| | | | |  | | By Garrett Ross | | | | 
Anthony Fauci is planning to step down from his posts in December. | Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo | ANTHONY FAUCI, who has helmed the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for 38 years and served as the top medical adviser over the course of the pandemic, will step down from both posts in December, NYT's Sheryl Gay Stolberg reports. Fauci, who will turn 82 on Dec. 24, said he won't be retiring "in the classic sense," but rather "would devote himself to traveling, writing and encouraging young people to enter government service." "So long as I'm healthy, which I am, and I'm energetic, which I am, and I'm passionate, which I am, I want to do some things outside of the realm of the federal government," Fauci said. President JOE BIDEN, in a White House statement: "Whether you've met him personally or not, he has touched all Americans' lives with his work. … The United States of America is stronger, more resilient, and healthier because of him." Read the full statement Fauci has notably clashed with Sen. RAND PAUL (R-Ky.) on numerous occasions, and the Times notes that Paul "and other Republicans have vowed to investigate Dr. Fauci if they win control of Congress this fall, and there has been speculation that Dr. Fauci would retire to avoid that possibility. Dr. Fauci dismissed that idea as 'nonsense' and also said that he had no intention of going to work for the pharmaceutical industry, as some of his critics have suggested." FWIW: Paul tweeted that he would still pursue an investigation and testimony from Fauci We may have an idea of how he'll spend some of his newfound free time … Flashback to our interview with Fauci from December 2020: Playbook: What's a fun fact that people in Washington might not know about you? Fauci: "That, before I got too busy, I used to love to dance, particularly with my wife. So, nobody knows that Tony Fauci really likes to dance, but I do." Read the full interview MAR-A-LAGO LATEST — Congress' so-called "Gang of 8" has asked the Biden administration "for access to the documents seized from former President Donald Trump's private residence in Florida," Andrew Desiderio scoops. The inquiry from this powerful group of bipartisan lawmakers "suggests that Congress is unwilling to be a bystander in the political and legal fallout" following the FBI's search of Mar-a-Lago. (The group includes CHUCK SCHUMER, MITCH McCONNELL, NANCY PELOSI, KEVIN McCARTHY and the top Democrat and Republican on the House and Senate intelligence committees.) — Federal Magistrate Judge BRUCE REINHART, who authorized the FBI search, today "emphasized that he 'carefully reviewed' the FBI's sworn evidence before signing off and considers the facts contained in an accompanying affidavit to be 'reliable,'" Kyle Cheney reports. "The new order underlines the historic significance of a typically secret part of the criminal investigative process, arriving just as Trump has indicated he's preparing to mount his own attack on the FBI investigation in court." THE GEORGIA INVESTIGATION — As Sen. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-S.C.) fights a subpoena to testify before Fulton County investigators looking into Trump's efforts to influence the 2020 election results, a federal judge wants more info from Graham. "On Monday, a federal judge set expedited deadlines to resolve the questions. Graham has until 9 a.m. Wednesday to file a motion 'as to exactly which questions and/or categories of information he is requesting the Court to address in an Order to partially quash the subpoena,' U.S. District Judge LEIGH MARTIN MAY wrote in a new order," per WaPo's Amy Wang and Tom Hamburger. Good Monday afternoon.
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Learn more about our work ahead. | | | BLINKEN YOU'LL MISS IT — WaPo's David Montgomery has a big read up today on Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN's unique position in the Biden administration as the emissary of Biden's foreign policy ambitions. "Biden and Blinken are attempting something larger than a post-Trump reset and restoration of the traditional liberal internationalist approach to foreign policy. They must confront a radically different context from the days when they both served under President BARACK OBAMA: While still preeminent, America's power abroad — relative to close rivals like China — is diminished. "At home, its model as a functioning democracy is tarnished amid an insurrection investigation and paralyzing polarization. Existential crises like climate change and the threat of global pandemics overshadow geopolitical disputes and require leadership and collective responses. On top of it all, vast swaths of the American public question the value of international engagement in the first place, making us a less reliable partner. "America may be back now — but for how long? The Biden administration's answer is rooted in a phrase coined by Blinken: the notion that 'humility and confidence' should be the 'flip sides of America's leadership coin.'" ALL POLITICS PRE-PRIMARY READING — As New York prepares to vote on Tuesday, one key race to watch is the special election in the state's 19th Congressional District, where abortion has emerged as one of the major issues that is motivating the campaigns of Democrat PAT RYAN and Republican MARC MOLINARO . "It is shaping up as the last big electoral test before the November midterms of Democrats' attempts to channel anger over the decision — and subsequent state bans on abortion — into votes for their candidates, and of Republican efforts to keep the focus on different matters," WaPo's David Weigel reports from Monticello, N.Y. The terrain: "Covering all or part of 11 counties in Upstate New York, the 19th district is of considerable interest to party strategists, since it went for President Biden by just 1.5 points in 2020 after voting for former president Donald Trump in 2016 and former president Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012." — And HuffPost's Daniel Marans has the download on progressive New York state Sen. ALESSANDRA BIAGGI's bid to unseat DCCC Chair SEAN PATRICK MALONEY in the Democratic primary for NY-17, speaking with both candidates as Maloney enters Tuesday as the heavy favorite. What Biaggi is banking on: "If Biaggi manages to pull off an upset, it will be thanks in large part to some Democrats' belief that Maloney puts himself above the interests of the Democratic Party. In a late August election — thanks to redistricting, the second primary election since June — turnout is hard to predict. Biaggi's enthusiastic base of support could prove decisive." What Maloney is banking on: "There is no denying the outsize role that Maloney's cash advantage has played in the race. As of Aug. 3, he had spent nearly $2.6 million and had $2.4 million left to spend. Biaggi, by contrast, had spent over $530,000 and had less than $270,000 left as of that same date." DEEP IN THE HEART — A trio of Latina GOP candidates — MONICA DE LA CRUZ, CASSY GARCIA and Rep. MAYRA FLORES (who is running for a seat she won via special election) — are "testing whether a platform of conservative policy ideas can propel them to Congress from overwhelmingly Latino House districts in South Texas, a region long dominated by Democrats," WSJ's Aaron Zitner writes. "Nonpartisan analysts say all three women are in competitive races, though Ms. De La Cruz has the most Republican-leaning voter mix in her district, an advantage in her race against political newcomer MICHELLE VALLEJO , a Democrat. Ms. Flores has the most challenging partisan terrain in her race against Democratic Rep. VICENTE GONZALEZ, who moved from a neighboring district after Texas lawmakers redrew the state's political boundaries." — Related read: "Congressional candidate Monica De La Cruz disparaged COVID-19 aid despite taking thousands of dollars for her businesses," by the Texas Tribune's Matthew Choi — Also in Texas: "Election staff abruptly quits, upending rural Texas county," by AP's Paul Weber: "The resignations have more broadly made the county of roughly 27,000 residents — which overwhelmingly backed former President Donald Trump in 2020 — an extraordinary example of the fallout resulting from threats to election officials. Officials and voting experts worry that a new wave of harassment or worse will return in November, fueled by false claims of widespread fraud." NYC DISPATCH — "Eric Adams After Dark: A Private Table and Tarnished Friends," by NYT's Sarah Maslin Nir and Jazmine Hughes: "New York's mayor vowed to boost nightlife establishments in every corner of the city. But again and again, he returns to the same spot, run by friends with troubled pasts." (And a shoutout to our colleagues in New York, who have been all over the Adams beat, as Sally Goldenberg notes.)
| | | | STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president's ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today. | | | | | THE ECONOMY FOR YOUR RADAR — "Global stocks lower ahead of Federal Reserve meeting," AP VALLEY TALK DISINFORMATION DIGEST — Two sites — BitChute and Odysee — have emerged as hubs of misinformation in a "fast-growing alternative media system that delivers once-fringe ideas to millions of people worldwide," Reuters' Andrew Marshall and Joseph Tanfani write in a special report . "Searching the two sites on major news topics plunges viewers into a labyrinth of outlandish conspiracy theories, racist abuse and graphic violence. As their viewership has surged since 2019, they have cultivated a devoted audience of mostly younger men, according to data from digital intelligence firm Similarweb. … Despite the platforms' rules, their users routinely publish overtly racist videos and post comments that call for violence, a Reuters review of the sites found." BEYOND THE BELTWAY CLIMATE FILES — "New Mexico city, victim of government burn, now faces water shortage," by AP's Susan Montoya Bryan and Brittany Peterson POLIO LATEST — "Polio Vaccines Are Urged in New York as Once-Defeated Virus Lurks," WSJ
| | | | A message from Facebook:   | | | AMERICA AND THE WORLD SOUND FAMILIAR? — "A simple but alarming question is dominating political discourse in Brazil with just six weeks left until national elections: Will President JAIR BOLSONARO accept the results?" NYT's Jack Nicas and André Spigariol report in Brasília. "For months, Mr. Bolsonaro has attacked Brazil's electronic voting machines as rife with fraud — despite virtually no evidence — and Brazil's election officials as aligned against him. He has suggested that he would dispute any loss unless changes are made in election procedures. He has enlisted Brazil's military in his battle. And he has told his tens of millions of supporters to prepare for a fight." "With its vote on Oct. 2, Brazil is now at the forefront of the growing global threats to democracy, fueled by populist leaders, extremism, highly polarized electorates and internet disinformation. The world's fourth-largest democracy is bracing for the possibility of its president refusing to step down because of fraud allegations that could be difficult to disprove." IN THE MIDDLE EAST — "Iraq's Political Crisis Points to Iran's Weakening Influence in Baghdad," by WSJ's David Cloud and Ghassan Adnan KNOWING DAVID COHEN — From Ottawa, Andy Blatchford profiles the U.S. ambassador to Canada , a longtime Biden friend who's charged with "repairing a damaged friendship" — this one between neighboring countries. Following the Trump years, some in Canada are glad to have Biden in office — but his continuation of protectionist trade policies has rankled the business community north of the border, along with several other debates. Cohen's a well-known Democratic fundraiser who's "known for his meticulous preparation"; in Ottawa, he's been seeking to rev up the charm. Former Pennsylvania Gov. ED RENDELL: "I'm sure she'll replicate it in Ottawa, but RHONDA COHEN makes the best pigs in a blanket I've ever tasted … And I would consider myself an expert."
| | | | 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. | | | | | WAR IN UKRAINE — "Russian authorities on Monday blamed Ukraine for organizing the killing of DARIA DUGINA , the ultranationalist daughter of a prominent Russian supporter of the invasion, a claim that raised fears of a further escalation in the six-month war," NYT's Anton Troianovski reports. "Ukraine has denied having anything to do with the car bombing on Saturday that killed Ms. Dugina, 29, on a highway in an affluent district outside of Moscow." PLAYBOOKERS MEDIA MOVE — Aubree Weaver is now legislative services editor for POLITICO Pro. She previously was editor for POLITICO Premium. TRANSITION — Maryam Ahmed is now national press secretary for Senate Majority PAC. She most recently was comms director for John King's Maryland gubernatorial campaign and is a Precision Strategies, Pete Buttigieg and Don Beyer alum. ENGAGED — Matt Baker, senior director of strategic initiatives at Equifax and an Edelman and Ogilvy alum, and Alexandra Rodenfels, a personal assistant, got engaged on Aug. 15 while traveling in France. The two met over drinks in Buckhead in 2020. Pic
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