| | | | | |  | | By Jake Sherman, Anna Palmer, Garrett Ross and Eli Okun | Presented by |  | | THE LIST OF LABOR AND BUSINESS leaders meeting with President-elect JOE BIDEN and VP-elect KAMALA HARRIS today: AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, GM CEO Mary Barra, SEIU President Mary Kay Henry, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, UAW President Rory Gamble, Target CEO Brian Cornell, UFCW President Marc Perrone, AFSCME President Lee Saunders and Gap CEO Sonia Syngal. THE MARKET IS POPPING … BLOOMBERG: "U.S. stocks gained after positive news on a Covid-19 vaccine, sending shares tied to an economic reopening higher while stay-at-home tech companies lagged behind. Oil jumped. "The Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 Index were poised for record highs after Moderna Inc.'s vaccine was shown to be 94.5% effective in a preliminary analysis of a large late-stage clinical trial. Shares of the drugmaker surged as much as 15%. Lockdown favorite Zoom Video Communications Inc. slumped along with some of the biggest tech names, weighing on the Nasdaq 100, while Delta Air Lines Inc. and Carnival Corp. gained." SOME GREAT NEWS TO START YOUR WEEK … "Moderna's Covid-19 vaccine is strongly effective, early look at data show," by Stat's Matthew Herper and Helen Branswell: "The Moderna vaccine reduced the risk of Covid-19 infection by 94.5%. … Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, admitted the preliminary data for the Moderna and the Pfizer vaccines -- the only two so far to have early estimates of vaccine efficacy -- are better than he had anticipated. … "The companies said they will file for an emergency use authorization with the Food and Drug Administration in the coming weeks, and will file with other global regulators. … Moderna said in its press release that there were no significant safety concerns. … Moderna has a $1.525 billion contract to provide the United States with 100 million doses of the vaccine through Operation Warp Speed … The contract gives the U.S. government an option to purchase an additional 400 million doses." -- AXIOS' DAN PRIMACK spoke to Moderna's chief medical officer. Axios podcast -- YIKES: "Fauci warns that White House transition delays could slow vaccine rollout," by Quint Forgey -- HMM … "States Vow Extra Scrutiny of Coronavirus Vaccine," by NYT's Ellen Gabler and Abby Goodnough: "[A]bout a half-dozen states and the District of Columbia have planned an extra layer of scrutiny: committees that would vet any vaccine reviewed by the F.D.A., a step many public health experts and officials deem unnecessary given a federal review process they describe as meticulous." NYT NEW: "There are 2 effective Covid-19 vaccines. What's next?" by Zachary Brennan and Sarah Owermohle WHILE WE WAIT FOR A VACCINE, the twin pandemics of coronavirus and misinformation are converging in places like South Dakota, the second-worst hotspot in the country. An ER nurse there told CNN's "New Day" this morning that she has patients declining to FaceTime their loved ones goodbye because they refuse to believe Covid-19 is real -- even in their dying moments. The 6-minute interview REP. TIM WALBERG (R-Mich.) announced he has Covid-19, with mild symptoms. | | A message from UnitedHealth Group: For more than 20 years, UnitedHealth Group has advocated for universal coverage. Learn more about three solutions that build on the existing system to cover 28 million more people. We're committed to leading in the development of a next-generation health care system. | | | CNN: "Lawsuits that tried to disrupt Biden's wins in four states are withdrawn," by Katelyn Polantz REALITY BITES -- "Trump National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien says it looks like Biden has won," by NBC's Ken Dilanian ON THE WAY OUT -- "SEC Chair Jay Clayton announces year-end exit," by Kellie Mejdrich: "SEC Chair Jay Clayton plans to leave the commission at the end of the year, departing from the market regulator about six months before his term is up, the agency announced Monday morning. … "Under the SEC's rules, it is up to the president to appoint an interim chair when the commission chair leaves. Clayton's departure was expected after he told the House Financial Services Committee this summer that he wanted to return to New York." POLITICO Good Monday afternoon. FOX NEWS' CHAD PERGRAM has won the Joan S. Barone Award for excellence in journalism from the RTCA. … EDDIE GROSS of CNN has won the Jerry Thompson Memorial Award. The full list of winners MIDNIGHT MONEY TRAIN TO GEORGIA -- "Karl Rove to helm massive GOP fundraising drive for Georgia runoffs," by Alex Isenstadt: "The former George W. Bush adviser will serve as national finance chairman for the Georgia Battleground Fund, a joint fundraising account formed by the National Republican Senatorial Committee that will benefit Republican Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue … "Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former Vice President Dan Quayle, and former UN ambassador Nikki Haley will serve as honorary co-chairs. … Nick Ayers, a veteran of Georgia politics who formerly served as Pence's chief of staff, and longtime Republican fundraisers Jeff Miller and Jack Oliver will be national co-chairs. The list of national co-chairs also includes former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour and former Georgia GOP chair Alec Poitevint." SCOTUS WATCH -- "Case on Churches, Cuomo and Coronavirus Arrives at Supreme Court," by NYT's Adam Liptak: "In recent months, churches in California and Nevada asked the Supreme Court to lift government restrictions on attendance at religious services meant to address the coronavirus pandemic. The churches lost. The vote in both cases was 5 to 4, with Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. joining what was then the court's four-member liberal wing. … "On Thursday, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn filed an emergency application asking the Supreme Court to lift restrictions imposed by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York. The case is broadly similar to the earlier ones. … The court is likely to rule on the dispute from Brooklyn in the next week or so. The case may be the first in which Justice [Amy Coney] Barrett's vote changes the court's direction." NYT | | | | JOIN WEDNESDAY - CONFRONTING INEQUALITY TOWN HALL "BRIDGING THE ECONOMIC DIVIDE": Although pandemic job losses have been widespread, the economic blow has been especially devastating to Black workers and Black-owned businesses. POLITICO's third "Confronting Inequality in America" town hall will convene economists, scholars, private sector and city leaders to explore policies and strategies to deal with the disproportionate economic impact of the pandemic and the broader factors contributing to the persistent racial wealth and income gaps. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | THE BRAVE NEW WORLD -- "Biden Won the Battle -- but Dems Are Losing the Social Media War," by The Daily Beast's Lachlan Markay, Hanna Trudo and Sam Stein: "Democrats are still losing the war online. Part of the deficit is strictly a matter of cash. … But much of it, those in the field say, is in building the type of news and organic content ecosystem that can match the scale that currently exists on the right. … "Not everyone in the party buys the logic. There is a thread of thinking among some Democrats that the insular universe that conservatives have built online is both impenetrable and not worth duplicating. … But others who work in digital politics argue that the party can't simply assume that its voters will always be reachable through traditional means; and that it is a massively important investment to create online content that can bring in new audiences." Daily Beast VALLEY TALK -- "The Biden team's tug-of-war over Facebook," by Nancy Scola and Alex Thompson: "Some on the Biden campaign thought they had two opponents to beat: first Donald Trump and then Facebook. But people with close ties to Facebook and CEO Mark Zuckerberg have already become inside players in the Biden transition, suggesting that the president-elect is not slamming the door on the company. … "The question becomes whether, after Inauguration Day, a Biden administration acts on the anger coming from the Democratic party's anti-Facebook factions or if it absorbs Facebook back into the Democratic establishment, embracing the friendly relationship of the Obama years. … [T]he anger at Facebook from the Biden campaign — especially among staffers working on its digital and advertising operations — goes back years and has widely spread throughout the Democratic rank-and-file." POLITICO THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION -- "Trump officials rush to auction off rights to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge before Biden can block it," by WaPo's Juliet Eilperin BRIAN FALER: "Biden's IRS could finally give Trump's tax returns to Democrats": "Biden is casting himself as a moderate uniter, and releasing Trump's returns risks looking like a vindictive investigation of his predecessor. Not just that. It could also prove a distraction at a time when Biden is trying to push his own legislative agenda through a narrowly divided Congress. "Yet, if Democrats were to suddenly say 'never mind,' it would not only be an embarrassing about-face, it would also infuriate people such as Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.), the head of the House Ways and Means Oversight Subcommittee." POLITICO K STREET FILES -- "Washington Lobbyists Know Biden Well — as Their Former Boss," by WSJ's Julie Bykowicz and Brody Mullins: "Scores of Mr. Biden's former aides now on K Street represent hundreds of companies, trade groups and foreign companies. … Mr. Biden, unlike the four most recent presidents, has deep ties to the Washington establishment from his 44 years in the Senate and as vice president. He named at least 40 current and former registered lobbyists to his transition team. "For much of his career, Mr. Biden has advocated for policies that he said would reduce the influence of lobbyists and special interests, including pushing for expanded government financing of political campaigns. … The incoming Biden administration must quickly hire thousands of people and hasn't said that it will exclude registered lobbyists. Both the Trump and Obama administrations had policies against hiring lobbyists, but both presidents made exceptions to their own rules." WSJ | | | | KEEP UP WITH THE GLOBAL HEALTH AGENDA IN 2021: If nothing else, the past year has revealed how critical it is to keep up with the politics, policy, and people driving global health. A new Biden administration comes with the expectation that America will reclaim its leadership on global health. But will it be that easy? What impact could Joe Biden's presidency have on global vaccine access and the international response to the pandemic? Our Global Pulse newsletter connects leaders, policymakers, and advocates to the people, and politics impacting our global health. Join the conversation and subscribe today. | | | | | POST-MORTEM -- "Liberals Envisioned a Multiracial Coalition. Voters of Color Had Other Ideas," by NYT's Michael Powell: "The results suggest that Democrats may need to adjust their strategy as the complexities of class, generation and experience, and the competing desires of these demographic groups become clear. Since the dawn of the 21st century, it has become commonplace for party leaders to talk of a rising demographic tide that is destined to lift the Democrats to dominance. "That liberal coalition is seen as resting on a bedrock of upper-middle-class white voters, alongside working- and middle-class Black, Latino and Asian voters. In broad strokes, that narrative held. … Aside from those successes, however, the election presented complications wrapped one inside another for Democrats." KNOWING THE NEW CLASS … JEWISH INSIDER: "Madison Cawthorn arrives in Washington" FOR YOUR RADAR -- "NATO, acting U.S. Pentagon chief discuss Afghanistan," by AP's Lorne Cook in Brussels: "NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has spoken to the new acting U.S. defense secretary about the alliance's commitment to stay in Afghanistan as long as necessary, his spokeswoman said Monday, amid speculation that President Donald Trump might order a rapid withdrawal of U.S. troops in the country. "NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said Stoltenberg held talks with Christopher Miller on Friday about the 30-nation U.S.-led military alliance's 'agenda, including the situation in Afghanistan,' and that 'NATO's position hasn't changed' on its security role in the conflict-ravaged country." AP AP/BEIRUT: "Syria's longtime Foreign Minister al-Moallem dies at age 79," by Bassem Mroue: "Syria's longtime Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem, a career diplomat who became one of the country's most prominent faces to the outside world during the uprising against President Bashar Assad, died on Monday. He was 79. "Al-Moallem, who served as ambassador to Washington for nine years, starting in 1990 during Syria's on-and-off peace talks with Israel, was a close confidant of Assad known for his loyalty and hard-line position against the opposition." AP AFTERNOON READ -- "Will Trump Burn the Evidence?" by The New Yorker's Jill Lepore: "How the President could endanger the official records of one of the most consequential periods in American history." MEDIAWATCH -- "The Oral History of CNN's Election Week," by Esquire's Kate Storey: "We wondered, when were these people sleeping? The answer, it turns out, was: barely at all." -- James Hohmann is moving over to WaPo's opinion section as a columnist beginning in February. He has most recently been a national political correspondent and author of The Daily 202. Announcement -- Caitlin Dickerson will join The Atlantic in January as a staff writer covering immigration. She currently is an immigration reporter at the NYT. Announcement WEEKEND WEDDING -- Evan Wessel, deputy director of the Democratic Conference of Mayors, and Gabriella Kahn, advancement manager for the Smithsonian Libraries, got married Sunday at the Viceroy Hotel in an outdoor ceremony with their immediate families. They met working at Ready for Hillary in 2014. Pic … Another pic | | | | A message from UnitedHealth Group:   Leading in the development of a next-generation health care system that ensures all Americans have access to high-quality health care. | | | | | | | 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 politics and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
