| | | | |  | | By Rachael Bade, Ryan Lizza and Eugene Daniels | | Presented by |  | | | With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine
|  | DRIVING THE DAY | | STILL NOT SETTLED — Playbook on Monday brought you news that the KAMALA HARRIS and DONALD TRUMP campaigns were at odds over how the microphones will be handled at their Sept. 10 debate. The Trump campaign and host ABC News have insisted the mics will be muted for the nonspeaking candidate, as they were at the June 27 debate, but Harris this morning is continuing to insist otherwise. “Donald Trump is surrendering to his advisors who won't allow him to debate with a live microphone” Harris wrote on X this morning. “If his own team doesn't have confidence in him, the American people definitely can’t. We are running for President of the United States. Let’s debate in a transparent way—with the microphones on the whole time.”
|  Donald Trump appears to have no idea how to address his critical vulnerability among women voters. | Jamie Kelter Davis for POLITICO | TRUMP’S WIDENING WOMAN WOES — We’ve already written plenty about how this election is shaping up to have the largest gender gap in modern history, with polls suggesting that women will be favoring Harris over Trump by historically gaping margins. What’s also becoming increasingly clear in recent days is that Trump appears to have no idea how to address this critical vulnerability. He seems intent in some ways on making it worse. After bragging for years that he was the president who ushered in the demise of Roe v. Wade, he spent much of the last week gyrating over abortion laws in his home state of Florida. Asked about a ballot measure that would overturn Florida’s six-week ban and establish a right to abortion in the Sunshine State, he criticized the existing law in comments on NBC, leading some to infer that he planned to vote for the initiative. That, of course, infuriated anti-abortion activists who have been a key part of his electoral base. Now, Trump is on record saying he’ll vote against the ballot measure — thus keeping the six-week law in place. In so doing he further revealed his soft underbelly on reproductive rights, giving Democrats fodder to argue that women should take none of his promises seriously on this critical matter. Which brings us to Trump’s promise this week to provide in vitro fertilization coverage for all Americans — whether by mandating that insurance companies cover it or funding it directly with taxpayer money — which increasingly looks like a desperate attempt to win over the women he’s struggling with. It’s no secret why he might want to seize on an issue that pulls at the hearts of many Americans who struggle with fertility challenges. The sheer cost of the procedure — upwards of $40,000 a pop, with no guarantee of success — has kept IVF out of reach for most. (Full disclosure: The only reason one of these authors has a 2-year-old right now is because she worked at a rare company that covered the treatment, enabling her to try the procedure five times.) But the offhand nature of Trump’s promise and his party’s record on the issue raise questions about just how serious Trump is. Just a few weeks ago, all but two Senate Republicans (including Trump’s own running mate) voted to block a bill that would have done much of that, protecting access to IVF after an Alabama court effectively outlawed it, and mandating insurance companies cover it. And let’s be straight for a minute: There’s about a zero percent chance that a Republican-led Congress would ever vote to have the government pay for this very pricey elective procedure. And putting the burden on insurance companies to cover it flies against decades of GOP orthodoxy on health care policy. Beyond the abortion and IVF questions, Trump has continued to exhibit a downright nasty tone toward female adversaries. This week he retweeted a social media post suggesting Harris and HILLARY CLINTON did sexual favors to get where they are, an allegation that rings disgustingly familiar to women who too often have been on the receiving end of such frivolous allegations. And just weeks after getting blowback for his old “childless cat lady” comments, VP nominee J.D. VANCE renewed his own flippant disregard: In a post on X, he likened Harris’ CNN interview to a rambling beauty queen, posting a 17-year-old clip of a Miss Teen USA contestant struggling to answer a question on stage. Yesterday, that woman, CAITLIN “CAITE” UPTON, called Vance out for engaging in what essentially amounted to cyberbullying, before entirely deleting her social media account,according to the Post and Courier. “Regardless of political beliefs, one thing I do know is that social media and online bullying needs to stop," she wrote . In a statement, Vance’s campaign declined to apologize for the post, accusing Democrats of “clutching their pearls over a funny tweet using one of the most famous memes on the internet” and saying they’re focused on “real” issues instead. “Anyone that’s watched Kamala Harris for more than a minute knows she’s too incompetent to sit in the Oval Office, this faux outrage isn’t going to change that fact,” Vance spokesperson TAYLOR VAN KIRK said. Asked about each of these issues, the Trump campaign declined to get specific. But spokeswoman KAROLINE LEAVITT said in a statement that “Trump’s record is clear” on reproductive rights — and turned attention to Harris. “Harris tries to hide her extreme position of supporting abortion up to the moment of birth,” she said. “Try to get Harris to tell you if she’d favor any restrictions at all. You can’t.” Democrats haven’t been scared of this line of attack and they continue to see it as one of their most potent issues. The Harris campaign on Tuesday will begin a reproductive-freedom-themed bus tour of swing states. It is set to kick off in Palm Beach, Florida — right in Trump’s backyard. Related reads: “Trump Contorts Himself on Abortion in Search of Political Gain,” by NYT’s Jonathan Swan and Maggie Haberman … “Harris slams Trump for saying he's voting against Florida abortion amendment,” by CNN's Ebony Davis … “More Voters, Especially Women, Now Say Abortion Is Their Top Issue,” by NYT’s Ruth Igielnik Good Saturday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza.
| | | | A message from Evernorth Health Services:   | | | TRUMP’S OTHER CONTORTION — There’s another Florida issue where Trump is trying to walk a very fine line: marijuana policy. Voters there are set to decide whether to legalize the possession and use of up to 3 ounces of weed, and Trump heretofore had been silent on the issue. This morning, on Truth Social, he spoke out without taking a firm position: “Whether people like it or not, this will happen through the approval of the Voters, so it should be done correctly. We need the State Legislature to responsibly create laws that prohibit the use of it in public spaces, so we do not smell marijuana everywhere we go, like we do in many of the Democrat run Cities. At the same time, someone should not be a criminal in Florida, when this is legal in so many other States. We do not need to ruin lives & waste Taxpayer Dollars arresting adults with personal amounts of it on them, and no one should grieve a loved one because they died from fentanyl laced marijuana.” ON THE OTHER HAND — “Kamala Harris’ Policy Void: A Weakness Democrats Love to Have,” by Matthew Kaminski: “What does it mean to owe few explicit debts? You can design a convention, like the one in Chicago, with little of the identity politics or Gaza passions that tore up your side for years. You can stay ambiguous on policy prescriptions when you want to — no one’s in any position to deny her a check or an endorsement in exchange for a promise to adopt this or cancel that. … Most magically of all: You somehow come across looking like the newcomer. The other guy, in a trick like none seen before, went from beating the aging incumbent in Biden to finding himself as the aging incumbent.”
| | | | | WHAT'S HAPPENING TODAY | | At the White House Biden and Harris have no events on their public schedules.
| | | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | 9 THINGS THAT STUCK WITH US
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Special Counsel Jack Smith’s team obtained a superseding indictment this week against Donald Trump. | Drew Angerer/Getty Images | 1. JACK SMITH LATEST: Instead of recommending a new schedule to prosecute Trump for his attempt to undermine the 2020 election, Special Counsel JACK SMITH told U.S. District Judge TANYA CHUTKAN on Friday that the decision on the case’s timeline is entirely up to her, Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein report. The move comes after Smith’s team obtained a superseding indictment this week against the former president on four felony charges related to his effort to subvert the 2020 presidential election. Instead of suggesting a set schedule for the case, Smith advised Chutkan to address Trump's several attempts to discount the evidence at around the same time: “The murky stance from the special counsel is a sharp break from the urgency he demanded for much of the last year since he initially charged Trump,” Kyle and Josh report. Meanwhile, Trump’s legal team “put forward a specific proposal that would allow pretrial motions in the case to stretch into January. His lawyers also hinted at additional proceedings that could extend deep into 2025.” Related read: “Trump's lawyers to seek dismissal of federal election subversion case as two sides weigh next steps,” by AP’s Eric Tucker 2. MORE ARLINGTON FALLOUT: Trump provided a lengthy justification yesterday of his controversial decision to pose for photos at Arlington National Cemetery earlier this week. During back to back campaign stops in Pennsylvania and D.C., Trump argued that he was invited by families of service soldiers killed in Afghanistan and not for a campaign event: “They tell me that I used their graves for public relations services, and I didn’t,” Trump said. Trump also pointed the finger at the White House for “making his visit and photo shoot a political issue, saying he received a call from someone in the administration, who he did not identify, who told him the photos taken were for public relations purposes,” Kierra Frazier reports: “It’s just so disgusting, and I’ll tell you, I get a lot of publicity and I don’t need that publicity,” Trump said. 3. ON THE MONEY: New Hampshire congressional candidate MAGGIE GOODLANDER is raising eyebrows with a recent financial disclosure that has “raised questions over the actual value of sizable assets she holds,” The Hill’s Taylor Giorno and Caroline Vakil report. Goodlander, a former Biden DOJ official, is running to fill Rep. ANNIE KUSTER’s (D-N.H.) seat following her retirement announcement. Her latest financial report “has puzzled experts because it lists the value of multiple easily verifiable assets as ‘undetermined,’ including checking, retirement and investment accounts; treasury notes; cash bonds; and several properties or pieces of land, even those the report indicates are currently for sale.” 4. THE FLIP SIDE OF ABORTION POLITICS: “In N.C., some Black voters are uneasy with Harris’s abortion rights focus,” by WaPo’s Cleve Wootson: “[I]n North Carolina, the social justice movement that undergirds Democratic politics was incubated in the Black church, which is often socially conservative and still sponsors efforts to get ‘Souls to the Polls’ each November. … . For many North Carolina Democrats, the excitement over [Harris’] candidacy could overcome concern over social issues. Even so, some voters’ discomfort with abortion rights could have a real impact in the state.” 5. A TALE OF TWO CONVENTIONS: Jessica Piper is out with a 30,000 foot-view of how speeches at this year’s Republican and Democratic national conventions illustrate the dueling narratives of both the parties themselves and the Harris and Trump campaigns: “Republicans paint a picture of families that are being crushed by inflation, fearful of crime and at risk from threatening foreign adversaries. Democrats say those challenges are overstated — and in any case, ones they are fixing … Over the course of more than 24 hours of speeches, speakers hit on some common themes: The economy, immigration, crime and international conflicts were among the most-talked about issues at both.”
| | | 6. KNOWING BLAS NUÑEZ-NETO: “The quiet technocrat who steered Biden’s effort to tighten the border,” by WaPo’s Nick Miroff: “A data-driven technocrat, Nuñez-Neto has engineered Biden’s pivot toward tougher border enforcement and sweeping restrictions on asylum — moves that have helped slash illegal crossings by nearly 80 percent since December. … . The formula: Be generous and welcoming to immigrants seeking to come lawfully, but stingy and firm with those who don’t.” 7. MIDDLE EAST LATEST: “15 Islamic State group fighters dead, at least 6 U.S. soldiers injured in raid on terror group in Iraq,” by NBC News’ Courtney Kube and Phil Helsel: “The operation took place Thursday in Anbar in western Iraq, the officials said. Some of the dead ISIS figures were in leadership. … There was no indication of any civilian casualties, CENTCOM said in the statement. ‘Iraqi Security Forces continue to further exploit the locations raided,’ it said.” 8. CLIMATE CORNER: The White House’s $400 billion federal clean-energy loan program is ramping up efforts to disburse funds to clean-energy businesses as fears swirl around a potential second Trump Administration, WSJ’s Scott Patterson and Amrith Ramkumar report: “The office announced a $1.45 billion pledge to a big solar-panel maker, a $1.2 billion deal with a maker of battery parts and an $861 million agreement for solar farms and battery storage in Puerto Rico …Companies fear that loan commitments could end up in limbo if Trump wins.” 9. LIFE IS A HIGHWAY: “Biden’s plan to rip down inner city highways risks ‘epic fail,’” by Mike Lee: “[The Biden] administration and Congress have set aside billions of dollars to remove inner-city freeways and reconnect neighborhoods that were sundered by road projects of the 1950s and ’60s. … But city reclamation projects in upstate New York and elsewhere are in danger if Donald Trump takes back the White House … The highway removal programs are vulnerable too because little of the money has made it out the door.”
| | | CLICKER — “The nation’s cartoonists on the week in politics,” edited by Matt Wuerker — 17 keepers
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Darrin Bell - King Features | GREAT WEEKEND READS, curated by Ryan Lizza: — “The Man Who Will Do Anything For Trump,” by The Atlantic’s Elaina Plott Calabro: “Why Kash Patel is exactly the kind of person who would serve in a second Trump administration.” — “Why Is the Loneliness Epidemic So Hard to Cure?” by Matthew Shaer in NYT Magazine: “Maybe because we aren’t thinking about it in the right way.” — “The Death of School 10,” by Alec MacGillis for The New Yorker: “How declining enrollment is threatening the future of American public education.” — “The Man Behind the Steele Dossier Is Ready to Talk,” by Rolling Stone’s Reid Forgrave: “The right calls Igor Danchenko a Russian spy. The left blames him for the still-unverified information he collected. His own mother thinks he’s a double agent. Now, he's telling his side.” — “Who really murdered Pier Paolo Pasolini?” by FT’s Marianna Giusti: “One man’s unending mission to solve the mysterious and brutal killing of the Italian film director.” — “A Fake Spy, Russian Oil and $1 Million Funneled to Democrats,” by WSJ’s Joe Wallace: “Former business partner claims Gaurav Srivastava scammed millions by posing as a CIA operative; a photo op with Biden.” — “Unmasking the fake MAGA accounts: stolen photos and digital lies,” by Benjamin Strick of the Centre for Information Resilience: “A network of fake accounts are posing as young American women and posting pro-Trump content online, but they’re hiding behind – and in some cases manipulating – the images of European fashion influencers.” — “How to Make Millions as a Professional Whistleblower,” by Gordy Megroz for GQ: “A little-known provision in US law permits anyone to blow the whistle on financial fraud—and potentially take home a percentage of the funds collected. One undercover sleuth has made a wild career out of it.” — “Eric Goode: From Tiger King Joe Exotic to ‘Chimp Crazy’ Moms,” by Lane Brown for Vulture: “How a former nightclub impresario and reptile enthusiast became one of the most successful doc filmmakers of our time.”
| | | PLAYBOOKERS | | | Donald Trump was bequeathed a condo in a senior community. FOR YOUR RADAR — COURIER publisher Tara McGowan and political expert Simon Rosenberg announced a new weekly video series Closing Strong aimed at "demystifying the state of the race in the lead up to Election Day." The first episode features North Carolina Democratic Party Chair Anderson Clayton and WIRED reporter Makena Kelly. Watch here FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Ari Krupkin will be senior adviser for advance at the White House. He most recently was director of strategic planning and protocol in the office of the secretary at Treasury. MEDIA MOVE — Mallory Culhane will be a general assignment reporter on the litigation desk at Bloomberg Law. She previously was tech policy reporter and author of Morning Tech at POLITICO. TRANSITIONS — Benjamin Della Rocca is now a director for technology and national security at the NSC. He most recently was a senior policy adviser at the White House. … Hila Levy is now assistant director for international affairs at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. She most recently was director for science, technology and workforce strategy at the NSC. ENGAGED — Bijan Mehryar, global public policy lead at Block, and Molly Pitegoff, toxicologist at Altria, got engaged yesterday at the Georgetown Waterfront, where they walked along the path before celebrating at Fiola Mare. The couple met in December of 2019 at an after-party for the California International Marathon in Sacramento, which Molly ran and Bijan spectated. Pic HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-Ariz.) … Tommy Vietor of Crooked Media … Ryan Ellis … Brian Johnson of Veterans Guardian … Scott Shalett … Lauren Fine … NYT’s Tom Kaplan and Patrick Healy … Kim Hefling … Ed Goeas of the Tarrance Group … Mattie Duppler of Amazon … Alex Schriver … POLITICO’s Paul Demko … Justin Myers of Blue Leadership Collaborative … Leland Vittert and Elena Isella of NewsNation … Andy Morimoto … States Newsroom’s Jennifer Shutt … CNN’s Josh Campbell … Kaylin Minton … Bennett Resnik … Andy Richards of the AFL-CIO … former Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R-Ind.) … Elizabeth Pemmerl … Danielle Lindsay … Nicole Watkins of New Heights Communications. THE SHOWS (Full Sunday show listings here): ABC “This Week”: Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) … Colorado Gov. Jared Polis. Panel: Donna Brazile, Reince Priebus, Rick Klein and Vivian Salama. CBS “Face the Nation”: Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey … Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) … Sean O'Brien … Mitch Landrieu … David Becker. FOX “Fox News Sunday”: Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) … Corey Lewandowski. Panel: Matt Gorman, Marie Harf, Jeff Mason and Roger Zakheim. NBC “Meet the Press”: Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) … Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.). Panel: Molly Ball, Lanhee Chen, María Teresa Kumar and David Rohde. CNN “State of the Union”: Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) … Tulsi Gabbard. Panel: Karen Finney, Scott Jennings, Meghan Hays and Shermichael Singleton.
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