| | | | |  | | By Eugene Daniels, Rachael Bade and Ryan Lizza | | | With help from Eli Okun and Garrett Ross
|  It was the flip-flop heard ’round the world: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan finally backed Sweden’s request to join NATO yesterday. | AP | | | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | | MONEY FOR SOMETHING — “Doug Burgum is about to drop hundreds of thousands of dollars on gift cards to qualify for the debate,” by Jessica Piper NEW OVERNIGHT — “Trump wants classified documents trial delayed until after 2024 election,” by Josh Gerstein and Kyle Cheney: “DONALD TRUMP on Monday called for a lengthy delay before he goes to trial for allegedly hoarding military secrets at his Mar-a-Lago estate, contending that proceeding while he remains a candidate for president would make it virtually impossible to seat an impartial jury.” Read the filing TURKISH DELIGHT — It was the flip-flop heard ’round the world: Turkish President RECEP TAYYIP ERDOĞAN finally backed Sweden’s request to join NATO yesterday — after months of resisting pressure from the entire Western world. The handshake agreement — announced by Erdoğan, NATO Secretary General JENS STOLTENBERG and Swedish Prime Minister ULF KRISTERSSON — came just before the alliance’s annual meeting kicked off in Lithuania and settled one key question hanging over the confab. Our colleague Lili Bayer sums up the agreement, which involves an intricate exchange of pledges, roadmaps and guarantees involving officials in Ankara, Stockholm and Brussels. Notably absent from the agreement, or the announcement, was President JOE BIDEN or any other U.S. official. In fact, White House officials are making pains to emphasize that it wasn’t directly involved with the deal — even as a major sale of U.S.-built F-16 fighter jets to Turkey was seen as a key leverage point. “The United States message was encouraging Turkey to move forward with Sweden's ascension as quickly as possible,” an administration official told Playbook last night. “And so while we were not direct parties to the negotiations here, we were heavily encouraging and supportive of them and obviously very heavily engaged diplomatically in conversations with everyone involved.” The “encouraging” kicked into full gear over the past week as Biden and his deputies pushed to close a deal before the summit. Biden hosted Kristersson at the White House last week, then spoke to Erdoğan Sunday while flying to London. Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN and National Security Advisor JAKE SULLIVAN both worked the phones as well, coordinating with their counterparts in Sweden and Turkey. Speaking to reporters this morning in Vilnius, Sullivan praised the deal and indicated that Biden “intends to move forward” with the sale of the F-16s. “Rumors of the death of NATO's unity were greatly exaggerated,” he said. Sullivan also stated that NATO nations will send a "united, positive signal" regarding Ukraine's road to joining the alliance during today’s summit. More from Reuters Biden is set to meet with Erdoğan later today, and while administration officials would not say if the meeting would have happened had the deal not gone through, they said Biden made clear on that Sunday phone call that he wanted to see progress, and fast. Related reads: “How the Biden administration sealed the Sweden deal with Erdogan,” WaPo … “Ukraine NATO bid still unresolved as alliance leaders gather,” POLITICO … “Sweden’s rocky road from neutrality toward NATO membership,” by AP’s Karl Ritter CULTURE WAR BATTLEFIELD — The National Defense Authorization Act, the annual bill setting Pentagon priorities and policies, has been signed into law 60 years straight. But this year, it’s looking shakier than ever before. At issue is whether the House will take up hard-right floor amendments this week that could decimate the broad, bipartisan support the bill won last month in the House Armed Services Committee — and lawmakers are deeply worried that partisan battles could break the six-decade streak. Rep. ADAM SMITH, the top Armed Services Democrat, told Playbook last night that he wasn’t “remotely” confident the bill will pass this week. Without the controversial amendments, Smith (D-Wash.) predicted, well over 300 House members would vote for the bill. With them, “you lose most, if not all, Democrats,” he said — and possibly enough centrist Republicans to tank the bill. The stakes extend beyond the fate of the $886 billion Pentagon budget to a more profound question: Have the culture wars fatally infected one of Congress’s strongest bastions of bipartisanship — showering the Pentagon with taxpayer money? Some of the most closely watched amendments among the 1,500 that have been filed deal with …
- Abortion: Conservatives want to block a DoD policy covering travel expenses for troops who are seeking abortions.
- Diversity, equity and inclusion: The bill already contains language eliminating the Pentagon’s chief diversity officer, but Rep. MATT GAETZ (R-Fla.) is hoping to prohibit funding for any DEI training or initiatives.
- Transgender troops: Multiple amendments would nix funding for hormone therapy and surgeries for gender transition treatments.
- Base renamings and more: Some conservatives are pushing to halt the effort already underway to rename bases named after Confederate leaders. That’s in addition to myriad scraps over actual military policies, which our Connor O’Brien, Lee Hudson and Joe Gould expertly summarized for Defense Pros over the weekend.
The clash comes to a head today in the House Rules Committee, which will decide which amendments ultimately get sent to the floor. The weight falls once again on House Speaker KEVIN McCARTHY, who will need to navigate between the demands of his most conservative members (three of whom serve on the Rules Committee) and the need for Democratic votes in order to get a bill ultimately signed into law. In the past, House leaders typically have told the hard right to pound sand, knowing they weren’t going to vote for the final bill anyway. But after pissing off conservatives during the debt limit standoff, McCarthy looks poised to make a different calculation this time. Good Tuesday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza.
| | | | A message from The Coalition to Protect America's Regional Airports: The FAA Reauthorization bill – which will be marked up in the Senate Commerce Committee – is critical to supporting the aviation industry and ensuring connectivity for the traveling public. Yet efforts to change DCA’s slot and perimeter rules have delayed the bill’s passage before are doing so again. As the industry struggles with air traffic controller shortages and record travel demand, we need an FAA bill that won’t increase delays at DCA. Take action at https://www.protectregionalairports.com/take-action/. | | | TAKING THE GRASSROOTS TEMPERATURE — “There’s Good News and Bad News for Trump in a New Survey,” by Seth Masket for POLITICO Magazine: “Trump’s support continued to increase. Roughly twice as many county party chairs are now committed to Trump as to DeSantis, and no other candidates have really broken through. … The one non-Trump, non-DeSantis contender who saw a real bit of movement in my survey is South Carolina Sen. TIM SCOTT.” TUNE IN — Rachael sits down this morning with Del. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON (D-D.C.) and speakers from the U.S. Travel Association, the Chamber of Commerce and the National Consumers League to discuss the prospects for the FAA Reauthorization Act. The convo starts at 8:30 and will be followed by an executive conversation with United Airlines CEO SCOTT KIRBY and POLITICO CEO GOLI SHEIKHOLESLAMI. RSVP here to attend virtually
| | | | A message from The Coalition to Protect America's Regional Airports:   Tired of flight delays? Tell Congress to pass the FAA Reauthorization bill – without any changes that would worsen passenger experience. Take action at https://www.protectregionalairports.com/take-action/. | | | | | BIDEN’S TUESDAY (all times Eastern): The president has already participated in an arrival ceremony, official photo, guest book signing and bilateral meeting with Lithuanian President GITANAS NAUSĖDA at the presidential palace in Vilnius. Still to come:
6:50 a.m.: Biden will take part in an official greeting with Stoltenberg and Nausėda, plus a family photo with NATO leaders.
7 a.m.: Biden will attend the NATO meeting at the Lithuanian Exhibition and Conference Center.
11 a.m.: Biden will have a bilateral meeting with Erdoğan.
VP KAMALA HARRIS’ TUESDAY:
11:35 a.m.: The VP will lead a press call announcing a new move to help improve access to the federal child care subsidy system.
1 p.m.: Harris will lead disability rights leaders in a conversation about transportation accessibility in the Indian Treaty Room.
THE SENATE will meet at 10 a.m. and vote on several nominations throughout the day. The chamber will recess from 12:30 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. for weekly conference meetings and from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. for an all-senators classified White House briefing on AI. The Armed Services Committee will hold a hearing on Gen. CHARLES BROWN JR.’s nomination for chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at 9:30 a.m.
THE HOUSE will meet at noon and at 2 p.m. will take up multiple bills, with last votes expected at 6:30 p.m. The Rules Committee will take up the National Defense Authorization Act at noon. | | | | | | STOP SCROLLING (for just a minute!). Introducing a revamped California Playbook newsletter with an all-new team and a sharpened mission! Join Lara Korte and Dustin Gardiner as they take you on an extraordinary journey through California's political landscape. From inside the Capitol in Sacramento to the mayor’s office in Los Angeles, and from the tech hub of Silicon Valley to even further beyond, we're your front-row ticket to the action. Subscribe for access to exclusive news, buzzworthy scoops and never-before-revealed behind-the-scenes details straight from the heart of California's political arena. Don't miss out — SUBSCRIBE TODAY and stay in the know! | | | | | PHOTO OF THE DAY
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President Joe Biden shakes hands with Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at 10 Downing Street in London, Monday, July 10. | Susan Walsh/AP Photo | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | 2024 WATCH MARK YOUR CALENDARS — “Tucker Carlson To Host First GOP Presidential Forum Of The Cycle,” by The Messenger’s Aneeta Mathur-Ashton: “In a tweet, Blaze Media said the event will take place July 14 and will be live-streamed on BlazeTV and their YouTube channel. The forum will be at the Family Leadership Summit in Des Moines, Iowa. Five GOP candidates currently in the race … will be attending. Most notably missing from the lineup is former TUCKER CARLSON favorite Donald Trump.” A DEEPLY RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE — NIKKI HALEY is the latest presidential hopeful to grace the venerated steps of Dartmouth College’s Alpha Delta fraternity house, the inspiration for the movie “Animal House,” AD alum Sam Stein writes for POLITICO Magazine. Haley joins predecessors BOB DOLE, JOHN McCAIN and JOHN EDWARDS in visiting a house whose appeal, he says, lies in “the chance for the candidate to seem a bit less guarded, a bit more youthful, perhaps even fun.” UNDER THE INFLUENCE — “Foreign governments eye lobbyists linked to DeSantis,” by Hailey Fuchs MORE POLITICS CANDIDATE QUALITY CONTROL — Top Senate Republicans are “mounting their most aggressive Senate primary intervention strategy in nearly a decade,” elevating their favored candidates in Montana, Nevada and West Virginia in an attempt to box out more conservative and potentially more problematic challengers, Burgess Everett and Ally Mutnick report this morning. “It’s a strategy not seen since the GOP took the Senate from Democrats in 2014 after poor showings in 2010 and 2012. Even then, the party focused on ousting unelectable candidates, rather than officially boosting its preferred picks as [NRSC Chairman STEVE] DAINES is this year.” The effort has yet to bear fruit in other states, such as Ohio and Wisconsin, but Minority Leader MITCH McCONNELL is a fan: “Clearly, we need quality candidates to win, we learned that in ‘22, 2010, 2012. Steve’s doing a great job getting us the most electable nominees, because that’s the way you win in November,” he said in an interview. CASH FLOW — “Mississippi’s Republican governor has 5 times more campaign cash than his Democratic rival,” by AP’s Emily Wagster Pettus: “The [TATE] REEVES campaign reported raising more than $1 million during [June], ending with over $9.6 million cash on hand. The [Democrat BRANDON] PRESLEY campaign said it took in more than $500,000 and finished with over $1.85 million cash on hand.” ANOTHER ONE — Republican KEVIN DELLICKER has launched another bid in Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District, reports 69 News. Dellicker previously lost a 2022 primary to LISA SCHELLER, who then lost to incumbent Democrat SUSAN WILD in the general. CONGRESS SWING AND A MISS — “Senators will demand answers from PGA Tour, with further hearings likely,” by WaPo’s Rick Maese: “Sen. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D-Conn.), the chair of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations who is leading the probe into the tour’s surprising alliance with the LIV Golf benefactors, was unable to get any of the speakers he initially requested for Tuesday’s hearing. So even before a single golf executive is sworn in, Blumenthal pledged to call further hearings on the matter and said he expects the Saudi investors to come before Congress and explain the deal.” THE FEW, THE PROUD — “Republican’s hold on nominations leaves Marines without confirmed leader for 1st time in 100 years,” by AP’s Lolita Baldor: “Gen. ERIC SMITH, currently the assistant commandant, has been nominated to be the next leader, but will serve in an acting capacity because he hasn’t been confirmed by the Senate. … Smith’s promotion delay is the first of what could be many top level military officers held up by Sen. TOMMY TUBERVILLE, R-Ala.” POWER OF THE PURSE — A group of House conservatives have given KEVIN McCARTHY an ultimatum, threatening to vote against government funding legislation unless their demands are met, writes NBC News’ Sahil Kapur. Among the demands made by the group, led by Reps. SCOTT PERRY (R-Pa.) and CHIP ROY (R-Tex.): Keeping the bills underneath the levels McCarthy agreed to as part of the debt limit deal and opposing any effort to combine the 12 annual spending bills into an omnibus. Related read: “GOP battle brews over defense bill as McCarthy under pressure to appease the right on social issues,” by CNN’s Annie Grayer, Melanie Zanona, Manu Raju and Haley Talbot LET’S GET ETHICAL — The Senate Judiciary Committee announced a July 20 vote on Supreme Court ethics legislation, NBC News’ Sahil Kapur and Frank Thorp V report
| | | | A message from The Coalition to Protect America's Regional Airports:   There is no time to waste. Congress must pass the FAA Reauthorization bill without delay. Take action at https://www.protectregionalairports.com/take-action/. | | | JUDICIARY SQUARE JUST POSTED — “Campus visits and travel by Supreme Court justices put them in the company of big money donors,” by AP’s Brian Slodysko and Eric Tucker: “The Associated Press obtained tens of thousands of pages of emails and other documents that reveal the extent to which public colleges and universities have seen visits by justices as opportunities to generate donations -– regularly putting justices in the room with influential donors, including some whose industries have had interests before the court.” ANOTHER DAVID WEISS RETORT — “Hunter Biden prosecutor pushes back against claims by IRS agents,” by WaPo’s Devlin Barrett: “The federal prosecutor overseeing the HUNTER BIDEN tax investigation partially addressed allegations of Justice Department wrongdoing on Monday, telling lawmakers that while he discussed with other officials the possibility of filing charges outside of Delaware, where he is based, no one denied him that option. … [H]e insists he never asked to be appointed as a special counsel.” Democrats react: After Republicans spent weeks amplifying the political meddling claims of IRS whistleblower GARY SHAPLEY, Democrats argue Weiss’s new statement undermines Shapley’s claims — and the GOP’s potential impeachment case against AG MERRICK GARLAND. “Attorney General Garland has restored independence and dignity to the Department of Justice, and we welcome the opportunity to emphasize how the Department has been rehabilitated from its unethical politicization during the Trump administration,” Rep. DAN GOLDMAN (D-N.Y.) said in a statement to Playbook. POLICY CORNER HISTORIC MOMENT — The U.S. announced yesterday that it has destroyed the country’s last remaining chemical weapons, WaPo’s Alex Horton reports, ahead of a Sept. 23 deadline set as part of a 1997 international convention. The “aging rocket filled with sarin nerve agent” that was incinerated in Kentucky was the last of about 3.5 million chemical munitions destroyed since Congress ordered them gone in 1986. UP IN THE AIR — “Air Force delays bonuses and new assignments amid political feud over Space Command’s new headquarters,” by NBC’s Dan De Luce and Courtney Kube AMERICA AND THE WORLD MOMMY, WHY DOES EVERYBODY HAVE A BOMB? — A new intelligence assessment yesterday from the Office of the DNI warns that Iran has boosted its nuclear abilities in the past three years — but says the country is not currently pursuing a bomb, AP’s Matthew Lee reports. The “key nuclear weapons-development activities” necessary for a weapon aren’t underway in Iran, the report’s summary claims, even as uranium enrichment and other R&D continue. DANCE OF THE SUPERPOWERS — “Biden Bets High-Level Diplomacy Can Cool Fiery Relations With China,” by NYT’s Edward Wong, Keith Bradsher and Alan Rappeport: “It could amount to the most consequential diplomatic push of Mr. Biden’s presidency. He is betting that high-level dialogue can itself act as a ballast in a relationship that has been in a dangerous free fall for years.” MEDIAWATCH THE HOLLOWING OUT CONTINUES — Alden Global Capital’s MediaNews Group has bought the San Diego Union-Tribune from L.A. Times owner PATRICK SOON-SHIONG, the U-T’s Lori Weisberg reports. It’s the latest important metropolitan daily to get hoovered up by a big hedge fund, and staffers were immediately told that buyouts and cutbacks will soon begin, perhaps followed by layoffs. WITH FRIENDS LIKE THESE — Fox News’ once-close relationship with Turning Point USA has soured, as the network distances itself from the group’s summit starting this weekend, The Daily Beast’s Justin Baragona reports. No Fox stars are on the schedule yet, and it won’t live-stream the conference. “Fox’s relationship with Turning Point is basically over,” one network source says.
| | | | SUBSCRIBE TO POWER SWITCH: The energy landscape is profoundly transforming. Power Switch is a daily newsletter that unlocks the most important stories driving the energy sector and the political forces shaping critical decisions about your energy future, from production to storage, distribution to consumption. Don’t miss out on Power Switch, your guide to the politics of energy transformation in America and around the world. SUBSCRIBE TODAY. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Steve Bannon was ordered to pay nearly half a million dollars to his lawyers. Tommy Tuberville said the racism of white supremacists is a matter of opinion. Vivek Ramaswamy’s guilty pleasure is Mexican food. OUT AND ABOUT — SPOTTED at a welcome happy hour in Navy Yard for Rick Gorka, who’s joined Camelback Strategy Group: Kirk Adams, Jon Seaton, Chad Heywood, Ryan Price, Matt Kenney, Mike Thom, Dave Gibbon, Savannah Viar, Michael Joyce, Keith Schipper, Emma Vaughn, Tripp Looser and Gates McGavick. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Kevin McKeon, Cayce McCabe, Megan Nashban Kenney, Jenna Kruse, Bryan “Boo” Yuen, Cristina Gonzalez, Issac Walker and Christina Jansen are all founding a new Democratic ad firm, the Adwell Group. McKeon and McCabe were previously at Putnam Partners; they and Nashban Kenney are partners at Adwell. — DHS has recently expanded its public affairs team with Jack Davies as director of strategic comms and speechwriting, Erin Heeter and Naree Ketudat as assistant press secretaries, Grant Haver as a social media specialist and Dana Gallagher a press assistant. TRANSITIONS — Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley is now president of the Middle East Policy Council. She previously was chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer at the State Department and is the former U.S. ambassador to Malta. … Dave Christie is the new chief of staff for Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.). He previously was her legislative director. … Elizabeth Cherot will be president and CEO of March of Dimes. She previously led its Office of Maternal and Child Health Impact, and is the nonprofit’s first physician leader. … … Shelly O’Neill Stoneman will be SVP of government affairs at Lockheed Martin. She most recently has been SVP for government relations at BAE Systems. … Noelle Rosellini is now deputy chief of staff for Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.). She previously was director of surrogates for Hassan’s reelect and Northeast press secretary at the DNC. … Kendra Kosko Isaacson is now a principal at Mindset, focusing on tax and retirement. She most recently was pensions policy director and senior tax counsel for Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) on the Senate HELP Committee. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) … Education Secretary Miguel Cardona … Garrett Graff … Chris Maloney of Black Rock Group … Page Gardner … Josh Wachs of Wachs Strategies … Emily Benavides … Urmila Venugopalan of the MPA … Nora Connors … KayAnn Schoeneman … Paige Rusher of Seven Letter … Anne Sokolov of Rep. Nikki Budzinski’s (D-Ill.) office … Joe Wall of Goldman Sachs … Andrew Kirell … Ali Schmitz of PBS NewsHour … Michael Wong of Sen. Kyrsten Sinema’s (D-Ariz.) office … Stephen Hostelley … Scott Graves … AMA’s Sandy Marks … POLITICO’s Sophie Read and Emmanuel Beryhun … Jamie Stiehm … Chris Vaeth … Matt Lahr of Sen. Todd Young’s (R-Ind.) office … Valery Galasso … Ishmael Abuabara of Rep. Joaquin Castro’s (D-Texas) office BIRTHWEEK (was yesterday): Mark Skidmore of Assemble 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.
| | | | A message from The Coalition to Protect America's Regional Airports: Passing the FAA Reauthorization bill is urgently needed to extend the Federal Aviation Administration’s operating and funding authority, to support the aviation industry, and to ensure connectivity for the traveling public. With record air traffic controller shortages and peak demand, we can’t afford delays. Yet a Delta-backed group is recklessly derailing passage of the bill by pushing for changes to the DCA slot and perimeter rules that will increase flight delays and cancellations. Efforts to change the rules have delayed FAA Reauthorization in the past and threaten to do so again. Take action now. | | | | | | | 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 | | | | |
