| | | | |  | | By Rachael Bade, Ryan Lizza and Eugene Daniels | | Presented by |  | | | With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine
|  | DRIVING THE DAY | | | | | FROM ZERO BOND TO CASH BOND — NYC Mayor ERIC ADAMS, who once deemed himself the “face of the new Democratic Party,” was indicted by federal prosecutors yesterday, making him the first mayor in city history to be charged while in office. Though the indictment was sealed, prosecutors are expected to detail the charges later today. “The investigation that led to the indictment has focused in part on whether the mayor conspired with the Turkish government to funnel illegal foreign donations into his coffers in exchange for pressing the Fire Department to approve a new, high-rise Turkish consulate in Midtown despite safety concerns,” per the NYT, which scooped the story. In a video message last night, a defiant Adams gave a Trumpian response to the news, vowing that he would not step down from his post and will fight the expected charges from the feds, decrying them as “entirely false, based on lies.” More from Joe Anuta and Jeff Coltin HAPPENING TODAY — “Jack Smith has one last chance before Election Day to present his best evidence against Donald Trump,” by Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein LEDE OF THE DAY — From Victoria Guida’s latest: “Treasury Secretary JANET YELLEN spends a lot of her energy thinking about what might threaten the U.S. financial system. She wants to ensure that the market where the U.S. government borrows money is running smoothly. She’s worried about hedge funds that load up on debt. She’d like banks to be better prepared for a crisis. These days, there’s also another, more foundational item on her list: whether we’ll have a peaceful transition of power after the 2024 election.” More from Victoria's interview, previewing Yellen’s big speech today
|  Jockeying is heating up as the leadership election nears in the race to replace Sen. Mitch McConnell. | Alex Brandon/AP Photo | FOLLOW THE LEADER — The race to replace MITCH McCONNELL as Senate GOP leader has been sleepy all summer, with the two frontrunners — JOHN THUNE and JOHN CORNYN — keeping their pitches to colleagues mostly private. But behind the scenes, jockeying is heating up as the leadership election nears. Thune (R-S.D.) has been busy trying to shore up his previously fraught relationship with DONALD TRUMP. Cornyn (R-Texas) has sent splashy letters to donors about his fundraising prowess. And conservatives are angling to make an impact, plotting as we write to try to leverage some concessions. We spent yesterday walking the Senate halls, and most Republicans told us they have zero idea how this will all shake out. Both men are well liked and respected by their colleagues and have raised boatloads of money for Republicans. And while many think Thune has a leg up given his current job as whip, even some of his supporters think the election could be close enough to require a second ballot, turning the race into a bit of a free-for-all. Many say they’re waiting for the election to make a decision — and they’re not feeling much pressure from the frontrunners. One potential GOP senator told Playbook that while both Cornyn and Thune have given generously and traveled to his state to campaign, “Neither one of them have given me a hard pitch.” “They’re all focused on fundraising, not what they’re going to do differently,” the candidate said. Here’s what we’ve learned about where things stand: — Thune has been tackling his greatest weakness head-on: his relationship with Trump. He was among the first senators to call on Trump to step aside after the “Access Hollywood” debacle, was a vocal critic of Trump after the 2020 election and backed Sen. TIM SCOTT (R-S.C.) for this year’s nomination. Trump, in return, backed a failed primary challenge against Thune. But the two appear to be on better terms now, multiple people told us. After an initial meeting to clear the air early this year, they’ve had more positive exchanges to the point that the former president told one senator that he now likes Thune. (One reminder of Thune’s past comments, of course, could change that quickly.) The photogenic Thune is also the kind of straight-out-of-central-casting character that the former president tends to be attracted to. Some of Thune’s allies have encouraged Trump to simply stay neutral in the race, arguing that he’ll need to work with whomever wins — and we hear he has told at least one GOP senator that he’s receptive to that argument. — Cornyn is viewed, rightly or wrongly, as the candidate more willing to wheel and deal to get the job. That’s why some believe he’s more likely to pick up support from conservatives demanding rules concessions. (He’s signaled openness to term limits for leaders, for instance.) Some argue that he actually benefits from not being in the current leadership structure at a time when discontent with McConnell’s top-down approach is at an all-time high. The two-time NRSC chairman has also been generous with his extensive donor network, his supporters note, introducing fellow Republicans to Texans with deep pockets. They also note Cornyn has had a generally positive relationship with Trump, who was in the White House when he served as whip. The knock on Cornyn is that, at 72, his time might have passed and that a younger member would be better suited for the top job. He might also face a nasty primary fight with Texas AG KEN PAXTON in the 2026 cycle, which could force him to protect his right flank in ways that could make governing difficult. (In his defense, we’ll note that McConnell dealt with the same dynamics without a major problem.) — Sen. RICK SCOTT (R-Fla.) has also announced a run to replace McConnell, but he’s seen internally as a stalking horse for a bloc of about 10 conservatives who want significant changes to how the Senate operates. Few think he can actually win. One senator told Trump recently that the chances of Scott replacing McConnell were roughly equivalent to the chances of ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR. winning the White House — as in, not good. But senators agree that Scott and his conservative allies are absolutely relevant to the race. The group has spoken privately about potentially banding together to withhold votes in exchange for commitments on leadership term limits, opening the amendment processes and expanding time for debate. But any such horse-trading risks a backlash from the Senate GOP’s mainstream conservatives, who saw what former Speaker KEVIN McCARTHY’s deals with conservatives got him. “That would be disqualifying,” Sen. THOM TILLIS (D-N.C.) told Playbook. “We’re not going to negotiate a minority controlling the majority.” Good Thursday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza.
| | | | A message from Instagram: Introducing Instagram Teen Accounts with automatic protections for teens.
Starting in September, Instagram is launching Teen Accounts with built-in protections limiting who can contact teens and the content they can see. Plus, only parents can approve safety setting changes for teens under 16.
This means parents can have more peace of mind when it comes to protecting their teens.
Learn more. | | | WHAT ELSE TO WATCH IN THE LEADERSHIP RACE …
- Will anyone call for a delay? Count on it. Leadership elections are scheduled for the week after the election, and conservatives are agitating to have that pushed back by a week or more to allow for a more deliberative process (and potentially account for uncalled races). Backing a delay could be an easy way for Cornyn or Thune to gain an edge with that crowd.
- Will there be a dark horse candidate? Senators think it’s unlikely that a fourth candidate jumps in, given the timeframe. Still, members continue to eye Sen. STEVE DAINES (R-Mont.), who as NRSC chair will get credit if the chamber flips hands, as well as Sen. JOHN BARRASSO (R-Wyo.), who is running for whip.
- What will the rookies do? The 119th Congress will likely have at least three new Republican senators — more if the GOP can flip Montana, Ohio or other contested states. Many of those GOP candidates are close with Daines and could look to him for cues.
- Will Trump endorse? “I would hope he would lean in and give his opinion,” Sen. TOMMY TUBERVILLE (R-Ala.) told us yesterday. But Coach is in the minority, with most senators loath to see the race to become a national hot potato. Even if Trump does weigh in, it may not matter at all: It will be a secret ballot election.
- Will McConnell? The outgoing leader has a definite following inside the Senate GOP, even if his grip is no longer quite as unquestioned as it once was. He’s been increasingly vocal on subjects from Ukraine to immigration, and it remains to be seen if he’ll speak up on behalf of his past or present No. 2.
SNEAK PEEK — VP KAMALA HARRIS is locked in a tight race against Trump in Pennsylvania and holds a slight edge over him in Michigan, according to a pair of new polls from UMass Lowell and YouGov that our colleague Lisa Kashinsky got an early look at. The toplines: Harris leads Trump 48 percent to 43 percent in Michigan, outside the margin of error. She’s up 48 percent to 46 percent in Pennsylvania, within the margin of error. The poll also puts Democrats’ Senate candidates well ahead of their Republican rivals in both states: In Pennsylvania, Sen. BOB CASEY leads GOP challenger DAVE McCORMICK, 47 percent to 38 percent. In Michigan, Rep. ELISSA SLOTKIN leads Republican MIKE ROGERS, 47 percent to 34 percent.
| | | | A message from Instagram:   | | | | | WHAT'S HAPPENING TODAY | | On the Hill The Senate is in. The House is out. 3 things to watch …
- Most lawmakers will be nowhere near Capitol Hill this morning after both chambers cleared a three-month spending stopgap yesterday. But the members of the House task force investigating the attempted assassinations of Trump will be gathered in the chilly confines of 1100 Longworth this morning to hear their first public testimony. The interim Senate report issued yesterday painted a vivid picture of Secret Service incompetence, but expect today’s witnesses — most of them from state and local authorities who played a part in securing the July 13 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania — to describe the agency’s seemingly dysfunctional reliance on local partners in detail.
- Let this be a lesson to members of the House: If you’re going to post a racist attack on immigrants, do it while your colleagues are itching to get out of town. Yesterday Rep. CLAY HIGGINS (R-La.) said on X that Haitians hail from the “nastiest country in the western hemisphere” and should “get … their ass out of our country before January 20th.” He was quickly confronted on the floor by members of both parties and eventually deleted the post. Rep. STEVEN HORSFORD (D-Nev.), the Congressional Black Caucus chair, called for Higgins’ censure — but, with many of his colleagues eager to catch flights, did not force a vote. We’ll see if anyone remembers this episode six weeks from now. More from Nicholas Wu
- FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: With the Montana race slipping away from Sen. JON TESTER, Democrats are eyeing investments in the surprisingly close Senate races in Florida and Texas, as Ursula Perano reports. But playing in either of those states at this late stage will be massively expensive, and a person close to Sen. RICK SCOTT (R-Fla.) is warning that he will not be caught by surprise: “In case anyone has any doubt, if national Democrats decide to spend in Florida, Rick Scott will spend more,” the person said exclusively to Playbook. “CHUCK SCHUMER has been through this before. If he wants to sacrifice BOB CASEY and SHERROD BROWN on a doomed Florida strategy, he's welcome to try.”
At the White House Biden will receive the President’s Daily Brief in the morning. At noon, Biden and Harris will have lunch together. At 1:45 p.m., Biden will hold a bilateral meeting with Ukrainian President VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY. Biden and Harris will deliver remarks on addressing gun violence in America in a Rose Garden ceremony at 4:45 p.m. (more on that below). Press secretary KARINE JEAN-PIERRE and FEMA Administrator DEANNE CRISWELL will brief at 12:30 p.m. Harris and Zelenskyy will deliver remarks at 3:05 p.m. and the two will hold a meeting at 3:25 p.m.
| | | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | AMERICA AND THE WORLD
|  The Biden administration does not appear ready to lift restrictions on American-made missiles, allowing Kyiv to strike deeper into Russia. | Rose Layden/Getty Images | UKRAINE’S URGING — With Ukrainian President VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY in the U.S. this week to make the case for more military aid, the Biden administration is set to announce new funding but does not appear ready to lift restrictions on American-made missiles, allowing Kyiv to strike deeper into Russia. The White House has been reluctant to grant that request as the administration “isn’t convinced it would change the trajectory of the war and believes it could cause Putin to further escalate,” Eric Bazail-Eimil, Joe Gould, Jonathan Lemire, Paul McLeary and Connor O’Brien report. “And that ask — which has also divided Ukraine’s European allies — appears to be at the centerpiece of the much-hyped ‘victory plan’ that Zelenskyy is expected to present to Biden at the White House on Thursday.” Zelenskyy is also expected to discuss the plan with Harris and top lawmakers from both parties. Speaking of the Hill: Speaker MIKE JOHNSON sparked a firestorm at the Capitol yesterday, demanding in a letter to Zelenskyy that he fire his U.S. ambassador, OKSANA MARKAROVA, “immediately” over what he called his “shortsighted and intentionally political” visit to a Pennsylvania weapons factory that only included Democrats, Anthony Adragna reports. Piling on, House Oversight Chair JAMES COMER (R-Ky.) announced a formal investigation into the Pennsylvania trip. And Sens. Thune and Cornyn excoriated Zelenskyy’s trip and criticized him for comments about Sen. JD VANCE (R-Ohio), urging the foreign leader to refrain from commenting on U.S. politics. Trump, meanwhile, is not planning to meet with Zelenskyy after indicating that he’d “probably” have a talk with the leader, Reuters’ Gram Slattery reports. The Pennsylvania trip was a contributing factor. Trump made his feelings clearer yesterday, describing Ukraine’s people as “dead” and the country itself as “demolished,” AP’s Jonathan Cooper notes. Related read: “How China plans to get more backers for its Ukraine peace plan at the UN,” by Phelim Kine, Nahal Toosi and Suzanne Lynch More top reads:
- The White House last night announced a new proposal for a temporary 21-day cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah, drawing support from a range of U.S. allies such as Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, Erin Banco and Eli Stokols report.
- The Pentagon has “recommended that the U.S. provide Ukraine with white phosphorus munitions for use on the battlefield, but the White House has rejected the idea several times,” NBC’s Courtney Kube reports. On the other side, Russia has “established a weapons programme in China to develop and produce long-range attack drones for use in the war against Ukraine,” Reuters reports.
2024 WATCH
|  Last night, Kamala Harris called for federal incentives to spur domestic manufacturing across a range of industries. | Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo | HARRIS HONES HER PITCH — In an economic-focused speech in Pittsburgh yesterday, Harris called for federal incentives to spur domestic manufacturing across a range of industries — ranging from biomanufacturing to aerospace — ratcheting up her efforts in Pennsylvania to wrest blue-collar voters away from Trump, Elena Schneider writes. Harris also delivered her first solo sitdown interview since the debate, speaking to MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle last night, expanding on her economic message and lambasting Trump’s approach. “You just don’t throw around the idea of tariffs across the board,” Harris told Ruhle. “[H]e’s not serious about how he thinks about some of these issues.” More from Myah Ward Related read: “Harris’s Economic Pitch: Capitalism for the Middle Class,” by NYT’s Jim Tankersley More top reads:
- A Secret Service officer is “accused of sexually assaulting a staffer who works for Vice President Kamala Harris,” RealClearPolitics’ Susan Crabtree reports. The incident is said to have taken place during a trip for advance work in Wisconsin after a night of drinking.
THE WHITE HOUSE DUAL ACTION ON GUNS — The Biden administration today is rolling out new executive actions to address gun violence, a clear election-year move with two intended goals: To build up Biden’s legacy on the issue in the final days of his presidency and provide Harris with a fresh opportunity to highlight her role overseeing the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention and also lean in on an galvanizing issue for young voters, Myah Ward writes. The actions will be cemented in a ceremony featuring both Biden and Harris, one of a handful of joint appearances since Biden dropped his reelection bid, ceding the stage to Harris.
| | | | A message from Instagram:   | | | MORE POLITICS
|  Rep. Marc Molinaro’s (D-N.Y.) district is among five that New York Democrats have tabbed as flip opportunities in their effort to regain control of the House. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | EXPENSE REPORT — The hotly contested battle between GOP Rep. MARC MOLINARO and his Democratic challenger JOSH RILEY is the most expensive House race in the country — a contest that has taken a competitive turn since the summer, Nick Reisman reports. Molinaro’s district is among five that New York Democrats have tabbed as flip opportunities in their effort to regain control of the House. Republicans believe that Riley, who lost to Molinaro in 2022 by less than 2 points, will benefit from a turnout boost with Harris subbing in for Biden. “The campaign has so far cost the candidates, House campaign arms and super PACs more than $35.5 million combined for TV and digital ads, and it has become a national proxy battle over abortion and the border.” Despite the millions of dollars being spent, public polling in the district has been scant. More top reads:
- More jaw-dropping posts have been uncovered from North Carolina Lt. Gov. MARK ROBINSON’s posting days. In a comment on an article from NewsOne back in 2009, Robinson reportedly said: “If the cops wanted to shoot an elderly black man they should have shot AL SHARPTON,” The Bulwark’s Andrew Egger reports. Robinson added: “Closing his mouth would do this Nation good.” In other comments on separate articles, Robinson went on to disparage BARACK OBAMA and OPRAH WINFREY. Meanwhile, more departures of top aides are rocking Robinson’s state office, WRAL News’ Paul Specht reports.
- FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: More than a dozen Republican, conservative and independent lawyers and former elected or appointed officials nationwide and in Georgia sent a letter to Georgia Gov. BRIAN KEMP, state AG CHRISTOPHER CARR and state Secretary of State BRAD RAFFENSPERGER regarding the recent string of actions taken by the Georgia State Election Board. Specifically, the letter asserts that the three-member board majority, which has been sympathetic to Trump, “exceeded its legal authority by voting on and passing this ill-conceived hand-count rule, which is flatly contrary to applicable law.” Read the full letter
TRUMP CARDS FOR THOSE KEEPING TRACK — “Watchdog report on Justice Department’s Jan. 6 response won’t be done by election,” by Josh Gerstein and Kyle Cheney POLICY CORNER HEADS UP — The Trump-aligned America First Policy Institute is combining with the Senate Working Group in a merger that will expand AFPI’s profile in Washington, further solidifying its relationship with the congressional wing of the GOP, Alex Isenstadt reports.
| | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Ben Cardin was targeted in a possible Russian deepfake op. Nikki Haley hasn’t made nice with Donald Trump, she says. Donald Trump Jr. was spotted in Belgrade. Oran Routh, the son of would-be Trump shooter Ryan Routh, was also charged in federal court this week. José Andrés is opening a luxury hotel in Georgetown. OUT AND ABOUT — SPOTTED at a Tuesday evening Capitol Hill reception hosted by the American Hotel & Lodging Association during its congressional fly-in: Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.) and Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Reps. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), Jack Bergman (R-Mich.), Judy Chu (D-Calif.), Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.), Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.), Andrew Garbarino (R-N.Y.), Glenn Grothman (R-Wis.), Andy Harris (R-Md.), Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), Lisa McClain (R-Mich.), Rich McCormick (R-Ga.), Carol Miller (R-W.Va.), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa), Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.), Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), Deborah Ross (D-N.C.), Michael Rulli (R-Ohio), Brad Schneider (D-Ill.), Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) and Tim Walberg (R-Mich.). — SPOTTED at the opening night of “Mister Lincoln” at Ford’s Theatre last night: Paul Tetreault, Canadian Ambassador Kirsten Hillman, Sens. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Reps. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) and Mike Turner (R-Ohio), Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), Robert Head, Heather Kennedy, Karen Knutson, Kent Knutson, Marlene Malek, Heather Podesta, Catherine Merrill, Lynda Johnson Robb and Mike Sommers. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Aquí, an accountability movement working to amplify Latino voices in mainstream media, is announcing its second class of fellows: Lisa Garcia Bedolla, Frances Colon, Eric Holguin, Jose Alfaro, Angela Barranco and Veronica Garibay. TRANSITIONS — Seiichiro Nakai is now press secretary for Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.). He previously was deputy press secretary for Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.). … Liz Hipple is now chief of staff of the Labor Department’s Employee Benefits Security Administration. She previously was a senior adviser in the Treasury Department’s Office of Capital Access. … Rachel Tardiff is now EVP at West End Strategy Team. She previously was senior adviser for people and culture at Media Matters for America. … … Nick Baker is now digital director for Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas). He previously was a senior investigative reporter at Young America’s Foundation. … Bilal Baydoun and Stephen Nuñez are joining the Roosevelt Institute. Baydoun will be director of democratic institutions and previously was director of policy and research at the Groundwork Collaborative. Nuñez will be director of stratification economics and previously led research on cash assistance policy for the Jain Family Institute. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Rep. Barry Moore (R-Ala.) … Beto O’Rourke … Semafor’s Dave Weigel … WaPo’s Kathleen Parker … Evan Hollander of the House Democratic Policy and Communications Committee … Robert Kagan … POLITICO’s Casey Miles … Steward Health Care’s Josie Martin … former Rep. Frank Guinta (R-N.H.) … Bill Scher … Missy Edwards of Missy Edwards Strategies … Jon Rosborough … Tom Gannon of LPL Financial … Mark Isakowitz of Google … Stephen Voss … Jeff Eshelman of IPAA … Doug Sosnik …Greg Lorjuste … Sam Drzymala … Dayne Cutrell … Brennan Georgianni of the American Cleaning Institute … former New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman … former Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (8-0) … Max Schechter … Erin Cathleen Conaton … NBC’s Abby Marks … Kris Perry … Dan Dukes (5-0) … John Fitzpatrick of Stratacomm 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.
| | | | A message from Instagram: Introducing Instagram Teen Accounts: a new experience for teens, guided by parents.
Starting in September, Instagram is launching Teen Accounts with built-in protections limiting who can contact teens and the content they can see. Plus, only parents can approve safety setting changes for teens under 16.
So parents can have more peace of mind when it comes to protecting their teens.
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 | | | | |
