| | | | | |  | | By Marc Caputo | Presented by Facebook | | | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | What. A. Night. Just after 2 a.m., the Rev. RAPHAEL WARNOCK was declared the winner in his bid against Republican Sen. KELLY LOEFFLER. About that time, his fellow Democrat, JON OSSOFF, started overtaking Sen. DAVID PERDUE in their race. The Democrats' leads are only expected to grow today because there are tens of thousands of votes left to count, and many are from Democratic strongholds. As of 5 a.m., Warnock led by more than 53,400 votes and Ossoff by almost 16,400. Full Democratic control of Congress and the presidency is upon us, Washington. Twin Democratic wins would jolt JOE BIDEN'S agenda to life — with demands from progressives to go big and bold, and centrists not to overplay their hand. Hope you're ready, CHUCK SCHUMER . The GOP implosion also casts a harsh light on the self-destructive politics of President DONALD TRUMP, as he fumes about new and unfounded conspiracy theories and pressures Republicans in Congress to oppose the Electoral College votes that will cement Biden's win today. Adding to the chaos, right-wing demonstrators are descending on Washington and clashed last night with cops. In four years, Trump has lost his presidency, and the House and the Senate for the GOP. But while Trump has a phoenix-like ability to rise from the ashes of his norm-shattering outrages, others just become ash. The intraparty blame game is already burning within the GOP, although most are criticizing Trump anonymously. That is, most Republicans are unlike Gabriel Sterling, the Republican attack dog for Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who went right after the president before the final votes were tallied Tuesday. "When you tell people, your vote doesn't count and has been stolen, and people start to believe that, then you go to the two senators and ask the secretary of state to resign and trigger a civil war in the Republican Party when we need to unite, all of that stems with his decision-making since the Nov. 3 election," Sterling told CNN. Loeffler's reputation has been burned. Appointed to her office to help the GOP compete in the suburbs, she failed in her first election. Yet today, she'll take the anti-democratic step of voting against Biden's Electoral College win, sealed with millions of lawfully cast ballots in Georgia and across the nation. Loeffler's money helped finance a brutal campaign against Warnock that provoked Black voters, including the players on the WNBA team she owns. Perdue's troubles are a testament to the perils of embracing Trumpism. A one-time free-trading establishment Republican, he received 88,000 more votes than Ossoff on Nov. 3, forced into a runoff because he failed to break 50%. He then felt the need to tie himself to Trump even tighter, although Biden had defeated the president in Georgia. As he ran harder right, he ceded the center to Ossoff. While Perdue donned regular-guy denim and Loeffler began dressing as if she drove an 18-wheeler, Democrats made sure to highlight just how rich the two senators were. They were savaged for privately trading stocks after receiving briefings on coronavirus, the threat of which they publicly downplayed. Senate Majority Leader MITCH MCCONNELL won't escape the conflagration, either. He refused to allow a clean vote on sending Americans $2,000 Covid stimulus checks, putting Loeffler and Perdue in a bind as the two (a billionaire and millionaire, respectively) fumbled to explain why they were against " stimmy" checks before they were for them. Warnock, Ossoff and Biden had an easy response: Vote for us and you'll get help. Now, Warnock is about to make history as the first elected Black Democratic senator from the South and the seventh elected Black senator. Including appointed senators, 10 Black Americans have served in the chamber . Warnock helped drive strong Black voter turnout, which was one of the four key ingredients needed for a Democratic win that we outlined yesterday in Playbook. Schumer is poised to become the first Jewish Senate majority leader, assuming Ossoff, who's also Jewish (and, at 33, would be the youngest senator since Biden was elected to the Senate in 1973), wins. Yes, an African-American man and a Jewish man just won (or are on the cusp of winning) two elections in the Deep South. Finally, McConnell will be 79 next month, and as he likely returns to the minority, we may be witnessing not just the end of the Trump era but the beginning of the end of the McConnell era as well. | | | | A message from Facebook: It's time to update internet regulations
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Learn More | | | THE RECRIMINATIONS BEGIN: "Republicans turn on Trump after Georgia loss," by Meridith McGraw, Gabby Orr, Andrew Desiderio and James Arkin: "Democrats have pulled off at least one Senate win in Georgia, with another likely to follow. And Republicans are pointing a frustrated finger at Donald Trump … 'Trump is the cause of this, lock, stock and barrel,' said one Republican strategist. … When asked why Republicans didn't prevail on Tuesday, a senior Senate Republican aide simply said: 'Donald J. Trump.' … 'Turns out if the leader of a party spends two months actively delegitimizing elections and saying voting doesn't matter, voters listen,' said a Republican who worked on the runoff races. 'There was one decisive factor in Georgia and anyone who says otherwise is probably sharing substances with Lin Wood.'" AND CONSERVATIVES TURN ON LOEFFLER: "Loeffler proved uniquely emblematic of all the wrong candidates in the Trump era, and she serves as a cautionary tale for the right side of the aisle going forward." by Tiana Lowe, Washington Examiner JOSH HOLMES : "Suburbs, my friends, the suburbs. I feel like a one trick pony but here we are again. We went from talking about jobs and the economy to Qanon election conspiracies in 4 short years and - as it turns out- they were listening!" NBC News' Sahil Kapur sums up what it means: "The biggest thing at stake tonight is which parts of Biden's agenda are allowed a vote in the Senate. Think $2,000 checks, minimum wage hike, background checks, DREAM Act and public option. If Schumer takes control they're all in play; if it's McConnell they're very likely DOA." FACES OF GEORGIA — Check out this gorgeous feature from Jonathan Frydman and M. Scott Mahaskey capturing individual voters and their writing: "In Their Words: Georgians on Voting in an Age of Mistrust" COMING TO THE SENATE FLOOR TODAY: ACT 2 OF GOP MAYHEM — "Pence Said to Have Told Trump He Lacks Power to Change Election Result," NYT: "Mr. Pence's message, delivered during his weekly lunch with the president, came hours after Mr. Trump further turned up the public pressure on the vice president to do his bidding … Even as he sought to make clear that he does not have the power Mr. Trump seems to think he has, Mr. Pence also indicated to the president that he would keep studying the issue up until the final hours before the joint session … "One option being considered, according to a person close to Mr. Trump, was having Mr. Pence acknowledge the president's claims about election fraud in some form during one or more of the Senate debates about the results from particular states before the certification." — THE WHITE HOUSE responded to this story by putting out a statement from Trump, accidentally dated 2020, declaring it fake news. (Then again, Ivanka accidentally tagged her dad as Meat Loaf on Twitter so not the biggest typo this week.) — Even before the Georgia results, Trump's push in the Senate was losing steam. Senate GOP opposition grows to Electoral College challenge, by Marianne Levine and Burgess Everett. — "Trump privately admits it's over, but wants to brawl for attention," by Anita Kumar: "Donald Trump has privately acknowledged he lost the presidency. He knows Joe Biden will replace him. He recognizes Congress will formally certify the results on Wednesday. To one person, Trump even confided he was 'just disappointed we lost.' Trump's acceptance has taken shape in recent weeks … "Trump admits his defeat, but still maintains he would have won a fair election … Sometimes, Trump does still lapse back into the belief that maybe, just maybe, he could somehow eke out a win … But mostly, he is continuing his fight to subvert the election for a Trumpian reason: to keep the attention on himself and give his supporters what they want." | | | |   | | | D.C. BRACES FOR RIOTING STEEL YOURSELVES — "Violent threats ripple through far-right internet forums ahead of protest," NBC: "Online forums popular with conservatives and far-right activists have been filled in recent days with threats and expectations of violence ahead of a planned protest in Washington on Wednesday to coincide with congressional certification of the election. "In anticipation of possible violence, Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser has asked residents to stay away from the downtown area where protesters will be marching. Every city police officer will be on duty, and the National Guard has been mobilized." CORONAVIRUS RAGING … 21 million Americans have tested positive for the virus. … 357,000 have died. — "States struggle for control of chaotic vaccine rollout," by Rachel Roubein, Brianna Ehley and Sarah Owermohle — "White House Task Force: Give Extra Vaccine Away to Anyone Who Wants It," The Daily Beast — "Trump administration speeds up plan to deliver Covid shots in pharmacies," by Rachel Roubein TRUMP'S WEDNESDAY — Trump will leave for the Ellipse at 10:50 a.m. to speak at a "Save America Rally." PENCE, of course, will preside over the joint session of Congress at 1 p.m. — BIDEN and VP-elect KAMALA HARRIS will receive the President's Daily Brief and be briefed by experts on their economic team. Biden will deliver remarks in Wilmington. Programming note: You'll notice some guest writers as we prepare to officially relaunch Playbook on Jan. 19. In the meantime, we also want to hear from you: What do you love most about Playbook? How could we be more valuable to you? Let us know — we'll read every submission. | | | | GET THE BIG PRE-INAUGURATION SCOOPS IN TRANSITION PLAYBOOK: Inauguration Day is quickly approaching. Is the Biden administration ready? Transition Playbook brings you inside the transition and newly forming administration, tracking the latest from Biden world and the transition of power. Written for political insiders, this scoop-filled newsletter breaks big news 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: People attend a rally in support of President Donald Trump at Freedom Plaza in Washington D.C. on Tuesday, Jan. 5. | Julio Cortez/AP Photo | TOP-ED — "Trump's Final Insult," by Kevin Williamson: "I have on many occasions criticized the abuse of the word coup in our politics, but that is what this is: an attempted coup d'état under color of law. It would be entirely appropriate today to impeach Trump a second time and remove him from office before his term ends. No one who has participated in this poisonous buffoonery should ever hold office again." National Review VALLEY TALK — "Facebook to restart political ad ban after Georgia Senate runoffs," by Elena Schneider: "In a statement released to its blog, Facebook said that it will no longer allow candidates or groups to run ads about the Georgia runoff elections, and the company did not indicate when it might lift the broader ban on political ads on its platform." The statement FOR YOUR RADAR — "Prosecutor: No charges against Kenosha police officer Rusten Sheskey in Jacob Blake shooting," Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | | | |   | | | HACK LATEST — "U.S.: Evidence of spying found at fewer than 10 agencies hit by massive hack," by Eric Geller: "The joint statement by the FBI, NSA, CISA and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence — which called Russia the 'likely' source of the attack — had been approved two weeks ago but was delayed at the White House's insistence." — "Cyber agency rebuffed DHS request for businesses' data," by Eric Geller and Daniel Lippman: "On Tuesday, the White House dismissed Sara Sendek, CISA's director of public affairs, who joined the government alongside [Chris] Krebs and worked closely with him to promote CISA's election security work." WEDNESDAY LISTEN — The pandemic threw an unstable global labor market into a tailspin. Listen to the newest episode of POLITICO's "Global Translations" podcast as hosts Ryan Heath and Luiza Savage explore what solutions exist going forward. Listen and subscribe | | | | A NEW YEAR MEANS A NEW HUDDLE IS HERE: Huddle, our daily congressional must-read, has a new author! Olivia Beavers took the reins this week, and she has the latest news and whispers from the Speakers' Lobby. Don't miss out, subscribe to our Huddle newsletter, the essential guide to all things Capitol Hill. Subscribe today. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Send tips to Eli Okun and Garrett Ross at politicoplaybook@politico.com. The University of Chicago Institute of Politics has announced its winter fellows: POLITICO's Tim Alberta, former Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.), former Rep. Will Hurd (R-Texas) and NYT's Kara Swisher. The National Press Foundation announced a slate of 22 journalists selected for its Paul Miller Washington Reporting Fellowship, including POLITICO's Maya King. The announcement TRANSITIONS — Caroline Anderegg is now press secretary for Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.). She previously was comms director for Martha McSally's campaign. … Erin Weinstein is now SVP for health care at SKDKnickerbocker. She previously was VP of marketing and comms for the Greater Washington Partnership, and is a Nita Lowey alum. … Keenan Reed is now VP at the Alpine Group. He previously was COS to Rep. Donald McEachin (D-Va.). … … Raya Treiser is now a partner at Kirkland & Ellis. She previously was a partner at WilmerHale, and is an Obama alum. … Taylor Haulsee is now comms director for House Republican Conference Vice Chair Mike Johnson (R-La.). He previously was comms director for Senate HELP Chair Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.). … Marie R. Sylla-Dixon is now chief diversity officer at Raytheon Technologies. She previously was VP of government and external affairs at T-Mobile. BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Stuart Siciliano, partner at Hamilton Place Strategies. A fun fact about him: "My late grandfather, Rocco Siciliano, was the first Italian-American appointee in the White House, serving as President Eisenhower's special assistant to the president for personnel management." Playbook Q&A BIRTHDAYS: Olivia Nuzzi, Washington correspondent for New York magazine, is 28 … Eric Trump is 37 … Rep. Frank Lucas (R-Okla.) is 61 … Tricia Russell … Michael Corn, senior E.P. of "Good Morning America" … Joe Hagin (h/t Tom Hoare) … David Polyansky, president of Clout Public Affairs of Axiom Strategies (h/t Samantha Dravis) … Kimball Stroud … Natalie Boyse, advance officer to the Defense secretary … WSJ's Kate O'Keeffe and James Taranto … George H. Ross … Terri Fariello, SVP of government affairs for United Airlines (h/t Walt Cronkite) … POLITICO's Kaitlyn Locke … former FEMA Director James Lee Witt (h/t Matt Doyle) … Olivia Martinez, comms manager at the National Network of Abortion Funds … Julie Chen is 51 … Kate McKinnon is 37 … … Shaquille Brewster, NBC News/MSNBC correspondent … Michael O'Neil, the pride of Defiance, Ohio, is 4-0 — and expecting his second daughter today (h/t wife Stephanie Sutton) … former FBI Director Louis Freeh is 71 … Oregon A.G. Ellen Rosenblum … Laura Belleville (h/t Jon Haber) … Nancy Baker … Kelsey Hayes … Abby Gunderson-Schwarz … Kate Randle … Diego Galvez … Mandy Bowers … Alex Berenson … Chris Gordon is 26 … Ashley Bittner … Peter O'Keefe (h/t Teresa Vilmain) … Tom Lloyd … Henry R. Kravis is 77 … Alexandra Dakich … Jennifer Donelan … Kiel Brunner … Julia Blakeley … Jodi Jacobson … Mark Hyman is 63 … Scott Neumyer is 41 … Daniel Francis … Lola Elfman … Matt Ford … Dalit Toledano … Norman Prusslin … Ashley Baker Hayes … Kathleen Gayle | | | | A message from Facebook: Internet regulations need an update
It's been 25 years since lawmakers passed comprehensive internet regulations.
But a lot has changed since 1996. We want updated regulations to set clear guidelines for protecting people's privacy, enabling safe and easy data portability between platforms and more.
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