Current Affairs Of Pakistan & World: Playbook PM: Big Four time

Playbook PM: Big Four time

Dec 15, 2020

By Jake Sherman, Anna Palmer, Garrett Ross and Eli Okun

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NEW … SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI has invited Senate Majority Leader MITCH MCCONNELL, Senate Minority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER and House Minority Leader KEVIN MCCARTHY to a Four Corner meeting this afternoon to finalize government funding and Covid relief. The meeting will be at 4 p.m. Treasury Secretary STEVEN MNUCHIN will join the meeting by phone.

-- THIS SIGNALS an increasing level of seriousness -- a new phase, if you will -- which will be very welcome to many people looking to wrap up the legislative year with a funding and Covid relief deal.

-- LEADERS HOPE to file the omnibus today, but the Covid piece is a bit further off.

-- GANGS are fun to cover, but PELOSI and MCCONNELL are the ones who control the House and Senate, and they need to cut the deal with the backup of SCHUMER and MCCARTHY.

-- IT'S BEEN A WHILE since MCCONNELL was a lead negotiator on a deal like this. PELOSI, MNUCHIN and SCHUMER have taken the lead on the last few deals.

-- THE OUTSTANDING ISSUE remains how to handle state and local aid. MCCONNELL has suggested dropping state and local and his liability shield priority, but PELOSI told MNUCHIN on Monday night that she is still insisting on the funding . We'll have to see where this lands.

-- SEVERAL PEOPLE INVOLVED IN THE TALKS say they will not wrap up the year until a Covid deal is put together. Heather Caygle and Burgess Everett on the meeting

MCCONNELL will speak at 2 p.m., and we have to imagine he'll address Covid relief, etc. MCCONNELL this morning acknowledged that JOE BIDEN is now president-elect. More from Burgess

NEW … GEORGE W. BUSH is appearing virtually at a bundling event for the Georgia Battleground effort the NRSC is running. Sen. TODD YOUNG (R-Ind.) -- the NRSC chair -- and KARL ROVE, who is running the Georgia fundraising effort, will also be on the call. The email

WAPO'S MATT VISER: "Biden and Harris will take oaths on Capitol stage, inauguration committee confirms": "President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala D. Harris will be sworn in to office on the steps of the Capitol next month, but those who are planning his inauguration are urging Americans to stay at home and limit gatherings during the event.

"Biden's planning committee for the first time stated definitely Tuesday that he will be sworn in to office on the west side of the Capitol, the location that has been used in recent years, and he will give an inauguration address from the platform.

"But just about everything else is being reimagined. Other elected officials will be on the platform, but attendance will be limited. A parade of some sort will be staged, but it is likely to be more virtual than physical, featuring people from across the country, much like the virtual roll call at the Democratic National Convention in August. It is unclear whether the traditional luncheon with members of Congress will be held after the swearing in, or whether President Trump will host Biden at the usual tea at the White House before the swearing in."

-- "Biden's inaugural committee tells Americans to stay home for his swearing-in," by Quint Forgey

VACCINE UPDATE -- "FDA clears path for second coronavirus vaccine, from Moderna," by Sarah Owermohle: "The Food and Drug Administration confirmed Tuesday morning that Moderna's two-dose coronavirus vaccine is effective and safe for adults, setting it up to become the country's second authorized Covid-19 shot later this week.

"An independent FDA advisory panel will meet Thursday to vote on the Moderna vaccine and send its recommendations to the agency, which is expected to authorize the shot Friday. … Nearly 6 million doses of Moderna's vaccine will be shipped out to 3,285 sites across the country in the first week, General Gustave Perna, chief operating officer of the government's vaccine accelerator Operation Warp Speed, said Monday. Between the Moderna and Pfizer shots, U.S. officials say there will be enough doses available this month for 20 million Americans." POLITICO

-- "Fauci: Biden and Trump should get Covid-19 vaccine," by Quint Forgey

Good Tuesday afternoon. White House press secretary KAYLEIGH MCENANY is briefing at 1 p.m.

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THE TRANSITION -- AP: "Mike Pompeo plans to meet with Antony Blinken": "Secretary of State Mike Pompeo plans to meet this week with his designated successor, Antony Blinken, in what could be the first face-to-face Cabinet-level transition contact between the outgoing Trump administration and President-elect Joe Biden's incoming national security team.

"Two people familiar with the plans say Pompeo and Blinken are tentatively scheduled to meet on Thursday at the State Department. Neither of the two people was authorized to discuss the matter publicly, and they spoke to The Associated Press on Tuesday on the condition of anonymity." AP

THE DISTRIBUTION GAP -- "With First Dibs on Vaccines, Rich Countries Have 'Cleared the Shelves,'" by NYT's Megan Twohey, Keith Collins and Katie Thomas: "As a growing number of coronavirus vaccines advance through clinical trials, wealthy countries are fueling an extraordinary gap in access around the world, laying claim to more than half the doses that could come on the market by the end of next year.

"While many poor nations may be able to vaccinate at most 20 percent of their populations in 2021, some of the world's richest countries have reserved enough doses to immunize their own multiple times over. … [I]f all the doses they have claimed are delivered, the European Union could inoculate its residents twice, Britain and the United States could do so four times over, and Canada six times over, according to a New York Times analysis of data on vaccine contracts collected by Duke University, Unicef and Airfinity, a science analytics company." NYT

THE COVID EFFECT -- "Covid is having a devastating impact on children — and the vaccine won't fix everything," by NBC's Erin Einhorn: "To measure the effect this year has had on children, NBC News gathered data on a range of child welfare metrics, looking at what's changed since March when the virus closed nearly every school in the country.

"The numbers aren't all bad news — drug and alcohol use among youth, for example, appears to be down, as are juvenile arrest and incarceration rates. But, in other areas, preliminary data points to alarming signs that kids are in trouble: Emergency rooms have seen a 24 percent increase in mental health-related visits from children ages 5 to 11 compared to last year. The increase among older kids is even higher — 31 percent." NBC

HOLLY OTTERBEIN: "Top liberals line up behind Nina Turner's House bid": "Top progressive elected officials, groups and entertainers are throwing their weight behind Nina Turner's congressional campaign, setting up a clash between left-wing and establishment-oriented Democrats over a House seat in Ohio just as President-elect Joe Biden is about to take office.

"Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), Bernie Sanders' former campaign co-chair; Rep.-elect Cori Bush (D-Mo.), a Black Lives Matter activist who unseated an incumbent Democrat; and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison are endorsing Turner, her campaign told POLITICO. Our Revolution, a progressive organization founded by Sanders and previously led by Turner, will be backing her bid as well. To drum up excitement around her candidacy, liberals plan on tapping their volunteer base and raising money for her from their small-dollar donors." POLITICO

BIG SCOOPS IN TRANSITION PLAYBOOK: In the runup to Inauguration Day, president-elect Joe Biden's staffing decisions are sending clear-cut signals about his priorities. What do these signals foretell? Transition Playbook is the definitive guide to one of the most consequential transfers of power in American history. Written for political insiders, this scoop-filled newsletter is breaking big news and analyzing the appointments, people and emerging power centers of the new administration. Track the transition and the first 100 days of the incoming administration. Subscribe today.

FOR YOUR RADAR -- "Fannie, Freddie Privatization Decisions Likely to Be Left to Biden Administration," by WSJ's Andrew Ackerman: "Joe Biden's election victory has likely ended the Trump administration's efforts to return Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to private hands. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin suggested in an interview with The Wall Street Journal that he is unlikely to support a legal move — called a consent order — to end the government conservatorships of the mortgage-finance companies before President Trump leaves office.

"His signoff would be required for any change in their legal status. 'We're going to not do anything that jeopardizes taxpayers and puts them at additional risk,' Mr. Mnuchin said. 'We also want to be careful that we don't do anything that overnight would limit access to mortgage finance.'" WSJ

THE USPS CRISIS -- "USPS 'gridlocked' as historic crush of holiday packages sparks delays," by WaPo's Hannah Denham and Jacob Bogage: "A historic crush of e-commerce packages is threatening to overwhelm U.S. Postal Service operations just weeks before Christmas and runoff elections in Georgia that will decide control of the U.S. Senate, according to agency employees and postal industry tracking firms.

"As Americans increasingly shop online because of the coronavirus pandemic, private express carriers FedEx and UPS have cut off delivery service for some retailers, sending massive volumes of packages to the Postal Service. That has led to widespread delays and pushed the nation's mail agency to the brink. Postal employees are reporting mail and package backlogs across the country, and working vast amounts of overtime hours that have depleted morale during another surge of coronavirus infections nationwide." WaPo

HEADS UP -- AP/BETHESDA, Md.: "FBI says agent shot person aboard train outside Washington": "An FBI agent shot and wounded someone aboard a subway train in a suburb of Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, the agency said. The shooting happened around 7 a.m. aboard a Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority train near the Medical Center station in Bethesda, Maryland.

"The person who was shot was taken to the hospital for treatment, the FBI said. It was unclear exactly what prompted the agent to open fire. Metro spokesperson Ian Jannetta said the agency's transit police force was also investigating the circumstances surrounding the shooting."

CHANGING THEIR TUNE -- "Tech Companies Shift Their Posture on a Legal Shield, Wary of Being Left Behind," by NYT's David McCabe: "For more than two decades, the tech industry had a cohesive message to Congress about a law that shields internet platforms from lawsuits: Don't touch it. But now, as tech companies face intensifying attacks from political leaders, more of them are saying something else: Let's work something out.

"Numerous industry leaders have said in recent weeks that they are open to changes to the law, Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook's chief executive, has said that the law should be updated, and Twitter's chief executive has proposed possible 'expansions' to it. Google has acknowledged 'legitimate questions' about the law. On Tuesday, a group of smaller companies — including Snap, Reddit and Tripadvisor — plan to say that they are open to discussing reforms, too." NYT

JOIN THURSDAY - CLOSING THE HEALTH CARE GAP: Another Covid-19 outbreak is taking a significant toll on the health of the Latino community. As President-elect Joe Biden prepares to assume office, how will his administration address the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on communities of color, particularly Latinos? Join POLITICO for a virtual conversation on the policy, economic and cultural barriers Latinos confront in accessing quality health care and how the pandemic can create an opportunity to identify solutions. REGISTER HERE.

OPIOID FILES -- "Family members who own Purdue to appear before Congress," by AP's Geoff Mulvihill: "Two members of the Sackler family who own OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma agreed to appear this week before a congressional committee investigating the family and the company's role in the national opioid addiction and overdose epidemic.

"Thursday's hearing before the House Oversight Committee will be the first time in years that any member of the wealthy family would take questions in public from an official body, and could be a watershed moment in the long legal and political battles over the opioid crisis, which has been linked to 470,000 deaths in the U.S. since 2000." AP

MEDIAWATCH … VARIETY: "Too Much Information? Former 'CBS Evening News' Producer Seeks Role as 'News Concierge,'" by Brian Steinberg: "News junkies often develop a tight relationship with a favorite TV anchor or cable-news outlet. Mosheh Oinounou hopes some of them will turn instead to a 'news concierge.'

"The former executive producer of 'CBS Evening News' is among the many journalists discovering they don't need a traditional media apparatus — say a TV-network control room or a giant printing press — to serve up information and analysis. Some reporters are taking to independent newsletters via companies like Substack. Oinounou has found a perch for himself on Instagram, where he helps everyone from random followers to a handful of celebrities make sense of current events. He even takes requests to help explain specific topics. Joe Jonas is among those asking him questions."

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK -- Showtime's "The Circus" docuseries will return for a sixth season at 8 p.m. on Jan. 10 ahead of the Georgia Senate runoff elections. Jennifer Palmieri is joining the series as a co-host alongside John Heilemann, Alex Wagner and Mark Mckinnon.

TRANSITIONS -- Rep.-elect Nicole Malliotakis has hired Natalie Baldassarre as comms director and Mike DeFilippis as legislative director. Baldassarre most recently was at HHS, and DeFilippis most recently was senior policy adviser for Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.). … Roberta Braga is now manager for North America comms at Baker McKenzie. She previously was deputy director for programs and outreach at the Atlantic Council's Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center. … Paul Morrell is now a partner at Touchdown Strategies. He most recently was SVP of strategic comms at Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce.

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