| | | | | |  | | By Anna Palmer, Jake Sherman, Eli Okun and Garrett Ross | Presented by |  | | | NEW … THE WHITE HOUSE will announce a veto threat for the National Defense Authorization Act today, per multiple sources involved in the process. TREASURY SECRETARY STEVEN MNUCHIN and White House chief of staff MARK MEADOWS are camped out in the Capitol today, shuttling between offices in an attempt to negotiate a coronavirus relief bill. HERE ARE SOME IMPORTANT UPDATES: MNUCHIN and MEADOWS met with Senate Appropriations Chair RICHARD SHELBY (R-Ala.) and Sens. ROY BLUNT (R-Mo.) and LAMAR ALEXANDER (R-Tenn.) on the first floor of the Capitol for a touch more than an hour this morning. BEFORE THE MEETING … MNUCHIN told a group of us that it was his goal to get a deal by the end of next week. Aggressive? Yes. Tough? Yes. Impossible? Nothing is impossible. … … MNUCHIN said "of course not" when we asked him if he had abandoned the payroll tax cut that President DONALD TRUMP wanted. Admirable. … … MEADOWS made sure to emphasize that it was the House and Senate that would be leading this negotiation -- not the administration. But a $1 trillion package was their goal. … AFTER THE MEETING … BLUNT said the negotiations were moving in the "right direction on all fronts." He said Senate Republicans still have to get the administration more information, but the information they've already given them "was helpful in [the administration] deciding there's logic to a lot of the places we thought we ought to head." TRANSLATION: The White House is moving Senate Republicans' way on priorities like testing and other spending matters. (h/t JOHN BRESNAHAN ) -- WE ASKED MEADOWS ABOUT THAT, and he laughed and said: "I have a very good relationship with Sen. Blunt, so I would not counter any characterization that he might have had." UPDATE ON THE DETAILS … Senate Majority Leader MITCH MCCONNELL said the Senate GOP coronavirus relief bill will send $105 BILLION to help schools open. The legislation will also re-up the Paycheck Protection Program and send more direct payments to individuals. -- NOT MENTIONED: the payroll tax cut that TRUMP seems to so badly want. INSIDE THE ROOM … MELANIE ZANONA: "House conservatives pile on Cheney at GOP conference meeting": "Members of the conservatives House Freedom Caucus tore into Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) during a heated GOP conference meeting on Tuesday, lobbing attacks at her for breaking with President Donald Trump, supporting Dr. Anthony Fauci and backing a primary opponent to one of their colleagues. "Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), a Freedom Caucus co-founder and one of Trump's top allies, called out Cheney for all the times she has opposed Trump and began ticking off some recent high-profile examples, according to two sources in the room. While Jordan praised her defense of Trump during impeachment, he also said Cheney's recent rebukes of Trump — which have focused on Trump's handling of the coronavirus, his Twitter rhetoric, and his foreign policy — were not helpful. "Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), the head of the Freedom Caucus, even accused Cheney of undermining the GOP's ability to win back the House back and said that if someone has a problem with Trump, they should keep it to themselves. Cheney responded to the criticism from her colleagues by saying she disagrees with Jordan's assessment and making clear her views are her own." POLITICO REP. MATT GAETZ (R-Fla.) piles on via Twitter: "Liz Cheney has worked behind the scenes (and now in public) against @realDonaldTrump and his agenda. House Republicans deserve better as our Conference Chair. Liz Cheney should step down or be removed." -- FLASHBACK: THE PRESIDENT called MASSIE a "third-rate grandstander" just a few months ago. HOW TO VIEW THIS: This is the Freedom Caucus agitating against CHENEY, who, most House observers understand, is positioning herself to continue to climb up the leadership ladder. Make no mistake: CHENEY backed a challenge to MASSIE -- a sitting House Republican -- and missed. That's really bad for her internally, so the blowback is not surprising. AS FORMER PAUL RYAN aide BRENDAN BUCK noted on Twitter, there's often griping in the House Republican Conference, but rarely is there such a coordinated hit on someone in leadership. THE FREEDOM CAUCUS is signaling it has no patience for CHENEY -- and that's notable. The conservative caucus is a lot less powerful than it once was, and has had to recalibrate in the minority. They were once defined by their opposition to the leadership -- RYAN and House Minority Leader KEVIN MCCARTHY -- but they are now much more closely aligned with the top of the party. The group's original strategists have moved on: Ohio Rep. JIM JORDAN is a ranking member, so he has grown much closer to MCCARTHY and the leadership, and MEADOWS is chief of staff at the White House. THIS IS A SIGNAL AND A WARNING SIGN to CHENEY. DONALD TRUMP JR. came out against the Wyoming Republican, too -- signaling this is hardly isolated to the backbench of the House GOP. CHENEY is as or more loyal to the TRUMP agenda as anyone in the House. She votes with him almost always. But, of course, CHENEY may be intentionally or unintentionally positioning herself for a post-TRUMP Republican Party where the Freedom Caucus and this style of politics goes the way of the Republican Study Committee and becomes toothless and useless. CHENEY AND MASSIE did speak on the floor today for roughly 20 minutes, a source told us. Good Tuesday afternoon. | | A message from Google: Helping small businesses adapt Millions of small business owners are using their free Business Profiles on Google Search to communicate with customers, change their business hours, switch from dine-in to take out, move their business online, sell gift cards, and accept donations. Learn more. | | | YOWZA -- "Ocasio-Cortez accosted by GOP lawmaker over remarks: 'That kind of confrontation hasn't ever happened to me,'" by The Hill's Mike Lillis: "Rep. Ted Yoho (R-Fla.) was coming down the steps on the east side of the Capitol on Monday, having just voted, when he approached [Rep. Alexandria] Ocasio-Cortez, who was ascending into the building to cast a vote of her own. "In a brief but heated exchange, which was overheard by a reporter, Yoho told Ocasio-Cortez she was 'disgusting' for recently suggesting that poverty and unemployment are driving a spike in crime in New York City during the coronavirus pandemic. "'You are out of your freaking mind,' Yoho told her. Ocasio-Cortez shot back, telling Yoho he was being 'rude.' The two then parted ways. Ocasio-Cortez headed into the building, while Yoho, joined by Rep. Roger Williams (R-Texas), began descending toward the House office buildings. A few steps down, Yoho offered a parting thought to no one in particular. 'Fucking bitch,' he said." The Hill IN COLUMBUS … BORGES ARRESTED … CINCINNATI ENQUIRER: "Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder arrested in $60 million bribery case," by Sharon Coolidge, Dan Horn and Jessie Balmert: "Federal officials arrested Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and four others on Tuesday morning in connection with a $60 million bribery case. U.S. Attorney David DeVillers' office would not discuss details of the case, but a source involved in the investigation confirmed Householder's arrest to The Enquirer. "Also arrested, according to the source: Neil Clark, founder of Grant Street Consultants and once called by USA Today 'one of the best-connected lobbyists in Columbus;' former Ohio Republican Party chair and consultant Matthew Borges; Juan Cespedes, co-founder of The Oxley Group in Columbus; and Jeffrey Longstreth, adviser to Householder. "A spokeswoman for DeVillers said an Ohio official and associates were charged in the case, which she described as a 'public corruption racketeering conspiracy involving $60 million.' DeVillers has scheduled a 2:30 p.m. press conference to discuss the case." FROM THE PODIUM … KAYLEIGH MCENANY declined to say whether ANTHONY FAUCI or DEBORAH BIRX will appear at the 5 p.m. briefing with TRUMP. "You'll have to tune in to see," she said. "We do want to see more testing funding, but we want it to be targeted in a way that gets to the right people who need testing at the right time, not just dumping money into a bucket." MCENANY called the president the "most tested man in America" and said he gets tested for the coronavirus "multiple times a day." Asked later for details on his testing schedule, MCENANY declined to get into specifics. She said he is tested "often" and sometimes more than once per day. | | | | DON'T MISS - POLITICO'S NEW "FUTURE PULSE" NEWSLETTER: The coronavirus pandemic accelerated long-simmering trends in health care technology and one thing is certain: The health care system that emerges from this crisis will be fundamentally different than the one that entered. From Congress and the White House, to state legislatures and Silicon Valley, Future Pulse spotlights the politics, policies, and technologies driving long-term change on the most personal issue for voters: Our health. SUBSCRIBE NOW. | | | | | OY … "DOJ says Chinese hackers breached hundreds of companies, targeted coronavirus vaccine research," by Eric Geller and Betsy Woodruff Swan: "Federal prosecutors on Tuesday charged two Chinese men with hacking hundreds of U.S. and foreign companies, nongovernmental organizations and human rights activists, as well as trying to hack three U.S. firms researching the coronavirus, in an escalation of Washington's war with Beijing over intellectual property theft and espionage. "Beginning in September 2009, the two men, Li Xiaoyu and Dong Jiazhi, stole 'hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of trade secrets, intellectual property, and other valuable business information,' according to an indictment unsealed in the Eastern District of Washington. ... In some cases, the men allegedly acted out of self-interest, in one instance attempting to extort a victim into paying a ransom by threatening to publish their intellectual property. In other cases, prosecutors said, 'they were stealing information of obvious interest' to the Chinese government." POLITICO REPORT CARD -- "Former CDC chief: Most states fail to report data key to controlling the coronavirus pandemic," by WaPo's Lena Sun: "Six months after the first coronavirus case appeared in the United States, most states are failing to report critical information needed to track and control the resurgence of covid-19, the disease caused by the virus, according to an analysis released Tuesday by a former top Obama administration health official. "The analysis is the first comprehensive review of covid-19 data that all 50 states and the District are using to make decisions about policies on mask-wearing and opening schools and businesses. In the absence of a national strategy to fight the pandemic, states have had to develop their own metrics for tracking and controlling covid-19. But with few common standards, the data are inconsistent and incomplete, according to the report released by Resolve to Save Lives, a New York nonprofit led by former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Tom Frieden." WaPo … The analysis STATE OF THE HOSPITALS -- "This Hospital Cost $52 Million. It Treated 79 Virus Patients," by NYT's Brian Rosenthal: "The pandemic has presented unique challenges for officials grappling with a fast-moving and largely unpredictable foe. But the story of the Billie Jean King facility illustrates the missteps made at every level of government in the race to create more hospital capacity in New York. "It is a cautionary tale for other states now facing surges in cases and for New Yorkers bracing for a possible second wave. Doctors at the Queens Hospital Center, a public hospital in Jamaica, and at other medical centers wanted to transfer patients to Billie Jean King. But they were blocked by bureaucracy, turf battles and communication failures, according to internal documents and interviews with workers." NYT BUSINESS BURST … AP: "LinkedIn laying off nearly 1,000 amid hiring slowdown": "LinkedIn is laying off nearly 1,000 employees, approximately 6% of its workforce globally, with unemployment in the U.S. above 13% and national economies from Europe and Asia, to the Americas, shrinking due to the pandemic." FOREBODING FORECAST -- "Scientists: Prepare for coronavirus to be around for decades," by Ashleigh Furlong in London JOSH GERSTEIN and DANIEL LIPPMAN: "Appeals court blocks Trump appointee's takeover of web nonprofit": "A federal appeals court has blocked a bid by one of President Donald Trump's appointees to take over a government-funded nonprofit organization that fosters technology aimed at undermining internet censorship around the globe. "The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals issued an order Tuesday morning preventing Agency for Global Media CEO Michael Pack from installing a hand-picked board to replace the previously existing leadership of the Open Technology Fund. Weeks after his Senate confirmation last month, Pack purged leadership at a series of taxpayer-funded media outlets, including the storied Radio Free Europe and Radio Free Asia networks, as well as the lesser-known OTF." POLITICO | | | | HAPPENING TOMORROW – COVID-19 AND CALIFORNIA'S HOUSING CRISIS : Tens of thousands of Californians bounce from one place to another, living in overcrowded housing in impoverished neighborhoods, in cars, or on the streets. How has Covid-19 exacerbated this already critical issue? Join POLITICO reporters Joanne Kenen and Victoria Colliver and a lineup of expert guests for a virtual conversation on what role social determinants of health, like housing, will have in post-Covid-19 recovery efforts in California. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | MILESTONE ALERT -- "Trump's reelection effort has spent more than $983 million, a record sum at this point in the campaign," by WaPo's Michelle Ye Hee Lee and Anu Narayanswamy: "President Trump's campaign, the Republican Party and two affiliated committees have spent more than $983 million since 2017, a record-breaking sum toward a reelection effort at this point in the presidential campaign, new filings show. ... "Trump has raised and spent money for his reelection since 2017, earlier in his term than previous presidents. At this point in 2012, the Obama campaign, the Democratic Party and a joint fundraising committee had spent roughly half that amount, at about $552 million, federal records show." WaPo BEN SCHRECKINGER: "Delaware Beer Distributor: I Wore a Wire to Probe Biden's Fundraising": "Christopher Tigani was a wealthy beer distributor who relished his close ties to Delaware politicians, particularly Joe Biden, when the FBI confronted him outside a Royal Farms gas station in September 2010. Tigani was in trouble. While serving as a bundler for Biden's aborted 2008 presidential campaign, he had reimbursed his employees for contributions made in their names, a well-worn tactic for circumventing campaign-finance laws. "What happened between that day and Tigani's 2012 sentencing has never before been revealed: He would wear a wire for the FBI and record people close to the then-vice president, seeking, he said, to confirm his belief that they knew of his reimbursements and investigate whether they, or others close to Biden, engaged in any quid pro quo deals with donors. "Ultimately, only Tigani himself faced federal charges. In interviews with POLITICO, Tigani, now 49, agreed to share the details of his informant work for the first time, in part, he said, because he felt he was left out to dry by the Bidens when revelations about his illegal fundraising for both Joe and Beau, along with other top officials, placed him at the center of a Delaware political scandal a decade ago." POLITICO FOR YOUR RADAR -- "Esper says U.S. considering troop 'adjustments' in South Korea," by AP's Robert Burns: "The Pentagon is considering 'adjustments' to its military presence in South Korea and around the globe as it shifts from years of countering insurgencies and militants in the greater Middle East to focusing on China, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Tuesday. "Esper said he has issued no order to withdraw from South Korea. Without discussing specifics, Esper said he favors more emphasis on rotational deployments, as opposed to permanent stationing, of American troops 'because it gives us, the United States, greater strategic flexibility in terms of responding to challenges around the globe.'" AP CHINA LATEST -- "U.S. sanctions Chinese companies over Muslim abuse complaints," by AP's Joe McDonald in Beijing: "China said Tuesday it would take unspecified 'necessary measures' after the U.S. government imposed trade sanctions on 11 companies it says are implicated in human rights abuses in China's Muslim northwestern region of Xinjiang. "The sanctions add to U.S. pressure on Beijing over Xinjiang, where the ruling Communist Party is accused of mass detentions, forced labor and other abuses against Muslim minorities. Xinjiang is among a series of conflicts including human rights, trade and technology that have caused U.S.-Chinese relations to plunge to their lowest level in decades." AP AFTERNOON READ -- "The Class of RBG: The remarkable stories of the nine other women in the Harvard Law class of '59—as told by them, their families, and a Supreme Court justice who remembers them all," by Slate's Dahlia Lithwick and Molly Olmstead … Interview with Ginsburg BONUS BIRTHDAYS: Government Publishing Office Director Hugh Halpern … Garrett Ventry … former Rep. John Salazar (D-Colo.) … former Rep. Bobby Bright (D-Ala.) (h/ts John Barrow) | | | | A message from Google:   Free Business Profile on Google Search helps small business owners connect and communicate with their customers. Learn more. | | | | | | | 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 | | | | |
