| | | | |  | | By Ryan Lizza, Rachael Bade and Eugene Daniels | | | With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine
|  | DRIVING THE DAY | | DEVELOPING — “Three US troops killed in drone attack in Jordan, at least two dozen injured,” by CNN’s Haley Britzky, Natasha Bertrand and Oren Liebermann
|  Donald Trump is continuing to rally Republicans against the unreleased immigration/border bill. | Jamie Kelter Davis for POLITICO | TRUMP RALLIES GOP TO KILL BORDER DEAL — Back in 2013, a small bipartisan group of senators was on the verge of finishing an immigration reform bill supported by a Democratic president. The politics were a little different. Republicans were on defense after BARACK OBAMA beat MITT ROMNEY decisively in 2012. The GOP’s big takeaway from that loss was that it needed to moderate its views on immigration. The RNC, not usually in the policy prescription business, produced a high-profile report that said Republicans “must embrace and champion comprehensive immigration reform.” Two days after the election, conservative pundit SEAN HANNITY said he had “evolved” on the issue and now favored a pathway to citizenship for “the majority of people here.” Sens. MARCO RUBIO (R-Fla.) and LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-S.C.), two of the bill’s co-authors, spoke privately with Hannity and other Fox anchors as they crafted the proposal to keep the network on their side. “God bless Fox,” Graham told one of us back then, adding that during the previous attempt at immigration reform, “it was ‘amnesty’ every fifteen seconds.” But as the details of the Senate bill emerged, and as it made its way through committee and onto the floor, the politics of the issue quickly changed. Hannity and Fox turned against the bill. So did House Republicans. Rubio, whose role was to make the case for the proposal to conservative audiences, was pilloried by the right. The bill passed 68-33 in the Senate, but Speaker JOHN BOEHNER, who earlier had said, “I think by the end of the year, we could have a bill,” declared the Senate product dead. Hannity, Rubio, Graham, most House Republicans and the RNC all declared the comprehensive immigration reform effort a mistake — and in the age of DONALD TRUMP, the GOP’s default position on the issue became security first. Here we are now in 2024, and Republicans have effectively won that argument. Immigration is a top issue in voters’ minds, and the latest bipartisan Senate bill has none of the reform priorities favored by the business community (expanded guest worker programs) and more liberal lawmakers (a pathway to citizenship). It is a security-first bill. President JOE BIDEN, who in 2020 campaigned on what the WSJ calls “the most liberal plan put forward by any mainstream Democratic nominee in history,” has abandoned that plan in favor of the GOP approach,infuriating the left in the process. And yet the politics of 2013 have re-asserted themselves. — Fox News is serving as a key conduit for anti-deal Republicans, who have seized on one particular talking point that is spreading like fire across conservative media: “Senate border bill to allow 5,000 migrants a day before Title 42-type limit starts.” — Sen. JAMES LANKFORD (R-Okla.) is now suffering the fate that Rubio endured back then. (Rubio, apparently having learned his lesson,wrote in the Miami Herald this week, “There’s much talk about an immigration ‘deal,’ but that talk is currently unrealistic.”) Back home, the Oklahoma GOP passed a resolution “condemning and censuring Senator Lankford’s open border deal.” — Yesterday, Trump continued to rally Republicans against the unreleased bill, which has replaced NIKKI HALEY as his main target on the campaign trail. “As the leader of our party, there is zero chance I will support this horrible, open-borders betrayal of America. It’s not going to happen, and I’ll fight it all the way,” he said. He welcomed the criticism from GOP senators blaming him for the right’s rebellion against it. “Please, blame it on me,” he said. “Please, because they were getting ready to pass a very bad bill.” — Speaker MIKE JOHNSON yesterday reiterated what is emerging as the GOP’s new consensus position on the issue: Biden should use authorities he has before Congress passes the new ones negotiated by the Senate. “President Biden can begin to secure the border by ending catch-and-release, ceasing exploitation of parole authority, reinstating the Remain in Mexico program, expanding the use of expedited removal authority, and renewing construction of the border wall,” Johnson said in a statement. “The President must start by using the broad legal authority he already possesses to reclaim our nation’s sovereignty and end the mass release of illegal aliens into our country.” Trump applauded Johnson’s press release. “I think he’s going to prove to be a very good speaker,” he said hours after it was released. “It’s tough when you have a very small majority. Very tough. Mike Johnson, speaker, he just said it’s dead on arrival in the House. Dead on arrival.” Trump’s attention sometimes drifts, but he seems singularly obsessed with killing the Senate immigration bill. The political lesson may be that on immigration, the policy details of any bill are almost meaningless. Biden’s fiercest opponents are describing the Senate’s border security bill with the same language they used to describe his most left-wing immigration proposals from 2020. Sen. TED CRUZ (R-Texas) calls it a “stinking pile of crap” (and that’s one of the more nuanced takes). These days, negative partisanship is a more powerful force than ideological consistency. For most Republicans, all they may need to know to oppose the Senate deal is that Biden is for it and Trump is against it. Good Sunday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza.
| | | | A message from Electronic Payments Coalition: CREDIT UNIONS & COMMUNITY BANKS IN All 50 STATES OPPOSE THE DURBIN-MARSHALL CREDIT CARD BILL: Local credit unions and community banks serve an essential role in supporting Main Street. So, when 10,000+ credit unions and community banks throughout the country oppose the Durbin-Marshall credit card bill, Congress should pay attention. Durbin-Marshall lines the pockets of corporate mega-stores by shifting costs and risks to credit unions, community banks, and their 140 million customers. Click here to learn more. | | | ABOUT LAST NIGHT — The Alfalfa Club hosted its annual black-tie dinner last night at the Capitol Hilton, which included speeches by outgoing president JIM MATTIS and incoming president CONDOLEEZZA RICE, who talked about the need to support Ukraine and also played the piano and sang. Per its annual tradition, the Alfalfa Club jokingly picked KEVIN McCARTHY as its nominee to run for U.S. president. During McCarthy’s speech, he played a Cameo video from GEORGE SANTOS in black tie saying he fully supports McCarthy. More from the Alfalfa below, in the Playbookers section SUNDAY BEST … — Rep. NANCY PELOSI (D-Calif.) on pro-Palestinian protesters, on CNN’s “State of the Union”: “For them to call for a cease-fire is [VLADIMIR] PUTIN’s message, Mr. Putin’s message. Make no mistake, this is directly connected to what he would like to see. Same thing with Ukraine. It’s about Putin’s message. I think some of these protesters are spontaneous and organic and sincere. Some, I think, are connected to Russia. … I don’t think they’re plants. I think some financing should be investigated. And I want to ask the FBI to investigate that.” — Haley on Trump’s false “birther” attacks against her, on NBC’s “Meet the Press”: “I laugh every time I see one of his tweets, every time I see him throw a temper tantrum. Because I know Donald Trump very well. When he feels insecure, he starts to rail, he starts to rant, he starts to flail his arms, and he starts to get upset. When he feels threatened, he starts to throw all kinds of things out there. I would always tell him he was his own worst enemy. He’s proving that right now.” — Haley on the defamation damages verdict against Trump, his liability for sexual abuse, and whether it’s disqualifying to be president: “I think the American people decide who should be disqualifying. … I absolutely trust the jury, and I think that they made their decision based on the evidence. I just don’t think that should take him off the ballot. I think the American people will take him off the ballot. I think that’s the best way to go forward — is not let him play the victim, let him play the loser.” — Sen. RICK SCOTT (R-Fla.) on the negotiations, on “Fox News Sunday”: “James [Lankford] is — he’s smart, he’s hard-working, he knows the issue. He’s on a suicide mission. The Democrats do not want to secure the border. … This border could be secure, but we know we have a lawless administration, completely lawless Biden administration. So the only way this is going to happen is if we have accountability that forces Biden to enforce the law.” TOP-EDS: A roundup of the week’s must-read opinion pieces.
| | | | A message from Electronic Payments Coalition:   | | | | | WHAT'S HAPPENING TODAY | | At the White House Biden is in Columbia, South Carolina, where he took part in a political event this morning at St. John the Baptist Church. He’ll return to the White House in the afternoon. VP KAMALA HARRIS is in LA and has nothing on her public schedule.
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Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and the Hill's other appropriations leaders have struck a deal on government funding. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | 9 THINGS FOR YOUR RADAR 1. HABEMUS DEAL: Senate Appropriations Chair PATTY MURRAY (D-Wash.) and House Appropriations Chair KAY GRANGER (R-Texas) have officially landed an agreement for the 12 spending bills that could pave the way toward avoiding a government shutdown, Caitlin Emma reports. The details of the deal haven’t yet been released, but it’s a significant first step toward passing government funding before current monies run out in early March, following the topline agreement reached between Senate Majority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER and Johnson. 2. TRUMP’S RADICAL 2025 PLANS: “Donald Trump is preparing for a massive new trade war with China,” by WaPo’s Jeff Stein: “Privately, Trump has discussed with advisers the possibility of imposing a flat 60 percent tariff on all Chinese imports … All these options would lead to enormous disruptions to the U.S. and global economies that would far surpass the impact of the trade wars of Trump’s first term, economists of both parties say. … U.S. consumers and firms would probably bear the brunt of a renewed China trade war.” 3. MIDDLE EAST LATEST: Negotiations led by the U.S. are moving toward a significant phased deal that would impose a roughly two-month cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war and set free more than 100 hostages, NYT’s Peter Baker scooped. CIA Director WILLIAM BURNS is in Paris for talks today; U.S. officials are “cautiously optimistic,” and if that goes well, BRETT McGURK may head to the Middle East to put the finishing touches on it. Though it wouldn’t ensure a permanent end to the war, the agreement would make it less likely that Israel would restart the bloodshed with the same level of intensity, officials believe. It would also give Biden a significant political reprieve. At the same time, Biden officials are considering slow-rolling shipments of weapons to Israel to pressure PM BENJAMIN NETANYAHU into finally listening to U.S. calls to pull back in Gaza, NBC’s Carol Lee and Courtney Kube scooped. On the flip side, talks did not succeed between the U.S. and China over the past couple of days, when American officials tried to get Beijing to tell Iran to end the Houthi Red Sea attacks, Phelim Kine reports. National security adviser JAKE SULLIVAN also struggled to get anywhere with Chinese officials on North Korea; there was more progress made on the conflict and humanitarian crisis in Burma, the U.S. said. 4. TRUMP INC.: “Trump’s $50 Million Mystery Debt Looks Like ‘Tax Evasion,’” by The Daily Beast’s Roger Sollenberger: “Always read the footnotes. That’s where former federal judge BARBARA JONES, the court-appointed special monitor in Donald Trump’s New York business fraud case, just planted a financial bombshell that legal experts say suggests Trump lied knowingly and repeatedly on his federal financial disclosures about a major loan that never existed — and may have evaded taxes on $48 million in income. … [She wrote] that a massive chunk of debt Trump has claimed to owe one of his own companies for years apparently does not exist, and never did.” But, but, but: The chief legal counsel for the Trump Organization says Jones was wrong and the loan existed.
| | | | A message from Electronic Payments Coalition:   | | | 5. JERSEY BOYS AND GIRLS: The 2025 New Jersey GOP gubernatorial primary kicked off yesterday with state Sen. JON BRAMNICK’s announcement that he’ll run, per the New Jersey Globe’s David Wildstein. Bramnick, a rare moderate anti-Trump Republican, could be a real contender in the general election — but he can survive the primary? Meanwhile, this year’s Democratic Senate primary is already subject to all kinds of gamesmanship: Not only has first lady TAMMY MURPHY landed the backing of many county party bosses, she’s now angling to get preferential ballot placement right alongside Biden in other counties too, Daniel Han reports. “Such a move would require the consent of the Biden campaign, giving the president tacit but significant influence over the high-profile primary,” especially in a state where ballot placement can exert unusual power over election outcomes. For now, the Biden campaign says it’s staying out of the race between Murphy and Rep. ANDY KIM. It all adds up to a wild cycle in New Jersey, where “the number of high-profile political fights taking shape this year, combined with an array of atypical candidates running under extraordinary circumstances, have set an early, take-your-breath-away pace,” NYT’s Tracey Tully writes. 6. A TAI THAT BINDS: “Staff exodus signals end to Biden’s trade dreams,” by Gavin Bade: “Frustration with a stalled trade agenda and unhappiness with the leadership of President Joe Biden’s trade chief is pushing more than a half-dozen senior trade officials out the door … Those headwinds — and the realization that little real progress is likely to be made in an election year … — have convinced some officials it’s time to move on. Adding to the frustration: simmering discontent with the management practices of U.S. Trade Representative KATHERINE TAI — criticism that her allies chalk up to policy disagreements and sexism.” 7. WHAT’S NEXT FOR E. JEAN CARROLL: Fresh off a stunning $83.3 million award in her defamation trial against Trump stemming from her sexual assault allegation, Carroll is weighing what she’ll do with the money if it holds up on appeal, she tells NYT’s Benjamin Weiser. First up is a splurge on premium dog food. After that, “I’m not going to waste a cent of this,” Carroll says. “We’re going to do something good with it.” She calls the result a victory for women that makes her feel more optimistic about the future. Meanwhile, NYT’s Maria Cramer and Kate Christobek look at the verdict as the latest Trump loss in a long-running series of legal battles against ROBERTA KAPLAN, Carroll’s lawyer. 8. FALLING SHORT OF TRUMP: “As Biden Judicial Confirmations Slow, Senate Gains Ground on Red-State Judges,” by NYT’s Carl Hulse: “By negotiating with Republicans over judicial picks, Mr. Biden and majority Democrats have been able to exert some influence over the makeup of trial courts in red states and install people of color on the bench for the first time in some regions. … Still, the Senate would need to confirm at least 63 more judges this year to match or better the record of the Trump years.” 9. ABOUT LAST NIGHT: Biden tried to sell Black voters on his reelection bid in a passionate speech at a South Carolina Democratic Party dinner, Eugene and Myah Ward report from Columbia. He slammed Trump as a “loser” who had disrespected military veterans, and he ticked off the Biden administration’s policy achievements. (Speaking earlier at the event, Minnesota Rep. DEAN PHILLIPS got a much cooler reception.) Nonetheless, Biden’s struggles with Black voters are far from solved. In Pontiac, Michigan, WaPo’s Michael Brice-Saddler finds many Black men frustrated with a lack of improvement in their communities over the past four years — and considering ditching Biden or staying home. And in Georgia and South Carolina, NYT’s Maya King reports that many Black congregations have grown upset over Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war, as pastors have demanded that he call for a cease-fire.
| | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Joe Biden, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama may hold a big joint fundraiser together. Nikki Haley and Tom Emmer were swatted. Caroline Wren and Marjorie Taylor Greene are feuding. Will Lewis thinks the digital subscription model of journalism “is creaking.” (He’s also facing questions about his time at News Corp.) Olaf Scholz will come to the White House next week. Charles Littlejohn’s discovery as the leaker of Donald Trump’s tax returns happened by accident. (He’ll be sentenced tomorrow.) OUT AND ABOUT — At the National Museum of the American Indian on Friday night, Apple TV+ and the Smithsonian hosted a “Killers of the Flower Moon” event with Martin Scorsese, Lily Gladstone and Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear of the Osage Nation. They showed clips from the film and had a conversation moderated by Jake Tapper. SPOTTED: Tatanka Means, JaNae Collins, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Julie Fate Sullivan, Lonnie Bunch, Cynthia Chavez Lamar, Shelly Lowe, Kevin Gover, Julie O’Keefe and Bryan Newland. — At the Alfalfa Club dinner last night at the Capitol Hilton, new members (called “sprouts”) included Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Peggy Noonan, Lonnie Bunch, Greg Abel, Michael Farr, Hunter Hunt, Karen Lynch, David Marriott, Maj. Ryan Nowlin, Adebayo Ogunlesi, Steve Squeri and Jill Tiefenthaler. SPOTTED at the Alfafa after-party at Cafe Milano, hosted by UAE Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba, Catherine Reynolds, Bob Johnson, John Rogers, Bret Baier, Fred Smith, Julie Sweet, Donald Tang and Franco Nuschese: Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, Sens. Mark Warner (D-Va.), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Reps. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.), Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) and Bryan Steil (R-Wis.), David Petraeus, Paul Ryan, Elaine Chao, John Kerry, Roy and Abby Blunt, Joe and Hadassah Lieberman, David Solomon, Josh Harris, Mathias Döpfner, Fred Ryan, Genevieve Ryan Bellaire, Jeff Miller, Kellyanne Conway, Dan Koh, James Adams, Tammy Haddad, Richard W. Fisher, Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney, Norman Brownstein, Jane Harman, Emma Walmsley, Geoff Morrell, Mark Ein, Robert O’Brien, Brian Hook, Steve Case, Jim Taiclet, Walter Isaacson, Andrew Ross Sorkin, Daniel Lippman, Max Neuberger, Suzanne Clark, Terry McAuliffe, Steve Clemons, Alan Fleischmann and Dafna Tapiero, David Wade, Albert Bourla, Jeff Nussbaum and Shou Zi Chew. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Justice Amy Coney Barrett … Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) … Reps. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) and Linda Sánchez (D-Calif.) … U.S. Ambassador to China Nick Burns … POLITICO’s Peter King … Helen Kalla … Robert Satloff of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy … former Reps. Lou Barletta (R-Pa.), Tom Downey (D-N.Y.) and Brian Bilbray (R-Calif.) … New York Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado … Lynnette Johnson Williams of BHJM Communications … Achim Bergmann … Leslie Jones of American Forests … Matt DoBias … Frank Purcell … Ted Greener of the Association of American Railroads ... Reginald Darby … Microsoft’s Matt Gelman … John Milewski … CNN’s Jay McMichael … Courtney Subramanian … Future Caucus’ Blaine Volpe … Steve Hicks … Karalee Geis of the House Judiciary GOP (29) … Sam Greene … State Department’s Daniel Remler … Jaime Delgado 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 misspelled Marisa Limón Garza’s name.
| | | | A message from Electronic Payments Coalition: CREDIT UNIONS & COMMUNITY BANKS IN All 50 STATES OPPOSE THE DURBIN-MARSHALL CREDIT CARD BILL: The Durbin-Marshall credit card bill would create new government mandates on credit cards that would put consumer data and access to credit at risk. The bill would benefit corporate mega-stores, like Walmart and Target, at the expense of Main Street and the 140 million Americans who rely on credit unions and community banks. The threat of Durbin-Marshall to small financial institutions is so clear that 10,000+ credit unions and community banks in America are opposed to the bill. They also see through the so-called “carve out” for smaller banks which is a hoax to try and buy their support. Their message to Congress is simple: on behalf of credit unions and community banks in all 50 states, commit to actively opposing the Durbin-Marshall credit card bill. Click here to learn more. | | | | | | | 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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