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Former LA Mayor Eric Garcetti's nomination to become ambassador to India is coming up for a final vote today. | Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP Photo | One of the more intriguing nominations of the Biden administration is facing its final test in the Senate today, as former LA Mayor ERIC GARCETTI’s bid to become ambassador to India comes up for a vote. The nomination, which our colleague Marianne LeVine writes once appeared on a “glide path,” stalled as questions swirled around his handling of harassment and assault allegations lodged against his former top aide in California. But in a procedural vote to limit debate on Garcetti’s nomination this afternoon, it appears that the final tally will allow Biden’s pick to slip through. Despite Democratic Sens. SHERROD BROWN (Ohio), MARK KELLY (Ariz.) and MAZIE HIRONO (Hawaii) opposing the nomination, a coalition of Republicans joined Democrats in support, appearing to provide Democrats with the necessary votes to confirm Garcetti later today. The seven Republican “yes” votes: SUSAN COLLINS (Maine), STEVE DAINES (Mont.), LINDSEY GRAHAM (S.C.), BILL HAGERTY (Tenn.), ROGER MARSHALL (Kan.), TODD YOUNG (Ind.) and BILL CASSIDY (La.). Independent Sen. KYRSTEN SINEMA also voted yes, splitting from her Arizona colleague. The final tally for the vote: 52-42. The Senate will return to the chamber at 2:15 p.m. Before the floor vote, Hirono told reporters there was “information that was given to me in confidence, but very credible, which is leading to my ‘no’ vote,” per NBC’s Frank Thorp. Quite the moment … AP’s @FarnoushAmiri: “Sen. JOE MANCHIN votes yes to move forward with Garcetti nomination, saying ‘Willow free pass,’ referring to a recent oil-drilling project Biden approved this week that he had been vying for.” How we got here: The nomination cleared the Foreign Relations Committee for a second time last week after President JOE BIDEN renominated Garcetti for the post. ENDORSEMENT ALERT — Rep. CHIP ROY is formally endorsing Florida Gov. RON DeSANTIS for the 2024 GOP presidential primary, the Texas Republican announced in a political email sent to supporters today. “The next President of the United States must be a vibrant and energetic leader with the faith, vision, and courage to chart a new course,” Roy said. Read the email, via Olivia Beavers TRUMP ALLIES HIT DeSANTIS WITH ETHICS COMPLAINT — Former President DONALD TRUMP is escalating his budding campaign feud with DeSantis, “formally accusing him of violating state ethics and election laws with his ‘shadow presidential campaign,’” NBC’s Matt Dixon reports. “Make America Great Again Inc. is filing a 15-page complaint Wednesday with the Florida Commission on Ethics, a draft of which was obtained exclusively by NBC News.” “It asks the commission to probe whether pro-DeSantis super PACs, his ‘personally lucrative book tour’ and a continued wave of state-level campaign contributions, among other things, ‘are unlawful because they serve his personal political objectives, are in furtherance of his personal financial gain at the expense of Florida taxpayers, and are intended to influence his official decision to resign from office.’” ARREST DEVELOPMENT — “Exiled Chinese billionaire Guo Wengui, an ally of Steve Bannon, arrested by FBI,” by ABC’s Aaron Katersky INSIDE STORY — “Behind the scenes of the Trump grand jury,” by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Tamar Hallerman and Bill Rankin: “In an exclusive interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, five of the 23 special grand jurors recounted what it was like to be a pivotal — but anonymous — part of one of the most momentous criminal investigations in U.S. history; one which could lead to indictments of former President Donald Trump and his allies.” Good Wednesday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. It’s my favorite time of the year with March Madness getting underway tomorrow and Friday. In the men’s bracket, I’m taking UCLA to get it done. On the women’s side, how can anyone pick against South Carolina this year? I certainly won’t. Send me your predictions: gross@politico.com.
| | | | A message from TikTok: TikTok is building systems tailor-made to address concerns around data security. What’s more, these systems will be managed by a U.S.-based team specifically tasked with managing all access to U.S. user data and securing the TikTok platform. It’s part of TikTok’s commitment to securing personal data while still giving the global TikTok experience people know and love. Learn more at http://tiktok.com/safety. | | | THE WHITE HOUSE WHAT BIDEN WILL SAY — Biden is giving a speech this afternoon in Las Vegas on prescription drug costs, which could serve as yet another preview of an expected Biden reelection campaign message as he seeks to contrast his administration’s approach with Republicans, AP’s Amanda Seitz and Zeke Miller write. “The White House thinks it has a winning message in showcasing legislation passed last year that is expected to save taxpayers billions of dollars and lower the cost of drugs for the roughly 84 million Americans who rely on Medicare.” 2024 WATCH CHRISTIE COMEBACK — “Chris Christie heading to New Hampshire later this month, sparking more 2024 speculation,” by Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser: “[CHRIS] CHRISTIE will headline a town-hall style event at 5pm on Monday, March 27 at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics, Fox News has learned. For over two decades, the institute — which hosts the well-known ‘Politics and Eggs’ speaker series — has been a must-stop for actual or potential White House contenders from both major parties.” ALL POLITICS STAYING OUT OF IT — “MAGA favorite Kathy Barnette says she won’t run again for Senate,” by Daniel Lippman and Holly Otterbein: “The Pennsylvania Republican, who came in third place in the GOP primary last year on a shoestring budget, said she is instead focused on helping long shot Republican presidential candidate VIVEK RAMASWAMY, for whom she is leading a grassroots organizing effort. ‘Instead of playing coy, I wanted to come out and say I am not interested,’ she said. ‘I thought about it and I wanted to be real clear.’” WHAT’S UP IN THE WINDY CITY — “Black Voters in Chicago Look for a Candidate and a Path Forward on Fighting Crime,” by NYT’s Julie Bosman: “Black voters on the South and West Sides arguably have the most at stake on the issue of crime in the election, following a campaign that has been propelled by widespread concern over a spike in gun violence, robberies and carjackings. And many are torn not just over which candidate to support, but over what vision of policing and public safety offers the most promise of reducing crime without victimizing Black neighborhoods and residents in the process.” ON WISCONSIN — “In Wisconsin, Liberals Barrage Conservative Court Candidate With Attack Ads,” by NYT’s Reid Epstein: “The conservative candidate, DANIEL KELLY, is trailing in limited private polling of the race. Abortion rights, which powered Democrats in the midterm elections, are driving the party to shovel enormous sums of money into the campaign. And perhaps most significantly, Justice Kelly’s campaign has been outspent by a staggering margin on television since the Feb. 21 primary: $9.1 million to nothing. “But Justice Kelly, who sat on the court before losing re-election in 2020, appears unfazed. He told supporters on Sunday in northwest Wisconsin that help was on the way from unidentified outside groups in his race against JANET PROTASIEWICZ, a liberal Milwaukee County judge opposing him in the April 4 election.” MIDTERM MEMORIES — “Warnock’s campaign chief sees lessons from Dems in Georgia,” by AP’s Bill Barrow: “As a campaign manager, that meant framing [RAPHAEL] WARNOCK as the deal-making, results-driven incumbent and building an operation that went beyond the Democratic strongholds of Atlanta and other cities to connect with Republican-leaning voters throughout the state — even before Republicans nominated HERSCHEL WALKER and gambled on his complicated personal history. ‘In a tough environment, we chose to communicate with those voters,’ [QUENTIN] FULKS told The Associated Press. ‘And it set us apart, quite frankly, from the Democratic slate and even from President Biden.’”
| | | | We’re spilling the tea (and drinking tons of it in our newsroom) in U.K. politics with our latest newsletter, London Playbook PM. Get to know all the movers and shakers in Westminster and never miss a beat of British politics with a free subscription. Don’t miss out, we’ve got some exciting moves coming. Sign up today. | | | | | CONGRESS ON THE RECORD — “‘The World That We Will Live and Die In,’” by The American Conservative’s Micah Meadowcroft: “When I sat down with [Ohio GOP Sen. J.D. VANCE] in his windowless temporary office in the Dirksen basement — like an even drearier Cabinet war room — I asked Vance if he had ever held conventional Republican foreign policy views. ‘I was very supportive of the Iraq War when I was a high school senior. And so I think, yeah, at least then I was a conventional Republican, in that I sort of picked up on all of the influences from all around me,’” Vance said. POLICY CORNER MORE SVB FALLOUT — “Silicon Valley Bank gets a spin on the anti-ESG turntable,” by Sam Sutton: “Top Republicans have zeroed in on the failed bank’s stances on sustainability and diversity as proof that its management team cared more about promoting a progressive agenda than safeguarding the more than $150 billion its customers had placed in uninsured deposits. Now, after Biden officials took unprecedented steps to rescue the thousands of high-tech startups that held accounts, far-right activists and GOP luminaries are ripping into the Northern California institution’s embrace of cultural lightning rods such as workplace inclusion and climate consciousness.” CRYPTO CRISIS CONTINUES — “Collateral damage: Crypto market shaken by collapse of banks,” by Declan Harty: “The three banks that suddenly collapsed in the last week served the digital asset industry, and their downfall has stoked concern that crypto will be walled off from traditional finance in the U.S. Regulators including the Federal Reserve have been cautioning lenders for months about the risks of dealing in digital assets. To crypto critics, those warnings sound prescient in the wake of the seizure of Silvergate Capital, Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank by the government. To crypto executives, they sound like trouble.” FOR THOSE KEEPING TRACK — “Federal board allows rail merger, amid fresh questions about safety,” by Tanya Snyder: “The Surface Transportation Board, an independent body that oversees the freight rail industry, has given its blessing to a merger between Canadian Pacific Railway and Kansas City Southern, narrowing the field of major North American freight railroads to just six. The two railroads are the smallest major freights operating in the U.S., and the new entity would still be the smallest of those remaining. It will be the first major rail merger in 25 years.” BY THE LETTER — “U.S. Postal Service Trucking Contractors Must Now Disclose Serious Traffic Accidents,” by WSJ’s Christopher Weaver: “The U.S. Postal Service ordered its trucking contractors to immediately notify the agency of serious accidents, a reversal from past practices that will give officials there a new window into the safety records of those carrying its mail, an email reviewed by The Wall Street Journal shows. The email, which was sent Sunday, instructed trucking contractors to report details of accidents on their mail-hauling routes to the agency’s leadership, a change that follows a Journal article examining deficiencies in its safety practices.”
| | | | DOWNLOAD THE POLITICO MOBILE APP: Stay up to speed with the newly updated POLITICO mobile app, featuring timely political news, insights and analysis from the best journalists in the business. The sleek and navigable design offers a convenient way to access POLITICO's scoops and groundbreaking reporting. Don’t miss out on the app you can rely on for the news you need, reimagined. DOWNLOAD FOR iOS– DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID. | | | | | BEYOND THE BELTWAY ABORTION FALLOUT — “Wisconsin Republicans propose abortion ban exceptions,” by AP’s Scott Bauer in Madison, Wis.: “Republicans who control the Wisconsin Legislature unveiled a bill Wednesday that would create rape and incest exceptions to the state’s 1849 abortion ban and clarify when abortions that protect the health of the mother would be allowed, but would not return the same rights that were in place under Roe v. Wade.” AMERICA AND THE WORLD DOWNED DRONE LATEST — “Russia wants to recover debris of U.S. drone from Black Sea,” by AP’s Elena Becatoros and Darlene Superville — “Drone Flights Will Go On, U.S. Says, as Tensions Flare With Russia,” by NYT’s Daniel Victor, Marc Santora and Eric Schmitt NATO NEWS — “Erdogan hints Turkey may ratify Finland’s NATO membership,” AP MEDIAWATCH GOOD NEWS — “Benjamin Hall, Fox News reporter hurt in Ukraine, makes a comeback,” by WaPo’s Manuel Roig-Franzia: “In a new memoir, a war correspondent offers a message of hope one year after an attack that also killed two colleagues.” THE WRITE STUFF — “BuzzFeed Encourages Reporters to Write More Stories in Attempt to Turn Profit,” by WSJ’s Alexandra Bruell PLAYBOOKERS TRANSITIONS — Former independent Utah Senate candidate Evan McMullin is now a principal at Enlightenment Capital. … Jennifer Van der Heide is now VP of policy and advocacy at the Asian and Pacific American Health Forum. She was most recently president and CEO of Justice Strategies LLC … Kenneth Field is now partner and health care antitrust practice leader at Hogan Lovells. He previously was an antitrust partner and co-chair of the global health care practice at Jones Day. 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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