| | | | | |  | | By Anna Palmer and Jake Sherman | Presented by |  | | | | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | NEW … NYT'S MAGGIE HABERMAN is writing a book about President DONALD TRUMP. WHAT ELSE do we need to say about this? You know this is going to be awesome. MAGGIE has been a singular force in national political reporting for a decade -- first at POLITICO, and since 2015 at The New York Times, where she won a Pulitzer. She first owned the HILLARY CLINTON beat, and then seamlessly became the single best TRUMP reporter. Period. THE BOOK -- which will be out in 2022 -- will chronicle TRUMP'S early years in New York, his rise, his presidency and whatever comes next for the 45th president. MAGGIE is a native New Yorker, so she is very familiar with the world TRUMP comes from. Javelin's MATT LATIMER and KEITH URBAHN negotiated the book deal for HABERMAN, and PENGUIN PRESS is the publisher. RON KLAIN will be JOE BIDEN'S White House chief of staff. KLAIN has been the top choice for some time, so this should come as no surprise. -- NYT says this: "Mr. Klain, a lawyer with deep experience on Capitol Hill, with advising President Barack Obama and in corporate board rooms, served as Mr. Biden's chief of staff when he was vice president … The choice of Mr. Klain, 59, who first went to work for Mr. Biden in the late 1980s when Mr. Biden was a senator from Delaware and Mr. Klain was a recent graduate of Harvard Law School, signals that Mr. Biden intends to rely on a tight circle of Washington insiders who have been by his side for years." BIDEN TRANSITION NEWS … HERE ARE SOME NAMES you should keep an eye on for big roles in BIDEN White House world: -- SHUWANZA GOFF -- STENY HOYER'S director of legislative affairs -- is in the mix for leg affairs director. GOFF has great relationships on both sides of the aisle and has been a key to the House Dem leadership team, so this would be the most logical choice for team BIDEN. The key to leg affairs director is knowing the modern makeup of Congress, which GOFF does, perhaps better than anyone. -- LOUISA TERRELL -- the former executive director of the Biden Foundation -- is also in the mix. TERRELL worked in the Obama W.H. leg shop, and for BIDEN on the Hill for seven years. -- SHALANDA YOUNG is the Dem staff director for House Appropriations, which means she knows federal spending better than probably anyone. Keep an eye on her for OMB director, or something of that variety. -- JAMIE FLEET -- a longtime aide to the House Administration Committee and a big figure inside House Dem politics -- could be in the mix for a senior leg affairs job, or White House Cabinet secretary. -- ANGELA RAMIREZ -- the former chief to Rep. BEN RAY LUJÁN (D-N.M.) -- is on transition leg affairs, and could slide into a big job there, as well. IMPORTANT STATISTIC, via WSJ's NATALIE ANDREWS: "Democrats' majority in the House is set to be their tightest since World War II." UNDERSTAND THIS: BIDEN has a massive legislative agenda, and who he puts on his senior White House team to deal with the Hill is probably one of the most important decisions he will make. THE HOUSE DEMOCRATIC LEADERSHIP will announce Friday that their leadership elections will be conducted remotely. Presentations will be given on Zoom, and voting will happen on an internal app that the caucus created. There will be a room at the Hyatt on the Hill for people to give speeches for contested slots. BRIAN JACK, the W.H. political director who was diagnosed with the coronavirus over the weekend, is a candidate to be NRCC executive director, sources told us. Good Thursday morning. SPOTTED: Treasury Secretary STEVEN MNUCHIN and Sen. MARK WARNER (D-Va.) dining at Xiquet in Glover Park on Wednesday night. DRIVING TODAY: Speaker NANCY PELOSI and Senate Minority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER are holding a joint availability at 10:15 a.m., and House Minority Leader KEVIN MCCARTHY will hold his availability at 11 a.m. | | A message from Morgan Stanley: 4 Steps to Sustainable Investing – For institutional asset owners, the case for incorporating sustainable investing into portfolio management is only getting stronger. But as sustainable investing interest grows, implementation can remain challenging. Learn the four steps that can guide a dynamic sustainable investing strategy for the long term. | | | THE CORONAVIRUS IS RAGING … WAPO: "The number of new daily coronavirus cases in the United States jumped from 104,000 a week earlier to more than 145,000 on Wednesday, an all-time high. Nearly every metric is trending in the wrong direction, prompting states to add new restrictions and hospitals to prepare for a potentially dark future." THE TRANSITION … SEN. JAMES LANKFORD (R-Okla.) said if BIDEN is not receiving classified briefings by Friday, he will step in. KRMG BEHIND THE SCENES -- "Trump's team rushes to execute lame-duck moves — even without a concession," by Nancy Cook and Gabby Orr: "On Monday, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows gathered senior aides on a call. One of his goals: to plot the conservative policy moves they could push through in their final 10 weeks on immigration, trade, health care, China and school choice. "Even as President Donald Trump refused to concede to President-elect Joe Biden, Meadows was asking aides on the call to give him three goals by the end of the week that could be accomplished by Biden's inauguration, according to two people briefed on the conversation. Since then, staffers have compiled a list of roughly 15 moves they could make through executive orders, executive actions or finalizing agency rules that they plan to pursue in the coming days, according to interviews with three administration officials. "On immigration, they are seeking to finalize a rule related to making the standards stricter around H-1B visas, which allow U.S. employers to temporarily hire foreign workers in specialty occupations. And a potential school-related executive order would seek to give Covid-19 relief money to parents in public school districts shut down by the coronavirus, allowing them to use the funds for private or parochial schools." THE QUESTION WE'VE ALL BEEN WONDERING -- "What Is Trump's Legal Strategy? Try to Block Certification of Biden Victory in States," by WSJ's Rebecca Ballhaus and Rebecca Davis O'Brien: "President Trump's campaign is pursuing a patchwork of legal attacks in key states that have been called for President-elect Joe Biden to mount a long-shot effort to try to prevent officials from certifying the results, advisers and lawyers involved said. "Trump advisers have grown more vocal in conversations with Mr. Trump in recent days that they don't see a path to victory, even if his legal efforts meet some success, a White House official said, though some advisers have continued to tell the president he still has a shot. An official said Mr. Trump understands that the fight isn't winnable but characterized his feelings as: 'Let me have the fight.' "One potential strategy discussed by Mr. Trump's legal team would be attempting to get court orders to delay vote certification in critical states, potentially positioning Republican-controlled state legislatures to appoint pro-Trump electors who would swing the Electoral College in his favor, according to people familiar with the discussions. "It isn't known how seriously the campaign has considered this idea, one of the people said. Many of the advisers and lawyers said they doubt the effort would succeed and say it is aimed largely at appeasing Mr. Trump, who believes the election was stolen from him and expects his legal team to keep fighting." WSJ THERE IS NO STRATEGY! … WAPO'S ASHLEY PARKER and PHIL RUCKER: "Trump insists he'll win, but aides say he has no real plan to overturn results and talks of 2024 run": "[T]he president has no clear endgame to actually win the election — and, in an indication he may be starting to come to terms with his loss, he is talking privately about running again in 2024. … Trump has been spending his days largely on the phone, calling advisers, allies and friends. The president has been 'trying to find people who will give him good news,' one adviser said." | | | |   | | | SMART … NYT'S ANNIE KARNI and MIKE SCHMIDT: "For Pence, the Future Is Tied to Trump as Much as the Present Is": "In the final weeks of Mr. Pence's term, his relationship with President Trump is facing what may be the vice president's toughest challenge yet. Mr. Pence must now balance his loyalty to an enraged president making baseless claims of voter fraud against his own political future and reputation. He also has to deal with how Mr. Trump's talk of running for president again in 2024 could leave him with no lane to run in. It also makes it difficult for Mr. Pence to even start raising money if the president is floating his own name. … "In reality, Mr. Pence's allies expect him to return to Indiana and make a living giving paid speeches and potentially writing a book. It will be the first time in a long time that Mr. Pence will live as a private citizen — he moved from the governor's mansion in Indiana to temporary housing in Washington during the presidential transition four years ago to the Naval Observatory. He currently does not own a house." TRUMP'S POST-2020 FUTURE -- "Ronna McDaniel expected to stay on as RNC chair," by Alex Isenstadt: "Ronna McDaniel is expected to seek a third term as Republican National Committee chairwoman, according to a person familiar with her thinking, and she has President Donald Trump's backing to keep her post. "McDaniel, who President Donald Trump picked to lead the RNC after he won the 2016 election, received Trump's endorsement for another term on Wednesday evening, all but guaranteeing her reelection. "Trump's endorsement shows how he is determined to play a central role in Republican Party politics even after losing his bid for reelection. Party officials expect him to stay involved in down-ballot races heading into the 2022 midterms once he is out of office." -- "Trump's fraud claims a boon for his and his allies' fundraising," by Maggie Severns TRUMP'S THURSDAY -- The president will have lunch with Pence at 2:30 p.m. in the private dining room. He will meet with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Mnuchin at 4 p.m. in the Oval Office. BIDEN will meet with transition advisers. | | | | TRACK THE TRANSITION, SUBSCRIBE TO TRANSITION PLAYBOOK: The definitive guide to what could be one of the most consequential transfers of power in American history. Our Transition Playbook newsletter—written for political insiders—tracks the appointments, people, and power centers of the new administration. Don't miss out. Subscribe today. | | | | | | 
PHOTO DU JOUR: President-elect Joe Biden and Jill Biden attend a service at the Philadelphia Korean War Memorial at Penn's Landing in observance of Veterans Day, on Wednesday, Nov. 11. | Alex Brandon/AP Photo | JOHN HARRIS column: "What Planet Is AOC On?" KYLE CHENEY and ANDREW DESIDERIO: "'We're not going to stop': Lawmakers press ahead with Trump-era investigations": "Donald Trump will be a private citizen in January. But Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill are poised to carry on the investigations and legal battles that helped define his presidency. In the House, Democrats are still in court fighting to obtain Trump's financial records and testimony from his first White House counsel Don McGahn, a key figure in the obstruction of justice case against Trump. "In the Senate, where GOP control hinges on two Jan. 5 runoffs in Georgia, Republican lawmakers are plotting ways to expand and intensify their investigations targeting the former Obama administration and President-elect Joe Biden and his son Hunter, with Senate Republicans saying they will use the lame duck period to ramp up their probes. "'We're not going to stop,' Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said as he concluded a hearing this week on the FBI's handling of its investigation of the 2016 Trump campaign's ties to Russia — a probe the president has railed against for four years. 'Because this is fundamental to democracy that the law enforcement community acts based on evidence, not based on bias.'" | | | |   | | | WHAT'S HAPPENING AT THE PENTAGON? NYT'S DAVID SANGER and ERIC SCHMITT: "Trump Stacks the Pentagon and Intel Agencies With Loyalists. To What End?": "There is no evidence so far that these new appointees harbor a secret agenda on Iran or have taken up their posts with an action plan in hand. But their sudden appearance has been a purge of the Pentagon's top civilian hierarchy without recent precedent. "Administration officials said the appointments were partly about Afghanistan, where the president has been frustrated by what he sees as a military moving too slowly to fulfill his promise that all American troops will be home by Christmas. The Pentagon announced on Wednesday that Douglas Macgregor, a retired Army colonel and fierce proponent of ending American involvement in Afghanistan, would serve as a senior adviser." -- WAPO: "Amid Pentagon upheaval, military officers face a fraught few months," by Missy Ryan, Dan Lamothe, Greg Jaffe and Josh Dawsey: "The role of Gen. Mark A. Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the country's top officer, and other military leaders takes on new significance in the wake of President Trump's ouster this week of Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper and the installation of White House loyalists in powerful Pentagon roles. … "The arrival of civilian leaders seen as zealous proponents of Trump's foreign policy goals, which have collided with traditional Pentagon positions, has the effect of isolating military leaders such as Milley, who with Esper has counseled a cautious approach to matters including NATO and shielding the military from partisan politics." MEDIAWATCH -- "Jeffrey Toobin Is Fired by The New Yorker," by NYT's Katie Robertson: "The New Yorker has fired the star journalist Jeffrey Toobin after an investigation into his behavior during a work video call last month, the magazine's parent company, Condé Nast, said on Wednesday. "As a result of the internal investigation, Mr. Toobin 'is no longer affiliated with our company,' Condé Nast's chief people officer, Stan Duncan, said in a staff note, which was reviewed by The New York Times." -- "Fact-Checked on Facebook and Twitter, Conservatives Switch Their Apps," by NYT's Mike Isaac and Kellen Browning | | | | JOIN TODAY: A WOMEN RULE ROUNDTABLE : 2020 has been a history-making year for women in politics. Kamala Harris is vice president-elect, a record number of Republican women were elected to Congress and more women of color ran for public office than ever before. Join POLITICO's Elizabeth Ralph, Crooked Media's Shaniqua McClendon, and Winning for Women's Micah Yousefi for a conversation that examines the results for women who ran for office and what progress still needs to be made. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Send tips to Eli Okun and Garrett Ross at politicoplaybook@politico.com. WELCOME TO THE WORLD -- Mallory Ward, director at Reservoir Communications Group, and Marc Brumer, SVP at the Herald Group and a Kirsten Gillibrand and DCCC alum, welcomed Madeline Hastings Brumer on Oct. 31. -- Christopher Spina, VP for public relations and digital comms at Freddie Mac, and Elizabeth Carpenter, head of advisory services at Avalere, welcomed Abigail Hope Spina on Tuesday. BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Maria Cardona, principal at the Dewey Square Group, CNN commentator, host of the "¡MARIA!" show on El Rey Network and co-host of the "Hot Mics from Left to Right" podcast with Alice Stewart. A fun fact about her: "I was an Olympic-level synchronized swimmer, representing Puerto Rico at international swimming competitions on the national Puerto Rican synchro swim team!" Playbook Q&A BIRTHDAYS: Dr. Elena Allbritton … Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) is 71 … Jeff Zients is 54 … PBS NewsHour's Stephanie Kotuby and Rhana Natour … Harlan Hill … Steve Guest, RNC rapid response director … Brittany Packnett Cunningham (h/t Cindi Leive) … Facebook's Katie Harbath … Rex Elsass … Ian Bremmer, president and founder of the Eurasia Group, is 51 … Katie Stuntz … Ryan Coyne, founder and CEO of Olympic Media … Jenn Ridder … POLITICO's Debra Kahn … Kevin Gundersen is 39 … Protocol's Bennett Richardson … Michelle Perry … Lauren Peikoff, MSNBC executive producer … Amber Cottle … British Robinson, president and CEO of the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy … Crozer Connor … Kara Gelber, comms director for Morning Consult (h/t Olivia Petersen) … … Erica Sackin, senior director of comms at Planned Parenthood … Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is 72 … Jeremy Skule, EVP and chief marketing officer at Nasdaq … Dave Weinberg … former Transportation Secretary Norm Mineta is 89 … Nancy Trejos … Mark SooHoo of Ventec Life Systems … Ross Baird, co-founder of Village Capital and Blueprint Local … former Rep. Diane Watson (D-Calif.) is 87 ... Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf is 55 … Alex Brown … Leo DiBenigno … Luca Spinelli … Jessica Kahanek ... Scott Beauchamp ... Josh Britton is 36 ... Patrick Hillmann ... Morley Winograd … Alex Griswold is 31 ... Olivia Lange is 31 ... Pete DeAnna ... Eddie Mair is 55 … Carol Gluck ... Naomi Wolf is 58 ... Jake Orta ... Frank Mazza ... Sheila O'Connell … Mica Strother (h/ts Teresa Vilmain) … Laura Mandy Mszar … Tyler Boozer | | A message from Morgan Stanley: Sustainable Investing in 4 Steps – As the wide-ranging implications of sustainability issues, such as public health, climate change and social justice, become more apparent, so too have they become essential to effectively assessing investment risks and opportunities.
But building a robust sustainable investing strategy remains an obstacle for many asset owners. Some struggle with insufficient resources and data to operationalize a broad-ranging and ambitious strategy, while others are under pressure to respond quickly to the interests of stakeholders, such as employees, regulators or peers, which risks a patchwork approach that lacks cohesion and potential internal misalignment or reputational harm.
Based on experience working with diverse asset owners, the Morgan Stanley Institute for Sustainable Investing and Morgan Stanley Investment Management identified four steps tailored to help asset owners develop, implement and maintain a dynamic sustainable investing strategy. Learn more. | | | | | | | 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 | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
