| | | | | |  | | By Eli Okun and Garrett Ross | Presented by Facebook | STICK A FORK IN IT — Dreams of a bipartisan, independent investigation into the Capitol insurrection are probably dashed for good. This afternoon, the Senate failed to break a GOP filibuster on advancing the House-passed legislation to create a Jan. 6 commission. — The final vote was 54-35, well short of the 60-vote threshold needed to break the filibuster. Several senators were out of town in advance of the Memorial Day recess. — Six Republicans voted to move forward with the bill: BILL CASSIDY (La.), SUSAN COLLINS (Maine), LISA MURKOWSKI (Alaska), ROB PORTMAN (Ohio), MITT ROMNEY (Utah) and BEN SASSE (Neb.). Per CNN's Manu Raju, PAT TOOMEY (Pa.) would have been the seventh, but had a family commitment — still leaving the bill three Republicans away from going forward. The latest details from Nicholas Wu The vote came after a night of high drama on the Senate floor, as negotiations over the Endless Frontier Act stretched late amid GOP opposition led by Sen. RON JOHNSON (R-Wis.). This morning, Senate leaders finally decided to push the China-focused bill until after the recess, and moved on to the doomed Jan. 6 commission. Senate Minority Leader MITCH MCCONNELL was reportedly whipping hard against the bill, calling the commission unnecessary with criminal and congressional investigations already underway. He also has told his conference that it would be terrible politics for the GOP ahead of the 2022 midterms. Today, he won out. — But in the process, McConnell appears to have alienated moderates from both parties. Check out these comments in NBC from the most powerful man in the chamber, JOE MANCHIN (D-W.Va.), sounding a lot spicier than he usually gets: "Manchin … sounded increasingly upset with McConnell, saying his actions are complicating 'any chance we have to be bipartisan.' 'Mitch McConnell makes it extremely difficult,' Manchin said. 'Mitch is, I like to think, a person who understands this institution as well if not better than anyone. He's making it so difficult on something as soon as this commission. The commission is something this country needs.' "'There's no excuse. It's just pure raw politics. And that's just so, so disheartening. It really, really is disheartening,' [Manchin] said. 'I never thought I'd see it up close and personal that politics could trump our country. And I'm going to fight to save this country.'" What's next? With control of both chambers of Congress, Democrats can put more energy into committee-led investigations of the insurrection. — Senate Majority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER said in a letter to colleagues, "I reserve the right to force the Senate to vote on the bill again at the appropriate time." — And Speaker NANCY PELOSI put out a blistering statement saying that "Republican Senators surrendered to the January 6th mob assault" and brought "shame to the Senate." "Democrats will proceed to find the truth," she added. But hopes for an independent, bipartisan 9/11 Commission-style reckoning into the insurrection are all but gone. Nick and Sarah Ferris' story last week on Dems' options | | A message from Facebook: The internet has changed a lot since 1996 - internet regulations should too
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– Reforming Section 230 | | | COMING ATTRACTIONS: Schumer said he'll put the For the People Act, the Dems' major voting reform bill, on the Senate floor in the last week of June. Happy Friday afternoon. Playbook PM will be off Monday for Memorial Day, but we'll still be in your inboxes in the morning. BUDGET DAY — "Biden budget won't clear up Congress' infrastructure limbo," by Caitlin Emma, Sarah Ferris and Marianne LeVine: "The release of President JOE BIDEN'S budget on Friday was supposed to be the green light for Democrats to go it alone on his $4 trillion infrastructure plan. … But as long as the White House and Senate GOP are still talking, those party-line plans are essentially on ice. … "'I don't think you have to floor it' on infrastructure, said Sen. TIM KAINE (D-Va.), who argued it's worth taking 'the time to get it right.' … Sen. SHELDON WHITEHOUSE (D-R.I.) — a member of the Budget Committee charged with setting the gears in motion for reconciliation — argued that using Biden's 2022 budget to move ahead now would apply pressure on bipartisan talks." INFLATION WATCH — "Prices jumped 3.6 percent in April, the fastest pace in 13 years," NYT: "The core price index, which [strips] out volatile food and fuel prices, rose 3.1 percent in the year through April — the fastest pace since 1992. Prices rose 0.7 percent compared with the prior month, the biggest increase in two decades. … [C]entral bankers and economists expect that pickup will probably fade with time as producers catch up with consumer demand and the boost from government stimulus disappears." — AND ON THE FLIPSIDE: "Americans' Boost to Spending Is Adding Fuel to Economic Growth," WSJ: "After months of buying goods, many households are now shelling out more for services, dining out, traveling and even visiting the spa. Consumer spending rose by 0.5% in April, the Commerce Department said Friday — a solid increase, though slower than the 4.7% gain the prior month, which was fueled in part by federal stimulus checks." NEW FROM 1600 PENN — "Biden to task White House initiative with coordinating 'comprehensive' response to anti-Asian bias," by The Hill's Morgan Chalfant: "President Biden is signing an executive order on Friday that will formally re-establish the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders … It will be led out of the Department of Health and Human Services. … "Biden is tapping KRYSTAL KA'AI, who since 2013 has served as executive director of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus on Capitol Hill, to lead the initiative as its executive director." | | | | 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. | | | | | BUT WILL HE GET ANOTHER REALITY TV SHOW? — The White House announced RUFUS GIFFORD will be nominated for chief of protocol at the State Department. He was U.S. ambassador to Denmark in the Obama administration. Biden's also tapping KATHLEEN MILLER for deputy undersecretary of Defense (comptroller) and LARRY TURNER for Labor Department IG. ANOTHER RUSSIAN HACK ATTACK — "Microsoft: SolarWinds hackers target 150 orgs with phishing," AP: "The state-backed Russian cyber spies behind the SolarWinds hacking campaign launched a targeted spear-phishing assault on U.S. and foreign government agencies and think tanks this week using an email marketing account of the U.S. Agency for International Development, Microsoft said. "The effort targeted about 3,000 email accounts at more than 150 different organizations, at least a quarter of them involved in international development, humanitarian and human rights work, Microsoft Vice President TOM BURT said in a blog post late Thursday. It did not say what portion of the attempts may have led to successful intrusions." The blog post LATEST FROM THE RUDY CASE — "Judge grants federal prosecutor's request for a 'special master' to review materials seized during Giuliani raid," by CNN's Kara Scannell and Veronica Stracqualursi: "In a decision posted Friday, U.S. District Judge PAUL OETKEN said he agrees a 'special master' is necessary to 'ensure the "perception of fairness" in the investigation into [RUDY] GIULIANI. … "The judge declined Giuliani's request to see the results of the 2019 iCloud search, saying that the government's use of a separate team of attorneys and agents to filter through the content was adequate to protect attorney-client privileges. Oetken also turned down another request from Giuliani for the affidavits submitted in support of the 2019 and 2021 warrants to be unsealed so he can challenge the legality." KNOWING THE INVESTIGATORS — "Trump Case: New York Prosecutor Known for Aggressive Pursuit of Evidence," by WSJ's Corinne Ramey: "The lawyer leading the New York attorney general's criminal investigation into DONALD TRUMP and his business is a former Manhattan prosecutor who is a veteran financial-crimes investigator with a reputation for tenacity. … "[GARY] FISHMAN is leading the criminal aspect of the attorney general's investigation … a role that hasn't been public. Mr. Fishman brings more than two decades of experience investigating white-collar crimes, first for over 15 years at the Manhattan district attorney's office before joining the attorney general's office in 2012. Lawyers who have worked with, and in opposition to, Mr. Fishman said he has a reputation for being tough but fair. He is meticulous and goes to great lengths to get what he needs to make a case, they said." RHETORIC VS. REALITY ON CLIMATE — "Biden's Fossil Fuel Moves Clash With Pledges on Climate Change," by NYT's Lisa Friedman: "[H]is administration has quietly taken actions this month that will guarantee the drilling and burning of oil and gas for decades to come. The clash between Mr. Biden's pledges and some of his recent decisions illustrates the political, technical and legal difficulties of disentangling the country from the oil, gas and coal that have underpinned its economy for more than a century." | | | | 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. | | | | | WINDING DOWN TRADE WARS — "Ahead of Biden Visit, EU Looks to Consign Trade Tensions to Past," by Bloomberg's Alberto Nardelli and Jennifer Jacobs: "When President Joe Biden travels to Brussels next month, the European Union and the U.S. will commit to trying to end the trade conflicts that have tainted the transatlantic relationship while also pledging to work together to move past the Covid-19 pandemic. "The allies will aim to resolve a long-running aircraft dispute by July 11, reach a global consensus on a new tax system by mid-2021 and remove punitive tariffs on steel and aluminum exports by the end of the year, according to a copy of a draft statement obtained by Bloomberg." HUAWEI OR THE HIGHWAY — "Huawei calls on an old friend, Russia, as U.S. sanctions bite down," by WaPo's Eva Dou, Pei Lin Wu and Isabelle Khurshudyan: "Huawei's presence in the West has plummeted since a U.S. trade ban, but in Russia, it's expanding. The company urgently needs to replace U.S. technologies in its supply chain — and it has willing research partners in Russia. One result of the partnerships will launch June 2: a replacement for Google's Android operating system for smartphones." THEN WHO'S THE KANYE? — "Andrew Yang, Political Kardashian," by The Atlantic's Edward-Isaac Dovere: "[ANDREW] YANG is the first celebrity candidate who's famous for being a celebrity candidate — and he's defined the New York City mayoral race around him." — Interesting nugget: "[Yang] told me that he'd be open to backing [Gov. ANDREW] CUOMO for reelection, depending on the state of their working relationship and what would be best for the city." GREAT VACCINATION READ — "Five days, 100 vaccine doses and a wildfire of conspiracy theories," by WaPo's Jose Del Real in Cloverdale, Calif.: "MAYRA [ ARREGUIN] and her fellow organizers hoped the credibility they had earned in the [farmworker] community could sustain them during one final vaccine push before fire season overwhelmed Northern California once again. But distrust was another sort of kindling, and it burned hot here." Washingtonian's Jessica Sidman (@jsidman): "SPOTTED: @PeteButtigieg at @bethesdabagels in Navy Yard." Pic | | | |   | | | | | | | 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 politics and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
