| | | | |  | | By Eugene Daniels and Rachael Bade | | Presented by |  | | | With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine
| | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | | READING THE TEA LEAVES — “Dems see signs for optimism in gender gap in early vote,” by Megan Messerly and Jessica Piper … “This Time, It May Actually Come Down to Turnout,” by NYT’s Nate Cohn
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President Joe Biden handed Republicans fuel to undermine that argument precisely one week before the first votes get counted last night. | AP | APOSTROPHE CATASTROPHE — Last night, KAMALA HARRIS delivered a masterfully staged, tightly scripted and finely toned address to 75,000 supporters at the Ellipse — a closing argument that summed up a remarkable three-month campaign and set the tone for her final push to Election Day. She made her case for moving on from the divisive politics of DONALD TRUMP , who she described as a “petty tyrant” who is “obsessed with revenge” and “consumed with grievance.” She promised to put country over party and not treat her political opponents as enemies to be punished: “He wants to put them in jail. I’ll give them a seat at my table.” Meanwhile, sitting about 1,000 feet behind her in the White House, President JOE BIDEN was busy undoing all of that, handing Republicans fuel to undermine that argument precisely one week before the first votes get counted. We won’t pretend to know exactly what was going through Biden’s head, but we do know that, if you're Harris, you don’t want the tenor of your final days on the campaign trail to be dictated by a fateful apostrophe. “The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporter’s — his — his demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it's un-American,” Biden said during a get-out-the-vote call hosted by Voto Latino. “It's totally contrary to everything we've done, everything we've been.” According to Biden — who later clarified the remark — he was referring specifically to TONY HINCHCLIFFE, the shock comedian whose racist joke about Puerto Rico ignited a political firestorm at Sunday’s Trump rally in NYC. According to Trump and Republicans — who heard the quote as “supporters,” plural — it was a blanket denunciation of Trump voters, one reminiscent of HILLARY CLINTON’s “basket of deplorables” gaffe back in 2016. That interpretation immediately coursed through the GOP ecosystem — from Biden’s mouth to JD VANCE’s X account (“This is disgusting”) to Trump’s Pennsylvania rally (“We are not garbage, we are patriots,” Florida Sen. MARCO RUBIO said onstage in Allentown) to downballot campaigns (one Senate hopeful accused his opponent of “Hating half the country’s voters”) and to Trump’s own social media accounts (“You can’t lead America if you don’t love the American People”). You can certainly debate whether the comment genuinely has the power to move votes in the final week or if it’s a Beltway media obsession kindled by people who just days ago were telling people we have to stop getting so offended all the time. But no matter where you put that apostrophe, it’s a distraction for Harris going into the final six days — and an interesting final test for her relationship with the man who elevated her to the vice presidency and handed her the campaign baton. Harris is campaigning in three swing states today and, starting on the airport tarmac this morning, will be asked about the comment over and over again. (Her running mate, TIM WALZ , is sure to get similar questions on “Good Morning America” in about an hour.) How she answers those questions will be telling. — Will she brush them off entirely, as Biden has, as a garbled response taken out of context? — Will she distance herself from the sentiment, as Pennsylvania Gov. JOSH SHAPIRO did last night, without criticizing Biden? “I would never insult the good people of Pennsylvania or any Americans even if they chose to support a candidate that I didn’t support,” he said. — Or will she take the opportunity to fully rebuke Biden after facing constant pressure over the past three months to distance herself from the unpopular president? If there is anger at Biden inside the Harris camp — and we can’t imagine there isn’t — it was not immediately manifest in our calls and text messages last night. We did hear from Biden allies who were puzzled at the idea that the president would have insulted half the country. “The man is from Scranton, Pennsylvania. He likes Republicans. He was friends with people in Congress that Dems today would definitely make colorful comments about (Strom Thurmond). The man put on a MAGA hat,” one Biden ally texted us last night. “If anything, he’s a bit too friendly with people who like Trump.” The fact is, the botched apostrophe — coming on the heels of last week’s “we gotta lock him up … politically” comment about Trump — is just the latest evidence that the 81-year-old president can’t be fully trusted on the campaign trail and why Harris staffers will be white-knuckling their way through his scheduled appearances later this week in Philadelphia and Scranton, Pennsylvania. As for Harris herself, expect to hear something along these lines: “The president clarified what he meant . But you all saw what I talked about last night about unifying the country.” And that’s why it is worth revisiting last night’s speech, which Harris campaign aides tell us will be the springboard for her final week of campaigning, regardless of what the media is talking about. On health care, taxes, immigration, abortion, and even foreign affairs, Harris sought to contrast what she had done and is promising to do with what Trump has already done. But she also made an explicit pledge to reach out beyond her base and “seek common ground and common sense solutions,” adding, “I am not looking to score political points, I am looking to make progress.” Four years ago, Harris was seen as the partisan ideologue and Biden as the moderate uniter. Ironically, thanks in part to Biden’s stumble, Harris' chances for the presidency now depend on whether she can hammer that inclusive message home. Good Wednesday morning.Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade and Eugene Daniels.
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Click here & learn more. | | | PLAYBOOK METRO SECTION — “Who is the mystery poop and tiki torch artist?” by WaPo’s Joe Heim: “A man called a Washington Post reporter Tuesday afternoon to say he and others were behind the installation of the desk on the National Mall that mocked the insurgents who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and the placement of a tiki torch statue at Freedom Plaza that poked at followers of then-President Donald Trump who took part in the deadly Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville in 2017. “The caller had information that would have only been available to a person responsible for the two works, but he declined to give his name because he said he wanted to remain anonymous. And he said others were involved in the project but wouldn’t say how many. And he wouldn’t say where they were from, or if they were artists or activists. Or what message they hoped the statues conveyed.”
| | | | A message from BlackRock:   Meet Christine, a retired Army nurse whose financial stability lets her volunteer with the Medical Reserve Corps. Click to watch her inspiring story. | | | | | WHAT'S HAPPENING TODAY | | On the Hill The Senate and the House are out. What we’re watching … In a lesser-noticed candid comment, Speaker MIKE JOHNSON on Monday put health care in the spotlight at a fundraiser in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. An overhaul of the Affordable Care Act is “going to be a big part of the agenda” if Republicans get control of all three branches of government, Johnson said, according to video obtained by NBC’s Sahil Kapur . He added: “The ACA is so deeply ingrained, we need massive reform to make this work, and we got a lot of ideas on how to do that.” Health care, of course, has not been front-and-center for Republicans at the presidential or congressional level, given how poorly it went for them the last time they took aim at the ACA, back in 2017. But to paraphrase a guy who would hate the comparison, the dream shall never die. On the trail Trump is set to hold a rally in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, at 1 p.m. He will hold a rally with BRETT FAVRE in Green Bay, Wisconsin, at 7 p.m. Eastern. Sen. JD VANCE (R-Ohio) will hold a town hall featuring TULSI GABBARD in Bedford, Pennsylvania, at 5:30 p.m. Harris will hold rallies in Raleigh, North Carolina; Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; and Madison, Wisconsin. Minnesota Gov. TIM WALZ will appear on “Good Morning America” and “CBS Mornings.” Later, he will hold events in Charlotte, Greensboro and Asheville, North Carolina. | | | | 
| |  Democrats in Pennsylvania’s state capital are working hard to make sure that the party’s abortion messaging is still hitting home with voters. | Matt Rourke/AP | DEMS HOPE DOBBS DELIVERS (AGAIN) — Two and a half years after the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, Democrats in Pennsylvania’s state capital are working hard to make sure that the party’s abortion messaging is still hitting home with voters in the commonwealth, where the party holds a single-seat majority in the state House and Republicans control the Senate. “That’s why Democrats are spending a record amount on abortion-focused campaign ads and knocking on thousands of doors making the case for protecting reproductive rights,” Liz Crampton reports from Bucks County, Pennsylvania. “While Democrats are running on abortion throughout the country, Pennsylvania is the only state with a divided Legislature, underscoring its status as a coveted battleground.” And Democrats at the top of the ticket are likewise hoping that the effort to capture the suburbs on the issue of abortion in swing states like Pennsylvania will put Harris on a path to the White House. “It may be the single most important piece of her electoral math,” Elena Schneider reports from Knightdale, North Carolina . “While Donald Trump has made inroads with Black and Latino men, polls in the late stage of the election show the suburbs could still power her to victory. The latest Wall Street Journal poll found Harris leading among suburban voters by 7 percentage points, while a Reuters/Ipsos analysis showed the vice president winning suburban households by 6 points. If either of those numbers hold, they would likely be enough to offset Harris’ erosion with Black, Latino and young men.” RACE FOR THE WHITE HOUSE FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Following the lead of his famous co-star JULIA ROBERTS, actor GEORGE CLOONEY is voicing a new ad for the progressive evangelical group Vote Common Good in support of the Harris-Walz campaign. The second installment is targeting men in the group’s “What happens in the booth stays in the booth” campaign. “Before you cast your vote in this election, think about how it will impact the people you care about the most,” Clooney says in the narration. “Remember, you can vote any way you want, and no one will ever know.” Watch the 30-second spot HARRIS PUSHES HER CHIPS IN — “Harris starts campaigning on a $39B program that Trump wants to sink,” by Christine Mui: “Speaking on JOE ROGAN’s podcast Friday, Trump blasted the CHIPS and Science Act, the law directing $39 billion to subsidies to rebuild American semiconductor manufacturing, as ‘so bad.’” MORE MSG FALLOUT — The fallout from Trump’s MSG rally is still resonating: Biden praised Puerto Rican workers in remarks in Maryland. BAD BUNNY, who indicated his support for Harris this weekend, posted a video in support of his home country. DON OMAR, a Puerto Rican megastar with a huge following, voiced his support for Harris. JENNIFER LOPEZ, one of Puerto Rico’s most-prominent celebrities, is set to join Harris for a rally in Las Vegas on Thursday. And the anti-Trump Lincoln Project is running a new digital ad targeting Puerto Ricans in Pennsylvania. Related read: “How Trump Exploits Divisions Among Black and Latino Voters,” by NYT’s Jennifer Medina DADDY-DAUGHTER DANCE — Is there a chance we could see IVANKA TRUMP return to the campaign trail alongside her father? “Zero,” JARED KUSHNER told NYT’s Jesse McKinley . “Mr. Kushner, 43, added that Ms. Trump ‘made the decision when she left Washington that she was closing that chapter of her life. And she’s been remarkably consistent.’ He went on to suggest that the outcome in the contest between Mr. Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris may change little for their family.” RACE FOR THE HOUSE FEEL THE ENERGY — “In New Mexico’s oil country, vulnerable House Democrat touts clean energy boom,” by Josh Siegel in Albuquerque, New Mexico: First-term Democratic Rep. GABE VASQUEZ finds himself in the same type of quandary as Harris: “trying to sell voters on the economic gains from Biden’s clean energy spending while reaping the political benefits of the U.S. fossil fuel boom.” TRUMP'S LATEST TARGET — One of the last two House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump may be in real trouble out in central Washington. Trump in a Truth Social post delivered a fresh boost to Republican JERROD SESSLER, who is facing off against incumbent Rep. DAN NEWHOUSE after the two advanced from the state’s all-party primary. More from Anthony Adragna and Ally Mutnick RACE FOR THE SENATE LETTER FROM NASHVILLE — “What a ‘Tennessee Three’ Member Thinks She Can Achieve by Running for Senate,” by NYT’s Emily Cochrane: “GLORIA JOHNSON’s bid to unseat Senator MARSHA BLACKBURN appears destined to fail, but she still sees an opening to start chipping away at Republican dominance in the state.” RACE FOR THE STATES FIRE FINDING — After two fires at ballot boxes in the past few days in Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, Washington, investigators “found devices at both scenes marked with the words ‘Free Gaza,’ according to two law enforcement officials,” NYT’s Adam Goldman and Mike Baker report . “Investigators are trying to determine if the perpetrator was actually a pro-Palestinian activist or someone using that prominent cause to sow discord, one of the officials said.” POLL POSITION National: Harris +1, per Reuters/Ipsos. … Wisconsin: Trump +1 and ERIC HOVDE +1, per InsiderAdvantage. Trump +1, per AtlasIntel. Harris +2, per Redfield & Wilton Strategies. Harris +3, per CCES/YouGov. … Pennsylvania: Trump +3, per AtlasIntel. Trump and Harris tied at 49%, per YouGov/CBS. Trump and Harris tied at 48%, per Redfield & Wilton Strategies. … North Carolina: Harris +1, per AtlasIntel. Trump +3, per Trafalgar Group. … Nevada: Trump +1, per AtlasIntel. Trump and Harris tied at 48%, per Trafalgar Group. Trump and Harris tied at 47%, per Redfield & Wilton Strategies. … Michigan: Trump +1, per AtlasIntel. Harris +1, per Quantus Insights. Harris +1, per Redfield & Wilton Strategies. … Georgia: Trump +3, per AtlasIntel. Trump +1, per Redfield & Wilton Strategies. … Arizona: Trump +4, per AtlasIntel. Trump +2, per Redfield & Wilton Strategies. Trump +8 (!) and KARI LAKE +1 (!!), per Data Orbital. … Texas: Trump +5 and Sen. TED CRUZ +2, per UT Tyler Poll.
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|  AIPAC has resumed trips for lawmakers to visit the country for an immersion in Israeli politics. | Jose Luis Magana/AP | WHAT A TRIP — After a roughly five-month pause following the Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas, AIPAC has resumed trips for lawmakers to visit the country for an immersion in Israeli politics, with eight trips by 71 House members and staffers from March through early September. Slightly more Republicans traveled with AIPAC’s nonprofit arm in that period than Democrats. “Now, as lawmakers face pressure from both sides on U.S. aid — with critics like Sen. BERNIE SANDERS (I-Vt.) calling for a halt to arms sales in the face of Israel’s Lebanon offensive and supporters such as Sen. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-S.C.) demanding more funding for Israel to beef up its defenses — members are drawing on the lessons from their AIPAC travel to shape their views,” Aidan Hughes, Cait Kelley and Daryl Perry report. “While AIPAC is well known for sponsoring trips for lawmakers and aides to Israel in an effort to build support for the Jewish state, the full extent of that travel has not been clear until now. A new analysis of thousands of records shows that, thanks largely to AIPAC’s nonprofit arm, Israel is far and away the No. 1 destination for privately sponsored foreign travel by members of the House and their aides.” More top reads:
- After an Israeli strike in northern Gaza killed dozens yesterday, a State Department spokesperson condemned the death toll and said the Biden administration “had contacted the Israeli government to ask what happened,” NYT’s Victoria Kim, Hiba Yazbek and Rawan Sheikh Ahmad report. Meanwhile, Israeli legislation “cutting ties with the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees raised fears that the largest provider of aid to Gaza could be shut out of the war-ravaged territory,” AP’s Julia Frankel writes.
- Dance of the superpowers: With the possibility of a war with China looming, “the big and cumbersome Army is trying to transform itself after two decades of fighting terrorism in Afghanistan and the Middle East,” NYT’s Helene Cooper reports from Mauna Loa, Hawaii . Meanwhile, U.S. officials worry that “China will employ tactics in space that it has used to advance territorial claims on Earth, including beating out the U.S. in building a crewed outpost on the moon,” WSJ’s Brian Spegele and Clarence Leong report.
VALLEY TALK
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Elon Musk appeared to acknowledge yesterday that his vow to help Donald Trump cut federal spending could unleash economic turmoil. | Angelina Katsanis/POLITICO | MUSK READS — ELON MUSK today appeared to acknowledge that his vow to help Trump “slash federal spending could unleash severe, short-term economic turmoil, underscoring the fiscal stakes as voters weigh whether to send the Republican back to the White House,” WaPo’s Tony Romm reports . Musk in a post on X “agreed with another user’s post that argued his federal review — and other Trump policies — risked a ‘severe overreaction in the economy,’ causing financial markets to ‘tumble’ before the country’s fiscal standing later improves. ‘Sounds about right,’ Musk wrote in response.” Wild one: “Elon Musk Wants Big Families. He Bought a Secret Compound for His,” by NYT’s Kirsten Grind, Ryan Mac and Sheera Frenkel
| | | | A message from BlackRock:   BlackRock is proud to help about 35 million Americans invest to save for retirement. | | | TRUMP CARDS CANNON FODDER — Judge AILEEN CANNON in a fresh filing yesterday said the praise that the former president has repeatedly lavished on her — and the “speculation” that he could promote her if elected president — are not enough to warrant her recusal from cases involving Trump, Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein report, including the prosecution of a would-be assassin. NEW YORK RUNS DEEP — NYC Mayor ERIC ADAMS conspicuously dodged questions about Trump and his policies during a news conference yesterday, Jeff Coltin reports: “With all that’s going on to every day New Yorkers, we’re asking questions that, ‘Is someone a fascist?’ or ‘Is someone a Hitler?’ That’s insulting to me.” MEDIAWATCH PUNT-PALOOZA — USA Today and the 200-plus local publications under its umbrella became the latest national news organization to punt on endorsing a presidential candidate with the Gannett-owned newspaper announcing late Monday that none of its publications would make an endorsement this year, Irie Sentner writes. As for the latest drama at the Washington Post, where the newsroom is reeling from owner JEFF BEZOS’ decision to pull the editorial board’s endorsement of Harris, NPR’s David Folkenflik reports that the “number of cancellations since Friday’s revelation now exceeds 250,000,” a figure which “represents approximately 10 percent of all paid circulation.” And in today’s Mad Libs headline of the day: “Bezos celebrated in Europe with Katy Perry as Post crisis began,” by Semafor’s Maxwell Tani JUDICIARY SQUARE FOR THOSE KEEPING TRACK — “S.F. judge sentences Paul Pelosi attacker David DePape to life in prison,” by the SF Chronicle’s Annie Vainshtein: “Just before he was sentenced, DePape read a lengthy statement that began with his theory that 9/11 was an inside job. … He did not apologize to the Pelosi family during his statement.”
| | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Steve Bannon is back. James Holzhauer (and, presumably, Ken Jennings) is backing Kamala Harris. Maggie Hassan shared her miscarriage story with PopSugar. Jay Johnston, noted Jan. 6 rioter and actor, was sentenced to one year in prison. Daniel Hodges, a real Jan. 6 hero, was back at the Ellipse. OUT AND ABOUT — The State Department’s Art in Embassies program had a champagne reception last night, which announced a new collaboration on art diplomacy with the Smithsonian Institution. Secretary of State Antony Blinken accepted works from the Gene Davis Estate Collection courtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum for art exhibitions at U.S. embassies around the world. Pic, by Tony Powell … SPOTTED: Megan Beyer and Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.), Frank Raines, Judy Woodruff, Jane Carpenter-Rock, Denise Grant, Dwight and Toni Bush, David Corn, Nelson Cunningham, Jane Harman, Grace Bender, Virginia Hart, Will Moser, Robert Mandell and Stephanie Stebich. MEDIA MOVE — Erin Banco is joining Reuters as a national security correspondent. She currently is a national security reporter at POLITICO. TRANSITIONS — Sara Lasure is now the minority comms director for the Senate Agriculture Committee. She most recently was comms director for Sen. John Boozman (R-Ark.). … Charles Kerr is now special assistant in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy. He most recently was a program analyst at the U.S. Air Force. … Nayna Gupta is joining the American Immigration Council as director of policy. She previously was director of policy at the National Immigrant Justice Center. … Deanna Ross is now director of workforce development at the Progressive Policy Institute. She most recently was legislative director at the National Conference of State Legislatures. WEEKEND WEDDING — Alexa Velickovich, comms manager at Signal Group and a POLITICO alum, and Laura Miller, assistant corporation counsel for the New York City Law Department, got married in Cancún, Mexico on Sunday. SPOTTED: Felicia Figueiredo, Brennan Chamberlin, Marc and James Sames and Paul Henderson. Pic … Another pic HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Maggie Haberman … Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) … Ivanka Trump … NBC’s Andrea Mitchell … Mitch Glazier of the Recording Industry Association of America … Mitch Stewart of 270 Strategies … Robert Caro … Targeted Victory’s Rebecca Schieber … David Krone … POLITICO’s Ally Mutnick, Bill Mahoney, Willie Allen and Annabelle Dickson … Scott Fay … Mahiyah Sampson of Rep. Frank Pallone’s (D-N.J.) office … Lauren Zelt of Zelt Communications … Treasury’s Paul Rosen … Ian Millhiser … former Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) … former Reps. Bruce Braley (D-Iowa), Pete Hoekstra (R-Mich.), Tim Roemer (D-Ind.) and Joe Heck (R-Nev.) … Nu Wexler of Four Corners Public Affairs … Advoc8’s Laura Mullen … Dentons’ James Richardson … Michael Petricone … Londyn Marshall of Carbon180 … Laurence Leamer … Cat Duffy of the National Health Law Program … Lizette Alvarez (6-0) … Ian Whitson of FTI Consulting … Nancy Zdunkewicz 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 misspelled David Siegel’s name. It also misstated the size of Donald Trump’s lead in a new poll in Kansas. He was ahead by 5 points.
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