| | | | |  | | By Eugene Daniels, Rachael Bade and Ryan Lizza | | | | | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | | With help from Eli Okun and Garrett Ross TODAY’S BUZZIEST READ — Jonathan Martin goes long on Speaker emeritus NANCY PELOSI, tagging along with her as she zig-zags across San Francisco and tries to avoid making news on two big topics that hang over the city like its iconic ocean fog: (1) whether she’s going to seek reelection, and (2) DIANNE FEINSTEIN, whose failing health has prompted concerns about the 90-year-old senator’s ability to fulfill the responsibilities of her office.
|  Pelosi speaks to reporters at the Capitol on Jan. 27. | Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images | We devoured every word of this, and think you will, too. A few bits that stuck with us: — A possible sign Pelosi could retire: “She was delighted to see [her husband, PAUL PELOSI] as he arrived near the end of the reception at a city art gallery. I didn’t ask him if he got a vote on the matter of his wife’s plans but he seemed to register his view when we got to talking about their end-of-August trip to Italy. “You’re not going to be ambassador after all, I said, reminding the Pelosis of the incessant speculation that she would end her career as America’s ambassador to the country of her roots. “‘It wouldn’t go away but she was very clear,’ Paul Pelosi said of the rumor: ‘“I don’t want the job, I’m done, I’m done.”’ “It was when he said the ‘done’ part that I noticed his wife’s hand clench his in that way spouses do when they want to quietly convey something to one another, in this case: Please don’t say anything more on that topic to this reporter.” — The case for *not* retiring: “‘Well let’s just go back about six years and we had Dianne, we had Barbara, we had Jackie Speier, now Jackie is gone, so we’ll see,’ Pelosi said, laying out the rationale for another run by invoking the three, veteran Bay-area lawmakers who’ve retired or are retiring: Feinstein, former Senator BARBARA BOXER, who stepped down in 2017, and former Representative JACKIE SPEIER, who left Congress at the start of this year. “It was a striking moment of candor, when the text of our conversation (Nancy Pelosi’s San Francisco) finally met the subtext of it (Nancy Pelosi’s future in San Francisco). Yet it was only a moment. Pelosi grew characteristically elusive again — and harder to believe. ‘I haven’t been thinking much about it – yet,’ she said, ‘but I will. When I need to, I will.’” More here, including Pelosi’s icy reaction to the calls for Feinstein to resign. HUNTER BECOMES THE HUNTED — In a short court filing with large implications, federal prosecutors gave themselves a deadline of Sept. 29 to indict HUNTER BIDEN, the sole surviving son of President JOE BIDEN. The anticipated charges are related to the younger Biden’s “response of ‘no’ on a federal form he filled out as part of the purchase of a handgun when asked whether he was an ‘unlawful user’ of drugs,” writes NYT’s Glenn Thrush. As our colleague Betsy Woodruff Swan put it, “Wednesday’s filing is the latest sign that [special counsel DAVID WEISS’] team is plowing ahead with an extraordinarily sensitive and historically unprecedented investigation — a criminal case that pits prosecutors in the executive branch against the president’s son.” To say the least, the timing is going to cause headaches for President Biden, his administration and his campaign — especially if the case actually goes to trial while he is simultaneously running for reelection while being the subject of a possible impeachment inquiry in the GOP-held House.
|  Biden salutes while boarding Air Force One on May 31. | Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images | BIDEN SHARPENS SALES PITCH TO WORLD — This afternoon, Biden is doing one of his favorite things: getting the hell out of D.C. (Unless the first lady gives him Covid, of course.) He’s heading first to New Delhi for the G-20 summit, then on to Vietnam, where he aims to strengthen ties with the country. The subtext of both visits is China’s global and regional economic might. Biden’s pitch — which he’ll deliver to every country that will listen — is that a global alliance led by the U.S. is a smarter choice for any would-be allies than joining one led by China, which “looks less and less like a reliable partner for developing countries,” as Alexander Ward and Jonathan Lemire write in a curtain-raiser this morning. That pitch may be coming at precisely the right time and place, Alex and Jonathan write: For one, “the greatest villains of the Biden years, Russia’s VLADIMIR PUTIN and China’s XI JINPING, won’t be in the Indian capital. … Concern about China’s sputtering economy has rattled global markets. Growth has slowed and unemployment levels have soared, particularly for the country’s newest workers. The numbers for youth unemployment have gotten so bad that Beijing stopped publishing data in August.” Biden’s top priorities for the trip: — A signed strategic partnership with Vietnam. After last month’s trilateral defense accord between the U.S., Japan and South Korea, another partnership in the region would be yet another blow to China’s chokehold in the Pacific. — Progress with Saudi Arabia vis-a-vis Israel. At the G-20, Biden is expected to have a bilateral with Saudi Crown Prince MOHAMMED BIN SALMAN. For months, the administration has worked to normalize the relationship between Saudi Arabia and Israel. While we don’t expect anything more than minimal progress on that front at this meeting, if a deal is struck, it will overshadow the rest of the trip. — Hugging India to send a message to the world. The embrace of India — the world’s largest democracy — while the leader of China is absent from the global meeting serves as a signal that the nation is a “growing economic powerhouse that serves as a counterweight to China and a bridge between the world’s poorest peoples and the West,” as Alex and Jonathan put it. — Unity on Ukraine. With Putin skipping the meeting, this is the best chance Biden and his Western allies have to actually get G-20 countries to publicly and loudly condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. — Selling developing countries on rules-based institutions. Biden is hoping to convince nations to participate in multilateral institutions like the World Bank and the IMF, citing the United States' own steady job growth and reducing inflation as proof that the rules-based order works. Good Thursday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza.
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Learn how Amazon supports independent sellers. | | | SECRETARY OF VOGUE — Just out this morning, White House press secretary KARINE JEAN PIERRE received the Vogue treatment with a feature (and photoshoot to match) in the fashion magazine. The article, while largely biographical, has quotes from first lady JILL BIDEN to chief of staff JEFF ZIENTS and everyone in between. KJP also wades into some of the attacks from her critics: “I take none of it personally. … I’m representing the president, so petty is just not on the menu.” McCARTHY EXHALES — “Utah Republicans block Trump critic from Congress,” by Madison Fernandez: “They nominated CELESTE MALOY to succeed Rep. CHRIS STEWART (R-Utah), who is resigning from Congress later this month to care for his ailing wife. Maloy, a former aide to Stewart, beat former state Rep. BECKY EDWARDS and former state party chair BRUCE HOUGH, who came in second and third, respectively.” JUST POSTED — “From Hoover to Nixon to Obama, Presidential Centers Call to Protect Democracy,” by NYT’s Nick Corasaniti: “A coalition representing nearly every former president from HERBERT HOOVER to BARACK OBAMA issued a collective call on Thursday to protect the foundations of American democracy and maintain civility in the nation’s politics. … The statement is largely anodyne in its prose and is careful not to include specific examples that could seem to refer to a current or a former elected leader. But some of its wording, and its timing, appear to serve as a subtle rebuke of former President DONALD J. TRUMP.”
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10 a.m.: The president will receive the President’s Daily Brief.
4:45 p.m.: Biden will depart the White House en route to Ramstein, Germany, for the G-20 meeting.
VP KAMALA HARRIS’ THURSDAY: The VP departed Jakarta, Indonesia, en route to Japan earlier this morning.
THE SENATE will meet at 10 a.m. to consider several nominations.
THE HOUSE is out. | | | | | | GROWING IN THE GOLDEN STATE: POLITICO California is growing, reinforcing our role as the indispensable insider source for reporting on politics, policy and power. From the corridors of power in Sacramento and Los Angeles to the players and innovation hubs in Silicon Valley, we're your go-to for navigating the political landscape across the state. Exclusive scoops, essential daily newsletters, unmatched policy reporting and insights — POLITICO California is your key to unlocking Golden State politics. LEARN MORE. | | | | | PHOTO OF THE DAY
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Ukraine Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken talk as they eat at a McDonald's in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sept. 6. | Brendan Smialowski/Pool via AP | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | 2024 WATCH READING BETWEEN THE LINES — A deep dive under the hood of Never Back Down, the RON DeSANTIS super PAC, reveals a somewhat surprising revelation about the best platform for delivering messages for their candidate: It’s not TV ads — it’s text messages. This knowledge could end up being the difference between the Florida governor continuing to slide down the polls or staging a comeback in crucial early states, Sasha Issenberg writes for POLITICO Magazine from Atlanta. “The results are already shaping how Never Back Down spends the remainder of what is still likely to be the largest war chest in Republican primary history.” TOP-ED — MIKE PENCE writes for WSJ: “The Republican Time for Choosing” What he says: “A populist movement is now rising in the Republican Party. This growing faction would substitute our faith in limited government and traditional values for an agenda stitched together by personal grievances and performative outrage.” What he doesn’t say: The name Donald Trump. Related read: “Pence rails against Trump’s ‘siren song of populism’ as he tries to energize his 2024 campaign,” by AP’s Jill Colvin and Robert Bukaty in Manchester, N.H. FOR YOUR RADAR — “Lawsuit contends Constitution’s ‘insurrection’ clause bars Trump from running again for president,” by AP’s Nicholas Riccardi: “The lawsuit, citing the 14th Amendment, is likely the initial step in a legal challenge that seems destined for the U.S. Supreme Court. The complaint was filed on behalf of six Republican and unaffiliated Colorado voters by the group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.” Related read: “Constitutional debate over Trump’s eligibility to run more extensive than realized,” by Zach Montellaro CONSTITUENCY CONUNDRUM — “Detroit UAW workers strike threat tests Biden's plan to win union votes,” by Reuters’ Nandita Bose and David Shepardson THE WHITE HOUSE
|  Biden holds up a mask at the White House on Wednesday, Sept. 6. | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images | PRECAUTIONARY TALE — With first lady JILL BIDEN under quarantine with Covid, you might expect the president to take things easy amid an overall uptick in cases. But Biden yesterday blew through any caution sign. “I’ve been tested again today, I’m clear across the board,” Biden said at the White House, smiling as he held up his face mask. “They keep telling me, because it has to be 10 days or something, I gotta keep wearing it. But don’t tell them I didn’t have it when I walked in.” “The joke earned muted laughter from the audience. But outside the State Dining Room, it served as further confirmation of what many public health officials and outside experts have long come to believe,” Adam Cancryn writes. “The president who once pledged to eliminate Covid altogether has grown significantly less worried about it. And may be all but over it on a personal level.” SHOWDOWN IN THE LAST FRONTIER — The White House yesterday announced that it would cancel oil leases sold by the Trump administration in an Alaskan wildlife refuge and block new drilling in millions of acres in the state, “setting up a new brawl with Republicans over access to fossil fuels on federal land,” Ben Lefebvre writes, noting that it is just the latest move in the “political jousting” over the long-protected refuge. It also “may help assuage the ire environmentalists and some native Alaskan tribes felt toward the White House for approving ConocoPhillips’ massive Willow oil project earlier this year in northern Alaska.” MORE POLITICS BRAVE NEW WORLD — “Google to require disclosure of AI use in political ads,” by Rebecca Kern CONGRESS IMPEACHMENT IMPETUS — As the push to launch impeachment proceedings against Biden grows mostly among the conservative members of the House, Republicans in the other chamber still aren’t convinced. “Some senators say the evidence is still too thin to merit such a drastic step, while others simply don't want to go through another trial after former President Trump's historic dual impeachments,” Axios’ Andrew Solender writes. And while the usual suspect moderates are leading that chorus, there are some more conservative voices joining in. Sen. TOMMY TUBERVILLE (R-Ala.) said even he is “not for going through another damn trial to be honest with you.” On the other side of the aisle, Sen. JOHN FETTERMAN (D-Pa.) had perhaps the quote of the session in response to the GOP effort to impeach Biden. “Go ahead. Do it, I dare you,” Fetterman told reporters in his office, per HuffPost’s Igor Bobic. “If you can find the votes, go ahead, because you’re going to lose. It’s a loser.” “It would just be like a big circle jerk on the fringe right,” the senator added. “Sometimes you just gotta call their bullshit. If they’re going to threaten, then let’s see it.” OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR — “Pentagon goes on the attack amid Tuberville blockade,” by Lara Seligman, Paul McLeary and Connor O’Brien: "This week has seen a concerted effort to highlight to the American public how harmful the holds are, according to a senior DOD official, who was granted anonymity to discuss the strategy behind the media push.” THE SANTOS CLAUSE — “Newly obtained George Santos ‘vulnerability report’ spotted red flags long before embattled Rep. was elected,” by CBS’ Michael Kaplan, Scott MacFarlane and Graham Kates
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Amazon is committed to seeing small businesses thrive, which is why we provide services and support to help them grow. “Amazon has created a wonderful environment for small businesses, giving us the tools we need to succeed,” said Adrienne, owner of Blue Henry. Learn how. Sponsored by Amazon   | | | TRUMP CARDS FAMILY MATTERS — “Trump Plans $1M ‘Family Style’ Mar-a-Lago Dinner to Raise Money for His Co-Defendants,” by The Messenger’s Marc Caputo: “The exact date and details of the event — which could raise between $500,000 to $1 million — are still being ironed out for the Patriot Legal Defense Fund, according to two sources familiar with the planning who did not have authorization to speak on the record.” THE TRICKY TIMELINE — The Georgia judge overseeing the opening salvo in the state racketeering charges against Trump and 18 other co-defendants weighed in with a skeptical tone about trying all of the defendants together. “It just seems a bit unrealistic to think that we can handle all 19 in forty-something days,” Fulton County Superior Court Judge SCOTT McAFEE said at a hearing in Atlanta where two Trump allies — attorneys SIDNEY POWELL and KENNETH CHESEBRO — sought to split their cases from the larger group. Prosecutors laid out their rough sketch of the expected completion date: “They said the trial of Trump and the other defendants — on charges that they conspired to subvert the 2020 election — will take about four months and feature testimony from more than 150 witnesses,” Josh Gerstein and Kyle Cheney write. Meanwhile: Fulton County DA FANI WILLIS sought to shield prospective jurors, asking McAfee in a court filing “to prohibit defendants, the news media or ‘any other person’ from capturing any sort of image — from a photo to a drawing — of jurors or from distributing any identifying information about them,” the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Chris Joyner and Tamar Hallerman report. GONE GIRL — “The Giuliani aide who ‘vanished,’” by Betsy Woodruff Swan and Kyle Cheney: “Documents reviewed by POLITICO — and also in the hands of federal prosecutors — offer new details about Rudy Giuliani’s ill-fated efforts to reverse the 2020 election.” JUDICIARY SQUARE NEWS ANALYSIS — “Jan. 6 Rioters Have Been Held to Account. That Might Be the Easy Part,” by NYT’s Alan Feuer: “The effort to hold the rioters at the Capitol accountable has been the largest inquiry ever undertaken by the Justice Department, and is likely to continue for months, or even years, with additional indictments. But the looming trials of former President Donald J. Trump and those accused of helping him seek to remain in office will be a different sort of challenge, probing the resilience and authority of the criminal justice system.” By the numbers: “Trump’s 2020 crusade has led to 700 years in prison sentences,” by WaPo’s Aaron Blake REMEMBER THIS GUY? — “A football coach who got job back after Supreme Court ruled he could pray on the field has resigned,” by AP’s Ed Komenda BEYOND THE BELTWAY DEEP IN THE HEART — “Federal judge orders Texas to remove floating border barrier. Abbott immediately appeals the ruling,” by the Texas Tribune’s William Melhado and Uriel García THE DeSANTIS DOCTRINE — “Florida Expected to Approve Classical Exam as a Competitor to the SAT,” by NYT’s Dana Goldstein: “It’s the latest move by Gov. Ron DeSantis to shake up the education establishment, especially the College Board, the nonprofit behemoth that runs the SAT program.” Related read: “DeSantis names Moms for Liberty co-founder to Florida ethics panel,” by Andrew Atterbury HOT ON THE RIGHT — “A few schools mandated masks. Conservatives hit back hard,” by WaPo’s Hannah Natanson, Fenit Nirappil and Maegan Vazquez
| | | | Enter the “room where it happens”, where global power players shape policy and politics, with Power Play. POLITICO’s brand-new podcast will host conversations with the leaders and power players shaping the biggest ideas and driving the global conversations, moderated by award-winning journalist Anne McElvoy. Sign up today to be notified of the first episodes in September – click here. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Chris Christie said he’s concerned for Donald Trump’s “mental health.” Hillary Clinton will visit the White House next week. Mehdir Hasan and Vivek Ramaswamy got into a heated argument on TV. Jeb Bush made his way to the Hill yesterday — well, sort of. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Catherine Valentine is joining Substack as its first head of politics. She previously was a senior publicist at WaPo, and is a CNN alum. TRANSITIONS — Sam Falconer is now director of political strategy and advocacy at BlueLabs Analytics. He previously was a senior strategist at the Strategy Group. … Jill Dickerson is now an associate at Stones River Group. She most recently was deputy comms director for the House Budget Committee. … Terrence Clark is now a senior comms adviser for the Office of Public Affairs at DOJ. He most recently was director of comms at the Small Business Administration. … … Venn Strategies is adding Margaret French as a VP in its health practice, Noah Schloegel as a tax and financial services associate and Dominic Levings as a critical infrastructure associate. French most recently was a senior member of the government relations team and PAC director for America’s Essential Hospitals, and is a Joni Ernst alum. … Ben Purser is now VP for geopolitical risk at the Institute for Security and Technology. He previously was a public policy program manager at Meta. WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Carlos Irigaray, chief for events production and management at the Inter-American Development Bank, and Kezia McKeague, regional director for Latin America at McLarty Associates, welcomed Viviane “Vivi” Eloise Irigaray on Aug. 31. Pic … Another pic HAPPY BIRTHDAY: U.S. Ambassador to South Africa Reuben Brigety … Shawn McCreesh … Bloomberg’s Zoe Tillman … Peggy Noonan … Meridian International Center’s Stuart Holliday … Joe Klein … IBM’s Chris Padilla … WaPo’s Michael Duffy and Bill O’Leary … Meredith Raimondi of the National Council of Urban Indian Health … Robert Blizzard of Public Opinion Strategies … Jason Oxman of the Information Technology Industry Council … Sam Iacobellis … CBS’ Melissa Quinn … Erin Mendelsohn of Takeda … Elizabeth Fox … NEA’s Brandon Rettke … Craig Higgins of House Appropriations … Matthew Grill … Eric Kanter of Rep. Jared Golden’s (D-Maine) office … Caroline Chambers … Johan Propst of Rep. Brad Sherman’s (D-Calif.) office … MSNBC’s Stefanie Cargill … Maralee Schwartz … Emerson Collective’s Robin Reck … VOA’s John Walker … Mia Saponara … Nick Ciarlante … Jeff Schrade … Kate Andersen Brower … Gayle Tzemach Lemmon … Anthony Tata … former Rep. Ryan Costello (R-Pa.) … John Catsimatidis … CNN’s Priscilla Alvarez … Nathaniel Reed … Madeline Meeker of Sen. Rand Paul’s (R-Ky.) office … POLITICO’s Zoya Sheftalovich … Sawyer Hackett … Emily Fisher of the U.S. Holocaust Museum 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.
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