| | | | |  | | By Eli Okun | | Presented by |  | | | |  | THE CATCH-UP | | | 
Steve Bannon vowed that he wouldn't be intimidated by his jail sentence. | Alex Brandon/AP Photo | BANNIN’ BANNON — A federal judge today ruled that STEVE BANNON has to report to prison for a four-month sentence by July 1, stemming from his refusal to comply with a subpoena from the House Jan. 6 committee. Though Bannon will appeal this latest ruling too, the decision from Trump-appointed judge CARL NICHOLS to revoke his bail brings him way closer to time behind bars, nearly two full years after he was convicted for contempt of Congress. Unless a higher court intervenes quickly, Bannon would join PETER NAVARRO as the second top Trump White House official to go to prison for failing to cooperate with Congress’ investigation into the Capitol insurrection. More from Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein “There’s not a prison built or a jail built that will ever shut me up,” Bannon said afterward. LIVING HISTORY — From the beaches of Normandy, France, where American troops landed 80 years ago today, President JOE BIDEN this morning commemorated the sacrifices and achievements of World War II veterans — and made a forceful case for internationalism in today’s fraught geopolitical landscape. Biden linked the fight to preserve an independent Ukraine with the rules-based international order that an Allied victory helped usher in and the drive to preserve freedom that continues in any era. He rebuked the world’s surging authoritarians and, implicitly, the strain of isolationist foreign-policy thinking that DONALD TRUMP has helped popularize in the Republican Party. In his first of two major addresses in Europe this week, Biden pledged that NATO would keep standing with Kyiv as it fights off the ongoing Russian invasion. The two-year conflict raging in Ukraine is “a very different war … for a very similar principle” as World War II, NYT’s Michael Shear and Peter Baker note. Biden reflected on World War II’s “powerful illustration of how alliances make us stronger” as “a lesson that I pray Americans never forget.” And he called for a muscular defense of democratic values around the world. “Isolation was not the answer 80 years ago and is not the answer today,” Biden said, part of an energetic address that also aimed to showcase his vigor on the world stage to a wary American electorate. “The autocrats of the world are watching closely.” More details on the ground from Eli Stokols and Matt Berg His speech tomorrow at Pointe du Hoc, harking back to RONALD REAGAN, will be longer. Later today, Biden is expected to meet briefly with Ukrainian President VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, among other European and North American leaders. A state dinner from French President EMMANUEL MACRON will follow this weekend. Top-ed: “Losing on D-Day was not an option. Nor is losing today’s fight against authoritarians,” by Sens. JEANNE SHAHEEN (D-N.H.) and THOM TILLIS (R-N.C.) for MSNBC CASH DASH — The big Silicon Valley fundraiser for Trump tonight, hosted by DAVID SACKS, is anticipated to raise more than $12 million, NYT’s Teddy Schleifer reports. SCOTUS WATCH — “Supreme Court sides with Native American tribes in health care funding dispute with government,” by AP’s Lindsay Whitehurst: “The 5-4 decision means the government will cover millions in overhead costs that two tribes faced when they took over running their health care programs under a law meant to give Native Americans more local control.” Good Thursday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me a line at eokun@politico.com.
| | | | A message from Groundwork Collaborative: Do you think the tax code is fair? We don’t — and it’s time to fix it.
For too long, the tax code has been slanted towards the wealthy and large corporations, and the economy and our country have suffered as a result. The expiration of key provisions of the Trump tax law in 2025 is a rare opportunity to reform the tax code and ensure it is fair, raises revenue, and supports equitable economic growth. Learn more. | | | | | 7 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW | | |  Uncertainty reigns for asylum-seekers at the border in the wake of President Joe Biden's new executive action. | Gregory Bull/AP Photo | 1. BORDER SONG: Biden’s executive action shutting down most of the border rattled asylum-seekers who missed the cutoff and now face immediate deportations, which began yesterday, AP’s Valerie Gonzalez and Elliot Spagat report from Dulzura, California. Uncertainty reigns — not only for migrants prevented from crossing illegally, but also for those waiting to get limited slots at still-open ports of entry. And for the U.S. government: We still don’t know whether the measures will significantly decrease border chaos. The impact could be significant in the San Diego sector, which has recently become one of the busiest with arrivals from all over the world, Reuters’ Adrees Latif and Mary Milliken report from Jacumba Hot Springs. Texas Gov. GREG ABBOTT’s immigration crackdown, meanwhile, is bearing down on RUBEN GARCIA’s Annunciation House, a “faith-based network of shelters based in El Paso” that has helped undocumented arrivals for decades, WaPo’s Arelis Hernández reports in a fascinating new profile. Despite his longtime work alongside (and reimbursed by) the federal government, Garcia is now facing a state investigation alleging that he operates “stash houses” in violation of a 2015 law. Garcia is refusing to hand over his records, and a big legal battle is brewing; no less than POPE FRANCIS called Texas’ actions “madness.” 2. A REPUBLIC, IF YOU CAN KEEP IT: How could American democracy spin off the rails this fall? State and local officials refusing to certify election results — a once-sleepy formality — is one significant threat, and Republicans have made recent moves seeking to upend the process in some swing-state counties, AP’s Nicholas Riccardi and Joey Cappelletti report. “[A]ttorneys are gearing up for yet more fights over election certification … Even if those efforts ultimately fail, election officials worry they’ll become a vehicle for promoting bogus election claims.” In some cases, like Arizona, Republicans say Democrats have overreached by trying to block local officials from having discretion. On the ground: The network of election lies and conspiracy theories has so infected the body politic that even longtime election officials in tiny towns have to contend with their neighbors’ suspicion, as NYT’s Eli Saslow captures in a vivid dispatch from Goldfield, Nevada. 3. CLIMATE REALITY CHECK: “Plug-in polluters? How Biden’s emissions rules go soft on hybrid trucks, SUVs,” by Reuters’ Chris Kirkham: “EPA chief MICHAEL REGAN made a surprising claim - that the relaxed rules [slowing the electric vehicle transaction] would deliver essentially the same pollution reductions as the administration’s original proposal. A Reuters examination of the rule changes and the agency’s emissions projections show the concessions will result in substantially more pollution than originally foreseen in two ways: by delaying stricter emissions limits for years; and by retaining an outdated formula for plug-in hybrids that the EPA concedes underestimates their real-world pollution.”
| | | | 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. | | | | | 4. INSIDE THE BIDEN CAMPAIGN, PART I: The Biden reelect is adding AUSTIN WEATHERFORD, former chief of staff to Rep. ADAM KINZINGER (R-Ill.), as its national Republican engagement director, CNN’s Isaac Dovere reports. The Biden team hopes that will be the first big step in winning over anti-Trump Republicans. Per CNN, ANITA DUNN has met with CASSIDY HUTCHINSON, and the campaign Zoomed last week with two dozen GOP former members of Congress. But complaints remain that the campaign has been way too slow to engage these potential allies: The likes of ASA HUTCHINSON and CHRISTINE TODD WHITMAN still haven’t heard from them. 5. INSIDE THE BIDEN CAMPAIGN, PART II: “Biden tries to build victory old-school style, one brick-and-mortar campaign office at a time,” by the Boston Globe’s Jim Puzzanghera in Menomonie, Wisconsin: “Biden campaign officials have sought to leverage their early cash advantage over Trump … to build the physical infrastructure they believe will pay dividends in a tight race. They now boast more than 175 Democratic campaign offices spread across Wisconsin and seven other battleground states. … [H]is campaign is trying to blend modern online tactics with time-tested, on-the-ground strategies to find and motivate people who have yet to tune in.” 6. MIDDLE EAST LATEST: In the latest push from the Biden administration to get a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war, the U.S. and more than a dozen other countries today called explicitly on both sides to end the conflict, per CNN’s MJ Lee. All 17 signatories had citizens taken hostage by Hamas. Meanwhile, a major overnight Israeli strike in Gaza killed 33 people, the majority women and children (according to the AP), using what CNN’s Abeer Salman, Rob Picheta and Allegra Goodwin concluded was an American weapon. Israel said Hamas militants were sheltering inside the school. Back at home, Biden faced new pressure from the NAACP. The organization said in a rare foreign-policy statement today that the U.S. must indefinitely stop all weapons shipments to Israel, Reuters’ Jarrett Renshaw and Kat Stafford scooped — especially notable as Biden struggles with young Black voters. Elsewhere in the region, “[t]he US and its allies are raising the stakes in their struggle to curb ship attacks by Houthi militants in the Red Sea by increasingly blocking their revenue sources, a move that could jeopardize a peace deal intended to end an almost decade-long war in Yemen,” Bloomberg’s Sam Dagher and Mohammed Hatem report. Related reads: “U.S. warns Israel ‘limited war’ with Lebanon could draw Iran to intervene,” by Axios’ Barak Ravid … “Egyptian official faced ‘tense’ grilling from U.S. lawmakers,” by Axios’ Andrew Solender … “Secretary of Defense Austin: ‘There are ways to be more precise’ as civilian death toll rises in Gaza,” by NBC’s Lester Holt 7. TWO WEEKS’ NOTICE: “Trump vowed to make an announcement on abortion medication. It’s not coming anytime soon,” by CNN’s Alayna Treene: “Trump vowed on April 27 to release more details on how a future Trump administration would regulate the abortion pill mifepristone … ‘probably over the next week.’ That announcement never came. … Trump’s policy team has been informally drafting policy on the issue behind the scenes for weeks and have sought counsel from outside allies … However, two senior Trump advisers told CNN they currently have no immediate plans to release a proposal regarding mifepristone and instead intend to wait for the Supreme Court’s highly-anticipated decision.”
| | | | POLITICO is gearing up to deliver experiences that help you navigate the NATO Summit. What issues should our reporting and events spotlight? Click here to let us know. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Nicole Shanahan could become the deep-pocketed face of anti-vaccine autism pseudoscience. Jamaal Bowman got an important endorsement from Elizabeth Warren. Mondaire Jones lost support from the Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC and Working Families Party. Tom Emmer is excited for cryptocurrency interests in the election. Paul Gosar wants Donald Trump on the $500 bill. SPOTTED: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell last night stopping by a Friends of the Senate event at the Willard Hotel. BOOK CLUB — Michael Tackett is writing what Simon & Schuster bills as the “first definitive biography” of McConnell. “The Price of Power” ($32.50), which includes interviews with the Kentucky Republican himself, is due to be published the week before the election. OUT AND ABOUT — LGBTQ+ Victory Fund held its annual PAC fundraiser last night at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, where Reps. Sharice Davids (D-Kan.), Chris Pappas (D-N.H.), Eric Sorensen (D-Ill.), Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) and Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) and Annise Parker all spoke about electing more LGBTQ people to Congress. Also SPOTTED: Rep. Jeff Jackson (D-N.C.), David Reid, Wade Rakes, Judge John Arrowood, Ruben Gonzales, Justin Unga, Aanchal Sahay, Sean Meloy and Elliot Imse. — SPOTTED last night at Meridian International Center’s Cultural Diplomacy Awards Dinner and Mother Earth gallery opening at Meridian House: awardees Gloria and Emilio Estefan, Jeffrey Gibson and Lorrie Fair; Sarah Arison, Luke Frazier, Robert Pullen, Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) and Megan Beyer, Rep. Ami Bera (D-Calif.), Monaco Ambassador Maguy Maccario Doyle, Stuart and Gwen Holliday, Fred Hochberg and Jonathan Capehart. — SPOTTED at a 10th anniversary celebration for Gray TV hosted by Hilton Howell yesterday evening at the Hotel Washington Vue rooftop: Lisa Allen, Kevin Latek, Sandy Breland, Rick Burns, Priscilla Huff, Peter Zampa, Camila Rueda, Jon Decker, Graham Ulkins, Ashonti Ford, Stephanie Penn and Phoebe Ferraiolo. — SPOTTED at the National Press Club’s event to launch “Behind the White House Curtain: A Senior Journalist’s Story of Covering the President — and Why It Matters” ($29.95) by VOA’s chief national correspondent Steve Herman last night, which was moderated by CBS’ Steve Reilly: Amanda Bennett, Mike Abramowitz, Patsy Widakuswara, Carla Babb, Carolyn Presutti and Kenneth Rinzler. — SPOTTED at a welcome party hosted by Raj and Maria Teresa Kumar at their home for Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli, the new CEO of ONE: Tom Hart, Raj Shah, Janti Soeripto, Chip Lyons, Gayle Smith, Arturo Franco, Aaron Williams, Jeremy Hillman, Amanda Glassman, Rich Verma, Alexia LaTortue and Anna Gawel. — SPOTTED at the Business Council for International Understanding’s U.S. chiefs of mission receptions this week in D.C.: Brian Nichols, Ken Salazar, Marc Stanley, Elizabeth Frawley Bagley, Bernadette Meehan, Daniel Kritenbrink, Matt Miller, John Mark Pommersheim, Peter Haas, Daniel Rosenblum, MaryKay Loss Carlson and Donald Blome. — SPOTTED at Zillow’s housewarming event at IGA House, which included virtual home tours using Apple Vision Pros and followed Zillow’s inaugural day of advocacy on the Hill: Jen Butler, Luke Bell, Nicole Booth, Megan Ekstrom, Mike Dendas, David Pope, Aaron Schmidt, Andrew Wright, Jeff Dobrozsi, Graham Dufault, Langston Emerson, Anna Yanker, Dana Gresham, Stewart Verdery and Tim Punke. TRANSITIONS — Sen. Sherrod Brown’s (D-Ohio) reelect is adding Matt Keyes as deputy comms director and Eliza Green as press secretary. Keyes previously was at the Ohio Democratic Party. Green previously was at Forbes Tate Partners. 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.
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