McCarthy, McConnell brace for leadership fights

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Nov 15, 2022 View in browser   By Garrett Ross Presented by WELCOME TO THE 2024 CYCLE — "Mooney announces for Senate, revving up race to take on Manchin," by MetroNews' Brad McElhinny: "One week after the most recent election, Congressman ALEX MOONEY announced a long-anticipated 2024 run for U.S. Senate today on MetroNews 'Talkline.' 'It's been talked about a lot, but I'm going to announce. I'm announcing it right now that I'm running for the U.S. Senate,' said Mooney, a Republican. 'I'm all in.'" FRESHMAN ORIENTATION — "New to Congress? Read This Before the Indoctrination Starts," by Steven Pearlstein for POLITICO Magazine Kevin McCarthy and Mitch McConnell are trying to wrangle their respective conferences as they aim to return to their leadership posts. | Drew Angerer/Getty Images HAPPENING NOW — House Republicans are set to begin their closed-door leadership election at 1 p.m., where Leader KEVIN McCARTHY is caught between a wing of his party that wants to see leadership change after a bruising midterm season and the other side that believes the California Republican is still the best man for the job. Follow our ace colleagues Olivia Beavers , Jordain Carney and Sarah Ferris for all of the latest as details spill out of the room The table-setter: "House GOP heads into mostly locked-up leadership elections, with chaos ahead," by Olivia and Jordain Carney INFIGHTING INCOMING — MITCH McCONNELL may be in for a contested election to his post as Senate minority leader, our colleague Burgess Everett reports , which would mark the first time receiving "no" votes in McConnell's 15-year tenure as GOP leader. Here's Sen. TED CRUZ (R-Texas): "If leadership refuses to delay the election, if leadership tries to ram through an election tomorrow morning, I think it is extremely likely it will be a contested election. That you will see one or more senators run against Mitch McConnell." Who'd run against him? While the most likely challenger would be Sen. RICK SCOTT (R-Fla.), who has sparred with McConnell over the party's disappointing midterm returns, Sen. RON JOHNSON (R-Wis.) is also being floated. Watch out for this: "Another wild card is the group of newly elected GOP senators, who were in town on Tuesday for orientation: ERIC SCHMITT of Missouri, J.D. VANCE of Ohio, KATIE BRITT of Alabama, TED BUDD of North Carolina and MARKWAYNE MULLIN of Oklahoma," writes Burgess. INFLATION NATION — "Wholesale prices rose 0.2% in October, less than expected, as inflation eases," by CNBC's Jeff Cox: "The produce price index, a measure of the prices that companies get for finished goods in the marketplace, rose 0.2% for the month, against the Dow Jones estimates for a 0.4% increase. … "Excluding food, energy and trade services , the index also rose 0.2% on the month and 5.4% on the year. Excluding just food and energy, the index was flat on the month and up 6.7% on the year. … One significant contributor to the slowdown in inflation was a 0.1% decline in the services component of the index. That marked the first outright decline in that measure since November 2020." WAITING ON THE TRUMP ANNOUNCEMENT — WaPo's Ashley Parker, Josh Dawsey and Michael Scherer have a report on what DONALD TRUMP's 2024 presidential campaign will look like, noting that it is expected to carry a few key differences from his last bid as the former president tries to reclaim his outsider status. "His nascent presidential bid is not currently expected to have a traditional campaign manager, with multiple advisers in top roles, according to some of the people familiar with the situation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to reveal internal deliberations. Trump is famous for firing campaign managers. "Compared with 2020, the 2024 bid is expected to have a smaller staff and budget, advisers say, as Trump has complained that his failed 2020 campaign had too many people and spent too much money. He often told people that he did not even know what some of the people on his last campaign did. The new campaign is expected to be based in South Florida, advisers say, instead of having a Washington presence." Names to know: "The top advisers include CHRIS LaCIVITA , a longtime Republican strategist who is directing a super PAC tied to Trump, and SUSIE WILES, a Florida-based political consultant who helped Trump win the state in his previous two presidential bids and has led his political operation for the past 18 months. … The group of top advisers also includes BRIAN JACK, who served as a senior political aide in the White House and has advised Trump and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) since 2021." *EYES EMOJI* — "Christie applauded after bashing Trump at GOP governor meeting," by Axios' Jonathan Swan and Zachary Basu: "[Former New Jersey Gov. CHRIS] CHRISTIE addressed a room full of hundreds of people — Republican governors, high-level donors and consultants — at a hotel in Orlando, less than 200 miles north from the Mar-a-Lago resort where Trump is expected to make his announcement Tuesday night. Christie, a former Trump ally who is now considering his own 2024 presidential campaign, said voters 'rejected crazy' in the 2022 midterms and that Republicans lost because of bad candidates." HOT JOB — Public Policy Manager at Twitter Good Tuesday afternoon. Rep. BILL PASCRELL JR. (D-N.J.) got put on the waitlist for access to TAYLOR SWIFT tickets today and wanted to hear about people's experiences waiting in the queue. I'm weary to report that after navigating a Glitch or two, I've been waiting in line since 10 a.m. — but I'm still hopeful Karma will be good to me. Let me know if you were a Lucky One who got tickets and where: gross@politico.com . A message from Instagram: Explore 30+ Instagram tools helping teens have positive experiences. Instagram's tools can help parents keep their teens safe on social media, help teens see less sensitive content and help them spend less time on our platform. Because teens' experiences on Instagram should be positive and supportive. Explore our tools and set them up today.   TRUMP CARDS BITE FROM THE PENCE BOOK — AP's Jill Colvin has the download on former VP MIKE PENCE's new book, "So Help Me God," ( $35 ) out today. In the book, Pence "largely defends Trump, glossing over and whitewashing many of his most contentious episodes," Colvin writes. But the defense ends around the Jan. 6 Capitol attack. "For four years, we had a close working relationship. It did not end well," Pence writes, adding: "we parted amicably when our service to the nation drew to a close. In the months that followed, we spoke from time to time, but when the president returned to the rhetoric that he was using before that tragic day and began to publicly criticize those of us who defended the Constitution, I decided it would be best to go our separate ways." Still, Colvin notes that Pence "never directly states that Democrat JOE BIDEN won fairly," and that "when Trump first suggested holding a rally in Washington on Jan. 6, the day Pence was set to preside over the election's certification, he thought it was a good idea." HOW LOW THE BAR IS — "Police chief 'shocked' he wasn't stiffed by Donald Trump on a bill for rally security," by Insider's Nicole Gaudiano: "Trump's presidential campaigns were notorious for stiffing police departments on bills for special security details at political rallies across the country. [WILL] CLARK's own department in Pennsylvania still has an unpaid bill for extra security at a 'Make America Great Again Rally,' back in 2018. … So when the check arrived weeks later, Clark said he briefly considered bronzing a copy and hanging it on the wall 'to forever memorialize the fact that we got reimbursed.'"   POLITICO APP USERS: UPGRADE YOUR APP BY DECEMBER 19! We recently upgraded the POLITICO app with a fresh look and improved features for easier access to POLITICO's scoops and groundbreaking reporting. Starting December 19, users will no longer have access to the previous version of the app. Update your app today to stay on top of essential political news, insights, and analysis from the best journalists in the business. UPDATE iOS APP – UPDATE ANDROID APP .     BEYOND THE BELTWAY IMMIGRATION FILES — "After a Perilous Journey, Migrants Try to Make It in New York City," by NYT's Kimiko de Freytas-Tamura: "Faced with lengthy bureaucratic delays, tens of thousands of Venezuelan migrants are slipping into the city's underground economy and joining its army of undocumented workers." — "Cubans, Nicaraguans drive illegal border crossings higher," by AP's Elliot Spagat in San Diego AMERICA AND THE WORLD THE G-20 BACKDROP — "World Leaders Meet as Global Economy Faces Multiple Threats," by NYT's Jim Tankersley and Alan Rappeport in Bali, Indonesia: "They hope to broker agreements meant to dampen global oil prices, help emerging markets escape crushing debt and increase food supplies to poorer nations where the cost of grain, rice and other staples have spiked since Russia's invasion of Ukraine." — "G-20 to hold tough on Russia, urge end to Ukraine war," by AP's Seung Min Kim, Zeke Miller and Elaine Kurtenbach THE FRUITS OF THE BIDEN-XI MEETING — "U.S., China climate envoys meet at COP27 summit in Egypt," by AP's Frank Jordans, Kelvin Chan and Seth Borenstein FOR YOUR RADAR — "U.S., Cubans will meet again in Havana," by AP's Matthew Lee and Megan Janetsky: "U.S. and Cuban officials plan to meet in Havana on Tuesday to discuss migration policy, the latest in a series of sessions between two governments with a historically icy relationship and amid one of the biggest migratory flights from the island in decades."   A message from Instagram:   WAR IN UKRAINE RUSSIA STRIKES AGAIN — "Blasts Hit 3 Major Ukrainian Cities in First Widespread Attack Since Kherson Retreat," NYT THE ARMS RACE — "For Western Weapons, the Ukraine War Is a Beta Test," by NYT's Lara Jakes POLICY CORNER SBF LATEST — "FTX Founder Sam Bankman-Fried Attempts to Raise Fresh Cash Despite Bankruptcy," by WSJ's Caitlin Ostroff, Vicky Ge Huang and Berber Jin: "[SAM] BANKMAN-FRIED, alongside a few remaining employees, spent the past weekend calling around in search of commitments from investors to plug a shortfall of up to $8 billion in the hopes of repaying FTX's customers, the people said. The efforts to cover that shortfall have so far been unsuccessful. The Wall Street Journal couldn't determine what Mr. Bankman-Fried is offering in return for any potential cash infusion, or whether any investors have committed." — "Collapsed Crypto Exchange FTX Could Owe More Than 1 Million Creditors," by NYT's David Yaffe-Bellany   LISTEN TO POLITICO'S ENERGY PODCAST: Check out our daily five-minute brief on the latest energy and environmental politics and policy news. Don't miss out on the must-know stories, candid insights, and analysis from POLITICO's energy team. Listen today .     PLAYBOOKERS SPOTTED: Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.) having drinks on Monday night at Charlie Palmer with Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo. SPOTTED at Susanna Quinn's home on Monday night for a party celebrating David Ambroz's new book "A Place Called Home" ( $21 ) co-hosted by Stephanie Cutter, Adrienne Elrod, Hilary Liftin and Kimball Stroud: Jack Quinn, Norah O'Donnell, John McCarthy, Herbie Ziskend, Emilie Simons, Eli Yokley, Dan Koh and Amy Sennett, Josh Dawsey, Kim Sajet, Ryan Williams, Nancy Bagley, Rachel Levitan, Tanya Mayorkas and Erika Gudmundson. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Asad Ramzanali is taking over as chief of staff for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. He previously was director of legislative affairs and is an Anna Eshoo and Brian Schatz alum. STAFFING UP — Sara Craig Gongol will be executive director of the Republican Governors Association. She previously was chief of staff for Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds. More from Zach Montellaro TRANSITIONS — Cliff Williamson is now executive director of the Virginia Agribusiness Council. He previously was director of health and regulatory affairs at the American Horse Council. … Christin Fernandez is now director of strategic comms and media relations at Marriott International. She most recently was director of comms at Koch Industries. ENGAGED — Taylor LaJoie, legislative director for Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), and Jackie Fowler, director of member relations at the Conservative Partnership Institute got engaged on Oct. 22. at the Dumbarton Oaks gardens in Georgetown. The couple met through work after Taylor, a frequent visitor at Jackie's offices, asked her out in spring earlier this year. Pic WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Jamison Cruce, senior director of government affairs at the USA Rice Federation and Elise Cruce, managing director of leadership development at the American Farm Bureau Federation welcomed Walker Anthony Cruce on Nov. 10. Pic BONUS BIRTHDAY: Ben Goodman   Sponsored Survey WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU: Please take a  1-minute survey  about one of our advertising partners.     Follow us on Twitter Rachael Bade @rachaelmbade Eugene Daniels @EugeneDaniels2 Ryan Lizza @RyanLizza Eli Okun @eliokun Garrett Ross @garrett_ross   Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook  |  Playbook PM  |  California Playbook  |  Florida Playbook  |  Illinois Playbook  |  Massachusetts Playbook  |  New Jersey Playbook  |  New York Playbook  |  Ottawa Playbook  |  Brussels Playbook  |  London Playbook View all our politics and policy newsletters Follow us

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California Today: U.C. workers strike

The walkout involves nearly 48,000 unionized academic workers at the prestigious public university system.

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story November 15, 2022 By Soumya Karlamangla California Today, Writer It's Tuesday. Why the country's biggest strike by university workers is happening in California. Plus, Jennifer Siebel Newsom testifies in Harvey Weinstein's sex crimes trial. Academic workers on the University of California, Berkeley, campus went on strike on Monday to seek better wages and working conditions.Jim Wilson/The New York Times LOS ANGELES — In what organizers are calling the largest strike in the history of U.S. higher education, tens of thousands of academic workers across the University of California system walked off the job on Monday to call for higher wages and better benefits. The walkouts involve nearly 48,000 teaching assistants, researchers and other employees across the system's 10 campuses. The labor action could become a turning point for graduate student workers nationwide, upon which America's universities have long relied for grading exams and staffing labs for relatively little pay. And it tracks that California serves as the setting for this moment. California is a largely pro-labor state, and the cost of living here is exceptionally high, making it particularly difficult for graduate students to make ends meet. The University of California system in particular often draws international attention, with U.C. Berkeley and U.C.L.A. regularly ranking as among the nation's best public universities. "U.C.L.A. is always touting itself as one of the best public institutions in the world, and we're really the backbone of the institution," Jamie Mondello, a fifth-year doctoral candidate in psychology, told me. "But many of us don't have a livable wage." Mondello, 27, picketed on Monday with hundreds of other workers stationed outside several buildings on U.C.L.A.'s sprawling campus. The students and employees involved in the walkout are represented by the United Automobile Workers. While Mondello and I spoke, protesters nearby chanted: "U.C., U.C., you can't hide! We can see your greedy side!" Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT Enrique Olivares Pesante, a fourth-year doctoral candidate in English who was protesting in front of the school's film building, said he made $2,500 per month before taxes, and paid more than half of that in rent for his graduate housing. Most teaching assistants make far less, he said, adding, "It came to this because it was untenable." Olivares Pesante said that he felt "a little bit sad" to not be teaching on Monday, but that his undergraduate students had been sympathetic. "This is going to go on as long as it takes for the university to give us our demands," he said. As of Monday night, it appeared the strike would continue on Tuesday. Academic workers at all of the U.C. campuses are on strike after their contract talks failed to produce an agreement.Jim Wilson/The New York Times In recent years, efforts to increase pay and improve working conditions for graduate students have increasingly gained traction. The U.C. strike demonstrates the growing activism of graduate students in the face of uncertain career prospects and shaky economic conditions, said Paula Voos, a professor at the Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT Even outside of academia, as public support for organized labor has reached a 50-year high, unions have used their bargaining power this year to make inroads at high-profile companies such as Amazon and Starbucks. However, Voos said, the oversupply of graduate students, especially in the humanities, puts universities in a position of strength in labor negotiations. "The students are vulnerable because they need recommendations from professors, they're afraid for their future, the academic labor market is not very good right now," she said. Conversely, the bleak prospects in academia may be contributing to graduate students' determination to secure better working conditions now, Voos said. "Sacrificing now for tomorrow may not be such a great idea," she said. At U.C. Berkeley on Monday, Jack Schrott, a graduate student in the physics department, said he hoped successful negotiations would lead to improved conditions for academic workers across the country. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT "The U.C. is an enormous producer of academic research and sets an example for the types of wages that academic workers earn," Schrott, 26, said. "It won't be possible for us to support research at our universities if this industry doesn't elevate the wages of its workers." In a statement, the university system said that it recognized the workers' "important and highly valued contributions" to its teaching and research mission and that it had provided "fair responses" on issues including pay, housing and a "respectful work environment." On Monday afternoon, the university system said it had proposed that a neutral, third-party mediator be brought into the negotiations, adding that under its current proposals, wages for U.C. academic employees "would be among the top of the pay scale" for public research universities, and "more comparable to private universities" such as Harvard, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Southern California. Anemona Hartocollis, Holly Secon and Shawn Hubler contributed reporting. Subscribe Today We hope you've enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times with this special offer. The rest of the news Weinstein trial: Jennifer Siebel Newsom, a documentary filmmaker and the wife of Gov. Gavin Newsom, testified on Monday that she was sexually assaulted in 2005 by Harvey Weinstein. Monument honoring Miwok Indians: State and tribal officials gathered in Sacramento on Monday to break ground on a statue of William Franklin Sr., a member of the Miwok tribe who worked to preserve the tribe culture, The Associated Press reports. Flu death: State health officials on Monday confirmed California's first death of a child under 5 stemming from the flu and R.S.V., City News Service reports.Plus, flu activity across the state is reaching levels not seen in years, The Los Angeles Times reports. Midterm results: Control of the U.S. House will be decided in the coming days by the outcomes of about 20 races. More than half of them are in California. SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA Orange County House race: Representative Michelle Steel, a Republican, won election to a second term in Orange County. World War II fighter pilot: Samuel Folsom, one of the last surviving Marine fighter pilots of World War II, has died in Sherman Oaks. He was 102. Power outages: Santa Ana winds could potentially cause power outages in San Diego on Tuesday and Wednesday, The San Diego Union-Tribune reports. CENTRAL CALIFORNIA McCarthy: Representative Kevin McCarthy, who represents Bakersfield, on Monday scrounged for the support he would need to become speaker of the House if Republicans gain control of the chamber. NORTHERN CALIFORNIA Google settlement: Google agreed to a record $391.5 million privacy settlement with 40 states over charges that it misled users into thinking they had turned off location tracking in their account settings. Christopher Testani for The New York Times. What we're eating Thanksgiving stuffing recipes our readers love. The Lost Coast trailhead at Black Sands Beach in Shelter Cove.Alexandra Hootnick for The New York Times Where we're traveling Today's tip comes from Nicholas McCabe, who recommends a trip to California's Lost Coast: "From Highway 1 north of Fort Bragg, I take a left turn to the off-road trail up Usal Road, stopping at the hardly known Usal Road Candelabra trees. There is no sign for them, despite being 500 feet from the road, you just park by the wooden bridge and take the trail at Usal Campground (they are AMAZING, and the only place in the U.S.A. where they grow, supposedly). From there, I go to Shelter Cove, spend the night, and do the Petrolia/Honeydew drive, and the one stretch along the coast is AMAZING, going into the town of Ferndale, which is like a movie set of a town and just like an old Victorian town. It is a really special area." Tell us about your favorite places to visit in California. Email your suggestions to CAtoday@nytimes.com. We'll be sharing more in upcoming editions of the newsletter. Tell us We're writing about how Californians celebrate Thanksgiving. Do you make stuffing with sourdough, or opt for roasted brussels sprouts instead of green bean casserole? Maybe you always travel to a special spot within the Golden State. Email us at CAtoday@nytimes.com with your California Thanksgiving traditions and memories. Please include your name and the city where you live. The "It's a Small World" ride at Disneyland in Anaheim.Damian Dovarganes/Associated Press And before you go, some good news On Friday, the first day of its Christmas season, Disneyland unveiled two characters in wheelchairs that are being added to its "It's a Small World" attraction. In a statement, Disneyland said it was part of an ongoing effort of enhancing attractions "to reflect more accurate representation of diversity around the world," The Associated Press reports. While the ride has special boats designed to accommodate guests who use wheelchairs, it was the first time in the amusement park's 67-year history that an attraction has included a character in a wheelchair. Thanks for reading. I'll be back tomorrow. — Soumya P.S. Here's today's Mini Crossword. Briana Scalia, Jaevon Williams and Miles McKinley contributed to California Today. You can reach the team at CAtoday@nytimes.com. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Continue reading the main story Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for California Today from The New York Times. To stop receiving these emails, unsubscribe or manage your email preferences. Subscribe to The TimesGet The New York Times app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018