POLITICO NIGHTLY: POLITICO at 15

 

BY JOHN F. HARRIS Presented by AT&T NEXT YEAR, POLITICO GETS ITS DRIVER’S LICENSE — In the old days of establishment newspapers, reporters were generally expected to subordinate the distinctive elements of their personality, interests, and voice to the imperatives of the institution. Many of the conventions — such as the detached, oracular voice-of-God tone to most stories — were designed to project an air of authority, but this was often an illusion. POLITICO’s notion from the outset was to recognize that the best reporters had their own distinctive signatures — and to build a new publication around these. We assembled a group of past and present POLITICO journalists for a conversation about the changes in media over the past 15 years, and likely further disruptions in the years ahead. Each of them are all emphatic examples of this type of reporter. While quite different in age and background, these journalists have some things in common. All saw their careers and public profiles boosted powerfully during their time at POLITICO. All have reported or commented on presidents Donald Trump and Joe Biden in penetrating ways. Lastly, all have keen insights, flowing from direct experience, in the altered power dynamics of the modern media arena, in which legacy news organizations like the New York Times vie with newcomers like POLITICO for relevance and impact with an audience that is saturated in content like no other time in history. You’ll want to read the conversation in full when it’s published in POLITICO Magazine this Sunday. It’s part of a package of stories we’re running to observe and celebrate POLITICO’s 15th birthday. (I wrote one of those stories, which we published this morning.) But for Nightly readers who want tomorrow’s news tonight, here is an advance look at a few highlights from each of the participants: Matt Wuerker, POLITICO’s staff cartoonist: I do miss the gatekeepers in some ways — not the stodgy white guys from the Acela corridor, but the idea that journalism has some responsibility to put out truths and slap down on lies. Ben Smith, starting a new media venture after writing a New York Times column and editing BuzzFeed: I’ve gradually gained respect for these old institutions. But also, all of the flaws that we took advantage of in launching POLITICO are mostly still manifest and totally unfixed. Maggie Haberman, political reporter at the New York Times: I hate saying that, but it’s just not fun the way that it was. And maybe that’s a good thing, right? Because the stakes are actually really high, and maybe the idea that this was fun for a group of us was probably somewhat disconnected from reality. Eugene Daniels, POLITICO White House correspondent and Playbook co-author: I used to have this idea that it’s really, really important for me to hear from readers, that it’s really, really important for journalists not to close ourselves off to criticism. I really held true to that for a while. I’m starting to see that isn’t really what’s happening on Twitter. Seung Min Kim, White House reporter at the Washington Post: I don’t know of any good political reporter who isn’t always busy, maybe slightly overwhelmed, and constantly working to beat our competition and get the best story out there. I think POLITICO is not unique in that. Matt Wuerker: And to answer the question about what I would do in the future or suggest that POLITICO do in the next 15 years, it’s use more cartoons. The secret is more cartoons, always. Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. Reach out with news, tips and ideas at nightly@politico.com. Or contact tonight’s author on Twitter at @harrispolitico.   A message from AT&T: Accessible, affordable broadband helps communities reach their American Dream. That’s why we’re making a $2 billion, 3-year commitment toward helping close the digital divide, so more low-income families have the ability to succeed. Learn more.   WHAT'D I MISS? — Read the never-issued Trump order that would have seized voting machines: Among the records that Trump’s lawyers tried to shield from Jan. 6 investigators are a draft executive order that would have directed the defense secretary to seize voting machines and a document titled “Remarks on National Healing.” The executive order — which also would have appointed a special counsel to probe the 2020 election — was never issued, and the remarks were never delivered. Together, the two documents point to the wildly divergent perspectives of White House advisers and allies during Trump’s frenetic final weeks in office. — Trump appointee blocks Biden vaccine mandate for federal workers: A U.S. judge in Texas issued a nationwide injunction today barring the federal government from enforcing Biden’s requirement that federal workers without qualifying medical or religious exemptions be vaccinated for Covid-19 . Judge Jeffrey Brown, who was appointed to the District Court for the Southern District of Texas by Trump, ruled that opponents of Biden’s vaccination mandate for federal employees were likely to succeed at trial and blocked the government from enforcing the requirement.   JOIN NEXT FRIDAY TO HEAR FROM GOVERNORS ACROSS AMERICA : As we head into the third year of the pandemic, state governors are taking varying approaches to public health measures including vaccine and mask mandates. "The Fifty: America's Governors" is a series of live conversations featuring various governors on the unique challenges they face as they take the lead and command the national spotlight in historic ways. Learn what is working and what is not from the governors on the front lines, REGISTER HERE.     — Texas man arrested for year-old death threats against Georgia election officials: The Justice Department has charged a Texas man with making death threats against Georgia officials and state and federal judges when the state’s election practices were at the center of controversy over the 2020 presidential election. Chad Christopher Stark was arrested in Travis County, Texas, on an indictment returned earlier this week by a federal grand jury in Atlanta, Justice Department officials said. — Biden nominates former Stacey Abrams lawyer for campaign finance watchdog: Biden is nominating a new commissioner to the Federal Election Commission, the nation’s chief campaign finance watchdog. The White House announced today that Biden was putting forward Dara Lindenbaum, a campaign finance attorney, to join the six-member board governing the agency, which is charged with enforcing campaign finance laws and issuing opinions guiding federal officeseekers.   A message from AT&T:     FROM THE HEALTH DESK THE EQUITY EQUATION — Nightly contributor and Commonwealth Fund journalist-in-residence at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health Joanne Kenen emails Nightly: Even before the pandemic, the health care world had begun to focus on “social determinants” or “social drivers” of health, ways in which poverty, health, and often race, collided. The pandemic elevated that conversation. But paying attention to something, even paying a lot of attention to something, isn’t the same thing as doing something. This week, the National Quality Forum, which advises Medicare, took the first step toward making measuring and addressing social drivers a routine part of Medicare. Medicare has dozens — actually, a few hundred — of quality metrics and incentives that shape how doctors and hospitals are paid. Not one of them pertains to social determinants. The National Quality Forum endorsed two measures this week that would change that. One would require doctors and hospitals to screen patient needs in five areas: food, housing, transportation, utilities, and domestic or interpersonal violence. The other would measure and report how many patients “test positive” once screened. Neither measure would require a doctor to, say, call a food pantry or a housing agency. But before plans to address social needs can be mandated, those needs have to be measured and understood. (Some doctors and health systems are already screening for these measures, and a subset do then connect patients to social services.) Neither measure would go into effect right away; the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services has to make decisions and go through a bunch of rule-making. Some industry groups will push back or try to soften any new requirements. But at the NQF meeting, which was public, I heard a sense of urgency. “We need to address the reality of our patients’ lives beyond the four walls of our health system,” said Allison Bryant, senior medical director for health equity at Mass General Brigham in Boston. Patrick Conway, who led the Medicare innovation center in the Obama administration and is now an executive at the Optum health company, said, “I think it will drive change.”   STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president’s ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today.     AROUND THE WORLD Ukrainian soldiers stand in a trench near the front line in the village of New York, formerly known as Novhorodske, Ukraine. | Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images BALTICS RUSH TO AID UKRAINE — Latvia and Lithuania confirmed they will send Stinger ground-to-air missiles to Ukraine, adding a major new capability to Kyiv’s ability to defend itself against a possible Russian incursion, Paul McLeary writes. The two countries were joined by fellow NATO member Estonia, who confirmed they would send Javelin anti-armor missiles to Ukraine in the coming days. The three countries — all former Soviet satellite states — showed a united front today, releasing a joint statement declaring they “stand united in their commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in face of continued Russian aggression.” The upcoming shipments of Stingers will give the Ukrainian military the ability to shoot down helicopters with accuracy. The impending shipments were first reported by POLITICO this week when the State Department quietly signed off on the transfers of the U.S.-made Stinger and Javelin missiles to Ukraine. NIGHTLY NUMBER More than $20 million The amount Facebook, now renamed Meta, spent on lobbying in 2021. Facebook’s owner spent more money than ever on lobbying last year , amid a growing pile of political and legal problems, according to its latest disclosure filing. PUNCHLINES THE BIG 1-5 — In the latest Weekend Wrap, Matt Wuerker isn’t finished celebrating POLITICO’s 15th anniversary, with some archival footage of former presidents cracking jokes about the burgeoning publication, and some of the usual political satire and cartoons of the week. PARTING WORDS California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during a news conference after meeting with students. | Justin Sullivan/Getty Images WHAT 2022 ELECTION? Five months after California Gov. Gavin Newsom crushed the recall, the GOP field for a 2022 rematch is frozen in suspended animation . Republican candidates and donors still reeling from Newsom’s 24-point blowout are assessing whether they have the will for another round. So far, the answer is a resounding no. “I haven’t even paid much attention to it,” perennial California Republican donor Susan Groff said. “Actually, I haven’t paid any attention to it.” Recall momentum last year came out of nowhere in this bluest of blue states — and vanished just as quickly, Jeremy B. White writes. Two months from the candidate filing deadline for the 2022 gubernatorial race, no major Republican has launched a campaign to deny Newsom a second term. The pandemic anger that fueled the recall signature drive has gradually subsided since the economy reopened last summer. Students are back in classrooms, even during the Omicron surge.   A message from AT&T: Jenee Washington saw tech as the gateway to a brighter future for herself and her family. Growing up, financial hardship caused Jenee to leave school and accept dead-end jobs just to make ends meet. But with the help of accessible and affordable broadband, she discovered her passion for tech and secured a coding scholarship. Now, she's thriving as a QA analyst, pursuing the career of her dreams. That’s why AT&T is dedicated to helping close the digital divide with a $2 billion, 3-year commitment, so more low-income families like Jenee's can achieve their American Dream. Learn more.     Follow us on Twitter Chris Suellentrop @suellentrop Tyler Weyant @tweyant Renuka Rayasam @renurayasam Myah Ward @myahward   FOLLOW US

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