Biden’s Afghanistan pullout gets a big GOP endorsement

By Tara Palmeri

Sen. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-S.C.) called it “dumber than dirt and devilishly dangerous.” Senate Minority Leader MITCH MCCONNELL blasted it as a “grave mistake” and a “retreat in the face of the enemy.”

But at least one major Republican supports President JOE BIDEN’S decision to pull U.S. troops out of Afghanistan: former Secretary of State JAMES BAKER III.

“We’re getting out of Afghanistan. I happen to support that,” Baker told his biographers SUSAN GLASSER and PETER BAKER during a virtual event Friday afternoon for Indiana University’s Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies. “I think 21 years is long enough.”

More from Baker: “I’ve always been one who felt that one sure way to doom a presidency is to commit the country to an endless conflict. … A land war in Afghanistan, my goodness! You couldn’t pick a tougher place to go to fight a land war.”

Baker’s background is the stuff of Washington legend. He was chief of staff and secretary of the Treasury under RONALD REAGAN, was chief of staff and secretary of State under GEORGE H.W. BUSH and advised GEORGE W. BUSH on foreign policy. He backed both invasions of Iraq, is widely seen as an elder statesman of the GOP and was public with his support for DONALD TRUMP. He would seem an unlikely ally for Biden.

Yet Baker praised Biden’s decision. “I admire the fact that President Biden had the courage to end up and say we’re going to get out of Afghanistan,” Baker said. “It’s time to do that.”

Good Saturday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza, Tara Palmeri.

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DON’T HOLD YOUR BREATH FOR THE REALITY TV GOVERNORSHIP: Despite her next-level name recognition, CAITLYN JENNER is not ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER, write Carla Marinucci and Jeremy B. White — and there are many reasons 2021 won’t be a rerun of the 2003 recall:

On the other hand, Jenner has 3.5 million Twitter followers, which will amplify her attacks on Newsom, and some Republicans bet she’ll attract nontraditional voters who might not otherwise support GOP candidates — and whose turnout, if it materializes, could defy the polls.

MEANWHILE, instead of trekking to Florida, Republicans looking to hold court with Trump will soon have to make the pilgrimage to New Jersey, as the former president moves to his Bedminster golf course for the summer.

Mar-a-Lago closes in late May, temporarily pausing kiss-the-ring trips to glamorous Palm Beach, where tropical weather and loose Covid-19 restrictions take the edge off of pledging fealty to Trump. But alas, summer in Florida is muggy, and the season has come to a close.

Will the herds of fundraisers, donors, aides and politicians flock to New Jersey to host their events and curry favor? Where will they dine out and stay in New Jersey horse country? We’re already hearing some griping. Stay tuned.

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BIDEN’S SATURDAY — The president and first lady JILL BIDEN will leave the White House at 10:10 a.m., arriving in Wilmington, Del., at 11:05 a.m. VP KAMALA HARRIS has nothing on her public schedule.

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PHOTO OF THE DAY: The Supreme Court justices get ready to pose for formal group photos Friday. | Erin Schaff-Pool/Getty Images

THE WHITE HOUSE

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT — “The U.S. is back on climate. Now what?” by Zack Colman, Michael Grunwald and Karl Mathiesen: “Biden can’t control whether Congress will pass his green-themed $2.5 trillion infrastructure bill, or whether the Supreme Court will let him regulate carbon pollution. He can’t control whether other nations trust his climate commitments after four years of American backsliding.

“All he can control is his executive branch — which he’s stacked with a who’s who of climate leaders — and he served notice to the world this week that he intends to transform his entire government into an emissions-cutting machine.

“In Washington, saying you want to do something is always easier than doing it. But it still means something when a president says something on the global stage, and Biden could not have said with any more clarity in front of a more relevant audience that he wants to accelerate the transition to clean energy. Now he just has to try to do it.”

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT — “Biden Tells Erdogan He’ll Brand Armenian Massacres as Genocide,” Bloomberg: “Biden told Turkish President RECEP TAYYIP ERDOĞAN Friday that he intends to recognize the 1915 massacres of Armenians as a genocide, according to people familiar with a call between the leaders, a move that will likely strain already tense U.S.-Turkish relations. Biden is expected to use the word ‘genocide’ in a statement Saturday recognizing Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day, making good on a promise from his presidential campaign. He would be the first U.S. president in 40 years to publicly state that the mass killings during the final years of the Ottoman Empire were a genocide.”

LOOK TO THE COOKIE — “Chocolate chip diplomacy: Biden courts Congress with gusto,” AP: “The pictures always make it look so presidential … but inside the Oval Office, lawmakers tell a different story, of a president so warm, so engaged, so animated — standing up, sitting down, calling on lawmakers by name, swapping stories about their hometowns — and so determined to make them get to work and get things done.

“On their way out the door, they are offered a chocolate chip cookie , that most American of snacks, a to-go boost for the potential partnership between this White House and the Congress. … Digging deep into the roster of lawmakers, he is bringing in the subcommittee chairs handling infrastructure, the former small-town mayors with executive office know-how and those who, despite years on Capitol Hill, have never seen the inner sanctum of the Oval Office. … Sending them off with pockets full of cookies wrapped with the golden seal of the presidency doesn’t hurt, either, a little chocolate chip cookie diplomacy to carry back to the Hill.”

POLICY CORNER

IMMIGRATION FILES — “Border crossings leveling off but remain near 20-year high, preliminary April data shows,” WaPo: “Unauthorized crossings along the Mexico border have remained near 20-year highs this month, with slightly fewer unaccompanied minors and family members taken into custody by U.S. agents but more adults arriving than in March. … U.S. Customs and Border Protection is on pace to take in about 17,000 teens and children this month, down slightly from March, and roughly 50,000 migrants traveling as part of a family group, according to the latest preliminary figures. The overall number of border arrests and detentions in April is projected to be roughly the same as last month, when 172,331 were taken into CBP custody.”

BETTER INSIDE THE TENT — “Garland Commits to Police Department Probes With Their Voices at the Table,” WSJ: “Attorney General MERRICK GARLAND on Friday told leaders of the nation’s largest law-enforcement organizations that an investigation into the Minneapolis Police Department will be the first — but not last — broad civil-rights probe of a local agency that the Justice Department intends to launch … as the agency embarks on an ambitious civil-rights agenda that focuses in particular on federal involvement in overhauling troubled local agencies. …

“Mr. Garland told the police groups he wants to ensure future consent decrees are effective and that the monitors who oversee them are fair and free of conflicts of interest, the people said, acknowledging that some police groups believe consent decrees can force cities to make costly changes that are burdensome to rank-and-file officers.”

A NEW HEALTH CARE FIGHT — “Biden faces health industry fight over new ‘surprise’ billing ban,” by Susannah Luthi: “Health groups and consumer advocates are mounting a lobbying campaign to shape forthcoming federal rules around the ban, which bars hospitals and doctors from sending unexpected, usually large bills to insured patients who unwittingly received out-of-network care. … The outcome will provide an early sign of how aggressively the Biden administration will regulate an industry that’s readying battle against Democrats’ more ambitious health care reforms, including on drug pricing and lowering the Medicare age.”

POLITICS ROUNDUP

HERE IT COMES — “The redistricting cycle is about to begin,” by Ally Mutnick: “The U.S. Census Bureau will release the first data from the 2020 census next week, setting in motion the process of redistricting: the scramble to draw new congressional maps in the 43 states with more than one district. And with the House more closely divided than it’s been in two decades, each individual state’s new map could have huge implications on the majority fight.

“Strategists in both parties agree Republicans have the advantage. The Midwest and Rust Belt aren’t growing as fast as the Sun Belt, and the congressional districts will be reallocated accordingly. States like Florida, Texas, Arizona and North Carolina will see their delegations grow, while Michigan, Pennsylvania and Illinois shrink. That’s a net benefit to the GOP because Democrats have struggled to increase their statewide footprint in many of the places that are gaining representation.”

PANDEMIC

GREEN LIGHT GIVEN — “Johnson & Johnson vaccine use should resume with a warning about risk of rare blood clots, CDC advisers recommend,” WaPo: “All of the committee members said the benefits far outstrip the risks, but several members expressed concern that people receiving the vaccine will not be sufficiently informed of the rare but potential danger or that there are other vaccine options. … CDC officials who presented the data Friday said it was too early to conclude that the incidents affected only women and said a few cases in men were being reviewed.”

THEY’RE MASKING FOR IT — “The TSA’s mask mandate expires soon. Airline officials and politicians want an extension,” WaPo: “The agency’s mask requirement for airports and airplanes is effective until May 11. It’s not clear what happens next.”

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BEYOND THE BELTWAY

TEXAS IS THE NEXT GEORGIA — “Texas Republicans Targeting Voting Access Find Their Bull’s-Eye: Cities,” NYT: “Two omnibus bills, including one that the [Texas] House is likely to take up in the coming week … would make Texas one of the hardest states in the country to cast a ballot in. …

“In Texas, Republicans have taken the rare tack of outlining restrictions that would apply only to counties with populations of more than one million, targeting the booming and increasingly diverse metropolitan areas of Houston, Austin, San Antonio and Dallas. …

“Among the restrictions … a ban on 24-hour voting, a ban on drive-through voting and harsh criminal penalties for local election officials who provide assistance to voters … a ban on encouraging absentee voting … a measure that would make it much more difficult to remove a poll watcher for improper conduct. … One proposal, which calls for a uniform number of voting machines to be deployed in each precinct, could hamper the ability to deploy extra machines in densely populated areas.”

MEANWHILE, IN ARIZONA — “An Arizona judge temporarily halts a G.O.P. effort to recount 2020 ballots,” NYT: “[T]he judge, CHRISTOPHER COURY of Maricopa County Superior Court, said the pause would go into effect only if the state Democratic Party posted a $1 million bond to compensate a private company — Cyber Ninjas, a cybersecurity firm based in Florida — that Republicans have hired to review the ballots.

“In a statement on Friday afternoon, Democratic officials said they would not do so, but they vowed to continue the fight in court. Another hearing was set for Monday morning, and the judge emphasized that he expected the audit to move forward.”

A WEDGE-ISSUE WAVE — “Ivey signs bill banning transgender athletes from public school sports teams,” AL.com: “[Alabama] Gov. KAY IVEY signed a controversial bill into law that bans transgender public school students from playing on sports teams for the gender that they identify as, her office said Friday.”

2024 WATCH — “Ron DeSantis is coming to Pennsylvania as his stock rises in a post-Trump GOP,” Philly Inquirer: “Florida Gov. RON DESANTIS is scheduled to … speak to the Allegheny County Republican Party next month, a visit likely to further fuel speculation around a figure already seen as a potential presidential candidate.”

MEDIAWATCH

NYT VS. SUBSTACK — “The New York Times is readying a big newsletter push as Substack tries to poach its top writers with advances worth hundreds of thousands,” Insider: “According to people familiar with the outreach, Substack has approached Times writers including media columnist BEN SMITH, who declined and disclosed the discussions in a recent column, opinion writer LIZ BRUENIG and internet-culture reporter TAYLOR LORENZ.

“Substack’s most recent overture to Bruenig was an offer of a $200,000 advance, double her Times salary, a person familiar with the discussions said. Substack has offered Lorenz a $300,000 advance, according to a source.”

CLICKER — “The nation’s cartoonists on the week in politics,” edited by Matt Wuerker — 16 funnies

GREAT WEEKEND READS, curated by Ryan Lizza:

— “The Girl in the Kent State Photo,” by Patricia McCormick for WaPo Magazine: “In 1970, an image of a dead protester immediately became iconic. But what happened to the 14-year-old kneeling next to him?”

— “The Man Who Stole a Hotel,” by Tori Marlan for Capital Daily: “A fugitive from the U.S. started fresh on Vancouver Island — then bilked new victims out of millions of dollars while law enforcement refused to act.”

— “The Tragedy of Harry Uzoka,” by Alexis Okeowo for the NYT Magazine: “He was a shining star of a tight-knit group of rising Black male models in London. Why did he die at the hands of another model?”

— “They Hacked McDonald’s Ice Cream Machines — and Started a Cold War,” by Wired’s Andy Greenberg: “Secret codes. Legal threats. Betrayal. How one couple built a device to fix McDonald’s notoriously broken soft-serve machines—and how the fast-food giant froze them out.”

— “The Plot to Kill the Olympics,” by Alex Perry for Outside Magazine: “When Ukrainian businessman Konstantin Grigorishin introduced the International Swimming League in 2019, he made the first move in an ambitious plan that could blow up Olympic sports and usher in a new era of athlete fairness. He also commenced a game of chicken with some of the world’s most powerful and dangerous men.”

— “Scott Rudin Scandal: ‘Swimming With Sharks’ Tried to Warn Us,” by Anthony Breznican for Vanity Fair: “The creator explains how the disgraced producer influenced this 1994 film about Hollywood cruelty.”

— “The Fort Bragg Murders,” by Rolling Stone’s Seth Harp: “At least 44 Fort Bragg soldiers died stateside in 2020 — several of them were homicides. Families want answers. But the Army isn’t giving any.”

— “A New Democratic Playbook,” by Barry Yeoman for The Assembly, a new digital statewide magazine in North Carolina: “Ricky Hurtado bucked party strategists to run a different kind of campaign. Is he the vanguard of Latinx electoral power and millennial campaigning in North Carolina?”

— “Pandemics — Then and Now,” by John Barry for The Wilson Quarterly: “The lessons of 1918 could have helped the world in 2020. Why did we forget them?”

JOIN MONDAY FOR A PLAYBOOK INTERVIEW WITH ENERGY SECRETARY GRANHOLM : President Biden's $2 trillion infrastructure and climate plan includes boosting investment in clean energy and significantly cutting fossil fuel emissions. Can the administration meet its climate targets? Join Playbook co-author Tara Palmeri for a virtual interview with Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm on the administration's plans to embrace renewable energy, electric vehicles and new solar technologies as part of Biden's call for an energy transition. REGISTER HERE.

STAFFING UP — The White House announced a suite of forthcoming nominations, including Donald Remy at the VA, Miriam Delphin-Rittmon at HHS, Solomon Greene at HUD, Helaine Greenfeld at DOJ, Rajesh Nayak at Labor, Brenda Sue Fulton, Christopher Maier, Deborah Rosenblum and Shawn Skelly at DOD and Donald Lu, Sarah Margon and Jessica Lewis at State.

WEDDING — Lisa Vedernikova and Harry Khanna, via NYT : “Ms. Vedernikova, 26 … is the chief of staff to the publisher and chairman of The New York Times, A.G. Sulzberger, and Harry Khanna, 35, [is] an independent lawyer and a voter protection software engineer for the Democratic National Committee. … They ultimately held a socially distanced ceremony with about 40 guests on March 13 at the Gurdwara Mata Sahib Kaur, a Sikh temple in Glen Cove, N.Y.”

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Rep. Mike Garcia (R-Calif.) … the White House’s Mike Gwin … Foreign Policy’s Michael Hirsh … The Hill’s Al Weaver … Vanity Fair’s Abigail Tracy … Andrew Kirtzman … Erin DeLullo … Zack Roday … R Street’s Clark Packard … Alyssa Betz … Ruth Guerra … Accenture’s Meredith Shue ... Terron Sims II ... Jesica Wagstaff … Hillary Lassiter … Shaun Kelleher … former Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.) … Michael Schneider … Kathy Duda … Jill Griffiths … Megan Sowards Newton of Jones Day … Conner Prochaska ... Stuart Chapman of Thorn Run Partners ... Megan Nashban Kenney … Robb Walton of BGR Group … Jameson Cunningham ... PayPal’s Megan Hannigan … Clay Shoemaker … Edelman’s Luis Betanzo ... Imani Greene … former Chicago Mayor Richard Daley

THE SHOWS (Full Sunday show listings here):

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We must take immediate action and make big investments in good-paying clean energy jobs to give our economy the boost it needs.

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