| | | | |  | | By Garrett Ross | | | FEINSTEIN’S FINANCIAL FIGHT — “Dianne Feinstein’s bombshell new lawsuit alleges financial abuse over husband’s estate,” by the SF Chronicle’s Shira Stein: “Sen. DIANNE FEINSTEIN has sued to remove the trustees of her late husband’s estate, alleging they have committed financial elder abuse, refused to respond to any requests for disbursements and improperly financially enriched his daughters. “The lawsuit, filed Aug. 8, also provides additional insight into Feinstein’s power of attorney arrangement with her daughter, KATHERINE FEINSTEIN. The California Democrat, 90, executed a limited durable power of attorney July 23 to allow her daughter to act as her representative in litigation matters, according to the suit.”
|  Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp sharply responded to Donald Trump's latest false accusation of a "rigged" 2020 election. | Joe Raedle/Getty Images | GEORGIA CASE UPDATE — One of the first big battles in the new RICO case against Trump is likely imminent: Should the former president face a jury in state or federal court? Our colleague Kyle Cheney runs down the conundrum: “Although the charges were filed in state court in Fulton County, Ga., Trump is sure to attempt to ‘remove’ the case to federal court, where he would potentially have a friendlier jury pool and the chance of drawing a judge whom he appointed to the bench. “To try to get the case into federal court, Trump is expected to argue that much of the conduct he’s been charged with was undertaken in his capacity as an officer of the federal government, because he was still president during the critical period when he and his allies attempted to subvert the 2020 election results.” The Truth about 2020: Georgia GOP Gov. BRIAN KEMP offered a sharp and direct rebuke to Trump today, posting a screenshot to Twitter of one of Trump’s rambling Truth Social posts about the Georgia investigation with the message: “The 2020 election in Georgia was not stolen.” Kemp continued: “For nearly three years now, anyone with evidence of fraud has failed to come forward — under oath — and prove anything in a court of law. Our elections in Georgia are secure, accessible, and fair and will continue to be as long as I am governor. The future of our country is at stake in 2024 and that must be our focus.” Heads up: “Trump says he plans to hold press conference responding to Georgia indictment,” by Kierra Frazier Explainer: “What to know about Georgia’s RICO law,” by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Tamar Hallerman MAR-A-LAGO CASE UPDATE — CARLOS DE OLIVEIRA, the Mar-a-Lago property manager and third defendant in the classified documents case in Florida against former President DONALD TRUMP, pleaded not guilty today. The appearance ended something of a saga with De Oliveira, who had in two prior appearances before the judge failed to secure a local attorney as required. But this morning, local criminal defense lawyer LARRY DONALD MURRELL JR. entered the plea on his behalf, our colleague Kimberly Leonard reports from Fort Pierce, Fla. NIGHT OF THE HUNTER — CHRISTOPHER CLARK, one of HUNTER BIDEN’s lawyers, “asked a federal judge on Tuesday for permission to withdraw from the case because he could now be called as a witness in future proceedings,” CNN’s Kara Scannell writes. What the filing said: “Based on recent developments, it appears that the negotiation and drafting of the plea agreement and diversion agreement will be contested, and Mr. Clark is a percipient witness to those issues,” Biden’s legal team wrote. HEADLINE OF THE DAY — “Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen Says She Ate Magic Mushrooms During China Visit,” by HuffPost’s Marco Margaritoff: “‘There was this delicious mushroom dish. I was not aware that these mushrooms had hallucinogenic properties.’ ‘I learned that later,’ she continued.” Good Tuesday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. What should Janet Yellen try next? Let me know: gross@politico.com.
| | | | A message from Climate Power: Biden’s Clean Energy Plan is creating more career opportunities for hard-working Americans like Brian, a supervisor at a clean energy site outside of Pittsburgh. Since August 2022, over 270 clean energy projects like this one have been created in the U.S., paving the way for more good-paying jobs everywhere. Watch Brian’s story. | | | 2024 WATCH UP FOR DEBATE — With the first GOP presidential debate rapidly approaching, there is still an open question of whether Trump will show up. But his rivals are preparing as if he will, AP’s Steve Peoples and Hannah Fingerhut write.
- Former VP MIKE PENCE “has participated in roughly a half-dozen formal debate prep sessions to date, including at least one planned for this week in which a campaign aide previously close to Trump is playing the part of the former president, according to a Pence adviser who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal strategy.”
- Meanwhile, NIKKI HALEY’s team “acknowledges she isn’t universally known,” but stated that the “primary goal in her debate preparation has been to project that ‘Nikki is tough, she’s going to stand up for America and she’s going to stand up to bullies.’”
- And then there’s VIVEK RAMASWAMY, who “is doing virtually no formal debate prep as he pursues a whirlwind campaign schedule,” an adviser told the AP, adding that “he’ll spend the day before the debate playing tennis and spending time with family.”
Related read: “Where each candidate stands on the RNC loyalty pledge,” by Matt Berg MORE POLITICS TREND LINES — “California keeps electing progressive DAs — then pushing to recall them,” by Jeremy White in Oakland, Calif.: “The pattern is not isolated to California. While they did not face recall attempts, other progressive DAs from Manhattan’s ALVIN BRAGG to Philadelphia’s LARRY KRASNER have faced state legislative action meant to curb their efforts to rethink criminal justice with lighter sentences and more police accountability.” THE MORE THE MARY-ER — Prince George’s County Executive ANGELA ALSOBROOKS picked up the endorsement of Sen. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN (D-Md.), adding another big name to her list of backers in the closely watched Maryland Senate Democratic primary to replace retiring Sen. BEN CARDIN (D-Md.), The Baltimore Sun’s Sam Janesch writes. Alsobrooks would be just the third Black woman ever elected to the Senate and also holds the support of Democratic Reps. STENY HOYER and KWEISI MFUME.
| | | | GROWING IN THE GOLDEN STATE: POLITICO California is growing, reinforcing our role as the indispensable insider source for reporting on politics, policy and power. From the corridors of power in Sacramento and Los Angeles to the players and innovation hubs in Silicon Valley, we're your go-to for navigating the political landscape across the state. Exclusive scoops, essential daily newsletters, unmatched policy reporting and insights — POLITICO California is your key to unlocking Golden State politics. LEARN MORE. | | | | | CONGRESS GOP DIVIDING LINE — “Conservative group launches campaign to push for GOP support for Ukraine,” by WaPo’s Mariana Alfaro: “Defending Democracy Together, an organization led by Republican strategist SARAH LONGWELL and conservative political commentator BILL KRISTOL, is launching ‘Republicans for Ukraine’ to get congressional Republicans to commit to continue funding aid for Ukraine ahead of what is likely to be a lengthy appropriations fight. The organization gathered testimony from more than 50 pro-Ukraine Republican voters, which will be shared in an ad campaign that will air starting Tuesday until the end of the year.” The ad will appear during the first Republican presidential debate hosted by Fox News on Aug. 23. THE WHITE HOUSE ALL THAT AND A BAG OF CHIPS — “Why the White House Went to Wall Street to Revive the U.S. Chips Industry,” by WSJ’s Yuka Hayashi: “Since the passage of the bipartisan Chips and Science Act last summer, the Commerce Department has been quietly building a small team of elite Wall Street financiers to help allocate $39 billion in taxpayer-funded manufacturing subsidies and other incentives to hundreds of companies. … Presidents have long gone to Wall Street to fill top jobs … But the recruitment of an entire team of private-sector professionals is unprecedented, economists say, and reflects the central role chips play in modern economies.” THE ECONOMY RUNNING HOT — “What recession? This summer’s economy is defying the odds,” by WaPo’s Abha Bhattarai: “With unemployment near 50-year lows, inflation edging down and wages rising faster than prices, businesses and families are still spending: Orders for American-made goods spiked in June and fresh data this week shows that retail and restaurant sales climbed for the fourth straight month in July. The Atlanta Fed is now predicting economic growth will top 4 percent this quarter.”
| | | | SUBSCRIBE TO 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. Subscribe now to California Climate to keep up with the changes. | | | | | AMERICA AND THE WORLD HACK JOB — “Chinese spies who read State Dept. email also hacked GOP congressman,” by WaPo’s Joseph Menn: “The suspected Chinese hackers who forged Microsoft customer identities to read the emails of State Department employees also obtained the personal and political emails of Rep. DON BACON, a moderate Republican from Nebraska on the House Armed Services Committee.” HOW WE GOT HERE — “The U.S. spent years training Nigerien soldiers. Then they overthrew their government,” by Lara Seligman and Nahal Toosi: “For U.S. military officers and diplomats, it’s become an all-too-familiar — and deeply frustrating — story. Niger is one of several West African countries where U.S. military-trained officers have seized control since 2021, including Burkina Faso, Guinea, and Mali. Some coup leaders have had close relationships with their American trainers, whose mentorship included lessons on safeguarding democracy and human rights along with military tactics.” GOLD STARS NEVER FADE — “The Long, Lonely Wait for Justice for 17 Fallen U.S. Sailors,” by NYT’s Carol Rosenberg: “In the nearly 12 years since a prisoner was charged in the bombing of the U.S.S. Cole warship, eight parents of the 17 fallen American sailors have died waiting for a trial to begin. In the two decades since the attack, 10 more shipmates have also died.” POLITICAL VIOLENCE WATCH — “Political leader in Ecuador is killed less than a week after presidential candidate’s assassination,” by AP’s Regina Garcia Cano in Guayaquil, Ecuador: “The fatal shooting of PEDRO BRIONES, a local leader of Revolución Ciudadana, the party of former President RAFAEL CORREA, was confirmed by LUISA GONZÁLEZ, the frontrunner in Sunday’s special presidential election and member of the same party.” PLAYBOOKERS SPOTTED: House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries having dinner with Subject Matter’s Cedric Grant and Sandra Alcala at Ocean Prime last night. MEDIA MOVES — Selina Wang is joining ABC as senior White House correspondent. She most recently was international correspondent at CNN and is a Bloomberg alum. ABC is also bringing on Playbook’s very own Rachael Bade (!) and NPR’s Asma Khalid as contributing political correspondent and a contributor. Read the full announcement … Angelica Peebles is now a health and pharmaceutical reporter at CNBC. She previously was a health reporter at Bloomberg. TRANSITION — Alex Stroman is now senior director of state government relations at Albemarle Corp. He previously was director of state government, Indigenous, and community relations at TC Energy and is an RNC alum. ENGAGED — C.W. Goodyear, a writer and author of the recently published “President Garfield: From Radical to Unifier” and an alum of the McChrystal Group, and Ellen Brennan, a management consultant at McKinsey, got engaged on July 30 on Ellen’s 30th birthday in front of their families at the Salamander in Middleburg, Va. The couple met on Bumble. Pic by Tara Sutherland Photography … Another pic WEDDING — Julia Benbrook, Washington correspondent for Spectrum News, and Zach Baden, an attorney, got married on Aug. 6 at the Chesapeake Bay Beach Club in Stevensville, Md. They were introduced by Zach’s little sister, who was a friend of Julia's in college. Pics by B.O.B. Photography - Jillian McQuerrey ... Another pic 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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