| | | | |  | | By Eugene Daniels | Presented by the National Retail Federation | With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine
| | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | | TODAY — 9 a.m.: Senate confirmation hearing for Homeland Security Secretary-designate KRISTI NOEM. (This line from NBC’s walkup caught our eye: Noem’s “role as homeland security secretary is expected to be more limited in scope than her predecessors’, sources familiar with the Trump transition told NBC News.”) … 10 a.m.: The Senate is expected to vote on a motion to invoke cloture on the Laken Riley Act. Also at 10, SCOTUS may release opinions, including possibly in the TikTok case. … 1:30 p.m.: President JOE BIDEN delivers one of the final public speeches of his presidency in front of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. HOT OFF THE PRESSES — “‘I’m Urging You Not to Run’: How Schumer Pushed Biden to Drop Out,” by NYT’s Annie Karni and Luke Broadwater: “It was July 13, 2024, a humid summer afternoon just before four o’clock, and [CHUCK] SCHUMER, the Democratic leader of the Senate, was about to make a blunt case to Mr. Biden that he needed to drop his bid for a second term. If there were a secret ballot among Democratic senators, Mr. Schumer would tell the president, no more than five would say he should continue running. Mr. Biden’s own pollsters assessed that he had about a 5 percent chance of prevailing against DONALD J. TRUMP, Mr. Schumer would tell him — information that was apparently news to the president. And if the president refused to step aside, the senator would argue, the consequences for Democrats and Mr. Biden’s own legacy after a half-century of public service would be catastrophic. “‘If you run and you lose to Trump, and we lose the Senate, and we don’t get back the House, that 50 years of amazing, beautiful work goes out the window,’ Mr. Schumer said. ‘But worse — you go down in American history as one of the darkest figures.’ He would end with a directive. ‘If I were you,’ Mr. Schumer said, ‘I wouldn’t run, and I’m urging you not to run.’” Much more in the piece, adapted from Annie and Luke’s forthcoming book
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House Speaker Mike Johnson gave the House Intelligence Committee a MAGA makeover this week. | Angelina Katsanis/POLITICO | EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOUSE EDITION — The House Intelligence Committee was one of the last bulwarks of old-fashioned, national security-style Republicanism in Congress. You’ll notice the verb tense in that last sentence: was. Not is. That’s thanks to House Speaker MIKE JOHNSON. He alone has the discretion to pick the membership of the panel, and over the past few days, he gave it a MAGA makeover. Step one: On Wednesday, he ousted MIKE TURNER (R-Ohio) — one of the most vocal Republican supporters of aiding Ukraine amid Russia’s invasion — from the committee’s chairmanship. (Turner claimed it was because Trump world had inveighed against him, though JAMES BLAIR, the incoming White House deputy chief of staff for legislative affairs, said that’s hogwash.) That prompted us to ask in Thursday morning’s Playbook whether there was any room for dissent in Trump’s GOP. Within hours, we got some clear signs pointing to an answer. Step two: Johnson tapped Rep. RICK CRAWFORD (R-Ark.) as the new Intel chair, as Meredith Lee Hill and Rachael Bade scooped yesterday morning. Crawford is seen as less hawkish than Turner — someone with “more MAGA-friendly credentials,” Meredith and Rachael write: He represents a deep red district and voted against Ukraine aid last year. (He also opposed certifying Biden’s victory in the 2020 election.) Step three: Johnson then added several more vocal Trump supporters to the Intel lineup, including Reps. BEN CLINE (Va.), PAT FALLON (Texas), GREG STEUBE (Fla.), CLAUDIA TENNEY (N.Y.) and ANN WAGNER (Mo.). Cue the freakout, as “some Republicans on the committee and across the conference … worry it’s a warning sign about the House’s willingness to stay independent of Trump,” Meredith Lee Hill, Connor O'Brien and Joe Gould write this morning. “Some GOP members have also raised questions about the other new members Johnson named to the panel, saying they had fewer qualifications than other Republicans who had been vying for the role.” What does it all add up to? A likelihood that Trump will wield more control over the House than any president in history, as Rep. ADAM SMITH (D-Wash.), the ranking Dem on the Armed Services Committee, told our colleagues. THE DNC’S MOTOWN SHOWDOWN — The gloves are off in the race to chair the Democratic National Committee. Last night, at a forum for DNC officer candidates, KEN MARTIN, the head of Minnesota’s Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, ripped into his fellow front-runner for DNC chair, Wisconsin Dems Chair BEN WIKLER, blasting him as an elite out of touch with the working class, Ben Johansen, Lisa Kashinsky, Adam Wren and Brakkton Booker write in their readout from the event. It got fairly personal. In a speech ahead of the forum, Martin “said his mother wasn’t a college professor, nor was his grandfather an ambassador — both biographical boxes Wikler punches. Then, during the forum, Martin emphasized he didn’t attend an Ivy League school (Wikler went to Harvard), but a state school in Kansas. ‘I don’t rub elbows with billionaires or Hollywood elites,’ he said, another contrast with Wikler, who is close to REID HOFFMAN, the wealthy venture capitalist, and who has appeared with JON STEWART on ‘The Daily Show.’” And yet in the central question that the party faces in the post-2024 environment — Why did we lose, and how do we win back power? — the responses from the chair candidates (not just Wikler and Martin, but former Maryland Gov. MARTIN O’MALLEY and twice-failed presidential candidate MARIANNE WILLIAMSON, among others) often seemed to stop short of candidly grappling with the big stumbling blocks tripping up Democrats. Onstage, “there was little discussion of exactly how Democrats need to change to win back a majority of voters after Donald Trump knocked over the delicate multi-racial coalition that had been holding the party together for decades,” Ben, Lisa, Adan and Brakkton write. “Instead … Democrats cast about for other reasons for their devastating losses — a lack of clear messengers, the decision to spurn JOE ROGAN’s massive audience, and even the media.” With just two weeks left before the DNC elects its new chair, it seems the party may yet be a long way off from finding a path out of the wilderness. Happy Friday. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop me a line at edaniels@politico.com.
| | | | A message from the National Retail Federation: NRF is advocating for strategic trade policies that protect American families, workers and small businesses. It is well established that tariffs will raise the price of goods brought in from another country. Those higher prices are paid by the U.S. importer, not a foreign country or the exporter, and ultimately get passed on to consumers. Economists estimate that blanket tariffs can cost American families between $2,500 - $7,600 a year in additional costs. That’s why tariffs should always be a tool of last resort for policymakers. Learn more. | | | TIKTOK ON THE CLOCK — With time running out before TikTok potentially goes dark in the U.S. on Sunday, the Supreme Court said it may issue opinions at 10 a.m. today — perhaps presaging a decision in the TikTok case, per CBS’ Caitlin Yilek. But even if the justices uphold the ban, Trump may have the final word. The Biden administration decided against a last-minute, 90-day extension for TikTok, determining that it couldn’t legally do so, per Anthony Adragna and Christine Mui. But Biden plans not to enforce the ban for the two days before he leaves office, forgoing fines and potentially keeping TikTok afloat until Trump, who has said he’ll save the app, arrives, NBC’s Carol Lee, Jonathan Allen and Savannah Sellers report. (TikTok, by the way, is spending $50,000 to sponsor an inauguration party, Sophia Cai reports.) MARK YOUR CALENDARS — PETE HEGSETH’s confirmation vote as Defense secretary could wait until as late as Thursday due to Democratic obstacles, Senate Armed Services Chair ROGER WICKER (R-Miss.) said, per Connor O’Brien and Joe Gould. Secretary of State-designate MARCO RUBIO may be the only Cabinet member confirmed by Day One, per Ursula Perano and Jordain Carney. PARDON ME? — NYC Mayor ERIC ADAMS met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago yesterday, NYT’s Maggie Haberman, Dana Rubinstein and Christopher Maag report. THE PLAYBOOK INTERVIEW: JASON SMITH — One big, beautiful bill — not two. That’s what House Ways & Means Chair JASON SMITH (R-Mo.) wants to happen with the reconciliation package that will move through Congress in the near future. For the time being, Smith has a powerful ally on his side: President-elect Trump. That, of course, is subject to change. The president-elect often changes his mind, especially on a procedural issue like this one that is simply a means to an end. So what’s going to happen? Who’s going to decide what’s in and what's out from the reconciliation package? Where do GOP campaign pledges like “no taxes on tips” fit in? How about SALT reform? To get some answers, Eugene called up Smith on Thursday afternoon and spoke about his vision for reconciliation, how he’s working with the diverse factions within the GOP to fulfill Trump’s policy promises, and how for him — with this new round of tax reform — failure is not an option.
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| You can listen to the conversation on the latest episode of “Playbook Deep Dive,” out now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.
| | | | A message from the National Retail Federation:   Tariffs will unfairly burden American families, workers and small businesses. Learn more. | | | | | WHAT'S HAPPENING TODAY | | On the Hill The Senate will meet at 9:30 a.m. to take up the Laken Riley Act, with a cloture vote at 10 a.m. Homeland Security Secretary-designate KRISTI NOEM will have her confirmation hearing at the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee at 9 a.m. The House is out. 3 things to watch …
- Laken Riley Act nears finish line: Congressional Republicans want the Laken Riley Act to be one of the first bills Trump signs after he’s sworn in. And as the Senate nears a final vote on the legislation, there are two main hurdles it needs to clear before that happens, as NBC’s Sahil Kapur and Julie Tsirkin write: (1) getting 60 votes to break a filibuster, which will require the support of at least seven Dems, and (2) sending the bill back to the House, where it will need to be voted on again since it was amended in the Senate. Neither should be a particularly difficult obstacle, but there is some small glimmer of a possibility it’ll get dicey in the House now that there’s a hefty price tag attached: As NPR’s Ximena Bustillo reports, DHS warns that the bill would cost nearly $27 billion “to implement in its first year and ‘would be impossible for [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] to execute within existing resources.’”
- The old crow flies again: In the Senate, one of the lingering X factors surrounding a second Trump administration is how exactly former Senate GOP Leader MITCH McCONNELL will approach the new president’s nominees. Will McConnell, who believes in a robust foreign policy in the RONALD REAGAN model, vote to confirm Hegseth or TULSI GABBARD, even as they represent a decidedly more “America First” view of international relations? Yesterday, he offered a hint in a floor speech, as Jordain Carney writes. “I will vote to confirm nominees to senior national security roles whose record and experience will make them immediate assets — not liabilities — in the pursuit of peace through strength,” McConnell said. He didn’t get into specifics, but we’ll be watching closely for both a sense of where the vote count stands (Axios reported last night that Trump world isn’t banking on his vote for Gabbard) and a hint of what’s to come as the Kentuckian settles into life outside of Senate leadership even as Republicans are on the march.
- A work in progress: There’s a famous line by BENJAMIN FRANKLIN that only two things in life are certain: death and taxes. For most staffers on the Hill, you can add two more: long hours and low pay. That was the impetus for a quixotic proposal by the Congressional Progressive Staff Association, which yesterday floated a rotating 32-hour workweek for Hill staff, as Nick Wu scooped. This being Congress — the ultimate body prone to institutional inertia — they surely expected the idea to face opposition. But they perhaps didn’t expect that some of the most vocal opposition would come from Democrats. “The 32-hour workweek is a terrible idea,” Sen. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-Mass.) told reporters when asked about the proposal. “This is so tone-deaf,” said JOHN ANZALONE, the chief pollster on Biden’s 2020 campaign. As Inside Congress reported, the CPSA pushed back on the criticism. But it gets at a generational and ideological battle bubbling below the surface on the Hill, as some staffers — especially those for a handful of the most liberal members — want to see their bosses’ offices reimagine the workplace, welcome unionization efforts and otherwise live out the progressive values they espouse.
At the White House Biden will speak at the U.S. Conference of Mayors winter meeting at the Marriott Marquis at 1:30 p.m. He and first lady JILL BIDEN will travel to and from Joint Base Andrews later in the afternoon. VP KAMALA HARRIS will have internal meetings and briefings.
| | | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | THE WHITE HOUSE
|  President Joe Biden ends his presidency with American politics very far from where he hoped he’d take them. | Susan Walsh/AP Photo | BIDEN’S FINAL DAYS — Though many of his big-ticket legislative achievements have yet to make their impact felt on the country, Biden ends his presidency with American politics very far from where he hoped he’d take them, as NBC’s Natasha Korecki, Carol Lee and Jonathan Allen capture. JAMES CARVILLE calls it “one of the great tragedies of American politics.” The NBC team reveals that the fallout from 2024 has cast a pall over the White House, which now feels “like a morgue,” one person says; that Biden briefly talked about pardoning Trump (not clear how seriously); and that he intends to write a book. “Ironically, I almost spent too much time on the policy, not enough time on the politics,” Biden said in one acknowledgment of regret in his interview with MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell last night. But at the same time, the last-minute policy announcements from his administration are coming fast and furious, as his team’s executive actions seek to create as much change as possible — and as irreversibly as possible — before Trump arrives, WaPo’s Matt Viser reports. The latest this morning: Biden is commuting almost 2,500 sentences for non-violent offenders convicted of drug crimes, Eli Stokols reports. Still potentially in the works, per WaPo: action on the Equal Rights Amendment (!) and preemptive pardons for Trump enemies (!!). In the meantime, here are all the latest moves just from yesterday: — Sudan: The U.S. sanctioned Sudanese military head ABDEL FATTAH AL-BURHAN, per Bloomberg, and accused the military of two instances of recent chemical weapons use, NYT’s Declan Walsh and Julian Barnes report. — Cybersecurity: A Biden executive order will force software companies to tighten their rules around security against foreign hackers, NYT’s David Sanger reports. — Child labor: The Labor Department notched its third settlement this week with a major company for employing children, with penalties totaling roughly $8.4 million, per AP’s Josh Funk. — Energy and environment: The Interior Department threw up new hurdles to oil drilling in Alaska, proposing protections for millions of acres, per the Anchorage Daily News’ Sean Maguire. But the Commerce Department ended an effort to slow Atlantic Ocean ships to protect right whales, NYT’s Simon Levien reports. — Health: The FDA signed off on flavored Zyn, determining that its potential to lure smokers was a greater benefit than its risks, per WSJ’s Laura Cooper. The Treasury Department proposed new rules to require more info on alcohol labels, per AP’s Jonel Aleccia. And the Justice Department threatened to sue Alabama, saying its investigation had revealed too many disabled kids being placed in nursing homes, per the AP. TRANSITION LENSES
|  Donald Trump announced several key personnel moves yesterday. | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images | WHO’S ABOUT TO REALLY RUN WASHINGTON — Trump’s announcement that he’s tapping MEL GIBSON, SYLVESTER STALLONE and JON VOIGHT as “special ambassadors” to Hollywood — which came as a surprise at least to Gibson — was his flashiest proclamation yesterday. But amid a flurry of Cabinet-level confirmation hearings, there were also a flurry of reports and announcements of key personnel moves that will determine a lot of day-to-day policymaking. Most notably, Trump is set to tap MIKE BANKS to lead the U.S. Border Patrol as he plans mass deportations, CBS’ Camilo Montoya-Galvez reports. The Texas border czar has led that state’s immigration crackdown, and his selection would be a rare political appointment for the Border Patrol role. And he’s planning to announce SEAN CURRAN as Secret Service director, CNN’s Jamie Gangel and Whitney Wild report. Curran has close ties to Trump, having led his personal detail, but some sources tell CNN they’re worried about his lack of experience. Trump announced 11 more notable selections yesterday. TROY MEINK as Air Force secretary, which Aviation Week’s Brian Everstine and Steve Trimble scooped, is a “rare career governmental official” for Trump to choose, Jack Detsch notes. OLIVIA TRUSTY as an FCC commissioner would give Republicans the 3-2 majority on the agency. BILL PULTE would lead the Federal Housing Finance Agency. Trump picked WELLS GRIFFITH, DARÍO GIL and former Rep. BRANDON WILLIAMS as undersecretaries at the Energy Department, with Williams leading the National Nuclear Security Administration. He teed up LUKE LINDBERG, DUDLEY HOSKINS, RICHARD FORDYCE and MICHAEL BOREN as undersecretaries at the Agriculture Department. And CHRIS STALLINGS would be an assistant administrator at the Small Business Administration. More top reads:
- STEPHEN MILLER’s high life: “Stephen Miller, Channeling Trump, Has Built More Power Than Ever,” by NYT’s Jonathan Swan, Maggie Haberman, David Fahrenthold and Charlie Savage: MARK ZUCKERBERG “signaled to Mr. Miller and his colleagues … that he would do nothing to obstruct the Trump agenda … [Miller] has been working, in secrecy, to oversee the team drafting the dozens of executive orders that Mr. Trump will sign.”
- Tales from the crypto: Trump may make a splash with big pro-crypto moves soon after he takes office. One executive order plans to “name crypto as a national imperative or priority,” giving the industry more access to the federal government, Bloomberg’s Stephanie Lai and Olga Kharif report. And the industry is hoping he makes good on his pledge to create a federal “Bitcoin stockpile,” NYT’s David Yaffe-Bellany reports.
- In the DOGEhouse: The incoming “Department of Government Efficiency” panel is eyeing cuts to federal funding for diversity, equity and inclusion programs, WaPo’s Jacob Bogage and Faiz Siddiqui report. Another type of diversity Musk and co. don’t want: ideological. NYT’s David Fahrenthold reports that NORMAN EISEN and VIRGINIA CANTER were rejected from joining DOGE. “[W]e have no room in our administration for Democrats,” KATIE MILLER explains.
JUDICIARY SQUARE CANNON FODDER — “DOJ pushing to keep Trump from blocking release of classified docs report on immunity grounds,” by ABC’s Katherine Faulders and Peter Charalambous DAILY RUDY — RUDY GIULIANI won’t lose his homes under the terms of a settlement he struck yesterday with RUBY FREEMAN and SHAYE MOSS for defaming the Georgia election workers, Erica Orden reports from NYC. The ultimate size of the payment to Freeman and Moss wasn’t disclosed. He was otherwise due to go to trial over his efforts to hold onto his belongings. MATTHEW KACSMARYK STRIKES AGAIN — “Texas judge says states can revive challenge to abortion pill access nationwide,” by AP’s Geoff Mulvihill and Lindsay Whitehurst
| | | | A message from the National Retail Federation:   America’s small businesses and consumers will pay more for goods and services as a result of blanket tariffs. Learn more. | | | AMERICA AND THE WORLD
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Senate Foreign Relations Chair Jim Risch (R-Idaho) warned that PEPFAR is in jeopardy. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | HEADS UP — Could four nurses in Mozambique end up derailing one of the most impactful things anybody in Washington does? The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, is estimated to have saved 25 million lives in the past two decades, but its future may be in jeopardy with congressional Republicans, Carmen Paun reports. The program’s authorization was most recently renewed for a year last March. But the money isn’t allowed to be spent on abortions. New information revealed that the nurses used $4,100 of the funding to perform 21 abortions, unaware they were violating the rules. Mozambique has refunded the money, and the CDC says it’s taking new actions to prevent a repeat. But Senate Foreign Relations Chair JIM RISCH (R-Idaho) is furious at what he called the “disgusting” violation of the Helms Amendment. He warned that PEPFAR “is certainly in jeopardy” now, and called for an investigation of the CDC. The program can still continue even without the authorization, though, if Congress appropriates its funding. CONGRESS RECONCILABLE DIFFERENCES — House Energy and Commerce Republicans had an initial meeting yesterday to start discussing which energy and climate programs they can unwind through reconciliation, per Nico Portuondo. ALL POLITICS THROWING A NEW BRICK — An assembly of advocacy groups is forming the National Federation of Stonewall Democrats to push Democrats on the Hill to fight against anti-LGBTQ+ actions, Brakkton Booker and Lisa Kashinsky scoop this morning. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Michigan Republican ARIC NESBITT pulled in $1 million in the first 72 hours since he jumped into the gubernatorial race. POLL POSITION — A Republican survey in Georgia finds striking results for next year’s Senate race, Natalie Allison reports: Gov. BRIAN KEMP would lead Democratic Sen. JON OSSOFF by 6 points, while Ossoff leads by 10 to 16 points against other Republican possibilities. MEDIAWATCH SHOCKING NEWS IN LEGAL JOURNALISM — “SCOTUSblog Publisher Tom Goldstein Indicted In Tax Case,” by Law360’s Phillip Bantz WHAT’S MAKING TRUMP SMILE — CNN wants to shift JIM ACOSTA’s show to the midnight slot despite strong ratings, Status’ Oliver Darcy reports, raising questions about the Trump factor in the decision. THAT’LL DO IT — WaPo’s new tagline eschews democracy and darkness for a different message going into Trump’s second term: “Riveting Storytelling for All of America,” NYT’s Ben Mullin scooped. FOR YOUR RADAR — “Defamation case against CNN over Afghan evacuation report goes to a jury,” by the L.A. Times’ Stephen Battaglio TV TONIGHT — PBS’ “Washington Week”: McKay Coppins, Andrew Desiderio, Asma Khalid and Zolan Kanno-Youngs. SUNDAY SO FAR … NBC “Meet the Press”: Speaker Mike Johnson … House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Panel: Peter Alexander, Mike Dubke, Amna Nawaz and Jen Psaki. CBS “Face the Nation”: Mike Waltz … Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) … Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). CNN “State of the Union”: Mike Waltz … Rahm Emanuel … Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio). ABC “This Week”: Steve Bannon … Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.). Panel: Mary Bruce, Rachel Scott and Jonathan Martin. MSNBC “Inside with Jen Psaki”: California Gov. Gavin Newsom. NewsNation “The Hill Sunday”: Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) … Sen. Ted Budd (R-N.C.) … Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.). Panel: George Will, David Weigel, Julie Mason and Sarah McCammon. FOX “Fox News Sunday”: Sen. Dave McCormick (R-Pa.). Panel: Francesca Chambers, Karl Rove, Hans Nichols and Juan Williams. Sunday special: Juan Williams.
| | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Donald Trump and JD Vance got their official portraits. Nancy Pelosi will skip Trump’s inauguration. John Fetterman and Katie Britt are a new Senate odd couple — and they’re actually friends. Ritchie Torres is blocking people left and right on X. Kamala Harris signed her desk drawer, a VP tradition. IN MEMORIAM — “Former Trump HHS official Paul Mango dies,” by Lauren Gardner and Adam Cancryn: “A longtime health care consultant, Mango spent three years in the Trump administration, including as deputy chief of staff at the Department of Health and Human Services. He played a central role in the creation of Operation Warp Speed … Mango was tapped to help the Trump campaign with transition plans for the federal health department after he won reelection in November. He had been on the short list to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.” OUT AND ABOUT — SPOTTED last night at POLITICO and Instacart’s happy hour kicking off the U.S. Conference of Mayors winter meeting in D.C., with more than 40 mayors in attendance: San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg, Tacoma, Washington, Mayor Victoria Woodards, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, Lincoln, Nebraska, Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird, Albuquerque, New Mexico, Mayor Tim Keller, Little Rock, Arkansas, Mayor Frank Scott Jr., Durham, North Carolina, Mayor Leonardo Williams, Scott Mulhauser, Casey Aden-Wansbury, D.C. Councilmembers Christina Henderson and Robert White, Amber Hewitt, Anu Rangappa, Bill McQuillen, Bry’Shawna Walker, Alfredo Fletes and Casey Jaquez. — Kathy “Coach” Kemper and the Institute for Education celebrated congressional chiefs of staff with a pre-inaugural dinner at her Wesley Heights home yesterday. SPOTTED: Marie Baldassarre, Luxembourg Ambassador Nicole Bintner-Bakshian, Baillee Brown, Kate Durkin, R. David Edelman, Jaryn Emhof, Meg Makarewicz, Amanda Foster Pecharich, Megan Ruane, Austrian Ambassador Petra Schneebauer, Yardena Wolf, Megan Garcia and Sophie Karlshausen. TRANSITIONS — The Progressive Policy Institute has added Jolie LiBert as political director and Kriti Korula as a congressional fellow, to be placed in the office of the New Democrat Coalition. LiBert most recently was trips director for the Midwest on the Harris campaign, and is Derek Kilmer alum. … Rhonda Schmidtlein will join WilmerHale as a partner in its international trade, investment and market access practice group. She currently is a commissioner on the U.S. International Trade Commission. WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Amanda Therrian, director of government affairs at Molina Healthcare, and Jon Niznak, principal acquisition program manager for Naval Integrated Fire Control, welcomed Fletcher Gale Niznak on Jan. 10. Pic HAPPY BIRTHDAY: HHS Secretary-designate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. … Reps. Carlos Gimenez (R-Fla.) and Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) … former first lady Michelle Obama … WaPo’s John Wagner … POLITICO’s Steve Shepard … Joanne Kenen … Tommy Joyce … Steve Rabinowitz of Bluelight Strategies … Precision Strategies’ Mike Spahn … Scott Goodstein … Al Shofe … Rachel Bovard … NBC’s Gabe Gutierrez … Daily Mail’s Nikki Schwab … Hannah Ledford of the Fairness Project … Brookings’ Bill Galston … Robert Lewis Jr. … David Avella … CapitolWorks’ Chris Jones … Alyssa Franke … Julie Alderman Boudreau … Jeremy Pelofsky of FGS Global … Amit Jani … CNN’s Kwegyirba Croffie … Elizabeth Hays Bradley … Karlygash Faillace … Alyssa Roberts ... Corinne Noelani Kahapea ... Tegan Millspaw Gelfand … Mark Pieschel … Joseph Berger … Penta’s Rebecca Buck … Jenner & Block’s Sam Feder … North American Millers’ Association’s Kim Cooper … Krista Drobac of Sirona Strategies … Patrick Butler of Kirkland & Ellis … Sebastian de la Peña of Rep. Lloyd Doggett’s (D-Texas) office … John Seabrook … Maury Povich … Charlotte Rediker (21) Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here. Send Playbookers tips to playbook@politico.com 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.
| | | | A message from the National Retail Federation: Retailers rely on imported products and manufacturing components so they can offer customers a variety of items at affordable prices. The proposed universal tariffs will increase the costs of everyday consumer products sold in the U.S. Small business owners, who have less negotiating power than large corporations, could stand to suffer outsize consequences. Small businesses rely on imported products to meet the demands of their customers, and higher prices on imported goods could result in unintended consequences for Main Street retailers. Learn more. | | | | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
