Current Affairs Of Pakistan & World: POLITICO Playbook: The next six weeks

POLITICO Playbook: The next six weeks

Jun 12, 2020

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By Anna Palmer and Jake Sherman

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DRIVING THE DAY

G'MORNING and happy Friday. THE PRESIDENT is at his vacation home in New Jersey. He landed in Bedminster at 11:51 p.m., per the WSJ's CATHERINE LUCEY, who was the pooler for Thursday's trip to Dallas. He has nothing on his schedule today. VP MIKE PENCE is traveling to Pittsburgh for a roundtable with "faith and community leaders," lunch and an event at a local company about opening the economy.

CONGRESS IS quiet today. … BUT WASHINGTON has quite the next six weeks in store: CONGRESS is going to try to cobble together a police reform package (more on that in a moment). … All parties appear in agreement that another coronavirus relief package needs to get done -- including some sort of extension of unemployment insurance.

… CONGRESS may begin the process of funding the government. … The National Defense Authorization Act needs to be completed. That could be coupled with the fight over renaming military bases named for Confederate leaders. The Senate wants to remove the names, and President DONALD TRUMP has said he has no interest. Senate Dems have sent a letter pressuring TRUMP to reverse his decision. … Will Congress ever finish FISA? … There is also a fight brewing over whether and how to remove Confederate statues in the Capitol. CNN's Manu Raju, Clare Foran, Ted Barrett and Ali Zaslav on the statue fight

… OH, and JOE BIDEN said he intends to name his VP candidate by Aug. 1.

TWO IMPORTANT UPDATES ON POLICE OVERHAUL: Sen. TIM SCOTT (R-S.C.) said he has some changes he's making to the GOP police overhaul package, and he hopes to file it by Tuesday or Wednesday. Burgess Everett's profile of Scott

-- SEN. RAND PAUL (R-Ky.) unveiled a bill to eliminate no-knock warrants -- a major part of the House Democrats' bill. More on that from Marianne LeVine … PAUL also said on Capitol Hill on Thursday that there are elements of the House Dem bill he likes.

SO, TO RECAP: House Minority Leader KEVIN MCCARTHY is for banning chokeholds, and declined to name any issues he had with the House Dem bill. And PAUL is for banning no-knock warrants. There is common ground beginning to surface between the two parties.

-- SOME QUESTIONS: Can Congress pass legislation on issues they agree on, or will they get stuck in the areas they don't agree? There seems to be plenty of room for some sort of deal, but things are never that simple. TRUMP'S executive order is still a wild card: When does it come out, what exactly does it say, and how do Democrats react to that?

TRUMP spoke to Fox News' HARRIS FAULKNER in Dallas, and discussed police conduct. 2:40 clip of Faulkner and Trump. The interview will air all day, beginning this morning on "Fox and Friends"

-- @realDonaldTrump at 9:24 p.m.: "The Radical Left Democrats: First they try to take away your guns. Then they try to take away your police!"

"BEAUTIFUL SCENE," TRUMP SAYS … THE PRESIDENT at a roundtable in Dallas: "In Minneapolis, they went through three nights of hell. And then I was insistent on having the National Guard go in and do their work. It was like a miracle. It just -- everything stopped. And I'll never forget the scene. It's not supposed to be a beautiful scene, but, to me, it was -- after you watch policemen running out of a police precinct."

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THE NYT FRONT: "Police Dismiss Trump's Claims Of Antifa Plots" … "Black Veterans Recall the Pain Of Base Names: Honoring Confederates Is 'Slap in the Face'" … "GENERAL REGRETS JOINING PHOTO OP STAGED BY TRUMP … RECKONING ON PROTESTS … Apology Signals Growing Military Divide With the President" … "A Grim Reality Sinks In, and Markets Nosedive"

-- N.Y. POST FRONT: "NYPD lieutenant regrets kneeling for protestors … KNEE A CULPA"

CASH DASH … AMY MCGRATH, who is running in the Democratic primary to face Senate Majority Leader MITCH MCCONNELL in Kentucky, reported she has $19 million on hand. MCCONNELL has $15 million on hand. … Rep. ELISE STEFANIK (R-N.Y.) reported $3.9 million. … Hedge funder KEN GRIFFIN gave $2 million to the House GOP super PAC the CONGRESSIONAL LEADERSHIP FUND.

WSJ: "U.S. Stock Futures Rally Following Sharp Selloff," by Joanne Chiu and Avantika Chilkoti: "U.S. stock futures rallied Friday, reversing some of this week's selloff, as investors weighed data on the surge of the coronavirus in key states against government programs to shore up the economy. S&P 500 stock futures gained almost 1%, suggesting the index could recoup some of the 5.9% loss it suffered Thursday."

FROM 30,000 FEET … NYT'S JONATHAN MARTIN, MAGGIE HABERMAN and KATIE ROGERS … POLITICAL MEMO: "As Americans Shift on Racism, Trump Digs In": "Whether it is suggesting shooting protesters or siccing dogs on them, pre-emptively defending the Confederate names of military installations or arguing that his supporters 'love the black people,' Mr. Trump increasingly sounds like a cultural relic, detached from not just the left-leaning protesters in the streets but also the country's political middle and even some Republican allies and his own military leaders.

"While Mr. Trump has a long history of making insensitive and tone-deaf comments on race, including remarks widely seen as racist, he has never appeared more isolated on a dominant social and political moment in the country, hunkered down at the White House tweeting conspiracy theories about injured protesters and describing demonstrators as 'THUGS.'

"He regularly uses harsh and violent language that no other American leader employs, vocally supporting the views of white nationalists and even defenders of white supremacy rather than the views expressed by majorities of Americans in polls."

KATY O'DONNELL: "Black community braces for next threat: Mass evictions": "A new tremor is threatening to shake minority communities as protests over racial injustice sweep the country: A wave of evictions as a federal moratorium on kicking people out of their rental units expires.

"The ban on evictions — which applies to rentals that are backed by the government — expires in a matter of weeks. On top of that, the federal boost to unemployment benefits that many laid-off workers have used to pay their rent is set to end July 31.

"Black and Latino people are twice as likely to rent as white people, so they would be most endangered if the protection from removal is ended. But there's no relief in sight from Congress, with Republicans and Democrats not even expected to begin negotiating a new economic relief package until after the July Fourth holiday." POLITICO

CAMPAIGNING IN THE ERA OF CORONA -- "Trump rally attendees must agree not to sue campaign over potential coronavirus exposure," by Caitlin Oprysko

CONVENTION UPDATE -- "GOP picks Jacksonville for convention keynotes," by Gary Fineout in Tallahassee: "Jacksonville, Fla., will host a series of Republican National Convention keynote events in August, including President Donald Trump's prime-time speech to accept the GOP nomination. The gathering is expected to be a multi-night event, according to a person familiar with the planning." POLITICO … Gabby Orr on GOPers upset at keeping 2016 party platform

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TV TONIGHT: PBS' "Washington Week" with Bob Costa: Ashley Parker, Wesley Lowery, Andrea Mitchell and Jake Sherman.

SUNDAY SO FAR …

NBC	"Meet the Press": Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) … Robert Gates. Panel: Tim Alberta, Helene Cooper and Kasie Hunt.
ABC	"This Week": Stacey Abrams. Panel: Chris Christie, Rahm Emanuel, Leah Wright Rigueur and Yvette Simpson.
FOX	"Fox News Sunday": Michael Osterholm. Panel: Karl Rove, Jane Harman and Jonathan Swan.
CBS	"Face the Nation": Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) … Scott Gottlieb … John Dickerson.
Sinclair	"America This Week with Eric Bolling": Marc Lamont Hill … Wilfred Reilly … Sidney Powell … Ken Cuccinelli … Tony Shaffer … Austan Goolsbee … Mercedes Schlapp. Panel: Ameshia Cross and Sebastian Gorka.
Gray TV	"Full Court Press with Greta Van Susteren": Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) … Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.) … Lee Zurik.

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.

PLAYBOOK READS

Minneapolis protesters are pictured. | Getty Images

PHOTO DU JOUR: People march through downtown Minneapolis on Thursday as protests against police brutality and for racial justice continue nationwide. | Stephen Maturen/Getty Images

HOW THEY SPENT IT -- "Border officials spent emergency humanitarian funds on dirt bikes, dogs and enforcement programs, according to government report," by WaPo's Nick Miroff: "U.S. Customs and Border Protection used emergency funding meant for migrant families and children to pay for dirt bikes, canine supplies, computer equipment and other enforcement related-expenditures, according to a report published Thursday by the U.S. Government Accountability Office.

"Congress last June approved a $4.6 billion emergency funding bill to cope with an unprecedented influx of Central American families and children at the U.S.-Mexico border that left U.S. agents overwhelmed and detention cells dangerously crowded.

"The supplemental bill included a line item for about $112 million in 'consumables and medical care,' but CBP used some of the money to pay for enforcement-related hardware and expenses that were not authorized, according to the GAO, the federal government's leading oversight agency.

"CBP spent some of the funds on motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles, boats and other transportation equipment, as well as supplies and services for CBP's canine program, vaccines for CBP personnel, computer upgrades, printers and security camera systems and other expenses, the report found."

LITTLE ROCKET MAN -- "North Korea Vows to Boost Nuclear Program, Saying U.S. Diplomacy Failed," by NYT's Choe Sang-Hun in Seoul: "North Korea on Friday said that two years of diplomacy with President Trump had 'faded away into a dark nightmare,' and vowed to increase its nuclear weapons capabilities.

"'Even a slim ray of optimism for peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula has faded away into a dark nightmare,' the country's foreign minister, Ri Son-gwon, said in a statement on Friday marking the second anniversary of a historic summit meeting between Mr. Trump and the North's leader, Kim Jong-un."

GREAT NEWS -- "'I feel good. I'm alive': Two years after diagnosis, Harry Reid says he's cancer free," by WaPo's Paul Kane

THE ATLANTIC'S ISAAC DOVERE: "Is OAN the Leading Edge of Russian Misinformation?": "In what appears to be a signal of intensifying political warfare ahead of the November election, One America News Network, the Trump-supporting cable channel that has been promoting anti-Biden conspiracies for several months, says it has obtained several hours of secret recordings of then-Vice President Biden's conversations with Ukrainian officials.

"If such recordings exist, they're likely linked to pro-Russian interests in Ukraine and a Russian intelligence operation, two former U.S. ambassadors to Ukraine and a former ambassador to Russia told me. The OAN employee who claims to have the tapes would not say what was on them, other than suggesting that they will be revelatory."

TECH WARS … BETSY WOODRUFF SWAN: "Feds comb Facebook to hunt down alleged rioters and looters"

-- "Twitter uncovers state-backed networks linked to China, Russia, Turkey," by Laura Kayali: "Twitter permanently removed more than 32,000 accounts linked to three distinct operations attributed to China, Russia and Turkey violating the platform's manipulation policies, the social media company said Friday. Earlier this week, the European Commission accused Moscow and, for the first time, Beijing of peddling disinformation.

"Twitter said it removed 23,750 accounts 'tweeting predominantly in Chinese languages and spreading geopolitical narratives favorable to the Communist Party of China (CCP), while continuing to push deceptive narratives about the political dynamics in Hong Kong.' About 150,000 additional accounts were designed to amplify the content of the core network." POLITICO

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PLAYBOOKERS

Send tips to Eli Okun and Garrett Ross at politicoplaybook@politico.com.

WELCOME TO THE WORLD -- Christie Johnson, senior editorial producer at CNN, and Tillman Johnson, VP of product management at Managed Health Care Associates, welcomed Landon Bear Johnson on June 3. Pic

BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Matt Wolking, deputy director of comms/rapid response for the Trump reelect. How he got started in politics: "As a young kid in Kentucky listening to talk radio with my dad and then volunteering for local Republican candidates." Playbook Q&A

BIRTHDAYS: Rep. Mark Amodei (R-Nev.) is 62 … Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-Calif.) is 79 … Carrie Budoff Brown, editor of POLITICO … Dag Vega of BCW Global … Luis Miranda of Alloy (h/ts Ben Chang) … Matt Mowers, who's running for Congress in New Hampshire and was endorsed by Trump on Thursday (h/t Alex Wilkes) … Kevin Sheekey … Alex Castellanos, co-founder of Purple Strategies and an ABC News analyst … Rabbi Levi Shemtov … Google's Coco Pannell … Hayley Alexander … Chris Lu, senior strategy adviser at FiscalNote … Sally Bradshaw … Hanna Siegel, managing director at New American Economy, is 35 (h/t Jeremy Robbins) … Mike Dew is 43 … Todd Beyer … Nathanael Massey is 34 … USDA's Sam Barke … Lilia Dashevsky … LA Times' Colleen Shalby … Ted Ullyot …

… Michael Finnegan, president of Atlantic Media … Dominic Faraglia … Casey Ratlief is 35 … Husein Cumber … Rachel D'Oro, who recently left the AP after almost 20 years … Alexis Levinson … Eli Glazier … Josh Kushner is 35 … Joyce Kazadi is 31 ... Sean Murphy ... Zach Baron ... Mary Urbina-McCarthy ... Eli Zupnick ... Lisa Kurdziel … Matt Perman ... Melodie McQuade ... Dan Archer, head of federal government relations at Wells Fargo … former Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham is 68 … Patrick Schmitt … Alissa Tabirian ... Campbell Curry-Ledbetter ... Sam Buchan … Adam Wolf ... Katina Rojas Joy ... William Kresse ... Victor Zapanta … David Nevins is 54 … Peter Schechter (h/t Jon Haber) … Jon Green ... Eleanor Lewis … Jeani Murray ... Jack Wertzberger ... Travis Worl (h/ts Teresa Vilmain)

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