| | | | | |  | | By Anna Palmer and Jake Sherman | Presented by Facebook | | | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | THE CORONAVIRUS RELIEF and government funding bill is on its way to the House and Senate floor today. The House is likely to take it up in the morning -- late Sunday night, sources told us the Rules Committee plans to meet at 8 a.m., as long as the bill is posted by 7 a.m., although this is fluid. Expect a late-morning procedural vote, followed by a midday final passage in the House. It's wild that Congress is going to try to vote on a relief and funding package today, and there's no text as of early this morning. IN THE HOUSE, THE VOTE TO PASS THE BILL will be split in two: one on funding for DHS, DOD, Commerce, justice and science and financial services, and another for the rest of the government's spending and Covid relief. This would allow some Democrats to vote against the first package, and for the second. A great rundown of the details of the package from Caitlin Emma and Marianne LeVine … WSJ's Rich Rubin: "Brewers, Restaurants, Federal Workers Set for Tax Wins in Congressional Deal" THE SENATE can move as slow or as fast as its members allow. They hope to get consent to push this through quickly -- but, again, they will need cooperation from all 100 senators. Senate Majority Leader MITCH MCCONNELL suggested he thought he could get that consent in a late-evening interview with CNN's TED BARRETT. It will be the Senate's final major legislative act of the year. The White House says President DONALD TRUMP will sign it. THE BUZZ IN THE CAPITOL: MCCONNELL made a point of saying that this package was eerily similar to the package that Democrats rejected months ago: less than $1 trillion, money for PPP, vaccine funding and unemployment, and it has no state and local. In response to that, Senate Minority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER'S office blasted out a comparison that showed all the myriad ways the final, bipartisan proposal was different from MCCONNELL'S proposal. EITHER WAY, AFTER EIGHT MONTHS Congress is on the brink of sending another relief package to TRUMP'S desk. -- NYT, News Analysis, A1: "Stimulus Deal Provides Economic Relief, for Now," by Ben Casselman and Jim Tankersley: "For much of the economy — especially people and industries that have been insulated from the worst effects of the pandemic — it may provide a bridge to a vaccine-fueled rebound. That is especially likely if the vaccine is quickly and widely distributed, and the swelling number of coronavirus cases doesn't force another round of widespread shutdowns. "The injection of money comes months too late for tens of thousands of failed businesses, however, and it may not be enough to sustain unemployed workers until the labor market rebounds. Moreover, it could be the last help from Washington the economy gets anytime soon." DEMOCRATS SAY this is a "down payment," and more relief is coming when JOE BIDEN takes the presidency. Speaker NANCY PELOSI took it a step further Sunday night in the Capitol when she said: "I think we're going to have a much easier time than we've had with a Republican Senate and Republican president." That caught our ears, because here's a reminder of what the world is going to look like come Jan. 20: -- A HOUSE MAJORITY that is going to be a narrow 222 seats. -- A HOUSE GOP that is going to be singularly focused on winning back the majority in 2022. -- A VERY NARROW majority one way or another in the Senate. WHAT THE OPINIONATORS ARE SAYING … WSJ EDITORIAL BOARD: "Covid Political Relief" … NYT ED BOARD: "This Deal Is Good Enough: It should be larger. It should have happened months ago. But an agreement on coronavirus aid is still a welcome dose of good news." ALSO FROM WSJ: "Trump's bad exit": "[Trump] could focus on the positive, such as the Covid-19 vaccines and his Arab-Israeli peace breakthrough. Instead he's calling Members of Congress and asking them to object on the House and Senate floor to the results of the Electoral College count. This won't change the outcome, but it will put pressure on Republicans to embarrass themselves by indulging Mr. Trump's attempts to delegitimize the results. We hope the Members ignore his pleas." Good Monday morning. Today is the winter solstice -- the shortest day of the year, which seems apropos as stimulus heads toward a vote. SAM STEIN will be POLITICO's new White House editor, starting Jan. 4. He most recently has been politics editor at The Daily Beast. Announcement from Blake Hounshell and Carrie Budoff Brown | | | | A message from Facebook: It's time to update internet regulations
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Learn More | | | THE CORONAVIRUS CONTINUES TO RAGE … -- WHO WILL GET THE VACCINE FIRST? "Panel: People over 75, essential workers next for vaccines," by AP's John Hanna and Mike Stobbe: "A federal advisory panel recommended Sunday that people 75 and older and essential workers like firefighters, teachers and grocery store workers should be next in line for COVID-19 shots, while a second vaccine began rolling out to hospitals as the nation works to get the coronavirus pandemic under control. … "Earlier this month, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices said health care workers and nursing home residents — about 24 million people — should be at the very front of the line for the vaccines. Sunday's vote by the panel was who should be next in line, and by a vote of 13-1, it decided that it should be people 75 and older, who number about 20 million, as well as certain front-line workers, who total about 30 million." -- "Shipments of second coronavirus vaccine roll out as officials warn about Christmas surge in cases," by WaPo's Paulina Firozi -- UP NEXT? "Countries Ban Travel From U.K. in Race to Block New Covid-19 Strain," by WSJ's Daniel Michaels in Brussels and Jason Douglas in London: "Countries across Europe and beyond barred travelers from Britain on Sunday in an effort to keep out a highly infectious new strain of the coronavirus that is spreading rapidly in England. "The British government said on Saturday the new strain appeared to be spreading 70% faster than earlier variants and is responsible for a surge in cases in London and its surrounding areas. Recorded cases across the U.K. in the week to Sunday rose 51% over the week before. The emergence of the variant presents a serious setback for suppressing the pandemic before new vaccines can be rolled out across the country, suggesting major restrictions will continue into the new year. "There is no evidence yet that the new variant causes more serious infections or will neutralize the vaccines, British scientists say, but there are concerns it will make controlling the virus's spread less manageable, even with a vaccine." -- L.A. TIMES: "Gov. Gavin Newsom will enter quarantine again after coronavirus exposure," by Kiera Feldman: "Gov. Gavin Newsom will go into quarantine again for 10 days after being exposed to a staff member who tested positive for the coronavirus, a representative said in a statement Sunday night. Newsom tested negative but will enter quarantine as a precaution, in accordance with state public health guidelines. Other staffers in the governor's office who were exposed to the infected individual also tested negative. They will begin 10-day quarantines, the representative said." | | | |   | | | BEHIND THE SCENES WITH MR. AGGRIEVED: "Inside Trump's pressure campaign to overturn the election," by Anita Kumar and Gabby Orr HOW HE'LL BE REMEMBERED: "Trump's legacy: He changed the presidency, but will it last?" by AP's Jonathan Lemire, Zeke Miller and Darlene Superville: "The most improbable of presidents, Donald Trump reshaped the office and shattered its centuries-old norms and traditions while dominating the national discourse like no one before. "Trump, governing by whim and tweet, deepened the nation's racial and cultural divides and undermined faith in its institutions. His legacy: a tumultuous four years that were marked by his impeachment, failures during the worst pandemic in a century and his refusal to accept defeat. He smashed conceptions about how presidents behave and communicate, offering unvarnished thoughts and policy declarations alike, pulling back the curtain for the American people while enthralling supporters and unnerving foes — and sometimes allies — both at home and abroad. "While the nation would be hard pressed to elect another figure as disruptive as Trump, it remains to be seen how much of his imprint on the office itself, occupied by only 44 other men, will be indelible. Already it shadows the work of his successor, President-elect Joe Biden, who framed his candidacy as a repudiation of Trump, offering himself as an antidote to the chaos and dissent of the past four years while vowing to restore dignity to the Oval Office." THE CONFIRMATION BATTLES -- "'An emergency' like 'we've never seen': Inside Biden's Cabinet confirmation drive," by Natasha Korecki and Christopher Cadelago: "Already, Biden has tapped a vast network of current and former elected officials, interest groups, CEOs and others to take part in lobbying efforts for his Cabinet picks. That has included dispatching nominees to engage in Zoom meetings with interest groups, amplifying transition messaging on social media and reaching out to powerful Senate members who will be key to the confirmation. "The Biden transition team, which is expecting that at least some confirmation hearings will begin before the Jan. 20 inauguration, has already had hundreds of conversations with Hill members and staff and taken part in dozens of meetings with members of Congress. Before Cabinet names go public, notifications go out to bipartisan leadership, relevant committee offices and home state members of Congress. Once they are announced, nominees are making dozens of calls, including to Republicans, who have signaled they could put up resistance to some of picks." TRUMP'S MONDAY -- The president has nothing on his public schedule. VP MIKE PENCE will lead a teleconference with higher education chancellors and presidents at 11:30 a.m. in the White House Situation Room. He will lead a coronavirus task force meeting at 2 p.m. and a video teleconference with governors on the coronavirus at 2:30 p.m., both in the Situation Room. BIDEN and VP-elect KAMALA HARRIS will receive the Presidential Daily Brief. Afterward, Biden will receive the Covid-19 vaccine. HARRIS will travel to Columbus, Ga., to campaign for Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock. | | | | EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT TRANSITION PLAYBOOK, SUBSCRIBE TODAY: A new year is quickly approaching. Inauguration Day is right around the corner. 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 the new administration and one of the most consequential transfers of power in American history. Written for political insiders, this scoop-filled newsletter breaks big news daily and analyzes the appointments, people and emerging power centers of the new administration. Track the transition and the first 100 days of the incoming Biden administration. Subscribe today. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | | 
PHOTO DU JOUR: Boxes containing the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine are loaded into a truck for shipping at the McKesson distribution center in Olive Branch, Miss., on Sunday, Dec. 20. | Paul Sancya/Pool via AP Photo | TOP TALKER … ELLE: "The Journalist and the Pharma Bro: Why did Christie Smythe upend her life and stability for Martin Shkreli, one of the least-liked men in the world?" by Stephanie Clifford FOR JARED AND AVI … NYT: "Trump Incentives for Signing Peace Accords With Israel Could Be at Risk," by Lara Jakes M.I.A. -- STEVEN SHEPARD: "Pollsters disappear in Georgia with Senate on the line": "Something's missing from Georgia's high-stakes Senate runoffs: the polls. After a disastrous November election for the polling industry, when the polls again underestimated President Donald Trump (who lost regardless) as well as GOP candidates down the ballot, pollsters are mostly sidelined in the run-up to the Jan. 5 Georgia elections, which most observers regard as toss-ups. "The public polls that drove so much of the news coverage ahead of November — and generated tremendous distrust afterward — have all but disappeared in Georgia, and they are set to stay that way: Some of the most prolific, best-regarded media and academic pollsters told POLITICO they have no plans to conduct pre-election surveys in Georgia. "And while the campaigns and outside groups are still using survey data to make critical decisions, in many cases, polling has taken a back seat. Strategists are leaning more heavily on absentee and early voting stats, along with the detailed results of the election held just last month." MEANWHILE, VOTERS ARE SHOWING UP … "More than 1.3 million Georgians have already voted in the Senate runoffs, rivaling general election turnout," by WaPo's Michelle Ye Hee Lee, Haisten Willis and Lenny Bronner in Atlanta: "More than 1.3 million Georgians have already voted in two Senate runoffs taking place next month — a number that rivals the turnout at this point in the November election and points to intense enthusiasm in a pair of races that will determine control of Congress. "Democratic voters have an edge in the early turnout ahead of the Jan. 5 runoffs pitting Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R) against the Rev. Raphael Warnock (D), and Sen. David Perdue (R) against challenger Jon Ossoff (D), a Washington Post analysis of Georgia voter data shows. But Republicans are closing the gap, and the current Democratic lead is slightly smaller than it was at this point in the general election." AND THE PARTIES ARE SPENDING -- "Ad Spending Soars in Georgia Races With Stakes Far Beyond Georgia," by NYT's Nick Corasaniti | | | | A message from Facebook: Internet regulations need an update
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Learn More | | | WOMP, WOMP -- "Progressives look for reset after disappointing year," by Holly Otterbein: "Progressives started 2020 with the White House within their reach. They're ending it in a much more familiar place: on the march in ultra-liberal areas, but still without any mainstream electoral breakthroughs at the national level. "It's a demoralizing conclusion to a year that began with so much promise. Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) raised hundreds of millions of dollars in grassroots donations and even seized the lead at different times in the presidential primary, but their bids for the highest office stalled. The left also hoped this would be the year it proved that its bold message could capture swing seats in Congress — but that effort flopped, too. … "In interviews with nearly a dozen left-wing elected officials, activists and aides, progressives described 2020 as a mixed bag. They are deeply disappointed by the fall of their standard-bearers in the presidential race and lack of swing-seat trophies in Congress. But they also consider it a serious accomplishment that the so-called Squad in the House is growing and that they proved the upset by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) two years ago was no fluke." FIRST IN PLAYBOOK -- Nidhi Prakash will be BuzzFeed's new White House reporter, starting in January. She currently is a D.C.-based politics reporter who's covered Joe Biden since the earliest days of his campaign. | | | | KEEP UP WITH THE PEOPLE AND POLITICS DRIVING GLOBAL HEALTH IN 2021: The pandemic revealed just how critical it is to keep up with the politics, policy and people driving global health. The Covid-19 vaccine is here — now what? What will the distribution look like globally? Our Global Pulse newsletter connects leaders, policymakers and advocates to the 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 -- Jennifer Carroll Foy's Virginia gubernatorial campaign is adding Kaylie Hanson Long as deputy campaign manager for comms, Tonya James as deputy campaign manager for organizing and Josh Crandall as senior adviser. Long is a NARAL Pro-Choice America and DNC alum. James most recently was organizing director for Joe Biden's and Sen. Mark Warner's Virginia campaigns. Crandall was Carroll Foy's chief of staff in Richmond. ENGAGED -- Jamie Baker, former Rep. John Ratcliffe's (R-Texas) director of public policy, proposed to Sarah Ferman, formerly a lobbyist at the American Bankers Association, this weekend in Dallas. Rachel Stephens, Ratcliffe's comms director, set them up almost two years ago. Pic … Another pic WELCOME TO THE WORLD -- Michael Bars, White House senior comms adviser, and Cherie Short, DHS deputy assistant secretary, welcomed Michael Gregory Bars late Friday evening at Virginia Hospital Center. Pic BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Lisa Kountoupes, president and founder of KDCR Partners. How she's celebrating: "First, I am playing hooky. Please don't tell anyone. Then, a quiet dinner with my husband. And socially distanced, bundled up s'mores roasting with cocoa, hot toddies and extended family." Playbook Q&A BIRTHDAYS: Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is 58 … Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) is 73 … French President Emmanuel Macron is 43 … Jane Fonda is 83 … WaPo's Annie Linskey and Karen Heller … John Coale is 74 … Kelly Sadler, comms director at America First Action … Fox News' Caroline Whiteman … CBS' Vlad Duthiers … Joe Gaylord (h/t Jon Haber) … Dave Stroup … Elena Waskey, comms director at the Washington Center for Equitable Growth … Sam LaHood of the International Republican Institute … Jonathan Clifford … Roz Brooks … Jessica Brady, comms manager at the Pew Charitable Trusts … Colleen Litkenhaus … Brian Heindl … … Yana Miles … Alejandra Lopez-Fernandini … Boston Globe's Josh Miller … D'Ann Grady Lettieri … Lyndsey McKenna … West Virginia A.G. Patrick Morrisey is 53 … Jeffrey Katzenberg is 7-0 … David Goldfein … Rich Galen … European Council President Charles Michel … Stephen Friedman is 83 … Michael Negron … Swopa Needlenose … Swati Mylavarapu … Brian Goldsmith … Phil Donahue is 85 … Kelly Wallace … Gary Lee … Zev Yaroslavsky is 72 … Adam Topper … Josh Scheinblum … Lesley Russell Wolpe … Carl Gray … Beth LaMontagne Hall … Sally Armbruster … Tracy Young … Nathan Colvin … Nicole Hudzinski … Sari Kaplan | | | | 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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