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Presented by Google: POLITICO's must-read briefing on what's driving the afternoon in Washington. | | | | | |  | | By Ryan Lizza, Eli Okun and Garrett Ross | | | Lots of news this afternoon. Get used to it. It will be like this all month. Senate Majority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER spoke on the Senate floor earlier today. Highlights: — Reconciliation update: Schumer says committees in the House and Senate will indeed meet their Wednesday deadline for having legislative text. The next step is for chairs to brief the entire caucus, which will offer feedback. Amid the happy talk from Schumer, there was no news on how the well-known divisions over taxes, health care, climate and the overall price tag will be settled. Schumer directed a shot at Republicans who oppose the legislation claiming that they are concerned about inflation, but the comment could just as easily be meant for Sen. JOE MANCHIN (D-W.Va.). Schumer: “[A]ccording to Moody’s top economist, hardly a fervent liberal, the Democrats’ proposals will actually ease inflation pressures, not raise them.” — Voting rights. Fire up the houseboat! Senate Democrats today unveiled their new compromise version of election reform, voting rights and ethics legislation. Schumer noted they’ve managed to get Manchin and other moderates on board. Schumer said he intends to hold a vote on the bill “as soon as next week.” As we recently reported, Manchin has been shopping a draft of the bill to Republicans, trying to secure support from 10 GOP senators to overcome a filibuster. (Gonna be some late nights on Almost Heaven!) Schumer wished Manchin luck on his quixotic mission: “He has always said that he wants to try and bring Republicans on, and now, with the support of Democrats and this compromise bill — which Sen. Manchin had great input into — he can go forward in that regard.” NPR breaks down what’s in the bill — Debt ceiling. Schumer reiterated that the vote to raise the debt ceiling would have to be a bipartisan endeavor — he insists Dems are not going back and putting it into reconciliation — and torched Senate Minority Leader MITCH MCCONNELL for whipping his conference against supporting a debt hike: “Some Republicans, recklessly, irresponsibly, so overwhelmingly politically, seem eager to push our economy to the brink of total catastrophe by suggesting they will oppose any effort to raise the debt ceiling. And rather than urging his colleagues to immediately drop this reckless idea, the Republican leader, shame on him, seems to be giving it his blessing, if not promoting it.” McConnell spoke afterward and had this to say: “No, Republicans won’t have any input into the massive, reckless taxing and spending spree that will stick middle-class families with higher costs, lower wages and a socialist country they didn’t vote for. “But Democrats do want Republicans’ help with one thing. They want us to help raise their credit limit to make it happen! They want us to help clear the path for their partisan, job-killing agenda which we oppose.” Seems like the two sides are not quite close to a deal yet! Meanwhile, another avenue for raising the debt ceiling just closed: Sen. TED CRUZ (R-Texas) told Burgess Everett he will filibuster any attempt by Democrats to increase the borrowing limit via a simple majority vote. | | 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. | | | THE WOODWARD LEAKS BEGIN — It’s that time of year: the three-week period in September during which a BOB WOODWARD book emerges from its summer estivation to consume the early-fall news cycle. CNN has a first look at what Woodward and new co-author ROBERT COSTA have come up with. (It was previously reported that DONALD TRUMP did not grant the authors any interviews.) From the CNN report: — Trump on House GOP Leader KEVIN MCCARTHY: “This guy called me every single day, pretended to be my best friend, and then, he fucked me. He’s not a good guy.” — Sen. LINDSEY GRAHAM on the possibility of a Trump 2024 bid: “If he wants to run, then he’s going to have to deal with his personality problems.” — CIA Director GINA HASPEL to Gen. MARK MILLEY after Trump refused to concede in November 2020: “We are on the way to a right-wing coup.” — A surprising appearance by former VP DAN QUAYLE, offering advice to MIKE PENCE ahead of the Electoral College certification: “Over and over, Pence asked if there was anything he could do. ‘Mike, you have no flexibility on this. None. Zero. Forget it. Put it away,’ Quayle told him. Pence pressed again. ‘You don't know the position I'm in,’ he said, according to the authors. ‘I do know the position you’re in,’ Quayle responded. ‘I also know what the law is. You listen to the parliamentarian. That’s all you do. You have no power.’” — And a glimpse inside a Jan. 5 Oval Office confrontation between Trump and Pence over whether the VP had the authority to overturn election results: “‘I wouldn’t want any one person to have that authority,’ Pence said. ‘But wouldn’t it be almost cool to have that power?’ Trump asked. … “When Pence did not budge, Trump turned on him. ‘No, no, no!’ Trump shouted, according to the authors. ‘You don’t understand, Mike. You can do this. I don’t want to be your friend anymore if you don’t do this.’” Good Tuesday afternoon. PULLOUT FALLOUT BLINKEN IN THE HOT SEAT — The Biden administration has a new foreign policy headache in Congress: aggressive oversight of its Afghanistan withdrawal — and not just from Republicans. Andrew Desiderio and Lara Seligman write that lawmakers from both parties plan to force answers from the Pentagon on its pullout decision-making, particularly over the early relinquishing of Bagram Airbase. — This morning, Senate Foreign Relations Chair BOB MENENDEZ (D-N.J.) came out swinging as Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN testified before his committee, calling the withdrawal “clearly and fatally flawed” and blaming “successive administrations” for lying to Congress about the Afghan security forces’ abilities. — Menendez threatened to subpoena Defense Secretary LLOYD AUSTIN for not appearing, which he said “will affect my personal judgment on Department of Defense nominees.” (Remember, these guys are all in the same party!) — WaPo’s Paul Kane (@pkcapitol) adds some context: “For those not familiar @SenatorMenendez has history with Blinken & his wing of Dem diplomacy. Blinken was deputy secretary in Obama 2nd term & Menendez opposed State’s 2 biggest initiatives then: Iran nuke deal & Cuba opening. So Menendez isn’t a home team chair for Blinken.” — Blinken told the committee that the State Department is still in the process of figuring out how many Special Immigrant Visa applicants remain stuck in Afghanistan. Under questioning from ranking member JIM RISCH (R-Idaho), Blinken also said he wouldn’t give the committee a copy of the internal dissent cable from July that warned of a Kabul collapse. — Moderate Democrat JEANNE SHAHEEN (N.H.) trained her fire on Republicans for stopping her efforts to expand SIV for years: “Let’s stop with the hypocrisy about who’s to blame.” CONGRESS THE RECONCILIATION BILL — Reps. SCOTT PETERS (D-Calif.) and KATHLEEN RICE (D-N.Y.) said they wouldn’t back their party’s leading prescription drug pricing proposal, making it harder for that plank to get through the Energy & Commerce Committee, of which they’re members. | | | | 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. | | | | | POLICY CORNER HUGE POVERTY NEWS — In a pandemic-slammed disaster of an economy last year, the poverty rate in America … fell? That’s the stunning news from the U.S. Census this morning, which found that the proportion of Americans living in poverty dropped from 11.8% in 2019 to 9.1% in 2020. — Why? Experts credit the stimulus payments, enhanced unemployment insurance and other government aid that Congress hastened to pass last year — likely responsible for “preventing another Great Depression,” WaPo reports. — WaPo’s @byHeatherLong adds: “Every age, race/ethnicity, and educational level saw a decline in poverty in 2020, largely due to gov't aid payments. Really big declines in poverty for: Single moms, African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Americans w/No HS degree, Those not working.” — One big caveat: These declines are in what’s known as the supplemental poverty measure, which takes into account the government aid payments people received. The official poverty rate, on the other hand, rose by about a percentage point — and that’s the metric that other outlets have highlighted in their more downbeat coverage. — In less welcome news, the percentage of Americans without health insurance rose, and median household income dropped by 2.9% last year, per the WSJ. INFLATION INDEX — Good news for the White House (and the country): New data from the Labor Department shows prices rising at a smaller-than-expected clip in August, as CNBC reports. The Consumer Price Index rose 5.3% year over year and 0.3% month over month. That’s still a high increase, but it’s “a sign that inflation may be starting to cool.” Energy and gas prices were some of the biggest drivers of the increase. — You know who’s not feeling good about inflation? Manchin. Speaking to reporters today, he reiterated that he’s worried about the size of Democrats’ proposed $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill because “inflation’s a concern and debt’s a concern and everyone should be talking about that,” per CNN’s Manu Raju. As for the substance of the bill, “Manchin says he is still concerned about the push by Dems to use bill to address climate.” More on that in this morning’s Playbook! FED FILES — As the conversation grows around whether Biden will renominate Fed Chair JEROME POWELL early next year, some on the left are pointing to a striking factoid: Just one Democrat has led the central bank in over 30 years, Victoria Guida and Ben White report . Many progressives would prefer that Biden nominate Fed Governor LAEL BRAINARD, but she might face a tougher path in the Senate — and dumping the sitting chair may run counter to the president’s instincts. — NYT’s Neil Irwin puts it this way: “What is his theory of how change happens?” That is, should a president install zealous advocates to drive his agenda, or should he lean on establishment picks to “make more aggressive policy action achievable”? — Sen. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-Mass.) wrote a letter to the Fed today asking Powell to break up Wells Fargo, per NYT’s Emily Flitter. ANNALS OF INFLUENCE — The NCAA and its major conferences are ramping up their lobbying footprint, seeking K Street’s help after a series of setbacks in the states and at the Supreme Court, Hailey Fuchs reports. It’s a major shift: Just three years ago, almost none of the conferences had even registered to lobby. One of their biggest priorities on the Hill, Hailey writes, is “a legal shield from retroactive lawsuits” — but they’ve achieved few results thus far. WHAT MERRICK GARLAND IS UP TO — The Justice Department today announced it’s restricting (but not banning) federal law enforcement agencies from using chokeholds and “no-knock” warrants. More from Reuters THE BEST-LAID PLANS — In 2016, Congress created the Public Buildings Reform Board, a seemingly simple agency that could help reduce unnecessary taxpayer burdens by helping sell off excess federal property. Five years later, it has sold a grand total of … one property. NYT’s Jane Margolies has the fascinating tale of reforms getting all tripped up in red tape. THE PANDEMIC POINT FOR THE BOOSTER BOOSTERS — As the Biden administration weighs whether/how to roll out Covid-19 vaccine booster shots, those in favor of a more aggressive approach are relying on data from Israel that shows Pfizer’s protective abilities diminishing with time, Erin Banco reports. DELTA DISASTER — NYT’s Charlie Smart has a worrying roundup of hospital data as the newest Covid-19 variant devastates under-vaccinated portions of the country: About a quarter of hospitals in the South now have their ICUs more than 95% full. | | | | 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 . | | | | | POLITICS ROUNDUP RECALL READING — The L.A. Times’ Thomas Curwen has a thoughtful piece up this morning about how the California gubernatorial recall election challenges more than just GAVIN NEWSOM — it tests the very “California dream.” “Filter out the static and a bipartisan picture emerges of an electorate struggling to address the most challenging issues California has had to face,” he writes. “Climate change and catastrophic wildfires, a housing crisis and a homelessness crisis, income inequality and racial inequities have reached a point where any proposal that doesn’t lead to a fix is reason to mobilize. … Hopelessness and resignation challenge the notion of California’s exceptionalism.” 2022 WATCH — The Daily Beast’s Sam Brodey has an interesting look at why freshman Rep. MADISON CAWTHORN (R-N.C.) has drawn four primary challengers in his reelection bid. Part of the answer is his focus, or lack thereof: After Tropical Storm Fred caused major flooding across his district, he spent days tweeting about national politics instead of local concerns. But, Brodey writes, “in today’s Republican Party … Cawthorn might be performing the most important kind of constituent service there is: owning the libs.” — Sen. JOSH HAWLEY (R-Mo.) is backing J.D. VANCE in the Ohio Senate race, per Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser. It’s his first endorsement in an open GOP primary this cycle, and it arrives as Vance makes some gains in the polls on Republican frontrunner JOSH MANDEL. AMERICA AND THE WORLD DHS DEPARTURE LOUNGE — Another top DHS official is heading for the exits, per BuzzFeed’s Hamed Aleaziz: DAVID SHAHOULIAN, assistant secretary for border and immigration policy. QUITE THE HEADLINE — “U.S. suspends military support to Guinea after Special Forces-trained troops launch coup on their day off,” by Task & Purpose’s Jeff Schogol TRUMP-BIDEN NEXUS — Blinken will hold an event Friday to commemorate the Abraham Accords on their first anniversary. He’ll meet virtually with officials from Bahrain, Israel, Morocco and the United Arab Emirates, per Axios’ Barak Ravid. MEDIAWATCH TWITTER THREAD OF THE DAY — The New Yorker archive editor ERIN OVERBEY has a damning breakdown of diversity statistics at her magazine. Clearly speaking about her own editors at The New Yorker, which has been led by DAVID REMNICK, who is white, since 1998, she writes that it’s “friendly, decent white people” who “are really the bedrock upon which passive racism maintains its grip on media mastheads & editorial departments.” A couple of statistics from her thread that jumped out at us: — “In the last 15 years at the @NewYorker, during the tenure of editor-in-chief David Remnick (author of a bio on Obama), less than 0.01% of print feature & critics pieces have ever been edited by a Black editor.” — “From 1990-2020, the @NewYorker mag published 0 Letters from Washington by writers of color. The print mag published 0 Political Scene pieces by Latino writers, 0 by Asian-Americans, 1 by an Indian-American, only 4% by Black writers, and 20% by women.” PLAYBOOKERS BOOK CLUB — Former Nirvana manager Danny Goldberg has a new book coming out Nov. 2, “Bloody Crossroads 2020.” It explores the role pop culture and celebrities played in helping defeat Donald Trump, featuring interviews with Bruce Springsteen, John Legend, Rosanne Cash, David Simon, Adam McKay, Chuck D, Mandy Patinkin and others. MEDIA MOVE — Nolan McCaskill is joining the L.A. Times as a congressional beat reporter. He previously was a policy reporter at POLITICO focusing on race. Announcement TRANSITIONS — Mitchell Schwenz is now an SVP in comms at Precision Strategies. He most recently was senior director at APCO Worldwide. … Kylie Bohman is now a legislative correspondent for Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.). She previously was scheduler for Rep. Mary Miller (R-Ill.). … The Wikimedia Foundation is tapping Maryana Iskander as its new CEO. She most recently has been CEO of Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator. WaPo interview | | | | A message from Google:   Google’s Password Checkup detects if any of your saved passwords are weak or have been compromised, and helps you easily change them if needed. | | | | | | | 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 | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our politics and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |  |
