| | | | |  | | By Eugene Daniels | | | | | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | Here's something Democrats agree on: High gas prices — and the inflation rate they're driving up — are a huge political liability. Here's something Democrats don't agree on: what to do about it. On Tuesday, as the new 8.5% annualized inflation rate was announced, President JOE BIDEN was in Iowa, addressing concerns about energy costs and touting his decision to remove restrictions on the sale of E15, an ethanol-gas mix the administration hopes can ease the proverbial pain at the pump. "I'm not going to wait to take action to help American families," Biden said. "I'm doing everything within my power by executive orders to bring down the price and address the Putin price hike." It was an obvious reminder that the administration is eager to show the public that it's taking action to reduce gas prices — whether that's with this emergency waiver on E15, pushing for oil companies to increase production or releasing 180 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. But to some climate activists, Biden's response is at the heart of the problem. Our Josh Siegel, Kelsey Tamborino and Zack Colman have a good read on that topic for Pros this morning: "A year ago, environmentalists were ecstatic when Biden touted climate change as one of the top four issues for his administration, along with battling the pandemic, rebuilding the economy and fighting racism," they write. "Now, the White House is preoccupied with taming inflation and keeping the pressure on Russian President VLADIMIR PUTIN to end his war in Ukraine — a conflict that helped drive U.S. retail gasoline prices to record levels above $4.30 a gallon last month." "It's not even so much that I think the administration is recommitting to oil and gas, it's that nobody can tell what they're trying to do," said JUSTIN GUAY, director of global climate strategy at the environmental group Sunrise Project. "They're not telling a coherent story." One activist familiar with the White House's thinking put it to Playbook like this: "[The White House has] a really compelling case to make [for renewables] right now. … [But] they've continued to do what they've been trying to do since the beginning of this administration — which is to have it both ways." This is the moment, they say, to consistently lay out that the current situation is exactlywhy the U.S. needs to wean itself off of fossil fuels. But the climate community isn't unanimous in this assessment of Biden's handling of the issue. "It would be a horrible mistake for the president to do anything but acknowledge the day-to-day angst on fuel costs," DAVID KIEVE, president of the Environmental Defense Fund Action and a former administration official told Josh, Kelsey and Zack. "Poll after poll shows the No. 1 concern of the American people is cost to families." (Worth noting: Kieve is married to Biden White House comms director KATE BEDINGFIELD.) For its part, the White House doesn't see a contradiction between its current actions and Biden's climate promises. "We believe we can walk and chew gum, because families need to take their kids to school, and go to work, get groceries and go about their lives — and sometimes that requires gas today, this month, and this year," a White House spokesperson told Playbook in an email. "But at the very same time, we must speed up — not slow down — our transition to clean energy." Good Wednesday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza.
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Learn about our efforts | | | WHAT ELSE IS DIVIDING DEMS, PART I — "Across the country, Democratic candidates are sprinting to claim the tough-on-crime mantle," Holly Otterbein and David Siders write in their look at a fissure dividing Dem progressives and moderates from coast to coast. "The signs of the Democratic Party's evolution on crime are everywhere — and go beyond defeats suffered by the 'defund the police' movement in Minneapolis and elsewhere last year. As the midterm elections pick up, Democrats are calling for more police funding and attempting to co-opt traditionally Republican talking points on crime." In short: "If 2020 was the year progressives reordered the traditional politics of crime and policing, 2022 looks like the year centrists are regaining their footing and nullifying those gains." WHAT ELSE IS DIVIDING DEMS, PART II — The freakout over Biden's move on Title 42 asylum rules continues — and it's not just moderate-to-conservative Dems who are upset. Two headlines that caught our eyes: "Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Mandela Barnes opposes Biden administration's plan to lift Title 42 rule at the border," Milwaukee Journal Sentinel … "Beto O'Rourke knocks Biden for ending Title 42 without a plan to deal with influx of migrants," Texas Tribune — There's a reason why such a wide variety of Democrats are voicing their opposition. In a new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll, 55% of U.S. voters — including 53% of independents — oppose the White House move on Title 42, while about one-third of American voters overall support it. Toplines … Crosstabs And yet … MCCONNELL: 'IT'S ACTUALLY POSSIBLE' FOR GOP TO 'SCREW THIS UP' — Senate Minority Leader MITCH MCCONNELL crowed Tuesday that Republicans have a political environment "better than it was in 1994" amid "a perfect storm of problems for the Democrats," per The Hill. But he said Republican victories are no fait accompli if the party nominates bad general-election candidates. "How could you screw this up? It's actually possible. And we've had some experience with that in the past," McConnell said. Still, he said he's feeling good about the GOP candidates thus far.
| | | |   | | | BIDEN'S WEDNESDAY — The president and VP KAMALA HARRIS will receive the President's Daily Brief at 10:15 a.m. HARRIS' WEDNESDAY: — 2:15 p.m.: The VP will also meet with Cabinet officials about the administration's efforts on maternal health. — 6:15 p.m.: Harris will participate in a DNC fundraiser. Press secretary JEN PSAKI will brief at 3 p.m. THE HOUSE and THE SENATE are out.
| | | | DON'T MISS ANYTHING FROM THE 2022 MILKEN INSTITUTE GLOBAL CONFERENCE: POLITICO is excited to partner with the Milken Institute to produce a special edition "Global Insider" newsletter featuring exclusive coverage and insights from the 25th annual Global Conference. This year's event, May 1-4, brings together more than 3,000 of the world's most influential leaders, including 700+ speakers representing more than 80 countries. "Celebrating the Power of Connection" is this year's theme, setting the stage to connect influencers with the resources to change the world with leading experts and thinkers whose insight and creativity can implement that change. Whether you're attending in person or following along from somewhere else in the world, keep up with this year's conference with POLITICO's special edition "Global Insider" so you don't miss a beat. Subscribe today. | | | | | PHOTO OF THE DAY
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Anatoliy Morykin, 45, left, mourns the death of his mother Valentyna Morykina, 82, who died in a retirement home due to poor living conditions during the Russian invasion in Bucha, in the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, on Tuesday, April 12. | AP | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | ALL POLITICS FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Who could mount a serious challenge to DONALD TRUMP in the 2024 GOP primary? MICK MULVANEY, the former acting chief of staff in Trump's White House, has three names in mind — and one of them may come as a surprise. "[Florida Gov. RON] DESANTIS could give him a run for his money. [South Carolina Sen.] TIM SCOTT can give him a run for his money. DWAYNE 'THE ROCK' JOHNSON could give him a run for his money," he told our own Sam Sutton on Tuesday. "It's a short list." "By the way, there's one other person who could beat him — which is himself," added Mulvaney, who resigned his post as special envoy to Northern Ireland shortly after the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. "Donald Trump is sometimes his own worst enemy when it comes to campaigning." A REALLY BAD SIGN FOR DEMS IN NEVADA — New polling shows Republican challengers pulling slightly ahead of Nevada Democratic Sen. CATHERINE CORTEZ MASTO and Gov. STEVE SISOLAK, per the Reno Gazette Journal's James DeHaven. Biden's approval rating in the state sits at a bleak 35%. The Nevada Independent's Jon Ralston, breaking down the poll, says it's even worse than it looks for Dems: "a red wave is building that could carry a weak slate of GOP candidates to wins." THE POWER OF TRUMP — Pennsylvania Republican JAKE CORMAN withdrew from the gubernatorial race Tuesday as he struggles to gain traction in the polls. Then he spoke with Trump — and by day's end reversed his decision, petitioning in court to reverse his attempted withdrawal, ABC 27's George Stockburger and Dennis Owens report. — At the same time, Trump waded into the primary Tuesday with a statement slamming former U.S. attorney BILL MCSWAIN for not interceding to help overturn the 2020 election for Trump. More from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 2024 WATCH — Nevada Dems are pushing to be first on the presidential primary schedule — and upsetting other early states that thought they had an informal agreement not to jump the line yet, NBC's Natasha Korecki scoops. Leaders from the first four states met at the Washington Hilton last month, but within a day, Sen. JACKY ROSEN (D-Nev.) was reportedly already pushing the Nevada angle. Her state's Democrats say they have a different narrative about what happened: " ARTIE BLANCO, Nevada's member of the DNC's Rules and Bylaws Committee, who attended the meeting, was surprised by the blowback, saying she had a completely different take on the conversation. 'I'm taken aback that this sounds like some kind of personal attack, when it's not about that, when I've shown support for all four states,' Blanco said Tuesday night." CONGRESS THE NEW GOP — Bipartisanship is hard to come by in Biden's Washington, even when it comes to ceremonial legislation that isn't expected to ruffle many feathers. NYT's Annie Karni has one story of how it happens: "A bill to name a federal courthouse in Tallahassee after Justice JOSEPH W. HATCHETT, the first Black man to serve on the Florida Supreme Court — sponsored by the state's two Republican senators and backed unanimously by its 27 House members — was set to pass the House last month and become law with broad bipartisan support. "But in a last-minute flurry, Republicans abruptly pulled their backing with no explanation and ultimately killed the measure, leaving its fate unclear, many of its champions livid and some of its newfound opponents professing ignorance about what had happened. Asked what made him vote against a measure that he had co-sponsored, Representative VERN BUCHANAN, Republican of Florida, was brief and blunt: 'I don't know,' he said. The real answer is as much an allegory about the state of House Republicans in 2022 as it is about a federal building in Florida. With little notice and nothing more than a 23-year-old news clipping, a right-wing, first-term congressman mounted an 11th-hour effort on the House floor to persuade his colleagues that Judge Hatchett, a trailblazing judge who broke barriers as the first Black State Supreme Court justice south of the Mason-Dixon line, was undeserving of being honored." WAR IN UKRAINE THE 'G' WORD — Biden on Tuesday went further than any U.S. officials have thus far, saying in his remarks in Iowa that "your family budget, your ability to fill up your tank, none of it should hinge on whether a dictator declares war and commits genocide a half a world away," Myah Ward writes. "True words of a true leader," Ukrainian President VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY responded. But as recently as this weekend, national security adviser JAKE SULLIVAN wouldn't quite go there in declaring Putin's war a "genocide" on the Sunday shows — and just a week ago, Biden himself refused to deem it as such. SPEAKING OF RED LINES — As-yet unconfirmed reports of chemical weapons use in Ukraine are forcing the White House to scramble to figure out the U.S. response, Alex Ward and Jonathan Lemire report. The ongoing fighting makes it much harder to gather proof, WaPo's Joby Warrick and Dan Lamothe report. THE NEXT TRANCHE — The U.S. will soon announce another $750 million in military aid to Ukraine, Reuters' Patricia Zengerle and Idrees Ali scoop.
| | | |   | | | JAN. 6 AND ITS AFTERMATH NYT GETS THE RECEIPTS — NYT's Alan Feuer scoops the deets of an explosive call made by a Trump ally in the runup to the Jan. 6 Capitol attack. "One week before an angry mob stormed the Capitol, a communications expert named JASON SULLIVAN, a onetime aide to ROGER J. STONE JR., joined a conference call with a group of President Donald J. Trump's supporters and made an urgent plea. … "Sullivan told them that they had to go to Washington on Jan. 6, 2021 — the day that Congress was to meet to finalize the electoral count — and 'descend on the Capitol,' according to a recording of the call obtained by The New York Times. While Mr. Sullivan claimed that he was 'not inciting violence or any kind of riots,' he urged those on the call to make their presence felt at the Capitol in a way that would intimidate members of Congress, telling the group that they had to ensure that lawmakers inside the building 'understand that people are breathing down their necks.' … 'Biden will never be in that White House,' Mr. Sullivan declared." LOOK WHO'S TALKING — PAT CIPOLLONE and PATRICK PHILBIN are expected to speak informally with the Jan. 6 committee today, Betsy Woodruff Swan, Kyle Cheney and Nicholas Wu report. The top Trump White House lawyers are "the latest in a string of high-level aides to cooperate with the panel." THE ECONOMY INFLATION NATION — Some banks' economic forecasters are hopeful that the awful March inflation report released Tuesday will mark the apex of high prices, anticipating Fed action, supply-chain relief and falling used car prices, Ben White reports. — There's a divide among Fed officials over how long inflation will last and what their long-term strategy should be, Reuters' Dan Burns and Ann Saphir report. Fed Gov. LAEL BRAINARD sounded rosier Tuesday about the prospects for tamping down on inflation once the Fed takes action, while Richmond Fed President THOMAS BARKIN warned that high prices could endure. THE RECIPE FOR INFLATION — Our colleagues Ximena Bustillo and Steven Overly have a must-click interactive explainer walking you through the rise in food prices by deconstructing a cartoon burger. THE PANDEMIC SAD MILESTONE — The world has now seen 500 million documented Covid cases, per the Johns Hopkins tracker. BEYOND THE BELTWAY CHAOS IN BROOKLYN — New York police on Tuesday identified a 62-year-old man, FRANK JAMES, as a person of interest in their investigation into a subway mass shooting that wounded about two dozen people. He remains at large. Latest from the NYT CHAOS IN ALBANY — New York Lt. Gov. BRIAN BENJAMIN resigned Tuesday after being arrested for alleged corruption, though he denies the charges. Now Gov. KATHY HOCHUL, who just recently had the lieutenant governor job herself and picked Benjamin to succeed her, faces some unhappy decisions, Bill Mahoney and Anna Groneworld report. CHAOS IN PIERRE — South Dakota's state House impeached A.G. JASON RAVNSBORG on Tuesday over his behavior regarding a 2020 car crash that killed a man. The 36-31 vote, the first such condemnation in state history, will lead to a trial in the state Senate, as Ravnsborg refused to resign following the impeachment. (He'll have to take leave in the interim, though.) Republicans in the legislature are divided over what to do, though Gov. KRISTI NOEM called the impeachment "the right thing for the people of South Dakota and for JOE BOEVER's family." More from the Sioux Falls Argus Leader ABORTION FILES — Oklahoma Gov. KEVIN STITT signed into law a near-total abortion ban set to go into effect this summer, going further than most states have thus far to criminalize nearly all forms of the procedure. Details from The Oklahoman TRUMP CARDS DAILY RUDY — RUDY GIULIANI unlocked three of his devices for investigators in the federal probe into his foreign lobbying work, and prosecutors may now be close to reaching a decision on what to do with the investigation, report CNN's Paula Reid and Kara Scannell. Their inability to access some of his phones (the FBI seized 18 devices) had previously impeded their work. "Giuliani has also offered to appear for a separate interview to prove he has nothing to hide, his lawyer told CNN, renewing a proposal that federal prosecutors have previously rebuffed." REQUEST DENIED — DOJ told House Oversight that it wouldn't provide a breakdown of the White House boxes Trump improperly took to Mar-a-Lago because the department is still investigating them, WaPo's Jackie Alemany and Matt Zapotosky scoop. VALLEY TALK MUSK LATEST — The richest man in the world's noisy entry as Twitter's biggest shareholder this week will force the SEC to dive back into "its least-favorite question: what to do about ELON MUSK?" report Victoria Guida and Katy O'Donnell. Musk broke the law by making some technical errors in submitting forms related to the change — which may have saved him nearly $150 million. MEDIAWATCH SHADES OF QUIBI — "CNN+ struggles to lure viewers in its early days, drawing fewer than 10,000 daily users," by CNBC's Alex Sherman A SECOND LOOK AT CUOMO — The Washington Free Beacon's Eliana Johnson digs into a 2017 segmentCHRIS CUOMO aired in 2017 that lauded a WeWork program helping veterans: "What Cuomo did not say was that the bizarre segment was engineered and aired to keep quiet a former colleague at a different network who had accused him of sexual misconduct and who was, in 2017, doing public relations for WeWork." OAN IN TROUBLE — Far-right conspiracy network One America News is in "full-blown existential crisis" and losing many staffers after DirecTV pulled the channel from its lineup, The Daily Beast's Justin Baragona reports. CHRISTINA BOBB has left, to be replaced by CHANEL RION as "Weekly Briefing" host. Also gone: NATALIE HARP, JEZZAMINE WOLK, CAMRYN KINSEY and JUSTIN ADAM BROWN.
| | | | INTRODUCING DIGITAL FUTURE DAILY - OUR TECHNOLOGY NEWSLETTER, RE-IMAGINED: Technology is always evolving, and our new tech-obsessed newsletter is too! Digital Future Daily unlocks the most important stories determining the future of technology, from Washington to Silicon Valley and innovation power centers around the world. Readers get an in-depth look at how the next wave of tech will reshape civic and political life, including activism, fundraising, lobbying and legislating. Go inside the minds of the biggest tech players, policymakers and regulators to learn how their decisions affect our lives. Don't miss out, subscribe today. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | OUT AND ABOUT — Historian Jon Meacham and former senior Biden adviser Anita Dunn hosted an intimate virtual party for Valerie Biden Owens' new book, "Growing Up Biden" ( $22.99), on Wednesday night. Biden Owens told stories from the book about growing up with the current president and her own career as a political operative and adviser to her brother. "I always tell my brother Joe what I think. If I think that he was a wise guy or moved one way or not the other, I tell him the truth. He can't fire me. He can't disown me," she said. SPOTTED in the little Zoom boxes: Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Valerie Jarrett, Eric Schultz, Connie Milstein, Afsaneh and Michael Beschloss, Robyn and Jeremy Bash, Sally Quinn, Betsy Fischer Martin and Jonathan Martin, Phil Rucker, David Chalian, Mike Allen and Yamiche Alcindor. — French Ambassador Philippe Étienne hosted a Decoration Ceremony for Monsieur Kevin Sheekey and presented him with the Chevalier d' L'Ordre National du Merit at the residence Tuesday night to thank him for his friendship and support of France and his leadership on climate issues. Mike Bloomberg also spoke and Kevin thanked the French for the honor and Mike for his leadership on these issues. Pic … SPOTTED: Steve and Amy Ricchetti, Rufus Gifford, British Ambassador Karen Pierce, Didem Niscanci, Patti Harris, Dina Powell McCormick, Joel Johnson, Steve Schmidt, Rick Davis, Mark Ein, Luke Russert, Jim Steyer, Tammy Haddad, Jason Schechter, Bill Knapp, Mary Schapiro, Mark Shriver, Sally Donnelly, Michael Nutter, Adrienne Elrod, Margaret Talev, Linda Douglass and John Phillips, Sabrina Singh, Kaitlan Collins and David Chalian. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Olivia Alair Dalton, the spokesperson and close aide for U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield, has told confidants in the administration that she plans to leave her post in early June, multiple sources tell Playbook. We're told she is going to stick around to stay through the end of the Security Council presidency in May. Dalton is a veteran Biden staffer who served on the transition and in the White House last year on the military operation to airlift people out of Afghanistan. No word yet on where Dalton will land. — CBS' "60 Minutes" is slated to air a story by Bill Whitaker on Sunday about the cybersecurity consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and how the Biden administration is preparing for potential cyberattacks, two people familiar with the upcoming piece told Daniel Lippman. Among others, CISA Director Jen Easterly has been interviewed for the segment. TRANSITIONS — Lyft is adding Emma Rindels as federal policy manager and Alix Lowe-Server as federal policy adviser. Rindels previously was a legislative assistant for House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy. Lowe-Server previously was senior adviser for Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.). … former Defense Secretary Mark Esper is joining Red Cell Partners as a partner and chair of the national security practice WEEKEND WEDDING —Cat Rakowski, booking producer on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," and Ben Hudson, who is a marketing director and brother of WaPo reporter John Hudson, got married in a low-key, family-filled ceremony this weekend in Hudson Valley. We're told Cat's starting the marriage with the advantage as her family bested the Hudsons in the kickball game. Pic … Another pic WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Sacha Haworth, executive director of the Tech Oversight Project and a DCCC and House Majority PAC alum, and Will Mitchell, legislative director for Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.), welcomed Charles Thomas Mitchell on April 6. Charlie came in at 6 lbs, 10.5 ounces and 20 inches, and joins big brother Calvin. Pic HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) … Reps. Jim Costa (D-Calif.) (7-0) and Marie Newman (D-Ill.) … Celinda Lake … Doug Coutts … Brian Bartlett of Rational 360 … Taylor Gross of the Herald Group … POLITICO's Jack Smith … CNN's Nathaniel Meyersohn … Will Davis of the OECD Washington Center … Edelman's Sujata Mitra and Kate Meissner … Maggie Feldman-Piltch … C-SPAN's Jeremy Art … Alex Yost … E&E News' Amy Carlile, Colleen Luccioli and Jeff Tomich … John Barsa … Engage's Nick Schaper … Sally Larson … Ford's Brad Carroll and Rachel McCleery … Kasey O'Brien of Middle Seat Digital … NBC's Justice Gilpin-Green (3-0), celebrating on safari in South Africa with her boyfriend Brian Wanglin … Bloomberg's Ayanna Alexander and Jeannie Baumann … Jonah Cunningham … Amy Goodman … WaPo's Lateshia Beachum … Morning Consult's Jeff Cartwright … Dean Hingson … Rebecca Pearcey … SKDKnickerbocker's Mia Motley … Emily Loeb … Deena Tauster … Erin Dunne … Karriem Holman of kPolitics … former Reps. Susan Davis (D-Calif.) and Ted Yoho (R-Fla.) … former Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-Colo.) … David Carmen of the Carmen Group … Steve Ayscue … Geoff Embler … Kevin Warsh 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 Bethany Irvine, Eli Okun and Garrett Ross.
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