| | | | |  | | By Lauren Egan, Eli Stokols and Ben Johansen | | Presented by |  | | | Welcome to POLITICO’s West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people and power centers in the Biden administration. Send tips | Subscribe here | Email Eli | Email Lauren Ten minutes before JEN PSAKI was scheduled to take the stage at the Sixth & I synagogue in downtown D.C. on Thursday evening, hundreds of her devoted fans were standing in line, anxiously waiting to get in the door to listen to the former White House press secretary discuss her new book, “Say More: Lessons from Work, the White House, and the World.” “She’s flawless,” a woman waiting in line gushed, hoping Psaki would wait to begin the program until everyone was inside. (She did not.) “I don’t know how she handled the pressure. I want to know her secrets. That’s what I’m here for.” But if “secrets” are what readers hope to find in Psaki’s 218-page debut book, they’ve come to the wrong place. “Say More” offers advice on how to be a better communicator at work and at home. Its 12 chapters follow a formula that mimics what you might expect from a self-helpy book ghost-written for a CEO — a strange D.C. companion piece, perhaps, to SHERYL SANDBERG’s 2013 classic of the genre, “Lean In.” As part of the ongoing leveraging of her briefing-room-built following into multi-media stardom, Psaki has a deal for an illustrated children’s book next. In each chapter, Psaki offers a piece of communication advice — “identify your audience”; “do some research”; “listen actively and attentively” — and gives examples of how she learned these skills in her career (sometimes by trial and error), usually followed by an anecdote on how these principles have helped her in her personal life. On “managing what you’re not supposed to say,” Psaki acknowledges that she had a more progressive view than Biden on weed but had to get comfortable with being the “spokesperson against the legalization of marijuana.” On the importance of always being prepared, Psaki tells us that she had failed to do research on her table ahead of a state dinner and awkwardly had to ask CHANCE THE RAPPER what he did for work. On receiving others’ workplace mistakes with kindness, Psaki says she applies the same principle when someone unintentionally admits in front of her kid that the tooth fairy does not exist. There are some charming stories peppered throughout the book, like when she accidentally spilled the contents of her purse on BARACK OBAMA’s lap during their first meeting in 2007. And many of Psaki’s readers will identify with her portrayal of balancing a busy career with a young family. But the anecdotes in “Say More” lack some of the revelations and rawness that have made other post-government books more compelling. And although Psaki says she considers herself a journalist who is no longer required to toe the line of President JOE BIDEN’s White House, the book dispenses mostly formulaic advice and avoids genuinely candid assessments of the current administration. But what’s in the book itself is almost beside the point — so long as there’s nothing about her murdering any dogs (there isn’t). What her publisher is selling is Psaki's personal brand. “Say More” is already a best-seller on Amazon after being released on May 7 with minimal pre-publication buzz. Her book tour is well underway, with stops in Philadelphia, Los Angeles and San Francisco coming up. And if her D.C. event was any indication, these events are likely to be packed with MSNBC moms decked out in #PsakiBomb swag eager to drop $50 for a pre-signed book and a chance to see the press secretary–turned–cable news talker.
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| Perched under Sixth & I’s dome Thursday, Psaki, dressed in sparkly sneakers and a black leather blazer, bantered back and forth with veteran tech reporter KARA SWISHER, who came ready with a question that’s befuddled us all: What’s the deal with the cover? “This is actually from a Vogue photo shoot, which is something I never thought would come out of my mouth ever,” Psaki said of that … that … stare. “I think I’m trying to say, ‘I’m serious, but don’t mess with me.’” Serious but still self-deprecating, Psaki seems to be trying harder these days to maintain her Jen-from-the-block vibe amid all of fame’s unavoidable accouterments. During their hour-and-15-minute conversation, Swisher asked Psaki about the challenges she’s faced going from Biden’s top spokesperson to journalism and how she navigates her relationship with the Biden team, some of whom were seated in the audience. “You have to kind of remind the viewers, like, I haven’t worked in the White House in two years. I do know Joe Biden, I can offer insight into how conversations go,” she said. “I also have been critical at times.” Swisher wanted to know if the White House had ever called her to say she was being too tough on them. “Do I get a call from them? No,” Psaki said. When it came time for audience questions, attendees really just wanted to know: How did she and RACHEL MADDOW look into the TV camera and not get upset with all the “batshit crazy things that are going on”? How did she find time to write the book? And, oh, would she ever consider running for office? “No,” she said. “I know too much.” MESSAGE US — Are you LAUREN OYLER? We want to hear from you. And we’ll keep you anonymous! Email us at westwingtips@politico.com. Did someone forward this email to you? Subscribe here!
| | | | 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. | | | | | How did country music artist WILLIE NELSON describe the White House after visiting JIMMY CARTER in 1977? (Answer at bottom.)
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President Biden meets with campaign volunteers at the Dr. John Bryant Community Center on Wednesday in Racine, Wisconsin. | AP/Evan Vucci | | | HEADED TO KYIV: The U.S. announced a new $400 million military aid package for Ukraine on Friday, right as Russia appears to have launched a major offensive in Kharkiv, the second-largest city in Ukraine, our ALEXANDER WARD, PAUL MCLEARY and LARA SELIGMAN report. The package, which will involve transferring weapons already in U.S. stocks, includes new Patriot missiles, Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, Bradley fighting vehicles, MRAPs, Javelin anti-armor systems and other munitions. SEVEN MONTHS LATER: A much-anticipated report from the Biden administration concludes that Israel has not violated international humanitarian law in its war with Hamas — despite pressure from many Democratic lawmakers and his insistence that Israel should avoid a ground offensive in Rafah. Instead, the report states that Israel may have acted in ways that are concerning and that it’s “reasonable” to believe that U.S. weapons may have been used in the deaths of civilians, our NAHAL TOOSI and Lara Seligman report. The report also found that Israel may have used U.S. weapons in ways that are inconsistent with best practices to avoid civilian casualties and international humanitarian law — without explicitly saying they are in violation. WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE WANTS YOU TO READ: This piece by AP’s JOSH BOAK, who details the pitch that the White House wants to make to voters on taxes. Many of DONALD TRUMP’s 2017 tax cuts are set to expire next year, resulting in the vast majority of U.S. households seeing their payments to the IRS increase. But if all the tax cuts are extended, another $4.6 trillion would be added to the national debt over the next decade. During remarks at the Brookings Institution, director of the National Economic Council LAEL BRAINARD highlighted how Biden “wants to extend the middle-class tax cuts while raising taxes on highly profitable companies and the richest sliver of Americans.” Senior spokesperson ANDREW BATES and principal deputy communications director KRISTEN ORTHMAN shared the piece on X. WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE DOESN’T WANT YOU TO READ: This piece by NYT’s NICHOLAS NEHAMAS and REID J. EPSTEIN, who report on the president’s “broken relationship” with Muslim and Arab American leaders. Despite Biden’s announcement Wednesday that he is prepared to pause military aid should Israel continue its invasion of Rafah, Arab and Muslim American leaders feel like it's too little, too late. “The president’s announcement is extremely overdue and horribly insufficient,” said ABBAS ALAWIEH, one of the leaders of the “Uncommitted” movement against Biden in Michigan earlier this year. The administration’s top liaison to Arab Americans, MAZEN BASRAWI, apologized to Arab leaders in Michigan about an initial lack of engagement, according to an audio recording from a February meeting in Dearborn. In an interview, he told the Times his conversations with local leaders have grown since then.
| | | | THE GOLD STANDARD OF POLICY REPORTING & INTELLIGENCE: POLITICO has more than 500 journalists delivering unrivaled reporting and illuminating the policy and regulatory landscape for those who need to know what’s next. Throughout the election and the legislative and regulatory pushes that will follow, POLITICO Pro is indispensable to those who need to make informed decisions fast. The Pro platform dives deeper into critical and quickly evolving sectors and industries—finance, defense, technology, healthcare, energy—equipping policymakers and those who shape legislation and regulation with essential news and intelligence from the world’s best politics and policy journalists.
Our newsroom is deeper, more experienced, and better sourced than any other—with teams embedded in the world’s most active legislative and regulatory power centers. From Brussels to Washington, New York to London, Sacramento to Paris, we bring subscribers inside the conversations that determine policy outcomes and the future of industries, providing insight that cannot be found anywhere else. Get the premier news and policy intelligence service, SUBSCRIBE TO POLITICO PRO TODAY. | | | | | | | | WHEN IN THE BAY … The Biden campaign began its fundraising swing through California on Friday, targeting the wallets of an elite group of donors, NYT’s ZACH MONTAGUE reports. Biden had two planned events outside San Francisco, the first at the home of VINOD KHOSLA, a billionaire Silicon Valley venture capitalist, followed by another in Palo Alto hosted by MARISSA MAYER, the former chief executive of Yahoo. Tickets for the fundraiser hosted by Khosla ranged from $6,600 to $100,000.
| | ALWAYS THE EMAILS: The FBI is investigating whether the Biden administration’s envoy to Iran, ROB MALLEY, moved classified information onto his personal email, where it may have fallen into the hands of a foreign actor, our Nahal Toosi and JOE GOULD report. Malley has denied any wrongdoing, and it’s not clear yet whether the Justice Department will bring any charges against Malley or what the scope of those charges would be. Malley’s security clearance was suspended almost a year ago, and he later went on full-time leave, which the State Department said continues. THE MOST WIRED PRINT POOLER EVER: Every so often, the cogs and gears of pool rotations and presidential schedules align perfectly. Such was the case this week for WaPo’s coffee-obsessed MATT VISER, who was charged with pooling Biden’s trip to San Francisco and Seattle. With Biden not exactly an early starter, poolers had Friday morning on their own. Viser told West Wing Playbook he managed to hit four coffee shops along a 3.2-mile walking loop from Civic Center through the Mission and back: Sightglass, Four Barrel, Ritual and Scullery (his favorite cup of the four). “I am READY TO DO SOME POOL REPORTS!” Viser texted.
|  Viser's Friday morning coffee itinerary (left); his purchases at Scullery (right). | | | | | A message from the Electronic Payments Coalition:   | | | | | COMING HOME: The Pentagon this week formally ordered all 1,000 U.S. combat troops to withdraw from Niger over the next several months — a blow to the Biden administration’s efforts to counter terrorism and curb Russia’s influence in Western Africa, our Lara Seligman reports. The U.S. announced in April that it had begun discussions on how to orderly and responsibly withdraw from Niger after its military junta declared it would revoke its military cooperation deal with Washington. The timeline could still shift, one U.S. official cautioned, and congressional negotiations are ongoing. THE RACE WITH XI: The Biden administration is set to unveil a sweeping decision on Chinese tariffs as soon as next week, Bloomberg’s JOSH WINGROVE, JENNIFER JACOBS and ERIC MARTIN report. The U.S. will impose new, elevated tariffs on key industries, including electric vehicles, batteries and solar cells, while rejecting the across-the-board hikes proposed under Donald Trump. The tariff rate on electric vehicles is expected to quadruple from roughly 25 percent to 100 percent and an additional 2.5 percent duty would apply to all automobiles imported into the U.S.
| | | | Biden’s Public Ultimatum to Bibi (The New Yorker’s Susan B. Glasser) The DNC Is Preparing for the Worst in Chicago — Without the Help of the City’s Mayor (POLITICO’s Jonathan Martin) Biden’s weapons sales to Israel breach legal limits, former officials say (WaPo’s Louisa Loveluck) Tromp 45: Braves backup gets unexpected lesson in the politics of a number change (The Athletic’s Sam Blum)
| | | | 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. | | | | | | Nelson described the White House as “the safest place I can think of to smoke dope.” In his autobiography, the Red Headed Stranger claimed he rolled and smoked a “fat Texas torpedo” with a “servant” while stargazing on the White House rooftop. But in a 2020 documentary, Carter revealed it wasn't the help: Nelson was covering up for his son, CHIP CARTER, who shared the joint with the country legend. Nelson was performing at the White House and, in between sets, Chip saw his opportunity. “In the break I said, ‘Let’s go upstairs.’ We just kept going up till we got to the roof, where we leaned against the flagpole at the top of the place and lit one up,” he told the L.A. Times. A CALL OUT! Do you think you have a harder trivia question? Send us your best one about the presidents, with a citation or sourcing, and we may feature it! Edited by Sam Stein and Mike DeBonis
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