News: The return of masks, and the beginning of mandates

Wednesday, July 28, 2021

The return of masks, and the beginning of mandates

Jul 28, 2021

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

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DRIVING THE DAY

BIG PROBLEMS FOR TWO DONALD TRUMP-ENDORSED CANDIDATES:

— In the special election runoff in Texas's 6th District, JAKE ELLZEY defeated the Trump-endorsed candidate, SUSAN WRIGHT.

An important caveat from DAVE WASSERMAN: "Before drawing sweeping conclusions about the outcome, a reminder: turnout in this runoff was fairly pathetic. With all early votes and most EDay votes reported, there are only 37k votes counted - less than 8% of registered voters in #TX06 and less than half of 5/1 votes cast."

But still: a pretty rough outcome for Trump in a district where his super PAC spent over $100,000 last weekend, according to the Dallas Morning News.

— Meanwhile in Ohio, our Michael Kruse has a long look at the life and career of MAX MILLER, a former White House aide and Trump-endorsed candidate in the GOP primary for the House seat in the 16th District. Rather than cherry-pick from it, we highly recommend you read the entire thing.

THE RETURN OF MASKS, THE BEGINNING OF MANDATES — This was the week we stepped back in time when it comes to masks, and ditched carrots for sticks when it comes to vaccinations:

— On Tuesday, two months after telling us (i.e. the vaccinated) that it was OK to be maskless, the CDC announced that fully vaccinated people should wear masks inside in areas where there is "substantial" or "high" Covid-19 spread.

NYT's Apoorva Mandavilli: "There's some evidence that people infected with Delta have a lot more virus in their body — as much as a thousand-fold higher — and that may also be true for breakthrough infections. If that's the case, vaccinated people may be transmitting the virus to others at a significant enough rate that they should be wearing masks."

— Well, guess what? D.C. passed into "substantial" territory Tuesday — above 50 cases per 100,000 over a seven-day average. As a result, at 5 p.m. the White House announced that staffers were once again required to wear masks inside the building, and the White House Correspondents' Association quickly revised its guidelines for reporters, who will once again mask up in the briefing room.

— Across Washington, mask use spread quickly: Inside stores where people had previously been maskless for several weeks, face coverings returned for most shoppers.

— Late Tuesday night, the attending physician of the U.S. Congress, BRIAN MONAHAN, wrote to members that "for meetings in an enclosed U.S. House of Representatives-controlled space, masks are REQUIRED."

House Minority Leader KEVIN MCCARTHY'S response: "Make no mistake—The threat of bringing masks back is not a decision based on science, but a decision conjured up by liberal government officials who want to continue to live in a perpetual pandemic state." (Someone was up late watching TUCKER.)

— The CDC also recommended universal mask-wearing for all teachers, students and staff in K-12 schools, shattering hopes of a return to normalcy for kids going back to school soon.

— Companies like GM and Ford have announced a return of mask mandates for their workers in Covid hot spots.

— Vaccine requirements are sweeping across the country. Among the entities that have announced them in recent days: the Department of Veterans Affairs, New York City workers, state employees and health care workers in California, the Mayo Clinic, CNN and The Washington Post.

Expect this to get politicized quickly with announcements in the coming days from states, cities, companies and political entities either embracing or condemning vaccine requirements. For instance, the AFL-CIO said it supports mandates , while a certain Fox News host was apoplectic over the issue Tuesday night.

— President JOE BIDEN is expected to announce a federal vaccine requirement Thursday that would apply to all federal workers and contractors. An important caveat: As with most of these mandates, the Biden rule is expected to have an opt-out for anyone who refuses to get the shot as long as they submit to regular Covid testing.

The debate in the West Wing has pitted Biden's health care advisers, who see a vaccine requirement for federal workers as a no-brainer, against some political advisers, who fear that a backlash against a government mandate could harden the resolve of vaccine skeptics to avoid the shots.

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One of the better pieces we've read laying out the more philosophical cases for and against much stricter mandates than Biden is considering is this NYT essay by Spencer Bokat-Lindell.

The case for: "Herd immunity is a collective good and its absence a collective harm, so vaccination cannot be a matter solely of personal choice. 'What is your liberty worth if you tell me you don't want to get vaccinated?' President EMMANUEL MACRON of France told reporters recently. 'And tomorrow, you infect your father, your mother or myself. I am a victim of your freedom.'"

The case against: "Ethical debate on vaccine mandates consistently suggests that unless all other reasonable means have failed (or are likely to fail) to increase vaccine uptake and/or reduce disease transmission by other means to an acceptable level, mandates should not be implemented."

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

IT'S THE ECONOMY, STUPID — The economy continues to be a high priority for voters, and according to a new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll, party affiliation is a major factor in how Americans perceive the state of the economy. (Shocker, we know!)

— Optimistic vs. pessimistic: Forty percent of voters are optimistic the economy will get better within the next year, while 38% think it'll get either somewhat or much worse. The "optimistic" respondents include 60% of Democrats; the "pessimistic" respondents include 61% of Republicans.

— Who's most responsible for the current state of the economy? Fifty-two percent of voters say Biden. That includes 64% of Republicans, 49% of Dems and 41% of independents.

— Who/what do you blame for inflation? Fifty-eight percent of voters say the Biden administration's policies, including 82% of Republicans, 58% of independents and 41% of Dems.

BIDEN'S WEDNESDAY:

— 9:30 a.m.: The president will receive the President's Daily Brief.

— 10:55 a.m.: Biden will leave the White House for Allentown, Pa., arriving at noon.

— 1:25 p.m.: Biden will visit the Mack - Lehigh Valley Operations (LVO) Manufacturing Facility in Lower Macungie Township, Pa., and deliver remarks at 2 p.m.

— 3:20 p.m.: Biden will depart Allentown, arriving back at the White House at 4:25 p.m.

Principal deputy press secretary KARINE JEAN-PIERRE will gaggle on Air Force One on the way to Pennsylvania.

THE SENATE is in. The Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will hold a markup to vote on the nominations of ROBERT SANTOS as head of the Census Bureau and ED GONZALEZ as head of ICE at 9:30 a.m.

THE HOUSE will meet at 11 a.m. Federal Trade Commission Chair LINA KHAN and the other commissioners will testify before an Energy and Commerce subcommittee on consumer protection legislation at 10:30 a.m. Speaker NANCY PELOSI will hold her weekly press conference at 11:30 a.m.

JOIN TODAY – A WOMEN RULE CONVERSATION WITH THE WOMEN POWERING SPORTS AND ENTERTAINMENT: Covid-19 took a massive toll on the entertainment and sports industries over the past year and a half. As the summer movie season kicks into full gear, concerts make their way back and crowds fill sports stadiums, we look to the women powering these industries to return in full force. Join POLITICO Women Rule editor Elizabeth Ralph for a conversation with Kamala Avila-Salmon, head of Inclusive Content for Films at Lionsgate; Monica Dixon, president, External Affairs & chief administrative officer Monumental Sports; and Sandy Lighterman, Film & Entertainment commissioner, Miami Dade County Office of Film and Entertainment on lessons learned from the pandemic upheaval to these industries and what it means for the long haul. REGISTER HERE.

PLAYBOOK READS

A firefighter is pictured surrounded by fires in a forest. | AP Photo

PHOTO OF THE DAY: A firefighter uses a drip torch to battle the Dixie Fire in Lassen National Forest, Calif. | Noah Berger/AP Photo

JAN. 6 AND ITS AFTERMATH

In recent days, one question has been repeated over and over: How far will the Jan. 6 committee go in its investigation of what happened inside the White House leading up to and during the insurrection?

Now we have an answer.

In her opening statement Tuesday, Rep. LIZ CHENEY (R-Wyo.) made clear that she expects the committee to go all the way. "We must … know what happened every minute of that day in the White House," she said. "Every phone call, every conversation, every meeting leading up to, during and after the attack."

The subtext was unmistakable: McCarthy and Trump-aligned GOP lawmakers like Rep. JIM JORDAN (Ohio) are likely headed toward a summons or subpoena at some point.

Last Congress, House Dems had a major problem with people in Trump world ignoring their subpoenas — so much so that they actually opted not to subpoena key witnesses during the impeachment fights. A reminder: The case over the ignored subpoena of former White House counsel DON MCGAHN from 2019 was resolved just a few months ago under a settlement in which he agreed to testify — there was never a court ruling upholding Congress' oversight powers, which many Dems wanted.

From covering House oversight for several years, we have an educated guess where this might be headed: You can expect similar feet-dragging and legal theatrics this time. House counsel DOUG LETTER is probably gearing up for Round 2.

THE GOP'S ABSURD NEW 1/6 TALKING POINT — Blasting Pelosi for unilaterally nixing Republican panel members from a special committee is one thing. But House GOP leadership's newest line of attack about the Jan. 6 insurrection is just bonkers: that Pelosi herself is responsible for the security failures that led to the riot.

"The American people deserve to know the truth: that Nancy Pelosi bears responsibility, as speaker of the House, for the tragedy that occurred on Jan. 6." GOP Conference Chair ELISE STEFANIK (N.Y.) declared at a presser Tuesday.

It's perplexing not just because we haven't seen a smidgen of proof supporting this notion — and we've been following the topic very closely — but because of who this line of attack would logically also implicate. Let's recall who was Senate majority leader during the insurrection: Republican MITCH MCCONNELL. If the speaker of the House bears responsibility for security failures at the Capitol, it stands to reason that the leader of the Senate does, too.

Pressed on this by reporters Tuesday, McCarthy dodged questions. ICYMI: AP has a fact-check here

FOR YOUR RADAR — "Justice Department declines to defend Rep. Mo Brooks against Jan. 6 incitement lawsuit," by Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein … The DOJ filing

INFRASTRUCTURE YEAR

THE $1.2 TRILLION QUESTION — "Can Rob Portman seal the big bipartisan deal?" by Burgess Everett and Marianne LeVine: "It's the kind of legacy-defining challenge he has long sought. But [Sen. ROB] PORTMAN warned his colleagues on Tuesday at a party lunch that everything could fall apart: Though he's optimistic, he said the deal could still blow up and alleged that any collapse would be on Democrats' shoulders, according to two sources familiar with the meeting. …

"Portman said in a Tuesday interview that he's not going to walk away as talks turn hairy. 'It's much more comfortable to stay on the right and the left and be negative,' he added, taking the subtlest of shots at his critics in both parties."

— "Sen. Rob Portman has asked ex-President Donald Trump to back the pending infrastructure deal," by The Plain Dealer's Sabrina Eaton

STATE OF PLAY — "Tension over bipartisan infrastructure talks spills into party meetings," by Marianne LeVine and Burgess Everett: "Both Republican and Democratic Senate lunches turned into venting sessions Tuesday afternoon … Many senators are losing patience with the bipartisan infrastructure talks, and their grievances underscore the difficulties negotiators have in sealing a final product. … [Majority Leader CHUCK] SCHUMER is not setting a hard deadline for the bipartisan infrastructure negotiations to conclude."

— AP: "Still, all sides — the White House, Republicans and Democrats — sounded upbeat that an accord was within reach."

WATCH OUT FOR PETER DEFAZIO! — "'Tiger of the House' claws his way through infrastructure talks," by Sarah Ferris and Heather Caygle: "House Transportation Committee Chair PETER DEFAZIO is on the verge of getting rolled. And he's not going quietly. After a 34-year congressional career devoted to transportation and environment issues, the Oregon Democrat could soon be forced to watch his life's work shunted to the side if Senate negotiators secure a deal this week on a massive $1.2 trillion infrastructure package — largely without House input.

"In a fiery tirade to fellow Democrats during a closed-door meeting Tuesday, DeFazio called the bill 'crap.' He blasted the White House and Sens. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), SUSAN COLLINS (R-Maine) and KYRSTEN SINEMA (D-Ariz.), who he referred to as the three 'Republicans' crafting the Senate deal.

"'I could give a damn about the White House. We're an independent branch of government,' DeFazio said in a brief interview afterwards. 'They cut this deal. I didn't sign off on it.'"

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CONGRESS

RARE FLASH OF BIPARTISANSHIP, PART I — "Senators Strike Bipartisan Funding Deal For Capitol Security and Afghan Refugees," NPR

RARE FLASH OF BIPARTISANSHIP, PART II — "House unanimously passes bill to create DC monument celebrating medal of honor recipients," Washington Examiner

POLICY CORNER

AILING AMERICA — "Democrats press Biden to extend eviction ban," by Katy O'Donnell and Kellie Mejdrich: "House Financial Services Chair MAXINE WATERS (D-Calif.) said she is pushing the Biden administration to renew the moratorium beyond a Saturday deadline despite concerns that an extension would rest on shaky legal footing. … About 7.4 million tenant households reported being behind on rent in June."

— "Small Business Administration to revamp PPP forgiveness in bid to end historic program," by Zachary Warmbrodt

WHAT JANET YELLEN IS READING — "Big Pharma Quietly Pushes Back on Global Tax Deal, Citing Covid-19 Role," by WSJ's Jenny Strasburg and Laura Cooper: "Pharma executives, lobbyists and consultants are mobilizing to fight what has become a threat to drug companies' bottom lines: a sweeping agreement by many of the world's biggest economies to better harmonize corporate taxation around the globe. … [D]rug company executives and lobbyists are seeking to use the industry's pandemic role as leverage, according to people familiar with the effort. 'We led the world in responding to this pandemic,' is how one drug-company executive described a key industry message."

CLIMATE FILES — "Biden mileage rule to exceed Obama climate goal," by AP's Tom Krisher and Hope Yen

AMERICA AND THE WORLD

A WAR THAT'S NOT WINDING DOWN, PART I — "Troops to stay put in Syria even as Biden seeks to end America's 'forever wars,'" by Lara Seligman

A WAR THAT'S NOT WINDING DOWN, PART II — "'A very dangerous precedent': Democrats take aim at Biden's Somalia airstrikes," by Andrew Desiderio

TO RUSSIA, WITH LOVE — "Biden wants Putin to behave. So why not go after his money?" by Nahal Toosi: "Russia President VLADIMIR PUTIN is thought to be worth tens of billions of dollars … That secret wealth makes Putin uniquely vulnerable to U.S. sanctions, [GARRY] KASPAROV argues. It's time, he says, for the Biden administration to crack down on the billionaire loyalists who keep the Russian dictator in power and help hide his riches. … But to the chagrin of Kasparov … President Joe Biden is resisting such appeals for now. … Instead, after a vigorous internal debate, White House officials decided on a less aggressive approach."

POLITICS ROUNDUP

RACE TO THE TOP — "'America is not racist' becomes a GOP 2024 mantra," by David Siders: "The salience of hitting Democrats on the subject of race was discussed privately by GOP strategists on the sidelines of a Republican National Committee dinner in California last week, and again at a meeting of the Republican Governors Association last week in Aspen, Colo., according to multiple people who attended those events.

"At the RGA gathering, the effectiveness of the 'America is not a racist country' line was discussed specifically … 'This is not a close call,' said CURT ANDERSON, a top adviser to Florida Sen. RICK SCOTT, another potential presidential contender. 'This is "Defund the Police" 2.0.'"

BEYOND THE BELTWAY

THE NEXT ACT — "Kathryn Garcia's Wide-Open Future," by Clare Malone in N.Y. Mag: "She's out of a job and lost the primary, but the almost-next-mayor of New York is now a political celebrity."

FORMER BIG DEM DONOR — "Ed Buck convicted in meth overdose deaths of Gemmel Moore and Timothy Dean," L.A. Times

TRUMP CARDS

CASH COW — "Hooked on Trump: How the G.O.P. Still Banks on His Brand for Cash," by NYT's Shane Goldmacher: "Mr. Biden's name has been as absent from the G.O.P. pleas for cash as Mr. Trump has been pervasive, a warning sign that Republicans are struggling to stir the kind of impassioned opposition to him that they had once generated to former President BARACK OBAMA."

Quite the stat: "Since May 1, the Republicans' Senate campaign arm has invoked Mr. Biden's name in the sender line on its emails just four times; Mr. Trump's name has appeared there 185 times."

MEDIAWATCH

LEAK CRACKDOWN CONTINUES — "Daniel Hale Sentenced to 45 Months in Prison for Drone Leak," by The Intercept's Ryan Devereaux and Murtaza Hussain

DESSERT

THE POST-PRESIDENCY SEEMS FUN! — "Former President Barack Obama to join NBA Africa as strategic partner, minority owner," ESPN

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.

PLAYBOOKERS

SPOTTED: Schumer, Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo having dinner in the back private room at San Lorenzo in Shaw on Tuesday night. According to our tipster: "Our guess? They discussed the infrastructure bill while dining on homemade pasta. They were recognized by a number of patrons, and were kind to all."

SPOTTED: Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.) and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) eating together at The Dubliner.

A BIPARTISAN SUMMER SOIREE — In the heat of infrastructure negotiations, Rachel Pearson of Pearson and Associates hosted a bipartisan dinner at the Jefferson Hotel for Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and his wife Gayle, Bret and Amy Baier, Eric Braverman, Neil Brown, Jane Adams and Nathan Daschle.

SPOTTED at the Meridian International Center's Rising Leaders Council and Corporate Council outdoor movie screening of "Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)" at Christina Sevilla and Steve Rochlin's garden Tuesday night, with an introduction by consulting producer Bryan Greene: Abdulwahab Al-Hajjri, Megan Devlin, Puru Trivedi and Kriti Doval, Gerry Diaz Bartolome, Anna Gawel and Tom Coleman, Shaila Manyam, Josh Meyer, Bay Fang, James Barbour and Ariel Gold, Pasi Rajala, Ali Dukakis, Shellie Purvis and Maggie Snipes.

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — The League of Women Voters is announcing a new leadership structure and executive team today: CEO Virginia Kase Solomón, chief strategy officer Ayo Atterberry, chief development officer Cecilia Calvo, chief comms officer Sarah Courtney, COO Ellen Hobby, chief of staff Kelly McFarland Stratman and chief counsel/senior director of advocacy and litigation Celina Stewart.

STAFFING UP — USDA is tapping Adrienne Wojciechowski as the nominee for assistant secretary for congressional relations. She currently is a professional staff member for the Senate Appropriations agriculture subcommittee, and is a Pat Leahy and Senate Judiciary alum.

— "Jill Biden's chief of staff nominated for Spain ambassador," AP: "[Julissa] Reynoso has also served as the co-chair of the White House Gender Policy Council."

— The White House also announced several other nominees: William Valdez as undersecretary of Homeland Security for management, Erik Hooks as deputy FEMA administrator, Lisa Gomez as assistant secretary of Labor for employee benefits security, Mark Gitenstein as ambassador to the EU, Laura Holgate as ambassador to the Vienna Office of the U.N. and the International Atomic Energy Agency, Patricia Mahoney as ambassador to the Central African Republic and Peter Hendrick Vrooman as ambassador to Mozambique.

MEDIA MOVES — Lloyd Grove, who started as a columnist for WaPo's "Reliable Source" column, announced his retirement from The Daily Beast after four decades in the business. Grove will stay on as a contributor, and investigative reporter Lachlan Cartwright will step up into his editor-at-large role.

— Kit Rachlis will be a senior editor on ProPublica's national team. He most recently has been a senior editor on The Atlantic's political desk. Announcement … Wendy Pollack is joining Bloomberg Opinion as a senior editor in New York. She most recently has been a senior editor at The Information.

TRANSITIONS — Kate Kahan will be director of federal affairs for the Vera Institute of Justice. She previously has been the longtime legislative and advocacy director for Community Change. … Kierstin Stradford is joining Smith Dawson & Andrews as a senior associate. She most recently was a senior legislative assistant to Rep. Kweisi Mfume (D-Md.).

ENGAGED — Sara Palasits, a professional staff member for the House Science Dems, and Abi Kulshreshtha, chief of staff at Southern Research, got engaged recently at their house in D.C. They originally met in college working on Brown University's Model U.N.

WELCOME TO THE WORLD — OBAMA ALUMNI: Jen Friedman, managing director and deputy head of public affairs at Blackstone and an Obama White House alum, and Chris Weideman, general counsel of Apollo Global Management and an Obama Treasury alum, recently welcomed Ellavie (Ella) Max Weideman.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Ruby Cramer … CNN's Kate Bolduan … Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) … Mark Meadows … Council on Foreign Relations' Richard Haass (7-0) … Scott Pelley … WaPo's Beth Reinhard … Kathy Dedrick … Chris Kluthe … NBC's Courtney Kube … Huma Abedin … Josh Bell of Rep. Ron Estes' (R-Kan.) office … Patrick Boland … POLITICO's Tanya Snyder, Annette Choi and Mandy Snapp … Torrie Miller Matous … Abigail Kane of Sen. Jeanne Shaheen's (D-N.H.) office … Kidron Lewis … Chandler Thornton of the College Republican National Committee … Steve Deace … Kirsten Fedewa of Kirsten Fedewa & Associates … Lacey White … former A.G. Michael Mukasey (8-0) … Juan Guaidó … former Sen. Bill Bradley (D-N.J.) … Sophie White

Send Playbookers tips to playbook@politico.com. Playbook couldn't happen without our editor Mike Zapler, deputy editor Zack Stanton and producers Allie Bice, Eli Okun and Garrett Ross.