| | | | |  | | By Ryan Lizza, Rachael Bade and Eugene Daniels | | | With help from Eli Okun and Garrett Ross
|  On Thursday, while addressing Senate Democrats, President Joe Biden shocked Washington and declared that he would sign a measure reforming D.C.'s criminal code if it reached his desk. | Drew Angerer/Getty Images | | | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | What’s more important: respecting the principle of D.C. self-governance, or staying on the right side of an explosive national issue? Yesterday, President JOE BIDEN chose politics over principle. It did not go over well with some Democrats. In November, the D.C. Council passed a major reform of the District’s criminal code. The legislation was vetoed by Mayor MURIEL BOWSER, who objected to reductions in penalties for some serious crimes, such as carjackings and home burglaries. In January, her veto was overridden by the council, 12-1. This year, as some crimes have spiked in the nation’s capital — homicides are up 37%, and auto thefts are up 111% — the criminal reform legislation became a target of national Republicans. Last month, the GOP-controlled House stepped in and passed a resolution to overturn the reforms. At the time, the White House issued a statement of administration policy opposing the resolution on the grounds that “denial of self-governance is an affront to the democratic values on which our Nation was founded.” An overwhelming majority of House Democrats voted against the resolution (31 Dems supported it). As the resolution was teed up in the Senate, it became conventional wisdom that Biden would veto it. That was incorrect. On Thursday, while addressing Senate Democrats, the president shocked Washington and declared that he would sign the measure if it reached his desk. “I support D.C. Statehood and home-rule,” Biden tweeted after the meeting, “but I don’t support some of the changes D.C. Council put forward over the Mayor’s objections — such as lowering penalties for carjackings. If the Senate votes to overturn what D.C. Council did — I’ll sign it.” Some of the reaction from House Democrats who voted against the resolution and now feel betrayed was withering. “F****** AMATEUR HOUR,” one anonymous lawmaker told The Hill’s Al Weaver and Mychael Schnell. “HEADS SHOULD ROLL OVER AT THE WHITE HOUSE OVER THIS.” Local reaction from D.C.’s elected officials was even harsher. “Defending those without power matters — past pledges of support for DC Statehood couldn’t ring more hollow,” said Councilmember CHARLES ALLEN, who crafted the crime bill. “It’s a reminder that until the nearly 700,000 residents of DC have full statehood & autonomy, we will be seen & treated as a colony, even by those who purport to support us.” (WAMU’s Martin Austermuhle has a good rundown of the condemnations of Biden from top local officials here.) With the veto threat off the table, expect Senate Democrats to back the resolution in big numbers when it comes to the floor as soon as next week. And expect vulnerable House Democrats who opposed the measure to face a surge of political attacks back home. Meanwhile, Biden has once again made it clear that he believes criticism from the right over increases in crime is a serious vulnerability for Democrats — it drove the Dems’ House losses in New York in November — and that his party should insulate itself, even if that means violating a core principle about self-governance.
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President Joe Biden shakes hands with Finnish Ambassador Mikko Hautala at the White House on Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022. | Susan Walsh/AP Photo | THE PLAYBOOK INTERVIEW: MIKKO HAUTALA — Since arriving in Washington in 2020, fresh off a posting in Moscow, the Finnish ambassador to the U.S. has established himself as one of the most highly regarded sources of information on VLADIMIR PUTIN, Russia and the conflict in Ukraine. On Wednesday, we visited Hautala at the Embassy of Finland for a wide-ranging conversation about the war. Hautala discussed why the conflict is likely to last much longer than many Americans understand; his personal insights into Putin, whom he has met many times; the implications of the growing alliance between China and Russia; Finland’s accession to NATO; and why the west needs to massively ramp up its industrial capability if it wants Ukraine to survive. You can listen to the entire episode of the Playbook Deep Dive podcast here. What follows are some key excerpts from our interview: On our tendency to focus on the wrong thing: “Quite often in our media discussion … people are looking for the silver bullet. Sometimes, it’s F-16s; sometimes, it’s long-range HIMARS. … It’s like some miraculous weapon could somehow change the situation and solve the problem. That’s not the right approach, in my opinion. The right approach is to say that the Ukrainians … need a systemic approach. … [W]e should look at the challenge in its totality instead of trying to sort of chase the latest fancy idea.” What Ukraine needs to convince Russians of: “The difficulty that the Ukrainians have is that at some point in the future, they have to convince — or a large part of Russian society … must be convinced — that they have a right to exist in the form [or] shape that they wish. … We will always have this imperial sort of train of thought and schooling in Russia. But the majority must somehow conclude that the Ukrainians have a right to exist.” What Russians already believe: “There are different shades of acceptance [of the war in Ukraine]. But the real fact is that most [Russians] … accept the basic ideas of the war — including the imperial component that … we can’t really accept Ukrainians becoming kind of a part of the different system. So that’s why I believe we are dealing with not only with Putin or his government, but we are also dealing with Russian society. …Even if [the war] ends tomorrow and everybody would be clapping their hands for the ceasefire — the fundamental forces that took Russia to [this point] … they still remain.” Why he doesn’t expect Russia to wind down any time soon: “It's very hard to see any reasons for Putin to conclude that this war is now unwinnable. I think he concludes the other way around — he concludes that ‘I have more stamina. I can stay in the game longer.’ They are putting their economy on a war footing. … Their story to themselves is that “we can still kind of gradually take over. We can gradually grind them down.’ …And that’s why I do believe that even if the Russians’ potential attack in the spring … is unsuccessful, it doesn’t … automatically [mean] that they would be ready for any kind of lasting peace.”
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| Happy Friday. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza.
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For the public health threats our world faces, Emergent develops, manufactures, and delivers protections against the things we hope never happen — just in case they ever do.
Find out how Emergent perceives, prepares, and protects. | | | TOP TALKER — Michael Schaffer’s latest Capital City column: “Chris Sununu Is Winning the Permanent-Washington Primary: Every four years, the Beltway media establishment anoints a favorite Republican. The New Hampshire governor is doing everything right.” AIRBALL JORDAN — “Inside Jim Jordan’s Disastrous Search for a ‘Deep State’ Whistleblower,” by Rolling Stone’s Kara Voght, Adam Rawnsley and Asawin Suebsaeng: “Rep. JIM JORDAN (R-Ohio), the chair of the new House Judiciary’s ‘weaponization’ subcommittee, opened its first hearing vowing that he’d heard from ‘dozens and dozens’ of whistleblowers about ‘the political nature at the Justice Department.’ … But so far, Republicans have brought only three of those whistleblowers to Capitol Hill for questioning, and have not scheduled any additional interviews after completing the most recent in mid-February. “In the interviews conducted to date, witnesses have offered contradictory responses, maintained fringe and violent online presences that undermine their credibility, and failed to demonstrate first-hand knowledge of alleged FBI wrongdoing. The results have left Democrats gleeful and even some Republicans deeply unimpressed. A ‘dumpster fire,’ is how one Democrat with knowledge of the at-times combative interactions terms the proceedings.” Related read: “G.O.P. Witnesses, Paid by Trump Ally, Embraced Jan. 6 Conspiracy Theories,” by NYT’s Luke Broadwater and Adam Goldman
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Find out how Emergent perceives, prepares, and protects. | | | | | BIDEN’S FRIDAY:
9:30 a.m.: The president will receive the President’s Daily Brief.
11:30 a.m.: Biden will award the Medal of Honor to retired Army Col. PARIS DAVIS for his service during the Vietnam War. More on Davis, via AP’s Darlene Superville
2 p.m.: Biden will hold a bilateral meeting with German Chancellor OLAF SCHOLZ.
3:45 p.m.: Biden will depart the White House en route to New Castle, Del.
Press secretary KARINE JEAN-PIERRE will brief at 12:45 p.m.
VP KAMALA HARRIS’ FRIDAY (all times Eastern):
8:40 a.m.: The VP will depart D.C. en route to San Francisco.
3:30 p.m.: Harris will deliver remarks at a political fundraiser, with second gentleman DOUG EMHOFF also in attendance.
4:50 p.m.: Harris will participate in a roundtable discussion on the administration’s efforts to help small businesses.
10:35 p.m.: Harris and Emhoff will depart San Francisco en route to Los Angeles.
THE HOUSE and THE SENATE are out. | | | | | | We’re spilling the tea (and drinking tons of it in our newsroom) in U.K. politics with our latest newsletter, London Playbook PM. Get to know all the movers and shakers in Westminster and never miss a beat of British politics with a free subscription. Don’t miss out, we’ve got some exciting moves coming. Sign up today. | | | | | PHOTO OF THE DAY
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A signed photo of Donald Trump Jr. and a painting of Jesus Christ are seen at CPAC on Thursday, March 2. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | THE WHITE HOUSE GETTING THE BAND BACK TOGETHER — “Biden team enlists top Democrats in early bid for campaign unity,” by WaPo’s Tyler Pager and Matt Viser: “President Biden’s team is moving quickly to build a ‘national advisory board’ stocked with Democratic governors, senators and other political stars who will travel and speak on Biden’s behalf during his expected reelection campaign, an early effort to unify party leaders and minimize the chance of dissent. “The group, which will be housed at the Democratic National Committee and formally announced this month, is among steps Biden aides are taking to prepare for the president’s likely reelection bid, which he is expected to announce in April. In joining the operation, the political leaders will be asked to travel, attend events, appear on television and perform other duties as high-level surrogates for the Democratic Party, at first, and then Biden once he launches his campaign.” On the roster: “Biden aides said some Democrats are still being asked to join the effort, but they have already enlisted more than 20 national figures.” Among the group is Govs. GAVIN NEWSOM (California), J.B. PRITZKER (Illinois), GRETCHEN WHITMER (Michigan), WES MOORE (Maryland), JOSH SHAPIRO (Pennsylvania) and PHIL MURPHY (New Jersey), Sen. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-Mass.) and Rep. RO KHANNA (D-Calif.). SNAP BACK TO REALITY — “Biden’s triumphant visit to Kyiv gives way to a sober war reality,” by Jonathan Lemire and Eli Stokols: “Last week, President Joe Biden traveled to Kyiv as an act of defiance meant to mark the one-year anniversary of the war in Ukraine. This week, back in Washington, grimmer realities are setting in. Biden will host German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the White House on Friday in what will be, on the surface, another display of Western unity with Ukraine as it repels Russia’s punishing invasion. But the show of solidarity comes against a backdrop of growing strain as the trans-Atlantic alliance works to remain in lockstep while grappling with the fact that the war has no end in sight.” 2024 WATCH FLORIDA MAN ON THE STREET — “Die-hard Trump fans make it clear: They want DeSantis,” by Gary Fineout in Jacksonville, Fla.: “If Gov. RON DeSANTIS is using his current book tour to soft-launch a likely 2024 campaign, he’ll be very happy with the results. Roughly 250 Florida residents lined up outside a Books-A-Million store in Jacksonville Beach on Thursday morning to meet DeSantis, who started a national book tour this week to sell his autobiography ‘The Courage to Be Free’ — and ostensibly himself. The crowd made it clear they want DeSantis to run, even if it means taking on former President DONALD TRUMP.” Some choice quotes: “Donald needs to retire and I love Donald,” said NITA SPATOLA, who was wearing a DeSantis for governor cap and a rhinestone pin that said “DeSantis.” “This is the man who is going to change the direction of this country.” STEVE WATTS offered his own blunt assessment about why he prefers DeSantis over Trump: “The former president is too big for his britches. He thinks his stuff doesn’t stink.” — Related read: “DeSantis cannonballs into America’s deep blue states for war on ‘woke’ ahead of 2024,” by WaPo’s Maeve Reston and Hannah Knowles CONGRESS DEMS’ NEW DAWN — “House Dems strategize how to achieve a Speaker Hakeem Jeffries,” by Nicholas Wu and Daniella Diaz in Baltimore: “As the new Congress enters its third month, Democrats are full of bluster about their chances of recapturing the majority next year and handing [Minority Leader HAKEEM] JEFFRIES the gavel. Some lawmakers made possibly intentional verbal flubs, referring to their ‘majority’ leaders, as they talked about efforts to unite behind a winning 2024 message. … [House Dems] were endlessly optimistic that the new generation of leaders would usher in a younger, more diverse and unified caucus — the last aspect essential if they want any hope of winning the House majority next year.” Related read: “Echoes of Pelosi as new leadership era begins for Democrats,” by AP’s Lisa Mascaro, Farnoush Amiri and Stephen Groves THE TALENTED MR. SANTOS — “House Ethics panel launches investigation into Santos,” by Anthony Adragna and Katherine Tully-McManus TAKING A CLOSER LOOK — “Rep. Ocasio-Cortez may have violated House rules with gifts from Met Gala, watchdog says,” by WaPo’s Azi Paybarah
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Find out how Emergent perceives, prepares, and protects. | | | JUDICIARY SQUARE SCOTUS WATCH — “Supreme Court asks for more briefs on important election-law case,” by WaPo’s Robert Barnes: “The U.S. Supreme Court has asked parties in the case to file new briefs by March 20 on the effects ‘of the North Carolina Supreme Court’s February 3, 2023 order granting rehearing, and any subsequent state court proceedings.’” POLICY CORNER STRATEGY SESSION — “New Biden WMD strategy includes small nuke reactors,” by Paul McLeary WAR IN UKRAINE AID ON THE WAY — “U.S. to send more ammo, folding armored bridges to Ukraine,” by AP’s Lolita Baldor INSIDE THE KREMLIN — “Putin’s Secret Weapon on Energy: an Ex-Morgan Stanley Banker,” by WSJ’s Benoit Faucon: “Young Russian technocrats with deep knowledge of the West are vaulting to the Kremlin’s upper echelons of power.” BEYOND THE BELTWAY THE LATEST IN EAST PALESTINE — “E.P.A. Orders Train Operator to Test for Dioxins in Ohio Derailment,” by NYT’s Ida Lieszkovszky and Emily Cochrane — “Freight rail companies expected to join safety reporting system as melted equipment in Ohio disaster spurs federal advisory,” by CNN’s Pete Muntean, Holly Yan and Christina Maxouris ABORTION FALLOUT — “Walgreens won’t distribute abortion pills in some states where they remain legal,” by Alice Miranda Ollstein: “Nearly two dozen Republican state attorneys general wrote to Walgreens in February, threatening legal action if the company began distributing the drugs, which have become the nation’s most popular method for ending a pregnancy. “The company told POLITICO that it has since responded to all the officials, assuring them that they will not dispense abortion pills either by mail or at their brick-and-mortar locations in those states. The list includes several states where abortion in general, and the medications specifically, remain legal — including Alaska, Iowa, Kansas and Montana.” BIG NEWS IN N.C. — “Medicaid expansion deal reached between NC House and Senate,” by the Post and Observer’s Dawn Baumgartner Vaughan and Luciana Perez Uribe Guinassi TV TONIGHT — PBS’ “Washington Week,” with guest moderator Geoff Bennett: Carl Hulse, Seung Min Kim and Michael Scherer. SUNDAY SO FAR … ABC “This Week”: Marianne Williamson … Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) … Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska). Panel: Chris Christie, Donna Brazile, Marianna Sotomayor and Maggie Haberman. CBS “Face the Nation”: Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) … Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio). FOX “Fox News Sunday”: Mike Pompeo … Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.). Panel: Karl Rove, Catherine Lucey, Jason Rantz and Juan Williams. NBC “Meet the Press”: Reps. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) and Jim Himes (D-Conn.). Panel: Hallie Jackson, Jeh Johnson, Pat McCrory and Susan Page. MSNBC “The Sunday Show”: Rep. Terri Sewell (D-Ala.) … Marianne Williamson … Tim Ryan.
| | | | 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 | | Rick Scott channeled his inner Conor McGregor. CPAC got The Onion treatment. Rashida Jones was honored by the Radio Television Digital News Foundation with the Leonard Zeidenberg First Amendment Award. BIENVENUE BILI — The brief lull in parties at the French ambassador’s residence may be coming to an end. Newly minted French Ambassador Laurent Bili arrived in D.C. yesterday afternoon. He is meeting with staff at the embassy today and has a slate of events to kick off his tenure at the Kalorama estate set for next week. OUT AND ABOUT — The American Investment Council hosted a “Life After the Hill” reception for Senate Press Secretary Association members at Junction Bistro yesterday evening. Jake Siewert, Stephanie Cutter, Emily Schillinger, Devin O’Malley and Kendra Barkoff Lamy spoke on a panel about their experiences working in bipartisan administrations. SPOTTED: Laura Mengelkamp, Kate Noyes, Lilllie Weiya Zang, Erin Heeter, Stephanie Penn, Ty Bofferding, Amy Selco, Will Ritter, McHenry Lee, Kaily Grabemann, Sophia Slacik, Dani Marx, Luke Barrett and Leslie Shribman. — SPOTTED at The Jefferson Hotel last night celebrating Sandra Sobieraj Westfall’s 20 years as Washington bureau chief of People magazine: hosts Camille Johnston, Philip DuFour and Jill Zuckman, Ceci Connolly, Manuel Roig Franzia, Nedra Pickler, Jennifer Loven, Anne Gearan, Julie Whiston, Amy Argetsinger, Kelley McCormick, Kathleen Buhle, Caroline Adler Morales, Brian Reich, Liz Allen, Eric Schultz, Sally McDonough and Pamela Stevens. WHITE HOUSE ARRIVAL LOUNGE — The White House Council on Environmental Quality has added Amanda Patel as special assistant for environmental justice, Ryan Hathaway as director of the White House Environmental Justice Interagency Council, Marccus Hendricks as senior adviser for climate and community resilience and Nick Thorpe as policy adviser for environmental justice. TRANSITIONS — Paul Lettow is now a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. He previously was a senior director for strategic planning for the National Security Council. … Julie McClain Downey is now assistant secretary of public affairs at the Labor Department. She previously was VP of strategic comms at American Bridge 21st Century. … Ylan Mui and Ashley Rippey are joining Penta as managing directors within the company’s strategy practice. Mui previously was a senior congressional correspondent for CNBC and is a WaPo alum. Rippey previously was lead finance officer to the general counsel at Citi. … … Eliot Fishman is now policy and programs group director at CMS’ Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation. He previously was senior director of health policy at Families USA. … McKenzie Wilson is joining Building Back Together as comms director. She previously was comms director at Data for Progress. … Jessica Bayer is now a managing partner for corporate affairs and comms at DHR Global. She most recently was an executive director at Patino Associates. ENGAGED — Gabby Deutch, Washington correspondent at Jewish Insider, and Micah Rosen, second-year student at Harvard Law School, got engaged Saturday at Fresh Pond Reservation in Cambridge, Mass. The couple met in 2013 on a summer trip to Poland and Israel organized by Camp Ramah, the Jewish summer camp network they attended growing up. Pic WEDDING — Michael Sutherland, a China trade analyst at the Congressional Research Service, and Miranda Baxter, a grants management specialist for the Office on Violence Against Women at DOJ, got married Feb. 18 at Perry Belmont House in Dupont Circle. They met as students at Nebraska Wesleyan University and started dating after they both participated in a D.C. internship program together in 2013. Pic, via Kyla Jeanette Photography (@kylajeanette) … Another pic HAPPY BIRTHDAY: House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) … Reps. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.), David Schweikert (R-Ariz.), Bryan Steil (R-Wis.) and Jill Tokuda (D-Hawaii) … Marc Short … Ira Glass … Dan Conston … WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom … CQ Roll Call’s Jason Dick … Elaina Plott Calabro … Ron Chernow … Alex Smith … POLITICO’s Lily Mihalik Bhandari … George Little … Jesse Hunt … Susan Zirinsky … Mayer Brown’s Andrew Olmem … Tim Morrison … Peter Mirijanian … Carlton Carroll … America First Policy Institute’s Steve Smith … Hadar Arazi … Cameron French … Michael Remez … Patrick Gavin … Laura Engquist of Rep. Troy Balderson’s (R-Ohio) office … John Roscoe … Cecilie Combs … Tyler Ann McGuffee … Jason Gerson … Spencer Hurwitz of Sen. Marsha Blackburn’s (R-Tenn.) office … Hannah Blatt … Ghada Alkiek … Charles Cote … Mike Yelovich … former Rep. Paul Cook (R-Calif.) (8-0) … Ajay Kuntamukkala 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.
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