| | | | | |  | | By Rachael Bade, Ryan Lizza, Eugene Daniels and Tara Palmeri | Presented by Facebook | | | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | FILIBUSTER DAY — It's taken longer than anyone expected, but the first GOP filibuster of a big JOE BIDEN priority in the Senate is expected today when Republicans plan to block legislation to create a Jan. 6 commission. Sen. DICK DURBIN (D-Ill.): "We have a mob overtake the Capitol, and we can't get the Republicans to join us in making historic record of that event? That is sad." More from the AP CAN'T FILIBUSTER THIS: They'll never say it publicly. But Republicans in Washington are dreading DONALD TRUMP'S return to the stump, predicting his rallies will cause a major headache for the party as it mounts a bid to take back Congress in 2022. Even as they tee off against Twitter and Facebook for banning Trump, GOP lawmakers are privately relieved he no longer has those megaphones. But the resumption of rallies gives Trump a new platform to spout conspiracy theories about the election and air his grievances — at the same time most Republicans are desperate to move on and talk about the Biden agenda. "If we win the majority back in 17 months, it's going to be in spite of Trump — not because of Trump," said one senior House Republican aide for a lawmaker considered one of Trump's top supporters on Capitol Hill. "He will totally take credit if we win the House back — but it won't be because of him. This guy is a disaster." Trump is expected to hit the road in early June with a series of events as he ramps up his political presence for the midterms. POLITICO reported earlier this week on his plans for a modern-day "Contract with America," working with the architect of the 1994 original, NEWT GINGRICH, on a policy platform to excite GOP voters. The problem: Since when has Trump ever stuck to policy? Most Republicans are expecting a rerun of the oldies: false claims of voter fraud, witch hunts and the like — only to be hounded by reporters for their comment on the outrage of the moment. | | A message from Facebook: The internet has changed a lot since 1996 - internet regulations should too
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– Reforming Section 230 | | | Though many Republicans in Washington acknowledge they can't win the House or Senate without Trump's voters, they maintain that the best strategy is to focus on attacking the Democrats' big-spending agenda. Some Trump critics see a silver lining in Trump's rallies. Rep. ADAM KINZINGER (R-Ill.) told us during a POLITICO Live interview this week that he hopes the rallies will expose a diminished Trump. "I do think that's going to be fatiguing with people, and eventually folks besides the most hardcore are going to say, 'Okay, it's time to move on,'" he said. "My hope is that actually in those rallies, people realize this is starting to get nuts." Yet for close to six years, Trump's naysayers have predicted the GOP would finally say "enough already, this is nuts," and move on. And he's done nothing but prove them wrong. More from Olivia Beavers and Burgess Everett: "Trump is confiding in allies that he intends to run again in 2024 with one contingency: that he still has a good bill of health, according to two sources close to the former president. That means Trump is going to hang over the Republican Party despite its attempts to rebrand during his exile and its blockade of a Trump-centric investigation into January's insurrection. "And amid news that the Manhattan district attorney has convened a grand jury that could decide to indict Trump, other executives working for him or the business itself, Trump publicly signaled this week that he's considering another run. But he may face skepticism from surprising corners of the GOP, as some Republicans who supported him consistently during his presidency have mixed opinions about the possibility of a Trump 2024 campaign, according to interviews with 20 Republicans in both the House and Senate." Good Thursday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line and tell us what you wish you could filibuster: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza, Tara Palmeri. | | | |   | | | BIDEN'S THURSDAY: — 10 a.m.: The president will receive the President's Daily Brief. — 11:10 a.m.: Biden will depart the White House, en route to Cleveland, where he is scheduled to arrive at 12:45 p.m. — 1:50 p.m.: Biden will tour Cuyahoga Community College. — 2:20 p.m.: The president will deliver remarks on the economy. — 3:50 p.m.: Biden will depart Cleveland to return to the White House, where he is scheduled to arrive at 5:15 p.m. VP KAMALA HARRIS' THURSDAY: — 4 p.m.: The VP will meet with private sector leaders to discuss economic development in the Northern Triangle. Press secretary JEN PSAKI will gaggle on Air Force One on the way to Cleveland. THE HOUSE is out. Testifying before Appropriations subcommittees today: Treasury Secretary JANET YELLEN at 11 a.m., USAID Administrator SAMANTHA POWER at 11 a.m. and Defense Secretary LLOYD AUSTIN and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Gen. MARK MILLEY at 1 p.m. Top bank executives like JAMIE DIMON and BRIAN MOYNIHAN will testify before the Financial Services Committee at noon. Energy Secretary JENNIFER GRANHOLM will testify before the Science Committee at 1 p.m. THE SENATE is in. | | | | SUBSCRIBE TO WEST WING PLAYBOOK: Add West Wing Playbook to keep up with the power players, latest policy developments and intriguing whispers percolating inside the West Wing and across the highest levels of the Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | | 
PHOTO OF THE DAY: Principal deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre answers questions Wednesday as the first openly gay spokesperson to take the White House podium. | Win McNamee/Getty Images | THE WHITE HOUSE BIDEN CURIOUS ABOUT LAB LEAK THEORY — "Biden asks intelligence community to redouble efforts to determine definitive origin of the coronavirus," WaPo: "The new message reflects a notable shift in some prominent scientists' assessments that the virus all but certainly jumped from an animal species to humans. The theory that has more recently gained traction is that the pandemic — which has killed more than 3.4 million people worldwide — may have accidentally escaped from the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China, though that is far from conclusive. Biden ordered intelligence officials to deliver a report within 90 days 'that could bring us closer to a definitive conclusion.'" FACEBOOK TOO — "Facebook lifts ban on posts claiming Covid-19 was man-made as Wuhan theories surge," by Cristiano Lima: "Facebook's policy tweak arrives as support surges in Washington for a fuller investigation into the origins of Covid-19 after the Wall Street Journal reported that three scientists at the Wuhan Institute of Virology were hospitalized in late 2019 with symptoms consistent with the virus. … [A] Facebook spokesperson said Wednesday that the origin language had been stricken from that list due to the renewed debate about the virus' roots." BURNS TO CHINA, GARCETTI TO INDIA — "Biden picks LA mayor, envoy for ambassador posts," AP: "Biden is expected to announce he is nominating former senior State Department official NICHOLAS BURNS to serve as his ambassador to China and Los Angeles Mayor ERIC GARCETTI to be his ambassador to India, according to a person familiar with the matter. With the selections, Biden is turning to a seasoned diplomat and a longtime political ally to serve in two of the country's highest-profile diplomatic postings." MORE WHITE HOUSE LOVE FOR MURKOWSKI — "Biden administration backs Alaska oil project approved under Trump," by Anthony Adragna and Ben Lefebvre: "The Biden administration defended a proposed ConocoPhillips oil development in Alaska on Wednesday, backing the project pushed by Alaskan Sen. LISA MURKOWSKI, the centrist lawmaker the administration has wooed as a potential swing vote. The decision by the Interior Department to defend in court the Trump administration's October 2020 decision and allow the Willow project in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska to proceed comes despite Interior Secretary DEB HAALAND'S opposition to the project last year when she was a member of Congress." DEADLINES ARE MEANT TO BE BROKEN — "Biden prepared to extend infrastructure talks," by Christopher Cadelago and Laura Barrón-López: "White House aides and Democrats say they're giving Republicans ample time to put forward their offers on 'hard' infrastructure — money to build roads, repair aging bridges and expand broadband. Barring breakthroughs on a long list of sticking points, Biden advisers and Democrats are preparing to wind down talks within a week or possibly two. At that point, they will start shifting their focus to what it will take to pass a bill on a party-line vote. "The White House's flexibility with pushing the deadline would bring the talks into a familiar stage of negotiations in Washington, in which each side tries to deflect blame for being the one that gave up on the deal. Republican Senators are holding a news conference Thursday morning. Should their new offer prove inadequate, the White House could decide simply to stick to its Memorial Day weekend deadline. "The decision about how long to continue comes as progressives are expressing growing frustration with the pace of negotiations and fear that cutting a deal with the GOP would mean sacrificing spending on climate-focused initiatives. Many remain wary that the entirety of Biden's plans could be passed in follow-up legislation with only Democratic support." STOP US IF YOU'VE HEARD THIS BEFORE — "Biden's Pick to Lead ATF Faces Opposition From Senate Republicans," WSJ: "President Biden's pick to lead a key agency that will be involved in the administration's efforts to curb gun violence faced opposition Wednesday from Republican senators, as some cited his advocacy for tighter gun control laws. … In an evenly divided Senate, [DAVID] CHIPMAN needs to secure all 50 Democratic votes to be confirmed." CONGRESS CHINA BILL ON THE BRINK — "GOP ire imperils bipartisan plan to confront China," by Andrew Desiderio and Gavin Bade: "Republicans are indicating that they may derail debate on a massive Senate bill confronting China's growing economic and geopolitical influence before the Senate leaves town for a recess later this week. Some in the GOP are pressing for more votes on their amendments to the China legislation, a top priority of Majority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER. … It's unclear if Republicans have the votes to block the bill, the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act, S. 1260 (117), from advancing on Thursday. Senators and aides said they were optimistic that the issues would be worked out." A BLOW TO PUBLIC DISCLOSURE — "Judge rejects public access to search warrant in Richard Burr insider trading probe," by Josh Gerstein: "A federal judge's decision to refuse access to records of a search warrant issued in connection with an investigation into Sen. RICHARD BURR (R-N.C.) could limit public access to information about public corruption and other criminal probes in which the Justice Department scrutinizes lawmakers' actions but ultimately decides not to bring charges, legal experts said. "In a ruling Wednesday, Chief Judge BERYL HOWELL of the U.S. District Court in Washington turned down a request from the Los Angeles Times to see what information prosecutors presented to a federal magistrate to get a search warrant last May for Burr's phone. The warrant was reportedly issued as part of an investigation into whether Burr used information from official briefings on the perils of the coronavirus to make stock trades that earned money or saved him from the major market downturn early last year. The sweeping language in Howell's ruling suggests that when no charges are filed, search warrant applications and related records should remain secret forever. … "'It's offensive,' said SEAMUS HUGHES, a George Washington University researcher and a renowned expert at scouring unsealed court filings for overlooked news. 'It's going to radically restrict public access to the court records. … Search warrants provide a level of sunlight that is important in a democracy.'" The ruling | | A message from Facebook: Why Facebook supports updated internet regulations
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See how we're taking action on key issues and why we support updated internet regulations. | | | AMERICA AND THE WORLD BLINKEN OUT — "Blinken Leaves Middle East With Cease-Fire Intact but Aid Uncertain," NYT: "The path forward could stretch indefinitely without a clear resolution. Past efforts to rebuild Gaza, and lift its two million residents from dire poverty and instability, have failed. Although the United States is shepherding the latest donor drive, and has so far contributed $360 million in humanitarian and development aid to Palestinians, control of such aid is part of a long-running power struggle between the Palestinian Authority and Hamas. "Biden has said reconstruction must be in partnership with the authority, not Hamas. And Israeli leaders have said, tepidly, that they will resist contributing to an aid package unless the Palestinian Authority stops cooperating with an International Criminal Court investigation of war crimes in territories occupied by Israel since the 1967 Arab-Israeli war." A RISE IN HATE CRIMES — "U.S. Faces Outbreak of Anti-Semitic Threats and Violence," NYT: "During the two weeks of clashes in Israel and Gaza this month, the Anti-Defamation League collected 222 reports of anti-Semitic harassment, vandalism and violence in the United States, compared with 127 over the previous two weeks. Incidents are 'literally happening from coast to coast, and spreading like wildfire,' said JONATHAN GREENBLATT, the A.D.L.'s chief executive. 'The sheer audacity of these attacks feels very different.' "Until the latest surge, anti-Semitic violence in recent years was largely considered a right-wing phenomenon, driven by a white supremacist movement emboldened by rhetoric from former President Donald Trump, who often trafficked in stereotypes. Many of the most recent incidents, by contrast, have come from perpetrators expressing support for the Palestinian cause and criticism of Israel's right-wing government." BEYOND THE BELTWAY REFUNDING THE POLICE — "Cities Reverse Defunding the Police Amid Rising Crime," WSJ: "In the nation's 20 largest local law-enforcement agencies, city and county leaders want funding increases for nine of the 12 departments where next year's budgets already have been proposed. The increases range from 1% to nearly 6%. Many U.S. cities are led by Democrats who supported protesters' calls to defund the police … But city officials have found it difficult to keep police budgets down after seeing a rise in crime over the past year." TRUMP VS. BUSH ROUND XXVIII — "How Trump got a Bush to bend the knee," by Marc Caputo: "Trump has one more opportunity to twist the knife, as GEORGE P. BUSH — the last remaining Bush in public office — prepares to launch a primary challenge Wednesday against Texas GOP Attorney General KEN PAXTON. "In what's expected to be a brutal contest pitting the Bush family scion against a scandal-plagued incumbent, Trump's endorsement will go a long way toward determining the winner. The former president remains popular with the Texas Republican base — so popular that Bush, JEB BUSH'S son and currently the state's land commissioner, has studiously avoided his family's entanglements with Trump." THE NEW GOP — "'It's insane': Proud Boys furor tests limits of Trump's GOP," by David Siders: "The uproar in Nevada, which came on suddenly, suggests how far the GOP is from being finished with its post-election reckoning. After the Republican Party's state central committee voted narrowly last month to censure Nevada's Republican secretary of state, BARBARA CEGAVSKE — for 'failing to investigate' Trump's baseless allegations of widespread voter fraud — Clark County party officials accused the state party chair, MICHAEL MCDONALD, of tipping the scales against Cegavske by adding extremist members to the county's roster at the state central committee meeting. "The state party, in turn, accused the Clark County chair, DAVID SAJDAK, of spreading 'slanderous lies.' But one self-described member of the Proud Boys, MATTHEW ANTHONY YANKLEY, who goes by Matt Anthony, said on a recent episode of the Johnny Bru Show, a Las Vegas-based podcast, that he participated in the censure and that 'our votes absolutely made the difference.' Meanwhile, the Las Vegas Review-Journal published an exhaustive account detailing an effort by Anthony and other far-right activists to gain control of the party in Las Vegas' Clark County through its elections in July." JAN. 6 AND ITS AFTERMATH FEDERAL JUDGE ISSUES WARNING ABOUT TRUMP MISINFO — "Judge says Trump's 'steady drumbeat' of the Big Lie could continue to inspire his supporters to take up arms," CNN: "The judge's blunt assessment of the current, charged political climate came in a legal decision about a defendant who was drawn to Washington, DC, in January. And it adds to a growing chorus of warnings from the officials most closely weighing the aftermath of the Capitol riot about what the threat level still might be." MEDIAWATCH AP STYLE — "Associated Press tells staff it made mistakes in firing of Emily Wilder," WaPo: "The Associated Press has not apologized or acknowledged mistakes in its public statements, beyond saying in response to the open letter that the company 'looks forward to continuing the conversation with staff about AP's social media policy.' But managers took a much more apologetic tack in a town hall with employees on Wednesday, an audio recording of which was shared with The Washington Post. "Several executives expressed regret at how the company handled the situation in the meeting, though managing editor BRIAN CAROVILLANO called them 'mistakes of process, and not of outcome.' He said it was still 'the right decision' to fire [EMILY] WILDER." AND THEN THERE WERE FOUR — "Juan Williams, a Liberal Outlier at Fox News, Is Leaving 'The Five,'" NYT: "Williams abruptly announced his exit at the end of Wednesday's broadcast, citing in part his bout with the coronavirus, which he contracted at the end of last year. … Fox News said it would fill Mr. Williams's role with another liberal-leaning commentator, to retain the ideological makeup of the show. Until then, a rotating group of substitute hosts will appear on 'The Five.' GERALDO RIVERA, a Fox News correspondent, and former Representative HAROLD FORD JR. have made guest appearances in the show's 'liberal' slot." | | | | SUBSCRIBE TO "THE RECAST" TODAY: Power is shifting in Washington and in communities across the country. More people are demanding a seat at the table, insisting that politics is personal and not all policy is equitable. The Recast is a twice-weekly newsletter that explores the changing power dynamics in Washington and breaks down how race and identity are recasting politics and policy in America. Get fresh insights, scoops and dispatches on this crucial intersection from across the country and hear critical new voices that challenge business as usual. Don't miss out, SUBSCRIBE . Thank you to our sponsor, Intel. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | SPOTTED: Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) walking into The Monocle restaurant on Wednesday evening. MEDIAWATCH — Liza Pluto has joined the MSNBC PR team as a manager and will oversee day-to-day comms for "Morning Joe" and perspective weekend programming. She most recently was senior publicity manager at PBS and is a CNN alum. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Faith Oltman is now comms director at the Peace Corps. She most recently was comms director for Columbus, Ohio, city attorney Zach Klein and was the Ohio press secretary for the Biden campaign. WHITE HOUSE ARRIVAL LOUNGE — Dan Pedrotty is now the labor policy adviser for VP Kamala Harris and is also serving as staff director for the White House Task Force on Worker Organizing & Empowerment. He most recently was director of capital strategies for North America's Building Trades Unions. — Aleigha Cavalier is now associate director of the office of political strategy and outreach at the White House. She previously was Northeast states director for the Biden campaign and is a Beto O'Rourke and Deval Patrick alum. NSC ARRIVAL LOUNGE — FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Dean Lieberman, Sean Savett, Kedenard Raymond, Patrick Evans and Saloni Sharma have been named directors for strategic comms and assistant press secretaries at the National Security Council. Jasmine Williams is now policy adviser in that NSC directorate as well. — Audrey Schaffer is now director for space policy at the NSC. She most recently was acting deputy assistant secretary of Defense for space policy. STAFFING UP — Anjali Forber-Pratt is now director of the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research at HHS' Administration for Community Living. She previously was an assistant professor at Vanderbilt and is a two-time Paralympian. TRANSITIONS — Mary Owens is now comms director for Rep. Dan Meuser (R-Pa.). She most recently was press secretary for Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.). … Sunny Mehta is now working in international marketing strategy and fan development at the NFL. He most recently was VP at Marathon Strategies and is a POLITICO alum. … Elie Jacobs is now a partner at Purposeful Communications. He is president of EJ Strategies. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Reps. Alma Adams (D-N.C.), Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.), Scott Perry (R-Pa.), Jennifer Wexton (D-Va.) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) … Henry Kissinger (98) … David Plouffe … NYT's Campbell Robertson and Noam Scheiber … former Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) … AP's Andrew Harnik … POLITICO's Randy Lemmerman and Megan McCrink … E&E News' Cy Zaneski … Katya Dimenstein of Raytheon … Rasheedah Thomas of RC Communications … Brigid Schulte of New America … Turning Point USA's Benny Johnson … Thalia Assuras … PhRMA's Andrew Powaleny … Kelsey Baron ... Andrew Seidman ... Jenny Drucker ... Andrew Fowler … Roberti Global's Drew Cole ... Andrew Overton ... Devin Drewyer ... WaPo's Stefanie Weishaupt Prelesnik ... Devan Barber ... Diana Roday Hosford ... Karen Kirksey ... Cary O'Reilly ... Kris Martinsek ... Jill Wilkins … Marc Stanley … NBC's Cynthia McFadden … Matt McKenna Send Playbookers tips to playbook@politico.com. Playbook couldn't happen without our editor Mike Zapler, deputy editor Zack Stanton and producers Allie Bice, Eli Okun and Garrett Ross. | | | | Sponsored Survey WE VALUE YOUR OPINION: Please take a 1-minute survey about one of our advertising partners. | | | | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
