| | | | |  | | By Eli Okun | | | ANOTHER TRUMP LOSS IN COURT — A federal judge today tossed out DONALD TRUMP’s attempt for a new trial in the E. JEAN CARROLL defamation/sexual abuse case — and essentially declared that the former president had raped her by the common understanding of the term. It was another stunning moment destined to zoom right past most of the country’s political consciousness as a scandal already integrated into Americans’ understanding of Trump. The former president’s team had argued that the $5 million damages he was ordered to pay Carroll should be reduced, and a new trial granted, because the civil jury had found him liable for sexual assault — not rape, the crime of which Carroll had originally accused him, Erica Orden reports from New York. But U.S. District Judge LEWIS KAPLAN wrote that Trump had digitally and non-consensually penetrated Carroll in the 1990s. Trump’s legal argument, Kaplan said, “mistakenly focuses on the New York Penal Law definition of ‘rape’ to the exclusion of the meaning of that word as it often is used in everyday life and of the evidence of what actually occurred between Ms. Carroll and Mr. Trump.” This isn’t the end for Trump and Carroll. Trump is still appealing the outcome of the trial in federal court. And Carroll has sued him a second time for defamation, with a trial expected in January.
|  Gov. Chris Sununu’s announcement could open up a crowded GOP primary in the Granite State. | Charles Krupa/AP Photo | THE SUNUNU ALSO SETS — New Hampshire Gov. CHRIS SUNUNU will not run for reelection, WMUR-TV’s Adam Sexton reports, his second big decision this year after the popular Republican opted not to run for president. He’s won four two-year terms in a row. Who will succeed him? Manchester Mayor JOYCE CRAIG and Executive Councilor CINDE WARMINGTON are already in the race on the Democratic side, but Sununu’s announcement could open up a crowded GOP primary in the Granite State: Former Sen. KELLY AYOTTE, state Education Commissioner FRANK EDELBLUT and former state Senate President CHUCK MORSE are the names that have been mentioned the most. And almost instantaneously, Morse jumped into the race, saying he wanted to build on Sununu’s successes. Still, Sununu’s departure makes New Hampshire one of Democrats’ top opportunities to go on offense in next year’s gubernatorial races. Multiple top race raters immediately shifted it to toss-up status. MUSIC TO STEVE DAINES’ EARS, PART I — Trump has indicated to Reps. MATT ROSENDALE (R-Mont.) and ALEX MOONEY (R-W.Va.) that he is unlikely to endorse either man’s Senate bid, CNN’s Manu Raju and Alayna Treene report. That’s very exciting news for the NRSC and establishment Republicans, who’d prefer to see TIM SHEEHY and West Virginia Gov. JIM JUSTICE win the respective nominations to try to flip two critical seats. Trump’s decisions are in part due to his shared antipathy with the NRSC for the Club for Growth, which is backing more insurgent, hard-right primary candidates. He’s also more focused on his presidential campaign than wading into Senate primaries. He feels loyal to Justice — and miffed that Rosendale hasn’t endorsed him yet. But, but, but: The call doesn’t seem to have stopped Rosendale. CNN reports that he’s starting telling colleagues on the Hill that he plans to jump into the race. The Club for Growth is weighing an endorsement of him; it’s already backing Mooney. “We’d hoped Sen. Daines would turn NRSC around — and stop just recruiting self-funder moderate squishes who have a long record of losing Senate seats — but unfortunately he’s followed [MITCH] McCONNELL’s lead,” [President DAVID] McINTOSH says. MUSIC TO STEVE DAINES’ EARS, PART II — Nevada Republican SAM BROWN pulled in $400,000 in his first week in the race, a very strong haul that puts him out way ahead of JIM MARCHANT and other possible Senate primary rivals, Burgess Everett reports in Congress Minutes. Good Wednesday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me a line at eokun@politico.com.
| | | | A message from Capital Access Alliance: As Congress considers the bipartisan Direct Capital Access Act (DCA Act), a United Airlines-backed coalition is leading a misinformation campaign to block more competition in the Washington, D.C. market and keep prices high. They claim that Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) is at capacity, but the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) says otherwise.
FAA data shows that DCA is ready to better serve the American public by offering more choices at more affordable prices. Get the facts. | | | AMERICA AND THE WORLD KERRY DISAPPOINTED — U.S. special climate envoy JOHN KERRY concluded four days of much-anticipated talks in China without landing new agreements on tackling climate change, he told reporters today. Though he said discussions were “productive,” found areas of agreement and will continue to take place, Kerry didn’t get substantial new commitments from China to reduce its emissions, Zack Colman reports. Still, climate diplomats say there are reasons for optimism coming out of the talks. Most observers didn’t expect China’s leaders to make any major climate news this week, given the state of relations between the two countries. So they saw any positive movement, including “the fact that the two sides committed to regular conversations,” as a significant step forward. HERZOG ON THE HILL — Israeli President ISAAC HERZOG today addressed both chambers of Congress in a speech that took some implicit shots at progressives Israel skeptics — and, perhaps, at Israeli PM BENJAMIN NETANYAHU. Herzog got cheers and a standing ovation when he declared that though he respects criticism from members of Congress, “criticism of Israel must not cross the line into negation of the state of Israel’s right to exist.” That was obviously a reference to Rep. PRAMILA JAYAPAL’s (D-Wash.) recent statement that Israel is a “racist state”; Jayapal skipped Herzog’s speech, citing scheduling issues. Notably, Herzog also got a standing ovation for saying that his country’s democracy is “safeguarded by its strong Supreme Court and independent judiciary.” Herzog has tried to moderate the push by Netanyahu and far-right governing partners for reforms that would weaken the judiciary’s independence, which is still ongoing. 2024 WATCH AGAINST THE GRAIN — That both President JOE BIDEN and Trump are too old is one of the few beliefs with broad cross-partisan agreement. Already, the majority of U.S. men in Biden’s age cohort are dead, and the same is true for 47% of Trump’s. And yet … experts say the public shouldn’t actually be worried about either man’s health for a second term, WaPo’s Michael Scherer and Lenny Bernstein report. Because of their wealth, access to health care, doctors’ reports and healthful lifestyles (Trump’s beliefs about exercise notwithstanding), actuarial tables and people who study aging indicate that either man would be very likely to live through a second term in the Oval Office and have the cognitive abilities to serve. WITH FRIENDS LIKE THESE — Why hasn’t Arkansas Gov. SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS endorsed Trump, for whom she rose to fame serving as White House press secretary? The governor’s primary neutrality is frustrating Trump, Axios’ Alex Thompson and Worth Sparkman report. Her team had told his that she would wait to endorse until after the state legislative session — but that ended two months ago. CASH DASH — “Trump’s energy industry donors defect to his primary rivals,” by Robin Bravender: “Oil and gas magnate HAROLD HAMM donated to RON DeSANTIS and NIKKI HALEY. Pipeline mogul KELCY WARREN and Midland Energy Inc. CEO Syed JAVAID ANWAR contributed to DeSantis, too. Billionaire energy executive JEFFERY HILDEBRAND is backing North Dakota Gov. DOUG BURGUM’s campaign. Coal executive JOE CRAFT and his wife, KELLY — who served as ambassador to the United Nations under Trump — have donated to DeSantis, MIKE PENCE, VIVEK RAMASWAMY and CHRIS CHRISTIE. Meanwhile, none of those wealthy energy donors has cut Trump big checks.” UP FOR DEBATE — RNC Chair RONNA McDANIEL warned today on Fox News that it would be a “mistake” for Trump to skip presidential primary debates, though she said the decision ultimately is “going to be up to him and his campaign.”
| | | | ATTENTION PLAYBOOKERS! You need to keep up with the latest political news and nuggets, so here’s a juicy tip: You need to add California Playbook to your daily reading. We have a new team at the helm who are eager to take you inside the political arena in California, from Sacramento and Los Angeles to Silicon Valley and throughout the Golden State! Get the latest exclusive news and buzzy scoops from the fourth largest economy in the world sent straight to your inbox. SUBSCRIBE TODAY. | | | | | THE WHITE HOUSE NOT BUYING IT — New polling shows that the White House’s “Bidenomics” push to sell its economic achievements to the public hasn’t worked, Bloomberg’s Gregory Korte reports. Despite a low unemployment rate, infrastructure investments and falling inflation, his approval rating is underwater on all three issues. And his bad marks from U.S. adults are essentially the same as they were last fall, despite an overall rosier economic outlook. CONGRESS THE ART OF AUTHORIZING DEFENSE — The Senate is moving its version of the National Defense Authorization Act pretty quickly, voting this morning to adopt the motion to proceed to the bill. Amendment votes are set for this afternoon, with a 60-vote threshold, and Senate Majority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER said he hopes to pass it before the August recess. CRACKING THE DOOR OPEN — Sen. TOMMY TUBERVILLE (R-Ala.) sounded slightly more open to resolving his blockade of Pentagon nominations in an interview last night with Burgess for Huddle: “We’re going to work this out,” he said. “There’s got to be some give and take here.” There’s a possibility that Tuberville could back down if he’s granted a vote on the Senate floor with a 51-vote threshold over the DOD abortion policy he opposes — which could be a nail-biter if it comes up. WHAT MIKE GALLAGHER IS UP TO — The House China committee is investigating GGV Capital, GSR Ventures, Walden International and Qualcomm Ventures for the companies’ China tech investments, WSJ’s Kate O’Keeffe and Berber Jin scooped. The scrutiny of the venture capital firms deals could “compile a record that would help Congress pass a strong bill to restrict problematic investment in China.” GARY PETERS’ OTHER FIGHT FOR THE FUTURE — “One senator’s big idea for AI,” by Brendan Bordelon: “His bills focus exclusively on the federal government, setting rules for AI training, transparency and how agencies buy AI-driven systems. Though narrower than the plans of Schumer and others, they also face less friction and uncertainty.” SINEMATOGRAPHY — “Kyrsten Sinema Is Still Paying Tulsi Gabbard's Sister a Fortune for Security,” by The Daily Beast’s Sam Brodey: “After The Daily Beast revealed that KYRSTEN SINEMA was paying big money to TULSI GABBARD’s sister, it turns out that Sinema has continued footing those bills.”
| | | | HITTING YOUR INBOX AUGUST 14—CALIFORNIA CLIMATE: Climate change isn’t just about the weather. It's also about how we do business and create new policies, especially in California. So we have something cool for you: A brand-new California Climate newsletter. It's not just climate or science chat, it's your daily cheat sheet to understanding how the legislative landscape around climate change is shaking up industries across the Golden State. Cut through the jargon and get the latest developments in California as lawmakers and industry leaders adapt to the changing climate. Subscribe now to California Climate to keep up with the changes. | | | | | POLICY CORNER MUCK READ — DEA Principal Deputy Administrator LOUIS MILIONE has resigned from his post after the AP reported on his past work consulting for Big Pharma, AP’s Joshua Goodman and Jim Mustian report. Milione said his departure was for unrelated personal reasons, but he’d faced growing criticism from Congress and others for exemplifying the revolving door. JUNK FOOD — At this afternoon’s Competition Council meeting, Biden is announcing a new set of antitrust moves aimed at protecting consumers, Reuters’ Andrea Shalal reports. First, the administration is broadening its war on “junk fees” to the rental housing market by securing agreements from Zillow, Apartments.com and AffordableHousing.com to include full transparency on application/convenience fees that are often hidden. It’s also rolling out draft guidelines that will allow greater oversight of mergers for digital platforms and tech companies. And USDA is taking new action to tackle price-fixing in food and agriculture. WHO’S BEHIND THE ANTI-WIND PUSH — “The ‘very liberal’ doctor, the pro-GOP car dealer and the movement against offshore wind,” by Benjamin Storrow: “The wind critics include a scattering of people and groups spanning the political spectrum … But the anti-wind push is also getting financial, legal and organizational support from national far-right and libertarian groups, including those with a history of spreading falsehoods about climate change and downplaying the risks that offshore oil drilling poses to marine life.” VALLEY TALK DISINFORMATION DIGEST — In the wake of ELON MUSK’s takeover of Twitter, experts are growing more concerned that the platform could be used to disseminate misinformation to affect the 2024 campaign, USA Today’s Josh Meyer reports. PLAYBOOKERS OUT AND ABOUT — The National Hispanic Medical Association held a congressional briefing and leadership reception last night at the Capitol Visitor Center, focusing on health care workforce diversity. SPOTTED: Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-Calif.), HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, Elena Rios, Sergio Rimola, Claudia Zamora, Art Motta, Norma Poll-Hunter, Noel Candelaria, Luis Belén, Javier Cuebas, Manuel Bonilla, Ivelisse Porroa, Alejandra Gepp, Juan Amador, Eliseo Pérez-Stable and Lester Martinez-Lopez. MEDIA MOVES — POLITICO announced its new team of New York Playbook authors who will lead our flagship newsletter in the Empire State: Emily Ngo, Jeff Coltin and Nick Reisman. Ngo previously was at Spectrum News NY1. Coltin most recently was City Hall bureau chief for City & State New York. Reisman previously was a longtime Albany reporter for Spectrum News. TRANSITION — Vadim Brusser is now a partner with Sidley Austin. He previously was a partner at Weil, Gotshal & Manges. BONUS BIRTHDAY: Ron Faucheux 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. Correction: Yesterday’s Playbook PM misspelled the names of Naomi Biden Neal and Peter Neal.
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