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By Megan Messerly |
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With help from Eli Okun, Ali Bianco and Irie Sentner Good Saturday morning from Washington, back from a whirlwind 58 hours in Dallas — and hoping everyone else made it home safe and sound. With 52 days until the midterms, let’s get to it. We’ll start in New York, where Adam has the inside details from a fundraiser with former President Barack Obama. Get in touch. SCOOP: Obama and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries raised $3.5 million Thursday for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee at a Manhattan fundraiser, according to two people familiar with the matter who were granted anonymity to discuss a closed-press event. “I’ve always been a big believer that the single-most important thing to winning elections is to have candidates who are connected with and understand the districts they seek to represent,” Obama said at the New-York Historical Society, according to a transcript of remarks obtained by Playbook. Obama underscored the need for diversity — and not just racial diversity. “When we say, ‘Look, if you believe in certain core values about opportunity and equality and justice and the common good, then there is going to be some flexibility in how all our different candidates come to those issues,’” Obama said. “I think you have done a very good job of that, and that is why I am optimistic.” Jeffries said those candidates had been inspired by Obama, who is still widely viewed as the leader of the party and entering the midterms as a kind of former-player-turned-coach. He name-checked candidates like Johnny Garcia in Texas’ 35th with a background as a hostage negotiator — “pretty good skill for the United States Congress,” Jeffries quipped — plus Tejano singer Bobby Pulido and smokejumper Sam Forstag in Montana. Obama also praised Jeffries. “I think his steady leadership during these difficult times has been extraordinarily important, and I cannot wait for him to have the gavel as speaker of the House of Representatives,” he said.
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DRIVING THE DAY |
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Dallas was the Donald Trump show. But offstage, Republicans were already rehearsing what comes next. From parties Tuesday and Wednesday night at the Rustic bar in Uptown Dallas — where beer cans arranged like the American flag on one night loomed over Cabinet secretaries and lawmakers — to the Forum policy discussion in a swanky lounge in Irving, it was JD Vance’s name that was on everyone’s lips. “Everyone’s talking Vance,” MAGA podcaster Jack Posobiec told Playbook. “It felt like some of the other potential contenders were taking themselves out of the conversation,” he added, echoing comments others made to him at the convention. When the crowd chanted “48, 48” in the middle of Vance’s Thursday night speech, the VP shrugged it off: “We gotta take care of business this November, and then we'll worry about what comes next." On the November front — the VP plans to take his post-convention momentum on the road to gin up excitement ahead of the midterms, dividing and conquering the campaign trail with the president, according to a person familiar with his plans, who like others was granted anonymity to speak candidly. On Monday, he’ll be in the Kansas City area for an anti-fraud address and a MAGA Inc. political event. Dallas’ electric reception of his speech exemplified the private urgency top Republicans brought to the convention in the hope of mapping out their party’s future. To many, the VP’s address felt like a presidential nomination acceptance speech he might give two years from now. One person who spent time with Vance loyalists in Dallas told Playbook they were “feeling themselves” this week, especially with Secretary of State Marco Rubio underscoring he has “no plans” to run for president in 2028. “It sure feels like it’s not in question that it’ll be him,” the person said. “It’s hard to describe. Like an aura that they know they are next.” Vance got a “very warm” reception at an RNC lunch at the Ritz on Thursday, according to two people in the room. The VP “mostly just highlighted radical things the Democratic candidates are saying,” one of the people said. “It has definitely been the Trump show, understandably,” the person said. But “people [are] beginning to think more seriously about what the next campaign looks like, how JD will campaign and lead, etc.” While that room wasn’t particularly young, the person added that “the younger the audience, the warmer is his reception.” That kind of younger audience gathered 11 miles northwest of the convention for panel discussions on the future of the GOP. Vance, and his more populist vision for that future, dominated a discussion on affordability, populism and the future of the Republican Party, including the VP’s reported push to extend child care subsidies to stay-at-home parents — a proposal that sparked yet another debate in conservative circles on X.
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Ryan Williams, president of the Claremont Institute, which runs several fellowship programs for conservatives, said the conversation is indicative of where the next generation of young Republicans wants their party to head. “The default position among them now is not that Trump can do no wrong, but it’s like, yeah, of course this is where we’re going, and of course it’s Vance, with a couple of dissenters, usually fellows who may have worked for House members or senators that have been in Washington since the Tea Party era,” Williams told Playbook. Vance’s momentum has been building since his most recent appearance in the White House press briefing room, which earned plaudits from even skeptical conservatives. Terry Schilling, president of the American Principles Project, described Vance’s turn behind the podium last week as the vice president’s version of Trump’s golden escalator moment. “I think if you polled that [convention] room, 90, 95 percent of the room is behind JD. He's the heir apparent,” Schilling said. “I do think that the party is starting to centralize around JD.” But even Vance fans grudgingly concede they can’t rule out a competitive GOP primary. “Republicans like to fight amongst ourselves, so I think we will see a competitive primary. I wish we wouldn't — makes my job easier if we don't,” Nevada GOP Party Chairman Michael McDonald, an early supporter and adviser to Trump during his 2016 campaign, told Playbook in the halls of the American Airlines Center. “We have a really deep bench, but I think that deep bench is led by the vice president.”
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6 THINGS THAT STUCK WITH US 1. OVER A BARREL: The Iran war’s disruption of oil markets just intensified again. A crucial Saudi east-west pipeline shut down after drone attacks, while the Houthis advanced on the Bab al-Mandab Strait, all squeezing the oil export alternatives to the Strait of Hormuz. “This is the first day that Iran really started winning the war,” one Yemeni official told WaPo’s Rachel Chason and colleagues. Nonetheless, the Trump administration is considering some extraordinary alternatives — including the possibility of using the Defense Production Act to add capacity for oil refiners, Reuters’ Jarrett Renshaw scooped. What could make the Xi visit tense: U.S. officials have determined Iran got high-quality satellite images from Chinese entities prior to launching an attack on Jordan that took three American troops’ lives, WSJ’s Vera Bergengruen and colleagues scooped. It’s not clear that the Chinese government itself was involved, and the country has consistently denied any involvement by its companies. 2. REALITY CHECK: Republicans’ midterm convention was light on policy specifics for what they want to accomplish if they retain control of Congress, POLITICO’s Mia McCarthy reports. If a GOP trifecta continues, members are divided over what to prioritize, from more tax cuts to reducing government waste to immigration reform. Though Trump is doubling down on his divisive idea of sending $5,000 checks to every American, few other specifics are on offer. 3. TOP TALKER: “Ohio Senate campaign staffer used Nazi soldiers as profile photo,” by WaPo’s Liz Goodwin: “A top campaign staffer for Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio) once used a photo of SS soldiers as his Facebook profile photo and recently added to a public playlist of songs celebrating Rhodesia, a defunct White-minority-ruled nation often venerated by white supremacists.” Stephen Woytek, Husted’s political director, left the campaign after the Post inquired. Woytek said he’s “utterly heartbroken” and “reject[s] the racist and antisemitic ideology” of the Nazis, though he didn’t explain the Rhodesia Spotify playlist.
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A message from Anthropic:  
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4. BRAVE NEW WORLD: Worries about out-of-control artificial intelligence keep rising, most recently after WSJ’s Robert McMillan scooped that OpenAI agents being tested went rogue and launched a cyberattack earlier this year. But in Washington, a Senate bill that would tackle AI safety is still far from reaching bipartisan consensus, POLITICO’s Owen Dahlkamp reports, as disagreements over legislative language remain. 5. HEADS UP: The Interior Department last month rejected $25 million worth of projects in the country’s national parks, WaPo’s Jake Spring scooped. The more than 130 projects had already landed funding and were just awaiting final review by Interior. Joshua Tree National Park had the highest number of planned agreements disapproved. The rejections, which included projects like fire preparedness, have left staffers baffled. But the department said in a statement it wouldn’t work with “groups actively working against the best interests of the American people and the priorities of this administration.” Speaking of the parks: “Park officials pushed for a Grand Canyon trail to remain closed. Then the floods came,” by WaPo’s Brianna Sacks and colleagues: “Months before August’s deadly flash flood, current and former officials say they warned that the fire-ravaged North Kaibab Trail posed safety risks. It reopened anyway.” 6. AD IT UP: Iowa Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand is out with a pair of negative ads — backed by a $775,000 buy, according to the campaign — hitting his Republican opponent Zach Lahn for his time as an Americans for Prosperity operative working against Medicaid expansion in Montana, and using footage of Lahn from the 2017 documentary “Dark Money.” Watch “Montana” and “Garner.”
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POLITICO's Decoded Summit The future of AI policy is being defined in power centers from coast to coast. Join POLITICO's Decoded Summit – Washington, D.C. on Sept. 16 for conversations on AI regulation, global competition, enterprise adoption, and more.
Register for the livestream. |
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CLICKER — “The nation’s cartoonists on the week in politics,” edited by Matt Wuerker — 17 funnies
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GREAT WEEKEND READS AND TOP-EDS: — How much should we freak out about AI risk? Stephen Witt writes in the NYT that this is a watershed moment to address a very real threat, likening the present window to the early-2020 period when the world could have stopped Covid-19. Comprehensive regulation by Washington is urgently needed, he argues. — Trump’s false election-fraud claims have filtered through the GOP down to many local officials now involved in election administration, The Atlantic’s Toluse Olorunnipa reports. That raises the prospect of election subversion rearing its head in the midterms or 2028. — Albania’s Flamingo Revolution, a mass protest incited by Jared Kushner’s development project, is just the latest example of property disputes driving political turmoil in Europe’s fastest-growing country, Ian Thomson relays in his dispatch for The Spectator. — In Maine, The New Yorker’s Jesús Rodríguez follows Troy Jackson, who is connecting with voters in ways that one prominent backer compared to Trump — and some Mainers say he has a better chance to win than even Graham Platner did.
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Spencer Cox on America’s political divide In the latest episode of On the Road, Jonathan Martin sits down with Utah Gov. Spencer Cox to discuss his new book, Off Ramp, the future of the Republican Party, immigration reform and what he says it will take to rebuild trust and community in American life.
Watch now. |
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TALK OF THE TOWN |
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MEDIAWATCH — This was another brutal week for American journalism, as McClatchy slashed more than 90 unionized staffers at 17 outlets, the union said, per AP’s Jocelyn Noveck. One-third of those came at the Miami Herald, where one editor said ominously, “We are waist-deep in the quicksand and we are still sinking.” The Charlotte Observer lost its investigative reporters, and The Kansas City Star its government accountability reporters. The Sacramento Bee, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and multiple newspapers in Washington state were among the others hit. POOL REPORT — The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool contractor itself has blamed problems with the design and execution of its repairs, rather than President Donald Trump’s baseless vandalism claims, for the troubles at the pool, NYT’s David Fahrenthold and Maxine Joselow scooped. Atlantic Industrial Coatings cited its own errors in reports to the government. Nonetheless, the Interior Department continues to allege vandals messed up the coating. PLAYBOOK ARTS SECTION — Late last night, Trump called for a new 30-foot statue of George Washington to go up at the National Museum of American History, along with a special exhibit honoring him for nearly the next six years. More from the AP FOR YOUR RADAR — “Federal Judge Poised to Dismiss Lawsuit Challenging Trump’s Library,” by NYT’s Minho Kim: “The judge, in halting the pretrial fact-finding process, said President Trump’s claim of immunity could ‘dispose of the entire case’ involving the library to be built in Miami.” PLAYBOOK REAL ESTATE SECTION — Jeff Zients’ home in Northwest D.C. is coming soon to market for almost $19 million, Axios’ Mimi Montgomery scooped. The former White House chief of staff’s place has nine bedrooms, 11 baths, a pool, a pool house and a total of more than an acre of land. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: North Carolina AG Jeff Jackson … Max Boot … former Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) … Matt Lewis … Fox News’ Andrea DeVito … Kelsi Browning … Paradigm’s Ben Schreckinger … Greg Wetstone … former Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback … Jason Stverak … Novel Strategies’ John Stanford … Melissa Schulman … Liz Wroe of Leavitt Partners … Kimberly Breier … Anne Johnson of Grassroots Solutions … Brett Thompson … Marianna Deal of Deal Slatin Communications Group … John Lippman … Venable’s Alex Botting … Ed Moy … former Reps. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), Ben Chandler (D-Ky.) and Trey Hollingsworth (R-Ind.) … Pam Stevens … Zack Pohl of Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s office … AP’s Ashraf Khalil … Jill Alper … POLITICO’s Walt Houseknecht … Derek Robertson … NBC’s Tom Costello THE SHOWS (Full Sunday show listings here): CNN “State of the Union”: Speaker Mike Johnson … Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) … National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett. Panel: Scott Jennings, Shermichael Singleton, Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow and Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.). FOX “Fox News Sunday”: National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett … Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, Vermont Gov. Phil Scott, North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore … Lindy Li. Panel: Mollie Hemingway, Philip Wegmann and Juan Williams. ABC “This Week”: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries … Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) … Jacob Coxon … Martha Raddatz reuniting with Army Sgt. First Class Steve Workman and Lt. Kevin Shaeffer. Panel: Donna Brazile, Chris Christie, Ramesh Ponnuru and Astead Herndon. CBS “Face the Nation”: Utah Gov. Spencer Cox … Abdul El-Sayed … new polling with Anthony Salvanto. Panel: Amy Walter and Ed O’Keefe. NBC “Meet the Press”: Speaker Mike Johnson … Pete Buttigieg … Jacob Coxon. Panel: Ashley Etienne, Jonathan Martin and Marc Short. MS NOW “The Assignment with Antonia Hylton,” premiering this weekend: Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.) … Eddie Fishman … Maya Wiley … Molly Jong-Fast. NewsNation “The Hill Sunday”: Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.). Panel: Margaret Talev, Ken Thomas and Matt Welch. PBS “Compass Points”: Deborah Loewer … Rob Hargis. 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 Giuseppe Macri and deputy editor Garrett Ross.
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