| | | | | |  | | By Jake Sherman and Anna Palmer | Presented by Facebook | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | AT THE MOMENT — which means as of before dawn this Wednesday morning — it doesn't look like Senate Majority Leader MITCH MCCONNELL is eager to help President DONALD TRUMP get $2,000 direct payments into law. OF COURSE, nothing is completely certain in Washington — this is especially true in 2020. BUT THE OVERWHELMING evidence tells us the following: MCCONNELL knows how the Senate works, he knows how to get ideas into law quickly, and he knows how to kill or drag initiatives to a halt. And he seems to be slowing -- or killing -- the $2,000 checks. ON TUESDAY, MCCONNELL twice objected to passage of the checks. But, more notably, he started the process to vote on a bill that paired the checks with the elimination of Section 230 (the internet law TRUMP is so worked up about) and the creation of an election fraud commission. OF COURSE, MCCONNELL could bring up the House-passed $2,000 bill, but he's not showing any signs of doing that, at this point. We asked MCCONNELL twice Tuesday about his interest in the checks. He didn't reply. SENATE DEMOCRATS would be exceedingly unlikely to vote for a package that combines the checks with a voter fraud commission and Section 230 repeal. Furthermore, the House would need to consider it, and they're done for the year. Even if they weren't, it's highly unlikely they'd be interested in this package as constructed by MCCONNELL. There are no parliamentary tricks available to the Senate minority here, as WaPo's MIKE DEBONIS points out. SENATE MINORITY LEADER CHUCK SCHUMER said this in a statement Tuesday evening: "Senator McConnell knows how to make $2,000 survival checks reality and he knows how to kill them. If Sen. McConnell tries loading up the bipartisan House-passed CASH Act with unrelated, partisan provisions that will do absolutely nothing to help struggling families across the country, it will not pass the House and cannot become law — any move like this by Sen. McConnell would be a blatant attempt to deprive Americans of a $2,000 survival check." SO, THAT'S THAT. READ BURGESS EVERETT on the dynamics on the Hill. SEN. JOHN CORNYN (R-Texas) — a close ally of MCCONNELL — told a group of us reporters Tuesday that TRUMP is distracting from his achievements by focusing on the $2,000 checks instead of what he's already accomplished. "I THINK FOCUSING on the $900 billion that we've already approved, and that Secretary MNUCHIN helped us negotiate, which now he has now signed, instead of taking appropriate credit for those good things, focusing on this I think undermines … the very positive impact that we've already done," CORNYN said, shortly after speaking to MCCONNELL on the Senate floor. WSJ ED BOARD CHEERS MCCONNELL'S DECISION: "Mr. McConnell tried to navigate this mudslide from Mar-a-Lago as best he could on Tuesday by announcing he'll hold a vote on the checks and Mr. Trump's other demands in the future. The bill could include the $2,000 checks, plus a repeal of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, plus an investigation of voter fraud. "This is the right policy choice, since the $2,000 checks are unnecessary and the truly needy have access to expanded jobless benefits, food stamps, child-care subsidies and much more. As for the politics, this is damage control. Georgia Senators Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue quickly endorsed the $2,000 checks, and Mr. McConnell will take the heat for blocking them. The Majority Leader knows most GOP Senators oppose adding another $350 billion or more to the federal deficit while setting an awful precedent for the next recession. "We'll see how this plays out in Georgia, but the fault here isn't Mitch McConnell's. The political damage to the GOP comes from Donald Trump, who is lashing out at all and sundry in defeat — no matter if it also helps to elect a Democratic Senate." NEW … JON OSSOFF is airing a minute-long spot with BARACK OBAMA and JOHN LEGEND, urging voters to send OSSOFF to the Senate. The spot features LEGEND singing "Georgia On My Mind," with OBAMA narrating. The minute-long spot -- "Strong early-vote turnout gives Dems hope in Georgia runoffs," by James Arkin WOMP, WOMP … ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION: "No fraud: Georgia audit confirms authenticity of absentee ballots," by Mark Niesse: "Law enforcement and election investigators didn't find a single fraudulent absentee ballot during an audit of over 15,000 voter signatures, according to a report by the Georgia secretary of state's office released Tuesday." N.Y. POST COVER: "GRAN THEFT: Outrage as congressional staffers get COVID vaccine before most Americans" Good Wednesday morning. | | | | A message from Facebook: It's time to update internet regulations
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Learn More | | | BIG NEWS ON THE POLITICO FRONT -- "Politico to Acquire Energy Trade Publication E&E News," by WSJ's Lukas Alpert: "Politico is adding some energy to its game. The nearly 14-year-old political news outlet is acquiring E&E News, a high-price subscription trade publication focused on the energy industry and environmental news, the companies said. The terms of the transaction weren't disclosed. "The deal will substantially expand Politico's footprint in the energy news space and is part of a bigger move to grow its professional news business. E&E News has some 65 reporters in nine offices around the country, adding to Politico's existing 17 editorial staffers focused on energy and environmental news. "'The story of our generation going forward is the environment and how the energy sector adapts to what needs to be done,' Robert Allbritton, Politico's publisher and owner, said in an interview. 'It is a massive story.' Politico plans to maintain E&E News as a separate brand, the company said. E&E's principal founder and owner, Michael Witt, will remain with the company for some time in a consulting role." Notes from Patrick Steel and Matt Kaminski THE CORONAVIRUS CONTINUES TO RAGE … 19.5 MILLION Americans have tested positive for the coronavirus. … 338,632 Americans have died. -- "Louisiana congressman-elect dies of Covid," by Melanie Zanona: "Rep.-elect Luke Letlow (R-La.) has died from coronavirus, multiple sources confirmed Tuesday evening. He was 41. Letlow, who announced on Dec. 18 that he tested positive for Covid-19, had been in the intensive care unit at Ochsner LSU Health in Shreveport. "'The family appreciates the numerous prayers and support over the past days but asks for privacy during this difficult and unexpected time,' the family said in a statement that was first reported by the Monroe News-Star. 'A statement from the family along with funeral arrangements will be announced at a later time.' "Letlow, who served as chief of staff to former Rep. Ralph Abraham (R-La.) before being elected to fill that seat, was supposed to be sworn into Congress on Sunday. He is the first member or member-elect to die from the coronavirus, though dozens of lawmakers have tested positive for Covid-19 over the past year. Letlow leaves behind a wife and two small children. He was initially admitted to a Monroe hospital on Dec. 19, but was transferred and placed in the ICU last week when his condition deteriorated." NOLA TIMES-PICAYUNE: "[Dr. G.E. Ghali] previously said Letlow was being treated with the antiviral drug Remdesivir and steroids. Asked if Letlow had any underlying conditions that would have made his death more likely, Ghali said in a text message, 'none. All COVID related.'" -- "First U.S. Case of Highly Contagious Coronavirus Variant Is Found in Colorado," by NYT's Carl Zimmer and Bryan Pietsch: "The first United States case of the more contagious coronavirus variant that was initially discovered in Britain was found in Colorado on Tuesday, Gov. Jared Polis said, raising the worrisome possibility that the variant is already well established in the patient's community — and perhaps elsewhere. "'It didn't teleport across the Atlantic,' said William Hanage, an epidemiologist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The variant was detected in a man in his 20s with no travel history, Mr. Polis said. The man was in isolation in Elbert County, southeast of Denver, he said. Dr. Hanage said the newly reported case 'should not be cause for panic.' But, he added, 'it is cause to redouble our efforts at preventing the virus from getting the opportunity to spread,' he said." -- "U.K. approves use of 2nd COVID-19 vaccine with easier storage," by AP's Danica Kirka and Mike Corder: "Britain on Wednesday became the first country to authorize an easy-to-handle COVID-19 vaccine whose developers hope it will become the 'vaccine for the world.' The approval and a shift in policy that will speed up rollout of the vaccine in the U.K. comes as a surge in infections threatens to swamp British hospitals. "The Department of Health said it had accepted a recommendation from the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency to authorize emergency use of the vaccine developed by Oxford University and U.K.-based drugmaker AstraZeneca." THE TRANSITION … "Biden criticizes Trump's coronavirus effort, vows extensive federal response," by WaPo's Jenna Johnson, Amy Wang and Chelsea Janes: "President-elect Joe Biden on Tuesday cast President Trump's handling of the coronavirus pandemic as meager and insufficient, as he vowed to fully use the federal government's powers once inaugurated to speed the production and dispersal of vaccines and protective equipment. "Biden said he would invoke the Defense Production Act to ramp up production of materials needed for the coronavirus vaccines. The law, enacted in 1950, gives the president the power to compel companies to produce and distribute supplies. Trump has invoked the act several times to increase the manufacturing of ventilators, among other items. Biden said that the Trump administration has yet to fully scale up testing — 'that's a travesty,' he said — and that its vaccine distribution efforts were also lagging behind what had been promised." -- "Biden picks three coordinators for Covid-19 response," by Dan Diamond | | | |   | | | ALL EYES ON JAN. 6 — KYLE CHENEY: "How Congress and coronavirus could quash Trump's Electoral College gambit": "President Donald Trump's last-gasp bid to overturn his 2020 election defeat appears doomed on Jan. 6, when Congress is set to certify President-elect Joe Biden's victory. But the byzantine process by which Congress counts and validates the Electoral College results has left gnawing uncertainty about precisely how the final act in Trump's undemocratic drama will play out. "The law that guides the proceedings, the Electoral Count Act — passed in 1887 to address the disastrous election of 1876 — is vaguely written and full of gaps that have perplexed constitutional scholars for a century. Now, Trump and his allies are working to exploit those gaps to try to muscle their way to a second term. There's little doubt that Biden will be certified as president by the end of the day on Jan. 6 or in the wee hours of Jan. 7, but Trump's allies could cast a cloud over the process — grinding it to a halt, attempting to force votes on alternate slates of Trump-supporting electors and raising untold objections to the proceedings that could disrupt the traditionally ceremonial event. "But the lack of clarity also creates enormous opportunities for those who wish to limit or prevent the day-long spectacle that Trump's allies are promising. That could include both Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has been working to tamp down GOP support for challenges in recent days — drawing Trump's fury." -- "Pence declined to back Gohmert-led effort to upend election, lawyers indicate," by Kyle Cheney: "Lawyers for Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) and Arizona's 11 Republican electors revealed Tuesday that Vice President Mike Pence declined to sign onto their plan to upend Congress' certification of President-elect Joe Biden's victory. "It's the first indication that Pence is resisting some of the most extreme calls to reverse the presidential election results, thus relying on his role as the presiding officer on Jan. 6, when Congress meets to finalize Biden's win. Gohmert and the Arizona electors sued Pence this week to throw out the procedures that Congress has relied upon since 1889 to count electoral votes." TRUMP'S WEDNESDAY — The president has nothing on his public schedule. PRESIDENT-ELECT JOE BIDEN and VP-elect KAMALA HARRIS will meet with transition advisers. | | | | GET THE BIG SCOOPS IN TRANSITION PLAYBOOK: A new year is upon us. Inauguration Day is just weeks away. President-elect Joe Biden is building an administration and quickly staffing up. What do his selections and decisions tell us about his priorities? Find out in Transition Playbook, the definitive guide to the new administration and one of the most consequential transfers of power in American history. Written for political insiders, this scoop-filled newsletter breaks big news daily and analyzes the appointments, people, and emerging power centers of the new administration. Track the transition and the first 100 days of the incoming Biden administration. Subscribe today. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | | 
PHOTO DU JOUR: The first Boeing 737 Max commercial flight in almost two years takes off from Miami on Tuesday after being grounded over a pair of deadly crashes. | Joe Raedle/Getty Images | JONATHAN POLLARD — the American who served three decades in prison for spying on behalf of Israel — landed in Tel Aviv on Tuesday night aboard a jet owned by SHELDON ADELSON. ISRAEL HAYOM, ADELSON'S newspaper, broke the news. Israeli PM BENJAMIN NETANYAHU met the plane when it landed. Israel Hayom AT FOGGY BOTTOM — "Pompeo Weighs Plan to Place Cuba on U.S. Terrorism Sponsor List," by NYT's Michael Crowley, Charlie Savage and Eric Schmitt: "State Department officials have drawn up a proposal to designate Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism, a final-hour foreign policy move that would complicate plans by the incoming Biden administration to relax increased American pressure on Havana. "With three weeks left until Inauguration Day, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo must decide whether to sign off on the plan, according to two U.S. officials, a move that would also serve as a thank-you to Cuban-Americans and other anti-communist Latinos in Florida who strongly supported President Trump and his fellow Republicans in the November election. "It is unclear whether Mr. Pompeo has decided to move ahead with the designation. But Democrats and foreign policy experts believe that Mr. Trump and his senior officials are eager to find ways of constraining President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.'s initial months in office and to make it more difficult for Mr. Biden to reverse Trump-era policies abroad. In recent weeks, Trump officials have also sought to increase American pressure and sanctions on China and Iran." NYT BREONNA TAYLOR UPDATE — AP: "Officers connected to Taylor's death could face dismissal": "Louisville police have taken steps that could result in the firing of two officers connected to Breonna Taylor's death — the one who sought the no-knock search warrant that led detectives to her apartment and another found to have opened fire. "Detective Joshua Jaynes received a pretermination letter, media outlets reported Tuesday. It came after a Professional Standards Unit investigation found he had violated department procedures for preparation of a search warrant and truthfulness, his attorney said. "Detective Myles Cosgrove also received a pretermination letter, media outlets later reported, citing his attorney, Jarrod Beck. Kentucky's attorney general has said it was Cosgrove who appeared to have fired the fatal shot at Taylor, according to ballistics tests. The shooting death of the 26-year-old Black woman in her home sparked months of protests in Louisville alongside national protests over racial injustice and police misconduct." | | | | A message from Facebook: Internet regulations need an update
It's been 25 years since lawmakers passed comprehensive internet regulations.
But a lot has changed since 1996. We want updated regulations to set clear guidelines for protecting people's privacy, enabling safe and easy data portability between platforms and more.
Learn More | | | EYES ON THE SKIES — "Two years after deadly crashes, Boeing's 737 Max returns to commercial service in the U.S.," by WaPo's Ian Duncan: "Boeing's 737 Max returned to commercial service Tuesday in the United States, carrying passengers for the first time since two crashes in 2018 and 2019 killed 346 people. An American Airlines Max left Miami International Airport at 10:40 a.m. and arrived at New York's LaGuardia Airport shortly after 1 p.m. Tuesday. After a little more than an hour on the ground, the plane took off for Miami, arriving before 6 p.m. to complete a round trip. "American plans to operate the jet on the route until Monday and will add flights using the Max in the weeks to come. Other U.S. carriers plan to bring the Max back into service later in the winter. The flight caps two years of investigations into the crashes — which found that Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration misjudged the risk posed by software in the planes — and work to ensure the jet was safe again." WaPo VALLEY TALK — "Inside the Google-Facebook Ad Deal at the Heart of a Price-Fixing Lawsuit," by WSJ's Ryan Tracy and Jeff Horwitz: "State attorneys general said in a lawsuit earlier this month that a 2018 business agreement between two digital advertising giants, Facebook Inc. and Alphabet Inc.'s Google, was an illegal price-fixing deal. Lawmakers are calling for further investigation. The companies say it was above board. "The Wall Street Journal viewed part of a recent unredacted draft version of the lawsuit, which elaborates on allegations in the redacted complaint filed in a Texas federal district court. Ten Republican attorneys general, led by Texas' Ken Paxton, say Google gave Facebook special terms and access to its ad server, a ubiquitous tool for allocating advertising space across the web. This and other conduct by Google, they allege in the final lawsuit, harms competition and deprives 'advertisers, publishers and consumers of improved quality, greater transparency, increased output and/or lower prices.' "Previously unreported details from the draft, including contract terms and company documents, shed light on the legal battle ahead and the relationship between two tech giants who have called each other competitors even as they hold an ever-widening share of the digital advertising market." BECAUSE WE HAVE TO: HILARIA BALDWIN spoke to the NYT's KATHERINE ROSMAN for 80 minutes. The story | | | | A NEW YEAR, A NEW HUDDLE: Huddle, our daily must-read in congressional offices, will have a new author in 2021! Olivia Beavers will take the reins on Jan. 4, and she has some big plans in store. Don't miss out, subscribe to our Huddle newsletter, the essential guide to all things Capitol Hill. Subscribe today. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Send tips to Eli Okun and Garrett Ross at politicoplaybook@politico.com. TRANSITIONS — Caitlin Mitchell is now a partner at NEWCO Strategies. She most recently was senior adviser for digital on the Biden campaign. … Sen.-elect Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) is adding Darin Miller as comms director, Abegail Cave as press secretary, Adam Stewart as senior policy adviser and Kate Barlow as counsel. Miller most recently was a special assistant to the president in comms. Cave most recently was founder of ARC Strategies. Stewart most recently was chief of staff to Rep. Rob Bishop (R-Utah). Barlow most recently was counsel for Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.). WEEKEND WEDDING — Allison Varricchio, a foreign affairs officer at the State Department, and Anthony Iannarino, site director and physical therapist at Rehab to Perform in Bethesda, got married Saturday in his parents' backyard in Ohio. It was a micro-wedding after they canceled two large Italian-style celebrations earlier this year. The couple met in college at the University of Dayton. Pic … Another pic BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Heather Reid, deputy chief mobilization officer at the DNC. How she got her start: "My first gig in politics was as a field intern for Rock the Vote while I was a junior in college, helping to register college students and advocating for more inclusive voting rights laws. I got the opportunity through an internship program at my college (go Illini), and I fell in love and never looked back." Playbook Q&A BIRTHDAYS: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is 57 … Sean Hannity is 59 … Rep. Mike Bost (R-Ill.) is 6-0 … Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-Wis.) is 63 … Meredith Vieira is 67 … Hanna Hope (h/t Jon Haber) … Nick Schmit is 4-0 (h/t husband Jonathan Capehart) … Tammy Haddad (h/ts Ben Chang) … Lauren Claffey Tomlinson, president of Claffey Communications … Jack Deschauer … POLITICO's Jennifer Scholtes … Hari Sevugan … Kevin Smith … Heather Cronk … Michael McLaughlin … Courtney Beesch, visual journalist/digital producer for C-SPAN and a newly minted Paul Miller Washington reporting fellow for 2021 (h/t Howard Mortman) … Kristin Smith … Bill Thorne, SVP for comms and public affairs at the National Retail Federation … Katie Plona (h/t K.P. Smith) … Michael Rekola … Philippa Martinez-Berrier … Marcia Kramer of WCBS … … Jim Billimoria, associate administrator for the SBA's Office of Communications and Public Liaison … Jill Jorgensen … former Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson, now president of the University of Texas at El Paso, is 6-0 … Reed Dickens … Susan Kellam … Brendan Corrigan … Leif Babin … Kim Barnes Kimball … former Rep. Marty Meehan (D-Mass.), now president of the University of Massachusetts, is 64 … Seth Wyngowski is 31 (h/t Gabriel Alvim) … Jud Lounsbury … Katie Hays … Shannon Gilson of American Airlines … Justin Thomas Russell … Natalie Kennedy … Daniel Scarpinato, COS for Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey … Pat Bell … María Elena Salinas … Kana Ervin … Kelly Curran … Caroline Little … Noelle Straub … Bob Cochran is 64 … Jason Berkenfeld … Amy Young … Udai Rohatgi … Annabelle Cheney | | | | 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 | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
