POLITICO Playbook: The politics of tragedy

President Donald Trump mentioned it Thursday night, but terrorism has been almost an afterthought in this campaign. | Sean Rayford/Getty Images

19 YEARS AGO: The attack on Sept. 11. The moment they broke into the “Today” show on NBC on Sept. 11, 2001 … CNN’s Wolf Blitzer anchors before members of Congress sing “God Bless America” on the Capitol steps

NINE YEARS AGO TODAY, ALEX BURNS and MAGGIE HABERMAN wrote for us that both Republicans and Democrats had “mastered the art of politicizing the [9/11] terrorist attacks. … [T]he presence of 9/11 in politics is as profuse as ever.”

THIS GOT US THINKING: Terrorism has been almost an afterthought in this campaign. President DONALD TRUMP mentioned it Thursday night, but it rarely comes up on the trail. It’s a reminder that the 9/11 attacks, and the intense political moment they spawned, are a fading memory for many Americans.

AND CONSIDER THIS: THE UNITED STATES HAS LOST 64 times more people to Covid-19 so far this year than we did in the 9/11 attacks. How will Americans mourn those losses, and how will it change our politics?

GARRETT GRAFF in POLITICO Magazine: “The Children of 9/11 Are About to Vote” … GARRETT GRAFF in THE ATLANTIC: “The Grief Americans No Longer Share: As the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks arrives, a splintered nation lacks the collective resolve it once showed.”

NEW … SNEAK PEEK … THE TEXT HOUSE REPUBLICANS WILL RECEIVE TODAY: House Minority Leader KEVIN MCCARTHY will text GOP lawmakers a memo this morning, announcing that Republicans will unveil their election-year agenda in a closed party meeting MONDAY, followed by a public event TUESDAY. “This timeframe puts us ahead of the September 23 release of the Pledge to America and the September 27 release of the Contract with America,” he wrote. The memo

EXCERPT: “Specifically, we will detail a plan with concrete objectives and metrics to:

— Restore Our Way of Life by defeating the virus and keeping America healthy; ensuring the safety and security of all communities; and preserving our freedoms under the Constitution

— Rebuild the Greatest Economy in History by getting America working and adding 10 million new good-paying jobs; ending our dependence on China and enhancing our economic security; and upgrading America’s critical infrastructure

— Renew the American Dream by making sure that every child in every neighborhood can attend an excellent school; honoring our veterans’ service to America and hiring our heroes; and supporting our citizens’ success, now and in the future.”

HOW MICHIGAN’S LARGEST NEWSPAPER COVERED TRUMP’S VISIT … DETROIT FREE PRESS: “Trump makes wild claims about revitalizing auto industry at Michigan rally,” by Dave Boucher and Todd Spangler in Freeland: “President Donald Trump made wildly inaccurate claims at a rally outside Saginaw on Thursday night, suggesting he has revitalized auto manufacturing in the state when it actually lost jobs even before coronavirus hit in March.”

HOW WILL THIS LINE WORK FOR A REPUBLICAN? … ABC’S @kendallkarson: “John James slams Gary Peters at Trump rally in Freeland, Michigan: ‘You know what his responsibility is? To prepare us for pandemics. And he failed … And he downplayed the virus at the beginning of this year … and then he wants to come up and talk about getting your vote again.’”

BEHIND THE SCENES … HEATHER CAYGLE and SARAH FERRIS: “Vulnerable Dems anxious over stalled Covid talks”: “Moderate House Democrats are growing increasingly alarmed about stalled coronavirus relief negotiations, with vulnerable members starting to privately push Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other party leaders to take action to break the stalemate. …

“‘We don’t want to go home without a bill, but don’t be a cheap date,’ Pelosi said on a private caucus call. ‘When you are in a negotiation, the last place to get weak knees is at the end.’”

Good Friday morning.

A message from Morgan Stanley:

We honor all those who lost their lives in the World Trade Center on September 11th, including 13 Morgan Stanley employees. #neverforget

Titus Davidson, Jennifer De Jesus, Joseph DiPilato, Godwin Forde, Lindsay Herkness, Albert Joseph, Charles Laurencin, Wesley Mercer, Rick Rescorla, Nolbert Salomon, Steven Strauss ,Thomas Swift, Jorge Velazquez

THE CRISIS NO ONE IS TALKING ABOUT … AP: “‘Evacuate now’: Wildfires grow in Oregon as 500K flee,” by Gillian Flaccus in Phoenix, Ore., and Andrew Selsky in Salem, Ore.: “Deadly wildfires in heavily populated northwest Oregon were growing, with hundreds of thousands of people told to flee encroaching flames while residents to the south tearfully assessed their losses.

“People evacuated statewide because of fires had climbed to an estimated 500,000 — more than 10 percent of the 4.2 million people in the state, the Oregon Office of Emergency Management reported late Thursday.”

— NYT: “A Climate Reckoning in Fire-Stricken California,” by Thomas Fuller and Christopher Flavelle

— SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE: “‘Fire-breathing dragon of clouds’: Formation over Creek Fire said to be biggest in U.S. history,” by Nora Mishanec

THIS WILL TURN SOME HEADS … AMY WALTER at the COOK POLITICAL REPORT has moved FLORIDA and NEVADA to the right in their Electoral College projection: FLORIDA from lean Dem to toss-up, and NEVADA from likely Dem to lean Dem. Her analysis

WAPO’S MICHAEL SCHERER and JOSH DAWSEY: “Republican worries rise as Trump campaign pulls back from television advertising”: “Fearing a coming cash crunch, President Trump’s campaign has pulled back from television advertising over the last month, ceding to Democratic nominee Joe Biden a huge advantage in key states and sparking disagreements over strategy within the president’s senior team.

“Republican officials have been inundated with calls from worried activists and donors who complain about constant Biden ads in their local media markets, with very few paid Trump responses, according to people familiar with the conversations. Some Republicans close to Trump have been baffled at the decision to sharply curb advertising and have told the president he should change course.

“The complaints have upended the dynamics that dominated much of the race so far. With less than eight weeks before Election Day, the once-lean Biden campaign is flush with cash, while the massive Trump operation is facing tough budgetary decisions down the stretch that have increased tensions around the president.

“Among those worried is Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel, who recently told the president she was concerned his ads were not on television in states such as Michigan and Florida where Biden was blanketing the airwaves, according to people familiar with the conversation. The president shared the concern, according to the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.”

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THE EARLY VOTE — “Democrats build big edge in early voting,” by Alex Isenstadt: “The Democratic dominance spreads across an array of battleground states, according to absentee ballot request data compiled by state election authorities and analyzed by Democratic and Republican data experts. In North Carolina and Pennsylvania, Democrats have a roughly three-to-one advantage over Republicans in absentee ballot requests. In Florida — a must-win for President Donald Trump — the Democratic lead stands at more than 700,000 ballot requests, while the party also leads in New Hampshire, Ohio and Iowa.

“Even more concerning for Republicans, Democrats who didn’t vote in 2016 are requesting 2020 ballots at higher rates than their GOP counterparts. The most striking example is Pennsylvania, where nearly 175,000 Democrats who sat out the last race have requested ballots, more than double the number of Republicans, according to an analysis of voter rolls by the Democratic firm TargetSmart.” POLITICO

— NOLAN MCCASKILL: “Former felons have the potential to swing close 2020 races”

FASCINATING WOODWARD DETAILS from NYT’S PETER BAKER: “During his first interview with Mr. Woodward for the book last December, aides tried to end it after a while, but the president brushed them off. ‘Go ahead,’ he said to Mr. Woodward. ‘I find it interesting. I love this guy. Even though he writes shit about me.’ …

“Mr. Trump called Mr. Woodward at night when aides presumably were not around. He gave Mr. Woodward a phone number so that the author could call in and leave a message to have him call back without going through the elaborate bureaucracy that a presidential interview involves in a normal White House. Altogether, they talked 17 times before the book was finished and then an 18th time after the draft was done but before it went to press.

“Mr. Trump called once more on Aug. 14, for a 19th conversation, hoping to persuade Mr. Woodward to include the recently brokered diplomatic breakthrough with Israel and the United Arab Emirates, but it was too late to update the book by that point.

“To Mr. Trump, Mr. Woodward is an exemplar of the Washington establishment the president believes has never respected him. He seemed excited to be talking with him. At one point, according to the book, when Melania Trump walked in, the president boasted, ‘Honey, I’m talking to Bob Woodward.’”

NANCY COOK, MERIDITH MCGRAW and ADAM CANCRYN: “What did Trump know and when did he know it? Inside his Feb. 7 admission”

A message from Morgan Stanley:

TRUMP’S FRIDAY — The president and first lady Melania Trump will leave the White House at 7:30 a.m. en route to Johnstown, Pa. They’ll arrive at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville at 9:30 a.m. and participate in a Sept. 11 anniversary observance at 9:45 a.m. Afterward, they will depart and return to Washington, arriving back at the White House at 12:35 p.m.

— THE PRESIDENT will present the Medal of Honor to Sgt. Maj. Thomas Payne in the East Room at 3 p.m.

ON THE TRAIL … JOE BIDEN is going to New York and Shanksville, Pa. … Sen. KAMALA HARRIS (D-Calif.) and husband Doug Emhoff will travel to Fairfax, Va., where she will deliver remarks at a Sept. 11 remembrance ceremony.

TV TONIGHT — PBS’ “Washington Week” with Bob Costa: Asma Khalid, Ashley Parker and Mike Schmidt.

SUNDAY SO FAR …

PHOTO DU JOUR: The 9/11 Tribute in Light shines in Manhattan on Thursday after New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo reversed its initial cancellation due to the pandemic. | Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

HOT ON THE RIGHT … AND LEFT!: N.Y. MAG: “Leaked Audio Reveals CNN Head Jeff Zucker Floated a Trump ‘Weekly Show’ in 2016”

LATEST IN THE GEORGE FLOYD KILLING — “Former officers charged in George Floyd killing turn blame on each other,” by WaPo’s Holly Bailey in Minneapolis: “The four former Minneapolis police officers charged in George Floyd’s killing appear to be turning on each other, with each offering significantly different versions of the infamous arrest that acknowledge Floyd should not have been allowed to die that day but also deflect the blame to others.

“The four men have said in court documents that they all thought someone else was in charge of the scene on May 25 — with rookie officers arguing they were deferring to a veteran, and the veteran saying he was simply assisting in an arrest that was in progress. All have said in court documents that the relationship between the veteran officer — Derek Chauvin — and the others is at the heart of the issue, as each officer perceived their role, and who was in charge, quite differently. Chauvin was the officer shown with his knee on Floyd’s neck as he struggled to breathe in videos of the ill-fated arrest.” WaPo

ELIZABETH RALPH: “Inside Oxford’s Vaccine saga: From Wild Hype to Sobering Reality”: “In April, Sarah Gilbert, the British scientist leading Oxford University’s Covid-19 vaccine effort, said she was 80 percent confident her team would be able to produce a successful vaccine by September. It was a remarkable statement—conspicuously confident—especially given the timing: Oxford’s vaccine had yet to be tested in a single human, and the results from a preliminary trial involving monkeys hadn’t yet been published. …

“Now, Gilbert’s, and the world’s, hopes are coming back down to earth, with the news that AstraZeneca paused Phase III trials after one participant in Britain showed symptoms consistent with transverse myelitis, a rare neurological disease caused by inflammation of the spinal cord. Obstacles like this one are not unexpected in vaccine development, experts say. The fact that AstraZeneca is pausing trials to investigate, they point out, is a good thing—a signal that that system is working as it should, that drug companies are taking safety seriously, that there are some scientific norms that politics hasn’t trampled.

“But the interruption is also a reminder that no amount of hype—from the endless media headlines, from politicians on Twitter, from the vaccine scientists themselves—is going to save the world from the deadliest pathogen in a century. This week’s news is a cautionary note for those who think a magic bullet might be around the corner—or who think that it might be worth slashing safety protocols to get one.”

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BEYOND THE BELTWAY … ANDREW ATTERBURY in Tallahassee, Fla.: “Florida schools defy DeSantis order to keep virus stats under wraps”: “Florida school districts are defying Gov. Ron DeSantis and publicly reporting new Covid-19 cases among students and staff that the state government considers confidential.

“The state Department of Health has tried to directly quash reporting on the virus in some instances, after DeSantis said K-12 testing data ‘needs to be put in the right context.’

“With no statewide standard, local leaders are left to decide on their own how and when to report Covid-19 cases in their districts. The result is a mix of differing daily and weekly reports and digital dashboards at school districts across Florida, with some counties not reporting any data to the general public.” POLITICO

BOOK CLUB — Celadon Books is publishing former CIA Director JOHN BRENNAN’S memoir, “Undaunted: My Fight Against America’s Enemies, at Home and Abroad,” on Oct. 6. $21.49 on Amazon

MEDIAWATCH … DETROIT FREE PRESS: “New York Times reporter removed from Trump rally after showing people without masks”: “Kathleen Gray, a longtime political reporter for the Detroit Free Press who now works for the New York Times, said she was removed from President Donald Trump’s Michigan rally on Thursday after tweeting that few in the crowd appeared to be wearing masks.

“‘First for me: Trump campaign tracked me down from pics i tweeted and escorted me out,’ Gray said in a post on Twitter. Earlier she had posted photos of the crowd and said ‘Maybe 10% have masks.’

“National media reported that Trump campaign officials said she was removed from the rally at MBS International Airport in Freeland because she did not have campaign-issued credentials and was working in the general audience area rather than in a designated press area. Gray told Bridge Magazine that she had missed the deadline to get credentials but had tried multiple times to contact the campaign to get them after that and received no response.”

JOSH GERSTEIN: “A Secret Service agent ‘choke slammed’ him at a Trump rally. DHS said it was fine.”

Send tips to Eli Okun and Garrett Ross at [email protected]

TRANSITIONS — Carla Sanchez Armas is joining the Motion Picture Association as managing director of Latin America. She previously was country brand and international media coordinator in the office of the presidency of Mexico. … Kevin Sheives is now associate director at the National Endowment for Democracy’s International Forum for Democratic Studies. He most recently spent three years in management roles on the State Department’s China desk, and is a Derek Kilmer, USTR and DoD alum.

ENGAGED — Richard Sant, a comms manager at Lockheed Martin and a Mike Pence alum, proposed to Kerry Rom, a director at Targeted Victory, at sunset this weekend on his family’s dock on Lake Michigan in Harbor Springs. They met while working at the RNC in 2016. Pic

WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Logan Hollers, policy adviser to Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), and Casey Gold Hollers, director of regulatory affairs at the Natural Gas Supply Association, welcomed Avery Juliette Hollers on Wednesday. Pic

— Blair Cofield, senior publicist at CNN, and Charles Cofield, principal engineer at Hazen & Sawyer, adopted Samuel Charles Cofield this week.

BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Robin Givhan, WaPo fashion critic. A fun fact about her: “I take boxing classes.” Playbook Q&A

BIRTHDAYS: Ben Terris, political reporter for WaPo’s Style section … Maria Bartiromo, global markets editor and anchor at Fox News and Fox Business Network … former DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson, a partner at Paul, Weiss, is 63 … Gloria Pazmino … Markos Moulitsas, founder of Daily Kos and co-founder of Vox Media, is 49 … Jon Meyersohn … former Solicitor General Ted Olson is 8-0 … Diane Tomb … POLITICO’s Joe Schatz and Lily Rosenfield … Ian Solomon … Liz Kennedy, SVP at the Recording Industry Association of America … Lee Verstandig … Michael Hardaway, senior adviser/comms director for House Democratic Caucus Chair Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), is 39 … Kara Nelson … Michael Maitland, COS for Rep. Donald Norcross (D-N.J.) … Claude Marx … Julie Goon, SVP of public affairs at Anthem … Sarah Weeldreyer … Eric Lausten (h/t wife Rose Riggs) … Reggie Thedford, Stand Up America’s deputy political director …

… Mark Dubowitz, CEO of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, is 52 … Jess Brammar … Syrian President Bashar Assad is 55 … Shannon Roche, president and CEO of the Yoga Alliance … Arianne Price … former Rep. Brad Ellsworth (D-Ind.) is 62 … Marit Babin Stout (h/t Dina Powell McCormick) … Sharon Gallagher (h/t Jon Haber) … Maura Hogan … Colleen Kearns … Robert Favela … Amanda Hughes … Jose Fourquet … Sammy Yaish … Clare Rizer … Paige Kerr … Jon Downs, a founding partner of FP1 Strategies … Emily Esfahani Smith … Gordon Bronson … Patrick Rheaume … NBC’s Pete Breen is 45 … Cyrus Artz … Walter Alarkon … DLA Piper’s Tom Boyd … Becky Lee … Emy Lesofski … Elizabeth Feldman … Kyle Gerron … Karen E. Watson … Brooke Hart, VP of comms at Sierra Nevada Corp. … Bruce Koeppl … Gail Leftwich Kitch (h/ts Teresa Vilmain)… Leticia Reyes … Rick Parnell