| | | | |  | | By Rachael Bade, Ryan Lizza and Eugene Daniels | | Presented by |  | | | With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine
| | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | | LETTER FROM SPRINGFIELD — Jonathan Martin writes this morning from the hometown of Ohio Gov. MIKE DeWINE, the 77-year-old Republican who has been on a quiet one-man crusade to hold back the tide of hostility unleashed upon Springfield’s Haitian community by DONALD TRUMP and running mate (and Ohioan) JD VANCE. “The governor was initially reluctant to let me see that story close up, to let me embed with him in Springfield,” JMart writes. “He didn’t want to expose or exacerbate tensions in the community. Yet as [Vance] continued to insist that his lie about eating pets was true and to falsely call the Haitians ‘illegal aliens,’ DeWine grew ‘just more infuriated,’ as he put it to me over dinner. “‘Yeah, after a while, because it got cumulative, and then you keep thinking, “Well, they’re going to stop this,”’ he said. ‘Well, they didn’t stop this, they just keep going.’” We highly recommend clicking through to learn more about DeWine's surprising ties to Haiti, his aborted communications with Vance, why he's still voting for Trump, and much more.
|  The humanitarian crisis brought on my Hurricane Helene is blossoming into a major political story. | Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Images | STURM UND DRANG — America is just beginning to comprehend the devastation wrought by Hurricane Helene. The dramatic impact along Florida’s Gulf Coast and into Georgia has been followed by epic flooding over the weekend throughout the mountains of southern Appalachia. At least 91 people are dead in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia, according to the AP. Thousands of homes, roads and bridges have been washed away. Millions remain without power, water or reliable communications. Property losses are certain to be counted in the tens of billions of dollars. And now the humanitarian crisis is blossoming into a major political story — in part because two presidential swing states, Georgia and North Carolina, are among the most heavily affected. DONALD TRUMP is heading to Valdosta, Georgia, this afternoon to be briefed on the damage. During a campaign rally in Pennsylvania yesterday, he said President JOE BIDEN — who spent the weekend in Delaware — was “sleeping” on the beach instead of leading the recovery effort and blasted KAMALA HARRIS for fundraising in California and Nevada when she “ought to be down in the area.” More from Kimberly Leonard Biden and Harris both publicly acknowledged the devastation yesterday. The president, who signed disaster declarations over the weekend unleashing FEMA personnel and resources, made calls yesterday to state and local officials, including the governors of Georgia and North Carolina (and, notably, the mayor of Valdosta). This morning, Biden will deliver remarks from the Roosevelt Room on his administration’s response efforts, and the White House announced last night that he will fly to impacted areas later this week if circumstances allow. Harris also made calls to local leaders, and she prefaced her Las Vegas rally with a pledge of support for and a call for solidarity with the affected region: "We will stand with these communities for as long as it takes to make sure that they are able to recover and rebuild." She is headed back to Washington this morning for a FEMA briefing, and aides say she, too, will visit when the time is right. THE VIEW FROM N.C.: We wanted to hear directly from the leaders on the ground about what they needed. We spoke to two last night — one Republican, one Democrat — and they both had the same message for political bigwigs: Send help, but stay away. “The people in my district really don't want to see politicians,” said GOP Rep. CHUCK EDWARDS, whose mountainous western North Carolina district has been ravaged by flooding. “They want to see water. Food. Cell towers and power restored, and the ability to contact their loved ones. Photo ops are not what's needed.” North Carolina’s Democratic governor, ROY COOPER, agreed: “I told the president that we did not need elected officials that require a lot of security and attention, because we need to make sure that we're getting the work done on the ground,” he told us late last night. People are still trapped, he added, and “it's not the right time for them to come.” Western North Carolina has been particularly hard-hit. Thirty are confirmed dead in Buncombe County, home to Asheville, where some of the most shocking images of destruction have been captured. Officials estimate more than 100,000 people there don’t have access to clean drinking water — and might not for weeks. And that’s just one well-populated area with a robust media presence and some working communications links. Officials fear the situation could be just as dire — or more so — in outlying counties. “It's really a tough situation here in the mountains right now,” said Edwards, who lives 30 miles south, in Flat Rock, and spent more than a day chain-sawing himself out of home. He’s now playing host to neighbors who don’t have electricity since he has a backup generator. When we got on the phone with Edwards, he’d just been on the phone pushing Cooper — who will visit the area with FEMA leadership today — to send more National Guardsmen to deliver water, help clear the roads and rebuild power lines. But the two men agree on this: The Biden administration and Congress are going to have to step up, and fast. “This is a massive operation, but it's going to require a significant investment in order to keep it up on a sustained basis,” Cooper said, noting that supplies need to be airlifted in due to washed-out roads. The short-term spending bill Congress passed last week allowed FEMA to spend down its existing funding faster than previously allowed. But North Carolina and neighboring states are going to need billions in additional funding, both Cooper and Edwards predicted. Rebuilding roads alone, Cooper said, will be a “massive expense” — especially since they’ll need to be hardened to withstand the increasingly volatile weather. As for Edwards, he said he’s just thankful knuckle-headed colleagues didn’t shut the government down last week (something, we’ll note, Trump had at one point been rooting for). But Congress’ work isn’t finished, he added. When lawmakers return to Washington after the election, expect new disaster funding to be a top priority. “We are going to have to revisit the [disaster] supplemental when we get back into session,” Edwards said. Good Monday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza.
| | | | A message from USAFacts: Americans deserve clear, trustworthy facts to make up their minds on today’s most pressing issues. In this new series, USAFacts Founder Steve Ballmer walks through the data on immigration, the economy, healthcare, and much more, to help you inform your perspective. Get the numbers, not rhetoric, topic by topic. | | | JUST POSTED — “The Only Patriotic Choice for President,” by the NYT editorial board: “This unequivocal, dispiriting truth — Donald Trump is not fit to be president — should be enough for any voter who cares about the health of our country and the stability of our democracy to deny him re-election.” FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: DEM MEGABUY — The Democratic super PAC Future Forward is putting $35 million behind its latest economy-focused ad, Elena Schneider reports — the group’s biggest outlay for one ad so far this cycle, according to a PAC official. The spot, which will air across all seven battleground states and nationally, comes as Democrats look to close the trust gap on which candidate can best handle the economy. The ad’s narrator, “Buddy” from Allentown, Pennsylvania, says that Trump is promising to give tax cuts to “the 1 percent” who are “rich as hell.” He adds, “I’m not rich as hell, and I’m voting for Kamala Harris,” who the ad’s narrator says “will make billionaires pay their fair share.” Watch the ad THE WEEK — Tomorrow: CBS hosts vice presidential debate between Vance and Minnesota Gov. TIM WALZ. Trump campaigns in Wisconsin. Fiscal 2025 begins for the federal government. Former President JIMMY CARTER turns 100. … Thursday: Trump filing on motion to dismiss election interference case due in D.C. federal court. … Friday: September employment numbers released. Trump holds a town hall in Fayetteville, North Carolina. … Saturday: One month till Election Day. Trump returns to Butler, Pennsylvania, for a campaign rally.
| | | | A message from USAFacts:   Want to know the facts on immigration, taxes and spending? Steve Ballmer, former Microsoft CEO and owner of the LA Clippers, shares facts and data, you make up your mind! | | | | | WHAT'S HAPPENING TODAY | | On the Hill The Senate and the House are out. What we’re watching … The unfortunate reality of running a House race in a presidential election year is that your destiny as a candidate is not necessarily fully under your control. AP’s Makiya Seminera captures that dynamic in the closely contested race between Rep. DON DAVIS (D-N.C.) and GOP challenger LAURIE BUCKHOUT. Davis is treading lightly over Harris in a district Biden won by less than 2 points, and now Buckhout has been put on the back foot by all the MARK ROBINSON drama. Her retort: “If folks want to make it about social media and personalities, I want to make it about issues.” At the White House Biden will speak about the Hurricane Helene response at 10:30 a.m., and will speak at an event celebrating U.S. Olympians and Paralympians on the South Lawn at 11:30 a.m. Harris will return to Washington from Las Vegas in the morning and visit FEMA headquarters for a briefing on Helene impacts. On the trail Trump will visit Valdosta, Georgia, to get a Helene briefing and deliver remarks at 2 p.m.
| | | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | AMERICA AND THE WORLD
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Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin made moves yesterday to beef up the U.S. presence in the Middle East. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | MIDDLE EAST LATEST — As the region descends into even worse conflict and bloodshed, Defense Secretary LLOYD AUSTIN made moves yesterday to beef up the U.S. presence in the region, Paul McLeary reports. An aircraft carrier strike group on loan from the Pacific will stay in the Middle East, as will an amphibious group, while the U.S. will deploy more “air-support capabilities” shortly. More forces could be on the way as the Pentagon ratcheted up its preparedness. Biden said the world “really [has] to avoid” a larger-scale war than the ones already burning in comments to reporters yesterday, per the AP. He said he planned to speak with Israeli PM BENJAMIN NETANYAHU soon, though of course the U.S. has found itself repeatedly unable to sway Israel and unwilling to use military aid as leverage. The Israeli assault on Hezbollah in Lebanon continues: Reuters’ Maya Gebeily and Laila Bassam report that Israel hit Beirut for the first time, killing at least two people in an apartment building. Meanwhile in Syria, the U.S. said its airstrikes had killed 37 militants tied to the Islamic State or al-Qaeda, per the AP. 2024 WATCH GOING TO EXTREMES — Trump yesterday fantasized about police getting “one really violent day” or a “real rough” hour to cow criminals into submission, complaining that cops aren’t free to do their jobs fully now, per AFP’s Sebastian Smith. At his stop in Erie, Pennsylvania, he also dangled the prospect of locking up his political opponents, saying Harris should be “impeached and prosecuted” over the border, AP’s Colleen Long and Adriana Gomez Licon report. Trump repeated false claims that Harris is “mentally impaired” and wants to legalize fentanyl. As the Erie Times-News’ Matthew Rink reports, he focused heavily on immigration and fracking. Trump spokesperson STEVEN CHEUNG later claimed to Adam Wren that Trump was “clearly just floating [the police idea] in jest.” BIG MONEY — Harris’ campaign said it raised $27 million at a San Francisco fundraiser and $28 million at an LA fundraiser this weekend. Some stars turned out for her Hollywood swing, Deadline’s Dominic Patten and Ted Johnson scooped, including ALANIS MORISSETTE, HALLE BAILEY, STERLING K. BROWN, KEEGAN-MICHAEL KEY, JEFFREY KATZENBERG, DONNA LANGLEY, STEVIE WONDER, DEMI LOVATO, JESSICA ALBA, LILY TOMLIN and DAMON LINDELOF. THE POLICY ELECTION, PART I — A fascinating new survey from the Harris Poll and the Guardian asked about Harris’ and Trump’s economic plans without identifying whose they were — and Harris has the more popular slate in a blind test, Lauren Aratani reports. Among 12 policies, four of the five most popular were hers, led by a ban on grocery price-gouging (despite criticism from economists). Two other notable findings: Americans continue to feel broadly pessimistic about the economy. And despite lots of chatter about Harris needing to show more to voters, more than 60 percent said they understand her economic plans. THE POLICY ELECTION, PART II — “Why Kamala Harris Wants to Stockpile Minerals You’ve Probably Never Heard Of,” by WSJ’s Julie Steinberg and David Uberti THE STAKES FOR NOVEMBER — “Climate world still has no solution to Trump 2.0,” by Zack Colman and Sara Schonhardt: “Trump’s return would present an even greater threat than it did last time, given the fact that the world has even fewer years to course-correct before the planet’s warming reaches tipping points that would erode quality of life for billions of people.” FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Around the VP debate, Evangelicals for Harris is going up with a new ad that spotlights how Walz stood up against anti-Christian bullying as a high school teacher. It’ll air nationally during the debate tomorrow and be on heavy rotation in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Georgia and Arizona. Watch it here
| | | | A message from USAFacts:   USAFacts: Data straight from the source. | | | BEYOND THE BELTWAY WHY CRIME IS FALLING — “‘This is not luck. This is a systemic approach’: These major US cities are trying to curb violent crime — and it’s working,” by CNN’s Dakin Andone and Emma Tucker in Baltimore: “With similar trends emerging across the country, officials in Baltimore – as well as in cities including Detroit and San Antonio – are crediting their own recent investments in crime-fighting strategies that, beyond traditional arrest-and-prosecution, include social services, intervention by trusted community members and backing in part by federal funds from the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act.” BORDER SONG — “Both Trump and Harris say they'll build more border wall. In this county, the parts have been waiting, and rusting, since 2021,” by NBC’s Laura Strickler, Julia Ainsley and Didi Martinez BIG IN SACRAMENTO — California Gov. GAVIN NEWSOM vetoed a major artificial intelligence safety bill that could have become a national standard-setter, the L.A. Times’ Wendy Lee reports. Instead, Newsom sided with Silicon Valley and congressional Democrats, saying the legislation took the wrong approach to setting guardrails for AI. The bill had been backed by some top AI researchers and ELON MUSK. Newsom also signed into law a measure to force insurance companies to cover IVF and other fertility treatments, Rachel Bluth reports. HOT ON THE LEFT — “California 2026 governor hopefuls come out strong for single-payer health care,” by Tyler Katzenberger in San Francisco THE ECONOMY
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The Biden White House has kicked off an multi-pronged effort to centralize supply chains. | Michael Dwyer/AP Photo | BRACE FOR IMPACT — Barring a last-minute change, ports up and down the East and Gulf Coasts will be hit by a dockworkers’ strike tomorrow — a serious test of how well the Biden administration has shored up the supply chain against disruptions, Ari Hawkins reports. The country is bracing for a strike to interrupt deliveries of goods, which could snarl consumer products and have ripple effects throughout the economy. In the wake of pandemic problems in the supply chain, the Biden White House kicked off an multi-pronged effort “to centralize oversight of supply chains” and smooth out bumps in the road. Officials have managed to prevent incidents like the Baltimore bridge collapse from causing major supply-chain issues. But many of the bigger-picture initiatives are far from finished; private-sector figures are more pessimistic than U.S. officials about how well the centralization has persisted — and how much damage could be done. MORE POLITICS
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Ted Cruz has emphasized his work on bipartisan legislation on the campaign trail. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | CRUZ CONTROL — As Texas grows purpler, Sen. TED CRUZ (R-Texas) is sometimes projecting a more moderate, less pugilistic image on the campaign trail, Daniella Diaz reports from El Paso. Cruz has emphasized his work on bipartisan legislation, supported in-vitro fertilization and voted for the continuing resolution to keep the government open. The shift comes as the state grows more diverse and less rural, giving Democrats an outside shot. Cruz denies that he’s changed much, saying the press is simply paying more attention — though his voting record suggests otherwise. And Daniella finds that his rhetoric on the trail still sometimes suggests the fire-breather of yore, as do his recent ads hitting Democratic Rep. COLIN ALLRED over transgender women playing women’s sports. Meanwhile, Allred is trying to set himself apart from the national Democratic Party, declining to tell Daniella that he wants Harris or Biden to campaign for him CASH DASH — “The donors shelling out big money in Md.’s critical U.S. Senate race,” by WaPo’s Katie Shepherd: “For months, the massive pool of money collected by Maryland’s Future has loomed large over the open Senate race — a threat poised to o be unleashed” now on LARRY HOGAN’s behalf. The top super PAC donors include KEN GRIFFIN, STEPHEN SCHWARZMAN, WARREN STEPHENS and CRAIG DUCHOSSOIS. MEDIAWATCH JUST POSTED — “The Secretive Alliance Between the New York Post and Eric Adams,” by Noah Shachtman in N.Y. Mag: “RUPERT MURDOCH’s paper helped elect [ERIC] ADAMS and they haven’t quite given up on him yet.”
| | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Kamala Harris was endorsed by The New Yorker. Joe Biden penned a 100th-birthday note to Jimmy Carter. Sabrina Carpenter is aware of her Eric Adams connection. OUT AND ABOUT — “I am a voter,” a HeadCount project in partnership with the Rockefeller Foundation and MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” unveiled its first-ever Democracy Heroes List at the Rockefeller Foundation in New York on Friday evening. It honored industry leaders working to engage marginalized voters. SPOTTED: Mandana Dayani, Jessica Alba, Julianne Hough, Busy Philipps, Chloë Grace Moretz, Huma Abedin, Ariana DeBose, Symone Sanders-Townsend, Rashida Jones, Debra Messing and Samantha Barry. — SPOTTED at a Harris campaign fundraiser Saturday night at Una Lee and Jeremy Marcus’ home, which raised more than $100,000: hosts Daniel and Meghann Kovler, Robert Greffenius, Jon Kelley, Syd Terry, Larkin Parker, Kyle Victor, Jason Perkey, Joseph Eaves, Joe Kochan, Lauren Mauro, Yvette and Brodi Fontenot, and Jennifer Epperson. — SPOTTED at Evan Hollander’s birthday party last night at Garden District: Mary Jordan and Kevin Sullivan, Josh Dawsey, Ned Price, John McCarthy, Meridith McGraw, T.W. Arrighi, Eli Yokley, James Adams, Eli Aguayo, Joe Milby, Richard Walters, Michael Ahrens, Sam Wright, Jeff Marootian, Matt Moore and Patrick Menasco. NSC DEPARTURE LOUNGE — Jonathan S. Murphy has returned to DHS, where he is director for cyber and tech policy. He most recently was director for critical infrastructure cybersecurity at the NSC. TRANSITIONS — Michael Starr Hopkins is joining Rep. Joe Morelle’s office (D-N.Y.) as comms director. He is CEO of Northern Starr Strategies. … Ross Ramsey is joining the Eller Group. He is a former executive editor and co-founder of The Texas Tribune. … Sydney Vermilyea is now a manager at the Center for Inclusive Growth at Mastercard. She most recently was associate director of scheduling for Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, and is a Nancy Pelosi alum. ENGAGED — Akela Lacy, senior politics reporter at The Intercept and a Playbook alum, and Steven Szafara got engaged Friday. He proposed during a walk on the beach in Cape May Point, New Jersey, with their dog. The couple met in middle school outside of Philly (through sports and dances despite going to different schools) and reconnected through a mutual friend’s engagement in 2019, when they were both in the wedding party. Pic WEEKEND WEDDING — Min Cheng, comms director for the Senate Banking Committee, and Jack Goodman, principal at Lewis-Burke Associates, got married Saturday at District Winery. They met on a dating app in D.C. Pic HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) … NPR’s Ari Shapiro … Nate Tibbits of Qualcomm … WaPo’s Perry Bacon Jr. … POLITICO’s Sally Goldenberg and Josh Sisco … Greg Mecher of FTI Consulting … Edelman’s Emily Lippard … AT&T’s Lin Whitehouse … Mike Henry of Sen. Tim Kaine’s (D-Va.) office … Tom Johnson … Harrison Fields of the Heritage Foundation … Bobby Donachie … Maggie Rousseau Sunstrum of Sen. Jeff Merkley’s (D-Ore.) office … former Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) … Craig Minassian of the Clinton Foundation and Minassian Media … Victor Melara of Leidos … Courtney Sanders Felts of the U.S. Chamber … Kodiak Hill-Davis … Jeff MacKinnon … Bradley Akubuiro of Bully Pulpit Interactive … WSJ’s Steve Russolillo … Shawn VanDiver … Slingshot Strategies’ Alyssa Cass … Sue Andres … Caroline Canfield of GuidePost Strategies 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. Corrections: Yesterday’s Playbook misidentified the outgoing Japanese PM. It is Fumio Kishida. It also mistakenly identified Rachel Mackey by her maiden name.
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