| | | | | |  | | By Ryan Lizza, Tara Palmeri, Eugene Daniels and Rachael Bade | Presented by Facebook | | | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | SCOOP: REINCE PRIEBUS has been calling key GOP officials and operatives in Wisconsin the past week and signaling he's seriously exploring a bid for governor of his home state in 2022, two sources with knowledge of the calls told Playbook. Priebus' biggest selling point presumably would be the support of former President DONALD TRUMP — the two patched things up after Priebus was fired by the president back in 2017. Former Wisconsin GOP Lt. Gov. REBECCA KLEEFISCH is widely expected to run and is seen as a potential Republican front-runner, but Priebus would be formidable in a primary with Trump's support. Incumbent Democratic Gov. TONY EVERS is likely to seek a second term. THE RETURN OF THE WASHINGTON SCANDAL — There is something refreshingly normal about the TED CRUZ scandal. The drama of Cruz returning from sunny Mexico — chastened and apologetic for fleeing Texas while 3 million of his constituents remained without power — was a kind of throwback to an era when politicians could be embarrassed. The Trump years were dominated by one figure defined by his inability to be shamed and supporters defined by their unwillingness to be outraged by his behavior. A lot of observers wondered if the age of political scandal was dead — if partisans on both sides were so defined by hatred of their rival political tribe that they would let their own leaders get away with just about anything. And then a bearded man appearing to be Cruz was photographed with a roller bag at the United counter at Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport ready to board a plane to Cancun. The best and worst of the internet was activated: Twitter sleuths fired up their airline apps and learned Cruz seemed to be on an upgrade list for the flight. The bearded man appeared to be wearing the same gray "Come and get it" mask Cruz favors. (The mask celebrates the Texas revolution against Mexico.) The Houston police leaked that they escorted Cruz through the airport. In the pictures that flooded social media, one could detect Cruz's growing alarm. He clutched his phone with a look of worry in an airport lounge and again on board the plane in coach (he didn't get the upgrade). He later confirmed what was suggested by the photos: He was closely following the growing storm of criticism in real time. He was dubbed Flyin' Cruz by many and the catchier "Fled Cruz" by Fox, which had a surprisingly keen interest in dunking on Cruz for much of Thursday. After an overnight silence, Cruz seemed to blame the trip on his two daughters, 10 and 12, who he said in a statement just wanted a respite from the cold. He hinted, without outright saying, that his plan was only to drop them off in Cancun and return right away. Bad idea. The spin backfired. He was hounded by reporters and photographers from the moment he pulled up to the Cancun Airport in a white SUV and Ritz-Carlton escort until he landed back at the Houston airport where protesters held up signs dragging him ("24 dead Ted!"). At his home, more protesters had camped out with their own signs ("TWO SUITCASES FOR ONE NIGHT?" "Did your kids also make you COMMIT TREASON?"). He dropped the phony excuse and went with mostly contrition, admitting that he was planning on staying until the weekend. "Really from the moment I sat on the plane, I began really second-guessing that decision, and saying, 'Look, I know why we're doing this, but I've also got responsibilities,'" he told one reporter. "And it had been my intention to be able to work remotely, to be on the phone, to be on the internet, to be on Zoom, to be engaged, but I needed to be here and that's why I came back." The tabloid outrage of the social media mobs had the intended effect: Cruz proved that the capacity for embarrassment still exists in American politics. | | A message from Facebook: It's time to update internet regulations
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Learn More | | | MORE: — The NYT sparked a national conversation about the safety of group chats with this explosive story about Heidi Cruz, Ted's wife, organizing the trip with neighborhood friends over text. But Shane Goldmacher and Nicholas Fandos really stick in the shiv with this graf: "Mr. Cruz has long rankled members of both parties as a self-promoter since his arrival on Capitol Hill in 2013. Later that year, he became the leading actor in the drama that forced a government shutdown over the Affordable Care Act, and in 2016, Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, famously joked during a speech, 'If you killed Ted Cruz on the floor of the Senate, and the trial was in the Senate, nobody would convict you.'" — The video of two police officers escorting Cruz off the plane in Houston. — In Cruz's defense, the situation in Texas was much improved Thursday, though the big concern went from power outages to water safety, per the AP: "In Texas on Thursday, about 325,000 homes and businesses remained without power, down from about 3 million a day earlier, though utility officials said limited rolling blackouts were still possible." — Also in Cruz's defense, The Texas Tribune notes that Cruz and his Texas colleague JOHN CORNYN had requested and received a federal disaster declaration, which is the main thing a senator is good for at this stage (though other electeds are doing a lot more). — The Daily Mail gives the aborted Cruz vacation the full Daily Mail treatment, including a 59-photo montage, which connoisseurs of the site know is at the high end for celebrity scandals that the British tabloid covers. The Mail also notes with characteristic understatement, Ted Cruz "was on the list of standby passengers for an upgrade to business class — Heidi was not." — CNN'S KFILE: "Ted Cruz has repeatedly slammed politicians for vacationing during crisis" — Finally, in D.C., cider bar Anxo unveiled a "Cruz in Cancun" drink that you can order here , though we don't recommend it because the tequila/coconut rum/creme de banane/lime/cinnamon mashup sounds ghastly. | | | |   | | | BIDEN'S FRIDAY — The president will receive the President's Daily Brief at 8 a.m. and take part in the virtual G-7 meeting at 9 a.m. He'll speak to the virtual Munich Security Conference at 11:15 a.m. from the East Room. Then he'll leave the White House at 11:55 a.m. for Kalamazoo, Mich., arriving at 1:45 p.m. He'll tour the Pfizer manufacturing plant and meet with workers at 2:25 p.m. before delivering remarks at 3:10 p.m. Then it's wheels up at 3:50 p.m. He'll arrive back at the White House at 5:40 p.m. — VP KAMALA HARRIS and second gentleman DOUG EMHOFF will head to Los Angeles for the weekend, with nothing on the public schedule. — The White House Covid-19 response team and public health officials will brief at 11:45 a.m. Press secretary JEN PSAKI will gaggle aboard Air Force One. | | | | 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. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | | 
PHOTO OF THE DAY: Supermarket shelves stand bare at an Austin, Texas, H-E-B on Thursday amid the state's cascading winter storm crises. | Joe Raedle/Getty Images | JOIN US! Democrats held the House in November but lost seats when they were expected to gain them — leaving the party little cushion to pass Biden's agenda. Rep. SEAN PATRICK MALONEY (D-N.Y.), the DCCC chair, joins RACHAEL and EUGENE on Wednesday at noon to discuss his plans for protecting Democrats' slim majority in 2022, lessons learned from the last campaign and the continued fallout from the Jan. 6 attack. Register here THE WHITE HOUSE NEWS BERNIE WON'T LIKE — "Biden privately tells governors: Minimum wage hike likely isn't happening," by Natasha Korecki and Christopher Cadelago: "When Joe Biden met with a group of mayors and governors last week he bluntly told them to get ready for a legislative defeat: his proposed minimum wage hike was unlikely to happen, he said, at least in the near term. … "The comments, which were confirmed by two other people familiar with the conversation, were the furthest Biden has gone in conceding the coming axing of the $15-an-hour minimum wage provision from his first major legislative package. And they suggest that the president is more inclined to manage the fallout of it not being included than to pursue long-shot, political-capital consuming efforts to fight for its insertion." CONGRESS THE MITTENS ARE OFF — "Gavel in hand, Bernie Sanders lays out an unabashedly liberal economic agenda," WaPo: "As the new chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, Sanders has already played a key role in advancing President Biden's $1.9 trillion pandemic relief package, and he is now scheduling high-profile hearings on some of the nation's most pressing challenges. "For the first, set for Thursday, Sanders has summoned the chief executives of some of America's best-known companies to testify about the wages they pay their employees — speaking alongside some of their own front-line workers." CANCEL CULTURE EVERYWHERE — "GOP's Thune says Trump allies engaging in 'cancel culture,'" AP: "U.S. Sen. John Thune is criticizing Republican activists and party leaders for engaging in 'cancel culture' by rushing to censure GOP senators who found former President Donald Trump guilty of inciting an insurrection. "In his first interview since he voted to acquit Trump, the Senate's No. 2 Republican on Thursday defended fellow Republicans who sided with Democrats on the 'vote of conscience' and warned against shutting out dissenting voices in the party." PANDEMIC TRACKER: The U.S. reported 2,616 Covid-19 deaths and 67,000 new coronavirus cases Thursday. A GLOBAL CAMPAIGN — "U.S. and Novavax Will Aid Global Vaccination Campaign," NYT: "An international effort to expedite the manufacturing and distribution of coronavirus vaccines around the globe got a lift on Thursday on two fronts: White House officials said the Biden administration would make good on a U.S. promise to donate $4 billion to the campaign over two years, and the pharmaceutical company Novavax pledged to eventually donate 1.1 billion doses of its vaccine." "President Biden will make his announcement on Friday during a virtual meeting with other leaders from the Group of 7, where he is also expected to call on other countries to step up their contributions. The $4 billion was approved last year by a Democratic-led House and Republican led-Senate when President Donald J. Trump was in office." — BUT, BUT, BUT: "U.S. won't share vaccine before all Americans receive shots, officials say," by Carmen Paun AMERICA AND THE WORLD A FRESH START — "Biden Administration Formally Offers to Restart Nuclear Talks With Iran," NYT: "The United States took a major step on Thursday toward restoring the Iran nuclear deal that the Trump administration abandoned, offering to join European nations in what would be the first substantial diplomacy with Tehran in more than four years, Biden administration officials said. "In a series of moves intended to make good on one of President Biden's most significant campaign promises, the administration also backed away from a Trump administration effort to restore United Nations sanctions on Iran. That effort had divided Washington from its European allies." — BEHIND THE SCENES: "Biden aides debate how, or if, to save original Iran deal," by Nahal Toosi: "President Joe Biden has repeatedly said that the United States will rejoin the original Iran nuclear deal if Tehran resumes complying with the terms of the agreement, with the goal of laying the groundwork for an even stronger follow-up non-proliferation pact. "But inside the Biden administration, debates have churned among top aides over whether this is the best path or whether to take other, potentially more complicated, routes that may sidestep the original deal." NEW DEVELOPMENTS — "Release of intelligence report on Khashoggi killing could push already strained U.S.-Saudi relations to new lows," WaPo: "Facing court cases and its own promises of transparency, the Biden administration is about to release a long-sought U.S. intelligence report concluding that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. … The report, an unclassified summary of findings across the intelligence community produced by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), will be made public as early as next week, according to people familiar with the matter." | | | |   | | | POLITICS ROUNDUP 2022 WATCH — "MAGA crashes into moderates in train-wreck Senate race," by Holly Otterbein: "Pennsylvania Republican Sen. Pat Toomey isn't running for reelection in 2022. But his vote to convict former President Donald Trump is already rocking the race to succeed him. "County parties have censured Toomey, prompting backlash from centrists and even some Trump supporters who think the efforts will hurt the GOP in upcoming elections. Former Rep. Ryan Costello, a moderate Republican eyeing a bid for the Senate, has publicly come to Toomey's defense in the wake of his vote. Ex-Trump aides, in turn, are making plans to torpedo Costello before he announces a campaign." — "Malcolm Kenyatta is running for Senate in Pennsylvania," Philadelphia Inquirer: "Malcolm Kenyatta, a state representative and progressive activist from Philadelphia, officially launched a campaign for U.S. Senate on Thursday, casting himself as a champion of working people who would make history as Pennsylvania's first Black and first openly gay senator. … "He's also entering the race with some significant backers. The American Federation of Teachers, the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, and the Working Families Party all issued endorsements to coincide with his announcement. 'Malcolm is one of the most dynamic voices for progressive values in politics today,' Randi Weingarten, president of the national teachers' union, said in a statement. RESTARTING THE MONEY ENGINE — "Emhoff to join Harrison for new chair's first DNC fundraiser," by Elena Schneider: DNC Chair Jaime Harrison "will host the virtual event on March 3, featuring Sens. Cory Booker and Amy Klobuchar alongside Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff. Ticket prices for the event range from $36,500 for hosts to $100 for young professionals and seniors. "The DNC closed out the 2020 election cycle with about $75 million in the bank — an enormous sum for a once-beleaguered committee that was nearly broke at the end of the previous presidential election. That total nearly kept pace with the Republican National Committee, which had more than $80 million banked at the end of 2020." MORE ON THE DISASTER IN TEXAS — "'An emergency on top of a pandemic': Texas hospital workers scramble as winter storm hampered operations," Texas Tribune … "Nine Texans on how they survived a frozen week," Texas Observer MEDIAWATCH TOP-ED — "A New-Media Showdown in Australia," by NYT's Kara Swisher: "In the face-off this week between the news media and social media in Australia, I think I am on Rupert Murdoch's side for once. Unless I am on Mark Zuckerberg's. It is an awful choice." TRUMP CARD TOP COP CALLED IN — "Manhattan D.A. Recruits Top Prosecutor for Trump Inquiry," NYT: "As the Manhattan district attorney's office steps up the criminal investigation of Donald J. Trump, it has reached outside its ranks to enlist a prominent former federal prosecutor to help scrutinize financial dealings at the former president's company, according to several people with knowledge of the matter. "The former prosecutor, Mark F. Pomerantz, has deep experience investigating and defending white-collar and organized crime cases, bolstering the team under District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. that is examining Mr. Trump and his family business, the Trump Organization." TV TONIGHT — PBS' "Washington Week," guest-moderated by Weijia Jiang: Yasmeen Abutaleb, Anna Palmer, Ayesha Rascoe and Ed O'Keefe. SUNDAY SO FAR … | ABC | "This Week": White House press secretary Jen Psaki … Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.). Panel: Chris Christie, Rahm Emanuel, Leah Wright Rigueur and Margaret Hoover. | FOX | "Fox News Sunday": Anthony Fauci … Bill Gates. Panel: Josh Holmes, Kristen Soltis Anderson and Mo Elleithee. | Gray TV | "Full Court Press": Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) … Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas). | MSNBC | "The Sunday Show": Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio) … Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) … Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.). | NBC | "Meet the Press": Anthony Fauci. Panel: Cornell Belcher, Pat McCrory, Susan Page and Kristen Welker. | CNN | "Inside Politics": Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.). Panel: Jeff Zeleny, Laura Barrón-López, Jonathan Martin, Paul Begala and Barbara Comstock. | CBS | "Face the Nation": Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner … Scott Gottlieb. | | | | | | A MUST-READ ON CAPITOL HILL: Looking for the latest insight on the power dynamic in House GOP Leadership? Want to listen in on the whispers coming out of the Speaker's Lobby? Trying to understand what is really going on inside the cloakrooms? Olivia Beavers delivers the scoop in Huddle, our morning Capitol Hill must-read, with assists from POLITICO's deeply sourced Congress team that reveal the state of play in the House and Senate. Subscribe to Huddle today. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | A STYLISH SECOND STEPDAUGHTER — "Ella Emhoff Discusses Her NYFW Debut With Proenza Schouler's Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez," Vogue: "Ella Emhoff appeared in her first NYFW collection. Signed to IMG Models, Emhoff has appeared in magazines in the past, but her work for Proenza Schouler's Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez marks her first fashion show—albeit virtual—and her first appearance on an official Fashion Week calendar." ADMIRING THE OPPOSITION … VANITY FAIR: "'My Job is Not to Protect "The Squad"': Briahna Joy Gray wants to upend Democrats' Political Strategy": "As she tries to drag the Democratic Party to the left, Briahna Joy Gray is taking some cues from the right. "Gray, the former Bernie Sanders spokeswoman, even admits to some admiration for Republicans. Not their policies, of course, but their willingness to battle. Even if they lose, she says, 'they gain points for fighting.' Democrats, meanwhile 'feel like, if they fight for something and lose, it will confirm their status as losers, and so they're not willing to try.' 'I don't have a better way to put this,' Gray says, 'but Democrats have what feels like big loser energy.'" I LEFT MY APT. IN SAN FRANCISCO — "Kamala Harris Is Selling Her San Francisco Apartment," WSJ: "The property had been on the market for just over a week asking $799,000, according to listings website Zillow. Listing agent Anne Herrera of Sotheby's International Realty confirmed that the property was in contract but didn't comment further." NEWS YOU CAN USE — "How to Avoid the 5 Worst Home Office Design Mistakes," WSJ MEDIAWATCH — Noam Levey is joining Kaiser Health News' Washington office. He previously was a national health care reporter for the L.A. Times. Talking Biz News — Elizabeth Koh is joining the Boston Globe's investigations desk. She previously was a reporter covering Samsung for the WSJ based in Seoul. STAFFING UP — "Dan Koh, former Walsh aide, to become Labor Department's chief of staff," Boston Globe TRUMP ALUMNI — Mallory Blount is now press secretary for Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp. She most recently was director of specialty media at the White House, and is a Treasury and HUD alum. TRANSITIONS — Jennifer Kaufmann is joining Triple P as U.S. head of public policy. She previously was an SVP at Mercury. … Brian Boyle is now a partner at McDermott Will & Emery. He previously was an associate at DLA Piper. … Cassie Ann Kiggen will be chief comms officer for the University of Georgia's College of Agriculture & Environmental Sciences. She currently is comms director for the National Venture Capital Association. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Reps. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) and Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) … VOA's Daria Dieguts … Alexis Covey-Brandt … Andrew Ross Sorkin … Tamara Hinton … Howard Stringer … Gary Andres … John Stanton … Sean Conner … Andy Abboud … Chris Faulkner … John Gentzel … Justin Rouse … Kevin Bishop (5-0) … Judy Kurtz … Tucker Warren … Brandon Ver Velde … POLITICO's Jen Plesniak … Katharine Zaleski … John J. Miller … Joshua Schank … Nick Solheim … Samantha Zalaznick … Ben Khouri (3-0) … Capital One's Joe Vidulich (35) … Chase Kroll … AEI's Jason Bertsch ... Kaitlyn Martin ... Julie Terrell Radford … Stewart McLaurin, president of the White House Historical Association ... Molly Weaver … Olga Ramirez Kornacki, director of the House-Radio TV Gallery … Rachel Green Horn, who just started at the Filecoin Foundation … Sandeep Hulsandra … Jill Lawrence … Nicola Nelson … Fox News' Louis Tartaglia … Tony Iommi Got a document to share? A birthday coming up? A group chat you want to leak? 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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