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REMEMBERING SANDRA DAY O’CONNOR — The first woman to ascend to the Supreme Court died today at 93, the end of a remarkable life that broke down barriers for women in the legal field and altered the course of American history with crucial swing votes on the court.
From a cattle ranching family in Arizona, where she witnessed the first atom bomb test, O’Connor rose to become a history-making justice upon her 1981 appointment, capping a career in law and politics that included a stint as Arizona state Senate majority leader.
On the Supreme Court, the center-right jurist was seen as an independent voice who often prioritized precedent and never quite pleased either party. She put GEORGE W. BUSH in the White House with the 5-4 Bush v. Gore decision. She protected legalized abortion, race-based affirmative action in college admissions and the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reforms (at least for a generation, until more conservative lineups overturned them all). In other landmark decisions, O’Connor helped overturn state bans on gay sex, emphasized states’ rights and clarified the separation of church and state. And she paved the way for several female justices to follow.
“During a crucial period in American law,” NYT’s Linda Greenhouse writes in her obituary, “she was the most powerful woman in the country.”
IT’S OVER — A year after stories in The North Shore Leader and the NYT raised questions about GEORGE SANTOS and kicked off endless cycles of scrutiny and schadenfreude, the fiery, flamboyant, indicted Long Islander is finally out of Congress. The House voted 311-114 to oust the New York Republican over campaign finance concerns and his serial lies, the first time a member has been booted without a criminal conviction since the Civil War. Almost all Democrats and just shy of half of Republicans voted to expel him, crossing the two-thirds threshold.
The outcome was less of a sure thing than it seemed just a few days ago: Earlier in the day, all of House GOP leadership came out against expelling Santos, giving him a last-minute modicum of momentum. Some opponents said they were concerned about setting a precedent to expel a member without a conviction. (On the flip side, Ohio GOP Rep. MAX MILLER alleged to colleagues this morning that Santos had defrauded him and his mom.) But leadership’s defense infuriated other Republicans, per Olivia Beavers, and ultimately it wasn’t enough: 105 Republicans voted to kick him out, while Reps. BOBBY SCOTT (D-Va.) and NIKEMA WILLIAMS (D-Ga.) were the only Democrats to stick with Santos.
Santos kept things brief on his way out of Congress. “It’s over,” he told reporters. “They just set a dangerous new precedent for themselves. … I no longer have to answer a single question. That is the one thing that I’m going to take forever. … To hell with this place.”
Up next: a special election, likely in February, that will be a crucial bellwether for next year’s campaigns — the Cook Political Report labels it a tossup. There are no primaries here; party leaders will choose the candidates, and those selections could happen quickly. Former Rep. TOM SUOZZI is the Democratic frontrunner, Emily Ngo and Nick Reisman report, though ANNA KAPLAN is in the hunt too. At least three Dems will meet with party officials tonight, CNBC’s Brian Schwartz reports. Possible Republicans include MAZI MELESA PILIP, MIKE SAPRAICONE, KELLEN CURRY and JACK MARTINS.
Judging by last month’s elections, the 2022 GOP surge on Long Island hasn’t abated; Democrats are particularly concerned about Pilip, an Ethiopian-born former Israel Defense Forces member. On the other hand, this is a JOE BIDEN-won district, and Dems hope the Santos stench will linger.
How it’s playing in Rio: “As George Santos is expelled from Congress, Brazilians hang their heads,” by WaPo’s Terrence McCoy and Marina Dias
Happy Friday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me a line at [email protected].
TRUMP CARDS
MAJOR RULING — There could be a lot more lawsuits against DONALD TRUMP soon over the Jan. 6 insurrection, after a three-judge panel of a federal appeals court in D.C. ruled that he can be held liable in civil court for the events of that day, WaPo’s Rachel Weiner and Spencer Hsu report. The decision will almost certainly be appealed. But this could set a crucial legal precedent that Trump’s Jan. 6 actions were outside the scope of his presidential duties and therefore not protected by immunity.
2024 WATCH
ANOTHER ONE — ADAM LAXALT, chair of the RON DeSANTIS super PAC Never Back Down, has left his position, NYT’s Jonathan Swan, Shane Goldmacher and Maggie Haberman scooped.
THE LOYALTY TESTS — As Trump allies plot for a second White House term with unprecedented politicization of the federal bureaucracy, Axios’ Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen reveal the questionnaires themselves that screen for ideologically and personally loyal foot soldiers. Respondents have to answer what attracted them to Trump’s message, how they’ve evolved politically or whether they’ve ever commented publicly on Trump. The surveys from the final days of the Trump White House or Heritage’s Project 2025 are designed to ensure everyone is MAGA, not REAGAN– or Bush-esque. It all points to a government that “would be driven more by ideology than by policy expertise or innovation.”
BIG INVESTIGATION — Why is CORNEL WEST broke? In Forbes, Jemima Denham and Zach Everson set out to answer that question and find that the cause is largely self-inflicted “recklessness”: West racked up massive tax liens as he spent big on fancy living arrangements, cars and especially romantic liaisons. “[H]e has spent and lived wildly, impregnating and abandoning multiple women, leaving him with significant divorce and child-support payments, some of which he failed to pay.” One ex-wife accuses him of having led a “secret life” with a different woman. West acknowledges some poor decisions, but using money to cover up affairs? Those “allegations were too ridiculous to attend to,” he responds.
AD IT UP — For one of the first times this campaign, the Trump campaign is hitting the TV airwaves in Iowa with ads that slam Biden and show Gov. KIM REYNOLDS praising Trump (even though she’s backing DeSantis), ABC’s Lalee Ibssa and Rachel Scott scooped.
THE DeSANTIS DECLINE — “People increasingly think it’s over. It’s a dumpster fire,” one person close to DeSantis tells WaPo’s Hannah Knowles, Michael Scherer and Josh Dawsey of the Florida governor’s struggling presidential campaign. They report that the DeSantis effort has become increasingly consumed by internal chaos and pessimism, as NIKKI HALEY surges and Trump remains dominant. Still, “there’s precedent for dramatic shifts late in presidential primaries, leaving room for recovery.”
ARTICLES OF FAITH — “How religion plays into Ron DeSantis’ public image — from ‘armor of God’ to a Bible ordered on Amazon,” by NBC’s Matt Dixon in Tallahassee: “The Florida governor has never made his faith a major part of his public image, but he’s having to talk about it more as he reaches out to conservative religious voters.”
STRANGE BEDFELLOWS — Rep. DEAN PHILLIPS’ (D-Minn.) electability attacks on Biden are delighting Trump’s campaign — because Phillips’ ads also boost Trump’s electability argument in his primary, Alex Isenstadt reports.
COOL KIDS — “Rappers and sporting events: Inside Donald Trump’s campaign for young voters,” by Semafor’s Shelby Talcott: “The hope is to marry Trump’s base of young conservative voters with a mix of disaffected Biden voters and more politically marginal voters that can be reached outside conventional media. They are looking at ways to leverage Trump’s inroads in pop culture, especially hip hop.”
INTERESTING DYNAMIC — The Biden administration crackdown on “junk fees” includes “resort fees” at hotels — which Trump’s properties happen to charge, The Daily Beast’s Jake Lahut reports. That could give Biden an unusually personal line of attack against the former president in the election.
POLICY CORNER
WHAT JOE MANCHIN IS WATCHING — For months, the U.S. has been waiting to see how the Biden administration’s electric vehicle tax credit rules would balance China hawkishness/domestic industry boosterism against a more rapid green energy transition. Today we got the answer: The Treasury and Energy departments leaned into tough-on-China provisions, even if they slow the widespread adoption of EVs, James Bikales reports. The administration says automakers will be able to comply with the rules, which do offer some pockets of flexibility even as they set stringent clampdowns against Chinese supply-chain involvement. Some China hawks say they don’t go far enough, per WSJ’s Andrew Duehren.
ANTITRUST THE PROCESS — “‘This could be the final straw’: Realtors face a legal reckoning,” by Katy O’Donnell: “A wave of legal challenges to the lucrative commissions that real estate agents are paid is threatening to upend an industry that employs 1.6 million people and funds one of the most powerful lobbying operations in Washington.”
FED UP — Moderating inflation means the central bank probably won’t raise interest rates any further, including at their next meeting this month. But Fed officials aren’t yet publicly saying that the hikes are over, WSJ’s Nick Timiraos reports. That leaves them some wiggle room.
THE BRAVE NEW WORLD — “The Overworked, Underfunded Agency At The Center of Biden’s Sweeping AI Plan,” by The Messenger’s Eric Geller: “The president’s new executive order presents another big test for the little-known National Institute of Standards and Technology.”
MORE POLITICS
BATTLE FOR THE SENATE — GOP businessman SANDY PENSLER is jumping into the Michigan Senate race, The Detroit News’ Melissa Nann Burke reports. It’s the self-funder’s second bid for the Senate, though it remains to be seen whether he’s conservative enough for a Republican primary. Pensler says he wants to work on solutions from immigration to crime to the economy to foreign policy. Launch video
BATTLE FOR THE HOUSE — Republican-held seats in the blue states of California and New York are likely to be the essential terrain that decides control of the House in next year’s elections, WaPo’s Marianna Sotomayor and Leigh Ann Caldwell report. That makes it personal for many home-state leaders in both parties, including HAKEEM JEFFRIES, ELISE STEFANIK and PETE AGUILAR. Speaker MIKE JOHNSON is heading to New York for big fundraisers this weekend. And some crucial races could be rematches from 2022.
ABOUT LAST NIGHT — California Gov. GAVIN NEWSOM’s camp claims DeSantis and Fox cheated in their debate by conferring with his wife CASEY DeSANTIS during a bathroom break and bringing props onstage, Chris Cadelago reports from Alpharetta, Georgia. Newsom’s folks also think SEAN HANNITY was an unfair moderator who sided with DeSantis. But DeSantis’ aides say Newsom was the one to blame for acting incorrectly, because his wife JENNIFER SIEBEL NEWSOM cut in to end the debate after an hour and a half.
CONGRESS
IMPEACHMENT LATEST — A House vote on the Biden impeachment inquiry could come as soon as next week, CNN’s Melanie Zanona reports, as GOP leaders grow more confident about their vote count.
BOTTOMS UP — “In the new House, anyone can control the floor,” by Semafor’s Kadia Goba: “There’s no such thing as a House backbencher anymore as individual members find ways to force votes and even topple a speaker.”
TOP-ED — On World AIDS Day, Sen. BEN CARDIN (D-Md.) writes for MSNBC that Congress needs to reauthorize the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, a long-standing bipartisan achievement that’s been undercut this year by abortion debate. “[S]pecial interest groups claiming to care about the sanctity of life are the very ones poised to kill a historic program that has saved the lives of millions of people,” he argues. “Time is running out.”
BEYOND THE BELTWAY
OVER THE BARREL — “Surging U.S. Oil Production Brings Down Prices and Raises Climate Fears,” by NYT’s Clifford Krauss: “American oil production is hitting record levels, delivering economic and foreign policy benefits but putting environmental goals further out of reach.”
AMERICA AND THE WORLD
FOR YOUR RADAR — ALSU KURMASHEVA, the Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty journalist imprisoned in Russia, had her detention extended another two months today, per RFE/RL.
KNOWING DAVID SATTERFIELD — “‘Mission impossible’: Gaza humanitarian envoy David Satterfield’s high-stakes diplomacy,” by Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch
PLAYBOOKERS
OUT AND ABOUT — SPOTTED at the “Celebrate the States” party at EU Ambassador Stavros Lambrinidis’ residence in Kalorama last night: Reps. August Pfluger (R-Texas) and Jim Costa (D-Calif.), Maryland Secretary of State Susan Lee, Ukrainian Ambassador Oksana Markarova, Vera Bergengruen, Michael Wilner, Adam Green, Daniel Desrochers, Shira Stein, Jade Womack, Marisa Taylor and Laura Kelly.
— SPOTTED at the “Merry in the Metaverse” party thrown by the Meta D.C. public affairs team last night: Kara Swisher, Adam Verdugo, Averi Harper, Mike Allen, Tammy Haddad, Ken Dilanian, Carol Lee, Eva McKend, Cristiano Lima, Naomi Nix, Ayesha Rascoe, Sahil Kapur, Kevin Martin, Greg Maurer and David Ginsberg.
WHITE HOUSE ARRIVAL LOUNGE — Gabi Garcia is now deputy director of broadcast and consumer media at the White House. She most recently was deputy press secretary for Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.).
TRANSITION — Audrey Whitehurst is now senior strategist at Polaris Campaigns. She most recently was media director at Bread & Roses Digital and is a Middle Seat Digital alum.
WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Max Docksey, political director at the Republican State Leadership Committee and an RNC and Sean Duffy alum, and Cassie Smedile Docksey, VP of Coign Inc. and an RNC and Sean Duffy alum, welcomed John “Jack” Eldred Docksey on Tuesday morning. He came in at 8 lbs, 4 oz. Pic
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