SHEIN’S FLORIDA WOES: Shein, the controversial fast fashion retailer founded in China, has hit a snag in its efforts to get into the Florida Retail Federation, Daniel reported in Florida Playbook. — "Company officials were hoping and expecting for their application to be considered at a board meeting of the association last week, but they didn’t even get a discussion on the application’s merits, let alone a vote to get in, according to a retail industry source familiar with the matter.” — "For the last half year, Shein, now headquartered in Singapore, has been trying to get into the country’s largest state retail association to increase its presence in Florida’s capitol and to look out for its public policy interests.” — "Even though Chinese retail behemoth Alibaba is a member of the National Retail Federation, the NRF also has repeatedly rejected Shein’s membership application amid concerns about the company’s origins and an effort by China hawks to persuade trade associations not to let in Chinese-linked companies. Spokespeople for Shein and the Florida association declined to comment." FIRST IN PI: Daniel also uncovered a few other new details on Shein's efforts to win in the U.S. The company recently sent a government affairs staffer to a Park City, Utah, event hosted by the Republican Main Street Partnership, a group of moderate Republicans, according to a LinkedIn post from the staffer that was deleted after PI started asking questions. A spokesperson for RMSP declined to comment. — And Shein is having a major D.C. shindig, the "Shein Summer Rooftop Reception," on July 24. The company invited a mix of Washington influencers and government officials, according to a copy of the save-the-date and a person familiar with the planning. — "Shein regularly engages with stakeholders and thought leaders on issues impacting our customers," a Shein spokesperson said in a statement to PI. SPOTTED ON THE HILL: Socialite Paris Hilton testified on Wednesday before the House Ways and Means Committee during a hearing about child welfare. Hilton spoke about her own traumatic experience in youth residential treatment facilities and her visits with foster and adopted youth in similar facilities. — “This 23 billion dollar-a-year industry sees this population as dollar signs and operates without meaningful oversight,” Hilton told lawmakers. “What is more important, protecting business profits or protecting foster youth lives?” — Hilton’s firm 11:11 Media Impact has hired ACG Advocacy to lobby around “youth treatment facility oversight.” AIPAC’S VICTORY LAP: The American Israel Public Affairs Committee was celebrating Tuesday night as Westchester County executive George Latimer defeated Rep. Jamaal Bowman in the Democratic primary for New York’s 16th House district. The race became the most expensive House primary in history. — “This triumph by a strong pro-Israel candidate represents a major victory for the Democratic mainstream that stands with the Jewish state and a defeat for the extremist fringe,” AIPAC said in a post on X. — POLITICO’s Nick Reisman, Rich Mendez, and Emily Ngo report that AIPAC spent more than $14 million on TV ads to unseat Bowman. “And as the results rolled in, it became clear that AIPAC and its super PAC United Democracy Project had succeeded in making an example of the two-term member of Congress for routinely criticizing the Israeli offensive in Gaza.” SPOTTED at APCO's Dan Meyers’ 40th birthday party at The GeorgeTown Club on Tuesday night: Gray TV's Kevin Latek, Haddad Media's Tammy Haddad, Shein's Kent Knutson, Cogent Strategies' Kimberley Fritts, National Association of Manufacturers' Jay Timmons, Chrys Kefalas, NBC’s Matt Glassman, NBC4's Tommy McFly, APCO’s Brad Staples, Evan Kraus, Kelly Williamson, Brandon Neal and Nina Verghese, CNN’s Peter Morris, Amazon’s Patrick Phillippi and DoD’s James Adams. ALBANY GOLD RUSH: Lobbying spending is on the rise in New York state, Dan Clark of the Times Union reports. — “A whopping $360 million was spent last year by groups seeking to influence state and local governments in New York — an all-time high since the state began tracking that data.” — “That’s according to a report released Tuesday by the Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government, New York’s government ethics agency.” — “The report shows that health care was a top focus of the money spent on lobbying last year along with education and gambling.”
| 
