STABENOW UNLOADS ON WALGREENS: Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) is holding her fire — for now — on Walgreens over the company’s recent decision not to dispense abortion pills in certain states, days after torching the pharmacy giant in a room full of donors and lobbyists, POLITICO’s Megan R. Wilson and Alice Miranda Ollstein report. — The senator’s change in position followed a call with the pharmacy’s CEO Rosalind Brewer that Stabenow said assuaged her concerns for the time being. Since POLITICO first reported on Walgreens’ decision, a response to pressure from anti-abortion activists and Republican attorneys general, the company “has worked to mollify concerns from state and federal Democrats without also running afoul of Republican lawmakers who have threatened to sue.” — “Over the weekend, the issue blew up at a tony retreat for Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee donors at a Palm Beach, Fla., resort. At a breakfast on Saturday, Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), who leads the Senate Democrats’ campaign arm, was addressing a room of donors … when a voice boomed from the back of the room. It was Stabenow.” — “Two lobbyists who were in the room said that Stabenow popped up ‘out of the blue’ and began to raise hell about Walgreens' decision. Stabenow, who is not running for reelection, said that she wanted to spend the next two years making sure that these kinds of decisions don’t go unnoticed by policymakers, one of the lobbyists recalled.” — “Stabenow told the crowd of donors, which included lobbyists and individuals who run corporate or industry PACs, that if any of them represent Walgreens or companies that ‘bow down to the bullies, these Republicans, you better think again,’ one of the lobbyists recalled the senator saying. ‘“You haven’t seen anything yet,” was her exact line,’ the person said. The second lobbyist in the room had a similar characterization. Stabenow’s office confirmed the remarks.” FARA FRIDAY: Ahead of the upstart league’s sophomore season, Michael Schaffer took stock of LIV Golf’s efforts to crash onto the global golf scene — and the cascade of political, public relations and legal skirmishes that have ensued — for this week’s column in POLITICO Magazine, where he writes that if the Saudi-funded golf league is an effort to “sportswash” the kingdom’s battered image, it’s not exactly working. — “The latest set of unhappy headlines landed late last month, when a federal judge ruled that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund would have to answer questions and produce evidence as part of the discovery process in a legal battle between LIV and the rival PGA golf tour.” — “The ruling could wind up pulling back the curtain on how decision-making works at the secretive state fund, whose governor holds ministerial rank in the MBS-dominated government. LIV is appealing.” — “But whatever the legal merits, the news reports about the decision — a controversial foreign government claiming immunity against the Americans its company had tried to sue — fit what’s become a familiar pattern: With an assist from armies of Washington lobbyists, communications pros, lawyers and strategists, a golf story that began with splashy hires of top sports talent has evolved into a minefield of hot-button, distinctly non-athletic Beltway issues, from antitrust, foreign influence-peddling and human rights to 9/11, national sovereignty and Donald Trump.” — “And, in most of these matters, the storylines have played out in ways that give problematic aspects of Saudi Arabia’s public image more attention, not less. It’s not exactly the result you’re going for if you’re spending billions of dollars to rebrand your kingdom.” A FAMILIAR FACE AT PHRMA: “After almost three years working for Big Oil, Robby Zirkelbach is heading back to Big Pharma,” Megan reports. Zirkelbach is returning to PhRMA to lead its public affairs operation, a post that’s been vacant since the August departure of the pharmaceuticals group’s top Democrat. — “His title is executive vice president of public affairs and strategic initiatives, the same role Zirkelbach held for more than six years until he left in mid-2020 to lead ExxonMobil’s global issues and advocacy shop. He’ll be responsible for managing PhRMA’s media, advertisements, and executive communications.” — “The group is also adding another component to the gig: heading up a new ‘strategic initiatives’ effort, the group said in a release about his hire. It will ‘focus on developing proactive advocacy strategies around emerging issues facing the industry.’” — “Zirkelbach has his work cut out for him as PhRMA works to beef up its public image in the wake of the drug industry’s massive Inflation Reduction Act loss. … ‘This is a pivotal moment for the industry and patients,’ Zirkelbach said in a statement. ‘The future of medicine has never been more promising, but that progress risks being undermined by harmful drug pricing policies that don’t address the root cause of the problem.’” IF YOU MISSED IT THURSDAY: “Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) pressed Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw Thursday on the railroad’s history of lobbying against stricter safety regulations at a Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing” on last month’s derailment, per The Hill’s Zack Budryk. — “Whitehouse specifically cited a 2015 Obama-era regulation that required more modern electronic brakes for trains carrying hazardous materials, which Norfolk Southern called ‘not in the public interest’ and lobbied to weaken before the Trump administration scrapped it outright in 2018.” — “The Rhode Island Democrat went on to note the industry has spent more than $650 million on lobbying against regulations over the last two decades, including $69 million spent by Norfolk Southern. Shaw countered by pointing out that the National Transportation Safety Board has said the Obama-era braking regulation would not have prevented the East Palestine derailment.” — “Merkley, meanwhile, asked if Norfolk Southern could be counted on to lobby for improved rather than reduced safety regulations going forward. ‘I share your concern and your focus,’ Shaw began.” — “‘I just want to know, will your team lobby for safety improvements rather than against them?’ Merkley broke in. ‘I just really thought, when you said “turn over a new leaf,” you meant you were saying you were going to now support safety regulations. I’m sorry you can’t tell this crowd today that would like to hear that, that that is the case.’”
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