| | | | | |  | | By Anna Palmer, Jake Sherman, Eli Okun and Garrett Ross | Presented by |  | | | THE WHITE HOUSE called a lid at 11 a.m., meaning the president is not expected to appear publicly for the rest of the day. SPOTTED: SEBASTIAN GORKA at DCA reading a script out loud while looking at his iPhone. He was not wearing a mask. Pic … GORKA is on Cameo, and it appears he filmed two videos from DCA recently wearing a shirt that looks just like the one in the photo. Those Cameo videos have him talking about someone not getting credit they think they deserve, and someone who seems to have done poorly on the GMAT. … Sen. ROB PORTMAN (R-Ohio) on the 9:30 from DCA to Columbus. WHAT WASHINGTON IS TALKING ABOUT … WAPO'S MARY JORDAN, adopted from her book "The Art of Her Deal: The Untold Story of Melania Trump" (out Tuesday, $28 on Amazon) … "Melania Trump was in no rush to move into the White House. That's when she renegotiated her prenup, a new book says": "When Melania Trump stayed behind in New York after her husband's presidential inauguration, she said it was because she didn't want to interrupt their then-10-year-old son Barron's school year. News stories at the time concentrated on an apparent frostiness between the first couple and the exorbitant taxpayer costs to protect Melania and Barron away from Washington. … "The incoming first lady needed time to cool off, and 'to amend her financial arrangement with Trump — what Melania referred to as "taking care of Barron,"' Jordan writes in 'The Art of Her Deal: The Untold Story of Melania Trump.' "Melania's original prenup had not been incredibly generous, Jordan reports. But she has been married to Trump longer than both his ex-wives and had bargaining power: Her perceived calming effect on him was so great that Trump's pals and at least one of Trump's adult children exhorted her to come to the White House as soon as possible. … "Observers in the White House had noticed an uptick in her mood by mid-2018 that might account for her being so willing to fight for a second term. According to three people close to Trump, Jordan writes, Melania had finally renegotiated the prenup to her liking. She'd already been looking out for Barron's future by making sure he had dual citizenship in Slovenia, which will position him to work in Europe for the Trump Organization when he comes of age. "Now, she'd made sure he wasn't shut out of the family business. Jordan writes: 'She wanted proof in writing that when it came to financial opportunities and inheritance, Barron would be treated as more of an equal to Trump's oldest three children.'" SIMON AND SCHUSTER has put out a description of JOHN BOLTON'S new book: "This is the book Donald Trump doesn't want you to read. "There hasn't been a detailed, inside account on how this president makes decisions on a day-to-day basis, until now. John Bolton served as National Security Advisor to President Donald Trump for 519 days. A seasoned public servant who had previously worked for Presidents Reagan, Bush #41, and Bush #43, Bolton brought to the administration forty years of experience in international issues and a reputation for tough, blunt talk. In The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir (available June 23, 2020), Bolton offers a substantive and factual account of the period from April 9, 2018 to September 10, 2019, when he had nearly daily communications with the President. "Drawn from his personal participation in key events, and filled with perspective and humor, Bolton covers an array of topics—chaos in the White House, sure, but also assessments of major players, the President's inconsistent, scattershot decision-making process, and his dealings with allies and enemies alike, from China, Russia, Ukraine, North Korea, Iran, the UK, France, and Germany." The full release (h/t Meridith McGraw) REMEMBER: BOLTON COULD'VE TESTIFIED … @kyledcheney: "Bolton book will say Trump committed 'Ukraine-like transgressions' across his entire foreign policy. Yet he and his deputy chose to legally fight efforts to tell Congress about it during impeachment." Happy Friday afternoon. | | | | A message from Blue Cross Blue Shield Association: Maintaining access to affordable health insurance is critical, especially now. Congress must take immediate steps to keep people covered after a job loss, end surprise bills and more. See Blue Cross and Blue Shield's proposals to ensure Americans stay covered. | | | CDC LATEST -- "CDC urges organizers of large gatherings to 'strongly encourage' use of face masks," by WaPo's Lena Sun: "The guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention comes after more than a week of national protests against police brutality where many attendees and police did not wear masks. It also coincides with President Trump's plans to hit the campaign trail next week and to accept his party's nomination in Jacksonville, Fla. The Republican National Committee has indicated it does not want to require participants to wear masks for the speech. "Jay Butler, CDC's deputy director of infectious diseases, sidestepped questions about whether the agency's guidance on wearing masks at large gatherings applies to political rallies, saying the recommendations speak for themselves." THIS GUY … LARRY KUDLOW, via Quint Forgey: "White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow on Friday declared that a 'second wave' of the coronavirus was not descending upon the country, even as cases of Covid-19 are spiking in more than a dozen states. 'There is no emergency. There is no second wave. I don't know where that got started on Wall Street,' Kudlow told 'Fox & Friends.' "Although Kudlow, director of the National Economic Council, acknowledged he is 'not the health expert,' he said he had spoken with the administration's top public health officials 'at some length' Thursday evening. 'They are saying there is no second spike. Let me repeat that. There is no second spike,' he said. "'What you do have is certain spots are seeing a little bit of a jump up. Some small metropolitan areas are seeing it. The CDC and the health people are all over it. They've sent some task forces out to deal with it,' Kudlow added, partly attributing increases in Covid-19 cases to more widespread testing availability." POLITICO -- MEANWHILE -- "Oregon Gov. Kate Brown hits pause on lifting coronavirus restrictions with infections on the rise," by The Oregonian's Laura Gunderson THIS THREAD, from YASCHA MOUNK of Johns Hopkins, is well worth your time. It makes the case that JOE BIDEN needs to define himself better for swing voters, but persuadable TRUMP 2016 voters are turned off by the president's handling of race and respond to simple pro-Biden/anti-Trump ads. -- WSJ'S MIKE BENDER and AARON ZITNER: "Trump Drives Economic Message as Poll Shows He Has Few Strengths" THE UGLY JOBLESS PICTURE -- "Unemployed workers face new delays and paused payments as states race to stamp out massive nationwide scam," by WaPo's Tony Romm: "State and federal investigators are scrambling to stop scammers from stealing millions of dollars in unemployment benefits, imposing a raft of new restrictions that have inadvertently deprived some out-of-work Americans from receiving much-needed payments for weeks. The broad, national crackdowns began in May … "States including Maine, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Washington each have reviewed scores of past applications, while halting some current unemployment payments, hoping to thwart fraudsters before they could sap any more funds. The aggressive actions have helped some of these states identify tens of thousands of suspicious claims filed by alleged criminals, many of whom had relied on personal information stolen from unsuspecting workers to obtain benefits they were not eligible to receive." WaPo | | | | NEXT WEEK - A VIRTUAL CONVERSATION ON WATER SECURITY : How can we secure long-term solutions at a time when the Covid-19 pandemic consumes the attention and resources of local and state leaders? Join POLITICO on Monday, June 15 at 10:20 a.m. EDT for a virtual panel discussion on the policies and legislation needed at the state, regional and federal levels to meet the water needs of Western states. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | THE LATEST RESEARCH -- "Researchers ask if survivor plasma could prevent coronavirus," by AP's Lauran Neergaard: "Survivors of COVID-19 are donating their blood plasma in droves in hopes it helps other patients recover from the coronavirus. And while the jury's still out, now scientists are testing if the donations might also prevent infection in the first place. "Thousands of coronavirus patients in hospitals around the world have been treated with so-called convalescent plasma — including more than 20,000 in the U.S. — with little solid evidence so far that it makes a difference. One recent study from China was unclear while another from New York offered a hint of benefit." AP HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE IN THE WILD -- "Florida ordered 1 million doses of a Trump-touted drug. Hospitals didn't want it," by Andrew Atterbury and Matt Dixon in Tallahassee: "Florida is sitting on more than 980,000 unused doses of hydroxychloroquine, a drug President Donald Trump touted as a 'game changer' in the fight against the coronavirus, after only a handful of hospitals in the state asked for access to the medicine. … "Despite the governor's pitch, few hospitals have requested the drug, which was provided free-of-charge from Israeli drug maker Teva Pharmaceuticals in a deal DeSantis said was facilitated by U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman. Only 16,100 doses have been shipped to six hospitals as of Thursday." POLITICO POLLS DU JOUR -- "64% of Americans oppose 'defund the police' movement, key goals," by ABC's Kendall Karson: "Nearly two-thirds of Americans oppose calls for defunding police departments, compared to 34% who back the movement, and 60% specifically oppose reducing the budget for police to reallocate it to other public health and social programs, while 39% support that move." ABC … The poll -- "Most Americans Want Police Reform But Don't Back 'Defund The Police,'" by HuffPost's Ariel Edwards-Levy and Kevin Robillard: "A near-universal majority of Americans support at least some changes to policing in the United States … There is majority support for proposals circulating in Congress to ban chokeholds and make it easier to track and charge officers accused of misconduct. But the idea of 'defunding the police' has little support from the public." HuffPost … The poll ON THE GROUND -- "For George Floyd's Mourners, What Does 'Justice' Mean?" by NYT's Astead Herndon in Houston: "In the more than two weeks since he died, 'Justice for George Floyd' has become an omnipresent mantra, but there remains little agreement on what that would mean from a public policy perspective. "For a growing consortium of progressive groups focused on young voters, justice for Mr. Floyd requires dismantling police power and investing in programs related to mental health, housing and education — which activists believe would reduce crime and violence. But among the larger Democratic electorate, including older black voters who helped Mr. Biden secure the nomination, many are holding out hope that police departments can be reformed." NYT NEXT UP ... WSJ'S JOSHUA JAMERSON and ARIAN CAMPO-FLORES: "Many Americans who have taken to the streets in the past three weeks say they are planning for a summer of protests aimed in large part at local governments that are entering their budget-planning season. "Several leaders of the protests sparked by the killing of George Floyd while in police custody have repeatedly said they intend to continue rallying for overhauls of police departments." WSJ BEYOND THE BELTWAY -- "Do Police Officers Make Schools Safer or More Dangerous?" by NYT's Dana Goldstein: "The national reckoning over police violence has spread to schools, with several districts choosing in recent days to sever their relationships with local police departments out of concern that the officers patrolling their hallways represent more of a threat than a form of protection." NYT UPSET WATCH -- "The Republican congressman who could get booted for officiating a gay wedding," by Ally Mutnick: "A small universe of Republican Party activists will drive through the parking lot of a central Virginia church on Saturday to decide the fate of Rep. Denver Riggleman. A one-term congressman with a libertarian streak, Riggleman has found himself locked in a fierce intraparty battle after he enraged local officials in his district by officiating a same-sex marriage last year. "His reelection prospects are further hampered by Virginia's insular election system, which allows a paltry number of GOP delegates to choose the nominee at a convention. By Sunday morning, he may become the third House incumbent to fall in the 2020 cycle. Riggleman's opponent, former Campbell County supervisor and Liberty University employee Bob Good, is running as a staunch social conservative." POLITICO | | | | Protect Yourself and Others From Coronavirus: Even if you don't have symptoms, you could spread the coronavirus. Practice these physical distancing and hygiene tips to keep yourself and your loved ones safe: Stay 6 feet away from others in public; wash your hands often for 20+ seconds; disinfect frequently touched surfaces like cellphones and light switches; and wear a cloth face covering when out in public. Together, we can slow the spread. Visit coronavirus.gov to learn more. | | | | | FIONA HILL TALKS to the FT'S DEMETRI SEVASTOPULO: "Hill says the most revealing part about the [impeachment] hearings was learning what other officials had been doing without her knowledge. 'I knew more about what was going on in the Kremlin than what was going on in the White House.' … "[S]he says she got to experience Russian history — inside the White House. 'I kept thinking 'Bolshevik Revolution,'' she says, pointing to the infighting. 'I had always wondered what it was like . . . and then I found myself in the middle.'" CONVENTIONAL WISDOM -- "'We will put the safety of people first': Jacksonville mayor says no safety promises made to lock RNC bid," by Gary Fineout in Tallahassee: "[Lenny] Curry said it was too early to say what type of safety protocols would be needed during the events — scheduled to be held from Aug. 24 through Aug. 27 — when asked whether attendees would be required to wear face masks or do temperature checks." POLITICO IMMIGRATION FILES -- "Trump Administration Moves to Solidify Restrictive Immigration Policies," by NYT's Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Maggie Haberman: "Under the cloak of a pandemic and the convulsions of anti-racist protests, the Trump administration continues to advance its policies to restrict legal immigration, halting the flow of foreign workers and raising the bar for asylum seekers hoping for sanctuary. … "If adopted, the rules would lay a framework of restrictionist immigration policies that can be enforced after rules rooted in the pandemic are lifted." NYT AP'S LOLITA BALDOR: "U.S. naval buildup in Indo-Pacific seen as warning to China": "For the first time in nearly three years, three American aircraft carriers are patrolling the Indo-Pacific waters, a massive show of naval force in a region roiled by spiking tensions between the U.S. and China and a sign that the Navy has bounced back from the worst days of the coronavirus outbreak. "The unusual simultaneous appearance of the three warships, accompanied by Navy cruisers, destroyers, fighter jets and other aircraft, comes as the U.S. escalates criticism of Beijing's response to the coronavirus outbreak, its moves to impose greater control over Hong Kong and its campaign to militarize human-made islands in the South China Sea." AP AFTERNOON READ -- KATHERINE LANDERGAN in Camden, N.J.: "How One City Really Did Abolish the Police": "Camden is one rare—and complicated—success story, a city that really did manage to overhaul its police force and change how it operated. And it took a move as radical and controversial as what some activists are calling for today: Camden really did abolish its police department. And then the city set about rebuilding the police force with an entirely new one under county control … "The reforms carry lessons for what it takes to transform the police in any city. They ultimately amounted to nothing less than a reboot of the culture of policing in Camden, changing the way every beat cop in the city did his or her job. And they also required enough political will at the top—all the way to the governor—to survive opposition from police unions and some residents. … But nothing is as simple as it sounds in a tweet. While largely a success story, the overhaul was by no means a clear win for social-justice progressives." POLITICO Magazine WHITE HOUSE DEPARTURE LOUNGE -- "White House Chief Digital Officer departs to launch tech firm," by Axios' Sara Fischer: "[Ory] Rinat was instrumental in crafting the White House's digital strategy and policy over the past three years. He has been with the White House since 2017. … Rinat's new company, to be based in D.C., will close a seed round of investment this month, including some venture capital investment, per a source familiar with the funding. … It will power a technology platform for performance-based influencer and affiliate marketing." NEW PODCAST … "Oppo File": "Inside the Dark Art of American Politics … by Kate Anderson Brower and Joseph Rodata" The podcast TRANSITION -- Tess Whittlesey is now manager for campaigns and elections media at Planned Parenthood. She previously was deputy national press secretary for Pete Buttigieg's campaign, and is a Salud Carbajal and Adam Schiff alum. BONUS BIRTHDAY: Mayra Macías, executive director of Latino Victory (h/t the Latina Caucus) | | | | A message from Blue Cross Blue Shield Association:   Providing security when it's needed most. See our proposals to ensure Americans stay covered. | | | | | | | 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 | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our politics and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
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