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Presented by National Association Of Black Law Enforcement Officers: The power players, latest policy developments, and intriguing whispers percolating inside the West Wing. | | | | |  | | By Lauren Egan, Myah Ward and Benjamin Johansen | | | Welcome to POLITICO’s West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people and power centers in the Biden administration. With help from producer Raymond Rapada. Send tips | Subscribe here | Email Eli | Email Lauren The White House press corps has been fixated in recent weeks on a low-key question involving one of its own: Which reporter among them was the one who applied to be a full-time correspondent covering TAYLOR SWIFT? The question first arose after the Wall Street Journal published an article in September about the high interest Gannett received to fill a newly created Swift correspondent position at USA Today, working out of The Tennessean’s newsroom in Nashville. The article mentioned that one of the applicants covered the White House. But the speculation went into overdrive on Monday when Variety reported that BRYAN WEST, a journalist from Arizona, had landed the job. Nine paragraphs into that piece, MICHAEL ANASTASI, the editor at The Tennessean, was quoted saying the company was “very pleased with the caliber” of its applicant pool, which included “at least one very established White House reporter.” Very. Established. Hmmmmmmmmm…. The line has prompted no shortage of press workspace gossip about the nameless applicant. As reporters waited Monday on the South Lawn for President JOE BIDEN’s arrival, they huddled together trying to narrow down the list, arguing over what “very established” actually meant. Theories quickly began to circulate. Was Reuters’ STEVE HOLLAND, a native Tennessean, looking to go back home? Maybe New York Times photographer DOUG MILLS, who apparently is such a big Swiftie that he went to a meet-and-greet with the singer a few years ago, was interested in dipping his toes in print journalism. Was fellow NYT staffer MICHAEL SHEAR, also a Swift fan, looking for a career change? Or could it be the “very established” PETER BAKER? White House staffers joked that their money was on NewsMax’s JAMES ROSEN. None of these theories seemed to pan out. Holland told West Wing Playbook that he had no idea what we were talking about — and even if he did, he only listens to Yacht Rock on SiriusXM. Mills said that while it was true that he was a “huge” fan, he did not apply. Shear said Swift was “fantastic,” but it wasn’t him. Baker said he could neither confirm or deny that he applied, although he appears to lack some basic qualifications (his own son laughed at the suggestion that he could do the job) and West Wing Playbook feels confident ruling him out. Rosen did not reply by time of publication. On the more serious end of the speculation, one White House reporting team was convinced it had to be ALLISON HARRIS, who recently left her job at NewsNation. Others thought it could be Los Angeles Times’ ERIN LOGAN, a Vanderbilt University graduate and a notorious Swiftie. Multiple people suggested The Hill’s ALEX GANGITANO or NBC’s ELYSE PERLMUTTER-GUMBINER. Washington Post’s JADA YUAN, who recently left her beat covering the first lady and has written about Swift in the past, was also a prime suspect. But even those theories didn’t lead anywhere. Harris acknowledged the job was up her alley, but said she was in her “mom era.” Logan was flattered, but said she did not apply. Same with Gangitano, Perlmutter-Gumbiner and Yuan. West Wing Playbook dutifully tracked down every tip that was sent to us this week, reaching out to 46 White House reporters and producers in the process. Yes, 46. We were determined. We also asked Gannett to define “very established” for us. Chief communications officer LARK-MARIE ANTON said it was “someone who has credibility,” but declined to disclose anything further. She suggested we keep an eye out for whoever was walking around campus this week looking disappointed. One possibility that we had to grapple with internally was that our own ELI STOKOLS — who has memorized every lyric in the 1989 cannon — was the applicant. Notably, he declined to comment for this piece. So, 72 hours into our investigation, here’s where things stand: We cannot yet confidently state who this reporter is — but we have our strong suspicions. We understand that there might be some awkwardness around outing yourself and making your current bosses aware that you’re looking for a new gig. We get it. But for our own pride and credibility, we’d at least like to be able to close the case on this one. Please reach out. If your demand is that we keep you anonymous, we will probably be willing to do that. But, frankly, you should be proud. MESSAGE US — Are you SOMEONE WHO KNOWS WHO APPLIED FOR THE TAYLOR SWIFT JOB? We want to hear from you. And we’ll keep you anonymous! Email us at westwingtips@politico.com. Did someone forward this email to you? Subscribe here!
| | | | A message from National Association Of Black Law Enforcement Officers: The Biden administration’s proposed ban on menthol cigarettes would have devastating unintended consequences for communities of color. Criminalizing menthol will fuel an illicit market, increasing the potential for negative law enforcement interactions and significant criminal justice penalties. As advocates for equal justice for Black and other minority communities, we urge the Biden administration to withdraw the proposed menthol ban. Learn more. | | | | | What pet did THEODORE ROOSEVELT’s daughter ALICE carry around in her pocketbook during her father’s time in the White House? (Answer at bottom.)
| | CREDIT, WHERE IS IT DUE? Tuesday’s elections were undeniably good for Democrats. But the question now is why. In a just posted piece, our HOLLY OTTERBEIN, ELENA SCHNEIDER and JONATHAN LEMIRE dive in on the competing narratives that have popped up in the aftermath of the party’s wins in Kentucky, Ohio, Virginia and elsewhere. And what they found is that while Biden world is gloating (“Keep fucking underestimating Joe Biden, you will keep being wrong,” said state Rep. MALCOLM KENYATTA), Democrats in the campaign trenches say the lesson isn’t that clear. “Several strategists and officials who worked on this year’s successful campaigns said they fear there would now be a sense of complacency about November 2024 because of what happened in November 2023,” the trio writes. “Their victories, they warned, didn’t tell us much about the political future of the president, even if they turned on the same hot-button issues that might ultimately help him win again.” “I never spoke about him, never mentioned him,” said DAN MCCAFFERY, the Democrat who won Tuesday’s Pennsylvania Supreme Court contest. “The only time he ever came up on the campaign trail, frankly, was there were one or two occasions in the summertime where I had a pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses on and people thought I look like Joe Biden.” NOT HOW THIS IS SUPPOSED TO WORK: As press secretary KARINE JEAN-PIERRE briefed the press corps today, Vice President KAMALA HARRIS popped out on the West Wing driveway to give unscheduled remarks about Tuesday night’s election results. The move caught just about everyone by surprise — including Jean-Pierre, who said she had no idea what was going on. Reporters had to scramble from the briefing room to the stakeout location to catch Harris. Many were frustrated that the vice president’s office didn’t let the wider press corps know she’d be making remarks, or that it failed to plan around the briefing. A person from the vice president’s office said that reporters had been complaining all morning about not hearing from Biden or Harris on the election results. Given that the vice president had to walk from the West Wing to the EEOB for a meeting at that time, they thought it was a good opportunity to engage with the press. “No good deed goes unpunished,” the person said. WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE WANTS YOU TO READ: This piece by The Atlantic’s RON BROWNSTEIN, who suggests that last night’s election results show that Democrats can win elections simply by illustrating to voters the likely scenario of what Republicans would do in power. He argues that even though many voters are disillusioned with the direction Democrats are taking the country, they see the alternative as a bigger threat. White House communications director BEN LABOLT shared the piece on X. WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE DOESN’T WANT YOU TO READ: This piece by AP’s FARNOUSH AMIRI or any other article reporting that House Republicans on Wednesday issued subpoenas to the president’s son, HUNTER BIDEN, and brother, JAMES BIDEN. The subpoenas demand that the two Bidens appear before the House Oversight Committee for closed-door interviews. The committee also has asked various other members of the Biden family to voluntarily appear for interviews. STATE OF THE GAME: Biden dropped in on a meeting Wednesday with six former college football players discussing the economic rights of student athletes, among other topics. The Athletic’s SETH EMERSON reports that one NFL vet who attended the gathering was former Stanford and Indianapolis Colts quarterback ANDREW LUCK. The meeting focused around the issue of student athlete compensation opportunities, as well as safety standards.
| | | | JOIN US ON 11/15 FOR A TALK ON OUR SUSTAINABLE FUTURE: As the sustainability movement heats up, so have calls for a national standard for clean fuel. Join POLITICO on Nov. 15 in Washington D.C. as we convene leading officials from the administration, key congressional committees, states and other stakeholders to explore the role of EVs, biofuels, hydrogen and other options in the clean fuel sector and how evolving consumer behaviors are influencing sustainable energy practices. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | | | PERSONNEL MOVES: Senior Biden adviser and Infrastructure Coordinator MITCH LANDRIEU is expected to leave the White House by the end of the year, NBC’s MONICA ALBA, STEPHANIE RUHLE, and CAROL E. LEE report. Although his next step was not immediately known, Landrieu’s expected to have some sort of role in Biden’s reelection campaign, the reporters write. We have to speculate, though, whether he will take this opportunity to give his Broadway aspirations another chance. — JOHN MCCARTHY has been promoted to deputy assistant to the president and senior adviser for political engagement, DANIEL LIPPMAN has learned. He was previously senior adviser to the counselor to the president. — SARAH GRUEN is now senior director of speechwriting for the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations LINDA THOMAS-GREENFIELD. She previously served as a senior director at West Wing Writers. THE PERSONNEL MOVE THAT BROKE HEARTS: Washington is big sad today. The National Zoo’s giant pandas, MEI XIANG and TIAN TIAN, and their son, XIAO QI JI, were loaded into large shipping crates this morning and driven to Dulles International Airport to begin the 9,000 mile journey back to China. Mei Xiang and Tian Tian have been in D.C. for 23 years, making this the first time since 2000 that the zoo’s panda compound has been empty.
| | | | A message from National Association Of Black Law Enforcement Officers:   | | | | | WHAT’S NEW? On Wednesday, a majority of Senate Democrats sent Biden a letter asking for details on how the administration plans to get Israeli assurances on steps to mitigate civilian casualties in Gaza, NYT’s KAROUN DEMIRJIAN reports. The letter, signed by 24 Democrats and two independents who caucus with them, asked for more transparency over how the weapons they are being asked to approve will be used. “The senators drew a distinction between defensive aid for Israel, for which they expressed unequivocal support, and military assistance that would go toward furthering Israel’s assault on the Gaza Strip, about which they raised significant questions,” Demirjian writes. DIPLOMATIC PETE: Transportation Secretary PETE BUTTIGIEG traveled to Ukraine on Wednesday in an unannounced visit where he met with Ukranian government leaders, his office announced. The discussions mainly focused on how to advance Ukraine’s economic recovery and how to further assist in making their economy self-sufficient. Also on the trip, Buttigieg announced the appointment of ROBERT MARINER as transportation adviser to Ukraine. NO JOKE. THIS IS A BFD: President Biden and Chinese President XI JINPING are expected to announce the resumption of military communications when they meet in San Francisco for next week’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, Axios’ BETHANY ALLEN-EBRAHIMIAN and HANS NICHOLS report. Military communications between the two countries were severed after then-House Speaker NANCY PELOSI traveled to Taiwan last year.
| | | ‘If Not Me, Who?’: As Ukraine Seeks Troops, Women Prepare for the Call (NYT’s Andrew E. Kramer and Maria Varenikova) Biden adviser-turned-ambassador opens up on ‘scary’ 2024 polling (POLITICO’s Nick Taylor-Vaisey) Inside the angst and anxiety gripping the Biden administration over the Israel-Hamas war (CNN’s Kevin Liptak, MJ Lee, Alex Marquardt and Jennifer Hansler) The airline industry needs more competition – the JetBlue/Spirit merger is just what travelers need (The Hill’s Francisco Sanchez)
| | | | GET READY FOR POLITICO’S DEFENSE SUMMIT ON 11/14: Russia’s war on Ukraine … China’s threats to Taiwan … a war in Gaza. The U.S. is under increasing pressure to deter, defend and fight in more ways — but not everyone agrees how. Join POLITICO's 3rd Annual Defense Summit on November 14 for exclusive interviews and expert discussions on global security and the U.S.'s race to bolster alliances and stay ahead of adversaries. Explore critical topics, including international conflicts, advanced technology, spending priorities and political dynamics shaping global defense strategies. Don’t miss these timely and important discussions. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | | | Alice Roosevelt had a pet snake she named “Emily Spinach,” because it was “as green as spinach, and as thin as my aunt Emily,” according to the Maryland-based Presidential Pet Museum. A CALL OUT! Do you think you have a harder trivia question? Send us your best one about the presidents, with a citation or sourcing, and we may feature it! Edited by Eun Kyung Kim and Sam Stein.
| | | | A message from National Association Of Black Law Enforcement Officers: The National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice strongly opposes the Biden Administration’s proposed ban on menthol cigarettes. The unintended consequences of the ban, including higher incarceration rates and increased police interactions, will be disproportionately borne by people of color. Law enforcement resources and justice systems are already at a breaking point and the ban will only add to the strain. As an organization dedicated to improving the administration of criminal justice, we know the menthol bad is simply bad policy. Consumer education and health care are key to reducing smoking rates - not criminalization. We urge you to join us in telling the Biden Administration to stop the menthol ban. Learn more. | | | | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |  |
