| | | | |  | | By Garrett Ross | | | | 
The grand jury considering the case against Donald Trump will not meet today. | Wesley Parnell for POLITICO | A potential indictment of former President DONALD TRUMP won’t come today. And piecing together the reporting, it seems like any action from the Manhattan grand jury considering Trump’s case won’t come until next week. Insider’s Laura Italiano scooped that the grand jury that has been hearing the case against Trump was told “not to come in” today. Our colleagues Erica Orden and Julia Marsh report that the panel has been advised to be “on standby” for Thursday, citing a law enforcement official. “The D.A.’s office didn’t tell the court why the day off, [they] just said, ‘I don’t want them today, maybe tomorrow,’” the official added. And NYT’s Maggie Haberman reports that the grand jury “may hear from at least one more witness before being asked to vote.” The panel has been meeting on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. “It is unclear why District Attorney ALVIN BRAGG, whose office has been presenting evidence against Trump since mid-January, temporarily hit the brakes,” Insider notes. “The reason for the pause could be unrelated to the grand jury's investigation. It is also possible that prosecutors are executing a shift in strategy.” The delay comes after the grand jury on Monday heard additional testimony from ROBERT COSTELLO, who said he undermined star witness MICHAEL COHEN’s credibility. It also comes as Trump has called for mass protests and officials have prepared for potential unrest following a decision. In the spotlight again: “Michael Cohen’s Long Arc From Trump Ally to Chief Antagonist,” by NYT’s Maggie Haberman, Ben Protess and Jonah Bromwich: “He went to prison for 13 months and then faced home confinement for more than a year. He endured years of attacks from Mr. Trump’s allies, ultimately emerging with a book deal, cable news appearances and a podcast, ‘Mea Culpa.’ Now, Mr. Cohen is poised to seize his biggest moment yet: a day in court against Mr. Trump.” The mood at Mar-a-Lago: CNN’s Kristen Holmes reports that “several advisers to the former president expressed frustration at the lack of information around a potential indictment and the logistical complications that would come with an appearance in New York, where Trump would be arraigned. ‘We’re planning for what we can: What does he say and when?’ another adviser told CNN. ‘There’s not a lot we can really plan for right now.’” Knowing Bragg: “Who is Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan DA who could charge Trump?” by WaPo’s Jennifer Hassan and Adela Suliman Oh, and BTW: “Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg’s ties to billionaire George Soros are not as close as Republicans claim,” by CNBC’s Brian Schwartz THE RIPPLE EFFECT — “Russia-Ukraine War Threatens to Trigger New Nuclear Arms Race,” by WSJ’s Laurence Norman: “Debate is growing in Washington over the benefits of seeking future U.S.-Russia arms-control agreements in a world where China’s growing nuclear arsenal is free from any constraints and Beijing shows no interest in negotiating controls.” STICKER SHOCK — “Moderna to Price Its Covid-19 Vaccine at $130 a Dose,” by WSJ’s Peter Loftus: “The plans could add to criticism of the company from lawmakers who are scheduled to explore the cost of the shots at a hearing Wednesday.” Good Wednesday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me a line: gross@politico.com.
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Explore more possibilities with the metaverse. | | | CONGRESS THE WILD BLUE YONDER — “Air Force IDs 2 new GOP candidates whose military records were improperly released,” by Olivia Beavers: “In a letter dated Friday, which was obtained by POLITICO, the Air Force told House Armed Services Committee Chair MIKE ROGERS (R-Ala.) and Oversight Committee Chair JAMES COMER (R-Ky.) that an audit by its personnel center found nine people’s records were ‘released without authority’ to the firm Due Diligence Group between 2021 and 2023. “Seven of those records disclosures affected GOP candidates for office in 2022, according to the letter. Five of those Republicans are already known, and two have not been confirmed until now: J.R. MAJEWSKI, a MAGA-friendly Ohio candidate who faced campaign-trail scrutiny for misrepresenting his military record, and ROBERT ‘ELI’ BREMER, who lost in last year’s GOP primary race to take on Sen. MICHAEL BENNET (D-Colo.).” Read the letter CROSSING THE AISLE — “House Intel panel launches bipartisan effort to renew surveillance program,” by NBC’s Julie Tsirkin: “The House Intelligence Committee, one of just a few GOP-led panels that hasn’t shifted its priorities to partisan investigations in the new Congress, named three Republicans and three Democrats to form a working group that will focus on renewing a statute that allows the federal government to conduct warrantless surveillance of foreigners outside the U.S., even if they’re communicating with Americans.” DELAY DECISION — “Senate committee punts vote on Biden’s pick to head up FAA,” by Alex Daugherty: “The nomination for PHIL WASHINGTON, who is currently CEO of Denver International Airport, has been in question since he was first nominated last year, with some Republicans arguing that he lacks relevant aviation experience. Soon after his nomination, reports emerged that Washington had been caught up in a politically tinged corruption probe out of Los Angeles County related to his time at Los Angeles’ transit agency. The California attorney general eventually halted that investigation, but questions have lingered since.” SERVED HOT — “House Republicans Subpoena Labor Authorities in Starbucks Union Dispute,” WSJ’s Hannah Haddon scoops: “The House Committee on Education and the Workforce on Wednesday asked a regional [National Labor Relations Board] official to provide documents as to whether the labor body improperly influenced at least one Starbucks election.” ALL POLITICS ON WISCONSIN — “Republicans’ best hope for Wisconsin Senate is a Trump critic,” by Meredith Lee Hill: “A public break with former President Donald Trump has been career suicide for many an ambitious GOP lawmaker in recent years. It might just be a boon for Rep. MIKE GALLAGHER. Top party officials in D.C. and back home in Wisconsin maintain the fourth-term congressman and new head of the China Select Committee represents their best shot at flipping the battleground’s Senate seat in 2024. There is just one thing they have to do first: convince him to run.” The state of play: “Gallagher has been evasive about his plans. But people close to him say he’s not inclined to challenge Democratic Sen. TAMMY BALDWIN, a formidable campaigner and fundraiser in her own right. … Should Gallagher pass on the contest, it could not only hurt Republicans’ chances of claiming the Senate in 2024, it would further underscore the hurdles the party faces in finding a winning electoral formula in a post-Trump world.”
| | | | We’re spilling the tea (and drinking tons of it in our newsroom) in U.K. politics with our latest newsletter, London Playbook PM. Get to know all the movers and shakers in Westminster and never miss a beat of British politics with a free subscription. Don’t miss out, we’ve got some exciting moves coming. Sign up today. | | | | | THE ECONOMY BANK ON IT — In the last hours leading up to the failure of Silicon Valley Bank, executives “paced the office on phone calls as employees watched,” as they scrambled to secure emergency loans, WSJ’s Hannah Miao, Gregory Zuckerman and Ben Eisen report: “Customers withdrew $42 billion from SVB on March 9. … The next day, the BNY transfer to the Fed went through, potentially allowing SVB to borrow from the central bank.” ON THE MARKET — “Bank Crisis Could Cast Pall Over Commercial Real Estate Market,” by NYT’s Matthew Goldstein: “Midsize and regional banks like Signature and First Republic not only provide the bulk of commercial real estate loans to businesses, they are also part of a far bigger market … And because the industry hasn’t fully rebounded from the blow dealt by the pandemic, analysts worry about a fresh slowdown.” POLICY CORNER FOR YOUR RADAR — “State Department ends ‘assignment restrictions’ policy that some called discriminatory,” by Daniel Lippman ECO UPDATE — “Biden Plans to Spur Biological Production of Fuels, Chemicals, Plastics,” by Bloomberg’s Riley Griffin: “Prompted by a September executive order and supported by more than $1 billion in Defense Department funding, the Biden administration program will release documents Wednesday outlining biomanufacturing and biotechnology targets. Goals include using living organisms to make at least 30% of chemicals and be able to displace more than 90% of plastics within the next two decades.” HEADS UP — “Troubled U.S. organ transplant system targeted for overhaul,” by WaPo’s Lenny Bernstein: “The government announced plans Wednesday to overhaul the troubled U.S. organ transplant system, including breaking up the monopoly power of the nonprofit organization that has run it for the past 37 years. If successful, the proposal would leave little unaffected in the sprawling, multibillion-dollar network that sends kidneys, livers and other organs from deceased donors to severely ill recipients.” JUDICIARY SQUARE SCOTUS WATCH — “Supreme Court chews on Jack Daniel’s dog toy dispute,” by AP’s Jessica Gresko
| | | | A message from Meta:   | | | BEYOND THE BELTWAY ABORTION FALLOUT — “Kansas could soon approve ‘born alive’ abortion bill,” by AP’s John Hanna in Topeka, Kan. SUSTAINED STRUGGLE — “Kentucky floodwaters receded six months ago. For many, the crisis goes on,” by WaPo’s Brady Dennis in Hazard, Ky.: “Between cash-strapped local governments, under-resourced nonprofit organizations and slow-moving federal recovery efforts, many residents have concluded that they are largely on their own.” CULTURE WAR CASUALTIES — “A course meant to inspire more Black students to take AP classes sparked a culture war instead,” by NBC’s Michelle Garcia: “Fifteen percent of high school students in the U.S. are Black, but they are only 9% of students enrolled in AP courses, according to the Education Trust, a think tank that proposes solutions to educational inequalities. In a 2020 survey, 40% of Black students said they were interested in pursuing science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, fields in college, but no more than 2% of Blacks students were enrolled in AP biology, chemistry or physics.” Related read: “Inside a Brooklyn School Teaching the Course That Florida Banned,” by NYT’s Troy Closson VALLEY TALK TIKTOK ON THE CLOCK — “TikTok is D.C.'s new boogeyman. Can Silicon Valley’s tactics save them?,” by WaPo’s Cat Zakrzewski and Cristiano Lima: “[A]s TikTok CEO SHOU ZI CHEW faces an impending congressional grilling and the company encounters a perilous suite of problems … it is mounting a campaign to wrest itself from its role as Washington’s boogeyman.” PROGRAM CHANGE — “Conservatives Aim to Build a Chatbot of Their Own,” by NYT’s Stuart Thompson, Tiffany Hsu and Steven Lee Myers WAR IN UKRAINE ON THE GROUND — “Ukrainian civilians killed by Russian missiles and drones,” by AP’s Hanna Arhirova TRADE OFF — “Slovakia offered U.S. helicopters for giving jets to Ukraine,” AP
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