| | | | |  | | By Ryan Lizza, Eugene Daniels and Rachael Bade | | | With help from Eli Okun and Garrett Ross
| 
Rahm Emanuel spent an hour with Playbook earlier this week discussing his new life as a diplomat to one of America’s closest allies, Japan. | Eugene Hoshiko/AP Photo | | | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | | FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: WEEKEND WEDDING — Rep. STENY HOYER (D-Md.) and ELAINE KAMARCK, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, got married Saturday in a small family ceremony in St. Mary’s County, Md. Rep. EMANUEL CLEAVER (D-Mo.) officiated. Pic LEDE OF THE DAY — Rebecca Traister in a just-posted N.Y. Mag cover story: “While waiting for his plate of meatloaf, gravy, and an iceberg wedge at an empty restaurant in Concord, New Hampshire, on the first day of June, ROBERT KENNEDY JR. was gently explaining to me that nobody knows whether HIV is the sole cause of AIDS.” IT’S THAT TIME AGAIN — The end-of-quarter FEC deadline is 11:59 p.m. tonight — meaning you can expect lots of campaign fundraising emails today. With donors playing a role in who gets into the first GOP primary debate, candidates have gotten increasingly desperate, Jessica Piper writes this morning. (That might not fully explain why Florida Gov. RON DeSANTIS sent three emails this week with the subject line “Do not tell my children that men can get pregnant.”) THE PLAYBOOK INTERVIEW: RAHM EMANUEL — It’s been over a year since the man long known in American politics as “Rahmbo” became the 31st U.S. ambassador to Japan and morphed into a diplomat that people in Tokyo now call “Rahm-san.” It’s been an eventful 15 months. Ambassador Emanuel — still doesn’t roll off the tongue! — has been busy condemning China for its “economic coercion,” prodding Japan to wean itself off of Russian gas and scale up its nuclear power industry, and, most recently, becoming a high-profile proponent of Japan legalizing same-sex marriage, a stance that earned him some fiery rebukes from the country’s conservatives. (“We will take immediate action to make him go back to his country,” one politician warned him.) We jumped on Zoom with Emanuel earlier this week (his Monday morning), and spent an hour with him discussing his new life as a diplomat to one of America’s closest allies. You can listen to the full conversation on this week’s episode of Playbook Deep Dive. What follows are some key excerpts. — On what might be called the “Rahm doctrine”: “My general attitude — I know this comes as a shock to you — is usually: Say you’re sorry afterwards. Don’t ask for permission, because you’re going to be sitting still for a long time. And as you probably know — and I’m self-aware — patience is not one of my strong suits. … I call patience a waste of time.” — How politics prepared him for diplomacy: “A lot of people think … that, somehow, the diplomatic life is separate from politics. Nothing could be further from the truth. If people are involved — breaking news! — politics is involved. … Politics all being personal — and understanding power, understanding communication, understanding how to message stuff — turned out to be really beneficial to being a diplomat.” — On China: “Look at China. It’s three circles, one tight, one outer and then one on the very outskirts. The first tight circle is the relationship between the Communist Party and the people of China. The basic premise there was: ‘You give us power; we’ll give you economic growth.’ Well, China’s under massive economic strain — 20% unemployment among youth, which probably means it’s 25% or 30% … you can’t trust the stats. … “The [second] circle: In the region, China is defined by conflict. Two land conflicts in December with India. Two coastal conflicts with the Philippines. Constantly conflicting with Japan on the Senkaku Islands. Hitting us not only with the spy balloon, but tracking our boats and our ships. It’s also true for Canada, also true for Australia. … “The outer circle is defined by charm. They’re trying to — in both the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and Europe — go on a charm offensive. I think in Europe, we’ve done a great job in stymieing them. They’ve done a horrible job for themselves in Africa, in the Belt and Roads [Initiative]. So it’s not one China.”
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Explore more possibilities with the metaverse. | | | — On how the world sees Biden’s America vs. Trump’s America: “When you energize alliances, you give confidence to allies. They will go farther. They won’t do just the bare minimum for America. They will do something more. … President Biden has actually done a tremendous job … of giving our allies the confidence in America and in their alliance with America to go far. — On his push for same-sex marriage equality in Japan: “In America, we have a history where change bubbles from the bottom up. That has been our history and our political culture. Japan has a history — if you go back — more where change comes from the outside. Historically, it’s not the same. … “I’ve walked in the pride parade — like I did as mayor, like I did as congressman. Spoke out on behalf of what I believe should be the policy: that there’s not ‘gay’ marriage or ‘straight’ marriage, there’s marriage.” — On his fit as ambassador: “Sometimes, I think the whole ‘diplomatic’ thing is many shades of gray. And the last thing I am is just one shade of gray.” — On his future in politics: “I have another year and a half. I’m totally focused on making sure my first job — which is a job the president asked me to do — that I get it done right. .. So that’s number one. “I haven’t made a decision of what I’m going to do. I obviously love public life, and I think it’s premature right now, given everything that’s going on not only here with the job, but in politics, to say that. I don’t know. “I’m young enough that I still want to do something in public life. I like doing something in public life. Where that goes? How that goes? I don’t know.” — On what he prefers to be called by Ryan during their interview: “To you, it’s ‘Your Excellency.’” Happy Friday. It’s the last day of June. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza.
| | | | A message from Meta:   | | | TALK OF THIS TOWN — “Washington Is Obsessed With Civility. You Got a Problem With That?” by Michael Schaffer: “The outgoing Washington Post publisher’s new project is the latest campaign against America’s noxious discourse. Is it a good cause, a hobby horse of establishment D.C. moderates — or both?” JULY 4TH BEACH READS — POLITICO Magazine presents “POLITICO’s Very Original, Not-Your-Normal-Politics-Books Summer Read”
| | BIDEN’S FRIDAY:
11 a.m.: The president will receive the President’s Daily Brief.
4 p.m.: Biden will leave the White House for Camp David.
Press secretary KARINE JEAN-PIERRE will brief at 3:15 p.m.
VP KAMALA HARRIS’ FRIDAY (all times Eastern):
4:50 p.m.: Harris will take part in a moderated conversation at the Essence Festival of Culture in New Orleans.
7:10 p.m.: Harris will leave New Orleans for LA, arriving at 11 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
|  A mannequin explodes during a display of what can go wrong when launching fireworks from the body during an event held by the Consumer Product Safety Commission on the National Mall Thursday, June 29. | Drew Angerer/Getty Images | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | THE WHITE HOUSE BIDEN’S BIG INTERVIEW — The president sat down with MSNBC’s Nicolle Wallace for an interview yesterday that covered a fair amount of ground. Among the notable moments:
- Biden maintained his opposition to Supreme Court expansion, which he said would be a “mistake” for the long-term health of the court. But he also doubled down on his comment earlier in the day that the current court is not “normal,” telling Wallace: “It’s done more to unravel basic rights and basic decisions than any court in recent history. That’s what I meant by not normal.”
- Biden vowed that he’d “not spoken once” to AG MERRICK GARLAND about any case, in order to preserve the independence of the DOJ free from politicization.
- Biden wandered into a bit of media criticism: “A number of reporters have indicated that there’s no editors anymore on what they do. … [One reporter told me,] ‘You need a brand so people will watch you, listening, because of what they think you are going to say.’ I just think there’s a lot changing.”
HUNTER GATHERING — “Hunter Biden Settles Child-Support Case,” by NYT’s Katie Rogers: “According to court documents, [HUNTER] BIDEN, 53, agreed to pay a monthly sum, which was not disclosed, to [LUNDEN] ROBERTS, as well as turn over several of his paintings, the net proceeds of which would go to his daughter. … He also promised to discuss planning for a college education fund with his child’s mother. Ms. Roberts, 32, who had requested to change the girl’s last name to Biden, dropped the request as part of the agreement.” — “GOP releases testimony of whistleblowers claiming interference in Hunter Biden case,” by AP’s Farnoush Amiri: “The testimony from the two tax agency employees — GREG SHAPLEY and an unidentified IRS agent — detailed what they called a pattern of ‘slow-walking investigative steps’ and delaying enforcement actions months before elections. But it’s unclear whether the conflict they describe amounts to internal disagreement about how to pursue the wide-ranging probe or a pattern of interference and preferential treatment.” 2024 WATCH NO SURPRISE — “Trump says may skip first Republican debate, hold rival event,” Reuters. Trump to Reuters: "Why would I give them time to make statements? Why would I do that when I'm leading them by 50 points and 60 points?” HAPPENING TODAY — “Trump, DeSantis among 2024 GOP hopefuls set to appear at Moms for Liberty gathering,” by AP’s Ali Swenson THE NEW DIVIDING LINE — The Daily Caller’s Diana Glebova asked the 2024 Republican candidates where they stand on ending birthright citizenship (which would be unconstitutional). Notably, NIKKI HALEY’s campaign says she’d seek to end it for people in the U.S. illegally, and VIVEK RAMASWAMY’s says he’d seek to reform it by forcing Americans to pass a civics test or serve their country. ASA HUTCHINSON and Miami Mayor FRANCIS SUAREZ are opposed. GIRLFRIEND, YOU ARE SO ON — “Marianne Williamson defends leadership, pushes back on claim of ‘uncontrollable rage,’” by ABC’s Fritz Farrow: MARIANNE WILLIAMSON is “returning to her campaign in earnest after a monthlong stay in England for the birth of her first grandchild. … ‘Somebody doesn’t like my blunt personality, my directness, then I’m sorry. Then, obviously, this wasn’t the right campaign for them,’ Williamson said.” 2025 DREAMING — “Trump’s trade chief provides blueprint for second term,” by Gavin Bade: “The vision in [ROBERT LIGHTHIZER’s] ‘No Trade is Free’ represents an escalation of the trade conflicts and tariff wars that characterized the Trump years — advocating duties and trade barriers not seen for decades.” MORE POLITICS BATTLE FOR THE SENATE — “Michigan Senate Race Could Get Crowded as Several Mull Challenging Slotkin,” by Time’s Mini Racker: “JOHN TUTTLE, the vice chair of the New York Stock Exchange, is likely to enter the race and could make an announcement as early as mid-July … Former Rep. PETER MEIJER, the same source said, is also seriously looking at the race, and has begun to initiate phone calls with consultants, although may wait months before making a final decision. … Former Rep. MIKE ROGERS, who has spoken openly about a possible presidential bid in recent months, is also considering jumping into the Senate race instead.” EMPIRE STATE OF MIND — “New York Dems put abortion on the ballot in bid to retake the House,” by Brittany Gibson: “Left-leaning New York groups pledged $20 million Thursday to support a change to the New York State constitution to protect abortion rights that will be on the 2024 ballot — something they believe will boost turnout for Democrats in key swing House districts.” HOLIDAY VIBE CHECK — “Extreme Pride in Being American Remains Near Record Low,” by Gallup’s Megan Brenan TRUMP CARDS DOCU-DRAMA — It ain’t over yet. Trump may already be the subject of a federal criminal indictment over his handling of classified documents, but officials are continuing to investigate some parts of the case via the Miami federal grand jury, NYT’s Alan Feuer and Maggie Haberman report. New subpoenas have gone out in recent days, indicating that the probe continues beyond just the initial charges levied against Trump and WALT NAUTA. That could turn into nothing — or more charges against them, or other charges against additional people. One argument that Trump has deployed appears to have little merit: that he had a “standing order” giving him the authority to declassify documents at once, Bloomberg’s Jason Leopold reports. A Freedom of Information Act lawsuit revealed that neither DOJ nor ODNI could find any evidence of such an order. “The plausibility of such a standing order was dismissed as nonsensical last year by more than a dozen former White House officials.” IT’S OFFICIAL — “Former Trump campaign official cooperating with special counsel in 2020 election interference probe,” by CNN’s Zachary Cohen and Kaitlan Collins: “MIKE ROMAN is cooperating with prosecutors from special counsel JACK SMITH’s team in the ongoing criminal probe related to efforts to overturn the 2020 election.” ANOTHER TRIAL INCOMING — “Judge rejects Trump’s ‘presidential immunity’ defense in second E. Jean Carroll case,” by Kyle Cheney and Erica Orden
| | | | A message from Meta:   | | | JUDICIARY SQUARE WILD STORY — “The Mysterious Case of the Fake Gay Marriage Website, the Real Straight Man, and the Supreme Court,” by Slate’s Melissa Gira Grant: “In filings in the 303 Creative v. Elenis case is a supposed request for a gay wedding website — but the man named in the request says he never filed it.” FALLOUT FROM YESTERDAY — “Affirmative action is done. Here’s what else might change for school admissions,” by Bianca Quilantan … “How John Roberts remade the college application essay,” by Semafor’s Jordan Weissmann: “A caveat in the Supreme Court decision striking down affirmative action programs could have major implications for admissions.” POLICY CORNER ANOTHER CLASSIFIED MATERIALS SITUATION — The Biden administration has placed ROBERT MALLEY, the special envoy to Iran, on leave amid a suspension of his security clearance related to his use (and possible mishandling) of classified materials, WaPo’s Karen DeYoung and Michael Birnbaum report. One official tells the Post that Malloy was unaware of the nature of the investigation, but he said he expects it will “be resolved favorably and soon.” Per CNN, Malloy at first stayed on the job earlier this year, without access to classified info, but more recently, he was placed on leave as the diplomatic investigation continued. Malloy is a high-profile advocate of greater engagement with Iran — and a lightning rod for hawks. WAR IN UKRAINE JUST POSTED — “Ukraine’s top general, Valery Zaluzhny, wants shells, planes and patience,” by WaPo’s Isabelle Khurshudyan: “ WHAT’S NEXT IN U.S. AID — The U.S. is weighing sending two new critical pieces of military aid to Ukraine: the long-range Army Tactical Missile System (aka ATACMS, or “attack-ems”), as WSJ’s Vivian Salama scooped, and controversial cluster munitions, as CNN’s Natasha Bertrand reports. AMERICA AND THE WORLD DANCE OF THE SUPERPOWERS — “Spy Fears Over a Chinese Corn Mill Led Biden to Tighten U.S. Investment Curbs,” by Bloomberg’s Josh Wingrove THE ECONOMY SIGNS OF STRENGTH — “U.S. weekly jobless claims post biggest drop in 20 months as economy shows stamina,” by Reuters’ Lucia Mutikani: “The unexpected decline in applications reported by the Labor Department on Thursday reversed a recent jump.” TV TONIGHT — PBS’ “Washington Week,” guest-moderated by Lisa Desjardins: Eugene Daniels, Ariane de Vogue, Seung Min Kim and John Yang. SUNDAY SO FAR … NBC “Meet the Press,” with a special edition on the fentanyl crisis: DEA Administrator Anne Milgram … Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) … Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio). Panel: Lori Lightfoot, Andrew Kolodny and Jan Rader. ABC “This Week”: Mike Pence … Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.). Panel: Heidi Heitkamp, Sarah Isgur, Rick Klein and Juana Summers. FOX “Fox News Sunday”: Nikki Haley … Jennifer Griffin. Panel: Doug Heye, Annmarie Hordern, Penny Nance and Richard Fowler. CBS “Face the Nation”: Mike Pence … Eric Holder … Michael Drake. MSNBC “The Katie Phang Show”: Delaware state Sen. Sarah McBride … Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried.
| | | | 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 | | Geraldo Rivera announced that he’s quitting Fox News after being fired from “The Five.” Melania Trump launched a “1776 Collection” of NFTs. Tom Emmer met with the Winklevoss twins. Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles could soon be characters in a political ad near you — and LaCivita has some ideas for his role. OUT AND ABOUT — The U.S. Global Leadership Coalition hosted its 2023 Heartland Summit in Detroit and Sioux City, Iowa, yesterday. SPOTTED: Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Reps. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) and Haley Stevens (D-Mich.), Sioux City Mayor Bob Scott, Wayne County, Mich., Commissioner Jonathan Kinloch, Dan Glickman, Michael Wagner, Marcus Jadotte and Liz Schrayer. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Regan Williams is now legislative director for Rep. Tom McClintock (R-Calif.). He most recently was a legislative aide for Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.), and is a Jody Hice, Gary Palmer and Trump DHS alum. — Bobby Panzenbeck will be VP for client services at the Lafayette Company. He previously was a director at MikeWorldWide and DCI Group. WHITE HOUSE DEPARTURE LOUNGE — Iran Campana is moving to Ottawa to be senior advisor to U.S. Ambassador to Canada David Cohen. She most recently has been director for White House operations, and is a Biden campaign alum. TRANSITIONS — Dan Shapiro is rejoining the Biden administration as senior adviser for regional integration at the State Department, focusing on the Abraham Accords. He’s a former U.S. ambassador to Israel. … Jack Colonnetta is now comms director for Rep. Frank Lucas (R-Okla.). He most recently was press secretary for Rep. Greg Murphy (R-N.C.). … Sara Garcia is now director of operations for Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.). She most recently was office manager for government relations at the Home Depot. ENGAGED — Coleman Smith, director of “The Hill” on NewsNation and “On Balance with Leland Vittert,” and Erenia Michell, senior booking producer for “On Balance” and a Fox News alum, got engaged Sunday in Boston. They met in Chicago when launching On Balance. Pic … Another pic HAPPY BIRTHDAY: The Atlantic’s David Frum … Robyn Shapiro … Kyle Plotkin … former Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-Va.) … Ward Carroll … Dan Leistikow … Meteorite’s Mills Forni … Dan Judy of North Star Opinion Research … Paul Cheung of the Center for Public Integrity … Rachel Gorlin … Advoc8’s John Legittino … former IRS Commissioner John Koskinen … Stephanie Miliano of Stu Loeser & Co. … Zack Christenson … Kara Adame … Norm Sterzenbach … Alexandra Acker-Lyons … Eve Sparks of Rep. Nancy Mace’s (R-S.C.) office … Kenneth Callahan III 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. Corrections: Yesterday’s Playbook mistakenly included the name of someone who died in 2022 in the birthdays section. It also misstated the location of Robert Kennedy Jr.’s town hall with NewsNation. It was in Chicago.
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