Presented by

We’ve done some digging and pieced together who occupies most of the offices on the first two floors of the West Wing. While there are still a few gaps — and some people haven’t been into work yet because of Covid-19 — this map represents the latest layout, according to several White House sources.

Some interesting notes:

— The senior leadership of the Biden campaign remains intact and all in one place on the first floor of the West Wing. Just steps from the Oval, in the most important real estate in the White House, sit MIKE DONILON, STEVE RICCHETTI, BRUCE REED, JEN O’MALLEY DILLON and RON KLAIN. Down the hall are ANITA DUNN, KATE BEDINGFIELD and JAKE SULLIVAN. ANNIE TOMASINI sits just outside the north door to the Oval Office.

— Diversity: All but four (CEDRIC RICHMOND, ADRIAN SAENZ, SUSAN RICE and KAMALA HARRIS) of the 22 people we identified with a prime office on the first and second floors of the West Wing are white. Eleven are men and eleven are women. These are the people who will have the most face time with the new president every day.

— VAL BIDEN, the president’s sister and one of his closest confidantes, does not yet appear to have an office, though the matter has been discussed internally.

— In the Biden White House, the senior advisers have senior advisers. (And this is a much more diverse group.) THOMAS WINSLOW is senior adviser to O’Malley Dillon. ZAYN SIDDIQUE is senior adviser to Reed. JOHN MCCARTHY is senior adviser to Ricchetti. REMI YAMAMOTO is senior adviser for comms to Klain. ELIZABETH WILKINS is senior adviser to Klain. All five of these influential aides have desks in the main power corridor and thus a front-row view of the early history of the Biden White House.

Make sure you keep a diary!

LONG LIVE THE FILIBUSTER: The weeklong standoff between MITCH MCCONNELL and CHUCK SCHUMER over the filibuster is coming to an end. McConnell late Monday signaled he’d drop his demand that the new power-sharing agreement for the 50-50 Senate include a provision explicitly protecting the chamber’s supermajority threshold.

The move comes after a pair of moderate Democrats — Sens. JOE MANCHIN (W.Va.) and KYRSTEN SINEMA (Ariz.) — reiterated they would protect the 60-vote requirement. “If I haven’t said it very plain, maybe Sen. McConnell hasn’t understood, I want to basically say it for you. … I will not vote to change the filibuster,” Manchin told our Senate chief Burgess Everett.

Though Manchin and Sinema have said this before, McConnell took their statements as a win and ran with it. “With these assurances, I look forward to moving ahead with a power-sharing agreement modeled on that precedent,” McConnell said in a statement.

What they’re saying: McConnell allies are calling it a win: The leader showed he could drive the narrative all week from the minority and his maneuver had White House officials reiterating Biden’s support for keeping the filibuster.

But this is a rosy take. Schumer ultimately gave McConnell nothing — and preserved his prerogative to go “nuclear” later in the year if he can persuade his members to follow his lead. As Paul Kane tweeted overnight: “This is what [former Senate Majority Leader Harry] Reid did in Jan. 2013 — committed to not go nuclear for 2 years, then did it 10 months later.”

NOW WHAT? With the filibuster issue out of the way, Democrats will be able to take charge of committees. One fewer thing on Schumer’s massive to-do list.

MORE EVIDENCE OF MCCONNELL’S MINDSET? If you’re still thinking McConnell might vote to convict DONALD TRUMP, here’s another reason to let it go. Today, conservative constitutional expert JONATHAN TURLEY, who’s been arguing that the second impeachment trial of Trump is unconstitutional, is attending the Senate GOP lunch. We don’t know whether McConnell invited him, but you can bet that he wouldn’t be there if the leader didn’t want him to be.

2022: CALLING TRUMP — The NYT’s Maggie Haberman and Reid Epstein have the most thorough look at the post-Rob Portman announcement electoral landscape for Trump and the GOP. The Ohio senator’s retirement and several other 2022 openings — a potential primary challenge to the state’s governor MIKE DEWINE, a pair of reelection bids by Georgia pols who got on the wrong side of Trump, the Arizona governor’s race and House campaigns by members who voted for impeachment — create a strong lure for Trump to reenter the arena. “Perhaps most important, [Trump] harbors a deep-seated desire to punish those he believes have crossed him and reward those who remain loyal,” Haberman and Epstein write.

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — The Biden administration is announcing more top appointees to the U.S. Mission to the U.N.: SOHINI CHATTERJEE as senior policy adviser, OLIVIA ALAIR DALTON as spokesperson and comms director, JEFFREY DELAURENTIS as acting alternate representative for special political affairs, ADITI GORUR as policy adviser, LAURENCE PEVSNER as speechwriter, KELLY RAZZOUK as deputy chief of staff for policy, ZACH VERTIN as senior policy adviser and JASMINE WYATT as special assistant.

BIDEN’S TUESDAY — The president and VP will receive the President’s Daily Brief at 9:45 a.m. At noon, Harris will swear in JANET YELLEN as Treasury secretary. At 2 p.m., Biden will speak about racial equity and sign executive actions in the State Dining Room, with Harris in attendance. At 4 p.m., Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff will get the second dose of the coronavirus vaccine at NIH.

— Press secretary JEN PSAKI and Rice will brief at 12:30 p.m.

PROGRESSIVES PLAN: Playbook authors EUGENE DANIELS and RACHAEL BADE have back-to-back conversations with Rep. PRAMILA JAYAPAL (D-Wash.) and newly elected Rep. MONDAIRE JONES (D-N.Y.) on Thursday, starting at 11 a.m. We’ll discuss how progressives will work with the Biden administration and more. Register here

BIDEN WHITE HOUSE

‘THEY ARE THE NEW PODESTAS’ — “Ricchetti Brothers Rise in D.C., One a Lobbyist, the Other in the White House,” WSJ: “As a White House counselor, Steve Ricchetti is a top confidant of President Biden and one of the most important new power brokers in government. His younger brother, Jeff Ricchetti, has a growing roster of lobbying clients seeking access to those power brokers. …

“The presidential changeover hasn’t only ushered in a new government but also reshuffled Washington’s hierarchy of senior administration officials and well-connected lobbyists. The Ricchetti brothers will be trying to shape policy over the next four years from both ends of the axis.”

— “Biden administration ramping up efforts to put Harriet Tubman on $20 bill,” by Nick Niedzwiadek: “‘The Treasury Department is taking steps to resume efforts to put Harriet Tubman on the front of the new $20 notes,’ White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters Monday.”

— “An American Sign Language interpreter will now appear at all White House press briefings,” CNN

— “Biden’s Initial Approval Rating Is Higher Than Trump’s Ever Was,” Morning Consult: “Morning Consult Political Intelligence tracking conducted during the 46th president’s first few days in office shows 56 percent of voters approve of his job performance, while 34 percent disapprove.”

POLICY

— “Biden open to breaking his immigration bill into pieces,” by Laura Barrón-López, Anita Kumar and Sabrina Rodriguez: Multiple sources close to the administration said they expect the White House will let Congress take the lead on forging reform — even though Biden introduced his own bill. The White House will provide guidance. ...

“But the main objective is progress. And if that means moving components of reform through Congress one at a time, or in smaller packages, Biden will be fine with that, two sources close to the White House said.”

CONGRESS

MCCARTHY’S TRUMP TIGHTROPE — Mel Zanona and Tara this morning look at the dance the House minority leader is doing to get back in Trump’s good graces. “While Trump is still disappointed with the California Republican’s initial response [to the Jan. 6 riot] and even reportedly called McCarthy a vulgarity, one Trump adviser said the pair remains on good terms despite their ‘fits and starts,’ adding that Trump appreciated McCarthy’s comments chastising [Liz] Cheney. Another source says Trump and McCarthy had a cordial conversation since their last, heated interactions about the riots.

“McCarthy’s public and private efforts to smooth things over with Trump shows just how much he still needs the MAGA wing of the party on his side in order to cement his future leading the GOP.”

Another quote from the story: “This is vintage Kevin McCarthy. He says yes to everybody, tries to make everybody happy,” said one GOP lawmaker, who was granted anonymity to speak more freely. “And it always comes back to bite you in the butt.”

“Will the real Kevin McCarthy please stand up?” the lawmaker added. Full story here

MORE IMPEACHMENT

— “Trump sends a message to Senate Republicans ahead of his trial,” by Burgess Everett, Marianne LeVine and Meridith McGraw: “A top political aide to former President Donald Trump spent the weekend quietly reassuring Republican senators that the president has no plans to start a third party — and instead will keep his imprint on the GOP.

“The message from Brian Jack, Trump’s former political director at the White House, is the latest sign that Republicans considering an impeachment conviction will do so knowing that Trump may come after them in upcoming primaries if they vote to convict him for ‘incitement of insurrection.’”

— Schumer, meanwhile, told RACHEL MADDOW on Monday night he doesn’t see “a need for a whole lot of witnesses” at the trial because “we were all witnesses.”

JOHN BOLTON’S TAKE — “Trump Impeachment 2.0 Is as Flawed as the First,” National Review: “Like the first, it is too narrowly drawn (first Ukraine, now the Capitol desecration) and was rushed through the House on largely partisan lines. Neither scenario is the right way to do impeachments, 50 percent of which in U.S. history have occurred in the past twelve months. Let me be clear: I am not saying Trump is innocent. Or that he has ‘suffered enough.’ Or that we should ‘turn the page.’

“I am saying we should be clear-eyed and cold-blooded about what a Senate trial and conviction would mean. … The real measure is whether the country will emerge from the ordeal better than when it entered, not how gravely Trump is damaged. With blood in their eyes, however, impeachment proponents ignore the bigger picture.”

THE PANDEMIC

TRACKER: The U.S. reported 1,593 Covid-19 deaths and 133,000 new coronavirus cases Monday.

— “Biden sets sights on 1.5 million vaccinations a day,” by Nick Niedzwiadek: “That would be a significant jump from the policy of 100 million shots in 100 days that he made a tenet of his nascent administration. … Biden said he was optimistic that the vaccine would be readily available to those who want it by sometime in the spring.”

— “Biden to address racism toward Asian Americans during pandemic with executive action,” CBS: “President Biden is expected to use his executive authority this week to disavow racism and xenophobia toward Asian Americans, specifically targeting anti-Asian animus connected to the COVID-19 pandemic. This action is expected on Tuesday … The directives, which may take the form of an executive order or a presidential memo, are expected to be part of a package of executive actions focusing on ‘equity.’”

— “New virus variants threaten Biden’s pandemic plans,” by Sarah Owermohle and Adam Cancryn: “The Biden administration is rushing to prevent the spread of new strains of the coronavirus that scientists worry could be more transmissible or render vaccines less effective. …

“The government is already collaborating with Moderna to develop vaccine booster shots aimed at strains first identified in South Africa and the United Kingdom. President Joe Biden on Monday also unveiled travel restrictions, implementing new limits for South Africa and reinstating bans for much of Europe that former President Donald Trump had stripped back.”

TWITTER TALK

— “Twitter bans MyPillow CEO,” by Chris Cadelago and David Cohen: “A spokesperson for Twitter said, ‘This account was suspended for repeated violations of our civic integrity policy.’ Twitter confirmed late Monday that the ban on the entrepreneur from Minnesota is a permanent one.”

— “Twitter launches ‘Birdwatch,’ a forum to combat misinformation,” NBC: The new feature taps “users in a fashion similar to Wikipedia to flag potentially misleading tweets.”

MEDIAWATCH

— “Rupert Murdoch, Accepting Award, Condemns ‘Awful Woke Orthodoxy,’” NYT: “The media mogul Rupert Murdoch denounced an ‘awful woke orthodoxy’ and declared, ‘I’m far from done,’ while accepting a lifetime achievement award this weekend. …

“The video is noteworthy because Mr. Murdoch, despite exerting enormous influence over the global media landscape as the executive chairman of News Corp, has been relatively quiet publicly in recent years. … He also took the opportunity to condemn ‘cancel culture.’”

— “‘Retired’ National Enquirer Chief David Pecker Is Still in Charge and ‘Still Protecting Trump,’ Insiders Say,” Daily Beast: “According to three well-situated A360 Media insiders, the 69-year-old Pecker, nominally just an ‘executive adviser,’ is still driving editorial decisions from his Greenwich, Connecticut, estate and protecting his longtime pal Trump—much as he did during the 2016 campaign.”

— FreedomWorks President Adam Brandon and economist Stephen Moore are hosting a new Sunday morning Newsmax show, “Save the Nation,” which will premiere Feb. 7. The hourlong show will have a guest each week.

— Nicole Avery Nichols will be the next editor-in-chief of Chalkbeat, the nonprofit education news organization. She most recently was senior news director at the Detroit Free Press.

QANON AND HOLOCAUST DENIAL: An eye-opening report from the American Jewish Congress documents what happens when deplatformed groups end up together in far-flung corners of the internet: “While QAnon introduces the idea of conspiracy theories and integrates its followers into alternative social media channels, the Holocaust denial that exists on these platforms shows itself to new recruits, serving as a gateway to and catalyst for white supremacist terrorism.” The report comes on the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day.

DESSERT

— “Katie Porter Is Getting Vanity Plates for Her Minivan That Remind People Not to F--k With Her,” Vanity Fair

— “Nikolas Ajagu, the Hero Who Wore Dior Jordan 1s to the Inauguration, Speaks,” Complex: “Sometimes you have to do it to ’em. When destiny beckons, when the long novel of time calls your character to the fore, when a nation arrives at a crossroads, there is no other logical option. Last week, at the inauguration ceremony of President Joe Biden, full-time dad and reluctant fashion icon Nikolas Ajagu had to do it to ’em.”

— “If Joe Biden Wants to Unify the Nation, Why Did He Get a Toasted Bagel?” Washingtonian

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — James Bennet, the former editor of The Atlantic and editorial page editor of the NYT, is joining The Economist on Monday as a visiting senior editor for one year. He’ll write primarily on foreign policy and will advise the U.K. publication on digital initiatives. “James is an outstanding editor and journalist,” Zanny Minton Beddoes, the editor-in-chief, said in a statement. “I’m delighted that we will benefit from his talent and expertise.”

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK II — SECRET SERVICE SLEUTH ANNOUNCES NEW BOOK: No one has the Secret Service wired like Carol Leonnig, the Pulitzer-winning WaPo reporter who regularly breaks news out of the secretive agency. Today, Random House will announce that Leonnig has penned a book titled, “ZERO FAIL: The Rise and Fall of the Secret Service,” which will hit bookshelves May 11.

From the release: “This is the first definitive account of the Secret Service, including exclusive new reporting, from the Kennedy assassination to the alarming scandals, secrets, and mismanagement during the Obama and Trump years right up to the insurrection at the Capitol on 6 January 2021. … ZERO FAIL brings to light the unprecedented security breaches and scandals that have plagued the agency and still threaten it today.”

NEWSMAX’S SEAN SPICER HAS BEEN DENIED WHCA MEMBERSHIP … BY NEWSMAX: The drama over whether SEAN SPICER will be accepted as a member of the White House Correspondents’ Association is over. Spicer is the former Trump White House press secretary who now hosts an evening show on Newsmax, the right-wing cable news channel that has experienced a recent boom in ratings as Trump fans have migrated from Fox.

News of Spicer’s application to join the WHCA was met with outrage in some quarters and was considered an unwanted headache at the WHCA. But it turns out the organization won’t have to wade into the thorny issue of whether to deny Spicer’s bid to join the group.

Newsmax formally rescinded Spicer’s application before the WHCA ever made a decision. A rep for Newsmax told Playbook on Monday night that the network already had enough people covering the White House.

“Newsmax already had two correspondents that work with the White House press corps,” said a Newsmax spokesman. “Emerald Robinson and John Gizzi serve as our primary White House correspondents. Given the current limited seating for daily briefings, we are pleased with our current representation, and at this time, don’t see a need for additional personnel assigned there.” Logan Ratick, Newsmax’s national correspondent, also reports from the White House.

Spicer declined to comment.

Per WHCA policies, Spicer will be getting his $75 application fee back.

IN MEMORIAM — “Nilda Pedrosa, who led notable Florida Republicans to victory, dies at 46,” Miami Herald: “She went on to serve as chief of staff to U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart and former Florida Attorney General Pam Bond. She was also a senior adviser to former U.S. Senator Mel Martinez, becoming his point person on immigration reform. … She had most recently been named acting Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs at the U.S. Department of State under the administration of former President Donald Trump.”

NEW — American University’s Sine Institute for Policy and Politics is announcing Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez as its 2021 distinguished lecturers.

TRANSITIONS — Steve Guest is now a special adviser for comms for Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas). He previously was rapid response director for the RNC. … Chris Harris is joining Weber Shandwick as VP of public affairs and social impact. He most recently was comms director and senior adviser to Kamala Harris in the Senate. … Mike McLaughlin is joining Democratic consulting firm Pocket Aces as VP, building out direct mail services. He previously was national field director for Amy Klobuchar’s presidential campaign. …

… Yuri Beckleman is now staff director of the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress. He most recently was deputy chief of staff to Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.) and senior adviser to the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee. … Brandon Gassaway is joining the NBA as director of social responsibility, player programs and diversity and inclusion comms. He previously was national press secretary for the DNC. … Kara Gustafson is joining the Aspen Institute as executive director of the Finance Leaders Fellowship. She is a former Goldman Sachs social impact executive.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy … Xavier Becerra … Rep. Albio Sires (D-N.J.) … POLITICO’s Tim Alberta and Olivia Beavers … Jim Jordan … Cheri Jacobus … Mala K. Parker … Cristina Antelo, CEO of Ferox Strategies … New Castle, Del., Mayor Mike Quaranta … Rob Foreman … Col. Robert O. Bailey … Ellen DeGeneres

Got a document to share? A birthday coming up? A juicy tidbit from the Senate GOP lunch? Drop us a line at [email protected] or individually: Ryan Lizza, Tara Palmeri, Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels.

Playbook couldn’t happen without our editor Mike Zapler and producers Allie Bice, Eli Okun and Garrett Ross.