| | | | |  | | By Bethany Irvine | | Presented by |  | | | |  | THE CATCH-UP | | | 
The White House is still struggling to navigate its response to the deadly attack on seven World Central Kitchen workers in Gaza. | AP | As officials across Washington and around the world continue to condemn the killing of seven World Central Kitchen aid workers in Gaza earlier this week, the White House is still struggling to navigate its response to the attack. Here’s how it’s playing out … — In the West Wing … President JOE BIDEN spoke with Israeli PM BENJAMIN NETANYAHU for the first time since the attack within the past hour. While administration officials previewing the call said Biden would express his “frustration” to Netanyahu, the White House has yet to telegraph any substantial policy changes coming down the pike. Underscoring the business-as-usual approach, WaPo’s John Hudson reports on how the administration approved the transfer of thousands more bombs to Israel the same day its forces killed the WCK workers. While a State Department official confirmed the weapons approval “occurred sometime ‘prior’ to when the Israeli aircraft struck the aid convoy,” the move further highlights the White House’s “determination to continue its flow of lethal weaponry.” — On Capitol Hill … Weapons sales have also taken center stage on the Hill, with a State Department to plan to sell $18 billion worth of F-15 fighter jets to Israel now in front of the congressional foreign affairs panels. NYT’s Robert Jimison and Edward Wong report that approval is now in limbo, with the lack of movement suggesting “that the top two Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations and House Foreign Affairs Committees have yet to sign off.” Actually blocking the deal, however, would require the heavy lift of passing a disapproval resolution through the House and Senate — which Biden could then veto or override with emergency powers. But the holdup comes amid a clear shift in opinion among even Israel-friendly Democrats, who are showing signs of wariness. To wit: Sen. CHRIS COONS (D-Del.), a Foreign Relations member and close Biden confidant, told CNN’s Sara Sidner this morning that he thinks “we're at that point” where conditioning future aid to Israel makes sense. “I’ve never been here before. I’ve been a strong supporter of Israel,” he said, adding that Netanyahu’s “tactics don’t reflect the best values of Israel or the United States.” — Over in Israel … Netanyahu, as a reminder, is facing mounting domestic pressure, with war cabinet member and political rival BENNY GANTZ joining the growing chorus calling for elections later this year. Meanwhile, another powerful voice is emerging, adding pressure to Netanyahu and his promises of a thorough investigation into the shocking strike: Chef and WCK founder JOSE ANDRÉS told Israel’s Channel 12 that the deadly strike wasn’t a tragic mistake, as the Israeli government has claimed, but “a direct attack on clearly marked vehicles whose movements were known.” WCK today is calling for an independent, third-party investigation as “the only way to determine the truth of what happened, ensure transparency and accountability for those responsible, and prevent future attacks on humanitarian aid workers.” “Israel has, or had, all the right to defend their people,” Andrés said. “But defending your people is not killing everybody else around.” — And on the campaign trail ... Presumptive Republican nominee DONALD TRUMP guested on Hugh Hewitt’s syndicated radio show this morning, where he was pressed on his recent comments suggesting that Israel has gone too far in its assault on Gaza. After some prodding from Hewitt, Trump agreed he stood “100%” with Israel but also reiterated that Netanyahu needed to bring the war to a close fast and mused about videos of the destruction on the ground. “Every night, they’re releasing tapes of a building falling down. They shouldn’t be releasing tapes like that,” he said, adding, “guess it makes them look tough. But to me, it doesn’t make them look tough. They’re losing the PR war. They’re losing it big.” The ramifications are trickling down-ballot, too — including in the closely watched primary race involving outspoken Israel critic Rep. JAMAAL BOWMAN (D-N.Y.). Rival GEORGE LATIMER, who had gotten big support from pro-Israel groups, described the attack as “a horrific incident,” in an interview with Emily Ngo, adding “there’s no defense” for the attack. Good Thursday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me a line at birvine@politico.com.
| | | | YOUR GUIDE TO EMPIRE STATE POLITICS: From the newsroom that doesn’t sleep, POLITICO's New York Playbook is the ultimate guide for power players navigating the intricate landscape of Empire State politics. Stay ahead of the curve with the latest and most important stories from Albany, New York City and around the state, with in-depth, original reporting to stay ahead of policy trends and political developments. Subscribe now to keep up with the daily hustle and bustle of NY politics. | | | | | BIG NEWS FROM HQ — JONATHAN GREENBERGER is joining POLITICO as executive vice president after a long career at ABC News, most recently as Washington bureau chief. “In the near-term, we are asking him to create a template for how we can set the agenda at major events in the United States and globally, starting with the conventions this summer,” POLITICO Media Group CEO Goli Sheikholeslami and Global Editor-In-Chief John Harris write in their announcement. “In the longer-term, we are expecting Jonathan to be an indispensable partner as we think about how to organize for the future.” Read the full memo HAPPENING TODAY — “US treasury secretary is in China to talk trade, anti-money laundering and Chinese ‘overproduction’” by AP’s Fatima Hussein
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Discover other stories. | | | | | 7 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW | | |  Todd Blanche, an attorney for former President Donald Trump, leaves the Alto Lee Adams Sr. U.S. Courthouse on July 18, 2023. | Lynne Sladky/AP Photo | 1. KNOWING TODD BLANCHE — “Trump’s Trial Lawyer Gambled a Gilded Manhattan Career to Represent Him,” by NYT’s Maggie Haberman, Ben Protess and Alan Feuer: “After a well-credentialed career as a federal prosecutor and a white-collar defense lawyer, Mr. Blanche, 49, has bet his professional future on representing Mr. Trump, the first former U.S. president to be indicted. It was a striking career move — forfeiting a lucrative law firm partnership to represent a man notorious for cycling through lawyers and ignoring their bills — that has baffled Mr. Blanche’s former colleagues at the U.S. attorney’s office in the Southern District of New York.” 2. THANKS, AMLO: “Migrant border crossings dip in March, with U.S. officials crediting crackdown by Mexico,” by CBS News’ Camilo Montoya-Galvez: “It's the first time in seven years — and the only time during the Biden administration — that illegal crossings along the U.S.-Mexico border did not increase from February to March … [T]he lower-than-expected number of illegal crossings in March is a reprieve for the Biden administration, which has faced an unprecedented humanitarian crisis and a political firestorm as a result of the record numbers of migrants crossing the southern border.” 3. HEY BIG SPENDER: In the latest signal that the Nevada Senate campaign is shaping up to be a difficult battle, Sen. JACKY ROSEN is reserving an eye-popping $14 million in fall ad buys for her reelection campaign, Burgess Everett reports: “Rosen’s early reservation is a sign of just how competitive Nevada will be up and down the ballot and comes alongside a $36 million ad reservation from Senate Majority PAC, which is aligned with Majority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER.”
| | | | A message from Meta:   | | | 4. BOOTS ON THE BATTLEGROUND: Despite cruising to victory in 2018, Sen. TAMMY BALDWIN (D-Wis.) is ramping up her campaign in her home state as this year’s contest with her likely opponent, Republican ERIC HOVDE, is rapidly becoming one of the most competitive and expensive Senate races of this campaign cycle, AP’s Scott Bauer reports from New Glarus, Wisconsin: “Baldwin said during a tour of New Glarus Brewing Company that it is ‘critical’ for her to show up all over the state. … She hit numerous smaller towns and cities during her 19-county, 1,400-mile ‘Dairyland’ launch tour, taking a boat ride in the tourism hub of Wisconsin Dells and meeting with tribal leaders in Ashland.” 5. CLIMATE CORNER: The EPA awarded over $20 billion to organizations across the country today to fund clean-energy projects as a part of the Biden Administration's sweeping climate provisions, WaPo’s Maxine Joselow reports: “The EPA is awarding money to eight nonprofits, which have committed to leverage nearly $7 in private capital for every $1 of federal investment. The nonprofits have also pledged to ensure that at least 70 percent of the funds will benefit disadvantaged communities, and that the financed projects will reduce up to 40 million metric tons of carbon dioxide a year.” 6. THE ECONOMIC BATTLEFIELD: Though many have theorized that U.S. economic sanctions would be ineffective against Russia as the Kremlin continues its onslaught on Ukraine, “some oil firms are struggling in the face of Western sanctions to repair their refineries” without help from the West, Reuters’ Robert Harvey scoops: “Countries under Western sanctions such as Russia and Iran have long managed to find loopholes to obtain spare parts for Western-made equipment such as planes or cars. But refining equipment is much rarer and more specialized; Western firms have tightened checks to prevent Russia from importing spare parts via third countries.” 7. AN OLDIE BUT A GOODIE: “To Contain China, the U.S. Bets on a 40-Year-Old Ship,” by WSJ’s Mike Cherney: “[T]he Coast Guard is deploying retrofitted vessels such as the Harriet Lane because a plan to build a new class of more modern ships will take years—and has been bogged down by delays and cost increases. … U.S. officials hope the increased Coast Guard presence will help build closer relations with island nations — and convince them they are better off joining with Washington instead of Beijing.”
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