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Presented by The American Petroleum Institute (API): | | | | | |  | | By Alex Thompson | Presented by The American Petroleum Institute (API) | Welcome to POLITICO’s West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people and power centers in the Biden administration. With Allie Bice and Nick Niedzwiadek Send tips | Subscribe here | Email Alex | Email Tina JOE BIDEN didn’t expect to be commemorating the 20th anniversary of 9/11 the same week that Taliban leaders from pre-9/11 Afghanistan returned to senior posts in the government. Biden had originally expected the anniversary to coincide with the final withdrawal of U.S. forces and a hand-off to an independent Afghan military, coinciding events that could symbolize the end of America’s post-9/11 foreign policy. Instead, the swift fall of the U.S.-backed Afghan military and government and ensuing chaos has led to a 20th anniversary with Americans stranded in Afghanistan, alliance relationships strained, and many veterans wondering what it was all for. Still, close Biden allies say that despite the discordant anniversary, Biden remains committed to his vision. “You basically had, in 2001, the United States led by President [GEORGE] BUSH, put at the center of the entire national security apparatus, the Global War on Terror,” said TOM DONILON, former national security adviser to President BARACK OBAMA who has advised Biden since the 80’s and is the brother of senior White House adviser MIKE DONILON. “And we're now in the midst of a reorientation, led this time by President Biden. I think that's what's going on — I think it's a bigger picture thing than is commonly commented on.” In other words, Biden believes the country must move on from 9/11. “This decision about Afghanistan is not just about Afghanistan,” Biden said in his remarks last week. “It’s about ending an era of major military operations to remake other countries.” Donilon added: “I think he feels that it's well past time that the country has refocused its efforts and that includes a broader definition of national security, including a number of areas that have not had the attention that they need, including climate and health and cyber.” It is that larger strategic goal that led Biden to stick to the withdrawal plans in Afghanistan in the face of chaos and missteps, his allies said. Biden’s critics, meanwhile, argue that his hasty exit will ultimately force the United States to pay more attention to Afghanistan by giving a safe haven to America’s enemies. “No one is celebrating the 20th anniversary of 9/11 more than Islamist militants around the world,” Foreign Policy magazine declared this week. MIKE HALTZEL, who worked with Biden on the Senate Foreign Relations committee as a senior adviser and subcommittee staff director from 1994 to 2005, thinks that “China is the motivating force here, not so much a disgust with the Middle East...I think he wants to free up American capabilities, both hard and soft.” Or as Biden put it last week: “And here’s a critical thing to understand: The world is changing….We have to shore up America’s competitive[ness] to meet these new challenges in the competition for the 21st century.” Do you work in the Biden administration? Are you in touch with the White House? Are you LOREN DENT? We want to hear from you — and we’ll keep you anonymous: westwingtips@politico.com. Or if you want to stay really anonymous send us a tip through SecureDrop, Signal, Telegram, or Whatsapp here. | | | | A message from The American Petroleum Institute (API): The American Petroleum Institute (API) released a new analysis of the natural gas and oil industry’s impact on the U.S. economy and highlighted its importance to the nation’s post-pandemic recovery. The industry is a driver of every sector of the U.S. economy, supporting 11.3 million total American jobs in 2019 across all 50 states. The industry’s total impact on U.S. GDP was nearly $1.7 trillion, accounting for nearly 8% of the national total in 2019. | | | | | | With the Partnership for Public Service Throwing it way back for today’s question — in 1855, President FRANKLIN PIERCE’s Secretary of War ordered Congress to allocate $30,000 to purchase and import what animal to be used for “military purposes”? (Answer at the bottom.) | | | LEAK PATROL — Biden’s presidential personnel office, which oversees the vetting and hiring process for the administration, is trying to tamp down on leaks. Last week on an internal call, the office’s chief of staff, RACHEL WALLACE, issued a stern warning to staff about not discussing job candidates to people outside the office, according to an official familiar with the call. Some names under consideration for White House jobs have leaked out across town, including to POLITICO. A White House spokesperson told West Wing Playbook that “[w]e take people’s privacy very seriously and are constantly striving to maintain the highest standards of integrity, confidentiality, and diplomacy in our work.” LINCOLN BEDROOM PILLOW TALK: The president makes no bones about being a bonafide Wife Guy™, and Wednesday proved no exception. While celebrating the union movement at a White House event, Biden touted first lady JILL BIDEN’s longstanding membership in the National Education Association. “I sleep with a NEA member every night,” Biden said. He then added the unnecessary clarification: “Same one. Same one.” He went on to note that Jill Biden was returning this fall to in-person instruction at Northern Virginia Community College, where she’s taught for more than a decade. Close readers will remember that Biden has previously given a glimpse into his personal life by mentioning the presence of a JIMMY ROLLINS bobblehead, a noted Philadelphia Phillies shortstop, beside their bed. WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE WANTS YOU TO READ: National Economic Council Director BRIAN DEESE was not shy about pointing folks on Twitter to a recent Treasury report showing how the upper crust is skirting U.S. tax laws. “Paying tax isn't a voluntary exercise for the middle class,” Deese wrote, linking to a New York Times writeup of the analysis. The NEC’s BHARAT RAMAMURTI and rapid response director MIKE GWIN also amplified the article on Twitter. The report showed that the ultra-rich are collectively avoiding some $160 billion annually, according to the Treasury Department. It comes as some congressional Democrats are getting nervous about raising taxes. WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE DOESN’T WANT YOU TO READ: “The U.S. economy ‘downshifted slightly’ in August as the renewed surge of the coronavirus hit dining, travel and tourism, the Federal Reserve reported Wednesday, but the economy overall remained in the throes of a post-pandemic rush of rising prices, labor shortages and stilted hiring,” according to Reuters’ HOWARD SCHNEIDER and ANN SAPHIR. | | | SAVE THE DATE — POLITICO is hosting its first ever tech summit Sept. 15th on the intersection of Washington and Silicon Valley, touching on issues like antitrust, online misinformation and data privacy. Register here to attend and submit questions. Alex will be co-moderating the “Rebooting Washington and Silicon Valley Relationship” panel with antitrust guru LEAH NYLEN. | | | KOH GETS A SECOND SHOT AT 9TH CIRCUIT — Biden announced another batch of judicial nominees Wednesday, including three judges for the 9th Circuit Court, country’s largest — and famously most liberal — federal appeals court. Biden’s picks for the court include LUCY KOH, a U.S. District Court Judge for the Northern District of California. Senate Republicans blocked Koh’s previous nomination to the 9th Circuit, by President BARACK OBAMA in 2016. Biden also tapped GABRIEL SANCHEZ, who served as an associate justice for the California Court of Appeals since 2018, and HOLLY THOMAS , who served as Los Angeles County Superior Court judge since 2018. In addition to the 9th Circuit picks, the White House announced five district court nominees. ALL ROADS LEAD TO DELAWARE: The White House on Wednesday named TONY ALLEN, president of Delaware State University, to lead the president’s advisory board of Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The Biden administration has made strengthening so-called HBCUs a focus, not least because Vice President KAMALA HARRIS is an alumnae of one such institution — Howard University in Washington, D.C. Allen headed up Biden’s inauguration committee and had previously served as a special assistant and speechwriter to Biden during his Senate days in the ‘90s. The White House appears to have peddled the news last night to Watch The Yard, an outlet focused on Black Greek life and other aspects of African American youth culture, highlighting the administration’s emphasis on that segment of voters. GETTING THE BOOT: The administration is starting to remove Trump appointed officials from various advisory boards, DANIEL LIPPMAN reports. The White House’s Presidential Personnel Office director, CATHY RUSSELL, requested the resignation of RUSSELL VOUGHT, the former OMB director in the Trump administration who currently sits on the Naval Academy’s Board of Visitors. Vought responded to Russell’s letter via Twitter Wednesday, writing “No. It’s a three year term.” JOHN COALE, another Naval Academy board member who was appointed by Trump, was also removed from his post. Other Trump appointed members on various boards received notices of removal, as well, including former national security adviser H.R. MCMASTER, lobbyist DAVID URBAN and retired Gen. JACK KEANE. | | | |   | | | | | | Biden officials trumpet how solar can provide nearly half of the nation’s electricity by 2050 (WaPo’s Darryl Fears) Harris casts Newsom recall as part of national struggle (POLITICO’s Jeremy B. White and Carla Marinucci) CDC tightened masking guidelines after threats from teachers union, emails show (Fox News’ Joe Schoffstall) Vice President Kamala Harris to visit Hampton to advocate for more focus on STEM (The Undefeated’s Mia Berry) | | | | 
Labor Secretary Marty Walsh speaks alongside President Joe Biden during an event on workers rights and labor unions in the East Room. | Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images | He delivered remarks about labor unions in the East Room, accompanied by Labor Secretary MARTY WALSH, AFL-CIO President LIZ SHULER and United Food and Commercial Workers member JOCELYN CRUCES. He also received a briefing from the White House Covid-19 Response Team. | | | She participated in a campaign event for Gov. GAVIN NEWSOM at the IBEW-NECA Joint Apprenticeship Training Center in San Leandro, California, and returned to Washington, D.C. in the evening. | | | Yesterday, we reported the patronuses (patroni?) of half the White House press team, according to a photo of a collage that currently hangs over the desk of assistant press secretary EMILIE SIMONS. For the non-Potterheads out there, a patronus is akin to a wizard’s spirit animal in the J.K. Rowling series. According to Simons’ collage — nay, mural! — here are the animal alter egos for the rest of the team: Press Secretary JEN PSAKI is a wild cat — a picture of a cat is affixed to her Vogue profile shot. Press office chief of staff AMANDA FINNEY is a lion. Press assistant ANGELA PEREZ is a capybara. Principal deputy press secretary KARINE JEAN-PIERRE is a black mare. Press assistant MICHAEL KIKUKAWA is a jack rabbit. Assistant press secretary KEVIN MUNOZ is a deer And Simons is an exotic, colorful bird. She thinks it’s a Bali bird of paradise but that could not be independently verified. | | | Camels. Secretary of War JEFFERSON DAVIS ordered Congress to purchase the camels to transport supplies between military posts. Tactical. We want your tips, but we also want your feedback. What should we be covering in this newsletter that we’re not? What are we getting wrong? Please let us know. Edited by Emily Cadei | | | | A message from The American Petroleum Institute (API): The American Petroleum Institute’s recently released PwC study shows how the natural gas and oil industry is essential to economic recovery in other sectors, like manufacturing, agriculture, industrial and more, as well as opportunities for job creation. As economic activity, travel patterns and consumption continue to grow during the post-pandemic recovery, the U.S. Energy Information Administration expects global oil and liquid fuels consumption to surpass 2019 levels in 2022. In addition to accounting for nearly 8% of the U.S. GDP in 2019, the natural gas and oil industry generated an additional 3.5 jobs elsewhere in the U.S. economy for each direct job in the U.S. natural gas and oil industry. Learn how the industry is powering each state’s economy by using the interactive map linked here. | | | | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |  |
