| | | | |  | | By Bethany Irvine | | Presented by |  | | | |  | THE CATCH-UP | | | 
Majority Leader Steve Scalise outlined an ambitious summer agenda for the House this morning. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | MARK YOUR CALENDARS — In a surprise move, PM RISHI SUNAK announced this afternoon that the UK will hold its next parliamentary elections on July 4 — which, as is tradition, is shaping up to be a tough day for Tories. More from POLITICO Europe … BBC News WHITE HOUSE SOFT-PEDALS OPPOSITION TO CRYPTO BILL — The White House has come out against the bipartisan cryptocurrency-regulation bill slated for the House floor today, citing concerns the bill “lacks sufficient protections for consumers and investors” involved in digital transactions. Curiously, the administration stopped short of explicitly threatening to veto the Financial Innovation and Technology for the 21st Century Act, which is being seen as a big win for crypto-backers. And with the House scheduled to take up the bill this afternoon, the “final margin could offer a barometer of sorts for the industry’s current Capitol Hill support,” Anthony Adragna previewed this morning. The White House statement comes just hours after SEC Chair GARY GENSLER spoke out against the bill, arguing that it “would create new regulatory gaps and undermine decades of precedent … putting investors and capital markets at immeasurable risk.” More from our colleagues at Morning Money WHAT THE HOUSE GOP WANTS TO TALK ABOUT — Amid ongoing skepticism that House GOP leaders can whip up enough support to hold AG MERRICK GARLAND in contempt, House Speaker MIKE JOHNSON told reporters this morning he thinks he’ll have enough votes and plans to hold a floor vote “soon.” Though the timing remains unclear, Johnson’s comments come as the House GOP began whipping members on the matter yesterday. Elsewhere in House GOP leadership, Majority Leader STEVE SCALISE outlined an ambitious summer agenda for the chamber, aimed at passing a dozen partisan spending bills within the next two months, Olivia Beavers and Jennifer Scholtes report. The tentative plan seems all-but-destined to hit some bumps in the road, since “at least a handful of those measures could easily reignite intra-GOP tensions, as demonstrated by their failed attempt to pass five of the bills last year.” WHAT THE SENATE DEMS WANT TO TALK ABOUT — After DONALD TRUMP indicated in an a TV interview yesterday that he was considering restrictions on contraception, Senate Majority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER teed up a vote for June on the “Right to Contraception Act,” which aims to codify protections for contraception access. “There's no indication Senate Republicans would support the legislation … which would need at least nine GOP votes to advance,” notes Anthony Adragna. “But it could serve as a potent election-year vote as Democrats seek to highlight broad Republican divisions on reproductive rights.” Meanwhile, the Senate confirmed the 200th judge of JOE BIDEN’s presidency this afternoon as Democrats strain to outdo the 234 judges confirmed during Trump’s presidency .So far, Biden has slightly outpaced Trump. “But the job becomes harder from here,” Jennifer Haberkorn reports: “Well over half of the remaining district court vacancies are in red states that will require Republican cooperation. And some Senate Republicans have begun criticizing the White House for trying to ‘jam’ circuit court nominees before the election and over the objections of home-state senators.” Good Wednesday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me a line at birvine@politico.com.
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We need to make sure our farmers have the tools to weather these storms. Learn more at InvestInOurLand.org. | | | SCARY STUFF — The Republican National Committee headquarters was placed on lockdown this morning by Capitol Police after a suspicious package containing vials of blood was delivered to the building, Christine Zhu and Nicholas Wu report. Capitol Police noted on X the package was eventually “cleared by our Hazardous Incident Response Division,” and “the source of the package & its contents will be further investigated.” TRUMP’S OTHER TRIAL NEWS — While former President Trump’s Manhattan hush money trial is on pause today, the first set of pretrial hearings in his Floridia classified documents case began this morning in the Sunshine State, WaPo’s David Ovalle and Perry Stein report from Fort Pierce, Fla. “It is the case that Trump’s attorneys have been the most worried about … with prosecutors offering evidence that a former president who is running to hold the office again took sensitive government documents from the White House and obstructed officials’ attempts to retrieve them.” What to expect: “Lawyers for Trump aide WALTINE ‘WALT’ NAUTA — who is still employed by the former president — will argue that the prosecution against him has been discriminatory and vindictive, because others helped move boxes and were not charged. In a second hearing Wednesday afternoon, the lawyers will argue that the case should be dismissed because prosecutors failed to clearly lay out in the indictment the laws that the defendants are accused of breaking.” BATTLE FOR THE FUTURE OF GOP FOREIGN POLICY — Tonight: Former presidential candidate and South Carolina Gov. NIKKI HALEY’s first remarks as the new chair of the conservative Hudson Institute are scheduled for 8 p.m.. Watch via CSPAN Tomorrow: At 10 a.m., the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft is joined by the American Conservative to hold a conference examining what “a foreign policy for the middle class” might look like. The event’s keynote speakers will include Sens. J.D. VANCE (R-Ohio) and RAND PAUL (R-Ky.), and VIVEK RAMASWAMY. More details
| | 6 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW | | | 
Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) is one half of an unlikely pair that are introducing a bill that would force future presidents and VPs to disclose two years of tax filings. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | 1. A NEW CONGRESSIONAL ODD COUPLE: Today, House Oversight Committee Chairman JAMES COMER (R-Ky.) and Rep. KATIE PORTER (D-Calif.), are introducing a bill that would force future presidents and VPs to disclose two years of tax filings before entering the White House, WSJ’s Natalie Andrews scoops. Following years of probes of both the Trump and Biden families, the bill would require the president, VP and their close family members to disclose large gifts and payments from foreign entities. Though Porter described the bill as “very evenhanded” in application, “[o]ther Democrats raised objections to the proposal as word of it circulated, seeing it as unfairly equating the business conflicts of the Trumps and Bidens.” Origins of the unlikely duo: “Comer and Porter said they forged a relationship in conversations about government transparency. Both joked that if their bill could make it through Oversight, it should be able to sail through the full House, which Republicans narrowly control.” 2. STUDENT LOAN LATEST: The White House announced a fresh wave of federal student loan forgiveness this morning that would cancel up to $35,000 in debt for an estimated 160,000 students. The new round applies to individuals enrolled in the administration’s SAVE plan or public service workers like teachers, nurses or law enforcement officials. More from NBC News’ Zoe Richards 3. THE NEW GOP: It’s well-trod territory to note that the Republican Party has changed since Donald Trump’s emergence as a national political figure. But as ProPublica’s Andy Kroll reports, that transformation has now transcended Trump — who some MAGA activists see as too conciliatory to members of the more traditional Republican establishment. In Michigan, Kroll finds that the Republican Party is dominated locally by a new wave of “America First” activists who “disparaged prominent Michigan Republicans as ‘globalist’ elites who belonged to a corrupt ‘uniparty’ cabal. That cabal had denied Trump a rightful second term and needed to be purged from the party.” He sees a GOP beset by “chaos, incompetence, strife, a glimpse of a future post-Trump Republican Party and, all around me, danger for our system of government and the state of the country.” In a nutshell: “What divides the Republican Party of 2024 is not any one policy or ideology. It is not whether to support Donald Trump. The most important fault line in the party now is democracy itself. Today’s Republican insurgents believe democracy has been stolen, and they don’t trust the ability of democratic processes to restore it.” Related read: “‘Like a Lead Balloon’: Trump’s ‘Shadow Secretary of State’ Meets With Arab American Leaders,” by NOTUS’ Tinashe Chingarande
| | | | THE GOLD STANDARD OF POLICY REPORTING & INTELLIGENCE: POLITICO has more than 500 journalists delivering unrivaled reporting and illuminating the policy and regulatory landscape for those who need to know what’s next. Throughout the election and the legislative and regulatory pushes that will follow, POLITICO Pro is indispensable to those who need to make informed decisions fast. The Pro platform dives deeper into critical and quickly evolving sectors and industries—finance, defense, technology, healthcare, energy—equipping policymakers and those who shape legislation and regulation with essential news and intelligence from the world’s best politics and policy journalists.
Our newsroom is deeper, more experienced, and better sourced than any other—with teams embedded in the world’s most active legislative and regulatory power centers. From Brussels to Washington, New York to London, Sacramento to Paris, we bring subscribers inside the conversations that determine policy outcomes and the future of industries, providing insight that cannot be found anywhere else. Get the premier news and policy intelligence service, SUBSCRIBE TO POLITICO PRO TODAY. | | | | | 4. THE GOLDEN STATE: “Republican super PAC plans $30 million ad blitz for California House races,” by Melanie Mason and Lara Korte: “Congressional Leadership Fund, the outside group affiliated with Speaker Mike Johnson, announced on Wednesday its first round of ad reservations for the fall, booking more time in California than any other state. … Republicans are largely playing defense here — protecting vulnerable incumbents such as Central Valley Reps. JOHN DUARTE and DAVID VALADAO, who both occupy seats won by President Joe Biden four years ago.” 5. MODI OPERANDI: “Inside India’s secret campaign to threaten and harass Americans,” by Vox’s Zack Beauchamp: “Interviews with political figures, experts, and activists revealed a sustained campaign where NARENDRA MODI’s government threatens American citizens and permanent residents who dare speak out on the declining state of the country’s democracy. … India’s efforts include a handful of high-profile incidents, most notably an assassination plot against American and Canadian activists. But more commonly, India engages in subtle forms of harassment that fly under the public radar.” 6. AI ON THE BRAIN: Digging further into this morning’s new Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll, many swing-state voters say they are worried about the potential effects of artificial intelligence on their job prospects and privacy. “More than half of respondents in seven battleground states predicted a negative impact from AI on privacy, with nearly half seeing a future negative impact on jobs,” Bloomberg’s Michael Shepard and Gregory Korte report. “At the same time, artificial intelligence was seen having positive impacts on health by 45% of respondents and on education by 41%.” Related read: “How Scarlett Johansson could shape California’s AI debate,” by Lara Korte
| | | | LISTEN TO POLITICO'S ENERGY PODCAST: Check out our daily five-minute brief on the latest energy and environmental politics and policy news. Don't miss out on the must-know stories, candid insights, and analysis from POLITICO's energy team. Listen today. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Shri Thanedar’s path to reelection just got a whole lot easier. Rob Menendez wants to remind voters that he is not his father. FOR YOUR PLAYLIST — City Cast Denver today is launching a new podcast, “Lauren Boebert Can’t Lose,” covering the Colorado congresswoman who hosts Paul Karolyi and Bree Davies call “an unstoppable national force in American politics.” The five-part series is dropping in anticipation of Boebert’s closely watched June 25 primary and will conclude with an exclusive interview with Boebert herself at her own kitchen table. Listen to the preview and subscribe OUT AND ABOUT — SPOTTED at the Glen Echo Group’s new office welcome party last night: Austin Bonner, Jesse Blumenthal, Chelsea Thomas, Jennifer Schneider, Tim Donovan, Matt Schruers, Todd O’Boyle, Kate Sheerin, Angie Kronenberg, Katie McAuliffe, Bijan Madhani, Chris Lewis, Maura Corbett, Katie Barr, Amy Schatz and Rachel Wolbers. — Warner Bros. Discovery and the Motion Picture Association co-hosted a screening of “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” at the MPA yesterday evening. SPOTTED: Australian Ambassador Kevin Rudd, Bonnie LePard, Antony Lynch, Paul Burfield, Ian Gerard, Jason Buntin, Alexa Verveer, Charlie Rivkin, Nelson Cunningham, Amy Hinojosa, Brent Wilkes, Robert Edmonson and Mitchell Rivard. — SPOTTED last night at the Wilson Center for an event honoring Winston Churchill's grandson, Lord Nicholas Soames, hosted by British Ambassador Karen Pierce: Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Conn.), Mark Milley, Jack Keane, Mark Green, Chuck Cobb, Catherine Ashton, Mike Donilon, Ted Olson, Joe Asher, Drew Maloney and Tim Pataki. BONUS BIRTHDAY (was yesterday): Newsmax's Nicole Ginis 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 INVEST IN OUR LAND:   Congress may reallocate funding that helps protect America's farmers from the effects of extreme weather in the Farm Bill.
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