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Presented by Amazon: POLITICO's must-read briefing on what's driving the afternoon in Washington. | | | | |  | | By Eli Okun | | | SCOTUS WATCH — At today’s blockbuster oral arguments on whether domestic abusers can be barred from having firearms, the Supreme Court appeared inclined to impose some rare limits on gun rights. Several justices indicated they thought such laws would comply with the new standard the court created last year that gun restrictions must be rooted in American historical tradition. This case is the high court’s first major guns test since then. More from NBC
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Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer excoriated Senate Republicans’ demands for massive changes to the U.S. asylum system to accompany Ukraine aid. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | THE SPENDING SHOWDOWNS — If Congress is going to reach deals to send emergency aid to Ukraine and Israel, or keep the government open past a shutdown deadline next week, the agreements are certainly not in sight yet. Senate Majority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER excoriated Senate Republicans’ demands for massive changes to the U.S. asylum system to accompany the funding in the Biden administration’s supplemental request (which also includes money for Palestinians, the Indo-Pacific and the border). “They know full well what they came up with is a total non-starter,” Schumer warned on the floor, though he said he was open to immigration reforms. “Making Ukraine funding conditional on the hard-right border policies that can’t ever pass Congress is a huge mistake.” Schumer also said on a leadership call today that Dems should “more urgently engage with Republicans on Ukraine,” Burgess Everett reports. On the Senate floor, Democrats quickly swatted down Sen. J.D. VANCE’s (R-Ohio) attempt to pass the House GOP’s Israel aid/IRS cuts bill by unanimous consent. But it’s not just the hard-right flank of the Senate GOP that is holding firm against Schumer: “At least 41 Republican Senators will refuse to proceed unless and until substantive policy changes are included that will stop the #BidenBorderCrisis,” Sen. JOHN CORNYN (R-Texas) pledged on X. Meanwhile, House Republicans emerged from a conference meeting without a clear consensus for which continuing resolution strategy to pursue to avoid a government shutdown, per Caitlin Emma. Speaker MIKE JOHNSON said he would unveil an interim spending bill in “short order” and “certainly” wants to stave off a shutdown. The upshot: “At the moment tens of billions for Ukraine, Israel, the border and Taiwan are all at risk of being left on the sidelines, and there’s no clear funding plan for avoiding a shutdown, either,” Burgess writes. COME TO YOUR CENSURES — Accusations keep flying in the House, where Republicans are teeing up two more censure resolutions against Rep. RASHIDA TLAIB (D-Mich.) and Democrats are preparing one of their own against Rep. BRIAN MAST (R-Fla.). Tlaib blasted her critics in a fiery statement this morning, after her defense of the chant “From the river to the sea” drew fresh opprobrium. “It’s a shame my colleagues are more focused on silencing me than they are on saving lives, as the death toll in Gaza surpasses 10,000,” she wrote. “Many of them have shown me that Palestinian lives simply do not matter to them, but I still do not police their rhetoric or actions.” But Republican outrage is growing. Several GOP members who voted against the Tlaib censure resolution last week, mostly on free speech grounds, are indicating more openness this time around. Prominent Democrats are continuing to oppose the censure even as many of them condemn Tlaib’s comments. But two pro-Israel Dems are signaling support for the Tlaib censure: Reps. JOSH GOTTHEIMER (D-N.J.) and RITCHIE TORRES (D-N.Y.), per CNN. House Dem leaders are not pushing members either way on the vote to punish Mast after he compared Palestinian civilians to Nazis, Fox News’ Chad Pergram reports. SCARY STUFF — Capitol Police arrested a man after they got a call for somebody with an AR-15, per NBC’s Frank Thorp. Authorities said he was taken into custody in the park across from Union Station and there’s no threat currently. Good Tuesday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me a line at eokun@politico.com.
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Hear from employees. | | | FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: CIRCUS LEAVES TOWN — “The Circus,” the Showtime show hosted by JOHN HEILEMANN, MARK McKINNON and JENNIFER PALMIERI, will end its run on Sunday with a series finale, Daniel Lippman reports. The show, on which a rotating cast of hosts hit the campaign trail, explored Washington intrigue and interviewed major political candidates, received four Emmy nominations during its run. “When we started ‘The Circus’ in 2016, we thought it would be a one-and-done deal. Eight seasons and 130 episodes later, we’re still agog that Showtime gave us the trust and support that kept us cranking on this long, strange trip — and let us prove that our idea of doing a weekly, behind-the-scenes, real-time doc series on American politics wasn’t as unhinged as it seemed,” Heilemann tells Playbook in a statement. “Our belief in the importance of the story we've been covering and our eagerness to keep covering it, Circus-style, hasn’t changed." CONGRESS LEAVING A LEGACY — Sens. TODD YOUNG (R-Ind.) and TIM KAINE (D-Va.) today are introducing legislation that aims to bar colleges and universities from giving preference to legacy students in admissions, WSJ’s Lindsay Wise and Jennifer Calfas scooped. It’s one of the most muscular legislative responses thus far to the Supreme Court’s decision to end race-based affirmative action, though it remains to be seen whether the bill will advance on the Hill. THE IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY — As special counsel DAVID WEISS testified before House GOP impeachment investigators today, WSJ’s Aruna Viswanatha, Ryan Barber and Sadie Gurman dig into thousands of pages of records to evaluate the state of the case. They find “that multiple officials disputed several of the IRS agents’ most explosive [whistleblowing] allegations, while corroborating others, including widespread frustrations in the inquiry.” The HUNTER BIDEN probe “was ultimately hamstrung by suspicion among members of the team.” Weiss told Republicans that nobody prevented him from taking any actions he wanted to in the Hunter Biden prosecution, per NYT’s Glenn Thrush. COACH VS. THE SENATE — The Senate Rules Committee scheduled a hearing for Nov. 14 on the resolution from Sens. JACK REED (D-R.I.) and KYRSTEN SINEMA (I-Ariz.) that would circumvent Sen. TOMMY TUBERVILLE’s (R-Ala.) mass holds on Pentagon nominees.
| | | | CALIFORNIA CLIMATE: Climate change isn’t just about the weather. It's also about how we do business and create new policies, especially in California. So we have something cool for you: A brand-new California Climate newsletter. It's not just climate or science chat, it's your daily cheat sheet to understanding how the legislative landscape around climate change is shaking up industries across the Golden State. Cut through the jargon and get the latest developments in California as lawmakers and industry leaders adapt to the changing climate. Subscribe now to California Climate to keep up with the changes. | | | | | 2024 WATCH MESSAGING FAILURE — New Democratic polling from Blueprint/YouGov finds that President JOE BIDEN’s attempt to tout strong jobs numbers is falling completely flat with voters, who care way more about inflation, Semafor’s David Weigel reports. And his attempts to move to the center haven’t worked either: Just as many voters think he’s too far left as think DONALD TRUMP is too far right. Interesting response thread from BHARAT RAMAMURTI SPOILER ALERT — CORNEL WEST and his “radical pessimism” get a big profile by N.Y. Mag’s Zak Cheney-Rice, who peels back the curtain on the insurgent challenger: “West eats one meal a day, claims to sleep three hours a night, wears the same funereal three-piece suit all the time, and says he hasn’t had a haircut since the mid-1990s. But it’s an unsustainable pace, as even he acknowledges, especially for an election that he has almost no chance of winning and that he might end up throwing to Donald Trump. At risk, too, is his legacy as a champion of the forgotten and the oppressed, though the way he sees it, the greater danger is that no one would take on that role at all.” — In those eye-popping NYT/Siena College polls that have cast a pall over Biden the past couple of days, there’s also high interest in ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR. Almost one-fourth of voters choose the anti-vaccine activist over Biden or Trump. But he’s little known, and the results “suggest that Mr. Kennedy is less a fixed political figure in the minds of voters than he is a vessel to register unhappiness about the choice” between the top two, NYT’s Reid Epstein, Ruth Igielnik and Camille Baker write. AFTERNOON READ — “Joe Lieberman will not leave his fellow Democrats alone,” by WaPo’s Kara Voght: “With No Labels, the Democratic maverick is still trying to foil liberals and challenge the party — even if that means threatening to throw a wrench into the 2024 campaign.” COMING HOME — Miami-Dade Republicans are fans of RON DeSANTIS as their governor, but many of them want him to return to Tallahassee and focus on the state instead of challenging Trump for the GOP presidential nomination, WaPo’s Sabrina Rodríguez reports from Hialeah. They’re “frustrated to see him out on the campaign trail in places like Iowa and New Hampshire, where he has struggled to gain traction, instead of focusing on the issues facing Floridians.”
| | | | Sponsored Survey WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU: Share what you think in a short, 1 minute survey about one of our advertisers | | | AMERICA AND THE WORLD FROM RUSSIA, WITH LOVE — Moscow today officially withdrew from the 1990 Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, the latest sign of breakdown between Russia and the West. As a result, the U.S. and other NATO allies suspended the treaty. More from Reuters DANCE OF THE SUPERPOWERS — “Biden Briefed on Chinese Effort to Put Military Base in Oman,” by Bloomberg’s Michelle Jamrisko and Jennifer Jacobs ANNALS OF HYPOCRISY — Worldwide efforts to get Israel to protect more Palestinian lives are spurring a quick response: What about you? Israeli officials are pointing to plenty of U.S. and other Western operations through the decades, from Hiroshima to Fallujah, “to help justify a campaign against Hamas” and their willingness to accept thousands of civilian deaths, NYT’s Michael Crowley and Edward Wong report. Human rights experts say Israel is committing war crimes, though the U.S. hasn’t gone there. KNOWING RON DERMER — The right-wing Israeli leader and former ambassador to the U.S., now sitting on Israel’s war cabinet, is the country’s “chief conduit to the Biden administration,” NYT’s Mark Landler reports from Jerusalem. As Israel wages war on Gaza, Democratic officials are now working very closely with Dermer to support Jerusalem — despite his antagonistic history with the Obama administration. Thus far, at least, U.S. officials say he’s “been a constructive presence in multiple meetings and phone calls — the ups and downs of their long relationship serving as a source of familiarity rather than rancor.” KNOWING JOHN KIRBY — “The retired Navy admiral making the case for Israel in the White House briefing room,” by Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch: “As calls for a cease-fire have grown more pronounced among the hard left, John Kirby has become one of the loudest voices espousing the president’s commitment to Israel’s security.” POLICY CORNER WHERE THE IRA IS WORKING, PART I — The U.S. is finally succeeding in getting solar companies to invest in manufacturing stateside, NYT’s Ana Swanson and Jim Tankersley report. The Inflation Reduction Act’s significant tax breaks, along with several years of tariffs and other protectionist moves, are “driving a wave of so-called reshoring of solar jobs,” like a reopened Suniva plant in Georgia. Solar executives say explicitly that the IRA lured them back. WHERE THE IRA IS WORKING, PART II — Flush with new investments from the law, the IRS has reached a milestone of making many tax documents and other forms digital months ahead of schedule, Treasury Secretary JANET YELLEN is announcing today, per AP’s Fatima Hussein. Taxpayers can start submitting documents online now, rather than next year.
| | | | GET READY FOR POLITICO’S DEFENSE SUMMIT ON 11/14: Russia’s war on Ukraine … China’s threats to Taiwan … a war in Gaza. The U.S. is under increasing pressure to deter, defend and fight in more ways — but not everyone agrees how. Join POLITICO's 3rd Annual Defense Summit on November 14 for exclusive interviews and expert discussions on global security and the U.S.'s race to bolster alliances and stay ahead of adversaries. Explore critical topics, including international conflicts, advanced technology, spending priorities and political dynamics shaping global defense strategies. Don’t miss these timely and important discussions. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | MORE POLITICS HAPPY ELECTION DAY — One notable under-the-radar election happening today: YUSEF SALAAM, one of the exonerated “Central Park Five,” is positioned to ascend to the New York City Council, AP’s Anthony Izaguirre reports. LET THE SUNSHINE IN — Florida is in the spotlight with a five-story package by Teen Vogue, titled “Red Tide,” interviewing “nearly two dozen young people to hear their stories about life under Governor Ron DeSantis.” 2028 WATCH — Sen. TED CRUZ (R-Texas) tells The Texas Tribune’s Grace Yarrow he expects to run for president again someday. BATTLE FOR THE SENATE — An internal GOP poll finds Sinema way behind Republican KARI LAKE and Democratic Rep. RUBEN GALLEGO if she runs for reelection, The Messenger’s Matt Holt scooped. But her presence in the race would flip it from a narrow Gallego lead to a narrow Lake lead. PLAYBOOKERS TRANSITION — Don Schaefer is joining Frontwood Strategies as a VP focusing on paid and owned digital campaigns. He previously was a director at Curley Company. WEEKEND WEDDING — Selby Schnobrich, senior account manager at POLITICO, and David Tennent, founder of CNCT, got married Saturday at Heigh Torr Estate in Purcellville, Va. They met in August 2021 and had their first date at Mission Navy Yard. Pic, courtesy of Emily Nicole Photography … Another pic WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Sam Leach, senior director of sampling at Cygnal, and Haley Leach, a former teacher and full-time mom, welcomed Eden Renee Leach on Sunday. Pic — Charles Russell, account strategist at Cygnal, and Suzie Russell, territory VP for the Atlantic at WeWork, welcomed Charles Wm. “Ford” Russell IV on Sunday. Pic — Rac Roland, director of reporting and analytics at Cygnal, and Ronald Roland, data analyst at Cygnal, welcomed Emery Roche Roland on Monday. Pic BIRTHWEEK (was Sunday): Owen Beal from Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) office … (was yesterday): Crystal Sung from Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) 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 producer Bethany Irvine.
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