| | | | |  | | By Garrett Ross | | Presented by |  | | | |  | THE CATCH-UP | | | WHAT A GAG — “New York’s top court dismisses Trump’s appeal of gag order in hush money case,” by Erica Orden MANCHIN IN THE MIDDLE — In case you were wondering if retiring Sen. JOE MANCHIN (I-W.Va.) is going to jump into the West Virginia gubernatorial race, the latest indication points to no. Manchin is set to appear alongside Democratic gubernatorial candidate STEVE WILLIAMS for a fundraising event next week, per Steven Allen Adams.
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The House Ethics Committee released a rare statement about its investigation into Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) after he lashed out at the panel. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | KNOCKING AT THE GAETZ — The House Ethics Committee released a rare statement regarding its investigation into Rep. MATT GAETZ (R-Fla.) confirming that it is “reviewing allegations” that Gaetz “may have: engaged in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, accepted improper gifts, dispensed special privileges and favors to individuals with whom he had a personal relationship, and sought to obstruct government investigations of his conduct.” The statement continued: “The Committee will take no further action at this time on the allegations that he may have shared inappropriate images or videos on the House floor, misused state identification records, converted campaign funds to personal use, and/or accepted a bribe or improper gratuity.” Read the full statement It comes just a day after Gaetz excoriated the committee in a post on X, calling it “Soviet” and claiming that its investigations into him are a product of former Speaker KEVIN McCARTHY. “The Ethics Committee declined to comment on the timing of the statement, including whether it was drafted specifically as a response to Gaetz or had already been in the works,” our colleague Jordain Carney reports. THE WEIGHT OF IT ALL — “The unbearable heaviness of thinking everything is good for Trump,” by WaPo’s Ben Terris: “Everyone knows that getting convicted of felonies is bad. But try telling that to nervous anti-Trumpers.” WHAT TO WATCH ON ELECTION DAY (TODAY!) — “Incumbents have had a great cycle so far. Bob Good could be the first big loser,” by Madison Fernandez LATEST IN ARIZONA — BORIS EPSHTEYN appeared for his arraignment in Arizona today, where he pleaded not guilty as one of the 18 associates of DONALD TRUMP accused of interfering in the 2020 election results in the state. It’s a noted turn for Epshteyn, who “routinely surfaces as a lesser character in Trump-related indictments,” but is a central figure in the Arizona case, NYT’s Danny Hakim, Alan Feuer and Maggie Haberman write. “His indictment there stems from work he did behind the scenes to try to keep Mr. Trump in power after his 2020 election loss. Shepherding a small group of advisers, he helped oversee a plan to deploy fake electors in seven battleground states lost by Mr. Trump, documents show.” Epshteyn is also “unique among the defendants in retaining a continuing role as a central Trump adviser, with as deep a view into his legal strategy as anyone on his staff.” Good Tuesday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Programming note: Playbook PM will be off tomorrow in recognition of Juneteenth, but we’ll still be in your inbox in the morning. Drop me a line at gross@politico.com.
| | | | A message from U.S. Travel Association: Nearly 3 million passengers fly safely every day in the U.S. Our industry is committed to a safe and secure traveler experience, from point A to point B. With record-setting air travel on the summer horizon, TSA’s secure screening technologies, along with the expertise of the U.S. airline industry, will get you to your destination safely and seamlessly. Learn more. | | | | | 7 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW | | |  White House adviser Amos Hochstein speaks with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri in Beirut, Lebanon, on Tuesday. | Bilal Hussein/AP Photo | 1. MIDDLE EAST LATEST: “AMOS HOCHSTEIN, a senior adviser to President Biden, met Tuesday with senior Lebanese officials in Beirut, where he pressed for a diplomatic solution as increasingly deadly skirmishes between Israel and Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Lebanese militia, have made the situation on the Israel-Lebanon border dangerously volatile,” NYT’s Aaron Boxerman reports from Jerusalem. “While in Beirut, Mr Hochstein will not meet with the leaders of Hezbollah, which the U.S. and the European Union consider a terrorist organization. Instead, he will meet only with members of Lebanon’s government, whose influence on the group is limited.” Meanwhile, in a new video released this morning, Israeli PM BENJAMIN NETANYAHU blasted the Biden administration, recounting his recent conversation with Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN. “I said it’s inconceivable that in the past few months, the administration has been withholding weapons and ammunitions to Israel,” Netanyahu said in the video, adding that Blinken said the U.S. is working to “remove these bottlenecks.” “I certainly hope that’s the case.” Watch the video 2. POLITICAL LIFE PRESERVER: Biden’s mega-stimulus package — signed on the heels of the pandemic’s peak — is still rippling through the economy as the campaign season kicks into high gear. “The American Rescue Plan, which the Biden administration created and Democrats passed in March 2021, has fueled discontent among voters, in sometimes paradoxical ways. Some Americans blame the law, which included direct checks to individuals, for helping to fuel rapid inflation. Others appear upset that its relief to people, businesses and school districts was short-lived,” NYT’s Jim Tankersley and Madeleine Ngo write. “At the same time, though, the stimulus may be lifting Mr. Biden’s chances for November in ways that pollsters rarely ask about. … “Supporters of Mr. Biden, and the law, say that enhanced growth has helped the president remain better positioned electorally than his counterparts across Europe. Many European leaders have seen their popularity plummet, and some have suffered party losses in recent elections or are facing the likelihood that voters will soon kick them out of power. … [H]e remains more popular than the leaders of France, Germany, Britain and other allies. America’s rapid economic growth and low unemployment rate, bolstered by the stimulus, could help explain that divergence.” 3. CAROLINA IN MY MIND: MARK ROBINSON, the North Carolina lieutenant governor who is running for governor, has been the subject of many reports uncovering previous controversial comments he has made over the airwaves and online. The latest comes from WaPo’s Patrick Svitek and Maegan Vazquez, who report that Robinson has “for years made comments downplaying and making light of sexual assault and domestic violence.” “A review of Robinson’s social media posts over the past decade shows that he frequently questioned the credibility of women who aired allegations of sexual assault against prominent men, including Hollywood producer HARVEY WEINSTEIN, actor BILL COSBY and now-U.S. Supreme Court Justice BRETT M. KAVANAUGH. In one post, Robinson, North Carolina’s lieutenant governor, characterized Weinstein and others as ‘sacrificial lambs’ being ‘slaughtered.’”
| | | | 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. RULES FOR THEE: “Tammy Baldwin says the 1% abuse lucrative tax loopholes. Her partner mastered them,” by the Washington Examiner’s Gabe Kaminsky: “Baldwin’s partner, MARIA BRISBANE, focuses on delivering ‘tax minimization strategies’ for her clients at Morgan Stanley, which counts Brisbane as a private wealth adviser, according to the firm. It’s a fact that Republicans aim to exploit this election cycle over apparent hypocrisy: Baldwin, who faces a tough challenge in the Badger State this November from GOP businessman ERIC HOVDE, often calls the tax code unfair. In the Senate Democrat’s telling, the rules include ‘a Swiss cheese of loopholes’ that benefit Wall Street and hurt Wisconsin families.” In response to the story, a Baldwin spox said she is a “leader” in the tax fight, adding: “Attacking Tammy Baldwin for her partner’s work is baseless and wrong.” 5. YOU’VE GOT MAIL: “These 1,941 historic Ted Cruz emails show how Washington works,” by WaPo’s Nate Jones: “Few public records reveal as much about the work of government officials as their emails. Consider the 1,941 emails Sen. TED CRUZ (R-Tex.) wrote and received over six months in 2001 while he was associate deputy attorney general at the Department of Justice. These were recently released to The Washington Post in response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. Cruz’s emails offer a real-time, unvarnished view into his professional life as his political star rose. The correspondence portrays Cruz as a jovial and well-liked colleague, helps explain how Justice Department policy sausage was made, and shows how Cruz helped — and was helped by — political connections.” How deep it goes: “It’s hard to imagine why the Archives disclosed an email invitation to Cruz for a Gold Cup horse race party — noting ‘5 kegs, 30 handles, and barbecue’ — that he forwarded to his future wife HEIDI NELSON, but withheld 891 other emails.” 6. UNDER THE GUN: “The Gun Lobby’s Hidden Hand in the 2nd Amendment Battle,” by NYT’s Mike McIntire and Jodi Kantor: “In the battle to dismantle gun restrictions, raging in America’s courts even as mass shootings become commonplace, one name keeps turning up in the legal briefs and judges’ rulings: WILLIAM ENGLISH, Ph.D. A little-known political economist at Georgetown University, Dr. English conducted a largest-of-its-kind national survey that found gun owners frequently used their weapons for self-defense. … “But Dr. English’s interest in firearms is more than academic: He has received tens of thousands of dollars as a paid expert for gun rights advocates, and his survey work, which he says was part of a book project, originated as research for a National Rifle Association-backed lawsuit, The New York Times has found. He has also increasingly drawn scrutiny in some courts over the reliability and integrity of his unpublished survey, which is the core of his research, and his refusal to disclose who paid for it.” 7. DANCE OF THE SUPERPOWERS: “Biden’s Tough-on-China Stance Threatens Green America Push,” by WSJ’s Phred Dvorak: A series of moves recently pushed by the Biden administration “represent some of the strongest attempts yet to protect nascent industries from a glut of green Chinese products and wean the U.S. off clean-energy supply chains that Beijing dominates. But the U.S. still relies on imported solar components, and some industry executives say the moves — particularly the antidumping petition — are causing developers to pause panel acquisitions, push back work time lines and prepare for higher costs. That in turn threatens the fast rollout of renewable energy needed for the U.S. to hit ambitious clean-energy and climate goals, they say.” Related read: “Biden Links Green Power to Good Pay With Clean Energy Wage Rules,” by Newsweek’s Jeff Young
| | | | JOIN US ON 6/13 FOR A TALK ON THE FUTURE OF HEALTH CARE: As Congress and the White House work to strengthen health care affordability and access, innovative technologies and treatments are increasingly important for patient health and lower costs. What barriers are appearing as new tech emerges? Is the Medicare payment process keeping up with new technologies and procedures? Join us on June 13 as POLITICO convenes a panel of lawmakers, officials and experts to discuss what policy solutions could expand access to innovative therapies and tech. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | OUT AND ABOUT — The Appalachian Trail Conservancy held a Pre-Centennial Celebration reception and book signing yesterday evening at the newly remodeled offices of Monument Advocacy. SPOTTED: Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Ed Clark, Stewart Verdery, Anna Kumar, Robert Hoffman, Jana Barresi, Price Roe, John Knapp, Julie Kennedy, Kristin Sharp, Ron Tipton and Martin Whitmer. — SPOTTED at a celebration for Peter Rosenstein’s new book, “Born This Gay: My Life of Activism, Politics, Travel, and Coming Out,” ($24.99) hosted by Jim D’Orta and Jed Ross yesterday evening and catered by Cafe Milano: D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, Paul Smedberg, Mollie Smith, Kevin Naff, Judith Beerman, Don Friedman, Kristofer Eisenla and Jeff Trammel. TRANSITION — Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy is joining the advisory board of C3 AI, an enterprise AI provider, to further the company’s “expansion of AI solutions among all levels of government (ranging from local/state to federal), as well as foster relationships with allied nations.” The announcement WEDDING — Miranda Margowsky, head of comms at the Financial Technology Association, and Andrew O’Neil, an international trade specialist at the Department of Commerce, got married on June 8 in Brussels. The couple met on Hinge in 2018. Pic … Another pic BONUS BIRTHDAY: Wyatt Detrick 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. Correction: Yesterday’s Playbook PM included the incorrect gender for Ari Zimmerman. He is a man.
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