| | | | |  | | By Bethany Irvine | | Presented by |  | | | |  | THE CATCH-UP | | |  VP Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump will face off at Philadelphia’s National Constitution Center at 9 p.m | AP | LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION — The stage is set. In about eight hours, VP KAMALA HARRIS and former President DONALD TRUMP will face off at Philadelphia’s National Constitution Center at 9 p.m. in what from all available evidence is a razor-tight race. Here’s your final roundup of preview reads … On the rules … As a reminder, there will be no audience tonight, both candidates’ microphones will be muted in between responses, and they are allowed to have pen and paper, but no pre-printed notes, CBS News’ Kathryn Watson reports: “The debate will last 90 minutes and feature two commercial breaks. The candidates will have two minutes to answer questions, two minutes for rebuttals and an additional minute for follow-ups and clarifications.” On the issues … POLITICO has pulled together a series of policy questions for both nominees tonight. Some key questions include how both Harris and Trump justify calling for their various tax cuts, the first actions they’d take in the war in Ukraine and how both would plan to handle the tenuous relationship with Israeli PM BENJAMIN NETANYAHU. On the spin room … “Harris is bringing two former Trump administration officials as her debate guests,” by Megan Messerly: “Former Trump White House communications director ANTHONY SCARAMUCCI, who served only 10 days before he was fired, and former Trump national security official OLIVIA TROYE will attend the debate in Philadelphia as the vice president’s guests and surrogates.” Blast from Harris’ past … Harris' former Republican rival STEVE COOLEY has some advice for Donald Trump tonight, Lara Korte reports from Sacramento. Cooley, who narrowly lost to Harris in a 2010 bid for California AG after a major debate gaffe, isn’t exactly convinced Harris will be a juggernaut on stage: “It’ll be obvious that she’s inept,” Cooley said. “He doesn’t need to say it. Let her show it.” View from the top … In an interview with Maya Rupert for “The Power Brokers,” Harris-Walz campaign manager JULIE CHÁVEZ RODRIGUEZ said to expect mentions of Project 2025 and Trump’s stated positions: “We should believe him when he outlines plans to ban abortion, to erect mass deportation camps, to end the Department of Education, and to take away the independence of the Department of Justice.” More debate reads … “How Harris and Trump debate styles match up based on past performances,” by WaPo’s Praveena Somasundaram and Blair Guild … “Edgy Traders Brace for Potentially ‘Pivotal’ Trump-Harris Debate,” by Bloomberg’s Carter Johnson and Esha Dey JOHNSON’S LAST STAND — House Speaker MIKE JOHNSON is planning to plow ahead to put his six-month funding bill to a vote tomorrow, despite a “handful of conservatives” who are opposing the bill: “Asked if he would still put the bill on the floor tomorrow, Johnson told POLITICO after the meeting: ‘That's the plan,’” Sarah Ferris reports. The comment came after Johnson attempted to rally support in a closed-door GOP conference meeting this morning. Member reaction following Johnson’s entreaty appeared decidedly mixed. While Rep. JIM JORDAN (R-Ohio) “went to bat” for the plan during the meeting, Sarah reports, members including Reps. THOMAS MASSIE (R-Ky.) and NANCY MACE (R-S.C.) cast fresh doubt on its chances, with Massie telling colleagues it has ‘fairy tale levels of believability,’” Olivia Beavers and Jordain Carney report. While House Democrats have not indicated their formal whipping plans, the bill remains dead on arrival in the Senate after President JOE BIDEN issued a veto threat yesterday. Said Majority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER on the floor today, “The House should stop wasting time on a CR proposal that cannot become law.” Good Tuesday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me a line at birvine@politico.com.
| | | | 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. | | | HAPPENING SOON — Lawmakers on the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic are expected to grill former New York Gov. ANDREW CUOMO for answers on his administration’s response to the coronavirus pandemic and controversial nursing home policies. Watch live at 2 p.m. on C-SPAN AFTERNOON READ — “Why Mike Lee Folded,” by The Atlantic’s Tim Alberta: “To hear Lee’s friends, allies, and former staffers tell it — and they did, by the dozens, though many requested anonymity to avoid retaliation from the senator — Lee is all but unrecognizable. … It’s as if NED FLANDERS became a 4chan troll.” THE DOUBLE-DOWN — Yesterday’s Playbook PM noted that Sen. JD VANCE (R-Ohio) had echoed unverified reports of Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, kidnapping and eating pets. We did not initially seek comment from Vance, and his Senate spokesperson WILLIAM MARTIN shared the following statement in response: “Senator Vance has received a high volume of calls and emails over the past several weeks from concerned citizens in Springfield: his tweet is based on what he is hearing from them. The city has faced an influx of 15,000-20,000 Haitian migrants over the past four years, stressing public resources and leading to housing shortages, all thanks to Kamala Harris’ policy of extending temporary protected status designations. Many residents have contacted Senator Vance to share their concerns over crime and traffic accidents, and to express that they no longer feel safe in their own homes. Unlike the liberal media, JD takes his constituents’ concerns seriously.” No new information has since emerged to corroborate the claim of stolen-and-eaten pets, and a spokesperson for Springfield’s city government yesterday told CBS News “there have been no credible reports or specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals within the immigrant community.” Vance today said on X that, in essence, the truth behind the rumors does not matter given the verified impacts that a surge in Springfield’s immigrant population has had on the community. “In short, don't let the crybabies in the media dissuade you, fellow patriots,” he wrote. “Keep the cat memes flowing.”
| | 7 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW | | |  Secretary of State Antony Blinken rebuked Israeli military operations today in a press conference in London. | AP | 1. BLINKEN’S BARRAGE: Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN offered an unusual rebuke this morning of the Israeli Defense Forces after the Israeli military admitted that it was “highly likely” that it had “unintentionally” shot dead an American Turkish citizen, AYSENUR EYGI, at a demonstration last week, WaPo’s Michael Birnbaum and Loveday Morris report from London. At a news conference with British Foreign Secretary DAVID LAMMY, Blinken called on Israel to make changes to their operations following the admission. “No one should have to put their life at risk just to purely express their views. The Israeli security forces need to make some fundamental changes in the way they operate in the West Bank, including changes in their rules of engagement,” Blinken said. Blinken’s rebuke comes after he announced the Biden administration will be enforcing more sanctions against Tehran for sending short-range ballistic missiles to Russia for use in Ukraine, NYT’s Edward Wong reports. Blinken said that Russia is equipped with missiles they will likely launch “within weeks in Ukraine against Ukrainians,” while the two diplomats announced a joint visit to Ukraine this week “as a show of solidarity.” Related read: “Barrage of Drones Targets Moscow, Russian Border Regions,” by WSJ’s Ann Simmons and Alan Cullison 2. WHAT WOULD JOE (MANCHIN) DO: As the Harris campaign works to shore up support among moderates,WSJ’s Greg Ip writes how she might take a page out of Sen. JOE MANCHIN’s (I-W.Va.) book when it comes to energy policy: “Manchin is a proponent of an ‘all-of-the-above’ energy policy, i.e. one that embraces both domestic oil-and-gas production and low or no-carbon energy to combat climate change. … Biden’s, and by extension Harris’s, energy policy is a de facto ‘all-of-the-above-for-now.’” 3. MELANIA SPEAKS: Melania Trump has spoken out for the first time on camera about the July 13 assassination attempt against her husband, casting doubt on law enforcement’s official account of the shooting, Meridith McGraw reports. In a video released on X, the former first lady calls the shooting “horrible” and “distressing,” adding, “I can’t help but wonder why didn’t law enforcement officials arrest the shooter before the speech? There is definitely more to this story. And we need to uncover the truth.” “The former first lady’s latest statement comes as conspiracies and misinformation have swirled around the shooter and the attack. Federal investigators have combed through the shooter’s background and online history but have yet to identify a motive,” Meridith writes. 4. DEATH AND TAXES: “For Trump, Tariffs Are the Solution to Almost Any Problem,” by NYT’s Ana Swanson: “[I]n recent weeks, Mr. Trump has made even more expansive claims about the power of tariffs, including that they will help pay for child care, combat inflation, finance a U.S. sovereign wealth fund and help preserve the dollar’s pre-eminent role in the global economy. … But even if Mr. Trump were able to impose all of the tariffs he has floated, the amount of revenue they would bring in would likely fall far short of the “trillions” he has described.”
| | | 5. AFGHANISTAN WITHDRAWAL FALLOUT: As House Republicans continue to rail against the Biden administration’s handling of the 2022 Afghanistan withdrawal, Johnson today presided over a ceremony today posthumously awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to 13 U.S. military personnel who died during the retreat. The event takes place amid a vicious blame game between both parties over the hasty and deadly departure from Kabul. What Johnson said … “Today we are reminded why these 13 heroes were serving that tragic day three years ago, why they chose to serve, even knowing the risk, why they stood on the front lines. Surely they didn't serve so that we would honor them, although we do, they didn't remain loyal so that they would be remembered, though they certainly are. They did it because they had a higher calling.” 6. SURVEY SAYS: New AP-NORC Center survey data suggests that a majority of Republicans are more likely to trust Trump and his campaign regarding the outcome of the presidential election than government certified election results, AP’s Christine Fernando and Linley Sanders report: “About two-thirds of Republicans trust Trump’s campaign at least a moderate amount to provide accurate information about the results of the 2024 election, while only about half say the same about the official certifications of results … By contrast, about 9 in 10 Democrats trust the government certification at least a moderate amount. Related read: “Harris leads among Virginia voters, Post-Schar school poll finds,” by WaPo’s Gregory Schneider, Laura Vozzella, Scott Clement and Emily Guskin 7. SPILL THE TEXAS TEA: Democrats in both houses of Congress have joined forces in a series of letters to large oil firm executives, asking for clarification on the circumstances behind Trump's $1 billion reelection campaign ask, Anthony Adragna reports: “‘We offer you another chance to cooperate with this bicameral, multi-Committee investigation,’ the letters, obtained by POLITICO, say to the oil executives. …The letters went to Occidental, ExxonMobil, Venture Global LNG, Cheniere, Continental, Chevron, Chesapeake Energy, EQT Corp., and the American Petroleum Institute.”
| | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | | John Kirby came out against JD Vance’s claims of migrant pet-eating. Donald Trump has lost millions on his D.C. hotel. OUT AND ABOUT — SPOTTED at a reception last night for Brian Wolff as he departed EEI to launch The Bolinas Group: Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Chris VanHollen (D-Md.), Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Beth Viola, Jeanne Wolak, Bob Russell, Roshan Patel, Tom Hassenboehler, Missy Edwards, Tom Manatos, Mike Smith, Karen Wayland, Jessica Hogle, Nelson Perez, Cindy Eakins, Jennifer Sadler, Rob Hobart, Jed Bhuta, Brian McCormick, Brad Viator, Louis Renjel, Patrick Reiten, Melissa Lavinson, Ali and John Lapp, Missy Kurek and Bryan Anderson. MEDIA MOVE — Richard Galant is now executive producer of Now It's History. He previously was founding and managing editor of CNN Opinion. TRANSITIONS — Elle Walters is joining the Digital Media Association as comms manager. She previously was digital director for Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.). … Diane Alexander is now an attorney-adviser at the Federal Transit Administration. She previously was legislative counsel for Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.). 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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