jr. is now director of comms for Rep. David Scott (D-Ga.). He most recently was director of comms for Rep. Donald McEachin (D-Va.) and is a Raphael Warnock campaign alum. — "NFL hires Obama official Katie Hill to lead PR," Sports Business Journal HAPPY BIRTHDAY: WaPo's Dan Balz … POLITICO's Ryan Heath and Alex Guillén … Mark McKinnon of Showtime's "The Circus" … the White House's Dan Hornung … Whitney Robertson of America Rising … Mike Dorning of Bloomberg News … Dustin Walker of Anduril Industries … ABC's Rachel Scott … Sacha Haworth of Siegel Strategies … Jenna Valle-Riestra of the Senate Judiciary Dems … Swing Left's Neisha Blandin … MSNBC's Brian Williams … former Rep. Charlie Gonzalez (D-Texas) … Michael Bars … Danielle Varallo Stewart … Francesca Barber … Rachel Wein … AP's David Sharp … Amanda Zamora … Ann Saybolt … Mike Dennehy … Nathaniel Haas … Sonum Nerurkar of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights … Christine Pelosi … Morgan Pehme … Lulu Cheng Meservey Send Playbookers tips to playbook@politico.com. Playbook couldn't happen without our editor Mike Zapler and producers Allie Bice, Eli Okun and Garrett Ross. | | A message from Blue Cross Blue Shield Association: Reluctance about vaccines can be higher in communities of color due to a long history of inequitable health treatment. Learn how we are using Blue Cross and Blue Shield data to identify social vulnerabilities and replace hesitancy with hope. | | | | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
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