| | | | |  | | By Eli Okun | | | POINT OF PRIVILEGE — MARK MEADOWS and other top former DONALD TRUMP aides may be forced to testify in the federal investigation into the 2020 election aftermath after a federal judge ruled that they could not avoid testifying due on executive privilege grounds, ABC’s John Santucci, Katherine Faulders and Jonathan Karl scooped. Judge BERYL HOWELL last week said subpoenas from special counsel JACK SMITH could go forward, though Trump will probably appeal that decision. In addition to Meadows, the ruling affects KEN CUCCINELLI, NICK LUNA, JOHN McENTEE, STEPHEN MILLER, ROBERT O’BRIEN, JOHN RATCLIFFE and DAN SCAVINO.
|  Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s young majority passed a difficult test of conference near-unity, though the bill isn't going anywhere. | Alex Brandon, File/AP Photo | GETTING SCHOOLED — House Republicans passed one of their marquee early policy priorities today, the Parents Bill of Rights Act, to give parents more power over what’s taught in schools. The bill passed 213-208, with all Democrats voting against the legislation (and 10 of them absent). Five Republicans defected — ANDY BIGGS (Ariz.), KEN BUCK (Colo.), MATT GAETZ (Fla.). MIKE LAWLER (N.Y.) and MATT ROSENDALE (Mont.) — but that was fewer than some in the party had feared. Of course, the polarizing bill is headed for the Senate graveyard, as Democrats don’t intend to take it up. But it was a clear display of how important culture-war education issues have become for the GOP, as well as “an early test of unity” for Speaker KEVIN McCARTHY’s young majority, as AP’s Stephen Groves wrote: Leadership had to steer through a tricky open amendment process without losing too many moderates or hard-liners. SANTOS CONFESSES — Rep. GEORGE SANTOS (R-N.Y.) has reached a deal with Brazilian prosecutors over fraud he committed in 2008, CNN’s Julia Vargas Jones reports. To avoid a trial, Santos will officially confess and pay damages to a clerk after buying clothes and shoes with a stolen checkbook. AFTERNOON READ — “Donald Trump Is on the Wrong Side of the Religious Right,” by The Atlantic’s Tim Alberta: “Trump’s relationship with the evangelical movement — once seemingly shatterproof, then shaky after his violent departure from the White House — is now in pieces, thanks to his social-media tirade last fall blaming pro-lifers for the Republicans’ lackluster midterm performance. … [MIKE PENCE] believes that this erosion of support among evangelicals represents Trump’s greatest vulnerability in the upcoming primary — and his own greatest opportunity to make a play for the GOP nomination. “But he isn’t the only one. Although Pence possesses singular insights into the insular world of social-conservative politics, numerous other Republicans are aware of Trump’s emerging weakness and are preparing to make a play for conservative Christian voters. … The scale of [Trump’s] trouble is difficult to overstate. In my recent conversations with some two dozen evangelical leaders — many of whom asked not to be named, all of whom backed Trump in 2016, throughout his presidency, and again in 2020 — not a single one would commit to supporting him in the 2024 Republican primary.” Happy Friday afternoon, and thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me a line at eokun@politico.com.
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Explore more possibilities with the metaverse. | | | ALL POLITICS CONGRATS ELISSA SLOTKIN — Michigan Secretary of State JOCELYN BENSON announced she won’t jump into the Democratic Senate primary: “The best thing I can do to protect your voice and our democracy, here in Michigan and all across the country, is to be fully focused on ensuring our elections prevail over the bad actors who continue to spread lies.” STICK TO YOUR OWN KIND — Sen. RICK SCOTT (R-Fla.) wasn’t thrilled with the news, which Burgess Everett and Ally Mutnick reported, that Sens. SUSAN COLLINS (R-Maine) and LISA MURKOWSKI (R-Alaska) would cross party lines to support fellow centrist Sen. JOE MANCHIN (D-W.Va.) if he runs for reelection. “Joe is a nice guy, but he always votes for CHUCK SCHUMER as majority leader which has enabled the Dems to destroy our economy, open our southern border, and make crime rampant in America,” Scott tweeted. “Any support for Joe hurts our chances of getting back a Republican majority in the Senate and is the exact opposite of what our donors and voters want.” THE WHITE HOUSE POTUS ABROAD — MICHAEL SPAVOR and MICHAEL KOVRIG, Canadians who were detained in China for three years, will be guests at President JOE BIDEN’s speech in Ottawa today and the gala dinner tonight, Bloomberg’s Josh Wingrove scooped. (Also attending: EUGENE LEVY and CATHERINE O’HARA.) 2024 WATCH LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION — What does it mean that Trump’s first big campaign rally of the cycle will take place in Waco, Texas, tomorrow? The campaign says they picked Waco for easy access to the state’s big metro areas. But coming amid the 30th anniversary of the Branch Davidian standoff with feds in Waco, the rally is spurring some connections around ongoing right-wing resistance to perceived government overreach, NYT’s Charles Homans reports. Waco continues to be a cause celebre of sorts for far-right groups like the Proud Boys. And “the historical resonance has not been lost on some of his most ardent followers.” HOLDING FIRM — Even if Trump is criminally indicted soon, his campaign says it won’t slow his travel or other campaign efforts, ABC’s Tal Axelrod reports. People on and around the Trump team tell her that “a sense of inevitability has crept into the former president’s orbit but that the prospect of an indictment is not viewed internally as a significant new challenge for someone who has spent his political career batting away a string of investigations.” He’ll go hard on offense against Manhattan DA ALVIN BRAGG, though Trump may have to make some schedule adjustments for court appearances. THE SECRET WEAPON — The Spectator’s Oliver Wiseman writes about CASEY DeSANTIS, the influential wife of Florida Gov. RON DeSANTIS, who plays a pivotal role in his political career. “She is Ron’s closest confidante, sitting at the heart of a tight-knit group of advisors, and an essential part of his public image, lending her husband what an uncanny number of people I spoke to for this article described as a ‘Kennedyesque’ sparkle.” Wiseman also reports that it was Casey who decided, during the 2018 campaign, to change the pronunciation of their last name (from “dee” to “duh”). ZINGER — On Fox Business this morning, Pence had a sharp comment on HUNTER BIDEN: “I can’t really relate. I mean, when I was vice president, my son wasn’t sitting on the board of foreign corporations. He was sitting in the cockpit of a fighter jet, serving the United States in the Marine Corps.” (Of course, as Adam Wren notes, Biden’s other son BEAU served in Iraq.)
| | | | We’re spilling the tea (and drinking tons of it in our newsroom) in U.K. politics with our latest newsletter, London Playbook PM. Get to know all the movers and shakers in Westminster and never miss a beat of British politics with a free subscription. Don’t miss out, we’ve got some exciting moves coming. Sign up today. | | | | | CONGRESS WHO’S AT DEFAULT — After House Budget Chair JODEY ARRINGTON (R-Texas) told reporters yesterday that Republicans are working on a written offer sheet on the debt ceiling, to come out before their budget resolution, McCarthy responded today with bewilderment: “I don’t know what he’s talking about.” The speaker continued to blast Biden on the debt limit, saying that he was waiting on the president to speak with him again. COMING ATTRACTIONS — Now that Biden’s student debt forgiveness plan has been newly deemed a federal regulation, congressional Republicans are planning to mount a drive to undo it via the Congressional Review Act, WSJ’s Gabriel Rubin reports. Though successful passage would surely run into Biden’s veto, the push could put some moderate Dems in a tight squeeze. Since the GAO determined that it’s a federal regulation, it would take only 30 senators to bring a House bill up for a simple majority vote in the Senate, regardless of Schumer’s opposition. Sen. CATHERINE CORTEZ MASTO (D-Nev.) indicated that she might be open to CRA action. CLICKER — WaPo’s Adrian Blanco, Marianna Sotomayor and Hannah Dormido have a helpful cheat sheet breaking down the “five families” of the House GOP caucuses: who’s in which group, how the ideological spread breaks down and why leadership doesn’t like the term (“in ‘The Godfather,’ the relationship eventually ends in bloodshed”). VALLEY TALK TIKTOK ON THE CLOCK — In the wake of yesterday’s House Energy & Commerce grilling of TikTok’s CEO, China’s Foreign Ministry insisted today that it doesn’t and wouldn’t press on companies to collect data illegally in other countries. More from the WSJ
| | | | A message from Meta:   | | | AMERICA AND THE WORLD SYRIA FALLOUT — “U.S. vows to protect personnel in Syria after deadly attack,” by Reuters’ Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart: “Just a day after the deadly attack on U.S. personnel in Syria, which Washington blamed on a drone of Iranian origin, sources said a U.S. base in Syria's northeast was targeted with a new missile attack. U.S. officials said there were no U.S. casualties.” GETTING FREE — Rwandan activist PAUL RUSESABAGINA is set to be freed from prison as soon as tomorrow, Semafor’s Steve Clemons scooped. Having been made famous by “Hotel Rwanda,” Rusesabagina was sentenced to prison in 2021 in what the U.S. deemed a wrongful imprisonment of a political dissident. His release was facilitated in part by the U.S. and Qatar, which helped broker a compromise to get Rusesabagina and 20 others released without having their convictions undone. He’s expected to come to the U.S. DANCE OF THE SUPERPOWERS — “China threatens consequences over U.S. warship’s actions,” by AP’s Kim Tong-Hyung POLICY CORNER AT CROSS PURPOSES — “Biden Broadband Plan Runs Headlong Into ‘Buy American’ Mandate,” by Bloomberg’s Todd Shields: “While there seems to be enough domestic fiber optic cable to connect communities, the electronic components such as routers that transform glass strands into data highways are made mainly in other countries. Cable providers, chip makers and wireless carriers are pleading for relief from the requirement to ‘buy American.’” WAR IN UKRAINE AT CAPACITY — The U.S. efforts to provide supplies to Ukraine have exposed problems with sufficiently ramping up production capacity in the defense industrial base, NYT’s Eric Lipton reports. “Industry consolidation, depleted manufacturing lines and supply chain issues have combined to constrain the production of basic ammunition like artillery shells while also prompting concern about building adequate reserves of more sophisticated weapons.”
| | | | DOWNLOAD THE POLITICO MOBILE APP: Stay up to speed with the newly updated POLITICO mobile app, featuring timely political news, insights and analysis from the best journalists in the business. The sleek and navigable design offers a convenient way to access POLITICO's scoops and groundbreaking reporting. Don’t miss out on the app you can rely on for the news you need, reimagined. DOWNLOAD FOR iOS– DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID. | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS AND THE AWARD GOES TO — Washingtonian and Story Partners have announced the honorees for their 10th Washington Women in Journalism Awards, including CNN’s Gloria Borger, NBC’s Kelly O’Donnell, WaPo’s Jacqueline Alemany and NPR’s Asma Khalid. The award ceremony will be held April 27. SPOTTED: TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew having dinner with TikTok employees in a private room at Bar Spero last night. He also stopped by a table to say hi to Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) and wife Lisa, and Roy and Abby Blunt. OUT AND ABOUT — Third Way and Elect Democratic Women co-hosted a reception last night celebrating Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), the longest-serving woman in congressional history. Reps. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) and Shontel Brown (D-Ohio) gave speeches introducing Kaptur. SPOTTED: Democratic Reps. Lois Frankel (Fla.), Norma Torres (Calif.), Joyce Beatty (Ohio), Annie Kuster (N.H.), Julia Brownley (Calif.), Sylvia Garcia (Texas), Veronica Escobar (Texas), Becca Balint (Vt.), Nikema Williams (Ga.), Marie Glusenkamp Perez (Wash.), Nikki Budzinski (Ill.), Gwen Moore (Wis.), Wiley Nickel (N.C.), Hillary Scholten (Mich.), Brittany Pettersen (Colo.), Marilyn Strickland (Wash.), Debbie Dingell (Mich.), Andrea Salinas (Ore.), Zoe Lofgren (Calif.), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (Fla.), Jasmine Crockett (Texas), Lisa Blunt Rochester (Del.), Kathy Manning (N.C.), Jennifer McClellan (Va.), Lucy McBath (Ga.), Lori Trahan (Mass.), Mary Gay Scanlon (Pa.), Susan Wild (Pa.), Lauren Underwood (Ill.), Delia Ramirez (Ill.), Susie Lee (Nev.) and Lizzie Fletcher (Texas). — SPOTTED at the Four Seasons last night for a party for Randi Braun’s new book, “Something Major: The New Playbook for Women at Work” ($32): Patrick Steel and Lee Satterfield, Julia Krieger, Allison Dembeck, Chelsea Koski, Nancy Moon, Kathleen Coulombe, Sara Guerrero, Veronica Sander, 'Iolani Bullock, Claudia Howard, Joy Altimare, Chérie Kiser, Dari Gessner and Megan Stewart. — SPOTTED at a meet and greet for freshman Democratic members hosted by BGR Group on Wednesday: Reps. Rob Menendez (D-N.J.), Val Hoyle (D-Ore.), Chris Deluzio (D-Pa.), Yadira Caraveo (D-Colo.), Andrea Salinas (D-Ore.) and Emilia Sykes (D-Ohio), Steve Benjamin, Jason Altmire, Alex Rodriguez, Paula Soos, Alex Johnson, Andres Castrillon, Fred Turner, Jonathan Mantz, Erskine Wells, Remy Brim, Joel Bailey, Patrick Dolan, Keiffer Mitchell and Andy Lewin. — The Beer Institute and the American Hotel & Lodging Association hosted a reception for new members of Congress at the Oracle Townhouse yesterday afternoon. SPOTTED: Reps. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.), Mike Collins (R-Ga.) and Russell Fry (R-S.C.), David Morgenstern, Nell Reilly, Richard Crawford, David Caruolo, Eric Johnston, Chirag Shah, Ashley McNeil, Haleigh Hildebrand, Katie Wright, Maura Morton, Brian Crawford, Susan Haney, Alex Davidson, Annie Starke Lange, Bill Young, Jeff Guittard and Jordan Zuccarelli. MEDIA MOVE — Jonathan Tamari is now a reporter on Bloomberg Government’s Congress team. He previously was a national political reporter at the Philadelphia Inquirer. Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here. Send Playbookers tips to playbook@politico.com or text us at 202-556-3307. Playbook couldn’t happen without our editor Mike DeBonis, deputy editor Zack Stanton and producers Setota Hailemariam and Bethany Irvine.
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