| | | | |  | | By Ryan Lizza, Eugene Daniels and Rachael Bade | | | With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine
| | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | | JUST POSTED — “Andy Kim leads Tammy Murphy by double digits in NJ Senate race, poll says,” by Matt Friedman: “The Fairleigh Dickinson University survey is the first public independent poll of the campaign to replace indicted Sen. BOB MENENDEZ … [Rep. ANDY] KIM garnered 32 percent support to [TAMMY] MURPHY’s 20 percent, according to the poll.” VERY RELATABLE — “A Suddenly Media-Shy Speaker Can’t Answer Questions. He’s on the Phone.” by NYT’s Annie Karni GET IN THE KNOW — “30 Things Joe Biden Did as President That You Might Have Missed”: “[W]e asked POLITICO’s newsroom, including the reporters who track the minutiae of government policy, to tell us about the major but under-the-radar changes made so far during Biden’s tenure that most of us might have missed. And there was a lot.”
|  Rep. Veronica Escobar speaks during a media availability on Capitol Hill, Feb. 5, 2019 in Washington. | Alex Brandon/AP | THE PLAYBOOK INTERVIEW: VERONICA ESCOBAR — In her day job as a leader in the Congressional Progressive Caucus, Escobar is fighting against two of President JOE BIDEN’s signature 2024 issues: She has deep reservations about the Senate border bill and says she’s likely to oppose it — though she wants to see the text this weekend — and she has called for a cease-fire in Israel’s war in Gaza. But in this election year, Escobar also holds one of the most coveted assignments in Democratic politics: co-chair of Biden’s reelection campaign. Ryan stopped by Escobar’s office on the fourth floor of Rayburn yesterday to try to understand what it’s like for the El Paso congresswoman to navigate this unusual moment as both a high-profile opponent of key Biden policies and one of his top campaign surrogates. The simple answer is: with a sense of humor. Escobar greeted every question about her awkward political situation with a big smile — and an occasional sigh. We talked about her views on the Senate bill (not a big fan), her deep disappointment with Biden’s recent statement about shutting down the border, her concerns about his policies in the Middle East and what she fears is the potential political fallout for his re-election, the one person who might be able to convince ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR. not to run, whether she’d rather Biden run against NIKKI HALEY or DONALD TRUMP, and the difficult issues that might be on the agenda at the next meeting of Biden’s eight campaign co-chairs.
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| You can listen to the full conversation on this week’s episode of Playbook Deep Dive on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. What follows are some key excerpts: On Biden’s promise to “shut down” the border if the immigration deal passes: “I was not happy. And that's absolutely not language or terminology that I would use — not today, not ever. … I am a huge supporter of the president’s. … Does that mean I agree with him on everything? I don’t.” On comprehensive immigration reform: “I'll be very candid: I wish the Democratic Party — the president included — had leaned in on this issue early on. It’s what I advocated when we were in the majority. … But nobody wanted to talk about it. And I think that was a strategic mistake.” On whether she’ll vote for the inchoate border deal: “I have yet to see what's in the Senate bill, but there are certain red lines for me. … And here's an example of a red line: If there are ‘rapid expulsion’ policies in there. I live on the border. I have daily communication with the border patrol. I talk to our shelter operators, our local government leaders. … And something that has consistently not worked is rapid expulsion. … It creates more death, more persecution, more sexual assault, just horrific conditions for migrants.” On the shifting politics of immigration: “This is the toughest domestic policy issue that we are facing today. … Even in El Paso — a community of such goodwill, such a loving community where people open up their wallets and their pantries to provide hospitality for migrants every single day — there's exhaustion. And there is this sense that the issue has gotten so bad that something has to happen. … The political environment is rapidly shifting. And I now hear many Democrats using similar terms that Republicans have used to describe immigration, about ‘closing the border’ — and that includes the president.” On whether she’d rather have Biden run against Haley or Trump: “Personally, I think it’s important that Donald Trump be on the ticket for a couple of reasons. As a member of Congress who was trapped in the [House chamber] gallery on Jan. 6, I think it was a real dereliction of duty … on the part of senators who voted to acquit him. … They have an obligation to face up to this moment and do the right thing and speak out openly against their nominee. This should be a test for them, as well. But I look forward to defeating Donald Trump once again.” On the names of her cats: “I'm not gonna tell you all of them, ’cause then you’ll know how many I have.” Happy Friday. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza.
| | | | A message from Instagram: More than 75% of parents want to approve the apps teens under 16 download.
According to a new poll from Morning Consult, more than 75% of parents agree: Teens under 16 shouldn’t be able to download apps from app stores without parental permission.1
Instagram wants to work with Congress to pass federal legislation that gets it done.
Learn more. | | | THE NEVERENDING STORY — “Special counsel questioned witnesses about 2 rooms FBI didn't search inside Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence,” ABC’s Katherine Faulders, Mike Levine and Alexander Mallin THE NEVERENDING STORY, PART II — Longtime Trump Organization CFO ALLEN WEISSELBERG is discussing a plea agreement with prosecutors in Manhattan requiring him to plead guilty to perjury for lying on the stand in Trump’s recent civil fraud trial, NYT’s William Rashbaum, Jonah Bromwich and Ben Protess report. BATTLE FOR THE HOUSE, BY THE NUMBERS — The deadline for fourth-quarter fundraising reports offered a window into the cash dash for key House races, and we got numbers from the NRCC and DCCC showing how the field is shaping up for incumbents in both parties. The overall picture is clear: Republican incumbents sit on the biggest piles of cash, but Democratic challengers are matching them in new fundraising. Going off the lists of DCCC Frontliners and NRCC Patriots — the incumbents that parties are focusing on protecting most — you can compare the overall fundraising averages of either incumbents to incumbents or incumbents to their respective challengers. Democratic challengers on average kept pace with GOP incumbents in Q4, raising $564,000 to Republicans’ $563,000, but the GOP members ended the year with about twice as much money on hand — about $1.8 million on average. Republican challengers, meanwhile, lagged behind Democratic incumbents on Q4, $391,000 to $570,000. (The challenger-vs.-incumbent analysis omits Rep. LAUREN BOEBERT (R-Colo.), who’s on the Patriot list but no longer has a Democratic opponent after switching districts.) Looking at the parties’ respective slates of incumbents, Democrats and Republicans were roughly evenly matched in new fundraising, but Republicans have more in the bank compared to Democrats’ average of about $1.4 million.
| | | | A message from Instagram:   | | | | | WHAT'S HAPPENING TODAY | | On the Hill The House is out. LAINEY WILSON will testify before a Judiciary subcommittee field hearing in Los Angeles about AI and intellectual property at noon. The Senate is out. 3 things to watch …
- House Republicans are hoping to bring their ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS impeachment push to the House floor next week, and they are going to need every vote they can spare. Already Rep. KEN BUCK (R-Colo.) says he’s a no, but there’s some good news for the whips: Rep. BRIAN HIGGINS (D-N.Y.) is retiring effective today, and Rep. HAL ROGERS (R-Ky.) said he’ll be back in action next week after a car accident. Still, Republicans can’t afford many additional defections. More at Inside Congress
- Somehow, a last-minute tax bill aimed at sweetening the state and local tax deduction (aka SALT) made it out of the House Rules Committee yesterday, part of a deal that unlocked Wednesday’s vote on the $78 billion bipartisan tax cut. But that might be as far as it goes. The bill promotes a policy that is abhorred by most Republicans and does a political favor for a cadre of vulnerable New York freshmen that Democrats want to oust. Don’t expect the rule to pass on the floor next week.
- The censure wars are back, and dumber than ever: Rep. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R-Ga.) wants to force a vote next week to boot Rep. ILHAN OMAR (D-Minn.) from her committees for allegedly making comments about being a “Somalian first” — comments that she actually appears never to have made.
At the White House Biden and first lady JILL BIDEN will travel to Dover Air Force base to meet with the families of fallen American service members and participate in a dignified transfer. More from AP VP KAMALA HARRIS will travel to Columbia, South Carolina to meet with local community and faith leaders. In the evening she will participate in a campaign event before returning to Washington.
| | | | YOUR GUIDE TO EMPIRE STATE POLITICS: From the newsroom that doesn’t sleep, POLITICO's New York Playbook is the ultimate guide for power players navigating the intricate landscape of Empire State politics. Stay ahead of the curve with the latest and most important stories from Albany, New York City and around the state, with in-depth, original reporting to stay ahead of policy trends and political developments. Subscribe now to keep up with the daily hustle and bustle of NY politics. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | TRUMP CARDS
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Donald Trump views his relationships with lawmakers on Capitol Hill as critical to his return to power. | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images | THE NEW GOP — As he closes in on the GOP nomination, Trump’s political influence over congressional Republicans is rapidly giving way to expansive policy influence, Burgess Everett, Olivia Beavers and Meredith McGraw report, with Hill Republicans “increasingly sensitive to Trump's viewpoints and conscious of his power to upend bills that Joe Biden might be able to tout on the campaign trail.” The near-term impact: “At a minimum, Trump’s ballooning clout could doom two top Biden priorities: Ukraine aid and a bipartisan border deal. Even the tax deal Trump blessed on its way to House passage faces an uncertain future in the Senate, where some Republicans have warned that it could amount to a win for Biden. Republicans are still wondering whether Trump might publicly support the tax bill, according to interviews with several senators this week, with Finance Committee ranking member MIKE CRAPO (R-Idaho) saying he’s only heard 'rumors.’” Not everyone loves the new normal: “On the other side of that GOP divide, a sizable number of lawmakers are chafing at the idea that Trump can single-handedly tie their hands. ‘I just think it's unfortunate that we can't, as individual United States senators, take the time and the effort and intellectual honesty to study something on your own and make a decision,’ said Sen. KEVIN CRAMER (R-N.D.). ‘Donald Trump has an opinion too. That's great, but ours should be our opinion.’” PROGRAMMING UPDATE — “Trump D.C. trial drops off court’s March calendar, clearing way for N.Y. case,” by WaPo’s Spencer Hsu and Rachel Weiner: “A delay in the D.C. case makes it increasingly likely that the first of Trump’s four criminal trials could be held this spring in Manhattan on New York state charges of business fraud in connection with hush money payments during the 2016 election.” MEDIAWATCH LAYOFFS DECIMATE WSJ IN WASHINGTON — Major layoffs at the Wall Street Journal’s D.C. bureau yesterday left the newsroom reeling, our Daniel Lippman reports. WSJ editor EMMA TUCKER said in a memo to staff that the bureau’s business and U.S.-China teams are closing. Affected employees were notified throughout the day and will be on the payroll until March 2, and then get severance according to the union contract that expired last year, two people said. A union official said the group was “furious that these layoffs happened in the midst of contract negotiations.” “This is like dropping a neutron bomb on the newsroom,” said one of the reporters affected. In the memo, Tucker said that the paper is creating a Washington-based enterprise team and offered laid-off employees the chance to reapply to join the paper. But several of those affected by the layoffs said that the new team will offer fewer positions — although there are also some open roles in a newly-created New York-based economics team. An editor who was laid off tells Playbook: “If some of the best people in the business can't keep a job at Emma Tucker’s Wall Street Journal, I don’t know if I would have wanted to stay there anyway.” Among the journalists laid off, according to several of the employees and departure emails, were Brody Mullins, Jeanne Cummings, Ted Mann, Julie Bykowicz, Ryan Tracy, John McKinnon, Yuka Hayashi, Gabe Rubin, Nell Henderson, Amara Omeokwe, David Harrison, Daniel Nasaw, Emily Stephenson, Eric Morath, Mark Anderson, Miguel Gonzalez, Andrew Ackerman, Peter Wonacott, Austen Hufford, Kate O'Keeffe, Josh Zumbrun, Kristina Peterson, Harriet Torry, Jeffrey Sparshott, James Graff, Gwynn Guilford, Charles Hutzler and Troy McCullough. 2024 WATCH
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A Donald Trump supporter drives past former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley's campaign event on Thursday, Feb.1, in Columbia, S.C. | Artie Walker Jr./AP | HOLDING THEIR FIRE — The president’s reelection campaign is pivoting away from the campaign model that BARACK OBAMA’s 2012 effort embraced, CNN’s MJ Lee and Edward-Isaac Dovere report — and many Democrats are unhappy with that reality. While “Obama largely shunned the Democratic National Committee” during his campaign, “Biden advisers, campaign officials and state Democratic leaders tell CNN that the president’s 2024 operation is coming together differently — and Democrats who are pushing for more hiring and more offices faster are missing the point, they say.” The gist: “The idea, campaign officials say, is to build off Democrats’ robust mobilization efforts in competitive 2022 Senate races in states like Georgia, Nevada, Arizona and Pennsylvania …. That reliance, strategists say, could save the Biden campaign resources as it gears up for a rematch against Trump. But many experienced Democratic operatives nervously watching from afar and even some Biden campaign aides privately say while that’s all well and good, it’s time to start spending.” RUNNING THE NUMBERS — “Haley’s money surges after debates. Trump’s spikes when he’s indicted,” by Jessica Piper, Lisa Kashinsky and Meridith McGraw: “A POLITICO analysis of detailed new campaign finance data underscores Trump’s significant fundraising advantage.”
| | | | A message from Instagram:   | | | THE WHITE HOUSE
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President Joe Biden addresses UAW members during a campaign stop in Warren, Michigan yesterday. | Evan Vucci/AP | THE SHOWDOWN IN MOTOWN — Joe Biden made an impassioned plea yesterday to blue-collar voters in the Great Lakes State, reveling in the United Auto Workers’ recent endorsement of his campaign. Yet “signs all around him reflected that his broader standing within the state remains on shaky ground” as his event clashed with protesters demonstrating against his policy on Gaza, Adam Cancryn reports from Warren, Mich. “Outside the union hall, dozens of protesters rallied against the White House’s unwavering support for Israel, facing off at times against a line of police in riot gear,” Adam writes. “The hostile backdrop to an otherwise celebratory visit reflected the depth of the fury toward Biden spreading through the state’s Arab and Muslim communities.” More from the Detroit News Related read: “Michigan Dems have a warning for Biden,” by Daniella Diaz and Nicholas Wu AUSTIN’S MEA CULPA — “Pentagon Chief Apologizes After Secret Hospital Stay,” by WSJ’s Nancy Youssef and Gordon Lubold: Defense Secretary LLOYD AUSTIN “said he decided not to tell President Biden, in part, because he didn’t want to add to ‘all the things that he’s got on his plate.’ … ‘I want to be crystal clear, we did not handle this right, I did not handle this right,’ he said.” JUDICIARY SQUARE JOSHUA SCHULTE SENTENCED — “Former CIA employee sentenced to 40 years in prison after carrying out largest data leak in agency’s history,” by CNN’s Rob Frehse and Mark Morales BEYOND THE BELTWAY DEPT. OF BEST-LAID PLANS — “Intel Delays $20 Billion Ohio Project, Citing Slow Chip Market,” by WSJ’s Asa Fitch: “Intel’s Ohio project is one of the biggest under way in the country, part of a push by the Biden administration and chip-makers to expand operations in the U.S. and reduce reliance on Asian factories for a technology increasingly seen as crucial to national security.” TV TONIGHT — PBS’ “Washington Week”: Peter Baker, Susan Glasser, Lara Seligman and Nancy Youssef. SUNDAY SO FAR … FOX “Fox News Sunday”: Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). Legal panel: Jonathan Turley and Tom Dupree. Panel: Olivia Beavers, Marie Harf, Rich Lowry and Mario Parker. NBC “Meet the Press”: Speaker Mike Johnson … Maryland Gov. Wes Moore … Steve Kornacki. Panel: Hallie Jackson, Sam Jacobs, Ramesh Ponnuru and Symone Sanders-Townsend. CBS “Face the Nation”: Kristalina Georgieva … Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) … Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.). MSNBC “The Sunday Show”: California Gov. Gavin Newsom … Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) … DNC Chair Jaime Harrison. ABC “This Week”: Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) … House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Panel: Donna Brazile, Reince Priebus, Marianna Sotomayor and Jonathan Martin. CNN “State of the Union”: Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) … Kristen Holmes … Andrew Desiderio … Yasmeen Abutaleb.
| | | | 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 | | Nikki Haley doesn’t buy into the baseless, far-right conspiracy theories about Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. blamed a young campaign staffer for his official account’s comment on a TikTok thirst trap. Barbara Boxer endorsed Adam Schiff. Jordan Peterson visited Capitol Hill as a guest of Mike Lee. Mike Collins was upset that a post he made on X seemingly calling for an extrajudicial killing was flagged for violent speech. OUT AND ABOUT — At the third annual Améthyste black-tie party Wednesday night, each room on the ground floor of French Ambassador Laurent Bili’s residence was decorated in a theme inspired by a different region of France, from a French Alps chalet to a Parisian café. Heather Podesta, Steve Clemons and Alfred Liggins III were also hosts. SPOTTED: Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Reps. Gabe Amo (D-R.I.), Jim Himes (D-Conn.), Jason Crow (D-Colo.), Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), Ami Bera (D-Calif.), Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.), Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas), Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.) and Joaquin Castro (D-Texas), Del. Stacey Plaskett (D-U.S. Virgin Islands), Ex-Im Bank Chair Reta Jo Lewis, CFPB Director Rohit Chopra, U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns, Mitch Landrieu, Anthony Fauci, Jon Finer, Mike Donilon, Steve and Amy Ricchetti, Cecelia Rouse, Dan Koh, Sean Savett and Pascal Confavreux. — SPOTTED at the Asian American Action Fund’s Lunar New Year reception at the UPS townhouse Wednesday night: Sens. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.), Reps. Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.), Judy Chu (D-Calif.), Grace Meng (D-N.Y.) and Marilyn Strickland (D-Wash.), Albert Shen, Linda Pham, Jay Lim, Rose Chu, Jay Cho, Chris Chan, Nisha Ramachandran, Maryland state Sen. Clarence Lam, Hank Kilgore, Dan Sakura and Joseph Montano. MEDIA MOVE — Andrew Boyd has been named a CBS News contributor. He most recently was a senior intelligence service officer in the CIA’s directorate of operations and is a cybersecurity expert. TREASURY ARRIVAL LOUNGE — Treasury has added Haris Talwar as a spokesperson in the Office of Public Affairs, Milton Patch as special adviser in the Office of Intelligence and Analysis, Emmanuel Brantley as a scheduling and advance associate, Anna Brozycki as a special assistant in the Office of the Executive Secretary and Tyla Evans as a press assistant. TRANSITIONS — Ken Barbic is joining Invariant’s government relations team as a principal in the food and agriculture practice group. He previously was VP and head of policy and global government relations at Farmers Business Network, and is a Trump USDA alum. … CFTC Commissioner Caroline Pham today is adding Taylor Foy as a senior adviser and Nicholas Elliot as a confidential assistant and policy adviser. Foy previously was comms director for Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa). Elliot previously was a legislative aide for Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.). … … Joanna Girardin Shapiro has been named chief member engagement officer for the American Bankers Association. She most recently was a managing director and segment head at Bank of New York Mellon. … Sarah Christopherson will be senior legislative adviser at Patriotic Millionaires. She previously was legislative and policy director at Americans for Tax Fairness. … Vernessa Pollard is now a partner and co-chair of DLA Piper’s FDA Practice. She previously has been a partner and FDA practice leader at McDermott Will & Emery. WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Eric Motley, deputy director of the National Gallery of Art and a Aspen Institute, State Department and Bush White House alum, and Hannah Motley, a senior researcher at Consumers’ Checkbook, welcomed Madison Blake Arias Motley on Jan. 19. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Katie Britt (R-Ala.) … Rep. Jack Bergman (R-Mich.) … The Atlantic’s McKay Coppins … Ellen Malcolm … Gabriella Uli of the American Legislative Exchange Council … NBC’s Carrie Dann … The New Yorker’s Michael Luo … Teddy Downey of The Capitol Forum … Reid Wilson … Paul Bedard … Cisco’s Dan Knight … Aaron Keyak of the State Department … Victorino “Vic” Matus … Karly Matthews of the American Conservation Coalition … David Pakman (4-0) … Heather Smith of Rep. William Timmons’ (R-S.C.) office ... Sam Schifrin of Sen. Cory Booker’s (D-N.J.) office … Traci Kraus … Patrick Hayden of the North American Export Grain Association … Avery Pierson of the House Appropriations Transportation-HUD Subcommittee … RGA’s Amanda Kitchen O’Malley … Barry Diller … Ben Lacy (91) … Kate O’Leary of Purple Strategies … DOJ’s Matthew Hanson … Haley Ast … Energy Solutions Center’s Briana Jeter … DOJ’s Adrienne Benson 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.
| | | | A message from Instagram: Parents should be able to decide which apps are right for their teens.
According to a new poll by Morning Consult conducted in November 2023, more than 75% of parents believe teens under 16 shouldn’t be able to download apps without parental permission.1
Instagram wants to work with Congress to pass federal legislation that gets it done.
Learn more.
1"US Parents Study on Teen App Downloads" by Morning Consult (Meta-commissioned survey of 2,019 parents), Nov. 2023. | | | | | | | 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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