| | | | |  | | By Ryan Lizza, Rachael Bade and Eugene Daniels | | | With help from Eli Okun and Garrett Ross
| 
The Biden administration this weekend shot down two more aerial objects floating into U.S. airspace. | Evan Vucci/AP Photo | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | READY TO GO — NYT’s Maureen Dowd: “Joe Biden is running. And that’s no malarkey.” BACK TO THE AUGHTS — As 2024 GOP presidential campaigns start to take flight, two conservative wonks propose a new direction for the GOP, one that channels GEORGE W. BUSH, whose “compassionate conservatism” helped Republicans win back the White House after eight years of Democratic control. They call it “aspirational conservatism,” and make the case in POLITICO Mag for why “it’s time for the GOP to move beyond Trumpism and endless culture wars.” “As more and more voters tire of Trumpian bombast and the culture wars driving our politics,” write STEPHEN GOLDSMITH, former mayor of Indianapolis and now a professor at Harvard’s Kennedy School, and RYAN STREETER, director of domestic policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, “aspirational conservatives have a chance to show they are on the side of the majority of Americans who care most about a good quality of life, ample opportunity and a government that works for them. That’s not just good policy — it’s good politics.” THE TRUTH IS NOT OUT THERE … YET — The U.S. and Canada keep blowing things out of the sky, but so far there are few details about what exactly they’re hitting. The weekend has been busy: — On Friday, President JOE BIDEN ordered a balloon with a car-sized payload destroyed after it violated U.S. airspace over Alaska. It was flying at just 40,000 feet, roughly the altitude of civilian airliners, and was destroyed by an F-22 over a frozen portion of the Arctic Ocean near Alaska. The Pentagon noted that the UFO “does not resemble in any way the Chinese surveillance balloon shot down off the coast of South Carolina earlier this week.” BUT they don’t know what it is — or at least they’re not saying. “We have no further details about the object at this time, including any description of its capabilities, purpose or origin,” said the Pentagon spokesman, Air Force Brig. Gen. PAT RYDER. — Later that same night, NORAD detected another object over Alaska and two American F-22s began tracking it. On Saturday, the UFO drifted into Canadian airspace and the F-22s were joined by two Canadian aircraft. Biden’s national security advisers saw the UFO as a serious enough issue that the president was “continually briefed by his national security team since the object was detected,” according to the White House. The “high-altitude airborne object” soon merited a phone call between Biden and Canadian Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU, and the two leaders agreed to take it out. A U.S. F-22 shot down the object over the Canadian Yukon using an AIM 9X Sidewinder air-to-air missile around 3:41 p.m. ET. As with the Friday night UFO, we still don’t know what it was we shot on Saturday. Biden and Trudeau “discussed the importance of recovering the object in order to determine more details on its purpose or origin,” according to the White House. Canadian Minister of Defense ANITA ANAND said the object was similar to the Chinese surveillance balloon shot down off the coast of South Carolina on Feb. 4, “though smaller in size and cylindrical in nature.” — Perhaps because everyone is a little on edge with all the UFOs, a few hours later on Saturday the FAA temporarily shut down airspace in central Montana after the military saw something unusual on radar. There was little explanation about what it was. “NORAD detected a radar anomaly and sent fighter aircraft to investigate,” NORAD said in a statement. “Those aircraft did not identify any object to correlate to the radar hits. NORAD will continue to monitor the situation.” So what were these things? The NYT places the UFOs from Friday and Saturday in the context of the recent UFO report from the government: “There were multiple theories in Washington as to the provenance of the objects, but several Biden administration officials cautioned that much remained unknown about the last two objects shot down. The United States has long monitored U.F.O.s that enter American airspace, and officials believe that surveillance operations by foreign powers, weather balloons or other airborne clutter may explain the most recent incidents of unidentified aerial phenomena — government-speak for U.F.O.s — as well as many episodes in past years. “However, nearly all of the incidents remain officially unexplained, according to a report that was made public in 2021. Intelligence agencies are set to deliver a classified document to Congress by Monday updating that report. The original document looked at 144 incidents between 2004 and 2021 that were reported by U.S. government sources, mostly American military personnel.” The WaPo notes that we’re likely going to detect more objects because we’ve “opened the filters”: “The incursions in the past week have changed how analysts receive and interpret information from radars and sensors, a U.S. official said Saturday, partly addressing a key question of why so many objects have recently surfaced. “The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said that sensory equipment absorbs a lot of raw data, and filters are used so humans and machines can make sense of what is collected. But that process always runs the risk of leaving out something important, the official said. “‘We basically opened the filters,’ the official added, much like a car buyer unchecking boxes on a website to broaden the parameters of what can be searched. That change does not yet fully answer what is going on, the official cautioned, and whether stepping back to look at more data is yielding more hits — or if these latest incursions are part of a more deliberate action by an unknown country or adversary.” Good Sunday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line and tell us what we should get Eugene for his birthday today: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza.
| | | | A message from Airlines for America: Did you know? 90 percent of Americans have flown at least once. More than half of Americans have flown before their 16th birthday. Two million people choose to fly each day in the U.S. This is possible because robust competition among U.S. airlines generates enormous options for consumers, which is why Americans from a range of economic, cultural and racial backgrounds have flown. In 2021, one-third of Americans who flew had family incomes under $75,000. Learn more: www.airlines.org. | | | SUNDAY BEST … — Rep. MIKE TURNER (R-Ohio) on whether he’s happy more flying objects are being shot down by the U.S., on CNN’s “State of the Union”: “I would prefer them to be trigger-happy than to be permissive. But we’re going to have to see whether or not this is just the administration trying to change headlines. But what I think this shows, which is probably more important to our policy discussion here, is that we really have to declare that we’re going to defend our airspace.” — Rep. JIM HIMES (D-Conn.) on the origins of the objects that have been shot down this week, on NBC’s “Meet the Press”: “In an absence of information, people will fill that gap with anxiety and other stuff. So, I wish the administration was a little quicker to tell us everything that they do know.” — Sen. MIKE ROUNDS (R-S.D.) on Medicare and Social Security proposals, on “State of the Union”: “I think Sen. [RICK] SCOTT had an idea that he proposed. I think the vast majority of us would say that we prefer to look at it in a different direction, one of managing it, as opposed to a discussion about having everything start over again. And I think that's misleading in terms of what he really intended to do. But, look, the bottom line is: Republicans want to see Social Security be successful and be improved.” — New Hampshire GOP Gov. CHRIS SUNUNU on if he will be a “culture warrior” like other Republican governors, on CBS’ “Face the Nation”: “No, we have to talk about that, but it isn’t the government’s role to solve it. The government is not here to solve your problems. … I don’t think governors should be trying to pass laws to subvert the will of the voters that know better than us.” — Utah GOP Gov. SPENCER COX on the culture wars, on “Meet the Press”: “There’s some data that came out this past week to show that especially conservatives, we don't know how to disagree anymore. This is the problem.” On his preference for the 2024 GOP presidential nominee: “I prefer governors. That's the easy call for me.”
| | | | A message from Airlines for America:   Competition in the airline industry has generated enormous consumer choice and vast options for travelers – meaning there is something for everyone. Learn more: www.airlines.org. | | | TOP-EDS: A roundup of the week’s must-read opinion pieces.
| | BIDEN’S SUNDAY — The president has nothing on his public schedule.
VP KAMALA HARRIS’ SUNDAY — The VP has nothing on her public schedule. | | | | | | 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. | | | | | PHOTO OF THE DAY
| 
President Joe Biden toasts with the National Governors Association Vice Chair Utah Gov. Spencer Cox during a dinner reception at the White House on Saturday, Feb. 11. | Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP Photo | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | 9 THINGS FOR YOUR RADAR 1. HIGH HOPES: “‘A serious committee’: Lawmakers have high bipartisan hopes for China panel as tensions rise,” by NBC’s Scott Wong: “The China committee’s two leaders — Chair MIKE GALLAGHER, R-Wis., and ranking member RAJA KRISHNAMOORTHI, D-Ill. — are setting the tone early, identifying areas where they say they expect to find bipartisan agreement on policy and legislation. … The 24-member panel’s first hearing will likely take place in early March, and Gallagher said he’d like to lead a delegation of committee members overseas in the near future, though nothing concrete has been planned.” 2. DOCU-DRAMA: “Trump Lawyers Appeared Before Grand Jury as Part of Classified-Documents Probe,” by WSJ’s C. Ryan Barber and Alex Leary: “Two lawyers for Donald Trump appeared before a grand jury last month as part of the special counsel investigation into the handling of classified documents and other records discovered at the former president’s South Florida residence and private club, according to people familiar with the matter. CHRISTINA BOBB and EVAN CORCORAN, lawyers who have represented Mr. Trump in dealings with the Justice Department over the classified documents, made their appearances in the early weeks of January as the special counsel, JACK SMITH, ramped up his investigation, the people said.” 3. EMPTY-HANDED: “Trump campaign paid researchers to prove 2020 fraud but kept findings secret,” by WaPo’s Josh Dawsey: “The campaign paid researchers from Berkeley Research Group, the people said, to study 2020 election results in six states, looking for fraud and irregularities to highlight in public and in the courts. Among the areas examined were voter machine malfunctions, instances of dead people voting and any evidence that could help Trump show he won, the people said. None of the findings were presented to the public or in court.” The results: “The findings were not what the Trump campaign had been hoping for, according to the four people. While the researchers believed there were voting anomalies and unusual data patterns in a few states, along with some instances in which laws may have been skirted, they did not believe the anomalies were significant enough to make a difference in who won the election.” 4. WHO’S COMING TO DINNER: “Biden hosts GOP, Dem governors at White House for dinner,” by AP’s Colleen Long: “The message was togetherness — and not just because the room was tightly packed with governors, spouses and Cabinet members. Biden and both associations’ leaders, Republican Gov. SPENCER COX of Utah and Democratic Gov. PHIL MURPHY of New Jersey, spoke about the need to put aside the increasingly rancorous political differences in order to work together to better the nation.” Related read: “Democratic governors, seeing rising threats, look beyond their borders,” by WaPo’s Dan Balz
| | | | A message from Airlines for America:   Competition in the airline industry has generated enormous consumer choice – meaning there is something for everyone. Learn more: www.airlines.org. | | | 5. ENTER SANDMAN: “Bernie Sanders Has a New Role. It Could Be His Final Act in Washington,” by NYT’s Sheryl Gay Stolberg: Independent Vermont Sen. BERNIE “SANDERS, 81, who identifies as a democratic socialist, has said he will not seek the Democratic nomination for president again if President Biden runs for re-election — a position he reiterated in a recent interview in his Senate office. He is himself up for re-election in 2024 and would not say whether he would run again, which raises the prospect that the next two years in Congress could be his last.” 6. ABORTION FALLOUT: “Republicans clash with prosecutors over enforcement of abortion bans,” by Alice Miranda Ollstein and Megan Messerly: “GOP lawmakers see a major flaw in their states’ near-total abortion bans: Some local prosecutors won’t enforce them. Republicans in Georgia, Indiana, South Carolina and Texas — frustrated by progressive district attorneys who have publicly pledged not to bring charges under their state’s abortion laws — have introduced bills that would allow state officials to either bypass the local prosecutors or kick them out of office if their abortion-related enforcement is deemed too lenient.” Related read: “Women Encounter Abortion Delays as Clinics Draw Patients From Out of State,” by WSJ’s Laura Kusisto 7. CASHING IN: “After helping prince’s rise, Trump and Kushner benefit from Saudi funds,” by WaPo’s Michael Kranish: “The day after leaving the White House, [JARED] KUSHNER created a company that he transformed months later into a private equity firm with $2 billion from a sovereign wealth fund chaired by Saudi Crown Prince MOHAMMED BIN SALMAN. Kushner’s firm structured those funds in such a way that it did not have to disclose the source, according to previously unreported details of Securities and Exchange Commission forms reviewed by The Washington Post.” 8. THE CLIMATE CRISIS: “Natural disasters, boosted by climate change, displaced millions of Americans in 2022,” by NBC’s Lucas Thompson: “Natural disasters forced an estimated 3.4 million people in the U.S. to leave their homes in 2022, according to Census Bureau data collected earlier this year, underscoring how climate-related weather events are already changing American communities.” 9. THE LATEST IN TURKEY: “Turkey detains building contractors as quake deaths pass 33K,” by AP’s Justin Spike and Suzan Fraser
| | | | DOWNLOAD THE POLITICO MOBILE APP: Stay up to speed with the newly updated POLITICO mobile app, featuring timely political news, insights and analysis from the best journalists in the business. The sleek and navigable design offers a convenient way to access POLITICO's scoops and groundbreaking reporting. Don’t miss out on the app you can rely on for the news you need, reimagined. DOWNLOAD FOR iOS– DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Jill Biden is enjoying her Eagles’ Super Bowl run. She’s even got a custom jersey. Steven Van Zandt gifted Jamie Raskin a new head cover for his chemo recovery. Dan Goldman reportedly has a lot of trouble with parking and traffic tickets. SPOTTED at a dinner hosted by Esther Coopersmith at her Kalorama residence honoring her fellow “Friends of the Gridiron”: Phil de Picciotto and Trinka Roeckelein, Gene Samburg and Mickela Gay, Kathy “Coach” Kemper, David Edelman, David Spence, Shaun Modi, Susan Page and Carl Leubsdorf, Steve Holland, Dan and Nancy Balz, U.S. Marine Band Director Col. Jason Fettig, Assistant Director Maj. Ryan Nowlin and Danielle Nowlin, Janet Pitt, Doyle McManus, Dean Reed, James Adams, Jackie Kucinich and Jared Allen, Linda Feldmann, Todd and Lesli Gillman, Annie Groer, Sandy Johnson and Chuck Raasch, Finlay and Willee Lewis, Carol Stevens and Eric Brady and Lisa Zagaroli. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Playbook’s own Eugene Daniels … Justice Brett Kavanaugh … Susan Page … Jon Finer … Treasury’s Megan Apper … POLITICO’s Kristen East … Jim VandeHei … WaPo’s Chris Suellentrop and Marianna Sotomayor … Marc Caputo … NYT’s Maya King … Chris Hodgson … Ali Lapp … David Reid … Christina Noel … David Brody … Adam Webb of Sen. Thom Tillis’ (R-N.C.) office … former Rep. Gil Cisneros (D-Calif.) … Trish Hoppey … Christine Jacobs … Robert Zeliger … Kristin Gossel … Lewis Lowe … Bridget Anzano … Jeff Schlagenhauf … Barbara Zylinski … WSJ’s Rachel Feintzeig … Ryan Beiermeister … Ben Sherwood … Jeremy Iloulian … CNN’s Maria Awad … Enel North America’s Kyle Davis … Raj Bharwani of the House Oversight Committee Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here. Send Playbookers tips to playbook@politico.com or text us at 202-556-3307. Playbook couldn’t happen without our editor Mike DeBonis, deputy editor Zack Stanton and producers Setota Hailemariam and Bethany Irvine.
| | | | A message from Airlines for America: Did you know? 90 percent of Americans have flown at least once. More than half of Americans have flown before their 16th birthday. Two million people choose to fly each day in the U.S. All of this is possible because robust competition among U.S. airlines generates vast options for consumers.
Few industries match U.S. airlines when it comes to consumer choice, which is why air travel is now enjoyed by Americans from a range of economic, cultural and racial backgrounds. In 2021, one-third of Americans who flew had family incomes under $75,000. In 2022, fares (adjusted for inflation) were 6.8% below 2019 prices.
Because A4A passenger airlines compete aggressively for customers, they strive to provide a positive travel experience for all travelers, including families traveling with children, which is why A4A passenger carriers do not charge a family seating fee, unlike some ultra low-cost carriers. Read more at www.airlines.org. | | | | | | | 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 | | | | |
No comments:
Post a Comment