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Presented by Facebook: POLITICO's must-read briefing on what's driving the afternoon in Washington. | | | | | |  | | By Eli Okun and Garrett Ross | Presented by Facebook | BREAKING FROM MINNESOTA — AP/Brooklyn Center, Minn.: “Minnesota police chief says officer who fired single shot that killed a Black man intended to discharge a Taser.” President JOE BIDEN will address the shooting when he stops by the White House semiconductor CEO summit briefly this afternoon. He also called Brooklyn Center Mayor MIKE ELLIOTT today, the mayor tweeted. IMMIGRATION FILES — “Biden admin secures agreements with Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala to secure borders, official says,” CNN: “‘We’ve secured agreements for them to put more troops on their own border. Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala have all agreed to do this. That not only is going to prevent the traffickers, and the smugglers, and cartels that take advantage of the kids on their way here, but also to protect those children,’ [Tyler] Moran said.” — When asked whether this was the handiwork of VP KAMALA HARRIS, press secretary JEN PSAKI this afternoon credited a range of officials, including departing border czar ROBERTA JACOBSON. Psaki said it was “fair to say” the agreements had been struck within the past few weeks, though discussions are still ongoing. — “Biden DOJ refuses to release key Trump admin documents about zero tolerance family separation policy,” NBC — “Biden will nominate a police chief who criticized Trump as head of Customs and Border Protection,” NYT: “[Chris] Magnus, who is white and gay, received national attention when a photograph of him in uniform holding a Black Lives Matter sign during a protest in Richmond went viral. … He also publicly criticized the immigration policies of President Donald J. Trump and his attorney general, Jeff Sessions, as hindering police efforts to crack down on crime. … “Mr. Biden will also nominate Jonathan Meyer, another Obama administration official, to return to the department as general counsel, and John Tien, the former National Security Council senior director for Afghanistan and Pakistan, to serve as deputy secretary. Ur Jaddou, who worked as chief counsel at Citizenship and Immigration Services before leading an immigration advocacy group, was tapped to lead the immigration agency.” MORE STAFFING NEWS — “Biden administration plans to name former senior NSA officials to White House cyber position and head of CISA,” WaPo: “The nomination of former NSA deputy director John C. ‘Chris’ Inglis ends months of speculation about whom the Biden administration would appoint to the White House position … The administration also plans to nominate Jen Easterly, a former NSA intelligence officer who helped stand up U.S. Cyber Command more than a decade ago, to head the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.” Good Monday afternoon. STAT DU JOUR — WaPo’s @daveweigel: “A fascinating political data point I never hear anybody discuss: Biden’s approval among Democrats in Gallup’s polling has been, so far, as high or higher as GOP support for Trump ever was.” | | 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. | | | INFRASTRUCTURE YEAR … — REPORT CARDS: “White House issuing reports on states’ infrastructure needs,” AP: “The figures in the state summaries, obtained by The Associated Press, paint a decidedly bleak outlook for the world’s largest economy after years of repairs being deferred and delayed. They suggest that too much infrastructure is unsafe for vehicles at any speed, while highlighting the costs of extreme weather events that have become more frequent with climate change as well as dead spots for broadband and a dearth of child care options. … “Most states received a letter grade on their infrastructure. West Virginia earned a D. So did Biden’s home state of Delaware. The highest grade went to Utah, which notched a C-plus. The lowest grade, D-minus, went to the territory of Puerto Rico.” — THE OPPOSITION: “Business Roundtable Starts Major Ad Campaign Opposing Tax Hikes,” Bloomberg: “The group’s radio and digital advertisements, airing within the Washington D.C. market, will extol the benefits of the U.S.’s current tax regime and contend that the Biden administration shouldn’t attempt to raise corporate tax rates during an economic downturn. … In the coming weeks, the [Business Roundtable] will run ads in 19 markets across 13 states.” — THE INFLATION QUESTION: “Why big-spending Biden can shrug off GOP warnings of inflation,” by Victoria Guida: “[Y]ears can go by before soaring inflation ever takes hold — and Biden will probably be gone from the White House if the country finds out that his critics were right. … Biden administration officials, economists and even Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell say this time is different [from the 1970s and ’80s]. … “Now, if anything, the structure of the global economy is pushing prices down in advanced economies like the U.S., with low inflation often attributed to the rapid growth of international trade, automation and the internet … Demographics are also part of the story today: People in richer countries are having fewer babies and therefore their populations are getting proportionately older. … Either way, if inflation does start to really take off, the Fed should have plenty of time to react.” ANOTHER TOOL IN THE KIT — “Covid-19 Drug Prevents Symptomatic Disease in Study, Regeneron Says,” WSJ: “An antibody drug from Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. REGN +0.05% reduced the risk of developing symptomatic Covid-19 infection by 81% compared with a placebo in people living with someone infected by the new coronavirus, a study found. “The results point to potential new preventive applications for the drug, which is already in use to treat earlier Covid-19 cases. Regeneron said Monday it would ask the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to expand the drug’s authorization among people exposed to the virus who haven’t yet been vaccinated, which could provide temporary stopgap protection as people await vaccines.” The White House announced a new mass vaccination site in Central Point, Ore., this morning. SELLING THE LAST BILL — “Dems kick off a tricky nationwide sales job on Biden's Covid aid plan,” by Sarah Ferris in Kennett Square, Pa.: “Jobless benefits, stimulus checks, child tax credits: [Rep. Chrissy] Houlahan unspooled her list, then added: ‘Did we get it right? Did we miss some stuff?’ But the two moms weren’t up for giving Congress a report card on Democrats’ popular legislation. They wanted their congresswoman to tell them how long the government’s help would last, and when more would come. … “[A] four-day swing across the Keystone State to visit three of its potentially vulnerable House Democratic incumbents showed that their sales pitch is more complicated than the classic political victory lap. After all, the pandemic isn’t over, millions are still out of work and the pace of vaccinations remains uneven.” | | | | SUBSCRIBE TO "THE RECAST" TO JOIN AN IMPORTANT CONVERSATION: Power is changing, in Washington and across the country. More people are demanding a seat at the table, insisting that all politics is personal and not all policy is equitable. Our twice-weekly newsletter "The Recast” breaks down how race and identity are shaping politics and policy in America and we are recasting how we report on it. 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. | | | | | BIDENOLOGY — “How Hunter Biden’s Memoir Played in the White House,” N.Y. Mag: “No big strategy meetings, no staff memos, no frantic conference calls, [sources] say. ‘That’s what they do: close ranks,’ a person familiar with the dynamics of the Biden White House said. The few whom the president trusts are familiar faces from his decades inside the Beltway. ‘It’s very possible that Ron Klain, for example, never read the manuscript. Mike Donilon would have. Kate Bedingfield — I wouldn’t be surprised if she had to pressure someone above her to give it to her,’ the person said, referring to the president’s chief of staff, senior adviser, and communications director. “‘Information hoarding is a big tool of power. It is not easy to work for Joe Biden, and it’s how they maintain their power, how they define what power is and who wields it. In Obamaworld, it was, Who got to go to the meeting? In Bidenworld, it’s, Who gets to know the thing?’” THE LATEST SHOE TO DROP — “Will Smith’s production pulls out of Georgia, citing the state’s voting law,” NYT: “The slavery-era drama, which is being produced and financed by Apple Studios, is the first major production to cite the law as a reason to leave the state, which offers generous tax incentives to Hollywood productions and has become a major hub for Marvel Studios, Netflix and other industry heavyweights.” 2022 WATCH — “Former N.C. governor expected to launch Senate bid this week,” by James Arkin: “[Pat McCrory], who won the office in 2012 and lost reelection in 2016, would begin the primary in the race to replace retiring GOP Sen. Richard Burr as an early frontrunner. … Recent polling conducted for McCrory shows he would enter the race with a large lead over [Mark] Walker and [Rep. Ted] Budd, as well as extremely high name identification among likely Republican primary voters.” — “Alaska Senate: Al Gross, 2020 Nominee, Considering Another Run,” Inside Elections GRUDGE MATCH — “Old Trump health team rivalries resurface in Texas House race,” by Adam Cancryn: “Brian Harrison, a chief of staff to former Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, has angered a swath of Trump White House and HHS political appointees with his ‘America First’-style campaign in the special election for a Dallas-area House seat, prompting complaints that he’s inflating his record and trying to co-opt Trump’s brand. … “Harrison has sought to break out of a crowded Republican field by casting himself as a key driver of Trump’s agenda, touting his role in the administration’s Covid vaccine development effort … But the 38-year-old’s claims have reignited rivalries that raged throughout much of the Trump years, putting Harrison at odds with former White House and health officials who viewed him more as a driver of internal conflicts.” DECISION POINT FOR DEMS — “Biden faces pressure from Pelosi, Sanders over whether to double down on Obamacare or expand Medicare,” WaPo: “Pelosi’s office is pushing the White House [in its third big bill] to make permanent a temporary expansion of Affordable Care Act subsidies that were included in the $1.9 trillion stimulus legislation last month … “Sanders said in an interview that he is arguing for lowering the age of Medicare eligibility to 55 or 60 and expanding the program for seniors so it covers dental, vision and hearing care. … The divergent paths charted by Pelosi and Sanders point to one of many underlying tensions within the Democratic Party that the White House is being forced to navigate as it figures out its next major agenda item.” GAETZ-GATE LATEST — “‘Felt like a setup’: WhatsApp chat shows Gaetz ally scrambling to contain fallout,” by Marc Caputo, Josh Gerstein and Matt Dixon FOR YOUR RADAR — “Blinken heads to Brussels for talks on Afghanistan, Ukraine,” AP: “The State Department says Blinken will have meetings in the Belgian capital on Tuesday and be met there by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin for additional consultations on Wednesday.” | | | | YOUR GUIDE TO THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION: As the Biden administration closes in on three months in office, what are the big takeaways? Will polls that show support for infrastructure initiatives and other agenda items translate into Republican votes or are they a mirage? What's the plan to deal with Sen. Joe Manchin? Add Transition Playbook to your daily reads for details you won't find anywhere else that reveal what's really happening inside the West Wing and across the executive branch. Track the people, policies and power centers of the Biden administration. Subscribe today. | | | | | VALLEY TALK — “Revealed: the Facebook loophole that lets world leaders deceive and harass their citizens,” The Guardian: “The Guardian has seen extensive internal documentation showing how Facebook handled more than 30 cases across 25 countries of politically manipulative behavior that was proactively detected by company staff. “The investigation shows how Facebook has allowed major abuses of its platform in poor, small and non-western countries in order to prioritize addressing abuses that attract media attention or affect the US and other wealthy countries. The company acted quickly to address political manipulation affecting countries such as the US, Taiwan, South Korea and Poland, while moving slowly or not at all on cases in Afghanistan, Iraq, Mongolia, Mexico, and much of Latin America.” THE THREAT WITHIN — “The rise of domestic extremism in America,” WaPo: “Domestic terrorism incidents have soared to new highs in the United States, driven chiefly by white-supremacist, anti-Muslim and anti-government extremists on the far right, according to a Washington Post analysis of data compiled by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “The surge reflects a growing threat from homegrown terrorism not seen in a quarter-century, with right-wing extremist attacks and plots greatly eclipsing those from the far left and causing more deaths, the analysis shows. The number of all domestic terrorism incidents in the data peaked in 2020.” BACK IN THE DOGHOUSE — “Major, one of Biden’s German shepherds, will be sent away for training after biting incidents,” NYT MEDIAWATCH — “D.C.’s rising libertarian star, with her ‘healthy skepticism of state power,’ secures an influential podcast,” WaPo Magazine: “The former political reporter for Vox and MTV is a registered Libertarian who got her start in right-leaning college media and professes ‘a healthy skepticism of state power.’ She also happens to be a happily married queer person, a former speechwriter for the Human Rights Campaign, a churchgoing Christian and a fitness buff who works out roughly twice a day. In November, she joined the New York Times … On ‘The Argument,’ [Jane] Coaston hopes to model persuasion — and an openness to being persuaded — as well as disagreement rooted in good-faith engagement.” — Bernard Gugar has been named general counsel and EVP of corporate development at Fox News Media. He most recently was U.S. head of industries for Google Cloud’s deal pursuit organization. … Spencer Brown will be managing editor at Townhall. He previously was spokesperson for Young America’s Foundation. STAFFING UP — “State Dept. Out to Tackle Diversity Failings With New Appointment,” Foreign Policy: “Career diplomat Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley will be tasked with reversing the department’s record of big promises and little results.” FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Former Rep. John Fleming (R-La.) is joining the McKeon Group as a principal. He most recently was assistant to the president for planning and implementation and is a Trump Commerce and HHS alum. TRANSITION — Zack Marshall will be director of government affairs and policy at Alkermes. He most recently was a director at Prime Policy Group. | | | |   | | | | | | | 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 | | | | |  |
