With help from Eli Okun and Garrett Ross

HORROR IN MAUI — AP latest: “Hawaii emergency management records show no indication that warning sirens were triggered before a devastating wildfire killed at least 55 people and wiped out a historic town, officials confirmed Thursday.” … Live updates from Honolulu Star-Advertiser

THE NEW 2024 MAP? — “Biden world sees the making of a wider path to victory in 2024,” by Holly Otterbein and Jonathan Lemire: “JOE BIDEN’s team thinks his path to victory in 2024 could look an awful lot like it did in 2020. But people close to the president believe that voters’ enthusiasm about abortion rights could also unlock new roads to another term.”

TALK OF THIS TOWN — Michael Schaffer’s latest Capital City column: “Please, Please Stop With the Progressive Hero Worship of Jack Smith and Tanya Chutkan”

POSTCARD FROM IOWA — This weekend, almost every Republican running for president is headed to the Iowa State Fair, where they can indulge in a pork chop on a stick and fried twinkies, marvel at statues of farm animals made out of butter and — if the past is any predictor — get caught in embarrassing photos eating unwieldy treats.

There are two big events hosted by two Iowa political institutions: a literal soapbox sponsored by the Des Moines Register and a conversation series hosted by the state’s Republican Governor, KIM REYNOLDS.

Rachael landed in Iowa yesterday, and spent the day scoping out RON DeSANTIS, MIKE PENCE and DOUG BURGUM. She’ll be filing from there all weekend, and she sent us this dispatch last night:

Yesterday, businessman-turned-North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum climbed atop the soapbox to boast that he grew up in a town of 300, married into a family of John Deere salesmen and is otherwise very similar to the typical Iowan (aside, of course, from having a personal fortune that reportedly hovers around $1 billion).

Burgum argued that, despite his relatively anemic standing in the polls, voters shouldn’t write him off. And indeed, we talked to one Iowa Republican who — in true Hawkeye fashion — knew exactly how much Burgum had cut from his state’s budget and was committed to backing him because of that fiscal restraint.

Then, there was Pence, who drew a sizable crowd as he pitched voters on restoring civility — and was at one point interrupted when a man in the crowd shouted a question: “Why did you commit treason on Jan. 6?” (We later found out that the instigator was a Democrat stirring up trouble.) In the moment, Pence skillfully navigated the sudden wave of excitement, and gave a heartfelt argument about why he chose the Constitution over DONALD TRUMP.

At another point, a man in the back asked: “How is life treating you since TUCKER CARLSON ruined your career?” (Semafor’s Shelby Talcott reported that this was actually a KARI LAKE staffer.) Pence was a good sport, gracefully answering the attack with a detailed explanation about why it’s in America’s interests to defend Ukraine. Later, as Pence headed off for a radio hit, he was heckled by another Republican who called him a “traitor” and argued that he, a deeply devout man, was not a Christian.

Pence, who has made evangelical-populated Iowa a major focus for his campaign, received polite applause during his pitch. But not a single voter in the crowd told us that they were committed to voting for him. (In fact, one Trump-backing couple sitting near me left about five minutes in, saying he was “boring.”)

UP TODAY: Pence and Burgum and FRANCIS SUAREZ join Reynolds for fireside chats. NIKKI HALEY comes to the fair, too. On the soapbox: Suarez, PERRY JOHNSON and LARRY ELDER.

AND TOMORROW: The main event — Trump and DeSantis come to town.

THE PLAYBOOK INTERVIEW: JEFF KAUFMANN — On the Playbook Deep Dive podcast this week, we have what amounts to a master class on the Iowa caucuses presented by the chairman of the state Republican Party. Kaufmann is a seventh-generation Iowa farmer, a former member of the state House, a community college professor and has led the party for nine years.

You can listen to the full conversation here. What follows are some key excerpts:

— Kaufmann on the substance-over-style nature of the Iowa caucuses: “I don’t think people realize that the extent to which the average Iowan — or in this case the average Republican — is actually coming to the events, and they want to ask questions. … It can sway them back and forth. And don’t forget: In 2016, TED CRUZ won — not necessarily because his personality was more sparkling and more charismatic.”

— On Iowa’s self-proclaimed “kingmakers”: “The typical people that call themselves kingmakers in Iowa are the ones that look at the polls, join up at the last minute and endorse somebody — and then take credit for everything that candidate did. … You’ll never get a name out of me.”

— On how Trump has transformed the GOP: “The one thing you have to give Donald Trump: … He has made the Republican Party blue-collar again. … And for a lot of people like me that are now looking long term at the health of the Republican Party and of Iowa, that is a great trend.”

— On Iowan pragmatism: “Iowa caucus-goers do not demand purity. They just demand truthfulness in your position. And they’ll look at the big picture, and if you agree with them 80% of the time, you’ve got a crack at that vote.”

— On the Iowa GOP: “Here in Iowa — with the exception of a few on the extreme, extreme right — we actually live by Reagan’s adage, if I can paraphrase: that if we agree 80% of the time, it makes us friends, it does not make us 20% enemies.”

— On what he would tell anyone who questions the caucus results, as Trump did in 2016: “We are going to have so many checks. We are going to have checks upon checks upon checks. It is going to be impossible with any degree of truthfulness to question.”

— On the play-acting involved in politics: “I’ve got to say a lot of things as chair, and I’ll be honest with you: Sometimes, I’ve gotta fake passion. Sometimes, I’ve gotta fake anger. Sometimes, I’ve gotta fake joy. You know, it’s kind of like an ongoing dinner with your in-laws.”

— On what Iowa would lose if the caucuses go away: “I know in my heart of hearts … if we ever lose this thing, we’re never going to get it back. I don’t think Iowans fully appreciate what we’ve got until we don’t have it. … And especially now that we’re as red as we are, we may not even get a visit from a presidential campaign if we continue to trend red.”

— His battle-tested advice for the Iowa State Fair: “Pick two or three fried foods, and eat them with four or five hours [in between], so you don’t have a stomachache.”

Happy Friday. Thanks for reading Playbook. What are your Iowa State Fair tips? Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza.

MEANWHILE — “How Are Iowa Democrats? ‘I Can’t Even Describe to You How Bad It Is,’” by NYT’s Anjali Huynh and Reid Epstein

THE FRIDAY READ — “Asa Hutchinson Was a GOP Star. Then Came Donald Trump,” by Ben Birnbaum: “In a previous era, the former Arkansas governor would have ticked all the boxes of a marquee GOP presidential candidate.”

BATTLE OF THE FLORIDA MEN — Trump is taking measures to temper DeSantis’ early campaign operations through his Never Back Down super PAC, AP’s Michelle Price reports. A lawyer for Trump sent a “letter to all state Republican parties on Thursday arguing that they cannot work with a super PAC as if it is representing a candidate.” And though said letter doesn’t mention DeSantis or Never Back Down by name, it is clear that the missive is intended to tear down the super PAC, which has been organizing for DeSantis on the ground in early states for months now.

Speaking of (possible) Florida men: Does Sen. TOMMY TUBERVILLE (R-Ala.) actually reside in Florida? WaPo’s Glenn Kessler goes deep: “Tuberville’s office says his primary residence is an Auburn house that records show is owned by his wife and son. But campaign finance reports and his signature on property documents indicate that his home is actually a $3 million, 4,000-square-foot beach house he has lived in for nearly two decades in Santa Rosa Beach, Fla., located in the Florida Panhandle about 90 miles south of Dothan.”

PHOTO OF THE DAY

2024 WATCH

OK THEN — “Ron DeSantis says he’s open to drone strikes on Mexican drug cartels,” by NBC’s Alex Tabet: “‘We will absolutely reserve the right if they’re invading our country and killing our people,’ DeSantis said when a voter asked whether he would be willing to use drones against the cartels. … DeSantis has been leaning hard into immigration as a theme in his presidential campaign, pushing to the right to distinguish himself from former President Donald Trump.”

ON THE GROUND IN IOWA — “IDP Chair Rita Hart says ‘I’m not going to commit today’ to Jan. 15 caucus date picked by GOP,” by The Des Moines Register’s Stephen Gruber-Miller: “Democrats and Republicans have traditionally held their caucuses on the same day, but the process this time is complicated by the Democratic National Committee’s decision to strip Iowa Democrats of their place as the first presidential nominating contest. The Republican National Committee has been firm that Iowa Republicans will hold the first contest in 2024.”

COMING ATTRACTIONS — “Moms for Liberty to host presidential town hall in Milwaukee ahead of debate,” by Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel’s Rory Linnane

MORE POLITICS

THE FIXER IS IN? — “Ex-Trump attorney Michael Cohen considers run for Congress,” by Semafor’s Kadia Goba: MICHAEL COHEN “said he would run as a Democrat, potentially mounting a primary challenge against U.S Rep. JERRY NADLER, D-N.Y., the party’s top member on the House Judiciary Committee. ‘I am interested and there’s a multitude of folks encouraging me to run,’ Cohen told Semafor in a brief phone interview.”

TALE OF THE TAPE — “Recordings show Va. swing district candidate favors ‘total ban’ on abortion,” by WaPo’s Laura Vozzella in Richmond: “Made surreptitiously by two abortion rights supporters posing as abortion foes, the recordings seem intended to pin [JOHN] STIRRUP down on an issue that Republicans in some swing districts would like to sidestep but Democrats hope to make a rallying cry in Nov. 7 General Assembly elections.”

CONGRESS

MAKING THE ASK — “Biden seeking $40B in emergency funds for Ukraine, disaster relief,” by Paul McLeary, Caitlin Emma, Connor O’Brien and Lara Seligman: “The [request] includes more than $24 billion in aid to Ukraine, $12 billion to replenish a dwindling pot of federal disaster relief and $4 billion to address issues at the southern border, like shelter and services for migrants and counter-fentanyl efforts. Biden’s emergency aid pitch will almost certainly cause additional angst on Capitol Hill, where lawmakers face a tight timeline to avert a government shutdown by Sept. 30.”

ALL IN THE FAMILY — House Oversight Chair JAMES COMER (R-Ky.) said yesterday he plans to subpoena members of the Biden family, including possibly the president, reports reports NBC’s Scott Wong. Comer said that after months of investigations, his committee has assembled a case that “would stand up in any court of law in America.”

“Comer released a third memo Wednesday detailing bank records that show HUNTER BIDEN and his associates received millions of dollars from foreign entities while his father was vice president — a fact that has been known for years,” Wong writes. “The White House and congressional Democrats point out that none of the records or the new memo demonstrate that Joe Biden was involved in his son’s business transactions.”

TRUMP CARDS

JUST POSTED — “Legal Weasel,” by Jeffrey Toobin for Air Mail: “Nerdy Harvard lawyer KEN CHESEBRO, a.k.a. Co-Conspirator 5, was a liberal until he got rich on Bitcoin and veered right, so much so that he advised Trump to use false electors to derail the 2020 election.”

SAVE THE DATE — Prosecutors asked a federal judge overseeing the Jan. 6-related case that Trump faces for a trial date starting on Jan. 2, 2024, Kyle Cheney writes. That request sets the start date for the trial less than five months away — an aggressive timeline that “would put the weighty criminal trial first on Trump’s crowded calendar of criminal proceedings and guarantee an extensive airing of the grave allegations against him just before Republican primary voters head to the polls.”

HAPPENING TODAY — “Judge Chutkan to hear arguments in protective order fight in Trump’s 2020 election conspiracy case,” AP

UGLY STORY — “Trump adviser was accused of groping 2 women in 2021 at Scottsdale club,” by The Arizona Republic’s Ryan Randazzo: “A woman says BORIS EPSHTEYN, a special adviser to Donald Trump, repeatedly groped her and her sister inside a Scottsdale nightclub in 2021, according to police body camera footage obtained by The Arizona Republic. … Epshteyn pleaded guilty in Scottsdale City Court to disorderly conduct and served probation. The conviction was set aside by the court in January 2023. Reached by The Republic on Wednesday, Epshteyn declined to comment on the incident.”

JUDICIARY SQUARE

SCOTUS WATCH — “Supreme Court blocks $6 billion opioid settlement that would have given the Sackler family immunity,” by CNN’s Devan Cole and Ariane de Vogue: “In agreeing to pause the settlement, the court also said it would take up the case and hear arguments this December.”

AMERICA AND THE WORLD

HOW IT’S PLAYING — “Republicans slam Biden’s deal to free Americans in Iran as ‘appeasement,’” by Eric Bazail-Eimil and Nahal Toosi: “Republicans on key foreign policy panels are criticizing an unfolding plan that would release Americans imprisoned in Iran because it involves giving the Islamist regime access to billions of dollars — with one calling it a ‘ransom.’”

POINT OF IMPACT — “Ecuador, Reeling From a Candidate’s Assassination, Is Forever Changed,” by NYT’s Julie Turkewitz and José María León Cabrera: “The killing of FERNANDO VILLAVICENCIO marks a grim turning point for a once-tranquil country now awash in violence fueled by drug gangs.”

BEYOND THE BELTWAY

BLACK ROBE MAKES DEMS BLUE IN PURPLE STATE — “Arizona Democrats lose lawsuit looking to block No Labels Party,” by AP’s Jonathan Cooper: “An Arizona judge has rejected the state Democratic Party’s lawsuit targeting the new No Labels Party, which many Democrats fear will boost former President Donald Trump’s bid to return to the White House.”

A HEAVY MILESTONE — “U.S. suicides hit an all-time high last year,” by AP’s Mike Stobbe

FOR YOUR RADAR — “Biden administration warns states as millions lose Medicaid,” by Megan Masserly

TV TONIGHT — PBS’ “Washington Week,” with new moderator Jeffrey Goldberg: Peter Baker, Laura Barrón-López and Adam Harris.

SUNDAY SO FAR …

ABC “This Week”: Chris Christie. Panel: Donna Brazile, Rachael Bade, Ramesh Ponnuru, Susan Glasser.

CBS “Face the Nation”: Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) … David Becker.

FOX “Fox News Sunday”: Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) … Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) … CeCe Winans. Panel: Michael Allen, Richard Fowler, Julia Manchester and Katie Pavlich.

NBC “Meet the Press”: Mike Pence … Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.). Panel: Brendan Buck, Eugene Daniels and Betsy Woodruff Swan.

MSNBC “Inside with Jen Psaki”: Colorado Gov. Jared Polis … Tim Ryan … Brian Deese … David Hogg.

Chuck Schumer went all out for his Buffalo press conference.

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Vanessa Gonzalez is now VP of government and political affairs at Giffords. She previously was EVP of field and member services at the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and is an Obama Education Department alum.

TRANSITIONS — Bryson Gillette has added Adrian Eng-Gastelum and Michael Kurtz as directors and Lennon Torres and Ashley French as managers. Eng-Gastelum previously was a senior media adviser to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, and is a Biden campaign alum. Kurtz is a Bloomberg 2020, DNC and Obama campaign alum. Torres previously was at the National Democratic Redistricting Committee. French previously was a digital strategist for Mothership Strategies. …

… America’s Voice and America’s Voice Education Fund are adding Joe Liu as managing director of America’s Voice Education Fund and Kenny Sandoval as senior adviser to the executive director. Liu previously was director of campaign strategy and management at AARP. Sandoval previously was VP for campaigns and partnerships at Voto Latino.

ENGAGED — Gabriella Bucci, director of media affairs at the RNC, and Zach Imel, director of external data at the RNC, got engaged Aug. 4 in front of the Capitol building, followed by a celebration with friends at The Brig. The couple met in 2021 at Bullfeathers after an RNC softball game. Pic

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.) … NYT’s David Brooks, Charles Blow and Lyndsey Layton … Matt Morgan of Barnes & Thornburg … POLITICO’s Toby Eckert and Michael Roberts … Rob O’Donnell … Chris Berry of iHeartMedia … Liz Landers … Joanna Piacenza of Morning Consult … Precision’s Brian Krebs … Alex Siciliano of the National Association of Broadcasters … CNN’s Rachel Smolkin … Lauren Maddox of Holland & Knight … Mitra Kalita of URL Media … Jesse Barba of Chegg Inc. … Chris Lisi … Kedrin Simms Brachman ... former USTR Charlene Barshefsky … DemList’s Kimberly Scott … Albert Morales … Marissa Secreto … DOE’s Colin Cunliff … former Sen. Tim Hutchinson (R-Ark.) … former Rep. Billy Long (R-Mo.) ... Thad Huguley … Rational 360’s Sam Myers Jr. (5-0) … John Files … David Rubenstein … Greg Michaelidis … Ilana Drimmer … Tara Ayres … Meghan Dubyak … Luka Ignac of the Atlantic Council

Send Playbookers tips to [email protected] or text us at 202-556-3307. Playbook couldn’t happen without our editor Mike DeBonis, deputy editor Zack Stanton and producers Setota Hailemariam and Bethany Irvine.