| | | | |  | | By Ryan Lizza and Eugene Daniels | | | With help from Eli Okun and Garrett Ross
|  | DRIVING THE DAY | | OFF EMBARGO — Our copy of MARK LEIBOVICH's "Thank You for Your Servitude" arrived from Penguin Press on Friday, and we've been devouring it ever since. The book is scheduled for release on Tuesday, but just as we were about to hit send this morning, we got word from Leibo's publisher that the embargo was lifted. "I don't think I can hold my finger in the dam any longer," SARAH HUTSON, Penguin's director of publicity, told us. We'll have more to say about the book next week, but for now you can feast on these nuggets provided by the publisher in a document that has been making the rounds in D.C. like samizdat.
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| One gem that caught our attention is this account of a call between DONALD TRUMP and CHRIS CHRISTIE while the former New Jersey governor was in the intensive care unit with Covid-19: "[Christie] had, finally, reached his end with Trump after years of frustrations, humiliations, and thwarted job ambitions. The final indignity occurred in late September after Christie attended a super-spreader reception at the White House for the Supreme Court nominee AMY CONEY BARRETT. In addition to the president and First Lady, several high-level officials present wound up infected with the virus. This included Christie, whose multiple comorbidities (obesity, asthma) placed him at high risk and landed him in the ICU. "Trump was being treated concurrently at Walter Reed hospital and called Christie in New Jersey to check in, caring friend that he was. After some chitchat, Trump moved to the real purpose of his call. 'Are you going to say you got this from me?' Trump asked Christie. It was important that he not say this, the president reminded him. Contagion, pathogens, ICU—not beautiful associations for the brand. "'It was one of the few laughs I had in the hospital,' Christie told me later of Trump's friendly reminder. 'I got off the phone and I just shook my head. Like, this guy will never change.'"
|  After abortion-rights protesters showed up in front of the Morton's in downtown D.C. on Wednesday night to demonstrate while Justice Brett Kavanaugh dined inside, the company's response set all sides alight. | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images | MORTON'S MISTAKE — When a corporation is getting grilled on social media, there's a lot at stake. The best course is often to say nothing, lest you butcher the response. Issuing a statement can often just inflame things because, let's be honest, press releases are a medium rarely well done. Morton's The Steakhouse learned that the hard way this week when it steered right into the middle of the culture wars. After abortion-rights protesters showed up in front of the Morton's in downtown D.C. on Wednesday night to demonstrate while Justice BRETT KAVANAUGH dined inside, the company issued a statement to POLITICO's Daniel Lippman aggressively defending the justice's "right … to eat dinner," as we wrote about in Friday's Playbook. The response set all sides alight. The left mocked the idea that Kavanaugh should be shielded from protesters while out in public. "Poor guy," tweeted Rep. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ (D-N.Y.). "He left before his soufflé because he decided half the country should risk death if they have an ectopic pregnancy within the wrong state lines. It's all very unfair to him. The least they could do is let him eat cake." "Brett Kavanaugh's Right to Dine Shall Not Be Infringed," Esquire's Jack Holmes teased. The New Republic's Matt Ford examined medieval "sumptuary laws" that regulated private luxuries and concluded, "There Is No Constitutional Right to Eat Dinner." Others flooded OpenTable with fake reservations. At one location, the fake diners included "Arnold Benedict," "Abortion Rights" and "First Amendment," according to an Instagram story one employee posted. At another Morton's, reservations that were removed Friday night included "Dick Hertz," "Amy Coney," "Neil Gor," "Kava Naugh," "Roe Wade," "Jane Doe" and "Pro Choice," according to a reservation list Lippman obtained. The right sided with the steakhouse chain's view that dinner should be off limits to demonstrations. At the White House, Fox News' PETER DOOCY spent almost three-and-a-half minutes asking press secretary KARINE JEAN-PIERRE what the White House thought of the incident, including whether justices had "a right to privacy."
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Learn how Meta is helping build the metaverse. | | | Morton's, which is owned by TILMAN FERTITTA, the billionaire owner of the Houston Rockets whom Trump has called "a friend," moved to put out the fire. The company appears to have blocked users from being able to comment on Morton's tweets, and the Morton's Yelp page has temporarily restricted new reviews. "Currently we are experiencing a massive wave (trending at #2 on social media now) of negative response to our comments yesterday as well as being bombarded at the local level with phone calls and fake reservations on Open Table," SCOTT CRAIN, SVP and COO of Morton's, wrote to managers in an email obtained by Lippman. "[T]here is a good chance that your restaurant will also potentially have some people reaching out for comment and/or making (bogus) reservations over the next few days. As I stated yesterday, our comment is always 'No Comment.' We don't respond, we don't retweet, we don't post on Instagram or Facebook, we don't do anything. Please remind your teams (especially the hourly employees) of this policy," he added. "Again, we do NOT insert our political beliefs at any time - not with an employee, not with a fellow manager, and most certainly NOT with a guest." When Crain was asked for additional comment, he accidentally sent a screenshot of Lippman's text back to Lippman and then called him but immediately hung up. Good Saturday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line with your favorite steak puns: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza.
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| | PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN'S SATURDAY — The president has nothing on his public schedule.
VP KAMALA HARRIS' SATURDAY — The VP has nothing on her public schedule. | | | | | | 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
|  Amid major protests in Sri Lanka over an economic crisis, demonstrators today gather on the premises inside the president's official residence after storming his home and office. | Amitha Thennakoon/AP Photo | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | 9 THINGS THAT STUCK WITH US 1. MUSK READ: ELON MUSK said Friday that he wanted to withdraw from his deal to buy Twitter, sending a seismic wave through Silicon Valley. He cited his inability to get clear information on Twitter's spam/bot accounts as the main reason for wanting out of the $44 billion deal. But Twitter's board vowed to fight him in court to make the acquisition still go through. "It's incumbent that Musk prove that Twitter has breached their agreement, as he can't just pull out the signed agreement because he feels like it," writes The Verge's Jacob Kastrenakes. 2. BURST OF BANNON: Trump is weighing a move to waive executive privilege for STEVE BANNON allowing him to testify before the Jan. 6 committee, WaPo's Isaac Stanley-Becker, Josh Dawsey and Jacqueline Alemany report. The panel has subpoenaed Bannon but he's refused to appear. But, but, but: Federal prosecutors don't think Trump's claim of executive privilege would have protected Bannon from having to testify anyway, CNN's Zachary Cohen and Sara Murray report. In other Bannon news, he was "swatted" Friday, as police descended on his Capitol Hill home after getting a false hotline tip that there had been a shooting in the rowhouse. More from WaPo In other Jan. 6 committee news, PAT CIPOLLONE's hourslong testimony before the panel Friday proved "very important and extremely helpful," sources tell CNN's Pamela Brown, Ryan Nobles, Annie Grayer, Jamie Gangel and Zachary Cohen. Though the committee didn't specifically ask Cipollone about CASSIDY HUTCHINSON's testimony about what he said on Jan. 6, Rep. ZOE LOFGREN (D-Calif.) said on air afterward that he "did not contradict the testimony of other witnesses, and I think we did learn a few things which we will be rolling out in hearings to come." Related: "How the Jan. 6 Panel Is Supercharging the Georgia Trump Investigation," by The Daily Beast's Jose Pagliery … "Oath Keeper members brought explosives to DC area around January 6 and had a 'death list,' prosecutors say," CNN 3. RECONCILABLE DIFFERENCES: Democrats got some good news on their reconciliation bill plans Friday: The CBO said their drug pricing reform plank would raise $287 billion in revenue over a decade, which could help pay for a big chunk of their spending, Anthony Adragna reports in Congress Minutes. The CBO estimate 4. 2024 WATCH: Could a large GOP presidential field in 2024 pave the way for a 2016 repeat in which Trump benefits from a divided opposition? AP's Jill Colvin reports that GOP strategists consider it a distinct possibility despite some recent losses for Trump. Among those weighing a bid: Christie, who says, "I'm definitely giving it serious thought." 5. ABORTION LATEST: A Louisiana judge brought the state's new near-total abortion ban back into effect Friday. More from The Advocate … Pennsylvania Republican lawmakers moved closer to placing a constitutional amendment on the ballot that would ensure there is no right to abortion in the state, though it won't go before voters until at least next year. More from The Philadelphia Inquirer … "We are living — sadly — in real unsettled times," Harris told CBS' Bob Costa in the first clips airing from his Friday interview with the VP. 6. THE RELIGIOUS RIGHT: Two notable new stories on ascendant Christian conservatives, at the Supreme Court and beyond: — "'Operation Higher Court': Inside the religious right's efforts to wine and dine Supreme Court justices," by Peter Canellos and Josh Gerstein: "The former leader of a religious right organization said he recruited and coached wealthy volunteers including a prominent Dayton, Ohio, evangelical couple to wine, dine and entertain conservative Supreme Court justices while pushing conservative positions on abortion, homosexuality, gun restrictions and other issues. … [Faith and Action's ROB SCHENCK] said he arranged over the years for about 20 couples to fly to Washington to visit with and entertain Supreme Court Justices CLARENCE THOMAS, SAMUEL ALITO and the late ANTONIN SCALIA." — "The Far-Right Christian Quest for Power: 'We Are Seeing Them Emboldened,'" by NYT's Elizabeth Dias: "Many dismiss the historic American principle of the separation of church and state. They say they do not advocate a theocracy, but argue for a foundational role for their faith in government. Their rise coincides with significant backing among like-minded grass-roots supporters, especially as some voters and politicians blend their Christian faith with election fraud conspiracy theories, QAnon ideology, gun rights and lingering anger over Covid-related restrictions. Their presence reveals a fringe pushing into the mainstream." 7. KNIVES OUT FOR HAWLEY: "Show-Me State No-Show: Josh Hawley's national political ambitions irk fellow Missouri lawmakers," by The Washington Times' Mica Soellner: "In private conversations, one Missouri GOP House member said they didn't know [Sen. JOSH] HAWLEY at all, and accused him of being absent in the state, which the senator denies. Several Missouri lawmakers told The Washington Times that the only two members who don't show up to the delegation luncheons are Mr. Hawley and Democrat Rep. CORI BUSH." 8. PRE-TRIP READING: "Israel is the real winner of Biden's meeting with the Saudi crown prince," Nahal Toosi reports this morning: "From the failed revival of the Iran nuclear deal to the effective shelving of U.S. hopes for a Palestinian state, the Israeli government has directly or inadvertently scored what it considers a string of political and policy victories since Biden took office. The U.S. president's desire to avoid domestic political blowback and reduce America's exposure in the Middle East has empowered aides, such as veteran national security hand BRETT MCGURK, who tend to push policies preferred by Israel and like-minded Arab states that effectively downplay human rights." 9. BIG ENVIRONMENT READ: "Biden's other green promise," by Annie Snider and Sean Reilly in Gary, Ind.: "For decades, Washington and its environmental regulators have largely overlooked the struggles of communities like this one, where toxic pollution persists despite landmark laws like the 52-year-old Clean Air Act. But now, President Joe Biden's administration is considering a radical change in strategy — one that residents … hope will put people's health over businesses' bottom lines."
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Steve Kelley/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | GREAT WEEKEND READS, curated by Ryan Lizza: — "What Happened to Michael Flynn?" by The Atlantic's Barton Gellman: "In military intelligence, he was renowned for his skill connecting the dots and finding terrorists. But somewhere along the way, his dot detector began spinning out of control." — "How John Eastman's role in Jan. 6 still haunts the California university where he taught," by the L.A. Times' Teresa Watanabe: "The campus shockwaves continue as the actions of the former Chapman law professor stand as an unresolved case study that has strained one college's tolerance for free speech on campus." — "Watergate at 50: Revelations From Newly Declassified Evidence," by James Rosen in RealClearPolitics: "Secret Agenda and its progeny force us … to conceive of Watergate as a Cold War-era power struggle between a duly elected president and the national security state, with Nixon as much a victim in the affair as he was a perpetrator." — "How 'Baby Al Capone' Pulled Off a $24 Million Crypto Heist," by Rolling Stone's Alex Morris: "Ellis Pinsky was a regular suburban teenager until he found his way into the underworld of internet hackers. In his first interview, he details the crime that nearly ruined his life." — "An Art Crime for the Ages," by Bloomberg Businessweek's Matthew Campbell: "Deep in the Cambodian jungle, investigators are unraveling a network that trafficked antiquities on an unprecedented scale and brought them all the way to the Metropolitan Museum of Art." — "How Istanbul Became the Global Capital of the Hair Transplant," by Alex Hawkins in GQ: "Transplant surgery has gotten extremely good—and extremely expensive. But in Turkey, a brand-new hairline (and a stay in a plush hotel) are available for a fraction of the cost of a stateside clinic. Our writer hopped a flight to go under the knife and find out if it was all too good to be true." — "I Delivered Ukraine Aid Supplies on One Very Long Night in One Very Ordinary Dacia Minivan," by Car and Driver's Jonathon Ramsey, who "traveled from Warsaw all around Poland in a borrowed Dacia Jogger minivan to deliver medicine and supplies to Ukraine refugees." — "He Had a Dark Secret. It Changed His Best Friend's Life," by NYT's Sam Dolnick: "Tin Chin and Mo Lin were inseparable at the homeless shelter. But one of the men wasn't who he seemed to be."
| | | | 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 | | Joe Biden called Elizabeth Whelan, the sister of Paul Whelan, after his family complained about unequal treatment for Americans detained in Russia. A Texas man was arrested for making a terroristic threat against Ted Cruz, and a man was arrested for threatening Jena Griswold in Colorado. Donald Trump ruled out Vicky Hartzler for getting his endorsement in the Missouri Senate race, leaving Eric Greitens and Eric Schmitt as possibilities. 3 Stars Brewing is closing down Sunday night. Tony Sirico, who played Paulie "Walnuts" Gualtieri on "The Sopranos," has died. TRANSITIONS — Forbes Tate Partners is adding Tyler Roberts as an SVP and Andi Zucchi and Kelsey Chan as analysts in the public affairs practice. Roberts most recently was VP of the health care and critical infrastructure practices at Venn Strategies, and is a Dan Sullivan alum. … Troy Blackwell is now press director at the Peace Corps. He most recently was founder and CEO of Ready for Change, and is a Biden campaign alum. … … The Alliance for Automotive Innovation is adding Nick Steingart as director of state affairs and Ben Tesfazghi as director of federal affairs. Steingart most recently was director of state affairs at the National Automatic Merchandising Association. Tesfazghi most recently was senior manager of legislative affairs at the National Automobile Dealers Association. ENGAGED — Buckley Carlson, comms director for Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.), proposed to Kelsey Kilgore, a consultant at Deloitte and a Trump White House and Commerce alum, in Maine recently. The couple met at U.Va. Pic HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) … White House's Jaclyn Gelfond and Jeff Wexler … DOT's Mohsin Syed and David Wertime … Drew Hammill of Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office … Lauren Nunnally of the Senate Appropriations GOP … Alexa Vance of Rep. Guy Reschenthaler's (R-Pa.) office … DNC's Patrick Stevenson … Mollie Timmons of Sen. Rob Portman's (R-Ohio) office ... POLITICO's Tracey Loos … E&E News' Manuel Quinones … ABC's Luke Barr … Patrick Steel … ACLU's Anthony Romero … HuffPost's Amanda Terkel … Sara Durr of the U.S. Conference of Mayors … Brian Blase of Blase Policy Strategies … AP's Tom Beaumont … Danny Diaz of FP1 Strategies … Megan Ortiz … former Reps. Scott Garrett (R-N.J.) and Dave Camp (R-Mich.) ... Amanda Gonzalez Thompson ... NYT's Amy Fiscus … Caroline Scullin ... CNN's Jeff Simon ... Mineko Tokito Abe … Cathy St. Denis … Maria (Miller) Lohmeyer … Emma Doyle … Mercury's Kirill Goncharenko … Floyd Abrams … Donna Imperato of BCW … Breaking Defense's Jaspreet Gill … Jerry Russo (45) THE SHOWS (Full Sunday show listings here): CBS "Face the Nation": VP Kamala Harris … Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) … Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin … Alex Holder. ABC "This Week": Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo … Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) … U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel. Panel: Chris Christie, Donna Brazile, Jane Coaston and Julie Pace. NBC "Meet the Press": Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo … Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan … Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D-Fla.) … Kara Swisher. Panel: Hallie Jackson, Daniella Gibbs Léger, Mark Leibovich and Rich Lowry. CNN "State of the Union": Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker … New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu … Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.). Panel: Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval, Mia Love, Ashley Allison and Scott Jennings. FOX "Fox News Sunday," guest-anchored by Mike Emanuel: Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg … Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) … Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.). Panel: Ben Domenech, Mara Liasson, Susan Page and Juan Williams. MSNBC "The Sunday Show": Luke Broadwater … Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.) … David Hogg … Elizabeth Alexander … Robin Marty … Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.). CNN "Inside Politics": Panel: Margaret Talev, Ryan Nobles, Eva McKend, Jordan Fabian, Meridith McGraw and Susan Glasser. 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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