| | | | |  | | By Ryan Lizza, Rachael Bade and Eugene Daniels | | Presented by |  | | | With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine
| | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | | BIDEN’S IMMIGRATION ZAG — “Biden to take sweeping election-year action shielding estimated 550,000 from deportation,” by Myah Ward: “The president is taking a page from the Obama playbook. He’s also rounding out an immigration portfolio that has increasingly leaned rightward.” GIBBS’ NEW GIG — “David Zaslav Hires Former White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs as Warner Bros. Discovery Comms Chief,” by the Hollywood Reporter’s Kim Masters and Lachlan Cartwright
|  Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.) has managed to unite just about every faction of the GOP in opposition to him. | Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images | MAR-A-LAGO MINDMELD — It’s primary day in Oklahoma and Virginia and we’re watching two races in which well-known Republican incumbents are being challenged:
- In Oklahoma, House Appropriations Chair TOM COLE is being challenged by PAUL BONDAR, a self-funded candidate who has spent nearly $5 million attacking Cole from the right. Cole has managed to unite just about every faction of the GOP — from DONALD TRUMP to KARL ROVE — in support of him.
- In Virginia, the opposite is happening to Rep. BOB GOOD, the Freedom Caucus chair who has managed to unite just about every faction of the GOP — including Trump, KEVIN McCARTHY, MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE and the Republican Main Street Partnership — in opposition to him.
Trump hates Good because Good endorsed RON DeSANTIS’ presidential bid. According to a person close to Trump, Good’s betrayal was especially stinging to the former president because it came on the same day (May 9, 2023) that a jury found Trump liable for the sexual abuse and defamation of E. JEAN CARROLL. Trump has gone all in for Good’s opponent, former Navy SEAL and Virginia legislator JOHN McGUIRE, who was at the Capitol on Jan. 6. Trump held a tele-rally for McGuire last night. “If he’s reelected,” Trump said of Good, “he will stab Virginia in the back, sort of like he did with me.” McCarthy is targeting Good because he was one of the eight Republicans who voted to overthrow him as speaker, and while the current speaker has been quiet on the race, Republicans flagged to us that MIKE JOHNSON hasn’t contributed to the vulnerable incumbent. How many Republicans on Capitol Hill has Good angered? “More than two dozen Hill GOP staffers led by Rep. WILLIAM TIMMONS (R-S.C.) chartered a bus from Washington on Saturday to meet with and campaign for McGuire,” Olivia Beavers reports in a must-read dispatch about the race. “Among quite a few GOP colleagues, Good is nicknamed ‘Bob Bad.’” The Good race was on Trump’s mind during his big meeting yesterday at Mar-a-Lago with Johnson and Rep. RICHARD HUDSON (R-N.C.), the NRCC chair. After they huddled about the 2024 House map, Trump posted a series of endorsements on Truth Social, including a lengthy double post about the Good-McGuire matchup: “Bob Good is BAD FOR VIRGINIA, AND BAD FOR THE USA!” Last night, House GOP strategists were carefully reviewing the nine candidates Trump recommended in the wake of the meeting. Several of them were inconsequential or re-endorsements of candidates who were on their way to victory, such as former Trump staffer BRIAN JACK, who is favored to win the primary runoff today in Georgia’s 3rd District. These were essentially Trump “protecting his batting average,” as someone quipped to Playbook last night. But there were two endorsements — for NANCY DAHLSTROM in Alaska and TOM BARRETT in Michigan — that stood out as evidence to Republicans that Trump is listening to Johnson and Hudson, just as he has generally listened to NRSC Chair STEVE DAINES in his Senate primary endorsements. Trump’s post about the Alaska race read as if he had just received a briefing on the state’s ranked choice voting system. Republicans believe the only way to defeat Democratic Rep. NANCY PELTOLA is for Dahlstrom, Alaska’s lieutenant governor, to push Republican NICK BEGICH out of the race. Johnson chose Dahlstrom over Begich back in December and getting Trump to do the same was considered a top priority for the Mar-a-Lago meeting. It worked. Trump and Johnson uniting around Dahlstrom “is extremely consequential,” said a national Republican strategist involved in House races. As Sarah Ferris notes, the hope is that Trump’s nod will “put Dahlstrom over the finish line in the upcoming primary, since Begich has said he will drop out if he loses, rather than run again and try his chances in ranked choice.” The open seat in Michigan’s 7th District is considered by Republicans to be one of their best pickup opportunities. And while Barrett doesn’t have a serious primary competitor, Johnson and Hudson want Trump to help turn him into a national figure to juice his fundraising in what was the most expensive congressional race in the country last cycle. Mission accomplished. “Having the kind of propulsion power of the President's endorsement and the visibility to help Tom raise money is a huge deal,” said the national Republican strategist. Trump also stuck with the GOP establishment in a third race, in Utah’s 2nd District, where Rep. CELESTE MALOY is facing a primary challenge from COLBY JENKINS that has been championed by close Trump ally Sen. MIKE LEE and some MAGA diehards in the state. But after meeting with the House leaders yesterday, Trump gave Maloy his “Complete and Total Endorsement.” Good Tuesday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Playbook PM and the Daily Briefing will be off tomorrow for Juneteenth, but we’ll still be in your inbox in the morning. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza.
| | | | A message from U.S. Travel Association: Nearly 3 million passengers fly safely every day in the U.S. Our industry is committed to a safe and secure traveler experience, from point A to point B. With record-setting air travel on the summer horizon, TSA’s secure screening technologies, along with the expertise of the U.S. airline industry, will get you to your destination safely and seamlessly. Learn more. | | | INSIDE THE TRUMP CAMP — “Trump ramps up debate prep: ‘Policy discussions’ instead of mock debate,” by Alex Isenstadt and Meridith McGraw: “Trump has been holding a series of private meetings with senators, policy experts and other allies to prepare … In a break from convention, Trump is not expected to hold a mock debate … Instead, Trump’s advisers have been arranging the sessions focused on individual topics they expect will likely come up.” INSIDE THE BIDEN CAMP — “Inside the Biden campaign’s decision to go hard on ‘convicted criminal’ Trump,” by Elena Schneider, Lauren Egan and Lisa Kashinsky: “[One] pollster said their research concluded that Trump’s conviction could effectively be used in a broader depiction of Trump as being self-centered and unwilling to take responsibility for his actions. … The shift in approach from Biden is significant.”
| | | | A message from U.S. Travel Association:   | | | | | WHAT'S HAPPENING TODAY | | On the Hill The Senate will meet at 10 a.m. and take up judicial nominations throughout the day, with a recess from 12:30 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. for weekly conference meetings. Puerto Rico Gov. PEDRO PIERLUISI will testify before an Energy and Natural Resources subcommittee at 2:30 p.m. The House is out. 3 things to watch …
- Just five days after the Supreme Court effectively re-legalized them, “bump stocks” are headed to the Senate floor later today, with Senate Majority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER signaling that he will try to once again ban the devices used in the 2017 Las Vegas massacre, America’s deadliest mass shooting. Don’t expect a vote, though: Rather than go through the time-consuming process of setting up a roll call in a holiday-shortened week ahead of a long recess, Schumer will seek unanimous consent to pass the measure. Sen. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-S.C.) said he’s prepared to object.
- Boeing CEO DAVE CALHOUN appears at 2 p.m. before Senate Homeland Security’s investigations subcommittee, and he can expect quite the grilling on the company’s well-documented management and quality control failures. Chair RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D-Conn.) has billed the session as “a necessary step in meaningfully addressing Boeing’s failures,” and Calhoun will indeed admit missteps, according to prepared testimony: “Our culture is far from perfect, but we are taking action and making progress.” Expect questions on the search for Calhoun’s replacement, which the WSJ reports is not going well.
- It’s a tale of two murderous threats, and some members are sure to wonder why they were handled differently. A federal judge sentenced a Houston man yesterday to 33 months, including a hate-crime enhancement for racial targeting, for repeatedly threatening Rep. MAXINE WATERS (D-Calif.) in 2022. Meanwhile, a man who threatened Rep. JIM BANKS (R-Ind.) and his family went unprosecuted by the area’s U.S. attorney, ABC reports. (He was later charged by a local prosecutor.) Banks pressed AG MERRICK GARLAND on the uneven standard but has not gotten a response.
At the White House Biden and first lady JILL BIDEN will mark the 12th anniversary of DACA with an East Room event at 2:45 p.m. Later, they’ll go to a campaign reception in McLean, Virginia, before traveling to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. VP KAMALA HARRIS will travel to Atlanta, where she’ll have a moderated conversation about preventing gun violence with QUAVO at the Rocket Foundation Summit at 2 p.m. She’ll then speak at a Juneteenth political event at 3:50 p.m. before returning to Washington. On the trail Trump will have a rally this afternoon in Racine, Wisconsin, as WTMJ-AM’s Vince Vitrano previews. And in a move shared first with Playbook, the DNC is putting up a billboard nearby that links his reported recent comment about Milwaukee with the Foxconn failure on his watch. See it here
| | | | 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. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | AMERICA AND THE WORLD
|  Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.) has bowed to pressure from the Biden administration and greenlit a huge new arms sale to Israel. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | MIDDLE EAST LATEST — House Foreign Affairs Chair GREGORY MEEKS (D-N.Y.) and Senate Foreign Relations Chair BEN CARDIN (D-Md.) have bowed to pressure from the Biden administration and greenlit a huge new arms sale to Israel, WaPo’s John Hudson scooped. The package, which includes $18 billion worth of F-15 fighter jets, missiles and more, had been held up by Meeks (and Cardin in solidarity with him) over major concerns about Israel’s killing of 37,000 Palestinians in its war with Hamas. But they signed off weeks ago, meaning the next step is for the State Department to notify Congress. The approval is another sign that despite stinging criticism of PM BENJAMIN NETANYAHU and his war, U.S. officials are still fundamentally allied with Israel. Republicans had slammed Dems for the delay. On the home front: The Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights reached agreements with the University of Michigan and the City University of New York over their failures to handle antisemitism and Islamophobia on campus. More from Jewish Insider … Harris met yesterday with an Israeli woman who was held hostage by Hamas, per AP’s Will Weissert. … Second gentleman DOUG EMHOFF will speak this weekend at a memorial groundbreaking for the Pittsburgh synagogue massacre, per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Megan Guza. More top reads:
- Paging Trump: NATO Secretary-General JENS STOLTENBERG said yesterday that the number of NATO members meeting the 2 percent defense spending target has leapt from six to 23 out of 32 since 2021, AP’s Ellen Knickmeyer and Seung Min Kim report.
2024 WATCH YOWZA — Ann Selzer’s latest gold-standard poll of Iowa finds Trump beating Biden 50 percent to 32 percent in a multi-candidate race, per the Des Moines Register’s Brianne Pfannenstiel — a huge Midwestern warning sign for the president in a state he lost by 8 points in 2020. AD IT UP — The Trump campaign is prepping for its first TV ads of the general, reserving time to go up in swing states the day of the debate. THE STAKES FOR NOVEMBER — A new Foreign Affairs essay by ROBERT O’BRIEN, who could become a top official again in a second Trump term, lays out a host of hard-line ideas, per Bloomberg’s Nick Wadhams. They include calling for ending all economic ties to China, along with restarting long-dormant nuclear tests and quickly negotiating an end to the Ukraine war. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Biden is getting the first-ever political endorsement from the largest union of EPA workers, who say his reelection is crucial for fighting climate change. AFGE Council 238 represents more than 8,000 workers, and its endorsement will precede an education and get-out-the-vote campaign focused on Michigan, Nevada and Pennsylvania. POLICY CORNER
|  Key lawmakers aren't immediately inclined to take up Surgeon General Vivek Murthy’s specific ideas around social media warning labels. | Susan Walsh/AP Photo | TRUTH SOCIAL — Surgeon General VIVEK MURTHY’s announcement that he thinks social media needs warning labels for children’s health dominated headlines yesterday. It was a landmark moment in which he likened the platforms’ deleterious effects on teens’ mental well-being to the effects of tobacco and alcohol. Though the scientific debate is not yet settled, “Murthy and other public officials argue there is enough evidence to suggest social media can be unsafe,” WaPo’s Cristiano Lima-Strong and Aaron Gregg report. But it won’t be easy to turn the recommendation from Murthy, who’s become a soft-spoken crusader on the topic, into reality. Ruth Reader and Rebecca Kern issue a reality check that ultimately, any change will be up to Congress. And on the Hill, for years now, a bevy of high-profile tech regulatory bills focused on kids have languished without coming up for a vote. That’s still the case this year, and key members didn’t sound immediately inclined to take up Murthy’s specific idea. “To people who have been watching these efforts,” our colleagues write, “the Murthy op-ed, if anything, served as a reminder of how little high-profile public moments can accomplish.” More top reads:
- Big tax story II: Trump’s recent proposal to end taxes on tips is landing with a thud for some congressional Republicans, NBC’s Scott Wong and Sahil Kapur report. A new estimate pegs the cost at $250 billion over 10 years.
| | | | A message from U.S. Travel Association:   | | | BEYOND THE BELTWAY
|  New Jersey power broker George Norcross and several associates are charged with corruption afflicting the impoverished city of Camden, New Jersey. | Matt Rourke, File/AP Photo | SOMEWHERE IN THE SWAMPS OF JERSEY — The earth-shaking criminal indictment of GEORGE NORCROSS is just the latest twist in a year that is proving to be transformational for New Jersey’s Democratic machine. One insider calls it an “atomic bomb” for the state, in the wake of a court ruling against the famous “county line” ballot design and Sen. BOB MENENDEZ’s separate criminal charges, Matt Friedman reports. The upshot is that one of the country’s last remaining party boss political systems — a vestige of an earlier century that centralized power in the state’s dominant Democrats — is coming undone. Norcross and several associates are charged with corruption afflicting the impoverished city of Camden. Though Norcross is already fighting back vigorously, it’s an astonishing fall for a South Jersey titan who “ruled much of New Jersey for decades and, at his peak, wielded power rivaling governors — shaping elections, legislation and the political careers of Democrats across the state,” Matt writes. The developments this year come as a younger generation of progressive and reformist Dems rise in the state, including AG MATT PLATKIN, Rep. ANDY KIM, Jersey City Mayor STEVEN FULOP and Newark Mayor RAS BARAKA. NIGHTMARE FUEL — “Threats of terrorism in the U.S. are ‘more diverse and difficult to counter,’” by the L.A. Times’ Jeffrey Fleishman: “The U.S. is facing security threats in a presidential election year coming from Islamic militants, far-right extremists, leftist radicals and an array of zealots disgruntled over the nation’s culture wars and our polarized society.” MORE POLITICS DEMOCRATIC DREAMING — “Democrats See Glimmers of Hope in Florida. Are They Seeing Things?” by NYT’s Lisa Lerer and Patricia Mazzei: “[M]ovement in public opinion, along with the announcement that ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR. will appear on the ballot in Florida this fall, has injected a fresh sense of unpredictability into the wild world of the state’s politics. And yet some Democrats are engaging in a kind of political magical thinking … The reality is much more sobering.” FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — A new PAC called Mental Health PAC launched yesterday evening from mental health advocates, aiming to back candidates who commit to expanding mental health care through legislation. A sister organization to the nonprofit Inseparable, it will focus on state and federal races. TRUMP CARDS LOOK WHO’S BACK — “Melania Trump set to host a second fundraiser for Log Cabin Republicans next month,” by Alex Isenstadt
| | | | SUBSCRIBE TO GLOBAL PLAYBOOK: Don’t miss out on POLITICO’s Global Playbook, our newsletter taking you inside pivotal discussions at the most influential gatherings in the world. Suzanne Lynch delivers the world's elite and influential moments directly to you. Stay in the global loop. SUBSCRIBE NOW. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Kevin McCarthy called Mike Johnson over Scott Perry joining House Intel. Rudy Giuliani is pissing off bankruptcy court. Matt Gaetz said House Ethics had opened new, “frivolous” investigations into him. Melinda French Gates is stepping more into the election. Kamala Harris loves a Nevada layover. Steve Bannon isn’t getting the “Club Fed” treatment. IN MEMORIAM — “Former Spokane Congressman George Nethercutt, who gained national fame by defeating House speaker, dies at 79,” by Jim Camden for the Spokesman-Review: “After beating Speaker of the House Tom Foley in 1994 as one of the stars of a GOP revolution, Nethercutt went on to serve 10 years in the House before an unsuccessful run for U.S. Senate. He later set up a foundation to inspire a new generation with an appreciation for civics and government service.” OUT AND ABOUT — SPOTTED at the Center for New Liberalism’s annual New Liberal Action Summit on Friday: Reps. Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.), Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.), Brittany Pettersen (D-Colo.), Marilyn Strickland (D-Wash.) and Derek Kilmer (D-Wash.), Maryland state Sen. Sarah Elfreth, Isaiah Martin, Colorado state Rep. Manny Rutinel and Virginia state Sens. Barbara Favola and Russet Perry. — SPOTTED at a reception hosted by Icelandic Ambassador Bergdís Ellertsdóttir to celebrate the country’s 80 years as a republic on 17 June and the U.S. having been the first foreign state to recognize it: Geoffrey Pyatt, Brad Crabtree, British Ambassador Karen Pierce, Estonian Ambassador Kristjan Prikk, Liechtensteiner Ambassador Georg Sparber, Latvian Ambassador Māris Selga, Ukrainian Ambassador Oksana Markarova, Greek Ambassador Ekaterini Nassika, Dutch Ambassador Birgitta Tazelaar, Dana Herndon, Ethan Rosenkranz, Marie and Ed Royce, Stig Piras, Jennifer Hansler, Humeyra Pamuk, Ásgeir Sigfússon, Liva Rugsveen, Ragnhildur Arnórsdóttir, Victor Madrigal-Borloz, Amy Ricchetti, Rebecca Pincus, Melinda Haring and Jacob Heilbrunn. — The Black Economic Alliance Foundation and Public Private Strategies Institute hosted a reception at the Opaline Bar at Hotel Sofitel for business leaders and White House officials following a White House economic opportunity event. SPOTTED: Steve Benjamin, Alix Dejean, Samantha Tweedy, Rhett Buttle and Marc Morial. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Mari Manoogian is joining the Biden campaign as battleground political and coalitions director for the Midwest. She’s taking a leave of absence from her role as political director at The Next 50. A former Michigan state representative, she was a keynote speaker at the 2020 Democratic National Convention. — Shawn Whyte is joining Diageo as government relations manager. He most recently was federal government affairs manager at Walmart. WHITE HOUSE ARRIVAL LOUNGE — Tyler Cherry is now an associate comms director at the White House, overseeing climate comms, POLITICO’s E&E News’ Robin Bravender reports. He previously was comms director at the Interior Department. TRANSITIONS — Justin Kintz is joining Forbes Tate Partners as a partner on its government relations team to oversee international and technology work. He most recently created and led Peloton Interactive’s government affairs, and is an Uber alum. … Christianné Allen is now comms director for Rep. Russ Fulcher (R-Idaho). She most recently was comms director for Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.). … … Meira Bernstein is now senior adviser for comms at NASA. She most recently was at FGS Global, and is a DHS and Biden 2020 alum. … Ross Tullis is joining Rep. Dan Crenshaw’s (R-Texas) office as comms director. He previously was comms director for Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas). ENGAGED — Paul Eppler, a manager of government relations at Plurus Strategies, and Michelle Jeong, a program manager at the Aspen Institute, got engaged over the weekend at the Middlesex Fells Reservation in Massachusetts. They met on Hinge and had their first date at the East Potomac Golf Links’ driving range and Atlas Brewery. Pic … Another pic WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Ryann DuRant, senior comms adviser for Senate Banking ranking member Tim Scott (R-S.C.), and Madison Smith, senior principal at Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies, welcomed Wallace Reynolds Smith on Thursday. BIRTHWEEK (was yesterday): Ryan Serote of Meguire Whitney (5-0) HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Reps. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.), Jenn Kiggans (R-Va.) and Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.) … David Drucker … CNN’s DJ Judd … Robert O’Brien … Axios’ Nick Johnston … White House’s John McCarthy … Niall Stanage of The Hill … Jim Stinson … MPA’s Rachel Alben … House’s Kate Knudson … Devan Cole … Clare Bresnahan English … Will Kinzel (5-0), who recently launched Parafossam … Bert Gómez … Tom Readmond … Narric Rome … former Rep. Jerry McNerney (D-Calif.) … former Sens. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) and Mike Johanns (R-Neb.) … Daniel Epstein … POLITICO’s Isabel Delgado and Amber Ebersohl … Fred Barbash … Debbie Shore of Share Our Strength … Derrick Honeyman of Biden’s reelect … Joanne Lipman … Hattie Hobart of the American Conservation Coalition … Dina Powell McCormick … Mark P. Adams 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. Correction: Yesterday’s Playbook misidentified Jessica Boulanger’s current employer. She works for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
| | | | A message from U.S. Travel Association: Nearly 3 million passengers fly safely every day in the U.S. Our industry is committed to a safe and secure traveler experience, from point A to point B. With record-setting air travel on the summer horizon, TSA’s secure screening technologies, along with the expertise of the U.S. airline industry, will get you to your destination safely and seamlessly.
This level of robust travel is indispensable to our nation’s economic growth and job creation. In 2023, travelers in the United States directly spent $1.3 trillion, producing an economic footprint of $2.8 trillion and supporting more than 15 million American jobs. Learn more. | | | | | | | 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 political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
