| | | | |  | | By Garrett Ross | | | |  Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is taking more steps toward a presidential run. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | BREAKING — “Harlan Crow refuses to hand over gift records to Senate Finance,” by Benjamin Guggenheim: “Billionaire HARLAN CROW has refused to comply with a request by Senate Finance Chair RON WYDEN for a complete accounting of Crow’s gifts to Supreme Court Justice CLARENCE THOMAS. According to RYAN CAREY, a spokesperson for Wyden (D-Ore.), the Senate tax chief received an ‘obstructive letter’ from a lawyer for Crow late Monday night declining to answer a series of questions about the billionaire’s financial arrangements with Thomas that Wyden posed to Crow in an April 24 letter. The Finance Committee is expected to respond shortly.” SETTING THE TABLE — “What each congressional leader wants out of the big Biden meeting — and what they’ll likely get,” by Katherine Tully-McManus: “One top leadership aide told POLITICO that not only do they not expect much tangible movement today on closing the negotiating gap between Biden and Speaker KEVIN McCARTHY (R-Calif.), but they’re hoping the meeting won’t ‘devolve’ into raised voices in the Oval Office.” Heads up: NBC’s @GarrettHaake: “NEW: @SpeakerMcCarthy tells me he will reject any White House effort at a short term debt limit lift to align calendar with budget negotiations. ‘Let’s just get this done now.’” DECODING DeSANTIS — It’s looking more and more likely that Florida Gov. RON DeSANTIS will make his official entry into the 2024 GOP presidential primary sooner rather than later. — He has officially severed ties with his state-level PAC, our colleagues Gary Fineout and Sally Goldenberg report. Here’s why that matters: the Friends of Ron DeSantis PAC currently has $86 million in the bank. ““But DeSantis cannot use money raised for Friends of Ron DeSantis in a federal race because state law does not limit how much someone can give to the political committee or the source of the donations,” Gary and Sally write. “But that money could be shifted to a super PAC that backs DeSantis if the governor is no longer connected to the political committee.” One sign of how he’s distancing himself from the PAC: “The website for the committee was changed on Tuesday morning to say that its mission is ‘committed to advancing the Freedom Agenda and keeping Florida free.’ But more importantly, the website says that the committee is associated with state Sen. BLAISE INGOGLIA and not DeSantis.” — Meanwhile, a pro-DeSantis super PAC is staffing up in 2024’s early states, AP’s Thomas Beaumont reports, A sense of the scale and timeframe: Never Back Down, the super PAC promoting DeSantis’ presidential campaign, “plans to have dozens of staff in place in the first 18 states on the Republican presidential primary calendar in the coming weeks, a move indicating that his expected 2024 announcement is drawing closer,” Beaumont writes. What that looks like in Iowa: “In Iowa, where the leadoff GOP caucuses are expected to begin the 2024 voting, the group has placed about a half-dozen staff, including the former chief of staff to Gov. KIM REYNOLDS, as part of a broader strategy to handle on-the-ground organizing for DeSantis, a function typically done by a candidate’s campaign staff,” Beaumont writes, noting that such a gambit “has been tried in previous election cycles, though less ambitiously and with little success.” Worth flagging: DeSantis will be in Cedar Rapids on Saturday for an Iowa GOP fundraiser. Oh, and BTW: Former Trump hand STEVE CORTES endorsed DeSantis for president this morning in an op-ed for Newsweek: “I have worked as a dedicated spokesman and advocate for Donald Trump for much of the last seven years, so I do not arrive at that conclusion flippantly. But our America First movement has always been bigger and more important than any one individual, and heading into this crucial election, our activism and our votes must be guided by a clear-eyed assessment of recent failures and potential future successes.” ABORTION FALLOUT — “Most U.S. adults say the abortion pill mifepristone should stay on the market, Post-ABC poll finds,” by WaPo’s Emily Guskin: “The poll finds that 66 percent of U.S. adults say mifepristone should remain on the market, while 24 percent say it should be taken off the market. Just under half, 47 percent, say access to mifepristone should be kept as is; 12 percent say it should remain on the market but be more restricted than it is now.” TALKER — “Milo Yiannopoulos Caught in Marjorie Taylor Greene-Kanye West Campaign Cash Scandal,” by The Daily Beast’s Roger Sollenberger: “Alt-right agitator MILO YIANNOPOULOS used the credit card for Rep. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE’s (R-GA) campaign last November to purchase an internet domain for KANYE WEST’s still unannounced 2024 presidential bid, and he was reimbursed for ‘domain transfer’ by the West campaign the same day for $3,000 above cost, according to receipts obtained by The Daily Beast and a person with knowledge of the events.” Good Tuesday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me a line: gross@politico.com.
| | | | A message from PhRMA: Middlemen like PBMs are charging fees tied to the price of medicines, which means they make more money when the price of a medicine goes up. This business model allows PBM profits to soar and can lead to higher costs for patients. It’s time to lower costs for patients by holding middlemen accountable. | | | 2024 WATCH IN CASE YOU WERE WONDERING — “Melania fully behind Trump’s 2024 campaign, says it would be a ‘privilege’ to serve as first lady again,” by Fox News’ Brooke Singman ON THE ISSUES — “Tim Scott proposes reinstating Title 42 border restrictions due to surge in fentanyl overdose deaths,” by Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser MORE POLITICS AD WARS — “Cheney launches New Hampshire TV ad slashing Trump,” by NBC’s Vaughn Hillyard in Manchester, N.H.: “‘Donald Trump is a risk America can never take again,’ [former Rep. LIZ] CHENEY narrates in the 60-second ad funded by her political organization, Great Task PAC. Cheney does not appear on camera in the ad, but with footage of the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol playing, she continues, ‘Donald Trump is the only president in American history who has refused to guarantee the peaceful transfer of power … There has never been a greater dereliction of duty by any president.’” RACE RATINGS — WSJ’s Siobhan Hughes previews the task ahead for Republicans looking to take back the upper chamber next year: “The 2024 Senate Map Favors Republicans, but Candidates Remain the Wild Card” CONGRESS ANOTHER MACE PROFILE — NYT’s Annie Karni is up with the latest big swing on Rep. NANCY MACE, the outspoken South Carolina Republican who has scored a spate of recent coverage for her relatively rare place in her party: “Nancy Mace, a ‘Caucus of One’ in the G.O.P., Says She’s Trying to Change Her Party” A buzzy quote on Trump: “He defined me as an independent voice in a way that I couldn’t have,” Mace said. “I would not have won by 14 points had Donald Trump not come after me, and had I not been outspoken when Roe v. Wade was overturned.”
| | | | DON’T MISS THE POLITICO ENERGY SUMMIT: A new world energy order is emerging and America’s place in it is at a critical juncture. Join POLITICO on Thursday, May 18 for our first-ever energy summit to explore how the U.S. is positioning itself in a complicated energy future. We’ll explore progress on infrastructure and climate funding dedicated to building a renewable energy economy, Biden’s environmental justice proposals, and so much more. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | THE WHITE HOUSE ROAD TO PORT MORESBY — “Biden to become first sitting U.S. president to travel to Papua New Guinea,” by CNN’s Betsy Klein JAN. 6 AND ITS AFTERMATH INSIDE THE PROUD BOYS TRIAL — “‘Don’t freak out’: Notes from defense table during the Proud Boys seditious conspiracy trial,” by CNN’s Hannah Rabinowitz: “CNN reviewed a number of the handwritten notes written by the far-right Proud Boys and their legal teams that spanned the course of the seditious conspiracy trial — one of the highest-profile and most aggressive prosecutions brought by the Justice Department since the Capitol attack. The notes passed around the defense table give a rare insight into defendants who appeared anxious about their futures, at times bored with the drawn-out legal fights that plagued the trial, and focused on proving there was no overarching plan to commit sedition.” POLICY CORNER BURNS NOTICE — “William Burns, a C.I.A. Spymaster With Unusual Powers,” by NYT’s Robert Draper: “The impact of his two-year tenure has been as sweeping as it has been subtle. The C.I.A., demoralized and marginalized during the Trump years by a president who said publicly that he believed [Russian President VLADIMIR] PUTIN over his own intelligence agencies, has entered a period of resurgent prestige. As a member of Mr. Biden’s inner circle who once served as the ambassador to Russia, Mr. Burns has helped restore America’s upper hand over Mr. Putin. Though spy chiefs are typically relegated to the shadows, the Biden administration has thrust theirs into the spotlight.” HOW WE GOT HERE — “How those fleeing Ukraine inspired U.S. border policies,” by AP’s Colleen Long and Elliot Spagat CLIMATE FILES — “Biden’s carbon-capture agenda faces hurdles on the left,” by Allison Prang
| | | | GET READY FOR GLOBAL TECH DAY: Join POLITICO Live as we launch our first Global Tech Day alongside London Tech Week on Thursday, June 15. Register now for continuing updates and to be a part of this momentous and program-packed day! From the blockchain, to AI, and autonomous vehicles, technology is changing how power is exercised around the world, so who will write the rules? REGSITER HERE. | | | | | BEYOND THE BELTWAY THE REAL WORLD IMPACT — “Chicago, New York Struggle to House Migrants as Border Restrictions End,” by WSJ’s Joe Barrett and Jimmy Vielkind: “In Chicago, migrants are sleeping on the floors of police stations while they wait for room in shelters. In New York, where officials have opened 122 emergency shelters and the system is operating at record levels, the former police academy has been pressed into service.” EDUCATION WARS — “‘Trump was great at this’: How conservatives transformed a Colorado school district,” by NBC’s Tyler Kingkade in Woodland Park, Colo. AMERICA AND THE WORLD ENVOY-AGE — “U.S. Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides to leave post this summer,” by Axios’ Barak Ravid: “Nides said he wants to go back to the U.S. for personal reasons after being away from his family since December 2021, the official said. Nides notified the senior staff at the U.S. embassy Tuesday morning local time about his planned departure, two U.S. officials told Axios.” CYBERCRIME — “U.S. busts Russian cyber operation in dozens of countries,” by AP’s Eric Tucker: “Prosecutors linked the spying operation to a unit of Russia’s Federal Security Service, or FSB, and accused the hackers of stealing documents from hundreds of computer systems belonging to governments of NATO members, an unidentified journalist for a U.S. news organization who reported on Russia, and other select targets of interest to the Kremlin.” MEDIAWATCH FOX FALLOUT — “Fox’s Costs From Defamation Suit Lead to a Quarterly Net Loss,” by NYT’s Michael Grynbaum: “[LACHLAN] MURDOCH, on a call with investors and analysts, called the $787.5 million settlement — believed to be the largest in the history of defamation law — ‘a decision clearly in the best interest of the company and its shareholders.’ … His remarks came after Fox revealed a real-world consequence of the landmark settlement: The company swung to a net loss in the first three months of the year, its quarterly revenue erased — and then some — by payments associated with resolving the lawsuit with Dominion, an election technology firm.” IN DEDICATION — “Fox News dedicates London bureau to journalist Pierre Zakrzewski, who was killed covering war in Ukraine,” by Fox News’ Brian Flood PLAYBOOKERS OUT AND ABOUT — The National Park Service and Friends of the National World War II Memorial co-hosted a V-E Day commemoration at the National World War II Memorial yesterday morning, commemorating the 78th anniversary of the end of World War II. SPOTTED: Ukrainian Ambassador Oksana Markarova, Jeff Reinbold, Jane Droppa, Roger Readwin, William Horton, George Arnstein, Frank Cohn, Dixon Hemphill, Harry Miller, Alex Kershaw and retired Army Major Gen. John Herrling. — Maria Teresa and Raj Kumar hosted a party at their residence to celebrate Ambassador Michael Froman’s new role as president of the Council on Foreign Relations last night. SPOTTED: Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.), Nancy Goodman, Michael and Afsaneh Beschloss, Symone Sanders-Townsend, Andrea Mitchell, Gayle Smith, Evan Ryan, E.J. Dionne, Alan Fleischmann, Dafna Tapiero, Adrienne Elrod, Ken Thomas, Stephanie Young, Erin Wilson, Jonathan Capehart, Aaron Williams, Andrew Steer, C.D. Glin, Jirair Ratevosian and Micheal Ighodaro, Swanee Hunt, Eric Braverman, Chad Griffin and Tony Tijerino. — Tom and Susie Kahn hosted a private dinner at their residence on Sunday night for Latvian Ambassador Māris Selga and his wife Marika to honor Latvia’s close alliance with the U.S. and its strong support for Ukraine. SPOTTED: Mike Abramowitz, Susan Baer, Anne Witkowsky, John Barker and Tom Davis. TRANSITIONS — Russell Lopez is joining AmeriCorps as chief of comms and marketing. He previously led development and implementation of strategic comms in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. … Seth Brasher is now director of external affairs for Radiance Technology. He previously was operations coordinator for Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.). … Sarah Newsome will be digital education manager for the Chief Executives Organization She previously has been comms director for Rep. Rob Wittman (R-Va.) … Gloria Labbad is now principal and general counsel at Invariant. She previously was a partner and corporate counsel at FGS Global. WEDDINGS — Andy Jones, of Federal Street Strategies, and Rachel Nichols, a nurse practitioner at a local clinic, got married on April 22 at Hook Hall in Washington, D.C. Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) presided over the ceremony along with the couple’s attendants, Evelyn Jones and Alexander Jones. Pic … Another pic ENGAGED — Patrick Cole, a DMV area executive with First Citizens Bank, and Blake Brown, a civics outreach manager at Google and a Biden White House and DNC alum, got engaged on Friday on the beach in Riviera Maya. The two met in their apartment building gym, with masks on, at the peak of the pandemic. Pics 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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