| | | | | |  | | By Jake Sherman and Anna Palmer | Presented by |  | | | | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | GOOD FRIDAY MORNING. Here's how your American government is ending the year -- and the TRUMP presidency. -- THE GOVERNMENT runs out of spending authority this evening at midnight. Typically, the government avoids shutting down officially if there is a spending bill on the horizon, so we may be spared that drama. Divided government began in January 2019 with a shutdown, and it may end with another funding lapse. -- CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS are preparing the second-largest federal rescue package in our nation's history, and no one has seen it just days before it will get a vote. -- ALL OF THE POWER is centralized among four people and their aides: Speaker NANCY PELOSI, Senate Majority Leader MITCH MCCONNELL, Senate Minority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER and House Minority Leader KEVIN MCCARTHY. -- PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP has continued his, um, mastery of Congress, by nearly blowing up the talks by demanding large stimulus checks at the last moment -- this is per JEFF STEIN, the master of the direct check, at the WaPo. -- ALL THE MEANWHILE, SENATORS are walking around clueless, with no idea what to expect or when to expect it. They are killing time by voting on more executive branch nominations with 33 DAYS left in the TRUMP presidency. On Thursday, they plopped someone on the board of the Tennessee Valley Authority. Amazingly, MCCONNELL seems to have run out of judges to put on the federal bench. -- OUR GOVERNMENT and its technology infrastructure are under siege by Russia. TRUMP has said nothing. -- THE PRESIDENT is still falsely suggesting he has won the election. -- 50 LAWMAKERS have contracted the coronavirus -- this per the great KRISTIN WILSON of CNN. IN THE LAST FEW DAYS, Reps. MIKE ROGERS (R-Ala.) and JOE WILSON (R-S.C.) said they had the coronavirus. What do they have in common? They were both at the White House Congressional Ball Christmas party, per sources familiar. -- COVID DEATHS are still spiking. Hospitals are getting more and more crowded. THESE NEXT THREE DAYS will be white knuckle-inducing in D.C., as Congress tries to squeeze through a massive spending package and government funding bill. We anticipate a weekend session with lots of waiting. -- NEGOTIATION LEDEALLS … POLITICO … NYT WSJ TOP-ED: "Hijacking the Fed to Bail Out States: Democrats are blocking Covid relief to keep 13(3) pandemic lending alive." SHOT … President-elect JOE BIDEN'S decision to tap Rep. DEB HAALAND (D-N.M.) for Interior secretary is likely to leave PELOSI with a 219-seat majority for much of the first part of next year. That's a one-seat margin to get bills across the floor. CHASER … NYT A1, JIM TANKERSLEY and EMILY COCHRANE: "Biden Faces Challenge as Congress Drops State Aid to Secure Stimulus" QUICK PROGRAMMING NOTE: Playbook PM and the Audio Briefing will be on hiatus the next two weeks for the holidays. Playbook will continue to be in your inbox each morning. ABOUT LAST NIGHT ... JOE and JILL BIDEN joined STEPHEN COLBERT on CBS' "A LATE SHOW." Jill Biden addressed the recent controversy around the WSJ op-ed and her "Dr." title. Watch OF NOTE: JEN PSAKI will be on "FOX NEWS SUNDAY" this week. | | A message from UnitedHealth Group: UnitedHealth Group is committed to leading in the development of a next-generation health system in a socially conscious way. Learn more here. | | | THE CORONAVIRUS CONTINUES TO RAGE … 17.2 MILLION Americans have tested positive for the coronavirus. … 310,782 Americans have died. MCCONNELL and PELOSI announced Thursday night they would be taking the Covid-19 vaccine in the coming days. VP MIKE PENCE will get the vaccine this morning on live television. -- "Congress to receive first batch of Covid-19 vaccines but uncertainty lingers," by Melanie Zanona, Marianne LeVine and Sarah Ferris: "Top congressional leaders will receive the coronavirus vaccine in the coming days with dozens of lawmakers planning to quickly follow suit — an effort designed to maintain a continuity of government while also instilling public confidence in the shot. "The limited batch of doses, which is expected to soon arrive in the House and Senate and was first reported by POLITICO, marks a major development for lawmakers and frontline workers in a Capitol complex that has battled dozens of cases this year. "But the sudden announcement of vaccines stunned many lawmakers who had been kept in the dark about whether they would get doses at all. Now, members are preparing for their first doses in what's expected to be the final week in session of the 116th Congress. "Vaccines for federal agencies and officials across Washington have been arriving at Walter Reed Medical Center in recent days, and thousands of doses are expected to be designated for Congress." -- REP. CEDRIC RICHMOND (D-La.) tested positive for the coronavirus. More from Matthew Choi: "Richmond has shown symptoms of the disease and will be isolating following his diagnosis. He was at a Georgia campaign event with Biden on Tuesday, along with Democratic Senate candidates Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock. Richmond was not in close contact with Biden, Ossoff or Warnock according to CDC guidelines, and Biden tested negative for the virus Thursday, the transition team said." UGH -- "States report confusion as government reduces vaccine shipments, while Pfizer says it has 'millions' of unclaimed doses," by WaPo's Isaac Stanley-Becker, Yasmeen Abutaleb, Lena Sun and Josh Dawsey: "Officials in multiple states said they were alerted late Wednesday that their second shipments of Pfizer-BioNTech's vaccine had been drastically cut for next week, sparking widespread confusion and conflicting statements from Pfizer and federal officials about who was at fault. "The reduction prompted concern in health departments across the country about whether Operation Warp Speed, the Trump administration's vaccine accelerator program, could distribute doses quickly enough to meet the target of delivering first shots to 20 million people by year's end. "A senior administration official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal plans, said the revised estimates were the result of states' requesting an expedited timeline for locking in their allocations for the following week; notification of how many doses they could order each week was consequently advanced from Friday to Tuesday. Since Pfizer is producing doses daily, the official said, fewer doses were available Tuesday than will be available on Friday." BUT MORE HELP IS ON THE WAY -- "FDA plans to OK 2nd COVID-19 vaccine after panel endorsement," by AP's Matthew Perrone and Lauran Neergaard: "The head of the Food and Drug Administration said late Thursday that his agency will move to quickly authorize the second COVID-19 vaccine to fight the pandemic, hours after the shot won the key endorsement of a government advisory panel. "FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn said i n a statement that regulators have communicated their plans to drugmaker Moderna, which co-developed the vaccine with the National Institutes of Health. The announcement came after a panel of FDA advisers, in a 20-0 vote, ruled that the benefits of the vaccine outweighed the risks for those 18 years old and up. "Once FDA's emergency use authorization is granted, Moderna will begin shipping millions of doses, earmarked for health workers and nursing home residents, to boost the largest vaccination effort in U.S. history." WHAT WILL KEEP REPUBLICANS UP TONIGHT … ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION: "76K new Georgia voters registered before U.S. Senate runoffs," by Mark Niesse: "Nearly 76,000 new voters registered in Georgia since before the presidential election, enough to make a difference in the U.S. Senate runoffs if they turn out. "The number of new voters was revealed in an updated voter registration list purchased from the secretary of state's office by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. These voters signed up before the state's Dec. 7 voter registration deadline and are eligible to participate in the Jan. 5 runoffs that will decide control of the Senate. They're overwhelmingly young, with 56% of them under 35 years old. Some are new Georgia residents; others just turned 18. None has a voting record in the state." -- "Top Republicans offer conflicting messages about Trump's loss while campaigning in Georgia," by WaPo's Cleve Wootson Jr. and Paul Kane in Columbia, Ga. -- "Democrats in Georgia: 'Trump is helping our case,'" by Sabrina Rodríguez and Maya King: "President Donald Trump has been waging war on Georgia Republicans the past month, spreading disinformation and conspiracy theories about the Senate runoffs — and Democrats are praying he keeps on talking. "That's because Republican voters who believe Trump's claims are growing skeptical of the election. They're flocking to Facebook, Parler and Gab and they're threatening to sit this one out — putting Republicans' grasp on the Senate at risk if they follow through on Jan. 5." NEW … VOTEVETS is putting $1.75 million on TV in Atlanta and Macon, Ga., knocking GOP Sen. DAVID PERDUE. The ad BIG DEM CAUCUS NEWS … "Kathleen Rice beats out AOC for spot on coveted House committee," by Sarah Ferris and Heather Caygle: "Rep. Kathleen Rice has captured a prized seat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee after a contentious showdown with fellow New Yorker, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. "Rice and Ocasio-Cortez have been battling behind the scenes for weeks to secure one of the few open seats on the exclusive committee, which oversees everything from health care policy to climate issues. Tensions spilled into the open Thursday in a private meeting of the Steering and Policy Committee, where Democrats were forced to choose between the two members in a tense — and awkward — secret ballot vote. "Rice ultimately won in a lopsided vote of 46-13, though it wasn't without some drama after some moderate Democrats openly criticized Ocasio-Cortez. Just before the Steering Committee moved to vote on the Energy and Commerce slots, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her leadership team presented a slate of their preferred candidates for four out of the five seats. "But notably, top Democrats did not choose a nominee for the final seat, which is essentially reserved for a New York member -- forcing Rice and Ocasio-Cortez into a head-to-head matchup." -- DOES THIS MAKE AOC MORE OR LESS likely to run against SCHUMER for Senate? | | | | A message from UnitedHealth Group:   UnitedHealth Group is committed to a future where every person has access to high-quality, affordable health care. | | | TRUMP'S FRIDAY -- The president will meet with acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller at 3:30 p.m. in the Oval Office. … PENCE and second lady KAREN PENCE will receive the Covid-19 vaccine at 8 a.m. in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. Pence will join Trump for his meeting with Miller. He will host Space Force's first birthday at 4 p.m. in the South Court Auditorium. BIDEN has no scheduled events. VP-elect KAMALA HARRIS will meet with transition advisers. TV TONIGHT -- PBS' "Washington Week": Susan Davis, Rachel Scott and Jonathan Swan. SUNDAY SO FAR … | NBC | "Meet the Press": Panel: Yamiche Alcindor, Hallie Jackson and Rich Lowry. | FOX | "Fox News Sunday": Incoming White House press secretary Jen Psaki. Panel: Ben Domenech, Susan Page and Juan Williams. Power Player: Morrill Worcester. | CBS | "Face the Nation": Incoming White House chief of staff Ron Klain … Kevin Mandia … David Ricks … Scott Gottlieb … Mary Daly. | ABC | "This Week": Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.). Panel: Chris Christie, Rahm Emanuel, Sara Fagen and Yvette Simpson. | Sinclair | "America This Week": Brad Parscale … Adm. Brett Giroir … Peter Schweizer … Peter Navarro … Bob Unanue. | Gray TV | "Full Court Press": Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) … Rep. Tom Reed (R-N.Y.). | | | | | | BIG SCOOPS IN TRANSITION PLAYBOOK: In the runup to Inauguration Day, president-elect Joe Biden's staffing decisions are sending clear-cut signals about his priorities. What do these signals foretell? Transition Playbook is the definitive guide to one of the most consequential transfers of power in American history. Written for political insiders, this scoop-filled newsletter is breaking big news and analyzing the appointments, people and emerging power centers of the new administration. Track the transition and the first 100 days of the incoming administration. Subscribe today. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | | 
PHOTO DU JOUR: EMTs transport a 77-year-old Covid-19 patient to the hospital in Yonkers, N.Y., on Thursday as cases surge nationwide. | John Moore/Getty Images | NYT'S DAVID SANGER and NICOLE PERLROTH: "More Hacking Attacks Found as Officials Warn of 'Grave Risk' to U.S. Government": "Federal officials issued an urgent warning on Thursday that hackers who American intelligence agencies believed were working for the Kremlin used a far wider variety of tools than previously known to penetrate government systems, and said that the cyberoffensive was 'a grave risk to the federal government.' "The discovery suggests that the scope of the hacking, which appears to extend beyond nuclear laboratories and Pentagon, Treasury and Commerce Department systems, complicates the challenge for federal investigators as they try to assess the damage and understand what had been stolen. "Minutes after the statement from the cybersecurity arm of the Department of Homeland Security, President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. warned that his administration would impose 'substantial costs' on those responsible. 'A good defense isn't enough; we need to disrupt and deter our adversaries from undertaking significant cyberattacks in the first place,' Mr. Biden said, adding, 'I will not stand idly by in the face of cyberassaults on our nation.'" ON CHINA -- "Government Leaders Clash Over Next Step for Trump's Ban on Chinese Stocks," by WSJ's Jing Yang and Dawn Lim: "President Trump's recent executive order prohibiting Americans from investing in companies tied to China's military complex has set up a fight in the highest ranks of government over how broad the list should be. "Since November, the White House barred U.S. investors from buying into 35 Chinese companies the Pentagon has classified as aiding China's defense, intelligence and security apparatus. It sparked selloffs of Chinese stocks and bonds, forced index firms to drop companies from marquee benchmarks, and pushed Wall Street to reassess risks from investing in China. "Now, the U.S. government is at odds over whether the blacklist should include subsidiaries of the companies. Another battlefront is over whether affiliates should be included. The question affects how much teeth the ban will have." WSJ JOHN HARRIS column: "Joe Biden wears a 'kick me' sign" | | | | A message from UnitedHealth Group:   Learn about UnitedHealth Group's ideas to lower out-of-pocket health care costs for consumers. | | | THE TRANSITION … "Progressives line up their own national security recruits for Biden," by Bryan Bender: "In a forceful effort to shape a more progressive foreign policy, a coalition of left-leaning and other groups on Friday will deliver a detailed roster of 100 candidates they recommend for senior posts in the Biden administration, according to organizers and a glossy book of resumes prepared for the president-elect. "The effort marks a new phase for progressive groups, which have criticized the ties to arms-makers of some Cabinet picks and have also lobbied the Biden-Harris team to enlist a more diverse set of views in building out its national security staff. "The list draws on experts and scholars at human rights and antiwar groups and transpartisan think tanks advocating for less military intervention, as well as a number of establishment figures and unconventional thinkers with government experience. Some 65 percent are women or people of color and there are 'zero with corporate ties and backgrounds,' said Yasmine Taeb, a senior fellow at the progressive Center for International Policy." POLITICO BEYOND THE BELTWAY -- "Garcetti won't serve in Biden administration," by Jeremy White: "Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti conceded Thursday night that he would not serve in the Biden administration, diffusing the longstanding assumption that he would be rewarded for his support of the president-elect. "Garcetti said he had turned down an unspecified administration post and would instead remain mayor of California's largest city. 'As the administration reached out to me about serving, I let them know early this week that my city needs me now, and then I want to be here and that I need to be here,' Garcetti said." -- "Californian allegedly obtained UI benefits using Feinstein's identity," by Jeremy White in Oakland, Calif. MEDIAWATCH … -- NYT: "The Washington Post has 3 million digital subscribers": "Altogether, The Post will add 43 newsroom jobs in 2021. The Post's newsroom head count will increase to about 1,010, 'the most ever,' according to [Marty] Baron and [Douglas] Jehl. The Post currently employs 2,500 people." -- NYT: "Axios Buys Charlotte Agenda, a Digital Start-Up, as Part of Push Into Local News," by Edmund Lee | | | | NOT TRAVELING? NO PROBLEM KEEP UP WITH THE WORLD FROM HOME: Our Global Translations newsletter, presented by Bank of America, layers international news, trends and decisions with contextual analysis from the world's sharpest minds. When traveling is a challenge, we can bring information from around the world to you. For news, insight and a unique perspective that you cannot find anywhere else, SUBSCRIBE TODAY. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Send tips to Eli Okun and Garrett Ross at politicoplaybook@politico.com. SPOTTED: Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) on the 1 p.m. American Airlines flight from DCA to DFW on Thursday. He was reading Breitbart for the first 30 minutes. SPOTTED at Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz's (D-Fla.) annual Hanukkah party via Zoom, co-hosted by Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.): Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Reps. Val Demings (D-Fla.), Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.), Brad Schneider (D-Ill.), Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.), Elaine Luria (D-Va.), Ed Case (D-Hawaii), Anthony Brown (D-Md.), Darren Sotto (D-Fla.), Andy Levin (D-Mich.), Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) … … Donna Shalala (D-Fla.), Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.), Katherine Clark (D-Mass.), Kim Schrier (D-Wash.), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.) and David Cicilline (D-R.I.), Reps.-elect Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.), Kathy Manning (D-N.C.) and Nikema Williams (D-Ga.), Virginia state House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn, Laurence Bazer, Michael Solomonov and Jon "Bowzer" Bauman. Pic FIRST IN PLAYBOOK -- Adam Korzeniewski is now White House liaison at the Treasury Department. He most recently was a senior adviser at the U.S. Census Bureau. Alex Hinson is now White House liaison and senior adviser to the chair and president at the Export-Import Bank. He most recently was White House liaison at Treasury. TRANSITIONS -- Michawn Rich will be comms director for Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.). She previously was comms director at USDA. … Meghan Rodgers will be VP of public relations and industry affairs at the Global Cold Chain Alliance. She previously was deputy comms director at USDA. … … Eric Sayers is now a visiting fellow on AEI's foreign and defense policy team, focusing on Asia-Pacific defense policy and strategy and U.S.-China technology policy. He most recently was a special assistant to the commander at U.S. Pacific Command. … The National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable is adding Daniel Raymond as director of policy and promoting Adrienne Simmons to director of programs. Raymond most recently was deputy director of planning and policy at the National Harm Reduction Coalition, and Simmons has been with NVHR since July. ENGAGED -- Jared Atkins of Spectra Contract Flooring proposed to Liz Seidel, government affairs associate at ClearPath and a White House Office of Presidential Personnel alum, on their third anniversary. Their dogs, Ace and Banks, were present for the proposal. Pic -- Victoria Kucharski and Tom Buchanan, both senior account executives at CRC Advisors, got engaged Sunday. He proposed at the National Arboretum with their dog Ripley in attendance. They met at CRC Advisors. Pic -- Andrea Woods, associate director for comms at the White House Council on Environmental Quality, and Colin Reed, managing director at the Levinson Group, got engaged Wednesday. He proposed at home on their Capitol Hill front porch in front of her sister, Hali, their neighbors and their 4-month-old rescue puppy, Tillie, who were all in on the surprise and celebrated with an outdoor champagne toast. Pic … Another pic WELCOME TO THE WORLD -- Karina Borger, comms director for Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), and Matt Borger, project development manager at Borger Management Inc., welcomed Drew Borger on Nov. 24. Pic … Another pic -- Michelle Anderson, marketing director at Rokk Solutions, and Joe Anderson, a U.S. Army data scientist, on Wednesday welcomed Maxwell Richmond, who came in at 8 lbs, 1 oz. Pic BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Jennifer Scoggins Hanks, director at DCI Group and a CNN, Bush and Schwarzenegger alum. What she's watching for in the Biden presidency: "I will be watching the landmark all-female communications team -- all with young children. As working parents, we should celebrate wins like this. It takes great partnerships in and out of work." Playbook Q&A BIRTHDAYS: Rep. Bill Posey (R-Fla.) is 73 … Matt Schlapp, chair of the American Conservative Union and co-founder of Cove Strategies, is 53 … Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, is 63 … WSJ's Jeanne Cummings and Andrew Restuccia … Nick Geale … Robb Watters, managing partner at the Madison Group … Rachel Streitfeld, senior producer for CNN's "State of the Union" … Rich Luchette … POLITICO's Ryan McCrimmon … Kate Holliday, director of emerging channels and tech at A4 Media … Danielle Moon, legislative assistant for Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) … Jackie Levin … Jim Carter, head of Emerson's D.C. office (h/t Michael McHugh) … John Cox … John Leer, senior director for economic intelligence at Morning Consult … Noelle Verhelst, legislative director for Rep. Lloyd Smucker (R-Pa.), is 3-0 (h/t Liz Butler) … Adam Wilczewski is 44 … Ali Main of CNN's D.C. bureau (h/ts Max Schwartz and Julie Gallagher) … AP's Will Lester is 68 ... Tyler Lechtenberg … … Liz Halloran, principal at Cornerstone Public Affairs … Frank Coleman, senior adviser to the CEO at the Distilled Spirits Council … S.K. Bowen, comms director for Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) … Wes Coulam, executive director of Washington Council Ernst & Young … Philip Bennett, scheduler for Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) … CNN's Lisa Respers France … Sarah Shulman … Dov Zakheim … Jon Prior … Julie Donofrio … Dwight Holton is 55 … Elissa Dodge, EVP at Qorvis Communications (h/ts Kara Hauck and Paris Kissel) … Brunswick's Linus Turner … Max Mounkhaty … former A.G. Ramsey Clark is 93 … Hawk Haines … Jesse Glicker … Spencer Sharp, founder of 718 Media (h/t Sydney Sarachan) … Google's Lindsay (Conwell) Stanton and Jesse Suskin … Anna-Claire Setterlin … Fred Sainz, senior director of corporate comms at Apple ... Denise Forte … Noam Neusner ... Micah Lasher ... Brendan Kelly ... Lee Spieckerman ... Kristina Budelis ... McCall Johnson … Paul Cooper … Wendy Strout (h/ts Teresa Vilmain) | | A message from UnitedHealth Group: UnitedHealth Group supports actionable, impactful policy solutions to make health care more affordable.
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