DOCU-DRAMA — The FBI this morning arrived at former VP MIKE PENCE’s Indiana home to conduct a formal consensual search of the premises for any classified documents, our colleague Adam Wren reports from suburban Indianapolis, citing a police officer who was blocking traffic on the street. “In January, Pence’s lawyer GREG JACOB found a dozen classified documents in the home, a revelation he reported in a letter to the National Archives.” Today’s search had been expected for a few weeks. More from Adam, with a pic WHITE HOUSE SHAKEUP — KATE BEDINGFIELD is leaving the White House as comms director, stepping down at the end of this month after two years on the job. She will be replaced by BEN LaBOLT. Bedingfield has been with JOE BIDEN since the Obama administration, working in multiple comms-focused roles in the White House, including as comms director for the then-VP. She also was deputy campaign manager for Biden’s 2020 run. LaBolt ran the comms operation for the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice KETANJI BROWN JACKSON and was an adviser on nominations for the transition team. He also was a key member of the comms team for the Obama-Biden campaigns in 2008 and 2012. Currently, he is a partner at Bully Pulpit Interactive. The White House also noted that LaBolt will be the first openly gay White House comms director. More from Eli Stokols JUST POSTED — “U.S. developed method to track China’s spy balloon fleet within last year, sources say,” by CNN’s Natasha Bertrand Katie Bo Lillis SANTOS V. SINEMA — The latest drama surrounding Rep. GEORGE SANTOS (R-N.Y.) has now pulled in another member of Congress who is no stranger to the spotlight of the Capitol: Sen. KYRSTEN SINEMA (I-Ariz.). Santos in an interview yesterday claimed that just before his pre-SOTU spat with Sen. MITT ROMNEY (R-Utah), Sinema told him: “Hang in there, buddy.” Santos added that she was “very polite, very kindhearted.” Sinema’s office denies that this interaction ever happened. Spox HANNAH HURLEY told NBC’s Rebecca Shabad, Julie Tsirkin and Kate Santaliz that Santos’ recollection is “a lie.” Sinema and Santos “never spoke, Hurley said, and Sinema was not aware of the exchange between Santos and Romney until the GOP senator filled her in afterward,” per NBC. Tale of the tape: In the clip where Romney and Santos exchange words, Sinema can be seen walking just ahead of Romney (the two sat next to each other during the speech). She does appear to briefly turn her head back as Romney and Santos begin to speak, but the video does not show whether she speaks, or to whom. Sinema’s office says she “spoke to folks on the aisle she used to serve with.” Watch the clip CNN LOOKS FOR A REBOUND — CHRIS LICHT, the relatively new head honcho at CNN is turning to an all-star as he looks to return the network to the top of the standings. That’s right: Licht is negotiating a move to bring CHARLES BARKLEY onto his bench of talent for a “news-oriented primetime show,” Puck’s Dylan Byers reports. “The conceit is that a genuine, outspoken, often humorous figure like Barkley might be a bigger draw than the traditional self-serious newsman, and might be better suited to ask guests the kinds of questions that average Americans actually care about.” HAPPENING TODAY — Biden is welcoming Brazilian President LUIZ INÁCIO LULA DA SILVA to the White House today, where the two leaders are expected to discuss “efforts to safeguard democracy, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, insecurity in Haiti, migration and climate change, including efforts to stem deforestation of the Amazon,” AP’s David Biller and Aamer Madhani write. COMING SOON — “Biden prepares largest Pentagon budget in history as spending cuts loom,” by Lara Seligman: “Officials are ‘very close’ to settling on a final topline number for the Defense Department, which the White House will include as part of its overall fiscal 2024 budget request set for release on March 9, Pentagon Comptroller MICHAEL McCORD said in an interview.” Related read: “Pentagon looks to restart top-secret programs in Ukraine,” by WaPo’s Wesley Morgan Happy Friday afternoon, and thanks for reading Playbook PM. The Super Bowl is this Sunday. I’m gonna try to continue my run of correct sports predictions. Give me the Eagles to lift the Lombardi. Go Birds. Send me your prediction or your favorite Super Bowl recipe: gross@politico.com.
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ALL POLITICS NUMBER OF THE DAY — AP’s Hannah Fingerhut digs into one midterms statistic that could offer split views for each party on how they will approach the 2024 election: “Roughly 1 in 6 voters for Democratic House candidates said they disapproved of Biden’s job performance, according to AP VoteCast, an extensive nationwide survey of the electorate. Two-thirds of these voters said Biden was not a factor, good or bad, in their midterm decisions.” The GOP takeaway: “A constant stream of attacks on Biden may have little effect on voters who will accept him over GOP contenders seen as too extreme.” The Dem takeaway: “The surprisingly strong Democratic performance last year might not translate into energy around his reelection.” CONGRESS CALLING IN COUNSEL — “DHS hires private law firm to defend against possible impeachment of Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas,” by CNN’s Priscilla Alvarez: “The law firm is Debevoise & Plimpton, according to one source. While the Department of Homeland Security Office of General Counsel has various lawyers to deal with matters, including immigration and cybersecurity, the outside firm is being brought in on a government contract and only be utilized to the extent it is needed throughout the process, another source said.” INSIDE FETTERMAN’S RECOVERY — “Fetterman, Recovering After Stroke, Labors to Adjust to Life in the Senate,” by NYT’s Annie Karni: Sen. JOHN “FETTERMAN [(D-Pa.)] declined to be interviewed for this story. But aides and confidantes describe his introduction to the Senate as a difficult period, filled with unfamiliar duties that are taxing for someone still in recovery: meetings with constituents, attending caucus and committee meetings, appearing in public at White House events and at the State of the Union address, as well as making appearances in Pennsylvania. The most evident disability is a neurological condition that impairs his hearing. … “It has been less than a year since the stroke transformed him from someone with a large stature that suggested machismo — a central part of his political identity — into a physically altered version of himself, and he is frustrated at times that he is not yet back to the man he once was. He has had to come to terms with the fact that he may have set himself back permanently by not taking the recommended amount of rest during the campaign. And he continues to push himself in ways that people close to him worry are detrimental.” TALES FROM THE CRYPTO — “Republicans investigate SEC role in Bankman-Fried arrest,” by Eleanor Mueller
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BEYOND THE BELTWAY DeSANTIS DOWNLOAD — “DeSantis, Aiming at a Favorite Foil, Wants to Roll Back Press Freedom,” by NYT’s Ken Bensinger: Florida Gov. RON DeSANTIS “is the latest figure, and among the most influential, to join a growing list of Republicans calling on the court to revisit the 1964 ruling, known as The New York Times Company v. Sullivan. … But emboldened by the Supreme Court’s recent willingness to overturn longstanding precedent, conservative lawyers, judges, legal scholars and politicians have been leading a charge to review the decision and either narrow it or overturn it entirely.” — “DeSantis wanted to ban guns at event, but not to be blamed, emails show,” by WaPo’s Beth Reinhard THE WAR ON OVERDOSES — “Workers Fighting America’s Overdose Crisis Are ‘Hanging by a Thread,’” by NYT’s Noah Weiland: “Biden has endorsed ‘harm reduction,’ which aims to cut down on overdoses by encouraging safer drug use. But the organizations carrying out that strategy are severely underfunded.” AMERICA AND THE WORLD HEADS UP — “U.S. test launches unarmed intercontinental ballistic missile,” AP THE VIEW FROM BEIJING — “China, Still Trying to Play Down Balloon, Finds It’s Getting Harder to Do,” by NYT’s Vivian Wang in Beijing EARTHQUAKE LATEST IN SYRIA — “14 aid trucks enter northwest Syria as death toll crosses 22,000,” by WaPo’s Ellen Francis, Niha Masih, Claire Parker and Kareem Fahim … AND TURKEY — “What the Earthquake Destroyed in the Heart of One Turkish City,” visual story by NYT’s Leanne Abraham, Agnes Chang, Lauren Leatherby, Scott Reinhard, Pablo Robles, Ashley Wu and Julie Walton Shaver PLAYBOOKERS OUT AND ABOUT — SPOTTED at the American Flood Coalition’s reception for the new Congress at Sonoma: Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and Reps. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.), Andrew Garbarino (R-N.Y.), Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa) and Zach Nunn (R-Iowa). — Middle Seat Consulting hosted a 2024 kickoff party Wednesday night at Baby Wale. SPOTTED: Rob Flaherty, Clarke Humphrey, David Wysong, Lauren Hitt, Patrick Stevenson, Brian Tyler Cohen, Robin Curran, Kasey O’Brien and Wesley Lowery. — White House Office of Science and Technology Director Arati Prabhakar hosted an event last night at the EEOB celebrating Alondra Nelson, who is departing the White House after two years leading OSTP’s Science and Society team. Prabhakar remarked Nelson led “with love” at a time staff needed a morale boost. SPOTTED: Susan Rice, Cecilia Rouse, John Podesta, Brenda Mallory, Megan Smith, Francis Collins, Tarun Chhabra, Chiraag Bains, Dierdre Mulligan, Sethuraman Panchanathan, Anne Neuberger, Aya Ibrahim, Ami Fields-Meyer, Alexander MacGillivray, Kei Koizumi, Asad Ramzanali, Rachel Cotton and Denice Ross. — Women In Government Relations hosted their 8th annual Governor’s Reception at the Marriott Marquis last night. Christina Gungoll Lepore received the 2023 Governor’s Staff Award, while Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly was this year's Governor Honoree. SPOTTED: Rep. Sharice Davids (D-Kan.), Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt and Sarah Stitt. — SPOTTED at a reception hosted by Helen and Joe Milby for James Hooley, the former political director of the British Embassy, at their home Wednesday night: Liz Johnson, Ryan Williams, Senay Bulbul, Steve and Amy Ricchetti, Terry McAuliffe, Martin and Katie O’Malley, Steve Clemons, Tammy Haddad, Sam Feist, Mary Jordan and Kevin Sullivan, British Ambassador Karen Pierce and Missy Owens. — SPOTTED last night at a fundraiser hosted by the DGA and Heather Podesta at her home: N.J. Gov. and DGA chair Phil Murphy, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper, Hawaii Gov. Josh Green, N.M. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, N.Y. Gov. Kathy Hochul and Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers. — SPOTTED at the NGA’s opening reception yesterday at the Apple Carnegie Library: Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and Dawn Moore, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Jennifer Siebel Newsom, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, Robert Harris, Stacey Brayboy, John Lepore, Nichole Francis Reynolds and Sherman Greer. Pic … Another pic MEDIA MOVE — Mallory Culhane is moving to a new role at POLITICO to author our Morning Tech newsletter. She currently is a senior digital producer. TRANSITION — Lizzy Letter is now staff director for Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) on the Senate Aging Committee. She previously was deputy assistant secretary for oversight at HHS’ Office of the Assistant Secretary for Legislation. 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. Corrections: Thursday’s Playbook PM misspelled the names of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum.
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