| | | | |  | | By Lauren Egan, Eli Stokols and Ben Johansen | Welcome to POLITICO’s West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people and power centers in the Biden administration and Harris campaign. Send tips | Subscribe here | Email Eli | Email Lauren During a visit to the White House over Memorial Day weekend in 2004, actor TOM HANKS was taking in his surroundings — the musty smell of the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room, the mostly windowless press workspace, the dimly lit kitchenette — when he noticed a glaring problem: There was no coffee maker in the press area. Hanks, taking pity on White House reporters who were subsisting on coffee brewed by a vending machine, found such dire working conditions unacceptable. So, a few days later he donated a $1,000 Illy machine with directions: “Add water, insert pod, press button and report.” Simple enough. When he returned to the White House in 2010 for a screening of his new TV series “The Pacific,” he was aghast to find that reporters had neglected to take care of the machine, leaving dirty coffee filters sitting in it. Shortly after, he replaced it with a “super deluxe” version. A few years later, in 2017, perhaps (correctly) assuming that the slobbish press corps had still not learned how to clean up after itself, he again gifted a brand new Pasquini machine — this one even fancier than the last. Reporters rejoiced. What’s not to love about a fresh cup of espresso to power you through another press briefing!? “Thanks @tomhanks — very kind of you to send a new espresso machine to the White House press corps. We appreciated the other ones — nice upgrade!” ABC’s KAREN TRAVERS tweeted at the time. But after countless hours spent hunkered down at the POLITICO White House desk (which just happens to be right next to the espresso machine), we realized we’d never actually seen anyone make an espresso. West Wing Playbook began to wonder: After all this time, has anyone learned how to use this thing? We investigated. Sources on NBC’s seasoned White House team said they never figured out how to operate the machine. Same with the CBS team. A Fox News reporter said we needed to contact their PR department for comment. “I have never witnessed anyone make coffee on it. And I’m too scared to try (I don’t want to be known as the person who broke the Tom Hanks coffee machine),” said EMILY GOODIN, senior White House correspondent for the Daily Mail. Some reporters said the only person they had ever seen use it was JABIN BOTSFORD, a photographer who covered then-President DONALD TRUMP and has since left the beat. “The sad machine is pretty, but useless,” another White House reporter lamented. Others said they have often spotted New York Times photographer DOUG MILLS using the steamer to get hot water for his oatmeal. And some told us they deeply regretted not asking ASJIA GARNER, former associate director of communications for the first lady who worked as a Starbucks barista in college, to give an espresso machine lesson before she departed the White House. “The challenge is that it requires real espresso or a very specific kind of espresso pod that is kind of like a teabag of espresso. And just generally it’s so fancy it’s hard to use,” said NPR White House correspondent TAMARA KEITH, the official historian of the Tom Hanks espresso machine. We were certain that the press corps’ most passionate coffee aficionado, Washington Post’s MATT VISER, must have mastered the machine. We were wrong. “Never used it, even in a pinch. Far prefer the expert baristas just beyond the gates at Swings or La Colombe,” he told us. Viser, whose Instagram avatar is a foamy cup of espresso, said the complexity and upkeep the White House machine requires is better suited for a full-time barista. “I just find in general that espresso is a lot more work and takes a lot more technical know-how.” So, West Wing Playbook set out on a reporting journey to see if we could get a delicious cup of espresso out of this shiny but somewhat dusty machine. With our La Colombe beans in hand, we got to work. But we quickly encountered our first problem: We did not get our beans ground at the shop. Rookie mistake. Luckily, after a few minutes of searching the kitchenette pantry, we found a Cuisinart grinder in the cupboard. It’s a bit loud — definitely do not recommend using while KARINE JEAN-PIERRE is briefing. And it couldn’t get the grounds fine enough for a good espresso shot, which (after one messy mishap, pictured below) came out at the right temperature but with minimal crema. Some milk would have been a good addition.
|  | | The whole process took us about 20 minutes — which is really not feasible when you’re on deadline. In sum, it’s a lot of effort for little reward. We ended up back at Tatte, where Eli ordered a cappuccino. MESSAGE US — Are you TOM HANKS? How do you feel about all this? And would you maybe want to purchase the press corps a Baratza grinder? We want to hear from you. And we’ll keep you anonymous! Email us at westwingtips@politico.com. Did someone forward this email to you? Subscribe here!
| | When was the Oval Office first created? (Answer at bottom.)
| | | TEAMSTERS TAKE A PASS: The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which has reliably backed Democratic presidential candidates for several cycles, won’t endorse Vice President KAMALA HARRIS — or Donald Trump. The organization’s decision comes just two days after Harris met with union leaders and members to make her case for the endorsement. As our NICK NIEDZWIADEK and BRITTANY GIBSON report, shortly before announcing its decision not to endorse, the union released data from a survey of its 1.3 million members that showed a clear advantage for Trump, who has 58 percent of members’ support. That’s nearly twice the level Harris is seeing at 34 percent. The Teamsters also released a straw poll from earlier this year when Biden was the nominee that showed him leading Trump among members, 44 percent to 36 percent. TRANSITIONING: Representatives of the Harris and Trump campaigns held their first formal transition meeting at the White House, AP’s ZEKE MILLER scooped. Chief of staff JEFF ZIENTS hosted the meeting on Tuesday, which was attended by members of the White House Transition Coordinating Committee, the group that is overseeing the administration’s efforts to prepare for a smooth transition. PUNCHING DOWN, CONT. At a Trump rally on Tuesday, Arkansas Gov. and former Trump press secretary SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS reignited the furor over JD VANCE’s “childless cat ladies” comments. She took a swipe at Vice President Harris for not having any biological children, our NATALIE ALLISON reports. “My kids keep me humble. Unfortunately, Kamala Harris doesn’t have anything keeping her humble,” Sanders said. Harris is a stepmother to two children from second gentleman DOUG EMHOFF. Both children, as well as Emhoff’s ex-wife KERSTIN EMHOFF, have praised Harris’ role in parenting them. The continued line of attack from Vance — and now one of Trump’s closest elected allies — disparaging women who do not have children has been widely panned as offensive and ineffective. “It is disgusting that an elected official, who is a governor of an entire state, would like to continue to make women feel less than that do not have children,” MEGHAN HAYS, former Biden White House director of message planning said on CNN this morning. Even one of Trump’s senior campaign advisers, BRYAN LANZA, was frustrated. “I found that comment to be actually offensive. I don’t know what more to say about that,” Lanza acknowledged on CNN. “I’m disappointed in Sarah saying that. I’m sure I’m going to get criticism from the campaign, but I have to sort of defend somebody who’s a stepmom. It’s a tough job. People step into that role.” WHAT HAPPENED TO WISCONSIN BEING THE SAFE BET?? A new Quinnipiac University swing state poll found Harris leading Trump in two states, with one still up for grabs. In Pennsylvania, Harris leads the former president by 6 points — 51 percent to 45 percent. In Michigan, the lead is nearly as wide, with Harris holding a 5-point advantage — 50 percent to 45 percent. In Wisconsin, the two are pretty much tied. An AARP poll of Wisconsin voters, also released Wednesday, found a similarly tight race between Harris and Trump. And in Georgia, Trump leads Harris 47 percent to 44 percent, within the margin of error, a new Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll found. BREAKING PARTY LINES: More than 100 former national security officials from Republican administrations and former Republican members of Congress endorsed Vice President Harris on Wednesday, NYT’s PETER BAKER reports. In a letter, the Republicans — including longtime Trump opponents and others who didn’t endorse Biden in 2020 — argued that while they might “disagree with Kamala Harris” on many issues, Trump has demonstrated “dangerous qualities” and is “unfit to serve again as president.” “As president,” they wrote, “he promoted daily chaos in government, praised our enemies and undermined our allies, politicized the military and disparaged our veterans, prioritized his personal interest above American interests and betrayed our values, democracy and this country’s founding documents.”
| | | RATES ARE CUT: The Federal Reserve aggressively cut interest rates by 0.5 percent on Wednesday, a larger-than-expected move that signals officials are confident the U.S. is winning its battle against inflation. It’s the first cut since the early days of the pandemic in 2020 and the first time since the 2008 global financial crisis that the Federal Open Market Committee slashed rates by half a percentage point. PREPARE YOURSELF TO GORGE ON CURRYWURST: President Biden will travel next month to Berlin for what is expected to be a state visit, The Hill’s AMIE PARNES reports. The visit will be part of a five-day trip from Oct. 10 to 15 that will also include a stop in Angola that will help Biden fulfill his promise to visit Africa. IN MEMORIAM: Long-time Wall Street Journal reporter NEIL KING died on Tuesday after a long battle with cancer, his family announced in a Facebook post on Wednesday. King, a former foreign correspondent and fixture in the newspaper's Washington bureau, captured the public's attention in 2021 by walking 330 miles over 26 days from Washington, D.C., to New York's Central Park. He tweeted about his route, personal encounters and reflections in real time as he passed through Civil War battlefields, Quaker and Amish farms and the New York harbor. The book that resulted from that excursion, "American Ramble," offers an enduring picture of American life amid the pandemic and after the 2020 election and a deeply personal meditation about our resilience — both King's own (after his initial recovery from cancer) and the nation's. He is survived by his wife, SHAILAGH MURRAY, a former deputy chief of staff and communications director under former Vice President Biden, as well as his children, FRANCES and LILLIAN, who expressed gratitude in their Facebook post for their father's community of colleagues and friends. "He felt it always, especially in the hard moments. One of his most remarkable traits was the vast community he built — including all of you, who marveled along with him at this wondrous world we share,” they wrote. MORE CHAMPS TO THE WHITE HOUSE: Next week, President Biden will welcome Gotham FC, the reigning National Women’s Soccer League champions, to the White House to celebrate their second victory, The Athletic’s MEG LINEHAN reports. It’s the first time an NWSL champion has been invited to the White House. “This is such a monumental moment for the NWSL,” said former Gotham captain ALI KRIEGER, who retired at the end of the season. WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE WANTS YOU TO READ: This piece by NPR’s BRIAN MANN, who reports that public data shows — for the first time in decades — that overdose deaths across the U.S. are dropping. “This is exciting," said NORA VOLKOW, head of the National Institute On Drug Abuse, the federal laboratory charged with studying addiction. “This looks real. This looks very, very real.” National surveys compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention already show an unprecedented decline in drug deaths of roughly 10.6 percent. And some researchers believe the data will show an even larger drop once federal surveys are updated to reflect improvements seen at the state level. Communications director BEN LaBOLT shared the piece on X. WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE DOESN’T WANT YOU TO READ: This piece by WaPo’s JOHN HUDSON, who reports that the inspectors general at the Pentagon and State Department are preparing to disclose multiple reports scrutinizing the Biden administration’s provision of U.S. weapons to Israel for its military campaign in Gaza. “Several” related inquiries are either underway or planned. The reports follow complaints from within the government that the export of billions of dollars worth of military aid to Israel has violated laws prohibiting American military assistance to governments that have committed gross human rights violations or blocked the movement of humanitarian assistance.
| | FIRST IN WEST WING PLAYBOOK: Several folks in the press shop are getting promoted, LaBolt and Jean-Pierre announced in an email on Wednesday. — KELLY SCULLY, who is getting married in Tuscany this week, is becoming a special assistant to the president and is promoted to deputy press secretary. She will continue to manage the health care portfolio and lead the briefing prep process. — ANGELO FERNÁNDEZ HERNÁNDEZ will become spokesperson and adviser to the press secretary while continuing to manage the climate and immigration portfolios. — GABRIELA GARCIA-UGALDE will become chief of staff on the communications team while continuing her work on the broadcast and consumer teams. — GREG HONAN will become special assistant to the president and director of message planning while continuing to support special projects. — MAYA HUMES will become special assistant to the president and senior communications adviser and will continue managing the immigration communications portfolio. — ROBYN PATTERSON will become spokesperson and adviser to the press secretary and continue to manage the labor and tech portfolios. THAT’S HOW YOU DO IT ON SURVIVOR! Tonight, this newsletter takes an unfortunate turn for some and becomes a must-read for others … thanks to JON LOVETT. Season 47 of “Survivor” premieres in just a few hours, and host JEFF PROBST is setting quite high expectations for one podcast bro’s chances. “Jon Lovett is one of the greatest storytellers that we will ever have on 'Survivor,'” Probst told renowned “Survivor” reporter DALTON ROSS. “He is a really amazing thinker and fascinating to talk to,” Probst added. “And on a show like ‘Survivor,’ where you rely on the players to be the narrators, having somebody like Lovett is just this beautiful gift to us, because no matter what the situation or how you pose a question, he will give you a compelling answer. That was the most exciting part of Lovett.” Looks like Lovett will not be getting his torch snuffed out tonight. ONE LAST WOJ BOMB: After over 20 years on the job, you may rest now, king. ESPN’s ADRIAN WOJNAROWSKI delivered, arguably, the most heartbreaking Woj bomb of his career: He’s retiring from the industry for a job at his alma mater, St. Bonaventure University. (OK, maybe that’s second to when he broke Boston trading MARCUS SMART to Memphis. Yes, a Celtics fan may have written this.) Harris campaign spokesperson AMMAR MOUSSA was as shocked as the rest of us. “Wow. A legend,” he wrote on X. DAVID AXELROD posed a reasonable concern: “What are we going to do, @NBA fans, without @wojespn?!”
| | THE ROB MALLEY MYSTERY: State Department officials failed to follow standard procedures when suspending the security clearance of Iran special envoy ROB MALLEY, leading to “significant confusion” about what work he could do, our NAHAL TOOSI reports. In some instances, the confusion “likely led” to Malley engaging on issues “outside the limited scope of issues on which he was authorized to work,” an internal watchdog report found. POLITICO has reported that Malley was facing an FBI investigation into his handling of classified information when his security clearance was suspended. Malley has denied wrongdoing. JUST IN TIME FOR ALL OF YOUR POST-ELECTION VACATIONS: The State Department on Wednesday launched a new online program that will allow adults to renew their passports without appearing in person or sending any documents through the mail, WSJ’s JOSEPH DE AVILA reports. (First-time applicants and children, however, are not eligible to renew online.) But don’t wait until the last minute! De Avila writes that the processing time under the new online program is still six to eight weeks, and there is not an expedited service option.
| | How the Trump Campaign Ran With Rumors About Pet-Eating Migrants — After Being Told They Weren’t True (WSJ’s Kris Maher, Valerie Bauerlein and Tawnell D. Hobbs) The Real Reason the Harris Twang Is Driving Republicans Crazy (Elizabeth Spiers for NYT Opinion) Democrats Can’t Rely on the Black Church Anymore (Daniel K. Williams for The Atlantic)
| | The office was first created in 1909 during the WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT presidency. In 1934, the room was relocated from the center of the West Wing to the east side, near the present-day Rose Garden and West Colonnade, according to the White House Historical Association. To learn more about White House history and the creation of a 1:1 scale replica of the Oval Office, join the White House Historical Association’s Facebook Live series “White House History Live: The People’s House” on Sept. 24, 2024, at 5:30 p.m. eastern. This special conversation will give insight into the Association’s new cutting-edge education experience located just steps from the White House. A CALL OUT! Do you think you have a harder trivia question? Send us your best one about the presidents, with a citation or sourcing, and we may feature it! Edited by Steve Shepard and Rishika Dugyala. | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |
