Biden’s Whac-A-Mole Covid problem

From: POLITICO Playbook - Tuesday Dec 07,2021 11:23 am

Dec 07, 2021

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By Ryan Lizza, Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels and Tara Palmeri

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DRIVING THE DAY

VACCINE SCIENTISTS TO BIDEN: YOU NEED A NEW OPERATION WARP SPEED — There’s still a lot we don’t know about the Omicron variant: It could be like Delta and current vaccines will offer robust protection. But there’s also a chance that Omicron could be vaccine resistant, so vaccine makers are readying a booster to protect against the new variant, just in case.

That could be the future: a new variant, followed by a new vaccine booster to defend against it, followed by a new variant … Rinse. Repeat. It’s what we do to fight the annual flu. But it all takes time, and a new coronavirus variant can spread rapidly and kill a lot of people during the process.

Omicron’s potential to be the first variant requiring this cycle has several high-profile scientists arguing that the Biden administration needs to think bigger. They want the president to lead a global effort to develop a so-called super vaccine, one that would protect against any new variant of coronavirus.

“This is probably the most important project that we can undertake,” Dr. BRUCE GELLIN , a world renowned vaccine and infectious disease expert who is now the Chief of Global Public Health Strategy at The Rockefeller Foundation’s pandemic prevention institute, told Playbook. “It’s now obvious that coronaviruses are a persistent threat, given the recent history of SARS, MERS, COVID, and COVID variants. We have to develop a vaccine before we need it, which means a vaccine that will protect against any coronavirus, including those that have yet to emerge.”

“This has been a major disappointment to not make this the highest priority,” said Scripps Research Translational Institute’s ERIC TOPOL, who has one of the most closely followed Twitter accounts on the coronavirus pandemic. “We need a universal coronavirus vaccine that’s not affected by variants. We can do this but there hasn't been the will or the prioritizing. Many months ago, before Omicron, we could have had an Operation Warp Speed-like effort to take this on. It was expected that we would have a really tough variant beyond Delta.”

Gellin, Topol, and other champions of a Biden-led OWS for a universal vaccine note that the project needs government support. The science is extraordinarily tricky. (We won’t go into the technical details here, but for a primer see this article in Science from February or this one in Nature from April .) Researchers have been trying to develop a single vaccine for the flu for many years without success so far. Labs currently working on a variant-proof covid vaccine are scattered around the U.S. and often duplicate each other’s work. The NIH hasn’t made the issue a priority.

“It is an enormous scientific challenge,” said Gellin. “Leadership is needed to get everyone together who can meet this challenge because they’re not going to self-assemble.”

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Suddenly announcing a massive investment to achieve a universal vaccine would be politically complicated for Biden. There’s no guarantee it would succeed, and by emphasizing the shortcomings of the current covid vaccines — waning efficacy and the likely need for variant boosters — it could perhaps increase hesitancy.

An administration official pointed out that in September NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases awarded grants worth $36 million, which isn’t much, for variant proof vaccine research. “The available COVID-19 vaccines have proven to be remarkably effective at protecting against severe disease and death,” ANTHONY FAUCI, the head of NIAD, said in a press release at the time . “These new awards are designed to look ahead and prepare for the next generation of coronaviruses with pandemic potential.”

But Biden hasn’t embraced this as a national strategy. “The current regimen of vaccines is remarkable but they have their limitations,” said Gellin. “We need a vaccine that is broadly protective and that has long-term protection so we don’t have to boost as often to stay protected.”

Topol added: “This is the only way to stop reacting to each Greek letter.”

Good Tuesday morning. It’s the 80th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Thanks for reading Playbook, where we are all fully vaccinated. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza, Tara Palmeri.

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BIDEN’S TUESDAY:

— 8:30 a.m.: The president will receive the President’s Daily Brief.

— 10 a.m.: Biden will hold a video call with Russian President VLADIMIR PUTIN.

VP KAMALA HARRIS’ TUESDAY:

— 10 a.m.: The vice president will deliver remarks on the Maternal Health Day of Action. Harris will cover some actions the administration is taking to address maternal health, including encouraging states to expand postpartum coverage. According to the White House, most states only provide coverage for 60 days after birth: the administration is providing guidance it says will help states provide a year through Medicaid programs.

— 11:10 a.m.: Harris will participate in a one-on-one discussion about maternal health with U.S. Olympian ALLYSON FELIX.

The White House Covid-19 Response Team and public health officials will hold a briefing at 12:30 p.m. Press secretary JEN PSAKI will brief at 2 p.m.

The SENATE will meet at 10 a.m. to resume consideration of JESSICA ROSENWORCEL’S nomination to be an FCC commissioner and at 11:30 a.m. will vote on her confirmation and a motion to invoke cloture on DIERDRE HAMILTON’S nomination to be a member of the National Mediation Board. The Senate will recess from 12:15 p.m. to 2:15 p.m., when it will vote on Hamilton’s confirmation if cloture has been invoked, and on a motion to invoke cloture on CHRIS MAGNUS’ nomination to be CBP commissioner. At 5:30 p.m., if cloture has been invoked, the Senate will vote on Magnus’ confirmation.

The HOUSE will meet at noon and 2 p.m., with votes scheduled no earlier than 6:30 p.m.

BECOME A GLOBAL INSIDER: The world is more connected than ever. It has never been more essential to identify, unpack and analyze important news, trends and decisions shaping our future — and we’ve got you covered! Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Global Insider author Ryan Heath navigates the global news maze and connects you to power players and events changing our world. Don’t miss out on this influential global community. Subscribe now.

PLAYBOOK READS

A man walks past wax figures depicting U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin displayed at a wax sculptures exhibition in St. Petersburg, Russia, Monday, Dec. 6, 2021.

PHOTO OF THE DAY: A man walks past wax figures depicting President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin displayed at an exhibition in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Monday, Dec. 6. | Dmitry Lovetsky/AP Photo

GREAT READ — Our colleague Josh Gerstein writes about life on the trail for BOB DOLE’s 1996 presidential campaign for POLITICO Magazine: “My Front Row Seat for Bob Dole’s Doomed White House Run: I saw the late senator’s wit up close — even if the public didn’t always get the joke.”

THE WHITE HOUSE

PUTIN CALL PREVIEW — Ahead of Biden’s highly anticipated video conference with Putin today, sources tell NYT’s David Sanger and Eric Schmitt that the president is “expected to encourage diplomatic de-escalation over the conflict in Ukraine,” and warn Putin that “if he orders the Russian forces poised at the border to invade Ukraine, Western allies may move to cut Russia off from the international financial system and seek direct sanctions on Mr. Putin’s closest associates.” How BIden handles this meeting could mean the difference between a free and independent Ukraine and one overrun by Russian troops. No pressure.

It won’t be easy. As the duo writes, “Biden must convince Mr. Putin that the administration’s commitment to Ukraine… is deep enough to cause tremendous economic pain to Russia — even if, as both men know, American forces would not come directly to Ukraine’s aid.” According to the story, some White House officials are already pessimistic that Biden can really do much to change Putin’s mind if it’s already set.

— If you need a good primer/history lesson on all of this, AP’s Robert Burns has a story about how tensions between Russia and the U.S. over Ukraine trace back to the Cold War.

— Related: Our Nahal Toosi has a story up this morning asking whether Biden’s Summit for Democracy with about 100 other nations, set for this Thursday and Friday, can work. It comes as “studies and polls suggest global dissatisfaction with democracy has surged in recent years and that few people across the world see U.S. democracy as a good model. Those negatives, however, are just more reasons to hold the summit, advocates insist.”

Speaking of fading democracies, don’t miss Barton Gellman’s must-read story in The Atlantic, “Trump’s next coup has already begun.”

CONGRESS

DEBT CEILING-NDAA PLOT THICKENS — House Democrats are continuing to debate how and whether to attach a debt ceiling fix to the National Defense Authorization Act this week, seeking to deal with both major issues at the same time before the holiday recess. In addition to combining the two into one bill, Speaker NANCY PELOSI’s team is also considering passing each separately (the NDAA with GOP support, and the debt ceiling on their own) — but then “tethering” the two through a House rule to ensure they go to the Senate on the same track.

But problems are cropping up across the Rotunda, where rank-and-file Republicans are poo-pooing the idea, as our Burgess Everett and Marianne LeVine report. Just look at these quotes in their story:

— Sen. JONI ERNST (R-Iowa), a member of GOP leadership who is also a former lieutenant colonel in the Iowa Army National Guard: “Not happy about it… I think that sets a bad precedent... It might be able to pass, but it's something we all need to talk about, and I just don't think we should be operating like this.”

— Sen. JOHN CORNYN (R-Texas), a McConnell ally and former member of leadership: “It would be misinterpreted that Republican support for the [defense policy bill] would also include [supporting a hike in the debt limit]… That's why I think the message could be muddled. I don't like the idea.”

Technically, GOP senators wouldn’t necessarily be forced to vote on an NDAA that includes an increase in the debt ceiling. Our newly minted Morning Money author, Kate Davidson, was ahead of everyone Friday when she wrote that the debt provision would merely allow for a speedier process for Democrats to raise the debt ceiling without Republican votes. In that scenario, only 10 GOP Senators would have to hold their noses and vote for the procedural shortcut — then CHUCK SCHUMER’s members could do the rest.

FRONTLINERS TURN TO SUPPLY CHAIN ISSUES — We’re hearing a bunch of vulnerable moderate Democrats are increasingly antsy about their party being blamed for high inflation and supply-chain problems — and itching to do more to address the twin issues. Case in point: Yesterday, Rep. JOSH GOTTHEIMER (D-N.J.) unveiled a bill calling on Biden to name a “Supply Chain Czar” and pressed him in a letter to use the National Guard and non-combat military ships to move critical goods through supply bottlenecks. With campaign season about to heat up, look for similar moves from other moderate Democrats.

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JAN. 6 AND ITS AFTERMATH

MARC SHORT SPEAKS — CNN’s Jamie Gangel, Michael Warren and Ryan Nobles scooped last night that MARC SHORT, former Vice President MIKE PENCE’s chief of staff, is cooperating with the Jan. 6 committee. This is a BFD, as the kids say these days, because Short was with Pence the day rioters stormed the Capitol and has a unique, firsthand account of Trump’s actions (or lack thereof) that day. And it appears Short isn’t alone: “One source told CNN the committee is getting ‘significant cooperation with Team Pence,’ even if the committee has not openly discussed that.”

MEDIAWATCH

CUOMO SET FOR WAR WITH CNN — CHRIS CUOMO is lawyering up and preparing to sue CNN if the network doesn’t pay him the remainder of his four-year television contract, which was around $6 million annually, New York Post’s Emily Smith and Bruce Golding report. His price? A fat $18 million.

Per the story, “CNN has ‘no intention of paying Cuomo a penny,’ an insider said. ‘If he gets a settlement, there would be uproar,’ the source added. Another source said, ‘CNN has a standard morality clause in their contract that says if the employee does anything of disrepute, they can be immediately fired.’”

The news of Cuomo’s firing over the weekend also took staffers by surprise, WaPo’s Jeremy Barr and Sarah Ellison report. But “exhausted by Cuomo’s seemingly never-ending controversies, some CNN employees are glad to be closing the book on him. ‘The rank-and-file want to move on,’ said a veteran producer. CNN’s management appears to feel the same way. ‘I fully understand that this has been a very unfortunate distraction for this organization, and I totally get it,’ [CNN’s JEFF] ZUCKER told his staff on Monday. ‘At the same time, as I have said many times, the world is relying on us, and we do need to move forward.’”

ALL POLITICS

KEY TO THE KEYSTONE — In one of the most important Senate races in the nation, Pennsylvania Democrats are torn over whether their nominee should be more like moderates such as Sens. JOE MANCHIN (D-W.Va.) and KYRSTEN SINEMA (D-Ariz.) or progressives like Rep. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ (D-N.Y.). “The attacks on opposite wings of the Democratic Party demonstrate how differently each candidate is approaching the question of how to capture a seat in one of the most competitive Senate races in the country. With every candidate representing a unique electoral theory of the case, political strategists said the outcome of the nomination contest could reverberate for years to come in swing states like Pennsylvania,” Holly Otterbein reports in Philadelphia.

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Former President BARACK OBAMA and Pelosi are joining a virtual fundraiser tomorrow for the National Democratic Redistricting Committee. The organization was founded in 2017 by Obama’s first attorney general, ERIC HOLDER.

TRUMP CARDS

TURBULENCE FOR NEW TRUMP VENTURE — The Wall Street Journal’s Amrith Ramkumar reports that the SEC is probing the possible merger between Trump Media & Technology Group and Digital World Acquisition Corp as part of a series of investigations into SPAC deals.

The news comes after the Trump company announced that the ex-president’s hill ally Rep. DEVIN NUNES (R-Calif.) would retire from Congress — where he gave up a possible future Ways and Means chairmanship (!) — to become CEO of the new venture.

MORE MEADOWS BOOK FALLOUT — NYT’s Maggie Haberman and Noah Weiland have more on the new MARK MEADOWS book detailing just how sick DONALD TRUMP was when he got Covid. Three interesting nuggets from the piece: 1) Trump “recorded a blood oxygen level of about 86 percent… roughly 10 points below what would be considered normal….” 2) “On the walk out to his helicopter, he had lost so much strength that he dropped a briefcase he had planned to carry outside, where reporters were lined up to observe him, Mr. Meadows recalled.” 3) “Mr. Trump, according to an adviser, has grown angrier at Mr. Meadows in recent days, describing him as ‘dumb’ for discussing the test results.”

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.

PLAYBOOKERS

Mitch McConnell told the WSJ’s CEO Council Summit Monday night that the Republican Party needs to move on from 2020. Someone tell Trump.

Chasten Buttigieg geeked out on Instagram over meeting Amy Poehler, whose show “Parks and Recreation,” now that we think about it, makes it seem possible that a small-town Indiana mayor could one day end up becoming president ...

Ruben Gallego has some thoughts on the word “Latinx” ...

Bob Dole will lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda on Thursday, congressional leaders announced.

Geoff Morrell is headed from BP to Disney to run comms and lobbying.

OUT AND ABOUT — Swedish Ambassador Karin Olofsdotter hosted a gala dinner in honor and in the presence of the 2021 Nobel Laureates — Syukuro Manabe for physics, David MacMillan for chemistry and Joshua Angrist for economic sciences — on Monday night. SPOTTED: Sens. Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Tom Carper (D-Del.), Rep. Jack Bergman (R-Mich.) and Rick Larsen (D-Wash.), Eric Lander and Cecilia Rouse.

MEDIA MOVES — Marc Caputo is joining NBC News after seven years covering Florida and national politics for POLITICO.

TRANSITION — Katelyn Schultz is now a senior associate for corporate comms for the growth and strategy division at KPMG US. She previously was press secretary for Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa).

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) … Bloomberg’s Bennett Roth … Kenny Fried … Molly Block of Sen. Kevin Cramer’s (R-N.D.) office … Doug Henwood … Dafna Tapiero … Anne MacMillan … Sam Runyon of Sen. Joe Manchin’s (D-W.Va.) office … Tyler Prell … POLITICO’s Sam Sutton and Devika Modak … Axios’ Sarah Mucha … CNN’s Ashley Killough … ABC’s Kathryn McQuade … International Trade Administration’s Sam Schofield … Bonnie Glick … Suhail Khan … Roma Daravi … Ben Fallon … Kate Tummarello … Jeannie Lough … Ericka Reyes … KPMG’s Priya Dayananda … Kyle Noyes … NYT’s Dean Chang … Mary Heitman … Christina Freundlich … Ruthanne Buck … Carole Simpson (8-0) … Michael Punke … Tim Andrews … Mike Meece … JJ “Mcgoo” McGrath … Candy Glazer … Noam Chomsky

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