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Presented by the American Beverage Association: POLITICO's must-read briefing on what's driving the afternoon in Washington. | | | | | |  | | By Mike Zapler, Eli Okun and Garrett Ross | Presented by |  | | | Former President DONALD TRUMP railed against transgender athletes in female sports in his CPAC speech a few weeks ago. Other prominent voices on the right have joined in, calling it an example of political correctness having a real-world impact. Our latest POLITICO/Morning Consult poll shows broad support for the GOP position, extending across gender, age and, to a lesser degree, party. Overall, 53% of registered voters support banning transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports, versus a third who oppose such a ban. The breakdown from there ( read the full crosstabs): — Men: 59% support a ban, 29% oppose
— Women: 46% support a ban, 34% oppose
— Republicans: 74% support a ban, 15% oppose
— Dems: 40% support a ban, 42% oppose
— Independents: 49% support a ban, 33% oppose
— Gen Z: 43% support a ban, 44% oppose
— Millennials: 56% support a ban, 28% oppose
— Baby boomers: 50% support a ban, 32% oppose THE BIDEN CABINET … MARCIA FUDGE was confirmed to be HUD secretary this afternoon, 66-34. Katy O’Donnell and Maya King on her plans for a demoralized agency BIG NEWS — “Biden to announce plan to purchase additional 100 million Johnson and Johnson Covid vaccine doses,” NBC: “President Joe Biden will announce plans Wednesday to purchase an additional 100 million doses of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine, giving the U.S. more than enough supply to vaccinate the entire U.S. population. … [The] additional 100 million doses could help serve as a backstop should Pfizer or Moderna run into manufacturing issues.” THE NEXT PHASE — “‘Hoping for a flood’: How states are preparing for a surge in vaccine supply,” WaPo: “They’ve been advised to plan for between 22 and 24 million doses a week by early April, an increase of as much as 50 percent from current allocations … This time, health officials want to avoid the obstacles that hindered the early rollout, as doses sat on shelves, sign-up systems crashed and eligibility rules confounded the public. The challenge is that all three problems persist to a degree … “More supply also will bring new challenges, chief among them addressing people’s hesitancy to get the shots … States and other jurisdictions also need to have enough sites to receive the vaccines, as well as staff to administer them, record patient data and monitor for possible side effects.” WHO GETS THE CREDIT? — “Biden Got the Vaccine Rollout Humming, With Trump’s Help,” NYT: “A closer look at the ramp-up announced last week offers a more mixed picture, one in which the new administration expanded and bulked up a vaccine production effort whose key elements were in place when Mr. Biden took over for President Donald J. Trump. Both administrations deserve credit, although neither wants to grant much to the other. “The Biden administration has taken two major steps that helped hasten vaccine production in the near term. … [H]is aides determined that by invoking the Korean War-era Defense Production Act, the federal government could help Pfizer obtain the heavy machinery it needed … Mr. Biden’s top aides drove another vaccine manufacturer, Johnson & Johnson, to force a key subcontractor into round-the-clock operations so its vaccine could be bottled faster. … At the same time, though, Mr. Biden benefited hugely from the waves of vaccine production that the Trump administration had set in motion.” | | A message from the American Beverage Association: At America’s beverage companies our plastic bottles are made to be remade. We’re carefully designing them to be 100% recyclable, including the caps—so every bottle can become a new one. That means less plastic waste in our environment. Please help us get Every Bottle Back. EveryBottleBack.org | | | BTW … Today is Biden’s 50th day in office. The AP has a look at where the administration stands halfway through the first 100 days. HERE COMES COVID RELIEF — “House set for final passage Wednesday of Biden’s $1.9T Covid aid plan,” by Sarah Ferris WATCH: Why Biden’s stimulus bill is a major win for progressives, explained: We’ve heard a lot about the battle over the minimum wage, but this week RYAN digs a little deeper into the policies that remained largely unchanged in the final version of this bill, and why the drama over Sen. JOE MANCHIN’S (D-W.Va.) stance on the minimum wage allowed policy items like the child tax credit and a boost to Obamacare to survive. | 
| UNDER THE HOOD — “A $60 billion surprise inside the Covid relief bill: Tax hikes for some,” by Brian Faler: “One takes away deductions for publicly traded companies that pay top employees more than $1 million. Another provision cracks down on how multinational corporations do their taxes. A third targets how owners of unincorporated businesses account for their losses. “It’s surprising because Democrats were widely expected to put off their tax-increase plans until later. … But they ran into problems complying with the stringent budget rules surrounding so-called reconciliation measures like the coronavirus legislation — especially after some wanted to add provisions like one waiving taxes on unemployment benefits.” HOW THE SAUSAGE GOT MADE — “How These 3 Women Brought COVID Relief Back From the Brink,” The Daily Beast: “[Reema] Dodin is the [White House legislative affairs] shop’s Senate whisperer; Shuwanza Goff, the longtime floor general for Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD), is the House specialist. The team is headed up by Louisa Terrell … “Senate staffers saw the handiwork of Biden’s legislative team —helmed by insiders’ insiders—throughout the process. Instead of trying to steamroll Manchin into submission, the White House hung back. They let his allies do the talking first, and gave space to Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to work, before putting Manchin on the phone with Biden personally later that night.” STILL SNIPING — “Susan Collins fires back at ‘bizarre’ Schumer remarks blaming her for 2009 stimulus,” NBC INFRASTRUCTURE BUMPED BACK? — “President Biden’s second big bill may be China package pushed by top Senate Democrat,” WaPo: “Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) has been working on legislation that takes aim to counter China’s rising global power and proposes funding aimed at bolstering U.S. manufacturing and supply chains … “Numerous Republican senators have cosponsored bills with Democratic lawmakers on a range of measures related to China, from shoring up U.S. production of semiconductors to creating a nationwide 5G network. … It is unclear how much support the China-related measures enjoy from the White House or Democratic caucus. … Key Democratic committees are accelerating work on the package to have it ready for a vote in April.” MEET AND GREET — CBS’ CHRISTINA RUFFINI (@EenaRuffini): “NEW: @SecBlinken will meet with his Chinese counterparts in Alaska next week after meeting with regional allies in Japan and Korea.” With State Department statement | | | | SUBSCRIBE TO “THE RECAST” TO JOIN AN IMPORTANT CONVERSATION: 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. | | | | | IMMIGRATION FILES — “Exclusive: Unaccompanied migrant children staying in Border Patrol facilities an average of 107 hours, internal records show,” CNN 2022 WATCH — JAY ASHCROFT, Missouri’s secretary of state, announced he would remain in his post and not run for retiring GOP Sen. ROY BLUNT’S seat. Tweet with statement THE MOTIONS TO ADJOURN — “Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has been gunking up the works. She says she’s not backing down,” WaPo BEYOND THE BELTWAY — “Pro-Sanders forces finally get their revenge,” by Holly Otterbein: “A slate of uber-progressive Sanders allies, endorsed by the tightly organized Democratic Socialists of America’s local chapter, won control of the Nevada Democratic Party in leadership elections on Saturday. On the losing side was one of the most powerful forces in Democratic politics: the well-oiled operation run by former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. … “It’s a development that could have effects that stretch well beyond state borders — and a sign that Sanders himself is playing a long game in the battle for control of the Democratic Party. … [E]stablishment-oriented Democrats are worried that what they consider to be a new and inexperienced team will be ill-prepared to take on Republicans next year in the swing state. The left insists it is ready.” ON THE KOREAN PENINSULA — “South Korea to Pay U.S. More Under New Troop Cost-Sharing Agreement,” WSJ: “South Korea will pay the U.S. more than $7 billion over six years … South Korea will increase its contribution for 2021 by 13.9% under the deal or a little more than $1 billion. That is slightly more than South Korea offered the Trump administration.” CONFIRMATION CLASS — “Senate revs its confirmation engine to fill Biden’s Cabinet,” by Marianne LeVine: “After slow early progress on approving President Joe Biden's Cabinet nominees, the Senate is finally on track to catch up to its pace of confirmations at the beginning of the Trump and Obama administrations. … So far, Biden’s cabinet picks have all been confirmed with bipartisan backing and that trend is expected to continue this week.” KAMALA CORNER — “Vice President Kamala Harris waits for her own portfolio as she settles into new role,” CNN: “Harris was in the middle of an Oval Office meeting last Thursday when, before her turn to speak had come, a staffer delivered a note calling her to Capitol Hill. ‘She got up and left,’ said one person … Harris’s tie-breaking vote paved the way for Senate passage of the new Covid relief deal, an enormous win for the administration. “But Harris never got to say her piece in that Oval meeting on an issue that could be the administration’s next big project and one where she could play a major role: infrastructure, the kind of portfolio one might expect a vice president to own. … Thus far, Harris has not been tasked with a key portfolio issue distinct from President Joe Biden … Seven weeks into the job, Harris is still settling into her new role -- literally as well as figuratively. Her living situation, for example, remains a work in progress.” | | | | THIS THURSDAY: HEAR FROM GOVERNORS ACROSS AMERICA : 2020 was marked by crisis —from the global pandemic and ensuing economic recession to racial injustice protests and the fallout from the presidential election and its aftermath. Governors have been left to pick up the pieces. “The Fifty: America’s Governors,” is a series of live conversations featuring various governors on the unique challenges they face as they take the lead and command the national spotlight in historic ways. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | HACKING READ — “Massive Hacks Linked to Russia, China Exploited U.S. Internet Security Gap,” WSJ: “U.S. lawmakers and security experts are voicing concern that foreign governments are staging cyberattacks using servers in the U.S., in an apparent effort to avoid detection by America’s principal cyberintelligence organization, the National Security Agency. … “Any attempt to write new laws granting the NSA or other intelligence services domestic surveillance authority would likely face sharp resistance from privacy advocates, who have long worried that new powers would lead to abuses.” RACIAL RECKONING — “American Battlefield: 72 Hours in Kenosha,” GQ: “This story draws on dozens of hours of video footage, including a comprehensive timeline of crucial events created by syncing 11 livestreams; countless photos; dozens of interviews, including some with participants speaking for the first time; previous reportage; and extensive police and court records. It is the most complete investigation and reconstruction yet of how American order imploded for three nights in Kenosha, until citizens were warring in the streets, and what that breakdown might tell us about the United States’ deepening divisions.” WHAT MICHELLE OBAMA IS UP TO — “Michelle Obama Talks Her COVID Year: Unexpected Blessings, Quarantine Hobbies & Depression and What’s Next,” People: “‘I've been telling my daughters I’m moving toward retirement right now, [selectively] picking projects and chasing summer,’ Mrs. Obama says. ‘Barack and I never want to experience winter again. We’re building the foundation for somebody else to continue the work so we can retire and be with each other — and Barack can golf too much, and I can tease him about golfing too much because he’s got nothing else to do.’” AFTERNOON READ — “‘It’s a Kill Shot’: How Tish James Holds Cuomo’s Future In Her Hands,” by Anna Gronewold in POLITICO Magazine: “New York’s attorney general was long regarded as the governor’s close ally. Then came a bruising report on Covid-19 deaths, and the rest could be history.” THURSDAY SNACK — The Shakespeare Theatre Company will host a virtual mock trial Thursday night, based on both “A Winter’s Tale” and DONALD TRUMP. The presiding judges include Justice STEPHEN BREYER, and the advocates are MAKAN DELRAHIM and ANDREW WEISSMANN. Details MEDIAWATCH — Fox News will debut its new late-night program, “Gutfeld!,” hosted by Greg Gutfeld at 11 p.m. on April 5. Shannon Bream’s “FOX News @ Night” will shift to the 12 a.m. slot on April 6. TRANSITION — Dan Sennott is now a partner in Holland & Knight’s public policy and regulation practice group. He most recently was Republican staff director for the House Armed Services Committee. | | | | A message from the American Beverage Association:   Our plastic bottles are made to be remade. Help us get Every Bottle Back. EveryBottleBack.org | | | | | | | 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 | | | | |  |
