| | | | | |  | | By Caitlin Oprysko | Presented by Facebook | With Daniel Lippman GARDNER LANDS ON K STREET: Former Sen. Cory Gardner, who lost reelection last fall, has joined the board of Michael Best Strategies, the lobbying firm run by former RNC Chair and White House chief of staff Reince Priebus . The Colorado Republican, who chaired the Senate GOP's campaign arm during the 2018 midterms, "will greatly benefit Michael Best Strategies as we continue to deepen our leadership and advisory positions with former lawmakers," Priebus said in a statement announcing Gardner's hiring. He'll work on "business development and public policy" for the firm, "while providing strategic advice and counsel to clients." The firm did not return a request for comment about whether Gardner would register to lobby when his two-year ban on lobbying the House and Senate lifts. | | | | SUBSCRIBE TO WEST WING PLAYBOOK: Add West Wing Playbook to keep up with the power players, latest policy developments and intriguing whispers percolating inside the West Wing and across the highest levels of the Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today. | | | | | — Gardner is only the latest lawmaker who left office in January to wind up on K Street. Former Rep. John Shimkus (R-Ill.) joined the lobbying shop KBS Group earlier this week, and his former Senate colleagues Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) and Doug Jones (D-Ala.) have landed at Capitol Counsel and Arent Fox, respectively. Former House Ag Chair Mike Conaway (R-Texas) started his own lobbying shop since leaving office, and former House Energy and Commerce Chair Greg Walden (R-Ore.) formed his own consultancy, while former Rep. Pete Olson (R-Texas) joined Hance Scarborough and former Rep. Bradley Byrne (R-Ala.) rejoined his old firm Adams and Reese earlier this year. None of the former lawmakers, who are subject to "cooling off" periods before lobbying their former colleagues, have registered to lobby. AFGHAN PRESIDENT ENLISTS SQUIRE PATTON BOGGS FOR HELP GETTING FACE TIME ON THE HILL: Ahead of his trip to the White House on Friday and September's rapidly approaching U.S. troop withdrawal, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has tapped Squire Patton Boggs for help arranging meetings on the Hill and in Washington, D.C., in general, according to documents filed with the Justice Department this week. The documents offered few details about the contract's worth or duration, but the team includes Jack Deschauer, Squire's defense practice head, as well as Robert Kapla, Thomas Andrews, David Stewart and Rodney Emery. — The visit from Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah, chair of Afghanistan's High Council for National Reconciliation, comes amid heightened Taliban offensives and as lawmakers urge President Joe Biden to "immediately" evacuate thousands of Afghans who have allied with U.S. and NATO forces over the past two decades, over fears for their safety from the Taliban post-withdrawal. Good afternoon and welcome to PI. Tips: coprysko@politico.com. And be sure to follow me on Twitter: @caitlinoprysko. | | A message from Facebook: The internet has changed a lot since 1996 - internet regulations should too
It's been 25 years since comprehensive internet regulations passed. See why we support updated regulations on key issues, including:
– Protecting people's privacy
– Enabling safe and easy data portability between platforms
– Preventing election interference
– Reforming Section 230 | | | TRUMP, BUSH HHS ALUM LAUNCHES PUBLIC AFFAIRS SHOP TO HELP COUNTER 'WOKE' PRESSURE CAMPAIGNS: Jack Kalavritinos, a former HHS official in two Republican administrations and an APCO Worldwide and Medtronic alum, is forming a new full-service public affairs firm aimed in part at helping companies respond to pressure campaigns waged by what he described as "woke" activists. — "I think that political activists, especially on the left, realize that when one can't pass legislation, one can influence policies that impact millions of people by influencing how corporations act, behave, and how they message various issues," Kalavritinos said in an interview, arguing that dissenters "have, in my opinion, done a poor job of being at the table" for those discussions. — He pointed to the flurry of recent public missives surrounding the voting rights battles playing out in Congress and statehouses as one example. He argued that companies signing letters condemning new GOP-led voting laws were misguided, and that "I want our firm to be a trusted adviser to companies, in addition to their other advisers. To say, 'Let's think this through like you do many other business decisions and don't rush into signing on the letters are making decisions that are going to hold you up to a lot of criticism.'" — The firm, JK Strategies, will do lobbying work as needed, and though it's just Kalavritinos, he's enlisted fellow Trump HHS alum Catherine Bird to help as an independent contractor and will partner with others like Gordon C. James Public Relations, Nahigian Strategies and Seventh Floor Strategies when needed. TECH, ALLIES MOBILIZE IN ATTEMPT TO HIT THE BRAKES ON ANTITRUST BILLS: "In the days after lawmakers introduced legislation that could break the dominance of tech companies, Apple's chief executive, Tim Cook, called Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other members of Congress to deliver a warning," The New York Times' Cecilia Kang, David McCabe and Ken Vogel report. "The antitrust bills were rushed, he said. They would crimp innovation. And they would hurt consumers by disrupting the services that power Apple's lucrative iPhone, Mr. Cook cautioned at various points, according to five people with knowledge of the conversations." — "The calls by Mr. Cook are part of a forceful and wide-ranging pushback by the tech industry since the proposals were announced this month" and in the lead-up to today's House Judiciary Committee markup. "Executives, lobbyists, and more than a dozen think tanks and advocacy groups paid by tech companies have swarmed Capitol offices, called and emailed lawmakers and their staff members, and written letters arguing there will be dire consequences for the industry and the country if the ideas become law." MEDITATE ON IT: "David Lynch credits meditation with helping him create some of his legendary works. The film director's eponymous foundation is turning to Congress to help spread the word to others who may benefit," Bloomberg's Megan Wilson reports. "The David Lynch Foundation, founded in 2005, recently hired its first lobbying firm, Michael Best Strategies, to discuss with congressional offices the role meditation can play in treating post-traumatic stress, anxiety, and trauma." Bob Roth , who runs the foundation, "emphasized that the organization itself isn't seeking funding. It wants to be involved if there's federally allocated research funds at universities or agencies. The National Institutes of Health and the Defense Department have previously studied the impacts of meditation, but more widespread studies are needed, he said." | | | |   | | | NEW COALITION: A collection of trade groups, corporations and nonprofits is launching a new coalition focused on pushing for federal investments in recycling infrastructure, including incentivizing private-public partnerships in a bid to improve the reach and efficacy of U.S. recycling programs. The group, dubbed Recycling Infrastructure Now, includes trade associations like the Aluminum Association, American Beverage Association, Food Marketing Institute, Foodservice Packaging Institute, Glass Packaging Institute, International Bottled Water Association, National Restaurant Association and Retail Industry Leaders Association, as well as brands like McDonald's and Yum! Brands, the parent company of KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, recycling-focused investment firm Closed Loop Partners and the nonprofit Recycling Partnership. McMASTER RESIGNS FROM ATLANTIC COUNCIL OVER KOCH-FUNDED INITIATIVE: " H.R. McMaster, the retired general and former national security adviser, resigned in protest from the board of a Washington, D.C., think tank last month after expressing concern internally that funding from the billionaire Charles Koch was tainting the institution's scholarship," the Free Beacon's Eliana Johnson reports. — "McMaster, according to two sources familiar with the situation, was alarmed by the publication in March of an Atlantic Council report arguing that the promotion of human rights undercuts America's strategic interest. The report, authored by Emma Ashford and Matthew Burrows , was a product of an Atlantic Council project, the New American Engagement Initiative, funded by a $4.5 million grant from the Charles Koch foundation, according to a press release issued when the grant was announced." McMaster reportedly "expressed concern to Atlantic Council CEO Frederick Kempe that the Koch money imperiled the integrity of the institution. It is unclear how Kempe responded to those complaints." — The report sparked an internal uproar within the think tank at the time, with nearly two dozen of its fellows and staffers issuing a statement that the article had "missed the mark." At least one of the signatories at the time referenced the Koch donation, though Kempe dismissed the notion that its work was influenced by the funding. SPOTTED at a welcome reception for two of BGR Group's pandemic hires, Chay English and Fred Turner, per a PI tipster: BGR founding partner Haley Barbour, BGR chair and CEO Bob Wood, Jason Tuber, Veronica Duron, Jonathan Stahler, Mike Henry, Tricia Russell, Emily Spain, Scott Fairchild, Aaron Schmidt, Ben Rich, Michael Maitland, Casey O'Shea, Hillary Beard, Deanne Millison, Verizon's Robert Fisher, Hunt's Sinclair Cooper, the American Beverage Association's Franklin Davis, the American Health Care Association's Chris Donnellan and MGH's Chris Philbin. | | | | 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. | | | | | | | | — Steve Danon joined Restaurant Brands International, the parent company of Burger King, Popeyes and Tim Hortons , as vice president and head of U.S. government relations and community affairs. He was most recently senior vice president and chief of public affairs and communications for Food Allergy Research & Education and is a National Restaurant Association alum. — Sarah Arbes is now vice president for federal affairs and alliance development at biotech company bluebird bio. She is the former assistant secretary for legislation at HHS. — Mary Baskerville is now a manager of external affairs at Philip Morris International. She most recently worked for Mastercard's Center for Inclusive Growth in New York and is a Clinton Foundation and Obama administration alum. — Jessica Hogle, vice president of federal affairs and chief sustainability officer at PG&E, has been hired as vice president of federal affairs at TVA. — Kelly Stepno, APCO Worldwide 's North America crisis practice lead, was named managing director and appointed to lead the North America Midwest team. — Curt Cashour has joined the American Hotel & Lodging Association as vice president of media relations and enterprise initiatives. He was most recently deputy assistant secretary for public affairs at the Department of Veterans Affairs. Jennifer Clark Fugolo has joined the AHLA Foundation as vice president of advancement, spearheading its DEI efforts. | | | Western Michigan Victory Fund (Rep. Bill Huizenga, Peter Meijer, Fred Upton, NRCC) | | | Accountability Action Fund (PAC)
Alabama Christian Conservatives (Super PAC)
AMERICA FUND (Super PAC)
Elect Diverse Democrats PAC (PAC)
Thumbs Up Arizona (Super PAC) | | New Lobbying Registrations | | Congressional Strategies LLC: Fors Marsh Group
Gallant Government & Law Group, LLC: Canola Council Of Canada
Gorman Strategy Group, Too: Pathguard, Inc.
Gorman Strategy Group, Too: Viasat, Inc.
Holland & Knight LLP: Nomi Health
Olsson, Frank, Weeda, Terman & Matz, Pc: Food Fleet, Inc.
Tiber Creek Group: H.C. Starck Inc.
Tiber Creek Group: Information Technology Industry Council
Wilson & Rome LLP: The Commonwealth Of The Western Interconnection | | New Lobbying Terminations | | None. | | A message from Facebook: Why Facebook supports updated internet regulations
2021 is the 25th anniversary of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, the last major update to internet regulation. It's time for an update to set clear rules for addressing today's toughest challenges.
See how we're taking action on key issues and why we support updated internet regulations. | | | | | | | Follow us | | | | |
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