BIDEN MEETS WITH CEOs, LABOR LEADERS ON ECONOMY: President-elect Joe Biden is meeting today with more than half a dozen business and union leaders in the latest sign that the country's industries are not waiting for President Donald Trump 's concession or his longshot legal challenges to Biden's victory earlier this month. The incoming commander in chief will meet with Microsoft President and CEO Satya Nadella, General Motors CEO Mary Barra, Target CEO Brian Cornell and Gap GEO Sonia Syngal as well as the heads of the AFL-CIO, Service Employees International Union, United Autoworkers, United Food and Commercial Workers and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, according to the transition team. A LOOK AT THE BIDEN AIDES ON K STREET: Biden's "ambitious Democratic agenda—including raising corporate taxes—faces formidable opposition from a power center he knows well: former aides who are now lobbyists or advisers to companies and industries at odds with his goals," The Wall Street Journal's Julie Bykowicz and Brody Mullins report . "Mr. Biden, unlike the four most recent presidents, has deep ties to the Washington establishment from his 44 years in the Senate and as vice president. He named at least 40 current and former registered lobbyists to his transition team. For much of his career, Mr. Biden has advocated policies that he said would reduce the influence of lobbyists and special interests, including pushing for expanded government financing of political campaigns. His campaign platform included seeking legislation that would require lawmakers to publicly disclose meetings and communications with any lobbyist or special interest trying to influence the passage or defeat of a specific bill." — "He will always place the public interest at the center of his decisions, because he is accountable to every American he serves as president," Biden spokesperson T.J. Ducklo told the Journal. TRUMP'S POST-PRESIDENCY SHADOW: A new post-election analysis from Purple Strategies notes that with Trump reportedly eyeing another run for president in 2024, his influence won't disappear from the halls of Congress any time soon. That clout could potentially further complicate legislating in a divided government under Biden and would pile "a historic amount of early outside pressure [onto] lawmakers," the memo, which assumes Republicans maintain control of the Senate, says. A similarly slim majority for Democrats in the House means that that small groups of progressives — or emboldened conservatives — could wield their leverage to exercise outsize influence in the House, meaning that the White House and Senate might be at the center of future negotiations. BUSINESS GROUPS TURN FOCUS TO STATES: Business and hospitality groups are rushing to lobby state leaders against the kind of pandemic-related shutdowns that marred the spring and crippled a swath of industries as coronavirus cases continue to explode and the federal government remains at an impasse on a new round of relief, The Washington Post's Tony Romm reports. — The latest blitz, which is coming from industries including movie theaters, restaurants, retail and gyms, "arrives as epidemiologists continue to sound the alarms about the country's latest, and perhaps deadliest, coronavirus surge since March. Shattering records, the U.S. daily caseload topped 177,000 new cases on Friday, with spikes in Midwestern states where Republican governors have eschewed mask mandates and other new restrictions," the Post reports. The lobbying push comes as these same industries push for lawmakers in D.C. to come to an agreement on new aid and arrives ahead of a holiday season expected to feature far less travel and consumer spending. — "The stalemate over federal coronavirus aid has fueled some of the resistance nationwide toward another round of coronavirus-related shutdowns. In Oregon, for example, a broad coalition representing local gyms, restaurants, hotels, wineries and other businesses pointed to the loss of enhanced federal unemployment and small business assistance as it urged Democratic Gov. Kate Brown against adopting 'any future business closures or curtailed operations.' Brown on Friday imposed a two-week halt on everything from office buildings to zoos in an attempt to bring the state's outbreak back under control." WHERE MCCONNELL AND BIDEN COULD TEAM UP: Barring a Democratic sweep of Georgia's dual Jan. 5 run-offs, President-elect Joe Biden's boldest campaign promises could face significant hurdles in a GOP-controlled Senate. But in an op-ed in the Washington Post today, Cornerstone's Todd Webster teases out where Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell and Biden could find common ground to move past partisan gridlock come January. — Webster bases his predictions on McConnell's chief priority being the preservation of his GOP majority in 2022. It's a desire that could manifest in bipartisan compromises in areas important to his most vulnerable members, who include Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt, Ohio Sen. Rob Portman and Murkowski, Webster argues. — "This political backdrop will animate and inform every McConnell decision for the next two years. Each of these incumbents has a signature issue on which McConnell could find common ground with Biden," Webster writes. "For Rubio, as chairman of the Small Business Committee, it would mean a second round of Paycheck Protection Program lending for small businesses hurt by the pandemic or advancing a cybersecurity bill that protects critical infrastructure. For Portman, it could be his bipartisan energy efficiency bill with Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.). For Murkowski, chair of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, it could be her bipartisan energy bill. For Johnson, it could be election security and protecting the integrity of the ballot box. And for Blunt, it could be further increasing federal support for National Institutes of Health research to fund more research into lifesaving cures for diseases, which aligns well with Biden's cancer-moonshot initiative." — Webster is also bullish on some form of infrastructure package, criminal justice reform and coronavirus relief. And while he notes that Biden's proposed tax hikes for the wealthy to pay for such policies would go nowhere in a McConnell-controlled Senate, some "small-bore tax measures" could find support on both sides of the aisle. ICYMI: BUSINESSES GEAR UP FOR WORKPLACE PROTECTION FIGHT — POLITICO's Rebecca Rainey previewed what could be one of Biden's "first big fights with American business and a test of how far he can go to create a national strategy to slow a pandemic that is still raging out of control." — "As part of his plan to combat the coronavirus, Biden says he will direct his administration to issue the so-called emergency temporary standard, which would lay out specific precautions that employers must take to protect their workers from exposure to the virus. The standard isn't likely to fully take shape until the new administration assumes control of the government, but a former OSHA official predicted it would at least mandate the Centers for Disease Control's guidelines, which broadly suggest allowing for social distancing, frequently disinfecting the workplace and providing protective equipment like gloves, goggles or face masks. Implementing such a rule is something the new president could do quickly, even without Senate-confirmed leadership at the Labor Department or OSHA, according to two former senior OSHA officials." — Republicans and business leaders are poised to forcefully oppose any such measure, with McConnell repeatedly making clear that a coronavirus relief package looking to earn his blessing will need liability protections for businesses and schools. And Rebecca reports that groups including the Chamber of Commerce, National Association of Manufacturers and American Hospital Association have called for greater flexibility in workplaces than what they say Biden's proposal would allow for. | 
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