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Presented by Google: POLITICO's must-read briefing on what's driving the afternoon in Washington. | | | | | |  | | By Rachael Bade, Eli Okun and Garrett Ross | | | ABOUT THE WEDNESDAY DEADLINE — Senate Majority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER this morning appeared to soften his Wednesday infrastructure deadline, kinda-sorta. On the Senate floor this morning, Schumer now says the bipartisan working group can keep negotiating over the weekend — but only if Republicans vote to proceed to the bill Wednesday. “It is not a final deadline for legislative text. It is not a cynical ploy. It is not a fish-or-cut-bait moment. It’s not an attempt to jam anyone. It’s only a signal that the Senate is ready to get the process started.” “This week’s vote is an honest attempt to get something done, to get the ball rolling,” Schumer added. “I am giving the maximum amount of flexibility to our Senate colleagues who are negotiating this bill.” Will this work for the GOP? Unlikely. They want the legislative text finished before moving to the vote. MEANWHILE … HOUSE DEMOCRATS ARE LOSING PATIENCE. Our colleagues covering the House have been dishing out a bunch of juicy fodder this week on House Democrats trashing the bipartisan deal, starting with House Transportation Chair PETER DEFAZIO (Ore.). This morning, Speaker NANCY PELOSI acknowledged that the House is likely going to want to put their imprint on the BIF rather than swallow it wholesale. Then there’s this: As Schumer was allowing for a little more time to finish details, Congressional Progressive Caucus leader PRAMILA JAYAPAL (D-Wash.) was saying if Republicans filibuster the deal Wednesday, “we’re going to have to move forward” alone. Our colleagues Marianne LeVine and Burgess Everett have the latest details on the bipartisan negotiations: “[S]ome in the group privately say the talks are likely to drag into next week given the size and scale of both the potential bill — with nearly $600 billion new spending — as well as disagreements over how to pay for it.” That is … if Schumer lets them. Press secretary JEN PSAKI this afternoon lauded the negotiators’ work but said that the White House backs Schumer’s efforts to move as quickly as possible: “Why not? This is a motion to proceed. It is not a final vote on the legislation.” Sens. JOE MANCHIN (D-W.Va.) and JON TESTER (D-Mont.) sounded fairly optimistic on a deal coming together by tomorrow, saying negotiators had made progress. A GOP source familiar with the talks was much more pessimistic, saying a lot of work remains. Good Tuesday afternoon. | | A message from Google: Google blocks 100 million phishing attempts every day. To keep hackers out of your inbox, Gmail uses industry-leading technology to automatically detect threats, blocking more than 99.9% of spam, phishing attempts, and malware from ever reaching you. Learn more. | | | JUST WHEN THINGS WERE LOOKING UP — “Delta variant poses major risk to Biden’s promises of swift economic comeback,” by WaPo’s Jeff Stein and Heather Long: “The administration is closely monitoring the economic risks associated with the delta variant, and senior U.S. officials have in recent days suggested that local restrictions may have to be reimposed in response to the pandemic. … Fears are in particular intensifying over whether the delta variant will hurt the global economy … “Other leading analysts are also beginning to get nervous. … Even with the renewed concerns, many economists stressed that the U.S. economic growth outlook is stronger than it has been in years. … One senior Biden administration official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal thinking, said officials still see key economic indicators — such as frequency of flights and restaurant spending — climbing back to pre-pandemic levels.” — CDC Director ROCHELLE WALENSKY told a Senate panel this morning that the Delta variant now accounts for 83% of cases being sequenced in the U.S., a steep rise over just the past few weeks. — It turns out that, until this weekend, one of the country’s highest-ranking Republican was among the vaccine holdouts: House Minority Whip STEVE SCALISE. Nola.com’s Tyler Bridges has the story: “Scalise received his first Pfizer vaccination on Sunday at an Ochsner clinic in Jefferson Parish. Why? ‘Especially with the delta variant becoming a lot more aggressive and seeing another spike, it was a good time to do it,’ he said in an interview.” HEADS UP — “White House official, Pelosi aide test positive for COVID,” by Axios’ Hans Nichols: “[B]oth individuals are vaccinated and mildly symptomatic … The Pelosi staffer helped usher a delegation of Democratic Texas lawmakers around the Capitol last week. … Both that staffer and the White House official were at the same rooftop reception at the Hotel Eaton last Wednesday night. The White House official has not had any recent direct contact with President Biden. The Pelosi aide did not have any contact with the speaker since that person’s exposure.” — The Hill’s @scottwongdc: “Lots of masks back on in the Capitol today. Feels like a huge step back.” ON THE GROUND IN OHIO — “A House Race in Cleveland Captures the Democrats’ Generational Divide,” by NYT’s Jonathan Weisman in Warrensville Heights: “For [Nina] Turner to win, she needs people like Dewayne Williams, 31 and formerly incarcerated, who came out in the rain on Saturday to the Gas on God Community Giveaway, for $10 worth of free gas in one of Cleveland’s most dangerous neighborhoods. ‘I’m just young, don’t know much about politics, but I know she’s a good woman,’ Mr. Williams said, growing emotional after Ms. Turner leaned into his car to give him a hug. .. “At Alfred Grant’s motorcycle shop in Bedford, Ohio, where [Shontel] Brown was dropping by a show of motorcycle muscle on Saturday night, older Black voters backed her campaign’s assessment of Ms. Turner: You either love her or you really don’t. ‘It seems to me that Nina tends to work for herself more than working together,’ Roberta Reed said. ‘I mean, I need people who are going to work together to make it all whole.’” 2022 WATCH — “Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes enters crowded 2022 Democratic race for U.S. Senate,” Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: “Barnes joined a crowded field of Democratic contenders eager to take on Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson next year. … [I]n remarks he promised to push for family-supporting jobs, bolster healthcare, tackle climate change and ‘protect our democracy and the right to vote.’ Barnes, 34, has enjoyed a swift political rise.” Launch video — KAROLINE LEAVITT, a 23-year-old Trump White House and Elise Stefanik alum, is jumping into the race against Rep. CHRIS PAPPAS in New Hampshire’s swingy 1st Congressional District. And she’s got quite a striking launch video to kick things off, leading with her accidental suspension from Twitter: “Everywhere you look, conservatives, myself included, are being censored and silenced.” The three-and-a-half-minute video | | | | STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president’s ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today. | | | | | PULLOUT FALLOUT — “U.S. in final talks to house Afghan interpreters at Qatar, Kuwait military bases,” by Lara Seligman and Andrew Desiderio: “Additional applicants could be relocated to U.S. military bases in Qatar and Kuwait if the host nations agree, said two U.S. officials and a congressional source. Neither country has approved the U.S. request to host the Afghan nationals, but an agreement is ‘close,’ [a U.S. official] said. “The Qatar and Kuwait arrangements are ‘basically done deals,’ said the congressional source, adding that the armed services committees have been informed of the plan. The Biden administration is also looking at U.S. bases elsewhere in the Middle East, Europe and the Asia-Pacific to house additional applicants at different stages in the process.” BEHIND THE SCENES — “U.S.-Asia Digital Pact Held Up by Squabble Among Biden Officials,” by WSJ’s Bob Davis: “National Security Council and State Department officials want to set rules for digital trade in Asia, which could include cross-border flows of information, digital privacy and standards for the use of artificial intelligence in Asia … The proposed pact would be open to U.S. allies in the Asia-Pacific region. It would exclude China … “U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai has urged an approach that recognizes potential opposition from Congressional Democrats and labor allies, said people familiar with their thinking. She is concerned about setting priorities in trade policy and maintaining what she calls a ‘worker-centered’ approach. … [P]eople familiar said there were disagreements over how to proceed between Ms. Tai and NSC officials including Asia coordinator Kurt Campbell.” NEW TALLY OF THE MYSTERY AFFLICTION — “As many as 200 Americans have now reported possible symptoms of ‘Havana Syndrome,’ officials say,” by NBC’s Ken Dilanian, Josh Lederman and Courtney Kube: “[A] steady drumbeat of cables has been coming in from overseas posts reporting new incidents — often multiple times each week. A recent and previously unreported incident in Berlin cut short at least one diplomat’s term in Germany … Another person who was briefed this month about recent incidents said, ‘It is global — but there seems to be an awful lot going on in Europe.’ “Officials with direct knowledge said there are now possible cases on every continent except Antarctica. In the past year, officials said, more than one American in the Central Asian country of Kyrgyzstan has experienced symptoms, including a baby. Almost half of the possible cases involve CIA officers or their relatives, two officials said, while about 60 involve Defense Department employees or relatives, and around 50 were linked to the State Department.” PEGASUS PROJECT LATEST — “U.S. and E.U. security officials wary of NSO links to Israeli intelligence,” by WaPo’s Shane Harris and Souad Mekhennet: “Officials and analysts say the Israeli surveillance tech firm makes a world-class product, but some suspect a relationship with Israel’s government.” PLAYING DEFENSE — “New cybersecurity order issued for U.S. pipeline operators,” AP THE REALITY BEHIND THE RHETORIC — “The Meaningless Money Pledge Democrats Love to Take,” by The Daily Beast’s Roger Sollenberger: “One hundred and fifty-five Democratic candidates for Congress took the pledge in 2020, vowing that they would not accept any corporate PAC money. But there’s a reason so many were willing to take that stand: because it’s largely meaningless. “Take Rep. Cindy Axne (D-IA), for example. You may think pledging to not accept corporate PAC money means Axne hasn’t taken a dime from businesses or special interests, but that would be far from correct. For Axne, who sits on the Financial Services Committee and the Agriculture panel, the money still found a way into her campaign coffers. The second-term lawmaker has actually received tens of thousands of dollars from corporate executives—and hundreds of thousands of dollars from donors in the financial world.” | | | | Be a Policy Pro. POLITICO Pro has a free policy resource center filled with our best practices on building relationships with state and federal representatives, demonstrating ROI, and influencing policy through digital storytelling. Read our free guides today . | | | | | TRANSPARENCY TRACKER — “Justice Department seeks 50-year bar to release of grand jury material,” by WaPo’s Devlin Barrett: “The Justice Department is pushing for rule changes that would put a 50-year delay on when courts can consider releasing material from federal grand juries … and would separately allow gag orders to be applied more broadly to witnesses. “While the recommendations were made during the Trump administration, President Biden’s Justice Department is still seeking the changes, even as critics oppose what they say would be a significant expansion of secrecy around federal courts and investigations. … If such a rule had been in place during Watergate, the grand jury material that was released to Congress in the early 1970s, or publicly in the last decade, might not have been available until 2023 or 2024.” BEYOND THE BELTWAY — “A $280M handout for baseball? Secret California budget item might juice Oakland project,” by Debra Kahn in Oakland: “Gov. Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers quietly approved the funds weeks ago, and the money has stayed under the radar ahead of a pivotal Oakland City Council vote Tuesday on the stadium’s future — a decision that the A’s and Major League Baseball insist could determine whether the team remains after 53 years in the city.” BLUNT FORCE — “Amazon endorsed legal weed. Will it now fight to make it happen?” by Natalie Fertig and Theo Meyer: “Lobbyists for legalization are pinning their hopes on Amazon using its experienced lobbying team and deep pockets to support their efforts, believing it could help them launch ad campaigns and persuade lawmakers opposed to legalization — especially those who represent states where cannabis is legal — to change their minds. “Cannabis lobbyists and advocates who have spoken with Amazon made it clear that the company is already engaging in cannabis discussions in Washington, D.C. Whether Amazon actively lobbies or invests monetarily in legislation is the question on everyone’s minds.” IN MEMORIAM — “John P. McMeel, Newspaper Syndicator With a Difference, Dies at 85,” by NYT’s Penelope Green: “He and his business partner started in a basement, recruited a Yale student cartoonist named Garry Trudeau, and built the largest company of its kind.” BOOK CLUB — Stacey Abrams will publish her first picture book, “Stacey’s Extraordinary Words,” on Dec. 28 from Balzer + Bray. It’s based on Abrams’ experiences in spelling bees as a kid. MEDIA MOVE — Paul Cheung has been named CEO of the Center for Public Integrity. He most recently was director of journalism and technology at the Knight Foundation. More from Poynter TRANSITIONS — RaShawn Mitchell is now an SVP at Rich Feuer Anderson, helping lead its expansion into the energy, ESG, gaming and tax sectors. He most recently was senior director at the American Gaming Association, and is a Joe Cunningham and Obama administration alum. … Danny O’Brien is now a senior fellow at the Filecoin Foundation. He previously was director of strategy at the Electronic Frontier Foundation. … … Austin Matheny is now a comms manager at Oceana. He previously was a press secretary with Indiana’s Senate Democrats. … John Haley will be AVP of government affairs at Unum. He previously was the Washington representative for government relations at the Tennessee Valley Authority. WELCOME TO THE WORLD — OBAMA ALUMNI: JP Schnapper-Casteras, partner at Schnapper-Casteras PLLC, and Tamara Klajn, a Princeton Ph.D. candidate and Obama State Department alum, on Wednesday welcomed Alexander Schnapper Casteras Klajn, who came in at 8 lbs, 6 oz. 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