Latest news with #MichaelBestStrategies
Politico
02-07-2025
- Business
- Politico
Digging into the latest batch of megabill lobbying disclosures
With help from Daniel Lippman WHO LOBBIED ON MEGABILL NONPROFIT LANGUAGE: We're learning more about who hired whom to lobby on the Republicans' reconciliation bill as disclosures poured in following the end of the second quarter on Monday. (Lobbyists have 45 days to disclose new lobbying registrations, which explains the delay, though some of the latest disclosures have overshot that deadline.) — Take, for example, ASAE — The Center for Association Leadership, the trade association for trade association executives. ASAE retained Saunders Global Diplomacy starting on April 1 to lobby on megabill provisions related to nonprofits' tax-exempt status, according to a disclosure filed on Monday. — An earlier version of the megabill would have granted the Treasury secretary new powers to revoke a nonprofit's tax-exempt status if designated as a 'terrorist supporting organization,' which the nonprofit sector adamantly opposed. The language was dropped before the House bill reached headed to the floor. — Americans Against Government Censorship, a coalition of nonprofits including the AFL-CIO and liberal advocacy group Indivisible, hired Washington Council Ernst & Young in May to lobby on the same provision. And the Rockefeller Foundation brought on Michael Best Strategies beginning in June to work on the reconciliation bill's proposal to hit private foundations with a new excise tax on their assets, according to more disclosures filed this week. MORE NEW MEGABILL BUSINESS: Here's a round-up of additional reconciliation lobbying disclosed over the past few days. Saunders Global Diplomacy disclosed this week that it began lobbying in April for ClassWallet, a fintech vendor that helps K-12 schools digitally manage public funds, on issues related to the GOP school choice overhaul included in the reconciliation bill. — More recently, the renewable energy company Serena Power retained Thorn Run Partners and the American Academy of Pediatrics retained Haro Solutions. Lockheed Martin hired Michael Best Strategies to lobby on spectrum provisions in the bill and 3M hired the firm to work on taxes. — Fox Corp. retained the Smith-Free Group to work on several issues, including taxes, and General Mills has tapped OGR to lobby on corporate and international policy. Montreal's BMO Bank hired Marble Arch and real estate developer KRA Management retained Ballard Partners to lobby on international tax matters as well, while the fintech Remitly hired Capitol Counsel to lobby on the remittance excise tax. — Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld has signed LS Electric America and GE Aerospace for tax work, while Ridgeline Advocacy Group signed on to lobby beginning yesterday for the American Public Gas Association and geothermal developer AlterG Resources, per disclosure filings. Happy Wednesday and welcome to PI. Did we miss any big reconciliation lobbying moves? Drop me a line: Add me on Signal at caitlinoprysko.17, email me at coprysko@ and be sure to follow me on X: @caitlinoprysko. GORDON HEADED BACK TO DGA: Philip Gordon, who served as national security adviser to former Vice President Kamala Harris, has rejoined DGA Group as a senior counselor. Gordon is a longtime Democratic foreign policy hand who worked in both the Obama and Clinton administrations. Before coming on as Harris' national security adviser in 2021, he previously was a senior adviser at Albright Stonebridge Group (which is now a part of DGA). — DGA Group has also added Naveen Jha and Elizabeth Linder as senior advisers. Jha is currently global director of the Mehta Family Foundation; Linder is currently founder and CEO of Brooch Associates and served as Facebook's first international corporate diplomat. KEEPING THE PRESSURE ON: Downtown isn't letting up on the pressure to pass the Republican megabill. The National Federation of Independent Business, which was an aggressive proponent of the bill's permanent extension of the 20 percent deduction for pass-through businesses, announced the House vote on the bill will be a key vote for the group. — 'This legislation will prevent a tax hike on 33 million small business owners,' the group's top lobbyist, Adam Temple, warned in a letter to House members on Tuesday. 'A permanent small business deduction will lead to an additional 1.2 million jobs a year and $750 billion in economic growth in the small business sector alone,' Temple continued, adding that 'making the small business deduction permanent is NFIB's number one legislative priority and the most important thing Congress can do to help small businesses and their workers.' GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN: The removal of an effort to block state and local AI regulations for as much as a decade from Republicans' reconciliation package marked Silicon Valley's first major loss of the second Trump administration. But the episode was only 'a prelude to future battles around who gets to write the rulebook on a technology that is rapidly remaking the economy,' POLITICO's Chase DiFeliciantonio writes. — 'The main driver of the measure, Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, has threatened to bring the measure back, suggesting the fight is far from over. … The freeze became a rallying cry for much of the tech industry and their moneyed backers, who have long argued a patchwork of state AI rules will hobble the United States' ability to compete with rivals like China when it comes to the technology — an argument that has resonated with the Trump administration and its MAGA allies.' — But 'states are already gearing up for the next battle, with legislators crafting measures they hope will be immune to Washington's preemption trump card. The push for a federal freeze on state AI laws also forged unlikely bipartisan coalitions across red and blue states that helped to crater Cruz's first effort. Those alliances will still be there should he try again.' MOVING ON: Tech groups don't seem to be dwelling on the loss much, so far. 'The proposed moratorium on state AI laws is dead,' Adam Kovacevich, the head of the Chamber of Progress, wrote in a post on X today. — Kovacevich laid out the next state AI policy battlegrounds where 'people who worry about states botching AI policy' should be actively engaged on, including efforts to regulate AI models in New York, California and Michigan; efforts to crack down on AI discrimination in Colorado and California; and legal and policy fights over intellectual property and copyright, where he warned that one pending California measure would be a 'litigation honey pot.' UAP UNION: As Capitol Hill considers the threat of unidentified anomalous phenomena (previously known as unidentified flying objects), three groups focused on the issue are merging to help continue to drive advocacy, pass legislation and help protect whistleblowers on the issue, Daniel reports. — Historically, the UAP community has been extremely fragmented. Activists say the union of three groups — the UAP Disclosure Fund, Disclosure Advocacy Group and UAP Caucus — could make their efforts more efficient. It could also improve whistleblower advocacy and better the chances of passing legislation about UAPs. — The UAP Disclosure Fund is a 501(c)4, the Disclosure Advocacy Group represents whistleblowers and files FOIA requests and the UAP Caucus is an online grassroots platform trying to build a political constituency around the issue. — 'With this first-of-its-kind merger of efforts in the UAP space, we have assembled an accomplished team of specialized professionals dedicated to what may be the most important issue of our time,' Jordan Flowers, executive director of the UAP Disclosure Fund, said in a statement. 'The transaction will augment our ability to engage at all levels of government — as well as in court if necessary — and expand our reach to new audiences inspired by the call for greater transparency.' Jobs report — Adam Szubin has joined Covington & Burling as of counsel in the national security practice. He previously led Treasury's Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence and served for nearly a decade as director of Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control. — Theo Wold is joining the Heritage Foundation as a visiting fellow for law and technology in the Center for Technology and the Human Person. He is a senior counselor at Palantir and previously was Idaho's solicitor general and U.S. assistant attorney general. — Sean Savett is now associate director of comms at the Open Society Foundations, leading comms for the U.S. and the Americas. He previously was spokesperson for the NSC in the Biden White House. — Molly Tuttle is now director of workforce development at the American Council of Engineering Companies. She previously was associate vice president for strategic comms at AECOM. — Lisa Bercu is joining the National Consumers League as senior director of health policy. She previously was senior adviser to the deputy FDA commissioner for policy, legislation and international affairs. — The Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation has promoted Taylor Schmitz to senior vice president. He has been with CSF for nearly a decade, most recently as director of federal relations. New Joint Fundraisers Maasdam Victory Committee (Trident Values PAC, Matt Maasdam for Congress) SCOTT BROWN VICTORY COMMITTEE (Scott Brown for New Hampshire, Inc., Strong Country for Today and Tomorrow) WHITSON VICTORY COMMITTEE (LIBERTY & LAW PAC, Whitson for Congress) New PACs LIBERTY & LAW PAC (Leadership PAC: Stewart Whitson) NE-02 REPUBLICAN NOMINEE FUND 2026 (PAC) Peace Democrats (PAC) Rough Riders PAC (Super PAC) Trident Values PAC (Leadership PAC: Matt Maasdam) W&T OFFSHORE, INC. PAC (PAC) Walleye PAC (Leadership PAC: Josh Williams) New Lobbying REGISTRATIONS Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld: General Electric Company Dba Ge Aerospace Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld: Ls Electric America, Inc. Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld: Volvo Group North America, LLC Ankura Advocacy LLC: Vytalize Health Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP: Elliott Investment Management L.P. Capitol Asset Strategies: Metrika, Inc. Continental Strategy, LLC: Save Our Simulation Continental Strategy, LLC: Sea Energy Shipping LLC Disability Community For Democracy, Inc.: Disability Community For Democracy, Inc. Federal Hall Policy Advisors, LLC: Enova International Hogan Lovells US LLP: Tencent America LLC Holland & Knight LLP: Li-Cycle Corp. Law Offices Of George Harris, LLC: Hospital Authority Of Irwin County Michael Best Strategies LLC: 3M Company Michael Best Strategies LLC: Linn County, Oregon Michael Best Strategies LLC: Lockheed Martin Corporation Michael Best Strategies LLC: Payward, Inc. Dba Kraken Michael Best Strategies LLC: The Rockefeller Foundation Miller Strategies, LLC: Jetzero, Inc. Miller Strategies, LLC: Keeping Americas Edge Miller Strategies, LLC: Kps Capital Partners, Lp Miller Strategies, LLC: Mark Foods Miller Strategies, LLC: Medline Industries, Lp Miller Strategies, LLC: Sibelco North America, Inc. Miller Strategies, LLC: Twenty-Nine Palms Band Of Mission Indians Miller Strategies, LLC: Vial Health Technology Inc. Penn Hill Group: Association Of Private Nonprofit Institutions LLC People United For Privacy: People United For Privacy Porter Group, LLC: Bullseye Target Systems, LLC Ridgeline Advocacy Group LLC: Alterg Resources LLC Ridgeline Advocacy Group LLC: American Public Gas Association Ridgeline Advocacy Group LLC: Quintessence Marine Inc. D/B/A Inversa Leathers Ridgeline Advocacy Group LLC: Tetra Pak Inc. Saunders Global Diplomacy: Asae - The Center For Association Leadership Saunders Global Diplomacy: Classwallet The Smith-Free Group, LLC: Fox Corporation Tulipifera Strategies: Campaign For Trauma Informed Policy And Practice Tulipifera Strategies: Treatment Advocacy Center New Lobbying Terminations Dutko Worldwide, LLC: Advanced Mobile Solutions Dutko Worldwide, LLC: American Home Furnishings Alliance Dutko Worldwide, LLC: Apprenticeships For America, Inc. Dutko Worldwide, LLC: Armorworks Dutko Worldwide, LLC: Baker Engineering, Inc. Dutko Worldwide, LLC: California Workforce Association Dutko Worldwide, LLC: Carbon Sic Technologies, Inc Dutko Worldwide, LLC: Centegix Holdings, LLC Dutko Worldwide, LLC: C. H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. Dutko Worldwide, LLC: Cimpress USa Dutko Worldwide, LLC: Cubrc Dutko Worldwide, LLC: Excelsior College Dutko Worldwide, LLC: Fibernet Mercurydelta Dutko Worldwide, LLC: Friends Of Falun Gong USa Dutko Worldwide, LLC: H2L Solutions, Inc. Dutko Worldwide, LLC: Highway 36/City Of Boulder (F/K/A Highway 36/City Of Louisville) Dutko Worldwide, LLC: Hntb Companies (The) Dutko Worldwide, LLC: Liberty Steel Holdings USa Inc. Dutko Worldwide, LLC: Lima 7, LLC Dutko Worldwide, LLC: Michigan Research Institute Dutko Worldwide, LLC: Michigan Works! Association Dutko Worldwide, LLC: Midwest Urban Strategies Dutko Worldwide, LLC: National Association Of Workforce Development Professionals Dutko Worldwide, LLC: National Skills Coalition Dutko Worldwide, LLC: National University Dutko Worldwide, LLC: New York Association Of Training And Employment Professionals Dutko Worldwide, LLC: North American Home Furnishings Association Dutko Worldwide, LLC: North Salt Lake, Ut Dutko Worldwide, LLC: Saginaw Valley State University Dutko Worldwide, LLC: Sandy City Dutko Worldwide, LLC: Strawberry Waters USers Assn Dutko Worldwide, LLC: Surface Tech, LLC Dutko Worldwide, LLC: The Central Iron Country Water Conservancy District Dutko Worldwide, LLC: The Metropolitan Water District Of Salt Lake & Sandy (Fka Provo River Water Assn Dutko Worldwide, LLC: Inc. Dutko Worldwide, LLC: Vericarbon Dutko Worldwide, LLC: Wayfair LLC Dutko Worldwide, LLC: Western Governors University Homesafe Alliance: Homesafe Alliance Law Offices Of George Harris, LLC: Irwin County Commission Ledge Counsel, Inc.: National Americorps Seniors Association Fka National Senior Corps Association Lewis-Burke Associates, LLC: Education Reform Now Advocacy Lxr Group: Broadridge Financial Solutions Mr. Vincent A. Panvini: Phrma Porter Group, LLC: Reno-Sparks Convention And Visitors Authority Powers Pyles Sutter & Verville, P.C.: Alaska Federation Of Natives Powers Pyles Sutter & Verville, P.C.: Eastern Navajo Land Commission Ridgeline Advocacy Group LLC: Fti Consulting On Behalf Of Tetra Pak Simmons Energy And Environmental Strategies LLC: Carboncapture Inc. Taxbit: Taxbit Timothy Lovain: Capitol Strategies US, LLC On Behalf Of Port Of Everett Tusk Strategies, LLC: Trustwell
Politico
31-01-2025
- Politics
- Politico
Trump's narrative shift
Presented by With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine Happy Friday. This is Zack Stanton. Thanks for waking up with Playbook. Get in touch: zstanton@ FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Chris LaCivita, the co-manager of President Donald Trump's 2024 campaign, is joining Reince Priebus at Michael Best Strategies, where he'll provide strategic counsel to clients and manage relationships with the new Trump administration. LaCivita joins the bipartisan team Priebus has assembled, which also includes former Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.), former Rep. Steve Israel (D-N.Y.) and senior alums of the offices of Speakers Mike Johnson and Kevin McCarthy. Read the press release DRIVING THE DAY TRUMP'S NARRATIVE SHIFT: In some ways, it's a fairly normal day at the White House: press secretary Karoline Leavitt will hold a briefing at 1 p.m., President Donald Trump will sign a new tranche of executive orders at 3 p.m. and then at 5 p.m., he'll head to Mar-a-Lago, where he's due to arrive at 7:50 p.m. But it's abnormal in this way: For the second week in a row, Trump's Friday centers on a disaster. Last Friday, his tours of Hurricane Helene-ravaged North Carolina and the wildfire-scarred hills of southern California occupied the capital's attention. Today, it's the deadly crash at DCA that grips the national conversation — and it's almost certain to be the story that carries us through the weekend and becomes the A-block on the Sunday shows. (Required reading: Oriana Pawlyk has a great piece on the years of warnings that preceded the crash.) Politically, there's at least one critical difference: The prevailing sense at the end of week one was that Trump 2.0 was altogether more polished and professional than Trump 1.0. This time around, so the thinking went, the administration would be able to execute on its goals with strategic precision — an impression bolstered by the blitz of well-prepared executive actions that defined his initial days back on the job. At the end of week two, though, things appear a bit different: Trump 2.0 suddenly looks less like a break from the occasional half-cocked chaos of Trump 1.0 than simply its more grown-up sequel. Rather than an altogether different administration, it seems to have some of the same flaws of Trump's first go-around. A big part of the reason for that is the president's handling of the tragedy at Washington Reagan National Airport, which offers a striking contrast to his behavior last Friday in California. Week one: Trump toured wildfire damage in California and visited burned-out homes. It was presidential. Week two: Asked by reporters whether he would visit the collision site where 67 people died on the Potomac River, Trump responded: 'What's the site? The water? You want me to go swimming?' Week one: Trump literally embraced California Gov. Gavin Newsom, his longtime political foe, and, as Christopher Cadelago and Melanie Mason wrote, 'refrained from his sharp-edged digs and instead pledged to help lead in the recovery effort.' Week two: Trump foisted blame for the DCA crash onto Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg ('He's just got a good line of bullshit,' Trump said at his presser) and DEI policies. Put succinctly: 'In the wake of this week's midair collision near Washington, Mr. Trump was more than happy to jump to conclusions and pull the country apart rather than together,' NYT's Peter Baker writes this morning. A quick reality check: The initial FAA report says that air traffic control staffing responsibilities at Reagan were 'not normal' and that one person was doing two jobs, NYT's Sydney Ember and Emily Steel report. … ABC News notes there isn't any affirmative action in the hiring of air traffic controllers. … The disability hiring policies that Trump criticized were actually maintained and used by his own first administration, WaPo's Glenn Kessler writes. … The executive action Trump signed yesterday to unwind diversity programs at the Department of Transportation and the FAA came even though, as Bloomberg's Akayla Gardner reports, there is 'no evidence that diversity initiatives led to the crash, nor is there evidence that such practices result in poor operational outcomes.' It wasn't just his handling of the tragedy at DCA that marked the change. The other big story this week, Trump-wise, was the brouhaha over the now-blocked federal spending freeze. It lacked White House vetting. It galvanized Democratic opposition. It caused the Trump administration to walk it back — and then walk back the walkback. It amounts to a quick shift for the White House 'from inaugural euphoria to the realities of governing,' WSJ's Natalie Andrews and Meridith McGraw write this morning. What comes next: Even so, the Trump team is gearing up for a major court fight over whether it can ignore Congress' power of the purse, Megan Messerly, Rachael Bade and Eli Stokols report this morning. 'While legal experts believe the administration's argument won't hold up, [OMB Director-designate Russ] Vought and others appear eager for a confrontation on the matter in court.' And the stakes are high: Ultimately, the Supreme Court's conservative supermajority has 'the potential to shift the balance of power laid out in Article I of the Constitution,' WaPo's Tony Romm and Jeff Stein add. The big picture, legally: The president is testing the extent of his power. On this week's episode of 'Playbook Deep Dive,' our own Eugene Daniels sat down with Capitol Hill bureau chief and senior Washington columnist Rachael Bade and senior staff writer and legal columnist Ankush Khardori to discuss why, where the pushback is and what to expect next. Listen to their conversation on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. The big picture, politically: After week one, the Trump administration seemed a bit like a Colossus astride the world. After week two, it seems altogether more fallible and subject to the same laws of gravity that apply to every government and political leader. Whether that sense lasts is anyone's guess — so much can happen so quickly in politics, and it's entirely possible that in a month's time, we'll look back on this week as an anomalous moment in what is otherwise a series of political victories for Trump. … Something to watch next: Trump's 25 percent tariffs on Canada and Mexico are supposed to kick in tomorrow — more on that below. But I'd be remiss if I didn't share that I've seen a noticeable shift in my conversations with Democrats over the last couple days. Suddenly, there's some faint whiff of the old Trump 1.0-era resistance magic in the air, and some (but definitely not all) of the intraparty quarreling that has raged since the November election has been supplanted by a new determination to paper over those differences and take on Trump. And yet … IN THE WILDERNESS ALL IN THE FAMILY: Tomorrow, members of the Democratic National Committee will descend on National Harbor, Maryland, to elect new leaders for their party. (Stay tuned tomorrow for a walk-up to the big vote, as frontrunners Ben Wikler and Ken Martin are locked in a neck-and-neck race.) Last night in Georgetown, at the final forum of candidates running for chair, the proceedings were 'derailed at numerous points by climate protesters — a reminder of the fractures still dividing a party reeling from its losses in November,' Elena Schneider and Brakkton Booker report. Don't vote, boo: 'More than a dozen protesters, some affiliated with the Sunrise Movement, repeatedly stopped the DNC forum proceedings throughout the first 30 minutes. After five individual interruptions, six more protesters surged toward the stage, attempting to unfurl a banner, before they were forcibly removed. … Jason Paul, a longshot among the eight [chair] contenders, accused the protesters of 'hijack[ing] the whole evening' and turning 'this into scream night at the DNC.'' Not exactly encouraging from a party unity standpoint. First in Playbook: Third Way is out with an open memo directed at all of the Democrats planning to run for president in 2028, centered around one simple plea: 'Reject the pledges.' What does that really mean? 'We must never again let our candidates fall prey to the siren song of far-left groups who claim, without evidence, to speak for our coalition and offer a path to the nomination,' the memo reads, calling on would-be Democratic candidates to refuse to engage in interest group litmus tests, and unveiling a list of 'wrongheaded and unbelievably unpopular policies that far-left groups are trying to strongarm Democrats to embrace.' From the memo: 'As Democrats sift through the rubble … there are still many open questions about why we find ourselves in the political wilderness. But one thing is a certainty if our party ever wants to defeat MAGA extremists and return to power. We must never again let our candidates fall prey to the siren song of far-left groups who claim, without evidence, to speak for our coalition and offer a path to the nomination. In fact, if we allow what happened in the 2019 primary to recur, we might as well save ourselves billions and countless hours of blood, sweat, and tears and just sit out the next election.' (Question: Is vowing to reject pledges itself a pledge?) BEYOND THE BELTWAY AMERICA FIRST'S BIG WEEKEND: The next few days will offer some crucial early tests of the Trump administration's swaggering approach to trade and expansionism on the world stage. And in at least one case, we're still in some suspense about what the White House will do. Trump vowed again yesterday that 25 percent tariffs are indeed coming tomorrow for Canada and Mexico, per Ari Hawkins and Doug Palmer, over frustrations about immigration, drugs and trade. He did note that he hasn't decided whether to exempt oil yet, per AP's Josh Boak. But but but: Officials in Ottawa and Mexico City are surely reading with avidity last night's report from WSJ's Gavin Bade, Vipal Monga and Santiago Pérez suggesting that the situation remains rather more in flux than Trump indicated. White House aides are 'considering several offramps' to dial down the temperature, they report, including switching from universal to targeted tariffs, relying on legal authorities that already exist and/or delaying the start date. And whither Beijing? Trump had previously set Feb. 1 as the date for China to be hit with tariffs, too, but he was much more vague about it yesterday. Man in the middle: Senate Majority Leader John Thune is in an awkward spot, as a reliable Trump ally whose home state of South Dakota stands to suffer significantly from a trade war, Meredith Lee Hill and Jordain Carney report this morning. Marco Rubio takes the stage: Latin America policy is personal for the secretary of State, and crucial to the administration's immigration and China competition goals. But as Rubio travels to Central America and the Caribbean this weekend, he could face a frosty reception in Panama. Giving up the Panama Canal is 'impossible,' President José Raúl Mulino warned yesterday, per Gregory Svirnovskiy and Ali Bianco. 'I cannot negotiate … That's sealed.' But Rubio told Megyn Kelly that genuine national security concerns undergird Trump's threats to Panama and Greenland. 'This is not a joke,' Rubio said about the latter. 'This is not about acquiring land for the purpose of acquiring land.' Immigration files: News broke late last night that acting Deputy AG Emil Bove 'told all 93 US attorneys he's recruiting their line prosecutors for border enforcement' and they should pick people to be sent to border districts, Bloomberg Law's Ben Penn scooped. Around the world, Trump's crackdown is already having some of its desired effect. Would-be migrants from around the world who want to go to the U.S. are rethinking their plans, CNN's David Culver, Evelio Contreras, Jerry Simonson and Rachel Clarke find in Guatemala City. In the first Border Patrol embed of the new administration, ABC's Mireya Villarreal and James Scholz observe significant new U.S.-Mexico coordination at the border. At the same time, Mexico is being squeezed from both sides, WSJ's Santiago Pérez writes. And Reuters' Phil Stewart reports that Trump's high-profile military deportation flights are way costlier than the typical ones. More from the NYT and WaPo on deep fear among immigrants in the U.S. Eighteen more months: 'Judge extends court-monitoring agreement for children in Customs and Border Protection custody,' by AP's Valerie Gonzalez What retrenchment looks like: Even with more exemptions newly carved out, Trump's freeze on foreign aid has already had massive impacts on people around the globe. The halt to PEPFAR, for instance, caused an Eswatini clinic to close: 'I'm now thinking of dying,' one man tells NYT's John Eligon of losing access to lifesaving HIV medication. Major climate and energy programs have been thrown into chaos, Semafor's Tim McDonnell reports. And in Syria, there are fears for the stability of camps imprisoning tens of thousands of Islamic State fighters, NYT's Erika Solomon, Lara Jakes and Ben Hubbard report. MUNICH, HERE WE COME: As the top brass of the defense and security world prepare to descend upon Bavaria for the Munich Security Conference (Feb. 14-16), POLITICO is announcing a first-of-its-kind inaugural partnership with the MSC — hosting the POLITICO Pub within the exclusive secure perimeter. Throughout the conference, the POLITICO Pub will be the go-to place to dine, network and meet our all-star POLITICO team, hosting interviews, fireside chats and briefings. Full details here CONFIRMATION WATCH THE EASY ONES: Doug Burgum sailed to confirmation as Interior secretary in a 79-18 Senate vote yesterday, per Ben Lefebvre. That positions Burgum to take the lead on Trump plans to expand oil drilling and fossil fuel production while undercutting wind energy. Also headed for that goal: Energy Secretary-designate Chris Wright, who cleared a procedural vote on the floor 62-35, per Kelsey Tamborrino. Doug Collins got even more support, advancing 83-13 toward becoming VA secretary. The real action today: The week's high-profile confirmation hearings are over, so now Washington awaits tea leaves — or outright pronouncements — from key senators about the nominations of Kash Patel as FBI director, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as HHS secretary and Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence. Kash money: Patel seemed to do well with Republicans at a hearing that had less sparring than anticipated, Hailey Fuchs and Kyle Cheney report. Democrats struggled, sometimes repeating each other's questions, and '[e]fforts to create viral moments by casting Patel as an extremist fell flat.' Kennedy center: At his second confirmation hearing yesterday, Kennedy again stumbled over the basics of Medicare and Medicaid, per CNBC, though anti-abortion groups emerged from this week more reassured by him than they started, Alice Miranda Ollstein reports. All eyes are on Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), who has real issues with Kennedy's anti-vaccine history. Cassidy openly said he was 'struggling' with the nomination, and almost pleaded with Kennedy to make a clean break with his past false claims about vaccines, Chelsea Cirruzzo, Daniel Payne and Lauren Gardner report. But Kennedy wouldn't go there, saying he could meet with Cassidy and show him more info. The gift of Gabbard: Is Gabbard's now the most imperiled nomination? She got a lot of hard questions from a lot of Republicans yesterday, John Sakellariadis reports. Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.), who previously backed Gabbard, said afterward that 'there are a lot of questions' now. Sen. John Curtis (R-Utah) said the hearing had 'deepened my concerns about her [judgment].' And Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.), who clashed with Gabbard over Edward Snowden, said that 'I've got — for now, at least — all the information I need.' On Fox News last night, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) warned, 'I'm worried that her nomination may be in jeopardy.' The latest hiccup: Gabbard said under oath that she didn't know until now about the views of Syrian cleric Ahmad Badreddin Hassoun, with whom she met in 2017 and who had threatened bombings in the U.S. But WaPo's Jon Swaine and Ellen Nakashima revealed last night that an aide told Gabbard about it shortly after the trip. But but but: Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) sounded more upbeat than some of her colleagues, saying she was 'happy with [Gabbard's] responses,' while noting that she's still undecided and had missed part of the hearing to attend Kennedy's. And one source close to Gabbard texted Playbook last night that her team 'is feeling VERY good … The more time senators spend with T, the more they like her. Bobby has the opposite effect.' BEST OF THE REST MAGA'S HOT NEW HANGOUT: Trump world's movers and shakers have found their after-hours venue of choice: Butterworth's on Capitol Hill. Kara Voght gives it the WaPo Style section treatment in a rollicking read that just posted, featuring appearances from Scott Presler, Steve Bannon, Raheem Kassam, Curtis Yarvin and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. THE PURGE, PART I: Several top FBI officials have been told they must leave the bureau or be fired by Monday, CNN's Evan Perez and Zachary Cohen scooped — and these weren't even people who worked on the Trump probes, which has unsettled staffers. THE PURGE, PART II: The Trump administration is planning to boot one of the highest-ranking Biden holdovers left, CFPB Director Rohit Chopra, and perhaps fold his agency under the oversight of the Treasury Department or OMB, Bloomberg's Saleha Mohsin and Nancy Cook report. (He tells NYT's Stacy Cowley and Madeleine Ngo he'll keep serving as long as he can.) AND SO ON … FCC Chair Brendan Carr launched a probe of NPR and PBS that could lay the groundwork for seeking to end their federal funding, NYT's Ben Mullin and David McCabe scooped. … Elon Musk visited the General Services Administration yesterday as he plans to target federal office buildings, NYT's Teddy Schleifer, Kate Conger and Madeleine Ngo report. … The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, which protects American elections, is still waiting for a new leader after sustaining GOP attacks, AP's Christina Cassidy reports. … Trump has again disbanded the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, per NYT's Jennifer Schuessler and Julia Halperin. FBI FILES: Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) publicized whistleblower FBI documents that focus on an agent they've previously lambasted as anti-Trump, Timothy Thibault, who helped launch the investigation into Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election, per Fox News' Brooke Singman. But NYT's Alan Feuer and Adam Goldman report that 'in fact, the emails showed that F.B.I. investigators took normal bureaucratic steps and precautions when opening the extraordinarily sensitive inquiry.' FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: In his first FEC filing of the 2026 cycle, Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) begins his reelection campaign with $5 million cash on hand — a very strong showing as he heads into what is certain to be one of the nation's most competitive senate races. The COH number was buoyed by a strong showing in Q4 of 2024, when Ossoff's camp raised $2.17 million from more than 45,000 individual donors, with an average contribution of roughly $41 — a meaningful number as it suggests a base of grassroots supporters the campaign will be able to return to time and again as the race heats up. ANOTHER ONE FOLDS? 'Paramount in Settlement Talks With Trump Over '60 Minutes' Lawsuit,' by NYT's Lauren Hirsch, James Stewart and Michael Grynbaum: '[L]egal experts dismissed the litigation as a far-fetched attempt to punish an out-of-favor news outlet. … [But] many executives at CBS's parent company, Paramount, believe that settling the lawsuit would increase the odds that the Trump administration does not block or delay their planned multibillion-dollar merger.' STICKING TO THEIR GUNS: The conservative 5th Circuit Court of Appeals yesterday struck down the handgun sales ban for 18- to 20-year-olds, saying it violated the Second Amendment in light of the Supreme Court's 2022 Bruen ruling (and subsequent tweak). More from CNN 2026 WATCH: Former Rep. Mike Rogers plans to make a second go at winning an open Senate seat in Michigan, following the Republican's slim loss last fall, AP's Joey Cappelletti and Thomas Beaumont report. Meanwhile, DSCC Chair Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) said she's not afraid of wading into primaries to get better nominees — and she's especially high on Roy Cooper for North Carolina, Axios' Stephen Neukam and Hans Nichols scooped. 2028 WATCH: 'How Trump Could Defy the Constitution — or Find a Loophole — and Seize a Third Term,' by James Romoser in POLITICO Magazine: 'He could generate a movement to repeal the 22nd Amendment directly. He could exploit a little-noticed loophole in the amendment that might allow him to run for vice president and then immediately ascend back to the presidency. He could run for president again on the bet that a pliant Supreme Court won't stop him. Or he could simply refuse to leave — and put a formal end to America's democratic experiment.' THE WEEKEND AHEAD TV TONIGHT — PBS' 'Washington Week': Peter Baker, Mark Leibovich, Ali Vitali and Nancy Youssef. SUNDAY SO FAR … NBC 'Meet the Press': DHS Secretary Kristi Noem … Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) … Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.). Panel: Stephanie Murphy, Ryan Nobles, Kelly O'Donnell and Marc Short. FOX 'Fox News Sunday': Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) … Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). Panel: Josh Holmes, Josh Kraushaar, Mary Katharine Ham and Juan Williams. Sunday special: Cornel West and Robert George. CBS 'Face the Nation': Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). NewsNation 'The Hill Sunday': Rep. Gabe Amo (D-R.I.). Panel: Dave Weigel, Molly Ball, Megan McArdle and Tia Mitchell. MSNBC 'The Weekend': Mark Zaid … Tasha Adams. CNN 'State of the Union': Panel: Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.), Jaime Herrera Beutler, Bakari Sellers and Brad Todd. MSNBC 'The Sunday Show': Kelley Robinson. CNN 'Inside Politics Sunday': Panel: Olivia Beavers, Jeff Mason, Jasmine Wright and Jeff Zeleny. MSNBC 'Inside with Jen Psaki': Chris Hayes TALK OF THE TOWN Ketanji Brown Jackson says she uses boxing lessons to get out her Supreme Court frustrations. Tina Smith hoofed it to catch the Senate subway. Sam Bankman-Fried's law school professor parents have started to talk to people in Trump world about trying to get a pardon for their fraudster son. Felicia Sonmez's discrimination lawsuit against WaPo was revived in a 2-1 D.C. Court of Appeals ruling, Josh Gerstein flags. Read it here. IN MEMORIAM — 'Suzanne Massie, Reagan's Russian whisperer in Cold War, dies at 94,' by WaPo's Brian Murphy: 'The author and scholar briefed President Ronald Reagan on Russian history and Soviet life, including the Russian proverb 'Trust but verify' that entered the Cold War lexicon.' SPOTTED: HHS Secretary-designate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. working out at Equinox in jeans and a T-shirt after his confirmation hearing Wednesday. OUT AND ABOUT — The Hopkins Forum debate series from Open to Debate and the John Hopkins University Bloomberg Center launched Wednesday night with a debate about the future of the Supreme Court. John Donvan moderated, and Jeff Sessions, Jeff Flake, Cristina Rodríguez and Jamal Greene squared off in the debate. SPOTTED: Brittany Gibson and Gavin Bade, Frances Stead Sellers, Gabe Fleisher, Jane Mayer, Jose Pagliery, Rachel Oswald, Sarah Isgur, Stephanie Adler, John Banes, Edward Dunn, John Sarbanes, Judy Keen and Drew Lichtenberg. — George Sifakis hosted the 2025 Ideagen Global Leadership Summit yesterday at Capitol Counsel with Sean Spicer, Bill Novelli, Martin Gold and Richard Sandler. SPOTTED: Rawle Andrews Jr., Gretchen O'Hara, Jennifer Jacobs, Marcus Smith II, Erica Parker, Siya Raj Purohit, Jane Oates, Nicole Hayre, John Raffaelli, Lyndon Boozer, Warren Tryon and Joe Eannello. MEDIA MOVE — Peter Spiegel will be a managing editor at WaPo, overseeing its national and local coverage. He most recently was U.S. managing editor at the FT, and is an L.A. Times and WSJ alum. TRANSITIONS — Phil Radford will be the next president and CEO of Consumer Reports. He previously was chief strategy officer at the Sierra Club. … Democracy Forward is adding Rachel Homer as director of Democracy 2025 and senior attorney, Mya Pak as deputy director for people, culture and operations, and Sarah Myhre as director of partnerships. … Homer most recently was chief of staff of the Office of the General Counsel at the Education Department. Pak most recently was director of people operations at … Rachel Alexander is now a managing director at FGS Global. She previously was director of public policy and government affairs at Smith & Nephew. … … House Budget Chair Jodey Arrington (R-Texas) has added Evan Dixon as comms director (joining from Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions), Allison Dong as senior comms adviser (from Senate Aging/Sen. Mike Braun) and Carter Houtman as digital director (from Michigan campaigns). … The Congressional Hispanic Caucus is staffing up under Chair Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.). His former legislative director Monica Garay has been elevated to executive director of the group while Rubi Flores joins as policy director from and Rafael Bernal joins as comms director from The Hill. … Joel Rubin has been named executive director of the Jewish Electorate Institute. He previously ran for Congress in Maryland. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: National security adviser Mike Waltz … Reps. Bill Huizenga (R-Mich.), Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.), Russell Fry (R-S.C.) (4-0) and Janelle Bynum (D-Ore.) (5-0) … Ali Zaidi … CNN's Clarissa Ward … Fox News' Martha MacCallum … Dylan Byers … David Plotz … former House Majority Leader Dick Gephardt … Nic Pottebaum … NYT's Katherine Miller … Chris Marklund … Barbara Slavin … Nathan Lewin … former Reps. Garret Graves (R-La.), Larry Kissell (D-N.C.), Dutch Ruppersberger (D-Md.) and Gwen Graham (D-Fla.) … David Thomas … NBC's Christine Romans and Sarah Blackwill … Sam Dorn … POLITICO's Angel Torres and Michael Doyle … Peter Sagal … Tim Naftali … USTR's Conor Harrington … Christopher Semenas … BGR Group's Erskine Wells … Tom O'Donnell … Fred Karger … Amos Friedland … Mikhail Zygar (44) … Lisa Duvall … Matthew Gottlieb … Kripa Sreepada of Sen. Ron Wyden's (D-Ore.) office and the Senate Finance Dems … Heather Riley … Rational 360's Jacqueline Thomas (3-0) … Tricia McLaughlin … Michael Kempner of MWW … David Karol Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here. Send Playbookers tips to playbook@ or text us at 202-556-3307. Playbook couldn't happen without our deputy editor Zack Stanton and Playbook Daily Briefing producer Callan Tansill-Suddath. Corrections: Yesterday's Playbook misstated the name of the Progressive Change Institute and misquoted a memo released by the organization. It also misspelled Irie Sentner's name.
