| | | | |  | | By Ryan Lizza, Rachael Bade and Eugene Daniels | | | With help from Eli Okun and Garrett Ross
|  | DRIVING THE DAY | | Good Sunday morning, Hanukkah begins today at sundown. Argentina and France are tied 2-2 late in the second half of the World Cup final as of publishing. 5 days until government funding runs out 7 days until Christmas 13 days until New Year's Eve 16 days until the 118th Congress begins, and the House elects a new Speaker. (Hot doc for parliamentary procedure nerds: "The First Day of a New Congress:A Guide to Proceedings on the House Floor") No word yet on the date of the State of the Union, which will be negotiated between the White House and the next speaker. STAT OF THE DAY — From a WSJ piece on the relationship between the White House and the incoming GOP House majority: "The White House said it has extended thousands of invitations to House Republicans for events including bill-signing ceremonies at the White House, conferences and events in their home states and districts. Just over 200 such invitations have been accepted by fewer than 60 House Republicans, the White House said."
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Twitter CEO Elon Musk | Win McNamee/Getty Images | ELON'S PURGE CONTINUES — The latest journalist suspended from Twitter for no apparent reason: WaPo's TAYLOR LORENZ. "ELON MUSK banned me from Twitter after I reached out for comment for a story," Lorenz writes over at Post.News, which continues to grow as a Twitter alternative for news and politics junkies. (Ryan is over there too, FWIW.) Bloomberg on "Musk risk": — Stock tanked: "Tesla's stock price sank 16% over the last five sessions for its worst week since the pandemic struck in March 2020." — Valuation hits low: Tesla is "below a market value of $500 billion for the first time in more than two years." — Big Musk sell-off this week: Musk "sold almost $3.6 billion of Tesla shares, possibly to help refinance debt from his purchase of Twitter Inc." — Pushed to #2: "Musk was toppled from the peak of the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, meaning he's no longer the richest person in the world." (He's only worth $156 billion now!) — Is it time to sell?: "'I think the stock is only going to go down from here,' said CATHERINE FADDIS, senior portfolio manager at Fernwood Investment Management. 'Elon Musk has damaged his reputation with this Twitter business and all the negative news flow.'"
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CNN CEO Chris Licht | Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP | LICHT SPEAKS — James Stewart profiles CNN chief CHRIS LICHT in the Times: "The Education of CNN's Chris Licht" Licht on the left: "'The uninformed vitriol, especially from the left, has been stunning,' Mr. Licht said in one of several interviews with The New York Times spanning his nearly eight-month tenure. 'Which proves my point: so much of what passes for news is name-calling, half-truths and desperation.'" The Zaslav-Licht relationship: "On their first lunch afterward, at [Warner Bros.-Discovery President and CEO DAVID] ZASLAV's usual corner table at Gramercy Tavern, Mr. Zaslav indicated their yearslong relationship had fundamentally changed. 'We've been friends for 15 years,' Mr. Zaslav said. 'We're not friends any more. You work for me.'" Stewart and Colbert floated for primetime show: "'[CNN primetime] has to be compelling and entertaining without hurting the news brand,' he said, citing his former boss [STEPHEN] COLBERT, and [JON] STEWART as 'the kind of people who'd work,' while acknowledging that Mr. Stewart is already locked into a lucrative contract at Apple TV."
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Planning for Biden's reelection campaign is reportedly ramping up. | Gene J. Puskar/AP Photo | NEW BIDEN 2024 DEETS … WSJ on the emerging campaign:
- The campaign could be headquartered in Philadelphia or Wilmington.
- WSJ says Biden wants a rematch: "The president has made clear that he is eager for a rematch against former President DONALD TRUMP, who has declared his plans to run again after losing to Mr. Biden in 2020."
- DNC oppo team is ready: "The DNC also has research on Mr. Trump and the likely Republican field, including Florida Gov. RON DeSANTIS, former Vice President MIKE PENCE and others."
- Team Biden sees GOP primary "chaos": "One of Mr. Biden's advisers said the Biden camp thinks the Republicans will have a chaotic, crowded primary with little alignment behind a common agenda."
- Biden still clearing the field despite another one of these polls: "59% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents said they wanted someone other than Mr. Biden atop the party's ticket in 2024."
WaPo on how Team Biden is making a big bet on "relational organizing," with an emphasis on trying to find new ways to reach voters inside TikTok, WhatsApp, Facebook groups, "fantasy Football text messages" and other "private digital environments": "[T]he Biden team has been reviewing an ongoing series of experiments quietly run by the national party and Democratic senate campaigns involving once-obscure organizing strategies, which became more common in the 2022 midterms. The options include paying social media influencers to produce and share supportive content and encouraging volunteers or paid organizers to directly push messages to targeted voters in their phone contacts. There are also technologies that the party has been reviewing that make it easier for volunteers to share campaign content on their networks." Some folks to get to know: "The early conversations have involved [JEN] O'MALLEY DILLON, [ANITA] DUNN, the White House director of digital strategy ROB FLAHERTY, DNC executive director SAM CORNALE and JOSE NUNEZ, the national party's organizing director. A number of outside consultants have also been involved, including ADDISU DEMISSIE, who ran Sen. CORY BOOKER's 2020 presidential campaign, Dewey Square's MINYON MOORE and Precision Strategies' TEDDY GOFF, who helped run digital campaign operations for both BARACK OBAMA and HILLARY CLINTON. Flaherty is expected to take a senior digital role over the Biden reelection campaign next year, according to a person familiar with the planning." Kicker: "'The nature of news consumption and information absorption has radically decentralized,' said another strategist involved in the planning effort. 'We have got to be able to engage in an information war.'" OUCH — WaPo's Dan Balz, in a piece pointing to Biden's 2022 strategy as an obvious template for 2024, has this to say about Trump: "Instead of being serious, he has embraced frivolousness and greed. Just last week, he released digital trading cards, NFTs, of himself that he was offering for sale. For Trump, celebrity and commercialization remain his priorities, debasing the office he once held. Perhaps the new cards were supposed to be just a joke, a little fun ahead of the holidays. But there has been nothing to counter the impression that he has no second chapter, no future focus." Kicker: "[I]n 2022, there was one clear loser, and it wasn't who most people thought it would be as the year began." Thanks for reading Playbook. What's your favorite way to organize relationally? Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza.
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Amazon's ten career advancement programs provide hourly employees with free technical skills training, helping employees like Andre, reach their dream jobs. "Before I started working at Amazon, I didn't know what I wanted to do," said Andre. Learn about Amazon's free skills training opportunities. Sponsored by Amazon   | | | SUNDAY BEST … — Rep. ADAM SCHIFF (D-Calif.) on what else the Jan. 6 committee will discuss in its meeting Monday, on CNN's "State of the Union": "We will also be considering what's the appropriate remedy for members of Congress who ignore a congressional subpoena, as well as the evidence that was so pertinent to our investigation and why we wanted to bring them in. … Censure was something that we have considered. Ethics referrals is something we have considered." — Arkansas Gov. ASA HUTCHINSON on Republican Party infighting, on NBC's "Meet the Press": "We have a diverse party, and you have to embrace the diversity. But at the same time … if you're not going to operate as a team on certain fundamental levels, like being able to elect the leader of our party in the House, then we're failing the American people." — Rep. MIKE GALLAGHER (R-Wis.) on KEVIN McCARTHY's bid to become speaker, on "State of the Union": "We can't spend all of January … mired in this internal battle. We need to populate various committees. There's all sorts of work that needs to be done in terms of basic oversight of the executive branch, as well as articulating policies and finding areas where we can pass productive bipartisan legislation. So my hope is that we get past this." — Sen. SHERROD BROWN (D-Ohio) on pushing for immigration reform, on "Meet the Press": "Maybe with this new Republican House and Democratic Senate, we finally get serious about immigration reform, and quit demagoguing this issue by pointing fingers and say that the disaster is about to happen. I think that the administration will figure this out short term, but it's clear we've got to get serious as a body, and it's going to take both parties." — Rep. CHIP ROY (R-Texas) on the situation at the border, on "Fox News Sunday": "This is the [Senate Minority Leader MITCH] McCONNELL-Republican border crisis if we give [Democrats] more money this week without demanding that they secure the border and do more bloated spending in giving DHS money with blank check." TOP-EDS: A roundup of the week's must-read opinion pieces. — "Stop Complaining about the 'Gerontocracy.' Older People Are More Vital Than Ever," by Michael Clinton for Esquire — "The DeSantis Delusion," by National Review's Christian Schneider — "What in the World Is Happening in Israel?" by NYT's Tom Friedman — "Disorder at the Border, and in the GOP," by WSJ's Peggy Noonan — "Manchin's permitting reform effort is dead. Biden's climate agenda could be a casualty," by Vox's Colin Mortimer — "Why the 'Twitter Files' Are Falling Flat," by Joan Donovan for POLITICO Magazine
| | BIDEN'S SUNDAY — The president has nothing on his public schedule.
VP KAMALA HARRIS' SUNDAY — The VP has nothing on her public schedule. | | | | | | A NEW POLITICO PODCAST: POLITICO Tech is an authoritative insider briefing on the politics and policy of technology. From crypto and the metaverse to cybersecurity and AI, we explore the who, what and how of policy shaping future industries. We're kicking off with a series exploring darknet market places, the virtual platforms that enable actors from all corners of the online world to traffic illicit goods. As malware and cybercrime attacks become increasingly frequent, regulators and law enforcement agencies work different angles to shut these platforms down, but new, often more unassailable marketplaces pop up. SUBSCRIBE AND START LISTENING TODAY. | | | | | PHOTO OF THE DAY
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Protesters walk through a vigil honoring Iranians allegedly killed by their government during a rally in support of the ongoing protests in Iran at the National Mall on Saturday, Dec. 17. | Nathan Howard/AP Photo | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | 8 THINGS FOR YOUR RADAR 1. PROMISES KEPT: "What Trump promised, Biden seeks to deliver in his own way," by AP's Josh Boak: "The Biden White House has committed more than $1.7 trillion to the belief that a mix of government aid, focused policies and bureaucratic expertise can deliver long-term growth that lifts up the middle class. This reverses the past administration's view that cutting regulations and taxes boosted investments by businesses that flowed downward to workers. With new laws in place, Biden is taking the gamble that the federal bureaucracy can successfully implement and deliver on his promises, including after he leaves office." 2. TRUMP HOLDS HIS FIRE IN RNC BATTLE: "Trump on RNC Chair Race Between Ronna McDaniel, Harmeet Dhillon: 'I Like Them Both,'" by Breitbart's Matthew Boyle: Here's how Trump answered: "I think they're both good. I like them both. It's like when I asked QUEEN ELIZABETH when we were together: 'Which president did you like the best?' She said: 'I liked them all.' 'Which one did you like the best?' 'I liked them all. They're all great.' I said, 'But didn't you like RONALD REAGAN the best?' She said: 'No I liked them all. I liked Ronald Reagan very much, but I liked them all.' Then I said: 'Which prime minister did you like the best? Was it WINSTON CHURCHILL?' 'I like them all. I like every one.' Then I realized how smart she was. I said, you know that's why she stayed there for 75 years.'" — Related read: "Inside the ugly fight to become the next Republican chair," by AP's Steve Peoples 3. HOW DEMOCRACY FOR AMERICA DIED: "Wine tasting in Napa and a staff revolt: How a progressive powerhouse went kaput," by Daniel Lippman: "Founded after the 2004 HOWARD DEAN presidential campaign, Democracy for America was felled by poor fundraising and what many former employees described as shoddy management." 4. 2024 WILL BE A BATTLE FOR THE SUBURBS: "Big Cities in Swing States Saw Declines in Midterm Voting," by WSJ's Aaron Zitner, John McCormick and Dante Chinni: "The voting declines suggest that Democrats have a pathway to victory in some statewide races that relies less on the large margins they ring up in many big cities. Democratic candidates won the governor's office by more than 10 percentage points in Michigan, for example, and by nearly 15 points in Pennsylvania, despite the falloff in vote totals in Detroit and Philadelphia. But in other places, the falloff was a major contributor to the party's losses." 5. DeSANTIS DOWNLOAD: "DeSantis reverses himself on coronavirus vaccines, moves to right of Trump," by WaPo's Isaac Arnsdorf: "A review of DeSantis's public positions on the vaccines shows a full reversal that has unfolded gradually since 2021, seizing on the shots' waning efficacy against new virus variants and portraying evolving scientific advice as deliberate deceit."
| | | | SPONSORED CONTENT From high school dropout to Amazon IT technician
After dropping out of school, Andre joined Amazon as a fulfillment center associate and enrolled in a free technical training program to move into a higher-paying IT technician position within the company. Learn how. Sponsored by Amazon   | | | 6. CRYPTO CRISIS CONTINUES: "U.S. Scrutinizes Political Donations by Sam Bankman-Fried and Allies," by NYT's Kenneth Vogel and Ken Bensinger: "Federal prosecutors in Manhattan are seeking information from Democrats and Republicans about donations from the disgraced cryptocurrency entrepreneur SAM BANKMAN-FRIED and two former executives at the companies he co-founded. "In the days after Mr. Bankman-Fried was arrested on Monday and charged with violations including a major campaign finance scheme, the prosecutors reached out to representatives for campaigns and committees that had received millions of dollars from Mr. Bankman-Fried, his colleagues and their companies." — The other FTX name to know: "Restaurateur, Political Donor, Tipster: The Many Roles of FTX's Ryan Salame," by NYT's Matthew Goldstein, Kenneth Vogel and David Yaffe-Bellany: "The co-chief executive of an FTX unit who told regulators about wrongdoing at the exchange was a big Republican donor." 7. WAR IN UKRAINE: "Ukraine's combat amputees face a hard road home," by WaPo's Alex Horton: "America's most recent wars led to profound advancements in prosthetics and new standards for treatment. For most Ukrainian soldiers in need, the best is often out of reach." — Related read: "Key Ukrainian city's rapid fall leaves unanswered questions," by AP's Sam Mednick in Kherson 8. JAN. 6 AND ITS AFTERMATH: "Scenes From The Meadows Texts Show The Diverse Cast Of Characters Who Chimed In On Efforts To Overturn The Election," by Talking Points Memo's Emine Yücel and Hunter Walker: "TPM has obtained these messages and analyzed them for our in-depth series, 'The Meadows Texts.' While our stories thus far have largely focused on the members of Congress who wrote Meadows about efforts to overturn the election, the text log also shows a wide array of people were corresponding with Trump's chief of staff about efforts to challenge his loss."
| | | | POLITICO AT CES 2023 : We are bringing a special edition of our Digital Future Daily newsletter to Las Vegas to cover CES 2023. The newsletter will take you inside the largest and most influential technology event on the planet, featuring every major and emerging industry in the technology ecosystem gathered in one place. The newsletter runs from Jan. 5-7 and will focus on the public policy related aspects of the event. Sign up today to receive exclusive coverage of CES 2023. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Annie Wu Henry, one of John Fetterman's social media stars, gets a writeup in the Times. WHAT PLAYBOOKERS ARE READING: A roundup of the most-clicked links from the past week in Playbook. 1. "Some Hunter Biden allies making plans to go after his accusers," by WaPo's Matt Viser and Michael Scherer 2. "Kavanaugh's Holiday Party Appearance Renews Supreme Court Ethics Questions," by Bloomberg's Lydia Wheeler 3. "GOP operative who allegedly kicked a dog hired as top aide to new congressman," by Daniel Lippman 4. "Biden's Nuclear Waste Guru Out of a Job After Alleged Luggage Theft," by The Daily Beast's Zachary Petrizzo 5. A look at Rep. Kevin Brady's retirement gift. ENGAGED — Declan Leary, columnist and former managing editor of The American Conservative and author of a forthcoming book on the American right for Regnery, and Emma Cubellis, a graduate student in English at Georgetown University, got engaged on Friday evening at Daunt Books in London. The couple first met as high school students in Boston nine years ago. Pics WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Jayme Chandler Franklin, founder and CEO of The Conservateur and a Trump White House and Fox News alum, and Drake Franklin, Southeastern development director and a policy analyst at America First Policy Institute and a Trump 2020 campaign alum, on Friday welcomed Vivienne Rae Franklin. Instapics HAPPY BIRTHDAY: CEA Chair Cecilia Rouse … Rep. Bill Posey (R-Fla.) … Rep.-elect Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) … Randi Weingarten of the American Federation of Teachers … Matt Schlapp … Jennifer Scoggins Hanks … WSJ's Jeanne Cummings and Andrew Restuccia … Robb Watters of the Madison Group … POLITICO'S Eric Millinder and Grace Strmecki … E&E News' Edward Klump … CNN's Rachel Streitfeld, Ali Main and Lisa Respers France … Liz Halloran of Cornerstone Public Affairs … NRCC's Mike Thom … Paul Windsor of Rep. Andy Biggs' (R-Ariz.) office … Rich Luchette … Philip Bennett of Rep. Ilhan Omar's (D-Minn.) office … Danielle Moon … Naomi Lake of Rep. Chuy García's (D-Ill.) office … Matthew Ceja of Rep. Mark Takano's (D-Calif.) office … WilmerHale's Alyssa DaCunha … Adam Wilczewski … Noelle Britton of Rep. Lloyd Smucker's (R-Pa.) office … Tyler Lechtenberg … S.K. Bowen of Rep. Brett Guthrie's (R-Ky.) office … Jim Carter of the America First Policy Institute … Morning Consult's John Leer … AP's Will Lester ... Wes Coulam of Washington Council Ernst & Young … Frank Coleman ... Elissa Dodge of Qorvis Communications … Spencer Sharp of 718 Media … Apple's Fred Sainz ... Noam Neusner … Dov Zakheim … Ryan McCrimmon Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here. Send Playbookers tips to playbook@politico.com or text us at 202-556-3307. Playbook couldn't happen without our editor Mike DeBonis, deputy editor Zack Stanton and producers Setota Hailemariam and Bethany Irvine.
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Now, he works as an IT technician for Amazon. "It's such a huge thing, knowing that Amazon would put even more effort into developing me," he said.
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