| | | | |  | | By Adam Cancryn, Eli Stokols, Lauren Egan and Ben Johansen | | Presented by |  | | | Welcome to POLITICO’s West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people and power centers in the Biden administration. Send tips | Subscribe here | Email Eli | Email Lauren When President JOE BIDEN travels, it can often be a frantic, newsy affair for the protective pool of reporters assigned to document his every movement. Other days can be incredibly dull, consisting of a lot of waiting and sitting around and not doing much of anything. And then there are days like Saturday. What began as a routine weekend in Wilmington, Delaware — Biden’s 100th trip to his home state since taking office — quickly devolved into a comedy of errors, fraught with logistical hiccups and baffling decision-making. The result: The reporters assigned to keep eyes on Biden were separated from the president not once, but two times in the same afternoon. It’s rare for the pool to lose touch with the commander-in-chief at all. One veteran White House reporter who is frequently part of the traveling press corps estimated that they had witnessed it fewer than five times in nearly a decade. In this case, it’s fair to say, the pool didn’t miss much: the continuation of a motorcade down a driveway as well as the president getting out of the car and walking into church. But it still matters greatly to the press corps and individual reporters in the pool van — and not just because they’re spending their weekend trapped in a pool van. “The proximity of the protective pool is an essential part of the transparency needed in coverage,” said NBC’s KELLY O’DONNELL, the president of the White House Correspondents’ Association. “The pool always knows where the president is in public, and the president always has immediate access to communicate directly to the American people through the pool. Any disruption of that continuity is an issue that we seek to immediately address.” Given various logistical challenges specific to Wilmington and Rehoboth Beach, Biden’s primary weekend destinations, administration officials tasked with coordinating pool movements — via planes, helicopters, vans, sometimes simultaneously — often devote more time to these short, typically news-less trips than to longer, more eventful presidential travel. “We don’t want hiccups to happen. But things don’t always move as smoothly as we would like,” said NICOLETTE JAWORSKI, the White House director of press advance. But this weekend’s problems weren’t isolated. Logistical issues involving the White House’s handling of the press corps have been popping up for some time now. Last month, the pool was temporarily kept out of an event in the East Room where Biden was meeting with the leaders of Japan and the Philippines, let in only after the president had finished speaking. Press secretary KARINE JEAN-PIERRE, who is charged with training the press wranglers, whose job it is to shepherd the press to and from newsmaking moments, quickly apologized to several of the reporters who had missed Biden’s remarks, according to two people familiar with the meeting. And she met with the wranglers to go over procedures afterward. But there was little any wrangler could do about this weekend’s chaotic sequence of events. The White House, which had just advised reporters that nothing would happen until later in the day, scrambled to alert the pool that it now needed to gather in the next 20 minutes because Biden had decided to go to lunch. Reporters gathered their gear — and, in some cases, abandoned their own lunches — to rush to the press van. But within minutes of the hurried departure, the pool found itself stuck in standstill traffic a half-mile from the turnoff for Biden’s neighborhood. A car crash overnight had forced a full road closure, a key fact that was never relayed to the White House wranglers or the driver of the press van. Desperate for any way to make it to the motorcade in time, AP photographer MANNY CENETA spotted a local motorcycle cop and leapt off the bus to flag him down as he drove by. The officer, swayed by all the White House credentials and panicked attempts at explanation, agreed to provide a police escort the rest of the way. (Between those heroics and Ceneta’s chance encounter with STEVIE WONDER the next day, everyone agreed he won the weekend.) “As soon as the people on the ground conveyed they were stuck in traffic, we were immediately on the phone trying to see how quickly we could get a police escort to break them free from that gridlock,” said Jaworski. Against all odds, the pool arrived just in time to go through security and join the motorcade. The only problem: The Secret Service agents charged with doing security sweeps didn’t have their metal detector wand. The presidential motorcade roared by, and all the pool reporters could do was give a half-hearted wave. The second outing of the day wasn’t any smoother. Biden was attending Saturday evening Mass, which has become a staple of his trips to Delaware. But as Biden left the service and the press van maneuvered to join up with the motorcade, its path was blocked by a Secret Service agent who had parked his car in front of the exit. The agent proceeded to argue with the White House wrangler, press van driver and pretty much everyone else aboard about whether the pool could join the motorcade. CHLOE KELLISON, the wrangler, eventually convinced him to back his car (slowly) out of the way, kicking off a valiant — and somewhat unnervingly high speed — effort to catch up with the president. It was too late. MESSAGE US — Are you STEVIE WONDER? What were you doing in Wilmington? 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| | | | A message from the Electronic Payments Coalition: WORKING-CLASS AMERICANS DEPEND ON CREDIT CARD REWARDS: A new study finds credit card rewards like cashback empower low-income families to pay for the rising price of everyday essentials—like groceries and gas. So why are DC politicians partnering with corporate mega-stores to end those hard-earned rewards programs that Americans rely on? The Durbin-Marshall Credit Card Bill takes billions from American families, lining corporate pockets instead. Tell DC politicians to OPPOSE the Durbin-Marshall Credit Card Bill. | | | | | Which president grew weed? (Answer at bottom.)
| | LATEST IN THE MIDDLE EAST: Hamas said that it had accepted a cease-fire proposal negotiated by Egypt and Qatar on Monday, which could end, at least for the foreseeable future, seven months of war in Gaza. But as AP reports, Israeli Prime Minister BENJAMIN NETANYAHU’s office called the proposal “far from Israel’s essential demands,” adding that his office would nonetheless continue to send negotiators to continue talks on an agreement. Just hours after that announcement, Israeli leaders approved an operation into Rafah, targeting Hamas in the region. The Biden White House has repeatedly warned Israel not to attempt a large-scale Rafah invasion. At Monday’s press briefing, National Security Council spokesperson JOHN KIRBY confirmed that there had “been a response” from Hamas on the hostage deal, adding that President Biden had been briefed on the details and the White House is discussing the proposal with its partners in the region. JUST A CALL AWAY: President Biden spoke with Netanyahu on Monday, where he reiterated the White House’s opposition to the Rafah invasion. During the call, the Israeli leader agreed to ensure the Kerem Shalom crossing — which was closed after a deadly Hamas rocket attack over the weekend — is open for humanitarian assistance, according to a readout of the call. DOUG’S DUTY: On Monday, second gentleman DOUG EMHOFF hosted six Jewish students at the White House amid a wave of pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses criticized for featuring antisemitic behavior, our EUGENE DANIELS reports. The event, which will formally recognize Holocaust Remembrance Day, will feature attendees whose grandparents survived the Holocaust. APROPOS OF NOTHING … NYT executive editor JOE KAHN gave a long interview to Semafor’s BEN SMITH responding to complaints about coverage from the left and, as you may have read, the Biden White House itself. Kahn said that no threats to democracy, however dire, would compel the Times to abandon “its central role as a source of impartial information to help people vote.” To argue otherwise, he said, is “essentially saying that the news media should become a propaganda arm for a single candidate.” Smith, as any media reporter worth his salt would, asked Kahn if “an alien reading The New York Times would come away thinking Joe Biden is a good president?” Kahn responded that an alien would actually have a decent appreciation of Biden’s foreign policy and legislative successes and come away with a “pretty well-rounded, fair portrait of Biden.” He continued: “Of course, you’d also see some coverage about his frailty and his age. But it depends. Is this alien a voracious reader who comes every day? If he did, he’s not going to see that much about [Biden’s] age.” WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE WANTS YOU TO READ: This op-ed from Michigan Gov. GRETCHEN WHITMER in the Detroit Free Press titled, “Want to protect Michigan abortion rights? Re-elect Joe Biden.” In it, Whitmer writes that when former President DONALD TRUMP told TIME Magazine he would leave it up to states to decide whether or not to track women’s pregnancies, she was meeting with women and doctors in Flint to discuss the abortion bans across the country. “The women around the table told me how much it meant to them that here in Michigan, reproductive freedom is protected,” Whitmer writes. “But, I have to be honest, the thing going through my mind was: If Donald Trump wins again, I can’t prevent all the protections we fought so hard for in Michigan from being erased.” Campaign spokesperson DANIEL WESSEL shared the piece on X. WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE DOESN’T WANT YOU TO READ: This piece by WaPo’s CLEVE R. WOOTSON JR., EMILY GUSKIN and SCOTT CLEMENT, who report that according to a new WaPo/Ipsos poll conducted last month, Black Americans’ desire to vote this November is notably down compared to four years ago. The poll of more than 1,300 Black adults finds that 62 percent of Black Americans say they’re “absolutely certain to vote" — down from 74 percent in June 2020. By comparison, there has been only a four-point drop among Americans overall, falling from 72 to 68 percent. It’s sharpest among younger Black Americans, who have consistently been down on Biden and have now shifted to majority disapproval of his job performance. DOG DAYS: Over the weekend, South Dakota Gov. KRISTI NOEM suggested that the Biden family dog, COMMANDER, should be put down. At Monday’s press briefing, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called the governor’s comments “disturbing and absurd,” adding that she should “probably stop digging herself in a hole.” A hole? Or a pit made of gravel?
| | | | THE GOLD STANDARD OF POLICY REPORTING & INTELLIGENCE: POLITICO has more than 500 journalists delivering unrivaled reporting and illuminating the policy and regulatory landscape for those who need to know what’s next. Throughout the election and the legislative and regulatory pushes that will follow, POLITICO Pro is indispensable to those who need to make informed decisions fast. The Pro platform dives deeper into critical and quickly evolving sectors and industries—finance, defense, technology, healthcare, energy—equipping policymakers and those who shape legislation and regulation with essential news and intelligence from the world’s best politics and policy journalists.
Our newsroom is deeper, more experienced, and better sourced than any other—with teams embedded in the world’s most active legislative and regulatory power centers. From Brussels to Washington, New York to London, Sacramento to Paris, we bring subscribers inside the conversations that determine policy outcomes and the future of industries, providing insight that cannot be found anywhere else. Get the premier news and policy intelligence service, SUBSCRIBE TO POLITICO PRO TODAY. | | | | | | | | HE CHOSE A LABEL: Former No Labels presidential possibility and Republican Georgia Lt. Gov. GEOFF DUNCAN endorsed President Biden on Monday. In an op-ed in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Duncan described his decision as “voting for a decent person I disagree with on policy over a criminal defendant without a moral compass.” Duncan laid into Republicans like Sen. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-Ky.) and New Hampshire Gov. CHRIS SUNUNU, who had previously grilled the former president but have since fallen in line to support the Republican ticket. “This mentality is dead wrong,” he wrote. "The healing of the Republican Party cannot begin with Trump as president."
| | PERSONNEL MOVES: BLAKE NARENDRA is now a special adviser to Federal Trade Commission Chair LINA KHAN, with a focus on congressional affairs. Narendra previously worked at the Department of Homeland Security as director of Senate affairs and the National Security Council as director for legislative affairs. — JAMES McFARLIN is leaving the Pentagon in early June where he has been deputy assistant secretary of defense for industrial base development and international engagement, our DANIEL LIPPMAN has learned.
| | | | A message from the Electronic Payments Coalition:   | | | | | LET’S AVOID A PART TWO, FOLKS: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are at odds with state officials and the dairy industry over its on-the-ground bird flu response, our MEREDITH LEE HILL, DAVID LIM and MARCIA BROWN report. As the CDC tries to track the virus and work to stop a potential pandemic, many farmers are apprehensive over feds being on their property. “It’s overreach. They don’t need to do that,” Texas Agriculture Commissioner SID MILLER told POLITICO. “They need to back off.” The push back from dairy farmers illustrates the trust gap that exists between key agricultural players in red states and federal health officials, one which public health experts worry could hamper the nation’s ability to respond to the virus’ threat to humans. NEW WAVE OF THREATS: The Biden administration rolled out a new international cybersecurity strategy on Monday, our MAGGIE MILLER reports. In the midst of threats coming from Russia, China and cybercriminals, the State Department is debuting the nation’s first articulated U.S. global cyber strategy in over a decade. While in San Francisco, Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN laid out the plan, which includes four areas of focus: promoting a secure digital ecosystem globally; upholding “rights-respecting” digital technology approaches with allied nations; building coalitions to counter malicious cyberattacks; and enhancing the cybersecurity resiliency of partner nations.
| | The New Propaganda War (The Atlantic’s Anne Applebaum) Nervous about falling behind the GOP, Democrats are wrestling with how to use AI (Courtney Subramanian for the Associated Press) Biden campaign alleges RNC using Nevada lawsuits to sow early doubt in election (The Nevada Independent’s Gabby Birenbaum) The Many Reinventions of a Legendary Washington Influence Peddler (Brody Mullins and Luke Mullins for POLITICO Magazine)
| | | | A message from the Electronic Payments Coalition: NEW STUDY DEBUNKS MYTH CREDIT CARDS REWARDS ARE ONLY FOR THE RICH: Politicians in DC are teaming up with corporate mega-stores to push a false narrative only the rich benefit from credit card rewards. New research disproves this, showing rewards have a significantly larger financial benefit for low- and middle-income Americans. These rewards, especially cashback, help working class families pay for everyday essentials--equivalent to a 17 cent per gallon gas price reduction. Yet, politicians are trying to pass a new law that would end rewards programs that Americans rely on, favoring corporations over people. The card mandates included in the Durbin-Marshall Credit Card Bill would weaken security measures, disrupt rewards, and burden households already grappling with rising costs. With food and rent prices soaring, stripping cashback rewards from hardworking American families would be devastating. Learn more here. | | | | | GEORGE WASHINGTON. OK, not that kind of weed. Washington grew hemp at Mount Vernon in Virginia, as it was a lucrative cash crop during the 18th century. The Mount Vernon website makes very clear: “There is no truth to the statement that George Washington grew marijuana. His hemp crop was strictly industrial strain needed for the production of rope, thread, canvas and other industrial applications.” Still, many people speculate that our first president was a stoner. A CALL OUT! Do you think you have a harder trivia question? Send us your best one about the presidents, with a citation or sourcing, and we may feature it! Edited by Sam Stein and Mike DeBonis.
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