The chaos conference

Presented by Instagram: POLITICO's must-read briefing on what's driving the afternoon in Washington.

Jan 03, 2023 View in browser   By Rachael Bade and Garrett Ross Presented by Kevin McCarthy speaks to reporters on Tuesday, Jan. 3. | Francis Chung/POLITICO Greetings from the buzzing press gallery above the House floor. The new House has officially gavelled into session and is about to begin voting for the next speaker. It is abundantly clear that KEVIN McCARTHY does not have the votes to get the gavel. In fact, he admitted as much to his colleagues in a tense closed-door conference meeting this morning — telling them that there could be as many as 20 Republicans who vote against him, as Olivia Beavers and Jordain Carney report. (Reminder: McCarthy needs 218 votes to become speaker. There are 222 House Republicans in the new Congress.) Just before the meeting, House Freedom Caucus leader SCOTT PERRY (R-Pa.) put out a letter signaling that he's a "no" on McCarthy. "Kevin McCarthy had an opportunity to be Speaker of the House. He rejected it," he wrote. Then McCarthy's headache became a full-blown migraine. This morning's GOP huddle in the basement of the Capitol — complete with cursing and threats — will be one for the history books. A defiant McCarthy opened by announcing that he would not negotiate any further with his GOP critics and vowing to fight on the floor until the bitter end — even if there are only four members backing him. He also argued that he's essentially owed the speakership — a remark that will only exacerbate tensions. "I earned this job!" he shouted at his detractors in the room. "This is bullshit!" Rep. LAUREN BOEBERT (R-Colo.) yelled in response. Upon leaving the room, she told reporters that she was a "no" on McCarthy. The debate devolved into McCarthy allies standing up and grilling "Never Kevin" Republicans, accusing them of putting their own selfish reservations about his leadership over the good of the party and country. McCarthy suggested that they'd rather see incoming House Minority Leader HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-N.Y.) as speaker than him. At one point, Rep. MIKE ROGERS (R-Ala.) stood and warned that anyone who voted against McCarthy would lose their committee seats. That threat so infuriated Rep. CHIP ROY (R-Texas) that he started cursing, and stood to get in line to speak. SO WHAT HAPPENS NOW? After McCarthy fails to get 218 votes on the first ballot, the Freedom Caucus antagonists have signaled that they will start backing another yet-unnamed candidate on the second ballot. The Daily Beast reported Monday night that that person is Ohio Rep. JIM JORDAN, the longtime McCarthy critic-turned-ally. The Ohio Republican, however, has no shot at being speaker — something that his adoring conservative colleagues know very well. But, per the Daily Beast story, that's not the point: They're hoping to peel off more Republicans to back Jordan, aiming to have McCarthy's vote count decrease from the first ballot to the second. It's an open question how long today will go until someone nominates a viable candidate for the gavel — someone like STEVE SCALISE (R-La.) or PATRICK McHENRY (R-N.C.). And there's a fear that if one of these member's names is called too early in the process, the conference will turn on them. Buckle up. It's going to be a long day.  More from the Hill: — Rep. DAN BISHOP (R-N.C.) is officially a no on McCarthy. "He has perpetuated the Washington status quo that makes this body one of the most unsuccessful and unpopular institutions in the country. This is not about personality differences or who has 'earned' the position. It's about serving the American people," Bishop said in a statement. (Our colleague Jonathan Martin notes that the McCarthy-aligned Congressional Leadership Fund spent $2.4 million to boost Bishop in his 2019 special election.) — Rep. MATT GAETZ (R-Fla.), reiterating his opposition to McCarthy: "If you want to drain the swamp, you cannot put the biggest alligator in charge of the exercise. I'm a Florida man and I know of what I speak." Watch the clip — One to watch: "KEEP an eye on incoming freshman ELI CRANE (R-Ariz.), been hearing from R sources they think he is likely a no vote," tweets Olivia Beavers. — A sideshow to the McCarthy chaos: "Rep-elect GEORGE SANTOS stepped out of his office with some aides and his attorney. He didn't respond to any questions from reporters other than saying he'd support McCarthy," tweets Nicholas Wu. Santos was also spotted sitting alone in the back of the House chamber just after noon. — And Rep. TED LIEU (D-Calif.) was in a trolling mood ahead of the speaker vote. A message from Instagram: Instagram's daily time limits let parents say how long their teens can spend on the platform once supervision is set up. The impact: teens can spend time online more intentionally. Set up daily time limits and learn more about the 30+ tools that can help teens have a positive experience on Instagram.   Good Tuesday afternoon, and thanks for reading Playbook PM. We're happy to be back in your inbox after a much-needed hiatus. Drop me a line at gross@politico.com and tell me what you want to see from Playbook PM in 2023. CONGRESS PARTING WORDS — We've got two interesting reads from outgoing members of Congress today. — First, TOM SUOZZI, the New York Democrat who is being succeeded by Santos, pens an op-ed for NYT Opinion: "A Con Man Is Succeeding Me in Congress Today": "If we are going to subdue the tyranny of unchecked liars and their lies, then Santos must be held accountable: He must be removed by Congress or by prosecutors, because there is no indication that he will be moved by conscience to voluntarily resign." — And JAIME HERRERA BEUTLER, a Washington Republican who voted to impeach former President DONALD TRUMP, speaks to The Atlantic's Elaina Plott Calabro about the end of her 12 years in office: "In an interview with The Atlantic about her six terms in the House and the Trump-backed primary challenge that ousted her, Herrera Beutler remained convinced of Trump's culpability for the events of January 6. Yet she appeared still bewildered that a crisis of such magnitude had come to pass, and that not even her own constituents were immune to Trump's propaganda about the 2020 election and the insurrection itself." CLICKER — "The 10 U.S. Lawmakers You Need to Know About in 2023," by Bloomberg The breakdown: GOP Reps. VERN BUCHANAN (Fla.), PATRICK McHENRY (N.C.) and KAY GRANGER (Texas) Democratic Reps. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (N.Y.), PRAMILA JAYAPAL (Wash.) and JOSH GOTTHEIMER (N.J.) Democratic Sens. MARK WARNER (Va.) and PATTY MURRAY (Wash.) GOP Sens. LISA MURKOWSKI (Alaska) and TIM SCOTT (S.C.) STUCK IN THE MIDDLE — "Kaptur, longtime Ohio Democrat: Congress overlooks heartland," by AP's John Seewer: "When the new Congress convenes on Tuesday, Ohio Democratic Rep. MARCY KAPTUR will become the longest-serving woman in its history. Yet after 40 years, she sometimes feels like an outsider. Not because she's a woman or now in the minority party in the House. It's that she's from Middle America, and represents a district populated by working-class folks — a place and people many colleagues have forgotten, Kaptur said in an interview with The Associated Press." THE WHITE HOUSE ROUND TWO — President JOE BIDEN is planning to renominate a large slate of his selections for key administration positions that did not clear the Senate confirmation process last year, WSJ's Ken Thomas reports. Among the picks are former Los Angeles Mayor ERIC GARCETTI (who Biden nominated to serve as ambassador to India), PHIL WASHINGTON to lead the FAA and DANNY WERFEL to head the IRS. "In all, the White House said it would act on the first day of the new Senate to renominate 85 of the approximately 175 nominees who didn't clear the body last year. The first tranche of nominees set to be resubmitted includes about 60 foreseen for agency leadership roles and national-security positions, including ambassadors, as well as 25 — or about half — of the administration's pending judicial nominees."   A message from Instagram:   ALL POLITICS 2024 WATCH — "Hispanic Evangelical Leaders Ask: Trump or DeSantis?" by NYT's Jennifer Medina in Miami: "Few have settled on an answer yet, not surprisingly given that the first votes of the 2024 campaign are over a year away. But the talk of 2024 — of Mr. Trump, who spent years courting evangelicals, and of [Florida Gov. RON] DeSANTIS , who has leaned into the cultural battles that appeal to many conservative Christians — showed both the heightened expectations among Hispanic evangelical leaders in Florida and their desire to demonstrate the potency of their now unabashedly politicized Christianity." POLICY CORNER WHAT THE E-RING IS READING — "Lagging Arms Production Makes Pentagon Wary of Further Industry Consolidation," by WSJ's Doug Cameron: "U.S. defense companies are finding it tough to quickly replenish weaponry such as missiles and artillery shells for Ukraine, leading Pentagon officials to revisit whether industry consolidation has gone too far. Two decades of mergers and acquisitions have left the top six contractors to share the majority of Pentagon spending on military equipment. In the 1990s, some 50 firms vied for big contracts." BEYOND THE BELTWAY IMMIGRATION FILES — "Colorado governor plans to send migrants to New York, mayor says," by Joe Anuta: "Colorado Gov. JARED POLIS plans to send migrants to major cities including New York, Mayor ERIC ADAMS said Tuesday, warning that the nation's largest city is already struggling to deal with an influx of people sent from Texas and other Republican-led states. The impending move by Polis is unusual because Colorado is not a border state and both leaders are Democrats facing severe challenges over what they say is a national crisis around immigration." GUNS IN AMERICA — "Paralyzed by Gun Violence, They Seek Solace From Other Survivors," by NYT's Neelam Bohra in Rochester, N.Y.: "Though the death toll from mass shootings and gun violence across the United States tends to grab the most attention, in recent years those events have left a far greater number of people struggling with physical injuries, including lifelong paralysis." FOR THOSE KEEPING TRACK — "Welfare scandal sharpens contrasts in long-poor Mississippi," by AP's Emily Wagster Pettus STATED PLAINLY — "The New and Noteworthy State Laws Taking Effect in 2023," by NYT's Adeel Hassan: "State laws take effect for bouncers in Tennessee, walkers in California, and governors in North Carolina. Here's a roundup of several key changes across the nation."   Sponsored Survey SHARE YOUR OPINION: Please take a short, 4-question survey about one of our advertising partners.   THE PANDEMIC BY THE NUMBERS — "Omicron offshoot XBB.1.5 could drive new Covid-19 surge in U.S.," by CNN's Brenda Goodman: "The CDC estimates that XBB.1.5 has more than doubled its share of the Covid-19 pie each week for the last four, rising from about 4% to 41% of new infections over the month of December. In the Northeast, the CDC estimates, XBB.1.5 is causing 75% of new cases." PERSISTENT PROBLEMS — "Move on from COVID? Child care disruptions continue," by AP's Heather Hollingsworth and Claire Savage WAR IN UKRAINE THE VIEW FROM EUROPE — "Europe prepares to take in more Ukrainians, with less support, in 2023," by WaPo's Claire Parker HOW UKRAINE IS FIGHTING — "Ukraine Has Digitized Its Fighting Forces on a Shoestring," by WSJ's Sam Schechner and Daniel Michaels: "Kyiv's forces networked under Russian attack, achieving a cut-priced 'MacGyver' version of systems the Pentagon has spent decades developing." — "Ukrainian Forces Grow More Adept at Defending Against Russian Drones," by NYT's Andrew Kramer, James McKinley Jr. and Traci Carl FOR YOUR RADAR — "Natural Gas Prices in Europe Fall to Pre-Invasion Levels," by NYT's Stanley Reed PLAYBOOKERS George Santos got lost on the way to his office. Richard Burr picked up his Volkswagen from the front of the Capitol. John Fetterman served crudités at his inauguration party. SPOTTED at a party hosted by Joe Hack for Sen.-elect Katie Britt (R-Ala.) at the Jefferson Hotel Monday night: Kellyanne Conway and Steve Clemons. MEDIA MOVES — David French is joining NYT Opinion as a columnist. He previously was at The Dispatch and a contributing writer for The Atlantic and is a National Review alum. The announcement … Erin Schumaker is joining POLITICO as a health care reporter. She previously was science editor at Insider and is an ABC News and HuffPost alum. … Maya Kaufman is joining POLITICO as a New York health care reporter. She previously was a health care reporter for Crain's New York Business and is a Patch alum. TRANSITIONS — Rep.-elect Tom Kean Jr. (R-N.J.) announced his senior D.C. staffers: Danielle Stewart as chief of staff (most recently deputy chief of staff for Rep. Michelle Steel (R-Calif.)), Chris Hall as legislative director (most recently senior counsel for Rep. Rob Wittman (R-Va.)) and Dan Scharfenberger as comms director (most recently Kean's campaign manager). … Ashley Schapitl is joining the Treasury Department to lead comms on the implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act. She previously was senior policy adviser for the Senate Finance Dems. … … Dorien Paul Blythers is launching Good Rebel, an LA-based social impact agency. He previously was deputy chief of staff for EPA Administrator Michael Regan. … Dan Eisenberg has joined the New York law firm Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel. He previously was deputy staff director and senior counsel to the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. … Anna Keilly is now legislative aide for Sen.-elect John Fetterman (D-Pa.). She previously was staff assistant for Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.). WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Alec Zender , senior legislative assistant for Rep. Jack Bergman (R-Mich.), and Angie Zender, a therapist at Lighthouse Emotional Wellness Center, welcomed Ainsley Hope Zender on Dec. 30, 2022.   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: California’s “unofficial airline”

The airline is a backbone of day-to-day travel in the state.

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story January 3, 2023 By Soumya Karlamangla California Today, Writer It's Tuesday. Southwest Airlines has become a backbone of day-to-day travel in the Golden State. Plus, 2023 in California begins with flooding and an earthquake. Passengers waiting in line at the Southwest Airlines service desk at Los Angeles International Airport last month.Kyle Grillot for The New York Times If you live in California, you probably know that Southwest Airlines dominates air travel here. Southwest is the state's busiest airline, and more of its flights depart from California than from any other state in the nation, including Texas, where the company began. Southwest is the top airline at seven of California's 10 busiest airports, accounting for more than half of all air traffic at the airports in Oakland, Sacramento, San Jose, Burbank and Long Beach. "Southwest is almost the unofficial airline of California," Henry Harteveldt, an airlines analyst for Atmosphere Research Group, told my colleague Shawn Hubler after the airline's flight cancellations during the holidays left passengers stranded across the country. By Friday, the airline appeared to be back on track. But as Shawn and I recently wrote, Southwest's highly publicized woes have rattled the confidence of travelers and commuters who rely on the airline to shuttle between Northern and Southern California. Despite mild winter weather, California's medium-size airports had some of the worst cancellation rates in the nation last week because Southwest accounts for so much of their traffic. Going forward, "just because the flights are operating, doesn't mean the customers will be there," Harteveldt, who is based in San Francisco, said. "I think this event has weakened trust among travelers and done substantial damage to Southwest's brand." Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT Gemma Evans, a journalist who lives in San Mateo, said she was frustrated by Southwest's last-minute cancellation of her flight last week to San Francisco International Airport from Burbank. For hours, Southwest's flight status web page conflicted with its phone app, which had different information from the text alerts she received. Once Evans and her husband confirmed that their flight was canceled, they drove a rental car for eight hours through a rainstorm, with their 11-month-old in the back seat, to get home to the Bay Area. "Not getting answers from them when we needed them has left us with a sour taste in our mouth," Evans, 38, said. "I think in the future we'll prioritize other airlines." Southwest started in 1967 as a way to ferry passengers between Texas cities, inspired by California's now-defunct Pacific Southwest Airlines, a pioneer of intrastate discount air travel. Southwest has grown steadily and has become one of the nation's four largest airlines, serving routes across the country. The airline is also an essential mode of transportation for Californians who need to travel the length of the state for work or school or to visit relatives. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT Two-thirds of all seats for sale on flights within California are on Southwest flights, according to Mike Arnot, a spokesman for Cirium, an aviation analytics company. (United is a very distant second with 13 percent.) California state legislators rely on Southwest to get to Sacramento from their districts, which is particularly important this week with the new legislative session beginning on Wednesday. "The Legislature is totally dependent on Southwest functioning," said Tom Umberg, a Democratic state senator who has commuted to the Capitol from Orange County for years. Casey Hultin, 33, a traveling trial lawyer who lives in Oakland, typically takes Southwest flights about twice a week to get to courts in Southern California. The weekday planes are filled with intra-California commuters like her, she said, because no other airline offers the same flexibility or frequency of flights within the state. Even after the meltdown last week — one of her own flights was canceled — she's going to stick to Southwest, Hultin told me. "This is still, by far, the best option." For more: Here's more on what caused the chaos at Southwest. Travelers whose flights were canceled are looking for compensation. Southwest superfans say they still love the airline. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT If you read one story, make it this Meet Oakland's new mayor, the most prominent Hmong American politician in the nation. 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. Representative Kevin McCarthy can afford to lose only a handful of his own party members in the House speaker race.Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times The rest of the news House speaker: Representative Kevin McCarthy's bid for speaker remains in peril even after major concessions. Storms: Northern California bore the brunt of an intense "atmospheric river" that brought floods and landslides on Saturday. Another storm that is forecast for Wednesday may not be as bad. Megan Thee Stallion trial: Tony Lanez, a Canadian rapper, was found guilty of shooting the hip-hop star in her feet. Mono Lake: Conservationists are fighting to stop Los Angeles from diverting water from Mono Lake in the Eastern Sierra Nevada, The Los Angeles Times reports. SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA Los Angeles elections: A pattern emerged in 2022 in which the candidate who raised the most money usually lost, Crosstown reports. Snowy owl sightings: An extremely rare snowy owl has shown up in the city of Cypress in Orange County, far from the species' usual habitat. The suburb is transfixed. Ojai prep school: A criminal investigation into a private school in Ojai that is facing decades of allegations of sexual misconduct resulted in no criminal charges being filed. CENTRAL CALIFORNIA Stockton killings: A man described by the police as a serial killer who terrorized residents in the Central Valley has been charged in connection with four more killings. NORTHERN CALIFORNIA Garlic King: Don Christopher, a California farmer who turned garlic into a staple and made Gilroy into the world's garlic capital, has died. Humboldt earthquakes: Rio Dell, a city in Humboldt County, was struck by a magnitude 5.4 earthquake on New Years Day, less than two weeks after a magnitude 6.4 quake struck nearby. A Cape Cod-style house with four bedrooms, three bathrooms and a guesthouse with its own bathroom, on a 0.3-acre lot.Jonathan Paris What you get For $4 million: A Cape Cod-style home in San Marino, a modern farmhouse in Kenwood or a contemporary showplace in El Dorado Hills. Mark Weinberg for The New York Times What we're eating These tender cookies are an elegant teatime snack. The U.C. Davis Arboretum.U.C. Davis Arboretum and Public Garden Where we're traveling Today's tip comes from Marion Becker, who lives in Davis: "The arboretum on the U.C. Davis campus offers a beautiful, free and educational walk for anyone, including those who rely on a wheelchair. Putah Creek meanders through the space with many arched footbridges spanning it. There are sections of the arboretum depicting various climates in the state with native plants from different regions. At certain times of the year when showy trees or plants are in bloom, the space gets crowded but it's nice to know it is being appreciated." 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 Do you have resolutions for the new year? Email us at CAtoday@nytimes.com. And before you go, some good news The lights came down over the weekend in one of California's best decorated holiday neighborhoods, but not before thousands of people came to visit. The 41 households in the Wakefield Court neighborhood in Santa Clarita go all out for Christmas each year, turning their blocks into a glowing winter wonderland. The tradition started after the Northridge earthquake in 1994, when neighbors got to know one another better and began stringing up Christmas lights between their houses. "It just expanded from that," Shaun Denes, a Wakefield resident, told KTLA. "The lights between each house show the bond between neighbors." With so many visitors coming to Wakefield from across Southern California, another resident, Mark Young, began in 1996 to ask for donations to benefit a nonprofit organization that helps unhoused people in Santa Clarita. "Every year we raise anywhere from $2,000 to $12,000 in that box from the folks walking by," Young told KTLA. Thanks for reading. I'll be back tomorrow. — Soumya P.S. Here's today's Mini Crossword. Briana Scalia and Steven Moity 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 California Today, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, manage your email preferences. 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