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Presented by PhRMA: POLITICO's must-read briefing on what's driving the afternoon in Washington. | | | | |  | | By Garrett Ross | | | | 
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) strongly pushed back on the reporting that he was totally trashing the climate and tax portions of Democrats' reconciliation package. | Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo | Late Thursday night, the report was dire: Sen. JOE MANCHIN had dashed any hopes of passing major climate provisions before the midterms after he told Democratic leaders that he couldn’t stomach their inclusion in the party’s reconciliation package in light of spiking inflation. Today, however, the tune is a little different. Manchin went on Hoppy Kercheval’s West Virginia radio program to provide his side of the story. Manchin strongly pushed back on the reporting that he was totally trashing the climate and tax portions of the package. Here are the two key retellings from Manchin on his conversations with Senate Majority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER: — On the timeline: “I said, ‘Chuck, if you’re on a political deadline and it has to be done in July, the one thing you know you can get done is, basically, do the bill — run the piece of legislation — on reducing drug prices, letting Medicare negotiate.’ … And [Schumer] says, ‘Are you telling me you won’t do the other right now?’ I said, ‘Chuck, it’s wrong. It’s not prudent to do the other right now.’” — On what he wants: “I said, ‘Chuck, can we just wait until the inflation figures come out in July? Until basically the Fed rate — the Reserve, are they going to raise interest? How much more, and how much damage is that going to be? And then make a decision what we can do and how much we can do?’ He took that as a ‘no,’ I guess, and came out with this big thing last night. And I don’t know why they did that. I guess to try to put pressure on me, but they’ve been doing that for over a year now. It doesn’t make any sense at all. As far as I’m concerned, I want climate, I want an energy policy.” Listen to the six-minute interview … More from MetroNews’ Brad McElhinny And our colleague Burgess Everett has another detail from Manchin’s negotiations with Schumer, which the West Virginian described as “positive” today: “Schumer also offered an energy deal to Manchin that didn’t include tax increases that the centrist is worried about, like corporate taxes, [a] Democrat briefed on the negotiations said on Friday. Manchin rejected that as well.” “As he ended his interview with Kercheval, Manchin insisted he wasn’t pulling out of talks with Schumer. In vintage Manchin style, he said that ‘I’m not stopping ... I am where I have been.’” Now, the question becomes: Is the damage already done — and have Democrats run out of patience and grace for Manchin? — Sen. MARTIN HEINRICH (D-N.M.) tweets: We have an opportunity to address the climate crisis right now. Senator Manchin’s refusal to act is infuriating. It makes me question why he’s Chair of ENR. … This is THE moment to meet the challenges that we will be judged by – by our children, grandchildren and future generations. We can’t wait any longer.” — Per Burgess’ reporting, Sen. TINA SMITH (D-Minn.) offered a rare statement criticizing a colleague, calling Manchin’s position “infuriating” and said that the “world is literally burning up while he joins every single Republican to stop strong action” on climate change. — CNN’s @ella_nilson : “Manchin says climate talks aren’t over. But several folks I'm talking to are deeply skeptical & done taking him at his word, especially since Dems are running out of time. JOHN PODESTA to me: ‘I think that string has run out. He killed this, and he has to own that.’” — NYT’s Coral Davenport and Lisa Friedman have a readout on the reactions from Thursday night: “Privately, Senate Democratic staff members seethed and sobbed on Thursday night, after more than a year of working nights and weekends to scale back, water down, trim and tailor the climate legislation to Mr. Manchin’s exact specifications, only to have it rejected inches from the finish line.” Sen. ED MARKEY (D-Mass.): “Rage keeps me from tears.” LEAH STOKES, a professor of environmental policy at the University of California, Santa Barbara, who has advised Dems on legislation: “We are not going to meet our targets, period. … I honestly don’t know how he is going to look his own grandchildren in the eyes.” Quite the piece of hindsight: “But perhaps they should have seen it coming. Mr. Manchin once ran a campaign advertisement in which he shot a bullet hole through [BARACK] OBAMA’s climate plan.” Bloomberg’s @elwasson : Speaker NANCY PELOSI “says she’s calling Schumer to find out what remains in BBB bill. Says she will be disappointed if it no longer saves the planet from climate change.” Happy Friday afternoon.
| | | | A message from PhRMA: Inflation is causing pain for people across the country. As policymakers search for ways to help provide relief, some are erroneously tying inflation to prescription medicines. To make matters worse, this false premise is being used to build support for harmful policies.
It’s important to make medicines affordable for patients, but let’s get a few facts straight – starting with the fact that prescription drugs are not fueling inflation. | | | THE WHITE HOUSE POTUS ABROAD — President JOE BIDEN made waves online this morning when he greeted Saudi Crown Prince MOHAMMED BIN SALMAN with a fist bump as he arrived for their meeting in Jeddah.
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Saudi Press Agency via AP | — NBC’s @PeterAlexander: “‘JAMAL KHASHOGGI , will you apologize to his family?’ I shouted to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the end of the press pool spray. MBS had a slight smirk, before a Saudi aide grabbed my arm tightly.” — Here’s the readout from Biden’s visit to the West Bank this morning, via our colleague Alex Ward: “I hope our visit is the start of a new, reinvigorated dialogue,” Biden said in a joint address alongside Palestinian President MAHMOUD ABBAS, noting his preference for a deal consistent with 1967 borders, mutually agreeable land swaps and a contiguous Palestinian state. “I know that the goal of two states seems so far away, while indigities like restrictions on the movement of travel or the daily worry of your children’s safety are real and they are immediate. The Palestinian people are hurting now. You can just feel it, your grief and frustration.” Alex notes: “He conceded, however, that ‘the ground is not ripe at this moment to restart negotiations,’ though he vowed his administration would help to facilitate negotiations between both sides if the situation changed. … The session made clear that permanent status talks are effectively back to square one, with few (if any) of the problems identified in the 1993 Oslo Accords solved and with less trust between Americans and Palestinians.” — More news: “Saudi Arabia has taken a small step toward normalizing relations with Israel by agreeing to allow Israeli planes to fly between the two countries, President Biden said on Friday — a new example of the growing ties between Israel and the Arab world after decades of diplomatic isolation,” NYT’s Patrick Kingsley reports. JAN. 6 AND ITS AFTERMATH BREAKING — “The Department of Homeland Security inspector general on Friday briefed all nine members of the House select committee investigating the U.S. Capitol attack on January 6, 2021, about the Secret Service erasing text messages from the day of the riot and the day before,” CNN’s Zachary Cohen, Annie Grayer and Ryan Nobles scoop. FOR THOSE KEEPING TRACK — “Judge questions FBI arrest tactics against Trump adviser Navarro,” by Josh Gerstein
| | | | HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT ROE BEING OVERTURNED? JOIN WOMEN RULE ON 7/21: Now that the Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade , abortion policy is in the hands of the states and, ultimately, voters. Join POLITICO national political correspondent Elena Schneider for a Women Rule “ask me anything” conversation featuring a panel of reporters from our politics and health care teams who will answer your questions about how the court’s decision could play out in different states, its impact on the midterms and what it means for reproductive rights in the U.S. going forward. SUBMIT YOUR QUESTIONS AND REGISTER HERE. | | | | | ABORTION FALLOUT IN THE HOUSE — The House passed a bill to codify Roe v. Wade today by a vote of 219-210 . But the strife within the Democratic Party over how to handle the abortion issue is growing. Our colleagues Sarah Ferris and Marianne LeVine have the deets: “Rep. JIM HIMES says he’s tried the Democratic Party’s main talking points on abortion rights — elect more of us so we can push the Senate to act. As he tells it, they only frustrated voters more. ‘The plan of attack right now is not terribly good, at least in my district,’ Himes said of Democrats’ strategy for a post-Roe v. Wade world.” What Himes wants: “In a closed-door caucus meeting this week, Himes urged fellow Democrats to take up legislation to protect access to abortion in at least some cases, such as when a mother’s life is endangered — even if that bill doesn’t fully restore a nationwide right to terminate pregnancy. ‘I think if you believe that there’s a path to codify Roe, by all means, let’s do it. But there’s not. So let’s do what we can to save lives,’ Himes said in an interview.” But Himes’ ideas haven’t broken through , as some are wary of any action that doesn’t fully restore the constitutional right to an abortion. Sarah and Marianne note: “It’s a gamble for a party that wants to channel voter anger over Roe as a way to motivate its base, even as it lacks any consensus on how to build that momentum. Himes’ impassioned push to his colleagues reflects yet another sign of Democratic fury that despite their control of Congress and the White House, they’re virtually powerless against the Supreme Court.” VIDEO STORY — “From Mexico to the U.S., an Underground Abortion Pill Network,” by NYT’s Paula Mónaco Felipe, Miguel Tovar, Souleyman Messalti, Caroline Kim and Brent McDonald: “As more U.S. states move to criminalize abortion, activists in Mexico have been inundated with calls from women seeking abortion medication. Our cameras went inside their distribution effort.” THE WHITE HOUSE STAFF SHAKEUP — ROHINI KOSOGLU is set to leave VP KAMALA HARRIS’ office, where she has served as domestic policy adviser and is one Harris’ “closest and longest-serving aides,” WaPo’s David Nakamura reports . “Kosoglu, 38, previously served as chief of staff in Harris’s Senate office and on her unsuccessful presidential campaign. Her decision to leave comes amid concerns among some Democrats about high turnover on the vice president’s team and Harris’s political viability at a time when President Biden is saddled with low approval ratings. In an interview, Kosoglu — who has three sons, ages 9, 6 and almost 3 — cited a desire to spend more time with her family and dismissed the notion that her departure should be viewed as part of a pattern of staff instability.”
| | | | A message from PhRMA:   What’s fueling inflation? Not prescription drugs. The administration’s own economic data proves it. | | | ALL POLITICS CASH DASH — “Trump's three main political fundraising committees hauled in more than $17 million during the April-June second quarter of 2022. And the three entities — Trump’s Save America PAC, Save America JFC (joint fundraising committee) and MAGA PAC — report ending June with a massive $112 million in cash on hand in their coffers,” Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser scoops. — BETO O’ROURKE “reported raising nearly $32 million during the first half of 2022, keeping his challenge against Texas Republican Gov. GREG ABBOTT on track to be one of the nation’s most expensive races in November’s midterm elections,” AP’s Paul Weber reports. AD WARS — “Democrats Eager to Talk About Abortion in Campaign Ads as GOP Shies Away From Issue,” by WSJ’s John McCormick: “A Wall Street Journal analysis of broadcast and national cable data from the ad-tracking firm AdImpact shows more than a third of all spots aired by Democrats and their allies in congressional and gubernatorial campaigns from July 1-12 have mentioned abortion.” PRIMARY COLORS — The Democratic primary for Maryland’s 4th Congressional District may look like an “ideologically monochromatic affair between two experienced, liberal lawyers,” but it has emerged as a “fierce proxy fight between pro-Israel groups on the left and right, the latest skirmish in a war that threatens to drive a wedge between the Democratic Party’s ascending left wing and groups determined to stamp out dissent on Israel-Palestine orthodoxy,” NYT’s Jonathan Weisman writes. WACKY ONE — “Florida Republican dupes seniors with Trump-, DeSantis-themed emails” by Matt Dixon KNOWING LIS SMITH — “‘I Had Been Seen as a Little Radioactive’: Lis Smith Talks Mayor Pete, How She Picks Stars and the Future of the Democratic Party,” Adam Wren spends 90 minutes with one of America's top political consultants for POLITICO Magazine TRUMP CARDS THE INVESTIGATIONS — Trump, DONALD JR. and IVANKA got their questioning postponed Friday in a New York civil investigation into their business dealings, a delay that follows the death of Trump’s ex-wife IVANA,” AP’s Jennifer Peltz and Michelle Price report. BEYOND THE BELTWAY URGING ACTION — “NAACP calls on Garland to probe killing of Jayland Walker,” by AP’s Michael Balsamo
| | | | INTRODUCING 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. | | | | | WAR IN UKRAINE — “Ukraine’s Allies Ask Whether Western Arms Will Let Kyiv Turn Tide Against Russia,” by WSJ’s Daniel Michaels, Warren Strobel and Gordon Lubold — “Russia’s information war expands through Eastern Europe,” by AP’s David Klepper AMERICA AND THE WORLD FOR YOUR RADAR — “China’s Economic Comeback From Covid-19 Shutdowns Likely to Be Slow and Bumpy,” by WSJ’s Stella Yifan Xie PLAYBOOKERS REAL ESTATE CORNER — “Rush Limbaugh’s Palm Beach Home Aims to Sell for $150 Million to $175 Million,” by WSJ’s Katherine Clarke and E.B. Solomont: “The waterfront property with a roughly 24,000-square-foot main house was 'largely decorated' by the late conservative commentator.” OUT AND ABOUT — SPOTTED at a Night of Dominican Cigars & Rum at the residence of Dominican Republic Ambassador Sonia Guzmán on Thursday night: Cigar caucus co-chair Dan Meuser (R-Pa.); Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), David Ozgo, Mikayla Bouchard, Terry Samuel, Jeff Dufour, Matt Kaminski, Carl Hulse, Alan Rappeport, Josh Dawsey, Geoff Earle, Howard Mortman, Charles Passy and Frank Coleman. — The Motion Picture Association, the Middleburg Film Festival and Netflix hosted a screening of “The Gray Man” on Wednesday. SPOTTED: Jordanian Ambassador Dina Kawar, Monaco Ambassador Maguy Maccario Doyle, Ruchi Bhowmik, Sheila Johnson, Emily Lenzner, Susan Koch, Tim Gordon, Christina Sevilla, John Gibson, Joe Lillis, Susan Wheeler, Jennifer DeCasper, Catherine Collins, Suzanne Rosenbaum, Mitchell Rivard and Stewart Verdery. BONUS BIRTHDAY — Rob Ellsworth, VP at Connected Commerce Council
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