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Presented by Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center: Delivered daily, Influence gives you a comprehensive rundown and analysis of all lobby hires and news on K Street. | | | | |  | | By Caitlin Oprysko | | | With help from Daniel Lippman DOWNTOWN KICKS INTO GEAR TO BUST JOINT EMPLOYER RULE: Dozens of Washington’s top trade associations revved up their campaign to dismantle the Biden administration’s new joint employer rule, throwing their support behind a congressional resolution that would overturn it. — Another coalition of trade groups, meanwhile, made good on their threats to take the National Labor Relations Board to court seeking to block the proposal, which was released last month and is set to go into effect in a matter of weeks. — The new rule, which replaces a more business-friendly joint employer standard put in place during the Trump administration, sets a higher bar for businesses to prove that they should not be considered co-employer of workers at their contractors and franchises — potentially subjecting companies to bargaining obligations or greater liability for labor law violations involving franchisees or contractors. — Sixty business trade associations representing a broad range of industries signed on to a letter to the Hill today urging lawmakers to support a Congressional Review Act resolution introduced by Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Reps. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) and John James (R-Mich.). — “This misguided rule will harm millions of workers and small businesses across the country, and we urge you to vote to protect your constituents from the NLRB’s overreach,” reads the letter, which was organized by the Coalition to Save Local Businesses and was signed by the American Hospital Association, American Trucking Associations, Associated Builders and Contractors, FMI – The Food Industry Association, International Foodservice Distributors Association, International Franchise Association, the National Association of Manufacturers, the National Federation of Independent Business, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and more. — At the same time, the Chamber and around a dozen trade groups moved to challenge the joint employer rule in court, filing a joint lawsuit against the NLRB and its four principals and alleging that the new rule “is as destabilizing as it is unlawful.” — The suit, which was filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, was joined by the American Hotel and Lodging Association, Associated Builders and Contractors, Associated General Contractors of America, the Coalition for a Democratic Workplace, the International Franchise Association, the Longview Chamber of Commerce, the National Retail Federation, the National Association of Convenience Stores, the Restaurant Law Center, Texas Association of Business and Texas Restaurant Association. Happy Thursday and welcome to PI. Send tips: coprysko@politico.com. And be sure to follow me on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter: @caitlinoprysko.
| | A message from Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center: The Hopkins Bloomberg Center is Washington’s newest source for research-driven insights that inform policy and shape the future of our world. Here, top policymakers and global leaders convene with experts from Johns Hopkins University to tackle some of the world’s most pressing issues, from international relations to artificial intelligence and beyond. Learn more about where Washington comes to think. | | | ANNALS OF FUNDRAISING: New House Speaker Mike Johnson will host his first D.C. fundraiser at the end of this month, Punchbowl News reports. Jeff Miller, the Miller Strategies founder and top fundraiser and ally of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, will host the Nov. 30 reception along with Altria chief lobbyist Todd Walker. — Just getting in the door will cost a chunk of change — tickets start at $10,000 to attend a reception and dinner with Johnson and over half a dozen GOP committee chairs. Hosts for the fundraiser need only chip in a mere $1 million, while a quarter million dollars will grant bundlers co-host status. — On the other side of the aisle, lobbyists at theGROUP D.C. will host a fundraiser next month for Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), who’s running for the Senate seat being vacated by Tom Carper’s retirement next year. Jorge Aguilar, Art Collins, Sudafi Henry, Saul Hernandez, Kwabena Nsiah, Estefanía Rodriguez and Darrel Thompson will host a breakfast reception for Blunt Rochester on Dec. 1, according to an invite obtained by PI. Tickets start at $500 for guests and go up to $2,500 to be named a host and $5,000 to be named a chair. THIEL SPEAKS: Palantir co-founder and Republican financier Peter Thiel has taken a drastic new step in his bid to remain on the sidelines of next year’s presidential election, demanding that vow be published in a piece out today from The Atlantic’s Barton Gellman. — “Thiel’s hope was that this article would ‘lock me into not giving any money to Republican politicians in 2024,’ he said. ‘There’s always a chance I might change my mind. But by talking to you, it makes it hard for me to change my mind. My husband doesn’t want me to give them any more money, and he’s right. I know they’re going to be pestering me like crazy. And by talking to you, it’s going to lock me out of the cycle for 2024.’” — “This matters because of Thiel’s unique role in the American political ecosystem. He is the techiest of tech evangelists, the purest distillation of Silicon Valley’s reigning ethos. As such, he has become the embodiment of a strain of thinking that is pronounced—and growing—among tech founders.” — “And why does he want to cut off politicians? It’s not that they are mediocre as individuals, and therefore incapable of bringing about the kinds of civilization-defining changes a man like him would expect to see. His disappointment runs deeper than that. Their failure to make the world conform to his vision has soured him on the entire enterprise — to the point where he no longer thinks it matters very much who wins the next election.”
| | | | GET READY FOR POLITICO’S DEFENSE SUMMIT ON 11/14: Russia’s war on Ukraine … China’s threats to Taiwan … a war in Gaza. The U.S. is under increasing pressure to deter, defend and fight in more ways — but not everyone agrees how. Join POLITICO's 3rd Annual Defense Summit on November 14 for exclusive interviews and expert discussions on global security and the U.S.'s race to bolster alliances and stay ahead of adversaries. Explore critical topics, including international conflicts, advanced technology, spending priorities and political dynamics shaping global defense strategies. Don’t miss these timely and important discussions. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | GUMMING UP THE WORKS: “Senate Democrats seeking to hold the Supreme Court accountable for ethical lapses by going after the wealthy benefactors of some of the most conservative justices were stymied by Republicans during a scheduled vote on issuing subpoenas Thursday,” Bloomberg’s Emily Birnbaum reports. — “Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats postponed their vote on subpoenaing GOP donor Harlan Crow and conservative fundraiser Leonard Leo after their Republican counterparts proposed more than 80 amendments, according to committee Chair Dick Durbin. Durbin said the committee still plans to forge ahead with the subpoenas, which do not require GOP support, at a future date.” — “The subpoenas to Crow and Leo serve a purpose beyond aiding the committee’s investigation into judicial ethics. They could create a new level of scrutiny on the wealthy people who develop close ties with Supreme Court justices and potentially disincentivize the kind of extensive giving that has shocked the public this year, court watchers said.” — “‘The Senate taking action helps to reinforce what should be the norm, which is that people don’t get to pay for special access to Supreme Court justices,’ said Lisa Graves, the Senate Judiciary Committee’s former chief counsel of nominations, who’s now a researcher and advocate for court ethics.” — “Though Crow and Leo aren’t accused of illegal conduct, Democrats say the subpoenas are needed to determine whether the justices acted improperly and could shine a light on their personal lifestyles.” SPOTTED at The Bazaar by José Andrés last night for a party to celebrate Invariant founder and CEO Heather Podesta’s recent marriage to filmmaker Stephen Kessler, per a tipster: Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Ed Markey (D-Mass.), House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark, Reps. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.), Ted Lieu (D-Calif.), Jim Himes (D-Conn.) and Darrell Issa (R-Calif.); Adelmania Consulting’s Marc Adelman, the CHIPS Program Office’s Adrienne Elrod, Haddad Media’s Tammy Haddad, Hilary Rosen, Financial Technology Association’s Penny Lee, Megan Murphy, actor Lisa Edelstein, Yebbie Watkins of Rep. Jim Clyburn’s (D-S.C.) office, FedEx’s Gina Adams, Paul Tetreault of Ford’s Theatre, Washingtonian Magazine’s Cathy Merrill, Ridgely Walsh’s Juleanna Glover, Jones Day’s Don McGahn, Irish Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason, Monumental Sports & Entertainment’s Monica Dixon and Robert and Elena Allbritton.
| | | | A message from Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center:   | | | | | — Jasmine Stoughton is now R&D public engagement specialist in the Commerce Department’s CHIPS for America office. She was previously director of the Mosaic Project at the Progressive Policy Institute. — Marv McMoore Jr. has joined Purple Strategies as director of paid media strategy. He was previously a senior vice president at SKDK leading the digital advertising team for Wes Moore, Climate Power and the DSCC's Georgia work, and is a Pete Buttigieg campaign alum. — Itai Grinberg is now an adviser to climate technology company Crux. He is a Georgetown Law professor and former deputy assistant secretary for tax policy at the Treasury Department. — Meaghan Byrne is now director for defense, space, critical and emerging technology at the U.S.-India Strategic Partnership Forum. She most recently was a legislative fellow for Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-Pa.). — Elizabeth North is now vice president for strategy and development at the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions. She most recently served as vice president for development at Trout Unlimited. — Sarah Gruen is now director of speechwriting for the U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield. She previously served as a senior director at West Wing Writers. — Nicole Titus is joining NP Agency as a senior vice president. She most recently was national grassroots fundraising director for the DCCC’s 2022 cycle. — Lauren Chou will be comms director for Debbie Mucarsel-Powell’s Florida Senate campaign. She most recently was deputy director of campaign communications for EMILY’s List. — Victoria Graham is joining NASA’s Office of Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs. She previously was director of operations for Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-Md.).
| | | | PLAYBOOK IS GOING GLOBAL! We’re excited to introduce Global Playbook, POLITICO’s premier newsletter that brings you inside the most important conversations at the most influential events in the world. From the buzzy echoes emanating from the snowy peaks at the WEF in Davos to the discussions and personalities at Milken Global in Beverly Hills, to the heart of diplomacy at UNGA in New York City – author Suzanne Lynch brings it all to your fingertips. Experience the elite. Witness the influential. And never miss a global beat. BE PART OF THE CONVERSATION. SUBSCRIBE NOW. | | | | | | | | | Masters Victory Committee (Blake Masters for Congress, Right Arizona, Take Back Arizona PAC)
| | CONSERVATIVE AMERICANS PAC (Super PAC) Future Focused Dems (Hybrid PAC) Relativity Space Political Action Committee (Relativity PAC) (PAC)
| | New Lobbying REGISTRATIONS | | Bose Public Affairs Group: Cannabis Freedom Alliance Capitol Counsel LLC: Tempus Labs, Inc. Forbes-Tate: H2 Global Technologies Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP: Hoya Optical Labs Of America, Inc. Huxley Rock LLC: Omar Harfouch Kaplan Kirsch & Rockwell LLP: City Of Dallas National Group, LLP: Connecticut Public Broadcasting Tradewins, LLC: Hogan Lovells US LLP (On Behalf Of Becton Dickinson & Co.)
| | New Lobbying Terminations | | Alpha Strategies, LLC: Aerovanti, Inc. Capitol Knowledge, LLC: Calypso Ai Conaway Graves Group, LLC: Association For Digital Asset Markets (Adam) National Grocers Association: National Grocers Association Unica - Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association: Unica - Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association
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