| | | | |  | | By Eugene Daniels and Ryan Lizza | | | With help from Eli Okun and Garrett Ross
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Senior White House aides have conceded in the past that the administration has struggled at times to sell their accomplishments to the American people. The roadshow reflects an effort to avoid past mistakes. | Evan Vucci/Pool via AP Photo | | | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | THE WEEK — Today: The congressional delegation visiting Taiwan is due to depart. … Tuesday: Primaries in Alaska (which also has a special election for House), South Dakota and Wyoming, which is home to the day's marquee race: LIZ CHENEY vs. HARRIET HAGEMAN. … Wednesday: RUDY GIULIANI is scheduled to appear before a grand jury investigating efforts to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia. U.S. retail sales are released for July (experts expect it to show a slowdown in consumer spending). FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — President JOE BIDEN and his entire administration are readying for a roadshow with a simple message: We did what we said we would do. The White House, looking to capitalize on his string of policy and political wins, is launching a travel and media blitz over the next few weeks as it looks to beat the historical midterm odds in less than three months. The details of the victory lap were outlined in a White House memo from deputy chief of staff JEN O'MALLEY DILLON and senior adviser ANITA DUNN to chief of staff RON KLAIN, exclusively obtained by Playbook. The upbeat tone of the memo reflects a larger feeling inside the White House that, after months of bad news, Biden's presidency has reached an undeniable pivot point with the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, which Biden is expected to sign sometime this week. It also reflects a sense of vindication among White House aides about their theory of the case — that a focus on delivering concrete results for Americans, ignoring the conventional wisdom and staying out of needless fights would ultimately pay off politically. "We never lost focus on that, the president never lost focus on that, and it all came together," a White House official told Playbook last night. "[We] feel good about having something solid for us to sell, for members of Congress to sell." Here are the highlights: The messaging … The memo highlights internal White House polling that seems to be undergirding what you'll be hearing a lot of over the next few weeks: "the President and Congressional Democrats beat the special interests and delivered what was best for the American people" … "the cost-lowering features of the Inflation Reduction Act – lowering health care costs, prescription drug costs, and utility bills – are among the highest testing messages ever." The White House will also continue highlighting the gun violence prevention bill passed in June, the continued rollout of last year's infrastructure bill, as well as the recently passed veterans' health and semiconductor bills as proof of its success. All told, by week's end, the Biden administration will have enacted an almost $3.5 trillion agenda. The "Building a Better America Tour" … Biden, VP KAMALA HARRIS and the rest of the Cabinet are going to hit the road at a higher clip over the next few weeks to try and break through the deluge of news. Senior White House aides have conceded in the past that the administration has struggled at times to sell their accomplishments to the American people. The roadshow reflects an effort to avoid past mistakes. Pre-Labor Day events to keep an eye on … — Biden will hold the fourth Cabinet meeting of his presidency. — Biden will head to Ohio to attend the groundbreaking of the new Intel megaplant outside Columbus, a facility made possible by enactment of the recent "Chips and Science" semiconductor bill. — Cabinet members will be taking 35 trips to 23 states through the end of August, including at least three this week, from secretaries TOM VILSACK (to Colorado), XAVIER BECERRA (to New Mexico) and DEB HAALAND (to California). Increased outreach … — Hosting "hundreds of town halls and roundtables" with the Senate and House. — Unveiling a new climate website where Americans can see what tax credits they are eligible for under the Inflation Reduction Act. — More communication with political allies (some of whom have complained to reporters that they haven't felt fully equipped to sell the administration's agenda). Yet the spate of good news has so far made only a modest impact on Biden's approval ratings, which are still dismal. But aides tell Playbook that they are anticipating movement in the months to come. Related read: "Will This Be An Asterisk* Election?" by Nate Silver In a deep dive into the "vibe shift" for Biden, CNN's Edward-Isaac Dovere reports that Dems are hoping that even the tiniest budge upward in the presidential approval ratings will pay dividends down the ballot. "If Biden can start to climb up a few points, hopeful Democratic operatives say, then candidates who were holding even against Republicans while he was in the 30s might really have a shot at winning. They're not sure there's enough time to turn public perception around, though, and Republicans are still looking to make him an anchor," he writes.
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Learn more about our work ahead. | | | THE ANNIVERSARY NO ONE WANTED — One year ago today, Kabul fell to the Taliban, marking an ignominious end to America's 20-year war in Afghanistan. As the White House touts a fresh pivot point, the anniversary of the chaotic U.S. pullout recalls another hinge event that started the Biden administration's yearlong political plunge. Aides point to the July 31 killing of al-Qaeda leader AYMAN AL-ZAWAHRI as evidence that military and intelligence forces can still do what they need to do in the region to keep Americans safe. But today, there's no shortage of rough stories about the chaos of the U.S. withdrawal, the brutal conditions for Afghans — and the ongoing political liabilities for Biden: — Our Andrew Desiderio, Lara Seligman and Alex Ward with details on a 118-page report from Republicans on the House Foreign Affairs Committee "that examines the actions by administrations of both parties that led to the collapse of Afghanistan's U.S.-backed government, as well as the failure to adequately plan for what became a chaotic and deadly withdrawal from the country." The report finds that more than 800 Americans were helped out of the country after U.S. troops withdrew, and that hundreds more were left behind during the pullout than previously known. A State Department spokesperson told the trio that "at least 600 legal permanent residents" have been whisked out since the pullout was finished. Relatedly, WaPo's Karoun Demirjian and Tim Craig point out the inquiry is "an apparent blueprint for a deeper investigation of the president and his top advisers should the GOP win the House majority in November's midterm elections." — Axios' Alayna Treene got her hands on the draft of a White House memo from NSC spokesperson ADRIENNE WATSON, describing the House GOP report as "riddled with inaccurate characterizations, cherry-picked information, and false claims." As Treene points out, "The diverging documents represent the split screen we'll see in the coming days of how Democrats and Republicans will recount what happened last year." — Related read: "One Year Later, Life Under Taliban Rule is Brutal," by Colin Clarke for POLITICO Magazine: "To the surprise of few, the Taliban has been unable to stabilize Afghanistan's economy and the nature of the Taliban's draconian rule has scared off both foreign aid and potential investors. Taliban leaders remain under sanctions and, while they have experience commanding an insurgency, know little about financial markets or the trappings of managing a modern economy. Afghanistan's nearly 40 million people are at risk of falling below the poverty line." LIZ'S LAST STAND — LIZ CHENEY, the most vocal Republican critic of DONALD TRUMP's attempt to overturn the 2020 election, is looking at a very likely defeat this week when the Wyoming primary takes place on Tuesday. The latest poll from the Casper Star-Tribune has Cheney getting only 30% of the vote compared to the 52% for Trump endorsee HARRIET HAGEMAN. All eyes will be on the race for myriad reasons, including the fact that Cheney is the last of the 10 House Republicans who voted for Trump's second impeachment who will be facing primary voters. To recap: Four retired rather than seek reelection and three lost to Trump-endorsed opponents, leaving only two facing general-election opponents. Olivia Beavers and Nicholas Wu report from Jackson this morning that as Cheney preps for her fate, she is finding that the side-by-side federal probe of Trump "is now a live feed of anti-Trump counter-programming, one the Wyoming Republican welcomes yet must share the spotlight with" as she and the Jan. 6 select committee "keep designing future presentations that portray the former president as a threat to American democracy." But they write that the incumbent's possible "loss is likely to only heighten the importance of Cheney's role in the Capitol attack investigation in terms of keeping her name in the mix ahead of a 2024 presidential field that she has not ruled out trying to join — if she can find a lane as a Trump spoiler without helping him by serving as a foil." Good Monday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza.
| | | | A message from Facebook:   | | | ADD THIS TO YOUR LEXICON — "MAGA Fanatics Have a New Enemy: 'TINOs' — Trump In Name Only," by Rolling Stone's Kara Voght
| | HARRIS' MONDAY: The VP and second gentleman DOUG EMHOFF will depart Los Angeles en route to Kauai, Hawaii, at 2 p.m.
THE HOUSE and THE 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
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President Joe Biden rides a bicycle along the beach at Kiawah Island, S.C., Sunday, Aug. 14, while on vacation with his family. | Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP Photo | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | MAR-A-LAGO LATEST WHAT COMES NEXT — If you're wondering how soon this latest Trump investigation will wrap, buckle up: Investigators are "now pursuing the next steps of the department's criminal investigation into the handling of national security material and presidential records, a process that may take many months to play out," WSJ's Aruna Viswanatha, Sadie Gurman and Alex Leary report. "The FBI and Department of Homeland Security on Saturday issued a memo to state and local officials warning of an increase in threats of violence against law-enforcement officials following the Mar-a-Lago search. The memo, reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, said the threats are occurring primarily online on social media and web forums. They include a threat to place a so-called dirty bomb in front of FBI headquarters and issuing general calls for 'civil war' and 'armed rebellion,' the memo said." THE FAMILIAR PLAYBOOK — NYT's Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Maggie Haberman write that the Trump team's shifting defenses and theories of the case "follow a familiar playbook" of Trump over the years. "He has used it over decades but most visibly when he was faced with the investigation into whether his campaign in 2016 conspired with Russians and during his first impeachment trial. In both instances, he claimed victimization and mixed some facts with a blizzard of misleading statements or falsehoods." NOTHING NEW — "Revealing an airstrike over 'beautiful' chocolate cake. A trespasser from China carrying flash drives and electronics. Cellphone photos of the 'nuclear football' briefcase. And now, classified documents recovered during an FBI search. Mar-a-Lago, the stone-walled oceanfront estate Donald Trump labeled the 'Winter White House,' has long been a source of headaches for national security and intelligence professionals," CNN's Kevin Liptak writes . "Its clubby atmosphere, sprawling guest-list and talkative proprietor combined into a 'nightmare' for keeping the government's most closely held secrets, one former intelligence official said." EXPLAINER — "Presidential Power to Declassify Information, Explained," by NYT's Charlie Savage: "While it is legally irrelevant, former President Donald J. Trump claims he had declassified the top secret files the F.B.I. seized at his Florida residence." THE WHITE HOUSE HOW IT HAPPENED — Ben White speaks to those involved in the IRA to get the download on LARRY SUMMERS' involvement in the process and his influence on the bill. Sen. MARK WARNER (D-Va.): "I remember walking the tunnels back to the Hart building and saying to Larry, who was in Brazil at some conference at the time, 'You gotta call JOE MANCHIN and you gotta do it right now and convince him this is all cool, that this will work.' … And he did that, he made the call." "It's an extraordinary turnabout for the voluble former top Obama adviser who has made White House officials bristle over his complaints that their past multitrillion-dollar spending schemes have helped stoke the highest inflation in four decades. It's far too much to say that Summers is now suddenly beloved. Many on the left still loathe him for what they view as his corporate-friendly leanings and warlike stance on inflation." Here's Summers: "Summers declined to discuss his conversations with Biden or other officials in the White House or Capitol Hill. But in an interview, he signaled that he's as concerned as ever about spiking inflation. 'You can do a variety of sophisticated calculations based on economic models and parameters that are quite dark,' said Summers. 'I'd be surprised if we get out of this in a meaningful way without unemployment above 6 percent.'" BEHIND THE BIDENS — "The Untold History of the Biden Family," by the New Yorker's Adam Entous: "Relatively little has been written about the life of Biden, Sr., or about the Biden family's history. The earliest and most detailed study is in RICHARD BEN CRAMER'S 1992 book, 'What It Takes,' a lengthy, character-driven account of the 1988 Presidential campaign." "Biden's parents are no longer alive , and the President declined to speak with me for this article. I talked with his siblings, but they didn't have much to share about the family's past beyond what had already been published. 'Dad wasn't a big talker,' the President's sister, Valerie, told me. When I asked Jimmy why their father hadn't been more forthcoming, he said, 'I think it's akin to somebody who served in World War Two or Korea, and then came back and saw the atrocities. He was embarrassed.'" CONGRESS THE LATEST TAIWAN TRIP — "China announces new Taiwan drills as US delegation visits," AP — The plan: "Five members of Congress, led by Sen. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), are expected to meet with meet President Tsai Ing-wen and other senior leaders to discuss U.S.-Taiwan relations, regional security issues, trade and climate change, according to the American Institute in Taiwan," per WaPo's Anna Phillips and Sammy Westfall. ALL POLITICS AD WARS — The Republican Accountability Project's nonprofit arm is dropping a $3 million ad buy today "setting out to remind voters in seven critical swing states of what happened Jan. 6, 2021 — a message they believe will resonate with some traditional Republican voters they hope to peel off from the Trump base in the party," Natalie Allison reports . "The organization's television and digital ad campaign, shared exclusively with POLITICO, includes footage of Donald Trump supporters beating police officers at the Capitol, messages from self-identified Republicans opposing Trump and commentary from Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), the ranking member of the House Jan. 6 committee, who has defied her party to spotlight Trump's role in the Capitol attack." RAISING ARIZONA — NYT's Robert Draper is up this morning with a look at "The Arizona Experiment," where he writes that Arizona has "become what the state's well-regarded pollster MIKE NOBLE characterizes as 'magenta, the lightest state of red.' In the face of this shift, the state's G.O.P. has aggressively declined to moderate itself. Instead, it has endeavored to cast out some of its best-known political figures. … But there is more at stake than the health of the Republican Party when its core activists, as well as a growing number of officials and those campaigning for governmental positions, openly espouse hostility not just to democratic principles but, increasingly, to the word 'democracy' itself." DISINFORMATION DIGEST — TikTok is experiencing a new trend — but this one doesn't have a fun dance or a catchy song attached. NYT's Tiffany Hsu writes that the zeitgeisty platform is shaping up to be a "primary incubator of baseless and misleading information" ahead of this fall's midterms. Here's what it looks like: "Users cannot search the #StopTheSteal hashtag, but #StopTheSteallll had accumulated nearly a million views until TikTok disabled the hashtag after being contacted by The New York Times. Some videos urged viewers to vote in November while citing debunked rumors raised during the congressional hearings into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. TikTok posts have garnered thousands of views by claiming, without evidence, that predictions of a surge in Covid-19 infections this fall are an attempt to discourage in-person voting." — Related read : "How Frustration Over TikTok Has Mounted in Washington," by NYT's David McCabe: "National security concerns over the Chinese-owned viral video app remain unresolved. Lawmakers and regulators are increasingly pushing for action." THIS IS CONCERNING — "Michigan plot to breach voting machines points to a national pattern," by WaPo's Patrick Marley and Tom Hamburger
| | | | A message from Facebook:   | | | ABORTION FALLOUT THE NEXT BIG FIGHT — "Most abortions are done at home. Antiabortion groups are taking aim," by WaPo's Kimberly Kindy: "The groups are pursuing a variety of tactics, from bills that would ban the abortion-inducing drugs altogether to others that would allow family members to sue medication providers or attempt to shut down the nonprofit groups that help women obtain and safely use the drugs." THE POST-ROE MEDIA LANDSCAPE — "After Roe v. Wade Reversal, Readers Flock to Publications Aimed at Women," by NYT's Katie Robertson: "Jezebel, a feminist website started by Gawker Media in 2007, saw an 18 percent increase in traffic after a leaked draft of the decision was published by Politico in May. The 19th, which covers gender and politics and takes its name from the 19th Amendment, reported a 63 percent jump in readership for its abortion-related stories. And The Cut, New York magazine's women's site, said traffic to its abortion rights coverage increased nearly threefold in June compared with the previous month." POLICY CORNER CLIMATE FILES — "As Congress funds high-tech climate solutions, it also bets on a low-tech one: Nature," by WaPo's Brady Dennis: "From boosting forest preservation to incentivizing climate-smart farming practices, the Inflation Reduction Act includes an acknowledgement that land is a profound ally in the fight against climate change." PLAYING BOTH SIDES — "Wall Street, Like the Climate Bill, Bets on Both Green Energy and Fossil Fuels," by WSJ's Amrith Ramkumar THE PANDEMIC THE RIPPLE EFFECT — "Pandemic-Era Free School Meals Expire, Leaving Some Districts Seeking Solutions," by WSJ's Isabelle Sarraf: "Some federal pandemic-era provisions that allowed schools to serve universal free meals will expire when districts start school for the fall, leaving many districts unprepared to make up the difference and urging parents to apply for a free or reduced-price lunch. The expiration comes as supply-chain disruptions and rising food prices are pushing school-meal prices higher." BEYOND THE BELTWAY THE DESANTIS DUST-UP — WaPo's Lori Rozsa speaks with ANDREW WARREN, the Florida state attorney who was suddenly suspended by Gov. RON DESANTIS , who cast Warren as a "woke" prosecutor. "The clash comes as political parties pay more attention to state attorney elections than they have in the past and as prosecutors around the country are now faced with a slate of new laws restricting or outright banning abortion care after the fall of Roe v. Wade. For Warren, who left a job as a federal prosecutor in Washington, D.C., to run for office in his home state, the suspension was the latest in a series of dust-ups with the governor." BUILDING BROADBAND — "Faster Internet Is Coming to America — as Soon as the Government Knows Where to Build It," by WSJ's Ryan Tracy, Drew FitzGerald and Anthony DeBarros
| | | | 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 | | TRANSITIONS — Chloe Koseff is now a legislative assistant for Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), covering energy and agriculture. She previously was a senior legislative assistant for Rep. Jerry McNerney (D-Calif.). … Amy Runyon-Harms is joining Inseparable as senior VP of operations and strategy. She previously was executive director at ProgressNow Colorado and is a Planned Parenthood alum. WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Tanya Dzekon, program coordinator at the American Geophysical Union, and Christopher Carson, advocacy comms manager at the American Academy of Ophthalmology, welcomed Michael Ignat Carson on Aug. 8. BIRTHWEEK (was Sunday): Nona Bear of McUlsky Health Force HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Reps. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) and Elaine Luria (D-Va.) … Melinda Gates … Devin O'Malley … WaPo's Leigh Ann Caldwell … former Justice Stephen Breyer … NBC's Richard Hudock ... Maggie Mulvaney … Annie Wolf of Rep. Drew Ferguson's (R-Ga.) office … Bart Reising of House Minority Whip Steve Scalise's (R-La.) office … Meg Joseph of Sen. Kyrsten Sinema's (D-Ariz.) office ... Dara Cohen of Sen. Jacky Rosen's (D-Nev.) office … Hannah Stone of Salem Strategies ... Karen Finney ... McClatchy's Kevin Hall … Peggy Binzel … Susanne Salkind … Jarrett Lewis of Public Opinion Strategies … Patrick Gleason of Americans for Tax Reform ... Kathryn Potter … Mary Elizabeth Taylor … Elise Labott … Billy Pitts ... Stephanie Lesser … Dentons' Eric Tanenblatt ... Brett Doyle … ABC's Mariam Khan ... former Reps. Robert Pittenger (R-N.C.) and Judy Biggert (R-Ill.) ... Christopher Loring ... Zahava Urecki … Slade Bond of House Judiciary … Jennifer Holdsworth … Anup Rao … David Englin … David Sherman … Linda Ellerbee … Allen Weisselberg … Hannah Salem of the Salem Strategies … Derek Kan of the USPS Board of Governors and Shopify Logistics 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 DeBonis, deputy editor Zack Stanton and producers Setota Hailemariam and Bethany Irvine.
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