| | | | |  | | By Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels and Ryan Lizza | | | With help from Eli Okun and Garrett Ross
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“Vulnerable Republicans are going to have to answer for continuing to side with the extremists in their party,” Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.), the DCCC chair, told Playbook yesterday. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | | | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | | TOP-ED — “The Truth About the Trump Indictment,” by BILL BARR in The Free Press: “For the sake of the country, our party, and a basic respect for the truth, it is time that Republicans come to grips with the hard truths about President [DONALD] TRUMP’s conduct and its implications. Chief among them: Trump’s indictment is not the result of unfair government persecution. This is a situation entirely of his own making.” HEADLINE OF THE DAY — “Liz Truss says being compared to a lettuce was not funny,” by Andrew McDonald NEVER MIND THE MIDDLE — As the drama between Speaker KEVIN McCARTHY and hardline conservatives roils the House, Democratic leaders are watching with total fascination — and giddiness. For years, their own caucus has fallen in line behind a masterful political tactician who bent over backwards to protect her most vulnerable members — and by extension, her majority — often steamrolling progressives in the process. (Yes, we’re speaking of the one and only NANCY PELOSI.) Now, as Democrats see it, McCarthy is doing the exact opposite to protect his own gavel — and playing right into their hands. Since becoming speaker, McCarthy has exposed his “majority makers” to votes on steep cuts to federal programs that benefit millions of Americans and, just last week, the reversal of a Biden administration rule that cracks down on a gun accessory used in several recent mass shootings. Both were priorities of the hard right and exposed members in swing districts to Democratic attacks. House leaders typically give frontliners leeway to break with leadership on these kinds of votes to protect themselves politically. But with only a five-seat majority, Republicans don’t have much wiggle room right now — and that has Democrats ready to pounce. “Vulnerable Republicans are going to have to answer for continuing to side with the extremists in their party,” Rep. SUZAN DelBENE (D-Wash.), the DCCC chair, told Playbook yesterday. Those votes, she said, will “cost them their seats” — and the House majority. Democrats believe the votes will only become tougher. Republicans are in the process of writing appropriations bills more than $130 billion below bipartisan spending caps, setting up more roll calls on program cuts. There’s talk of impeaching DHS Secretary ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS, a matter that divides the GOP conference, and potentially other officials, too. And despite plenty of evidence that swing voters have sprinted toward Democrats in the wake of the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade, House Republicans have advanced multiple new abortion restrictions that could reach the floor later this Congress, including an appropriations rider tightening access to the abortion drug mifepristone. The DCCC is already targeting the so-called “Biden 18,” Republican members from districts that the president carried in 2020. Earlier this spring, the group posted billboards in a dozen competitive districts that blasted vulnerable Republicans for refusing to push back on Donald Trump's demands that the House defund law enforcement agencies investigating him. The pressure on those members will only increase later this summer, as hardliners push McCarthy to undermine special counsel JACK SMITH’s investigation through the appropriations process. While several centrist Republicans told Playbook privately last week that the speaker would never force them to take such a toxic vote, Democrats aren’t so sure. “Protecting or helping the vulnerable members avoid challenging votes seems incredibly low on [McCarthy’s] priority list,” said a Democratic official working on House races. “In battleground districts and where the election is going to be won or lost, these are not winning issues.” Centrist Republicans privately say there’s a simple solution here: Ignore the right’s demands and just don’t allow tough votes on bills that have no prayer of passing the Democrat-controlled Senate anyway — let alone winning President JOE BIDEN’s signature. Those members have allies on the outside. “[McCarthy] must minimize tough votes and keep squabbling within the party from dominating the media narrative,” said KEN SPAIN, a former NRCC comms director. “With the House on a razor’s edge, 2024 could be a ‘winner take all’ election with one party controlling all of Washington in a little over 18 months. The margin for error is extremely thin.” But so far McCarthy has been much more interested in pleasing his right flank — and protecting his gavel — than in shielding his frontliners. DelBene said the DCCC stands ready to make Republicans pay with their majority. “When McCarthy and his caucus continue to give in to their extreme right wing, they're really showing voters that they’re out of touch with everyday families,” she said. BIG NEWS FROM HQ — DANIELLE JONES rejoins POLITICO today after seven years with Axios, most recently as head of talent. “DJ,” Editor-in-Chief Matt Kaminski writes this morning, will “help us build this newsroom for the publication’s next big chapter” by working with top editorial leaders to recruit and retain the best talent, execute key strategic initiatives and build a winning newsroom culture. “Those of you who worked with DJ at POLITICO – and many of you who didn’t but soon will – know that she has the shrewd judgment and gift for human connection to thrive in this role. We’re lucky to have her back.” More from Matt Good Tuesday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza.
| | | | A message from Meta: Augmented reality will help neighborhoods recover from power outages.
Augmented reality will help electrical lineworkers spot and repair problems in the power grid more quickly, helping communities get their lights back on faster after power outages.
The metaverse may be virtual, but the impact will be real.
Explore more possibilities with the metaverse. | | | TRUMP SOUNDS OFF — Trump sat for a Fox News one-on-one with BRET BAIER last night, in which the two got into a testy back-and-forth throughout the interview — their first together since 2018. On the 2020 election: “‘First of all, I won in 2020 by a lot,’ Trump told Baier when challenged on how he plans to attract independent votes in 2024, before repeating various unfounded claims about voter fraud and stuffed ballots. ‘You lost the 2020 election,’ Baier pushed back, citing recounts and failed lawsuits to challenge the election’s outcome,” The Daily Beast’s Decca Muldowney writes. “Trump, clearly frustrated, went on to criticize Fox News itself. When Baier said that ‘more independent voters watch Fox News than any other TV source,’ Trump immediately responded, ‘A lot less than they used to watch it.’ ‘I’m no great fan of Fox,’ Trump said later in the interview. ‘You’re sitting here…’ Baier said. ‘Well, you gotta get your word out somehow, right?’ Trump responded.” On Trump’s allies turned antagonizers: “Baier went on to challenge Trump’s hiring choices while president, based on a 2016 statement that he was going to surround himself with ‘only the best and most serious people.’ … ‘Why did you hire all of them in the first place?’ Baier asked. ‘Because I hired ten to one that were fantastic,’ Trump responded, ‘For every person you named, I can name 20 people that loved the administration.’” On the documents: “Trump also said that the documents that the National Archives and Records Administration insisted he return were intermingled with personal materials in containers stored at his estate in Mar-a-Lago. He added that he did not have the time to separate the personal from the governmental,” Sam Stein writes. “‘Before I send boxes over,’ Trump told host Baier, ‘I have to take all of my things out. These boxes were interspersed with all sorts of things.’ ‘I was very busy, as you’ve sort of seen,’ he explained. The comments from Trump are an admission that he did not move to satisfy the federal government’s demands that he comply with their requests to hand over the documents. It is also the fullest he has addressed the matter since being indicted for his mishandling of those documents, which allegedly included classified material.” Playbook thought bubble: In many ways, Baier was the big winner of the interview, repeatedly pressing Trump on multiple hot topics and challenging the former president on his lies and questionable claims. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — The Republican Accountability Project is launching a $1 million ad campaign taking Trump to task over his handling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago. The 30-second ad will air nationally on Fox News and CNN and on broadcast stations in Iowa, Wisconsin, Georgia and Arizona. The spot uses Trump’s past statements about mishandling documents, saying “it’s time to hold Trump to his own standard,” with tape of Trump saying, “We can’t have someone in the Oval Office who doesn’t understand the meaning of the words confidential or classified” and “you go to jail for that.” Watch the ad
| | | | A message from Meta:   | | | | | BIDEN’S TUESDAY (all times Eastern):
1 p.m.: The president will receive the President’s Daily Brief.
4 p.m.: Biden will discuss AI.
5:30 p.m.: Biden will depart San Francisco en route to Larkspur, Calif.
7:15 p.m.: Biden will participate in a campaign reception.
8:35 p.m.: Biden will depart Larkspur to return to San Francisco.
10 p.m.: Biden will participate in a campaign reception.
VP KAMALA HARRIS’ TUESDAY (all times Eastern):
4:15 p.m.: The VP will film a roundtable conversation on reproductive rights for MSNBC’s “The ReidOut.”
6:30 p.m.: Harris will deliver remarks at a campaign reception in Dallas, Texas.
8 p.m.: Harris and second gentleman DOUG EMHOFF will depart Dallas to return to D.C.
THE HOUSE will meet at noon and at 2 p.m. Former DOJ special counsel JOHN DURHAM will testify before the Intelligence Committee at 3 p.m.
THE SENATE will meet at 3 p.m., and at 5:30 p.m. will hold a roll-call vote on JULIE RIKELMAN’s nomination to be U.S. circuit judge for the First Circuit. CIA Director BILL BURNS and NSA Director Gen. PAUL NAKASONE will testify before the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee at 4:45 p.m. in a closed session. | | | | | | 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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A family dog sits in front of what is left of its home following an apparent Sunday night tornado that swept through the small community of Louin, Miss., on Monday, June 19, 2023. | Rogelio V. Solis/AP Photo | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | 2024 WATCH KNOWING ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR. — “The conspiracy candidate: What RFK Jr.’s anti-vaccine crusade could look like in the White House,” by NBC’s Brandy Zadrozny in Los Angeles: “That invitation back into polite society, at a moment when he’s got so much to say, is part of the reason he’s running. ‘There are rules that make it difficult for the public airwaves to censor you,’ Kennedy says, misciting a federal law that requires broadcast stations provide candidates for public office with equal opportunity to airtime. ‘So I thought maybe I should run.’” Related read: “YouTube removes video of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Jordan Peterson for vaccine misinformation,” by NBC’s David Ingram and Ben Goggin POLICY PUSH — “Who gets a break? Clashing ideas on tax relief are teed up for the 2024 campaign,” by AP’s Josh Boak JUST ASKING — “Ramaswamy alleges ‘open questions’ over Zelensky’s ‘treatment of religious minorities,’ including Jews,” by Jewish Insider’s Matthew Kassel MORE POLITICS WHAT TO WATCH TODAY — With Virginia’s off-year elections kicking off with primaries today, GOP Gov. GLENN YOUNGKIN is verging on total control of state government — a potential sea change with major implications for 2024, our colleague Zach Montellaro writes. “If Republicans achieve dominance, Youngkin could see his star rise even further. Youngkin, who hasn’t entirely closed the door on running for president, could use total control of the state legislature to pass a conservative agenda in a blue-leaning state. And of course, what happens in Virginia is always viewed as a sign of things to come.” YOWZA — “Lawsuit alleges NC House Speaker had affair, sex with people seeking political favor,” by WSOC-TV’s Andrew McMillan THE WHITE HOUSE THE MESSY MODI MEETING — Biden is planning to roll out the glitziest of welcomes for Indian PM NARENDRA MODI this week, with a nod to New Delhi’s rise despite the attendant complications, our colleagues Jonathan Lemire and Nahal Toosi write. In private, White House officials concede they are bound by realpolitik: India is viewed as a crucial partner in the United States’ rivalry with China. More broadly, the global contest between democracies and autocracies has defined Biden’s foreign policy, and the president has made the decision to cozy up to the world’s largest democracy, even if it is a deeply flawed one. But first: “Living la vida yoga: India’s Modi will bend leaders into shape on International Yoga Day,” AP Related read: “India’s Modi Sees Unprecedented Trust With U.S., Touts New Delhi’s Leadership Role,” by WSJ’s Rajesh Roy, Brendan Moran and Gordon Fairclough CONGRESS HOW HAKEEM ROSE — Our colleague Calder McHugh writes on HAKEEM JEFFRIES for POLITICO Magazine, looking at the House Democratic leader’s rise through Brooklyn politics, beginning with his contentious first race against Democratic incumbent ROGER GREEN, who stormed off a debate stage after Jeffries, then 29, attacked his Muslim faith. The moment “sits uncomfortably with a man whose caucus includes three Muslim representatives, and whose political success relies on building multi-ethnic, multi-religious coalitions.” How Jeffries sees it: “It was an early lesson in communication. Anything you mistakenly say on the campaign trail can and will be used against you by your opponent in the court of public opinion. … Lesson learned.” But on the other hand: “Green maintains that it’s a little more simple. He thought the attack line was premeditated, and he was so furious he couldn’t continue the debate.” FOR YOUR RADAR — “House GOP moves to ban public access to service members’ military records,” by NBC’s Courtney Kube
| | | | A message from Meta:   | | | JUDICIARY SQUARE LAY OF THE LAND — While Congress was mired in last month’s debt ceiling drama, the Supreme Court upended the world of federal environmental permitting in a decision on wetland protections, Annie Snider reports: “The court’s May 25 decision shrinking federal wetlands protections took a wrecking ball to an expansive permitting regime that has been in place for nearly 50 years … The 5-4 ruling put at least half the country’s marshes, swamps and other wetlands outside the reach of federal water protections, an outcome that could speed the way for pipelines, power lines, highways and housing projects across the U.S.” AMERICA AND THE WORLD HOW LOW CAN HE GO? — “Russia Sought to Kill Defector in Florida,” by NYT’s Ronen Bergman, Adam Goldman and Julian Barnes: “The clandestine operation, seeking to eliminate a C.I.A. informant in Miami who had been a high-ranking Russian intelligence official more than a decade earlier, represented a brazen expansion of [Russian President VLADIMIR] PUTIN’s campaign of targeted assassinations. It also signaled a dangerous low point even between intelligence services that have long had a strained history.” THE GLOBAL VIEW — “Why Inflation Around the World Just Won’t Go Away,” by WSJ’s Tom Fairless and Paul Hannon MEGATREND — “U.S. Becomes Transgender-Care Outlier as More in Europe Urge Caution,” by WSJ’s Jathon Sapsford and Stephanie Armour A CAPTIVE’S PLIGHT — “‘It was hell’: Hostage freed after years in Africa recounts ordeal and frustrations with U.S. response,” by AP’s Eric Tucker BEYOND THE BELTWAY DEEP IN THE HEART — “The Texas-sized roadblock to Biden’s climate plans,” by Ben Lefebvre: “CHRISTI CRADDICK earns tens of thousands of dollars from oil company stocks, has taken industry-paid flights and threw a campaign event hosted by one of Texas’ biggest petroleum producers. She’s also the state’s top oil and gas regulator, heading an agency that could pose a huge roadblock to one of President Joe Biden’s key climate policies.” STRUGGLE IN THE SOUTH — “Power outages continue across southern US; triple-digit heat wave grips Texas,” by AP’s Paul Weber GUNS IN AMERICA — “Mass shootings and violence leave dead and injured across the U.S. this weekend,” by AP’s Matthew Brown and Claire Savage HEADS UP — “Disciplinary hearing against Trump attorney John Eastman begins in California,” by AP’s Stefanie Dazio and Michael Blood
| | | | 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 | | The Roosevelts vs. the Kennedys was not on our 2023 bingo card. PLAYBOOK REAL ESTATE SECTION — “Fox News anchor Bret Baier lists Palm Beach home he bought only a year ago,” by NY Post’s Mary Jacob: “Initially, Baier and his wife, Amy Baier, shelled out $12 million for the three-bedroom, five-bathroom estate, located 5 minutes from Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago. The non-waterfront home hit the market for $16.5 million earlier this month.” OUT AND ABOUT — Boeing kicked off the Paris Air Show on Saturday night with a reception at the historic Hotel de Talleyrand. SPOTTED: Ziad Ojakli, Ted Colbert, Reps. Ron Estes (R-Kan.), Rick Larsen (D-Wash.), Sam Graves (R-Mo.), Garret Graves (R-La.), Rudy Yakym (R-Ind.), Thomas Kean (R-N.J.), Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) and Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) and Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Jordanian Ambassador to the U.S. Dina Kawar, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin and Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — The DCCC is announcing a slate of new hires for the 2024 cycle: Mariafernanda “Marifer” Zacarias will be national engagement director, Sam Barrett will be IE director, Viet Shelton will be national press secretary, Nebeyatt Betre will be deputy comms director, Camille Torres will be incumbent protection director, Andrea Nemecek will be national organizing director, Maria Bilbao will be grassroots fundraising director, Nisha Desai will be digital fundraising director, Cassie Saenz will be direct marketing director, and Robert Dougherty will be policy director. — Never Back Down is adding a round of new hires for its Atlanta headquarters: Lydia Hall will be regional comms director, James Eller will be research director, Robert Rose will be deputy research director, Bobby LaValley will be deputy rapid response director, and Zach Montanaro and McKenna Harbison will be rapid response analysts. — Jessica Herrera-Flanigan is now a partner at Monument Advocacy. She most recently was VP of public policy and philanthropy at Twitter and is a DOJ and House Homeland Security Committee alum. MEDIA MOVE — Ashley Gian is now a booking producer for Newsmax. She most recently was an audience coordinator for NBCUniversal and is an Amazon alum. TRANSITIONS — Lynn Starr will be chief global advocacy and policy officer at JDRF. She previously was a government affairs VP at Ericsson. … John Vivian is now a senior director at Patomak Global Partners. He previously was director for risk governance at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. ENGAGED — Andrew O’Neil, an international trade specialist at the Commerce Department, and Miranda Margowsky, head of comms at the Financial Technology Association, got engaged Saturday on a hike in Shenandoah National Park. They met on Hinge in 2018. Pic WEEKEND WEDDING — Chris Buki, SVP at West Front Strategies, and Kelley Moore, comms director to Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), got married Saturday at the Gibson Island Club. They met through mutual friend and colleague Sydney Pettit. SPOTTED: Capito, Reps. Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa), Andrew Garbarino (R-N.Y.) and Troy Balderson (R-Ohio), Saat Alety, Casey Contres, Alex Cisneros, Charles Castagna, Ryan Eaton, and Amy and Jeff Grappone. Pic … Another pic HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Reps. Don Beyer (D-Va.), Deborah Ross (D-N.C.) and Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) … Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) … Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro … Adrienne Elrod … POLITICO’s Josh Gerstein and Mackenzie Wilkes ... CNN’s Janie Boschma ... Jeremy Wiggins … Ian Prior ... Brandon Arnold of the National Taxpayers Union … Tom Zigo of the MPA … Brad Howard of the Vogel Group … Ryan Walker … Kristin White … Leon Rodríguez of Seyfarth Shaw … Ginger Loper … former Rep. Phil English (R-Pa.) … Gisselle Reynolds of Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart’s (R-Fla.) office … Chris Grieco 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 Meta: The metaverse will help students gain more hands-on experience.
Students will use augmented reality to look inside the circulatory system and see how it powers the human body—helping them gain a deeper understanding of how our bodies work.
The metaverse may be virtual, but the impact will be real.
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