|
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 |  | | | JOE BIDEN made a lot of promises during the campaign about what he would accomplish in his first day and weeks, and his chief of staff, RON KLAIN, codified many of them in a memo sent to senior White House officials and shared with the press. A separate document obtained by our Tyler Pager outlined a calendar for the first few weeks of actions. The White House has been adept at sticking to both memos, as we noted recently. But as BARACK OBAMA learned on closing Guantanamo and DONALD TRUMP learned on several other issues, like Obamacare, quickly erasing the legacy of one’s predecessor isn’t always easy. The White House has now hit the first snag in its orderly rollout of executive actions. Friday was supposed to be immigration day, when, according to Klain, Biden intended to “fulfill his promises to restore dignity to our immigration system and our border policies, and start the difficult but critical work of reuniting families separated at the border.” But CBS reports that “Biden is delaying by at least a few days a series of executive actions on immigration that were anticipated as early as this week, including the reversal of Trump-era asylum policies and a plan to reunite migrant families separated at the U.S.-Mexico border.” This is the second time that immigration policy has been put on hold by the Biden White House. Biden promised immigration legislation on Day One, but it turned out that was only a promise to send a bill to Congress, not a promise to make it his top priority, as some activists hoped. Executive orders, especially on a topic as fraught as immigration policy, require careful legal vetting by the Department of Justice, and the White House has made it clear the delay will be short. But it’s a reminder that even the best-laid plans can go awry. COVID RELIEF LATEST — “Dems ready to plow ahead on Covid relief,” by Burgess Everett and Heather Caygle: “Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Speaker Nancy Pelosi indicated they will begin moving forward on a massive coronavirus package as soon as next week, with or without Republicans. … “Schumer gave some of his strongest indications yet that this could happen soon, starting with passage of a budget resolution that unlocks reconciliation’s power. … Schumer also said that slashing the package in a major way isn’t going to happen.” — Sen. DICK DURBIN (D-Ill.) expressed openness today to targeting the relief package more so money doesn’t flow to wealthy families that don’t need it. — Speaker NANCY PELOSI said at her weekly news conference that she is still hoping to pass a bipartisan Covid relief package, but that committees are preparing to bring forward a budget resolution for reconciliation next week “if we need it.” Responding to the letter sent by House members about ongoing security concerns, Pelosi said: “We want to have a scientific approach to how we protect members. I do believe, and I have said this all along, that we’ll probably need a supplemental for more security for members when the enemy is within the House of Representatives — a threat that members are concerned about in addition to what is happening outside.” 1:14 video via CNN | | A message from Google: Google’s free virtual workshops on digital tools are helping small businesses. 47% of SMBs say they’re using digital tools to find new customers during COVID-19, according to a study from Google and the Connected Commerce Council. To help, Google offers free virtual workshops on how to use digital tools. Explore. | | | BURGESS EVERETT: “Schumer and McConnell close to finalizing pact on organizing 50-50 Senate”: “After a long delay amid a fight over the filibuster, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell are essentially ready to go, said Minority Whip John Thune in an interview.” FIRST IN PLAYBOOK, via Natasha Bertrand: Dozens of foreign policy and national security experts have signed on to a letter in support of ROB MALLEY, the leading candidate to serve as Biden’s special envoy to Iran. “As veterans of diplomacy and human rights work, and organizations that support the same, we hope that someone as capable and knowledgeable as Rob Malley is put in charge of fixing our broken policy towards Iran,” they wrote. Malley has been thrust into the center of a political fight over the new administration’s Iran policy, as POLITICO reported Wednesday. The letter TODAY’S EXECUTIVE ORDERS — “Biden starts rolling back Trump anti-abortion rules,” by Alice Miranda Ollstein: “The actions will begin restoring federal support to abortion providers and organizations that offer abortion counseling while promoting the new administration's reproductive rights agenda on the global stage. Biden is expected to sign one order rescinding the so-called Mexico City policy … “Biden also plans to withdraw the United States from an anti-abortion resolution the Trump administration signed last year … Biden will additionally sign an order directing the Department of Health and Human Services to begin the process of scrapping the Trump administration’s Title X rule that overhauled the federal family planning program.” THE UNEMPLOYMENT PICTURE — “U.S. jobless claims drop; still at 847,000 as pandemic rages,” AP: “Last week’s claims dropped by 67,000, from 914,000 the week before, the Labor Department said Thursday. Before the virus hit the United States hard last March, weekly applications for jobless aid had never topped 700,000. “Tempering last week’s bigger-than-expected drop in claims: The four-week moving average — which smooths out week to week gyrations — rose by more than 16,000 last week to 868,000, highest since September.” IT’S OFFICIAL — “Democrats tap Peters to lead DSCC in 2022,” by James Arkin THE COMING STORM … AP/COLUMBIA, S.C.: “Coronavirus variant identified in South Africa has reached the U.S. with two cases diagnosed in South Carolina.” NEWS YOU CAN USE — “Time to double or upgrade masks as coronavirus variants emerge, experts say,” WaPo | | | | TRACK THE FIRST 100 DAYS OF THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION: A new president occupies the White House and he is already making changes. What are some of the key moments from Biden's first week in office? Find out in Transition Playbook, our scoop-filled newsletter tracking the appointments, people, and emerging power centers of the first 100 days of the new administration. Subscribe today. | | | | | MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE LATEST — House Education and Labor Chair BOBBY SCOTT (D-Va.) put out a statement decrying the Georgia representative’s appointment to the committee. Read here COURT WATCH — “Senate weighs jumping Biden judicial picks ahead of the queue,” by Josh Gerstein and Marianne LeVine: “Senate Democrats are pushing to confirm President Joe Biden’s nominees for top Justice Department posts as soon as possible. But some advocates are urging a different approach, calling on the Judiciary Committee to deal with judicial vacancies before filling out the rest of Biden’s DOJ team.” ECONOMIC BILL OF HEALTH — “2020 was the worst year for economic growth since the Second World War,” WaPo: “The U.S. economy shrank by 3.5 percent last year as the novel coronavirus upended American business and households, making 2020 the worst year for U.S. economic growth since 1946. Economic growth slowed in the fourth quarter, rising just 1 percent from the previous quarter, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. That’s equivalent to an annualized rate of 4 percent.” THE LONG ARM OF DONALD TRUMP — “Biden may be stuck with the cronies and allies Trump appointed to government boards,” by Anita Kumar: “Pam Bondi is helping oversee the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts. Kellyanne Conway is primed for a posting on the board of the Air Force Academy. And Corey Lewandowski is set to serve on a panel that gives business advice to the secretary of Defense. “For the next four years, Biden will be stuck with Trump’s partisan warriors — some with no or little experience — having input on schools and museums and recommending policies on everything from defense to agriculture.” — “Trump-inspired big donors plan their own campaigns,” by Alex Isenstadt: “[Gary] Rabine is striking out on his own — and plotting a run for Illinois governor. … Rabine is one of more than a half-dozen wealthy Trump patrons who are preparing potential bids for statewide office, a glut that underscores how the Trump profile — a wealthy and hard-charging political outsider — is living on through candidates who are cut from similar cloth.” Plus: Carla Sands for Pennsylvania Senate, Kelly Craft for Kentucky governor and more 2022 WATCH — “Redistricting delays freeze 2022 House races,” by Ally Mutnick: “[W]ith the likelihood that they won’t get redistricting data until mid-summer at the earliest, House operatives are trying to entice potential candidates to run in districts that don’t exist and charting a battlefield that won’t be totally clear for months … The long delay is keeping both parties in a state of limbo.” — “‘What Democrat beats that guy?’: Top Dems flinch from Rubio challenge,” by Marc Caputo in Miami: “Florida Democrats don’t have much confidence they can topple him. The state’s top Democratic prospects are instead jockeying to run for governor against Rubio’s fellow Republican, Ron DeSantis. And the architecture of Trump’s Florida victory in November revealed just how difficult it will be to knock off the two-term senator in a general election in the giant, expensive and red-leaning state. … “The political operations of President Joe Biden and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer are trying to recruit one of two Orlando-area congresswomen — Val Demings, who was on Biden’s vice-presidential shortlist, and Stephanie Murphy — to challenge Rubio, but so far they’ve been noncommittal.” HEADS UP — “Beto O’Rourke says he’s thinking about running for Texas governor,” Houston Chronicle | | | | GET THE SCOOP ON CONGRESS IN 2021 : Get the inside scoop on the Schumer/McConnell dynamic, the new Senate Bipartisan Group, and what is really happening inside the House Democratic Caucus and Republican Conference. From Schumer to Pelosi, McConnell to McCarthy and everyone in between, our new Huddle author Olivia Beavers brings the latest from Capitol Hill with assists from POLITICO's deeply sourced Congress team. Subscribe to Huddle, the indispensable guide to Congress. | | | | | TOP-ED — “I called Arizona for Biden on Fox News. Here’s what I learned,” by Chris Stirewalt in the L.A. Times: “Having worked in cable news for more than a decade after a wonderfully misspent youth in newspapers, I can tell you the result: a nation of news consumers both overfed and malnourished. Americans gorge themselves daily on empty informational calories, indulging their sugar fixes of self-affirming half-truths and even outright lies. … “I remain confident that the current depredations of the digital revolution will pass, just as those of the telegraph, radio and broadcast television did. … What tugs at my mind after seeing a mob of enthusiastic ignoramuses sack the Capitol, though, is whether that sophistication will come quickly enough when outlets have the means to cater to every unhealthy craving of their consumers.” THE REOPENING QUESTION — “Biden’s first big Covid test: Keeping parents of school kids from losing it,” by Chris Cadelago and Michael Stratford: “President Joe Biden’s vow to reopen most schools during his first 100 days is crashing into demands of one of his party’s most powerful constituencies: teachers’ unions. And the friction is creating an early test for the Democratic Party’s commitment to following the advice of scientists when it comes to the coronavirus pandemic.” CLIMATE FILES — “John Kerry’s Climate Plan, in His Own Words,” Bloomberg Opinion ON THE WORLD STAGE — “Exclusive: Iran diplomat says ‘window is closing’ for Biden to rejoin nuclear deal,” USA Today WAPO: “Man accused of beheading U.S. journalist Daniel Pearl ordered released by Pakistani court”: “Pakistan's Supreme Court on Thursday ordered the release of a man convicted of beheading U.S. journalist Daniel Pearl. The decision left the Pearl family ‘in complete shock,’ according to a statement from Faisal Siddiqi, a lawyer for the Pearl family. He called the decision ‘a complete travesty of justice.’ “Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh was the main suspect in the 2002 kidnapping and murder of Pearl, a Wall Street Journal reporter covering militants in Pakistan in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Saeed, a British-born Pakistani who was implicated in other kidnappings, had been sentenced to death for Pearl’s murder and kidnapping.” VALLEY TALK — “Facebook Looks to Take its Fight With Apple to Court,” The Information: “With the aid of outside legal counsel, Facebook for months has been preparing an antitrust lawsuit against Apple that would allege the iPhone-maker abused its power in the smartphone market by forcing app developers to abide by App Store rules that Apple’s own apps don’t have to follow, according to two people with direct knowledge of Facebook’s efforts.” ANOTHER ANONYMOUS … POLITICO Magazine: “To Counter China’s Rise, the U.S. Should Focus on Xi,” by a former senior government official with deep expertise and experience dealing with China. David Wertime’s analysis in POLITICO’s China Watcher CHANGING THE LEXICON — @SecondGentleman: “Well, now it’s official. @MerriamWebster just added ‘Second Gentleman’ to the dictionary. I might be the first, but I won’t be the last.” The entry BOOK CLUB — “Amanda Gorman, Biden Inauguration Sensation, to Publish 1 Million Copies Each of Three Books,” WSJ MEDIAWATCH — “Telemundo to Launch Revamped Morning News Show,” The Hollywood Reporter: “The Spanish-language broadcaster is set to launch hoy Día on Feb. 15, replacing Un Nuevo Día. The new show will take a more news-heavy approach, with a trio of news anchors — Arantxa Loizaga, Nacho Lozano and Nicole Suárez — hosting the show.” — Molly Hensley-Clancy will be a sports investigations reporter at WaPo. She currently is a national politics reporter at BuzzFeed. — Leo Terrell is joining Fox News Media as a contributor. He currently hosts Cumulus Media’s “Leo Terrell: America's Fair Minded Civil Rights Attorney” podcast and is a Black-Korean Alliance and EEOC alum. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Chad Mizelle is joining Jones Day as of counsel in their Miami and D.C. offices, where he will focus on international and national security matters. He most recently was acting general counsel at DHS, and is a Trump White House alum. | | | | A message from Google:   In free workshops from Google, small business owners can learn how to use free Google tools to schedule and host virtual meetings, and more. Explore. | | | | | | | 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 | | | | |  |
