BREAKING — A federal grand jury has indicted HUNTER BIDEN in Delaware on three charges related to a gun purchase. Read the charging document … follow Kyle Cheney for more TELL US HOW YOU REALLY FEEL — If House Speaker KEVIN McCARTHY was hoping to better align himself with his conference's right flank by opening an impeachment investigation on JOE BIDEN, it doesn't appear to be working. While this morning's private House GOP conference meeting was supposed to focus on the inquiry, McCarthy used the opportunity to lash out at conservatives who have ground an already muddled appropriations process to a halt. “Am I frustrated? Hell yes,” McCarthy reportedly told the divided conference. The context: The comment comes after far-right members of the party forced leadership to cancel yesterday’s procedural vote on the annual defense spending bill over their unmet policy demands. Several continue to threaten an Oct. 1 shutdown — and McCarthy's speakership — if they don’t get their way. Two GOP lawmakers told Olivia Beavers that the speaker went so far as to practically dare the conservative wing who are holding up the process to try and oust him with a vote. “‘Go ahead. I’m not fucking scared of it. Any new speaker will do what I’m doing,’ McCarthy told his critics, according to one person inside the room. Another quoted the speaker saying, “If you think you scare me because you want to file a motion to vacate, move the fucking motion” Following the meeting, McCarthy told Fox News’ Chad Pergram: “‘I'm a little Irish. Okay, so I don't walk away from a battle. I knew changing Washington would not be easy. I knew people would fight or try to hold leverage for other points … And you know what? If it takes a fight, I'll have a fight.’” This much is clear: The House GOP’s first week back from recess was largely a wasted one, and, with the shutdown deadline just over two weeks out, McCarthy can’t afford another. Asked today if he has a plan for next week, the speaker cracked wise, per Meredith Lee Hill: “I had a plan for this week. It didn’t turn out exactly as I planned.” Meanwhile in the Senate … Things aren’t exactly hunky-dory for the appropriations process there, either. After senators voted 91-7 to start debate on a three-bill “minibus” spending package, Sen. RON JOHNSON (R-Wis.) objected to a plan to start processing floor amendments, throwing further progress in doubt for now. GEORGIA ON MY MIND — After weeks of back and forth over the timing of the sprawling election interference case against DONALD TRUMP, Fulton County Superior Court Judge SCOTT McAFEE ruled today that the former president will not be facing trial next month alongside two of his fellow defendants. In a court order, McAfee noted that splitting up the case against Trump and the 18 others charged was an “absolute necessity,” writing, “The Fulton County Courthouse simply contains no courtroom adequately large enough to hold all 19 defendants, their multiple attorneys and support staff, the sheriff’s deputies, court personnel, and the State’s prosecutorial team.” More from Kyle and Josh Gerstein AIR DeSANTIS — According to flight manifests, tracking data, and other documents, Florida Gov. RON DeSANTIS took at least six previously undisclosed trips on private jets and accepted lodging and dining in late 2018, WaPo’s Isaac Arnsdorf and Josh Dawsey scoop. While a spokesman for DeSantis said the governor complied with regulations around paid travel, he “declined to specify how the costs of the trips were paid or how they met ethics and disclosure requirements.” The larger context: “[The trips] reflect how DeSantis fueled his political rise through close bonds with rich patrons and had a taste for luxury travel, in contrast to his campaign’s portrayal of DeSantis’s humble blue-collar roots and aversion to moneyed interests.” Good Thursday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me a line: birvine@politico.com.
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2024 WATCH ON THE ISSUES — In the first major policy presentation of his campaign, Sen. TIM SCOTT’s (R-S.C.) new economic plan includes slashing defense spending, keeping Trump-era tax cuts and bolstering Medicaid work requirements, Bloomberg’s Christian Hall scoops: [T]he proposal also marks an attempt to court business-friendly donors and build support among Iowa farmers … [H]e said he’d ‘support common sense reforms to the Endangered Species Act that our farmers and ranchers are crying out for.’ And, if elected, he’d put ‘most of the Department of Agriculture in Iowa and let a farmer run it.’” MORE POLITICS A LOOK AHEAD —Nick Wu and Sara Ferris are up with a rundown on the potential primary challengers seeking Rep. SHRI THANEDAR’S (D-Mich.) highly contested congressional seat next year. For context, “The deep-blue seat, which includes part of Detroit and some of its suburbs, is one of only two Black-majority congressional seats in the country represented by a non-Black lawmaker. Thanedar, who put millions of his own dollars into his 2022 bid, has raised some eyebrows in the House Democratic Caucus for his off-beat social media posts.”Meanwhile, north of 8 Mile … “The DCCC met with former Rep. ANDY LEVIN (D-Mich.), about a potential bid against Rep. JOHN JAMES (R-Mich.), according to three people familiar with the situation. Levin told POLITICO he had decided against running for anything in 2024, though he didn't close the door to elected office in the future.” POLICY CORNER KNOWING MICHAEL BARR — Despite having a reputation as a soft-spoken moderate, Federal Reserve Board’s chief regulator is now in the middle a “regulatory knife fight” as big banks, lobbyists and his own colleagues push back against his new rules proposal, NYT’s Jeanna Smialek and Emily Flitter report: “The reason for all of the drama is that the proposal … would notably tighten the rules for both America’s largest banks and their slightly smaller counterparts. … [T]he Fed’s vice chair for supervision, who was confirmed to his job in July 2022, has a knack for coming off as unobtrusive in public … But by early this year, rumors were swirling that Mr. Barr’s approach might be tougher.” ABORTION IN AMERICA — The Boston Globe’s Lissandra Villa de Petrzelka is up with a look at the impact of layoffs and restructuring within the Planned Parenthood Federation in the year since the Dobbs abortion decision: “Planned Parenthood said the pivot was necessary to ‘meet this moment’ after Dobbs. But the staffers, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the subject matter, often described disillusionment with the organization.” ECO UPDATE — “Biden’s rules on clean cars face a crucial test as Republican-led challenges go to an appeals court, by AP’s Matthew Daly: “The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit will hear arguments Thursday and Friday on three cases challenging Biden administration rules targeting cars and trucks.” Related read: “Inside Exxon’s Strategy to Downplay Climate Change,” WSJ’s Christopher Matthews and Collin Eaton scoop.
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PLAYBOOKERS TRANSITIONS — Ian Fluellen is now the director of government affairs for General Electric. He previously was deputy chief of staff and legislative director for Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.). … Reservoir Communications Group has added Clare Krusing as EVP, Rikki Campbell Ogden as design director, Lauren McQuatters and Hanna Hayden as managers, Megan Tebbenhoff as a senior associate and Jack Holdsworth as an associate. OUT AND ABOUT — The New Democrat Coalition and Republican Governance Group hosted a joint “welcome back to session” happy hour last night at Coastline Oyster, hosted by the Bipartisan Policy Center. SPOTTED: Reps. David Joyce (R-Ohio), Annie Kuster (D-N.H.), Blake Moore (R-Utah), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa), Brad Schneider (D-Ill.), Derek Kilmer (D-Wash.), Greg Stanton (D-Ariz.), Susie Lee (D-Nev.), Bill Foster (D-Ill.), Eric Sorensen (D-Ill.), Emilia Sykes (D-Ohio), Don Davis (D-N.C.), Yadira Caraveo (D-Colo.), Veronica Escobar (D-Texas), Kim Schrier (D-Wash.), Lou Correa (D-Calif.), Sean Casten (D-Ill.), Greg Landsman (D-Ariz.), Nikki Budzinski (D-Ill.), Deborah Ross (D-N.C.), Ami Bera (D-Calif.), Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), Young Kim (R-Calif.), Julia Letlow (R-La.), Andrew Garbarino (R-N.Y.), Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.), Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.), Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.), Hillary Scholten (D-Mich.), Scott Peters (D-Calif.), Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.), Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pa.) and Anthony D’Esposito (R-N.Y.) and Del. Stacey Plaskett (D-U.S. Virgin Islands). — The International Franchise Association concluded its annual advocacy summit with a bipartisan “Hill-Apalooza” event at Pearl Street Warehouse, where guests had food from Dunkin’, Jimmy John’s, Arby’s and Buffalo Wild Wings. Accompanied by School of Rock students from the area, Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) played the drums to Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Give It Away” and David Bowie’s “Ziggy Stardust,” and Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa) played the fiddle to Dexys Midnight Runners’ “Come On Eileen” and Dave Matthews Band’s “Tripping Billies.” Pic of Frost … Pic of Hinson — NBC and the French Embassy hosted a “Road to Paris” event a year out from the Paris Olympics, at which French Ambassador Laurent Bili, Mike Tirico and Gary Zenkel spoke and Les Twins performed. SPOTTED: Sens. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.), Molly Solomon, Phil Tahtakran, White House comms director Ben LaBolt, Tammy Haddad, Jim Acosta, Bruce Reed, Ken Strickland, Philip Rucker, Mike Memoli, Hallie Jackson, Garrett Haake, Kara Swisher and Frank Thorp. — SPOTTED at the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget’s “Budget Bash” party last night at The Observatory at America’s Square: Maya MacGuineas, Leon Panetta, Mitch Daniels, Tim Penny, Sens. Tom Carper (D-Del.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Reps. Jodey Arrington (R-Texas), Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.), Josh Brecheen (R-Okla.), Ben Cline (R-Va.), Jim Costa (D-Calif.), Warren Davidson (R-Ohio), Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.), Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), Glenn Grothman (R-Wis.), Bill Huizenga (R-Mich.), Jonathan Jackson (D-Ill.), Tom McClintock (R-Calif.), Blake Moore (R-Utah) and Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.), Joe Mathieu, Siobhan Hughes, Francesca Chambers, Fatima Hussein, Katherine Doyle, Stephanie Dhue, Bryn McCarthy, Joseph Zeballos-Roig, James Bennet, Eden Harris, Emily Jacobs, Blake Ruppe, Jodi Schneider, Jack Fitzpatrick, Scott Horsley, Ryan Schmelz, Rachel Cohrs, Matt Shirley, Caitlin Reilly, Morgan Phillips, Erik Wasson, Victoria Knight, Caitlin Owens, Laura Weiss, Aris Folley, Liz Elkind and Zach Cohen. 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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