| | | | |  | | By Ryan Lizza, Rachael Bade and Eugene Daniels | | | With help from Eli Okun and Garrett Ross
| | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | MARK YOUR CALENDARS — On Thursday at 8 p.m., the Jan. 6 select committee "will hold a hearing to provide the American people with a summary of our findings about the coordinated, multi-step effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election," the panel announced. JUST POSTED — Michael Schaffer's latest "Capital City" column for POLITICO Magazine is on Washington's last taboo: "calling someone stupid." The provoactive headline: "Many Reporters Think KEVIN MCCARTHY Is Dumb. Why Can't They Say So?" A must-read. MORE GUN VIOLENCE ON THURSDAY… — IN IOWA: "A man shot and killed two female victims, then killed himself, in a parking lot outside Ames' Cornerstone Church Thursday night, according to police and officials at the church," the Des Moines Register reports. "The suspected shooter appeared to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Story County Sheriff Capt. NICHOLAS LENNIE said." — IN WISCONSIN: "Two people were shot at Racine's Graceland Cemetery Thursday afternoon during a funeral for a man killed by police. … The shooting occurred at the interment for DA'SHONTAY L. KING SR., the man fatally shot by Racine police May 20, King's sister, NATASHA MULLEN said. 'We were at the gravesite trying to get prepared to bury him, and bullets started flying everywhere,' she said," the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Sophie Carson and Drake Bentley report. THE WASHINGTON GUN GAP — Three key leaders who are committed to firearms legislation in the wake of a string of horrific massacres spoke Thursday about what they want in a bill. IN THE HOUSE, Speaker NANCY PELOSI blessed the "Protecting Our Kids Act," which passed out of the Judiciary Committee after a raucous markup that included one Republican member, Rep. GREG STEUBE (R-Fla.), appearing via Zoom while brandishing his Sig Sauer handgun to make a point about high-capacity magazine bans.
| 
While remotely attending a House Judiciary Committee hearing, Rep. Greg Steube (R-Fla.) demonstrated several handguns he owns. When Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) said she hoped "the gun isn't loaded," Steube replied, "I'm at my house, I can do whatever I want with my guns." | Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images | The House Dem bill is ambitious. Here's what it would do:
- Raise the lawful age to purchase a "semiautomatic centerfire rifle" from 18 to 21.
- Ban high-capacity magazines.
- Increase penalties for gun trafficking and straw purchases (i.e. buying a firearm for another individual).
- Create new criminal penalties for failure to safely store firearms at home.
- Outlaw bump stocks, which effectively turn semiautomatic weapons into machine guns — as was used in the 2017 Las Vegas massacre, when 60 people were killed and nearly 900 were injured in the worst mass shooting in American history. (The Trump administration banned bump stocks via regulation and required owners of the devices to destroy them or turn them over to the ATF.)
- Outlaw ghost guns, privately made firearms assembled from individual parts or kits bought online or parts made with a 3D printer that don't have traceable serial numbers and have increasingly been used in violent crimes in American cities. (The Biden administration banned ghost guns via regulation earlier this year and required existing ghost guns to become serialized.)
Last year, the House also passed legislation to strengthen the background check system for purchasing firearms. In a letter to Democrats Thursday, Pelosi said the House would also vote on a red-flag law and a bill "to create an AMBER Alert-style notification during a mass shooting," and hold a hearing on an assault weapons ban bill.
| 
Alex Brandon/AP Photo | IN THE SENATE, JOHN CORNYN (R-Texas), the lead GOP senator tasked by Minority Leader MITCH MCCONNELL to strike a bipartisan deal on gun legislation, spoke to our Marianne LeVine about the state of the talks. Cornyn was candid about the difficulty of his assignment: "When Sen. McConnell asked me to be sort of the point person on this, I thought to myself 'well, this is like JOE BIDEN appointing KAMALA HARRIS border czar,' I accepted the responsibility with a little trepidation." The talks are fluid and wrapped in some secrecy, but Marianne reports this morning that "among the proposals under consideration" are:
- Changes to the background check system
- Additional investments in mental health
- Additional investments in school security
- Federal grants for states to establish red flag laws
"I'm not talking about restricting the rights of law-abiding citizens under the Second Amendment," Cornyn told Marianne. "I'm talking about identifying people with criminal and mental health problems that are a threat to themselves and others." Cornyn seems serious about passing something. Failure, he said, "will be embarrassing."
| | A message from Facebook: Facebook is taking action to keep its platform safe
Over 40 million people use Facebook Privacy Checkup each month. That's nearly 60 times the population of Washington, D.C. That's just one example of the work we're doing to create safer connections.
Learn more about our work ahead. | | | | 
Evan Vucci/AP Photo | AT THE WHITE HOUSE at the end of the day, Biden made a rare prime-time address to talk about the recent massacres and urge Congress to act. (Like many Biden speeches, it was better on the page than in the delivery.) He recounted details from his trip to Uvalde, where he "stood before 21 crosses for 19 third and fourth graders and two teachers." The names of the dead were on each cross, and nearby were their pictures — which, the president said, "JILL and I reached out to touch." He reminded Americans tuning in that he had just had a similarly grim experience 12 days earlier in Buffalo, where 10 people were murdered. "At both places," Biden said, "we spent hours with hundreds of family members who were broken and whose lives will never be the same. And they had one message for all of us: Do something. Just do something. For God's sake, do something." In February 2020, during the Democratic presidential primaries, Biden's team needed to claw back into contention in Nevada after embarrassing showings in Iowa and New Hampshire, and they turned to the issue of gun legislation, which polling revealed as a strong issue for Biden to use against Sen. BERNIE SANDERS (I-Vt.) in the state. Biden was desperate. A poor outcome in Nevada could have ended his campaign. In a high-profile speech in Las Vegas, he made a promise that his advisers must have known he would not be able to keep: that he would send comprehensive gun legislation to Congress on "my first day of office." The legislation never appeared. But last night, Biden finally outlined what he wants to do:
- Ban assault weapons
- Ban high-capacity magazines
- "If we can't ban assault weapons, then we should raise the age to purchase them from 18 to 21."
- "Strengthen background checks" to "keep guns out of the hands of felons, fugitives, and those under restraining orders."
- Pass safe storage laws that hold gun owners responsible for crimes committed with their unsecured weapons.
- Pass red-flag laws.
- Repeal liability protection for gun manufacturers.
- "Address the mental health crisis deepening the trauma of gun violence and as a consequence of that violence."
Look carefully at the action in the House, Senate and White House, and you'll see that so far, the Venn diagram of agreement about what issues to address is limited to background checks and red-flag laws. But even that may be too heavy a lift for this Congress. Biden ended the wonky portion of his speech on a pessimistic note. "In order to get anything done in the Senate, we need a minimum of 10 Republican senators," he said. "I support the bipartisan efforts that include a small group of Democrats and Republican senators trying to find a way. But my God, the fact that the majority of the Senate Republicans don't want any of these proposals even to be debated or come up for a vote, I find unconscionable." In the two sets of Senate gun legislation talks underway, so far there are six Republicans publicly involved (seven if you include McConnell). TOP-ED — "A Surprisingly Simple Way to Make Sure Good Gun Laws Get Passed" by Richard Feldman, an attorney and government affairs expert who is the author of "Ricochet: Confessions of a Gun Lobbyist" ($20.34) and the president of the Independent Firearm Owners Association — Related read: "Voters Say They Want Gun Control. Their Votes Say Something Different," by NYT's Nate Cohn
| | | | A message from Facebook:   | | | Happy Friday. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line and tell us if you think the taboo against calling some politicians stupid should be lifted: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza. THE PLAYBOOK INTERVIEW: KELLY BURTON — When he left office, BARACK OBAMA made redistricting and gerrymandering a surprisingly high priority for his post-presidency life. Democrats were crushed during the last redistricting process, which profoundly dampened Obama's ability to get much accomplished after his first midterm. That experience led to Obama's late-in-office obsession with making sure Democrats were prepared for this decade's redistricting fight. Along with his good friend — and former AG — ERIC HOLDER, Obama helped create the National Democratic Redistricting Committee. This week on "Playbook Deep Dive," Ryan spends an afternoon at the Lincoln Memorial talking to the person now in charge of that effort: NDRC President KELLY BURTON. Listen to the episode here
| 
| BIDEN'S FRIDAY: — 9:30 a.m.: The president will receive the President's Daily Brief. — 10:30 a.m.: Biden will deliver remarks on the May jobs report. VP HARRIS' FRIDAY (all times Eastern): — 9:20 a.m.: The VP and second gentleman DOUG EMHOFF will depart D.C. en route to Reno, Nev. — 3:40 p.m.: Harris will deliver remarks on the economy and inflation at the 90th Annual Meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. — 4:30 p.m.: Harris and Emhoff will depart Reno en route to Los Angeles. THE HOUSE and SENATE are out.
| | | | 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. | | | | | PHOTO OF THE DAY
| 
Queen Elizabeth II stands on the balcony of Buckingham Palace next to Prince Louis, as he covers his ears, on Thursday, June 2. | Aaron Chown/Pool Photo via AP | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | THE WHITE HOUSE IT'S OFFICIAL — Biden will travel to Saudi Arabia later this month for an expected meeting with Crown Prince MOHAMMED BIN SALMAN . "While the logistics and timing were still being worked out, Mr. Biden planned to add the visit to a previously scheduled trip to Europe and Israel," NYT's Peter Baker and Ben Hubbard report. "The visit represents the triumph of realpolitik over moral outrage, according to foreign policy experts." WEST WING SHAKE-UP — MIKE GWIN will leave the White House as director of rapid response to take a new role at the Treasury Department as deputy assistant secretary for public affairs, per CNN's Phil Mattingly. The context: "Gwin becomes the latest in a series of communications and press aides to depart, as the White House messaging operation moves through a period of transition in advance of the critical months leading up to the November midterm elections." CONGRESS FREEDOM CAUCUS TO PLOT STRATEGY WITH TRUMP — "A group of House Freedom Caucus members are slated to meet with DONALD TRUMP next week to discuss the group's 'strategy' heading into the next Congress," Olivia Beavers scoops for Congress Minutes. "Freedom Caucus Chair Rep. SCOTT PERRY (R-Pa.), former chair Rep. ANDY BIGGS (R-Ariz.) and Rep. MATT ROSENDALE (R-Mont.) are among members of the Trump-aligned group expected to meet with the former president at his Bedminster, N.J., club on Tuesday." Notable context: "The meeting also comes two days before the Jan. 6 select committee is slated to begin public hearings designed to convey the gravity of last year's siege on the Capitol." SUCCESSORS LINE UP FOR GOP WHIP — Rep. JIM BANKS (R-Ind.), who currently serves as the Republican Study Committee chair, is thinking about mounting a bid to take over as House GOP whip. "The Indiana Republican has been calling up colleagues to discuss potentially joining what is expected to be a crowded race for the conference's No. 3 leadership spot if his party takes the House in November," three GOP sources tell Olivia. The others who are interested: Reps. TOM EMMER (R-Minn.), DREW FERGUSON (R-Ga.) and ELISE STEFANIK (R-N.Y.) ALL POLITICS TRUMP ENDORSES MASTERS — Trump officially endorsed Arizona GOP Senate candidate BLAKE MASTERS on Thursday, "a move that aides believe will give the Republican significant momentum ahead of the state's August primary," CNN's Gabby Orr writes. "Calling Masters 'a great modern-day thinker,' Trump praised the tech entrepreneur Thursday in a statement that underscored the candidate's commitment to the former President's top priorities — from immigration and gun rights to relitigating [the] 2020 election." — Also on Thursday: "Trump upends Wisconsin GOP governor primary by endorsing Tim Michels," by NBC's Natasha Korecki — Meanwhile, a new Arizona Public Opinion Pulse survey by OH Predictive Insights has some interesting findings about Dems' standing in Arizona. While Biden is underwater in the state (42% approval, 53% disapproval), both of the state's Democratic senators are on much stronger footing: Sen. MARK KELLY enjoys a 50% approval rating while 39% disapprove (net approval: +11), and KYRSTEN SINEMA has a 42% approval and 44% disapproval (net approval: -2). (Sinema, of course, is not on the ballot until 2024.) IN PENNSYLVANIA — GOP gubernatorial nominee DOUG MASTRIANO said that he wants to make everyone in the state re-register to vote. Can he do that? In short: no. "The concept flatly violates federal law, legal scholars say, and may conflict with state law, not to mention constitutional protections. It is also a throwback to laws designed by white people in past eras to keep Black people or newer European immigrants from voting," writes AP's Marc Levy. — Speaking of … Following reports that Mastriano provided materials to the House Jan. 6 committee, CNN's Zachary Cohen and Paula Reid scoop that Mastriano was also questioned by the FBI, which "has been conducting an expansive investigation into the January 6 riot and questioned Mastriano last summer after photos emerged of him on Capitol grounds that day." — The Senate race: "Pennsylvania court orders counting of undated mail ballots in win for McCormick in his GOP Senate race against Oz," by the Philly Inquirer's Jeremy Roebuck and Jonathan Lai REDISTRICTING READ — Florida Republicans are likely to get their desired redrawing of the state's congressional map after the state Supreme Court "declined to wade into an ongoing legal dispute over the map," Gary Fineout reports from Tallahassee. What's next: "The state Supreme Court's decision means an appeals court will decide the current legal challenge." JAN. 6 AND ITS AFTERMATH WHO'S TALKING — Another day, another big get for the Jan. 6 select committee: Trump AG BILL BARR met with the panel for about two hours on Thursday, WSJ's Scott Patterson and Sadie Gurman report.
| | | | A message from Facebook:   | | | TRUMP CARDS THEY WENT TO JARED — A House panel wants to get a full picture of JARED KUSHNER's business dealings in Saudi Arabia and whether he "traded on his government position to land a $2 billion investment in his new private equity firm from a prominent Saudi Arabian wealth fund," NYT's Kate Kelly and David Kirkpatrick report. "Representative CAROLYN B. MALONEY , the New York Democrat who leads the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, gave Mr. Kushner a two-week deadline in a letter sent on Thursday to furnish documents related to the Saudi fund's investment last year in his firm, Affinity Partners. She also asked for any personal correspondence between Mr. Kushner and the Saudi kingdom's de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, during or after the Trump administration." THE PANDEMIC CHILD VACCINES COMING SOON — The White House says children under the age of 5 may begin receiving their first doses of the Covid vaccine as soon as June 21, once authorized by the FDA. On Thursday, White House Covid coordinator ASHISH JHA laid out an expected timeline, noting that while states can order Pfizer and Moderna vaccines as early as today, shipments would have to wait until FDA clearance, which is expected on June 15. Jha said the administration expects "any parent who wants their child vaccinated will be able to obtain an appointment" within weeks of FDA approval. More from the NYT WAR IN UKRAINE ONE TO WATCH — "Current and former energy officials tell CNN they worry that Russia's invasion of Ukraine in the wake of years of underinvestment in the energy sector have sent the world careening into a crisis that will rival or even exceed the oil crises of the 1970s and early 1980s. Unlike those infamous episodes, this one is not contained to oil," CNN's Matt Egan writes. TV TONIGHT — PBS' "Washington Week": Eugene Daniels, Annie Karni and Amara Omeokwe. SUNDAY SO FAR … FOX "Fox News Sunday": House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.). Panel: Katie Pavlich, Jacqui Heinrich, Josh Holmes and Marie Harf. CBS "Face the Nation": Walter Koroshetz … Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) … Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) … Betsey Stevenson. ABC "This Week": Panel: Maggie Haberman, Julie Pace, Chris Christie and Donna Brazile. CNN "Inside Politics": Panel: Molly Ball, Seung Min Kim, Melanie Zanona and Hans Nichols MSNBC "The Sunday Show": House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) … Rep. Ted Deutch (D-Fla.) … Stacey Stevenson … Daniel Goldman.
| | | | DON'T MISS DIGITAL FUTURE DAILY - OUR TECHNOLOGY NEWSLETTER, RE-IMAGINED: Technology is always evolving, and our new tech-obsessed newsletter is too! Digital Future Daily unlocks the most important stories determining the future of technology, from Washington to Silicon Valley and innovation power centers around the world. Readers get an in-depth look at how the next wave of tech will reshape civic and political life, including activism, fundraising, lobbying and legislating. Go inside the minds of the biggest tech players, policymakers and regulators to learn how their decisions affect our lives. Don't miss out, subscribe today. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Mary Trump, niece of the former president, signed a fundraising email on behalf of Tim Ryan. Paul Gosar endorsed J.D. Vance's call for new restrictions on pornography. "Liberal courts have declared porn to fall under 'free speech,'" Gosar tweeted. "What a joke." Ken Buck said an AR-15 is "a gun of choice for killing raccoons before they get to our chickens." Harini Logan, a 14-year-old from Texas, won the Scripps National Spelling Bee after correctly spelling 21 words during a lightning-fast 90-second face-off. The video is probably the most impressive thing you'll see this morning. MEDIA MOVES — Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Patrick Marley are joining WaPo as democracy reporters. Wingett Sanchez will report in Arizona and previously was a national politics reporter for the Arizona Republic. Marley will report in the Upper Midwest and previously was a reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. … Nick Tomaino is now an assistant editorial features editor at WSJ. He previously was an associate editor at National Review. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Neil Sroka is now thought leadership comms officer for the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. He previously was comms director of Paid Leave for the U.S. and is a Democracy for America alum. TRANSITIONS — Kate Meyer is joining Waxman Strategies as a director in the health policy practice. She previously was interim executive director of the Girls Gotta Run Foundation. … Jessica Floyd is now director at SKDK. She most recently was business and finance correspondent at theGrio. … Jai Chabria and Taylor Van Kirk are joining MAD Global. They both come from J.D. Vance's campaign, where Chabria is chief strategist and Van Kirk is comms director. … … Keri Li is now a senior marketing manager at FTI Consulting for the Strategic Communications segment. She previously was a senior business development manager at Squire Patton Boggs. … Francesco Hanson is now staff assistant/scheduler for Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. (D-N.J.). He most recently was a legislative intern for Rep. Ron Kind (D-Wis.). … Katherine Pantangco is joining Stanford Health Care's government affairs team. She previously was an associate director for the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs. WEDDINGS — Allison Tinsey, counsel for the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Emerging Threats and Spending Oversight Subcommittee, and Josh Abbott, an NIH post-doc that will soon be joining a biotech startup in the area, got married in Plymouth, Mich., last Saturday. The couple met at Kalamazoo College, where Josh was on the student government and Allison covered their meetings for the student newspaper. Allison also celebrated her 30th birthday on Tuesday. Pic… Another pic — Gabrielle Gould, executive director for the Democratic Women's Caucus, and Brandon White, senior analyst for Endeavors, got married at the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, Ky., on May 14. The ceremony was officiated by Molly Cole, foreign policy adviser for Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), who was the mutual friend responsible for Gabrielle and Brandon's introduction at a HFAC happy hour at Barrel. Pic … Another pic HAPPY BIRTHDAY: First lady Jill Biden … John Kirby … Anderson Cooper … Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux (D-Ga.) … WSJ's Michelle Hackman … David Planning of the House Small Business GOP … USTR's Sophia Sokolowski … Evan Medeiros of the Asia Group … Defend the Vote's Brian Lemek … POLITICO's Shireen Sarkar and Ahmed Routher … Gina Foote of Finsbury Glover Hering … Edelman's Rob Rehg … Erick Erickson … Subject Matter's Bryce Harlow … Lilia Horder of Monument Advocacy … former Reps. Roscoe Bartlett (R-Md.) and Solomon Ortiz (D-Texas) … Amy McGrath … Abe Rakov … Michael Fleischer of BCW Global … Patrick Martin of Cozen O'Connor … Andrew Weinstein … Kellee Barron-Lanza Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here. Send Playbookers tips to playbook@politico.com or text us at 202-556-3307. Playbook couldn't happen without our editor Mike Zapler, deputy editor Zack Stanton and producers Setota Hailemariam and Bethany Irvine.
| | A message from Facebook: We spent $16 billion to enhance safety and security in the past 6 years
That's enough to build 7 pro stadiums – all to keep our communities safe and create more meaningful connections.
That's just one example of the work we're doing.
Facebook is taking action to keep its platform safe.
Learn more about our work ahead. | | | | | | | 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 | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
No comments:
Post a Comment