| | | | | |  | | By Ryan Lizza | Presented by Facebook | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | Happy Sunday. As President JOE BIDEN gets ready for two of the most important weeks of his presidency, the big political story is the cracks that are emerging in the Democratic coalition. We'll dig deep into the competing factions of the Democratic Party on Monday morning, but until then here are three must-reads on the subject: ERIC WOLFF and REBECCA RAINEY document what will be a familiar storyline going forward: the divisions between environmentalists and labor. The green movement wants to solve the climate crisis. Labor unions want worker protections and beefed-up industrial policy. Often the two goals collide. One big example Biden's economic team is working through: Does the U.S. pursue an America-first policy when it comes to renewables, even if it makes reaching aggressive carbon goals more difficult? Or is it better to buy the cheap and readily available wind turbines, batteries and solar panels from countries like China right now? Eric and Rebecca look at another collision: "President Joe Biden's green energy agenda is in danger of being engulfed in a fight between organized labor and industry over unionization, wages and other workplace issues. "As the renewable energy industry expands, unions and their allies in Congress are determined to unionize more of the jobs or, at the very least, require the payment of union-equivalent wages. But the industry says such moves would cripple some of their operations. "While both sides are eager to push clean energy projects forward and make them a bigger part of the nation's electrical grid, their disagreements will test Biden's vow to be both the greenest and the most pro-union president in history. "The clash is playing out in Congress, where Democrats are cranking out bills filled with carrots for developers of zero-emission infrastructure, but with pro-labor strings attached, including wage requirements, job certification and Buy American provisions. Labor groups skeptical of whether green jobs can adequately replace high-paying union jobs in the fossil industry see these provisions as the bare minimum, while solar and wind producers want to see those labor demands dialed down." | | A message from Facebook: It's time to update internet regulations
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Learn More | | | In the NYT, ASTEAD HERNDON reports on the growing impatience of many progressives and has a nice overview of how Biden is suddenly grappling with friendly fire on the minimum wage, student loan policy, immigration and his OMB director. There are cameos by BERNIE SANDERS (Obama-era "Democrats had the power and they did not exercise that power for working families"), ELIZABETH WARREN ("can't give Mitch McConnell a veto") and numerous progressive activists arguing for results over unity. JOE MANCHIN is cast as a sort of villain and someone who has "at times stood in the way of progressive change." Biden is seen as risking his bold agenda because of his "deference" to "the entrenchment by moderate senators," though none of the progressives quoted offer a plan to get 50 votes for the Biden agenda absent some deference to Manchin. Finally, if you want to read some history on this dynamic, check out JONATHAN COHN'S interview with BARACK OBAMA out this morning in HuffPost. The piece is adapted from Cohn's forthcoming book, "The Ten Year War: Obamacare and the Unfinished Crusade for Universal Coverage" ($29.99), which will be released Tuesday. One big takeaway from Obama, who sat down with Cohn for over an hour last year: There's nothing new about moderate Democratic senators from consevative states frustrating Democratic presidents. And even without the filibuster, there's no magic solution that allows progressives to enact ambitious legislation without winning the support of the Manchins of the world. BEST OF THE SUNDAY SHOWS … — VACCINE DELAYS: ANTHONY FAUCI said on NBC'S "MEET THE PRESS" that 6 million vaccine doses had been delayed by last week's winter weather. Two million of them have now gone out, and the rest of the backlog should be cleared by the middle of the week. — SCHOOL REOPENINGS: American Federation of Teachers President RANDI WEINGARTEN said on "Meet the Press" that full teacher vaccination doesn't have to be a prerequisite: "But you should align the vaccine prioritization with the reopening of schools." — THE $15 MINIMUM WAGE: Rep. RO KHANNA (D-Calif.) said on CNN'S "INSIDE POLITICS" that he will vote for the final Covid relief bill even if it doesn't include some progressive priorities like a $15 minimum wage. … But when DANA BASH put the question to Rep. PRAMILA JAYAPAL (D-Wash.) on CNN'S "STATE OF THE UNION," she said: "I think it's going to be included, so I don't think we're going to have to make that decision." — DODGING THE BIG LIE: House Minority Whip STEVE SCALISE (R-La.) refused to say clearly on ABC'S "THIS WEEK" that the 2020 election was not stolen: "Once the electors are counted, yes [Biden's] the legitimate president. But if you're going to ignore the fact that there were states that did not follow their own state legislatively set laws, that's the issue at heart that millions of people still are not happy with and don't want to see happen again." — GOP CIVIL WAR: Arkansas Gov. ASA HUTCHINSON said on "State of the Union" that he would not support a DONALD TRUMP presidential bid in 2024. (Hutchison is term-limited and SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS is running to succeed him.) — RESPONDING TO RUSSIA: National security adviser JAKE SULLIVAN said on CBS' "FACE THE NATION" that the U.S. response after the SolarWinds hack "will include a mix of tools seen and unseen. and it will not simply be sanctions because, as you say, a response to a set of activities like this require a more comprehensive set of tools." | | | |   | | | BIDEN'S SUNDAY — The president and VP KAMALA HARRIS have nothing on their public schedules. Harris is in Los Angeles. THE WEEK AHEAD — The White House announced Biden and Canadian PM JUSTIN TRUDEAU will have a virtual bilateral meeting Tuesday, as will the Cabinet with Canada's Ministers. It's Biden's first such meeting with a foreign leader since taking office. More from the Toronto Star | | | | NEW - "THE RECAST" NEWSLETTER: Power dynamics are changing. "Influence" is changing. More people are demanding a seat at the table, insisting that all politics is personal and not all policy is equitable. "The Recast" is our new twice-weekly newsletter that breaks down how race and identity are recasting politics, policy and power in America. And POLITICO is recasting how we report on this crucial intersection, bringing you fresh insights, scoops, dispatches from across the country and new voices that challenge "business as usual." Don't miss out on this important new newsletter, SUBSCRIBE NOW. Thank you to our sponsor, Intel. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | | 
PHOTO OF THE DAY: Debris from an airplane engine lies on a road median in Broomfield, Colo., on Saturday after a Boeing 777 departing Denver started to experience engine failure and had to make an emergency landing, with no injuries. | Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images | THE LATEST IN TEXAS THE BIG PICTURE — "Texas Blackouts Point to Coast-to-Coast Crises Waiting to Happen," NYT: "The crisis carries a profound warning. As climate change brings more frequent and intense storms, floods, heat waves, wildfires and other extreme events, it is placing growing stress on the foundations of the country's economy: Its network of roads and railways, drinking-water systems, power plants, electrical grids, industrial waste sites and even homes. "Failures in just one sector can set off a domino effect of breakdowns in hard-to-predict ways. Much of this infrastructure was built decades ago, under the expectation that the environment around it would remain stable, or at least fluctuate within predictable bounds. Now climate change is upending that assumption." — "Texas and California built different power grids, but neither stood up to climate change," by Eric Wolff, Debra Kahn and Zack Colman: "That presents both an opportunity and a challenge for President Joe Biden, potentially aiding his efforts to draw support from lawmakers and states for his multitrillion-dollar proposals to harden the nation's energy infrastructure to withstand climate change. But he's already facing entrenched resistance to his pledges to shift the nation to renewable energy by 2035 — including from fossil fuel advocates who have sought to scapegoat wind and solar for the energy woes in both states." CRUZ (DAMAGE) CONTROL — "Ted Cruz is being mocked over photos showing him loading bottles of water into a car as he seeks to rebuild his reputation after the Cancun vacation debacle," Insider THE BIDEN CABINET SWAMP READ — "Biden's top doctor nominee made more than $2 million doing pandemic consulting, speeches," WaPo: "[Vivek Murthy] was paid millions of dollars last year in coronavirus-related consulting for Carnival Corporation's cruise lines, Airbnb's rental properties and other firms, in addition to collecting hundreds of thousands of dollars in speaking fees from dozens of organizations, according to ethics documents that Murthy filed this month. The disclosure caught the attention of longtime health policy hands — saying that Murthy has the most financial entanglements of any surgeon general pick in recent history — and of watchdogs who raise questions about how credible he would be as a spokesperson on the pandemic response and presidential adviser." MERRICK GARLAND WEEK — "Merrick Garland Faces Resurgent Peril After Years Fighting Extremism," NYT: "When President Biden nominated Judge Garland last month to be attorney general, the news conjured up his ordeal in 2016 as President Barack Obama's thwarted nominee to the Supreme Court. But Judge Garland's experience prosecuting domestic terrorism cases in the 1990s was the formative work of his career, from the nuances of federal statutes down to the feeling of broken glass crunching beneath his dress shoes. "The man has now met the moment. At his Senate confirmation hearings starting on Monday, he will almost certainly be asked about the Department of Homeland Security's warning that the United States faces a growing threat from 'violent domestic extremists' and that the Jan. 6 mob attack on the Capitol may not have been an isolated episode." — "Garland to stress law enforcement experience at confirmation hearing," by Josh Gerstein and Marianne LeVine … His statement THE 'CAN'T QUIT YOU' PARTY MEET THE NEW BOSS … SAME AS THE OLD BOSS: "Trump to speak at CPAC," by Alex Isenstadt: "Former President Donald Trump is slated to speak at next week's Conservative Political Action Conference, according to two people familiar with the appearance. "Trump will 'be talking about the future of the Republican Party and the conservative movement,' one of the people said. 'Also look for the 45th President to take on President Biden's disastrous amnesty and border policies.' The conference will take place Feb. 25-28 in Orlando, Fla. Trump is scheduled to speak Feb. 28." WITH ARMS WIDE OPEN — "Lindsey Graham said 'Count me out' after the Capitol riot. But he's all in with Trump again," by WaPo's Josh Dawsey: "Graham is set to visit the former president's gilded Mar-a-Lago Club on Sunday to spend two days golfing and dining with Trump. He has spoken to the former president nearly daily since Jan. 6 — more frequently than any of his Republican colleagues in the Senate — and served as an informal adviser to Trump's defense team during his Senate impeachment trial this month. … "'If he ran, it would be his nomination for the having,' Graham said of Trump in an interview. 'I don't know what he wants to do. Because he was successful for conservatism and people appreciate his fighting spirit, he's going to dominate the party for years to come. The way I look at it, there is no way we can achieve our goals without Trump.'" — AND WHO ELSE IS HEADED TO MAR-A-LAGO … "Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel is scheduled to visit Mar-a-Lago next week to meet with Trump, even as she vows to stay neutral in the internecine warring, according to a person familiar with her plans, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the private meeting." | | | |   | | | SCOTUS WATCH NO MORE IVY LEAGUERS? — "How Democrats Are Already Maneuvering to Shape Biden's First Supreme Court Pick," by NYT's JMart: "The early jockeying illustrates how eager Democratic officials are to leave their mark on Mr. Biden's effort to elevate historically underrepresented contenders for a landmark Supreme Court nomination. But it also casts a spotlight on discomfiting issues of class and credentialism in the Democratic Party that have been just below the surface since the days of the Obama administration. "Some Democrats like [Jim] Clyburn, who have nervously watched Republicans try to repackage themselves as a working-class party, believe that Mr. Biden could send a message about his determination to keep Democrats true to their blue-collar roots by choosing a candidate like [J. Michelle] Childs, who attended public universities." THE PANDEMIC TRACKER: The U.S. reported 2,074 Covid-19 deaths and 71,951 new coronavirus cases Saturday. THE TRANSMISSION QUESTION — "Pfizer-BioNTech Shot Stops Covid's Spread, Israeli Study Shows," Bloomberg: "The vaccine, which was rolled out in a national immunization program that began Dec. 20, was 89.4% effective at preventing laboratory-confirmed infections." THE DEEP TOLL — "A Ripple Effect of Loss: U.S. Covid Deaths Approach 500,000," NYT: "No other country has counted so many deaths in the pandemic. More Americans have perished from Covid-19 than on the battlefields of World War I, World War II and the Vietnam War combined. … "Each death has left an empty space in communities across America: a bar stool where a regular used to sit, one side of a bed unslept in, a home kitchen without its cook. The living find themselves amid vacant places once occupied by their spouses, parents, neighbors and friends — the nearly 500,000 coronavirus dead." AMERICA AND THE WORLD LITTLE ROCKET MAN — "How Trump offered Kim a ride on Air Force One," BBC: "[B]efore he departed, the then US president did make one astonishing offer to Kim. Matthew Pottinger, the top Asia expert on Trump's National Security Council told us: 'President Trump offered Kim a lift home on Air Force One. The president knew that Kim had arrived on a multi-day train ride through China into Hanoi and the president said: "I can get you home in two hours if you want." Kim declined.'" VALLEY TALK BIDEN'S BACKERS — "Big Tech Employees Opened Wallets for Biden Campaign," WSJ: "Employees of big technology firms were a key source of contributions for Joe Biden's presidential campaign, newly released campaign finance records show, eclipsing donations from employees at traditional Democratic fundraising sources such as banks and law firms. "Employees of Google's parent, Alphabet Inc., and Microsoft Corp., Amazon.com Inc., Apple Inc. and Facebook Inc. were the five largest sources of money for Mr. Biden's campaign and joint fundraising committees among those identifying corporate employers, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of campaign finance reports. Mr. Biden's presidential campaign received at least $15.1 million from employees of those five tech firms, records show." DEEP DIVE — "'Mark Changed The Rules': How Facebook Went Easy On Alex Jones And Other Right-Wing Figures," BuzzFeed: "In April 2019, Facebook was preparing to ban one of the internet's most notorious spreaders of misinformation and hate, Infowars founder Alex Jones. … [Mark] Zuckerberg didn't consider the Infowars founder to be a hate figure, according to a person familiar with the decision, so he overruled his own internal experts and opened a gaping loophole: Facebook would permanently ban Jones and his company — but would not touch posts of praise and support for them from other Facebook users. This meant that Jones' legions of followers could continue to share his lies across the world's largest social network. … "'Mark called for a more nuanced policy and enforcement strategy,' Facebook spokesperson Andy Stone said of the Alex Jones decision, which also affected the bans of other extremist figures. … Internal documents obtained by BuzzFeed News and interviews with 14 current and former employees show how the company's policy team — guided by Joel Kaplan, the vice president of global public policy, and Zuckerberg's whims — has exerted outsize influence while obstructing content moderation decisions, stymieing product rollouts, and intervening on behalf of popular conservative figures who have violated Facebook's rules." Stone also said of the story, "Recycling the same warmed over conspiracy theories about the influence of one person at Facebook doesn't make them true." | | | | TUNE IN TO GLOBAL TRANSLATIONS: Our Global Translations podcast, presented by Citi, examines the long-term costs of the short-term thinking that drives many political and business decisions. The world has long been beset by big problems that defy political boundaries, and these issues have exploded over the past year amid a global pandemic. This podcast helps to identify and understand the impediments to smart policymaking. Subscribe and start listening today. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | LIVING UP TO ITS NAME — While Showtime's "THE CIRCUS" was shooting in Montana on Saturday, Sen. JON TESTER (D-Mont.) had to rescue the crew vehicle from getting stuck in the snow — pulling out the van with his tractor and replacing a tire. Jennifer Palmieri's Twitter thread … Pics SNL — TED CRUZ talks to BRITNEY SPEARS: "I'm in a little bit of hot water, which I'm told is a thing no one in Texas has." FASHION FILES — "Kamala Harris's Jewelry Shines a Light on Designer Irene Neuwirth," WSJ: "While Ms. Neuwirth's brand has no shortage of high-profile Hollywood fans—Busy Philipps and Maya Rudolph, to name a few—Ms. Harris catapulted Ms. Neuwirth to history-book levels of prominence. She showcased Irene Neuwirth designs at several major events: a 'gumball' pearl-and-chain necklace at the 2020 Democratic National Convention; a pearl-and-turquoise necklace at a vice-presidential debate; sparkling custom diamond-and-pearl earrings for the evening of the inauguration." FELINE POLITICS — "What Cats Can Teach Humans: A lot, according to John Gray in Feline Philosophy, a playful but insightful new book," National Review: "Now you might be wondering: Is there any place for a discussion of cats and dogs in a serious political publication such as this? Yes: A serious thinker has come out with a book arguing that we can learn much about human nature by analyzing the nature of cats." (cc: @rachaelmbade) TRANSITIONS — Jocelyn Francis will be a legislative assistant for Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho). She previously was legislative director for Rep. Ted Budd (R-N.C.). … Matthew Simon will be VP of advocacy and government affairs at Great Leaders Strong Schools. He previously was chief of staff for Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-Ariz.). HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) … Reps. Steven Palazzo (R-Miss.) and Scott DesJarlais (R-Tenn.) … Ashley Etienne of the White House … Maya MacGuineas … Paul Teller (5-0) … Mark Smith … Jeremy Gaines … Kevin Sheridan … Yale President Peter Salovey … Shawn Reinschmiedt ... Kristie Greco Johnson … former Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) … former Reps. Charles Boustany (R-La.), Phil Hare (D-Ill.) and John Shimkus (R-Ill.) … Ryan Rudominer … Karl Frisch ... WaPo's Lee Powell … Holland & Knight's Beth Viola … Reuters' Ross Colvin … Rebeccah Propp … POLITICO's Mona Zhang and Grant Moore-Sargent … Kilmeny Duchardt ... Tricia Nixon Cox (75) … LinkedIn Executive Chair Jeff Weiner … Bob Sherman … Ron Pollack … Purple Strategies' Stephen Smith ... King of Norway Harald V … Bob Chlopak … David Geffen … David Wessel … Jordan Zaslav … Scott Kelly ... Jim Callan … Deep Root Analytics' Elise Lewis … Jonathan Safran Foer Got a document to share? A birthday coming up? Know who is on Biden's SCOTUS short list? Drop us a line at playbook@politico.com or individually: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza, Tara Palmeri. Playbook couldn't happen without our editor Mike Zapler and producers Allie Bice, Eli Okun and Garrett Ross. | | A message from Facebook: Internet regulations need an update.
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