POLITICO Playbook: Trump aide: Ex-prez emboldened by ...

| Brandon Bell/Getty ImagesTRUMP ORG INDICTMENT DAY — “New York grand jury returns criminal indictments against Trump’s company and its CFO, the first from prosecutors probing the former president’s business dealings,” by WaPo’s Shayna Jacobs, Josh Dawsey, David Fahrenthold and Jonathan O’Connell: “A grand jury in Manhattan filed criminal indictments Wednesday against former president DONALD TRUMP’S company and its longtime chief financial officer, according to two people familiar with the indictments. Prosecutors hope Weisselberg will offer testimony against Trump in exchange for lessening his own risk, according to another person familiar with the case.”TRUMP PRE-REACTION: The former president was on a conference call with his advisers Monday discussing his favorite topic — revenge — when he was interrupted with an update on the Manhattan D.A.’s investigation. And he was widely regarded in his second tour as the most powerful defense secretary since ROBERT MCNAMARA during the Vietnam War.”BIDEN’S THURSDAY:— 6:55 a.m.: The president and first lady JILL BIDEN will leave the White House for Miami, arriving at 9:30 a.m.— 10:05 a.m.: The Bidens will get a command briefing at the Surfside building collapse from the incident commander, first responders and local and state leaders, including Florida Gov. RON DESANTIS.— 11 a.m.: The Bidens will thank first responders, search and rescue teams and others.— 12:30 p.m.: The Bidens will meet with families at the St. Regis Hotel in Miami.— 3:50 p.m.: Biden will deliver remarks.— 5:20 p.m.: The Bidens will leave Miami to head back to D.C., arriving at the White House at 7:50 p.m.Principal deputy press secretary KARINE JEAN-PIERRE will gaggle on Air Force One on the way to Miami. MAYA WILEY, who came in second place in the initial vote count, barely trailed Ms. Garcia after the preliminary elimination rounds were completed: Fewer than 350 votes separated the two.“But in reality, all of those candidates remain in contention, and those numbers could be scrambled again as the city’s Board of Elections tabulates ranked-choice outcomes that will include roughly 125,000 Democratic absentee ballots, with a fuller result not expected until mid-July.”2020 AUTOPSY — “We Just Got Our Clearest Picture Yet Of How Biden Won In 2020,” by NPR’s Danielle Kurtzleben: “The Pew Research Center just released its validated voters' report, considered a more accurate measure of the electorate than exit polls, which have the potential for significant inaccuracies. … Suburban voters (especially white suburban voters) swung toward Biden … Men (especially white men) swung toward Biden … Women (especially white women) swung toward Trump … Hispanic voters swung toward Trump … Nonwhite voters leaned heavily toward Biden.” The analysis … Steve Shepard’s storyTHE STATE OF OUR DEMOCRACY — “The Senator Who Decided to Tell the Truth,” by The Atlantic’s Tim Alberta in Vulcan, Mich.: “A Michigan Republican spent eight months searching for evidence of election fraud, but all he found was lies.”HISTORY LESSON — Today marks the 50th anniversary of the nation ratifying the 26th Amendment, as three-quarters of states signed on to dropping the voting age from 21 to 18. The White House issued a proclamation Wednesday in which Biden linked the milestone to today’s fight for voting rights and noted, “My first race for the Senate was one of the first elections in which 18-year-olds could vote, and the energy and passion of Delaware’s young people helped propel me to an unlikely victory.” Gallup also has an interesting breakdown of how public opinion on the question of youth voting shifted during the 20th century.TRUMP CARDS‘NOBODY WANTS TO CANCEL’ — “DeSantis feuds with Trump over Florida rally amid search for survivors in Surfside,” by the Washington Examiner’s Katherine Doyle: “Former President Donald Trump is rejecting pleas from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to postpone a campaign-style rally this weekend some 200 miles from the Miami suburb … DeSantis’s office has ‘made a direct plea’ to the former president’s team, calling on it to postpone the Saturday event in Sarasota.“One Florida Republican bluntly said Trump and his team need to ‘read the room.’ … For now, the Trump camp is holding firm. But as Democrats prepare its roster, both parties are still unsure about which Republicans, if any, will join its ranks — a decision that will dramatically shape the direction of the investigation.AMERICA AND THE WORLDPULLOUT FALLOUT — “U.S. Questioned Whether Afghan Government Could Survive Taliban Onslaught,” by Foreign Policy’s Jack Detsch and Robbie Gramer: “The Biden administration is mapping out a strategy for Afghanistan after the U.S. military completes its withdrawal that is centered around the boosting of economic support for the government, even as many Afghans are ‘increasingly skeptical’ of the government’s competence, according to an internal State Department document submitted to Congress and newly obtained by Foreign Policy.”MEDIAWATCHTHE FINAL VOTE — “UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Trustees grant tenure to Nikole Hannah-Jones,” NC Policy Watch: “In a public vote, the board approved Hannah-Jones’s tenure application 9-4 after a closed session of nearly three hours. …“[A] Fox News Media spokesperson said … ‘We are fully prepared to vigorously defend against these baseless allegations as Mr. Henry further embarrasses himself in a lawsuit rife with inaccuracies after driving his personal life into the ground with countless extramarital affairs in a desperate attempt for relevance and redemption.’” Of the claims against the Fox News president, the Fox statement added that it “conducted a full and independent investigation of the claims against JAY WALLACE — he was cleared of any wrongdoing and the allegations are false.”JOIN TODAY FOR A PLAYBOOK INTERVIEW WITH ANITA DUNN: Anita Dunn, a senior White House adviser to President Biden and one of the most influential women in Washington, will join Playbook co-author Ryan Lizza to discuss the administration’s legislative priorities, including getting the massive infrastructure plan through Congress, the latest on efforts to get 70% of U.S. adults vaccinated against Covid, and preparations for the White House’s first big public event on Independence Day. Don’t miss this Playbook Live event, REGISTER HERE.JUST POSTED: Kara Swisher interviews White House COS Ron Klain for the latest episode of her “Sway” podcast for NYT.IN MEMORIAM — “Al Eisele, founding editor of The Hill, dies at 85,” by The Hill’s Alexander Bolton: “Al, as he was known by his colleagues, was one of the most popular editors in the history of The Hill … For years, he penned The Hill’s ‘Under the Dome’ gossip column, for which he collected funny and in-the-know anecdotes from walking the halls of Congress and sidling up to the bars and tables of D.C.’s clubbiest steakhouses.”PLAYBOOK METRO SECTION — The Museum of the Bible is opening a new exhibit Friday that will for the first time feature the two original Magna Cartas on display together, the 1217 Hereford Magna Carta and the 1300 Sandwich Magna Carta.