Playbook PM: ‘This Town’ becomes Covid Town

From: POLITICO Playbook - Wednesday Apr 06,2022 05:36 pm

Apr 06, 2022

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WAIT, THEY KILLED THE FOX?!? — NBC’s @frankthorp just tweeted that officials put down the poor fox that was spotted and captured on Capitol Hill on Tuesday: “SAD NEWS on the Capitol Hill fox beat, per DC Health: ‘The fox responsible for 9 confirmed bites on Capitol Hill yesterday was captured and humanely euthanized so that rabies testing may be done. The fox was an adult female and her kits were found and captured this morning.’”

We’re animal lovers, so this officially ruined our day. Maybe our week.

TALK OF THIS TOWN — While much of the country tries to tap back into some version of pre-pandemic life by holding large social gatherings, D.C. is finding that reality has different plans.

“Scores of reporters and elected officials have revealed — privately and publicly — in recent days that they have Covid. It’s touched Congress, the White House and major newsrooms. It’s impacted going-away parties and insider gatherings. It’s cast a shadow over the functions of President JOE BIDEN as well, though the White House says he remains virus-free and has not yet had what is deemed to be a close contact,” write Eugene, Sam Stein and Steven Overly.

“The origins of the wave are unclear. But signs point to a few events that have likely contributed to the spread. [Commerce Secretary] GINA RAIMONDO’s announcement, for one, comes days after she was a featured speaker at the annual Gridiron Club dinner in Washington, D.C., an event that saw a who’s who of Beltway officials and journalists in attendance.”

“Privately, a number of members of the press corps have also come down with Covid after attending the festivities — sparking industry-wide chatter about the evening amounting to a quasi super-spreader event and raising questions about whether the White House Correspondents Association dinner will actually go on as planned in a few weeks.”

— What does it mean for the WHCA weekend? “According to an invitation to the Gridiron Club dinner, attendees needed to ‘bring a picture ID and vaccine documents either on paper, in pictures on phones or through Apps like Bindle or Clear.’ There was no requirement to take a test to attend the ceremony. There is a testing requirement for the WHCA dinner, but unlike the Gridiron, it does not have a vaccine requirement — at least not yet.”

GOP SHARPENS KNIVES FOR HUNTER — They don’t even have the majority yet, but House Republicans are laying out aggressive investigative plans to probe the foreign business dealings of the president’s son, HUNTER BIDEN.

Our Andrew Desidario and Olivia Beavers scoop the investigative plans: “The younger Biden’s connections to a Chinese energy company are already under the DOJ’s microscope, with a grand jury hearing testimony earlier this year as part of an investigation into his tax dealings and possible violations of foreign lobbying laws.”

“But a federal inquiry isn’t deterring Republicans from pursuing broader allegations against Hunter Biden. The House GOP’s eagerness promises to test whether next year’s likely new majority can conduct legitimate oversight without falling down a rabbit hole of politically motivated allegations that have a murky provenance. Russian disinformation touching on Hunter Biden’s business dealings, for example, emerged during former President DONALD TRUMP’s first impeachment.”

— Playbook thought-bubble: The GOP’s follow-the-money investigative angle here is interesting, given that House Republicans said very little — if anything — about former President Trump’s own massive conflicts of interest during the four years he was in the White House. Hill Democrats, interestingly, never paid much attention to the emoluments angle (which was mostly raised by outside attorneys and investigators) but Trump, we’ll remind you, never divested from his own business, and oversaw millions in taxpayers dollars going to his own hotel empire — not to mention providing those looking to curry favor with an easy in by staying at his properties.

But hey, this is Washington!

SURPRISING READ OF THE MORNING — “Congressional Republicans Now Lead Generic Ballot Among Child Tax Credit Recipients,” by Eli Yokley at Morning Consult: “46% of voters who received the expired pandemic-era benefit say they’ll back a Republican in the midterms.”

MEANWHILE, ON THE HILL…

TARMAC FEVER — CNN’s Manu Raju (@mkraju ): “Senate [Minority] Whip JOHN THUNE believes the confirmation vote on Judge Jackson may occur tomorrow evening. This would mean Republicans — at the moment — don’t plan to use up all their time giving speeches on the floor. Recess begins at week’s end.”

Good Wednesday afternoon.

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CONGRESS

REDISTRICTING RETIRES ANOTHER — Ohio GOP Rep. BOB GIBBS said today that he will retire after six terms in Congress instead of taking on a stiff primary challenge in a substantially redrawn district in northeast Ohio, Ally Mutnick reports. “His departure, which comes after ballots have been printed and early voting has begun in Ohio, is a big win for MAX MILLER, a former Trump official who secured the president’s endorsement last year when he launched a challenge against GOP Rep. ANTHONY GONZALEZ, one of 10 Republicans voted to impeach the former president. But Ohio’s redistricting turned the congressional map into a mess of musical chairs and a mountain of litigation — one that’s still ongoing.”

LOCK, STOCK AND BARREL — A group of 37 former lawmakers is pressing Congress to get serious about banning current members and their families from stock trading while in office. “The letter, sent under the auspices of nonpartisan government reform group Issue One, arrives as the Committee on House Administration is scheduled Thursday to conduct a congressional hearing on whether to ban or otherwise restrict members of Congress from buying and selling stocks,” Insider’s Dave Levinthal reports.

TURNABOUT IS FAIR PLAY — After Sen. MARSHA BLACKBURN’s (R-Tenn.) fiery moment with Judge KETANJI BROWN JACKSON during her confirmation hearings over the question of what defines a woman, HuffPost’s Arthur Delaney and Jennifer Bendery decided to turn the tables on GOP senators. “It turns out those same Republicans on the Judiciary Committee don’t agree on how to define a woman, and some wouldn’t ― or couldn’t ― give a definition when HuffPost asked Tuesday.

“‘I don’t have anything for you on that,’ said Sen. JOHN KENNEDY (R-La.). ‘I’m not going to indulge you,’ said Sen. JOHN CORNYN (R-Texas). Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) dodged the question three times in a row, citing her policy of not talking to reporters in Senate hallways. … In a follow-up email to HuffPost, a spokesperson for Blackburn said her definition of a woman is ‘Two X chromosomes.’ … ‘I have more of a traditional view of what a woman is,’ said Sen. THOM TILLIS (R-N.C.). What is that? ‘My wife.’”

ALL POLITICS

MIDTERM MOOD MUSIC — AARP is out with a new poll today with some key findings for both parties ahead of the midterms. The topline: “women voters age 50 and over have one thing on their minds — kitchen table economics and the day-to-day experience of rising prices.” Here are five big takeaways:

These are reliable votes: “According to voter file and Census Bureau data, they make up a little more than one-quarter (27%) of registered voters and cast nearly a third (30%) of all ballots in both the 2020 and 2018 elections. In 2020, 83% of registered women voters in this age group turned out, and in 2018, the last mid-term election, they were 15% more likely to vote than the population at large.”

Still time to win them: “Only 17% of women voters age 50 and over have decided who they will vote for in November, including 22% of Republicans, 14% of Democrats and 7% of Independents. Nineteen percent say they will decide several months before the election; 36% say several weeks before; 21% say several days before and 8% anticipate deciding on Election Day.”

Their top issues: “Nearly half (46%) of all women voters age 50 and over rank rising cost of living as the most important issue facing the country. While racism ranks highest among Black women voters age 50 and over, rising cost of living is a close second, and it is the number one issue for White, Hispanic/Latina and AAPI women.”

How they think the government is doing: “Significant majorities give elected officials D/F grades on issues including prices rising faster than income (82%), crime (78%) immigration (75%), cost of healthcare and prescription drugs (75%), and the wage gap between rich and poor (71%).”

The economic outlook: “More women voters age 50 and over say the economy is NOT working well for them personally (52%) than say it is working well (48%).” The polling memo … Polling summary

GO BIG OR GO NOEM — South Dakota Gov. KRISTI NOEM is slated to speak at a big 2024 benchmark event later this evening. “The first-term governor is the latest Republican invited to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California as part of a speakers series on the party’s future,” WSJ’s John McCormick reports.

What’s on the agenda? “In an advance copy of her speech provided to The Wall Street Journal, Ms. Noem has zero references to Mr. Trump, the party’s dominant current figure. … While she called Mr. Trump a ‘game-changer when it comes to the next election and the election cycle after that,’ she described the GOP as a party defined by the ‘long term’ and centered around ideals and values and not necessarily just one individual. … [T]he South Dakotan plans to speak extensively about Mr. Reagan. She is expected to note what she sees as similarities with the 40th president, a fellow rancher and horse-riding fan.”

THE LATEST TREND — Some key boosters of Biden’s agenda is turning to Gen Z’s favorite social media — TikTok — to connect with young voters ahead of the midterms. The group Building Back Together’s account “plans to create content inspired by TikTok trends and features, like the green screen function, to explain President Joe Biden’s agenda to the platform’s predominantly younger user base,” The Verge’s Makena Kelly writes.

WHERE ARE THE GOP WOMEN? — There are currently only nine female governors across the country — three of whom are Republicans. But a newly formed organization of longtime GOP political operatives, called Right Direction Women, wants to change that. “One of the people familiar with the group said it will evaluate candidates on a case-by-case basis and could endorse both moderate Republican women and ultra-conservative women who have embraced former President Donald Trump's falsehoods about the 2020 election,” CNN’s Gabby Orr reports. “”

WHAT RYAN’S RUNNING ON — Rep. TIM RYAN (D-Ohio) is trying to strike a delicate balance as he seeks to take over retiring GOP Sen. ROB PORTMAN’s seat. Ryan, like “other Democrats in long-shot races … must stay firmly within a narrow lane,” NYT’s Jazmine Ulloa writes from Niles, Ohio. “Mr. Ryan does not tout Medicare for All and other transformative policies that tend to energize progressives, and he does not want to talk about transgender women in sports and other divisive issues. Instead, he wants to campaign strictly on jobs, manufacturing and taking on China. His first television commercial — part of a $3.3 million ad buy — almost sounds like it came from a Republican, squarely centering on the nation’s fight to beat China on manufacturing.”

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WAR IN UKRAINE

— The U.S. announced the latest round of sanctions against Russia this morning. The administration said it would levy “sanctions targeting Russian President VLADIMIR PUTIN’s two adult daughters and said it was toughening penalties against Russian banks in retaliation for ‘war crimes’ in Ukraine,” AP’s Samuel Petrequin and Aamer Madhani report. Why Putin’s daughters? Officials believe Putin “may be hiding some of his assets with them, according to [a] senior administration official,” CNN’s Kevin Liptak reports.

— Also today, the administration “charged a Russian oligarch with violating U.S. government sanctions and has disrupted a cybercrime operation launched by a Russian military intelligence agency,” AP’s Eric Tucker and Michael Balsamo write.

— More than “2,000 Ukrainians have made their way to the U.S. border from Mexico over the past 10 days,” NYT’s Miriam Jordan reports from Tijuana. There, they join “desperate migrants from around the world in what officials expect could become a major border surge as pandemic restrictions are lifted and the continuing fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine reaches America’s shores.”

— The human toll in Ukraine: “At least 1,563 civilians have been killed since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). The UN agency has recorded 3,776 civilian casualties in Ukraine so far: 1,563 killed and 2,213 injured, it said in its latest update posted Wednesday,” per CNN’s Niamh Kennedy and Chris Liakos.

— “‘The Stuff of Movies’: How Fox News Rushed to Help Its Journalists After They Came Under Fire in Invasion,” by People’s Virginia Chamlee: “In the hours after correspondent Benjamin Hall was injured last month while reporting from Ukraine, his colleagues worked with the Pentagon and a team of specialists to reach him.”

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POLICY CORNER

IMMIGRATION FILES — A handful of former Trump administration officials is “pressing Texas Gov. GREG ABBOTT to declare an ‘invasion’ along the U.S.-Mexico border and give thousands of state troopers and National Guard members sweeping new authority to turn back migrants, essentially bestowing enforcement powers that have been a federal responsibility,” AP’s Acacia Coronado and Paul Weber report in San Antonio.

BEYOND THE BELTWAY

THE NEW ABORTION RIGHTS BATTLE — After years of being a small piece of the puzzle in the abortion debate, abortion pills have emerged as “the new front in the nation’s five-decade-long fight,” NYT’s Kate Zernike writes . “Supporters of abortion rights, who argue that women should be able to make their own reproductive choices, see the pills as a workaround in states that have already moved to ban or severely restrict abortion,” but “to anti-abortion activists, who believe ending a pregnancy is murder, the pills are a back door to be locked shut with new restrictions and heavier criminal penalties.”

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PLAYBOOKERS

OUT AND ABOUT — Former Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and Hilary Geary Ross unveiled his new official portrait at a dinner at the Sulgrave Club on Tuesday night, ahead of its installation at Commerce today. Pic … SPOTTED: Sen. RoyBlunt (R-Mo.) and Abigail Blunt, Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and Julie Fate Sullivan, Brian and Mila Mulroney, Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), Elaine Chao, AlexAzar, British Ambassador Karen Pierce, Woody Johnson,David Fisher,Mike Walsh,Lally Weymouth, Adrienne Arsht, Barbara Allbritton, Bret and Amy Baier, Boyden Gray, Pepe Fanjul, Howard and Michele Kessler, Lady Penny Mountbatten, portrait artist Ralph Heimans, Karen and Bob Tanzola, Amanda Ross, Jack Geary, Marlene Malek, Jackie Duberstein, and Celia and Silas Chou.

MEDIA MOVE — Leah Nylen will be an antitrust reporter at Bloomberg. She currently is an antitrust reporter at POLITICO.

TRANSITIONS — Former Sen. Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) has been appointed chair of the National Democratic Institute. The announcement … Christina Kanmaz is now a foreign service officer at the State Department. She previously was a director of comms and public affairs at Global Strategy Group. …

… Anastasia Dellaccio is now director of public policy and stakeholder engagement for Core Scientific. She previously was a senior manager of community impact and philanthropy corporate affairs at Booz Allen Hamilton and is founder and CEO of WCOIN. … Juven Jacob is now director of operations and scheduling for Rep. Anthony Brown (D-Md.). He previously was a professional staff member for the House Oversight Dems.

WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Rachel Snyderman, associate director of economic policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center, and Rob Begin, director of financial aid, teacher and coach at Georgetown Preparatory School, welcomed Emmanuelle Oslo Begin on Friday.