| | | | | |  | | By Rachael Bade, Ryan Lizza, Tara Palmeri and Eugene Daniels | | | | | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | SIREN FOR BIDEN — "Voters have increasing doubts about the health and mental fitness of President JOE BIDEN, the oldest man ever sworn into the White House, according to a new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll," Marc Caputo writes in a story that posted minutes ago . "Only 40 percent of voters surveyed agreed with the statement that Biden 'is in good health,' while 50 percent disagreed. That 10-percentage-point gap — outside the poll's margin of error — represents a massive 29-point shift since Oct. 2020, when Morning Consult last surveyed the question and found voters believed Biden was in good health by a 19-point margin. … "The new polling comes amid persistent questions about whether Biden — who turns 79 on Saturday — will run for reelection in three years and as Democrats have grown increasingly concerned with the party's gerontocracy. Biden says he will run again, but some longtime allies have raised doubts. Even 'Saturday Night Live' recently ribbed Biden over whether he was 'lucid.'" Toplines … Crosstabs Biden's favorability ratings are also lagging, with this week's number at 45% — matching a low for the president since he took office. But he still garners a higher number than congressional Democrats, who have a 40% favorability rating. | 
| PARTY DISCIPLINE — If you want to know more about the state of the House GOP Conference — and, likely, your future House majority! — today should provide a pretty telling snapshot. Ten months after rioters stormed the Capitol hunting for lawmakers, most House Republicans are expected to vote against rebuking one of their colleagues, PAUL GOSAR (R-Ariz.), who posted an anime video of himself stabbing Rep. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ (D-N.Y.) in the neck. At the same time, the GOP rank and file is having a heated debate about punishing the 13 centrist Republicans who voted for the bipartisan infrastructure bill. Nevermind that DONALD TRUMP pined for a big bipartisan win like this when he was in office. Fringe members like Rep. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R-Ga.) are pushing to strip the "traitors" of their committee assignments. She posted their phone numbers online, leading to harassing calls and at least one death threat. The conversation that dominated Tuesday's GOP Conference meeting wasn't about Gosar's video, but whether to boot moderate Rep. JOHN KATKO (R-N.Y.) from his position as House Homeland Security ranking member for backing BIF. | | A message from Facebook: Why Facebook supports updated internet regulations
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Hear from Rochelle on why Facebook supports updating regulations on the internet's most pressing challenges, including federal privacy legislation. | | | HOW THE VOTE WILL GO DOWN: A senior House GOP aide tells us leadership is confident that not many Republicans will side with Democrats in booting Gosar from his committee assignments — the exceptions being Reps. LIZ CHENEY (R-Wyo.) and ADAM KINZINGER (R-Ill.). Here's why: 1) An apology (to his colleagues, but not AOC): Leaders have told members that the video was posted by Gosar's staff, not him, and that he deleted it when he found out. Publicly, Gosar has defended the video, saying it was "nothing hateful" and that the left "mischaracterized" his intentions. But at the Republican Conference meeting Tuesday, we're told, Gosar expressed regret and said that he didn't mean to promote violence. (This begs the question why Gosar hasn't said this publicly or apologized directly to AOC, who regularly receives death threats.) 2) Accusations of Dems overstepping: GOP sources say Democrats might have gotten more support from Republicans had they moved to rebuke Gosar and stopped there. But even moderate Republicans think kicking him off the Oversight and Natural Resources committees is too much. There's also a concern among moderate members about having to vote to rebuke every crazy thing their colleagues say, which these days, they argue, is a lot. 3) Help from Katko: We're told that Katko stood up in conference Tuesday and said he didn't plan to vote with Democrats on the punishment. After his support for BIF and, in January, his vote to impeach Trump, Katko's announcement could (though probably won't) help his fragile standing with the GOP's right flank. But more importantly, it also might make other moderates think twice about punishing Gosar. MCCARTHY'S BALANCING ACT — You can't watch all this drama without also asking how this plays into House Minority Leader KEVIN MCCARTHY's bid for speaker. On Tuesday night, MTG told reporters that if McCarthy doesn't punish Republicans who voted for BIF, she might not back him for the top post if Republicans retake the House next year. On the other side, moderate members are frustrated that he hasn't done more to rein in the far-right members coming after them. Some House Republicans say privately that McCarthy is doing a poor job of balancing his speakership ambitions with his job as leader, and that it could come back to bite him. One noted that PAUL RYAN used to say that leadership is supposed to be "the heat shield" for members, but McCarthy is allowing moderates to get walloped by crazies. (Of course, we know how Ryan's attempt to manage Trump's rise within his conference turned out. No one's saying this is easy stuff.) "He is straddling the fence," a House Republican member told us. "When you straddle the fence, you better hope it's not a barbed wire fence." But another senior Republican aide argued that these parallel situations benefit McCarthy. By warning moderate members against censuring Gosar at the same time he's telling Trump mini-mes that "now is not the time" to strip moderates of their committee assignments, this person said, McCarthy gets to position himself as a unifier. Democrats, for their part, are disgusted with what they say is McCarthy's lack of leadership and moral compass. "What Paul Gosar did is both despicable and beneath the office that he holds," Oversight Chair CAROLYN MALONEY (D-N.Y.) told Playbook on Tuesday night. "Leader McCarthy won't take responsibility for the actions of the actions of his caucus … This is a big deal. We saw that some of the Republican supporters will act on provocations of violence." Our Congress team has more on the saga here Good Wednesday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza, Tara Palmeri. JOIN US — White House press secretary JEN PSAKI will join POLITICO standards and ethics editor Anita Kumar for a live interview today as part of POLITICO's inaugural Women Rule Exchange. The conversation will provide insight into how Psaki is reinventing her role for this era and the Biden presidency, what life is like inside the White House, especially for working mothers, and the latest developments with the Biden agenda. RSVP here to watch live | | | |   | | | BIDEN'S WEDNESDAY: — 10 a.m.: The president and VP KAMALA HARRIS will receive the President's Daily Brief. — 12:30 p.m.: Biden will depart the White House en route to Detroit, where he is scheduled to arrive at 2:15 p.m. — 3:05 p.m.: Biden will visit a General Motors factory, where he will deliver remarks at 4:30 p.m. — 5:40 p.m.: Biden will depart Detroit to return to the White House, where he is scheduled to arrive at 7:20 p.m. The White House Covid-19 response team and public health officials will brief at 11 a.m. White House deputy press secretary CHRIS MEAGHER will gaggle aboard Air Force One on the way to Detroit. The HOUSE will meet at 10 a.m. to consider a measure to censure Gosar and a number of other bills, with first votes predicted between 1:15 p.m. and 2 p.m. and last votes predicted between 3:15 p.m. and 3:45 p.m. The SENATE will meet at 9:30 a.m. to resume consideration of BRIAN NELSON's nomination to be Treasury undersecretary for terrorism and financial crimes. At 10 a.m., the Senate will proceed to two roll-call votes on the motion to invoke cloture on Nelson's nomination and a motion to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to the NDAA. | | | | BECOME A GLOBAL INSIDER: The world is more connected than ever. It has never been more essential to identify, unpack and analyze important news, trends and decisions shaping our future — and we've got you covered! Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Global Insider author Ryan Heath navigates the global news maze and connects you to power players and events changing our world. Don't miss out on this influential global community. Subscribe now. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | | 
PHOTO OF THE DAY: President Joe Biden greets New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu as he arrives in Manchester on Tuesday for an infrastructure event in the state. | Evan Vucci/AP Photo | CONGRESS SINEMATOGRAPHY — Sen. KYRSTEN SINEMA gave a rare interview to Burgess Everett and Marianne LeVine, who write that the controversial Arizona Democrat maintains an air of mystery even as she defends herself against critics (who, she notes, have the right to protest her). Among the tidbits: | • | "'I've been concerned at the push that happens in both parties, this push to have no disagreements. To only have unity or to only speak with one voice. And some will say, "Oh, that is our strength,"' Sinema said. 'Having some disagreement is normal. It is real, it is human. And it's an opportunity for us as mature beings to work through it.'" | • | She won't discuss Build Back Better negotiation specifics or even say whether she'll vote for it, though she says the climate provisions are the "most important part of what is under discussion." | • | She's not switching parties, though Republicans want her to. | • | She won't say whether she's running for reelection. | • | She thinks positive or negative commentary on her clothing is gendered and off-limits. | • | She criticizes Democrats for setting expectations too high, and she credits the Congressional Black Caucus and moderate Republicans — not progressives — with getting the BIF through the House. | | THE NEW 'X' DATE — Treasury Secretary JANET YELLEN told lawmakers Tuesday that she could stave off default until Dec. 15, but after that they may have problems. In short: Cancel your holiday plans and read Jennifer Scholtes and Caitlin Emma for the latest. ALL POLITICS HOUSE DEMS' STRATEGY — Facing a bleak midterms outlook, the DCCC is commencing a multimillion-dollar voter engagement and turnout operation focused on people of color, NPR's Juana Summers scooped this morning . That comprises "an initial $30 million investment to hire local community organizers, launch targeted advertising campaigns aimed at nonwhite communities, as well as building voter protection and education programs. The committee is also working to combat disinformation efforts that are specifically focused on voters of color." PREDICTING 2022 — NYT's Nate Cohn writes that while Virginia and New Jersey's latest elections proved significant, the "special elections in Ohio's 11th and 15th congressional districts, where Democrats and Republicans each retained long-held seats, revealed a possible bright spot for Democrats and faintly signaled that political conditions may not be as dire for Democrats as they seem. … Unlike in the flashier races for Virginia and New Jersey governor, the two Democratic candidates in the Ohio congressional races ran about as well as Democrats usually do." EYES ON BETO — Democrat BETO O'ROURKE announced his campaign for Texas governor Monday, but WaPo's Mariana Alfaro and Michael Scherer write that he'll have to contend with a state that moved further to the right since he ran against GOP Sen. TED CRUZ in 2018. HAT IN THE RING — " DANIEL GOLDMAN, the former federal prosecutor who served as counsel to House Democrats in the first impeachment investigation of former President Donald Trump, announced Tuesday he will run for New York attorney general," ABC's Aaron Katersky reports. | | | |   | | | THE WHITE HOUSE LIFE'S A GAS — The White House is scrambling to find ways to try to help ease high gas prices, reports Ben Lefebvre , a badly timed attack line for Republicans amid massive Democratic efforts to address the existential threat of climate change. Pain at the pump has helped contribute to Biden's slide in the polls. But Democrats are split on whether the administration should tap the Strategic Petroleum Reserve as one method to try to increase supply. TRUMP CARDS TRUMP STONEWALLING STRATEGY FACES A NEW TEST — WaPo's Ann Marimow and Spencer Hsu posted a story this morning on why Trump's infamous stonewalling strategy — using the slow-moving courts to delay Hill investigations — might indeed crumble this year. An appeals court is slated to review Trump's request to try to maintain privilege over documents the Jan. 6 panel has requested. Those arguments happen after Thanksgiving, and the two write that the court "could rule before the new year." They're also skeptical that SCOTUS will help out the former president if he receives an adverse ruling: "The court might view the separation-of-powers concerns as less significant because Congress and the sitting president are on the same side. The justices also might want to steer clear of deciding such a high-profile political dispute on an emergency basis, at a time when the court has been criticized for how often it makes substantive decisions through the so-called shadow docket." JUDGE QUESTIONS DOJ REVERSAL, via Josh Gerstein and Kyle Cheney: "U.S. District Court Judge TREVOR MCFADDEN suggested it was strange that last July … the Justice Department concluded the Tresury Department was legally obligated to fork over Trump's tax returns to the House. That opinion reversed one DOJ issued in 2019 authorizing the Treasury Department to withhold the returns. "McFadden, a Trump appointee, implied that the reversal was driven by politics and he said the new stance might dictate that Congress could be entitled not only to Biden's returns — which have already been made public — but even the taxes filed by Biden's son HUNTER." MEDIAWATCH THE PROJECT VERITAS RAID — WaPo media critic Erik Wemple has a lengthy piece exploring the First Amendment implications of the feds' recent raid of Project Veritas' JAMES O'KEEFE's home. While O'Keefe and his methods are widely reviled in mainstream newsrooms, that doesn't necessarily mean they aren't covered by First Amendment protections. Some free press advocates have accused the FBI of overreach. Wemple concludes that DOJ "had better have" evidence of criminality in the politically sensitive case, which involves the alleged theft of the diary of ASHLEY BIDEN, Joe Biden's daughter, during the 2020 campaign. — Josh Gerstein, earlier this week: "FBI raid on Project Veritas founder's home sparks questions about press freedom" | | | | WOMEN RULE: JOIN US TODAY FOR A TALK ABOUT THE NEW WORLD OF WORK: The way women work, including what is expected and demanded from their workplaces, has been upended. How should businesses, governments, and workers take advantage of this opportunity to rethink what wasn't working and strengthen working environments for women moving forward? Join the Women Rule community to discuss with leading women and explore how they are seizing the moment. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Nicolle Wallace had a ferocious interview with Chris Christie, and ignited Twitter in the process. Jamaal Bowman is receiving a talking-to by the Democratic Socialists of America in "the next few days" after several DSA chapters voiced disapproval over the fact he traveled to Israel this week. Andrew Bates took a swipe at Detroit-based Little Caesars Pizza a day before Joe Biden visits Detroit. (The Little Caesars-owning Illitch family are Democratic donors, and Denise Ilitch is a Democratic member of the University of Michigan Board of Regents.) In fairness, it's hard to argue with Bates' review of their pizza. Joe Biden said we'll hear about his Fed chair announcement in "about four days." Cynthia Lummis and John Barrasso ducked questions from Manu Raju about the Wyoming GOP's decision to stop recognizing Liz Cheney as a Republican. Larry Hogan decried Donald Trump's targeting of pro-BIF Republicans, calling it "Trump cancel culture." SPOTTED: National security adviser Jake Sullivan at the St. Regis on Tuesday night. SPOTTED: HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, SBA Administrator Isabel Guzman, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona and DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas eating dinner at Oyamel with their spouses (except Cardona's) and White House Deputy Cabinet Secretary Cristóbal Alex. OUT AND ABOUT — Former Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges and Fox News host Ben Domenech attended an event to celebrate the launch of Stephen Kent's new book, "How The Force Can Fix The World" ( $15.99), at Mission in Dupont Circle on Tuesday night. A crowd of politico Star Wars fans heard Hodges speak about her Star Wars story of overcoming abuse and trauma with the "galaxy far, far away," and the beauty of "A New Hope," while Domenech spoke about Star Wars' pivotal role as our modern myth and his enduring love for Lando Calrissian in "The Empire Strikes Back." Pics FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — McLarty Associates is joining Ankura in early January to "form a premier, next-generation multidisciplinary consulting firm." STAFFING UP — Jimmy Kolker has joined the State Department as a part-time senior adviser to Gayle Smith, the department's coordinator for the global Covid response and health security, where he'll focus on global health security issues. Kolker is a former Obama-era senior global health official, and previously served as U.S. ambassador to Uganda and Burkina Faso. TRANSITION — Matt Slavoski is now state press secretary for Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.). He previously was comms director for Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-Pa.). WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Alex Kisling, director of strategic comms at the Atlantic Council, and Monisha Samanta Kisling, cardiac genetic counselor at MedStar Health, welcomed Mia Rani Kisling on Monday. She joins big brother Asher. Pic — Kara Swisher, host of the NYT opinion podcast "Sway" and a contributing NYT opinion writer, and Amanda Katz, a writer, editor and CNN alum, welcomed Solomon Lee Swisher Katz on Monday morning. Pics — Julia Ainsley, NBC News correspondent covering DHS and DOJ, and Newman Ainsley, executive director of OrthoVirginia for the Northern Virginia region, welcomed Caroline Banks Ainsley on Tuesday afternoon. She came in at 8 lbs and 20 inches, is named after her two grandmothers, and joins big sister Mary Wells. Pic … Another pic HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Sens. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) and Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) (6-0) … Domestic Policy Council Director Susan Rice … Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf … NBC's Noah Oppenheim … Chris Stirewalt … John Boehner … Terry Branstad … Howard Dean … Linda Moore of TechNet … Diana Aviv (7-0) … POLITICO's Helena Bottemiller Evich and Jerome Baldwin … Jarrod Agen of Lockheed Martin … Charmaine Yoest of the Heritage Foundation … Arielle Mueller of Sen. Mitt Romney's (R-Utah) office … Brian Jones of Black Rock Group … White House's Sonja Thrasher … Labor Department's Ahmad Ramadan … Camryn Anderson of Strategic Marketing Innovations … Halie Soifer of the Jewish Democratic Council of America … TechNet's Linda Moore … Intuit's Paul Lindsay … Howard Fineman … Rick Dunham … MSNBC's Lily Corvo … Suzan G. LeVine … Jeff Watters of the Ocean Conservancy … AKPD's Isaac Baker … Harry Jaffe … Lea Anne Foster … Ralph Posner … Kellie Boyle … Lucas Fleischer … Erika Compart … Marty Reiser … Alex Gallo … Carly Montoya … David Kurtz … Andrew Hinkebein … Mike DeFilippis … Mike Maloof … WSJ's Felicia Schwartz … Mike Ricci of Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan's office … Sarah Gibbens Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here. Send Playbookers tips to playbook@politico.com. Playbook couldn't happen without our editor Mike Zapler, deputy editor Zack Stanton and producers Allie Bice, Eli Okun and Garrett Ross. | | A message from Facebook: Facebook invested $13B in teams and technology to enhance safety
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