| | | | |  | | By Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza and Rachael Bade | | Presented by |  | | | With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine
|  Calm mostly prevailed in Israel after the vast majority of an Iranian assault was thwarted. | Amir Levy/Getty Images | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | In the two weeks since an Israeli attack killed Iranian Brig. Gen. MOHAMMAD REZA ZAHEDI and six other officers in an embassy in Syria, Iran has made it clear it would retaliate. The Biden administration and U.S. allies have been on high alert for some sort of attack — whether via Iranian proxies or Iran itself — and though no one was surprised that it came, how Iran attacked Israel is unprecedented. THE ATTACK: Israel said that “185 drones, 110 surface-to-surface missiles, and 36 cruise missiles were fired at the country in what Tehran dubbed Operation Honest Promise,” Jamie Dettmer writes. “Most of the weapons were launched from Iran and a small proportion from Iraq and Yemen.” The vast majority of that assault was thwarted by a combination of Israel’s “iron dome” missile defense system, U.S. forces aiding in air defense and Jordan intercepting drones on their way to Israel. An Israeli air base sustained minor damage, and officials said a 10-year-old girl was injured. Even so, Iran says the attack was successful — which is hard to read as anything other than spin aimed at avoiding total embarrassment. On Iranian TV, armed forces chief of staff Maj. Gen. MOHAMMAD BAGHERI said that Iran’s “operations are over, and we have no intention to continue them,” but vowed that the nation’s “response will be much larger than tonight’s military action if Israel retaliates against Iran.” WHAT COMES NEXT: The question is not whether Israel responds, but how. The options run along a spectrum from restraint to wide-scale attacks. We’re getting a clear view of that menu this morning. Option 1: Israel should “take the win” In a phone call, President JOE BIDEN “told Israeli Prime Minister BENJAMIN NETANYAHU that the United States will not join an offensive counter-strike on Iran should Israel choose that road after Tehran attacked it this weekend, according to two people familiar with the conversation,” Nahal Toosi and Jonathan Lemire report this morning. The pair write that “[t]he person familiar with the U.S.-Israeli conversation said Biden essentially told Netanyahu to ‘take the win’ given that Israel escaped the attack largely unscathed. More from Axios’ Barak Ravid Animating Biden is a desire “to try to keep this from becoming a wider regional war,” JOHN KIRBY said on ABC’s “This Week.” “The main message was ‘We’re with you.’ … [He] congratulated the prime minister on an extraordinary achievement and success last night, but also to reiterate that the United States is going to continue to help Israel defend itself.” Option 2: It’s up to Israel to decide whether to strike Iran “Israel is not asking us to launch attacks on Iran. … But I think we go from that to the other extreme, which is Joe Biden telling Netanyahu, ‘Take the win, don’t do anything.’ And then his people leaking it to the media,” Sen. MARCO RUBIO (R-Fla.) said this morning on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “They know that Israel’s going to respond. They know this for a fact. So why would the White House leak it? … So when Israel does respond, the White House can say, ‘We told them not to do it,’ and at least somehow, in some way, appease these so-called peace activists.” Option 3: Israel should strike Iran “I think Israel should be looking at this as an opportunity to destroy Iran’s nuclear weapons program, which is the existential threat that Israel faces,” former national security adviser JOHN BOLTON said on CNN this morning. “I don’t know what they’ll do. I can’t predict it, but I will tell you this: If Joe Biden, as some press reports have it, is urging the Israelis not to retaliate at all, he is an embarrassment to the United States.” Option 4: The U.S. should strike Iran Yesterday, shortly after Iran launched its barrage of drones, Sen. MARSHA BLACKBURN (R-Tenn.) tweeted that the U.S. “must move quickly and launch aggressive retaliatory strikes on Iran.” As Biden made clear in his phone call with Netanyahu, that is not going to happen — though he will meet with G7 leaders today to coordinate a diplomatic response. WHAT THE U.S. DOES NEXT: The most immediate domestic political question is whether this has changed the outlook for the already passed Senate supplemental, which awaits passage in the House. In a statement, House Majority Leader STEVE SCALISE announced that “[i]n light of Iran’s unjustified attack on Israel, the House will move from its previously announced legislative schedule next week to instead consider legislation that supports our ally Israel and holds Iran and its terrorist proxies accountable.” More from Reuters For speed, they could throw it on the floor tomorrow and pass it as is — meaning with the aid for Ukraine attached. Or they could create an entirely new bill, sans Ukraine aid, and try to eke it through before the Senate would have to work on it. WHAT ISRAEL DOES NEXT: Israel’s war cabinet is expected to meet today to decide next steps. Minister BENNY GANTZ called today for a regional coalition to combat the Iranian threat and positioned himself against a major immediate military response. But, as always, there are political considerations to make. As Nahal and Jonathan report, “some in the Biden administration have theorized that Netanyahu may want to perpetuate the war [in Gaza] in order to maintain his own grip on power,” and escalating the conflict into a regional war could do just that. Related analysis: “Fending Off Iran Attack Is a Major Israeli Achievement. Retaliation Would Risk an All-out Regional War,” by Amos Harel for Haaretz Good Sunday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza.
| | | | A message from The National Association of REALTORS®: Our communities are stronger when housing is fair for all. We at the National Association of REALTORS® support broad access to homeownership - from increasing housing supply to making mortgage finance more accessible. Everyone should have a fair shot at homeownership. Our members work across the country to help people from every background find a home that is right for them. Learn More at https://www.nar.realtor/fair-housing | | | FIRST IN PLAYBOOK I — Tomorrow in Las Vegas, VP KAMALA HARRIS will be participating in a moderated conversation with the executive director of Moms Demand Action, ANGELA FERRELL-ZABALA, and XOCHITL GOMEZ, an actress and activist, a White House official confirms to Playbook. For months, the VP has been leading the administration’s response to gun violence in the country, including overseeing the newly created White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK II — Sen. MARIA CANTWELL (D-Wash.), the chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, has decided to stop accepting campaign donations this year from Boeing executives because of the Senate inquiry she’s leading into the company’s safety practices, Daniel Lippman and Oriana Pawlyk report. Following a door plug blowout on an Alaska Airlines flight earlier this year, Cantwell’s committee has been examining whether Boeing cut corners in manufacturing its airplanes. Boeing’s 737 MAX assembly facilities reside in Cantwell’s home state. “Given the increased scrutiny of Boeing’s activities by the Senate Commerce Committee, the 2024 Cantwell campaign is not taking contributions from Boeing leadership,” the campaign said in a statement. As part of her new policy, Cantwell returned a donation of $500 in December from ELIZABETH LUND, who was promoted in February to SVP of quality for Boeing Commercial Airplanes. From 2019 to 2024, Boeing employees gave Cantwell $20,000, according to OpenSecrets.org. Cantwell does not take money from Boeing’s PAC, in line with her long-standing policy of not taking corporate PAC money. A spokesperson for Boeing declined to comment. Lund didn’t respond to a request for comment. SUNDAY BEST … — Rep. MIKE TURNER (R-Ohio) on the Biden administration’s “fallacies,” on NBC’s “Meet the Press”: “The administration needs to take seriously that this attack has happened. It’s unprecedented … . I think John Kirby is wrong to be able to say we don’t want an escalating conflict. It is already escalating, and the administration needs to respond. … I don’t think at this point that the United States should be engaged in a military action directly at Iran.” — Sen. RAND PAUL (R-Ky.) on Speaker MIKE JOHNSON getting FISA reauthorization over the finish line, on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures”: “As I see it now, I’m not sure there’s a difference between Mike Johnson being in charge and the Democrats being in charge. The deficit this year will be $1.5 to 2 trillion, and that’s Mike Johnson’s bill. … This is not using the power of the purse, this is abdicating the power of the purse.” — Michigan Gov. GRETCHEN WHITMER on whether there should be limits on abortion after the point of viability, on “Meet the Press”: “The Roe standard did have that, and that’s precisely what we’ve been fighting for. …” Kristen Welker: “So you support that? Just to be clear, you would support some limitations after viability?” Whitmer: “I would support the Roe standard becoming the law of the nation again. That’s exactly where I’m at, and I know that’s where most Americans are. … It is only the woman and the person who’s giving her her medical advice, a scientist, that should be articulating what the standards are in this space.” — Johnson on whether the attack changes plans for the national security supplemental, on “Sunday Morning Futures”: “The House Republicans and the Republican Party understand the necessity of standing with Israel. We are going to try again this week, and the details of that package are being put together right now. We’re looking at the options on all these supplemental issues.” TOP-EDS: A roundup of the week’s must-read opinion pieces.
| | | | A message from The National Association of REALTORS®:   Learn More at https://www.nar.realtor/fair-housing | | | | | WHAT'S HAPPENING TODAY | | At the White House Biden and Harris have nothing on their public schedules.
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Donald Trump continued attacking the judge and star witness as he heads to criminal trial tomorrow. | Joe Lamberti/AP Photo | 9 THINGS FOR YOUR RADAR 1. THE TRUMP TRIAL: Tomorrow will mark a historic day in American law and politics, as DONALD TRUMP will become the first former president to go on criminal trial. He spent yesterday testing the limits (to put it mildly) of the gag order imposed on him in the case, which alleges that he falsified records related to hush money payments that covered up his affair with a porn star during the 2016 election. Trump attacked MICHAEL COHEN on Truth Social and decried Justice JUAN MERCHAN as “highly conflicted and corrupt” while speaking at a campaign rally, per Reuters. His pugilistic approach and defense team’s attempts to delay have yielded results in his three other criminal prosecutions, but Manhattan DA ALVIN BRAGG’s case will kick off jury selection tomorrow.
- The timing: Jury selection could take a week, with the overall trial predicted to last about six to eight weeks, the WSJ writes.
- The key witness: At the trial, a lot will hinge on Cohen — and whether jurors find him credible despite a history of lies, which he says he told for Trump’s benefit, Erica Orden reports.
- The cast of characters: Erica also has a helpful rundown of the major players who may be called as witnesses in the trial, from DAVID PECKER to STORMY DANIELS: “even though the allegations are widely known, some of the people most intimately involved in them have never spoken about them publicly,” she writes. And prosecutors may focus on more incidents beyond just Daniels.
2. THE WEEK’S OTHER BIG COURT CASE: “Supreme Court to weigh if Jan. 6 rioters can be charged with obstruction,” by WaPo’s Ann Marimow: “On Tuesday, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments about whether prosecutors improperly stretched the law by charging people with that violation in the first place. The high court’s ruling, likely to land in late June, has the potential to undo the convictions and sentences of those who have already gone to trial or pleaded guilty, and upend the charges still pending for many more. … The case could also directly impact Trump’s own trial for allegedly trying to remain in power after his 2020 defeat.” Related reads: “Inside Donald Trump’s Embrace of the Jan. 6 Rioters,” by NYT’s Alan Feuer and Maggie Haberman … “The Burly Texas-Born Judge Fighting Efforts to Play Down Jan. 6,” by WSJ’s C. Ryan Barber 3. CANTWELL IN THE SPOTLIGHT: The Senate Commerce chair finds herself at the center of two big congressional priorities these days. She’s a key decider on whether the Senate will pass a version of the House’s high-profile bill forcing a sale or ban of TikTok. Cantwell tells WSJ’s Natalie Andrews that she wants to see a vote on legislation “sooner as opposed to later,” but first she’s scrutinizing the bill’s details and ability to survive a court challenge. She sounds open to potentially giving TikTok a longer time frame to divest from ByteDance. Some Republicans are frustrated with what the Journal describes as Cantwell’s penchant for “deliberate, time-consuming work” — or, as Sen. JOSH HAWLEY (R-Mo.) puts it, “Historically, the Commerce Committee is where this stuff goes to die.” That same dynamic has bubbled up in Congress’ yearslong failure to pass a big online data privacy law. Cantwell and House Energy and Commerce Chair CATHY McMORRIS RODGERS (R-Wash.) have now unveiled a bill that could pave the way for a landmark deal. But WaPo’s Cristiano Lima-Strong reports that Hill aides are frustrated with Cantwell’s history of delays: They say this bill could have come years ago, and they don’t trust that she’ll get it over the finish line quickly. “Again and again, aides said, she has thwarted promising talks by refusing to iron out key disputes, speaking out publicly against colleagues’ efforts and not empowering her staff to fully negotiate.” (Cantwell’s office and some of her defenders dispute the characterization.) 4. SPOILER ALERT: “Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says he met requirements to appear on Iowa's presidential ballot,” by the Des Moines Register’s Brianne Pfannenstiel in West Des Moines: “‘Thank you for getting us on the ballot here in Iowa,’ he told a crowd that was several hundred people strong. [ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR.] is using a provision of Iowa law that allows independent presidential candidates to bypass the state’s standard requirement of 3,500 signatures by hosting a convention and identifying 500 eligible ‘electors’ from at least 25 counties. He will need to submit paperwork to the Iowa Secretary of State’s office, which will still need to be reviewed.”
| | | | A message from The National Association of REALTORS®:   Learn More at https://www.nar.realtor/fair-housing | | | 5. VEEPSTAKES: Questions about fundraising abilities have started to enter Trump’s conversations about potential running mate picks, NYT’s Michael Bender reports. As he has lagged Biden on key fundraising metrics — and faces whopping legal bills — Trump is looking at prospects’ prowess at pulling in money, alongside other considerations. That could give a boost to Rubio, North Dakota Gov. DOUG BURGUM, Rep. ELISE STEFANIK (R-N.Y.), Sens. TIM SCOTT (R-S.C.) and J.D. VANCE (R-Ohio), and maybe even NIKKI HALEY. Bender also writes that Trump liked TULSI GABBARD after meeting with her and keeps bringing up Kennedy, despite the unlikelihood that he’d give up his independent bid. Speaking of Stefanik … “The Family Fortune Behind Elise Stefanik’s Humble Origins Myth,” by The Daily Beast’s William Bredderman and Jake Lahut 6. TRAGEDY AT THE BORDER: “‘Where do we put the bodies?’” by WaPo’s Arelis Hernández, Marina Dias and Daniele Volpe in Eagle Pass, Texas: “Record-level migration has brought record-breaking death to Maverick County … Whereas in a typical month years ago, officials here might have recovered one or two bodies from the river, more recently they have handled that amount in a single day. … [T]he rising number of deaths in the Rio Grande has gone largely unnoticed. … [B]odies are sometimes left in fridges for months or even buried with scant attempt to identify them.” 7. TWO MEGATRENDS BIDEN WILL LIKE: The latest data shows murder rates continuing to plunge this year in cities across the country, WSJ’s Dan Frosch and Cameron McWhirter report. A few notable statistics from swing-state metro areas: From the beginning of the year to late March or early April, homicides were down 58% in Columbus, 50% in San Antonio, 40% in Las Vegas, 38% in Phoenix, 34% in Philadelphia, 32% in Detroit and 28% in Dallas. And the odds of a recession are, well, receding: In WSJ’s quarterly survey of economists, they peg the likelihood that the U.S. will tip over the brink within the next year at an average of 29% — down from 39% three months ago, Sam Goldfarb and Anthony DeBarros write. 8. AFTER THE SPEAKERSHIP: “Kevin McCarthy Goes on the Road to Talk Strengthening Democracy,” by Ben Jacobs for POLITICO: “Six months after his ouster as speaker of the House, [KEVIN] McCARTHY is trying to write his own history. … [I]t’s hard to imagine a world in which the first line of his obituary is not that he was the first speaker ever removed from office. So now, McCarthy seems to have set himself to the task of shaping how future generations remember that moment and the eight months he spent wielding the gavel — even if it requires a selective retelling of what happened with a few big omissions.” 9. THE ABORTION ELECTION: “Democrats see recent abortion rulings as an opening to galvanize Latino voters,” by NBC’s Alexandra Marquez: “[M]any of the most heavily Latino House battlegrounds in the country [are] in the middle of the nationwide fight over abortion policy. … [A] number of Democratic activists and candidates see the issue as an opportunity to make their case, and … they are framing abortion restrictions not just as bans but also as barriers to basic health care.”
| | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | | Donald Trump endorsed David McCormick. Kristi Noem is now barred from several million acres of her own state. Bob Menendez had cash at his house from someone else’s bank account, prosecutors said. IN MEMORIAM — “Ted Wilson, an ‘eternal optimist’ and former Salt Lake City mayor, dies at 84,” by The Salt Lake Tribune’s Robert Gehrke — “Don Wright, Editorial Cartoonist With a Skewer for a Pen, Dies at 90,” by NYT’s Sam Roberts — “Robert Shaw, Gospel Singer Who Helped Create the Modern GOP, Dies at 94,” by WSJ’s Chris Kornelis OUT AND ABOUT — SPOTTED at the one-year anniversary party of Tim Mak’sThe Counteroffensive at Juleanna Glover’s house last night: Jamie Weinstein and Michelle Fields, Jonathan and Betsy Woodruff Swan, Lachlan Markay, William Glover Weiss, Ben Schreckinger, Josh Dawsey, Byron Tau, Sahil Kapur, Molly Ball, Asawin Suebsaeng, EJ Dionne, Jamie Kirchick, John Hudson, Teddy Schleifer, Jacob Heilbrunn, Alex Ward, Dave Weigel, Josh Rogin, Dustin Volz, Chris Allbritton, Bishop Garrison and J.P. Freire. TRANSITION — Grace Newton is now comms director for Rep. Greg Pence (R-Ind.). She previously was deputy press secretary for Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.). HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Rep. David Valadao (R-Calif.) … NBC’s Garrett Haake … Sasha Issenberg … Francis Collins … Joe Rospars of Blue State Digital … Boeing’s Betsy Stewart … WaPo’s Matt Zapotosky … Mike Duncan … Amy Brundage of SKDK … BPI’s Adam Hodge … Ellie Hockenbury … CNN’s Adam Levine … Keith Appell … Steve Glickman … Ashok Pinto … Roberta Jacobson … Brad Schweer … Stephen Groves … NAM’s Erin Streeter … David Medina … Signal Group’s Blake Androff … Lina Francis … NYT’s Eileen Sullivan … Jeff Schogol … Neil Sroka … Shari Redstone … Kellen Moran … Bobby Shringi of Del. Jim Moylan’s (R-Guam) office … Ashley Gold … Nick Merrill … Mark Bryant of Agency Advisors … Amanda Marsh 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.
| | | | A message from The National Association of REALTORS®: The National Association of REALTORS® supports the broadest possible access to homeownership. That means taking a 360 degree view. We support the creation of more housing that’s affordable for regular Americans. We support broad access to housing finance, through alternative credit scoring, down payment assistance, and special purpose credit programs. We support strong enforcement of fair housing laws that protect consumers from discrimination. And we work closely with partners like HUD to ensure broad access to homeownership for all—from first-time buyers to veterans to homebuyers of every background. In communities across the country and in Washington, we believe every aspiring homeowner should have the support they need on their homeownership journey. Because the fairer housing is in our country, the stronger our country. Learn More at https://www.nar.realtor/fair-housing | | | | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
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