| | | | | |  | | By Jake Sherman, Anna Palmer, Garrett Ross and Eli Okun | Presented by |  | | NEW … SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI said on a House Democratic leadership call Thursday night that President DONALD TRUMP is a "psychopathic nut," according to several sources. The remark wasn't referring to anything specific, but rather was a broad assessment of the president. INTERESTING … THE LETTER "M" IS CONFUSING … TRUMP'S LAWYERS seem to have confused Michigan and Minnesota. In their filing alleging campaign fraud in Michigan, they listed townships in Minnesota. Powerline NINE MEMBERS OF CONGRESS -- current and incoming -- have tested positive for the coronavirus in the past few days. The most recent: Sen. RICK SCOTT (R-Fla.), who said he has "very mild symptoms." ALSO: Sen. CHUCK GRASSLEY (R-Iowa), Reps. DOUG LAMBORN (R-Fla.), DAN NEWHOUSE (R-Wash.), ED PERLMUTTER (D-Colo.), CHERI BUSTOS (D-Ill.), TIM WALBERG (R-Mich.) and DON YOUNG (R-Alaska) and Rep.-elect ASHLEY HINSON (R-Iowa). -- SCOTT said he tested negative several times before testing positive. -- AT LEAST THERE'S TESTING in the Capitol now. If you have a Hill ID, you can get a test -- which is really good. -- PRESS SECRETARY KAYLEIGH MCENANY said the White House expects 40 million vaccine doses to be available by the end of the year. (Remember: It's two doses per person.) ANDREW GIULIANI, a special assistant to the president, tested positive this morning and has mild symptoms. NYT'S MAGGIE HABERMAN tweeted that ANDREW was in the news conference Thursday at the RNC. Has RUDY been exposed? She's also reporting that FOUR OTHERS at the White House complex have tested positive in recent days. GETTING CLOSER! … "Pfizer, BioNTech to submit formal application to FDA to authorize Covid-19 vaccine," by Stat's Helen Branswell: "It is unclear how long the FDA will take to review the application, though the agency is expected to move swiftly. Agency officials have pledged to seek advice from an expert panel of outside experts, the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee or VRBPAC, before ruling on the application. VRBPAC members have been asked to hold three days in December as potential meeting dates. "It is widely expected that the FDA will then issue an emergency use authorization for the two-dose vaccine, which has been shown to be highly effective in preventing Covid infections. Officials have said they hope to begin vaccination of health workers — who will be at the front of the line for the limited first doses — in some locations within days of the authorization." THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION … WSJ lists DEVAL PATRICK, Sen. DOUG JONES (D-Ala.) and SALLY YATES as potential A.G. candidates. NPR reports that MERRICK GARLAND is being considered. -- LOUISA TERRELL will be leg affairs director for JOE BIDEN. TERRELL worked on the Hill briefly in 2013-2015 as chief to Sen. CORY BOOKER (D-N.J.). She was BIDEN'S deputy COS from 2006 to 2008. SHE WAS ALSO the director of public policy for FACEBOOK, and worked for the BIDEN FOUNDATION and, most recently, for MCKINSEY. -- CATHY RUSSELL will be director of the Office of Presidential Personnel. … CARLOS ELIZONDO will be W.H. social secretary. … MALA ADIGA will be policy director for Jill Biden. Happy Friday afternoon. IN CASE YOU DIDN'T KNOW … ZACH MONTELLARO: "Georgia certifies Biden's victory" | | 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. | | | NICK NIEDZWIADEK: "Michigan GOP descends on D.C. as Trump scrambles to undo election": "A delegation of Republican state lawmakers from Michigan arrived in Washington on Friday as part of President Donald Trump's Hail Mary attempt to usurp the results of the election he lost." POLITICO -- @TimAlberta: "Just FYI, after 48 hours of high-level conversations with Michigan Rs & Ds, it's clear the results will stand. Joe Biden will receive the state's 16 electoral votes. There is no alternative under MI statute. This Trump/Michigan GOP meeting is a sideshow on par w/ Rudy's presser." -- NBC'S HEIDI PRZYBYLA: "Michigan Republican lawmakers slated to meet Friday with President Donald Trump at the White House could be risking legal exposure back home depending on what actions they take in regards to the state's election results." WARNING SIGNS FOR DEMOCRATS … WHYY: "Trump's gains in North Philly show Latino voters are not a 'gimme' for Democrats" WSJ: "Biden Team Lacks Full U.S. Cybersecurity Support in Transition Fracas," by Andrew Restuccia and Dustin Volz: "The federal government, which has some of the most sophisticated antihacking technologies in the world, is offering limited assistance to Mr. Biden's transition operation in securing its email and other communications, despite concerns that the team is likely a top espionage target for Russia, China, and other adversaries, according to people familiar with the transition. "The lack of government cybersecurity support is among the obstacles the Biden transition team has faced as a result of the Trump administration's refusal to acknowledge Mr. Biden's election victory … Mr. Biden's transition team has taken steps on its own to prevent hacking. Officials involved with the effort said they have put in place security protections that rival those used by the federal government." WSJ PUT TO THE TEST -- "How Biden plans to fix the coronavirus testing problem," by David Lim: "The strategies under discussion, according to four experts advising Biden, include increasing the availability of cheap, rapid tests; using the Defense Production Act to beef up the supply of pipettes, chemicals and other key testing materials; and strengthening federal coordination of testing. … "If successful, Biden's approach would turn the testing system into a tool capable of reducing infections, rather than merely documenting the pandemic's toll. The Trump administration has largely shifted responsibility for testing onto states and commercial labs — supporting the development of new types of tests but shying away from a coordinated federal strategy to screen the public. … But the ongoing surge in cases could also make it difficult for the Biden team to make quick changes to the country's testing apparatus." POLITICO | | | | DON'T MISS NEW EPISODES OF GLOBAL TRANSLATIONS PODCAST: The world has long been beset by big problems that defy political boundaries, and these issues have exploded in 2020 amid a global pandemic. Global Translations podcast, presented by Citi, unpacks the roadblocks to smart policy decisions and examines the long-term costs of the short-term thinking that drives many political and business decisions. Subscribe for Season Two, available now. | | | | | THE CHOICES WE'RE MAKING -- "It's starting to sink in: Schools before bars," by Nirvi Shah: "The research points in the direction of kids being able to attend schools without major risk of contracting the coronavirus. School shutdowns and parents' pain are going the other way — increasing by the day around the country. "With the fall semester chalked up to a loss in many places, the spring presents a fresh opportunity to reverse course, said David Rubin, director of PolicyLab at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. It's simple, he said. Prioritize opening schools. Keep restrictions on everything else in place. That may be starting to sink in." POLITICO ON THE WORLD STAGE -- "Trump could be a no-show at virtual G-20 as coronavirus ravages the globe," by WaPo's David Lynch: "Less than 48 hours before the scheduled start of the global summit, the White House will not say whether President Trump will participate in the event, which is being hosted by Saudi Arabia but held virtually due to the coronavirus pandemic. … "The G-20 now moves into the spotlight with expectations remarkably low, given the stakes. On Saturday and Sunday, the G-20's annual conclave is expected to finalize a framework for granting poor nations debt relief and little else." WaPo CAITLIN EMMA: "Democrats: OMB froze World Health Organization cash with same tactic used to 'illegally' halt Ukraine aid": "[D]ocuments released on Friday by House Budget Chairman John Yarmuth, House Appropriations Chair Nita Lowey and House Oversight Chair Carolyn Maloney, which they obtained from the Office of Management and Budget … show that the agency used an apportionment footnote to hold up the money, requiring the State Department to produce a 'written explanation' describing how the cash would be obligated in line with the president's priorities. That footnote came as President Donald Trump sought to withdraw from WHO and halt funding for the organization. … "A senior administration official called House Democrats' release 'bogus,' arguing that the money was ultimately spent and doesn't amount to a violation of federal budget law. 'Nothing happening here,' the official said." POLITICO WHOOPS … WAPO: "Hogan's first batch of coronavirus tests from South Korea were flawed, never used," by Steve Thompson: "Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) spent $9.46 million in state funding to import 500,000 coronavirus tests from South Korea that turned out to be flawed and weren't used, emails, documents and interviews show. As it became clear that the much-touted tests could not help detect which Maryland residents had contracted the novel coronavirus, the Hogan administration quietly paid the same South Korean company $2.5 million for 500,000 replacement tests. "The state offered the tests free to two private labs, one of which declined because the tests took much longer to process than U.S. versions, records and interviews show. The University of Maryland, which had spent months equipping its lab in Baltimore to process coronavirus tests, abandoned the replacement South Korean tests this fall after a spate of suspected false positives. But the other private lab continues to use them; a state official said Wednesday that 370,000 of the replacement tests have been used." WaPo | | | | 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. | | | | | THE NEW COLD WAR -- "China's tech authoritarianism too big to contain," by Ryan Heath: "Reports [this week] from the Halifax International Security Forum, the State Department and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Republican majority all agree that China's goals and methods have changed quickly and that the U.S., EU and other democracies will fail to outmaneuver China by operating alone. … "That means avoiding a narrow public debate on spying … and focusing instead on fundamental research (to avoid relying on tech developed in China) and more internationally agreed standards (so that China does not set the standards themselves). "If the global community doesn't come together, China will assume economic dominance of Artificial Intelligence applications, be in a position to spy on much of the world, and leverage international organizations to 'make the world as a whole safe for authoritarianism,' according to the Halifax Report." DISINFORMATION DIGEST -- "How Steve Bannon and a Chinese Billionaire Created a Right-Wing Coronavirus Media Sensation," by NYT's Amy Qin, Vivian Wang and Danny Hakim: "Dr. Li-Meng Yan wanted to remain anonymous. It was mid-January, and Dr. Yan, a researcher in Hong Kong, had been hearing rumors about a dangerous new virus in mainland China that the government was playing down. Terrified for her personal safety and career, she reached out to her favorite Chinese YouTube host, known for criticizing the Chinese government. … "By September, Dr. Yan had abandoned caution. She appeared in the United States on Fox News making the unsubstantiated claim to millions that the coronavirus was a bio-weapon manufactured by China. Overnight, Dr. Yan became a right-wing media sensation, with top advisers to President Trump and conservative pundits hailing her as a hero. … Her evolution was the product of a collaboration between two separate but increasingly allied groups that peddle misinformation: a small but active corner of the Chinese diaspora and the highly influential far right in the United States." NYT THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION -- "Fannie, Freddie Overseer Looks to End Federal Control Before Trump Leaves," by WSJ's Andrew Ackerman: "The federal regulator who oversees Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is pushing to speed up the mortgage giants' exit from 12 years of government control but has yet to reach an agreement he needs with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin … Mark Calabria, a libertarian economist who heads the Federal Housing Finance Agency, has made it a priority to return Fannie and Freddie to private hands, a goal shared by Mr. Mnuchin. "How that is done could affect the cost and availability of mortgages backed by the companies, which guarantee roughly half of the $11 trillion in existing home loans. Completing the complex process before President Trump's term ends on Jan. 20 is a long shot, and President-elect Joe Biden is considered unlikely to continue the effort. But Messrs. Calabria and Mnuchin could succeed in taking steps that would be difficult to reverse." WSJ THE NEW MAR-A-LAGO? … WSJ: "Brace for Traffic and Tacky Souvenirs: Rehoboth Just Became a Presidential Retreat," by Julie Bykowicz in Rehoboth Beach, Del.: "This tiny beach resort, one of the closest to Washington, has drawn so many political types over the years that its welcome sign says 'The Nation's Summer Capital.' "President-elect Joe Biden's longstanding ties to Rehoboth Beach, where he has a $2.7 million beach house north of town, make the motto official — and may herald a tsunami of headaches that sometimes swamp presidential retreats. … Rehoboth Beach, just over 1.5 square miles, has a year-round population of about 1,500 that swells by the tens of thousands in the summer. Besides the Atlantic Ocean, the big attraction is its mile-long wooden board, a lush tree canopy, along with Dolle's, Grotto Pizza and the Funland amusement park." WSJ SPOTTED: Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) at the Capitol Hill Starbucks this morning. 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