| | | | |  | | By Ryan Lizza and Eugene Daniels | | | With help from Eli Okun and Garrett Ross
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Tonight's Jan. 6 hearing will focus on what Donald Trump did — or refused to do — for 187 minutes at the White House after his speech at the Ellipse and before he finally asked rioters to leave the Capitol. | Susan Walsh/AP Photo | | | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | BIDEN IN PENN. TODAY: FUND THE POLICE — President JOE BIDEN travels to Wilkes-Barre, Pa., this afternoon to talk about crime, and the White House is announcing a new "Safer America Plan" that details how Biden would spend a previous congressional request for $37 billion to "support law enforcement and crime prevention." The plan repackages several Biden initiatives and is most notable for its emphasis on hiring more cops and addressing the national uptick in violent crime since 2020, when the murder rate increased by almost 30%. There is still a strong criminal justice reform element in the new Biden package, but check out some of the language the White House now uses on this issue: "Funds the police and promotes effective prosecution of crimes … keep our streets safe … hire and train 100,000 additional police officers … solve murders so we can take shooters and other violent criminals off the streets … crack down on other serious crimes … tougher penalties for fentanyl trafficking … tackle organized retail theft." J6 IN PRIMETIME TONIGHT: 'TRUMP REFUSED TO ACT' — The eighth public hearing of the Jan. 6 committee, though likely not the last, begins tonight at 8 p.m. Eastern. It's expected to go on for about two hours and will focus on what DONALD TRUMP did — or refused to do — for 187 minutes at the White House after his speech at the Ellipse and before he finally asked rioters to leave the Capitol. "The story we're going to tell," a committee aide said, "is that in that time, President Trump refused to act to defend the Capitol as a violent mob stormed" it. Two in-person witnesses will appear: MATTHEW POTTINGER, Trump's deputy national security adviser at the time of the insurrection, and SARAH MATTHEWS , Trump's deputy press secretary. Both resigned in disgust after witnessing Trump's inaction and indifference during those notorious three hours and seven minutes. Stepping into the spotlight tonight to co-lead the proceedings with the more well-known Rep. ADAM KINZINGER (R-Ill.) will be Rep. ELAINE LURIA (D-Va.), a 20-year Navy veteran elected in 2018. Nicholas Wu caught up with Luria on Wednesday, and emailed Playbook these highlights from their conversation: — The topline: Luria said that the hearing "is going to show how that played out — the last-ditch attempt, after all other efforts within this plan had failed … to stop the certification of election results to keep Trump in office." — The visuals: She said the committee would use "news coverage," among other visuals, to show what people outside the Capitol — including the TV-loving president — knew about what was going on at the time. "When we're talking about the 187 minutes," she said, "I think it's important to anchor like, what were people seeing? What did people who are not here at the Capitol know about what's going on at the time?" — The future: "They failed at overturning the results of the 2020 election. But in many ways, they were successful in quite a few of their objectives," Luria said of Trump and his allies, who she accused of spreading disinformation and undermining faith in the electoral system. "If we look at the purpose of the committee, which is to provide recommendations, essentially, it will prevent something like this from happening in the future." "The protesters were forced out of the Capitol, the work of Congress went on, we certified the election results," Luria said. "But, like, what about next time?" Luria thought an examination of the law enforcement response on Jan. 6, while not a focus of Thursday's hearing, could be a "bridge" to the final stage of their investigation, where the select panel would still continue to learn more while working to put out the "ultimate purpose and product from the committee, which would be [a] report and recommendations." Related reads:
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Now, he works as an IT technician for Amazon. "It was probably one of the biggest deals that happened in my life, knowing that Amazon would put even more effort into developing me," he said. | | | POLL OF THE DAY — Quinnipiac finds a record-low 31% job approval rating for Biden in its latest survey of registered voters. Seventy-one percent don't want him to run again in 2024; 64% say the same for Trump. CHINESE AMBASSADOR IN ASPEN: U.S. 'HOLLOWING OUT' ONE CHINA POLICY— One of the remarkable features of the annual Aspen Security Forum is that U.S. and foreign officials speaking there often find themselves responding to world events in real time and sometimes to each other in back-to-back sessions. On Wednesday, the Chinese Ambassador to the U.S., the CIA Director (both speaking in Aspen) and President Biden (back in Washington) all seemed to be in conversation about Taiwan — and about NANCY PELOSI. — The broad context: Biden's three statements as president declaring that he would defend Taiwan militarily if China attacked the island — postures that were quickly reversed by aides who clarified that the U.S. remains committed the One China Policy, which acknowledges China's claim to Taiwan, and wedded to "strategic ambiguity" when it comes to the question of military support for Taiwan in the event of an invasion. — The more recent context: the war in Ukraine, which has created new tensions over Taiwan. As Nahal Toosi noted recently , "Beijing has been increasingly clear that it wants to bring Taiwan under control of the mainland by 2050, and that any threat to that goal could lead it to use force." BILL BURNS, the CIA director, said Wednesday in Aspen that he believed China was "unsettled" by Russia's mistakes in Ukraine and learned from it. "I suspect the lesson the Chinese leadership and military are drawing is that you've got to amass overwhelming force," he said of a potential Chinese attack on Taiwan. He also noted that he "wouldn't underestimate President XI [JINPING]'s determination to assert Chinese control" over Taiwan and that "the risks of that become higher … the further into this decade that you get." — The immediate context: a report this week that Pelosi is scheduled to visit Taiwan in August. QIN GANG, the Chinese ambassador, seemed highly agitated at both the Biden gaffes over the One China Policy and Pelosi's impending trip. "The United States is hollowing out and blurring up the One China Policy," he said. "It is substantially uplifting the official links with Taiwan by sending more officials to the island. It is sending sophisticated weapons to Taiwan and even claims that the U.S. will defend Taiwan militarily." Shortly after the Chinese ambassador spoke, Biden, who is scheduled to talk to Xi in the next 10 days, made a remarkable statement in Washington when asked about Pelosi's trip. "The military thinks it's not a good idea right now," he told reporters. Note that he didn't say that he thought it was a bad idea or that his policy advisers thought so, but that the military advised him that it was a bad idea. Pelosi's office on Wednesday was mum on what she would do. The president is clearly signaling that her visit will exacerbate military tensions. Meanwhile, China hawks are already arguing that if Pelosi cancels the trip, it will be a betrayal of Taiwan and a gift to the PRC. Watch where this one goes today. Related reads:
| | | | A message from Amazon:   The background—Amazon provides free skills training for more than 750,000 hourly employees. | | | | | BIDEN'S THURSDAY:
— 9:30 a.m.: The president will receive the President's Daily Brief.
— 12:35 p.m.: Biden will leave Washington for Wilkes-Barre, Pa., arriving at 1:45 p.m.
— 3:15 p.m.: Biden will speak about gun crime and saving lives at Marts Center at Wilkes University.
— 4:30 p.m.: Biden will leave Wilkes-Barre, arriving in Philadelphia at 5:10 p.m.
— 6:40 p.m.: Biden will take part in a DNC fundraiser.
— 8 p.m.: Biden will leave Philadelphia, arriving in New Castle, Del., at 8:20 p.m.
Press secretary KARINE JEAN-PIERRE will gaggle on Air Force One on the way to Wilkes-Barre.
VP KAMALA HARRIS' THURSDAY:
— 9:45 a.m.: The VP will leave Washington for Charlotte, N.C.
— 11:50 a.m.: Harris will tour a community computer lab at the Carole Hoefener Center with people benefiting from the Affordable Connectivity Program. She'll deliver remarks at 1:30 p.m. about investments in high-speed internet.
— 2:30 p.m.: Harris will hold an abortion roundtable with North Carolina state legislators.
— 4:35 p.m.: Harris will leave Charlotte to return to Washington.
THE HOUSE will meet at 9 a.m. to take up the bill creating a federal right to contraception, with first and last votes expected between 10:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Speaker NANCY PELOSI will hold her weekly press conference at 10:45 a.m. The Jan. 6 committee will hold its latest primetime hearing at 8 p.m.
THE SENATE is in. | | | | | | 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
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Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska delivers remarks about the victims of the war against Ukraine and asks for weapons and air defense systems to help the war effort in an address to Congress members on Wednesday, July 20. | Jabin Botsford - Pool/Getty Images | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | CONGRESS MAKING IT COUNT — The bipartisan group of senators working on Electoral Count Act reform unveiled their proposed legislation Wednesday. One bill would make it harder for politicians to reject state electors and not certify election results. Another would increase criminal penalties for threats against election workers. Senate Rules Chair AMY KLOBUCHAR (D-Minn.) said her committee would take up ECA reform in "the coming weeks," though passage isn't yet assured: The two bills were unveiled with the support of nine and five Republicans, respectively. More from USA Today NOT WEDDED TO IT — As we previewed in Wednesday's Playbook PM , all eyes will be on the Senate GOP to see if enough Republicans will support the House's bill to codify the rights to same-sex and interracial marriage. Now, CNN's Ali Zaslav, Manu Raju, Ted Barrett, Morgan Rimmer, Jessica Dean and Kristin Wilson have the most comprehensive whip count yet : As of Wednesday night, there were four yes/likely yes votes, eight no votes, 16 undecided and 22 who didn't respond to questions. (The magic number of yes votes, of course, will likely be 10.) — The marriage bill turned quickly from a symbolic messaging vote to an actual live proposition on the Hill, after the support of 47 House Republicans surprised both parties, NYT's Annie Karni reports . "Still, it was not clear where six more Republican votes in favor of the legislation could be found in the Senate." — "CHUCK SCHUMER may have to take a gamble to find out if the landmark legislation has the GOP support necessary to clear a 60-vote threshold," adds Burgess Everett . Sen. TAMMY BALDWIN (D-Wis.) is taking the lead on trying to chase down GOP support. WHEN THE CHIPS ARE DOWN — Pelosi said Wednesday that the smaller version of semiconductor legislation now making its way through the Senate could come up for a vote in the House as soon as next week. More from Reuters ASSAULT WEAPONS BAN ADVANCES — The House Judiciary Committee approved an assault weapons ban on a 25-18 vote Wednesday night — a landmark moment for a piece of legislation that almost certainly won't become law. More from The Hill BIPARTISAN SUPPORT FOR DATA PRIVACY — The House Energy and Commerce Committee advanced landmark data privacy legislation in a near-unanimous vote Wednesday. The bill nonetheless faces a difficult path in the Senate. More from The Hill ALL POLITICS 2024 WATCH — The American Bridge super PAC sued the FEC on Wednesday over its complaint four months ago, upon which the agency hasn't acted: that DONALD TRUMP was acting like a 2024 presidential candidate and hinting he would run without formally filing. The lawsuit seeks to compel the FEC to take action against him for amassing unfair advantages. "It is unclear whether the suit will work through the courts fast enough to have any effect on either the commission or Mr. Trump," writes NYT's Maggie Haberman . CASH DASH — The DSCC raised $33.5 million in the second quarter, outstripping its GOP counterpart, ABC's Tal Axelrod scooped . Senate Dems' campaign arm entered July with about $53.5 million on hand. — A super PAC trying to stop ERIC GREITENS in the Missouri Senate GOP primary has gotten a whopping $250,000 from Nebraska Gov. PETE RICKETTS, making him the second-biggest donor to the group, Alex Isenstadt reports . "It is unusual for a governor to become involved as a contributor in a campaign in another state. But it illustrates the degree to which top Republicans — and the party's wealthy donor class — are alarmed about Greitens' candidacy." BATTLE FOR THE SENATE — In the tight battle for the Senate this fall, "Republican operatives working on a series of Senate races appear more dour of late," CNN's Michael Warren and Dan Merica report , "with some admitting their candidates have yet to take advantage of the helpful environment, allowing their Democratic opponents to stand out, raise money and prepare." MEHMET OZ epitomizes the concerns in Pennsylvania. — ALEX LASRY has gained on Wisconsin Lt. Gov. MANDELA BARNES in the Wisconsin Democratic Senate primary, thanks in part to an infusion of millions of dollars of his own money onto the airwaves, The Daily Beast's Ursula Perano reports . THE NEW GOP — Maryland Gov. LARRY HOGAN said he won't support the Republican nominee to replace him, DAN COX, the Trumpist insurgent who defeated Hogan-backed KELLY SCHULZ in this week's primary. More from The Baltimore Sun — The result was a setback for Hogan's political prospects in 2024, WaPo's Erin Cox reports , as his own constituents rejected his vision for his party. But Hogan himself tells her that "there was no repudiation," as he remains popular in Maryland, and that Cox's victory came thanks to Democratic meddling in the primary. BILL KRISTOL: "I don't really buy that … The main thing is that Trump endorsed Cox; let's be real."
| | | | A message from Amazon:   A2Tech —associate-to-technician—is just one of Amazon's programs designed to give associates a way to advance into higher-paying and in-demand careers. | | | THE WHITE HOUSE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER — The HUNTER BIDEN investigation has intensified and reached a crucial decision point, though no decision has been made on potential charges in the politically explosive probe, CNN's Evan Perez and Kara Scannell report . After starting with a wider focus, investigators have narrowed their probe to a couple of key pieces: "Discussions recently have centered around possibly bringing charges that could include alleged tax violations and making a false statement in connection with Biden's purchase of a firearm at a time he would have been prohibited from doing so." But DOJ also has to balance its imperative not to bring political cases close to an election. — Fox News' Brooke Singman, David Spunt and Bill Mears have a similar but slightly different readout , reporting that charges for possible foreign lobbying violations are also still on the table. POLICY CORNER CLIMATE FILES — HHS' new Office of Climate Change and Health Equity under the Biden administration was designed to address the health effects of climate change — a particularly relevant mission at the moment, amid sweltering heat waves in the U.S. and abroad. But the office has no money, as Congress never funded it, NBC's Josh Lederman reports . — "Delay is the new denial." Among Republicans, climate denialism is out, NYT's Lisa Friedman and Jonathan Weisman report . Instead, the congressional GOP simply doesn't support taking speedy action to help save the climate because of economic concerns. — Biden's Massachusetts stop: In Somerset, Biden warned of a "code red for humanity" while announcing modest executive actions aimed at "bolstering climate resilience and the offshore wind industry," per The Boston Globe . — The national emergency question: As the White House weighs declaring a national emergency on climate change, Alex Guillén and Ben Lefebvre have a helpful breakdown of what it would actually entail. Such a move could "unleash sweeping actions to restrain greenhouse gas production — such as banning U.S. crude oil exports, ending offshore drilling or speeding the manufacturing of electric vehicles. But some of those steps would be politically explosive, and could even prove ruinous to his party's fortunes by sending gasoline prices soaring." AMERICA AND THE WORLD WITH FRIENDS LIKE THESE — "NATO ally Erdogan accuses United States of training terrorists to attack Turkey," by Washington Examiner's Joel Gehrke
| | | | INTRODUCING POWER SWITCH: The energy landscape is profoundly transforming. Power Switch is a daily newsletter that unlocks the most important stories driving the energy sector and the political forces shaping critical decisions about your energy future, from production to storage, distribution to consumption. Don't miss out on Power Switch, your guide to the politics of energy transformation in America and around the world. SUBSCRIBE TODAY . | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Ivana Trump's loved ones celebrated her life with a funeral Mass , red roses, candles and eulogies. David Hogg was escorted out of the House Judiciary hearing on an assault weapons ban after yelling at Andy Biggs. Brittney Griner and other Americans detained abroad are the subject of a new mural in Georgetown designed to draw attention to their plight. OUT AND ABOUT — The inaugural DC Power Index Prizes were handed out at a lunch at Cafe Milano on Wednesday. Joanna Coles presented awards to Christine Grady, Melora Hardin and Ukrainian Ambassador Oksana Markarova (on whose behalf Yaroslav Brisiuck accepted). Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) presented the award to Capitol Police Officer Caroline Edwards. DeDe Lea presented the award to Sheila Johnson. Teresa Carlson presented the award to Denyce Graves. Also SPOTTED: Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.), Norah O'Donnell, Kristine Coratti Kelly, Kathleen Buhle, Karen Knutson, Ingrid Ciprian-Matthews, Rima Al-Sabah, Jordanian Ambassador Dina Kawar, Nigerian Ambassador Uzoma Emenike, Amna Nawaz, Deborah Rutter, Julie Kent, Sali Christeson, Aya Kanai, Sophia Narrett, Sally Quinn and Tammy Haddad. — The U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Elizabeth Baker Keffer and Ashlee Rich Stephenson hosted a salon dinner Tuesday evening at Cafe Milano with female heads of Washington corporate offices across many industries. SPOTTED: Heather Kennedy, Liz Reicherts, DeDe Lea, Marjorie Dickman and Alison Weiss. TRANSITIONS — Shehn Datta is joining the AAPI Victory Fund as national political director. She previously was senior political strategist at the National Democratic Redistricting Committee. … Amanda Bailey is joining Invariant to work with comms and public affairs clients. She is a senior adviser for the Black Economic Alliance, and is a Kamala Harris alum. … … Sarah Ferman Baker has been appointed president and CEO of the Consumer Credit Industry Association. She most recently led corporate responsibility and sustainability efforts at Tyler Technologies, and is an American Bankers Association alum. … Alden Hartopo is joining Google's government affairs and public policy team as a special projects senior analyst. He previously was a senior associate at McLarty Associates. WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Raquel Hochroth, VP at Rosen Group PR, and Phil Probert, VP of growth strategy at Craftable, recently welcomed Miles Graham Probert. Pic BIRTHWEEK (was Wednesday): Andrew Do HAPPY BIRTHDAY: House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) … Senate GOP Conference Chair John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) (7-0) … Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) … Fox News' Peter Doocy … Mick Mulvaney … CNN's Mark Preston … David Stacy … Google's Ali-Jae Henke … SoftBank's Christin Tinsworth Baker … Steve Lerch … Nancy LeaMond of AARP … Samantha Summers of Albertsons Companies … IBEX Partners' Michael Sessums … Trita Parsi … Dave Noble … Edelman's Athena Johnson … Bob Shrum … Katherine Schneider ... Jahan Wilcox ... retired Gen. Dick Tubb … Government Publishing Office Director Hugh Halpern … Roshan Patel of the Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association … RNC's Brian Parnitzke … former Reps. Phil Roe (R-Tenn.), Jimmy Duncan (R-Tenn.), Ed Towns (D-N.Y.), John Salazar (D-Colo.) and Bobby Bright (D-Ala.) (7-0) … John Negroponte … former Connecticut Gov. Dan Malloy … Garrett Ventry … Amazon's Amber Talley … Jen Bluestein 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.
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