| | | | |  | | By Bethany Irvine | | | |  Dozens of reporters and paid line-holders have been camped out around the federal courthouse in downtown Washington since early yesterday afternoon. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | The E. Barrett Prettyman U.S. Courthouse is abuzz today as journalists, security forces and protesters prepare for former President DONALD TRUMP’s arraignment on charges that he used “unlawful means” in an attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Trump is expected to enter a not guilty plea on four felony charges at a 4 p.m. hearing. It’s hard to overstate the symbolism surrounding the location. The courthouse — located a few hundred yards from where the worst violence of Jan. 6, 2021, took place — is also where more than 1,000 Jan. 6 rioters have appeared on charges and where “judges, defendants, lawyers, witnesses, jurors and court officials have had to constantly revisit the significance of the assault on Congress and what drove it,” CNN’s Tierney Sneed, Hannah Rabinowitz and Katelyn Polantz write. Dozens of reporters and paid line-holders have been camped out around the building in downtown Washington since early yesterday afternoon, some waiting for a scarce seat inside the courtroom, others just taking in the scene. What it’s like outside as everyone waits:
- There was “not a whole lot of activity” at the courthouse this morning, Kyle Cheney tweets. “One pro-Trump protester carrying a flag that says ‘Trump or death’ and ‘1776’ has generated a lot of media attention. But not much else visible from the courthouse windows.”
- “The long-anticipated indictment brought out a smattering of largely muted protests,” The Messenger’s Adam Klasfeld, Alec Dent and Darren Samuelsohn report, “including a pro-Trump supporter whom photographers captured waving a ‘Trump Won’ sign out the window of a presidential limousine lookalike.”
- LA Times’ Sarah Wire reports that “tourists on the double decker Big Bus that just passed the courthouse frantically snapped photos of the press and security perimeter,” adding, “City dump trucks lined up, ready to block streets if needed”
- WJLA-TV’s John Gonzalez posted a video showing DHS officers “handing out stickers” with phone numbers for the department to journalists outside the building.
- Kyle with a heads-up: “For folks who think they might catch a glimpse of Trump going into court, a reminder: LEONARDO DiCAPRIO testified in this courthouse a few months ago, press knew he was coming and massed at every conceivable entrance. No one saw him except in courtroom.”
Shortly after noon, Trump posted on Truth Social that he was on his way to D.C. “TO BE ARRESTED FOR HAVING CHALLENGED A CORRUPT, RIGGED, & STOLEN ELECTION.” He added that “IT IS A GREAT HONOR, BECAUSE I AM BEING ARRESTED FOR YOU.” Stunt men: GOP longshot VIVEK RAMASWAMY filmed a video outside the courthouse this morning, stating that “we want the truth” about Trump’s charges, and that he’s “suing” the DOJ to find out what President JOE BIDEN and AG MERRICK GARLAND “told [special counsel] JACK SMITH” about the Trump investigation. And former VP MIKE PENCE‘s campaign is now selling T-shirts and hats that read, “Too Honest,” per ABC’s Libby Cathey, a reference to an anecdote included in the indictment of an instance when Trump “berated” Pence and called him “too honest” when he told Trump he didn’t have the authority to alter the election results. FWIW: Biden was asked by reporters if he will be following the Trump arraignment today while he went for a bike ride in Rehoboth Beach this morning. “No,” he answered as he pedaled past, per CNN’s Kevin Liptak. In other Trump legal news: The former president is citing concerns that evidence from his ongoing $500 million lawsuit from his former lawyer, MICHAEL COHEN, could be used to “could potentially incriminate him in other cases,” Bloomberg’s Erik Larson reports, and is asking a judge to keep them private. THE POWER OF PERCEPTION — Amid the drumbeat of positive economic news lately — declining inflation, strong growth, a resilient labor market and easing fears of recession on Wall Street —a new CNN poll finds that 51%, or a little over half of Americans still believe the economy is “still in a downturn and getting worse.” “When asked which issue is the most important facing the country today, economic concerns continue to dominate,” CNN’s Jennifer Agiesta and Ariel Edwards-Levy report, “[W]ith 44% citing an economy-related issue such as the cost of living or inflation (19%); the economy generally (16%); or poverty, finances and money (3%). No other single issue was named by more than 10% of Americans.” Meanwhile: “Markets Still Weigh the Meaning of a U.S. Credit Rating Cut,” NYT’s Dealbook Good Thursday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me a line: birvine@politico.com
| | | | A message from The American Petroleum Institute (API): Real Progress on Tailpipe Emissions: Washington shouldn’t impose a tailpipe emissions rule that could effectively ban the vehicles most Americans drive today. Yet that’s what could happen under EPA’s proposed rule, with its narrow focus on electric vehicles as the only means to cut U.S. tailpipe emissions. Instead, the agency should seek ways to tackle emissions from vehicles that account for 99% of today’s fleet – and protect America’s access to affordable, reliable and efficient transportation. | | | ALL POLITICS WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES, PART I — Last year, national Democratic leaders all but abandoned Rep. HENRY CUELLAR (D-Texas) when progressive JESSICA CISNEROS mounted a primary challenge against him. But now the moderate Dem is getting a raft of support again, announcing endorsements from the entire slate of House Democratic leadership, Sarah Ferris reports. However, it’s unlikely Cuellar will be challenged the same way in 2024. “Not only are there zero signs of a serious progressive challenge to Cuellar next year, there’s no chatter about a major GOP candidate in his purple district.” WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES, PART II — SAM BROWN has emerged as the anointed Republican to take on Sen. JACKY ROSEN (D-Nev.) next year, just two years after he ran an outsider primary campaign against ADAM LAXALT that needled the GOP establishment, Roll Call’s Niels Lesniewski writes. “Some of Brown’s most candid remarks last cycle, according to audio reviewed by CQ Roll Call, came in commentary about [Sen. TOM] COTTON and Senate Minority Leader MITCH McCONNELL of Kentucky. “During an exchange at the Republican Men’s Club of Northern Nevada in November 2021 about why then-President Donald Trump had endorsed Laxalt months earlier, Brown brought up the fact that McConnell was also supporting the eventual GOP nominee. ‘The other thing is, guess who else has endorsed Adam? Mitch McConnell. So it’s, you know, if we trust Mitch McConnell, well then, well, I’m sorry for you, but I don’t,’ Brown said. … As for Cotton, Brown told attendees at a December 2021 fundraiser that the Arkansas senator was a “creature” of one of what Brown described as the multiple ‘swamps’ in the nation’s capital.” A NEW HOPE — “A Democratic governor in Mississippi? Here’s how it could happen,” by Vox’s Ben Jacobs: “Mississippi is a lighter shade of red than outsiders might think. It’s been consistently easy in recent years for Democrats to get up to 45 percent of the vote here, but nearly impossible for them to top 50. … In 2023, their hope is that BRANDON PRESLEY, a longtime elected public service commissioner from the northeast corner of the state with a fondness for Diet Mountain Dew and folksy aphorisms, can somehow break their streak and win the state’s odd-year gubernatorial election.” HE’S RUNNING — “Republican Rep. Dan Bishop announces plans to run for attorney general in NC,” by The Charlotte Observer’s Danielle Battaglia COUNT ME OUT — “Arizona Republicans wanted to hand-count ballots. Then they saw the price tag — and the errors,” by NBC’s Jane Timm CONGRESS PROMISES, PROMISES — Speaker KEVIN McCARTHY and senior Republicans are insisting that they won’t allow federal funding to lapse after Sept. 30, but their pledge isn’t totally quelling the fears of the rank-and-file, Sarah Ferris and Caitlin Emma report. There’s “rising angst” among the GOP that its hard-right flank actually wants a shutdown — and that their intransigence “could make it extremely difficult to get anything close to a long-term spending deal.” The upshot is “real alarm among lawmakers in both parties that Congress could actually plunge into chaos this time around.” WHAT’S ON MANCHIN’s MIND — As Democrats prepare to trumpet their success with the Inflation Reduction Act. JOE MANCHIN’s (D-W.Va.) “tortured relationship” with the healthcare and climate package has gotten even more complicated, WaPo’s Leigh Ann Caldwell and Theodoric Meyer report this morning — along with his relationship with Majority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER. Republicans in Manchin’s fossil-fuel-rich home state are using the law’s clean energy investments against him, and “Manchin is looking for help.” “[Manchin] wants Schumer to spend money in his state to help prop up his poll numbers before he decides whether he’ll run,” Caldwell and Meyer write, “But Schumer … doesn’t want to spend money before Manchin commits, even privately, to running.” Still: “Democrats privately say Schumer hasn’t left Manchin high and dry. A political nonprofit aligned with Schumer, Duty and Honor, ran an ad this spring to counter One Nation’s anti-Manchin ad. Manchin will ‘stand up to anyone to grow our local economy,’ the narrator in the ad says.” GOING NUCLEAR — WaPo’s Maxine Joselow is up with a deep dive on various proposals on Capitol Hill that lawmakers hope will stem the flow of uranium imports from Russia into the U.S. Though the Senate passed a proposal in the NDAA boosting U.S. production of uranium and a bill creating a similar program with the DOE, Republicans in the House are bumping up against the proposal’s price tag.
| | | | ATTENTION PLAYBOOKERS! You need to keep up with the latest political news and nuggets, so here’s a juicy tip: You need to add California Playbook to your daily reading. We have a new team at the helm who are eager to take you inside the political arena in California, from Sacramento and Los Angeles to Silicon Valley and throughout the Golden State! Get the latest exclusive news and buzzy scoops from the fourth largest economy in the world sent straight to your inbox. SUBSCRIBE TODAY. | | | | | POLICY CORNER LABOR OF LOVE — “Businesses brace for deluge of new regs from Biden’s labor cops,” by Nick Niedzwiadek: “Biden’s appointees are poised to dramatically reshape the work lives of tens of millions of workers and the businesses that employ them. The Department of Labor, National Labor Relations Board and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission — each operating on a separate track — are readying to push out new regulations and rules on everything from overtime pay to who counts as an employee.” JUDICIARY SQUARE HARD TO DEFINE — The Supreme Court decision that threw out the fraud convictions of political aides to former New Jersey Gov. CHRIS CHRISTIE has changed how lower courts can define and prosecute fraud cases, WSJ’s Dave Michael’s reports — including a recent high-profile case involving KPMG auditors: “The recent dismissals are a sign that enforcers have less flexibility today to use wire fraud to go after conduct that looks dodgy — but according to courts isn’t always criminal.” BEYOND THE BELTWAY IMMIGRATION FILES — “Two people dead on or near Texas’ anti-migrant buoys in Rio Grande, Mexico says,” by the Dallas Morning News’ Aarón Torres and Todd Gillman in Austin AMERICA AND THE WORLD CHINA TAKES CENTER STAGE — GOP presidential candidates, including Trump, RON DeSANTIS and NIKKI HALEY are embracing similar attacks on China on the campaign trail, criticizing Beijing not only an ongoing threat to national security but as “a top economic threat,” Reuters’ Gram Slattery, Michael Martina and David Lawder report. “China has been referenced as a foe in previous elections … [But] in this Republican primary race, the attacks are more frequent and the proposals bolder, political operatives say, thanks to an ongoing shift in U.S. public opinion.” WATCH THIS SPACE — “The U.S. wants Kenya to lead a force in Haiti with 1,000 police. Watchdogs say they’ll export abuse,” by AP’s Cara Anna: “Some organizations that have long tracked alleged police misconduct in Kenya are worried.”
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