| | | | |  | | By Brakkton Booker | With help from Jesse Naranjo, Ella Creamer, Rishika Dugyala and Teresa Wiltz
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POLITICO illustration/Photo by AP | Hey, loyal Recasters! Before we get into this week's Q&A, we wanted to flag that you'll be getting more emails than normal next week. That's because we're dropping our annual Power List next Friday, March 31. We plan on giving The Recast family a preview of who's on it. Well... some of them, anyway. Don't forget to share the newsletter with your friends and tell them to subscribe! And with that, let’s jump in. Nevada’s senior Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto just might have the blueprint for Democrats running in tight elections in swing states. Seven years ago she defeated a Republican opponent, denying the GOP their lone chance of a Senate pickup the same year President Donald Trump secured the presidency. Her win was historic, as she became the first Latina to serve in the Senate. During that run she racked up endorsements from Democratic luminaries including President Barack Obama, then-Vice President Joe Biden and the man she would eventually replace in the Senate, then-Democratic Leader Harry Reid. With her 2022 reelection campaign, the political landscape appeared more fraught for Democrats. So she took a different tack, leaning into her record as an independent-minded liberal who kept the sitting president at arm's length. (Though, in the closing days of the campaign, she appeared at a rally with Obama, who remains the most popular figure in the party.) It worked.
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Her victory, which was called four days after Election Day following a protracted ballot count, returned her to the Senate, but it also preserved and helped expand the Democrats’ narrow majority in the upper chamber.
Over two conversations, we chopped it up about what this all means for her, why she thinks Americans want to see a divided government in Washington — and why she disagrees with the Biden administration over its lifting of the pandemic-era Title 42 restrictions. ◆◆◆ This interview has been edited for length and clarity. THE RECAST: Tell me about your first job, and how does it impact your job in the Senate today? CORTEZ MASTO: My very first job I ever had, believe it or not, I was a runner downtown [Las Vegas] for a law firm. It was when I was in high school. It was important over the course of my career, every job that I had, to expand and grow, not just experience-wise, but interacting with people, learning from effective supervisors and bosses versus those that are ineffective, but also learning the importance of collaboration and team building and really working on behalf of the community. THE RECAST: A lot of folks were anticipating that following the midterm elections, the balance of the Senate was going to come down to the contest in Georgia — perhaps a bit of miscalculation from the punditry class. From your perspective, what went on in your race and how were you able to not just win your matchup, but defend the majority in the upper chamber for your party?
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Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto speaks at a horse parade to get out the vote Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022, in Las Vegas. | John Locher/AP Photo | CORTEZ MASTO: Well, I can tell you just the fact that I'm very proud as a third-generation Nevadan. That means a lot to me. Knowing that my family did not succeed on their own in Nevada, that it is about this idea that we're all in it together. We're Nevadans, we help one another out. I talk to Nevadans; I listen to what their challenges are. I talk about how we can work together whether it is to knock down barriers and improve lives for everyone. That means I show up to where they are. I don’t expect Nevadans to come to me; I go to where they are, whether it’s urban areas, rural areas and just talk to everyone. So on the campaign trail, it was important for me, not only to show up, but to then hear from our families and individuals. And I made it very clear that I stood with them. I know who they are. I grew up there. This is my family too. So I stood with them and [told] them I would deliver on their behalf. And for that reason, I was proud to have not just the Democratic support in Nevada, I had Republicans and independents as well. THE RECAST: How do you feel about the fact that a Latina is responsible for keeping the Senate under Democratic control? It certainly adds some context to one of the themes coming out of the midterms in that Republicans made gains in electing Latinas to congressional seats. What does your victory signal for you and the Democrats moving forward?
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Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto meets voters at a campaign event at a Mexican restaurant, Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022, in Las Vegas. | John Locher/AP Photo | CORTEZ MASTO: One, obviously it's incredible to make history, particularly as the first Latina [in 2016] but what was more important for me is, now we are opening that door to have a seat at the table — to ensure that everybody is brought along, not just a few who are in the room making that policy. When I was first elected, and [in] the conversations I have now, when Latinos walk up to me and they're looking at me, saying: “How do you do it?” or “I'm excited that you're the first Latina.” It makes me feel good. I say, “Look at me.” I came through the public school system in Nevada. I had a hard-working family, my mother was a bookkeeper and my father worked parking cars at the Dunes Hotel and Casino. I had a grandfather from Chihuahua, Mexico, and my grandmother’s from Las Cruces, N.M. She’s the oldest of 13. And look where I am today. So those are the conversations that are important to me. So to me, this is about, “Yes I get it.” That's why I'm here, listening and lifting each other up, helping one another because that's where I came from in this community. THE RECAST: Now that the American electorate has returned Congress to a divided government, how do you anticipate your work influencing politics the rest of this year and beyond? CORTEZ MASTO: They sent me back to the Senate, really, to deliver on what matters to them. Right now, that means bringing down costs and getting those working families that I talked to, making sure they know that I'm fighting for them and give them a break.
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Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto questions Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen during a Senate Finance Committee hearing March 16, 2023, on Capitol Hill. | Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo | They just want somebody who's fighting to solve problems, not creating them. These are our challenges. I tell my colleagues, “The reason I'm back here is because [Americans] want us to work together.” That’s what they're looking for. That's why every piece of legislation I tried to find a Republican colleague to join me on and pass it and move it forward, because I think it is important for people to understand and see that bipartisan work is happening. Listen, I worked with Lisa Murkowski [R-Alaska] to pass essential legislation to address the issue of missing and murdered women and children in our Native American communities. We introduced two pieces of legislation: the Not Invisible Act and Savanna’s Act, and we passed those under the previous administration. So it can be done and I want people to know that. You don’t hear about all the bipartisan work that’s where everyone’s coming together because it can be done. THE RECAST: Earlier this week you spoke with my POLITICO colleague Alice Miranda Ollstein where you blasted a move by AmerisourceBergen which reportedly refuses to distribute abortion pills to retail pharmacies in your state. This is happening even as the state allows for abortion up to 24 weeks. What more have you heard from the company on their plan? What are the ramifications if AmerisourceBergen goes through with their plan? CORTEZ MASTO: I knew far-right elected officials wouldn’t stop at overturning Roe v. Wade. They’ve created chaos by threatening access to the abortion pill even in states where it remains legal. It’s unacceptable that any single company could make decisions to limit access to the abortion pill in pro-choice states like Nevada. As the certified pharmacy program for dispensing abortion medication gets up and running in Nevada, I’ll keep working to make sure that health care suppliers and providers are putting patients first. That means following Nevada’s pro-choice laws and ensuring women can get the reproductive care they need — including this essential medication. | 
Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto speaks during a Nov. 16, 2022, news conference about the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program outside the Capitol. | Drew Angerer/Getty Images | THE RECAST: You are one of a handful of Democrats who does not agree with the Biden administration lifting the Title 42 pandemic-era restrictions. This of course was put in place by the previous administration to help tamp down illegal border crossings. But you’ve hinted that you don’t think the Biden administration is prepared for what happens after Title 42 is lifted. What are your primary concerns, and do you think this move will lead to a comprehensive immigration reform package? CORTEZ MASTO: I’ve repeatedly said that repealing Title 42 without a plan is a bad idea. And trying to replace it with piecemeal solutions like family detention and a Trump-inspired transit ban won’t fix our broken immigration system or address the systemic problems we have along our southern border. I’m focused on working across the aisle to strengthen border security while fixing the asylum system and standing up for our Dreamers, TPS holders and essential workers. ◆◆◆ That’s all for this week, Recasters! We’re sending you into the weekend with some reading, listening and watching recommendations.
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TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testifies during a hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Thursday, March 23, 2023. | Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo | TikTok CEO Gets Grilled — Skeptical House lawmakers subjected TikTok chief Shou Zi Chew to almost 5 hours of questioning on his company’s data management practices and ties to the Chinese Communist Party. As POLITICO’s Rebecca Kern reports, lawmakers from both parties made it clear they didn’t buy his answers. Democrats Split on TikTok Ban — Some Democrats, including a few staunch backers of the platform in the House, remain unconvinced about restrictions or a ban on the app, POLITICO’s Brendan Bordelon reports. Among their reasons: They don’t want to risk alienating young voters and believe another app would fill the vacuum it left. View Outside the Beltway — Influencers and pundits across (or not even on) the political spectrum took to social media to slam the way lawmakers handled the hearing. As POLITICO’s Mohar Chatterjee notes, the frequent interruptions and grandstanding likely made members few new friends among users and supporters of the app. Elephant in the Room — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ poll numbers have dipped. He’s had to walk back foreign policy comments. Even prospective backers see he’s in a bind. His biggest problem? A certain former president, POLITICO’s Sally Goldenberg reports. ‘You Took Away My Son’ — A House hearing on gun rights this week turned tense when GOP members on the committee had the parents of a Parkland shooting victim removed from the room after they shouted over lawmakers, POLITICO’s Katherine Tully-McManus reports. Esther Yi’s “Y/N” blends art and real life as its fan fiction-writing narrator meets the object of her obsession, K-pop idol Moon. You’ve got mail: USPS is issuing a collection of stamps honoring the contributions of Indigenous groups to skateboarding culture.
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Di'Orr Greenwood, an artist born and raised in the Navajo Nation whose work is featured on new U.S. stamps, rides her skateboard next to her artworks in Los Angeles. | Damian Dovarganes/AP Photo | A new documentary, out today via Prime, reflects on the legacy of Baseball Hall of Fame’s Reggie Jackson, A.K.A “Mr. Outsider.” Bizarrap and Arcángel team up for “BZRP Music Sessions, Vol. 54.”
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| Check out Meshell Ndegeocello’s new single, “Virgo.” “Succession” is back, people. We’ll be tuning in on Sunday for more backstabbing and family dysfunction. In theaters today, “Walk Up” is an intimate black-and-white meditation on the ordinary. Cute alert! ROSALÍA and Rauw Alejandro confirm their engagement in a music video for “BESO.”
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| TikTok of the Day: Friday energy
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