| | | | |  | | By Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels and Ryan Lizza | | Presented by |  | | | With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine
| | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | | WAPO SHOCKER — SALLY BUZBEE is out as the Washington Post’s executive editor after a three-year run, to be immediately replaced by former WSJ editor in chief MATT MURRAY and, after the election, by the Telegraph’s ROBERT WINNETT. Both have previously worked under WaPo Publisher and CEO WILL LEWIS. The announcement came in an 8:38 p.m. news release and landed as a thunderbolt to the Posties we spoke to, who were uniformly shocked by the sudden timing of Buzbee’s departure, if not necessarily by the fact of it. It was an unusually abrupt transition for the Post, where top leadership transitions are typically announced months in advance. (The newsroom did not immediately have a story ready to publish and, adding insult to injury, the NYT managed to get theirs up first.) The buried lede: After Winnett takes over the “core” newsroom in November, Murray will lead a “third newsroom … comprised of service and social media journalism and run separately from the core news operation. The aim is to give the millions of Americans — who feel traditional news is not for them but still want to be kept informed — compelling, exciting and accurate news where they are and in the style that they want.”
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Tim Sheehy will be the first Republican Senate candidate up with an ad centered on Donald Trump’s conviction. | AP | FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: A REPUBLICAN LEANS IN — The fallout from DONALD TRUMP’s conviction last week on 34 felony counts is landing this week on Capitol Hill, where lawmakers return today from a one-week recess with many primed to tussle over the Manhattan verdict. Conservatives in the Senate are vowing to try to grind the Senate to a halt, and Rep. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R-Ga.) is dusting off her demands to defund DOJ’s Trump probe — with a new twist. But we’ll start with a look at how things are playing out on the campaign trail. We can report exclusively this morning that Montana’s TIM SHEEHY will be the first Republican Senate candidate up with an ad centered on Trump’s conviction. In the new spot going live this week, the businessman and ex-Navy SEAL accuses incumbent Sen. JON TESTER of supporting a “state-sponsored political persecution led by JOE BIDEN and the radical left” — and trying to throw Trump in jail. “Tester’s even advocated for violence against President Trump,” the ad says, clipping an old MSNBC interview where the incumbent said someone needs to “punch” Trump “in the face.” The ad underscores how bullish Republicans are about capitalizing on the verdict, particularly in red states where Trump is overwhelmingly popular and Democratic incumbents like Tester and Ohio’s SHERROD BROWN have been treading lightly around the news. “They don’t want to touch this with a 10-foot pole,” one GOP campaign operative told us. Tester spokesperson MONICA ROBINSON responded that Sheehy “is trying to cover up the fact that he’s an out-of-state multimillionaire who has been caught lying about every part of his life and is running for Senate to benefit himself, not Montana. Jon will continue running on his record of always fighting for what’s best for Montana — including getting more than 20 bills signed into law by President Trump.” The NRSC, meanwhile, told us it raised over $1 million in small-dollar online donations in the two days following the verdict. That might be small potatoes compared to Trump’s eye-popping draw, but the group nonetheless says it’s their most profitable 48 hours of the cycle thus far. ON THE OTHER HAND: The flip side of the GOP’s red-state bonanza is the pickle that Maryland Senate nominee (and purported 2024 map game-changer) LARRY HOGAN finds himself in after urging people to “respect the verdict” on Thursday, much to Trump world’s ire. RNC co-chair LARA TRUMP did little to soothe tensions on CNN yesterday, declining to say whether the committee still supports Hogan. But some Republicans still believe the former governor is playing the politics right given the Democratic tilt of his state, and he got a vote of confidence from NRSC chief STEVE DAINES (R-Mont.) over the weekend (though not in his handling of the verdict). “He’s one of those candidates who will do whatever he needs to do to get elected — sometimes being anti-Trump and fiercely independent works,” one GOP aide not working on the race said. Democrats, meanwhile, are showing signs they’re becoming more aggressive in using the verdict in campaign messaging. The DCCC blasted out news releases hitting vulnerable House Republicans for endorsing “convicted felon Trump” and “their cult-like adherence to a wannabe dictator.” As for the Senate, they rightly point out that hugging Trump might work as a base play in Montana but sure as heck not in Pennsylvania or Arizona, where they need to court swing voters. “The outcome of Senate races will be driven by the poor quality and disqualifying flaws of the GOP's candidates,” said one Democratic operative working on Senate races. WHAT TO WATCH ON THE HILL: A day after the verdict came down, Sen. MIKE LEE (R-Utah) led the Senate’s hard-core MAGA bloc in vowing to muck up the chamber’s business in protest of the convictions. Ten of them now say, “we are unwilling to aid and abet this White House in its project to tear this country apart” and will thus oppose and deny unanimous consent for Democratic legislation and confirmations. Democrats are downplaying this threat, arguing that (1) most must-pass legislation is already taken care of for the year and (2) this isn’t exactly the “governing caucus” to begin with — many conservatives are already well-known for holding up Senate business. But a closer look at the calendar suggests the effort could indeed cause Majority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER some headaches — particularly for nominations. So far this year, about half of non-military and non-Foreign Service nominees have been confirmed by voice vote, which requires agreement from all 100 senators and skips time-consuming procedural steps. If the MAGA senators make good on their threats, Schumer could be forced to trudge through cloture votes and debate, eating up precious floor time that he might prefer to expend on election-year messaging bills such the contraception legislation he’s planning to bring up this week. And remember: The calendar is already slimmed down for election season. Meanwhile, in the House, Greene is planning to reinvigorate her push to defund special counsel JACK SMITH as part of the appropriations process, we’re told — despite Speaker MIKE JOHNSON telling Playbook last month that he thinks the idea is unworkable. But Greene won’t stop there. She’s planning a push to “defund New York” by blocking the state from receiving any federal funds — including things like education and housing — an effort that could pick up support from MAGA hardliners. The effort is doomed, of course, with a New Yorker running the Senate and a Democrat having to sign the spending bills. But she could almost certainly complicate Johnson’s hopes of passing appropriations bills this summer. Good Monday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza.
| | | | 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. | | | SEÑORA PRESIDENTA — “Mexico's Sheinbaum wins landslide to become country's first woman president,” by Reuters’ Kylie Madry and Valentine Hilaire: “CLAUDIA SHEINBAUM … a climate scientist and former mayor of Mexico City, won the presidency with between 58.3% and 60.7% of the vote, according to a rapid sample count by Mexico's electoral authority. That is set to be the highest vote percentage in Mexico's democratic history.” SEÑORA GOBERNADORA? — “Puerto Rico Gov. Pedro Pierluisi concedes defeat in surprise primary upset by Jenniffer González,” by AP’s Dánica Coto: “Puerto Rico congressional representative JENNIFFER GONZÁLEZ … obtained 56% of the vote compared with [PEDRO] PIERLUISI’s 44%, with an estimated tens of thousands of votes still uncounted. She is the first female gubernatorial candidate to secure a primary win for the New Progressive Party since … 2000.” THE WEEK — Tomorrow: Presidential and congressional primaries held in D.C., Iowa, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico and South Dakota. AG MERRICK GARLAND testifies before House Judiciary. FBI Director CHRISTOPHER WRAY and Treasury Secretary JANET YELLEN testify before Senate Appropriations panels. Biden departs for France. … Wednesday: EPA Administrator MICHAEL REGAN testifies before House Oversight. … Thursday: 80th anniversary of D-Day. Possible Supreme Court opinions announced. … Friday: May employment numbers announced. Biden delivers address on freedom and democracy at Pointe du Hoc, France. … Saturday: French President EMMANUEL MACRON hosts Biden for a state visit in Paris. … Sunday: Trump holds a campaign rally in Las Vegas.
| | | | A message from Groundwork Collaborative:   Do you think the tax code is fair? We don’t — and it’s time to fix it. | | | | | WHAT'S HAPPENING TODAY | | On the Hill The Senate will meet at 3 p.m. The House will meet at noon to take up various bills, including the namings of post offices. Rep.-elect VINCE FONG (R-Calif.) will be sworn in on the floor during the 6:30 p.m. vote series. 3 things to watch …
- In a much-anticipated moment, ANTHONY FAUCI will appear before the select House panel on the coronavirus pandemic at 10 a.m. The former National Institutes of Health official and face of the Covid response will be pressed by members of both parties on his knowledge of controversial “gain of function” research and efforts inside the NIH to fund it, Carmen Paun reports — research that is entangled in as-yet-unproven “lab leak” theories of the pandemic’s origin. The sparring over that theory hangs over the select panel’s work, WaPo’s Dan Diamond reports, as it moves to finish up its work this year.
- It’s a short week for lawmakers, with many heading to Normandy for Thursday’s D-Day anniversary events. The Senate will gavel out Wednesday, but not before taking up the Right to Contraception Act, a Democratic bill meant to yet again highlight the aftereffects of Dobbs. “We’ve seen right-wing judges, Justices and extremist Republicans calling on the Supreme Court to reconsider the constitutional right to contraception and states are trying to ban access to some or all contraceptives by restricting public funding for these products and services,” Majority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER wrote in a Dear Colleague yesterday, promising “more action to come.”
- The House, meanwhile, will spend its own two-and-a-half-day workweek tackling a pair of measures worth keeping an eye on: One would denounce the International Criminal Court for its moves against Israeli officials and grant broad sanction authority against court members who target U.S. citizens and allies. The other is Military Construction-VA appropriations — the first fiscal 2025 spending bill to hit the floor. We’ll be watching whether Republicans can manage to stick together to pass at least this bill, considered the easiest lift politically.
At the White House Biden will receive the President’s Daily Brief in the morning. In the afternoon, Biden will travel to White Plains, New York, where he is scheduled to participate in a campaign reception. In the evening, the president will return to the White House. Press secretary KARINE JEAN-PIERRE will gaggle aboard Air Force One en route to White Plains. VP KAMALA HARRIS is in Los Angeles, where she is scheduled to participate in an interview for Pride Month.
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Hunter Biden will begin his first trial today in Delaware. | Julio Cortez/AP Photo | HUNTER’S GATHERING — When HUNTER BIDEN walks into a Wilmington, Delaware, courtroom today, it will mark the start of the first trial against him — something of a culmination of years of scrutiny for the president’s son. “For years, Hunter Biden has drawn scrutiny for his links to controversial Ukrainian, Chinese, and Romanian business ventures. Congressional Republicans and former President Donald Trump have accused him of influence-peddling and corruption,” Betsy Woodruff Swan writes from Wilmington. “But the trial — which opens Monday morning with jury selection — isn’t about any of that. Instead, its focus is extraordinarily narrow: Biden will face three criminal counts for allegedly buying a gun while in the throes of addiction to crack cocaine. “The trial, which is expected to last between three and six days, will dramatize some of the worst moments in Biden’s life. Two witnesses who may testify against him are the mothers of five of the president’s grandchildren. It will be the culmination of years of legal trouble for Biden — and will be a source of pain for the president, who has long told associates that he is deeply concerned about his son’s criminal exposure, including that it could jeopardize his son’s sobriety.” In a previously unplanned move last night, the president and first lady JILL BIDEN traveled from their Rehoboth Beach home back to Wilmington. The who’s who: “Exes and experts: Here are the key witnesses at Hunter Biden’s trial,” by Betsy … “The 2 judges overseeing Hunter Biden’s trials have a lot in common. For starters, they were both appointed by Trump,” by Betsy The backstory: “For Hunter Biden, a dramatic day with his brother’s widow led to charges,” by WaPo’s Matt Viser: “When [HALLIE BIDEN] found a newly purchased Colt Cobra .38 handgun, she was hit by a wave of anger and fear. She put the gun in a shopping bag and drove a few miles to a high-end grocery store, where she tossed it into a trash can. That set off a chain of events that would trigger a flurry of frantic text messages, launch another dark chapter in a doomed and difficult romance — and lead to Hunter Biden’s federal trial beginning Monday.” TRUMP CARDS THE SAY HABEAS KID — Trump makes a remarkably explicit call for the Supreme Court to somehow intervene in his sentencing, writing on Truth Social: “The ‘Sentencing’ for not having done anything wrong will be, conveniently for the Fascists, 4 days before the Republican National Convention. A Radical Left Soros backed D.A., who ran on a platform of ‘I will get Trump,’ reporting to an ‘Acting’ Local Judge, appointed by the Democrats, who is HIGHLY CONFLICTED, will make a decision which will determine the future of our Nation? The United States Supreme Court MUST DECIDE!” ALL POLITICS
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Democrat Scott Wiener has done everything possible to position himself the San Francisco seat held by Nancy Pelosi. | Eric Risberg/AP Photo | CALIFORNIA DREAMIN’ — Democrat SCOTT WIENER has done everything possible to position himself to win one of the most prominent House districts west of the Mississippi: the San Francisco seat held by NANCY PELOSI. But he has one big problem: The Pelosi dynasty remains strong. Pelosi’s daughter, CHRISTINE, is widely believed to be eyeing the seat. She has yet to rule out a run, and if she were to jump in to succeed her mother, it would take a Herculean effort to keep her from it, Dustin Gardiner writes. The seat was primed for Wiener before Pelosi announced that she wouldn’t retire. “He had raised nearly $1 million and built a shadow campaign to wait for the right moment and line up support from women, labor unions and other groups that have sway in San Francisco elections. … Now, Wiener is back in the angsty waiting game, knowing he might have missed his moment — or that he could be thwarted again.” More top reads:
- The DNC earlier this year wanted to formulate guidelines for campaigns to implement AI in a “responsible” way. But the plan didn’t materialize after approaching campaign committees. “Instead of fostering an agreement, the guidelines sparked a debate about the value of such pledges, particularly those governing fast-evolving technology,” AP’s Dan Merica reports.
- Some kind of side hustle: Relentless, an aptly named progressive group, is “launching a $10.8 million program that will, in part, help pay participants in the program a $200 stipend to get out the vote,” Wired’s Makena Kelly reports. The aim is to “build out a network of more than 2 million voters across seven battleground states.”
| | | | A message from Groundwork Collaborative:   Do you think the tax code is fair? We don’t — and it’s time to fix it. | | | 2024 WATCH
|  The Eugene V. Debs Museum in Vigo County, Indiana is having a moment after the Trump verdict. | Photos by Adam Wren/POLITICO | POSTCARD FROM INDIANA — At the EUGENE V. DEBS Museum, there is a newfound interest in the namesake figure, a five-time former socialist candidate who ran for president from prison. “Here at the museum on Friday, amid yellowing campaign literature and sepia-toned photos of Debs’ life, you couldn’t find droves of red-capped MAGA supporters gathering,” our colleague Adam Wren writes from Terre Haute, Indiana. But there’s another reason why this small town in the Hoosier State is worth paying attention to: It’s located in Vigo County, once “ the most accurate bellwether county in the nation, a near-perfect predictor of America’s presidential mood until 2020, when the pro-Trump swoon led its voters to back Trump over now-President Joe Biden.” Adam found that the verdict did not appear to be hurting Trump there: “At least not with his base. ‘Unless JESUS CHRIST was running on the Democratic ticket, I will never vote for them,’ said JANE SMITH, an 81-year-old retired insurance broker, who lives not far from the museum. And if Jesus Christ was running against Trump? ‘Oh, well now,’ she said, pausing to think. ‘I’d have to go with Jesus Christ. But he should pick Trump as his vice president, and when His term is up, there’s my answer.’” THE WHITE HOUSE INCOMING ON IMMIGRATION — Biden is set to sign a long-anticipated executive order as soon as Tuesday that would allow him to “shut down” the southern border should crossings surge, Myah Ward reports. Though the exact plans remain fluid, “the expectation is that Biden will issue the order before heading to France in the middle of the week for a ceremony celebrating the 80th anniversary of D-Day. “The order Biden is slated to announce would use section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act to dramatically limit migrants’ ability to seek asylum at the southern border once encounters reach a new threshold. Administration officials have discussed 4,000 daily border crossings over the course of a week as the metric.” Two local Texas officials — Brownsville Mayor JOHN COWEN and Edinburg Mayor RAMIRO GARZA — told the AP’s Valerie Gonzalez that they were invited to attend the White House announcement, with Cowen confirming that he would attend. The GOP response: Speaker MIKE JOHNSON tore into the expected immigration move on “Fox News Sunday,” telling host Shannon Bream that the “only reason he’s doing that is because the polls say that it’s the biggest issue in America. Every state’s a border state,” offering a phrase that has been widely used by Republicans on the 2024 campaign trail, David Cohen writes. AMERICA AND THE WORLD THE WELL-OILED MACHINE — “OPEC+ Agrees to Extend Production Cuts in Bid to Boost Oil Prices,” by WSJ’s Summer Said and Benoit Faucon: “[The] deal … likely signals oil prices will remain elevated through the U.S. presidential election.” BIBI’S BIG MOMENT — “Netanyahu May Face a Choice Between a Truce and His Government’s Survival,” by NYT’s Isabel Kershner in Jerusalem: “The Israeli prime minister has been put on the spot by President Biden’s announcement outlining a proposal for a truce.” DANCE OF THE SUPERPOWERS — “China’s Defense Chief Turns Down Temperature on Tensions With U.S.,” by WSJ’s Chun Han Wong.
| | | | A message from Groundwork Collaborative: In 2017, Donald Trump gave huge tax cuts to the rich and big corporations. He said the benefits would trickle down to regular workers. They didn’t.
In 2025, a lot of Trump’s tax cuts expire. That’s our moment to fundamentally change our tax code to make it more fair, sustain the investments that will create an economy that works for all of us, and foster equitable growth and prosperity.
We’ve missed chances to fix our tax code before. Decades of tax cuts for the rich have skewed the economy in their favor and made it harder to cover the costs of the things we need as a country.
We can’t afford to miss this opportunity to restore a fair tax code, and over 100 civil society organizations agree. | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Sheila Jackson Lee announced she is being treated for pancreatic cancer: “By God’s grace, I will be back at full strength soon.” Henry Cuellar is on the NRCC’s target list. Rupert Murdoch got married again. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Abe Rakov will be executive director at End Citizens United/Let America Vote. He most recently was chief impact officer at Run for Something and was a co-founder of Let America Vote. He is also a Beto O'Rouke, Deval Patrick, Eleanor Holmes Norton and Robin Carnahan alum. — Rebecca Buck is joining Better Medicare Alliance as senior VP of comms. She previously was senior director at the Penta Group and is a CNN, RealClearPolitics and Washington Examiner alum. TRANSITIONS — Victoria Bonney is starting as senior adviser and comms director for Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.). She previously was comms director for Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine). … Julie Braymer is now comms director for Rep. Nathaniel Moran (R-Texas). She previously was a digital specialist for Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.). … Liz Murray is now senior adviser for strategic comms and executive operations at CISA. She most recently was director of scheduling and advance for the Small Business Administration and is an SKDK and Katie Porter alum. … … Annaliese Yukawa is now senior legislative assistant for Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.). She previously was legislative assistant for Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.). … Arnold Ventures is adding Jennifer Laudano as VP of advocacy for health care and Andrew Bacher-Hicks as VP of evidence and evaluation. Laudano previously was at the National Academy for State Health Policy. Bacher-Hicks previously was an assistant professor at Boston University’s Wheelock College of Education and Human Development. ENGAGED — Katie Wood, health and education legislative assistant for Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), and Peter Burrus, acquisitions analyst for MyEyeDr, got engaged last week at Bald Head Island, North Carolina, with their families there to celebrate. Pic WEEKEND WEDDINGS — Mary Collins Atkinson, director at Plus Communications and a Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Tom Cotton alum, and Jason Howell, who works at Jane Street Capital, got married Saturday at First Presbyterian Church in Wilmington, North Carolina. They met in 2015 as counselors at sailing camp in North Carolina. Pic … SPOTTED: Emma Cunningham, Jordan Howard, Lucas and Rachel Da Pieve, Zach Weidlich, Cody Sanders, Katie Peake, Elizabeth Bentler, Matthew Bishop, Tanner Hishta, Noah Yantis, Matt Reed and Eric Fejer. — Pavan Chima, director on Amazon’s global public policy team, and Sara Hagey, director of community engagement at Robinhood, got married at North Mymms Estate in London. They met online during the pandemic. Pic … Another pic … SPOTTED: Igor Bobic and Valerie Chicola, Tess Hetzel, Chris Del Beccaro, Rachel Wolbers, Sam Mahler, Joshua White, John Wheatley, Skyler Embrey, Rich Patterson, Drew Tharp, Erica Chicola and Nick Porter. — Lisa Geller, a senior adviser for implementation at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Gun Violence Solutions, and Jason Alinsky, advocacy manager for health care at Arnold Ventures, got married at the InterContinental Hotel on D.C.’s Wharf on Saturday. The two met when Jason was working for Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) and accompanied his boss to a fundraiser hosted by Lisa’s organization. Raskin attended the wedding, as did Maryland state Sen. Will Smith, for whom Jason worked as chief of staff during Smith’s time in the state House. Pic … Another pic HAPPY BIRTHDAY: First lady Jill Biden … John Kirby … Anderson Cooper … WSJ’s Michelle Hackman … David Planning of the House Republican Whip office … USTR’s Sophia Sokolowski … Evan Medeiros … Defend the Vote’s Brian Lemek … POLITICO’s Ahmed Routher … Gina Foote of FGS Global … Edelman’s Rob Rehg … DNC’s Josette Barrans … Erick Erickson … Bryce Harlow … Lilia Horder of Monument Advocacy … former Reps. Roscoe Bartlett (R-Md.) (97), Solomon Ortiz (D-Texas) and Carolyn Bourdeaux (D-Ga.) … Amy McGrath … Michael Fleischer of DDC Public Affairs … Patrick Martin of Cozen O’Connor … Kellee Lanza-Bolen … Nick Troiano ... Justin Clark 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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