| | | | |  | | By Adam Wren | Presented by the National Retail Federation | With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine
| | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | | TODAY — Six big confirmation hearings dominate Capitol Hill. AG-designate PAM BONDI kicks things off at 9:30 a.m. At 10, would-be Secretary of State MARCO RUBIO goes before the Foreign Relations Committee, Intel hosts CIA pick JOHN RATCLIFFE, Energy-designate CHRIS WRIGHT appears at the Energy and Natural Resources panel and Transportation pick SEAN DUFFY meets with the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. And at 1 p.m., OMB director-designate RUSSELL VOUGHT gets questioned by Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Meanwhile, tonight’s big set piece takes place at the White House. (More on that in a second.) FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Florida political insiders have long known Rubin, Turnbull & Associates as one of the state’s top lobbying firms. But soon, its name will likely be on the lips of machers here in Washington. That’s because today, the shop is unveiling plans for a new D.C. office that will be led by CAROLINE WILES as VP of federal affairs. Read the press release If that name sounds familiar, there’s a good reason: She’s the daughter of incoming White House chief of staff SUSIE WILES. Naturally, Caroline’s mom is not mentioned in the firm’s announcement nor in her daughter’s biography, but we suspect that the familial connection will be quite a draw for many clients. (As Caitlyn Oprysko reported back in December, she’s not the only Wiles daughter in the lobbying world.)
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President Joe Biden pauses before he addresses the nation about his decision to not seek reelection, in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, July 24, 2024. | Pool photo by Evan Vucci | IRISH GOODBYE — President JOE BIDEN is set to deliver his farewell address at 8 p.m. tonight, saying goodbye to elected office after 53 years of seeking it, a quest that defined well more than half of his life. He leaves office in confounding fashion. He recently welcomed DONALD TRUMP back to the Oval Office after calling him an “existential threat” during the campaign. He pledged not to pardon his son HUNTER BIDEN after his conviction on federal gun charges only to do exactly that. And after a public life defined by his provenance from outside the Beltway, Biden will deliver his address from the Oval Office — not Delaware, not Scranton, not even Philadelphia, where city leaders want his presidential library. It’s an interesting choice. BARACK OBAMA went home to Chicago for his farewell, but he was the most recent exception. GEORGE W. BUSH opted for the East Room. BILL CLINTON also opted for the Oval. Biden has chosen the trappings and the background of the presidency as among the final visuals of his time in office. “You can speak from Scranton anytime,” said a Democratic speechwriter who asked for anonymity to speak candidly. “Can only speak as POTUS from the Oval. So if that’s the lasting image you want to leave people with, I guess it makes sense?” This person added, “Normally, I’d say a lot is lost trying to deliver behind a desk. Feels stiff and formal. But since he’s not exactly firing up crowds like Obama circa Jan. 2017 in Chicago, [it] may be less of a tradeoff and makes him seem more of an elder statesman.” “Biden needs a fully controlled environment for what he views as not only a legacy-defining speech but likely one of his last opportunities to command an audience,” said PETE SEAT, who served as White House spokesperson for Bush 43 and was present for his farewell. “He won’t have 45 years [after leaving office] to rehab his image, so he can’t risk the variables that come with an audience. … He’s known to be an emotional man. He could look into the crowd and break down seeing an old friend, colleague or family member.” Vast portions of America will experience it not as appointment viewing, but as an interruption to their regularly scheduled programming, be it “The Price is Right” or “Chicago Med.” Biden’s stature over time has stooped. He lamented his own administration’s handling of what was arguably his biggest legislative accomplishment — his $1.2 trillion infrastructure law — in one of his very few exit interviews. His approval rating has cratered to where Trump’s was after Jan. 6 — a bitter arc for Biden, who had seemed to have vanquished Trump in 2020 and spent much of his own 453-day campaign for a second term warning of Trump’s possible return. The line on Biden is that he never knew when to quit despite all the evidence telling him to — whether it was after his 1988 campaign, his fourth-place finish in Iowa in 2020, or, for a time, after his disastrous debate with Trump last June. It was a tension that cut both ways: for many decades, to his benefit, and later, to his detriment. Tonight, Amtrak Joe, Scranton Joe, Union Joe, “just plain Joe” Biden, who got his start as New Castle County councilman and ascended to the presidency after seeking it four times — will have to learn how to say a word that seems contra-constitutional for him: Goodbye. For a man who never knew when to say it, this evening is a hell of a time to start. Good Wednesday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. What do you want to hear from Biden’s farewell address? Drop me a line: awren@politico.com.
| | | | A message from the National Retail Federation: Organized retail crime is a dangerous and widespread problem that impacts retailers, workers and the communities they serve. NRF is working with lawmakers to increase federal coordination to fight retail crime. Join us in telling Congress to reintroduce and pass the bipartisan Combating Organized Retail Crime Act. Learn more. | | | FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — At 10 a.m. today, Michigan Gov. GRETCHEN WHITMER will deliver a major speech laying out “the road ahead” — that is, how the Democrat hopes to work with Republicans and the new Trump administration even as there are distinct lines in the sand where she disagrees with them. “Michiganders elected both me and Donald Trump twice, just two years apart,” Whitmer will say, according to prepared remarks shared with Playbook. “They expect us to find common ground, especially when it comes to lowering costs, creating good-paying manufacturing jobs, boosting research and innovation and cutting red tape.” Where other Democratic governors (and rumored 2028 aspirants) have rushed to reassert their resistance bona fides ahead of Trump’s swearing in (looking at you, JB PRITZKER and JARED POLIS), Whitmer is making a decidedly different choice. In emphasizing her bipartisanship and commitment to kitchen-table issues, she’s both making a play for those segments of the traditionally Democratic electorate in which Republicans made inroads in 2024, and also potentially offering her party a path out of the wilderness. Even the speech’s choice of issues to highlight on which she differs from Trump is notable. Rather than emphasize, say, abortion rights — a topic on which she has carved out a prominent role for herself — she will instead lean into the economy and attempt to use one of Trump’s favorite policies against him. “I’m not opposed to tariffs outright, but we can’t treat them like a ‘one size fits all’ solution,” Whitmer will say. “Every time a Michigan auto part crosses over the border and gets taxed, those costs will be passed on to you at the dealership. Sometimes, it happens a couple times throughout production. That means you’ll pay more to buy a Silverado, fix the engine in your Mustang, or replace the fender on your Jeep Grand Cherokee. The only winner in this equation is China.” What does this all mean? There are a few ways to read it. You could see it as a pragmatic politician repositioning herself for a new political landscape in which she needs Republican support during her final two years in office. You could see it as boosterism for Michigan’s auto industry, which is especially reliant on trade with Canada and Mexico — in a speech at the Detroit Auto Show, no less. You could also see it as a sign of ambition on Whitmer’s part and an early preview of what an even larger national role for her might look like. Time will tell. (h/t Zack Stanton) YouTube link for the speech at 10 a.m.
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POLITICO’s 119th Congress Welcome Party at Union Station on Jan. 14, 2025. | Rod Lamkey Jr. for POLITICO | THE BIGGEST SHOW IN WASHINGTON — Following a series of can’t-miss interviews with some of Washington’s most powerful people at our “Playbook: The First 100 Days” event, we capped off yesterday with POLITICO’s 119th Congress Welcome Party — a night of buzzy conversations and cocktails at Union Station’s historic East Hall. The atmosphere can be neatly summed up by this honest-to-God exchange a member of the Playbook team overheard. Person 1: “Let’s go this way, I think I found a table.” Person 2: “Table? No. There’s too many good people here.” SPOTTED at the event, among the staffers and reporters gladly tippling: Reps. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), Bob Latta (R-Ohio), Nellie Pou (D-N.J.), Tim Kennedy (D-N.Y.), Sean Casten (D-Ill.), Gabe Amo (D-R.I.), Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.), Sam Graves (R-Mo.), Dave Min (D-Calif.), Emily Randall (D-Wash.), Derek Tran (D-Calif.), Gil Cisneros (D-Calif.), Suhas Subramanyam (D-Va.), Chip Kelly, Don McGuire, David Chalian, Don and Shannon McGahn, Sam Feist, Joe Gebbia, Rohit Chopra, Mayam Mujica, Jesse Rodriguez, Sena Fitzmaurice, Katrina Chan, Helga Flores Trejo and Maryam Mujica.
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POLITICO CEO Goli Sheikholeslami with Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.). | Rod Lamkey Jr. for POLITICO | Earlier in the day, a steady drumbeat of news rang out from interview after interview at the “Playbook: The First 100 Days” showcase:
- House Speaker MIKE JOHNSON backed away from a plan to address the federal debt cliff via a party-line reconciliation push in a sit-down with Rachael Bade.
- STEVE BANNON told Dasha Burns that ELON MUSK is less powerful than he seems, and announced he is pushing for a “100 percent moratorium on all immigration.” Much more from that interview
- Freshman Sen. JOHN CURTIS (R-Utah) revealed to Alex Burns that he’s undecided on whether to confirm TULSI GABBARD as director of national intelligence and PETE HEGSETH as secretary of Defense.
- Sen. KATIE BRITT (R-Ala.) told JMart that the GOP is “absolutely open” to amendments and debate on the Laken Riley Act.
|  Mike Johnson speaks at the “Playbook: The First 100 Days” event on Jan. 14, 2025. | Rod Lamkey Jr. for POLITICO |
| | | | A message from the National Retail Federation:   NRF is building support for combating organized retail crime. Join us. | | | | | WHAT'S HAPPENING TODAY | | On the Hill The Senate meets at noon to resume consideration of the Laken Riley Act. The House meets at 10 a.m. and noon to take up various bills. 3 things to watch …
- On a glide path to confirmation: As her two days of confirmation hearings for attorney general tee off today, PAM BONDI is engaged in “a seemingly effective charm offensive with Senate Democrats,” Hailey Fuchs writes this morning. That would come as a surprise to anyone who remembers 2020, when Democrats scorned Bondi as a threat to democracy for serving as Trump’s personal lawyer amid his efforts to overthrow the rightful election results. Given that Democrats will lack the votes to deny her the Cabinet post, they’ve decided to save their fight for other confirmation battles. Instead, Hailey writes that today, you can expect Judiciary Dems to “use their pulpits to largely go after Trump himself as opposed to Bondi’s background.” Who else will get similar treatment? Secretary of State nominee MARCO RUBIO?
- On a more turbulent path: It’s a question confounding some Republican insiders: Why are Democrats wasting their energy targeting Hegseth, who appears to have the votes to get confirmed to DOD, when they could instead focus their ire on TULSI GABBARD, Trump’s pick for director of national intelligence, who seems a much softer target given Republicans’ private concerns about her? JMart unpacks that question in his column this morning. A bad sign for Gabbard: “[O]ne aide to a senior lawmaker told me that, in a secret ballot, she’d lose at least 15 Republicans (and that may be a conservative estimate).” A good sign for Gabbard: “[T]his is the Trump era, and policy takes a backseat to fealty.”
- Trans sports ban heads to Senate: Yesterday, in a 218-206 vote, the House passed a bill to (1) ban transgender students from playing on women’s sports teams and (2) amend Title IX to define sex as based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth. Two Democrats (Texans HENRY CUELLAR and VICENTE GONZALEZ) joined Republicans to advance the legislation, while DON DAVIS (D-N.C.) voted “present.” Up next: LGBTQ+ advocacy groups warn of a potential Senate vote “as soon as next week,” per Bianca Quilantan, who notes that “Senate Republicans have also been moving to advance a similar measure out of the chamber, but the bill could stall in the Republican-controlled Senate because it would require some Democratic support.”
At the White House Biden will receive the President’s Daily Brief at 10 a.m. At 8 p.m., he will deliver his farewell address from the Oval Office. VP KAMALA HARRIS will attend.
| | | | POLITICO is helping kick off the U.S. Conference of Mayors Winter Meeting with a Happy Hour on January 16th. Mingle with U.S. mayors, Washington insiders, and business executives over cocktails and light bites at the award-winning Cranes restaurant. RSVP here to join us! | | | | | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | CONGRESS
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Sen. Joni Ernst speaking with reporters at the Capitol Monday. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | FOR PETE’S SAKE — Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth faced a grueling session with lawmakers yesterday from the Senate Armed Services Committee, sidestepping several pointed questions over the course of the nearly five-hour hearing. Hegseth’s strategy: The nominee “used a pattern of denials, memory holes and attacking the ‘left-wing’ media at his Tuesday confirmation hearing … as he sought to counter controversial issues in his past,” Paul McLeary, Joe Gould and Connor O'Brien report. “And that strategy may work for him — along with Donald Trump’s other troubled nominees.” He also walked back some of his more controversial views — including on women in combat and gay people in the military — telling Sen. JONI ERNST (R-Iowa): “Women will have access to ground combat roles, combat roles, given the standards remain high.” Democrats were not won over. In one sharp exchange, freshman Sen. ELISSA SLOTKIN (D-Mich.) grilled Hegseth on whether he would follow an illegal order from Trump. Slotkin’s question: “Do you agree that there are some orders that can be given by the commander in chief that would violate the U.S. Constitution?" Hegseth’s response: “I reject the premise that President Trump is going to be giving illegal orders.” But Republicans were buoyed by the hearing. Ernst, once considered a pivotal vote for the potential Pentagon chief, told an Iowa radio show yesterday that she will vote to confirm Hegseth. “He pointed out the woke issues at the Pentagon, and I think we’re at a point where now we can start moving forward,” Ernst said. More from Ben Johansen That’s a very good sign for Hegseth. He can afford to lose up to three Republican senators, and with Ernst on board, it seems unlikely that he’ll hit that threshold, barring any surprises. More top reads:
TRANSITION LENSES
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Mark Zuckerberg talks during the Meta Connect conference on Sept. 25, 2024, in Menlo Park, California. | Godofredo A. Vásquez/AP | BILLIONAIRE BOYS CLUB — ELON MUSK, JEFF BEZOS and MARK ZUCKERBERG have each worked to curry favor with Trump in recent months as he nears a return to office. Now, come Monday, the world’s three wealthiest men will all feature in Trump’s inauguration festivities: “They will have a prominent spot at the ceremony, seated together on the platform with other notable guests, including Trump’s Cabinet nominees and elected officials,” NBC News’ Jake Traylor and David Ingram scooped. But that’s not all — at least not for Zuck. The Meta chief is going MAGA: On Monday, he’s joining GOP mega-donor MIRIAN ADELSON, Chicago Cubs co-owner TODD RICKETTS and Landry’s CEO TILMAN FERTITTA in hosting a black-tie reception feteing Trump ahead of the evening’s galas, Puck’s Tara Palmeri scooped. Musk, meanwhile, has a new distraction from his DOGE duties. Yesterday, the SEC filed suit against him over his Twitter stock purchases, alleging that “delayed disclosure of his ownership allowed him to save more than $150 million on buying Twitter stock,” WSJ’s Dave Michaels and Alexa Corse report. More top reads:
| | | | A message from the National Retail Federation:   Tell Congress: Pass the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act. Take action. | | | AMERICA AND THE WORLD
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Cuban and American flags fly in the wind outside the American embassy in Havana, Cuba, Tuesday, Jan.14, 2025. | Ariel Ley/AP | MY HEART IS IN HAVANA — Four years to the date when the outgoing Trump administration added Cuba to the list of state sponsors of terrorism, the Biden administration announced yesterday that it will lift that designation and ease sanctions as part of an effort to free political prisoners, Reuters’ Trevor Hunnicutt and Dave Sherwood report. How it went down: “Just one hour after the U.S. announcement, Cuban President MIGUEL DIAZ-CANEL announced his government planned to ‘gradually’ release 553 prisoners following talks with POPE FRANCIS. … A Cuban foreign ministry statement … did not tie the prisoner release to the Biden announcements,” Hunnicutt and Sherwood write. How it could play: Though administration officials argue there is “broad bipartisan support” for the moves, they are “likely to upset many of the over one million Cuban exiles who live in the United States,” Eric Bazail-Eimil reports. Trump could easily reverse the policy shift when he retakes the Oval next week. ALMOST THERE — After 15 months of fighting and months of stop-and-go negotiations, last night, Hamas tentatively accepted a draft agreement for a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip and the release of dozens of hostages, AP’s Wafaa Shurafa and Samy Magdy report from Cairo. “The Associated Press obtained a copy of the proposed agreement, and an Egyptian official and a Hamas official confirmed its authenticity. An Israeli official said progress has been made, but the details are being finalized.” The deal, if confirmed, would still need approval from Israeli PM BENJAMIN NETANYAHU's cabinet, though Hamas officials said in a statement that negotiations had reached their “final stage.” Still, doubts persist over whether Israel has effectively eliminated Hamas’ presence in the region. In comments at an Atlantic Council event yesterday, Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN noted that new Hamas recruits have nearly replaced the losses incurred in the war in Gaza, Bloomberg’s Iain Marlow reports. Elsewhere in the region: “Iran 'never' plotted to kill Trump during campaign, Iran's president tells NBC News,” by NBC News’ Dan De Luce BEYOND THE BELTWAY THE FIRE THIS TIME — “‘There’s just a pile-on’: How Karen Bass lost control of the wildfire narrative,” by Melanie Mason: “Never someone to actively seek the spotlight, [Los Angeles Mayor KAREN BASS’] unflashy demeanor now comes off as uninspiring for people seeking a leader projecting command.” DEEP IN THE HEART — In the Austin statehouse, Texas GOP Rep. DUSTIN BURROWS was elected speaker in a major blow to hard-right Republicans who have fought for years to take control, the Texas Tribune’s James Barragán and Jasper Scherer report. “Burrows’ winning coalition was made up of 49 Democrats and 36 Republicans, drawing instant backlash from hardline members and activists who vowed revenge in next year’s primaries.”
| | | PLAYBOOKERS | | | Donald Trump got the first ever “Presidential Commemorative Inaugural Diet Coke bottle” from the head of Coca-Cola. Kamala Harris has not invited JD Vance for a pre-inauguration tour of the Naval Observatory.. Jose Andrés intends to keep his restaurant in the Old Post Office Building even if the Trumps retake the hotel. Ross Worthington will be Donald Trump’s head speechwriter. Debbie Stabenow landed on K Street. Susan Collins took issue with Jane Mayer’s reporting. OUT AND ABOUT — SPOTTED last night at an on-the record dinner at The Henri hosted by Steve Clemons and Juleanna Glover with Hazim Nada, who has filed a racketeering suit against the United Arab Emirates: Kevin Baron, Molly Ball, Niala Boodhoo, Anuj Chopra, David Catanese, Kim Dozier, Robb Harleston, Michael Hirsh, Alena Kudzko, Stephanie Kirchgaessner, David Lynch, Arthur MacMillan, Bay Fang, Josh Rogin, Michael Schaffer, Scott Simon, Warren Strobel, Nahal Toosi and Heidi Vogt. — The Association of Equipment Manufacturers hosted their fifth annual Toast to Congress Reception last night at Bullfeathers, featuring American burgers and bourbon. SPOTTED: Reps. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), Andy Barr (R-Ky.), Jim Baird (R-Ind.), Ron Estes (R-Kan.), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), Bill Huizenga (R-Mich.), John Larson (D-Conn.), Bob Latta (R-Ohio), Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa), Nathaniel Moran (R-Texas), John Rutherford (R-Fla.), Andrea Salinas (D-Ore.), Jefferson Shreve (R-Ind.), Eric Sorensen (D-Ill.), Marilyn Strickland (D-Wash.) and Jeff Hurd (R-Colo.), Kip Eideberg, Kate Fox Wood, Christopher Hansell, Autumn Lankford, Alex Russ, Steve Nadherny, Jonathan Miller, Kelly Bobek, Matthew Hart, Jen Bradley, Bronwyn Lance, Nick Bayer, Alex Hendrie, James Min, Ken Clifford and Mary Rosado. — SPOTTED at Global Situation Room’s New Year reception at the National Press Club last night: Amy Grappone, Alejandro Marquez, Anna-Maria Osula, Antwaun Griffin, John Simon, Jean Froehly, Jeffrey Edmonds, Jurdana Izaguirre, Laura Ortiz, Rodrigo Contreras, Vesela Stoeva, Andre Perry, Ellen Tannor, Vinice Davis, Keir Simmons, Francesca Chambers, Hannah Bloch, Kimberly Adams, Emily Wilkins, Brie Jackson, Josh Rogin, Brett Bruen, Christine Baratta, Kat Maramba, Aimee Gonzalez and Nieves Perez. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Former Rep. Jake LaTurner (R-Kan.) is now a partner at FP1 Strategies. TRANSITIONS — Former Rep. Larry Bucshon (R-Ind.) is now a senior policy adviser in Holland & Knight’s public policy and regulation group. … The Chertoff Group is adding David Evon as senior director of security risk and resilience, Geoffrey Kintzer as senior director of geopolitical and regulatory risk, and Daniel Sutherland and Jennifer Ewbank as senior advisers. Evon most recently was chief of Europe operations for the FBI. Kintzer most recently was director of customer experience at Interos. Sutherland most recently was director and associate general counsel at Meta. Ewbank previously was deputy director of the CIA for digital innovation. … … Dawson Law is now a director at Panterra. He previously was the Treasury Department’s Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence’s representative to the U.K. … Claire Rajan is now a partner in Steptoe’s investigations and white-collar defense and government affairs and public policy practices. She previously was head of A&O Shearman’s political law group and partner in its investigations and white-collar group. … Stewart Bragg is now a general consultant at JLK Political Strategies. He previously was political director for the Georgia House Republican Caucus and is a Georgia RNC and GOP alum. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Warner Bros. Discovery’s David Zaslav … Mark Penn … Dan Scavino … NYT’s Sarah Kliff … Stuart Eizenstat of Covington and Burling … Deesha Dyer … CNN’s Jeremy Diamond … Lorraine Voles … Shayna Greene … The New Yorker’s Jon Lee Anderson … Amanda Sloat … Invenergy’s Andrew Wills … Scott Hall … Jaymi Light of SAS … Jason Larrabee … Jeff Carroll of Capitol Counsel … Joe Fuld … Ben Shapiro … Mike Hoffman … Rebecca Haller … Jonny Hiler of Miller Strategies … Katherine LaBeau … Mina Hite … Katie Wood of Sen. Joni Ernst’s (R-Iowa) office … WaPo’s Aaron Gregg … Chuck Babington … Scott Stanzel of Truist … George Sifakis … Toni Verstandig … Janet Katowitz of Sage Media … former Hawaii Gov. David Ige … Andrew Dell’Orto … Wesley Morgan … Airbnb’s Christopher Nulty … Thomas Mills … Michael Chirico of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce 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: Organized retail crime significantly impacts the retail industry through the theft and resale of stolen goods, often supporting more dangerous crimes such as drugs, guns and human trafficking. Unfortunately, studies show there has also been a significant rise in violence that threatens employees, customers and communities. The Combating Organized Retail Crime Act aims to address retail theft and violence by enhancing coordination between federal, state, tribal and local law enforcement with retailers and other stakeholders by creating a federal Organized Retail Crime Coordination Center. This bipartisan legislation is crucial for improving safety and reducing the economic impact of organized retail crime. 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 | | | | |
