The unofficial guide to official Washington.
The unofficial guide to official Washington.
By signing up you agree to allow POLITICO to collect your user information and use it to better recommend content to you, send you email newsletters or updates from POLITICO, and share insights based on aggregated user information. You further agree to our privacy policy and terms of service. You can unsubscribe at any time and can contact us here. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
You will now start receiving email updates
By signing up you agree to allow POLITICO to collect your user information and use it to better recommend content to you, send you email newsletters or updates from POLITICO, and share insights based on aggregated user information. You further agree to our privacy policy and terms of service. You can unsubscribe at any time and can contact us here. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
By EUGENE DANIELS and RYAN LIZZA
With help from Eli Okun and Garrett Ross
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) waits to speak at his news conference on Tuesday, Sept. 13. | Drew Angerer/Getty Images
After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June, most Republicans stuck to a simple message: The decision merely sent the issue back to the states; it was not a prelude to any national ban on abortion.
Sen. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-S.C.) tossed all that out the window Tuesday, dropping a bill that would implement a nationwide ban on abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy while allowing states to pass more restrictive laws. The immediate effect was to put fellow Republicans, who had already been on their heels over Roe’s reversal, straight onto their butts.
At a Capitol Hill news conference Tuesday, Graham promoted his bill as good policy and good politics, noting that it would align U.S. abortion law with the rest of the industrialized world while giving GOP officeholders and candidates a proposal to rally around.
Instead, the opposite happened. The GOP scattered in response, while Democrats all over the country began salivating. One told Playbook last night: “Graham’s stunt is a godsend and helps us remind voters Republicans want to ban abortion everywhere.”
This — on a day when President JOE BIDEN should have been on the defensive after the monthly inflation report came in hotter than expected — gave Biden “an unexpected soft landing,” our colleagues Chris Cadelago and Jonathan Lemire write.
Graham’s legislation surprised top Republican operatives, the pair write, who “likened [the bill] to a slow, telegraphed pitch down the middle of the plate. Several confessed to first learning about the legislation Monday evening through SEAN HANNITY’s Fox News program, where the latest iteration was initially teased.”
It was hard to find Republican officials and operatives who would defend the proposal. NBC’s Jonathan Allen, Marc Caputo and Scott Wong write that Republicans across the country dismissed Graham’s bill as “a distraction that divides the GOP and reminds voters that most of them see the party as too extreme on abortion.”
That included many of Graham’s Senate colleagues, our Burgess Everett, Marianne LeVine and Sarah Ferris report from the Hill, some of whom “were highly perplexed at Graham’s decision to introduce a new abortion ban — more conservative than his previous proposals — at a precarious moment for the party.”
Did you know: 39% of insured Americans say they don’t understand what’s covered by their insurance. Health insurance coverage should be predictable and transparent, and insured Americans agree. Learn more from our latest Patient Experience Survey report.
Some of the notable reactions:
FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Want more proof Democrats are betting big on abortion’s potency in November? Look at Pennsylvania state House District 168, in the Delaware County suburbs of Philadelphia. State legislative campaigns typically measure their ad buys in the thousands of dollars. But Democratic candidate LISA BOROWSKI is today launching a million-dollar-plus ad blitz in her bid to unseat GOP incumbent state Rep. CHRIS QUINN in a race where abortion rights have taken center stage.
— Borowski’s fundraising has been supercharged by an EMILY’s List endorsement as well as the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee listing the seat among the party’s best takeover opportunities nationally. ICYMI: Dems prepare for showdown in state legislatures post-Roe
Good Wednesday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza.
SO LONG, PRIMARY SEASON — The Senate battleground appears to have its final combatant: DON BOLDUC, an avowed MAGA Republican who has raised doubts about the 2020 election, is on track to face Democratic Sen. MAGGIE HASSAN after opening a small but persistent lead in New Hampshire’s GOP primary over state Senate President CHUCK MORSE. (While some forecasters have declared Bolduc the nominee, the AP has yet to call the race.)
Should the result hold, this would be the race Democrats wanted and Republicans fought against. The former spent millions to make Morse, the more mainstream candidate, less palatable for a Republican primary, while a newly created GOP super PAC spent even more to attack Bolduc as an unelectable extremist with “crazy ideas” — a message that Democrats are now certain to amplify in the two months ahead. Read Bolduc’s 2021 New Yorker interview
New research examines how insured Americans navigate unclear and unaffordable insurance coverage.
— In New Hampshire’s 1st District GOP primary, Trump administration alumna KAROLINE LEAVITT will face Democratic Rep. CHRIS PAPPAS after dispatching MATT MOWERS, who had garnered significant establishment support.
— In New Hampshire’s 2nd District GOP primary, conservative businessman ROBERT BURNS holds a small lead over GEORGE HANSEL, the moderate mayor of Keene. The winner will face Rep. ANNIE KUSTER.
— In Rhode Island’s Democratic gubernatorial primary, incumbent DANIEL McKEE fended off a pair of more-liberal challengers with a bare plurality, not a majority, of the vote.
Full results: New Hampshire statewide and New Hampshire congressional districts … Rhode Island statewide and Rhode Island congressional districts
FRANCHISE PLAYER — Meanwhile, in Delaware, neither primary for the state’s at-large House seat was contested. The most competitive race on the ballot was for state auditor, in which incumbent Democrat KATHLEEN McGUINNESS — who was convicted this summer on corruption charges related to the hiring of her daughter — fell to challenger LYDIA YORK.
Among those who cast a vote in the election was Biden, who made a last-minute surprise trip to Wilmington, making it to his home polling place with just under an hour to spare. Bloomberg’s Jordan Fabian and Jenny Leonard note that Biden chose not to avail himself of other voting options, as his predecessors have done.
Biden speaks to reporters after voting in Wilmington, Del., on Tuesday, Sept. 13. | Andrew Harnik/AP Photo
“He didn’t answer when asked why he hadn’t simply requested and returned an absentee ballot,” they write. “Delaware also offered in-person early voting on Saturday, when Biden was at his home in Wilmington. Instead, Biden employed two motorcades, local police protection and the Boeing 757 version of Air Force One to vote in an election with no high-profile races on the ballot.”
BIDEN’S WEDNESDAY: 8:30 a.m.: The president will receive the President’s Daily Brief. 8:45 a.m.: Biden will depart the White House en route to Detroit, where he is scheduled to arrive at 10:30 a.m. 11:15 a.m.: Biden will tour the Detroit Auto Show. 1:45 p.m.: Biden will deliver remarks on electric vehicle manufacturing. 3:10 p.m.: Biden will participate in a DNC reception. 4:05 p.m.: Biden will depart Detroit to return to the White House, where he is scheduled to arrive at 5:40 p.m. Press secretary KARINE JEAN-PIERRE will gaggle aboard Air Force One en route to Detroit. VP KAMALA HARRIS’ WEDNESDAY: 10:25 a.m.: The VP will depart D.C. en route to Buffalo, N.Y. 12:15 p.m.: Harris will participate in a clean energy and sustainability tour at the GRoW Clean Energy Center at The State University of New York at Buffalo. 2 p.m.: Harris will deliver remarks at an Inflation Reduction Act climate event. 4:30 p.m.: Harris will depart Buffalo to return to D.C. THE SENATE will meet at 10 a.m. to resume consideration of LARA MONTECALVO’s nomination to be U.S. circuit judge for the 1st Circuit, post-cloture and at 11:30 a.m., will vote on confirmation. Then, the Senate will vote on a motion to invoke cloture on SARAH MERRIAM’s nomination to be U.S. circuit judge for the 2nd Circuit. — The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will hold a hearing on SHAILEN BHATT’s nomination to be Federal Highway Administration administrator at 10 a.m. — CDC Director ROCHELLE WALENSKY, FDA Commissioner ROBERT CALIFF, ANTHONY FAUCI and Assistant HHS Secretary for Preparedness and Response DAWN O'CONNELL will testify on the government’s monkeypox response before the Senate HELP Committee at 10 a.m. THE HOUSE will meet at 10 a.m. The House Foreign Affairs Committee will receive a closed-door briefing on Iran nuclear deal negotiations at 8:30 a.m.
JOIN THURSDAY FOR A GLOBAL INSIDER INTERVIEW: From climate change to public health emergencies and a gloomy global economic outlook, the world continues to deal with overlapping crises. How do we best confront all of these issues? Join POLITICO Live on Thursday, Sept. 22 at 10:30 a.m. EDT for a virtual conversation with Global Insider author Ryan Heath, featuring World Bank President David Malpass, to explore what it will take to restore global stability and avoid a prolonged recession. REGISTER HERE.
President Joe Biden speaks to Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) at the White House on Tuesday, Sept. 13. | Francis Chung/E&E News/POLITICO
WHAT’S SPOOKING WALL STREET — Tuesday’s inflation reading sent Wall Street into a tizzy: “Stocks suffered their worst day in more than two years after hotter-than-expected inflation data dashed investors’ hopes that cooling price pressures would prompt the Federal Reserve to moderate its campaign of interest-rate increases,” WSJ’s Karen Langley and Caitlin Ostroff write. The numbers: “The Dow fell 1,276.37 points, or 3.9%, to 31104.97. The S&P 500 declined 177.72 points, or 4.3%, to 3932.69. The Nasdaq Composite slid 632.84 points, or 5.2%, to 11633.57.”
ALL THE LIVELONG DAY — A looming national railroad strike has set off a scramble at the White House as officials put together a plan should negotiators fail to strike a deal and send an already fraught supply chain into further turmoil. “White House aides are looking at how to ensure essential products carried by rail — such as food, energy and key health products — could still reach their destinations, even in the event of a strike,” WaPo’s Jeff Stein, Lauren Kaori Gurley and Tyler Pager report. “Senior officials have looked at how highways, ports and waterways can be used to offset any damage caused, while also talking to top officials in the shipping, freight and logistics industries.” They note that Biden was briefed on the details Tuesday and that daily meetings on the issue are now underway.
WHAT BIDEN SAID — Despite the higher-than-expected inflation report that dropped on Tuesday morning, Biden sang a rosy tune as he gathered a congressional cabal to celebrate the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act at the White House. “Today offers proof that the soul of America is vibrant, the future of America is bright and the promise of America is real,” Biden said. He also singled out Sen. JOE MANCHIN (D-W.Va.) for his critical vote in getting the bill through the Senate: “Joe, thanks for sticking with what you said you would do, appreciate it.” More from Kelly Garrity
JUST POSTED — “Car guy Biden to tout electric vehicles at Detroit auto show," AP
THE RACE IS ON — Olivia Beavers sits down with Rep. BYRON DONALDS (R-Fla.) to discuss his challenge to GOP Conference Chair ELISE STEFANIK (R-N.Y.). “I think races are healthy,” Donalds said in the exclusive interview, saying his plan “hasn’t changed” despite Stefanik’s formal confirmation that she’s seeking reelection in leadership after flirting with a bid for whip next year. “Competition is a healthy thing.”
WELCOME WAGON — Rep. MARY PELTOLA (D-Alaska) was sworn in along with two other new members on Tuesday — Reps. PAT RYAN (D-N.Y.) and JOE SEMPOLINSKI (R-N.Y.). But Peltola’s history-making credentials (she’s the first Alaska Native to represent the state in Congress and first woman to represent the state in the House) made her arrival all the more notable. “Her spokesman told a local radio station this week that Ms. Peltola was receiving more than 100 interview requests per day,” NYT’s Emily Cochrane writes (noting that she declined one with the Times).
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi administers the House oath of office to Rep. Mary Peltola during a ceremonial swearing-in on Tuesday, Sept. 13. | Jose Luis Magana/AP Photo
Quick turnaround: “She will now have eight weeks to learn her way around the winding tunnels and meeting rooms of the Capitol complex, introduce herself to hundreds of new colleagues and launch constituent and legislative work before she faces voters again in the November general election, which will decide who will hold the seat in the next Congress.”
New research examines how insured Americans navigate unclear and unaffordable insurance coverage.
NOT SO FAST — While the cascade of subpoenas in the Justice Department’s investigation into Trump’s effort to overturn the 2020 election signaled a major step in the proceedings, those inside DOJ are cautioning watchers to pump the brakes, saying that the action “should not be mistaken for a signal that Mr. Trump will imminently be prosecuted,” NYT’s Katie Benner and Adam Goldman report. DOJ officials say that the timeline for the investigations into Jan. 6 and the Mar-a-Lago documents could make it difficult or unlikely that AG MERRICK GARLAND could consider potential charges before the midterms or even by the end of the year.
— But this is notable: “Justice Department criminal investigation now touches nearly all efforts to overturn 2020 election for Trump,” by CNN’s Tierney Sneed, Katelyn Polantz, Sara Murray, Evan Perez and Kristen Holmes
OVER ON THE COMMITTEE — The spate of activity is also spurring the Jan. 6 committee to consider how quickly it should submit the evidence that it has gathered to DOJ, Kyle Cheney and Nicholas Wu report. “We have a meeting on Friday. I plan to bring it up,” Rep. BENNIE THOMPSON (D-Miss.) told reporters at the Capitol Tuesday, following a roughly four-hour-long meeting of the Jan. 6 select committee. “I think now that the Department of Justice is being proactive in issuing subpoenas and other things, I think it’s time for the committee to determine whether or not the information we’ve gathered can be beneficial to their investigation.”
BACK CHANNELS — Former New Mexico Gov. BILL RICHARDSON traveled to Moscow this week and held meetings with high-level Russian officials, CNN’s Jennifer Hansler reports. While the details of Richardson’s meeting are unclear, Richardson and his “namesake center privately work on behalf of families of hostages and detainees, and the trip comes as the Biden administration works to free two Americans whom the State Department have classified as wrongfully detained: BRITTNEY GRINER and PAUL WHELAN.”
KREMLIN READ — “Putin, tone deaf and isolated, pursues war ‘goals’ and refuses to lose,” WaPo
FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES — “Former Gov. Phil Bryant helped Brett Favre secure welfare funding for USM volleyball stadium, texts reveal,” by Mississippi Today’s Anna Wolfe: “Text messages entered Monday into the state’s ongoing civil lawsuit over the welfare scandal reveal that former Gov. PHIL BRYANT pushed to make NFL legend BRETT FAVRE’s volleyball idea a reality. The texts show that the then-governor even guided Favre on how to write a funding proposal so that it could be accepted by the Mississippi Department of Human Services – even after Bryant ousted the former welfare agency director JOHN DAVIS for suspected fraud.”
THE LATEST IN LAS VEGAS — “Robert Telles faced domestic violence charges after fight with wife in car, home,” by the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Arthur Kane and Briana Erickson
SCARY STORY — “Suspicious package explodes at Northeastern University, staff member injured,” by the Boston Globe’s Matt Yan and Camilo Fonseca
SUBSCRIBE TO 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.
Joe Biden and Rick Scottjust can’t quit each other.
Mike Lindell got his phone seized by the FBI while he was at a Hardee’s restaurant.
Jonathan and Drew Scott — aka, the Property Brothers — stopped by the White House.
John Barrasso on Dems’ climate policy: “They worship the sun god, the wind god.”
Angie Craig trolled her teenage son’s (failed) stock trading.
Pat Ryan’s son had a blast at his swearing-in ceremony.
Steven Van Zandt said he lobbied Donald Trump to release Leonard Peltier from prison.
IN MEMORIAM — “Ken Starr, Independent Counsel in Clinton Investigation, Dies at 76,” by NYT’s Peter Baker: “His wife, Alice Starr, said he had spent the last 17 weeks at Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center fighting an undisclosed illness and died of complications of surgery, but gave no further details. … He became a Rorschach test for the post-Cold War generation, a hero to his admirers for taking on in their view an indecent president who despoiled the Oval Office and a villain to his detractors, who saw him as a sex-obsessed Inspector Javert driven by partisanship. His investigation tested the boundaries of the Constitution when it prompted the first impeachment of a president in 130 years and scarred both Mr. Clinton’s legacy and his own.”
SPORTS BLINK — The 14th annual Congressional Women’s Softball Game benefitting the Young Survival Coalition is happening tonight at 7 p.m. at Watkins Recreation Center on Capitol Hill. Last year’s game was one for the books, with the Bad News Babes pulling off a late 5-1 victory over the Member team. (The press team has actually won every game played since 2016.) And Roll Call’s Chris Cioffi has a nice story up on Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), who is reprising her role as one of the longtime announcers for the game alongside Dana Bash and Andrea Mitchell. This year, Klobuchar’s turn behind the microphone has taken on new meaning after her father, Jim, a longtime sportswriter, died last year. More info on the game
OUT AND ABOUT — On Tuesday night, Politics & Prose hosted an event for Andy Kroll’s new book, “A Death on W Street” ($30). Following a Q&A with Kroll moderated by Will Sommer, guests mingled at a soiree next door at Comet Ping Pong. SPOTTED:Dave Weigel, Mark Leibovich, Sam Brodey, Margot Sanger Katz, Cam Joseph, Ian Sams, Kara Voght, Elaine Godfrey, Dan Friedman, Colin Seeberger, Pema Levy, Rebecca Leber and Nick Baumann.
HOT JOB — WaPo is searching for a “Social Media Coach.”
MEDIA MOVES — Wesley Lowery is joining the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism as a journalist in residence. The announcement … Jessica Coen will be the first U.S. executive editor at The News Movement, which is launching stateside next month. She most recently was chief content officer at Morning Brew and is a former Mashable editor-in-chief.
FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Joe Gaeta is joining Democracy Forward to lead its oversight work. He previously was deputy assistant AG for DOJ’s Office of Legislative Affairs and is a Sheldon Whitehouse, Senate Budget Committee and Rhode Island AG alum.
TRANSITIONS — Former Rep. Mike Ferguson (R-N.J.) is joining AT&T as EVP for federal legislative relations. He most recently was senior adviser and federal policy team leader for Baker Hostetler. … Former Rep. Evan Jenkins (R-W.Va.) is joining the U.S. Chamber of Commerce as head of congressional affairs. He most recently was of counsel at Jenkins Fenstermaker and before that served as chief justice of the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia. …
… Hailey Hamel is joining FTI Consulting’s government affairs team as a senior consultant. She most recently was a legislative aide for Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas). … Suzy Welch is joining the Brunswick Group as a senior adviser. She currently is an adjunct professor at NYU’s Stern School of Business and a contributor on the "Today" show and CNBC. … Chris Golden is now VP for digital at Rational 360. He most recently was director for digital grassroots mobilization at Crypto.com and is a FWD.us and Joe Trippi alum.
ENGAGED — Gary Beck, executive director of federal affairs at AHIP, and Riley Althouse, senior director at Dezenhall Resources, got engaged last week during a trip to Lake Como in Italy. The couple met in 2017 while both working at the Department of Health and Human Services.
WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Kate O’Keeffe, a reporter covering U.S.-China tech and national security for the WSJ, and Miguel Gonzalez, the editor of WSJ's Capital Journal newsletter, in late August welcomed Diana Mary O'Keeffe Gonzalez. Pic … Another pic
BIRTHWEEK (was Sunday): Rebecca Angelson of Rep. Bob Latta’s (R-Ohio) office
HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis … Bloomberg’s Jennifer Jacobs … NYT’s Matt Flegenheimer and Tim Arango … Axios’ Hans Nichols … MSNBC’s Alex Korson … Russell Berman of The Atlantic … DNC’s Ofirah Yheskel and Roger Lau … Rachel Bissex of the Senate Judiciary Committee… POLITICO’s Danielle Woodward … E&E News’ Kevin Bogardus and Camille Bond … Angela Grossfeld … Nick Magallanes … Strauss Media Strategies’ Richard Strauss … Elliot Berke of Berke Farah … Jolyn Cikanek of Enact MI … NBC’s Scott Foster … Luke Bolar … Rey Benitez … Jillian Hughes of Mental Health America … Josh Gordon … Brittany Parker … Sandeep Prasanna of the Jan. 6 select committee … Paula Dobriansky … Trent Duffy … John Ladd … Ben Merkel … Brian Greer … Amy Kauffman … Howlie Davis … Joyce Brayboy … Paul McCarthy … Julia Cohen … Jay Preciado … Melina Delkic … Dan Morris … Rachel Ryan … Bloomberg’s Katie Boyce
Send Playbookers tips to [email protected] or text us at 202-556-3307. Playbook couldn’t happen without our editor Mike DeBonis, deputy editor Zack Stanton and producers Setota Hailemariam and Bethany Irvine.
According to new data, insured Americans are struggling to navigate their health care coverage, particularly the insurer- and PBM-imposed barriers and cost sharing practices that stand between them and their medicines:
· 39% of insured Americans say they don’t understand what’s covered by their insurance. · Even with insurance, 15% report they would be unable to afford health care if they were to become seriously ill because of high out-of-pocket costs.
Americans want policy reforms that improve their insurance by providing more predictability and transparency in what is covered and lowering what they pay out of pocket. Read more in PhRMA’s latest Patient Experience Survey.