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Presented by Electronic Payments Coalition: POLITICO's must-read briefing on what's driving the afternoon in Washington. | | | | |  | | By Bethany Irvine | | | |  Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley speaks during a Get Out The Vote Rally at Exeter High School in Exeter, N.H., on Jan. 21, 2024. | Jamie Kelter Davis for POLITICO | |  | THE CATCH-UP | | | BIG NEWS FOR ELDER MILLENNIALS — Variety: “Jon Stewart Returns to ‘Daily Show’ as Monday Host, Executive Producer” ONWARD TO SOUTH CAROLINA — As the dust settles from the New Hampshire primary, more Republicans are endorsing DONALD TRUMP and calling for the party to amass behind him to defeat President JOE BIDEN. In Washington: “‘The Republican primary is over,’ said Representative HARRIET HAGEMAN of Wyoming,” reports NYT’s Maggie Astor. “‘Over,’ said Senator ERIC SCHMITT of Missouri. … ‘Over,’ said Representative DAN BISHOP of North Carolina.” (OTOH, Sen. SUSAN COLLINS (R-Maine) said she’s glad Haley remains in the race, even though she won’t endorse her, per NYT’s Annie Karni.) In the states: “Republican voters have sent a clear message — they want to see the GOP unite around our eventual nominee which is going to be President Donald Trump,” Georgia GOP Chair JOSH McKOON and the state’s RNC delegates said in a statement this morning, per Matt Berg. Also endorsing Trump: former congressman and the contested new chair of the Michigan GOP, PETE HOEKSTRA. The view from Biden’s aides: “‘The results out of New Hampshire confirm that Donald Trump has all but locked up the GOP nomination and the election-denying anti-freedom MAGA movement has completed its takeover of the Republican Party,’ Biden-Harris campaign manager JULIE CHÁVEZ RODRÍGUEZ told reporters on a press call. ‘While Joe Biden and Kamala Harris head into the general election, with a winning message, the support of a united party and strong grassroots enthusiasm, Republicans are uniting behind an extreme and losing front-runner." More from NBC News’ Rebecca Shabad But Haley’s pressing on. Her campaign has a new ad up in South Carolina “framing Haley as ‘America’s new chapter’ and dwelling on her political roots in the state,” NYT’s Rebecca Davis O’Brien reports. The 30-second spot focuses on the downsides of her fellow candidates: “Biden? Too old. Trump? Too much chaos,” a voiceover intones. “A rematch no one wants. There’s a better choice for a better America.” Even so, Haley faces an uphill battle in her home state, as WaPo’s Josh Dawsey and Hannah Knowles report: “Leading South Carolina Republicans have largely lined up behind Trump in the state Haley once led for six years.” And Trump is on the attack: “Trump plans to bombard her with attacks in South Carolina, where they are determined to end the primary. Among the things they plan to focus on include her record on immigration, her past praise of China for sending jobs to South Carolina, her call to raise the retirement age for some younger people and her considerable number of enemies in the state, advisers say.” Related read: “After New Hampshire, Business Braces for a Trump Nomination,” by NYT’s Dealbook: “Investors are increasingly contending with what a Trump victory might mean. Many forecast a drastic pullback in regulation, particularly in antitrust, and a swing in support from clean energy businesses back to fossil-fuel producers.” Good Wednesday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me a line at birvine@politico.com.
| | | | A message from Electronic Payments Coalition: CREDIT UNIONS & COMMUNITY BANKS IN All 50 STATES OPPOSE THE DURBIN-MARSHALL CREDIT CARD BILL: Local credit unions and community banks serve an essential role in supporting Main Street. So, when 10,000+ credit unions and community banks throughout the country oppose the Durbin-Marshall credit card bill, Congress should pay attention. Durbin-Marshall lines the pockets of corporate mega-stores by shifting costs and risks to credit unions, community banks, and their 140 million customers. Click here to learn more. | | | | | 5 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW | | |  President Joe Biden puts on a local United Auto Workers shirt in Belvidere, Illinois on Nov. 9, 2023. | Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images | 1. STATE OF THE UNIONS: Ahead of President Biden’s scheduled address at the United Auto Workers forum today, NBC News’ Monica Alba and Mike Memoli and CNBC’s Phil LeBeau scoop that the UAW will endorse Biden’s presidential bid at the event — a move that “could carry significant political implications because of the influence on voters in Michigan, a critical battleground in the 2024 election. Biden narrowly won the state last cycle.” It’s notable in that the UAW had been one of a few major holdouts in the 2024 race: “So far, Biden has been endorsed by almost every other major union, including the AFL-CIO. But a few have stayed on the sidelines so far, including the Teamsters, the American Postal Workers Union and the International Association of Fire Fighters. The UAW typically endorses presidential candidates a bit later in the cycle. In 2020, the union didn’t back Biden until late April.” A timely profile of UAW chief SHAWN FAIN: “Can America’s New Union Hero Take on Elon Musk’s Tesla?,” by Bloomberg’s Josh Eidelson and Gabrielle Coppola 2. MIDDLE EAST LATEST: “Pentagon estimates Middle East buildup since Oct. 7 cost $1.6B,” scooped by Lara Seligman: “The Pentagon estimates the U.S. military buildup in the Middle East since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks on Israel will cost $1.6 billion, a bill the department is unable to pay due to lawmakers’ inability to pass a budget, according to two U.S. officials.” In Gaza: “At least nine dead at UN complex as Israeli forces advance through Khan Younis,” by Reuters’ Nidal Al-Mughrabi: “Tank shells hit a U.N. training centre sheltering tens of thousands of displaced people in Khan Younis on Wednesday, killing at least nine people and wounding 75, a senior U.N. relief official said, as Israeli forces advanced through the southern Gaza city.” The reports come after “Israeli forces cut off southern Gaza's main hospitals in their assault, Palestinian officials said, and closed the main escape route for hundreds of thousands of residents and people who have sought refuge in the city.” Elsewhere in the region: The U.S. military has continued its strikes on Iraqi militia sites and anti-ship missiles in Yemen as “the United States tries to keep the Israel-Hamas war from spilling over into a wider conflict,” AP’s Tara Copp And Lolita Baldor report: “Defense Secretary LLOYD AUSTIN said in a statement that the strikes in Iraq were at the direction of President Joe Biden and targeted facilities used by the Iranian-backed Kataib Hezbollah militia and other Iran-affiliated groups in Iraq.” 3. THE THIN RED LINE: House Republicans are entering this week with one of the narrowest House majorities ever, NBC News’ Kyle Stewart reports in a deep dive on congressional history. With the temporary absence of Majority Leader STEVE SCALISE related to his cancer diagnosis, “Republicans hold 219 seats to Democrats’ 213, giving new Speaker MIKE JOHNSON, R-La., little margin for error to pass legislation.”
| | | | STEP INSIDE THE GOLDEN STATE POLITICAL ARENA: POLITICO’s California Playbook newsletter provides a front row seat to the most important political news percolating in the state’s power centers, from Sacramento and Los Angeles to Silicon Valley. Authors Lara Korte and Dustin Gardiner deliver exclusive news, buzzy scoops and behind-the-scenes details that you simply will not get anywhere else. Subscribe today and stay ahead of the game! | | | | | 4. WAR IN UKRAINE: This morning, the Russian Ministry of Defense accused Ukrainian forces of shooting down a Russian military transport aircraft, resulting in the deaths of all 74 individuals on board, including 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war who were being exchanged, per the AP: “In addition to the 65 POWs, the Il-76 transport carried a crew of six and three other passengers, the Russian military said. According to the statement, Russian radar registered the launch of two missiles from Ukraine’s Kharkiv region that borders the Belgorod region.” And in Washington: In a 20-1 vote, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee passed an unprecedented bill that would pave the way for the American seizure of Russian assets and transfer of those assets to Ukraine, Reuters' Patricia Zengerle reports. “If it were to pass the full Senate and House of Representatives and be signed into law by President Joe Biden, the act would pave the way for Washington's first-ever seizure of central bank assets from a country with which it is not at war.” 5. ON THE MONEY: “Failed Democratic candidates pocket ‘fellowship’ cash from opaque progressive group to run in 2024,” by the Washington Examiner's Gabe Kaminsky: “A little-known organization fighting for ‘the interests of progressive voters through public advocacy’ is quietly overseeing an unusual ‘fellowship’ to ensure repeat Democratic congressional hopefuls get paychecks between runs.” The gist: “Tax experts have questioned whether New Politics Leadership Academy may have violated its charity status by compensating congressional hopefuls, with the Federal Election Commission receiving at least one formal complaint against a candidate in 2020 over the individual being ‘paid to run for Congress by Democratic groups.”
| | | | A message from Electronic Payments Coalition: CREDIT UNIONS & COMMUNITY BANKS IN All 50 STATES OPPOSE THE DURBIN-MARSHALL CREDIT CARD BILL: The Durbin-Marshall credit card bill would create new government mandates on credit cards that would put consumer data and access to credit at risk. The bill would benefit corporate mega-stores, like Walmart and Target, at the expense of Main Street and the 140 million Americans who rely on credit unions and community banks. The threat of Durbin-Marshall to small financial institutions is so clear that 10,000+ credit unions and community banks in America are opposed to the bill. They also see through the so-called “carve out” for smaller banks which is a hoax to try and buy their support. Their message to Congress is simple: on behalf of credit unions and community banks in all 50 states, commit to actively opposing the Durbin-Marshall credit card bill. Click here to learn more. | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Johnny Marr is not thrilled to hear that The Smiths music is being played at Trump rallies. (Heaven knows he’s miserable now.) Ron DeSantis is showing his human side. Lisa Rubin has some questions about George Santos’ appearance at a Trump victory party in New Hampshire. OUT AND ABOUT — Dow Jones’ Almar Latour hosted a book party last night at the Metropolitan Club in New York celebrating the release of WSJ’s Yaroslav Trofimov’s new book, “Our Enemies Will Vanish” ($32). The book features a firsthand account of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in Trofimov’s hometown of Kyiv. SPOTTED: Elena Cherney, Richard Schiff, Tom Freston and Ben Smith. — Michele Blackwell, Aisha Alexander-Young, Michele Jawando, Eden Shiferaw and Iris Bond-Gill hosted a toast for Kiara Pesante Haughton at Wild Days at the Eaton Hotel last night as she celebrated her new role as VP of campaigns and communications at the National Women’s Law Center. SPOTTED: Malik Haughton, Beth Lynk, Wintta Woldemariam, Maya Rhodan, Helena Andrews-Dyer, Augusto Goncalves, Onika Williams, Charmion Kinder, Vince Rainey, Nicole Randle and Shunda Leecost. — Kathy “Coach” Kemper hosted a dinner last night to welcome new EU Ambassador Jovita Neliupšienė, new Japanese Ambassador Shigeo Yamada and new National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Jeanne Marrazzo. SPOTTED: Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson and Patrick Jackson, R. David Edelman, Jennifer Griffin, Jo Hofmann, Greg Myre, Todd Park and Kathi Vidal. MEDIA MOVE — Christina Passariello is now San Francisco bureau chief at CNBC. She most recently was deputy business editor at WaPo and is a WSJ alum. WHITE HOUSE ARRIVAL LOUNGE — Eitan Geller-Montague is now special adviser for legislative affairs at the Office of the National Cyber Director at the White House. He most recently was an adviser to the administrator at the TSA. TRANSITIONS — DCCC has added Bajeyah Eaddy as national black engagement deputy director and Sarah Lin as national AANHPI engagement deputy director. Eaddy previously was adviser for public engagement at the EPA’s Office of Land and Emergency Management. Lin previously was deputy national organizing director at IA Impact. … … Shayne Woods is now a VP at The Alpine Group. He previously was a senior legislative adviser to Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.). … Katrina Hutchins is now an account coordinator at Renegade DC. She previously was an associate editor at The Daily Caller News Foundation. BONUS BIRTHDAY: James Davis of Rep. Ted Lieu’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, producer Andrew Howard and Playbook Daily Briefing producer Callan Tansill-Suddath.
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