| | | | |  | | By Garrett Ross | Presented by The National Association of REALTORS® | | 
Speaker Mike Johnson has set a date for sending impeachment articles against DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to the Senate. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | |  | THE CATCH-UP | | MARK YOUR CALENDAR — Speaker MIKE JOHNSON said in a letter today that House Republicans plan to send articles of impeachment against DHS Secretary ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS to the Senate on April 10, urging Majority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER to “expeditiously” schedule a trial. “To table articles of impeachment without ever hearing a single argument or reviewing a piece of evidence would be a violation of our constitutional order and an affront to the American people whom we all serve,” Johnson and the 11 impeachment managers wrote in the letter. Schumer showed no sign he’d heed their warnings in a statement just out: “This sham impeachment effort is another embarrassment for House Republicans,” he said in part. “The one and only reason for this impeachment is for Speaker Johnson to further appease DONALD TRUMP.” More from Jordain Carney, Ursula Perano and Olivia Beavers Meanwhile, Ukrainian President VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY said in a post on X that he spoke with Johnson to brief the speaker on the war, using the conversation as another chance to advocate for more U.S. funding: “In this situation, quick passage of US aid to Ukraine by Congress is vital. We recognize that there are differing views in the House of Representatives on how to proceed, but the key is to keep the issue of aid to Ukraine as a unifying factor.” More from Anthony Adragna JOE ON JOE — President JOE BIDEN said the late Sen. JOE LIEBERMAN was a “good man,” as he left D.C. for New York this morning, adding that he spoke with Lieberman’s wife, HADASSAH, this morning. (h/t Washington Examiner’s Christian Datoc) WHAT JANET YELLEN IS READING — The economy is showing new signs of humming as the general election slog gets closer, with both sides trying to deploy the issues as a base motivator. “U.S. consumer sentiment rose markedly toward the end of March, supported by strong stock-market gains and expectations that inflation will continue to ease,” Bloomberg’s Vince Golle reports. The details: “The University of Michigan’s sentiment index climbed to 79.4 from 76.5 earlier in the month, reaching the highest since mid-2021, according to the final March reading issued Thursday. The 2.9-point gain from the preliminary reading was the biggest intramonth increase since August 2022. Americans expect prices will climb at a 2.9% rate over the next year, compared with the 3% expected earlier in the month. … “Other data out Thursday showed the government’s two main measures of US economic activity posted strong advances at the end of last year, pointing to an economy that’s still expanding at a healthy clip. A separate report showed pending sales of previously-owned homes in the US recovered last month after declining at the start of the year, adding to evidence that the housing market is gradually improving.” Related read: “Applications for US unemployment benefits dip to 210,000 in strong job market,” by the AP BIG NEWS FROM THE BLUEGRASS — The Kentucky state Senate today sent a bill to Gov. ANDY BESHEAR’s desk “stripping the state’s Democratic governor of any role in picking someone to occupy a U.S. Senate seat if a vacancy occurred in the home state of 82-year-old Senate Republican leader MITCH McCONNELL,” AP’s Bruce Schreiner reports from Frankfort, Kentucky. Instead, a special election would be held to fill any vacancy. Nota bene: While Beshear has noted his opposition to the legislation, Republicans’ supermajority in the legislature could override a potential veto. Good Thursday afternoon and happy MLB Opening Day! Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Send me your World Series predictions: gross@politico.com.
| | | | A message from The National Association of REALTORS®: The National Association of REALTORS® is fighting for housing affordability and availability before Congress.
The lack of affordable housing supply is hurting the middle class and depriving first-generation and first-time homebuyers of the financial security that homeownership provides.
That’s why REALTORS® are focused on fixing the affordable housing crisis and bringing relief to the American people. See our bipartisan plan at flyin.realtor. | | | A SURPRISING INVITE — Our colleague Josh Gerstein has dusted off another find from the White House archives: an invitation to then-first lady HILLARY CLINTON to speak at the conservative Federalist Society group’s annual lawyers’ conference. The 1997 letter is signed by none other than LEONARD LEO, the longtime Federalist Society leader who screened Supreme Court and other judicial nominations for Trump and is now regarded as an archnemesis by many Democrats and liberals. “We would be most pleased to have you participate in the panel titled, ‘The Lawyers [sic] Role in the American Republic,’" Leo wrote in his capacity as the group’s National Lawyers Division Director. “Given your expertise in working with the organized bar and your deep interest in legal services for the less privileged in society, I am sure you would make an important contribution to the discussion.” Records released earlier this month by the Clinton Presidential Library show Leo also sent Clinton an application to join the society for $25, along with a pamphlet decrying “the Left’s capture of the organized bar.” Leo sent the invite via social secretary ANN STOCK, who didn’t see much appeal in it. “I have no vested interest in this,” Stock wrote by hand atop Leo’s letter. The invite lingered in the West Wing before Clinton’s scheduling director PATTI SOLIS-DOYLE turned it down, while adding that the first lady “sends her best wishes.”
| | | 7 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW | | | 
A Colorado panel is set to deliver Rep. Lauren Boebert's reelection campaign a major shakeup today. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | 1. ONE TO WATCH OUT WEST: A panel of Republicans in Colorado is set to select a candidate today to serve out the remainder of retired Rep. KEN BUCK’s term — a prospect that could spell trouble for Rep. LAUREN BOEBERT’s (R-Colo.) chances of taking over the seat. “It’s an unusual and confusing twist in a closely watched primary race for a district the far-right Republican Boebert has not represented previously,” AP’s Jesse Bedayn writes from Denver. “Whoever the committee chooses is expected to prevail in the special election against the Democratic nominee, finish Buck’s term and reinforce Republicans’ slim majority in the U.S. House. But the decision could have farther-reaching consequences. … Whoever is picked would be running in two separate races for the same seat until the June election, giving them greater notoriety, media coverage and expanded fundraising opportunities.” 2. COURTING CONTROVERSY: As CRYSTAL CLANTON prepares to join Supreme Court Justice CLARENCE THOMAS as a clerk, the selection comes with quite a bit of context and controversy, NYT’s Steve Eder and Abbie VanSickle report. For Clanton, it is the “latest triumph in her redemption from a highly publicized 2017 controversy” when she was “accused of sending racist text messages, including one that read ‘I HATE BLACK PEOPLE.’” For Thomas, it is “another example of the justice landing himself in public controversy, this time by hiring his wife’s former employee and a virtual family member primarily known outside the justice’s circle for allegations that she sent anti-Black texts. “Friends say Ms. Clanton’s hiring also reflects Justice Thomas’s sympathies to a young woman under siege, as he has been, from what he has long viewed as a sanctimonious liberal elite.” The Thomases “have built such a close relationship that the couple informally refer to her as their ‘nearly adopted daughter.’” Clanton has also “lived in the Thomas home, assisted Ms. Thomas in her political consulting business and joined her in a ‘girls trip’ to New York.” 3. SECRETARY IN WAITING? As Trump continues his comeback campaign, his former diplomat and intel official RICHARD GRENELL is deploying himself across the world “as a kind of shadow secretary of state, meeting with far-right leaders and movements, pledging Trump’s support and, at times, working against the current administration’s policies,” WaPo’s Beth Reinhard, Jon Swaine and Aaron Schaffer report. “It’s unusual for a former diplomatic official to continue meeting with foreign leaders and promoting the agenda of a presidential candidate on the world stage. Grenell’s globe-trotting has sparked deep concern among career national security officials and diplomats, who warn that he emboldens bad actors and jeopardizes U.S. interests in service of Trump’s personal agenda. In the process, Grenell is openly charting a foreign policy road map for a Republican presidential nominee who has found common cause with authoritarian leaders and threatened to blow up partnerships with democratic allies.”
| | | | YOUR GUIDE TO EMPIRE STATE POLITICS: From the newsroom that doesn’t sleep, POLITICO's New York Playbook is the ultimate guide for power players navigating the intricate landscape of Empire State politics. Stay ahead of the curve with the latest and most important stories from Albany, New York City and around the state, with in-depth, original reporting to stay ahead of policy trends and political developments. Subscribe now to keep up with the daily hustle and bustle of NY politics. | | | | | 4. REALITY CHECK: “Trump claims crime rates are soaring. The numbers indicate otherwise,” by NBC’s Megan Lebowitz and Nigel Chiwaya: “Surging crime levels, out-of-control Democratic cities and ‘migrant crime.’ Former President Donald Trump regularly cites all three at his campaign rallies, in news releases and on Truth Social, often saying President Joe Biden and Democrats are to blame. But the crime picture Trump paints contrasts sharply with years of police and government data at both the local and national levels. FBI statistics released this year suggested a steep drop in crime across the country last year. It's a similar story across major cities, with violent crime down year over year in Chicago, New York and Washington, D.C.” 5. PUTIN’S IRON GRIP: “Fear Grows Among Families of Americans Held in Russia,” by WSJ’s Louise Radnofsky: “[ALSU] KURMASHEVA is one of a lengthening list of U.S. citizens who have been detained by Russia. As relations between Washington and Moscow have sunk to their lowest point since the Cold War, their families are desperate to have them included on a much shorter roll: Americans the U.S. deems wrongfully held in Russia. That label effectively commits the U.S. to working to secure a person’s release and currently only applies to two Americans locked up in Russia: EVAN GERSHKOVICH, a 32-year-old Wall Street Journal reporter detained last year, and PAUL WHELAN, a Michigan corporate security executive serving 16 years in a Russian penal colony.” Related read: “Putin says Russia will not attack NATO, but F-16s will be shot down in Ukraine,” by Reuters 6. COMMON CENSUS: “Washington Is Changing How It Asks About Race and Ethnicity,” by WSJ’s Paul Overberg and Michelle Hackman: “Under the old standard, agencies are required to ask separate questions to determine a person’s race, and then whether or not they are ‘Hispanic or Latino.’ The new standard combines those questions into a single list of categories, and respondents can choose more than one — such as checking both ‘Hispanic’ and ‘African-American.’ Respondents will have at least seven categories to choose from: American Indian or Alaska Native; Asian; Black or African-American; Hispanic or Latino; Middle Eastern or North African; Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander; and white.” 7. A MEDIA SUCCESS STORY: “How the Atlantic Went From Broke to Profitable in Three Years,” by WSJ’s Alexandra Bruell: “A core part of [CEO NICK] THOMPSON’s strategy was to figure out how much readers would be willing to pay for a subscription. He ended up raising subscription prices by more than 50%, and made it harder for people to read stories without paying. Meanwhile, Editor-in-Chief JEFFREY GOLDBERG oversaw an evolving editorial approach — moving away from day-to-day news coverage and taking bigger swings on fewer, deeply reported stories that appeal to people from across the country and political spectrum.”
| | | | SUBSCRIBE TO GLOBAL PLAYBOOK: Don’t miss out on POLITICO’s Global Playbook, the newsletter taking you inside pivotal discussions at the most influential gatherings in the world, including WEF in Davos, Milken Global in Beverly Hills, to UNGA in NYC and many more. Suzanne Lynch delivers the world's elite and influential moments directly to you. Stay in the global loop. SUBSCRIBE NOW. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced to 25 years in prison. Nicole Shanahan is no fan of IVF. J.D. Vance may be rising in the ranks to become Donald Trump’s running mate. Bernie Moreno’s family history is under scrutiny. Josh Kushner and Karlie Kloss are reviving Life Magazine. HAPPENING THIS WEEKEND — The White House has announced its full program of activities for the 2024 White House Easter Egg Roll, which will continue first lady Jill Biden’s theme of “EGGucation.” In addition to the traditional egg roll and egg hunt, this year’s event will include a school house activity area, reading nook, a picture day area and more. SPOTTED: D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser dining at Cafe Milano after the announcement that the Caps and Wizards would stay in the District. Also dining, each at separate tables: Bret Baier and Terry McAuliffe. OUT AND ABOUT — SPOTTED at a happy hour hosted by Responsibility.org ahead of Alcohol Responsibility Month next month: Chris Swonger, Leslie Kimball, Darrin Grondel, Kelly Poulsen, Brett Bruen, Kimberly Adams, Tom LoBianco, Billy Fuerst, Lauren Hassett, Liz Landers, Alex Thompson, Sophia Cai, Christine Baratta, Mia McCarthy, Jack Larsen, Jeff Dufour, Kaitlyn Levison, Rhana Natour Fares, Ryan Schmelz, Nana Sajaia, Kristen Eskow, Liz Elkind, Keming Kuo and Morgan Phillips. — SPOTTED at the 15th annual America Votes State Summit and the Cecile Richards Progressive Leader Award Ceremony at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center yesterday evening: Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.), New York AG Tish James, Oregon AG Ellen Rosenblaum, Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, Emmy Ruiz, Erin Wilson, Elizabeth Schuler, Daria Dawson, Greg Speed, Melissa Morales, Chavi Koneru, Gene Karpinski, Maurice Mitchell, Stefanie Brown James, Dakota Hall, Carlos Odio, Dominik Whitehead, Grecia Lima, Tom Lopach, Matt Morrison, Ashley Robinson, Michael Frias, Jon Fromowitz, Shwetika Baijal, Anna Scholl, Emma Brown, Angela Ferrell-Zabala, Monisha Henley, Brandon Wolf, Nick Ahamed, Mayra Macias, W. Mondale Robinson, Joel Payne and Christina Coloroso. TRANSITION — Spencer Chase is joining the Corn Refiners Association and the Plant Based Products Council as senior director of comms. He previously was managing editor at Agri-Pulse. WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Jennifer Newman, senior economic adviser and staff director on the Senate Banking Economic Policy Subcommittee for Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), and Colin Newman, SVP for strategic initiatives and chief of staff at the International Dairy Foods Association, welcomed Henry Thomas Newman on Saturday, March 23. Pic 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 Playbook Daily Briefing producer Callan Tansill-Suddath.
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