| | | | |  | | By Ryan Lizza, Eugene Daniels and Rachael Bade | | Presented by |  | | | With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine
|  | DRIVING THE DAY | | ONE CEASE-FIRE DOWN — “Oasis reunites for tour and ends a 15-year hiatus during Gallagher brothers’ feud,” by AP’s Danica Kirka and Maria Sherman in London
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Questions about when, where and with whom VP Kamala Harris will finally sit down are dominating the inside conversation this week. | Julia Nikhinson/AP | THE Q&A QUESTIONS — Nearly three weeks ago, on an airport tarmac in Detroit, Eugene asked VP KAMALA HARRIS about plans for a sitdown interview. She had just formally secured the Democratic presidential nomination and was facing pressure to answer questions about her candidacy in a more formal setting. Harris gave him a deadline: “I've talked to my team,” she said. “I want us to get an interview scheduled before the end of the month.” That’s four days from now, on Saturday. Of course, “scheduled” doesn’t mean the interview will happen by then. But with the Democratic nominee generally hitting all her marks since entering the race, her scripted, light-on-policy candidacy has become an issue. And questions about when, where and with whom Harris will finally sit down are dominating the inside conversation this week. (DONALD TRUMP has stepped up the pace of his interviews, partially to highlight the gap.) Harris campaign staff have been asking reporters who they think she should talk to. Behind the scenes, TV producers from big name anchors have been calling the campaign to pitch their talent as the person she has to do it with. Harris has had a light schedule since accepting the nomination Thursday in Chicago, and several sources said she has been using the time not just to prepare for her Sept. 10 debate with Trump, but to map out a media strategy for the next few weeks. Here are some of the questions rattling around about the decision … — Who should you send your pitch to? One source of intrigue concerns who in Harris world will actually make this decision. BRIAN FALLON, the campaign’s senior adviser for communications, is generally considered the key person. But the interview has to be coordinated with Harris’s official office, where the communications director is KIRSTEN ALLEN. We hear there are some tensions. Another source with knowledge of the process said that STEPHANIE CUTTER, senior adviser for message and strategy, will have an outsized role, as well. Campaign chair JEN O’MALLEY DILLON and senior advisor DAVID PLOUFFE represent another camp. And MAYA HARRIS and TONY WEST, Harris’s sister and brother-in-law, will weigh in with their own views. The political operatives on this list all have long-term relationships with TV networks and their major talent. But unlike Biden, Harris herself doesn’t have the same deep history with the journalists now wooing her. — What’s the goal? There has been considerable debate in Harris world about the purpose and timing of the interview. The main narrative in the political press is that Harris needs to do a lengthy serious interview with a brand-name news anchor who will push her on issues. Harris herself has expressed disagreement with that view, we’re told by two people, telling some Democrats she doesn’t need a big showy interview. In October, Harris did a sitdown with BILL WHITAKER on "60 Minutes" and talked foreign policy. Some of the exchanges were testy and some Harris aides came away unhappy with the experience. Former Harris comms adviser ASHLEY ETIENNE told Playbook she thought Harris should have three goals for the interview. “The first goal would be to peel back some layers on the vice president and show some new dimensions to her,” Etienne said. “There are questions about her worldview and ethos and who she is as a leader.” The convention, she noted, dealt mostly with her bio so any interview should aim to add depth in other areas. The second goal would be policy. “To be honest, a big audience for this is the inside-the-beltway crowd that really cares about this,” Etienne said. “So she should substantively draw some distinctions with Biden on some policy issues.” “Third, show her visually as commander-in-chief,” she said. “I would want her to do some in her office at the White House, show her on the road, and also take you inside her home” at the Naval Observatory. Her pick? Sit down with GAYLE KING on CBS. — Who else is in the running? The universe of reporters in the mix for this interview is relatively small, especially if the Harris campaign is set on making it a network TV event. ABC’s DAVID MUIR, who has the highest ratings, is co-moderating the Sept. 10 debate, a fact that several TV veterans said might take him and everyone else at the network out of the running for a pre-debate interview. CBS’s NORAH O’DONNELL or NBC’s LESTER HOLT were mentioned the most by people we pinged last night. NBC’s SAVANNAH GUTHRIE was also a popular choice. Going to a home team booster on MSNBC would not satisfy the media chatter about being challenged in a tough environment, but it can’t be ruled out, and a morning show interview with King might attract the same criticism. At CNN, DANA BASH, JAKE TAPPER, ANDERSON COOPER, KAITLAN COLLINS and ABBY PHILLIP were all considered possibilities. Going to Holt would make a statement, because he conducted the most famous Harris interview that went off the rails for her. O'Donnell recently announced she’s leaving the CBS Evening News, so it could be a nice capstone for her if Harris cares about that. Almost everyone we talked to said Harris will consider race and gender in making her choice, and that she would be keen to sit down with a Black and/or female reporter, though nobody believes that’s a requirement. — What about Tim? One of the issues that Harris world is currently working to address is how to deploy running mate TIM WALZ in the media. The danger in sending him out to do big solo interviews is that he might not have a full command of where Harris is on every issue. As someone pointed out to us last night, Harris talks about the “opportunity economy,” but if Walz were asked to define it, would he know how? Running mates generally do a joint interview during a presidential campaign, and this could be an opportunity for that. They tend to be softer and focus more on the relationship between the two candidates, so a morning show could make sense. Good Tuesday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza.
| | | | A message from Evernorth Health Services:   | | | FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Somos PAC and Priorities USA Action are launching a $5 million bilingual ad campaign, dubbed The Margins Project, intended to target Latino voters in historically under-invested zip codes in battleground states to support the Harris campaign. The ad campaign will run on various platforms, with a heavy investment in YouTube, highlighting Harris’ record on the economy, immigration and abortion. Watch an ad KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE — “Trump Camp Spends Tens of Thousands to Air Ads In and Around Mar-a-Lago,” by the Bulwark’s Sam Stein: “Palm Beach County is a Democratic stronghold in a Republican state that Trump has little chance of losing. But Trump’s staff is at some risk of incurring his wrath if he — and his Palm Beach pals — don’t see his ads at Mar-a-Lago, a factor that insiders say compelled the purchase.” TAKING THE FIFTH (SERIOUSLY) — “How a Federal Court in New Orleans Is Driving the Conservative Agenda,” by NYT’s Mattathias Schwartz: “In a few of the biggest Supreme Court decisions of the last few years — including Dobbs v. Jackson, which ended a 49-year right to abortion — it was the Fifth Circuit that first ruled on the case, teeing it up for Supreme Court review and a seismic moment in American law and politics. And in the Supreme Court’s upcoming term, which begins in early October, the justices have agreed to hear five more cases from the Fifth Circuit, including a challenge to regulating so-called ghost guns.”
| | | | | | WHAT'S HAPPENING TODAY | | | On the Hill The Senate and the House are out. What we’re watching … Machine politics might be on the wane in New Jersey, but the sudden death last week of Democratic Rep. BILL PASCRELL is giving party bosses a big opportunity to flex their muscle. North Jersey Democrats have until Thursday to replace Pascrell’s name on the ballot and yesterday three powerful county party chairs endorsed state Sen. NELLIE POU, Matt Friedman reports for Pros. Already one other top contender has dropped his campaign, and another is suggesting she might “give some thought to [her] plans” in light of the growing support for Pou, 68, who won Pascrell’s legislative seat after went to Congress in 1997. In any case, the Democratic nominee will be heavily favored over Republican BILLY PREMPEH. At the White House Biden and Harris will receive the President’s Daily Brief in the morning. Harris will receive briefings and conduct internal meetings with staff and later deliver a video message during the African Methodist Episcopal Church’s 52nd Quadrennial Session of the General Conference taking place in Columbus, Ohio. On the trail Second gentleman DOUG EMHOFF will deliver remarks at a campaign reception in NYC on behalf of the Harris Victory Fund in the afternoon.
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On Thursday, POLITICO and Bayer convened four conversations at the CNN-POLITICO Grill at the DNC. The program featured Bayer’s Senior Vice President, Head of Crop Science and Sustainability Communications, Jessica Christiansen, as well as conversations with Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), Rep. Nikki Budzinski (D-IL), and Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) about agriculture, food policy and how these issues will impact the November election. CATCH UP HERE. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | 2024 WATCH
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With Donald Trump’s namesake 2017 tax cuts set to expire at the end of next year, trillions of dollars are potentially at stake. | Ben Gray/AP | IT’S ALWAYS TAX SEASON — Taxes have become a fixture of the campaign debate between Harris and Trump — which makes sense, given that the issue could provide the first major policy test for the next president in 2025. With Trump’s namesake 2017 tax cuts set to expire at the end of next year, trillions of dollars are potentially at stake, and the fight will test whether Democrats can play offense on a field that has long favored Republicans, Benjamin Guggenheim and Bernie Becker write. “Traditionally, taxes haven’t been a winning issue for Democrats. Republicans claimed the mantle of the party of tax cuts in the 1980s and put their opponents on the defensive. But Democrats have been emboldened by polling that shows the Trump tax cuts were never really that popular and believe they have a winning argument in targeting high earners and corporations for higher taxes, which polls well.” In a new ad that begins airing today, Harris is going on offense to win over voters who still give Trump an edge on the economy, Adam Cancryn reports. The ad, titled “Everyday,” features clips of Harris’ speech earlier this month unveiling a series of economic proposals and is part of a $150 million post-convention ad blitz targeting battleground states. Meanwhile, the Penn Wharton Budget Model, is up with a reality check on Trump’s proposed policies: “We estimate that the Trump Campaign tax and spending proposals would increase primary deficits by $5.8 trillion over the next 10 years on a conventional basis and by $4.1 trillion on a dynamic basis that includes economic feedback effects. Households across all income groups benefit on a conventional basis.” More top reads:
- Georgia on my mind: The Democratic Party, backed by the Harris campaign, filed a lawsuit yesterday challenging Georgia’s new election certification rules, “warning that they will ‘invite chaos’ if the results are disputed,” the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Mark Niesse reports. Read the suit
- A taste of the city: Trump yesterday “made a visit to the Eden Center, the Vietnamese shopping and dining destination in Falls Church, Virginia, where he gave a short campaign speech and sampled dishes from Truong Tien, an exquisite jewel box of a restaurant that specializes in Hue royal cuisine,” WaPo’s Tim Carman writes. In other stops in Virginia and Detroit, Trump blamed Biden and Harris for “America’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, which he argued led to the conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine,” NYT’s Michael Gold reports.
- How it’s playing: Though Harris is not leaning heavily into any one aspect of her identity, her Indian background “has been embraced by some but rings hollow for others,” WaPo’s Anumita Kaur writes. “Some view Harris as Black, but not Indian American, and say her identity matters less than policies; others contend that Donald Trump would be better for small business owners; while some worry Harris won’t prioritize a strong American relationship with Indian Prime Minister NARENDRA MODI, a Hindu nationalist.”
- Ad astra: If elected, Trump said he’ll push to establish a Space National Guard, backing a new proposal for part-time space personnel that the Biden administration opposes, Connor O’Brien and Lisa Kashinsky write. “The surprise move by Trump puts the campaign spotlight on an issue that has governors of both parties — and National Guard leaders — at odds with the Pentagon and has divided Congress.”
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Telegram co-founder Pavel Durov is accused of complicity in illegal online behavior and refusing to disclose information to authorities. | Tatan Syuflana/AP | THE SOCIAL NETWORK — Over the weekend, Telegram founder PAVEL DUROV was arrested at an airport outside Paris, accused of complicity in illegal online behavior and refusing to disclose information to authorities. In response, right-leaning American political figures including TUCKER CARLSON, ELON MUSK and MARJORIE TAYLOR-GREENE have leapt to Durov’s defense. Left-leaning civil liberties groups also took Telegram’s side — to a point. “The arrest is casting a spotlight on the messy global status of a messaging app whose sprawling reach and commitment to free speech have earned it a rotating cast of friends and enemies in the political arena, and whose multinational structure raises tough questions about enforcing digital rules in the age of social media,” Mohar Chatterjee, Derek Robertson and Maggie Miller report. “Telegram’s radical free speech position puts it in an unusual position among global social apps.” One social media star who appears to be stepping out of the political spotlight is Meta CEO MARK ZUCKERBERG. In a letter sent to House Judiciary Chair JIM JORDAN (R-Ohio), Zuckerberg stated that he doesn’t intend to spend heavily on election access again this cycle, WSJ’s Siobhan Hughes reports. Although “many localities said the [2020] money was a lifeline helping them register voters, set up socially-distanced voting booths and provide equipment to sort mail-in ballots,” Zuckerberg wrote, “I know that some people believe this work benefited one party over the other.” He added that his goal now “is to be neutral and not play a role one way or another — or to even appear to be playing a role.” Related read: “Social platform X edits AI chatbot after election officials warn that it spreads misinformation,” by AP’s Christine Fernando More top reads:
- STEVE HILTON, the former Fox News host and policy adviser to British PM DAVID CAMERON, is seriously considering a GOP run to succeed GAVIN NEWSOM as California governor in two years, Chris Cadelago scoops.
- The League of United Latin American Citizens is requesting that DOJ’s civil rights division “open an investigation into a recent spate of state raids on the homes of Latino elected leaders, candidates and political operatives in South Texas,” WaPo’s Arelis Hernández reports from San Antonio, conducted by state AG KEN PAXTON’s office.
- Republican leaders in Tennessee yesterday “threatened to withhold tens of millions of dollars in state funding from left-leaning Memphis should leaders continue with plans to place three local gun control initiatives on the November ballot,” AP’s Kimberlee Kruesi reports.
| | | CONGRESS A TALE OF TWO INQUIRIES — A split screen played out yesterday over how to handle the probe into the failed assassination attempt against Trump, Jordain Carney writes. On the ground in Butler, Pennsylvania, members of the bipartisan task force appointed by Speaker MIKE JOHNSON and House Minority Leader HAKEEM JEFFRIES viewed the site of Trump’s July 13 rally and met with local law enforcement. But back in Washington, five conservative lawmakers who are determined to look into the episode themselves, held an event — billed as a forum held at the Heritage Foundation — vowing to push forward with their own inquiry into the assassination attempt. To say the least, the conservatives will face an uphill battle with no subpoena power, leaving them to rely on whistleblowers and public information. JUDICIARY SQUARE CANNON FODDER — Special counsel JACK SMITH yesterday urged a federal appeals court to reinstate the criminal case charging Trump with hoarding classified documents and obstructing the federal investigation into their presence at his Florida estate, Josh Gerstein and Kyle Cheney report. “Smith argued that U.S. District Judge AILEEN CANNON made a series of errors when she dismissed the case in July after agreeing with arguments from Trump’s lawyers that Attorney General MERRICK GARLAND’s appointment of the special counsel was unconstitutional.” But don’t expect Smith’s move to resurrect the case anytime soon. “Smith filed his brief a day before it was due, effectively moving up Trump’s deadline to respond by a day. However, the special prosecutor has not asked for expedited treatment of the appeal, meaning it will likely stretch for months before it is resolved by a three-judge panel of the Atlanta-based appeals court. After that, further appeals to the full bench of the 11th Circuit or the Supreme Court are possible, if not likely.” Read the 81-page filing THE GROCERY LIST — The FTC’s case against the merger of Kroger and Albertsons got underway yesterday, where the grocers argued the deal “would bolster their leverage with suppliers and improve competition against major retailers like Costco, Amazon and Walmart,” NYT’s Danielle Kaye writes from Portland, Oregon. The agency “reiterated its position that the merger would probably result in higher prices for groceries and worse conditions for workers.” SCOTUS WATCH LIST — “Do Americans Have a Constitutional Right to an AR-15? Gun-Rights Groups Ask the Supreme Court,” by WSJ’s Jacob Gershman: “Should the conservative Supreme Court take up the case in its new term, it could put some of the gun-control movement’s biggest victories in jeopardy.” AMERICA AND THE WORLD
|  A worker inspects the remains of a burned car that was hit by an Israeli strike in the southern port city of Sidon in Lebanon on Monday, Aug. 26. | Mohammed Zaatari/AP Photo | MIDDLE EAST LATEST — Global fears of an all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah appear to be on ice, “at least for now, as both sides returned on Monday to more contained confrontations along the Israel-Lebanon border,” NYT’s Patrick Kingsley reports from Jerusalem. “But any relief has been tempered by renewed anxiety and uncertainty: Despite the apparent postponement of a bigger regional war, Israel’s grinding conflicts with both Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza still have no end in sight. “The trajectories of both wars depend largely on Prime Minister BENJAMIN NETANYAHU of Israel and YAHYA SINWAR of Hamas, who both fear for their own political survival should they agree to a cease-fire in Gaza on terms that they or their supporters deem unfavorable.” The reality on the ground: “Tens of thousands of civilians remain displaced from both sides of the border. The war in Gaza rages on. And all parties are still waiting for Iran’s expected retaliation for the brazen July assassination of Hamas political leader ISMAIL HANIYEH in Tehran,” WaPo’s Steve Hendrix, John Hudson, Susannah George, Suzan Haidamous and Mohamad El Chamaa write. More top reads:
- Ukrainian officials will be in D.C. this week, where they plan to present U.S. officials with a list of long-range targets in Russia that they think Kyiv’s military can hit if Washington were to lift its restrictions on U.S. weapons, Erin Banco and Paul McLeary report.
| | | | DON’T MISS OUR AI & TECH SUMMIT: Join POLITICO’s AI & Tech Summit for exclusive interviews and conversations with senior tech leaders, lawmakers, officials and stakeholders about where the rising energy around global competition — and the sense of potential around AI and restoring American tech knowhow — is driving tech policy and investment. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Yadira Caraveo recently sought treatment at Walter Reed for symptoms of depression. Cornel West wants to pick up the anti-vax vote from Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Jill Stein is staying on the Wisconsin ballot. Joshua Kushner and Karlie Kloss have a swanky new California home. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Rob Friedlander and Zayn Siddique are joining the Harris-Walz campaign as advisers to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, focusing on strategic planning and debate preparations. Both are Biden-Harris administration alums. MEDIA MOVE — Jackie Padilla, senior video producer at POLITICO and national secretary of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, is now an adjunct professor at the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland, teaching its first-ever social video journalism course. TRANSITIONS — Hadley Heath Manning is joining The Steamboat Institute as EVP. She previously was VP for policy at Independent Women’s Forum and Independent Women’s Voice. … Kristen Constantine is joining the Health Resources and Services Administration as a senior adviser. She previously was VP at Venn Strategies. … Jake Thompson is joining RMI, a clean energy think tank, as strategic comms manager for U.S. federal and state policy. He previously worked in comms at the NRDC and is a Ben Nelson alum. ENGAGED — Former Rep. Joe García (D-Fla.) and Anna Hochkammer, executive director of the Florida Women’s Freedom Coalition, got engaged on Sunday in Martha’s Vineyard. The couple met in Miami during spring 2021. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: New York Gov. Kathy Hochul … DNI Avril Haines … Roger Stone … Steve Clemons … Jennifer Senior … Fox News’ David Spunt … POLITICO’s Darius Dixon and Kasi Perkins … Megan Cassella of CNBC … Francesca McCrary … Ty Matsdorf … Leah Daughtry … Benjamin Haas … CNN’s Jedd Rosche … Vanessa Wruble … George Hartmann … Kelsey Berg … Francisco Flores-Pourrat … Sarah Schenning of Sen. Chris Van Hollen’s (D-Md.) office … Moutray McLaren … Spencer Silverman of the House Battleground Fund … Pete Boyle … TikTok’s Mac Abrams … former Sen. Bob Kerrey (D-Neb.) … August Skamenca ... Gary Cohn … NBC’s Josh Mankiewicz … Karla Raettig of the National Wildlife Federation Action Fund … Jinnie Christensen of BGR … Michael Boots of Breakthrough Energy … Peter Sterne … DNC’s Kelly Ramirez … David Iaconangelo 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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