| | | | | |  | | By Rachael Bade, Tara Palmeri, Eugene Daniels and Ryan Lizza | Presented by |  | | | | | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | President JOE BIDEN is about to come under a mountain of pressure from both parties to fix the situation at the border — and address immigration overall. With a humanitarian crisis growing — read this CBS story for the latest — progressives are losing their patience over how long it's taking Biden to undo Trump-era policies and implement a more humane system he campaigned on. Rep. ILHAN OMAR (D-Minn.) told Playbook over the weekend she'll lead a group Monday to press the administration to stop housing migrants in local prison and jail facilities where allegations of misconduct, abuse, rape and medical neglect remain rampant. Biden is also getting needled by Republicans for proposing a pathway to citizenship for 11 million undocumented immigrants. They say that vow has triggered a recent mass influx of people to the U.S. border seeking asylum. House Minority Leader KEVIN MCCARTHY is in El Paso, Texas, today with a dozen of his members to hammer the president over conditions at the border, including children being detained in jail cells for days. In a nod to concerns among his own party, Biden officials announced Saturday that FEMA would help relocate children living in those conditions to DHS facilities — then try to get them to sponsors or families. That's a start, perhaps, but won't mollify either side. Republicans and some moderate Democrats such as Rep. HENRY CUELLAR (D-Texas) are pushing Biden to warn migrants more forcefully to not come to the U.S. or face consequences. Progressives want the president to move in the other direction and ensure that people fleeing hardship aren't treated like criminals. Enter Omar, who immigrated from Somalia as a young girl and still recalls the horrors of detention — including sitting under an unforgiving sun and not knowing when she'd see food or water, or whether she'd be allowed into the U.S. at all. Omar and several other Democrats will call on the Biden administration in a letter today to bar ICE from contracting with all state, county and local prisons and jails, which constitute more than half of all immigration detention facilities. The group says those contracts incentivize the detention of immigrants and often turn a blind eye to abuse. "It would be a huge signal to people who have been mortified in the last couple of years under [Donald] Trump's cruel immigration system, waiting for some relief to come with a candidate who promised that there would be decency," Omar said. While Omar applauded some of Biden's moves on immigration, she said the administration needs to do a lot more — and faster. Kids are still being housed in cages in some places, she said. And while she believes Democrats need to have a real conversation about dismantling ICE in the future, there are changes Biden can make now. "The longer we sort of slow-walk that restoration of normalcy and how we would address the issues at the border with migrants — whether they're adults or children — the [worse] the problem gets," Omar said. "Once we think of the humans at the border as humans … we will have policies that are just, humane and give them dignity." | | A message from Amazon: "Amazon has allowed me to live a comfortable life." When Luv-Luv joined Amazon, she was just looking for a job - any job - with health care. What she found was so much more. Thanks to Amazon's starting wage of at least $15 an hour and comprehensive benefits she's able to live life on her own terms.
Watch her story here. | | | MEANWHILE, FOR YOUR RADAR — "House to Test Waters on Immigration Overhaul With Votes on Two Bills," WSJ: "One would provide a path to citizenship for young immigrants, known as Dreamers, who came to the U.S. as children … The other would provide a path to citizenship for farmworkers in the country illegally." Both of these measures will pass, but the real debate behind the scenes is about Biden's larger comprehensive overhaul, which is not getting a vote. Rep. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ (D-N.Y.) is trying to up the pressure on moderate Dems to fall in line. WSJ: "The intraparty split over strategy shows a growing concern among progressive Democrats that not acting on the issue could cost them with base voters in the 2022 midterm elections." Other immigration reads — "On Mexico's Border With U.S., Desperation as Migrant Traffic Piles Up," NYT … "A border community, ICE at odds over release of detainees with covid," WaPo Good Monday morning. If you believe the Daily Mail story below, MEGHAN MARKLE is prepping a run for president. There's your incentive to keep reading. Got a news tip? A document to share? Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza, Tara Palmeri. | | A message from Amazon: While Amazon raised their starting wage in 2018 to $15 an hour, the federal minimum wage has been stuck at $7.25 for more than a decade. | | | BIDEN'S MONDAY — The president will receive the President's Daily Brief at 9:50 a.m. He'll deliver remarks about the implementation of Covid relief from the State Dining Room at 1:45 p.m. As part of the tour to sell Covid relief, VP KAMALA HARRIS and second gentleman DOUG EMHOFF will travel to Las Vegas, where Harris will visit the University of Nevada, Las Vegas' vaccination clinic and the Culinary Academy of Las Vegas and Emhoff will visit a food relief organization. They'll then head to Los Angeles for the night. — The White House Covid-19 response team and public health officials will brief at 11 a.m. Press secretary JEN PSAKI will brief at 12:30 p.m. THE SENATE will meet at 3 p.m. and vote on DEB HAALAND'S nomination as Interior secretary at 5:30 p.m. THE HOUSE is not in session. McCarthy and his delegation will give a press conference from the border at 11 a.m. Mountain time (1 p.m. Eastern). THE WEEK AHEAD — Biden will travel to Delaware County, Pa., on Tuesday and with Harris to Georgia on Thursday as part of the tour to sell the Covid relief legislation. On Wednesday, he'll host Irish PM MICHEÁL MARTIN for a virtual bilateral. | | | | JOIN THE CONVERSATION, SUBSCRIBE TO "THE RECAST": Power dynamics are shifting in Washington, and more people are demanding a seat at the table, insisting that all politics is personal and not all policy is equitable. "The Recast" is a new twice-weekly newsletter that breaks down how race and identity are recasting politics, policy and power in America. Get fresh insights, scoops and dispatches on this crucial intersection from across the country, and hear from new voices that challenge business as usual. Don't miss out on this new newsletter, SUBSCRIBE NOW. Thank you to our sponsor, Intel. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | | 
PHOTO OF THE DAY: President Joe Biden and his family arrive back at the White House on Sunday from a weekend in Wilmington, Del. | Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images | THE WHITE HOUSE SPERLING TO THE RESCUE — "Biden eyes Gene Sperling to serve as Covid rescue plan czar," by Laura Barrón-López and Ben White: "President Joe Biden is eyeing Gene Sperling for a role to oversee the implementation of the administration's coronavirus relief plan, according to two sources with knowledge of the plans. The White House could announce the role for Sperling as early as Monday, the sources said." (WaPo later confirmed Sperling has been hired.) THE PAY-FOR — "Biden Eyes First Major Tax Hike Since 1993 in Next Economic Plan," Bloomberg: "President Joe Biden is planning the first major federal tax hike since 1993 to help pay for the long-term economic program designed as a follow-up to his pandemic-relief bill, according to people familiar with the matter. "Unlike the $1.9 trillion Covid-19 stimulus act, the next initiative, which is expected to be even bigger, won't rely just on government debt as a funding source. While it's been increasingly clear that tax hikes will be a component — Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has said at least part of the next bill will have to be paid for, and pointed to higher rates — key advisers are now making preparations for a package of measures." THE WARREN ADMINISTRATION — "Biden's embrace of Warren World poses new risks for Wall Street," by Zachary Warmbrodt: "Warren's expanding network in the upper echelons of the administration includes protégés who helped execute her aggressive oversight of big banks and other corporations as well as friends who share her views of the risks looming on Wall Street. But it goes beyond finance, covering pivotal posts at the Department of Education and even the National Security Council. "The Warren recruits mark a victory for the progressive movement, which has supported her years-long 'personnel is policy' campaign to chip away at the dominance of corporate insiders in setting policy for Democrats. Those who took on the fight with Warren say they're pleasantly surprised it has produced so many results under Biden, reflecting a new emphasis on inequality and challenging corporate power. Industry lobbyists, in turn, warn that banks, private equity firms and consumer lenders should pay close attention. "The appointments 'confirm that Senator Warren will be the most influential voice in the financial policy debate under the new administration,' said Karolina Arias, a former Democratic Senate aide who is now a partner at Federal Hall Policy Advisors." HACK JOB — "White House Weighs New Cybersecurity Approach After Failure to Detect Hacks," NYT: "The intelligence agencies missed massive intrusions by Russia and China, forcing the administration and Congress to look for solutions, including closer partnership with private industry." COMING SOON — "The White House is set to unveil a wide-reaching, billion-dollar campaign aimed at convincing every American to get vaccinated," Stat STAFFING UP — "Exclusive: Former Harris aide Lily Adams joining Yellen at Treasury," Axios: "Lily Adams, a veteran of Vice President Kamala Harris' presidential bid, is joining the Treasury Department to help promote the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan and the administration's broader plans to combat income inequality." | | | | A message from Amazon:   Luv-Luv says her co-workers are like family to her. | | | POLITICS ROUNDUP DON'T CALL IT A COMEBACK … REALLY, DON'T — "'Clear and present danger': Republicans fret about Greitens' comeback," by Alex Isenstadt: "Greitens — who resigned in mid-2018, less than two years into his term, following allegations that he sexually assaulted a woman who was not his wife — has been calling around to fellow Republicans to inform them of his deliberations, and many have come away convinced he's running [for Senate]. … "The concerns have grown so serious that former President Donald Trump and those in his orbit have heard from Republicans inside and outside Missouri, who warn that Greitens would be the one GOP candidate who could lose to a Democrat, according to a person familiar with the conversations." THE DEMOCRATS' BIG 2022 BET — "Stimulus Bill as a Political Weapon? Democrats Are Counting on It," NYT: "Triumphant over the signing of their far-reaching $1.9 trillion stimulus package, Democrats are now starting to angle for a major political payoff that would defy history: Picking up House and Senate seats in the 2022 midterm elections, even though the party in power usually loses in the midterms." 2022 WATCH — "Donald Trump a surprise visitor at Sarah Huckabee Sanders campaign event," Fox News … Her post, with pic WITH FRIENDS LIKE THESE … "New York's vaccine czar called county officials to gauge their loyalty to Cuomo amid sexual harassment investigation," WaPo: "One Democratic county executive was so unsettled by the outreach from Larry Schwartz, head of the state's vaccine rollout, that the executive on Friday filed notice of an impending ethics complaint with the public integrity unit of the state attorney general's office, the official told The Washington Post. The executive feared the county's vaccine supply could suffer if Schwartz was not pleased with the executive's response to his questions about support of the governor. "The executive said the conversation with Schwartz came in proximity to a separate conversation with another Cuomo administration official about vaccine distribution. … Schwartz, who is working in a volunteer capacity to run New York's vaccine distribution, acknowledged making the calls in response to an inquiry by The Post, but said he did so as a 30-year friend of Cuomo and did not discuss vaccines in the conversations." BIDEN BALKS — "Biden declines to call for Cuomo to resign, awaits probe," AP AMERICA AND THE WORLD IRAN SO FAR AWAY — "United States and Iran warily circle each other over reactivating nuclear deal," WaPo: "The United States is willing to sit down with Iran 'tomorrow' and jointly agree to full compliance with the nuclear accord they and five other world powers signed in 2015, according to a senior Biden administration official. 'We've made clear that we're not talking about renegotiating the deal,' the official said of the agreement that curbed Iran's nuclear program in exchange for lifting U.S. and other sanctions." TOP-ED … JARED KUSHNER praises Biden in the WSJ: "Opportunity Beckons in the Mideast": "The Biden administration … has one asset that the Trump administration never had — a relationship with Iran. While many were troubled by the Biden team's opening offer to work with Europe and rejoin the Iran deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, I saw it as a smart diplomatic move. "The Biden administration called Iran's bluff. It revealed to the Europeans that the JCPOA is dead and only a new framework can bring stability for the future. When Iran asked for a reward merely for initiating negotiations, President Biden did the right thing and refused. … If it is smart, the Biden administration will seize this historic opportunity to unleash the Middle East's potential, keep America safe, and help the region turn the page on a generation of conflict and instability." TRUMP CARDS NO DICE — Over the weekend we provided a nine-step guide to winning Trump's endorsement. And while LYNDA BLANCHARD, who served as Trump's ambassador to Slovenia, followed at least two of the pointers — she had an advocate among Trump's chief gatekeepers, STEPHEN MILLER, and held a fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago on Saturday — Trump did not endorse her in the Alabama race for retiring Sen. RICHARD SHELBY'S seat. This leaves a window open for Rep. MO BROOKS, who's weighing a bid for the seat, to make his pitch to the former president. MEDIAWATCH TURBULENT TAKEOVER — "New Suitor May Enter Fray for Tribune Publishing," NYT: "A deal that would reshape the American newspaper industry has run into complications just one month after an agreement was reached, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. As a result, the New York hedge fund Alden Global Capital may have to fend off a new suitor for Tribune Publishing, the chain that owns major metropolitan dailies across the country, including The Chicago Tribune, The Daily News and The Baltimore Sun, the people said." — WaPo's Margaret Sullivan: "Online harassment of female journalists is real, and it's increasingly hard to endure" — Nayyera Haq is joining the Black News Channel as chief foreign affairs correspondent and is launching a daily D.C.-based news program called "The World Tonight." She'll remain a radio host at SiriusXM, and she's an Obama White House alum. | | | | 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 | | FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — The RNC comms team has ramped up its staffing for the 2022 cycle with several new hires: Danielle Alvarez as comms director and national spokesperson, Paris Dennard as national spokesperson and director of Black media affairs, Zach Parkinson as research director, Johanna Persing as director for media affairs and Chris Walker as regional comms director. Adam Brauns is continuing as war room director, and Tommy Pigott is moving up to be rapid response director. — HUD ARRIVAL LOUNGE: Addie Whisenant is returning to HUD as assistant secretary for public affairs. She served as press secretary for the agency during the Obama administration and is an Obama White House and Capitol Hill alum. — TRUMP ALUMNI: Stephen Billy has been hired as executive director of the Charlotte Lozier Institute, the research arm of the Susan B. Anthony List. He held several roles in the Trump administration, including as senior adviser at OMB and deputy chief at OPM. TRANSITIONS — Tim Paynter is now VP for external comms at BAE Systems. He previously was VP of strategic comms at Northrop Grumman. … Rebecca Brown is now a principal on the Bracewell Policy Resolution Group's strategic comms team. She most recently was deputy director of comms at the Department of Energy. … … Tom Strong-Grinsell is now Northeast finance director at the DSCC. He previously was tri-state investment director for Pete Buttigieg's campaign. … Ashton Davies is joining the media relations team of the Tennessee Valley Authority. She most recently was comms director for Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), and is an RNC and Bob Corker alum. WEEKEND WEDDING — Lisa Vedernikova, chief of staff to the publisher of the NYT, and Harry Khanna, a senior software engineer at the DNC, got married Saturday at a micro-ceremony in Glen Cove, N.Y. They met at an engagement party in New York City in 2017. Pic MEGHAN FOR PRESIDENT? — We missed this one over the weekend, but it's too huge not to flag. Daily Mail: "Meghan Markle will use the furore over her interview with Oprah to launch a political career which could take her all the way to the White House, if rumours circulating around Westminster last week turn out to be accurate. One senior Labour figure – a veteran of Tony Blair's Downing Street administration with strong links to Washington – claimed to The Mail on Sunday that Ms Markle, 39, was networking among senior Democrats with a view to building a campaign and fundraising teams for a tilt at the US Presidency." HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Reps. Jason Crow (D-Colo.) and Morgan Griffith (R-Va.) … Maggie Thomas, chief of staff for Gina McCarthy's White House Climate Policy Office … Dr. Kevin Munoz, assistant White House press secretary … Brendan Buck, partner at Seven Letter (39) … Lenny Alcivar … George Holman … Josh Deckard … Washingtonian writer-at-large Jack Limpert … former Sen. Ted Kaufman (D-Del.) (82) … POLITICO's Apryle Babish … brothers Alex and Matt Baker … Mark J. Green (76) … Austin Durrer, chief of staff for Rep. Charlie Crist (D-Fla.) … twins Rachel and Max Schindler (29) … Marcus Weisgerber, global business editor at Defense One … former West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin (69) … Franklin Davis, VP of federal government relations at the American Beverage Association … Kate Dickens of S-3 Group … Patrick Dellinger of FlexPoint Media … Erin Abell … NYT's Sopan Deb … Rod Bray, Indiana state Senate president pro tempore … Brittni Palke, principal at Palke Communications … Kevin Infante … Jenny 8. Lee … Philip Green (69) Send Playbookers tips to playbook@politico.com. Playbook couldn't happen without our editor Mike Zapler and producers Allie Bice, Eli Okun and Garrett Ross. | | A message from Amazon: Since starting at Amazon, Luv-Luv has been happy with the healthy work environment. She said, "People don't see the love and the kindness that goes on in here. They don't see the financial support and the fact that it's fair."
It's not just employees who noticed the immediate benefit of Amazon increasing their starting wage to at least $15 an hour — a new study from University of California-Berkeley and Brandeis University found that when Amazon raised their wages, the average hourly wage in the surrounding area rose by 4.7% as other employers followed their lead. Learn more about what else the research found. | | | | | | | 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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