POLITICO Playbook: EXCLUSIVE: Jeb endorses – GOP CONVENTION could draw huge protests
Good Wednesday morning. Playbook has learned that in a surprise announcement, Jeb Bush will endorse Sen. Ted Cruz today as an antidote to the "divisiveness and vulgarity" of Donald Trump. It's a badly needed boost to the persistent Texan -- but comes dangerously late in a game that Trump is dominating. The endorsement comes 32 days after a beaten Bush dropped out of the GOP presidential race, and eight days since Sen. Marco Rubio abandoned his own quest after being rebuffed by Bush, his fellow Floridian and one-time mentor.
Cruz, in New York City today, plans to celebrate with a victory lap of three network morning shows. Bush says in a statement to be released by the Cruz campaign: "Ted is a consistent, principled conservative who has demonstrated the ability to appeal to voters and win primary contests. ... For the sake of our party and country, we must move to overcome the divisiveness and vulgarity Donald Trump has brought into the political arena, or we will certainly lose our chance to defeat the Democratic nominee and reverse President Obama's failed policies."
The news will surely irk Rubio, who could have benefited greatly from Bush's embrace. But a Republican source said: "Jeb came to believe Marco was not up to the job of being President. It was never really under serious discussion." POLITICO reported on Monday that Rubio had rejected the idea of joining a "unity ticket" with Cruz.
Bush and Cruz sealed the endorsement agreement during a phone call on Monday. "They have kept in touch over the last few weeks and Senator Cruz has been diligent about keeping Governor Bush up to date on his campaign," a source close to Bush said. The source said Bush "will actively support Senator Cruz's bid," but has not yet agreed to a joint appearance with Cruz, or to headline a fundraiser for him.
Cruz is finally getting a rush of the establishment love that so long eluded him: Mitt Romney said he voted for Cruz in yesterday's Utah primary. Sen. Lindsey Graham held a fundraiser for him in Washington on Monday. And Carly Fiorina appeared with Cruz at a Miami rally. https://politi.co/1MBIIiN
By Mike Allen (@mikeallen; [email protected]) and Daniel Lippman (@dlippman; [email protected])
**SUBSCRIBE to Playbook: https://politi.co/1M75UbX
TOP TALKER - "Security officials brace for GOP convention amid Trump protests, Brussels attack: They say meticulous plans are being laid, but one ex-law enforcement official says the risk factor is 'without a doubt' higher," by Anna Palmer: "Democrats will also likely face security challenges at their convention in Philadelphia. Black Lives Matter protesters have disrupted Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders rallies over the past several months.
"Intelligence gathering for the Republican convention has already begun. Law enforcement agencies are monitoring social media posting and tracking protest groups such as Black Lives Matter." https://politi.co/25lIesB
--"Will terror help Trump? ISIL attacks have fueled mogul's rise, and they keep coming," by Michael Crowley: "[M]any national security specialists fear that further attacks like the bombings that killed at least 30 people in Brussels on Tuesday will fuel Trump's further rise, drawing more voters to his clenched-fist approach of closed borders and retribution killings - and could ultimately pave his unlikely path to the White House." https://politi.co/22v1l4t
--"Clinton and Trump shadow-box over terror attacks," by Annie Karni: "From the language they used to the measures they called for, the reactions of the two presidential front-runners were 180 degrees apart and right in line with their campaign messages: Clinton called for cooperation and coalitions, while Trump promised violence to combat violence. But it was Clinton, perhaps uncharacteristically, who sought to take the fight to Trump on Tuesday -- and the Republican front-runner who did little to engage." https://politi.co/1WH49EK
--"Cruz calls for patrols of Muslim neighborhoods," by Nolan McCaskill and Eliza Collins: "Cruz ... called for a freeze on any new refugees from areas affected by Al Qaeda and the Islamic State, as well as new powers for law enforcement to patrol 'Muslim neighborhoods.'" https://politi.co/22v0wZv
--N.Y. Times A1, at fold, "In Campaign, Walking a Tightrope Over the Fight Against ISIS," by David Sanger and Maggie Haberman: "Trump renewed his calls for a ban on Muslims entering the United States and for legalized torture to extract information from an Islamic State operative captured last week in Brussels. ... Cruz ... went beyond his promise of 'carpet-bombing' to demand that the United States 'empower law enforcement to patrol and secure Muslim neighborhoods before they become radicalized.'" https://nyti.ms/22vqGv7
--WashPost A1, below fold, "Trump's wide-ranging stands defy much of GOP's doctrine," by Philip Rucker and Dan Balz: "Added together, ... his ideas represent a sharp departure from many of the Republican Party's values and priorities dating back half a century or more. The list of Trump's apostasies is lengthy and growing ... To many people in the party, Trump's ideas lack intellectual cohesion, but together they reflect the instincts of a dealmaker. He arrives at positions guided less by philosophy than visceral reactions." https://wapo.st/1ZqBDJ8
ABOUT LAST NIGHT - "Trump and Cruz shift to trench warfare: The two Republican candidates will be scrapping for delegates after splitting Tuesday's contests," by Shane Goldmacher: "Trump won Arizona and its 58 delegates. Cruz scored a victory in Utah and appeared poised to win all of its 40 delegates by winning more than 50 percent of the vote there. But the dueling results only underscored how far the GOP is from unifying behind Trump, who extended his delegate lead and cemented his frontrunner status." https://politi.co/1pHHzl7
--"Sanders scrambles to keep pace with Clinton: The Vermont senator won two states Tuesday and is poised to win a few more on Saturday. But it's still not good enough," by Gabe Debenedetti in Seattle: "[T]he revolution remains stalled: Even under the best case scenario where he pulls out a tough win in Hawaii, carries Alaska and wins by a big margin in Washington this weekend, his trajectory isn't steep enough to get him within striking distance of Hillary Clinton." https://politi.co/1pyePdU
--AP: Last night, "Sanders won 57 delegates to Clinton's 51." https://apne.ws/1Rkcdb5
AP CUMULATIVE DELEGATE COUNT: "Republicans: Trump, 739; Cruz, 465; Kasich, 143. Needed to win: 1,237 ... Democrats: Clinton, 1,214; Sanders, 901. Needed to win: 2,383. ... Democrats with pledged superdelegates: Clinton, 1,681; Sanders, 927." https://apne.ws/1Uk0E9L
** A message from Lifeline Facts Campaign: Since its establishment during the Reagan Administration, the Lifeline program has provided enormous value to low-income Americans through discounted phone service. Adding broadband services to Lifeline should not be done at the expense of affordable mobile voice services that over 12 million Lifeline customers currently depend upon. LifelineFacts.com **
HAPPENING TODAY -- At 11 a.m. in the Ways and Means Committee hearing room, Speaker Ryan delivers a "state of American politics" speech -- Capitol Hill interns of both parties were invited to hear from Ryan - Advance excerpts: "Looking around at what's taking place in politics today, it is easy to get disheartened. How many of you find yourself just shaking your head at what you see from both sides? Now, a little skepticism is healthy. But when people distrust politics, they come to distrust institutions. They lose faith in their government, and the future too. We can acknowledge this. But we can't accept it. And we can't enable it either.
"My father used to say, if you're not a part of the solution, you're a part of the problem. So I have made it a mission of my Speakership to raise our gaze and aim for a brighter horizon. Instead of talking about what politics is today, I want to talk about what politics can be. I want to talk about what our country can be." Livestreamwww.speaker.gov/live
ISIS STRIKES HEART OF EUROPE: 2nd major attack on a European capital in 4 months ...
--"'Maybe the time has come to change': The Brussels attacks force Europeans to consider a new consensus on stronger joint counterterrorism efforts," by Politico's Francesco Guerrera and Laurens Cerulus: "'We are at war,' French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said, ... using the same word ... his president, Fran?ois Hollande, invoked after ISIL hit Paris ... Far-right politicians seized the moment to call for a tough response. ...
"Analysts and politicians see wide scope to improve the EU's security collectively - from better sharing of information to more robust help for countries seen as falling short on counterterrorism such as Belgium." https://politi.co/22voUtW ... Live blog https://politi.co/1UBqqpL
--Mujtaba Rahman, the head of Europe for the political consultancy Eurasia, in a note to clients just hours after the Brussels bombs: "There is a growing perception among European public opinion that EU leaders are not in control of the Continent's terrorist threat, given this attack comes on the heels of events in Paris last year ... Combined, these attacks will increase xenophobic and anti-immigration sentiment across the EU, which has already been rising in light of the EU's on-going refugee crisis."
BEING THERE -- "My new Brussels normal," by Craig Winneker, a Politico news editor in Brussels: "I've lived here for almost 16 years ... I used to have a few standard one-liners I'd say to friends who'd ask why I wasn't worried about something happening in Brussels. 'All the terrorists live here,' I'd joke. 'You don't s*** where you eat.' Or I'd make some crack about how the EU institutions were simply not interesting enough to attack." https://politi.co/22E1bV6
HIGHLIGHT REEL ... WashPost A1, above fold, "Obama faces new pressure to forsake his instincts," by Greg Jaffe: "The reality - as Obama learned in the aftermath of the attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, Calif. - is that impressive battlefield statistics and reasoned calls for restraint mean little in the climate of fear generated by terrorist strikes." https://wapo.st/1RkdWgq
--"Europe's New Normal: Fear of bloody attacks becomes part of life in Europe," by AP's Karl Ritter in Stockholm: "Though people in Western Europe have dealt with the threat of violence from Muslim extremists as well as homegrown nationalist and revolutionary movements for decades, the idea that a 'war' is playing out in their streets is hard to imagine. But the recent frequency and scale of attacks have made some Europeans feel that it's just something they have to get used to." https://yhoo.it/1Sh6Oni
--USA Today, bottom of front page, "Bombings could alter Apple-FBI battle," by Jon Swartz in S.F.: "The FBI 'will use this terrorist attack to advance its case,' says Avivah Litan, a vice president at market researcher Gartner. 'The public reacts very strongly to these types of incidents.'" https://usat.ly/1U7Tbdv
---"Belgian Authorities Overwhelmed By Terror Investigations," by BuzzFeed's Josh Hersh in Brussels : "One Belgian counterterrorism official told BuzzFeed News last week that due to the small size of the Belgian government and the huge numbers of open investigations ... virtually every police detective and military intelligence officer in the country was focused on international jihadi investigations. ... 'It's literally an impossible situation and, honestly, it's very grave.'" https://bzfd.it/1UEfLKV
--"Is America Next? I'll make no guarantees, but there's a reason these terror attacks keep happening in Europe," by Daniel Benjamin , who served as coordinator for counterterrorism at State from 2009-2012, on Politico: "In the United States, Muslim communities are mostly comprised of reasonably well-off families from numerous Muslim majority countries. Income and education levels are roughly those of average Americans ... By contrast, Europe's Muslim communities were seeded by poor peasants who came as guest workers for the burgeoning industries of the postwar period. They were expected to return home." https://politi.co/1RxwRn2
CLICKER -- "World stands with Tintin," by Jules Johnston: "After three bomb blasts struck Brussels, people around the world turned to Belgium's iconic sons to show their solidarity. Tintin and his dog Snowy are Belgian heroes, and the intrepid young investigative journalist was the first to kick it off, crying for the people of Brussels." 9 images on one page https://politi.co/1pxYZju
TOP TWEETS: Michael Tracey @mtracey: "It's gotten to the point where *any world event* is immediately filtered through the lens of Trump. He's annexed the public consciousness" ... @blakehounshell: "America may be one major terrorist attack away from Donald Trump as president" ... @SopanDeb: "Twice [Tuesday], Trump said this morning he would 'close up our borders.' On @CBSNLive - Trump said he never said it" ... Josh Barro @jbarro: "Sobering pt from Richard Engel: if you're a European-national ISIS fighter in Syria/Iraq, as ISIS loses, you might as well return to Europe" ...
... @HillaryClinton: "We can be strong and smart without advocating torture or bigotry. We will not let fear dictate our foreign policy" ... @DouthatNYT: "For how many months/years after he loses the general election, I wonder, will networks go to Trump for comment immediately after tragedy?" ... @keithurbahn: "Mitt on Trump at NRCC dinner on whether he's actually a Mormon: 'He could have just asked my wives.'"
... @realDonaldTrump: "Lyin' Ted Cruz just used a picture of Melania from a G.Q. shoot in his ad. Be careful, Lyin' Ted, or I will spill the beans on your wife!" ... His original tweet 9 minutes before : "Wow @SenTedCruz, that is some low level ad you did using a picture Melania in a G.Q. shoot. Be careful or I will spill the beans on your wife". He quickly deleted the first tweet apparently to add two "Lyin'"s. ... @TedCruz: "Pic of your wife not from us. Donald, if you try to attack Heidi, you're more of a coward than I thought. #classless"
HOW IT'S PLAYING: N.Y. Times banner, "BRUSSELS ATTACKS SHAKE EUROPEAN SECURITY" ... USA Today banner, "TERRORIST ATTACKS IN BRUSSELS SEND SHOCK WAVES AROUND WORLD" ... Times of London, "Bloodbath in Brussels" ... (London) Daily Telegraph, "Black-gloved suicide squad and bomber who got away" ... WashPost banner, "Islamic State blast kills 31 in Brussels" ... WSJ 5-col. lead, "Terror Strikes Europe's Heart" ... L.A. Times banner, "EUROPE ON ALERT AFTER BOMBINGS."
FIRST FAMILY ABROAD -- "Postcard from Havana: Beisbol, sunglasses and cream of mojito," by Isaac Dovere: "Standing outside the stadium midway through the game, wearing a bright blue Cuba jersey, celebrity Chef José Andres - owner of the restaurants the Obamas frequent most back in D.C., and here again as part of the official delegation of entrepreneurs-compared the baseball game to that Springbok rugby game in South Africa that most people know from Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon showing off their Afrikaans accents." https://politi.co/1pxZ0nH
CAMPAIGNS, INC. -- "Steve Spinner Just Fixed the Worst Thing About Being a Politician," by Bloomberg Businessweek's Joshua Green: "For months some of Washington's top campaign professionals have been buzzing about a product with the potential to revolutionize political fundraising and possibly much more. RevUp is a piece of software that mines peoples' contacts to identify the best fundraising targets. It's a pioneering approach that grew out of a simple insight: You can raise a lot more money if, rather than just ask for a check, you ask people to reach out to their own social networks and raise money themselves. RevUp has signed up congressmen, senators, and governors of both parties, as well as most of the national party committees on both sides." https://bloom.bg/1RfcGP0
MONEY HONEYS -- "Kasich campaign courting big Republican donors," by Alex Isenstadt: "Top Kasich advisers Beth Hansen, John Weaver, and John Sununu are currently on a California-wide fundraising tour in which they're seeking out the support of big, uncommitted contributors. [Today], the three will huddle with donors in Los Angeles at an event that's being hosted by businessman Robert Day." https://politi.co/1q1EsEs
VIDEO DU JOUR - "CAP and Funny or Die are releasing a video on some of the falsehoods regularly levied against the Common Core by the GOP and its candidates. It's meant to highlight how crazy the comments are and reflects an effort to reach a much more expanded audience on the issue, particularly as Trump takes the mantle for the GOP." https://bit.ly/1S4QVhd
2016 PLAYERS - "Can This Hillary Insider Woo Bernie's Backers?" by Ozy's Nick Fouriezos: "Today, a bespectacled [Marlon] Marshall, who manages staff across all 50 states, is office-casual in a lanyard-touting, white button-down shirt. He's clean-shaven, though not long ago he sported a beard with enough creative shape to stir social media. 'The plan was that I would cut it off when we were the presumptive nominee,' he says, laughing. His team is on track to do just that, which is why his deputy sheared it off - in front of their colleagues - when Clinton swept all five Mega Tuesday states last week and amassed a substantial delegate lead ... [Marshall has] walked a line since his childhood in St. Louis, where he attended a swanky, suburban grade school, before switching to a more diverse public high school where his father was custodian." https://bit.ly/1VCqmFJ
--Marlon's Twitter bio (@MarlonDMarshall): "Director of States/Political Engagement at Hillary for America, Kansas Jayhawk 4 life, grassroots organizer, sports fan, proud St. Louis native, #pleasebelieve".
ALERT TAMMY! -- "Someone Noticed The PM Totally Ripped Off 'Veep' For His Slogan," by BuzzFeed's Mark Di Stefano: "Malcolm Turnbull and senior government ministers have come up with a new three-word slogan to distance themselves from the Abbott government: 'Continuity and change.' ... ABC political correspondent Greg Jennett was quickly aware that a similar pithy slogan had actually appeared in a recent episode of the HBO series Veep. ... In Season 4, Episode 6 [Selena Meyer] is running for president and yep, 'continuity with change' is her presidential slogan." https://bzfd.it/1MB7gsg
BUSINESS BURST -- "State of the Music Business: What The Numbers Tell Us," by Cary Sherman, RIAA's Chairman and CEO, on Medium: "The music industry is now a digital business, deriving more than 70% of its revenues from a wide array of digital platforms and formats. ... In 2015, digital music subscription services reached new all-time highs, generating more than $1 billion in revenues for the first time, and averaging nearly 11 million paid subscriptions for the year. ... The consumption of music is skyrocketing, but revenues for creators have not kept pace. In 2015, fans listened to hundreds of billions of audio and video music streams through on-demand ad-supported digital services like YouTube, but revenues from such services have been meager-far less than other kinds of music services." https://bit.ly/1WH3yD3
MEDIAWATCH -- "In a year, Politico Europe grows to a 45-person newsroom," by Digiday's Jessica Davies: "Politico is fast becoming a case study for U.S. digital media publishers looking to expand internationally. Since its Brussels launch 11 months ago, the title has grown its European newsroom to over 45 full-time journalists. Politico.eu claims 1.5 million unique visitors per month - and has paid subscriptions with over 200 organizations for its Europe Pro products. The title plans to fast-forward the launch of six new Pro subscription products spanning trade and transportation, financial services, and food and agriculture. Prices for subscriptions, therefore, vary depending on how many people within an organization need access, and to how many of the Pro verticals they want. The average subscription is around €7,000 ($7,900) for a year's access." https://bit.ly/1LFzUxz
TRANSITIONS -- Emily Benavides named Portman press secretary, per a Kevin Smith email: "Emily originally hails from Perrysburg, Ohio, and has significant experience in communications and politics, most recently serving as a traveling spokesperson for Jeb Bush's presidential campaign. Before that, she worked for Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, the American Action Network, Mitt Romney's presidential campaign, as well as Rep. Robert Aderholt from Alabama."
OUT AND ABOUT: Last night Ben Barnes, Keith Mestrich, Chuck Muckenfuss, Erica Payne and Kimball Stroud hosted a reception and book signing for "Rightful Heritage: Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Land of America." with author Douglas Brinkley at the historic Roosevelt House in DuPont. Dr. Brinkley addressed the crowd and discussed President Roosevelt's legacy to preserve and conserve the most beautiful of America's landscape and biological ecosystem. $23.27 on Amazon https://amzn.to/1UjF71a
SPOTTED : former Sen. Byron Dorgan, Kerry Kennedy, Elizabeth Drew, John Harwood, Michael Isikoff, Elizabeth Thorp, Kate Bennett, Hampton Pearson, Amb. Lloyd Hand and Ann Hand, Ambassador Elizabeth Bagley, Barbara Allbritton, former Congressman Martin Frost, Julia Cohen, Nora Maccoby and Bill Plante.
WELCOME TO THE WORLD: Josh Finestone, formerly of Sen. Dean Heller's office, and now VP of legislative affairs at Navigators Global, and his wife Alexander welcomed Baby Alexa into the world on Tuesday. Both Mom and baby are doing fantastic, and Dad is thrilled.
SPORTS BLINK - "Nationals in search of naming-rights partner for ballpark" - AP/D.C.: "The Washington Nationals have hired executive search firm Korn Ferry to help find a naming-rights partner for Nationals Park. ... [T]here is no timeline for an agreement to be reached. Nationals Park has been without a naming-rights sponsor since opening in 2008." https://usat.ly/1RynE4g
BIRTHDAYS: The Affordable Care Act is 6 ... HuffPost DC bureau chief Ryan Grim, the pride of Still Pond, Md., is 38 ... Nita Chaudhary, co-founder and co-executive director of UltraViolet and a MoveOn and DNC alum ... Politico's Brett Norman ... Rep. Brian Babin (R-Tex.) ... Economist cartoonist Kevin Kallaugher ... Johnny DeStefano, president of GOP Data Trust and Boehner and NRCC alum ... Suzanne Turner of turner4D ... Dawn Selak, asst. press secretary at DOE and White House comms. alum ... former Hill/ONE staffer Kim Hunter, now director of comms. and engagement at Aclima ... Debbi Mayster of DMM Communications ... Maggie Gage, Leahy and Sen. Judiciary Comm. alum, Georgetown adjunct faculty and head of political strategies at Credit Suisse, celebrating at Tosca (h/ts Jon Haber) ... Alec Gerlach ... Derek Boyse, a senior at Georgetown, is 22 (h/t sister Natalie) ... Pakistan turns 76 on its Republic Day (h/t @BCIU) ... Maria Garcia, Researcher at FWD.us (h/t Michael Rekola) ... Adam Mowder, multiplatform editor at WashPost and a Politico alum ...
... Anila Alexander , product configuration analyst at Vitals and a Politico alum ... Paul Neaville, a Dem consultant and proud son of Arkansas ... Sarah Foy (h/ts Teresa Vilmain) ... Ian Koski, director of comms. for U.S. and Canada at ONE, is 36 ... Maya Lau, a crime and criminal justice reporter at The Advocate in Baton Rouge ... Brian Thomas is 53 ... Joshua Marcuse of Young Professionals in Foreign Policy and a senior policy advisor at DoD ... Rob Terra, managing director at Hamilton Place Strategies and McCain war room alum ... Paul Guerin ... Deloitte's Ashley McCabe, a Menendez alum ... Natalie Rosen Marx ... Amelia Blackwood ...
... Nick Sinatra , now in real estate and a Bush WH 43 alum ... former foreign service officer Ruth Elizabeth Leonard ... Erika Mansourian of Veterans Empowered To Protect African Wildlife ... Terry Neal, senior comms. consultant at Fannie Mae and a WashPost alum ... Boeing's Shaun Lara ... Noah Chestnut, product lead for the BuzzFeed News App and a TNR alum, is 31 ... Peter Vallone Jr. ... Hoong Yee Lee Krakauer ... Lynn Krogh of The Casale Group ... Michael Caputo ... comedian Marty Allen is 94 ... Sir Roger Bannister (the runner who broke the 4-minute mile in 1954) is 87 ... Ric Ocasek is 67 ... Chaka Khan is 63 ... Amanda Plummer is 59 ... bandleader Reggie Watts ("The Late Late Show With James Corden") is 44 ... Perez Hilton is 38 ... actor Nicolas Wright is 34 (h/ts AP)
** A message from Lifeline Facts Campaign: Proposed changes at the FCC would lead to the elimination of the vital mobile voice services that over 12 million Lifeline customers depend upon today. Eliminating affordable mobile voice services for low-income Americans would remove their link to present and potential employers, cut their connection to doctors and other health services, jeopardize their ability to dial 9-1-1 during an emergency, and more. Removing this safety net would deny the nation's most vulnerable populations an essential service and undermine the mission of the Lifeline program. Lifeline should support broadband without eliminating vital voice services. Join Lifeline Facts Campaign and protect affordable mobile voice services by signing the petition at LifelineFacts.com **
SUBSCRIBE to the Playbook family: POLITICO Playbook https://politi.co/1M75UbX ... New York Playbook https://politi.co/1ON8bqW ... Florida Playbook https://politi.co/1JDm23W ... New Jersey Playbook https://politi.co/1HLKltF ... Massachusetts Playbook https://politi.co/1Nhtq5v ... Illinois Playbook https://politi.co/1N7u5sb ... California Playbook https://politi.co/1N8zdJU ... Brussels Playbook https://politi.co/1FZeLcw
To change your alert settings, please go to https://www.politico.com/registration
It's all about $$$$$