{"id":812,"date":"2026-07-06T13:27:53","date_gmt":"2026-07-06T08:27:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=812"},"modified":"2026-07-06T13:27:53","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T08:27:53","slug":"how-trump-will-defend-his-iran-deal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=812","title":{"rendered":"How Trump will defend his Iran deal"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><i>With help from Eli Okun, Ali Bianco and Irie Sentner<\/i><\/p>\n<p><b>Good Wednesday morning.<\/b> This is <b>Jack Blanchard,<\/b> leading with <b>Donald Trump<\/b>\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/@realDonaldTrump\/posts\/116764370070279119\" target=\"_blank\">latest overnight pivot<\/a> in the ongoing spy drama that, as of very early this morning, scuttled his own nomination of <b>Jay Clayton<\/b> to lead the nation\u2019s spy apparatus in pursuit of <i>yet another<\/i> demand for Congress to pass the SAVE Act \u2014 this time in tandem with a FISA reauthorization. Read the details below, and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.politico.com\/cdn-cgi\/l\/email-protection#016b636d606f626960736541716e6d687568626e2f626e6c\" target=\"_blank\">get in touch<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><b><i>In today\u2019s Playbook \u2026<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color:#b70000;font-weight:bold;font-family:sans-serif;\"><b>\u2014<\/b><\/span> Trump is up at the mics from the G7 today after his Iran deal leaks.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color:#b70000;font-weight:bold;font-family:sans-serif;\"><b>\u2014<\/b><\/span> The president wins one, loses one in Georgia\u2019s primary runoffs.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color:#b70000;font-weight:bold;font-family:sans-serif;\"><b>\u2014<\/b><\/span><b> The Boldfaces: Kevin Warsh, Gavin Newsom, Bill Pulte, JD Vance, Rick Jackson, Mike Collins, Jon Ossoff, James Talarico, Todd Blanche, Pam Evette, Alan Wilson <\/b><i>and more.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><b>A TALE OF TWO PRESS CONFERENCES<\/b>: <b>Donald Trump<\/b> is likely to lay out a fierce defense of the president\u2019s newly leaked deal with Iran during a press conference in France today as the G7 summit wraps. Expect to hear some brash Trumpian predictions about the direction of the U.S. economy: Lower gas prices, surging stock markets, and free-flowing trade.<\/p>\n<p><b>Compare and contrast:<\/b> But let\u2019s see whether <b>Kevin Warsh<\/b> strikes a similar tone in his first press conference as Fed chair this afternoon. Warsh will wrap his first Open Markets Committee meeting at <b>2 p.m.<\/b> and hosts the usual media Q&amp;A shortly after. With inflation running well-above the Fed\u2019s target,, interest rates are sure to hold steady \u2014 which means all the attention will be on the new chairman\u2019s tone. Somehow, Warsh needs to thread a very fine needle between maintaining credibility with skeptical markets while keeping his erratic audience-of-one on side.<\/p>\n<p><b>But first to France,<\/b> where Trump\u2019s post-G7 presser is currently scheduled for <b>8.20 a.m. Eastern.<\/b> (As ever, timings may slip.) He\u2019ll face a barrage of questions on topics including Ukraine, trade and AI, as well as domestic political issues including yesterday\u2019s primary runoffs in Georgia, the DOJ investigation into Gov. <b>Gavin Newsom<\/b>, and overnight demands threatening to keep <b>Bill Pulte<\/b> in place atop ODNI unless Congress passes expired surveillance authorities <i>alongside<\/i> an overhaul of the nation\u2019s voting laws. (More on all of that below.)<\/p>\n<p><b>But top of the list<\/b> will be Iran. We\u2019re now three days on from Trump\u2019s deal announcement aimed at ending the war, and we\u2019ve still seen nothing official from the administration. But over the past 24 hours, details <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/world\/middle-east\/the-trump-iran-deal-allows-tehran-to-immediately-sell-oil-37a1ebe5?st=5GuvYg\" target=\"_blank\">started to leak<\/a> \u2014 and last night <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2026-06-16\/read-the-14-point-draft-memorandum-between-the-us-and-iran?accessToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJzb3VyY2UiOiJTdWJzY3JpYmVyR2lmdGVkQXJ0aWNsZSIsImlhdCI6MTc4MTY1NjY2MywiZXhwIjoxNzgyMjYxNDYzLCJhcnRpY2xlSWQiOiJUR1FUVkRUOTZPU0cwMCIsImJjb25uZWN0SWQiOiI4M0Q4RjJERjFDQzA0MDFFQTlBNjg1RjY3N0FGQURERiJ9.Bq9TVRVNXZu1ep06Y3KiLnhlcb9SQ_ZKska1ZbY8yVM\" target=\"_blank\">Bloomberg published<\/a> what it said was the full text of the 14-point memo.<\/p>\n<p><b>The text says the war will end<\/b> on all fronts, including in Lebanon. The U.S. will immediately lift the blockade on Iran\u2019s ports and remove all military presence within 30 days of a final agreement. Sanctions and embargoes on Iran will also be lifted immediately, allowing the regime to restart selling oil. And a \u201ccomprehensive plan\u201d to reconstruct Iran \u2014 with at least $300 billion of outside investment \u2014 will be agreed within 60 days.<\/p>\n<p><b>In return, <\/b>Iran will pledge to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 30 days and formally reiterate that it will never produce nuclear weapons. (These were, of course, their positions before the war began.) But there\u2019s no clear commitment about Iran\u2019s nuclear material, which will be subject to further discussion pending a final agreement in 60 days\u2019 time. And there\u2019s no mention of Iranian shipping tolls, Iranian proxies, Iranian missile depots, Iranian democracy, or any of the other issues touted as possible war aims since the American bombing began on Feb. 28.<\/p>\n<p><b>Trump\u2019s critics are already framing the deal<\/b> as a total capitulation. They argue we can see in black and white that Trump achieved nothing through an expensive and high-risk war \u2014 and that Iran emerged stronger from the conflict. <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/realDonaldTrump\/status\/639265404121141248\" target=\"_blank\">This Trump tweet<\/a> from 2015 is already making the rounds online.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"story-related cl-l db \">\n<div class=\"intext-ad intext-ad--presented  \" style=\"background-color:#FFFFFF\">\n<p class=\"intext-ad__caption\" style=\"color:#000000\">A message from AHIP:<\/p>\n<div class=\"intext-ad__copy-styles0\">\n<p>Health plans are advocates for affordability, employing clinically guided professionals who use advanced technologies and data-driven insights to improve quality and lower costs. <a style=\"color:#007BC7; text-decoration:underline;\" href=\"https:\/\/ad.doubleclick.net\/ddm\/clk\/645108603;451668945;q;gdpr=${GDPR};gdpr_consent=${GDPR_CONSENT_755}\" target=\"_blank\">Learn more.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p><b>The administration\u2019s response <\/b>is that we should all wait and see \u2014 that Iran is making much bigger promises on nukes behind the scenes, and we should reserve judgment for the final agreement in 60 days\u2019 time. U.S. officials say the generous economic sweeteners built into the deal mean Iran has every incentive to follow through. Some even <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2026\/06\/16\/politics\/iran-agreement-text-trump\" target=\"_blank\">briefed CNN<\/a> that the deal is purposefully worded to help Iran sell it to an internal audience.<\/p>\n<p><b>Those close to the White House<\/b> say we should consider the alternative to a deal. \u201cPeople who are war mongers still do not understand that this is not the GOP of Bush and Romney,\u201d one told Dasha last night.<\/p>\n<p><b>Trump\u2019s critics will be highly skeptical<\/b>. But the \u201clet\u2019s-wait-and-see\u201d line should at least give nervous Republicans on the Hill cover as they face questions about the wisdom of the deal. And over the longer-term, the White House\u2019s hope will be that Trump\u2019s economic predictions come to pass following the reopening of Hormuz \u2014 and that in a few months\u2019 time Americans will be too busy celebrating the return of $3 gas to care about the minutiae of Iran\u2019s military defenses.<\/p>\n<p><b>About that economy<\/b>: It\u2019s hard to see Warsh sounding quite so bullish about the economy when he leads his first post-FOMC press conference this afternoon. Markets are braced for rates to go up instead of down this year, while the president demands big rate cuts to boost U.S. growth and household finances ahead of the midterms on Nov. 3.<\/p>\n<p><b>So what can Warsh say?<\/b> Not a great deal, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/06\/17\/fed-warsh-trump-inflation-rates-powell-00963371\" target=\"_blank\">POLITICO\u2019s Victoria Guida writes this morning<\/a>. Helpfully, his longheld position on press conferences is that silence is generally golden. \u201cWhile investors are desperate for guidance, Warsh has long argued that Fed officials communicate too often about economic developments and what they might mean for rates,\u201d Vic notes. \u201cThat, he says, makes it harder for financial markets to separate meaningful signals from the chatter.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><b>Staying mum just also happens to be<\/b> the easiest way of avoiding a Day 1 fist fight with Trump. So don\u2019t hold your breath for big news. \u201cHis best move right now is just to hang tight\u201d on giving any signal about what comes next, said <b>Ellen Meade<\/b>, a former senior Fed economist who\u2019s now a professor at Duke University.<\/p>\n<p><b>French connections<\/b>: Before heading home Trump will join a fancy dinner at the Palace of Versailles with <b>Emmanuel Macron<\/b>. What attracted the president to prolong his stay in France an extra half-day? Some important matter of state?<\/p>\n<p><b>Nope \u2014 it\u2019s the bling<\/b>. \u201cWell, I\u2019m a fan of beautiful places,\u201d Trump explained yesterday, per POLITICO\u2019s reporter on the ground <b>Myah Ward<\/b>. \u201cI <i>was <\/i>leaving in the afternoon, and then the French president \u2014 who happens to be a very nice man \u2014- invited me to dinner at Versailles. And Versailles is not gold leaf. Versailles is the real deal. And I said I\u2019d like to do it. I mean, all it means is I get home later in the evening, meaning early in the morning. And I\u2019m not a big sleeper \u2026 I won\u2019t lose any time in the Oval Office.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"story-related cl-l db \">\n    <iframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"200\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/playlist.megaphone.fm?e=POLL6485777665&amp;light=true\" width=\"100%\"><\/iframe><\/aside>\n<aside class=\"story-related cl-l db \">\n<div class=\"intext-ad intext-ad--img-only  ad-slot\" style=\"background-color:#FFFFFF\">\n<p class=\"intext-ad__caption\" style=\"color:#000000\">A message from AHIP:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ad.doubleclick.net\/ddm\/clk\/645250348;451668900;l;gdpr=${GDPR};gdpr_consent=${GDPR_CONSENT_755}\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"intext-ad__img\" align=\"ad-slot\" style=\"width:100%;max-width:500px\" width=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/static.politico.com\/35\/5c\/43e125da4fffa2efff7635312738\/cost-connection-politico-playbook-banners-500x125.png\" title=\"Advertisement Image\" alt=\"Advertisement Image\"\/><\/a> <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p><b>TRUMP BLOWS UP CLAYTON NOM: <\/b>In an <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/@realDonaldTrump\/116764370070279119\" target=\"_blank\">overnight Truth Social post<\/a>, Trump threw the fate of the FISA reauthorization into fresh peril and scrapped for now the nomination of <b>Jay Clayton<\/b> to lead ODNI. Trump blamed Democrats for the sudden reversal and said he would not approve the FISA reauthorization without the SAVE America Act also attached to its passage. And he said the Senate\u2019s hearing for Clayton\u2019s nomination as DNI scheduled for today \u201cwill not be going forward\u201d until <b>Jamie McDonald<\/b> is approved as Clayton\u2019s successor to be U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. \u201cIn the meantime, <b>Bill Pulte<\/b> will remain as the Acting Director of National Intelligence,\u201d Trump said. <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/trump-jay-clayton-congress-voting-bill-bc75e8a07ea29788b602625cf1c54b47\" target=\"_blank\"><b><i>More from AP<\/i><\/b><\/a><\/p>\n<p><b>LIVE FROM NEW YORK:<\/b> VP <b>JD Vance <\/b>is headed to Bethpage, New York, today for the latest stop on his fraud crackdown tour. He\u2019ll be in the battleground district held by Democratic Rep. <b>Tom Suozzi<\/b>. But right now \u2014 New York has eyes on a different election, with less than a week until the state\u2019s primaries. <b>The trend to watch: <\/b>The Democratic Socialists of America are under the spotlight. If their candidates \u2014 <b>Claire Valdez <\/b>and <b>Darializa Avila Chevalier <\/b>\u2014 win out, it\u2019ll embolden the DSA as the next major Dem institution, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/06\/17\/the-democratic-socialists-of-america-are-leaving-it-all-on-the-field-in-nyc-00961200\" target=\"_blank\">POLITICO\u2019s Chris Sommerfeldt writes<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><b>ON THE HILL:<\/b> The Senate kicked off debate on the new version of the housing bill, following a bipartisan breakthrough between Senate and House leaders. That\u2019s expected to pass the Senate this week. (Read POLITICO\u2019s Kate Hapgood <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/live-updates\/2026\/06\/16\/congress\/housing-bill-agreement-00963672\" target=\"_blank\">for the details<\/a>.) The legislation is a significant piece of Republicans\u2019 cost-of-living agenda as housing prices remain top of voters\u2019 minds.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color:#b70000;font-weight:bold;font-family:sans-serif;\"><b>ABOUT LAST NIGHT:<\/b><\/span> Trump\u2019s streak of major primary victories hit a second speed bump last night when GOP businessman <b>Rick Jackson<\/b> bested Trump-backed <b>Burt Jones<\/b> in the Georgia governor\u2019s race \u2014 a rare, but embarrassing second blemish on his endorsement record, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/06\/17\/trump-stumbles-rick-jackson-georgia-00964689\" target=\"_blank\">POLITICO\u2019s Andrew Howard and colleagues write<\/a>. Jones supporters and Trump allies blamed Jackson\u2019s record-breaking $100 million spending in the race \u2014 but some in Jones\u2019 orbit also suggested the president didn\u2019t do enough. \u201c[Trump] absolutely moved the needle. He just moved the needle 15 points when we needed him to move the needle 25 points,\u201d said a Georgia operative.<\/p>\n<p><b><i>Overall, it was a mixed bag for Trump last night:<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Across the map:<\/b> Trump-endorsed Rep. <b>Barry Moore<\/b> cruised in his Alabama Senate runoff, though he had help from a pro-crypto super PAC that spent millions. Trump\u2019s picks in two Oklahoma races are headed to runoffs. Rep. <b>Mike Collins<\/b> (R-Ga.) won the Senate runoff to take on Democratic Sen. <b>Jon Ossoff<\/b>, but it wasn\u2019t a blowout victory and Trump\u2019s eleventh-hour endorsement makes it hard to give him full credit for the win.<\/li>\n<li><b>On Georgia:<\/b> Republicans in the state are fretting that a bruised Collins is entering into a general election race as the underdog against Ossoff \u2014 a prolific fundraiser who\u2019s spent months building campaign infrastructure and refining his general election message as Republicans duked it out in the primary, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/06\/17\/republicans-worried-jon-ossoff-georgia-senate-00964687\">POLITICO\u2019s Erin Doherty and Alec Hernandez report<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><b>In Washington: Robert White<\/b> won the D.C. delegate Democratic primary, setting him up to represent the U.S. capital in Congress as its first new delegate in more than 35 years, taking the reins from Democratic Del. <b>Eleanor Holmes Norton<\/b>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/06\/17\/white-wins-dc-delegate-primary-00964683\">Playbook\u2019s Irie Senter reports<\/a>. The mayoral primary hasn\u2019t been called, though democratic socialist <b>Janeese Lewis George<\/b> <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/projects\/elections-2026\/district-of-columbia-primary-results-mayor\/#Dem\">holds a significant lead<\/a> as of publishing time.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"color:#b70000;font-weight:bold;font-family:sans-serif;\"><b>TALARICO\u2019S TURN:<\/b><\/span> <b>James Talarico<\/b> has decried the influence of billionaires in politics. But he\u2019s turning to big-money Dem donors in Silicon Valley to help him out in the Texas Senate race that\u2019s expected to draw the most money across the midterms map. \u201cTalarico attended at least four Bay Area fundraisers with prominent Democratic Party donors with ties to the tech industry in mid-April,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/06\/16\/talarico-california-fundraising-00964328\" target=\"_blank\">POLITICO\u2019s Owen Dahlkamp scoops<\/a>. Donations were accepted on behalf of Talarico\u2019s campaign committee, not any super PAC. His campaign pointed to his public comments supporting stricter campaign finance regulations.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color:#b70000;font-weight:bold;font-family:sans-serif;\"><b>CALIFORNIA DREAMIN\u2019:<\/b><\/span> DOJ\u2019s streak of targeting Trump\u2019s political adversaries may bolster California Gov. <b>Gavin Newsom\u2019s<\/b> argument that he\u2019s just next in line, even if it\u2019s too soon to tell, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/06\/17\/gavin-newsom-justice-department-donald-trump-00964021\" target=\"_blank\">POLITICO\u2019s Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein report<\/a>. Newsom is positioning himself as another <b>Jerome Powell<\/b>, while trying to avoid <b>John Bolton\u2019s<\/b> fate. But it\u2019s still a remarkable legal trend: \u201cWhether Newsom is situated more like Powell or Bolton is a question previous Departments of Justice would never have had to contend with,\u201d Kyle and Josh write.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"story-related cl-l db \">\n<div class=\"intext-ad intext-ad--img-only  ad-slot\" style=\"background-color:#FFFFFF\">\n<p class=\"intext-ad__caption\" style=\"color:#000000\">A message from AHIP:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ad.doubleclick.net\/ddm\/clk\/645023324;451668846;m;gdpr=${GDPR};gdpr_consent=${GDPR_CONSENT_755}\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"intext-ad__img\" align=\"ad-slot\" style=\"width:100%;max-width:500px\" width=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/static.politico.com\/6f\/ce\/b05f479f40d09c7b072afb49a288\/cost-connection-politico-playbook-banners-500x500.png\" title=\"Advertisement Image\" alt=\"Advertisement Image\"\/><\/a> <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p><b>1. CARTE BLANCHE:<\/b> The DOJ\u2019s \u201cAnti Weaponization Fund\u201d stirred plenty of consternation from Republicans, but the party\u2019s been quiet on plans to shield audits of Trump\u2019s tax filings despite the lack of details, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/06\/17\/gop-senators-trump-tax-immunity-00963578\" target=\"_blank\">POLITICO\u2019s Brian Faler reports<\/a>. Sen.<b> John Cornyn<\/b> (R-Texas) expects it will come up at acting AG <b>Todd Blanche\u2019s<\/b> confirmation hearing.<\/p>\n<p><b>2. BRAVE NEW WORLD:<\/b> Trump\u2019s sudden moves to rein-in AI startup Anthropic are spurring Congress into action, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/06\/16\/white-houses-anthropic-move-jolts-congress-back-into-the-ai-debate-00964614\" target=\"_blank\">POLITICO\u2019s Kelsey Brugger and Katherine Long report<\/a>. In roughly a dozen interviews this week, lawmakers said they were shocked by the administration\u2019s decision to impose an export ban on the AI company\u2019s latest models and had yet to receive a formal briefing from administration officials. \u201cMembers of both parties said they now see an opening to mobilize their colleagues around legislation that would reclaim congressional authority at a time when the executive branch remains firmly in the drivers\u2019 seat on AI regulation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><b>3. 2026 WATCH: <\/b>Sensing that his chosen candidate is in some danger \u2014 along with his endorsement record \u2014 Trump is considering backing <i>both<\/i> GOP candidates in South Carolina\u2019s GOP primary runoff for governor, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/politics\/2026\/06\/16\/trump-mulls-co-endorsement-south-carolina-governors-race-proves-tight\/\" target=\"_blank\">WaPo\u2019s Natalie Allison reports<\/a>. Trump already threw his support behind Lt. Gov. <b>Pam Evette<\/b> in the race, but some Republicans in South Carolina are skeptical of her bid \u2014 and internal polling shows state AG <b>Alan Wilson<\/b> ahead of her.<\/p>\n<p><b>4. IMMIGRATION FILES:<\/b> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/06\/16\/us\/politics\/haiti-tps-supreme-court.html\" target=\"_blank\"><b>\u201cInternal Emails Raise Questions About D.H.S. Ending Haiti Protections,\u201d<\/b><\/a> by NYT\u2019s Madeleine Ngo and Ann Marimow: \u201c[N]ewly released internal emails and documents indicate that the Homeland Security Department decided to terminate [Temporary Protected Status] last June without obtaining input from the State Department \u2026 The question of whether the Trump administration followed the procedures laid out in federal law is also central to a case now before the Supreme Court.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><b>5. REDISTRICTING RESPONSE: <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.notus.org\/congress\/democrats-redistricting-shrinking-southern-delegations-house-committees\" target=\"_blank\"><b>\u201cDemocrats Prep for Shrinking Southern Delegations,\u201d<\/b><\/a> by NOTUS\u2019 Kadia Goba and Stephen Neukam: \u201cOne idea being floated to address the dwindling number of Black lawmakers is a realignment of the caucus\u2019 12 regions, and potentially allowing senior Democrats to take on a heavier committee workload. \u2026 Currently, Democrats who chair some of the top committees aren\u2019t allowed to sit on another committee, per Democratic caucus rules.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><b>DON THE RENOVATOR \u2014 <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/06\/16\/reflecting-pool-green-algae-spreads-00963411\" target=\"_blank\"><b>\u201cTrump promised clear water. The reflecting pool went green,\u201d<\/b><\/a> by POLITICO\u2019s Kinnia Cheuk and Heather Richards: \u201cThe president had wanted a pool filled with clear water and a bottom painted \u2018American Flag Blue\u2019 \u2026 Instead, dark green clumps of algae sat Tuesday morning on a lighter green layer of algae that\u2019s blanketed the water. \u2026 Around the pool, visitors from outside Washington mentioned that they had seen reports of algae forming from the past week but didn\u2019t expect it to be so widespread. \u2026 Interior on Tuesday said it is working to kill the algae using the nanobubbling system and hydrogen peroxide.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color:#b70000;font-weight:bold;font-family:sans-serif;\"><b>FIRST IN PLAYBOOK \u2014<\/b><\/span><b> Todd Lyons<\/b>, <b>Chad Mizelle<\/b> and <b>Sonny Joy Nelson<\/b> are joining the America First Policy Institute. Lyons, who recently stepped down as acting ICE director, will be a senior fellow for homeland security and immigration policy. Mizelle, formerly chief of staff and acting associate AG at DOJ, will be a senior fellow for law and justice. Nelson, previously director of media affairs at the White House, will be a comms adviser.<\/p>\n<p><b>TRANSITIONS \u2014 Colton Overcash <\/b>has launched Vertex Strategies, a government relations, public affairs, and strategic advisory firm. He is a Motorola and Trump DHS alum. \u2026 <b>Greg Saphier <\/b>will join Shape Advocacy. He currently works at the Motion Picture Association. \u2026 <b>Sanjeev Bhasker<\/b> is joining K&amp;L Gates as a partner in its public policy and law practice. He most recently worked at the Justice Department and is a White House alum.<\/p>\n<p>\u2026 <b>Elham Khatami <\/b>and <b>Alexis Schofield <\/b>have joined New Heights Communications as a director and an associate, respectively. Khatami previously worked at Pew Charitable Trusts, and Schofield was previously at Chicago\u2019s Red Line Project. \u2026 <b>Brent Procida<\/b> has joined Dykema as a member in the firm\u2019s financial services litigation practice group. He previously worked at Venable LLP. \u2026 <b>Jenay Fritz <\/b>has joined ROKK Solutions as an Account Director. She previously worked at Veralto.<\/p>\n<p><b>HAPPY BIRTHDAY: <\/b>Reps. <b>Marcy Kaptur<\/b> (D-Ohio) and <b>Scott Peters <\/b>(D-Calif.) \u2026 <b>Newt Gingrich<\/b> \u2026 <b>Matt Canter <\/b>of Global Strategy Group \u2026 <b>Matt Miller <\/b>\u2026 <b>Diane Blagman<\/b> of Greenberg Traurig \u2026 <b>Maxwell Nunes<\/b> \u2026 CNBC\u2019s <b>Christina Wilkie<\/b> \u2026 <b>Allie Malloy<\/b> \u2026 <b>Maxine Joselow<\/b> \u2026 <b>Will Sommer<\/b> \u2026<b> Kent Lassman<\/b> \u2026 <b>Paul Steinhauser<\/b> \u2026 <b>Nisha Ramachandran<\/b> \u2026 <b>Miro Korenha<\/b> \u2026<b> Scott Thuman <\/b>\u2026 <b>Gabe Horwitz<\/b> \u2026 former Reps. <b>Brad Wenstrup<\/b> (R-Ohio) and <b>Jerry Carl<\/b> (R-Ala.) \u2026 <b>Chris Bedford <\/b>\u2026 POLITICO\u2019s <b>Elizabeth Kisiday<\/b>, <b>Nick Taylor-Vaisey, Christina Lei<\/b> and <b>Samuel Ogozalek<\/b> \u2026 <b>Jessica Boulanger<\/b> \u2026 <b>Boris Abreu<\/b> &#8230; <b>Katie Grant Drew<\/b> \u2026 CBS\u2019 <b>Nicole Domenica Sganga<\/b> &#8230; PBS NewsHour\u2019s <b>Jaywon Choe<\/b> &#8230; <b>Linda Chavez<\/b> \u2026 <b>Chris Jennings<\/b> \u2026 Precision\u2019s <b>Noah Cavicchi<\/b> \u2026 <b>Melissa Sabatine<\/b> &#8230; former HHS Secretary <b>Alex Azar <\/b>\u2026 <b>Janice Lachance<\/b> \u2026 former Pennsylvania Gov.<b> Tom Corbett <\/b>\u2026 <b>Kerri Chyka <\/b>\u2026 <b>Jacob McIntosh<\/b> of TriNet \u2026 <b>Nora Taktajian<\/b> of Rep. Doris Matsui\u2019s (D-Calif.) office \u2026<b> Dan Hanlon <\/b>\u2026 <b>Lauren Kennedy <\/b>of Sen. Thom Tillis\u2019 (R-N.C.) office \u2026 <b>David D\u2019Antonio<\/b> \u2026 <b>Zainab Chaudary<\/b> \u2026 former Education Secretary <b>Rod Paige<\/b> \u2026 NewsNation\u2019s <b>Blake Burman <\/b>\u2026 <b>Connor Joseph<\/b> \u2026 <b>Ryan Serote <\/b>\u2026 <b>Katie Wright <\/b>\u2026 <b>Jamie Wise <\/b>of House Appropriations<\/p>\n<p><i>Send Playbookers tips to <\/i><a href=\"http:\/\/www.politico.com\/cdn-cgi\/l\/email-protection#b9c9d5d8c0dbd6d6d2f9c9d6d5d0cdd0dad697dad6d4\" target=\"_blank\"><i><span class=\"__cf_email__\" data-cfemail=\"d5a5b9b4acb7bababe95a5bab9bca1bcb6bafbb6bab8\">[email\u00a0protected]<\/span><\/i><\/a><i> or <\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/signal.me\/#eu\/Y_J-vxijzCPSLbXEtVrVH0ZLVZVBqr8iBbfikL2lBrl5QgVVODxM47rLk6iFu6EM\" target=\"_blank\"><i>text us on Signal here<\/i><\/a><i>. Playbook couldn\u2019t happen without our editor <\/i><b><i>Giuseppe Macri<\/i><\/b><i> and deputy editor <\/i><b><i>Garrett Ross<\/i><\/b><i>.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i>Correction: An earlier version of Playbook included an incorrect name in the birthday list.<\/i><\/p>\n<aside class=\"story-related cl-l db \">\n<div class=\"intext-ad intext-ad--presented  \" style=\"background-color:#FFFFFF\">\n<p class=\"intext-ad__caption\" style=\"color:#000000\">A message from AHIP:<\/p>\n<div class=\"intext-ad__copy-styles3\">\n<p>Health plans negotiate lower prices from providers and drugmakers, protect consumers from fraud, and support common-sense solutions to tackle the drivers of high and rising costs. <a style=\"color:#007BC7; text-decoration:underline;\" href=\"https:\/\/ad.doubleclick.net\/ddm\/clk\/645023282;451668891;p;gdpr=${GDPR};gdpr_consent=${GDPR_CONSENT_755}\" target=\"_blank\">Learn more.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<ul class=\"twitter-authors\">\n<div class=\"twitter-authors__content\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.politico.com\/hosted\/icon_x_gray.png\" class=\"twitter-authors__icon\"\/><\/p><\/div>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With help from Eli Okun, Ali Bianco and Irie Sentner Good Wednesday morning. This is Jack Blanchard, leading with Donald Trump\u2019s latest overnight pivot in the ongoing spy drama that, as of very early this morning, scuttled his own nomination of Jay Clayton to lead the nation\u2019s spy apparatus in pursuit of yet another demand&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":813,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static.politico.com\/3d\/ee\/f4d549cf4e548af6712990ce5b9e\/politico-cms-shared-graphic-1120x629.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-812","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-political-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/812","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=812"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/812\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/813"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=812"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=812"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=812"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}