| | | | | |  | | By Anna Palmer, Jake Sherman, Eli Okun and Garrett Ross | Presented by Facebook | WELL, THIS IS INTERESTING: The people in charge of getting the Covid relief/funding bill uploaded are having problems getting the large bill put together and online. Awesome. 2020, man. IF THEY EVER GET THIS THING UPLOADED, the House is going to take all day to get it through. Senate Majority Leader MITCH MCCONNELL said from the floor that he would hold a vote "as soon as possible." … MCCONNELL told the Hill pool that the Senate is "going to stay here until we finish tonight." More from Sarah Ferris, Melanie Zanona and Andrew Desiderio -- HAPPY NEW YEAR: "Mnuchin: New stimulus checks will begin next week," by Brian Faler: "It took the IRS about 15 days to begin distributing checks after the last coronavirus stimulus measure was signed into law in March, and months to ultimately put out more than 160 million payments. Having already done it once before this year, though, should make this round easier for the IRS." -- BUT, BUT, BUT … "'Simply not enough': Small business allies decry Congress's short-term fix," by Zachary Warmbrodt WHAT CHUCK SCHUMER PROBABLY WANTS YOU TO BE READING … NEWSDAY: "New York to get $54 billion in pandemic relief, Sen. Chuck Schumer says," by Laura Figueroa Hernandez: "Schumer (D-N.Y.), who served as a lead negotiator on the relief bill in his role as Senate Minority Leader, said the money includes $9 billion for direct cash payments to eligible New Yorkers similar to cash payments that were part of the federal CARES Act, which passed in March. … 'Clearly, there is more to be done,' said Schumer in an interview. 'This is not a stimulus bill, this is a survival bill, and we will fight for more relief.'" -- WILL AOC VOTE FOR OR AGAINST the package today? A.G. BILL BARR said he sees no reason to appoint a special counsel for the Hunter Biden matter or to investigate alleged voter fraud. He also said the major hack "certainly appears to be the Russians." AP: "AG: 'No reason' for special counsel on election, Biden's son" STAFFING UP -- "Biden Adds New Members to His White House Economic Team," by WSJ's Andrew Restuccia: "Mr. Biden announced on Monday that he was appointing David Kamin, the former Obama official, as deputy director of the NEC, the White House's economic policy arm. Bharat Ramamurti, the former [Elizabeth] Warren aide, will be deputy NEC director for financial reform and consumer protection. The president-elect also named Joelle Gamble as special assistant to the president for economic policy. The roles don't require Senate confirmation." PROGRESS: "Robert E. Lee statue removed from Capitol," by Quint Forgey: "The statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee inside the U.S. Capitol was removed from the building's crypt Monday morning and will be relocated to the Virginia Museum of History & Culture. "The removal was conducted by staff from the Architect of the Capitol and attended by members of Virginia's congressional delegation including Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-Va.), and a representative from the office of Rep. Donald McEachin (D-Va.)." Good Monday afternoon. President-elect JOE BIDEN will deliver remarks Tuesday in Wilmington. | | | | A message from Facebook: It's time to update internet regulations
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Learn More | | | BIG INVESTIGATION -- "China Used Stolen Data to Expose CIA Operatives in Africa and Europe," by Foreign Policy's Zach Dorfman: "The surveillance by Chinese operatives began in some cases as soon as the CIA officers had cleared passport control. Sometimes, the surveillance was so overt that U.S. intelligence officials speculated that the Chinese wanted the U.S. side to know they had identified the CIA operatives, disrupting their missions; other times, however, it was much more subtle and only detected through U.S. spy agencies' own sophisticated technical countersurveillance capabilities. … "CIA officials believed the [explanation] was likely data-driven—and related to a Chinese cyberespionage campaign devoted to stealing vast troves of sensitive personal private information, like travel and health data, as well as U.S. government personnel records. U.S. officials believed Chinese intelligence operatives had likely combed through and synthesized information from these massive, stolen caches to identify the undercover U.S. intelligence officials." -- THIS STORY, the first in a series running this week, provides a stunning example of what foreign adversaries' hacks can do -- just as the U.S. government faces a major new one. DO AS I SAY, NOT AS I DO … "Birx travels, family visits highlight pandemic safety perils," by AP's Aamer Madhani and Brian Slodysko: "As COVID-19 cases skyrocketed before the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, Dr. Deborah Birx, coordinator of the White House coronavirus response, warned Americans to 'be vigilant' and limit celebrations to 'your immediate household.' For many Americans that guidance has been difficult to abide, including for Birx herself. "The day after Thanksgiving, she traveled to one of her vacation properties on Fenwick Island in Delaware. She was accompanied by three generations of her family from two households. Birx, her husband Paige Reffe, a daughter, son-in-law and two young grandchildren were present. … Birx said that everyone on her Delaware trip belongs to her 'immediate household,' even as she acknowledged they live in two different homes." THE MICHAEL CAPUTO LEGACY -- "House watchdog details extensive political meddling with CDC's Covid-19 reports," by Dan Diamond: "Trump appointees attempted to 'alter or block' at least 13 scientific reports on the coronavirus, Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), the chair of the House select subcommittee on coronavirus wrote on Monday in a letter that was shared with POLITICO. … "Clyburn issued subpoenas to [HHS Secretary Alex] Azar and [CDC Director Robert] Redfield, ordering them to produce documents by Dec. 30 that Clyburn said his panel has sought for months." BEYOND THE BELTWAY -- "COVID-19 spikes follow in prisons after inmate transfers," by The Marshall Project's Cary Aspinwall and AP's Ed White in Detroit: "In prisons around the country, COVID-19 outbreaks have followed transfers of prisoners or prison workers. Nearly all of the 25 state prison systems and the federal Bureau of Prisons that responded to a survey conducted by The Marshall Project and The Associated Press said they had reduced or limited the number of prisoners they moved due to the pandemic. "Eight states halted the practice except in special circumstances. The reductions were keeping in line with medical guidelines. But most of those states lifted their restrictions by September and few prison systems heeded the earlier lessons as the pandemic worsened this winter, worrying families of prisoners and correctional officers who work in the prisons." AP | | | | EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT TRANSITION PLAYBOOK, SUBSCRIBE TODAY: A new year is quickly approaching. Inauguration Day is right around the corner. 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 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. | | | | | FROM 20,000 FEET -- "'A real mess': Trump is leaving behind crises and undermining Biden before he takes office," by WaPo's Toluse Olorunnipa, Josh Dawsey and Anne Gearan: "In his final weeks in office, Trump is making a series of moves aimed at cementing his legacy and handicapping Biden's presidency — from abruptly pulling troops from war zones to cracking down on Iran to encouraging the Justice Department to investigate his political enemies. "The result is a situation without precedent in American history: One president ending his term amid crisis is seeking to delegitimize a successor and floating the prospect of mounting a four-year campaign to return to power. … The president has told advisers not to share information with Biden's team that could be used against him, a senior administration official said." THE TRUMP LEGACY -- "Trump Sets 'Beautiful' as the New Standard for Federal Buildings," by Bloomberg's Justin Sink: "President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday making classical architecture the preferred style for federal buildings in Washington … The presidential action stops short of mandating that all new federal buildings are built in a classical style, saying merely that they must be 'beautiful.' … "The administration has been writing the executive order for months, and an early draft that would have banned modernist design prompted condemnation from the American Institute of Architects and the National Trust for Historic Preservation." -- "Trump Is Already Wondering What Airport Will Bear His Name," by The Daily Beast's Asawin Suebsaeng: "One of the two sources relayed that, in the past three weeks, Trump mentioned that 'no president' wants an American airport that has a bad reputation or crumbling infrastructure named after them. The other knowledgeable source said that Trump had, at one point since the 2020 election, offhandedly asked what kind of 'paperwork' was necessary to get an airport named after a former president." VALLEY TALK -- "Big Tech's stealth push to influence the Biden administration," by Reuters' Nandita Bose: "The Biden transition team has already stacked its agency review teams with more tech executives than tech critics. It has also added to its staff several officials from Big Tech companies … Now, executives and employees at tech companies such as Alphabet Inc-owned Google, Amazon.com Inc, Facebook Inc, Microsoft Corp are pushing to place candidates in senior roles at [less prominent] government agencies … "[T]he moves are part of an effort by many large tech company officials to influence future policymaking. They are also making sure the Biden administration is not captive to the ideas of progressive Democrats and a growing anti-monopoly movement … While Silicon Valley reaches for a bigger seat at the table, the pushback from progressive groups is notable." THE BIDEN CABINET -- "Biden's Choice of Vilsack for U.S.D.A. Raises Fears for Small Farmers," by NYT's Alan Rappeport and Michael Corkery: "[F]or a nominee with extensive experience, the pushback against Mr. Vilsack has been fierce, laying bare the divisions within the Democratic Party and the resistance to corporate influence that is simmering among progressives. … "Mr. Vilsack faces a steep challenge, with progressive and environmental groups warning that he is too friendly with big industrial agriculture businesses. Furthermore, rural farmers, who voted overwhelmingly for Mr. Trump, are wary that more regulations are in store." | | | | 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. | | | | | ON THE WORLD STAGE -- "U.S. Evidence Against Mexican Ex-Defense Minister Raises Conviction Doubts," by WSJ's José de Córdoba and Santiago Pérez in Mexico City and Sadie Gurman: "Explosive U.S. drug-trafficking allegations against Mexico's former defense minister rely largely on circumstantial evidence, diminishing the chances that the Mexican government could bring a case against him to trial or could convict him in a Mexican court if it did, according to people in both countries familiar with the case. … "In a letter to a U.S. federal judge after the general's arrest, prosecutors from the U.S. attorney's office in Brooklyn pointed to thousands of intercepted BlackBerry messages that they said showed Gen. Cienfuegos had communicated directly with a senior cartel leader … [But] the report the U.S. provided to Mexico lacks direct evidence of the retired general's involvement. … U.S. investigators disagreed with each other over how persuasive the evidence would be in U.S. court." FOR THOSE KEEPING TRACK -- "Justice Dept. charges bombmaker in 1988 Pan Am explosion," by AP's Eric Tucker and Michael Balsamo AFTERNOON READ -- N.Y. MAG'S GABE DEBENEDETTI goes to the Peach State: "The Devils Went Down to Georgia": "Here's the consensus view from the four campaigns, plus longtime political observers still coming to terms with the purpling of Georgia: You'd rather be a Republican running for reelection right now than a Democratic challenger, but only by a hair. Polling is within the margin of error in both races, and while general-election forecasting in Georgia was more accurate than in other states, few operatives really trust the numbers. … "To win, the Democratic candidates must perform substantially better than they did in November. … Few expect a split result in January." BEYOND THE BELTWAY -- "How Ammon Bundy Helped Foment an Anti-Masker Rebellion in Idaho," by The New Yorker's Michael Ames TALKER -- "Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny dupes spy into revealing how he was poisoned," by CNN's Tim Lister, Clarissa Ward and Sebastian Shukla: "A Russian agent sent to tail opposition leader Alexey Navalny has revealed how he was poisoned in August -- with the lethal nerve agent Novichok planted in his underpants. "The stunning disclosure from an agent who belonged to an elite toxins team in Russia's FSB security service came in a lengthy phone call following the unmasking of the unit by CNN and the online investigative outfit Bellingcat last week. In what he was told was a debriefing, Konstantin Kudryavtsev also talked about others involved in the poisoning in the Siberian city of Tomsk, and how he was sent to clean things up. But the agent was not speaking to an official in Russia's National Security Council as he thought. He was talking to Navalny himself." MEDIAWATCH -- Carly Roman is joining the Washington Examiner as associate news editor. She previously was a war room analyst for the Trump campaign. -- WASHINGTONIAN'S ANDREW BEAUJON (@abeaujon): "Inbox: The Atlantic will move its offices to the Wharf in 2022." SPOTTED at a Zoom fundraiser Sunday night for Jaime Harrison's Dirt Road PAC, which is investing in the Georgia Senate runoffs: House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, Yebbie Watkins, Karla Jurvetson, Kim Cubine, Bill and Kay Gurtin, Jon Henes, John Jameson, Kaye Koonce, Stacy Kramer, Zack Carroll, Bonnie Datt, Christopher Lowe, Clay Middleton, Sarah Min, Joshua Karp, Diane Smock, Julie Rudd, Steve and Allison Spinner, Matt and Paige Tolmach, and Ashley Medbery Floyd. TRANSITION -- Jonathan Weinberger will be director of advanced technology policy at GM. He previously was EVP of the Chamber of Commerce's Global Innovation Policy Center. BIRTHWEEK (was Sunday): Louise Linton turned 4-0 | | | |   | | | | | | | 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 | | | | |
