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Presented by NextEra Energy: | | | | | |  | | By Alex Thompson and Theodoric Meyer | Presented by NextEra Energy | With help from Allie Bice and Daniel Payne Send tips here | Subscribe to West Wing Playbook Welcome to POLITICO’s West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people and power centers in the Biden administration. During a live interview with the reporter ERRIN HAINES last month, Energy Secretary JENNIFER GRANHOLM divulged that the women of President JOE BIDEN’s Cabinet had discussed getting together for dinner or drinks “once Covid calms down just a bit more.” “Maybe we’ll invite you one time, Errin,” Housing and Urban Development Secretary MARCIA FUDGE, one of three Cabinet secretaries being interviewed, said with a laugh. Haines hasn’t gotten a dinner invite... yet. But the offer still underscores how much of an impression The 19th, the gender- and politics-focused news site where Haines is an editor-at-large, has made on the Biden administration. Haines landed the first interview last year with KAMALA HARRIS after Biden chose her as his running mate — which Harris said at the time was deliberate. “On purpose my first interview as a teammate and a running mate with Joe Biden is with the 19th,” she said in the interview. Haines also secured Harris’ first sit-down interview with a national outlet after she took office. She was the first reporter to interview Fudge after Biden nominated her last year, and she and her colleagues have sat down with many of the top-ranking women in the administration, including Commerce Secretary GINA RAIMONDO, Interior Secretary DEB HAALAND, climate adviser GINA McCARTHY and White House press secretary JEN PSAKI. The publishers of President BARACK OBAMA’s memoir even reached out to the outlet to offer up an interview with him (though Obama only answered questions in writing). The Biden administration has granted The 19th — which launched only last year and has a staff of fewer than 30 people — more access than many larger and more established outlets. It’s part of a broader effort by the administration to reach younger and more diverse audiences by engaging with reporters outside the best-known publications — as well as people who aren’t reporters as all. (Think Biden’s interviews last month with the YouTube influencers JACKIE AINA and MANNY MUA and Psaki’s recent chat with the “Property Brothers” twins.) In an interview, Haines credited the access to the publication’s focus on women amid a push by the Biden administration to connect with female voters and install more women in top government roles than ever before. Female politicians and staffers “get what the 19th is about,” Haines said. “They are feeling seen in our publication.” Landing Harris’ first interview as Biden’s running mate last year was also a matter of luck. Haines lined up the interview, part of a set of virtual events celebrating the site’s formal launch, weeks before Biden announced Harris was his pick. When Harris’ selection was announced, “my first thought was, ‘Holy shit, I hope she doesn’t back out on me,’” Haines said. “But my second thought was, Well, she agreed to do 30 minutes with us. No way is she now going to sit down for 30 minutes and talk to me.” But Haines, a former Associated Press race and politics reporter, is also one of a relatively small number of Black women covering the White House — and she said she thought it was “intentional” that Harris didn’t cancel the interview last summer even though much more prominent outlets were calling. Two other reporters who scored early interviews with Harris, ROBIN ROBERTS of ABC News and NATASHA ALFORD of theGRIO, are also Black women. “I think she wanted to send a message. It wasn’t like LORI LIGHTFOOT [saying,] ‘Hello, I’m only going to take interviews from Black women,’” Haines said, referring to the Chicago mayor who drew criticism last month for saying she would only grant sit-down interviews to reporters of color. But “people noticed that Black women were the first ones to get interviews with her after she was nominated.” Haines is now working on a book on Harris and “the larger story that she kind of epitomizes” of Black women in politics, for which she expects to interview Harris. The 19th's coverage extends beyond the Biden administration, and its reporters have interviewed plenty of Republican women: Sens. SUSAN COLLINS (R-Maine) and LISA MURKOWKSI (R-Alaska), Rep. ELISE STEFANIK (R-N.Y.), and KELLYANNE CONWAY, among them. The outlet has asked Rep. LIZ CHENEY (R-Wyo.) to appear at an upcoming event. The 19th’s focus on policy issues that matter to women — “We do not do horse race stuff,” Haines said — means that its reporters often ask about the sort of things that the Biden administration is only too eager to discuss: how it’s working to keep women from dying in childbirth, for instance, or what it’s doing to ensure diversity in its ranks. Haines said The 19th’s focus on making sure women — including those in the administration — feel seen in its coverage doesn’t mean The 19th won’t interrogate them. “They can expect to be seen, but being seen does not necessarily translate into being celebrated, into being admired, into being favored,” she said. “It’s not a fan club,” she added. Do you work in the Biden administration? Are you in touch with the White House? Are you CAMERON TRIMBLE? 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. You can also reach Alex and Theo individually. | | A message from NextEra Energy: As the world’s largest producer of wind and solar energy, we’re pioneering innovation on green hydrogen – the critical solution needed for the deep decarbonization of hard-to-abate sectors across industry, transport, power, and buildings. Learn more on how targeted support policies for green hydrogen can create jobs, accelerate the economic growth of our nation, and deliver a smooth transition to America’s renewable future at NextEraEnergy.com. | | | | | | With the Partnership for Public Service Which president approved the creation of the National Zoological Park, now the Smithsonian National Zoo? (Answer at the bottom.) | | | WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE WANTS YOU TO READ: The White House’s press team was tweeting this New York Times story by CARL HULSE, about the administration’s next slate of judges, all afternoon. The headline: “A leading voting rights expert is among Biden’s new round of judicial nominees.” Deputy press secretary ANDREW BATES highlighted this line from the piece: “The new nominees, who also include two candidates for local courts in the District of Columbia, again reflect the push by the White House for judicial picks with diverse personal and professional backgrounds." WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE DOESN’T WANT YOU TO READ: Bloomberg’s OLIVIA ROCKEMAN has the story, headlined, “Retail Sales, Factory Data Show Growing Pains for U.S. Recovery.” @MEENA’s NEXT BOOK: MEENA HARRIS , the vice president’s niece who has published two NYT bestseller children’s books, is publishing another one this fall called, “The Truth About Christmas,” she announced on Instagram today. The book is “about a young apprentice at Claus Academy who suspects there’s more to Santa — and herself — than meets the eye,” according to the Publishers Marketplace summary. KLAIN’S APPETITE: We exhaustively documented chief of staff RON KLAIN’s love of TAB. His latest Twitter likes gives more insight into his tastes, in this case some Clam Casino from cooking show host VALERIE BERTINELLI. | 
Tweet from Valerie Bertinelli | Twitter | | | | AMBASSADOR SULLY — Biden unveiled nine nominees for ambassadorships this afternoon, NAHAL TOOSI reports — five political appointees and four career government officials. Among the bold-faced names: CHESLEY “SULLY” SULLENBERGER, who will be nominated as the U.S. representative to the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization. TOM NIDES, a banking executive and former deputy secretary of State, will be named ambassador to Israel, while JULIANNE SMITH, a longtime foreign policy adviser to Biden, is up for the NATO ambassador position in Brussels. KEN SALAZAR, a former U.S. Interior secretary, will be nominated as ambassador to Mexico. Nides, Salazar and CYNTHIA TELLES, Biden’s nominee for U.S. ambassador to Costa Rica, were all Biden campaign bundlers — a traditional qualification for many ambassadors. FILLING THE BENCH: The White House announced another slate of judicial nominees today, after Democrats urged more action from the administration while they hold a majority in the Senate, MAEVE SHEEHEY reports. Notably, Biden’s pick for the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, MYRNA PÉREZ , is not a judge — an uncommon, though certainly not unprecedented, move. Pérez is the director of the Brennan Center’s Voting Rights and Elections Program at New York University’s law school and a lecturer-in-law at Columbia Law School. AMERICORP GETS A NOMINEE: The White House also announced MICHAEL SMITH will be the nominee to be CEO of AmeriCorps. He is currently the executive director of My Brother’s Keeper and the director of the Youth Opportunity Program — both Obama Foundation initiatives. | | | |   | | | | | | MEET YOUR NEW FTC CHAIR — The Senate easily confirmed LINA KHAN to be the Federal Trade Commission, 69-28. And, in a surprise move, it was revealed that Biden plans to elevate the Amazon critic and anti-monopoly advocate to FTC chair, LEAH NYLEN reports. That will give progressive Democrats both the reins and a majority at the antitrust agency, spurring hopes among critics of Silicon Valley's giants for a new assertiveness from the FTC, which is already pursuing an antitrust probe of Amazon and waging a lawsuit that seeks to break up Facebook's social networking monopoly. Sources confirmed the plans to make Khan the chair after Sen. AMY KLOBUCHAR (D-Minn.) announced the news during a Senate Judiciary antitrust hearing this afternoon. Khan will replace REBECCA KELLY SLAUGHTER, who has served as acting FTC chair since January. MARK YOUR CALENDARS — Senate committees get (really) busy with nominations Wednesday. The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will vote on the nominations of ROBIN CARNAHAN to be administrator of general services, JEN EASTERLY to be director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, both at the Department of Homeland Security. The committee will also vote on the nomination of CHRIS INGLIS to be national cyber director. The Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee will vote on GWEN GRAHAM’s nomination as assistant secretary of Education and RAJESH NAYAK, TARYN MACKENZIE WILLIAMS and DOUGLAS PARKER’s nominations, each as assistant Labor secretaries. The HELP Committee will also vote on the two HHS assistant secretary nominees: DAWN MYERS O'CONNELL and MIRIAM DELPHIN-RITTMON. The Commerce, Science and Transportation committee will vote on three nominees: PAMELA MELROY to be deputy administrator of NASA, CARLOS MONJE JR. to be undersecretary of Transportation, and RICHARD SPINRAD to be undersecretary of Commerce — as well as routine lists in the Coast Guard. The Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee will vote on the nomination of DILAWAR SYED to be deputy administrator of the Small Business Administration. The Environment and Public Works Committee will hold a hearing with JEFFREY PRIETO and JANE NISHIDA, both nominees to be assistant administrators at the EPA, as well as ALEJANDRA CASTILLO to be assistant secretary of Commerce. The Armed Services Committee will hold a hearing with several Pentagon nominees: CAROLINE KRASS to be general counsel; GINA ORTIZ JONES to be undersecretary of the Air Force; ELY RATNER and SHAWN SKELLY, both to be assistant secretaries; and MEREDITH BERGER to be an assistant secretary of the Navy. | | | Biden administration to expand program admitting young Central Americans (The Los Angeles Times’ Tracy Wilkinson) Melinda French Gates meets with Biden administration, Hill officials (Axios’ Mike Allen) Biden pressed to go ‘big and bold’ in rooting out housing discrimination (Our own Katy O’Donnell) Amtrak is a top travel choice in the Northeast. With an ally in the White House, it wants trains in the rest of America. (The Post’s Luz Lazo, Ashlyn Still and Laris Karklis) Surprise gifts, security details and secret smoke breaks: The art of planning a presidential summit (Capricia Penavic Marshall’s essay for POLITICO Magazine) | | | Biden met with Belgian King PHILIPPE and Prime Minister ALEXANDER DE CROO at the Royal Palace of Brussels, and later met with European Council President CHARLES MICHEL and European Commission President URSULA VON DER LEYEN at the Europa Building in Brussels. Biden then participated in the U.S.-EU Summit, and afterward headed to Geneva, Switzerland to meet with the Swiss President GUY PARMELIN at the Geneva Airport. | 
President Joe Biden and Swiss President Guy Parmelin | Patrick Semansky/AP Photo | | | | Harris spoke at the general session of the Brussels Forum via video from Washington, D.C. Later, she, along with Treasury Secretary JANET YELLEN, spoke about the disbursement of funds for Community Development Financial Institutions in the South Court Auditorium. The vice president then met with female immigrant care economy workers in honor of the ninth anniversary of DACA. And to cap off the day, Harris is hosting female senators from both parties for dinner at the Naval Observatory. | | | AMANDA FINNEY, Biden’s press office chief of staff, worked for MICHAEL BLOOMBERG’s 2020 campaign as his national deputy director for women’s outreach before joining the Biden team. She spoke to Bustle in 2020 about what it was like on the campaign trail. Asked about her self-care routine, Finney said she wasn’t able to work out as much as she’d like. “I love working out, but I don’t have time for it right now,” Finney said. But, she and a colleague would sneak in a few burpees after a long day of work, she added. “At around midnight, [my colleague] and I will get on the floor and do 10 burpees. Then we’ll get back on the computer. It’s a good reset.” A burpee, for you non-gym rats, is kind of like a cross between a jumping jack and a push-up — and remarkably tiring when done in sets! Finney’s desk is right outside JEN PSAKI’s office. Asked if Finney does burpees in the White House, Psaki told us “I can’t say I have seen her do burpees in the office quite yet, but that’s pretty consistent with the tough and indispensable persona of Amanda Finney.” | | | In 1889, GROVER CLEVELAND signed an act into law that created the park for “the advancement of science and the instruction and recreation of the people.” 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 NextEra Energy: When it comes to transitioning to a renewable future, there are sectors across industry, transport, power, and buildings that are hard to abate without deep decarbonization solutions. The key to solving many of them is green hydrogen.
By using renewable power sources, energy storage solutions, water, and electrolysis, we’re leading the innovation on what we consider America’s #1 opportunity to decarbonize sectors that have faced great challenges in achieving zero-carbon emission rates.
With targeted support policies like a production tax credit, green hydrogen can positively impact America’s economy, the job market, and the environment.
A green hydrogen production tax credit, would:
- help abate 110-160 million tons of CO2 per year
- generate $58B-68B in market revenue by 2030
- trigger $1.5T-2T of capital investment through 2050
- create 0.9-2.3 million jobs over that period
NextEra Energy supports policies that make green hydrogen one of the nation’s top priorities. Learn more at NextEraEnergy.com | | | | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |  |
