| | | | | |  | | By Jake Sherman, Anna Palmer, Garrett Ross and Eli Okun | Presented by |  | | | BEHIND THE SCENES … Treasury Secretary STEVEN MNUCHIN and White House chief of staff MARK MEADOWS held one of their regular conference calls with Senate Republicans this morning. Here are the highlights: Senate Majority Leader MITCH MCCONNELL said the Senate likely won't come back into session next week -- they are coming back after Labor Day (there was some thought of coming back next week to begin working). MEADOWS told the senators that his Thursday call with Speaker NANCY PELOSI was a waste of time, and MNUCHIN said he doesn't believe PELOSI is in dealmaking mode. SIREN -- "House panel initiating contempt proceedings against Mike Pompeo," by Kyle Cheney and Andrew Desiderio: "The House Foreign Affairs Committee is launching contempt proceedings against Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for what it says is his repeated refusal to cooperate with the committee's investigations. "Chairman Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) cited Pompeo's refusal to turn over documents in the House's impeachment inquiry last fall as well as another subpoena seeking documents the State Department has already voluntarily turned over to a Republican-led Senate committee targeting former Vice President Joe Biden." POLITICO BREAKING … NYT'S SHEILA KAPLAN and KATIE THOMAS: "Two P.R. Experts at F.D.A. Have Been Ousted After Blood Plasma Fiasco": "Two senior public relations experts advising the Food and Drug Administration have been fired from their positions after President Trump and the head of the F.D.A. exaggerated the proven benefits of a blood plasma treatment for Covid-19. "On Friday, the F.D.A. commissioner, Dr. Stephen M. Hahn, removed Emily Miller as the agency's chief spokeswoman. The White House had installed her in the post just 11 days earlier. Ms. Miller had previously worked in communications for the re-election campaign of Senator Ted Cruz and as a journalist for the conservative cable network One America News. Ms. Miller could not be reached for comment." IT'S ALWAYS INTERESTING TO SEE how big events like Thursday night play around the country. And in many of the states President DONALD TRUMP is targeting, his convention acceptance speech and violence took top billing today (h/t Mosheh Oinounou): -- MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE: "Stunned Mpls. picks up pieces … 'The best is yet to come'" -- MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL: "Tension still simmering in Kenosha … Trump strikes law and order themes in speech … Trump must get another rural rout" -- WISCONSIN STATE JOURNAL: "Amid pandemic, protests Trump promises to lead" | | | | A message from Walmart: FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL – Along with an expansion to their debt-free education benefit, Walmart is now making the program available to all part-time and full- time workers on their first day of employment so that associates can earn a degree or certificate and a paycheck, without accumulating lifelong debt. Learn more. | | | FRIDAY AFTERNOON TALKERS … THE ATLANTIC'S GEORGE PACKER: "This Is How Biden Loses": "Here is a prediction about the November election: If Donald Trump wins, in a trustworthy vote, what's happening this week in Kenosha, Wisconsin, will be one reason. Maybe the reason. And yet Joe Biden has it in his power to spare the country a second Trump term. … "Nothing will harm a campaign like the wishful thinking, fearful hesitation, or sheer complacency that fails to address what voters can plainly see. Kenosha gives Biden a chance to help himself and the country. Ordinarily it's the incumbent president's job to show up at the scene of a national tragedy and give a unifying speech. But Trump is temperamentally incapable of doing so and, in fact, has a political interest in America's open wounds and burning cities. "Biden, then, should go immediately to Wisconsin, the crucial state that Hillary Clinton infamously ignored. He should meet the Blake family and give them his support and comfort. He should also meet Kenoshans like the small-business owners quoted in the Times piece, who doubt that Democrats care about the wreckage of their dreams. Then, on the burned-out streets, without a script, from the heart, Biden should speak to the city and the country. He should speak for justice and for safety, for reform and against riots, for the crying need to bring the country together. If he says these things half as well as Julia Jackson did, we might not have to live with four more years of Trump." -- FIVETHIRTYEIGHT'S PERRY BACON JR. SAYS NOT SO FAST: "Could A Backlash Against Black Lives Matter Hurt Biden? The Two Don't Appear Linked So Far": "These dynamics could hurt Biden. It's hard to predict the future. But be wary of any confident arguments that they will hurt him, since the popularity of Black Lives Matter dipped weeks ago but Biden's did not. In fact, there are a few fairly logical reasons that would explain why BLM's support has gone down that don't really have anything to do with Biden and that wouldn't affect his electoral prospects." Happy Friday afternoon. CHARLOTTE OBSERVER: "4 people at the RNC in Charlotte test positive for coronavirus, county says," by Alison Kuznitz and Austin Weinstein CNN'S BARBARA STARR: "Pentagon staffer on Esper's travel team in Pacific tests positive for coronavirus": "A member of Defense Secretary Mark Esper's team traveling in the Indo-Pacific region has tested positive for Covid-19, three U.S. officials told CNN on Friday. The officials said members of the delegation learned of the positive result as they arrived in Guam on Friday. "It is not clear if the person had any direct contact with Esper. Under standard protocols the individual would be tested again. CNN has not learned any details on whether further testing has taken place." TODAY'S MARCH ON WASHINGTON -- About 50,000 people are expected in D.C. today to march for racial justice, equality and criminal justice reform on the 57th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s address. Live updates from WaPo RACIAL RECKONING -- "Black Lives Matter goes big on policy agenda," by Maya King: "The BREATHE Act, a four-part proposal named after the phrase uttered by Black men Eric Garner and George Floyd while in police choke holds, aims to codify the movement's core objective: redirecting federal funds away from police, prisons and other parts of the criminal justice system and into underserved communities of color. … "The policy document is set to take center stage [tonight] at the Black National Convention, which aims to create 'a vision for Black Lives before the biggest election of our time, and long after.' While its architects recognize it does not have the necessary backing on Capitol Hill — even in a Democratic-majority House — they argue it's an important marker for activists as they seek to turn the momentum gained through a summer of protest into political wins. How far they go in building support will be a critical test of the movement's enduring influence, post-George Floyd." POLITICO … The proposal -- NYT: "Black Lives Matter Grows as Movement While Facing New Challenges," by John Eligon in Kenosha, Wis.: "[T]his latest surge of protests reflects something much more — the remarkable way that the Black Lives Matter movement has come to represent a lever for change and a guiding voice on issues of race in America. Black Lives Matter protests — or even the possibility of them — have changed the way that people in power respond. "Elected leaders, including Gov. Tony Evers of Wisconsin, now tend to engage instantly and insistently with matters that in the past had been dealt with primarily by the police. Officers are named, details are shared and there are promises of thorough investigations — on Wednesday, by the Justice Department. In some instances, officers are charged or fired much more quickly than ever before. And there is broader public witness and involvement. … Still, even as activists continue taking to the streets, many also believe that the changes are too slow and too modest." KENOSHA LATEST … 'TODAY' SHOW: "Kamala Harris: Officer in Jacob Blake shooting should be charged" | | | | INTRODUCING POLITICO MINUTES: These unprecedented times demand an unconventional approach to political news coverage. POLITICO Minutes is a new, interactive content experience that delivers the top takeaways you need to know in an easy-to-digest, swipeable format straight to your inbox. Get a breakdown of what we've learned so far, why it matters and what to watch for going forward. Sign up for POLITICO Minutes, launching at the 2020 Conventions. | | | | | MEANWHILE, IN PORTLAND -- "Appeals court lifts order reining in feds in Portland," by Josh Gerstein: "Two judges appointed by President Donald Trump, Eric Miller and Daniel Bress, provided the votes to stay the order … The order from Miller and Bress took particular aim at [Judge Michael] Simon's insistence that federal officials allow journalists and legal observers to remain in place when tactical teams seek to clear demonstrations that have been declared illegal." POLITICO -- DOJ: "74 People Facing Federal Charges for Crimes Committed During Portland Demonstrations" CDC SKEPTICISM … NYT: "Two organizations that represent thousands of local public health departments in the United States sent a letter to senior Trump administration officials on Friday asking that they 'pull the revised guidance' on coronavirus testing and restore recommendations that individuals who have been exposed to the virus be tested whether or not they have symptoms. "The letter … was sent by the leaders of the National Association of County and City Health Officials, and the Big Cities Health Coalition. The organizations' leaders wrote that their members were 'incredibly concerned' about the changes." The letter HUNT FOR A VACCINE -- "Chinese Covid-19 Vaccine Maker in Talks With Countries on Early Approval," by WSJ's Saeed Shah: "Early distribution by CanSino Biologics Inc. would give the company a head start over rivals by making its vaccine the first to go into public use internationally outside of clinical trials, although initial doses would likely be directed at health-care workers and others deemed essential, such as military personnel and police. "The effort shows the intensity of the race to become the first to develop a vaccine, though public-health experts say immunizing people widely before large-scale tests are completed could present serious health risks. … [Interested countries] include Pakistan and countries in Latin America as well as some developed nations. So far, no countries have agreed to approve the drug on an emergency basis." WSJ -- WAPO: "Moderna failed to disclose federal support in vaccine patents, researchers say," by Christopher Rowland: "Moderna, the Massachusetts biotech company leading the global race to develop a coronavirus vaccine, has failed to disclose government financial support in any of the 126 patents it has filed in its 10-year history, in apparent violation of federal law, according to a new report by activist researchers." WaPo … The Knowledge Ecology International report NYT'S CARL HULSE and NICK FANDOS: "Crucial Battle to Keep Senate Control Gets Little Notice at Republican Convention": "A fight for control of the Senate is raging across the country, but viewers who tuned in to the Republican National Convention this week could be forgiven if they did not realize it. … Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky and the majority leader, urged voters to back Republican senators as a 'firewall' against Democrats. But other than those remarks on the convention's closing night, vulnerable Republican senators battling to hang on to their party's majority were almost absent from the stage. "One who did appear in prime time, Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa, focused on a wind storm that hit her state without even mentioning that she was running for re-election, or that control of the Senate — crucial to the next president — was on the ballot. And when Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, the Republican leader responsible for retaking control of the House, spoke early Thursday evening in his own taped remarks, he said nothing about his party's efforts to reclaim the majority, an endeavor that most now privately concede is unlikely to succeed. The only candidate he mentioned was President Trump." | | | | SUSTAINABILITY STARTS IN YOUR INBOX : Now more than ever, it's essential to look ahead to how our society will thrive in the future. How are businesses, policymakers and entrepreneurs advancing sustainability? "The Long Game" is designed for executives, investors and policymakers leading that conversation. Engage with the sharpest minds from the worlds of finance, technology, energy, agriculture and government around our biggest challenges. Searching for a nuanced look at these issues and solutions? Subscribe today. | | | | | HAPPENING NEXT WEEK -- "Vice President Mike Pence will visit Raleigh for an anti-abortion event," by The News & Observer's Brian Murphy and McClatchy's Francesca Chambers: "Vice President Mike Pence will visit Raleigh on Sept. 3 to take part in an anti-abortion event and tour a pregnancy center. The Susan B. Anthony List is hosting the event. … Republican U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis and Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Forest are also expected to attend." N&O HEAVENS TO BETSY -- "DeVos out of sight even as her signature school issue gets top billing at RNC," by Nicole Gaudiano: "School choice is finally getting prime-time attention as President Donald Trump makes the issue a focal point of his reelection bid, appealing to parents clamoring for an alternative to neighborhood public schools during the pandemic. But the policy issue's biggest cheerleader, his Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, has been kept out of that spotlight. … "Trump's campaign did not respond to questions about why DeVos was excluded from the lineup. … DeVos didn't even get a role in a video montage during the convention about female leaders in the Trump administration." POLITICO DATA GAP -- "Democrats Lag Behind GOP in Data Race, Despite Making Progress," by WSJ's Emily Glazer and Deepa Seetharaman: "The GOP had a jump on the data arms race. In 2016, President Trump's campaign used Data Trust, a for-profit information warehouse with an exclusive data-exchange agreement with the Republican National Committee, to power its digital operation. ... "The DNC has added new tools and bought troves of cellphone numbers for those systems, which can be useful in both presidential and congressional elections in a year when the party hopes to flip the White House and Senate. But the DNC's data hasn't been as extensive. And Data Trust was structured in a way that all candidates, party committees and outside groups could access it without running afoul of the Federal Election Commission prohibitions on coordination." WSJ IMMIGRATION FILES -- "Legal hurdles, pandemic would bedevil Biden efforts to undo Trump immigration overhaul," by Reuters' Ted Hesson: "Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden says he will reverse some of President Donald Trump's restrictive immigration policies should he win in November, but the dizzying number of changes could take months or years to undo … These logistical obstacles mean that Trump's immigration legacy could endure well beyond his presidency." Reuters YIKES -- "Belarusian Officials Shut Down Internet With Technology Made by U.S. Firm," by Bloomberg's Ryan Gallagher: "Sandvine Inc. makes what's known as "deep packet inspection" equipment, used to monitor and filter network traffic. It was obtained by Belarus's National Traffic Exchange Center, which manages the country's internet networks, as part of a $2.5 million contract with the Russian technology supplier Jet Infosystems … "[T]he real potency of the technology it obtained didn't become clear until about two weeks ago, when large parts of the internet inside Belarus went dark during one of the most consequential elections in nearly 30 years." | | | |   | | | | | | | 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 | | | | |
