| | | | |  | | By Bethany Irvine | | Presented by |  | | | |  | THE CATCH-UP | | | DEVELOPING — Israel conducted an airstrike today targeting Hezbollah's Beirut headquarters in an attempt to kill Hezbollah leader HASSAN NASRALLAH and other senior officials, Axios’ Barak Ravid reports. Israeli officials say at least some of those officials were at the headquarters at the time of the attack, but there is official confirmation of casualties. FWIW … Al-Arabiya reports, citing “a source close to Hezbollah,” that Nasrallah is “fine.” In any case, the strike is another major escalation for Israeli PM BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, who has signaled in recent days that he is not interested in backing down. The question now hanging over the Middle East: Will leaders in Tehran feel compelled to respond as Israel systematically targets their proxies in Lebanon?
|  At a federal courthouse in lower Manhattan, NYC Mayor Eric Adams pleaded not guilty to five counts of bribery, wire fraud, conspiracy and eliciting illegal foreign campaign donations. | AP | EMPIRE STATE OF MIND — It’s a big political news day in Manhattan, where NYC Mayor ERIC ADAMS was arraigned in federal court, and DONALD TRUMP held a much-anticipated meeting with Ukranian President VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY. Adams arraigned … At a federal courthouse in lower Manhattan, Hizzoner pleaded not guilty to five counts of bribery, wire fraud, conspiracy and eliciting illegal foreign campaign donations. Inside the packed courtroom, he remained quiet through the proceedings, with just one lawyer at his side, NYT’s Hurubie Meko reports. After accepting the not guilty plea, Magistrate Judge KATHARINE PARKER ordered Adams to have “no contact with any individual witnesses” listed in the 57-page indictment. His lawyer, ALEX SPIRO then told the court they’d be filing a motion to dismiss the case, adding, “We are going to be wanting a speedy trial here.” Meanwhile, the political fallout continues in Washington. Rep. JERRY NADLER (D-N.Y.), the most senior member of the Empire State House delegation, called on Adams to resign, saying he’d “lost the ability to effectively lead the city of New York, and therefore he must resign.” (Note that Nadler is a close ally of SCOTT STRINGER, the former city comptroller who was already running to succeed Adams before the indictment.) Meanwhile on Fifth Avenue … Wrapping up a visit meant to shore up support for Kyiv, Zelenskyy made a pit stop at Trump Tower this morning to meet with the former president in person for the first time in five years. Their appearance before cameras ahead of the private meeting was notably awkward, with Zelenskyy looking pained as Trump affirmed his “good relationship” with the Ukrainian president — as well as with Russian President VLADIMIR PUTIN. "We’re going to work very much with both parties to try and get this settled and get it worked out,” he said. Trump has previously said that, if elected, he would essentially force Zelenskyy to negotiate with Putin, but Trump did not offer any new details on his plan today. Instead, Trump railed against the 2019 “impeachment hoax,” which emerged from the notorious “perfect phone call” with a newly elected Zelenskyy, where Trump pressed him to dirt on the Biden family in return for arms shipments. Zelenskyy didn’t chime in on the topic. "We understand that after November ... we hope that the strength of the United States will be very strong,” he said. Related read: “Zelenskyy Showed Up to Congress. Will Congress Show Up for Him Next Term?,” by NOTUS’ Riley Rogerson SURVEY SAYS — As VP KAMALA HARRIS heads to Arizona today to discuss the border, new USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll shows Donald Trump leading her in the battleground state by 6 points, USA Today’s Rebecca Morin reports. Reminder: Biden won there in 2020 by fewer than 11,000 votes. Harris got significantly better news in new CNN polling, which found her tied with Trump in battleground North Carolina — and comfortably ahead in Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District, whose lone electoral vote could be a difference-maker in some election-night scenarios. HELENE LATEST — “Rescuers race to free people trapped by Hurricane Helene after storm kills at least 21 in 4 states,” by AP’s Kate Payne, Stephen Smith and Heather Hollingsworth Happy Friday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. In memory of MAGGIE SMITH, we’ll be not referring to the coming days as the weekend. Drop me a line at birvine@politico.com.
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Learn more. | | | | | 6 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW | | |  VP Kamala Harris is headed to Arizona today, where Democrats hope to make headway with new abortion ads. | Jacquelyn Martin/AP | 1. ABORTION ON THE AIRWAVES: “Dems’ new abortion ads feature women who never wanted them,” by Elena Schneider: “The ad, shared first with POLITICO and backed by a seven-figure buy, shows a split-screen of [AUDRA] GALLANT, shaking her head in disbelief, as she watches a video of Lt. Gov. MARK ROBINSON … saying: ‘Abortion in this country is not about protecting the lives of mothers. It’s about killing the child because you aren’t responsible enough to keep your skirt down.’ … It’s the latest in Democrats’ offensive against Robinson, the scandal-plagued lieutenant governor. And it’s a case study in the kind of messaging that Democrats are banking on across the battleground map in the final stretch of the election.” And on the ground … The PCCC is erecting billboards in Arizona to remind voters of the state’s abortion ban in the initial phase of a campaign targeting swing states. The first, on a highway leaving Phoenix, will show the drive time to California, where Arizona doctors can temporarily perform abortions. 2. LIFE IS A HIGHWAY: As Trump and Harris continue to vie for Michigan’s 15 electoral votes, WSJ’s Ken Thomas and Sean McLain report how Harris’ stance on electric vehicles have put some Democrats on the defensive: “Democrats note the Biden administration hasn’t created an ‘electric-vehicle mandate’ … But their more defensive posture marks a shift from past elections in Michigan.” Though Harris has walked back her 2019 support of an EV mandate, she has avoided the topic in several public appearances in Michigan: “Given that backdrop, some lawmakers have urged Harris’s campaign to be more explicit about her opposition. …. Rep. DAN KILDEE (D., Mich.) said Harris should ‘push back on this narrative that this is a mandate.’” 3. STRIKE WATCH: With the economy top of mind for the majority of voters nationwide, Sam Sutton reports this morning how a looming dockworker strike could pose a threat to the Harris campaign just six weeks out from Election Day: “For Harris, the labor dispute will force her to square pro-union stances with the business-friendly economic agenda she’s unveiled since taking over the Democratic presidential race. … Trump, meanwhile, would have a chance to exploit whatever economic havoc a strike creates, furthering his message that the Biden-era has saddled consumers with high prices and supply-chain misery.”
| | | | A message from Instagram:   | | | 4. POLL WATCH: NYT’s Nate Cohn is out with a deep dive on faults of “so-called online opt-in panels” and why these polls tend to fare poorly despite their popularity. Although there has been a surge of polling groups this year, they struggle to find sample groups that represent the electorate without randomized sampling. Meanwhile, a “lack of clear polling standards” and a decline in data have meant that “it’s increasingly difficult to say whether and when opt-in polls are worthy of consideration, especially when alternative, traditionally collected data is available.” 5. SANCTIONS GONE SOUTH: When the Treasury Department imposed sanctions on nickel mines in Guatemala in 2022, it intended to help workers who faced years of human rights abuses. Instead, the sanctions caused a tidal wave of unintended consequences — fueling unemployment and a swath of “out-immigration,” WaPo’s Jeff Stein and Claudia Méndez Arriaza report in a lengthy deep dive: “[M]ore than 2,000 mine workers were laid off after U.S. sanctions shut down the nickel mines. The companies soon stopped making annual payments to the local government, leading dozens of teachers and sanitation workers to be laid off as well.” “The collateral damage, however, went far beyond the workers who lost their jobs. … The unemployment rate in El Estor rose by more than 10 percentage points and requests for food rations soared … A Guatemalan government report attributed a spike in child malnutrition in the area to the closure of the mines, though other factors — including a recent drought, the pandemic and two devastating storms — probably contributed as well.” 6. DANCE OF THE SUPERPOWERS: “China’s Nuclear-Submarine Mishap Points to Challenge of Catching Up With U.S.” by WSJ’s Chun Han Wong: “The reported sinking of a Chinese nuclear-powered submarine at a Wuhan shipyard highlights the difficulties Beijing faces in building an advanced oceangoing navy that can challenge U.S. maritime power. … China boasts the world’s largest navy in terms of hull count, with more than 370 ships. While this numerical advantage is set to grow as Chinese shipbuilders continue cranking out warships, analysts say the PLA Navy remains some distance from matching its U.S. counterpart as a genuine oceangoing force that can project power well beyond coastal waters—in part because of Chinese deficiencies in undersea warfare.”
| | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | “Law & Order” filmed near Eric Adams’ arraignment hearing. JD Vance will address the American Opportunity Alliance ahead of Tuesday’s debate. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — “Veep” star Julie Louis-Dreyfus will join Ari Melber on “The Beat” on MSNBC tonight at 6 p.m. OUT AND ABOUT — SPOTTED at the polling firm J.L. Partners’ “Voters’ Voice” event yesterday: James Johnson, Landon Wall, Bob Paduchik, Amy Dacey, Marc Sumerlin, Aaron Harison, Joel Nelson, John Roscoe, Jim Carter, Jimmy Hendricks, Carrie Filipetti and Zach Young. — SPOTTED at a farewell gathering for Lauren Fritts, toasting her new gig as Hertz chief comms officer, hosted by Maria Comella at the Little Ned in NYC: Greg Brown, Martha MacCallum, Nathaniel Brown, Neil Grace, Jesse Rodriguez, Craig Gordon, Elise Jordan, New York City Council Member Keith Powers, Eleanor Hawkins, Jeremy Peters and Stu Loeser. — SPOTTED last night at the inaugural Atlantic Council Global Briefing at Coco’s in NYC featuring a conversation with Dina Powell McCormick and Tom Nides moderated by Fred Kempe: Marc Lasry, Richard Edelman, Caryn Zucker, Sarah Sandler, Jon Lewinsohn, Alisa Mall, Orin Snyder, Chris Licht, Liz Bowyer, Talia Katz, Dylan Glenn, John Tyson, Jeff Bartos and Kristin Lemkau. — SPOTTED last night at the National Clean Energy Week VIP Dinner: Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.), Jigar Shah, Heather Reams, Jason Grumet, Emily Domenech, Harley Adsit, Sarah Alexander, Katie Devlin, Karalee Geis, Wesley Harkins, Jakob Lindaas, Eli Mansour and John Seibels. WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Peter True, comms director for House Transportation and Infrastructure Dems, and Lauren True, owner and lead designer for Mint Tulep, recently welcomed Nora Louise Olsen True. 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. Correction: Due to an incorrect list from organizers, yesterday’s Playbook PM mistakenly included John Torres as attending an Ag Briefing event. | | | | Sponsored Survey WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU: Please take a 1-minute survey about one of our advertising partners. | | | | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our politics and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
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