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Presented by the American Beverage Association: POLITICO's must-read briefing on what's driving the afternoon in Washington. | | | | | |  | | By Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Eli Okun and Garrett Ross | Presented by |  | | | BREAKING — “FBI investigating Postmaster General Louis DeJoy in connection with his political fundraising,” by WaPo’s Matt Zapotosky and Jacob Bogage NEW INFRASTRUCTURE DETAILS — “Biden offers major change to tax proposal in effort to secure infrastructure deal with Republicans,” by WaPo’s Seung Min Kim and Tony Romm: “[President JOE] BIDEN’S new offer amounted to a major concession after Republicans said his earlier proposal to lift the corporate tax rate from 21 percent to 28 percent — a move that would unwind the tax cuts the GOP adopted in 2017 — amounted to a nonstarter. “Instead, Biden on Wednesday recommended a new, minimum corporate tax of 15 percent, seeking to take aim at dozens of profitable U.S. corporations that pay little to nothing to the federal government annually … The White House also proposed stepping up enforcement on corporations and wealthy earners who rely on loopholes to lessen their tax burdens.” BUT, BUT, BUT — Press secretary JEN PSAKI said at today’s briefing that Biden has “absolutely not” abandoned the 28% goal. NEW from Burgess Everett and Sam Stein: “GOP mulls throwing Biden more infrastructure money”: “Senate Republicans doubt they can offer enough new spending on infrastructure to satisfy President Joe Biden’s current demands, though they’re weighing going higher on their offer anyway. Sen. SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO (R-W.Va.), her party’s lead infrastructure negotiator, is preparing to come back to the table with Biden tomorrow.” Congress is still in recess, but we’re already starting to see the contours of a max pressure campaign on Sens. JOE MANCHIN (D-W.Va.) and KYRSTEN SINEMA (D-Ariz.) to help get sweeping voting rights legislation through Congress. — First, in a speech this week about protecting the rights of minorities to vote, Biden accused the pair of voting more often with Republicans than Democrats. — Now, Democratic leaders and progressives are looking for ways to turn up the heat before Senate Majority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER brings S. 1 (the Senate version of H.R. 1) to the floor in June. (Read Sean Sullivan and Mike DeBonis at WaPo for more on this .) We should note that the bill’s backers have different problems with the two linchpin senators: Sinema backs the bill, but not nuking the filibuster to pass it; Manchin thinks the legislation is overly broad to begin with. Among the signs of pressure ratcheting up on the Democratic duo: — Today, VoteVets, a progressive outside group, is going up with a pair of ads nudging Sinema and Manchin on S. 1. — Next week the NAACP and other civil rights leaders plan to meet with Manchin to discuss his issues with the bill. And this is only the beginning. Yet the reality is this: Even if the groups persuade Manchin, they have an even bigger hurdle to get him and Sinema to go nuclear on the filibuster. Neither has shown any interest in that. In Arizona this week, a reporter asked her to comment on suggestions that she has to choose between the filibuster and democracy. The filibuster, she responded, “is a tool that protects the democracy of our nation rather than allowing our country to ricochet wildly every two to four years, back and forth, between policies.” Sinema added: “So to those who say we must make a choice between the filibuster and X, I say this is a false choice.” HuffPost’s Kevin Robillard and Paul Blumenthal report that the White House is planning a runaround: “Kamala Harris Will Go Around Congress To Build Support For Voting Rights: The vice president will work with corporations and civil rights groups to battle GOP efforts to restrict voting.” Good Thursday afternoon. | | A message from the American Beverage Association: At America’s beverage companies our plastic bottles are made to be remade. We’re carefully designing them to be 100% recyclable, including the caps—so every bottle can become a new one. That means less plastic waste in our environment. Please help us get Every Bottle Back. EveryBottleBack.org | | | SPOTTED: ANNIE LEIBOVITZ at the White House during the press briefing. She said was there to shoot pictures of Psaki. You might remember the last time Leibovitz took pictures of someone at the White House: Vogue produced two covers of Harris, one of her wearing Chuck Taylors, which was widely panned, especially in Harrisland. Pic BEHIND THE SCENES — “Biden privately called Lawrence Summers, a critic of White House agenda, to discuss economy,” by WaPo’s Tyler Pager and Jeff Stein NEW TODAY — Harris announced that nearly $1 billion in funds for tribal broadband infrastructure programs that were passed by Congress are now available for use. VACCINE SHARING — After weeks of waiting for the U.S. to outline how and when it would share tens of millions of extra coronavirus vaccines with the rest of the world, we finally got some answers this morning. The White House announced allocations for an initial round of 25 million vaccines: About 19 million will go through COVAX, spread out across Latin America, Asia and Africa. The other 6 million will go to specific places — countries in crisis, allies, neighbors — including Canada, Mexico and South Korea. Harris notified the leaders of Mexico, Guatemala, India and the Caribbean Community of the news this morning. “This is just the beginning,” JEFF ZIENTS said today. The number will reach 80 million by the end of the month. More from Erin Banco THE UNEMPLOYMENT PICTURE — “U.S. jobless claims drop to 385,000, another pandemic low,” AP: “The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell last week for a fifth straight week to a new pandemic low, the latest evidence that the U.S. job market is regaining its health as the economy further reopens.” MORE PRE-JOBS DAY READING — “Wage Growth Is Holding Up in Aftermath of the Economic Crash,” by NYT’s Ben Casselman and Jeanna Smialek: “Workers in retail, hospitality and other service industries bore the brunt of last year’s mass layoffs. But unlike low-wage workers in past recessions, whose earnings power eroded, many of those who held on to their jobs saw their wages rise even during the worst months of the pandemic. Now, as the economy bounces back and employers need to find staff, workers have the kind of leverage that is more typical of a prolonged boom than the aftermath of a devastating recession.” COMING ATTRACTIONS — “Queen to meet U.S. President Joe Biden next week,” BBC: “The meeting at Windsor Castle on Sunday 13 June coincides with the end of Mr Biden’s visit to Britain for the G7 summit of leaders from the world’s biggest economies.” More from the White House on next week’s schedule: — Biden will meet with British PM BORIS JOHNSON on June 10. — He’ll attend the G-7 Summit in Cornwall from June 11-13. — He’ll take part in the NATO Summit in Brussels and meet with Turkish President RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN on June 14. — He’ll take part in the U.S.–EU Summit and meet with KING PHILIPPE of Belgium and Belgian Prime Minister ALEXANDER DE CROO on June 15. — Then it’s on to Geneva, where Biden will have his summit with Russian President VLADIMIR PUTIN on June 16. He’ll also meet with Swiss President GUY PARMELIN and Foreign Minister IGNAZIO CASSIS. | | | | 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. | | | | | ON THE WORLD STAGE — “Biden directs federal agencies to up their anti-corruption game,” by Nahal Toosi: “The president on Thursday issued a ‘national security study memorandum’ that directs the U.S. government to send him in 200 days a report and recommendations on how the United States can better use its resources and partner with other countries to battle corruption. … “Biden aides hope the mere process of responding to Biden’s memorandum will lead to a flurry of ideas and possibly even implementation of initiatives that can help in the anti-corruption fight well before the 200-day deadline for the report and recommendations. Among the administration’s goals is cracking down on efforts to launder money through residential real estate purchases in the United States.” HACKING FALLOUT — “White House Tells Execs to ‘Immediately’ Review Ransomware Plans,” by Bloomberg’s Justin Sink SCOTUS WATCH — “Supreme Court narrows scope of sweeping cybercrime law,” by Eric Geller and Josh Gerstein: “The Supreme Court has sharply curtailed the scope of the nation’s main cybercrime law, limiting a tool that civil liberties advocates say federal prosecutors have abused by seeking prison time for minor computer misdeeds. “The 6-3 decision handed down Thursday means federal prosecutors can no longer use the 1986 Computer Fraud and Abuse Act to charge people who misused databases they are otherwise entitled to access. … In an unusual lineup, the court’s three Trump appointees — who are also the newest justices — joined the court’s three liberals to reject the Justice Department's interpretation of the statute.” FEELING SPECIAL — “Dems breathe sigh of relief after New Mexico blowout,” by Ally Mutnick and Sarah Ferris: “In a post-election analysis Wednesday, nearly a dozen Democratic lawmakers and strategists hailed the unexpectedly strong margins in New Mexico as a sign that their majority might not be doomed just yet. [MELANIE] STANSBURY’S triumph offers a template of how candidates can beat back the GOP’s ‘defund the police’ attacks and ride on the popularity of Biden’s agenda, they said — particularly if DONALD TRUMP’S voters decide to stay home. … “Stansbury’s massive victory could help DCCC lure both candidates and donors to its 2022 midterm operation. But it’s perhaps more important, according to some Democrats, that the party didn’t make any fatal mistakes that could sound the death knell for their majority. ‘If we had collapsed, we would have had a retirement problem; we would have had a recruitment problem,’ said one national Democratic strategist.” WATCH: Special elections can forecast the midterms, explained: On Tuesday, Stansbury defeated her Republican opponent with almost a 25-point lead to fill DEB HAALAND’S vacant seat in a New Mexico’s special election. Democrats couldn’t be more pleased since they already have a razor-thin majority in the House. Speaker NANCY PELOSI can’t afford to lose a single seat going into the 2022 midterms, so RYAN breaks down the importance of special elections and how they have historically provided reliable foresight into midterm elections. | 
| BIPARTISAN BILL, BIPARTISAN ROADBLOCK — “Old-Guard Senators Defy Changes in How Military Treats Sex Assault Cases,” by NYT’s Jennifer Steinhauer: “Over nearly a decade, Senator KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND has painstakingly cobbled together a bipartisan Senate majority for legislation that would overhaul the way the military handles sexual assault and other serious crimes, a shift that many experts say is long overdue. … “But now she is running up against a final hurdle: opposition from the leaders of her chamber’s Armed Services Committee, Senators JACK REED, Democrat of Rhode Island, and JAMES M. INHOFE, Republican of Oklahoma. … Mr. Reed, 71, and Mr. Inhofe, 86, have combined to push back against Ms. Gillibrand’s legislation and delay any move toward a swift vote, a stance that many of the bill’s backers say shows far more deference to military commanders and committee protocols than justified.” LATEST ON JAN. 6 — “New Senate report to detail security failures on January 6 but will fuel fight for probe over Trump’s role,” by CNN’s Manu Raju and Jeremy Herb: “Two Senate committees plan to release a flurry of recommendations in a thorough 100-page-plus report about what went wrong on January 6, but they will stop short of examining former President Donald Trump’s role in the run-up to the attack on the US Capitol … “The Senate Rules and Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committees are expected to release their findings on the security failures that led to the January 6 attack on the US Capitol next week … The report’s recommendations are likely to provide the basis of a new funding package in the Senate aimed at beefing up Capitol security.” | | | | SUBSCRIBE TO WEST WING PLAYBOOK: Add West Wing Playbook to keep up with the power players, latest policy developments and intriguing whispers percolating inside the West Wing and across the highest levels of the Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today. | | | | | THE NEW GOP — Scott Braddock noted a wild bit of swag from GEORGE P. BUSH: a koozie depicting him and Trump that says, “‘This is the only Bush that likes me! This is the Bush that got it right. I like him.’ -DONALD J. TRUMP.” Pics KNOWING BEN CRUMP — “‘Tell Me Something to Do Better and I’ll Shut Up’: Ben Crump Is Making His Presence Felt in Biden’s Washington,” by Hunter Walker in Vanity Fair: “He has met Biden several times, during his more high-profile cases, and the two have had several private phone conversations in the past year. With the ear of the president and a frequent spot on cable-news broadcasts, Crump has become a new breed of Washington power player for this activist era.” YIKES — FOUR PINOCCHIOS FOR BIDEN: “Biden’s nonsensical claim about Alzheimer’s and hospital beds,” by WaPo’s Glenn Kessler: “‘You know, if we don’t do something about Alzheimer’s in America, every single, solitary hospital bed that exists in America — as the nurses can tell you — every single one will be occupied in the next 15 years with an Alzheimer’s patient — every one.’ — President Biden, remarks on the economy in Cleveland, May 27 … “Normally when a politician makes a detailed claim like this, we can quickly find a possible source … from which the factoid was plucked (and possibly twisted). But we could not find anything. We consulted with many experts on Alzheimer’s disease, but they were stumped, too. This seems to be a Biden original.” DEEP DIVE — “The Lab-Leak Theory: Inside the Fight to Uncover COVID-19’s Origins,” by Vanity Fair’s Katherine Eban: “A months long Vanity Fair investigation, interviews with more than 40 people, and a review of hundreds of pages of U.S. government documents, including internal memos, meeting minutes, and email correspondence, found that conflicts of interest, stemming in part from large government grants supporting controversial virology research, hampered the U.S. investigation into COVID-19’s origin at every step. “In one State Department meeting, officials seeking to demand transparency from the Chinese government say they were explicitly told by colleagues not to explore the Wuhan Institute of Virology’s gain-of-function research, because it would bring unwelcome attention to U.S. government funding of it. “In an internal memo obtained by Vanity Fair, THOMAS DINANNO, former acting assistant secretary of the State Department’s Bureau of Arms Control, Verification, and Compliance, wrote that staff from two bureaus, his own and the Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation, ‘warned’ leaders within his bureau ‘not to pursue an investigation into the origin of COVID-19’ because it would ‘“open a can of worms” if it continued.’ … ROBERT REDFIELD received death threats from fellow scientists after telling CNN that he believed COVID-19 had originated in a lab.” MEDIAWATCH — Ry Rivard will be a reporter for POLITICO New Jersey covering energy, the environment and transportation. He most recently has been an investigative reporter at the Adirondack Explorer. WHITE HOUSE ARRIVAL LOUNGE — Angela Hervig is now a legislative assistant in the White House Office of Legislative Affairs. She previously was digital press secretary for Rep. Joe Cunningham (D-S.C.). FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Kate V. Silina is now North America comms director and public affairs lead at Visa. She most recently led the West Coast crisis comms practice at Sunshine Sachs and served in the Obama administration at DHS. TRANSITIONS — Maeve Healy is now chief of staff for Rep. Grace Meng (D-N.Y.). She most recently was political affairs manager at Finseca, and had earlier served as Meng’s political director. … Nick Leibham is now a partner in Holland & Knight’s public policy and regulation practice group. He previously was a partner at K&L Gates. WELCOME TO THE WORLD — David Ward, director of public affairs at the Association of Equipment Manufacturers, and Kathleen Ward, directress of Full Circle Montessori in Arlington, Va., welcomed Levi Russell Ward on Wednesday. Pic | | | | A message from the American Beverage Association:   Our plastic bottles are made to be remade. Help us get Every Bottle Back. EveryBottleBack.org | | | | | | | 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 | | | | |  |
