| | | | |  | | By Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels and Ryan Lizza | | | With help from Eli Okun and Garrett Ross
|  | DRIVING THE DAY | | TOP-ED — “Happy Birthday, America,” by Volodymyr Zelensky in WSJ: “We Ukrainians and you Americans will never give up on freedom. SIGN OF THE TIMES — AP: “The U.S. is recommending Americans reconsider traveling to China because of arbitrary law enforcement, exit bans and the risk of wrongful detentions. No specific cases were cited, but the advisory comes after a 78-year-old U.S. citizen was sentenced to life in prison on spying charges in May.” |  Marc Caputo makes the case in a new piece that Donald Trump could end up sealing the nomination by the end of January if he can maintain his momentum in Iowa. | Al Goldis/AP Photo | JUST POSTED — Our former colleague Marc Caputo is up with a story at the Messenger that most 2024 hopefuls aren’t gonna want to read — unless said hopeful is named DONALD TRUMP: “‘A Ginormous Jug of Diesel Fuel on a Bonfire:' How Trump’s Indictments Could Win Him Iowa and the GOP Nomination.” Diving deep with Iowa Republican leaders, Caputo writes that the former president is surging in the Hawkeye State not despite his recent indictments but because of them. And there are signs that this is no short-term sugar-high, as other anti-Trump Republicans have been hoping. The lede highlights one GOP county chairman, MERLE MILLER, who described excitement earlier this year in his pocket of the state for Florida Gov. RON DeSANTIS and South Carolina Sen. TIM SCOTT. Then Trump got indicted, twice. “Now you don’t hear those names brought up like before. The majority of Republicans here are for Trump after this frickin’ legal lynching. That’s all it is,” Miller tells Caputo. “People here take the indictment personally.” Republicans elsewhere in the state echo that sentiment throughout the piece, and Caputo makes the case that Trump could end up sealing the nomination by the end of January if he can maintain his momentum in Iowa. “Most GOP insiders and political pros believe a Trump loss in the Iowa caucuses in January would likely prolong the primary fight,” he writes. “A convincing Trump victory would trigger a domino effect of cascading wins in each of the next four early states, all but assuring his nomination.” THE WEEK AHEAD — Tomorrow: Independence Day! Scott marches in a Merrimack, N.H., parade. MIKE PENCE attends a parade in Urbandale, Iowa. … Wednesday: President JOE BIDEN hosts Swedish Prime Minister ULF KRISTERSSON at the White House. … Thursday: Biden visits South Carolina. CASEY DeSANTIS makes her first solo campaign trek in Iowa. NIKKI HALEY kicks off a three-day swing in New Hampshire, where she’ll be attending five town halls and meet-and-greets … Friday: June jobs numbers released. Biden heads to Rehoboth Beach, Del., ahead of a five-day trip to Europe. With Congress on recess and many Washingtonians out of town, it’s a slow news week. So, this morning we’re highlighting a few stories from the extra-long holiday weekend that we think are worth your time: 1. SMITH VS. TRUMP’S LAWYERS: WSJ’s C. Ryan Barber and Sadie Gurman report this morning on how Special Counsel JACK SMITH is targeting Trump’s legal team in his investigation of the efforts to overturn the 2020 election, probing the advice they gave the former president. Officials have subpoenaed and/or questioned SIDNEY POWELL, as well as another attorney who worked with her, EMILY NEWMAN, as well as MIKE ROMAN, a Trump campaign attorney who oversaw Election Day operations, they report. The duo also have more insight on Trump attorney RUDY GIULIANI’s recent interview with federal prosecutors, which CNN first reported. Turns out he sat voluntarily with investigators for a whopping eight hours under a “proffer agreement” that would allow him to talk in return for a vow that prosecutors don’t use what he says against him. 2. MODERATES FLEX: WaPo’s Marianna Sotomayor and Leigh Ann Caldwell yesterday highlighted how centrist Republicans in frontline districts are starting to push back against conservatives in the House — or, at least, are trying to. The behind-the-scenes tensions will be important to follow as appropriations season gets underway this summer, with Speaker KEVIN McCARTHY vowing to pass all 12 spending bills. Among the nuggets in the piece: (1) Groups of centrists Republicans have managed to kill anti-union and anti-abortion amendments after threatening to take down the underlying GOP bills if they had been adopted; (2) Majority Leader STEVE SCALISE (R-La.) has twice been forced to cancel a floor vote on legislation that would permanently codify the Hyde Amendment due to moderate backlash; and (3) centrist freshmen are demanding that GOP leaders and the NRCC “not use any money [they] raised on their far-right colleagues’ campaigns.” 3. 2024 VEEPSTAKES: ABC’s Tal Axelrod reported over the weekend about South Dakota Gov. KRISTI NOEM and Iowa Gov. KIM REYNOLDS positioning themselves as possible running-mates for whomever wins the GOP nomination. Noem, she writes, has been “ramping up advertising and is expected to travel more outside South Dakota” while Reynolds has been appearing with 2024 contenders at a series of events recently and garnered attention by meeting last week with Israeli Prime Minister BENJAMIN NETANYAHU. Arkansas Gov. SARAH SANDERS, meanwhile, is bowing out of the derby, as “a source familiar with Sanders' thinking told ABC News she intends to serve as governor for eight years.” Good Monday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Reminder: The Playbook Daily Briefing podcast and Playbook PM newsletter are taking a holiday break today and tomorrow. Drop us a line if you’re suffering withdrawal: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza. | | | | A message from Meta: The metaverse will help students gain more hands-on experience.
Students will use augmented reality to look inside the circulatory system and see how it powers the human body—helping them gain a deeper understanding of how our bodies work.
The metaverse may be virtual, but the impact will be real.
Explore more possibilities with the metaverse. | | | TALKER — “Biden Needs a Heavyweight Primary Challenge,” by Jack Shafer: “Someone? Anyone? Even BETO O’ROURKE or AMY KLOBUCHAR or CORY BOOKER or CHRIS MURPHY or ELIZABETH WARREN would suffice. Just any heavyweight under the age of 75 with the pugilistic skills to put the current champion through a hammering 12 rounds.” FUN READ — “Fanfare, golf and boos have marked July Fourth for US presidents. Zachary Taylor’s was the worst,” by AP’s Calvin Woodward
| | | | A message from Meta:   | | | | | BIDEN’S MONDAY — The president has nothing on his public schedule.
VP KAMALA HARRIS’ MONDAY — The VP has nothing on her public schedule. | | | | | | STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president’s ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today. | | | | | PHOTO OF THE DAY
|  A demonstrator raises their fist during the We The People National March in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on July 2, 2023. | AFP via Getty Images | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | 9 THINGS FOR YOUR RADAR 1. DANCE OF THE SUPERPOWERS: Treasury officials confirmed that Secretary JANET YELLEN will travel to Beijing later this week for meetings with senior Chinese officials on several issues, including concerns over a new Chinese counterespionage law, Reuter’s Andrea Shalal reports. The trip comes just after Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to the country last month: “While no major ‘breakthroughs’ were expected, Treasury officials hope to have constructive conversations and build longer-term channels of communication with China's new economic team, including at the sub-cabinet level, the official said. U.S. officials would also reiterate concerns about human rights abuses against the Uyghur Muslim minority.” 2. SCHEDULING CONFLICTS: “Democrats’ new primary calendar remains unresolved. The party insists that’s OK,” by AP’s Will Weissert: “Months after the Democratic Party approved President Joe Biden’s plan to overhaul its primary order to better reflect a deeply diverse voter base, implementing the revamped order has proven anything but simple. … The DNC says it prepared for an arduous process, but is not too concerned by the uncertainty, in part because Biden faces only minor primary challengers in self-help author MARIANNE WILLIAMSON and anti-vaccine activist ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR.” 3. DEMOCRACY DIGEST: As federal officials prepare to change their technical guidelines around voting machines later this year, election officials are increasingly concerned the overhaul “will be weaponized against them” by those seeking to sow election disinformation, Zach Montellaro reports: “The new standards will be rolled out on Nov. 15, 2023, just a year ahead of a presidential election that might include Trump. On guard against falling public trust in elections, officials worry every word in their new standards will be scrutinized by a new, not always kind, audience.” 4. WHAT’S UP IN RALEIGH: A political clash is brewing in the Tar Heel State over voting rights as Democrats eye the White House in 2024 and Republicans fight to take back the North Carolina governor’s office, NYT’s Nick Corasaniti reports from Asheville: “In the Republican-led legislature, the State House is considering two bills passed by the Senate that would sharply alter how elections are run, adding voting restrictions and effectively neutering the state elections board, which is now controlled by Gov. ROY COOPER, a Democrat.” The state Supreme Court, meanwhile, “has ordered lawmakers to redraw the state’s congressional and state legislative maps, which will most likely be far friendlier to Republicans.” 5. WHO FUNDS NO LABELS: In the latest look at the presidential machinations of centrist nonprofit No Labels, WSJ’s Julie Bykowicz drills down on the group’s secretive finances: “The group’s leaders say naming their donors would subject them to scrutiny and intimidation. Past known donors include executives in the finance and energy industries whose campaign contributions largely lean Republican.” One donor, Florida Republican ROY MERRITT, sent $11,600 through the group to Sen. JOE MANCHIN (D-W.Va.) last year because, he said, “I’d vote for anybody who would keep the Biden liberal bunch out of office.”
| | | | A message from Meta:   | | | 6. BEING KATHERINE TAI: The USTR is under pressure from all corners as she seeks to execute a White House policy shift toward a “new economic world order,” Steven Overly and Doug Palmer report: “When she goes to Capitol Hill, Tai is harangued by lawmakers who complain the administration’s trade agenda is unambitious and inadequate to compete globally. In her travels around the country, she hears from business owners who grouse that the administration is not opening more markets to exports. Overseas, she faces outrage from foreign officials about Biden’s efforts to goose domestic industry.” 7. IMMIGRATION FILES: “Number of Migrants Crossing U.S. Southern Border Is Down. But for How Long?,” by NYT’s Eileen Sullivan: “Since May 12, the average number of daily illegal crossings has been around 3,360, according to Department of Homeland Security data. In March 2022, that average was about 7,100. … But officials say this lull, after nearly two years of higher-than-usual crossings, is not going to last.” 8. IN THE MOUSE HOUSE: “With DeSantis on the Stump, Disney Sees a Long Campaign Ahead,” by NYT’s Brooks Barnes: “Despite the partisan attacks, Disney remains one of the strongest brands in the world. But cracks in its public reputation are showing, and the company is now facing the uncomfortable possibility that it will remain under attack by Mr. DeSantis for at least another year. That is an eternity for Disney, which has zealously tried for 100 years to avoid political and cultural pitfalls for fear of tarnishing its happily-ever-after brand.” 9. KNOWING JIGAR SHAH — While DOE’s Loan Program Office director is focused on doling out funds for climate-centered energy projects, the money doesn’t come without strings, WSJ’s Scott Patterson and Amrith Ramkumar report in a deep-dive profile: “Shah has $400 billion of government funds to pour into businesses touting green-energy projects. But he has to do it under the eye of critical lawmakers, cautious bureaucrats and the White House, which has already clashed with him on the politics of his lending juggernaut. Losses are likely and will be frowned on by Congress."
| | | | SUBSCRIBE TO POWER SWITCH: The energy landscape is profoundly transforming. Power Switch is a daily newsletter that unlocks the most important stories driving the energy sector and the political forces shaping critical decisions about your energy future, from production to storage, distribution to consumption. Don’t miss out on Power Switch, your guide to the politics of energy transformation in America and around the world. SUBSCRIBE TODAY. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — The Independent Women’s Forum has announced its summer 2023 visiting fellows: Mary Margaret Olohan, Caroline Downey, Cheryl Todd, Michele Steeb, Crystal Bayat, Lyndsey Fifield, Marion Mass, and Elizabeth Grace Matthew. TRANSITION — Mark Meador and Brandon Kressin are launching Kressin Meador LLC, previously Kressin Law Group. Meador was previously deputy chief counsel for antitrust and competition policy for Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah). HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-Wis.) … Julian Assange ... Kristen Morgante of Purple Strategies … Peter Sherman of DDC Public Affairs ... Nick Baldick of Hilltop Public Solutions ... Don “Stew” Stewart ... AFP’s Shaun Tandon ... POLITICO’s Heidi Vogt … Rina Shah … Washington Examiner’s Naomi Lim ... CNN’s Lindy Royce-Bartlett ... former Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) ... Adam Goldberg … Andrew Peek of Rep. Mike Waltz’s (R-Fla.) office … Kate McCarty … Giffords’ Mary Yatrousis ... Cameron Morabito ... WaPo’s Lally Weymouth ... Barbara Lee of the Barbara Lee Family Foundation … Maya Serkin … PBS NewsHour’s Julia Griffin ... Sandra Lee … Gloria Allred … Tom Shaw of Rokk Solutions 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 producers Setota Hailemariam and Bethany Irvine.
| | | | A message from Meta: Augmented reality will help neighborhoods recover from power outages.
Augmented reality will help electrical lineworkers spot and repair problems in the power grid more quickly, helping communities get their lights back on faster after power outages.
The metaverse may be virtual, but the impact will be real.
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