With Congress out on recess and President Joe Biden still abroad, most of today’s marquee political events are happening outside of the beltway …

— IN Iowa, Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) begins his “Faith In America” listening tour, dipping his toe in the proverbial water ahead of a possible 2024 campaign. And this morning, Playbook has exclusive excerpts from Scott’s speech. 

“Conservatism is my personal proof there is no ceiling in life. I can go as high as my character, my education, and my perseverance will take me. I bear witness to that,” Scott will say. “So, for those of you on the left, you can call me a prop, you can call me a token, you can call me the N-word, you can question my blackness, you can even call me ‘Uncle Tim.’ Just understand: Your words are no match for my evidence. … The truth of my life disproves your lies.”

— IN Ohio, as former President Donald Trump visits the site of the toxic train derailment in East Palestine, Tanya Snyder, Alex Guillén and Adam Wren note that he’s handing Biden a political gift: a welcome contrast with his own record on rail safety regulations. 

— IN Georgia, a grand jury probing possible interference in the 2020 presidential election has recommended indictments for more than a dozen people, according to foreperson Emily Kohrs, who did an interview with NBC. That list, she said, “might” include Trump himself. “There are certainly names that you will recognize, yes. There are names also you might not recognize,” she said.

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Raghu Manavalan is the host and senior editor of POLITICO's Playbook Daily Briefing.
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