News: POLITICO Playbook: Confidence

Wednesday, December 16, 2020

POLITICO Playbook: Confidence

Dec 16, 2020

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By Jake Sherman and Anna Palmer

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DRIVING THE DAY

HERE'S WHAT WE CAN SAY at this early hour. If you are gambling or setting odds, there's a damn good chance that there will be a stimulus deal reached. It could be reached today -- maybe! Theoretically! -- given that: Friday is the government funding deadline, all the leaders agree a Covid relief deal should be paired with government funding, they have said they won't leave town until a Covid deal is notched and passed, and the nation's top lawmakers are talking and optimistic. Things would have to get real sideways for this to fall apart.

THE FOUR CORNERS or the Big Four -- Speaker NANCY PELOSI, Senate Majority Leader MITCH MCCONNELL, Senate Minority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER and House Minority Leader KEVIN MCCARTHY -- met on and off for more than three hours Tuesday night in PELOSI'S conference room in the Capitol to try to strike a relief deal. It was the first time they had all been together to talk about stimulus since the election. (We don't know if the group has been together in a classified setting, because they are also part of the Gang of Eight, which receives regular intelligence briefings.)

FRANKLY, talks between these four were the obvious endgame -- gangs never come up with the final product -- and they should've begun weeks ago. After just a few hours together, listen to what they were saying:

-- MCCARTHY: "I think we've built a lot of trust, I think we're moving in the right direction, I think there's a possibility of getting it done."

-- MCCONNELL: "We're making significant progress and I'm optimistic that we're gonna be able to complete an understanding sometime soon. … I'm not gonna get into details but we're getting closer. And as I've said all week and I'll say again tonight, you're tired of hearing it: Everybody wants to finish. Everybody wants to get a final agreement as soon as possible. We all believe the country needs it. And I think we're getting closer and closer."

-- SCHUMER: "We're talking, we're exchanging paper and ideas back and forth, making progress and hopefully we can come to an agreement soon."

-- PELOSI: "Tomorrow, we'll be back early and we'll be on schedule to get the job done."

ALL POSITIVE SIGNS for a deal.

THERE WERE A FEW NOTABLE DYNAMICS Tuesday night worth exploring and keeping in mind.

-- MUCH OF THE FIRST MEETING was spent haggling over the topline -- the price tag for the bill. It was a tacit agreement that a bill needed to get done.

-- THIS QUARTET represents the nucleus of power for the next two years at least, so let's dwell for a moment on the dynamics between these four. In the first meeting, PELOSI and SCHUMER spent much of the time in the speaker's conference room making their case for their priorities. MCCONNELL was almost completely silent, leaving MCCARTHY -- the youngest and most junior in the room -- to spar with the speaker and Senate minority leader.

-- PELOSI had intended to leave Treasury Secretary STEVEN MNUCHIN out of the talks. But MCCONNELL'S office insisted he be included. He joined by phone. More from Heather Caygle, Burgess Everett and Marianne LeVine on the state of the negotiations … NYT's Emily Cochrane on the talks

REMEMBER: After a deal is reached in principle, the two sides have to finalize language -- that could take a bit. And we're up against the clock.

YEP, IT'S POSSIBLE that it takes longer and another stopgap measure is needed.

A BIG THANKS AS ALWAYS to the Hill poolers -- on Tuesday night CNN's KRISTIN WILSON and TED BARRETT, NYT's EMILY COCHRANE, NBC's JULIE TSIRKIN, ABC's TRISH TURNER and MARIANNE LEVINE for organizing and the many more who contribute -- who make it possible to share reporting from the Capitol.

Good Wednesday morning. WAPO'S CAPITAL WEATHER GANG: "D.C. region faces heavy snow, ice and flooding Wednesday from major Mid-Atlantic storm"

GOOD NEWS … WE THINK? … POLITICO/MORNING CONSULT POLL … 52% of people have a lot of or some confidence in newspapers. 40% say they have a lot of or some confidence in Congress.

-- FASCINATING … 41% of self-described conservatives say these days it's getting harder to be a Republican. 39% say it's easier than ever.

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NEW … ALYSSA FARAH -- the former W.H. comms director -- is now advising the Georgia Republican Party as the pair of Senate runoffs heat up in the Peach State. FARAH emails: "The Senate is the WHOLE game. This is where Republicans' focus needs to be."

DAN CONSTON said on JOSH HOLMES' "Ruthless" podcast that he would do another term atop CLF/AAN. House Republicans are trying to win back the majority -- and CLF will be at the center of that. The podcast

HAPPENING THIS MORNING … Sen. BOB CASEY (D-Pa.) will join a POLITICO Live conversation with Transition Playbook at 9:20 a.m. today, moderated by ALEX THOMPSON and MEGAN CASSELLA. Watch here

THE CORONAVIRUS CONTINUES TO RAGE … 16.7 MILLION Americans have tested positive for the coronavirus. 303,849 Americans have died.

-- NYT: "Covid-19: U.S. and Pfizer Discuss Deal for Tens of Millions More Vaccine Doses Next Year"

-- "FDA authorizes first rapid, over-the-counter home coronavirus test," by WaPo's William Wan: "The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday authorized the first rapid coronavirus test that can be taken at home without prescription and that yields immediate results.

"The test could be a vital tool in the country's fight against the virus — especially in the months before most Americans are vaccinated. Unlike previous home tests, this version does not require samples to be sent to a lab and can be taken without doctor's orders by anyone older than 2."

THE RON JOHN REPORT … ANDREW DESIDERIO: "Ron Johnson gambles his political future on Trump": "Ron Johnson is linking himself to President Donald Trump's election challenge as tightly as possible as he decides whether to run for reelection to a must-win Senate seat for Republicans.

"Johnson, a steadfast Trump ally who has endeared himself to the president with his various investigative pursuits, is defending his approach, even as he faces a possible reelection campaign in a state that President-elect Joe Biden won in November. And Democrats are taking notice. …

"'I don't feel bad about what I've done. I think I'm being vindicated right now,' Johnson said in an interview this week, referring to his myriad investigations. 'It's a record I'm proud of. … Time will prove me right. It will vindicate what I've tried to do here.'"

-- WAPO'S MICHAEL KRANISH, MIKE DEBONIS and KAROUN DEMIRJIAN: "Ron Johnson could take his last stand Wednesday as Trump's most stalwart Senate defender"

ON HUNTER … "Trump asking about special prosecutor for Hunter Biden," by AP's Michael Balsamo and Jonathan Lemire: "President Donald Trump is considering pushing to have a special counsel appointed to advance a federal tax investigation into the son of President-elect Joe Biden, setting up a potential showdown with incoming acting attorney general Jeffrey Rosen.

"Trump — angry that out-going Attorney General William Barr didn't publicly announce the ongoing, two-year investigation into Hunter Biden — has consulted on the matter with White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, White House counsel Pat Cipollone and outside allies. …

"Beyond appointing a special prosecutor to investigate the younger Biden, the sources said Trump is interested in having another special counsel appointed to look into his own baseless claims of election fraud. But if he's expecting his newly named acting attorney general to go further than Barr on either matter, he could end up quickly disappointed."

MEANWHILE … JOSH GERSTEIN and KYLE CHENEY ask the question: "How will Barr close out his time at Justice?"

ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION: "Biden presses Georgians to 'do it again' and give him Democratic Senate," by Greg Bluestein

THE TRANSITION LATEST -- "Biden to pick former EPA chief McCarthy to lead climate team," by Alex Guillén and Tyler Pager: "President-elect Joe Biden will name former EPA head Gina McCarthy as his domestic climate policy chief, placing one of the architects of Barack Obama's climate regulatory efforts at the helm of his strategy to put the country on a path to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions, people familiar with the decision said."

-- "Biden to name Granholm as energy secretary," by WaPo's Will Englund, Juliet Eilperin and Dino Grandoni: "President-elect Joe Biden is nominating Jennifer Granholm, the former governor of Michigan who has been a strong voice for zero-emissions vehicles, as secretary of energy, two people familiar with the process said Tuesday.

"Granholm, 61 and currently an adjunct professor of law at the University of California at Berkeley, has argued that the United States risks being left behind by other countries if it doesn't develop alternate energy technologies. Her pick is a clear sign that Biden wants the department to play an important role in combating climate change.

"Arun Majumdar, a materials scientist and engineer who led a new research agency within the Energy Department under the Obama administration, is under consideration as deputy secretary, according to two people who spoke on the condition of anonymity because no decision had been finalized. Majumdar, who has been working for the Biden transition team and was considered a candidate himself for the top Energy post, is an enthusiastic advocate for modernizing the nation's electricity grid."

-- "Biden Taps Pete Buttigieg for Transportation Secretary," by NYT's Reid Epstein and Coral Davenport: "President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. will nominate Pete Buttigieg to be secretary of transportation, Mr. Biden's transition team announced Tuesday, selecting a former mayor of South Bend, Ind., and former opponent who would bring a younger voice to the cabinet and add to its diversity as its first openly gay member.

"Mr. Buttigieg, 38, a Rhodes scholar and Afghanistan veteran, emerged during the Democratic primaries to wage a fierce battle for the party's presidential nomination before bowing out and endorsing Mr. Biden. The two men bonded during the general election campaign, and the president-elect made it clear that he wanted to find a place for Mr. Buttigieg in his administration.

"During the campaign, the former mayor proved himself to be among the Democratic Party's most skilled communicators. Mr. Buttigieg as transportation secretary would be a key player in advancing Mr. Biden's ambitious agenda on both rebuilding the nation's infrastructure and on climate change, one of the most important priorities for the new administration."

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TRUMP'S WEDNESDAY -- The president will hold a Cabinet meeting at 11:30 a.m. in the Cabinet Room. VP MIKE PENCE will join the Cabinet meeting at 11:30 a.m. He will host a "Life is Winning" event at 2 p.m. in the South Court Auditorium. Pence will lead a White House Coronavirus Task Force meeting at 4 p.m. in the Situation Room.

PRESIDENT-ELECT JOE BIDEN and VP-elect KAMALA HARRIS will make a transition announcement in Wilmington, Del. In the afternoon they will separately receive the President's Daily Brief. Afterward, they will meet virtually with governors.

TODAY - TALKING TRANSITION WITH SENATOR CASEY: From Janet Yellen to Antony Blinken to Lloyd Austin, President-elect Joe Biden is building his Cabinet. What can we infer from Biden's nominations so far? Which of his nominees will face the toughest confirmation obstacles in the Senate? Are progressives satisfied with his choices? Join POLITICO for our first Transition Playbook: Live edition featuring Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.), who will break it all down. REGISTER HERE.

PLAYBOOK READS

Raphael Warnock, President-elect Joe Biden and Jon Ossoff are pictured.

PHOTO DU JOUR: President-elect Joe Biden campaigns with Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff in Atlanta on Tuesday. | Drew Angerer/Getty Images

ON RUSSIA -- "Biden to Face a Confrontational Russia in a World Changed From His Time in Office," by NYT's Jennifer Steinhauer and Michael Crowley: "The extensive hack of American government computer systems, almost certainly orchestrated by the Kremlin, underscores the daunting foreign policy challenge that President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia poses to the incoming Biden administration.

"Until Tuesday, the Russian leader had yet to acknowledge the Biden victory, and for weeks Kremlin-backed news outlets had gleefully amplified President Trump's groundless claims of election fraud. 'I am ready for contacts and interactions with you,' Mr. Putin said in a message of congratulations to President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr., according to a Kremlin statement issued Tuesday. Yet there is little doubt Mr. Putin is unhappy that Mr. Trump's see-no-evil approach to Russia is coming to an end, suggesting a tense if not hostile relationship with Mr. Biden."

KNOWING LOUISA TERRELL -- "Biden's Congress Whisperer," by Nancy Scola: "It was just after Barack Obama took the oath of office in 2009 when Louisa Terrell got on the phone with Shawn Whitman, chief of staff to Senator John Barrasso. It had the potential to be a painfully odd-couple pairing. Barrasso was a new Republican senator from Wyoming eager to make a name as a fierce conservative. Terrell worked in the White House legislative-affairs office, and her job was to win senators over to the new Democratic president. For an Obama aide, getting assigned to Barrasso was 'drawing the short straw,' Whitman says with a laugh.

"Terrell took it in stride, wading in like it just had to work. The two aides bonded over their kids and built a working relationship, with Terrell hunting for longshot places where their bosses' interests might align. 'She would say things like "Is this a no, or a hell no?,"' says Whitman. 'It was, "I get that you don't agree with us 100%. Do you agree with us 5%?"' The relationship eventually helped them win confirmation for a Wyoming judge many other Republicans opposed.

"Late last month, president-elect Joe Biden named Terrell director of his White House Office of Legislative Affairs — making her the president's chief ambassador to Congress at a moment when Washington seems all but ungovernable."

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PLAYBOOK METRO SECTION -- "D.C. Passes Bill to Give Young Offenders Chance at Reduced Sentences," by NYT's Hailey Fuchs: "The District of Columbia Council passed legislation on Tuesday that would give people who committed crimes as young adults a chance to have their sentences reduced, reflecting a growing national debate over whether offenders in their late teens and early 20s should be treated the same as older people when it comes to sentencing.

"The bill would give broad authority to judges to determine whether offenders who were younger than 25 at the time of their crimes and have served at least 15 years — many if not all of them convicted of violent offenses — deserve early release.

"Opponents of the legislation say it could let hundreds of violent criminals back onto the streets of the nation's capital. Supporters say the legislation would align the criminal justice system with research that indicates those in their late teens and early 20s lack complete brain maturity and deserve to be treated more leniently than older adults."

IN MEMORIAM -- THE DAILY BEAST: "Ex-Hill Staffer Linked to Veselnitskaya Dies Suddenly After Fall Near His Home," by Nico Hines: "The longtime aide to 'Putin's Congressman' Dana Rohrabacher died suddenly from a head injury over the weekend. Paul Behrends was found by emergency responders close to his home on Friday night with severe head trauma. He was taken to a local hospital where surgeons fought to save him, but he passed away on Saturday, according to a spokesman for Rohrabacher.

"Behrends was a controversial figure on Capitol Hill who lost his job as staff director for the House Foreign Affairs subcommittee after The Daily Beast reported on his links to Trump Tower lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya's operation in the U.S. Rohrabacher's former congressional spokesman Ken Grubbs told The Daily Beast that Behrends died at the hospital."

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PLAYBOOKERS

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TRANSITIONS -- Nancy Juarez has been named COS for Rep.-elect Marie Newman (D-Ill.). She most recently was deputy COS/legislative director for Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.). … Garrick Delzell will be campaign manager for Jennifer Carroll Foy's Virginia gubernatorial campaign. He previously was an EMILY's List staffer and is a Donna Edwards, Annie Kuster and Eric Swalwell alum. … Neil Sroka will be comms director at Paid Leave for the U.S. He previously was comms director at Democracy for America. … Laura Dove will manage Ford's U.S. federal affairs team. She previously was a director of transportation policy in Ford's Washington office. …

… Rep.-elect Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa) is adding Sophie Seid as comms director and Brittany Madni as deputy COS. Seid is currently press secretary for the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Madni is currently legislative director for Rep. Troy Balderson (R-Ohio). … Caroline Ponseti is now a director at the Herald Group. She previously led the American Gaming Association's media relations operations and also served as press secretary for the U.S. House Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Mary Absom has also joined the Herald Group as an associate.

WEEKEND WEDDING -- Flynn Chapman, senior consultant at APCO Worldwide, and Jordan Fashimpaur, former director of scheduling for Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), got married Saturday in Andrews, N.C. They met getting hot dogs at the Swizzler food truck near Union Station in 2015, when she worked for Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and he interned for Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.). Pic

WELCOME TO THE WORLD -- Natalie Pahz, public relations manager at CNN, and Keyvon Pahz, a finance consultant at FactSet, welcomed Paloma Rowe Pahz on Monday in New York City. Pic … Another pic

BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Kezia McKeague, director of the Latin America practice at McLarty Associates. A fun fact about her: "My parents hail from two islands on opposite sides of the world (Cuba and New Zealand), but I speak Spanish with an Argentine accent thanks to my abiding love affair with Buenos Aires. I'm also a Francophile and have been doing virtual conversation classes during the pandemic to brush up my French. And to answer the question I hear most often, I owe my first name to a literary character -- Katherine Mansfield's short stories, which are considered classic Kiwi literature." Playbook Q&A

BIRTHDAYS: Playbook's own Jake Sherman is 3-5 … CNN correspondent Phil Mattingly is 37 (h/ts Rachel Adler and Mitchell Rivard) … Lesley Stahl … National Journal's Zach Cohen … CNN's Liz Turrell and Jason Seher … Melissa Kiedrowicz Ellison … former Rep. Norm Dicks (D-Wash.) is 8-0 … Adam Bromberg … POLITICO's Rebecca Rainey … Matt Mariani … Allison Herwitt, chief of staff to Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) … Kelsey Knight … Jenni LeCompte, managing director at the Glover Park Group (h/t husband Theo) … John Bailey … Matt Klapper, chief of staff to Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) … Susan Liss … Jano Cabrera, chief comms officer at General Mills (h/ts Jon Haber) … FCC's Kate Black (h/ts Teresa Vilmain) … Jody Murphy, VP and IE director at End Citizens United, is 4-0 (h/t wife Lauren) … Peter Orszag, CEO of financial advisory at Lazard …

… Amber Smith, president of Beacon Rock Strategies … Tom Joannou … Emilie (Binx) Saunders … Bill Schulz … Jim Kelly … New Hampshire state Rep. Ross Berry … Katie Heaton … Laura Koran … Kendall Breitman … Carol Browner … Gary Le … Heather King … Alexa Damis-Wulff … Judith Giuliani … former Rhode Island Gov. Don Carcieri is 78 … former Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn is 72 … Sony's Christina Mulvihill … Chris Frech … David Crook … Boston Globe's Liz Goodwin … Amy Siskind … Mark Sump … Whitney Kuhn Lawson … Joan Lowy … SBA's Emily Rapp is 31 (h/t Margy Levinson) … Susan Estrich … Jacy Reese … Clay Black … Doug Culver … Caitlin Lupton … Tom Kise … Melissa Wisner … Elisa Beneze … Jodie Steck … Emily Gaumer … Mohammad Reza Noroozpour … Hugh O'Connell

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