Texas abortion law becomes a GOP ’24 litmus test

By Eugene Daniels

It’s spreading.

Just days after Texas’ unprecedented, restrictive anti-abortion law took effect, Republicans around the country are looking to import it. “GOP officials in at least seven states, including Arkansas, Florida, South Carolina and South Dakota, have suggested they may review or amend their states’ laws to mirror Texas’s,” write WaPo’s Meryl Kornfield, Caroline Anders and Audra Heinrichs.

We can’t help but notice that many of those states have something in common: Republican governors with 2024 ambitions.

— South Dakota Gov. KRISTI NOEM is directing attorneys in her state office to review Texas’ law in order “to make sure we have the strongest pro life laws on the books.”

— Florida Gov. RON DESANTIS said his state would have to “look more significantly” at how Texas handled it, adding: “I welcome pro-life legislation,” he said. “What they did in Texas was interesting.”

— Arkansas Gov. ASA HUTCHINSON hailed the Supreme Court’s non-intervention on Texas’ law as a “procedural victory” for abortion opponents. He’s already signed a “heartbeat bill” into law that was blocked by a judge — and in the wake of the court’s non-intervention with Texas, the original sponsor of that bill is planning to update it to “mirror the Texas SB8 bill.”

— And don’t forget Gov. GREG ABBOTT, who signed the Texas bill into law, is also rumored to have aspirations for the Republican nomination.

It sets up a competitive dynamic where each would-be GOP nominee embraces a Texas-like law in order to avoid being outflanked by a potential rival. But in doing that, they effectively put the issue front and center — politically dicey for the general election — and ensure that all Republican candidates will be asked about it.

— And when they are, “they better have an answer ready,” writes Washington Free Beacon’s Matthew Continetti in a piece imagining how this could backfire on conservatives. “And that answer better not sound like it came from TODD ‘legitimate rape’ AKIN, whose abortion-related gaffe in 2012 cost the GOP a Senate seat.”

A SPLIT IN BIDENLAND? — For months, the Biden White House has been effective at staying on message and preempting leaks about internal rancor. One notable exception flared up Friday, as WaPo’s Jeff Stein reported on the frustrations brewing throughout the administration over the upcoming unemployment benefits cliff — and what, according to Stein, many staffers see as President JOE BIDEN’s unwillingness to do anything about it.

Where we’re at: On Monday, roughly 10 million Americans will lose at least some unemployment benefits — including 7 million who will lose all benefits. That’s because the federal bump in state unemployment benefits will lapse, a decision made earlier this year, when Sen. JOE MANCHIN (D-W.Va.) announced his opposition to extending the boosted UI benefits past Labor Day. And the White House isn’t budging from that timeline.

All of it is feeding growing frustration at Biden, both within his own administration and among outside allies: There’s a cavalcade of voices in the story who are critical of Biden’s decision on this, ranging from the AFL-CIO to Dem-aligned think tanks (“This is the biggest benefits cliff in American history,” says JUDY CONTI of the National Employment Law Project) to progressive elected officials like Rep. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ (D-N.Y.).

— The politics of it all has the makings of another split where Biden is siding with Manchin over progressives — right as those two sides are fighting about the size and scope of the reconciliation package and timing of the bipartisan infrastructure bill. Speaking of which …

BUDGET BEEF — The fight between moderates and, well, every other Democrat in the House over the size, scope and timing of the reconciliation package is getting tougher. Reps. STEPHANIE MURPHY (D-Fla.) and HENRY CUELLAR (D-Texas) are out with three big demands, as our Nicholas Wu reports:

— They want the budget bill to be “pre-conferenced” with the upper chamber, calling that a prerequisite to “obtain our support.”

— They want the bill to be fully paid for (with the exception of its climate provisions).

— And they want members to be given at least 72 hours to review the legislation before it comes to the House floor.

Asked whether the 72-hour provision would mess up the timeline for advancing both bills, Murphy said that’s up to her progressive colleagues, who she hopes “will act responsibly when the transportation bill comes to the floor. It is a much-needed investment in America’s infrastructure, and one would hope they would vote to make this needed investment.”

Something else to keep an eye on: Remember when moderates received a Sept. 27 deadline for a vote on the BIF? Well, the House isn’t scheduled to come back until seven days before that deadline — giving them a small window to ensure the two-track plan stays … on track. Add the 72-hour requirement, and it becomes even more difficult.

Good Saturday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza, Tara Palmeri.

A message from AT&T:

Accessible, affordable broadband helps communities reach their American Dream. That’s why we’re making a $2 billion, 3-year commitment toward helping close the digital divide, so more low-income families have the ability to succeed. Learn more.

9 THINGS WE READ THAT STUCK WITH US:

— This fun fact about the Senate, via Ben Jacobs: “At almost 58, ANDREW JACKSON was the oldest member of the Senate in 1825. Today, that would make him younger than over 70 current senators.”

— A smart insight from Cook Political Report’s Amy Walter: “Challenge for Dems on selling infrastructure + reconciliation: Until voters feel it’s ok to stop worrying about COVID, it’s going to be hard to get them to pay attention to the Democrats’ plans on anything else.”

— Should Roe v. Wade even be the focal point of the abortion debate anymore? Our own Katelyn Fossett explores that question.

— The small-government conservative case for skepticism about Texas’ new anti-abortion law, by Sarah Isgur for POLITICO Magazine.

— In the last 30 years, eight Category 4+ hurricanes have made landfall in the U.S — and six of them, including Ida, came within the last four years.

— How climate change is bankrupting America’s small towns, by NYT’s Christopher Flavelle.

— The inability to combat corruption in Afghanistan — the total amount paid in bribes each year is roughly equal to 13% of the country’s GDP — is “not only a failure of U.S. foreign policymaking,” writes Sarah Chayes in Foreign Affairs, “it is also a mirror, reflecting back a more florid version of the type of corruption that has long been undermining American democracy, as well.”

— 7,843 Americans died of Covid-19 in the last week of August — more than the total killed in the 9/11 attacks and deaths of U.S. troops over 20 years of war in Afghanistan, combined, writes Bloomberg’s John Tozzi.

— Revealed for the first time: the U.K.’s top-secret plans for how to handle the death of QUEEN ELIZABETH II, via our colleagues in Europe. (Including details on the funeral, CHARLES’ coronation, how quickly flags should be lowered to half-mast and the explicit banning of both sitcoms on the BBC and retweets on government Twitter accounts during the mourning period.)

A message from AT&T:

We’re making a $2 billion, 3-year commitment toward helping close the digital divide.

BIDEN’S AND VP KAMALA HARRIS’ SATURDAY: The president and VP have nothing on their public schedules.

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: President Joe Biden on Friday tours a LaPlace, La., neighborhood hit hard by Hurricane Ida. | Evan Vucci/AP Photo

TALIBAN TAKEOVER

FOCUSING ON THE VETS — “Afghanistan drawdown leaves Biden at a crisis point with veterans,” by Natasha Korecki: “The pain, sadness, anger and frustration service members past and present are feeling in the wake of the U.S.’s chaotic departure from Afghanistan has upended the Biden White House’s relations with veterans groups, many of which are now publicly blaming the president for mismanaging the drawdown. That has sent the administration, which has brushed off criticism from Republicans and some Democrats about the way the war ended, into damage control mode.

“Officials from the president on down are now scrambling to tamp down a brewing backlash within a military community that was, in some corners, initially drawn to Biden’s experience as a military father who has himself endured a history of family tragedies. The effort is a sign of how important that relationship is to the White House and to Biden, personally.”

MORE TOP AFGHANISTAN STORIES:

— Now that there aren’t any U.S.-controlled airfields in or around Afghanistan, some in the Navy anticipate having to deploy one or two aircraft carriers to the Arabian Sea or Persian Gulf to support flights in the region, reports Paul McLeary.

— The Biden administration claims that “the evacuation of Kabul was done as efficiently as possible,” but key government documents suggest otherwise, write NYT’s Michael Shear, Lara Jakes and Eileen Sullivan.

— At least 50,000 evacuated Afghans will be admitted into the United States, per the AP.

— And that resettlement effort will be headed by JACK MARKELL, the former governor of Delaware and a longtime ally of Biden’s, as CBS reports.

THE WHITE HOUSE

WHAT THEY’RE READING IN RIYADH — “Biden orders declassification review of documents related to Sept. 11 attacks,” by Reuters’ Jeff Mason and Jan Wolfe: “Biden on Friday ordered the DOJ to review documents from the FBI's probe into the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks for declassification and release. … The order requires Attorney General MERRICK GARLAND to make the declassified documents public over the next six months as it oversees ‘a declassification review of documents’ related to the FBI probe.”

A PANDEMIC MOONSHOT — “White House Seeks $65 Billion for ‘Apollo’ Plan to Prepare for Future Pandemics,” by NYT’s Sheryl Gay Stolberg: “The plan, drafted by President Biden’s science adviser, ERIC S. LANDER, and his National Security Council, would establish a full-time ‘Mission Control’ office to coordinate the work of agencies across the government to spot emerging threats and ready the nation to fight them. It calls for $65.3 billion to be spent over the next seven to 10 years.”

THE PANDEMIC

MAYBE NOT THIS FALL AFTER ALL — “Health Officials Advise White House to Scale Back Booster Plan for Now,” by NYT’s Sharon LaFraniere and Noah Weiland

BUT DEATHS CONTINUE TO CLIMB … “U.S. covid death toll hits 1,500 a day amid delta scourge,” by WaPo’s Ariana Eunjung Cha, Dan Keating and Jacqueline Dupree

BEYOND THE BELTWAY

STRANGE BEDFELLOWS — “Why the White House loves the Texas renter rescue,” by Katy O’Donnell: “In the race to dole out billions of dollars in federal rental aid, Texas has emerged as the Biden administration’s unexpected poster child for how to make sure money reaches struggling tenants, outpacing blue states such as New York that have stronger eviction protections.

“Republican-led, landlord-friendly Texas has distributed more assistance funds from Washington’s $46.5 billion rental aid program than any other state, according to Treasury Department data through the end of July. It has disbursed at least $616 million — accounting for 47 percent of its initial batch of rent relief from Washington — with some major cities and counties distributing more than 90 percent of their own allocations. … New York had distributed $2.7 million of its $801 million initial allocation as of the end of July.”

TEXAS ABORTION LATEST — “Texas judge hands narrow win to abortion providers fighting new 6-week ban,” The Hill: “Judge MAYA GUERRA GAMBLE's ruling does not invalidate the new law but rather halts Texas Right to Life and its associates from suing abortion providers and workers at Planned Parenthood clinics under the statute, S.B. 8, that took effect Wednesday.”

A VERY ‘2021 IN CALIFORNIA’ STORY — “This YouTube star wants to be governor. He’s the best-known Democrat on the recall ballot,” by L.A. Times’ Julia Wick … A taste: “‘YouTube’s my platform. This is where I share my content and that’s how I make my living,’ [KEVIN] PAFFRATH said, clarifying that, if he were to be elected governor, he would have a separate governor channel without affiliate links for official business.”

A message from AT&T:

“I never saw a farm as just a place to grow crops. I saw it as a place to grow possibilities.”
Kamal Bell, Founder of Sankofa Farms

TRUMP CARDS

NO BOOSTER FOR TRUMP — “Trump Says He Is Unlikely to Get Covid-19 Vaccine Booster Shot,” by WSJ’s Michael Bender

THAT’S ONE BIG RENTAL PAYMENT — “Trump Tower’s key tenants have fallen behind on rent and moved out. But Trump has one reliable customer: His own PAC,” by WaPo’s Shayna Jacobs, David Fahrenthold, Jonathan O’Connell and Josh Dawsey: “Starting in March, one of his committees, Make America Great Again PAC, paid $37,541.67 per month to rent office space on the 15th floor of Trump Tower — a space previously rented by his campaign — according to campaign-finance filings and a person familiar with the political action committee.

“This may not be the most efficient use of donors’ money: The person familiar with [DONALD ] TRUMP’s PAC said that its staffers do not regularly use the office space. Also, for several months, Trump’s PAC paid the Trump Organization $3,000 per month to rent a retail kiosk in the tower’s lobby — even though the lobby was closed. Campaign-finance experts said the payments do not appear to be illegal. This kind of PAC has very few restrictions and no expiration date, so Trump is free to spend its money at his own properties as long as he wants.”

CLICKER — “The nation’s cartoonists on the week in politics,” edited by Matt Wuerker — 16 keepers

GREAT WEEKEND READS, curated by Ryan Lizza:

— “‘I Helped Destroy People,’” by Janet Reitman in the NYT Magazine: “TERRY ALBURY, an idealistic F.B.I. agent, grew so disillusioned by the war on terror that he was willing to leak classified documents — and go to prison for doing it.”

— “The New Puritans,” by The Atlantic’s Anne Applebaum: “Social codes are changing, in many ways for the better. But for those whose behavior doesn’t adapt fast enough to the new norms, judgment can be swift—and merciless.”

— “It Was One Wet Hot Vax Summer at Seacrets,” by Washingtonian’s Mimi Montgomery: “At the six-acre, 19-tiki-bar compound in Ocean City, it was almost as if the pandemic never happened …”

— “The Forgotten Lessons of the Hamlet Fire,” by John Drescher in The Assembly: “Thirty years ago, a deadly fire at a chicken-processing plant in a poor North Carolina town prompted a push for employee safety. Now, workplace fatalities in the state are rising, and an Assembly investigation shows a federal agency involved in the tragedy failed to keep its promise.”

— “The lonely journey of a UFO conspiracy theorist,” by WaPo’s Jose Del Real: “One man’s search for truth, credibility, and belonging in America.”

— “Muslim youth in America: A generation shadowed by the aftermath of 9/11,” by L.A. Times’ Brittny Mejia: “Some Muslims in the United States think about their lives as having two distinct chapters — before two planes crashed into the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, and after. Then there’s a generation that has only known a world in which one terrible day changed their country.”

— “U.N. Peacekeepers Fathered Dozens Of Children In Haiti. The Women They Exploited Are Trying To Get Child Support,” by BuzzFeed’s Karla Zabludovsky: “A landmark ruling in a Haitian court offers some hope to the families seeking child support, but the peacekeeper fathers won’t have to pay unless their home countries step in.”

— “A Different Kind of College Ranking,” by Paul Glastris for Washington Monthly: “Congress is poised to invest hundreds of billions of dollars on higher education. Here are the schools most likely to benefit.”

— From the archives: “Mothers, Sisters, Daughters, Wives,” by Texas Monthly’s Mimi Swartz, August 2012: “In 2011 the Legislature slashed family planning funds, passed a new sonogram law, and waged an all-out war on Planned Parenthood that has dramatically shifted the state’s public health priorities. In the eighteen months since then, the conflict has continued to simmer in the courts, on the campaign trail, and in at least one PR disaster. Meanwhile, what will happen to Texas women — and their fathers, brothers, sons, and husbands — remains very much unclear.”

JOIN THURSDAY FOR A CONVERSATION ABOUT RETURNING TO THE WORKPLACE : Businesses across the U.S. are having to navigate all sorts of complexities around vaccines, masking requirements, testing and social distancing. Join POLITICO for a conversation to explore how government, public health officials and employers are navigating the return of in-person work. The focus of the conversation will be on the solutions for creating safe, in-person workplaces. REGISTER HERE.

Ron Klain liked Maggie Haberman’s tweet about Alex Thompson’s tweet about Ron Klain liking Matthew Yglesias’ tweet about Joe Manchin’s WSJ op-ed.

Joe Neguse may be running for reelection against Lauren Boebert, due to redistricting.

James Fallows is getting on Substack (title: “Breaking the News”).

Dave Weigel stopped by a blue-collar diner with Larry Elder.

Chris Sununu is in the hospital with a bleeding ulcer and received a transfusion on Friday.

Nick Kristof curiously retweeted our Zach Montellaro’s post about the NYT columnist’s rumored campaign for Oregon governor.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Kathy Hochul joined together to tour homes damaged in this week’s flooding (and traded shoutouts on Twitter).

Ryan placed a CNN logo in the background of Eugene’s MSNBC hit.

STAFFING UP — Johnathan Smith is now deputy assistant A.G. in the civil rights division at the Department of Justice. He most recently was interim commissioner of the New York State Division of Human Rights.

WHITE HOUSE DEPARTURE LOUNGE — J. Alex Dalessio is now principal for the worldwide public sector innovation studio at Amazon Web Services. He previously was senior adviser at the office of the federal CIO and director of strategic initiatives and technology adviser for the White House Council on Environmental Quality.

TRANSITIONS — Josh Divine is now chief counsel to Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.). He most recently was a law clerk to Justice Clarence Thomas. … Imani Augustus is joining Third Way and the National Urban League as executive director for the Alliance for Entrepreneurial Equity. She most recently was legislative director for Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.). … Carson Steelman will be a senior account executive at Athos PR. She currently is comms director for Rep. Greg Steube (R-Fla.).

WEDDING — Diana Rudd, director of member services and counsel for Assistant Speaker Katherine Clark (D-Mass.), and Cable Smith, executive chef of The Royal and chef/partner of Lulu’s Wine Garden, got married in Leesburg, Va., on Aug. 14. Pic … Another pic

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (D-Texas) … White House’s Zach Leighton … CRC Advisors’ Laura Schlapp … POLITICO’s Blake Hounshell, Dave Brown and Daniel Martinez … Washington Examiner’s Susan Ferrechio and Jerry Dunleavy, the latter spending the day flying from Andrews AFB to Guantanamo Bay for the arraignment of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed … Dana Gartzke … VOA’s Kelu Chao … Claire Bischoff … Matt Sonneborn of Rep. Paul Tonko’s (D-N.Y.) office … Patrick Collins … Emily Armstrong of Rep. Jahana Hayes’ (D-Conn.) office … Will Taliaferro … Matt Modell … DCI Group’s Chad Horrell … Michael McAuliff … Jared Allen of the National Automobile Dealers Association … Estephania Gongora … Harold Ickes … former acting CIA Director Mike Morell … Jordan Fischer … Victoria Cram … former Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer … Grady Means … Hagar Hajjar Chemali … Victoria Coates … Eddie Glaude Jr.

THE SHOWS ( Full Sunday show listings here):

Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here.

Send Playbookers tips to playbook@politico.com. Playbook couldn’t happen without our editor Mike Zapler, deputy editor Zack Stanton and producers Allie Bice, Eli Okun and Garrett Ross.

A message from AT&T:

Kamal Bell is the proud owner of Sankofa Farms, a thriving family farm that employs his community. He knows food insecurity impacts minority groups in his area. But with help from accessible and affordable broadband, he can provide a food source to local food deserts, and teach Black youth about agriculture and STEM. He also uses new tech to collect data, run beekeeping operations, and monitor his farm with drones. Thanks to Access from AT&T, we can connect low-income households like the ones Kamal works with, and more communities in areas we serve with their American Dream. Learn more.

Follow us on Twitter

Rachael Bade @rachaelmbade Eugene Daniels @EugeneDaniels2 Ryan Lizza @RyanLizza Tara Palmeri @tarapalmeri

Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family

Playbook  |  Playbook PM  |  California Playbook  |  Florida Playbook  |  Illinois Playbook  |  Massachusetts Playbook  |  New Jersey Playbook  |  New York Playbook  |  Brussels Playbook  |  London Playbook

View all our political and policy newsletters

Follow us

To change your alert settings, please log in at https://www.politico.com/_login?base=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.politico.com/settings

This email was sent to by: POLITICO, LLC 1000 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA, 22209, USA

Please click here and follow the steps to .