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Presented by Google: POLITICO's must-read briefing on what's driving the afternoon in Washington. | | | | | |  | | By Ryan Lizza, Garrett Ross and Eli Okun | Presented by |  | | | BREAKING — “Alabama Amazon workers reject high-profile union drive,” by Rebecca Rainey: “The vote was 1,798-738 against joining the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union.” BIDEN SHOWS US HIS BUDGET: This morning, OMB released its so-called skinny budget, President JOE BIDEN’S top-line priorities to help kick-start the congressional budget process before the new administration puts together a comprehensive plan later in the spring. Like a lot of things labeled as skinny, the budget is actually pretty high in calories. The $1.52 trillion request tracks with priorities already laid out in the American Rescue Plan and the American Jobs Plan and asks for big boosts for health care, education and environmental programs. Military spending would remain relatively flat. It’s the mirror image of DONALD TRUMP’S last request. Here are the initial takes: POLITICO, WSJ, WaPo, NYT. Here’s the budget request. These requests rarely survive contact with Congress, even under one-party control, but they are useful as a statement of a president’s philosophy and priorities. One of Biden’s all-time favorite sayings is “Don’t tell me what you value; show me your budget, and I’ll tell you what you value.” What Biden values, according to this plan, is a sharp break with the past when it comes to how Democrats think about federal spending. The White House is making it clear that fears about deficits are outdated, any pivot to austerity after the recent surge of spending is a non-starter, and the era of budget caps is over. Biden’s embrace of these views isn’t completely new, but it’s always been a little awkward for him to discuss because it’s an implicit admission of the failure of policies that defined the post-2010 Obama-Biden administration. But the break is declared loudly in the skinny budget’s introduction, written by SHALANDA YOUNG, the acting director of OMB: “Over the past decade, due in large measure to overly restrictive budget caps, the Nation significantly underinvested in core public services, benefits, and protections. Since FY 2010, non-defense discretionary funding — the area of the Federal budget that funds education, research, public health, and other crucial services — has shrunk significantly as a share of the economy.” The Biden presidency is clearly a rejection of almost everything that Trump stood for, but what’s not often stated is that, when it comes to economic policy and federal spending, it’s also a rejection of much of what BARACK OBAMA stood for as well. SCOOP, via Alex Isenstadt: Trump is slated to make an appearance at a fundraiser for the House Freedom Fund, the political arm of the House Freedom Caucus, to be held at the former president’s Mar-a-Lago resort on April 24. An invitation to the event lists Reps. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R-Ga.) and LAUREN BOEBERT (R-Colo.) as featured attendees, among others. The invitation | | A message from Google: Google is helping American small businesses adapt and grow. In 2020, more than 17 million American businesses received phone calls, requests for directions, messages, bookings, reviews, and other direct connections to their customers from Google. Read more in the 2020 Economic Impact Report. | | | THE WEEK AHEAD — Press secretary JEN PSAKI previewed the White House’s next week: On Monday afternoon, national security adviser JAKE SULLIVAN and NEC Director BRIAN DEESE will host a virtual semiconductor summit with CEOs and Commerce Secretary GINA RAIMONDO. Biden will meet with members of the House and Senate from both parties Monday to discuss the infrastructure/jobs plan. On Tuesday, Biden will attend the ceremony for the late Capitol Police officer BILLY EVANS as he lies in honor in the rotunda. Biden will meet with Congressional Black Caucus members Tuesday and Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus members Thursday. And on Friday, Japanese PM YOSHIHIDE SUGA is visiting. Happy Friday afternoon. The White House has unveiled the official portraits of Biden and VP KAMALA HARRIS. NOT SCARED OFF BY TRUMP — “McConnell-aligned super PAC endorses Murkowski for re-election,” Axios GAETZ-GATE — NBC’S @GarrettHaake: “New: @RepMattGaetz has hired white collar criminal defense lawyers Marc Mukasey & Isabelle Kirshner to lead his legal team. Mukasey has a long history in former President Trump’s orbit, and notably defended SEAL Eddie Gallagher, who was acquitted of murder in 2019.” REPUBLICANS IN LIMBO — “How a Defeated Trump Is Making a Muddle of the G.O.P.,” NYT: “His preference for engaging in red-meat political fights rather than governing and policymaking have left party leaders in a state of confusion over what they stand for, even when it comes to business, which was once the business of Republicanism. Yet his single term has made it vividly clear what the far right stands against — and how it intends to go about waging its fights. “Having, quite literally, abandoned their traditional party platform last year to accommodate Mr. Trump, Republicans have organized themselves around opposition to the perceived excesses of the left and borrowed his scorched-earth tactics as they do battle. … While this approach may not be the political equivalent of a well-balanced meal — a plan for long-term recovery — that does not mean it’s a poor strategy for success in the 2022 elections.” SCOTUS WATCH — “Biden unveils bipartisan commission to study structural changes to Supreme Court amid liberal calls for expansion,” WaPo: “The commission, which will include as many as three dozen people, will fulfill Biden’s campaign promise to put together a group to study changes to the court. … “The commission, however, is likely to disappoint liberals who are looking for quick action. Most of the commission’s members are academics, and they will come from a range of political backgrounds. Bob Bauer, a top lawyer on Biden’s campaign, and Cristina Rodriguez, a professor at Yale Law School, will chair the commission, which will be run out of the White House counsel’s office. Other members include Caroline Fredrickson, the former president of the American Constitution Society, and Jack Goldsmith, a Harvard Law School professor.” — WaPo’s Robert Barnes (@scotusreporter): “#scotus makes it official: no in-person oral arguments this term. Hearings April 19-21, 26-28 and final one May 4 will be by teleconference, as all the others have been because of Covid restrictions.” IN MEMORIAM — “Prince Philip has died aged 99, Buckingham Palace announces,” BBC — “How Prince Philip Saved the Monarchy,” by Otto English in POLITICO Magazine BEYOND THE BELTWAY — “In 5-2 ruling, the Wisconsin Supreme Court keeps thousands of voters on the rolls,” Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: “The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled Friday that state election officials do not have to quickly take people off the voter rolls when they suspect they may have moved.” | | | | JOIN AN IMPORTANT CONVERSATION, SUBSCRIBE TO "THE RECAST" NEWSLETTER: 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 our 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 important new voices that challenge business as usual. Don't miss out, SUBSCRIBE . Thank you to our sponsor, Intel. | | | | | THE (PARTIAL) SURGE — “Biden to surge vaccinators, testing to hard-hit Michigan,” AP: “President Joe Biden outlined the moves late Thursday in a call with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to discuss the situation in the state … “It will not include a ‘surge’ of vaccine doses, a move Whitmer has advocated. Instead, Biden outlined how the federal government was planning to help Michigan better administer the doses already allocated to the state, as well as surge testing capacity and drugs for virus treatment. Biden told Whitmer that his administration stands ready to send an additional 160 FEMA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention personnel to Michigan to assist in vaccinations … [and would] prioritize the distribution of doses through federal channels, like the retail pharmacy program and community health centers, to areas of the state Whitmer identifies.” THE VACCINE SUPPLY CHALLENGE … “Johnson & Johnson dose allocation to fall 85% next week,” USA Today: “Only about 785,000 Johnson & Johnson vaccine doses are slated to roll out to states and other jurisdictions next week, compared to five million doses this week. … Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccine dose distribution will remain steady.” … AND THE DEMAND CHALLENGE: “In Mississippi, 73,000 Vaccine Slots and Few Takers,” NYT: “Though access remains a problem in rural Mississippi, experts say that the state — one of the first to open eligibility to all adults three weeks ago — may be a harbinger of what much of the country will confront in the coming weeks.” YIKES — “Trump officials celebrated efforts to change CDC reports on coronavirus, emails show,” WaPo: “Even as career government scientists worked to combat the virus, a cadre of Trump appointees were attempting to blunt the scientists’ messages, edit their findings and equip the president with an alternate set of talking points. … “Pointing to one change — where CDC leaders allegedly changed the opening sentence of a report about spread of the virus among younger people after [Paul] Alexander pressured them — Alexander wrote to [Michael] Caputo, calling it a ‘small victory but a victory nonetheless and yippee!!!’ In the same email, Alexander touted another example of a change to a weekly report from the CDC that he said the agency made in response to his demands.” The White House announced two new mass vaccination sites this morning in Tulsa, Okla., and Baton Rouge, La. JEFF ZIENTS said at the Covid-19 briefing that Pfizer and Moderna are on track to meet their delivery commitments by the end of May. FOR YOUR RADAR — “Bill that could lead to slavery reparations proposals may be nearing consideration on House floor,” CBS: “The House Judiciary Committee plans to mark up the bill and vote on it Wednesday.” IMMIGRATION FILES — “‘I Have No Idea Where My Daughter Is’: Migrant Parents Are Desperate for News,” NYT: “[I]mmigrant parents across the country, who often have no idea what happened to their children after they entered the U.S., are growing increasingly desperate. Some children have gone weeks or longer without being able to contact their parents. … “The problem appears to be one of sheer numbers, as the new administration struggles to hire enough people to staff the temporary shelters, make contact with parents and verify that children can be safely released to them. Administration officials say they are doing the best they can … [O]n average, only about 300 minors a day are being released.” | | | | STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: It actually is infrastructure week ... and it will be for a while. What is the administration’s plan to get its top legislative priority through Congress? Add Transition Playbook to your daily reads for details you won't find anywhere else about the state of play of the administration's top priorities and biggest challenges. Track the people, policies and power centers of the Biden administration. Subscribe today. | | | | | ALL EYES ON VIENNA — “Critics crank up volume as Iran nuclear talks press ahead,” by Nahal Toosi: “The negotiators are negotiating. The naysayers are naysaying. And the Israelis are attacking Iranian ships. Allegedly. As Tehran and Washington seek a path back to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, a growing number of critics are warning against the idea. … “The discussions are slated to resume next week, with key issues of what each country must do, and in what order, still unresolved. For now, the team President Joe Biden has dispatched appears intent on restoring the original deal, and it’s largely ignoring the outside criticism. But the volume of that criticism is likely to rise in the coming days as Tehran and Washington edge closer to an arrangement.” INTEL INTRIGUE — “Alleged CIA Ties Figure in Case of Convicted Political Donor,” WSJ: “Imaad Zuberi, an American businessman who hobnobbed with world leaders and the international business elite, was sentenced in February to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to tax evasion, foreign-influence peddling and campaign-finance violations. “A key aspect of the case, however, has played out in secret court filings and hearings: Mr. Zuberi was a longtime U.S. intelligence source for the U.S. government, according to legal documents reviewed by The Wall Street Journal and people familiar with the businessman’s defense.” THE LATEST ON MYANMAR — “U.S. sanctions on Myanmar gems target key junta funding source,” AP AD ASTRA — NASA spox Jackie McGuinness (@jackie_mcg): “NEW: @NASA will land the first woman and the *first person of color* on the Moon under the Artemis program.” MEDIAWATCH — “Disney makes its pick for next ABC News president,” NBC: “Kimberly Godwin, the executive vice president of CBS News, is in the final stages of negotiations with Disney to become president of ABC News … “[Godwin] would become the first Black woman to lead a broadcast news division. … Godwin’s move also raises questions for CBS News in the event that its current president Susan Zirinsky vacates that position, something many television news insiders expect will happen in the near future.” — Jacqueline Feldscher is joining Defense One as a senior national security correspondent. She currently is a national security and space reporter at POLITICO. … Juliegrace Brufke will join N.Y. Post’s politics team. She is currently a Capitol Hill reporter at The Hill. SPOTTED at the Black Women Lead Equity Forum held Thursday night with All In Together, OWN and several other organizations: host Donna Brazile, Reps. Karen Bass (D-Calif.) and Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), New York A.G. Tish James, New York state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Andra Day, Deborah Archer, Glynda Carr, Harriette Cole, Misty Copeland, Dawn-Lyen Gardner, Alicia Garza, Jemele Hill, Lauren Leader, Tina Lifford, Tina Perry, God-is Rivera and Tonya Veasey. SPOTTED CORRECTION: In Playbook this morning, we published the names of some guests at a recent event of the Manhattan Republican Party’s Liberty Club, a forum for political and business speakers. Those guests attended a Liberty Club event last month in New York, not the Liberty Club event in Florida on Wednesday. Here are some of the guests that were spotted at this week’s event, which took place in the ballroom of The Ben hotel in West Palm Beach: Rep. Brian Mast (R-Fla.), Manhattan GOP Chair Andrea Catsimatidis, Julio Gonzalez, Ray Crockett, Stephen Moore, Karyn Turk, Laura Loomer, Hogan Gidley and Doug Dechert. TRANSITIONS — Nicole Varner will rejoin Rep. Marc Veasey’s (D-Texas) office as chief of staff. She most recently has worked in Rep. Robin Kelly’s (D-Ill.) office as a senior adviser and executive director of the Congressional Black Caucus Health Braintrust. … Michele Jawando will be SVP of programs at Omidyar Network. She previously was head of U.S. strategic engagement and public policy partnerships at Google. BONUS BIRTHDAY: POLITICO’s Nicholas Wu | | | | A message from Google:   When the pandemic hit, Havana Carolina updated their Business Profile on Google to feature online ordering, curbside pickup, and contactless delivery options. 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