Playbook PM: Cardin, Inslee call it quits

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RETIREMENT WATCH …

In Maryland: “Longtime Maryland U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin won’t seek reelection, creating rare Senate vacancy,” by the Baltimore Sun’s Jeff Barker: “‘It’s time,’ the 79-year-old Democrat told The Baltimore Sun in an interview at his Pikesville home in advance of his anticipated announcement Monday. ‘I always knew this election cycle would be the one I would be thinking about not running again, so it’s not something that hit me by surprise. I enjoy life. There are other things I can do.’”

The Sun ticks through the potential successors: “Possible contenders include Prince George’s County Executive ANGELA ALSOBROOKS; U.S. Rep. DAVID TRONE, who represents Frederick County and Western Maryland; Baltimore County Executive JOHNNY OLSZEWSKI JR.; and U.S. Rep. JAMIE RASKIN of Montgomery County.”

In Washington: “Gov. Jay Inslee won’t seek reelection for fourth term,” by the Seattle Times’ Jim Brunner: “Inslee, a Democrat elected in 2012, previously said he was unsure whether he’d seek an unprecedented fourth term as Washington governor. ‘Serving the people as governor of Washington state has been my greatest honor. During a decade of dynamic change, we’ve made Washington a beacon for progress for the nation. I’m ready to pass the torch,’ Inslee said in a statement.” Read Inslee’s full statement

WHO’S AT DEFAULT — Democrats this week are ramping up their efforts to lambast House Republicans’ recently passed legislation to address the looming debt limit and slash government spending, as leaders on both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue dig in for the fight.

In the Senate: Senate Majority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER told his caucus in a Dear Colleague letter this morning that various committees are planning to hold a series of hearings on the Republican proposal, our colleague Katherine Tully-McManus writes. “The Senate will show the public what this bill truly is,” Schumer wrote. “Beginning this week, our Committees will begin to hold hearings and expose the true impact of this reckless legislation on everyday Americans.” The first hearing will come from the Budget Committee on Thursday. Read Schumer’s letter

At the White House: Meanwhile, White House aides are sharpening their sticks to continue skewering House Republicans’ proposed plan, NBC’s Mike Memoli, Kristen Welker and Peter Alexander report. Aides plotted over the weekend about utilizing the upcoming congressional recess to take their broad attacks against the GOP’s bill to the local level.

“The messaging plan seeks to spell out what the House’s proposed spending plan would mean for specific states and congressional districts, through cuts to programs that provide medical care for veterans, nutrition assistance for women and young children, and invest in medical research.” The White House planning also comes as outside groups “are planning to blitz the airwaves in Republican-held districts,” they write.

Meanwhile: “Manchin’s feud with Biden boils over as debt fight heats up,” by Josh Siegel

HALEY GOES THERE ON DIFI — In an op-ed for Fox News, NIKKI HALEY doubles down on her proposed competency test for politicians and calls for Sen. DIANNE FEINSTEIN (D-Calif.) to step down.

“She’s a trailblazer who’s made an indelible mark in public service. But it’s been obvious for quite some time that she’s in significant mental and physical decline,” Haley writes. “She’s missed months of votes and clearly can no longer do her job. I agree with several congressional Democrats who say Feinstein should resign immediately and let someone else who is able to do the job take over. At 89 years old, she is a prime example of why we need mental competency tests for politicians [over age 75].”

Thought bubble: Haley’s call for Feinstein to resign blows some of the cover that Republicans previously had in letting Democrats make calls for the California senator to step down.

MAJOR UKRAINE READ — “The Case For The Total Liberation Of Ukraine,” by The Atlantic’s Anne Applebaum and Jeffrey Goldberg: “Russia must be expelled from all of Ukraine’s territory — including Crimea.”

Related read: “Bono likes to sketch Atlantic covers, so the magazine hired him,” by WaPo’s Elahe Izadi

BURNING DOWN THE MOUSE — “DeSantis-backed board will sue Disney in latest escalation,” by Anna Wilder

Good Monday afternoon, and welcome to May. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me a line: [email protected].

MORE POLITICS

PRIMARY COLORS — “A Hostile, Under-the-Radar Primary Splinters Republicans,” by NYT’s Nick Corasaniti: “The [Kentucky gubernatorial] Republican primary on May 16 is pitting two pillars of the state’s party apparatus, [state AG DANIEL] CAMERON and [KELLY] CRAFT, against each other, with a third, well-liked Republican, RYAN QUARLES, the agricultural commissioner, acting as an amiable wild card. … This churning political mixture has largely frozen the party and its major supporters in place.”

2024 WATCH

WHAT THE BIDEN CAMPAIGN IS READING — NYT’s Trip Gabriel has a report from Phoenix on the potential and pitfalls that independent voters present for JOE BIDEN as he embarks on an expected rematch against DONALD TRUMP in 2024.

In summary: “The prospect of a Trump-Biden rematch in 2024 is Democrats’ greatest get-out-the-vote advantage. But the yearning by some past Biden voters for an alternative, including a third-party candidate, poses a threat to the president.”

Here’s a slice of the two sides:

  • “I’ll get to the polls and get everybody out to the polls too,” said [MARGOT] COPELAND, a 67-year-old retiree who said she was aghast at the possible return to office of the 45th president. “It’s very important that Trump does not get back in.”
  • “I think I would possibly vote third party,” [ANDREW] DICKEY, 35, said of a Trump-Biden rematch. “There’s been a lot of things said on Biden’s end that haven’t been met. It was the normal smoke screen of the Democrats promising all this stuff, and then nothing.”

Related reads: “Biden’s diverse coalition of support risks fraying in 2024,” by AP’s Steve Peoples and Zeke Miller … “Lack of Voter Enthusiasm Poses Hurdle for Joe Biden’s Re-Election,” by WSJ’s Aaron Zitner and Sabrina Siddiqui

Name to know: “Julie Chavez Rodriguez, from quiet aide to running Biden’s campaign,” by WaPo’s Meryl Kornfield

CONGRESS

WHEN THE PARTY’S OVER — The real test for Rep. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-N.Y.) will be how he leads the Democratic caucus when his party holds the House majority again, Insider’s Bryan Metzger writes: “[W]hen it’s time to elect him to the position of Speaker, progressives are likely to demand hard commitments from him, including on committee assignments and scheduling floor votes on bills regarding Medicare For All and tuition-free public college, in exchange for their votes.”

TRUMP CARDS

AT THE TRUMP TRIAL — “Trump rape accuser: ‘Not surprising’ I didn’t call police,” by AP’s Larry Neumeister and Jennifer Peltz: E. JEAN CARROLL’s “renewed testimony came shortly after [Trump lawyer JOE] TACOPINA asked Judge LEWIS A. KAPLAN, who is overseeing the civil proceedings in federal court, to declare a mistrial because of rulings he made that Tacopina said favored Carroll. Tacopina said if a mistrial was not granted, then Kaplan’s ‘pervasive unfair and prejudicial rulings’ should correct the record for any rulings that may have mischaracterized the evidence or permit Tacopina more latitude in questioning Carroll.”

POLICY CORNER

FOR YOUR RADAR — “Another big Alaska fossil fuel project gets Biden team’s blessing,” by Ben Lefebvre: “Alaska LNG, a $40 billion project proposed for the state’s south coast, would be the second major fossil fuel proposal in the state to have stalled under the Trump administration only to be resuscitated under President Joe Biden. The turnabout is delighting the state’s Republicans, who have had harsh words for most of Biden’s energy agenda, while angering climate activists already dismayed by the administration’s approval of Alaska’s Willow oil project last month.”

IMMIGRATION FILES — “U.S. readies second attempt at speedy border asylum screenings,” by AP’s Elliot Spagat: “DONALD TRUMP’S fast-track reviews drew sharp criticism from internal government watchdog agencies … But the Biden administration has insisted its speedy screening for asylum-seekers is different: Interviews will be done exclusively by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, not by Border Patrol agents, and everyone will have access to legal counsel.”

BEYOND THE BELTWAY

ABORTION FALLOUT — “Hospitals that denied emergency abortion broke the law, feds say,” by AP’s Amanda Seitz: “Two hospitals that refused to provide an emergency abortion to a pregnant woman who was experiencing premature labor put her life in jeopardy and violated federal law, a first-of-its-kind investigation by the federal government has found. The findings, revealed in documents obtained by The Associated Press, are a warning to hospitals around the country as they struggle to reconcile dozens of new state laws that ban or severely restrict abortion with a federal mandate for doctors to provide abortions when a woman’s health is at risk.”

DeSANTIS DOWNLOAD — “Florida Republicans gave DeSantis (most of) his legislative wishlist,” by Gary Fineout: “Republican rivals and Democrats are already attacking some of these legislative achievements which are aimed at the conservative base but could turn off moderate Republicans.”

Related read: “The first arrests from DeSantis’s election police take extensive toll,” by WaPo’s Lori Rozsa in Orlando

AMERICA AND THE WORLD

THE KREMLIN’S CRACKDOWN — “From the Soviet Union to Putin’s Russia, American Journalists Have Navigated Clampdowns,” by WSJ’s Brett Forrest: “During Russia’s heyday of press freedom in the 1990s, foreign journalists would meet regularly and often informally with Russian politicians and officials. That era has ended, thanks to mounting distrust and tightening restrictions on journalists. The breakdown in the relationship reflects [VLADIMIR] PUTIN’s grip over the domestic press, and shows how a more security-minded government is constraining what is printed and broadcast beyond Russia’s borders, say veteran journalists who have worked there.”

EYES ON THE SKIES — “Never-before-seen Chinese military blimp caught on satellite images of remote desert base,” by CNN’s Paul Murphy and Alex Marquardt: “Aerospace experts say the images, taken three months before a Chinese spy balloon was shot down off the coast of South Carolina, could signal a notable advancement in China’s airship program, demonstrating a more versatile and maneuverable craft than previously seen or known.”

PLAYBOOKERS

TRANSITIONS — Alex Damato is now VP of policy at Charter Communications. He previously was lead policy counsel at Wilkinson Barker Knauer. … Kristin Spiridon is now senior director for policy & government affairs at the International Foodservice Distributors Association. She previously was chief counsel for oversight for the Senate HELP Committee GOP.

… Jess Szymanski is now deputy comms director for Never Back Down, NBC’s Dasha Burns scoops. She previously was senior adviser for strategic and crisis communications at Clout Public Affairs and is a Trump DOE alum. … Scott Batchelder is now a comms fellow in Rep. Deborah Ross’ (D-N.C.) office. He most recently was senior public affairs associate at the Climate Leadership Council.

BONUS BIRTHDAYS: New York Law School’s Jeff Wice … Vogel Group’s Ali Khimji (35)

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Correction: Friday’s Playbook PM misstated the state that GOP Rep. Russ Fulcher represents. It is Idaho.