| | | | |  | | By Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels and Ryan Lizza | | Presented by |  | | | With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine
| | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | | WHEN HISTORY RHYMES — “NYPD sweeps occupied Hamilton Hall, arrests dozens,” Columbia Spectator: “The arrests came on the 56th anniversary of the 1968 police sweep of the Morningside campus, when the NYPD arrested hundreds of students occupying several buildings on campus, including Hamilton Hall.” OVERNIGHT AT UCLA — “Pro-Israel counter-protesters attempt to storm encampment, sparking violence,” Daily Bruin
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Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) is poised to move against Speaker Mike Johnson despite pleas from her own party to drop the crusade. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | THAT’S GREENE IN THE CORNER — About three hours after Rep. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R-Ga.) accused Speaker MIKE JOHNSON of cutting a “slimy back room deal” with Democrats and promised to force a vote ousting him, she found herself in front of a powerful Republican official pleading with her to stand down. MICHAEL WHATLEY, the newly installed RNC co-chair, had already briefed Greene’s fellow House Republicans on the importance of party unity that morning, but Greene didn’t show. He delivered his pointed message to her personally: Don’t move against Johnson. “He said, one, this is not helpful, and two, we want to expand and grow the majority in the House,” said a person familiar with Whatley’s message to Greene. “He was clear that any disruption to the conference on these efforts — including filing this [motion to vacate], does not help the case for party unity.” In another era, a directive from the top Republican party official certainly would not go unheeded by a House back-bencher. Even in this era, you would think Whatley’s status as DONALD TRUMP’s handpicked RNC steward would mean something to a MAGA acolyte. But Greene disagreed with Whatley, arguing that the party had time to rebound from a leadership switch before the election. And she admitted she’d spoken to Trump himself earlier in the day — leaving the impression that the former president had told her much the same as Whatley had. The truth was, Greene had backed herself into a corner, and this morning, she’s facing a potential lose-lose situation: back down and look squishy or stand firm and risk a break with Trump. At 9 a.m. she’s holding a news conference with fellow Johnson critic THOMAS MASSIE (R-Ky.), and her fellow Republicans are bracing for her to announce a vote on Johnson’s gavel as soon as this afternoon. If so, expect a quick vote to table. Already her threats have taken a toll on her standing within the House Republican conference, where more and more lawmakers are growing tired of her self-aggrandizing antics, as our colleagues Jordain Carney and Olivia Beavers write. They note, for instance, that Greene’s latest push comes as the GOP tries to take advantage of the campus unrest to make a messaging push on antisemitism. But, they write, instead of “going on the offense by attacking Democrats for insufficiently condemning pro-Palestinian protests on campuses, Republicans are now bracing for Greene to drag them into another internal fight that most of them would rather delay until after Election Day.” The bigger issue is that Greene is defying not just her House colleagues, but also Trump and his hand-picked deputy, who made yesterday’s unusual face-to-face appeal. Whatley told Playbook in a statement that “nothing is more important than party unity and ensuring that we are focused on beating JOE BIDEN and Democrats in November.” Others in the Trump-aligned orbit are annoyed, to put it mildly, at Greene’s lack of political discipline. Some noted that she’d kept quiet in recent days until House Minority Leader HAKEEM JEFFRIES and other top Democrats made their backing of Johnson public yesterday morning — suggesting Greene got rope-a-doped into sparking another internecine fight. “Fresh bait always finds a fish,” one senior GOP official told Playbook. “Jeffries throwing that out there, it’s chum in the water. Everyone knows what he did.” A person close with Greene clapped back at Whatley and his calls for unity: “The only person destroying Republican unity is Mike Johnson,” the person said. “Republicans need a speaker who will deliver President Trump’s America First agenda when he’s back in the White House. Democrat-endorsed Mike Johnson isn’t it.” But another senior GOP official suggested there could be consequences for Greene if she doesn’t start playing team ball, and fast. She could find herself iced out of some parts of MAGA world, where she’s long been adored. “If she blows everything up … we’re not going to bring her in the fold on anything,” that person said. “She’s on her own.” Good Wednesday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza.
| | | | A message from the Small Business Payments Alliance: SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS: FORCED ADOPTION OF NEW CARD MANDATES IS UNFAIR COST: According to a new survey, nearly two-thirds of small business owners believe mandates forcing new processing networks, as called for in the Durbin-Marshall Credit Card Bill, would place an unfair cost burden on their business. Don't let Durbin-Marshall make it harder for small businesses to thrive and succeed. Read full survey here: smallbusinesspaymentsalliance.com/electronicpaymentssurvey | | | THE ABORTION ELECTION — As of this morning, Florida’s six-week abortion ban is now in effect, making access all but impossible for the tens of thousands of women who have sought abortions in the Sunshine State each year in the past. As our colleague Arek Sarkissian writes this morning, the ban “has also ended Florida’s status as a bastion for abortion access in the Southeast.” Providers and activists, he writes, “are placing all hope in a November ballot initiative that seeks to loosen abortion restrictions, including allowing the procedure until viability, which is generally considered to be about 24 weeks of pregnancy.” But it’s an uphill battle in a state where there’s a 60% threshold for ballot measures. Related reads: “Abortion-rights groups have never faced a state like Florida,” by Kimbely Leonard and Arek Sarkissian … “Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker's pro-abortion-rights group sinks money into Florida ballot question,” by NBC’s Natasha Korecki Later today, VP KAMALA HARRIS will be in Jacksonville for a campaign event — her fifth visit to the state as vice president — highlighting the new law a week after Biden did the same in Tampa. Both leaders are seeking to put Trump front and center today as the ban goes into place: “There is one person responsible for this nightmare: Donald Trump,” President JOE BIDEN said in a statement. “Trump is worried the voters will hold him accountable for the cruelty and chaos he created. He’s right.” As we reported last month, Harris is shifting her travel to campaign-related events, giving her more freedom to take direct aim directly at Trump — which she will very much do today, according to excerpts of her speech we’ve obtained:
- “This ban applies to many women before they even know they are pregnant, which tells us the extremists who wrote this ban don’t even know how a woman’s body works. Or they just don’t care.”
- “Just this week, in an interview, Trump said that states have the right to monitor pregnant women to enforce these bans, and to punish pregnant women for seeking out abortion care.”
- “Florida, the contrast could not be clearer: Under Donald Trump, it would be fair game for women to be monitored and punished by the government.”
MEANWHILE IN PHOENIX — “Arizona’s Democratic leaders make final push to repeal 19th century abortion ban,” AP: “Democrats in the Senate are hoping to pick up at least two Republican votes to win final approval of the repeal bill, which narrowly cleared the Arizona House last week and is expected to be signed by Democratic Gov. KATIE HOBBS.”
| | | | A message from the Small Business Payments Alliance:   | | | | | WHAT'S HAPPENING TODAY | | On the Hill The House will meet at 10 a.m. Acting HUD Secretary ADRIANNE TODMAN will testify before an Appropriations subcommittee at 10 a.m. Energy Secretary JENNIFER GRANHOLM will testify before an Energy and Commerce subcommittee at 10 a.m. ROB FLAHERTY and ANDY SLAVITT will testify before the Judiciary subcommittee on the “weaponization” of government at 10 a.m. Interior Secretary DEB HAALAND will testify before the Natural Resources Committee at 10 a.m. Acting Labor Secretary JULIE SU will testify before the Education and the Workforce Committee at 10:15 a.m. The Senate is in. EPA Administrator MICHAEL REGAN will testify before an Appropriations subcommittee at 2 p.m. VA Secretary DENIS McDONOUGH will testify before the Veterans’ Affairs Committee at 3:30 p.m. 3 things to watch …
- The obstacles to getting the FAA reauthorization bill through the Senate are starting to emerge. Sen. JOSH HAWLEY (R-Mo.) wants a vote on an amendment to attach his bill extending federal benefits for radiation victims. Some Republicans, meanwhile, are pushing back on an effort to attach cannabis banking legislation. And then there’s the DCA issue: Sen. JOE MANCHIN (D-W.Va.) has joined D.C.-area lawmakers in opposing new flight slots at the busy close-in hub. Much more from Oriana Pawlyk
- Is Rep. GARRET GRAVES’ political career suddenly back from the dead? The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals last night invalidated a new Louisiana congressional map that drew the five-term Republican out of his seat to make way for a new Black-majority district, calling it impermissible racial gerrymandering. More litigation is certain to come, but the decision spares Graves, at least temporarily. More from Zach Montellaro
- Appearing last night on Fox News’ “Hannity,” Johnson said House Republicans planned to stay on the campus unrest “like white on rice” — and that starts today with a floor vote on a bill updating the definition of antisemitism used in Education Department civil rights investigations. But House Republicans are promising to use many other levers to pressure colleges to crack down on protests — from sharper oversight of institutions receiving federal grant money to pressing the D.C. police on why they’ve taken a hands-off approach so far to a George Washington University encampment.
At the White House Biden will take part in a campaign reception at the Mayflower Hotel in the afternoon. Harris will travel to Jacksonville for her abortion rights-focused event before returning to Washington.
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|  New York City police enter an upper floor of Hamilton Hall on the Columbia University campus using a tactical vehicle on Tuesday, April 30. | Craig Ruttle/AP Photo | MIDDLE EAST FALLOUT — While NYPD officers were sweeping through Columbia and the City College of New York yesterday, arresting dozens and clearing out protesters, students were storming buildings at the University of North Carolina and Portland State, per the NYT. But administrators reached deals with — or successfully threatened — protesters to end encampments at Brown, Northwestern and Yale, and a building occupation ended at Cal Poly Humboldt. More from the WSJ The chaos could make this a “spring of unrest” — and political danger — for Biden, particularly at his commencement speeches, at the convention and if Israel and Hamas don’t reach a cease-fire, Myah Ward and Jennifer Haberkorn report. The protests are “a brutal reminder that America has not snapped back to the normalcy he promised in his 2020 campaign,” Axios’ Hans Nichols writes. Senate Majority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER slammed the most extreme Columbia demonstrators for “loathsome” behavior and “lawlessness.” At the State Department: HANA RHARRIT “became the first career diplomat to resign in protest of” the U.S. support for Israel’s war, WaPo’s Michael Birnbaum reports: She tells him she couldn’t support policy that would damage the U.S. in the Middle East for a generation. In the region: As prospects for a cease-fire/hostage release deal look mixed — some signs of hope, but also a new vow by Israeli PM BENJAMIN NETANYAHU to invade Rafah regardless — Israel will send negotiators to Egypt, per WSJ’s Summer Said and Rory Jones. In Israel today, Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN will urge officials to hasten the distribution of aid in Gaza, WaPo’s Missy Ryan, Claire Parker and Loveday Morris report. And CBS’ Camilo Montoya-Galvez scooped that the White House is weighing granting some Palestinians refugee status to let them resettle in the U.S. More top reads:
POLICY CORNER UP IN SMOKE — The Biden administration’s decision to reclassify marijuana and loosen restrictions on its use, while stopping short of legalization, nonetheless amounts to a massive shift in government policy, as AP’s Zeke Miller, Joshua Goodman, Jim Mustian and Lindsay Whitehurst scooped. It’s the DEA’s “biggest policy change in more than 50 years.” Natalie Fertig notes some of the downstream implications: “Biden’s moves to loosen weed restrictions could provide a boost for him politically, particularly among young voters,” she writes, while it “will move cannabis businesses out from under section 280E of the federal tax code, which prohibits them from writing off most basic business expenses and makes it exceedingly difficult to turn a profit.” FED UP — As the Fed’s latest meeting concludes today, the central bank is expected to hold interest rates steady amid stubborn inflation. Chair JEROME POWELL is likely to signal that no cuts are coming anytime soon, Bloomberg’s Steve Matthews previews. But the delay could punt a pivotal Fed decision into September — an uncomfortable election-year moment for a central bank that tries to stay far away from politics, Victoria Guida writes.
| | | | A message from the Small Business Payments Alliance:   | | | 2024 WATCH
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Marco Rubio is reportedly a top contender to join Donald Trump on the GOP presidential ticket. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | VEEPSTAKES — The Bulwark’s Marc Caputo has a dishy new story this morning reporting that Sens. MARCO RUBIO (R-Fla.) and J.D. VANCE (R-Ohio) are considered top VP contenders for Trump — and Republicans are thinking hard about getting around the residency requirement if it’s Rubio. Since the president and VP must be from different states, Rubio is reportedly willing to establish residency outside of Florida. Beyond that, if Trump selects Rubio, he might force the senator to resign immediately — to prevent Florida Gov. RON DeSANTIS from getting to select a senator, and instead giving the state’s voters two Senate elections this year. Caputo also separately reports that VP talk is growing about Sen. TOM COTTON (R-Ark.). Vance, meanwhile, will hold a big-ticket fundraiser with Trump in Cincinnati next month, NBC’s Henry Gomez scooped. More top reads:
MORE POLITICS ABOUT LAST NIGHT — TIM KENNEDY easily won a special congressional election in a safe Democratic Buffalo-area district in New York, Bill Mahoney reports. When Kennedy is sworn in to replace BRIAN HIGGINS, Johnson will again have a smaller margin, able to lose only one Republican on any vote. WHAT HARRY REID’S GHOST IS READING — “Nuclear waste storage at Yucca Mountain could roil Nevada U.S. Senate race,” by the L.A. Times’ Seema Mehta: “Yucca Mountain is a third rail in Nevada politics … which makes comments by Nevada GOP Senate candidate SAM BROWN about Yucca Mountain so remarkable. In recent years, Brown supported opening the facility, calling the failure to do so an ‘incredible loss of revenue for our state.’ Asked about the comments [now], Brown did not reiterate his support but said he favors increased efforts to diversify the state’s economy without sacrificing safety.” CONGRESS FASCINATING DYNAMIC — As they’ve gone home to their districts, House Republicans who voted for Ukraine aid haven’t encountered the major backlash they feared, NYT’s Annie Karni and Robert Jimison report. Many Republican voters have thanked them at town halls and elsewhere. Notably, Rep. MAX MILLER (R-Ohio) tees off on Vance, his fellow Ohioan: “He’s a one-issue senator, and it’s all about Ukraine,” Miller says. “He thinks this is his winning issue and topic to be vice president. His rhetoric is very dangerous.” Semafor’s Dave Weigel adds that the real test of an anti-Ukraine backlash will arrive in upcoming primaries for incumbents. “But the GOP electorate so far isn’t rising up to punish the pro-Ukraine caucus.” TRUMP CARDS
|  The criminal hush money trial against Trump picked back up yesterday. | Justin Lane/Pool/AFP via Getty Images | THE TRUMP TRIAL — As Trump’s criminal hush money trial picked back up yesterday, the lawyer who arranged the alleged deals to keep STORMY DANIELS and KAREN McDOUGAL quiet in 2016 testified that he thought MICHAEL COHEN was acting for Trump. KEITH DAVIDSON’s comments bolstered the prosecution’s argument that Trump himself was behind the effort to pay off women who claimed extramarital affairs with him to protect his presidential campaign, per NBC. The defense, meanwhile, sought to separate Trump from Cohen’s actions during cross-examination. Banker GARY FARRO also went into the details of how the money was paid to Daniels. More details from the NYT Though judge JUAN MERCHAN ruled against Trump in finding that he had violated his gag order and fining him, he did say Trump will be able to attend BARRON’s graduation. HE CAN AFFORD A LITTLE FINE — “Donald Trump just got another $1.8 billion worth of Trump Media stock,” by CNN’s Matt Egan
| | | | 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 | | Elon Musk and David Sacks convened a dinner to talk politics with Travis Kalanick, Michael Milken, Steven Mnuchin, Rupert Murdoch and Peter Thiel. Hunter Biden’s “mock trial” series on Fox News has been removed (for now) from their streaming platform. Barbara Mikulski endorsed Angela Alsobrooks at a Baltimore fundraiser. Trey Yingst won the George Weidenfeld Prize. FOR YOUR RADAR — The Blue Leadership Collaborative has created a memorial fund in honor of the late Rahul Chopra, the late DCCC research director who died unexpectedly in March. The fund will support Asian American and Pacific Islander Democratic campaign leaders to carry on Chopra’s legacy. More details BOOK CLUB — “H.R. McMaster writes about his time in Trump administration in upcoming ‘At War with Ourselves,’” by AP’s Hillel Italie OUT AND ABOUT — The National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts hosted its inaugural White House Correspondents’ Dinner after-party, “La Gran Desvelada,” at the Patterson Mansion on Saturday night, following a panel discussion at the White House Historical Association last week with Monica Alba, Priscilla Alvarez, Lori Montenegro, Franco Ordóñez, Fin Gómez, Pedro Rojas, Arlette Saenz and Felix Sanchez. Also SPOTTED: Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas), Panamanian Ambassador Ramón Martínez de la Guardia and María Alejandra Cargiulo, Ruben Barrales, Maria Cardona,
Adrian Carrasquillo, Marco Davis, Cecilia Rouse, Maya MacGuineas, Mary Ann Gomez Orta, Lyndon Boozer, Kira Alvarez and Jackie Padilla. — SPOTTED at a retirement party for longtime AFL-CIO head of government affairs Bill Samuel: Liz Shuler, Fred Redmond, acting Labor Secretary Julie Su, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Reps. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), Donald Norcross (D-N.J.), Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), Nikki Budzinski (D-Ill.) and Val Hoyle (D-Ore.), and Tom Perez. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — The Article III Project, which advocates for the confirmation of conservative judges and fights against what it calls “lawfare” from the left, is adding Will Chamberlain and Josh Hammer as senior counsels. Chamberlain previously worked for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ campaign and was editor-in-chief of Human Events. Hammer is a syndicated columnist and host of “The Josh Hammer Show” and “America on Trial with Josh Hammer.” — Scooter Schaefer is launching a new political digital marketing agency, Bilander Media, which will provide services to right-of-center clients ahead of the election with its team of “creative operators.” Schaefer previously was senior director of marketing at the Competitive Enterprise Institute and is a longtime GOP digital strategist. — Chloe Barr is now a comms manager at Feldman Strategies. She most recently was on the issue advocacy team at Sunshine Sachs Morgan & Lylis. MEDIA MOVES — Ken Klippenstein is joining Substack, writing that “The Intercept has been taken over by suits who have abandoned its founding mission.” … Abhinanda Bhattacharyya is joining POLITICO as an interactive developer. She most recently was a data and graphics journalist at the L.A. Times. TRANSITIONS — Jessica Bartlett has rejoined Dickinson Wright as of counsel in the political law practice group. She most recently was general counsel to Ron DeSantis’ campaign. … Claire Ernst is now director of government relations and public policy at Hooper Lundy Bookman. She previously was director of government affairs at the Medical Group Management Association. … Catherine “Cat” Hill is now a deputy VP of public affairs at PhRMA, leading earned media efforts. She previously was a lead and spokesperson on Twitter’s corporate comms team. … … Will Brown is now VP for government relations and international programs at the Aluminum Association. He most recently was senior director of government relations at the U.S. Travel Association. … Liz Wolgemuth is now VP at Story Partners. She’s a Lamar Alexander/Senate HELP Committee alum. … Anne Marie Chotvacs will be VP for public policy and international government relations at RTX. She most recently was chief clerk and staff director for the House Appropriations Committee. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-Pa.) … Ninio Fetalvo … David Winston … POLITICO’s Stephanie Zimmerman … Anthony Cimino of Carta … John Bridgeland of Civic … Josh Tonsager … Shaina Goodman … Molly Levinson of the Levinson Group … Newsmax’s Rob Finnerty … Ben Jacobs … Rachael Dean Wilson of the Alliance for Securing Democracy … Ankit Desai … Megan Lowry of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine … Alex Cisneros … WaPo’s Jon Gerberg … Andrew Tyrrell … Stacie Paxton Cobos … ProPublica’s Caroline Chen … Elizabeth Stanley … Emily Lamont … Clinton Foundation’s Brian Cookstra … Abby Huntsman … Abe Foxman … Matt Meyer of Rep. Jason Smith’s (R-Mo.) office … Will Heidlage … former Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-Colo.) … Menachem Rosensaft of the World Jewish Congress … Vogel Group’s Ali Khimji … Kathryn Reed … American Bridge 21st Century’s Pat Dennis and Matilda Bress … Washington Examiner’s Stacey Dec … Shivam Mallick Shah … Leonard Downie Jr. … Gevin Reynolds … Seth London 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 Small Business Payments Alliance: SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS OPPOSE DURBIN-MARSHALL MANDATES: According to a new survey, most small business owners oppose new government regulation for payment networks and have reservations about the Credit Card Competition Act or other forced adoption of processing networks. When asked how much government regulation there should be on payment processing fees, most (83%) small business decision makers say government regulation should stay the same (48%) or decrease (35%). Two-thirds (64%) believe that the Credit Card Competition Act would benefit large retailers more than small businesses and a similar two-thirds (64%) say that forced adoption of new/updated processing networks will place an unfair cost burden on business owners. The survey also found that the existing electronic payments system is critical for small businesses, with most (88%) saying digital transactions are very important and nearly all (99%) placing a high priority on keeping customer payments secure. Learn more: smallbusinesspaymentsalliance.com/electronicpaymentssurvey | | | | | | | 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 | | | | |
