| | | |  | | By Ali Bianco | | Presented by |  | | | With help from Eli Okun Good Friday morning. This is Ali Bianco writing in from Miami, hoping everyone enjoyed a lovely holiday yesterday. As is tradition for many Latino families, your author celebrated on the 24th for nochebuena. Any fun Christmas traditions? Send me your favorites.
|  | DRIVING THE DAY | | | 
A hyper-focus on the cost of groceries combined with a health care message could be the double whammy that Democratic candidates ride to victories in the midterms. | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images | FROM THE WILDERNESS: With less than a week left until the new year, Democrats are trying to plot a path out of the wilderness through the midterms. It’s been more than 365 days of infighting and big picture soul-searching for the party completely locked out of power following a shellacking in 2024. As the chapter closes on 2025, the discourse over where the Democratic Party goes next year remains top of mind — and the moderate set is laying out its argument to land a blue wave, 2018 style. First in Playbook — Third Way, the center-left think tank, is releasing its latest slate of polling today capturing the mood after the first year of President Donald Trump’s second term — and making the case for the kind of messaging it believes Democrats need to deploy to break through. The poll’s main takeaway? You guessed it: It’s still the economy, stupid. The numbers: Of the 2,000 registered voters surveyed in the poll, shared exclusively with Playbook, 84 percent say they’re experiencing high inflation, 60 percent believe the economy isn’t growing and 66 percent think unemployment is increasing. The survey finds Republicans and Democrats tied at 38 percent on which party is most trusted to handle the economy. Democrats are up by 11 points on handling cost-of-living concerns, up 6 points on energy costs and tariffs, up 20 points on health care … and the list continues. See the full results “Democrats really never dominated on trust on the economy, what we've been able to do is fight it to a draw in periods that have been very good for us electorally,” Matt Bennett, Third Way’s EVP of public affairs, told Playbook. “What we need to do is at least keep it close, and I think that's where we are.” Among the most intriguing points is the issue that broke through the most with voters: food assistance. Following the government shutdown when millions were facing a lapse in food stamps through SNAP, coupled with concerns over grocery prices, food ranked as the most salient issue for voters among the 14 that Third Way tested. Putting it all together: A hyper-focus on the cost of groceries combined with a health care message could be the double whammy that Democratic candidates ride to victories in the midterms, Third Way argues. It all aligns with the word of the moment: affordability. If you’re already tired of hearing it, tough luck. The year-in-review stories and big-picture looks at 2025 that are already rolling out will all no doubt tab the economy as one of the year’s biggest throughlines. Third Way’s data is just the latest in a growing pool of polls telling a similar story — there are charts on charts on charts (compiled helpfully by WaPo and CNBC) illustrating concerns over inflation and the cooling labor market. And as NYT’s Lisa Lerer and Jonah Smith laid out in this must-read, the use of the word “affordability” exploded in the second half of this year. “We’re starting to get some things right,” Bennett told Playbook. “I think that the fact that Democrats were able to hang together around the shutdown, keep the focus on health care, really hammer affordability in the ’25 off-year races — all of that's very good news. But there is a lot of work left to be done.” Naturally, the answers to some of the party’s bigger problems remain elusive — with no clear leader, factional divides ever-present the Hill and a potentially prickly primary season not too far ahead. This is all compounded by the fact that the DNC has opted against releasing its 2024 autopsy — a decision that has drawn considerable pushback from within the party, while Chair Ken Martin argues that it could serve as a negative “distraction.” The to-be-improved: Third Way’s polling notably illustrates the party’s biggest weaknesses as clearly as it does the emerging strengths. Despite some souring public opinions on Trump, Republicans hold a higher favorability rating: 42 percent compared to Democrats’ 40 percent. Republicans are also running away with the trust numbers on border and national security with 30- and 17-point margins, respectively. That trend plays out on immigration and crime, as well. Democrats need to shore up support in these areas to flip more voters, Third Way says. There’s also the reality that defining the party’s rallying cry some months before the midterms creates plenty of time for the GOP to pack its own punch in response. While Democrats welcome Trump calling affordability a “hoax,” as he has done on multiple occasions recently, the White House seems intent on pushing him in a different direction. They’re touting his tax cuts and promising relief in early 2026, as WaPo’s Theodoric Meyer and Riley Beggin write. NEC Director Kevin Hassett teased a big housing proposal to come from the administration next year as well, per Fox News. One thing is clear: The affordability message isn’t going anywhere in 2026. And Democrats may find a renewed momentum as the cost of health care becomes even more important. Another milestone moment looms on the horizon as the Affordable Care Act subsidies expire in less than a week. THE NEXT LEFT: “Can Democrats Reinvent Themselves as Washington Disrupters?” by NYT’s Lisa Lerer: “As they try to repair their political brand before the midterm elections, Democrats are rushing to redefine themselves as Washington disrupters, eager to challenge a government that many Americans believe has failed to improve their lives.”
| | A message from MS NOW: "We the people, in order to form a more perfect union." These words are more than just the opening of the Constitution. They're a reminder of who this country belongs to, and what we can be at our best.
They're also the cornerstone of MS NOW. Whether it's breaking news, exclusive reporting, election coverage or in-depth analysis, The People are at the heart of everything we do.
Same mission. New name.
Visit ms.now for more. | | | | 7 THINGS FOR YOUR RADAR 1. WAR AND PEACE: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said today that he will soon try to meet with Trump again. Zelenskyy said there was agreement on a meeting, NYT’s Cassandra Vinograd reports, which could be as early as this Sunday at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home, per Axios. That comes after Zelenskyy’s Christmas Day phone call with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, where they “discussed certain substantive details of the ongoing work” to end the war, Bloomberg’s David Pan reports. Zelenskyy has increasingly shown room to bend, including on the Donbas region, agreeing to retreating troops for a potential demilitarized zone, per AP. On the ground in Ukraine: NYT’s Kim Barker and Oleksandra Mykolyshyn have a harrowing dispatch from Odesa, the largest port city in Ukraine that has been under near-constant attack over the last two weeks by Russian strikes. “The toll on older people and those with disabilities is especially severe as Moscow’s forces repeatedly attack the port city’s infrastructure.” The moving pieces in Gaza: A Ukraine peace push isn’t the only international issue on Trump’s agenda. The president is also set to meet with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu in Florida next week. That meeting could be crucial for the future rollout of the Gaza peace plan, as the White House worries Netanyahu is slow-walking it, Axios’ Barak Ravid reports. The White House wants to get Gaza’s international security force up and running ASAP — but they’ll need Netanyahu’s support to move forward. 2. MORE U.S. STRIKES: “US says it struck Islamic State militants in northwest Nigeria,” by Reuters’ Trevor Hunnicutt and colleagues: “The United States carried out a strike against Islamic State militants in northwest Nigeria at the request of Nigeria's government, President Donald Trump and the U.S. military said on Thursday, claiming the group had been targeting Christians in the region. … The U.S. military’s Africa Command said the strike was carried out in Sokoto state in coordination with the Nigerian authorities and killed multiple ISIS militants.” 3. THE BRAVE NEW WORLD: “ICE taps new surveillance tech as Trump cuts down privacy protections,” by POLITICO’s Alfred Ng: “The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is buying millions of dollars’ worth of new surveillance tools at the same time President Donald Trump has scaled back protections for use of civilian data — a combination that could lead to a vast expansion of domestic surveillance that goes far beyond immigrants. Federal records show that ICE has increased its spending on surveillance technology, looking to spend more than $300 million under Trump for social-media monitoring tools, facial recognition software, license plate readers and services to find where people live and work.”
| | | | A message from MS NOW:  
| | | | 4. BILL OF HEALTH: The push against rising costs is seeping into the ultraprocessed food sector, which after a year of struggling to counter HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s MAHA agenda, may have landed on a message, POLITICO’s Amanda Chu reports. Food manufacturers are hitting back and arguing that Kennedy’s push to stop using some food ingredients will make groceries more expensive. Vax not: Kennedy’s plans to have the U.S. childhood vaccination schedule mirror Denmark’s are also getting pushback from critics who argue that the U.S. doesn’t have European levels of health care access and has different levels of disease, POLITICO’s Lauren Gardner and colleagues write. “Public health experts and others critical of the move say slimmer European vaccine schedules are a cost-saving measure and a privilege afforded to healthier societies, not a tactic to protect kids from vaccine injuries.” 5. OFF THE HILL: “More House Republicans are leaving Congress to run for governor than in decades amid frustration over ‘toxic environment,’” by CNN’s Annie Grayer and colleagues: “Congressional Republicans have yet to break the record for most retirements in a single year, but some say it’s only a matter of time before widespread frustration with the current state of Washington leads to a tipping point … The 10 House Republicans seeking gubernatorial offices in their states this election cycle is the most who have run from either party in the available data compiled by CNN dating back to 1974.” One lawmaker told CNN: “It’s historic to be there. It’s an amazing honor. But boy, they suck a lot of the life out of you sometimes.” 6. ON HOUSING: The Trump administration’s plans to strip billions in aid from the “Housing First” program punctuates a back-and-forth debate over how effective a model it has been to help homeless people, NYT’s Jason DeParle writes. The program offers subsidized housing and offers but doesn’t require mental health treatment. Supporters laud it as an “evidence based” approach that has housed large numbers of people, especially veterans. “At the same time, Housing First programs have not consistently improved clients’ mental or physical health … And while Housing First is sometimes called lifesaving, the evidence does not clearly show it lowers mortality rates.” 7. IMMIGRATION FILES: “US Tells Afghan Migrants to Report on Christmas, New Year’s Day,” by Bloomberg’s Hadriana Lowenkron: “US Immigration and Customs Enforcement summoned Afghans residing in the US to present their documents during the holiday season, marking the latest effort by the Trump administration to crack down on migrants from the Asian nation. … ICE is seeking appointments for a ‘scheduled report check-in,’ with one requesting such a meeting on Christmas Day and another asking for one on New Year’s Day.” THE WEEKEND AHEAD FRIDAY PROGRAMS … PBS “Washington Week”: Leigh Ann Caldwell, Peter Baker, Laura Barrón-López and David Graham. SUNDAY SO FAR … CNN “State of the Union”: Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) … Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) … Geoffrey Hinton … Jonathan Haidt and Catherine Price … Tejasvi Manoj. ABC “This Week”: Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) … Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio). Panel: Rick Klein, Sarah Isgur and Neera Tanden. FOX “Fox News Sunday”: Erika Kirk … Karen Kingsbury. Panel: Meghan Hays and Mollie Hemingway. CBS “Face the Nation”: Brian Moynihan … Major Garrett … Jan Crawford … Robert Costa … Scott MacFarlane … Jennifer Jacobs … Samantha Vinograd … Chris Krebs. NBC “Meet the Press”: Hoda Kotb … Mel Robbins … Marcus Samuelsson … Jon M. Chu.
| | | | A message from MS NOW:  
| | | | | | TALK OF THE TOWN | | IN MEMORIAM — Tatum Dale, one of Rep. Andy Barr’s (R-Ky.) top staffers, died, Barr announced yesterday. Dale worked with Barr for over 15 years, serving as his district director and later his deputy chief of staff and campaign manager during his run for Senate. “Tatum loved her family, her faith, and her Commonwealth. She made me a better Congressman, our staff better public servants, and we will all miss her forever,” Barr wrote. Read his full tribute — “Robert Lindsey, Times Reporter and Reagan Ghostwriter, Dies at 90,” by NYT’s Sam Roberts: “Robert Lindsey, a journalist whose award-winning nonfiction spy thriller ‘The Falcon and the Snowman’ was adapted into a movie starring Sean Penn and Timothy Hutton, and who ghostwrote autobiographies for former President Ronald Reagan and Marlon Brando, died on Dec. 19 in Carmel, Calif. He was 90.” KNOWING ROSIE RIOS — Rosie Rios, the former U.S. treasurer now leading the America 250 Commission, spoke with POLITICO’s Sophia Cai for a Q&A about how she is working to pull off an ambitious, bipartisan effort to mark the nation’s semiquincentennial. “You’re a rare Democrat-appointed leader who hasn’t been removed under President Trump. How have you managed that?” Sophia put it to Rios. She responded: “Four words: no politics, just purpose. That’s the secret sauce. This is my fifth administration. So it’s working the way Congress intended it to work: to be bipartisan, to represent all three branches of government in a way that allows all of them to participate.” EXTREME HOME MAKEOVER: WH EDITION — “White House to present plans for Trump’s East Wing ballroom in January,” by Reuters’ Trevor Hunnicutt: “The National Capital Planning Commission, chartered by Congress to manage planning for Washington-area federal lands, said on its website that the White House will provide an ‘information presentation’ on plans to rebuild the East Wing during a commission meeting on January 8.” ENGAGED — Andy Picon, a congressional reporter at POLITICO's E&E News, and Claire Hazbun, a Ph.D. student in political science at Georgetown University, got engaged on Christmas Eve in Washington, D.C. — Krysia Lenzo, a Newsmax host, got engaged on Tuesday to Marc Chalfin, founder and chief investment officer at Windward Management. He proposed at Daniel restaurant. The couple met through a mutual friend. Pic ... Another pic HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Council of Economic Advisers’ Jared Bernstein … Mary Blanche Hankey of Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s (R-Ala.) office … Mike Hammer … Bishop Garrison … Katie Fallon … Eloy Martinez of Aristocrat … Noelle Troost … Matthew Verghese … Kristin Davison … Alex Zuckerman of Scripps News … Jonathan Hoffman … Rohit Mahajan of Radio Free Asia … Sarada Peri … Sally Fox of Rep. Tom Emmer’s (R-Minn.) office … Jeremy Broggi … Jon Henke … Jennifer Duck … Joe Deoudes … former Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) … Candy Crowley … former California Gov. Gray Davis … Synim Rivers … Chris Weihs of Sen. Josh Hawley’s (R-Mo.) office … Bill Becker … Rob Pyron Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here. Send Playbookers tips to playbook@politico.com or text us on Signal here. Playbook couldn’t happen without our deputy editor Garrett Ross.
| | A message from MS NOW: Home to Morning Joe, The Rachel Maddow Show, The Briefing with Jen Psaki, and more voices you know and trust, MS NOW is your source for news, opinion, and the world.
Our name is new, but you'll find the same commitment to justice, progress, and the truth you've relied on for decades. We'll continue to cover the day's news, ask the tough questions, and explain how it impacts you.
MS NOW.
Same mission. New name.
Visit ms.now to learn more. | | | | | | | | Follow us on X | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Canada Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | |
No comments:
Post a Comment