| | | | | |  | | By Ryan Lizza, Tara Palmeri, Rachael Bade and Eugene Daniels | Presented by |  | | | | | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | President JOE BIDEN is scheduled to meet Russian President VLADIMIR PUTIN for some five hours of talks in Geneva starting at 7:10 a.m. Eastern time. It's their first meeting in a decade. If the past is any guide, Putin will pull his favorite power move and delay the meeting to keep Biden waiting around. (They're meeting at Villa La Grange, an 18th-century mansion overlooking Lake Geneva, so it's not a bad place to kill some time.) Those sorts of petty moves are anticipated by the Biden team. While Putin, who has been in power for 22 years, is used to messing with newbie U.S. presidents — he previously tangled with GEORGE W. BUSH, BARACK OBAMA and DONALD TRUMP early in their terms — Biden is the first one with whom he has a prior relationship. As a senator, Biden traveled to the Soviet Union in 1979, and he has played a central role in U.S.-Russia policy ever since. Russian analysts on state TV were reportedly buoyed by Biden's comment Monday that Putin is "a worthy adversary." Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN and Russian Foreign Minister SERGEY LAVROV, who met each other in May, will sit in on the first meeting. A larger group of advisers for each head of state will be present after that. On the agenda: cyberwarfare, ransomware, the New START treaty, Syria, Ukraine, climate change, human rights, sanctions, a potential return of ambassadors. There will be breaks but no meals. (A senior administration official allowed that there may be some water or coffee or tea, but "no breaking of bread.") Biden has refused the customary joint press conference after the summit, which his advisers view as an opportunity for Putin to showboat and, as he has done previously, simply make up stuff that was never said or agreed to behind closed doors. Both men will hold solo news conferences instead. Putin first, then Biden, who will speak to reporters at a nearby hotel before heading back to Washington this evening. Biden aides are keeping expectations low. "We're not expecting a big set of deliverables out of this meeting," said the senior administration official. "We are seeking three basic things: — "First, a clear set of taskings about areas where working together can advance our national interest and make the world safer. — "Second, a clear laydown of the areas of America's vital national interests, where Russian activities that run counter to those interests will be met with a response. — "And third, a clear explication of the president's vision for American values and our national priorities." Essential reading: Nahal Toosi on "5 things to watch for during the Biden-Putin meeting." The NYT says that Putin wants respect and Biden might oblige: "There is little expectation that the Geneva summit will radically reframe the relationship between Russia and the United States. But there is hope in Russia among both supporters and critics of Mr. Putin that it will at least stop its downward spiral." The WSJ sees the summit as a "test" of "Biden's bid to rally Western allies": "President Biden's first overseas trip in office has focused on demonstrating renewed amity between the U.S. and its allies in the face of autocracies, a show of unity that will be tested during Wednesday's summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin." Good Wednesday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza, Tara Palmeri. | | A message from Amazon: Yesterday, Amazon launched the Black Business Accelerator to help build sustainable equity and growth for Black-owned businesses by explicitly targeting barriers to access, opportunity, and advancement created by systemic racism across America. Over the next four years, this $150 million commitment provides access to capital, business guidance, mentorship, and marketing support to help Black business owners and entrepreneurs succeed as sellers in Amazon's store. Learn more. | | | DEM LEADERS TO PROGRESSIVES: LAY OFF MANCHIN — Our Sarah Ferris and Marianne LeVine write in to Playbook on the latest Dem Caucus dynamics: Liberals have been unleashing their growing frustration at Sen. JOE MANCHIN over his opposition to their party's signature voting rights package ahead of an expected Senate vote next week. But for now at least, top Democrats are urging their members to hold their fire. As Manchin remains a holdout on S. 1, Senate Majority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER is telling outside groups not to try to bully Manchin, but to instead focus on the historical and factual arguments related to the legislation, according to sources familiar with his remarks. In a private meeting Monday night, Speaker NANCY PELOSI also advised lawmakers not to vilify individual senators on the issue, according to several people who attended. While she did not single out Manchin by name, multiple Democrats said they believed she was referring to Manchin, the only Senate Democrat to publicly announce his opposition to S. 1. The call to back off comes amid fierce criticism of Manchin from progressive groups and fellow Democrats in Congress. They're also upset with the West Virginian for defending the filibuster and insisting on a bipartisan infrastructure deal. Rep. JAMAAL BOWMAN (D-N.Y.) recently called the West Virginia senator the "new MITCH MCCONNELL." Earlier this week, Rep. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ (D-N.Y.) said she doesn't "buy" Manchin's calls for bipartisanship on voting matters and speculated that his opposition is more likely tied to his wariness of Democrats' effort to rein in dark money. Manchin remains unmoved by all of this. His resistance to the elections bill came into focus again Tuesday: He skipped a Senate Democratic lunch where a group of Texas state lawmakers urged passage of S. 1 and warned of the GOP's efforts to restrict voting access. (Manchin's staff did meet with the group, though a source familiar said the Texas group did not request a meeting with the senator until the day of their visit.) OUR TAKEAWAY: Schumer needs Manchin to pass Biden's agenda, and there's a lot of eye-rolling from senior Democrats across Washington about the way the left has attacked the senator. We're told he privately scoffs at the notion that progressive activists understand West Virginia politics better than he does. At best the in-your-face tactics might simply strengthen Manchin's position back home. At worst it could eventually push him to switch parties, something there's increasing chatter about among top Dems. Manchin did not hit 50% in his last reelection, and Trump won the state by almost 40 points. Politics is nationalized now, and there are few remaining states that vote for different parties for the Senate and presidency, making Manchin an extreme outlier. Democrats whose memory of politics stretches beyond the rise of Trump have been reminding us that in 2001, Sen. JIM JEFFORDS (R-Vt.), who was relentlessly attacked by conservatives, left the Republican Party and threw the 50-50 Republican-controlled Senate to the Democrats. A quieter effort to influence Manchin has been undertaken by some labor leaders. We hear that RANDI WEINGARTEN, president of the American Federation of Teachers, has been talking to him about beefing up the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, and that MARY KAY HENRY, president of SEIU, is working on a town hall event with Manchin in his home state. The message from Manchin whisperers is more honey, less vinegar. We've heard a version of this line all month: "Calling Joe a racist is not going to work." | | A message from Amazon: Amazon's Black Business Accelerator provides access to services and grants to help jump-start business growth and customer acquisition on Amazon.com. Learn more. | | | BIDEN'S WEDNESDAY: The president has already received the President's Daily Brief. Still to come: — 1:10 p.m. Central European Summer Time: Biden will greet Swiss President GUY PARMELIN in Geneva, followed by a welcome photo with Parmelin and Putin. — 1:35 p.m.: Biden and Putin will hold their first bilateral meeting. — 2:55 p.m.: The two leaders will hold an expanded bilateral meeting, continuing it at 4:40 p.m. Biden will finish with a solo press conference before leaving Geneva. — Biden will arrive back in D.C. late at night (Eastern time). KAMALA HARRIS' WEDNESDAY: The VP will meet at 11:15 a.m. with Democratic members of the Texas Legislature who walked out to block a bill restricting voting last month. THE SENATE is in. Testifying before Appropriations subcommittees today: Interior Secretary DEB HAALAND at 10 a.m., Education Secretary MIGUEL CARDONA at 10 a.m. and Transportation Secretary PETE BUTTIGIEG at 2:30 p.m. Treasury Secretary JANET YELLEN will testify before the Finance Committee at 10 a.m. Capitol Police IG MICHAEL BOLTON will testify about Jan. 6 before the Rules Committee at 2:15 p.m. VA Secretary DENIS MCDONOUGH will testify before the Veterans' Affairs Committee at 3 p.m. THE HOUSE will meet at 10 a.m., and later take up the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Disclosure Simplification Act of 2021. First votes will be between 2 p.m. and 3:45 p.m. HHS Secretary XAVIER BECERRA will testify before the Education and Labor Committee at 9 a.m. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations LINDA THOMAS-GREENFIELD will testify before the Foreign Affairs Committee at 10 a.m. The Natural Resources Committee will hold a hearing on Puerto Rico self-determination and statehood bills at 1 p.m. | | | | 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 22-24. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | | 
PHOTO OF THE DAY: President Joe Biden listens to comments during the EU-U.S. summit at the European Council building in Brussels, on Tuesday, June 15. | Francisco Seco/AP Photo | CONGRESS THE NEW 'HELL NO' CAUCUS? — The list of progressives saying "no" to the tentative bipartisan infrastructure deal — at least not without assurances from Manchin and Sen. KYRSTEN SINEMA (D-Ariz.) that they'd back a reconciliation bill later — is snowballing seemingly by the hour. On Tuesday, ED MARKEY, JEFF MERKLEY, PRAMILA JAYAPAL, ELIZABETH WARREN and KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND joined hands with BERNIE SANDERS in opposition. Meanwhile, the brewing agreement is gaining steam among GOP senators. Burgess Everett, Sarah and Marianne have new details on the tentative agreement: "$315 billion comes from public-private partnerships and $120 billion would come from unspent coronavirus relief money. The plan also would include gas tax indexing — something Democrats say they will reject. A source close to the negotiations said the pay-fors are fluid." SCHUMER MAKES A JULY PROMISE — Schumer on Tuesday appeared to try to allay the concerns on the left by laying out an aggressive timeline. He said the chamber would pass a budget resolution unlocking reconciliation AND a possible bipartisan deal in July. But as we told you Monday, Democrats aren't letting go of this notion of wanting assurances from Manchin and Sinema. Problem is: They don't seem to be getting it. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Business leaders at Business Roundtable, National Association of Manufacturers and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce will release a joint statement this morning calling on Congress to pass this deal on infrastructure. "There is a clear path forward for bipartisan agreement on meaningful infrastructure legislation. We urge Congress and the Administration to seize this opportunity – one that has eluded policymakers for years – to enact significant investment and durable reforms that would strengthen the economic recovery and create the conditions for high-paying jobs over the long-term." PELOSI NAMES A SELECT COMMITTEE — But it's not the one you thought it would be … As reporters pepper her with questions about a select panel on the Jan. 6 Capitol siege, the speaker decided to create a panel to focus on "Economic Disparity and Fairness in Growth." This is quintessential Pelosi and a sign of her real values: pocketbook issues first, oversight second. WaPo opinion columnist David Ignatius has more , including an interview with Pelosi: "That may sound like a mouthful of Capitol Hill gobbledygook, but it could be a way to showcase the fundamental issue confounding America — one that rarely gets directly addressed by the nation's lawmakers … "The basic idea, she told me in a recent interview, is to create a forum that can bring together representatives from all sides: Rust Belt districts harmed by plant shutdowns, urban districts ravaged by racial injustice, rural districts where farmers are suffering from drought, and districts across the country where young people are struggling with debt, low-wage jobs and an uncertain future." TRUMP CARDS (POTENTIAL) COMING ATTRACTIONS — "Trump Executive Could Face Charges as Soon as This Summer," by NYT's William Rashbaum, Ben Protess and Jonah Bromwich: "The Manhattan district attorney's office appears to have entered the final stages of a criminal tax investigation into Donald Trump's long-serving chief financial officer, ALLEN WEISSELBERG, setting up the possibility he could face charges this summer, according to people with knowledge of the matter. "In recent weeks, a grand jury has been hearing evidence about Mr. Weisselberg, who is facing intense scrutiny from prosecutors as they seek his cooperation with a broader investigation into Mr. Trump and the Trump Organization, the people with knowledge of the matter said. The prosecutors have obtained Mr. Weisselberg's personal tax returns, the people said, providing the fullest picture yet of his finances." POLITICS CORNER DONOR EVENT FEATURES MCCONNELL AND PENCE … BUT NOT TRUMP — Team McCarthy, House Minority Leader KEVIN MCCARTHY'S PAC, held a donor retreat at the Hay-Adams hotel Monday for nearly 50 of the GOP's top corporate and individual donors. The event featured speeches by MIKE PENCE at a dinner and McConnell at a lunch. But Trump was nowhere to be seen. When we asked McCarthy's team whether Trump was invited to speak, we never heard back. It was the same from Trump's team. Donors got a rundown of the House elections landscape and were told Republicans need to rake in about $300 million this cycle to take the chamber. They also heard a prediction that the party's odds of success are better than 50/50, according to a source with knowledge. | | | | A message from Amazon:   Learn more about Amazon's Black Business Accelerator. | | | IMMIGRATION FILES — "Biden Administration Expands Program Allowing Legal Immigration for Central American Minors," by WSJ's Michelle Hackman: "The expansion, part of the administration's effort to find more pathways for Central Americans to migrate legally, could make tens of thousands of children newly eligible to participate in the program, said State Department deputy spokeswoman JALINA PORTER. … The Obama administration created the program in response to the first wave of unaccompanied minors crossing the border illegally, to offer them a safer alternative to reach the U.S." — "In new letter, Democratic Rep. Cuellar urges Harris to travel to the border," by WaPo's Sean Sullivan and Cleve Wootson Jr. … The letter JAN. 6 CHENEY UNLOADS — @Liz_Cheney: "On January 6, as the violent mob advanced on the House chamber, I was standing near @RepGosar and helped him open his gas mask. The Capitol Police led us to safety. It is disgusting and despicable to see Gosar lie about that day and smear the men and women who defended us." (This was in response to Rep. PAUL GOSAR saying that police "executed" insurrectionist ASHLI BABBITT and were "lying in wait" for her, as our colleague Josh Gerstein reported.) TUESDAY'S HEARINGS — "'Shocking failure': Pentagon and FBI come under fire for Jan. 6 response," by Nicholas Wu, Nick Niedzwiadek and Josh Gerstein — "F.B.I. Is Pursuing 'Hundreds' in Capitol Riot Inquiry, Wray Tells Congress," NYT EVERYTHING IS PARTISAN — "21 Republicans vote against awarding medals to police who defended Capitol on Jan. 6," The Hill: "The House passed legislation on Tuesday to award Congressional Gold Medals — one of the highest civilian honors — to police officers who defended the Capitol during the violent Jan. 6 insurrection. Lawmakers handily passed the legislation. Both parties supported it, 406-21, with all of the votes in opposition coming from conservative Republicans. "Rep. THOMAS MASSIE (R-Ky.), who voted against both versions of the bill, said Tuesday that he's concerned its use of the term 'insurrectionists' to describe the mob that stormed the Capitol could impact ongoing court cases. … 'If they just wanted to give the police recognition, they could have done it without trying to make it partisan, without sticking that in there,' he said." AMERICA AND THE WORLD AIRSTRIKES OVERNIGHT — "Israeli military launches airstrikes in Gaza in response to incendiary balloons launched from the coastal enclave," CNN SPHERES OF INFLUENCE — The Atlantic Council put out a report Tuesday night seeking to take stock of where the U.S. and China stand in the competition for influence around the globe. The takeaway: Chinese influence has soared, with gains accelerated during the pandemic, as American influence has stayed flat or wobbled. They find that the U.S. in 2020 had more influence capacity in 140 countries, while China had more in 61. That gap has shrunk from 160 to 33 in 1992. The report EMBASSY SUITES — "Biden names 9 ambassador nominees, including for Israel, NATO," by Nahal Toosi MEDIAWATCH BACK ON THE SCENE: JEFFREY TOOBIN isn't just on CNN's airwaves again — he was out mixing and mingling with his colleagues Tuesday night. He showed up as a guest of a guest at a party in Manhattan to celebrate the paperback release of CNN's BRIAN STELTER'S book "Hoax" ($18). Toobin told Playbook he was grateful to be back at the network after he was fired from The New Yorker for exposing himself on a Zoom call. "It's in the past, people have moved on," he said, appearing nonplussed. Toobin was locked deep in conversation with the NYT's BEN SMITH, who just penned a piece titled "Why the New Yorker's Stars Didn't Join Its Union." Toobin told Smith he "absolutely" supports a union at his old employer. In a toast, Stelter doubled down on the premise of his book, saying, "We now know the ending to Fox and Trump, it's definitely not a hoax." Spotted at the event: Oliver Darcy, Andrew Morse, Molly Jong-Fast, Kate Bolduan, John Avlon, Margaret Hoover, Jamie Stelter, Ana Cabrera, Poppy Harlow, Christine Romans, Donie O'Sullivan, Max Tani, Christa Robinson, Rebecca Jarvis and Pat Kiernan. | | | | TUNE IN TO DISPATCH+ ON APPLE PODCASTS : POLITICO Dispatch, our daily podcast that cuts through the news clutter and keeps you up to speed on the most important developments of the moment, is expanding. In collaboration with the new Apple Podcasts Subscription platform, Dispatch+ launches this week! This new podcast gives premium Dispatch+ subscribers exclusive bonus weekly reporting and analysis from POLITICO's newsroom. Don't miss out, subscribe and listen to Dispatch+ on Apple Podcasts. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | IN MEMORIAM — "William vanden Heuvel, Diplomat and a Kennedy Confidant, Dies at 91," by NYT's Zach Montague: "A lawyer, he was an adviser to Robert F. Kennedy, led Jimmy Carter's New York campaign and targeted jail conditions as head of New York City's corrections board." KUSHNER LANDS A BOOK DEAL — We told you last month that JARED KUSHNER was shopping a book proposal around about his accomplishments in the White House. Well it looks like he's finally sealed a deal with Broadside Books, the conservative imprint of Harper Collins, according to the AP , adding to the many Trump books claiming to be THE definitive account. Broadside announced that he and a fellow adviser are writing "the definitive, thorough recounting of the administration — and the truth about what happened behind closed doors." HARRIS THE HOST — Almost all the female senators gathered at Harris' residence at the Naval Observatory for dinner Tuesday. On the menu, other than bipartisanship: a summer garden tower of hearts of palm, avocado, grape tomatoes and corn madeleines; roasted mahi-mahi with ginger-cilantro basmati rice and grilled vegetables; and warm strawberry-rhubarb croustades with vanilla ice cream. Plus cheese puffs made by Harris herself (who famously loves to cook), per Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.). Pics from Stabenow, who also tweeted, "I am so proud of you!" … Pics from Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) Even conservative Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) attended — and then she made her way to Hannity to debrief. "It was a lovely event," she said on Fox News. "She was gracious to host. … It wasn't a policy discussion at all, but if she had brought up policies, I would have loved to have said, 'Madame Vice President, you need to get to the border.' … It's an evening of relationship-building." The NYT's Annie Karni reports that Sens. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) and Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) were the three who didn't attend. Like any good husband, second gentleman Doug Emhoff made himself scarce for the women's dinner: A tipster spotted him at the Nats-Pirates game. | 
Picture via Sen. Debbie Stabenow's Twitter | SPOTTED: Sens. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) together on the Bistro Cacao patio on Tuesday, Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) inside. … House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) having dinner at Dauphine's. … Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) at Capitol Hill Hotel. SPOTTED at the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition's virtual Global Impact Forum and launch of the Foreign Aid: What's It Worth campaign Tuesday: Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Adm. James Stavridis, Beth Cameron, Reps. Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.), Michael Waltz (R-Fla.) and Darin LaHood (R-Ill.), Columbia, S.C., Mayor Steve Benjamin, Nina Hachigian, Findlay, Ohio, Mayor Christina Muryn, Alexia Latortue, David Marchick. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Erskine Wells has been named president of BGR Group. He currently is co-head of its commerce practice and defense practice, and was a longtime Hill GOP staffer. TRANSITIONS — Lulu Cheng Meservey has been named VP of comms for Substack. She most recently was co-founder and president of TrailRunner International. … Leticia Tomas Bustillos is now interim senior program officer, measurement learning and evaluation, postsecondary success at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. She previously was federal policy manager at the American Association of University Women. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Playbook's own Zack Stanton … Rep. Jason Smith (R-Mo.) … Don McGahn … Punchbowl's John Bresnahan … Yahoo News' Michael Isikoff … Phil Singer of Marathon Strategies … Brandi Hoffine Barr and Liz Bourgeois of Facebook … NPR's Steve Inskeep … Phil Cox … Jenna Galper … PBS NewsHour's Rachel Wellford … Cook Political Report's Jessica Taylor … Demand Justice's Colin Diersing … Michael Quibuyen … Matt Gruda … Shelley Husband … Indira Lakshmanan of National Geographic … Adam Talbot … Matthew Bartlett … Mark Tapscott … Frank Sánchez of CNS Global Advisors ... Jared Kamrass of Rivertown Strategies (3-0) … James Kim of the American Cleaning Institute … Rocky Deal … former Rep. Robert Hurt (R-Va.) … Aaron McLear … Reid Wilson … Jessica Leontarakis Send Playbookers tips to playbook@politico.com. Playbook couldn't happen without our editor Mike Zapler, deputy editor Zack Stanton and producers Allie Bice, Eli Okun and Garrett Ross. | | A message from Amazon: Did you know that Black Americans represent 14% of the U.S. adult population but only 6% of U.S. retail businesses have Black owners? Also that, Black-owned businesses have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic?
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