In no mood for Modi

The power players, latest policy developments, and intriguing whispers percolating inside the West Wing.

Jun 23, 2023 View in browser   By Lauren Egan and Eli Stokols 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 Eli | Email Lauren When President JOE BIDEN hosted 200 guests for a Diwali celebration at the White House in October, a who’s who of Indian Americans representing the arts, entertainment and business communities gathered in the East Room. They watched the president light a diya and snapped selfies with Vice President KAMALA HARRIS, the first person of Indian heritage to hold the position. Actors KAL PENN and SURAJ SHARMA, internet star LILLY SINGH and Vanity Fair editor-in-chief RADHIKA JONES were just some of the A-listers in attendance. Many attendees said it felt like a unique and special moment in honor of Indian Americans and a holiday celebrating the triumph of good over evil, light over darkness. The vibes were a bit different this week. Many of the same individuals who had walked through the White House gates in October were invited to last night’s state dinner with Indian Prime Minister NARENDRA MODI. But unlike a few months ago, they had conflicted feelings about whether to attend. On the one hand, they felt honored to receive a prestigious and exclusive invitation. On the other hand, they were hesitant about helping celebrate and normalize an Indian leader who has curtailed free speech, the rights of Muslims and other religious minorities and, in their shared view, undermined democratic values. In the end, some confirmed to West Wing Playbook that they opted not to go. While their absence was mostly inconspicuous — names simply left off the official list of guests the White House released Thursday evening — some have since made their feelings public. SANA JAVERI KADRI, founder and CEO of the popular Diaspora Co. Spices, wrote on Instagram that attending a state dinner would have been “a truly once in a lifetime opportunity.” Yet, doing so in Modi’s honor was “fundamentally at odds with everything I believe in and stand for — a secular, progressive India that prioritizes equity for all.” Responding to Kadri’s post, HETAL VASAVADA, a former MasterChef contestant and founder of the blog “Milk & Cardamom,” wrote that she similarly turned down the state dinner invitation. “I couldn’t go because in all honesty I can not support a man who has incited violence against other fellow Indians based on their religious beliefs.” The White House said it does not comment on state dinner guest lists. State dinners typically have a significant Hollywood and pop culture presence. But that was notably not the case on Thursday. Director M. NIGHT SHYAMALAN was one of the biggest names to walk down the marbled halls Thursday night (aside from Apple CEO TIM COOK, fashion designer RALPH LAUREN and tennis legend BILLIE JEAN KING — none of whom claim Indian heritage). The tensions around the Modi dinner were apparent in even more subtle ways. Penn Masala, the a cappella group that performed at the state dinner, sang “Chaiyya Chaiyya” from Bollywood star SHAH RUKH KHAN’s 1998 movie “Dil Se…” Khan’s son, a Muslim, was jailed for a month in 2021 on unsubstantiated drug charges, which Modi critics viewed as retaliation for his speaking publicly against religious intolerance. None of those who declined invitations criticized Biden, either in public posts or in private conversations with West Wing Playbook that occurred on the condition of anonymity. The president, for his part, did not unbraid Modi about human rights during their public appearances this week, which began with an extravagant South Lawn welcome ceremony as some 7,000 flag-waving Indian-Americans cheered the prime minister’s arrival. Instead, Biden made a point of emphasizing shared objectives in his prepared remarks at the start of Thursday’s press availability. Indians and Americans, Biden said, “are both peoples … who cherish freedom and celebrate the democratic values of universal human rights, which face challenges around the world and each — and in each of our countries.” Perhaps the actual press availability itself was the clearest sign of how the White House pushed Modi. In his nine years as prime minister, Modi had never answered a direct question from a reporter. The event Thursday was unlike most “two-by-two” press conferences that take place during a state visit in that the leaders only took one question from one reporter per side. The Wall Street Journal’s SABRINA SIDDIQUI, who is Muslim, was the sole U.S. reporter called on by Biden. But the president then had to call on the Indian reporter for Modi after Siddiqui asked the prime minister about his country’s democratic backsliding and drew a feisty, defensive response. “India is a democracy,” Modi said. “In India's democratic values, there’s absolutely no discrimination neither on basis of caste, creed, or age, or any kind of geographic location.” The White House declined to comment on the press conference. MESSAGE US — Are you NARENDRA MODI? We want to hear from you. And we’ll keep you anonymous! Email us at westwingtips@politico.com. Did someone forward this email to you? Subscribe here!     LISTEN TO POLITICO'S ENERGY PODCAST: Check out our daily five-minute brief on the latest energy and environmental politics and policy news. Don't miss out on the must-know stories, candid insights, and analysis from POLITICO's energy team. Listen today.     POTUS PUZZLER This one is from Allie. Which president founded the University of Virginia? (Answer at bottom.) Cartoon of the Week Cartoon by Dana Summers | Courtesy It’s about that time of the week where we feature a cartoon! This one’s by DANA SUMMERS. Our very own MATT WUERKER publishes a selection of cartoons from all over the country. The Oval ONE YEAR LATER: A day before the one-year anniversary of Roe v. Wade being overturned by the Supreme Court, Biden signed an executive action on Friday that aims to protect birth control access nationwide. The move is largely symbolic, but signals the growing importance of reproductive health care to the president’s reelection campaign. Biden is also being endorsed Friday by Planned Parenthood Action Fund, NARAL Pro-Choice America and Emily’s List. AP’s COLLEEN LONG has more details. AND A MOMENT OF REFLECTION: Lawyers, history professors, leaders in women’s health and policy describe how the nation has changed in the 12 months since the Supreme Court’s ruling in a piece for POLITICO Magazine. WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE WANTS YOU TO READ: After 12 days of around–the-clock repair work, the damaged stretch of I-95 in Philadelphia reopened on Friday, a cause for celebration and some chest-thumping by Gov. JOSH SHAPIRO — and Biden. Last week, the president said he told his administration “to move heaven and earth” to reopen the highway quickly after a tanker flipped and caught fire beneath the interstate bridge on June 11. White House chief of staff JEFF ZIENTS was one of several administration officials who tweeted the news. WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE DOESN’T WANT YOU TO READ: This piece by WSJ’s ALISON SIDER about how summer travel is about to get rougher. Transportation Secretary PETE BUTTIGIEG “is warning of the potential for air-travel disruption ahead of a deadline for airlines to retrofit equipment to avoid potential interference from 5G wireless signals. Aircraft that haven’t gone through the necessary equipment changes won’t be cleared to land in certain weather conditions when visibility is low starting July 1, when U.S. wireless companies plan to boost their 5G service to higher power levels.” NEXT QUESTION, PLEASE: White House press secretary KARINE JEAN-PIERRE during Friday’s briefing declined to engage with reporters asking a variety of questions about HUNTER BIDEN. There were questions about testimony from an IRS whistleblower claiming the president’s son leveraged his father to pressure a Chinese business partner to move forward on an energy deal. Jean-Pierre repeatedly referred those ones to the White House Counsel’s office. There were also questions about the decision to invite the younger Biden to Thursday’s state dinner. “That’s his son,” she said. “It’s not uncommon for family members to attend events at the White House.” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre The roughly three-and-a-half minutes seemed unenjoyable for Jean-Pierre. As for the White House Counsel’s office, spokesperson IAN SAMS had this to say: “As we have said many times before, the President was not in business with his son. As we have also said many times before, the Justice Department makes decisions in its criminal investigations independently, and in this case, the White House has not been involved. As the President has said, he loves his son and is proud of him accepting responsibility for his actions and is proud of what he is doing to rebuild his life.” THE BUREAUCRATS SOME ADVICE FOR PETE: Ironman CEO ANDREW MESSICK got in touch with West Wing Playbook following our story Thursday about Pete Buttigieg’s plan to compete in an Ironman in Michigan later this year. (See, people, the “MESSAGE US” thing does work!) His advice for the transportation secretary? “Enjoy the day. Be courageous and determined. Trust your training and preparation. Keep going. Thank the volunteers.” We also asked Messick which president he thinks would have been the best Ironman athlete. “Easy,” he replied, “Teddy Roosevelt.” DEPARTURE LOUNGE: JANUARY CONTRERAS, assistant secretary for HHS’ Administration for Children and Families, announced Friday she will leave the department in August. In her current role, Contreras helped create a national anti-trafficking training initiative for child welfare agencies. She previously worked in the Obama administration’s Department on Homeland Security and helped create the Council on Combating Violence Against Women. KHAN’S SUMMER PLANS: Federal Trade Commission Chair LINA KHAN is set to testify July 13 before the House Judiciary Committee for the first time, our REBECCA KERN reports for Pro subscribers. Filling the Ranks NO ONE IS HAPPY: Biden’s nominees have faced a myriad of obstacles due to Republican opposition in the Senate, but House Democrats are also growing frustrated with the process, our NICHOLAS WU, DANIELLA DIAZ and BURGESS EVERETT report. Leaders of the Congressional Black Caucus “are steaming that the Biden administration isn’t adequately consulting them on judicial nominees. Swing-district Democrats want the Senate to pick up the pace on filling key vacancies. And progressives are furious that the chamber still hasn’t considered Julie Su’s nomination as Labor secretary.” Agenda Setting SCOTUS SAYS…: The Supreme Court ruled Friday that “states can’t use the federal courts to try to force the federal government to arrest and deport more people who are in the country illegally,” our JOSH GERSTEIN reports. “The 8-1 decision could cut down on a flood of lawsuits recent administrations have faced from state attorneys general and governors who disagree with Washington on immigration and crime policy.”   SUBSCRIBE TO 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.     What We're Reading Inside Manchin’s war with Biden on electric vehicles (E&E’s Emma Dumain and Hannah Northey) Why So Many Tattes? We Traversed The Bakery’s D.C. Empire In One Day To Find Out (DCist’s Colleen Grablick) U.S. Charges 4 Chinese Firms With Selling Chemicals to Make Fentanyl (NYT’s Benjamin Weiser and Karen Zraick) The Oppo Book Pete Buttigieg is already thinking about limiting his toddlers’ time with digital devices. "Unfortunately, I can tell we're already going to have to be careful about screen time,” he told People in March 2022. “Our son goes right to the screen anytime there's one on.” "They definitely respond to lights, to music," he noted. Say no to the iPad, kids! POTUS PUZZLER ANSWER In fact, it was CHESTER A. ARTHUR who founded the Univer…. Who are we kidding? THOMAS JEFFERSON founded the University of Virginia back in 1819, according to the university’s website. You all knew that. A CALL OUT — Do you think 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.   Follow us on Twitter Eli Stokols @EliStokols Lauren Egan @Lauren_V_Egan Allie Bice @alliebice   Follow us

To change your alert settings, please log in at https://www.politico.com/_login?base=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.politico.com/settings This email was sent to rouf@idiot.cloudns.cc by: POLITICO, LLC 1000 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA, 22209, USA Please click here and follow the steps to unsubscribe.