| | | |  | | By Eli Okun | | Presented by |  | | | With help from Makayla Gray
|  | THE CATCH-UP | | | 
President Donald Trump is changing his approach by sending Tom Homan to Minneapolis, even as the White House continues to blame Democrats for the deaths of protesters. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | THE LATEST IN MINNEAPOLIS: President Donald Trump appeared to stage something of a strategic retreat from his intense immigration crackdown in Minnesota, indicating at least partial steps to deescalate after the second killing of a U.S. citizen inflamed the nation. Happening tonight: Trump announced that he’s sending border czar Tom Homan to Minneapolis, and press secretary Karoline Leavitt elaborated that Homan will be in charge of ICE’s operations there (as well as working with fraud investigators). The administration’s goal is for Homan to be a “mediator” who can talk with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey about cooperating on immigration enforcement — perhaps pulling back Border Patrol if local leaders will work with ICE, Semafor’s Shelby Talcott reports. “That is intentional,” one administration official tells POLITICO’s Myah Ward of the change. “Tom needs to be in charge.” The pivot: Some congressional Republicans welcomed the Homan news, hoping he can turn down the temperature, POLITICO’s Meredith Lee Hill reports. Some DHS officials also sounded relieved, as the change “suggests a potential sidelining of the heavy-handed tactics used by top Border Patrol official Gregory Bovino” and supported by Secretary Kristi Noem, CNN’s Priscilla Alvarez reports. Trump also posted that he had a “very good” call with Walz, a big shift in his rhetoric toward local Democratic leaders. The investigation: There is body camera footage of Alex Pretti’s killing from multiple angles, which investigators are looking at, NBC’s Julia Ainsley and Daniel Arkin scooped. But but but: Leavitt continued to blame Democratic leaders for Pretti’s death at this afternoon’s press briefing and reiterated the administration’s demands for immigration cooperation. Working with ICE would still be a tall demand for Walz and Frey, who have demanded that the feds end their Minnesota operation, and for the protesters who have flooded the streets for weeks amid thousands of immigration arrests. Walz’s office had a different readout of the Trump call: They said it was “productive” and that Walz pressed Trump for independent investigations into agents’ recent fatal shootings of protesters. Walz’s office also said Trump “agreed to look into reducing the number of federal agents in Minnesota” and cooperating more on operations targeted at violent criminals. Divides in the administration: Noem and Corey Lewandowski’s ultra-aggressive approach has also extended to an “aggressive campaign to make U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott so uncomfortable at work that he would resign,” the Washington Examiner’s Anna Giaritelli scooped. DHS responded that the whole administration is on the same page about immigration enforcement. Nota bene: Trump also announced that the Justice Department is investigating Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) over her newly increased wealth, which disclosures show largely came from her spouse’s income from a venture capital firm and a winery, per POLITICO’s Cheyanne Daniels. In the courts: Federal judge Kate Menendez did not issue any immediate ruling in today’s hearing, where Minnesota leaders are seeking to have the courts end Trump’s immigration surge, but said she’ll move quickly. But she had some sharp questions for the state’s lawyer, per NYT’s Mitch Smith. Political fallout: The intense backlash to Pretti’s death has extended to Fox News, where Trey Gowdy criticized the administration for leaping to label him a “domestic terrorist.” Deputy AG Todd Blanche today on Fox News claimed of his colleagues, “I don’t think anybody thinks that they were comparing what happened on Saturday to the legal definition of domestic terrorism” — which is precisely what Noem did this weekend. Meanwhile, Democratic furor over DHS funding prompted a mea culpa today from Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.), who said he “failed to view the DHS funding vote as a referendum on the illegal and immoral conduct of ICE in Minneapolis.” Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) said she’ll oppose DHS funding without reforms. House Appropriations Chair Tom Cole (R-Okla.) called for an independent investigation but told POLITICO’s Jennifer Scholtes that Democrats triggering a government shutdown would be “just nuts.” Sign of the times: Nobody encapsulates the political shift better than Chris Madel, who’s both the pro bono lawyer for Jonathan Ross (the agent who killed Renee Good) and a GOP candidate for governor — until today. Madel announced he’s dropping out of the race and decried federal agents’ tactics, even though he supports going after illegal immigration. “I can’t look my daughters in the eye and say I’m running as a Republican, when they’re pulling over Hispanics and Asians because of the color of the skin and what they look like,” Madel told WSJ’s Neil Mehta and Valerie Bauerlein. Madel said he can’t support “stated retribution on the citizens of our state, nor can I count myself a member of a party that would do so.” The step back: “A Crisis of Confidence for ICE and Border Patrol as Clashes Escalate,” by NYT’s Nicholas Nehamas and colleagues: “Current and former officials describe growing frustration and disillusionment with the Trump administration’s approach, even as they support the goal of immigration enforcement.” Good Monday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me a line at eokun@politico.com.
| | | | A message from AHIP: Medicare Advantage saves seniors $3,400 a year. Medicare Advantage provides better health care at lower overall costs than fee-for-service Medicare, along with important extra benefits and a cap on expenses. More than 35 million seniors and people with disabilities choose Medicare Advantage. They are counting on policymakers to keep the bipartisan commitment to protect and strengthen it. Learn more. | | | | | | 7 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW | | 1. TRAIL MIX: Republican Perry Johnson is launching another bid for governor of Michigan — and he’s jumping in with a splash. The Detroit News’ Nolan Finley reports that the businessman and former presidential contender plans to invest $9 million of his fortune over the next two months, including ads during the Super Bowl, with messaging focused on ending the state income tax and improving government efficiency. Also making a second bid for governor, over in Oregon, is former NBA player Chris Dudley, who jumped into the GOP field today, per KATU’s Bobby Corser. Race for the House: Democratic attorney Taylor Wettach announced that he’ll end his campaign for Iowa’s 1st District and instead run for state auditor, per the Des Moines Register’s Marissa Payne. Primary colors: David Hogg’s Leaders We Deserve is backing Patrick Roath’s progressive primary challenge to Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.), POLITICO’s Kelly Garrity reports. … In the Texas Senate GOP primary, POLITICO’s Liz Crampton and Jessica Piper trace how escalating anti-Muslim rhetoric has become a defining feature of the race. “The Muslim community is the boogeyman for this cycle,” one Texas GOP consultant says. “One hundred percent this message works.” 2. MIDDLE EAST LATEST: The USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group has now made it to the Indian Ocean, within U.S. Central Command’s region, CNN’s Zachary Cohen and Oren Liebermann report. That places the ships closer to Iran, which Trump has threatened with attacks for reportedly killing thousands of protesters, though they’re “not necessarily in a final position for any potential operation.” On the flip side: Houthi rebels in Yemen and a paramilitary group in Iraq, both supported by Iran, indicated that they could stage new attacks if the U.S. strikes Iran, AP’s Jon Gambrell reports. 3. AFFORDABILITY ANGLE: New polling from NYT/Siena shows just how difficult high costs have made the dream of a comfortable life for many Americans. A majority of voters say that education and housing are unaffordable, and two-thirds see a middle-class lifestyle as unattainable for most people. Younger people are especially pessimistic. But voters are roughly evenly split over whether to blame Trump or Joe Biden (or neither) for problems with the economy. The latest squeeze: With enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies gone, millions of Americans (especially middle-income earners without workplace insurance) are struggling this month with skyrocketing health insurance costs. Some have chosen to go uninsured entirely, WSJ’s Rachel Louise Ensign reports.
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➡️ Sign up for POLITICO Forecast. | | | | | 4. AS FILING SEASON BEGINS TODAY: “Trump Hobbled the I.R.S. This C.E.O. Now Has to Make It Work,” by NYT’s Andrew Duehren: “[New rules] could fuel a rush of additional questions for the I.R.S. during the 10-week filing season, which the agency will have to handle with its significantly smaller staff. … [CEO Frank Bisignano] has quickly won some fans at the I.R.S., where there’s respect for his experience at large financial services companies and relief at the stability he appears to bring to the agency. … The hope among some current and former I.R.S. officials is that Mr. Bisignano represents a shift away from the Trump administration’s attempted demolition … and toward a more functional and professional equilibrium.” 5. TRADE WAR LATEST: “The U.S. is taking a minority stake in an Oklahoma rare earth miner, the latest government investment in the sector as it seeks to minimize its reliance on imports of a material used prevalently in smartphones, robotics, electric vehicles and many other high tech products,” AP’s Michelle Chapman reports. The $1.6 billion stake by the Commerce Department, the third such investment by the U.S. in a rare-earths company, comes as the Trump administration seeks to keep mineral sourcing at home and away from the global grip of mineral-dominant China. 6. FOR YOUR RADAR: Talks between the U.S. and Afghanistan over the release of detained Americans have hit an impasse, NYT’s Elian Peltier and Adam Goldman report. The Taliban is pushing for Muhammad Rahim, Afghanistan’s last inmate held in Guantánamo Bay, to be set free as part of a deal. And the Trump administration demands the release of at least three Americans, but the Taliban claims to only have two — Dennis Walter Coyle and Polynesis Jackson — claiming they don’t know where Mahmood Habibi is. At stake is not only the future of these detainees, but also any continuing diplomatic relationship between the two countries. 7. PAGING ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR.: “Defying CDC, Pediatricians Recommend All Kids Get Vaccinations Against 18 Diseases,” by WSJ’s Andrea Petersen: “The [American Academy of Pediatrics], which released its recommendations Monday, kept its guidance largely unchanged from its previous version from last year. The group said it doesn’t endorse the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s childhood-vaccine schedule. The agency now recommends all children get vaccinated against 11 diseases.”
| | | | A message from AHIP:  
| | | | | | TALK OF THE TOWN | | PLAYBOOK METRO SECTION — “After the deadly DCA crash, some airspace rules have changed. Is it enough?” by WaPo’s Lori Aratani and colleagues: “As the anniversary of the collision that killed 67 people approaches, some experts say more can still be done to prevent future tragedies.” OUT AND ABOUT — Justin Herman and Maggie Dougherty hosted a Burns Night celebration of poet Robert Burns at their home, The Green Light, with a bagpipe procession through Capitol Hill, haggis and whiskies. SPOTTED: Zach and Rebecca Graves, James Barbour, Liz Banicki, Tristram Perry, Michael David Thomas, Spencer Mahony, Isaac Gilmore, Wells King, Jessie Wall, Carolina Ramos, Adam Palmer, Meg Reiss, Ian Banks, Milica Cosic, Theresa Campobasso, Max Bodach, Annie Kowalewski, Cameron Kieffer and Josh Levine. MEDIA MOVES — POLITICO has named Andrew Briz newsroom architect and Hadley Robinson director of audience for D.C. Robinson previously worked at WaPo. … Nicholas Wu is joining Semafor to cover the House. He currently works at POLITICO. TRANSITIONS — Former Polish President Andrzej Duda is now a distinguished visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation. … Logan Van de Water is now comms director for Rep. Hillary Scholten (D-Mich.). She previously worked at Plus Communications and is a Joe Manchin alum. … … The American Council on Renewable Energy has added Colin Meehan as VP for grid campaigns, Chris Higginbotham as VP for comms, ️Alisa Fox as director of grid campaigns, Claire Stirling as director of events️ and Allie Chapman as manager of policy and engagement. … Nicholas Krebs is now policy manager at Internet Works. He previously worked at Dewey Square Group. BONUS BIRTHDAY: Jarrod Bernstein of Morrison Cohen Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here. Send Playbookers tips to playbook@politico.com or text us on Signal here. Playbook couldn’t happen without our deputy editor Garrett Ross.
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