Thursday was a double-whammy for former President Donald Trump. First,
New York state A.G. Tish James announced that she was suspending her
campaign for governor and would instead run for reelection. That all but
assures the law enforcement officer who has been perhaps the most
aggressive in investigating Trump will continue to focus her attention
on the ex-president. 

Then, a federal appeals court flatly rejected that Trump’s claims of
executive privilege, which he used to block the National Archives from
turning over documents to the Jan. 6 committee. It’s not the final word
on the matter — the Supreme Court could still intervene this month — but
it’s a big win for the select committee. 

If Trump had a bad day Thursday, it might be Joe Biden's turn on Friday.
A pair of critical reports out today could cause a spate of negative
headlines just as the White House is looking to push Build Back Better
(BBB) past the finish line. 

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Raghu Manavalan is the Host of POLITICO's Playbook.
Jenny Ament is the Senior Producer of POLITICO Audio.