| | | | |  | | By Ryan Lizza, Eugene Daniels and Rachael Bade | Presented by The U.S. Chamber of Commerce | With help from Eli Okun and Garrett Ross
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A split has opened on the left over how to message abortion rights fights. | Jay LaPrete/AP Photo | | | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | | JUST POSTED — “Clarence Thomas’ 38 Vacations: The Other Billionaires Who Have Treated the Supreme Court Justice to Luxury Travel,” by ProPublica’s Brett Murphy and Alex Mierjeski: “The fullest accounting yet shows how [Justice CLARENCE] THOMAS has secretly reaped the benefits from a network of wealthy and well-connected patrons that is far more extensive than previously understood.” BREAKING OVERNIGHT — “At least 36 people have died on Maui as fires burn through Hawaii, county reports,” by AP’s Audrey Mcavoy, Jennifer Sinco Kelleher and Nick Perry in Wailuku, Hawaii THE NEXT ABORTION BATTLEGROUNDS — In 2004, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court legalized same-sex marriage, injecting the issue — which remained unpopular in many states outside New England — into the presidential election. Eleven states that fall voted to define marriage as exclusively between a man and woman. Most of them were red states that President GEORGE W. BUSH would have won anyway (such as Arkansas, Utah and Mississippi). But there were a few swing states as well, including Ohio, where the marriage amendment divided Democrats and juiced GOP turnout. Bush won Ohio 51% to 49%, and the state’s 20 electoral votes clinched his victory. Now, with a string of statewide referenda showing that protecting abortion rights is a powerful motivator, Democrats are racing to add the issue to the 2024 ballot in key states. The latest victory came on Tuesday, when Ohio voters overwhelmingly rejected a proposal to raise the threshold for amending the state’s constitution from a simple majority to 60%. The outcome makes it more likely that the state will approve an amendment to codify the right to an abortion in the state constitution this November. While that November 2023 referendum won’t help JOE BIDEN, efforts in other states are being closely watched by his campaign for how they might influence the vote at the top of the ticket in November 2024. Yesterday, the progressive group Indivisible advised Democrats to target Arizona. They argued that as a swing state with several important races, abortion rights needed to be on the ballot to help Democrats. Polling on a proposed state constitutional amendment to enshrine abortion rights, Indivisible argued to donors, showed enormous potential benefits: Democrats were more likely to vote, Republicans were less likely to vote, turnout would go up among voters who are lukewarm to Biden, such as Latinos and young people, and the amendment could help Dems win the House, the Senate and the White House. But a split has opened on the left over how to message these abortion rights fights. While Indivisible is pushing the pro-choice initiative in Arizona explicitly as a way to help Biden and Democrats, in other states, activists are wary of associating their efforts with the president’s reelection — or even with one party over another.
| | | | A message from The U.S. Chamber of Commerce: Concerns about policy risks for public companies — changes in taxes, regulations, and enforcement — increased 27% over the last decade, according to a report from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Rising public policy risks threaten business growth, innovation, and our country’s global competitiveness. In Washington, the polarization, gridlock, regulatory overreach, and inability to act smartly and strategically are making it harder for businesses to do their jobs and move this country forward. | | | In Florida, ANNA HOCHKAMMER, the vice mayor of Pinecrest and the executive director of the Florida Women's Freedom Coalition, which is leading the effort to put a constitutional amendment to protect abortion rights on the 2024 ballot, told Playbook yesterday that her group is not interested in tying its message to the president or anyone else outside of Florida. “This is an entirely organic Floridian effort,” she said. “We need to save ourselves. Nobody is going to do it for us.” She eschews the idea promoted by Indivisible that these initiatives should be promoted as ways to boost Democratic turnout, which could turn off the many Republicans sympathetic to the cause. As her model, she pointed to the effort in Kansas, which had a nonpartisan message that emphasized a broad coalition she likened to the cantina scene from “Star Wars.” “We do not feel like our destiny is linked to a national narrative,” she said, noting proudly that KATHLEEN SHANAHAN, former Gov. JEB BUSH’s ex-chief of staff, recently wrote Hochkammer’s group a check. The stakes, she insisted, were too high to tie their campaign to Biden or too-clever political strategies. Florida is surrounded by states that have banned abortion and the state’s six-week ban, signed into law earlier this year by Gov. RON DeSANTIS, is on hold as the Supreme Court reviews it. “If Florida falls to the six-week ban, then four million women of reproductive age are going to have to go to Washington, D.C., to get medical care,” Hochkammer said, noting that D.C. is the closest destination without abortion restrictions. Hochkammer’s group has also strived to keep the language of their amendment simple and tailored it to Florida’s libertarian streak. It’s called the “Amendment to Limit Government Interference with Abortion” and includes just one key sentence: “no law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider.” The Florida activists’ messaging is more Reason magazine than The Nation. “Most families in America and Florida have had the experience of someone having to have an abortion,” Hochkammer said. “These are difficult and complicated decisions, and this amendment ensures that Big Brother can’t force his way into an emergency room or doctor’s office or sit down at the dining room table and tell you what the government wants you to do.” Unlike in Ohio, Floridians won’t have a simple majority vote to clear. Florida voters raised the threshold for constitutional amendments to 60% in 2006, and since then, the Republican-led legislature has made it tougher to get an amendment on the ballot. Despite those obstacles, Hochkammer said, they are more than halfway to the finish line less than two months into a six-month petition drive. More:
Good Thursday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line with your takeaways from Tuesday’s vote: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza.
| | | | A message from The U.S. Chamber of Commerce:   | | | COMING THIS MORNING — “What to Watch in July’s CPI Report: Why an Uptick in Annual Inflation Might Not Worry the Fed,” by WSJ’s Amara Omeokwe LABOR PAINS — Democrats are struggling to figure out how to thread the needle between the United Auto Workers — which wants major concessions on EV plants — and their own green energy priorities, as a strike and a presidential election loom on the horizon, Olivia Olander, Tanya Snyder and James Bikales write. Any backlash against Biden’s EV push could discourage a formal endorsement from UAW — a threat underlined by its refusal to do so thus far, despite the larger AFL-CIO throwing its weight behind Biden in its earliest-ever endorsement of a presidential candidate. The view from the White House: “A senior administration official, granted anonymity to speak frankly about the White House’s perspective, said in an interview that there’s no magic solution in the administration’s back pocket on the joint venture facility question.” FLORIDA TURF WAR HITS IOWA — DONALD TRUMP is making his way to the Iowa State Fair this Saturday, and he’s bringing backup. “Trump's campaign confirmed to the Des Moines Register that Republican U.S. Reps. GUS BILIRAKIS, BYRON DONALDS, MATT GAETZ, CARLOS GIMENEZ, BRIAN MAST, CORY MILLS, ANNA PAULINA LUNA, GREG STEUBE and MIKE WALTZ will all be traveling with Trump to the Iowa State Fair and will be with him through the day,” the Des Moines Register’s Brianne Pfannenstiel and Galen Bacharier report. The significance, of course, is that these nine Florida lawmakers have endorsed Trump over their current governor, RON DeSANTIS. “Other details of Trump's visit to the fairgrounds, scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday, remain scant. But he will visit on his own terms — as the only Republican candidate, besides CHRIS CHRISTIE, who won't participate in either the Des Moines Register's Political Soapbox or the ‘fair-side chat’ series with Iowa Gov. KIM REYNOLDS.”
| | BIDEN’S THURSDAY (all times Eastern):
11 a.m.: The president will receive the President’s Daily Brief.
1:15 p.m.: Biden will deliver remarks on the one year anniversary of the PACT Act in Salt Lake City. Republican Gov. SPENCER COX is expected to join Biden for the event, per NBC.
3:30 p.m.: Biden will participate in a campaign reception in Park City.
5:25 p.m.: Biden will depart Utah to return to the White House.
VP KAMALA HARRIS’ THURSDAY: The VP has nothing on her public schedule.
THE HOUSE and THE SENATE are out. | | | | | | 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 smiles as he arrives to speak about the economy at Arcosa Wind Towers factory, Wednesday, Aug. 9, in Belen, N.M. | Ross D. Franklin/AP Photo | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | 2024 WATCH UP FOR DEBATE — Trump once again declined to commit to the RNC’s debate requirement that says candidates must pledge to support the eventual nominee, telling Newsmax, “Why would I sign it?” per AP’s Jonathan Cooper. He continued: “I can name three or four people that I wouldn’t support for president. So right there, there’s a problem.” While Trump wouldn’t expand on who those candidates were, he did name-check Sen. TIM SCOTT (R-S.C.) and VIVEK RAMASWAMY as two who have “been very nice.” Meanwhile: Christie fired back at Trump’s reported crude remarks about the former New Jersey governor’s weight. “Look, I’ll make it real easy for Donald Trump. You're such a big guy, such a tough guy, so full of it. You want me? I’ll be on the stage in Milwaukee two weeks from tonight,” Christie told Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser, referencing the first debate. “I’ll be there waiting for you. You be there, I’ll be there.” DeSANTIS DONOR DELINEATION — If you’re wondering where all of DeSantis’ small-dollar donors are, it turns out that’s by design. WinRed, the preferred small-donor engine for Republican candidates, recently released data on donations — but DeSantis’ info was nowhere to be found. That’s because DeSantis’ operation “worked with WinRed in a way that prevented the disclosure of donor information, ensuring that the campaign’s small donors would remain anonymous,” NYT’s Rebecca Davis O’Brien and Shane Goldmacher report. “The arrangement appears to be the first of its kind for a presidential campaign since WinRed’s founding four years ago and could presage a return to an era in which far less information on small donors is made public, at least for Republicans. Representatives for Mr. DeSantis declined to describe details of the arrangement. The person familiar with the campaign said the aim was to prevent other campaigns from poaching Mr. DeSantis’s donors.” New this morning: The DeSantis campaign is up with its first bio spot, a 37-second ad spotlighting DeSantis’ service as a Navy JAG and deployment in Iraq with SEAL Team 1. Watch the full ad BACKING BIDEN — “Major gun safety groups come together to endorse Joe Biden for president in 2024,” by AP’s Seung Min Kim and Colleen Long: “The endorsement, obtained by The Associated Press in advance of the formal release, represents the first time the groups have jointly announced support for a presidential candidate. The groups include Brady and its youth-led arm, Team Enough; Community Justice Action Fund; Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund and its grassroots networks, Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action; and Giffords.” THE WHITE HOUSE BIZARRE STORY — A Utah man was shot and killed by FBI agents yesterday as they tried to arrest the man, who had allegedly made violent threats against Biden ahead of his trip to the state, CNN’s Hannah Rabinowitz, Betsy Klein and Arlette Saenz write. The threats were extremely explicit in nature: “I HEAR BIDEN IS COMING TO UTAH,” one threat read, according to prosecutors. “DIGGING OUT MY OLD GHILLE SUIT AND CLEANING THE DUST OFF THE M24 SNIPER RIFLE. WELCOM, BUFFOON-IN-CHIEF!” The man “also posted online threats in recent months against other Democratic politicians and prosecutors who have brought cases against former President Donald Trump,” CNN writes. One post from earlier this week read: “Hey FBI, you still monitoring my social media? Checking so I can be sure to have a loaded gun handy in case you drop by again.” CONGRESS THE AGE-OLD QUESTION — “The average age of Congress is rising. That’s unlikely to change soon,” by WaPo’s Nick Mourtoupalas and Derek Hawkins: “Congress has long been older than the overall American population, and the nation’s median age is creeping up, too. But with baby boomers, the generation that came after [MITCH] McCONNELL’s and [DIANNE] FEINSTEIN’s, making up nearly half of Congress, it’s unlikely that the age balance among lawmakers will change significantly any time soon.”
| | | | A message from The U.S. Chamber of Commerce:   | | | TRUMP CARDS THE GEORGIA INVESTIGATION — With action expected imminently in the investigation into Trump’s efforts to influence the Georgia election results, Fulton County DA FANI WILLIS is “expected to seek more than a dozen indictments when she presents her case” before a grand jury next week, CNN’s Sara Murray, Jason Morris and Zachary Cohen report. SPECIAL REQUEST — Lawyers for Trump yesterday asked the federal judge in the classified documents case to “allow the former president and his legal team to discuss sensitive information at a protected facility at or near his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida,” WaPo’s Perry Stein writes. “Trump’s lawyers said that he used the facility while he was president and that they would not transport any classified material to that location — only discuss it there.” SLIDING IN — “Special counsel obtained search warrant for Donald Trump’s Twitter account,” by Kyle Cheney: “Twitter’s initial resistance to complying with the Jan. 17 warrant resulted in a federal judge holding the company, now called X, in contempt and levying a $350,000 fine.” POLICY CORNER THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE — More than a year since the Pentagon launched an office to investigate reports from pilots and others who say they’ve seen UFOs, it still doesn't have a way for the public to report the mysterious incidents — so frustrated witnesses are going to Congress and outside groups, Lara Seligman and Joe Gould write. “The reporting issues are highlighting the tensions over gathering data on so-called unidentified anomalous phenomena.” FOR YOUR RADAR — “Gay veterans sue Defense Department over military discharges,” by NBC’s Matt Lavietes THIS IS STILL A THING — “Covid, flu, RSV vaccines urged as health officials brace for respiratory virus season,” by NBC’s Erika Edwards AMERICA AND THE WORLD SHOCKING STORY — “Anti-corruption presidential candidate assassinated at campaign event in Ecuador’s capital,” by AP’s Gonzalo Solano in Quito, Ecuador: “President GUILLERMO LASSO confirmed the assassination of FERNANDO VILLAVICENCIO and suggested organized crime was behind his slaying, less than two weeks before the Aug. 20 presidential election.” UNDER THE GUN — “The U.S. Is Pushing Guns on a Country It Labels Violent and Corrupt,” by Bloomberg’s Monte Reel: “The National Security Council says Guatemala’s lawlessness is fueling waves of desperate migrants. The Commerce Department has said the instability is a ‘unique opportunity’ for gunmakers.” THE ECONOMY THE NEW GLOBALIZATION — “Sputtering Trade Fuels Fears of a Fractured Global Economy,” by WSJ’s Marcus Walker and Yuka Hayashi: “Geopolitical tensions, heightened by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, are leading to more curbs in the U.S. and Europe on doing business with China. The sheer scale and complexity of global trade and investment links, however, mean any process of disentangling the world economy into blocks of like-minded countries is likely to be gradual and incomplete.” BEYOND THE BELTWAY A NEW YORK MINUTE — “NYC Mayor Eric Adams asks the White House to declare a state of emergency over asylum seekers,” by NBC’s Megan Lebowitz LONG-STANDING FALLOUT — “Biden wants to compensate New Mexico residents sickened by radiation during 1945 nuclear testing,” AP
| | | | HITTING YOUR INBOX AUGUST 14—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. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | J.B. Pritzker squeegeed the Illinois butter cow. Andrew Yang is buying what Dean Phillips is selling. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: CBS’ Nancy Cordes … Andrew Sullivan (6-0) … Axios’ Alex Thompson … Kevin McAlister … Jim Brady … Jessica Wehrman … Sarah Bryant Burns … Sarah Kyle of Eli Lilly … Joshua Karp … Tony Hernandez of Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto’s (D-Nev.) office … Justin Jenkins of Sen. Mark Kelly’s (D-Ariz.) reelect … Commerce’s Sarah Weinstein … CNN’s Alex Marquardt and Susie Xu … John Dunagan of Highland Advocacy Group … The Boston Globe’s Lissandra Villa de Petrzelka … DOT’s Casey Clemmons … Palantir Technologies’ Ben Klein … Invariant’s Noah Kowalski and Noah Marine … ACLU’s Ally Harpootlian … John McManus of the McManus Group … Chirag Shah … David Forman … DTE Energy’s Andy Coulouris … Robert Cogan … Arnold Punaro … former Rep. Andy Levin (D-Mich.) … Fox News’ Houston Keene … Clarissa Rojas of the House Dem Caucus … GMBB’s Andrew Zucker … Genevieve Glatsky 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 U.S. Chamber of Commerce: Securing America’s borders and reforming our nation’s broken immigration system are issues everyone agrees must be addressed. Our legal immigration system has been outdated for decades, and the shortcomings directly contribute to security challenges on our southern border and workforce challenges for businesses of all sizes.
That’s why the U.S. Chamber and more than 440 business organizations representing every state created the Legal Immigration and Border Enforcement Reform This Year (LIBERTY) Campaign. LIBERTY is calling on Congress to secure our borders, sensibly reform our asylum system, update our inadequate employment verification laws, and modernize legal immigration to help businesses meet workforce needs and drive economic growth. Inaction is not an option. Congress can enact measures this year and build momentum for additional reforms our nation needs. | | | | | | | 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 | | | | |
