| | | | |  | | By Gary Fineout | Hello and welcome to Tuesday. Turn, turn, turn — The political landscape of 2024 could be altered by a hearing later today in a federal courtroom in Fort Pierce. My back pages — As POLITICO’s Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein explain, U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon is scheduled to a hold a hearing in the case against former President Donald Trump and charges that he held classified documents at his home in Mar-a-Lago. You ain’t goin’ nowhere — Cannon, a Trump appointee, is scheduled to discuss with attorneys how to handle the classified material at issue in the case. But the judge has also signaled she will address the trial schedule, including a request by Trump to push it back beyond the 2024 presidential election. The Department of Justice, meanwhile, has called for a much more accelerated timeline. We’ll meet again — Other considerations that Cannon may have to juggle is the fact that Trump could be busy in other courtrooms in the months ahead, including next March, when he is due to stand trial on criminal charges in Manhattan for allegedly falsifying business records to hide hush money payments to a porn actress who claims she had an extramarital affair with him. Wasn’t born to follow — Of course looming in the future are potential charges related to Jan. 6, as well as an ongoing investigation into Trump’s efforts to change the result of the election in Georgia. I’ll feel a whole lot better — The ultimate outcome of all these legal proceedings, and their timing, could of course have a major impact on the rest of the Republican field now challenging Trump. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis this past weekend contended the Manhattan indictment “elevated” Trump and there was a “lot of sympathy” for the former president. — WHERE'S RON? — Gov. DeSantis is scheduled to roll out his military policy during a press conference in West Columbia, South Carolina. He is also expected to file his paperwork to be placed on the South Carolina Republican presidential primary ballot and do an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for Playbook? Get in touch: gfineout@politico.com
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AS THE PAGES TURN — 6 things to watch as Trump classified documents case returns to court, by POLITICO’s Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein
— “‘Avoid further delay’: Feds want judge to push defense team for protective order for Trump classified documents,” by South Florida Sun-Sentinel’s David Lyons — “Spotlight on judge in Trump documents case intensifies following controversial earlier ruling,” by Associated Press’ Eric Tucker and Adriana Gomez Licon TRUMP TEAM REVELS IN DESANTIS STUMBLES — Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles, from former President Donald Trump’s campaign, put forward a memo on Monday that was theoretically aimed at “donors” that detailed much of the recent coverage of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ stalled campaign for president. The memo talks about polling, campaign spending and the recent news that the DeSantis team had to lay off employees. The memo wraps up with this: “Of course, if I were you, I wouldn't hold my breath expecting any answers or accountability. Given the aforementioned points, if you still collectively pour millions of dollars into the failing Ron DeSantis campaign, you can't say you weren't warned.” — “Trump rivals are drawing millions from his 2020 donors,” by The Wall Street Journal’s Jack Gillum
| | CAMPAIGN MODE | |
‘A DIFFERENT EXPERIENCE’ — Ted Cruz, Rick Scott, Josh Hawley: How hard will Dems go after 3 favorite foes? by POLITICO’s Burgess Everett: Overall, Democrats see “a sitting senator who’s by all accounts unpopular in their own state … I think there’s opportunities” in Florida, said Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.), a DSCC vice chair. While Florida went deep red last fall — with both Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Gov. Ron DeSantis winning by wide margins — Trump took the state more narrowly in 2016 and 2020. Scott himself is bracing for that closer dynamic in his state next year. “It’s the biggest swing state in the country,” Scott said in an interview. “This is the first election where I’ve been on the ticket with a president. It’ll be a different experience.”
— Florida Navy vet mounts bid to defeat Rick Scott, by POLITICO’s Gary Fineout CAN DEMS FLIP BACK THIS SEAT? — It’s looking like a north Florida state Senate seat may become a major battleground again in 2024. Sheria Griffin, who has worked for the Florida Education Association and is a former classroom teacher, last week filed to run against incumbent GOP state senator Corey Simon in 2024. Simon, a former Florida State University and NFL standout, defeated Sen. Loranne Ausley (D-Tallahassee) during the midterms in a north Florida district that barely went for President Joe Biden in 2020. About her challenge, Griffin said that “it’s time to restore some balance to the Florida Senate in 2024, not more of the same extreme agenda driving current state government policies that are diametrically opposed to District 3’s values.” Simon was one of the main sponsors of the legislation that offered private school vouchers to all families regardless of income — a bill staunchly opposed by the FEA. While Simon was a reliable Republican vote in the state Senate, he voted against a proposed ban on abortion after six weeks of pregnancy. Griffin became the second Democrat to file to run against Simon, but she’s already drawing praise from Leon County Democratic Party chair Ryan Ray. “Sheria offers voters a great chance to elect a State Senator who actually represents our region’s values — not the radical right-wing agenda of Ron DeSantis and MAGA Republican legislative leaders.” — “WTF? Florida Democrats getting attention with bad language,” by City & State Florida’s Tristan Wood | | DESANTISLAND | |
ABOUT THAT TAPPER INTERVIEW — A lot of attention will be focused today on Gov. Ron DeSantis' scheduled interview with CNN's Jake Tapper since it represents a turnabout in the Republican governor's antagonistic interactions with those in in the "legacy" and "corporate" media that he has routinely bashed for the last few years. Will there be some big altercation, or will DeSantis just resort to the same talking points he's used in the interviews he's done on friendly conservative outlets?
Will this actually help the campaign? Trump's campaign obviously doesn't think so. “They don’t actually want any Republican primary voters to see his CNN interview,” Trump senior adviser JASON MILLER told D.C. Playbook. “DeSantis could have easily joined one of CNN’s high-profile primetime hosts and reached millions of new voters if he had something compelling to say, but with an unlikable candidate, no campaign message, and rapidly sinking poll numbers, the campaign is doing an afternoon hit that nobody will watch. That’s a tactic, not a new strategy, and it’s not going to change DeSantis’ campaign nosedive.” THE NEW NORMAL — DeSantis PAC uses AI-generated Trump voice in ad attacking ex-prez, by POLITICO’s Alex Isenstadt: The ad, from Never Back Down, charges Trump with attacking Iowa governor Kim Reynolds as part of a larger pattern of disrespect he has shown to the first caucus state. But the audio that the spot uses is not actually from Trump. A person familiar with the ad confirmed Trump’s voice was AI generated. Its content appears to be based off of a post that Trump made on his social media site Truth Social last week. The person said it will run statewide in Iowa tomorrow and that the ad buy was at least $1 million — a massive sum though one doable for the well-heeled super PAC. | 
Republican presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis takes questions during a campaign event on Monday, July 17, 2023, in Tega Cay, S.C. (AP Photo/Meg Kinnard) | AP |
LOOK WHO’S GIVING — POLITICO’s Caitlin Oprysko crunched the numbers when it came to which Washington D.C. lobbyists are giving to Republican primary candidates. This is what she found: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was one of the biggest magnets for K Street cash last quarter. Among those who maxed out to his campaign are Brian Bartlett of Kekst, Charlie Spies, Ignacio Sanchez of DLA Piper, Bill Burck of Quinn Emanuel, Brian Huseman of Amazon, Marc Lampkin and Leah Dempsey of Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck and Ballard Partners’ Adrian Lukis, Dane Eagle and Courtney Coppola. Lamar Smith, DeSantis’ former House colleague who now lobbies for Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, also maxed out to the governor.
And here’s more — DeSantis also received four-figure checks from Peloton lobbyist Justin Kintz, Sidley Austin’s Joseph Coniglio, Business Roundtable President Kristen Silverberg and BRT lobbyist Matthew Miller, Federal Hall Policy Advisors’ Cliff Roberti, Uber’s Brian Barnard, Robinhood’s Lucas Moskowitz, Targeted Victory’s Alberto Martinez, Navigators Global’s Susan Nelson, WilmerHale’s Sean Hayes, and General Dynamics’ Erica Striebel, among others. ‘FIGHTING THE LAST WAR’ — “Private GOP polling data reveals why DeSantis campaign is sputtering,” by Rolling Stone’s Asawin Suebsaeng and Adam Rawnsley — “Why was Ron DeSantis in Tega Cay? What the SC town offers to GOP presidential hopeful,” by Charlotte Observer’s Mary Ramsey — “DeSantis resets 2024 bid with six months until voting starts,” by Bloomberg’s Nancy Cook — “DeSantis campaign has a ‘candidate problem,’ former Trump 2020 chief says in new podcast,” by NBC News’ Jonathan Allen — “Ron DeSantis doesn’t see federal role in providing healthy school lunches,” by Florida Politics’ A.G. Gancarski | | | | UNLEASH THE FUTURE OF HEALTHCARE WITH POLITICO, A 7/20 INTERACTIVE EVENT: Imagine a future where rare genetic diseases are not only treatable, but potentially curable. Where our approach to chronic illness takes a monumental leap forward. That future is already taking shape in the form of next-generation health care treatments such as gene therapy. Join POLITICO on Thursday, July 20 and delve into the burgeoning field of gene therapies, which hold the power to redefine our health care landscape. Are you ready to explore this new frontier in health care? Don't miss this chance to be part of the conversation. REGISTER NOW. | | | | | | | ... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ... | |
ANOTHER ONE — DeSantis sued over vacant Miami-Dade legislative seat, by POLITICO’s Gary Fineout: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis should be ordered to set the date for a special election for a vacant legislative seat, contends a new lawsuit filed against the Republican governor. The lawsuit, filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida on behalf of a South Florida voter who lived in the district represented by former Rep. Juan Fernandez-Barquin, marks the third time in the past two years DeSantis has been sued over his delay in calling special elections.
DRISKELL WEIGHS IN – House Democratic leader Fentrice Driskell (D-Tampa) wrote to DeSantis on Monday and asked him to set special election dates for both the House District 118 seat that had been held by Fernandez-Barquin but also the House District 35 seat held by former Rep. Fred Hawkins, who was picked to become president of a central Florida college despite scan higher education experience. She noted that there are only 177 days left before the start of the 2024 session. “Failure to act immediately will only serve to deny residents of both districts the vital representation that is fundamental to their rights,” Driskell wrote. | | PENINSULA AND BEYOND | |
TO COURT — Groups sue Florida over latest immigration law, by POLITICO’s Andrew Atterbury: Several groups sued the DeSantis administration Monday over Florida’s latest anti-immigration law, arguing that it “inflicts enormous harm on people’s ability to go about their daily lives.” Filed in Miami federal court, the lawsuit targets the wide-ranging immigration policies enacted by Florida earlier this year at the behest of Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican presidential candidate who regularly criticizes how President Joe Biden is dealing with the surge of migrants crossing into the U.S. at the southern border.
— “Rhode Island gets off the list of ‘invalid’ driver’s licenses recognized by FL,” by Florida Phoenix’s Mitch Perry MESSI MANIA — “Lionel Messi chose Miami and Miami loves him for it,” by The New York Times’ Patricia Mazzei: “Not since LeBron James declared in 2010 that he would “take my talents to South Beach” (really, downtown Miami) to play basketball for the Miami Heat has the region been so infatuated with the impending presence of a sports figure. In the weeks since Mr. Messi announced last month that he would sign with Inter Miami, artists have raced to paint murals of him around town. Restaurants have redrawn their menus to offer versions of what is said to be his favorite dish, breaded meat known as milanesa.” NOT SO FINE — “Committee and lawmakers on defense against state’s FAU presidential search investigation,” by Palm Beach Post’s Stephany Matat — “For Florida’s Hurricane Ian survivors, extreme heat is a “second disaster,’” by The Washington Post’s Brianna Sacks — “Judge rules against Florida in fight over putting children in nursing homes,” by News Service of Florida’s Jim Saunders — “CNBC list ‘Top States for Business’ ranks Florida economy No. 1, but quality of life 10th worst,” by USA Today Network-Florida’s C.A. Bridges | | ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN | |
RABBIT SEASON — “Fuzzy invasion of domestic rabbits has a Florida suburb hopping into a hunt for new owners,” by Associated Press’ Terry Spencer: “When Alicia Griggs steps outside her suburban Fort Lauderdale home, Florida’s latest invasive species comes a-hoppin’ down the street: lionhead rabbits. The bunnies, which sport an impressive flowing mane around their heads, want the food Griggs carries. But she also represents their best chance of survival and moving where this domesticated breed belongs: inside homes, away from cars, cats, hawks, Florida heat and possibly government-hired exterminators. Griggs is spearheading efforts to raise the $20,000 to $40,000 it would cost for a rescue group to capture, neuter, vaccinate, shelter and then give away the estimated 60 to 100 lionheads now populating Jenada Isles, an 81-home community in Wilton Manors.”
|  Rabbits gather to eat food left by a resident, Tuesday, July 11, 2023, in Wilton Manors, Fla. The Florida neighborhood is having to deal with a growing group of domestic rabbits on its streets after a breeder illegally let hers loose. Residents are trying to raise $20,000 to $40,000 needed to rescue them and get them into homes. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee) | AP | |
BIRTHDAYS: State Rep. Allison Tant … former State Rep. Jackie Toledo
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