| | | | | |  | | By Adam Cancryn | Presented by |  | | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | For months on the campaign trail, JOE BIDEN's case for the presidency boiled down to a central premise: I have the plan that will end the pandemic. He may still. But if we've learned anything from Biden's opening days in office, it's that it's going to take the better part of his first critical year. The White House is already grappling with a series of emerging problems as it tries to get its Covid response off the ground, from dangerous new virus strains to vaccination slowdowns and the enduring mystery of why, exactly, 20 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine remain unaccounted for. Add on top of that the specter of roughly 4,000 deaths a day , and it's been a welcome-to-the-big-leagues moment for a Biden team that's long touted its Covid plan, but now faces the far trickier task of executing on it. "It's the Mike Tyson quote: everybody's got a plan until they get punched in the face," a person with knowledge of the vaccine effort work told Tyler Pager and me. I'm ADAM CANCRYN, a longtime reporter on POLITICO's health care team and the author of our health newsletter, POLITICO Pulse. I was invited to write Playbook today to give you the perspective of someone who's spent most of my waking life the past year covering the Trump administration's handling of Covid, and a sense of how the Biden team is faring so far. The truth is that for all the urgency out of the White House the past 10 days, it could be months before it starts to turn the tide of the pandemic. And in the meantime, one of Biden's main challenges will be simply keeping the faith of a restless American public. The president has repeatedly emphasized the depth of the crisis, and dispatched top health officials across the airwaves to warn that the situation is likely to get far worse before it gets better. The White House now estimates that the death toll will hit 600,000 before the end of the pandemic is in sight. | | A message from Google: Google's free virtual workshops on digital tools are helping small businesses. 47% of SMBs say they're using digital tools to find new customers during COVID-19, according to a study from Google and the Connected Commerce Council. To help, Google offers free virtual workshops on how to use digital tools. Explore. | | | As for getting vaccinated? Check back sometime this summer if you're healthy, under the age of 65 and have the luxury of working from home. That grim portrayal is a sharp departure from the approach of his predecessor — who was trying to wish away the virus within weeks of its arrival. And it's a bet that the only thing the country wants as much as for the pandemic to be over is to get a straightforward appraisal of just how far there is to go. Yet it's also representative of the stark realization that's taken hold within the West Wing. After all its planning and its vows that science and expertise would finally dictate the government's response, Biden's Covid team is still straining to get a handle on the sheer scale of its task. So much will need to go right in the next six months, health officials tell me — from getting a Covid aid bill through Congress to developing more vaccines to executing on a massive logistical distribution effort — for the nation, and Biden's presidency, to turn the corner. | | | | A message from Google:   In free workshops from Google, small business owners can learn how to use free Google tools to schedule and host virtual meetings, and more. Explore. | | | A few recommended reads to get you up to speed on the state of the pandemic: — "Biden administration readies battle plan as Covid variants reach the U.S.," by Sarah Owermohle — "Huge gaps in vaccine data make it next to impossible to know who got the shots," by Kaiser Health News' Rachana Pradhan and Fred Schulte — "U.S. handling of American evacuees from Wuhan increased coronavirus risks, watchdog finds," by WaPo's Dan Diamond TRACKER — The U.S. reported 3,503 Covid-19 deaths and 165,000 new coronavirus cases Friday. BIDEN'S SATURDAY — The president and VP KAMALA HARRIS have nothing on their public schedules. | | | | TRACK FIRST 100 DAYS OF THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION: The Biden administration hit the ground running with a series of executive orders his first week in office and continues to outline priorities on key issues. What's coming down the pike? Find out in Transition Playbook, our scoop-filled newsletter tracking the policies, people and emerging power centers of the first 100 days of the new administration. Subscribe today. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | | 
PHOTO OF THE DAY: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visits National Guard troops deployed at the U.S. Capitol and its perimeter on Capitol Hill on Friday, Jan. 29. | Manuel Balce Ceneta/Pool via AP Photo | THE WHITE HOUSE — "Biden, Democrats prepare to move beyond efforts to woo Republicans," WaPo: A week and a half into the Biden presidency, Democrats are adopting a more muscular approach to dealing with Republicans, essentially declaring they will work with them if they can but are prepared [to] move past them if they must. "Top Senate Democrats are now working on dual tracks, planning to hold a speedy impeachment trial to avoid derailing President Biden's legislative agenda while also laying the groundwork for Biden's covid relief package to pass shortly afterward." — "'Played' by GOP in the Obama era, wary Democrats and Biden go big on their own," L.A. Times: "In the months-long struggle through 2009 to pass the Affordable Care Act, some Senate Democrats were so determined to give President Obama's chief domestic initiative a bipartisan cast that they spent much time courting a few Republicans, especially senior Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa." — ALEX THOMPSON and THEODORIC MEYER in Transition Playbook: "MEENA HARRIS is ambitious. The 36-year-old's new book, 'Ambitious Girl,' about how women are often smeared for their ambition, is the No. 1 New York Times bestseller this week among children's picture books. Her other book, 'Kamala and Maya's Big Idea,' is No. 4. … "But some on the Biden campaign and now the Biden White House think Meena is, well, too ambitious — at least when it comes to leveraging her relationship with her aunt, Vice President KAMALA HARRIS." — "Biden moves to give low-income families more money to buy food," by Helena Bottemiller Evich UP ON CAPITOL HILL — "GOP under pressure to take action against Marjorie Taylor Greene," by Melanie Zanona and Sarah Ferris: "House GOP leaders are facing mounting pressure to take action against freshman Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), with key outside groups calling on party officials to condemn her and House Democrats pushing for Greene's removal from Congress or committees. … "Amid the firestorm, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy will sit down for a conversation with Greene next week, his office said. But whether McCarthy decides to punish Greene will depend on how that meeting goes." MORE ON MTG: "In a Pre-Election Video, Marjorie Taylor Greene Endorsed Political Violence," Mother Jones JACK SHAFER in POLITICO Magazine: "Expelling Marjorie Taylor Greene Is Just Crazy Talk" — "Cori Bush Is Taking on Congress' QAnon Kooks—and the White House," The Daily Beast: "Facing an extended period of intersecting racial, health, and economic crises, congressional progressives have identified Bush as an emerging leader to help shepherd Democrats through a time of grave unrest and urgent legislation. … "Entering politics from a working class background, Bush attributes her early traction to a willingness to be 'vulnerable' in difficult conversations. Asked about what most surprised her early on, she mentioned being shocked by how fully was embraced by members of her caucus." 2022 WATCH — ALEX ISENSTADT (@politicoalex): "George W. Bush spokesman Freddy Ford tells me that 'we aren't thinking about the next election cycle yet. But I do know that President Bush is planning to call VP Cheney tomorrow for two reasons: to wish him a happy 80th birthday, and to thank him for his daughter's service.'" — NYT'S FRANK BRUNI with the lede of the day: "It's a measure of the Republican Party's current depravity that I think of the period when Marco Rubio was besmirching Donald Trump's genitalia as the good old days." The headline of the piece: "Marco Rubio Deserves Ivanka Trump" Candidates are starting to crop up in some key Senate election states … — "Trump Navy secretary considering Pennsylvania Senate run," by Lara Seligman, Holly Otterbein and Connor O'Brien: "Kenneth Braithwaite, a former Navy secretary in the Trump administration, is weighing a Senate run in Pennsylvania in 2022, he said Friday. "'I have been approached by many in D.C. and here in Pennsylvania who have encouraged me to consider pursuing my old boss Senator Arlen Specter's U.S. Senate seat,' Braithwaite told POLITICO. 'As you can appreciate, I am considering many options and opportunities as I transition back to the private sector.' The seat, which retiring GOP Sen. Pat Toomey is leaving open, is practically a must-win for both parties next year." — "Businessman Bernie Moreno Likely to Enter Ohio Senate Contest," WSJ: "Mr. Moreno, 53 years old, became more serious about running after U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, a frequent Fox News guest and high-profile ally of former President Donald Trump, said he would remain in the House. … "It would be the first campaign for Mr. Moreno, a wealthy owner of car dealerships and a technology company … He has been an active donor in recent years but isn't well known in national Republican circles." | | A message from Google: Study: Digital tools and support are essential to small businesses. 1 in 3 small businesses say that without digital tools they would have had to close all or part of their businesses during the COVID-19 crisis, according to a report from Google and the Connected Commerce Council. Small businesses also say free virtual workshops like those offered by Google have helped them overcome challenges in the past year. Learn more. | | | POLICY CORNER — "Wall Street faces Washington crackdown after GameStop rollercoaster," by Zachary Warmbrodt, Kellie Mejdrich and Victoria Guida: "The frenzy surrounding the trading of GameStop stock is triggering Washington's most intense scrutiny of Wall Street in more than a decade, teeing up hearings and investigations that threaten brokers and hedge funds at the center of the turmoil." — "Federal Court Lifts Block on Trump Policy Expelling Migrant Children at the Border," NYT: "A federal appeals court on Friday lifted a block on a Trump-era policy of rapidly turning away migrant children as public health risks, ramping up pressure on the Biden administration to restore the asylum process at the southwestern border. … The three judges on the panel, all of whom were appointed by Mr. Trump, did not detail a reason for the reversal in their two-page order." JAN. 6 FALLOUT TOP-ED — "Senators can try Trump. But should they?" by WaPo's Matt Bai — "Brian Sicknick, police officer killed in insurrection, to lie in honor at Capitol," by Matthew Choi: "Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, who died after the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection, will lie in honor in the Rotunda, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced Friday. Sicknick's body will arrive at the Capitol on Tuesday with a viewing ceremony for members of the Capitol Police. Members of Congress will have a viewing period Wednesday morning, followed by a congressional tribute." — "Proud Boys Charged With Conspiracy in Capitol Riot," NYT: "Federal prosecutors investigating the violent riot at the Capitol this month announced their first conspiracy charges against the Proud Boys on Friday night, accusing two members of the far-right nationalist group of working together to obstruct and interfere with law enforcement officers protecting Congress during the final certification of the presidential election." CLICKER — "Tracking the Oath Keepers Who Attacked the Capitol," NYT ON THE WORLD STAGE WAR REPORT — "U.S. Airstrike Kills Top ISIS Leader in Iraq," NYT: "The ISIS commander, Jabbar Salman Ali Farhan al-Issawi, 43, known as Abu Yasser, was killed Wednesday near the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk, American-led military coalition and Iraqi officials said Friday. … "The question of what kind of force is required to keep the group in check has been at the heart of American and Iraqi negotiations over reducing the number of U.S. troops in Iraq, and the American role in the raid this week illustrates Iraq's continued reliance on the U.S. military." TOP-ED — WAPO'S JOSH ROGIN: "Alexei Navalny wants Biden to sanction Putin's cronies": "On Friday, Navalny's associates delivered to the U.S. government a list of specific cronies whom Navalny personally identified as ripe targets for sanctions. "In a letter to President Biden, the Russian Anti-Corruption Foundation, which Navalny founded, called on the administration to expand the already extensive U.S. sanctions on Russian officials to include a range of Russian oligarchs and officials who it says enable and assist Putin's abuse of power and his network of corrupt enterprises. Many of those enterprises reportedly target dissidents or interfere in Western societies. Among 35 names, Navalny personally selected eight as prime targets, the foundation's executive director, Vladimir Ashurkov, told me in an interview." CLICKER — "The nation's cartoonists on the week in politics," edited by Matt Wuerker — 15 funnies GREAT WEEKEND READS, curated by Ryan Lizza: — "QAnon and the Bright Rise of Belief," by Kerry Howley in New York mag — "The Pandemic Has Erased Entire Categories of Friendship," by Amanda Mull in The Atlantic: "There's a reason you miss the people you didn't even know that well." — "Who's Making All Those Scam Calls?" by Yudhijit Bhattacharjee in the NYT Magazine: "Every year, tens of millions of Americans collectively lose billions of dollars to scam callers. Where does the other end of the line lead?" — "The True Story of Jess Krug, the White Professor Who Posed as Black for Years—Until It All Blew Up Last Fall," by Marisa Kashino in Washingtonian — "The Mount Pleasant Miracle," by Jefferson Morley in the WaPo Magazine: "How one D.C. neighborhood quietly became a national model for resisting gentrification." — "The Climate Crisis Is Worse Than You Can Imagine. Here's What Happens If You Try," by Elizabeth Weil in ProPublica — "Highway to Hell: A Trip Down Afghanistan's Deadliest Road," by Jason Motlagh in Rolling Stone: "The $300 million Kabul-Kandahar road was meant to be a symbol of the new Afghanistan. Today it reveals everything that has gone wrong in America's longest war." — "A reporter shares her minute-by-minute recollection of being trapped in the Senate on Jan. 6," Poynter: "CBS News' Grace Segers was in the Senate press gallery when rioters overran the building and was shuffled around with senators as the chaos unfolded." — "The Real Scandal Is the Pardon Trump Didn't Give," by Sam Stein in POLITICO Magazine: "Rufus Rochell checked all the right boxes for clemency: an exemplary record in prison, advocacy out of it, and a friendship with a famous Trump booster. So why didn't he get it?" — "Suck It, Wall Street: In a blowout comedy for the ages, finance pirates take it up the clacker," by Matt Taibbi MEDIAWATCH — CNN: "Cable news' longest-serving executive is retiring after 40 years at CNN": "The longest-serving executive in the history of cable news is retiring, and CNN will never be the same. Around the network he is known simply as Rick. … "'Rick' is Rick Davis, the executive vice president of news standards and practices, charged with keeping CNN's editorial standards high across all of its platforms. He has held the role since 1998, and his career with CNN dates back to 1980, and the day the cable news network was founded." — USA Today announced its Congress team: Bart Jansen, Nicholas Wu, Ledyard King, Phillip Bailey, Christal Hayes and Savannah Behrmann. Annah Aschbrenner, who was the 2020 campaign editor, will be editing Congress, the White House and national politics. | | | | KEEP UP WITH CONGRESS IN 2021: Get the inside scoop on the Schumer/McConnell dynamic, the debate over the filibuster and increasing tensions in the House. From Schumer to McConnell, Pelosi to McCarthy and everyone in between, new Huddle author Olivia Beavers brings the latest from Capitol Hill with assists from POLITICO's deeply sourced Congress team. Subscribe to Huddle, the indispensable guide to Congress. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | SPOTTED: Bernie Sanders contemplating frozen vegetables at an unidentified grocery store (in his beige Inauguration Day jacket, natch). (h/t @TheeAlexLawson) "Jen Psaki Now Has a Twitter Hashtag: #PsakiBomb," Washingtonian: "White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki is trending on Twitter after refusing to address recent controversies involving Marjorie Taylor Greene and GameStop during her briefing on Friday. … Progressive politics site MeidasTouch today dubbed Psaki's ability to subtly smack down questions she finds frivolous a 'Psaki Bomb,' and the term quickly took off, with #PsakiBomb soon trending on Twitter." This reminds us of the "Yas Kweening!" that Kayleigh McEnany received from the right when she belittled reporters in the briefing room for sport, and we hope Psaki doesn't take that route. STAFFING UP — Liz Leibowitz will be senior adviser for appropriations in USAID's Bureau of Legislative and Public Affairs. She previously was senior foreign policy adviser to Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.). THE SHOWS (Full Sunday show listings here): | CNN | "State of the Union": NEC Director Brian Deese … Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) … Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) … Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey. | FOX | "Fox News Sunday": Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) … Jared Bernstein … Tom Inglesby. Panel: Guy Benson, Susan Page and Harold Ford Jr. Power Player: Emily Harrington. | NBC | "Meet the Press": Michael Osterholm … NEC Director Brian Deese … Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.). Panel: Al Cardenas, Eddie Glaude, Jr., Ashley Parker and Amy Walter. | ABC | "This Week": Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) … Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson. Panel: Cecilia Vega, Mary Bruce, Rachel Scott and MaryAlice Parks. | Sinclair | "America This Week": Brett Favre … Sarah Norman … Ken Cuccinelli … Daniel Lippman. | Gray TV | "Full Court Press": Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) … Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.). | CBS | "Face the Nation": Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont … Scott Gottlieb … Miami Mayor Francis Suarez. | MSNBC | "The Sunday Show": Rep. Ted Deutch (D-Fla.) … Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) … Donna Edwards … Susan Molinari. | CNN | "Inside Politics": Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) … Laura Barrón-López, Michael Shear and Manu Raju … Barbara Comstock and Scott Jennings … Leana Wen … Janice Jackson. | | HAPPY BIRTHDAY: CNN's Maeve Reston … Dick Cheney (8-0) … PBS' Lisa Desjardins … Jordan's King Abdullah II … POLITICO's G. Robert Hillman, Natasha Korecki and Mackenzie Mays ... Reps. Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.) … Del. Michael San Nicolas (D-Guam) … API's Mike Sommers … MSNBC's Chris Jansing … CBS News Radio's Steven Portnoy … Federal Trade Commissioner and CFPB Director nominee Rohit Chopra … Jeff Naft, comms director for Rep. French Hill (R-Ark.) … Len Bickwit of Miller & Chevalier … Walker Gallman … James Rogers … Carl Broemel Got a document to share? A birthday coming up? Did you fly Meena Harris to the Inauguration? Drop us a line at playbook@politico.com or individually: Ryan Lizza, Tara Palmeri, Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels. Playbook couldn't happen without our editor Mike Zapler and producers Allie Bice, Eli Okun and Garrett Ross. | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
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