DRONING ON: Four of the country’s top sports leagues are pressing lawmakers to do something about drones in this year’s FAA reauthorization bill, our Playbook colleagues reported this morning. — “Our organizations collectively host thousands of events for millions of fans each year,” the NFL, MLB, NASCAR and the NCAA wrote to congressional leaders Thursday. Despite restrictions on aircraft flying over major sporting events, “drone incursions at sporting events and other mass gatherings have been occurring for years — and they are increasing in frequency,” they said. — The leagues are pushing for the extension and expansion of counter-drone measures already in place — in particular, they want to give state and local law enforcement greater authority to detect and mitigate drone threats. “Although federal authorities can and do contribute to the safety of some mass gatherings like sporting events, it is simply impossible for federal officials to provide counter-drone capabilities at all of the thousands of sporting events conducted by our organizations,” they note. — Meanwhile our Alex Daugherty reported yesterday that airlines, states and unions are feuding over related issues concerning drones: “The airline industry wants Congress to make it crystal clear that the FAA’s authority over the airspace and its operations is absolute, as they try to head off state and local laws seeking to regulate drones and air taxis, as well as potential state-level expansions of labor protections for flight crews.” — “Without such statutory clarity, they say, state and local laws seeking to regulate aircraft operations — such as restricting where a drone might operate or how long a flight attendant can rest — would create a confusing mishmash of laws.” — “States, meanwhile, say they need to retain the ability to regulate drones in their backyards over privacy and noise concerns. And unions are vowing to fight any attempts to weaken blue state labor laws.” TALES FROM THE SWAMP: “Officials who work for Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration — not his campaign — have been sending text messages to Florida lobbyists soliciting political contributions for DeSantis' presidential bid,” NBC News’ Matt Dixon and Jonathan Allen report, “a breach of traditional norms that has raised ethical and legal questions and left many here in the state capital shocked.” — “NBC News reviewed text messages from four DeSantis administration officials, including those directly in the governor's office and with leadership positions in state agencies. They requested the recipient of the message contribute to the governor’s campaign through a specific link that appeared to track who is giving as part of a ‘bundle’ program.” — DeSantis’ office did not respond to a request for comment from NBC News, though one administration official defended the practice as an exercise of First Amendment rights. And while doing so might not be illegal, “NBC News spoke with 10 Republican lobbyists in Florida, all of whom said they couldn't remember being solicited for donations so overtly by administration officials — especially at a time when the governor still has to act on the state budget.” — “That process that involves DeSantis using his line-item veto pen to slash funding for projects that the same lobbyists whom they are asking for political cash have a professional stake in. Most of the lobbyists said they felt pressure to give to the governor's campaign.” NO LABELS TURNS ON ONE OF ITS OWN: “A group of House Democrats with ties to No Labels is turning on the centrist group after it attacked one of their founding members,” Daniel reports. — “On Tuesday, No Labels texted people who live in the district of Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.), criticizing the congressman for scoffing at their idea for a unity presidential ticket and claiming it could result in Donald Trump’s return to the presidency.” — “In its message, No Labels said it was ‘alarmed to learn that your U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider recently attacked the notion that you should have more choices in the 2024 presidential election.’ They called Schneider ‘out of step’ with his voters.” — “The missive did not go over well with Schneider, who is a member of the Problem Solvers Caucus that No Labels helped start on the Hill,” and who told Daniel the organization’s admonishment is “the kind of division the country needs less of right now.” He “was quickly joined by other members of the Problem Solvers Caucus in chastising No Labels for attacking one of their own and pushing a unity ticket.” SPOTTED on Thursday at a conversation on promoting authentic Hispanic representation hosted by the Hispanic Heritage Foundation and the Walt Disney Company, per a tipster: Rep. Tony Cárdenas (D-Calif.), producer Yvett Merino, Jose Antonio Tijerino, Juana Pacheco, and William Campos of the Hispanic Heritage Foundation, Estuardo Rodriguez and Carla Rynerson of the Raben Group, Marco Davis of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, Jaqueline Serrano, Fred Sottnic, Katie Rosborough and Adrienne Chistolini of Disney, Nigel Sanchez of the House of Representatives, Rafael Ulloa of El Planeta Media, Jeyben Castro of the House Office of Diversity and Inclusion, Nate Beltran of the office of Rep. Marc Veasey (D-Texas), Isabel Sanchez of Future Forum and Ahmed Elsayed, Lewis Myers, Patricia Zaragoza and Carlos Condarco of Cárdenas’ office. — And at a fundraiser for the Beltway-Belfast Boxing Program Project at Bobby Van’s Grille, per a tipster: Sean Brebbia of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Tucker Foote of MasterCard, Ed Hill of Bank Policy Institute, Jack Cline of Northeastern University, Patrick Lyden of CurrentStrategic LLC, Tim Curry of Stryk Global Diplomacy, Stephanie Quinn of American Academy of Family Physicians and Eammon McConville of the Northern Ireland Bureau.
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