| | | | |  | | By Ryan Lizza, Eugene Daniels and Rachael Bade | | | With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine
| | | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | | BREAKING OVERNIGHT — “War resumes in Gaza after truce collapses,” by Reuters’ Nidal Al-Mughrabi and Suhaib Salem: “Israeli warplanes resumed pounding Gaza, Palestinian civilians fled for shelter and rocket sirens blared in southern Israel on Friday. … Barely two hours after the truce expired, Gaza health officials reported that 35 people had already been killed and dozens wounded. … The Israeli military [accused] Hamas of violating the truce first by firing rockets and failing to free all the women it was holding hostage.” ABOUT LAST NIGHT — “It was Hannity and DeSantis v. Newsom in messy Fox debate,” by Chris Cadelago and Kimberly Leonard in Alpharetta, Georgia: “The debate between RON DeSANTIS and GAVIN NEWSOM was a big mess. There was even some poop. Fox News moderator SEAN HANNITY didn’t help clean things up.”
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Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) takes a photograph with his phone on the House floor at the U.S. Capitol Oct. 25, 2023. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | THE PLAYBOOK INTERVIEW: STEVE SCALISE — The House majority leader has had one of the more unusual careers in Congress ever since he won a special election in 2008 to replace Rep. BOBBY JINDAL (R-La.). Scalise’s time in Washington has been characterized by long stretches of relative anonymity punctuated by a series of life-altering events. In 2014, Scalise was catapulted into leadership as Republican Whip after then Majority Leader ERIC CANTOR (R-Va.) was defeated in a shocking upset that reordered the House GOP. In 2017, Scalise was shot and almost killed by a lunatic gunman while at practice for the annual congressional baseball game, and he was hospitalized for three-and-a-half months. Earlier his year, Scalise was diagnosed with myeloma, a cancer of the plasma cells, for which he’s been receiving aggressive chemotherapy In October, when KEVIN McCARTHY was overthrown as speaker, Scalise, the No. 2 Republican, thought it was only natural that his colleagues would want him to move up a rung. But they didn’t — at least not enough of them. Scalise won an internal conference vote but he abandoned his quest for speaker before it ever got to the floor for a final vote. So what happened? Well, there was his fraught relationship with McCarthy. The back stabbing of a fellow member from Louisiana. The DONALD TRUMP factor. And then at the end of the process, the man who Republicans promoted — in effect, Scalise’s new boss — was Rep. MIKE JOHNSON, a junior member of Scalise’s home state delegation. On Thursday afternoon we sat down with Scalise and unpacked the dramatic events of October. We also talked about the House impeachment inquiry, why Scalise will vote against expelling GEORGE SANTOS today, and how he believes Johnson might have figured out a way to tame the right wing when it comes to a fiscal showdown with President JOE BIDEN.
|  | You can listen to the full conversation on this week’s episode of Playbook Deep Dive. What follows are some key excerpts — Scalise on his fraught relationship with McCarthy: “You know, the relationship between the No. 1 and No. 2 person in the House historically gets complicated, and there's been good and bad examples. With Kevin and I, it changed over time. But I mean, you know, like Mike and I get along great. “The way that Kevin got removed was a shock to everybody, including myself. I didn't want it to happen the way it did. And yet when it happened, you don't have a choice. There's an opening for speaker, and you have to make a quick decision.” — On Rep. GARRET GRAVES, a fellow Louisianan who allegedly spread disparaging information about Scalise, including about his health, during the speaker’s race: “Yeah, it’s funny. He'll tell people differently. Like, I mean, in the end, we all, you know, we all make our decisions… “You can read through the B.S. And believe me, you know, anybody who thinks that there are secrets in this town, there are not. You know that as the press. I can surely tell you as a former whip, more even than majority leader, you find out everything that happens. You eventually find it out. There are no secrets. … “I know what was being said. I mean, medical opinions that were being given out were completely false. I had a doctor from M.D. Anderson, the top myeloma cancer specialist in the world, who, along with my local doctor, was looking at all of my blood work and meeting with me on a regular basis, who said, ‘Everything you're doing is fine, the cancer is almost gone and you're going to live a long life.’ He's looking at my blood work. And then there's some, you know, member, unnamed member of Congress, who's naming somebody that might not even be a doctor saying he's going to die in six months. That’s how bad it was.” — On whether not endorsing Trump for president harmed him: “He and I talked during that period, and I still won the nomination, by the way, during that period with him. And he never came out against me. And, believe me, he and I talked even after he endorsed JIM [JORDAN]. He said really good things about me. He cares about my health. He asked me about my health. He and I speak on a regular basis.” — On whether he talks to DeSantis or NIKKI HALEY: “No, it’s been a while. It’s been a long time.” — On whether he ever wonders how Johnson ended up speaker: "It's exciting for Mike. I'm one of these people that, you know, you rip the rearview mirror off. You know, you don't look back. You you know, you deal with what's in front of you because you don't have time to look back. You learn from everything you've done, you know, whether it's successes or mistakes, you want to learn from things in the past. But I mean, I'm lucky to be where I am." — On his health: “I was having health issues. I didn't know what it was. And luckily it got detected early and the doctors put me on a chemotherapy that was very aggressive for what I had, and it's working incredibly well. … So if you see something wrong with your system, go see your doctor, get blood work run, and it can add years and decades to your life.” Happy Friday. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza.
| | | | A message from Google: John Jay College is using AI to help more students graduate. DataKind, a Google.org grantee built an AI model with John Jay College to identify college students most at risk of dropping out and help advisors identify and proactively intervene with those students. Since using this AI model, senior graduation rates have increased from 54% to 86%. Learn more. | | | — SPOTTED during a flight from Canada to D.C. on Tuesday morning: former Speaker PAUL RYAN attempting to persuade Rep. MIKE GALLAGHER (R-Wis.) via text message to endorse NIKKI HALEY’s presidential bid. “I think now is the time for a guy like you to endorse,” Ryan wrote, per photographs reviewed by Playbook. “Plus, Her foreign policy/world views track closest to yours. She brings the most excitement. I like RON [DeSANTIS], but don’t think he is the growth stock Niki [sic] is. Just following up per our talk [in] September. Go Packers!” Said a Gallagher spokesperson, “As Congressman Gallagher has repeatedly said, he has no intention to endorse any candidate at this time.” A spokesperson for Ryan, who opposes DONALD TRUMP’s re-nomination but hasn’t endorsed an alternative, noted that the former speaker publicly praised Haley as “the growth stock” in a CNBC appearance yesterday. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — A group of 188 immigrant rights organizations, including the ACLU and United We Dream, are urging Congress not to make changes to the asylum system and humanitarian parole authority in negotiations over the foreign aid supplemental funding bill. Calling such moves “cruel, ineffective and radical,” the advocates warn that the changes reportedly under consideration would only worsen the situation at the border — they instead advocate for more funding to improve processing and slash backlogs. Read it here JUST POSTED — “The Evangelical Roadshow That’s Trying to Make America a Theocracy,” by Tim Alberta in POLITICO Magazine: “A new book on the Christian right reveals how a series of unscrupulous leaders turned politics into a powerful and lucrative gospel.” LEDE OF THE DAY — “You know things are starting to look iffy when you get to the JANET YELLEN novelty merch,” Michael Schaffer writes in a look at the sorry state of liberal political merchandise in a Biden-led, post-RUTH BADER GINSBURG era.
| | WHAT'S HAPPENING TODAY | | On the Hill The House will meet at 9 a.m. to take up a resolution that would overturn a CFPB rule that forces credit unions to collect more small business data and an expulsion resolution for Santos, with votes expected at 10:30 a.m. The Senate is out. 3 things to watch …
- It’s likely E-Day for Santos, who barring a major surprise will become the first House member to be expelled in 21 years before noon today. It’s also a red-letter day for the House Ethics Committee, which set aside its well-earned reputation for sluggishness to deliver the exhaustive report that made the expulsion possible. Its performance is winning plaudits on both sides of the aisle. More in Huddle
- Rep. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE’s quest to single-handedly force a vote on the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS is on hold for now. After the Georgia Republican threatened to force a repeat floor vote on the matter, she agreed to pull back yesterday, ABC’s Lauren Peller reports, after receiving assurances from Johnson and Homeland Security Chair MARK GREEN (R-Tenn.) that Green’s panel would eventually act.
- There’s a senator with a policy-related hold on a key national security nominee, and he’s not from Alabama: Sen. RON WYDEN (D-Ore.) said yesterday he will block Lt. Gen. TIMOTHY HAUGH’s nomination to lead both the National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber Command. Wyden, a longtime government surveillance watchdog, said NSA officials first need to release information related to the agency’s practice of purchasing and searching location data collected on Americans.
At the White House Biden will receive the President’s Daily Brief at 11 a.m. VP KAMALA HARRIS will leave D.C. at 8 a.m. to head to Dubai for COP28.
| | | | SUBSCRIBE TO 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. Subscribe now to California Climate to keep up with the changes. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | AMERICA AND THE WORLD
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Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system fires interceptors at rockets launched from the Gaza Strip, as seen from Ashkelon, Israel, on May 11, 2023. | Tsafrir Abayov/AP | MORE FROM THE MIDDLE EAST — As the Israel-Hamas truce evaporates, Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN is exerting his toughest public pressure yet on Israel to minimize Palestinian civilian casualties with new bombing, WaPo’s Michael Birnbaum reports. Blinken said Israel agreed to a “clear plan” to do that, though he didn’t offer details. Meanwhile, the U.S. is working on plans for what to do about Hamas and Gaza: U.S. and Israeli officials have talked about expelling thousands of Hamas militants from Gaza, WSJ’s Dion Nissenbaum scooped, and the Biden administration is considering telling Qatar to close Hamas’ office in the country, Alex Ward and Matt Berg report in West Wing Playbook. Israeli PM BENJAMIN NETANYAHU’s government could be rocked by last night’s revelation from NYT’s Ronen Bergman and Adam Goldman that Israel actually possessed Hamas’ detailed blueprint for an Oct. 7-type attack more than a year in advance — but decided it couldn’t become reality. On the Hill: The House voted 301-119-1 yesterday to freeze $6 billion in funds headed for humanitarian needs in Iran, with nearly all Republicans in support but Democrats divided almost in half, per Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod. … The nascent House Jewish Caucus has some heartburn ahead of its inaugural meeting today, as Rep. JERRY NADLER (D-N.Y.) is upset the founders didn’t consult with many Jewish members, Axios’ Andrew Solender reports. THE INDIA HEAD-SCRATCHER — Prosecutors allege that the plot to assassinate Sikh activist GURPATWANT SINGH PANNUN in the U.S. was just one of several planned killings in the U.S. and Canada, AP’s Larry Neumeister reports. The U.S. and India are both trying to play down any implications for their bilateral relationship, despite the possibility of the Indian government’s involvement, per Bloomberg’s Dan Strumpf, Sudhi Ranjan Sen and Iain Marlow. That’s the open question experts are debating, write NYT’s Mujib Mashal and Hari Kumar: “Why would the Indian government take such a gamble?” 2024 WATCH
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RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel speaks before the NBC News Republican Presidential Primary Debate, Nov. 8, 2023, in Miami, Florida. | Joe Raedle/Getty Images | UP FOR DEBATE — Whither the Republican presidential primary debates? There are none on the schedule yet after next week’s Trump-less confab in Alabama, and the RNC is weighing a change to allow candidates to participate in unsanctioned debates, WaPo’s Michael Scherer, Josh Dawsey and Marianne LeVine report. Beyond the obvious fact of the frontrunner’s absence, the debate rules have come under fire as too restrictive from some other contenders, too. A shift from Chair RONNA McDANIEL and other top RNC officials next week could give them more freedom to take part in smaller debates. While the also-rans are sparring in Tuscaloosa next week, Trump will instead hold a fundraiser near Miami, AP’s Jill Colvin reports. Meanwhile, CHRIS CHRISTIE is in danger of not even making the stage in Alabama: Lisa Kashinsky and Steve Shepard report that he doesn’t seem to have hit the necessary marks yet in non-New Hampshire polling. More top reads:
- “Biden campaign prepares legal fight against election deepfakes,” by CNN’s Donie O’Sullivan and Brian Fung: “Biden’s 2024 campaign has assembled a special task force to ready its responses to misleading AI-generated images and videos, drafting court filings and preparing novel legal theories it could deploy to counter potential disinformation efforts.”
- The Florida Democratic Party is essentially canceling its primary, having submitted only Biden’s name for the ballot and enraging Rep. DEAN PHILLIPS (D-Minn.) in the process, Holly Otterbein and Gary Fineout report. He’s threatening to sue.
- Private texts be damned: TUCKER CARLSON told Roseanne Barr he’s now backing Trump.
| | | | A message from Google: John Jay College and DataKind, a Google.org grantee, expand AI program to help more at-risk students graduate. Hundreds of students at John Jay College have already benefited from the development of an artificial intelligence model that helps identify and serve students most at risk of dropping out. Now even more will. “With this new grant funding from Google.org, we’ll be able to continue our work with DataKind to scale our AI-powered intervention program to six additional CUNY campuses, and build a roadmap for any school across the U.S. to replicate our success,” says Dean Dara N. Byrne, PhD, CUNY. Read more about the AI collaboration with John Jay. | | | CONGRESS
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House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) speaks during a press conference on House Republicans' impeachment inquiry into President Biden at the U.S. Capitol Nov. 29, 2023. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | PLAYING DEFENSE — The House-Senate compromise version of the National Defense Authorization Act is likely to drop early next week — and hand another headache to Speaker MIKE JOHNSON, Connor O’Brien and Joe Gould report this morning. The last-minute negotiations will almost certainly produce a bill that has stripped out at least some culture-war provisions championed by conservatives, making it just the latest tough sell to Johnson’s conference. Don’t expect Johnson to face an immediate revolt if the bill is watered down from conservatives’ demands — but “patience on his right flank may be wearing thin, and compromising on the defense bill gives those lawmakers more ammo.” More top reads:
MORE POLITICS HEADS UP — “Florida GOP Chair Christian Ziegler, husband of Moms For Liberty cofounder, accused of sexual assault by alleged menage a trois lover,” by the Florida Center for Government Accountability’s Bob Norman MOVING ON — “MoveOn Carries Out Layoffs as Liberal Groups Struggle to Raise Money,” by NYT’s Reid Epstein: “MoveOn laid off at least 18 employees this week.” BEYOND THE BELTWAY SHAPING THE FUTURE — “For Republican Governors, Civics Is the Latest Education Battleground,” by NYT’s Dana Goldstein: “Virginia, Florida and South Dakota have new standards that focus on patriotism, Christianity and anti-communism. But debating current events? That’s discouraged.” POLICY CORNER WHAT GERRY CONNOLLY IS READING — “Government watchdog to investigate selection of new FBI headquarters site,” by NBC’s Zoë Richards MEDIAWATCH ANOTHER BRUTAL INDUSTRY DAY — Layoffs are hitting Condé Nast, which said yesterday it will give pink slips to more than 300 employees across several outlets, and Vox Media, which is cutting another 4% of its headcount, Variety’s Todd Spangler reports. Not all the layoffs have rolled out yet, but Puck’s Dylan Byers says The New Yorker and Vanity Fair will be among the targeted Condé brands. HOT ON THE LEFT — “MSNBC draws backlash for canceling Mehdi Hasan show,” by WaPo’s Jeremy Barr SUNDAY SO FAR … FOX “Fox News Sunday”: Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Gen. C.Q. Brown Jr. Veterans panel: Reps. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.) and Seth Moulton (D-Mass.). Panel: Karl Rove, Marc Thiessen and Roger Zakheim. ABC “This Week”: Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.). Panel: Donna Brazile, Julie Pace, Reince Priebus and Maggie Haberman. NBC “Meet the Press”: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Panel: Tim Alberta, Stephen Hayes and Kimberly Atkins Stohr.
| | | | GET A BACKSTAGE PASS TO COP28 WITH GLOBAL PLAYBOOK: Get insider access to the conference that sets the tone of the global climate agenda with POLITICO's Global Playbook newsletter. Authored by Suzanne Lynch, Global Playbook delivers exclusive, daily insights and comprehensive coverage that will keep you informed about the most crucial climate summit of the year. Dive deep into the critical discussions and developments at COP28 from Nov. 30 to Dec. 12. SUBSCRIBE NOW. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Brandon Williams threatened a former staffer in an intense and personal confrontation, prompting further explanation from both sides. Max Miller called George Santos a “crook”; Santos called Miller a “wife-beater.” Rand Paul saved Joni Ernst with a Heimlich maneuver. Dave Chappelle was on the Hill. Eli Crane has some aggressively political Christmas decor. Ed O’Neill isn’t happy about Bill Johnson’s selection as Youngstown State president. OUT AND ABOUT — SPOTTED at a reception welcoming Jerry Buttimer, chair of the Irish Senate, to D.C., hosted by Alex Stroman and Kevin Walling at their home: Rep. Russell Fry (R-S.C.), James Roscoe, Matt Corridoni, Amy Dacey, Reggie Greer, Evan Hollander and Eli Yokley, Derek Kitchen, Brendan Neal, Matt Mowers, Stella O’Leary, Matt Orr, Joe and Helen Milby and Ali Rogin. — The newly formed Conexión agency wrapped its launch week at the Cumbre Latina conference in Las Vegas with a celebration at a speakeasy hidden behind a taqueria. SPOTTED: Adrian Saenz, Colin Rogero, Pili Tobar, Nathaly Maurice, Michael Frias, Lucy Flores, Rafael Collazo, Joaquín Guerra, Camille Rivera, Felicia Ortiz, Marcos Vilar, Shyh Saenz, María Urbina, Dusti Gurule and Nevada state Sen. Fabian Doñate. — SPOTTED at WaPo’s “Style Session” last night at the Rubell Museum, where Ella Emhoff was the featured speaker: second gentleman Doug Emhoff, Sally Buzbee, Krissah Thompson and Kathy Baird. MEDIA MOVE — Nahal Toosi is launching a new reported foreign affairs column at POLITICO called “Compass.” She’s been a longtime senior foreign affairs correspondent. NEW NOMINEES — The White House announced Biden is nominating Kris Sarri as assistant secretary of State for oceans and international environmental and scientific affairs, Douglas Craig Schmidt as director of operational test and evaluation at DOD, and Juan Carlos Iturregui as ambassador to the Dominican Republic. WHITE HOUSE ARRIVAL LOUNGE — Heather Samuelson is now senior confirmations counsel at the White House. She most recently was SVP for administration at the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation and is a State alum. WHITE HOUSE DEPARTURE LOUNGE — Jesse Lee has started a political messaging firm where he’ll be helping clients with comms, digital, and political strategy. He most recently was senior adviser for comms to the National Economic Council, and is a Nancy Pelosi and Obama White House alum. … Michael Tam is leaving the White House, where he has been policy adviser at the NSC. He’s heading to the Commerce Department in the next few weeks. TRANSITIONS — Amy Rutkin is launching her own political consulting firm as she departs her post as chief of staff to Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), Roll Call’s Justin Papp reports. … Brandon Milhorn will be president and CEO of the Conference of State Bank Supervisors. He currently is deputy to FDIC Vice Chair Travis Hill. … Amber Talley has launched Talley Strategies, a health policy consulting firm. She previously worked in business development for Amazon Health and is a Susan Collins and Jason Chaffetz alum. ENGAGED — Will Jackson, manager for grant compliance at the Environmental Defense Fund, proposed to Melissa Quinn, politics reporter for CBSNews.com, on Nov. 24 on the beach on Anna Maria Island, Florida, near where she’s from. He then surprised her with a family beach celebration. The couple met on Hinge in October 2021.Pic HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Sens. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) and Rick Scott (R-Fla.) … Rep. Lance Gooden (R-Texas) … Steve Benjamin … Jen Psaki … WaPo’s Karen Tumulty … Shin Inouye … Josh Kraushaar of Axios and Jewish Insider … Mandela Barnes … Natalie Wyeth Earnest … Tessa Gould … NPR’s Carrie Johnson … Jason Maloni of JadeRoq … Kyle Lierman … POLITICO’s Rashida Kamal, Elizabeth Ralph, Joshua Sztorc and Abby Resendiz … NYT’s Carlos Prieto … Joel Miller … Barbara Martin of the Brand Guild … Moses Mercado of Ogilvy Government Relations … Ammar Moussa … Sara Guerrero … Ed Fox of Fox & Associates … Tyler Haymore … Raul Alvillar … Ani Toumajan of Sen. Debbie Stabenow’s (D-Mich.) office … Sean Higgins … Alex Howard … Yochi Dreazen … David Jory of Edge Creek Partners … Jacqueline Feldscher … Sarah March-Gómez of Bay Public Relations, celebrating on a secluded beach in Jalisco, Mexico … Jordan Lieberman 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. Corrections: Yesterday’s Playbook incorrectly listed Sharon Soderstrom’s birthday. It is April 1. It also misstated Democratic Rep. Gabe Vasquez’s home state. He is from New Mexico. And it misreported Travis Waldron’s professional affiliation. He is with Bloomberg. | | | | 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 | | | | |
