| | | | |  | | By Garrett Ross | | | |  | THE CATCH-UP | | | BREAKING — “Fani Willis admits relationship with prosecutor on Trump Georgia case,” by WaPo’s Holly Bailey and Amy Gardner in Atlanta: “In a 176-page court filing on Friday, [Fulton County DA FANI] WILLIS called the claims against her ‘meritless’ and ‘salacious’ [and] asked a judge to reject motions from [DONALD] TRUMP and other co-defendants that seek to disqualify her and her office from the case and to do so without a hearing. She denied claims of misconduct and said there was no evidence that the relationship between her and special prosecutor NATHAN WADE had prejudiced the case.” SPEAK NOW — “Pentagon to MAGA world: You need to calm down over Taylor Swift,” by Lara Seligman: “Faced with an onslaught of journalist questions about the theory, spokesperson SABRINA SINGH was ready for it. In the name of being honest, Singh vehemently denied Swift is part of a DOD operation. ‘We know all too well the dangers of conspiracy theories, so to set the record straight — TAYLOR SWIFT is not part of a DOD psychological operation. Period,’ Singh told POLITICO.”
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President Joe Biden got a surprisingly strong jobs report Friday morning that will be a boost to his reelection campaign. | Andrew Harnik/AP Photo | JOBS JUMP AGAIN — Business is booming for the American economy, according to a surprisingly strong jobs report out this morning that will put wind behind the sails of President JOE BIDEN’s reelection hopes. The details: The economy added a net 353,000 jobs in January, according to numbers released by the Labor Department this morning — “far surpassing economists’ forecasts, and unemployment remained near a half-century low at 3.7 percent,” our colleagues Victoria Guida and Zachary Warmbrodt write. “What’s more, growth in the labor market was also revised up for November and December.” Whether Biden — and other Democrats on the ballot — can actually sell the news to voters will be another challenge entirely, as evidenced by new polling on the issue. CNN’s Ariel Edwards-Levy writes: “The public’s long-held pessimism about the economy shows signs of easing since last year, a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS finds. But even with the uptick, many Americans’ views of the economy – and the nation as a whole – remain bleak. “Only 35% of Americans say that things in the country today are going well, but that’s an improvement from the 28% who felt positively about the state of affairs last fall. And while just 26% of Americans say they feel the economy is starting to recover from the problems it faced in the past few years, that’s also up from 20% last summer and 17% in December 2022.” Council of Economic Advisers Chair JARED BERNSTEIN is bullish that Biden can change voters’ minds: “If we keep our heads down, we implement his agenda,” then a strong job market where people’s wages outpace prices “will start to show up and how people feel about the economy” will improve, he told reporters following the release of today’s report. On the downside: While today’s news is a welcome sign for Biden, it also “probably shuts the door on an interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve next month, which many Wall Street investors and Democrats have been pressing for as inflation eases,” Victoria and Zachary note. HOLLYWOOD JOE — “Joe Biden To Meet With Black Entertainment Industry Leaders During Los Angeles Visit This Weekend; Campaign To Run Ad On Grammy Show,” by Deadline’s Ted Johnson: “During the campaign visit, the president plans to talk with the industry leaders about the issues at stake in the election and how they can use their platforms to mobilize voters between now and the November election, according to the source.” Happy Friday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. PUNXSUTAWNEY PHIL did not see his shadow this morning in Pennsylvania, so that means we’re in for an early spring. Drop me a line with your best springtime recommendations: gross@politico.com.
| | | | A message from Instagram: More than 75% of parents want to approve the apps teens under 16 download.
According to a new poll from Morning Consult, more than 75% of parents agree: Teens under 16 shouldn’t be able to download apps from app stores without parental permission.1
Instagram wants to work with Congress to pass federal legislation that gets it done.
Learn more.
1"US Parents Study on Teen App Downloads" by Morning Consult (Meta-commissioned survey of 2,019 parents), Nov. 2023. | | | | | 8 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW | | |  Fulton County DA Fani Willis has been subpoenaed by House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio). | Joe Raedle/Getty Images | 1. WHAT WILLIS IS TALKING ABOUT: Fani Willis, the DA in Fulton County, Georgia, handling the prosecution of Trump in the racketeering case, was subpoenaed by House Judiciary Chair JIM JORDAN, “demanding documents from her office following allegations that Willis fired a whistleblower who tried to stop a top campaign aide from misusing federal funds,” NBC’s Katherine Doyle reports. “The subpoena, obtained by NBC News, is part of a broader probe by Jordan, R-Ohio, and House Republicans into whether Willis used federal funds in conducting her more-than-two-year investigation.” Related read: “Trump ally emerged from shadows to deal blow to Ga. case against former president,” by WaPo’s Jon Swaine, Shawn Boburg and Josh Dawsey: “MIKE ROMAN is in the spotlight after his bombshell allegations of an improper relationship between Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and a lawyer she hired to help prosecute the former president” 2. THE WAITING GAME: “Wait for U.S. retaliatory strikes gives Iran-linked militias plenty of time to prepare,” by NBC’s Keir Simmons, Mo Abbas and Khalid Razak in Erbil, Iraq: “As the hours go by without U.S. action, Iran and its allies have been able to prepare, and a senior Iraqi official said Wednesday that Iran-backed militia groups were readying for the expected American strikes.” 3. THE TRIAL TIMELINE: The verdict for Trump’s civil fraud trial in Manhattan brought by New York AG TISH JAMES could be coming sooner than later, according to new guidance from the court. A spokesperson for the Office of Court Administration said that the verdict could be expected in “early to mid-February, as a rough estimate, and subject to modifications,” per CNN’s Lauren del Valle and Devan Cole. “Judge ARTHUR ENGORON is poised to issue a written ruling on fraud claims against Trump and his co-defendants, which includes his adult sons and his company. The attorney general has said Trump and his company should pay $370 million in disgorgement for their ill-gotten gains.”
| | | | A message from Instagram:   | | | 4. WAR REPORT: A new AP-NORC poll finds that about half of U.S. adults think Israel’s war in Gaza has “gone too far,” a finding “driven mainly by growing disapproval among Republicans and political independents,” AP’s Ellen Knickmeyer and Linley Sanders write. “Broadly, the poll shows support for Israel and the Biden administration’s handling of the situation ebbing slightly further across the board. The poll shows 31% of U.S. adults approve of Biden’s handling of the conflict, including just 46% of Democrats. That’s as an earlier spike in support for Israel following the Hamas attacks Oct. 7 sags.” 5. PAST LIVES: BERNIE MORENO, a businessman who is one of three Republicans running for Senate in Ohio, has come to embrace Trump as he aims to unseat Sen. SHERROD BROWN (D-Ohio) this November. But he once wasn’t so fond of the former president. Back in 2016, Moreno said there was “no scenario” where he would support Trump, labeling him a “fake Republican” who stokes “hatred and fear,” CNN’s Andrew Kaczynski and Em Steck report, citing now-deleted tweets and previously unreported audio clips from interviews. The response: “Moreno’s spokesman told CNN, ‘It’s no secret that Bernie, like many others, was initially skeptical of President Trump, but he has never been so happy to be proven wrong about something.’ … In response to a request by CNN for evidence of his support for Trump in 2020, Moreno’s campaign provided a picture of the back of a man’s head they purported to show Moreno attending a speech in October 2020 by then-Trump campaign surrogate RICHARD GRENELL at a Trump Victory Committee event in Cleveland.” 6. KNOWING KATIE PORTER: “How Katie Porter harnesses her blunt style and single-mom experience in her Senate campaign,” by LA Times’ Benjamin Oreskes: “Porter’s three terms as an outspoken Democratic member of Congress holding down a competitive Orange County district have been defined by her blunt demeanor, professorial intellect and sometimes polarizing behavior. Those traits tend to stir things up inside both the U.S. Capitol and her four-bedroom home in Irvine, which she shares with a college student who helps take care of the children while Porter is away. Her decision to run for the U.S. Senate has put all of it on full display.”
| | | | STEP INSIDE THE GOLDEN STATE POLITICAL ARENA: POLITICO’s California Playbook newsletter provides a front row seat to the most important political news percolating in the state’s power centers, from Sacramento and Los Angeles to Silicon Valley. Authors Lara Korte and Dustin Gardiner deliver exclusive news, buzzy scoops and behind-the-scenes details that you simply will not get anywhere else. Subscribe today and stay ahead of the game! | | | | | 7. SCOTUS WATCH: “How lawyers in the Trump ballot case are training for the Supreme Court arguments,” by CNN’s Joan Biskupic: “Lawyer JASON MURRAY, taking the lead next week in the Supreme Court battle to keep Donald Trump off presidential ballots, has never argued before the justices. JONATHAN MITCHELL, representing Trump, is a well-known conservative advocate with some experience at the court – yet none in a case close to this magnitude. As of Friday, both men will move their operations to Washington and tap into a sophisticated network of lawyers who’ve stood many times in the well of the courtroom and are positioned to channel the justices.” 8. DANCE OF THE SUPERPOWERS: “China and the U.S. Are Talking, but Their Détente Has Limits,” by NYT’s David Pierson and Olivia Wang: “Even as the world’s two superpowers are working to manage frictions, the diplomacy has also exposed the chasm at the heart of the tensions: how to define the relationship. The Biden administration has maintained that the countries are strategic competitors, and that the meetings are crucial to ensuring that the rivalry does not veer into conflict. Chinese officials, however, reject that framing, seeing competition as code for containment.” Related read: “Air Force preps for mega overhaul with an eye toward China,” by Paul McLeary and Lee Hudson
| | | | CONGRESS OVERDRIVE: Since day one, POLITICO has been laser-focused on Capitol Hill, serving up the juiciest Congress coverage. Now, we’re upping our game to ensure you’re up to speed and in the know on every tasty morsel and newsy nugget from inside the Capitol Dome, around the clock. Wake up, read Playbook AM, get up to speed at midday with our Playbook PM halftime report, and fuel your nightly conversations with Inside Congress in the evening. Plus, never miss a beat with buzzy, real-time updates throughout the day via our Inside Congress Live feature. Learn more and subscribe here. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Roberta Kaplan says Donald Trump threw a fit over his team offering her lunch at Mar-a-Lago. Donald Trump doesn’t want Jerome Powell to stick around if he is reelected. Gabe Kaminsky is not, in fact, the top football recruit you’re looking for. POLITICO NEWS — Alexandra Manzano is now managing editor for Washington initiatives and newsroom development at POLITICO. She previously was managing editor for content strategy and platforms. Read the announcement OUT AND ABOUT — The Beer Institute and the National Barley Growers Association hosted their annual Barley, Brews & Boots reception in Rayburn Cafeteria on Wednesday evening to celebrate barley growers’ role in the brewing process. SPOTTED: Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Reps. Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.), Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) and Doug LaMalfa (R-Calif.), Susan Haney, Annie Lange, Bill Young, Andrew Heritage, Jeff Guittard, Jordan Zuccarelli, Tom Hance, Dale Thorenson, Blair Elias, Alec French, Carl Thorsen, Ben Staub, Richard Crawford, Edgar Guillaumin and Liz Lopez. — SPOTTED last night at Allegory celebrating Niki Christoff’s “Tech’ed Up” podcast: Eric Schultz, Julian Ha, Paige Soya, Penny Lee, Adam Kovacevich, Molly Ball, Niloofar Razi Howe, Malcom Glenn, Dorothy Chou, David and Ann Castagnetti, Courtney Robinson, Susan Hendrick and Lauren Belive. 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, producer Andrew Howard and Playbook Daily Briefing producer Callan Tansill-Suddath.
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