| | | | |  | | By Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza and Rachael Bade | Presented by The National Association of REALTORS® | With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine
| | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | | BREAKING OVERNIGHT — “Key Bridge collapses into Patapsco River in Baltimore after vessel crashes into support column,” by the Baltimore Sun’s Michelle Deal-Zimmerman: “A spokesperson for the Baltimore City Fire Department said a major rescue operation was underway with all lanes closed and with all traffic being rerouted from the 1.6-mile steel bridge that is part of Interstate 695.” Watch the shocking video
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Virtually every star MSNBC anchor took turns yesterday teeing off on NBCUniversal's decision to hire former RNC chair Ronna McDaniel as a highly paid contributor. | Drew Angerer/Getty Images | 30 ROCK BOTTOM — There continues to be radio silence overnight from top NBCUniversal news executives as virtually every star MSNBC anchor took turns yesterday teeing off on their decision to hire former RNC chair RONNA McDANIEL as a highly paid contributor. A sampling …
- NICOLLE WALLACE: “What we’ve … said to election deniers is not just that they can do that on our airwaves, but they can do that as one of us, a badge-carrying employee of NBC News, as paid contributors to our sacred airwaves.”
- JOY REID: “It's saying that we have to entertain the idea that the election was stolen on an equal level as we entertain the idea that we should be a multiracial democracy. … That is not fairness and balance; that is capitulating to an autocrat in advance by saying, ‘Yes, we will take your apparatchik and allow them to be elevated and platformed with us.’”
- JEN PSAKI: “This isn't about red versus blue. This is about truth versus lies. Service to the country versus service to one man committed to toppling our democratic system. That is the type of experience that Ronna McDaniel brings to the table.”
- LAWRENCE O’DONNELL: “There is an easy way to avoid the controversy NBC News has stumbled into: Don't hire anyone close to the crimes. That's what happened to the [RICHARD] NIXON gang. ... None of the people who were involved in hiring Ronna Romney McDaniel were old enough to live through any of that history. Some of them were not born yet.”
- RACHEL MADDOW: “Bad decisions will inevitably happen. Mistakes will be made. But part of our resilience as a democracy is going to be us recognizing when decisions are bad ones, and reversing those bad decisions. … Take a minute. Acknowledge that maybe it wasn't the right call. It is a sign of strength, not weakness, to acknowledge when you are wrong.”
Also speaking out yesterday was the NBC Guild, which said company executives were “elevating a liar over the workers who have spent years delivering the kind of reporting that our newsrooms are typically known for.” Meanwhile, those execs — from NBC newsroom leaders REBECCA BLUMENSTEIN and CARRIE BUDOFF BROWN up through MSNBC President RASHIDA JONES and NBCU News Group CEO CESAR CONDE — are laying low as the drama rips through the organization (including its various, competing PR teams) amid widespread disbelief that McDaniel’s hire hasn’t already been reversed. Your turn tonight, CHRIS HAYES and ALEX WAGNER! Related reads: “Ronna McDaniel said the quiet part out loud on NBC,” by Adam Wren and Natalie Allison … “NBC News Faces Rebellion Over Hiring of Former Republican Party Chair,” by NYT’s Michael Grynbaum … “NBC facing on-air ‘insurrection’ over hiring of Ronna McDaniel,” by WaPo’s Jeremy Barr ANOTHER KIND OF ROCK BOTTOM — Tensions between BENJAMIN NETANYAHU and American presidents (particularly Democratic ones) are nothing new: The newly elected Israeli PM was so brusque with BILL CLINTON in 1996 that Bubba famously belted afterward, “Who’s the fucking superpower here?” His tiff with BARACK OBAMA culminated, nearly 20 years later, with Netanyahu addressing Congress in a crash effort to undo Obama’s signature foreign policy deal. But what is going on right now between Netanyahu and JOE BIDEN feels like wholly uncharted territory. A massive disagreement between two longtime allies is playing out in public — and in increasingly dramatic ways, not even six months after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack rallied the U.S. behind Israel’s cause. Just two weeks ago, we here at Playbook cast what was going on as just the “latest episode in a long, dysfunctional” Bibi-Biden relationship. What has happened since suggests something much more profound is afoot as Israel continues to resist calls to ease up in its effort to eliminate Hamas strongholds in Gaza amid warnings of imminent famine and stark humanitarian suffering. — Senate Majority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER, the highest-ranking Jewish American in politics, called for new elections in Israel — an implicit call for Netanyahu’s ouster. — Increasing numbers of Democratic lawmakers, including some of Biden’s closest allies, are suggesting future U.S. aid to Israel could come with conditions. — Members of the Biden administration ranging from the president himself to National Security Adviser JAKE SULLIVAN to mid-level State Department officials are toughening their talk and taking it out from behind closed doors. — VP KAMALA HARRIS, speaking to ABC News Sunday, suggested possible “consequences” for Israel if it launched a full-scale invasion of Rafah, the Gaza town where more than a million refugees are now huddled — a clear ultimatum and a crystallization of the angst brewing within the administration over Israel’s actions. More from Eugene, Alex Ward and Jonathan Lemire — And, yesterday, the U.S. declined to veto a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza, allowing such a measure to pass the international body for the first time since the war began. So here’s where things stand now: Dismal. After the vote, Netanyahu made good on a threat to withdraw plans to send a delegation to Washington to discuss alternatives to a Rafah invasion — a decision that has only vexed the White House further. One official familiar with the situation told us last night that Netanyahu chose not to call Biden about the U.N. vote, which came as no surprise to the Israelis: “This seems to be a decision that Netanyahu made [ahead of time] to pick a fight over a U.N. resolution they knew was going to happen for a while — and pick a fight with the United States over it.” Observers can and will debate the reasons for the blowup: The fragile far-right coalition government in Israel, the rising power of the progressive left inside the Democratic Party, Netanyahu’s determination to invade Rafah at any cost. What it all adds up to, according to veteran former Middle East negotiator AARON DAVID MILLER, is an “emerging crisis of confidence” in the U.S.-Israeli relationship — one “that is worse than previous tensions because it cuts to the core of the two drivers that have sustained the relationship: common interests and shared values.” The U.N. vote, Miller added, represented an inflection point in “what I call passive aggressive policy … the policy that the administration has been following since the establishment in December of 2022 of the most extremist right-wing government in Israel's history. And until [yesterday], the Biden administration has refused to impose a single cost or consequence on Israel.” If that didn’t get through to Netanyahu, perhaps this will: Yesterday — in an interview with Israel Hayom, the pro-Bibi paper founded by the late SHELDON ADELSON — none other than DONALD TRUMP offered some words of advice. "You have to finish up your war,” Trump said. “And I will say, Israel has to be very careful, because you're losing a lot of the world, you're losing a lot of support, you have to finish up, you have to get the job done. And you have to get on to peace, to get on to a normal life for Israel, and for everybody else.” Related reads: “U.N. demand for Gaza cease-fire provokes strongest clash between US and Israel since war began,” by AP’s Edith Lederer … “Biden-Netanyahu rift grows, as Israel cancels delegation visit,” by WaPo’s Karen DeYoung, Yasmeen Abutaleb and Toluse Olorunnipa … “Biden, Netanyahu on collision course after Gaza UN vote,” by Reuters’ Matt Spetalnick Good Tuesday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza.
| | | | A message from The National Association of REALTORS®: The National Association of REALTORS® is fighting for housing affordability and availability before Congress.
The lack of affordable housing supply is hurting the middle class and depriving first-generation and first-time homebuyers of the financial security that homeownership provides.
That’s why REALTORS® are focused on fixing the affordable housing crisis and bringing relief to the American people. See our bipartisan plan at flyin.realtor. | | | JUST IN — WSJ: “A Russian court extended the detention of EVAN GERSHKOVICH by three months, almost a year to the day since The Wall Street Journal reporter became the first U.S. journalist to be detained there on an allegation of espionage since the end of the Cold War.” HAPPENING TODAY — In a few hours, the Supreme Court will hear its most important reproductive rights case since delivering its blockbuster Dobbs ruling in 2022, overturning the constitutional right to abortion. Hanging in the balance is the nationwide availability of mifepristone, a key abortion medication. The case, brought shortly after Dobbs by a group called the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, sued to undo the FDA’s now 24-year-old decision to approve the drug. The backdrop for today’s hearing is a rapid rise in the prevalence of medication abortion: They now account for more than two-thirds of all abortions, having risen from 7% in 2020 to 31% percent in 2022, according to new Guttmacher Institute data. More from the NYT In other words, the court’s decision — which will apply nationwide, not just certain states — could potentially have even more far-ranging practical effects than Dobbs. At the same time, the justices appear to have multiple off-ramps, with the petitioners (drug distributor Danco and the FDA) arguing that the challengers have shown no harms and don’t have standing to bring the case in the first place. But will the justices take them? Our colleagues Josh Gerstein and Alice Miranda Ollstein dive deep this morning on the big questions surrounding the case. They recommend keeping a close eye on Chief Justice JOHN ROBERTS, as well as justices BRETT KAVANAUGH, AMY CONEY BARRETT, and NEIL GORSUCH, as the arguments get underway. BREYER’S ROCKY ROAD — Speaking of the high court: Retired justice STEPHEN BREYER sat down with Ankush Khardori for a Q&A on his new book, “Reading the Constitution: Why I Chose Pragmatism, Not Textualism,” ($32) out today. Two interesting nuggets from the interview … — On late Justice ANTONIN SCALIA’s originalist approach: “I would say to him: ‘Yes, but if we adopt your method, your method of interpreting the Constitution, or the statutes, we will have a Constitution that no one wants.’” — On the court losing public support: “What I worry is this: Over time, if I’m right, and I think I am, about how originalism and how textualism will work, they will move … the interpretation of statutes away from the direction of trying to help people. They will move the law away from the direction of trying to produce a society where 340 or 330 or 320 million people of every race, every religion, every point of view, can live together more peacefully and productively. … “That will move us away from the Constitution’s basic values. And if we are moved away to that degree, people will instinctively have less reason to follow cases they don’t like, which is called the rule of law.” THE BRAVE NEW WORLD — Our colleagues on both sides of the Atlantic are up this morning with a sprawling look into the back-room global debate over regulating AI, speaking with more than three dozen politicians, policymakers, tech executives and others to get a grasp of the landscape: “The question they face is whether the U.S., the EU or the United Kingdom — or anyone else — will be able to devise a plan that Western democracies can agree on. “If liberal industrialized economies fail to reach a common regime among themselves, China may step in to set the global rulebook for a technology that — in a doomsday scenario — some fear has the potential to wipe humanity off the face of the Earth. As Brussels and Washington pitch their conflicting plans for regulating AI, the chances of a deal look far from promising.” Read the full report from Mark Scott, Gian Volpicelli, Mohar Chatterjee, Vincent Manancourt, Clothilde Goujard and Brendan Bordelon Related read: “A $665M crypto war chest roils AI safety fight,” by Brendan Bordelon: “Powered by a massive cash infusion from a cryptocurrency mogul, the Future of Life Institute is building a network to fixate governments on the AI apocalypse.”
| | | | A message from The National Association of REALTORS®:   Learn how you can support NAR’s efforts to expand homeownership at flyin.realtor. | | | | | WHAT'S HAPPENING TODAY | | On the Hill The Senate and the House are out. What we’re watching … Did JAMES COMER just call it quits on a Biden impeachment — in a fundraising email? “It’s clear Demoocrats will choose their party over their country and the truth at every turn,” the House Oversight chair wrote to prospective donors yesterday. “That’s why I am preparing criminal referrals as the culmination of my investigation,” adding that “new leadership at the DOJ” under Trump would “prosecute the Biden Crime Family and deliver swift justice.” The declaration isn’t quite an official surrender, but with the GOP majority shrinking and Comer’s probe faltering, it might as well be. (h/t HuffPost’s Arthur Delaney and CNN’s Annie Grayer) At the White House Biden will receive the President’s Daily Brief in the morning. In the afternoon, Biden will travel to Raleigh, North Carolina, where he and VP Harris will deliver remarks and participate in a campaign reception. Biden and Harris will both return to the White House in the evening. Press secretary KARINE JEAN-PIERRE will gaggle aboard Air Force One en route to Raleigh.
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A new Bloomberg/Morning Consult poll shows how Joe Biden has gained ground against Donald Trump in six of seven key swing states. | Jamie Kelter Davis for POLITICO | POLL POSITION — The Biden campaign is waking up to some good news with t he latest Bloomberg/Morning Consult polling, finding that the president has “gained ground against Republican Donald Trump in six of seven key swing states, and significantly so in at least two of them,” though he still trails Trump on the overall numbers. The details: “The shift was significant in Wisconsin, where Biden leads Trump by one point after trailing him by four points in February, and in Pennsylvania, where the candidates are tied after Trump held a six-point lead last month. They are also tied in Michigan. “While the poll found Biden was most competitive in Blue Wall states, he also chipped away at his February deficit to Trump in Arizona, Nevada and North Carolina. In the seventh state, Georgia, Trump added to his lead. In some cases, the shift was within the margin of error. Trump still leads across the seven swing states, 47% to 43%.” See the full polling More top reads:
- ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR. will, as expected, name Silicon Valley lawyer NICOLE SHANAHAN his running mate later today in Oakland, California, NYT’s Rebecca Davis O’Brien reports, citing two people close to the campaign.
- In other RFK Jr. developments, Brittany Gibson reports that the longtime environmental activist and crusader against polluters reported tens of thousands of dollars in income from an oil-and-gas-rights leasing company.
ALL POLITICS
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The short-lived Senate campaign of Tammy Murphy has raised questions about New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy's influence. | Robert F. Bukaty/AP | MURPHYS’ FLAW — The Murphys could have built a New Jersey dynasty. Then, the rough, short-lived Senate campaign of TAMMY MURPHY not only ended that, but also raised questions about Gov. PHIL MURPHY’s influence in his second term and what now looks to be an even lamer-duck agenda with two years left in office, our colleague Matt Friedman writes. “Phil Murphy is still constitutionally the most powerful governor in America, so party leaders will want to stay in his good graces,” he adds. But the Murphys’ prospects “as a long-lasting power couple in New Jersey and Washington, D.C., crashed, and quickly.” What they’re saying: “It’s going to be a long 18 months for Murphy,” one Democratic state lawmaker told Matt. “He has no capital, no pull. The only thing he can do now is raise money, which is how he got into this in the first place.” Meanwhile, Rep. MIKIE SHERRILL became the first member of the New Jersey Democratic delegation to flip her endorsement from Murphy to Rep. ANDY KIM. More top reads:
- The Republican State Leadership Committee is warning its candidates against hinging their campaigns on dragging Biden, arguing that the president “doesn't hurt candidates down ballot in the way some presidents have in the past,” Axios’ Alex Thompson reports.
- Montana GOP Senate candidate TIM SHEEHY has on at least three occasions suggested to his supporters that he’s open to getting rid of DHS, Axios’ Stephen Neukam reports, citing audio of the interactions. “Sheehy told supporters at an August luncheon in Kalispell, Montana, that the agency could go, arguing it is ‘anything but homeland security.’”
| | | | A message from The National Association of REALTORS®:   America needs more affordable and more available housing. REALTORS® have a bipartisan plan at flyin.realtor. | | | TRUMP CARDS HAPPENING TODAY — Trump Media & Technology Group will begin trading on Nasdaq today under the stock symbol “DJT,” after filing the required documents with the SEC yesterday. DONALD TRUMP “is set to own more than 78 million shares in the combined company — a stake currently valued at about $3.5 billion,” Declan Harty notes. From gags to riches: “Trump’s Net Worth Hits $6.5 Billion, Making Him One of World’s 500 Richest People,” by Bloomberg’s Tom Maloney Related read: “Trump says he ‘might’ spend his money on his presidential campaign,” by NBC’s Rebecca Shabad CONGRESS JOHNSON’S DILEMMA — Speaker MIKE JOHNSON’s path forward on Ukraine aid is the next big topic du jour for Congress now that the funding fight is managed, which is why the topic recently came up at a private fundraiser in New Jersey, where Johnson was asked “how, in the face of vehement opposition within his own ranks, he planned to handle aid for Ukraine,” NYT’s Catie Edmondson reports. “What followed was an impassioned monologue by Mr. Johnson” in which he vowed that “we’re going to do our job.” More interesting details: “Privately, Mr. Johnson has expressed an interest in linking Ukraine aid to a measure aimed at forcing the Biden administration to reverse its moratorium on liquid natural gas exports,” Edmondson reports. At a White House meeting, Johnson reportedly “raised the case of Calcasieu Pass 2, a proposed export terminal that would be situated along a shipping channel that connects the Gulf of Mexico to Lake Charles, La.” WARNING SHOT — House Judiciary Chair JIM JORDAN (R-Ohio) and Oversight Chair JAMES COMER (R-Ky.) in a letter yesterday warned AG MERRICK GARLAND that they could move to hold him in contempt of Congress if DOJ doesn’t hand over more records from former special counsel ROBERT HUR’S investigation by April 8, Jordain Carney reports. JUDICIARY SQUARE OH, BROTHER — “Feds recently sought information about Jim Biden’s business dealings in 2 cases,” by Ben Schreckinger: “Federal investigators in South Florida recently probed transactions linked to JIM BIDEN as part of a criminal investigation, according to two people familiar with the matter. The investigation remains open, according to one of them. Meanwhile, Justice Department officials prosecuting an ongoing Medicare fraud case in Pennsylvania were seeking information about the activities of President Joe Biden’s brother as recently as last year, according to a third person familiar with that case.”
| | | | YOUR GUIDE TO EMPIRE STATE POLITICS: From the newsroom that doesn’t sleep, POLITICO's New York Playbook is the ultimate guide for power players navigating the intricate landscape of Empire State politics. Stay ahead of the curve with the latest and most important stories from Albany, New York City and around the state, with in-depth, original reporting to stay ahead of policy trends and political developments. Subscribe now to keep up with the daily hustle and bustle of NY politics. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Jake Sullivan had a — uh, well, shitty day. Elon Musk got shut down in court. Jair Bolsanaro tried to get Viktor Orban to do him a big favor. Dan Rather also has thoughts about the Ronna McDaniel hire. Donald Trump Jr. dodged a defamation claim brought by Don Blankenship. OUT AND ABOUT — SPOTTED at a launch party for Fareed Zakaria’s “Age of Revolutions” book ($26.99) at the Harold Pratt House in New York last night hosted by Eric Schmidt and David Rubenstein: Jamie Dimon, Mike Bloomberg, Robert Rubin, Richard Plepler, David Zaslav, David Leavy, Mark Thompson, Barry Diller, Diane von Furstenberg, Caryn Zucker, Gary Cohn, Tom Donilon, Tina Brown, Teresa Carlson, Holly Peterson, Jeff Koons, Virginia Moseley, Susan Mercandetti, Amy Entelis, Gillian Tett, Joanna Coles, Kumar Garg, Tammy Haddad, Walter Isaacson, Mark Whitaker and Neil deGrasse Tyson. — Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications gave out its annual Toner Prizes for Excellence in Political Reporting at a ceremony in D.C. yesterday evening, where North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper delivered the keynote address and NPR’s Asma Khalid served as emcee. WaPo took home the top prize for national political reporting for a series of stories on ideological disagreements in a Michigan county. The Philadelphia Inquirer’s coverage of the city’s mayoral election earned the local political reporting award. See the full list of honorees MEDIA MOVE — Matt Galka is joining Sinclair’s D.C. bureau as a national correspondent. He previously was Capitol Hill correspondent at CBN. TRANSITIONS — Jennifer Garson is joining Boundary Stone Partners as an SVP. She previously was director of the Water Power Technologies Office in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at the Energy Department. … Claire Nance Klakring is joining Firehouse Strategies as VP. She previously was comms director for Rep. Michelle Steel (R-Calif.). ENGAGED — Sami Viitamäki, global chief strategy officer at brand consultancy and design agency BOND, and Brittany Uter, comms director at Bloomberg Media and a Facebook and Vox Media alum, got engaged on Friday at Pier 84 at Brittany’s dad’s memorial bench. The couple met in Brooklyn but had their first date in Paris after they both happened to be in the city on separate holidays. Pic … The ring — Michael Abboud, managing director at Targeted Victory and a Kevin McCarthy and Trump State Department and EPA alum, and Samantha Helton, senior director of federal advocacy at PhRMA and a Roger Wicker alum, got engaged at the National Arboretum on Friday. The couple were set up by a mutual friend in November 2021. Pic … Another pic HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Reps. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Laurel Lee (R-Fla.) (5-0) … Bob Woodward … CBS’ Margaret Brennan … Center for Renewing America’s Russ Vought … Jon Huntsman … Matt Lira … James Gelfand … Chandler Hudson Bair … Caroline Darmody … Dan Caldwell … Michael Waxman of Waxman Strategies … Miriam Warren Bird … Caren Street … FDIC’s Edward Garnett III … Planned Parenthood’s Melanie Roussell Newman … Juan Londoño of the Taxpayers Protection Alliance … Melissa Toufanian … former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee … former Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) … former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao … Nancy Peele of Rep. Bruce Westerman’s (R-Ark.) office … Shahid Naeem of the American Economic Liberties Project … Carlos Mark Vera … Nora Rossi 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 The National Association of REALTORS®: The National Association of REALTORS® is fighting for housing affordability and availability before Congress.
The lack of affordable housing supply is hurting the middle class and depriving first-generation and first-time homebuyers of the financial security that homeownership provides.
REALTORS® play a pivotal role in the real estate transaction serving as a trusted advisor in one of the most important financial decisions of homebuyer’s lives.
The National Association of REALTORS® is focused on fixing the affordable housing crisis to make the dream of homeownership a reality for all.
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