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Politico
2 days ago
- Politics
- Politico
Playbook PM: Big fires everywhere
Presented by THE CATCH-UP FIGHTING FIRES: President Donald Trump is on his way back to Washington after playing a round of golf this morning to inaugurate his new course in Scotland. 'We'll play it very quickly, and then I go back to D.C. and we put out fires all over the world,' Trump said this morning. As Trump leaves the U.K., British PM Keir Starmer committed to recognizing a Palestinian state at the United Nations' General Assembly meeting in September — unless Israel takes 'substantive steps' to end the crisis in Gaza and commit to a peace deal. The announcement mirrors French President Emmanuel Macron's last week, which Trump dismissed. But this now marks two major G7 powers recognizing Palestine and is a renewed heavy weight of pressure on Trump, who took an increasingly hard tone on Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu this week. More from our POLITICO colleagues in London The prospective recognition of Palestine comes as the spiraling humanitarian crisis in Gaza takes center stage. The world's leading hunger monitor, Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, said Gaza is in a famine that has 'worsened dramatically' in the last few months, per WaPo's Abbie Cheeseman. The number of Palestinians killed has officially surpassed 60,000, which WaPo's Louisa Loveluck and colleagues write is likely to be a 'significant undercount.' A new Gallup poll shows six in 10 Americans disapprove of Israel's military actions in Gaza, per the AP. And the war over words, as POLITICO's Nahal Toosi writes in her latest column, may present a bigger hurdle to securing a solution. 'Several [policymakers] told me they worry the semantics — especially in a conflict such as Gaza — could hurt efforts to save lives or forge peace, including by hardening the positions of people accused of wrongdoing,' Nahal writes. The sentiment from humanitarian workers is: 'the words are irrelevant. Huge numbers of Palestinians need something to eat. Can Israel do more to get them some food?' Trump said today that he's working with Netanyahu on a solution, and that 'we're going to try and get things straightened out for the world.' U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee pushed back on any idea that Trump has broken with Israel's government, POLITICO's Jacob Wendler writes. Back in Washington, more than 40 Democratic senators sent a letter today to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and envoy Steve Witkoff urging they rejoin ceasefire talks and denounce the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, AP's Stephen Groves reports. Meanwhile, Netanyahu is considering plans that would annex parts of Gaza if Hamas doesn't come to the negotiating table, ABC's Jordana Miller and Mary Kekatos write. Ukraine-Russia latest: The global fires rage on in Ukraine too, as Russian President Vladimir Putin gave no reaction to Trump's shortened deadline for peace, NYT's Paul Sonne writes. The Kremlin said it 'took note' of the change, while progress on a deal remains deadlocked. And last night after Trump's new deadline was imposed, Russian strikes in Ukraine killed 27 people, per WaPo's David Stern and Kostiantyn Khudov. Looking toward the east: Thailand and Cambodia's fighting came to a stop today after the announcement of the ceasefire, after a few dicey hours where Thailand accused Cambodia of violating the agreement, Bloomberg's Patpicha Tanakasempipat and Suttinee Yuvejwattana report. And in North Korea, leader Kim Jong Un's spokesperson said his relationship with Trump is 'not bad,' but closed the door on negotiations over the country's nuclear weapons, NYT's Choe Sang-Hun writes. Also heading out of Europe: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is headed home after two days of trade talks between the U.S. and China wrapped up in Stockholm today. No major breakthroughs came from the meeting, but China's top trade negotiator Li Chenggang said they agreed to push for an extension to the tariff detente, per Reuters' Greta Rosen Fondahn and Maria Martinez. Expect both Trump and Bessent to sound a positive note on the future of trade and the economy after the IMF raised its global growth outlook, NYT's Alan Rappeport writes. Good Tuesday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Send me your thoughts and tips to abianco@ 7 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW 1. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Looking to 2026: The League of Conservation Voters and House Majority Forward are launching a $700,000 digital ad campaign slamming House Republicans over the One Big Beautiful Bill Act in their home districts during August recess. An ad targeting Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.), shared exclusively with Playbook, homes in on Medicaid cuts, rising costs and clean energy as Democratic messaging gears up for 2026. The ads will run in 11 districts, ranging from Arizona to Pennsylvania to New York. Watch the ad The view from the DNC: Democrats are growing more optimistic about their chances next year, Axios' Alex Thompson writes, as the negative megabill polls stack up, prices remain higher than Trump touted and enthusiasm within the party grows. … On that note, Sen. Ruben Gallego (R-Ariz.) is heading to New Hampshire in August, and will attend a fundraiser for Rep. Chris Pappas' (D-N.H.) Senate campaign, WMUR's Adam Sexton scooped. Latest from the Tar Heel State: Former Rep. Wiley Nickel formally exited the North Carolina Senate race today, clearing the field for former Gov. Roy Cooper, who announced his bid yesterday, POLITICO's Nick Wu reports. Cooper has raised a whopping $3.4 million in the first 24 hours of his campaign, POLITICO's Elena Schneider scooped, a record-breaking number in one of the most-watched races in the country. It includes $2.6 million directly in Cooper's account that overwhelmingly came from donations of $100 or less. 2. NEW YORK SHOOTING UPDATES: Trump has been briefed on the shooting yesterday that left four people dead in Midtown Manhattan, POLITICO's Nicole Markus writes. 'I trust our Law Enforcement Agencies to get to the bottom of why this crazed lunatic committed such a senseless act of violence,' Trump wrote on Truth Social. The gunman, 27-year-old Shane Tamura, is believed to have been targeting the NFL's office on Park Avenue, but ended up on another company's floor where he was found with a suicide note that indicated Tamura thought he had Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, a disease from head trauma only diagnosable in death, which has been found in former football players, Bloomberg's Myles Miller reports. 3. EPSTEIN LATEST: The now-infamous alleged 'missing minute' from the surveillance footage of Jeffrey Epstein from the Manhattan Metropolitan Correctional Center may never have existed, CBS' Dan Ruetenik scooped. There is no missing footage from 11:59 p.m. to midnight in the FBI, the Bureau of Prisons and the Department of Justice inspector general's copy of the video, and it's still not clear why it was missing when the FBI released the video. … Democracy Forward has expedited a records request for the FBI and DOJ to release 'all records reflecting all correspondence between Donald J. Trump and Jeffrey Epstein' dating back to 1990. Testimony to come?: Ghislaine Maxwell is open to complying with a subpoena to testify before lawmakers but is 'asking to postpone her scheduled congressional deposition — and making a series of other demands as conditions of her cooperation with Hill investigators,' POLITICO's Hailey Fuchs and Josh Gerstein report. 'Among her asks is to be granted immunity from further criminal proceedings; to receive committee investigators' questions in advance of the interview; to delay the deposition until after her appeals; and to relocate the deposition outside the prison where Maxwell is held.' An Oversight spox said the panel would not consider granting her immunity. How it's all playing: About one in four Americans are paying 'a lot' of attention to the Epstein drama, and less than two in 10 approve of how Trump is handling it, a new WaPo poll found. But among MAGA Republicans specifically, 43 percent approve. Overwhelmingly, respondents support the government releasing all the files. 4. ON THE HILL: The blame game over a potential shutdown is already starting, around two months ahead of the end of the fiscal year — setting off warning signs of a particularly ugly fight in September, AP's Kevin Freking writes. Democrats are demanding Republicans reach bipartisan compromise. Republicans say Democrats are pushing for a shutdown. This week, the Senate is set to consider spending for military affairs and the VA before heading off to recess … What's threatening recess: Senate Majority Leader John Thune is staring down 130 nominations left for confirmation and some sticky GOP holdouts, POLITICO's Calen Razor and Mia McCarthy write this morning. Thune is angling for a deal to push some confirmations through a hodge-podge of votes. But if Democrats force cloture, we're looking at a potentially long weekend. Senate leadership is talking after Thune presented Democrats with a list of pre-recess priorities, POLITICO's Jordain Carney reports. Bove latest: The controversy over Emil Bove's nomination to serve a lifetime appointment as an appellate judge is growing as Sens. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) sent a letter to DOJ acting inspector general William Blier asking if his office has already conducted an investigation into the nominee, Jordain scooped. And WaPo's Perry Stein and colleagues reveal the third whistleblower who came forward regarding Bove said he misled Congress about how he handled dismissing the corruption charges against NYC Mayor Eric Adams. The whistleblower first presented the evidence to Booker's office, and it's also been shared with the DOJ's Office of the Inspector General. Still to come: The Senate will vote this afternoon on the confirmation of Susan Monarez to lead the CDC, WaPo's Lena Sun reports. 5. FOR YOUR RADAR: 'Trump administration moves to repeal climate 'holy grail,'' by POLITICO's Alex Guillén: 'The Trump administration on Tuesday proposed repealing the federal government's bedrock scientific declaration on the dangers of greenhouse gases — a move that would run afoul of decades of research and topple most of the Environmental Protection Agency's climate regulations. The rollback is the most audacious attempt yet by President Donald Trump to undo federal restrictions on fossil fuels.' 6. CUTTING DEEP: Almost half of all federal funding for gun violence prevention programs has been axed by the Trump administration, totaling $158 million in grants to major cities including NYC and Chicago, Reuters' Bianca Flowers scooped. The 69 community violence intervention grants, established during the Biden era, were canceled as part of the scalpel to the Office of Justice Programs. 7. BUILDING OUT THE BENCH: 'Inside the Preparations for Trump's Next Supreme Court Nominee,' by Time's Brian Bennett: 'White House officials and a close circle of conservative lawyers are preparing for President Donald Trump to be able to hit the ground running if a Supreme Court vacancy opens up during the remaining three and a half years of his second term … The discussions are in early stages and focus on finding a nominee in the mold of Samuel Alito, 75, and Clarence Thomas, 77, the two oldest justices … [A White House official] said it was 'premature' to say the White House was getting ready for a vacancy.' TALK OF THE TOWN Tim Burchett was treated for a broken rib after a horse kicked him in the chest over the weekend. Nancy Pelosi had floor seats for Lady Gaga's concert last night. 'The most fun I've had in a long time,' Pelosi said. Justin Trudeau was spotted out on a dinner date in Montreal with Katy Perry, per TMZ. IN MEMORIAM — 'Morton Mintz, Post reporter with a muckraker spirit, dies at 103,' by WaPo's Stefanie Dazio: 'By all accounts, Mr. Mintz was driven by relentless skepticism toward institutions and a sense of outrage that knew few bounds. … In a career spanning more than six decades, Mr. Mintz became one of the first reporters to apply investigative reporting skills to covering consumer affairs. He attended congressional subcommittee hearings few other journalists bothered with, pored over thousands of pages of documents and trial transcripts, and prided himself on a refusal to be charmed or threatened by chief executives and public relations officials.' NEWS YOU CAN USE: The Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum has opened five new galleries this week as part of its ongoing renovations. The new exhibits feature Boeing, military aviation during WWI and more on the history of flight. PLAYBOOK ART SECTION — 'DHS is posting Americana paintings and migrant mugshots. The art world is not happy,' by WaPo's Janay Kingsberry and Marianne LeVine: 'The images, bookended by posts cheering the administration's deportation campaign, have been widely shared by conservatives and sparked alarm among the artists, their families and some historians, who see their use as part of an effort to rewrite the past with an exclusionary view of American history.' MEDIA MOVES — Noah Baustin is POLITICO's new energy and environment reporter, based in our California bureau. Baustin previously was a data reporter at the San Francisco Standard. Read the announcement … The Fund for American Studies announced its new cohort of Robert Novak Journalism Fellowship recipients. The fellows are: Emma Camp of Reason, Caroline Downey of National Review, Jordan McGillis of City Journal, Timothy Harley Nerozzi of The Washington Examiner, Valerie Pavilonis of The Dispatch, Katelyn Walls Shelton and Maya Sulkin of The Free Press. TRANSITIONS — Benjamin Klubes has launched Klubes Law Group. He previously was acting general counsel of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and is a longtime BigLaw partner. … Troy Miller, Eric Leckey and Jim Williams have joined The Chertoff Group as senior advisers. Miller previously was acting commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Leckey previously was associate administrator for mission support at FEMA. Williams has previously served as acting administrator of the GSA and was the first GSA federal acquisition service commissioner. … Grace Hatfield is now a senior associate at Velocity Partners. She previously led strategic initiatives in the CHIPS Office at the Department of Commerce. … Andi Lipstein Fristedt is now executive VP, chief strategy and policy officer at the Parkinson's Foundation. She previously was deputy director and chief strategy officer at the CDC. Send Playbookers tips to playbook@ or text us on Signal here. Playbook couldn't happen without our editor Zack Stanton, deputy editor Garrett Ross and Playbook Podcast producer Callan Tansill-Suddath.
Politico
20-07-2025
- Politics
- Politico
Playbook: Six months in
Presented by With help from Eli Okun, Bethany Irvine and Ali Bianco Happy Sunday. This is Zack Stanton. Get in touch. THE CONVERSATION: Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) is a lawyer, former state attorney general and a skilled navigator of the old — and new — wings of the Republican Party. He also has another title: White House whisperer. On today's episode of 'The Conversation,' Schmitt joins Playbook's Dasha Burns to talk about his closeness with the Trump administration, driving the Senate's $9.4 billion rescissions bill, his involvement with passing Trump's 'big, beautiful bill,' his belief in Medicaid reform, the controversy over the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files and what he describes as his 'America First' — but not isolationist — foreign policy approach. Watch the full episode on YouTube … Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify DRIVING THE DAY SIX MONTHS IN: Welcome to the six-month mark of President Donald Trump's second term. How Americans see it: A new poll from CBS News/YouGov finds 42 percent of Americans approve of Trump's job performance, while 58 percent disapprove. One big number to watch: 64 percent disapprove of his handling of inflation — up 10 points from March — and with more tariffs due to kick in a few weeks from now, that number may well rise as prices go up. How Trump wants them to see it: This has been 'one of the most consequential periods of any President,' he wrote in a Truth Social post this morning. 'In other words, we got a lot of good and great things done, including ending numerous wars … Six months is not a long time to have totally revived a major Country.' One thing complicating that: 'Trump would like nothing better than to point to successes in his second term, and he has had some,' WaPo's Dan Balz writes this morning. 'The swirling Epstein controversy makes that difficult.' If you survey the headlines this morning, you'll see precious few of the six-months-in prewrites that assignment editors like to tee up. Instead, the space is filled with stories about Epstein and Trump — including the top above-the-fold article on the front page of the Sunday NYT. Even so, 'there is no indication so far that this is the scandal that will sink Trump any more than the 'Access Hollywood' tape of 2016, or being found guilty in a criminal trial last year over hush money payments to a porn star,' WaPo's Natalie Allison writes. But: 'If it continues to grab public attention, it could pose a more significant threat at a time when Trump's standing with the public already has been on the decline, though polling shows him steady with his own party.' On that front, the Epstein story is a massive liability. CBS/YouGov finds 75 percent of Americans disapprove of the administration's handling of matters related to Epstein, and 89 percent want the Justice Department to release all the information it has on the case. There's no reason to think this story won't continue to hoover up attention. Partly, that's because it's a topic where there's so much left to be reported out — the contents of the so-called Epstein files, the DOJ's handling of them, the internal dynamics at the White House around the topic, the media angle amid Trump's lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal, and so on. It's incredibly fertile ground for news. But its staying power is also due, at least in part, not just to the particulars, but to the broader dynamics fueling interest. 'The very tools that helped win Trump two terms — the openness to conspiracy, the distrust of elites, the eruption of a viral moment — have now turned to bedevil him,' USA Today's Susan Page writes. In that way, the Epstein story is a problem for Trump because it lights up preexisting pathways for many on the MAGA right. 'This is primarily a within-MAGA problem,' Whit Ayres, a longtime Republican pollster, told WaPo. 'The vast majority of Americans don't spend every waking moment wondering what happened to Epstein.' It's even dividing the MAGA bot networks. NBC's Kevin Collier reports that 'with the MAGA movement split' over the Epstein story, one network of hundreds of reply bots on X has found its 'messaging has broken, offering contradictory statements on the issue and revealing the AI-fueled nature of the accounts.' In terms of MAGA, the hope for Trump is this: If some amount of interest in the story is at least in part due to conspiracy and a distrust of elites, then he may be able to change the target of that suspicion to the media, as in his lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal over its reporting on Trump and Epstein. 'MAGA is now united, because they can see there's a common enemy,' Steve Bannon told WaPo. 'They see exactly what the reality is — it's the Deep State, with their media partners, led by [Rupert] Murdoch, that's out to destroy Trump.' SUNDAY BEST … — Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) on AG Pam Bondi and the release of the Epstein files, on ABC's 'This Week": 'I think her communication with us early on was not as good. I mean that the binder, for instance, that she put out, I was very excited about that. But then I found the contents of it. … I think if she turns a corner, I have a saying: 'It's not how you start; it's how you finish.' If she finishes strong on this, then, then I'm all for it.' — Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) on the NYT report on Democrats' post-mortem of 2024 not including former President Joe Biden's decision to run, on CNN's 'State of the Union': 'An autopsy should address the actual cause of death. And I felt like if the Democratic nominee, including Vice President [Kamala] Harris, had had the benefit of a full primary process, she would have emerged from it a better candidate.' — Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard on the potential criminal prosecution of former Obama administration officials, on FOX News' 'Sunday Morning Futures': '[The] intelligence showed that, again, Russia did not have either the intent nor the capability to be able to impact the outcome of the United States' election. … [There's] no question in my mind that this intelligence community assessment that President Obama ordered be published which contained a manufactured intelligence document — it's worse than even politicization of intelligence. … Next week, we will be releasing more detailed information about how exactly this took place.' — Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement, on CBS' 'Face the Nation': 'I think the president is absolutely going to renegotiate USMCA, but that's a year from today. … He doesn't want cars built in Canada or Mexico when they can be built in Michigan and Ohio. It's just better for American workers.' — Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) on the Epstein file controversy, on CNN's 'State of the Union': 'The president blaming Democrats for this disaster, Jake, is like that CEO that got caught on camera blaming Coldplay. … OK, like this is his making. He was president when Epstein got indicted for these charges and went to prison. He was president when Epstein committed suicide. … The people that have been fomenting this are right-wing influencers, members of Congress, people who have a reason that they want to know what's in there … They believed the president when he said there's stuff in there that people should see.' TOP-EDS: A roundup of the week's must-read opinion pieces. 9 THINGS THAT STUCK WITH US 1. IMMIGRATION FILES: With new billions in funding, ICE is expanding its detention space with temporary tents — or 'hardened soft-sided facilities' — to ramp up deportations as quickly as possible, WSJ's Michelle Hackman and Elizabeth Findell scoop. The first up would be a 5,000-bed tent city at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas. But approval over Trump's mass deportations is still on a downward streak, with CNN polling this morning reporting 55 percent of Americans believe Trump has gone too far on immigration, a 10-point spike since February. On the ground: After the sweeping raids in Los Angeles, Mayor Karen Bass is once again 'the face of a city under siege' as fear and anxiety grows, POLITICO's Melanie Mason reports. … Online activists have launched websites to report ICE activity and arrests in surrounding areas, garnering thousands of followers and the DOJ's ire, WaPo's Robert Klemko writes. … Immigrants in Minnesota, Illinois and California are losing healthcare under Democratic leadership that once championed their care, per AP's Tran Nguyen and Devi Shastri. The men freed from CECOT: 'A Kite Surfer, Navy SEAL and Makeup Artist: Freed in a U.S.-Venezuela Swap,' by NYT's Julie Turkewitz: 'The American kite surfer, Lucas Hunter, 37, worked in finance in London and had gone on vacation in Colombia … The Navy SEAL, Wilbert Castañeda, 37, spent his adult life in the U.S. military and had gone to Venezuela to see a romantic partner … The makeup artist, Andry Hernández Romero, fled persecution for his political opinions and sexual orientation … The seller of bicycle parts, Alirio Belloso, 30, left because he could not afford school supplies for his 8-year-old daughter or medicine for his diabetic mother.' 2. FOR PETE'S SAKE: Another senior staffer at the Pentagon has been ousted, CBS' Jennifer Jacobs and colleagues scooped yesterday. Justin Fulcher came to the DOD as a DOGE employee, then became one of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's senior advisers. Fulcher took on that leadership role in the DOD reorganization following Signal-gate, and he's the latest in a string of top-level staffers to exit the Pentagon following the chaotic leak. 'As planned, I've completed 6 months of service in government to my country. … I will continue to champion American warfighters in all future endeavors and remain impressed by the work of the Department of Defense,' Fulcher's statement released by the DOD said. 3. TECH SECTOR: The Trump administration reviewed SpaceX's contracts and determined cutting them would be detrimental to the Defense Department and NASA, WSJ's Brian Schwartz and colleagues scooped last night, as 'breaking up with Elon Musk is easier said than done.' Meanwhile, the administration is 'trying to woo China' by reversing restrictions on trading advanced AI chips, NYT's Ana Swanson and Tripp Mickle write. Not so happy about that: China hawks, who worry China will now make a stronger play over U.S. technology controls. 4. TRADING PLACES: European Union envoys are gearing up to meet this week and plan countermeasures if no deal is made with the U.S. before Aug. 1, Bloomberg's Alberto Nardelli reports. While the goal is to continue negotiations, the talks last week didn't lead to any breakthroughs. More complications: Exit polls show Japan's ruling coalition is poised to lose its majority in the upper house in today's election — a blow to Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who lost the more powerful lower house back in October, and throwing a wrench in Ishiba's policy priorities — including trade talks with the U.S. More from Reuters' Mariko Katsumura and John Geddie New world order: Some of the U.S.' biggest companies and trading partners are struggling to adapt to a new global economy under Trump's tariffs, raising prices due to inflated costs and an expensive supply chain, WaPo's David Lynch writes. 'The United States is no longer considered the leader of the world trading system. It has opted out,' Alan Wolff, former deputy director of the WTO, told WaPo. The collateral: 'Less selection, higher prices: How tariffs are shaping the holiday shopping season,' by AP's Anne D'Innocenzio and Mae Anderson 5. FED UP: 'How Bessent Made the Case to Trump Against Firing Fed Chair Powell,' by WSJ's Brian Schwartz and Nick Timiraos: 'Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in recent days privately laid out his case to President Trump for why he believed Trump shouldn't try to oust Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell … Bessent said firing Powell was unnecessary because the economy is doing well and markets have responded positively … Fed officials have signaled they could cut rates twice before year's end … Bessent's cautious approach marks a contrast to other administration officials who have entertained more aggressive tactics. Trump told reporters on Tuesday he feels Bessent is 'soothing.'' 6. ON THE HILL: Polarization over Trump's legislative agenda has splintered Congress so deeply that NBC's Sahil Kapur and Frank Thorp V write that the 'last vestige of the bipartisan funding process is at risk of dying,' with the appropriations process growing even more dicey and Democrats blasting Trump for interfering in Congress' budget authority. The tension has exploded in shouting matches, committee walkouts and abandoned deals last week, NYT's Carl Hulse reports. No August recess?: Trump is calling on Senate Majority Leader John Thune to cancel the off-year break (and long weekends!) to finish getting his nominees confirmed. There's no decision on that yet, but there's been chatter about canceling the first week, POLITICO's Jordain Carney notes on X. That August recess could be a crucial moment for Republicans to sell the massive megabill to their continents. On that megabill: The cuts to SNAP and other federal food programs will decimate local grocery stores in low-income communities that turned out for Trump in 2024, POLITICO's Rachel Shin reports. And the break for states with the highest rates of waste in SNAP benefits, who wouldn't have to pay for those costs until 2030, could end up discouraging those states from correcting the errors, WaPo's Mariana Alfaro writes. 7. FROM THE WILDERNESS: As the calls get louder for redistricting Texas ahead of next year, Democrats are betting that Republicans will bite off more than they can chew. Democratic Rep. Vicente Gonzalez — whose Texas border district could be a potential target —told AP's Nicolas Riccardi and Nadia Lathan that Dems are already recruiting challengers to seize 'pickup opportunities' in the new map. It comes as House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and other Democrats are weighing a similarly risky move to redraw maps in California, New York, New Jersey, Minnesota and Washington, CNN's Manu Raju and Sarah Ferris report this morning. 2026 watch: Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.) is preparing to launch a run against Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) next year, per AJC's Greg Bluestein. 2028 watch: Many Democratic presidential hopefuls — among them Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) — have flocked to South Carolina to make their pitch in a state that will be crucial in the primaries, POLITICO's Brakkton Booker and Elena Schneider write from Pawleys Island. 8. MIDDLE EAST LATEST: More than 60 people were killed today in northern Gaza as Israel launched an attack on the crossing where humanitarian aid trucks enter the strip, NYT's Isabel Kershner and Aaron Boxerman report. The shooting followed an evacuation order for Palestinians to leave parts of central Gaza that have had yet to be targeted. The plan to move into these previously untouched central cities comes as Israel accuses Hamas of stonewalling a ceasefire, Bloomberg's Dan Williams and Fares Alghoul write. Meanwhile in Iran: Iran reached an agreement in principle for nuclear talks with France, Germany and the UK and could possibly begin last week, per Bloomberg's Arsalan Shahla. A Sunday read: 'Vodka Toasts With the Dictator of Belarus: How Diplomacy Gets Done in Trump 2.0,' by POLITICO's Amy Mackinnon 9. JUDICIARY SQUARE: 'After a Chaotic Start, a U.S. Attorney's Time May Be Running Out,' by NYT's Jonah Bromwich and Tracey Tully: '[Alina] Habba is among the most high-profile of the new U.S. attorneys appointed by a president who has taken closer control of the Justice Department than any other in the past half century. … Her tenure has also shattered morale inside the U.S. attorney's office and left many prosecutors looking for a way out … Prosecutors have chafed at her availability to defense lawyers. She disbanded the office's Civil Rights Division and killed the office's longest-running prosecution just days before it was scheduled to go to trial. … Habba acknowledged that she was unlikely to be appointed by the judges and offered an emotional, pre-emptive farewell.' TALK OF THE TOWN BLACKOUT: Large swaths of Dupont Circle are experiencing yet another power outage this morning. Pepco reports power may not be restored until 9 p.m. ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK, PART I: Zohran Mamdani is traveling to Uganda to celebrate his marriage to Rama Duwaji with their friends and family. ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK, PART II: Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo told business leaders yesterday that he will move to Florida if Mamdani wins the mayoral election. Cuomo's team later said he was joking. IN MEMORIAM — 'Award-winning former AP photographer Jo Ann Steck is remembered for her wit and leadership,' by AP's Safiyah Riddle: 'Award-winning photo journalist Jo Ann Steck — who broke barriers in male-dominated newsrooms by capturing some of the most notable moments in recent United States history — has died. She was 73.' TRANSITIONS — Fernando Brigidi De Mello is now senior campaign strategist for ACLU's new Abuse of Power team. He was previously with VP Kamala Harris's White House office and 2024 campaign, and is a Pete Buttigieg alum. WEDDING — Annika Nordquist, an incoming PhD candidate in government at Georgetown and daughter of Nels and DJ Nordquist, and Ryan McGregor, partner at Architect Capital, were married last Saturday in Alexandria. They met at a Georgetown house party during the fall of 2020, when Annika was home from Stanford and Ryan was working for Numinar, a political startup. Pic ... Another pic — Evan Swarztrauber, principal at CorePoint Strategies, and Carolyn Mahoney, an attorney advisor in the space bureau, satellite programs and policy division of the FCC, got married on Saturday in Block Island, Rhode Island. They originally met in 2018 as work friends and reconnected at The Hamilton in 2022. Pic HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Calif.) … Tom Friedman … Franklin Foer … CNN's David Chalian … Texas state Rep. Katrina Pierson … WaPo's David Lynch … Anita Decker Breckenridge … Patrick Kelly … King & Spalding's Justin Dews … Jamal Simmons … Hunter McKay of KRC Research … former Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) … Meta's Don Seymour … Leah Grace Blackwell … Paula Cino … Cornerstone's Max de Vreeze … Tristan Breaux of Rep. Shomari Figures' (D-Ala.) office … Liam Fagan of Sen. Bernie Sanders' (I-Vt.) office … former FCC Chair Dick Wiley (91) … Sharon Copeland of the Herald Group … MSNBC's Joya Manasseh Dioguardi … POLITICO's Kevon Eaglin … Sydney Poindexter … Aloise Phelps Send Playbookers tips to playbook@ or text us on Signal here. Playbook couldn't happen without our editor Zack Stanton, deputy Garrett Ross and Playbook Podcast producer Callan Tansill-Suddath.
Yahoo
19-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Elon Musk Using Eugenics Startup to Inspect DNA of Potential Babies for Intelligence
An Austin eugenics startup apparently counts billionaire Elon Musk and his girlfriend, Neuralink director Shivon Zilis, among its clients. That company, Orchid Health, provides tony clients the opportunity to screen their embryos for genetic illnesses starting at around $22,500. While there are a handful of similar genetic prediction firms, Orchid stands out by claiming that it can sequence embryos' entire genome using as few as five cells and predict far more than its competitors. And according to two sources close to the company who spoke to the Washington Post, its services have been used for at least one of Zilis and Musk's four children. While it's not at all news that Musk, the father of at least 14 children by multiple women, is obsessed with reproduction, this claim — which expands on reporting from The Information last year — casts the billionaire's pronatalism in a new and even more unsettling light. One of WaPo's Orchid insiders, who was not named to protect their privacy, told the newspaper that 30-year-old company founder Noor Siddiqi had provided Musk and Zilis with special screenings, which supposedly use bespoke algorithms to determine the embryo's potential for being intelligent. (While the company insists it's not involved in "eugenics," a word meaning "good genes," it is very literally helping parents select good genes, and the alleged intelligence selection does sound a lot like the dictionary definition of the practice.) That claim appears to fall in line with a telling tidbit Zilis divulged to Musk biographer Walter Isaacson: that the billionaire "really wants smart people to have kids," and that she chose to procreate with him after he encouraged her to have her own. When WaPo reached out to Orchid to ask about Musk and Zilis, as well as those intelligence screening allegations, the company declined to comment and claimed that although it does screen for intellectual disabilities, it does not offer any predictions about a future child's intelligence. Be that as it may, services like Orchid's are mired in both ethical and practical issues. Along with the perception that such services are tantamount to playing God, genetics experts who spoke with WaPo were very skeptical about Orchid's claim that it can sequence an embryo's entire genome from just five cells. According to Svetlana Yatsenko, a Stanford research genetics specialist, the company's use of a process called amplification, which copies DNA strands from small samples for analysis, is problematic because it's essentially using photocopies that could introduce inaccuracies to either rule out or declare genetic disorders. "You're making many, many mistakes in the amplification," Yatsenko told WaPo. "It's basically Russian roulette." Beyond the broad strokes, Orchid's own accountability problems appear much darker when considering how often Musk has cast bigoted aspersions on other races for their purported intellectual inferiority. More on genetic services: Genetics Startup Advertises App-Based Eugenics Service for Parents to Select "Smartest" Embryos Solve the daily Crossword
India Today
04-07-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Gabbard rips into WaPo reporter for harassing intel officials, her family
US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has slammed a Washington Post (WaPo) reporter for "actively harassing" her staff and also accused the Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter of hounding and stalking her family a post on X, Gabbard took issue with journalist Ellen Nakashima's reporting approach."It has come to my attention that Washington Post reporter (Ellen Nakashima) appears to be actively harassing ODNI staff," she posted on social media on Thursday (US time), referring to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI).advertisement She accused the Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter of not disclosing her identity and seeking sensitive information from intelligence officials."Instead of reaching out to my press office, she is calling high-level Intelligence Officers from a burner phone, refusing to identify herself, lying about the fact that she works for the Washington Post, and then demanding they share sensitive information.""Apparently, publishing leaked classified material wasn't enough for the Washington Post, so now they've decided to go after the Intelligence professionals charged to protect it (sic)," she SAME REPORTER WHO HARASSED AND STALKED MY FAMILY: GABBARDGabbard also alleged that Nakashima and her news outlet had been harassing her family in Hawaii."This is a clear political op by the same outlet and the same reporter who harassed and stalked my family in Hawaii," the US spy chief also accused the Washington Post of abandoning journalistic ethics in a bid to undermine Trump's agenda."This kind of deranged behaviour reflects a media establishment so desperate to sabotage POTUS's successful agenda that they've abandoned even a facade of journalistic integrity and ethics," she said."The Washington Post should be ashamed, and they should put an end to this immediately," she POST REJECTS CHARGESIn response, Washington Post Executive Editor Matt Murray said Nakashima is widely respected as one of the most diligent and fair-minded national security reporters."For three decades, Ellen Nakashima has been one of the most careful, fair-minded, and highly regarded reporters covering national security," Murray said in a statement."Reaching out to potential sources rather than relying solely on official government press statements regarding matters of public interest is neither nefarious nor is it harassment. It is basic journalism," Murray IS ELLEN NAKASHIMA?Ellen Nakashima has worked at the Washington Post since 1995 and has contributed to several Pulitzer Prize-winning teams for her reporting on the January 6 Capitol attack, Russian interference in the 2016 election, and the NSA's surveillance programs, according to her online biography on the Washington has been a White House correspondent, Southeast Asia bureau chief, and co-authored a biography of former Vice President of the United States, Al Gore.- Ends
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The Internet System Elon Musk Installed at the White House Is Causing Concerns
Elon Musk's lackeys at his so-called Department of Government Efficiency installed a Starlink terminal on the roof of the White House — and then totally blew off the major security concerns raised by communications experts, the Washington Post reports. This is the latest example of the security risks arising from DOGE's sweeping access to federal systems, alongside the high-profile blunders made by key figures in Trump's cabinet. According to insiders, it sounds like the White House communications experts were totally circumvented by Musk's group: they were given no notice that DOGE was installing the Starlink terminal — and once the satellite-based internet service was online, they had no way of actually monitoring the connections. When they voiced these concerns, the communications experts were ignored. At one point, things got heated. The installation of the Starlink roof terminal caused a confrontation between DOGE staffers and the Secret Service, according to WaPo. There was a lot for them to complain about. According to WaPo sources, a "Starlink Guest" WiFi network that first appeared in February is still active. It asks only for a password, with no username requirement or other form of authentication. This is not — or at least, shouldn't be — standard practice. Personal phones on a guest network at the White House typically need a username and a password, which are tracked and expire after a week, per WaPo. Starlink's network, by contrast, sounds more like the free Wi-Fi at Starbucks. "Starlink doesn't require anything. It allows you to transmit data without any kind of record or tracking," an insider told WaPo. "White House IT systems had very strong controls on network access. You had to be on a full-tunnel VPN at all times. If you are not on the VPN, White House-issued devices can't connect to the outside." "With a Starlink connection, that means White House devices could leave the network and go out through gateways. … It's going to help you bypass security," another insider told WaPo. Starlink is generally considered more secure than traditional telecommunication networks in the US, according to the reporting. But they're not impenetrable, and security experts aren't relishing the fact that they're being kept in the dark about what data is being transmitted in and out of the White House via the satellite network. It's unclear if the rooftop terminal remains installed, or if anything will change now that Musk has stepped back from his role as a "special government employee." That's a substantial loose end, because Musk has recently demonstrated a legendary petty streak that saw him lash out at Donald Trump and seemingly burn all bridges with the administration. If Musk is willing to threaten to cut off the US government's space access using his company's spacecraft, what else would he be willing to do? We've seen Musk personally intervene in Starlink's operations in the past for political reasons. When the Ukrainian military launched an ambush on the Russian naval fleet stationed near the Crimean coast, the billionaire ordered his engineers to shut down Starlink in the region to disrupt the attack. Starlink did not respond to WaPo's request for comment. The Secret Service said it could not discuss specific technology systems for security reasons. "We were aware of DOGE's intentions to improve internet access on the campus and did not consider this matter a security incident or security breach," Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi told WaPo. More on Elon Musk: Trump Confronted Musk in Private Before Their Blowout Public Fight
