Playbook PM: Chauvin aftermath: Progress on police reform talks

From: POLITICO Playbook - Wednesday Apr 21,2021 05:29 pm

Apr 21, 2021

By Mike Zapler, Rachael Bade, Garrett Ross and Eli Okun

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ZACK COLMAN, a stalwart of our energy and environment team, dialed into an administration briefing this morning on the upcoming climate summit. He writes in: “All 40 heads of state President JOE BIDEN invited to his two-day summit beginning Thursday will attend, administration officials told reporters. And that’s not all — the Pope, administration officials and city and state leaders will attend the virtual, global affair.

“An administration official said the summit will tackle several topics beyond setting more aggressive carbon reduction targets heading into November’s climate talks in Glasgow, Scotland. A major emphasis will be on finance, which the official said has been too ‘narrowly’ constructed in past climate dialogues. Rather than focus merely on private dollars, the summit will explore how to bring private capital to address climate change, which has been a major effort by special climate envoy JOHN KERRY.” More climate news: “Biden Administration Moves to Unwind Trump Auto-Emissions Policy,” WSJ

SURVEY SAYS — You’d almost think the early Biden presidency is poll-tested, based on our latest POLITICO/Morning Consult survey. A few highlights …

•	Nearly seven in 10 Americans support the president’s decision to withdraw all troops from Afghanistan by Sept. 11, vs. just 16% in opposition. Half of Republicans support the move.
•	Seventy percent of respondents also agree with pausing use of the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine in response to a severe blood clot experienced by a few people. Eighteen percent opposed the suspension.
•	Forty-six percent support a carbon tax to limit greenhouse gas emissions, vs. 31% who oppose the idea.
•	Statehood for D.C. gets a plurality but not majority of support: Forty percent of Americans are in favor, 32% are opposed, and 28% said they didn’t know or didn’t have an opinion.
•	The president’s infrastructure plan is backed by 57% overall, vs. just 25% who oppose it. Support dropped by 5 percentage points when respondents were told it “may increase the national debt.”

The totals above combine strongly and somewhat support/oppose. Read the toplines and crosstabs

A POLICING DEAL IN THE WORKS? So we told you this morning that when it comes to policing reform, even advocates are privately skeptical that they can get something passed. That’s namely due to the huge differences between Rs and Ds on the issue of qualified immunity, protection that bars cops from getting sued.

But this morning, several Republican senators sounded optimistic that a deal could be struck, including Sen. TIM SCOTT. The South Carolina Republican suggested to reporters that his negotiating counterparts, Rep. KAREN BASS (D-Calif.) and Sen. CORY BOOKER (D-N.J.), may be willing to settle for a proposal that allows victims’ families to sue the police departments generally, rather than the officers themselves.

“There is a way to put more of the onus or the burden on the department or on the employer than on the employee,” Scott said. “I think that is a logical step forward, and one that as I’ve spoken with Karen Bass over the last several weeks, it’s something that the Democrats are quite receptive to.” (h/t Hill pool reports)

The big question is whether the left will be willing to accept legislation that doesn’t entirely ditch qualified immunity. Democrats seem to be signaling flexibility. The Squad, for example, has demonstrated over and over again that they’re no Freedom Caucus in terms of demanding ideological purity.

A message from Climate Power:

What does getting America back to work look like? Building 500,000 electric vehicle charging stations. Upgrading 4 million buildings to be energy efficient. Manufacturing 70 million electric vehicles in the USA by 2030. Learn more.

LATEST CHAUVIN FALLOUT — “Justice Department to probe whether Minneapolis police have ‘pattern and practice’ of misconduct,” Star Tribune: “U.S. Attorney General MERRICK GARLAND announced the investigation Wednesday morning … The decision to open a pattern and practice investigation in Minneapolis marks a reversal in strategy from the Trump administration, which effectively abandoned these types of far-reaching probes into police departments.”

Good Wednesday afternoon.

MCCONNELL BUSTS A RHYME — Senate Minority Leader MITCH MCCONNELL issued another broadside against the American Jobs Plan this morning on the Senate floor: “It won’t build back better. It’ll build back never.”

— McConnell also took a strong stance against VANITA GUPTA for associate A.G., calling her “way outside the mainstream.” But Sen. LISA MURKOWSKI (R-Alaska) voted with Dems to advance Gupta’s nomination, 51-49.

IMMIGRATION FILES — After some reporting Tuesday that Biden told Congressional Hispanic Caucus leaders he might be open to trying to pass immigration reform via reconciliation, press secretary JEN PSAKI today pumped the brakes: “His view is that the conversation right now should not be focused on reconciliation, it should be focused on finding a bipartisan path forward.”

TODAY’S SPEECH — “Biden to push for more vaccinations as administration reaches 200 million-dose milestone,” NBC: “That milestone, which Biden doubled in March when it became clear that vaccinations were on pace to meet the goal, translates into about half of U.S. adults having received at least one dose of coronavirus vaccine, while about a third are fully vaccinated. … With vaccines now available to people 16 and older, the administration is pushing to expand and accelerate the delivery of the shots.”

— Biden will also call on employers to give people fully paid time off to get vaccinated and recover from side effects. The administration will provide a paid leave tax credit for small and medium-size businesses to cover this.

— THE NEXT CHALLENGE: “States have a new Covid problem: Too much vaccine,” by Dan Goldberg and Rachel Roubein: “On Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula, EMS personnel are bringing the vaccine to any house or business with more than three people. New Orleans partnered with a bar in a ‘shots for shots’ promotion. North Dakota officials are piloting pop-up clinics at Walmart. And states like Georgia, Mississippi and Montana are weighing what to do about surplus vaccine that could go to waste as they face more open slots than ever before.

“The challenge comes at a crucial point in the pandemic with more contagious variants surging across the country and crisis fatigue combining with misinformation to harden resistance among the holdouts. Governors say they need more help from the Biden administration to reach the vaccine hesitant. But in most cases, state officials aren’t waiting.” NYT’s version: “Nation Faces ‘Hand-to-Hand Combat’ to Get Reluctant Americans Vaccinated”

MORE WOES IN BALTIMORE — “Emergent Plant Will Remain on Hold Following FDA Inspection,” Bloomberg: “In an inspection report posted on the agency’s website on Wednesday, the FDA found Emergent failed to thoroughly investigate unexplained discrepancies, including the cross-contamination of a vaccine substance batch with vaccine ingredients from another client.” The report

STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING : The Biden administration is quickly approaching 100 days in office — has it delivered on its early promises? What tactics and strategies are being debated in West Wing offices? What’s really being talked about behind the scenes in negotiations with Congress on the infrastructure plan? Add Transition Playbook to your daily reads for details that 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.

MANCHIN IN THE MIDDLE — HuffPost’s @igorbobic: “Manchin agrees with White House on user fees/gas taxes to pay for infrastructure. ‘Hell no don’t raise them! I got people that have to drive a long way to make a living. That just makes it harder on the working person. That’s not the way to go.’”

MUCK READS — “The brother of a top Biden advisor lobbied the White House this year on behalf of big health care companies,” CNBC: “The lobbying disclosures show that JEFF RICCHETTI lobbied the Executive Office of the President for health care giants GlaxoSmithKline, Horizon Therapeutics and Vaxart Inc. … In a rare statement, Jeff Ricchetti told CNBC that he has not lobbied his brother. He also did not provide details on his recent efforts engaging with the Biden administration.”

— “Rep. Marie Newman and her husband are packing their stock portfolio with COVID-19 vaccine makers and other pandemic-sensitive companies,” Insider: “ JIM NEWMAN, chief operating officer at Figo Pet Insurance, bought and sold stock in companies that either soared or sputtered during the pandemic, including Pfizer and Moderna … PAT MULLANE, spokesman for the congresswoman’s office, said that the trades were multi-pronged, involving a retirement account, college savings for their children, and helping pay for family healthcare costs.”

MORE ON THE CLIMATE SUMMIT — “Brazil’s Climate Overture to Biden: Pay Us Not to Raze Amazon,” WSJ: “Brazil’s government, widely criticized by environmental groups as a negligent steward of the Amazon rainforest, has made an audacious offer to the Biden administration: Provide $1 billion and President JAIR BOLSONARO’S administration will reduce deforestation by 40%. …

“[S]upported by some influential scholars and Amazon dwellers, Mr. Bolsonaro argues that the only way to save the jungle is through carbon credits and by financing sustainable economic activities … The request is likely just among the first of many similar to follow as developing nations start to negotiate with industrialized countries about who pays for costly programs to address climate change.”

WATCH: The politics of Biden’s climate agenda, explained: On Thursday, Biden will host dozens of world leaders for the two-day, virtual Climate Leaders Summit. All eyes are on Biden, as he is expected to announce his new greenhouse gas emissions goal, in an effort to re-establish the U.S. as a leader in curbing climate change. This week, RYAN breaks down the politics of Biden’s climate agenda, including the state of climate policy that he inherited from his predecessor, DONALD TRUMP, and how Biden’s infrastructure plan plays a key role in achieving his climate-related policies.

CASH DASH — “House Republican campaign arm gains digital fundraising edge over Democrats for first time,” Washington Examiner: “The National Republican Congressional Committee outraised its counterpart, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, by $1.7 million in online fundraising in the first quarter for 2021.”

— “GOP digital platform processes $124M in first quarter, narrowing gap with Democrats,” Washington Examiner: “ActBlue just finished the biggest fundraising quarter in its history, notable since Democrats run Washington, controlling the White House and the Congress. The Democratic fundraising platform processed $314 million … But WinRed continues to grow and is on a path to put Republicans in a position to match Democrats in digital contributions.”

LAUNCHING THIS WEEK - A NEW PLAYBOOK PODCAST : Washington is full of whispers, colorful characters and hard to believe stories that are all too real. Playbook Deep Dive is a new, weekly podcast that pulls back the curtain on the political theater and dives deep into the most compelling, confounding and often shocking stories from the nation’s capital. Featuring the Playbook authors, reporters from across POLITICO’s newsroom, and larger than life personalities with stories that you need to hear for yourself to believe. SUBSCRIBE NOW.

BEYOND THE BELTWAY — “How the G.O.P. Is Creating Harsher Penalties for Protesters,” NYT: “[W]hile Democrats seized on Mr. Floyd’s death last May to highlight racism in policing and other forms of social injustice, Republicans responded to a summer of protests by proposing a raft of punitive new measures governing the right to lawfully assemble.

“G.O.P. lawmakers in 34 states have introduced 81 anti-protest bills during the 2021 legislative session — more than twice as many proposals as in any other year … Some, like [Florida Gov. RON] DESANTIS, are labeling them ‘anti-riot’ bills, conflating the right to peaceful protest with the rioting and looting that sometimes resulted from such protests.”

STRAIGHT OUT OF ORWELL — Chinese government authorities are committing genocide in Xinjiang, where mass concentration camps and a repressive surveillance state combine for true dystopia. But on May 6, the Chinese Embassy in Washington is offering … a different spin on things. They sent out an invitation this morning to a Zoom event called “Xinjiang is a wonderful land,” co-hosted by the region’s government, that will include a keynote speech from a regional leader and 20 minutes of “Xinjiang residents on their everyday work and life.” Chinese embassies in other countries have already hosted this webinar.

MOON MISSION — “After Trump ‘Failed,’ South Korean Leader Hopes Biden Can Salvage Nuclear Deal,” NYT: “President MOON JAE-IN of South Korea has a message for the United States: President Biden needs to engage now with North Korea. In an interview with The New York Times, Mr. Moon pushed the American leader to kick-start negotiations with the government of Kim Jong-un, the leader of North Korea, after two years in which diplomatic progress stalled, even reversed.

“Denuclearization, the South Korean president said, was a ‘matter of survival’ for his country. He also urged the United States to cooperate with China on North Korea and other issues of global concern, including climate change. The deteriorating relations between the superpowers, he said, could undermine any negotiations over denuclearization. … ‘He beat around the bush and failed to pull it through,’ Mr. Moon said of Mr. Trump’s efforts on North Korea.”

FOR YOUR RADAR — “U.S.-backed Afghan peace meeting postponed as Taliban balk,” AP: “An upcoming international peace conference that was meant to move Afghanistan’s warring sides to a power-sharing deal and ensure an orderly U.S. exit from the country has been postponed, its sponsors announced Wednesday. They cited a lack of prospects for meaningful progress.”

FOR THOSE KEEPING TRACK — “Lawmakers reveal — and dispute – FBI conclusion about 2017 baseball field shooting,” by Kyle Cheney and Martin Matishak: “A congressman who was on the baseball field during the 2017 shooting that nearly killed GOP Whip STEVE SCALISE says the FBI privately informed lawmakers it ruled the attack a ‘suicide by cop,’ a designation he said downplayed the shooter’s apparently political motivation.

“Rep. BRAD WENSTRUP (R-Ohio) revealed the previously undisclosed determination during a hearing of the House Intelligence Committee on Thursday, upbraiding FBI Director Christopher Wray and prompting several colleagues of both parties to pile on. He said FBI agents privately briefed the baseball team on Nov. 16, 2017 to deliver the controversial determination.”

TRUMP ALUMNI — Ashley Mocarski is now senior director of development at America First Policy. She most recently was director of external affairs for the Trump Victory Finance Committee and is a Trump White House alum.

TRANSITION — Christy Moran is joining Forbes Tate Partners’ public affairs team as an SVP. She’s a strategic comms veteran who’s previously worked at multiple firms.

A message from Climate Power: