| | | | | |  | | By Gary Fineout | Hello and welcome to Monday. A tough task — South Florida's two new Republican members of Congress, as explained by POLITICO's Olivia Beavers, are forging ahead on a seemingly impossible task: Get the party of former President Donald Trump to move in a different direction on immigration. New plans — Florida Reps. María Elvira Salazar and Carlos Giménez — who both made it to Congress by knocking off two Democratic incumbents — are offering up proposals to overhaul the nation's immigration system that could help build on the party's success with winning over some Latino voters in 2022. How to sell this — Given the history here (let's say, what happened to Marco Rubio after he worked on this issue, for starters) it would seem this would be a hard sell to Republicans — and maybe Democrats as well. Salazar, in an interview with POLITICO, acknowledged the situation at the border complicates the political calculus. "The problem with the border is, it's an urgency that has overshadowed the importance of us giving some type of dignity or some type of resolution to those people who have been here for more than 10 years," she told Beavers. The pitch — Salazar has insisted that Republicans need to alter their thinking because it could help the GOP at the ballot box in the years to come. A handful of Republicans have signed on to Salazar's proposal but many GOP lawmakers are focused on border security instead of a wide-ranging immigration bill. — WHERE'S RON? — Nothing official announced for Gov. DeSantis. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for Playbook? Get in touch: gfineout@politico.com | | | | DON'T MISS THE MILKEN INSTITUTE FUTURE OF HEALTH SUMMIT: POLITICO will feature a special edition of our Future Pulse newsletter at the 2021 Milken Institute Future of Health Summit. The newsletter takes readers inside one of the most influential gatherings of global health industry leaders and innovators who are turning lessons learned from the past year into a healthier, more resilient and more equitable future. Covid-19 threatened our health and well-being, while simultaneously leading to extraordinary coordination to improve pandemic preparedness, disease prevention, diversity in clinical trials, mental health resources, food access and more. SUBSCRIBE TODAY to receive exclusive coverage from June 22-23. | | | | |
|  | DATELINE D.C. | | SWIMMING AGAINST THE TRUMP TIDE — "How 2 new Republicans want to reshape the GOP's immigration agenda," by POLITICO's Olivia Beavers: While Republicans hammer the Biden administration over rising migrant crossings at the southern border, two members of their House freshman class are swimming against the Trumpian tide to try to steer their party toward a more welcoming immigration strategy. Florida Reps. María Elvira Salazar and Carlos Giménez are somewhat lonely voices in the GOP, in part because the migration influx soon after President Joe Biden took office gave Republicans an opening to paint Democrats as soft on the border. But Salazar and Giménez are promoting separate frameworks to overhaul the nation's flawed immigration system that could help their party build on the surprising inroads former President Donald Trump made with Latino voters last fall. RUBIO JOINS THE BANDWAGON — "Marco Rubio calls for Fauci's ouster over COVID-19 origins: 'A history of moving goal posts,'" by Newsweek's Jason Lemon: "Senator Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican, called for Dr. Anthony Fauci to be fired from his roles as head of the National Institutes of Health and chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden due to the health official's response to inquiries into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. Fauci, 80, has faced significant backlash from top Republicans and other critics over his initial dismissal of the possibility that COVID-19 leaked from the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China. He has also faced criticism for the NIH funding gain-of-function research connected to the Wuhan lab. Some critics — including Rubio — have speculated that this research led to the formation of the novel virus." WITHDRAWN — "FBI abandons demand for info on readers of story on agent shooting," by POLITICO's Josh Gerstein: The FBI has dropped an effort to force the publisher of USA Today to turn over information that could disclose who read one of the newspaper's online stories about a February shooting incident in Florida that left a suspect and two FBI agents dead, as well as three other agents wounded. The subpoena issued to USA Today's parent company, Gannett, in April demanded internet addresses and similar details on readers of the story during a 35-minute window on the evening of the shooting at an apartment complex in Sunrise, Fla., near Fort Lauderdale. Gannett went to federal court in Washington last week to void the subpoena, arguing that it violated the First Amendment and that the FBI had ignored the Justice Department's regulations governing efforts to seek information from the news media. | | CORONAVIRUS UPDATES | | WHAT'S THIS ABOUT? — "Democrat who ran Florida's pandemic response blasts Rebekah Jones for 'running a disinformation campaign,'" by POLITICO's Marc Caputo and Gary Fineout: So Jared Moskowitz, a Democratic former state lawmaker appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, said in an interview that he made the decision in July to reach out to Rebekah Jones and befriend her, starting a 10-month long rapport that, he said, kept him and his office out of her crosshairs. Moskowitz characterized his effort as a deliberate effort to keep Jones at bay even though the messages, which POLITICO obtained, have a friendly demeanor and dialogue that belie any attempt at deception. "With a platform of 400,000 Twitter followers, her reputation for bullying people on social media and her running a disinformation campaign that the national media echoed, she was more dangerous as an enemy than a friend," Moskowitz said. Response — Instead, Jones said that he was an "excellent resource for combating the conspiracy theories being spread by Ron DeSantis and his administration, whom he characterized as 'Conspiracy Frat Bro' and 'relentless' in our conversations." She added that he provided "invaluable information that was being kept from the public" and that his information will "ensure victory in my case against the state." Moskowitz denied he ever said DeSantis was a "Conspiracy Frat Bro" and pointed out those words did not appear in any of the messages that have been released. Jones added that she was "skeptical of why a politician so close to the Governor who defamed me just months prior would be reaching out, and have since come to see that Jared is a person who likes to play both sides so as to come out on top no matter what." A GOOD TREND — "COVID wards are emptying out in South Florida. Doctors say it's proof vaccines work," by Miami Herald's Ben Conarck: "At the height of Florida's summer COVID-19 surge, there were more than 2,000 people hospitalized with the novel illness in the epicenter of Miami-Dade County. Now, with 1.2 million people in the county fully vaccinated, that number has dropped to below 300 for the first time since mid-October. The plummet comes as hospital COVID units are emptying out across the state, where fewer than 1,800 people are being treated for the disease statewide, compared to the late July height of about 9,500." CHANGE OF PLANS — "Royal Caribbean reverses, won't require passengers on U.S. cruises to be vaccinated," by Miami Herald's Taylor Dolven: "Royal Caribbean International will no longer require any of its cruise passengers to be vaccinated for COVID-19 as it had previously planned to. In a press release Friday announcing cruises for sale on eight of its ships from U.S. ports this summer, starting with Freedom of the Seas from Port Miami on July 2, the company said it will recommend passengers get the COVID-19 vaccine, but not require it. The announcement is a reversal from previous statements and vaccine protocols the company submitted to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last month that said it would require all passengers at least 18 years old and older to be vaccinated." | | ... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ... | | FRIED FOOD FIGHT — "Fight over charity's big contract could shake up food distribution to South Florida's hungry — and impact governor's race," by Sun Sentinel's Anthony Man: "U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Weston, said she is concerned that 'you are going to have people who are food insecure who are not going to have their nutritional needs met,' adding, 'the consequences are significant.' The potential impact on people who need food aid has caused an unusual political uproar. It could have implications for the 2022 campaign for governor. A range of Democratic elected officials is demanding action from Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, the only statewide elected Democrat in Florida, who this week announced she is seeking her party's 2022 nomination for governor. Her department awards the distribution contract." IMPACT — "What it means to be a transgender athlete, fighting Florida's new ban," by Sun Sentinel's Brooke Baitinger: "To South Florida athletes like Jazz Jennings and Oliver Echevarria, denying kids access to something they love is heartbreaking. Jennings, star of the popular TLC reality show "I Am Jazz," was the first athlete to go through the Florida High School Athletic Association's gender inclusion process to play as a transgender athlete after it was adopted in 2013. Echevarria, 15, is waiting for the other shoe to drop, while he and other trans athletes endure a summer of uncertainty about whether they can return to their sports teams." — " Nikki Fried bashes Ron DeSantis' transgender athlete ban as 'big government move,'" by Florida Politics' A.G. Gancarski OVERBLOWN — "Sticker shock: Ron DeSantis exaggerates cost of gas pump stickers with Nikki Fried's picture," by PolitiFact's Jon Greenberg: "Fried's photo had been on many gas pumps in Florida. She added it to the customary inspection sticker that verifies that the pump is delivering the correct amount of gas and does not have a card skimmer. Those inspections are a standard part of the Agriculture and Consumer Services Department that Fried oversees. But those stickers didn't cost millions of dollars. The cost was about $5,000." INJUNCTION REQUEST — " Tech groups ask judge to block Florida's social media crackdown," by POLITICO's Matt Dixon : Tech industry groups are beginning to build their defense against a controversial social media crackdown championed by Gov. Ron DeSantis and passed by Florida's GOP Legislature. NetChoice and Computer and Communications Industry Association, two of the tech industry's biggest trade groups, sued a host of Florida officials, including Republican Attorney General Ashley Moody, over the legislation in Tallahassee federal court over the measure, and on Thursday asked for a preliminary injunction to block the law from taking effect on July 1. — " DeSantis signs law that limits impact fees after Orange's 150% increase," by News Service of Florida's Jim Turner — "Gov. DeSantis signs 3 bills into law to ensure Florida is the 'most' military-friendly in the U.S.," by Florida Times-Union's Katherine Lewin | | | | JOIN TUESDAY FOR A CONVERSATION ON THE PATH TO A LOW-CARBON FUTURE: Reducing waste and conserving scarce natural resources are key goals of the movement to a circular economy. As the nation considers opportunities to reduce waste and improve recyclability, how can these efforts align with other measures to combat climate change? Join POLITICO for a high-level conversation on what it will take to build both a circular economy and a low-carbon future. REGISTER HERE. | | | | |
| | CAMPAIGN MODE | | COMING TO A CAMPAIGN MAILER — "Florida governor's race: GOP goes after Nikki Fried after she amends financial disclosures," by USA Today Network-Florida's Jim Rosica: "State Sen. Joe Gruters of Sarasota, also head of Florida's Republican Party, Friday sent a letter to fellow Sen. Kathleen Passidomo, a Naples Republican and chair of the Senate Rules Committee, and state Rep. Erin Grall, the Vero Beach Republican who chairs the House Public Integrity & Elections Committee. He asked that they 'use all available resources and powers to immediately review and audit Igniting Florida' — Fried's former solo-practice lobbying firm — 'to substantiate the compensation' she reported in her public disclosures. Later in the day, Evan Power — who leads the county parties as the Republican Party of Florida's 'chair of chairs' — filed a complaint with the Florida Commission on Ethics, saying among other things that Fried has not 'publicly disclosed or properly accounted for the exponential increase in her net worth ... since taking office.'" STAYING OUT — "Jupiter resident Lara Trump will not run for North Carolina US Senate seat," by Palm Beach Post's Antonio Fins: "The headliner was former President Trump, but it was his daughter-in-law that made news in a speech to the North Carolina GOP on Saturday evening. Lara Trump, married to Trump's son Eric, told the crowd she will not seek a U.S. Senate seat in North Carolina in 2022. Lara Trump said she thought about seeking the seat, which will be vacant next year, but cited the needs of her children. 'No for now, not no forever,' she said. 'At the right time I would absolutely love to come back and consider running for something here in my home state because I love it dearly.'" — "Trump remerges on the trail and plays the hits of yore," by POLITICO's Meredith McGraw — "Clearwater explores adopting ranked-choice voting system," by Tampa Bay Times' Tracey McManus | | THE GUNSHINE STATE | | ANOTHER BAD WEEKEND — "3 people dead, 5 injured in shooting near Miami-Dade Kendall campus, cops say," by Miami Herald's David J. Neal, Douglas Hanks and David Ovalle: "Three people were killed and another five wounded when people in several cars opened fire outside a graduation party at a lounge near Miami-Dade College's Kendall campus early Sunday — the latest in a string of mass shootings that have roiled South Florida in recent weeks. One victim was identified as Tyleisha Taylor, a 20-year-old Florida Department of Corrections officer who police do not believe was the target of the shooting. Two other men, not yet identified, died when their red Toyota Camry 'fled the scene' and smashed into a wall of the college campus about 2:20 a.m. The vehicle was peppered with bullet holes, and investigators were probing whether the car was part of the drive-by ambush and was struck by return gunfire from the crowd." — "Police: Sugar worker, 86, kills boss for firing him after 31 years of work," by Palm Beach Post's Chris Persaud | | TRUMPLANDIA AND THE SWAMP | | THE FLORIDA CONNECTION — "Capitol riot arrests reveal far-right Oath Keepers' extremist influence in Florida, experts say," by Orlando Sentinel's Monivette Cordeiro and Desiree Stennett: "The Oath Keepers, a far-right extremist group, have become a focal point for federal investigators, who have so far charged about 440 people in the riot, in which five people died. Out of 16 members indicted, at least seven are Florida residents, which experts say shows the organization may have more influence in the state than was previously known… Before the Capitol riot, the Oath Keepers largely flew under the radar in Florida, said Michael Jensen, a senior researcher at the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism at the University of Maryland." | | Gaetz-gate | | BEHIND BARS — "How long will Joel Greenberg spend in prison? Mix of factors complicates sentencing, experts say," by Orlando Sentinel's Martin E. Comas: "Joel Greenberg will almost certainly face several years in federal prison, even if he cooperates extensively with prosecutors as required by a plea deal the former Seminole County tax collector struck last month, according to legal experts. But, they add, it's almost impossible to speculate exactly how much time U.S. District Judge Gregory Presnell, an appointee of former President Bill Clinton who has served on the federal bench for 21 years, will mandate that Greenberg spends behind bars." | | PENINSULA AND BEYOND | | 'THIS IS A MAJOR SETTLEMENT' — "UNF archaeologist: 'No doubt' that digs have found ancient coastal Native American village," by Florida Times-Union's Matt Soergel: "A University of North Florida archaeologist is now certain that a rich site for ancient artifacts, deep in the jungles of Big Talbot Island, is the lost Native American settlement of Sarabay, a once-thriving village mentioned in French and Spanish documents from as far back as the 1560s. 'No doubt we have a 16th-century Mocama community,' said Keith Ashley, referring to the name the Spanish gave the local residents who lived here long before Europeans arrived. Ashley has had suspicions since 1998 that he'd found Sarabay, when he and students began digging on Big Talbot. Now, generations of students later, he's sure: There's just too much evidence." — "Orlando's WFTV-Channel 9 among TV stations to be hacked, reports say," by Orlando Sentinel's David Harris: | | ODDS, ENDS, AND FLORIDA MEN | | — "Bear wandering in downtown Florida city eludes searchers," by The Associated Press: "A black bear seen wandering in downtown Naples has eluded wildlife officials even as sightings of the animal continue. Naples police say the bear was first spotted on Friday in the city. Several unsuccessful attempts were made to trap the bear in hopes of relocating the animal, the Naples Daily News reported Sunday. Residents of the area continue to call authorities with bear sightings around the city in southwest Florida." BIRTHDAYS: State Sen. Jason Brodeur … former state Rep. Buzz Ritchie … (Was Sunday) Lt. Gov. Jeanette Núñez … former Rep. Allen Boyd … former state Sen. Paula Dockery … (Was Saturday) Former Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink … former State Rep. Seth McKeel … Heidi Otway, president and partner at SalterMitchell PR
| Want to make an impact? POLITICO Florida has a variety of solutions available for partners looking to reach and activate the most influential people in the Sunshine State. Have a petition you want signed? A cause you're promoting? Seeking to increase brand awareness amongst this key audience? Share your message with our influential readers to foster engagement and drive action. Contact Jesse Shapiro to find out how: jshapiro@politico.com.
| | | | 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 | | | | |
No comments:
Post a Comment