Wednesday, April 21, 2021

The verdict: A rush of relief as eyes turn to Congress

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Apr 21, 2021 View in browser
 
POLITICO Playbook

By Eugene Daniels, Tara Palmeri, Rachael Bade and Ryan Lizza

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DRIVING THE DAY

A personal reflection from Eugene to start us off this morning …

For four straight nights after GEORGE FLOYD was murdered by DEREK CHAUVIN, I cried myself to a fitful sleep. One of those mornings, I woke up heaving and sweating through my clothes. Like millions around the world, I watched the killing of Floyd over and over again — on cable news, on Twitter, on Facebook and in my own head. It was too much.

Every Black person I know was feeling the same. It was a reminder of many interactions we've had with police. Every time we've been asked, "What are you doing in this neighborhood?" Or when we've called our moms after getting stopped by police, or been terrified that the wrong placement of a hand or a reach for the glove compartment might be it.

After Floyd's killing, I watched as people I never thought would speak out against racism, implicit bias and the like took to the streets to protest.

As the trial unfolded on TV the past several weeks, we wondered whether the video recorded by a teenager named DARNELLA FRAZIER that launched months of marches would be enough. As the verdict was read Tuesday — guilty on all counts — crowds outside the courthouse cheered and chanted.

They and I felt a wave of relief. For a moment, I thought, this could be a turning point for treatment of Black people by police, before being reminded that this is just one case. And an extraordinary one at that — with a nearly 10-minute video of the crime as well as the defendant's fellow police officers, including the chief of police, taking the stand to confirm that Chauvin violated department policies on use of force.

President JOE BIDEN and VP KAMALA HARRIS promised the Floyd family and the nation that the verdict was just a first step. But it's now in Congress' hands, not exactly a confidence-inspiring group for people hoping to see reform.

On Capitol Hill, lawmakers in both parties said Tuesday night they want to see police reform move forward. But as our Burgess Everett, Marianne LeVine and Nicholas Wu write, Republicans and Democrats are at loggerheads over what that looks like.

The House-passed George Floyd Justice in Policing Act won't attract the 10 Senate Republicans needed because it would eliminate qualified immunity, which shields police officers from lawsuits. And the GOP's top policing proposal, authored by Sen. TIM SCOTT (R-S.C.), the only Black Senate Republican, has been panned as toothless by Democrats.

Scott, Rep. KAREN BASS (D-Calif.) and Sen. CORY BOOKER (D-N.J.) have been talking privately on this issue for a while, and those conversations are expected to heat up now. But one person familiar with the ongoing negotiations admitted Bass' late-May timeline for sending Biden a bill is very ambitious. "Everyone is approaching this with a healthy dose of skepticism," this person told us. "We are cautiously optimistic."

A message from Climate Power:

What does getting America back to work look like? Building 500,000 electric vehicle charging stations. Upgrading 4 million buildings to be energy efficient. Manufacturing 70 million electric vehicles in the USA by 2030. Learn more.

 

More Chauvin verdict reads …

— Two good look-aheads: "Chauvin is guilty. Now comes the hard road ahead," by Brakkton Booker, the author of The Recast, POLITICO's new newsletter on race and identity … "The Death of George Floyd Reignited a Movement. What Happens Now?" NYT

— Jelani Cobb talks to David Remnick: "The Significance of the Derek Chauvin Verdict," The New Yorker

POLITICO Magazine surveys 21 experts on what it meant

The moment Biden and Harris called the family

The NANCY PELOSI comment that made people cringe and the cleanup

Pic and videos captured by our SARAH FERRIS and CBS' ALAN HE of Congressional Black Caucus members, huddled around a laptop and a member's cell phone, watching the Chauvin verdict come down.

Good Wednesday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza, Tara Palmeri.

JOIN US — A day after testifying before the Senate about the Biden administration's $2 trillion infrastructure and climate plan, Commerce Secretary GINA RAIMONDO will join RYAN and EUGENE today at 1:30 p.m. to discuss the plan's prospects. They'll also cover Biden's relationship with corporate America, the administration's milestones as it approaches the 100-day mark and what to expect from Biden's address to Congress. Register here to watch live

 

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BIDEN'S WEDNESDAY — The president will receive the President's Daily Brief at 9:50 a.m. He'll deliver remarks about the pandemic response and the state of vaccinations at 1:15 p.m.

— Happening at noon: Leaders of the New Democrat Coalition will meet with RON KLAIN, STEVE RICHETTI and LOUISA TERRELL, one day after the moderate Blue Dogs, another centrist coalition, did the same. (Here's a shot of Blue Dog leaders — Reps. ED CASE, STEPHANIE MURPHY, TOM O'HALLERAN and KURT SCHRADER — coming out of the West Wing.) Today's attendees include: coalition chair SUZAN DELBENE and leadership team ANNIE KUSTER, SCOTT PETERS, SHARICE DAVIDS, CHRISSY HOULAHAN, DEREK KILMER and KATHY MANNING.

— Press secretary JEN PSAKI will brief at 12:15 p.m.

THE SENATE is in session. The Commerce Committee will hold a hearing at 10 a.m. on nominees including BILL NELSON for NASA administrator and LINA KHAN for FTC commissioner.

THE HOUSE will meet at noon, with votes on several bills expected between 3:45 p.m. and 6:45 p.m. EPA Administrator MICHAEL REGAN and HUD Secretary MARCIA FUDGE will testify before Appropriations subcommittees at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., respectively. The Administration Committee will hold a hearing at 2 p.m. about Jan. 6, with Capitol Police IG MICHAEL BOLTON testifying.

 

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PLAYBOOK READS

Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) are pictured taking a selfie. | Seung Min Kim/WaPo

PHOTO OF THE DAY: Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) take a selfie in their 4/20 themed face masks. | Seung Min Kim/WaPo

THE REFUGEE FIASCO

WAPO AND POLITICO GET THE GOODS — "'The wheels fell off': How Biden's misgivings on border surge upended plan on refugees," WaPo: "President Biden overruled his top foreign policy and national security aides, including Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN, when he kept in place the Trump administration's record low cap … Biden harbored concerns about what the sharp increase in migrants at the southern border meant for the government's capacity to handle an influx of refugees from elsewhere …

"In the end, the president's own misgivings fueled the decision more than anything else … The president was particularly frustrated by the government's struggle to deal with unaccompanied minors at the border and became increasingly concerned about the Office of Refugee Resettlement's response to the crisis … Those concerns are also likely to inform where the president lands with a revised figure for refugee admissions."

"'Gasoline on top of that fire': Why the White House wanted to avoid the refugee issue," by Natasha Korecki and Laura Barrón-López: "Avoiding an escalation of conservative attacks against President Joe Biden's immigration policies was one of the factors the White House considered when it initially decided to keep his predecessor's controversial cap on refugees."

THE WHITE HOUSE

IMMIGRATION TRIPLE LINDY — "Biden's open to doing immigration through reconciliation, Hispanic lawmakers say," by Laura Barrón-López and Nicholas Wu: "[Biden] left the impression that it would not just be a portion of his upcoming address to a joint session of Congress, but that he'd support moving immigration measures through budget rules allowing a simple majority vote in the Senate.

"'Biden said that he generally 'supports passing certain immigration reforms by reconciliation if we can't get the 10 Republican votes,' [Rep. DARREN] SOTO (D-Fla.) said after the meeting, referring to the number of GOP votes needed in the Senate to meet the 60-vote threshold required for most legislation. 'And he would make a statement in the State of the Union.'"

Rachael says: After the parliamentarian ruled against doing a minimum wage hike via reconciliation, it's hard to see how immigration reform would pass muster. But it's a no-cost move for Biden to try: It will win him chits with the base while letting the parliamentarian be the bearer of bad news.

PONYING UP TO THE NEW PRESIDENT — "Corporate America boosts Biden's inaugural committee," by Theo Meyer: "Many of them opened up their checkbooks for Biden's inaugural committee, helping him raise more than $61 million to fund his largely virtual festivities. The list included companies with major business before the federal government — on everything from taxes to regulations — such as Uber, Lockheed Martin, Comcast, AT&T, Bank of America, Pfizer and Qualcomm, all of which gave the maximum $1 million."

FORBES: "Bill Gates, Ken Griffin Among Billionaire Donors To President Biden's Inaugural Committee"

CONGRESS

THE DAILY MARJORIE — DCCC Chair SEAN PATRICK MALONEY (D-N.Y.) is calling on Republican leaders and the NRCC to reject a $175,000 pledged donation from lightning rod Rep. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE following the latest controversies surrounding the Georgia Republican.

After the Chauvin verdict Tuesday night, MTG took to Twitter to claim Black Lives Matter "has now proven itself to be the most powerful domestic [terrorist] organization in our country." SPM quickly sent Playbook his reaction to what the DCCC called "her racist rhetoric … attacking Black activists that have marched against police violence" — and calling on House Minority Leader KEVIN MCCARTHY and NRCC Chair TOM EMMER (R-Minn.) to return the money.

"In her brief time as a Republican star," the DCCC chief wrote, "she has peddled QAnon inspired conspiracies, promoted rhetoric that egged on the insurrection at the United States Capitol, planned a white supremacist caucus in Congress, and tweeted a racist statement in the wake of the Derek Chauvin verdict. While Democrats are fighting for racial justice, Republicans continue to let Taylor Greene's disgraceful actions go unpunished."

Meanwhile, Forbes' Andrew Solender is reporting that Rep. JIMMY GOMEZ (D-Calif.) is once again talking about pushing his resolution to expel Greene. Leadership talked him down from forcing the vote a while back, but after Republicans went after Rep. MAXINE WATERS (D-Calif.) this week, Gomez is apparently feeling emboldened to try again.

ICYMI — "House rejects GOP attempt to censure Rep. Maxine Waters over remarks about Chauvin trial," WaPo

 

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INFRASTRUCTURE YEAR

GOP TO LAY DOWN A MARKER — "GOP senators float $600-800 billion infrastructure counteroffer," by Tanya Snyder, Marianne LeVine and Burgess Everett: "[Sen. SHELLEY MOORE] CAPITO proposed paying for the plan with user fees that would extend to electric and hydrogen-powered cars, which don't pay gas taxes but which as yet make up a vanishingly small minority of vehicles on the road, and with money left over from the Covid relief package, people in the [GOP lunch] meeting said. Public-private partnerships would also be a component of the plan."

SEN. ROB PORTMAN'S TAKE: "Tax Hikes Will Stifle the Recovery," WSJ

POLICY CORNER

PRE-SUMMIT READING — "Biden readies ambitious pitch to make the U.S. the global climate leader," by Zack Colman: "The U.S. officials have a lot of ground to make up after years of the federal inaction, and Biden has pushed his team led by [JOHN] KERRY and national climate adviser GINA MCCARTHY to move quickly by organizing the global summit less than 100 days into his tenure. That scramble has left a lot of questions circulating about exactly what to expect from the speeches from the 40 nations invited to participate in the virtual event Thursday and Friday."

HEY NOW, YOU'RE AN ALL STAR — "Biden assembled an all-star climate team. Now he has to deliver," by Michael Grunwald: "It's often said in Washington that personnel is policy, and it would be hard for the president not to push the climate envelope after hiring so many envelope-pushers. If Biden has recruited the climate equivalent of America's 1992 Olympic 'Dream Team' — as ALI ZAIDI, McCarthy's deputy, describes it — his Michael Jordans and Charles Barkleys will all expect to hoop. …

"There just isn't much subtlety about the Biden team's enthusiasm for climate action. … Team members say their meetings are a bit surreal — not only because they're all virtual, but because the participants all understand without ever saying so explicitly that their goal is decarbonizing the country. … To Washington Republicans, all this unabashed green cheerleading reflects a liberal government stocked with radical ideologues by a supposedly moderate president."

BEYOND THE BELTWAY

IN OHIO — "Columbus police release body camera footage in shooting of 16-year-old Ma'Khia Bryant," Columbus Dispatch: "The video shows an officer approaching a driveway with a group of young people standing there. In the video, it appears that the 16-year-old, identified now as Ma'Khia Bryant, who was moments later shot by police, pushes or swings at a person, who falls to the ground. Bryant then appears to swing a knife at a girl who is on the hood of a car, and the officer fires his weapon what sounds like four times, striking Bryant, who died a short time later."

IN MISSOURI — Our Alex Isenstadt reports that "MARK MCCLOSKEY, the gun-toting St. Louis attorney who drew headlines last year for brandishing an assault rifle at Black Lives Matter protesters — says he's looking at running for Missouri's open Senate seat."

TED KENNEDY'S LEGACY — "A 'Fundamental' Shift: Harvard Institute of Politics Marred by Tensions, Turnover as Kennedy School Asserts Increase," The Harvard Crimson: "Held up as a model and copied at more than a dozen universities nationwide, the IOP has a rich history as a non-academic institute focused on providing public service opportunities to undergraduates — despite its home within the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, a graduate school. Its John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum events and study groups with fellows allow undergraduates to rub shoulders with some of the nation's top political figures, while other programs offer College students public service leadership and volunteer opportunities.

"Historic Kennedy family documents never previously made public reveal, though, that there have long been fears that the IOP's placement within the Kennedy School could jeopardize its independence and undergraduate-focused mission."

 

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PLAYBOOKERS

SPOTTEDS: A sign that D.C. is coming back to life: Symone Sanders brunching, maskless and fully vaccinated, at the Blue Duck Tavern on Sunday with CNN's Abby Phillip, businesswoman Lauren Leslie Wilson, 1063 West Broad founder Alencia Johnson, Bonnti CEO Maude Okrah and publicist Mercy Chikowore. Instapic … Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), known for her flamboyant style, coming out of the senators' briefing on Afghanistan wearing gold knee-high go-go boots and a mini-skirt... Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) at dinner at O-Ku. Pic

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — The DSCC is staffing up its comms shop for the 2022 cycle: David Bergstein as comms director, Stewart Boss and Amanda Sherman Baity as senior comms strategists, Jazmin Vargas as national press secretary and Shea Necheles as deputy press secretary. Bergstein most recently was at the DNC, Sherman Baity most recently was on M.J. Hegar's Texas Senate campaign, and Vargas is currently press secretary for Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.); Boss and Necheles were already at the DSCC.

— Derek Harley is joining the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress as GOP staff director. He most recently was SVP of federal affairs at Shumaker Advisors Ohio, and is a Brad Wenstrup and Wally Herger alum.

STAFFING UP — Caroline Ciccone has been appointed comms director at the Office of Personnel Management. She most recently was executive director of Accountable.US, and is an Obama SBA alum.

TRANSITIONS — Jess Smith will be chief of staff for Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.). She most recently was COO of J Street, and is a DOJ, FEMA and Jim Webb alum. … Aquila Powell is now a managing director at Prime Policy Group. She most recently was senior director at Acreage Holdings and VP at the Cannabis Trade Federation. Jahan Wilcox has launched JRW Strategies. He most recently was comms director for Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.) and is an EPA alum. …

… Erica Borghard is now senior fellow for technology and international affairs at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and is still a senior director on the Cyberspace Solarium Commission. She most recently was senior fellow for the New American Engagement Initiative at the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security at the Atlantic Council. … Justin Sykes will be associate director for the Southeast region at the American Petroleum Institute, based in North Carolina. He currently is senior manager of government relations at American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers.

HOT JOB ALERT from Forbes' @AndrewSolender: "Capitol Police searching for a permanent chief, accepting applications through May 17." The job posting

BURNOUT ON THE HILL — "Capitol Hill staffers are burned out and heading for the exits after a hellish year bookmarked by a pandemic and an insurrection," Insider: "Staffers at all levels, from fellows to chiefs of staff and everyone in between, have struggled with burnout, several current and former employees told Insider. They described the line between their work and personal lives, already razor thin prior to the pandemic, being completely obliterated by remote work."

MEDIAWATCH — The new season of Slate's "Slow Burn" podcast launches today, hosted by Noreen Malone, on the road to the Iraq War. It'll include interviews with Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Franklin Miller, Tom Daschle, Rend al-Rahim Francke, Dan Rather, Bill Kristol, Ann Curry, Bob Baer, Kanan Makiya and more.

WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Kayla Tausche, senior White House correspondent for CNBC, and Jeff Izant, assistant U.S. attorney for the district of Maryland, on Monday welcomed Grace Lincoln Izant, who came in at 7 lbs, 8 oz. Pic

— Chris Benderev, a reporter and producer at NPR, and Maddie Benderev, senior manager of digital strategy at Zero to Three, welcomed Daniel Nicholas Benderev on April 10. Pic

— Jessica Monahan, policy adviser at Arnold & Porter, and Matt Monahan, managing director at KPMG, welcomed Luke Joseph Monahan on April 13.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: NYT's Jodi Kantor … Queen Elizabeth II (95) … Ken DubersteinSaagar EnjetiMatt RiveraFelix Salmon of Axios and the "Slate Money" podcast … Farmer Mac's Greg LyonsCollin O'Mara of the National Wildlife Federation … Jay Cranford of CGCN Group … Will Boyington Brad Cheney of the Majority Group … WSJ's Katherine Finnerty … Mercury's Jon ReinishPaige ReffeSteven ChlapeckaEric WeisbrodPaul Haenle of the Carnegie-Tsinghua Center … Dominic BelloneHarry L. Williams of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund … Chuck ColbertMarty Steinberg … POLITICO's Gloria Gonzalez and Amanda HayesTerrence Clark Craig Johnson of Long Point Advisors (5-0)

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 Climate Power:

Calling all builders, roofers, engineers, electricians, accountants, researchers and teachers. Our country needs you.

We can invest in millions of good-paying union jobs across the country. Clean energy is the fastest growing industry in America and provides a huge opportunity to help rebuild the middle class. Plus, it's cheaper than fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas -- and it's already saving families money.

We must take immediate action and make big investments in good-paying clean energy jobs to give our economy the boost it needs.

Learn more about how we build back better.

 
 

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