| | | | |  | | By Kimberly Leonard and Kierra Frazier | |  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses a joint session of Congress in the House chamber of the U.S. Capitol on July 24, 2024. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | Good morning from D.C. and welcome to Thursday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech before Congress yesterday — and its aftermath — exposed rifts and spilled over into new political accusations from Florida’s delegation amid a chaotic election year. Scores of congressional Democrats skipped the prime minister’s speech and Rep. Maxwell Frost, the youngest member of Congress, was among them. He called Netanyahu’s remarks an attempt to “rally support for his brutal offensive” and instead met with family members of hostages. “I am not interested in hearing his remarks at a time when over a million Palestinians are exposed to famine, the hostages remain in danger, tens of thousands of innocent civilians have been brutally killed, and ceasefire talks remain incomplete,” Frost wrote of his decision on X. Most of Florida’s delegation is staunchly pro-Israel, as the war in Gaza stretches into nine months since Hamas first attacked Israel. Democratic Reps. Jared Moskowitz and Frederica Wilson attended the speech and also met with families of the Israeli hostages at their offices in Washington yesterday ahead of Netanyahu’s speech. And Rep. Lois Frankel released a statement afterward saying the U.S. relationship with Israel must stay “ironclad.” Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) at one point got out of her seat and went over to speak with Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), the only Palestinian-American member of Congress who was holding a sign that read “War Criminal.” Among the special guests on the House floor was former Rep. Ted Deutch (D-Fla.), who’s now the CEO of the American Jewish Committee. Others found an opening to criticize Vice President Kamala Harris for not presiding over the speech, including Rep. Greg Steube. Harris, whose husband is Jewish, has a separate meeting with Netanyahu expected today but was campaigning yesterday — as was Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, now that he’s on the Republican ticket with former President Donald Trump. Gov. Ron DeSantis waded into the Israel-Gaza conflict during an unrelated press conference in St. Petersburg on Wednesday, when he accused Democrats of trying to “virtue signal to the Hamas caucus.” He pointed to a small number of people in the media raising questions over whether Harris should pick Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro to be her running mate, given Democratic voters' splintered views on the war. Shapiro, who is Jewish, told the New York Times he considers himself a Zionist and has raised concerns about some pro-Palestinian protests but he also at times has criticized Israel's government. Outside the Capitol, thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered, and Capitol Police said “part of the crowd has started to become violent.” They deployed pepper spray against the crowd, reported POLITICO’s Irie Sentner. Moskowitz called some protesters burning the American flag “totally shameful and despicable,” but the outcry provided political fodder for Republicans — including Rep. Byron Donalds, who accused Democrats of being unable to pick sides between protesters and Israel. Rep. Mike Waltz called protestors “Iran’s useful idiots” — as Netanyahu had — and Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), who’s up for reelection in November, questioned whether Democratic Senate candidate Debbie Mucarsel-Powell would condemn the burning of an American flag outside Union Station. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Florida’s first Jewish congressperson, escorted Netanyahu to his speech and praised the prime minister for underscoring “how Israel needs to protect itself and end the terror threat posed by Hamas.” But she added that his commentary on U.S. politics had been "unnecessary" and that she still wanted more details on achieving the peace framework the Biden administration laid out and on securing the release of hostages. Netanyahu didn’t talk about ceasefire negotiations during his remarks. Tomorrow, Netanyahu will meet with former President Donald Trump in Florida, at Mar-a-Lago. WHERE’S RON? Gov. DeSantis is holding a press conference in Aventura at 10:15 a.m. with Florida Department of Children and Families Secretary Shevaun Harris. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget in the campaign reporting that Playbook should look at? Get in touch at: kleonard@politico.com.
| | | | Live briefings, policy trackers, and procedural, industry, and people intelligence from POLITICO Pro Analysis gives you the insights you need to focus your policy strategy this election cycle. Secure your seat. | | | | | |  | ... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ... | | UPROOTED — “New Florida law protects consumers from one kind of moving scam. Here’s what to know,” by the Tampa Bay Times’ Siena Duncan. “The new state law targets one kind of scam specifically: moving brokers. Sponsored by Sen. Ed Hooper, R-Palm Harbor, the law prevents brokers from presenting themselves as moving companies and providing inaccurate estimates to customers. It requires all documents to be prepared by a moving company registered with the state, and for any estimate given to a customer to be signed as binding by that moving company.” — “Florida releases annual A-to-F school report card, with more top grades, fewer Fs,” reports the Orlando Sentinel’s Leslie Postal and Alissa Gary.
| | PENINSULA AND BEYOND | | | | 
JetBlue is going to suspend services from Tallahassee. | Getty Images | ALREADY GONE — “JetBlue to pull out of Tallahassee International Airport after less than a year of service,” reports WCTV’s Chasity Maynard and Abby Walton. “Less than a year after JetBlue began servicing flights from the capital city, the airline has announced it will suspend all services from the Tallahassee International Airport (TLH). The JetBlue Corporate Communications Team confirmed in an email sent Wednesday evening that JetBlue will cease all operations out of Tallahassee by October 27. The team wrote that ‘underperformance and lack of customer demand’ led to the end of operations at TLH.” ‘VERY DIFFICULT’ — “Illegal drug use and violent crime are on the rise amid crisis, Cuba’s leader admits,” by the Miami Herald’s Nora Gámez Torres. “Illegal drug use and violent crime, once rare in Cuba, are on the rise, the island’s leaders have told the country’s National Assembly in a session where officials shared data showing the severity of the economic crisis and the massive scale of emigration in recent years. In closing remarks at assembly sessions last week, Cuban leader Miguel Díaz-Canel called the current economic situation ‘very difficult.’ He then acknowledged that the government is no longer able to provide needed medicines or deliver in a timely manner ‘the few’ food products that Cubans can still obtain through ration cards.” ‘AN HONOR’ — “From homeless to the 'highest of seven hills': Meet the likely FAMU interim president,” by Tallasassee Democrat’s Tarah Jean. “‘For me, it will be a 'rags to riches' story. What many may not know about my [journey] is that 40 years ago when I left FAMU as a senior physical therapy student in 1984, I ran out of money and was homeless for a while. Who could have imagined that 40 years later, that homeless young man would return to the 'Highest of Seven Hills' to be the university’s interim president,’ [incoming Interim President Timothy Beard said.]” ‘DISPROPORTIONATE’ — “Florida school board unlikely to fire mom whose transgender daughter played on girls volleyball team,” by the Associated Press’ Terry Spencer. “A district committee recommended that [Jessica] Norton receive a 10-day suspension, but [Superintendent Howard] Hepburn, who was hired in April, called for her firing. He said Tuesday he feels that’s the appropriate punishment for violating the law. During a 90-minute discussion, many board members said that seemed disproportionate. One suggested adopting the 10-day suspension, while another suggested five days.” IN MEMORIAM — “The public is invited to Orlando’s first Pulse memorial committee meeting,” by Central Florida Public Media’s Joe Mario Pedersen. “After the shooting, the OnePULSE Foundation was founded to create a permanent memorial. However, after years of misdirection and no progress, the city bought the land and began spearheading memorial efforts.”
| | | CAMPAIGN MODE | | | A FIRST — “Gun safety group March for Our Lives makes its first endorsement, backs Harris,” by The Hill’s Alex Gangitano. “The group touted Harris’s work as a champion for gun safety and said she has met regularly with advocates and survivors of gun violence as vice president.” LOSING ENDORSEMENTS — “GOP House candidate Gabrielle Fox called out for posting alleged anti-Semitic comments,” by The Palm Beach Post’s Mike Diamond. “Fox acknowledged that some of posts were authentic but claims that they are not anti-Semitic, and are truthful. ‘They are factual statements that can be verified,’ she said in an interview with The Palm Beach Post. There were other posts cited that Fox claimed were fabricated.” — “'The gloves are off': Accusations fly, campaigns get ugly ahead of Tallahassee primary,” by Tallahassee Democrat’s Jeff Burlew. CANDIDATE FORUM — “They want to take on Kathy Castor. Here’s where they stand on the issues,” by Tampa Bay Times’ Kirby Wilson. “On Monday, at a televised candidate forum hosted by Bay News 9 and the Tampa Bay Times in partnership with AARP, we heard from Congressional District 14 candidates on a range of topics, including the border, the budget, foreign affairs and the economy.” ‘A HATE CRIME’ — “GOP candidate running against Rep. James Buchanan reports sign vandalism in North Port,” by the Herald Tribune’s Melissa Pérez-Carrillo. “The sign was spray-painted blue with a racial slur and a phallic symbol, according to a North Port Police report… [Michelle Pozzie] told officers that she didn’t notice any graffiti while driving by her $40 sign on Sunday, but she noticed the spray paint at 1:30 p.m. on Monday. Pozzie is running against incumbent State Rep. James Buchanan in the Republican primary for the House District 74, which covers North Port and eastern Sarasota County.”
| | TRUMPLANDIA AND THE SWAMP | | NO MORE DRONING ON — The man who tried to assassinate former President Donald trump reportedly used a drone from Chinese company DJI to surveil the rally site before the shooting, which bolsters efforts in Congress to enact a ban on Chinese drones, Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) told POLITICO’s Daniel Lippman. The Chinese Communist Party “totally controls DJI and can get every bit of data collected by these devices, which means Communist China had a drone over a Trump rally while the USSS did not,” Scott said. He’s the lead Senate sponsor of the Countering CCP Drones Act, which would prohibit DJI and other Chinese companies from having their products licensed to be sold in the U.S. for posing what he has called “an unacceptable risk” to national security. Spokespeople for the Secret Service and DJI didn’t respond to NatSec Daily’s requests for comment. TELL ME WHY — “Cuts town 'in two': Palm Beach asks Secret Service to explain road closure near Mar-a-Lago,” by the Palm Beach Daily News’ Jodie Wagner. “In a letter sent Monday to Thomas F. Huse, chief counsel for the U.S. Secret Service, the town asked the agency to confirm that it had ordered the closure of South Ocean Boulevard from the Southern Boulevard traffic circle north to South County Road. The town also requested that the Secret Service ‘provide the legal authority authorizing it to implement the road closure for the specified duration and even when protectee(s) are not in residence in the Town.’”
| | TRANSITION TIME | | — Veteran Tallahassee reporter Gray Rohrer now covers state government and politics for USA TODAY Network’s Florida Capital Bureau. He previously worked with Florida Politics and the Orlando Sentinel.
| | | | The space economy is already woven into our lives in ways we don't always appreciate, creating a global backbone for communications, media, data, science and defense. It's also becoming an increasingly competitive zone among nations - and a venue for complex and important public-private partnerships. Join POLITICO on July 30 for a conversation about what Washington needs to understand is at stake – which sectors of the global economy see their growth arc in space, and what the role of government leaders is in both growing and regulating the explosion of orbital ideas. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN | | |  A pile of spiny lobsters are shown as Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers check to make sure that they are at least the minimum size and are not egg-bearing females during the first day of the spiny lobster mini-season, Wednesday, July 24, 2019, in Biscayne Bay, off of Miami Beach, Fla. | Wilfredo Lee/AP | | FREE DIVE — “Florida spiny lobster mini-season is Wednesday, Thursday. What to know,” by USA Today Network — Florida’s C.A. Bridges. “The spiny lobster mini-season, also called the sport season, start[ed Wednesday] and ends [Thursday]. For those two days, you can bag double the daily limit allowed during the regular season everywhere in Florida except for Monroe County and Biscayne National Park.” — “Diver looking for lobster in the Florida Keys instead finds kilo of cocaine: deputies,” by Miami Herald’s David Goodhue. — “The late Lou Dobbs owned a home in West Palm Beach that was put on market in April for $3.1 mill,” by The Palm Beach Post’s Kimberly Miller. BIRTHDAYS: Former State Rep. Anika Omphroy … Tony Welch, former spokesperson for the Democratic National Committee. | | | | 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 | | | | |
