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Presented by Amazon: POLITICO's must-read briefing on what's driving the afternoon in Washington. | | | | |  | | By Eli Okun | | | |  Secretary of State Antony Blinken went further than the Biden administration has before to lay out an American vision for the region’s future. | Richard A. Brooks/AFP via Getty Images | MIDDLE EAST LATEST — Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN said today that the U.S. wants Gaza and the West Bank to be governed as a “unified” territory by the Palestinian Authority after the Israel-Hamas war, NYT’s Matthew Mpoke Bigg reports. Those comments went further than the Biden administration has before to lay out an American vision for the region’s future. Speaking in Tokyo, Blinken also specified several planks of “a sustained peace,” including centering Palestinian voices in Gaza and “a sustained mechanism for reconstruction.” Of course, whether Israel, the Palestinian Authority or other key players would accept a setup like that is an open question at best. On a much shorter-term basis, negotiations are reportedly ongoing to set a three-day cease-fire in exchange for Hamas’ release of a dozen hostages, half of them Americans, per the Lebanese Al-Mayadeen channel. Back in the U.S., the Middle East continued to course through various congressional and political fights in ways that would have been surprising a month ago. The latest developments today:
- More than half of Senate Democrats sent a new letter to President JOE BIDEN urging him to balance support for Israel with humanitarian assistance to Gaza and efforts to achieve long-term peace, per Haaretz. Sens. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN (Md.), CHRIS MURPHY (Conn.), BRIAN SCHATZ (Hawaii) and JACK REED (R.I.) led the missive.
- FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: The NRSC is launching a five-figure digital ad buy hammering four vulnerable Senate Democrats on Iran and the Israel-Hamas war. Building off the horrors Hamas inflicted in Israel, the ads blast JON TESTER (Mont.), TAMMY BALDWIN (Wis.), SHERROD BROWN (Ohio) and BOB CASEY (Pa.) for supporting the Iran nuclear deal, “bankrolling radicals like Hezbollah and Hamas,” they allege. “Tell Jon Tester: Quit funding terrorists,” the Montana ad concludes. Watch it here
- The war is one of the reasons that ROBERT BIGELOW cites in telling FT’s Alex Rogers that he’s considering jumping ship from Florida Gov. RON DeSANTIS to DONALD TRUMP. The real estate mogul has been the biggest donor to DeSantis, but now he thinks Trump “has the momentum, the inertia, to beat” DeSantis. Bigelow also mentions DeSantis’ hard-right abortion policy.
- Westchester County, N.Y., Executive GEORGE LATIMER is likely to launch a primary bid against Rep. JAMAAL BOWMAN (D-N.Y.) right before he takes a “solidarity trip” to Israel later this month, per Jewish Insider’s Matthew Kassel.
- House Democrats are still fighting amongst themselves over the war — particularly Rep. DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ’s (D-Fla.) comment that her 15 colleagues who didn’t vote for a pro-Israel resolution don’t “have a soul,” CNN’s Annie Grayer, Melanie Zanona and Manu Raju report. The tensions haven’t been smoothed over yet.
PAGING JAMES COMER — “Joe Biden may have lent James Biden money to justify ‘loan’ repayments, bank records show,” by the Washington Examiner’s Sarah Bedford and Reese Gorman: “Bank records suggest President Joe Biden may have paid his brother $240,000 in two installments a year apart, each just weeks before JAMES BIDEN wrote his brother a check for the same amount. The records, obtained by the Washington Examiner, support the White House’s claim that the checks James Biden wrote to Joe Biden in 2017 and 2018, respectively, appear to be intended to pay back loans.” Good Wednesday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me a line at eokun@politico.com.
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Learn how Amazon supports selling partners. | | | CONGRESS SHUTDOWN SHOWDOWN — Speaker MIKE JOHNSON plans to reach a decision on a continuing resolution strategy to keep the government open within the next one to two days, our Hill colleagues report. SUPPLEMENTAL LATEST — Multiple bipartisan groups of senators are huddling today to try to hash out a deal on border security to be included alongside Ukraine and Israel aid, per Burgess Everett, who reports that they’re covering a “[n]arrow scope.” NEW IN LEADERSHIP — Rep. BLAKE MOORE (R-Utah) won a crowded race to become the new House Republican Conference vice chair today. He triumphed over Rep. BETH VAN DUYNE (R-Texas), who led in the earliest ballots, in the end. (Next up, if Johnson is the template: the speakership!) HEADS UP — Sens. MITT ROMNEY (R-Utah) and JOE MANCHIN (D-W.Va.) this afternoon will introduce legislation to establish a bicameral fiscal commission to tackle the national debt. The Fiscal Stability Act is a companion to a similar bipartisan bill in the House. GOOD LUCK WITH THAT — Senate Democrats tomorrow plan to vote for subpoenas for HARLAN CROW and LEONARD LEO in their Supreme Court ethics probe. But without support from the Senate GOP, “the subpoenas may prove difficult to enforce,” WaPo’s Ann Marimow reports. TRUMP CARDS AT THE TRUMP FRAUD TRIAL — “Ivanka Trump takes the stand in New York fraud trial targeting family business,” by The Hill’s Ella Lee: “IVANKA TRUMP’s testimony so far has been calm and collected — a stark contrast from her father and brothers’ previous stints on the witness stand.” THE WHITE HOUSE BIG DEPARTURE — MITCH LANDRIEU is expected to depart his position as infrastructure coordinator later this year, NBC’s Monica Alba, Stephanie Ruhle and Carol Lee scooped. Still unclear: whether he’ll have a successor and what his next steps are. Landrieu is likely to be involved somehow with the Biden reelect.
| | | | 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 UP FOR DEBATE — Tonight’s GOP presidential debate will be co-hosted by Salem Media Group, a right-wing network that has promulgated lies about 2020 election fraud, WaPo’s Jeremy Barr reports. Though the RNC picked Salem as one of the media partners, the association is also drawing criticism of NBC for being willing to work with the talk radio/podcast organization, which also executive produced DINESH D’SOUZA’s “2000 Mules.” Salem’s explicitly Christian and conservative bent over several decades “has coarsened in recent years, particularly after the company experienced something of a rupture with the rise of Trump.” MR. ELECTABLE — Natalie Allison and Burgess Everett are up with a look at how Republicans who had initial doubts about Trump’s ability to win the general election are beginning to come around to the idea. “Trump, after seemingly closing off every other avenue of attack for his rivals — from his indictments, to his refusal to debate, to his controversial remarks surrounding the war in Israel — is now starting to quiet doubts about his electability, as well. And after months of campaigning, it isn’t clear what else Trump’s rivals can do about it.” MORE POLITICS AFTERNOON READ — Could New Hampshire’s massive state legislature provide a blueprint for some out-of-the-box democracy reforms nationwide? David Siders goes to Concord for a POLITICO Magazine feature exploring the idea being pushed by JOHN COX and MARK HALPERIN to have each member of Congress elected by 100 subdivisions’ reps. The idea is that smaller districts help keep the government more intimate and representative — like in the Granite State. But David finds closeness can be a double-edged sword. New Hampshire “may also be Exhibit A in another, potentially even more intractable problem confronting American democracy: not its flawed institutions, but the flawed people doing its electing.” FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Heritage is running an ad during today’s “Ruthless” podcast blasting Senate Republicans for criticizing Sen. TOMMY TUBERVILLE’s (R-Ala.) holds on Pentagon nominations. Calling out Sens. JONI ERNST (R-Iowa) and DAN SULLIVAN (R-Alaska) by name, Heritage slams them for opposing Tuberville’s “heroic fight” on abortion and accuses them of not honoring their word — the language Ernst used — on the issue. Watch it here BATTLE FOR THE HOUSE — Democrat ZAK MALAMED dropped out of the House primary to take on Rep. GEORGE SANTOS (R-N.Y.) on Long Island, instead throwing his support behind former Rep. TOM SUOZZI’s comeback bid, Nick Reisman reports. ONE FOR THE MONEY, TWO FOR THE SHOW — Some members of Congress are holding campaign fundraisers these days at TAYLOR SWIFT or BEYONCÉ concerts, Hailey Fuchs reports. It’s a twist on the typical fundraising shindig, often inspired by the members’ own fandom or that of their family members, though it’s not necessarily new: Rep. NORMA TORRES (D-Calif.) once held a fundraiser at a CHER concert.
| | | | Sponsored Survey WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU: Share what you think in a short, 1 minute survey about one of our advertisers | | | POLICY CORNER WHERE THE IRA HASN’T WORKED — Despite the Inflation Reduction Act’s major success thus far in spurring domestic electric vehicle production, it hasn’t yet managed to stimulate consumer demand for them, NYT’s Jim Tankersley, Ana Swanson, Jack Ewing and Coral Davenport report. “Still, analysts say, electric vehicle sales are projected to jump sharply under the right conditions.” AMERICA AND THE WORLD LEDE OF THE DAY — “Welcome to the People’s Republic of China, the name of a gleaming new elementary school in the rough outskirts of Uruguay’s capital, built as part of Beijing’s charm offensive in South America as U.S. influence in the region wanes,” WSJ’s Samantha Pearson reports from Montevideo. “Uruguay has tried and failed to get a free-trade deal with the U.S. The center-right government here in Montevideo is now negotiating one with China.” DANCE OF THE SUPERPOWERS — “U.S. Finance Agency Lends to Sri Lankan Port to Counter Chinese Influence,” by NYT’s Skandha Gunasekara and Alex Travelli: “The U.S. International Development Finance Corporation is joining forces with the Adani Group, strengthening ties to India and an embattled conglomerate.” IMMIGRATION FILES — Costa Rica, Panama and other Latin American countries are taking new steps to bus large numbers of migrants from one end of the country to the other, NYT’s Zolan Kanno-Youngs and David Bolaños report. Their programs aim to ease the strain at home. But the U.S. worries that they’re “forming a fast lane for them to race north” to the U.S.-Mexico border, incentivizing higher levels of migration, and Biden administration officials have raised concerns with Costa Rica and Panama. MEDIAWATCH THE GRAY LADY SINGS — The NYT has crossed the threshold of 10 million s, NYT’s Katie Robertson reports. Its “adjusted operating profit” in the third quarter was more than 30% higher than a year prior, the newspaper said.
| | | | 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. | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS IN MEMORIAM — “Mel Sembler, Developer and G.O.P. Fund-Raiser, Is Dead at 93,” by NYT’s Trip Gabriel: “He received ambassadorships after filling campaign coffers that led to two Bush presidencies. He later came around to backing Donald Trump.” OUT AND ABOUT — SPOTTED at a party last night for Margaret Spellings as the new CEO of the Bipartisan Policy Center, hosted at Brownstein by Barry Jackson, Emily and Marc Lampkin, Jim Nicholson, Marlene Colucci and Dina Powell: Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), Ed Gillespie, Ben Ginsberg, Anita McBride, Tim Adams, Mary Matalin, Brett and Ginger Loper, Jana Toner, Susannah Wellford, Brian Montgomery, Dave Winston, Myra Miller, Karen Rove, Maria Cino, Laura Cox Kaplan, Roy Blunt, Jess Sharp, Brian McCormick and DJ Nordquist. — SPOTTED last night at the first Victims of Communism International Cultural & Food Fair, held at the Victims of Communism Museum: Moldovan Ambassador Viorel Ursu, Romanian Ambassador Andrei Muraru, Aldona Wos, Andrew Bremberg, Arizona state House Speaker Ben Toma, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy and Karina Lipsman. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Natalie Wyeth Earnest has formed strategic comms and public affairs consulting firm Village Green Advisors. She has been a top adviser to three of the last four Treasury secretaries. — John McCarthy has been promoted to deputy assistant to the president and senior adviser for political engagement. He was previously senior adviser to the counselor to the president. TRANSITIONS — Sara Lonardo is now a deputy assistant secretary for public affairs at HHS, covering the health care portfolio. She previously was at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and is a FamiliesUSA, SEIU and Rosa DeLauro alum. … Vuk Velebit has started the Pupin Initiative, a think tank dedicated to bolstering ties between Serbia and the U.S. He most recently was an international strategy fellow at Schmidt Futures. … Abigail Israel is now a senior associate at Bullpen Strategy Group. She previously was an associate at Penta. ENGAGED — Madison Alexander, digital director for Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), and Ryan Leonard, a commercial real estate adviser at SVN, got engaged Sunday at the Tudor Place in Georgetown. They met exactly two years prior at an escape room in Chinatown and had their first date at a Christmas tree farm in McLean, Va. Pic … Another pic WEEKEND WEDDING — Will May, a VP at Forbes Tate Partners, and Grace Bellone, a legislative assistant for Rep. John Curtis (R-Utah), got married in the New Orleans French Quarter on Saturday. Pic … Another pic WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Max Bluestein, senior adviser at Interpol Washington, and Valerie Bluestein, a DC real estate agent, welcomed Asher Bluestein on Sunday. He joins big brother Brody. Pic … Another pic 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. Clarification: Yesterday’s Playbook PM has been updated to clarify that Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) introduced stand-alone legislation in the Senate to provide supplemental aid to Israel.
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