POLITICO Playbook PM: Congress strikes $8.3 billion deal on emergency coronavirus funds – Politico
NEWS: DEAL ON CORONAVIRUS MONEY, via Caitlin Emma, Jen Scholtes, Sarah Ferris and Sarah Owermohle: “Congressional negotiators on Wednesday clinched a bipartisan emergency funding package to combat coronavirus, which both chambers are expected to pass by the end of the week.
“The measure includes roughly $8.3 billion aimed at helping states and the federal government fight the coronavirus, with more than 100 confirmed cases in the U.S. Lawmakers will release the full text of the legislation later Wednesday, with plans to vote in the House the same day. The Senate could vote as soon as Thursday, enabling Congress to send the bill to President Donald Trump by the end of the week.” POLITICO
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— THE HOUSE DEMOCRATIC LEADERSHIP alerted that “exact timing” of the vote on this bill will be “announced as soon as it becomes available.”
MIKE BLOOMBERG’s exit from the presidential race ends a brief, but perhaps useful experiment seeking to determine whether you could spend unending amounts of money, break all the rules of politics and run a centrist presidential campaign in a leftward-tilting party.
LOTS OF PEOPLE SEEM TO HAVE GOTTEN SOME MONEY out of this experiment. President DONALD TRUMP got some moderately amusing tweets out of it, and JOE BIDEN got the endorsement — and perhaps some help down the road from the operation BLOOMBERG built.
— BLOOMBERG STATEMENT: “I’ve always believed that defeating Donald Trump starts with uniting behind the candidate with the best shot to do it. After yesterday’s vote, it is clear that candidate is my friend and a great American, Joe Biden.”
— FLASHBACK, Playbook, 2/13: “BLOOMBERG 2020 is either an ostentatious play in a confused and muddled national political moment, or a colossal waste of money and time. But he can’t be ignored.” VERDICT: Waste of money and time for a guy with a lot of the former.
WHY DON’T BIDEN OR SANDERS HAVE SECRET SERVICE DETAILS? Last night, a few protesters rushed JOE BIDEN’S stage in Los Angeles, which raised fresh questions about why the former VP and BERNIE SANDERS still lack Secret Service protection.
— FOR A CANDIDATE TO GET PROTECTION from the USSS, they have to request protection from DHS, which then conducts a threat assessment and consults with the Big Four — MITCH MCCONNELL, CHUCK SCHUMER, NANCY PELOSI and KEVIN MCCARTHY. DHS has the final say on this matter. As of Wednesday morning, no candidate had asked for protection.
— AFTER SPENDING SOME TIME WITH SANDERS AND BIDEN on the trail, safety concerns aside, here’s our observation: Secret Service protection suits Sanders’ style of campaigning more than Biden’s. SANDERS rallies are large-scale affairs, and Sanders does little retail politicking, from our experience. BIDEN is out among the people much more, and his inner circle is very cognizant of the impact USSS has on the former VP’s life — given they lived with it for more than eight years already.
OK, LET’S TRY THIS AGAIN: Who should be BIDEN’S VP? Tell us and we’ll do a roundup of interesting options folks are thinking about.
THE WAR ON THE ESTABLISHMENT! — “Sanders hits Biden, hugs Obama in post-Super Tuesday ads,” by Quint Forgey: “One of the 30-second segments is a near-duplicate of an ad Sanders released in January, which promoted audio of Biden’s remarks from the Senate floor in 1995. At the time, the former Delaware lawmaker was advocating freezing federal spending for Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid during a debate over a balanced budget amendment. …
“Another spot released Wednesday by Sanders’ campaign highlights a union auto worker hailing the senator’s longtime opposition to trade deals. The ad then flashes images of Biden and President Donald Trump as the auto worker criticizes ‘the banksters that have been robbing us blind and stealing our pensions and destroying our communities.’ The third Sanders ad features Obama heaping praise upon the candidate, in what could easily be mistaken for an endorsement video — mirroring similar spots produced by other Democratic presidential hopefuls including Biden and Elizabeth Warren.” POLITICO … Ad 1 … Ad 2 … Ad 3
EYES EMOJI … via WaPo’s Phil Rucker, Yasmeen Abutaleb and Ashley Parker: “A Tuesday profile of [Anthony] Fauci in Politico … was generally viewed dismissively inside the West Wing as an unnecessary and self-promoting distraction amid the crisis.” WaPo … ICYMI: Sarah Owermohle’s Fauci profile
TRUMP spoke to reporters during a meeting with airline CEOs at the White House this morning.
— ON CORONAVIRUS: “I haven’t touched my face in weeks. I miss it.”
— ON THE DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY: “One thing this whole thing has shown is that you can’t buy an election. It’s a beautiful thing.”
Good Wednesday afternoon.
SPOTTED: John Bolton walking near the White House this morning.
WARREN WATCH — “‘We fell well short’: Warren team considers ending campaign,” by Alex Thompson: “Elizabeth Warren’s campaign manager Roger Lau sent a frank email to staffers this morning saying the campaign missed its goals on Super Tuesday and that the ‘decision is in her hands’ about what to next.
“‘Last night, we fell well short of viability goals and projections, and we are disappointed in the results,’ Lau wrote in an email obtained by POLITICO, adding that ‘we are obviously disappointed.’ Another aide said Warren was spending Wednesday with her team to ‘assess the path forward.’ Lau wrote that ‘[t]his decision is in her hands, and it’s important that she has the time and space to consider what comes next.’” POLITICO … The email
HEADS UP — @AndrewDesiderio: “NEW: Ron Johnson says he’ll likely release an interim report within next 1-2 months on his cmte’s Biden probe. He insists it has nothing to do w/ the election, but ‘if I were a Democrat primary voter I’d want these questions satisfactorily answered before I cast my final vote.’”
VIRUS LATEST — “For Travelers Returning From Coronavirus Hot Spots, Little Clarity on Quarantining,” by WSJ’s Brianna Abbott and Talal Ansari: “Health and school officials in the U.S. are ad-libbing their own quarantine policies for students, chaperones and other residents returning from coronavirus hot spots like Italy and Japan, as guidance from the federal government hasn’t caught up with the fast-moving virus.
“For weeks, the U.S. government mandated monitoring and self-quarantining people who had recently returned from mainland China, where the virus originated. But the guidance hasn’t kept up, as more cases are now being reported outside of China, experts said. In addition, state and local public-health departments say that while they are receiving the names of travelers arriving in their jurisdictions from China, they aren’t getting the same information on travelers from other countries where there are outbreaks, such as Italy.” WSJ
— “Treasury Secretary Mnuchin: Coronavirus Is ‘Going to Affect the Next Year,’” by WSJ’s Richard Rubin: “‘This is an issue that’s going to affect the next year,’ he told a House subcommittee on Wednesday. ‘It’s not a longer-term impact.’ Mr. Mnuchin said administration officials are working with international partners and monitoring supply chains. The administration is talking to lawmakers about an emergency funding package under discussion now as well as potential future actions, he said.” WSJ
— “State-owned think tank floats China-led WHO alternative,” by Axios’ Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian: “As the coronavirus continues to spread around the world, a Chinese government-owned think tank is soliciting opinions to gauge how the international community might receive a Chinese alternative to the World Health Organization. Beijing is seeking to turn the coronavirus, initially a disaster for China’s public image, into an opportunity to advance its global leadership and bolster its soft power abroad.
“In a message viewed by Axios, an employee of CNPC Economics & Technology Research Institute (CNPC ETRI) said they were exploring the possibility of a Beijing-led global health organization that would rival the WHO. The employee then asked how Israeli experts at SIGNAL, an Israeli nonprofit dedicated to strengthening Israeli-China ties, would view such an organization.” Axios
— “Coronavirus Spreads in Washington State as Amazon Worker Tests Positive,” by WSJ’s Mike Cherney and Bojan Pancevski: “An Amazon.com Inc. worker in Seattle tested positive for the novel coronavirus as concerns mounted over its spread in the U.S., though the number of new infections in China, where the outbreak began, continued to decline Wednesday.
“The Amazon employee works at the company’s headquarters in Seattle, where the tech giant has about 55,000 employees, an Amazon spokeswoman said late Tuesday. The company said it has notified other workers who may have come into contact with the person. … Overall, the U.S. has 127 cases of the novel coronavirus, according to the latest figures from Johns Hopkins University. Multiple new cases were reported in California late Tuesday, with two new cases in Orange County and the first in Contra Costa County.” WSJ
— “Washington state fights coronavirus spread, tells voters not to lick mail-in ballots,” by L.A. Times’ Soumya Karlamangla: “Washington, which will hold its primary next Tuesday, offers only mail-in ballots. That means officials don’t have to contend with germ-ridden polling booths, but vote-by-mail comes with its own concerns.
“‘We are recommending that voters, instead of licking their envelopes, they use a wet sponge or cloth to seal them,’ said Kylee Zabel, spokeswoman for the Washington secretary of state’s office. Zabel said the recommendations come from state public health officials.” LAT
— “The Washington Post Cancels Nonessential Travel Over Coronavirus Concerns,” by Washingtonian’s Andrew Beaujon
BEYOND THE BELTWAY — “Tennessee tornadoes: Dozens still missing following storms that killed at least 24 people,” by WaPo’s Brandon Gee, Meryl Kornfield and Kim Bellware in Nashville: “A day after the deadliest tornado outbreak in Tennessee since at least 2011, a state of emergency is still in effect as tens of thousands of residents grappled with no electric power, disrupted gas and water lines and impassable roads.
“Storms struck just after midnight Tuesday and dropped roaring tornadoes across four counties in Tennessee, killing at least 24 people and flattening buildings. An EF-3 tornado with winds up to 165 mph tore across the Nashville area, killing two people downtown, according to the National Weather Service. … The destruction stretched for 50 miles across four counties, and Gov. Bill Lee (R), who surveyed the area via helicopter, said it will take days just to assess the scope of the damage.” WaPo
MUELLER’S LONG TAIL — “Feds: Mystery witness will implicate ‘Putin’s chef’ in election interference,” by Josh Gerstein: “U.S. prosecutors say they have a witness who will directly implicate a Russian businessman known as ‘Putin’s chef’ in schemes to carry out election interference overseas. The mystery witness is prepared to testify at a criminal trial set to open in Washington next month in a case special counsel Robert Mueller brought accusing three Russian companies and 13 Russian individuals of meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, a prosecutor declared at a recent court hearing.
“The anticipated testimony will focus on the most prominent Russian national charged in the indictment, Yevgeny Prigozhin, a St. Petersburg restaurateur who enjoys close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin and who has expanded his business empire to become a key contractor for the Russian military.” POLITICO
PLAYBOOK METRO SECTION — CNN’S @ryanstruyk: “The National Park Service says the start of peak bloom for the cherry blossoms in Washington will be March 27-30, 2020.”
MEDIAWATCH — Ann Klenk is joining PBS’ “Washington Week” as consulting executive producer. She previously was senior producer and co-executive producer of “Hardball with Chris Matthews,” which she left in 2017. Bob Costa, moderator of “Washington Week,” is also assuming the role of managing editor.
TRANSITION — Tom Lopach will be president and CEO of the nonprofit Voter Participation Center and the Center for Voter Information. He previously was COS to Montana Gov. Steve Bullock and was a senior adviser for Bullock’s presidential campaign.
ENGAGED — Arielle Patrick, SVP and transaction director at Edelman, and Aaron Goldstein, partner and portfolio manager at Macellum Capital Management, got engaged on Sunday. Pic
BONUS BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: NBC’s Vaughn Hillyard. “My folks picked my name after Charlie Sheen’s character in the movie ‘Major League’: Rick ‘Wild Thing’ Vaughn. (And yes, ‘Wild Thing’ is my mom’s ringtone for when I call.)” Playbook Q&A
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