News: Playbook PM: The four corners

Thursday, November 12, 2020

Playbook PM: The four corners

Nov 12, 2020

By Anna Palmer, Jake Sherman, Eli Okun and Garrett Ross

Presented by

TO UNDERSTAND WASHINGTON in the era of JOE BIDEN, there are no four people more important to understand than CHUCK SCHUMER, NANCY PELOSI, KEVIN MCCARTHY and MITCH MCCONNELL -- the Big Four leaders, also known as The Four Corners.

WITH MARGINS SO SLIM in both chambers, and the nation in the midst of a pandemic, these three men and one woman will hold the keys to BIDEN'S aggressive legislative agenda.

AND, ON THIS RAINY Thursday morning, we got a clearer vision into their mindsets as they enter the lame duck, the rapidly approaching 117th Congress and a BIDEN presidency.

FIRST, PELOSI AND SCHUMER: We asked PELOSI this morning if she had the same position on Covid relief that she had before the election -- her disagreements with the administration sunk a deal: "We're in the same place -- even more so with the pandemic. Look at these numbers. Look at these predictions from the scientific community." IN OTHER WORDS, she and the Dem leadership don't appear to have any interest in changing their negotiating stance.

-- PELOSI added that Republicans "seem to have a mental block to doing the right thing."

-- AND SHE SAID BIDEN got a "mandate" from voters in 2020. Of course, any winning candidate has a mandate, it just depends on how big you view your mandate.

-- SCHUMER said Republicans are "deliberately casting doubt on our elections for no reason but fear of Donald Trump."

THEIR MESSAGE THIS MORNING was that the reason the two sides are frozen is because Republicans have not yet accepted TRUMP lost the election.

WE'VE LARGELY BEEN ABLE TO ignore MCCARTHY from a legislative perspective since Republicans lost the majority in 2018, but his political power has come roaring back. He has the largest House GOP minority in more than a half century.

-- TO PELOSI'S MANDATE comment, MCCARTHY said it, indeed, was a mandate, but one "against socialism. It was a mandate against defunding the police. It was a mandate against wasting a majority that the Democrats have done for the last Congress."

-- MCCARTHY also railed on PELOSI, suggesting she may not become speaker in January. He reminded reporters this morning that if roughly 10 Democrats vote against her, she would fall short of the 218 needed.

-- MCCARTHY also urged reporters to give QAnon-sympathetic lawmakers a chance: "Our party is very diverse. … The only thing I would ask of you in [the] press -- these are new members -- give them an opportunity before you claim what you believe they have done, and what they will do."

FWIW: THERE ARE ABSOLUTELY no stimulus talks ongoing right now. More from Burgess Everett and Sarah Ferris … Sen. RICHARD SHELBY (R-Ala.) spoke with PELOSI on Wednesday about the government spending picture.

BIDEN spoke with Pope Francis this morning, per the Biden-Harris transition.

Good Thursday afternoon.

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THE UNEMPLOYMENT PICTURE -- "709,000 seek U.S. jobless aid as pandemic escalates," by AP's Christopher Rugaber: "The number of people seeking U.S. unemployment benefits fell last week to 709,000, a still-high level but the lowest figure since March and a further sign that the job market might be slowly healing. … Last week's count of new applications for unemployment benefits was down from 757,000 the previous week, the Labor Department said Thursday. …

"So far, the spike in viral cases hasn't triggered a wave of new layoffs. The number of applications for unemployment insurance fell last week in 29 states, including such hot spots as Wisconsin and Illinois. At the same time, the figure jumped by more than 5,000 in California, 10,000 in Washington State and 2,800 in Massachusetts. The number of people who are continuing to receive traditional unemployment benefits fell to 6.8 million, the government said, from 7.2 million." AP

NYT'S MAGGIE HABERMAN (@maggieNYT): "NEW - Corey Lewandowski, Trump adviser who's been working on efforts to bring lawsuits alleging illegal election activity in specific states, tested positive for COVID yesterday per a person briefed. Lewandowski had been in Philly for days and believes he contracted it there."

THE SHOW GOES ON … AXIOS' MIKE ALLEN: "Trump eyes digital media empire to take on Fox News": "President Trump has told friends he wants to start a digital media company to clobber Fox News and undermine the conservative-friendly network, sources tell Axios. Some Trump advisers think Fox News made a mistake with an early call (seconded by AP) of President-elect Biden's win in Arizona. That enraged Trump, and gave him something tangible to use in his attacks on the network.

"'He plans to wreck Fox. No doubt about it,' said a source with detailed knowledge of Trump's intentions. … There's been lots of speculation about Trump starting a cable channel. But getting carried on cable systems would be expensive and time-consuming. Instead, Trump is considering a digital media channel that would stream online, which would be cheaper and quicker to start. Trump's digital offering would likely charge a monthly fee to MAGA fans."

-- MEANWHILE … "Trump voters are flocking to a TV channel that claims Biden is not president-elect," by CNN's Brian Stelter: "President Trump's fans who don't think Fox News is right-wing enough have another option on cable and satellite: Newsmax TV. And something dramatic has happened in the past week: A big audience has sought out Newsmax TV for the first time.

"Those two facts are connected. Some Trump loyalists are raging against Fox and changing the channel to Newsmax instead. On Newsmax, voter fraud innuendo is everywhere. Conspiracy theory chatter is constant. And perhaps most importantly, Joe Biden is not the president-elect. The channel is tapping into a real vein of rage on the right. And Trump is encouraging it by retweeting Twitter users who are trashing Fox and promoting Newsmax." CNN

SHELDON ADELSON'S PAPER: LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL EDITORIAL -- "President Donald Trump takes pride in his reputation as a disruptive force. Drain the swamp, and all that. He came into office almost four years ago vowing to upend Beltway norms, and now he insists on leaving in similarly unconventional fashion.

"It is too fitting that the Trump presidency concludes amid a babel of bluster and bravado. But the president does a disservice to his more rabid supporters by insisting that he would have won the Nov. 3 election absent voter fraud. That's simply false."

KEEP UP WITH THE GLOBAL HEALTH AGENDA: If nothing else, 2020 revealed how critical it is to keep up with the politics, policy, and people driving global health. How are governments working to improve the health of their citizens? What role are NGOs playing? Who is driving the agenda? Our Global Pulse newsletter connects leaders, policymakers, and advocates to the people, and politics impacting our global health. Join the conversation and subscribe today.

SNEAK PEEK -- "Obama memoir confronts role his presidency played in Republican obstructionism and Trump's rise," by CNN's Dan Merica, Kevin Liptak, Jeff Zeleny, David Wright and Rebecca Buck: "Barack Obama directly confronts the racist politics of President Donald Trump in the first volume of his post-presidency memoir, bluntly suggesting how he believes his historic election in 2008 opened a wave of bitter and divisive turmoil that fueled Republicans' obstructionism and ultimately changed the party, according to a copy of the book obtained by CNN.

"'It was as if my very presence in the White House had triggered a deep-seated panic, a sense that the natural order had been disrupted,' Obama writes. 'Which is exactly what Donald Trump understood when he started peddling assertions that I had not been born in the United States and was thus an illegitimate president. For millions of Americans spooked by a Black man in the White House, he promised an elixir for their racial anxiety.'

"The 768-page memoir, titled A Promised Land and due out on November 17, chronicles the future president's childhood and political rise, before diving deeply into his historic 2008 campaign and first four years in office. Obama dedicates hundreds of pages to the fights and characters that colored his tenure, from his work to pass Obamacare in 2010 to the complexities of dealing with a slate of world leaders and finally his decision to approve the raid that killed Osama bin Laden." CNN

IF YOU STILL NEED PROOF -- "CDC wants you to wear a mask. That's to protect you and others — and to avoid new lockdowns," by WaPo's Ben Guarino, Lena Sun and Ariana Eunjung Cha: "[A] growing body of science suggests that by wearing a mask to prevent spreading the virus, you may be protecting yourself, too. It is further evidence that knowledge about masks, and their benefits, continues to evolve — much like understanding of the pandemic more broadly.

"The CDC publicly acknowledged that for the first time, writing in a scientific bulletin posted to its website this week, 'the benefit of masking is derived from the combination of source control and personal protection for the mask wearer.' Masks are neither completely selfless nor selfish — they help everyone. John Brooks, chief medical officer for the CDC's coronavirus response, told The Washington Post there was an urgency to explain this clearly, because the widespread wearing of face coverings can help avoid a return to lockdowns."

WHAT'S DRIVING THE SURGE -- "At dinner parties and game nights, casual American life is fueling the coronavirus surge," by WaPo's Karin Brulliard: "A record-breaking surge in U.S. coronavirus cases is being driven to a significant degree by casual occasions that may feel deceptively safe, officials and scientists warn -- dinner parties, game nights, sleepovers and carpools.

"Many earlier coronavirus clusters were linked to nursing homes and crowded nightclubs. But public health officials nationwide say case investigations are increasingly leading them to small, private social gatherings. This behind-doors transmission trend reflects pandemic fatigue and widening social bubbles, experts say — and is particularly insidious because it is so difficult to police and likely to increase as temperatures drop and holidays approach." WaPo

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 amid a global pandemic. 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. In the latest episode, we look at the renewed interest in an old phrase: industrial policy. Is it still too controversial in policy circles, or is it the future of policy as governments worldwide reshape global supply chains? Subscribe for Season Two, available now.

SCOTUS WATCH -- "Appeals court rules in favor of Harvard in affirmative action case, paving way for Supreme Court challenge," by Bianca Quilantan: "A federal appeals court on Thursday agreed with a lower court ruling that Harvard University does not intentionally discriminate against prospective Asian American students.

"Two judges from the First Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the district court was correct in ruling that Harvard's limited use of race in its admissions process in order to achieve diversity 'is consistent with the requirements of Supreme Court precedent.' … The administration-backed lawsuit could be the Supreme Court's next opening to ban affirmative action." POLITICO

FOR YOUR RADAR -- "Eight peacekeepers, including six Americans, killed in helicopter crash in Egypt," by WaPo's Sudarsan Raghavan and Steve Hendrix in Cairo: "Eight international peacekeepers, including six Americans, were killed and one American was injured in a helicopter crash in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula on Thursday, officials said.

"The peacekeepers all belong to the Multinational Force and Observers Mission, a Rome-based international peacekeeping force monitoring the Peninsula and created by both Egypt and Israel in 1979 when both nations signed a peace agreement. The others killed were a Czech and a French team member. The MFO described the incident as a routine mission. An investigation is underway into the cause of the crash. In a statement, the MFO suggested there was no indication that the incident was terrorism related."

THE EXODUS -- "Senior DHS cybersecurity official Bryan Ware to step down," by CyberScoop's Sean Lyngaas: "A former technology entrepreneur, Ware has helped lead DHS's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency efforts to protect health care and pharmaceutical industry from criminal and state-sponsored hacking. He has also made a point of getting better data, with the help of software tools, into the hands of CISA analysts for tracking hacking campaign. Ware's last day on the job will be Friday. He told CyberScoop he is looking to start a new technology company." CyberScoop

TRUMP INC. -- "Trump CFO's Family Tax Records Reviewed by New York Authorities," by Bloomberg's Caleb Melby

ZACK COLMAN: "Audubon Society hit by claims of 'intimidation and threats'": "Following a botched diversity meeting, a highly critical employee survey and the resignations of two top diversity and inclusion officials, the 600,000-member National Audubon Society is confronting allegations that it maintains a culture of retaliation, fear and antagonism toward women and people of color, according to interviews with 13 current and former staff members.

"Senior leaders, including President and CEO David Yarnold, deny the claims. But the discord has cast a pall over the storied environmental organization, just a year after the leaders of The Nature Conservancy, another prominent environmental group, were brought down for allegedly turning a blind eye to a culture of sexual harassment." POLITICO

BOOK CLUB -- "Memoir by Sen. Tammy Duckworth coming out March 30," by AP's Hillel Italie: "Sen. Tammy Duckworth has written a memoir, 'Every Day Is a Gift,' which comes out March 30. Twelve, a Hachette Book Group imprint, announced the deal with Sen. Duckworth on Thursday, the 16th anniversary of the day she was shot down in a helicopter while serving in Iraq and lost both of her legs. … The 52-year-old Duckworth will tell of her life from her childhood in Southeast Asia and Hawaii to her 23 years in the Army to her time in public service." AP

TRANSITION -- Edwin Egee is joining the National Retail Federation as VP for government relations and workforce development. He most recently was director of the National Labor Relations Board's Office of Congressional and Public Affairs.

BONUS BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Roger Ream, president of The Fund for American Studies. A trend he thinks doesn't get enough attention: "Most Americans fail to appreciate how precious and rare it is to be truly free. A country is always moving toward more or toward less freedom, often in a manner that is almost imperceptible and seemingly beneficial. That is why the slide into socialism or fascism, two forms of the same ism -- authoritarianism -- is so difficult to reverse." Playbook Q&A