| | | | | |  | | By Anna Palmer and Jake Sherman | Presented by |  | | | | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | THE PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURATION is 69 DAYS from today, and we know surprisingly little about how it will all unfold. So, with the help of JOHN BRESNAHAN, we have some details for you. THIS INAUGURATION -- Jan. 20, 2021 -- will be different than any inauguration in history. SEN. ROY BLUNT (R-Mo.) is chairing the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies. He held a meeting Thursday morning with Speaker NANCY PELOSI, House Majority Leader STENY HOYER, House Minority Leader KEVIN MCCARTHY, Senate Majority Leader MITCH MCCONNELL and Sen. AMY KLOBUCHAR (D-Minn.), the ranking Democrat on the Rules panel, to discuss the details. THIS GROUP is the JCCIC. TYPICALLY, the bulk of the inaugural details would be handled by staffers, while lawmakers jockey to get friends and supporters tickets to the inaugural balls. But these are far from normal times, and the lawmakers themselves must figure out how to safely stage an event that includes the world's most powerful people and hundreds of thousands of spectators in the middle of this pandemic. TO START, this event will be smaller than previous inaugurations, but by how much, we don't know. MARIA LOHMEYER, an aide to former Speaker JOHN BOEHNER who helped run the 2016 inauguration, has been brought on to help run the January event. She presented different scenarios to the lawmakers in the Thursday meeting. THEY DISCUSSED masks, testing and spacing. They also spoke about mandatory testing for anyone on the podium near President-elect JOE BIDEN. Also at issue: where to hold the traditional inaugural lunch. The POTUS/VP lunch is typically in Statuary Hall. They may move it to Emancipation Hall in the Capitol Visitors Center for more space. HE SPEAKS … Incoming chief of staff RON KLAIN told LAWRENCE O'DONNELL on MSNBC on Thursday night that BIDEN has spoken to some Republican senators and governors, but MCCONNELL and BIDEN still haven't connected: "He has not spoken, though, to Sen. McConnell. Look, I think Sen. McConnell still seems to be insisting somehow that President Trump won the election. He didn't. There will be a time and a place for Joe Biden and Sen. McConnell to talk." BARACK OBAMA told SCOTT PELLEY of CBS' "60 MINUTES" that Republicans going along with DONALD TRUMP'S baseless claims of widespread election fraud are dangerous. "I'm more troubled by the fact that other Republican officials who clearly know better are going along with this, are humoring him in this fashion," Obama said. "It is one more step in delegitimizing not just the incoming Biden administration, but democracy generally. And that's a dangerous path." The clip BREAKING OVERNIGHT … CHINA has congratulated BIDEN and KAMALA HARRIS on their victory. WaPo Good Friday morning. TODAY is Friday the 13th. DRIVING TODAY: PELOSI will hold her weekly news conference at 10:45 a.m. … Looking for new members of Congress? They'll be heading to a briefing in the CVC Auditorium at 11 a.m. | | A message from Morgan Stanley: "Women Without Limits" Launches – Morgan Stanley is rooted in providing financial empowerment for all. As part of that commitment, we meet women where they are—and help take them where they want to be. Learn more about how we are supporting clients, careers and communities through our Women Without Limits initiative. | | | BOSTON GLOBE: "One of the most important political operatives you've never heard of: Mass. native Jennifer O'Malley Dillon is the first woman ever to run a winning Democratic presidential campaign," by Zoe Greenberg and Victoria McGrane: "Dillon, 44, is the second woman ever to run a winning presidential campaign, and the first to achieve victory for a Democratic candidate. (Kellyanne Conway was the first overall, steering President Trump's campaign for three months in 2016). A veteran operative who had helped run both Barack Obama campaigns, she was widely courted in the Democratic primary, and led Beto O'Rourke's campaign before taking over Biden's in the spring." WHITE HOUSE MEMO … NYT'S MAGGIE HABERMAN: "Trump Floats Improbable Survival Scenarios as He Ponders His Future": "At a meeting on Wednesday at the White House, President Trump had something he wanted to discuss with his advisers, many of whom have told him his chances of succeeding at changing the results of the 2020 election are thin as a reed. "He then proceeded to press them on whether Republican legislatures could pick pro-Trump electors in a handful of key states and deliver him the electoral votes he needs to change the math and give him a second term, according to people briefed on the discussion. "It was not a detailed conversation, or really a serious one, the people briefed on it said. Nor was it reflective of any obsessive desire of Mr. Trump's to remain in the White House. 'He knows it's over,' one adviser said. But instead of conceding, they said, he is floating one improbable scenario after another for staying in office while he contemplates his uncertain post-presidency future. … The president has insisted to aides that he really defeated Joseph R. Biden Jr. on Nov. 3, but it is unclear whether he actually believes it. And instead of conducting discreet requests for recounts, Mr. Trump has made a series of spurious claims, seizing on conspiracies fanned on the internet." WAPO'S DAVID NAKAMURA on a PRESIDENT IN HIDING: "As Trump stews over election, he mostly ignores the public duties of the presidency": "On Thursday, six American service members were killed in a helicopter crash during a peacekeeping mission in Egypt. Tropical Storm Eta made landfall in North Florida, contributing to severe flooding. The number of Americans infected with the novel coronavirus continued at a record-setting pace, sending the stock market tumbling. "At the White House, President Trump spent the day as he has most others this week — sequestered from public view, tweeting grievances, falsehoods and misinformation about the election results and about Fox News's coverage of him. Neither he nor his aides briefed reporters on the news of the day or reacted to Democratic leaders who accused Republicans of imperiling the pandemic response by 'refusing to accept reality' over the election results." THE TRANSITION … -- "Biden team reaching out to former Mattis officials for help with transition," by Lara Seligman: "President-elect Joe Biden's team has had initial discussions with people who worked for former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis about helping with the transition at the Pentagon and possibly serving in the new administration, according to three people familiar with the move. "The conversations are in the early stages, particularly as President Donald Trump has so far blocked the start of the official transition process, said the people, all former Trump administration officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive personnel issues." -- "Biden's Penchant for Bold Stimulus to Test His Deal-Making Skills," by WSJ's Jake Schlesinger: "The president-elect's instinct for bold stimulus this time will run smack into the constraints of a closely divided Senate that may end up being controlled by Republicans hostile to more big spending. That will test Mr. Biden's skills at bipartisan deal-making. Through the course of this year's campaign, he repeatedly cited his experience working across the aisle—citing as one example the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act." WSJ 'MOST SECURE IN HISTORY' … CISA STATEMENT: "The November 3rd election was the most secure in American history. Right now, across the country, election officials are reviewing and double checking the entire election process prior to finalizing the result. "When states have close elections, many will recount ballots. All of the states with close results in the 2020 presidential race have paper records of each vote, allowing the ability to go back and count each ballot if necessary. This is an added benefit for security and resilience. This process allows for the identification and correction of any mistakes or errors. There is no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes, or was in any way compromised." NYT FRONT PAGE: "OFFICIALS REBUKE TRUMP ACCUSATION OF DELETED VOTES" THE PURGE CONTINUES … WAPO: "Two senior Homeland Security officials forced out as White House firings widen," by Nick Miroff and Ellen Nakashima DEM CIVIL WAR RAGES ON -- SARAH FERRIS, HEATHER CAYGLE and ALLY MUTNICK: "Inside the House Democrats' post-election reckoning": "Interviews with nearly three dozen lawmakers, aides and consultants reveal a growing acknowledgment that the party's campaign arm made several key strategic errors: it underestimated Donald Trump's popularity, relied too much on polls and failed to heed the warnings of its most vulnerable members. "A dozen races remain uncalled, and Democrats caution they won't have all the answers for months. But many in the party are warning that the biggest priority for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee must be overhauling its message. They say it needs to craft a proactive campaign that counters GOP attacks on everything from Medicare for All to fracking — if they have any hopes of keeping their majority in 2022. "'There were ads being run all over the country about socialism and about the Green New Deal and in some parts of the country that didn't help,' Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.) said in an interview. 'I think it would be irresponsible for a person in our family — in the Democratic Caucus family — who is concerned about it not to mention it.' Others were more blunt: 'From my standpoint, as a moderate Democrat … it's crystal clear we need a different message than what we've been having,' added Rep. Kurt Schrader (Ore.)." -- WAPO'S PAUL KANE: "House Democrats' down-ballot leadership races offer a look at a post-Pelosi future" -- "Elissa Slotkin Braces for a Democratic Civil War," by Tim Alberta in Holly, Mich. | | | |   | | | TRUMP'S FRIDAY -- The president will receive an update on Operation Warp Speed at noon in the Oval Office. BIDEN and HARRIS will meet with transition advisers. TV TONIGHT -- PBS' "Washington Week" with Bob Costa: Evan Osnos, Ashley Parker and Rachel Scott. SUNDAY SO FAR … | ABC | "This Week": John Bolton … Jon Ossoff. Panel: Rachel Scott, Julie Pace and Evan Osnos. | Gray TV | "Full Court Press with Greta Van Susteren": Rep.-elect Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) … Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.) … Tom Frieden. | FOX | "Fox News Sunday": Ken Starr … Laurence Tribe. Panel: Guy Benson, Gillian Turner and Donna Brazile. Power Player (re-air): Alex Trebek. | Sinclair | "America This Week with Eric Bolling": Megyn Kelly … Bill O'Reilly … Rudy Giuliani … Steve Bannon … Alex Vogel. | NBC | "Meet the Press": Panel: Al Cardenas, Jeffrey Goldberg, María Teresa Kumar and Carol Lee. | CBS | "Face the Nation" is off this week, preempted by the Masters. | | | | | | 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. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | | 
PHOTO DU JOUR: A man carries a girl through debris and floods in Rodriguez, Rizal province, Philippines, on Friday, Nov. 13, after Typhoon Vamco caused extensive flooding that killed dozens. | Aaron Favila/AP Photo | SCOTUS WATCH … JOSH GERSTEIN: "Alito's politically charged address draws heat": "Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito delivered an unusually inflammatory public speech Thursday night, starkly warning about the threats he contends religious believers face from advocates for gay and abortion rights, as well as public officials responding to the coronavirus pandemic. Speaking to a virtual conference of conservative lawyers, the George W. Bush appointee made no direct comment on the recent election, the political crisis relating to President Donald Trump's refusal to acknowledge his defeat or litigation on the issue pending at the Supreme Court. "However, Alito didn't hold back on other controversial subjects, even suggesting that the pressure Christians face surrounding their religious beliefs is akin to the strictures the U.S. placed on Germany and Japan after World War II. 'Is our country going to follow that course?" Alito asked. 'For many today, religious liberty is not a cherished freedom. It's often just an excuse for bigotry and can't be tolerated, even when there is no evidence that anybody has been harmed. … The question we face is whether our society will be inclusive enough to tolerate people with unpopular religious beliefs.' "Alito argued that some recent Supreme Court decisions, including the landmark ruling upholding a constitutional right to same-sex marriage, fueled intolerance to those who believe marriage should be limited to unions between one man and one woman. 'Until very recently, that's what the vast majority of Americans thought. Now, it's considered bigotry,' he said." | | | |   | | | THE CORONAVIRUS IS RAGING … 10.5 MILLION Americans have tested positive for the coronavirus. … 242,430 Americans have died. -- "Virus surge: Schools abandon classes, states retreat," by AP's Michelle Smith and Sean Murphy: "School systems in Detroit, Indianapolis, Philadelphia and suburban Minneapolis are giving up on in-person classes, and some governors are reimposing restrictions on bars and restaurants or getting more serious about masks, as the coast-to-coast resurgence of the coronavirus sends deaths, hospitalizations and new infections soaring. "The crisis deepened at hospitals, with the situation so bad in North Dakota that the governor this week said nurses who test positive but have no symptoms can still work. Idaho clinics struggled to handle the deluge of phone calls from patients. And one of Utah's biggest hospital systems is bringing in nearly 200 traveling nurses, some of them from New York City. "The virus is blamed for more than 242,000 deaths and over 10.5 million confirmed infections in the U.S., with the country facing what health experts say will be a dark winter because of disregard for mask-wearing and other precautions, the onset of cold weather and crowded holiday gatherings." AP -- "Red state governors reject Biden on mask orders," by Dan Goldberg, Rachel Roubein and Alice Miranda Ollstein: "President-elect Joe Biden says he'll personally call red state governors and persuade them to impose mask mandates to slow down the coronavirus pandemic. Their early response: Don't waste your time. "Almost all of the 16 Republican governors who oppose statewide mask mandates are ready to reject Biden's plea, they told POLITICO or declared in public statements — even as they impose new restrictions on businesses and limit the size of public gatherings to keep their health systems from getting swamped." TIKTOK LATEST -- "U.S. Backs Down on TikTok," by WSJ's John McKinnon and Georgia Wells: "The Commerce Department said Thursday it wouldn't enforce its order that would have effectively forced the Chinese-owned TikTok video-sharing app to shut down, in the latest sign of trouble for the Trump administration's efforts to turn it into a U.S. company. "The Commerce Department's action delayed implementation of an order, set to take effect on Thursday, that would have barred companies from providing internet-hosting or content-delivery services to TikTok—moves that would effectively make it inoperable in the U.S. The U.S. crackdown on Chinese social-media apps has been led by President Trump, and it is unclear how President-elect Joe Biden will address the situation. Many members of Congress in both parties, however, have sounded alarms about potential Chinese data-gathering and surveillance in the U.S." WSJ | | | | 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. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Send tips to Eli Okun and Garrett Ross at politicoplaybook@politico.com. TRANSITIONS -- Kailee Tkacz Buller will be president of the Institute of Shortening and Edible Oils, as current president Robert Collette retires. Tkacz Buller most recently was chief of staff to Deputy Agriculture Secretary Stephen Censky. … Kanya Bennett is now senior policy counsel and legislative coalition manager at the Bail Project. She previously was senior policy counsel at the ACLU. WELCOME TO THE WORLD -- Jared Roscoe, counsel and senior director at SoftBank Group International, and Amara Craighill, a design associate at Thomas Pheasant Interiors, welcomed Maya Hunter Roscoe just before noon Thursday. She came in at 7 lbs, 13 oz. Pic … Another pic -- Gary McElyea, U.S. state and local policy lead at Coca-Cola, and Alison Ebers-McElyea welcomed Emma Joyce McElyea on Wednesday afternoon. She joins big sister Nora. Pic … Another pic BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Zach Gillan, VP of public affairs at S-3 Group. A fun fact about him: "I spent much of my childhood in the early '90s at my father's yoga studio in Houston. At the time, you could count Houston's yoga studios on one hand. Being around the business showed me that it's possible to love what you do for a living -- even if you have to stray off the beaten path to accomplish it." Playbook Q&A BIRTHDAYS: Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) is 56 … Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and first lady Cecilia Abbott … Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker is 64 … Max Miller … Joe Cirincione is 71 … CNN's Eric Bradner … Merrick Garland is 68 … POLITICO's Sue Allan, Joyce Liu, Mariana Fernandez Aponte and Cole Thomas … Ken Rudin … Geoff Freeman, president and CEO of the Consumer Brands Association … Lindsay Drewel … Jon Wadsworth, partner at Atlas Advocacy (h/t Matt Smith) … Jared Goldberg-Leopold … Jared Parks, VP at the Herald Group … Lauren Essary (h/t Eamon Smith-Fagan) … Todd Priest, president of Todd Priest & Associates, is 56 (h/t Melinda Andrade) … … Washington Times' Seth McLaughlin is 44 … NBC's Bradd Jaffy … Tanya Brown … John Lapp … Martha McKenna (h/ts Teresa Vilmain) … Dominique Mann … Jeff Rossen is 44 … Addie Whisenant … Harry Hurt III is 69 … Peter Arnett is 86 … Jonathan Topaz … Michael Schwab is 34 … Jeff Blattner (h/t Jon Haber) … Ken Klukowski … Meg Lombardo … Nochi Dankner is 66 ... Saul Kripke is 8-0 ... Ayaan Hirsi Ali is 51 … Leah Breen … Ruth Wattenberg … Tim Alford … Robert Arlett … Kevin Pailet ... Ari Morgenstern ... Brad Clark ... Nikki Blank ... Miranda Moreno ... Camille Uzel ... David Alexander ... Sherine El-Nahas ... Robert Hastings … Chuck Thies … Marion Steinfels … Terry Adamson | | A message from Morgan Stanley: "Women Without Limits" Launches at Morgan Stanley – In August, our country celebrated a milestone Women's Equality Day, marking the 100th anniversary of the certification of the 19th Amendment. We honored both the women who fought and earned the right to vote—and the women who'd fight decades more for that right. We honored the trailblazers who made it their lives' mission to achieve equality among the sexes. Still, as we reflect on how far we've come, we must also look forward to the work that still lies ahead. Today, women have not yet achieved full financial equality. At Morgan Stanley, we believe the solution lies in financial empowerment. We are proud to support a vibrant and diverse group of women clients and communities. That's why we recently launched Women Without Limits, a forward-looking initiative that brings together our vast experience to support women of different backgrounds, life stages and financial goals. Learn more here. | | | | | | | 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 | | | | |
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