| | | | |  | | By Eli Okun | Presented by ExxonMobil | |  | THE CATCH-UP | | THEY’RE IN — “No Labels delegates vote to move forward with presidential ticket,” Shia Kapos and Daniel Lippman scoop HE’S OUT — Rep. MATT ROSENDALE (R-Mont.) has gone quickly from running for Senate to running for reelection to, now, not running at all: He cited the toll of a death threat and “defamatory rumors” against him and his family in choosing to withdraw from his House race.
|  Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Republicans need to answer whether the government will shut down at midnight. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | CLOCK’S TICKING — The Senate still needs to clear the six-bill spending “minibus” by midnight to avoid a partial government shutdown, and it’s not a foregone conclusion that they’ll be able to get there. As of early afternoon — with conservatives pushing for amendment votes on earmarks, immigration and other issues — the two parties hadn’t yet reached an agreement. Senate Majority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER pinned the onus squarely on Republicans, and Caitlin Emma reports that the vibes are bad in the chamber. Burgess Everett predicts that votes could go late tonight, though avoiding a shutdown is still likelier than not. Even if no deal is reached, the bill has the votes to pass eventually once all the procedural hurdles are jumped — likely sometime tomorrow. “I would urge my colleagues to stop playing with fire here,” Senate Appropriations Vice Chair SUSAN COLLINS (R-Maine) said on the Senate floor. On the other side of the Capitol, Speaker MIKE JOHNSON told Punchbowl’s Jake Sherman that he remains solely focused on appropriations and hasn’t given any promises on a foreign aid/immigration policy bill. MORE SOTU FALLOUT — The day after a State of the Union, there’s always a mixture of celebration and cleanup. Among the notable details that stood out to us today:
- On the heels of President JOE BIDEN’s aggressive speech, which was largely praised by Democrats for counteracting concerns about his fitness, the Biden campaign is leaping full force into the sprint to November. They announced a huge $30 million ad campaign kicking off tomorrow that will hit TV and digital for six weeks, contrasting Biden’s vision with DONALD TRUMP’s, Elena Schneider reports. The reelect is hiring hundreds more staffers as Biden, VP KAMALA HARRIS, first lady JILL BIDEN and second gentleman DOUG EMHOFF plan to travel to every swing state in March.
- After Biden got progressive pushback over using the noun “illegal” to refer to an undocumented immigrant, campaign co-chair MITCH LANDRIEU said on CNN today that “he probably should have used a different word, and I think he would know that.”
- Foreign policy watchers noted Biden’s full-throated focus on Ukraine, which thrilled European capitals — but otherwise they felt a bit let down by his sections on Israel, China and more, Nahal Toosi reports. Meanwhile, in a post-speech clip that went viral today, Biden seems to recount to Sen. MICHAEL BENNET (D-Colo.) of Israeli PM BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, “I told him, ‘Bibi,’ don’t repeat this, but I said, ‘you and I are going to have a come to Jesus moment.’”
Happy Friday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me a line at eokun@politico.com.
| | | | A message from ExxonMobil: The world needs ways to reduce carbon emissions. At ExxonMobil, we’re working on solutions in our own operations – like carbon capture and clean energy from hydrogen – that could also help in other industries like manufacturing, commercial transportation and power generation, too. Helping deliver heavy industry with low emissions. | | | | | 9 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW | | |  The latest jobs report is more good news for President Joe Biden. | Shawn Thew - Pool/Getty Images | 1. JOBS DAY: The labor market once again defied expectations in February, adding 275,000 jobs as it remains a pillar of the post-pandemic economic recovery. The new Labor Department data out today came in hotter than economists’ predictions, amounting to the 38th month in a row that the economy has added jobs. It’s more good news for Biden right as he seeks to pivot to a more aggressive general-election footing and sell skeptical voters on the economy. (“The great American comeback continues,” he declared in a statement.) The labor market’s ongoing resilience despite the Fed’s sustained campaign of higher interest rates has helped shield the country from recession, and it’s a big reason why the U.S. has outshone other economies in the bounceback over the past few years. The latest numbers also contained some hopeful signs for inflation pressures, as wage growth slowed to 0.1% over January. More from the WSJ One caveat … The unemployment ticked up from 3.7% to 3.9%, its highest mark in two years. 2. MIDDLE EAST LATEST: After Biden announced a big plan to create a port for humanitarian aid to get into Gaza amid the Israel-Hamas war, other allies jumped on board the plan for a maritime route today, including the U.K., the EU and the United Arab Emirates, per NYT’s Monika Pronczuk and Aaron Boxerman. That will provide crucial support for the urgent effort, which could begin with deliveries as soon as this weekend but also remains an uncertain and risky endeavor as Palestinians face a hunger crisis. With cease-fire negotiations at a standstill, this amounts to a significant test for the U.S. and its allies, having failed to persuade Israel to get more aid in, WSJ’s Sune Engel Rasmussen and Laurence Norman write. In a tragic example of how fragile these aid efforts are, an airdrop of aid appeared to kill five people in Gaza today when a parachute didn’t deploy, CBS’ Haley Ott and Marwan al-Ghoul report. DOD said it wasn’t a U.S. plane, per Lara Seligman. Related read: “How a brief exchange in a call explains the strained Biden-Netanyahu relationship,” by CNN’s MJ Lee and Kevin Liptak 3. IT’S OFFICIAL: The RNC is fully in Trump’s pocket now, as the party voted today to elect MICHAEL WHATLEY as national chair and LARA TRUMP as co-chair at the former president’s direction. “With Trump’s blessing, [CHRIS] LaCIVITA is promising to enact sweeping changes and staffing moves at every level of the RNC to ensure it runs seamlessly as an extension of the Trump campaign,” AP’s Steve Peoples and Michelle Price report in Houston. “This isn’t just about right versus left, Republican versus Democrat,” Lara Trump declared. “It’s about good versus evil.” “The fact of the matter is not a penny of the RNC’s money or, for that matter, the campaign’s money has gone or will go to pay [Trump’s] legal fees,” LaCivita told the AP. HENRY BARBOUR added to Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser that even though his resolution to that effect didn’t succeed, he’s satisfied the RNC money won’t be used for Trump’s legal fees. Meanwhile, an effort to censure NIKKI HALEY at the RNC meeting failed to come up for a vote, per Natalie Allison.
| | | | On the ground in Albany. Get critical policy news and analysis inside New York State. Track how power brokers are driving change across legislation and budget and impacting lobbying efforts. Learn more. | | | | | 4. TROUBLE AT THE HELSINKI COMMISSION: “A Washington Bulwark Against Putin Is Being Rocked by Internal Strife. Is It Simple Dysfunction — or Something Worse?” by Michael Schaffer: “[A] leaked memo from the Commission’s current, GOP-appointed staff director accused his Democratic-appointed predecessor of improperly helping Ukraine, leading to embarrassing headlines. Compounding the sense of chaos, the former staff director … says it’s retaliation for his own complaints about the successor’s management.” 5. INSIDE THE WHITE HOUSE: “That one last phone call Joe Biden always needs to make,” by WaPo’s Tyler Pager: “There is no one he trusts like a fellow politician. Biden’s staffers have immense experience and expertise, but when he is faced with a complex or volatile decision, Biden is unwilling to take the final leap until he has talked to someone who intimately knows, and is accountable to, the American voter. And so, Biden will often interject during policy conversations with a simple question, ‘What about the political support for this?’” 6. TALES FROM THE CRYPTO: Republicans could get a big boost from the cryptocurrency industry in the critical Montana and Ohio Senate races, NYT’s Shane Goldmacher reports. A trio of crypto super PACs, sitting on $80 million in the bank, said they’ll get involved in those races plus the Democratic Senate primaries in Maryland and Michigan. Though Fairshake spokesman JOSH VLASTO didn’t specify which side the groups will support, vulnerable Democratic incumbents JON TESTER and especially SHERROD BROWN have been prominent crypto skeptics. The crypto industry is also celebrating Democratic Rep. KATIE PORTER’s defeat in the California Senate primary. Meanwhile … Former Sen. ROB PORTMAN today backed MATT DOLAN in the Ohio GOP Senate primary, per AP’s Julie Carr Smyth. 7. INTERESTING DYNAMIC: As the Biden campaign works to elevate the visibility of “Project 2025” as a boogeyman, it’s seeing big engagement on TikTok, Semafor’s Shelby Talcott reports. Highlighting the Heritage Foundation’s big project not only helps the Biden reelect draw attention to the radical policy shifts that would come in a second Trump term; it “offers the kind of shadowy, string-pulling villain that often figures prominently in online discussion.” 8. HOSTILE CLIMATE: SEC Chair GARY GENSLER has carved out a position as Biden’s most aggressive financial regulator, who is no stranger to picking fights. But now it’s Gensler “getting dragged into a wave of political and legal battles that he has spent the last two years trying to avoid. And among his biggest antagonists are his longtime boosters — climate activists,” Declan Harty reports. “Some of Gensler’s staunchest allies are accusing him of bowing to corporate pressure and scaling back a landmark effort to require thousands of companies to report extensive information about their climate risks.” 9. THE END OF REALITY: “Fake images made to show Trump with Black supporters highlight concerns around AI and elections,” by AP’s Matt Brown and David Klepper: “The photos, which have not been linked to the Trump campaign, … provide further evidence to support warnings that the use of AI-generated imagery will only increase as the November general election approaches.”
| | | | 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 | | Rand Paul dangled a possible Senate GOP leadership bid. Donald Trump’s golden sneakers got the Derek Guy treatment. Alina Habba posted a $92 million bond to cover E. Jean Carroll’s defamation judgment against Trump. Joe Biden will sit for an interview with Jonathan Capehart airing on MSNBC tomorrow and Sunday. Virginia Foxx wants more MIT documents in her antisemitism probe. OUT AND ABOUT — Boys & Girls Clubs of America recognized Sens. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Reps. Carol Miller (R-W.Va.) and Nikema Williams (D-Ga.) with the 2024 Champion of Youth award at a reception Wednesday evening in the Dirksen Senate Office Building. Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) received the 2024 Lifetime Hero Award. Also SPOTTED: Jim Clark, Chris Abele and Georgia Godfrey. — The future Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum hosted a dinner at the National Postal Museum on Wednesday night to celebrate Women’s History Month, featuring a panel discussion about legacy with Anita McBride and Ashley Etienne moderated by Rachel Scott. SPOTTED: Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Reps. Grace Meng (D-N.Y.), Lois Frankel (D-Fla.), Judy Chu (D-Calif.), Hillary Scholten (D-Mich.), Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.) and Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), Spencer Abraham, Melanie Adams, Jane Abraham, Elliot Gruber, Lynda Carter, Julissa Marenco, Monique Chism, Pat Mitchell and New York state Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes. — Events DC hosted its 2024 Embassy Chef Challenge last night at Union Station, where embassy chefs showcased food and drink from their home countries to compete for awards given by attendees and a panel of judges. Jovana Urriola of the Panamanian Embassy took first place in the Judge’s Choice category for Panamanian-style Afro Caribbean Chicken Tamale Dumplings. Damain Leach and Ann Marie Leach of the Barbadian Embassy took home first place in the audience vote with their Curry Lamb and Breadfruit Coucou and Bajan Sweet Bread. Darwin Banegas of the Peruvian Embassy won the Best Beverage Award for a Peruvian Chica Morada. Pic TRANSITIONS — Doug Calidas is now SVP of government affairs at Americans for Responsible Innovation. He will continue to be a fellow at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center, and is an Amy Klobuchar alum. … Caleb Brock is now a digital strategist at Ravenna Strategies. He previously was a digital consultant for Democratic clients, and is a Humanity Forward and Progressive Change Campaign Committee alum. 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 ExxonMobil: Heavy industry accounts for nearly 30% of global carbon emissions. For these businesses, setting and achieving meaningful carbon-reduction goals can be complex. At ExxonMobil, we’ve been working on reducing our own carbon emissions. At our Baytown plant, one of the world’s largest integrated refining and petrochemical operations, we’re working to deploy hydrogen power and carbon capture to reduce emissions by up to 30%. Now, we’re taking solutions like these to others in heavy industry. Using our technologies, we can help these businesses create a plan to make similar reductions. And together, we can deliver a lower-emissions future. Let's deliver. | | | | | | | 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 politics and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
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