| | | | |  | | By Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels and Ryan Lizza | | | With help from Eli Okun and Garrett Ross
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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis takes questions after announcing a proposal for a Digital Bill of Rights, Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023, in West Palm Beach, Fla. | Wilfredo Lee/AP Photo | | | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | President JOE BIDEN is in Europe, reminding everyone that he’s commander in chief — even as Republicans back home are angling to try to take his job. Today, he’ll huddle with Polish President ANDRZEJ DUDA and give a speech at Warsaw Castle ahead of the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine later this week. The meeting comes as the media is still buzzing about his surprise visit to Kyiv — a risky endeavor that reportedly infuriated cronies of Russian President VLADIMIR PUTIN, who may respond as he delivers his annual parliamentary address today in Moscow. Updates on Putin’s address from NYT. Meanwhile, on the home front, GOP presidential contenders are revving their engines. — In his Don’t-Call-It-A-Campaign-Yet campaign, Florida Gov. RON DeSANTIS hit up New York, Chicago and Philly yesterday, touting his tough-on-crime agenda and goading liberal cities and prosecutors as “woke” and out of touch. NYT’s Jonathan Weisman and Emma Fitzsimmons have more. NBC’s Natasha Korecki writes that in speaking to “the rank and file of some of the biggest police unions in the country, DeSantis was homing in on a specialized electorate Trump has owned since he first ran for president in 2016.” (Of note: Former VP MIKE PENCE will also be hitting on law enforcement issues at a roundtable in Charleston, S.C., next week, Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser scooped.) The three events were staged by “And to the Republic,” a new 501(c)(4) group “helping DeSantis go national,” reports Alex Isenstadt. “The outfit is overseen by TORI SACHS, a Michigan-based Republican strategist who has been a longtime adviser to GOP Rep. JOHN JAMES.” But DeSantis wasn’t done. As Biden was in Ukraine, DeSantis took to Fox News and blasted the president for “neglecting” the struggles of Americans at home. “While he’s over there, I think I and many Americans are thinking to ourselves: ‘OK, he’s very concerned about those borders halfway around the world. He’s not done anything to secure our own borders here at home,’” he said. More from Olivia Olander — Tomorrow, Sen. TIM SCOTT (R-S.C.) will head to Iowa, while former President DONALD TRUMP will head to East Palestine, Ohio, the site of a train derailment two weeks ago that has unleashed toxic chemicals into the surrounding community. Biden world has come out swinging ahead of Trump’s trip. Yesterday, our own Adam Wren asked Transportation Secretary PETE BUTTIGIEG about the former president’s plans to visit East Palestine — and specifically about the rail safety deregulation that happened during the Trump administration. The embargo on that conversation just lifted: “This is a community that through no fault of its own is going through enormous upheaval, and a lot of the folks who seem to find political opportunity there are among those that have sided with the rail industry again and again … as they have fought safety regulations on railroads and HAZMAT tooth and nail,” said Buttigieg. “So if people are going to find religion about rail regulation, sometimes for the first time — I welcome that.” Full details on what Buttigieg is requesting from Congress — Meanwhile, New Hampshire Gov. CHRIS SUNUNU is betting he has a path to the White House and is eyeing what he’s calling the “normal” lane. In a big piece from Manchester, NYT’s Matt Flegenheimer reports that Sununu thinks his potential candidacy could pose a referendum for the GOP: whether to stick with Trump or a Trump acolyte, or to veer in a new direction.“For now, his pre-candidacy — his role as a national player at all — represents an early experiment for the party, a real-time barometer for abortion politics, Republican media strategy and the durability of what he sees as a dead-end Trumpian campaign mentality in general elections. ‘I’m conservative, I’m just not an extremist,’ Mr. Sununu said.” — The scramble to lure big donors is heating up in the 2024 GOP presidential field this week, Alex Isenstadt reports this morning. Trump will have a Mar-a-Lago fundraiser Thursday night; DeSantis will kick off a Palm Beach retreat Friday; and several potential contenders will be in Austin, Texas, for KARL ROVE’s donor conference Friday. “Those involved in the planning for this week’s conferences describe the donor recruitment fight as intense and wide-open, with many Republican contributors — a large segment of whom are eager to move on from Trump — gravitating toward DeSantis but others still shopping around.” Rove is expecting 350 donors. DeSantis alone will have 150, many former Trump backers.
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Learn how Amazon is investing in employee growth. | | | ALSO TODAY — The Supreme Court hears oral arguments in Gonzalez v. Google, with major implications for Section 230.Details from NYT’s David McCabe … And there’s a special election in VA-04 to fill the House seat vacated with Rep. DONALD McEACHIN’s death in November. State Sen. JENNIFER McCLELLAN is widely expected to win in the deep blue district. The state of the race, via WaPo’s Meagan Flynn Good Tuesday morning. Happy Mardi Gras. Laissez les bons temps rouler! Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza. FAT TUESDAY SHOT — “We need a national divorce,” Rep. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R-Ga.) wrote on Twitter yesterday, calling for a U.S. succession. “We need to separate by red states and blue states and shrink the federal government.” FAT TUESDAY CHASER — “Let’s review some of the governing principles of America,” former Rep. LIZ CHENEY (R-Wyo.) fired back on Twitter. “Our country is governed by the Constitution. You swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution. Secession is unconstitutional. No member of Congress should advocate secession, Marjorie.” A TEARFUL FAREWELL — “A somber Presidents Day in Jimmy Carter’s Plains,” by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Greg Bluestein, Maya Prabhu and Ernie Suggs: “The prospect of honoring the longest-living president in U.S. history while he’s still alive turned the town of roughly 500 people into a hive of activity. Local stores did steady traffic as a man wielding a heavy-duty pressure washer swept the sidewalks of the town’s main drag clear of debris. Camera crews from local and national networks set up on a sliver of greenspace near town. “As news of [former President JIMMY] CARTER’s declining health spread, MICHAEL DOMINICK rushed out to spruce up the city’s trademark ‘Smiling Peanut’ statue on Ga. 45 to prepare for the traffic. Dominick acknowledges that Carter — or ‘MR. JIMMY’ as the locals call him — doesn’t like the toothy grin on the legume-shaped sculpture. But it’s become a landmark in town, and Dominick relishes the opportunity to fix it up. … “‘We can’t fill his shoes. Absolutely not. But we can walk a step or two,’ [said LEANN SMITH, Carter’s niece]. ‘For me, he and Aunt ROSALYNN are the good in this world.’” A NOT-SO-TEARFUL FAREWELL — “James O’Keefe Is Removed as the Leader of Project Veritas,” Michael S. Schmidt, David Fahrenthold and Adam Goldman on the ouster of a man whose undercover sting operations have long been a thorn in reporters’ sides: “The decision to remove Mr. O’Keefe came amid an uproar among the group’s staff about his leadership style, his treatment of subordinates and his use of the group’s funds for high-priced expenses like flights on a private plane. “It also came in the midst of an ongoing Justice Department investigation into how Project Veritas acquired a diary kept by ASHLEY BIDEN, President Biden’s daughter, before the 2020 election. Mr. O’Keefe’s home was searched by F.B.I. agents with a warrant in the fall of 2021 as part of the investigation.” The Daily Beast’s Will Sommer writes that O’Keefe announced his exit in a 45-minute video during which he “got choked up, quoted AYN RAND’s The Fountainhead, and appeared to wipe away tears as he announced his plans for a new Project Veritas-type group. ‘We few, we happy few, we band of brothers and sisters,’ O’Keefe said in closing, paraphrasing WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’S Henry V.” National Review has more on O’Keefe’s promise to continue his work — as well as an eye-popping letter from his former colleagues referring to him as a “power-drunk tyrant” and alleging that he once stole a pregnant woman’s lunch.
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Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot casts her ballot at an early voting site on Monday, Feb. 20. | Scott Olson/Getty Images | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | THE WHITE HOUSE BIG CLIMATE OPPORTUNITY — “The new front in Biden’s climate fight: The World Bank,” by Adam Behsudi, Zack Colman and Victoria Guida: “Bank President DAVID MALPASS’s abrupt announcement that he will step down from his post a year early opens the way for President Joe Biden to choose someone who embraces the new goal of fundamentally overhauling the bank’s work to focus more on climate and other global challenges. … [T]he rift, and now its resolution, allows the U.S. to reshape the institution it helped launch nearly eight decades ago to tackle one of the world’s most intractable policy issues: climate change.” CONGRESS POIGNANT READ — Back in his hometown of Braddock, Pa., Sen. JOHN FETTERMAN (D-Pa.) is getting lots of empathy for his recent move to get inpatient treatment for depression, WaPo’s Colby Itkowitz reports. Friends and constituents say they can relate to his struggles — and in a sign of just how much the politics around mental health have transformed, they applaud his openness. Itkowitz also reports on some of the support Fetterman has received from colleagues: “Sen. KATIE BOYD BRITT (R-Ala.) sent a cookie cake. Sen. BERNIE SANDERS (I-Vt.) sent a fruit basket. Sen. TINA SMITH (D-Minn.), who has spoken publicly about her depression, dropped off doughnuts for Fetterman’s staff.” McCARTHY MAKES A FRIEND — TUCKER CARLSON has never exactly been a friend of Speaker KEVIN McCARTHY’s. The Fox News primetime host has in the past suggested McCarthy is beholden to special interests and lobbyists, blasted him for living in a pricey D.C. apartment owned by strategist FRANK LUNTZ, and once even called him a “puppet of the Democratic Party.” Yet a headline from yesterday caught our eye: Axios’ Mike Allen reported that the California Republican has given Carlson and his team 41,000 hours’ worth of surveillance footage from the Capitol siege on Jan. 6, 2021. Most discussion spurred by this news has centered around how unusual it is. In the past, McCarthy has vowed that House Republicans would investigate the work of the Jan. 6 committee. CNN writes that by handing this trove to Carlson, McCarthy has effectively “outsourced” that work — and that he didn’t even consult his fellow GOP leaders before giving Carlson the footage. But when we read this news, a different thought occurred to us: that McCarthy was offering an olive branch to one of his most high-profile skeptics. It’s a strategy he has used in the past. In the previous Republican majority, McCarthy regularly received bad press from conservative outlets, with many on the right lambasting him as an establishment “RINO.” In recent years, as he sought to make allies in that community, McCarthy and his team gave such publications — as well as a select few mainstream reporters he hoped to cultivate for glowing coverage — vast access in hopes of getting positive press. For the most part, it has worked. We’ll see if it does with Carlson, too. HOT ON THE RIGHT — “Opinion: Default on U.S. Debt Is Impossible,” by David Rivkin Jr. and Lee Casey in the WSJ FOR YOUR RADAR — “GOP lawmakers seek investigation of ‘unauthorized’ disclosure of their Air Force records,” by Olivia Beavers: “Two Republican lawmakers say the Air Force alerted them that their military records were improperly released during the midterm campaign. Rep. DON BACON (R-Neb.) was informed of the ‘unauthorized release’ in a letter from the Air Force obtained by POLITICO. Rep. ZACH NUNN (R-Iowa) said in a statement that he was told by the Air Force that his own records were also disclosed without his approval.” MORE POLITICS DEMOCRACY WATCH — An unlikely bipartisan duo has come together to fight against election fraud conspiracy theories in Arizona: New Democratic Secretary of State ADRIAN FONTES and GOP Maricopa County Recorder STEPHEN RICHER, Zach Montellaro reports from Phoenix. Working together, the top election administrators — who ran against each other in 2020 and still have major ideological differences — “are preparing to battle the same forces in 2024, amid the pressure and scrutiny of a presidential race.” Related Read: “Kari Lake looks to harness her movement after Arizona loss,” by AP’s Jonathan Cooper PRIMARY COLORS — “These Democrats hoping to replace Feinstein largely agree on policy. So how do they differ?” by the L.A. Times’ Seema Mehta: “Reps. KATIE PORTER, ADAM B. SCHIFF and BARBARA LEE all claim the progressive mantle … They face the difficult task of defining themselves in a heavily Democratic electorate that may struggle to distinguish what separates them.”
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Amazon is committed to helping all employees grow, offering prepaid tuition, free technical training plus benefits that start on day one. With support from Amazon, Billy is able to earn his bachelor’s degree without losing a paycheck. Learn how Amazon supports career development. Sponsored by Amazon   | | | WAR IN UKRAINE BIDEN’S KYIV TRIP — The president’s secret stop in Ukraine took extensive, secretive planning and no insignificant amount of risk to get him there, Eli Stokols and Alex Ward report. The best cloak-and-dagger detail: The accompanying journalists, who were sworn to secrecy, were told they’d get an email with information under the subject line “Arrival instructions for the golf tourney.” What the visit meant for Ukrainians: The president’s arrival felt like a shot in the arm for many Ukrainians, NYT’s Marc Santora reports from Kyiv. “I even cried of happiness for” the symbol of hope for Ukraine’s future, one man says. What it meant for Russians: In Russia, Biden’s trip infuriated the hard-right commentariat that wants President VLADIMIR PUTIN to get even more aggressive, CNN’s Rob Picheta, Olga Voitovych, Vasco Cotovio and Kevin Liptak report. Biden upstaged Putin and helped to turn up domestic pressure on him. From 30,000 feet: The visit epitomized rising tensions between Putin and Biden, and the countries they lead, “who have been circling each other for years, and now are engaged in everything short of direct battle,” NYT’s David Sanger and Anton Troianovski write. THE STEP BACK — “Joe Biden’s Simple But Hard ‘Ukrainian Question,’” by Matthew Kaminski: “Until the ‘Ukrainian question’ of this century is answered, presumably with an unambiguous statement of ultimate objectives followed by determined action, it’s hard to imagine enduring peace in Europe. This path carries grave risks for Europe and its American patron, but the alternative may be more unappealing.” JUST POSTED — “Ukraine’s year of pain, death — and also nation-building,” by AP’s John Leicester POLICY CORNER PRETTY FLY — “United Airlines Plans to Ease Fees on Seats for Families After Biden’s Call Out,” by Bloomberg’s Siddharth Vikram Philip AMERICA AND THE WORLD DANCE OF THE SUPERPOWERS — China blasted the U.S. yesterday for accusing it of moving toward heavier support for Russia’s war in Ukraine. And at the same time, top Chinese diplomat WANG YI went to Moscow for talks, NYT’s Chris Buckley reports, showing how Beijing is trying “to keep Russia close — but also repair ties with Western powers.” Repairing ties aside, action is heating up in the Pacific, where the U.S. and close allies are working anew to “ramp up military capabilities and deepen their cooperation,” WaPo’s Ellen Nakashima and Christian Shepherd report in a wide-ranging piece from Camp Smith, Hawaii. NYT’s Sui-Lee Wee and Camille Elemia zero in on developments in the Philippines, where new President FERDINAND MARCOS JR. is getting more aggressive against China and tighter with the U.S. — “making the Philippines the linchpin of the Biden administration’s strategy to counter China with a stronger military presence in the region.” Big-picture warning: “Russia’s War on Ukraine, China’s Rise Expose U.S. Military Failings,” by Bloomberg’s Peter Martin, Courtney McBride and Roxana Tiron: “Cost overruns and a culture of risk aversion underscore the problems at the Pentagon.” DIALING DOWN THE TEMPERATURE — “On Blinken Visit, Quake Relief Soothes U.S.-Turkey Tensions,” by NYT’s Michael Crowley in Ankara BEYOND THE BELTWAY FEATURE OF THE DAY — In Ottawa County, Mich., a far-right takeover of the governing board has ushered in a new era of hard-line (critics say Christian nationalist) politics, David Siders reports in a big POLITICO Magazine story from West Olive. Public meetings center on the pursuit of Judeo-Christian values, and new board members have transformed many county staff positions. “What remained,” after last year’s GOP primary, “was an object lesson in what happens when the far-right runs the enterprise. It’s still government. But its meetings can look a lot more like a cross between MAGA rally warm-up acts and a Christian revival.” THE NEXT ABORTION FRONT — Today, Ohioans for Reproductive Freedom and Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights are filing paperwork to get a constitutional amendment protecting abortion rights on the ballot in Ohio this fall. The amendment, modeled on the one that passed in Michigan last year, would go before voters in November if the effort succeeds. FOLLOWING THE MONEY — “For poor schools, building repairs zap COVID relief money,” by AP’s Sharon Lurye in Jackson, Miss.
| | | | JOIN POLITICO ON 3/1 TO DISCUSS AMERICAN PRIVACY LAWS: Americans have fewer privacy rights than Europeans, and companies continue to face a minefield of competing state and foreign legislation. There is strong bipartisan support for a federal privacy bill, but it has yet to materialize. Join POLITICO on 3/1 to discuss what it will take to get a federal privacy law on the books, potential designs for how this type of legislation could protect consumers and innovators, and more. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Chris Pappas got married. George Santos said he’s a “terrible liar” who thought he could keep prevaricating because he “got away with it” in 2020. Eddie Bernice Johnson will be honored today with the Barbara Jordan Public Service Award at the LBJ Presidential Library. AND THE AWARD GOES TO — The George Polk Awards announced their 2022 winners for some of the most prestigious prizes in journalism. Our POLITICO colleagues including Josh Gerstein, Alex Ward and Peter Canellos won the national reporting award for their reporting on the draft Supreme Court Dobbs opinion. Other notable winners: the NYT staff for covering the war in Ukraine; several Miami Herald journalists for revealing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ plans to fly migrants to Martha’s Vineyard; Shimon Prokupecz and his CNN team for covering the Uvalde mass shooting; and many more. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Michael LaRosa is joining Facts First as a senior adviser. He’s a former press secretary for first lady Jill Biden. — Natasha Dabrowski is now comms director for Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.). She most recently was press secretary for AmeriCorps. TRANSITIONS — The Trump campaign announced several top staffers in Iowa: Marshall Moreau as state director, state Rep. Bobby Kaufmann and Eric Branstad as senior advisers, and Alex Latcham as early states director … Heather Connelly is now a policy adviser in Jenner & Block’s government controversies practice group and chief of staff to Tom Perrelli. She most recently was a House Jan. 6 committee staffer, and is an Adam Schiff alum. … Matt Jackson is now director of government affairs for the Global Business Alliance. He previously was chief of staff for Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux (D-Ga.). … … Sydney Thomas Stubbs is now comms director for Americans for Prosperity. She previously was comms director for the Joint Economic Committee minority staff. … Tyler Hofmann-Reardon is now a legislative assistant for Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.). He previously was a professional staff member for the Senate Environment and Public Works Dems. … Dana Bailey is now COO at the Center for Law and Social Policy. She was previously senior director of finance at the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors. ENGAGED — Brayden Woods, legislative assistant for Rep. Beth Van Duyne (R-Texas), proposed to Rosalyn Hollingsworth, government affairs associate at Mehlman Consulting, in Central Park this weekend. They met in college at Angelo State University and reconnected when they ran into each other in the halls of Rayburn, while Rosalyn was working for Jim Sensenbrenner and Brayden was working for Mike Conaway. Pic … Another pic WEEKEND WEDDINGS — Michelle Zar, program director at WillowTree and a POLITICO alum, and Zach Beecher, chief of staff at America’s Frontier Fund, got married Saturday at The Mayflower Hotel. Their romance is a Covid lockdown success story. Pic … Another pic — Tara Vales, SVP of executive positioning at Edelman, and Chris Phalen, policy adviser for Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.), got married Saturday at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix. Pic, via Erin Ashlee Photography … Another pic HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) … Rep. Scott DesJarlais (R-Tenn.) … FEC Chair Allen Dickerson … Maya MacGuineas … Paul Teller … Jeremy Gaines … Kevin Sheridan … Kristie Greco Johnson … Ashley Etienne … former Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) … former Reps. Charles Boustany (R-La.), Phil Hare (D-Ill.), John Shimkus (R-Ill.) and Steven Palazzo (R-Miss.) … Ryan Rudominer of Red Horse Strategies … WaPo’s Lee Powell … Holland & Knight’s Beth Viola … Reuters’ Ross Colvin … POLITICO’s Mona Zhang, Lucas Gomez-Acebo and Jaime-Lee Reichman … Kilmeny Duchardt ... Tricia Nixon Cox … Purple Strategies’ Stephen Smith … Bob Chlopak … David Wessel … Jordan Zaslav … Scott Kelly … Daniel Yim of House Oversight … Ron Pollack … Marcus Davis-Mercer of the Herald Group … Phoebe Miner of Brownstein Hyatt … LinkedIn’s Jeff Weiner … David Geffen (8-0) … Raymond Tynkila (1-0-0) Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here. Send Playbookers tips to playbook@politico.com or text us at 202-556-3307. Playbook couldn’t happen without our editor Mike DeBonis, deputy editor Zack Stanton and producers Setota Hailemariam and Bethany Irvine.
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