| | | | |  | | By Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels and Ryan Lizza | | | With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine
| | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | | WITH ENDORSERS LIKE THESE — Florida Gov. RON DeSANTIS privately criticized DONALD TRUMP and said he wouldn’t be Trump’s running mate on a call first obtained by the N.Y. Post’s Diana Glebova. DeSantis also indicated that SUSIE WILES had “an ax to grind” against him. Per NBC’s Henry Gomez, he said Trump would look for yes men in the White House, dismissed “identity politics” in the veepstakes and criticized conservative media for rolling over for Trump. “He could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and the conservative media wouldn’t even report on it that it had happened,” DeSantis said. Responded CHRIS LaCIVITA: “chicken fingers and pudding cups is what you will be remembered for you sad little man.” JUST PUBLISHED — “The Swiftboater Coming for Biden,” by N.Y. Mag’s David Freedlander: “Wiles and LaCivita have figured out that part of Trump’s appeal is the performance and that he can’t really be managed anyway … Instead, Wiles manages internal matters … while LaCivita plots the overall strategy.”
|  The GOP's latest nightmare scenario comes from Alabama, where the state’s high court found on Friday that the destruction of embryos constituted a crime under the state’s “wrongful death of a minor” law. | Kim Chandler/AP | GOP FACES IVF RULING BLOWBACK — If Republicans didn’t realize it when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, they sure understand now: The long tail of the Dobbs ruling just keeps whipping Republicans with thorny political consequences. The GOP's latest nightmare scenario comes from Alabama, where the state’s high court found on Friday that the destruction of embryos constituted a crime under the state’s “wrongful death of a minor” law. That has led the eighth-largest hospital in the nation to stop in vitro fertilization procedures indefinitely, with other health care providers likely to follow. Already, Republicans are being forced to answer for a policy that is not only out of step with public opinion on IVF but has very personal and potentially devastating consequences for the one in six Americans who struggle with fertility issues. The decision not only risks alienating swing voters but highlights how the consequences of Dobbs continue to crush Republicans up and down the ballot. “It certainly intersects badly with general election politics for Republicans,” STAN BARNES, a political consultant and former GOP Arizona state senator told our colleague Alice Miranda Ollstein. “When a state, any state, takes an aggressive action on this particular topic, people are once again made aware of it and many think: ‘Maybe I can’t support a Republican in the general election.’” The issue is already rearing its head on the campaign trail. Yesterday, 2024 hopeful NIKKI HALEY — who’s been open about her own struggles having children, used artificial insemination to conceive and lectured Republican for being too harsh on women who’ve had abortions — told she NBC she agrees with the Alabama ruling: “Embryos, to me, are babies.” Democrats, meanwhile, are on the attack. DCCC spokesperson NEBEYATT BETRE told Playbook that voters are “tired of Republicans' dangerous and blatantly anti-woman agenda,” and vowed that House Dem candidates will “make sure to continue holding Republicans accountable for their disastrous impact on women's rights." “This [Alabama] decision is yet another proofpoint that extremists are hellbent on stripping women of our reproductive freedoms and privacy any way possible,” Betre said. Full disclosure: One of Playbook’s authors underwent five rounds of IVF over the course of two years before the arrival of the joy of her life — a baby girl. As such, we’ve thought about the politics of all this a bunch … 1. For many of those who believe life begins at conception, the embryos created through IVF are babies. But plenty of anti-abortion conservatives have concluded that IVF is a way to create life, not destroy it. And many Republican voters who’ve suffered devastating losses in the effort to start a family have also undergone such treatments. One of those? Former VP MIKE PENCE, the staunch social conservative who’s been open about his family’s use of IVF. Pence told Playbook last year that he fully supports the practice. 2. It’s worth taking a second to think through the full implications of the Alabama ruling. During IVF, couples often produce several embryos in hopes that at least one will mature into cooing, chubby babies. Some embryos, however, are not found to be viable, and are never transferred. Requiring all IVF embryos to be used would mean forcing women to endure multiple pregnancies that will knowingly result in miscarriages — an experience we wouldn’t wish on our worst enemy. 3. Most immediately, aspiring parents in Alabama who have been trying to conceive for years — couples that have had to save tens of thousands of dollars for treatment and begun injecting themselves with drugs in preparation for their much-anticipated embryo transfer — are suddenly finding out that their dreams are, at best, delayed. The ruling could mean no IVF at all, some fear, in a state of 5 million people. That’d mean a whole host of working women who chose to have kids later in life may never know the joys of motherhood. Considering all of the above, you can easily see why former top Trump adviser and longtime ally KELLYANNE CONWAY has warned Republicans away from bans or limits on IVF — and, in fact, advised them to forcefully support such treatments. During a Capitol Hill briefing in December, as Alice reports, Conway shared polling that found that an overwhelming number of voters (86%!) support IVF — even those who consider themselves “pro-life” and evangelicals, 78% to 83%, respectively. “Candidates for Congress — and certainly those already serving there — can bank significant political currency by advocating for increased access to and availability of contraception and fertility treatments,” Conway’s team wrote in the memo. We’re not sure that her advice has sunk in yet. We reached out to the GOP’s congressional campaign committees yesterday to ask about the ruling and found that … 1. No one wanted to talk about this, underscoring that Republicans are still struggling with this matter. “As a general policy we don’t divulge private conversations about advising members to talk about issues in the press,” NRCC spokesman JACK PANDOL texted back when asked how the NRCC was counseling members on IVF. He didn’t respond to a question about what the NRCC thinks about the Alabama ruling. 2. If they did respond, they were a bit defensive. “There is not a single Republican Senate candidate in the entire country proposing a ban on IVF,” NRSC comms director MIKE BERG said. “It’s a state court in Alabama — not even a federal case. How is this ruling relevant to our candidates across the country?” added a GOP official who asked not to be named, arguing that if state rulings are the standard, the media should be making national Democrats answer for local judges who released migrants who beat up police officers without bail. That’s quite the subject change. We’ll see if voters buy it. Good Thursday 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. | | | JUST POSTED — “How Tim Scott Went From ‘Faith in America’ to Leading Role in Trumpworld,” by WSJ’s Eliza Collins: “‘I had hoped that the country was ready for a faith in America experience where we’re more optimistic, we’re looking towards the future,’ Scott told The Wall Street Journal Wednesday during a lunchtime interview at a steakhouse in his hometown. ‘What I learned on the campaign trail was people do want that, but they really want a bull in a china shop for a little while first.’” SCOTUS WATCH — “Supreme Court Seems Ready to Block a Biden Plan on Air Pollution,” by NYT’s Adam Liptak: “Several conservative justices were skeptical of the administration’s ‘good neighbor’ rule on cross-state pollution, meant to protect downwind states from harmful emissions.” ALEXANDER SMIRNOV TICK-TOCKS — After he was indicted for lying to the FBI about his Biden corruption claims, Smirnov is the subject of a pair of new stories trying to make sense of his wild story: NYT’s Glenn Thrush and Ken Vogel dig into the murky mysteries of his biography and longtime “double game” as a post-Soviet “profiteer, fixer and gossip.” CNN’s Evan Perez and Hannah Rabinowitz report that his alleged lying is raising new questions about the FBI’s cultivation of him as an informant. TUNE IN TODAY — POLITICO’s Governors Summit goes live at 8:30 a.m. in Washington. America’s governors are wielding more power, advancing policy more quickly and breaking from national party lines. Eugene will interview New Hampshire Gov. CHRIS SUNUNU. Other POLITICOs, including Heidi Przybyla and Alex Burns, will sit with Govs. BRIAN KEMP of Georgia, KATHY HOCHUL of New York, KEVIN STITT or Oklahoma, JARED POLIS of Colorado and BILL LEE of Tennessee. Topics? Bet on border security and migrants, energy and climate policy, health care and abortion, education and religion, as well as NATO and the Israel-Hamas conflict.Details on the full agenda
| | | | 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 … The House Freedom Caucus’ price for averting a government shutdown next week, you’ll not be shocked to learn, is nothing that has any chance of getting passed by the Democratic Senate or signed by a Democratic president. In lieu of the long litany of proposed policy riders contained in a letter yesterday to Speaker MIKE JOHNSON, the conservative firebrands are pushing a yearlong continuing resolution — forcing across-the-board spending cuts that even some Republicans are loath to accept. And remember, as long as the one-member motion to vacate persists, Johnson ignores them at his peril. At the White House President JOE BIDEN will participate in a campaign reception in Los Altos Hills, California. Later, he will return to the White House. VP KAMALA HARRIS will head to Grand Rapids, Michigan, for the latest stop on her “Fight for Reproductive Freedoms” tour, leading a roundtable at 2:45 p.m. before returning to Washington.
| | | | YOUR TICKET INSIDE THE GOLDEN STATE POLITICAL ARENA: California Playbook delivers the latest intel, buzzy scoops and exclusive coverage from Sacramento and Los Angeles to Silicon Valley and across the state. Don't miss out on the daily must-read for political aficionados and professionals with an outsized interest in California politics, policy and power. Subscribe today. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | | | 
Biden is throwing his backing behind Dutch PM Mark Rutte to be the next secretary-general of NATO. | John Thys/AFP | AMERICA AND THE WORLD BIG SCOOP — Biden is throwing his backing behind Dutch PM MARK RUTTE to be the next secretary-general of NATO, which could go a long way toward clearing the path for Rutte’s ascension, Alex Ward, Paul McLeary and Stuart Lau scooped last night. Despite some interest from top figures in Estonia and Latvia, Biden’s move comes as Rutte consolidates support in Europe: He could be anointed before the 75th-anniversary NATO summit in D.C. in July. But Rutte would need unanimous consent from every country, including frequent iconoclasts Hungary and Turkey. (So far he’s landed two-thirds.) If he takes over, Rutte of course would become a leading antagonist of Russian President VLADIMIR PUTIN. And Biden’s decision comes at a moment when support for NATO has reemerged as a major campaign issue in the U.S. presidential election. Rutte said this weekend that Europeans should stop complaining about Trump and that, independently of Trump’s criticisms, they should increase defense spending and step up Ukraine aid. More top reads:
- Middle East latest: CIA Director WILLIAM BURNS plans to go to Paris tomorrow for the latest Israel-Hamas war talks, per Axios’ Barak Ravid. A new epidemiological study warns that 85,000 more Palestinians could die in the next half-year if the war worsens, and even 6,500 more could die if a cease-fire were imposed now, NYT’s Stephanie Nolen reports. Meanwhile, a U.S. investigation of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency has likely validated Israeli claims about staffers’ participation in the Hamas attacks, but not bigger allegations about U.N. militant ties, WSJ’s Nancy Youssed, Jared Malsin and Warren Strobel scooped.
- To Russia, with love: “White House struggles to increase pressure on Russia as options dwindle,” by Jonathan Lemire, Alex Ward and Eli Stokols: “The administration is considering three main options, two economic and one military … The U.S. could add more sanctions on Russia as well as shut down the ways Moscow evades current penalties … The other idea is to pump Ukraine full of more advanced weaponry.”
- The next detainee problem? KSENIA KARELINA, a Russian-American dual citizen and esthetician in Beverly Hills, is now behind bars in Russia on suspicion of treason. Her loved ones tell WSJ’s Scott Calvert and Kate Vtorygina that she is innocent and should be released. Her workplace says she had merely donated $52 to a Ukrainian charity, CNN’s Sebastian Shukla, Nathan Hodge, Anna Chernova, Maria Kostenko and Christian Edwards report.
- Reps. MIKE GALLAGHER (R-Wis.), RAJA KRISHNAMOORTHI (D-Ill.) and others have landed in Taiwan for a visit. More from NBC
THE WHITE HOUSE
|  In addition to weighing ideas to raise the credible fear threshold and deport migrants more quickly, Biden is considering essentially foreclosing asylum to border-crossers. | Sean Rayford/Getty Images | IMMIGRATION FILES — The White House is discussing taking major new executive action to try to clamp down on immigration, stepping into the congressional breach with potential moves that would transform the asylum system, CNN’s Priscilla Alvarez and MJ Lee report. In addition to weighing ideas to raise the credible fear threshold and deport migrants more quickly, Biden is considering tapping the 212(f) authority to essentially foreclose asylum to border-crossers between ports of entry if numbers hit a certain threshold. That was one of the key conservative planks in the package that fell apart on the Hill; it would depart from longtime U.S. policy to “give anyone who steps onto U.S. soil the right to ask for safe haven,” the NYT notes. It’s far from settled what policies Biden would include in any executive action. Declaring a national emergency is another idea in the mix, to help get more funding. Announcements could come soon, possibly timed before his State of the Union speech. The consideration of Trump-esque policies, once unthinkable from a Democratic president, shows how much the politics of immigration — and the situation at the border — have shifted. And such moves would provoke a big backlash from progressives and immigrant advocates. More top reads:
- Biden uncorked: At a San Francisco fundraiser, Biden called Putin a “crazy SOB,” per Bloomberg, said climate change is the true existential threat, and blasted Trump’s response to ALEXEI NAVALNY’s death. He also said current Republican members of Congress are worse than STROM THURMOND, per the White House pool: “These guys do not believe in basic democratic principles.”
- “It’s an election year, and Biden’s team is signaling a more aggressive posture toward the press,” by AP’s David Bauder: “It’s not quite ‘enemy of the people’ territory. But it is noticeable.”
| | | | A message from Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel:   NIPPON STEEL & U. S. STEEL: SECURING THE LONG-TERM FUTURE OF UNION JOBS | | | 2024 WATCH POLL POSITION — Quinnipiac, which has had some of the best results for Biden, finds him leading Trump 49% to 45% nationally — a smaller advantage than their last poll. HOT ON THE LEFT — Rep. RO KHANNA (D-Calif.) is heading to Michigan to meet with frustrated Muslim and Arab American leaders ahead of the presidential primary, per CBS’ Aaron Navarro and Allison Novello. He’ll be doing so in a personal capacity, not as a Biden surrogate. MORE POLITICS
|  A new internal poll from Rep. David Trone's (D-Md.) Senate campaign finds Trone leading Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks 49% to 32%. | Brian Witte/AP | FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — It’s not every cycle that Maryland commands a lot of national political attention. But high-profile open seats this year could draw big money and some hard-fought campaigns. We’ve got some exclusive news on a couple of fronts: A new internal poll from Rep. DAVID TRONE’s (D-Md.) Senate campaign, conducted by Hickman Analytics, finds Trone leading Prince George’s County Executive ANGELA ALSOBROOKS 49% to 32% among likely voters in the May primary. Notably, about half of Democratic primary voters have a favorable opinion of GOP frontrunner LARRY HOGAN, though that number has dipped since last year. The survey finds Hogan peeling off 17% of likely Dem primary voters against Trone in November and 22% against Alsobrooks. The polling memo Democrats are hoping Gov. WES MOORE can help take the wind out of Hogan’s sails, Axios’ Stephen Neukam reports: He’s planning to go on offense to criticize his predecessor’s performance in office. In the 3rd Congressional District Democratic primary, former Capitol Police Officer HARRY DUNN — who became nationally known after the Jan. 6 attack — is making a big splash. Today he’s rolling out endorsements from Democratic Reps. ADAM SCHIFF (Calif.), BENNIE THOMPSON (Miss.), ERIC SWALWELL (Calif.) and JASMINE CROCKETT (Texas). And the latest campaign finance filings show that Dunn pulled in a whopping $2.75 million across just three weeks, putting him way out ahead in the money race for the safe Democratic seat. More top reads:
- Whoa: The Teamsters gave $45,000 to the RNC, WaPo’s Lauren Kaori Gurley scooped. That’s more than the $30,000 they gave to the DNC, though the union — which has yet to endorse in the presidential race — is still mostly supporting Democrats.
- In an unusually candid and emotional interview, AMY BROWN — the wife of Nevada GOP Senate contender SAM BROWN — told NBC’s Natasha Korecki about her experience having an abortion at 24. Though she regrets the decision, Amy Brown said it gave her more empathy for other women; Sam Brown said he opposes a national ban and supports Nevada’s 24-week limit, as well as state-by-state decisions.
- Democracy watch: “West Virginia’s top election official embraces conspiracy theories and election denial,” by NBC’s Kevin Collier
- “New Matt Schlapp Subpoenas Target Document-Shredding at CPAC,” by The Daily Beast’s Roger Sollenberger … Meanwhile, MATT SCHLAPP said CPAC would deny credentials to journalists from outlets they deemed left-wing.
JUDICIARY SQUARE MYPILLOW TALK — “My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell must pay $5 million to election data debunker, federal judge confirms,” by CNN’s Katelyn Polantz VALLEY TALK GO GETTR — “With Its Top Investor in Jail, a Pro-Trump Social Media Site Suffers Mass Layoffs,” by Mother Jones’ Dan Friedman: “Gettr was promoted by MAGA heavies like STEVE BANNON and JASON MILLER. It’s now close to shutting down, sources say.” POLICY CORNER GREEN TRANSITION FEELING BLUE — “Biden’s sweeping green vision crashes into reality,” by Zack Colman: “Biden’s hopes for an electric-car takeover of America’s highways are running into speed bumps — amid weaker-than-expected sales and uncertainty over how the green agenda is playing in the crucial swing state of Michigan. And now his regulators are poised to ease back the throttle.”
| | | | 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 | | Commander Biden is still being a bad boy. Vladimir Putin gave Kim Jong Un a new armored presidential limo. Will Stancil is running for the Minnesota state House. Elon Musk visited the White House last year. Jimmy Carter now has an official White House Christmas ornament. Naomi Biden’s Secret Service limo break-in has led to an arrest. OUT AND ABOUT — The Motion Picture Association co-hosted a screening of “Io Capitano” last night with the State Department, the Italian Embassy, Italian Screens and the Middleburg Film Festival. SPOTTED: Linda Camaj, Michael Curtis, Ted Johnson, Susan Koch, Polish Ambassador Marek Magierowski, Marco Margheri, Stan McCoy, Slovenian Ambassador Iztok Mirošič, Lee Satterfield, Roberto Stabile, Italian Ambassador Mariangela Zappia, John Mercurio and Emily Lenzner. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Zack Condry and Erik Hotmire are launching Watermark Strategies, a corporate affairs consulting firm. Condry most recently founded and ran Echo, and is an Everest Communications and Brunswick Group alum. Hotwire previously was at FGS Global and is a Teneo, Brunswick and SEC alum. TRANSITIONS — Glenn Reynolds is now VP of government affairs for North America and head of the Washington office at Nokia. He most recently was VP for technology policy at the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions, and is an NTIA alum. … The Human Rights Campaign is adding Orlando Gonzales as SVP for programs, research and training and Stephanie Osborn as COO. Gonzales most recently was executive director of SAVE and the SAVE Foundation. Osborn most recently was COO of the Institute for Women’s Policy Research. … … Wendy Sammons-Jackon is joining Cornerstone Government Affairs’ federal government relations team. She previously was acting deputy principal assistant for research and technology for the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command. … Shannon Kellman is now senior adviser in the U.S. Liaison Office of UNAIDS. She most recently was senior policy director at Friends of the Global Fight Against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. … Alex Edwards is now a senior associate at Invariant. He previously was an associate at Glen Echo Group. BIRTHWEEK (was yesterday): Georgetown’s Alejandro Werner HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (R-N.Y.) … Bob Bauer … Hugh Hewitt … David Axelrod … Kristen Soltis Anderson … Rodney Hood … Alex Slater … POLITICO’s Heidi Sommer and Eric Bazail-Eimil … AARP’s Martha Boudreau and Dan Gilgoff … Alyssa Mastromonaco … Caroline Donlon of the House Rules Committee … Peter Siegal of Norton Rose Fulbright … Jennifer Poersch … Protect Democracy’s Chris Crawford … Ed Brookover … Viet Dinh … MSNBC’s Dan Holway … CNN’s Laurie Ure …TikTok’s Elizabeth Oblinger … AP’s Michael Biesecker … Ryan Eaton … Jay Driscoll … Liz Glover … Ellis Brachman … Shawn Martin … Marissa Lang … Lauren Bates … Yvesner Zamar … Dave LesStrang … NBC’s Keir Simmons … former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist … Alan Katz … former Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) … John Gibson … Courtney Veatch … former Reps. John Bryant (D-Texas), Harley Staggers Jr. (D-W.Va.) and David Skaggs (D-Colo.) … Jim Friedlich … Ellen Fredrick … Danielle Bella Ellison … Raymond Tynkila (1-0-1) 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.
Please read important information. | | | | | | | 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