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Presented by PhRMA: POLITICO's must-read briefing on what's driving the afternoon in Washington. | | | | | |  | | By Eli Okun and Garrett Ross | | | SHOCK IN HAITI — “Gunmen assassinated Haitian President JOVENEL MOÏSE and wounded his wife in their home early Wednesday,” report AP’s Evens Sanon and Dánica Coto. “In [a] statement, [interim PM CLAUDE ] JOSEPH said some of the attackers … spoke Spanish or English and were highly trained and heavily armed.” — President JOE BIDEN told reporters today that the assassination is “very worrisome,” and the White House put out a statement saying the U.S. stands “ready to assist.” More from Quint Forgey TO RUSSIA, WITH LOVE … After leading a Situation Room meeting this morning on ransomware attacks, Biden was asked on his way out of D.C. what his message would be to Russian President VLADIMIR PUTIN. “I will deliver it to him,” Biden said. IF YOU CAN’T JOIN ’EM, BEAT ’EM — “Trump sues Big Tech CEOs,” by Axios’ Sara Fischer: “[Former President] DONALD TRUMP, who has complained about censorship by social media giants, filed class action lawsuits Wednesday against Facebook CEO MARK ZUCKERBERG, Twitter CEO JACK DORSEY and … SUNDAR PICHAI [the CEO of Alphabet, the parent company of Google and YouTube]. … “The filing, Trump said, seeks immediate injunctive relief to allow the prompt restoration [of] his social media accounts. He also said he is asking the court to impose ‘punitive damages’ on the three social media giants.” — Quite the argument: The separate complaints against Facebook, Twitter and YouTube sue the tech behemoths on First Amendment grounds — even though they’re private companies — by making the claim that their “status rises beyond that of a private company to that of a state actor.” — NYT’s Nick Corasaniti notes that Trump is already fundraising off the lawsuits. — Reuters’ Brad Heath points out that the Facebook and Twitter lawsuits are filed in Florida, even though both companies’ terms of service require suits against them to be brought in California. — A reminder of what led to this: “Trump was permanently banned from Twitter and suspended indefinitely from Facebook and Instagram in response to posts he made surrounding the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol led by supporters of his.” — At his press conference, Trump responded to questions about his behavior during Jan. 6 — which he called “an unfortunate event” — by blaming the police for shooting insurrectionist ASHLI BABBITT, and complaining about the treatment of other rioters. — Just noting: This lawsuit could end up forcing Trump to testify about Jan. 6 under oath. WHICH LEADS US TO … “My Kevin’s” next big decision: whom to pick for the select committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection. — Olivia Beavers has the details: “Among [KEVIN] MCCARTHY’S members who have already lived through two Trump impeachments, some want the GOP leader to pick fighters skilled enough to withstand a months-long bombardment from Democrats trying to use the select committee to spotlight the former president’s role in the deadly Capitol attack led by his supporters. “But the House Republicans most eager to serve on the Jan. 6 panel are the party’s firebrands, more practiced at crafting viral clips of verbal attacks than they are at making a sustained, credible case against top Democratic oversight practitioners. That leaves McCarthy with the tricky task of tapping the right mix of select committee appointments — and the Republicans he picks must be prepared to go toe to toe with one of their own.” Good Wednesday afternoon. Important update on this morning’s Playbook: Press secretary JEN PSAKI said on Air Force One today, “Let’s make BIF happen.” | | | | A message from PhRMA: Out-of-pocket costs shouldn’t be out-of-this-world confusing. If we fix insurance, we can fix out-of-pocket medicine costs. See how. | | | SHARING THE VACCINE — Psaki announced the U.S. is sending 1 million Johnson & Johnson doses to Bolivia and 1 million Pfizer doses to Paraguay. DAILY TRUMP SPIT TAKE — “Trump told chief of staff Hitler ‘did a lot of good things’, book says,” by The Guardian’s Martin Pengelly: “The remark from the former president on the 2018 trip [to Europe], which reportedly ‘stunned’ [chief of staff JOHN] KELLY … is reported in a new book by MICHAEL BENDER of the Wall Street Journal. … Bender reports that Trump made the remark during an impromptu history lesson in which Kelly ‘reminded the president which countries were on which side during the conflict’ and ‘connected the dots from the first world war to the second world war and all of Hitler’s atrocities’. … “In a statement, a Trump spokesperson, LIZ HARRINGTON, said: ‘This is totally false. President Trump never said this. It is made-up fake news, probably by a general who was incompetent and was fired.’ But Bender says unnamed sources reported that Kelly ‘told the president that he was wrong, but Trump was undeterred’, emphasizing German economic recovery under Hitler during the 1930s.” “Frankly, We Did Win This Election”: $14.99 THE JOBS/ANTITRUST NEXUS — “A Planned Biden Order Aims to Tilt the Job Market Toward Workers,” by NYT’s Neil Irwin: “This week, the White House is planning to release an executive order focused on competition policy. … The order will encourage the Federal Trade Commission to ban or limit noncompete agreements … It encourages the F.T.C. to ban ‘unnecessary’ occupational licensing restrictions … And it encourages the F.T.C. and Justice Department to further restrict the ability of employers to share information on worker pay in ways that might amount to collusion. “More broadly, the executive order encourages antitrust regulators to consider how mergers might contribute to so-called monopsony — conditions in which workers have few choices of where to work and therefore lack leverage to negotiate higher wages or better benefits. … It builds on years of research that has made its way from the intellectual fringes to the mainstream.” THE RECONCILIATION DEBATES — “Democrats Split Over Measures to Cut Drug Prices,” by WSJ’s Kristina Peterson and Stephanie Armour: “Democrats are debating whether to fold an effort to cut drug prices — by allowing Medicare to negotiate — into a budget package or try to pass the measure on its own. … Many Democrats now see a budget package, which could clear the evenly divided Senate with just a simple majority, as their best shot at overhauling the system. But intraparty divisions over policy issues could complicate that path, and some lawmakers are advocating for making more modest changes with GOP support.” | | | | SUBSCRIBE TO WEST WING PLAYBOOK: Add West Wing Playbook to keep up with the power players, latest policy developments and intriguing whispers percolating inside the West Wing and across the highest levels of the Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today. | | | | | CASH DASH — Q2 RESULTS ROLLING IN … — “GOP committee to elect Republican officials at state level touts record fundraising haul,” by Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser: “The Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC) will announce on Wednesday that, along with its strategic policy partner, the State Government Leadership Foundation, it hauled in a combined $6.5 million in fundraising during the April-June quarter, which the RSLC said is the most it’s ever brought in in the second quarter of an odd year.” — NYT’s @ShaneGoldmacher: “New: ActBlue processed almost $599.6 million in the first six months of 2021, according to its online ticker. That’s about half of first six months of 2020 but $180 million more than first six months of 2019. Biggest month was March ($115.8m); smallest was April ($85m).” — “Sen. Mark Kelly raises $6 million in second quarter for 2022 Senate race,” by the Arizona Republic’s Yvonne Wingett Sanchez — “Two NC Democrats report their fundraising in Senate race. Where do they stand?” by the News & Observer’s Brian Murphy: “Democratic U.S. Senate candidate CHERI BEASLEY raised $1.28 million in her first eight weeks in the race … State Sen. JEFF JACKSON … raised more than $700,000 in the second quarter.” THE NEW FAR-RIGHT STRATEGY — “QAnon’s new ‘plan’? Run for school board,” by NBC’s Ben Collins: “[M]any people who spout QAnon’s false claims have hatched a new plan: run for school board or local office, spread the gospel of Q, but don’t call it QAnon. … “[The movement] comes as many local meetings have emerged in recent months as cultural flashpoints in a broader battle over the perceived encroachment of race-conscious education — sometimes separately lumped together under the label critical race theory. In California and Pennsylvania, people who previously espoused QAnon have run for school board positions, sometimes melding conspiracy theories with anti-CRT sentiment.” HITTING THEM WHERE IT HURTS — “Biden targets children, spouses in visa crackdown on world’s villains,” by Nahal Toosi: “Since taking office, the administration has eagerly embraced visa bans as a means to punish bad actors overseas for everything from alleged corruption to human rights abuses. And thanks to steps taken by Congress in recent years, the administration is better able to publicize what previously would have been confidential visa decisions. … “What makes the visa bans extra potent … is that they can be — and often automatically are — applied to the primary target’s immediate family. As a result, officials hope would-be perpetrators will think twice about making a bad move if a spouse or a child could pay a price. … What’s not certain is whether embracing visa bans will ultimately make a significant difference in the broader struggle … Still, initial signs suggest that the Biden administration’s visa decisions are rattling certain circles abroad, a senior State Department official said.” With some juicy details from the lifestyles of the rich and famous PULLOUT FALLOUT — “Taliban battle their way into western Afghan city,” BBC: “All government officials in Qala-e-Naw, provincial capital of Badghis province, had been moved to a nearby army base, the local governor told the BBC. He said the militants were moving ‘towards the centre of the city’ and there was heavy fighting with government troops. … Local sources told the BBC the Taliban moved on the prison in Qala-e-Naw and freed about 400 inmates, including more than 100 of the group’s fighters.” | | | | SUBSCRIBE TO WOMEN RULE : The Women Rule newsletter explores how women, in Washington and beyond, shape the world, and how the news — from the pandemic to the latest laws coming out of statehouses — impacts women. With expert policy analysis, incisive interviews and revelatory recommendations on what to read and whom to watch, this is a must-read for executives, professionals and rising leaders to understand how what happens today affects the future for women and girls. Subscribe to the Women Rule newsletter today. | | | | | GREAT POWER COMPETITION — “U.S.-China Rivalry Has Biden Giving Government Wider Role to Review Deals,” by WSJ’s Alex Leary and Katy Stech Ferek: “A low-profile government committee that reviews business deals for national security concerns is receiving expanded emphasis as part of the Biden administration’s plan to compete with China. “The Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S., or Cfius, is looking to share information with similar review bodies set up by allies and is paying closer attention to Biden priorities, including securing supply chains. … The evolving mission means the multiagency panel led by the Treasury Department is set to be a linchpin in the Biden presidency’s plans to square off with the world’s second largest economy and potential peer competitor of the U.S.” SCOTUS WRAP-UP — “Trump’s Supreme Court shrinks from controversy,” by Josh Gerstein: “Although the court continued to move in a conservative direction and split along the usual ideological lines as it handed down major 6-3 decisions on voting rights and dark money disclosure, divides on the right were also vividly on display in a series of high-profile cases this term, including the latest challenge to Obamacare and a case over a Catholic social services group’s obligation to deal with same-sex couples seeking to become foster parents. … “To conservative activists, every disappointment conjures up fears anchored in recent history … There haven’t been many boldly conservative decisions from the Trump appointees so far … Liberal legal activists say their critiques of the Trump appointees were well-justified and the idea that conservatives should feel buyers’ remorse is absurd.” FOR YOUR RADAR — “Air Force Found Largely Responsible for Texas Church Shooting,” by WSJ’s Dan Frosch and Elizabeth Findell: “A federal judge ruled that the U.S. Air Force bears most of the responsibility for the 2017 mass shooting at a church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, because it failed to enter the shooter’s criminal history into a federal background check database used for gun purchases.” CLICKER — “Where is Trump’s White House staff now? We created a searchable database of more than 327 top staffers to show where they all landed,” by Insider’s Robin Bravender, Tom LoBianco, Kimberly Leonard, C. Ryan Barber, Tina Sfondeles, Jessica Davies, Sawyer Click, Darren Samuelsohn and Taylor Tyson MEDIAWATCH — “USA Today will make readers pay for its website, joining other top news outlets,” NYT … USA Today’s note to readers MEDIA MOVES — Cristiano Lima will join WaPo to anchor The Technology 202 newsletter. He currently is a tech reporter at POLITICO. Announcement — NBC’s D.C. bureau announced some staff reshuffling today: Carrie Dann is now senior Washington producer, Haley Talbot is now a producer and off-air reporter covering Capitol Hill, and Julie Tsirkin is now a field producer and off-air reporter covering Capitol Hill. STAFFING UP — Ryan Zamarripa is now a special assistant to the U.S. Trade Representative. He most recently was associate director of economic policy at the Center for American Progress. TRANSITIONS — Laurel Powell is now deputy director of comms at Human Rights Campaign. She previously was director of media relations and advocacy comms at Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio. … Kate Currie is now comms director for Rep. Greg Murphy (R-N.C.). She most recently was a press assistant for Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) and is a Denver Riggleman alum. … … Jessica Humphrey is joining Catalist as chief technology officer. She currently is director of membership, data and analytics for the American Federation of Teachers. … Morning Consult’s commercial team has added Meghan Moran (previously at Purple Strategies) and Christopher Bissex (previously at Hanover Research). — “NBC’s Mark Kornblau heading to SoftBank,” by Axios’ Sara Fischer ENGAGED — Jenni Geurink, deputy comms director for the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Democrats, and Garrett Littlejohn, staff/press assistant for the House Science Committee Republicans, got engaged on Saturday while canoeing on the Potomac. The two met at Little Miss Whiskey’s on H Street. Pic … Another pic | | | | A message from PhRMA:   The way insurance covers your medicine is too complicated. See how we can make the system work for patients. 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