| | | | | |  | | By Rachael Bade, Tara Palmeri, Eugene Daniels and Ryan Lizza | Presented by |  | | | | | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | Happy Monday, Playbookers. Three big stories from late Sunday before we dive into DONALD TRUMP'S big CPAC speech … — JOE BIDEN backs Amazon union drive. The president stopped just short of endorsing the formation of a union, but he threw his support behind Amazon workers' right to try. In a video he said there should be "no coercion" by company leadership against the move and tweeted: "It's a vitally important choice — one that should be made without intimidation or threats by employers. Every worker should have a free and fair choice to join a union." Alabama Media Group's write-up — Dems dump minimum wage alternative. Jeff Stein of WaPo scoops that Senate Budget Chair BERNIE SANDERS (I-Vt.) and Senate Finance Chair RON WYDEN (D-Ore.) are dropping their push to slap tax penalties on corporations that pay their employees too little. The idea was too complicated to flesh out on a short deadline. Majority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER has promised the $1.9 trillion Covid relief bill will pass by March 14, when unemployment benefits expires. — ANDREW CUOMO tries to stanch the bleeding. The New York governor released a statement apologizing for inappropriate comments to female aides, while arguing that his words were "misinterpreted as an unwanted flirtation." He added that "at work sometimes I think I am being playful," a remark that made many women cringe. (N.Y. Post cover: "Hey, I'm a funny guy," with pic of Cuomo.) This comes as the governor relented on giving subpoena power to an outside independent investigator to be chosen by New York A.G. LETITIA JAMES. More from the NYT | | A message from the American Investment Council: Private equity plays a critical role in supporting quality, affordable health care in the United States. For decades, PE-funded innovations have delivered more effective treatments and saved lives — and, importantly, helped lower health care costs for millions of Americans. investmentcouncil.org/healthcare | | | After weeks in relative isolation at Mar-a-Lago without Twitter, Trump emerged at CPAC on Sunday ready to let loose. Here's what we learned from his first big post-presidency speech: 1) He's not letting go of the "big lie." Trump spent the first part of his speech blasting Biden — which is what his advisers were hoping for. Just when they might have breathed a sigh of relief, Trump went on a tear about the 2020 election being "rigged" and claimed he won — the very falsehood that led his followers to storm the Capitol on Jan. 6. The irony of this quote is mind-blowing: "We can never let this or other abuses of the 2020 election be repeated or happen again," Trump said. "We need election integrity and election reform immediately. Republicans should be the party of honest elections." Republicans in Washington let out a collective groan. It puts them right back in the position of rebuking Trump or looking spineless. Not to mention they think the stolen election claim hurts GOP turnout and is a big reason the party lost in Georgia. 2) SCOTUS: From greatest accomplishment to top target. Once upon a time, Trump touted the filling of three Supreme Court vacancies as perhaps his greatest accomplishment. On Sunday, he attacked the conservative court as "cowards" for refusing his bid to overturn the election results. "They should be ashamed of themselves," he said. "They didn't have the guts or the courage to make the right decision." (Someone check Senate Minority Leader MITCH MCCONNELL'S blood pressure.) 3) Trump wants revenge. Trump advisers got him to clarify that he does not want to start a third party. He called such reports "fake news" and claimed the GOP was united. But Trump also couldn't resist naming each Republican who voted to impeach him, including several who are already facing primary challenges. "Get rid of 'em all!" Trump said. This is problematic for House Minority Leader KEVIN MCCARTHY: He's going to have to choose between his own incumbents and the ex-president, who's great for grassroots fundraising. Trump did go easy on McConnell. The crowd booed when Trump mentioned the Senate GOP leader, but Trump moved on quickly. 4) Trump wants Republicans to donate — to him only. "There's only one way to contribute to our efforts to elect America First Republican conservatives and … to make America great again," he told the crowd, "and that's through Save America PAC and DonaldJTrump.com. … We need your help to win." The line was notable because, as NYT's Maggie Haberman pointed out on Twitter, he seemed to imply Republicans shouldn't give to other entities like, for example, the RNC. 5) Transgender rights are the right's new culture war. While many CPAC attendees privately said Trump's speech was ho-hum, with his standard-fare mentions of windmills and socialism, the former president did stir the crowd with anti-transgender rhetoric, particularly about women's sports. As WaPo's Dave Weigel noted on Twitter, Trump curbed transgender rights with executive orders but didn't often talk about the issue at rallies. That changed Sunday, days after House Democrats passed the Equality Act. 6) Let the 2024 games begin. Trump teased another run for president, offering a taste of potentially years of will-he-or-won't-he speculation he's all too happy to stoke. The other 2024 hopefuls will have to get used to it. "Who knows?" Trump said of a potential sequel. Surprisingly, only 68% of CPAC attendees said in their straw poll that they want Trump to run again, though 95% said they want his platform to remain the GOP's. MORE CPAC HEADLINES: "Trump teases 2024 run in CPAC remarks attacking Biden, Republican critics," by David Siders … "Trump Wins CPAC Straw Poll, but Only 68 Percent Want Him to Run Again," NYT … "News Networks Take Contrasting Approaches To Covering Donald Trump's CPAC Speech," Deadline — About that straw poll … Orlando Sentinel: "[I]n a straw poll of CPAC attendees revealed just before Trump's address, just 68% said they wanted Trump to run again in 2024, a smaller number than expected considering his 97% job approval among participants. The other 32% either said he shouldn't run or had no opinion. "In a separate poll of potential 2024 GOP nominees for president, Trump was the choice of 55% of attendees. Gov. Ron DeSantis came in second at 21%, with all other candidates in single digits. With Trump out of the mix, however, DeSantis was first with 43%. South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem came in second with 11%; Donald Trump Jr. got 8% for third." Notably, former VP MIKE PENCE received only 1%, behind not only DeSantis, Noem and Don Jr., but Mike Pompeo (7%), Ted Cruz (7%), Tucker Carlson (3%), Josh Hawley (3%), Nikki Haley (3%), Ivanka Trump (3%) and Rand Paul (2%). | | | | A message from the American Investment Council:   Private equity-backed businesses are working every day to improve access to affordable health care in the United States and defeat the COVID-19 pandemic. investmentcouncil.org/healthcare | | | BIDEN'S MONDAY — The president will leave Wilmington, Del., at 10:40 a.m. and receive the President's Daily Brief at 10:50 a.m. en route to Washington. He'll arrive at the White House at 11:35 a.m. Biden will meet virtually with Mexican President ANDRÉS MANUEL LÓPEZ OBRADOR at 4:30 p.m. VP KAMALA HARRIS has nothing on her public schedule. — The White House Covid-19 response team and public health officials will brief at 11 a.m. Press secretary JEN PSAKI will brief at noon along with DHS Secretary ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS. THE HOUSE returns at 6:30 p.m. for votes. Up this week: roll calls on H.R. 1, Democrats' election reforms legislation, and the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. THE SENATE at 3 p.m. will swear in Schumer's newly appointed secretary of the Senate, ANN BERRY, who's worked in the Senate for 40 years. She will be the first Black person to serve in the position, which was created in 1789. At 5:30 p.m., the Senate will vote on the nomination of MIGUEL CARDONA to be Education secretary and on the motion to invoke cloture on the nomination of Rhode Island Gov. GINA RAIMONDO to be Commerce secretary. THE WEEK AHEAD — Biden will take part virtually in a lunch with Senate Democrats on Tuesday. On Wednesday, he'll hold a meeting on cancer legislation and take part virtually in an event with the House Democratic Caucus. | | | | DON'T MISS "THE RECAST": 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 and 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: Donald Trump embraces the American flag as he arrives on stage to address the Conservative Political Action Conference on Sunday. | Joe Raedle/Getty Images | CONGRESS MORE ON THE AMAZON UNION DRIVE — The Jeff Bezos-owned Washington Post quotes Sanders' 2020 campaign manager heaping praise on Biden's move: "'We haven't had this aggressive and positive of a statement from a president of the United States on behalf of workers in decades,' said Faiz Shakir, a former senior aide to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and the founder of More Perfect Union, which has released a series of videos on the Amazon unionization drive. 'It is monumental that you have a president sending a message to workers across the country that if you take the courageous step to start to unionize you will have allies in the administration, the NLRB, and the Labor Department. It means a lot.'" The story WHAT JIM BANKS IS UP TO — "The Republican Study Committee gets a Trumpian makeover," by Gabby Orr: "[N]ewly minted chair Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) wants to meld the former president and vice president's approaches to become a force for the next iteration of the conservative movement. What helps is that Banks, a 41-year-old member of Congress from small-town Indiana, is every bit as mild-mannered as Pence but has policy instincts firmly rooted in Trumpism. … "Take China. Banks, an Afghanistan veteran, saw how Trump's anti-China rhetoric appealed to working-class voters and decided to make confronting Beijing a serious part of the group's legislative agenda after years of focusing almost exclusively on budget and spending reforms. … [I]f he succeeds, the group could offer an operating manual of sorts for how the rest of the conservative machine should run between now and 2024 … The first chapter of such a manual would probably consist of just five letters: F-I-G-H-T." POLITICS ROUNDUP CENSUS WATCH — "Census data snafu upends 2022 elections," by Zach Montellaro and Ally Mutnick: "A six-month delay holding up the data that states use to draw their legislative districts is mangling plans for the 2022 elections, as states discuss postponing primaries and navigating legal deadlines for redistricting that some are now almost certain to miss. "At least nine states have constitutional or statutory deadlines to redraw their maps, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, that won't mesh with such a profound delay in the data delivery. Election officials in some states, such as North Carolina, have recommended moving back early primary dates to make more time for drawing new districts. And both political parties will have to grapple with how to recruit candidates to run for districts that may not exist until just before election season begins." TEXAS SPECIAL — "Ex-Trump aide Pierson planning run for Congress," The Hill: "A former top strategist for Donald Trump's presidential campaigns is taking steps to run for a U.S. House seat left vacant by the late Rep. Ron Wright (R-Texas), who succumbed to the coronavirus earlier this year. Katrina Pierson, a Tea Party activist who served as a spokesperson for Trump's 2016 campaign and as top adviser on his failed re-election bid, is planning to file in the coming days … Those sources said they expected Pierson to receive Trump's backing when she enters the race." TO THE RESCUE — "Allies of Rep. Adam Kinzinger launch super PAC to support Republicans who have bucked Trump," WaPo: "Kinzinger, who has already started a leadership PAC to directly support GOP candidates who have gone up against Trump, is expected to appear at fundraising events for the super PAC Americans Keeping Country First. "Founders of the group, which include Kinzinger advisers, are also launching a sister nonprofit to 'build a grass roots army,' according to documents reviewed by The Washington Post. Unlike traditional PACs, both organizations can accept unlimited contributions. Nonprofit groups are not required to disclose the identity of their contributors." THE LAUNCH OF 'UN-PAC' — A trio of ex-Sanders aides — Shana Gallagher, Joseline Garcia and Caleb Wilson — is launching a group aimed at exciting young people about H.R. 1, the Democrats' big voting rights and campaign finance reform bill. The plot twist? Un-PAC, a 501(c)(4) and 527 organization, isn't solely focused on progressives — it's looking to rally millennials and Gen Zers of all political persuasions, including those on the right. It is even planning to hire conservative student organizers. (They'll have their work cut out for them: Trump called the legislation a "monster" at CPAC on Sunday.) Un-PAC says it has already banked $200,000 for the cause. (h/t Holly Otterbein) | | | | A message from the American Investment Council:   Private equity is committed to improving access to affordable health care in the United States. investmentcouncil.org/healthcare | | | JAN. 6 AND ITS AFTERMATH ANATOMY OF A CONSPIRACY THEORY — "How Pro-Trump Forces Pushed a Lie About Antifa at the Capitol Riot," NYT: "Even as Americans watched live images of rioters wearing MAGA hats and carrying Trump flags breach the Capitol — egged on only minutes earlier by a president who falsely denounced a rigged election and exhorted his followers to fight for justice — history was being rewritten in real time." "Within hours, a narrative built on rumors and partisan conjecture had reached the Twitter megaphones of pro-Trump politicians. By day's end, Laura Ingraham and Sarah Palin had shared it with millions of Fox News viewers, and Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida had stood on the ransacked House floor and claimed that many rioters 'were members of the violent terrorist group antifa.'" — "Ron Johnson Says He Still Has Many Unanswered Questions": NYT's Reid Epstein interviews the WIsconsin Republican who, he notes, "has been on the forefront of elevating fringe theories about President Biden's son Hunter, the coronavirus and the results of the 2020 election. In recent weeks he has come under renewed scrutiny for claiming in a series of radio interviews in his home state that the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol was not an 'armed insurrection' and for using his time during a Senate hearing to read a first-person account that posited 'provocateurs' and 'fake Trump supporters' were behind the attack." THE NEW NORMAL — "At least take down the razor wire: D.C. residents, lawmakers chafe at Capitol fence," WaPo: "[Acting Capitol Police chief Yogananda] Pittman and Timothy Blodgett, the House's acting sergeant-at-arms, said they are awaiting several security reviews before making a decision about the fence, but that it would remain at least through President Biden's first address to Congress because of threats of violence from militia groups. "The date of Biden's address has not been announced. Pittman did not describe the source or credibility of the intelligence, and some lawmakers questioned whether the threat is concrete enough to justify what increasingly feels like the new normal in Washington. HISTORY DEEP DIVE — "When the Left Attacked the Capitol": Lawrence Roberts, a former editor for WaPo and ProPublica, writes in POLITICO Magazine about the 50th anniversary of the Weather Underground bombing of the Capitol. "Fifty years ago, extremists bombed the seat of American democracy to end a war and start a revolution. It did neither, but it may have helped bring down a president." THE BIDEN CABINET TANDEN GETS THE TERRIS TREATMENT — "Neera Tanden's confirmation fight is the first morality play of post-Trump Washington," by WaPo's Ben Terris: "With Donald Trump gone, the city's political classes were renegotiating the rules of engagement for political warfare. Questions of who was allowed to fight, and how, were back on the table. Respectability was back in fashion. "Never mind that personal attacks and untempered outrage were the most reliable way to rise in Washington during the Trump years; Biden has reached for the reset button, and Republicans — after years of ignoring the president's mean tweets as inconsequential — were all too eager to rewire that button to blow Tanden's nomination out of the water. That's how Tanden found herself at center stage in the first morality play of the post-Trump era." AMERICA AND THE WORLD KHASHOGGI REPORT FALLOUT — "Three names mysteriously removed from Khashoggi intelligence report after initial publication," CNN: "Shortly after the US intelligence community published its long-awaited report on Friday afternoon on the Saudis who were responsible for the death of Jamal Khashoggi, it was taken down without explanation and replaced with another version that removed the names of three men it had initially said were complicit. … "The first of the three names removed is Abdulla Mohammed Alhoeriny, who has not been previously connected with Khashoggi's death. According to a person familiar with the inner workings of Saudi intelligence, he's the brother of General Abdulaziz bin Mohammed al-Howraini, a minister who is in charge of the powerful Presidency of State Security which oversees multiple intelligence and counterterrorism agencies. … The two other names that appeared in the unclassified intelligence report and then disappeared are Yasir Khalid Alsalem and Ibrahim al-Salim. It was not immediately clear who they are." IRAN WATCH — "Iran Rejects Offer of Direct U.S. Nuclear Talks, Ratcheting Up Tension With West," WSJ: "Iran rejected a European Union offer to hold direct nuclear talks with the U.S. in the coming days, risking renewed tension between Tehran and Western capitals. "Senior Western diplomats said Iran's response doesn't quash the Biden administration's hopes of reviving diplomatic efforts to restore the 2015 nuclear deal, struck between Iran and six world powers and abandoned by the Trump administration in 2018. But they said it seemed to set a deadlock: Iran wants a guarantee it wouldn't walk away from a meeting with the U.S. without some sanctions relief, which Washington has so far ruled out." THE LATEST IN MYANMAR — "U.N.: At least 18 killed by Myanmar forces in several cities," AP MEDIAWATCH UNDER THE INFLUENCE — "The Little Magazine That Incubated Team Biden," NYT: "It has only 500 subscribers. And yet Democracy: A Journal of Ideas, a 15-year-old quarterly run by a three-person staff out of a small office blocks from the White House, may be one of the most influential publications of the post-Trump era. "Six of President Biden's 25 Cabinet-level officials and appointees, including the secretary of state and the chief of staff, as well as many other high-level administration members, have published essays in its pages, floating theories that may now be translated into policy. Democracy's print edition has no photos or illustrations, and its website is bare-bones. It has no podcast, and the titles of its articles — 'Meritocracy and Its Discontents'; 'How to End Wage Stagnation'; 'Defend Multilateralism: It's What People Want' — are not exactly the stuff of clickbait." FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Gabby Deutch is joining Jewish Insider full time as a Washington correspondent. She was previously NewsGuard's Washington correspondent and a contributing writer at JI. | | | | FIND OUT THE LATEST WHISPERS FROM THE WEST WING : What's happening inside the West Wing, and what are the real conversations taking place behind-the-scenes in the halls of power? Who really has the ear of the president? What's going to happen across the executive branch next, and why? Transition Playbook chronicles the people, policies and emerging power centers of the Biden administration. Don't miss out. Subscribe today. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | BOOK CLUB — Larry Haas, a foreign affairs columnist and author and an Al Gore and OMB alum, has a new book out today: "The Kennedys in the World: How Jack, Bobby, and Ted Remade America's Empire." FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Pat Hayes will join Kountoupes Denham Carr & Reid as a partner. He most recently was SVP for federal, state and local government affairs at Altice USA, and previously was chief of staff to Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.). David Peluso has also been elevated to partner. WHITE HOUSE ARRIVAL LOUNGE — Marissa Sanchez-Velasco is now associate comms director for the White House Covid-19 Response Team. She previously was digital director and deputy press secretary for then-Sen. Kamala Harris. TRANSITIONS — Ian Conner is now a partner at Latham & Watkins in the antitrust and competition practice. He most recently was director of the FTC's Bureau of Competition. … Jessica Floyd is now president of American Bridge 21st Century. She most recently was managing director of campaigns at the Hub Project. … Nick Iacovella is now director of comms for Coalition for a Prosperous America. He most recently was deputy comms director for Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.). … … David Martin is now manager of government affairs for Harley-Davidson. He previously was manager of government relations at Samsung. … Kara Verma is now legislative assistant for Rep. Josh Harder (D-Calif.). She previously was legislative assistant for Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas). … Eric Pahls and Macauley Thornton are joining Big Dog Strategies. Pahls will open a Kansas City office as VP and previously was campaign manager for Sen. Roger Marshall's 2020 campaign. Thornton will be director of political affairs and is a Trump campaign alum. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) (7-0) … Reps. Warren Davidson (R-Ohio) and Trent Kelly (R-Miss.) … Giulia Giannangeli, legislative director for Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.) … John P. Holdren … Maddison Stone … Stephen Ezell … Vanessa Cadavillo … POLITICO's Lorraine Woellert, Hossein Fard and Ali Taki … Sally Canfield … Vayl Oxford … Nigel Duara … Hannah Klain (3-0) … Cheyenne Klotz … Meghan Milloy … AstraZeneca's Elizabeth Brooks … Elizabeth Rhee … former Sens. John Breaux (D-La.) and Luther Strange (R-Ala.) ... former Reps. Carlos Curbelo (R-Fla.) and Randy Hultgren (R-Ill.) … David Gelsomino … Howard Altman … Jess McCarron … Roll Call's Bridget Bowman … Jonathan Lipman … Sarah Nolan of UChicago … Jonathan Krohn … Medtronic's Adam Brand Got a document to share? A birthday coming up? A tip about Biden's agenda? 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 the American Investment Council: Private equity invested more than $79 billion in U.S. health care throughout 2020 to support the COVID-19 response, fund research into deadly diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, expand and renovate facilities, modernize medical records and health data, and make other needed investments to improve the quality and accessibility of care.
Here are just a few examples:
Riverside-backed InVita provides hospitals with software to manage the collection of blood and plasma samples and to keep track of tissue and other implantable devices.
Bain Capital's Cerevel Therapeutics is developing treatments for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's through a new research partnership with Pfizer.
Carlyle-backed TriNetX provides real time data to more than 170 health care organizations to help them learn more about how drugs interact with patients in hospital and clinical settings. investmentcouncil.org/healthcare | | | | | | | 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 | | | | |
No comments:
Post a Comment