| | | | |  | | By Rachael Bade and Eugene Daniels | | Presented by |  | | | With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine
| | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | | BEFORE THE STORM — Latest forecasts continue to show Hurricane Milton as a Category 5 storm, striking west-central Florida overnight tonight and pushing as much as 15 feet of storm surge into Tampa Bay. The storm is expected to weaken through the day, but it “will remain a very dangerous hurricane when it reaches Florida, and maintain hurricane status as it moves across the state,” per the National Hurricane Center. Worth a read: “Why the Tampa Area Is So Vulnerable to a Hurricane,” by WSJ’s Arian Campo-Flores, Deborah Acosta and Eric Niiler The political backdrop: “Trump thrusts hurricane response into center of 2024 campaign,” by Lisa Kashinsky and Adam Cancryn Fighting the good fight: “Debunking Helene Response Myths,” by Rep. CHUCK EDWARDS (R-N.C.): “Hurricane Helene was NOT geoengineered by the government to seize and access lithium deposits in Chimney Rock.”
|  House Speaker Mike Johnson is wisely keeping Trump close, realizing that the ex-president could hold the keys to his political life. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | HE LIKES MIKE (FOR NOW) — After President DONALD TRUMP was whisked away from a would-be assassin while golfing in Florida last month, among the first people he spoke to about the experience was Speaker MIKE JOHNSON. It wasn’t by accident that Johnson was waiting just a few miles down the road. Then amid a heated government funding battle, the Louisiana Republican had made a spur-of-the-moment decision to fly to Mar-a-Lago — knowing he needed the support of the ex-president, who had been pining for a politically catastrophic shutdown, to settle the situation. They ended up talking for almost three hours, “processing” the assassination attempt, as Johnson later put it. Trump ultimately held his tongue on the spending bill, and House Republicans are increasingly upbeat about keeping their majority — and keeping the gavel in Johnson’s hands. That symbiotic relationship was on full display last weekend as our colleague Olivia Beavers tagged along with Johnson in Texas — the first time he had let a reporter embed on the campaign trail. The upshot from her must-read, just-posted story: Johnson is wisely keeping Trump close, realizing that the ex-president could hold the keys to his political life — and that the two of them, within months, could have the most important governing relationship in Washington. As he zips around the country fighting to keep his majority, Olivia reports, Johnson has made a point of occasionally popping into Mar-a-Lago for face time, and he’s regularly checking in by phone and text. At one rally, Johnson “took a selfie video of himself and roughly 500 people cheering” and sent it on to Trump. Just this past weekend, as Trump was set to return to the site of his first assassination attempt, in Butler, Pennsylvania, Johnson and GOP lawmakers called Trump to lend moral support. The call went to voicemail, but Trump later called back as Olivia rode along and listened as the two chit-chatted about college football (Vanderbilt has just beaten No. 1 Alabama, after all). Johnson has repaid the access and attention with constant name-dropping (“I texted Trump,” “I spoke to Trump the other day”) and fulsome praise. “I don’t think there’s ever been another figure in American politics who has been able to draw such crowds and face so many attacks from his opposition, and still do what he is doing,” he said after the call. The fawning, Olivia writes, “serves a dual purpose for Johnson: helping him guide the political winds that will decide whether he keeps his House majority and getting him in Trump’s good graces right as Johnson might need his backing to remain speaker.” That’s a lesson KEVIN McCARTHY, Johnson’s predecessor, also tried to heed. But despite spending years cultivating Trump’s favor as other GOP leaders (including former Speaker PAUL RYAN) kept him at arm’s length, Trump did little to save him last year when a group of hardcore MAGA members staged a mutiny. Johnson is learning that member management is just as important. He’s been a road warrior, campaigning alongside some 100 Republican incumbents and candidates this month alone as he continues to learn the big-dollar fundraising game. He’s starting to catch up with the monster hauls McCarthy was known for — the top House GOP super PAC reported a record third quarter yesterday, pulling in $81 million with Johnson’s help. But he hasn’t been able to keep up with Democrats, who have built an eye-popping financial advantage this cycle. (One area where the fawning has not paid off: Trump has yet to hold a House-specific fundraiser, as he did for McCarthy.). Whether that’s enough to keep his top position probably depends on the outcome on Nov. 5. Johnson wouldn’t say if he plans to run for minority leader if the GOP loses the House: “I’m not even thinking about that.” Even if Republicans hold on, Johnson will still have some work to do: One Freedom Caucus member traveling with the speaker (and Olivia) this past weekend, Rep. MIKE CLOUD (R-Texas), refused to say if he’d back Johnson for speaker — or if Trump’s endorsement would matter. Good Wednesday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade and Eugene Daniels.
| | | | A message from United for Democracy: Banning IVF, abortion, and many types of contraception. Creating a national pregnancy registry. Criminalizing porn. Making you pay more for healthcare and housing. Sound like a nightmare? No - it's Project 2025. And if Trump is elected, it will be the MAGA movement's dream that the corrupt Supreme Court justices made come true. But we can vote to stop them – learn more at Project2025.wtf. | | | A few other notable nuggets from Olivia’s interview: — As Johnson travels the country on behalf of other Republicans, he’s also trying to sell himself. He’s playing a new video narrated by his wife, KELLY, about his personal story growing up as the son of a Shreveport firefighter who was badly burned in an explosion, then put himself through college and law school before coming to Congress. In his year as speaker, “it's just been crisis management every single day,” he said. “I think it's important for people to know who their leaders are, what makes them tick, where we come from." — On what worries him about the 2024 election: “We know that states are not requesting proof of citizenship and people check that box … so there's going to be thousands upon thousands of non-citizens voting,” he said. “If you have enough non-citizens participating in some of these swing areas, you can change the outcome of the election in the majority.” — On his concerns about voting and Hurricane Helene: “Forty thousand absentee ballots are mailed out of North Carolina, and only 1,000 were returned before the storm,” said Johnson, who is visiting the state today. “So did some get washed away? Would those people ever know where they get an opportunity to do it again? … This is an unprecedented event to have such a large-scale natural disaster this close to a presidential election. So there's no history, precedent or playbook to employ, and that is, I mean, that thing that is a real concern for a lot of people.” — On his role in certifying the 2024 election: “Look, I think I have shown that I am a rule-of-law person. I follow the Constitution and follow the laws, and we just pray and hope and pray that this is a non-controversial election, and that everything's fair and square, and that I hope the margin is large for whomever wins so that there's no questions for anybody.”
| | | | A message from United for Democracy: If MAGA extremists win this fall, they will pursue Project 2025 policies to gut the checks and balances that protect American freedoms.
You think the Courts will save us?! LOL. The six MAGA Supreme Court Justices are already implementing some of Project 2025’s worst ideas.
Learn more at Project2025.wtf. | | | | | WHAT'S HAPPENING TODAY | | On the Hill The Senate and the House are out. What we’re watching … A year after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, the most enduring congressional implications might well be felt by America’s universities. The three Ivy League presidents who resigned following scrutiny by House Republicans have gotten plenty of attention, but top GOP leaders aren’t stopping there. House Majority Leader STEVE SCALISE openly threatened stripping federal funding and official accreditation from schools that fail to crack down on pro-Palestinian protests, The Guardian’s Ed Pilkington reports this morning. The comments, recorded in a private meeting with AIPAC members this month, are similar to public positions taken by prominent Republicans, though delivered more starkly: “You’re not playing games anymore, or else you’re not a school anymore,” Scalise said. At the White House Biden will receive the President’s Daily Brief in the morning. Biden and VP KAMALA HARRIS will receive a briefing on preparations for Hurricane Milton and recovery efforts from Hurricane Helene at noon. At 2:15 p.m., Biden will participate in a call with rabbis to commemorate the Jewish High Holidays. Later in the afternoon, Biden will greet Taoiseach of Ireland SIMON HARRIS. At 5:30 p.m., Biden will deliver remarks on Hurricane Milton. Press secretary KARINE JEAN-PIERRE will brief at 1:30 p.m. Harris will travel to Las Vegas in the afternoon. On the trail Trump will deliver remarks in Scranton, Pennsylvania, at 3 p.m. He will hold a rally in Reading, Pennsylvania, at 7 p.m. Vance will hold a rally in Tucson, Arizona, at 2 p.m. Eastern. He will be in Mesa later for a CPAC town hall. Walz will be in Chandler, Arizona, with Rep. RUBEN GALLEGO and JIM McCAIN. Later, he will hold a rally in Tucson. More on Vance and Walz’s Arizona trips from Mia McCarthy and Meredith Lee Hill
| | | |  | | 
Kari Lake is planning to vote early Thursday at a polling place in Scottsdale. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — KARI LAKE, the Arizona Republican Senate candidate who has previously slammed early voting and won notoriety for criticizing the election system, is planning to vote early Thursday at a polling place in Scottsdale, she told our colleague Daniel Lippman. “I’m voting early because it gives us the upper hand,” she said in a statement to Playbook. “The earlier we bank our votes, the more time we have to chase down and turn in every last ballot. This is how we win — by being smart, staying ahead, and making sure every vote counts. We’re going to deliver a huge win for Arizona and secure victories for President Trump, myself, and Republicans across the state!” Lake rose to fame as one of the most ardent election deniers, falsely claiming that “2,000 mail-in ballots were accepted by Maricopa County after Election Day in 2020, after Election Day.” In her 2022 gubernatorial run, she called for “one day voting” and said she would try to end voting by mail-in voting in a state that helped start early voting. She told ABC News that year that the Constitution “doesn’t say election season” or “election month,” adding that “the longer you drag that out, the more fraught with problems there are.” After her loss, she unsuccessfully fought the results for months, with her lawyers arguing that Maricopa County failed to ensure that more than 300,000 early ballots had proper signatures during that election. A spokesperson for the Lake campaign told Playbook she and her allies are fully committed to embracing early voting and mail-in voting this cycle. She and her campaign “are determined to ensure that every ballot mailed out is properly filled in, returned, and counted, working tirelessly to guarantee that every voters’ voice is heard.” On the issue: “Voting Wars Open a New Front: Which Mail Ballots Should Count?” by NYT’s Michael Wines: “Voting by mail is increasingly popular, but mail ballots are rejected far more often than in-person ones. In Pennsylvania and elsewhere, parties are battling over which ones to count — or not.” RACE FOR THE WHITE HOUSE TRUMP LEANS IN ON ANTI-TRANS MESSAGE — Trump and a host of other Republican candidates in House and Senate races are going heavy on anti-transgender messaging in ad campaigns across the country, “returning to a message that was tried, mostly unsuccessfully, in the 2022 midterms, as they attempt to motivate their base and curb their losses with female voters repelled by the party’s stance on abortion,” NYT’s Shane Goldmacher reports. “Since the beginning of August, Republicans have poured more than $65 million into television ads in more than a dozen states on these topics in some of the country’s most competitive races, according to a New York Times analysis of advertising data compiled by AdImpact.” Related read: “3% of American High Schoolers Identify as Transgender, First National Survey Finds,” by NYT’s Azeen Ghorayshi FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — The Human Rights Campaign is launching a slate of ads totaling a $2 million buy across battleground states to turn out “equality voters” for the Harris-Walz campaign and four key Democratic Senate candidates. The ads will run in Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. HRC Equality Votes PAC will also run ads pushing voters to keep a pro-equality majority in an effort to boost RUBEN GALLEGO, ELISSA SLOTKIN, BOB CASEY and TAMMY BALDWIN. The first ad … The second ad THE OL’ COLLEGE TRY — In remarks at a campaign fundraiser yesterday, Walz said the Electoral College “needs to go,” according to pool reporters in the room. “We need a national popular vote that is something. But that’s not the world we live in.” More from Meredith Lee Hill RACE FOR THE HOUSE CASH DASH — Democrats have all-but erased Republicans’ big-donor cash advantage from recent years, closing the gap in a stunning reversal down the final stretch of the election season, Ally Mutnick and Jessica Piper report. The breakdown: House Majority PAC, Dems’ primary fundraising arm, said it raised roughly $99 million in the third quarter, with $69 million in September alone. Meanwhile, Republicans’ Congressional Leadership Fund announced an $81.4 million total from July to September, which marked the group’s highest quarterly total. Both super PACs have now raised about $210 million this cycle. RACE FOR THE SENATE UP FOR DEBATE — In the first Michigan Senate debate between Democratic Rep. ELISSA SLOTKIN and Republican MIKE ROGERS, the two faced off on “issues from abortion rights to a Chinese-linked battery plant to negotiating drug prices as they battle for Michigan's open U.S. Senate seat in one of the country's most closely watched matchups,” the Detroit News’ Melissa Nann Burke and Beth LeBlanc report from Grand Rapids. “The Senate hopefuls faced questions on abortion, the solvency of Medicare and Social Security, border security and government efforts to boost electric vehicle production and adoption.” CORNHUSKER STRIKE-BACK — The ESAFund, a GOP super PAC with ties to a powerful Nebraska family, is going on offense for GOP Sen. DEB FISCHER as she faces a closer-than-expected reelection bid, Jordain Carney reports, dropping a $2 million TV ad buy to attack opponent DAN OSBORN. POLL POSITION FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — A new DCCC poll finds Democrat PETER BARCA trailing GOP Rep. BRYAN STEIL by just three points, 46% to 49%, in Wisconsin’s First Congressional District among likely voters. Barca trails Steil by one percentage point (46% to 45%) among independents. Up the ballot, Harris and Trump are tied at 49% in the district, which Trump carried by two points in 2020. See the polling memo Texas: Trump +5 and Sen. TED CRUZ +3, per Mainstreet Research/FAU. … Michigan: Harris +3, per Research Co. … Pennsylvania: Trump +2, per InsiderAdvantage. Harris +1, per Research Co. … Wisconsin: Harris +2, per Research Co. … Arizona: Harris +1, per On Point/Red Eagle Politics/SoCal Strategies.
| | | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | MEDIAWATCH
|  The fallout is still unfolding from CBS' Tony Dokoupil's interview with Ta-Nehisi Coates. | Julio Cortez/AP Photo | INTERVIEW REVIEW — The fallout is still unfolding from TONY DOKOUPIL’s interview with TA-NEHISI COATES, during which the CBS host challenged Coates’ on his views of the Israel-Palestine conflict and criticism of the media’s coverage of the war in the Middle East. Following extensive backlash for the interview online — as well as backlash for the network’s response — Dokoupil “met for an hour with members of the CBS News standards and practices team and the in-house Race and Culture Unit, which advises on ‘context, tone and intention’ of news programming,” NYT’s Michael Grynbaum and Benjamin Mullin report in a remarkable detail. “The conversation focused on Mr. Dokoupil’s tone of voice, phrasing and body language during his interview with Mr. Coates, one of the people said.” SHARI REDSTONE, who is the controlling shareholder of Paramount Global, “conveyed to CBS executives that she disagreed with how the situation was handled and that she didn’t believe the interview violated editorial standards,” WSJ’s Joe Flint and Jessica Toonkel report. “Redstone, who spends time speaking out against antisemitism, has told people that it was insensitive for CBS News to address the matter on Oct. 7, the anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel.” VALLEY TALK
| 
Elon Musk is using his X platform to spread election conspiracy theories about U.S. disasters. | Susan Walsh/AP Photo | MUSK READ — ELON MUSK, the richest person in the world, is using his X platform to spread election conspiracy theories about U.S. disasters — just as online falsehoods are complicating the federal response to Hurricanes Helene and Milton, Adam Aton and Scott Waldman report. “Musk has helped spread accusations that the Federal Emergency Management Agency ‘actively blocked’ donations to victims of Helene and is ‘seizing goods … and locking them away to state they are their own’ — allegations that FEMA officials call false and which run afoul of state and local Republican leaders’ praise for the assistance from Washington.” FEMA leaders yesterday, without mentioning Musk or Trump, said misinformation is causing problems for Helene survivors, some of whom are being dissuaded from seeking help. They said it’s also harming emergency responders, whose morale has taken a hit amid threats to their safety. Block in Rio: In a major reversal down in Brazil, the country’s Supreme Court lifted its ban on X after Musk “complied with the court’s orders to take down certain accounts, which the court called necessary to protect Brazil’s democracy and which Mr. Musk called illegal censorship,” NYT’s Jack Nicas and Ana Ionova report from Rio de Janeiro. While the “resolution to the monthslong battle represented a defeat for Mr. Musk, who has styled himself as an outspoken defender of free speech,” Musk “may view the ordeal as a public-relations victory” for standing up to the court, which earned Musk plenty of praise from his allies. Keystone confab: The billionaire tech mogul phoned Pennsylvania Gov. JOSH SHAPIRO on Sunday night while he was in attendance at the Steelers game, telling Shapiro that he “wants to invest in Pennsylvania, specifically the Pittsburgh area,” NBC’s Dasha Burns reports.
| | | | A message from United for Democracy:   | | | BEYOND THE BELTWAY POSTCARD FROM PORTLAND — “This proud liberal city is throwing out its entire government,” by Natalie Fertig in Portland, Oregon: “In a sign of either hope or desperation, Rose City voters decided to throw out their entire government structure and replace it with a weaker mayor, expanded City Council and ranked-choice voting. A major driving factor was the passage of ‘Measure 110’ decriminalizing all drugs in 2020, which was backed by 74 percent of Multnomah County’s residents.” THE ADAMS FAMILY — “To calm chaos, Adams appoints a new first deputy and plans restructuring,” by Jeff Coltin … “Ex-Adams official charged with witness tampering, destroying evidence,” by WaPo’s Shayna Jacobs FOR THOSE KEEPING TRACK — “Oklahoma amends request for Bibles that initially appeared to match only version backed by Trump,” by AP’s Ken Miller in Oklahoma City JUDICIARY SQUARE SCARY STUFF — “FBI arrests Afghan man who officials say planned Election Day attack in the US,” by AP’s Eric Tucker: “NASIR AHMAD TAWHEDI, 27, of Oklahoma City told investigators after his arrest Monday that he had planned his attack to coincide with Election Day next month and that he and a co-conspirator expected to die as martyrs, according to charging documents.” CASE WORK — “Will Trump Get Jail Time? We Looked at Similar Cases to Find Out,” by NYT’s Kate Christobek, Ben Protess and William Rashbaum TAKING ON TIKTOK — “States sue TikTok, saying its addictive features hook children,” by WaPo’s Cristiano Lima-Strong POLICY CORNER WHAT MAYA MacGUINEAS IS READING — “U.S. Budget Deficit Rises to $1.8 Trillion in 2024,” by NYT’s Alan Rappeport
| | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Kamala Harris shared a lot of personal details on Howard Stern’s show. Ethel Kennedy is receiving treatment after experiencing a stroke. Elon Musk’s right-hand man is helping to run his pro-Trump super PAC. Mitt Romney won’t endorse Harris. OUT AND ABOUT — ROKK Solutions convened a Women Who ROKK Campaigns panel yesterday at Charlie Palmer for a discussion featuring panelists Jackie Kucinich, Kailey Leinz, Tia Mitchell, Deirdre Walsh and Melanie Zanona moderated by Kristin Wilson. SPOTTED: Kristen Hawn, Paul Kane, Morgan Rimmer, Haley Talbot, Aileen Graef, Andrew Desiderio, Madeleine Rivera, Reena Diamante, Elina Shirazi, Stacey Daniels, Kate Cooksey Noyes, Stephanie Penn, Kailey Grabemann, Emily Mellencamp Smith, Camden Stuebe, Blake Simpson, Emely Sanchez, Molly Drenkard, Justine Blaney, Mimi Braniff, Allie Carroll and Amy Lawrence. — SPOTTED at MFA’s annual rooftop reception last night: Bryan Corbett, Jillien Flores, Jennifer Han, Jeanette Quick, Lev Bagramian, John Crews, Didier Barjon, Chuck Cogar, Lucy Hynes, Hayden Boilini, Walt Lukken, Kevin Fromer, Karen Barr, Sam DeZur and Mike Berman. MEDIA MOVE — Maydeen Merino is now an energy and environment reporter at the Washington Examiner. She previously was a reporter at The National Law Journal. TRANSITIONS — Katherine Clement is joining the American Petroleum Institute as a policy adviser for upstream. She previously was a junior regulatory adviser for BP. … Estuardo Rodriguez is launching Intersect Public Affairs. He previously was co-founder and principal at The Raben Group. … Retired Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Karsten Heckl is joining J.A. Green & Company as EVP of defense programs. He previously was commanding general of the Marine Corps Combat Development Command/Deputy Commandant for Combat Development and Integration. … HAPPY BIRTHDAY: WaPo’s Aaron Blake … NPR’s Juana Summers … Justin Barasky of Left Hook … Rachel Pearson … former Reps. Tom Perriello (D-Va.) (5-0) and Artur Davis (D-Ala.) … POLITICO’s Arianna Skibell … State’s Chad Brown … Chris Kofinis of Park Street Strategies … Peter Billerbeck of House Foreign Affairs … Jodie Kelley of the Electronic Transactions Association … Becki Donatelli … ABC’s Justin Fishel … Russell Dye of Rep. Jim Jordan’s (R-Ohio) office … Kat Skiles of Narrative Creative Agency … Carrie Adams of Sen. John Fetterman’s (D-Pa.) office … Shailagh Murray … Kaelan Deese of the Washington Examiner … Michael Tubman … McKinsey & Company’s David Bibo … C-SPAN founder Brian Lamb … Russell Moore of Christianity Today … Miles Taylor … Amy Dacey of the Sine Institute and American University … Rochelle Mallett of Husch Blackwell Strategies … Jaylin McClinton of the Alliance for Justice (31) 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 United for Democracy: Project 2025 is a policy blueprint created by the far-right Heritage Foundation meant to gut America’s system of checks and balances. Their goal? Take control of the government… and our lives.
If MAGA extremists win this fall, they will pursue Project 2025 policies like banning IVF and setting up a national abortion and pregnancy registry to force states to report abortion data. While raising taxes on middle-class Americans, they’ll also remove many environmental protections so companies can pollute our air, soil, and water with known cancer-causing toxic chemicals.
You think the Courts will save us?! LOL. The six MAGA Supreme Court Justices are already implementing some of Project 2025’s worst ideas.
In fact, they already deemed a president immune from all criminal acts they deem “official,” and stripped women of their reproductive freedom.
Learn more at Project2025.wtf, before it’s too late.
Paid for by United for Democracy. | | | | | | | 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 | | | | |
