| | | | | |  | | By Ryan Lizza, Rachael Bade, Tara Palmeri and Eugene Daniels | | | | | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | MONOLOGUE OF THE NIGHT — Fox News host SEAN HANNITY urged his viewers Monday night to "please take Covid seriously. I can't say it enough. Enough people have died. We don't need any more death. Research like crazy. Talk to your doctor. … I believe in science. I believe in the science of vaccination." The clip — The Dispatch's Andrew Egger (@eggerdc) responds: "If Fox decides to turn on a dime on this and suddenly go hardcore pro-vaccine the number of literal lives saved will not be small." RIP BIF? — In the "Back to the Future" series, BIFF was a main character across all three films. But in the end he was killed by his own great-grandfather on a trip to the past, thus erasing his previous existence. Could BIF end up like Biff? The Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework has had an entire political life that few pieces of legislation enjoy: a much-ballyhooed agreement after months of closely watched discussions, a ceremony at the White House, a presidential trip to a swing state where BIF was celebrated. And yet after all of that drama, it could be as if BIF never existed. The core group of bipartisan senators met until about 10:45 p.m. Monday night trying to work through a list that Sen. ROB PORTMAN (R-Ohio) said included about two dozen remaining issues. We were told definitively that there was no chance they would be finished by Wednesday, when Majority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER has scheduled a cloture vote. The Republicans in the group insist they won't vote yes on that procedural motion, thus possibly facilitating a Biff-like demise of their own BIF. There are a few possible scenarios here: — The cloture vote fails but the group keeps negotiating and produces legislative text quickly enough for Schumer to agree to take another shot at it. We're told they could finish by this weekend. Several sources noted that this happened with the CARES Act. — The cloture vote fails and the fallout poisons the talks, leading to BIF's demise. — A critical mass of Republicans, buoyed by progress over the course of Tuesday and Wednesday, vote for cloture because they believe the bill is far enough along, and it eventually clears the Senate. — Schumer, buoyed by progress over the course of Tuesday and Wednesday, briefly postpones the cloture vote, which, after all, was an arbitrary deadline meant to push negotiators to wrap up their work. The case for pessimism is that Democrats and Republicans outside the core bipartisan group have become increasingly vocal about their opposition to the deal. Conservatives are accusing Schumer of purposely sabotaging it with the Wednesday deadline. Progressives, who have always hated the BIF talks, believe Minority Leader MITCH MCCONNELL is pulling the strings of the five GOP senators at the center of the talks and always intended on scuttling the bill. How in the world, they ask, could a party that wouldn't even support the Jan. 6 commission ever negotiate in good faith or hand President JOE BIDEN this enormous victory? Across what seems like years, we've seen BIF's many ups and downs, so we remain unsure about the BIF's fate. Predicting the future is, to quote Biff, as silly "as a screen door on a battleship." More headlines: Burgess Everett and Marianne LeVine … WaPo version AND TENSIONS BOIL OVER IN THE HOUSE: "Senior House Dem trashes Senate's bipartisan infrastructure talks," by Heather Caygle, Sarah Ferris and Nicholas Wu. Plus a follow-up this morning: "Pelosi's Dems grit their teeth amid Senate infrastructure drama" Good Tuesday morning, and thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza, Tara Palmeri. | | A message from Google: Google blocks 100 million phishing attempts every day. To keep hackers out of your inbox, Gmail uses industry-leading technology to automatically detect threats, blocking more than 99.9% of spam, phishing attempts, and malware from ever reaching you. Learn more. | | | BANKS GETS HIS LEADERSHIP AUDITION — It's no secret that Rep. JIM BANKS is ambitious. The Indiana Republican and leader of the Republican Study Committee has had his eye on the House Republican Conference chairmanship for a while now and would likely make a play for the post if ELISE STEFANIK (N.Y.) only serves one term, as she has said she would. Now House Minority Leader KEVIN MCCARTHY is giving the third-term lawmaker and member of the U.S. Navy Reserve an audition: ranking Republican on the Jan. 6 select panel. It's not an easy job — in fact, many hard-liners didn't even want it. But for Banks, 42, it's a chance to flex and prove his messaging chops before trying to move up the ladder next year. Banks has been preparing for this moment for a while now. As we reported in Playbook PM in February, he's used his position as RSC chair to make friends with 2024 hopefuls, inviting MIKE PENCE, MIKE POMPEO, NIKKI HALEY and Sens. RICK SCOTT (R-Fla.) and TOM COTTON (R-Ark.) to address his group while also traveling with DONALD TRUMP to the border. He employs Fox News' TUCKER CARLSON's son in his office. At one point, the left-leaning group Media Matters noted that the network was using talking points from a memo Banks drafted attacking Biden's Covid-19 relief plan. Banks has also become a trusted McCarthy ally, appearing on stage with him at CPAC. Here's a preview of what you'll see from Banks, from a statement put out Monday night: "If Democrats were serious about investigating political violence, this committee would be studying not only the January 6 riot at the Capitol, but also the hundreds of violent political riots last summer when many more innocent Americans and law-enforcement officers were attacked. … Make no mistake, NANCY PELOSI created this committee solely to malign conservatives and to justify the Left's authoritarian agenda." WHAT ELSE YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE GOP 1/6 SELECTION: — McCarthy went with mostly hardcore conservatives but did name moderate Rep. RODNEY DAVIS (Ill.), the ranking member on the House Administration Committee, to the committee. As our Olivia Beavers scooped Monday, he also tapped longtime GOP oversight bull JIM JORDAN (Ohio), KELLY ARMSTRONG (N.D.), a lawyer on the House Judiciary panel, and freshman TROY NEHLS (Texas), a former sheriff. — Three of the five — Banks, Jordan and Nehls — objected to the election results on Jan. 6, votes that will no doubt surface throughout this process. — All but one, Davis, voted against the creation of a nonpartisan, outside Jan. 6 commission. — Obviously, none of them are women, despite Trump wanting Stefanik and the fact that the conference just ushered in the most Republican women ever. Typically McCarthy tries to ensure women are represented in leadership and on panels. This makes us think none of the GOP women wanted the job — with the exception of MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (Ga.) and LAUREN BOEBERT (Colo.), but McCarthy was not going there. | | | | A message from Google:   Google's Password Checkup detects if any of your saved passwords are weak or have been compromised, and helps you easily change them if needed. | | | BIDEN'S TUESDAY: — 9:15 a.m.: The president will receive the President's Daily Brief. — 11:15 a.m.: Biden will host the Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with second gentleman DOUG EMHOFF also in attendance. — 3:15 p.m.: Biden and VP KAMALA HARRIS will hold a Cabinet meeting marking six months in office. Press secretary JEN PSAKI will brief at 11:45 a.m. HARRIS' TUESDAY: The VP will also have a working breakfast with Jordan KING ABDULLAH II at her residence at 8:45 a.m. THE SENATE is in. ANTHONY FAUCI, CDC Director ROCHELLE WALENSKY and others will testify before the HELP Committee at 10 a.m. on the path forward in the pandemic. THE HOUSE will meet at 10 a.m. HUD Secretary MARCIA FUDGE will testify before the Financial Services Committee at 10 a.m. | | | | STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president's ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | | 
PHOTO OF THE DAY: The Senate Rules Committee holds a field hearing on the right to vote in Atlanta on Monday. | Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images | CONGRESS CHECKS AND BALANCES — "Unlikely Senate alliance aims to claw back Congress' foreign policy powers 'before it's too late,'" by Andrew Desiderio: "A newly unveiled bill effectively recalibrates the balance of power, putting Congress on near-equal footing with the commander-in-chief as the driver of Washington's posture toward the world. It aims to reverse the decades-long erosion of the House and Senate's authority to shape American foreign policy. "The bill would make it easier for lawmakers to outright reverse the president's foreign-policy decisions — potentially even in real-time — including on war authorizations, weapons sales and emergency declarations. Its introduction marks a watershed moment on Capitol Hill, where lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are growing increasingly amenable to restricting presidential power, with progressive Democrats and libertarian Republicans joining forces on various efforts." THIS TIME THEY MEANT IT — "Twitter Suspends Marjorie Taylor Greene for Posting Coronavirus Misinformation," by NYT's Kate Conger FROM MONTGOMERY COUNTY TO THE CAPITOL — "New chief selected for Capitol Police after 1/6 insurrection," by AP's Eric Tucker, Michael Balsamo and Colleen Long: "J. THOMAS MANGER, who most recently served for 15 years as chief in Montgomery County, Maryland, was picked for the position following an extensive search. … The decision comes as the Capitol police and other law enforcement agencies are struggling to determine the best way to secure the Capitol and what direction to take the 2,300-person force that guards the building and the lawmakers inside it and functions as a mashup of a national security agency and local police department." IN MEMORIAM — "Jerry Lewis, longest-serving Republican congressman in California history, dies at 86," by L.A. Times' Rich Simon: "JERRY LEWIS, the longest-serving Republican congressman in California history and a former House Appropriations Committee chairman who helped steer federal aid to the state after disasters but who was celebrated — and vilified — for earmarking millions of dollars to his Inland Empire district for pet projects, has died at his home in Redlands. "Lewis died July 15, according to a statement from Rep. KEN CALVERT (R-Corona). Lewis was 86. In addition to chairing the House Appropriations Committee, Lewis, who served 40 years under the Capitol dome before retiring in 2013, served as No. 3 in House GOP leadership and saved former House Speaker JIM WRIGHT from drowning. But he was perhaps best known for bringing home the bacon." | | A message from Google: Google protects 4 billion devices from malicious sites every day. Safe Browsing, one of Google's many privacy and security protections, is designed to automatically detect threats and can alert you when you might visit a risky site. To make the internet safer for everyone, Google makes this technology free for other companies to use in their browsers. Learn more. | | | PANDEMIC UPHOLDING THE VACCINE REQUIREMENT — "Indiana University Can Require Students to Get Coronavirus Vaccines," by NYT's Stephanie Saul: "In his opinion, released on Monday, Judge DAMON R. LEICHTY of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana said he weighed individual freedom against public health concerns in his ruling that the state's flagship university could require vaccines. … Judge Leichty's ruling appeared to be the first case in which a university's coronavirus vaccine requirement has been upheld, yet in delivering the ruling he expressed his personal misgivings, citing individual freedom and self-determination. "The lawsuit — as well as a similar case pending in California — illustrates how vaccine mandates by colleges and universities have become deeply divisive, even as vaccination rates lag in many states and coronavirus variants are driving an uptick in new infections." MOVING BACKWARD — "U.S. issues 'Do Not Travel' advisory for U.K. over COVID-19," by Reuters' David Shepardson MEDIAWATCH OFF CAMERA — "Fox has quietly implemented its own version of a vaccine passport while its top personalities attack them," by CNN's Oliver Darcy: "Fox employees, including those who work at Fox News, received an email, obtained by CNN Business, from the company's Human Resources department in early June that said Fox had 'developed a secure, voluntary way for employees to self-attest their vaccination status.' The system allows for employees to self-report to Fox the dates their shots were administered and which vaccines were used. "The company has encouraged employees to report their status, telling them that 'providing this information to FOX will assist the company with space planning and contact tracing.' Employees who report their status are allowed to bypass the otherwise required daily health screening, according to a follow-up email those who reported their vaccination status received." ALSO — "Britt McHenry's sexual harassment lawsuit against Fox News is voluntarily dismissed," CNN TIME OUT — "The Times confirmed Monday that in keeping with the newspaper's policies, NICHOLAS KRISTOF is taking a leave of absence as he decides whether to run for office. If he pursues a bid, the Pulitzer-winning columnist, author and former foreign correspondent would become one of the most well-known media figures in recent memory to make a run for political office," writes WaPo's Felicia Sonmez. | | | | 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 . Thank you to our sponsor, Intel. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | IMPEACHMENT NIGHT OUT: When Democrats launched the second impeachment trial in the Senate, Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) was shocked to see that their breakout room was fully operational with Wi-Fi and computers, he told guests at the Capitol Hill home of former Rep. John Delaney on Monday night. Swalwell asked a Judiciary Committee aide how they prepared so quickly. The staffer replied that he never removed the equipment after the first trial — just a gut feeling it wouldn't be the last time they impeached Trump. Swalwell and other impeachment managers, including Reps. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) and Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), regaled guests with war stories at the party celebrating the paperback version of his book, "Endgame: Inside the Impeachment of Donald Trump." Such as how Swalwell would constantly send Schiff Twitter memes of the two depicted as the characters from "Dumb and Dumber." Raskin told guests he believed up until the final days of the impeachment there was a chance some Republicans would vote to impeach, just based on McConnell's body language. Other guests included Reps. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.), David Cicilline (D-R.I.), John Larson (D-Conn.), Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) and Lou Correa (D-Calif.), John McCarthy, Ricky Le, Michael Reed, Neera Tanden, Vinoda Basnayake, Lyndon Boozer, Heather Podesta and Tom McMillen. SPOTTED: Fox News' John Roberts playing guitar with a band at Madam's Organ on Saturday. Video via John's wife, Kyra Phillips SPOTTED at a birthday party for Stephanie Valencia at La Famosa on Monday night: DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Rep. Nanette Barragán (D-Calif.), Xochitl Torres Small, Tom Perriello, Rohit Chopra, Ken Salazar, Pili Tobar, Julie Rodrigues, Cristóbal Alex, Yohannes Abraham, Tara McGuinness, Jessica Morales Rocketto, Mike Podhorzer, Chuck Rocha and Eddie Vale. BACK TO SCHOOL — A pair of University of California, Irvine law professors are launching a new center at the school. Rick Hasen, a well-known expert in elections law, and David Kaye, a former U.N. appointee focused on freedom of opinion and speech across the globe, will be co-directors of the Fair Elections and Free Speech Center. The center's first event will be in September. More from Zach Montellaro … The center's website MEDIA MOVES — Jackie Calmes will be a Washington columnist at the L.A. Times, where she previously was White House editor. … Mat Honan will be editor-in-chief of MIT Technology Review. He currently is an executive editor at BuzzFeed. Talking Biz News FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — WHITE HOUSE ARRIVAL LOUNGE: Rashida Richardson is now a senior policy adviser for data and democracy for the Office of Science and Technology Policy. She previously was a senior fellow for digital innovation and democracy at the German Marshall Fund. STAFFING UP — Hannah Kim and Jorge Silva are joining the HHS public affairs office. Kim will be deputy assistant secretary for public affairs for health care and most recently was AAPI comms director for the Biden campaign. Silva will be deputy assistant secretary for public affairs for human services and most recently was deputy chief of staff and comms adviser for Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.). — The White House announced a few new nominations: Tamara Cofman Wittes as assistant USAID administrator for the Middle East, Judith Pryor as first VP of the Export-Import Bank and Graham Steele as assistant Treasury secretary for financial institutions. TRANSITIONS — Lauren Kunis is the new CEO and executive director of VoteRiders. She previously was program director for National Voter Registration Day's voter mobilization initiative. … Travis Wussow is now managing director for immigration at Stand Together. He previously was VP for public policy and general counsel at the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. … Jessica Gail is now comms director for Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.). She previously was government and media affairs manager at A Starting Point. … … Brin Frazier will be chief comms officer at McCourt Global. She previously was senior strategist for policy comms in Amazon's D.C. office. … HIT Strategies has added several new staffers: David Kornahrens as senior director of research (previously at the DCCC), Jermaine House as senior director of comms (previously at the National Museum of African American History and Culture), Joshua Doss as an analyst (previously at the Global Strategy Group), Sean Conner as client success manager and Bex Pachl as an executive/research assistant (previously at the ACLU). WEDDINGS — TRUMP ALUMNI: Tommy Andrews, principal at Squire Patton Boggs and a Trump White House, John Boehner and Paul Ryan alum, and Mollie Thorsen, COO of The Little Burros, got married Saturday at the Salamander Resort in Middleburg, Va. Pic … Pic with John Boehner … SPOTTED: John and Debbie Boehner, Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio) and Monica Wenstrup, Mike Sommers, Brendan Buck, Barry Jackson, Jake and Jenna Kastan, Eli and Jenna Miller, Kevin Seifert, Alex and Becky Angelson, Bryan Anderson, Adam and Annie Wolf, John Criscuolo and Lily Winter, Grant Saunders, Bryant Avondoglio, Will Miller, Sean and Mary Ellis Finnerty, Dan Murray, Wells Ellenberg, Bo Butler, Tommy Binion and Jamie Gillespie. — Dan Donahue, an NBC Nightly News writer, and Dominique Cuce, an NBC News senior comms manager, got married over the weekend in Amenia, N.Y., with a close group of family and friends in attendance. Pic, via Joshua Brown — Alexa Verveer, EVP of public policy and corporate and government affairs at Discovery Inc. and a Bill Clinton DOJ alum, and Adam Goldberg, co-founder and partner of Trident DMG and Davis Goldberg & Galper PLLC and a Clinton alum, got married Saturday in a family-only ceremony at the Cosmos Club in D.C., with Goldberg taking advantage of D.C.'s unique marriage law and self-officiating the ceremony. — Emily Przyborowski, Middle East director at Askari Defense and Intelligence, and Alex Milliken, a staffer for Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and a John McCain alum, got married July 11 at the Planters Inn in Charleston, S.C. The two met while working in the Senate. Pic WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Gillian Turner, Washington correspondent for Fox News, and Alex Kramer, VP of design at Oporto, welcomed Lucia "Coco" Rose Kramer on Saturday. She came in at 6 lbs, 13 oz. Pic … Another pic HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Tom Friedman … the White House's Justin Dews … CNN's David Chalian … Anita Decker Breckenridge … Lucas Baiano … Andrew Do … POLITICO's David Giambusso, Aloise Phelps, Sydney Poindexter and Kevon Eaglin … Patrick Kelly of the AFL-CIO … Hunter McKay of Pinkston … WaPo's David Lynch … Franklin Foer of The Atlantic … Insider's Steven Perlberg … Katrina Pierson … Katie Price … former Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) … NBC News PR's Joya Manasseh … Tom Engelhardt … Facebook's Don Seymour … Jamal Simmons … Stephen Brokaw … Leah Grace Denny … Paula Cino … ABC's Kirit Radia … Carl Gershman … Ashley Morgan 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. | | | | 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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