| | | | |  | | By Ryan Lizza | | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | NO BREAKTHROUGH AFTER BIDEN-PUTIN CALL — President JOE BIDEN was scheduled to speak with Ukrainian President VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY at 10:45 a.m. ET today, per a White House official. The call comes after Biden and Russian President VLADIMIR PUTIN spoke for over an hour Saturday. The White House and Kremlin gave dueling accounts of the call. — U.S. officials emphasized Biden's warning to Putin about the high costs of an invasion that America insists is imminent. — Russia dismissed American "hysteria" about an invasion and emphasized that the call was largely about a diplomatic solution. — Where they agreed: The U.S. said the call was "professional and substantive," and the Russians said it was "businesslike." More from Myah Ward and Paul McLeary THE VIEW FROM THE WHITE HOUSE — The readout: "President Biden was clear that, if Russia undertakes a further invasion of Ukraine, the United States together with our Allies and partners will respond decisively and impose swift and severe costs on Russia. President Biden reiterated that a further Russian invasion of Ukraine would produce widespread human suffering and diminish Russia's standing. President Biden was clear with President Putin that while the United States remains prepared to engage in diplomacy, in full coordination with our Allies and partners, we are equally prepared for other scenarios." In a briefing for reporters, a senior administration official said there "was no fundamental change in the dynamic that has been unfolding now for several weeks." The official said Americans are preparing for an attack:
- An additional 3,000 U.S. troops are headed to Poland.
- U.S. military deliveries to Ukraine have continued over the last few days.
- Coordination with allies "to immediately impose severe financial sanctions and export controls [is] also reaching a culmination point."
- All but a "core team" of U.S. diplomats have been pulled from Kyiv.
The White House argued that Russian "efforts to improve their strategic position" by threatening Ukraine "are already failing":
- It has united NATO, which "is stronger and more purposeful."
- It has isolated Russia, which is "more dependent on China" and "at odds with the principled, affirmative, international law-abiding worldview."
- It has put Russia "on defense in the information space" (For more on that claim, see this report from NYT's Julian Barnes and Helene Cooper on how "the United States is trying to beat the master at his own game.")
National security adviser JAKE SULLIVAN reiterated many of these points on CNN's "State of the Union" this morning: "It is still possible, we believe, that Russia could choose the diplomatic path. But the way they have built up their forces, the way they have maneuvered things in place, makes it a distinct possibility that there will be major military action very soon. And we are prepared to continue to work on diplomacy, but we are also prepared to respond in a united and decisive way with our allies and partners should Russia proceed." Pentagon press secretary JOHN KIRBY on the Biden-Putin phone call, on "Fox News Sunday": "It's certainly not a sign that things are moving in the right direction. It's certainly not a sign that Mr. Putin has any intention to deescalate the tensions, and it's certainly not a sign that he's recommitting himself to a diplomatic path forward. So it doesn't give us any cause for optimism." THE VIEW FROM THE KREMLIN — Kremlin aide YURI USHAKOV told reporters after the call that the Americans had created "hysteria" about an invasion, and emphasized that Biden's diplomatic proposals fell short, per Reuters: "He said Biden laid out a number of considerations to address the array of security demands that Russia made of the West late last year, including a veto on Ukraine ever joining NATO." Said Ushakov: "[T]he Russian president reacted in the spirit that the Russian side would carefully analyze the considerations expressed by Biden and would undoubtedly take them into account. But unfortunately, and this was said, these considerations do not touch upon the central, key elements of Russian initiatives." Ushakov also said that Russia had "practically finished drawing up its response" to the U.S. and NATO counter-proposals to Russia's security demands, "and would announce them soon." More … — German Chancellor OLAF SCHOLZ will visit Kyiv on Monday and Moscow on Tuesday to, in his words, "prevent a war in Europe" and "send a clear message to Russia that any military aggression would have consequences that would be very high for Russia and its prospects, and that we are united with our allies." —The Russian "assault" against Ukraine "has already begun," WSJ's James Marson reports from Kyiv, and has taken the form of a "hybrid war" that includes "cyberattacks, economic pressure and, most recently, false bomb threats." — Where and what could a Russian invasion look like? CNN's Rob Picheta and Eliza Mackintosh break it down, including "the three fronts Ukraine and the West are watching." CNN's Sean Lyngaas reports on government preparations for a potential Russian hacking attack. — "Can European shuttle diplomacy avert war in Ukraine?" WaPo's Rick Noack, Loveday Morris and Karla Adam explore that question, and WaPo's Liz Sly reports from Estonia that the Russian buildup is "sending chills through Belarus's Baltic neighbors." — What's it like to run a business "under the shadow of war"? Sasha Maslov, a native Ukrainian, writes a first-person reported essay on the topic for the NYT. Good Sunday morning. As someone who spent (wasted?) way too much time in college trying to decipher JAMES JOYCE's "Ulysses" before abandoning English lit for political journalism, I can relate to every word in this lovely Maureen Dowd meditation on "D.C. and Joyce — Both Incomprehensible." Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line and tell us about your plans for Bloomsday: 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. | | | SUPER BOWL SUNDAY READS — The L.A. Rams and Cincinnati Bengals face off for the Vince Lombardi trophy tonight at 6:30. First lady JILL BIDEN and first dog COMMANDER BIDEN will make an appearance during the Puppy Bowl on Animal Planet, which starts at 2 p.m. Joe Biden's interview with LESTER HOLT will air during the 3 p.m. hour of NBC's pregame show. What to read before the game: Derek Robertson on "Why the NFL Is (Somehow) America's Most Resilient Institution" … NYT's Ross Douthat on how "Super Bowl Sunday is capping off a transition in big-time sports that has made the symbiosis between professional athletics and professional gambling all but complete" … WSJ's Andrew Beaton and Joshua Robinson on Bengals QB JOE BURROW's semi-secret passion for chess … Detroit News' Tony Paul on how L.A. Rams QB MATTHEW STAFFORD, who spent 12 seasons with the Detroit Lions, has Michiganders buying "Detroit Rams" merch and treating today as the closest thing they'll ever get to a Lions Super Bowl appearance (the team has one playoff win since 1957). SUNDAY BEST … Sen. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-S.C.) on whether he's "convinced that Putin's going to go in," on ABC's "This Week": "No, I'm not, but I'm convinced that we could do more in Congress and should. We've been working in a bipartisan fashion for about three weeks now to come up with pre-invasion, post-invasion sanctions, and the White House keeps pushing back. So, the best thing that could happen is for us to pass this sanctions package … that would destroy the ruble and cripple the Russian economy so Putin could see it in writing. That might help him decide not to invade." Speaker NANCY PELOSI on whether she'll run for speaker again if Democrats hold the House, on "This Week": "That's not a question. My purpose right now is just to win that election, is to win that election. Nothing less is at stake than our democracy." Maryland Gov. LARRY HOGAN on a possible 2024 run, on "State of the Union": "I will make a decision about 2024 after I finish this job." Jake Tapper: "So, you are considering it?" Hogan: "We're certainly going to take a look at it after January of '23." — Hogan reacting to New Hampshire Gov. CHRIS SUNUNU's comments that Republicans in Washington aren't focused on getting things done: "I think they're sometimes focused on the wrong things, not just being a roadblock to Biden. I mean, there are certain things that we want to stand up to President Biden. The inflation is out of control, and we're talking about billions in more spending — trillions in more spending. We want to make sure that we do stand up and speak out. But I'm concerned that they're focusing too much on looking at the past and trying to relitigate the last election and arguing about things, instead of having a positive, hopeful vision for America." Sen. BILL CASSIDY (R-La.) on school mask mandates, on "Fox News Sunday": "We have to follow the science. If the science says that mask is only a marginal benefit, but that the cost of the child is more than marginal cost, then we have to follow the science. And I'll just say that because clearly what has happened over the last year, children have suffered. From being locked out of school and some say from wearing the mask. Let's follow the science. I'm a doc, that's what I believe, that's what we should do."
| | | | 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 SUNDAY — The president has nothing on his public schedule.
| | | | 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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Kazakhstani skier Akmarzhan Kalmurzayeva trains at the Olympics on Sunday. | Gregory Bull/AP Photo | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | JUDICIARY SQUARE BIDEN'S TOP THREE — When rumors began last year that Supreme Court Justice STEPHEN BREYER was considering retirement, Biden formed a shortlist of two potential candidates if the seat did open up, AP's Colleen Long reports: KETANJI BROWN JACKSON and LEONDRA KRUGER. "But J. MICHELLE CHILDS has rapidly become a serious third candidate after House Majority Whip JIM CLYBURN, D.-S.C., publicly announced his support for her, as did the state's Republican senators, Graham and TIM SCOTT." — Speaking of: "Graham becomes early player to watch in Supreme Court drama," by AP's Kevin Freking and Mary Clare Jalonick KNOWING MICHELLE CHILDS — WaPo's Michael Kranish reviewed "thousands of pages of documents she has submitted to a Senate committee and interviews with close associates and other observers," painting a portrait of Childs, who "has been unusually outspoken during her judicial career on social issues that directly relate to her childhood traumas and her experiences pushing boundaries as a Black woman in the South. Raised by a single mother after the death of her father, a Detroit police officer, "Childs was the first in her family to attend college and was a beauty pageant winner who once considered modeling. She has spent much of her life overcoming discrimination and breaking barriers as the first Black woman to become a partner at a major South Carolina law firm, and then as a state and federal judge, where she made rulings that went against the state's prevailing politics. She has stepped beyond her federal judgeship to speak out on social issues such as racial discrimination, the disproportionate incarceration of Blacks, and gun violence." THE WHITE HOUSE NORMALCY WATCH — "Some Democrats want Biden to use the State of the Union to signal a definitive turning point in the pandemic," WSJ's Natalie Andrews and Sabrina Siddiqui report in a piece aptly titled, "Some Democrats Push Biden to Embrace Normalcy as Covid-19 Cases Ease." "Rep. DEAN PHILLIPS (D-Minn.) calls it 'the singular moment on which perhaps this entire presidency will be judged.' One big question: will Democrats relax social distancing protocols in the House chamber so Biden is able to address a larger crowd than last year?" TRUMP CARDS DAN BALZ'S LATEST: "Republicans may be divided over Trump, but that's of little solace to Biden and the Democrats" TRUMP INC. — NYT's Shane Goldmacher and Eric Lipton have an in-depth look at how DONALD TRUMP is enriching himself in his post-presidency that leads with this startling anecdote: "In early December, Donald J. Trump put on a tuxedo and boarded the private jet of a scrap-metal magnate and crypto-miner for a short flight across Florida, touching down at an airport in Naples. There, a long red carpet marked the pathway into a Christmas-decorated hangar filled with supporters of Mr. Trump who had paid $10,000 to $30,000 for the privilege of attending a party and taking a photo with him. "The event had all the trappings of a typical high-end fund-raiser: a giant American flag, a lectern, chandeliers and an open bar. Frank Stallone's band provided the music; an anti-Biden 'Let's Go Brandon' banner hung from the rafters. "But the money raised did not go to Mr. Trump's political operation. Instead, Mr. Trump's share of the evening's proceeds went straight into his pocket, according to a person familiar with the arrangement." THE ONES THAT WEREN'T FLUSHED — WaPo's Ashley Parker, Jacqueline Alemany, Josh Dawsey and Tom Hamburger have the definitive account of how more than a dozen boxes of classified documents — some marked "top secret" — made it from the White House to Mar-a-Lago. Some interesting nuggets: — "A trucking administrator at Bennett, a Georgia transportation firm that handles a lot of government contracts, said that under traditional circumstances, shipment of these sorts of materials would be handled through a secure transfer — including GPS tracking of the vehicle and a team trained to handle sensitive information. But it remains unclear what protocols were followed because, as one person familiar with the transfer said, 'Nothing about this is normal.' Officials have not identified what company handled the Mar-a-Lago shipment." — "'He would roll his eyes at the rules, so we did, too,' said STEPHANIE GRISHAM, the former Trump White House press secretary who has become an outspoken Trump critic after the Jan. 6 insurrection on the U.S. Capitol. 'We weren't going to get in trouble because he's the president of the United States.' Grisham … recalled one instance in which she expressed concern about violating the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees from engaging in some forms of political activity. Grisham said that Trump told her: 'Who's the boss of the Hatch Act? It's me. So say whatever you want.'" — "Trump — who spent the weeks after Election Day furiously working to overturn the results of a free and fair election — procrastinated packing to leave until the very last minute. His obsession with falsely claiming the election was stolen also made his staff reluctant to broach the question of packing, fearful that doing so would draw his ire, said one former White House official, speaking anonymously to share details of private conversations." WHAT TRUMP IS READING — National Review: "Durham: Tech Exec Working with Clinton-Tied Lawyer Spied on Trump Tower, White House" WHAT TRUMP IS HATE-READING — WaPo's Michael Scherer and Josh Dawsey: "A weakened Trump? As some voters edge away, he battles parts of the Republican Party he once ran." Perhaps wishfully, "a senior Republican, reflecting private conversations with donors and operatives" is quoted saying, "A lot of people now say to me: 'He did great things, he was a great president, but it's time for something new.'"
| | | | A message from PhRMA:   Let's protect patients. It's the right choice. Learn more. | | | ALL POLITICS MCCONNELL'S LATEST TARGET — NYT's Jonathan Martin goes "Inside McConnell's Campaign to Take Back the Senate and Thwart Trump": "In conversations with senators and would-be senators, [Senate Minority Leader MITCH MCCONNELL] is blunt about the damage he believes Mr. Trump has done to the G.O.P., according to those who have spoken to him. Privately, he has declared he won't let unelectable 'goofballs' win Republican primaries. After being spurned by Sununu to take on Sen. JEANNE SHAHEEN in New Hampshire and Hogan to take on Sen. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN in Maryland, McConnell's next big recruiting target is Arizona Gov. DOUG DUCEY, who McConnell wants to challenge Sen. MARK KELLY. Despite entreaties from McConnell, GEORGE W. BUSH, KARL ROVE and other establishment Republicans, Ducey, per Martin, "sounded much like Mr. Hogan and Mr. Sununu when asked about his enthusiasm for jumping into another campaign." THE DEM DIVIDE — WaPo's Paul Kane delves into the key strategic debate for Democrats that we outlined for readers in Playbook last week: Should Dems make Trump central to 2022? If you ask a handful of Democrats running in this year's midterms what the party should be focusing on, they'll tell you: "the bread-and-butter issues that appeal to swing voters." But Paul writes that "some Democrats fear that this is letting the ex-president's allies off the hook. They believe that voters, both the liberal base and some swing voters in the suburbs, need to hear a message that links GOP candidates to the attempts to overturn President Biden's victory and future threats to elections." HEADS UP — Sen. JOSH HAWLEY (R-Mo.) endorsed Rep. VICKY HARTZLER (R-Mo.) in her bid for retiring Sen. ROY BLUNT's seat, per the Missouri Times' Kaitlyn Schallhorn. AMERICA AND THE WORLD CANADA CONVOY CHAOS — Here's the latest on the anti-Covid restrictions and anti-government protests in Canada that have reached the U.S., from the Detroit Free Press' Elisha Anderson and Christine MacDonald: "Police moved in to clear protesters opposed to COVID-19 vaccine mandates and other restrictions early Sunday near the Ambassador Bridge, a key U.S.-Canadian border crossing linking Detroit and Windsor, Ontario. "Windsor Police, in a tweet about 8:15 a.m., said enforcement actions continued at the bridge — the busiest border crossing to the U.S. — 'with arrests being made. Vehicles being towed.'" — Fun nugget from Ottawa, via AP: On Friday, the speaker of Canada's parliament "ordered his staff to turn on the lawn's sprinklers to douse [the protesters] and to play BARRY MANILOW tunes and the 1990s hit 'Macarena' over loudspeakers to annoy them. Protesters responded by playing their own songs, including TWISTED SISTER's 'We're Not Gonna Take It.'" PULLOUT FALLOUT — A newly declassified report on the U.S.' Afghanistan withdrawal supports senior military officials' accounts of a bungled operation from the Biden administration, WaPo's Dan Lamothe reports. "Declassified U.S. military analyses of the calamitous exit from Afghanistan detail repeated instances of friction between American troops and diplomats before and during the evacuation, concluding that indecisiveness among Biden administration officials in Washington and initial reluctance to shutter the embassy in Kabul sowed chaos and put the overall mission at "increased risk." "Two 'after action' reports were prepared by officials assigned to U.S. Central Command in September, about three weeks after the final planeload of military personnel departed Hamid Karzai International Airport. The assessments appear to affirm separate accounts of senior U.S. commanders frustrated by what they characterized as sloppy, misguided management of the withdrawal." — Related reading: "Many Afghans said they were outraged by the Biden administration's decision to divert billions in frozen assets from the Afghan central bank to American families of 9/11 victims, as Afghanistan hurtles deeper into economic catastrophe," report NYT's Christina Goldbaum, Safiullah Padshah and Taimoor Shah. "The move, which would effectively bankrupt the country's central bank, adds to the growing animosity that many Afghans have felt toward the United States since the troop withdrawal that paved the way for the Taliban's takeover of the country in August." POLICY CORNER PROGRESSIVES SOUR ON BIDEN OVER CLIMATE — During the 2020 campaign, Biden elevated climate change to one of the top four priorities of his potential administration. "Yet his most crucial climate proposal is dead in Congress, and the conservative-dominated Supreme Court will take up a case this month that could shred his administration's ability to regulate greenhouse gas pollution from power plants," write Josh Siegel, Kelsey Tamborrino and Alex Guillén. Now, "many on the left … are losing hope — noting both the galloping spread of climate-linked disasters around the world, and the strong possibility that Democrats could lose control of Congress in November's midterm elections." HEADLINE DU JOUR — "In Clampdown on U.S. Methane Emissions, Belching Cattle Get a Pass," by WSJ's Katy Stech Ferek BEYOND THE BELTWAY RACIAL RECKONING — In states where laws have been passed to police what can be taught regarding race and discrimination, NYT's Jacey Fortin and Giulia Heyward write that "many teachers are watching what they say, and are more anxious about their jobs" in the midst of Black History Month.
| | | | 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 | | Ben Ray Luján put out a video saying he'll be back in the Senate in "a few short weeks." WELCOME TO THE WORLD —Jade Floyd, SVP at Global Strategy Group, and Charles Small, deputy assistant secretary of Transportation for intergovernmental affairs, welcomed Georgina Elliott Mars Small, a.k.a Gigi, on Wednesday. She came in at 8 lbs, 13 oz and 21 inches, and joins big sister Jasper. Pic — Matt Oczkowski, founder of data science firm HUMN Behavior and a Scott Walker alum, and Molly Schweickert, VP of marketing at Black Rifle Coffee Company and a Scott Walker and Targeted Victory alum, welcomed Milena Eve Oczkowski on Monday. BIRTHWEEK (was Saturday): Thomas Peterson HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) … Reps. Filemon Vela (D-Texas) and Lizzie Fletcher (D-Texas) … Chip Smith … former Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon … Lila Nieves-Lee … Jeffrey Rosen of the National Constitution Center … Bill McCarren … Bloomberg's Stacie Sherman … Tobi Young … i360's Brian Szmytke … Jeanne Mancini … KPMG's Sven Erik Holmes … Mae Stevens … Fox News' Cailin Kearns … Samantha Slater … Reuters' Mike Spector … Jill Barclay … SpyTalk's Jeff Stein … Alex Hinson … Blackstone's Elizabeth Lewis … Kit Conway … Siemens' Camille Johnston … Raven Reeder … Nick Baer … Facebook's Alex Burgos … Megan Becker … Betsy Ankney … George Kundanis of Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office … Mark Cohen … Jerry Springer 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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