| | | | |  | | By Bethany Irvine | | | |  Walt Nauta, embattled personal valet and body man to former President Donald Trump, plead not guilty this morning to charges that he colluded with his boss to hide classified documents from authorities. | AP | NAUTA MOMENT TO SOON — After twice delaying his arraignment over his failure to secure legal representation who was properly credentialed in Florida, WALT NAUTA, the embattled personal valet and body man to former President DONALD TRUMP, pleaded not guilty this morning to charges that he colluded with his boss to hide classified documents at Mar-a-Lago from federal authorities. More from AP Earlier today, The Messenger’s Marc Caputo scooped that Nauta had finally hired a South Florida-based lawyer: SASHA DADAN, “a 34-year-old Republican all-purpose criminal defense attorney who ran in 2018 for the Florida House.” THIRD DAY IN A ROW — Earth’s average temperature hit an all-time high yesterday. The previous record was set on Tuesday — and before that, on Monday. More from the AP YELLEN IN CHINA — Treasury Secretary JANET YELLEN arrived in Beijing this morning as part of a four-day trip to the country as the White House tries yet again to ease growing rising tensions between the U.S. and China. Yellen is set to meet with LI QIANG, China’s premier and second highest-ranking government official, on Friday. Though Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN’S trip last month was presented as an effort to shore up the rocky relationship between the two powers, the outlook has soured considerably in the past few weeks as President JOE BIDEN called Chinese leader XI JINPING a “dictator,” China was confirmed to have increased its military presence in Cuba, and the two countries engaged in a tit-for-tat over advanced technology and chips manufacturing. Still, WSJ’s Chun Han Wong reports that “[s]ome Chinese officials consider Yellen a friendlier face than other Biden administration officials, noting that she has spoken favorably of continued U.S.-China cooperation and warned against attempts to ‘decouple’ the world’s two biggest economies.” Wong characterizes those officials as “cautiously optimistic” about the trip. THE PSILOCYBIN CAUCUS — Reps. DAN CRENSHAW (R-Texas) and ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ (D-N.Y.) don’t agree on much politically, except when it comes to supporting legislation on psychedelics, Ben Terris writes this morning in a deep dive piece for WaPo. While both members have tried to pass legislation that would make it easier for scientists to research mind-altering drugs,“for all this agreement, it has so far proved difficult to pass any bills related to psychedelics.” “This is not — according to both Crenshaw’s and Ocasio-Cortez’s offices — because of some organized anti-psychedelics lobbying or big money lining up in opposition. The psychedelics coalition is up against an even more common impediment to change: Washington’s fear of something new.” GOTTA READ IT TO BELIEVE IT — “The Mayor Had a Photo of a Fallen Officer. Was His Story About It True?” by NYT’s Emma Fitzsimmons: “‘I still think about ROBERT [VENABLE],’ [New York City Mayor ERIC] ADAMS said at a news conference at City Hall. ‘I keep a picture of Robert in my wallet.’ … But the weathered photo of Officer Venable had not actually spent decades in the mayor’s wallet. It had been created by employees in the mayor’s office in the days after Mr. Adams claimed to have been carrying it in his wallet. “The employees were instructed to create a photo of Officer Venable, according to a person familiar with the request. A picture of the officer was found on Google; it was printed in black-and-white and made to look worn as if the mayor had been carrying it for some time, including by splashing some coffee on it, said the person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retribution.” Good Thursday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me a line: birvine@politico.com.
| | | | 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.
Explore more possibilities with the metaverse. | | | PLAYBOOK METRO SECTION THE ROOM WHERE IT HAPPENS — The storied Cafe Milano gets the profile treatment by WSJ's Annie Linskey, albeit with this less-than-flattering headline: “D.C. Restaurant Tries to Fix Politics, One Bland Pasta at a Time.” (Personally, we think their food is fine!) The Italian restaurant in Georgetown is an old haunt of Washington insiders, journalists and politicians on both sides of the aisle — and as Linskey notes, is the setting of many a Playbook “spotted” item. Longtime Trump adviser KELLYANNE CONWAY describes the locale as a place where politicos can go to build relationships offline, while Democratic lobbyist HEATHER PODESTA termed the restaurant up as “the grown-ups table in Washington.” “On any given evening, the place is jammed with the politically influential and those who desire to be near them. Its list of regulars includes so many prominent Democrats and Republicans that in an era of fierce political divides, owner FRANCO NUSCHESE describes this neutral turf as ‘Switzerland.’” ALL POLITICS MEANWHILE, ON THE WEST COAST — AP’s Michael Blood takes a big-picture look at how the results of several contested congressional districts in California will be crucial in determining the balance of power in the House: “A string of California House districts has proved volatile in recent elections, spotlighting their importance to both parties as they look to control the chamber. Democrats snatched seven seats from Republicans in 2018, then Republicans seized four from Democrats in 2020.” Rep. PETE AGUILAR (D-Calif.): The fight for the majority “will run through California.” NRCC Chair RICHARD HUDSON (R-N.C.): “I think we can actually pick up seats in California.”
| | | | A message from Meta:   | | | BEYOND THE BELTWAY BIG INFRASTRUCTURE NEWS — “Hudson Tunnel Project to Get $6.9 Billion in Largest U.S. Transit Grant,” by NYT’s Patrick McGeehan: “The federal government is on track to give $6.88 billion, the most ever awarded to a mass-transit project, for the construction of a second rail tunnel under the Hudson River to New York City, Senator CHUCK SCHUMER said Wednesday. … The two-tube tunnel is part of Gateway, a massive infrastructure project that is widely considered the most important in the country. The new tunnel would supplement a troublesome pair of single-track tunnels that opened in 1910 and have been steadily deteriorating since Hurricane Sandy flooded them with salt water in 2012.” CONGRESS BERNIE BLOCKS BERTAGNOLLI (FOR NOW) — MONICA BERTAGNOLLI’s nomination by President Biden to serve as the nation’s health research chief is at a standstill as Sen. BERNIE SANDERS (I-Vt.) refuses to hold a nomination hearing until the White House addresses high drug prices, WSJ’s Liz Essley Whyte reports. Sanders’ “opposition has stymied an already drawn-out search for a new leader of the $47 billion agency that funds much of the nation’s medical research. It is also a rare example of a member of the Democratic caucus hindering a Biden administration pick, rather than Republicans.” THE WHITE HOUSE AFTERNOON READ — “Willie Nelson got high on the roof — and other White House drug stories,” by WaPo’s Gillian Brockell 2024 WATCH A LONG WAY TO GO — “Hutchinson says he has 5,000 of 40,000 donors needed to qualify for GOP debates,” by Matt Berg
| | | | JOIN 7/11 FOR A TALK ON THE FAA’S FUTURE: Congress is making moves to pass the FAA Reauthorization Act, laying the groundwork for the FAA’s long-term agenda to modernize the aviation sector to meet the challenges of today and innovate for tomorrow. Join POLITICO on July 11 to discuss what will make it into the final reauthorization bill and examine how reauthorization will reshape FAA’s priorities and authorities. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | WAR IN UKRAINE LOOK WHO’S TALKING — A group of former U.S. national security officials have held secret talks with top Russian authorities “with the aim of laying the groundwork for potential negotiations” to end the war in Ukraine, NBC’s Josh Lederman scoops. “In a high-level example of the back-channel diplomacy taking place behind the scenes, Russian Foreign Minister SERGEY LAVROV met with members of the group for several hours in April in New York,” Lederman writes. “The discussions have taken place with the knowledge of the Biden administration, but not at its direction, with the former officials involved in the Lavrov meeting briefing the White House National Security Council afterward about what transpired.” GOING NUCLEAR — In a new blow to the Kremlin, Ukraine is nearing a possible deal to purchase two Russian-designed nuclear reactors and equipment from Bulgaria, WSJ’s Georgi Kantchev and Joe Parkinson scoop. ONE TO WATCH — “U.S. Expected to Provide Cluster Munitions to Ukraine, Official Says,” by NYT’s Victoria Kim: “Kyiv has been pushing for the controversial and widely banned type of weapon but Washington has resisted because of its potential to cause indiscriminate harm to civilians. Ukraine has said the weapons would help in its counteroffensive against Russian troops by allowing its forces to effectively target entrenched Russian positions.” JUDICIARY SQUARE IN DEFENSE OF — In a new book on Justice CLARENCE THOMAS and originalism, federal Judge AMUL THAPAR defends both the Supreme Court and Thomas, who is currently under fire for a string of alleged ethical violations, NYT’s Carl Hulse reports. “Judge Thapar says he has no doubts whatsoever about the rectitude of those on the court, nearly all of whom he knows personally. ‘I think they’re all people of immense integrity,’ he said. ‘I would say all nine are not influenced in the way people think they are. They rule according to what they believe the law is. Period.’” IN OPPOSITION TO — “9th Circuit conservatives blast homelessness ruling, say issue is ‘paralyzing’ U.S. West,” by LA Times’ Kevin Rector
| | | | 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 FOR YOUR RADAR — Miles Taylor, the former Trump DHS official who authored the “Anonymous” op-ed for NYT, is launching a new podcast on July 13 with iHeartMedia titled “The Whistleblowers: Inside The Trump Administration.” The podcast will feature conversations with a range of guests, including Trump administration figures like former FBI Director Andrew McCabe, former White House comms director Stephanie Grisham, former NSC official Alexander Vindman and former Pence aide Olivia Troye. Taylor’s first guest will be Reality Winner. Listen to the trailer MEDIA MOVE — Jody Serrano is now a staff reporter for The Messenger. She most recently was a tech reporter for Gizmodo. TRANSITION — Maury Riggan is now general counsel for the Biden-Harris 2024 reelection campaign. She most recently was special assistant to the president and senior director for the executive secretariat at the National Security Council. 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.
| | | | Sponsored Survey WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU: Please take a 1-minute survey about one of our advertising partners | | | | | | | 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 politics and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
