| | | | |  | | By Ryan Lizza and Eugene Daniels | | | With help from Eli Okun and Garrett Ross
| | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | HEADS UP — The deadline for the Justice Department to unseal a redacted version of the affidavit used to secure the FBI warrant for the Mar-a-Lago search is noon today (absent a last-minute appeal). Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein : Judge BRUCE REINHART "emphasized that prosecutors had shown 'good cause' to redact elements of the affidavit that would reveal 'the identities of witnesses, law enforcement agents, and uncharged parties,' 'the investigation's strategy, direction, scope, sources, and methods' and 'grand jury information.' "The judge appeared to approve all of the deletions the Justice Department proposed, some of which are intended to shield investigators' sources and methods for collecting evidence as part of their criminal probe into the 'highly classified' documents the FBI discovered at Mar-a-Lago." Read Reinhart's order to unseal POWELL'S INFLATION GHOSTS — Victoria Guida emails us from Jackson Hole, Wyo.: "Federal Reserve Chair JEROME POWELL will face a room of economists and a world of observers as he aims to send a message that the central bank will not falter in its fight to bring down inflation. In a speech this morning at the Fed's annual conference in Jackson Hole, Powell will have to convince markets that he means business, while also acknowledging that the Fed doesn't want to go further than it has to in bringing the hammer down on the economy. "One bit of awkwardness that might make his task harder: Powell last year at the same conference predicted that price spikes were likely to be temporary. (They were not.)" Listen to our chat with Victoria on today's Daily Briefing
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Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) pauses at the Capitol on Monday, June 7, 2021. | J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo | THE PLAYBOOK INTERVIEW: SEN. PATRICK LEAHY — On Tuesday, Leahy, who is retiring this year after representing Vermont in the Senate since 1975, released "The Road Taken," an engrossing memoir that covers his long career — from his politically fraught vote against the Vietnam War to his account of rallying his fellow senators back into the chamber on Jan. 6 after they fled the mob that stormed the Capitol. In between, you meet dozens of politicians, Supreme Court justices, presidents, world leaders, musicians and Hollywood celebrities. Leahy dishes on the deal HUGO BLACK told him he cut with EARL WARREN , that time he didn't want to take a call from BILL CLINTON because Leahy was at a STING concert, his infamous encounter on the Senate floor with DICK CHENEY, who told him to go f--k himself, his role as a secret emissary between RAUL CASTRO and the White House, how he enjoyed teasing BARACK OBAMA for his love of the spotlight, and he nerds out on two of his great loves, Batman and The Grateful Dead. On Monday, we sat down for a couple of hours with the senator in his president pro tempore office — the position makes him third in line of presidential succession — and downloaded the best of his war stories from 48 years in the Senate. This is a must-listen for political junkies and history buffs. Oh, and Leahy made some news about JOE BIDEN and 2024 when we asked him whether he wanted Biden, his longtime friend and Senate colleague — they complete each other's sentences, he joked — to run for reelection. "That's going to be his decision," Leahy told us. "If he does, I'll support him." Not the ringing endorsement we might have expected.
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Biden speaks to Leahy at the White House on Thursday, Nov. 18, 2021. | Evan Vucci/AP Photo | You can listen to the full episode of Playbook Deep Dive here — and be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Some highlights to whet your appetite:
On Jan. 6:
"[In the secure location with other senators,] somebody pointed out that we could meet in the room we're in — the Senate could vote to meet anywhere we wanted. … But I stood up, [and] I said, 'NO.' I got really angry. I said, 'I'm the dean of the Senate. I'm the longest-serving member. We can't meet in private with what's going on. If it takes till midnight, wait till the Senate chamber is secure and go back in there and let the American people see us, and make everybody stand up and vote and show we're there.' And I got really wound up. I got a standing ovation from Republicans and Democrats. They said, 'You're right.' And we went back in there and continued. But [I remember] feeling glass crunching under my feet. … And I thought, 'What is going on? … Why did the outgoing president urge them to do this?' It went against everything I've ever believed in." On couriering messages back and forth between Obama and Raul Castro: "I met with Raul Castro a lot and in fact, brought messages back and forth between Raul Castro and the Obama administration. … Unsigned, unaddressed, plain letters. But they knew who they were from. … President Obama was up for reelection. I was down there. … Castro said, 'Can I talk to you privately?' through a translator. And he said, 'Is President Obama going to be reelected?' He had seen some polls that looked iffy. I said … 'I've seen all those polls. … He's going to be reelected.' He said, 'Good. I want him to. … He's an honest man. I like him and I can work with him.' Then he kinda looked around, chuckled, and he said, 'Of course, I'm not going to say that publicly before the election, because that would defeat him.'" On his unlikely friendship with arch-conservative Sen. BARRY GOLDWATER: "We talked a lot about photography. We would show each other photographs. … In 1980, I had the second-closest election in America. And I was speaking at something in Vermont about a week later — somebody [in the audience] obviously disagreed with me, [and] said, 'Leahy, didn't the closeness of that election teach you nothing?' So I figured there's a lesson in there. So I called the man who had the closest election, and said I'm going to ask him what it is about our philosophy that people didn't like. I said: 'Senator Goldwater, what is it?' … And he loved it."
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Leahy snaps a photo of a crowd of reporters at the Capitol on Tuesday, March 8. | J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo | On what JERRY GARCIA, Leahy's guest in the Senate dining room one day, told him after The Grateful Dead guitarist had a strange encounter with Sen. STROM THURMOND: "I never had an experience like that when I used to drop acid." Happy Friday. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza .
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Learn more about our work ahead. | | | PULSE CHECK — "Biden's Job Rating Rises to 44%, Highest in a Year," by Gallup's Megan Brenan FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — As Democrats lean hard into abortion as a top issue for the midterms, the White House is releasing a new polling memo this morning and we have a first look. The Dems, newly emboldened about their prospects in November, are emphasizing three big points: "1. Polling since May 2022 has shown a surge in support for Democrats. Democrats are more trusted on abortion, and abortion messaging increases support for Democrats and diminishes support for Republicans. "2. Majorities of Democrats and newly-identifying Democratic voters rank abortion as a key priority issue. The Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs has made Democrats, women, and young people more motivated to vote. "3. Data for Progress polling found that Americans are most concerned about government interference of health care; privacy; and bodily autonomy." Read the full memo here — Related: Our colleague Ally Mutnick got an early look at a new ad that endangered Rep. ABIGAIL SPANBERGER (D-Va.) is putting up today hitting her opponent, YESLI VEGA, for what she tabs as "extreme" abortion positions. THE FRIDAY READ — "Ro Khanna's Apology Tour. And Why Trump Voters Love It," by Michael Kruse. Rep. RO KHANNA is up for reelection this year in his deep-blue California district. "Instead, he was here in Indiana, then Wisconsin, then Iowa, sharpening a key plank of his overall political pitch, attempting to rehab his party's reputation in an area of the country that's become increasingly inhospitable, and also very obviously laying seed for his own evident presidential ambitions. And maybe the most surprising part of this surprising scene? It appeared to be working."
| | | | A message from Facebook:   | | | | | BIDEN'S FRIDAY:
9:30 a.m.: The president will receive the President's Daily Brief.
11 a.m.: Biden will attend a meeting with state and local elected officials on Women's Equality Day to discuss abortion access.
1:55 p.m.: Biden will depart the White House en route to Beltsville, Md.
4:05 p.m.: Biden will depart Beltsville en route to New Castle, Del., where he is scheduled to arrive at 4:40 p.m.
VP KAMALA HARRIS' FRIDAY: The VP has nothing on her public schedule.
Press secretary KARINE JEAN-PIERRE will brief at 12:45 p.m.
THE HOUSE and 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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Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg speaks on a live video chat as he tours the Minnesota State Fair with Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith and Rep. Ilhan Omar on Thursday, Aug. 25. | Glen Stubbe/Star Tribune via AP | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | ALL POLITICS OZ ON OFFENSE — After a summer of relentless trolling from his Democratic opponent and deep division among the conservative base, MEHMET OZ this week launched an unapologetic attack on JOHN FETTERMAN. "Oz and his campaign have also been working behind the scenes to convince prominent conservative figures — including those who were once detractors — to publicly rally around him," Holly Otterbein and Natalie Allison report this morning. Sources within MAGA world told Holly and Natalie that Trump "aides have also solicited help from top Republican operatives to attempt to help Oz in a race they believe is still winnable." MASTERS REMASTERS ABORTION POSTURE — As Republicans nationally fear fierce blowback over the Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade, Arizona GOP Senate nominee BLAKE MASTERS has "softened his tone and scrubbed his website's policy page of tough abortion restrictions," NBC's Allan Smith and Marc Caputo report. "'I am 100% pro-life,' Masters' website read as of Thursday morning. That language is now gone. Another notable deletion: A line that detailed his support for 'a federal personhood law (ideally a Constitutional amendment) that recognizes that unborn babies are human beings that may not be killed.'" ROUND TWO — New York Assemblywoman YUH-LINE NIOU is projected to come in second to DAN GOLDMAN in the Democratic primary for New York's 10th Congressional District. But now she's considering a general election run against Goldman under the Working Families Party, per WaPo's Amy Wang and Azi Paybarah. Why things could be different next time: "Niou, [MONDAIRE] JONES and [CARLINA] RIVERA — who are projected to come in second, third and fourth, respectively — split the progressive vote in the Democratic primary, giving the more moderate Goldman a path to victory." A NEW YORK MINUTE — "How New York's GOP chair beat Paladino, Stefanik and his Republican foes," by Anna Gronewold THE WHITE HOUSE BIDEN GOES THERE — During a stop through Rockville, Md., Biden came out swinging at Republicans, using the term "semi-fasicm" to describe the Trump GOP. "It was some of the strongest language used by Biden, a politician long known — and at times criticized for — his willingness to work with members of the opposite party," WaPo's Matt Viser writes. What Biden said at the fundraiser: "What we're seeing now is either the beginning or the death knell of an extreme MAGA philosophy. … It's not just Trump, it's the entire philosophy … it's like semi-fascism." ARCTIC ADVENTURE — Biden is planning to announce a new ambassadorship today, which will be focused on the Arctic region, "an area of growing geostrategic concern to the United States — as well as Russia and China," Nahal Toosi reports this morning . "The position will be subject to Senate confirmation. It was not immediately clear who the nominee for the role will be, but a State Department official familiar with the issue predicted a name would be submitted soon." STUDENT DEBT FORGIVENESS — The backstory: "How Biden finally got to 'yes' on canceling student debt," by Michael Stratford and Eugene — The muddled message: At the White House, there were confusing signals in messaging about the move, with officials "simultaneously claiming that the president waited for the plan to be 'fiscally balanced' before unveiling it and that there was no way to know how much the plan would cost," CNN's Nikki Carvajal writes. — The online fight: Responding to GOP critics, the White House posted a thread on Twitter directly calling out individual congressional Republicans who blasted the student loan forgiveness but who themselves had PPP loans forgiven. — The uneven reality: "Student loan relief highlights burden on Black borrowers," AP — The additional details: "Biden's Student Loan Forgiveness Plan Refunds Borrowers Who Paid During Pause," WSJ — The big-picture analysis: "Biden's Student Loan Plan Squarely Targets the Middle Class," by NYT's Jim Tankersley BIDEN PHONES ZELENSKYY — On Thursday, Biden called Ukrainian President VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY . Per a WH readout, the president "congratulated Ukraine on its Independence Day," "reaffirmed the United States' continued support for Ukraine" and updated Zelenskyy on "the ongoing provision of security assistance." CONGRESS ARE EARMARKS HERE TO STAY? — "Earmarks' future unclear as Republicans split ahead of midterms," by Roll Call's Aidan Quigley: "The last time Republicans recaptured the House, after the 2010 midterms, party leaders banned earmarks amid the anti-spending, tea party-fueled sentiment of the time. … [U]nlike a dozen years ago, Republicans are not nearly as unified on the issue. … [S]ince Democrats revived earmarks last year, their popularity has actually increased among House Republicans, with a clear majority of the GOP conference requesting projects in fiscal 2023 spending bills."
| | | | A message from Facebook:   | | | JAN. 6 AND ITS AFTERMATH MEADOWS ORDERED TO TESTIFY IN GEORGIA — Fulton County investigators have added a new round of names that they want to hear from in their inquiry into Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia. DA FANI WILLIS has ordered MARK MEADOWS, SIDNEY POWELL and JAMES WALDRON to provide testimony next month, Kyle Cheney reports. — "Kemp's grand jury testimony still in question after courtroom clash," by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Tamar Hallerman and Bill Rankin ABORTION FALLOUT RESTRICTIVE REGULATIONS — "New restrictions from major abortion funder could further limit access," by WaPo's Caroline Kitchener: "The National Abortion Federation and its NAF Hotline Fund will now require patients who receive their funding to take both abortion pills in a state where abortion is legal, according to emails sent on Aug. 22 and obtained by The Washington Post. The nonprofit, which is backed largely by billionaire WARREN BUFFETT, helped fund at least 10 percent of all abortions in the U.S. in 2020." IN THE STATES — "Judge puts hold on North Dakota trigger law banning abortion," AP ON THE BALLOT — "Abortion, voting rights proposals should make Nov. 8 ballot, Michigan bureau says," by the Detroit News' Craig Mauger and Beth LeBlanc JUDICIARY SQUARE DEAR DIARY — A pair of Florida residents pleaded guilty to "stealing a diary and other belongings of President Biden's daughter, ASHLEY BIDEN , and selling them to the conservative group Project Veritas in the final weeks of the 2020 campaign," NYT's Adam Goldman and Michael Schmidt report. "The guilty pleas marked the first time criminal charges have been filed in the theft of Ms. Biden's diary, which she kept while she recovered from addiction." — Adding to the intrigue, Axios' Lachlan Markay reports that the Trump campaign rejected an offer in 2020 to buy the diary from the duo that stole it. "Instead, the Trump campaign told them to take the material to the FBI." TRUMP CARDS YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH — Trump's Truth Social platform is "locked in a bitter battle with one of its vendors claiming that the platform is stiffing the company out of more than $1 million in contractually obligated payments," Fox Business' Charlie Gasparino and Eleanor Terrett scoop. "If the allegations are true, they would suggest that Truth Social's finances are in significant disarray, people with direct knowledge of the matter say." BEYOND THE BELTWAY CLIMATE FILES — "Blue states poised to copy California's gas-car phaseout," by Camille Von Kaenel and Alex Guillén AILING AMERICA — "As students go back to school, many face a lunch bill for the first time in 2 years," by NPR's Ximena Bustillo MEDIAWATCH FOX IN THE COURTHOUSE — NYT's Jeremy Peters has the latest on the defamation suit that Fox News is facing from Dominion Voting Systems as a string of depositions offer the latest sign of how "aggressively" the election voting tech company is pushing in the case. Among those who are set to be or have recently been deposed are SEAN HANNITY, TUCKER CARLSON, LOU DOBBS, JEANINE PIRRO, STEVE DOOCY "and a number of high-level Fox producers," per court records. Peters also reports that CEO SUZANNE SCOTT, President JAY WALLACE and RUPERT and LACHLAN MURDOCH could be next on the list. A Fox News spox told Peters that the company is "confident we will prevail as freedom of the press is foundational to our democracy and must be protected." TV TONIGHT — PBS' "Washington Week": Ali Vitali and Michael Shear. SUNDAY SO FAR … ABC "This Week": Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) … Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.). Panel: Jonathan Karl, Cecilia Vega, Chris Christie and Heidi Heitkamp. CBS "Face the Nation": Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan … DNC Chair Jaime Harrison. CNN "Inside Politics": Panel: Alex Burns, Toluse Olorunnipa, Melanie Zanona and Yasmeen Abutaleb. FOX "Fox News Sunday": Retired Gen. Frank McKenzie … Keith Knutson … Members of the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra. Panel: Karl Rove, Catherine Lucey, Josh Kraushaar and Juan Williams. NBC "Meet the Press": Panel: Peter Alexander, Kimberly Atkins Stohr and Amna Nawaz. MSNBC "The Sunday Show": Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) … Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) … Joan Walsh.
| | | | SUBSCRIBE TO 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 | | Jared Kushner thinks he might live forever. Marjorie Taylor Greene got swatted for a second time in two days. Mark Zuckerberg went on Joe Rogan's podcast. Jamie Foxx does a really good Donald Trump impression. Amy Klobuchar introduced the Minnesota State Fair's live butter carving to an awed Pete Buttigieg. Chelsea Manning is apparently now a DJ in Brooklyn. Ben Quayle's lobbying firm signed a new client : LIV Golf, the controversial golf tour backed by Saudi Arabia. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle adopted a Virginia beagle rescue. ( Yes, there are pictures.) OUT AND ABOUT — Variety and Rolling Stone hosted the second annual Truth Seekers Summit in Manhattan on Thursday, where journalists, filmmakers and cultural commentators took part in panel discussions and Q&A sessions championing "the art of documentary and investigative storytelling." The day kicked off with a keynote conversation between longtime "60 Minutes" correspondent Lesley Stahl and Variety co-editor-in-chief Cynthia Littleton, during which Stahl shared anecdotes from her storied career and was presented with the summit's "Truth Seekers Award." Later in the program, MSNBC President Rashida Jones, CBS News President Neeraj Khemlani and PBS NewsHour Productions Senior Executive Producer Sara Just spoke about initiatives in place at their respective networks (Just mentioned the importance of meeting people where they are and cited the recently launched PBS NewsHour TikTok account). SPOTTED: Ramin Bahrani, Samantha Bee, W. Kamau Bell, Joe Berlinger, Elizabeth Cole, Rebecca Jarvis, Jordan Klepper, Barbara Kopple, Dea Lawrence, Noah Shachtman, Marc Smerling and Gus Wenner. Pic … Another pic MEDIA MOVE — Lewis Kamb is joining NBC News as national FOIA reporter on the enterprise team. He previously was a reporter at Axios and is a Seattle Times alum. TRANSITION — Erin Pelton is joining Shopify as VP of comms and public affairs. She previously was special assistant to the president and COS at the Domestic Policy Council at the White House. BIRTHWEEK (was Thursday): Siemens' Ryan Dalton HAPPY BIRTHDAY: USA Today's David Jackson … Miriam Elder … Bob Barnett … Interior's Tiffany Cox ... The New Republic's Grace Segers … Gara LaMarche … Oracle's Josh Pitcock … former DHS Secretary Tom Ridge of Ridge Global … Amanda Wood … Eddie Vale of New Paradigm Agency … Jennifer Sherman of Reservoir Communications Group … Business Insider's Nicole Gaudiano … POLITICO's Aaron Czarnopys and Jordan Muller … Bloomberg Government's Maeve Sheehey … Ilyse Hogue … Patrick Dorton of Rational 360 … CAP Action Fund's Navin Nayak … Rebekah Jorgensen Hoshiko … White House's Kailash Sundaram … Lindsey Curnutte … Satyam Khanna … Stephen Dubner ... Kirk Anderson of Accenture … Kiran Chetry ... Ari Ratner … Thomas Rice … Arthur MacMillan ... Bill Whitaker … Devan Cayea … NBC's Savannah Sellers and Sophia Maltese … Myles Miller … Julian Epstein … Russell Adam of the Herald Group … Quint Forgey … Hunter Wilson of Plus Communications (24) … Jordan Wong of Rep. Katie Porter's (D-Calif.) office … Sean Sweeney … Eric Fehrnstrom 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. Correction: Thursday's Playbook misstated the state Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto represents. She is from Nevada.
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