| | | | |  | | By Eli Okun | | Presented by |  | | | |  | THE CATCH-UP | | | BREAKING — “Abortion in Arizona set to be illegal in nearly all circumstances, state high court rules,” by the Arizona Republic’s Ray Stern: “The abortion ban first codified in Arizona law in 1864 has been waiting 160 years to come back into effect.” LINE IN THE SAND — Defense Secretary LLOYD AUSTIN told the Senate Armed Services Committee today that the U.S. hasn’t seen any evidence of Israel committing genocide in Gaza. More from Connor O’Brien … Austin’s Israeli counterpart, YOAV GALLANT, told him yesterday that Israel has not determined when it will launch a Rafah invasion, per Axios’ Barak Ravid. … Meanwhile, House Foreign Affairs ranking member GREGORY MEEKS (D-N.Y.) wouldn’t say on CNN today whether he’ll sign off on the Biden administration’s sale of fighter jets and guidance kits to Israel: “I want to know what types of weapons and what the weapons would be utilized for,” he said.
|  President Joe Biden is rolling out a new rule aimed at chemical pollution. | Jamie Kelter Davis for POLITICO | BIDEN’S GREEN AGENDA IN THE SPOTLIGHT — As President JOE BIDEN campaigns for reelection, his administration’s actions to protect the environment — and the historic climate investments he signed into law — are an important piece of his pitch to voters. But Biden’s policy moves also put him on politically and legally contested terrain. How they land with everyone from swing-state voters to Supreme Court justices this year could have a major impact on the election and the natural world. In its latest landmark regulation, the EPA today announced a new rule forcing chemical plants to reduce emissions of chloroprene and other chemicals, AP’s Matthew Daly reports. The rule marks the first time that the U.S. has updated these regulations in almost 20 years, and it’s designed to clamp down on toxic pollution that can afflict nearby communities with high rates of cancer. From the Gulf Coast to the Ohio River Valley, more than 200 facilities will be affected. EPA Administrator MICHAEL REGAN emphasized that the rule aims to make good on the administration’s focus on environmental justice, as “Cancer Alley” and other areas see Black people disproportionately affected by pollution. But Denka, the company that owns one of the key affected plants in Louisiana, decried Regan’s move as “yet another attempt to drive a policy agenda that is unsupported by the law or the science,” and said it complies with requirements. In states like Michigan and Georgia, meanwhile, Biden’s wide-ranging plan to accelerate the country’s transition to electric vehicles has become fodder for growing attacks from DONALD TRUMP, who’s using “violent rhetoric” to castigate Biden’s EVs, NBC’s Allan Smith reports. Biden casts the shift as both a tool to fight climate change and a renaissance for domestic manufacturing. Trump is trying to frame Biden’s moves as detrimental to the economy (a “bloodbath” for the U.S., an “assassination” of jobs). But the auto industry largely sees it as inevitable. In one focus group, Michigan union voters say the EV transition doesn’t really affect their vote for Biden either way — and they don’t buy Trump’s exaggerated rhetoric. The flip side of Biden’s agency moves is that courts can serve as a barrier to aggressive regulations. Denka said it will sue over today’s EPA rule. And the big kahuna could arrive later this term, when the Supreme Court’s conservative supermajority is expected to overturn the 40-year-old “Chevron deference” standard. That landmark decision — which also stemmed from a clean air dispute — has steered judges to give federal agencies a lot of leeway in interpreting their mandates to protect the environment, public health and more. As the U.S. prepares for the doctrine to crumble, CNN’s Joan Biskupic digs into SANDRA DAY O’CONNOR’s papers from 1984 — and finds that SCOTUS almost never even heard the case. Related read: Demands on the grid will skyrocket as the U.S. transitions to clean energy, posing a big challenge to the country’s power lines. But a pair of new reports today spotlight a potential alternative solution: Upgrading existing power lines could significantly expand capacity, NYT’s Brad Plumer reports. VEEPSTAKES — CORNEL WEST will announce his running mate tomorrow at noon on Tavis Smiley’s show. Good Tuesday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me a line at eokun@politico.com.
| | | | A message from The National Association of REALTORS®: We don’t only support fair housing initiatives; we help see them through. From advocating to strengthen fair housing requirements in real estate licensure to having a robust code of ethics to hold ourselves accountable, our NAR members actively champion fair housing for all. Because it’s not just the law, it’s the right thing to do. Learn more. | | | | | 9 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW | | |  The Mitch McConnell-aligned Senate Leadership Fund and One Nation pulled in more than $51 million in the first quarter. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | 1. CASH DASH: The Senate GOP-aligned super PAC Senate Leadership Fund and the affiliated One Nation raised more than $51 million in the first quarter of the year, Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser scooped. That’s a record Q1 total for the groups, which will give a boost to Republicans’ drive to retake the chamber. Together, they ended the quarter with about $142.5 million in the bank. In other notable numbers, former Rep. MONDAIRE JONES (D-N.Y.) pulled in $1.75 million for his campaign to return to Congress and flip GOP Rep. MIKE LAWLER’s seat, Ally Mutnick scooped. Jones has $3 million on hand. … Rep. ILHAN OMAR (D-Minn.), facing a primary fight, raised $1.7 million and has $2.1 million on hand, per Nick Wu. … Democrat TONY VARGAS, who’s challenging Rep. DON BACON (R-Neb.), raised $770,000 and has $1.6 million on hand. 2. GEARING UP FOR TRUMP’S BIG TRIAL: “How Alvin Bragg Hitched His Fate to Trump’s,” by Kim Barker, Jonah Bromwich and Michael Rothfeld in the NYT Magazine: “After the indictment, a chorus of critics — some but not all on the right — questioned the legal reasoning, wisdom and winnability of the hush-money case. Today, many experts believe that [Manhattan DA ALVIN] BRAGG’s legal strategy looks considerably stronger … Bragg may lack the polish and presentation of a politician. His friends may insist that he’s not a politician. But for all his lawyerly reticence, inside his sometimes-ill-fitting suits is a man of unmistakable ambition.” An appellate judge became the latest today to deny Trump’s attempt to delay the trial. More from ABC 3. MTG’S SWORD OF DAMOCLES: In the latest indication that Rep. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE will force an ouster vote for Speaker MIKE JOHNSON, the Georgia Republican today sent a letter to her colleagues blasting him for “a complete and total surrender” to Biden, per NYT’s Annie Karni. The memo makes clear that Greene sees Johnson’s leadership as an abandonment of GOP voters — and that a motion to vacate is all but assured at some point. She torched Johnson in particular for his plans to take up a Ukraine aid bill. 4. ALL IN THE FAMILY: “As Kushner’s Investment Firm Steps Out, the Potential Conflicts Are Growing,” by NYT’s Eric Lipton, Jonathan Swan and Maggie Haberman: “His $3 billion fund is financed almost entirely from overseas investors with whom he worked when he served as a senior adviser in the Trump White House. … He has made 10 investments to date, totaling $1.2 billion, many of them in companies based abroad. … The foreign transactions — previously unseen in scale and speed for a former White House adviser — are bringing fresh scrutiny as [JARED] KUSHNER’s father-in-law again seeks the White House … ‘Following the laws and the rules is something we always do,’ he said.”
| | | | 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. | | | | | 5. HOW IT HAPPENED: Trump’s long-awaited announcement that he thinks abortion policy should be left to the states followed an extended period of uncertainty as he flip-flopped between a national 15-week ban and the position he ultimately took, WaPo’s Josh Dawsey and Hannah Knowles report. The lobbying campaign on both sides was intense. Though he went against the advice of anti-abortion groups, KELLYANNE CONWAY, Sen. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-S.C.) and others, Trump ultimately agreed with some of his top campaign advisers, who argued that he’d win the votes of anti-abortion Americans anyway. Some GOP senators also encouraged the states’-rights position, worrying that a national ban would hurt them politically. 6. THE INFRASTRUCTURE OF DEMOCRACY: New research shows that the past couple of cycles have seen record rates of turnover in the nation’s election offices, amid misinformation and growing attacks on election workers, NBC’s Jane Timm scooped. “At least 36% of local election offices have changed hands since 2020, following a similar exodus in the run-up to the midterms in 2022, when 39% of jurisdictions had new lead election officials from four years previously.” Experts warn that the loss of institutional knowledge could make the work harder. 7. CRUZ CONTROL: “[I]t appears that [Sen. TED] CRUZ — a notorious Federal Election Commission troll — may have landed upon yet another seemingly unprecedented loophole in election laws: He’s turned a super PAC supporting him into a media company — and is funding it himself,” The Daily Beast’s Roger Sollenberger and Mini Racker write, as Cruz faces growing scrutiny about iHeartMedia podcast deal. Some experts tell them that Cruz has found a new ethical gray area — but is probably doing nothing illegal. iHeart emphasized that “Cruz volunteers his time and is not compensated for the podcast,” per the Beast, though they didn’t answer other questions. The Campaign Legal Center today filed a complaint with the FEC over the Cruz-iHeartMedia deal. 8. WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS: “How Donald Trump’s mug shot became a defiant and divisive 2024 symbol,” by WaPo’s Marianne LeVine, Josh Dawsey and Isaac Arnsdorf in Conway, South Carolina: “[It] has become an iconic image for the former president’s supporters. They don T-shirts displaying Trump’s scowl. They’ve purchased mugs and can coolers from the Trump campaign promoting the photo. Some of the merchandise is rendered in the same colorized style as BARACK OBAMA’s iconic HOPE emblem from 2008. To many of them, the mug shot has become a symbol of defiance … To some Trump critics, the photo is a disturbing encapsulation of alleged behavior they find revolting.” 9. POLLING PARADOX: A new Axios/Ipsos survey of the nation’s Latinos has good news for Democrats on the issues: Hispanic adults agree more with Dems on abortion and immigration, and the party has made ground in catching up to the GOP on the economy and crime. But Biden isn’t reaping the benefits: His favorability has dropped, and Trump’s has risen, since last year.
| | | | 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 | | Javier Milei has let the contract expire for his unofficial Trump emissary. Jacob Wohl and Jack Burkman will pay up to $1.25 million in an agreement with Tish James. Nick Adams got the Ben Terris treatment. WHITE HOUSE DEPARTURE LOUNGE — Richard Sauber will leave his role as special counsel to the president next month, CNN’s MJ Lee reports. He played a significant role in parrying House Republicans’ investigative and impeachment efforts and responding to special counsel Robert Hur’s probe. He’ll return to the private sector, as Rachel Cotton moves up to take his place. MEDIA MOVE — Melissa Mahtani will be executive producer of CBS News Confirmed. She most recently was a senior producer and reporter for CNN. TRANSITIONS — Brock Lowrance will head the NRSC’s independent expenditure arm, overseeing advertising decisions for the GOP’s Senate races, Ally Mutnick reports. He’s an experienced adman who most recently has been a senior adviser to NRSC Chair Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and is an FP1 Strategies alum. … Victor Shi is now youth engagement coordinator on the Biden campaign. He previously was strategy director for Voters of Tomorrow. … Hogan Lovells is adding Nadira Clarke and Anne Carpenter as partners. They previously were at Baker Botts. 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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