| | | | | |  | | By Jake Sherman, Anna Palmer, Garrett Ross and Eli Okun | Presented by |  | | NEW … SENIOR HILL SOURCES tell us that the leadership hopes to file the omnibus spending bill by Tuesday. Omnibus means that the funding bill will keep government open through September 2021. Strategic benefit: Government spending is on autopilot through next fall, and President-elect JOE BIDEN doesn't have to deal with a funding fight. Downside: No hard deadline for more Covid relief in the first half of 2021. Caitlin Emma and Sarah Ferris on the omnibus REMINDER: AT 4 P.M., the bipartisan "908" group will hold a news conference to discuss its Covid relief bill. -- BURGESS EVERETT and HEATHER CAYGLE: "Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has already called for dropping the liability shield and local spending — the two most contentious issues — which suggests the first piece offers Congress a framework for finishing out the lame duck with a stimulus success after months of deadlock. The second part is more controversial even among moderate negotiators: Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) has signed off on it but other Democrats are more reluctant, according to sources familiar with the talks. "Congressional leaders are also holding their own coronavirus talks and will need to see the legislative text of the group's work before weighing in publicly. McConnell has not commented directly on the bipartisan proposal, though it does meet his general framework after he relented on previous demands for liability reform in any new stimulus measure. Democrats want the state and local funding though some have signaled they might be able to wait until next year, while conservative senators are mostly opposed to a new round of state aid." POLITICO HOW WILL THEY HANDLE THIS? Burgess and Heather's story ends with the kicker that Sens. JOSH HAWLEY (R-Mo.) and BERNIE SANDERS (I-Vt.) are demanding stimulus checks in the Covid legislation. The bipartisan group doesn't have them, but the White House wants them, too. With a Friday funding deadline, any demands become quite dangerous. HOUSE DEMOCRATIC LEADERSHIP has canceled their Tuesday votes, and announced the chamber will come in Wednesday. The Senate votes this evening on … a judicial nominee. RICHARD SMITH of FedEx discussed how the shipping giant is shipping vaccines on the "Today" show on NBC. The clip MILESTONE -- "Covid vaccinations begin in the United States," by Nick Niedzwiadek -- MUSIC TO OUR EARS … ANTHONY FAUCI said on MSNBC that Americans without underlying conditions should be able to get the vaccine by late March/early April. STAT: "Patrick Kennedy pitches himself for Biden 'drug czar,'" by Lev Facher: "'I have no shame in saying it: I believe I could do better than anyone else,' Kennedy said in an interview with STAT. 'I see this as a historic turning point for mental health and addiction. The headlines may be about a respiratory illness, but I think the legacy of this thing is going to be the brain illnesses that it causes through the trauma of dislocation, stress, uncertainty, and the self-medication that comes with all of that.'" | | A message from UnitedHealth Group: UnitedHealth Group is committed to leading in the development of a next-generation health system in a socially conscious way. Learn more here. | | | VP-ELECT KAMALA HARRIS' first solo interview will be with ABC's ROBIN ROBERTS, and it's being taped Tuesday. (h/t RICK KLEIN) Good Monday afternoon. Slates of electors are casting their votes for BIDEN and President DONALD TRUMP throughout the day today. KNOWING THE ELECTORS -- "Electoral College Voter: Long an Honor, and Now Also a Headache," by NYT's Lisa Lerer and Reid Epstein: "This year, the Electoral College is another piece of routine election mechanics thrown into the cross hairs of President Trump's sustained assault on voting integrity." NYT SCOTUS WATCH -- "Supreme Court declines to hear Kansas proof-of-citizenship voting law crafted by Kobach," by The Kansas City Star's Bryan Lowry: "By denying the state's petition, the court upheld rulings by the U.S. Court for the District of Kansas and the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals that found Kansas' proof of citizenship law to be unconstitutional. "The law, which went into effect in 2013, required prospective voters to provide a birth certificate, passport or other documentation to prove their status as citizens before they could register to vote, a measure that the law's supporters said would prevent non-citizens from voting. But the law also resulted in thousands of citizens going into a suspended voter registration status for the 2014 election." KC Star SANCTIONS ARE COMING -- "U.S. Imposes Sanctions on 2 Iranian Officials in Robert Levinson Case," by NYT's Michael Crowley: "The Trump administration announced sanctions on two Iranian officials for their involvement in the 2007 disappearance and presumed death of the former F.B.I. agent Robert Levinson, the first time the U.S. government has officially implicated Iran's government in Mr. Levinson's case." NYT THE DISTRIBUTION CHALLENGE -- "After 110K virus deaths, nursing homes face vaccine fears," by AP's Bernard Condon and Matt Sedensky THE VACCINE BACK STORY -- "How the 'deep state' scientists vilified by Trump helped him deliver an unprecedented achievement," by WaPo's Yasmeen Abutaleb, Laurie McGinley and Carolyn Johnson: "[T]he lightning-fast development of two leading coronavirus vaccines happened both because of and despite Trump — perhaps the most anti-science president in modern history … The lifelong businessman who refused to wear a mask himself was able to understand vaccines as something else entirely: a deliverable that he could make happen with money. … "These accomplishments are remarkable, but they are not 'miracles,' in the sense that they sprang fully formed from work that began last spring. They relied on basic research done over decades in government, academic and company research labs. Even the financial model used to insulate vaccine makers from financial risk traced back to an agency that Congress created in late 2006 to incentivize companies to develop urgently needed medicines." WaPo | | | | 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. | | | | | THE BIG QUESTION FOR AMERICA -- "What's Next for Trump Voters Who Believe the Election Was Stolen?" by NYT's Sabrina Tavernise: "Nearly all of the people interviewed said they believed at least some fraud had been perpetrated, but whether that added up to Mr. Trump's being the true winner was much harder to know. The reasons for doubting the outcome were many. Misinformation played a role. So did signaling by Republican leaders, first among them Mr. Trump. … "What happens next is a critical question for American democracy. What will become of the belief that the 2020 presidential election was in some way illegitimate? Will it melt away along with Mr. Trump's prospects for winning, and vanish completely when Mr. Biden is inaugurated? Or will it fester, nursed by Republicans in power, and metastasize into something that could be a rallying cry for nationalists for years to come?" RAISING THE BARR -- "Barr Kept Hunter Biden Probes From Public to Avoid Election Politics," by WSJ's Sadie Gurman and Aruna Viswanatha: "Mr. Barr took more steps than previously reported to insulate the investigations, despite calls from President Trump and Republican allies to announce a probe involving President-elect Joe Biden's son Hunter. "Mr. Barr and senior department officials relayed the instructions in conversations with prosecutors, questioning whether their staff members could be trusted and warning against issuing subpoenas or taking other steps that might become public … In siding with department practice, colleagues and legal observers said Mr. Barr bucked critics on the left and right who have accused him of being too accommodating to Mr. Trump." WSJ THE CENSUS FIGHT -- "Census numbers-crunching documents at center of latest fight," by AP's Mike Schneider in Orlando, Fla.: "A federal judge has rejected an emergency request from the Trump administration that would stop it from being immediately forced to release documents showing how the 2020 census numbers have been crunched in the weeks since the U.S. head count ended in October. "U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh said in her ruling late Sunday that 'time is of the essence' in dismissing the claims of government attorneys who said they have no way of meeting her court-ordered deadline without releasing all 88,000 documents a search has produced, with no time to review and redact confidential information." AP 2024 WATCH -- ANITA KUMAR: "Trump tells allies he will run in 2024, but hints he may back out": "The president has spent days calling a dozen or more allies to ask what they think he needs to do over the next two years to "stay part of the conversation," according to two people, including one who spoke to the president. And while Trump has told allies he plans to run for president again, he has also indicated he could back out in two years if he determines he'll have a tough time winning, said three people familiar with the discussions. "Essentially, at this point, Trump appears just as interested in people talking about a Trump 2024 campaign as he is in actually launching a real campaign, even if he may ultimately turn his flirtation into a serious bid … But simply teasing a presidential run — without actually filing the paperwork or erecting a campaign — gets Trump the attention he needs for the next two years." POLITICO ON THE WORLD STAGE -- "U.S. Embassy says Sudan no longer on list of terror sponsors," by AP's Samy Magdy in Cairo: "The U.S. Embassy in Khartoum said Monday that President Donald Trump's administration has removed Sudan from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism, a move that could help the African country get international loans to revive its battered economy and end its pariah status. "According to a Facebook post by the embassy, Sudan's removal was effective as of Monday. A notification to that effect, signed by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, would be published in the Federal Register, it said, adding that the 45-day congressional notification period has lapsed." | | | | HAPPENING TUESDAY - CONFRONTING INEQUALITY IN AMERICA TOWN HALL : The pandemic-induced recession has put over 40 million Americans at risk of foreclosure and eviction and caused a steady decline in Black homeownership. What solutions need to happen to make housing more inclusive and fair? Join POLITICO for its fourth town hall in the series "Confronting Inequality in America." Our latest town hall explores "The Housing Gap" and will convene policymakers, lawmakers, advocates and mortgage industry leaders to discuss various approaches for eliminating housing inequality as we begin to recover from the Covid-19 recession. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | MEDIAWATCH -- "A voting technology company at the center of election conspiracy theories demanded a retraction from Fox News, accusing them of 'a concerted disinformation campaign,'" by Business Insider's Jacob Shamsian: "Smartmatic has also sent retraction demands and legal notices to One America News Network and Newsmax, two right-wing news outlets that pushed conspiracy theories about the company's role in the election … "In its letter, Smartmatic says Fox News's reports have led to death threats against its employees." FOR YOUR RADAR -- REUTERS: "U.S. to announce settlement with UAW to reform union": "The U.S. Attorney's Office in Detroit said on Monday it will announce a civil settlement with the United Auto Workers (UAW) union to 'reform the union' after a corruption probe ensnared two former union presidents." Reuters VALLEY TALK -- "Google Dominates Thanks to an Unrivaled View of the Web," by NYT's Daisuke Wakabayashi in Oakland, Calif.: "In 2000, just two years after it was founded, Google reached a milestone that would lay the foundation for its dominance over the next 20 years: It became the world's largest search engine, with an index of more than one billion web pages. The rest of the internet never caught up, and Google's index just kept on getting bigger. Today, it's somewhere between 500 billion and 600 billion web pages, according to estimates. "Now, as regulators around the world examine ways to curb Google's power, including a search monopoly case expected from state attorneys general as early as this week and the antitrust lawsuit the Justice Department filed in October, they are wrestling with a company whose sheer size has allowed it to squash competitors. And those competitors are pointing investigators toward that enormous index, the gravitational center of the company." NYT SWAMPY -- "UnitedHealth hires former Trump official who helped pick it to dispense recovery funds," by Daniel Lippman: "William Brady, who was chief of staff to the deputy secretary at HHS, recently started as the vice president for digital at UnitedHealth's Optum, where he is working on technologies for consumers. POLITICO reported in April that Brady and fellow senior HHS official Jim Parker led the decision-making process that resulted in UnitedHealth getting the government contract." POLITICO AFTERNOON READ -- THE ATLANTIC'S ED YONG: "How Science Beat the Virus: And what it lost in the process" MEDIAWATCH -- Janell Ross is joining Time as a senior correspondent covering race and identities. She previously covered race and politics for NBC News Digital. | | | | A message from UnitedHealth Group:   Learn about three solutions that could save the federal government $1.5 trillion in health care costs. | | | | | | | 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 | | | | |
