| | | | |  | | By Rachael Bade, Ryan Lizza and Eugene Daniels | | | With help from Eli Okun and Garrett Ross
|  As the House returns next week, the relationship between Kevin McCarthy and Mitch McConnell could face its greatest test yet. | AFP via Getty Images | | | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | | ENDORSING TRUMP TODAY — “‘She’s played her cards right’; Kristi Noem is positioning herself for the veepstakes,” by Adam Wren: “[I]f the 2024 primary is in part a tryout to be former President DONALD TRUMP’s next running mate, [South Dakota Gov. KRISTI] NOEM’s national standing appears to have been rekindled. She’s suddenly front-and-center in the veepstakes.” WHAT’S IN A NAME? — “Republicans are trying to find a new term for ‘pro-life’ to stave off more electoral losses,” by NBC’s Julie Tsirkin, Kate Santaliz, Brennan Leach and Liz Brown-Kaiser: “At a closed-door meeting of Senate Republicans this week, the head of a super PAC closely aligned with Senate Minority Leader MITCH McCONNELL, R-Ky., presented poll results that suggested voters are reacting differently to commonly used terms like ‘pro-life’ and ‘pro-choice’ in the wake of last year’s Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, said several senators who were in the room.” One alternative: “Sen. TODD YOUNG, R-Ind., summarized Wednesday’s meeting as being focused on ‘pro-baby policies.’” FOLLOW THE LEADERS — As the House returns next week, the relationship between KEVIN McCARTHY and Mitch McConnell could face its greatest test yet. For the first few years of President JOE BIDEN’s administration, the seniormost Republicans in the House and Senate were in lock step on most issues. They tag-teamed the left’s multi-trillion-dollar social spending plan. They worked together to crush plans for a bipartisan commission on the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol siege. And they railed against the president’s bungled pullout of Afghanistan. More recently, McConnell even deferred to the younger McCarthy during negotiations over the debt ceiling, backing up the new speaker every step of the way as he demanded spending cuts in return for increasing the nation’s borrowing cap. But now, with McCarthy under pressure from conservatives, he and his Kentucky Republican counterpart could quickly find themselves at loggerheads on a government shutdown, a possible Biden impeachment and a massive debate over Ukraine funding. The issues are already bubbling to the surface … — When they return next week, House Republicans under McCarthy plan to continue advancing appropriations bills well below the spending levels the speaker agreed to during bipartisan debt talks with the White House. McConnell, meanwhile, made it clear that he expects House Republicans to stand by their word and swallow larger spending numbers than they’d prefer. — McConnell this week encouraged his members to back the White House’s request for a $40 billion supplemental spending package funding disaster relief and Ukraine aid — legislation Democrats want to attach to a temporary spending patch averting a Oct. 1 government shutdown. McCarthy, meanwhile, is looking at splitting the two apart and demanding more border funding in return for the Ukraine plus-up, which totals $24 billion. — And while McCarthy continues to flirt with the idea of impeaching Biden, McConnell — who served with Biden for many years in the Senate and has closely negotiated with him in the past — tut-tutted the idea last month. “I said two years ago, when we had not one but two impeachments, that once we go down this path it incentivizes the other side to do the same thing,” McConnell told the NYT’s Carl Hulse. “Impeachment ought to be rare. This is not good for the country.” A FEW THINGS TO NOTE ABOUT ALL THIS: 1. McConnell and McCarthy have been at odds before. While McCarthy remains a top ally of DONALD TRUMP and speaks to him — and, let’s be honest, fawns over him — McConnell despises the former president, privately views him as dangerous to democracy and has long had concerns about Trump dragging down Republicans lower on the ballot. McConnell and McCarthy also split over the recent bipartisan infrastructure and CHIPS bills. While the Kentuckian and a core group of Senate Republicans joined with Democrats to pass those big-ticket bills — and hand Biden big victories — McCarthy whipped his members against both bills, railing against their price tag and claiming (accurately, it turned out) that they would pave the way for an even pricier Democratic domestic policy bill. 2. The men are extremely different people — and that’s an understatement. Yes, they’re both political animals at heart, viewing each vote through the lens of whether it helps or hurts GOP prospects in the next election. But they have wildly different ways of doing that. Where McCarthy is chatty, gabs with reporters and cheerily schmoozes with his members about their families, kids and even dogs, McConnell is reserved and at times taciturn — saying little and keeping his thoughts to himself. Even his deputies joke that being on his leadership team is like flying first class in a plane: You get to sit up front, sure, but McConnell is sealed off in the cockpit and you have no idea what he’s doing. Their political situations are night and day. McCarthy is constantly under threat from the right, which constantly rumbles about ousting him from the speakership. McConnell’s members — most of them, anyway — are so loyal that even amid scrutiny from his recent health situation, they’re sticking behind him, full stop. Consequently, McConnell often focuses on what he likes to call the “long game,” thinking months and years ahead. McCarthy, meanwhile, tends to spend each day putting out a different fire. 3. The two men aren’t particularly close, but maintain a cordial relationship and meet regularly when Congress is in session. They started working closely together after PAUL RYAN retired as speaker and McCarthy became GOP leader. When Democrats impeached Trump in 2019, the two offices shared information about what was happening behind closed doors, strategized about how to poke holes in the Democrats’ case and privately bemoaned the unpredictable president making their lives miserable. When McCarthy was amid his epic battle for the speakership, McConnell lent public support, and the two have met regularly ever since to plot strategy. THE STEPBACK: Their differences might be more obvious than usual this month, but don’t expect any big public blowups between the two leaders. For one, they still share some common ground. The two might split on Ukraine funding, for instance, but they’re both in favor of the additional fortifications at the U.S.-Mexico border that McCarthy is pushing for. And, as political tacticians, each knows how to use the dynamics in the other chamber to their own advantage. Most importantly: Both men have made it a point not to tell the other what to do or how to run their respective chambers. But with tensions building — and sparring already underway between the two chambers’ GOP rank-and-file — those niceties are going to be put to the test like never before. Happy Friday. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza.
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See the impact. | | | BIG NEWS FROM POLITICO HQ — JOE SCHATZ has been named executive editor, FRANCESCA BARBER executive director, global newsroom strategy, and ALEXANDER BURNS head of news in an announcement yesterday from our global editor-in-chief, JOHN HARRIS. “We have in our midst a team — a convergence of special talent — that is more capacious than any I have encountered across several decades as a journalist and publication-builder,” John writes. “These leaders are going to help all of us make magic together.” Much more JUST POSTED — “President Biden’s Cabinet members recently told the White House they plan to stay put,” by NBC News’ Monica Alba WRAY'S STAKES — FBI Director CHRISTOPHER WRAY used a "Spy Chat" event at the International Spy Museum last night to make a pointed case for the renewal of the intelligence-gathering power known as Section 702, Josh Gerstein relays to Playbook. The surveillance program aimed at foreigners is currently in limbo ahead of a Dec. 31 reauthorization deadline, and Wray faulted opposition from members of Congress angry about the FBI’s past use of warrants obtained under different spy powers to snoop on Americans. “This is totally different authority,” Wray said. “702 authority is vital, absolutely vital — not important, not nice-to-have — vital.” Republican lawmakers angry at the FBI for targeting Trump and his associates have led the anti-702 charge, and Wray tried out an argument that appeared calibrated to win over conservatives: Letting it expire, he said, “would, in my view, be an act of unilateral disarmament in the face of the Chinese Communist Party.” THE PLAYBOOK INTERVIEW: FRANKLIN FOER — What makes PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN? We’re all pretty familiar with VP Biden and Senator Biden. But in his latest iteration as commander-in-chief, it hasn’t been as easy to see inside his mind. Cracking into Biden’s brain and inner circle has been a challenge for the media. But now one person has done it: Franklin Foer, who has written the definitive account of Biden’s first two years in the White House: “The Last Politician: Inside Joe Biden's White House and the Struggle for America's Future.” And whether you love Biden or hate him, it might just change your understanding of him.
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| On this episode of Playbook Deep Dive, Ryan sits down with Foer to dig into the revelations that fill the pages of his new book, like how Biden makes decisions, the low point of the presidency so far and what’s in store for Biden as he prepares for another run as the oldest sitting president in history. Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify
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Nate started at an Amazon fulfillment center for the benefits and pay. “The biggest impact was I didn’t have to worry about living paycheck to paycheck,” said Nate, who started in a fulfillment center and is now an area manager. Learn about growth opportunities. Sponsored by Amazon   | | | | | BIDEN’S FRIDAY (all times Eastern):
12:10 a.m.: The president arrived in Ramstein, Germany, for a refueling stop.
1:40 a.m.: President Biden departed Ramstein en route to New Delhi, India.
9:25 a.m.: The president will arrive in New Delhi.
10:05 a.m.: Biden will participate in a bilateral meeting with Indian Prime Minister NARENDRA MODI. AP’s preview
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Tibetan youth activists participate in a protest against the visit of the Chinese delegation to participate in the G20 Summit in New Delhi, India, Friday, Sept. 8. | AP | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | THE WHITE HOUSE HOW TO BUY FRIENDS AND INFLUENCE NATIONS — At the G-20 summit, winning over the loyalties of developing nations long neglected by Washington is “critical to Biden’s economic agenda,” Gavin Bade writes. One obstacle to that happening? Many of those same nations feel “burned by decades Western-imposted austerity.” “Biden’s plan is to buy them off. The administration says the U.S. and other Western nations … need to boost their financing of infrastructure projects in the developing world. That, they hope, will provide a down payment to keep those nations from floating further toward Beijing’s orbit, even in the absence of traditional trade negotiations that Biden has eschewed since taking office. … “That investment-first strategy marks a dramatic shift from decades of U.S. economic policy that largely focused on removing tariffs and other trade barriers in hopes that private U.S. companies would rush in and industrialize poorer nations. That was the broad thinking behind the establishment of the World Trade Organization at the turn of the century, but administration officials say that agenda has now run its course.” INNER SANCTUM — “What $50 Million Can Buy: Inside the Sleek New White House Situation Room,” by NYT’s Mike Shear 2024 WATCH BLUE WALL WATCH — “How the Health Care Industrial Complex Could Torpedo Trump’s Chances in Pennsylvania,” by Charles McElwee for POLITICO Mag: “The Republican party’s reputation as anti-science has hurt it badly in places where health care is a leading employer.” On a related note … Here’s Florida Gov. RON DeSANTIS speaking in Jacksonville, Fla., yesterday, via the Tampa Bay Times: “They’re rushing these new mnra [sic] vaccines, Covid vaccines. They’re not even doing the trials necessary, and the FDA and CDC, they’ve basically become an arm of Big Pharma.” PARDON ME? — “DeSantis and Ramaswamy Call Proud Boys’ Sentences ‘Excessive’ and ‘Wrong,’’” by NYT’s Maggie Astor: “The suggestions by DeSantis and [VIVEK] RAMASWAMY that Jan. 6 rioters and conspirators were being punished more harshly than people who participated in Black Lives Matter protests align with Republicans’ broader grievances that the federal justice system has been ‘weaponized’ against conservatives.” TRUMP CARDS A NOUN, A VERB AND A LEGAL BILL — Last night, Donald Trump hosted “a $100,000-a-plate fundraiser for disgraced former New York Mayor RUDY GIULIANI at his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club … as Giuliani struggles to pay his mounting legal bills,” reports the AP. “Giuliani’s son, ANDREW, said in a radio interview Thursday morning that the event was expected to raise more than $1 million for his father and that Trump had committed to hosting a second event at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida later in the fall or early winter.” CROSSING JORDAN — Fulton County DA FANI WILLIS had a blistering 9-page response yesterday to House Judiciary Chair JIM JORDAN’s announcement of an investigation into her office, reports Jordain Carney. Over the course of nine pages, “Willis called Jordan’s actions ‘offensive,’ accused him of being ‘misinformed’ and said it’s ‘clear that you lack a basic understanding of the law, its practice, and the ethical obligations of attorneys generally and prosecutors specifically.’” JUDICIARY SQUARE ONE TO WATCH — “Supreme Court Justice Kavanaugh predicts ‘concrete steps soon’ to address ethics concerns,” by AP’s Julie Carr Smyth: Speaking at a judicial conference yesterday, Justice BRETT KAVANAUGH said he hopes steps will be taken soon to address ethics issues surrounding the court recently, but stopped short of addressing calls for an “official code of conduct.” NAVARRO GUILTY — “Peter Navarro convicted of contempt for defying Jan. 6 panel subpoena,” by WaPo’s Paul Duggan: “With right-wing provocateur STEPHEN K. BANNON, who was found guilty last summer of contempt of Congress, [PETER] NAVARRO is the second high-ranking Trump official to be convicted in a criminal case related to efforts to undo President Biden’s victory at the polls. Both men are loud proponents of widely debunked claims that former president Donald Trump was denied reelection because of voter fraud in key states.”
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Since starting at Amazon, Nate has been promoted multiple times and is now an area manager. “I started for the money, and then realized there was opportunity for growth,” said Nate. Amazon has committed $1.2B so employees have the opportunity for advancement. Read more. Sponsored by Amazon   | | | CONGRESS CAN’T SPELL ‘ACROSS THE AISLE’ WITHOUT AI — Yesterday, Sens. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D-Conn.) and JOSH HAWLEY (R-Mo.) announced plans for a framework to rein in artificial intelligence through new “requirements for the licensing and auditing of A.I., the creation of an independent federal office to oversee the technology, liability for companies for privacy and civil rights violations, and requirements for data transparency and safety standards,” reports NYT’s Cecilia Kang. FOR YOUR RADAR — “Senate confirms Biden’s FCC nominee, breaking years-long deadlock,” by WaPo’s Cristiano Lima: “Senators voted 55-43 to confirm [ANNA] GOMEZ, an FCC veteran who is a communications policy adviser for the State Department. … The move returns the agency to full strength for the first time under Biden, whose initial pick for the FCC role, GIGI SOHN, withdrew after a contentious 16-month confirmation battle. The impasse had left the agency without a Democratic majority for the entirety of Biden’s term until now.” AMERICA AND THE WORLD WORRYING HEADLINE — “North Korea says it has produced a ‘tactical nuclear attack submarine,’” by WaPo’s Min Joo Kim: “The claim was impossible to immediately verify, and North Korea has a track record of boasting about achievements it has not quite attained.” POLICY CORNER COMING SOON TO A CAMPAIGN AD NEAR YOU — “Health-Insurance Costs Are Taking Biggest Jumps in Years,” by WSJ’s Anna Wilde Mathews: “Costs for employer coverage are expected to surge around 6.5% for 2024, according to major benefits consulting firms Mercer and Willis Towers Watson … Such a boost could add significantly to the price tag for employer plans that already average more than $14,600 a year per employee, driving up health-insurance costs that are among the biggest expenses for many American companies and a drain on families’ finances.” JEALOUS GUY — “The Sierra Club hired its first Black leader. Turmoil over racial equity followed,” by WaPo’s Maxine Joselow BEYOND THE BELTWAY DAMAGE CONTROL — “The construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border under former President Donald Trump toppled untold numbers of saguaro cactuses in Arizona, put endangered ocelots at risk in Texas and disturbed Native American burial grounds, the [Government Accountability Office] said Thursday,” reports AP’s Anita Snow. TV TONIGHT — PBS’ “Washington Week”: Elisabeth Bumiller, Franklin Foer and Nancy Youssef. SUNDAY SO FAR … NBC “Meet the Press,” on moderator Chuck Todd’s last show: California Gov. Gavin Newsom … Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.). Panel: Cornell Belcher, Amy Walter, Mark Murray and Danielle Pletka. FOX “Fox News Sunday,” on Shannon Bream’s one-year anniversary as anchor: Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin. Panel: Kellyanne Conway and Celinda Lake. Panel: Mary Katharine Ham, Josh Kraushaar, Morgan Ortagus and Juan Williams. CBS “Face the Nation”: VP Kamala Harris … retired Gen. Frank McKenzie. ABC “This Week”: Secretary of State Antony Blinken … New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu … Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.). Panel: Donna Brazile, John Katko, Rick Klein and Rachael Bade. CNN “State of the Union”: Rep. Mike McCaul (R-Texas). CNN “Inside Politics”: Panel: Isaac Dovere, Eva McKend, Marianna Sotomayor and Heidi Przybyla. MSNBC “The Sunday Show”: Tennessee state Rep. Gloria Johnson.
| | | | 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 | | Pete Buttigieg’s Chipotle order leaves much to be desired. Nancy and Paul Pelosi celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. Angus King asked ChatGPT to write a poem about Joe Manchin and John Barrasso. Jen Psaki is joining MSNBC primetime. Gretchen Whitmer’s pregame pep talk for the victorious Detroit Lions: “I hope you kick the Chiefs’ ass.” OUT AND ABOUT — The Ronald Reagan Institute co-hosted a screening of the Acton Institute’s documentary “The Hong Konger” yesterday, along with the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation and the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. SPOTTED: Jay Nordlinger, Sebastien Lai, Caoilfhionn Gallagher, Sunny Cheung, Mark Clifford, Fred Ryan, John Hillen, Kelley Currie, Paul Fagan and Stacy Hsu. — SPOTTED last night at Center for Humane Technology’s AI Dilemma event at Studio Theatre: Tristan Harris, Aza Raskin, Frances Haugen, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Helen Toner, Annabel Graham, John Tien, Max Katz, Cat Zakrzewski and Frank Luntz. — SPOTTED at a USTR 30th anniversary reunion at the house of David Marchick yesterday honoring Mickey Kantor: Mack McLarty, Tom Nides, Charlene Barshefsky, Mike Froman, Jamal Simmons, Anne Luzzatto, Kirsten Powers, Ira Shapiro, Peter Allgeier and Jennifer Hillman. MEDIA MOVE — Bob Brooks is now an anchor and correspondent at Newsmax. He most recently was a reporter and fill-in anchor for ABC’s Philadelphia affiliate WPVI. TRANSITIONS — Audrey Beck is now a staff assistant for Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.). She previously was a legislative assistant with Bipartisan Policy Center Action. … Julie Green Bataille is now SVP of comms at Aledade. She previously was a managing director at GMMB and is an Obama CMS alum. … Lily Douthitt is joining the Tennessee Department of Agriculture as legislative liaison. She previously was senior legislative assistant for Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.). … … Caroline Edwards has been promoted to sergeant in the Capitol Police force. She previously was an officer (and notably testified before the Jan. 6 committee last year). … Jozmond Black is now the PAC administrator and senior manager of federal government relations at Ecolab. He previously was a political appointee in congressional affairs at DHS. … Narric Rome is now managing director for federal & state policy at Accelerate, working to advance tutoring policy. He previously was VP of government affairs at Americans for the Arts. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) … Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) … CNN’s Alayna Treene … Purple Strategies’ Steve McMahon … BerlinRosen’s Jonathan Rosen … Richard Cullen … Sharon Páez of Potomac Waves Media, Shatter and Hilltop Public Solutions … Zack Ford … POLITICO’s Jeremy White and Tara Gnewikow … Alexis Marks Mosher of Apple … Gabby Deutch … White House’s Eduardo Cisneros (4-0) and Lenore Cho … Charlotte Ivancic … Elodie Offord of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee … Jaime Lennon of Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger’s (D-Md.) office … Mike Danylak … Ali Pardo of the House GOP Conference … J.D. Durkin … Airlines for America’s Marli Collier … former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis … former Sen. Sam Nunn (D-Ga.) … E.W. Scripps’ Samantha Osborne Reynolds … former NEC Director Al Hubbard … NBC’s Maura Barrett … Brendan Kownacki … Michael Wasser of the Department of Professional Employees, AFL-CIO … Curtis Ried … Jack Petocz of Gen-Z for Change. 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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