| | | | |  | | By Garrett Ross | | | | 
Kevin McCarthy walks in the Capitol on Thursday, Jan. 5. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | BULLETIN — "Putin orders 36-hour weekend cease-fire in Ukraine," by AP's Andrew Meldrum in Kyiv: "Russian President VLADIMIR PUTIN on Thursday ordered Moscow's armed forces to hold a 36-hour cease-fire in Ukraine this weekend for the Russian Orthodox Christmas holiday, the Kremlin said." BIDEN TO THE BORDER — President JOE BIDEN announced this morning that he will make his first trip to the U.S.-Mexico border on Sunday. Biden will "address border enforcement operations during his trip" and meet with local officials, USA Today's Joey Garrison and Maureen Groppe write. "Biden will also call on Congress to fully fund his border security budget request and pass legislation overhauling the immigration system." (More on Biden's immigration announcement below …) THE MORE THINGS CHANGE — If you thought the negotiations between KEVIN McCARTHY and the band of anti-McCarthy rebels withholding the speakership from him would spur a sea change in today's proceedings, think again. Here's the latest from McCARTHY: "I think what you'll see today is the same until we finish everything up. … I mean, look, I think whenever you negotiate different things, nothing's agreed to until everything's agreed to." The House gaveled in at noon, and for the seventh time in three days, McCarthy was formally nominated for speaker — this time by Michigan Republican JOHN JAMES. Rep. DAN BISHOP (R-N.C.) nominated the current anti-McCarthy option, BYRON DONALDS. And just as the previous six votes went, McCarthy failed to clear the 218-vote threshold to secure the gavel after seven Donalds votes came through by the time of publication. But negotiations are ongoing. Following the news that the two opposing sides traded proposals overnight, McCarthy held a closed-door meeting with members to "discuss the rules package & the Speaker position" at 11 a.m., per The Dispatch's Audrey Fahlberg. And just before noon, Rep. PAUL GOSAR (R-Ariz.), a McCarthy antagonist, was spotted entering McCarthy's office. The view from the other side of the aisle … @sarahnferris: "[New Jersey Democratic Rep. JOSH] GOTTHEIMER, who forced Dems to change motion to vacate in '19, says he's concerned 'if they cave to the far-right extremists on the motion to vacate, and continue to give away the store on committees and rules, Congress could be forced into a gridlock nightmare.'" Interesting float … Bloomberg's Billy House (@HouseInSession): "Letting some anti-McCarthy Republicans just vote 'Hell No!' is one of the pitches under way, a dressed-up way of voting 'present,' and thus lowering the threshold of pro-McCarthy votes [needed] to reach a [simple] majority." It may be dumb, but it's not crazy: Votes not cast for a person by name are not counted when calculating a winner under House precedents. Where do things go from here? … It's unclear. Members are voting now on the seventh ballot, but there's no indication of how many more — if any — will take place today. Rep. BRIAN FITZPATRICK (R-Pa.), a key McCarthy ally, said earlier today that he wanted to adjourn the House for 72 hours (which would bring them back on Sunday), but wasn't sure if the votes were there, per our colleague Kyle Cheney. Rep. PETE AGUILAR (D-Calif.), the Democratic caucus chair, signaled Dems would oppose any break: "There is no victory in adjourning without doing the business of the people," he said on the floor. News you can use … @UnionPub: "For $218 you can be #SpeakerOfThePub & enjoy: • 2 Buckets of Bud/Bud Light • 8 Shots of Whiskey • 1 Bottle of Wine • 1 Bottle of Fancy Champagne • Platter of Totchos • "Speaker of the Pub" Gavel. Available today & until a Speaker of the House is elected!" (We're also wishing a speedy recovery to our colleague Jordain Carney, who dislocated a knee cap in a scrum and has been integral to covering the hullabaloo on the Hill this week!) STABENOW STUNNER — Sen. DEBBIE STABENOW (D-Mich.) told the Detroit News' Melissa Nann Burke that she won't seek reelection in 2024, opening up a seat that Democrats and Republicans will be eager to secure in a state that has become a major battleground. On the Democratic side, this could become a free-for-all in short order. The names to watch: Reps. ELISSA SLOTKIN and HALEY STEVENS, Michigan Gov. GRETCHEN WHITMER, Lt. Gov. GARLIN GILCHRIST, Secretary of State JOCELYN BENSON, state Sen. MALLORY McMORROW and Transportation Secretary PETE BUTTIGIEG, who recently relocated his residence to the Wolverine State. For Republicans, John James is the most likely frontrunner, who could attempt his third run at the Senate after narrowly failing to best Democrat GARY PETERS in 2020 and Stabenow in 2018. The early statements:
- James doesn't say "no": "Look, I haven't even been sworn into Congress, yet! So here's my plan: Get sworn in and get to work serving the people of Michigan's 10th district." (h/t DC Examiner's David Drucker)
- Slotkin rumbles begin: "Sources close to Rep. Elissa Sloktin's team say she's seriously considering running for the seat," our colleague Elena Schneider reports.
- Buttigieg insists he's staying put: "I am fully focused on serving the President in my role as Secretary of Transportation, and not seeking any other job."
- Whitmer on Stabenow: "As governor of this great state for the next four years, I look forward to working with her through the end of her term and beyond in however she serves our state next."
For the record: The last time Republicans won a Senate race in Michigan was 1994, and, before that, 1972. Our colleague Burgess Everett notes that this will also lead to the most movement among Democratic leadership in a while, as Stabenow currently chairs the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee, making her third behind Majority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER. Stabenow also chairs the Senate Agriculture Committee. Thought bubble: We do have to wonder if Democrats will be peeved that Stabenow wouldn't just resign so that Whitmer could appoint someone to the seat, who could then run in 2024 with incumbency, rather than having Dems defend another open seat. Good Thursday afternoon, and thanks for reading Playbook PM. Let me know who you think will jump into the Michigan race: gross@politico.com.
| | 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. | | | THE WHITE HOUSE BIDEN'S IMMIGRATION MOVE — Biden announced his trip to the southern border ahead of remarks he delivered this morning on border security, where he detailed new measures the administration is taking to curb migration. The U.S. will accept up to 30,000 migrants per month from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela in a border strategy that will be paired with the expanded use of Title 42 expulsions, Myah Ward writes. "The new policy, effective immediately, is modeled after the one rolled out solely for Venezuelans this fall, which created a narrow pathway for up to 24,000 migrants who have preexisting ties in the United States, and people who could provide financial and other support." REMEMBERING JAN. 6 — "Biden to honor 12 people with Presidential Citizens Medal on two-year anniversary of January 6 insurrection," by CNN's MJ Lee: "The individuals include law enforcement officers who were injured defending the Capitol, a Capitol Police officer who died the day after rioters stormed the building and election workers who rejected efforts by former President Donald Trump to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Biden is set to deliver remarks and host a ceremony at the White House honoring the dozen individuals chosen for having made 'exemplary contributions to our democracy' and shown 'courage and selflessness' around the events of January 6, a White House official familiar with the details told CNN." ALL POLITICS 2024 WATCH — Rep. RUBEN GALLEGO (D-Ariz.) is ramping up his political operation ahead of an expected entry into the Arizona Senate race against newly independent Sen. KYRSTEN SINEMA, our colleague Holly Otterbein reports. Gallego has recently hired a pollster, interviewed paid media firms and started hiring veterans from the successful campaigns of Sens. JOHN FETTERMAN, MARK KELLY, and RAPHAEL WARNOCK. "Gallego's most recent moves, first shared with POLITICO, include hiring a finance director: DANNY CARROLL, who previously worked for Kelly's reelection campaign in 2022." The cash question: Since Sinema announced her party switch, Gallego has received more than 25,000 individual financial contributions, his advisers told POLITICO. PRIMARY COLORS — "Democrats' big presidential primary changes are still stuck in limbo," by Elena Schneider: "On Thursday, the five new early states — South Carolina, New Hampshire, Nevada, Michigan and Georgia — must submit updates to the DNC about their progress in changing their primary dates or updating voting laws to comply with DNC requirements. It's the next step in a lengthy effort to redistribute the outsized power that voters in some states have in presidential nominating fights, giving voters of color a bigger voice in the Democratic Party's process." The view from the Granite State: "In a letter submitted Thursday morning, New Hampshire Democrats asked the DNC to 'reconsider the requirements,' which they argue should reflect the reality of their situation: A state law requires them to hold their primary a week before any other state in the nation, and the Republican-controlled legislature and governor's mansion will not budge on changing their date or their current voter access laws." OUT WITH THE OLD — "Massachusetts Republicans just lost their popular governor. They're not all mad about it," by Lisa Kashinsky in Boston
| | | | A message from Instagram:   | | | CONGRESS CASEY DISCLOSES CANCER DIAGNOSIS — Sen. BOB CASEY (D-Pa.) announced this morning that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer last month. "In the coming months I will undergo surgery, after which I am expected to make a full recovery. I am confident that my recommended course of treatment will allow me to continue my service in the 118th Congress with minimal disruption, and I look forward to the work ahead," Casey said in a statement. KNOWING THE NEW NAMES — Rita Omokha profiles Gen Z Rep.-elect MAXWELL FROST (D-Fla.) for Teen Vogue's January cover story: "Fighting From the Heart" POLICY CORNER THE LOAN LURCH — "Biden launches defense of student debt relief at Supreme Court," by Michael Stratford: "President Joe Biden's efforts to cancel student debt for millions of Americans 'fall comfortably' within the law and enjoy 'clear authorization' from Congress, the Justice Department argued Wednesday in its opening brief defending the policy before the Supreme Court. The court filing, submitted late Wednesday evening, marks the beginning of a high-stakes battle at the court in the coming months over the fate of one of Biden's major domestic policy programs." FOR YOUR RADAR — "U.S. Moves to Bar Noncompete Agreements in Labor Contracts," by NYT's Noam Scheiber: "The proposed rule would ban provisions of labor contracts known as noncompete agreements, which prevent workers from leaving for a competitor or starting a competing business for months or years after their employment, often within a certain geographic area." VALLEY TALK MOVE FAST AND BREAK THINGS — "Facebook Tried — and Failed — to Get Out of Politics, Documents Show," by WSJ's Jeff Horwitz, Keach Hagey and Emily Glazer: "At first, Facebook overhauled how it promoted political and health-related content. With surveys showing users were tired of strife, the platform began favoring posts that users considered worth their time over ones that merely riled them up, the documents show. Debates were fine, but Facebook wouldn't amplify them as much. "Meta's leaders decided, however, that wasn't enough. In late 2021, tired of endless claims about political bias and censorship, Chief Executive MARK ZUCKERBERG and Meta's board pushed for the company to go beyond incremental adjustments, according to people familiar with the discussions. Presented with a range of options, Mr. Zuckerberg and the board chose the most drastic, instructing the company to demote posts on 'sensitive' topics as much as possible in the newsfeed that greets users when they open the app — an initiative that hasn't previously been reported."
| | | | Sponsored Survey SHARE YOUR OPINION: Please take a short, 4-question survey about one of our advertising partners. | | | MUSK READS OOPS, THEY DID IT AGAIN — "Twitter said it fixed 'verification.' So I impersonated a senator (again)," by WaPo's Geoffrey Fowler: "After Blue 2.0 (my term for it) launched on Dec. 12, I made another faux [ED] MARKEY and applied for verification. Some of Twitter's new requirements slowed down the process — and might dissuade some impatient impersonators — but the company never asked to see a form of identification. Last week, up popped a blue check mark on my @SenatorEdMarkey account." AMERICA AND THE WORLD PETROLEUM UNDER THE BRIDGE — "U.S.-Saudi Tensions Ease as Concerns About Iran Grow," by WSJ's Dion Nissenbaum, Stephen Kalin and Nancy Youssef: "The Biden administration has dropped threats to retaliate against Saudi Arabia for an oil-production cut last year and is moving to step up security coordination to counter Iran in 2023, U.S. and Saudi officials said, three months after ties hit a historic low point." PLAYBOOKERS OUT AND ABOUT — SPOTTED at a welcome reception for new members of Congress hosted by the Latino Victory Fund, The Collective PAC and AAPI Fund on Wednesday night at La Vie: HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.), Reps. Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.), Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-N.M.), Raul Ruiz (D-Calif.), Judy Chu (D-Calif.), Ted Lieu (D-Calif.), Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), Grace Meng (D-N.Y.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.) and Marilyn Strickland (D-Wash.), Reps.-elect Greg Casar (D-Texas), Yadira Caraveo (D-Colo.), Jill Tokuda (D-Hawaii), Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.) and Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas), Julie Chavez Rodriguez, Nathalie Rayes, Quentin James, Shekar Narasimhan, Laphonza Butler, Mini Timmaraju, Vincent Evans, Mayra Macias, Cristóbal Alex, Luis A. Miranda Jr. and Johanny Adames. — SPOTTED at a reception held this evening honoring Rep. Nanette Barragan (D-Calif.), the incoming chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus at Joe's Stone Crab on Wednesday night: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, House Minority Whip Katherine Clark, House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar, Reps. Tony Cárdenas (D-Calif.), Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.) , Linda Sánchez (D-Calif.), Marc Veasey (D-Texas), Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-N.M.), Rep.-elects Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.)and Rob Menendez (D-N.J.) , Norberto Salinas, Franklin Davis, Saul Hernandez, Akshai Datta, Stefy Rodriguez, Chris Davis, Jose Borjon, Brittany Hernandez, Michael Pauls, Kenny Roberts, Joyce Brayboy, Liam Forsythe and Desiree Kennedy. INTO ACADEMIA — Hillary Clinton is joining Columbia University as professor of practice at the School of International and Public Affairs and presidential fellow at Columbia World Projects, the university announced today. TRANSITIONS — Former deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan is joining Mayer Brown as a partner in the firm's D.C. and New York offices. Sullivan most recently was the U.S. Ambassador to the Russian Federation. ... Courtney Boland is now comms manager at Bloomberg Media. She most recently was a senior publicist at MSNBC. … Connor Torossian is now legislative director for Rep.-elect Marc Molinaro (R-N.Y.). He previously was a legislative assistant for Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-Wis.) and is a Morgan Griffith alum. … Alyssa Leigh Richardson is launching Palmetto Community Developers, a firm focused on affordable housing in South Carolina. She previously was deputy chief of staff and state director for Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.). … … Rep. Mike Collins' (R-Ga.) office has added DJ Griffin as comms director and Andrew Eisenberger as deputy chief of staff. Griffin was previously associate research director at the RNC and is a Claudia Tenney alum. Eisenberger was previously a State Party Strategies team member at the RNC and is a Mike Kelly and Dana Rohrabacher alum. … Katherine Ambrose will be professional staff for the Senate Commerce Surface Transportation, Maritime, Freight and Ports Subcommittee. She previously was director of Pacific Northwest policy for the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and professional staff for its Railroads Subcommittee. | | | | 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 | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our politics and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
