THE CATCH-UP

WILD STORY — “Inside the Legal Battle to Recut Trump Movie ‘The Apprentice’: Why Billionaire Investor Dan Snyder Is Furious With Ex-President’s Portrayal,” by Variety’s Tatiana Siegel: “Sources say [DAN] SNYDER, a friend of [DONALD] TRUMP’s who donated $1.1. million to his inaugural committee and Trump Victory in 2016 and $100,000 to his 2020 presidential campaign, put money into the film via Kinematics because he was under the impression that it was a flattering portrayal of the 45th president. Snyder finally saw a cut of the film in February and was said to be furious. Kinematics’ lawyers were enlisted to fight the release of ‘The Apprentice,’ and the cease-and-desist letters began flying.”

THE TRUMP TRIAL — We’re on Day 19 in the criminal hush money trial against Trump and now have a sense of when to expect a verdict.

Justice JUAN MERCHAN said in court this morning that it appears the trial proceedings will wrap up this week, but that closing arguments won't take place until next Tuesday, following a day off for Memorial Day.

Right around noon, Trump’s defense team wrapped up its cross-examination of former Trump fixer MICHAEL COHEN. In a notable moment, Trump lawyer TODD BLANCHE got Cohen to admit to stealing from the Trump Organization.

“Cohen sought a reimbursement from the company for $50,000 to pay a tech vendor, Red Finch, that attempted to skew online polls in Trump's favor in 2016. But Cohen gave the owner of the firm only about $20,000,” Josh Gerstein writes. “‘You stole it from the Trump Organization?’ Blanche asked about the $30,000 difference. ‘Yes, sir,’ Cohen responded calmly. The total theft actually amounted to $60,000, because all the sums were doubled to cover taxes Cohen might owe.

“Trying to raise doubts about the prosecution, Blanche also got Cohen to admit that he’d told ‘multiple prosecutors’ that story, but never pleaded guilty to that theft or paid the money back.”

Toward the end of his questioning, “Blanche asked if Cohen has a financial interest in the outcome of the trial. Cohen conceded that he did, but disputed Blanche’s suggestion that Cohen would benefit more from Trump being convicted,” Erica Orden writes. “It’s better if he’s not, for me, because it gives me more to talk about in the future,” Cohen said.

Prosecutors are doing their redirect questioning now.

Follow along for all the updates from the courtroom with POLITICO’s live blog 

QUOTE OF THE DAY — Sen. JON TESTER, on Republicans’ allegations that the Montana Democrat is an election-year convert on border security: “They’re full of shit. And whoever told you that, you can say ‘Jon Tester said you’re full of shit.’”

That’s from Burgess Everett’s latest on the Senate Democrats who are on a tightrope as they run for reelection in red and purple states: “They must carve out distance from President JOE BIDEN to keep running ahead of his numbers — while dodging political hits that they’re shifting gears purely to win reelection. … [W]ith little must-pass business scheduled the rest of the year and a divided Congress, Democrats will have plenty of opportunities to emphasize strategic differences with their party’s leader.”

FOR YOUR RADAR — The International Criminal Court announced this morning that it is “seeking arrest warrants against both Israeli Prime Minister BENJAMIN NETANYAHU and Hamas leader YAHYA SINWAR in connection with the October 7 attacks and the Gaza war,” Ben Munster writes.

“ICC Prosecutor KARIM A.A. KHAN filed applications for the arrests on Monday against the two leaders, as well as the commander of Hamas’s military wing, MOHAMMED DIAB IBRAHIM AL-MASRI, and Israel’s defense minister, citing allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Israel and the State of Palestine.”

The White House response: “The ICC prosecutor’s application for arrest warrants against Israeli leaders is outrageous. And let me be clear: whatever this prosecutor might imply, there is no equivalence — none — between Israel and Hamas. We will always stand with Israel against threats to its security,” Biden said in a statement.

Good Monday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me a line at [email protected].

7 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

1. GEORGIA ON MY MIND: “Fani Willis campaigns to keep her job — and continue prosecuting Trump,” by WaPo’s Holly Bailey in Atlanta: “In Georgia’s Democratic primary on Tuesday, [Fulton County DA FANI] WILLIS will face local attorney CHRISTIAN WISE SMITH, who has said Willis ‘rightfully’ brought charges against Trump and his allies but has suggested her focus on that case has left Fulton County residents ‘vulnerable’ and other cases ‘neglected.’

“The heaviest attacks are likely to come ahead of the general election, when Willis, if she secures the Democratic nomination in Tuesday’s primary, is expected to face COURTNEY KRAMER, a Republican lawyer who interned in the Trump White House and was involved in Trump’s efforts to reverse his 2020 loss in Georgia. It is a long-shot campaign in heavily Democratic Fulton County but one that could greatly amplify criticism of the district attorney and the Trump case.”

Shot, from the story: “Amid criticism from Fulton County Superior Court Judge SCOTT McAFEE over her January speech at Big Bethel AME, Willis has largely curbed her public comments about the Trump case — declining media interviews and a debate against her Democratic primary opponent.”

Chaser: Willis is sitting down for a primetime interview with MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow tonight at 9 p.m.

2. MORE PULLOUT FALLOUT: Retired Gen. AUSTIN SCOTT MILLER, who was the top U.S. general in Afghanistan, “repeatedly warned Washington that security would get ‘very bad, very fast’ after troops departed, but the Biden administration still failed to grasp the danger in keeping its embassy open with only nominal protection, he told lawmakers investigating the war’s deadly endgame,” WaPo’s Dan Lamothe reports.

Miller “said in closed-door testimony last month before the Republican-led House Foreign Affairs Committee that, as his tour was nearing its end in July 2021, he was so troubled by the administration’s ‘lack of understanding of the risk’ that he privately warned a Marine Corps commander charged with planning for a possible evacuation to prepare for ‘really adverse conditions.’ … The transcript of Miller’s interview, obtained by The Washington Post, provides Biden’s critics fresh political ammunition ahead of the November election as they seek to discredit his foreign policy with the scenes of chaos and despair in Kabul when the Taliban stormed back to power.”

3. TAKE ME HOME, COUNTRY ROADS: Retiring West Virginia Sen. JOE MANCHIN is being encouraged by some in the Mountain State to jump into the gubernatorial race, MetroNews’ Brad McElhinny reports. “Two sources confirmed that the outreach comes from Republicans who oppose the GOP nominee for governor, PATRICK MORRISEY. One source said at least 20 Republicans with financial resources have reached out to Manchin, who was governor from 2005 to 2010. ‘Many Republicans who believe Manchin did a good job as governor previously are encouraging him to run again,’ one of the sources said. Manchin has made no decision, but also he has not dissuaded the conversations.”

4. HALEY’S (UN)COMMIT: NIKKI HALEY may be coming to a crossroads in her effort to find a middle ground on supporting Trump’s presidential bid. “Some allies believe she may be forced to endorse him before the November election to avoid permanently alienating the Republican Party base. Some even suspect that Haley will re-emerge on Trump’s short list of vice presidential contenders in the coming months, despite Trump’s recent statement to the contrary,” AP’s Steve Peoples, Meg Kinnard and Thomas Beaumont write.

“But if Haley submits to Trump, as so many of his GOP critics have done, she also risks destroying her own coalition of independents, moderates and anti-Trump Republicans, who are still showing up to support her in low-profile primary contests from deep-red Indiana to deep-blue Maryland. On Tuesday, she gets another chance to demonstrate her sustained strength in Kentucky’s presidential primary contest, which comes more than two months after she suspended her campaign.”

5. DOWN-BALLOT SPENDING: “2 Liberal Groups to Spend $5 Million on State Supreme Court Races,” by NYT’s Nick Corasaniti: “The two organizations — the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, the Democrats’ arm in fighting for state and congressional maps; and Planned Parenthood Votes, the political arm of the abortion health care organization — will initially target races in Arizona, Michigan, Montana, North Carolina, Ohio and Texas. The fund, with a budget of $5 million, will provide digital ads along with funding for canvassing and get-out-the-vote operations.”

6. TRUMP 2.0: “Trump’s immigration plans could deal a major blow to the job market,” by WaPo’s Rachel Siegel: “[M]any economists and business leaders warn that Trump’s plans could trigger higher unemployment and slower growth — while also devastating the country’s immigrant workforce. Key industries like construction, food service and agriculture would see the most upheaval. The proposals could also exacerbate inflation, the top economic issue for many voters. In the backdrop is a booming job market that immigration helped rebound from the pandemic stronger than anyone expected.”

7. YELLEN ABOUT IT: Treasury Secretary JANET YELLEN is saying no to a global wealth tax on billionaires, “rejecting an idea floated by Brazil, France and other nations to tip the economic scales away from the megarich,” WSJ’s Andrew Duehren reports.

PLAYBOOKERS

Harris Faulkner is celebrating 10 years on “Outnumbered” and getting more personal.

Julian Assange can appeal his extradition order to the U.S. on espionage charges, a London court ruled today.

MEDIA MOVE — Marty Kady is joining WaPo as senior director and general manager of professional products. He previously was politics editor at The Messenger and is a POLITICO alum. The announcement 

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — George Alderman is joining Rep. Mike Waltz’s (R-Fla.) office as press secretary. He most recently was an associate at Targeted Victory.

TRANSITIONS — Lauren Dickey is now senior manager for geopolitical intelligence at HARMAN International and a non-resident senior associate at CSIS. She most recently was acting director of the Taiwan desk at DoD. … Carolyn Olortegui, is now legislative assistant for Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Conn.). She previously was HELP legislative correspondent for Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.). …

… Jen Becker-Pollet is now clerk for the Senate Appropriations Financial Services General Government Subcommittee. She previously was a professional staff member for the Energy and Water subcommittee. … Allison Barry is now a special adviser in the Labor Department’s Office of Public Affairs. She previously was a special assistant in the Education Department’s Office of Communications and Outreach.

ENGAGED — John Burton, a senior consultant at Deloitte, and Christie Boyden, an antitrust associate at Dechert, got engaged on Saturday at Dumbarton Oaks (in the rain) in Georgetown, followed by a surprise engagement party after with family and friends. The couple met on Hinge, although they both went to UVA the same year and Christie had met John’s dad networking a few years before she met him. Pic … Instapic

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