| | | | |  | | By Garrett Ross | | Presented by |  | | | |  | THE CATCH-UP | | | BULLETIN — “U.N. General Assembly Adopts Resolution Supporting Palestinian Statehood,” by NYT’s Farnaz Fassihi: “The resolution was approved by a vote of 143 to 9 with 25 nations abstaining. The Assembly broke into a big applause after the vote. The United States voted no.” Meanwhile … “A soon-to-be-released Biden administration review of Israel’s use of U.S.-provided weapons in its war in Gaza does not conclude that Israel has violated the terms for their use, according to three people who have been briefed on the matter,” the AP reports. “The report is expected to be sharply critical of Israel, even though it didn’t conclude that Israel violated terms of U.S.-Israel weapons agreements, according to one U.S. official.”
|  The Biden administration is shipping off more aid to Ukraine. | Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images | MORE UKRAINE AID ON THE WAY — The Biden administration is set to “announce a new $400 million military aid package for Ukraine on Friday, just as it appears Russia has launched a major offensive in Kharkiv, according to two U.S. officials and a notification sent to Congress,” our colleagues Alex Ward, Paul McLeary and Lara Seligman scoop. The details: “The package, which will involve transferring weapons already in U.S. stocks, includes new Patriot missiles, Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, Bradley fighting vehicles, mine-protected vehicles, Javelin anti-armor systems and other munitions. … The Biden administration had assessed that Ukraine could at most hold its lines without American aid, but could claw back some seized territory from Russia once it received the U.S.-provided weapons.”
| | 
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is pulling troops out of Niger. | Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images | MAJOR MOVE OUT OF NIGER — The Pentagon this week “formally ordered all 1,000 U.S. combat troops to withdraw from Niger, a blow to the Biden administration’s effort to counter terrorism and Russian influence in West Africa,” Lara reports. “The U.S. announced in April that it would begin discussing plans for ‘an orderly and responsible withdrawal’ after Niger’s military junta declared it would revoke its military cooperation deal with Washington. But U.S. officials have continued to negotiate with the junta over the terms of the withdrawal and whether there was any possibility some American troops could stay. “Hopes for an agreement dimmed this week when the Defense Department directed the roughly 1,000 U.S. troops in Niger to leave the country over the next several months, according to a U.S. official, who was granted anonymity to speak ahead of an announcement. … Troops will move to other locations within the region from which they can still operate, the official said.” THE TRUMP TRIAL — MADELEINE WESTERHOUT, a former Trump aide, returned to the witness stand this morning — but the prosecutors’ witness did not deliver the blows that they may have hoped when they called upon her. Josh Gerstein describes an episode suggesting “that Westerhout, who is a prosecution witness, may be cooperating with Trump’s lawyers.” The defense tried to use her to introduce a 2016 campaign schedule, a document Westerhout said she had just seen this morning and appears to help Trump’s case. Judge JUAN MERCHAN ultimately denied the request. There was also a moment that saw Westerhout “undermining the DA’s claims that Trump was so detail-oriented around expenses that he almost certainly would’ve carefully reviewed the invoices sent along with checks he allegedly wrote to lawyer MICHAEL COHEN to reimburse him for the hush-money payment to STORMY DANIELS,” Josh writes. “Would you see him signing checks without reviewing them?” defense attorney SUSAN NECHELES said. “Yes,” Westerhout replied. “He was a multitasker, right?” Necheles asked. “Definitely,” Westerhout said. Follow along with all of the action with POLITICO’s live blog TODAY’S WSJ A-HED — “Hottest Tourist Ticket in New York: Seat at Trump Trial,” by Corinne Ramey Happy Friday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me a line at gross@politico.com.
| | | | A message from the Electronic Payments Coalition: WORKING-CLASS AMERICANS DEPEND ON CREDIT CARD REWARDS: A new study finds credit card rewards like cashback empower low-income families to pay for the rising price of everyday essentials—like groceries and gas. So why are DC politicians partnering with corporate mega-stores to end those hard-earned rewards programs that Americans rely on? The Durbin-Marshall Credit Card Bill takes billions from American families, lining corporate pockets instead. Tell DC politicians to OPPOSE the Durbin-Marshall Credit Card Bill. | | | | | 6 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW | | |  Kari Lake's Arizona Senate campaign is causing fits for top Republican officials. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | 1. KARI THAT WEIGHT: Republican Party leaders were on board with KARI LAKE’s Senate run in Arizona at first, with the assumption that her brand name would be enough to carry her to victory in November — controversies be damned. But now, the GOP establishment is “confronting the consequences of having a MAGA lightning rod as their nominee in one of the most competitive states in the country. And some GOP leaders are undecided about just how much support to offer her in a general election, given ample opportunities elsewhere to pick up Senate seats,” Ally Mutnick and Burgess Everett report. Eyes-emoji quote: Former Rep. MATT SALMON (R-Ariz.), whom ”Lake tried to court Salmon as part of her attempt to unify the party … declined to meet with Lake and thinks the Senate race might already be a losing cause. ‘Ultimately, the Republican Senate committee is probably going to realize before too long that there’s far better opportunities for victories in other parts of the country.’” Meanwhile in Nevada: Rep. MATT GAETZ (R-Fla.) is throwing his support behind JEFF GUNTER, per Burgess, going directly against Republican Party brass, which is boosting SAM BROWN. Notably, Trump and Senate Minority Leader MITCH McCONNELL have yet to jump into the primary. 2. LEAN MEAN MAGA MACHINE: Shrinkflation has come for the Trump campaign operation, with the former president’s physical presence and rollout in some key battleground states like Arizona, Georgia and Michigan thus far being limited. And while the strategy — which is being helmed by campaign hand CHRIS LaCIVITA — is worrying some state party leaders, the campaign is keeping its cool, WaPo’s Michael Scherer, Josh Dawsey, Maeve Reston and Yvonne Wingett Sanchez report. “LaCivita has also told other Trump advisers that he sees less value in ‘brick and mortar’ — or opening as many offices — and wants to have a largely volunteer-driven strategy similar to the precinct captain strategy they ran in the primaries. Trump advisers have also warned others against attempting to brand GOP efforts with terms like ‘Death Star’ or ORCA, the name of a glitchy turnout operation that advisers to MITT ROMNEY built for the 2012 campaign.” From the boss’ mouth … “It’s a different operation that is built by people who win races and have won races,” LaCivita told WaPo. “As it relates to 2020, they did things their way. Some worked. A lot didn’t. But that was then, and this is now.” 3. DEMOGRAPHIC DIVIDE: Despite efforts at the outset of the Israel-Gaza war to conduct meaningful outreach to Muslim and Arab American leaders, they “say their channels of communication with President Biden’s White House have largely broken down, leaving the administration without a politically valuable chorus of support for his significant shift on the conflict this week,” NYT’s Nicholas Nehamas and Reid Epstein report. “By and large, prominent Muslim and Arab Americans have now concluded that they are irrevocably at odds with the Biden administration over its foreign policy, according to interviews with more than a dozen people involved in the talks. And many of them say they are tired of hearing that they should vote for Mr. Biden simply because former President Donald J. Trump would be worse.” 3. HOW IT’S PLAYING: “26 House Democrats send White House letter criticizing Israel arms pause,” by Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod: “While a few of the signatories already spoke out individually in the previous days, the letter highlights the growing backlash among moderate pro-Israel Democrats to the administration’s recent moves; it does not, however, directly mention President Joe Biden’s interview on CNN on Wednesday where he threatened U.S. weapons sales in the event of a Rafah operation. From the letter … “We are deeply concerned about the message the Administration is sending to Hamas and other Iranian-backed terrorist proxies by withholding weapons shipments to Israel, during a critical moment in the negotiations. … America’s commitments must always be ironclad.” Nota bene … Rep. ADAM SMITH (D-Wash.), top Dem on Armed Service, would have preferred an invisible hand, Joe Gould reports: “I don’t think he should have done it publicly,” Smith said Friday on CNN. “I think the private conversations were very appropriate.” What the DCCC would rather be discussing … “House Democrats’ Surprise Campaign Play: Embracing Border Security,” by WSJ’s Natalie Andrews and Michelle Hackman: “The party now argues that Democrats in competitive races can run on fixing the border, while painting Republicans as obstructionists for rejecting the Senate’s bipartisan border deal, according to a memo from House Democrats’ campaign arm.”
| | | | 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. WHERE ARE THEY NOW: “Paul Manafort, poised to rejoin Trump world, aided Chinese media deal,” by WaPo’s Isaac Stanley-Becker, Beth Reinhard and Josh Dawsey: PAUL MANAFORT “has been assisting an effort to launch a Netflix-like mobile streaming and entertainment platform in China that, according to corporate documents, has the endorsement of the Chinese government. … Manafort, now 75, also sought to advise political figures in Japan and South Korea, according to a person who was approached by party officials in those countries checking on the consultant’s reputation. Manafort has roamed widely, traveling to Guatemala last year on the invitation of a migrant advocacy group called Proyecto Guatemala Migrante.” Still in the MAGA mix … “Advisers say Trump is determined to hire Manafort, likely handing him a substantial role at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, because he appreciates that his onetime campaign chairman has remained loyal to him even while serving in prison. As in 2016, Manafort has offered to work for free.” 5. SILENCE OF THE S&P 500: “Corporate America Is Sitting Out the Trump-Biden Rematch,” by WSJ’s Chip Cutter and Ray Smith: “In the midst of what many expect to be the most toxic presidential campaign in modern history, American businesses are going to extraordinary lengths to stay off the political radar. Some CEOs are privately drawing up plans to tell employees not to expect comments on political matters in all-hands sessions. Others are reconsidering common election initiatives, such as get-out-the-vote drives, fearing those could be viewed in the current moment as partisan. A number of companies are also taking a harder line on workplace activism after long tolerating dissent.” A snapshot: “In a recent memo following protests by employees over the war in Gaza, Google Chief Executive Officer SUNDAR PICHAI said he didn’t want the company to ‘fight over disruptive issues or debate politics,’ noting that, ultimately, ‘we are a workplace.’ The company fired dozens of employees for disruptive activity in its offices as they protested Google’s contracts with Israel.” 6. TALES FROM THE CRYPTO: “Crypto is Trump’s new weapon against Biden,” by Jasper Goodman: “Trump’s overt play for the crypto faithful is a big shift from the criticism he dished out in his first term, but it’s not unexpected. The GOP has become increasingly friendly toward bitcoin and other digital assets in recent years, while key Democrats remain at odds over whether to grant the industry legitimacy after a series of scandals. Trump’s direct embrace is a landmark moment for crypto firms that have undertaken an intense Washington lobbying effort and are spending tens of millions of dollars to influence the 2024 elections.” Related read: “Crypto group with 440,000 members launches PAC to target House, Senate elections,” by Reuters’ Stephanie Kelly
| | | | 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 | | Jared Kushner is dipping back into the campaign mix. Steve Bannon might be headed to prison. Nancy Mace said her ex-staffers “mismanaged $1 million, hacked her phone, spied on medical records, and even submerged electronic devices in water” in an interview with the Daily Mail. PLAYBOOK METRO SECTION — “Virginia school board restores Confederate leaders’ names to two schools,” by WaPo’s Dan Rosenzweig-Ziff: “The Shenandoah County School Board voted 5-1 to call the schools Stonewall Jackson High School and Ashby Lee Elementary School, four years after the board — under different members — changed their names to Mountain View High School and Honey Run Elementary School to break ties to Confederate leaders Stonewall Jackson, Robert E. Lee and Turner Ashby.” OUT AND ABOUT — SPOTTED last night at a Stanford Law School alumni event at the Willard InterContinental that featured remarks by HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra and interim dean Paul Brest: Nelson Cunningham, Josh Bolten, David Hayes, Robert Rivkin, Gabe Camarillo, Florence Pan, Mallory Stewart, Vivek Viswanathan, Phil Brest, Michael Sulmeyer, Jaime Areizaga-Soto, Larry Irving, Ben Haas and Marc Rotenberg. — SPOTTED at Harvard's Belfer Center’s 50th anniversary reunion dinner last night at the State Room in Boston: Colin Kahl, Aditi Kumar, Fareed Zakaria, Barham Salih, Nand Mulchandani, Youssef Chahed, Carme Artigas, Ivo Daalder, Ed Djerejian, Karen Donfried, Dan Poneman and Meghan O'Sullivan. — SPOTTED at the TrendingUP gala last night: Schuyler Bailar, V Spehar, Jessica Craven, Barrett Pall, Jessica Floyd, Jenn Fernandez Ancona, Pili Tobar, Maria Urbina, Allyson Marcus, Bradley Beychok, José Morales, Jesse Ferguson, Adam Green, Nick Kitchel, Heeyoung Leem, Caitlin Legacki, Abbey Watson, Cole Leiter, Ashwath Narayan, Ryan Berni, Terrance Green, Ruiyong Chen and Danny Kazin. WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Alexandra Stabler, director of global partnerships at Global Citizen, and Matthew McCauley, a healthcare investment banking associate at Goldman Sachs, on Saturday welcomed Naomi Stabler McCauley, who came in at 6 lbs, 15 oz. Pic BELATED BIRTHDAY (was yesterday): Jonah Wendt of Advancing American Freedom 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 Electronic Payments Coalition:   Protect our credit card rewards lifeline—tell DC politicians to OPPOSE the Durbin-Marshall Credit Card Bill. | | | | | | | 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 politics and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
No comments:
Post a Comment