| | | | | |  | | By Anna Palmer and Jake Sherman | Presented by |  | | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | SIREN … IT'S HAPPENING! -- "Trucks with first COVID-19 vaccine in US get ready to roll," by AP's Matthew Perrone, Mike Stobbe and Mark Scolforo: "The first trucks carrying a COVID-19 vaccine for widespread use in the United States were set to pull out of a Michigan manufacturing plant Sunday, with the shots that are critical to stopping the nation's coronavirus outbreak destined to reach states a day later. "An assembly line of workers began in the early morning hours pulling doses out of a freezer, boxing the vaccine and loading the units onto pallets so they could be placed on trucks at a Pfizer plant in Michigan. Dry ice, shipping labels and packing tape were on hand as the workers — donning masks, face shields and gloves — put together the packages inside the warehouse." -- "As coronavirus vaccine begins to roll out, FDA seeks to reassure the public on safety," by WaPo's Laurie McGinley BUT, BUT, BUT … "Getting Covid Vaccines to People Will Cost States Billions They Don't Have," by WSJ's Stephanie Armour and Scott Calvert: "State leaders say they are short billions of dollars in funding needed to successfully provide Covid-19 vaccinations to all Americans who want to be inoculated by health officials' June goal. "The federal government is providing the vaccine, along with syringes, needles, face masks and shields. But state leaders say they must hire medical workers, provide community outreach and education, set up vaccination clinics and ensure storage capacity for vaccines. Some states are also concerned about having enough supplies, such as gloves and gowns, to protect health-care workers as well as people getting vaccinated. "Officials in several states said they would spend whatever is needed to get residents vaccinated. Some said that might force spending cuts in areas like education, unless Congress provides additional funding or the federal government reimburses a large chunk of their rollout costs." -- "U.S. Poised for Wave of Evictions in January as Federal Ban Expires," by WSJ's Will Parker IS RELIEF ON THE WAY? -- HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER STENY HOYER told ABBY PHILLIP on CNN'S "INSIDE POLITICS" that he spent the weekend negotiating with House and Senate leaders about a Covid relief package. Pressed by PHILLIP about whether Democrats would drop state and local funding in order to get a deal, HOYER punted and said "life is a series of trade-offs and gives and takes." -- HOW HOYER'S FRAMING IT: "So we need to get the essential done and we'll have time to get stuff done that we didn't include because we couldn't get political agreement. We'll have time to do that. We have a new president. We have a new Congress. We're not going to leave anybody behind." SEN. JOE MANCHIN (D-W.Va.) told CHRIS WALLACE on "FOX NEWS SUNDAY" that negotiators would be on a call this afternoon "to finish things up." He said they'll "have a bill produced for the American people tomorrow, $908 billion." MEANWHILE … PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP -- the leader of the free world -- is continuing to spout falsehoods about the election. TRUMP spoke with BRIAN KILMEADE on FOX NEWS' "FOX & FRIENDS" on Saturday where he continued to falsely assert he won the election, railed against the courts, the voting machines and AG BILL BARR. The full interview ... David Siders on Trump unleashing an army of sore losers -- ON IF HE WORRIES ABOUT DIVIDING THE COUNTRY: "No, I worry about the country having an illegitimate president, that's what I worry about." -- ON WHETHER HE WOULD ATTEND BIDEN'S INAUGURATION: "I don't want to talk about that." FROM 30,000 FEET -- WAPO'S TOLUSE OLORUNNIPA and CLEVE R. WOOTSON JR: "In challenging election defeat, Trump cements his control over the Republican Party": "President Trump's push to overturn his election loss has been repeatedly defeated and rebuffed by the courts, culminating in a terse dismissal late Friday by the Supreme Court. But the campaign has also served another purpose — rallying Republicans across the country to back Trump's assault on democratic principles and further cementing his control over the party even as he prepares to leave the White House. "For the past six weeks, Trump has staged the ultimate loyalty test for the party faithful as he forced Republican officials to opt between siding with him and the nation's democratic process. Through public displays of support and lengthy silences, the vast majority of elected Republicans chose to back Trump. "Nearly two-thirds of House Republicans and 18 state attorneys general signed their names to the failed Supreme Court lawsuit seeking to have justices overturn the will of voters in multiple states. Others have gone on television to parrot the president's baseless conspiracy theories about vote-rigging. Some are using rhetoric reminiscent of the Civil War to express their fealty to the president's cause." WaPo -- HOUSE MINORITY WHIP STEVE SCALISE would not say to CHRIS WALLACE on FOX NEWS' "FOX NEWS SUNDAY" that JOE BIDEN was president-elect. SCALISE: "Let the legal process play out." | | A message from Blue Cross Blue Shield Association: Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies have committed more than $5.5 billion to help the nation address the COVID-19 outbreak, by providing premium relief, eliminating patient treatment costs, and enhancing access to telehealth. Learn more. | | | THE OPPOSITION'S LAST GASP … NYT'S NICHOLAS FANDOS and MIKE SCHMIDT: "Trump Allies Eye Long-Shot Election Reversal in Congress, Testing Pence" AT LEAST SOME REPUBLICANS READY TO MOVE ON … "Lamar Alexander: Trump needs to 'put the country first' and accept election results," by David Cohen: "Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander said in an interview that aired Sunday that he hopes President Donald Trump 'puts the country first' and congratulates President-elect Joe Biden on his victory. "Speaking on NBC's 'Meet the Press,' Alexander said that there should not be any doubt 'after Monday,' when the Electoral College casts its votes across the nation, about the winner of the Nov. 3 presidential election. "'The states have counted, certified their votes,' the Tennessee Republican told host Chuck Todd. 'The courts have resolved the disputes. It looks very much like the electors will vote for Joe Biden. And when they do, I hope that he puts the country first — mean, the president — that he takes pride in his considerable accomplishments, that he congratulates the president-elect and he helps him get off to a good start, especially in the middle of this pandemic. We need to not lose one day in the transition in getting the vaccine out to everybody who needs it.' Good Sunday morning. 5 DAYS until the end of the legislative session ... 38 DAYS until JOE BIDEN takes office. ABOUT LAST NIGHT -- "Multiple people stabbed after thousands gather for pro-Trump demonstrations in Washington," by WaPo's Emily Davies, Rachel Weiner, Clarence Williams, Marissa J. Lang and Jessica Contrera: "Thousands of maskless rallygoers who refuse to accept the results of the election turned downtown Washington into a falsehood-filled spectacle Saturday, two days before the electoral college will make the president's loss official. "In smaller numbers than their gathering last month, they roamed from the Capitol to the Mall and back again, seeking inspiration from speakers who railed against the Supreme Court, Fox News and President-elect Joe Biden. The crowds cheered for recently pardoned former national security adviser Michael Flynn, marched with conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and stood in awe of a flyover from what appeared to be Marine One. "But at night, the scene became violent. At least four people were stabbed near Harry's Bar at 11th and F streets NW, a gathering point for the Proud Boys, a male-chauvinist organization with ties to white nationalism." MORE SUNDAY BEST … MARTHA RADDATZ spoke with FDA Commissioner STEPHEN HAHN on ABC'S "THIS WEEK" about obtaining more supplies of the vaccine and distributing it. HAHN said that he is "aware" that the government is working to get "as much out there as possible." -- ON WHETHER HE WAS PRESSURED BY THE W.H.: HAHN: "We do not feel that this could have been out a week earlier. We went through our process. We promised, Martha, the American people that we would do a thorough review of the application and that's what we did. RADDATZ: "And just very quickly, Mark Meadows said what to you? Is it possible he said you would have to resign?" HAHN: "So, again, I'm not going to discuss individual conversations. We were encouraged to move quickly and we were already moving quickly and I feel very confident about the decision we made." -- CHUCK TODD spoke with Sen. CHRIS COONS (D-Del.) on NBC'S "MEET THE PRESS" about the stimulus package in the Senate. COONS: "There is now, I think, real optimism … We should not leave for the holidays until we have adopted that $908 billion framework to give a next round of relief to the millions of Americans who are facing eviction, hunger, unemployment, disease. It includes funding for vaccine distribution and $300 billion for small businesses to keep them afloat or help them reopen." | | | | A message from Blue Cross Blue Shield Association:   Taking action to fight the pandemic. See how we're meeting the challenge. | | | THE TRANSITION … "Biden Faces Intense Pressure From All Sides as He Seeks Diverse Cabinet," by NYT's Michael D. Shear and Annie Karni: "The pressure on the Democratic president-elect is intense, even as his efforts to ensure ethnic and gender diversity already go far beyond those of President Trump, who did not make diversity a priority and often chose his top officials because they looked the part. And it is coming from all sides. "When Mr. Biden nominated the first Black man to run the Pentagon this week, women cried foul. L.G.B.T.Q. advocates are disappointed that Mr. Biden has not yet named a prominent member of their community to his cabinet. Latino and Asian groups are angling for some of the same jobs. "Allies of the president-elect note that he has already made history. In addition to nominating retired Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III, to be the first Black secretary of defense, he has chosen a Cuban immigrant to run the Department of Homeland Security, the first female Treasury secretary, a Black woman at the Housing and Urban Development Department and the son of Mexican immigrants to serve as the secretary of health and human services. And, perhaps most notably, he picked Kamala Harris to be his running mate, making her the first Black person and the first woman to be vice president. "But the rollout of Mr. Biden's cabinet and White House picks has created angst among many elements of the party. While some say he appears hamstrung by interest groups, others point out that his earliest choices included four white men who are close confidants to serve as chief of staff, secretary of state, national security adviser and his top political adviser, leaving the impression that for the administration's most critical jobs Mr. Biden planned to rely on the same cadre of aides he has had for years." -- LAT'S DAVID LAUTER: "Biden wants to restore limits Trump trampled; progressives say 'not so fast'": "For four years, Democrats have protested President Trump's aggressive use of presidential authority, accusing him of abusing his powers as he sought to bypass Congress' control of federal spending, defy its subpoenas and flout the Senate's authority to confirm senior government officials. "Now, President-elect Joe Biden has indicated he would abide by traditional restraints on presidential power — and perhaps accept some new ones — as part of his effort to restore norms that Trump trampled. But a lot of progressive Democrats would like to see him do just the opposite. The debate over how aggressively to push executive authority is emerging as the latest point of tension between the nascent Biden administration and the Democrats' left wing. "Faced with the prospect that Republicans in Congress will block major legislation, progressive groups are increasingly going public with demands that Biden commit to broad uses of executive authority to wipe out student loan debt, reform the immigration system and combat climate change, among other priorities." TRUMP'S SUNDAY -- The president has nothing on his public schedule. PRESIDENT-ELECT BIDEN and VP-elect KAMALA HARRIS will meet with transition advisers. | | | | 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: President Donald Trump watches the 121st Army-Navy football game surrounded by Army cadets in Michie Stadium at the United States Military Academy in West Point, N.Y., on Saturday, Dec. 12. | Andrew Harnik/AP Photo | TIM ALBERTA with a closing "Letter to Washington": "20 Americans Who Explain the 2020 Election" ACROSS THE POND … AP: "U.K., EU say talks will continue on post-Brexit trade deal," by Raf Casert and Jill Lawless in Brussels: "Throwing overboard a self-imposed deadline, the European Union and Britain said Sunday they will "go the extra mile" to clinch a post-Brexit trade agreement that would avert New Year's chaos and cost for cross-border commerce. "British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had set Sunday as the decisive moment for a breakthrough or breakdown in deadlocked negotiations. But they stepped back from the brink, saying there was too much at stake not to make a final push. "'Despite the exhaustion after almost a year of negotiations and despite the fact that deadlines have been missed over and over, we both think it is responsible at this point in time to go the extra mile,' von der Leyen said. Johnson said the two sides were 'still very far apart on some key things.' 'But where there's life, there's hope we're going to keep talking to see what we can do,' he said." AP | | | |   | | | BEYOND THE BELTWAY -- "Fears emerge over fate of Gateway following Cuomo-inspired report," by Danielle Muoio and Samantha Maldonado in New York: "It was almost two years into President Donald Trump's term when Gov. Andrew Cuomo descended beneath the Hudson River to tour the decrepit rail tunnels that connect New York and New Jersey. "In a video he would later send to the White House, Cuomo made one plea: fund the Gateway project, a $13 billion proposal to build a new crossing under the river and repair the existing tunnels, which were severely damaged by Superstorm Sandy. 'It is probably the critical infrastructure issue facing not just New York and New Jersey, but literally the entire Northeast,' Cuomo said in the video, which did nothing to remove Trump's blockade of the project. "Two years later, just as Gateway's prospects are buoyed by the election of 'Amtrak' Joe Biden, Cuomo is the one accused of jeopardizing the endeavor after pushing a new report that calls into question a fundamental justification for the project: whether building a new tunnel is even necessary, or if a patch-up job for existing tunnels will suffice. "The public and private discord that has ensued over the report's release underscores the deep anxiety over the project's future and has renewed fears the existing tunnels are nearing catastrophic failure. A shutdown would halt travel on the Northeast Corridor, the busiest passenger railway in the nation." VALLEY TALK -- "Why the feds flip-flopped on Facebook," by Leah Nylen: "Almost a decade ago, the Federal Trade Commission raised no objections as Facebook spent billions of dollars to swoop up the trendy photo-sharing app Instagram and the messaging service WhatsApp. "Now the same agency is demanding that Facebook sell both off companies, calling the earlier deals a prime example of the social network's "buy or bury" strategy for crushing competition. What happened in between is a shift in attitudes by antitrust regulators on what constitutes a dangerous monopoly — a development that poses risks not just to Facebook but to other dominant companies across industries including tech, pharmaceuticals and finance. "This week's antitrust suits against Facebook by the FTC and dozens of state attorneys general came a month after the Justice Department went to court to block Visa from buying a financial data startup called Plaid — on the grounds that, much like Facebook, the credit card giant is trying to neutralize a rising competitor by buying it. The FTC has also challenged two other recent proposed deals, one involving pharmaceuticals and the other DNA-sequencing technology, that it alleged were intended to cut off competition that didn't yet exist. "That 'legal revolution,' as one antitrust expert called it, has yet to be tested in court. But people following the issue say the Facebook suits could pave the way for more of these kinds of challenges." | | | | 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. TRANSITIONS -- Marc Scarduffa has founded and will be principal at A-VAN-TI Forward Thinking Government Relations and Public Affairs. He previously was longtime VP of government relations and public affairs at Pfizer. … Gabrielle Farrell is now PR Manager of North America for PTC in Boston. She previously was traveling press secretary for Elizabeth Warren's presidential campaign. … John Assini is joining CJ Lake as a member of the government relations team. He previously was senior legislative assistant for Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.) and is a Tammy Baldwin alum. WEEKEND WEDDING -- Yasmin Radjy, national political director for Planned Parenthood Action Fund, and Will Snider, playwright and operations lead at D-Prize, got married on Friday at Radjy's parents' home in Palo Alto, Calif., with a toast streamed via Zoom to friends and family around the world. The celebration continued with a swim in the San Francisco Bay. The two met online and live together in Washington, D.C. Pic BIRTHDAYS: Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) is 78 … Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) is 58 … Rep. Donald Norcross (D-N.J.) is 62 … former Secretary of State George Shultz is 1-0-0 … former Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, now Biden's pick for Agriculture secretary, is 7-0 … Mo Elleithee, executive director of Georgetown University's Institute of Politics and Public Service and a Fox News contributor, is 48 (h/t Ben Chang) … Kelly Gleeson … Alan Julson ... Stephenie Foster, partner at Smash Strategies … Jenna Slosson Narayanan (h/ts Teresa Vilmain) … Todd S. Purdum … Tara Rigler of the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence … Jeffrey Schneider, principal at The Lead PR … Trish Regan … Allan Blutstein, SVP of FOIA operations at America Rising, is 53 … Brian Baenig, president of the U.S. Beet Sugar Association … former Fed Chair Ben Bernanke is 67 … NBC's Haley Talbot … Michael D. Smith, executive director of the My Brother's Keeper Alliance and youth opportunities programs at the Obama Foundation … … Lizzie Gregory, press secretary for Sen. David Perdue's (R-Ga.) reelect … Treasury's David Eisner … Elizabeth Pinkerton, director of the President's Commission on White House Fellowships … William Todd … Suzi Oppenheimer … Joe Rozek … David Spangler, SVP for legal, government affairs and policy at the Consumer Healthcare Products Association … Peter Sobich … DoD's Alexandra Seymour … Stephanie Valdes … Precision's Matt Creeden (h/t Matthew McPartlin) … Peter Ogburn is 41 … Martin Whitmer … Ruth Wedgwood … Joel Greenblatt ... Google's Riva Sciuto and Conor Chrisom … Alec Zender … George Fishman … Atefeh Yazdi … Viviana Hurtado … Rajeev Chopra … Jake Miller … Amy Mitchell … Gillum Ferguson … Morgan Williams Grogan … Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried … Ofori-Kwafo Amponsah … Nina Hazra is 22 … Bharat Krishnan … Leighann Lenti … Jill Latham Ryan … Vera Jordan | | A message from Blue Cross Blue Shield Association: Everyone should have access to health care, no matter who you are or where you live. See how Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies are working to improve health and expand access to quality care. | | | | | | | 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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