By Ryan Lizza, Eugene Daniels and Rachael Bade

With help from Eli Okun and Garrett Ross

OVERNIGHT — “The United Auto Workers union for the first time ever went on strike at all three Detroit car companies, with about 12,700 workers hitting the picket lines shortly after midnight Friday in targeted work stoppages at plants in Michigan, Ohio and Missouri,” report WSJ’s Nora Eckert and Mike Colias.

“Talks stalled in the final hours of negotiations, even as the automakers offered record raises as high as 20%,” notes Michael Martinez of Automotive News.

“This is our generation's defining moment,” UAW President SHAWN FAIN said last night, per the Detroit News. “The money is there. The cause is righteous. The world is watching, and the UAW is ready to stand up. This is our defining moment.” Live updates from picket sites via the Detroit Free Press

PACK YOUR BAGS — The third GOP presidential debate will take place in Miami in November, CNN’s Kristen Holmes scoops.

COMING TO AMERICA — Ukrainian President VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY plans to visit D.C. next week after his appearance at the U.N. General Assembly. “It comes as the Biden administration works to shore up support for Ukraine amid a grinding Ukrainian counteroffensive that has so far yielded disappointing results,” NYT’s Michael Crowley and Karoun Demirjian write.

President Joe Biden talks with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) as he departs the Capitol on March 17. | J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo

LEADING IS HARD — This was not a great week for the three most important leaders in Washington:

1. JOE BIDEN: The House started an impeachment inquiry into the president and his son, HUNTER, was indicted on gun charges. The conventional wisdom is that impeachment will backfire against the GOP. Maybe. But the long-term goal of the exercise isn’t to remove Biden as president — that’s not going to happen. The goal is to give his likely 2024 Republican rival some quasi-official high-profile allegations of misconduct that allies can equate with the 91 criminal charges DONALD TRUMP is facing. This strategy was captured nicely in one of the most revealing anonymous quotes of the week. A senior Republican lawmaker told POLITICO:

“Then the debate will be, ‘Which is more damning?’ You know, President Trump has unclassified documents and RICO charges in Georgia. Or your president, your sitting president, can bribe Ukraine, Romania and China. That will be the debate. That will be the vote.”

2. CHUCK SCHUMER: The Senate majority leader was cruising along looking like one of the few elected officials in control of the institution they run when his plans were derailed. A bipartisan effort to move forward a trio of appropriations bills was scuttled by Sen. RON JOHNSON (R-Wis.). The three-bill minibus required unanimous consent to advance, so Schumer will now have to get crafty with his parliamentary maneuvers to unstick things. (More on this below.)

3. KEVIN McCARTHY: He started the week with a plan to push through a Defense bill and grease the skids for the CR with a little impeachment lubricant. He ended the week with the Defense bill pulled, a higher likelihood of a government shutdown, the real threat of a motion-to-vacate vote, and trading F-bombs with junior members of his conference.

But as is often the case with the House, just when the dysfunction peaks, some creative/desperate plans start to get floated. There are two that gained traction as members left for the weekend:

— Appease the right-wingers: There are talks between members of the House Freedom Caucus and members of the GOP Main Street Caucus to craft a short-term CR that includes the right’s immigration priorities and spending cuts, opening the door for a vote on the Defense bill.

— Jam the right-wingers: Several Republicans, including Reps. HAL ROGERS (R-Ky.) and DAVE JOYCE (R-Ohio), are pushing McCarthy to just put the Defense spending bill up for a vote and dare the mutinous Republicans to oppose it.

“There’s some clamor among folks who say put it on the floor, make folks actually vote against it to show the American people that these people are going to vote against the defense spending, against the veterans, against that funding,” Joyce told Playbook.

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Rep. Dave Joyce is pushing Speaker Kevin McCarthy to just put the Defense spending bill up for a vote and dare the mutinous Republicans to oppose it. | Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

THE PLAYBOOK INTERVIEW: REP. DAVE JOYCE — That’s not all Joyce said. We sat down with the McCarthy lieutenant and Homeland Security appropriator in his Rayburn office, where a giant photo of his dog and McCarthy hangs above his desk, to unpack the week’s events and look ahead at how the speaker, as well as moderates such as Joyce, might maneuver themselves through the September minefield.

— Joyce on his slightly counterintuitive reason for supporting McCarthy’s impeachment gambit: “I’ve always been one to think — as a former prosecutor — that people are entitled to due process and the people who you might like the least are entitled to the most due process. You don’t change due process; it's a static thing. … So I think that it's important to take these allegations that are out there and let these committees do what they’re supposed to do and run out the course and see if there actually is anything there that's worthy of following up on. But right now, some of the rush to impeachment talk that we've heard just doesn't make a whole lot of sense.”

— On one theory about why Rep. MATT GAETZ (R-Fla.) hates McCarthy: “I'm also on [the] Ethics [committee], so I can’t really talk about Gaetz. But the idea that … somehow the speaker’s responsible for his having an Ethics investigation, I could tell you, is completely false. … So I think it's important to remember that people have grudges against him for whatever reason and they use this to take it out on Kevin. And that's not fair.”

— On how the long August recess helped build up support for impeachment among more right-wing members: “Six weeks was a pretty long time to be back in district, where you tend to be sometimes in your own echo chamber. And it depends on how brave you are to step outside that echo chamber and meet folks where they’re at, versus listening to the same red meat arguments and giving those same red meat arguments.”

— On how the political-media industrial complex incentivizes certain behavior on the right: “All of a sudden you see that [outrageous behavior] amounts to somebody like Gaetz getting all these personal contributions in small ways. And it's like, ‘You think that's crazy? Hold my beer!’ And then the next one will get in line and say even crazier things. And I think we need to stay focused on, you know, those people who are getting the job done.”

Listen to the full interview on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

Good Friday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Who do you think had the worst week in Washington? Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza.

IN THE TANK — Michael Schaffer’s latest Capital City column: “Too Hot For Heritage!: Why did a pair of Heritage Foundation scholars need to hastily un-sign a conservative group’s manifesto?”

OUT OF THE TANK — Ian Ward on the many lives of AEI head-turned-happiness expert ARTHUR BROOKS: “He Was Paul Ryan’s Favorite Wonk. Now He’s a Self-Help Guru Writing Books With Oprah.”

TRUMP’S BIG SITDOWN — KRISTEN WELKER asks Trump whether he would pardon himself if he is reelected: “I think it’s very unlikely. What, what did I do wrong? I didn’t do anything wrong. You mean because I challenge an election, they want to put me in jail? I challenge an election, but I challenged a crooked election.” See the preview clip from this Sunday’s “Meet the Press”

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Students get hands-on experience at the cybersecurity clinics. Learn more.

On the Hill

The Senate and House are out.

3 things to watch …

1. Is there hope in the House? After face-planting on their plans to advance the yearly Defense spending bill this week, McCarthy and the House GOP saw a small advance toward progress yesterday, with the moderate Main Street Caucus and hard-right Freedom Caucus collaborating on a possible appropriations deal that would attach immigration legislation to a short CR. Keep an eye today on the reaction in the conservative mediasphere. Much more in Huddle
   
2. Is there hope in the Senate? The other chamber was downright gloating about their progress in passing spending bills — at least, they were until Johnson showed up. The Wisconsin Republican objected to plans to bundle three bills together, leaving Senate leaders with no good options. They have the weekend to decide whether to attempt an end-around or give up their minibus dreams.
   
3. Will there be subpoenas? House GOP investigators got the formal blessing of an “impeachment inquiry” this week from McCarthy. Now we’ll see how they plan to use it. House Oversight Chair JAMES COMER (R-Ky.) signaled yesterday he plans to request bank records from Hunter Biden and JAMES BIDEN — the president’s son and brother, respectively. With the GOP desperately needing firm evidence of foreign cash flowing in Joe Biden’s direction, expect those demands to come soon.

For all the latest, check out Inside Congress Live, POLITICO’s new platform for up-to-the-moment Capitol Hill coverage.

At the White House

Biden will leave the White House in the evening to travel to his home in New Castle, Del. Press secretary KARINE JEAN-PIERRE and national security adviser JAKE SULLIVAN will brief at 1 p.m.

VP KAMALA HARRIS will participate in a moderated conversation as part of the administration’s “Fight for Our Freedoms” college tour at North Carolina A&T University in the afternoon.

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CONGRESS

Speaker Kevin McCarthy talks to reporters about avoiding a government shutdown and launching an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden, Sept. 14, 2023. | J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo

CLEAN-UP ON AISLE CONGRESS — The Capitol is in crisis on all fronts. Our colleagues Burgess Everett and Sarah Ferris break down the mess: “The government is barreling toward a shutdown. House Republicans threaten to impeach the president — though some of them don’t see the evidence. A Republican senator has a one-man blockade on military promotions with no end in sight. …

“And though Democrats control much of the government, Republican divisions are driving the chaos. Each of the Hill’s messes will reach a peak this fall, starting with a Sept. 30 shutdown deadline. Each on its own is a headache; the collection of problems lawmakers have to juggle at once is almost unthinkable.”

Sen. SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO (R-W.Va.) assesses her own party: “We need to eliminate preventable errors, and we’re not doing that.”

More top reads:

• Sens. JEANNE SHAHEEN (D-N.H.), ELIZABETH WARREN (D-Mass.) and TAMMY DUCKWORTH (D-Ill.) are “asking Defense Secretary LLOYD AUSTIN for answers about whether ELON MUSK or other commercial satellite providers disabled or restricted the Ukrainian military’s access to communication networks and whether the Defense Department has the authority to intervene,” NBC’s Courtney Kube reports.

• A House GOP panel yesterday advanced legislation to overturn Biden’s new student loan repayment program that lowers monthly payments and caps interest, Michael Stratford writes.

• A bill that would expand banking services for legal marijuana businesses is expected to receive a markup by the Senate Banking Committee at the end of September, which would move cannabis reform “one step closer to reality at the federal level,” NBC’s Julie Tsirkin and Liz Brown-Kaiser write.

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THE WHITE HOUSE

Yesterday, Hunter Biden was indicted on charges of providing false statements to authorities and illegal possession of a gun. | Patrick Semansky/AP Photo

HUNTER BECOMES THE HUNTED — Yesterday, Hunter Biden was indicted on charges of providing false statements to authorities and illegal possession of a gun, creating a “double-barreled onslaught of political and personal attacks” for the the White House given the House GOP’s unfolding effort to impeach the president, WaPo’s Tyler Pager writes.

“Neither the inquiry nor the indictment was unexpected, but the back-to-back developments underscored the challenges Biden faces as he runs for a second term. He faces no serious competition for the Democratic nomination, but some Democrats are growing increasingly concerned about his vulnerabilities, including his age, as polls show a tight race between him and Trump, the front-runner for the Republican nomination.” Read the indictment

Related read: “Gun rights advocates say Hunter Biden should get ‘the same treatment’ as everyone else,” by Andrew Zhang

More top reads:

• Biden trumpeted his anti-MAGA message again yesterday, the latest sign that the president is “emphasizing the contrast” with his Republican Party opponents as he makes a case for reelection, NYT’s Peter Baker writes.

• Harris is leading a “renewed effort to energize younger voters,” as she tries to direct attention toward issues such as abortion rights, student loans, gun safety and climate change, NBC’s Gabe Gutierrez, Molly Roecker and Nnamdi Egwuonwu report.

• The Biden campaign is upping its swag game for top donors, “promising invitations to events with the president and Vice President Kamala Harris, participation in Zoom meetings with campaign staff, or other perks depending on how much money people bring in,” NBC’s Peter Nicholas and Natasha Korecki report.

2024 WATCH

Republican presidential candidates are already thinking ahead to whether they can make the third debate. | Win McNamee/Getty Images

UP FOR DEBATE — Qualification for the second GOP debate — which is two weeks away — hasn’t yet closed, and the candidates are already thinking ahead to whether they can make the third installment, even though criteria for making the stage hasn’t been announced, Steven Shepard and Zach Montellaro write.

On the chopping block: “The candidates whose participation in future debates is most in doubt are scrambling to influence the qualifications ahead of any announcement. The campaign manager for Sen. TIM SCOTT (R-S.C.) sent a letter to the Republican National Committee this week asking for an overhaul of the criteria — without which the South Carolina senator could find himself booted from the stage for the third debate. The same fate could also befall former New Jersey Gov. CHRIS CHRISTIE.”

More top reads:

• With Covid precautions once again a hot topic, more than half of voters (57%) say they’re likely to seek out the newest shot, a fresh signal that a “sizable share of the population remains open to the vaccines,” according to new polling conducted by POLITICO and Morning Consult. But the gap between Democrats (79%) and Republicans (39%) who will seek out the booster remains wide. Read more from Adam Cancryn

• The AP is out with some interesting new polling: “Three-quarters of Americans, or 76%, favor allowing the federal health care program for the elderly to negotiate prices for certain prescription drugs. … But the same poll shows Biden’s approval rating, at 40%, is about where it’s been for the last year.” More from Seung Min Kim and Linley Sanders

• Florida Gov. RON DeSANTIS this week issued new Covid guidance in his state — that is: don’t get the booster shot unless you’re 65 or older — that “directly contradicted federal officials’ guidance as his presidential campaign tries to use the resurgence of the virus to appeal to Republican voters,” NYT’s Anjali Huynh writes.

• “Christie’s Big Bet: ‘If I Don’t Do Well in New Hampshire, Then I’ll Leave,’” by NYT’s Nick Corasaniti

MORE POLITICS

BACK IN THE GAME — DAVID McCORMICK is planning to run again for a Senate seat in Pennsylvania, AP’s Marc Levy reports, this time taking on incumbent Democratic Sen. BOB CASEY after narrowly losing a bruising GOP primary to MEHMET OZ in 2022. “With his deep pockets as a former hedge fund CEO, Republicans believe he will mount a strong challenge,” Levy writes. Expect a formal announcement from McCormick some time next week.

ON WISCONSIN — Republicans in Wisconsin yesterday voted to oust the state’s elections chief just months before the battleground state’s presidential primary, Madison Fernandez writes. Notably, “the legislature’s own lawyers have said the state Senate didn’t have the authority to hold the vote. But the senators went forward with it anyway.”

JUDICIARY SQUARE

THE TRUMP TRIALS  — “New York attorney general trial against Trump is in limbo,” by CNN’s Kara Scannell: “A New York state appellate court judge has put the civil fraud trial involving the New York attorney general’s office and former President Donald Trump on temporary hold, raising questions about whether the trial will begin next month as planned, according to three people familiar with the court ruling.”

MEDIAWATCH

MOUSE CAUSES PANIC — “ABC News staffers ‘freaking’ out over reports Disney is in talks to sell the outlet,” by CNN’s Oliver Darcy

POLICY CORNER

HOT JOB — “NASA names its new UFO boss — after initially saying it wouldn’t,” by Matt Berg and Olivia Alafriz

AMERICA AND THE WORLD

PENNY FOR YOUR FOUGHTS — “Biden Taps Penny Pritzker to Drive Ukraine’s Economic Revival,” by NYT’s Michael Crowley

HMM — “China’s Defense Minister Being Removed From Post, U.S. Officials Say,” WSJ: “The 65-year-old LI [SHANGFU]’s unexplained absence mirrors the recent disappearances of other senior officials.”

BEYOND THE BELTWAY