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Presented by Amazon: POLITICO's must-read briefing on what's driving the afternoon in Washington. | | | | | |  | | By Eli Okun and Garrett Ross | Presented by |  | | | RYAN and TARA this morning interviewed Rep. LEE ZELDIN (R-N.Y.), a rising star and top DONALD TRUMP defender in the GOP who’s considering a run for New York governor. The moment that got a lot of attention: When they asked him to acknowledge that President JOE BIDEN fairly won the election, things got a little heated. — “Zeldin gets testy when asked if Biden won election,” by Ben Leonard: “‘I ask it very intentionally that he won the presidential election,’ Lizza said. ‘Yes, and then I went on to continue an answer,’ Zeldin said. ‘If you would like to give my answer for me, you can go ahead and do that. But I thought I was going to be here to answer my own questions.’” It’s worth watching in full: | 
| FILIBUSTER FRACAS — Sen. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-Mass.) this morning made waves by telling Axios that the Senate filibuster is racist — a historical point that progressives are increasingly making as they seek to end the 60-vote threshold. “Warren explained to Axios that, during the Constitutional Convention, ‘the founders debated whether to require a supermajority in either House of Congress, and decided that government would function more effectively if both the Senate and the House worked by simple majority.’ “‘When they didn’t want a simple majority, for example in an impeachment, they said so specifically. The filibuster is a later creation that was designed to give the South the ability to veto any effective civil rights legislation or anti lynching legislation.’ This understanding of the filibuster’s origins is in part what’s driving many Democrats’ hopes at using their voting rights package to try and convince those on the fence to support changes.” This follows comments from BARACK OBAMA, House Majority Whip JIM CLYBURN (D-S.C.) and others that have placed the locus of Democrats’ filibuster fury on issues of race and voting access — both with this year’s For the People Act and in the context of the civil rights era. McConnell world fired back today by pointing out that Warren herself has used the filibuster. Meanwhile, the White House continued sounding more open to filibuster changes than President JOE BIDEN has been in the past. On MSNBC this morning, HALLIE JACKSON asked comms director KATE BEDINGFIELD, “How far is the president willing to go? Specifically, would he be comfortable rolling back that 60-vote threshold?” Bedingfield said it’s not his preference, but also dangled this: “What the president is not willing to do, Hallie, is to allow progress and to allow benefits to the American people to be held hostage in the process. And so there are going to be conversations. There are going to be conversations. And he’s open to hearing different ideas.” TODAY’S BIG MILESTONE — “Biden to Reach 100 Million Vaccinations Goal Six Weeks Early,” Bloomberg — CNN’s Jeremy Diamond reports Biden will tout this accomplishment in his remarks this afternoon. THE BIDEN CABINET — “Becerra squeaks through confirmation vote to become HHS secretary,” WaPo: “[Xavier] Becerra, a congressman from Los Angeles for two dozen years and then California attorney general, squeaked by on a vote of 50 to 49, the closest margin for any of the Biden cabinet members the Senate has confirmed so far. … Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) was the only member of the GOP to vote for Becerra’s confirmation along with a solid wall of Senate Democrats.” Good Thursday afternoon. | | | | A message from Amazon: Voters of both parties support wage increases.
The most recent elections made it clear, voters in both political parties support a higher minimum wages. The federal minimum wage hasn’t changed in 12 years, despite significant cost-of-living increases. Amazon saw the need to do more for their employees and communities and established a $15/hour starting wage in 2018. They’re calling on Congress to pass the Raise the Wage Act would increase the federal minimum wage to $15/hour. | | | NEW FROM THE WHITE HOUSE: “Given the tragedy in Georgia on Tuesday night, President Biden and Vice President Harris will postpone the evening political event in Georgia for a future date. During their trip to Atlanta, they will instead meet with Asian-American leaders to discuss the ongoing attacks and threats against the community, meet with other local leaders, and also visit the Centers for Disease Control to receive an update from the team of health and medical experts helping lead the fight against the pandemic.” — Biden is lowering flags to half-staff for the next several days. — THE STEP BACK: “Asian-Americans Are Being Attacked. Why Are Hate Crime Charges So Rare?” NYT: “The Atlanta shootings and other recent attacks have exposed difficult questions involved in proving a racist motive. Did the assaults just happen to involve Asian victims? Or did the attackers purposely single out Asians in an unspoken way that can never be presented as evidence in court?” BREAKING — “Biden administration eyes mid-May to begin relaxing Covid travel restrictions, sources say,” CNBC — BIG FOR SCHOOLS … CNN’S @kaitlancollins: “The CDC is expected to update its physical distancing guidelines for schools from six feet to three feet tomorrow, per @elizcohencnn.” FINALLY SHARING — “Exclusive: U.S. plans to send four million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine to Mexico, Canada - official,” Reuters: “Mexico will receive 2.5 million does of the vaccine and Canada will receive 1.5 million doses … The deal to share the vaccine, which is still being finalized, does not affect President Joe Biden’s plans to have vaccine available for all adults in the United States by the end of May.” IMMIGRATION FILES — “Biden Urges Mexico to Do More to Stop Migration,” NYT: “The Biden administration has been quietly pressing Mexico to curb the stream of migrants coming to the United States, urging it to take in more families being expelled by American authorities and to step up enforcement at its southern border with Guatemala … [H]e is clinging to a central element of Mr. Trump’s agenda: relying on Mexico to restrain a wave of people making their way to the United States.” THE SHADOW SECSTATE — As the crisis in Ethiopia’s Tigray region continues to spiral, with thousands dead and possible war crimes committed, the White House announced today that Biden is sending Sen. CHRIS COONS (D-Del.) to the country. He’ll meet with PM ABIY AHMED in Addis Ababa to transmit the White House’s concerns and talk with the African Union. Foreign Policy scoop LOOK WHO’S BACK — “Biden to tap former Senator Bill Nelson as NASA chief,” The Verge THE UNEMPLOYMENT PICTURE — “U.S. jobless claims rise to 770,000 with layoffs still high,” AP: “Thursday’s report from the Labor Department showed that jobless claims climbed from 725,000 the week before. … The four-week average of claims, which smooths out weekly variations, dropped to 746,000, the lowest since late November. A total of 4.1 million people are continuing to collect traditional state unemployment benefits, down 18,000 from the previous week.” | | | | 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. | | | | | NEW: As U.S.-China talks get underway in Alaska today, House Energy & Commerce ranking member CATHY MCMORRIS RODGERS (R-Wash.) and other GOP leaders on the committee are sending a letter to NIH Director FRANCIS COLLINS asking for a full, independent investigation into the origins of the novel coronavirus in China. The letter ON THE KOREAN PENINSULA — “Blinken urges China to convince North Korea to denuclearize,” AP: “Blinken stressed that China is obligated by U.N. Security Council resolutions to fully enforce sanctions imposed over North Korea’s nuclear and missile tests. … Earlier Thursday, Choe Son Hui, North Korea’s first vice foreign minister … called the U.S. outreach a ‘time-delaying trick’ and said North Korea would [be] discarding offers for talks unless Washington withdraws its hostility.” MICHAEL GRUNWALD, who knows from government stimulus packages, has this piece out in POLITICO Magazine today: “The GOP’s Political Nightmare: Running Against a Recovery: The Democrats just passed a massive spending bill with no GOP support. So why are Republicans talking about Dr. Seuss and the border?” MORE TURMOIL AT THE FDA — “How the bitter political fight over painkillers could derail Biden’s FDA pick,” by Adam Cancryn: “Joe Biden’s pick to head the Food and Drug Administration was supposed to be an easy one. But two months into his presidency, the search for a commissioner to run a health agency critical to the pandemic response has become a drawn-out and messy affair, vexing administration officials and threatening to disrupt a rare period of harmony on health care within the Democratic Party … “The process has pitted Biden’s allies in the cancer and drug development worlds against a wave of vocal anti-opioid activists and liberal groups eager to push the president further left. What was once seen as the inevitable coronation of longtime FDA regulator Janet Woodcock has stalled amid worries she would face sharp opposition among a handful of Senate Democrats over her handling of the opioid epidemic — and among progressive groups who say she’s too friendly with the pharmaceutical industry.” RECALL ME MAYBE — “National Republicans start cash dash for California recall,” by Alex Isenstadt: “The Republican Governors Association has launched Recall Newsom! RGA Action, an entity that is allowed to raise and spend unlimited amounts of cash. Party officials say they envision it as a central hub into which major donors across the country will funnel their checks.” 2022 WATCH — “Mo Brooks Alabama Senate Bid Leaked As Official Campaign Page Changes Reveal Run,” Newsweek: “Following an update to the congressman's campaign Facebook page, followers are told to contact ‘email@mobrooksforsenate.com’ with queries. The Mo Brooks for Congress website is also down for maintenance, but linking to the website on an instant messaging app shows a message that would further appear to confirm his plans for a Senate bid. ‘Mo Brooks for U.S. Senate is under construction,’ the message reads. ‘Send a Proven Conservative Leader to Senate.’” — “NH Primary Source: Mowers ponders 2022 candidacy as he helps NHGOP, Boyd raise funds,” WMUR CLIMATE FILES — “Democrats Promised Climate Action. Now, Chuck Schumer Stalls a Key Project,” NYT | | | | 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. | | | | | FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE — “Russia Erupts in Fury Over Biden’s Calling Putin a Killer,” NYT: “Russia’s Foreign Ministry said late Wednesday that it had summoned its envoy in Washington, Anatoly I. Antonov, to Moscow ‘in order to analyze what needs to be done in the context of relations with the United States.’ “‘We are interested in preventing an irreversible deterioration in relations, if the Americans become aware of the risks associated with this,’ the Foreign Ministry’s spokeswoman, Maria V. Zakharova, said in a statement. Ms. Zakharova did not specify whether a specific event had prompted the decision to recall Mr. Antonov, but the rare move came as Russian officials reacted with fury to an interview with Mr. Biden aired by ABC News.” THE DISTRIBUTION CHALLENGE — “‘There’s tremendous fear’: Farmworkers face vaccine eligibility woes,” by Liz Crampton: “State officials and advocates are racing to overcome obstacles that hamper vaccinating the nation’s 3 million farmworkers before the upcoming harvest season. The biggest hurdle: Many agriculture-rich states have been slow to make laborers eligible for shots, triggering outrage among activists and lawmakers.” FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Former President BARACK OBAMA will join Protect Our Care for an online event on Monday to mark the 11th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act. Obama will speak alongside several Protect Our Care leaders and health care advocates. The event will stream at 1:15 p.m. on Protect Our Care’s Facebook page. AFTERNOON SNACK — Obama’s March Madness picks are out — and he’s got the four 1-seeds in the Final Four, with top-seeded Gonzaga taking down Illinois in the final. The safe picks are understandable, especially given that his last bracket in 2019 predicted precisely zero of the correct Final Four. (Though taking 13-seed Ohio to the Sweet Sixteen takes some guts!) Of the 11 brackets the 44th president has filled out since 2009, he’s selected the correct winner only twice (UNC in ’09 and ’17). So maybe look elsewhere if you’re seeking bracket advice for your pool. The bracket In the women’s tournament, Obama picked two 1-seeds and two 2-seeds for the Final Four — and notably, no UConn(!), which has made it to the Final Four every year since 2008 — with Baylor taking down Stanford in the championship matchup. The bracket MEDIAWATCH — Samantha Schmidt will be WaPo’s first Bogotá bureau chief. She currently is a gender and family issues reporter. Announcement TRANSITION — David Morrell is returning to Jones Day as a partner in the government regulation practice. He most recently was deputy assistant A.G. WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Aly Higgins Wheeler, owner and chief fundraiser at Wheelerhouse LLC, and Graham Wheeler, digital marketing manager for the Washington Nationals, welcomed Jackson Robert Wheeler on Wednesday. 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