TGIF, Illinois. The president has Covid, but it's going to be OK. Here's why Joe Biden's case is different than Donald Trump's .
TOP TALKER
Rep. Adam Kinzinger speaks as the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol on Thursday, July 21, 2022. | AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite
The committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack returned to prime time Thursday night — and starring in this cliff-hanger episode was Illinois Congressman Adam Kinzinger, who's railed on former President Donald Trump's involvement since the rioters finally left the Capitol.
Kinzinger helped lead the inquiry showing that Trump failed for hours to call off the mob even as its members gained entry onto Capitol grounds.
"President Trump did not fail to act … he chose not to act," Kinzinger said in the hearing, calling the former president's (non)actions a "supreme violation" of his oath of office and a "complete dereliction of his duty to our nation."
The Illinois Republican said when the House select committee presents its full findings, it will "recommend changes to laws and policies to guard against another Jan. 6."
The scene : The committee showed than over 187 minutes, Trump sat in a dining room near the Oval Office to watch the riot unfold on Fox News. During that time, he also called senators. All the while, his top aides and daughter Ivanka were pleading for him to say or tweet something forceful to stop the attack, according to witnesses.
The big surprise: The panel aired outtakes from Trump's remarks in a video message after the attacks. He's seen pushing back at the notion of condemning the violence and admitting the election was over.
Trump draws the line: When he finally did that TV shot, it was after the fact, and he had a hard time acknowledging what happened. "I don't want to say the election is over," Trump said in an outtake from the Jan. 7 remarks. "I just want to say Congress has certified the results."
MORE
— Jan. 6 panel details Trump's actions during Capitol riot:"Lawmakers on Thursday broke down the former president's 187 minutes of inaction as a riot engulfed the Capitol, promising more hearings on the way," by POLITICO's Nicholas Wu and Kyle Cheney.
Michael Strautmanis, VP of external affairs at the Obama Foundation, greets former Obama staffers at Hubbard Inn on Thursday, July 22, 2022. | Obama Foundation photo
Some alumni members of former President Barack Obama's political campaigns and administration gathered last night at Hubbard Inn in River North to reminisce and organize.
No, there's no plan for a return to politics . The former aides who now head the Obama Foundation are organizing as part of its mission to mentor the next generation of leaders. Michael Strautmanis, David Simas, Tina Tchen, and Natalie Bookey-Baker are staying put in Chicago, where Obama's presidential center is being built.
"I haven't looked back," Simas, foundation president and former director of political affairs for administration, told Playbook about his White House years. "Now, it's all about the foundation."
Ditto for Strautmanis, the foundation's executive VP of external affairs; Tchen, the executive VP and chief strategy and impact officer; and Bookey-Baker, the VP of civic engagement.
"It's a little like high school. You enjoyed it, but you don't want to go back," Jon Carson, the former director of the White House Office of Public Engagement and deputy assistant to the president, told Playbook. He's gone on to found Trajectory Energy Partners, an Illinois-based solar company.
The Obama alums may be happier out of the limelight, but they still keep an eye on the old White House stomping grounds and their friend Joe Biden.
"I have a lot of sympathy for the president and try to send encouraging emails and texts to friends who are working there now. It's a magical but taxing place to work," said Mike Ruemmler, a government affairs consultant who worked on the advance team in the Obama White House.
They also recognize the stakes seem higher today: "We were worried about the recession, and this White House is dealing with a pandemic and an insurrection," said José Rico, who heads Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation Greater Chicago. He led the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans. "We were worried that Barack might not have a second term. They're worried about Trumpism and preserving Congress and the White House," he said.
Justin DeJong, who was USDA' director of public affairs and now is comms VP at the American Medical Association, acknowledges, "At least once a week, I wish I was in D.C. to help."
SPOTTED: Illinois Democratic Party Executive Director Abby Witt, as well as Kori Schulman, John Oxtoby, Alex Hirschhorn, Jaylin McClinton, Darienne Page, Roz Skozen, Erin Hannigan, Lindsay Mueller, and Tim Tuten.
Have a news tip, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for Playbook? I'd like to hear from you: skapos@politico.com
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 .
WHERE'S JB
No official public events.
WHERE'S LORI
No official public events.
Where's Toni
In Aurora, Colo., for the National Association of Counties Conference.
BUSINESS OF POLITICS
Ald. Michele Smith to resign City Council seat Aug. 12:"The decision by the Lincoln Park alderperson gives Mayor Lori Lightfoot the rare chance for a third appointment to the Council. Lightfoot already has replaced Patrick Daley Thompson, forced to resign after a federal conviction, and Michael Scott Jr., who left for a private sector job," by Sun-Times' Fran Spielman
"Among the accomplishments she touted in her announcement were the revitalization of the areas around the former Children's Memorial Hospital site and the Armitage and Halsted commercial corridor; the additions of new preschools, new infrastructure for existing schools and new affordable housing; and the passage of legislation on government ethics, most recently on Wednesday," by Tribune's Alice Yin and A.D. Quig.
— Prospect of power grid shortages, lack of action anger lawmakers:"The Democrats said Thursday there are 34 clean energy projects in the Midcontinent Independent System Operator queue that need approval quickly. The wind and solar projects could generate more than 6,000 megawatts of energy, and lawmakers say they could power 4.5 million homes downstate," by WGEM's Mike Miletich.
— ANALYSIS: Poll shows Pritzker's popularity remains steady as Biden's slides in Illinois: "Morning Consult showed Gov. JB Pritzker's approval rating at 51 percent among Illinois voters, or seven points 'above water' in polling lingo." Meanwhile, the governor has $60 million cash on hand at end of June compared to $363,000 for Republican Darren Bailey.
— Republican State Treasurer candidate Tom Demmer has tapped Tony Esposito as campaign manager. Esposito managed ILGOP and RNC political operations for several cycles before joining the state's Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. Esposito most recently was political director on Richard Irvin's campaign for governor.
— Amazon goes electric:"Rivian CEO and founder R.J. Scaringe and top Amazon executives were on hand Thursday afternoon to unveil the electric vans at an Amazon delivery station on South Woodlawn Avenue in the Pullman neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, where packages will be loaded for delivery to doorsteps," by Tribune's Robert Channick.
The University of Illinois board of trustees on Thursday approved the purchase of a property in downtown Springfield that will become the new University of Illinois Springfield Innovation Center, the university said in a statement.
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 .
Reader Digest
We asked what song speaks to you in these political times:
Kristin Rubbelke of Capitol Edge Consulting likes Chumbawamba's Tubthumping . Key lyric: "I get knocked down, but I get up again. You are never gonna keep me down." Amen, sister!
TV host Brandon Pope:La Femme Fetal by the rap group Digable Planets. "This 1993 song is eerily timely after the overturning of Roe v. Wade," writes Pope. "The song plays like a conversation between a couple making a hard decision, and the outside factors that may impact it."
Todd Fraley, who handles government affairs for American Academy of Pediatrics: Wilco's new double LP, Cruel Country . "Jeff Tweedy, poignant as ever, says it all in the title track: 'I love my country, stupid and cruel.'"
Janice Anderson, a DuPage County political observer, likes Zedd, Maren Morris, Grey's The Middle . "That's my song to the Illinois Republican Party this year. I thought we were a big tent party."
Comms pro Rosemaria DiBenedetto likes Billy Joel'sWe Didn't Start the Fire . DiBenedetto points to "the parallels" of Joel's lyrics: "it was always burning since the world's been turning" and "we didn't light it but we tried to fight it."
Robin Johnson, Monmouth College political science professor, likes the Beatles All You Need Is Love .
Do you share the same political views as your significant other? Email skapos@politico.com
WOMEN RLE
Your Playbook host talked to the logistics experts helping patients get to Illinois for abortion procedures. That means finding funding, transportation, food, lodging and child care. One Illinois activist describes it as being an abortion concierge. The newsletter will be out later this morning. You can sign up here .
SPOTTED
Former Illinois state senators seated, left to right: Jim DeLeo, Susan Garrett, Kwame Raoul, Kathy Parker, John Cullerton, George Ryan, Iris Martinez, Emil Jones, Jack Schaeffer. Back row: Ed Petka, Denny Jacobs, Jeff Schoenberg, Matt Murphy, Donne Trotter, Dan Kotowski, Tom Walsh, Don Harmon, Duane Noland, Dan Rutherford, Peter Roskam, Dave Sullivan, Ed Maloney, Billy Marovitz, Mike Frerichs, Frank Watson, Mike Jacobs, Walter Dudycz, AJ Wilhelmi, Max Coffey, Bob Raica, Christine Radogno, Todd Sieben, Pam Althoff, Randy Hultgren, Kay Wojcik, | Reunion organizers
It was all smiles for a bipartisan reunion of former Illinois state senators. They gathered Wednesday at Carnivale, owned by former state Sen. William "Billy Marovitz. He organized the gathering along with former GOP Leader Frank Watson and former Democrat Sen. Pam Althoff . Senators who served from 1970 to 2010 joined.
Some big names in attendance: former Gov. George Ryan, current Senate President Don Harmon, and former presidents John Cullerton and Emil Jones, former GOP leader Christine Radogno, former Congressmen Peter Roskam and Randy Hultgren, Attorney General Kwame Raoul, Treasurer Mike Frerichs, RTA Chair Kirk Dillard, former AG Lisa Madigan , former Treasurer Dan Rutherford, Center for Illinois Politics' Susan Garrett and former Sens. Laura Kent Donahue and Karen McConnaughay.
TAKING NAMES
The Senate approved Chicagoan Leslie Bluhm to serve on AmeriCorps' board of directors. | Bluhm photo
Chicago nonprofit leader Leslie Bluhm received U.S. Senate approval Thursday to serve on the board of directors of AmeriCorps, the federal agency that supports volunteerism and national service. Bluhm has been focused on volunteerism for 30 years, having founded and served as president of Chicago Cares, a nonprofit organization that connects volunteers to service projects in and around Chicago.
Like her father, billionaire Neil Bluhm,Bluhm is a big backer of Democratic political campaigns and causes. She served as a bundler for Joe Biden's presidential bid. And she's donated to Gov. J.B. Pritzker's and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot's campaigns.
THURSDAY's ANSWER: Edwin B. Schaefer was a member of Congress who began his career as a chemical engineer and retired as a board member of Griesediech-Western Brewery Co. in Belleville.
TODAY's QUESTION: What happens to the butter on the 500-pound plus butter cow after the Illinois State Fair wraps up? Email skapos@politico.com
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Today: Former Gov. Jim Edgar, and former Ald. Joe Moore.
Saturday: Chicago Board of Ed President Miguel del Valle, Illinois Deputy Attorney General Adam Braun, attorney and alderman candidate Sam Royko, ABC 7 political reporter Craig Wall, PwC tax partner Jennifer Darling, Highwire PR's Stephani Englund and former state Rep. Edward "Eddie" Acevedo.
Sunday: former Chicago City Treasurer Kurt Summers, Habitat Co. founderDaniel Levin,former Tribune Nonexecutive Chairman Michael Ferro, WGN Radio's Anna Davlantes, Global Strategy Group's Nicole Jaconetty and Illinois Young Democrats VP and Lockport Township Democrats vice chair Alex Zapién.
