| | | | |  | | By Eugene Daniels, Rachael Bade and Ryan Lizza | | | With help from Eli Okun and Garrett Ross
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A group of advocates for student loan forgiveness are launching a nonprofit group aimed at unseating House Republicans who have opposed student debt forgiveness. | Mariam Zuhaib/AP Photo | | | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | | BREAKING OVERNIGHT — “Wagner chief Prigozhin is in Russia weeks after mutiny, president of Belarus says,” by AP’s Anna Frants THE TIES THAT BIND — “The One Thing That Unites People on the Trump Indictments,” by Ankush Khardori for POLITICO Magazine: “A new POLITICO Magazine/Ipsos poll finds the public wants a fast timeline for [former President DONALD] TRUMP’s trials.” FIRST LOOK — We’ve got an exclusive preview of the cover for Alex Ward’s new book, “The Internationalists: The Fight To Restore American Foreign Policy After Trump” ($32), which is set for release in February.
|  | It’s a deeply reported account of a consequential two years as President JOE BIDEN and his administration pivoted from the Afghan withdrawal to the defense of Ukraine. “Ward uses remarkable details to explore Biden's massively consequential foreign policy,” our White House bureau chief Jonathan Lemire blurbs, “a tenet shaped by one war the president was desperate to end and another that stunned the globe." Pre-order STUMPING ON STUDENT DEBT — As challenges to Biden’s plan to forgive up to $20,000 of federal student debt worked their way through the courts, a two-track plan took shape. There was the legal defense, of course, which faced tough odds against a conservative Supreme Court. But for months, a group of advocates for student loan forgiveness has been organizing a political fight alongside the legal one. Now, with the high court emphatically striking down Biden’s plan, they are launching Protect Borrowers Action, a nonprofit group aimed at unseating House Republicans who have opposed student debt forgiveness. The 13 members targeted by PBA’s initial $2 million campaign (1) signed an amicus brief urging SCOTUS to strike down Biden’s program, (2) voted to dismantle Biden’s plan using the Congressional Review Act earlier this year, and (3) represent battleground districts. They include Reps. DON BACON (Neb.), LAUREN BOEBERT (Colo.), KEN CALVERT (Calif.), LORI CHAVEZ-DEREMER (Ore.), ANTHONY D’ESPOSITO (N.Y.), MIKE GARCIA (Calif.), JOHN JAMES (Mich.), KEVIN KILEY (Calif.), NICK LaLOTA, (N.Y.), MIKE LAWLER (N.Y.), SCOTT PERRY (Pa.), MICHELLE STEEL (Calif.) and BRANDON WILLIAMS (N.Y.). In a digital ad out this morning, a narrator talks over animations and pictures of the Republicans and Supreme Court justices: “They act like we aren’t listening or don’t care. But the joke’s on them. We’re going to make sure they hear from their constituents who they kept drowning in debt.” The campaign is the first big effort by Democrats to make political hay out of Friday’s decision, and it comes as the party looks to win credit for trying to forgive some student loan debt while deflecting the blame for the plan being blocked onto Republicans and the Supreme Court.. “You have a clear person who is trying to get this done, and you have a clear entity that's not,” American Federation of Teachers President RANDI WEINGARTEN, who is supporting PBA, told Playbook. “And so I think that we have to fight instead of just complaining about it.” MIKE PIERCE, executive director of the Student Borrower Protection Center, said the backlash that emerged following last year’s landmark abortion ruling showed it was possible to get voters to mobilize in response to a Supreme Court decision. But, he acknowledged, the student debt forgiveness movement has a lot less practice organizing than the abortion rights movement. “To sell it to the American people,” he said, “you need to be more political than you do to convince the median Biden White House staffer that what you're working on is a good idea.” Good Thursday 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. | | | DATELINE MACKINAC ISLAND — From the quaint, carless Great Lakes haven, Jonathan Martin enters another alternate dimension in his column this morning — one where Biden takes a pass on reelection and Michigan Gov. GRETCHEN WHITMER emerges as Democrats’ 2024 standard-bearer. The dream, in fact, has not died, JMart reports: “Democrats in Michigan’s congressional delegation have pleaded with Whitmer to run, I’m told by officials familiar with the conversations, and the lawmakers have themselves been nudged by colleagues from other states to push her.” Read on for scenes from an idyllic Midwestern summer, Whitmer’s aw-shucks dismissals of presidential ambition, and a keen dissection of the “Biden gap,” whereby top-level Democratic officials remain solicitous of Biden while those closer to the ground more readily express their doubts. Said one suburban mayor, “I think it’s time for Joe to move on,” adding that Whitmer would “be a great president.” MO MONEY, MO MONEY — Former President Donald Trump’s joint fundraising committee raised more than $35 million during the second quarter of the year, according to a campaign official, Alex Isenstadt writes. “The total amount raised is likely to further cement Trump’s status as the frontrunner for the Republican nomination,” Isenstadt writes. “It also underscores that the twin indictments he’s facing — with the possibility of more to come — are mobilizing his base of online donors. The average donation was $34.20, according to his campaign.” Stay tuned: “The campaign’s full filing is set to be released through the Federal Election Commission later this month. Prior to then, Trump’s campaign declined to say how much cash he currently has on hand.” NEW THREADS — Meta’s Twitter clone that launched yesterday, Threads, gained 5 million users in its first four hours, according to Meta chief executive MARK ZUCKERBERG. While it’s way too early to tell if the new platform can take a bite out of Big Bird, early users include a core group of journos and political obsessives (including one Playbook author), as well as a few 2024 presidential candidates who decided to dip their toes in. Among the early posters were DOUG BURGUM, who shared a July Fourth sizzle reel, WILL HURD, who asked supporters for help meeting the RNC’s debate requirements, and LARRY ELDER, who, uh, did what he does. Among those opening accounts but not yet using them are MIKE PENCE, ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR. and MARIANNE WILLIAMSON. More on Threads from Platformer’s Casey Newton
| | | | A message from Meta:   | | | | | BIDEN’S THURSDAY:
9:30 a.m.: The president will receive the President’s Daily Brief.
10:10 a.m.: Biden will depart the White House en route to West Columbia, S.C.
12:50 p.m.: Biden will tour Flex LTD.
1:15 p.m.: Biden will deliver remarks on “Bidenomics.”
2:20 p.m.: Biden will depart West Columbia to return to the White House.
Deputy press secretary ANDREW BATES will gaggle aboard Air Force One en route to South Carolina.
VP KAMALA HARRIS’ THURSDAY (all times Eastern):
12:55 p.m.: The VP and second gentleman DOUG EMHOFF will depart Los Angeles en route to Phoenix.
2:45 p.m.: Harris and Emhoff will participate in an arrival ceremony with Gov. STEPHEN LEWIS of the Gila River Indian Community.
3:55 p.m.: Harris will deliver remarks on Tribal nations and communities.
5:45 p.m.: Harris will visit a water infrastructure project.
7 p.m.: Harris and Emhoff will depart Phoenix en route to D.C.
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
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Israeli police use a water cannon to disperse demonstrators blocking the freeway during a protest in Tel Aviv, Israel, Wednesday, July 5, 2023. | Oded Balilty/AP Photo | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | 2024 WATCH BATTLE OF THE FLORIDA MEN — “Florida GOP will require DeSantis, Trump to sign loyalty pledge to make primary ballot,” by Gary Fineout GREAT SCOTT — Sen. TIM SCOTT’s (R-S.C.) campaign strategy seems to be to keep some distance between his day job and his presidential aspirations, write Burgess Everett and Natalie Allison. Unlike his Senate colleagues who’ve used more attention-grabbing tactics during their past presidential campaigns, like TED CRUZ (R-Texas), RAND PAUL (R-Ky.) or BERNIE SANDERS (I-Vt.), Scott has refrained from highlighting his moments on the Senate floor as hallmarks of his campaign. “Though Scott’s record is more substantial than some past legislators with White House aspirations, he’s not necessarily relying on his policymaking to win over early-state voters,” write Burgess and Natalie. “On the presidential campaign trail, Scott has talked less about his Senate policy portfolio and more about current cultural issues, saying that America ‘is not a racist country’ while decrying ‘indoctrination’ in schools on issues of race and sexuality.” THE MEDIA ANGLE — “As 2024 Crashes Into View — Trump vs. Biden 2.0 — Revisionist History Is Rearing Its Ugly Head,” by Brian Stelter for Vanity Fair: “Have memories of Trump’s misconduct already faded? Do memories perhaps need to be jogged? I’m inclined to say yes, since so many news executives and political analysts appear to have succumbed to revisionist history, downplaying Trump’s destruction of a shared reality and his shredding of democratic norms.” VAXXING POETIC — “Bill Ackman explains why he embraced RFK Jr.’s skepticism on Covid vaccines,” by CNBC’s Brian Schwartz THE BRAVE NEW WORLD — “Mayor Suarez launches an artificial intelligence chatbot for his presidential campaign,” by AP’s Ali Swenson THE WHITE HOUSE THE WHITE HOUSE BLOW-UP — The discovery of cocaine in the White House over the weekend has Washington keyed up to figure out how the substance got there. But a law enforcement official familiar with the investigation told our colleague Daniel Lippman that the source of the drug is unlikely to be determined given that it was discovered in a highly trafficked area of the West Wing. “Even if there were surveillance cameras, unless you were waving it around, it may not have been caught,” an official said. ELON MUSK, replying to a POLITICO tweet of this article: “Any guesses?” SWEDEN THE DEAL — “Biden Says He Is ‘Anxiously’ Waiting for Sweden to Join NATO,” by NYT’s Katie Rogers and Michael Crowley: “On Wednesday, KARINE JEAN-PIERRE, the White House press secretary, told reporters that Mr. Biden would ‘continue to be outspoken’ about Sweden joining the alliance, but said that it was ultimately up to the group’s 31 members.” CONGRESS BREAKING THE BANKS — Sen. J.D. VANCE (R-Ohio) is making a habit of picking fights with big banks, one of the most powerful industries in the country, and he’s consistently teaming up with Democrats to do it. “Vance’s approach to the most powerful financial institutions — similar to pushes he’s made to strengthen rail safety requirements and curb airline fees — is the latest example of an emerging GOP shift as a new crop of Republican politicians challenge the party’s pro-business, free-market ideology,” our colleague Eleanor Mueller writes this morning. “Fueled by former President Donald Trump, it’s upending conservative politics and stirring tensions within the party about how it approaches the economy.” THE ARTFUL DODGER — “Tax records show Sen. Joe Manchin has been late on payments repeatedly in recent years,” by NBC News’ Allan Smith: “Just last week, [Sen. JOE] MANCHIN paid off nearly $700 he owed to Marion County, West Virginia, in back taxes accrued over the past three years on a pontoon boat and multiple trailers. … At times, the late payments, which were detailed in records stretching back to 2009, were made within days of their due dates. Others were made months, if not years, later.”
| | | | A message from Meta:   | | | TRUMP CARDS TALE OF THE TAPE — Surveillance footage from Mar-a-Lago showed Trump aide WALT NAUTA moving dozens of boxes just before DOJ investigators arrived at the property last June to collect records, report WSJ’s C. Ryan Barber and Sadie Gurman. Details of the footage came to light after new portions of the Justice Department’s search warrant affidavit became public, showcasing the extent of the evidence the department had collected before its search of Mar-a-Lago. Happening today: “Nauta is set to appear in federal court Thursday for an arraignment hearing where he is expected to plead not guilty to charges he conspired with Trump to retain sensitive government documents and lied to federal investigators in a voluntary interview.” Related read: “In Trump case, Justice Dept. unseals previously blacked-out portions from search warrant application,” by AP’s Eric Tucker JUDICIARY SQUARE INSURRECTION FALLOUT — “Prosecutors Face Conspiracy Theories in Jan. 6 Trial,” by NYT’s Alan Feuer: “Few people connected to the Jan. 6 attack have embraced conspiracy theories about the attack as fully as [ALAN] HOSTETTER, who is planning to place them at the heart of his defense. “Acting as his own lawyer, Mr. Hostetter has said that he intends to fight charges of conspiracy and obstruction based on what he calls ‘three fundamental pillars’: that the 2020 election was stolen from President Donald J. Trump; that he and other rioters had no desire to disrupt the challenges to the vote results that were taking place inside the Capitol on Jan. 6; and that, therefore, the assault on the building had to have been staged by ‘federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies.’” FOR YOUR RADAR — “Government appeals ruling that restricts feds from contacting social media firms,” by Josh Gerstein BEYOND THE BELTWAY HEADLINE OF THE DAY — “Tony Evers uses veto powers to extend annual increases for public schools for the next four centuries,” by Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel’s Molly Beck and Jessie Opoien WAR IN UKRAINE AID UPDATE — “Pence says Trump and DeSantis do not understand broader importance of US military aid to Ukraine,” by AP’s Thomas Beaumont: EYES ON THE SKIES — “US releases video of Russian fighter jets harrassing American drones over Syria,” by AP’s Lolita Boldor AMERICA AND THE WORLD TIGHTEN THE SCREWS — “After Discord leak, Pentagon to tighten procedures for classified info,” by Lara Seligman: “[A review] did find areas where the Pentagon needs to improve accountability measures to prevent future leaks. Those include keeping better track of who has access to classified documents and where that information is being held, along with making sure those who can see classified information have up-to-date nondisclosure agreements.” But, but, but: “Since [JACK] TEIXEIRA had the security clearance necessary to view the documents, it’s not clear whether the Pentagon’s tightened procedures would have prevented the leak.” MEDIAWATCH BECAUSE, OF COURSE — “GQ Editor Who Pulled Critical David Zaslav Story Is Producing Movie for Warner Bros,” by Variety’s Tatiana Siegel BUY HIGH, SELL HIGH — “BuzzFeed’s Peretti Is Hoping to Raise $150 Million From Sale of Complex Assets,” by The Information’s Sahil Patel: “For months, BuzzFeed stock has traded so low that the Nasdaq recently threatened the company with delisting. With BuzzFeed’s effort to sell Complex Networks, a group of websites targeted at people in hip-hop, fashion and sports, CEO JONAH PERETTI has the chance to transform Wall Street’s view of the company.”
| | | | 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 | | Tommy Shelby was, in fact, featured in the Ron DeSantis anti-LGBTQ ad, Peaky Blinders confirmed. (The show denounced the ad and its character’s inclusion.) Bill Clinton met Pope Francis at Casa Santa Marta. PLAYBOOK METRO SECTION — “Nancy Yao out as Smithsonian women’s history museum boss,” by WaPo’s Manuel Roig-Franzia: “Yao’s planned June start date as founding director of the American Women’s History Museum had been delayed indefinitely after a Post report in April detailing several whistleblower retaliation lawsuits she’d settled while she was the head of the Museum of Chinese in America.” FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Isabel González Whitaker is joining Moms Clean Air Force as associate VP for public engagement. She most recently was COO of All in Together. TRANSITION — Jake Engle is now director of digital research and campaign services at Drive Agency. He previously was director of digital comms at GQR. ENGAGED — Ian Tuttle, a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Politics at Princeton, and Caitlin Carroll, an SVP at Powell Tate and a Richard Burr alum, recently got engaged at their home after Ian took Caitlin out for her birthday dinner at Reveler’s Hour. The couple met at a rooftop party in July 2021. Pic … Another pic WEDDING — “This ‘Reaching Across the Aisle’-Themed Wedding Made Light of the Couple’s Political Differences,” by Washingtonian’s Amy Moeller: “The escort wall was inspired by the shape of the senate floor, with two distinct colors and sides, plus Casey and Joe as the ‘independents.’ For other political touches, they had an advice ‘ballot’ that was used in place of a guest book, plus Bennett 2022 campaign stickers for guests to wear, and at the end of the night, Casey and Joe shared a dance while donning Trump and Biden masks.” WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Erin Zumbrun, a VP at Porter Novelli, and Josh Zumbrun, “The Numbers” columnist at the WSJ, welcomed Emma Miriam Zumbrun on Friday. She joins big sister Addie. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Former President George W. Bush … Storm Horncastle of the VP’s office … POLITICO’s Anita Kumar … CBS’ John Dickerson … WaPo’s Glenn Kessler and Tyler Pager … Targeted Victory’s Sarah Morgan … Christyn Lansing of Narrative Strategies … Gabriela Meléndez-Olivera … Kara Gainer … CNN’s Athena Jones … Jennifer Duffy … Kimberly Dozier … Chris Paulitz … Danny Sepulveda … Mark Tomb … Jill Zuckman of SKDK … Apple’s Nick Ammann … Caleb Orr … Zachary Karabell … Maryland state Del.-elect Ryan Spiegel, who’ll be sworn in today … CNBC’s Dan Colarusso 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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