| | | | |  | | By Ryan Lizza and Rachael Bade | | | | | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | THE PLAYBOOK INTERVIEW: RO KHANNA — On this week's episode of "Playbook Deep Dive," we chat with Rep. RO KHANNA (D-Calif.) over burgers and milkshakes at Good Stuff Eatery (his choice) near the Capitol. Khanna was the co-chair of Sen. BERNIE SANDERS' 2020 presidential campaign, is an influential progressive inside the House Democratic Caucus, and is someone who, as Holly Otterbein recently reported, is already being discussed as a future presidential candidate. You can listen to the entire episode here, but what follows are key excerpts from the extended interview, including some juicy bits just for Playbook readers: — On why President JOE BIDEN never wanted to have Sen. JOE MANCHIN and Sanders together in the same room: "Biden has a great sense of humor. … When we were discussing the Build Back Better, I said, 'Mr. President, why don't you just get Bernie Sanders and Joe Manchin in the room and hammer this out? You don't need all these conversations … just cut the deal, and whatever those two agree with, with you, that'll be the road map.' And he looks at [Rep.] PETER WELCH, who is the congressman from Vermont, and he says, 'You know, Ro thinks he knows Bernie because he was the co-chair. But Peter, you and I know Bernie, right?' And he says, 'What Ro's asking for is homicide, to put them in a room.' And he says, 'It'd be like, Ro, you and me boxing: I'd beat the hell out of you, but why would we want to see it?'" — On the advice a young state Sen. BARACK OBAMA gave him after he asked whether he should move to California and run for office: "He wrote back to me. He said, 'Ro, do not go to a big state. Big states are incredibly difficult. I just had this experience in Illinois [with] machine politics. And that would be my advice.' And of course, I disregarded his advice in going to California because I was drawn to technology. And the next thing I know, he's keynoting the Democratic Convention. That's the last time I ever had any sort of a communication with Barack Obama before he became Barack Obama." — On what NANCY PELOSI told him when he visited her home in San Francisco seeking her endorsement in his race against Democratic incumbent MIKE HONDA, whom he defeated in 2016: "[She said:] 'I will be with Mike Honda.' And I turned and started to leave her house because she had invited me over and she says, 'But remember something, Ro: If I had waited around, I would never have been speaker. Power is never given, it's taken.'" — On Dems' messaging: "If you start listening to Democratic speeches, you would think that everything is falling apart in this country! It would be as if I was the coach of the 49ers and I said, 'Our wide receivers are terrible. Our linebackers are terrible. Our team is terrible. We're just going to lose.' Who responds to that?! 'We're going to go down the road of fascism'? No. We're a great nation. I believe that. I think we're the greatest nation. We have to have an aspirational vision, a vision that says that this nation is going to be capable of meeting great challenges." — On Biden's legacy to progressives: "Joe Biden adopted so many progressive policies because, unlike many of his colleagues who got elected in the '70s or '80s or '90s, he actually had to run in the 2020 electorate. And he saw where the party was. And I think Biden's great skill is understanding where the Democratic Party was. Joe Biden has made mainstream so many progressive positions." — On how going on Fox News to debate the Keystone Pipeline taught him a valuable lesson: "If I hadn't gone on Fox News and I hadn't subjected myself to that debate and I hadn't probably lost the debate in that moment, I would never think of the counterarguments. I'd never think of the weaknesses in my own point of view … I did BEN SHAPIRO. I'm more inclined to go than not go, probably, because it forces you to have an engagement. … I think it's one of the reasons that our great politicians, BILL CLINTON and Obama, were so effective is that they actually spent a lot of time in places where people didn't agree with them." — On his advice to his fellow progressives: "I think if there's one thing other than an aspirational vision that I would wish for people who share my same perspective on the policies, it is just to have a little bit less judgment, a little bit more humility. … You may not have the whole truth. You may not have the whole perspective. Don't be so self-assured of your own moral superiority." Listen and subscribe
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| Happy Friday, and thanks for reading Playbook. We had some technical issues that made Thursday's Playbook harder to read. We apologize for any inconvenience. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza.
| | | | A message from Amazon: Benefits from day one. "At Amazon, your health benefits start the day you sign on the dotted line," said Carlton, who made a doctor's appointment shortly after joining Amazon. That visit likely saved his life. "I wouldn't be here today without those benefits." | | | JACKSON CONFIRMED — In a history-making vote Thursday afternoon, the Senate confirmed KETANJI BROWN JACKSON to the Supreme Court, where she will be the first Black woman in history to serve as a justice. Immediately after VP KAMALA HARRIS called the 53-47 vote, Senate Democrats (and, notably, Utah Republican MITT ROMNEY) gave a standing ovation while most Senate Republicans sulked from the chamber floor. THE BIG PICTURE … — WaPo's Robert Barnes has the 30,000-foot view: "White men for the first time will no longer make up a majority [on the Court]. The oldest and longest-serving justice is Black. Women will be as close to parity as is possible on a nine-member bench, and in a government where the president is 79 and the speaker of the House is 82, the average age of a justice will be 61. … "Jackson's presence will go a long way toward President Biden's stated goal of a court that looks more like America. But it won't impact for now one that is ideologically stacked for conservatives, caught in a political crossfire as intense as any before and facing a host of issues." — Legal scholars told Brakkton Booker that Jackson could have an impact even in the minority: "The first thing to keep an eye on is her dissents. … Even if she doesn't sway the ultimate decisions rendered by the court, Jackson can convey her point of view in dissents that may have greater influence in future cases or with other branches." THE INSIDE STORY ON CAPITOL HILL … — Marianne LeVine and Burgess Everett have everything you need to know about how Senate Majority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER took Jackson from nomination to confirmation in six weeks. The big takeaway: Schumer had a need for speed, even before Jackson was the official pick. "During the selection process, Schumer even suggested to White House chief of staff RON KLAIN that Jackson would be the best option to get confirmed over the other names on Biden's short list, according to a source familiar with the conversation. 'We called [Biden] early on and said, "We've got to get a nominee quickly, the longer we wait, the tougher it's going to be,"' Schumer recalled in an interview. "The idea of a lightning quick confirmation didn't sit well with everyone in the caucus. But 'when you have 50 senators, you can't delay. A lot of people wanted to delay until June, until [Justice STEPHEN] BREYER was actually stepping down,' Schumer added. That was never an option for Schumer. … [C]onfirming her to the Supreme Court was 'at the very top of the list' of his achievements with Biden, a pinnacle of his decadeslong work to diversify the bench."
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| — Meanwhile, we all knew Sen. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-S.C.) was unhappy with Jackson's nomination. (He's only aired his grievances about 50 million times since the president chose her over his favored candidate, J. MICHELLE CHILDS.) But on Thursday, he took his protest to a surprising extreme, slighting Jackson by not bothering to vote on her historic confirmation from the floor. The excuse? He wasn't wearing a tie, and therefore had to vote from the cloakroom. Here's what's weird: Graham did have a tie on earlier in the day and appears to have taken it off. ( h/t John Harwood) We reached out to his office for comment to see if Graham was trying to send a signal. His spokesman, KEVIN BISHOP, wrote back: "He voted. His vote was recorded." — And then there was Sen. RAND PAUL (R-Ky.), who "prompted a nearly 25-minute delay before the vote could be called, forcing senators — who had been asked to vote from their seats in the chamber — to awkwardly mill around to pass the time. He ultimately voted from the cloakroom, not in a suit," Anthony Adragna writes for Congress Minutes. THE HITS KEEP COMING — Sen. RAPHAEL WARNOCK (D-Ga.) announced that he tested positive for the coronavirus Thursday evening. Hours earlier, he was in the Senate chamber for Jackson's confirmation vote and was seen having a brief interaction with Harris. Earlier, Sen. SUSAN COLLINS (R-Maine) also announced that she tested positive. Notably, she was one of the only senators in the chamber wearing a mask during the confirmation vote. AN OPTIMISTIC OUTLOOK — On Thursday night, BENJAMIN HALL, the Fox News correspondent injured by an attack in Ukraine that left two colleagues dead, provided an update on his health : "To sum it up, I've lost half a leg on one side and a foot on the other. One hand is being put together, one eye is no longer working, and my hearing is pretty blown… but all in all, I feel pretty damn lucky to be here — and it is the people who got me here who are amazing!"
| | | | A message from Amazon: At Amazon, health benefits start on day one for employees and their families. | | | BIDEN'S FRIDAY: — 9:45 a.m.: The president will receive the President's Daily Brief. — 12:15 p.m.: Biden, Harris and Jackson will deliver remarks on Jackson's confirmation on the South Lawn. Press secretary JEN PSAKI will brief at 2 p.m. THE SENATE and THE HOUSE 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
|  President Joe Biden and Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson watch her Senate confirmation vote to the Supreme Court on Thursday from the White House. | Getty Images | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | ALL POLITICS FIRST IN PLAYBOOK I — Holly Otterbein writes in from Pennsylvania: A super PAC backing Democrat CONOR LAMB for Senate went on air this week with an attack against his primary opponent JOHN FETTERMAN that turned heads in Washington. The TV ad tagged Fetterman a "self-described democratic socialist." (Sen. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-Mass.) was not happy, calling it "disgusting.") The only problem: The group had no evidence Fetterman has ever called himself that. We've learned that the super PAC rewrote its spot after the Fetterman legal team complained that it was a lie. Now the ad says Fetterman "sought the democratic socialists' endorsement" instead. Fact check: True. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK II — NRCC RAISES $180M THROUGH MARCH: The GOP's war chest is continuing to overflow, money that Republicans hope will allow them to not only flip the House but go on offense in a number of Biden districts where they might not otherwise have the funds to compete. This cycle, the latter will NOT be a problem. — The NRCC will announce today that they raised $19.4 million in March, compared to $11 million in 2020 at the same time, a record. They're also setting new milestones for the most money raised in Q1: $40.9 million. — All told, they've raised $180 million this cycle, compared to $124.5 million at the same time to 2020, a 45% increase. And they have $97.7 million in cash on hand, which is almost double the $48.8 million the NRCC had in the bank at this point last cycle. "Republicans have the resources, the candidates, and the message needed to retake the majority," NRCC Chair TOM EMMER (R-Minn.) will say in a statement. "Nancy Pelosi's days as Speaker are numbered." TALK AIN'T CHEAP — A group of Democratic consultants who worked for JON OSSOFF in his successful Georgia Senate bid in 2020 are trying to spread an organizing strategy they believe is responsible for flipping the Senate, writes Elena Schneider. "Technically, it's called 'paid relational organizing,' but it boils down to this: paying people to talk to their friends about politics." (Heck, we do that for free.) "Democrats think it helped them win the Senate in 2020 — and are hoping the get-out-the-vote strategy will help limit the pain of a brutal 2022 election environment." CUOMO A NO-GO ON 2022 — "At least five Democrats on Thursday submitted the paperwork needed to appear on New York's gubernatorial primary ballot this June. One name who didn't have a filing with the state Board of Elections? Former Gov. ANDREW CUOMO, whose potential interest in a comeback campaign a year after he resigned in disgrace has provided grist for the rumor mill for months. The filings on Thursday were not an absolute guarantee that Cuomo does not run," Bill Mahoney writes from Albany. THE WHITE HOUSE BUILT BACK BORING — "It was a key theme of Joe Biden's 2020 campaign, unstated but powerful, and a vivid contrast with the public-train-wreck incumbent: If elected, he was going to be boring," writes Michael Schaffer . "Promise kept." And that "carries a political cost in a Permanent Washington that, for better or worse, thrills to displays of executive-branch social fireworks." FACT-CHECK — "Unraveling the tale of Hunter Biden and $3.5 million from Russia," by WaPo's Glenn Kessler
| | | | A message from Amazon:   | | | CONGRESS PUNTING ON COVID AID — Senators said Thursday that "they are delaying voting on a bill to pour $10 billion more into pandemic programs until after their two-week spring break, a decision top administration health officials have said further threatens the country's ability to fight the virus and prepare for potential surges and variants," Alice Miranda Ollstein writes. Speaking of … THE PANDEMIC WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW — "The surge of Covid-19 infections in Washington this week has many wondering: Is it safe enough to hold indoor, public events again? Are we returning to normal or throwing caution to the wind after more than two years of isolation?" Lauren Gardner explains what you need to know about Covid's dominant BA.2 variant. VAX MANDATE UPHELD — In a 2-1 ruling, a federal appeals court on Thursday reversed a lower court and upheld the Biden administration's requirement that all federal employees be vaccinated against Covid-19, AP's Kevin McGill writes. WAR IN UKRAINE — A Russian strike today hit a crowded Kramatorsk train station where civilians were evacuating from the Donetsk region, killing dozens, Ukrainian officials said. More from the NYT — U.N. Undersecretary-General MARTIN GRIFFITHS told the AP on Thursday that he's "not optimistic about securing a ceasefire to halt the fighting in Ukraine following high-level talks in Moscow and Kyiv that underscored how far apart the two sides are." — Here's a name you should learn: VALERIY ZALUZHNYY. He's the 48-year-old commander in chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces — the man who has led the fight that has "left Russian forces bloody, beaten and in messy retreat," David Herszenhorn and Paul McLeary write in their profile of the man and his strategy. TRUMP CARDS DONALD TRUMP'S NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY … — Manhattan D.A. ALVIN BRAGG peeled back the curtain on his office's tumultuous investigation of Trump, speaking publicly about it for the first time and "insisting that the inquiry has continued despite the recent resignations of two senior prosecutors who had been leading it," NYT's Jonah Bromwich, William Rashbaum and Ben Protess write . Bragg said his office recently questioned new witnesses about Trump and "reviewed additional documents, both previously unreported steps in the inquiry. But citing grand jury secrecy rules, Mr. Bragg declined to provide details on the new steps in the investigation." — Then there was the news that New York A.G. TISH JAMES filed a motion asking a judge to hold the former president in contempt "for failing to turn over documents in her civil investigation into his business activities," per Bromwich and Rashbaum. "The filing also asked the judge to fine Mr. Trump $10,000 a day until he turns over the materials." TV TONIGHT — PBS' "Washington Week": Nia-Malika Henderson, Jeff Mason and Simon Ostrovsky. SUNDAY SO FAR … FOX "Fox News Sunday," guest-anchored by Dana Perino: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Panel: Brit Hume, Julie Pace and Harold Ford Jr. MSNBC "The Sunday Show": Pierre-Richard Prosper … Labor Secretary Marty Walsh … NYC Mayor Eric Adams. CBS "Face the Nation": Ukrainian Ambassador Oksana Markarova … Scott Gottlieb … Loretta Mester. NBC "Meet the Press": Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba. Panel: Kimberly Atkins Stohr, Carlos Curbelo, Josh Lederman and Anna Palmer. CNN "Inside Politics": Panel: Robin Wright and Jill Dougherty. Panel: Jeff Zeleny, Jackie Kucinich and Zolan Kanno-Youngs. ABC "This Week": Panel: Chris Christie, Donna Brazile, Laura Barrón-López and Jonathan Swan.
| | | | 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 | | Joe Biden posted a photo on Twitter of him and Ketanji Brown Jackson taking a selfie with C-SPAN's coverage of the confirmation vote in the background. We gotta say: He's got pretty good selfie-taking form. Washingtonian held a taste test to rank the city's bagels. Bethesda Bagels came in at No. 1. (We volunteer for the next one!) The RNC is promoting "Let's Go Brandon!"-branded golf balls. Hillary Clinton revealed her current list of favorite artists on her podcast: Lady Gaga, Adele, Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish. SPOTTED: Former Rep. Carlos Trujillo (R-Fla.) met with Donald Trump and former Argentine President Mauricio Macri at Mar-a-Lago on Thursday. Pic OUT AND ABOUT — POLITICO editor-in-chief Matt Kaminski was the keynote speaker for a group of visiting Nordic business leaders Thursday night, discussing Russia's invasion of Ukraine and his time as a reporter in both countries. SPOTTED at the dinner at the National Press Club: Kristiina Helenius, Audrey Polk, Eileen O'Reilly, Doug Kelly, Susan Lexer Smith, Mari Etelapaa and Angela Greiling Keane. — SPOTTED at the Landmark E Street theater Thursday night for the D.C. premiere of Nadia Szold's "Larry Flynt for President," which was introduced by her brother Daniel Lippman and featured a Q&A with Szold after: Tammy Haddad, Ken Vogel, Charlie Mahtesian, Christina Sevilla and Steve Rochlin, Sophia Narrett, Nihal Krishan, Senay Bulbul, Lacey Christ, Mica Soellner, Michael Falcone, Ted Scheinman, Erin McPike, Honey and David Lippman, Stephanie Benedict, Ted Johnson and Tim Cone. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Kristen Morgante has been named the first-ever managing partner at Purple Strategies. She previously was a partner and COO, and is a Clinton administration, Howard Dean and CAP alum. MEDIA MOVES — Lydia Polgreen is returning to the NYT as an opinion columnist. She most recently was managing director at Gimlet and is a HuffPost alum. The announcement … Niharika Acharya is joining Semafor, Justin Smith and Ben Smith's new media startup, to create their global events vertical. She most recently has been executive director of events at The Hill. TRANSITIONS — Marina Orcutt is now deputy director of the DSCC independent expenditure. She previously was a director at Bully Pulpit Interactive and is a DSCC Patty Murray alum. … Microsoft is adding Kristin Strobel as director of state and local government and industry affairs and James Farrell as director of congressional affairs. Strobel previously was a principal at the BGR Group. Farrell previously was executive director of government affairs at the National Electrical Contractors Association. … … Eric May is now director of federal government affairs for TIAA. He previously was legislative director for Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) and is a Ben McAdams, John Delaney and Mark Pryor alum. … Courtney Geduldig is joining Micron Technologies as corporate VP for public affairs. She previously was head of government and public affairs at Chime Financial, and is a Bob Corker and Treasury alum. … Brandon Pollak is joining Cityfi as senior principal. He previously led U.S. federal and EMEA region government affairs at REEF. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) … NBC's Chuck Todd (5-0) … POLITICO's Nicholas Wu,Christian Guirreri and Haider Adhoob … Mary Beth Cahill … former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay … Seymour Hersh … Robin Sproul of Javelin … Mike Leiter of Skadden Arps … NYT's Dave Shaw … WaPo's Zach Goldfarb … Madeline Beecher … John Williams of House Judiciary … Annie Palisi … Mike Cohen of the Cohen Research Group … Ro's Meghan Pianta … Jim Garamone … Jessica Nigro of Lucid Motor (4-0) … NBCUniversal's Lauren Skowronski … Targeted Victory's David Crane … Raymond Siller ... Melissa Wagoner Olesen … Aaron Klein … E&E News' Corbin Hiar ... Dan Gainor … NPR's Emily Hamilton … DNC's Brencia Berry … Susan Brophy … Maria Orilla 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: Learn more about Amazon's benefits for hourly employees and their families . "To be able to have my whole family on that plan was a great feeling – as a father and as a husband," said Carlton. "Amazon was there for me like a family member." | | | | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
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