| | | | |  | | By Ryan Lizza and Eugene Daniels | | | | | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | JUST POSTED — An excerpt from the forthcoming biography of Rep. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ (D-N.Y.) by Lisa Miller and the editors of New York magazine: "Adrift, Broke, and Disillusioned: How a struggling bartender became the face of a resurgent left." THE CALIFORNIA CORRECTION — Good morning from San Francisco, where we've spent the last few days reporting on the first big election of 2022, which happens here Tuesday. Perhaps fittingly in a year when voters are in a throw-them-out kind of mood, it's a recall. For months, a nationwide parental backlash to school closings has dominated headlines and driven speculation about a brewing electoral wave for Republicans. But what's happening in deep-blue San Francisco complicates that picture:
- Here, a liberal school board is colliding with a group of angry, just-as-liberal parents who've mounted a recall campaign against them.
- The city's Democratic mayor and big media organs have endorsed the recall effort. So has state Sen. SCOTT WIENER, who is eyeing Speaker NANCY PELOSI's congressional seat when she retires.
What's happening in San Francisco is the clearest sign of how Democrats are recalibrating — by backing away from the party's 2020 swing toward progressive activist views on Covid-19, race and crime. It's happening throughout the Golden State. Gov. GAVIN NEWSOM is lifting mask mandates. Rep. KAREN BASS, who is running for mayor of Los Angeles, called this week for a surge in funding for L.A.'s police force because residents "don't feel safe today." Over and over, progressive shibboleths are being dispensed with in one of the most reliably Democratic places in the country. Which brings us back to Tuesday's election in San Francisco. Three members of the S.F. Board of Education — GABRIELA LÓPEZ, ALISON COLLINS and FAAUUGA MOLIGA — are facing the first recalls to qualify for the ballot in the city since 1983, when the White Panthers tried to recall then-Mayor DIANNE FEINSTEIN. This campaign was launched from the laptops of SIVA RAJ and AUTUMN LOOIJEN, two Bay Area single parents who met on Tinder during the pandemic. On one of their first dates, Raj knew he wanted to work on a project with Looijen. Instead of the usual pandemic-era activities — like, say, baking bread — they launched a recall. It all started when they couldn't figure out why San Francisco's public schools remained closed while other cities were sending kids back to in-person learning. So they dialed into the city's Board of Education meetings — and, like a lot of other parents, were annoyed at what they saw:
- A massive budget shortfall.
- An inordinate amount of time and energy spent on a plan to rename 44 school buildings, including those honoring GEORGE WASHINGTON, ABRAHAM LINCOLN and Feinstein.
- Eliminating the merit-based admissions process at Lowell High School and transforming the coveted academic destination to a lottery so that it would better reflect the diversity of the city's overall student population.
- A two-hour debate over whether SETH BRENZEL, a father who happens to be white and gay, brought enough diversity to be allowed to join a volunteer parental advisory committee. During the discussion, the board failed to ask Brenzel a single question, then blocked his appointment.
And while it focused on those issues, the board failed to do something more fundamental: It never reopened San Francisco's schools. "Here's how I explain it to people who don't have kids," Looijen said. "Imagine you're in San Francisco. There's been an earthquake. You're out on the sidewalk in a tent because you're not sure if your home is safe to go back to. And you're cooking your meals on the sidewalk, you're trying to do normal things. You've been there for months. Finally, your elected leaders show up and you're like, 'Thank God, here's some help!' And they say, 'We are here to help. We're going to change the street signs for you.'" Ryan sat down with Raj and Looijen on Wednesday night in their Haight apartment, which also serves as the recall campaign's headquarters. Over chicken biryani and wine, the couple spent three hours talking about the recall, progressive politics and what both national parties might learn from the results Tuesday.
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| Listen to the interview here on the latest edition of Playbook Deep Dive. And check out our archive of recent conversations with political insiders: — Jeff Roe and Kristin Davison on how they helped Glenn Youngkin win Virginia
— Manu Raju and Jeff Flake on covering Congress
— Jared Bernstein on taming inflation
— Steve Clemons on how the White House lost Joe Manchin
— Cedric Richmond on how the White House manages activists
— Kurt Volcker on understanding Vladimir Putin
— Stephanie Cutter on how to play sherpa to a Supreme Court nominee Happy Friday. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels , Ryan Lizza.
| | | | A message from PhRMA: Washington is talking about price setting of medicines, but it won't stop insurers from shifting costs to you. And it will risk access to medicines and future cures. Instead, let's cap your out-of-pocket costs, stop middlemen from pocketing your discounts and make insurance work for you. Let's protect patients. It's the right choice. Learn more. | | | THE PREGAME PREVIEW — The first clips of President JOE BIDEN's sitdown interview with NBC's LESTER HOLT were released Thursday night (the full video will air on Sunday's Super Bowl pregame show). The highlights:
- On Dem governors lifting mask mandates: "I've committed that I would follow the science — the science as put forward by the CDC and the federal people — and I think it's probably premature, but it's, you know, it's a tough call," Biden said.
- On Afghanistan: Biden denied the accounts in a U.S. Army report that contends the administration failed to heed repeated warnings about potential problems with the Afghanistan evacuation ahead of last summer's withdrawal. Holt: "Are you rejecting the conclusions or accounts that are in this Army report?" Biden: "Yes, I am."
- On his SCOTUS nominee: Biden announced that his shortlist of potential nominees to replace Justice STEPHEN BREYER is down to four. Biden: "I've taken about four people and done the deep dive on them — meaning thorough background checks, and to see if there's anything in the background that would make them not qualified." Also: "I think whomever I pick will get a vote from the Republican side for the following reason: I'm not looking to make an ideological choice here." Speaking of …
WHERE THINGS STAND — WaPo's Seung Min Kim has a look at the status of Biden's SCOTUS selection process. Here's what you should know:
- The FBI vetting is underway. "The FBI has started interviewing people who know [KETANJI BROWN] JACKSON, [LEONDRA] KRUGER and [J. MICHELLE] CHILDS as part of the formal vetting process."
- So is outreach to Republicans. Biden has called Sens. SUSAN COLLINS (R-Maine), LISA MURKOWSKI (R-Alaska) and MITT ROMNEY (R-Utah); "Romney said he urged a Supreme Court pick in the mold of Breyer, who was reliably liberal but also known as a consensus-builder." Senior White House aides have also spoken with Sens. JOHN CORNYN (R-Texas), ROB PORTMAN (R-Ohio) and LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-S.C.).
- Biden plans to start interviewing potential nominees next week. He told a group of senators Thursday that his sessions will start "after he spends this weekend continuing to review their record[s]."
| | | | A message from PhRMA:   Government price setting threatens patient access to medicines and innovation. Instead, let's cap out-of-pocket costs and stop middlemen from pocketing discounts. Learn more. | | | BIDEN'S FRIDAY: — 9:30 a.m.: The president will receive the President's Daily Brief. — 3:15 p.m.: Biden will depart the White House en route to Camp David. Press secretary JEN PSAKI will brief at 2 p.m. VP KAMALA HARRIS' FRIDAY — The VP will head to Newark, N.J., at 9:45 a.m. to tout the city's lead pipe removal process and underline how the bipartisan infrastructure law aims to do the same nationwide. Harris is expected to hear from people who have actually gotten their lead pipes replaced. A White House official says they chose Newark because they see the city as a "blueprint for how community advocates, labor, and local, state, and federal partners can work together." Harris will head back to D.C. at 2:35 p.m. THE SENATE and THE HOUSE are out.
| | | | 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. | | | | | PHOTO OF THE DAY
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12-year-old Joshua Davis introduces President Joe Biden at a prescription drug prices event in Culpeper, Va., on Thursday. | Alex Brandon/AP Photo | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | TRUMP CARDS TRUMP TOOK 'TOP SECRET' DOCS FROM WHITE HOUSE — "Some of the White House documents that DONALD TRUMP improperly took to his Mar-a-Lago residence were clearly marked as classified, including documents at the 'top secret' level," sources tell WaPo's Jacqueline Alemany, Devlin Barrett, Matt Zapotosky and Josh Dawsey. "The existence of clearly marked classified documents in the trove is likely to intensify the legal pressure that Trump or his staffers could face, and raises new questions about why the materials were taken out of the White House." — Worth noting, part 1: "Even with documents marked classified found where they don't belong, prosecutors have a high legal bar to get to criminal charges. Prosecutors would have to prove someone intentionally mishandled the material or was grossly negligent in doing so — which can be a steep hurdle in its own right. And Trump, as president, would have had unfettered latitude to declassify material, potentially raising even bigger challenges to bringing a case against him." — Worth noting, part 2: "It is not precisely clear who packed up the classified materials at Mar-a-Lago, or how they got there in the first place. Trump was very secretive about the packing of boxes that were retrieved from Mar-a-Lago last month, and did not let other aides — including some of his most senior advisers — look at them, according to people close to him." — Strangely silent: For years, many prominent Republicans were outspoken in their criticism of HILLARY CLINTON's use of a private email server. Now, amid reports that Trump improperly took government records from the White House, there is "little sign of outrage," note NYT's Lisa Lerer and Katie Rogers. BEYOND THE BELTWAY MEASURING TEXAS' ABORTION BAN — "Abortions in Texas fell by 60 percent in the first month under the most restrictive abortion law in the U.S. in decades," AP's Paul Weber reports . "The nearly 2,200 abortions reported by Texas providers in September came after a new law took effect that bans the procedure once cardiac activity is detected, usually around six weeks of pregnancy and without exceptions in cases of rape or incest. In August, there had been more than 5,400 abortions statewide." CUOMO'S REVENGE TOUR — Former New York Gov. ANDREW CUOMO "will file a complaint against state Attorney General TISH JAMES with the judicial entity that has the power to disbar lawyers," our Bill Mahoney reports. "James released a report in August that concluded then-governor sexually harassed 11 women, leading to Cuomo's resignation. Five district attorneys have since said they found Cuomo's accusers credible but did not have enough evidence to bring criminal charges." ALL POLITICS WALKER THREATENED 'A SHOOT-OUT WITH POLICE' — After a public records fight, the AP has obtained previously unreleased police records stemming from a "volatile" 2001 altercation in which football legend and current U.S. Senate candidate in Georgia HERSCHEL WALKER was "armed and scaring his estranged wife at the suburban Dallas home they no longer shared." AP's Brian Slodysko reports that during the showdown, "officers took cover outside, noting later that Walker had 'talked about having a shoot-out with police.'" More from the story: "After calling police to the gated subdivision where Walker's wife lived, [Walker's therapist] rushed to the scene and talked to Walker for at least 30 minutes to calm him down, according to the Sept. 23, 2001, report. In the end, police confiscated a 9mm Sig Sauer handgun from Walker's car and placed his address on a 'caution list' because of his 'violent tendencies.' But they declined to seek charges or make an arrest. Walker's wife filed for divorce three months later." DEAD PEOPLE HAVE NO SECRETS — But sometimes they do still have PACs. Hailey Fuchs dug up eight PACs or campaign committees for dead politicians that are still active — legally — with as much as hundreds of thousands of dollars in the bank. "The ability of the committees of dead politicians to continue paying out money highlights how donations from political supporters can find their way to entities, causes, and individuals far removed from the candidate's election," she writes. Some lawmakers are trying to restrict these zombie accounts, but the FEC isn't doing much to police them currently.
| | | | A message from PhRMA:   Let's protect patients. It's the right choice. Learn more. | | | CONGRESS LOCK, STOCK AND BARREL — Democrats are seizing on renewed energy to restrict lawmakers' stock trading, but they face plenty of obstacles to passing legislation, report Nicholas Wu, Burgess Everett and Sarah Ferris. Some Dems see the move as politically advantageous, while others argue voters care more about issues that affect their lives. They'll need to chart a path through multiple competing bills on the matter, and secure enough GOP support to surmount a filibuster, though "a number of Republican senators professed interest in reform" this week, "suggesting there is a possible path to 60 votes …" What else is happening on the Hill: — Headed to Biden's desk: On Thursday, the Senate passed legislation "barring companies from forcing employees into arbitration proceedings to address sexual-assault and harassment complaints, a significant change to workplace practices in the wake of the #MeToo movement," WSJ's Lindsay Wise and Jess Bravin write. The House passed its version of the bill Monday. — Frontline Dems are asking for new pandemic relief for small businesses. "Nearly a dozen House Democrats set for close reelection fights this fall have asked the White House to get involved with efforts on the Hill to hash out a package of new pandemic aid for small businesses still struggling to survive," writes Caitlin Oprysko. (Full list of names at the link) — Expect to hear more about this one: Sens. RON WYDEN (D-Ore.) and MARTIN HEINRICH (D-N.M) alleged that the CIA has a bulk data-collection program that "operates outside of laws passed and reformed by Congress" and "includes information collected about Americans," and that it has "long hidden details" about the program from both the public and Congress, AP's Nomaan Merchant reports. — SOTU attendance will be limited. Bloomberg's Billy House : Biden's upcoming State of the Union speech "will be delivered to a limited audience in the U.S. Capitol under similar pandemic-related restrictions as last year, according to an official familiar with the arrangements. Only about 200 people, fully masked, were allowed inside the House chamber when Biden delivered his first speech to a joint session of Congress in April 2021." POLICY CORNER CANADA TRUCKERS HIT U.S. MANUFACTURERS — The Canadian trucker-led protest against Covid vaccination requirements "threatens to exacerbate two persistent economic challenges confronting the Biden administration: congested supply chains and rising consumer prices," our Steven Overly and Meredith Lee report. — Stuck in the gridlock: the U.S. auto industry. One of the main arteries being blocked is the Ambassador Bridge between Windsor, Ontario, and Detroit — "the busiest international crossing in North America that facilitates the exchange of more than $300 million worth of goods per day." — How automakers are responding: General Motors "is chartering cargo planes to fly parts stuck at Canada's border over the Detroit River and into the U.S. to keep a critical truck plant going," reports the Detroit Free Press' Jamie LaReau. — Could there be a copycat movement in the U.S.? A loosely organized effort is already underway, per LAT's Kurtis Lee, Molly Hennessy-Fiske and Jessica Garrison . Among the potential routes being discussed: "a convoy from California to Washington, D.C." RUSSIA-UKRAINE LATEST — "This is probably the most dangerous moment, I would say in the course of the next few days, in what is the biggest security crisis that Europe has faced for decades, and we've got to get it right," British PM BORIS JOHNSON said Thursday in Brussels, per the AP. — Also on Thursday, the State Department issued an advisorywarning that the U.S. "will not be able to evacuate U.S. citizens in the event of Russian military action anywhere in Ukraine," writes NBC's Teaganne Finn. — Haven't heard this one before: The reason French President EMMANUEL MACRON was seated such a cartoonishly long distance from Russian President VLADIMIR PUTIN during this week's confab? Macron reportedly "refused a Kremlin request that he take a Russian Covid-19 test when he arrived," not wanting to give Putin his DNA, sources tell Reuters' Michel Rose. TV TONIGHT — PBS' "Washington Week": Margaret Brennan, Phil Rucker and Errin Haines. SUNDAY SO FAR … ABC "This Week": Speaker Nancy Pelosi … Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). Panel: Chris Christie, Donna Brazile, Sarah Isgur and Patrick Gaspard. CBS "Face the Nation": New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy … Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) … Scott Gottlieb … Anthony Salvanto … James Brown. Gray TV "Full Court Press": Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) … Andrew Freedman. FOX "Fox News Sunday": Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) … Jim Gray. Panel: Jason Riley, Gerald Seib and Johanna Maska. MSNBC "The Sunday Show": DNC Chair Jaime Harrison … Rep. Elaine Luria (D-Va.) … Michael Li … Ari Berman … Rob Doar … Melanie Willingham-Jaggers … Marc Morial. CNN "Inside Politics":Panel: Jonathan Martin, Lauren Fox, Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Margaret Talev.
| | | | DON'T MISS CONGRESS MINUTES: Need to follow the action on Capitol Hill blow-by-blow? Check out Minutes, POLITICO's new platform that delivers the latest exclusives, twists and much more in real time. Get it on your desktop or download the POLITICO mobile app for iOS or Android. CHECK OUT CONGRESS MINUTES HERE. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Hillary Clinton is expected to headline the Democratic convention in New York next week. #ShesRunning? Disgraced former Rep. Anthony Weiner is working to reenter the public sphere with a new radio show on WABC with Curtis Sliwa, former Republican candidate for mayor. Melania Trump is teaming up with Parlerto "share exclusive communications" on the site, even though her husband's platform is supposed to launch in March. Sherrod Brown tried to get in on Alex Padilla and Rob Portman's Super Bowl wager. And they say bipartisanship is dead. Gazpacho-gate continues! Soupergirl is sending Marjorie Taylor Greene a carton of the cold stuff to help clear up that confusion. (Also a book by Nobel laureate and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel.) Anderson Cooper welcomed his second son, Sebastian. He even got help building a crib from his son Wyatt. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — SKDK is announcing a slate of new hires: Ryan Rose will be political creative director and previously was a freelance producer and assistant director. Andy Yazdani will be an art director and previously was an art director for the Community Associations Institute. Mackey Reed will be an SVP and is a Mike Bloomberg 2020 alum. Lucy Macintosh will be a VP and previously was associate director of campaigns at the Hub Project. Ileana Astorga will be a senior associate and previously was a legislative correspondent for Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.). TRANSITION — Sarah Kemp is now VP of international government affairs at Intel. She previously was associate VP and head of global women's health policy and ESG strategy at Organon. ENGAGED — Catherine Kuerbitz, chief of staff to Rep. David Scott (D-Ga.), and Ben Harney, deputy staff director for the House Oversight Committee, recently got engaged. Ben proposed during a quiet evening at home and the two celebrated afterward over dinner at Beuchert's, where they went on several early dates. Pic HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) (6-0) … Sarah Palin … Matt Bennett … Jeb Bush … Rick Tyler … Dan Barry … Alex Conant … James Hewitt … Steven V. Roberts … E&E News' Evan Lehmann … Emily Kirlin of Tiber Creek Group … Jess Sarmiento … Shannon Beckham … Alejandro Rosenkranz … Kyle Buckles … Evan Siegfried … ProPublica's Stephen Engelberg … Will Smith of Cornerstone Government Affairs … Jerri Ann Henry … Nicole L'Esperance … Sean McCluskie … Andrew Springer … Chris Hensman … Jimmy Dahman … Wes Barrett … Elizabeth Heng … Brian Kaveney … Andrea Mares … Amanda Hamilton … Hannah Lindow … Ben Wessel … former Rep. Rob Woodall (R-Ga.) … Johanna Maska … former HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt … Hawaii Lt. Gov. Josh Green … Rob Hendin … POLITICO's Rachel Kosberg … Alicia Mundy … BBC's Pascale Puthod … New Heights Communications' Danielle Strasburger … Mary Henkin … Brightspot's Michelle Zar Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here. 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 PhRMA: Washington is talking about price setting of medicines, but it won't stop insurers from shifting costs to you. And it will risk access to medicines and future cures. Instead, let's cap your out-of-pocket costs, stop middlemen from pocketing your discounts and make insurance work for you. Let's protect patients. It's the right choice. Learn more. | | | | | | | 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 | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
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