| | | | | |  | | By Caitlin Oprysko | | | With Daniel Lippman NOVAVAX ADDS NEW LOBBYING HELP: The biotech firm that was awarded $1.6 billion by the Trump administration to provide Covid-19 vaccines for the global consortium COVAX, but that POLITICO reported last month is struggling to produce shots that meet regulators' quality standards, has brought on new lobbying help in recent months, according to a newly filed disclosure. The company, Novavax, retained Crowell & Moring's Kathleen Beale, Jim Flood and Tim Shadyac to lobby on issues related to vaccine policy in September, according to the disclosure. — According to POLITICO's Sarah Owermohle, Erin Banco and Adam Cancryn , the company's methods for testing the purity of its vaccine "have fallen short of regulators' standards and the company has not been able to prove that it can produce a shot that is consistently up to snuff, according to multiple people familiar with Novavax's difficulties," putting COVAX even more at risk of an already-downgraded 2021 target for providing Covid vaccines to developing nations. — Novavax, which has never produced a vaccine before, has filed for emergency use authorization in the U.K. and other countries and has vowed to do so in the U.S. this year. The company has dramatically increased its lobbying spending during the pandemic, already surpassing its spending for the entirety of 2020 by more than $100,000 during the first three quarters of 2021, according to disclosures. Novavax also retains Faegre, Drinker, Biddle & Reath, and Farragut Partners with alb solutions as a subcontractor. CRAFT STORE TAPS FORMER CONGRESSMAN TO LOBBY ON SUPPLY CHAIN BILL: Craft chain Jo-Ann Fabrics has resumed lobbying on the federal level, hiring former Rep. Ron Klein of Holland & Knight to lobby on legislation aimed at addressing the global shortage of shipping containers. The bill from Reps. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) and John Garamendi (D-Calif.) has been endorsed by more than 150 retailers and trade groups, and would put in place minimum requirements for service contracts and make it clear "that there can be no unreasonable refusal to carry freight," Johnson told reporters in August. — It would also give the Federal Maritime Commission enhanced enforcement tools "to self-initiate investigations into carriers' practices, increases public reporting on the shipping industry and includes provisions aimed at stopping carriers from retaliating against customers who file complaints," POLITICO reported when the bill was introduced. — Jo-Ann's, which previously retained Clark Hill and The CJR Group , has not reported any lobbying activity since 2018. According to a transcript of a second-quarter earnings call this summer, Jo-Ann President and Chief Executive Wade Miquelon called supply chain issues driven by the lack of ocean freight availability and excess costs the "most critical shorter-term issue" the retailer is currently facing, telling investors that the company is paying as high as 10 times the historic average rate for shipping containers to secure overseas shipments. Good afternoon and welcome to PI. Happy Veterans Day to all who've served. Send tips: coprysko@politico.com And be sure to follow me on Twitter: @caitlinoprysko. | | A message from Facebook: Facebook's industry-leading investments are stopping bad actors
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WHO'S HELPING THE FACEBOOK WHISTLEBLOWER: "As soon as Frances Haugen landed in Europe, she was given the VIP treatment. She met senior officials in Paris, Berlin and London. She testified to lawmakers in Brussels. She rubbed shoulders with celebrities in Lisbon. She hasn't done it alone," POLITICO EU's Mark Scott and Laura Kayali report.
— "As the former Facebook data scientist prepares to return to Puerto Rico, her sun-drenched home since leaving the tech giant, a well-funded lobbying operation — run by a former aide to Hillary Clinton — has opened doors across the European Union, aiding Haugen's mission to persuade the bloc's lawmakers to pass sweeping legislation to crack down on social media." — "The professional whistleblower tour has proven successful. … But Haugen's relationship with Reset , an anti-tech lobbying shop with operations across the EU, U.K., U.S. and Australia, also raises concerns about who is driving her push to rewrite Europe's online content rules — proposals that will likely steer the global debate over how social media giants should be held more responsible for users' online actions." FS VECTOR ADDS HILL FINANCIAL SERVICES AIDE: Pierre Whatley, a former Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) aide and subcommittee staff director on Senate Finance, has returned to the private sector, joining FS Vector as a principal in the government relations practice. He previously advised financial institutions and financial technology companies at Deloitte and Buckley Sandler, and before that served stints at the Cleveland Fed, SEC, CFPB and Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. — "As a former bank regulator, with all the digital transformation occurring within the financial services space (banking, housing, insurance, fintech/AI, crypto), along with consumers and businesses driving the demand for this shift, I thought it was extremely important to be able to work with these type of companies to ensure that they innovate responsibly and that their products/services are inclusive, non-predatory, and increases access to credit/banking opportunities for everyone," he said in an email to PI of his decision to leave the Hill. WHO HELPED FUND CRITICAL RACE THEORY ATTACKS IN VIRGINIA: "Several business executives and wealthy donors helped fund groups that targeted critical race theory, which was a hot-button issue during elections this fall," CNBC's Brian Schwartz reports. "One of the groups attacking critical race theory, the Fight for Schools PAC, is based in Virginia and is run by longtime GOP operative Ian Prior. 'Welcome to the parent revolution,' the group's website declares as it encourages visitors to donate." — "The PAC is also backed by several affluent Republican financiers," including Sharon Virts, the founder and CEO of FCi Federal . Virts "is the PAC's top donor, having contributed $11,000 so far, according to data from the Virginia Public Access Project." — "1776 Action, a separate dark money group that also opposes critical race theory and is supported by people linked to former President Donald Trump, such as Newt Gingrich and Ben Carson, has donated $10,000 to the Fight for Schools PAC. The Presidential Coalition, which was founded by longtime Trump ally David Bossie, has given $5,000 to Fight for Schools. Another anti-CRT organization, the 1776 Project PAC , has backed school board candidates in various states, including Virginia, Colorado, New Jersey and Ohio. The group was founded by author and political commentator Ryan Girdusky. The 1776 Project PAC received a $1,000 donation from Pete Farrell, the chairman and founder of medical equipment company ResMed. Eric Gray, the vice president of insurance company Gray & Co., donated the same amount to the committee." | | | |   | | |
ETHICS SCANDALS PILE UP ACROSS THE POND: "Boris Johnson: rule-breaking genius, slacker or plain corrupt? It's a debate that has bubbled amid a steady stream of recent scandals that have seen rules broken, jobs and contracts handed to cronies, allies of Johnson protected and allegations of dodgy dealings by the British prime minister himself," report POLITICO EU's Esther Webber and Emilio Casalicchio.
— "Exasperated officials have quit in protest at their advice being ignored and watchdogs have given the government a string of severe tickings off. Yet nothing seems to seriously damage Johnson's tearaway regime, with its consistent strong showing in the polls. But after a week in which No. 10 tried to block sanctions against an MP who broke lobbying rules, Westminster insiders and voters alike have begun to ask if this government has finally pushed its carefree approach to the rules too far." YOUNGKIN TAPS HERITAGE TO STAFF TRANSITION: Virginia Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin has tapped two staffers at the conservative Heritage Foundation for prominent transition roles as his nascent administration takes shape. Heritage President Kay Cole James, a George W. Bush-era Office of Personnel Management director who's served in Virginia administrations as well, will serve as co-chair of Youngkin's gubernatorial transition team. And Lindsey Burke, director of the Center for Education Policy at the foundation, will help outline Youngkin's education agenda "to ensure K-12 schools are accountable to families," Heritage said in a press release — a nod that comes after education, and attacks on critical race theory, took an outsize role in the election, championed in part by Heritage and others on the right. | | | | DON'T MISS POLITICO'S SUSTAINABILITY SUMMIT: Join POLITICO's Sustainability Summit on Tuesday, Nov. 16 and hear leading voices from Washington, state houses, city halls, civil society and corporate America discuss the most viable policy and political solutions that balance economic, environmental and social interests. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | | — Kristina Ishmael is now deputy director of the office of ed tech at the Department of Education. She most recently was senior research fellow at New America. — Allie Traynor is now a senior analyst at Renaissance Strategic Advisors. She previously was a manager at Signal Group in the national security practice. — Denice Ross is now U.S. chief data scientist at the Office of Science and Technology Policy. She most recently was senior fellow at the National Conference on Citizenship, and is an Obama OMB alum. — Dar Vanderbeck will join the Aspen Institute as vice president of the Aspen Global Leadership Network. She previously was chief innovation officer at CARE USA. | | | Beatty Gottheimer Victory Fund (Rep. Joyce Beatty, Rep. Josh Gottheimer)
Wild for PA Victory Fund (Rep. Susan Wild, Pennsylvania Democratic Party, We Invest in Lives and Dreams (WILD) PAC) | | | 2022 RIGHT DIRECTION PAC (PAC)
Ohio Freedom Coalition (Super PAC) | | | | BECOME A GLOBAL INSIDER: The world is more connected than ever. It has never been more essential to identify, unpack and analyze important news, trends and decisions shaping our future — and we've got you covered! Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Global Insider author Ryan Heath navigates the global news maze and connects you to power players and events changing our world. Don't miss out on this influential global community. Subscribe now. | | | | | | | New Lobbying Registrations | | Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld: Micron Technology, Inc.
Capitol Counsel LLC: Charter Brokerage LLC
Crowell & Moring LLP: Novavax, Inc.
Neoterics International Inc.: Liebman & Associates, Inc.
Signal Group Consulting, LLC: Wiley Rein, LLP On Behalf Of The Siegel Group Nevada, Inc.
Tauzin Consultants, LLC: Webshield Inc.
The Picard Group, LLC: Calcasieu Parish Police Jury
Williams And Jensen, Pllc: Public Holdings, Inc. | | New Lobbying Terminations | | Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz /The Daschle Group: 340B Health
Canyon Snow Consulting, LLC: Huawei Tech. Investment Co., Ltd.
Conaway Graves Group, LLC: Manhattan Solar Partners, LLC
Hawley LLC: Clark Street Associates On Behalf Of Mcube, Inc.
Townsend Public Affairs: Central Unified School District | | A message from Facebook: Facebook's industry-leading investments are stopping bad actors
We've invested $13 billion in teams and technology over the last 5 years to enhance safety.
It's working: in just the past few months, we took down 1.7 billion fake accounts to stop bad actors from doing harm.
But there's more to do. Learn more about how we're working to help you connect safely. | | | | | | | Follow us | | | | |
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