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Presented by National Association of Realtors®: POLITICO's must-read briefing on what's driving the afternoon in Washington. | | | | |  | | By Garrett Ross | Presented by National Association of Realtors® | | 
Speaker Kevin McCarthy is racing to line up votes ahead of a potential vote on Republicans' plan to address the debt limit. | AP | House Republicans are racing to get a vote on their proposal to address the debt limit to the floor for a vote today. After some overnight haggling and a private conference meeting this morning, Speaker KEVIN McCARTHY appears on track to get just enough support to pass his proposal. “While at least two Republicans reiterated that they remain opposed to the bill, dozens of others steadily fell in line behind the tweaked plan on Wednesday morning,” our colleagues Olivia Beavers, Sarah Ferris, Jordain Carney and Meredith Lee Hill report. “During a closed-door meeting, GOP lawmakers from all corners of the conference — including staunch conservatives and swing-seat Midwesterners — spoke up in favor, according to five Republicans who were in the room.. Even a frequent McCarthy antagonist, Rep. CHIP ROY (R-Texas), delivered rousing remarks about the need to pass it, those five people said.” What McCarthy is pitching: The speaker argued to his members privately that the changes were mostly “technical” as he stressed the need to unite behind a GOP plan to present to President JOE BIDEN in future debt talks. The back-of-the-napkin math: “With just four votes to spare, assuming full attendance, GOP leaders need almost their entire conference on board with the debt plan. As of Wednesday morning, Reps. NANCY MACE (R-S.C.) and TIM BURCHETT (R-Tenn.) said Wednesday that they remain opposed. … In addition, Rep. ANDY BIGGS (R-Ariz.) is a ‘lean no’ on the bill as he mounts a futile push to return to fiscal year 2019 spending levels. And Rep. MATT GAETZ (R-Fla.) appeared frustrated with the middle-of-the-night deal-cutting, saying it was ‘no way to run a railroad.’” A helpful explainer: “Here’s who McCarthy needs to convince for his debt bill,” by Sarah Ferris, Olivia Beavers and Jordain Carney Related read: “After a Hellish Start and a Honeymoon, McCarthy Faces His First Big Test,” by NYT’s Annie Karni TUCK NOT-SO EVERLASTING — WSJ’s Keach Hagey, Joe Flint and Isabella Simonetti have more can’t-miss reporting on TUCKER CARLSON’s dramatic exit from Fox News. The opening paragraphs reveal a stunning anecdote: “Several weeks ago, as Fox News lawyers prepared for a courtroom showdown with Dominion Voting Systems, they presented Tucker Carlson with what they thought was good news: They had persuaded the court to redact from a legal filing the time he called a senior Fox News executive the c-word, according to people familiar with the matter. “Mr. Carlson, Fox News’s most-watched prime-time host, wasn’t impressed. He told his colleagues that he wanted the world to know what he had said about the executive in a private message, the people said.” More behind-the-scenes details: “Within Fox’s management, reservations had been mounting about risks Mr. Carlson presented for the network, people familiar with the matter said. Some of the people pointed to concerns that the populist firebrand had come to believe himself bigger than the network — a cardinal sin in Fox Corp. Chair RUPERT MURDOCH’s empire — and was increasingly operating as his own island.” ZIP-A-DEE-SUE-DAH — “Disney Sues DeSantis Over Control of Its Florida Resort,” NYT’s Brooks Barnes: “On Wednesday, a board appointed by [Florida Gov. RON] DeSANTIS to oversee government services at Disney World voted to nullify two agreements that gave Disney vast control over expansion at the 25,000-acre resort complex. Within minutes, Disney sued Mr. DeSantis, the five-member board and other state officials in federal court, claiming ‘a targeted campaign of government retaliation.’” HAPPENING TODAY — “Judge chides Trump for calling rape trial ‘made up SCAM’ on social media,” by Erica Orden in New York ALSO HAPPENING TODAY — “Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson launches White House bid, joining Donald Trump in growing GOP 2024 field,” by Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser Good Wednesday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me a line: gross@politico.com.
| | | | A message from National Association of Realtors®: The U.S. is at least 5.5 million housing units short. That equates to a $4 trillion underinvestment in housing. Even relatively modest steps taken now to reduce this gap will unleash tremendous economic activity and create millions of new jobs. We can improve access to homeownership, increase housing inventory, and streamline affordable housing programs in a bipartisan way. Find out how at FlyIn.Realtor | | | CONGRESS COURTING CONTROVERSY — “Senators to Introduce Bipartisan Bill Mandating Code of Ethics for Supreme Court,” by WSJ’s Lindsay Wise and Jess Bravin: “Sens. ANGUS KING (I., Maine) and LISA MURKOWSKI (R., Alaska) will introduce a bipartisan bill Wednesday that would require the U.S. Supreme Court to create its own code of conduct within a year, following media reports that raise questions about whether Justices CLARENCE THOMAS and NEIL GORSUCH properly disclosed their financial activities. ‘It’s pitiful that we’re having to introduce this bill — it’s pathetic that the Supreme Court hasn’t done this itself,’ Mr. King said.” HOW IT’S PLAYING — “Congress cools on post-SVB banking overhaul,” by Eleanor Mueller: “More than 20 conservative groups including Americans for Tax Reform, the Koch brothers-founded Americans for Prosperity and Heritage Action are warning Congress that a bigger backstop for bank customers would fuel risk-taking and lead to future bailouts. Left-leaning groups like the Center for American Progress and Americans for Financial Reform want lawmakers to prioritize tougher regulations that would address other problems they see within the industry.” 2024 WATCH SHORING SUPPORT — “Biden takes steps to keep progressives unified as he kicks off his re-election bid,” by NBC’s Sahil Kapur, Ryan Nobles and Mike Memoli: “Roughly a month before his campaign announcement, longtime Biden adviser ANITA DUNN invited FAIZ SHAKIR, the campaign manager for Sen. BERNIE SANDERS’ 2020 bid, to the White House. The meeting was a check-in with Shakir, who remains a political adviser to Sanders, to make sure he and other progressives knew they still had an open line to Biden's team. “The invitation was part of a lengthy outreach effort by senior administration officials to progressive leaders, much of it led by newly minted White House chief of staff JEFF ZIENTS, whose appointment was greeted with a degree of skepticism by some in the progressive wing of the party.” Related read: “Biden casts himself as defender of freedom in 2024 ad pitch,” by AP’s Zeke Miller PLAYING THE HITS — “Trump zeroes in on a key target of his ‘retribution’ agenda: Government workers,” by NBC’s Allan Smith: “Last month, Trump released a list of proposals to take down what many conservatives believe is a secret cabal of government workers who wield enormous power and work against Republicans. Many seemed personal, tied to Trump investigations past and present. They included cracking down on government whistleblowers, making troves of documents public and creating independent auditors to monitor U.S. intelligence agencies. But it’s the lead proposal that concerns civil servants and excites conservative activists.” MORE POLITICS DEAL OR NO THIEL — “Peter Thiel, Republican megadonor, won’t fund candidates in 2024,” by Reuters’ Anna Tong, Alexandra Ulmer and Jeffrey Dastin: PETER THIEL “is unhappy with the Republican Party's focus on hot-button U.S. cultural issues, said one of the sources, a business associate, citing abortion and restrictions on which bathrooms transgender students can use in schools as two examples. Thiel came to this conclusion by late 2022, the sources said. He believes Republicans are making a mistake in focusing on cultural flashpoints and should be more concerned with spurring U.S. innovation — a major issue for him — and competing with China, the business associate said.”
| | | | HAPPENING NEXT WEEK! GO INSIDE THE 2023 MILKEN INSTITUTE GLOBAL CONFERENCE: POLITICO is proud to partner with the Milken Institute to produce a special edition "Global Insider" newsletter featuring exclusive coverage, insider nuggets and unparalleled insights from the 2023 Global Conference, which will convene leaders in health, finance, politics, philanthropy and entertainment from May 1-4. This year’s theme, Advancing a Thriving World, will challenge and inspire attendees to lean into building an optimistic coalition capable of tackling the issues and inequities we collectively face. Don’t miss a thing — subscribe today for a front row seat. | | | | | JUDICIARY SQUARE SCOTUS WATCH — “She got $0, the county got the rest for her condo sale. Supreme Court will decide if that’s fair,” by AP’s Mark Sherman POLICY CORNER WILL BIDEN TAKE HIS LUMPS? — “Biden’s risky effort to take on coal,” by Alex Guillén and Zack Colman: “Courts, technology questions and Democrats’ headwinds in 2024 could hamper the proposal to slash power plants’ carbon pollution.” TALES FROM THE CRYPTO — “Binance Faces Mounting Pressure as U.S. Crypto Crackdown Intensifies,” by NYT’s David Yaffe-Bellany, Emily Flitter and Matthew Goldstein: “The scrutiny on Binance, the giant cryptocurrency exchange, has sent new tremors through a market that is still bruised by the implosion of FTX.” TICK, TICK, BOOM — “The U.S. Military Has an Explosive Problem,” by WSJ’s Gordon Lubold: “Fewer weapons manufacturers, shortages and ‘single source’ contractors limit the Pentagon’s ability to ramp up production — including when the sole maker of a crucial type of gunpowder stopped producing.” DON’T BANK ON IT — “Shares of First Republic sink, as banking industry woes flare anew,” by WaPo’s David Lynch, Rachel Siegel and Jeff Stein: “On Wednesday, government officials, regulators and industry executives were scrambling to craft a solution to the bank’s escalating woes. Selling the bank to a healthier financial institution would be the preferred remedy. But finding a buyer willing to absorb the unrecognized losses on bonds owned by the bank will not be easy.”
| | | | STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president’s ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today. | | | | | AMERICA AND THE WORLD CRISIS IN SUDAN — “U.S. planning to send a consular team to Sudan to assist fleeing Americans,” by Alexander Ward and Lara Seligman Z SAID, XI SAID — “Xi and Zelensky Speak in First Known Contact Since Russia’s Invasion,” by NYT’s Vivian Wang and David Pierson: Ukrainian President VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY “said he ‘had a long and meaningful phone call’ with [Chinese President XI JINPING]. … A summary of the nearly hourlong conversation published by the Chinese state news media made no mention of Russia and did not use the word ‘war.’ Mr. Xi reiterated points Beijing has made in the past, saying that China’s ‘core position’ was to ‘promote peace and talks.’” THE NUCLEAR FAMILY — “U.S., South Korea Pledge Cooperation on Potential Use of Nuclear Arms,” by WSJ’s Michael Gordon: “The accord would grant South Korea’s leadership a long-sought place at the table on the use of U.S. nuclear forces to defend the country, though the U.S. would still retain control over targeting and the execution of nuclear operations. Seoul, in return, would restate its commitment not to develop its own nuclear arsenal.” The breakdown: “Inside Biden’s Renewed Promise to Protect South Korea From Nuclear Weapons,” by NYT’s David Sanger and Choe Sang-Hun: “The emphasis on deterrence is a striking admission that all other efforts over the past three decades to rein in Pyongyang’s nuclear program, including diplomatic persuasion, crushing sanctions and episodic promises of development aid, have all failed.” DANCE OF THE SUPERPOWERS — “Facing China, the Philippines and U.S. Join in Biggest Military Drill Yet,” by NYT’s Sui-Lee Wee Related read: “China Dominates U.S. Solar Market as Lawmakers Tussle Over Tariffs,” by WSJ’s Phred Dvorak PLAYBOOKERS SPOTTED: Rapper Fat Joe and a documentary film crew at Hart Senate Office Building this afternoon. OUT AND ABOUT — Locust Street Group launched its new Spanish language practice during an event with the Embassy of Colombia and the Ibero-American Cultural Attache Association celebrating International Spanish Language Day yesterday evening. SPOTTED: Reps. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas), Norma Torres (D-Calif.) and Joaquin Castro (D-Texas), Argentinian Ambassador Jorge Argüello, Dominican Republic Ambassador Sonia Guzmán, Guatemalan Ambassador Alfonso Quiñónez, Nicaraguan Ambassador Francisco Campbell, Spanish Ambassador Santiago Cabanas, Daniel Ávila, Ron and Stephanie Rivera, Joe Maloney, Aralis Rodriguez, David Barnhart, Ben Jenkins, David Herrero and Phil Morris. — The National Italian American Foundation hosted a reception to welcome new members of the Italian American Congressional Delegation at the office of AT&T yesterday evening. SPOTTED: Italian American Congressional Delegation Co-Chair Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.), Reps. Chris Deluzio (D-Pa.), Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), Mike Molinaro (R-N.Y.) and John Lawson (D-Conn.) and Mike Ferguson. TRANSITION — Meredith Happy is now press assistant for Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.). She previously was an account associate at Subject Matter. WEEKEND WEDDING — Kara Kempski, senior director for federal relations and strategic alliances at the American Institute of Architects and Nick Spadaccini, a nuclear engineer at the Department of Defense, got married on Saturday in Northern Virginia. The couple met in January 2020. Pic BONUS BIRTHDAY: Dan Meyer of Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s office. 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 producers Setota Hailemariam and Bethany Irvine.
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