| | | | |  | | By Eugene Daniels | | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | Happy Saturday, y'all! Today is the day. The Nerd Super Bowl. The unofficial kickoff to the D.C. version of awards season: the Gridiron Club dinner — a slimmed-down, more exclusive, white-tie version of the White House Correspondents' Dinner — is tonight, back in person for the first time since 2019.
- Typically, the president attends, but we're told President JOE BIDEN is not scheduled to appear in person. (VP KAMALA HARRIS is not slated to attend, either.) According to our sources, a script for a pre-taped Biden video greeting was written up, though the White House wouldn't comment on if the president actually shot it at some point Friday.
- Maryland Rep. JAMIE RASKIN will be the main act for Democrats this year, while New Hampshire Gov. CHRIS SUNUNU is repping the GOP and Commerce Secretary GINA RAIMONDO is going to take the stage on behalf of the administration.
- We're also told that NYC Mayor ERIC ADAMS will make an appearance, as will a slew of White House officials, including press secretary JEN PSAKI.
- Among the targets of the night's comedy skits (many of whom will not be in attendance): An impersonator portraying former President DONALD TRUMP will be singing to his "subjects" ("Hamilton," anyone?), ANTHONY FAUCI, NANCY PELOSI, MITCH MCCONNELL, LIZ CHENEY, MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE and LAUREN BOEBERT.
As it's one of the last white-tie events in D.C., many of the male attendees lack the appropriate garb in their wardrobes and, in the weeks ahead of the event, make the pilgrimage to Anthony's Tuxedos in Georgetown to get the right fit. The shop, operated by ED and GERRI SOLOMON, has been doling out tuxes for the Gridiron for more than two decades. This year, his renter's list is once again a "who's who" of D.C.: ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS, RICK KLEIN, JAMAL SIMMONS, GREGORY MECHER (he's Psaki's husband) and so on. But it is A.G. MERRICK GARLAND who called Ed on Friday afternoon with a burning question: How do you get these studs into the tuxedo shirt buttonholes? While one of the Playbook co-authors was picking up his first penguin suit, we overheard Ed on the phone walking the A.G. through the process. (Sounds complicated, if we're being honest.) It sounds like Garland has it down now. Cabinet secretaries: They're just like us. Confused about these damn shirt buttons.
| | | | A message from The American Beverage Association: At America's beverage companies our plastic bottles are made to be remade. We're carefully designing them to be 100% recyclable — so every bottle can become a new one. That means less plastic waste in our environment. Please help us get Every Bottle Back. EveryBottleBack.org | | | HARRIS ON MSNBC — On Friday, Harris did something rare: She sat down for a lengthy one-on-one TV interview. Even though MSNBC's JOY REID is largely simpatico with the VP's politics, members of Harris' team were concerned about the potential for things to go poorly — and were especially worried about getting a pointed question on the administration rescinding the Trump-era Title 42 policy blocking asylum-seekers at the border, since her docket as VP includes the root causes of migration from Central American countries. (Not to worry — the topic never came up.) And despite some of Harris' sit-down interviews causing a kerfuffle in the past (see: her chat last year with NBC's LESTER HOLT, where her comments about visiting the border provided fodder for weeks of coverage), her team feels that over the last few months, she's really hit a stride in interviews: get some moments that are memorable, but don't cause days of dissection. Here are some highlights from the Reid interview:
- On whether Justice CLARENCE THOMAS should recuse himself from future Jan. 6-related cases in light of his wife's text messages: "I definitely think that the court needs to take a critical look at its rules around ethics. And that relates to a series of issues that have come up over the years."
- On Judge KETANJI BROWN JACKSON's performance at her SCOTUS confirmation hearings: "I experienced great joy when I watched this brilliant, phenomenal Black woman jurist be so smart and just cut through the political gamesmanship that they were attempting to incite. And she just was composed and, as far as I'm concerned, was taking a whole lot of people to school."
- Harris dodged a question on whether Sens. JOE MANCHIN (D-W.Va.) and KYRSTEN SINEMA (D-Ariz.) are "allies or opponents" of the administration, and instead focused on Republicans: "I'm not going to get caught up in kind of an internal firing squad, when you've got to look at the fact that if we're talking about party politics, you've got a system where you also have an entire group of people who, I believe, have diverse interests and needs, but are for some reason falling in line behind a party, instead of behind a policy that actually is in the best interest of their constituents."
| | | | A message from The American Beverage Association:   America's beverage companies are working together to reduce our industry's plastic footprint by investing in efforts to get our plastic bottles back. Our goal is for every bottle to become a new one, so they don't end up in our oceans, rivers and landfills. EveryBottleback.org | | | Thanks for reading Playbook. The Duke-UNC matchup — for a shot at the NCAA championship in what is potentially the final game of COACH K's storied career — tips off tonight at 8:49 p.m. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade , Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza. BIDEN'S SATURDAY — The Bidens will speak at 11 a.m. at a commissioning commemoration ceremony of the USS Delaware in Wilmington.
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President Joe Biden greets visitors outside the White House on Friday before departing for Delaware on Marine One. | Getty Images | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | 9 THINGS WE READ THAT STUCK WITH US: 1. SHEEEE'S BACK: Former Alaska Gov. SARAH PALIN announced Friday that she will run for the state's lone U.S. House seat, "joining a crowded field of nearly 40 candidates to fill the House seat left vacant by Representative DON YOUNG," per the NYT. The announcement came about 45 minutes before the filing deadline, writes Myah Ward. (Hope TINA FEY is ready to bust out her Wasilla accent again.) 2. PSAKI MSNBC MOVE RAISES EYEBROWS, HACKLES: Amid reports that Psaki is preparing to leave the White House to host a TV/streaming show for MSNBC, two questions hung in the air during Friday's briefing. First: Is it ethical to continue on as press secretary while she's negotiating for her own show? "I have always gone over and above the stringent ethical and legal requirements of the Biden administration, and I take that very seriously," Psaki said, without confirming reports of her imminent departure. Still, CNN's Oliver Darcy reports that "as a result of the conflict of interest, I'm told that Psaki has recused herself from dealings with NBC and MSNBC. Which is to say, according to a source, that she 'won't be appearing on NBC or MSNBC and she hasn't since discussions became serious.'" Second: Who will be her successor behind the White House podium? Expect to hear more about that soon, and stay tuned to Playbook for the latest. 3. QUOTE OF THE DAY: "We want to thank JEFF BEZOS for going to space, because when he was up there … we were out here getting signatures." That, via Insider's Gabrielle Bienasz, comes from CHRISTIAN SMALLS, a former Amazon employee who spearheaded the union-organizing effort that won a stunning upset in Staten Island on Friday, as Amazon workers voted to create the company's first unionized workplace in the U.S. It is, writes Nick Niedzwiadek, "one of organized labor's biggest victories in decades." ICYMI: "Meet the DIY Duo Behind the Amazon Labor Union's Guerrilla Bid to Make History," by The City's Josefa Velásquez 4. MODERATE DEMS REVOLT OVER BIDEN ASYLUM CHANGE: "The Biden administration's decision to end sweeping asylum limits at the border this May … creates thorny political challenges for border-region Democrats who face the likely prospect of an increase in migrants who have for two years been denied the chance to seek asylum in the United States," write AP's Jonathan Cooper and Anita Snow. "In unusually harsh critiques of a president from their own party, some of the congressional Democrats with the toughest reelection prospects are warning that the administration is woefully unprepared to handle the situation."
- Sen. MARK KELLY (Ariz.): "This is a crisis, and in my estimation, because of a lack of planning from the administration, it's about to get worse."
- Sen. MAGGIE HASSAN (N.H.): "Ending Title 42 prematurely will likely lead to a migrant surge that the administration does not appear to be ready for. I'll keep pushing the administration to strengthen border security," she wrote on Twitter.
- Sinema: "Today's decision to announce an end to Title 42 despite not yet having a comprehensive plan ready shows a lack of understanding about the crisis at our border," reports Burgess Everett.
5. GOP SUPPORT FOR POT LEGALIZATION GOES DOWN: On Friday, a far-reaching marijuana legalization bill passed the House in a 220-204 vote. (Even so, it has no real path to Biden's desk.) But beneath that headline, our ace cannabis reporter Natalie Fertig notes an interesting trend: a "growing rift between the parties … on how to address cannabis policy." Despite polls showing roughly two-thirds of Americans support legalization, only three Republicans voted for the bill — that's fewer than the five GOP lawmakers who backed the bill in 2020. 6. TRUMP'S PARDON DOESN'T STOP THE FEC: "The Federal Election Commission agreed to a fine with former Rep. DUNCAN HUNTER (R-Calif.), his wife and Hunter's campaign over using campaign funds for personal use, according to documents circulated by the agency on Friday," reports Zach Montellaro. "If this all sounds familiar, that is because Hunter pled guilty in December 2019 to misusing campaign funds, and resigned from office in early 2020. He was due to spend 11 months in federal prison, before then-President Donald Trump pardoned him (and his wife) in late 2020." A (heavily redacted) mid-2021 report from the FEC's general counsel, which was only recently made public, took note of those pardons, but found that they related to the criminal convictions and "do not appear to absolve the Hunters of civil liability." 7. CAWTHORN BLAMES DEMS, MEDIA FOR 'COCAINE AND ORGIES' DRAMA: "Amid a burgeoning congressional controversy, Rep. MADISON CAWTHORN (R-N.C.) on Friday blamed Democrats and the media for amplifying his comments that some of his fellow GOP members engage in orgies and use cocaine," report Olivia Beavers and Craig Howie. "'My comments on a recent podcast appearance calling out corruption have been used by the left and the media to disparage my Republican colleagues and falsely insinuate their involvement in illicit activities,' Cawthorn said in a statement without addressing the substance of his own comments directly. 'The left and the media want to use my words to divide the GOP. … I will not back down to the mob, and I will not let them win.'" 8. CUOMO SUES ETHICS PANEL TO PROTECT HIS BOOK PROFITS: Former New York Gov. ANDREW CUOMO sued the state's ethics commission Friday, "contending that its efforts to force him to turn over the proceeds of a $5.1 million book deal were a violation of his constitutional rights," writes NYT's Grace Ashford. Cuomo "has repeatedly said state resources were not used in preparing his book, 'American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the Covid-19 Pandemic,' and that any staff members who worked on the project had done so on their own time. The commission has taken issue with that assertion." 9. RYAN FACES ACCUSATIONS OF SINOPHOBIA: On Thursday, Rep. TIM RYAN (D-Ohio) released an ad for his Senate campaign notable for its aggressive posture against China. "China's winning. Workers are losing," he proclaims in the ad. "It's us vs. them. Capitalism vs. communism. I'm not backing down. Are you?" Now, Asian American organizers and elected leaders are accusing Ryan of inflaming "Sinophobia and anti-Asian hate," reports NBC's Kimmy Yam.
- Rep. GRACE MENG (D-N.Y.) said the ad "essentially shift[s] blame away from American corporations' anti-worker policies and put[s] a target on the backs of #AAPIs."
- BRAD JENKINS, president of the AAPI Victory Fund: "It's clear that Tim doesn't care. He hasn't centered any kind of awareness for what's happening and what has taken place over the course of the past two years. Creating a villainous country and claiming that that's the reason why Ohio has lost manufacturing jobs — not only is that bad policy, it's racist."
Ryan, in a statement, reiterated that China "has been our greatest economic adversary for 40 years," and that "Ohio workers are the best in the world, and I will never apologize for doing everything in my power to take on China and fight for all Ohioans."
| | | | A message from The American Beverage Association:   Our plastic bottles are made to be remade. Help us get Every Bottle Back. EveryBottleBack.org | | | UKRAINE LATEST: — Early today, Ukrainian President VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY warned that Russian forces "were creating 'a complete disaster' outside the capital as they leave mines across 'the whole territory,' even around homes and corpses," per the AP. — "About 3,000 civilians escaped the southern port city of Mariupol on Friday, but the Red Cross's attempt to orchestrate a mass evacuation and deliver aid to the city failed, leaving thousands of people still trapped in a place that has become a symbol of Ukraine's agony," NYT's Megan Specia and Dan Bilefsky report. — The U.S. "has been quietly granting Ukraine's request for protective equipment against a possible chemical weapons attack from Russia," reports our Alexander Ward. — A prominent Ukrainian photojournalist who's been missing for weeks, MAKS LEVIN, was found dead near Kyiv, per NYT's Megan Specia. CLICKER — "The nation's cartoonists on the week in politics," edited by Matt Wuerker — 15 funnies GREAT WEEKEND READS, curated by Ryan Lizza: — "Galaxy Brain," by New York's Molly Fischer: "How the impeccably credentialed, improbably charming economic historian Adam Tooze supplanted the dirtbag left." — "France's Far Right Turn," by Elisabeth Zerofsky in the NYT Magazine: "A rising nationalist faction has grown its coalition by appealing to Catholic identity and anti-immigrant sentiment — and reshaped the country's race for president." — "Can America Kill Its Prisoners Kindly?" by The Atlantic's Elizabeth Bruenig: "A set of lawsuits is pushing the country to find better ways to kill those on death row, with potentially perverse results." — "Deb Haaland's Long Game for Victory," Outside magazine: "It's not easy being a progressive who works for a middle-of-the-road president. Mark Sundeen sizes up the interior secretary's first year in office—which has been a disappointment to climate-change activists—and decides she's most likely to make a mark through a historic reckoning over the U.S. government's shameful running of Native American boarding schools." — "Notes from Lviv," by Matt Gallagher in Esquire: "For two weeks in March, at an abandoned chemical warehouse in Lviv, we taught civilian volunteers how to defend themselves against the Russian invaders." — "Are These Satellite Images War Propaganda?" by Jordan Teicher in The New Republic: "How Maxar Technologies, an American satellite company and key contractor for the Defense Department, became the media's favorite photographer of Russia's invasion of Ukraine." — "Trumpian Conservatives Hold an 'Emergency' Meeting Over Russia," by Jacob Heilbrunn in POLITICO Magazine: "At a Washington Marriott, the nationalist wing of the Republican Party wrestles with what Putin's war means for their movement." — "'Now we're going to f*ck them all.' What's happening in Russia's elites after a month of war," by Farida Rustamova: "Sanctions and propaganda have rallied even those who were against the invasion around Putin." — "Transcript: Ezra Klein Interviews Larry Summers," NYT
| | | | 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. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Barry Diller did a remote hit with Brian Stelter from a private jet in flight. (As one does.) Donald Trump still may not be using his Truth Social platform, but Eric Trump wants to know what Trump Winery should call its hard cider. Mellissa Carone, a state House candidate who earned national notoriety for her 2020 theatrics making false accusations about election fraud in Michigan alongside Rudy Giuliani, has been disqualified from the ballot in Macomb County, Mich. (No word on whether she'll show up at Trump's Macomb rally tonight.) Madison Cawthorn will be one of the speakers at Trump's North Carolina rally next weekend. Washington City Paper announced that it is ceasing print publication, and will exist as an exclusively digital publication. IN MEMORIAM — "Charles G. Boyd, Air Force General and Former P.O.W., Dies at 83," by NYT's Katharine Seelye: "He began his 36-year career in the military as a fighter pilot and was the only prisoner of war in the Vietnam conflict to become a four-star general." SPOTTED: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on a Southwest flight to Kentucky. OUT AND ABOUT — SPOTTED at Kaitlan Collins' 30th birthday party Friday night at St. Vincent Wine, hosted by Olivia Nuzzi, Matt Dornic and Lauren Pratapas: Wolf Blitzer, Abby Phillip, Dana Bash, Pamela Brown, Gloria Borger, Kate Bennett, Maureen Dowd, Jeff Zeleny, Kyle Volpe, Ryan Lizza,Eugene Daniels, Michelle Fields and Jamie Weinstein, Jay Shaylor, Alexander Marquardt, Josh Dawsey, Daniel Lippman and Sophia Narrett, John Legittino, Jeremy Diamond, John McCarthy, Carl Hulse, Zolan Kanno-Youngs, John Hudson, Eli Yokley, Evan Hollander, Philip Rucker, Liz Johnson, Sam Feist, Jared Parks, Joe Ireland, Sara Murray and many, many others (The girl is popular, y'all.) NEW NOMINEES — The White House announced new nominations, including Robert Godec as ambassador to Thailand and Vinay Singh as CFO at HUD. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Scott Arceneaux is joining the White House as a senior adviser in the Presidential Personnel Office, two people familiar with the matter told Daniel Lippman. He most recently has been White House liaison at the Defense Department, and is the former executive director of the Florida Democratic Party and Louisiana Democratic Party. STAFFING UP — Robert Weiner is joining DOJ's Civil Rights Division as senior counsel. He previously was senior counsel at Arnold & Porter and senior legal consultant at the Campaign Legal Center. SBA DEPARTURE LOUNGE — Scott Harriford is now a principal at Hilltop Public Solutions. He previously was White House liaison at the Small Business Administration, and is a Biden campaign alum. TRANSITIONS — Zachery Michael is now director of government and external affairs at Newsmax. He's an Energy Department and Trump White House alum. … Tommy Leander is now a senior product manager at Amazon, focusing on North America policy and strategy for Amazon Flex. He previously was policy adviser on Zoom's global public policy and government relations team, and is a Lyft alum. WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Emmy Ruiz, deputy assistant to the president and director of political strategy and outreach, and Stephanie Grabow, a licensed clinical social worker at Seasons Hospice, recently welcomed baby boy August Sol, who joins big brother Henry. Pic … Another pic HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) … Evan McMullin … Tim Pataki of CGCN Group … Chad Banghart of the Committee to Defeat the President … Caitlyn Morrison of Arnold Ventures … Dentons' Sander Lurie … Naji Filali of Percipient Strategies … David Shwiff … Julia Roig of the Horizons Project … DOT's Lynda Tran … Deloitte's Kelsey Kilgore … Laura Hylden Henry of the National Stone, Sand, and Gravel Association … Daschle Group's Joe Hack (35) … Commerce's Patrick Zimet … NBC's Liz Brown-Kaiser … Alex Rosenwald … Jennifer Morrow … Mayo Clinic's Colin Rom … Robby Zirkelbach … Dan Sallick of Subject Matter … Edelman's Ryan Kuntz … Dan Reilly … NSC's Brian Janovitz … Rachel Pankuch … former acting A.G. Jeff Rosen … NYT's Emily Steel … POLITICO's Danielle Muoio Dunn … E&E News' Nico Portuondo … Meridith Webster … Brian Austin … former Reps. Lynn Westmoreland (R-Ga.) and Paul Kanjorski (D-Pa.) … Tony Lake THE SHOWS ( Full Sunday show listings here): CBS "Face the Nation": Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy … NYC Mayor Eric Adams … Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) … Fiona Hill … retired Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster. ABC "This Week": White House chief of staff Ron Klain … Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.). Panel: Chris Christie, Donna Brazile, Astead Herndon and Ruth Marcus. NBC "Meet the Press": Secretary of State Antony Blinken … Hillary Clinton … Michael McFaul and Masha Gessen … Richard Engel reporting from Ukraine. Panel: Cornell Belcher, Leigh Ann Caldwell, Brad Todd and Amy Walter. PBS "PBS News Weekend," relaunching this weekend with anchor Geoff Bennett: Sheryl Lee Ralph … Daryl Hall. Panel: Chuck Rosenberg, Margaret Russell and Kyle Cheney. CNN "State of the Union": Secretary of State Antony Blinken … NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg … Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan. Panel: David Urban, Jane Harman, Amanda Carpenter and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.). FOX "Fox News Sunday," guest-anchored by Martha MacCallum: Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) … Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.) … John Kirby. Panel: Ben Domenech, Susan Page and Juan Williams. MSNBC "The Sunday Show": retired Lt. Gen. Stephen Twitty … Rep. Charlie Crist (D-Fla.) … Aunt Gloria Avent-Kindred … Nina Totenberg … Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) … Ned Price. CNN "Inside Politics": Panel: Nick Schifrin and Beth Sanner. Panel: Kaitlan Collins, Laura Barrón-López and Hans Nichols. 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, Bethany Irvine, Eli Okun and Garrett Ross.
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