Plus: Haley channels Christian nationalism | Wednesday, February 15, 2023
| | | | | | | | | | | Axios Sneak Peek | | By Hans Nichols and Zachary Basu · Feb 15, 2023 | | Welcome back to Sneak. Smart Brevity™ count: 967 words ... 3.5 minutes. ⚡ Situational awareness: Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) formally filed to run for U.S. Senate, a day after Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) announced she would not seek re-election, Axios' Alexi McCammond reports. | | | | | | 1 big thing — Scoop: House GOP plots spectacles outside D.C. |  | | | Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios | | | | House Republicans are planning a series of attention-grabbing hearings outside of Washington, guided by a 15-page, private playbook obtained by Axios' Stef Kight. Why it matters: With little chance of getting bills signed by President Biden, Republicans are sending subpoenas, planning trips to the border and encouraging committees to find fresh, TV-friendly settings for hearings that target administration policies. What caught our eye: The detailed memo lays bare Republicans' publicity ambitions by giving committees tips for attracting media coverage. - It urges House committees to consider "embedding" local reporters from "a Sinclair, Gray, or other media company that broadcasts to multiple media markets across the nation."
- It's notable that the House GOP playbook singles out conservative-leaning Sinclair Broadcast Group, one of the biggest TV station operators in the country.
- The GOP guide also encourages committees to launch targeted Facebook ads in and around the congressional districts they visit, send out post-hearing recaps, and distribute video clips of any "good member/witness exchange" to "boost as a post in that member's district."
Behind the scenes: The detailed guide for holding field hearings was assembled by the House Committee on Administration, which oversees the daily operations of the House and is led by Rep. Bryan Steil (R-Wis.), an ally of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.). - The memo reminds staffers that they can expense the cost of interpreters, rental space for hearings, audio or visual recording needs, and the production of charts or other presentations.
- Taxpayers will cover those costs.
What to watch: McCarthy is heading to the border in Arizona with four freshman Republicans tomorrow to receive a briefing and aerial tour by border officials — his first such trip since winning the speakership in January. - Committees planning hearings at the border include Energy and Commerce, which held a session in McAllen, Texas, today that focused on how health care systems are impacted by the rise in migrants and fentanyl coming across the border.
- Most of the fentanyl trafficked into the U.S. is seized at legal entry points, but Republicans often link the drug to migrants and asylum-seekers illegally crossing the border.
Share this story. |     | | | | | | 2. 🇨🇳 Blinken eyes balloon détente |  | | | U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese diplomat Wang Yi meet in Bali on July 9, 2022. Photo: Stefani Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images | | | | U.S. officials privately expect Secretary of State Antony Blinken to use a potential meeting with China's top diplomat this week to de-escalate tensions over the downing of a Chinese government spy balloon this month, Axios' Hans Nichols reports. Driving the news: The State Department today formally announced Blinken's plan to attend the Munich Security Conference, giving him an opportunity to re-establish high-level communications by sitting down face-to-face with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi. Between the lines: The meeting has not been officially confirmed, but administration officials are preparing for it to take place. A failure for Blinken and Wang to meet would indicate how far the U.S.-China relationship has deteriorated. - The detection of the balloon, which Beijing claimed was a civilian airship that blew off course, forced Blinken to postpone his planned trip to China on Feb. 4, citing a "clear violation of U.S. sovereignty and international law."
- Beijing today threatened to take unspecified "countermeasures" over the downing of the balloon, after accusing the U.S. of sending surveillance balloons over China's territory at least 10 times — an allegation U.S. officials swiftly rejected.
Between the lines: The annual Munich Security Conference is held at the Hotel Bayerischer Hof, an intimate setting designed to facilitate easy conversations — and lasting relationships — among government officials from across the world. - Vice President Kamala Harris, the highest-ranking U.S. official in attendance, will deliver a speech as part of the conference.
- Harris also indicated this week that the U.S. is ready to move on from the balloon incident, telling Politico that she does not believe it should affect relations.
🎈 Latest: The N.Y. Times reports that U.S. officials believe the balloon was aimed at U.S. bases in Guam and Hawaii, and that Chinese officials "appeared to make a series of bad decisions" after winds pushed it to Montana. Keep reading. | | | | | | | | 3. 👀 Haley channels Christian nationalism | | Screenshot: MSNBC GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley began today's launch event with an invocation from Pastor John Hagee, a right-wing televangelist so controversial that former Sen. John McCain rejected his endorsement in 2008. Why it matters: Haley's embrace of Hagee — in contrast with McCain's repudiation during his presidential run — reflects how far right the Republican Party's center of gravity has shifted in recent years. - Evangelical support will be crucial in the GOP primary, and prominent movement leaders who backed former President Trump in 2020 have so far signaled they are waiting for the field to fill out.
- Former Vice President Mike Pence, an evangelical and likely presidential candidate, appeared with Hagee during his book tour last month.
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