Amos is almost Famos

Presented by Connected Commerce Council:

Jul 28, 2022 View in browser   By Max Tani and Alex Thompson Presented by Connected Commerce Council 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   AMOS HOCHSTEIN has largely abstained from the rowdy world of cable news and political television. He's declined to comment when media outlets ( including this one) have written about him and his importance in JOE BIDEN 's inner circle. Until last week. Hochstein, a senior adviser on energy security at the State Department, was booked on CBS' Face The Nation on July 17 to discuss gas prices and the president's Middle East trip with host MARGARET BRENNAN, a natural fit for his political talk show debut given Brennan's history as both a markets and finance news veteran and a longtime reporter on the Middle East. Multiple people with knowledge told West Wing Playbook that the energy security adviser's performance on the show was well received within the White House, and when other networks subsequently requested Hochstein, he was quickly dispatched. He ultimately made the cable news rounds and then some: He took a modest victory lap on declining gas prices on Yahoo News, sparred with CNBC's JOE KERNAN over transitioning to renewable energy sources, and held his own during an at-times contentious interview with Fox News' NEIL CAVUTO. Hochstein's emergence as an administration talking head marks his latest ascension within the Biden's inner circle. Earlier this month, Hochstein was one of just a few members of the White House team present in nearly every major meeting in the Middle East, including the bilateral meetings with the presidents of the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, and the Palestinian Authority. As a sign of how tight he is perceived to be with the president, Hochstein was repeatedly asked during his interviews last week about the meeting in which Biden confronted Saudi Arabian leaders over the murder of Washington Post columnist JAMAL KHASHOGGI (Hochstein was also in that meeting). Officials whom West Wing Playbook talked to said they were not surprised by his on-camera turn. Multiple Biden world observers said Hochstein's media blitz has close parallels to that of DALEEP SINGH, Biden's former sanctions coordinator, who emerged as a key spokesperson on economic sanctions in the leadup to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Like Singh, Hochstein's media footprint was initially more noticeable abroad. On previous Biden administration foreign trips in Europe, he has taken the time to sit down with major foreign media outlets. And while he has largely abstained from most U.S. political media before the tour earlier this month, he has privately briefed reporters on background about the Biden administration's energy policies abroad. Hochstein's previous gig as a liquified natural gas executive has made left-leaning environmental groups wary of his rising status within the administration. Inside the White House, eyebrows have been raised too, though for different reasons. As West Wing Playbook previously reported, Hochstein is well-liked internally by top White House staff, but one White House official told West Wing Playbook that the growth in Hochstein's responsibilities has occasionally raised questions about his "turf" vis-a-vis White House Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa BRETT MCGURK. One senior administration official pushed back, however, saying that if anything McGurk and Hochstein are too close. A White House official told West Wing Playbook that "Amos and Brett have been working hand-in-hand on these issues, and their portfolios are "connected and distinct at the same time." "That's how effective foreign policy works," the official said. The energy security adviser does have a lot on his plate at the moment. In the past week, he attended a White House meeting on lowering gas prices and traveled to Europe to deal with the fallout of Russia's decision to cut flows through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to Germany in half. He's set to return to the Middle East in the coming days to continue to help reach a deal between Israel and Lebanon over a maritime border. MESSAGE US — Are you CAITLIN MELOSKI, special assistant to BRIAN DEESE? 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 . A message from Connected Commerce Council: Small businesses face big consequences from overregulating tech. By breaking up integrated services, it gets harder and more expensive for smaller shops to reach customers. That's why 87% of small businesses are concerned that antitrust legislation is going to make digital tools more expensive and less useful. Say yes to supporting small business success. Vote NO on the American Innovation and Choice Online Act (S.2992).   POTUS PUZZLER This one is from Allie. Which president's pet was the star of a canceled Super Nintendo video game? What was the name of the game? (Answer at bottom.) The Oval GUIDANCE SCHMYDANCE: Biden's doctor was very clear in his note to reporters Wednesday: "He will wear a well-fitting mask for 10 full days any time he is around others." That matches CDC guidance for people who are ending their isolation after a bout with Covid-19: "You should continue to wear a well-fitting mask around others at home and in public for 5 additional days (day 6 through day 10) after the end of your 5-day isolation period." But Biden was not wearing a mask today while participating in a roundtable on the economy, despite sitting near Treasury Secretary JANET YELLEN. It is the latest instance of both the president and the vice president not following the CDC Covid guidance despite asking Americans to. Bloomberg's JOSH WINGROVE has more with the headline: "Biden Ditches Mask at Meeting, Deviating From CDC Covid Guidance." A White House official argued that "we have ensured that there is sufficient distance between him and others to allow him to safely remove his mask." When we noted that's not what the CDC guidance says or what Dr. O'Connor said he'd do, the official declined to comment further. JUST POSTED: Here's the lede of the ADAM CANCRYN, JONATHAN LEMIRE and CHRISTOPHER CADELAGO story that just pubbed: "Somehow, someway, Joe Biden is back in the game. After enduring a brutal year dominated by economic angst, legislative setbacks and sinking approval ratings, the president is suddenly on the verge of a turnaround that, the White House believes, could salvage his summer — and alter the trajectory of his presidency." Read it all here. WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE WANTS YOU TO READ: A transcript of the president's comments today, in which he praised the deal reached by Sen. JOE MANCHIN (D-W.Va.) and Senate Majority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER on a bill to tackle climate change, lower prescription drug prices and reduce the deficit. In it, Biden also addressed the latest GDP numbers, which showed the economy contracted in the second quarter. Pointing primarily to strong job growth, he downplayed talk of a recession. "That doesn't sound like a recession to me." WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE DOESN'T WANT YOU TO READ: The actual economic numbers the Commerce Department dropped Thursday. Our BEN WHITE writes that "the White House faces a fresh political nightmare as [the] report showed the economy contracted 0.9 percent in the second quarter of the year, offering Republicans a tantalizing opportunity to declare that the economy under Biden is now in a recession." WEDDING BELLS: NAOMI BIDEN, the president's granddaughter, announced on Twitter that her fall wedding will be hosted on the South Lawn of the White House. Biden, oldest daughter of HUNTER BIDEN, announced her engagement to fiancé PETER NEAL in September of last year. The pair is planning to have their wedding this November. Twitter   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.     THE BUREAUCRATS FIRST IN WEST WING PLAYBOOK: MICHAEL SHAPIRO is now managing director of government affairs for global financial services firm Blackstone, with a focus on infrastructure investments and projects, DANIEL LIPPMAN has learned. He most recently was deputy assistant secretary for economic policy at the Department of Transportation and was also a member of the White House Infrastructure Implementation Task Force. DEPARTURE LOUNGE: ANNE FILIPIC, assistant to the president and the director of the White House Management and Administration, is set to leave the White House next month , Axios' SOPHIA CAI reports. The departure is one of the latest in the White House's staffing shakeup. Filipic spearheaded the first paid White House internship program and helped assemble the most diverse White House in history. NEW ARRIVAL: JOSHUA SCHENK is now an associate staff secretary at the White House, our friends at Playbook reported this afternoon.   A message from Connected Commerce Council:   Agenda Setting WILD NEW FRONTIERS: This one caught our eye: A top official at the Department of Health and Human Services' mental health and substance use division wrote a letter to Rep. MADELEINE DEAN (D-Pa.) saying that psychedelic-assisted therapies "must be explored" as potential remedies to mental health issues. The letter was published by The Intercept , which writes that some anticipate the drugs MDMA and psilocybin could be approved "within the next two years for designated breakthrough therapies for PTSD and depression respectively." YOU SAY RECESSION, I SAY RESASHEN: At a news conference today, WaPo's JEFF STEIN asked Treasury Secretary Yellen why the administration is waging a semantic battle over the meaning of "recession" when there still could be a recession — even by her definition — in the near future. Stein also noted the administration was mistaken about inflation being transitory last year. Yellen replied: "I agree with you and I think we should avoid a semantic battle. I've tried to do that in my remarks today." Watch the full exchange here. THIS IS FINE: Chinese state media reported that Chinese President XI JINPING brought up Taiwan repeatedly during his call with Biden today, telling Biden that the U.S. should abide by the One China policy and implement the Three Joint Communiqués. "Those who play with fire will get burned," Xi was reported to have told Biden. MOHAR CHATTERJEE has more. JUST POSTED: MICHAEL STRATFORD got his hands on internal Education Department plans to grant student loan forgiveness for millions if Biden gives the word. Read it here.   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 .     What We're Reading Hunter Biden had a high-end income and lavish lifestyle. But he struggled with tax issues for years (CNN's Curt Devine, Scott Glover, Kara Scannell and Evan Perez) Biden's soft power has not been enough to stop would-be rivals from grabbing the 2024 spotlight (NBC News' Natasha Korecki, Carol E. Lee, Mike Memoli, Peter Nicholas and Jonathan Allen) Biden to host Obamas in September for White House portrait ceremony Trump shunned (NBC News' Carol E. Lee) Secret Service director to "briefly delay" retirement amid multiple investigations into agency (CBS News' Nicole Sganga) POTUS PUZZLER ANSWER President BILL CLINTON's pet cat, SOCKS, is the star of a canceled Super Nintendo video game called "Socks the Cat Rocks the Hill." According to a game advertisement , Socks "discovers the missing portable nuclear launch unit in his favorite napping spot, the basement of a foreign embassy. To avoid mass destruction, he must return to the White House and alert the first family. But, a foreign spy ring has their own political agenda. They want to see Socks run, and not for political office!" Some of Socks' enemies in the game include "paparazzi and protesters, gun enthusiasts, mice in trench coats, bulldogs in army helmets, and a Democratic donkey. … Other level bosses reportedly included real-life political figures like GERALD FORD, ROSS PEROT, and JIMMY CARTER (who had a 'smile attack')." Here's a clip of Socks' boss battle against RICHARD NIXON. Your move, WILLOW! A CALL OUT — If you or anyone you know has their hands on the video game prototype, let us know. In the meantime though, keep sending us your best trivia about the presidents with a citation and we may feature it. Edited by Emily Cadei, Eun Kyung Kim and Sam Stein. A message from Connected Commerce Council: Small businesses run on tech. Integrated digital tools help Frank DiCarlantonio at Scaffidi's Restaurant reach customers, scale up, and compete. In fact, 75% of small business leaders say digital tools are important to their operations. But Congress is aiming to break up the digital tools and services that small businesses rely on—making them more expensive and harder to access. It could be the difference between success and closing their doors for good. Don't forget about small businesses. Vote NO on the American Innovation and Choice Online Act (S.2992).     Follow us on Twitter Alex Thompson @AlexThomp Maxwell Tani @maxwelltani 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.