| | | |  | | By Ali Bianco | | Presented by |  | | | |  | THE CATCH-UP | | | 
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul speaks during a hearing at the U.S. Capitol on June 12, 2025 in Washington, D.C. | Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images | TEXAS HOLD ’EM: The redistricting fight in Texas has exploded onto the national scale as Texas Democrats scatter to all corners of the country in an effort to blast Republicans’ proposed gerrymandering ahead of next year’s midterms as they try to hold control of the House. As the Texas Democrats embark on their quorum-breaking quest, the rhetoric is rising on both sides. “We are at war. And that’s why the gloves are off and I say, bring it on,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said today in Albany while hosting six Texas Democrats who fled the state to break quorum and effectively stall the state’s legislature. “This will have implications not just in Texas, but for our entire nation and its future.” At the news conference, Hochul said she is exploring all options to redraw New York’s lines — something of a Sisyphean task that would require changing the state’s constitution. But Hochul appears ready to push that boulder, our POLITICO colleagues Jason Beeferman and Bill Mahoney write in from Albany. She wants to disband the state’s independent redistricting commission, while sinking deeper into the partisan nature of it all. “I’m tired of fighting this fight with my hand tied behind my back,” Hochul said. “Republicans take over the Legislature? They can have at it. Until then, we’re in charge.” Read more from Bill The Texas House Democrats in Albany said they will continue meeting with Democratic governors in other states, but wouldn’t say if they planned to stay out of Texas until the special session ends on Aug. 19. First in Playbook: State Rep. Mihaela Plesa tells Jason that the $500-per-day penalty each lawmaker faces for missing session will be paid out of their own pockets. Meanwhile, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has warned that the Democrats have until this afternoon to return. He doubled down on his claims that Democrats have “absconded from their responsibility” and forfeited their seats and could be expelled, POLITICO’s Andrew Howard reports. Reality check: But Abbott’s options to actually punish lawmakers are far more constrained, POLITICO’s Kyle Cheney writes. Breaking quorum is not illegal, so Abbott can’t sue them in court to return. State law lets a governor set elections to replace a lawmaker that “abandoned” office, based on a nonbinding opinion from AG Ken Paxton. But it’s not clear whether that opinion has teeth for what Abbott is threatening or how the timeline of filing separate legal actions against more than 50 legislators would play out. For their part, the Texas Democrats aren’t sweating Abbott’s threats, Jason and Bill report. Democratic state Rep. Jolanda Jones said today that there’s no legal basis, and “so respectfully, he’s making up some shit.” The big picture: Some of Democrats’ would-be 2028 contenders are the ones most prominently standing side-by-side with the fleeing Texas Dems, elevating the redistricting efforts in their own states and in turn raising their national profile. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, who’s helping Texas Democrats in Chicago, attended the National Conference of State Legislatures in Boston today to “keep the spotlight on Trump's Texas Takeover,” per POLITICO’s Shia Kapos. Pete Buttigieg is also jumping into the fray and went live on Instagram with Texas state Rep. Gina Hinojosa. Going to California? Though Golden State Gov. Gavin Newsom isn’t yet hosting any Texas Democrats, he is denouncing Abbott’s efforts to unseat them. And behind closed doors, KCRA’s Ashley Zavala reports that California legislators are preparing to take Newsom’s lead and change their state map too. Not so fast: There are still calls to wind down the war. California GOP Rep. Kevin Kiley is introducing legislation to block all 50 states from redrawing congressional maps before the 2030 census and “stop a damaging redistricting war from breaking out across the country,” Fox News’ Liz Elkind reports. Kiley’s district could be at risk under any California redrawing, NYT’s Shane Goldmacher notes. But others are pouring gas on the fire, with Rep. Greg Cesar (D-Texas) calling for an emergency march and picket outside of the governor’s mansion later today. And some Texas members of Congress and Texas legislators will gather tonight in Warrenville, Illinois, Shia reports. Good Monday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. As always, inbox is open for tips and thoughts at abianco@politico.com.
| | 8 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW | | 1. TRADING PLACES: Trump doubled down on his threat against India for continuing to purchase Russian oil amid the war in Ukraine, posting to Truth Social this morning that he will be “substantially raising” India’s tariff rate. It’s the latest instance of Trump using his trade war to weave political influence (see: Brazil). Meanwhile, on the tariffs: Switzerland is pushing forward on negotiations to hopefully avoid the whopping 39 percent tariffs Trump announced last week, Bloomberg’s Bastian Benrath-Wright and Hugo Miller report. The Swiss government said today it’s “ready to present a more attractive offer” before the tariffs hit Thursday. … The unwritten details of a trade agreement between South Korea and the U.S. are likely to drive disputes during their summit, as Trump may seek to use the meeting with President Lee Jae Myung to get more concessions, Reuters’ Hyunjoo Jin and Jihoon Lee write. 2. TO RUSSIA, WITH LOVE: Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy, “may be going to Russia” on Wednesday or Thursday, Trump told reporters late last night, NYT’s Nataliya Vasilyeva reports. The visit comes as Trump’s deadline on Putin to come to the negotiating table nears. “We’ve got to get to a deal where people stop getting killed,” Trump said. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that Russian President Vladimir Putin would “not rule out” meeting with Witkoff. More MAD: The Kremlin appears to be moving away from former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev’s comments about Russia’s nuclear capabilities to strike the U.S., which Trump blasted as “foolish and inflammatory,” per WaPo’s Robyn Dixon. “Russia is very cautious about nuclear nonproliferation matters, and we believe everyone should be very careful about nuclear rhetoric,” Peskov said today. “There can be no winner in a nuclear war.” On Ukraine’s mind: Interceptor drones, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he wants to produce en masse with a $6 million price tag — and which Reuters’ Max Hunder writes have proven to be a cheaper and effective alternative to Western air defense missiles. 3. AFTER SUMMER RECESS: Lawmakers are staring down a tense four weeks before a shutdown once they return from recess, and the chances of a bipartisan breakthrough are slim to none, POLITICO’s Jennifer Scholtes and colleagues write. “If you like chaos, then you’re seeing a lot of it,” Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) told POLITICO. And it’s only poised to get more chaotic as OMB Director Russ Vought gets involved: “Vought is privately strategizing with members of the House Freedom Caucus and the right flank of the Senate GOP conference, while Democrats and even some Republican senators warn such a move would poison the well.” But but but: Republicans themselves are split on the path forward, Semafor’s Burgess Everett writes, with some pushing for bipartisan spending bills and others — bolstered by the White House — itching for a yearlong CR that would freeze spending. All of this may hamper the GOP unity that backed Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer into a corner on a shutdown back in March. A potential olive branch: Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries are requesting a “big four” meeting this week with Senate Majority Leader John Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson to talk about the funding deadline and the expiring ACA tax credit, per NBC’s Sahil Kapur. 4. THE CRISIS IN GAZA: Over a dozen House Democrats have signed onto a letter calling on the Trump administration to recognize a Palestinian state, and at least one will introduce a statehood resolution in the House, Axios’ Andrew Solender scooped. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) — who’s leading the effort — told Axios that he “just started outreach this past week” and said that the U.S. “cannot be isolated from the rest of the free world.” Today in Gaza: At least 40 Palestinians were killed in airstrikes, with another five dying of starvation, per Reuters’ Nidal Al-Mughrabi and Mahmoud Issa. From the strikes, 10 perished near aid sites run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
| | | | A message from American Beverage: No spin. No judgments. Just the facts from the experts.
When it comes to what your family eats and drinks, you decide. That's why America's beverage companies have launched GoodToKnowFacts.org – a new website that puts easy-to-understand details about the ingredients in our beverages right in your hands, all in one place. For over 140 ingredients, you can find common uses, alternative names and safety assessments from food safety authorities at GoodToKnowFacts.org. | | | | 5. IMMIGRATION FILES: New federal data analyzed by NYT’s Luis Ferré-Sadurní and Ashley Cai showed half of immigrants arrested in NYC since Trump took office were detained after being summoned to immigration offices or courts for routine appearances. Detentions have spiked by 200 percent, and an average of 33 immigrants are being arrested per day since May. … DHS Secretary Kristi Noem sees the “Alligator Alcatraz” detention facility in Florida as the new blueprint for state-run facilities and plans to launch similar ones in Arizona, Nebraska and Louisiana, CBS’ Nicole Sganga reports. … And more Republican-led states are moving to repeal in-state tuition access to undocumented students, Axios’ Russell Contreras writes. On the ICE detentions in Manhattan: “ICE’s Spectacle of Intimidation,” a photo essay by The New Yorker’s Mark Peterson 6. MACE MAKES HER MOVE: Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) officially announced that she’s joining the governor’s race, ending months of speculation and entering what is sure to be a fierce primary competition for Trump’s stamp of approval. “I’m running to put South Carolina first,” Mace, a three-term House member, said in a statement scooped by Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser this morning. She’ll face off first against South Carolina AG Alan Wilson, Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, state Sen. Josh Kimbrell and Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), who have all announced their campaigns. 7. ALL IN THE FAMILY: “Eric and Donald Trump Jr. to Own Millions of Shares in New U.S. Manufacturing SPAC,” by WSJ’s David Uberti and Ben Foldy: “New America Acquisition I Corp. on Monday filed paperwork for what it hopes will be a $300 million public offering on the New York Stock Exchange … New America will search for merger targets ‘that play a meaningful role in revitalizing domestic manufacturing, expanding innovation ecosystems, and strengthening critical supply chains,’ a securities filing said. … The SPAC will be led by Chief Executive Kevin McGurn, who is described in a LinkedIn profile as a longtime media and tech executive.” 8. MUSK READ: Loyalty to the Tesla brand from its customers dropped significantly after Musk endorsed Trump and entered government work, according to new data scooped by Reuters’ Chris Kirkham. Their consumer loyalty peaked in June 2024, when 74 percent of Tesla owners wanting a second car bought another Tesla. That went downhill in July and bottomed out below industry average at 49.9% in March. … The board at Tesla this morning awarded CEO Elon Musk a stock valued at $23.7 billion, roughly 96 million shares of the company — but the kicker is he can’t claim it for two years and has to stay on the job as chief executive, WSJ’s Theo Francis and Denny Jacob report.
| | TALK OF THE TOWN | | Donald Trump weighed in on the controversial American Eagle campaign featuring Sydney Sweeney, saying she has the “HOTTEST” ad out there. “Go get ‘em Sydney!” IN MEMORIAM — “Sandra Grimes, Who Helped Unmask a C.I.A. Traitor, Dies at 79,” by NYT’s Trip Gabriel: “Aldrich H. Ames, the C.I.A. mole whose betrayal led to the execution of at least eight Russian double agents who spied for the U.S., a devastating setback for American intelligence, was discovered from bookkeeping entries. He was identified by a counterintelligence analyst, Sandra Grimes, who was once in charge of C.I.A. secretaries and clerks. … Ms. Grimes, who had been planning to retire in 1991 when she was asked to stay for one more assignment … died at her home in Great Falls, Va., on July 25, at 79.” BONUS BIRTHDAY — Bao Li, one of the two young giant pandas who found a new home at the Smithsonian National Zoo last year, turns four today. MEDIA MOVE — Jacob Soboroff, an NBC News correspondent, is joining MSNBC full time once the network splits with NBC News. TRANSITIONS — Elizabeth Jungman is now a partner at Hogan Lovells. She previously was a senior policy adviser in the office of the FDA commissioner. … Seth Mailhot is now a partner in the healthcare and life sciences practice at Barnes & Thornburg. He previously was an investigator and compliance officer at the Food and Drug Administration. … Pat Mitchell is now VP of banking and economic policy research at the American Bankers Association. He most recently served as director of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation’s division of insurance and research. ENGAGED – Matt Potenza, VP of sales of Tenth Revolution Group, proposed to Ashley Mocarski, principal at strategic communications and government affairs firm Forward Global and a Trump White House alum, on Saturday. The couple, who met in 2014 in college at St. Johns University, got engaged at sunset at their apartment. Pic … Another pic WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Lauren Dickey, senior manager for geopolitical intelligence at Harman and a DOD alum, and Jesse Sloman, chief information security officer for the State University of New York and a DOD alum, last Friday welcomed Samantha Sloman. Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here. Send Playbookers tips to playbook@politico.com or text us on Signal here. Playbook couldn’t happen without our editor Zack Stanton, deputy editor Garrett Ross and Playbook Podcast producer Callan Tansill-Suddath.
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