Russia’s reporter arrest spurs condemnations

Mar 30, 2023

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Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a ceremony to open new pharmaceutical production facilities in the Kaliningrad Region, Mordovia and St. Petersburg via videoconference in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, March 30, 2023.

Russia's detainment of WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich drew sharp rebukes from the White House and Capitol Hill. | Gavriil Grigorov/Sputnik, Kremlin pool photo via AP

TRAGIC NEWS — “9 killed after 2 Fort Campbell helicopters crash during ‘routine training mission,’” by the AP and Louisville Courier-Journal: “The two HH-60 Blackhawk helicopters, part of the 101st Airborne Division, crashed around 10 p.m. Wednesday in Trigg County, Kentucky, according to a statement from Fort Campbell.”

EVAN GERSHKOVICH LATEST — WSJ: “Authorities took [the Wall Street Journal reporter] to Moscow, where he appeared in court with a state-appointed defense attorney and was ordered held in custody until May 29, said the press service of the court, according to state news agency TASS.

“ALEXANDER GABUEV, director of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, said that the case is particularly significant because American reporters haven’t been arrested in Russia since the Cold War. ‘It’s a new low in the U.S.-Russia relationship,’ he said. The arrest of an accredited American reporter ‘is really setting a precedent.’”

The White House reaction: “The targeting of American citizens by the Russian government is unacceptable. We condemn the detention of Mr. Gershkovich in the strongest terms,” press secretary KARINE JEAN-PIERRE said in a statement. The State Department has been “in direct touch” with the Russian government on the matter, she added, and officials have been in contact with Gershkovich’s family and the WSJ. NSC spox JOHN KIRBY said President JOE BIDEN was briefed on the situation this morning. Read KJP’s full statement … Read up on the Hill reaction from Congress Minutes

POLL POSITION — A new Marquette Law School national survey has fresh findings on the early horse race of the 2024 presidential race.

The topline: “Among registered voters, Biden and [DONALD] TRUMP each receive 38% of the vote, with 20% saying that they would vote for someone else and 4% that they would not vote. In a matchup between Biden and [Florida Gov. RON] DeSANTIS, DeSantis receives 42% and Biden is the choice of 41%, with 13% saying they would vote for someone else and 4% saying they would not vote.”

But a note of caution: “In both matchups, the relatively high percentages saying they would vote for ‘someone else’ or would not vote indicates the potential for volatility in coming months as candidate choices become clarified.” See the full polling memo

SAYING NO TO NO LABELS — “Arizona Democrats to sue No Labels to block third-party challenge,” by WaPo’s Michael Scherer: “The lawsuit, in state court in Phoenix, reflects growing concern in Democratic circles that a No Labels third-party ticket in 2024 will jeopardize the reelection hopes of President Biden and make it harder for Democrats to maintain control of the Senate.”

MAJOR ACA DECISION — “Texas judge strikes down free HIV drugs, cancer screenings under Obamacare,” by Alice Miranda Ollstein: “District Court Judge REED O’CONNOR, the author of several previous rulings against Obamacare, sided with a group of conservative employers in Texas who argued that the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force that made those requirements has been acting unconstitutionally since 2010 and blocking enforcement of the rules nationwide. O’Connor, a President GEORGE W. BUSH appointee to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, also ruled that the requirement to cover the HIV prevention drug PrEP violated the religious rights of the employers and could not be enforced against them.”

Coming soon to the 5th Circuit — and the Supreme Court: “The Biden administration is expected to appeal.”

Good Thursday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM, and happy MLB Opening Day! Send me pics if you’re reading this in your inbox at Nats Park (or any other stadiums): gross@politico.com. (Our colleague Kierra Frazier has a roundup of the political figures throwing out first pitches today.)

ESSENTIAL CHINA READ — POLITICO has launched a new and improved China Watcher newsletter — now biweekly (Tuesday and Thursday) and now with a more global focus. EU-based China correspondent Stuart Lau will join Phelim Kine in Washington to give readers a full picture of the world’s diplomatic relations with China and decode the global relationships shaping developments in Washington, Brussels, Beijing and beyond. Sign up for the new China Watcher

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CONGRESS

HOUSE GOP PASSES DOOMED H.R. 1 — “House Republicans pass marquee energy bill in rebuke of Biden,” by Josh Siegel: “The bill passed by a 225-204 vote, with four Democrats joining Republicans to pass the bill and one Republican legislator voting against. The energy package won’t advance in the Democratically controlled Senate, but Republicans can use it as a cudgel ahead of the 2024 election, furthering their accusations that Biden’s opposition to fossil fuels helped produce last year’s record spike in gasoline prices, stoked inflation and continues to threaten voters’ pocketbooks.” The four Dem defections: Reps. VICENTE GONZALEZ (Texas), HENRY CUELLAR (Texas), JARED GOLDEN (Maine) and MARIE GLUESENKAMP PÉREZ (Washington).

SPARKS FLY AT SUBCOMMITTEE HEARING — A shouting match erupted at today’s House “weaponization” subcommittee hearing on social media censorship. After Chair JIM JORDAN (R-Ohio) dismissed the first panel of committee witnesses without questioning, Rep. STEPHEN LYNCH (D-Mass.) demanded the panel be able to cross-examine the witnesses’ “outlandish” testimonies or strike them from the record, calling the hearing “a mockery and a disgrace.” Rep. LINDA SANCHEZ (D-Calif.) also quipped that, “If allowing [the witnesses] to leave is not weaponization, I don’t know what is.” Watch the exchange.

Meanwhile, ranking member STACEY PLASKETT ( D-U.S. Virgin Islands) expressed frustration after a unanimous consent request was submitted by a dismissed witness, stating the letter was “Another thing we can't examine because he’s not here.” Rep. MIKE JOHNSON (R-La.) then hand delivered the letter to Plaskett, who promptly walked over to his seat to toss the paper back to him. Today’s drama comes on the heels of recent criticism from both parties of Jordan’s handling of the subcommittee as unorganized and lacking direction.

TRUMP CARDS

ARREST DEVELOPMENT — “Trump supporter protesting Manhattan DA probe charged with menacing, harassment,” by Wesley Parnell

NEW PRIVILEGE FOR NO. 2 — “Secret Pence ruling breaks new ground for vice presidency,” by Kyle Cheney: “It is the first time in U.S. history that a federal judge has concluded that vice presidents — like presidents — are entitled to a form of immunity from prying investigators. But unlike presidents, who draw all their power from the executive branch, vice presidents get their immunity from Congress, Chief U.S. District Court Judge JAMES BOASBERG ruled. That’s because vice presidents — while commonly perceived as mere agents of the president — are constitutionally required to serve as president of the Senate.”

GO INSIDE THE 2023 MILKEN INSTITUTE GLOBAL CONFERENCE: POLITICO is proud to partner with the Milken Institute to produce a special edition "Global Insider" newsletter featuring exclusive coverage, insider nuggets and unparalleled insights from the 2023 Global Conference, which will convene leaders in health, finance, politics, philanthropy and entertainment from April 30-May 3. This year’s theme, Advancing a Thriving World, will challenge and inspire attendees to lean into building an optimistic coalition capable of tackling the issues and inequities we collectively face. Don’t miss a thing — subscribe today for a front row seat.

POLICY CORNER

TIKTOK’S D.C. MUSCLE — “TikTok’s Behind-the-Scenes Help in Washington: Former Obama, Disney Advisers,” by WSJ’s Kirsten Grind and Erich Schwartzel: “TikTok has enlisted three heavyweights from American politics and business to advise it behind the scenes as the social-media app tries to convince U.S. authorities that it isn’t beholden to the Chinese government. DAVID PLOUFFE and JIM MESSINA, veterans of BARACK OBAMA’s presidential campaigns, and ZENIA MUCHA, the former longtime communications chief of Walt Disney Co., are advising TikTok in its fight against efforts to ban it in the U.S, according to people familiar with their roles.”

Related read: “TikTok propaganda labels fall flat in ‘huge win’ for Russia,” by AP’s David Klepper

WHAT JOE MANCHIN IS READING — “What to watch as Biden sets tax rules for electric cars,” by Tanya Snyder and Hannah Northey: “The Treasury guidance will address one of the fundamental questions underlying Biden’s climate policy — how zealously to enforce Congress’ demand that the tax credit go to vehicles made with parts and minerals from the United States and its closest trade partners. A lax approach to that mandate would make it easier for more vehicles to qualify for the full tax break, while assuaging European demands for a share of the incentives for their companies. But it wouldn’t create the homegrown clean-energy supply chain that Biden has promised.”

REPARATIONS QUESTION — “U.S. Considers Asking Black Americans on Census if They Are Slave Descendants,” by WSJ’s Michelle Hackman and Paul Overberg: “Supporters of the change say one reason they are pushing it is to quantify who would be eligible to receive reparations for slavery should the government ever agree to pay them.”

JUDICIARY SQUARE

INSIDE SCOTUS — CNN’s Joan Biskupic shares an excerpt from her forthcoming book, “Nine Black Robes: Inside the Supreme Court’s Drive to the Right and Its Historic Consequences,” ($26.39) which will be published on April 4: “A secret deal between Justices John Roberts and Anthony Kennedy on gay rights and what it means today”

The deets: “The justices abhor any suggestion of dealmaking, whether overt or implicit, but closed-door pacts occur, and [Chief Justice JOHN] ROBERTS has been at the center of them for years. In many instances, law clerks know about a deal struck between justices. But in others, only the two justices involved truly know. Sometimes various chambers have dueling accounts of what happened, or individual justices remain baffled about why a colleague voted the way he or she did in the end.”

BEYOND THE BELTWAY

THE LATEST IN NASHVILLE — “Nashville shooting exploited by right to escalate anti-trans rhetoric,” by WaPo’s Fenit Nirappil: “The attempts on the right to connect violence to transgender people come even though transgender people are rarely the perpetrators of mass shootings, which are overwhelmingly carried out by cisgender men, according to criminal justice experts. And trans people are more likely to be victims of violence than cisgender people, multiple studies have shown.”

GUNS IN AMERICA — “After Mass Shootings, Republicans Expand Access to Guns,” by NYT’s Mike Baker, Serge Kovaleski and Glenn Thrush: “In Kentucky, Ohio, Nebraska, Texas and Virginia, Republicans have pushed this year to limit gun-free zones, remove background checks and roll back red-flag laws that seek to remove firearms from those who are a danger to themselves or others. Missouri last year enacted a measure that made it illegal for local law enforcement to cooperate with federal authorities in many gun investigations. A federal judge earlier this month struck down the law as unconstitutional. … In 25 states, no permits are required to carry a handgun — nine more than in 2020.”

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? — “A Betsy DeVos-backed group helps fuel a rapid expansion of public money for private schools,” by NBC’s Tyler Kingkade in Des Moines, Iowa: “Using at least $2.5 million from DeVos and her husband, the American Federation for Children has played a pivotal role in getting what supporters call ‘school choice’ policies passed into law in at least three states and introduced in several more, according to current and former GOP legislators, lobbyists for teachers unions and academics. The nonprofit group has found success amid a 20-year low in approval for the K-12 education system and after two years of protests over lessons involving race and LGBTQ identity. It is now on the verge of ushering in a transformation in how large swaths of the country fund schools.”

IMMIGRATION FILES — “Immigration Tripled in Top U.S. Counties Even as Many of Them Lost Population,” by NYT’s Robert Gebeloff, Dana Goldstein and Stefanos Chen: “Altogether, the nation’s 20 largest counties gained more than 300,000 new residents between July 2021 and July 2022 through international migration, which consists mostly of immigrants but includes anybody that moved to the U.S. from overseas.”

KEY DEMO — “Exodus From America’s Big Cities Slowed Last Year as Pandemic Receded,” by WSJ’s Paul Overberg, John McCormick and Max Rust … “Americans are returning to cities after remote-work exodus, data shows,” by WaPo’s Tara Bahrampour

JOIN POLITICO ON 4/5 FOR THE 2023 RECAST POWER LIST: America’s demographics and power dynamics are changing — and POLITICO is recasting how it covers the intersection of race, identity, politics and policy. Join us for a conversation on the themes of the 2023 Recast Power List that will examine America’s decision-making tables, who gets to sit at them, and the challenges that still need to be addressed. REGISTER HERE.

AMERICA AND THE WORLD

EYE ON TAIPEI — “Political Uncertainty in Taiwan Adds to U.S.-China Tensions,” by WSJ’s Joyu Wang: “Though favored in the White House and on Capitol Hill, the Taiwanese ruling party’s popularity at home has eroded in recent months, dragged down in part by economic struggles. The declining support has opened up an opportunity for Taiwan’s opposition Kuomintang, or Nationalist Party, which favors friendlier ties with China.”

Related read: “Taiwan’s president speaks to her island’s safety on U.S. stop,” by AP’s Ellen Knickmeyer and Lisa Mascaro

MEDIAWATCH

DOMINION DRAMA — “Fox lawsuit highlights effects of conspiracies on Dominion,” by AP’s Christina Cassidy and Jonathan Cooper: “Dominion … cites misinformation as the reason officials in some counties in Nevada, Pennsylvania and Tennessee have terminated their contracts with it and other counties in Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Jersey and Ohio have opted against renewing.”

NYT OUT ON TWITTER BLUE — CNN’s @oliverdarcy: “The New York Times says it is not planning to pay for Twitter verification: ‘We aren’t planning to pay the monthly fee for verification of our institutional Twitter accounts," a spokesperson tells me. ‘We also will not reimburse reporters for the verification of personal accounts,’ The NYT spokesperson adds to me, ‘except in rare instances where verified status would be essential for reporting purposes.’”

PLAYBOOKERS

IN MEMORIAM — “Kenneth Brody, investment banker who led Export-Import Bank, dies at 79,” by WaPo’s Emily Langer

OUT AND ABOUT — SPOTTED at the Options Clearing Corporation Spring Congressional Reception last night at Charlie Palmers: Reps. Andy Barr (R-Ky.), Sean Casten (D-Ill.), Ron Estes (R-Kan.), Bill Foster (D-Ill.), Vicente Gonzalez (D-Texas), Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), Jim Himes (D-Conn.), Bill Huizenga (D-Mich.), Jonathan Jackson (D-Ill.), Dan Kildee (D-Mich.), Raja Krishnamoorthie (D-Ill.), Darin LaHood (D-Ill.), John Larson (D-Conn.), Frank Lucas (R-Okla.), Bryan Steil (R-Wis.) and Brad Sherman (D-Calif.).

MEDIA MOVE — Jeremy Bowers is joining POLITICO as global chief technology officer. He most recently was director of engineering at WaPo and is an NYT, NPR and St. Petersburg Times alum. Read the announcement

ENGAGED — Heather Wadyka, policy adviser at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck and a Trump DOL and House Education Committee alum, and James Cirignano, a student at Georgetown law who will soon work for Shearman and Sterling’s antitrust group and will be clerking for Judge Aileen Cannon, got engaged at the Four Seasons over the weekend.

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