| | | | |  | | By Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels and Ryan Lizza | | | With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine
| | | |  Once Donald Trump gets to 1,215 delegates, there’s virtually no path to denying him the nomination as long as he puts his hat in the ring at the July convention in Milwaukee. | Paul Sancya/AP Photo | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | JUST POSTED — “Trump allies prepare to infuse ‘Christian nationalism’ in second administration,” by Alex Ward and Heidi Przybyla: “An influential think tank close to DONALD TRUMP is developing plans to infuse Christian nationalist ideas in his administration should the former president return to power, according to documents obtained by POLITICO. Spearheading the effort is RUSSELL VOUGHT, who served as Trump’s director of the Office of Management and Budget during his first term and has remained close to him.” FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: TRUMP’S UPDATED DELEGATE MATH — The South Carolina Republican presidential primary is four days away, and the state’s former governor, NIKKI HALEY, is planning to deliver a “state of the race” speech in Greenville later today. But Trump’s campaign is eager to remind everyone that the functional end of the primary is just around the corner. Later today, the campaign will release a memo penned by senior adviser CHRIS LaCIVITA asserting that Trump will clinch a majority of bound delegates — and become the presumptive GOP nominee — in the next four weeks. Even if Haley reprises her New Hampshire performance (43%) in every state voting over the next four weeks, his campaign calculates that Trump would still cross the 1,215-delegate threshold on March 19, when big states like Florida, Illinois and Ohio will hold winner-take-all primaries. And based on the current polling, there’s a scenario in which Trump can get there on March 12, three weeks from today and a week after Super Tuesday, LaCivita said. Once Trump gets to 1,215, there’s virtually no path to denying him the nomination as long as he puts his hat in the ring at the July convention in Milwaukee. “We’ve done our homework and had the rules set. So they cannot change anything,” LaCivita told our colleague Steve Shepard, who keeps close track on the delegate race and confirms that the Trump campaign’s math mostly checks out. As for South Carolina … “Home sweet home? Donald Trump trounces Nikki Haley in exclusive South Carolina poll,” by USA Today’s Susan Page: “Among those very likely to vote in the state’s Feb. 24 Republican primary, Trump leads Haley by close to 2-1, 63%-35%.” FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: SCOTT TROLLS HARRIS — Many Senate Republicans have rolled their eyes at the House GOP’s impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS. Some have signaled a trial will be a total waste of time. But the MAGA wing of the Senate GOP is eager to embrace the spectacle. This morning, Playbook has a letter that Sen. RICK SCOTT (R-Fla.) has sent to VP KAMALA HARRIS, pressing her to preside over Mayorkas’ trial in the Senate. It comes after Sen. TED CRUZ (R-Texas) publicly urged GOP leaders to “demonstrate some backbone” and push for a full-fledged trial. “As Vice President, the Constitution directs that you also serve as the presiding officer of the U.S. Senate,” Scott writes. “I write to encourage and invite you to fulfill your constitutional duty to serve as the presiding officer of Secretary Mayorkas’ impeachment trial.” Senate Majority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER has already made other plans, tapping President Pro Tempore PATTY MURRAY (D-Wash.) to oversee the proceedings. Note that the Supreme Court chief justice presides over only presidential impeachments, and even then, that’s not a given: JOHN ROBERTS skipped Trump’s second impeachment in 2021. Another interesting historical note: For Trump’s 2021 impeachment, Democratic managers led by Rep. JAMIE RASKIN (D-Md.) also privately pushed for Harris to preside rather than then-Pro Tem PATRICK LEAHY (D-Vt.). Doing so, they believed, would add credibility to the proceedings. But the White House back then wanted Harris nowhere near the ugly political circus, and it’s highly unlikely they’ll want her anywhere near this one, either. That won’t stop members like Scott from trolling Harris for skipping out. In his letter, Scott claims that since President JOE BIDEN deputized his VP to delve into the “root causes” of migration issues in 2021, she should be “keenly interested in learning whether a high-ranking member of your administration is one of those ‘root causes’ through his willful and persistent refusal to enforce our country’s immigration laws.” Consider this a preview of the political gamesmanship that awaits next week when lawmakers return to town. Good Tuesday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza.
| | | | A message from Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel: Nippon Steel is one of the world’s leading steelmakers with nearly four decades of experience operating in the United States and currently employing over 600 American employees represented by the United Steelworkers.
Together, Nippon Steel and U. S. Steel are focused on increasing the competitiveness of the American steel industry on the global stage, safeguarding American jobs, and delivering the highest quality products to American customers.
Please read important information. | | | BIDEN’S TELLING UN PLAY — The House and Senate are both out this week, but there’s some legislative wrangling happening this week — at the United Nations — that’s worth your attention. An Israel-Hamas cease-fire resolution drafted by Algeria and backed by Arab nations is expected to get a Security Council vote today, as Israel continues to threaten to invade the southern Gaza town of Rafah and compound the humanitarian crisis there. Notably, however, the U.S. has drafted a cease-fire resolution of its own, one that calls for a temporary break in hostilities and encourages Israel to pause its plans. The resolution, first reported by Al Jazeera, comes just days after Biden publicly called for a pause in fighting and said he’d personally pressed Israeli PM BENJAMIN NETANYAHU to hold off on a Rafah assault amid concerns about mounting casualties. On one hand, the new U.S. resolution represents a classic legislative tactic, offering a “side by side” alternative to disarm opposition. On the other hand, it’s another, increasingly dramatic signal from the Biden administration that its patience with Netanyahu, who has repeatedly thumbed his nose at U.S. de-escalation efforts, is beginning to wear off. The U.N. drama is also playing out just one week before Michigan holds its presidential primaries, which are turning into a test of how deep the dismay with Biden’s handling of the war in Gaza is running among Arab and Muslim Americans, as well as the left in general. Biden won Michigan by a mere 155,000 votes in 2020, winning the vast majority of the state’s 200,000 Muslim voters. Now a push to have Democrats vote “uncommitted” next week — including from Rep. RASHIDA TLAIB (D-Mich.) — as well as a separate “Abandon Biden” campaign launched by formerly Biden-backing Muslims threatens to underscore the risk to Biden’s status in a must-win state. For a taste of how the Biden campaign is handling the issue on the ground, check out how a key campaign official — co-chair MITCH LANDRIEU — handled questions about the war in an appearance yesterday in Flint. “I don’t expect that it’s going to end anytime soon,” he said, according to the Detroit News’ Beth LeBlanc. Landrieu went on to offer this argument to “uncommitted” voters, an encapsulation of how the Biden campaign is hoping Americans view the November race: “This election is going to be about a choice between Donald Trump and Joe Biden. And the differences between an America under Joe Biden and Donald Trump are vastly different.”
| | | | A message from Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel: Nippon Steel and U. S. Steel will drive greater innovation, digitization, and decarbonization by increasing investment across the company and introducing new cutting-edge advanced production technology – benefitting customers across the entire U.S. supply chain, including the automotive and construction industries.
Please read important information. | | | | | WHAT'S HAPPENING TODAY | | On the Hill The Senate and the House are out. What we’re watching … What’s Sen. JOE MANCHIN up to? The West Virginia Democrat isn’t running for president, and he isn’t running for reelection. But he also isn’t planning on fading into irrelevance, as he made clear in a CNN interview last night with Kaitlan Collins. Manchin, who twice voted to impeach Trump, wouldn’t endorse Biden for reelection (or anyone else), presaging months of more Manchin-ing: “We still got plenty of time here,” he said. At the White House Biden will travel to LA, where he is scheduled to participate in a campaign reception. Harris will travel to Pittsburgh, where she’ll speak at 1:05 p.m. along with EPA Administrator MICHAEL REGAN at the Kingsley Association Community Center, announcing $5.8 billion in new clean water infrastructure investments from the bipartisan infrastructure law, as the AP previews. She’ll then attend a campaign meeting before returning to Washington.
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|  President Joe Biden's January campaign fundraising is significant but lags Donald Trump's mark at this point in 2020. | Win McNamee/Getty Images | CASH DASH — Biden’s political operation is announcing a fundraising haul of $42 million in January, continuing to line the campaign coffers for an expected election rematch against Trump. Biden now has $130 million cash on hand across all entities as of the end of January, a figure that’s up from $117 million at the end of December. “The total, which includes funds from Biden’s campaign, the Democratic National Committee and two joint fundraising committees, is a large haul for the incumbent president, although it still trails what Trump and the Republican National Committee had built up at this point in 2020,” Jessica Piper reports this morning. “The Biden campaign released the fundraising total ahead of Tuesday’s midnight deadline with the Federal Election Commission, when presidential campaigns, party committees and certain other groups have to report their latest fundraising figures. Details of how much money was in Biden’s campaign and the DNC were not yet available Tuesday morning.” More top reads:
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New state legislative maps in Wisconsin, signed by Gov. Tony Evers, could level the playing field for Democrats. | Morry Gash/AP Photo | DRAWING THE LINE — Democratic Wisconsin Gov. TONY EVERS signed off on new state legislative maps that will give his party a more even playing field in the fall. “Democrats have, since 2011, been unable to climb out of a deep minority in the state Legislature cemented when Republicans drew and passed legislative maps that were considered by redistricting experts to be some of the most gerrymandered electoral boundaries in the nation, delivering massive majorities in both houses for more than a decade,” the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Molly Beck, Jessie Opoien and Andrew Hahn write. “That changed Monday when the Democratic governor signed into law a bill Republican lawmakers begrudgingly passed that implement new legislative maps drawn by Evers. The significance of the moment for Democrats is immense — creating competitive districts across the state and giving the party a chance to secure a majority for the first time in years.” The breakdown, via the Journal Sentinel: “The 99 Assembly districts proposed by Evers are about evenly split between Republican and Democratic-leaning districts. Forty-five districts are more Democratic than Republican, and 46 districts are more Republican than Democratic. That leaves eight districts that are more likely to be a toss-up between Democrats and Republicans.” ELSEWHERE IN WISCONSIN — “Milwaukee officer struck by pro-Palestinian protester at Sen. Tammy Baldwin fundraiser,” by the Journal Sentinel’s Daniel Bice THE WHITE HOUSE TALKING THE TALK — Biden once again skewered House Republicans yesterday over the lack of support for Ukraine aid. “The way they’re walking away from the threat of Russia, the way they’re walking away from NATO, the way they’re walking away from meeting our obligations — it’s just shocking. I’ve never seen anything like it,” Biden told reporters as he returned to the White House. When asked by reporters whether the death of ALEXEI NAVALNY will make a difference for Republicans in passing an aid package, Biden said, “I hope so, but I’m not sure,” adding that he would “be happy to meet with [Speaker MIKE JOHNSON] if he has anything to say.” More from Kierra Frazier New this morning from White House comms director BEN LaBOLT … “House Republicans are on Day 5 of an early, undeserved vacation while their inaction does escalating damage to our national security. … Speaker Johnson and House Republicans must act — time is of the essence.” FOR THE RECORD — NYT publisher A.G. SULZBERGER said in an interview with the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism that the White House has been “extremely upset” about the outlet’s coverage of Biden’s age but vowed that its reporters will continue to cover the issue “fully and fairly.” He continued: “We are not saying that this is the same as Trump’s five court cases or that they are even. They are different. But they are both true, and the public needs to know both those things. And if you are hyping up one side or downplaying the other, no side has a reason to trust you in the long run.”
| | | | A message from Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel:   NIPPON STEEL & U. S. STEEL: SECURING THE LONG-TERM FUTURE OF UNION JOBS | | | CONGRESS THIS HOUSE IS NOT A HOME — “High-profile Republicans head for the exits amid House GOP dysfunction,” by CNN’s Melanie Zanona, Annie Grayer and Haley Talbot: “So far, 23 GOP lawmakers have decided to not seek reelection or resigned early, including five committee chairs, though some have cited personal reasons or are seeking higher office. Still, the caliber and timing of some of the retirements has raised alarm bells, particularly those who are giving up coveted committee gavels that some work their whole career to achieve.” POLICY CORNER
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Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) has raised concerns about the implementation of CHIPS in a direct conversation with President Joe Biden. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | THE CHIPS DIP — When Biden signed the 2022 Chips and Science Act into law, he gave a special callout to Michigan’s Hemlock Semiconductor. But the company says a key tax break from Chips leaves it and other materials producers out, Christine Mui reports, “fueling frustration within the president’s party in a crucial swing state. … “With the deadline for final rules approaching, the company has mobilized its supporters, including the popular governor of Michigan, to push the administration to open up the benefit more widely. Their argument highlights a key challenge of the fast-evolving Biden policy to bolster America’s role in a crucial global industry: Where to draw the line on which companies merit taxpayer support as part of the $526 billion semiconductor industry and which are left out in the cold.” THE LONG TAIL OF THE IRA — The Inflation Reduction Act was meant to be a feather in Biden’s cap for his climate agenda, but now it’s threatening to become a liability as he angles for reelection. Due to Republican attacks, “corporate executives have begun facing questions in recent weeks about the possibility that the legislation could be rolled back or changed in ways that could affect their clean energy investment decisions,” NYT’s Madeleine Ngo writes. BEYOND THE BELTWAY PREP WORK — Republicans in half a dozen states are making Medicaid plans for a potential return of Trump to the White House, gearing up to require low-income adults to work for free government health care, Megan Messerly reports. “In places like Idaho, Missouri and South Dakota, GOP officials are laying the groundwork to substantially overhaul their health safety-net programs. Their plans, if approved by a Trump White House, could cut hundreds of thousands of people from a program that conservatives have long complained is bloated — but the move could also save states and the federal government billions of dollars.” HEADS UP — “Alabama Supreme Court rules frozen embryos are children, imperiling IVF,” by WaPo’s Dan Rosenzweig-Ziff AMERICA AND THE WORLD MORE NAVALNY FALLOUT — “Inside Aleksei Navalny’s Final Months, in His Own Words,” by NYT’s Anton Troianovski: “Navalny’s aides have said little as they process the loss. But his final months of life are detailed in previous statements from him and his aides, his appearances in court, interviews with people close to him and excerpts from private letters.” Related read: “Navalnaya steps up to lead fight vs. Putin as morgue retains her husband’s body,” by WaPo’s Robyn Dixon, Emily Rauhala and Francesca Ebel DANCE OF THE SUPERPOWERS — “Aboard a U.S. Aircraft Carrier, a Front-Row Seat to China Tensions,” by WSJ’s Alastair Gale HOME STRETCH? — “Hungary’s governing party says it’s ready to approve Sweden’s NATO accession on Monday,” by AP’s Justin Spike
| | | | 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 | | Mike Johnson met with Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago. Eric Hovde is debuting his Senate campaign — and a magnificent mustache. Mark Lerner said the Nationals are no longer for sale. AND THE AWARD GOES TO — Long Island University announced the recipients of the 2023 George Polk Awards yesterday: “Revelatory reporting on the business practices of Elon Musk, the questionable ethics of U. S. Supreme Court justices and an insidious approach to dealing with relatives of individuals killed by police are among 14 awards in 13 categories. Two of the other winners exposed dangerously faulty medical devices while others unearthed a lucrative trade in temporary license plates from phony car dealerships, laid bare Colorado’s dysfunctional family courts and uncovered the illegal arrest and detention of hundreds of children in rural Tennessee.” See the full list of winners FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — A documentary about the life of former senator and Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Lieberman is in the works, Daniel Lippman has learned. The film, called “Joe Lieberman: Centered,” includes interviews with Tom Daschle, Donna Shalala, Cindy McCain, Lindsey Graham, Tom Nides and more. Executive producer Bruce Gould said director Jonathan Gruber (who has directed documentaries on former Israeli PM Menachem Begin and Benjamin Netanyahu’s brother Yoni) and producer Rob Schwartz are working with a number of potential major distributors and that PBS has expressed interest and will be approaching HBO. They are planning premieres starting in early September. Trailer — Beth Lynk is joining When We All Vote as executive director. She previously was assistant secretary for public affairs at HUD and is a CMS, HHS and Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights alum. MEDIA MOVE — Stephen Neukam is joining Axios as a congressional reporter. He previously worked as a congressional reporter at The Messenger and is an alum of The Hill and The Texas Tribune. TRANSITIONS — Lanny Davis is joining Actum as co-chair. He is co-founder and partner at Lanny J. Davis & Associates, Davis Goldberg & Galper and Trident DMG. … Ryan Guthrie is joining American Beverage as EVP of government and public affairs. He most recently was head of government affairs for Chipotle and is a Coca-Cola North America alum. … Owen Beal is joining Rep. Emilia Sykes’ (D-Ohio) office as legislative director. He previously was senior legislative assistant for Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). … … Jennifer Faust has been named COO of the McCain Institute at Arizona State University. She most recently was CEO of Girls Inc. of Greater Santa Barbara, and is a Pacific Council on International Policy alum. … Onotse Omoyeni is joining Rep. David Trone’s (D-Md.) Senate campaign as deputy comms director. She previously was senior press secretary for Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell … Doug Mills … David Corn … Bob Davis … POLITICO’s David Cohen, Juan Perez, Carmen Paun and Joseph Kenol … … Democratic strategist Keith Edwards … WaPo’s Elana Zak … Tamara Fucile … Greg D’Angelo … Andrew Hanna of Senate Foreign Relations … Arc Initiatives’ Aaron Wells … Kaylin Dines … Michael Zona of Bullpen Strategy Group (33) … David Blair … Keosha Varela … Vox’s Dylan Matthews … Miguel Rodriguez of the Gates Foundation … Ashkon Eslami … Herald Group’s Julianne Haggerty … Michael Clemente … Rokk Solutions’ Elizabeth Northrup … Mark Knoller … Chris Cillizza … Trevor Noah (4-0) … Caleb Fisher … Stu Spencer (96) … Amy Spitalnick … Washington Examiner’s Liam Quinn (35) 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 Playbook Daily Briefing producer Callan Tansill-Suddath.
| | | | A message from Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel: Nippon Steel will enhance the many strengths of U. S. Steel, including the company’s incredibly talented workforce which is central to its long-term success. As part of its vision, Nippon Steel has committed to the following:
· No job losses as a result of the transaction
· Honoring all agreements currently in place with the unions, including collective bargaining agreements, and actively working towards a close and productive working relationship with the unions
· Maintaining the U. S. Steel name and branding
· Maintaining company headquarters in Pittsburgh, preserving over 1,000 critical roles
· Maintaining existing manufacturing facilities
· No existing production or American jobs will shift overseas as a result of the transaction
By delivering the best products and supporting American workers, this is not only an investment in U. S. Steel, but in the broader American steel industry.
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