| | | | |  | | By Eli Okun and Garrett Ross | | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | BIG NEWS IN THE PA. SENATE RACE — DONALD TRUMP on Saturday night endorsed MEHMET OZ in his heated Senate GOP primary contest with DAVID MCCORMICK and others. The nod could shake up both the race and a divided MAGA world, and it will set up a major test of Trump's enduring clout in the GOP, report Holly Otterbein and Natalie Allison, who got a jump on the endorsement. Among the factors that swayed Trump: Oz's long history on TV, just like his: "When you're in television for 18 years, that's like a poll, that means people like you," he said on Saturday night . Trump also recently met "with both Oz and … McCormick in Mar-a-Lago and talked with multiple people about the GOP primary." The move was not a given: Both candidates had powerful allies in Trumpworld. The McCormick camp: "DINA POWELL , McCormick's wife, served as Trump's deputy national security adviser. McCormick also hired former Trump White House staffers HOPE HICKS and STEPHEN MILLER, and ex-Trump campaign adviser DAVID URBAN and Trump White House lawyer JIM SCHULTZ helped McCormick launch his Senate bid. The Oz camp: "Fox News host SEAN HANNITY and casino mogul STEVE WYNN, who both actively lobbied for Trump to endorse the celebrity doctor, according to people familiar with their efforts. And, perhaps most notably, MELANIA TRUMP is a supporter of Oz in the Senate race." IT'S ELECTION DAY IN FRANCE — "[V]oters are casting their ballots in the opening round of a presidential race that could become a cliffhanger," BBC reports in a good rundown this morning. "EMMANUEL MACRON has a fight on his hands from far-right challenger MARINE LE PEN, who has been galvanised by a slick election campaign." The top two finishers will advance to a runoff on April 24. Turnout is low so far: "Some 25.48 percent of voters had showed up at the ballot box by noon [GMT], compared with 28.54 percent in the last presidential election in 2017," reports Johanna Treeck. Updated numbers are expected soon, and polls close at 2 p.m. Eastern time. What the polls say: Our colleagues in Europe put together a handy "poll of polls" graphic showing Macron leading Le Pen, 26 to 23 percent, heading into today's opening round, with the rest of the vote dispersed among a collection of other candidates. In a hypothetical runoff, Macron leads Le Pen 53 to 47. The stakes for President JOE BIDEN and the U.S.: ICYMI, Our White House bureau chief Jonathan Lemire had a must-read going into the weekend on the outlook from Washington: "A possible victory by Le Pen, a Putin sympathizer, could destabilize the Western coalition against Moscow, upending France's role as a leading European power and potentially giving other NATO leaders cold feet about staying in the alliance, according to three senior administration officials not authorized to publicly discuss private conversations."
| | | | A message from Amazon: Chatonn got a raise when she joined Amazon. A bigger paycheck boosted her buying power and allowed her to afford art supplies for her daughter and karate classes for her son. "Amazon allows me to be the parent I want to be," she said. "That is everything to me." | | | TOP 3 SUNDAY READS … 1. IMMIGRATION FILES — NYT's Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Michael Shear and Eileen Sullivan have a big, buzzy examination of the heated debates within the White House on how, when and whether to roll back Trump's immigration policies, which have slowed reforms and divided the administration on a hot-button political issue. Many early aides have left in frustration. Officials have clashed over streamlining asylum hearings, "Remain in Mexico," DHS shelters for children, Title 42 and more. The story paints domestic policy adviserSUSAN RICE and chief of staff RON KLAIN in particular as bulwarks against the changes progressives and advocates wanted. The opening anecdote chronicles a moment early in the administration when Biden grew angry over a crisis at the border: "Facing his bickering staff in the Oval Office that day in late March 2021, Mr. Biden grew so angry at their attempts to duck responsibility that he erupted. Who do I need to fire, he demanded, to fix this?" 2. HERE COMES LACHLAN — Long seen as quiet and ambivalent, LACHLAN MURDOCH has emerged in recent months as a full-throated conservative inheritor of News Corp., WaPo's Sarah Ellison and Josh Dawsey report. A speech he gave in Australia last week echoed the familiar right-wing grievance politics of Fox News, lambasting elites, pandemic shutdowns, the 1619 Project and HUNTER BIDEN's laptop. It was "something of a tipping point for longtime watchers of the Murdoch empire, who once assumed that the children of the 91-year-old RUPERT … might be a moderating influence on the media properties that promoted the rise of former president Donald Trump." 3. GENERATIONS APART — Add another problem to Biden's growing list of political woes: Even younger voters are turning on the 79-year-old president, Elena Schneider reports in a surprising story today about a voting bloc many assumed was locked up for Democrats. "Earlier this year, approval for President Joe Biden among people aged 18-30 hit depths no Democratic president had plumbed in decades: the mid- to low-30s in Gallup and other polls. (BARACK OBAMA never dropped below 42 percent among that group in Gallup's surveys.) In some cases, the swing against Biden in 2021 totaled anywhere from 20 to 30 percentage points. He has since made gains in some polls but is still on unstable ground. "An alienated youth vote is an existential threat for Democrats in 2022: They backed Biden by a 25-point margin in 2020, voting at all-time highs. And in their hour of need, powerful Democrats are looking for answers from [JOHN] DELLA VOLPE, a 54-year-old pollster with salt-and-pepper hair who is not on TikTok." Della Volpe is director of polling at the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics and recently published, " Fight: How Gen Z is Channeling Their Fear and Passion to Save America." Good Sunday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza.
| | | | A message from Amazon:   Chatonn's starting wage means she can support her children's hobbies. | | | SUNDAY BEST … — Ukrainian Foreign Minister DMYTRO KULEBA on negotiating with Russia, on NBC's "Meet the Press": "If sitting down with the Russians will help me to prevent at least one massacre like in Bucha, or at least another attack like in Kramatorsk, I have to take that opportunity. Whatever I feel, if I have the chance to save a human life or a village, a town from destruction, I will take that chance." — National security adviser JAKE SULLIVAN on Russia's actions, on ABC's "This Week": "We haven't yet reached a determination on genocide. … But let's set legalities aside for a minute, Jon. I think we can all say that these are mass atrocities. These are war crimes. … So whatever label one wants to affix to them, the bottom line is this, there must be accountability. And the United States will work with the international community to make sure there's accountability." More from David Cohen On Russia's appointment of a new general, on CNN's "State of the Union": "This particular general has a resume that includes brutality against civilians in other theaters, in Syria. And we can expect more of the same in this theater. … This general will just be another author of crimes and brutality against Ukrainian civilians. And the United States, as I said before, is determined to do all that we can to support the Ukrainians as they resist him and they resist the forces that he commands." — Rep. LIZ CHENEY (R-Wyo.) on the U.S. response to Russia's war, on "State of the Union": "I think that it's crucially important that the United States be clear that we are absolutely committed to Zelenskyy's victory. We should not be talking about, as Jake Sullivan did just now, improving [Ukrainian President VOLODYMYR] ZELENSKYY's position at the negotiating table. This is about defeating Russian forces in Ukraine. … We need to be thinking about providing them with tanks, with artillery, with armored vehicles. We need to be doing much more, more quickly." On the reports of a dispute on the Jan. 6 select committee of whether to refer Trump for criminal charges: "The committee is working in a really collaborative way to discuss these issues, as we are with all of the issues we're addressing. And we will continue to work together to do so. So, I wouldn't characterize there as being a dispute on the committee. I think that it is the single most collaborative committee on which I have ever served." — White House press secretary JEN PSAKI on Title 42 and the immigration debate, on "Fox News Sunday": "We agree that the immigration system is broken, it should be addressed. We should do more to fix it. And Democrats — moderate, whatever — wherever they fall in the party, Republicans of any flavor who want to work with us on that, we'd love to do that. … But what is important right now is they're using this to hold hostage funding for Covid. … We need this Covid funding, and it's really a huge disappointment to us that the Congress left for two weeks without passing this into law." BIDEN'S SUNDAY — The president has nothing on his public schedule.
| | | | 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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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy walk in downtown Kyiv on Saturday, April 9. | AP | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | WAR IN UKRAINE ZELENSKYY SPEAKS — The Ukrainian president sat down with AP's Adam Schreck and Mstyslav Chernov at the presidential office in Kyiv, pleading again for allies to give Ukraine more military aid. Appearing "visibly exhausted yet animated by a drive to persevere," Zelenskyy also sounded pragmatic about negotiations with Russia: "No one wants to negotiate with a person or people who tortured this nation. It's all understandable. And as a man, as a father, I understand this very well," he said. But "we don't want to lose opportunities, if we have them, for a diplomatic solution." RUSSIA RETRENCHES — As Russian forces prepare to step up attacks on eastern Ukraine, NYT's Ben Hubbard has a look at the general newly put in charge: ALEKSANDR DVORNIKOV, who led Russia's brutal campaign in Syria and oversaw forces accused of war crimes, "bombing civilian neighborhoods, targeting hospitals and resorting to other tactics to try to break the back of the rebel movement." 'A NEW PHASE OF THE WAR' — NATO is increasingly looking to equip Ukraine with longer-range weapons, NYT's Julian Barnes reports: "allied governments have shown a willingness to send heavier weaponry more suited to the coming battle in Donbas," as governments expect a lengthy battle. ( Similar Bloomberg story here. ) And Ukraine's needs are shifting to large, heavy weaponry like tanks as "many predict … be full-scale confrontation on flat, open, rural terrain, between infantry, armor and artillery, in the kind of engagements not seen in generations," WaPo's William Booth, Emily Rauhala and Michael Birnbaum report. This phase could be more difficult for Ukraine, less suited to their guerrilla operations that have proven successful thus far, WaPo's Liz Sly and Dan Lamothe report. A lot hinges on how much Russia improves, experts tell them. HORROR SHOW — Ukraine said Saturday that the tortured bodies of 132 citizens were discovered in Makariv near Kyiv, per ABC. BOJO ABROAD — British PM BORIS JOHNSON made a surprise visit to Kyiv, per the BBC. AP: "S&P downgrade indicates Russia headed for historic default" TUGGING AT THE HEARTSTRINGS: "An 85-year-old mother recalls a desperate struggle to save her daughter in eastern Ukraine," by NYT's Jane Arraf … "War Crimes Watch: A devastating walk through Bucha's horror," by AP's Cara Anna … "In Mariupol's Drama Theater, a Cry for 'Mama!' That Offered Brief Relief," by NYT's Valerie Hopkins … "Preparing Odesa's Catacombs for a Russian Assault," by Will Hunt in The New Yorker JAN. 6 AND ITS AFTERMATH WHEN THE JAN. 6 COMMITTEE HITS THE AIRWAVES — NBC News' Scott Wong writes that the House Republican strategy of boycotting the Jan. 6 committee by not naming members to it "will face perhaps its biggest test" when the panel's televised hearings begin next month. "Unlike the first Trump impeachment hearings in 2019, loyalists of the former president will not be in a position to "run interference," in the words of one GOP source, during the Jan. 6 panel proceedings," Wong writes. "Instead, the hearings will be tightly controlled and well-choreographed, focusing on areas like the plot to overturn Joe Biden's election victory; intelligence and security breakdowns related to the attack; and what former President Donald Trump and his inner circle were doing during the hourslong riot that claimed several lives."
| | | | A message from Amazon:   | | | ALL POLITICS MIKE SCHMUHL'S MOUNTAIN — WaPo's Dan Balz profiles the longtime confidant of PETE BUTTIGIEG who now heads the Indiana Democratic Party as his pal runs the Transportation Department. "You can guess who has the tougher job," writes Balz. "Over coffee recently, Schmuhl talked about the challenges — and realities — of trying to restore the strength of a state party that once boasted elected officials such as the late BIRCH BAYH , who served in the Senate and ran for president; his son EVAN BAYH, who was both governor and senator; FRANK O'BANNON, who served as governor; and, most recently, JOE DONNELLY, who was senator from 2013 until 2019. Donnelly's victory in 2012 was the last year any Indiana Democrat won a statewide contest. Indiana's current political complexion is best represented as being the home of former vice president MIKE PENCE. … "Schmuhl also thinks that Democrats can attract more voters with a bold economic platform, although the party has had limited success trying to win back some of the White voters it has lost in the past two decades. In these areas, the Democrats' economic message has not been able to trump cultural issues, but Schmuhl plans to keep fighting on that front." AMERICA AND THE WORLD APOCALYPSE WATCH — China is hastening plans to expand its nuclear arsenal as a deterrent against U.S. interventions, WSJ's Alastair Gale reports , with plenty of details and satellite images. Though its efforts have been in the works for a while, American reluctance to get too involved in Ukraine thanks to Russia's nukes has heightened China's sense that a buildup could produce a similar effect in a potential Taiwan conflict. Still, "Beijing is committed to not using nuclear weapons first." DEPT. OF UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES — The U.S. has helped train African militaries to fight against Islamic extremists. Now, in several instances, those same forces have turned around and staged coups, overthrowing governments and in so doing rupturing military ties with the U.S., WSJ's Michael Phillips reports . "Meanwhile, America's Great Power rivals can seek to take advantage of the U.S. pullback," as Russian mercenaries eye an opening. IRAN LATEST — Iran on Saturday sanctioned two dozen Americans, almost all Trump administration officials, per Reuters. Former Commerce Secretary WILBUR ROSS is among the big names. Talks over reviving the nuclear deal, though close to finishing, have stalled recently. CNN: "Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan ousted as country's leader following vote of no-confidence" PLAYBOOK METRO SECTION GRIDIRON TOLL KEEPS RISING — Ag Secretary TOM VILSACK is the third Cabinet secretary who attended last weekend's gala to test positive for Covid-19, per WaPo's Annie Linskey , as the total number of cases apparently stemming from the event rose to at least 67. That's about 10 percent of the total attendance figure. BUT THE PARTY GOES ON — The spate of infections at the Gridiron dinner and among DC's political set isn't stopping partying in person, WaPo's Roxanne Roberts reports. The mindset (as throughout much of the country): If you're vaccinated, it's worth the risk. VP KAMALA HARRIS addressed a crowd of 450 at the opening of a major new "Afro-Atlantic Histories" exhibit at the National Gallery of Art on Thursday. And with everybody eager to get back to normal, "caterers say they're not getting any cancellations for upcoming parties."
| | | | 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 | | WOW … JUST WOW: NYT's Astead Herndon tweets at 10:10 a.m.: "A real thing that happened to me yesterday: Someone working in my apt when I wasnt there snuck a piece of white chocolate that was on the table.....but it was actually an edible...and I returned to paramedics in my living room cause said person thought they were having a stroke." He posted a pic of said paramedics, then followed up a few minutes later: "Yall everyone's fine! It was juzt funny. And yes my apt is very cute pls sponsor me@AptTherapy." Playbook gives Herndon's tweet thread our full endorsement. But we have to wonder how Dean Baquet — who last week implored Times reporters to "Tweet less, tweet more thoughtfully, and devote more time to reporting" — will feel about it. Melissa Cohen, who's married to Hunter Biden,was spotted at Nobu in Malibu. OUT AND ABOUT — SPOTTED at the National Museum of Women in the Arts' 2022 spring gala Friday night at the National Building Museum: Chief Justice John Roberts, Aileen Fuchs, French Ambassador Philippe Etienne, Maria Grazia Chiuri, Mellody Hobson, Judy Chicago, Winton Holladay, Amy Sturtevant, Susan Fisher Sterling, Gina Adams, Ashley Davis, Marlene Malek, Susan Goldberg, Wanda Durant, Charlotte Day Wilson, Suhail Khan and Ed Royce. — SPOTTED at the Hispanic Lobbyists Association's spring happy hour honoring the new board of the Congressional Hispanic Staff Association at the Wharf on Friday night: Omar Vargas, Susie Feliz, Lucia Alonzo, Liz Lopez, Manuel Bonilla, Carissa Faña, Rich Lopez, Max Trujillo, Javier Gamboa, Art Motta, Sandra Alcala, Elvis Cordova, César Remis, Felipe Gomez-Acebo, Patricia Ordaz, Ruby Robles, Angelica Duque, Dagoberto Acevedo, Ashly Estevez Perez, Laura Muñoz Lopez, Itzel Hernandez, Jose Garcia, Christine Godinez, Jorge Rueda, Jeremy Ortiz, Matt Gómez and Patrick Mocete. — Current and former members of CNN's Washington bureau held a reunion party on Saturday night at the National Press Club. The event was originally scheduled to coincide with CNN's 40th anniversary in 2020, but had to be postponed three times due to the pandemic. SPOTTED: emcees Katie Couric and Jim Miklaszewski, Elissa Free, Christine Evans, Jeff Martino, Kevin Bohn, Sam Feist, Frank Sesno (who read a letter written by CNN founder Ted Turner), Kathryn Kross, Charles Bierbauer, Ralph Begleiter, Kelli Arena, David Ensor, Kandie Stroud,Frances Hardin and Kathleen Koch. TRANSITION — Alyssa O'Rourke is joining Avisa Partners as director of business development and marketing. She previously was a senior associate at Helen Milby & Company and is a Brad Schneider and Marilyn Strickland alum. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Labor Secretary Marty Walsh … Jason Miller … Elizabeth Alexander … Ann Marie Hauser of the Hudson Institute … Josh Shultz … CNN's Antoine Sanfuentes … Carter Yang … Samantha Dravis of Clout Public Affairs … Bradley Saull … POLITICO's Alice Miranda Ollstein and Adam Behsudi … Jon Sallet … BGR Group's Mark Tavlarides … Ray Zaccaro … Shelley Greenspan of the State Department … Chris Lydon … Jessica Mackler … NBC's Gary Grumbach … Howard Gantman … Dale Thorenson of Gordley Associates … Hanna Rosin … Shef's Amy Dudley … Nick Barbknecht … Joe Gierut … Our Body Politic's Bridget Mulcahy … Jeffrey Frank … Melinda Henneberger of the Kansas City Star … Ann Klenk … Tyler Dever of Rep. Greg Steube's (R-Fla.) office 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.
| | | | A message from Amazon: Chatonn left her job in retail and hasn't looked back since accepting a role at an Amazon fulfillment center.
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