| | | | | |  | | By Garrett Ross and Eli Okun | Presented by |  | | | THE SECOND IMPEACHMENT OF PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP cleared two procedural hurdles this morning. The votes were 221-205 and 221-203. THE FINAL VOTE is expected sometime this afternoon. Speaker NANCY PELOSI kicked off debate by declaring the president a "clear and present danger" to the country and imploring her colleagues to "search your souls." All eyes are on the GOP: Five members have already said they'll vote to impeach, and the big question is how much higher that number climbs. The latest from POLITICO's Congress team PELOSI this morning declined to say when she would send the article of impeachment to the Senate, but WaPo's Seung Min Kim tweeted this afternoon that "McConnell's office called Schumer's people today + told them McConnell would not consent to reconvening immediately under the 2004 emergency authorities, a person familiar says. So the Senate won't reconvene Friday, or almost certainly before Jan. 19. Trial in Biden term." BUT THE GOP BACKLASH has already begun. … Rep. JIM JORDAN (R-Ohio) called for Rep. LIZ CHENEY'S (R-Wyo.) removal from party leadership over her support for impeachment. Sen. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-S.C.) declaring that impeachment "will do great damage to the institutions of government and could invite further violence at a time the President is calling for calm." MEANWHILE, THE CAPITOL is filled with the National Guard. Bloomberg's Erik Wasson reported: "House security official tells me this is first time troops have bivouacked in the Capitol since the US Civil War in 1860s." Not how a peaceful transition of power in a stable democracy usually looks! | 
The Capitol is filled with the National Guard on Wednesday. | Stefani Reynolds/Getty Images | QUITE A STAT … FOX NEWS' @JenGriffinFNC: "There are more US troops deployed on Capitol Hill now than in Iraq or Afghanistan. The 15,000 mobilized for Inauguration equals 3 times the number of US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan combined." HELP FROM THE INSIDE? … WAPO: "A 'Stop the Steal' organizer, now banned by Twitter, said three GOP lawmakers helped plan his D.C. rally": "[Ali] Alexander, who organized the 'Stop the Steal' movement, said he hatched the plan — coinciding with Congress's vote to certify the electoral college votes — alongside three GOP lawmakers: Reps. Andy Biggs (Ariz.), Mo Brooks (Ala.) and Paul A. Gosar (Ariz.), all hard-line Trump supporters. "In a statement to The Washington Post, a spokesman for Biggs said the congressman had never been in contact with Alexander or other protesters and denied he had helped organize a rally on Jan. 6. … Neither Brooks nor Gosar responded to requests for comment from The Washington Post." HUFFPOST'S MATT FULLER has been tweeting today about members of Congress setting off the metal detector at the Capitol — or sidestepping it — and walking right on by. SCOOP … HOLLY OTTERBEIN: More than 100 state party chairs and vice chairs wrote to Ken Martin last week to support his reelection as president of the Association of State Democratic Committees, according to a letter obtained by POLITICO. Ray Buckley, chair of the New Hampshire Democratic Party, said he helped draft the message because Martin "made a tremendous difference these last four years." But some state leaders said there was another driving factor behind the letter: a vacuum of information from Joe Biden's team about the incoming DNC officers and a concern that the president-elect might back another candidate to head the ASDC. Though state party leaders directly elect ASDC's president, who also serves as a DNC vice chair, it's possible Biden could signal support for a challenger. "We just haven't heard anything as DNC members about what's going forward in terms of leadership," said Tina Podlodowski, chair of the Washington Democratic Party and a prominent DNC member. A person familiar with the Biden team's plans said it's leaving the ASDC position up to the state parties. But Democrats anticipate Biden will reveal his leadership preferences sometime before 9 p.m. Thursday, the deadline for candidates for DNC chair and other officer positions to announce their candidacies. | | A message from the American Petroleum Institute: Meeting energy needs and tackling climate change isn't either/or. We have to do both. That's why America's natural gas and oil companies are working on climate solutions that will help the U.S. remain the world leader in reducing emissions. Let's make even more progress together. | | | THE BIDEN CABINET … NBC'S ANDREA MITCHELL: "Signaling a dramatic new direction for U.S. foreign assistance, President-elect Joe Biden is expected to announce Wednesday that he will nominate former U.N. Ambassador Samantha Power to head the U.S. Agency for International Development, according to transition officials. Biden is also expected to enhance Power's role by elevating the position to membership on the National Security Council." — "Biden to Restore Homeland Security and Cybersecurity Aides to Senior White House Posts," NYT: "The White House homeland security adviser will be Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, according to transition officials. … And for the complex task of bolstering cyberoffense and defense, Mr. Biden has carved out a role for Anne Neuberger … "Taken together, the two appointments show how Mr. Biden appears determined to rebuild a national security apparatus that critics of the Trump administration say withered for the past four years. … Mr. Biden also announced that Ms. Sherwood-Randall's deputy would be Russ Travers." — "Biden Picks More Women for Cabinet Than His Predecessors Did," WSJ: "The research from the [Brookings Institution] … also found that Mr. Biden's planned cabinet nominations are on par with those of former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton when it comes to minority representation. Overall, Mr. Biden is on track to have the most diverse group of nominees for Senate-confirmed positions, including those that aren't in the cabinet." STAFFING UP — The Biden transition announced several new incoming White House staffers: John McCarthy, Zayn Siddique and Thomas Winslow in the chief of staff's office; Lisa Kohnke as director of presidential scheduling; and Sarah Feldmann, Michael Leach, Christian Peele and Jeffrey Wexler in the office of management and administration. HOW LOW CAN HE GO? — "Trump's approval rating craters in final days," by Steven Shepard: "A new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll pegs Trump's approval at just 34 percent, the lowest in four years of tracking opinions of the president's job performance. More than six in 10 voters — 63 percent — disapprove." — "Poll: Support drops for a Trump run in 2024," by Benjamin Din: "40 percent of Republicans and GOP-leaning independents said they would vote for President Donald Trump if he ran in the 2024 Republican primary … In November, by contrast, 53 percent in those same categories said they supported a 2024 run." The POLITICO/Morning Consult poll CNN: "Trump remains largely invisible after Kushner squashes attempts at building fringe social media presence" THE BIG LIE RUNS DEEP — "Capitol riot fueled by deep network of GOP statehouse support," by David Siders: "As the Republican Party begins to reckon with the fallout from the deadly insurrection, it's being forced to confront a disquieting truth: the lie that ultimately led to the violence — that the election was stolen from President Donald Trump — drew far-reaching support from the party's governing class at every level, extending far beyond Congress and reaching deep into America's statehouses. "One week after the deadly insurrection and the certification of Joe Biden's victory, institutionalist Republicans are desperate to move the party past the events of last week. But in statehouses across the country, the prospect of a clean break has never seemed more remote." INCOMING — "Airbnb cancels all inauguration week reservations in D.C.," by Evan Semones | | | | A NEW YEAR, A NEW CONGRESS, A NEW HUDDLE: It was an ugly and heartbreaking week inside the Capitol, particularly for all of those who work on the Hill. How are lawmakers planning to move forward? How will security change? How will a new Senate majority impact the legislative agenda? With so much at stake, our new Huddle author Olivia Beavers brings you the most important news and critical insight from Capitol Hill with help from POLITICO's deeply sourced Congress team. Subscribe to Huddle, the essential guide to understanding Congress. It has never been more important. SUBSCRIBE NOW. | | | | | DEEP DIVE — "Decoding the Far-Right Symbols at the Capitol Riot," NYT: "The iconography of the American far right was on display on Jan 6. during the violence at the Capitol. The dizzying array of symbols, slogans and images was, to many Americans, a striking aspect of the unrest, revealing an alternate political universe where violent extremists, outright racists and conspiracy theorists march side by side with evangelical Christians, suburban Trump supporters and young men who revel in making memes to 'own the libs.' "Uniting them is a loyalty to Mr. Trump and a firm belief in his false and discredited insistence that the election was stolen. The absurdity of many images — the patches that read 'Zombie Outbreak Response Team,' for instance — only masked a devotion that inspired hundreds from the crowd to mount a deadly attack on Congress." TRUMP INC. — "NYC to terminate Trump contracts after Capitol insurrection," AP BIDEN COVID RESPONSE — "Senate Democrats Warned Biden Off His Initial Plans for a Small Stimulus," Mother Jones: "In a meeting with incoming Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) late last week, transition team officials floated $1.3 trillion as a possible target for Biden's first COVID relief bill, according to sources familiar with the conversation. … During the meeting, sources say, Schumer noted that he believed $1.3 trillion was not enough to address the current state of the tattered economy, which shed 140,000 jobs in December. "Whether or not in response to Schumer, Biden officials are now leaning toward raising their ask, according to a source familiar with the transition team's work. No sources shared the line items that contributed to the $1.3 trillion. The potential change in Biden's top-line request, the source says, stems from the fact that the incoming administration has only recently determined the full costs to the economy of Trump's bungled response to the virus and his administration's disappointing vaccine rollout." COMING ATTRACTIONS — "Biden team plans inauguration night celebrity TV special," by Alex Thompson and Tyler Pager: "The prime-time event will air on broadcast channels ABC, CBS and NBC but not Fox. Cable news networks CNN and MSNBC will carry it live. Fox News will not. "The 90-minute program, hosted by Tom Hanks and beginning at 8:30 p.m., will include performances by Demi Lovato, Justin Timberlake, Ant Clemons and Jon Bon Jovi. Besides the celebrities, the program, dubbed 'Celebrating America,' will 'spotlight American heroes.'" VAX TO NORMAL — "Johnson & Johnson Expects Vaccine Results Soon but Lags in Production," NYT: "Johnson & Johnson expects to release critical results from its Covid-19 vaccine trial in as little as two weeks … [T]he encouraging prospect of a third effective vaccine is tempered by apparent lags in the company's production. … Federal officials have been told that the company has fallen as much as two months behind the original production schedule and won't catch up until the end of April." AILING AMERICA — "'Shocked, disheartened, devastated': Restaurant and hotel workers reel as layoffs soar again," WaPo YIKES — "Chinese Covid-19 Tests Were Pushed by Federal Agencies Despite Security Warnings," WSJ: "At least two federal agencies worked to distribute Covid-19 tests from a Chinese genetics company, despite warnings about security risks from U.S. intelligence and security officials, according to interviews and documents obtained by The Wall Street Journal." CENSUS LATEST — "Trump appointees pressure Census for report on undocumented," AP: "U.S. Census Bureau statisticians are under significant pressure from Trump political appointees to figure out who in the U.S. is in the country illegally, and they're worried that any such report they produce in the waning days of the Trump administration will be inaccurate, according to the bureau's watchdog agency." — BUT, BUT, BUT: "Census Bureau Stops Work On Trump's Request For Unauthorized Immigrant Count," NPR | | | | KEEP UP WITH THE FIRST 100 DAYS OF THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION WITH TRANSITION PLAYBOOK: It was a dark week in American history, and a new administration will have to pick up the pieces. Transition Playbook brings you inside the last days of this crucial transfer of power, tracking the latest from President-elect Biden and his growing administration. Written for political insiders, this scoop-filled newsletter breaks big news and analyzes the appointments, people, and the emerging power centers of the new administration. Track the transition and the first 100 days of the incoming Biden administration. Subscribe today. | | | | | RAISING THE STAKES IN IRAN — "Iran Is Assembling Gear Able to Produce Material for Nuclear Weapons, Officials Say," WSJ HISTORY LESSON — "The Last Handoff," by NYT Magazine's Mattathias Schwartz: "The crisis of Trump's departure from Washington has exposed the degree to which factions in American political life now inhabit entirely separate realities. But to understand that divergence, which has taken increasingly dire forms as a new presidential transition concludes, it's important to revisit the transition of four years ago: Trump's own messy ascension to the presidency, with its murkiness surrounding his relationship with Russia and the debate over what to do about it. "The questions that Obama's national-security team had to come to grips with about its successors almost sound like the premise of an airport novel. … Looming over all of those events was the same, bracing question that America faces now, on the eve of a new transition: In our era of extreme polarization, can the presidency successfully pass from one party to the other without the entire political system threatening to fall apart?" PARDON WATCH — "Self-pardon? It might not go how Trump thinks," by Josh Gerstein: "An unprecedented move by President Donald Trump to grant himself a pardon during his remaining days in office could divide his handpicked Supreme Court majority. Court-watchers are bracing for an epic, intra-Federalist Society clash that could determine whether Trump — and future presidents — can declare themselves immune from criminal investigations even after leaving the White House. … "While most of the justices claim to be both textualists — meaning that they adhere closely to the literal words of the Constitution— and originalists — who believe the intent of the founders is crucial to interpreting the law — cleavages sometimes emerge and they might do so again in a case over the validity of a Trump self-pardon." AFTERNOON READ — NYT: "The Arts Are in Crisis. Here's How Biden Can Help: The pandemic has decimated the livelihoods of those who work in the arts. How can the new administration intervene and make sure it doesn't happen again? A critic offers an ambitious plan." TRANSITIONS — Former CISA Director Chris Krebs is joining Aspen Digital as its first Senior Newmark Fellow in Cybersecurity Policy, where he will co-chair its new Commission on Information Disorder. The announcement … Glenn Rushing is now managing director and SVP for federal government affairs at the Peter Damon Group. He most recently was chief of staff for Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas). … Former Rep. Allyson Schwartz (D-Pa.) will depart Better Medicare Alliance, which she's led as president and CEO since leaving Congress. MEDIAWATCH — Peter Doocy has been named a White House correspondent for Fox News, joining current W.H. correspondent Kristin Fisher. He previously covered the Biden campaign. … Katherine Wu will join The Atlantic as a staff writer covering the pandemic. She most recently has been a reporter at the NYT. — "Kojo Nnamdi Show To End Production This Spring After 23 Years On Air," WAMU: "The Kojo Nnamdi Show's 23-year-run on WAMUwill end this spring, the station announced today. The last live show will air Thursday, April 1. Nnamdi will continue to host ThePolitics Hour on Fridays and he will host a series of live events for the station. For decades — during his time at WAMU and before that, as a television host on Howard University's station — Nnamdi has been a calm but unwavering voice for the D.C. area." | | | |   | | | | | | | 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 | | | | |
