| | | | |  | | By Bethany Irvine | | Presented by |  | | | |  | THE CATCH-UP | | | HOPE SPRINGS ETERNAL — President JOE BIDEN said Gaza cease-fire talks are “closer than we have ever been” in Oval Office comments this morning, per CBS’ Weijia Jiang. “I don’t want to jinx anything … but we may have something.”
|  VP Kamala Harris will lay out a series of competition, housing and tax proposals in her address this afternoon in North Carolina. | AP | A PENNY FOR HER THOUGHTS — In little over an hour, VP KAMALA HARRIS will take the stage in Raleigh, North Carolina, to roll out her economic agenda — an attempt at stepping out of the shadow that hovered over Biden’s now-aborted reelection and at countering criticism that her three-week-old campaign has been all sizzle, no steak. What to expect … Harris, who will hit the road over the weekend on her way to next week’s Democratic National Convention, will lay out a series of competition, housing and tax proposals that largely keep the “Bidenomics” framework in place, with some populist touches sprinkled on, as Adam Cancryn previews. Among Harris's planned proposals is an expansion of the child tax credit that would allow up to "$6,000 to certain families with children — nearly double the amount that Biden secured during his first year in office." The VP is also expected to call for a range of new tax incentives aimed at encouraging the development of affordable homes. “She will also advocate pouring $40 billion into an ‘innovation fund’ meant to encourage local governments to find ways to build more housing — enlarging an existing $20 billion proposal,” Adam writes. “The agenda would also endorse legislation designed to ease rent prices by making it more difficult for investment companies to purchase large numbers of rental homes.” (The feasibility of all of these proposals, of course, will depend on whether Democrats can win congressional majorities alongside the White House.) But, but, but … While parts of Harris’ plan are calibrating to win over price-hike-weary voters, some economists say her attacks against “corporate price gouging” first rolled out Tuesday are ill-advised: “Inflation is running above the Fed’s 2 percent target, but food prices have fallen steadily since the summer of 2022,” while it’s “especially difficult to enforce price controls on the grocery sector” due to the highly competitive market, NYT’s Dealbook team report. The DONALD TRUMP campaign is already spinning Harris’ calls for price controls thusly: “Comrade Kamala Goes Full Communist.” MORE ON THE ISSUES — As the Harris shores up her policy agenda, AP’s Brian Slodysko, Michael Blood and Alan Suderman run down the many areas where the VP has flip-flopped since her early days as a California prosecutor, leaving her vulnerable to attacks from Republicans: “Politicians often recalibrate in the face of shifting public opinions and circumstances. … [But Harris’] shifts, including on matters that she has framed as moral issues, could raise doubts about her convictions as she is reintroducing herself to the public.”
- On the death penalty … “During a 2004 inauguration speech after her election as San Francisco’s district attorney, Harris vowed to ‘never charge the death penalty.’ … Harris softened her approach four years later … [a]mid a tightly contested [California AG] race with Los Angeles District Attorney STEVE COOLEY.”
- On marijuana use … “Most Americans live in states where marijuana is legal in some form, and Harris is now the first major party presidential nominee to advocate for marijuana legalization. … But at different junctures of her time in office, she has been an enforcer of cannabis laws and an opponent of legalized use for adults in California.”
Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill … Most congressional Democrats are perfectly happy to wait until after the election for Harris to fill out her policy agenda, Nick Wu and Daniella Diaz report, lest she risk blunting her campaign’s momentum: “They’d rather lay out a specific plan post-November, when a potential President-elect Harris would have to staff up her administration and determine her governing priorities … but it’s still a risky strategy.” Related read: “Harris, Walz fought health-care corporate power — to a point,” by WaPo’s Dan Diamond and Lauren Weber Happy Friday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me a line at birvine@politico.com.
| | | | A message from Comcast: Did you know that most of the data on your smartphone travels over WiFi, not cellular? Thanks to WiFi innovation by Comcast, our customers connect over a billion devices to our network each year. Unlicensed spectrum is key to a fast and secure WiFi experience at home and on the go. Comcast leads the way by developing cutting-edge WiFi gateways that maximize our multi-gig broadband network and spectrum made available by the FCC. Learn more. | | | BREAKING THROUGH THE NOISE — Trump’s comments yesterday, delivered in the course of praising megadonor MIRIAM ADELSON, suggesting that the Presidential Medal of Freedom was “much better” than the Congressional Medal of Honor — the highest military award given for heroism in battle — appear to have some legs. “[The] civilian version, it’s actually much better because everyone [who] gets the Congressional Medal of Honor, they’re soldiers. They’re either in very bad shape because they’ve been hit so many times by bullets or they’re dead. She gets it and she’s a healthy beautiful woman,” Trump told a group of supporters at a New Jersey campaign event. For context: “Trump awarded Miriam Adelson the Medal of Freedom in 2018, commending her donations to anti-addiction facilities and her work as a doctor,” NBC News’ Jake Traylor and Ginger Gibson report from Bedminster, New Jersey. The comments come as “Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD VANCE, R-Ohio, have criticized the Democratic vice presidential nominee, Minnesota Gov. TIM WALZ, for his military record.” Harris’ response: “Donald Trump knows nothing about service to anyone or anything but himself," Harris campaign spokesperson SARAFINA CHITIKA said in a statement. “For him to insult Medal of Honor recipients … should remind all Americans that we owe it to our service members, our country, and our future to make sure Donald Trump is never our nation’s commander in chief again.”
| | | 6 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW | | | |  Donald Trump's campaign has selected former Small Business Administration head Linda McMahon as co-chair of his transition team. | AFP via Getty Images | 1. STAFFING UP: The Trump campaign has appointed two top allies of the former president as co-chairs of his transition team: HOWARD LUTNICK, chairman and CEO of the financial services business Cantor Fitzgerald, and LINDA MCMAHON, Trump's former administrator of the Small Business Administration. The picks could signal which direction Trump’s domestic agenda might take, Meridith McGraw reports, given McMahon’s former role as board chair of the America First Policy Institute, “the conservative think tank that was formed by Trump administration officials after he lost the 2020 election [and] could have an influential role in shaping a second term.” The picks come as Trump has sought to distance himself from the Heritage Foundation’s shadow transition effort known as Project 2025: The former president, Meredith notes, has “called some of its policy recommendations ‘absolutely ridiculous,’ even though the efforts involve at least 140 people who worked in the Trump administration.” Related read: “How Project 2025 Turned Into the GOP’s Biggest Political Loser,” by NOTUS’ Ben T.N. Mause 2. SWING-STATE CHECK-IN: As Harris visits North Carolina today, Democrats in the Tar Heel state are hoping a fresh face on the ticket will reinvigorate voters in “a state where success has eluded them for 16 years,” NYT’s Maya King and Nicholas Nehamas report: Party officials cite a surge of new volunteers, more investments on the airwaves, and narrowing poll numbers in battleground states as evidence of a renewed enthusiasm, but it is still uncertain if Harris can turn this energy into votes. Meanwhile, in Michigan, Bloomberg’s Erik Wasson finds economic anxieties shaping voter attitudes in the Mitten: “The Big Three’s decades-long rise lifted millions of workers into the middle class — but a surge in inflation during the pandemic has left many Michigan households hurting. At the same time, a battle is being fought over what the US auto business will look like in the future.” 3. SURVEY SAYS: For pollhounds, NYT’s Nate Cohn new analysis of the latest NYT/Siena numbers is worth a read. He tackles a Trump campaign critique of the poll, which showed Harris leading Trump in key swing states: “In the polls of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, respondents recalled backing President Biden over Mr. Trump by six points, 52 percent to 46 percent, even though Mr. Biden actually won these three states by an average of about 1.5 points. The Trump campaign used this data point to say Mr. Trump would have led if the poll had the “right” number of Trump 2020 supporters.” The gist: “This isn’t an absurd argument. In recent years, many pollsters have embraced recalled vote … But over the longer run, recalled vote hasn’t usually been very reliable. … No one ever knows which polls — or which polling methodologies — will appear ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ until the election results begin to arrive.”
| | | | WELCOME TO THE CNN-POLITICO GRILL AT THE DNC! If you are in Chi-Town next week, join us at the CNN-POLITICO Grill just steps from the United Center for daily events and live programs. Featuring an all-star lineup of the most influential Democrats including Gov. JB Pritzker, Sen. Chuck Schumer, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, the Honorable Pete Buttigieg, Gov. Josh Shapiro, Sen. Laphonza Butler, New York City Mayor Eric Adams and many more surprise guests. Don’t miss out on the buzziest conversations and newsworthy events hosted by POLITICO’s top reporters and editors. RSVP HERE. | | | | | 4. CONVENTIONAL WISDOM: “Jill Biden to honor her husband at convention Monday — an appearance that once was going to be much different,” by NBC News’ Monica Alba: “It is expected to be a particularly poignant moment for a first lady who has often been his fiercest defender … The Bidens will have their time at the convention Monday evening and do not plan to stay in Chicago for the rest of it.” 5. TEXAS TEA PARTY: Despite Joe Biden’s campaign promise that there would be “no more drilling on federal land,” WaPo’s Maxine Joselow writes how his administration — along with every other U.S. president before him — has effectively failed at cutting off the flow U.S. oil production: “‘Trump and his supporters argue that Biden and Harris have waged ‘a war on energy,’” but “[t]he reality is the United States is already dominant. The country is expected to produce 13.2 million barrels of oil per day on average this year — millions of barrels more than Saudi Arabia or Russia.” While Biden has pushed through major renewable energy initiatives through the Inflation Reduction Act, he has struggled to fully “wean the U.S. economy from fossil fuels because of legal obligations, political challenges and market demand … Yet on the campaign trail, Trump has depicted the boost in U.S. oil production as a Democratic Party ploy.” 6. BACK TO SCHOOL: As college student’s return to campuses across the country in the next few days, Juan Perez Jr., Bianca Quilantan and Rebecca Carballo report how the tensions over the Israel-Hamas war has the potential to accelerate the student protests over the conflict: “It’s unclear whether protests will rival the size of massive demonstrations that shocked the country earlier this year. But student organizers say they have no plans to slow down.” Meanwhile, “Schools are adjusting how they will regulate protests, prompting some concerns from First Amendment and academic freedom groups.”
| | | | DON’T MISS OUR AI & TECH SUMMIT: Join POLITICO’s AI & Tech Summit for exclusive interviews and conversations with senior tech leaders, lawmakers, officials and stakeholders about where the rising energy around global competition — and the sense of potential around AI and restoring American tech knowhow — is driving tech policy and investment. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Kamala Harris and JD Vance share a love of cooking. Donald Trump’s campaign says the debate debate isn't over. MEDIA MOVE — Erin Logan will be a text editor at AP’s Washington bureau. She most recently was a national political reporter for the Los Angeles Times and is a Baltimore Sun alum. TRANSITION — Tess Peterson will be a senior legislative assistant for Rep. Lizzie Fletcher (D-Texas). She previously was a senior consultant at FTI Consulting. WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Kyle McColgan, deputy campaign manager for Larry Hogan’s Maryland Senate campaign, and Aiden Galloway, a litigation attorney, welcomed Cillian Patrick McColgan on Tuesday. Pic … Another pic 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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