| | | | |  | | By Eli Okun | | | |  Chris Licht is leaving CNN. | Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP Photo | LICHT-Y SPLIT — After days of mounting internal tensions (and months of consternation), CNN Chair and CEO CHRIS LICHT is leaving the network less than a year and a half into his tenure, Puck’s Dylan Byers scooped this morning. CNN veteran AMY ENTELIS will take over on an acting basis. She’ll lead the network along with VIRGINIA MOSELY and ERIC SHERLING, as well as DAVID LEAVY, who was named COO last week. Warner Bros. Discovery CEO DAVID ZASLAV made the news official on CNN’s editorial call today and in a note to CNN staff, in which he praised Licht for having “poured his heart and soul into” the job and said that the failure is “ultimately … on me.” Licht himself reportedly found out earlier today. There will be “no rush” to select the next CEO, Zaslav said. Licht’s departure, of course, comes in the wake of TIM ALBERTA’s massive Atlantic profile of him last week, which took a critical eye to Licht’s failure to right the CNN ship — and contained several direct quotes from Licht that set CNN staffers ablaze, especially about its Covid coverage. Some of the network’s biggest stars had voiced complaints directly to management about Licht in the days since then, as the WSJ reported. But there were broader forces at play, too, as Semafor’s Jenna Moon, Max Tani and Ben Smith write: Licht oversaw “a strategic debacle in which cheap talk about shifting CNN from anti-Trump confrontation toward an imagined center simply didn’t find an audience.” And even bigger picture, “[c]able news is in a broad, secular decline” across the board, as the entire media landscape fragments — and it’s uncertain whether anybody could turn that around. Reports Brian Stelter, who himself had his show canceled by Licht last year, “@TheAtlantic story about Chris Licht shocked many staffers, but the people who worked closest with Licht weren’t surprised, they were relieved. They felt like the ‘absolute truth’ had finally been compiled and would now have to be addressed.” Top comms/PR staffers at CNN under Licht are heading out the door with him, including MATT DORNIC and KRIS CORATTI, per Byers. DEVAN CAYEA and CHRIS MARLIN may be out as well. A HOUSE DIVIDED — The standoff between House GOP leadership and rebels on the far-right continues to leave the chamber in limbo today: The House had to recess because Republicans don’t have the votes to move any bills forward, so legislation surrounding the regulation of gas stoves is stuck for now. A group of about a dozen conservatives ground business to a halt yesterday out of frustration over how Speaker KEVIN McCARTHY handled the debt-ceiling fight, and they are pressing him to live up to the agreements they claim he struck during the speakership fight in January. (Details are unclear, but leadership hasn’t been able to mollify them yet.) McCarthy’s view: “Conflict makes you stronger if you deal with it. If you avoid it, it will perpetuate and become a bigger thing,” he told reporters, including our colleague Nancy Vu. “If I would shy away from this, I wouldn’t want to do this job. I enjoy this work. I enjoy this job. I enjoy this conflict.” The blame game: “I don’t run [the floor]. We put different roles out there and the majority leader runs the floor,” McCarthy said, seemingly fingering No. 2 leader STEVE SCALISE for the dustup. “Yesterday was started on something else. It was a conversation that the majority leader had with [Rep. ANDREW] CLYDE, and I think it was a miscalculation or misinterpretation one sent to the other.” BREAKING — “Los Angeles Times to cut 74 newsroom positions amid advertising declines,” by the L.A. Times’ Meg James: “The Times is eliminating 74 positions in the newsroom, representing about 13% of the total. Full-time and temporary workers will be let go, including a handful of managers. Reporting positions are expected to be spared but support staff will be trimmed, including editors on the news and copy desks as well as the audience engagement team. Some audio producers will also be cut.” RECOVERY ROOM — “Pope Francis emerges from 3-hour abdominal surgery without complications,” AP Good Wednesday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me a line at eokun@politico.com.
| | | | A message from UPS: As part of our ongoing commitment to safety, nearly 88,000 UPS drivers have graduated from Integrad®, UPS’s elite driver program. It’s one reason UPS drivers average less than one accident every one million miles driven.
Learn more | | | 2024 WATCH IT’S OFFICIAL — North Dakota Gov. DOUG BURGUM formally announced his dark-horse presidential campaign, telling Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser in Fargo that “we’re undaunted about being unknown.” He’s landed an upset victory before, winning his first gubernatorial primary as a political newbie. And he’s fabulously wealthy, with plans to spend big: “I wouldn’t ask donors to invest in this race if they didn’t know that I was investing in myself,” he says. Burgum’s launch video highlights his personal biography, growing up in a small town and losing his dad at 14, as well as his state’s economic success. Latest from The Forum’s Patrick Springer Against the grain: “Why Doug Burgum Could Surprise In The 2024 Republican Primary,” by FiveThirtyEight’s Nathaniel Rakich: “[O]ne of the contexts in which campaign cash can be very helpful is early on in a primary when the candidate is not very well known. This, of course, is exactly Burgum’s situation. … Burgum could spend enough to have a meaningful impact.” BORDER SONG — Florida Gov. RON DeSANTIS’ team has signaled that he’ll employ a similar campaign strategy to when he ran for governor, popping up all over the country with surprise stops and policy plans. That seems to be in effect today, as he makes a previously unannounced visit to the southern border, NBC’s Gabe Gutierrez reports from Sierra Vista, Ariz. DeSantis will talk with law enforcement officials and likely highlight his criticisms of the Biden administration on immigration. WHAT TEAM TRUMP WILL BE READING — “How Ron DeSantis found a home in Florida’s swamp,” by NBC’s Matt Dixon and Jonathan Allen in Tallahassee: “DeSantis promised to drain the swamp in Tallahassee. Instead, over more than four years as governor, he has reconfigured the swamp to suit his political needs and shielded it from Florida’s famous sunshine.” ALL POLITICS ABOUT LAST NIGHT — Former Colorado state Sen. MIKE JOHNSTON declared victory in the Denver mayoral runoff last night. He’d been seen as the more progressive candidate over fellow Democrat KELLY BROUGH in the officially nonpartisan race — as well as the one with more big outside donors. More from The Denver Post BATTLE FOR THE SENATE — St. Louis County prosecuting attorney WESLEY BELL is jumping into the Democratic primary to take on Sen. JOSH HAWLEY (R-Mo.), Burgess Everett reports. Missouri will be quite a stretch for Democrats, but Bell says he’s upset an incumbent before (in a primary); he’ll be up against LUCAS KUNCE this time around in the Dem field. “Bell’s one of the most prominent figures in the post-Ferguson Missouri Democratic Party, winning a seat on the Ferguson City Council in the aftermath of the police killing of MICHAEL BROWN.” His launch video, which emphasizes criminal justice reform
| | | | 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 WHITE HOUSE DOWN TO A ZIENTS — White House chief of staff JEFF ZIENTS is telling Cabinet members that if they’re going to leave before the end of President JOE BIDEN’s term, they should do it soon, Axios’ Hans Nichols reports. Zients has been calling them “to let them know they’re valued,” but the White House also “wants to avoid any confirmation battles in an election year.” They want to have Cabinet members on the road next year, touting the administration’s achievements — not mired in political battles on the Hill. TRUMP CARDS THE INVESTIGATIONS — MAGA Inc.’s TAYLOR BUDOWICH, a former DONALD TRUMP spokesperson, went to a Miami courthouse today to go before a federal grand jury investigating classified materials at Mar-a-Lago/in Trump’s possession, CNN’s Katelyn Polantz reports. He’s the latest of multiple witnesses to appear before the jury, which is the second one in the probe. Budowich didn’t answer questions on his way in. Budowich spoke out afterward: “Today, in what can only be described as a bogus and deeply troubling effort to use the power of government to ‘get’ Trump, I fulfilled a legal obligation to testify in front [of] a federal grand jury and I answered every question honestly.” JUDICIARY SQUARE SCOTUS WATCH — “Justice Thomas delays disclosures after reports of travel, property sale,” by WaPo’s Ann Marimow: Justice CLARENCE “THOMAS’s request for an extension was made public Wednesday, along with disclosure reports filed by his court colleagues. Justice SAMUEL A. ALITO JR. also asked for an extension as he has done in previous years.” BEYOND THE BELTWAY GETTING SCHOOLED — “Democrats look to spend their way out of school culture wars,” by Liz Crampton: “The divergent paths on education will likely be a top issue in the 2024 election cycle. Republicans have used state and local education policy to great effect in recent elections, scoring political victories by agitating voters about what’s happening in classrooms. But now state-level Democrats believe they have a potent counterpunch by boasting about big funding hikes and new programs like free meals all aimed at improving student achievement.”
| | | | A message from UPS: As part of our ongoing commitment to safety, nearly 88,000 UPS drivers have graduated from Integrad®, UPS’s elite driver program. This training has been developed alongside leading experts across the country. It uses virtual and augmented reality along with traditional classroom and behind-the-wheel instruction.
This much attention to detail saves lives and results in statistics we are proud to share: UPS drivers average less than one accident every one million miles driven.
Learn how UPS delivers safety | | | CONGRESS ANOTHER BITE AT THE APPLE — A bipartisan bill that aims to lower fees for many Mastercard and Visa credit cards will be introduced again, as early as this week, with more support than it had last time, WSJ’s AnnaMaria Andriotis scooped. The legislation didn’t make it out of the Senate Banking Committee last year, but now Sens. PETER WELCH (D-Vt.) and J.D. VANCE (R-Ohio) are joining as new co-sponsors. Banks and credit card networks have lobbied against the bill, but now more Republicans are getting on board in the House too. THE BRAVE NEW WORLD — “Senator Hawley enters the AI chat,” by Axios’ Andrew Solender and Maria Curi: “Hawley is unveiling, and circulating to colleagues, a framework for AI legislation focused on corporate guardrails.” POLICY CORNER YIKES — “U.S. Military Is So Worried About Drug Safety It Wants to Test Widely Used Medicines,” by Bloomberg’s Anna Edney and Riley Griffin: “Defense officials are in talks with Valisure, an independent lab, to test the quality and safety of generic drugs it purchases for millions of military members and their families … The move raises questions about the Food and Drug Administration’s ability to adequately police generic medicines.” LATEST FROM THE POLITICO HEALTH CARE SUMMIT — “Biden’s drug czar: 165,000 lives might be lost annually to the opioid crisis by 2025,” by Kelly Hooper … Watch live AMERICA AND THE WORLD ANNALS OF INFLUENCE — “An oil state hired the biggest PR firms to buff its climate image. It didn’t help,” by Corbin Hiar and Zack Colman: “[T]he United Arab Emirates’ efforts are colliding with a barrage of criticism from lawmakers and environmentalists in both the U.S. and Europe, who scoff at the idea that the oil-flush nation is committed to helping shift the world off planet-heating fossil fuels.”
| | | | 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? REGISTER HERE. | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS OUT AND ABOUT — A screening event was held Monday at the Eaton hotel for Ondi Timoner’s Oscar-shortlisted documentary “Last Flight Home,” as part of a campaign to educate audiences and lawmakers about medical aid in dying. Rep. Brittany Pettersen (D-Colo.) gave opening remarks, and Roll Call editor-in-chief Jason Dick moderated a post-screening Q&A with Timoner, family members Lisa, David and Eli Owen Timoner, and Pettersen. SPOTTED: Ben McAdams, Nicole Williams, Terri Hill, Kim Callinan and Rafael Ulloa. — SPOTTED last night at the Kennedy Center for the Indian American Impact Project’s 2023 summit and gala: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Reps. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) and Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.), Vinai Thummalapally, Vanita Gupta, Mini Timmaraju, Gautam Raghavan, Opal Vadhan, Rohini Kosoglu, Vivek Viswanathan, Neil Makhija, Ari Afsar, Raghu Devaguptapu, Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval, Sejal Hathi, Amish Shah and Kumar Barve. — SPOTTED last night at Israel’s Independence Day reception marking the country’s 75th anniversary, which featured remarks from VP Kamala Harris and Israeli Ambassador Michael Herzog at the National Building Museum: second gentleman Doug Emhoff, SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman, Anne and Yehuda Neuberger, UAE Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba, Reps. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), Aaron Keyak, Gabrielle Fong, Michael Wilner, Felicia Schwartz, Alex Marquardt, Alex Nazaryan, Suhail Khan and Zeke Miller. — SPOTTED last night at the Capital Jewish Museum Gala: Reps. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) and Dean Phillips (D-Minn.), D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, Brian Schwalb, Charles Allen, James Boasberg, Matthew Frumin, Brianne Nadeau, Tina Small and Albert Small Jr., Judith Bartnoff and Esther Foer. — SPOTTED last night at a reception for Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Inc.: Sens. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), Reps. Jerry Carl (R-Ala.), Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.), Scott Franklin (R-Fla.), Dutch Ruppersberger (D-Md.), John Moolenaar (R-Mich.), Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) and Adam Smith (D-Wash.). TRANSITIONS — Ben Klein has joined Palantir’s government affairs team. He previously was a principal at Invariant and is a Byron Dorgan alum. … Noah Sadlier is now comms director for Rep. John James (R-Mich.). He previously was comms director for Rep. Mike Garcia (R-Calif.). 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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