|
Presented by Facebook: POLITICO's must-read briefing on what's driving the afternoon in Washington. | | | | | |  | | By Ryan Lizza, Eli Okun and Garrett Ross | Presented by Facebook | WaPo’s JEFF STEIN has a newsy rundown on the development of and details in President JOE BIDEN’S coming economic package. Some highlights: — Deficit concerns guided the process late in the game: Biden’s aides originally wanted $3 trillion in spending and $1 trillion in new taxes. They settled on $4 trillion in spending and $3 trillion in new taxes. — The major new expansion of the child tax credit will NOT be made permanent in the Biden proposal despite lobbying efforts by Sens. SHERROD BROWN (D-Ohio), CORY BOOKER (D-N.J.) and MICHAEL BENNET (D-Colo.), who “pressed Vice President Harris, [Brian] Deese, White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain and White House Council of Economic Advisers member Jared Bernstein” but could only secure an extension “through 2025.” — There’s a big debate brewing between proponents of the infrastructure part of the agenda and proponents of the social welfare portions, and race and gender play into that debate. Stein: “Some people close to the White House said they feel that the emphasis on major physical infrastructure investments reflects a dated nostalgia for a kind of White working-class male worker.” Key players: — Deese and SUSAN RICE were “tasked with assembling the package.” — GINA MCCARTHY wrote the climate components. — Energy Secretary JENNIFER GRANHOLM “pushed for provisions aimed at blunting the impact of job loss in Appalachia and other parts of the country dependent on fossil fuel industries, particularly through money for retraining.” — MARK MAZUR, “a former Obama administration official tapped to deal with tax policy at the Treasury Department, took the lead in drafting a menu of tax increases that were then submitted to the White House for review.” — KIMBERLY CLAUSING, “who was an international tax and trade expert at UCLA, helped draft the provisions aimed at taxing multinational profits abroad.” Good Monday afternoon. | | A message from Facebook: It’s time to update internet regulations
The internet has changed a lot in the 25 years since lawmakers last passed comprehensive internet regulations. It’s time for an update.
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. | | | GREAT NEWS — “The Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines are very effective in real-world conditions at preventing infections, the C.D.C. reported,” NYT BUT WE’RE NOT THERE YET … In an emotional moment at today’s Covid-19 briefing, CDC Director ROCHELLE WALENSKY appeared to get choked up as she set aside prepared remarks to talk about the “recurring feeling I have of impending doom” as she sees concerning trends in the data. “I’m speaking today not necessarily as your CDC director, not only as your CDC director, but as a wife, as a mother, as a daughter to ask you to just please hold on a little while longer. I so badly want to be done. … We are almost there, but not quite yet,” she said, urging the U.S. public to follow guidelines and get vaccinated. 59-second clip … More from Susannah Luthi EXTENSION GRANTED — “CDC will extend national eviction ban through June 30,” CNBC: “The eviction ban was scheduled to expire in two days, and advocates warned of a spike in evictions if it was not kept in effect. … Likely informing the health agency’s decision to extend the ban for another three months is the fact that mass evictions could undermine the country’s attempts to get the coronavirus pandemic under control.” SO MUCH FOR THE BIG SITES — “Biden admin remakes vaccine strategy after mass vaccination sites fizzle,” by Erin Banco: “Despite the money the federal government has spent on the mass-vaccination pilot sites, they are administering just a fraction of the shots given across the country each day. Federal data show the retail pharmacy program — which has signed up 21 chains and 17,000 stores — can reach far more Americans in a shorter time … “The bottom line … is that more Americans seem to be willing to walk to their local pharmacist to get the vaccine than to travel to a federal vaccination site for the shot. That represents a shift in strategy for the Biden administration … [S]enior officials inside the White House and FEMA have raised serious questions about how long it makes sense — fiscally and strategically — to keep them open.” BUT, BUT, BUT … ANDY SLAVITT said at the briefing that two new mass vaccination sites would be opened in St. Louis, Mo., and Gary, Ind., with the combined capacity to administer about 6,000 shots per day. WHO’S ON FIRST — “AP Exclusive: WHO report says animals likely source of COVID”: “A joint WHO-China study on the origins of COVID-19 says that transmission of the virus from bats to humans through another animal is the most likely scenario and that a lab leak is ‘extremely unlikely,’ according to a draft copy obtained by The Associated Press. “The findings offer little new insight into how the virus first emerged and leave many questions unanswered, though that was as expected. But the report does provide more detail on the reasoning behind the researchers’ conclusions. The team proposed further research in every area except the lab leak hypothesis.” FOR YOUR RADAR — “Tillis to undergo surgery for prostate cancer,” by Marianne LeVine: “In a statement, the North Carolina Republican said that the cancer was found early and that he expects to make a full recovery. The surgery will take place [next week] in his home state. “‘I am blessed that my cancer was detected relatively early, and I can’t emphasize enough how important routine screenings are, regardless of how healthy you think you are,’ Tillis said Monday. ‘My prognosis is good because I went to my annual physical and received a PSA test, which led to a biopsy and eventually my diagnosis. Early detection can truly save lives.’” COMING ATTRACTIONS — @sarahnferris: “New: The WH is hosting a briefing for House Dems tomorrow to update on ‘the situation at the southern border.’ Sec. [Xavier] Becerra and Sec. [Alejandro] Mayorkas will both present. | | | | 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 our latest newsletter, SUBSCRIBE NOW. Thank you to our sponsor, Intel. | | | | | SCOTUS WATCH — “Supreme Court agrees to hear first abortion case with 6-3 conservative majority,” by Alice Miranda Ollstein: “The justices agreed to hear the Kentucky attorney general’s bid to intervene in a lawsuit over a state abortion ban that the governor refused to defend. However, the court refused the Kentucky attorney general’s request to consider whether a lower court decision striking down the ban should be thrown out.” IN THE LOWER COURTS — “Biden Has First Shot at Judicial Vacancies,” WSJ: “There are at least 68 judicial vacancies on the federal district and circuit courts, and Mr. Biden’s first slate of judicial nominations is expected to come as early as this week.” THE INVESTIGATIONS — “The Biden administration will investigate Trump-era attacks on science,” NYT: “The Biden administration will investigate Trump-era political interference in science across the government, the first step in what White House officials described as a sweeping effort to rebuild a demoralized federal work force and prevent future abuses. “In a letter to the leaders of all federal agencies, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy said that it intended to announce Monday the formation of a task force aimed at identifying past tampering in scientific decisions. It also will review the effectiveness of policies that were supposed to protect the science that informs policy decisions from inappropriate political influence.” SUMMERS’ FALL — “How Larry Summers went from Obama’s top economic adviser to one of Biden’s loudest critics,” WaPo: “Just about everywhere you look in the Biden White House, you can see former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers’s influence. Everywhere, that is, except for the policies. … Summers’s Cassandra-like critique has ignited a firestorm among some of the most liberal members of his party, who blame him for financial industry deregulation in the 1990s that contributed to the financial crisis and for the anemic recovery that followed. “But his arguments also have been swatted aside by his erstwhile allies in the White House, the Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve … The extraordinary clash between a globally recognized Democratic economist and a Democratic president hoping to enact the most transformative liberal agenda since the Great Society involves both the central issues of the day and the lessons of history.” 2022 WATCH — “Republican Who Questioned Election Results Will Challenge Murkowski In Primary,” Forbes: “Kelly Tshibaka, Alaska’s Commissioner of Administration, described herself as ‘unapologetically pro-life’ and repeatedly took aim at ‘D.C. insiders’ in a video announcing her candidacy. … “Days after the election was called for President Joe Biden, Tshibaka penned an op-ed for local outlet Must Read Alaska echoing several of Trump’s unfounded voter fraud claims, including that thousands of dead people voted and that a voting machine ‘glitch’ switched votes from Trump to Biden.” HACK ATTACK — “AP sources: SolarWinds hack got emails of top DHS officials”: “Suspected Russian hackers gained access to email accounts belonging to the Trump administration’s head of the Department of Homeland Security and members of the department’s cybersecurity staff whose jobs included hunting threats from foreign countries … “The intelligence value of the hacking of then-acting Secretary Chad Wolf and his staff is not publicly known, but the symbolism is stark. … The hackers were able to obtain the private schedules of officials at the Energy Department, including then-Secretary Dan Brouillette.” | | | | THE LATEST FROM INSIDE THE WEST WING : A lot happened in the first two months of the Biden presidency. From a growing crisis at the border to increased mass shootings across the country while navigating the pandemic and ongoing economic challenges. Add Transition Playbook to your daily reads to find out what actions are on the table and the internal state of play inside the West Wing and across the administration. Track the people, policies and emerging power centers of the Biden administration. Don’t miss out. Subscribe today. | | | | | CLIMATE FILES — “Biden mulls giving farmers billions to fight climate change. Even farmers are unsure about the plan,” by Zack Colman, Liz Crampton and Helena Bottemiller Evich: “The Biden administration’s ambitious plan to create a multibillion-dollar bank to help pay farmers to capture carbon from the atmosphere is running into surprising skepticism, challenging Agriculture Department officials to persuade the industry to get behind the massive climate proposal. … “The plan is to roll out some type of action this year … The questions reflect the difficult politics of climate change, questions about the science of carbon sequestration, and fears that big food and agriculture companies will use the scheme as an inexpensive way to avoid reducing their own carbon footprint. Farmers and ranchers worry they won’t end up benefiting much from the potential gold rush, as corporations and financial middlemen race to get into the markets.” PLAYBOOK METRO SECTION — “Inside DC’s Pandemic-Fueled Real Estate Boom,” Washingtonian: “The market is the craziest it’s been in 15 years, with buyers competing against dozens of other offers and waiving every contingency. Here’s how it happened and what it could mean for an already unequal region.” CLICKER — “Can You Tell How a Neighborhood Voted Just by Looking Around?” NYT: “We selected 10,000 American neighborhoods at random. If we dropped you into one of them, could you guess how most people there voted?” AFTERNOON READ — “A U.S. Diplomat’s Wife Was a Social Media Star—Until Chinese Trolls, Aided by State Media, Came After Her,” WSJ: “Tzu-i Chuang was referred to as the ‘most famous diplomatic wife’ before she became the target of a vicious, monthslong attack on social media.” IN MEMORIAM — “Obama family matriarch has died in a Kenyan hospital at 99,” AP MEDIAWATCH — @LaraLeaTrump: “I was so excited to announce this morning that I am officially joining the @FoxNews team! Thank you @ainsleyearhardt, @kilmeade & @SteveDoocy for the warm welcome on @foxandfriends.” TRANSITIONS — Jaymi Light is joining Cigna as a government affairs principal. She previously was health policy director for Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.). … Theo LeCompte is joining Veho as senior director for business operations. He most recently was head of private-sector outreach on the Biden transition, and is an Obama Commerce and Uber alum. … Brittany Hernandez is now EVP at Crossroads Strategies. She most recently led government affairs for the Muscular Dystrophy Association and federal advocacy for March of Dimes, and is a Steve Cohen alum. … … Alisha Sud will be associate director at the Milken Institute’s FasterCures Center. She most recently was an analyst at Albright Stonebridge Group. … Jessica Hernandez is returning to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand’s (D-N.Y.) office as a legislative assistant. She most recently was a legislative assistant for Rep. Albio Sires (D-N.J.). … Eva Temkin is now a partner on King & Spalding’s FDA and life sciences team. She previously was acting director for policy at the FDA’s Office of Therapeutic Biologics and Biosimilars. | | | |   | | | | | | | 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 | | | | |  |
