| | | | |  | | By Eugene Daniels | Presented by the National Retail Federation | With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine
|  | DRIVING THE DAY | | | | | TODAY — President JOE BIDEN delivers his final foreign policy speech at the State Department, preparations ramp up ahead of the start of confirmation hearings for President-elect DONALD TRUMP’s Cabinet nominees and the Senate zeroes in on the Laken Riley Act. More on all of that in a moment, but first, a note from POLITICO Editor-in-Chief John Harris about Playbook’s next chapter … A NOTE TO PLAYBOOK READERS — For nearly 18 years, since the very early days of POLITICO, this newsletter has made itself an essential part of the community in the most important capital in the world. Every single day, Playbook captures and distills the Washington conversation — and more than occasionally drives that conversation forward with exclusive reporting and analysis. Along the way, we have had multiple sets of authors — each one innovating in important ways — and expanded the franchise to more than a dozen important political and power centers, spanning nine time zones and the United States and the world. It is in that context — Playbook is always here, and always evolving — that we have some terrific news this morning. WELCOME JACK: Jack Blanchard — a Brit who is a POLITICO veteran and one of the most impressive journalists I have met in a long career of building and sustaining great publications — is moving from London to Washington to take the helm of this wonderful platform, as both lead author and managing editor of Playbook. As author and editor, Jack is the man who built the very powerful London Playbook. Around Westminster, the political community hangs on Playbook to an extraordinary degree. But Jack is not simply an expert on British politics. He’s got an uncommon gift for understanding the people, ideas and distinctive rhythms that animate political communities everywhere. He is obsessed with a few ideas about how to make a great Playbook. One, the news must always be indispensable in a practical way for busy readers who want to know briskly what is going on. Two, it must be engaging to read — the work of Washington is important, but it is also thrilling and fun. Most important, first thing in the morning, it must be forward-looking: What is going to shape the day ahead? SO WHY A BRIT HERE IN WASHINGTON? Beyond Jack’s deep understanding of POLITICO, we love the idea of having someone who is simultaneously a curious visitor and preeminently a political native — obsessed with all the ups and downs and backstage dynamics that you and I are. He’ll lead Playbook with his characteristic dry wit — and with a total commitment to fairness and objectivity in journalism. Politics in London is no less competitive and divided than here: Jack is uniformly respected and trusted by all sides. Beyond that, he’s fun to talk with — which is why everyone does. He’s eager to dive into arguably the biggest story in the world, the return of Trump and full Republican control of Washington. The new administration has promised the most disruptive change of any the capital has seen since long before this newsletter was ever launched. Please stay with me briefly for a quick look backward, then a quick look forward. For the past four years, this audience has become close to an exceptional trio of journalists who made their version of Playbook the smartest and most stylishly written ever. We have good news on all three. Eugene Daniels will be Jack’s close partner in the new position of chief Playbook correspondent. Eugene currently has special responsibilities for the whole profession, at a critical moment, in his role as president of the White House Correspondents’ Association. In this new role, a mix of change and continuity, we are looking forward to him being even more central to our editorial strategy on stories, audio platforms and events. In recent weeks, Rachael Bade has already been breaking news regularly as she prepares to launch a reported column of her own. Ryan Lizza, who came out of the magazine world and captures the essence of people and ideas as well as anyone in the business, is going to be doing that in our pages, with a special emphasis on contributing to POLITICO Magazine. LOOKING AHEAD: Jack, Eugene and I believe that the future of Playbook lies in distilling and promoting the very best of Washington’s most-wired newsroom. We are creating a brain trust of sorts — convening a vibrant, rolling conversation between our audience and POLITICO’s most deeply sourced journalists. Jack and Eugene will regularly draw on and spotlight such POLITICO stars as Jonathan Martin, Dasha Burns, Rachael Bade, Ankush Khardori, Nahal Toosi and Victoria Guida, among others, to deepen Playbook’s coverage across Congress, the White House, courts, key policy areas and more. To sources around town, you should get in this conversation, too. You’ll have a chance to start, and to see Jack in action tomorrow, at Playbook’s 100 Days kickoff event at Union Station — to register to attend, click here — and you’ll see his first byline next week. The start of a new administration comes as both major parties are in a state of transition, and decisions in Washington echo around a complicated and dangerous world. This publication, and our whole profession, has critically important work to do — and we are lucky that Jack Blanchard is going to be helping us lead the effort. — John Harris Good Monday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop me a line with your thoughts: edaniels@politico.com.
| | | | A message from the National Retail Federation: Every January, the National Retail Federation convenes the most extraordinary retail industry leaders and partners in New York City for its annual conference and expo. NRF 2025: Retail’s Big Show will bring together 40,000 people from 6,200 brands and 100 countries for three days of learning, collaboration and discovery. Retail leaders will connect with 1,300 students at the NRF Foundation Student Program, and the industry will celebrate visionary individuals shaping retail’s future at the NRF Foundation Honors. Learn more. | | | |  Over the weekend, President Joe Biden holed up with senior staff to figure out his final words to the American people. | Anna Rose Layden/Getty Images | BIDEN’S LONG GOODBYE — Over the weekend, Biden holed up with senior staff to figure out his final words to the American people. And he has multiple bites at the apple during his last few days in office.
- Today, he’ll head to the State Department for a foreign policy address at 2 p.m.
- Tomorrow, he’ll deliver remarks commemorating a conservation proclamation.
- Wednesday, he will give his farewell address from the Oval Office.
- Thursday, he’ll be at the Department of Defense for a farewell ceremony.
- Friday, he’ll speak in front of the U.S. Council of Mayors.
With each appearance, Biden will inch ever closer to being a former president whose ability to gain the attention of the American people will disappear as he fades from the center of the political conversation. WHAT TO EXPECT TODAY: We’re told that Biden’s speech at the State Department will lay out his theory of the case for his foreign policy legacy — the accomplishments that, in his mind, should define how these last four years are remembered on the global stage. What he will say: “He will describe how we reclaimed America’s global leadership as a force of stability, put our adversaries in a position of weakness, effectively navigated turbulence around the world and made America stronger at every step,” a senior administration official told Playbook last night. “He will discuss how we have dealt with the challenges and threats America faces and ensured that America — not our adversaries — are in the driver’s seat, best positioned to shape our future, and how he will hand the next administration a stronger hand than he inherited.” What he won’t say: We’re told that Biden is unlikely to dwell on the two foreign policy topics that have generated the most criticism of his administration: the Afghanistan pullout and the situation in the Middle East, specifically in Gaza. What we’re watching for: Even as he’s unlikely to address the topic in depth, is there any chance that Biden will at least mark a tonal difference when discussing Israel and the war in Gaza, which has become a major source of anger among Democrats? Will he try to narrow the gulf between the things he has reportedly said to his team behind the scenes about the war and his comments in public? WHAT TO EXPECT IN HIS FAREWELL ADDRESS: The Wednesday night speech is the centerpiece of Biden’s final week. We’re told that the address is still being sorted out. Historically, Biden works on speeches up until the last minute, and this one is unlikely to be different. Remember: This isn’t just the last major speech of his presidency; this is the last major speech of more than a half-century career in national politics. It may not be the single most important speech of his time in public life, but it’s certainly up there — one that aims to shape public perception of his legacy before the historians get ahold of it. “It’ll be … really very rooted in the moment we’re in and where we go from here,” another senior administration official told Playbook last night. “It’ll be his last big chance to communicate with the country.” HAPPENING TOMORROW — POLITICO Playbook: The First 100 Days will convene congressional leaders, policy experts and top political power players for a morning of candid conversations and exclusive insights into the forces that will define Washington’s next chapter. In the East Hall of Union Station at 8:30 a.m., you can meet Jack Blanchard, see Dasha Burns interview STEVE BANNON and Rachael Bade interview Speaker MIKE JOHNSON, and watch an AI/national security panel with Rep. AMI BERA (D-Calif.), Sen. JOHN CURTIS (R-Utah), NAZAK NIKAKHTAR and CHRIS LEHANE, moderated by Steven Overly. Register here
| | | | A message from the National Retail Federation:   NRF stands up for the people, policies and ideas that help retail succeed. Learn more. | | | | | WHAT'S HAPPENING TODAY | | On the Hill The Senate will meet at 3 p.m. to take up the Laken Riley Act, with a procedural vote at 5:30 p.m. The House will meet at noon and will take up several bills at 2 p.m., with votes postponed until 6:30 p.m. 3 things to watch …
- Playing with fire: How’s this for a trade? Last night at Mar-a-Lago, roughly two dozen House Republicans and President-elect Trump “talked about tying wildfire aid to a debt ceiling increase,” Meredith Lee Hill reports. The idea is to get Democrats to back the debt ceiling increase in exchange for aid to southern California. Who was there? Several “caucus leaders and appropriators with major influence in upcoming budget reconciliation and government funding negotiations.” Who wasn’t there? Speaker Johnson. What now? Though no final decisions were made about the way forward, the fact this discussion took place shows just how desperate Republicans are for a plan on how to raise the debt ceiling, given the deep split in their own conference about doing just that.
- Laken Riley Act comes under scrutiny: With the Senate considering the Laken Riley Act this afternoon, the proposal’s implications have come under new focus as the question turns to exactly what this legislation would mean as a practical matter. CNN’s Tierney Sneed has a sharp read on the Pandora’s box of lawsuits that could result from the bill, which authorizes “state attorneys general to sue to overturn the decisions to release individual immigrants.” (“I don’t think we want the entire immigration system being litigated in district courts all across the country,” said Connecticut Democrat CHRIS MURPHY.) Meanwhile, ICE officials warn that the bill, which some critics have slammed as an unfunded mandate, “could require detention for 60,000 people — needing billions of dollars and thousands more detention beds to comply,” per Axios’ Stephen Neukam and Stef Kight. “ICE warned that without emergency funding, they could be forced to release tens of thousands of immigrants — including potentially some deemed to be public safety threats.” Will any of this be enough to slow a bill that has the momentum of a runaway freight train? We’ll soon find out.
- Welcome to confirmation week: A little more than 24 hours from now, the first Cabinet confirmation hearing of the Trump 2.0 era will begin, initiating a frenzied week on Capitol Hill, as 13 nominees get hearings. While there are any number of storylines to watch — How does PETE HEGSETH react to getting grilled tomorrow? Which nominees in addition to MARCO RUBIO appear to be on a glidepath to confirmation as early as Jan. 20? — we’ll have our eyes on Trump’s intel and national security-related picks as the GOP seems to be circling the wagons around even the most controversial of the nominees, as evidenced by Sen. JAMES LANKFORD (R-Okla.) announcing yesterday that he will support DNI pick TULSI GABBARD, despite earlier expressing reservations.
At the White House Biden’s State Department address is at 2 p.m. At 5:15 p.m., he’ll bring together top administration officials for an LA wildfire response briefing, with VP KAMALA HARRIS attending.
| | | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | BEYOND THE BELTWAY
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Nearly 200,000 people remain under evacuation orders or warnings in Southern California as the wildfires continue. | Mark J. Terrill/AP Photo | CALIFORNIA NIGHTMARE — Officials raised the death toll from the Los Angeles wildfires to 24 and said the blazes have destroyed 12,000 structures as of yesterday, the L.A. Times’ Andrea Chang, Rosanna Xia, Clara Harter and Terry Castleman report. Nearly 200,000 people remain under evacuation orders or warnings. Though firefighters have made progress — the two largest fires are now 11 percent and 27 percent contained — the situation could yet worsen as more high winds hammer the area this week. Though the origins of the major fires remain unconfirmed, WaPo’s Brianna Sacks, Joyce Sohyun Lee, Imogen Piper and Aaron Davis have a new visual analysis indicating the Palisades Fire could have been reignition of an earlier fire started by New Year’s Eve fireworks. Politically, Mayor KAREN BASS remains in the hot seat: NYT’s Shawn Hubler and Soumya Karlamangla report that her much-criticized Ghana trip was at least her fifth taxpayer-funded trip abroad, despite having told the Times in 2021 that she’d forgo international travel as mayor. Bass and other local officials said they haven’t spoken directly with Trump about the fires, but the invite is out for him to come visit, see the destruction and discuss the federal response, Alex Nieves reports from LA. MEDIAWATCH STAT OF THE DAY — In January 2021, WaPo “had around 22.5 million daily active users,” Semafor reports. “But by the middle of 2024, its daily users hovered around 2.5-3 million.” POLICY CORNER CHRISTOPHER WRAY SPEAKS — On CBS’ “60 Minutes,” the outgoing FBI director told Scott Pelley that he made the difficult decision to resign “to not thrust the FBI deeper into the fray” with Trump. He defended the FBI’s work investigating Trump, Jan. 6 attackers, Biden and HUNTER BIDEN, adding that “people often claim to be very interested in independence and objectivity until independence and objectivity lead to an outcome they don’t like.” And Wray warned that the country’s most significant threat in the long term is China, citing Chinese hacks that have placed them inside U.S. civilian critical infrastructure. ROHIT CHOPRA SPEAKS — The CFPB director tells Tammy Haddad on the “Washington AI Network” podcast that Republicans dismantling his agency would harm Americans: “When you’re talking about deleting agencies, are you just tempting a big financial crisis? Are you tempting mass fraud to be perpetrated? … I’m hopeful that when it comes to protecting consumers … the only place that is controversial is with lawyers and lobbyists in Washington.” Listen here TRANSITION LENSES
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Donald Trump has threatened to deploy the military to crack down on immigration or domestic protesters. | Rebecca Noble/Getty Images | RULES OF ENGAGEMENT — Within the military community, there’s quiet discussion ongoing and some concern about an ultra-sensitive topic: what the U.S. armed forces should and will do if Trump seeks to deploy them domestically, Michael Hirsh reports in POLITICO Magazine. The president-elect, who’s broadly expected to be less constrained by his advisers than in his first term, has threatened to deploy the military to crack down on immigration or domestic protesters. Critics fear that he’d use the troops to promote his interests or against his political enemies. Retired service members and outside experts are talking about this more publicly, as active-duty troops are mostly having discussions in private. Some say there’s significant uncertainty about how the military would respond if Trump uses the troops to dangerous ends. The Insurrection Act gives presidents broad authority, and multiple presidents have invoked it. If Trump did deploy the military at home, rules of engagement governing their use of force would be especially important — but they “would require a lot more training, in the view of many in the military community,” Michael writes. SCRUTINIZING LEE ZELDIN — “Trump’s pick to lead EPA was paid tens of thousands to write op-eds criticizing climate policies and ESG,” by Business Insider’s Bryan Metzger
| | | | A message from the National Retail Federation:   We are retail’s greatest advocates, uniting an industry of leaders and boundary breakers around complex issues and bold opportunities. Learn more. | | | ALL POLITICS WHAT ERIC ADAMS IS READING — “Cuomo dominates a mayoral field he hasn’t yet entered, third-party poll finds,” by Sally Goldenberg and Nick Reisman MUSICAL CHAIRS — STACEY ABRAMS is backing Wisconsin Dem Chair BEN WIKLER to lead the DNC, Brakkton Booker scoops this morning. She also endorsed Rep. NIKEMA WILLIAMS (D-Ga.) for vice chair for civic engagement and voter participation. In the wake of a candidate forum this weekend in the DNC chair race, Minnesota Dem Chair KEN MARTIN — seen as the other frontrunner — tells WSJ’s John McCormick that the party has to rebrand to appeal to working-class voters and shed a perception of elitism. LOOK WHO’S BACK — “Pardoned by Trump, Manafort Is Back and Looking for Foreign Work,” by NYT’s Ken Vogel, Kim Barker, Constant Méheut and Michael Schwirtz: PAUL MANAFORT “has assembled a team of consultants who helped run Mr. Trump’s 2024 effort … Mr. Manafort has discussed working for a French billionaire supporting anti-immigration politicians including MARINE LE PEN, as well as an ultraconservative Peruvian mayor seen as a possible presidential candidate. Mr. Manafort has even engaged with interests in Ukraine.” A Manafort memo circulating in Ukraine names CHRIS LaCIVITA and TONY FABRIZIO, though LaCivita says they’re not currently under contract with Manafort. CONGRESS
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Elon Musk could clash with Congress over the direction of American space exploration. | Apu Gomes/Getty Images | AD ASTRA — Mars or the moon? ELON MUSK’s ascent to the top echelons of Republican politics could set up a clash with Congress over the direction of American space exploration, Sam Skove reports this morning. NASA currently plans to land Americans on the moon again in two years, and the agency has bipartisan support for that effort on the Hill (which, of course, controls its money). But Musk, one of the most important figures in private spaceflight as the founder of SpaceX and the world’s wealthiest person, has long harbored dreams of humanity going to Mars first. Trump hasn’t weighed in directly on the debate. Musk faces reinvigorated competition in the private sector, meanwhile, from JEFF BEZOS, whose Blue Origin today will debut a rocket launch that will challenge SpaceX. But in Cape Canaveral, Florida, Bezos tells Reuters’ Joey Roulette that he’s not worried about Musk leveraging access to Trump to gain a leg up for SpaceX: “Elon has been very clear that he’s doing this for the public interest and not for his personal gain.” AMERICA AND THE WORLD SYRIA LATEST — Sheikh MUWAFAQ TARIF of the Druze community came to D.C. to urge current and incoming U.S. officials to help protect the religious minority amid the sea change in Syria, NYT’s Ephrat Livni reports. Druze officials fear that the country’s new rebel leaders won’t practice what they preach on religious tolerance. HOSTAGE NEGOTIATIONS — “Biden spoke with families of Americans detained in Afghanistan, White House says,” by Reuters’ Andrea Shalal and Jonathan Landay: Biden “emphasized his commitment to bringing home Americans wrongfully held overseas … Efforts to secure the release of [RYAN CORBETT, GEORGE GLEZMANN and MAHMOOD HABIBI] continue, a second source familiar with the initiative said on Sunday.” SO CLOSE YET SO FAR — Biden had another call yesterday with Israeli PM BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, seeking to bring the Israel-Hamas war closer to a cease-fire ASAP, per Reuters’ Andrea Shalal.
| | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Chuck Todd is eyeing a post-NBC future. Claudia Sheinbaum pledged not to “become subordinated” to the U.S. Mohammad Abedini was released in Italy, with Donald Trump’s green light. Rahm Emanuel will speak at the Army, Navy and Air Force service academies this spring, after he steps down as U.S. ambassador to Japan tomorrow. Donald Trump Jr. is joining prediction-market betting startup Kalshi as a “strategic adviser.” FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Jeff Naft is now comms director for the Senate Banking Committee. He most recently was comms director for the House Intelligence Committee and is a Steve Scalise and French Hill alum. — Meghan Schmidtlein is now a principal on Husch Blackwell Strategies’ federal team. She previously was legislative director to Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-Mo.). TRANSITIONS — Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) is elevating Phoebe Ferraiolo to comms director for the Senate Appropriations GOP, and adding Blake Kernen as press secretary and promoting Phil Wich to deputy press secretary in her personal office. Kernen joins from Larry Hogan’s Maryland Senate campaign. … Colin Brainard is joining the Alpine Group’s tax practice as VP. He previously was director of federal government affairs for Walmart, and is a Hill GOP alum. … Rachel Brandenburg is now Washington managing director and senior fellow at Israel Policy Forum. She is an Elissa Slotkin and Defense Department alum. … … Michael Best Strategies is adding Alison Prange as COO and elevating Tory Sendek to head of federal government relations. Prange most recently was president and COO of the Milwaukee Republican National Convention host committee. … Mary Hurrell has been named comms director for the House Natural Resources Dems. She’ll continue to be deputy chief of staff and lead comms for ranking member Jared Huffman’s (D-Calif.) personal office. … Eli Cousin is now senior comms adviser to Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), helping with national press for the next three months. He previously worked for Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and is a DSCC alum. ENGAGED — Ryan Martin, a clinical specialist with Boston Scientific, proposed to Katie McKeogh, an account supervisor of public affairs at the Ehrhardt Group and a Trump HHS alum, on Saturday in Lafayette Square in New Orleans. He’d convinced her they were walking to meet his family for dinner, but instead his brothers were there capturing photos of the moment. The couple met after work at happy hour at a bar. Pic … Another pic HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) … Nate Silver … U.S. Capitol Police Officer Caroline Edwards … Andrew Yang … Rod Rosenstein … Tim Noah … Marc Thiessen … Julia Tishman Elias … Natasha McKenzie … Andrew Riddaugh of Liberation Technology Services … Jason Chung … Mini Racker … Ali Tulbah … Christina Robbins … Kristina Schake … Britt Bepler of Monument Advocacy … Jessica Post … John Allen … Nora Walsh-DeVries of Planned Parenthood … Mollie Bowman … Rich Gold of Holland & Knight … Dave O’Brien … POLITICO’s Robin Bravender, Alexandra Velde, Corey Jaseph and Dana Beckman … Delianny Brammer … Ken Pollack … Jordan Bell … Will Baskin-Gerwitz … Allan Rivlin … Laurence Wildgoose … Liana Guerra of Rep. Darren Soto’s (D-Fla.) office … Katie Murtha … Microsoft’s Kristin (Strobel) Emery … Ingrid Duran of D&P Creative Strategies … Tali Stein … Julia Bartusek of the Democratic Women’s Caucus … Jason Berardo of Rep. Guy Reschenthaler’s (R-Pa.) office … Claire Rosenwinkel of Trident DMG … Vincent Pan … Andrew Kossack … Ajwang Rading … Abigail Seldin 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.
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