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Presented by Amazon: POLITICO's must-read briefing on what's driving the afternoon in Washington. | | | | | |  | | By Rachael Bade, Eli Okun and Garrett Ross | Presented by |  | | | | 
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy is slamming President Joe Biden for a slow response to a spiraling humanitarian crisis on the southern border. | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images | HAPPENING NOW: MCCARTHY BLASTS ‘BIDEN BORDER CRISIS’ — House Minority Leader KEVIN MCCARTHY and 12 of his members are slamming President JOE BIDEN for a slow response to a spiraling humanitarian crisis on the southern border. Speaking from El Paso, Texas the California Republican blamed the White House for a recent surge that’s resulted in thousands of migrant children being held in jail-like cells, citing Biden’s vow to give undocumented immigrants a pathway to citizenship. “It’s more than a crisis; it’s a human heartbreak,” McCarthy said, noting that his members spoke with a family from Honduras that had been travelling for 22 days. “The sad part about that is this didn’t have to happen. This crisis is created by the presidential policies of this new administration.” Republicans said the facility they toured, built last year to process about 1,040 applicants to come to the U.S., is now at overcapacity, forcing them to build makeshift units in the parking lot. They also noted that none of the migrants they spoke with had been tested for Covid-19. “This is where [Biden] should bring Air Force One, where he should look people in the eye and talk to the border agents,” McCarthy said. Democrats offered a pre-buttal ahead of the presser. Speaker NANCY PELOSI’S office sent an email that read, “McCarthy is desperate to distract from the American Rescue Plan,” which is very popular with voters. Additionally, White House press secretary JEN PSAKI said from the briefing room that the administration has a handle on the border, and “we recognize this is a big problem.” Psaki, however, pointed the finger at DONALD TRUMP: “The last administration left us a dismantled and unworkable system, and like any other problem, we are going to do everything we can to solve it. So our focus here is on solutions. … The president’s very focused on expediting what’s happening at the border at every step in the process.” — Psaki also called conditions at some facilities near the border “heartbreaking” and “not acceptable,” but said many critics are not putting forward solutions. — “U.S. to house up to 3,000 immigrant teens at Dallas site,” AP: “The Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center will be used for up to 90 days beginning as early as this week … Federal agencies will use the facility to house boys ages 15 to 17.” FORTRESS WASHINGTON — The House acting sergeant-at-arms announced this morning that some of the fencing around the Capitol will shrink and the razor wire is coming down this week. More of the fence will be removed later next week, as Capitol Police have determined “there does not exist a known, credible threat against Congress or the Capitol Complex that warrants the temporary security fencing.” (h/t Sarah Ferris) The move comes as the fences around the Hill have started to incite partisan sniping. Republicans have accused the Democrats of locking down the people’s House. Democrats, however, have wanted to err on the side of caution after Jan. 6. MORE JAN. 6 AFTERMATH — “Two arrested in assault on police officer Brian D. Sicknick, who died after Jan. 6 Capitol riot,” WaPo: “Julian Elie Khater, 32, of Pennsylvania, and George Pierre Tanios, 39 of Morgantown, W.Va., were arrested Sunday and are expected to appear in federal court Monday. … Khater and Tanios are charged with nine counts including assaulting Sicknick, a U.S. Capitol Police officer identified as C. Edwards and a D.C. police officer identified as B. Chapman with a deadly weapon. “They are also charged with civil disorder and obstruction of a Congressional proceeding. The charges are punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Prosecutors filed charges after tipsters contacted the FBI allegedly identifying Khater and Tanios from wanted images released by the Bureau from surveillance video and officer-worn body camera footage, the complaint said.” WATCH: McConnell: Sicknick ‘paid the ultimate price to uphold a solemn oath’ | 
| Good Monday afternoon. OUR BAD: Tara reported this morning that Donald Trump adviser Stephen Miller advocated on behalf of Lynda Blanchard ahead of her fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago on Saturday for her Alabama Senate run. But Miller is actually informally advising Rep. Mo Brooks, who hasn’t announced that he’s running for the seat being vacated by Sen. Richard Shelby. | | A message from Amazon: A new study from University of California-Berkeley and Brandeis University found that when Amazon raised their wage to $15/hr, the average hourly wage in the surrounding area rose by 4.7% as other employers followed their lead. Learn more about what else the research found. | | | THE NEXT BATTLE — “Senior Democrat ‘hot mic’ says GOP foot-dragging will force fast-track process for infrastructure,” by Sam Mintz: “The comment from [Sen. Ben] Cardin was captured by a ‘hot mic’ on C-SPAN after an event with [Transportation Secretary Pete] Buttigieg at a UPS facility in Maryland. “‘Ultimately it’s going to be put together similar’ to the American Rescue Plan, the Covid bill just passed by Congress last week, Cardin said, with multiple committees crafting legislation which would then be stitched together. Democrats will ‘most likely have to use reconciliation,’ he said, noting that Republicans will only ‘meet with you to a point.’ … Buttigieg said he was ‘pretty process-agnostic. We just want it to work, and get through,’ but that he’s ‘all ears’ as lawmakers on the Hill are trying to figure out the sequence and pieces of legislation.” — Psaki said today the administration did not see either infrastructure or voting rights as a higher priority than the other. BALLOT BATTLES — “For Voting Rights Advocates, a ‘Once in a Generation Moment’ Looms,” NYT: “Two left-leaning elections groups, the advocacy arm of End Citizens United and Let America Vote along with the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, plan this week to announce an infusion of $30 million to try to hasten the groundswell [for the For the People Act]. The money will fund paid advertising in at least a dozen states and finance organizers to target Democratic and Republican swing senators in six of them. … “The sense of a pivotal moment is the one thing Democrats and Republicans agree on. … The urgency for federal action has mounted not just among Washington lobbyists and Democratic lawmakers, but grass roots groups that normally fight battles in state legislatures and city councils.” WATCH: GOP doesn’t need election reform to win, Georgia’s lieutenant governor says | 
| CUOMO LATEST — “Siena poll: Just 35 percent of New York voters want Cuomo to resign,” by Bill Mahoney ANDY SLAVITT announced this morning two changes from the White House aiming to bolster vaccination. The administration will nearly double Medicare reimbursement rates for vaccines, from $23 to $40. And it will now cover the full cost of vaccines for Medicaid and children’s health insurance beneficiaries. — CDC Director ROCHELLE WALENSKY issued another warning about getting lax on public health measures too early: “I’m pleading with you for the sake of our nation’s health.” She also said the CDC is looking at studies and considering whether to revise its schools reopening guidance to require only three feet of distance instead of six. And she reported that only 3% of Americans who got their first shot have missed their second shot. New CDC study PLAYBOOK METRO SECTION — WAPO’S @JulieZauzmer: “News: In keeping with Biden’s call, DC will make all adults eligible for vaccine appointments starting on May 1.” More from Julie on the city lifting some pandemic restrictions | | | | JOIN THE CONVERSATION, SUBSCRIBE TO “THE RECAST”: Power dynamics are shifting in Washington, and more people are demanding a seat at the table, insisting that all politics is personal and not all policy is equitable. “The Recast” is a new twice-weekly newsletter that breaks down how race and identity are recasting politics, policy and power in America. Get fresh insights, scoops and dispatches on this crucial intersection from across the country, and hear from new voices that challenge business as usual. Don’t miss out on this new newsletter, SUBSCRIBE NOW. Thank you to our sponsor, Intel. | | | | | THE HESITANCY CHALLENGE — “‘We want to be educated, not indoctrinated,’ say Trump voters wary of covid shots,” WaPo: “Be honest that scientists don’t have all the answers. Tout the number of people who got the vaccines in trials. And don’t show pro-vaccine ads with politicians — not even ones with Donald Trump. That’s what a focus group of vaccine-hesitant Trump voters insisted to politicians and pollsters this weekend … “The group followed what [Frank] Luntz characterized as a remarkable arc: By the end of the two-hour-plus session, all 19 participants (one dropped out early) said they were more likely to get vaccinated, and Luntz said he had begun nationwide polling to see which messages resonated with a broader population.” — “U.S. prison guards refusing vaccine despite COVID-19 outbreaks,” The Marshall Project/AP: “[S]ome correctional officers are refusing the vaccine because they fear both short- and long-term side effects of the immunizations. Others have embraced conspiracy theories about the vaccine. Distrust of the prison administration and its handling of the virus has also discouraged officers from being immunized. In some instances, correctional officers said they would rather be fired than be vaccinated.” NO HESITANCY IN THE TRUMP W.H.! — “Shot Chasers: How Officials in Trump’s Lame-Duck White House Scrambled to Score COVID-19 Vaccinations,” Vanity Fair: “In late December and early January, as COVID-19 vaccines were just beginning their chaotic rollout to the states, a secretive scramble took place inside the Trump White House. One after another, political appointees at very high levels approached chief of staff Mark Meadows and members of the National Security Council to ask a favor: They wanted to be on the list. … “Though it is not clear who ultimately succeeded in crashing the list, which morphed continuously as names were punted off of it and then mysteriously reappeared, most petitioners ran into a surprisingly hard line. ‘It ain’t happening,’ was a common refrain … In part this was because Meadows—who, like many working in the White House, contracted COVID-19 late last year—had received explicit directions from his boss. On December 13, President Trump tweeted that White House employees would wait their turn unless ‘specifically necessary.’” | BEYOND THE BELTWAY — “At least 22 governors haven’t gotten their COVID-19 vaccine, Insider found. Here’s who — and why,” Insider: “12 Republicans and 10 Democrats … tell Insider they’re waiting their turn, abiding by the vaccination distribution guidelines they’ve helped set or waiting for the vaccine supplies in their state to increase. … “One senior level staffer for a Democratic governor told Insider she’s worried about her boss, who hasn’t been vaccinated because he won’t jump the line. … Health officials contacted by Insider said it’s certainly fair for governors to receive the COVID-19 vaccine to help encourage others to do so.” VALLEY TALK — “Facebook to label vaccine posts to combat COVID-19 misinfo,” AP: “The social network is also adding a tool to help get users vaccinated by connecting them to information about where and when they can get their shot.” CORRECTION DU JOUR — WAPO: “The Post misquoted Trump’s comments on the [December Georgia] call, based on information provided by a source. Trump did not tell the investigator to ‘find the fraud’ or say she would be ‘a national hero’ if she did so. Instead, Trump urged the investigator to scrutinize ballots in Fulton County, Ga., asserting she would find ‘dishonesty’ there. He also told her that she had ‘the most important job in the country right now.’” READ HER LIPS — “Yellen pushes global minimum tax as White House eyes new spending plan,” WaPo: “Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is working with her counterparts around the world to forge an agreement over a global minimum tax on multinational corporations, as the White House looks for revenue to help pay for President Biden’s domestic agenda. “The effort, which would involve a fraught and challenging global negotiation of tax laws, could prove one of Yellen’s biggest policy legacies if it succeeds. It could also prove central to Biden’s presidency. … But Yellen’s efforts face myriad skeptics, who worry the push could encourage further tax shifting to countries outside the OECD agreement, or lead the United States to make concessions that will hurt its competitiveness.” | | | | TUNE IN TO GLOBAL TRANSLATIONS: Our Global Translations podcast, presented by Citi, examines the long-term costs of the short-term thinking that drives many political and business decisions. The world has long been beset by big problems that defy political boundaries, and these issues have exploded over the past year amid a global pandemic. This podcast helps to identify and understand the impediments to smart policymaking. Subscribe and start listening today. | | | | | FOOD FOR THOUGHT — “Why You Should Still Pay Attention To Joe Biden’s Approval Rating,” FiveThirtyEight: “Big swings in presidential approval are probably a thing of the past. But small shifts in a president’s approval rating can still indicate meaningful changes in opinion that may foreshadow future electoral outcomes.” RECALL TO ATTENTION — “‘Lost in the shuffle.’ Did Democrats miss a chance to block a Newsom recall election?” The Sacramento Bee: “The effort to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom has less than one week left to turn in enough signatures to trigger [an] election. Organizers say they have 2 million signatures, just enough to be sure they reach the threshold of 1.5 million valid ones. But had it not been granted a deadline extension last fall, it never would have gotten this far.” MAKING ROBOCALLS EVEN WORSE — “A Pro-Trump scam PAC returns with a vengeance,” by Theo Meyer: “Over the past few weeks, POLITICO has received a number of robocalls from generically named political groups asking for cash in order to help in very Trump-specific missions. A donation of $100, for example, would help return Trump to Twitter. Or, for a similar amount, a potential donor can ‘stop Kamala Harris and socialism,’ the calls claim. … “But the calls aren’t being made by Trump’s Save America political action committee. In fact, it’s not entirely clear who’s behind them. … One telemarketer said he was calling from the 33rd floor of a Dallas office building — a building which is home to a WeWork office that’s been linked to a man named Matthew Tunstall. Tunstall is the treasurer of the Support American Leaders PAC … A POLITICO investigation in 2019 identified Support American Leaders PAC as one of more than a dozen pro-Trump PACs with no actual ties to Trump.” | 2022 WATCH — “Super PAC supporting potential Senate candidate J.D. Vance gets $10M donation from PayPal cofounder,” The Cincinnati Enquirer: “[Peter] Thiel, a German-American billionaire and early investor in Facebook, gave $10 million to Protect Ohio Values. … The Mercer family also made a ‘significant contribution.’” — GOOD LUCK WITH THAT … CHARLES BOOKER (@Booker4KY): “I am strongly considering a run for United States Senate in 2022. Good morning.” A VERY DIFFERENT COAST — “U.S. Deploys Coast Guard Far From Home to Counter China,” WSJ: “In the past few months, it based two of its most advanced new cutters in the U.S. territory of Guam, nearly 4,000 miles closer to Shanghai than it is to San Francisco. One more is due to arrive in the coming months. For the first time, the Coast Guard has an attaché to the U.S. Embassy in Canberra, Australia, and another attaché will move to Singapore next year. … “While the U.S. Coast Guard falls under the Department of Homeland Security, its work with the Pentagon is growing. U.S. government data show Coast Guard vessels spent 326 days in support of the Department of Defense in 2019, compared with an average of just 50 to 100 days over the previous five years.” MEDIAWATCH — Rick Noack will be WaPo’s next Paris correspondent. He is currently a foreign affairs reporter in Berlin for the paper. Announcement TRANSITIONS — “Face The Nation” broadcast producer Jillian Hughes is leaving CBS News after 10 years for Mental Health America, where she’ll be comms director. The move was inspired by her volunteer work with Crisis Text Line and her own mental health journey. … Dustin Carmack is now a research fellow for technology policy at the Heritage Foundation. He previously was chief of staff to DNI John Ratcliffe. | | | | A message from Amazon:   Watch what happened when Amazon raised their starting wage to $15/hr. | | | | | | | 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 | | | | |  |
