| | | | | |  | | By Rachael Bade, Ryan Lizza, Tara Palmeri and Eugene Daniels | Presented by |  | | | | | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | BREAKING THIS MORNING — The NRCC announced a few minutes ago that it added 10 House Democrats to its list of takeover targets, bringing the total to 57. It's a show of confidence that the 2022 environment is favorable to Republicans, especially post-reapportionment. The additional Democrats they're targeting are AMI BERA (Calif.), JIM COSTA (Calif.), RAUL RUIZ (Calif.), MARIE NEWMAN (Ill.), DAN KILDEE (Mich.), KATHLEEN RICE (N.Y.), PAUL TONKO (N.Y.), JOE MORELLE (N.Y.), BRIAN HIGGINS (N.Y.) and CHRISSY HOULAHAN (Pa.). Yet even as they imagine beating Democrats into the minority, GOP infighting is starting to look like a Mexican standoff scene from a TARANTINO film. … THE LATEST FEUD — TUCKER VS. MCCARTHY: For the second consecutive show, TUCKER CARLSON went after KEVIN MCCARTHY on Monday night. The Fox News host hit the GOP House leader over his close relationship with FRANK LUNTZ, a longtime GOP pollster and consultant who's worked for numerous corporate clients, and said in mid-February there "isn't a shred of hope" for DONALD TRUMP to re-enter politics after Jan. 6. Carlson reported that McCarthy rents space in Luntz's Penn Quarter penthouse, questioning whether that arrangement is allowed. McCarthy's staff confirmed their roommate status in a statement to the network, though wouldn't say how much he pays in rent. That's beside the point, Carlson argued: "Now you know why they listen to Frank Luntz but they don't listen to you!" Here's the full clip ADDING TO THE INTRIGUE: Carlson noted that Luntz and McCarthy's "Odd Couple" arrangement was not something he just stumbled upon on his own but was leaked to Fox by a knowledgeable unnamed source. Hmm. To summarize: The star of Republicans' network of choice is being fed oppo about and is denouncing the man who wants to be speaker of the House. Not good for McCarthy, who, if the GOP takes back the House, will need 218 votes to secure the gavel. Remember what happened last time he went for it. We reached out to the typically loquacious Luntz on Monday night, but no word back yet. McCarthy's office also did not respond to a request for comment. Read below for the latest in the LIZ CHENEY-McCarthy saga … Meanwhile, Trump went after Sen. MITT ROMNEY (R-Utah) again in one of those new post-presidency press releases he sends out that don't seem to land the same way as the old tweets: "So nice to see RINO Mitt Romney booed off the stage at the Utah Republican State Convention. They are among the earliest to have figured this guy out, a stone cold loser!" We'll know tomorrow if Trump can start posting these sick burns on Facebook again. The WSJ explains how the decision will be made. | | A message from Blue Cross Blue Shield Association: Expanding and enhancing the Affordable Care Act will help cover everyone and make health care more equitable. To achieve universal coverage, we must: close the low-income coverage gap, permanently adjust tax credits and boost enrollment and outreach. See how. | | | Good Tuesday morning. Remember BAILEY the dog? After his star turn on the campaign trail a year ago, he reemerged Monday when Sen. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-Mass.) posted a video of her feeding him a burrito for his birthday. Cute! Yet vaguely disturbing. … Why would someone give their dog a fully wrapped burrito? Thanks for reading Playbook, where we never rarely feud. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza, Tara Palmeri. Other headlines: THE GATESES CALL IT QUITS — "Bill and Melinda Gates Are Divorcing After 27 Years of Marriage," NYT: "For decades, Mr. and Ms. Gates have been powerful forces on the world stage, their vast charitable contributions affording them access to the highest levels of government, business and the nonprofit sector. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, with an endowment of some $50 billion, has had immense influence in fields like global health and early-childhood education, and has made great strides in reducing deaths caused by malaria and other infectious diseases. "Over the past year, the couple have been especially visible, regularly commenting on the worldwide fight against Covid-19 as their foundation spent more than $1 billion to combat the pandemic." @megankstack: "Sometimes there's that one small detail about a famous person that sticks with you for years and for me it's been that Bill Gates negotiated into his marriage the right to take an annual beach house weekend with his ex-girlfriend." It's true. UPON FURTHER REVIEW — "Biden White House reverses on its refugee cap reversal," by Laura Barrón-López, Nahal Toosi and Natasha Korecki: "Biden once again set a 62,500 cap on refugees allowed into the United States for the rest of this fiscal year, the White House announced on Monday. The number delivers on an increase Biden initially promised in February, though still falls short of what he had pledged during the campaign. It marks a stunning and rapid turnaround after the White House said several weeks ago it would keep the number of refugees allowed into the United States at a historic low of 15,000 — a ceiling first implemented by President Donald Trump." Says Laura: This is the first big about-face of Biden's presidency. It will help him repair damage with Democrats and refugee resettlement agencies who blasted the president for initially keeping the Trump-era limit in place. | | | | A message from Blue Cross Blue Shield Association:   Improving coverage, cost and equity. See how we can build on what we have to cover everyone. | | | ATTN. PARENTS OF ADOLESCENTS — NYT: "The Food and Drug Administration is preparing to authorize use of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine in adolescents 12 to 15 years old by early next week." INFLATION WATCH — WARREN BUFFETT: "We are seeing very substantial inflation." BIDEN'S TUESDAY — The president will receive the President's Daily Brief at 10:15 a.m. He'll deliver remarks at 2:30 p.m. about the pandemic response and vaccination campaign. — VP KAMALA HARRIS will speak to the Washington Conference on the Americas at 9:35 a.m. She'll leave at 10:55 a.m. for Milwaukee, where she'll see clean energy labs at the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee at 1 p.m. Central time. At 1:50 p.m., she'll take part in a roundtable discussion of the American Jobs Plan and R&D investments. She'll leave for Washington at 4:50 p.m. Central time. — Press secretary JEN PSAKI will brief at 12:30 p.m. THE HOUSE will meet at 10 a.m. A.G. MERRICK GARLAND will testify before an Appropriations subcommittee at 10 a.m. But no votes. THE SENATE is out. | | | | SUBSCRIBE TO "THE RECAST" TODAY: Power is shifting in Washington and in communities across the country. More people are demanding a seat at the table, insisting that politics is personal and not all policy is equitable. The Recast is a twice-weekly newsletter that explores the changing power dynamics in Washington and breaks down how race and identity are recasting politics and policy in America. Get fresh insights, scoops and dispatches on this crucial intersection from across the country and hear critical new voices that challenge business as usual. Don't miss out, SUBSCRIBE . Thank you to our sponsor, Intel. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | | 
PHOTO OF THE DAY: President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden meet with former President Jimmy Carter and former first lady Rosalynn Carter in Plans, Ga., in a photo shared by the Carter Center on Monday. | Courtesy of the Carter Center | CONGRESS 'A LINE THAT CANNOT BE CROSSED' — CNN's Jamie Gangel and Michael Warren have the latest scoop out of Cheney world. The No. 3 House Republican told donors at a Georgia-based AEI event alongside former Speaker PAUL RYAN on Monday that Trump crossed a line on Jan. 6 — and the party can't just "whitewash" what he did. Here's the quote: "We can't embrace the notion the election is stolen. It's a poison in the bloodstream of our democracy. We can't whitewash what happened on Jan. 6 or perpetuate Trump's big lie. It is a threat to democracy. What he did on Jan. 6 is a line that cannot be crossed." We reached out to the former speaker for comment on this and to see if he has a take on Cheney's situation. He declined through staff to weigh in and instead referred back to previous comments supporting her. Cheney has been making these sorts of quips now for months. So what was McCarthy's final straw? It's a question that plenty of Republicans are asking privately right now, given that multiple sources say he's done with her. Two theories on this are making the rounds: — One is that Cheney's rebuke of Trump during the GOP retreat last week — delivered in front of other rank-and-file members at a press conference — sent many Republicans over the edge. In the background of the media avail, you could see Reps. DREW FERGUSON (Ga.), RICHARD HUDSON (N.C.) and MIKE JOHNSON (La.) all awkwardly standing there as she upbraided the former president. — The other theory is a bit more interesting: You might have missed it, but last week Cheney seemed to endorse the idea of a 9/11-style commission to investigate Jan. 6. Her move came after Speaker NANCY PELOSI agreed to give equal subpoena power and representation to both parties. McCarthy has been notably holding out on making a deal, pushing Pelosi to expand the probe to include extremism on the left, too. The reality is that any bipartisan commission on Jan. 6 would almost certainly include a subpoena of McCarthy, whose call with Trump will become a central focus of any investigation. That would put McCarthy in a tough spot, forced to recount on record things Trump may not want out there. Some Republicans believe Cheney's endorsement of the commission — undercutting McCarthy's position — put him over the edge. THE SHADOW CONFERENCE CHAIR? — As House Republicans agitate against Cheney, our Mel Zanona profiles a potential replacement: Republican Study Committee Chair JIM BANKS (R-Ind.). As Mel reports, Banks has been running something of a shadow messaging operation from his perch as the head of the largest GOP caucus. He's been pushing out talking points that are different from Cheney's, and stirring the pot a little as he seeks to bigfoot her on messaging. He's even apparently modeled weekly conference-wide newsletters after POLITICO Playbook, serving up a mix of buzz and personality. (Don't press your luck, congressman; we're one of a kind.) He's got McCarthy's ear and respect. And several of his predecessors — including STEVE SCALISE and TOM PRICE — used the post as a jumping-off point for a leadership bid (some more successful than others …). The question for Banks will be timing: Does he want to run now? Or serve out his term as RSC chairman first? More from Mel about Banks' audition for the job NEAL STANDS HIS GROUND — "Congress' top tax man won't be a blank check for Biden," by Brian Faler: "Even as many of his colleagues rally around the cause of sticking it to the rich, House Ways and Means Chair RICHARD NEAL (D-Mass.) remains wary. He isn't necessarily opposed to requiring the well-to-do to pay more, but he also isn't convinced that Democrats' need to fully pay for their plans with tax increases, especially when super-low interest rates mean the government can borrow cheaply. "Neal has his own list of priorities that could end up squeezing out some of the administration's proposals. Among them: making Democrats' recent expansions of tax breaks for average Americans permanent; reviving the Obama-era Build America Bonds program; and creating a new payroll tax to subsidize the wages of daycare workers. "All of that underscores how Democrats have a lot of differences they need to work out, and that Biden's proposal is merely the starting point in what's likely to be months of negotiations." PAGING ELIZABETH MACDONOUGH — "Schumer Readies Plan B to Push Immigration Changes Unilaterally," NYT POLICY CORNER IMMIGRATION FILES — "Alejandra Juarez returning to Central Florida 3 years after traumatic deportation to Mexico," Orlando Sentinel: "After three years of being separated from her Davenport family, ALEJANDRA JUAREZ is coming home. Juarez is the wife of a U.S. Marine veteran whose traumatic deportation scene at Orlando International Airport in 2018 made headlines worldwide. On Monday, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security granted her a temporary reprieve known as humanitarian parole. … "'This is the moment I've been waiting for,' Juarez told the Orlando Sentinel in an exclusive interview. 'Once inside, I'm going to keep fighting and hopefully there's a way I can find a permanent solution, but this is great!'" MILLEY CHANGES HIS TUNE — "Top general drops opposition to change in sex assault policy," AP: " [MARK] MILLEY said he is now open to considering [a proposal to take decisions on sexual assault prosecution out of the hands of commanders] because the problem of sexual assault in the military has persisted despite other efforts to solve it. … The comments by Milley, as arguably the most influential officer and as the senior military adviser to Defense Secretary LLOYD AUSTIN and Biden, are likely to carry considerable weight among the service chiefs and add to momentum for the change." GITMO LATEST — "U.S. Captured, Tortured, and Cleared Him. He's Still in GITMO," The Daily Beast: "As the Biden administration performs the latest government review into closing Guantanamo, attorneys for Husayn, better known as ABU ZUBAYDAH, have decided they've waited long enough. They filed a petition on Friday with the U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention seeking his release from his 19 years of captivity." | | | |   | | | MEDIAWATCH STEPPING IN IT — "How three major news organizations all got a story about Rudy Giuliani wrong," WaPo: " [DEAN] BAQUET said the Times reporters scrambled to match what appeared to be a major [RUDY] GIULIANI scoop from The Washington Post's after it was published on Thursday. 'I think we all tend to drop our guard when we get beat and are trying to catch up,' he said. 'We need to grill sources more to make sure we understand exactly what they're confirming. We've all discussed it, corrected it, and we need to do better. Dealing with anonymous sources in law enforcement and intelligence is always hard.'" POLITICS ROUNDUP MAGA V. MAGA — "Bad blood: Pro-Trump megadonors duke it out in Cornhusker country," by Alex Isenstadt. "Republican megadonor and Nebraska gubernatorial candidate Charles Herbster was there at the beginning of the Donald Trump era and the end — when the ex-president first came down the Trump Tower escalator to announce his campaign, and at the rally that preceded the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection. "Herbster — who's tapped former Trump lieutenants KELLYANNE CONWAY and COREY LEWANDOWSKI to help run his campaign — could hardly have a more important friend as he tries to launch a political career in a deep-red state. But he'd also be hard-pressed to pick a more formidable adversary: current Republican Gov. PETE RICKETTS, another wealthy, more recent Trump ally who's determined to keep Herbster out of power. "Ricketts, who is term-limited and not running for reelection, has repeatedly accused the candidate's agricultural company of shipping jobs out-of-state — a charge Herbster flatly denies. The governor's team is promoting his attacks on Herbster through social media. And Ricketts' longtime political adviser, JESSICA FLANAGAIN, has signed on with a Herbster primary opponent, millionaire hog farmer JIM PILLEN, providing an early clue as to whom the governor may support." DEEP DIVE OF THE MORNING — NYT's Elaina Plott: "The G.O.P. Won It All in Texas. Then It Turned on Itself." JENNER'S FIRST TOWN HALL — "Caitlyn Jenner sitdown with Hannity will be 'town hall' event in Malibu." by Carla Marinucci: "While [CAITLYN] JENNER will likely focus on Democratic Gov. GAVIN NEWSOM, she must also compete with three more experienced Republican recall candidates so far, including former San Diego Mayor KEVIN FAULCONER, businessman JOHN COX and former Rep. DOUG OSE." DESANTIS PUTS A STOP TO COVID RESTRICTIONS — "DeSantis suspends all local COVID orders, signs bill handcuffing cities, counties on future restrictions," Orlando Sentinel DESSERT LEDE OF THE DAY — Columbus Dispatch: "On the same day a distracted driving bill was introduced, state Sen. ANDREW BRENNER, R-Delaware, participated in a government video meeting while driving. "'I wasn't distracted. I was paying attention to the driving and listening to it (the meeting,)' Brenner said. 'I had two meetings that were back to back that were in separate locations. And I've actually been on other calls, numerous calls, while driving. Phone calls for the most part but on video calls, I'm not paying attention to the video. To me, it's like a phone call.'" The guy sounds like a skilled politician. TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES — "House hearing forced to recess as 'Galaxy Quest,' 'Down Periscope' play in background," Roll Call: "As Rep. MARCY KAPTUR began Monday's House Appropriations subcommittee hearing, she seemed completely unaware of the peril the crew of the USS Stingray was in. Unbeknownst to Kaptur and the other lawmakers participating in Monday's hearing, the audio from a movie — 1996's 'Down Periscope,' starring KELSEY GRAMMER as a disliked Navy officer who leads a crew of misfits in hijinks on the high seas amid some wargames — was playing over the congressional livestream. As the meeting began, the critically disdained movie was reaching its climax. "After the movie ended, the hearing continued with Rep. KIM SCHRIER, D-Wash., testifying over a soundtrack of 'In the Navy' by the Village People. And that's when 'Galaxy Quest' began." Video of some of the chaos | | | | JOIN TODAY FOR A CONVERSATION ON SMALL BUSINESSES AFTER COVID-19: About one in six small businesses in the U.S. closed their doors since the pandemic began. The ones that remained open are getting by with fewer employees after laying off workers or a hiring freeze. What is ahead for small businesses in 2021 as they try to weather the ongoing economic uncertainty? And how does President Biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package intend to support small-business owners? Join POLITICO for a virtual conversation with White House economic adviser Jared Bernstein and Joyce Beatty, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, on what small businesses need to survive and thrive beyond the Covid economic crisis. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | SPOTTED: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at Palm Beach hotspot Le Bilboquet — known for its champagne bottle sparklers — in a private room with a small group. … D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, Nats' Ryan Zimmerman and many others at the soft opening mock service for Dauphine's at 15th & L. MEDIAWATCH — Kristin Donnelly has been named executive producer for CNN's "Inside Politics with John King." She most recently was senior broadcast producer for "The Lead with Jake Tapper," and is an NBC alum. Her predecessor, Jess Metzger, who is heading for new pastures, will be sorely missed by all the show's contributors. … John Schwartz will join the faculty of the University of Texas at Austin's School of Journalism and Media. He currently is a science writer covering climate change at the NYT. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — The House Foreign Affairs GOP is announcing several new staffers and positions: Yimmi Fontenot as deputy press secretary (previously an intern for Texas Rep. Michael Cloud), Ana Quintana as a professional staff member for the Western Hemisphere (previously at the Heritage Foundation), Cart Weiland as senior counsel (previously at State), Taryn Woody as special assistant to the staff director (previously at the Professional Services Council) and Lauren Gillespie moving up to be director of member services and coalitions. — Emily Singer is now director of federal affairs at Berkshire Hathaway Energy. She most recently was counselor to the secretary of Energy. — Jonathan Moak is now VP for strategy and business development at Salesforce. He most recently was acting assistant secretary of the Army for financial management and comptroller. — Kristen Smith is now SVP for health policy and public affairs at Edelman. She most recently was global policy senior communicator at Caterpillar, and is an Aetna and George W. Bush administration alum. TRANSITIONS — Matt Gruda is now political director for Sen. Marco Rubio's (R-Fla.) reelect. He most recently was campaign manager for Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) and is a SLF/Crossroads brands alum. … Jonathan Eberle is now press secretary for Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-Mont.). He previously was digital director for Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.). … Ben Steinhafel is now director of policy and external affairs at the Center for Telehealth and E-Health Law. He previously was a legislative analyst on OPM's congressional affairs team, and is a Jim Sensenbrenner and Paul Ryan alum. … … Anthony "Tony" Zagotta is joining Strategic Elements as strategic alliance partner. He previously was president of Integrated Legislative Strategies and also is CEO of Forza Strategic Partners. … Liza White is now PAC Director for the National Shooting Sports Foundation. She previously was an SVP at Grand Valley Consulting. … Robert Allegrini is now president of the National Italian American Foundation. He previously was VP of comms for the Americas at Hilton and has been a NIAF board member since 2007. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas) … former Sen. Doug Jones (D-Ala.) … National Association of Manufacturers' Jay Timmons … George Will (8-0) … Mitchell Rivard of Rep. Dan Kildee's (D-Mich.) office … Eliot Nelson … Reuters' Ted Hesson … Kelly Love … Shana Mansbach of Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office … Allison Bormel … Todd Stern of Brookings … Siobhan Steel … CNN's Polson Kanneth … Ellen Qualls … Stat's Erin Mershon … Jason Kander … Cyrus Pearson of the Senate Republican Conference … Andy Karellas … Katie Bartizal of Rep. Elissa Slotkin's (D-Mich.) office … Katy Quinn … Sara-Paige Silvestro of Sen. Bob Casey's (D-Pa.) office … John R. Gagain Jr. … former Rep. Colleen Hanabusa (D-Hawaii) (7-0) … Nancy Ayers … Black Rock Group's Charlotte McCoy … Akmal Ali … Terrell Halaska of HCM Strategists … Steve Rosenberg … WaPo's Kathy O'Hearn … Michael Bromberg … Kristin Engdahl Zipay of the Association of American Medical Colleges … James Conlon (26) … Megan Stackhouse of "Today" show comms 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 Blue Cross Blue Shield Association: Everyone should have access to health care, no matter who you are, where you live or what your health condition may be. See how Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies are working to improve health and expand access to high-quality care. | | | | | | | 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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