| | | | |  | | By Ryan Lizza, Eugene Daniels and Rachael Bade | | Presented by |  | | | With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine
|  | DRIVING THE DAY | | THE SKY’S LIMITS — “What’s the Cloud Forecast for Eclipse Day? See if the Weather Is on Your Side,” by NYT’s Josh Katz, K.K. Rebecca Lai and William Davis: “So far, forecast models show a high probability of clouds’ obscuring the view of the eclipse in parts of Texas and Ohio. Surprisingly, some parts of Upstate New York, Vermont, Maine and Quebec have a better outlook than some points to the south and west.”
|  Israel is anticipating Iran to retaliate soon for Israel’s airstrikes on an Iranian embassy complex in Damascus this week. Intelligence reports suggest that a strike is “inevitable.” | Vahid Salemi/AP Photo | BRACING FOR ATTACK — We don’t mean to be alarmist, but by far the biggest news this morning is that intelligence officials expect Iran to retaliate soon for Israel’s airstrikes on an Iranian embassy complex in Damascus on Monday. CNN reports that “both US and Israeli assets and personnel are at risk of being targeted” in what they call an “inevitable” strike. The predicted response is being described as “a possible major Iranian attack” (POLITICO) and a “significant” attack (a senior U.S. official to CNN), though former Defense Secretary MARK ESPER predicted it would be a more limited response to ensure that Iran did not “make this a wider war.” All sides are issuing warnings: FROM IRAN … Regime officials told the NYT it had “placed all its armed forces on full high alert and that a decision had been made that Iran must respond directly to the Damascus attack.” The story quotes Iran’s ambassador to the U.N. saying “he would give interviews to U.S. news outlets ‘after Iran’s response to Israel.’” At a funeral for those killed in the Israeli attack, Gen. HOSSEIN SALAMI, the head of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards, vowed to “punish the Zionist regime,” while MOHAMMAD BAGHERI, chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces, vowed retaliation “with maximum damage” at a memorial for one of the generals killed. And a senior Iranian official posted on X yesterday relaying an official regime warning that the U.S. should “not to get dragged in” to its grudge match with Israeli PM BENJAMIN NETANYAHU: “Stay away so you won't get hurt.” A senior administration official confirmed the exchange to Playbook but added this: “It’s Iranian spin. We received a message from Iran following the strike in Damascus. In response, we made clear that we were not behind the strike. We also warned Iran to not use the strike as a pretext to further escalate in the region or attack U.S. facilities or personnel.” FROM THE U.S. … CBS News has some of the most detailed warnings, including that the retaliatory attack would “include a swarm of Shahed loitering drones and cruise missiles” and that it is “likely to come between now and the end of Ramadan next week.” “Officials say the timing and target are unknown, but a proportional response to the Damascus attack would be to hit an Israeli diplomatic facility,” the report adds. Meanwhile, a senior administration official this morning reiterated what the White House has been saying since President JOE BIDEN’s call with Netanyahu Thursday, where the Iranian threats were discussed: “Our teams have been in regular and continuous contact since then. The United States fully supports the defense of Israel against threats from Iran. I will not go beyond that given the sensitivity of the topic and information based on intelligence sources.” FROM ISRAEL … Israel has placed its military on “high alert,” canceled leave for soldiers, called up reservists, and scrambled GPS systems above major cities apparently to confuse incoming guided weapons. Israel has also said it will retaliate against any Iranian response, which suggests just how easily a tit-for-tat exchange could escalate into a full-blown war. Related reads: “Gaza War Turns Spotlight on Long Pipeline of U.S. Weapons to Israel,” by NYT’s Michael Crowley and Edward Wong … “Kaine, Sanders push Biden to get tougher with Israel,” by Anthony Adragna and Jennifer Haberkorn Good Saturday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza.
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Explore the impact of the metaverse. | | | THE PLAYBOOK INTERVIEW: ANNA HOCHKAMMER— In the latest episode of Playbook Deep Dive, we sat down with one of the architects of Amendment 4, the Florida referendum that would enshrine abortion rights in the state’s constitution. Hear what Hochkammer had to say about the fraught politics of trying to get the required 60% of the vote in a red state while the Biden campaign hovers in the background hoping to ride the referendum’s coattails. Read the edited transcript here … Listen to the full conversation on Apple Podcasts or Spotify
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| BIDEN’S BIG NUMBER — The Biden campaign raked in $90 million in March, according to numbers released this morning, “a sum that’s likely to grow the president’s significant financial edge over Trump,” our colleague Elena Schneider reports. The details: “The Biden campaign said it had $192 million in cash on hand, a total that includes funds from the campaign, the Democratic National Committee and related joint fundraising committees. It’s the largest war chest amassed by any Democratic presidential candidate at this point in the cycle, according to a Biden campaign memo announcing the totals on Saturday.” The small-dollar sitch: As campaigns up and down the ballot fret about small-dollar donations, the Biden campaign is hoping to turn a corner in that department. “In the first three months of 2024, the Biden campaign said 96 percent of its donations were under $200 and the campaign’s email list doubled in size.” Still, it’s big-ticket in-person fundraisers that are having a moment this year, Jessica Piper, Elena Schneider and Natalie Allison write, with Biden’s $26 million Manhattan blockbuster bash last month and Trump’s promised even-bigger-banger tonight at JOHN PAULSON’s Palm Beach home: “Some of the reasons are basic and structural. High-profile events can help generate excitement, positive attention, and desirable headlines. Every election is more expensive than the last, and the ability to raise huge amounts off individual events helps ensure key injections of cash into the race.” There’s some big “buts” for each campaign: USA Today’s Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy and Phillip Bailey report that at least two major donors skipped Biden’s Radio City Music Hall event in protest of his handling of the Gaza War. And WSJ’s Alex Leary and John McCormick write that Trump is still chasing checks from some of the GOP’s top givers — including MIRIAM ADELSON.
| | | | A message from Meta:   | | | | | WHAT'S HAPPENING TODAY | | At the White House Biden and VP KAMALA HARRIS have nothing on their public schedules.
| | | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | 9 THINGS THAT STUCK WITH US
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Judge Ana Reyes took the Justice Department to task for blowing off Hunter Biden-related subpoenas. | Senate Judiciary Committee | 1. NOTABLE TONGUE-LASHING: U.S. District Judge ANA REYES excoriated DOJ yesterday for blowing off HUNTER BIDEN-related subpoenas issued in the impeachment probe of the president, making sure to point out that PETER NAVARRO, a former Trump aide, is sitting in prison for similar defiance of Congress, our colleagues Josh Gerstein and Kyle Cheney report. Reyes “spent nearly an hour accusing Justice Department attorneys of rank hypocrisy for instructing two other lawyers in the DOJ Tax Division not to comply with the House subpoenas. “I think it’s quite rich you guys pursue criminal investigations and put people in jail for not showing up,” but then direct current executive branch employees to take the same approach, Reyes added. “You all are making a bunch of arguments that you would never accept from any other litigant.” 2. BROKEN RECORD: Biden is still searching for a breakthrough as he tries to translate his long list of legislative victories into voter enthusiasm for another term, NYT’s Nicholas Nehamas reports. It’s the same issue that the president has faced for months now, with long-term projects slow to pay quick-hit political dividends. “In order to sell his message, the Biden campaign plans to lean on the fund-raising advantage it has built” to contrast his record with Trump’s, Nehamas writes, while Biden has “lately displayed a more personal touch in trying to connect with voters” on the campaign trail. The tactics: “Road signs that promote his legislation are going up at construction projects financed by his $1 trillion infrastructure bill and at factories where jobs are being created by his $280 billion CHIPS and Science Act. Mr. Biden has affixed his name to emails telling Americans with student debt that their loans were being forgiven. And he is traveling to battleground states to sit down with voters who have benefited from his policies.” 3. THE OLD COLLEGE TRY: “Sources say Trump sought to directly pressure Nebraska state senator over winner-take-all proposal,” by the Nebraska Examiner’s Paul Hammel and Aaron Sanderford: “Trump, the sources said, called State Sen. TOM BREWER, who chairs the State Legislature’s Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee, and urged him to take action to get a winner-take-all bill up for debate in the waning days of the 2024 session. Four working days remain in the 60-day session. “Brewer, the sources said, responded that it doesn’t work that way. The deadline is past to vote a bill out of a committee and get it passed this year. In addition, the Speaker of the Legislature on Friday said it’s also too late to amend a bill into another bill. Trump then reportedly told Brewer, who is term-limited this year, that his political career was over. … When asked about the call Friday evening, CHRIS LaCIVITA, the co-manager of the Trump campaign, said Trump ‘absolutely, 110% did not speak with anyone in the State of Nebraska in the last six weeks.’” 4. DEPT. OF DOUBLE-DIPPING: “Some of Trump’s Biggest Political Backers Also Threw Trump Media a Lifeline,” by NYT’s Matthew Goldstein and Sharon LaFraniere: “It’s not uncommon for start-ups to seek out wealthy investors for financing, but the stock holdings raise questions about the potential for conflicts of interest and undue influence over Mr. Trump should he return to the White House. Other early backers include two Texas billionaires, a Florida hedge fund manager, and a trust with ties to a Russian American owner of an offshore bank who is the nephew of a former high-ranking Russian government official, the documents show. One of the billionaires, KENNY TROUTT, a retired Dallas telecommunications executive, has given more than $1.1 million to efforts backing Mr. Trump’s three White House bids.” Related read: “Trump Media stock sinks to post-merger low,” by CNN’s Matt Egan 5. BECAUSE, OF COURSE: “Trump relies on a doctor who is a member of his golf club to vouch for his health,” by WaPo’s Michael Kranish in Bedminster, New Jersey: “As former president Donald Trump escalated his attacks on President Biden’s health and mental fitness last fall, Trump released the first updated report on his own condition in more than three years. This assessment, however, stood in stark contrast to the relatively detailed reports released by the White House during his term. “Instead of specifics like blood pressure and medications, the letter had just three paragraphs without specific numbers proclaiming that Trump was in ‘excellent health’ and had ‘exceptional’ cognitive ability. … Trump turned to an unknown on the national stage to provide this report: BRUCE A. ARONWALD, a 64-year-old osteopathic physician from New Jersey — and a longtime member of Trump’s Bedminster golf club.” 6. THE LATEST IMPEACHMENT BLOW: “CIA refutes whistleblower claim pushed by Republicans leading Biden impeachment inquiry,” by CNN’s Annie Grayer: “House Oversight Chair JAMES COMER and House Judiciary Chair JIM JORDAN accused the CIA in a letter last month of intervening in the criminal investigation into Hunter Biden by preventing IRS and DOJ investigators from interviewing a witness in their probe, based on information they say came from a whistleblower. But the CIA has refuted that claim in a letter obtained first by CNN that was sent to Jordan and Comer.” Related read: “Power Of The Pest: How Jared Moskowitz Helped Wreck The Impeachment Inquiry,” by HuffPost’s Arthur Delaney 7. I WANT MY MTV: “Marjorie Taylor Greene Is Leading the Charge to Oust Mike Johnson. Will Anyone Follow?” by WSJ’s Molly Ball: “She insists she isn’t bluffing, but won’t commit to an endgame. She says she has allies who would vote with her, though none she will publicly name. She ferociously decries Johnson’s pledge to pass funding for Ukraine, but won’t say whether his doing so would lead her to try to take him out. “‘There is trigger points, I’m just not willing to draw red lines right now,’ she said, speaking by phone from her hometown of Rome, Ga., where she claims people frequently stop her in the grocery store and hardware store to complain about Johnson’s ‘betrayal.’ ‘I haven’t put a date or time or decision on it. I think that is the wise thing to do right now.’” 8. DANCE OF THE SUPERPOWERS: “U.S. and China in high-level talks to deport more Chinese nationals, Mayorkas says,” by NBC’s David Noriega and Julia Ainsley: “Such an agreement would be a breakthrough in U.S.-China relations and American immigration policy. China has long been uncooperative with U.S. efforts to deport Chinese citizens back to their country, according to American officials. In the last two years, that has become especially consequential as the number of migrants from China illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border has skyrocketed to the tens of thousands. [Homeland Security Secretary ALEJANDRO] MAYORKAS told NBC News that China’s refusal to accept deportations ‘may be changing.’” Counterpoint … “China Is Providing Geospatial Intelligence to Russia, US Warns,” by Bloomberg’s Alberto Nardelli and Jennifer Jacobs: “Amid signs of continued military integration between the two nations, China has provided Russia with satellite imagery for military purposes, as well as microelectronics and machine tools for tanks, according to people familiar with the matter.” 9. WHAT JOSH HAWLEY IS READING: “Sickened by U.S. Nuclear Program, Communities Turn to Congress for Aid,” by NYT’s Catie Edmondson: “The Mallinckrodt plant processed the uranium that allowed scientists at the University of Chicago to produce the first man-made controlled nuclear reaction, paving the way for the first atomic bomb. But the factory — and the program it served — left another legacy: A plague of cancer, autoimmune diseases and other mysterious illnesses has ripped through generations of families … in St. Louis, and other communities across the country that were exposed to the materials used to power the nuclear arms race. “Now Congress is working on legislation that would allow people harmed by the program but so far shut out of a federal law enacted to aid its victims — including in New Mexico, Arizona, Tennessee and Washington state — to receive federal compensation.”
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| GREAT WEEKEND READS, curated by Ryan Lizza: — “Larry David’s Rule Book for How (Not) to Live in Society,” by NYT’s Wesley Morris: “He’s a wild, monomaniacal jerk. He’s also our greatest interpreter of American manners since Emily Post.” — “A Vigilante Hacker Took Down North Korea’s Internet. Now He’s Taking Off His Mask,” by Wired’s Andy Greenberg: “As ‘P4x,’ Alejandro Caceres single-handedly disrupted the internet of an entire country. Then he tried to show the U.S. military how it can — and should — adopt his methods.” — “‘Lavender’: The AI machine directing Israel’s bombing spree in Gaza,” by +972 Magazine’s Yuval Abraham: “The Israeli army has marked tens of thousands of Gazans as suspects for assassination, using an AI targeting system with little human oversight and a permissive policy for casualties, +972 and Local Call reveal.” — “The State That’s Trying to Rein in DEI Without Becoming Florida,” by The Atlantic’s Conor Friedersdorf: “How should public institutions in a diverse society treat identity?” — “Mass incarceration devastated S.F. Japantown. For the first time, we know how much,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Peter Hartlaub, Nami Sumida, John Blanchard, Lea Suzuki and Stephanie Zhu: “Over nearly a year, the Chronicle collected and analyzed this data, seeking to understand just how Executive Order 9066 reshaped Japantown.” — “Inside Cesar Conde’s rise at NBC — and the network’s major Ronna McDaniel misfire,” by Brian Stelter for Fast Company: “The NBCUniversal News chairman talked to ‘Fast Company’ about wanting to make ‘something for everyone.’ As he just learned the hard way, that’s much easier said than done in the Trump era.” — “Unraveling Havana Syndrome: New evidence links the GRU's assassination Unit 29155 to mysterious attacks on U.S. officials and their families,” by Roman Dobrokhotov, Christo Grozev and Michael Weiss for The Insider — “The delivery rider who took on his faceless boss,” by FT’s Madhumita Murgia: “A tech-savvy Uber Eats worker was sick of the algorithms that controlled his day. So he decided to fight back.” — “A Victim’s Father in an Infamous Cold Case Yearns to Know — Who Killed My Son?” by Texas Monthly’s Rob D’Amico: “Marshall Stewart has been searching San Angelo for 35 years, looking for answers that might never come: Who murdered his teenage son, Shane, along with his girlfriend, Sally McNelly, in 1988? And why?” — “The new science of death: ‘There’s something happening in the brain that makes no sense,’” by The Guardian’s Alex Blasdel: “New research into the dying brain suggests the line between life and death may be less distinct than previously thought.”
| | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Katie Hill and Alex Thomas got married. Rupert Murdoch is selling his New York penthouse. Bob Schieffer has taken up art in retirement. Bernie Sanders’ Vermont office was the target of arson. OUT AND ABOUT — The Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans held their annual awards ceremony at D.A.R. Constitution Hall, where Bret Baier was among the inductees into the association. The awards began with a reception and ceremony hosted at the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday, followed by dinner at the National Portrait Gallery. Friday’s awards ceremony was followed by a reception at The Ritz Carlton. SPOTTED: Amy Baier, Bruce Sherman, Jane Seymour, David Green and Byron Pitts. Pic … The full list of honorees WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Jenna Browder, host of CBN’s “Faith Nation,” and Joe Cope, who runs a family office based in D.C., welcomed Thomas Joseph Cope, who was born 4/4 at 4:04 a.m. and joins big sister Grace. Pic … Another pic — Sam Mayper, VP of congressional relations at the Independent Community Bankers of America, and Samantha Mayper, paralegal and executive assistant at IPI Partners, on Friday welcomed their first child, Natalie Morgan Mayper, who came in at 7 lbs, 6 oz. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Reps. Joe Courtney (D-Conn.) and Mike Ezell (R-Miss.) … Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (6-0) … White House’s Anthony Bernal … MPA’s Charles Rivkin … NYT’s Glenn Thrush … Cindy Terrell … WSJ’s Keach Hagey … Ron Brownstein … Joyce Meyer … POLITICO’s Jessica Blaeser and Ale Waase … former Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) … Richard Coolidge … Olivia Perez-Cubas … CNN’s Sunlen Serfaty … Matt Flynn … The New Republic’s Ryan Kearney … Andy Oare … Bechtel Corporation’s Rayna Farrell … Megan Bartley … Melissa Kelly … Kevin O’Hanlon … Lucy Westcott … Melissa Schwartz … Yuval Levin … Ann Castagnetti … Lisa Ellman … Tom Korologos (91) … Invariant’s Channing Lee Foster … Scott Reed … Tucker Doherty THE SHOWS (Full Sunday show listings here): ABC “This Week”: José Andrés … John Kirby. Panel: Donna Brazile, Sarah Isgur, Alex Burns and Susan Glasser. CBS “Face the Nation”: Maryland Gov. Wes Moore … John Kirby … Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) … Rep. French Hill (R-Ark.) … Rachel Goldberg … Avril Benoit … Janti Soeripto. FOX “Fox News Sunday”: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott … Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.). Panel: Olivia Beavers, Katie Pavlich, Juan Williams and Roger Zakheim. CNN “State of the Union”: Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) … Ronen, Daniel and Orna Neutra … Fareed Zakaria … Cindy McCain. Panel: Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), Tiffany Smiley, Stephanie Cutter and Shermichael Singleton. MSNBC “The Weekend”: Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su … Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.) … Michael Beschloss. NewsNation “The Hill Sunday”: Michael Whatley … Tal Heinrich. Panel: David Swerdlick, Marc Caputo, Megan McArdle and Blake Burman. Fox News “Sunday Morning Futures”: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis … Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) … Devin Nunes. Panel: Lara Trump and Michael Whatley. 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. Correction: Yesterday’s Playbook misspelled Megan McArdle’s name.
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