| | | | | |  | | By Eugene Daniels | Presented by |  | | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | Happy Sunday! It seemed a bit touch-and-go there on Friday, but President JOE BIDEN is now poised to sign his first major legislative victory as president — a $1.9 trillion spending package. The bill is on its way back to the House, where it's expected to get a vote Tuesday, after the Senate passed it on a party line vote: 50-49. There are some notable changes in the new bill (less money for unemployment benefits, tighter restrictions on securing that check), but the surprising thing is that fundamentally it's very close to what Biden proposed when he was just the president-elect: a $1.9 trillion spending bill with money going straight into the pockets of Americans. More from Marianne LeVine It's something he can hang his hat on, and you can expect he's going to do that publicly, selling the bill to the American people even after he signs it. Speaking on Wednesday, Biden made it clear he'd be taking a different tack than his former boss who didn't spend much time selling his own stimulus bill in 2009: "Barack was so modest, he didn't want to take, as he said, a 'victory lap.' I kept saying, 'Tell people what we did.' He said, 'We don't have time. I'm not going to take a victory lap.' And we paid a price for it, ironically, for that humility." As Natasha Korecki and Christopher Cadelago put it : "The party is banking on this time being different, betting that the easy-to-understand nature of the relief package and the direct payments to Americans it contains in it will serve the party well in the midterms. … As evidence of how well the package itself is polling, Republicans did not focus squarely on the contents of it. Instead, they lambasted Biden and congressional Democrats for passing it on a party-line vote." And Republicans are likely finding a hard time attacking the bill because: 1) They are dealing with their own family drama (DONALD TRUMP'S stranglehold, MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE'S … everything). 2) Any kind of government help during the pandemic has found tons of public support on both sides of the aisle. WaPo's Jeff Stein takes a look at the shifting dynamics of government's role during a crisis this morning: "The disparity between the reception to President Barack Obama's 2009 stimulus plan and President Biden's is the result of several seismic shifts in American politics — the most dramatic of which may be the apparent impact of the pandemic on attitudes about the role of government in helping the economy. … The shift is also the result of a reorientation on economic policy — both on the left and on the right — that has transformed the political landscape." And finally, you're probably wondering, "Will I be receiving any coin from this stimulus?" "What does $1.9 trillion buy you?" Gabe Rubin over at the WSJ has a deep dive into what's in this bill and what's likely to be signed by Biden as early as next week. | | A message from the American Investment Council: Private equity firms make long-term investments in companies to help rescue, build or grow businesses, providing much-needed capital and management support to strengthen local companies and create jobs. We invest in industries that underpin the American economy, including manufacturing, healthcare, renewable energy, hospitality, and more.
investmentcouncil.org/5yearplan | | | SUNDAY BEST … MANCHIN EYES A FILIBUSTER MIDDLE GROUND … NBC's CHUCK TODD pressed Sen. JOE MANCHIN (D-W.Va.) on "MEET THE PRESS" on the prospect of changing Senate rules to pass election reforms like H.R. 1. Manchin held firm that he wouldn't change his mind on abolishing the filibuster. But he seemed open to making it more onerous for the minority — and said he would be open to passing such legislation via reconciliation only if an attempt at bipartisanship had already failed. — Manchin: "If you want to make it a little bit more painful, make him stand there and talk, I'm willing to look at any way we can. But I'm not willing to take away the involvement of the minority. … I'm not willing to go into reconciliation until we at least get bipartisanship or get working together or allow the Senate to do its job. … There's no need for us to go to reconciliation until the other process has failed. That means the normal process of a committee, a hearing, amendments." — Manchin on "FOX NEWS SUNDAY": "The filibuster should be painful, it really should be painful. And we've made it more comfortable over the years." BIDEN NOT BUDGING … On CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION," White House comms director KATE BEDINGFIELD said the president hasn't changed his mind on the filibuster: "It is still his position. His preference is not to end the filibuster." On ABC's "THIS WEEK," MARTHA RADDATZ asked Manchin about the minimum wage: "You have your own proposal to increase the minimum wage to $11. So is Joe Biden wasting his political capital on you to get to $15?" Manchin: "Martha, not at all. President Joe Biden knows how to get a deal done. And the bottom line is there is not one senator out of 100 that doesn't want to raise the minimum wage. $7.25 is sinfully low. We must raise it." Defense Secretary LLOYD AUSTIN on "This Week" responding to the latest rocket attack in Iraq: "We're still developing the intelligence. … The message to those that would carry out such an attack is that, expect us to do what's necessary to defend ourselves. We'll strike if that's what we think we need to do at a time and place of our own choosing. We demand the right to protect our troops." | | | | A message from the American Investment Council:   Private equity firms are responsible, long-term investors helping thousands of companies like Black Rock Coffee, Ingersoll Rand, Signify, and Victory Innovations with five-year plans. investmentcouncil.org/5yearplan | | | BIDEN'S SUNDAY — The president and VP KAMALA HARRIS have nothing on their public schedules. | | | | SUBSCRIBE TO "THE RECAST" TO JOIN AN IMPORTANT CONVERSATION: Power dynamics are changing. "Influence" is changing. More people are demanding a seat at the table, insisting that all politics is personal and not all policy is equitable. "The Recast" is our new twice-weekly newsletter that breaks down how race and identity are recasting politics, policy and power in America. And POLITICO is recasting how we report on this crucial intersection, bringing you fresh insights, scoops, dispatches from across the country and new voices that challenge "business as usual." Don't miss out on this important new newsletter, SUBSCRIBE NOW. Thank you to our sponsor, Intel. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | | 
PHOTO OF THE DAY: In Jackson, Miss., where thousands are still without running water weeks after a big winter storm, a drive-thru food bank distributes bottles Saturday. | Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images | COVID RELIEF HUGE IMPACT ON POVERTY — "Biden stimulus showers money on Americans, sharply cutting poverty in defining move of presidency," WaPo: "The plan is one of the largest federal responses to a downturn Congress has enacted and economists estimate it will boost growth this year to the highest level in decades and reduce the number of Americans living in poverty by a third. … "But the ambitious legislation entails risks — both economic and political. The bill … injects the economy with so much money that some economists from both parties are warning that growth could overheat, leading to a bout of hard-to-contain inflation. … Unlike many other significant anti-poverty measures passed by Congress in history, this one has a short time horizon, with almost all the relief for families going away over the coming year. That could be an abrupt awakening." AT 1600 PENN — "Top Biden advisers tell staff there's 'no room for complacency' as Covid relief bill nears completion," CNN: "A two-page memo, drafted by White House senior adviser Anita Dunn and National Economic Council Director Brian Deese and obtained by CNN, hails the work that has been done … But it also makes clear that between the implementation of its sweeping provisions and Biden's ambitious agenda ahead, Biden has no plans of resting on any laurels." GOOD LUCK CHUCK — "Schumer leads Dems to messy but major win on Covid aid," by Burgess Everett and Marianne LeVine: "Chuck Schumer put it bluntly to Joe Manchin: If you side with Republicans, you could jeopardize everything. The West Virginia senator was delaying consideration of President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief plan … 'If Manchin would have approved the [GOP] amendment, the bill probably couldn't have passed the House. And I told him that. And he understood that.' … "Despite the tension and GOP jeers sparked by Friday's delay, the 50-49 Senate vote was a crucial victory for the New York Democrat. … [I]nstead of searching for bipartisan support and potentially watering down a historic bill that beefs up pensions, health care and crucial unemployment benefits, Schumer rolled the dice on total party unity — and succeeded." GOP MESSAGING — "Pro-GOP group targets House Democrats over $1.9 trillion COVID relief bill," Fox News: "An outside group that backs Republican causes is going up in 11 congressional districts controlled by House Democrats with ads … The American Action Network (AAN) on Sunday is expanding an issue advocacy campaign it originally launched last month that takes aim at what it argues is House Speaker 'Nancy Pelosi's liberal stimulus.'" MANCHIN IN THE MIDDLE — "How Democrats miscalculated Manchin and later won him back," CNN: "Manchin was stunned about the last-minute dealings of his party's leaders with the backing of the White House. … Yet Democratic leaders thought that Manchin was on board since their rank-and-file senators had reached out to him and reported back to party bosses that he was with them. They'd told the White House things were in good shape. … "For Biden, though, the approach amounted to a soft-sell. He was deliberately careful not to add pressure to the situation … It was a reflection of a relationship that multiple sources said has been in a solid place since Biden took office -- Manchin of the mind that Biden is an honest broker, and Biden cognizant of the fact Manchin is his own senator and doesn't take kindly to being jammed." VOTING RIGHTS WATCH HAPPENING TODAY — "Biden to issue voting access executive order on anniversary of Bloody Sunday," by Eugene: "The executive order, according to a fact sheet provided by the administration, will give every federal agency head 200 days to outline a plan to 'promote voter registration and participation.' "Federal agencies will be directed to notify states about the ways in which it can help with voter registration, in addition to being tasked with improving voting access to military voters and people with disabilities. Biden will also direct the federal government to update and modernize Vote.gov." THE NEW RESTRICTIONS — "In Georgia, Republicans Take Aim at Role of Black Churches in Elections," NYT: "Georgia Republicans are proposing new restrictions on weekend voting that could severely curtail one of the Black church's central roles in civic engagement and elections. Stung by losses in the presidential race and two Senate contests, the state party is moving quickly to push through these limits and a raft of other measures aimed directly at suppressing the Black turnout … "[T]he targeting of Sunday voting in new bills that are moving through Georgia's Legislature has stirred the most passionate reaction, with critics saying it recalls some of the racist voting laws from the state's past. … The bill would also ban what is known as 'line warming,' the practice of having volunteers provide water, snacks, chairs and other assistance to voters in line. " THE WHITE HOUSE HARRIS TEETERS — "Harris caught between a restless base and a traditionalist Biden," WaPo POLITICS ROUNDUP 2022 WATCH — "Trump vows to campaign against 'disloyal' Murkowski," by Alex Isenstadt: "In a statement to POLITICO on Saturday, Trump said: 'I will not be endorsing, under any circumstances, the failed candidate from the great State of Alaska, Lisa Murkowski. She represents her state badly and her country even worse. I do not know where other people will be next year, but I know where I will be — in Alaska campaigning against a disloyal and very bad Senator.'" THE BRAVE NEW WORLD — "From vote to virus, misinformation campaign targets Latinos," AP: "That flow of misinformation has only intensified since Election Day, researchers and political analysts say, stoking Trump's baseless claims that the election was stolen and false narratives around the mob that overran the Capitol. "More recently, it has morphed into efforts to undermine vaccination efforts against the coronavirus. … While much of the material is coming from domestic sources, it increasingly [originates] on online sites in Latin America." | | | | A message from the American Investment Council:   Private equity firms help American companies big and small with their five-year plans. investmentcouncil.org/5yearplan | | | PANDEMIC TRACKER: The U.S. reported 1,674 new Covid-19 deaths and 60,000 new coronavirus cases Saturday. A FULL YEAR INTO THE PANDEMIC … "Biden team plots the country's first national Covid testing strategy," by David Lim: "The Biden administration is preparing to launch the first of several Covid-19 testing hubs to coordinate and oversee a $650 million expansion of testing in K-8 schools and congregate settings like homeless shelters. "The Department of Health and Human Services hopes to open the first hub in April, as part of a public-private partnership that could eventually add up to 25 million tests per month to the nation's testing totals." YIKES — "Russian Disinformation Campaign Aims to Undermine Confidence in Pfizer, Other Covid-19 Vaccines, U.S. Officials Say," WSJ: "Websites linked to Russian intelligence services publish false information questioning vaccines' safety, efficacy" WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT — "How One Firm Put an 'Extraordinary Burden' on the U.S.'s Troubled Stockpile," NYT: "The shortage of lifesaving medical equipment last year was a searing example of the government's failed coronavirus response. As health workers resorted to wearing trash bags, one Maryland company profited by selling anthrax vaccines to the country's emergency reserve." TRUMP CARDS INVESTIGATIONS LATEST — "Georgia prosecutor probing Trump taps leading racketeering attorney," Reuters: "Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has enlisted the help of Atlanta lawyer John Floyd, who wrote a national guide on prosecuting state racketeering cases. Floyd was hired recently to 'provide help as needed' on matters involving racketeering, including the Trump investigation and other cases … "If she pursues racketeering charges, Willis will need to prove a pattern of corruption by Trump, alone or with his allies, aimed at overturning the election results to stay in power. While racketeering is typically pursued by prosecutors in cases involving such crimes as murder, kidnapping, and bribery, the Georgia statute defines racketeering more broadly to include false statements made to state officials." CUOMO UNDER SIEGE ANOTHER ONE — "Third Former Andrew Cuomo Aide Describes Inappropriate Workplace Treatment," WSJ: "A former aide of Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he asked her if she had a boyfriend, called her sweetheart, touched her on her lower back at a reception and once kissed her hand when she rose from her desk. Ana Liss … said she initially perceived Mr. Cuomo's conduct as harmless flirtations. Over time, she said, she has come to see it as patronizing, and she added it diminished her from an educated professional to 'just a skirt.'" BIG WAPO INVESTIGATION — "Cuomo's behavior created 'hostile, toxic' workplace culture for decades, former aides say": "A former press aide of Andrew M. Cuomo says he summoned her to his dimly lit hotel room and embraced her after a work event in 2000, when Cuomo led the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and she was a consultant for the agency. The woman, Karen Hinton, says she pulled away from Cuomo, but he pulled her back toward his body, holding her before she backed away and left the room. … "And three women, all of whom worked in the governor's office as young staffers in recent years, say Cuomo quizzed them about their dating lives. They say they did not view the encounters as propositions, but rather as part of an office culture they believed was degrading to young women. … "Many former aides and advisers described to The Post a toxic culture in which the governor unleashes searing verbal attacks on subordinates. Some said he seemed to delight in humiliating his employees, particularly in group meetings, and would mock male aides for not being tough enough." — BEHIND THE BYLINE … @AmyJBrittain: "I've been a reporter for a decade now, and I don't think I have ever heard people as fearful to speak about someone as they are about Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Former staffers described his rage & vindictiveness & said they feared he would destroy their careers." THE VIEW FROM ALBANY — "A Governor in Isolation: How Andrew Cuomo Lost His Grip on New York," NYT: "Some people who have spoken to Mr. Cuomo in recent days have described him as shaken by the speed with which the political fallout arrived, with dueling scandals and reports of his bullying behavior all converging, very publicly, at once. Others have questioned whether he grasped the gravity of his circumstances. "But the rapidly unfurling crises, they said, have been especially challenging for a governor who has always sought to be in control. Now he is at the whims of often-fickle public opinion, fuming legislators and investigations. … People who have been in touch with Mr. Cuomo's team described some staff members — in particular, younger ones — as demoralized and exhausted." AMERICA AND THE WORLD THE LATEST HACK — "Biden administration moving to address a global compromise by Chinese and other hackers of Microsoft email servers," WaPo: "So far, U.S. officials say there is no sign that federal agencies or major defense contractors have been hacked in the campaign that researchers believe began as far back as January, but they fear it could spiral into a crisis crippling many small and midsize businesses and state and local government agencies — those least able to afford it. "The broad, indiscriminate nature of the compromise and the difficulty in containing the infections has caused concern among officials at the White House, National Security Agency, Pentagon and Department of Homeland Security. … The White House is looking at convening an emergency group of government agencies to address the issue." JAN. 6 AND ITS AFTERMATH NBC 4'S SCOTT MACFARLANE (@MacFarlaneNews): "NEW: Lt. Gen (Ret.) Russell Honore will discuss findings of his security review of US Capitol complex with House Members *tomorrow* at 1pm, 430pm and 8pm." THE VIOLENCE THAT WASN'T — "'It is a trap!': Inside the QAnon attack that never happened," by Tina Nguyen: "[March 4] came and went without serious incident. It wasn't that the false and sprawling conspiracy theory that accuses 'Deep State elites' of running a secret pedophile ring was losing steam. Rather, it was at least in part because QAnon followers smelled a trap. … "QAnon influencers had been discouraging their massive audience to avoid attending any event on that day, suggesting that any planned gatherings would be 'false flag operations' designed by the government to make them look bad." MEDIAWATCH BUZZFEED GETS RESULTS — "NYT Columnist David Brooks Resigns From Nonprofit After More Evidence Of Conflicts Emerges": "David Brooks has resigned from his position at the Aspen Institute following reporting by BuzzFeed News about conflicts of interest between the star New York Times columnist and funders of a [Weave] program he led for the think tank. … "Over the past 24 hours, BuzzFeed News discovered new evidence of potential conflicts. On March 15 of last year, as Americans faced a deadly pandemic, Brooks appeared on 'Meet The Press' and offered some advice. 'We need to take moral steps to make ourselves decent neighbors to each other as we go through this thing. I think people should get on Nextdoor, this sort of "Facebook for neighbors,"' he said. Left unsaid by Brooks was that Nextdoor, a social network for neighborhoods, had donated $25,000 to Weave." WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH READING — "The Women Who Changed War Reporting," The Atlantic: "Two new books show that diversifying the ranks of journalists served to diversify the kinds of stories that get told to the American public." | | | | FIND OUT THE LATEST WHISPERS FROM THE WEST WING: Add Transition Playbook to your daily reads to find out what's really happening inside the West Wing, who really has the president's ear, and get the latest scoop from inside cabinet departments and agencies. Track the people, policies and emerging power centers of the Biden administration. Don't miss out. Subscribe today. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | IN MEMORIAM — "Philip W. Pillsbury Jr., Foreign Service officer with USIA, dies at 85," WaPo TRANSITION — Heidi Nel is joining New Theory Ventures as chief of staff to the CEO. She previously was head of Raben Impact Entertainment. ENGAGED — Brent DelMonte, co-head of BGR Group's health and life sciences practice, and Aiken Hackett, senior director of federal government relations at BIO, got engaged Friday. They met through work and have been friends for many years. Pic HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Rep. Juan Vargas (D-Calif.) (6-0) … Kristan King Nevins … James Gleeson ... Willard Scott ... Michael Eisner ... David Bohigian … Tom Sietsema ... Josh Holly ... Kirk Adams ... Katie McCormick Lelyveld ... Guy Benson … Breanna Deutsch ... Cindy Andrade ... Rachel Zuckerman ... Diane Le … Lyndon Olson … Mike Watson … Noreen Nielsen … Savannah Behrmann … Anne Farris Rosen ... Carol Danko … Sammie Yeager … Maz Do … Elad Strohmayer … Alan Neuhauser … Matt Higginson … former Reps. Brian Baird (D-Wash.) and Jason Altmire (D-Pa.) ... Chase Untermeyer (75) … Myron Belkind … David Baltimore … WNYC's Jennifer Hsu … Craig Burkhardt … Bloomberg's Lydia Mulvany … Nicole Lapin ... Sarah Schwirian, deputy comms director for Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) … Joe Fadness Got a document to share? A birthday coming up? Do you know how Biden is going to sell the stimulus? Drop us a line at playbook@politico.com or individually: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza, Tara Palmeri. Playbook couldn't happen without our editor Mike Zapler and producers Allie Bice, Eli Okun and Garrett Ross. | | A message from the American Investment Council: What's your five-year plan? That's a question we hear a lot. Every year, thousands of companies across America turn to private equity firms for help with their five-year plans. We invest capital, provide management expertise, and improve operational capabilities over the long term to grow companies and create jobs. Our long term investments are usually between four to seven years. 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