| | | | |  | | By Ryan Lizza, Eugene Daniels and Rachael Bade | | | With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine
| | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | | WHAT THE VALLEY IS READING — WILL HURD writes for POLITICO Mag: “I Was on the Board of OpenAI. Here’s How to Stop the Tech Apocalypse.” COMING TO AN AD NEAR YOU — “The anti-abortion plan ready for Trump on Day One,” by Alice Miranda Ollstein: “In emerging plans that involve everything from the EPA to the Federal Trade Commission to the Postal Service, nearly 100 anti-abortion and conservative groups are mapping out ways the next president can use the sprawling federal bureaucracy to curb abortion access.” To wit … “Students for Life is pushing for the EPA to classify the chemicals in the abortion pill mifepristone as ‘forever chemicals’ subject to stricter regulations, and to require any doctor who prescribes the pill to be responsible for collecting and disposing of the aborted fetus.”
|  President Joe Biden speaks at St. John Baptist Church in Columbia, S.C., Jan. 28, 2024. | Jacquelyn Martin/AP | BIDEN’S BAD OPTIONS — After being out of sight all of Monday while huddling at the White House with his national security team, President JOE BIDEN is scheduled to travel to South Florida today for fundraisers in Jupiter and Miami. Biden is famously loquacious and candid when he’s talking to donors and often uses the occasions to free-associate about what’s on his mind back at work. So it may be those Democratic bundlers in Palm Beach and Dade counties who hear the president’s first extensive remarks about the question that has dominated Washington for the last 36 hours: How will Biden respond to the drone attack on Tower 22 that killed three Americans in Jordan? Since the attacks on Sunday, the administration has emphasized deliberation and avoided overly provocative rhetoric. Biden said a response would come “at a time” of “our choosing.” Briefing the White House press yesterday, JOHN KIRBY was careful to note, “We are not looking for a war with Iran. We are not seeking a conflict with the regime in a military way.” Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN created global headlines yesterday with a bracing statement: “This is an incredibly volatile time in the Middle East. I would argue that we’ve not seen a situation as dangerous as the one we’re facing now across the region since at least 1973, and arguably even before that.” He framed Biden’s coming response in lawyerly diplomatic language, rather than bluster: “That response could be multileveled, come in stages and be sustained over time.” The conundrum Biden faces is how to balance a response that is significant enough to accomplish his stated goal — deterring future attacks on American troops from Iran’s constellation of proxies in the region — while not escalating the conflict into a wider war. “That’s the hard part of it, isn’t it?” Kirby said in response to a question about that delicate balance yesterday. “There’s no easy answer here. And that’s why the President is meeting with his national security team, weighing the options before him.” Those options aren’t new. With 163 previous attacks on US forces since Oct. 7, Biden knew he would eventually be faced with a decision to retaliate more forcefully. The president’s no-escalation principle has come under fierce criticism from defense hawks. “President Biden’s fear of escalation has morphed into a doctrine of appeasement,” said House Armed Services Chair MIKE ROGERS (R-Ala.). “Every message you see talks about the fear of escalation from the administration,” said a “former senior military official” quoted by CNN. “We have managed to deter ourselves here.” The consensus of reporting this morning, as well as Kirby’s on the record remarks, suggests Biden is unlikely to attack inside Iran. “Among the options on the table for the Pentagon: striking Iranian personnel in Syria or Iraq or Iranian naval assets in the Persian Gulf,” Jonathan Lemire and Alexander Ward report, citing U.S. officials. The WSJ lays out three broad options for Biden: (1) more sanctions, (2) striking Iran directly, and (3) striking Iranian proxies and personnel outside of its borders. The third option — which could include “striking its paramilitary Quds Force personnel in Syria, Iraq and Yemen, hitting Iranian ships at sea or mounting a major attack on the Iranian-backed militia group that was deemed to be responsible” — seems most likely. Even that, an Iranian official warned, could “fuel a cycle of revenge that could spiral out of control.” Finally, don’t be so sure the crass politics of this are obvious. Yes, some Republicans are pressuring Biden to dramatically escalate and attack Iran. But the MAGA wing remains isolationist and stubbornly anti-war. At Trump rallies, the biggest applause lines, not just from Trump but also from his warm-up acts, such as his son DON JR., are often attacks on Republicans itching to get the U.S. into new wars. (There is also a strong undercurrent of conspiracy-mongering: Cries of “false flag” were rampant on right-wing social media after the attack Sunday.) Trump himself called off a retaliatory attack on Iran after it shot down an unmanned American aircraft in 2019, and he was keen to remove American troops from the desert outposts that have been targeted in recent months. Notably, Trump has not been one of the voices calling for Biden to attack Iran. He and Biden may agree on this: War with Iran is not likely to be a political winner. Developing overnight: “Israeli West Bank hospital raid stokes fears Gaza war will spread further,” Reuters Related reads: “How the enemy drone that killed 3 US soldiers in Jordan evaded detection,” by Lara Seligman … “Iran’s ‘Axis of Resistance’ Faces Its Moment of Truth After Attacks on Israel, U.S. Base,” by WSJ’s Sune Engel Rasmussen, Summer Said, Benoit Faucon and Stacy Meichtry … “The US tried to leave the Middle East to focus on Russia and China. Oct. 7 brought a reckoning,” by Erin Banco Good Tuesday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza.
| | | | A message from Instagram: Parents should be able to decide which apps are right for their teens.
Giving parents a say in which apps are right for their teens helps them support their teens in having a positive experience online.
That’s why Instagram wants to work with Congress to require parental approval wherever teens under 16 download apps.
Learn more. | | | |  Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) on Capitol Hill Feb. 24, 2021. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | ‘ABSOLUTELY DISAPPOINTED’ — Last year, as the bipartisan Senate border talks took shape, Sen. ALEX PADILLA (D-Calif.) sounded a warning to negotiators: Don’t cut a deal that denies asylum to migrants and expect Democrats to fall lockstep into line He cited concerns about the process, a lack of transparency and the demographics of the negotiators at the table — not a Latino or border-state Democrat among them. But over the past two months he stepped back as the talks played out — until now. With details of the deal expected to be unveiled within days, Padilla spoke with Playbook about his serious and ongoing qualms. On his views of the developing deal: “Initially it was about the specific restrictions or changing the credible fear standard for asylum seekers. ... Lately it's been about the numbers: The numbers are too high, the numbers are unstable, et cetera. Like, you can make the asylum system as hard as you want, and you can build a wall as high as you want. You're never going to reduce the numbers sustainably until you look at the root cause. … We know solutions that work, but they don't seem to be in the package or on the table at this time.” On what a deal he negotiated would include: “We ought to be looking at expanding legal pathways for people to come who are willing to work and match them with employers who need workers. ... It's important to remind my colleagues and the public it is not unlawful to come seeking asylum. It's not automatically granted. In fact, the minority of people who seek asylum eventually earn asylum and its protections.” On Biden’s new promise to “shut down the border” if it becomes overwhelmed: “I’m absolutely disappointed, [and it’s] very different than the pledges and promises he made as a candidate for president in 2020. ... He knows that Trump-era policies don't work, that they make the problem worse. … It's one thing to try to negotiate or consider legislation through the lens of how this president may use it, but we can't lose sight of ... how a future president may abuse it.” On whether Biden and Democrats need to get tougher on immigration: “I think people ought to be focused more on being smarter than looking tougher.” Related watch: “What he really meant: Translating Biden on the border,” by Alex Keeney and Krystal Campos
| | | | A message from Instagram:   | | | | | WHAT'S HAPPENING TODAY | | On the Hill The Senate will meet at 3 p.m. to resume consideration of the nomination of JOSHUA PAUL KOLAR to be a U.S. circuit judge, with a confirmation vote at 5:30 p.m. The House will meet at 10 a.m. 3 things to watch …
- The big bipartisan tax bill is headed to the House floor this week — at least that’s what Speaker MIKE JOHNSON told a gathering yesterday evening: “I think you're gonna get a very high vote tally, probably on both sides of the aisle,” he said, according to a person familiar with his remarks. Expect him to announce more precise scheduling at this morning’s House GOP conference meeting, with the bill set to move under suspension of the rules. More from Benjamin Guggenheim
- DHS Secretary ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS won’t be present today as the House Homeland Security Committee votes on articles of impeachment against him, but he is speaking out this morning in a seven-page letter to the panel. He tells Republicans that their “false accusations do not rattle me and do not divert me,” while calling on them to take action on the border policy overhaul taking shape in the Senate: “We need a legislative solution and only Congress can provide it.”
- Former Secretary of State MIKE POMPEO and former Secretary of Defense LEON PANETTA headline a hearing of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party this morning, focused on China’s support for America’s adversaries. In his opening statement, obtained in advance by Playbook, Panetta calls on the U.S. to arm Taiwan, bolster military research, crack down on key tech exports to China and “demonstrate just how effectively our democracy functions.” Read the testimony
At the White House Biden will depart the White House in the morning to travel to Florida, where he is scheduled to participate in two campaign receptions (more on these below … ). He will return to the White House in the evening. Principal deputy press secretary OLIVIA DALTON and JOHN KIRBY will gaggle aboard Air Force One en route to Palm Beach. VP KAMALA HARRIS will receive briefings and conduct internal meetings with staff.
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President Joe Biden appears on the South Lawn of the White House on Nov. 20, 2023. | Drew Angerer/Getty Images | BIDEN’S BIG FLORIDA BET — Biden is taking his reelection tour to Trump’s home turf today, under the guise of opening up Florida for Democrats down the ballot this November — but the real purpose of the trip might not be so lofty, Kimberly Leonard and Elena Schneider report from Miami. Biden is scheduled to appear at two fundraisers today in Palm Beach and Miami, where tickets are going for as high as $250,000 — but he isn’t holding any public events during his swing through the Sunshine State. The harsh reality: “A national Democratic operative, granted anonymity to speak freely about the 2024 race without angering the party, said Florida has lost its battleground status, and Democrats are coming to the state simply to raise money — not campaign for Florida Democrats or attempt to flip the state.” More top reads:
CONGRESS
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Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) on Capitol Hill Feb. 24, 2021. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | TO INFINITY, AND BEYOND — Senators from battleground states like MARK KELLY typically slow down after winning a competitive race. But the former astronaut is hoping he can deliver rocket fuel to a slate of Senate Democrats to keep their majority in the chamber, Burgess Everett reports. “I’m not a take it easy kind of person,” Kelly told Burgess in an interview yesterday about his travels. “I’m gonna work really hard to do my part to [keep the Senate and the presidency]. And if that means traveling around, multiple times to a bunch of different states? Yeah, I’m gonna do that.” Over the weekend, Kelly visited two must-win battlegrounds, helping raise six figures apiece for Sens. BOB CASEY (D-Pa.) and SHERROD BROWN (D-Ohio). In just three days, he visited Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Columbus and Cleveland, racking up a total of nine events. In all this cycle, he’s sent more than $1.8 million to fellow Democrats. More top reads:
| | | | A message from Instagram:   | | | AMERICA AND THE WORLD
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NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, left, speaks during a news conference with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Jan. 29, 2024, in Washington. | Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP | MR. NATO COMES TO WASHINGTON — After meeting with Pentagon officials yesterday, NATO Secretary-General JENS STOLTENBERG is kicking off a D.C. trip that will see him meet with Biden officials, lawmakers and Trump allies in a high-stakes bid to unlock $60 billion in funding for Ukraine, our colleague Paul McLeary writes. Today, Stoltenberg will meet with congressional leadership and a handful of lawmakers from both parties. Then on Wednesday, he will deliver a speech at the conservative think tank Heritage Foundation, which has close ties to Trump and now wants Europe to take the lead in supporting Ukraine while the U.S. shifts its focus to the Indo-Pacific. More top reads:
TRUMP CARDS THAT AWKWARD MOMENT — E. JEAN CARROLL went on RACHEL MADDOW’s show last night to talk about her second defamation trial victory over Trump, where things got a little off-message when asked what she would do with the money the former president owes her. Toward the end of the interview, Maddow asked: “You have talked about using some of Trump's money that you're about to get to help shore up women's rights. Do you know what that might be, what that might look like?” To which Carroll replied: “First thing, Rachel, you and I are going to go shopping. We’re going to get completely new wardrobes, new shoes, a motorcycle for [attorney SHAWN] CROWLEY, a new fishing rod for [attorney ROBERTA KAPLAN]. Rachel, what do you want, a penthouse? It's yours, Rachel.” After some laughter between the two, Crowley, who was seated next to Carroll, was quick to interject: “That was a joke.” Watch the clip ANOTHER WAY TO MAKE HISTORY — “Dissolving Trump’s business empire would stand apart in history of NY fraud law,” by AP’s Bernard Condon: “An Associated Press analysis of nearly 70 years of civil cases under the law showed that such a penalty has only been imposed a dozen previous times, and Trump’s case stands apart in a significant way: It’s the only big business found that was threatened with a shutdown without a showing of obvious victims and major losses.” JUDICIARY SQUARE VOICE OF DISSENT — Supreme Court Justice SONIA SOTOMAYOR sharply lamented the conservative supermajority that governs the bench that she sits on. “I live in frustration. And as you heard, every loss truly traumatizes me in my stomach and in my heart. But I have to get up the next morning and keep on fighting,” Sotomayor told a group at the University of California, Berkeley School of Law yesterday, per CNN’s Devan Cole. ALL POLITICS MURPHY’S LAW — TAMMY MURPHY is spending her political capital on a Senate run to take the seat of embattled Sen. BOB MENENDEZ. N.Y. Mag’s Simon van Zuylen-Wood has an incisive look at the New Jersey first lady’s gambit — revealing a not-so-harmonious tune among others in the party: “Democrats across the state have been moaning about her undeserved advantages. But only anonymously. One elected official tells me, ‘Do I think she’s the best candidate? No. Do I think it’s a good look for New Jersey? No. If you’re asking me am I going to vote for her? The answer is no.’ This is a person who has publicly endorsed her.” BRAVE NEW WORLD — “A mysterious phone call cloned Biden’s voice. Can the next one be stopped?” by Christine Mui POLICY CORNER ALL GAS, NO BRAKES — “The gas stove fight finally flames out,” by Kelsey Tamborrino: “Republicans claimed victory over the rule, which was more modest than DOE’s initial proposal for tighter efficiency standards (though that would not have banned gas stoves, either). Democrats, meanwhile, accused GOP lawmakers of freaking out over nothing.”
| | | | CONGRESS OVERDRIVE: Since day one, POLITICO has been laser-focused on Capitol Hill, serving up the juiciest Congress coverage. Now, we’re upping our game to ensure you’re up to speed and in the know on every tasty morsel and newsy nugget from inside the Capitol Dome, around the clock. Wake up, read Playbook AM, get up to speed at midday with our Playbook PM halftime report, and fuel your nightly conversations with Inside Congress in the evening. Plus, never miss a beat with buzzy, real-time updates throughout the day via our Inside Congress Live feature. Learn more and subscribe here. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Shontel Brown is the latest victim of the swatting epidemic. Merrick Garland is scheduled for back surgery this weekend. Donald Trump Jr., Glenn Youngkin and Brian Kemp will headline Washington and Lee University’s Mock Convention next month. David Rubenstein is stepping down as chair of the Kennedy Center. Jack Evans is back in the D.C. gov scene — in an official capacity. OUT AND ABOUT — SPOTTED at an advance screening of Bill Bradley’s new autobiographical film, “Rolling Along,” at The Reach at the Kennedy Center yesterday evening: Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Nancy Bass Wyden, Roy Blunt, Judy Woodruff and Al Hunt, Josh Dawsey, Jacqueline Alemany and Isaac Arnsdorf. — SPOTTED at the Center for American Progress’ “Celebrating the Arts in Civic Life” reception ahead of today’s White House Domestic Policy Council and the National Endowment for the Arts “Healing, Bridging, Thriving” policy summit: Anna Deavere Smith, Bill Nye (the Science Guy), Elizabeth Alexander, Nolen Bivens, Angelique Power, Crosby Kemper, Aaron Myers, Maribel Pérez Wadsworth, Christopher Morgan, Michelle Boone, Bruce Cohen, Erin Harkey, Bill Ivey, Favianna Rodriguez, Maria Rosario Jackson, Neera Tanden and Patrick Gaspard. — SPOTTED at a surprise 80th birthday party for Bob Gates yesterday at the Metropolitan Club hosted by Geoff Morrell, Ryan McCarthy, Mary Claire Murphy, Jessica Lightburn and Robert Rangel: Mark Milley, Josh Bolten, John Kelly, George and Sheila Casey, Jim Clapper, Stephen Hadley, Pete Chiarelli, Chuck Todd, Mike Allen, Maureen Dowd, Eric Edelman, Michele Flournoy, Jennifer Griffin, Bob and Pat Schieffer, David Ignatius and Thom Shanker. MEDIA MOVE — Molly Jong-Fast is joining MSNBC as a political analyst. She is currently a special correspondent for Vanity Fair and hosts the podcast “Fast Politics with Molly Jong-Fast.” TRANSITIONS — Niambé Tomlinson is the new Press Secretary at HUD. She previously served as Senior Director of Communications for the National Urban League. She’s a Gillibrand and House of Diversity and Inclusion alum. … Stephen Cobb is joining the State Department as a press officer in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs. He previously was a director at Subject Matter. … Anne Flanagan is joining the Future of Privacy Forum as VP for artificial intelligence. She most recently was head of cross-product policy strategy at Meta Reality Labs. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Speaker Mike Johnson … Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-Calif.) … CFPB Director Rohit Chopra … Steven Portnoy … NBC’s Natasha Korecki and Sarah Mimms … Lisa Desjardins of PBS NewsHour … former Reps. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.) and Frank Wolf (R-Va.) … Drew Bond … former VP Dick Cheney … American Petroleum Institute’s Mike Sommers … POLITICO’s Bob Hillman and John Sakellariadis … former Del. Michael San Nicolas (D-Guam) … MSNBC’s Chris Jansing … Nels Olson of Korn Ferry … Jeff Naft of House Intel … Todd Sloves … WaPo’s Maeve Reston … Len Bickwit of Miller & Chevalier … Josh Kram … Nathan Leamer … Hastie Afkhami of S-3 Public Affairs … Alexis Serfaty … Marcela Sanchez of the World Bank … Peter Lauria … Alfred C. Liggins III … Ashley Therien of Rep. John Garamendi’s (D-Calif.) office 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, producer Andrew Howard and Playbook Daily Briefing producer Callan Tansill-Suddath. Correction: Yesterday’s Playbook listed an incorrect date for the House Homeland Security Committee markup of Alejandro Mayorkas impeachment articles.
| | | | A message from Instagram: Parents should be able to decide which apps are right for their teens.
Apps can teach teens skills or ignite their creativity. But with access to so many apps, parents should have a say in which ones their teens download.
That’s why Instagram wants to work with Congress to require parental approval wherever teens under 16 download apps.
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