| | | | |  | | By Rachael Bade, Ryan Lizza and Eugene Daniels | | Presented by |  | | | With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine
| | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | | 
A half-dozen House Republicans are publicly against Speaker Mike Johnson’s plan to extend government funding. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | SO MUCH FOR PLAN A — Speaker MIKE JOHNSON’s plan to extend government funding for six months and attach a GOP voting bill to sweeten the deal for conservatives lasted for all of a few hours before seeming to unravel as members trickled into the Capitol last night. Already, a half-dozen House Republicans are publicly against Johnson’s plan, Jordain Carney and Olivia Beavers report — and it isn’t just the usual conservative rabble-rousers balking. House Armed Services Chair MIKE ROGERS (R-Ala.) is out against the proposal, echoing the concerns of Pentagon officials who have raised alarms about a six-month stopgap undercutting military readiness. Meanwhile, Rep. JIM BANKS (R-Ind.), is also publicly against the bill: He, too, is on Armed Services, but he’s citing fiscal reasons for opposing the plan. Whatever the reasons, one senior House GOP aide put it this way: “If you’re losing Mike Rogers and Jim Banks,” the person said, leaving the rest of the dismal sentiment unspoken. Facts are still facts for Johnson: In the contemporary House GOP, there are simply too many members who won’t vote for continuing resolutions no matter how many sweeteners get tacked on to the bill. And Democrats have little incentive to help out as long as the terms are catering to the right. One well-informed birdie pointed out to us that about 100 House Republicans voted against each of the two previous stopgaps this year. Another person noted that last time GOP leadership tried to pass a partisan CR — one stacked with conservative goodies by previous Speaker KEVIN McCARTHY — about two dozen Republicans still opposed the measure, with some going on to oust him as speaker for his troubles. Johnson is vibing better with his members than McCarthy did a year ago, to be sure. And he’ll be getting some major help from the calendar: With Election Day approaching, few House Republicans are going to want to be stuck on the Hill much past next week. For now, Johnson plans to stay the course, we’re told by people close with him. A this morning’s GOP conference meeting, he’ll have an opportunity to make his case in person that passing something through the House as a Republican majority is preferable to the alternative: Another faceplant, and another clean, bipartisan bill passed under suspension of the rules.
|  Ahead of tonight's debate, each side is unsurprisingly trying to get under their adversary’s skin. | AP | GAME TIME — VP KAMALA HARRIS and former President DONALD TRUMP will come face to the face for the first time today (as in, ever) at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia for the 9 p.m. presidential debate. It’s their first debate, and potentially their last. And because just about every angle of tonight’s matchup has already been written up too many times already, we’ll keep this short and sweet. Among the biggest questions is how Trump, facing a potentially historic gender gap in this year’s election, will handle himself on stage with a woman, and Meridith McGraw, Myah Ward, Christopher Cadelago and Elena Schneider take a deep look this morning. “His allies hope he doesn’t make things worse,” they write. “In past debates against HILLARY CLINTON, Trump tried to undermine, belittle or humiliate both her and female debate moderators. This time, his advisers have pushed him to focus on Harris’ record and try not to let her get under his skin.” Speaking of getting under skin: That’s exactly what each side is unsurprisingly trying to do to their adversary this morning. — Team Harris just released their latest attack ad featuring BARACK OBAMA’s DNC speech skewering Trump on his obsession with crowd size (and the size of, um, other things). As with the spot we highlighted yesterday, this ad is being microtargeted to an audience of one, running nationally on Fox News and locally in Palm Beach, Florida.) More from Kierra Frazier —Team Trump, meanwhile, is taking aim at Harris’ past as a prosecutor as they try to attack what the VP’s squad considers to be one of her great strengths. We’re told to “expect a focus on Kamala’s DA record at the debate,” per one Trump official, and the Trump campaign this morning is rolling out new endorsements from 47 prosecutors — most of whom served Trump in the Justice Department. At the same time, both candidates are facing distractions as they gear up for their big moment tonight — unflattering stories that might not figure directly on the debate stage but underscore real vulnerabilities as the campaign unfolds. — For Trump, it’s the former head of the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 going public with concerns that Trump is heading for defeat due to his attempt to move toward the center — and calling for heads to roll atop the Trump campaign. In interviews with NYT’s Ken Bensinger and CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, PAUL DANS defended the far-right policy platform Democrats just love to talk about — and insisted that CHRIS LaCIVITA and SUSIE WILES, who sidelined Heritage, need to go due to “missteps” and “overconfidence,” per Bensinger. Expect Harris to look for opportunities to bring Project 2025 into the conversation tonight. — As for Harris, it’s new evidence of her circa-2019 left turn. CNN’s Andrew Kaczynski got his hands on an old ACLU questionnaire Harris filled out during her ill-fated presidential run where she vowed to “end” immigration detention and provide taxpayer-funded gender affirming care and transition surgeries for detained migrants. Harris, of course, has disavowed many of the left-wing causes she once championed, but the story foreshadows some of the tough questions she’ll face tonight from ABC’s David Muir and Linsey Davis — if not from Trump himself. No matter how things shake out, both sides are preparing to declare victory in the spin room tonight. Playbook has a sneak peek at the Trump surrogates who will be on hand to champion his performance, starting with running mate JD VANCE, RNC Chair MICHAEL WHATLEY and Co-Chair LARA TRUMP, and Govs. DOUG BURGUM of North Dakota and KRISTI NOEM of South Dakota. Also on hand will be Sens. TIM SCOTT (R-S.C.), MARCO RUBIO (R-Fla.), TOM COTTON (R-Ark.) and RICK SCOTT (R-Fla.); Reps. BYRON DONALDS (R-Fla.), MATT GAETZ (R-Fla.) and MIKE WALTZ (R-Texas); as well as former Rep. TULSI GABBARD (D-Hawaii), ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR. and VIVEK RAMASWAMY. Good Tuesday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza.
| | | | A message from Novo Nordisk: At Novo Nordisk, our majority shareholder is a charitable foundation committed to improving people’s health and the sustainability of society and the planet. That lets us invest in early science and take risks for the benefit of patients as we drive change to defeat serious chronic diseases. | | | DEVELOPING OVERNIGHT I — “Dozens killed, wounded in Israeli strikes on Gaza tent camp,” by Reuters’ Mohammad Salem and Nidal Al-Mughrabi DEVELOPING OVERNIGHT II — “Apple Loses Court Battle Over $14 Billion Irish Tax Bill,” by WSJ’s Mauro Orru ELECTION DAY IN AMERICA — “The ugliest Democratic primary of the cycle is tearing New Hampshire apart,” by Ally Mutnick, Sarah Ferris and Lisa Kashinsky: New Hampshire’s Democratic primary between COLIN VAN OSTERN and MAGGIE GOODLANDER has resulted in “an angry Democrat-on-Democrat battle less than two months before Election Day, at a time when the party insists it has never been more unified in the fight for 2024 — and when that unity is key to its attempt to take back control of Congress.”
| | | | A message from Novo Nordisk:   Through revolutionary research, Novo Nordisk is transforming the lives of Americans with obesity and diabetes. | | | | | WHAT'S HAPPENING TODAY | | On the Hill The Senate is in. The House will meet at 10 a.m. 3 things to watch …
- Former New York Gov. ANDREW CUOMO appears before the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic this afternoon, with Republicans expected to “grill him over his administration’s nursing home policies and why federally provided resources like the USNS Comfort hospital ship — sent to New York City to relieve health care providers — was barely used,” Nick Reisman reports. But Cuomo is expected to put up a fight himself as he eyes a possible political comeback — either as governor or New York City mayor.
- Democrat GEORGE HELMY of New Jersey yesterday became the Senate’s 205th appointed member, replacing Sen. BOB MENENDEZ (who also yesterday saw the contents of his desk unceremoniously paraded past reporters in a cardboard box). Besides joining the likes of JEFF CHIESA, NICHOLAS BRADY and BENJAMIN SMITH in filling a caretaker role for the Garden State on Capitol Hill, Helmy also becomes the first Coptic Christian to serve in the Senate.
- Sen. TOMMY TUBERVILLE (R-Ala.) is holding up a military nominee again. But this time, it’s just one: Army Lt. Gen. RONALD P. CLARK, a top aide to Defense Secretary LLOYD AUSTIN who is in line for a four-star posting. And, as WaPo’s Dan Lamothe scoops, it’s not about abortion policy, it’s about Clark’s possible role in shielding Austin’s hospitalization for prostate cancer late last year from public view. A Tuberville spokesperson said the senator is awaiting an inspector general’s report on the incident before he considers releasing the hold.
At the White House Biden will receive the President's Daily Brief in the morning. Later, Biden will welcome the University of South Carolina women’s basketball team and separately the University of Connecticut men’s basketball team to the White House to celebrate their respective championships. In the evening, Biden will travel to New York City. Press secretary KARINE JEAN-PIERRE will gaggle aboard Air Force One en route to New York. On the trail Minnesota Gov. TIM WALZ will deliver remarks at a campaign reception in Las Vegas in the morning. Later, Walz will travel to Phoenix for political engagements
| | | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | 2024 WATCH
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A new 19th News/SurveyMonkey poll out this morning finds Kamala Harris with a three-point lead over Donald Trump. | AP photos | POLL POSITION — While there is never a shortage of attention on the horse race, the arrival of debate day brings a renewed and heightened focus on the latest polling to establish the baselines for where the needles move in the days and weeks to follow. The freshest data comes from a new 19th News/SurveyMonkey poll out this morning, which finds Harris with a three-point lead over Trump, “boosted by a wider advantage with women voters than he holds with men,” the 19th’s Grace Panetta writes. The poll has 44% of registered voters backing Harris to Trump’s 41% with 10% in the undecided column. “Harris currently leads among women voters by 13 points (48 percent to 35 percent) and Trump leads men by eight points (47 percent to 39 percent).” The latest Morning Consult polling also finds Harris with a three-point edge, 49% to 46%, with an identical lead in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. The two are tied at 48% in Georgia, Nevada and North Carolina. More from Morning Consult In something of a choose-your-news split, there are a handful of state-specific surveys that have each candidate ahead in two key swing states. The good numbers for Trump: An FAU PolCom Lab and Mainstreet Research USA poll shows Trump with slight leads in Georgia (47% to 45%) and North Carolina (48% to 47%). In the latest Quinnipiac University poll, Trump leads in Georgia by four, 49% to 45%. The good numbers for Harris: But in a WRAL News Poll in North Carolina, Harris leads by three points, 49% to 46%, reversing a five-point edge that Trump held in the same poll back in March. And in that new Q poll, Harris holds the same exact three-point advantage. And as Harris attempts to shore up support from Black voters, a key slice of the electorate that could propel her to victory, a WaPo-Ipsos poll “of 1,083 Black Americans finds that 69 percent say they are ‘absolutely certain to vote’ in November, up from 62 percent in April, albeit still lower than 74 percent in June 2020,” WaPo’s Emily Guskin, Cleve Wootson Jr. and Scott Clement write. More top reads:
- ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR. got a win yesterday from the North Carolina Supreme Court, which ruled that state ballots must be reprinted without the former independent presidential candidate’s name on them, NBC’s Zoë Richards reports.
- “The angry, divisive fallout of the Trump shooting in Butler County,” by WaPo’s Tim Craig in Butler, Pennsylvania: “The long-simmering tensions in Butler that erupted after a gunman shot Trump in the ear at a rally have yet to cool nearly two months later.”
- What about the Americans who are just tuning out? WSJ’s Clare Ansberry and Kris Maher have a deep dive: “They are canceling subscriptions, deleting apps, silencing notifications and unfollowing rabble-rousers. Many want no part of Tuesday night’s presidential debate or its fallout. Political discourse has infiltrated everything from the Sunday church service to afternoon football, and they have had enough.”
- “Why the ‘one-two punch’ of Liz and Dick Cheney backing Harris matters,” by Adam Wren and Megan Messerly: “GOP strategists and elected officials who share her opposition to the former president say Cheney’s campaign — including her and her father’s endorsement of Harris — could pave the way for members of their party to join their cause.”
MORE POLITICS FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — The Black Economic Alliance PAC, a coalition of business leaders and aligned advocates focused on supporting candidates and policies that advance Black economic progress and prosperity, is rolling out its first slate of endorsements for congressional races today. The BEA PAC is backing Democratic Senate candidates ANGELA ALSOBROOKS in Maryland, Rep. LISA BLUNT ROCHESTER in Delaware and Rep. COLIN ALLRED in Texas. The organization and board members are planning to host fundraisers to support all three endorsed candidates in the coming weeks. THE BORDER LINE — Progressive candidate MICHELLE VALLEJO’s congressional campaign in Texas is pushing a tough-on-the-border message. That “reflects a shift happening nationally, as Democrats have tried to take up the border security mantle, pushing forward increasingly conservative immigration policies and proposals. But it also runs up against how progressives have positioned themselves in the party,” NOTUS’ Casey Murray writes. “Across the country, Democratic candidates in tight rematches are testing out whether a different approach to border security can help boost them this time around.” JERSEY STRONG — “Friends with political benefits: Andy Kim and Rob Menendez try to move on after a rough year,” by Ry Rivard in Newark, New Jersey: Rep. ROB MENENDEZ “is throwing his support behind [Rep. ANDY KIM] who is vying to fill the Senate seat long held by his father, Bob Menendez. … The endorsement may do as much to help Rob Menendez as it does to help Kim: It again signals that the younger Menendez stands outside his father’s shadow and without sour grapes.” ABORTION ON THE BALLOT — “Police are questioning Florida voters about signing an abortion rights ballot petition,” by AP’s Kate Payne
| | | | A message from Novo Nordisk:   Novo Nordisk's revolutionary pharmaceutical research is transforming the lives of Americans with obesity and diabetes. At Novo Nordisk, we take the long view of health. | | | JUDICIARY SQUARE SCOTUS WATCH — Supreme Court Justice ELENA KAGAN is continuing her public push for an enforcement mechanism for the high court’s ethics code despite strident criticism from some voices on the right and skepticism about it among some legal ethics scholars, Josh Gerstein reports from New York. “It seems like a good idea in terms of ensuring that we comply with our own code of conduct going forward in the future. It seems like a good idea in terms of ensuring that people have confidence that we’re doing exactly that,” Kagan said during an appearance at NYU’s law school yesterday. “So, it seems like a salutary thing for the court.” TRIAL DAY 1 — “Google tries to reality-check Biden’s lawyers in court,” by Josh Sisco: “Google and the U.S. Department of Justice got into a sharp argument about business reality in a federal courtroom on Monday — a back-and-forth that went to the heart of the bigger challenges facing the Biden administration as it tries to rein in fast-moving segments of the tech industry.” BEYOND THE BELTWAY BIG IN THE BIG APPLE, PART I — “NYPD commissioner expected to step down amid federal probe,” by Sally Goldenberg, Michael Gartland, Jeff Coltin and Joe Anuta BIG IN THE BIG APPLE, PART II — “Searches in Adams’s Inner Circle Suggest Investigations Are Intensifying,” by NYT’s Hurubie Meko KENTUCKY SHOOTING LATEST — “Suspect said he planned to ‘kill a lot of people’ before I-75 shooting,” by the Louisville Courier Journal’s Rachel Smith GEORGIA SHOOTING LATEST — “Video released of 2023 interview with father and teen charged in Georgia school shooting,” by NBC’s Dennis Romero and Kayla McCormick AMERICA AND THE WORLD DANCE OF THE SUPERPOWERS — “U.S. and Chinese military commanders set to speak by phone for the first time in years,” by NBC’s Courtney Kube, Carol Lee and Jennifer Jett: “Adm. Samuel Paparo is expected to speak with Gen. Wu Yanan, the commander of China’s Southern Theater, which is responsible for Beijing’s vast claims over the South China Sea. The call will be the first time in years that the two regional military commanders have engaged in a formal conversation.” THE RIPPLE EFFECT — “Venezuela’s election crisis shows the limits of U.S. administrations over the roots of migration,” by NBC’s Suzanne Gamboa MEDIAWATCH BIG-TIME SHAKEUP — JORGE RAMOS, “who is among the most recognized journalists in Spanish-language television and is known for questioning leaders around the world, including FIDEL CASTRO and former President Donald J. Trump, will leave Univision at the end of 2024 after 40 years at the network,” NYT’s Jesus Jiménez writes. “Ramos and Univision mutually agreed not to renew his contract, which is set to expire soon, TelevisaUnivision, which operates Univision, said in a statement on Monday. Mr. Ramos, 66, will stay with Univision through the U.S. presidential election in November, the network said.” UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT — “Jamie Heller to Be Next Top Editor of Business Insider,” by NYT’s Benjamin Mullin and Rob Copeland: “Heller has led some of The [Wall Street] Journal’s most important coverage over a two-decade career at the newspaper. Originally an Ivy League-educated lawyer, she soon switched to journalism. Most recently she was The Journal’s business editor, with oversight over the news organization’s global coverage of technology, media, energy and large consumer companies, among other areas.”
| | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | | Bob Good is planning to step down as head of the Freedom Caucus this week. Dianne Feinstein’s jewelry collection is going to auction. Eric Adams has Covid. Donald Trump is still cranking out coffee table books. Jack and Meg White are suing the Trump campaign over its use of “Seven Nation Army.” Caitlin Clark-mania is hitting the D.C. donor circuit. Oprah found Teresa Woorman, the viral “childless cat lady” from the DNC. OUT AND ABOUT — Microsoft hosted a CBC ALC Kick Off Reception at the Microsoft Innovation and Policy Center yesterday in conjunction with Black Men on the Hill, complete with a DJ-filled soirée featuring Black vendors. SPOTTED: Anais Carmona, Morgan Bodenarain, Nd Ubezonu, Feven Solomon, Earnestine Dawson, Sean Ryan, Josh Delaney, Chonya Davis Johnson, Didier Barjon, Chris Cox, Nate Robinson, Maalik Simmons, Nick Johnson, Marcus Robinson, Toussaint Mitchell, Mark Hamilton, Paul Nicholas, Kyle Bligen and Trey Agee. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Sen. Angus King (I-Maine), a member of both the Veterans and Armed Services committees, will be announced as the Wounded Warrior Project’s Legislator of the Year. MEDIA MOVE — Reilly Knecht is now an associate director on the Axios events team. She most recently was a senior account executive at Adfero. TRANSITIONS — Taylor Hittle is joining Washington Council EY’s health care practice. She previously was chief health staffer for the House Committee on Education and the Workforce Republicans and is a Markwayne Mullin, Michael Burgess, John Carter and Mimi Walters alum. … Madison Hardy is now comms director for Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho). She most recently was press secretary for Idaho Gov. Brad Little. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) (7-0) … Domestic Policy Council Director Neera Tanden … Emily Berret … Renee Hudson … Jess McIntosh … Andrew Shapiro of Beacon Global Strategies … Hunter Walker … DOJ’s Brian Farnkoff ... POLITICO’s Nahal Toosi and Tiffany Cheung … Fox News’ Trey Yingst … NYT’s Mara Gay … NBC’s Chuck Rosenberg … Aurelien Portuese … FleishmanHillard’s Michael Moroney … Sara Bonjean … Alex Bell … former Rep. Ted Poe (R-Texas) … former Sen. John E. Sununu (R-N.H.) (6-0) … Meshal DeSantis … Justin Wiley … Mahen Gunaratna … Richard Wolf 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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