Megan Rapinoe's private ask of Biden

Aug 18, 2022 View in browser   By Max Tani and Alex Thompson Welcome to POLITICO's West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people and power centers in the Biden administration. With help from Allie Bice.  Send tips | Subscribe here | Email Alex | Email Max U.S. soccer star MEGAN RAPINOE was surely ecstatic earlier this summer to receive a call from President JOE BIDEN letting her know he was awarding her the Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor a president can bestow. But the famously politically-active Olympian didn't let the celebratory moment stop her from making a request of the most powerful man in the world. Multiple people familiar with the matter told West Wing Playbook that Rapinoe also used her call with Biden to raise the issue of BRITTNEY GRINER 's detention in Russia, urging him to take more steps to secure her release. The White House did not respond to multiple requests for comment about the call. One person familiar with the call said Biden assured Rapinoe that his national security team was pursuing every avenue to try to secure her release as quickly as possible, and would continue to support her family. While Griner's detention has galvanized numerous prominent athletes like LEBRON JAMES, STEPH CURRY , and others, Rapinoe has been one of the more outspoken on the issue. During an impassioned speech at the ESPYs, she called for Griner's release. And she wore a white suit with the letters "BG" emblazoned on the lapel as a tribute to Griner when Biden bestowed the medal of freedom on her in July. "I know the administration is working really hard to get her home, it's obviously a difficult situation, but we need to get her home immediately," she said during an interview with ABC News in July. "I think we can do more, I think we can always do more." The public and private pressure campaign from Griner's family and prominent celebrities like Rapinoe has had an impact. In the days after the two talked, Biden got on a call with Griner's wife CHERELLE GRINER, who had publicly expressed frustration with the Biden administration over the length of the WNBA superstar's detention, and the pace of negotiations. Griner's team also enlisted KAREN FINNEY, a veteran Democratic strategist, to help galvanize some of the president's supporters to bring attention to the case. Since then, the administration has gradually moved to acknowledge it's engaged in a potential deal to get the WNBA superstar and former U.S. marine PAUL WHELAN home from Russia. The duo are part of talks that also involve the potential exchange of VIKTOR BOUT, an arms dealer serving prison time in the U.S. who Russia has been lobbying to get back for years. But progress remains elusive. The basketball star's camp is currently in wait-and-see mode as the case continues to make its way through the Russian legal system with Griner's Russian legal team earlier this week appealing her conviction on drug smuggling charges. Many of the biggest advocates for her release have largely gone quiet in an attempt not to disrupt ongoing negotiations: Griner's wife has ceased participating in national media appearances for the moment. A Russian official said on Thursday that the U.S. and Russia were engaged in "quiet diplomacy," over the detention of the WNBA superstar. Remarkably, as the Griner saga plays out, Russia-based basketball teams are still attempting to recruit U.S. players to their leagues. According to one international basketball industry insider, offers have been made to play this year, even as Griner lingers in a Russian jail. But after reaching out to representatives for professional basketball players who played in Russia last year, West Wing Playbook could not find a single U.S. basketball player who actually planned to compete professionally in the country, at least this year. At least one sports agent told West Wing Playbook that the players were opting to play in other international leagues instead. STEFANO MELLER , whose agency represents American power forward AARON CARVER — who played for a Russian basketball team last year — said he would be playing in Italy this year. MESSAGE US — Are you an American pro basketball player headed to Russia to play this year? Are you SHABAZZ NAPIER? We want to hear from you! And we'll keep you anonymous if you'd like. Or if you think we missed something in today's edition, let us know and we may include it tomorrow. Email us at westwingtips@politico.com.   STAY UP TO DATE WITH CONGRESS MINUTES: Need to follow the action on Capitol Hill blow-by-blow? Check out Minutes, POLITICO's platform that delivers the latest exclusives, twists and much more in real time. Get it on your desktop or download the POLITICO mobile app for iOS or Android. CHECK OUT CONGRESS MINUTES HERE.     POTUS PUZZLER This one is from Allie. When did the construction of the THOMAS JEFFERSON memorial begin? (Answer at the bottom.) The Oval WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE WANTS YOU TO READ: Prices for chicken wings—arguably America's greatest food— are down to their lowest levels since 2018, according to the Department of Agriculture's price index. "The average wholesale price of a pound of wings [fell] to about $1.68 in July, and trending even lower for August," NBC News reports. White House deputy communications director KATE BERNER retweeted a segment from this morning's Today show about it. MITCH LANDRIEU, the infrastructure "czar," also tweeted : " #DarkBrandon strikes again. Just in time for football season." WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE DOESN'T WANT YOU TO READ: This fact check from the Washington Post's GLENN KESSLER examining Biden's boast that the new semiconductor bill would create "more than 1 million construction jobs alone over the next six years," as he said when he signed it on August 9th. When asked for evidence of that claim, the White House pointed to a report from the advocacy group Semiconductor Industry Association (not exactly a neutral party). Kessler read the report and found that it actually didn't support the White House's claim. Ultimately, the White House conceded–via an anonymous official–that "there was a mix-up and this should have referred to the total jobs resulting from the legislation." Even so, Biden's tweet claiming there will be "more than 1 million construction jobs" remains up. A POX ON THE WHITE HOUSE: The U.S. has known for years it didn't have enough doses of the smallpox vaccine, which is now used to fight off the monkeypox, in its Strategic National Stockpile, our ERIN BANCO and HELEN COLLINS report. Officials told Erin and Helen that the U.S. never had the money to purchase the millions of doses that experts felt were necessary, and now that decision is affecting how the administration is able to manage monkeypox outbreaks. ON THE HORIZON: State and local public health officials are expecting the Biden administration to extend the Covid-19 public health emergency for another 90 days, our DAVID LIM reports. An Health and Human Service spokesperson said the agency "will provide a 60-day notice to states before any possible termination or expiration." Though states haven't heard from the administration, LARRY LEVITT , the executive vice president for health policy at the Kaiser Family Foundation, says the silence "means that the public health emergency will almost certainly be extended into January 2023." Extending the emergency keep around telehealth services and boosted payments to hospitals and other initiatives put in place to ease the impact of the pandemic. THE BUREAUCRATS PERSONNEL SHUFFLES: JENNIFER BERLIN is now assistant national cyber director for stakeholder engagement at the Office of the National Cyber Director. She most recently was deputy chief of staff for the deputy secretary of defense, DANIEL LIPPMAN has learned.  — DRENAN DUDLEY is now assistant national cyber director for budget review and assessment, also at the Office of the National Cyber Director. She was most recently a professional staffer for the Senate Appropriations Committee's homeland security subcommittee. —LORAND LASKAI is now deputy assistant national cyber director for strategy and research. He is a recent graduate of Yale Law School who served on the Biden-Harris transition. — JOSE FONTANEZ is now special assistant to the National Cyber Director. He most recently was director of scheduling for Rep. LOU CORREA (D-Calif.).   Agenda Setting TAIWAN TRADE TALKS: The U.S. and Taiwan have agreed on terms for negotiating bilateral trade agreements, following Beijing's latest military moves around the island, our DOUG PALMER reports. Deputy United States Trade Representative SARAH BIANCHI said both parties "plan to pursue an ambitious schedule for achieving high-standard commitments and meaningful outcomes."  The first round of talks are expected to happen this fall. What We're Reading Breathing room for Biden: Big summer wins ease 2024 doubts (AP's Will Weissert and Zeke Miller) U.S. Plans to Shift Bill for Covid Shots and Treatments to Insurers, Patients (WSJ's Stephanie Armour) U.S. border enforcement chief acknowledges "human cost" of Title 42 migrant expulsions (CBS News' Camilo Montoya-Galvez) 'Dark Brandon' Rises, and Buoys Biden's Beleaguered Faithful (NYT's Blake Hounshell) What We're Watching Playbook Deep Dive's interview with White House Chief of Staff RON KLAIN tomorrow morning. POTUS PUZZLER ANSWER Construction for the THOMAS JEFFERSON memorial at the Tidal Basin began on November 17, 1938. According to the National Park Service , "on this very same day, a group of 50 women marched on the White House, armed with a petition to stop damage to the cherry trees that were to be uprooted by memorial construction. "The following day, the same women chained themselves to a tree at the construction site, aiming to stop the work. This became known as the 'Cherry Tree Rebellion.'" A CALL OUT — Do you have a harder trivia question? Send us your best one about the presidents with a citation and we may feature it. Edited by Eun Kyung Kim and Sam Stein.   INTRODUCING POWER SWITCH: The energy landscape is profoundly transforming. Power Switch is a daily newsletter that unlocks the most important stories driving the energy sector and the political forces shaping critical decisions about your energy future, from production to storage, distribution to consumption. Don't miss out on Power Switch, your guide to the politics of energy transformation in America and around the world. SUBSCRIBE TODAY.       Follow us on Twitter Alex Thompson @AlexThomp Maxwell Tani @maxwelltani Allie Bice @alliebice   Follow us

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