| | | | |  | | By Eli Okun | Presented by TikTok | | 
The White House this morning indicated that President Joe Biden would sign the AUMFs repeal into law if it passes. | Evan Vucci/AP Photo | AUMF OOMPH — The Senate just voted to advance a repeal of the 1991 and 2002 authorizations for use of military force in Iraq, which paved the way for U.S. wars in Iraq that dominated much of the last quarter-century’s geopolitics. With bipartisan backing in the upper chamber, the procedural motion passed 68-27, likely teeing up a final vote in the Senate next week. Senate Majority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER said he expects a number of amendments to be offered on the floor before then. (Katherine Tully-McManus has a good breakdown in today’s Huddle of what those amendments might look like.) The White House this morning indicated that President JOE BIDEN would sign the repeal into law if it passes, arguing that “outdated authorizations” should be “replaced with a narrow and specific framework more appropriate to protecting Americans from modern terrorist threats.” The repeal would be symbolic, as the U.S. has said it has no ongoing military operations that would be affected. But the ramifications are striking nonetheless: Clawing back the AUMFs would mark a reassertion by Congress of its constitutional role in declaring war, as critics have accused Democratic and Republican administrations of abusing the authorizations to take wide-ranging military actions abroad. It would also formally close a chapter on a military era that has transformed the Middle East and U.S. politics. Two decades after GEORGE W. BUSH invaded Iraq, Reuters’ Arshad Mohammed and Jonathan Landay examine the reverberations still being felt today. They range from “an empowered Iran and eroded U.S. influence to the cost of keeping U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria to combat Islamic State fighters,” as well as ethnic strife in the region. Domestically, a bipartisan backlash to the Iraq War laid the groundwork for a growing isolationist-populist streak in the GOP and, on the left, broad mistrust of the political establishment. But, but, but: The repeal still faces one big outstanding question mark: Whither the House GOP? It’s not clear whether Speaker KEVIN McCARTHY’s chamber would take up the resolution, as divides over foreign policy and defense spending have grown in his conference. Sarah Ferris notes the unusual dynamic: “If McCarthy brings to floor, it would prob pass.. BUT thanks to Dem votes, breaking Hastert rule. Conservatives usually hate this. But in this case, it's these guys (GAETZ, ROY, etc) who actually back AUMF repeal!” MAGA IN THE HOUSE — The Conservative Partnership Institute led a “bootcamp” for House Republican staffers last month to train them on how to investigate the Biden administration, Heidi Przybyla reveals. The Eastern Shore gathering shows how Trump-aligned right-wing advocates are helping to shape the next generation of conservative Hill staffers, with “tutorials on obtaining records and deposing and interviewing witnesses.” Ethics experts say the retreat is legal but ethically dubious by casting the specter of external partisan activism over official congressional investigations. FASCINATING READ — “Louis DeJoy’s Surprising Second Act,” by Time’s Eric Cortellessa: “[T]o the astonishment of many in Washington, the man Democrats once denounced as a threat to American democracy has become one of their most important allies in government. … [LOUIS] DeJOY may be the only person on earth who could have delivered these wins for America’s beloved, beleaguered [Postal Service]. That’s partly because of the perverse credibility his association with former President Donald Trump and the scandalous 2020 headlines give him with Republicans. It’s also his stubborn insistence that he wasn’t going to allow allegations levied against him in the thick of an inflammatory political season define him.” Good Thursday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me a line at eokun@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. | | | CONGRESS YELLEN TALKIN’ — “Janet Yellen says U.S. banking system ‘remains sound’ despite bank failures,” by FT’s James Politi and Lauren Fedor: Treasury Secretary JANET “YELLEN was grilled by lawmakers on the Senate finance committee regarding the aggressive intervention by US regulators and officials … ‘Inflation played a key role in the recent bank failures, as rising interest rates and mismanaged interest rate risk led to a liquidity crisis,’ said MIKE CRAPO, the Idaho senator and top Republican on the panel.” Yellen also again slammed the idea of debt prioritization to avert default later this year, calling it an “incredibly risky and dangerous idea.” SVB FALLOUT — Even though revised banking regulations look unlikely to go anywhere in Congress, members of both parties are voicing support for federal deposit insurance changes, Semafor’s Joseph Zeballos-Roig reports. “Lawmakers now seem willing to revisit the existing $250,000 federal insurance limit on checking and savings accounts, last raised in 2008.” Senators from ELIZABETH WARREN (D-Mass.) to MIKE ROUNDS (R-S.D.) sound open to the idea. — JPMorgan Chase and other big banks are considering a rescue of First Republic Bank, one of the other midsize banks that’s been teetering this week, WSJ’s David Benoit, Dana Cimilluca, AnnaMaria Andriotis and Ben Eisen scooped. Though it’s not a done deal, they’re discussing “a sizable capital infusion.” 2024 WATCH COMING SOON TO AN ‘SNL’ SKETCH — If you thought Lauren Egan’s story this morning on MARIANNE WILLIAMSON’s treatment of staff was this cycle’s AMY-KLOBUCHAR-eating-salad-with-a-comb equivalent, just wait: The Daily Beast’s Jake Lahut and Zachary Petrizzo recount a plane ride where Florida Gov. RON DeSANTIS ate chocolate pudding with three fingers. It’s part of a broader look at DeSantis’ troubles with basic social skills and pleasantries on the campaign trail, which former staffers say “make him difficult to manage ahead of events” and threaten his ability to connect with voters. And “his propensity to devour food during meetings,” in particular, comes up a lot.
| | | | 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. | | | | | MORE POLITICS HOUSTON, WE HAVE A CONTENDER — Rep. SHEILA JACKSON LEE (D-Texas) is considering a bid for the mayor of Houston, Semafor’s Kadia Goba reports. She’d be far from the only notable Democrat in the race, but she’d likely enter with a name recognition advantage. INDEPENDENT SINEMA — “Yes, Kyrsten Sinema can win as independent in Arizona,” by Vox’s Christian Paz: “Her campaign would zero in on the politically moderate, wealthier, and unaffiliated voters that live in the state’s suburban neighborhoods and would aim to peel away support from a Trump-aligned Republican. And it would need to raise a lot of money — at least $40 million to be competitive, according to in-state experts.” THE NEW GOP — The New York Young Republican Club is a separate group from the state GOP, but it’s a growing center of MAGA energy siphoning attention from the Republican establishment, NYT’s Jesse McKinley and Maggie Haberman report. GAVIN WAX’s group takes a more bellicose approach and throws parties where ROGER STONE pours martinis. But Republicans in the state are divided over how best to capitalize on their strong performance last year. THE ECONOMY THE UNEMPLOYMENT PICTURE — New jobless claims last week plummeted to 192,000, the biggest decrease since July, per new data out today. But that might have been partially driven by seasonal factors specific to New York, where school workers were coming off spring break. More from Bloomberg AMERICA AND THE WORLD CLOSE ENCOUNTERS — The U.S. put out footage today of the interception between Russian fighter jets and a U.S. drone over the Black Sea, providing evidence that a collision did in fact occur despite Russian denials. Watch via CNN BEYOND THE BELTWAY DeSANTIS’ AMERICA — “Florida Scoured Math Textbooks for ‘Prohibited Topics.’ Next Up: Social Studies,” by NYT’s Sarah Mervosh: “A prominent conservative education group, whose members volunteered to review textbooks, objected to a slew of them, accusing publishers of ‘promoting their bias.’ … And in a sign of how fraught the political landscape has become, one publisher created multiple versions of its social studies material, softening or eliminating references to race — even in the story of ROSA PARKS — as it sought to gain approval in Florida.” WAR IN UKRAINE AFTERNOON READ — “The Ukraine war is Antony Blinken’s defining moment,” by WaPo’s John Hudson: “For [ANTONY] BLINKEN, the secretary-of-state role represents a career pinnacle — a dynamic that, in theory, frees him of the political constraints that shackled others who saw the job as a steppingstone to grander ambitions. Yet, his predisposition is one of caution … Blinken’s skepticism about peace talks are widely shared within the Biden administration, but not universally.” SCRAMBLE FOR SUPPLIES — Ukrainian requests for more ammunition have surged such that the U.S. is now pulling supplies from its prepositioned stocks in Germany, Israel and elsewhere, WSJ’s Gordon Lubold, Nancy Youssef and Brett Forrest scoop. The U.S. started late last year to tap these stockpiles and is seeking support from other allies to help bolster Kyiv ahead of a spring offensive. But some military planners warn that U.S. stocks are now running too low.
| | | | 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. | | | | | MEDIAWATCH ELITE STRIKE FORCE TEAM — SIDNEY POWELL’s promotion of false conspiracy theories about the 2020 election — and Fox News’ choice to keep putting her on air that year — is a central piece of Dominion Voting Systems’ defamation lawsuit against the network, WaPo’s Sarah Ellison and Amy Gardner report. Powell’s commentary “helped elevate a once-obscure lawyer to a marquee player in Trump’s effort to overturn the 2020 election — and helped keep her claims of fraud on the forefront for millions of loyal Fox viewers, including Trump himself,” as new documents have shown. Fox News declined to comment for the story. AFTERNOON NEWS DUMP — “The New Prime Time for TV News: Afternoons,” by NYT’s Michael M. Grynbaum: “Without the visceral urgency of a dangerous virus — or a sitting president who tweets erratically late into the night — America’s news obsessives may simply feel more comfortable changing the channel in the evenings rather than waiting on tenterhooks for the latest development. At the same time, prime-time stars like [RACHEL] MADDOW have moved on from their regular time slots.” POLICY CORNER BIG INVESTIGATION — “Failed oversight, lax punishments: How the Coast Guard has allowed sexual assault at sea to go unchecked,” by CNN’s Blake Ellis and Melanie Hicken: “The Coast Guard is responsible for the initial vetting of mariners as well as continued monitoring and enforcement of misconduct on land or while on the job that would make them ineligible for a credential. … [But] the Coast Guard has failed to use its power to prevent and punish sexual assault and misconduct for decades.” PLAYBOOKERS OUT AND ABOUT — SPOTTED at a U.S.-Ireland Partnership for Growth reception last night at the Riggs building: Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Speaker Kevin McCarthy, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Irish Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason, British Ambassador Karen Pierce, Mike Donilon, Evan Ryan, Margaret Brennan, Kaitlan Collins, John McCarthy, Tammy Haddad, Danny O’Brien, Carmel Martin and Norah O’Donnell. MEDIA MOVES — WaPo has added Marianne LeVine as a national political reporter and Jesús Rodríguez as a political reporter in Style. LeVine previously was a congressional reporter for POLITICO. Rodríguez previously was a staff writer at POLITICO Magazine. TRANSITIONS — Satya Thallam is now a policy adviser at Arnold & Porter. He was previously head of policy at EQRx and is a White House alum. … Maggie Clemmons is now comms director for Rep. Michael Cloud (R-Texas). She previously was comms manager for domestic policy, media and public relations at the Heritage Foundation … Katherine Mongé is now a partner at Capitol Tax Partners. She previously was a senior policy adviser for former Speaker Nancy Pelosi. … … Susana Parra is now special projects and operations manager at Building Back Together. She previously was at the DCCC. … Rebecca Coffman is now VP for growth and operations at VoteAmerica. She most recently was head of growth at Dobby and is a Stand Together alum. … David Ferguson is now senior director at BGR Public Relations. He previously owned his own firm, Ferguson & Associates. WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Josh Randle, CEO of Randle Strategies and a senior adviser at Haddad Media, and Alexandra Peters Randle welcomed James Peters Randle on Tuesday. He came in at 8 lbs, 6 oz and 21 inches, and joins big sister Ann Louise. Pic … Another pic 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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