| | | | |  | | By Eugene Daniels and Rachael Bade | Presented by Kidney Care Access Coalition | | With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine
| | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | | NEW POLLS OVERNIGHT — Arizona: Trump +1 per Marist. … Georgia: Harris and Trump tied, per Marist. … North Carolina: Trump +2, per Marist … National: Trump +2, per WSJ. JUST POSTED — “Fred Upton, Former G.O.P. Congressman Who Voted to Impeach Trump, Endorses Harris,” by NYT’s Annie Karni: “Mr. Upton, 71, said he had already cast his ballot for [KAMALA] HARRIS — the first time in his life he had voted for a Democrat for president — and that he was confident she would work to ‘bring people together.’ He argued that it was long past time for Republicans to abandon [DONALD] TRUMP.”
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Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a CNN town hall in Aston, Pennsylvania on Oct. 23, 2024. | Matt Rourke/AP | HARRIS’ TRIAL RUN — By her own count , Harris has “delivered hundreds of closing arguments” in her career — such is the life of a prosecutor. In her 2019 book, “The Truths We Hold,” she even writes about the lessons she gave to young attorneys on how to construct an effective one: “I would remind them that it wasn’t enough to get up in front of the jury and just tell them, ‘You must find eight.’ Their job was to get up there and show the jury that two plus two plus two plus two leads, categorically, to eight. … Show the jury how they reached their conclusion. When you show people the math, you give them the tools to decide whether they agree with the solution. And even if they don't agree with everything, they may find that they agree with you most of the way.” We saw those lessons in action last night. On CNN, during a time slot originally slated to carry the final presidential debate of the 2024 cycle, Harris held a town hall with undecided voters in Pennsylvania and previewed the most important closing argument of her life. She agreed that Trump is a “fascist” — the first time that she’s publicly used that label to describe the former president. She showed her math, arguing that that conclusion wasn’t hers; it came instead from “those folks who knew him best.” She eagerly and repeatedly cited former White House chief of staff JOHN KELLY’s remarks to the Times and the Atlantic. She argued that there is “a legitimate fear, based on Donald Trump's words and actions, that he will not obey an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States.” And she sounded, in short, an awful lot like JOE BIDEN. That’s a surprise. Coming out of the gate this summer, the Harris camp seemed determined to toss aside the Biden playbook. Where the sitting president’s rhetoric made Trump bigger, talking about him as an existential threat to democracy, Harris’ rhetoric did the opposite: It focused on making Trump smaller , portraying him as an “unserious man” driven by petty grievances, as she said at the Democratic National Convention. Now, in the final two weeks of this campaign, the Harris campaign’s closing argument is shaping up to be quite similar to the one Biden used to open the case: arguing that Trump’s return to power would be a potentially extinction-level event for constitutional democracy. “It goes to show that Joe Biden was not wrong about the threat to democracy argument (although the VP doesn’t frame it like that),” a former senior White House aide texted us last night after the town hall. “The Biden faux pas was talking too much about how great the economy was and how he got it there and not enough about what he would do to address people’s current economic needs (like the VP is talking about now).” The trick, of course, is whether they can thread the needle by making this not simply a negative message aimed at Trump, but one that is simultaneously a positive message about Harris herself. Certainly, the Harris camp is aiming to draw just such a contrast between the two candidates. “Voters in the final days are seeing the choice crystallize and her town hall performance made that clear: one working on an enemies list, and one working on a to-do list for the American people,” IAN SAMS, a senior Harris adviser and spokesman told Playbook last night, riffing on one of Harris’ more memorable lines on CNN. (Expect to hear more iterations of that phrase over the next 12 days.) But there are risks here, too: Familiar though she may be to Washington, many voters still lack a clear idea of who Harris is. After all, her presidential campaign is less than four months old, Harris is still introducing herself to many voters, giving them a sense of who she is as a person and what matters to her. She tried to address this last night. She spoke of her daily prayer and belief in a “loving God.” During a conversation on immigration and border control, she suggested an openness to proposals from Republicans: “I’m not afraid of good ideas where they occur,” she said. She tried to explain why her views have changed since 2019 on any number of issues. But Harris is running out of time to define herself proactively before the election. And the time may well have come for them to decide to instead try to define her by what she isn’t rather than what she is. Last night was a trial run, the sort of beginning-of-the-end. On Tuesday, Harris will make it more concrete with her closing argument speech on the Ellipse here in Washington. More from Megan Messerly Aides are still working through exactly what Harris will say and how she’ll say it, but the why is clear: They want to have her make her case at the same location of Trump’s Jan. 6, 2021, rally before the storming of the Capitol — to drive home the contrast between the candidates in as stark relief as possible. The big question now: Will that playbook work for her where it failed for Biden? Good Thursday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade and Eugene Daniels.
| | | | A message from Kidney Care Access Coalition: Today, dialysis patients can be forced off the health coverage that works best for them – even impacting coverage for their spouse and kids.
The Restore Protections for Dialysis Patients Act (S. 5018 and H.R. 6860) is a bipartisan and bicameral bill that will restore protections for dialysis patients and ensure that these patients and their families have a choice in their coverage.
The time for Congress to act is now.
https://www.kidneycareaccess.org/ | | | | NEAL AT THE ALTAR — “‘Trying to curry favor’: Lobbyists on tax matters hired Richard Neal’s son,” by Benjamin Guggenheim: “BRENDAN NEAL’s cash haul from working for his own father’s campaign and others with interests before his committee — which has not been previously reported — significantly heightens concerns for liberal tax policy advocates — and has led some to publicly voice their concerns about the Ways and Means power broker." INSIDE TRUMP’S BOYS CLUB — “‘They’re Just Over It’: How Trump Has Converted Male Frustration Into a Movement,” by Alex Keeney: “[W]hile politics is often about justice, it’s also about feelings, and being heard, and sending messages. And that leads some men, inevitably, to Trump — the candidate who has made a career of portraying an exaggerated version of an alpha male: the man who refuses to curb his behavior to satisfy his critics.”
| | | | A message from Kidney Care Access Coalition:   The Restore Protections for Dialysis Patients Act will right a wrong and ensure dialysis patients and their families aren’t forced off their health insurance. https://www.kidneycareaccess.org/ | | | | | WHAT'S HAPPENING TODAY | | On the Hill The Senate and the House are out. What we’re watching … The long-running House Republican investigation into HUNTER BIDEN might have run into its ultimate dead end in a D.C. courtroom yesterday. As Josh Gerstein and Kyle Cheney report, U.S. District Judge ANA REYES shredded the House’s request to enforce a subpoena against two Justice Department line attorneys involved in the case while also slamming the DOJ for ordering those lawyers not to appear after prosecuting two former Trump officials for similarly flouting congressional subpoenas. The upshot: The Judiciary Committee subpoenas are now on ice until next year — and even if Republicans keep the majority, it’s hard to see anything Biden-related staying on their front burner. At the White House Biden will receive the President’s Daily Brief at 10 a.m. He will then travel to Phoenix, Arizona ahead of an event. On the trail Trump will hold a rally in Tempe, Arizona at 4 p.m. Harris will speak at a campaign event in Clarkston, Georgia at 7 p.m. Later, she’ll depart en route to Houston. Second Gentleman DOUG EMHOFF will speak at two block party events in Wisconsin.
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John Kelly speaks during a press conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, June 29, 2017. | Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images | WAR OF THE WORDS — Prior to the CNN Town Hall at which she echoed John Kelly’s description of Trump as a “fascist,” Harris told reporters outside the VP’s residence that Trump “does not want a military that is loyal to the United States Constitution. … He wants a military who will be loyal to him personally, one that will obey his orders, even when he tells them to break the law or abandon their oath to the Constitution of the United States.” More from Irie Setner Kelly’s critiques were also echoed by former Trump-era DHS assistant chief of staff ELIZABETH NEUMANN yesterday, Lisa Kashinsky, Daniel Lippman, Myah Ward and Irie Sentner report : “‘Does he have authoritarian tendencies? Yes,” Neumann said in an interview with POLITICO. “Is he kind of leaning towards that ultra-nationalism component? Absolutely. That is kind of his brand, right? He’s made nationalism the new definition of the Republican Party.” Never one to shy away from biting back , Trump railed against Kelly on Truth Social last night, calling the retired Marine general a “low life” and “bad general” who falsified his various stories: “The story about the Soldiers was A LIE, as are numerous other stories he told. Even though I shouldn’t be wasting my time with him, I always feel it’s necessary to hit back in pursuit of THE TRUTH,” Trump posted. More from Kierra Frazier RACE FOR THE WHITE HOUSE DEEP IN THE HEART — While Harris heads to Texas tomorrow for a Houston rally spotlighting the state’s total abortion ban, the Trump campaign announced a dueling event scheduled the same day in Austin. The Trump event, which is scheduled for early afternoon, will focus on border security and highlight migrant crime. More from The Austin-American Statesman’s Bayliss Wagner TAKING AIM — “‘You have to meet with Mattie’: The decades-long shaping of Kamala Harris’ gun policy,” by The 19th News’ Jennifer Gerson: “In her decades of work on prevention, Harris has looked to the voices of survivors and the evidence-based best practices to try to curb gun violence. Now, as she campaigns for president, she continues to point to her background as a prosecutor, someone who has seen the way laws can shape lives — and save them.” RACE FOR THE HOUSE THE POWER OF THREE — Fearing they’ll lose vulnerable seats to the GOP, the DCCC is indicating to allies in Alaska, Ohio and Montana that they should boost third-party candidates, Ally Mutnick reports : “The DCCC previewed the strategy on messaging websites often referred to as ‘red boxes’ — a public and legal way for them to signal outside groups under campaign finance law … The House GOP campaign arm is also asking its allies to get involved in Alaska, where the top four vote-getters advanced from the all-party primary. If no candidate gets more than 50 percent in the general election, the race proceeds to ranked-choice voting.” CAROLINA IN MY MIND — “Vulnerable House Dem goes on offensive on immigration — in a district nowhere near the border,” by Nick Wu RACE FOR THE STATES HACK ATTACK — Georgia’s Secretary of State’s office reportedly dodged a cyberattack against a website used to request absentee ballots that they believe originated from a foreign country, CNN’s Gabe Cohen, Sean Lyngaas and Zachary Cohen report: “The state’s cyber defenses … repelled the hackers’ attempts to knock the absentee ballot website offline …The FBI and US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency are aware of the cyberattack and worked with the Georgia secretary of state’s office in the aftermath of the incident.” AT THE POLLS — “Early voting in Wisconsin slowed by label printing problems,” by WaPo’s By Patrick Marley … “Pennsylvania Supreme Court Allows Provisional Votes After Mail Ballot,” by NYT’s Simon Levien POLL POSITION All the swing states: A new Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll shows Harris and Trump locked in a dead heat in each of the seven critical swing states less than two weeks until Election Day. Across all seven states, the candidates have 49% support each among likely voters, with a 1% margin of error, Bloomberg’s Nancy Cook and Gregory Korte report. The state-by-state breakout … Arizona: Harris +0.4 points … Georgia: Trump +1.5 … Michigan: Harris +3.1 … Nevada: Harris +0.5 … North Carolina: Trump +1.2 … Pennsylvania: Harris +1.7 … Wisconsin: Trump +0.3 A look at the issues: “When asked which candidate is best described as mentally fit, honest and compassionate, swing-state likely voters chose Harris by wide margins. …. And when it comes to the issues, Trump holds an advantage on the most important one: the economy.” MORE POLLS — National: Harris +2 per TIPP Insights. Harris +3 per Monmouth University Polling Institute. … Wisconsin: Harris and Trump tied, per Quinnipiac University … Michigan: Harris +3, per Quinnipiac University … Texas: Trump +7, Sen. TED CRUZ +2, per Emerson College
| | | PLAYBOOK READS | | | AMERICA AND THE WORLD
|  Russian President Vladimir Putin appears on a television screen on Feb. 25, 2022. | Michael Probst/AP | DISINFORMATION DIGEST — Leaked Russian documents show that a former Florida sheriff’s deputy living in Russia is working directly with the Kremlin to produce deepfakes and misinformation targeting the Harris campaign, WaPo’s Catherine Belton scoops. The cache of documents shows that retired U.S. Marine JOHN MARK DOUGAN was seemingly paid to create fake news sites and worked directly with the Russian military’s department that “oversees sabotage, political interference operations and cyberwarfare targeting the West.” “Disinformation researchers say Dougan’s network was probably behind a recent viral fake video smearing Democratic vice-presidential nominee TIM WALZ … Since September 2023, posts, articles and videos generated by Dougan and some of the Russians who work with him have garnered 64 million views.” In an interview with WaPo, Dougan denied being behind the fake news sites, and said he didn’t “have any connections with Russian military intelligence or the Russian government.” WATCH THIS SPACE — U.S. officials confirmed yesterday that they'd seen evidence that North Korea has sent 3,000 troops to Russia for possible deployment in Ukraine, Reuters’ Phil Stewart and Hyonhee Shin report from Seoul. The White House told reporters they believe 3,000 North Korean troops have been sent to Russian training camps, in a move that Secretary of Defense LLOYD AUSTIN noted could be “very, very serious” for Ukraine. More top reads:
- WaPo’s Jeff Stein, Federica Cocco and Peter Whoriskey dive into the influx of lobbying from former lawmakers and government officials spurred by a spike in global sanctions: “The Post documented more than a dozen instances in which foreign entities — a Chinese surveillance firm, a Middle Eastern financial group, a government charged with ethnic cleansing — entered multimillion-dollar contracts for lobbying work and successfully lobbied to have sanctions either blocked or removed.”
- White House National Security Adviser JAKE SULLIVAN defended Biden’s international economic policies from critics who claim he hurt historica trade relationships, WaPo’s David Lynch reports: “‘The world of the 1990s is over, and it is not coming back,’ Sullivan said. ‘And it’s not a coherent plan or critique just to wish it so.’”
CONGRESS GETTIN’ THEIR DUCKS IN A ROW — Though much of Washington’s attention is glued to the run up to Election Day, Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill are already eyeing how the outcome in November may impact the fight for key committee roles next year, Anthony Adragna reports this morning. Unlike Democrats, the House GOP must navigate a series of departures and retirements to fill critical roles next Congress, while House Speaker MIKE JOHNSON “may have to use the positions as bargaining chips to keep conservatives behind him” during a potential speakership battle. Who’s affected: “Three prominent GOP committee chairs on the Rules, Energy and Commerce, and Financial Services Committees aren’t coming back to Congress, promising to create a series of fierce battles to succeed them. Term limits also affect multiple committees, including Foreign Affairs, Education and the Workforce, and Transportation.”
| | | | A message from Kidney Care Access Coalition:   | | | TRUMP CARDS
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Law enforcement agents stand near the stage of a campaign rally for Donald Trump on July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania. | Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images | TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT FALLOUT — Law enforcement officials have released the first slew of 911 communications from the July 13 Trump assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, NBC News’ Lewis Kamb reports. The individual audio recordings were released to NBC News, Scripps News and The Intercept following a legal settlement with Butler County: “The 15 recordings, covering a span following the shooting from 6:12 p.m. to 6:47 p.m, captured panicked callers phoning in from the rally and others who weren’t in attendance but had received calls from their loved ones there.” Related read: “Florida AG sues DOJ over blocking its investigation into Trump assassination attempt,” by Kimberly Leonard ONE TO WATCH — A former model who claims to have met Donald Trump through JEFFREY EPSTEIN, has accused the former president of making unwanted sexual advances towards her inTrump Tower in 1993, The Guardian’s Stephanie Kirchgaessner and Lucy Osborne report: STACEY WILLIAMS “said she first met Trump in 1992 at a Christmas party after being introduced to him by Epstein. …The alleged groping occurred some months later, in the late winter or early spring of 1993, when Epstein suggested during a walk they were on that he and Williams stop by to visit Trump at Trump Tower. … Moments after they arrived, she alleges, Trump greeted Williams, pulled her toward him and started groping her. She said he put his hands ‘all over my breasts’ as well as her waist and her buttocks.” MUSK READ — DOJ officials have issued ELON MUSK’s pro-Trump America PAC a warning letter cautioning that it was a crime to offer a payment or accept payment for voting or registering to vote, 24sight’s Tom LoBianco scooped . Musk’s PAC is conducting a daily sweepstakes offering up to $1 million to registered voters in swing states who signed a petition supporting First and Second Amendment rights: “The warning letter did not specify any immediate legal action, according to the person familiar with the DOJ warning to Musk, but it did spell out the penalties for breaking U.S. voting laws, including possible imprisonment of up to five years.” While some have decried the sweepstakes as illegal, “Other lawyers say Musk’s scheme doesn’t run afoul of the law because it doesn’t directly pay people for registering, and is limited to people who have registered by the time they sign the petition,” Josh Gerstein writes. BEYOND THE BELTWAY STATE OF THE UNIONS — “Boeing Workers Spurn Latest Offer as Bid to End Strike Fails,” by Bloomberg’s Julie Johnsson, Spencer Soper, and Danny Lee: “The move will send Boeing and the union back to the negotiating table following six weeks of stop-start talks that eventually led to the White House dispatching Acting Secretary of Labor JULIE SU to Seattle to help break the stalemate.” HURRICANE HELENE FALLOUT — “North Carolina government calculates Hurricane Helene damages, needs at least $53B,” by AP’s Gary Robertson MEDIAWATCH SEGUNDO THOUGHTS — “Los Angeles Times editorials editor resigns after owner blocks presidential endorsement,” by The Columbia Journalism Review’s Sewell Chan
| | PLAYBOOKERS | | Bob Menendez went all out after his July trial. Gerald Ford’s adult children disagree about who he’d vote for in 2024. Shawn Reilly gave Kamala Harris a boost in crucial Waukesha. OUT AND ABOUT — SPOTTED at the National Press Club Tuesday night at a celebration of the launch of Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.) book “Hard Truths: Think and Lead Like a Green Beret,” alongside Jeremy Hunt and members of Veterans On Duty: Jonathan Clifford, Parker Poling, Ben Noon, Micah Ketchel, Brittany Bramell Punaro, Caroline Bryant, Jay Kramer, Garrett Exner, Dylan Gresik, Eric McCrery and Ethan Harper. — SPOTTED at a bipartisan pre-election gathering Tuesday night at Emily Lampkin’s residence: Norwegian Ambassador Anniken Huitfeldt, Austrian Ambassador Petra Schneebauer, Leena-Kaisa Mikkola, Jovita Neliupšienė, Vanessa Griddine-Jones, Suzy George, Greta Joynes, Susan Davis, Amber Benzon, Mimi Burke, Maya MacGuineas, Natalie Jones, Catherine Valentine and Megan Poole. — Charles Rivkin and Susan Tolson hosted a reception at their home last night celebrating Jonathan Alter's new book, “American Reckoning: Inside Trump’s Trial — and My Own” ($30). Cliff Sloan and Mary Lou Hartman co-hosted the event. SPOTTED: U.S. Ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago Candace Bond McKeever, Mignon Clyburn, Tamera Luzzatto, Yebbie Watkins, Mandy Grunwald, Robert Costa, Peter and Judy Kovler, Ed Luce, Peter Baker and Susan Glasser, Jane Mayer and Bill Hamilton, Margaret Carlson, Matt Cooper, Christina Sevilla and Steve Rochlin, Toni Cook Bush and Tanya Mayorkas. TRANSITIONS — The Foundation for America’s Public Lands is adding Paula Neira as VP of finance and operations and Tomer Hasson as senior program officer. Neira previously was director of finance at Homebase. Hasson previously was senior policy adviser at the Bureau of Land Management. … Brooke Oberwetter is now SVP at Burson. She previously was head of policy comms at TikTok and is an Amazon and Meta alum. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham … Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) (7-0) … Reps. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), Brad Sherman (D-Calif.) (7-0) and Kweisi Mfume (D-Md.) … Tony Podesta … NYT’s Jonathan Weisman … Bloomberg’s Nancy Cook … The Counteroffensive’s Tim Mak … POLITICO’s Monica Akhtar … Henry Schuster of “60 Minutes” … Antonia Ferrier … Melissa Luce … David Ferguson … Matt Thornton … Chris Tuck of the Senate GOP (4-0) … Bullpen Strategy Group’s Michael Ahrens … DCCC’s Kierra Newton … Kristine Michalson of the House Press Gallery … Carl Cannon of RealClearPolitics … Jenna Schuette Talbot … Deadline’s Ted Johnson … Invariant’s Joey Smith … American Viewpoint’s Josh Davidson … former Reps. José E. Serrano (D-N.Y.) and Mary Bono (R-Calif.) … Liz Spayd … Law360’s Kellie Mejdrich … Marty Baron … NPR’s Pamela Kirkland … Zephyr Teachout … Vox Media’s Lauren Starke … Patrick Cavanagh of the Steel Manufacturers Association … Carlton Forbes … Marc Lotter (55) … Chris Wilson of WPA Intelligence 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.
| | | | A message from Kidney Care Access Coalition: A June 2022 Supreme Court ruling undermined long-standing statutory protections for dialysis patients by allowing employer group health plans to force dialysis patients on Medicare before they would have otherwise chosen. When they transition from their employer health plan to Medicare, their family could also be forced off their coverage. This causes an unnecessary and costly disruption to these families – at a time when they are also managing a life-threatening disease.
The Restore Protections for Dialysis Patients Act is a bipartisan, bicameral bill to simply restore these critical protections for patients and their families. The bill ensures families can choose their coverage, protects private health insurance, and prevents Medicare from being overburdened.
Over 40 organizations, including those representing patients, providers, the disability community, and communities of color, are calling on Congress to pass the Restore Protections for Dialysis Patients Act.
https://www.kidneycareaccess.org/ | | | | | | | 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 political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
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