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Presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield Association: POLITICO's must-read briefing on what's driving the afternoon in Washington. | | | | | |  | | By Garrett Ross and Eli Okun | Presented by |  | | | WHY ZUCK CAN’T ESCAPE POLITICS, OR TRUMP — POLITICO tech reporter CRISTIANO LIMA, who’s been covering the DONALD TRUMP-social media saga blow-to-blow, writes in about this morning’s much-awaited ruling by Facebook’s oversight board: Facebook chief MARK ZUCKERBERG has spent months pushing to make his platform more apolitical, and planned to have its new oversight board make the final call on some of its thorniest decisions on political speech. The panel’s decision today to kick Trump’s suspension back to Facebook leaves those plans in shambles. The board, which upheld Trump’s suspension, ordered Facebook to spend up to the next six months relitigating how it handled the former president’s case, a messy and high-profile review that will continue to draw scrutiny and ire across Washington. — It’s a sharp contrast to the situation some other major platforms find themselves in, such as Twitter, which got the painstaking process over with more quickly by deciding to boot Trump off for good (even if it prompted even more fury from Trump and his Republican allies). But Facebook’s not alone — Google-owned YouTube has yet to say how it plans to handle Trump’s account after issuing its own indefinite suspension. That uncertainty will continue to cause major political headaches for the companies in Washington even as they face possibly even greater threats from President JOE BIDEN’S emboldened regulators. Cristiano’s full story: “Trump’s Facebook account should remain suspended for the time being, the company’s oversight board announced Wednesday — agreeing that his rhetoric had created ‘a serious risk of violence’ but saying the social network had been ‘arbitrary’ in ousting him indefinitely. “The board upheld Trump’s suspension but ordered: ‘Within six months of this decision, Facebook must reexamine the arbitrary penalty it imposed on January 7 and decide the appropriate penalty.’ … [I]t’s a judgment call that Facebook cannot escape the responsibility for making, the board’s ruling made clear — throwing a major wrench in CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s plans to have the board make some of its thorniest decisions.” — Axios’ @jonathanvswan on the political fallout for Trump: “The bottom line is Trump and his inner circle were hanging on this decision and view Facebook reinstatement as crucial to Trump’s political comeback. Mostly because of its fundraising power. They submitted a lengthy written argument to the Oversight Board and were cautiously optimistic that Trump would be re-platformed. And yes: his inner circle increasingly believes he will run in 2024. Long long way to go but that’s where he’s at now. And Facebook is crucial to their strategy as it was in 16 and 20.” — The decision is once again sharpening Republicans’ knives for Facebook, with increasingly loud threats to break the social media company up coming from the likes of Reps. JIM JORDAN (Ohio) and JIM BANKS (Ind.). And the NRSC was quick to use the decision as a springboard for text message fundraising. The message, via @JamesArkin — NYT’s @nickconfessore takes a step back: “The fact that this private corporate administrative decision is being covered as something akin to a Supreme Court ruling — rightly so, I think — is the best illustration I can imagine of the sheer power Facebook has achieved over the public square.” — WSJ’s Alex Leary has a peek behind the curtain at how Trump has been handling his pivot to email blasts: “Mr. Trump dictates the messages to an aide, according to two people familiar with the process, and the message is reviewed by staff before being sent out. He is given a printed-out copy and sometimes makes edits in black marker.” Good Wednesday afternoon. Biden’s remarks this afternoon will focus on the American Rescue Plan’s restaurant revitalization fund, per Bloomberg’s Jennifer Epstein. | | A message from Blue Cross Blue Shield Association: The racial health disparity crisis in the U.S. is unconscionable and unacceptable. That’s why Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies are working to reduce disparities in maternal health by 50% in 5 years – part of our multi-year commitment to promote health equity. | | | IT’S ALL OVER BUT THE SHOUTING — “Cheney isn’t fighting McCarthy push to replace her in leadership,” by Olivia Beavers and Mel Zanona: “[Rep. LIZ] CHENEY has been telling people that if holding onto her leadership role requires having to lie or stay quiet, she doesn’t believe that’s a price worth paying … Behind the scenes, Cheney has not been making calls or engaging in the type of campaigning that’s ordinarily necessary in politics to build a coalition of support ahead of a vote that will determine her future in leadership … “And even if she did, the odds seemed stacked against her: Top GOP leaders and Trump are now backing a challenger to Cheney. It’s a remarkable turn of events for Cheney, a conservative scion once viewed as a rising force within the GOP and even floated as a possible future speaker. Her current lack of action is also a 180-degree turn from just a few months ago.” If you assumed that of these two news stories this morning, Trump would focus first on the decision that denies him one of his loudest megaphones … you’d be wrong. The former president put out a statement blasting Cheney for not going along with his election lies — and knocking MIKE PENCE and “clueless MINORITY leader” MITCH MCCONNELL for good measure. Later came another statement attacking Facebook, Twitter and Google. BUT, BUT, BUT … “McConnell Is Rebounding With Republicans as He Looks ‘to the Future,’” Morning Consult: “42 percent of GOP voters hold favorable views about McConnell, up 12 points since a post-election low reached in late February … [T]he share of GOP voters with unfavorable views about McConnell fell 14 points, to 36 percent. The improvement brings McConnell’s favorability rating roughly in line with House Minority Leader KEVIN MCCARTHY.” The POLITICO/Morning Consult poll WATCH: The GOP civil war heats up: It has been nothing but drama since the Republicans returned from their retreat in Florida. The top two Republicans in the House, McCarthy and STEVE SCALISE (La.), are on a mission to boot Cheney from her leadership position. This week RYAN is breaking down the latest infighting in the Republican Party, and what that means for the diminishing group of anti-Trump Republicans. | 
| NEW — “Judge vacates U.S. pandemic-related eviction moratorium,” Reuters: “U.S. District Judge DABNEY FRIEDRICH said the ‘plain language’ of a federal law governing the spread of communicable diseases such as COVID-19 prevented the CDC from legally imposing a moratorium.” THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION — “Trump era rule that made it harder for gig and contract workers to get minimum wage is withdrawn,” WaPo: “The withdrawal of the ‘Independent Contractor’ rule, which limited the ability of workers to argue that they were misclassified as contractors when they should have been employees, will be published in the Federal Register today, and become effective on Thursday.” | | | | 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. | | | | | FOR YOUR RADAR — “Treasury warns of need to deal with national debt limit,” AP: “The Treasury Department says it will employ measures to avoid an unprecedented default on the national debt this summer, but officials say those measures could be exhausted ‘much more quickly’ than normal given the unusual circumstances of the global pandemic. “Treasury officials on Wednesday urged Congress to pass either a new borrowing limit or another suspension of the debt before a July 31 deadline.” BEYOND THE BELTWAY — “Texas Republicans want Biden to play the villain. They just need to make it stick,” by Renuka Rayasam in El Paso: “Texas is mounting its [lawsuit] offenses earlier and more aggressively than it did against the previous Democratic president … Where Texas Republicans used the legal system a decade ago to deliver a steady stream of red meat to their base, Biden is a far less popular target.” IMMIGRATION FILES — “U.S. awards huge shelter contracts amid child migrant increase,” AP: “Some of the companies have responded to natural disasters and more recently developed quarantine centers at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. Others have worked with U.S. border officials over the past few years to set up tented holding areas for migrants. … “In its haste to provide new facilities, the Department of Health and Human Services awarded the largest contracts — worth more than $2 billion — to two companies and a nonprofit without a bidding process and has exempted providers from the staffing requirements that state-licensed child facilities must meet, according to HHS and federal spending records.” WHITEHOUSE SPEAKS — “Biden Isn’t Holding Trump Accountable. Sheldon Whitehouse Is Very Concerned,” by Ankush Khardori in The New Republic: “An in-depth interview with the Democratic senator about Supreme Court reform, TED CRUZ and JOSH HAWLEY’S culpability in the Capitol riot, and the importance of investigating the previous administration.” ON THE WORLD STAGE — “Strongmen who got cozy with Trump get the cold shoulder from Biden,” WaPo: “More than three months into his term, leaders on both sides of that divide are still adjusting. … The big exception is the religious autocracy in Iran, where Biden’s envoys are offering to drop some sanctions if Iran again reins in its nuclear program and complies with the 2015 international nuclear compact.” — “Russian Forces Near Ukraine Are Still a Threat, U.S. Says,” WSJ: “Russia has kept a heightened military presence near the Ukrainian border despite announcing the withdrawal of the troops it deployed last month, the U.S. and its NATO allies said, leading to concerns in Washington about Moscow’s intentions. … It also raises the stakes for Western efforts to bring Ukraine closer to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the European Union. U.S. Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN is set to arrive in Ukraine on Wednesday in a show of support.” QUITE THE HEADLINE — “‘There Was a Big Battle in Here’: Lawyers Tour Capitol as a Crime Scene,” NYT | | | | DON'T MISS OUT ON OUR NEW PLAYBOOK DEEP DIVE PODCAST: Washington is full of whispers, colorful characters and little-known back stories that even D.C. insiders might not know. Playbook Deep Dive is a new, weekly podcast that pulls back the curtain on the stories behind the power. From Congress and the White House to bar stools and backrooms, POLITICO's top reporters and Playbook authors bring you the most compelling and confounding stories that explain what’s really going on in Washington. SUBSCRIBE NOW. | | | | | WHAT JARED IS UP TO — “Jared Kushner founds ‘Abraham Accords Institute,’” Axios: “The non-partisan, non-profit organization will have a five-year mandate and be funded through private donations. According to a statement, it will focus on increasing trade and tourism between the five signatory countries — Israel, Bahrain, the UAE, Morocco and Sudan — and developing programs to foster people-to-people connections between the countries. … “Kushner is founding the institute with former White House envoy AVI BERKOWITZ, who helped negotiate the agreements; Israeli-American businessman and Democratic donor HAIM SABAN; and three heavy hitters from the region: the Emirati and Bahraini ambassadors to Washington, YOUSEF AL OTAIBA and ABDULLA R. AL-KHALIFA, and Israeli Foreign Minister GABI ASHKENAZI. … The executive director will be ROB GREENWAY, formerly the top Middle East advisor on Donald Trump’s national security council.” THE THREAT WITHIN — “The Pentagon wants to take a harder line on domestic extremism. How far can it go?” WaPo: “Under a review launched by Defense Secretary LLOYD AUSTIN, Defense Department officials are reexamining rules governing troops’ affiliations with anti-government and white supremacist movements, ties that currently are permissible in limited circumstances. … “Current and former officials say that Pentagon lawyers, also part of the task force, are likely to take a cautious approach in considering new restrictions on service members’ First Amendment rights, especially in an area of the law that many experts characterize as untested.” DINE AND DASH — “Fugitive QAnon Fan Runs Up $10,000 Diner Tab — and Bails,” The Daily Beast: “QAnon promoter RICHARD POTCNER urged National Guard soldiers in the Capitol to order on his tab at a local diner, then crowdsourced to pay the bill. But he stopped paying.” MEGATREND — “Births in U.S. Drop to Levels Not Seen Since 1979,” WSJ: “U.S. women had about 3.61 million babies in 2020, down 4% from the prior year … The total fertility rate—a snapshot of the average number of babies a woman would have over her lifetime—fell to 1.64. That was the lowest rate on record since the government began tracking it in the 1930s, and likely before that when families were larger … Total births were the lowest since 1979.” AFTERNOON SNACK — “The Art in the Oval Office Tells a Story. Here’s How to See It,” NYT: “Presidential and art historians say that already, Biden’s approach to art appears distinct from his predecessors. In terms of sheer volume, he has included more sculptures and paintings than other recent presidents, in part, experts say, because he is trying to signal his support for an array of causes: labor, science, the importance of compromise and more.” MEDIAWATCH — Christian Datoc will be the White House correspondent for the Washington Examiner. He currently is senior White House correspondent at the Daily Caller. … Andrea Valdez is joining The Atlantic as SVP of audience strategy. She currently is editor-in-chief of The 19th. Announcement WHITE HOUSE ARRIVAL LOUNGE — Erica Loewe is now director of African American media at the White House. She most recently was deputy comms director for House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) and is a Maxine Waters alum. TRANSITIONS — Keith Castaldo will join Subject Matter’s government relations team. He previously was general counsel for Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.). … Josh Mahan is now director of government and industry relations at Xylem. He previously was senior counsel for the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. … Caleb Brock will be a digital mobilization and innovation specialist at the Progressive Campaign Change Committee. He previously was digital director at Humanity Forward. WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Holly Otterbein, national political reporter at POLITICO, and Quinn O’Callaghan, a middle school teacher and writer, welcomed Rose Frances O’Callaghan on Monday. Pic | | | | A message from Blue Cross Blue Shield Association:   Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies are committed to creating a more equitable health care system. See how we’re promoting health equity. | | | | | | | 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 | | | | |  |
