| | | | |  | | By Garrett Ross | | Presented by |  | | | |  | THE CATCH-UP | | | MANCHIN IN THE MIDDLE — Newly independent Sen. JOE MANCHIN delivered a series of whiplash-inducing statements on his political future in an interview with MetroNews’ “Talkline” this morning. A taste, via @BradMcElhinny: “‘You never close any options. You don't know what the political arena is going to have.’ But also: ‘I have no intentions of running for any political office.’”
|  The sudden leadership change inside The Washington Post has set the newsroom on edge. | Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP | WHAT’S GOING ON AT WAPO — Following last night’s stunner announcement that SALLY BUZBEE is stepping aside as executive editor at WaPo — with surprise replacements MATT MURRAY (former WSJ editor-in-chief) and ROBERT WINNETT (of The Telegraph) on the way — the newsroom held a meeting this morning to discuss the fallout and hear from the new bosses. The meeting quickly turned into a forum for employees to tee off on publisher and CEO WILL LEWIS, according to sources who were present, with many of the newsroom’s most prominent women — including Pulitzer Prize winners CAROL LEONNIG, CAROLINE KITCHENER and ASHLEY PARKER — taking Lewis to task over the process behind the transition. A lack of diversity at the organization and the seeming perpetuation of an old boys’ club by selecting Murray and Winnett to replace Buzbee, the first woman to lead the Post’s newsroom, were themes of the 45-minute exchange. Parker at one point addressed Lewis, seeking clarity on the shocking structural change, saying that a “cynical interpretation” is that Lewis hired “two buddies” in Murray and Winnett, according to people who heard the exchange. She then asked Lewis to expand on the process and whether any internal candidates were considered. “When you were here before, you talked very movingly about how you care about diversity — and people talk about diversity — but then when push comes to shove, they say, ‘Well, I looked around and I couldn’t find anyone,’” Parker said, according to NYT’s Benjamin Mullin and Katie Robertson. In response, Lewis granted that it was a fair question and said “I hear you” — a refrain that he returned to at various points throughout the meeting, sources said. He also “reaffirmed his commitment to diversity while acknowledging the reality of his new hires: ‘I’ve got to do better, and you’ll see that going forward,’” WaPo’s Sarah Ellison, Jeremy Barr and Elahe Izadi report. Leonnig pressed Lewis on how he expects to manage a complex transition amid a presidential election and how the shakeup might affect the Post's family culture. "Are you trying to tell us something about how you're not happy with our culture?" she asked. Murray’s side of the story: “In his brief remarks, Murray did not share his specific editorial priorities, though he mentioned a few specific stories that will be top priorities for The Post, including the presidential election, Donald Trump and the trial facing Hunter Biden,” per WaPo. “Murray said there are no plans to blow things up for the sake of doing so. Going forward, Murray said the mission at The Post ‘will be to take what we do and really translate it the right way.’” Toward the end of the meeting, KAINAZ AMARIA, WaPo’s national visual enterprise editor, came to Buzbee’s defense, according to NYT, saying that her “treatment ‘didn’t feel fair,’ adding that the circumstances of her exit could make it difficult to trust new leadership. ‘To start off like this is very difficult,’ Ms. Amaria said, according to the recording.” Amaria’s comments thanking Buzbee were met with applause from those in the room, witnesses told Playbook. After the news broke last night, Buzbee gathered managers on a call: “I would have preferred to stay to help us get through this period, but it just got to the point where it wasn’t possible,” she said, per the NYT. The rub: “Buzbee chafed at Mr. Lewis’s plans to separate The Post’s newsroom into segments, according to two people familiar with her thinking, and the pair quickly reached an impasse. Mr. Lewis said she could run one of the two newsroom segments, but she resigned instead, according to a person with knowledge of the interactions.” As for Buzbee, Lewis “refused to answer specific questions about the decision-making” surrounding her departure, though he offered that he “really enjoyed working with Sally,” according to WaPo’s coverage of the meeting. “‘I wish it could have gone on for longer, but it couldn’t. And I don’t think it’s appropriate to take that bit of the conversation any further.’ He did, also, apologize for the manner of the announcement. The news ‘began to leak out, which is why we had to scramble.’” That was fast: Murray was already working out of Buzbee’s former office this morning, people in the newsroom say, with her name still hanging on the door. — Daniel Lippman contributed to this item Good Monday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me a line at gross@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. | | | |  Hunter Biden arrives for the first day of his trial on Monday, June 3. | Matt Slocum/AP Photo | HUNTER’S GATHERING — HUNTER BIDEN’s trial on gun charges got underway this morning in Wilmington, Delaware, where jury selection and an unexpected visit from a member of the Biden family dominated the news. Skimming the pool: “A number of prospective jurors said their political views colored their opinion of the case, and they were excused after acknowledging they disliked what they had heard about Hunter Biden. One man said he had a negative view of the defendant,” WaPo’s Devlin Barrett reports. “A female prospective juror said she laughed when she realized what case it was, because she remembered coverage of the Biden family when Joe Biden ran for president in 2020. Asked her opinion of Hunter Biden, she said, ‘Not a good one.’” Hunter’s gallows humor, via WaPo’s Matt Viser: “Jury selection has begun in Hunter Biden’s trial. As he waited for it to start, Hunter greeted his first lady JILL BIDEN in the courtroom with a wry joke. ‘Happy birthday,’ he told his mother. ‘I got you a special event.’ The two laughed.” Meanwhile: Hunter’s dad, President JOE BIDEN, issued a rare public statement just as the proceedings were set to kick off, Eugene writes. “I am the President, but I am also a Dad. Jill and I love our son, and we are so proud of the man he is today,” the statement read. “Hunter’s resilience in the face of adversity and the strength he has brought to his recovery are inspiring to us.” “As the President, I don’t and won’t comment on pending federal cases, but as a Dad, I have boundless love for my son, confidence in him, and respect for his strength,” Biden added. WOWZA — “Multiple Trump Witnesses Have Received Significant Financial Benefits From His Businesses, Campaign,” by ProPublica’s Robert Faturechi, Justin Elliott and Alex Mierjeski: “Nine witnesses in the criminal cases against former President Donald Trump have received significant financial benefits, including large raises from his campaign, severance packages, new jobs, and a grant of shares and cash from Trump’s media company. “The benefits have flowed from Trump’s businesses and campaign committees, according to a ProPublica analysis of public disclosures, court records and securities filings. One campaign aide had his average monthly pay double, from $26,000 to $53,500. Another employee got a $2 million severance package barring him from voluntarily cooperating with law enforcement. And one of the campaign’s top officials had her daughter hired onto the campaign staff, where she is now the fourth-highest-paid employee. “These pay increases and other benefits often came at delicate moments in the legal proceedings against Trump. One aide who was given a plum position on the board of Trump’s social media company, for example, got the seat after he was subpoenaed but before he testified.” FLYING HIGH — “The ‘Appeal to Heaven’ Flag Is All Over Capitol Hill, Even as It Becomes More Controversial,” by NOTUS’ Haley Byrd Wilt: “As of last week, at least 10 House Republicans were displaying one of those symbols outside their offices in Washington: the ‘Appeal to Heaven’ flag. … House Republicans who display it outside their Capitol offices told NOTUS they simply wanted to honor Washington and hearken back to those Enlightenment ideas.”
| | 6 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW | | |  Speaker Mike Johnson's slim majority is rearing its head again. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | 1. STOP US IF YOU’VE HEARD THIS BEFORE: Speaker MIKE JOHNSON’s narrow majority has him in a pickle. The latest issue bearing down on the Louisiana Republican is that of a contempt resolution against AG MERRICK GARLAND relating to the Biden interview tapes from the classified documents case handled by special counsel ROBERT HUR. Johnson has said he would bring the bill to the floor “soon,” but there’s no indication of when that might be. And there’s also real uncertainty of whether enough Republicans will get on board to pass it. It is just the latest example of the “narrow path Johnson is walking as he tries to satisfy an energized pro-Trump base while also wooing swing voters by showing Republicans can govern,” WSJ’s Katy Stech Ferek writes. “Rep. TIM BURCHETT (R., Tenn.) said at least two Republican lawmakers have been on the fence about the contempt vote but that Trump’s guilty verdict could give the effort new momentum. He said Republicans are likely to return to Congress fired up after hearing from constituents.” 2. LOOKING TOWARD 2025: Adding to Johnson’s headache, our colleague Caitlin Emma writes that Congress is “headed for a perilous spending pileup in early 2025 — with crisis points on the debt ceiling, federal spending, tax cuts and budget caps all hitting in rapid succession.” How bad could it be, you ask? “It could make the past six months of shutdown heartburn look tame. “The House is preparing to start passing its own, GOP-written funding bills next week, which marks lawmakers’ first step toward addressing a fiscal menace that will begin to take shape after the November election. It could end with a delay in government funding at best and a global financial meltdown at the very worst. At the heart of the problem: Conservatives are pushing to delay spending work into early next year, which would coincide with yet another new deadline to raise the debt ceiling, setting up a fresh partisan standoff.” 3. HOGAN’S HEROICS: LARRY HOGAN is trying to “chart a different path” for the Republican Party as he tries to crack Democrats’ armor in deep-blue Maryland, WSJ’s Kristina Peterson and Anthony DeBarros write. In an interview with WSJ, Hogan said he won’t vote for Trump or Biden and instead will write in a name as a “symbolic vote that states my dissatisfaction with where the party is.” What Hogan said: “I’m trying to get us back to what I think the GOP is and always has been and that we’ve strayed away from,” Hogan told WSJ. “It doesn’t matter to me what [Trump] says about me — I’m just going to do whatever I think is right.” Interesting nugget: “Some [NIKKI] HALEY donors in Maryland and elsewhere are now backing Hogan. The Maryland Republican has nearly 200 people who gave more than $200 — the level at which campaigns must identify donors — to both his campaign apparatus and to Haley’s, according to Federal Election Commission filings. So far, Hogan hasn’t reported any contributions from donors disclosed in the Trump camp’s filings.”
| | | | 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. THE TRUMP EFFECT EXPORT: The Atlantic’s McKay Coppins has an incisive read up today detailing how much of Europe is gaming out the 2024 election rematch between President JOE BIDEN and DONALD TRUMP. Spoiler alert: Most of the officials are preparing for a Trump return. Take the Germans, for example: “Inside the foreign ministry, officials have mapped out a range of policy areas likely to be destabilized by his reelection — NATO, Ukraine, tariffs, climate change — and are writing detailed proposals for how to deal with the fallout, multiple people told me. Can Trump’s moods be predicted? Who are his confidants, and how can the government get close to them? “The Germans have a contingency plan for President Joe Biden’s reelection too, but few seem to think they’ll need it. They’re preparing for a third scenario as well: a period of sustained uncertainty about the election’s outcome, accompanied by widespread political violence in the U.S.” Related read: “A GOP Hawk Tries to Reassure a World on Edge About Trump,” by WSJ’s Molly Ball: “In Taipei and Singapore, Sen. DAN SULLIVAN looks to quell foreign leaders’ fears that the U.S. won’t stand by allies if Trump wins.” 5. THE NEW TRADE CONSENSUS: “Biden and Trump share a faith in import tariffs, despite inflation risks,” by WaPo’s David Lynch: “Promising to make things more expensive when consumers already are angry over high prices might seem an unusual political strategy. But it’s one that both President Biden and former president Donald Trump are choosing. Both men, as they vie for a second White House term, say that tariffs on imported Chinese goods are needed to promote domestic manufacturing and to clap back at China’s zero-sum trade practices. While economists say that tariffs result in higher prices, both Biden and Trump insist that consumers will be unscathed.” 6. MONDAY NIGHT FEVER: “Liberals Find a TV Prescription for Election Jitters: Monday Nights,” by NYT’s Michael Grynbaum and John Koblin: “In a frazzled media age, their once-a-week programs have become something close to appointment viewing. [RACHEL] MADDOW’s Monday program is far and away the highest-rated hour of MSNBC’s entire week. [JON] STEWART’s ‘Daily Show’ significantly outdraws the other weeknight editions of the show, and has proved to be a rare breakout hit for Comedy Central. For Democrats anxious about a close election, Ms. Maddow and Mr. Stewart represent a particular kind of comfort: seasoned partisan warriors who have led viewers through past convulsions in the political arena.”
| | | | 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 | | OUT AND ABOUT — Leaders from politics, academia and journalism gathered in Wilmington, Delaware, last week for a summit on the media and democracy hosted by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Ithaca Initiative at the University of Delaware Biden School of Public Policy and Administration and the incubator for Media Education and Development (iMEdD). SPOTTED at the summit: Valerie Biden Owens, Jordan Klepper, Anna-Kynthia Bousdoukou, Douglas Brinkley, Tim Shaffer, Sebastian Jannelli and Jessica Yellin. TRANSITION — Jenny Neuscheler is joining Cornerstone Government Affairs’ federal government relations team. She previously was clerk on the House Appropriations Military Construction-VA Subcommittee. BIRTHWEEK (was yesterday): Edgar Barrios 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 Groundwork Collaborative:   Do you think the tax code is fair? We don’t — and it’s time to fix it. | | | | | | | 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 politics and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
