| | | | |  | | By Eli Okun | | | | 
Many Republicans are hoping that some external force will magically stop Donald Trump from winning the nomination. | Alex Brandon/AP Photo | Deus ex machina: It’s what many Republicans hoped for — and never received — as DONALD TRUMP steamrolled to the GOP presidential nomination in 2016. Almost eight years later, many Republicans (perhaps even the majority of party officials) again want the GOP to coronate someone other than Trump. But they still basically have no strategy for that to happen other than hoping that fate intervenes somehow, The Atlantic’s McKay Coppins reports in a new piece about Republicans’ magical-intervention dreams. Several tell Coppins they’re literally just waiting for the 76-year-old to shuffle off this mortal coil — what former Rep. PETER MEIJER (R-Mich.) describes as “actuarial arbitrage.” Others hope for criminal indictment, a mass donor exodus or the emergence of a 2024 primary savior. But Republicans may be kidding themselves, Coppins writes: “This plague of self-deception among party elites contains obvious echoes of Trump’s early rise to power.” And it raises the prospect that Trump could once again glide past a fractious field of opponents and feckless party institutions to victory. And yet … the past few days have brought meaningful signs of myriad threats to Trump’s resurrection bid. Breaking moments ago, NYT’s William Rashbaum, Ben Protess and Jonah Bromwich reported that Manhattan DA ALVIN BRAGG is presenting evidence today to a grand jury about the STORMY DANIELS hush payments during the 2016 campaign, “laying the groundwork for potential criminal charges against the former president in the coming months.” DAVID PECKER, the former National Enquirer editor, was one of the witnesses going to the grand jury’s building today. “Mr. Bragg’s decision to impanel a grand jury focused on the hush money — supercharging the longest-running criminal investigation into Mr. Trump — represents a dramatic escalation of an inquiry that once appeared to have reached a dead end,” the Times writes. Manhattan isn’t the only investigation ramping up. Fulton County, Ga., DA FANI WILLIS could bring 2020 election-related charges sooner than federal investigators, and her comments in court last week have some observers on notice, AP’s Kate Brumback and Eric Tucker report from Atlanta today. Willis referred to “future defendants,” and said decisions in her probe into the efforts to overturn the election were “imminent.” “Though Willis, a Democrat, didn’t mention Trump by name, her comments marked the first time a prosecutor in any of several current investigations tied to the Republican former president has hinted that charges could be forthcoming.” And even if Trump evades legal issues, the political challenges remain. From Columbia, S.C., Semafor’s Shelby Talcott flags an interesting angle on Trump’s campaign events this weekend: On culture-war issues, he was mostly playing catch-up to the conservative pace-setter, Florida Gov. RON DeSANTIS. On topics like “critical race theory” in schools, “he sounded noticeably like the man everyone expects to be his chief rival.” WHO’S AT DEFAULT — With the looming threat that Congress will fail to raise the debt ceiling, various outlandish ideas for the U.S. to avert default have entered the political conversation, from minting a trillion-dollar coin to auctioning off federal land. Many are seen as little more than gimmicks. But prominent experts at major banks are increasingly taking the side of conservatives who argue that the U.S. could avoid financial calamity via experimental Treasury Department moves to prioritize payments, Zachary Warmbrodt reports. Treasury Secretary JANET YELLEN, the White House and Democrats argue that paying bondholders to avoid a default, but skipping other payments, isn’t feasible. Certainly, it would be risky (and politically perilous). “But disclosures over the past several years — driven in part by investigations by House Republicans — have revealed that officials believe the government has the technical capacity,” Zachary writes. And a growing number of Wall Streeters see this as an out. Good Monday afternoon, and thanks for reading Playbook. Drop me a line at eokun@politico.com.
| | | | A message from The American Petroleum Institute (API): America has the energy resources, innovation, and skilled workforce to meet energy needs while continuing to reduce emissions. But we need the policies to make it happen. API has a plan to protect America from energy challenges together. It’s a plan in three parts – to Make, Move, and Improve American energy. | | | ALL POLITICS GOP NOT BACKING DOWN ON ABORTION — Score one for the anti-abortion advocates who want the party to get more forceful, not moderate, on the issue: A new RNC resolution calls for Republicans to “go on offense in the 2024 election cycle.” The document also urges federal and state legislators “to pass the strongest pro-life legislation possible,” with language indicating six-week abortion bans, as Alice Miranda Ollstein flags. — In the other direction: “Rep. Nancy Mace warns her party to adopt a more ‘centrist’ abortion agenda or lose women voters,” by The 19th’s Mel Leonor Barclay 2024 WATCH — Former Arkansas Gov. ASA HUTCHINSON told USA Today’s Francesca Chambers that he’ll decide on a presidential run in the first half of this year, as he continues to “seriously consider” it. ANNALS OF INFLUENCE — On the heels of multiple recent brouhahas, Southwest Airlines is hiring its first new lobbyist in five years: Former Rep. JERRY COSTELLO (D-Ill.) will take on the FAA reauthorization, Caitlin Oprysko reports. THE NEW GOP — “Politicians Want to Keep Money Out of E.S.G. Funds. Could It Backfire?” by NYT’s Ron Lieber: “States are supposed to act in the best interests of citizens and retirees. Divesting from E.S.G. funds and companies like BlackRock that run them may create legal jeopardy.” Related read: “This group is sharpening the GOP attack on ‘woke’ Wall Street,” by WaPo’s Steven Mufson: “Bankrolled by mysterious donors, a little-known group named Consumers’ Research has emerged as a key player in the conservative crusade to prevent Wall Street from factoring climate change into its investment decisions.” VALLEY TALK TIKTOK ON THE CLOCK — SHOU ZI CHEW, the CEO of TikTok, will testify before House Energy and Commerce on March 23, WSJ’s John McKinnon scooped. He’ll be the sole person going before the panel that day, which he agreed to do voluntarily. It’ll be “the first appearance of a TikTok CEO before a congressional panel.” Energy and Commerce isn’t the only committee homing in on TikTok: The new select committee focused on China competition is focused on the app as well, WaPo’s David Lynch reports. Chair MIKE GALLAGHER (R-Wis.) is interested in banning TikTok or getting it sold to an American owner. His plans are part of a broader rethinking in Washington of the U.S. economic relationship with China. THE WHITE HOUSE INFRASTRUCTURE YEAR — When President JOE BIDEN visits the Baltimore and Potomac Tunnel later today, he’ll highlight a project that will use significant federal funding to create tens of thousands of jobs, The Baltimore Sun’s Jeff Barker previews. Biden will also tout benefits for organized labor, as the Amtrak replacement includes labor agreements with big unions. The project would tackle Amtrak’s worst bottleneck between D.C. and New Jersey and ameliorate chronic delays, WaPo’s Luz Lazo writes. Amtrak Joe, of course,is very well acquainted with this stretch of railway, AP’s Chris Megerian notes.
| | | | STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president’s ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today. | | | | | CONGRESS ONE TO WATCH — Progressives are ramping up their calls for Senate Democrats to ditch the “blue slips” protocol that gives deference to home-state senators on judicial nominees — and one Judiciary Committee member, Sen. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D-Conn.), is open to doing so, WaPo’s Theo Meyer and Leigh Ann Caldwell report. Other Dems are more cautious, saying simply that they hope Republicans don’t abuse the blue slips. But a new letter from Senate Judiciary Chair DICK DURBIN (D-Ill.) warns the GOP that he’s keeping count — and Republicans have returned only 12 blue slips for Biden nominees, compared to 130 from Dems during the Trump years. DOCU-DRAMA — House Oversight Chair JAMES COMER (R-Ky.) said he and ranking member JAMIE RASKIN (D-Md.) will work together on a bipartisan legislative fix to change how documents are stored at the end of a presidency, in light of the recent cascading revelations. More from Jordain Carney in Congress Minutes TOP-ED — Notable for those keeping an eye on Rep. RO KHANNA’s (D-Calif.) ambitions: His chief of staff, GEO SABA, is out with an op-ed in Newsweek today touting Khanna’s bipartisanship and Saba’s own experience living with two GOP leadership staffers. THE TALENTED MR. SANTOS — Rep. GEORGE SANTOS (R-N.Y.) met with KEVIN McCARTHY this morning, the speaker confirmed to CNN’s Manu Raju. JUDICIARY SQUARE MUCK READ — LYNDA BENNETT, an ally of MARK MEADOWS who lost a 2020 congressional primary to MADISON CAWTHORN, is pleading guilty to taking an illegal campaign contribution, Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein scooped. There aren’t many details yet on the nature of the offense. The charging document BEYOND THE BELTWAY LATEST IN MEMPHIS — A sixth Memphis police officer has been suspended in connection with the death of TYRE NICHOLS, officials said today.More from the Memphis Commercial Appeal FIRST THINGS FIRST — NYT’s Maggie Astor has a fun roundup of the initial actions several new governors have taken in their first few weeks — a telling and quirky indicator of what’s getting top priority, and how that varies by partisanship, ideology, geography and personality. Hawaii Gov. JOSH GREEN declared an emergency regarding homelessness. Arkansas Gov. SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS repealed Hutchinson’spandemic-related executive orders. Nebraska Gov. JIM PILLEN laid out bills to lower taxes. Massachusetts Gov. MAURA HEALEY created a student essay contest to decide which former governors’ portraits should be hung. And much more. POLICY CORNER CLIMATE FILES — The massive infusion of federal dollars into the EPA is triggering plenty of outside sniping — from the left and the right — over how the agency will deploy the money, WSJ’s Eric Niiler reports. Community groups and environmental justice advocates are waiting for the EPA to lay out how it will help, while conservatives warn that the funds need strict congressional oversight. COME TO YOUR CENSUS — The Biden administration’s plans to revise race and ethnicity categories on census forms could help various groups of people of color tick boxes that align more closely with their identities, WaPo’s Silvia Foster-Frau reports. The two big changes: (1) People of Middle Eastern and North African heritage will have their own category instead of having to choose white, and (2) Hispanic/Latino people will be able to select just that category without having to add a distinct race. “The proposed changes for the 2030 census could further reduce the White population count and reflect the country’s increasingly diverse makeup.”
| | | | JOIN POLITICO ON 2/9 TO HEAR FROM AMERICA’S GOVERNORS: In a divided Congress, more legislative and policy enforcement will shift to the states, meaning governors will take a leading role in setting the agenda for the nation. Join POLITICO on Thursday, Feb. 9 at World Wide Technology's D.C. Innovation Center for The Fifty: America's Governors, where we will examine where innovations are taking shape and new regulatory red lines, the future of reproductive health, and how climate change is being addressed across a series of one-on-one interviews. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | MEDIAWATCH CHRIS LICHT SPEAKS — The head of CNN talks to the L.A. Times’ Stephen Battaglio about the glare of the spotlight, prioritizing correspondents over contributors and how he lured more Republicans to return to the network for interviews. This exchange stood out to us: Battaglio asks if the network has “deals” with Republicans to appear, and cites Rep. RYAN ZINKE (R-Mont.) coming on CNN during the speaker vote without getting asked about his ethics controversies as Interior secretary. “There are absolutely not deals like that,” Licht answers. “But I think it has to make sense in the scope of the discussion we’re talking about. If he was coming on to promote something that flies in the face of something in his past, then absolutely we would then go, ‘But wait a second, you had to retire,’ or ‘You had to resign because of X, Y and Z.’ But if he’s coming on to talk about a narrow focus, as he did about what was happening on the floor of the House, that is not the appropriate forum. If we’re doing a broad-ranging interview, then of course you’re going to ask those questions.” AMERICA AND THE WORLD BLINKEN ABROAD — As Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN arrived in Israel today, he put out a statement condemning the recent violence in Jerusalem. “Calls for vengeance against more innocent victims are not the answer,” he said. “And acts of retaliatory violence against civilians are never justified.” Blinken is talking today with Israeli PM BENJAMIN NETANYAHU; tomorrow, he’ll meet with Palestinian leaders. More from the NYT FOR YOUR RADAR — U.S. Ambassador to Russia LYNNE TRACY, who started last week, met today with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister SERGEI RYABKOV, per the AP. STORY OF THE DAY — “2 Cuban sisters’ 4,200-mile journey to the U.S. and a new life,” by AP’s Megan Janetsky in Havana: “Their odyssey of more than 4,200 miles (6,000 kilometers) would lead the medical students to question their past lives, race unknowingly against a ticking legal clock and leave them teetering on the edge of death as they tumbled down a cliff. … The Rolo González sisters, like other Cuban migrants, lost hope for the future in their country. Their optimism rested in the hazy prospect of life in the U.S. and a brighter future for the little girl who would have no memories of the island.” PLAYBOOKERS SPOTTED: Goldie Hawn having dinner with Alan Fleischmann and Dafna Tapiero at Cafe Milano last night. (Hawn was visiting family in town.) OUT AND ABOUT — SPOTTED at a party last night celebrating Susan Glasser and Peter Baker’s book “The Divider” ($32)at the LA home of former longtime Washingtonians Meena and Liaquat Ahamed: Dee Dee Myers and Todd Purdum, Todd DeLorenzo, Ben Sheffner, Tim Burger, Lynn Glasser, Laura Glasser, Jeff Glasser, Mark Schoofs, Derek Shearer, John Emerson, Jim Newton, Adam Nagourney and Benjamin Oreskes. — Global Community Corps and Paradox Public Relations held an event for Ukraine’s Territorial Defense Forces at the D.C. townhouse of Brock Pierce on Friday that featured remarks from Global Community Corps President Laura Vanderberg, Eleos-Ukraine Chair Serhiy Dmytriev and Eleos-Ukraine project manager Tetiana Ivanova. SPOTTED: D.C. shadow Sen. Paul Strauss (D), Lachlan Markay, Nathan Kiker, Hollie McKay, David Grasso, Juliee Conde, Oksana Barchuk and Kateryna Lisunova. WHITE HOUSE ARRIVAL LOUNGE — Mark Latonero has joined the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy as deputy director for the National AI Initiative Office. He previously was a senior policy adviser at the National Institute for Standards and Technology, where he worked on the AI Risk Management Framework. WHITE HOUSE DEPARTURE LOUNGE — Liz Jurinka is now operating director for health care policy at the Vistria Group. She previously was special assistant to the president. TRANSITIONS — Eric Chewning is joining HII as a senior executive for strategy and development, Breaking Defense’s Justin Katz reports. He most recently has been a partner at McKinsey, and is a Trump DOD alum. … Abhi Rahman is now a senior director of strategy for Penta Group. He most recently was a VP of comms for H/Advisors Abernathy, and is a Beto O’Rourke alum. … Matt Sommer is now staff director for Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.) on the Senate Aging Committee. He previously was a legislative assistant with Braun. … … Caitlin Rooney is now senior labor policy adviser for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on the Senate HELP Committee. She most recently was director of economic development for Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.). … Kyle McCarthy is now scheduler for Rep. Donald Norcross (D-N.J.). He most recently was scheduler for former Rep. Tom O’Halleran (D-Ariz.). … Emily Lavery is now a VP at Fulcrum Public Affairs. She previously was an investment adviser at AllianceBernstein, and is a Tim Scott alum. 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 and producers Setota Hailemariam and Bethany Irvine.
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