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| | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | | CORRECTING THE RECORD — “Hamas Fails to Make Case That Israel Struck Hospital,” by NYT’s Patrick Kingsley and Aaron Boxerman in Jerusalem
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House Majority Whip Tom Emmer leaves the Republican caucus meeting at the Capitol in Washington, on Oct. 19, 2023. | Jose Luis Magana/AP | MINNESOTA SPICE — House Republicans are set to pile back into 1100 Longworth this evening and renew their search for a speaker. Nine lawmakers have thrown their hats into the ring, but this morning, we’re going to focus on just one: the front-runner, Majority Whip TOM EMMER. In a field of short-timers and back-benchers, Emmer stands out: The Minnesota Republican helped the GOP claw its way back into the majority as a two-time NRCC chair. Not only has he won chits from colleagues by raising money and campaigning across the country, he has spent the past nine months as whip building relationships among conservatives and centrists alike. But Emmer has a DONALD TRUMP problem. The former president has told associates that he doesn’t want Emmer for the job. And Trump’s allies have already taken to social media and talk radio to pan him as too out of step with the leader of their party. “He’s openly hostile to Trump, which isn’t helpful since Trump will be the nominee,” said one anti-Emmer member. “It’s laughable that he, at the end of the day, would end up being the speaker of the House. Even if he gets the majority of the majority, he will come far short for members who won’t vote for him on the floor.” To be sure, Emmer has shown a willingness to buck Trump when other top Republicans wouldn’t. He was one of the few senior GOP leaders, for instance, who voted to accept the electoral votes that clinched President JOE BIDEN’s victory. But Emmer world is pushing back hard on the anti-Trump narrative. We spoke last night to a host of his allies about the whisper campaign against him, and they had a retort for everything — from the fact that Emmer supported both of Trump’s presidential bids to one ally’s insistence that he’s “never heard him say a negative thing about Trump” to the autographed photo of the two of them Emmer keeps in his office. Rather, they say, the entire conflict has been concocted by his foes in the House who have grievances that have nothing to do with Trump. They point to Rep. JIM BANKS (R-Ind.), who narrowly lost the contentious whip race last year even after many MAGA world figures weighed in against Emmer. And to allies of Conference Chair ELISE STEFANIK (R-N.Y.), whose orbit has also clashed with Emmer's, dating back to when the two sparred over her push for more women campaign recruits. “Banks … activated Trump world against Emmer, and a lot of that was unfounded,” one Emmer ally said. “But there’s still lingering false narratives from that race. It didn’t work for Banks. It’s not going to work now to paint Emmer as if he’s a Never Trumper.” The issue for Emmer is that narratives can be hard to change, particularly if Trump himself is buying them. One Emmer critic predicted there will be “at least 10 hard nos” ready to oppose him in a floor vote. But that isn’t stopping Emmer World from responding, point by point, to the allegations being made against him: — Charge No. 1: As head of the NRCC, Emmer told GOP candidates to distance themselves from Trump on the campaign trail. The response: Emmer denied the allegation, which appears to stem from a 2022 CNN story, during a Fox News interview where he likewise praised Trump as a “fantastic ally” for the House GOP. Instead, he said, he told candidates to “know your district” and how best to win. Either way you put it, it’s only common sense to counsel candidates running in swing districts away from hugging Trump. Doing otherwise would almost be malpractice. Emmer’s allies also note that Emmer not only invited Trump to fundraisers but invited the former president’s inner circle — including STEPHEN MILLER, SUSIE WILES, BRIAN JACK and CHAD WOLF — as guests during their regular Sunday night calls with candidates — Charge No. 2: Emmer hasn’t endorsed Trump for president. The response: True, but neither have other senior GOP leaders, including former speaker KEVIN McCARTHY or Majority Leader STEVE SCALISE — who have all tried to stay inside political Switzerland as the presidential race swirls around them. Emmer’s allies say he’ll endorse whomever wins the nomination, Trump included, when the time comes. — Charge No. 3: Emmer’s office was behind a whisper campaign during the whip race accusing Banks of hiring TUCKER CARLSON’s son, BUCKLEY, to win favor from conservative media. The response: Emmer has denied that the blind quotes in question came from him — including to Tucker Carlson himself. And, we can vouch, the anonymous comments could have come from anywhere: Many GOP lawmakers said much the same thing about Banks to Playbook around that time. — Charge No. 4: Emmer didn’t do enough to help JIM JORDAN (R-Ohio) win the speaker’s gavel, since he was angling for his own bid. The response: “That is sooo B.S.,” one Emmer ally told us. His inner circle noted they allowed Jordan to use the whip’s office conference room to meet with holdouts and that, at one point, Jordan’s foes even yelled at Emmer’s team to stop calling them about changing their minds.
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Explore the impact. | | | WHAT’S NEXT FOR EMMER: Even Emmer’s allies aren’t sure he’ll win the nomination on the first ballot tomorrow, given the size of the field. But they’re confident that as candidates fall out of the running, their backers will turn to the whip and push him over the top. In fact, we’re told, Emmer has already been seeking commitments from lawmakers for the second and even third ballots. Then comes the hard part: pinning down 217. It might all come down to what Trump himself does. The former president hasn’t weighed in against Emmer publicly, and he isn’t yet making calls to whip opposition, we’re told. Will that change if Emmer wins the nomination? Some in the whip’s orbit hope he might stay neutral — particularly after his backing for Jordan failed to anoint him speaker. Emmer has some hard-right allies who might help. Rep. ANDY BIGGS (R-Ariz.), the former House Freedom Caucus chair who helped oust McCarthy, broached Emmer as a potential alternative. We’ve also been told that Rep. MATT GAETZ (R-Fla.) has been acting as a bit of a go-between between Emmer and Trump world — though one Emmer critic argued Gaetz’s assistance might backfire given his toxic standing among most House Republicans right now. For a read on how the MAGA bloc is approaching Emmer, we caught up last night with Rep. TROY NEHLS, the Texas Republican who has been pushing Trump himself for speaker. The attacks aren’t looking good, Nehls said, casting doubt on whether Emmer could ever win enough votes on the floor. But Emmer can take heart that Nehls would not be personally willing to tank his speaker dreams: “If Tom Emmer can get to 217, I’ll back him.” — Related reads: “GOP speaker chaos: 9 Republicans will battle for top post,” by Sarah Ferris, Caitlin Emma, Jordain Carney and Anthony Adragna … “Republicans Grapple With Being Speakerless, but Effectively Leaderless, Too,” by NYT’s Lisa Lerer and Michael C. Bender Good Monday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza. JUST IN — “Court orders Russian-US journalist to stay in jail another 6 weeks,” AP THE WEEK — Tomorrow: Australian PM ANTHONY ALBANESE and partner JODIE HAYDON arrive at the White House for an official visit. IRS Commissioner DANNY WERFEL appears before House Oversight Committee. … Wednesday: Biden and Albanese hold a bilateral meeting and joint news conference; a state dinner follows. Possible Senate Foreign Relations Committee vote on JACK LEW’s nomination as ambassador to Israel. … Thursday: Preliminary Q3 economic growth figures are released. Trump holds Mar-a-Lago fundraiser. … Friday: September core inflation numbers released. Rep. DEAN PHILLIPS (D-Minn.) expected to launch presidential run in Concord, N.H. Republican Jewish Coalition meeting kicks off in Las Vegas. Biden attends D.C. fundraiser before departing for Wilmington, Del., for the weekend.
| | | | A message from Meta:   | | | | | WHAT'S HAPPENING TODAY | | On the Hill The House is in. The Senate is out. 3 things to watch …
- FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: The White House’s $106 billion supplemental funding request got a boost yesterday when Senate Minority Leader MITCH McCONNELL signaled he’s OK with linking aid to Israel and Ukraine. “I view it as all interconnected,” he said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” But Sen. J.D. VANCE (R-Ohio) is leading a charge to break the package up, and he is circulating a memo to his colleagues today making the case for why. Among the bullet points: (1) “Our political and military relationship with Israel is qualitatively different from our relationship with Ukraine”; (2) “Israel has an achievable objective; Ukraine does not”; and (3) “The United States does not have a plan in Ukraine, but we do have a plan in Israel.” Read the full memo
- What is Kevin McCarthy up to? The ousted speaker is showing no signs of retreating to the back benches, let alone leaving politics. He’s still ensconced in the speaker’s suite, for now, and he got prime billing on yesterday’s “Meet the Press,” where he endorsed Emmer but also did not rule out a comeback under persistent questioning from NBC’s Kristen Welker: “I’m still a member of Congress, and I’m going to lead in any capacity to protect America.” Expect to see more chin-stroking this week on just what role McCarthy plans to play in the post-McCarthy House.
- Meet the Club Against Weed: A loose cadre of mostly Republican lawmakers is pushing back against the growing momentum for federal cannabis liberalization, Natalie Fertig reports this morning. “The lawmakers, while still disorganized, scored several notable victories in recent months,” she writes, “thwarting progress on key cannabis bills and leaving die-hard supporters of federal legalization conceding they had been briefly outmaneuvered.” Watch to see if the group, whose leaders include Sen. JAMES LANKFORD (R-Okla.), gets more organized as the SAFE Banking Act hits the Senate floor.
At the White House Biden will return to the White House from Rehoboth Beach, Del., and then hold an event focused on Bidenomics at 2:15 p.m. VP KAMALA HARRIS has nothing on her public schedule. On the trail Sen. TIM SCOTT (R-S.C.) will deliver a speech in Chicago at 2 p.m. about race and power in America. … Trump is returning to New Hampshire for an event at 3 p.m. in Derry. … Florida Gov. RON DeSANTIS is in Massachusetts for fundraisers and a meet-and-greet event.
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Sen. Cory Booker, right, speaks at a press conference with Sens. Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal in Tel Aviv, Oct. 22, 2023. | Ohad Zwigenberg/AP | THE PRESSURE CAMPAIGN — Top U.S. officials have been working in recent days to slow down the looming Israeli ground invasion of Gaza, several news outlets reported yesterday. There are various reasons for the diplomatic lobbying blitz: to give hostage negotiations more time to progress, per CNN; to make sure Israel metabolizes U.S. exhortations to avoid civilian casualties, per Bloomberg; to buy more time for aid to reach Palestinians, per the NYT; and to stave off a broader regional war, per WaPo. But Jerusalem is still planning a ground invasion at some point soon, according to the reports. Defense Secretary LLOYD AUSTIN has been the main U.S. conduit for the encouragement to delay. But the U.S. also has to be careful about lending credence to the idea that it controls Israel — and U.S. officials make sure to note that they’re not making demands. (Israel has denied the reports that the U.S. is pushing for postponement.) Biden held calls yesterday with the leaders of several Western nations and with Pope FRANCIS, publicly affirming support for Israel while calling for it to obey international law. He also spoke with Israeli PM BENJAMIN NETANYAHU and “affirmed” that humanitarian aid will keep going to Gaza, the White House said. Indeed, the second convoy of aid arrived there yesterday, per the AP. The need for it is dire: “These people are going to starve to death unless we can get in,” U.N. World Food Program Executive Director CINDY McCAIN told Bartosz Brzeziński and Jamie Dettmer yesterday. Gaza’s Ministry of Health, which is run by Hamas, put the latest death toll from Israeli airstrikes at 4,500. Elsewhere in the region: The State Department told non-essential staffers at the U.S. Embassy in Iraq to leave due to an increase in threats, per the Washington Examiner. Political fallout: Many Arab Americans and Muslims who supported Biden in 2020 are distraught over his handling of the war, with some vowing not to vote for him next year, Holly Otterbein reports this morning. The quotes are striking: “I feel betrayed,” says donor HALA HIJAZI. “I never in my life thought the empathizer-in-chief would sound the way he did,” says comedian MAYSOON ZAYID. Related read: “‘People Are Hurt and Scared’: How a Muslim American Leader in Georgia Is Confronting the War,” by Alex Burns JUDICIARY SQUARE ANATOMY OF A FLIP — In the wake of SIDNEY POWELL pleading guilty in her election subversion case in Fulton County, Ga., The New Yorker’s Charles Bethea and Sue Halpern turn up an unreleased Georgia Bureau of Investigation report into the 2020/2021 shenanigans in Coffee County, which provides some clues. The summary “offers a fuller picture of both the breach at the election office and how that breach was connected to the larger effort to overturn the 2020 election. That effort centered on the work of Sidney Powell.” More from WaPo on the fallout from her shocking plea deal — and what it means for Trump TRUMP CARDS
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Former President Donald Trump speaks to the media as he leaves the courtroom during his civil fraud trial at New York State Supreme Court on Oct. 18, 2023, in New York City. | Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images | LOOSE LIPS — We’re getting new reported details on what Trump allegedly told Australian billionaire ANTHONY PRATT in private conversations during his presidency that are now being scrutinized by federal prosecutors. According to new stories yesterday from NYT’s Ben Protess, Jonathan Swan, Maggie Haberman and Alan Feuer and “60 Minutes Australia,” Pratt says Trump told him about phone calls he had with Ukrainian President VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY and Iraqi President BARHAM SALIH. The prospect of Trump possibly revealing important national security information while in office has already been of interest to special counsel JACK SMITH’s team as they pursue a criminal prosecution over his handling of classified documents. “New details of how an American president and an Australian billionaire bonded over their mutual self-interest help to document the transactional ethos of the Trump presidency,” the Times writes, “and show how Mr. Trump melded his White House with his personal business in a way that, according to prosecutors, had ramifications for national security.”
| | | | A message from Meta:   | | | ALL POLITICS BLURRED LINES — “Google Red-Flagged Kentucky AG’s Taxpayer-Funded Ads,” by The Daily Beast’s Roger Sollenberger: “The GOP’s gubernatorial candidate in Kentucky — state AG DANIEL CAMERON — ran public service announcements at a conspicuous time. Google said they were political ads, not PSAs.” THE INFRASTRUCTURE OF DEMOCRACY — “Turnover has plagued local election offices since 2020. One swing state county is trying to recover,” by AP’s Christina Cassidy in Wilkes-Barre, Pa.: “There’s no one reason for why the county has experienced so much turnover in its election office, but there is little doubt the churn has added to problems confronting the department. Staffers reported finding instructions about important election procedures written on scraps of paper.” CONGRESS
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Sen. Jon Tester, speaks during a hearing, Oct. 4, 2023, on Capitol Hill in Washington. | Mariam Zuhaib/AP | MUST BE IN CYCLE — Sens. JOE MANCHIN (D-W.Va.), JON TESTER (D-Mont.) and SHERROD BROWN (D-Ohio), considered the three most vulnerable incumbents next year, are making moves to separate themselves from Biden, Burgess Everett and Ursula Perano report this morning. And they might align with Republicans on some hot-ticket policy matters: Tester and Brown are considering joining Manchin in support of legislation to re-freeze $6 billion in Iranian money. They’re calling for Biden to step it up on securing the southern border. And some of them are staking out independent ground on energy, a bank data collection rule and more — though they emphasize their decisions are about policy, not politics. Party leaders are letting them freelance, aware that these three (and a handful of others) will be the difference between retaining the majority and ceding it. “If Democrats don’t get serious about border security, they’re screwed,” says Manchin. “They’re screwing themselves.” ANNALS OF INFLUENCE — “The tech-friendly lawyer hidden behind a letter to Congress on AI,” by Brendan Bordelon: “Undisclosed … were the fingerprints of SY DAMLE, a tech-friendly Washington lawyer and former government official who works for top firms in the industry — including OpenAI.” HAPPENING TODAY — “Sen. Menendez returns to New York court to enter plea to new conspiracy charge,” by AP’s Larry Neumeister POLICY CORNER THE BRAVE NEW WORLD, PART I — “The Race to Save Our Secrets From the Computers of the Future,” by NYT’s Zach Montague: “Among the various threats to America’s national security, the unraveling of encryption is rarely discussed in the same terms as nuclear proliferation, the global climate crisis or artificial general intelligence. But for many of those working on the problem behind the scenes, the danger is existential.” THE BRAVE NEW WORLD, PART II — “ScaleAI wants to be America’s AI arms dealer,” by WaPo’s Gerrit De Vynck: “The tech start-up says the United States needs Silicon Valley to compete with China. Others fear a deadly arms race.” BEYOND THE BELTWAY NEWSOM ABROAD — “How Gavin Newsom became a climate change crusader,” by Jeremy White in Sacramento: “The California Democrat’s trip to China this week, where he’ll focus almost exclusively on climate change, cements his evolution into a full-blown climate champion. It follows his lawsuit against oil conglomerates and a spate of bill signings that increase costs and environmental restrictions on oil companies.” MEGATREND — “Drugstore closures are leaving millions without easy access to a pharmacy,” by WaPo’s Aaron Gregg and Jaclyn Peiser: “Over the past two years, Rite Aid, CVS and Walgreens have signaled plans to shutter more than 1,500 stores, and public health experts say there’s already been fallout.”
| | | | 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. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Greg Abbott got booed at a Formula One race in Austin. Marc Molinaro wants to go “Hollywood Squares” for the speaker’s race. James Fry could be a dark-horse speaker candidate. Joe and Jill Biden got in some off-season beach time. OUT AND ABOUT — Ben Smith hosted Semafor’s first-anniversary celebration at his Brooklyn home Saturday, including Semafor-themed drinks and burgers by Amiel Stanek. SPOTTED: Justin Smith, Jeff Coltin, Maggie Haberman, Brian Stelter, Kadia Goba, Charlotte Klein, Maya Wiley, Cliff Levy, Michelle Goldberg, Ben Mullin, Katie Robertson, Gina Chua, Andy Lack, Max Tani, Risa Heller, Michael Calderone, Corey Johnson, Alex Kantrowitz, Lachlan Cartwright, Delia Cai, Anna Nicolaou, Peter Kafka, Subrata De, Alyssa Katz, Clare Malone, Joe Weisenthal, Noah Shachtman, Dave Lee, Ariel Kaminer, Katie Baker and Davey Alba. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Hudson Munoz is joining Guns Down America as executive director. He previously was director of public relations for Amalgamated Bank. ENGAGED — Timothy Wolff, a senior multimedia producer for the Washington Examiner, proposed to Angela Lingg, press secretary for Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), at Niagara Falls on Oct. 15. They met while teaching Sunday school together at Capitol Hill Baptist Church five years ago. Pic WEEKEND WEDDING — Shefali Luthra, health reporter for The 19th, and Logan Buzzell, business development associate at Creative Associates International, had a wedding party Saturday at Purple Patch, with an after-party at Wonderland Ballroom. The party included many “Leftovers” references, coordinated Bollywood dance sequences and multiple cakes (chocolate-pomegranate-tahini and vanilla-mango-coconut) made by their friend Liz Carr. The couple met on Hinge. Pic … Another pic HAPPY BIRTHDAY: WSJ’s Ryan Barber … former Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) … former Rep. Fred Keller (R-Pa.) … The Messenger’s Lauren Morello … POLITICO’s Jackie Heinz … Brian Ross … The Hill’s Ellen Mitchell … Rachel Shabad of the Labor Department … Ani Chkhikvadze … Anne Filipic of Share Our Strength … Caroline Kitchens of TikTok … Karen Hobert Flynn of Common Cause … Hayden Haynes of Rep. Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) office … Elissa Tew of Rep. Aaron Bean’s (R-Fla.) office … Malia Rulon Herman … Simon Rosenberg of NDN … Sanjay Gupta ... Eliza Duckworth of Sen. Debbie Stabenow’s (D-Mich.) office … Leif Noren of CRC Public Relations … Allison Preiss of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau … Vikrum Aiyer … Vanity Fair’s Caleb Ecarma ... Kellyn Blossom … FGS Global’s Peter Benton-Sullivan … Matthew Barzun … Ken Feinberg ... Pat Cleary … Annika Lichtenbaum ... UNHCR’s Matthew Reynolds … Bobby Burchfield … Moe Vela … Eva Tell of Rokk Solutions … Will Payne … Martin Luther King III … Meghan Mitchum Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here. Send Playbookers tips to playbook@politico.com or text us at 202-556-3307. Playbook couldn’t happen without our editor Mike DeBonis, deputy editor Zack Stanton and producers Bethany Irvine and Andrew Howard. Correction: Yesterday’s Playbook misspelled Kyle Chayka’s name.
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