| | | | |  | | By Eugene Daniels, Rachael Bade and Ryan Lizza | Presented by TikTok | With help from Eli Okun and Garrett Ross
|  | DRIVING THE DAY | | A HOMECOMING — “After a series of short hospital stays, former U.S. President JIMMY CARTER today decided to spend his remaining time at home with his family and receive hospice care instead of additional medical intervention,” the Carter Center announced yesterday afternoon. From The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “Jimmy Carter receives outpouring of social media love after hospice news” Related fun fact: In 1976, JOE BIDEN was the first U.S. senator to endorse Carter’s campaign. From Jonathan Alter’s “His Very Best: Jimmy Carter, a Life”: “[Biden] joked that at age thirty-three, he was still two years shy of the constitutional age requirement to be president. So, since he couldn’t yet run himself, he was backing Jimmy.” (h/t Gabe Fleisher) TRUMP VS. DeSANTIS, PART I — “Trump: I won’t call DeSantis ‘Meatball Ron,’” by Kierra Frazier … PART II — Here’s Trump on Truth Social late last night: “Ron DeSanctimonious wants to cut your Social Security and Medicare, closed up Florida & its beaches, loves RINOS PAUL RYAN, JEB BUSH, and KARL ROVE (disasters ALL!), is backed by Globalist’s Club for NO Growth, Lincoln Pervert Project, & ‘Uninspired’ Koch — And it only gets worse from there. He is a RINO in disguise!” … PART III — Yesterday, the Republican Party of Florida elected a new chair for the 2024 cycle in what “some supporters of Gov. Ron DeSantis fear is a ‘giant Florida win for Trump,’” reports Matt Dixon. CHRISTIAN ZIEGLER defeated EVAN POWER in the vote, 126-100, and Power was then selected as vice chair. Meet the new chair: Ziegler “has worked closely with former Trump campaign manager COREY LEWANDOWSKI … Ziegler’s wife, BRIDGET, is the co-founder of the conservative parental rights organization Moms for Liberty and was endorsed by DeSantis in her race for Sarasota County school board.” “Trump’s team did nothing to downplay the proxy war perception after the vote,” Matt reports. “‘Chair races across the country are and should be important for people running for president,’ said a consultant familiar with the Trump campaign’s thinking. The person was granted anonymity to freely discuss the race. ‘To that extent, the more Trump candidate won today. That means the Trump campaign is likely pleased with the outcome.’”
|  Kristina Karamo was elected the new chair of Michigan’s GOP. | Joey Cappelletti/AP Photo | BUT TRUMP WASN’T MAGA ENOUGH IN MICHIGAN — Yesterday, KRISTINA KARAMO, the controversial election denier who lost the Michigan secretary of state race last year, defeated Trump-endorsed MATT DePERNO, the controversial election denier who lost the AG race, to become the new chair of the state’s GOP. On the one hand: “She becomes the first Black person to lead the Michigan GOP,” report the Detroit News’ Craig Mauger and Beth LeBlanc. “After her election Saturday night, Karamo told The Detroit News her first priority as party chair is to grow the party with everyday residents and individuals in ‘areas we’ve never penetrated, especially in urban America.’ She said the party would focus on local issues over national politics.” On the other: “Critics of Karamo questioned her ability to unite the party, raise money and her history of spreading unfounded conspiracy theories involving elections, porn and yoga.” The big picture: “In electing Kristina Karamo as party chair, they’ve solidified Democratic control of this state for years to come,” writes Nolan Finley, head of the News’ editorial page and the state’s most influential conservative columnist. LATEST OUT OF MUNICH — Biden’s trip to Europe this week will come at a pivotal moment for the war in Ukraine and for his presidency, Jonathan Lemire and Alex Ward report. The White House is urging Kyiv to ready for an imminent Russian offensive amid concerns about how long Western aid will continue, but Biden will try to use his appearance to rally NATO solidarity behind Ukraine. “Aides have explored attempting to covertly get Biden across the border in Ukraine but a trip has been all but ruled out. … [M]ost aides believe the security risk to Biden or Ukraine would not be worth it.” Biden’s visit marks the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion, “a date which many military analysts believe [VLADIMIR] PUTIN, fond of symbolism, may mark with a show of force.” Biden’s trip also comes days after the U.S. declared that Russia had committed crimes against humanity in Ukraine, a message VP KAMALA HARRIS brought to the Munich Security Conference. More from Munich: The general in charge of U.S. European Command went further than other officials in telling members of Congress that F-16s, long-range missiles and drones could give Ukraine a critical boost over Russia, Alex Ward and Paul McLeary report. … Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN met with Chinese counterpart WANG YI — and got no apology for the spy balloon, Blinken told NBC. Good Sunday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza.
| | | | A message from TikTok: We work hard to create a positive experience for teens. That's why accounts for anyone aged 13-15 are set to private by default without access to direct messaging. It’s also why we developed Family Pairing tools that let parents link their account to their teens’ and decide together what settings work best. Set screen time limits, decide who can comment on their content and more, so everyone can use TikTok safely and responsibly. Learn more. | | | SUNDAY BEST … — Sen. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-S.C.) on his message to China regarding the war in Ukraine, on ABC’s “This Week”: “If you jump on the Putin train now, you’re dumber than dirt. It would be like buying a ticket on the Titanic after you saw the movie. Don’t do this. The most catastrophic thing that could happen to the U.S.-China relationship, in my opinion, is for China to start to give lethal weapons to Putin in his crime against humanity.” — Sen. BERNIE SANDERS (I-Vt.) on the state of democracy in Israel, on CBS’ “Face the Nation”: “I am very worried about what [PM BENJAMIN] NETANYAHU is doing and some of his allies in government and what may happen to the Palestinian people. … The United States gives billions of dollars in aid to Israel. And I think we’ve got to put some strings attached to that and say you cannot run a racist government. You cannot turn your back on a two-state solution. You cannot demean the Palestinian people there. You just can’t do it and then come to America and ask for money.” — LARRY HOGAN on whether his potential 2024 presidential run would inadvertently help Trump, on NBC’s “Meet the Press”: “That’d be a pretty good reason to consider not running.” — Rep. MICHAEL McCAUL (R-Texas) on the need for Biden to increase military support to Ukraine, on CNN’s “State of the Union”: “The [Army Tactical Missile System] … have been on the table for months, and they haven’t sent those in. And the same delivery applies to ATACMS as it does to the HIMARS. But the fact is, the longer they wait, the longer this conflict will prevail. … I [agree with] MIKE TURNER that we need to throw everything we can into this fight, so that they can win.” TOP-EDS: A roundup of the week’s must-read opinion pieces.
| | | | A message from TikTok:   | | | | | BIDEN’S SUNDAY — The president has nothing on his public schedule.
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|  South Korea and the U.S. conduct joint military air drills at an undisclosed location in South Korea today. | South Korean Defense Ministry via Getty Images | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | 9 THINGS FOR YOUR RADAR 1. KEEP CALM AND KARI ON: “Kari Lake, still pushing midterm fraud fiction, edges closer to Senate run,” by WaPo’s Liz Goodwin and Yvonne Wingett Sanchez: “[A]t least three Republican candidates also sizing up the race are waiting for her to make a decision before they decide to run … [KARI] LAKE is eyeing a June timeline for announcing her plans … She enjoys the highest favorability ratings among Republican primary voters of five potential GOP candidates, followed by former GOP Senate candidate BLAKE MASTERS, according to a private poll … There is deep concern about Lake’s viability in a general election, national Republican operatives said.” 2. KEEPING IT ISRAEL: “Ukraine in mind, U.S. frantic to avert Mideast showdown at U.N.,” by AP’s Matthew Lee: “The Biden administration is scrambling to avert a diplomatic crisis over Israeli settlement activity this week at the United Nations that threatens to overshadow and perhaps derail what the U.S. hopes will be a solid five days of focus on condemning Russia’s war with Ukraine. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made two emergency calls on Saturday from the Munich Security Conference, which he is attending in an as-yet unsuccessful bid to avoid or forestall such a showdown. It remained unclear whether another last-minute intervention might salvage the situation.” 3. INFRASTRUCTURE YEAR: “Biden’s ‘Buy America’ bid runs into manufacturing woes it aims to fix,” by WaPo’s David Lynch: “The United States no longer produces many of the items needed to modernize roads, bridges and ports. The $1 trillion infrastructure legislation that the president signed in late 2021, however, insists that U.S. materials be used. … With the approach of the spring construction season, Biden’s push to boost domestic production is clashing with the reality that some materials are not available from U.S. sources in the amount or time required … [O]fficials intend to grant waivers of the Buy America rules in some cases.” 4. 2024 WATCH: MARIANNE WILLIAMSON teased that she’ll make a big announcement on March 4 in D.C. More from the Washington Examiner … DeSantis is heading to Staten Island and Chicago tomorrow for a mini Presidents Day tour. In NYC, he’ll take part in a rally supporting law enforcement. More from the N.Y. Post … And DeSantis gave the N.Y. Post an exclusive excerpt from his new book about exporting the Florida blueprint to the whole country. … But DeSantis’ openly aggressive use of the state government to go after political enemies is coming under criticism from some potential 2024 rivals, who say he’s being too heavy-handed with big government, CNN’s Steve Contorno, Jeff Zeleny and Fredreka Schouten report.
| | | | A message from TikTok:   | | | 5. IMMIGRATION FILES: DHS is weighing a new rule that would give temporary workers on H-2A and H-2B visas an opportunity to take steps toward green cards, Fox News’ Adam Shaw scooped. The proposal would change H-2 visas’ current prohibition of “dual intent,” which entails the pursuit of permanent residency at the same time as being in the U.S. temporarily. It would also stir backlash from immigration hawks. — Thousands of Ukrainian immigrants could suddenly find themselves in legal jeopardy come April, thanks to yearlong protections that will run out for people who happened to arrive during one 10-day period last year, WSJ’s Alicia Caldwell and Michelle Hackman report. Temporary Protected Status covers everyone who arrived by April 11; Uniting for Ukraine began April 21. But those who got to the U.S. in the interim are in limbo, and the Biden administration hasn’t yet decided how it may help them. — “Despite Help for Venezuelans in South America, Many Are Still Heading North,” by NYT’s Genevieve Glatsky in Bogotá: “Colombia, with U.S. help, is providing temporary visas to Venezuelan migrants. Still, financial struggles are leading many to leave for the United States.” 6. THE LIE THAT WON’T DIE: “Republican losses fan election conspiracies in rural Arizona,” by AP’s Nicholas Riccardi in Bisbee, Ariz.: “[T]he election conspiracy movement maintains a firm hold in beet-red rural spots such as Cochise County … The county’s respected elections director, LISA MARRA, who had opposed the board’s voting moves, recently resigned from the nonpartisan position after five years in the job. The two Republicans on the three-member board are seeking to replace her with the elected county recorder, DAVID STEVENS, another Republican. … But the backlash to the election chaos has been palpable.” 7. CLIMATE FILES: “An activist group is spreading misinformation to stop solar projects in rural America,” by Floodlight’s Miranda Green and NPR’s Michael Copley: “Citizens for Responsible Solar is part of a growing backlash against renewable energy in rural communities across the United States. The group, which was started in 2019 and appears to use strategies honed by other activists in campaigns against the wind industry, has helped local groups fighting solar projects in at least 10 states including Ohio, Kentucky and Pennsylvania … Citizens for Responsible Solar was founded in an exurb of Washington, D.C., by a longtime political operative named SUSAN RALSTON.” 8. POLITICAL VIOLENCE WATCH: “Reported threats on Congress remain high, but prosecutions decline,” by WaPo’s Tom Jackman: “[T]he number of people who are prosecuted for such conduct is small: only 22 last year, out of more than more than 300 cases that investigators deemed worthy of referring to federal prosecutors for a look.” 9. SMILE! YOU’RE ON CAMERA: “Drama of McCarthy’s election may open House to more cameras,” by AP’s David Bauder: “There’s been tangible movement in that direction. [KEVIN] McCARTHY, as House speaker, has the final word. His office has signaled that changes are being considered. Already, government cameras have broadened their views.”
| | | | JOIN POLITICO ON 3/1 TO DISCUSS AMERICAN PRIVACY LAWS: Americans have fewer privacy rights than Europeans, and companies continue to face a minefield of competing state and foreign legislation. There is strong bipartisan support for a federal privacy bill, but it has yet to materialize. Join POLITICO on 3/1 to discuss what it will take to get a federal privacy law on the books, potential designs for how this type of legislation could protect consumers and innovators, and more. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Joe and Jill Biden had dinner at the Red Hen, where they both had the rigatoni. George Washington’s portrait by Charles Peale in the U.S. ambassador to France’s residence turns out to be the real thing. IN MEMORIAM — “Former UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank dies of cancer at age 67,” by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Kelly Meyerhofer: “Some of her best-known work was around improvements in the measurement of poverty. … She was a senior staff member on the Council of Economic Advisors during the George H.W. Bush administration and served as a member of the council during the Bill Clinton administration. … Blank spent [several years in the Obama administration] serving in top positions of the U.S. Department of Commerce, including as the agency’s deputy secretary and as acting secretary for more than a year.” — “N. Carolina congressman, briefly senator Broyhill dies at 95,” by AP’s Gary Robertson: “The moderate Republican served more than 23 years in the House. He was considered a reliable conservative who helped North Carolina turn into a competitive two-party state … Broyhill recalled legislation he helped pass to create the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Broyhill’s family and others cited his efforts to create energy policies, and deregulate the telecommunications, pharmaceutical and trucking industries.” TRANSITIONS — The Commerce Department named its team to oversee the CHIPS and Science Act funding, including Todd Fisher, Rebecca Callahan, Morgan Dwyer, Andrew Kuritzkes, Dan Kim, Brad Koenig, Mike O’Brien, Atissa Ladjevardian, Nikita Lalwani, Sara Meyers, Sara O’Rourke, Kylie Patterson and Fayrouz Saad. More from Reuters HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) … Andrew Ross Sorkin … John Gentzel … Justin Rouse … Kevin Bishop … Gary Andres … Stewart McLaurin of the White House Historical Association … Tamara Hinton … Olga Ramirez Kornacki … Judy Kurtz … Sean Conner of Lowe’s … Tucker Warren … POLITICO’s Jen Plesniak … DOE’s Noah Deich … Nick Solheim … Sarah Stillman … John J. Miller … Capital One’s Joe Vidulich … Chase Kroll … AEI’s Jason Bertsch ... Kaitlyn Martin … Hunter Lovell of Rep. David Schweikert’s (R-Ariz.) office … Jill Lawrence … Andy Abboud of the Las Vegas Sands Corp … former Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) … Alexis Covey-Brandt 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. Corrections: Friday’s Playbook misstated the title of Fox executive Raj Shah. It also misstated the name of Kevin Kelly’s new employer and his former position.
| | | | A message from TikTok: TikTok offers an abundance of tools to help parents create a positive experience for their teens. For starters, it sets accounts for anyone aged 13 to 15 to private by default, and restricts access to direct messaging. TikTok also offers a Family Pairing tool that gives parents the ability to manage various account and privacy settings for even more peace of mind. They can link their own account to their teens’ and then decide together which settings work best for their unique needs. This encourages ongoing conversations around reasonable screen time limits and responsible messaging practices. TikTok has always been a place where people can express themselves openly and creatively. With these tools, and open dialogue, parents can help ensure it stays that way for their teens. Learn more at tiktok.com/safety. | | | | | | | 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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