| | | | |  | | By Ryan Lizza and Eugene Daniels | | | | | | | 
Gaelen Morse/Getty Images | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | THE ART OF THE THIEL — Tech mogul PETER THIEL gave J.D. VANCE's Ohio Senate campaign a fresh infusion of cash, pouring in $3.5 million to Protect Ohio Values, the super PAC backing Vance, our colleague Alex Isenstadt reports, "part of a broader tranche of money that has come in to support the Senate candidate after last week's [DONALD] TRUMP endorsement." Puck's Theodore Schleifer has an incisive story looking at Thiel's recent political spending and what it means for the GOP. — On Trump's Vance endorsement: "Vance suddenly received a jolt of momentum thanks to a somewhat surprising Good Friday endorsement from Trump. … Thiel lobbied Trump directly for the nod of approval, I am told. The two have spoken several times in recent weeks, including at an in-person meeting a month or two ago. … I've been curious for months why Thiel hadn't put more money into the Vance super PAC — Thiel committed $10 million in March 2021, and then didn't make any more donations for at least a full year, according to updated campaign-finance reports made public last week. … And so at the end of last month, the super PAC had only $300,000 left in its coffers for the final five weeks of the primary race. Despite some recent entreaties from the outside group, there had been no follow-up check. As a result, the super PAC has been off the air in the closing weeks of the race. That was until the Trump endorsement crossed the wire." (Cue the $3.5 million check Alex scooped.) — On how Thiel thinks, and the stakes in Ohio: "He has surrounded himself with professional Republican strategists who are very much trying to keep him engaged: On some days Thiel is a political obsessive with probing questions about individual districts, but he also expresses the desire to focus on other passions, from Bitcoin to his new family. Which narrative bears out depends in part on how Vance fares two weeks from today, when Ohio Republicans decide on their nominee. And that's why every Republican who wants Thiel to remain active in G.O.P. politics should be rooting hard for Vance, if solely to keep Thiel's appetite alive." — Who's bending Thiel's ear: "Nowadays, Thiel frequently talks politics with CHRIS BUSKIRK, a conservative intellectual in Arizona who runs the [BLAKE] MASTERS super PAC, along with JOHNNY MCENTEE, a former top Trump political aide. … Thiel's principal political aide these days is JAMES BACON, a former deputy of McEntee in the White House … who functions less as a gatekeeper and more as a tactician and liaison to campaigns. More broadly in ThielWorld, the most empowered aide is probably JIMMY KALTREIDER. … But Thiel's primary sherpa, I'm told by sources, is Thiel himself — he is pretty hands-on, and typically makes the calls." Speaking of candidates endorsed by Trump … — MORGAN ORTAGUS' fellow Tennessee Republicans booted her from the primary ballot Tuesday night in the "cultimination of a months-long effort" to disqualify the former State Department spox "because she had only recently moved to the state," NBC's Allan Smith writes. — Trump will "travel to Nebraska later this month to campaign with Republican gubernatorial candidate CHARLES HERBSTER, who has been accused of sexually assaulting several women, including a Republican Nebraska state senator," WaPo's Amy Wang and Mariana Alfaro report. Related read: "Three people speak on the record to confirm allegations of groping by Charles Herbster," by Nebraska Examiner's Aaron Sanderford — And the next big Trump endorsement mystery also revolves around a Thiel-backed candidate: Who will Trump support in the Arizona GOP Senate primary? Masters (Thiel's guy), JIM LAMON (the candidate state Republicans are buzzing about more and more) or MARK BRNOVICH (Magic Eight Ball says, "outlook not so good")? Stay tuned for more on that. Good Wednesday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza.
| | | | A message from The American Beverage Association: At America's beverage companies, we are committed to reducing our plastic footprint. That's why we're carefully designing our plastic bottles to be 100% recyclable, including the caps. Our goal is for every bottle to become a new one, so they don't end up in our oceans, rivers and landfills. This Earth Week, visit EveryBottleBack.org and learn more about how our bottles are made to be remade. | | | KNOWING JOE KAHN — N.Y. Mag's Shawn McCreesh gets into the nitty-gritty of what makes the NYT's new top editor tick. "Kahn, a fabulously wealthy Bostonian, is, arguably, a throwback to a more patrician leader of the paper. … Kahn is not flashy, but he does have a taste for the finer things. He is a familiar face at opening night of the Metropolitan Opera. He is an oenophile with a particular fondness for Burgundy and is part of a wine consortium that includes the billionaire JOSEPH BAE. Kahn was an investor in Monkey Bar, a clubby restaurant owned by Air Mail editor GRAYDON CARTER. " (Worth clicking simply for the photo shoot of Kahn, which any number of journalists are chattering about.) Related read: "Bland Ambition: What the Joe Kahn Choice Says About the New York Times," by John Harris SURVEY SAYS — Less than 48 hours after a federal judge blocked the CDC's mask mandate for public transportation, we have new POLITICO/Morning Consult polling showing that decision is at odds with most American voters' opinions. Important note: This polling was conducted before the ruling came down. Toplines … Crosstabs
- Fifty-nine percent of voters support the CDC's original extension of the federal travel mask mandate. Only 32% oppose the extension.
- Nearly half of voters (49%) say it is too early to end the federal travel mask mandate. Just 16% say it's the right time to end the mandate, another 16% say it should have already ended and 11% believe it should never have been in place to begin with.
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| We also asked about voters' opinions on organized labor amid high-profile unionization efforts at Amazon and Starbucks.
- Seventy-six percent expressed support for an employee's right to collectively bargain. Just 13% opposed. That support was widely bipartisan, including 83% of Democrats, 79% of independents and 66% of Republicans.
- But when asked specifically whether they support "labor unions," opinions are a bit more mixed: Exactly half of voters (50%) expressed support for labor unions, while 27% opposed.
And as the fight between Florida Gov. RON DESANTIS and Disney rages on, a large majority (75%) of voters consider themselves "fans" of Disney's movies and TV shows, while just 31% say they have a favorable view of DeSantis. Toplines … Crosstabs
| | | | A message from The American Beverage Association:   Not all plastic is the same. At America's beverage companies, we're designing our bottles to be 100% recyclable – including the caps. And we're making investments in communities across the country to help improve recycling infrastructure so we can get #EveryBottleBack. | | | PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN'S WEDNESDAY: — 10:15 a.m.: The president will receive the President's Daily Brief. — 4 p.m.: Biden will meet with Defense Secretary LLOYD AUSTIN, Deputy Defense Secretary KATHLEEN HICKS, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Combatant Commanders in the Cabinet Room and host a dinner for the group with first lady JILL BIDEN at 5:30 p.m. 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
|  Masks are off for many travelers, including this one at JFK Airport in New York City on Tuesday, after a federal judge struck down the CDC's national public transit mask mandate. | Getty Images | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | THE WHITE HOUSE APPEALING TO THE MASKLESS — On Tuesday morning, we wondered whether the White House would choose to appeal the decision by a judge to strike down the federal travel mask mandate. By the afternoon, the answer came: a firm maybe. The administration "said it will appeal a federal judge's decision … if the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention deem the mandate necessary for public health," Sarah Owermohle, Adam Cancryn, Erin Banco and David Lim report . "The announcement ultimately leaves next steps in the hands of the CDC, where there have been divides over how to proceed on a mandate that was already set to expire in early May. There is growing consensus among White House and public health officials that an appeal would be impractical, two people with knowledge of the deliberations told POLITICO." DOJ's full statement Meanwhile, the ruling and the subsequent scramble "added to the urgency of the messaging challenge as the administration tries to move past the virus in the lead-up to midterm elections," AP's Zeke Miller writes. ALL POLITICS VULNERABLE DEMS BRACE FOR ATTACKS ON CRIME — After the 2020 election, Rep. ABIGAIL SPANBERGER (D-Va.) railed against members of her own party for playing into the GOP's hands over the "defund the police" movement. This year, she's not waiting for big losses before speaking out, Nicholas Wu and Sarah Ferris report : "She and other Democrats are bracing for the GOP onslaught, unwilling to let Republican attacks go unanswered this year. Instead, they're preemptively correcting the record." UNEASE IN THE BIDEN COALITION — Gun control activists are growing ever more impatient with the Biden administration and Congress as any action on the issue languishes, threatening to "further undermine the coalition of young people, women, voters of color and independents" key to Biden's 2020 victory, AP's Steve Peoples writes. The thrust of their anger is captured by DAVID HOGG, a survivor of the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla.: "We took the House and then we took the Senate and now we have the White House, too, and still, nothing is changing." LOOK WHO'S BACK — TONY PODESTA is returning to the world of D.C. influence, recently "registering as a foreign agent working to further the interests of Libya's government," OpenSecrets' Anna Massoglia reports. DOJ and FEC records show that in February, Podesta started pouring money into political donations — his first federal contributions since 2020 — with contributions to Senate Foreign Relations Chair BOB MENENDEZ (D-N.J.) and Speaker NANCY PELOSI's victory fund. TRUMP CARDS HEADS UP — Trump's recently filed lawsuit against HILLARY CLINTON "could, perversely, boost Clinton allies' ongoing legal efforts to shield details of their anti-Trump political efforts from public scrutiny," Josh Gerstein and Kyle Cheney report. "Lawyers for private investigation firm Fusion GPS argued in court filings released Tuesday that Trump's newly filed racketeering suit bolsters their effort to conceal specifics of the firm's work with the 2016 Clinton campaign via attorney-client privilege."
| | | | A message from The American Beverage Association:   Our plastic bottles are made to be remade. Please help us get Every Bottle Back. EveryBottleBack.org | | | BEYOND THE BELTWAY TARGETING DISNEY — On Tuesday, DeSantis asked state lawmakers "to consider eliminating the special taxing district that allows [Disney] to act as a type of local government," NBC's Marc Caputo and Rebecca Shabad report. "Unique in Florida, the Reedy Creek Improvement District in the Orlando area shields Disney from local government regulations and from local property taxes, which could be worth as much as $200 million per year, by one lawmaker's estimate." But if that happens, expect the political fallout to be rather complicated, for reasons the Miami Herald's Mary Ellen Klas notes. POLICY CORNER TROUBLES AT THE FDA — Our colleague Helena Bottemiller-Evich has a follow-up story to her investigation into the FDA's failure to detect deadly bacteria in infant formula: "The very day that the FDA was told that a baby had been hospitalized with a deadly bacterial infection after consuming infant formula, the agency's own inspectors were in the plant that made the formula and found nothing serious enough to warrant regulatory action," Helena reports. Experts say the episode "raises serious questions about the effectiveness of the agency's inspections." FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Today, BRIAN DEESE, the director of the National Economic Council, is in New York today speaking to the Economic Club about the administration's "modern industrial strategy," a White House official told Playbook on Tuesday night. We got our hands on an excerpt from Deese's speech, which offers some indication of how the administration aims to message on the issue: "We're within reach of passing the Bipartisan Innovation Act, which will help reclaim America's leadership in semiconductors; advance our leadership in technologies like artificial intelligence, 3D printing, telecommunications and biotechnology; and spur innovation clusters in places previously left behind. Congress urgently needs to send this legislation to the president's desk." WAR IN UKRAINE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS … — The White House is preparing to sign off on a fresh tranche of aid money for Ukraine this week, NBC's Carol Lee, Courtney Kube and Abigail William report. The deets: "Three officials said the package is expected to be similar in size to the $800 million one the administration announced last week." — Once the shipments arrive, U.S. officials have "few ways to track the substantial supply of anti-tank, anti-aircraft and other weaponry it has sent across the border into Ukraine," CNN's Katie Bo Lillis, Jeremy Herb, Natasha Bertrand and Oren Liebermann report. — Meanwhile, on the U.S. border: "Dozens of Ukrainian children have been separated from relatives, friends or older siblings with whom they have traveled to the southern border under a law designed to prevent migrant children from being trafficked," NYT's Miriam Jordan writes.
| | | | 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 | | Jim Palin apparently endorsedNick Begich for Congress over his former daughter-in-law, Sarah Palin. Ted Cruz went to a strange place during a live taping of his podcast "The Verdict," taking issue with Disney opposing Florida's recently passed law limiting instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity, and imagining what type of content the company will now produce: "In every episode now, they're gonna have Mickey and Pluto going at it," Cruz said. "You can always shift to Cinemax if you want that." Mohammed bin Salman reportedly yelled at Jake Sullivan last September after he mentioned the killing of Jamal Khashoggi during a meeting, per the WSJ. Joe Biden will be the commencement speaker at the University of Delaware next month. Court records released Tuesday revealed an interesting basis for one suspect arrested by the FBI for his involvement in the Jan. 6 Capitol attack: a confessional chat the man had with an Uber driver later that day, per NBC's Ryan Reilly . Sample exchange: "'I tore down the barricades,' the man replied. 'You did?' the driver asked. 'Why?' 'Well, because, so we could get to the Capitol,' the man replied. 'Well, how'd that work out for ya?' the driver asked. 'Well,' he replied, 'it looks like, uh, Biden's gonna be our president.'" Tim Scott spoke at the Reagan Library on Tuesday night in what Maggie Haberman described as a "relatively culture war-free speech" that mentioned Donald Trump just once. Meena Harris, the VP's niece, is publishing her third children's book: "The Truth About Mrs. Claus." Bill O'Reilly was caught on video threatening a JetBlue employee's job after his flight to Turks and Caicos was delayed. Joe Kennedy III was not a fan of Tuesday's Wordle. (Same.) IN MEMORIAM — "Brad Ashford, who served Nebraska as an attorney, State Senator, and U.S. Congressman, died Tuesday, just two months after disclosing his treatment for brain cancer," KETV Omaha reports . "In 1994, Ashford ran for U.S. Congress as a Republican, but lost to Jon Christensen in the Republican primary. Ashford returned to politics, running again for Nebraska Legislature in 2006. Ashford served another two terms in Lincoln before launching another bid for U.S. Congress as a Democrat. In 2014, Ashford defeated incumbent Republican Congressman Lee Terry and was sworn-in as Nebraska's second district representative in 2015." SPOTTED at the 22nd annual interfaith Ramadan iftar dinner Tuesday evening at the Mt. Vernon estate of Ray and Shaista Mahmood: Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-Va.), DHS Deputy Secretary John Tien,Michael and Meryl Chertoff, Uzbek Ambassador Jackson Vakhabov, Swiss Ambassador Jacques Pitteloud, Pakistani Ambassador Masood Khan, Mark Green, Jim Moran, David Saperstein, Imam Mohamed Maged, Carlos Del Toro, Grover and Samah Norquist, George and Judith Moose, Suhail Khan, Tom and Guisela Shannon, David and Donna Keene, and Bill Wichterman. Pic SPOTTED at the Washington, D.C., Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints open house Monday and Tuesday, the first time the temple has been opened to the public in nearly 50 years: Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, Rev. Amos C. Brown, Mark Ginsburg, Radha Muthiah, Garry Gillam Jr., Jackson Cluff, Ashley Hatch, Kevin Cirilli, Mark Vlasic, David Bednar, Gerrit Gong, Sharon Eubank, Reyna Aburto, Kevin and Nancy Duncan, Jack and Claudette Gerard, Al and Julene Jackson, Kent and Kathryn Colton, Doug Andersen, Anne Golightly, Kisha Sugunro, Dan Holt, Aaron Sherinian and Emily Utt. MEDIA MOVE — Heidi Przybyla will be leaving NBC at the end of this week. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Nina Verghese is joining APCO Worldwide as senior director and head of the campaigns and advocacy practice. She most recently was a principal at Locust Street Group and is a Jon Huntsman, RNC and George W. Bush White House alum. — Lauren Cross is now deputy comms director for media relations at Media Matters for America, focused on combating emerging mis- and disinformation. She most recently ran U.S. press operations and comms strategy for the Guttmacher Institute, and is a Planned Parenthood alum. — Christine McDonough is now director of events and alumni engagement at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service. She's an EMILY's List and Center for American Progress alum. WHITE HOUSE ARRIVAL LOUNGE — Nahid Bhadelia has joined the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy as a consultant to work on addressing pandemic threats. She is an infectious diseases physician, an associate professor at Boston University School of Medicine and founding director of the BU Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases Policy & Research. — Jacob Steel is now an associate on the climate and science team in the White House's Office of Presidential Personnel. He is also pursuing his master's of science in public policy and management at Carnegie Mellon University's Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy, and is a Biden campaign alum. TRANSITIONS — Ashley Etienne is joining Powell Tate as senior counselor, working with clients at the intersection of public affairs, crisis management, social impact and DEI. She previously was deputy assistant to the president and comms director for the VP, is a spring 2022 fellow at Georgetown University's Institute of Politics and Public Service and is a Nancy Pelosi alum. Etienne will continue to service corporate clients at a firm she launched earlier this year. … Cooper Smith is now a senior consultant in the national security practice at Guidehouse. He most recently was at Grant Thornton Public Sector, and is a Trump White House, HUD and DHS alum. … … Gillian Branstetter is now a comms strategist for the ACLU, focusing on the gender justice portfolio. She previously was at the National Women's Law Center and the National Center for Transgender Equality. … David Quam has launched 56 Capitals, a strategy and advocacy firm. He previously was a member of Dentons' public policy practice and co-leader of Dentons 50, and is a National Governors Association alum. … Patrick McGill is now lead associate account director on the Trade Desk's political team. He previously was a VP at Blueprint Interactive. WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Tripp DeMoss, an attorney and Capitol Hill and DOL alum, and Kate Henvey DeMoss, an adjunct professor of political science at Auburn University, welcomed Anne Hays DeMoss on April 8. She's named for her godparents, Paul and Cindy Hays. Pic — Anderson Okoniewski, director of scheduling and operations for Rep. David Kustoff (R-Tenn.), and Collin Okoniewski, planning operations manager for Herndon, Va., welcomed Briggs Wilson Okoniewski on Friday. Pic … Another pic HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Rep. Cindy Axne (D-Iowa) … NSC's Brett McGurk … NBC's Carol Lee … Time's Molly Ball … POLITICO's Sarah Ferris, David Siders, Liz Parsons and Jose Ramirez … Texas Tribune's Evan Smith … Fox News' Jennifer Griffin … Colin Reed of the Levinson Group … Lee Moak … Floodlight's Emily Holden … Kyle Feldscher … Emily Rodriguez … Lee Ferran … Josh Delaney … CNBC's Jacob Pramuk … Tess Whittlesey of Sen. Alex Padilla's (D-Calif.) office (3-0) … Lyft's Heather Foster … Rebecca Kasper … Leon Harris … Marc Rotenberg of the Center for AI and Digital Policy … Conner Swanson of Rep. Kelly Armstrong's (R-N.D.) office … Ashley Woolheater … Ethan Susseles … Avisa Partners' Eric Bovim … Suzanne Struglinski … Hamilton Place Strategies' Melissa Manson … Patrick Collins of the League of Conservation Voters … former Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) … former Rep. Lee Hamilton (D-Ind.) (91) … Mary Springer Sforza … Lindsey Mask … Shane Wolfe … Zachary Baum … Michael Layman … Joanna Coles 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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