| | | | |  | | By Ryan Lizza, Eugene Daniels and Rachael Bade | | | With help from Eli Okun and Garrett Ross
|  Miami Mayor Francis Suarez officially joined the presidential race yesterday. | Michael Owen Baker/AP Photo | | | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | | GOOD HEADLINE FOR BIDEN — WSJ: “Stocks Close at Highest Levels Since 2022” GOOD HEADLINE FOR SCOTT AND HALEY — NY Post: “Obama bashes Nikki Haley and Tim Scott on race relations: ‘Long list of minority candidates in GOP who say everything is great’” GOOD HEADLINE FOR … NOBODY — NYT: “Ocean Warmth Set a Record for May” WHY THE HECK IS SUAREZ RUNNING? — Miami Mayor FRANCIS SUAREZ officially joined the presidential race yesterday. During a series of media appearances and a speech at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation last night, he spoke about the need for both generational (he’s 45 years old) and demographic (he's the son of Cuban-American immigrants) change in the Republican Party, while taking some veiled and not-so veiled swipes at his home-state governor. We actually saw Suarez while we were in Miami this week outside the courthouse where DONALD TRUMP was arraigned and learned that he and Trump had a friendly chat this week. That conversation has added fuel to the widespread speculation that Suarez is in the race mainly to mess with and attack Trump’s main GOP opponent, RON DeSANTIS, who Suarez has clashed with in Florida — in the process setting himself up as a potential Trump running mate or Cabinet official. (Suarez told us that he and Trump simply discussed security arrangements during the arraignment.) Whether or not that’s the main reason for his longshot bid, we were eager to hear why the heck he’s running for president. So we caught up with him over Zoom yesterday before his big Reagan Library speech. Listen to more on Playbook Daily Briefing The following is an edited and condensed version of our interview: On why he, Miami’s mayor, is a better option than the other two Florida Men in the race:“I don’t define myself as, like, a ‘Florida Republican’ or as anti-anyone, or different. … I’m a mayor. I’m taking care of my residents — which is a microcosm of what you have to do as president. … I’ve seen the urban issues that plague our country. We have 85% of the population of America … in American cities; 91% of the GDP produced by our country is produced by people who live in American cities.” On why he’d be a better president than JOE BIDEN: “Under the current president, the current administration, we’re seeing a situation where the poor are getting poorer. We’re seeing a situation where America is getting weaker, which is provoking our enemies to be aggressive. And we’re seeing a situation where if we … don’t confront the generational challenges before us, China may be the lone superpower in my lifetime — and that is not an America that I want my children to grow up in.” On how he thinks DeSantis is like Biden: “It's one thing to take an issue which I think was a winning issue — which is that … parents should be the ones that decide whether or not they teach sexuality to young children, for third grade and below. … And then take that and make it personal … where you’re saying you’re going to put a jail next to Disney, where you’re going to take away their tax exempt status. That, to me, is indicative of someone like Joe Biden, who doesn’t have a lot of private sector experience. I’ve been in the private sector my entire political career. And I think being tethered to the private sector actually gives you an interesting perspective on what's happening.” On how he’s trying to channel MAGA’s populist passions while hewing to a more centrist policy agenda: “You have to understand and respect where that anger comes from. That anger comes from feeling ignored, marginalized. It comes from, oftentimes, a press corps that just doesn't understand why Republicans are who they are. … I want to change the conversation. I want the conversation to be about our future. I want it to be about regular people. How do we deal with homelessness? … How do we deal with mental health issues? How do we deal with urban crime? How do we create prosperity for our children and our grandchildren?” On why Republicans should act on climate change: “In Miami, our approach is that the environment is the economy. We don't separate one from the other. We don't make it a dichotomy. We need our drinking water from the Everglades. We deal with hurricanes which are a phenomenon that we see we have to account for. … I think where Republicans get upset is there seems to be an agenda that is trying to create social engineering through climate policy. And I think that’s where, you know, there is sometimes a disconnection.” On whether he has any regrets about touting Miami as a “crypto capital”: “Not really. And I'll tell you why — because it's not just about crypto for me. Crypto is important because I think it's a generational technology. … I think mistakes have been made. And I think part of it also has been a lack of oversight and regulation by the federal government. I think the current administration has missed the boat.” On whether his campaign is a better investment than MiamiCoin at this point: [Laughs] “Much better. Much better.” Happy Friday. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza.
| | | | A message from The Coalition to Protect America's Regional Airports: The Coalition to Protect America’s Regional Airports strongly opposes any changes to the slot and perimeter rules at DCA. The slot and perimeter rules at DCA are essential for ensuring regional airports remain connected to our nation’s capital. Changes to these rules risk connectivity for countless regions and threaten to generate negative economic impacts for regional airports and local communities. Learn more. | | | TALK OF THIS TOWN — Michael Schaffer’s latest: “Hollywood’s Biggest Talent Scout Wants Washington’s Brain Trust” THE CHYRON GAME — “Fox News Parts Ways With Producer Responsible for ‘Wannabe Dictator’ Chyron,” by The Daily Beast’s William Vaillancourt, Justin Baragona and Lachlan Cartwright: Former ‘Tucker Carlson Tonight’ managing editor ALEXANDER McCASKILL “has parted ways with the company, two sources told The Daily Beast on Thursday. … ‘First they scolded the producer who put the banner on the screen,’ [TUCKER] CARLSON claimed. ‘Less than 24 hours after that, he resigned. He had been at Fox for more than a decade. He was considered one of the most capable people in the building. He offered to stay for the customary two weeks, but Fox told him to clear out his desk and leave immediately.’” FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — TIM SHEEHY was in D.C. this week, where he held a meeting with a group of lobbyists and discussed a potential 2024 Senate run against Montana Democrat JON TESTER, two sources familiar with the meeting tell Playbook. The meeting, which was attended by roughly 20 lobbyists, was held at Altria. Sheehy, a former Navy SEAL and Montana businessman, has been a top recruit for NRSC Chair STEVE DAINES and Senate Minority Leader MITCH McCONNELL to take on Tester. THE PLAYBOOK INTERVIEW: TIMOTHY PARLATORE — What makes someone want to be a criminal defense attorney for Donald Trump? After all, he has a history of not paying his legal bills. He famously defies his attorneys’ advice and turns his legal problems into political fights. And, to put it mildly, he’s not always very kind to his former associates and advisers — including many of his ex-lawyers. But Parlatore took the job anyway. Why? Well, he grew up in New Jersey and worshiped the larger-than-life New York criminal defense lawyers who were a staple of tabloid papers and cable TV in the ’80s and ’90s. People such as EDDIE HAYES — an inspiration for TOM WOLFE’s “Bonfire of the Vanities” — and GERRY SHARGEL, a criminal defense lawyer who worked for members of the Gambino crime family. One of Parlatore’s heroes and mentors was BRUCE CUTLER, who was mob boss JOHN GOTTI’s famous lawyer. And he gave Parlatore a piece of advice that helps explain why he was dying to work for someone like Trump: “[Cutler] had a philosophy of ‘look for a fight. And if it's a good fight, get in it.’”
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| Parlatore spent over a year working for Trump on a number of legal challenges, including the Justice Department’s probe into Trump’s role in Jan. 6 and the investigation of all those documents stashed at Mar-a-Lago. Parlatore was inside the secret grand jury room in Washington. He oversaw the search for documents in Bedminster. He coordinated the former president’s response to special counsel JACK SMITH’s subpoena for the national security files that eventually landed Trump in so much trouble. And then, in May, after a long-running internal fight with one of Trump’s top aides, Parlatore quit. Since then, you may have seen him on cable TV talking about why he left the Trump team and offering his insights about the case. But on this week’s episode of Playbook Deep Dive, he sits down for his first in-depth interview. Parlatore came by POLITICO’s offices in Arlington, and we spent the afternoon talking about why he became a criminal defense attorney in the first place, the moral dilemmas he’s faced representing people who he knew were guilty. And, most important, what it was like being on the inside of Trump’s legal team as prosecutors closed in. Listen to the interview … Subscribe to Playbook Deep Dive on Apple Podcasts or Spotify
| | | | A message from The Coalition to Protect America's Regional Airports:   Take action now to protect regional airports. | | | | | BIDEN’S FRIDAY:
11 a.m.: The president will depart the White House en route to Windsor Locks, Conn.
2:05 p.m.: Biden will deliver remarks at the National Safer Communities Summit.
5:15 p.m.: Biden will participate in a campaign reception in Greenwich, Conn.
6:30 p.m.: Biden will depart Greenwich to return to the White House.
Principal deputy press secretary OLIVIA DALTON will gaggle aboard Air Force One en route to Windsor Locks.
VP KAMALA HARRIS’ FRIDAY (all times Eastern):
10:30 a.m.: The VP and second gentleman DOUG EMHOFF will depart D.C. en route to Denver, Colo.
3:40 p.m.: Harris will deliver remarks on the climate crisis and clean energy.
5:20 p.m.: Harris and Emhoff will deliver remarks at a campaign reception.
6:50 p.m.: Harris and Emhoff will depart Denver en route to Los Angeles.
THE HOUSE and THE SENATE are out. | | | | | | 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. | | | | | PHOTO OF THE DAY
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President Joe Biden arrives with first lady Jill Biden and Eva Longoria before a screening of the film "Flamin' Hot," Thursday, June 15, on the South Lawn of the White House. | Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | MORE POLITICS REDISTRICT REDIRECT — “Dems eye redistricting redos to regain House majority,” by Nicholas Wu and Ally Mutnick: “Democrats are now asking new liberal court majorities in New York and Wisconsin to reconsider their 2022 decisions to implement GOP-friendly congressional maps. They’re adopting a work-the-refs strategy that Republicans have deployed in the past; Democrats previously excoriated GOP operatives for plans to seek new maps in North Carolina and Ohio after a shift in the balance of power in the high courts of both states.” FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Nevada Republican congressional candidate DAVID FLIPPO last week tweeted a photo of a makeshift hut with the caption, “This is not a village in a 3rd world country, this is the US border!” What it actually is is the latest instance of a campaign’s use of online stock photography gone awry. The photo, in fact, was taken in rural Africa.
|  Twitter screenshot | | Flippo, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel and businessman who is challenging Rep. STEVEN HORSFORD (D-Nev.), deleted the tweet after Daniel Lippman inquired about it. The photographer who took the shot, LUCIAN COMAN, told Lippman he’s never been to the U.S.-Mexico border and confirmed the photo was captured in Botswana, where he is based. The Flippo campaign said it found the image in a stock photo database offered through the graphic design platform Canva; a campaign representative shared screenshots with Daniel showing it appeared under searches for “US border camp” and “Mexican refugee camp.” However, metadata available in Canva labels the photo as an “African refugee camp in the bush.” Said the campaign, “Democrats and their propaganda arm Politico don’t want you to realize that we have an immigration crisis that Biden has failed to address, and his ally Congressman Steve Horsford has not been to the border since 2013; instead, they want to take issue with a meme. Google a U.S.-Mexican border camp. You’ll see identical, if not worse, pictures than what the Flippo campaign posted.” (A Horsford spokesperson told POLITICO that he actually most recently went to the border last fall.) Told about the mixup, Coman was unfazed: “They bought it, so they can use it for whatever they want.” CONGRESS
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Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) wears a pair of "Gatorade" Air Jordan 1s. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | BATTLE FOR THE SOLE OF THE NATION — Our colleagues Sam Stein and Nicholas Wu talk with Rep. JARED MOSKOWITZ (D-Fla.), who is pushing to make the halls of the Capitol a little more sneaker-friendly. Yesterday, Moskowitz — who says he owns 150 pairs of sneakers — sent a letter to Speaker KEVIN McCARTHY requesting a meeting to discuss lifting the ban on sneakers inside the Speaker’s Lobby, with an eye to eventually doing the same for lawmakers. “Obviously, there is tradition here,” Moskowitz said in an interview with POLITICO. “But Congress is getting younger. Traditions change. No one is wearing a wig around the Capitol anymore.” THE LOAN LURCH — “House Republicans introduce their own student loan debt plan,” by NBC’s Kyle Stewart BANK SHOT — “Sherrod Brown, Tim Scott float tougher bank CEO penalties after Warren rift,” by Eleanor Mueller DANGEROUS CREATURE — “‘Blood on your hands’: Duckworth blasts Sinema for pilot training proposal,” by Irie Sentner 2024 WATCH ASA COME, ASA GO — “RNC shuts down Hutchinson’s push to amend loyalty pledge amid Trump indictment drama,” by Natalie Allison and Steve Shepard: “In light of Donald Trump’s indictment for his handling of classified documents, former Arkansas Gov. ASA HUTCHINSON’s campaign on Wednesday requested a meeting with RNC officials about amending the loyalty pledge … RNC leaders declined to make any changes to debate requirements and told the staffer the committee is ‘not dealing with hypotheticals’ on Trump’s legal fate.” THE WHITE HOUSE HAPPENING TODAY — “Biden will mark the anniversary of a gun safety law signed after the Uvalde, Texas, school massacre,” by AP’s Colleen Long LABOR PAINS — The White House is hopeful that JULIE SU’s involvement in closing a deal between West Coast dockworkers and shippers will help clinch her nomination for Labor secretary, AP’s Seung Min Kim and Stephen Groves report. Some in the Senate have had doubts about Su’s experience in worker negotiations or her perceived anti-business positions, but Biden world is optimistic that her role in sealing the tentative deal will assuage those fears. The Biden administration has scrambled to gather the 50 Democratic votes needed for her confirmation, given that no Republicans have supported her on record. There are fears that Sens. JOE MANCHIN (D-W.Va.) and KYRSTEN SINEMA (I-Ariz.) will vote against her, given that Manchin this week has voted against three Biden nominees and Sinema could reject a union-friendly nominee because of her affinity with business groups. KARMA’S A RELAXING THOUGHT — “How Biden and Taylor Swift beat Ticketmaster,” by L.A. Times’ Owen Tucker-Smith
| | | | A message from The Coalition to Protect America's Regional Airports:   Take action now to protect regional airports. | | | TRUMP CARDS BANNER YEAR — Erica Orden has a rundown of just how many trials Trump is set to appear in within the next year: “On Thursday, a federal judge set a trial date of Jan. 15, 2024, for a trial over a defamation lawsuit brought against the former president by writer E. JEAN CARROLL.” The timeline: “This October, Trump and his company are already set to go on trial in a civil fraud lawsuit brought by the New York attorney general. On Jan. 29, 2024, a trial is scheduled in a federal class action lawsuit accusing Trump and his company of promoting a pyramid scheme. And on March 25, 2024, he’ll face a jury on New York state criminal charges that he falsified business records in connection with hush money payments to a porn star.” CANNON FODDER — Judge AILEEN CANNON ordered yesterday that all attorneys in Trump’s documents case must obtain security clearances from the Justice Department, Kyle Cheney writes. “Cannon ordered the attorneys to file a ‘notice of compliance’ by June 20, a relatively rapid pace.” POLICY CORNER CHARGE WARS — “Elon Musk’s electric car chargers are squeezing out Washington’s favorite,” by James Bikales: “The still-burgeoning electric vehicle market is facing a split between two incompatible charging standards.” THE PERSISTENT PANDEMIC — “FDA advisers recommend updating the coronavirus vaccine to target XBB,” by WaPo’s Carolyn Johnson AMERICA AND THE WORLD AIRMAN INDICTED — JACK TEIXEIRA, the Massachusetts Air National Guardsman who posted secret intelligence reports and sensitive material on the social media platform Discord, was indicted yesterday on six counts of “retaining and transmitting classified national defense information,” reports NYT’s Glenn Thrush. He could face up to 60 years in prison if convicted. HACK JOB — “Cyberattack Hits U.S. National Lab, Nuclear Waste Site,” by Bloomberg’s Ari Natter BEYOND THE BELTWAY MR. CHARM — “DeSantis’ budget vetoes include projects from GOP lawmakers who didn’t endorse him,” by Gary Fineout in Tallahassee, Fla. TV TONIGHT — PBS’ “Washington Week,” guest-moderated by John Yang: Sadie Gurman, Domenico Montanaro, Toluse Olorunnipa and Charlie Savage. SUNDAY SO FAR … ABC “This Week”: Asa Hutchinson. Panel: Donna Brazile, Larry Hogan, Rick Klein and Rachael Bade. CBS “Face the Nation”: Preet Bharara … H.R. McMaster … Bill Barr. CNN “State of the Union”: Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio). FOX “Fox News Sunday”: Vivek Ramaswamy … Retired Gen. Jack Keane … Louie Giglio. Panel: Francesca Chambers, Mario Parker, Marc Short and Elizabeth Wydra. NBC “Meet the Press”: Mike Pence. Panel: Peter Baker, Stephen Hayes, Hallie Jackson and Kimberly Atkins Stohr. MSNBC “Inside with Jen Psaki”: John Bolton … Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) … Maryland Gov. Wes Moore.
| | | | SUBSCRIBE TO POWER SWITCH: The energy landscape is profoundly transforming. Power Switch is a daily newsletter that unlocks the most important stories driving the energy sector and the political forces shaping critical decisions about your energy future, from production to storage, distribution to consumption. Don’t miss out on Power Switch, your guide to the politics of energy transformation in America and around the world. SUBSCRIBE TODAY. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | John Kennedy is unhappy with the quality of modern dishwashers. Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s podcasting deal with Spotify is kaput. Nusrat Choudhury became the first Muslim woman confirmed as a federal judge yesterday. Mike Pence announced a new book co-written with his daughter Charlotte. Marty the Moose got stuck waiting for a members-only elevator. Bill de Blasio was fined a whopping $474,794 by the NYC Conflicts of Interest board. OUT AND ABOUT — Ryan Nickel, Bridgett Frey and Jon Kott hosted their monthly Dem Communicators happy hour at Wundergarten yesterday evening. SPOTTED: Anthony Coley, Justin Goodman, Katey McCutcheon, Sam Runyon, Alexandria Phillips, Shaniqua McClendon, Sarah Feldman and Joel Payne. — SPOTTED at a going-away party for Tom Perriello, who is leaving his post as executive director of Open Society-U.S., at the Watergate Hotel last night: Maya Wiley, Cecila Munoz, Rashad Robinson, Laleh Ispahani, Maurice Mitchell, Mike Pan, Mike Lux, Barry Lynn, Leah Greenberg and Kaniela Ing. — SPOTTED at an AEI alumni dinner at Ambar Capitol Hill yesterday evening: Annie Kowalewski, Ally Schwartz, James Mismash, Hallie Coyne, Katie Earle, Lance Kokonos, Trey Hicks and James Cunningham. — SPOTTED at Bloomberg’s New Voices, Black Executive Cohort Launch at the National Museum of African American History and Culture yesterday: Ray McGuire, Laura Zelenko, Shartia Brantley, Mario Parker, Stacy-Marie Ishmael, Peggy Collins, Akayla Gardner, Christian Hall, Anna Johnson, Reggie Love, Kia Floyd, Ella Mbaeri, Latasha Austin, Caroline Gage, Julissa Marenco, Andrew Morris, Reto Gregori, Kailey Leinz and Jamiyl Peters. WHITE HOUSE DEPARTURE LOUNGE — Rob Flaherty, Biden’s digital director, is leaving the White House and is expected to join the president’s reelect campaign, per AP’s Zeke Miller. TRANSITIONS — Adam Bozzi has joined the Democratic staff on the House Administration Committee as a senior advisor. He most recently served as an executive VP at End Citizens United and is a Michael Bennet and Harry Reid alum. … Scott Friedman is joining Altana as VP of government affairs. He most recently was a senior policy adviser to former Rep. John Katko (R-N.Y.) and is a DHS and CISA alum. WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Hannah Bruce Huey, principal at Molly Allen Associates and Daniel Huey, partner at Something Else Strategies, welcomed Oliver Bruce Huey on Wednesday. Pic HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Playbook’s own Zack Stanton … Rep. Jason Smith (R-Mo.) … Don McGahn … Yahoo News’ Michael Isikoff … Phil Singer of Marathon Strategies … Handshake’s Liz Bourgeois … NPR’s Steve Inskeep … POLITICO’s Madison Fernandez and Sophie Gardner … PBS NewsHour’s Rachel Wellford … Cook Political Report’s Jessica Taylor … Demand Justice’s Colin Diersing … Michael Quibuyen … Matt Gruda … AP’s Indira Lakshmanan … Matthew Bartlett … Mark Tapscott … Frank Sánchez of CNS Global Advisors ... James Kim of the American Cleaning Institute … Rocky Deal … former Rep. Robert Hurt (R-Va.) … Reid Wilson … Ryan Yeager … Angela Kelley … Morgan Viña of the Jewish Institute for National Security of America 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: Wednesday’s Playbook misidentified what state Gabe Vasquez represents. It is New Mexico.
| | | | A message from The Coalition to Protect America's Regional Airports: A recent analysis by the Federal Aviation Administration found that adding more than two dozen daily round-trip flights at DCA would increase the number of flight delays by as much as 33.33%. With DCA already accommodating 9 million more passengers per year than it was designed to handle and over 900 flights each day, changing the slot and perimeter rules would cause increased delays, congestion, and even jeopardize safety. The Coalition to Protect America’s Regional Airports opposes any changes to the slot and perimeter rules to ensure safe travel and to protect connectivity. Learn more. | | | | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
