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ANOTHER ONE — Former Rep. WILL HURD (R-Texas) jumped into the Republican presidential primary today, becoming the 13th or 14th (depending on whom you count) major candidate in the very crowded field.

Hurd made the announcement on “CBS Mornings,” where he said he wanted to offer a forward-looking vision for America. Striking an optimistic tone, Hurd said he wanted to focus on improving education and the economy and bringing the country together. His launch video starts on a slightly darker note, warning that “the soul of our country is under attack,” from drugs to inflation to crime, and calling out President JOE BIDEN and DONALD TRUMP by name. But Hurd casts himself as a common-sense purveyor of solutions: “It’s not a given that this vision for America will happen, but it can if we focus on our timeless principles and limitless potential, not self-interested politics.”

It’s a message, and a candidate, from a different time in Republican politics. Hurd was seen as a rising GOP star just a few years ago. A moderate, Black former CIA agent who represented a majority-Hispanic swing district on the Texas border, Hurd stood out in Congress for his bipartisan chops and tech/cyber expertise. Chatter grew about a run for higher office in his future.

Then Trump transformed the GOP, and Hurd opted not to run for reelection in 2020.

Now he enters the race as a significant long shot, to be kind. But Hurd could still be one to watch — as one of the few candidates offering a genuinely different ideological perspective and perhaps just the second, behind CHRIS CHRISTIE, willing to criticize Trump directly. His video calls Trump “a lawless, selfish, failed politician” who would lose to Biden again.

If he wants the chance to lob a line like that on the debate stage, he’ll have to move quickly: Hurd doesn’t have much time to meet the significant fundraising/polling thresholds for the first debate this summer. And he could be competing for a small slice of the GOP pie.

FLORIDA MEN — Trump world, as you’d expect, could not be happier about the ever-balkanizing field. Campaign spokesman JASON MILLER this morning cast Hurd’s entry as further evidence of Florida Gov. RON DeSANTIS having “failed to seal the deal” as Trump’s ordained challenger.

Further evidence that Miller might be correct … Sen. RICK SCOTT (R-Fla.) is weighing a shocking late jump into the presidential race, NYT’s Jonathan Swan and Maggie Haberman just reported. He’d be the fourth Floridian in the race, a wealthy self-funder, a direct DeSantis competitor and a candidate with a distinctive ideological approach.

Nota bene: If he does jump into the presidential race, the campaign for his Senate seat would be upended, too. Said Scott’s longtime spokesman CHRIS HARTLINE, “It’s flattering that some have mentioned the possibility of Senator Scott running for President, but as he’s said many times, he’s running for re-election to the Senate.”

A LA MODI — Biden and Indian PM NARENDRA MODI will begin their press conference any moment now — an extraordinarily rare instance of Modi taking questions from reporters.

One of the most concrete outcomes of the leaders’ meetings this week is a significant deal for General Electric to make fighter jet engines in India and for India to buy U.S.-made drones from General Atomics, Doug Palmer reports. Though it’s still subject to review by Congress, the agreement marks an increasingly intertwined defense trade partnership between the world’s largest democracies.

Coming soon: Speaker KEVIN McCARTHY told reporters that he and House Minority Leader HAKEEM JEFFRIES plan to lead a congressional delegation to India together in October.

THE DIFI DEFENDERS — Sen. DIANNE FEINSTEIN turns 90 today, and despite mounting questions about her cognitive and physical health, many women in the Senate are defending her as fiercely as ever against what they see as a double standard, the Boston Globe’s Tal Kopan reports. Many of them recall male senators who continued serving despite “similar challenges,” like STROM THURMOND and ROBERT BYRD. And they’re wary of the role sexism has played in the debate about Feinstein, “taking the calls for her to resign as an almost personal offense.” (Critics say it’s not sexist to want someone who can’t do the job to step down.)

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

2024 WATCH

TALKER — “Why Not Whitmer?” by The Atlantic’s Mark Leibovich: “The Michigan governor isn’t running for president. But she is happy to be interrogated over whether she might change her mind.”

THE REELECT — Biden plans to make abortion rights a centerpiece of his reelection campaign, continuing Democrats’ 2022 playbook, campaign manager JULIE CHÁVEZ RODRÍGUEZ tells Holly Otterbein and Myah Ward. Despite Biden’s complex personal history on the issue, he’s now “poised to run the most overtly abortion rights platform of any general election candidate in political history.”

CLIP AND SAVE — “DeSantis won’t say if he’ll support Trump in 2024,” by Gary Fineout: “DeSantis sidestepped that part of the question and instead said Trump was ‘full of it’ for criticizing how DeSantis responded to the Covid-19 pandemic.”

Staffing up … DeSantis world is maneuvering into full campaign mode as two of his top aides from Tallahassee leave the governor’s office for roles supporting his 2024 bid, Gary reports in Florida Playbook. Comms director TARYN FENSKE will join the Never Back Down super PAC. And STEPHANIE KOPELOUSOS, director of legislative and intergovernmental affairs, will join the campaign.

Endorsement roundup … DeSantis has landed the backing of 15 South Carolina state legislators, AP’s Meg Kinnard scooped from Columbia. With a heavy footprint in the Upstate, the batch of endorsements aims to strengthen DeSantis’ standing in the state ahead of a town hall there today.

JUDICIARY SQUARE

SCOTUS WATCH — “Supreme Court rules against Navajo Nation in water rights dispute,” by NBC’s Lawrence Hurley: “The justices, divided 5-4, said a lawsuit the tribe filed against the federal government must be thrown out. Writing for the majority, Justice BRETT KAVANAUGH said that [an] 1868 treaty with the Navajo Nation did not require the U.S. government to take active steps to secure water access.”

— “Supreme Court Denies Federal Inmate’s Chance to Challenge Conviction,” by Bloomberg Law’s Lydia Wheeler: “In a 6-3 decision, the justices ruled Thursday against a Missouri man fighting his conviction in a habeas claim after a 2019 Supreme Court ruling changed the standard of proof used to convict him of unlawfully possessing a firearm as a felon.”

WAR IN UKRAINE

SIREN FOR KYIV — So far, the much-vaunted Ukrainian counteroffensive is “not meeting expectations on any front,” Western and U.S. officials tell CNN’s Jim Sciutto. As both sides suffer heavy losses, Ukraine has enjoyed less success, and Russia proven more difficult to break down, than expected. Moscow has managed to use air power, missiles and mines well, though Ukraine is trying to adapt to their resistance. But, but, but: It’s still pretty early. Some officials say they’ll wait until next month to really assess how the counteroffensive is going, and they sound more optimistic in the longer term.

Latest on the ground … Ukraine has hit a key bridge helping supply Russian forces from Crimea, indicating a different tactic to weaken Moscow’s forces when frontal assaults have yielded less success, WSJ’s Thomas Grove and Matthew Luxmoore report.

The arms race … The number of howitzer artillery shells produced by the U.S. to support the war effort is skyrocketing, WSJ’s Alistair MacDonald and Andrew Tangel scooped from Le Bourget, France. The monthly total has jumped from 14,000 to 24,000, and the U.S. intends to reach the 70,000-80,000 range by the 2025 fiscal year, an Army assistant secretary says.

BIG INVESTIGATION — “Kyrgyz, Kazakh Companies Send Western Tech To Firms Linked To Kremlin War Machine,” by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Carl Schreck, Kubat Kasymbekov, Manas Qaiyrtaiuly, Riin Aljas, Kubatbek Aibashov and Kyrylo Ovsyaniy in Bishkek: “The issue has raised the specter of so-called secondary sanctions targeting the two Central Asian countries.”

MORE POLITICS

SINEMATOGRAPHY — The digital tea leaves from Sen. KYRSTEN SINEMA (I-Ariz.) indicate she may be headed for a reelection bid, FWIW’s Kyle Tharp reports. Her campaign has spent $100,000 on Facebook and Instagram ads targeting Arizonans this year, outstripping Rep. RUBEN GALLEGO (D-Ariz.) and almost everyone else in the state in the past month.

IT’S 2022 SOMEWHERE — Remember the ballot signature scandal that upended the Michigan gubernatorial race last year, knocking multiple leading Republicans out of the primary race? Today it’s ending in criminal charges, as state AG DANA NESSEL announces multiple counts against three people accused of gathering fraudulent signatures, the Detroit Free Press’ Paul Egan scooped.

CONGRESS

THE TALENTED MR. SANTOS — A judge made public the names of Rep. GEORGE SANTOS’ (R-N.Y.) bond guarantors today after he fought to keep them under seal. It turns out to have just been his father, GERCINO DOS SANTOS, and aunt, ELMA PREVEN, per Semafor’s Kadia Goba.

TOUCHING THE THIRD RAIL — At least some Republicans in Congress have not yet been dissuaded from proposing entitlement reforms. The Republican Study Committee’s budget proposal suggests changes to Medicare and Social Security, Semafor’s Joseph Zeballos-Roig reports, even as leading GOP presidential candidates keep their distance.

BEYOND THE BELTWAY

THE ABORTION LANDSCAPE — “Abortion in Florida remains in limbo until conservative state high court ruling,” by Gary Fineout in Tallahassee: “There is no set time when the Florida Supreme Court will act, but abortion-rights advocates are anticipating the court will allow recently passed restrictions to remain in place.”

At the same time, abortion rights activists are working hard to get an amendment on the 2024 ballot that would enshrine the right in the state constitution, The Messenger’s Marc Caputo reports. The bipartisan effort is gathering signatures quickly, and polling suggests they have public opinion on their side. The big question is whether they’ll be able to reach the 60% threshold needed for passage.

COME TO YOUR CENSUS — New Census Bureau data from 2022 released today offers an interesting window into how the U.S. population is changing, with significant political and policy implications. Among the notable findings:

• The median age is now 38.9, the highest on record, per NYT’s Dana Goldstein. Low birth rates, with insufficient immigration to compensate, is aging the country, which will alter the economy and policymakers’ decisions as the trend continues.
• In a partial reversal of the Great Migration, Black Americans are increasingly leaving cities in the North and West for the suburbs and the South, WSJ’s Jimmy Vielkind, Jon Kamp, Paul Overberg and Jack Gillum report. College-educated young people are especially driving the trend.
• Texas is officially now plurality Hispanic, The Texas Tribune’s Alexa Ura reports. The state is now 40.2% Hispanic and 39.8% non-Hispanic white.

MEDIAWATCH

THEY COME WITH PRICES — Vice Media has found a buyer: Fortress Investment Group and others will acquire the bankrupt company for $225 million, NYT’s Lauren Hirsch and Benjamin Mullin scooped. The deal still requires a judge’s approval to go through.

POLICY CORNER

SWAMP READ — “DOT Researchers Suggested a Way to Make Big Trucks Safer. After Meeting With Lobbyists, Agency Officials Rejected the Idea,” by Kartikay Mehrotra and A.C. Thompson for ProPublica and Frontline: “The Department of Transportation allowed trucking lobbyists to review an unpublished report recommending a safety device that could save lives by preventing pedestrians and cyclists from getting crushed under large trucks.”

PLAYBOOKERS

SPOTTED getting drinks at Morton’s last night: Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Jeff Miller.

OUT AND ABOUT — Rep. Marc Molinaro (R-N.Y.) hosted a fundraiser at Stellina Pizzeria in Arlington Tuesday night. Guests made their own pizza, like Molinaro used to do when he was younger, led by Stellina chef Matteo Venini. SPOTTED: Annika Olson, Michele Stanley, Kevin Dowling, Jon Taets, Donn Salvosa, Elizabeth Baker, Trip Stanford, Lindsey Ledwin and Chris Berardini.

— SPOTTED last night at British Ambassador Karen Pierce and Charles Roxburgh’s residence celebrating the coronation of King Charles and Queen Camilla and the King’s Official Birthday: second gentleman Doug Emhoff, Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.), Anne Neuberger, Mary Ellen Callahan, Tina Brown, John McCarthy, Mariel Saez, Doug Thornell, Peter Rawlinson, Jessica Nigro, Alex Marquardt, Josh Dawsey, Matt Paul, Sam Sheekey, David Greenberg and Tammy Haddad.

MEDIA MOVE — Brian Tyler Cohen is joining MSNBC as a contributor, TVNewser’s Mark Mwachiro scoops. Cohen currently is a YouTuber and host of the podcast “No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen.”

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