| | | | |  | | By Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza and Rachael Bade | | | With help from Eli Okun and Garrett Ross
| | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | NEW AP/NORC POLL — “Biden approval dips near lowest point,” by AP’s Josh Boak and Emily Swanson: “The president notched an approval rating of 38% in the new poll, after 45% said they approved in February and 41% in January. His ratings hit their lowest point of his presidency last July, at 36%, as the full weight of rising gasoline, food and other costs began to hit U.S. households.”
| 
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) speaks with reporters as she departs a vote at the U.S. Capitol on Feb. 14, 2023. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | MUST READ — JMart’s latest column is hot off the presses and already blowing up group chats on Capitol Hill: “Sinema Trashes Dems: ‘Old Dudes Eating Jell-O’” As her fundraising efforts plow forward, Sen. KYRSTEN SINEMA (I-Ariz.) “has used a series of Republican-dominated receptions and retreats this year to belittle her Democratic colleagues, shower her GOP allies with praise and, in one case, quite literally give the middle finger to President Biden’s White House,” Martin writes. “Speaking in private, whether one-on-one or with small groups of Republican senators, she’s even more cutting, particularly about Senate Majority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER, whom she derides in harshly critical terms, according to senior Republican officials directly familiar with her comments.” Among her behind-closed-doors statements … … on RON KLAIN: Speaking to a group of GOP lobbyists, Sinema recounted that a White House aide phoned her last summer about lining up all 50 Senate Dems to confirm a judicial nominee she wanted. “Sinema said she told the aide there was no need to fret because the vote would be bipartisan. Then she revealed who the aide was, saying ‘that was Klain,’ as she quickly flashed her middle finger in the air to demonstrate what she thinks of the powerful and now-departed White House chief of staff.” … on Sen. JOE MANCHIN (D-W.Va.): “[W]hen a Republican donor told the Arizona senator that it was not Manchin but Sinema who ‘carried the water for us in this last Congress,’ she responded: ‘You’re hired.’ … [Sinema] twice noted to the corporate crowd that she has ‘better tax policy ideas’ than the West Virginian.” … on the Senate Dems’ luncheons, which she described as “old dudes … eating Jell-O, everyone is talking about how great they are. … That’s an hour and a half twice a week that I can get back.” And here’s how one anonymous Democratic colleague — “a confirmed moderate” — described Sinema to JMart: “She’s the biggest egomaniac in the Senate.”
| 
Jeffrey Zients participates in a virtual listening session at Eisenhower Executive Office Building on February 10, 2021, in Washington, D.C. | Alex Wong/Getty Images | BLOWING UP AT THE WHITE HOUSE — White House chief of staff JEFF ZIENTS has been President JOE BIDEN’s top aide for less than two months — and grumbling has already erupted both inside and outside the administration over whether he’s up to the job. In a story out this morning, Adam Cancryn, Eugene and Nicholas Wu spoke with 16 administration officials, lawmakers and others with knowledge of internal White House dynamics, and found widespread concerns “over whether Zients has the political instincts and Capitol Hill relationships to deftly navigate a crucial period ahead of Biden’s anticipated reelection run.” INSIDE THE WHITE HOUSE: — Zients gets less alone time with POTUS than Klain did: Where Klain routinely made his own policy and political recommendations to the president, Zients frequently brings in other senior advisers — including STEVE RICCHETTI and ANITA DUNN. Three administration officials with knowledge of the matter also have said Ricchetti now regularly sits in the daily chief of staff meetings that Biden used to hold one-on-one with Klain, though they stressed Zients gets solo time with the president, too. — The Klain comparison: It’s nearly universally acknowledged that Zients and his predecessor have different skill sets. Where Klain is known for his vast experience at the top rungs of politics, Zients is a longtime corporate executive who directed the White House’s Covid response team and had roles at OMB during the Obama administration. His expertise as a “master implementer” was central to the administration’s rollout of his appointment. While Klain was hands-on with nearly every issue — participating in policy debates, staying in close touch with an array of lawmakers and advocacy groups, and occasionally frustrating aides as a human bottleneck for decisions — Zients has sought to bring more structure to the process, with defined procedures for decisions and internal meetings that are shorter, more formal and include a wider circle of staffers. — Some in the White House present that as a welcome change: “The White House is a quick-paced place and from Jeff on down, we are maximizing every minute,” said deputy press secretary ANDREW BATES. “So if we have a 15-minute meeting, it’s because the meeting only needs to be 15 minutes. And if the meeting needs to be an hour, he’ll make it an hour.” Others see it as simply different, neither better nor worse. “Change is not necessarily a bad thing,” Dunn said. “And it's not necessarily an improvement from what happened before. It's just different, and they [Klein and Zients] are different, and they both have enormous strengths.”
| | | | A message from Meta: Augmented reality will help firefighters with search and rescue.
One day, firefighters will use the metaverse to navigate through smoke and fire to find trapped people in burning buildings, saving crucial seconds when lives are on the line.
The metaverse may be virtual, but the impact will be real.
Explore more possibilities with the metaverse. | | | OUTSIDE THE WHITE HOUSE: — The relationship with allies on Capitol Hill isn’t as tight as before: “[S]ix weeks in, congressional Democrats say the decision making in the West Wing has grown more opaque — spurring confusion over policy priorities and debate over how much responsibility Zients is and should be carrying,” write Eugene, Adam and Nicholas. And within a wider circle of Biden allies, Zients’ arrival has sparked complaints that they have been cut out of the loop after enjoying direct West Wing access through Klain. Rep. PRAMILA JAYAPAL (D-Wash.), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus: “We were looking forward to developing a good relationship with Jeff Zients, but at this point, we’re not in that place yet. So we’re still working on it.” One adviser in close touch with a range of key House Democrats graded Zients’ first months on the job bluntly: “I would give him a C-,” the person said. “It’s a generous C-.” … and that’s seen as leading to political missteps: On Zients’ second day, most House Democrats opposed a bill seeking to repeal a major revision of D.C.'s criminal code after the administration issued a statement that appeared to oppose the repeal. But weeks later, Biden reversed his position, vowing on March 2 to sign the repeal if it reached his desk. The announcement upset House Democrats who felt they had taken a politically risky vote for no reason. More infuriating, lawmakers and aides said, was the way the White House went about it: Biden made no mention of his newfound support for the bill during a private meeting with House Democrats the day before, nor had any White House officials offered preemptive warnings. It was only when Biden met with Senate Dems the next day that he disclosed his plans. Senior Biden aides admitted to a communication breakdown, and Zients has since ordered changes to the communication process, they said. IN ZIENTS’ DEFENSE: — Zients’ defenders say these are just normal growing pains. The shift from Klain was bound to be jarring, they say — and every chief of staff (Klain included!) faces sniping from disgruntled politicos. On top of that, Zients’ arrival coincided with a particularly busy period for the White House, which prevented him from making the typical get-to-know-you rounds. (In an emailed statement, Klain praised his successor: “What I’m hearing from old White House colleagues and from key allies on Capitol Hill is that Jeff is off to a great start,” he wrote.) Moreover, they argue that Zients has overseen a relatively productive stretch. The president rolled out his latest budget proposal, turning it into a political cudgel against House Republicans, and he and his team are now in the midst of trying to avert a financial crisis after a pair of regional banks failed. — Some of these pains may be a result of Biden’s looming reelection campaign. As the president positions himself for 2024 — moving closer to the center after two years that were defined largely by tending to longtime items on the Democratic wishlist — his priorities and outreach may need to shift. And that’s less a result of Zients than, well, political necessity. "At the end of the day, as a Democrat, do you want a Democrat in the White House or not?" said Rep. SALUD CARBAJAL (D-Calif.). "So you kind of have to swallow circumstances. We don't like it. I don't like it. But, you know, you just have to understand that reality." Good Thursday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. What’s your advice for Jeff Zients? Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza.
| | | | A message from Meta:   | | | DeSANTIS NOTCHES A WIN — Florida Gov. RON DeSANTIS has a major new ally as he inches ever closer to a presidential bid: JEFF ROE has signed on to advise Never Back Down, a super PAC aligned with the Florida governor, Alex Isenstadt scooped last night. We think there are three reasons why this is worth caring about: 1. Roe is one of the nation’s most in-demand Republican consultants. He managed Texas Sen. TED CRUZ’s 2016 presidential campaign and was the architect of GLENN YOUNGKIN’s upset 2021 victory in Virginia’s gubernatorial race. (In fact, the DeSantis news broke as Roe was attending a book party for another onetime client: former — and potentially future — Pennsylvania Senate candidate DAVID McCORMICK.) 2. In recent months, Roe has talked to multiple 2024 candidates and potential contenders, including DONALD TRUMP, Cruz and Youngkin. That he has opted to go with DeSantis is a real vote of confidence in the Florida governor’s chances to win the nomination. 3. Roe is still very close to Youngkin, and this strongly suggests the Virginia governor — who has been semi-publicly flirting with a bid — will not run in 2024. Taken together, it suggests that Roe sees this as a two-person race between DeSantis and Trump — something Roe himself said on Fox News last month and quickly walked back in a nod to Youngkin’s ambitions. Related read: “Never Don and Never Ron: The rest of the GOP field looks for a third lane,” by Natalie Allison and Adam Wren
| | BIDEN’S THURSDAY:
9 a.m.: The president will receive the President’s Daily Brief.
1 p.m.: Biden will host an anniversary event for the Affordable Care Act, with VP KAMALA HARRIS also in attendance.
4:40 p.m.: Biden and first lady JILL BIDEN will depart the White House en route to Ottawa, Canada.
6:40 p.m.: The Bidens will participate in a greeting with Canadian Governor General MARY SIMON and WHIT FRASER.
8:25 p.m.: The Bidens will participate in a greeting with Canadian PM JUSTIN TRUDEAU and SOPHIE GRÉGOIRE TRUDEAU.
Press secretary KARINE JEAN-PIERRE and national security adviser JAKE SULLIVAN will gaggle aboard Air Force One en route to Ottawa.
THE HOUSE will meet at 10 a.m. and noon to begin consideration of the “Parents Bill of Rights Act,” with first votes expected at 1:30 p.m. and last votes expected at 5:30 p.m. Defense Secretary LLOYD AUSTIN will testify before the Appropriations committee at 10 a.m. OMB Director SHALANDA YOUNG will testify before the Budget committee at 10 a.m. TikTok CEO SHOU ZI CHEW will testify before the Energy and Commerce committee at 10 a.m. VA Secretary DENIS MCDONOUGH will testify before the Veteran Affairs committee at 10 a.m. Energy Secretary JENNIFER GRANHOLM will testify before the Appropriations committee at 10:30 a.m. Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN will testify before the Appropriations committee at 2 p.m. Treasury Secretary JANET YELLEN will testify before the Appropriations committee at 3 p.m.
THE SENATE will meet at 10 a.m. to resume consideration of S.316, to repeal the authorizations for use of military force against Iraq. Transportation Secretary PETE BUTTIGIEG will testify before the Appropriations committee’s transportation subcommittee at 10 a.m. USTR KATHERINE TAI will testify before the Finance committee at 10 a.m. | | | | | | 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
| 
A student, right, hugs a parent as they are reunited following a shooting at East High School on Wednesday, March 22, in Denver. A body was found last night in the woods near the abandoned car that belonged to a 17-year-old student accused of shooting two administrators at the school. | David Zalubowski/AP Photo | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | TRUMP CARDS ARREST DEVELOPMENT — The Manhattan grand jury considering the Trump hush-money case will meet again today after taking yesterday off, NBC’s Jonathan Dienst and Melissa Russo report. However, it’s still unclear when the panel will vote on whether to indict Trump. Meanwhile … Rep. JIM JORDAN (R-Ohio) last night sent two new letters seeking records and testimony as part of his investigation into Bragg’s Trump inquiry, this time to former New York County special assistant DA MARK POMERANTZ and former Manhattan special assistant DA CAREY DUNNE. Read the Pomerantz letter … Read the Dunne letter ONE TO WATCH — A federal appeals court yesterday rejected Trump’s attempt to prevent special counsel JACK SMITH from obtaining key documents from a Trump lawyer related to the handling of sensitive national security records discovered at Trump’s Florida home last year, Josh Gerstein and Kyle Cheney write. “The ruling effectively permits the Justice Department to circumvent Trump’s attorney-client privilege after a lower-court judge found that the documents likely contain evidence of a crime. That finding by U.S. District Court Judge BERYL HOWELL on Friday triggers the ‘crime-fraud’ exception to the usual attorney-client secrecy, the judge ruled.” THE WHITE HOUSE WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR? — “Biden and Trudeau to mix thorny issues with niceties,” by Myah Ward in Ottawa: “It won’t be the first time Biden meets with Canadian Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU. … But now, without other noise, the leaders will sit down in person to address a range of topics, all while underscoring their nations’ close-working relationship.” THE LAST WALTZ — “White House disbanding its Covid-19 team in May,” by WaPo’s Dan Diamond and Tyler Pager NEXT WEEK’S GUEST LIST — “120 leaders invited to Biden’s 2nd Summit for Democracy,” by AP’s Aamer Madhani 2024 WATCH THE DeSANTIS DOCTRINE — “The DeSantis Foreign Policy: Hard Power, but With a High Bar,” by Jonathan Swan, Maggie Haberman and Kitty Bennett: “Until now, Mr. DeSantis served as a Rorschach test for Republicans. There was, conveniently, something in his record to please each of the party’s ideological factions, and he had every incentive to be all things to all Republicans for as long as he could get away with it. … “Yet, despite his policy shifts and inconsistencies … Mr. DeSantis’s worldview is not a mystery. Unusually for a governor … [DeSantis] has a long paper trail on foreign policy. A close reading of more than 200 of his speeches, votes, writings and television commentaries over the past decade, as well as interviews with his peers, reveal the makings of a DeSantis Doctrine.” Related read: “DeSantis to expand ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law to all grades,” by AP’s Anthony Izaguirre MORE POLITICS ON WISCONSIN — “Record-breaking Wisconsin Supreme Court race could decide abortion rights and 2024 rules in key battleground,” by CNN’s Eric Bradner and Jeff Zeleny LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION — “‘Blue wall’ Democrats urge the White House to give Chicago the 2024 DNC convention,” by NBC’s Natasha Korecki
| | | | SPONSORED CONTENT Field trips in the metaverse will take learning beyond the textbook.
Students learning about prehistoric eras will use virtual reality to take field trips to the Ice Age and visit the woolly mammoths. As a result, students will not only learn their history lessons - they’ll experience them. The metaverse may be virtual, but the impact will be real. Explore more possibilities with the metaverse. Sponsored by Meta   | | | CONGRESS WHO’S AT DEFAULT — “Bank failures deepen debt ceiling stalemate on Capitol Hill as the clock ticks,” by NBC’s Sahil Kapur, Ali Vitali and Liz Brown-Kaiser: “Biden and House Speaker KEVIN McCARTHY, R-Calif., met Feb. 1 to discuss the debt limit, but they haven’t met since then. … [T]he recent failures of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, which have created jitters in the financial sector, have only entrenched the conflicting views between the parties.” More temperature-taking: “‘This is ridiculous’: Congress and White House careen toward default deadline as standoff grows,” by CNN’s Manu Raju and Lauren Fox … “Double-Barreled Economic Threat Puts Congress on Edge,” by NYT’s Carl Hulse BETWEEN IRAQ AND A HARD PLACE — “Not just Ukraine: GOP splinters on Iraq war repeal,” by Anthony Adragna and Burgess Everett: “As party lawmakers debate the authorization for a conflict whose combat operations started winding down two administrations ago, they’re also hashing out bigger questions about the Republican identity heading into the 2024 presidential primary. A GOP that looked uniformly hawkish when GEORGE W. BUSH first won Congress’ approval to go to war in Iraq is now routinely split on major foreign policy matters.” CROSSING THE AISLE — “Bipartisan support emerges for Senate railroad safety bill,” by AP’s Stephen Groves TIKTOK ON THE CLOCK — “What to Know About Today’s Congressional Hearing on TikTok,” by NYT’s Sapna Maheshwari AMERICA AND THE WORLD PULLOUT FALLOUT — “U.S. review of Afghanistan withdrawal to be released in April,” by AP’s Aamer Madhani and Zeke Miller FLYOVER COUNTRY — “Armed Russian jets have flown over a U.S. base in Syria nearly every day in March, U.S. commander says,” by NBC’s Courtney Kube THE ECONOMY FED UP — “Fed Raises Rates but Nods to Greater Uncertainty After Banking Stress” by WSJ’s Nick Timiraos: “The Federal Reserve approved another quarter-percentage-point interest-rate increase but signaled that banking-system turmoil might end its rate-rise campaign sooner than seemed likely two weeks ago. … It will bring its benchmark federal-funds rate to a range between 4.75% and 5%, the highest level since September 2007.” Powell speaks: “‘How did this happen?’: The Fed’s Powell on SVB and where the economy is headed,” by Victoria Guida The breakdown: “Seven takeaways from a big day for the Fed,” by NYT’s Jeanna Smialek Survey says: “Americans’ faith in banks low after failures: AP-NORC poll,” by AP’s Paul Wiseman and Hannah Fingerhut Yikes: Bloomberg’s @SalehaMohsin … “The pessimistic turn in US stocks began within a minute of JANET YELLEN starting to speak. Her comments to the Senate began at 2:47pm, and the S&P 500 fell more than 2.5% over the subsequent 72 minutes.”
| | | | 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 | | Ron DeSantis denied The Daily Beast’s now-infamous pudding report. OUT AND ABOUT — Warner Bros. Discovery and the Motion Picture Association co-hosted a screening at the MPA last night of the first episode of the upcoming final season of “Succession.” SPOTTED: Show consultants Eric Schultz and Ben Ginsberg, Charles Rivkin, Alexa Verveer, Ben LaBolt, Liz Allen, Catherine Carroll, Tucker Eskew, David Chalian, Tammy Haddad, Scott Mulhauser, Ted Johnson, Mitchell Rivard, Adam Cancryn, Claire McNear and Justin Sink, Eli Yokley, Justice Gilpin-Green, Brian Wanglin, Sena Fitzmaurice, Urmila Venugopalan, Emily Lenzner, Sena Fitzmaurice, Juleanna Glover, Alix Burns, Steve Elmendorf and Neil Fried. — Mercury Public Affairs hosted a cocktail reception last night for former Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-Ill.), who recently joined the firm to lead its Illinois practice and serve as a co-chair in the D.C. office. SPOTTED: House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.), Reps. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), Julia Brownley (D-Calif.), Annie Kuster (D-N.H.), David Cicilline (D-R.I.), Marc Veasey (D-Texas), Grace Meng (D-N.Y.), Dutch Ruppersberger (D-Md.) and Nikki Budzinski (D-Ill.), former Sen. David Vitter (R-La.), former Reps. Tom McMillen (D-Md.), Toby Moffett (D-Conn.) and Vin Weber (R-Minn.), Stephen Benjamin, Marina Pearce, Brooke Scannell, Loredana Valtierra, Tasha Cole, John Gallagher and Fabiola Rodriguez. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Former Republican Governors Association executive director Dave Rexrode is joining Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s Spirit of Virginia PAC as a senior adviser and chair. In the new role, Rexrode will lead Youngkin’s political organization in the run-up to this fall’s legislative elections. Rexrode previously served as a top adviser to the state GOP and to former Gov. Bob McDonnell. — Journalist Matt Lewis is writing a new book, titled “Filthy Rich Politicians: The Swamp Creatures, Latte Liberals, and Ruling-Class Elites Cashing in on America,” ($29) that will be released in July. The book, being published by Center Street, offers “an investigative deep dive into the ridiculous state of modern American democracy — a system where the rich get elected and the elected get rich.” TRANSITION — Nick Simmons is now deputy chief of staff to Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont. He most recently was senior adviser to the Education Secretary Miguel Cardona. … Leigh Chapman is now director for pro-democracy alliance and structural reform at The Open Society Foundations. She previously was acting secretary of state in Pennsylvania. … RJ Bee is now director of operations for the Global Situation Room. He previously was senior VP of operations at Hattaway Communications and CEO of Osiris Media. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Rep. Brian Babin (R-Texas) … NRCC’s Theresa Winegar … The Intercept’s Ryan Grim … POLITICO’s Paul McLeary … Suzanne Turner … Johnny DeStefano of Utility Strategic Advisors … Kevin Kallaugher … Evan Keller … Maggie Gage of OneMain Financial … Mike Berman of Citadel … Alec Gerlach … Paul Neaville of the Markham Group … Cole Rojewski … Mike Franc … Shane Seaver … McKinsey’s Tara Maller … Nita Chaudhary … AFL-CIO’s Drew Waxman … LegiStorm’s Keturah Hetrick … former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson … Michael Caputo … APCO Worldwide’s Joanna London … Boeing’s Shaun Lara 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 Meta: The metaverse will give doctors new tools to make decisions faster.
In the ER, every second counts. Doctors will use the metaverse to visualize scans and quickly make decisions, helping patients get the specialty care they need in a timely manner.
The metaverse may be virtual, but the impact will be real.
Explore more possibilities with the metaverse. | | | | | | | 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