| | | | |  | | By Eugene Daniels and Ryan Lizza | | | With help from Eli Okun and Garrett Ross
|  Former President Donald Trump imitates a trans weightlifter during his address at the America First Policy Institute agenda summit in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday. | Drew Angerer/Getty Images | | | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | JUST POSTED — "White House braces for grim news on economy," by Ben White: "Senior administration officials are hitting the airwaves and arm-twisting reporters in private, imploring anyone who will listen that the economy is still healthy." HAPPENING TODAY — As the Fed prepares to push through another significant interest rate increase today, Victoria Guida has a rundown of all the ways that the Fed's aggressive anti-inflationary measures are already changing the economy. Related: "U.S. economy sending mixed signals: Here's what it all means," AP TRUMP RETURNS TO WASHINGTON — When DONALD TRUMP arrived in Washington five-plus years ago and delivered his inaugural address, he spoke of "American carnage" and used dark language ("rusted-out factories scattered like tombstones," "disrepair and decay," etc.) in previewing his first term as president. But that vision was positively sunny compared to the dark-as-Vantablack outlook he shared Tuesday at the America First Agenda Summit — the clearest articulation yet of his likely 2024 message. Calling the U.S. "a cesspool of crime," Trump spoke of an America whose "streets are riddled with needles and soaked with the blood of innocent victims." He warned of "sadists who prey on children" and "drugged-out lunatics [who] attack innocent victims at random," and said "the dangerously deranged roam our streets with impunity." He spoke of violent gangs "laughing as they bludgeoned the life from their helpless victims," of a woman being repeatedly "stabbed … [and] bleeding to death in her own bathtub," of another man being "bludgeoned, absolutely bludgeoned and shot," of another woman who was "raped, murdered and set on fire," of Americans being "beaten to death to uphold the left's vision" of law and order. He said that other nations were "emptying their jails into the United States," likened our country to "a dumping ground ," called for the death penalty for drug traffickers and specifically said the U.S. should emulate China's criminal justice system with its "two-hour" "quick trials" for defendants. He went on for another 50 minutes after that, with a long transphobic riff that included an imitation of a trans weightlifter, recounting MS-13 members flaying two teenage girls alive, and so on. And as our Meridith McGraw put it , "Trump became most animated when talking about the thing even some allies wish he would drop — his false claims of a 'stolen' election, which incited the events of Jan. 6." For anyone who listened to what other leading Republicans said earlier in the day — including some at Trump's own event — the contrast was whiplash-inducing. — Shortly before Trump took the stage, House Minority Leader KEVIN MCCARTHY delivered remarks at the summit that, while critical of President JOE BIDEN and hammering him over inflation, offered a comparatively hopeful, less dire outlook in keeping with the approach of the GOP's campaign apparatus as it seeks to make gains in suburban battlegrounds. "Our No. 1 bill is going to be about protecting the American people, making us energy independent, lowering the gas price, making your streets safe, securing your border and holding Washington accountable," McCarthy said. "That will be a breath of fresh air." — And on Tuesday morning, former VP MIKE PENCE spent most of his speech at a Young America's Foundation conference pushing Republicans to unite and look ahead. As NYT's Michael Bender noted in his piece on the rivalry between Pence and Trump, the former VP "left out of his speech the kind of effusive praise for Mr. Trump that he had regularly injected into his addresses as vice president and instead referred to the 'Trump-Pence' administration's accomplishments." "Some people may choose to focus on the past, but elections are about the future," Pence said, neatly contrasting himself to Trump with an understatement for the ages: "I don't know that the president and I differ on issues, but we may differ on focus." That difference in focus is at the center of several big questions for Republicans in 2022 and 2024: Which vision do they want the party to follow? Which do they think is more appealing to the voters they need in order to win a majority? And even if they agree with Trump on the issues, is his focus — with its dark tone and feedback-loop quality — helpful in that pursuit? Good Wednesday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade , Eugene Daniels , Ryan Lizza .
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Learn how Meta is helping build the metaverse. | | | TWO BIG STORIES — With Trump back in Washington on Tuesday for the first time since being choppered away from the White House ahead of Biden's inauguration, a cascade of 45-related news gushed forth from national media. Two important stories worth paying attention to: WaPo: "Justice Dept. investigating Trump's actions in Jan. 6 criminal probe." Carol Leonnig, Devlin Barrett, Josh Dawsey and Spencer Hsu landed a big scoop Tuesday evening: "Prosecutors who are questioning witnesses before a grand jury — including two top aides to Vice President Mike Pence — have asked in recent days about conversations with Trump, his lawyers, and others in his inner circle who sought to substitute Trump allies for certified electors from some states Joe Biden won." There are two investigative routes that could lead to the DOJ further zeroing in on Trump, per WaPo: (1) "seditious conspiracy and conspiracy to obstruct a government proceeding," and (2) "potential fraud associated with the false-electors scheme or with pressure Trump and his allies allegedly put on the Justice Department and others to falsely claim that the election was rigged and votes were fraudulently cast." NYT: "'Kind of Wild/Creative': Emails Shed Light on Trump Fake Electors Plan." Maggie Haberman and Luke Broadwater got their hands on explosive emails from Trump advisers who were concocting the fake electors scheme after the 2020 election — messages that show they knew the plan might be illegal, and which "provide new details of how a wing of the Trump campaign worked with outside lawyers and advisers to organize the elector plan and pursue a range of other options, often with little thought to their practicality," Haberman and Broadwater write. JACK WILENCHIK, one such lawyer, in a December 2020 email: "We would just be sending in 'fake' electoral votes to Pence so that 'someone' in Congress can make an objection when they start counting votes, and start arguing that the 'fake' votes should be counted." Wilenchik, in a follow-up email: "PPS — 'alternative' votes is probably a better term than 'fake' votes," he wrote, followed by a smiley-face emoji. SURVEY SAYS — Some new numbers on election-related reforms, via the latest POLITICO/Morning Consult poll. Would you support or oppose a law that does the following?
- Clarifies that the VP cannot reject state-certified electoral votes: Support: 62%, including 52% of Republicans. Oppose: 14%. Net: +48
- Doubles the penalties under federal law for those who intimidate election officials: Support: 74%. Oppose: 11%. Net: +63
Three more numbers to watch:
- Biden's approval rating: 37% approve, 59% disapprove. Net: -22.
- The generic congressional ballot: Dems have a 4-point advantage over Republicans, 45%-41%.
- Right track/wrong track: Twenty-two percent of voters say that things in the country are generally going in the right direction, while 78% say they're on the wrong track.
Toplines … Crosstabs ENGAGED — Daniel Lippman, a White House and Washington reporter for POLITICO and former co-author of Playbook, proposed to Sophia Narrett, an artist who shows with Kohn Gallery and Perrotin, at sunset Sunday night on the beach at the Rosewood Baha Mar in the Bahamas. The couple met last September at Shadi Hamid's birthday party, where they were introduced by mutual friend Hanna Trudo. Their first date was dinner at Annabelle followed by seeing Lippman's cousin JJ Mitchell's band Overcoats perform at Black Cat. Pic … Another pic
| | | | A message from Meta:   | | | | | BIDEN'S WEDNESDAY — The president will receive the President's Daily Brief at 9:30 a.m.
Press secretary KARINE JEAN-PIERRE will brief at 3 p.m.
VP KAMALA HARRIS' WEDNESDAY — The VP has nothing on her public schedule.
THE HOUSE will meet at 10 a.m. The Rules Committee will meet at 1 p.m. to take up an assault weapons ban and other gun- and crime-related legislation.
THE SENATE is in. The chamber will take votes at 11:30 a.m. related to the CHIPS+ legislation, and at 4:30 p.m. related to the Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act. | | | | | | 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
|  WNBA star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner speaks to her lawyers standing in a cage at a court room prior to a hearing, in Khimki just outside Moscow, Russia, on Tuesday. | Alexander Zemlianichenko, Pool/AP Photo | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | ALL POLITICS ONE OF TUESDAY'S BIG PRIMARIES — From Grand Rapids, Mich., CNN's Manu Raju and Alex Rogers report that the GOP sees Rep. PETER MEIJER as an underdog against Trump-endorsed JOHN GIBBS in next week's primary, which could endanger Republicans' hold on the seat in November. (Due to redistricting, it's become substantially more Democratic.) Meijer tells them he still doesn't regret his impeachment vote. But in a blue-leaning district, Gibbs made some eyebrow-raising statements to CNN, casting doubt on the legitimacy of the 2020 election and expressing sympathy for Jan. 6 defendants. He also said he doesn't support allowing abortions in cases of rape, and opposes aid to Ukraine. — Some House Dems aren't happy with their party's meddling to elevate Gibbs, warning that the strategy could backfire, goes against their values, and makes their messaging on democracy harder, Sarah Ferris and Ally Mutnick report this morning . The story is chock-full of angry, on-the-record quotes from lawmakers, some of whom have gone straight to the DCCC with concerns. Rep. STEPHANIE MURPHY (D-Fla.): "Many of us are facing death threats over our efforts to tell the truth about Jan. 6. To have people boosting candidates telling the very kinds of lies that caused Jan. 6 and continues to put our democracy in danger is just mind-blowing." Meijer: "I'm sick and tired of hearing the sanctimonious bullshit about the Democrats being the pro-democracy party." JUST POSTED — "GOP's links to extremism surface in congressional primary," by AP's Brian Slodysko 2024 WATCH — McCarthy said he's been advising Trump to wait until after the midterms to announce another presidential bid, per CNN's Mel Zanona . McCarthy added that he doesn't know if Trump's yet made a decision on running again. BATTLE FOR THE SENATE — Republicans are worrying that candidate stumbles could blow crucial Senate races — not just HERSCHEL WALKER in Georgia, but also Arizona, Ohio and Pennsylvania, Marianne LeVine, Burgess Everett and Natalie Allison report this morning . Strong Democratic fundraising has made the party more hopeful about holding on to the chamber despite a difficult environment. "Still, Senate Republicans insist those races will come back toward the GOP." Sen. MITT ROMNEY (R-Utah): "Let's just say Herschel Walker, I think, is having a hard time getting his running legs back." POLITICAL VIOLENCE WATCH — The initial release of DAVID JAKUBONIS, the man accused of attacking Rep. LEE ZELDIN (R-N.Y.) at a campaign event, prompted backlash from Zeldin and other Republicans, who held the case up as evidence of what they consider soft-on-crime bail policies in the state. Now, some Democrats are raising questions — without evidence — about whether the handling of Jakubonis might have been politically motivated, NYT's Jonah Bromwich and Jay Root report . They point out that the D.A. was a campaign co-chair for Zeldin's gubernatorial bid, and Jakubonis could have been charged with counts not eligible for bail. But local lawyers and law enforcement say there's no substance to such claims. CASH DASH — The liberal Family Friendly Action PAC is injecting $23 million into an effort to turn out suburban women and persuade moderates in key races, with a focus on family-centric policies, Holly Otterbein scoops this morning . The money will bolster canvassing in the Arizona, Georgia, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin Senate races. APPARENTLY NOT TOO FAR FOR CPAC — Hungarian PM VIKTOR ORBAN's recent comments that he doesn't want his country to become "mixed-race" have prompted a scandal in Budapest, leading a top Jewish ally to resign and excoriate a "purely Nazi diatribe." But Orban's planned appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Dallas is proceeding apace, Bloomberg's Mark Niquette and Jeff Green report . MATT SCHLAPP, chair of CPAC: "Let's listen to the man speak." THE WHITE HOUSE STUDENT LOAN LATEST — With the student loan moratorium cliff approaching at the end of August, Biden is now weighing another monthslong extension along with the forgiveness of $10,000 per borrower, Bloomberg's Nancy Cook reports . "The plan is intended to appeal to voters under age 30," though progressives warn that the White House needs to go further than $10,000. Cook reports that Biden has almost made a decision thrice in recent months, but fears that Republicans could use loan forgiveness as a political cudgel — even though White House economics staffers say it wouldn't actually worsen inflation — have stopped him. "CNN Poll: 75% of Democratic voters want someone other than Biden in 2024," CNN "Immigrant advocates after W.H. meeting: 'Next steps' on policy remain unclear," by Sabrina Rodríguez ABORTION FALLOUT VP FILES — Harris called CAITLIN BERNARD, the Indiana doctor who provided an abortion to the 10-year-old Ohio girl at the center of a national debate, Bernard told CBS' Norah O'Donnell . "She really just thanked me. She thanked me for speaking out, for bringing this issue up," Bernard said. "North Dakota abortion clinic prepares for likely final day," AP
| | | | A message from Meta:   | | | AMERICA AND THE WORLD DANCE OF THE SUPERPOWERS — The big call between Biden and Chinese President XI JINPING call will take place Thursday, Bloomberg's Jenny Leonard scooped . Biden still hasn't made a decision on lifting some China tariffs, which JOHN KIRBY said Tuesday likely won't be a significant piece of the call. Phelim Kine previews what to expect: "Senior administration officials will pitch the call as a deliverable-free routine follow-up to a series of communications between Biden and Xi … But Biden's main objective will be to ensure the latest eruption of Chinese rage over House Speaker NANCY PELOSI's planned trip to Taiwan doesn't derail discussions for a long-awaited in-person meeting between Biden and Xi in November." Privately, national security officials are telling Pelosi and her team that the trip could pose security risks to her or could yield an aggressive response elsewhere from China, per CNN's Kevin Liptak and Kaitlan Collins . Meanwhile, top Pentagon and State officials warned Tuesday that China's "provocations" in the South China Sea have been growing in recent months, with "aggressive and irresponsible behavior" risking a significant incident. More from Reuters JUST POSTED — "Brittney Griner to take the stand at her trial in Russia," by WaPo's Robyn Dixon WAR IN UKRAINE NEW FROM THE E-RING — Defense Secretary LLOYD AUSTIN has signed off on a plan that would allow handfuls of injured Ukrainian troops to get medical treatment at a U.S. military hospital in Germany, CNN's Oren Liebermann, Zachary Cohen and Barbara Starr report . CONGRESS YOU GET A WEAPON! AND YOU GET A WEAPON! — A year after congressional Democrats shocked progressives by voting through a major Pentagon budget boost, they're doing it again — with barely any consternation. Connor O'Brien reports that the combination of Ukraine, China, inflation and pork could push defense spending up to or above $850 billion for next year. "Republicans stay mum as Senate pushes toward same-sex marriage vote," WaPo THE PANDEMIC JHA IN THE SPOTLIGHT — Biden's bout of Covid-19 has given ASHISH JHA a new turn in the public eye, as his optimistic prognostication proved accurate and the White House's management of the president's illness has gone smoothly, Adam Cancryn reports . "Biden's mild case has given Jha the high-profile example he needed to reassure the public that the vaccines and treatments driving the pandemic response are key to preventing serious illness" — and that the Biden administration has handled the pandemic well. Still, some critics in the administration say Jha has been better at managing optics than achieving concrete results from Congress. MEDIAWATCH AUDIENCE OF ONE — "OAN, a Dependable Trump Promoter, Faces a 'Death Blow,'" by NYT's Jeremy Peters and Benjamin Mullin: "After Verizon drops the network at the end of this week, OAN's cable TV audience will shrink dramatically."
| | | | 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 | | Rick Scott, Ted Budd, Mehmet Oz, J.D. Vance and Herschel Walker will attend a "Take Back the Senate" reception and dinner in Nantucket next month, per the Nantucket Current . Spencer Cox and Jared Polis are jousting over who gets more credit for their landlocked states' lack of shark attacks. Barack Obama put out his lists of summer reads and summer jams . Among the notable books: Ezra Klein's "Why We're Polarized" and Yascha Mounk's "The Great Experiment: Why Diverse Democracies Fall Apart and How They Can Endure." Chris Cuomo will return to primetime cable TV this fall via NewsNation, per WSJ . OUT AND ABOUT — A big retirement celebration for NBC's Pete Williams took place Monday in D.C., hosted by Lester Holt, Andrea Mitchell and Ken Strickland . "It's been such a privilege and a pleasure to work with these great people at NBC News, who care about the work and care about each other," Williams said. "And that's just such an unusual combination." Jazz pianist Konrad Paszkudzki provided the music, including a surprise piano rendition of the NBC news program soundtrack "The Mission." SPOTTED: A.G. Merrick Garland, Deputy A.G. Lisa Monaco, Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Janelle Rodriguez, Yamiche Alcindor, Peter Alexander, Peter Baker, Sam Feist, Tammy Haddad, Neal Katyal, Michael LaRosa and Matt Miller. — Will Hurd celebrated the launch of his new book, "American Reboot" ( $27.99 ), at Cafe Milano in Georgetown on Tuesday evening, hosted by Palantir Technologies, AWS and Beacon Global Strategies. SPOTTED: Wendy R. Anderson, Michael Allen, Sue Gordon, Jeremy Bash, Debbie Birx, Ellen Lord, Jen Stewart, Shon Manasco, Doug Bush, Virginia Boney, Bill Lietzau, Lara Seligman, Dafna Linzer, Heather Podesta and Steve Kessler. NSC ARRIVAL LOUNGE — Steven M. Kelly is now senior director for cybersecurity and emerging technology at the NSC and special assistant to the president. He most recently was a supervisory special agent and chief of cyber policy at the FBI. MEDIA MOVE — Michael Cadenhead will be politics editor for WaPo's video team. He previously was a video producer at POLITICO. Announcement TRANSITION — Taylor Hulsey is now comms director for Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas). He previously was press assistant for Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.). WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Harsh Desai, an executive at clean energy startup Zeno Power and a Dianne Feinstein alum, and Allison Wall, an elementary school teacher, welcomed Neya Desai on Monday. Pic … Another pic HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Rep. Glenn "G.T." Thompson (R-Pa.) … Sean Savett … Priscilla Painton of Simon & Schuster … Katie Wheelbarger … Alex Wirth of Quorum … Andy Spahn … BuzzFeed's Paul McLeod … Cecilia Muñoz of New America … Berin Szóka … Neil King Jr. … Adm. Craig Faller … RNC's Johanna Persing … Jeremy Adler of Rep. Liz Cheney's (R-Wyo.) office … Prime Policy Group's Stefan Bailey … John Connell of Sen. Todd Young's (R-Ind.) office … Linda Feldmann … Gaurav Parikh of Smart Policy Group … Jason Lindsay … Bobby Cunningham of The Vogel Group … Live Action's Lila Rose … Bobby Saparow … Jeremy Deutsch of Capitol Venture … Anna McCormack of Rep. David Rouzer's (R-N.C.) office … MSNBC's Denis Horgan … Juan Mejia … Ashley Howard of Sen. Rob Portman's (R-Ohio) office … Paul Dranginis … Andrew Grossman … former Reps. Dave Brat (R-Va.) and Lacy Clay (D-Mo.) … Lauren Aratani … former Commerce Secretary Don Evans … CNN's Susan Durrwachter … former CIA Director John Deutch … Phil Brest of Senate Judiciary … Brayden Karpinski of Voters of Tomorrow 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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