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Presented by Google: POLITICO's must-read briefing on what's driving the afternoon in Washington. | | | | | |  | | By Rachael Bade, Ryan Lizza, Garrett Ross and Eli Okun | Presented by |  | | | BREAKING — The Senate voted to confirm JENNIFER GRANHOLM as Energy secretary, 64-35. THE PRESIDENT’S TRIP TO TEXAS — Press secretary JEN PSAKI said this afternoon that President JOE BIDEN will travel mostly with Texas Gov. GREG ABBOTT when he heads to Houston on Friday. As for lawmakers like GOP Sens. TED CRUZ or JOHN CORNYN? “There are some limitations on space.” Speaker NANCY PELOSI waded deeper into the scuffle over the Jan. 6 commission at her weekly news conference, saying she was “disappointed” by Senate Minority Leader MITCH MCCONNELL’S rejection of the Democrats’ proposal to have a panel led by her own party. Pelosi accused McConnell of following the lead of Sen. RON JOHNSON (R-Wis.) — at first calling him “Don Johnson” — who has peddled conspiracy theories seeking to downplay the events of Jan. 6. However, McConnell, unlike Johnson, has been vocal that DONALD TRUMP incited the riot. As WaPo’s Erica Werner points out, this is a well known Pelosi-ism: To belittle an adversary or opponent, she indicates she doesn’t remember their names. Erica notes that Pelosi also could also never remember the names of STEVE KING or RUSS VOUGHT. Pelosi went further, saying the dustup over the commission is less about its partisan makeup — which she said is “easily negotiated” — than the scope of the inquiry. In his floor speech Wednesday, McConnell said any commission that looks at the increase in political extremism in the U.S. should also do a broader analysis of political violence. Translation: The GOP wants the panel to also look at violence during racial justice protests over the summer. Our GOP sources tell us they want Pelosi to commit to a bipartisan panel before they settle on scope. But Pelosi wants them to agree to a scope first before they talk membership. So the standoff continues. Meanwhile, House Majority Whip JIM CLYBURN (D-S.C.) and Sens. CHRIS COONS (D-Del.) and DICK DURBIN (D-Ill.) said this morning they’re open to changing the composition of the commission: “I think that we all will negotiate,” Clyburn said on MSNBC. Coons told CNN explicitly he thinks it should be 50/50. Durbin told reporters on the Hill that the model should be the 9/11 Commission: “Pick two people like Gov. Kean and Lee Hamilton who are widely respected, and one should have that as a starting point.” — Psaki declined to endorse the 9/11 Commission approach (or Pelosi’s proposal) during her briefing, saying the White House would leave the decision up to Congress. Look for Republicans to seize on the comment as another way in which the Biden White House is not embracing bipartisanship. SIREN — “Capitol Police chief: Security will remain high due to State of the Union threat,” by Kyle Cheney: “[S]ome extremists who joined the Jan. 6 insurrection have discussed plans to attack the building during the State of the Union, Acting Capitol Police Chief Yogananda Pittman revealed Thursday. … ‘We know that members of the militia groups that were present on Jan. 6 have stated their desire that they want to blow up the Capitol and kill as many members as possible, with a direct nexus to the State of the Union,’ Pittman said during testimony to a House Appropriations subcommittee. … “The discussion came after Pittman also added new elements to the timeline of the lapses during the insurrection that have complicated the version of events told by Capitol security officials who resigned in the wake of the insurrection. Pittman said she pulled former chief Steven Sund’s phone records and confirmed he reached out to the House and Senate sergeants-at-arms at 12:58 p.m. and 1:05 p.m., respectively.” | | A message from Google: Google for Startups helps fund and support Black entrepreneurs. Although a fast-growing group of entrepreneurs, Black founders receive less than 1% of venture capital in the U.S. The Google for Startups Black Founders Fund awards up to $100,000, along with support, to selected founders. Learn more. | | | $15 WATCH — On the minimum wage, Pelosi said that Senate Parliamentarian ELIZABETH MACDONOUGH’s ruling could come “any moment,” but she restated her position that Democrats have a “very, very strong case” for it before flatly proclaiming: “We will pass a minimum wage bill.” — SCHATZ WITH THE QUESTION OF THE DAY … JEREMY ART (@cspanJeremy): “Brief open mic in the Senate… While presiding during a Senate vote, @SenBrianSchatz asks: ‘So how did you rule?’ Senate Parliamentarian responds: ‘We haven’t released anything…’” With video We followed up with Schatz to see if he got the info off-mic. “No,” he responded. (We understand the disappointment. Scoops are hard!) WHAT THE GOP IS TOUTING — Rep. ADRIANO ESPAILLAT (D-N.Y.) said on CNN that he’s “not comfortable” with every item in the Covid relief bill, though he reiterated his support for passing it. WHAT THE DEMS ARE TOUTING: that poll after poll shows the American public, including many GOP voters, supports Biden’s pandemic legislation. COMING ATTRACTIONS — “Biden, Harris to headline House Dem retreat next week,” by Sarah Ferris: “House Democrats will gather remotely Tuesday and Wednesday for a series of internal discussions on the party’s biggest priorities … Biden will speak to Democrats on Wednesday; Harris, as well as Secretary of State Tony Blinken, will address the caucus Tuesday. … “Unlike past years’ retreats, the Democratic Caucus will be looking to achieve more than a show of cohesion. This year, Democrats will be hashing out legislation that actually stands a chance of passage — something that lawmakers say brings more weight to the policy discussions — while navigating their most narrow majority in decades.” GOP CIVIL WAR — House Minority Leader KEVIN MCCARTHY went on “Fox & Friends” today and seemed to suggest Rep. LIZ CHENEY (R-Wyo.) was backing censorship when she said Trump shouldn’t lead the party. “The idea that a Republican would join in with cancel culture is wrong, it’s beyond just having a difference of opinion,” McCarthy said. The clip Playbook reached out to Cheney’s office, which declined to comment. But such a jab doesn’t bode well for GOP unity in the leadership ranks. Typically, Republicans use this attack of “censorship” on Democrats — not their own. Plus, Cheney has not called for Trump to be silenced, only said that he shouldn’t lead the party. | | | | NEW - “THE RECAST” NEWSLETTER: Power dynamics are changing. “Influence” is changing. More people are demanding a seat at the table, insisting that all politics is personal and not all policy is equitable. “The Recast” is our new twice-weekly newsletter that breaks down how race and identity are recasting politics, policy and power in America. And POLITICO is recasting how we report on this crucial intersection, bringing you fresh insights, scoops, dispatches from across the country and new voices that challenge “business as usual.” Don’t miss out on this important new newsletter, SUBSCRIBE NOW. Thank you to our sponsor, Intel. | | | | | TANDEN LATEST — Sen. CHUCK GRASSLEY (R-Iowa) is officially a no on NEERA TANDEN for OMB director. — Sen. BERNIE SANDERS (I-Vt.), the target of some of Tanden’s meanest tweets, told reporters today that Tanden still doesn’t have the votes to be confirmed and declined to say whether he would support her. “We’ll see what happens,” he said. — But Sen. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-Mass.), an early Tanden backer, is defending Tanden’s tweets. “The idea that a woman who can give as good as she gets on Twitter is therefore disqualified from public office is shameful,” she said today. “That should not be.” THE EMPLOYMENT PICTURE — “U.S. jobless claims fall to 730,000 but layoffs remain high,” AP: “Applications for benefits declined 111,000 from the previous week … It is the lowest figure since late November. Still, before the virus erupted in the United States last March, weekly applications for unemployment benefits had never topped 700,000.” — “Costco raises its minimum wage above its competitors,” CNN: “It will hike its minimum wage to $16 beginning next week, chief executive Craig Jelinek said Thursday at a US Senate Budget Committee hearing on worker pay at large companies.” BUCKLE UP — “Trump’s tax returns and related records turned over to Manhattan district attorney,” CNN: “Prosecutors obtained the records on Monday, just hours after the US Supreme Court denied Trump’s last-ditch effort to keep the records private, a spokesperson for the district attorney said. “The millions of pages of documents, sources say, contain Trump’s tax returns spanning from January 2011 to August 2019, as well as financial statements, engagement agreements, documents relating to the preparation and review of tax returns, and work papers and communications related to the tax returns.” THE SUPPLY CHALLENGE — “White House planning to forecast vaccine shipments months in advance,” by Rachel Roubein: “The longer planning window, which is expected to start as soon as next week, could address concerns from governors who had complained that limited shipment forecasts affect their ability to plan vaccination clinics and figure out where to steer doses. And it represents the growing confidence among vaccine makers and the Biden administration in the production of shots.” THE TEXAS 6TH — “Former Trump SBA official Sery Kim to launch Texas special election run,” by Daniel Lippman THE COVID BILL STRATEGY — “White House Stimulus Math: Do 70 TV Hits, Ensure Zero Defections,” Bloomberg: “Biden and his lieutenants are pitching the giant bill to mayors, governors, state treasurers and tribal leaders, along with workers and the business community. The administration is focusing on roughly 13 key states -- including Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Arizona and Georgia. … “The president’s Friday trip to Houston, billed as a review of local efforts to recover from this month’s devastating storm, will serve as a fresh opportunity to make the case for a comprehensive rescue plan.” — TRYING AN END RUN: “Biden, facing resistance in Congress, courts GOP governors,” WaPo: “In his first five weeks in office, Biden is spending as much time — if not more — courting Republican governors as he is wooing the senators he needs to pass legislation. It is part of a strategy that lays the groundwork to make something of an end-run around Republicans in Congress, who may be resistant to his ideas, as he looks for outside-the-Beltway allies who might help him make good on his promises of bipartisanship. “In some cases, Biden and his administration have leaned on state Republican officials to support his policies … In other instances, he has opened a more general dialogue, picking up the phone to offer help after a disaster or to engage longtime friends.” | | | | OUR NEW YORK PLAYBOOK IS EXPANDING TO 2X DAILY: Our Empire State must-read, New York Playbook, is expanding at the height of the legislative session and the New York City mayoral race. Now you can get all of the news you need to know from the Capitol in Albany to New York City Hall and everything in between twice per day in New York Playbook AM and our new New York Playbook PM edition. Don't miss out. Subscribe today. | | | | | AMERICA IN MOURNING — “Federal funeral aid for Covid-19 victims stalls over scam fears,” by Erin Banco: “The Federal Emergency Management Agency is planning a $2 billion pandemic funeral assistance program … But progress has stalled over concerns within the agency that the program is vulnerable to widespread fraud … [W]ith more than 500,000 people dead so far, the pandemic funeral program is poised to be the largest the agency has ever mounted. It may also be the messiest. … “CDC cannot verify whether individual deaths are Covid-related. Instead, the disaster agency will need to lean on overburdened state health agencies and medical institutions to cross-reference federal data with death certificates. Now FEMA is scrambling to find safeguards that would prevent fraudsters from forging death certificates in an attempt to collect thousands of dollars.” HEADLINE DU JOUR — “China Gave U.S. Diplomats Anal COVID Tests ‘In Error,’ American Officials Say,” Vice EYES ON THE SKIES — “Boeing Moved to Replace 777 Engine Covers Before Recent Failures,” WSJ: “Boeing Co. was planning to strengthen protective engine covers on its 777 jets months before a pair of recent serious failures, including one near Denver last weekend, according to an internal Federal Aviation Administration document. “The plane maker and regulator had been discussing potential fixes even longer—for about two years, according to people familiar with the matter. … Because potential modifications to 777 external engine covers, commonly known as cowlings, had various shortcomings, ‘Boeing has decided to redesign the fan cowl instead of trying to modify existing fan cowls to address both the structural strength concerns’ and moisture issues, according to the internal FAA document reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.” BOOK CLUB — “Why the Political Memoir is the Year’s Hottest Book Genre,” Town & Country: “Because despite the surfeit of digital dish on offer, the time-honored tell-all still packs the juiciest gossip, and 2021 promises an embarrassment of riches. Even Mary Trump is back with a sequel!” SPOTTED: Justice Sonia Sotomayor having dinner outdoors on Wednesday night at Nina May. She wore a mask before ordering. MEDIAWATCH — “Mehdi Hasan joins MSNBC weekend lineup with new opinion program,” L.A. Times: “MSNBC is giving former Al Jazeera journalist and author Mehdi Hasan a spot in its prime-time lineup as the cable news network expands its opinion programming. … MSNBC announced Thursday that he will take over the 8 p.m. Eastern hour on Sunday starting this weekend. His first guest is Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.).” — Marianna Sotomayor is joining WaPo to cover Congress. She most recently has been an associate producer and reporter at NBC. Announcement … Robert Messenger will join Simon & Schuster as a senior editor, focusing on books with conservative points of view. He most recently was executive editor of the Weekly Standard, and is a WSJ alum. … Brent Griffiths is now newsletter editor of Business Insider. He most recently was a researcher at WaPo, and is a POLITICO alum. TRANSITION — Former Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) is joining Capitol Counsel as a partner. TRUMP ALUMNI — Kristina Baum is now VP at Qorvis/MSLGroup. She previously was comms director at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. | | | | A message from Google:   Black-led startup Possip, which helps students succeed by connecting families with their schools, received $100,000 from the Google for Startups Black Founders Fund. More. | | | | | | | 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 | | | | |  |
