LATEST WAPO DRAMA — Pulitzer-winning cartoonist ANN TELNAESannounced last night she quit WaPo after editors killed a cartoon that depicted owner JEFF BEZOS, among others, genuflecting to President-elect DONALD TRUMP. Telnaes called the decision to spike the piece for its point of view “dangerous for a free press.”
Opinions editor DAVID SHIPLEYtold NYT’s Benjamin Mullin that his decision “was guided by the fact that we had just published a column on the same topic as the cartoon and had already scheduled another column — this one a satire — for publication. The only bias was against repetition.”
Newly reelected Speaker Mike Johnson is already facing fresh threats from Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) and a band of Freedom Caucus members. | Francis Chung/POLITICO
ROCKY ROAD AHEAD — Less than 24 hours after electing MIKE JOHNSON speaker and putting an end to weeks of drama over the gavel, House Republicans made a show of getting straight to work this morning — piling onto buses at the Capitol a short while ago and heading to Fort McNair in Southwest Washington for a daylong strategy session on their plans for budget reconciliation.
It certainly makes sense for Johnson and his GOP colleagues to move quickly on the procedurally complex party-line effort, which will touch major agenda items such as border security and tax policy.
But it doesn’t mean that everyone has moved past yesterday’s drama — far from it.
A senior House Republican offered us a somber reality check shortly after Johnson clinched the gavel in a nail-biter vote yesterday.
Expect “friction” within the GOP ranks over any big legislation this Congress, given the razor-thin majority, this Republican said. Even with a governing trifecta, Republicans will need Democratic votes to fund the government, this person added, and their ambitious party-line budget reconciliation plans will turn into a “shitshow” if just a few House Republicans balk.
And hanging over it all is the same band of hard-right troublemakers who ousted predecessor KEVIN McCARTHY and made the first 15 months of Johnson’s tenure a continual series of headaches.
He’s already facing fresh threats from Rep. CHIP ROY (R-Texas) and a band of Freedom Caucus members who warned of “consequences” for Johnson if he crosses them again like he did during the pre-holiday funding meltdown.
Rep. ERIC BURLISON (R-Mo.) warned that if Johnson tried again to “go get Democratic votes” to fund the government or pass other major legislation, “he will immediately be motion to vacated.” (Never mind that Senate Republicans are of no mind to ditch the filibuster, guaranteeing some Democratic relevance to the process.)
“You’ve seen the lifespan of speakers in the last decade, it’s not that long,” Rep. BYRON DONALDS (R-Fla.) said.
Summarizing the gauntlet of challenges Johnson will soon have to run, Jordain Carney writes: “His margin is only set to shrink in the near-term as some members leave for positions in the Trump administration, and he can currently only afford to lose one GOP vote on partisan legislation. He’ll need near, if not complete, unity to pass Trump’s agenda on the border, energy and taxes — or anything else. If he relies on Democrats to move must-pass items like spending legislation now that the GOP has total control of Congress, he’ll risk a severe backlash from his right flank.”
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But Johnson did get some encouraging news yesterday: He learned just how effective Trump can be in enforcing discipline in the GOP ranks.
As Rachael Bade writes this morning, it was the result of months of effort on Johnson’s part — keeping in close touch with Trump as he sought to maneuver past pitfall after pitfall. With Roy threatening to lead a mutiny earlier this week, Johnson had Trump get him on the phone during a New Year’s Day meeting at Mar-a-Lago.
Johnson, VP-elect JD VANCE and others watched as the future president demanded fealty: “You’ve got to be with me,” Trump told Roy.
Opposition among the GOP holdouts further cracked Thursday, after hearing they had been put on a list that Trump was watching and ready to call. By yesterday morning, some of Johnson’s detractors privately said they were prepared to “vote for Trump’s agenda” and back Johnson. Soon after on the House floor, other Republicans quickly realized the holdouts didn’t appear prepared to hold out for very long.
“Actually after all that they didn’t have a plan,” said one GOP lawmaker. “They all bailed.”
Some of Johnson’s detractors were counting on Rep. KEITH SELF (R-Texas) to be the “linchpin” that would block Johnson from a quick win and drag the voting into another round. But Self and fellow holdout Rep. RALPH NORMAN (R-S.C.) backed down on the first ballot, after they were put on the phone with Trump.
Beyond private assurances from Johnson and others about a more “collaborative” legislative process, the holdouts didn’t win any major concessions. (In a maximum three-seat majority, we’ll note, collaboration goes without saying.)
Still, Freedom Caucus members left the Capitol yesterday with incredibly high expectations that Johnson will meet their demands in the coming year — especially when it comes to cutting spending in the upcoming reconciliation package.
“I don’t care whether they agreed to it or not, it better damn well happen,” Roy told us.
Pressed on what would happen if it doesn’t, he replied: “Use your imagination.”
“House adopts rules package expanding Johnson’s protections,” by Anthony Adragna: “Under the section-by-section analysis of the rules, it would now take nine members of the Republican conference to trigger a motion to vacate the speakership, a threshold that was just a single member when the GOP opted to oust then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy last Congress.”
“‘You Guys Are Screwing It All Up’: Trump Quashes Revolt Against Speaker Johnson,” by RealClearPolitics’ Philip Wegmann: “When a second ballot seemed imminent, South Carolina Rep. NANCY MACE dialed the president-elect on her cellphone. … The message from the president-elect, a source with direct knowledge of the call told RealClearPolitics, was that ‘we had the most historic election, and you guys are stepping all over it by being ridiculous.’”
“Johnson’s Reward for Keeping His Gavel: An Impossible Job Delivering for Trump,” by NYT’s Catie Edmonson: “Within weeks, Mr. Johnson’s majority will shrink smaller still. He is losing two reliable Republican votes, Representatives ELISE STEFANIK of New York and MICHAEL WALTZ of Florida, who are leaving the House to work in the Trump administration, meaning he will only be able to afford a single defection on fraught votes. On top of all of it are towering expectations about what Mr. Trump can accomplish with a Republican trifecta.”
“Sen. John Thune says House Speaker Mike Johnson has a ‘really tough job’ ahead with a thin GOP majority,” by NBC’s Alexandra Marquez: “‘I think he has been responsive to his members, but he’s got a lot of folks that are headed in different directions,’ [Senate Majority Leader JOHN] THUNE said during an interview with ‘Meet the Press’ moderator Kristen Welker that took place as the House was selecting a new speaker. ‘I mean, as you know, that with a narrow margin like that, any individual member of the House of Representatives can have a huge impact.’”
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PLAYBOOK READS
President-elect Donald Trump is due to be sentenced for his felony conviction next week. | Evan Vucci/AP Photo
9 THINGS THAT STUCK WITH US
1. THE TRUMP TRIALS: Justice JUAN MERCHAN yesterday said Trump will be sentenced for his hush money felony criminal conviction on Friday, an extraordinary turn of events 10 days before his inauguration despite Merchan indicating that Trump won’t get prison time, per Bloomberg’s Erik Larson and Patricia Hurtado. Merchan rejected the Trump team’s attempt to get the case tossed because of presidential immunity — noting that Trump isn’t president yet. Merchan said Trump can appear virtually if he wants, and he foreshadowed a likely sentence of “unconditional discharge,” which means no real punishment. Trump continued to deny having illegally paid off STORMY DANIELS to conceal their affair during the 2016 election.
2. PEDAL TO THE MEDAL: The White House announced that Biden is awarding the Presidential Medal of Freedom to 19 people today, including luminaries of the Democratic establishment and superstars from popular culture, per CNN’s Donald Judd. The nation’s highest civilian honor will be bestowed on HILLARY CLINTON, GEORGE SOROS, JOSÉ ANDRÉS, TIM GILL, BONO, MICHAEL J. FOX, JANE GOODALL, MAGIC JOHNSON, RALPH LAUREN, LIONEL MESSI, BILL NYE, DAVID RUBENSTEIN, GEORGE STEVENS JR., DENZEL WASHINGTON and ANNA WINTOUR. It will also posthumously go to ROBERT F. KENNEDY,ASH CARTER, FANNIE LOU HAMER and GEORGE ROMNEY.
3. WHAT MIKE DeWINE IS THINKING: “Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted emerges as the late favorite for Vance’s Senate seat,” by NBC’s Henry Gomez in Cleveland: “What’s not yet clear is if [JON] HUSTED would accept an appointment … But some GOP insiders believe the job is Husted’s if he wants it. … Husted, 57, has long held ambitions of being governor and has passed on running for Senate in previous elections. He also has been aggressively preparing a campaign to succeed the term-limited DeWine … [F]ormer state GOP chair JANE TIMKEN and state Rep. JAY EDWARDS are among the Republicans whom DeWine is seriously considering.”
4. NOT-SO-WARM WELCOME: Trump announced MORGAN ORTAGUS as his choice for deputy special presidential envoy for Middle East peace, though to judge from his catty Truth Social post, it’s not clear he really wanted to: “Early on Morgan fought me for three years, but hopefully has learned her lesson,” he wrote. “These things usually don’t work out, but she has strong Republican support, and I’m not doing this for me, I’m doing it for them. Let’s see what happens.” Ortagus was the State Department spokesperson for part of Trump’s first term, Paul McLeary notes. She’ll work with envoy STEVE WITKOFF.
Trump also said he’ll nominate ROMAN PIPKO as U.S. ambassador to Estonia, elevating the Estonian-born lawyer to a post that could be especially important amid U.S.-Russia tensions, Nahal Toosi notes. And for Ortagus’ old role, he announced that TAMMY BRUCE will be spokesperson for the State Department, tapping the longtime Fox News contributor for “one of U.S. diplomacy’s most publicly visible positions,” Nahal writes.
5. MAN OF STEEL: “Biden’s National-Security Aides Wanted to Keep Steel Deal Alive,” by WSJ’s Alex Ward, Catherine Lucey and Bob Tita: “Biden went against top national-security aides when deciding to tank a Japanese takeover of U.S. Steel and instead align with his domestic advisers to bolster his pro-union legacy. … [N]ational security adviser JAKE SULLIVAN and Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN were among the foreign policy-minded aides pushing for options that could keep the deal alive, not wanting to damage a crucial relationship with an East Asia ally … [T]ime had effectively run out for the Japanese company to convince the administration it could protect U.S. supply chains.”
6. MIDDLE EAST LATEST: “Biden notifies Congress of $8 billion arms sale to Israel,” by Axios’ Barak Ravid: “[It] will include munitions for fighter jets and attack helicopters as well as artillery shells … This will likely be the last weapons sale to Israel the Biden administration approves. … This is a long-term agreement.”
7. ALL THAT GLITTERS: Former Sen. BOB MENENDEZ’s (D-N.J.) legal team asked a judge to sentence him to only about two years on his corruption convictions, way less than the 12 years the Probation Department recommended, Matt Friedman reports. Menendez is both appealing the conviction and trying to get a new trial over prosecutorial errors. But his sentencing is still on the books for later this month, and his lawyers said leniency is warranted because his life is already “in shambles” and he’s now bereft of “every conceivable personal, professional, and financial benefit.”
His lawyers also continued to blame NADINE MENENDEZ, who goes on trial next month, indicating “that their client’s greatest failing was being led astray by a conniving wife,” NYT’s Tracey Tully writes.
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8. DAILY RUDY: “Rudy Giuliani insists he’s not hiding assets at contempt hearing over $148 million judgment,” by AP’s Melissa Goldin in NYC: “RUDY GIULIANI seemed to favorably impress a judge with three hours of testimony Friday at a contempt hearing … Judge LEWIS J. LIMAN seemed less inclined to find the former mayor in contempt for failing to turn over some assets, including a valuable signed JOE DiMAGGIO jersey … Giuliani said repeatedly that he wasn’t purposefully trying to withhold assets. He portrayed himself as forgetful, disorganized at times and having delegated to others some of the chores regarding his assets and the legal case surrounding them.”
9. NEW ORLEANS FALLOUT: The White House said Biden will go to New Orleans on Monday to mourn the 14 people killed in the apparent New Year’s terrorist attack, meeting with local officials and family members of the deceased, per WaPo’s Maeve Reston.
The trajectory of SHAMSUD-DIN JABBAR has shined a spotlight on the threat of radicalization and homegrown, lone-wolf attacks. Experts say “extremism online and political divisions at home” increasingly make radicalization easier to achieve and harder for law enforcement to stop, especially on the right wing but also (as in this case) with radical Islamism, NBC’s Adiel Kaplan and Kenzi Abou-Sabe report. For months, U.S. officials had warned that international terrorism posed a growing concern at home, AP’s Eric Tucker notes.
CLICKER — “Matt Wuerker’s Best of 2024,” our cartoonist’s journey through the year that was via 26 political cartoons: “We seem to be cracking up, in so many different ways, into different cultural and political tribes, different media ecosystems, different political planets. Our parallel universes are now fragmenting into many new galaxies. It makes it hard to keep up and navigate through the nebulous nebulas, the belts of idiocy and bottomless black holes of hubris. We’re headed into a whole new political solar system.”
Matt Wuerker/POLITICO
GREAT WEEKEND READS:
— “Insurers Continue to Rely on Doctors Whose Judgments Have Been Criticized by Courts,” by ProPublica’s Duaa Eldeib and Maya Miller: “[I]nsurance companies can put their clients’ health in jeopardy, in ways that some judges have ruled ‘arbitrary and capricious.’ To do so, court records reveal, the insurers have turned to a coterie of psychiatrists.”
— “Narendra Modi’s Populist Facade Is Cracking,” by The Atlantic’s Robert Worth: “India is now a testing ground for whether demagoguery or deteriorating living conditions exert a greater sway on voters.”
— “How the Democrats Lost the Working Class,” by NYT’s Jonathan Weisman: “The theory seemed sound: Stabilize financial markets, support the poor and promote a more secure, integrated world. But blue-collar workers were left behind.”
— “The Militia and the Mole,” by ProPublica’s Joshua Kaplan: “A wilderness survival trainer spent years undercover, climbing the ranks of right-wing militias. He didn’t tell police or the FBI. He didn’t tell his family or friends. … He penetrated a new generation of militia leaders … He sent ProPublica a massive trove of documents.”
OUT AND ABOUT — SPOTTED at Sen. Ruben Gallego’s (D-Ariz.) swearing-in party: Sens. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.).
— SPOTTED at Sen. Adam Schiff’s (D-Calif.) swearing-in receptions at District Winery yesterday evening and Dirksen during the day: Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Sens. Chris Coons (D-Del.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Reps. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) and Brad Sherman (D-Calif.), Barbara Lee and Emma Brown.
— Center Stage: Honoring the New Democrat Coalition hosted a pre-swearing-in celebration at Sonoma on Thursday night. SPOTTED: Reps. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.), Haley Stevens (D-Mich.), Nikki Budzinski (D-Ill.), Andrea Salinas (D-Ore.), Janelle Bynum (D-Ore.), Derek Tran (D-Calif.), Johnny Olszewski (D-Md.), Gil Cisneros (D-Calif.), Wesley Bell (D-Mo.), Emily Randall (D-Wash.), Shomari Figures (D-Ala.), George Whitesides (D-Calif.), Rick Larsen (D-Wash.), Bill Keating (D-Mass.), Sharice Davids (D-Kan.), Joe Morelle (D-N.Y.), Bill Foster (D-Ill.), Tim Kennedy (D-N.Y.), Jim Himes (D-Conn.) and Gabe Amo (D-R.I.), Irish Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason, Luxembourg Ambassador Nicole Bintner-Bakshian, New Zealand Ambassador Rosemary Banks, Andy York, Eric Feldman, Andy Berke, Puneet Verma, Maryland state Del. Adrian Boafo, Helen Milby, Casey O’Shea, Tammy Haddad, Jamie Fleet and Anne Sokolov.
WHITE HOUSE DEPARTURE LOUNGE — Jim Cho is joining Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove’s (D-Calif.) office as chief of staff. He previously was special assistant to the president and House liaison in the White House Office of Legislative Affairs.
TRANSITIONS — Rep. Janelle Bynum (D-Ore.) is adding Koray Rosati as comms director and Lucas Lam as legislative director. Rosati previously was a comms fellow for the New Dems. Lam previously was an economic policy adviser for Rep. Marilyn Strickland (D-Wash.). … Paniz Rezaeerod is joining Rep. Yassamin Ansari’s (D-Ariz.) office as legislative director. She previously was deputy director of congressional affairs at the Interior Department and is a Joe Cunningham alum. … Chris Prandoni will be deputy staff director for the Senate Energy and Natural Resources GOP. He previously was an administrative law judge for the Interior Department. …
… Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) is adding Amanda Gould as chief counsel and Andrew Rothe as legislative director. Gould previously was counselor to FEC Chair Allen Dickerson. Rothe previously was policy director for the House Small Business Committee. … Lyssa Bell is now executive director of the Republican Study Committee. She previously was comms director and deputy chief of staff for Rep. August Pfluger (R-Texas). … Nick Vander Poel is now director of strategy, initiatives and resources at Stryk Global Diplomacy. He most recently was a lobbyist at Flynn Giudici Government Affairs and is an Americans for Prosperity and MavPAC alum.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Rep. Emilia Sykes (D-Ohio) … Amos Hochstein … Doris Kearns Goodwin … POLITICO’s David Kihara … Eric Cortellessa … NBC’s Ben Mayer … Joshua Zeitz … Rob Gifford of CBS News Streaming … Axios’ Adriel Bettelheim … Jill Martin … Alex Campau of Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies … Kyle Hupfer … Nan Aron … Jim Warren … Courtney Piron of Novartis … Doug Campbell … Erin Moffet … Patrick Purtill … Marie Sanderson … Caitlin Emma … Chip Kahn of the Federation of American Hospitals … Marc Brumer of the Herald Group … C-SPAN’s Michele Remillard … Blue State’s Chris Huntley … Belén Mendoza … Gabby Birenbaum … Greg Smith of Rep. Eli Crane’s (R-Ariz.) office … Samantha Slosberg … Audrey (Hickenlooper) White … Peter Schorsch … Paul Foldi of the Professional Services Council … Victoria Bautista of Rep. Adam Smith’s (D-Wash.) office … Emily Samsel … Mary Collins Howell of Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions … Andy Borowitz … Jeremy Funk
NBC “Meet the Press”: Senate Majority Leader John Thune … Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer … Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.). Panel: Carol Lee, Jonathan Martin, Symone Sanders-Townsend and Marc Short.
CBS “Face the Nation”: Senate Majority Leader John Thune … Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) … Tom Homan … Reps. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) and Jim Himes (D-Conn.).
CNN “State of the Union”: Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) … Sen. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) … Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.). Panel: Reps. Brandon Gill (R-Texas), Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.), Riley Moore (R-W.Va.) and Adam Gray (D-Calif.).
ABC “This Week”: DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas … Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) … Ashish Jha. Panel: Donna Brazile, Astead Herndon, Julie Pace and Reihan Salam.
Fox News “Sunday Morning Futures”: Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) … Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) … Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) … Mollie Hemingway.
MSNBC “PoliticsNation”: Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) … Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) … Harry Dunn.
NewsNation “The Hill Sunday,” guest-hosted by Blake Burman: Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas). Panel: Molly Ball, Michael Warren, Jasmine Wright and Mychael Schnell.
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Correction: Yesterday’s Playbook included out-of-date Sunday listings for MSNBC’s “Alex Witt Reports.”
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The U.S. still lacks 4.7 million homes, and middle-income buyers are feeling the inventory shortage the most. More than 375,000 listings in the $250,000 and under price range are missing from the market.
We’ve worked with Congress to endorse a package of bills with broad support that would unlock housing inventory.
Legislation like the More Homes on the Market Act would incentivize long-term homeowners to sell by increasing the amount of capital gains they can exclude from the sale of a principal residence.
Real estate makes up nearly one-fifth of the U.S. economy, and each home sale generates $125,000 in local economic activity and two jobs.
