| | | | |  | | By Eugene Daniels, Rachael Bade and Ryan Lizza | | Presented by |  | | | With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine
| | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | | JUST RELEASED — An interim Senate report released this morning finds sweeping failures by the Secret Service that directly contributed to a gunman’s ability to carry out an assassination attempt against DONALD TRUMP at his July 13 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Read the full report The bipartisan assessment from the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee — the first external review to publicly emerge — “pointed to multiple critical failures by the Secret Service, including ones related to planning for the event, communications and crucial security decisions,” Jordain Carney reports. “The panel accused the Secret Service of failing to clearly lay out responsibilities or plan security. Agency personnel denied to the committee that they were individually responsible or deflected blame, according to the report.” Stunning detail via AP: “The panel also interviewed a Secret Service counter-sniper who said that they saw officers with their guns drawn running toward the building where the shooter was perched, but the person said they did not think to notify anyone to get Trump off the stage.”
|  We called up former Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) yesterday to get his perspective on the charges swirling around Rep. Anthony D'Esposito (R-N.Y.). | Francis Chung/POLITICO | KARMA CHAMELEON — When news broke Monday in the NYT about a scandal involving a Long Island Republican congressman, well, we couldn’t help thinking about another Long Island Republican congressman who was laid low by a scandal broken in the NYT. So we called up GEORGE SANTOS yesterday to get his perspective on the charges swirling around Rep. ANTHONY D’ESPOSITO (R-N.Y.), who stands accused of putting his longtime fiancée’s daughter and his former mistress on his congressional payroll. That perspective, in a word, is schadenfreude. Santos, who is facing sentencing in February on fraud and identity theft charges, has spent much of the past 36 hours reveling in the allegations against his former colleague, who once called him a “stain on the institution” and led a successful push to expel him from the House. Here’s a taste of what he had to say (aides to D’Esposito, who denies wrongdoing, did not respond to a request for comment) On the nature of the allegations: “While he was leading the charge against me and calling me all these things, [D’Esposito] was actually stealing money from the American people and giving it to benefit his mistress … in a no-show job ploy at the expense of taxpayer dollars. Tell me what that speaks about his character or the sheer hypocrisy of it all.” On the potential consequences: “He should be forced to reimburse the taxpayer. And I think there should be a broader criminal investigation into theft of public funds along with abuse of a position of trust. This is how it should be done. It shouldn't be one-sided. This shouldn't be deemed political. There's nothing political about this case. This is a sheer, dead-to-rights abuse of the office. I don't think I should have been expelled.” On being the bigger man: “I don't think he should be expelled even though he set those standards for me. I think he should be afforded due process in a court of law that should be adjudicated in the Ethics Committee.” On the irony of the moment: “What's really rich is that the people who had the gall and the testicular fortitude to expel me in the most arbitrary way in the history of the body are the very same ones now coming down with all of their misdeeds, corruptions and unethical behavior. So it's a good opportunity for them. Before they say anything about me, go look at yourself in the mirror.” On what’s next for George Santos: “I might have been flawed. I might have made mistakes I deeply regret. And I was driven by a blind ambition that skewed my judgment. And I agree and take full responsibility for that. … I'm participating in the process now. I have said my piece. Now my hands are in the hands of those in law, and I just have to pray.” HER TURN — Yesterday, it was Trump laying out his economic vision in a (typically circuitous) speech in Savannah, Georgia, where he promised to lower taxes on U.S. manufacturers, create low-tax enterprise zones on federal land, and “take other countries' jobs.” Today, it’s VP KAMALA HARRIS who’s delivering an economic speech in — you guessed it — Pennsylvania. The address to the Economic Club of Pittsburgh is expected to contain Harris’ most substantial comments of her two-month-old campaign on the subject of the economy. According to a senior campaign official, she will be presenting her economic philosophy as “pragmatic” and herself as “a capitalist” who “understands the limitations of government and has always sought to take good ideas from wherever they come and harness the power of innovation.” You can read that as a pretty clear attempt by Harris to not only fight back against attacks from Trump and Republicans that she’s a San Francisco socialist, but also stake out middle ground in her own party’s battles over how to regulate big business and emerging industries like artificial intelligence. The backdrop for the speech is a narrowing of public opinion on which candidate is better equipped to handle the economy: Trump still has a lead on that measure in most polls, but his advantage has eroded. Harris will try to close the gap further, the aide said by rolling out some new proposals on manufacturing and filling out her “opportunity economy” vision with new initiatives centered on “lowering costs, investing in American innovation and entrepreneurship, and leading the world in the industries of the future.” Good Wednesday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook, and remember — just like the Chicago White Sox — it’s never too late to put a W on the board. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza.
| | | | 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. | | | SPOTTED at a fundraiser for Sen. JOHN CORNYN (R-Texas) yesterday: his fellow GOP senator and leadership aspirant RICK SCOTT (Fla.). Nota bene: As the race to succeed MITCH McCONNELL as Senate GOP leader heats up, Cornyn yesterday boasted in a letter about lifetime transfers of nearly $325 million to fellow Senate Republicans and to committees supporting them. This cycle, he said, he’s sent almost $12 million of his overall $26 million in fundraising to the NRSC. UNGA MOOD MUSIC — “UN officials have a strange feeling about the US presidential race,” by Nahal Toosi: “It’s not joy. It’s not excitement. It’s definitely not confidence. It’s a word some struggle to say as if they fear jinxing it: ‘Hope.’” TALK OF THIS TOWN — Michael Schaffer’s latest Capital City column: “The Bizarre New Politics of Pets: They used to be a way for pols to look normal. Now they’re all about culture war symbolism.” FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: AD WARS — There’s a trio of interesting ad buys going up today — one in a battleground Senate race and two in battles for the House — that paint a picture of how each party is approaching the home stretch of the cycle. In Michigan: GOP Senate candidate MIKE ROGERS and the NRSC are releasing two new ads today as part of a seven-figure campaign that will air across the Detroit, Flint and Grand Rapids markets in his campaign against Rep. ELISSA SLOTKIN (D-Mich.) to replace retiring Sen. DEBBIE STABENOW. One ad focuses on jobs and features images of Slotkin along with Biden, who is shown shaking hands with Chinese President XI JINPING, closing with a shot of Biden, Harris and NANCY PELOSI. The other ad hits Slotkin over her voting record with Biden on immigration. Watch the jobs ad … Watch the immigration ad In Texas: CHC BOLD PAC is rolling out a $600,000 bilingual ad campaign attacking MAYRA FLORES in her bid to unseat Democratic Rep. VICENTE GONZALEZ in Texas’ 34th Congressional District. The ad comes from CHC’s “Our Lucha War Room” initiative, the first war room specifically designed with Latinos at the core of its mission. The ads, which will run for roughly a month, will be broadcast in both English and Spanish across TV and digital platforms. View the ad in English … Or in Spanish In Ohio: GOP candidate KEVIN COUGHLIN is going up with his first ad in Ohio’s 13th Congressional District, where the NRCC “Young Gun” faces off against incumbent Democratic Rep. EMILIA SYKES. The new ad is part of a six-figure campaign on TV, featuring Coughlin at the B&K Root Beer stand where he worked for $2.50 an hour as a teenager to help his mom. The ad features images of Biden and Harris and touts Coughlin’s aim to secure the border, tackle inflation and ban stock trading in Congress. Watch the 30-second spot
| | | | A message from Instagram:   | | | | | WHAT'S HAPPENING TODAY | | On the Hill The Senate is in. The House will meet at 10 a.m. 3 things to watch …
- And just like that, they’ll be gone: Today will be escape day for both the House and Senate, with passage of a three-month continuing resolution now all but assured. The House will go first with a suspension vote this evening, and the Senate has already pre-negotiated how things will go once the bill comes across the Capitol: two hours of debate followed by a single up-or-down vote — and you can expect plenty of that debate time to get yielded back. See you in November!
- FAA Administrator MICHAEL WHITAKER could be in for a tough time this morning at the Senate Homeland Security Investigations Subcommittee. He’s there to discuss his agency’s oversight of Boeing, and our Pro friends at Morning Transportation have obtained a document indicating that the panel has uncovered new information that “raises questions about the effectiveness of the FAA’s oversight of the company” — such as survey results suggesting that Boeing workers “still experience pressure to sacrifice quality” on the job.
- The House put Biden in an unexpected pickle on Monday when it passed the Building Chips in America Act on a bipartisan suspension vote. The legislation, which had previously passed the Senate unanimously, waters down some environment standards in the 2022 CHIPS and Science Act, and some green groups are calling on Biden to veto it, Brendan Bordelon, Christine Mui and Kelsey Brugger report. But the semiconductor industry says the new exemptions are crucial to the CHIPS Act’s success.
At the White House Biden will receive the President’s Daily Brief in the morning. At 11:15 a.m., Biden will join ABC’s “The View” for a live interview. In the afternoon, Biden will hold a bilateral meeting with Vietnamese General Secretary TÔ LÂM and host an event on aiding Ukraine. Later, the president and first lady JILL BIDEN will host a reception at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Bidens will return to the White House at night. On the trail Trump is set to speak in Mint Hill, North Carolina, at 1 p.m. Vance will be at the Northwestern Michigan Fair in Traverse City, where he is scheduled to speak at 6:30 p.m. Harris will travel to Pittsburgh to deliver remarks at a campaign event at 3:15 p.m.
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Despite polling still showing a neck-and-neck race, some of Donald Trump's allies fear he has been distracted. | Brittainy Newman for POLITICO | WILL TRUMP GO OFF THE RAILS? — Despite the post-convention and post-debate polling still showing a neck-and-neck race, “some of Trump’s allies are concerned that his impulses and coarse approach to campaigning are undermining him against Harris,” Alex Isenstadt and Meridith McGraw report. “In interviews, more than a dozen Trump allies described the former president as reaching a crossroads — faced with the choice of continuing with the missteps that have overtaken the past several weeks of his campaign or embracing a more calculated approach aimed at appealing to a small subset of undecided voters who are likely to sway the outcome of the election. The wake-up call: Alex and Meridith report that Trump this month privately met with casino magnate STEVE WYNN, who suggested the former president “would be better off focusing on policy issues” where Republicans see Harris as vulnerable. More top reads:
- Poll position: Harris leads Trump 47% to 40% in the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll, “as she appeared to blunt Trump's edge on the economy and jobs,” Reuters’ Jason Lange writes.
- Perhaps the most powerful member of Harris’ inner circle is LAURENE POWELL JOBS, who over the past couple of decades has provided counsel and cash, NYT’s Teddy Schleifer reports. “Powell Jobs, who is so close to the vice president that her staff refers to her simply as ‘L.P.J.,’ is positioned to have extraordinary influence, or at least access, in a potential Harris administration.”
- While there’s no second debate set between Trump and Harris, the two candidates will appear in separate town-hall style events geared toward appealing to Hispanic voters in events that will be broadcast with Spanish-language translation on Univision and ViX. Trump’s town hall will air on Tuesday, Oct. 8, and Harris’ will be on Thursday, Oct. 10. Read the announcement
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Republicans are desperate to regain relevance and are targeting a flip of the Michigan state House as a starting point. | BLITZING MICHIGAN — Democrats won total control of the Michigan government in 2022 for the first time in four decades. Now, Republicans are desperate to regain relevance and are targeting a flip of the state House as a starting point. “Over the last few years, the MAGA movement fractured the Michigan Republican Party, leaving it saddled with more than half a million dollars in debt, lackluster candidate recruitment, leadership infighting — and physical violence,” Liz Crampton reports from Lansing, Michigan. Under a new party leadership, GOP leaders insist the drama is behind them, and they have an opportunity to prove it. “Republicans just need to flip two seats — and their fortunes are tied to Donald Trump, who has strong support in this must-win state. GOP operatives hope that the former president keeps a consistent presence in Michigan, helping down-ballot candidates beat expectations on Election Day.” More top reads:
- Democratic Sen. TAMMY BALDWIN is barnstorming through Wisconsin with Pennsylvania Gov. JOSH SHAPIRO in tow, hoping that his appeal to voters across the political spectrum can help her in a tough fight to return to the Senate, NYT’s Catie Edmondson reports.
- Sen. TED CRUZ (R-Texas) is once again fighting to keep his Senate seat as his race against COLIN ALLRED has “grown increasingly competitive,” NYT’s J. David Goodman reports. To wit: Axios’ Hans Nichols and Stephen Neukam report that Senate Dems are planning to spend in Texas (as well as Florida) as their grip on Montana slips.
- Comcast this month “sent $50,000 to RON DeSANTIS’s Florida Freedom Fund, the political action committee launched by the governor to block an abortion rights initiative in the state,” The Bulwark’s Marc Caputo reports. The donation “caught abortion-rights groups in Florida by surprise.”
- NYC Schools Chancellor DAVID BANKS became the latest member of Mayor ERIC ADAMS’ administration to resign as he faces scrutiny over his ties to a federal bribery probe, Madina Touré reports. But Adams is trying to play down the chaos, insisting yesterday at City Hall that the string of departures is normal turnover, Jeff Coltin reports.
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U.S. officials have warned the Israeli government that a barrage of strikes against Hezbollah would likely speed the region toward war. | Kawnat Haju/AFP via Getty Images | MIDDLE EAST LATEST — In the lead-up to Israel’s barrage of strikes against Hezbollah, U.S. officials warned the Israeli government that such a strategy would likely speed the region toward war, Erin Banco reports in a step-back look at the conflict. “The U.S. told Israel that a diplomatic solution with Hezbollah was still possible and that a military campaign could derail that effort, the officials said. Israel went ahead anyway. “Israeli officials didn’t discount Washington’s push for a diplomatic accord — but they disagreed with how to reach one. They told the U.S. it was time to ‘escalate to de-escalate,’ said the Israeli official, who, like others in this story, was granted anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomatic discussions. … It marked the first time in almost a year that the U.S. and Israel so starkly disagreed on how to handle Hezbollah.” Meanwhile, a host of world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly sharply condemned Israel, and by extension the U.S., with at least one deploying a comparison to ADOLF HITLER, Mona Zhang and Nahal Toosi write. “The tough language reflected global frustration over the unwillingness of the parties involved to strike a cease-fire. It also spoke to international despair over the helplessness of institutions such as the United Nations to bring about peace.” Related reads: “On the cusp of all-out war against Hezbollah, Israel weighs next move,” by WaPo’s Loveday Morris, Claire Parker and Shira Rubin … “The Vast Hezbollah Arsenal Awaiting Israel in Lebanon,” by Jared Malsin and Adam Chamseddine in Beirut … “Iran brokering talks to send advanced Russian missiles to Yemen's Houthis, sources say,” by Reuters’ John Irish, Parisa Hafezi and Jonathan Landay More top reads:
- With Ukrainian President VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY at the U.N. General Assembly and in Washington this week, the U.S. is “working on a plan to extend its authority to send $5.9 billion worth of U.S. weapons and equipment to Ukraine before the funding expires at the end of the month,” Paul McLeary, Joe Gould and Connor O’Brien report.
- London Mayor SADIQ KHAN is reigniting his feud with Trump. In an exclusive interview with POLITICO, Khan urged the U.S. to vote for Harris, Emily Ngo reports from New York. “What I’d say in a respectful way to Americans is: I don’t think you realize that the rest of the world is watching because we’ve got skin in the game,” he said.
TRUMP CARDS MORE CANNON FODDER — Federal Judge AILEEN CANNON, who who presided over — and threw out — the criminal classified documents case that DOJ brought against Trump is now set to oversee the case against his alleged would-be assassin RYAN ROUTH, Kimberly Leonard and Josh Gerstein report. Cannon, a Trump appointee, was randomly assigned the case yesterday after a grand jury in Miami returned a five-count indictment against Routh. BURY IT — While lawmakers continue probing the incident involving the Trump campaign at Arlington National Cemetery last month, the Pentagon “appears to be hoping the lawmakers just forget about it,” NOTUS’ John Seward reports. BEYOND THE BELTWAY FOR YOUR RADAR — “Tropical Storm Helene strengthens as hurricane warnings cover parts of Florida and Mexico,” by AP’s Heather Hollingsworth and Luis Alberto Cruz DEATH PENALTY MAKES A COMEBACK — MARCELLUS WILLIAMS, a death row inmate in Missouri who was “convicted of breaking into a woman’s home and repeatedly stabbing her was executed Tuesday over the objections of the victim’s family and the prosecutor, who wanted the death sentence commuted to life in prison,” AP’s David Lieb and Jim Salter report from Bonne Terre, Missouri. The Supreme Court declined to grant Williams’ last-ditch effort for reprieve. Related read: “There are 5 executions set over a week’s span in the US. That’s the most in decades,” by AP’s Sean Murphy VALLEY TALK MOVE FAST AND BREAK THINGS — “Mark Zuckerberg Is Done With Politics,” by NYT’s Teddy Schleifer and Mike Isaac
| | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Mitt Romney is bracing for Donald Trump’s retribution. Joe Manchin is smarting over Kamala Harris’ position on the filibuster. Prince Harry’s immigration records are staying under wraps despite the Heritage Foundation’s effort to make them public. Alex Jones’ Infowars is being liquidated to help pay Sandy Hook families. Jeff Glor is out at CBS. OUT AND ABOUT — Value In Electing Women Political Action Committee, run by Julie Conway, held its 27th Annual Guest Bartender event yesterday evening, where dozens of congressmen took turns behind the bars serving up drinks to their female colleagues from the House and Senate, as well as over 150 lobbyists. SPOTTED: Sens. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Reps. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), Richard Hudson (R-N.C.), Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.), Lisa McClain (R-Mich.), Erin Houchin (R-Ind.), Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa), Kat Cammack (R-Fla.), Michelle Fischbach (R-Minn.), Young Kim (R-Calif.), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa), Jen Kiggans (R-Va.), Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.), Dave Joyce (R-Ohio), Pete Stauber (R-Minn.), Marc Molinaro (R-N.Y.) and David Valadao (R-Calif.), Kathryn Lehman, Brian Worth, Lucia Lebens, Emily Casey, Meg Gilley, Blair Larkins, Lisette Mondello, Laura Donovan, Jen Cervantes, Jonathan Heafitz, Ryan Easton and Pam Stevens. Pic … Another pic — SPOTTED at The Hill’s Notable Staffers Gathering at the Samsung Executive Center DC last night: Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Reps. Steven Horsford (D-Nev.), Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), John Moolenaar (R-Mich.), Jesús García (D-Ill.), Tom Cole (R-Okla.), Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), Chip Roy (R-Texas) and Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), Mychael Schnell, Julia Manchester, Alexander Bolton, Regina Zilbermints, Al Weaver, Robby Soave, Cate Martel, Joe Ruffolo, Sarah Katt and Mike Viqueira. — MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow sat down for a Q&A following a sold-out screening of the MSNBC Films documentary “From Russia With Lev,” which Maddow executive produced, last night at the U.S. Navy Memorial Burke Theater. as part of the DC/DOX Presents screening series. Maddow was joined on the panel by Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), producer Alfred Spellman, and film subjects Lev and Svetlana Parnas for a conversation moderated by WaPo’s Ann Hornaday. SPOTTED: Olivia Troye and Kara Swisher. MEDIAWATCH — Matt Katz has been named the executive producer at City Cast Philly, part of a national network of local news podcasts run by David Plotz. Katz most recently hosted the podcast “Inconceivable Truth,” which documented the search for his biological father and is a WNYC and Gothamist alum. TRANSITIONS — Kristin Wingard has joined ROKK Solutions as a senior adviser. She previously ran her own consultancy and is a Worldwide Public Affairs and Walt Disney Parks and Resorts alum. … Peter Ambler is now VP of global government affairs at Pano AI. He previously was executive director of Giffords. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Reps. Mario Díaz-Balart (R-Fla.), Doris Matsui (D-Calif.) (8-0), Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.) and Marilyn Strickland (D-Wash.) … Jeff Roe … Chamber of Commerce’s Jack Howard … Tim Hogan … former Defense Secretary Robert Gates … NPR’s Tamara Keith … Brian Beutler … NBC’s Ryan Reilly … Dave Peluso … POLITICO’s Bob King and Lesley Clark … Kiley Smith … Ed Newberry of Ferrellgas … George Hornedo … Chrissy Harbin … Washington Examiner’s Madeline Fry Schultz … Missy Owens of General Motors … Rita Norton … Kirsten West of Cornerstone Government Affairs … Carmiel Arbit … Messina Group’s Jack Davis … Arnold & Porter’s Mickayla Stogsdill … Emily Threadgill … Bloomberg’s John Lauinger … Steptoe & Johnson’s Darryl Nirenberg … Vivyan Tran … former Rep. Jerry Costello (D-Ill.) … Gary Carpentier … April Greener … Ginevra Lamborghini … Brittney Peterson … Mallory Ward 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 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.
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