| | | | |  | | By Bethany Irvine | | Presented by |  | | | |  | THE CATCH-UP | | | 
Donald Trump repeatedly denied any wrongdoing against E. Jean Carroll, who alleged Trump attacked her in a department store dressing room in the 1990s. | AP | BREAKING — DONALD TRUMP’s sentencing in the Manhattan hush-money case will no longer take place before the presidential election, New York Judge JUAN MERCHAN just ruled. Instead, he’ll now be sentenced on Nov. 26 — two days before Thanksgiving, when he may or may not be president-elect. More from Erica Orden in NYC The rescheduling order came after Trump appeared in another judge’s Manhattan courtroom this morning, as his lawyers fought to overturn a $5 million verdict finding the former president liable for sexual abuse and slander against writer E. JEAN CARROLL. Speaking afterward for 45 minutes in the lobby of Trump Tower, he did not say much that was new. He repeatedly denied any wrongdoing against Carroll, who alleged Trump attacked her in a department store dressing room in the 1990s. And though the appearance was billed as a news conference, he did not take questions. More interestingly, Trump criticized his legal team's performance and handling of the appeal. The brief morning hearing included arguments over material aired at trial that Trump's attorneys now say was unlawfully revealed to the jury. "I'm disappointed in my legal talent, I'll be honest with you," he said, with a phalanx of lawyers standing behind him. A decision in the civil case is unlikely to be delivered before November’s presidential election. More from NYT’s Maggie Haberman and Simon Levien ALSO BREAKING — Appeals courts in Michigan and North Carolina this morning have ordered ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR. removed from their state’s ballots. The decisions could mean RFK will not in fact appear on most swing-state ballots. More from CNN ON THE JOBS — With 60 days until the presidential election and Americans’ views of the economy very much in flux, this morning’s jobs report was a highly anticipated snapshot of where things might be heading — to say nothing of the monetary policy implications, with the Federal Reserve set to start slashing interest rates in less than two weeks. While the data was mixed, the overall picture for employment in August was clear: The labor market is cooling significantly, underscoring fears from many economists that the Fed might have waited too long to back off its inflation-fighting campaign. A modest total of 142,000 jobs were added for the month, undershooting the projected 160,000 figure. Hiring in June and July was also revised downward by a combined 86,000 jobs. On the other hand: The unemployment rate dropped to 4.2 percent from 4.3 percent in July, with labor force participation holding steady. Average hourly earnings rose 0.4 percent on the month, bringing the yearly gain to 3.8 percent. Whither the Fed … With the key rate-setting committee set to meet on Sept. 17 and 18, Victoria Guida reports, the question now becomes: How much will the Fed cut interest rates and how fast? A minimum quarter-point cut now seems all but assured, especially after Fed Chair JEROME POWELL declared last month that policymakers are now more concerned as much about employment as inflation. But a more drastic half-point cut could be in the offing after today’s undershoot. Still, expect caution from the typically cautious central bank. Speaking at the University of Notre Dame this morning, Fed governor CHRIS WALLER said that while “the labor market has clearly cooled, based on the evidence I see, I do not believe the economy is in a recession or necessarily headed for one soon.” But he added that rate cuts should begin in the interest of “maintaining the economy’s forward momentum.” The political fallout … President JOE BIDEN said the new data reflected “historic gains” for American workers, while an RNC statement kept the focus on VP KAMALA HARRIS — claiming the lagging job growth and prior-month revisions “indicate gaping holes in Kamala’s economy — as fears of a Kamala-induced recession continue to mount.” SHOT — A spokesperson for Sen. JD VANCE offered the following statement to Jewish Insider’s Emily Jacobs yesterday when asked about Vance’s plans to appear with TUCKER CARLSON at an upcoming event, in light of Carlson’s decision to host a Nazi-apologist historian on his interview show: “Senator Vance doesn’t believe in guilt-by-association cancel culture but he obviously does not share the views of the guest interviewed by Tucker Carlson. There are no stronger supporters of our allies in Israel or the Jewish community in America than Senator Vance and President [DONALD] TRUMP.” CHASER — “Vance pre-recorded an interview with Tucker Carlson on Thursday just hours after the White House criticized the right-wing populist for featuring a historian who suggested, a few days before, that the Holocaust happened by accident,” The Bulwark’s Marc Caputo reported this morning. “‘Not ideal timing. But it is what it is,’ a Trump campaign official said.” Happy Friday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me a line at birvine@politico.com.
| | | | A message from Better Medicare Alliance: TRACKING THE SENIOR VOTE — Protecting Medicare tops the list in this election, according to a new bipartisan poll. Today, that means Medicare Advantage.
Medicare Advantage represents over half of the Medicare program, serving more than 33 million seniors. Seniors choose Medicare Advantage for affordable health care with better outcomes.
That’s why a supermajority of older voters agrees: Washington must keep health care affordable for seniors by standing up for Medicare Advantage. Read the results. | | | | | 6 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW | | |  A Russian nuclear submarine sails to take part in the Pacific Fleet drills near Vladivostok, Russia. | AP | 1. FROM RUSSIA, WITH MALICE: As fears around Russian interference in the presidential election swirl, U.S. officials reportedly believe Russia may be readying a specialized military unit to sabotage critical undersea cables, CNN's Jim Sciutto scoops. A coordinated attack on those lines “could significantly disrupt private, government and military communications along such cables as well as industries that rely on such communications,” he writes. “A US official told CNN the US would consider any such sabotage of undersea infrastructure as a significant escalation in Russian aggression outside of Ukraine.” Meanwhile, the DOJ has named Kremlin official SERGEI KIRIYENKO as the mastermind of the West-targeted propaganda campaign that included a wide-ranging online influence campaign aimed at misleading U.S. voters, WSJ’s Ann Simmons and Thomas Grove report: “Kiriyenko, a veteran technocrat and one of President [VLADIMIR] PUTIN’s most trusted lieutenants [was] tasked with everything from organizing disputed elections to leading the Kremlin’s propaganda efforts on the war in Ukraine and overseeing Russia’s occupied territories there.” Related read: “American company, Russian propaganda: New Kremlin tactic reveals escalating effort to sway US vote,” by AP’s David Klepper 2. THE WIDENING MONEY GAP: As Harris’ campaign this morning announced a major $361 million haul in August, it underscored the growing cash disparity between her and Trump. NYT’s Teddy Schleifer notes that Harris raised a whopping $230 million more than Trump for the month. The August total also marked the best month Democrats have had since the start of the election, with Harris also leading with $110 million more cash on hand than her opponent. “What’s more, Mr. Trump’s fund-raising has shown signs of struggle,” Schleifer writes. “Campaigns typically raise successively more in each month before an election, but his August number ($130 million) was less than what was raised in July ($139 million). That August number was also much lower than his August 2020 haul ($210 million).” As Trump’s campaign seems to slow its roll on events, WSJ’s Ken Thomas notes how Harris’ financial success means the VP has the advantage of spending less time headlining donor events and “more leeway to campaign in the so-called Blue Wall states around the Great Lakes and in the Sunbelt states of Georgia, North Carolina, Arizona and Nevada.” 3. VEEP VS. THE OFFICE: WaPo’s Dan Diamond and Cleve Wootson Jr. are out with a buzzy deep dive on the inner workings of Harris’ staff operations in the Senate and as vice president. The VP’s strict and “demanding management style” has been scrutinized throughout her political career. While “a senator, her office developed a reputation for a revolving door” and she “has been repeatedly dogged by reports of infighting and dysfunction among her aides,” they report. Now, as Harris takes up the mantle of Democratic nominee, former staffers “say she grew into the [VP] role, found policy issues that more closely aligned with her comfort areas and replaced key aides with staffers who responded better to her management style.” Eyes emoji … From SYMONE SANDERS TOWNSEND on X: “The staff whom currently work for the Vice President would do well to heed the following: you do not have to tear the people down who built the foundation of her office to make yourselves or MVP look good now. Also - there is not a staff person to credit for the VP’s accomplishments.”
| | | 5. BATTLE FOR THE HOUSE: Democrats’ fight for the majority has brightened a tad, according to the Cook Political Report’s shifts in a number of key House races today. Six of eight shifts are moving toward Democrats, with Rep. JARED MOSKOWITZ’s Florida race going to Solid Democrat, Rep. MARCY KAPTUR’s Ohio race going from Toss Up to Lean Democrat and Rep. HENRY CUELLAR’s Texas race going from Lean Democrat to Likely Democrat. Rep. DON BACON (R-Neb.) is now in a Toss Up race. More from Cook’s Erin Covey 6. THE VP’s VEEP: “Tim Walz’s Balancing Act: Folksy Everyman vs. Attack Dog,” by WSJ’s John McCormick: “Helping [TIM] WALZ navigate his dual assignment is his own experience interacting with Republican lawmakers in the Minnesota Legislature and his time in Congress representing one of the state’s more conservative congressional districts. … Walz’s balancing act was on display earlier this week. He handed out dairy treats and viewed butter sculptures at the Minnesota State Fair one day, before vigorously criticizing Trump and Vance the next.” 7. UNION JOE: “Federal unions criticize Biden's 2 percent pay raise for workers,” by WaPo’s Joe Davidson: “Curiously for a president who proclaimed ‘we have the best economy in the world’ during this year’s State of the Union address, Biden’s letter justified the small raise by citing a federal law that invokes calamitous situations. … Disappointed union leaders generally have high praise for Biden. But even loved ones disappoint.
| | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | | OUT AND ABOUT — SPOTTED at a toast for Brian Conklin, who retired from SoftBank Group at the end of August, at the Jack Rose Dining Saloon yesterday evening: Regina Conklin, Marty and Mariah McGuinness, Laricke Blanchard, Justin McCarthy, Brett and Ginger Loper, Mike Sommers, Andrew Olmem, Bruce Andrews, David Hobbs, Steve Sombres, Alison Jones, Drew Cantor, Molly Vinesett, Darren Wilcox, Matt Duffy, Alex Mistri, David Avella, Emily Christy, Jeff Dressler, Jared Roscoe and Christin Baker. — SPOTTED at an early screening of a new Daily Wire movie “Am I Racist?” last night at the AMC Hoffman Center in Alexandria: Benyam Capel, Justin Folk, Bethany Mandel, David Azerrad, Erielle Davidson, AJ Swinson, Bradley Jaye, Stinson Rogers, Sarah Selip, Vanessa Santos, Karalee Geiss, Ellie Bufkin and Madeline Schultz ENGAGED — Silvia Ruelas, senior legislative assistant for Rep. Norma Torres (D-Calif.), and Daniel Chulak, legislative aide and digital manager for Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), got engaged Sunday in Cherry Valley, California. They met as staff assistants on the Hill in 2019. BONUS BIRTHDAY: Colleen Coffey (4-0) 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: Yesterday’s Playbook PM linked an outdated story about the U.S.-brokered release of political prisoners in Nicaragua rather than a contemporary story from Reuters.
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