| | | | By Bethany Irvine | Presented by | | | | | ![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/origin-static.politico.com/hosted/icon-red-circle%402x.png) | THE CATCH-UP | | SET YOUR REMINDER — Tomorrow at 8 p.m., President JOE BIDEN will address the nation from the Oval Office about his decision not to seek reelection, the White House announced. HAPPENING IMMINENTLY — Senate Majority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER and House Minority Leader HAKEEM JEFFRIES are expected to endorse VP KAMALA HARRIS for president at a joint press conference on the Hill. More from Sally Goldenburg and Daniella Diaz
| ![Election 2024 Trump Shooting Congress Kimberly Cheatle, Director, U.S. Secret Service, responds to questions as she testifies during a House Committee on Oversight and Accountability hearing on Oversight of the U.S. Secret Service and the Attempted Assassination of President Donald J. Trump, on Capitol Hill, Monday, July 22, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)](https://www.politico.com/dims4/default/1d9456f/2147483647/resize/1000x/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.politico.com%2F3f%2F94%2F853158ea43879273d4af9580b83f%2Felection-2024-trump-shooting-congress-03829.jpg) Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned in an email to staff today. | AP | CHEATLE OUT — Secret Service Director KIMBERLY CHEATLE resigned her post today, bowing to bipartisan outrage over the agency’s failures in the run-up to the assassination attempt on former President DONALD TRUMP, Betsy Woodruff Swan, Kyle Cheney, Josh Gerstein and Jordain Carney report. Earlier this morning, House Speaker MIKE JOHNSON and Minority Leader Jeffries announced they would launch a bipartisan task force (with subpoena authority) to investigate the shooting, Jordain Carney reports. After Cheatle’s announcement, Johnson said that the investigation would continue as planned, and called her resignation “overdue.” Yesterday, Cheatle appeared before the House Oversight Committee, where members grilled her over the Secret Service’s handling of the near-assassination. Her testimony did little to allay their fears, and afterward, Ranking Member JAMIE RASKIN (D-Md.) joined committee Chair JAMES COMER (R-Ky.) in calling for her resignation. Cheatle announced her departure in an agency-wide email, per ABC’s Aaaron Katersky and Luke Barr, telling the department they “fell short” of their mission to protect the nation’s leaders. “The scrutiny over the last week has been intense and will continue to remain as our operation tempo increases,” Cheatle wrote. “In light of recent events, it is with a heavy heart that I have made the difficult decision to step down.” VEEPSTAKES — As VP Harris heads to Milwaukee today for her first official campaign stop as the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, much of Washington is chattering about who she will select to join her on the ticket.
- Who hasn’t been asked for vetting materials? Though Illinois Gov. JB PRITZKER has been floated as a possible option, he told MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” today that he hasn’t received any vetting materials, Shia Kapos reports.
TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS — As Democrats coalesce around Harris, Megan Messerly writes that business interests are still wrapping their heads around what to expect from a potential Harris administration. “The puzzlement among insiders and advocacy groups reveals just how little Washington has gotten to know Harris during her seven years in the capital,” Megan writes. “The tech industry, much of it based in her home state of California, could get an ally in the White House for the first time since BARACK OBAMA. Oil and gas executives fear they’re about to have a bigger target on their back than they did under Biden. And Wall Street isn’t quite sure what to think, with watchdogs and industry donors alike singing her praises since Sunday’s bombshell.” 105 DAYS LEFT — “Trump the crook vs. ‘dumb as a rock’ Harris. The election has already gotten nasty,” by Natalie Allison Good Tuesday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me a line at birvine@politico.com.
| A message from Capital One: Capital One recently announced our historic, five-year, $265 billion community benefits plan in connection with our proposed acquisition of Discover to advance economic opportunity and financial well-being. This plan is twice as large as any other community commitment developed in connection with a bank acquisition and demonstrates that the combined Capital One and Discover will create an opportunity to provide more lending, investment, and services for underserved communities than the institutions would undertake on a stand-alone basis. | | | ![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/origin-static.politico.com/hosted/icon-red-circle%402x.png) | 6 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW | | | ![20240229 Benjamin Netanyahu - AP Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to the media.](https://www.politico.com/dims4/default/80215ae/2147483647/resize/1000x/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.politico.com%2F82%2Fee%2Fb4cdf03e4549b5b8a76941fb7804%2Fhttps-delivery-gettyimages.com%2Fdownloads%2F1719691531) Capitol Hill is abuzz ahead of Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu's address to a joint session of Congress tomorrow. | Jacquelyn Martin/AFP via Getty Images | 1. BIBI IN WASHINGTON: Israeli PM BENJAMIN NETANYAHU is in Washington this week and Capitol Hill is abuzz ahead of his address to a joint session of Congress, which is slated for 2 p.m. tomorrow. Here’s the latest:
- Ahead of Netanyahu’s speech, Anthony Adragna and Joe Gould report that House Foreign Affairs Ranking Member GREGORY MEEKS (D-N.Y.) is open to setting up a discussion with the PM. Should the opportunity come, “[w]e'll have a dialogue and open conversation and see if we can get together with Biden's plan to get Hamas to agree to get hostages home,” Meeks says.
- Multiple GOP lawmakers are lambasting VP Harris for opting out of attending tomorrow’s address, with Majority Leader STEVE SCALISE calling her absence “disgraceful.” (VP Harris will not attend Netanyahu’s speech, as our colleagues previously reported, but will be meeting him, one on one.)
Background reading: “Netanyahu’s history of clashing with U.S. presidents spans decades,” by WaPo’s Sammy Westfall and Joe Snell 2. UP IN THE AIR: Transportation Secretary PETE BUTTIGIEG announced the launch of a formal investigation into Delta Air Lines this morning following a catastrophic software failure that continues to disrupt its flight operations across the country. The department launched the inquiry “to ensure the airline is following the law and taking care of its passengers during continued widespread disruptions,” Buttigieg posted on X. “All airline passengers have the right to be treated fairly, and I will make sure that right is upheld.” More from AP’s Matt Ott and David Koenig 3. JUDICIARY SQUARE: After a Supreme Court term mired in discussions around judicial ethics, philanthropist JIM KOHLBERG is pouring $30 million into the launch of a new effort to push for overhauling the high court. “The major gift … will fund research, public outreach and policy advocacy over a decade at the prominent Brennan Center for Justice,” WaPo’s Justin Jouvenal reports. “The Kohlberg Center will advocate term limits for justices and a stronger code of ethics than the one enacted last year by the Supreme Court.”
| | 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. | | | 4. THE AGE-OLD QUESTION: WSJ’s Clare Ansberry is out with a look at how Biden’s decision to step down — and the related grumblings surrounding his age and health — has impacted older voters who are “finding parallels in their own lives when they grappled with the right time to walk away.” While supporting Biden’s decision to step down, many older voters “and others in the field of aging expressed regret about the way that it happened. They also worry about ageism in the national conversation that’s been happening around age and competency.” 5. HE’S RUNNING: West Texas Rep. AUGUST PFLUGER is launching a bid to lead the Republican Study Committee, joining fellow GOP Rep. BEN CLINE (R-Va.) and a slew of likely potential candidates in a race for the top spot for the caucus.“But don’t hold your breath for a mudslinging campaign battle,” Olivia Beavers reports: “Pfluger repeatedly declined contrasting himself with Cline or other potential candidates, instead leaning on the skills he can bring to the table.” The race ahead … “The secret ballot vote for RSC chair will take place a week after the November election. Outgoing and incoming members are not able to participate. … Both Pfluger and Cline have allies throughout the conference and are sure to have some platform overlap as they vie for the job, which could largely boil down to relationships and their vision for the role.” 6. NOT QUITE THERE: “Despite sizeable cuts to emissions, U.S. still far off track to hit its goals, report finds,” by NBC News’ Evan Bush: “Under the Paris Climate agreement “the U.S. set a goal of reducing its emissions by at least 50% below 2005 levels by 2030. The Rhodium report projects U.S. greenhouse gas emissions will fall 32% to 43% below that threshold by 2030 … The U.S. set records last year for adding solar power and clean energy storage to the grid … However, the energy transition remains far too slow to reach U.S. emissions goals without new policy measures.”
| | 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. SUBSCRI | | | | ![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/origin-static.politico.com/hosted/icon-red-circle%402x.png) | PLAYBOOKERS | | George Clooney endorsed Kamala Harris. A “corpse flower” has bloomed at the Botanic Gardens. OUT AND ABOUT — SPOTTED at a private dinner last night hosted by Drew Maloney recognizing State and Meridian International Center’s British-American Parliamentary Group: Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-Ala.), Dan Carden, Gill Furniss, Navendu Mishra, Stuart and Gwen Holliday, Sean Cahill, Jade Shields, Anne Perron, Joseph Cortina, Chris Miner, Anna Palmer, Angelique Brunner, Tiffany Atwell and Stephanie Foster. MEDIA MOVE — Jon Ward is now department VP of public affairs at the American Property Casualty Insurance Association. He previously was chief national correspondent for Yahoo News. TRANSITIONS — Kaitlyn Martin is now VP of government affairs at Verano. She previously was a principal at Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies. … Blaire Goodrick is now national finance director at the National Democratic Redistricting Committee. She previously was senior director of development at the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee. … Lori Esposito Murray is rejoining the Council on Foreign Relations as senior fellow for national security and managing director of CEO programs. She previously was president of the Committee for Economic Development of The Conference Board. 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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