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Presented by American Edge Project: The unofficial guide to official Washington. | | | | | |  | | By Eugene Daniels | Presented by |  | | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | HAPPY SATURDAY, Y’ALL. There’s a special election for the U.S. House in Texas today: It’s a jungle primary between 23 candidates vying to succeed the late GOP Rep. RON WRIGHT, who died in February after contracting Covid. — More from Daniel Payne on the test DONALD TRUMP faces in the Texas race. — More from Alex Isenstadt and Ally Mutnick on some truly dirty last-minute politics: “‘Disgusting’ robocall accuses Texas candidate Wright of causing husband’s death” The first 100 days of the Biden presidency are over, and there are two big things we know so far: First, JOE BIDEN has maintained an impressive approval rating considering how polarized the country is. And most of his proposals tend to poll much higher than he does. Second, the next 100 days are going to be a completely different challenge than the first 100 were. In the first 100 days, Biden pushed a $2 trillion relief package through Congress on the slimmest of majorities, delivered checks to millions of Americans and massively ramped up Covid-19 vaccinations. In the second 100 days, he’s aiming for $4 trillion more to improve infrastructure, increase high-speed internet access, expand universal pre-K and enact a paid family and medical leave plan. On top of that, he’s set July Fourth as a target date when America could return to something like “normal.” | | A message from American Edge Project: Technology is vital to America's small businesses.
Policymakers must work to promote policies that protect America’s technological edge to ensure our entrepreneurs can lead U.S. economic recovery and growth, and lead the world in innovation.
Read more from Karen Kerrigan, president and CEO of the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council. | | | Biden’s first 100 days focused on hitting the “reset” button on the Trump years. But to deliver on his plans in the second 100 days, Biden needs to reset something more fundamental: America’s longtime political consensus about the scope and efficacy of government in people’s everyday lives. He has to convince the public that the government can successfully carry out complex logistical work. That’s not something that can easily be solved by making deals with Congress; it requires changing Americans’ views with tangible proof. That’s a heavy lift. But here’s something to consider: With the success of the Covid vaccine rollout and in getting checks in people’s bank accounts, Biden may have made significant headway in that argument. (There’s a reason the president touted the vaccinations on Wednesday as “one of the greatest logistical achievements this country has ever seen.”) Every president is constrained by the times they govern. But in a strange way, the major constraint of Biden’s time in office — a global pandemic — has expanded the political possibilities in a way genuinely implausible just a couple of years ago. | | | | A message from American Edge Project:   Read more from Karen Kerrigan , president and CEO of the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council. | | | SCALISE AND BANKS TAKE AIM AT CHENEY — “GOP leaders threaten Cheney ouster,” Axios: “Top Republicans are turning on Rep. LIZ CHENEY, the party’s highest-ranking woman in Congress, with one conservative leader suggesting she could be ousted from her GOP post within a month. … “The comments by Reps. STEVE SCALISE, the minority whip, and JIM BANKS, chairman of the Republican Study Committee, carry weight because of their close relationship with House Minority Leader KEVIN MCCARTHY (R-Calif.) — who is openly feuding with Cheney.” Happy first day of May! Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza, Tara Palmeri. BIDEN’S SATURDAY — The president and vice president have nothing on their public schedules. | | | | SUBSCRIBE TO "THE RECAST" TODAY: Power is shifting in Washington and in communities across the country. More people are demanding a seat at the table, insisting that politics is personal and not all policy is equitable. The Recast is a twice-weekly newsletter that explores the changing power dynamics in Washington and breaks down how race and identity are recasting politics and policy in America. Get fresh insights, scoops and dispatches on this crucial intersection from across the country and hear critical new voices that challenge business as usual. Don't miss out, SUBSCRIBE . Thank you to our sponsor, Intel. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | | 
PHOTO OF THE DAY: The bust of Holocaust survivor and Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel is unveiled on Friday, April 30, after it was carved on the Human Rights Porch of the Washington National Cathedral. | Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images | THE WHITE HOUSE ONE TO WATCH — “Pandemic Inspector General Warns of Oversight Breakdown,” NYT: “A breakdown in the oversight of trillions of dollars of economic relief money spilled into public view on Friday night when the Treasury Department’s special inspector general for pandemic recovery said in a report that his powers to scrutinize funds had been curtailed this week after a decision by the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel. … “The clash comes as the Biden administration is overseeing another $1.9 trillion in relief money and calling for $4 trillion in new spending on jobs and infrastructure programs. The vast array of government outlays is currently being tracked by a patchwork of oversight bodies and committees. [Inspector General BRIAN D.] MILLER’s office has been tracking fraud and ‘double dipping' in [existing Covid economic] relief programs, but his access to certain databases started to be curtailed last year in the final months of the Trump administration.” ADIOS, BORDER WALL — “Biden cancels border wall projects Trump paid for with diverted military funds,” WaPo: “Trump diverted about $10 billion from military construction accounts and counternarcotics programs to pay for hundreds of miles of steel barriers along the Mexico border, an effort that Biden has denounced as wasteful and ineffective. … Friday’s joint announcement from the departments of Defense and Homeland Security did not indicate how much money the cancellation will save, nor whether leftover funds would be used to pay demobilization costs to contractors whose bulldozers and excavators were brought to a halt on Jan. 20. “An estimate prepared by the Army Corps of Engineers last fall determined there would be about $3.3 billion in leftover funds if Biden chose not to proceed with Trump’s construction plans for about 285 additional miles of border barriers. The government would save about $2.6 billion after paying demobilization costs to contractors, the estimate found.” NEW TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS AS INDIA SURGES — “Biden administration to restrict travel from India starting Tuesday,” CNN: “The administration will issue a 212(f) order restricting entry into the U.S. for foreign nationals who have been in India within the previous 14 days. … The policy will not apply to American citizens, lawful permanent residents or other people with exemptions. As with all international travelers, individuals who fit that criteria traveling from India must still test negative prior to leaving the country, quarantine if they have not been vaccinated and test negative again upon reentering the US from India. The restrictions also do not apply to humanitarian workers.” BY THE NUMBERS— “Biden promised the most diverse administration ever. Here’s how he’s doing.” 19th News CONGRESS D.C. STATEHOOD A ‘NO’ FOR MANCHIN— “ Manchin pans D.C. statehood bill in another break with Dems,” AP: “[Sen. JOE] MANCHIN said he opposes unilateral action by Congress to make the nation’s capital a state and that he believes it needs to be done through a constitutional amendment. He said prior Republican and Democratic administrations thought the same thing. … Manchin has also stated unequivocally that he will not vote to eliminate or weaken the filibuster. He is among a handful of Democratic senators who have not openly supported the D.C. statehood initiative.” JAN. 6 AND ITS AFTERMATH FROM ONE OF THE HIGHEST-RANKING OFFICERS — “Capitol Police official who said to watch for ‘anti-Trump’ forces on Jan. 6 was deputy chief,” by Kyle Cheney: “The Capitol Police’s highest-ranking commander on the ground during the Jan. 6 insurrection, ERIC WALDOW , is the official who urged officers to watch out for anti-Trump protesters in the massive pro-Trump crowd, according to congressional and Capitol Police sources. “That directive, delivered on the morning of Jan. 6 via a Capitol Police radio transmission, has alarmed lawmakers who were already worried that the leadership of the Capitol Police had failed to appreciate the gravity of the threat pro-Trump extremists posed to Congress that day. “Waldow, a deputy chief and the sixth-ranking official in the Capitol Police Department, was a Jan. 6 ‘incident commander,’ meaning he was responsible for directing officers' movements amid the chaos. He leads the Capitol Police’s riot control force and is among a small group of senior officials who would have had access to the latest intelligence about the possibility Congress itself could be the target of an attack by extremist Trump backers.” HOW WE GOT HERE — “From memes to race war: How extremists use popular culture to lure recruits,” WaPo: “Before conspiracy theories take root, before people decide to break the law because they think society is somehow rigged against them, there is first a bonding process, a creation of connection and camaraderie that encourages members to believe they will now be privy to answers that outsiders cannot know or understand. “White supremacists, militias, men’s rights groups, anti-Muslim agitators and other extremist organizers have created a loosely linked network of multimedia offerings, including videos, podcasts, lectures, articles and games such as Black Lives Splatter, which challenges players to drive their vehicles into as many Black Lives Matter demonstrators as they can.” PANDEMIC KEEP THOSE MASKS HANDY — “TSA extends mask requirement for planes, buses and trains through mid-September,” CNBC NOT IF, BUT HOW — “White House is split over how to vaccinate the world,” WaPo: “A high-stakes fight over drug companies’ response to the coronavirus pandemic has split the Biden administration, with activists and progressives urging the White House to back an international petition to waive the companies’ patents — and some senior officials privately signaling they’re open to the idea. “The debate has reignited decades-old tensions in global health, pitting such influential figures as POPE FRANCIS , who backs the patent-waiver proposal, against philanthropist BILL GATES, who’s opposed.” ONE THING THE U.S. DID WELL — “How the U.S. won the economic recovery,” Vox: “Most European countries have stronger safety nets to start with, but they largely didn’t use the pandemic as an occasion to strengthen them. The U.S. did. “No country handled the economic shock of Covid-19 perfectly. Every country, the U.S. included, made mistakes, sometimes grave mistakes. But a detailed comparison suggests that the US had the strongest economic response to the pandemic, in terms of providing income to its citizens during lockdown and ensuring a strong, rapid recovery as the economy began to reopen.” FEMA PROGRAM PROBS — “FEMA's COVID-19 funeral assistance program runs into huge demand, scam attempts,” Detroit Free Press: “In the first 90 minutes of Federal Emergency Management Agency's COVID-19 funeral assistance program, the office said they got nearly one million calls. … As people try to get help paying for the funeral of a loved one, they're met with long wait time and busy signals. So, why didn’t FEMA go virtual?” | | | | A message from American Edge Project:   Read more from Karen Kerrigan , president and CEO of the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council. | | | 2022 WATCH LAMB EYEING TOOMEY SEAT — “Conor Lamb moves toward Pennsylvania Senate run,” by Sarah Ferris and James Arkin: “Rep. CONOR LAMB has begun telling some donors and supporters in recent days that he is likely to enter the Pennsylvania Senate race, according to multiple people familiar with the discussions. … [H]is team has hired fundraising consultants and recently held a high-profile fundraiser with Sen. JOE MANCHIN (D-W.Va.). But these conversations represent one of the clearest signs that he is taking concrete steps towards running.” BAD NEWS FOR ANDREW GIULIANI — “Erie, Niagara support appears to hand GOP nod for governor to Rep. Lee Zeldin,” Buffalo News: “Rep. LEE ZELDIN of Suffolk County appears to have wrapped up the 2022 Republican nomination Friday when he received backing from the leaders of two major Western New York party organizations. … He has now topped the necessary 50% of [GOP] state committee support to gain the nomination.” POLITICS ROUNDUP ALL CULTURE WAR, ALL THE TIME — “‘Lefty social engineering’: GOP launches cultural attack on Biden’s plan for day care, education and employee leave,” WaPo: “Key GOP voices are accusing Biden of engaging in a stealth attempt to reshape American life, trying to reframe their opposition to the plan away from dollars and cents toward the culture-war terrain on which they have recently been much more politically successful. … “No legislation has been written to implement Biden’s proposals, and … nothing in Biden’s blueprint would mandate that Americans attend free community college, drive electric cars or put their children in prekindergarten.” REDISTRICTING LAWSUITS A-COMING — “Delayed census data kicks off flood of redistricting lawsuits,” by Zach Montellaro: “One of the Democratic Party's most prominent lawyers quickly filed three suits in states where neither Republicans nor Democrats have full control over the redistricting process, in preparation for court action to resolve potential impasses over new maps. Ohio and Alabama are suing the Census Bureau over its delayed timeline for giving the states what they need to draw maps. New York is even contemplating legal action after the census count showed it missed out on an extra House seat by just 89 people. “Every redistricting cycle brings a torrent of litigation … But this year, a confluence of forces — including the census delays, pending federal legislation about redistricting and major Supreme Court rulings earlier in the decade — could transform that steady stream of lawsuits into a downpour. Combined with the compressed timeline for making new maps, the litigation promises to make redistricting a more chaotic and unpredictable affair in 2021 and 2022.” BEYOND THE BELTWAY WHO WATCHES THE WATCHMEN? — “G.O.P. Seeks to Empower Poll Watchers, Raising Intimidation Worries,” NYT: “As Republican lawmakers in major battleground states seek to make voting harder and more confusing through a web of new election laws, they are simultaneously making a concerted legislative push to grant more autonomy and access to partisan poll watchers — citizens trained by a campaign or a party and authorized by local election officials to observe the electoral process. “This effort has alarmed election officials and voting rights activists alike: There is a long history of poll watchers being used to intimidate voters and harass election workers, often in ways that target Democratic-leaning communities of color and stoke fears that have the overall effect of voter suppression. … “In Texas, the Republican-controlled Legislature is advancing legislation that would allow them to photograph and video-record voters receiving assistance, as well as make it extremely difficult for election officials to order the removal of poll watchers. … [T]he Republican-controlled Legislature in Michigan is proposing to bar nonpartisan observers from acting as poll watchers, allowing only partisan challengers to do so.” NO SURPRISES — “Elections Commission rules Wisconsin's presidential results were properly certified for Biden,” Milwaukee Journal Sentinel ALARMING FINDINGS — “Army report finds Fort Hood soldier Vanessa Guillén reported being sexually harassed twice before she was killed,” Texas Trib: “A U.S. Army investigation found that Spc. VANESSA GUILLÉN reported being sexually harassed two times by a fellow soldier at Fort Hood before she was killed, a finding that contradicts the Army’s previous claims that there was no evidence Guillén experienced harassment.” TRUMP CARDS DAILY RUDY — “Rudy Giuliani’s Contacts With Former Ukrainian Officials Sought,” WSJ: “The warrants also sought evidence including communications with or regarding associates who worked with Mr. Giuliani to push for Ms. Yovanovitch’s ouster, as well as for an investigation by Ukrainian authorities into the Biden family’s activities in the country, the people familiar with the warrants said. … The warrants specifically sought evidence related to former Ukrainian prosecutors general VIKTOR SHOKIN and YURIY LUTSENKO, former Ukrainian prosecutor KOSTIANTYN KULYK and former Ukrainian President PETRO POROSHENKO.” DESSERT BEZOS VS. MUSK — “NASA suspends SpaceX’s $2.9 billion moon lander contract after rivals protest,” The Verge GREAT WEEKEND READS, curated by Ryan Lizza: — “How Humanity Gave Itself an Extra Life,” by Steven Johnson in the NYT Magazine: “Between 1920 and 2020, the average human life span doubled. How did we do it? Science mattered — but so did activism.” — “The 185-year-old Battle that Still Dominates Texas Politics,” by Richard Parker in San Antonio for POLITICO Magazine: “George P. Bush wanted to revamp the Alamo site. Then his own party turned against him.” — “Washington’s Weirdest Think Tank,” by Tablet magazine’s Armin Rosen: “Led by Trita Parsi and backed by Charles Koch and George Soros, the Quincy Institute seeks to redefine the contours of American foreign policy in the Middle East, China — and beyond.” — “‘We are witnessing a crime against humanity’: India’s Covid catastrophe,” by Arunhati Roy for The Guardian: “It’s hard to convey the full depth and range of the trauma, the chaos and the indignity that people are being subjected to. Meanwhile, Modi and his allies are telling us not to complain.” — “'I've Lost Everything to the Beast,'” by Rachel Nolan for the New York Review: “Formed in Los Angeles by refugees fleeing U.S.-backed violence in El Salvador, MS-13 has wreaked havoc in Central America.” — “The Miracle and Tragedy of the 2020 U.S. Election,” by Nathaniel Persily and Charles Stewart III in Journal of Democracy: “In the midst of a pandemic posing unprecedented challenges, local and state administrators pulled off a safe, secure, and professional election. … However, a competing narrative of a ‘stolen election’ led to a historically deep chasm between partisans in their trust of the election process and outcome.” — “Finding my Father Among the Astronauts,” by Nicholas Schmidle for GQ: “Out in the California high desert, a new breed of astronaut is being built in the race to make private space exploration a reality. When Nicholas Schmidle was granted rare access to the test pilots at Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic, he hoped he might discover something about ambition and courage. He didn’t expect to confront the legacy of his own fighter ace father.” — FROM THE ARCHIVES: “A Report on the Sex Pistols: Rock is sick and living in London,” by Charles M. Young for Rolling Stone, Oct. 20, 1977 (h/t Shawn McCreesh) | | | | JOIN TUESDAY FOR A CONVERSATION ON SMALL BUSINESSES AFTER COVID-19: About one in six small businesses in the U.S. closed their doors since the pandemic began. The ones that remained open are getting by with fewer employees after laying off workers or a hiring freeze. What is ahead for small businesses in 2021 as they try to weather the ongoing economic uncertainty? And how does President Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package intend to support small-business owners? Join POLITICO for a virtual conversation with White House economic adviser Jared Bernstein and Joyce Beatty, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, on what small businesses need to survive and thrive beyond the Covid economic crisis. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | MEDIAWATCH — Brianna Tucker is joining WaPo’s 202 newsletter team as a deputy editor. She previously was an editor and fact-checker at the Supermajority Education Fund. Announcement — Rebecca Leber is joining Vox as a senior climate reporter. She previously was a climate and environment reporter for Mother Jones. Talking Biz News HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Reps. Ed Perlmutter (D-Colo.) and Matt Cartwright (D-Pa.) (6-0) … Ninio Fetalvo … David Winston … Anthony Cimino of Carta … Shivam Mallick Shah … Michael Freedman … John Bridgeland of Civic … Ben Jacobs … Josh Tonsager … Vince Wanga of Morning Consult … Shaina Goodman … Liz Stark … Molly Levinson of the Levinson Group … Maureen Garde … Rachael Dean Wilson of the Alliance for Securing Democracy … Jeff Wice … Matilda Bress of Rep. Harley Rouda’s (D-Calif.) office … Ankit Desai … Megan Lowry of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine … Alex Cisneros … WaPo’s Jon Gerberg … Andrew Tyrrell … Stacie Paxton Cobos … Seth London of Ground Control Partners … Andy Mills … E&E News’ Prabhu Chandar … Leonard Downie Jr. … Beninese President Patrice Talon … Anjana Padmanabhan … ProPublica’s Caroline Chen … Elizabeth Stanley … Emily Lamont … Maria Pica Karp of Chevron … Abby Huntsman … Abe Foxman THE SHOWS (Full Sunday show listings here): | ABC | “This Week”: White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan … Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) … Adm. Mike Mullen … Jeffrey Gettleman … Ashish Jha. Panel: Chris Christie, Rahm Emanuel, Rachel Scott and Audie Cornish. | CBS | “Face the Nation”: White House chief of staff Ron Klain … Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) … Scott Gottlieb. | CNN | “State of the Union”: Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) … Anita Dunn … Cindy McCain. | CNN | “Inside Politics”: Panel: Anna Palmer, Jonathan Martin, Nia-Malika Henderson, Phil Mattingly and Carrie Cordero. | FOX | “Fox News Sunday”: Council of Economic Advisers Chair Cecilia Rouse … Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.). Panel: Dana Perino, Kristen Soltis Anderson and Harold Ford Jr. Power Player: Chloe Mitchell. | Gray TV | “Full Court Press”: Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) … House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.). | MSNBC | “The Sunday Show”: Deval Patrick … Melanie Campbell … Alphonso David … Mara Keisling … Sophia Nelson … Margaret Sullivan … Michael Cohen. | NBC | “Meet the Press”: Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen … Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) … Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). Panel: Yamiche Alcindor, Lanhee Chen, Kasie Hunt and Claire McCaskill. | | | | A message from American Edge Project: Technology has helped American small businesses survive the COVID-19 pandemic.
It has helped small businesses navigate challenges, innovate and remain competitive. Amid COVID-19, there’s no doubt that technology has played a central role in the survival of many of our nation’s small businesses.
Technology has moved beyond the occasional tool small businesses use to market or advertise; it has become the foundation that powers growth, productivity and innovation.
Read more from the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council. | | | | | | | 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 political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |  |
