| | | | |  | | By Eli Okun | | | SAYONARA, CONGRESS — The House just passed a short-term spending bill, 230-201, sending the measure extending federal appropriations until Dec. 16 to the White House. Neither chamber of Congress is expected to conduct further business until after the midterm elections.
|  The U.S. stepped up its response to Russia in light of the annexations. | Drew Angerer/Getty Images | IT'S OFFICIAL — Russian President VLADIMIR PUTIN announced today he would annex four regions of Ukraine that held rigged referendums on joining Russia, violating international law and escalating his conflict with the West. And all in one morning, Moscow, Kyiv and Washington raised the stakes. Putin, as expected, said the annexation was irreversible and not up for discussion. In an angry monologue, he also once again dangled the ultimate threat: He criticized the U.S. as the only country that's ever deployed a nuclear weapon in a war — and then said, "By the way, they created a precedent." "Even by Mr. Putin's increasingly confrontational standards, it was an extraordinary speech," reports NYT's Anton Troianovski, "mixing riffs against Western attitudes on gender identity with an appeal to the world to see Russia as the leader of an uprising against American power." Our colleagues Bryan Bender and Kelly Hooper alight upon an ominous historical parallel : "Several former diplomats and historians likened Putin's strategy to Nazi leader ADOLF HITLER in the 1930s, when he seized German-speaking regions of Czechoslovakia and Poland and similarly held predetermined plebiscites. Former Polish Ambassador DANIEL FRIED tells them that after years of ill-advised Nazi analogies, "we finally have a case where they are apt." "Putin is escalating and the future is uncertain and fraught," Fried added. Ukraine, meanwhile, took a big step forward, formally applying for NATO membership under a fast-track process. The surprising move came as President VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY ruled out talks with Russia so long as Putin remains in charge. "He does not know what dignity and honesty are," Zelenskyy said, per Reuters. "Therefore, we are ready for a dialogue with Russia, but with another president of Russia." And the U.S. stepped up its response to Russia in light of the annexations, excoriating Moscow in statements and rolling out tough new sanctions. Notably, this round targets central bank head ELVIRA NABIULLINA , who has guided her nation's economy through the outside world's attempts to cripple it. The "combination of export controls, visa restrictions and asset freezes, serve as an effort to further clamp down on Russian supply chains — and the individuals directing the efforts — critical to maintaining the war effort," CNN's Betsy Klein, Phil Mattingly and Jennifer Hansler report. National security adviser JAKE SULLIVAN was added to the briefing this afternoon with press secretary KARINE JEAN-PIERRE. STORM CHASING — President JOE BIDEN today declared an emergency in South Carolina as Hurricane Ian approaches the state after walloping Florida. In brief remarks today, Biden called Ian "maybe one of the most devastating hurricanes in the history of that state … Whatever it takes, we're going to be there, as one nation, one America. We're not going to walk away." Florida officials tentatively pegged the death toll at 2, though that number is in flux and expected to rise as rescue efforts continue. The Naples Daily News has updates on the devastation across the southwestern coast. SCOTUS WATCH — KETANJI BROWN JACKSON was officially sworn in as the newest Supreme Court justice this morning. "It is my pleasure to extend you a very warm welcome," Chief Justice JOHN ROBERTS said. NOTABLE QUOTABLE — Biden today at a Rosh Hashanah event with VP KAMALA HARRIS: "Kamala won't be the last woman to be vice president — or president." Happy Friday afternoon.
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| BIG PICTURE DEMOGRAPHIC DIVIDE — WSJ's Stephanie Stamm and Aaron Zitner dive into the voting data from majority-minority districts that shifted right from 2016 to 2020, to see where Democrats might be in danger with voters of color this fall. They find openings for the GOP in rural South Texas; Hispanic neighborhoods of Milwaukee and Allentown, Pa.; and Vietnamese areas of Westminster, Calif. On the flip side, significantly higher turnout often more than made up for slight rightward shifts, leading to net gains for Democrats. That bore out with Black voters in Arizona, for one. BATTLE FOR THE SENATE CAROLINA IN MY MIND — A wave of finance and tech workers has made North Carolina a swing state, Bloomberg's Christian Hall, Michael Sasso and Gregory Korte report . Talking to voters in the Senate race, they find the familiar tussle of inflation vs. abortion guiding opinions on the election. "But few people could name either of the candidates during dozens of interviews in early September around Charlotte and Hickory — a sign that perhaps neither has managed to captivate the state's electorate." BATTLE FOR THE HOUSE FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — A new poll from Moore Information Group for the NRCC shows Republican ZACH NUNN leading Rep. CINDY AXNE (D-Iowa) in a key swing district, 46% to 44%, inside the poll's 5-point margin of error. He's up 8 points among independents. Biden has a 43% approval rating in the district. The polling memo RATINGS ROUNDUP — The Cook Political Report's Dave Wasserman shifted Ohio's 9th District from toss-up to leaning Democrat as Rep. MARCY KAPTUR's position improves against J.R. MAJEWSKI. BATTLE FOR THE STATES ANOTHER HIT FOR MASTRIANO — The Commonwealth Leaders Fund PAC, the only group that was running TV ads to help Pennsylvania GOP gubernatorial nominee DOUG MASTRIANO and hurt Democrat JOSH SHAPIRO, has stopped doing so, the Philly Inquirer's Chris Brennan reports. There was still more than $3 million left in the ad buy. The move comes as Shapiro has been moving toward greater openness to school vouchers, a key issue for the PAC's backer, JEFF YASS. DEPT. OF VETTING AFFAIRS — A staffer who works on Latino engagement for Arizona GOP gubernatorial nominee KARI LAKE is "a convicted criminal who pleaded guilty to battery against a peace officer and who once plotted to kill an FBI informant," The Daily Beast's Roger Sollenberger reports. KENNETH ULIBARRI lied to Sollenberger about his English proficiency. He reportedly admitted in 2014 to being behind a murder-for-wire plot related to a drug trial. He then claimed he wasn't serious about it. DOWN-BALLOT SIREN — "Dysfunction in Texas AG's office as Paxton seeks third term," by AP's Jake Bleiberg in Gatesville: "Texas Attorney General KEN PAXTON's staff this month quietly dropped a series of human trafficking and child sexual assault cases after losing track of one of the victims, a stumble in open court emblematic of broader dysfunction inside one of America's most prominent law offices. … [H]is agency has come unmoored by disarray behind the scenes, with seasoned lawyers quitting over practices they say aim to slant legal work, reward loyalists and drum out dissent." HOT ADS Via Steve Shepard — Michigan: Democratic House nominee HILLARY SCHOLTEN's latest ad highlights reporting from CNN's "KFile" on her GOP opponent, JOHN GIBBS, who ousted Rep. PETER MEIJER in last month's primary. "Wait until you meet the Republican House candidate arguing that women should not be allowed to vote," CNN's Jake Tapper says in the ad's opening shot. — Minnesota: Democratic Gov. TIM WALZ is seeking to flip the crime issue against his GOP opponent, SCOTT JENSEN, with a new ad that Jensen "would make us less safe" because the Republican "opposes laws to keep guns from violent criminals and domestic abusers." — Connecticut: GOP gubernatorial nominee BOB STEFANOWSKI's family helps him spin away from the "extreme" tag leveled at him by Democrats and Gov. NED LAMONT in a light new ad featuring Stefanowski's wife and two daughters. — New York: Congressional Leadership Fund's latest ad in a toss-up open seat near Syracuse ties Democratic nominee FRANCIS CONOLE to Gov. KATHY HOCHUL , who is favored to win a full term.
| | | | STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president's ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today. | | | | | THE ECONOMY INFLATION NATION — Another month of bad news for the fight to rein in prices: Personal consumption expenditures, the metric the Fed prefers to gauge inflation, rose 6.2% year over year in August, per data out today. That was higher than economists predicted. Core PCE, which omits fuel and food, jumped 4.9% on the year — a faster increase than July's 4.7%. The new numbers are fresh evidence that the Fed's fight to bring down prices is up against a recalcitrant economic foe — and rate hikes aren't yet having the desired effect. Consumer spending also kept rising, a sign that the economy hasn't slowed much yet. More from the NYT One glimmer of good news: Post-tax personal income increased 0.4% last month, running ahead of a 0.3% jump in prices. CONGRESS STOCK AND TRADE — The Daily Beast's Sam Brodey and Ursula Perano examine how House Democrats failed to pass a bill to ban government officials from trading stocks, despite its popularity with voters and urgency from some frontline members to get it through. Some proponents are holding out hope for the lame duck, but others worry that there just isn't enough support for the policy among members. "Amid that dramatically abbreviated timeline—and concerns from members that the proposal either went too far or not far enough—it didn't have much of a chance" this month," they write. "Especially after House Majority Leader STENY HOYER (D-MD) said he opposed it." Rep. ABIGAIL SPANBERGER (D-Va.) put out a blistering statement on the issue this morning: "This moment marks a failure of House leadership — and it's yet another example of why I believe that the Democratic Party needs new leaders in the halls of Capitol Hill … [L]eadership chose to ignore these voices, push them aside, and look for new ways they could string the media and the public along — and evade public criticism." Speaker NANCY PELOSI waved aside Spanberger's criticism at her news conference this morning. "It's a good press release because you asked the question," she said to the press. TRUMP CARDS NOT A MEMBER OF THE TRIBE — The latest snippets from Maggie Haberman's new book, "Confidence Man," come from Forward's Jacob Kornbluh, who looks at Trump's relationship with Jews and Judaism. "Trump bragged about the Jews who worked for him but was quick to denigrate Jewish observances and slow to disavow his antisemitic supporters." He also repeatedly misidentified JASON MILLER as Jewish.
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Amazon has committed more than $1.2 billion to provide free technical training to 300,000 employees through 2025, so employees like Frank can grow their careers and earning potential. Sponsored by Amazon   | | | PLAYBOOKERS FOR YOUR RADAR — Fox Business Network's Larry Kudlow received the National Review Institute's 2022 William F. Buckley Jr. Prize for Leadership in Political Thought on Thursday evening at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. IN MEMORIAM — Capitol Hill remembered John Anthony Clary Umberger at a celebration of life at the Homer Building on Thursday night. An RNC, RGA, FERC, Andy Barr and Williams and Jensen alum, Umberger died unexpectedly this summer. Among those joining family members for the gathering were Reince Priebus, Neil Chatterjee, Susan Hirschmann, Allison O'Brien, Jeff Solsby, Rick and Whitney VanMeter, Sean and Lauren Doyle, Sara Brooks Adams, Lisa Spies, Sarah Baker, Holmes Whalen, Stephanie Penn, Sarah Swinehart, Al David Saab, Rob Murray, Chase Hieneman, and Charlotte Mayer. Full obit OUT AND ABOUT — Samsung hosted House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) and Rep. G.K. Butterfield's (D-N.C.) annual Congressional Black Caucus reception Thursday night. SPOTTED: Speaker Nancy Pelosi, HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge, Reps. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.), Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.), David Price (D-N.C.), Marilyn Strickland (D-Wash.) and Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), Cedric Richmond, Kendrick Meek, Donna Brazile, Kamau Marshall, Marcia Dyson, Vincent Evans, Chris Shaw, Erica Crawley, Cheri Beasley and Mark Lippert. — The German Embassy hosted an event celebrating the Day of German Unity on Thursday night at Ambassador Emily Haber's residence. SPOTTED: Justice Samuel Alito and Martha-Ann Alito, British Ambassador Karen Pierce and Sir Charles Roxburgh, Hansjorg Haber, French Ambassador Philippe Étienne, Tim Lenderking, Rachel Gordon, Jennifer Griffin and Philip Rucker. — The CIA Officers Memorial Foundation held its Ambassador Richard M. Helms Award dinner Thursday night in McLean, Va., and honored former CIA Director Gina Haspel. SPOTTED: CIA Director Bill Burns, DNI Avril Haines, Reps. Michael Burgess (R-Texas), Jake Ellzey (R-Texas), August Pfluger (R-Texas), Kay Granger (R-Texas), Roger Williams (R-Texas), Dutch Ruppersberger (D-Md.) and Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.), George Tenet, Mike Hayden, William Webster, James Woolsey, John McLaughlin and James Clapper. — SPOTTED at a party celebrating the release of Richard Reeves' new book, "Of Boys and Men" ( $24.99), at Maya MacGuineas' home Thursday night: Ted Gayer, Fiona Hill, Amy Liu, Michael Strain, David and Danielle Frum, Christine Emba, Jonathan Rauch, Conor Friedersdorf, Mustafa Akyol, Tom Edsall, Erica Hauver, Kevin Madden, Melissa Kearney, Stephanie Aaronson, Margaret Carlson, Jim Kessler, Michael O'Hanlon, Scott Winship, Mona Charen, Glenn Nye and Emily Lampkin.
| | | | SUBSCRIBE TO POWER SWITCH: The energy landscape is profoundly transforming. Power Switch is a daily newsletter that unlocks the most important stories driving the energy sector and the political forces shaping critical decisions about your energy future, from production to storage, distribution to consumption. Don't miss out on Power Switch, your guide to the politics of energy transformation in America and around the world. SUBSCRIBE TODAY. | | | | | — The U.S. Global Leadership Coalition held a luncheon Thursday celebrating African American leadership in foreign policy that honored Reps. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.) and Barbara Lee (D-Calif.). SPOTTED: Reps. Colin Allred (D-Texas), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) and David Price (D-N.C.), Liz Schrayer, Reta Jo Lewis, Travis Adkins, Enoh Ebong, Dana Banks, Eva McKend, Ayesha Rascoe, Steve Benjamin, Lionel Johnson, Jahaan Johnson, Arrow Augerot, Al Williams, Lance Magnum, Dontai Smalls and Larry Camm. STAFFING UP — Adaku Onyeka-Crawford is now senior counsel for the office for civil rights at the Department of Education. She most recently was attorney adviser to EEOC Chair Charlotte Burrows. WHITE HOUSE DEPARTURE LOUNGE — Jim Secreto is now counselor to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States at Treasury. He most recently was special assistant to the president and director of confirmations at the White House's office of legislative affairs. MEDIA MOVE — Joseph Zeballos-Roig is now a domestic policy and politics reporter at Semafor. He previously was a policy reporter at Business Insider. TRANSITION — Will Dunham is joining Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, per Punchbowl. He has been deputy chief of staff for policy for House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy. ENGAGED — Keith Urbahn, president and co-founder of Javelin, and Kerri Kupec, senior Washington editor for Fox News and a Trump DOJ alum, got engaged Sunday at the Wauwinet hotel in Nantucket, Mass. The couple have known each other professionally for years, briefly dated in 2020 and later reconnected at a book launch party for Bill Barr. Pic … Another pic
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