| | | | | |  | | By Anna Palmer, Jake Sherman, Garrett Ross and Eli Okun | NOON CHYRON CHECK … MSNBC: "BIDEN TAKES LEAD IN PENNSYLVANIA, PRESIDENCY IN SIGHT" … CNN: "BIDEN LEAD IN PA GROWS, ON VERGE OF PRESIDENCY" … FOX NEWS: "BIDEN LEADS IN PENNSYLVANIA, GEORGIA AND NEVADA" -- THE NEWEST BATCH of Arizona votes looks to be below the margins President DONALD TRUMP would need to close the gap with JOE BIDEN. … BIDEN is expanding his Nevada lead. … The GEORGIA secretary of state said there will be a recount, given how close the margins are. More from Zach Montellaro FWIW … DECISION DESK HQ called PENNSYLVANIA and the race for BIDEN at 8:50 a.m. The tweet BIDEN is expected to speak in primetime tonight, his team tells us. AS OF NOW, based on what we know at this moment, BIDEN has all but wrapped up the presidency. For professional Washington, it's prudent to begin focusing on the final two months of the year, and the challenges they will bring. SO HERE ARE THE FOUR THINGS WE'RE FOCUSED ON as we move out of election season, and into lame duck and a new season of governing: 1) WILL THERE BE A COVID DEAL? At our last check, Speaker NANCY PELOSI was holding ultimately fruitless negotiations with Washington's Most Eager Man, Treasury Secretary STEVEN MNUCHIN, over $1.8 trillion in Covid relief. The talks blew up for many reasons, but the overarching dynamic was MNUCHIN kept acceding to PELOSI, which gave PELOSI the ultimately correct feeling that he was going to fold and she could keep pushing him for more. Hence the name "Washington's Most Eager Man." BUT THIS ELECTION -- and the almost certain BIDEN victory -- has changed the dynamics on Capitol Hill, and Covid relief has a prayer in the lame duck. Here's why: Senate Majority Leader MITCH MCCONNELL has said he wants a deal this year. So that signals to us he'll push for one and involve himself in the negotiation -- and that would be a major shift. PELOSI called for Republicans to re-enter negotiations this morning, which is a sign she's ready to get down to business. We have no idea what the TRUMP administration will do now that they have likely lost. BUT IT SEEMS TO BE in everyone's interest. MCCONNELL will get a better deal with TRUMP in the White House. PELOSI can clear some underbrush out for BIDEN and his administration. And, presumably, the TRUMP administration can realize they can get a few legislative wins on their way out the door. THE DEAL will probably need to be decidedly smaller than $1.8 trillion -- probably somewhere between $500 billion and $1 trillion. And if supporters of a deal were smart, they would make sure they got it before a government funding bill on Dec. 11. BUT … there are early signs of disagreement. PELOSI said a smaller bill "doesn't appeal to me at all. Because they haven't agreed to crush the virus." 2) HOW WILL DEMS VIEW THEIR MANDATE? At the end of the day, it seems like BIDEN will win more than 300 electoral votes, which isn't winning by a hair, but it's also not winning in a walk. He's the first president in decades to begin his presidency without both chambers of Congress, which will limit his ability to execute some of his agenda. Democrats seem to believe that he has a massive mandate. PELOSI said this morning that BIDEN has a bigger mandate than JOHN F. KENNEDY did, and called the mandate "tremendous." 3) WILL ANY HILL DEM BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR BIG MISSES? There is a lot of debate about how bad it is that Democrats lost seats in the House and failed to win the Senate even as BIDEN bested TRUMP for the White House. But, in all likelihood, Democrats will just rubber-stamp much of the top rung of their leadership teams. "WE HAVE THE GAVEL, we have the gavel," PELOSI said of the results. She did allow she was disappointed in the losses -- especially in Texas, where the DCCC opened an office earlier this year. We can't see a universe in which there isn't a new DCCC chair, however. 4) HOW WILL TRUMP EXIT? THIS IS THE BIG QUESTION, right? If TRUMP does lose, he still has another 75 DAYS from today to Inauguration Day. Will he participate in the transition? He won't have a ton of leverage with a Congress he never really had much skill with. But he can commute, pardon, issue executive orders, etc. Will he fire people like ANTHONY FAUCI? How about FBI Director CHRIS WRAY, CIA Director GINA HASPEL or Defense Secretary MARK ESPER? WaPo's Josh Rogin says an ESPER firing could come as early as TODAY. Happy Friday afternoon. | | | | NEW EPISODES OF POLITICO'S GLOBAL TRANSLATIONS PODCAST: The world has long been beset by big problems that defy political boundaries, and these issues have exploded in 2020. Are world leaders and political actors up to the task of solving them? Is the private sector? Our Global Translations podcast, presented by Citi, unpacks the roadblocks to smart policy decisions and examines the long-term costs of the short-term thinking that drives many political and business decisions. Subscribe for Season Two, available now. | | | | | MANY REPUBLICANS NOT BITING … "GOP begins pushing back against Trump's false election claims," by Burgess Everett: "Fresh off reelection to a fifth six-year term in Maine, [Sen. Susan] Collins said in an email to POLITICO that 'states have the authority to determine the specific rules of elections. Every valid vote under a state's law should be counted. Allegations of irregularities can be adjudicated by the courts. We must all respect the outcome of elections.' "[Sen. Pat] Toomey (R-Pa.), who is retiring in two years, said Trump's remarks were 'very hard to watch' and that his allegations 'are just not substantiated.' Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) said on Twitter said all allegations of fraud must be taken to court: 'STOP Spreading debunked misinformation... This is getting insane.'" POLITICO WHERE TRUMP'S AT -- AXIOS' @jonathanvswan: "Nobody I have spoken to on the campaign or in the White House believes that Trump would ever publicly acknowledge a loss, even long after the election is certified." -- NYT'S MAGGIE HABERMAN (@maggieNYT): "People close to the president question whether he will invite Biden to the WH before inauguration. Or if he'll go to the inauguration himself. He does not care about the norms of the office. But no one I have talked to thinks he will refuse to leave." -- CNN: "Trump has told people he has no plans to concede even if his path to victory is blocked," by Kevin Liptak and Kaitlan Collins: "Trump has not prepared a concession speech and in conversations with allies in recent days, he has said he has no intention of conceding the election … So far he has been bolstered in his stance by those closest to him, including his senior advisers and his adult sons … "Top aides, including his chief of staff Mark Meadows, have not attempted to come to terms with the President about the reality of what is happening. Instead, they have fed his baseless claim that the election is being stolen from underneath him." CNN TRUMP STATE NEWS … CNN'S OLIVER DARCY and BRIAN STELTER: "Fox News instructs anchors not to call Biden 'President-elect'": "Fox News, the cable channel that has been one of President Trump's most important supporters, has instructed its anchors not to call Joe Biden the 'President-elect' when the network calls the race, according to two memos obtained by CNN Business. "The memos said that Fox should 'stay away' from using the description, and instead say something Biden has 'enough electoral votes to win the presidency.' The memos emphasized that the network should report moves by Trump's legal teams to challenge the results, despite legal analysts having dismissed potential challenges as having little to no merit. 'We will report both sides until there is further guidance,' one memo said." CNN PULLING BACK THE CURTAIN -- "Trump-associated firm helped send unmarked texts urging vote protests in Philadelphia," by WaPo's Tony Romm and Isaac Stanley-Becker: "The messages were sent from phone numbers that had been leased by Opn Sesame, a company that offers texting services to Republican candidates and causes, according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to discuss the messages. Opn Sesame is run by Gary Coby, the digital director for Trump's 2020 campaign … "The texts sent Thursday did not mention Opn Sesame, the president, his campaign or any other sender, leaving people who received the messages no clear way to tell who was targeting them with information that sought to cast doubt on the 2020 election. … But the messages foreshadowed how Trump and his allies might use the vast troves of data they have collected over the previous four years to target sympathetic voters in a bid to disrupt a smooth transition of power." VERY LEGAL AND VERY COOL -- "Local GOP Pushes Trump Voters to Cast Ballots After Election," by The Daily Beast's Lachlan Markay and Sam Stein: "Local Republican officials were recruiting volunteers on Thursday to call Pennsylvania voters and urge them to send in their ballots—two full days after Election Day. … "The email, which was sent by the group Kenosha For Trump and forwarded to The Daily Beast, said it was marshaling the effort on behalf of Trump Victory, the committee established by the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee to run the field program for the president's re-election." Daily Beast PANDEMIC KEEPS GETTING WORSE … NYT, via Julie Bosman, Audra Burch and Sarah Mervosh: "What does it look like when a country sets a record for coronavirus cases — and then breaks it again the next day? The United States recorded at least 121,00 new infections on Thursday, a day after hitting 100,000 for the first time since the pandemic began." | | | | KEEP UP WITH THE PEOPLE AND POLITICS DRIVING GLOBAL HEALTH IN GLOBAL PULSE: This year has revealed just how pivotal it is to keep up with the politics and policy driving global health. Our Global Pulse newsletter connects leaders, policymakers, and advocates to the people and politics making an impact on our global health. Join the conversation and subscribe today. | | | | | THE UNEMPLOYMENT PICTURE -- "Unemployment drops to 6.9% and U.S. adds a solid 638,000 jobs," by AP's Christopher Rugaber: "The job gains suggested that a tentative recovery is still intact even as it faces a surging viral outbreak with no further financial aid from Congress. October's increase was slightly below the 672,000 jobs that were added in September and far fewer than the 1.5 million in August. But last month's gain was stronger than it appears: It was held down by the loss of about 150,000 temporary Census jobs. "Not only did the federal government lose jobs in October; so did struggling states and municipalities. Excluding governments at all levels, private businesses added a healthy 906,000 jobs. Hiring was particularly strong in construction, retail and — strikingly — a category that includes restaurants and hotels. … The report Friday from the Labor Department said the unemployment rate sank a full percentage point from 7.9% in September. Yet the nation still has 10.1 million fewer jobs than it did before the pandemic intensified in March." AP MAKING IT OFFICIAL -- "Pelosi formally seeks another 2 years as speaker," by John Bresnahan, Heather Caygle and Sarah Ferris THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION -- "Trump demoted key energy panel chair who suggested action on climate change," by WaPo's Dino Grandoni: "With the nation transfixed by the presidential election, President Trump demoted the head of a key energy panel who spoke favorably about taking action on climate change — a move the ousted official thinks may have been in retaliation for his views. "On Thursday evening, Neil Chatterjee announced on Twitter he was no longer chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, saying Trump replaced him with fellow Republican James Danly. Chatterjee will still stay on as a commissioner of the five-member panel. … The move comes just weeks after Chatterjee and his agency cleared the way for regional power administrators to put a price on carbon dioxide emissions." WaPo WHAT THEY'RE SAYING ACROSS THE GLOBE -- "Even as Biden's path firms, U.S. allies fear no end to election rancor amid Trump threats," by WaPo's Simon Denyer, Jennifer Hassan, Isabelle Khurshudyan and Rick Noack: "In Germany, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas criticized Trump's reluctance to accept the election results and said the United States is not a "one-man show.' ... "And even a man who was among Trump's closest allies, former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, appeared to be watching with concern. ... China's government, which has largely remained silent about the election in recent days, struck a conciliatory note. Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng said he hoped the next U.S. administration would work with China on issues of mutual interest." WaPo THE NEW COLD WAR -- "China Irate After U.S. Removes 'Terrorist' Label From Separatist Group," by WSJ's Sha Hua in Hong Kong: "China responded with anger after the U.S. State Department removed from its list of terrorist organizations a largely defunct Uighur separatist group that Beijing partly blames for ethnic tensions in its remote northwest. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo ordered the delisting of the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, a group that once advocated for an independent state in China's Xinjiang region, on Oct. 20 … "Beijing deplored and rejected the decision, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a regular press briefing on Friday. … While Chinese officials blamed a number of terrorist attacks on the group and has used its existence to justify a harsh crackdown on the Muslim population in Xinjiang, U.S. policy makers and scholars have long cast doubt on the group's significance and reach." WSJ BOOK CLUB -- "Former Trump Campaign Manager Brad Parscale Plans to Write Book," by Bloomberg's Jennifer Jacobs and Jordan Fabian: "Donald Trump's former campaign manager Brad Parscale expects to sign a lucrative book deal, a development that's rattled some members of the president's team … Some of the president's advisers are concerned Parscale could reveal damaging information about Trump and his family." Bloomberg IN MEMORIAM -- "Longtime Rep. Jim Ramstad, a champion for addiction help, has died," by Minnesota Public Radio's Brian Bakst: "Former Minnesota Rep. Jim Ramstad, a moderate Republican lawmaker whose own battle with addiction turned him into a legislative champion for those in recovery, died Thursday. He was 74 and had been ailing from Parkinson's disease, his former chief of staff Dean Peterson said in a note announcing Ramstad's death. Ramstad represented Minnesota's 3rd Congressional District for nine terms, retiring in 2009." TRANSITION -- Ashkhen Kazaryan is joining Facebook on Monday as a policy manager for content regulation. She currently is director of civil liberties at the libertarian-leaning think tank TechFreedom. HOT JOB -- DAYBOOK: General attorney at OMB | | | | 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 politics and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
No comments:
Post a Comment