| | | | |  | | By Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels and Ryan Lizza | | Presented by |  | | | With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine
| | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | | BREAKING OVERNIGHT — Gaza cease-fire talks appear to have collapsed following a Hamas rocket attack yesterday that killed three soldiers at an Israeli checkpoint and retaliatory attacks that killed 19 Palestinians in Rafah. The IDF this morning ordered evacuations in the southern Gaza city, the AP reports, “signaling that a long-promised ground invasion there could be imminent.” More below HAPPENING TODAY — Second gentleman DOUG EMHOFF will host a small group of Jewish college students at the White House, Eugene scoops this morning, in a gesture meant to nod both at Holocaust Remembrance Day and at campus protests that have been marred by antisemitic incidents. “At a time when antisemitism is surging, including threats of violence against Jews, we are reminded that we must never allow history to repeat itself,” Emhoff said in a statement to POLITICO.
|  The big question of the moment is whether someone moves to force a vote on Rep. Henry Cuellar’s (D-Texas) expulsion following his recent bribery indictment. | Eric Gay, File/AP Photo | GOOSE, MEET GANDER — The indictment of Rep. HENRY CUELLAR (D-Texas) on Friday not only sidelined an outspoken moderate lawmaker and put a potentially flippable seat on the 2024 map, it picked at a scab that’s festered inside the House GOP for months. Faced with the endless drumbeat of embarrassments from Rep. GEORGE SANTOS (R-N.Y.), 105 Republicans joined with Democrats in December to expel him from Congress. Kicking him out before he’d been convicted of any crime broke with House precedent and was seen by many in the GOP as a self-inflicted wound, cutting their already thin majority even thinner. Now, Republicans are planning to argue, turnabout is fair play. The $600,000 foreign bribery scheme Cuellar and his wife, IMELDA, are alleged to have participated in is stunning but nowhere near as jaw-dropping as Santos’ kaleidoscope of lies and grifts. And December’s expulsion came only after the release of a devastating Ethics Committee report detailing the New Yorker’s misdeeds. But Republicans are betting the public won’t see much of a difference, and they are ready to accuse Democratic leaders and swing-seat members of adhering to a double standard. The NRCC has already compiled a database of statements from key Democrats who called for Santos’ removal — including each of the party’s top leaders and 15 members in GOP-targeted seats. The argument is simple, from their view: Republicans moved to clean house and remove a member of their own party — why won’t Democrats? “Can swing district Democrats buck their party leadership who is protecting Cuellar and say he should resign?” one NRCC official asked Playbook, pointing to Minority Leader HAKEEM JEFFRIES’ Friday statement defending Cuellar’s presumption of innocence. “The House Democrats’ official slogan is ‘people over politics.’ Are they going to subscribe to that or no?” A senior Democratic aide brushed off the suggestion of hypocrisy as a textbook case of projection. Sure, the person noted, Republicans are very concerned about a House member facing 14 counts, but what about the presumptive GOP presidential nominee facing 88 charges in four jurisdictions? Just like clockwork, DONALD TRUMP swooped in Sunday night to step on the GOP’s incipient messaging, calling Cuellar a “Respected Democrat Congressman” and accusing the Biden DOJ on Truth Social of targeting him for his relatively conservative views on border security: “They’re a bunch of D.C. Thugs, and at some point they will be paying a very big price for what they have done to our Country.” Still, Republicans are confident they can weaponize Cuellar’s bribery indictment — and that of Sen. BOB MENENDEZ (D-N.J.) — to weave a narrative of a corrupt Democratic Party circling the ranks to protect their own. On the Senate side, the NRSC is hoping the indictments will feed into accusations they’re making against vulnerable Democrats on ethics-related matters. They’ve been blasting out reports on Montana Sen. JON TESTER’s ties to special interests, for instance, and slamming Sen. BOB CASEY (D-Pa.) for financial ties between his family and his campaign. “The Cuellar/Menendez stories amplify distrust of D.C. politicians, so the corruption hits pack an extra punch,” said one GOP strategist who works on Senate races. The big question of the moment is whether someone moves to force a vote on Cuellar’s expulsion. In Santos’ case, it was fellow New York Republicans who led the charge last fall. But where Santos was a freshman and widely despised inside the House GOP, Cuellar is a veteran member well liked both inside the Democratic caucus and across the aisle. So far only one Democrat — retiring Rep. DEAN PHILLIPS (Minn.) — has called for Cuellar to step down. Senior GOP leaders we spoke to last night said they were not aware of any specific plans for a Republican to step forward and force an expulsion vote, though it wouldn’t surprise them if one did. Regardless of who forces the question, a vote would put a microscope on Democrats, who will be forced to choose between defending a colleague who denies wrongdoing and managing public perceptions. Just ask Henry Cuellar: Back in December, knowing a federal investigation was hanging over his head, he was among the 206 Democrats who voted to expel Santos. TAKE THE UNDER — Rep. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R-Ga.) promises she’ll force a vote to oust Speaker MIKE JOHNSON this week. This morning, we have fresh insight about what might happen when the vote is called. We’ve been saying for a while now that if House Democrats save Johnson by providing the votes needed to kill the conservative coup attempt, his position will be untenable — that eventually more Republicans would join the fray, making it impossible for him to continue leading. But we’re starting to question that prediction given the scale of the pushback we’re seeing to Greene. While conservative hard-liners remain unhappy with Johnson — and might indeed vote against a motion to table (aka kill) the ouster — they’re equally unhappy with Greene’s antics and thus might give him a pass. We recently called up a top aide to one of the eight Republicans who voted to remove KEVIN McCARTHY last fall to ask if his boss would join the push against Johnson. We were surprised to hear he didn’t think so: There’s been serious blowback back home from donors and even longtime friends, the staffer noted. With the party almost universally saying that booting Johnson is a bad idea, some of these folks aren’t eager to join the fray. Good Monday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza.
| | | | A message from the Electronic Payments Coalition: WORKING-CLASS AMERICANS DEPEND ON CREDIT CARD REWARDS: A new study finds credit card rewards like cashback empower low-income families to pay for the rising price of everyday essentials—like groceries and gas. So why are DC politicians partnering with corporate mega-stores to end those hard-earned rewards programs that Americans rely on? The Durbin-Marshall Credit Card Bill takes billions from American families, lining corporate pockets instead. Tell DC politicians to OPPOSE the Durbin-Marshall Credit Card Bill. | | | FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — KELLYANNE CONWAY and DAVID PLOUFFE are launching a new podcast, “The Campaign Managers,” in which the former Trump and BARACK OBAMA campaign managers will take on the 2024 election. They’ll examine what the Trump and JOE BIDEN campaigns are — and aren’t — doing in the race, aiming to get out of the partisan information silos that can crop up in campaign analysis. The first episode launches May 22. Listen to the trailer at PodcastOne Plouffe writes in … “Kellyanne passionately wants Trump to win and I Biden, but we can look at the race objectively and hopefully provide some context and what the other side may be thinking that for those who want to know what is really happening with the electorate, not just each side’s spin, will find valuable and distinctive.” Adds Conway … “David Plouffe and I have been in the room where it happens, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with unique, historic candidates who defied the critics, exceeded expectations, won the presidency, and governed. … We wish to be a resource to those who value substance over soundbites, upending conventional wisdom and unearthing insights about the changing electorate.” JUST POSTED — “Democracy Is Losing the Propaganda War,” by The Atlantic’s Anne Applebaum: “Autocrats in China, Russia, and elsewhere are now making common cause with MAGA Republicans to discredit liberalism and freedom around the world.” The cover CATCHING UP ON THE TRUMP TRIAL — They’ll be back at it this morning in Manhattan, with possible testimony from STORMY DANIELS as prosecutors make their way through their witness list. Need to catch up? The POLITICO video team has you covered — with bobbleheads! — as they bring last week’s testimony from lawyer KEITH DAVIDSON to life. THE WEEK — Today: Pulitzer Prize winners announced at 3 p.m. … Tomorrow: Biden delivers an address on antisemitism at a Holocaust memorial event at the Capitol. First manned launch of Boeing Starliner spacecraft at Cape Canaveral. Indiana holds congressional and presidential primaries. … Wednesday: Commerce Secretary GINA RAIMONDO testifies before House Appropriations. Defense Secretary LLOYD AUSTIN and Interior Secretary DEB HAALAND testify before Senate Appropriations panels. House Energy and Commerce holds hearing on ideological bias at NPR; CEO KATHERINE MAHER is invited. Biden travels to Wisconsin and Chicago for official and campaign events. … Thursday: Acting Labor Secretary JULIE SU testifies before Senate Appropriations. Biden hosts the WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces at the White House. … Friday: FAA authorization expires at midnight. … Saturday: Trump holds campaign rally in Wildwood, New Jersey.
| | | | A message from the Electronic Payments Coalition:   Protect our credit card rewards lifeline—tell DC politicians to OPPOSE the Durbin-Marshall Credit Card Bill. | | | | | WHAT'S HAPPENING TODAY | | On the Hill The House will meet at noon and take up several bills at 2 p.m., with votes postponed until 6:30 p.m. The Senate is out. 3 things to watch …
- Among the measures on tap for the House floor this week are a pair of messaging bills: The Hands Off Our Home Appliances Act is fairly self-explanatory, a GOP strike against Biden administration energy-efficiency standards. The more cryptically named Equal Representation Act would mandate the inclusion of a citizenship question in the decennial census, and it would require apportioning congressional districts by the population of U.S. citizens, not total residents — continuing a push that sputtered during the Trump administration.
- The House GOP’s focus on campus protests, meanwhile, is not abating: Oversight Chair JAMES COMER (R-Ky.) is holding a Wednesday hearing with D.C. Mayor MURIEL BOWSER and police chief PAMELA SMITH to press them on why Metropolitan Police have not cleared out an encampment at George Washington University. And Judiciary Chair JIM JORDAN (R-Ohio) is pressing the State and Homeland Security departments on whether they’re planning to deport protest participants who are in the U.S. on student visas.
- It’s not just colleges the GOP is eyeing. The House Ed and Workforce subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education has summoned leaders of public schools in NYC; Berkeley, California; and Montgomery County, Maryland to answer questions about antisemitism in their K-12 systems. More from WSJ
At the White House Biden will return to the White House from Wilmington, Delaware. Then he’ll present the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy to the U.S. Military Academy Army Black Knights at noon; have lunch with King ABDULLAH II of Jordan at 1 p.m.; and host a Rose Garden Cinco de Mayo reception with first lady JILL BIDEN at 5:15 p.m. VP KAMALA HARRIS will travel to Detroit for the second stop on her “Economic Opportunity Tour,” where she’ll speak at 1:55 p.m., before returning to Washington.
| | | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | AMERICA AND THE WORLD
|  CIA Director William Burns is reportedly meeting with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu today. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | MIDDLE EAST LATEST — Even before yesterday’s Hamas rocket attack and Israeli reprisal, cease-fire talks in the Israel-Hamas war appeared to have taken a turn for the worse yesterday as AP’s Josef Federman and Kareem Chehayeb detailed. Whether an agreement would be temporary or would include a path to the war’s permanent end was a key sticking point, with Hamas leaders blaming Israeli PM BENJAMIN NETANYAHU for sabotaging the talks with his vows to invade Rafah regardless. Netanyahu yesterday delivered a fiery speech at Yad Vashem rejecting international calls to relent: “If Israel is forced to stand alone, Israel will stand alone.” U.S. officials and other interlocutors aren’t giving up, as CIA Director WILLIAM BURNS is reportedly meeting with Netanyahu today. Gaza, meanwhile, is suffering from “full-blown famine” in the words of UN World Food Program chief CINDY McCAIN, and yesterday’s Hamas attack prompted Israel to close the Kerem Shalom checkpoint — a key corridor for humanitarian aid. In yesterday’s biggest campus news, L.A. police cleared out a pro-Palestinian protest encampment at the University of Southern California, as the Daily Trojan reports. And though the prospect of intense protests looms over this summer’s Democratic National Convention, organizers and security planners tell NBC’s Natasha Korecki and Kristen Welker that they’re prepared and confident “there will be a balance between allowing freedom of speech and keeping order.” THE BRAVE NEW WORLD — “The Biden administration rolls out international cybersecurity plan,” by Maggie Miller: “If successful, it could elevate the U.S.’s role globally in countering cyber threats and creating global consensus on artificial intelligence, and position the U.S. against China in setting cybersecurity norms.” POLICY CORNER ONE TO WATCH — “Inside the federal government’s tug-of-war with states on the bird flu outbreak,” by Meredith Lee Hill, David Lim and Marcia Brown: “The CDC is locked in a power struggle with key states and agriculture players as it tries to better track the virus and prevent another potential pandemic.” JUDICIARY SQUARE NATHAN WADE SPEAKS — “Ex-Fulton County prosecutor Nathan Wade speaks out: ‘Workplace romances are as American as apple pie … it happened to the two of us,’” in an interview with ABC’s Linsey Davis: He “conceded he had certain regrets about the relationship [with DA FANI WILLIS] but defended the integrity of the case against Trump and others moving forward.” 2024 WATCH
|  Donald Trump’s campaign touts his cuts to the U.S. refugee admissions system. | Morry Gash, File/AP Photo | THE STAKES FOR NOVEMBER — Trump and Biden have taken radically different approaches to refugee admissions, and the system could transform yet again next year if Trump returns to the White House, AP’s Rebecca Santana reports from Columbia, South Carolina. After Trump decimated the system and slashed the number of annual refugees to about 12,000, the Biden administration has worked to build the admission and resettlement infrastructure back up, with a way higher goal of 125,000. But Trump’s campaign touts his cuts, and he has pledged to institute new restrictions and screenings on refugees if elected again. Meanwhile, Axios’ Stef Kight has a fascinating look at an emerging age divide over immigration in the new GOP: In a new poll, Gen Z Republicans are much more moderate on various immigration policy questions than Boomers and Gen X. On some of Trump’s most radical proposals, like mass deportations and closing the border, fewer than half of the youngest GOP voters agree. More top reads:
- Big ruling: “Candidates for Federal Office Can Raise Unlimited Funds for Ballot Measures,” by NYT’s Maggie Haberman: The FEC advisory opinion “could significantly alter the landscape in the fall in terms of the capacity that candidates aligned with these groups have to help them raise money. … If Mr. Biden can solicit money for abortion-rights ballot measures, he can add to an already-existing fund-raising advantage that his team currently has over Mr. Trump.”
- Spoiler alert: ABC’s Will McDuffie digs into how ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR. is turning to sometimes obscure third parties to gain ballot access in several states. It worked in California and Michigan. The Alaskan Independence Party considered — though ultimately rejected — Kennedy. And “his campaign has been in contact with minor parties in at least six other states, too.”
- From the horse’s mouth: Axios’ Sophia Cai obtained audio of Trump commenting on various VP hopefuls and other surrogates at Mar-a-Lago this weekend — and he sounded pretty positive about everybody (yes, even South Dakota Gov. KRISTI NOEM).
| | | | A message from Electronic Payments Coalition:   Protect our credit card rewards lifeline—tell DC politicians to OPPOSE the Durbin-Marshall Credit Card Bill. | | | WAR IN UKRAINE BIDEN GETS RESULTS — “Russian finance flows slump after US targets Vladimir Putin’s war machine,” by FT’s Max Seddon and Chris Cook in Riga, Latvia, and Anastasia Stognei in Tbilisi, Georgia: “A US crackdown on banks financing trade in goods for VLADIMIR PUTIN’s invasion of Ukraine has made it much more difficult to move money in and out of Russia, according to senior western officials and Russian financiers.” MEDIAWATCH
|  Kim Godwin announced her departure from her role as president of ABC News last night. | Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images | BIG DEPARTURE — KIM GODWIN left her role as president of ABC News last night, telling her staff that she was retiring from broadcast journalism, WSJ’s Joe Flint and Isabella Simonetti scooped. Her replacement was not yet identified. To some media watchers, the writing has been on the wall recently following “a corporate restructuring that effectively stripped away much of her management autonomy,” when DEBRA OCONNELL became Godwin’s new boss and became very involved in ABC News. Godwin, who broke new ground as the first Black news division head at one of the big broadcast networks, ends her tenure with ABC possessing some key top-ranked news broadcasts. But she was also “a polarizing figure inside the network,” the Journal writes, seen alternately as too insular or as more welcoming. Godwin said in her staff note that she wanted to step down to “prioritize what’s most important for me and my family.” THE NEW NEW YORK TIMES — “Joe Kahn: ‘The newsroom is not a safe space,’” by Semafor’s Ben Smith: “Why doesn’t the executive editor see it as his job to help Joe Biden win? The Times sets the tone for American journalism, and Kahn sets the tone for the Times. So it’s worth listening closely to his view on this topic. He told me the paper is a ‘pillar’ of democracy but not a tool of power. He believes he is ignoring pressure to ‘become an instrument of the Biden campaign’ and ‘turn ourselves into Xinhua News Agency or Pravda.’ … The Times, he said, went ‘too far’ in the summer of 2020, and Kahn sees his role as walking back from ‘the excesses’ of that period.” MORE POLITICS PRIMARY COLORS — “‘Waste of a seat’: Manchin’s succession becomes a magnet for anti-establishment Republicans,” by Burgess Everett in Kearneysville, West Virginia: “[Rep. ALEX] MOONEY trails [Gov. JIM] JUSTICE badly … but his candidacy is a way to survey the GOP base about the anti-establishment sentiment that’s spiking among congressional Republicans.” CONGRESS LAST NIGHT ON ‘60 MINUTES’ — “House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries says Democrats ‘effectively have been governing as if we were in the majority,’” in an interview with CBS’ Norah O’Donnell
| | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Donald Trump went to the Formula One Miami Grand Prix — and took credit for the win. Kristi Noem’s unbelievable anecdote about Kim Jong Un is getting axed. Sheryl Lee Ralph will hit the campaign trail with Kamala Harris on Wednesday. FOR YOUR RADAR — The Partnership for Public Service last night announced the 2024 finalists for its Service to America Medals, better known as the Sammies, which recognize exceptional federal employees. The notable names this year include longtime FDA leader Janet Woodcock, Mike Schmidt of the Commerce Department’s chips office and the EPA team that responded to the Maui wildfires. The full list of finalists and their work OUT AND ABOUT — MSNBC hosted a toast to Jen Psaki after her show yesterday at L’Ardente to celebrate her new book, “Say More: Lessons from Work, the White House, and the World” ($26.09). Rebecca Kutler praised Psaki for pulling off a pivot that was “actually quite difficult,” and Psaki told the crowd that the book includes lessons “that I wish I frankly knew when I was in my early 20s.” SPOTTED: Karine Jean-Pierre, Andrea Mitchell, Wolf Blitzer, Joy Reid, Symone Sanders-Townsend, Anita Dunn, Bob Bauer, Matt Miller, Molly Levinson, Xochitl Hinojosa, Nancy Cordes, Adrienne Elrod, Jeremy Bash, Andrew Bates and Elise Labott. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Brendan Dunn is launching his own strategic advocacy and consulting firm, Phronesis DC. He is a tax and financial services consultant who most recently was at Akin Gump and is a Mitch McConnell alum. — George Boghs is joining the Biden campaign as special assistant to the second gentleman’s team. He most recently was an advance associate for the VP. TRANSITIONS — Mike Demkiw has been named the first executive director of the Republican Mayors Association, which also expanded to include several new mayors from California to Florida. Demkiw is a Larry Hogan and Republican Governors Association alum. … Justin Maturo is now special assistant to the assistant secretary of Defense for legislative affairs. He previously was deputy chief of staff and legislative director for Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.). … Sam Spector is joining the government relations team at Lenovo US as lead for cybersecurity policy. He most recently was director of government affairs and public policy with the BlackBerry Corporation, and is a DOD and House Energy and Commerce alum. WEEKEND WEDDINGS — Tyler Fields, an associate at Jones Day and a Trump White House and RNC alum, and Samantha Flattery, an associate at Covington & Burlington, got married at the Ritz-Carlton in Rancho Mirage, California. They met at UCLA Law. Pic … SPOTTED: Ali and Michael Black, Ninio Fetalvo, Jimmy Sapp and Jeremiah Shirk. — Matthew Brownlee, director of federal government affairs at the Transport Project, and Katherine Singleton, senior manager of government affairs and public policy at the American Gas Association, got married in Oklahoma City. They met at Gold Cup six years ago and are both Oklahoma natives. Pic … SPOTTED: Andrew Lock, Graham Higgins, Josh Jackson, Asher Allman, Charli Huddleston, Kevin Gannon, Matthew Gruda, Casey Catlin, Weston Loyd, Sarah Ferrell, Henry Kane, Brenna Larkin, Brooke Starr, Natalie Marek, Leah Milhander and Ty Kennedy. WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Houston Keene, a comms director at K2 and Co. and a Fox News alum, and Abby Keene, a researcher at Protect the Public’s Trust, on Tuesday welcomed Houston Bradford Keene Jr., who came in at 7 lbs and 19.25 inches. Pic … Another pic — Farah Melendez, senior political adviser at the Democratic Attorneys General Association, and Geoff Burgan, comms director at the Commerce Department’s CHIPS for America, recently welcomed Nico Alejandro Burgan-Melendez. Pic HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) … Spencer Pederson … McKinley Lewis of Sen. Rick Scott’s (R-Fla.) office … Tucker Eskew of Vianovo … Wendy Helgemo ... Kate Jaffee of the Aspen Institute … Meghan Conklin ... MSNBC’s Lisa Ferri ... Bill Dolbow … Claire Mullican of the American Chemistry Council … Pat Cipollone … Jamie Gorelick … David Rogers … former Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) (9-0) … former Rep. Eric Fingerhut (D-Ohio) … Granicus’ Trevor Corning … Sheena Mollineau … Andy Oros … NBCUniversal’s Tejasi Thatte … Joe Nocera … Tony Blair 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 Electronic Payments Coalition: NEW STUDY DEBUNKS MYTH CREDIT CARDS REWARDS ARE ONLY FOR THE RICH: Politicians in DC are teaming up with corporate mega-stores to push a false narrative only the rich benefit from credit card rewards. New research disproves this, showing rewards have a significantly larger financial benefit for low- and middle-income Americans. These rewards, especially cashback, help working class families pay for everyday essentials--equivalent to a 17 cent per gallon gas price reduction. Yet, politicians are trying to pass a new law that would end rewards programs that Americans rely on, favoring corporations over people. The card mandates included in the Durbin-Marshall Credit Card Bill would weaken security measures, disrupt rewards, and burden households already grappling with rising costs. With food and rent prices soaring, stripping cashback rewards from hardworking American families would be devastating. Learn more here. | | | | | | | 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 political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
