| | | | |  | | By Bethany Irvine | | | |  The federal grand jury investigating Donald Trump's actions surrounding the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol is meeting today in downtown Washington. | Scott Olson/Getty Images | WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE IS READING — “What to Do When Your Dog Bites (and Happens to Live in the White House),” by Alexandra Horowitz for NYT TRUMP INDICTMENT WATCH — The federal grand jury investigating DONALD TRUMP’s actions surrounding the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol is meeting today in downtown Washington, fueling ongoing speculation that special counsel JACK SMITH could issue an indictment on charges related to Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election as soon as this week. Live updates from NBC Despite the looming indictment, Kyle Cheney reports there is an odd “status quo” at the courthouse, characterized by “high anxiety, heavy media presence but no news yet to speak of.” DEVELOPING — “New Jersey’s lieutenant governor dies,” by Dustin Racioppi: New Jersey Lt. Gov. SHEILA OLIVER, a trailblazing political leader, has died, according to her family and the governor’s office. Oliver, 71, was admitted to the hospital Monday for unspecified reasons. She had been serving as acting governor with Gov. PHIL MURPHY on an overseas vacation. … [Oliver] was the first Black female Assembly speaker and the second Black woman in the nation’s history to lead a house of a state legislature.” JOBS IN AMERICA — According to new Labor Department data released today, job turnover in the United States has fallen to its lowest level in two years, indicating a further cooling-off of the nation’s labor market when compared to pandemic-era trends.
- Hiring has slowed: Companies across the country are hiring at considerably lower rates, with the department reporting 5.9 million new jobs in June, down from 6.2 million in May.
- So has the “quit rate”: Meanwhile, the total "quits-rate” in the labor market, or the rate at which employees are voluntarily leaving their employer, has fallen from 2.6% in May to 2.4% in June. While still slightly higher than pre-pandemic rates, the dip further indicates a slowing of the "Great Resignation" that slammed businesses earlier this year. More from NYT
What’s ahead … On Friday, the Labor Department will release the July employment data, which could paint a fuller picture of the state of the labor market. Good Tuesday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me a line: birvine@politico.com.
| | | | A message from The American Petroleum Institute (API): The Department of the Interior is required by law to develop a five-year plan for offshore oil and natural gas leasing that delivers billions to communities across America and strengthens U.S. energy security. But the Biden administration is more than a year overdue in delivering an offshore oil and gas leasing program, despite announcing wind lease sales. It’s past time to get going on U.S. offshore oil and natural gas leasing. | | | 2024 WATCH AD WARS — SFA Fund Inc., a super PAC supporting former South Carolina Gov. NIKKI HALEY’s presidential campaign, is throwing about $13 million behind digital and television ads in Iowa and New Hampshire starting this month, Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser reports. “The spots from SFA Fund, which were shared first nationally with Fox News on Tuesday, spotlight her national security and foreign policy credentials … ‘Nikki Haley fought America’s enemies at the U.N. and won,’ the narrator in the spot running in New Hampshire says. ‘Nikki Haley – tough as nails – smart as a whip – unafraid to speak the truth.’ Watch the 30-second ad MORE POLITICS HE’S NOT RUNNING — “Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany says he won't challenge Sen. Tammy Baldwin in Wisconsin,” by NBC’s Adam Edelman: “In a statement, Rep. TOM TIFFANY [R-Wis.] said he’d decided to instead run for re-election to his congressional seat but criticized [Sen. TAMMY] BALDWIN for being a ‘rubber stamp for the Biden administration.’ … His decision to not run is another blow to state and national Republicans, who had sought a strong challenger to take on Baldwin as part of their quest to retake the Senate majority.” HE IS RUNNING, RIGHT? — “Republicans are all in on David McCormick for Senate. So where is he?” by Philly Inquirer’s Julia Terruso: “Several Republican sources who know [DAVID] McCORMICK say he’s eyeing a potential fall entrance but is being cautious about the decision, coming off the primary loss to MEHMET OZ last year. He’s wary of what’s expected to be a tough run against [Sen. BOB] CASEY, a well-known incumbent, sources said, as well as how the outcome of the presidential GOP primary could impact Pennsylvania’s Senate race. “‘He’s staring down the barrel of two guns — trying to beat Bobby Casey is not an easy thing to do, even in a great environment,’ GOP strategist VINCE GALKO said. ‘The other thing is, does he want to be running in a swing state with Donald Trump at the top of the ticket? How does that play?’” THE WHITE HOUSE AI ON THE BRAIN — As Washington grapples with how to best regulate artificial intelligence and generative tools like ChatGPT, White House conversations about AI have taken on a “deeper meaning” for President Biden, who “has suggested that decisions made around the technology could impact generations and shape part of his legacy,” WSJ’s Sabrina Siddiqui reports this morning. “He views this as an existential challenge,” White House deputy chief of staff BRUCE REED said, “This is not just another issue that came along. This is a technology that has the potential for phenomenal good or ill.” “Aides say the push to do more has been driven by Biden himself, who has voiced particular concern over the technology’s implications for foreign policy and national security. The president has cited the potential danger of a deep fake featuring the U.S. president being mistaken as authentic overseas … The president has also questioned the technology’s potential effects on democracy.”
| | | | 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. | | | | | CONGRESS TURN THE PAGE — Rep. DERRICK VAN ORDEN’s (R-Wisc.) curse-laden tirade against teenage Senate pages last week is adding fuel to the fire for Democrats, who previously tried to paint Van Orden as “an extremist who lacked the temperament for public office,” The Daily Beast’s Ursula Perano reports. “Now, as Democrats hope to flip the seat next cycle, party operatives say Van Orden spewing obscenities at adolescent pages fits right into their narrative — and pushes it forward.” INVESTIGATION STATION — The House Select Committee on China is investigating asset management company BlackRock and stock market index MSCI for “facilitating American investment in Chinese companies” accused of human rights violations, WSJ’s Kate O’Keeffe and Corrie Driebusch scoop. “The panel told the firms that a review of just a sliver of their activities — which aren’t illegal — showed that they are causing Americans to fund more than 60 Chinese companies that U.S. agencies have flagged on security or human-rights grounds.” ECO UPDATE — Thirty-nine Senate Republicans, including Minority Leader MITCH MCCONNELL, JOHN THUNE (S.D.) and SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO (W.Va.) are pushing the EPA to withdraw its proposed limits on coal and nuclear power gas emissions, arguing in a letter to EPA Administrator MICHAEL REGAN that the agency “grossly misinterpreted” its authority under the Clean Air Act, WaPo’s Maxine Joselow reports. “[T]he letter offers a window into the approach Republicans might take if they gain full control in Washington, and the legal arguments that GOP attorneys general might make when challenging the final rule in court.” POLICY CORNER GUNS IN AMERICA — WSJ’s Jacob Gershman is up with a deep dive on how lower courts are struggling to navigate the Supreme Court’s latest interpretation of the Second Amendment when litigating recent gun cases: “The decision in New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen decreed that gun-control laws of today must have a clear forerunner in weapons regulations around the time of the nation’s infancy … Judges are at odds about how to use centuries-old weapons laws, many obscure, to evaluate modern-day restrictions and firearm offenses.” Related read: “A Craigslist for Guns, With No Background Checks,” by NYT’s Serge Kovaleski and Glenn Thrush LOAN LURCH — “Chaos Looms as $1.5 Trillion Student-Loan Pause Abruptly Ends,” by Bloomberg’s Janet Lorin: “Some companies that administer the loans have slashed staff this year, even as they work to shore up computer systems and train workers before the deadline to resume payments in October for the first time since the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic. About 6.4 million borrowers, including some who left school during the pause, still lack a repayment plan, according to the Education Department.” AMERICA AND THE WORLD DANCE OF THE SUPERPOWERS — The Department of Homeland Security announced today that it will ban goods from two Chinese-based manufacturing companies, Camel Group Co. and Chenguang Biotech Group Co., as part of its efforts to combat forced labor and ongoing crimes against Uyghurs and other minority groups. The move brings the total of banned companies under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act to twenty four, DHS noted. More from Reuters POINT OF ENTRY — “U.S. restricts visa-free travel for Hungarian passport holders because of security concerns,” by AP’s Bela Szandelszky: “A senior U.S. government official said the change followed years of failed efforts by the U.S. to work with Hungary’s government to resolve the security concerns. … Hundreds of thousands of Hungarian passports were issued without stringent identity verification requirements, some of them to criminals who pose a safety threat and have no connection to Hungary, the official said.” VALLEY TALK X MARKS THE FRAUGHT — “Elon Musk’s X Sues Nonprofit That Accused It of Allowing Hate Speech,” by WSJ’s Alexa Corse
| | | | A message from The American Petroleum Institute (API):   The Biden White House says, "we want to see more supply" of American oil and natural gas. Their policy actions tell another story. | | | PLAYBOOKERS TRANSITIONS — Lauren Morrison is now a financial policy analyst with the FAA contracted through A3 Technology. She previously was a government relations assistant at the ONE Campaign. … Heather Valentine is starting her own government relations firm, Valentine Strategies. She previously was director of government relations at Bread for the World. … Anna Pacilio is now deputy media relations director at NARAL Pro-Choice America. She previously was associate VP at Jennifer Bett Communications and is a Sunshine Sachs, Beto O’Rourke and EMILY’s List alum. 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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