🤫 Scoop: Biden’s Saudi play

Plus: SCOTUS pitbull | Sunday, March 06, 2022

Open in app View in browser   Presented By Business Roundtable   Axios Sneak Peek By the Axios Politics team ·Mar 06, 2022 Welcome back to Sneak. In a novel form of crowd-sourcing, people are booking Airbnb rooms in Ukraine — with no intention of ever checking in. Smart Brevity™ count: 882 words ... 3.5 minutes. Edited by Glen Johnson.     1 big thing: Scoop - Biden's Saudi plea Then-Vice President Joe Biden looks on in May 2015 as President Obama meets in the Oval Office with Mohammed bin Salman and other Saudi officials. Photo: Olivier Douliery/White House Pool (ISP Pool Images)/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images   President Biden's advisers are discussing a possible visit to Saudi Arabia this spring to help repair relations and convince the Kingdom to pump more oil, Axios' Hans Nichols has learned. Why it matters: A hat-in-hand trip would illustrate the gravity of the global energy crisis driven by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Biden has chastised Saudi Arabia, and the CIA believes its de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was involved in the dismemberment of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. The possibility also shows how Russia's invasion is scrambling the world's alliances, forcing the U.S. to reorder its priorities — and potentially recalibrating its emphasis on human rights. Biden officials are in Venezuela this weekend to meet with the government of President Nicolás Maduro. Some Republicans and Democrats in Washington suggest Venezuela's oil could replace Russia's, according to the New York Times. Any visit to the Persian Gulf would come amid a busy presidential travel schedule during the next few months. Biden will likely take trips to Japan, Spain, Germany and, potentially, Israel, Axios has also learned. Zoom in: MBS isn't making it easier on Biden to repair their relations. He appeared to go out of his way to aggravate the White House during an interview with the Atlantic published last week. "We don't have the right to lecture you in America," he said. "The same goes the other way." What they're saying: A White House spokesperson told Axios: "We don't have any international travel to announce at this time, and a lot of this is premature speculation." Keep reading.     2. Scoop: Behind the left's SCOTUS pitbull Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios   Progressives are bringing a seven-figure budget and roster of top Democratic talent to their fight to confirm Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson, Axios' Lachlan Markay reports. Why it matters: While Jackson's confirmation is likely, both sides are looking to milk the process for every ounce of political advantage this midterm year. Demand Justice, a progressive judicial advocacy outfit, is slated to lead the fight on the left. Demand Justice has already announced a $1 million ad campaign in support of Jackson and said it's prepared to spend much more. Previously unreported documents provide the first glimpse of the rest of the money and muscle propelling the effort. What's happening: According to tax exemption applications filed with the IRS, Demand Justice projected a budget of $7.5 million for 2022. An affiliated charity, the Demand Justice Initiative, will bring in $4.2 million, it told the IRS, and steer all of those funds to allied organizations — including its advocacy arm. Demand Justice previously operated under the auspices of the Sixteen Thirty Fund, a progressive "fiscal sponsor," but split from the group last year. The filings also provide the first full list of Demand Justice's board of directors. Keep reading.     3. Charted: Ukrainian refugees Data: Refugee Processing Center; Chart: Jacque Schrag/Axios The number of Ukrainian refugees admitted to the U.S. has dropped recently, coinciding with the pandemic, government data reviewed by Axios' Stef Kight shows. Why it matters: The U.N. estimates more than 1.5 million Ukrainians have now fled Russia's invasion. It's not clear yet how many will want to be resettled elsewhere long term, but some refugee groups have begun calling on the Biden administration to do more to welcome them. Last week, the Biden administration granted Ukrainians already in the U.S. a Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation. That shields them from deportation and lets them get work permits for 18 months. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited a refugee center in Poland over the weekend during a trip to assess needs for further U.S. assistance in the region. "The United States is committed to doing anything we can, first of all to support the countries that are bearing the immediate burden of taking in Ukrainians, and then, as appropriate, if people seek refugee status in the United States, of course we will look at that and, I'm sure, act on that," Blinken told CNN today. Keep reading.     A message from Business Roundtable Strong and sustained economic growth creates opportunity for all     Raising taxes on America's largest employers will make it harder to create jobs and compete with foreign competitors. Americans need an economy that grows and creates opportunity for everyone — including through a globally competitive tax code.     4. Worthy of your time A maskless President Biden emerged from Mass in Wilmington, Del., on Saturday. Photo: Samuel Corum/AFP via Getty Images   📣 Former President Trump suggested the U.S. put Chinese markings on its fighter jets, bomb Russian forces and spark fighting between Russia and China during a tour de force in New Orleans on Saturday night, the Washington Post reported. (subscription) 📸 Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) defended himself after he and Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) were accused by colleagues of defying Ukrainian ambassador Oksana Markarova when they tweeted real-time screenshots of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's call with members of Congress as it was ongoing. 🕊️ Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley criticized the Biden administration during an NBC "Meet the Press" interview for urging China to help avert a Russian invasion of Ukraine and for negotiating a new nuclear deal with Iran. 💵 Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the Senate is having "very good and productive bipartisan talks" on including the Biden administration's requested $10 billion Ukraine aid package in the omnibus spending bill, adding he's "hopeful" the supplemental can pass in both chambers this week. 🛢️ A Reuters/Ipsos poll found 80% of Americans say the U.S. should stop purchasing Russian oil, with 62% saying paying more for gas is a worthwhile sacrifice to make while defending a democratic country.     5. Pic du jour Photo: Olivier Douliery/Pool/AFP via Getty Images   During Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit to Poland this weekend, he and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba addressed reporters at the border crossing in Korczowa, Poland. Blinken had briefly stepped into Ukraine to meet with Kuleba.     A message from Business Roundtable Globally engaged U.S. businesses support American workers     Business Roundtable CEOs are doing their part to support employees, suppliers, customers and communities. These leaders share a commitment to promoting a thriving U.S. economy that serves all Americans.   🚀 We appreciate you beginning the week with us. Please tell your friends to sign up for all our free local and national newsletters through this link. Like this email style and format? It's called Smart Brevity®. 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