| | | | | |  | | By Rachael Bade, Tara Palmeri, Ryan Lizza and Eugene Daniels | Presented by |  | | | | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | If you're trying to figure out the direction of the Republican Party after Wednesday's circus of a five-hour (!) House GOP Conference meeting, good luck. One hour, Republicans were rallying around — and literally standing to applaud — the QAnon congresswoman. The next, they voted to protect the avatar of the Republican establishment from DONALD TRUMP cronies itching to boot her from leadership. A day that was supposed to be clarifying was anything but. Yet many House Republicans emerged feeling more confident about their political fortunes — a bit of a mystery to us. Here are our takeaways from Wednesday's soap opera: 1) Trump allies stumbled on Capitol Hill; LIZ CHENEY got her swagger back. All that talk about kicking the third-ranking House Republican out of leadership was, it turns out, just that: talk. House Republicans voted overwhelmingly to allow Cheney to keep her position — despite weeks of attacks from Trump backers who were determined to punish her for voting to impeach the ex-president. | 
| That doesn't mean Cheney's in the clear. Despite their rather embarrassing defeat, Trump's enforcers said they're not done with her. "Tonight Liz Cheney was fighting on her home turf — Washington D.C. And if Washington won't hold her accountable for her failed leadership, Wyoming will," Rep. MATT GAETZ (R-Fla.), who trolled Cheney in her home state last week, said in a statement. 2) Republican lawmakers are more anti-Trump than you think. For years, they've talked smack behind Trump's back as they praised him publicly in order to appease the base. Wednesday night put those private versus public sentiments in particularly stark relief: 145 Republicans backed Cheney for her job, while only 61 did not — even as most refused to defend her. What gives? The vote was by secret ballot, so lawmakers could bash Cheney in public but support her in private — i.e. when it actually mattered — without fear of repercussion. 3) KEVIN MCCARTHY gambles on GOP unity. The minority leader started the day floating a peace accord with Democrats that would remove MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE from one of her two committees. He was, unsurprisingly, rebuffed — then went all in for Greene. After a bit of throat clearing denouncing some of Greene's past rhetoric, McCarthy effectively rallied his conference to her defense. "Never before in the history of Congress have we allowed the other party to dictate our committees," he said, a reference to Democrats vowing to remove Greene from her committee posts if Republicans refused to. "If they come after her, they'll come after someone else next." WaPo's Mike Debonis put a fine point on it on Twitter, musing about McCarthy's calculation: "@GOPLeader made the politically obvious choice: Keep the tent big, even if it's messy inside. With majority just out of grasp, best to keep both the @mtgreene & @Liz_Cheney wings in the fold, even if it means a 2-yr high-wire act." But will it all come crashing down? | | A message from the American Beverage Association: At America's beverage companies our plastic bottles are made to be remade. We're carefully designing them to be 100% recyclable, including the caps—so every bottle can become a new one. That means less plastic waste in our environment. Please help us get Every Bottle Back. EveryBottleBack.org | | | 4) Many Republicans now plan to give Greene a chance. She received a standing ovation at the conference meeting after she disavowed many of her previous beliefs. She told a story about a dark point in her life when she apparently turned to QAnon, according to a person in the room. She said that was a mistake, walked back suggestions that 9/11 and school shootings were a hoax and apologized for how her past statements were affecting them all. After she spoke, even Rep. TOM REED (R-N.Y.), a leader of moderate Republicans, stood up to thank her for sharing her story and indicated he'd give her a chance. We're told other Republicans who may have been inclined to vote with Democrats to remove Greene in a floor vote set for today are now reconsidering. McCarthy may have successfully rallied the conference, ensuring Cheney got to keep her job and persuading many of them to give Greene another chance. 5) But the QAnon headache is still throbbing. There are still questions whether Greene's words were sincere, and her past controversial statements were still emerging Wednesday night. She has also refused to disavow her old beliefs publicly or to apologize to Democrats for endorsing violence against them. On Wednesday, she started fundraising off the Democrats' move against her. In the meantime, GOP lawmakers will be forced to do what many hoped to avoid: Go on record on Greene. Today's floor vote will allow adversaries to tag them as a traitor to Trump, who adores Greene, or a protector of a rabid conspiracy theorist. While the GOP was meeting Wednesday, Speaker NANCY PELOSI sent a press release that referred to her GOP counterpart as "McCarthy (Q-CA)." The GOP, after Wednesday night, will have to get used to this. HOUSE GOP ROUNDUP: "Cheney to keep her leadership position after tense GOP meeting," by Melanie Zanona and Olivia Beavers … "Greene apologizes to GOP colleagues — and gets standing ovation," by The Hill's Juliegrace Brufke … "McCarthy moves to keep splintering GOP intact, with protection for both Cheney and Greene," by WaPo's Mike DeBonis and Paul Kane … "Top House Republican Condemns Marjorie Taylor Greene's Comments, but Stands by Her," by NYT's Catie Edmondson, Jonathan Martin and Nicholas Fandos | | | | A message from the American Beverage Association:   Every Bottle Back is one way we're driving solutions together. Starting another 100 years with a new look, American Beverage will continue with our shared leadership. Ameribev.org | | | BIDEN'S THURSDAY — President JOE BIDEN and VP KAMALA HARRIS will receive the President's Daily Brief at 9:30 a.m. They'll leave the White House at 1:15 p.m. for the State Department, where they'll speak with staff and meet with Secretary ANTONY BLINKEN. Biden will deliver remarks at 2:45 p.m., and arrive back at the White House at 3:25 p.m. — Press secretary JEN PSAKI will brief at 11:30 a.m. | | | | TRACK FIRST 100 DAYS OF THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION: The Biden administration hit the ground running with a series of executive orders his first week in office and continues to outline priorities on key issues. What's coming down the pike? Find out in Transition Playbook, our scoop-filled newsletter tracking the policies, people and emerging power centers of the first 100 days of the new administration. Subscribe today. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | | 
PHOTO OF THE DAY: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer speaks at the memorial service Wednesday for Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, lying in honor in the Capitol Rotunda. | Kevin Dietsch-Pool/Getty Images | THE WHITE HOUSE PRIORITY NO. 1 — "'We have to act fast, we have to act big': Biden hits gas on Covid relief," by Natasha Korecki and Tyler Pager: "Inside the White House, there is a belief that so much of Biden's agenda is tied to the success of the Covid relief package — the most vital of which is containing the spread of coronavirus — that inaction would cripple the presidency and delay would endanger it. They also view the bill as critical to resolving some of the thornier issues they've confronted in their short time in office, including school reopenings, which would be accelerated with a massive resource infusion if the relief bill were to pass. "And so, on Wednesday, Biden got more directly involved in the process than he had been at any time prior." — "Biden to Welcome More Refugees, but Far From All Will Get In," NYT: "President Biden's expected announcement on Thursday that he intends to allow more refugees into the United States this year will bring him face to face with a policy barrier left by his predecessor: a gutted resettlement system unable to quickly process the tens of thousands of desperate people whom Mr. Biden would like to let in. "Stripped of personnel and weakened by the coronavirus, the government's refugee program is simply not equipped to welcome a flood of foreigners fleeing disaster, officials and experts said." — "In Biden's White House, surprise visits with staff replace late night tweets and unscheduled phone calls," by Anita Kumar: "Since he moved in two weeks ago, Joe Biden has taken to strolling around the White House. He's popped into the press offices. He's walked to the East Wing to visit the military office, which handles everything from food service to presidential transportation. And on the day the Senate confirmed his secretary of State, he stopped by the office of Antony Blinken's wife, White House Cabinet Secretary Evan Ryan, to congratulate their family. "Biden has long relished engaging in person — with aides, policy experts, local officials, members of Congress, everyday Americans, you name it — and being sworn in as president hasn't changed that, according to four people familiar with how he operates. If anything, his desire to visit with staff has only increased as coronavirus precautions have curtailed White House visits and travel around the country." JOHN HARRIS column: "Inside the forbidden fantasies of Democratic deficit hawks" | | | | A message from the American Beverage Association:   Our plastic bottles are made to be remade. Help us get Every Bottle Back. EveryBottleBack.org | | | JAN. 6 FALLOUT — "Shell-shocked and angry: Inside the Capitol Police force a month after the deadly attack," CNN: "In a sign of how contentious things have become, this week an effort by union officials to schedule a 'vote of no confidence' against the department's top three leaders triggered a round of recriminations from officers who criticized the timing of the move, claiming it was inappropriate and overshadowed the memorial services this week for their slain colleague, Brian Sicknick, whose remains lay in honor at the Capitol this week." — "Fearing violence and political uncertainty, Americans are buying millions more firearms," WaPo: "More than 2 million firearms were bought last month, according to The Washington Post's analysis of federal gun background-check data. That is an 80 percent year-over-year spike and the second-highest one-month total on record." — "Justice Department Unveils Further Charges in Capitol Riot," NYT: "Ethan Nordean, the self-described 'sergeant of arms' of the Seattle chapter of the Proud Boys, was arrested on Wednesday morning, federal prosecutors said. He had been under investigation for more than a week after prosecutors named him in court papers as a chief organizer of a mob of about 100 other members of the group that marched through Washington on Jan. 6, ending at the Capitol building. "Separately, Nicholas DeCarlo, a 30-year-old Texas man, and Nicholas Ochs, a founder of Hawaii's chapter of the Proud Boys, were charged with conspiring with one another and unnamed co-conspirators to stop the certification of Mr. Biden's Electoral College win as part of last month's riot at the Capitol, according to the indictment." — "Proud Boys may have planned Capitol breach to retaliate against police for member stabbed at earlier march, FBI alleges," WaPo POLICY CORNER PREPARE FOR AN ALL-NIGHTER — "Democrats face 'vote-a-rama' drubbing in first step toward partisan stimulus," by Jennifer Scholtes and Caitlin Emma: "The self-inflicted suffering has begun for Senate Democrats trying to muscle through President Joe Biden's pandemic aid plan without a single Republican vote. "The procedural trick that shrinks the vote hurdle from 60 to 51 is often described as 'a powerful budget tool.' But reconciliation is also painful to wield. The first agonizing step: enduring a barrage of amendments from Republicans, who have promised to inflict maximal political pain on Democrats during an unbridled evening of 'vote-a-rama' on Thursday." SCOTUS WATCH DEEP DIVE — "Reintroducing Sonia Sotomayor," New York magazine: "Sotomayor is also poised to take over [Ruth Bader] Ginsburg's role as the functional minority leader. … On a Court that runs on seniority, [Stephen] Breyer's move would anoint Sotomayor as the most senior justice in what is usually, in the most heated cases, the resistance — the true heir to Ginsburg and, before her, John Paul Stevens and Thurgood Marshall. This would make Sotomayor the commander of the losers, at least in the short term." MEDIAWATCH ZUCKER WATCH — "'It Will Be Very Soon': With CNN Beating Fox, Jeff Zucker Is Close to Revealing If He'll Go Out on Top — or Keep Riding the Ratings Wave," Vanity Fair: "[L]ots of CNN employees don't want to see Zucker go — people there 'feel like he has their back, and I don't know if anyone else can replicate that sense of support,' one CNN journalist told me. … "Are his days at CNN numbered, or will he stay on at least through the end of his current contract, which has about a year left on it? Staffers apparently won't have to wait much longer to hear from Zucker with an answer to that question. … [I]nsiders are now more inclined to believe that he isn't going anywhere anytime soon." | | | | TUNE IN TO NEW EPISODE OF GLOBAL TRANSLATIONS: Our Global Translations podcast, presented by Citi, examines the long-term costs of the short-term thinking that drives many political and business decisions. The world has long been beset by big problems that defy political boundaries, and these issues have exploded over the past year amid a global pandemic. This podcast helps to identify and understand the impediments to smart policymaking. Subscribe for Season Two, available now. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | DEPT. OF NICKNAMES: Trump may be gone, but the era of political nicknames isn't. This was a big week for bestowing new monikers on powerful people in Washington. Sen. Brian Schatz cheekily called his colleague Joe Manchin — a swing vote on Covid relief who Democrats are treating like royalty — "Your Highness" when he passed him in the hallway this week. Meanwhile, Senate Republican aides have started to call powerful White House chief of staff Ron Klain, "Prime Minister Klain." On Wednesday night, Bill Kristol dubbed Kevin McCarthy "Kevin McQarthy" after the House minority leader backed down from sanctioning Greene. We checked with the White House to see if they had any nicknames for Mitch McConnell and a senior official responded, "If anyone here called Sen. McConnell anything other than Sen. McConnell, the president would have that person fired." IN MEMORIAM — "Eugenio Martinez, Watergate burglar pardoned by Reagan, dies at 98," WaPo STAFFING UP — David Bonine is now deputy assistant secretary for Senate legislative affairs at the State Department. He most recently was legislative director for Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), and is a Jim Webb and Robert Byrd alum. … The National Endowment for the Humanities announced Kelsey Coates as chief of staff and Adriana Usmayo Macedonio as White House liaison and chairman's strategic scheduler. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Jenn Ridder is joining Precision Strategies as a managing director, overseeing the mobilization and campaign management practice. She most recently was national states director for the Biden campaign, and is a Steve Bullock and Jared Polis alum. — Rebecca Pearcey and Michael Trujillo are joining Bryson Gillette's political leadership team. Pearcey previously was political director and senior adviser for Sen. Elizabeth Warren's presidential campaign. Trujillo is a veteran Democratic strategist. — TRUMP ALUMNI: John Ullyot is now managing partner at Brighton Strategy Group. He most recently was deputy assistant to the president and senior director for strategic communications at the National Security Council. PENCE ALUMNI — Jon Thompson is joining the National Federation of Independent Business as comms director. He most recently was campaign comms director for former VP Mike Pence and comms director for the Republican Governors Association. … Sara (Edwards) Sylvester is now director of scheduling for Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas). She most recently was executive assistant to former Pence. SANDERS STAFF SHAKEUP, via Holly Otterbein: Misty Rebik, Sen. Bernie Sanders' former Iowa state director and executive director of his campaign committee, is taking over as COS. Ari Rabin-Havt, Sanders' 2020 deputy campaign manager who previously worked in his Senate office, will be legislative director. Bill Dauster, former deputy COS for former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, will be chief counsel for the Budget Committee. Lori Kearns is moving to a new position as staff director for the Senate HELP Primary Health and Retirement Security Subcommittee, which Sanders chairs. Caryn Compton and Keane Bhatt are on their way out, with Matt Duss also expected to leave for a position at the State Department. TRANSITIONS — Justin Barasky is joining Left Hook as a partner. He previously was a senior adviser at the DSCC. Amy Gooden has also been promoted to partner at Left Hook. … Nicole Reeves is now deputy scheduler/assistant for Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.). She most recently was a confidential assistant for OMB. … Ben Hagen is joining Brex as its first chief information security officer. He previously was cybersecurity manager for the Biden campaign. … Anna Atanaszov is now head of press at the Hungarian Embassy. She previously was deputy chief of press for Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó. WEDDING — Kevin Robillard, a senior political reporter at HuffPost, and Lindy Stevens, an associate at Varela Lee Metz & Guarino, got married in their backyard in D.C. on Tuesday. Pic HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Hunter Biden … Fed Chair Jerome Powell … Dan Quayle … Reps. Sanford Bishop (D-Ga.) and Michael Guest (R-Miss.) … Nicolle Wallace … CNN's Shimon Prokupecz … POLITICO's Annie Rees … Gabrielle Bluestone … L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti … former VA Secretary Jim Nicholson … Jovanni Ortiz, comms lead at the Center for Employment Opportunities … E&E's Michael Soraghan … retired Adm. Dennis Blair … Alice Cooper Got a document to share? A birthday coming up? Do you have a recording of Wednesday's GOP Conference meeting? Drop us a line at playbook@politico.com or individually: Ryan Lizza, Tara Palmeri, Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels. Playbook couldn't happen without our editor Mike Zapler and producers Allie Bice, Eli Okun and Garrett Ross. | | A message from the American Beverage Association: America's leading beverage companies, The Coca-Cola Company, Keurig Dr Pepper and PepsiCo, are working together to reduce our industry's plastic footprint through our new Every Bottle Back initiative. We're investing in efforts to get our bottles back so we can remake them into new bottles and use less new plastic.
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