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Presented by Facebook: POLITICO's must-read briefing on what's driving the afternoon in Washington. | | | | | |  | | By Mike Zapler, Garrett Ross and Eli Okun | Presented by Facebook | A few interesting nuggets from our latest POLITICO/Morning Consult poll out today: — Support for a health public option is very high: 68% of respondents said they strongly or somewhat support giving Americans the option of a government-run health care program to compete with private insurers — as opposed to just 18% who were opposed. Fifty-six percent of Republican respondents favor a public option. — Likewise, there’s overwhelming support for allowing Dreamers to gain citizenship, with 62% in favor and another 16% who said they should be given legal status but not full citizenship. — Congress is tilting against public opinion with its recent moves to reinstate earmarks. Just 19% said they favor directing public funds to “specific recipients” in individual districts. — VLADIMIR PUTIN edges out XI JINPING in popularity among Americans, 9% to 5%. BUT … 40% of respondents said they had never heard of the Chinese president. Toplines … Crosstabs VP KAMALA HARRIS on taking executive action on guns, in a “CBS This Morning” interview today: “We should first expect the United States Congress to act. I’m not willing to give up on what we must do to appeal to the hearts and minds and the reason of the members of the United States Senate. I served in that body, and I believe that it is possible, it has to be possible, that people agree that these slaughters have to stop.” — On the border: “It’s a huge problem. I’m not going to pretend it’s not. … This is, however, not going to be solved overnight. There are things that we need to do, especially since there was a system in place, previously, before the last administration, to allow us to process these kids in their country of origin that was dismantled. We have to reconstruct it. It’s not going to happen overnight.” Watch the interview MORE ON IMMIGRATION AND THE PRESS — This morning’s item on how the Trump administration handled press coverage of conditions at the border generated some heated pushback. Fair enough: We should have noted that although reporters were at times allowed to report from inside detention facilities, in other instances access was sharply limited or denied during Trump’s term. But the broader point former Trump adviser Stephen Miller was making in our interview was that the Trump team at times welcomed the coverage because they were hoping to deter further migrants from coming to the U.S., and viewed the poor conditions as essential to getting that message across to their base. They also hoped chaos at the border would build public support for their “zero immigration” policies and money for a border wall. Other journalists who covered immigration during the Trump years say the administration was highly selective about the conditions it allowed the media to see. The Biden White House, on the other hand, clearly views the overflowing facilities along the border as an embarrassing P.R. problem to be carefully managed. Witness, for example, how the Biden press shop today offered just one network — NBC — pooled access to a congressional delegation’s visit to a refugee care center in Carrizo Springs, Texas. They’re only allowing a TV camera and not any other journalists from TV, radio, wires or print. The footage is not scheduled to be distributed to anyone beyond the other networks, and other reporters are basically being told to watch the (edited) footage and write stories off of it. Asked why access to CBP facilities, where overcrowding has been a problem, has not been allowed so far, White House press secretary JEN PSAKI said at today’s press briefing: “We are also open to providing access there. This is just the first step in a process of providing greater access to the media. … We will and we are working with the Border Patrol and DHS to determine how we can do that.” More on the trip from Reuters | | A message from Facebook: It’s time to update internet regulations
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See how we’re making progress on key issues and why we support updated regulations to set clear rules for addressing today’s toughest challenges. | | | The White House also announced today that President JOE BIDEN will travel to Pittsburgh next Wednesday as part of the “Help Is Here” tour. More from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette HERE’S RONNY — Former President DONALD TRUMP hosted a Palm Beach fundraiser for his former physician, Texas Rep. RONNY JACKSON, Tuesday night that drew a list of attendees including Donald Trump Jr. and his girlfriend, KIMBERLY GUILFOYLE . (h/t Alex Isenstadt) COMMITTEE SHOWDOWN — “‘Shame, shame, shame:’ Sens. Schumer, McConnell spar over GOP efforts to roll back voting access,” WaPo: “The top two Senate leaders made a rare appearance at a hearing Wednesday morning at which they delivered at-times heated testimony on a sweeping election bill … “Schumer said the restrictive voting laws introduced by GOP-led legislatures ‘smack of Jim Crow rearing its ugly face once again.’ … McConnell countered that Democrats are the ones who should be ashamed. He took aim at several of the legislation’s provisions, including one that would restructure the Federal Election Commission to an odd number of members.” — Sen. ANGUS KING (I-Maine) sounds ready to ditch the filibuster for the bill in WAPO: “What happens to the filibuster depends on how Republicans play their hand” Good Wednesday afternoon. CONFIRMATION FIGHT — “Senate Armed Services deadlocks on embattled Pentagon policy nominee,” by Connor O’Brien: “A party-line tie vote was expected to be the best vote [Colin] Kahl could achieve … Kahl can be confirmed if Democrats in the full Senate remain united, though the road ahead is arduous.” NEW JAN. 6 DETAILS — “Officer Brian Sicknick Died After the Capitol Riot. New Videos Show How He Was Attacked,” NYT: “The officer, Brian D. Sicknick, who had been guarding the west side of the Capitol, collapsed later that day and died the next night. Little had been known about what happened to Officer Sicknick during the assault, and the previously unpublished videos provide new details about when, where and how he was attacked, as well as about the events leading up to the encounter.” LAWYERING UP — “Trump and Don Jr. Lawyer Up for Eric Swalwell’s Jan. 6 Riot Lawsuit,” The Daily Beast: “Former President Donald Trump, as well as his eldest son Donald Trump Jr., have retained attorney Jesse Binnall to represent each of them in a lawsuit filed by Democratic Congressman Eric Swalwell, according to a person with knowledge of the matter. “Binnall, a Republican attorney based in Virginia, previously represented former Trump national security advisor Mike Flynn, alongside attorney Sidney Powell, after prosecutors charged him with lying to the FBI about his communications with Russia’s ambassador to the U.S. More recently, Binnall filed a lawsuit in Nevada on behalf of the Trump campaign … and he has also repped Defending the Republic, a legal group founded in part by Powell, in a defamation suit filed by Dominion Voting Systems.” PREVIEWING TODAY’S EQUAL PAY EVENT — “Exclusive: Dr. Jill Biden On Why Equal Pay Is Personal To Her,” Elle: “In prepared remarks shared exclusively with ELLE in advance of the event, Dr. Biden recalls being excited when she was hired for her first teaching job, until she learned she would be paid 25 percent less than a man who was hired at the same time and had the same level of experience. ‘It wasn’t just the money—though that was unfair. It was the lack of respect—the discrimination,” Dr. Biden said. “Why was my work worth less?’” With full prepared remarks | | | | SUBSCRIBE TO "THE RECAST" TO JOIN AN IMPORTANT CONVERSATION : Power dynamics are shifting in Washington and across the country, 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 REOPENING CHALLENGE — The White House today is announcing $81 billion being made available to states to support efforts to return to in-person instruction. Bianca Quilantan and Juan Perez Jr. on four big reopening obstacles : “an aging school bus driver workforce, apprehensive parents of color, the lack of vaccine approval for young children and refusal by teachers unions to return to classrooms.” THE HOME STRETCH — “Biden administration eyes extended ban on renter evictions as stimulus delays, landlord lawsuits loom,” WaPo: “The extension under discussion could run at least through July … Without it, the federal eviction ban is set to lapse in seven days … Lawmakers acknowledge the federal eviction moratorium isn’t perfect, housing advocates fear fast-moving lawsuits could impede its future, and some Biden administration officials have even questioned whether the federal government has the authority to extend it.” GOING DARK — “Trumpworld’s next target: Building a dark-money machine,” by Alex Isenstadt: “Major donors are convening at former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort next month for a two-day gathering to talk about what went wrong in 2020 — and to build a big-dollar network to take back power. The summit is being sponsored by the Conservative Partnership Institute … Trump is slated to headline the opening-night dinner … “[S]enior Republicans say they’ve come to acknowledge a massive deficit: the lack of a dark-money infrastructure that can be pivotal to influencing elections and policy fights. Organizers say the gathering is aimed at creating a long-term blueprint for funding policy-focused nonprofits in order to compete with liberals who, through mega-donors like George Soros and Tom Steyer, have developed a well-oiled system for routing cash to a web of big-spending advocacy groups.” 2022 WATCH — “Missouri attorney general enters GOP race for U.S. Senate, hoping to succeed Blunt,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch: “The attorney general made his announcement on Fox & Friends. … [Eric] Schmitt has been an ally of the current governor. As attorney general, Schmitt stoked controversy by joining a Texas-led lawsuit challenging the 2020 presidential election. He also sued China last year for allegedly causing the global pandemic.” KNOWING ALEX PADILLA — “Can California’s first Latino senator break Washington’s gridlock on immigration reform?” L.A. Times: “Twenty-seven years after Alex Padilla hit the streets with hundreds of thousands of California Latinos to protest the anti-immigrant Proposition 187, he finds himself in a position to help deliver the change he has long sought. All he has to do is persuade Washington to do something it has been unable to achieve since the Reagan administration … “Like Biden, Padilla says comprehensive reform is ideal, but piecemeal fixes would be acceptable. … Padilla has begun sitting down with his new colleagues to share his experience as the child of immigrants. He stresses how a pathway to citizenship for the 11 million people already in the country illegally is not only moral and humane, but also the right thing for the U.S. economy.” WATCH: Biden’s immigration reform chaos, explained: As lawmakers debate over using the word “crisis” when it comes to the surge of migrant apprehensions at the southern border, RYAN breaks down what actions the Biden administration has actually taken for immigration reform. You’ll also hear from POLITICO immigration reporter Sabrina Rodríguez about her recent trip to the border and the different policies and rhetoric used by Barack Obama, Trump and Biden. | 
| | | | | 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. | | | | | SLOW ON THE UPTAKE — “Biden Moving Slowly in Filling Key National-Security Posts,” WSJ: “President Biden has yet to name hundreds of administration officials requiring Senate confirmation to military, diplomatic and intelligence posts, making it unlikely that his security agencies will be fully staffed until fall … Of more than 300 positions in the State Department, Pentagon and Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Biden administration has nominated 16 … That could affect national-security decisions.” RELATABLE — “Trump’s done with Twitter: ‘There’s not a chance in hell he gets back on,’” by Meridith McGraw and Gabby Orr: “The 45th president loves attention. But he also holds grudges.” WHOA — “Trump vaccine chief Slaoui fired from pharma board over sexual harassment allegations,” by Sarah Owermohle: “GlaxoSmithKline said an outside law firm it hired had substantiated claims against the former Operation Warp Speed leader.” THE LATEST IN MYANMAR — “AP journalist Thein Zaw released from detention in Myanmar,” AP MEDIAWATCH — “‘The Post Is Looking for a Journalistic Unicorn’: Inside the Confounding Search for Marty Baron’s Successor,” Vanity Fair: “In late January, when Baron announced his plans to retire, Kevin Merida’s name immediately entered the bloodstream … Alas, now that the search is in full swing, Merida is not in the mix. This has created a bit of consternation. … “[T]wo internal contenders: Cameron Barr, interim executive editor, and Steven Ginsberg, national editor. Marc Lacey and Rebecca Blumenstein of The New York Times have both been scouted, according to people familiar with the search, but it’s unclear if either will progress to the next stage. Two other names in circulation are Carolyn Ryan, another editor on the Times masthead, and Susan Goldberg, editor of National Geographic.” — “Live From The West Wing: The New Faces Of The White House Press Corps,” Bustle: “On Jan. 19, [Cecilia] Vega was promoted to ABC’s chief White House correspondent, becoming the first Latina in the role for an English-speaking network. She joins three other newly appointed chiefs, NBC’s Kristen Welker, CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, and CBS’ Nancy Cordes, who comes fresh off the Congressional beat. … “Collectively, the foursome have covered American politics for more than 60 years. To celebrate the moment, Bustle will touch base with each woman throughout 2021. But first, they spill the beans on Twitter alerts, rope lines, and off-camera dancing.” International Women’s Media Foundation discussion with the four this afternoon, moderated by Andrea Mitchell BARK LIKE THEY NEVER LEFT — “Biden family dogs Major and Champ are back at the White House after incident,” USA Today … NBC’s Kelly O’Donnell: “Major did get a training refresher while in Delaware after a minor nip of a Secret Service agent’s hand a few weeks ago.” FOR YOUR RADAR — Katie Couric, Chris Krebs and Rashad Robinson are co-chairing a new six-month Commission on Information Disorder at the Aspen Institute to explore America’s “crisis of faith in key institutions.” The announcement STAFFING UP — The White House announced it will nominate Adrianne Todman for deputy HUD secretary. TRANSITION — Rakeen Mabud is now managing director of policy and research and chief economist at the Groundwork Collaborative. She previously was senior director of research and strategy at the Time’s Up Foundation, where she spearheaded the Time’s Up, Measure Up initiative. | | | |   | | | | | | | 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 | | | | |  |
