POLITICO Playbook Audio Briefing

Symone Sanders, a senior adviser and chief spokesperson for VP Kamala Harris, “is expected to leave the White House at the end of the year,” Eugene Daniels, Chris Cadelago and Daniel Lippman reported Wednesday night. “It was not immediately clear where Sanders is heading next or when she will be leaving the vice president's office.  Sanders, a 31-year-old African-American strategist and one of the admin's most recognizable advisers, leaves amid a flurry of stories about internal frictions and disorder in the VP's office. Sanders was often the aide who pushed back on those storylines, defending the VP and advocating for her both publicly and in one-on-one dealings with reporters. Subscribe to POLITICO Playbook. Raghu Manavalan is the host of POLITICO's Playbook. Jenny Ament is the senior producer for POLITICO Audio.  Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

Friday's shutdown showdown is about to get real — conservatives on both sides of the Capitol are privately plotting to force a government shutdown Friday in an effort to defund the Biden administration's vaccine mandate on the private sector, multiple GOP sources told Playbook. Capitalizing on a last-minute scramble to fund the government, a group of Senate conservatives is planning to object to quick consideration of a stopgap measure to extend funding into early 2022 unless Democratic leaders agree to deny money to enforce the mandate. Because of the tight schedule — and Senate rules that require unanimous consent to move quickly — the senators believe they'll be able to drag out the process well past midnight on Friday, when funding officially expires. Subscribe to POLITICO Playbook. Raghu Manavalan is the host of POLITICO's Playbook. Jenny Ament is the senior producer for POLITICO Audio.  Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

Most people on Capitol Hill are kissing Christmas — or at least most of December — goodbye this year. “We could be in every weekend between now and Christmas, so … sorry,” Sen. Debbie Stabenow told reporters Monday night. Sen. Patrick Leahy is so worried about being here on Christmas that he and his wife bought a holiday tree for their home in D.C. Here are some reasons for the growing pessimism. Subscribe to POLITICO Playbook. Raghu Manavalan is the host of POLITICO's Playbook. Jenny Ament is the senior producer for POLITICO Audio.  Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

The drama surrounding Rep. Lauren Boebert's Islamophobic comments about Rep. Ilhan Omar is about to heat up as lawmakers return from Thanksgiving recess this week. Sources tell us a faction of Democrats is expected to push leadership to strip Boebert of her committee assignments or censure her after she joked about Omar, who is Muslim, being safe to ride with in an elevator because she wasn't wearing a backpack. Subscribe to POLITICO Playbook. Raghu Manavalan is the host of POLITICO's Playbook. Jenny Ament is the senior producer for POLITICO Audio.  Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

Amid the swirling speculation that President Joe Biden won't run again in 2024, Democrats have been atwitter for weeks about whether Biden's Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg might mount a campaign. The man, after all, has been front and center in selling the Biden agenda across the nation, and — some suspect — is laying the groundwork for another try for the White House. Just in time, our Alex Thompson hit the road with the former mayor of South Bend, and found “a man who seems to be in a perpetual hurry.” Subscribe to POLITICO Playbook. Raghu Manavalan is the host of POLITICO's Playbook. Jenny Ament is the senior producer for POLITICO Audio.  Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

Because we're POLITICO, Marc Caputo has a story up this morning on Donald Trump's potential 2024 map. Granted, it's not terribly surprising, centering on the five states that Joe Biden flipped in 2020. But the level of engagement within Trumpworld this far out — that we didn't necessarily expect.  “Trump's shadow campaign … recently polled Trump-Biden matchups in the five states, all of which were decided in 2020 by fewer than 3 percentage points. According to the poll …  the former president led Biden in Arizona by 8 percentage points, Georgia by 3 points, Michigan by 12 points, Pennsylvania by 6 points and Wisconsin by 10 points. And, With Sean Parnell dropping his campaign for Senate in Pennsylvania, some of his former supporters who are close to Donald Trump Jr. are now pushing hedge fund millionaire David McCormick to run. Subscribe to POLITICO Playbook. Raghu Manavalan is the host of POLITICO's Playbook. Jenny Ament is the senior producer for POLITICO Audio.  Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

Jonathan Chait's latest — “Joe Biden vs. the Democrats” — poses this question on the new cover of New York magazine: “Why is a once-popular president with an even more popular agenda in so much trouble?” And, the Biden White House has become much more attuned to the political damage that the highest inflation since 1992 is inflicting. On Tuesday, the president will make remarks about lowering prices, an issue that now claims the kind of attention previously reserved for fighting the pandemic and promoting his infrastructure and reconciliation bills. Subscribe to POLITICO Playbook. Raghu Manavalan is the host of POLITICO's Playbook. Jenny Ament is the senior producer for POLITICO Audio.  Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

If a “New York minute” is a few passing seconds, then the opposite is a “McCarthy minute” — something that drags on and on for hours. On Thursday night, at 8:38 p.m., House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy took to the House floor with a speech designed to delay Democrats' passage of the Build Back Better package.  This morning, at 5:10 a.m., some 8 hours and 32 minutes later, he finally stopped talking.  Subscribe to POLITICO Playbook Deep Dive. Raghu Manavalan is the host of POLITICO's Playbook. Jenny Ament is the senior producer for POLITICO Audio.  Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

There are three headlines that describe most big events in the 117th Congress so far: (1) “Dems in Disarray” (2) “Kevin McCarthy Defends Far-Right Member, Who [fill in the blank]” (3) “Congress Sends Biden Historic Legislation” Long stretches of Democratic infighting over policy are punctuated by semi-regular acts of extremism by the fringe of the House Republican Conference. And every so often, a massive spending bill ends up on the president's desk.  This was supposed to be a “Dems in Disarray” week, but thanks to Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), it turned into a “McCarthy Defends …” week. Subscribe to POLITICO Playbook. Raghu Manavalan is the host of POLITICO's Playbook. Jenny Ament is the senior producer for POLITICO Audio.  Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

If you want to know more about the state of the House GOP conference, today should provide a pretty telling snapshot. Ten months after rioters stormed the Capitol hunting for lawmakers, most House Republicans are expected to vote against rebuking one of their colleagues, Paul Gosar, who posted an anime video of himself stabbing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. And, voters have increasing doubts about the health and mental fitness of President Joe Biden, the oldest man ever sworn into the White House, according to a new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll.” Subscribe to POLITICO Playbook. Raghu Manavalan is the host of POLITICO's Playbook. Jenny Ament is the senior producer for POLITICO Audio.  Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

It was all smiles and selfies at the White House on Monday as Democrats celebrated passage of the bipartisan infrastructure deal. But rising voter concern about inflation has cast a pall over President Joe Biden's victory lap.  The White House has tried to frame the president's agenda as a long-term answer to inflation. A pair of stories this morning in POLITICO, however, underscores why those claims are probably wishful thinking. Subscribe to POLITICO Playbook. Raghu Manavalan is the host of POLITICO's Playbook. Jenny Ament is the senior producer for POLITICO Audio.  Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

In August, former Trump Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and his wife Hilary Geary Ross sold their 10,000-square-foot home in Woodland-Normanstone for $13 million, according to D.C. tax records. It is the most expensive D.C. home sale of the last 12 months. The August deal was shrouded in mystery. The purchaser used an LLC called Salona Village Holdings that concealed their identity. The Rosses are barred by a confidentiality agreement from disclosing the real buyer's name, Geary Ross told Daniel Lippman. But the secret is out. Subscribe to POLITICO Playbook. Raghu Manavalan is the host of POLITICO's Playbook. Jenny Ament is the senior producer for POLITICO Audio.  Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

Earlier this year, the Biden administration forecast that the annual rate of inflation would be 2 percent. On Wednesday the Labor Department reported that inflation hit 6.2 percent, the biggest spike in prices since 1990, and the news is reverberating across every aspect of American politics.  And, while the reconciliation bill, government funding and the debt limit will all play starring roles in the Senate between now and New Year's Eve, don't sleep on the drama over the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Subscribe to POLITICO Playbook. Raghu Manavalan is the host of POLITICO's Playbook. Jenny Ament is the senior producer for POLITICO Audio.  Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

We spend a lot of time in the weeds of congressional negotiations on the major legislation President Joe Biden, with some bipartisan help, is slowly moving through the system. At times it has all seemed pretty normal: 69 votes for an infrastructure package in the Senate that was hailed by Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a less tidy but still pretty typical process of wrangling Democrats together for the much more partisan climate and social welfare reconciliation bill. Even Tuesday's results in the off-year election in Virginia, which sent a message to the new president about overreach, were perfectly in line with recent history.  But there were two stories Tuesday that reminded us of how, outside of the (relatively) routine sausage-making on Capitol Hill, some enormously worrisome undercurrents remain in American politics. Subscribe to POLITICO Playbook. Raghu Manavalan is the host of POLITICO's Playbook. Jenny Ament is the senior producer for POLITICO Audio.  Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

Congress is out this week and the Biden administration will spend much of the next few days promoting the benefits of BIF, making the case for the reconciliation bill and pushing parents and schools to get kids vaccinated. So enjoy a brief window of calm in between last week's Virginia and BIF news and the holiday insanity coming to Congress. The must-read of the day to get prepared for what's coming is this WSJ piece by Nick Timiraos, Natalie Andrews and Ian Talley on the obstacles looming for Biden. Subscribe to POLITICO Playbook. Raghu Manavalan is the host of POLITICO's Playbook. Jenny Ament is the senior producer for POLITICO Audio.  Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

The House adjourned just after 10 p.m. on Thursday night as Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her leadership team struggled to round up votes to pass the twin infrastructure and Build Back Better bills. Democratic leadership announced the House will be back in session at 8 a.m. and votes would happen today. — One reason for Democrats to be optimistic today: “[M]any in the caucus are set to embark on overseas trips ahead of next week's recess.” A deadline, in other words, could help push them to act. — One reason for Democrats to be pessimistic: “But party leaders' failure to corral the votes they need on Thursday — after several exhausting weeks spent hashing out many of the same issues — has left some Democrats privately wondering how they'll pull it off on Friday.” Subscribe to POLITICO Playbook. Raghu Manavalan is the host of POLITICO's Playbook. Jenny Ament is the senior producer for POLITICO Audio.  Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

Following an embarrassing election night for Democrats, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her caucus have redoubled their efforts to pass the bipartisan infrastructure bill (BIF) and Build Back Better package (BBB) through their chamber this week. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer announced Wednesday night that both bills could even see a floor vote as soon as today. For now, the GOP sweep in Virginia and Dems' razor-thin victory in New Jersey seem to have done what months of negotiations on the Hill could not: force moderates and progressives into line on passing both bills. Raghu Manavalan is the host of POLITICO's Playbook. Jenny Ament is the senior producer for POLITICO Audio.  Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

 New Jersey's gubernatorial race is still too close to call as you wake up this morning. With 88% of the expected vote in, incumbent Phil Murphy is trailing Republican Jack Ciattarelli by just over 1,000 votes.  President Joe returned from Europe overnight to a Washington where politics has been completely upended since he left six days ago.  Before he departed, Biden told House Democrats, “I don't think it's hyperbole to say that the House and Senate majorities and my presidency will be determined by what happens in the next week.” He meant inaction on his two legislative priorities, leaving Europe with no congressional backing for his climate proposals, and potential defeats in one or more crucial elections Tuesday that would make everything worse. Biden may have been prescient. Raghu Manavalan is the host of POLITICO's Playbook. Jenny Ament is the senior producer for POLITICO Audio.  Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

Could prescription drug pricing reform make it into the reconciliation bill after all? Senate and House Democrats and the White House came close to reaching a deal on the issue Sunday, report Burgess Everett, Alice Miranda Ollstein and Heather Caygle. The plan in the works would allow some Medicare negotiations with pharmaceutical companies — but if it comes together, it would still be much narrower than many Democrats initially intended. And, the race for governor in Virginia heads into the final stretch. The final polls: FiveThirtyEight's poll tracker has Youngkin surging into a slight lead, now up by an average of 0.6 points. Raghu Manavalan is the host of POLITICO's Playbook. Jenny Ament is the senior producer for POLITICO Audio.  Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

A senior White House official recently described the reconciliation negotiations as a “nine-way teeter-totter.” Wednesday was a good example. Ever since Sen. Kyrsten Sinema nixed the party's plan to raise corporate, capital gains and individual tax rates to pay for the bulk of the reconciliation bill, Democrats have been struggling to re-balance the revenue plank. And, House Majority Whip James Clyburn had this to say speaking to the Jewish Federation of Charleston on Wednesday night: “I'm not too sure that Democrats have yet developed the will to win in 2022.”  Raghu Manavalan is the host of POLITICO's Playbook. Jenny Ament is the senior producer for POLITICO Audio.  Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

President Joe Biden was hoping to announce a deal on his legislative agenda before he heads to Europe on Thursday. But it's Wednesday already, and so far this week, it's been two baby steps forward, one giant leap backward for Democrats. We're not saying a deal won't materialize; odds are it will — eventually. Here's a look at the state of play. And, A local TV station in Nevada took down a pro-Catherine Cortez Masto ad Tuesday after the NRSC complained it included “flagrantly false” information about the vulnerable senator's GOP challenger.  Raghu Manavalan is the host of POLITICO's Playbook. Jenny Ament is the senior producer for POLITICO Audio.  Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

President Joe Biden might be finally homing in on a deal with Sen. Joe Manchin, but a sense of discontent is starting to bubble up among progressives on the Hill, and it threatens to impede what the White House hoped would be a big week for the Biden agenda.  As the reconciliation bill's provisions on Medicare, climate and family leave get watered down — if not axed entirely — progressives who initially sounded a positive note after meetings at the White House are now expressing concerns. And those worries are steering the left into a moment of reckoning over how hard to fight for their priorities. Raghu Manavalan is the host of POLITICO's Playbook. Jenny Ament is the senior producer for POLITICO Audio.  Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

The next nine days are the most important of Joe Biden's young presidency: He needs to rescue his legislative agenda in Congress, rescue his party's political candidates in two states and rescue America's leadership on climate policy in Scotland. The White House is hoping for a virtuous cycle of developments that will help accomplish all three goals: Securing a deal on the reconciliation bill could help Democratic candidates in Virginia and New Jersey. The climate provisions of the final deal will tell world leaders at next week's COP26 how serious the United States is when it comes to reaching Biden's stated emissions goals. Raghu Manavalan is the host of POLITICO's Playbook. Jenny Ament is the senior producer for POLITICO Audio.  Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

Taking questions at a live town hall in Baltimore, Biden got into the nitty-gritty of the reconciliation negotiations, speaking about his mix of frustration with and respect for Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) with surprising candor. He also made some news about the particulars of the bill/framework at this point in time. Raghu Manavalan is the host of POLITICO's Playbook. Jenny Ament is the senior producer for POLITICO Audio.  Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

The Joe Manchin news that shook Washington on Wednesday was David Corn's report in Mother Jones that the West Virginia senator is considering motoring his houseboat out of the Democratic dock: “In recent days, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) has told associates that he is considering leaving the Democratic Party if President Joe Biden and Democrats on Capitol Hill do not agree to his demand to cut the size of the social infrastructure bill from $3.5 trillion to $1.75 trillion, according to people who have heard Manchin discuss this. Manchin has said that if this were to happen, he would declare himself an ‘American Independent.' And he has devised a detailed exit strategy for his departure.” A rather angry Manchin told our Burgess Everett that Corn's story was “bullshit.” We talked to Corn on Wednesday night and came away with the impression of a reporter who is 1,000% sure his story was correct.  Raghu Manavalan is the host of POLITICO's Playbook. Jenny Ament is the senior producer for POLITICO Audio.  Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

President Joe Biden began pitching lawmakers on an outline for his Build Back Better plan Tuesday night. The proposal, pegged in the range of $1.75 to $1.9 trillion, is far from a done deal: Moderates and progressives will have plenty to say before giving anything their blessing. But Hill Democrats are relieved that Biden is getting his hands dirty after sitting on the sidelines for weeks.  “This was a productive conversation and also one that demonstrates momentum,” said a senior congressional aide briefed on one of several meetings Tuesday between the president and lawmakers. “This is a sign that the White House is actually putting pen to paper.” Here's what Biden told lawmakers about the state of play, as well as our own analysis of the latest. Raghu Manavalan is the host of POLITICO's Playbook. Jenny Ament is the senior producer for POLITICO Audio.  Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

An unusual confluence of factors have brought back a climate-change fighting policy that many Democrats saw as politically toxic: the carbon tax. While the idea has long been the favored tool of economists (Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is a strong supporter), some Republicans (like Sen. Mitt Romney) and the American Petroleum Institute, the Biden White House has always opposed pricing carbon. The president's staff has feared both the general politics and the specific fact that a carbon tax could violate the president's pledge not to raise taxes on Americans making under $400,000 a year. Raghu Manavalan is the host of POLITICO's Playbook. Jenny Ament is the senior producer for POLITICO Audio.  Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

Congress returns from recess today with 13 days until Speaker Nancy Pelosi's new Halloween deadline to pass the party's package of infrastructure and social services legislation. One problem: The latter has yet to be written — or really even outlined. And yet: A series of calls Sunday with sources we trust to give us an honest read on the state of play turned up some genuine optimism they can get it done. At least perhaps an outline of an agreement. The end of October is both the official deadline to renew transportation funding and the effective deadline to provide a boost to Democrat Terry McAuliffe in his surprisingly close campaign for Virginia governor. As Heather Caygle and Burgess Everett wrote over the weekend, there's a recognition among top Democrats that they've got to get this done to help save the state — and that a loss could be seen as an indictment of the party's legislative agenda. Raghu Manavalan is the host of POLITICO's Playbook. Jenny Ament is the senior producer for POLITICO Audio.  Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

Fox News' Paul Steinhauser writes that House Democrats have the upper hand over House Republicans in fundraising ahead of the 2022 midterms. A quick look at the numbers: - In September: DCCC raised $14.5 million; NRCC raised $12.2 million - In Q3 (July-Sept.): DCCC: $35.8 million; NRCC: $25.8 million - In the first nine months of 2021: DCCC: $106.5 million; NRCC: $105 million - BUT BUT BUT… cash on hand: DCCC: $63 million; NRCC: $65 million And, former chiefs of staff to Obama and Bush agree that Ron Klain may be spending too much time on Twitter while managing the leader of the free world. Listen and subscribe to Playbook Deep Dive Raghu Manavalan is the host of POLITICO's Playbook. Jenny Ament is the senior producer for POLITICO Audio.  Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

 It's a story we've become all too familiar with since Democrats took control of the House in 2019: Lawmakers issue subpoenas to Trump White House officials — who then stonewall at his behest.   Today, the Jan. 6 committee could find itself hitting the same roadblocks. Steve Bannon and Kash Patel have been subpoenaed for questioning today, and Mark Meadows and Dan Scavino are slated for Friday. Trump has asked them not to cooperate, claiming executive privilege bars their participation — an assertion Democrats call bogus.  Raghu Manavalan is the host of POLITICO's Playbook. Jenny Ament is the senior producer for POLITICO Audio.  Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

So what's the state of negotiations between the White House and Joe Manchin and Krysten Sinema? The talks have been shrouded in mystery, but we have some fresh details we can share this morning. More is known about Manchin than Sinema, and for a good reason: While Manchin has been willing to discuss his priorities in detail with his colleagues in the Senate, Sinema only negotiates with the White House. Part of solving the Manchinema puzzle is that the 74-year-old former governor from a coal state and the 45-year-old former Green Party activist from Arizona are at odds on some major policies. Raghu Manavalan is the host of POLITICO's Playbook. Jenny Ament is the senior producer for POLITICO Audio.  Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

With the exception of today — when the House briefly returns to clear the Senate-passed, short-term debt ceiling stopgap — Congress is out on recess this week after lawmakers kicked the can on their entire legislative to-do list.   The big question on everyone's mind right now is this: Will the delay help them get it all done, or just make matters worse?  Raghu Manavalan is the host of POLITICO's Playbook. Jenny Ament is the senior producer for POLITICO Audio.  Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

A shouting match erupted on the Senate floor after the vote to delay the debt limit crisis for two months. Sens. John Thune and Mitt Romney confronted Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer after he lambasted Republicans in a floor speech right after the vote. And, it's no secret that Trump's endorsements have been impulsive, and it looks like he jumped the gun again by giving an early nod to Sean Parnell in the open Pennsylvania Senate race. Republicans we talked to in Washington and Trump-world are clearly worried since the news broke this week that Parnell requested a gag order on his estranged wife Laurie and her lawyer during their custody battle. Shortly after Trump endorsed Parnell in September, rival Jeff Bartos revealed that Parnell's wife filed two protective orders against him in 2017 and 2018. Both were expunged, but some Republicans worry that there may be more shoes to drop. Take the POLITICO Podcast Listener Survey Raghu Manavalan is the host of POLITICO's Playbook. Jenny Ament is the senior producer for POLITICO Audio.  Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

Republicans are set to filibuster Democrats' latest bid to raise the debt ceiling today, just as Mitch McConnell has been saying they'd do since this summer. What is Chuck Schumer's Plan B? The majority leader, a political animal to his core, never passes up an opportunity to put the GOP on record on issues he thinks make Republicans look hypocritical. But privately, many Democrats acknowledge this isn't going to get them out of the pickle they're in because McConnell is seemingly impervious to shame — and Dems are running out of time. Take the POLITICO Podcast Listener Survey Raghu Manavalan is the host of POLITICO's Playbook. Jenny Ament is the senior producer for POLITICO Audio.  Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

President Joe Biden summoned progressives to a Zoom meeting to deliver a simple message, per a senior White House official: “He told them that the end point would be about $2 trillion and he wanted their input on what it should look like.” It was part of a weeklong project by Biden, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to let it gradually sink in that the reconciliation bill will be dramatically scaled back. Nobody we talked to left the roughly 90-minute call with a detailed understanding of what might be cut or how the new top line would be achieved. Take the POLITICO Podcast Listener Survey Raghu Manavalan is the host of POLITICO's Playbook. Jenny Ament is the senior producer for POLITICO Audio.  Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

Now that the dust has settled from last week's drama on the Hill, let's take stock of where things stand with President Joe Biden's core legislative agenda. Oct. 31 is the new Sept. 30: Congress extended the highway bill, which expired Thursday, until Halloween. “Our goal is to get both bills done in the next month,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said at an event in New York on Sunday. Take the POLITICO Podcast Listener Survey Raghu Manavalan is the host of POLITICO's Playbook. Jenny Ament is the senior producer for POLITICO Audio.  Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

It's died a million deaths before. Today might be the latest — albeit, perhaps not the last. Sen. Joe Manchin pretty much ensured defeat of the bipartisan infrastructure deal known as BIF, if the House votes on it at all today. While Manchin signaled he'd support a more modest reconciliation package to roll back the GOP's 2017 tax cut, that does nothing for Democrats demanding a vote today — or for those vowing to tank it absent a deal. Asked Wednesday night if she intends to pull the vote, Speaker Nancy Pelosi reiterated that “the plan is to bring the bill to the floor.” Is she worried she doesn't have the votes? “One hour at a time,” she said. Here are the scenarios we could see play out today, from most to least likely. Take the POLITICO Podcast Listener Survey Raghu Manavalan is the host of POLITICO's Playbook. Jenny Ament is the senior producer for POLITICO Audio.  Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

Tuesday was the day it became clear either: A) President Joe Biden's legislative agenda is about to implode or B) Biden made serious progress toward a deal to salvage his agenda. The public evidence points to option A. By the end of the day, there was no indication Democrats were near a deal that would allow BIF to pass the House on Thursday. But the real action was shrouded in secrecy: the talks between Biden and the two senators who control the fate of his presidency, Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema. So you can't rule out option B.  Take the POLITICO Podcast Listener Survey Raghu Manavalan is the host of POLITICO's Playbook. Jenny Ament is the senior producer for POLITICO Audio.  Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

Congress is three days out from a critical vote on a key plank of the president's agenda — a massive $1.2 trillion infrastructure package (BIF) — and President Joe Biden and House Democratic leaders haven't even started the whipping process, we're told from sources across the Democratic spectrum. Our colleagues Natasha Korecki and Laura Barrón-López reported Sunday night that the president was making calls and doing Zoom sessions from Camp David over the weekend on BIF and the larger reconciliation package. But the seeming lack of urgency so far — given the sheer scale of the task and mere days to complete it — is alarming some House Democrats going into a critical week, multiple people involved told us Sunday night. “I don't understand why the president isn't whipping his own historic bill,” said one moderate House Democrat. Take the POLITICO Podcast Listener Survey Raghu Manavalan is the host of POLITICO's Playbook. Jenny Ament is the senior producer for POLITICO Audio.  Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

Subscribe to Global Insider Global Insider's Ryan Heath runs all over New York, capturing the madness of UNGA's kickoff, accompanied by his sidekick, producer Olivia Reingold. Hear from Ryan's go-to “U.N. whisperer,” Richard Gowan of the Crisis Group, and Penny Abeywardena, New York City's Commissioner for International Affairs. Plus: protestors accusing the U.S. of “vaccine apartheid” stop New York City traffic, setting the tone for critics of the Biden administration to come throughout the week. Also: if you have the time, we're trying to learn more about our listeners. We'd appreciate it if you're able to take our short survey.  Ryan Heath is the host of the "Global Insider" podcast and newsletter.  Olivia Reingold produces “Global Insider.”  Irene Noguchi edits “Global Insider” and is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.  Richard Gowan is the Crisis Group's UN director.  Penny Abeywardena is New York City's Commissioner for International Affairs.  Linda Thomas-Greenfield is the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.   You can subscribe to Ryan's “Global Insider” newsletter here.