| | | | |  | | By Eugene Daniels | | Presented by |  | | | With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine
|  | DRIVING THE DAY | | YOUR MORNING SEROTONIN — CBS Sunday Morning’s David Pogue on the “Good news you may have missed in 2024”
| 
President-elect Donald Trump weighed in on Republicans' H-1B visa debate. | Rick Scuteri/AP Photo | A PLAYBOOK NEWS QUIZ — It’s a relatively quiet morning for news (famous last words), and in the festive spirit of the season, we’re bringing you a special quiz edition of Playbook, drawing on the latest stories worth knowing. Answers can be found in the “Playbookers” section of the newsletter. 1. Whose side did President-elect DONALD TRUMP appear to take in the immigration debate during an interview yesterday with the N.Y. Post: ELON MUSK or LAURA LOOMER? 2. Which world leader plans to undergo surgery for prostate cancer today? a. Indian PM NARENDRA MODI
b. Russian President VLADIMIR PUTIN
c. Israeli PM BENJAMIN NETANYAHU
d. British PM KEIR STARMER 3. Who said the following in an interview with Holly Otterbein and Brakkton Booker? “I reached the conclusion that if you call yourself a Democrat, all the Republicans automatically line up against it. You call yourself a Republican, all the Democrats automatically line up against it.” a. Former Nebraska Senate candidate DAN OSBORN
b. Detroit Mayor and Michigan gubernatorial hopeful MIKE DUGGAN
c. Outgoing Sen. KYRSTEN SINEMA (I-Ariz.)
d. Rep. MARIE GLUESENKAMP PEREZ (D-Wash.) 4. Who or what did Musk call the “last spark of hope” for Germany in an opinion piece that published yesterday in Die Welt? a. Former Chancellor ANGELA MERKEL
b. German engineers in the manufacturing industry
c. Chancellor OLAF SCHOLZ
d. The far-right Alternative for Germany political party 5. Whose engagement announcement photo from 1963 was rediscovered in the NYT’s photography morgue? a. Rep. MAXINE WATERS (D-Calif.)
b. Sen. CHUCK GRASSLEY (R-Iowa)
c. Rep. NANCY PELOSI (D-Calif.)
d. Rep. HAL ROGERS (R-Ky.) 6. How many years did longtime Florida Democratic consultant BETH MATUGA say it may take Democrats to return to competitiveness in the state, according to our Kimberly Leonard? a. 6
b. 8
c. 16
d. 25 7. What was Trump referring to in this quotation? “I’ve been a believer in [blank]. I have used it many times. It’s a great program.” a. The H-1B visa program
b. FBI background checks for his nominees
c. Social Security
d. Medicare 8. In Trump’s coming second term, which of the following is unlikely to “see the kind of breakneck growth it saw in Trump’s first term,” according to the WSJ? a. The federal debt
b. Inflation
c. Oil production from the U.S. shale patch
d. Apprehensions of migrants illegally crossing the border 9. In the special election to fill Rep. ELISE STEFANIK’s seat, Democrats are eyeing a state assemblymember who spent 20 years working as what, per the WSJ? a. A corrections officer
b. A fireman
c. A high school teacher
d. A financier at Goldman Sachs 10. Which retired general called Musk a national security risk in a NYT op-ed this morning? a. MARK MILLEY
b. JOHN KELLY
c. ERIC SHINSEKI
d. RUSSEL HONORÉ Good Sunday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. How are your New Year’s resolutions shaping up? Drop me a line: edaniels@politico.com.
| | | | A message from Instagram: Congress can help keep teens safe online today.
By passing federal legislation requiring app store parental consent and age verification, Congress would put parents in charge of teen app downloads. This helps parents ensure teens download apps that are safe.
That's why 3 of 4 parents agree: teens under 16 shouldn't be able to download apps without parental consent.
Tell lawmakers: support a national standard requiring app store parental consent and age verification for teens. | | | SUNDAY BEST … — Sen. BEN CARDIN (D-Md.) on Trump’s threats to retake the Panama Canal, on ABC’s “This Week”: “It’s a serious statement, because it affects America’s credibility globally. Our allies don’t know whether we are reliable partners or not. … It really feeds into Russia and China’s appeal to other countries.” — Rep. MIKE LAWLER (R-N.Y.) on the speaker vote, on “This Week”: “Removing MIKE JOHNSON would equally be as stupid [as removing KEVIN McCARTHY]. The fact is that these folks are playing with fire, and if they think they’re somehow going to get a more conservative speaker, they’re kidding themselves. Mike Johnson is arguably the most conservative speaker that’s ever been elected to the office.” — New Hampshire Gov. CHRIS SUNUNU on Musk’s potential conflicts of interest, on CNN’s “State of the Union”: “Everyone has a conflict of interest at some level. … I don’t think he’s doing it for the money. He’s doing it for the bigger project and the bigger vision of America. He doesn’t need the dollars. … I like the fact that in a way, he’s so rich he’s so removed from the potential financial influence of it.” — Sen. ERIC SCHMITT (R-Mo.) on H-1B visas, on “Fox News Sunday”: “American workers have been left behind by this economy. Many factory jobs have been sent overseas. And I think the abuses of the H-1B program have been evident … The solution here President Trump has actually articulated … is to reform that system and, you know, get rid of the abuses.” TOP-EDS: A roundup of the week’s must-read opinion pieces.
| | | | A message from Instagram:   | | | | | WHAT'S HAPPENING TODAY | | At the White House President JOE BIDEN and VP KAMALA HARRIS have nothing on their public schedules.
| | | | You read POLITICO for trusted reporting. Now follow every twist of the lame duck session with Inside Congress. We track the committee meetings, hallway conversations, and leadership signals that show where crucial year-end deals are heading. Subscribe now. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | | | 
Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) thinks Democrats could have passed a carbon tax. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | 9 THINGS FOR YOUR RADAR 1. CLIMATE FILES: As Sen. MITT ROMNEY (R-Utah) leaves Congress, he exits as a rare Republican lawmaker to advocate for aggressive action to fight climate change — but having accomplished little of substance on that front, Emma Dumain writes. Romney hasn’t been able to convince others in the GOP to join his support for a carbon tax. He says Democrats missed a crucial opportunity to create one in the Inflation Reduction Act — and that they could have won over Sen. JOE MANCHIN (I-W.Va.) with certain carveouts. Democrats like Sen. SHELDON WHITEHOUSE (D-R.I.) say they’re not convinced. 2. TRADE WARS: As the world prepares for potential major new tariffs from Trump, China won’t have many great options to respond, WSJ’s Jason Douglas reports. If Beijing goes too aggressive against American companies, it could hasten a U.S. pullback from the Chinese economy that the country can ill afford. It’s likelier, experts say, that China will deploy countermeasures judiciously, with the aim of eliciting negotiations with Trump. But in Mexico, many business leaders are less worried, NYT’s Peter Goodman reports from Monterrey. They’re still betting that Trump is largely bluffing on tariffs against his southern neighbor — and hoping they’ll benefit from a U.S.-China trade war as they did during his first term. “Hanging in the balance is the pace of investment and job growth in Mexico, along with the availability of a vast profusion of imported goods in the United States.” 3. FEARS OF RETRIBUTION: “Some Justice Department Lawyers Look for Protection — and the Exits,” by WSJ’s Sadie Gurman and Ryan Barber: “Dozens of prosecutors and agents have worked on cases that potentially make them vulnerable, such as special counsel investigations of Trump, prosecutions of hundreds of his supporters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and contempt-of-Congress cases that sent top Trump associates STEVE BANNON and PETER NAVARRO to prison this year. … Law firms say they have seen an unprecedented flood of résumés from department lawyers looking for the exits.” 4. WHAT ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR. IS WATCHING: Long in the works, an FDA decision on whether to ban red dye No. 3 is expected any week now, WaPo’s Rachel Roubein writes. Though the agency and industry have said the dye is safe, outside advocates argue that alternatives are better, given that the dye has been tied to cancer in animals. With everyone from California to Kennedy and Democrats to Republicans raising concerns about the dye, the tides may be turning against it.
| | | | A message from Instagram:   | | | 5. PAGING MIKE JOHNSON: “Kansas once required voters to prove citizenship. That didn’t work out so well,” by AP’s John Hanna in Topeka: “[T]here’s one place with a GOP supermajority where linking voting to citizenship appears to be a nonstarter: Kansas. That’s because the state has been there, done that, and all but a few Republicans would prefer not to go there again. Kansas imposed a proof-of-citizenship requirement over a decade ago that grew into one of the biggest political fiascos in the state in recent memory. … Kansas provides a cautionary tale about how pursuing an election concern that in fact is extremely rare risks disenfranchising a far greater number of people who are legally entitled to vote.” 6. THE NEW IMPERIALISM: Trump’s threats against Greenland, Panama and Canada are more than just shooting from the hip, transition officials tell WaPo’s Jacqueline Alemany and Cat Zakrzewski. His recent comments aim to reestablish the U.S. as a force to be reckoned with on the world stage, they say, and are also focused on gaining leverage in the broader great power competition with China and Russia. 7. INSIDE THE NEW CAMPUS LAW: “President Biden signs anti-hazing bill advocated by a Virginia family,” by WaPo’s Nicole Asbury: “Campuses have been required to release annual reports that document any crimes, but hazing typically is excluded from those reports. … Some of its mandates could take effect in the next six months … Its passage was celebrated by families of hazing victims, who have called on federal authorities to take such a step for years.” 8. IT’S ELECTION DAY SOMEWHERE: NBC’s Adam Edelman runs down the elections to watch in the coming months that will offer the first tests of the political environment in the wake of Republicans’ November victory. Next week, two Virginia state legislative special elections favor Democrats, and special elections to replace Trump’s Cabinet picks from the House should favor Republicans. But the margins in all of them will be instructive. And the most crucial race may be Wisconsin’s Supreme Court race in April, where Republicans hope to flip control of the technically nonpartisan bench back to conservatives. 9. FROM 30,000 FEET: “The Progressive Moment in Global Politics Is Over,” by WSJ’s Bertrand Benoit, David Luhnow and Vipal Monga: “Years of increased migration and trade, coupled with low economic growth, have led to a backlash and a rise in nationalism, where people want more of a sense of control, political analysts say. The rise of social media has exacerbated divisions and led to an upsurge in antiestablishment parties.”
| | | | POLITICO Pro's unique analysis combines exclusive transition intelligence and data visualization to help you understand not just what's changing, but why it matters for your organization. Explore how POLITICO Pro will make a difference for you. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | ANSWERS: 1. Musk … 2. c … 3. b … 4. d … 5. c … 6. d … 7. a … 8. c … 9. a … 10. d Frank Kendall has laid the groundwork for an Air Force transformation. Carolyn Maloney’s daughter Virginia is looking to jump into NYC politics. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Del. Aumua Amata Radewagen (R-American Samoa) … NYT’s Katie Rogers and Katie Glueck … Reihan Salam of the Manhattan Institute … Jeremy Waldstreicher … POLITICO’s Holly Otterbein, Amy McClurg, Erica Martinson, Noah Hess and Rachel Bluth … Grant Addison … Laura Friedel of Tarplin, Downs & Young … Prologue’s Jordan Langdon … Purple Strategies’ Katie Pudwill Wells … Blair Watters of InterDigital … Rally’s Leo Wallach … Kevin Griffis … Ashleigh Banfield … NBC News PR’s Claudia Meyer-Samargia … Boris Medzhibovsky … Mike Woicekowski … Sophie Horvath … Edelman’s Alexander Romano … Maria Randazzo of First Mode … Laura Clawson … Michael DeSantis Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here. Send Playbookers tips to playbook@politico.com or text us at 202-556-3307. Playbook couldn’t happen without our editor Mike DeBonis, deputy editor Zack Stanton and Playbook Daily Briefing producer Callan Tansill-Suddath.
| | | | A message from Instagram: Instagram Teen Accounts: automatic protections for teens.
Parents want safer online experiences for their teens. That's why Instagram is introducing Teen Accounts, with automatic protections for who can contact teens and the content they can see.
A key factor: Only parents can approve safety setting changes for teens under 16.
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