| | | | | |  | | By Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza and Tara Palmeri | | | | | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | TARMAC FEVER SWEEPS THE SENATE FLOOR — It's about time. After months of haggling, the chamber is expected to pass the BIF today at 11 a.m., then move fairly quickly to consider Democrats' $3.5 trillion budget resolution. Majority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER indicated late Monday night that he thought both sides would agree to forgo the 50 allowable hours of debate. That would allow the chamber to start their vote-a-rama today and get out of town ASAP. BUT it's the Senate, y'all. And all it takes is one senator to slow things down. (Cough, cough — BILL HAGERTY.) Earlier this year, the Senate debated for about 24 hours on the budget resolution that unlocked reconciliation for the $2 trillion pandemic relief bill. Half of that was because Sen. JOE MANCHIN (D-W.Va.) demanded last-minute changes. We'll see how long this session goes, but people are tired — and grumpy. Still, take a look at this list of amendments Sen. JOSH HAWLEY (R-Mo.) has filed and you'll see this could be a doozy: — Allow for the hiring of 100,000 new police officers to combat the growing violent crime wave in the United States. — Ban critical race theory in federal workplace diversity training. — Prohibit legislation that establishes government-run universal prekindergarten and child care. — Restrict federal funding for K-12 schools that mandate Covid-19 vaccines for students, mandate students wear masks or do not resume in-person instruction. | | A message from Amazon: If you ask Chatonn what her job means to her, the answer is simple: "Amazon allows me to be the parent I want to be. That is everything." Earning a starting wage of at least $15 an hour at Amazon has allowed her to spend more time with her kids. See what making at least $15/hr means to Amazon employees. | | | While you're waiting for final votes, a few interesting reads for you this morning: 1) LATEST DEM FEUD TO WATCH — Jewish Insider's Matthew Kassel has picked up on a really juicy dynamic playing out in Democratic districts across the country: a war between Justice Democrats and Democratic Majority for Israel. Per Kassel, the faceoff between the two groups is "unusually personal" and "has animated several high-profile contests in recent cycles, particularly amid growing divisions between the hard left and moderates over Israel." We saw this playing out last week in the election-night speeches of SHONTEL BROWN, who benefited from contributions from pro-Israel groups and thanked "my Jewish brothers and sisters," and NINA TURNER, who complained about "evil money" from outside groups. The Democratic Majority for Israel super PAC spent nearly $1 million to boost Brown. Get a load of this lede: "In the summer of 2020, GEORGETTE GÓMEZ, the former president of the San Diego City Council who was then running for Congress in Southern California, found herself in an untenable position. Months into a competitive runoff battle against a well-funded opponent, Gómez was at risk of losing a crucial fundraising lifeline from Justice Democrats … over her unequivocal support for Israel. Making matters even more strained was a recent endorsement from Democratic Majority for Israel … "Gómez, for her part, was in a unique bind — not least because DMFI's president and CEO, MARK MELLMAN, is a veteran Democratic pollster whose firm was employed by her campaign. … Justice Democrats presented Gómez with an extraordinary ultimatum … Fire Mellman, she was told by Justice Democrats, or lose their support. Gómez refused, and the group all but officially revoked its endorsement while putting an end to active fundraising and promotional efforts — likely contributing to her double-digit loss in the general election." 2) SCHOOLS TAKE ON GOP GOVS ON MASK MANDATES — Forbes' Alison Durkee has a user-friendly rundown of all the challenges to state-level mask bans around the county — an issue riling red states that are getting socked by the delta variant. "Schools in Florida, Texas, Arizona, South Carolina, Utah, Iowa and Oklahoma are legally prohibited from imposing mask mandates, either by state law or governors' executive orders, as Republican leadership in those states have broadly opposed Covid-19 restrictions and mask mandates. "A rash of lawsuits have been filed against several states' bans on school mask mandates, including at least three in Florida and one in Texas, and a state court in Arkansas has already issued a preliminary injunction temporarily invalidating that state's mask mandate ban while the case moves forward. "If the laws are upheld, schools could face penalties for imposing mask mandates: violating Texas' executive order is punishable by a fine of up to $1,000 against the school or governmental officials imposing the mandate, and [Florida Gov. RON] DESANTIS' office said in a statement Monday it may financially penalize schools with mask mandates through 'narrowly tailored' actions like withholding salaries from superintendents or school board members. South Carolina Gov. HENRY MCMASTER has also threatened to pull funding from Columbia's school district for mandating masks, after South Carolina lawmakers stipulated in their state budget that public schools cannot impose mask mandates and keep state funding. 3) SPEAKER HAKEEM JEFFRIES? — The Atlantic's Edward-Isaac Dovere is up with a story this morning saying the quiet part out loud: that NANCY PELOSI is expected to retire in the "not-so-distant future" and many are looking to Rep. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-N.Y.) as the next speaker of the House. Dovere spent a chunk of time with Jeffries for the deep dive. Here's one excerpt from the piece, about Jeffries' tense relationship with AOC/Justice Dems: "The activists who have asserted themselves as the arbiters of progressivism, including groups like the Justice Democrats, don't tend to like Jeffries, and he doesn't like them. The policy differences between them are hard to see. The bad feelings, though, can be traced to 2018, when he beat the left flank's choice, Representative BARBARA LEE of California, for his leadership spot. His victory prompted a retaliatory threat, sourced to people close to fellow New York Representative ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ, that he would be a 'highest priority' target in a 2020 primary. (No challenge ever materialized; Jeffries demurred when I asked about Ocasio-Cortez, and her spokesperson declined to comment — though only after asking what Jeffries had said about the representative.)" Relatedly, Dovere writes: "In several conference calls in the spring, Justice Democrats' staff joined a collection of congressional aides and other groups like the Working Families Party and the Sunrise Movement to discuss how to extract concessions from Jeffries on his way to becoming speaker. The groups hoped to at least force him into winning on a second ballot and making deals for support along the way. But they couldn't agree on how to do that, or find any member willing to run against him in a speaker vote." Good Tuesday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza, Tara Palmeri. | | A message from Amazon: All Amazon employees earn at least a $15/hr starting wage. Fulltime employees get health insurance from the first day on the job. | | | BIDEN'S TUESDAY: — 9:15 a.m.: The president will receive the President's Daily Brief. — 10:25 a.m.: Biden will depart Wilmington, Del., to return to the White House, arriving at 11:20 a.m. — 3:45 p.m.: Biden will receive a briefing from FEMA Administrator DEANNE CRISWELL and his Homeland Security and Covid-19 response teams on how the pandemic is affecting hurricane preparedness. VP KAMALA HARRIS' TUESDAY: The VP will visit a community health center in D.C., where she will deliver remarks, at 9:20 a.m. Press secretary JEN PSAKI will brief at 12:30 p.m. THE SENATE is finally passing BIF. THE HOUSE is out. BIDEN'S WEEK AHEAD: — Wednesday: Biden will meet with business leaders to discuss vaccinations. He will also meet virtually with governors, mayors and other state and local elected officials to discuss the infrastructure package. — Thursday: Biden will deliver remarks on the Build Back Better agenda and prescription drug prices. He'll also return to Wilmington, Del. — Friday: Biden will travel to Camp David for the weekend. | | | | STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president's ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | | 
PHOTO OF THE DAY: Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer leave a meeting about Democrats' budget resolution Monday. | Andrew Harnik/AP Photo | THE WHITE HOUSE SCRANTON JOE VS. MENLO PARK MARK — "Inside the White House-Facebook Rift Over Vaccine Misinformation," by NYT's Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Cecilia Kang: "In March, ANDY SLAVITT, then a top pandemic adviser for President Biden, called NICK CLEGG, Facebook's vice president for global affairs, and delivered an ominous warning. … 'In eight weeks' time,' Mr. Slavitt told Mr. Clegg, 'Facebook will be the No. 1 story of the pandemic.'" IMMIGRATION FILES — "Biden railed against Trump's immigration policies, now defends them in courts," by Anita Kumar: "Over the past six months, the U.S. government has backed the expiration of certain visas, pushed for tougher requirements for investors seeking green cards, and supported the denial of permanent residency for thousands of immigrants living legally in the U.S. If that sounds like the type of immigration portfolio former President DONALD TRUMP would pursue, it's because it is. But President Joe Biden is nevertheless defending it in court, despite a pledge to quickly reverse his predecessor's hard-line immigration agenda. "Former administration officials and immigration lawyers say Biden's hands may be tied in certain cases … But the Biden administration's approach is, nevertheless, testing the patience of immigration activists and attorneys who say the president and his team have been far too passive in undoing Trump's far-reaching and restrictive immigration policies in court." CONGRESS INTERESTING SENATOR/OUTLET OP-ED COMBO — "Sen. Bernie Sanders: It's time to protect working families through $3.5 trillion budget 'reconciliation' bill," Fox News AS THE TRAIN LEAVES THE STATION — "Last-ditch effort to salvage cryptocurrency tax deal underway in Senate," by Brian Faler: "A last-ditch effort to resolve a protracted dispute over cryptocurrency tax-reporting provisions included in an infrastructure bill in the Senate came up short Monday … A bipartisan group of lawmakers announced a compromise proposal intended to end a dayslong standoff over who counts as a 'broker' under the legislation and is therefore subject to its new reporting requirements, which are meant to make sure the industry is complying with tax laws. "But even as they appeared to break one impasse, they quickly found themselves stuck in a bigger fight among lawmakers over which, if any, other changes might still be made to the package, which is set to be approved as soon as Tuesday." WHAT THE SQUAD IS READING — "House Progressives Should Help Biden by Ransoming the Infrastructure Bill," by N.Y. Mag's Jonathan Chait: "It's not unusual for progressive Democrats to threaten to withhold their votes in an effort to win concessions. They make these threats all the time, and almost always have to go along in the end with whatever deal the moderates have signed onto. But this time, progressives have real leverage. … "The progressive goal shouldn't be to sink the infrastructure bill or even to alter it, but to pressure moderate Democrats to support the reconciliation bill. The House progressives have been demanding a vote on the reconciliation bill before passing the infrastructure bill, but the sequence itself is probably not the important thing. What matters is getting private assurances on the contours of a deal from the moderates before the left supplies the votes to pass the infrastructure bill." ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST — CNN's Manu Raju (@mkraju): "GOP Sen. JERRY MORAN, who is up for reelection and initially endorsed the bipartisan infrastructure framework, just announced his opposition to the final bill and said he plans to vote against it." | | | | A message from Amazon:   Making $15 an hour helps Amazon employees care for their families. | | | CUOMO ON THE BRINK STATE OF PLAY — "A Defiant Cuomo Seeks to Buy Time as Lawmakers Prepare for Impeachment," by NYT's Luis Ferré-Sadurní, J. David Goodman and Jeffery Mays in Albany: "Behind the scenes, Mr. Cuomo has been grasping for a means of holding on to power. The main approach he has been considering in recent days has been to challenge whether the accusations are a basis for impeachment and to delay the process as long as possible, one of the people familiar with the discussions said. "Mr. Cuomo and his lawyers believe that the report is flawed and that they have a ready response to the most serious accusations, including those made by BRITTANY COMMISSO, an executive assistant who said the governor groped her. The governor has sought advice from his brother, the CNN anchor CHRIS CUOMO, and from longtime advisers including his pollster, JEFREY POLLOCK, the people said. But Mr. Cuomo has grown more isolated by the day, with few defenders, except for his lawyers, speaking out on his behalf." TOP-ED — "To survivors of abuse, Cuomo's defensive theatrics are galling," by Tracy Sefl in WaPo MARGARET SULLIVAN TAKES ON CUOMO BROS — "Albany's newspaper has covered Gov. Cuomo's sexual misconduct admirably. Chris Cuomo and CNN have blown it," by WaPo's Margaret Sullivan POLICY CORNER OUT WITH THE OLD — "Biden administration rolls back DeVos rule limiting state authority over student loan companies," by WaPo's Danielle Douglas-Gabriel: "The Education Department on Monday scrapped a Trump-era policy of shielding companies that manage its $1.5 trillion student loan portfolio from state regulation. "Instead, the department is encouraging states to work with the federal agency to protect borrowers and hold loan servicers accountable. The agency issued guidance clarifying that while federal law does preempt state regulation in some instances, states can go after servicers for deceptive practices, payment errors and other consumer protection matters." PANDEMIC ROUNDUP — "Abbott appeals for out-of-state help against COVID-19," by AP's Terry Wallace — "The Delta Variant Is Sending More Children to the Hospital. Are They Sicker, Too?" by NYT's Emily Anthes — "Only 8 ICU beds available in Arkansas as hospitalizations increase," by Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's Jeannie Roberts — "Gov. Jay Inslee announces COVID vaccine mandate for Washington state employees, health care workers," by Seattle Times' Jim Brunner, Joseph O'Sullivan and Paige Cornwell — "Mandatory Covid vaccines for troops are coming. What happens if they refuse?" by Jonathan Custodio — "Fake COVID-19 vaccination cards worry college officials," by AP's Roselyn Romero in San Luis Obispo, Calif. TRUMP CARDS TRUMP'S TAXES — "House Democrats won't have a shot at getting Trump's tax returns from the IRS until at least November," by CNN's Katelyn Polantz: "According to a brief court hearing on Monday, the Biden administration and the House committee will have a month to respond to Trump's arguments -- a typical amount of time in cases like these. The arguments will take place on November 8, meaning [Judge TREVOR] MCFADDEN won't make any major decisions in the case before then." MEDIAWATCH FRED RYAN ON AUSTIN TICE — Days before Tice's 40th birthday and nine years since he was abducted in Syria, WaPo's publisher and CEO has an op-ed this morning calling attention to the situation of the captured freelance journalist taken while on assignment for the Post. "In the 3,283 days since his capture, the world has clearly changed dramatically. But one thing has not: the United States' obligation to bring Austin Tice safely home. The United States should never stand by when dictatorships take our citizens hostage. But the offense is especially outrageous when the victims are journalists, who provide the information and perspective our democracy needs to function, often at great personal risk." | | | | 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 | | MEDIA MOVES — Robert McCartney is hanging it up after 39 years at WaPo. His farewell column … Josh Ocampo is now senior digital editor at the NYT. He previously was a senior culture editor at Men's Health Magazine. Talking Biz News STAFFING UP — Juan Ortega is now deputy director of advance for VP Kamala Harris. He previously was at the DNC, most recently as director of surrogate strategy and traveling chief of staff for then-Chair Tom Perez. OMB ARRIVAL LOUNGE — Noreen Hecmanczuk is now digital experience adviser to the federal CIO at OMB. She most recently was senior adviser for the office of the CIO at OPM. TRUMP ALUMNI — Pranay Udutha is now director of strategic initiatives and corporate development at QuantumScape. He previously led strategy and operations at ARPA-E and is a Trump White House and Bill Cassidy alum. TRANSITIONS — Ryanne Brown and Savi Krishnan are joining Priorities USA. Brown will be digital paid media director and previously was managing director of digital advertising at Do Big Things. Krishnan will be competitive media analytics manager and previously was a data associate at GMMB. … Andrew Scibetta is now comms director for Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux (D-Ga.). He previously was comms director for Rep. Lou Correa (D-Calif.). … Caitlin Buchanan is now a policy adviser to Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.). She most recently was congressional affairs manager at WE ACT for Environmental Justice, and is a House Science alum. … … Aria Kovalovich is now a professional staff member for House Oversight's Environment Subcommittee. She previously was a legislative assistant for House Science's Environment Subcommittee. … Laszlo Baksay is now a director at DCI Group. He previously was a strategist at the Pentagon and is an FP1 Strategies alum. … Brian Dusek is now deputy press secretary for Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska). He most recently was a comms intern for CBS News. WEEKEND WEDDINGS — Matthew McDermott, a pollster and VP at Whitman Insight Strategies, and Dillon Jones, who works for Providence Public Schools, got married Saturday in Provincetown, Mass. They originally met through a dating app in New York City in 2015. Pic, via Kim Reilly, Studio K Photography … Another pic … SPOTTED: officiant Alex Morse, Sean McElwee and Brett Smiley. — Triston Foster, a manager at Targeted Victory, and Ashley Judah, legislative strategist at Concerned Women for America, got married before friends and family Saturday in a late-afternoon ceremony overlooking the South River in Annapolis, Md. The two were introduced by a mutual friend at a Santa Rosa Taqueria happy hour on Capitol Hill. Pic … Another pic WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Alex Lasry, Democratic candidate for Senate in Wisconsin and an Obama White House alum, and Lauren Lasry, chief of staff at Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin, welcomed Eleanor "Ellie" Jordan on Aug. 2. She came in at 7 lbs, 8 oz and 20 inches. Pic … Another pic HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Rep. Andy Levin (D-Mich.) … CBS' Nancy Cordes … Andrew Sullivan … POLITICO's Alex Thompson … Sally Garner … Kevin McAlister … Jim Brady of Spirited Media … Jessica Wehrman … NYT's Laura Kim … Sarah Bryant Burns … Sarah Kyle of Eli Lilly … Joshua Karp … Tony Hernandez of Sen. Tim Kaine's (D-Va.) office … Justin Jenkins of Sen. Mark Kelly's (D-Ariz.) office … Sarah Weinstein of Sen. Jeanne Shaheen's (D-N.H.) office … CNN's Alex Marquardt and Susie Xu … Chris Hansen … Arielle Kahn of Sen. Jon Ossoff's (D-Ga.) office (26) … John Dunagan of Highland Advocacy Group … BuzzFeed's Lissandra Villa … DOT's Casey Clemmons … Invariant's Ben Klein and Noah Kowalski … ACLU's Ally Harpootlian … Bully Pulpit Interactive's Lucy Goss … Emily Buck … Amazon's Cameron Onumah … John McManus of the McManus Group … Chirag Shah … Noah Marine … David Forman … Neha Jain … Kevin King … DTE Energy's Andy Coulouris … Robert Cogan … Arnold Punaro … Mary Warlick … Genevieve Glatsky … Matthew MacWilliams … Paul Conway … Alex Smith 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. | | A message from Amazon: It's not just Amazon employees who noticed the immediate benefit of increasing their starting wage to at least $15 an hour — a new study from the University of California-Berkeley and Brandeis University found that when Amazon raised its wages, the average hourly wage in the surrounding area rose by 4.7% as other employers followed their lead.
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