| | | | |  | | By Ryan Lizza, Rachael Bade and Eugene Daniels | | | With help from Eli Okun and Garrett Ross
|  | DRIVING THE DAY | | SPOTTED: Rep. MAXWELL FROST (D-Fla.) hopping on stage with Paramore to sing their hit song “Misery Business” at Capital One Arena last night. While on stage, Frost said: “F--- RON DeSANTIS” and “F--- fascism.” Watch the video (h/t Eva Schaffer) DEBATE PREP — The RNC released its list of qualifications for the Republican presidential primary debates yesterday, laying out what each candidate will need to do in order to make it on stage for the first debate on Aug. 23. For one, they’ll have to agree to back the eventual Republican nominee and skip any outside debates. They’ll also have until Aug. 21 to meet several tough criteria: (1) garner donations from at least 40,000 contributors nationally; (3) have “at least 200 unique donors per state or territory in 20+ states and/or territories”; and (3) poll above 1% in three national polls, or two national polls and a state poll taken after July 1. More from Marcia Brown The early tracking: “First GOP debate: Who’s in, who’s out, and who’s sweating,” by Steve Shepard HAPPENING TODAY — “GOP 2024 hopefuls head to Iowa for Ernst’s ‘Roast and Ride’ gathering,” by CNN’s Eric Bradner: “Nearly the entire field of 2024 Republican candidates and likely contenders will flip pork chops and mingle with a crowd of politically plugged-in caucus-goers Saturday in Iowa as they participate in GOP Sen. JONI ERNST’s annual ‘Roast and Ride’ event. Former President DONALD TRUMP is skipping the get-together.”
|  “Crisis averted,” President Joe Biden declared in a rare Friday evening address from the Oval Office. | Andrew Harnik/AP Photo | WHAT YOU MISSED AT HAPPY HOUR — President JOE BIDEN is expected to sign the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 today, two full days before the X-date. “Crisis averted,” Biden declared in a rare Friday evening address from the Oval Office whose topline message was relief at the prevention of a first-ever federal default: “Nothing — nothing would have been more irresponsible. Nothing would have been more catastrophic.” Biden went on to take credit for the deal, of course, laying out how he viewed his key accomplishments:
- Finding a compromise that won big majorities in Congress: “I was told the days of bipartisanship were over.”
- Keeping Social Security and Medicare safe by challenging Republicans at the State of the Union: “With the bright lights and cameras on … they agreed.”
- Protecting his previously passed priorities, including the Inflation Reduction Act: “Some of my Republican colleagues were determined to gut the clean energy investments … and we kept them all.”
- And exposing the GOP’s refusal to raise taxes on corporations and wealthy individuals: “Republicans defended every single one of these special interest loopholes. … But I’m going to be coming back.”
It was a classic Biden speech and a template for the coming reelection campaign: heavy on praising bipartisanship while simultaneously delivering a string of partisan shots. But they were all on policy differences. Biden had no harsh words for any GOP congressional leaders, and he praised House Speaker KEVIN McCARTHY: “We were able to get along and get things done,” Biden said. “We were straightforward with one another, completely honest with one another, and respectful with one another. Both sides operated in good faith. Both sides kept their word.” And, somehow, both McCarthy and Biden emerged from the potential economic debacle in better political shape. Politics is often zero sum, but the FRA accomplished the chief political goals of both men:
- McCarthy, who faced a humiliating path to the speakership, needed to strengthen his position within the House GOP conference.
- Biden, whose job approval trendline has veered uncomfortably close to sinking below 40%, needed to strengthen his position with American voters.
| | | | A message from Altria: The future of Tobacco Harm Reduction. More than 70% of U.S. adults 21+ surveyed support Tobacco Harm Reduction as the right path forward for tobacco regulation. And two out of three believe the FDA should focus its efforts on Tobacco Harm Reduction. See the poll results here. | | | — McCarthy managed to tame some of his loudest and most problematic right-wingers. He did it by splitting their ranks — for every Rep. CHIP ROY (R-Tex.) accusing him of stabbing conservatism in the back, there was a Rep. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R-Ga.) sticking up for the deal. It helped immensely that two prominent hard-liners he’d given positions of prominence — Judiciary Chair JIM JORDAN (R-Ohio) and Rules Committee member THOMAS MASSIE (R-Ky.) — had his back. This is an old story and a sign of democracy working, even if it doesn’t look pretty: When the fringiest members of a party are brought into the fold and given power and responsibility, they (sometimes) learn to behave more responsibly. McCarthy has for now defused the threat of an outright right-wing rebellion and he has rebutted the popular caricature of House Republicans as extremists unable to do the basics of governing. (And, yes, we get that simply avoiding a default is a low bar.) — As for Biden, we’ll see if his polling recovers as a result of this deal, but last night’s Oval Office address was designed to milk it for all it’s worth. There are a lot of Democrats still unhappy that the White House even entered into this negotiation, and it seems obvious they are correct that going forward the debt ceiling will be an even more tempting tool to wield against a president when there’s divided government. But for Biden, that’s a problem for another day. For now he gets to hold up the FRA as a shining example of his two favorite, sometimes contradictory, re-election themes: he’s a bipartisan president working with Republicans and the only thing protecting voters from the GOP’s extremism. Good Saturday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line with your favorite scenes from the Tim Alberta piece on Chris Licht: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza.
| | | | A message from Altria:   Altria is leading the way in transitioning millions of adult smokers from cigarettes to a smoke-free future. | | | THE DEBT DEAL TICKTOCKS — Around 5 a.m. today, the Washington Post, the New York Times and CNN all published their deep-dive looks inside the negotiations that led to the debt limit deal between Biden and McCarthy. A few highlights from the trio of pieces: — “‘You don’t have another option’: Inside the Biden, McCarthy debt ceiling deal,” by WaPo’s Tony Romm, Marianna Sotomayor, Leigh Ann Caldwell, Tyler Pager, Jeff Stein and Rachel Siegel: “STUART DELERY, the White House counsel, had been examining potential unilateral options, an effort that continued at least up until the weekend before McCarthy and Biden reached a deal. Internally, though, [Treasury Secretary JANET] YELLEN was seen as strongly opposed to such a maneuver, believing it could imperil the bond auctions run by her department. Her repeated comments downplaying the feasibility of the 14th Amendment irked some Biden allies, who had their concerns yet saw the threat as a useful negotiating tactic.” — “Biden’s Debt-Deal Strategy: Win in the Fine Print,” by NYT’s Jim Tankersley: “In pursuit of an agreement, the Biden team was willing to give Republicans victory after victory on political talking points, which they realized Mr. McCarthy needed to sell the bill to his conference. … But in the details of the text and the many side deals that accompanied it, the Biden team wanted to win on substance. With one large exception — a $20 billion cut in enforcement funding for the Internal Revenue Service — they believe they did.” — “Veterans, stalemates and sleepless nights: Inside the White House strategy to strike the debt ceiling deal,” by CNN’s Jeremy Diamond and Phil Mattingly: “It wasn’t until [STEVE] RICCHETTI spoke with McCarthy, followed by a call from the president that the negotiations appeared to get back on the right trajectory. ‘The president’s conversation with the speaker freed up the end stage of that negotiation and enabled us to finish,’ Ricchetti told CNN. The White House’s readout of that call was bare bones – noting only that they spoke by phone and that their staffs would reconvene that evening. That was by design: after hanging up with McCarthy, Biden directed his team to release as little information as possible about the call, in order to give the negotiations more space.”
| | BIDEN’S SATURDAY — The president has nothing on his public schedule.
VP KAMALA HARRIS’ SATURDAY — The vice president has nothing on her public schedule. | | PHOTO OF THE DAY
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A dog walks past as first lady Jill Biden visits the site of the Giza Pyramids near Cairo, Egypt, on Saturday, June 3. | Amr Nabil/Pool via AP Photo | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | 8 THINGS THAT STUCK WITH US 1. TRUMP’S LEGAL LIMBO: An illuminating voice memo made by Trump lawyer EVAN CORCORAN about his dealings with his client could be a key for investigators trying to drill down into the former president’s possession of classified documents, NYT’s Alan Feuer, Ben Protess and Maggie Haberman report. “In complete sentences and a narrative tone that sounded as if it had been ripped from a novel, Mr. Corcoran recounted in detail a nearly monthlong period of the documents investigation,” they write, adding that such a window into the behind the scenes details is “typically shielded by attorney-client or work-product privilege,” but was ordered to be given to special counsel JACK SMITH earlier this year. Related read: “Trump wants new judge in hush money case,” by Erica Orden in New York 2. TEFLON OR TROUBLE?: “N.J. Sen. Bob Menendez escaped legal peril once. Can he do it again?” by WaPo’s Isaac Stanley-Becker and Perry Stein: “The federal investigation has injected unpredictability into the 2024 election, when Menendez, 69, is expected to be on the ballot seeking a fourth term and Democrats must already defend eight other seats considered vulnerable to retain control of the Senate. JENNIFER MORRILL, a spokeswoman for Menendez, confirmed that he intends to run.” 3. THE NEW WORLD ORDER: “From cheese to chatbots: How the U.S. and Europe are shifting on trade,” by Adam Behsudi: “Running beneath it all: growing anxiety over competition from China and an increasing focus in both the EU and U.S. on propping up domestic industries instead of encouraging global imports.” 4. NIGHT OF THE HUNTER: “How the Biden family name became latest wrinkle in Hunter Biden’s paternity battle,” by USA Today’s Bart Jansen: “HUNTER BIDEN is nearing judgment day in an Arkansas lawsuit to reduce his child support and prevent his daughter from taking his last name. The president's son faces a deposition this month and a July trial against a woman, LUNDEN ROBERTS, who had his daughter Aug. 28, 2018. Biden was ordered in March 2020 to pay child support, but he asked in September 2022 to reduce the amount because of his changing income, which led to the pending trial.” 5. HORRIBLE SCENES IN INDIA: “India train crash kills over 280, injures 900 in one of nation’s worst rail disasters,” by AP’s Rafiq Maqbool, Ashok Sharma and Krutika Pathi in Balasore, India: “Chaotic scenes erupted after the derailment on Friday night about 220 kilometers (137 miles) southwest of Kolkata, as rescuers climbed atop the wrecked trains to break open doors and windows using cutting torches. The death toll rose steadily throughout the night. Scores of bodies, covered by white sheets, lay on the ground near the tracks while locals and rescuers raced to free the hundreds of people trapped in the rail cars under the twisted metal and broken glass.” 6. THE LEGEND OF Z: WSJ’s James Marson and EIC Emma Tucker sit down with Ukrainian President VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY in Odesa, Ukraine: “In a wide-ranging, hourlong discussion, Zelensky, 45 years old, said he feared U.S. elections next year could bring a less-supportive administration to power and called on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to offer a clear path to membership for Kyiv. He also urged China to try to restrain Russia and said Ukraine urgently needed more U.S.-made Patriot missile-defense systems to protect citizens from aerial bombardments and to shield front-line troops.” 7. DANCE OF THE SUPERPOWERS: “U.S. Vows to Continue Patrols Near China and Urges Nuclear Talks,” by NYT’s Chris Buckley, Damien Cave and David Pierson: “In speeches from President Biden’s national security adviser, JAKE SULLIVAN, on Friday, and Defense Secretary LLOYD J. AUSTIN III on Saturday in Singapore, the Biden administration sought to draw China toward talks on the rising military perils. Mr. Austin also indicated that the United States would keep operating military ships and planes in international seas and skies near China despite recent close calls with Chinese forces, and also keep providing support to Taiwan, the self-governing island that Beijing sees as its own territory. Both are sore points with China.” 8. LIFE IN PUTIN’S RUSSIA: “Inside Russia’s penal colonies: A look at life for political prisoners caught in Putin’s crackdowns,” by AP’s Dasha Litvinova
| | | | A message from Altria:   Altria is leading the way in transitioning millions of adult smokers from cigarettes to a smoke-free future. | | | CLICKER — “The nation’s cartoonists on the week in politics,” edited by Matt Wuerker — 15 funnies
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| GREAT WEEKEND READS, curated by Ryan Lizza: — “If the Government Has UFO Crash Materials, It’s Time to Reveal Them,” by Christopher Mellon for POLITICO Magazine: “The benefits to humanity outweigh the fear of discovering we’re not alone in the universe.” — “Seeing Beyond the Beauty of a Vermeer,” by Teju Cole for NYT Magazine: “The violence of his era can be found in his serene masterpieces — if you know where to look.” — “The New Rules of Success in a Post-Career World,” by Bruce Feiler for WSJ: “Ever more Americans are searching for work with meaning, putting personal fulfillment over traditional priorities like income and status.” — “The True Power of ‘Succession’ Comes From Writing Inside the Box,” by The Ringer’s Katie Baker: “The HBO show was known for witty jabs and f-word-laden insults. But perhaps its biggest achievement was ending on its own terms — and its writing through lines along the way.” — “The Cat Who Could Kill Horses,” by Ezra Marcus for N.Y. Mag’s Grub Street: “Chef Liz Johnson accused her husband Will Aghajanian of killing their cat. That’s just one part of the story.” — “America’s Approach To Addiction Has Gone Off The Rails,” by Sam Quinones for The Atlantic: “In a time of fentanyl and meth, we need to use law enforcement differently — and more often.” — “When the Fire Came for Fort McMurray,” an excerpt from “Fire Weather: A True Story from a Hotter World,” by John Vaillant in Outside Magazine: “In 2016, a wildfire jumped the Athabasca River and headed straight for Fort McMurray, an Alberta oil town 600 miles south of the Arctic Circle.” He “chronicles the moment the blaze enters town, forcing nearly 90,000 people to flee in what remains the largest, most rapid single-day evacuation in the history of modern fire.” — “How a High School Mariachi Team Triumphed in Uvalde,” by Rolling Stone’s Julyssa Lopez: “Led by one tireless teacher, a group of teenage musicians came together and became the pride of a Texas town that had suffered unthinkable tragedy.” — “A Paean To Failed, Greedy, Unethical Assholes,” by Andrew Sullivan on Substack: “Ben Smith writes a first draft of the history of online media.” — “Who Are the Taliban Now?” by Steve Coll for the NY Review of Books: “Hassan Abbas’s book surveys the second Islamic Emirate’s ideology and leading personalities and probes its internal tensions.”
| | | PLAYBOOKERS | | | Doug Emhoff did his best MJ shrug impression. Tony Podesta is selling his plush Kalorama home for about $10 million. Pete Buttigieg said goodbye to his dog Truman. Elon Musk says Twitter is stress-testing its Spaces feature ahead of an interview on Monday with Robert Kennedy Jr. What the duck is going on at the White House? The Messenger has a new catchphrase. OUT AND ABOUT — SPOTTED at the wedding of Jordanian Crown Prince Hussein to Saudi architect Rajwa Alseif in the royal palace: King Abdullah and Queen Rania, first lady Jill Biden, Bill Burns, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Prince William and Princess Kate, Princess Beatrice, Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, Christiane Amanpour, Michael and Lydia Kives, Brian and Veronica Grazer, Wendi Murdoch, Michael Hess, John Hess, Dina Powell McCormick and Dave McCormick, Børge Brende and Sheikha Moza bint Nasser. — The Meridian Cultural Diplomacy Awards Show and Visionary Not Reactionary exhibition opening last night at Meridian International Center honored Hank Willis Thomas, Denyce Graves and the Unbroken Project (Svitlana Onipko and Felipe Jacome), with Kaitlan Collins serving as emcee. SPOTTED: Sue and Beau Wrigley, Stuart and Gwen Holliday, Fred P. Hochberg, Winton and Hap Holladay, Tom Korologos, Stephanie Robinson, Elizabeth Duggal, Ami Aronson, Irina Bokova, Robert Pullen, Adrienne Arsht, British Ambassador Karen Pierce, Maria Fernanda Garcia, Ukrainian Ambassador Oksana Markarova, Capricia Penavic Marshall, Heather Florance, Aviva Rosenthal, Susanna Quinn, Sarah Arison, Tracy Bernstein, Deborah Lehr, Coby Kennedy and Nekisha Durrett. MEDIA MOVE — Terence Samuel is joining USA TODAY as editor-in-chief. He most recently was VP and executive editor of NPR News and is a WaPo, National Journal and U.S. News & World Report alum. TRANSITION — Julie Siegel is joining the Office of Management and Budget as senior coordinator for management. She most recently was deputy chief of staff at the Treasury Department and is an Elizabeth Warren, CFPB and OMB alum. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: First lady Jill Biden … John Kirby … Anderson Cooper … WSJ’s Michelle Hackman … David Planning of the House Republican Whip office … USTR’s Sophia Sokolowski … Evan Medeiros … Defend the Vote’s Brian Lemek … POLITICO’s Shireen Sarkar and Ahmed Routher … Gina Foote of FGS Global … Edelman’s Rob Rehg … DNC’s Josette Barrans … Erick Erickson … Subject Matter’s Bryce Harlow … Lilia Horder of Monument Advocacy … former Reps. Roscoe Bartlett (R-Md.) (96), Solomon Ortiz (D-Texas) and Carolyn Bourdeaux (D-Ga.) … Amy McGrath … Michael Fleischer of DDC Public Affairs … Patrick Martin of Cozen O’Connor … Andrew Weinstein … Kellee Lanza-Bolen THE SHOWS (Full Sunday show listings here): ABC “This Week”: Vivek Ramaswamy … Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio). Panel: Donna Brazile, Reince Priebus, Mary Bruce and Dan Balz. CBS “Face the Nation”: Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) … Rep. Garret Graves (R-La.) … Brian Moynihan … Ukrainian Ambassador Oksana Markarova. Panel: Caitlin Huey-Burns, Ed O’Keefe and Robert Costa. CNN “State of the Union”: Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) … Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) … OMB Director Shalanda Young. Panel: Marc Short,Faiz Shakir, Alyssa Farah Griffin and Bakari Sellers. FOX “Fox News Sunday”: Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) … Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds … Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) … Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) and William Ostan. Panel: Josh Holmes, Josh Kraushaar, Vince Coglianese and Marie Harf. Fox News “Sunday Morning Futures”: Speaker Kevin McCarthy … Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) … Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.). Panel: Newt Gingrich and Robert Cahaly. NBC “Meet the Press”: Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) … Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) … Timothy Parlatore. Panel: Eugene Daniels, Andrea Mitchell, Stephanie Schriock and Brad Todd. 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.
| | | | A message from Altria: Moving beyond smoking. More than 20 million adult smokers are looking to transition from cigarettes to smoke-free choices. And they are three times as likely to make that change when they have information on Tobacco Harm Reduction.
From cigarettes to smoke-free alternatives. Altria is advancing new, smoke-free products — and seeking FDA authorization to communicate with adult smokers their ability to potentially reduce harm.
From tobacco company to tobacco harm reduction company. Altria supports Tobacco Harm Reduction as a public health strategy to lower health risks associated with smoking cigarettes. Today, we are leading the way in helping millions of adult smokers transition from cigarettes to a smoke-free future.
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