The circle is complete
washingtonpost.com/news/dc-sports…

It's Friday night, I've had a cocktail, and I want to note I've been waiting roughly a decade to slip this particular Rep. Adam Smith joke into print. politico.com/newsletters/pl…

Lizza: You think Donald Trump has thick skin?

Johnson: I do, I really do.

Lizza: I mean, of all the things about Donald Trump, I don’t think anyone’s ever accused him of having thick skin.

Washington's weird side comes out late at night in the Capitol

Sometimes, that's when you get the truth

🗣️Like when the Speaker of the House fires-up his Trump impersonation

To tell you the secrets of the wild ride he's been on these past 6 months

tinyurl.com/3uvttfzv

This week on Playbook Deep Dive, Rachael Bade and I sat down with Speaker Mike Johnson. Lots of news:

➡️ Why he won’t support a national abortion ban
➡️ Why he’s open to the idea that a president should have absolute immunity
➡️ What he told Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 on the House floor immediately…

“Well, this is well before the statement. We were just hearing rumors [about the delayed munitions]. So I confirmed it with Prime Minister Netanyahu.”

Mike Johnson in interview w/ Ryan Lizza and Rachael Bade

politico.com/news/magazine/…

NEW: Speaker Johnson tells us he will not put forward any national abortion restrictions either this year or even if the GOP wins control of the Senate & WH next year.

Echoing Trump: 'This is in the states’ purview now.' politico.com/news/magazine/…

Speaker Mike Johnson had just drank a cup of coffee and was eager to talk when Ryan Lizza & I sat down for an interview with him Wednesday night.

A few newsy bits beyond what we released yesterday:

->Johnson vowed that Republicans wouldn't push through a nationwide abortion ban if…

“The Bible’s very clear. You’re supposed to bless even those who persecute you. I’m getting a lot of practice in that right now.”

Speaker Mike Johnson opened up about this week's ouster attempt and more:
politico.com/news/magazine/…

Take in the Ryan Lizza Rachael Bade chat w Mike Johnson

Lots here

politico.com/news/magazine/…

First bite from a very newsy interview with Speaker Mike Johnson: Johnson slams Biden’s ‘senior moment’ on Israel aid Ryan Lizza Rachael Bade politico.com/news/2024/05/0…

NEW: The Biden administration will propose new changes to the asylum system on Thursday, four people familiar with the matter told POLITICO.

Comes after lots of pressure from lawmakers on both sides to address immigration asap

Myah Ward Nicholas Wu

politico.com/news/2024/05/0…

Spend some time today w our glorious heave - on Biden's race to spend trillions (and grab voters by the lapels about who done it) before Trump can undo it >>>

politico.com/interactives/2…

Beats the alternative implication, which is that she confused Kim with the South Korean or Japanese leaders she *did* meet

An update on Noem’s book via The Dakota Scout, which reports that Noem is blaming her ghostwriter and editor for errors in her book about meeting Kim Jong Un and the year she had an allegedly threatening call with Nikki Haley:

“Friday, Fury said that account is one of ‘two small…

do not blame me. i didn't write my memoir!

i.e., there's an AI angle to the, 'are you really winning hearts and minds?' question

Good one from KTM

Today in Kristi Noem book news:

— Noem book alleges that Nikki Haley “threatened” her in a phone call, which Haley camp calls “just plain weird.”

— Noem camp concedes she never actually met Kim Jong Un, as book alleges, and says “publisher will be addressing conflated world…

Now there's a suit with *drape* (cc derek guy)