| | | | |  | | By Ankush Khardori | | Presented by |  | | | With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine
|  | DRIVING THE DAY | | THIS FEELS FAMILIAR — “South Korean President Yoon’s impeachment fails as his ruling party boycotts vote,” by AP’s Kim Tong-Hyung and Hyung-Jin Kim: President YOON SUK YEOL’s “martial law declaration drew criticism from his own ruling conservative party, but it is also determined to oppose Yoon’s impeachment apparently because it fears losing the presidency to liberals.” TRUMP-ILY IN PARIS — “Macron’s got a shiny new Notre-Dame and it’s sure to dazzle Trump,” by Victor Goury-Laffont and Robbie Gramer: “Saturday’s reopening ceremony will become just another chapter in the bromance between two presidents.”
|  Progress on confirming judges in the final weeks of the 118th Congress represents a relative bright spot for President Joe Biden. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | THE BIDEN BENCHMARK — The news this week was dominated by both halves of the transition from JOE BIDEN to DONALD TRUMP: For Biden, the political maelstrom unleashed by the pardon for his son. For Trump, the continuing questions over the confirmability of nominees for top posts in the incoming administration. Meanwhile, as that was unfolding, Democrats continued to quietly advance one of Biden’s signature initiatives — reshaping the federal judiciary (aka confirming as many federal judges as possible). As of this week, the Senate has confirmed 229 Biden-nominated federal judges — a sizable figure that, not for nothing, ties Trump’s record of judicial appointments at this point during his first term. Biden will almost certainly overtake him on Monday, with the Senate scheduled to vote on TIFFANY JOHNSON’s nomination to the Northern District of Georgia. Three more district judges are awaiting final floor votes, and the Senate Judiciary Committee could advance two more next week. If all six are confirmed, Biden will beat Trump’s first-term total by one. The progress in the final weeks of the 118th Congress represents a relative bright spot for the Biden administration and Senate Democratic leadership. Democrats made clear from the outset of Biden’s term that confirming judges would be a top priority — and that they wanted their nominees to represent a broader range of professional and demographic backgrounds than is usually the case for federal judges. A recent report from the American Bar Association described the nearly 1,500 federal judges in the country as “overwhelmingly male (67%) and white (74%).” By that standard, Biden has notched some notable achievements. According to White House figures shared with Playbook:
- Biden has confirmed record numbers of judges who have previously worked as public defenders (more than 45), as civil rights lawyers (more than 25) or as lawyers representing workers (at least 10).
- On the demographic front, nearly two-thirds of Biden’s judges have been women (145 judges, or 63 percent of Biden’s appointees).
- A sizable majority have been people of color (135 judges, or 60 percent of Biden’s total).
- The administration has also confirmed a record number of judges in a variety of demographic sub-groups — including women of color (86 judges), Black women (39), Hispanic women (22) and LGBTQ people (12).
In a statement, White House Communications Director BEN LaBOLT said that the president is “proud to have strengthened the judiciary by making it more representative of the country as a whole and that legacy will have an impact for decades to come.” There is little question that Biden’s lower-court appointments will have a considerable impact on many people’s lives. This week alone produced several stark reminders:
- A Trump appointee rejected a criminal plea deal between Boeing and the Justice Department after raising concerns about the influence of diversity policies on the selection of an independent monitor to oversee the company.
- Two other district court judges — one in Ohio, the other in North Carolina —changed their retirement plans, in an apparent effort to prevent Trump from naming their successors.
| | | | A message from Tobacco-Free Kids Action Fund: E-cigarettes have gone from bad to worse. They are hooking kids with fun flavors, more nicotine than ever and even built-in video games. Some vapes have as much nicotine as 20 packs of cigarettes. Almost all are illegal. To protect kids, the FDA and other federal agencies must act now to remove illegal products from the market and stop them from being imported into the U.S. Learn more. | | | Still, the story of Trump and Biden’s judicial records cannot be told without accounting for the Supreme Court — and on that score, the two men’s records are fundamentally incomparable. Biden made history by appointing the first Black woman to the Supreme Court, but with the assistance of MITCH McCONNELL, Trump ended up appointing three of the court’s nine members during his first term. In the past few years alone, that 6-3 conservative supermajority has substantially changed the content and direction of American constitutional law — issuing rulings that overturned Roe v. Wade, that curbed the powers and authority of federal agencies and, of course, that granted Trump and future presidents broad immunity from criminal prosecution. Trump could end up appointing an outright majority of the court’s members during his next term — a remarkable development that would make him the first president since FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT to achieve that milestone — and perhaps even expanding the conservative majority:
- Legal observers believe that as many as three of the court’s Republican appointees — CLARENCE THOMAS, SAMUEL ALITO and Chief Justice JOHN ROBERTS — could choose to retire. (They are, respectively, 76, 74 and 69 years old.)
- And if one of the three seats held by the three Democratic appointees opens up, Trump could increase the 6-3 conservative supermajority to 7-2. (SONIA SOTOMAYOR is 70 years old.)
Needless to say, the Supreme Court is where the country’s biggest and most consequential cases get resolved. Biden has much to tout as he completes his appointment of lower-court nominees in the final weeks of this Congress, but at the end of the day, all of those judges answer to the Supreme Court. Good Saturday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop me a line: akhardori@politico.com. FOR PETE’S SAKE — After days of flailing over concerns about his personal scandals, PETE HEGSETH’s bid to become Defense secretary is looking a bit stronger in the Trump team’s eyes, Meridith McGraw reports. No GOP senators have come out against him yet, and MAGA world is doubling down on Hegseth’s defiance — which itself is extremely attractive to Trump. (Trump said he still has confidence in Hegseth in an advance clip from his interview with NBC’s Kristen Welker.) Trump advisers appreciate that he’s a “heat shield” right now for other controversial nominees, The Bulwark’s Marc Caputo reports. And they think Hegseth’s chances improve the longer he stays in and senators feel pressure from the base. Sen. JONI ERNST (R-Iowa), the chief target of that pressure this week, posted on X that she’d meet with Hegseth again next week and wants to give him a “fair hearing.” The broader dynamic is a “game of chicken” between skeptical GOP senators and Trump on Hegseth and other nominees, WSJ’s Siobhan Hughes, Brian Schwartz and Natalie Andrews write: Can they get Trump picks they dislike to withdraw now, or can they withstand the heat if it comes to public votes? Related reads: “Military leaders are rattled by a list of ‘woke’ officers that a group urges Hegseth to fire,” by AP’s Tara Copp and Lolita Baldor … “Pete Hegseth’s Crusade to Turn the Military into a Christian Weapon,” by Jasper Craven in POLITICO Magazine JUST POSTED — “Trump transition nearly a month behind on key policy prep,” by Alice Miranda Ollstein: “The Trump transition signed an agreement Nov. 26 paving the way for those ‘landing teams’ to begin work in the agencies. But before they can do that, the transition has to submit its lists of people who will serve on the teams to the Biden administration — and they just began sending over those names late this week, the White House confirmed Friday.”
| | | | A message from Tobacco-Free Kids Action Fund:   Parents are pleading: FDA must protect kids. Over 1.6 million kids use e-cigarettes. Nearly 90% use flavored products. Clear the market of illegal vapes now. | | | | | WHAT'S HAPPENING TODAY | | At the White House Biden and VP KAMALA HARRIS have nothing on their public schedules.
| | | | REGISTER NOW: As the 118th Congress ends, major decisions loom, including healthcare appropriations. Key focus: site neutrality. Can aligning hospital and clinic costs cut federal spending, reflect physician costs, and lower patient expenses? Join policymakers and providers to discuss. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | | | 
Tulsi Gabbard could still face a difficult path to get through the Senate. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | 9 THINGS THAT STUCK WITH US 1. ALL EYES ON TULSI GABBARD: OK, all eyes may not be on Trump’s DNI pick yet. But the former Democratic congresswoman could be in trouble, too, as she draws more attention, GOP Senate aides tell John Sakellariadis and Robbie Gramer. Intelligence Committee members could be especially skeptical of Gabbard, who often distrusts the intelligence community, over her Russia and Syria stances/connections. Gabbard won’t be helped by reports like this last night from NBC’s Dan De Luce: In 2018, members of both parties worried that Gabbard couldn’t be trusted with the identity of Syrian whistleblower “CAESAR” when he testified, and they had him cover his face before she arrived. The Trump team responds that she hasn’t ever violated classified confidentiality. 2. BONDI BEACH: AG-designate PAM BONDI’s recent experience as a corporate lobbyist could create lots of conflict-of-interest headaches, Hailey Fuchs reports this morning. Some big companies hope she’ll go easier on them than the current Justice Department has — and that Bondi will avoid the more populist bent of some MAGA leaders. It remains to be seen whether and how she’ll recuse herself from issues involving Ballard Partners and its clients. As Bondi makes plans to win confirmation, CHAD MIZELLE is helping out the effort, Betsy Woodruff Swan reports. 3. OBAMACARE LATEST: “Democrats propose deal to GOP extending Affordable Care Act subsidies by a year,” by WaPo’s Dan Diamond and Rachel Roubein: They’re “worried by new estimates that 2.2 million people will otherwise lose health coverage. … The move accompanied a broader package of health-care proposals submitted to Republicans on Thursday night ahead of year-end spending negotiations. … A one-year deal to extend the expiring ACA subsidies would avoid what was expected to be a bruising battle for both parties. … GOP leaders have repeatedly said they are skeptical of the subsidies.” 4. THE ADMINISTRATION IN WAITING: “Trump aides asked Qatar to recall ousted Hamas chiefs in bid to revive hostage talks,” by The Times of Israel’s Jacob Magid: “At the behest of officials from US President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team, Qatar summoned Hamas leaders back to Doha this week in order to revive hostage negotiations … Not only did Trump’s aides make clear to Qatar that they want the hostage crisis off their plate by January 20, but they also asked Doha to bring Hamas leaders back.” 5. BOOGIE WOOGIE WOOGIE: One early Trump move to roll back Biden’s fight against climate change is to scrap the Postal Service’s push to make its vehicles electric, Reuters’ Jarrett Renshaw and Alexandra Ulmer scooped. The massive contracts are worth billions of dollars and cover tens of thousands of vehicles and chargers. But it might be legally difficult for Trump to intervene in the independent agency. 6. IMMIGRATION FILES: As Trump plans for mass deportations, he could be hindered by the fact that ICE data shows about half of currently pending deportation orders can’t be carried out, WaPo’s Nick Miroff reports. The reasons range from refusals by the home countries to medical problems to immigration judge rulings. Plenty of other logistical hurdles loom, too. Fear is shooting through migrant communities in the U.S., where many people are exploring their legal options or increasingly staying home, WSJ’s Michelle Hackman and Elizabeth Findell report. Families are discussing what to do if one member gets deported, and how “to make sure — if they disappear suddenly — that someone has keys to their house, a copy of their car title and access to their children’s schools.” On the flip side, CNN’s Catherine Shoichet examines whether Trump’s striking pledge in June to give green cards to foreign graduates of American colleges: Is there any chance that would actually become reality? 7. KNOWING JANETTE NESHEIWAT: Trump’s pick for surgeon general accidentally knocked over a gun that shot and killed her father when she was 13, NYT’s Joseph Goldstein reveals. That awful tragedy set Nesheiwat on the path to become a doctor, seeking to save lives, though she hasn’t often publicly referenced that she was the one who knocked over the tackle box with the gun in it. The family lived with the resulting trauma, though their recovery set many of them on the path to success: “Dr. Nesheiwat attributes their remarkable success to the iron will and encouragement of their mother, HAYAT NESHEIWAT.”
| | | | A message from Tobacco-Free Kids Action Fund:   Almost all flavored e-cigarettes are illegal. The FDA must act. Learn more. | | | 8. WITH FRIENDS LIKE THESE: “A major cocaine transit country is halting U.S. anti-drug cooperation,” by WaPo’s Kevin Sieff and Samantha Schmidt: “Paraguay’s antidrug agency has decided to halt cooperation with the United States, a significant blow to U.S. efforts to curb organized crime in a country where cocaine trafficking has surged. The decision was communicated to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration this week … It jeopardizes several high-level investigations, including the search for SEBASTIÁN MARSET … It was a ‘political’ decision made by the central government, [one agency official said].” 9. BROUHAHA IN BUCHAREST: “Romanian Court Annuls Presidential Election Results and Orders a New Vote,” by NYT’s Andrew Higgins and Matei Barbulescu: “Europe’s efforts to contain a resurgence of nationalism and Russian interference entered dangerous new territory on Friday when [the Romanian constitutional court] canceled a high-stakes presidential election, just two days before a runoff vote that an ultranationalist candidate had been well positioned to win. … CALIN GEORGESCU, an ultranationalist and the front-runner in Sunday’s aborted vote, in a video statement swiftly denounced the court’s ruling as ‘a legalized coup d’état.’” DONALD TRUMP JR. responds: “Another Soros/Marxist attempt at rigging the outcome & denying the will of the people. She’s going to lose, and they know it.” CLICKER — “The nation’s cartoonists on the week in politics,” edited by Matt Wuerker — 17 funnies
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Mike Luckovich - Atlanta Journal Constitution | GREAT WEEKEND READS: — “The Secret Pentagon War Game That Offers a Stark Warning for Our Times,” by William Langewiesche in the NYT Magazine: “The devastating outcome of the 1983 game reveals that nuclear escalation inevitably spirals out of control.” — “How a Billionaire’s ‘Baby Project’ Ensnared Dozens of Women,” by Bloomberg Businessweek’s Jackie Davalos and Sophie Alexander: “Disgraced tycoon Greg Lindberg built a network of egg donors and surrogates. Several say he conned them — and that US fertility clinics helped him do it.” — “When a Telescope Is a National-Security Risk,” by The Atlantic’s Ross Andersen: “How do you know what you’re not allowed to see?” — “An elaborate global system exists to prevent famine. It’s failing,” by Reuters’ Lena Masri, Deborah Nelson, Maggie Michael, Steve Stecklow, Ryan Mcneill, Jaimi Dowdell and Benjamin Lesser: “The IPC is meant to head off famine by sounding alarms that direct food aid to brewing crises. But the tiny watchdog and other key players are struggling to operate in areas ridden with conflict – the main driver of hunger today.” — “America’s Role Reversal: Working-Class Blacks Make Gains While Whites Fall Back,” by WSJ’s Arian Campo-Flores: “The loss of manufacturing jobs in one Illinois county points to a key factor in the narrowing income gap.” — “Ethiopia’s Agony: ‘I Have Never Seen This Kind of Cruelty in My Life,’” by Alexis Okeowo in the NYT: “A rare look inside a region still reckoning with the toll of war crimes, even as new conflicts roil the nation.” — “The Angry Iraq Vets Who Want to Upend U.S. Foreign Policy,” by WSJ’s Joel Schectman, Nancy Youssef and Vera Bergengruen: “Tulsi Gabbard, JD Vance and Pete Hegseth came back from service in the Global War on Terrorism determined to change America’s role in the world.” — “‘Eat What You Kill,’” by ProPublica’s J. David McSwane: “Hailed as a savior upon his arrival in Helena, Dr. Thomas C. Weiner became a favorite of patients and his hospital’s highest earner. As the myth surrounding the high-profile oncologist grew, so did the trail of patient harm and suspicious deaths.”
| | | | Billions in spending. Critical foreign aid. Immigration reform. The final weeks of 2024 could bring major policy changes. Inside Congress provides daily insights into how Congressional leaders are navigating these high-stakes issues. Subscribe today. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Blake Masters is making a bid to lead ATF. Ziad Ojakli is leaving Boeing. Alex Jones’ penalty to pay Sandy Hook families was trimmed but kept mostly intact. Austin Tice’s mom says new info indicates he’s alive. Jared Isaacman for NASA administrator is exciting the space industry. OUT AND ABOUT — The Personal Care Products Council hosted a holiday party at the Hay-Adams on Thursday night, featuring a “Glamtini” winter cocktail, a pasta bar and hors d’oeuvres. SPOTTED: Meredith Hastings, Karen Rice, Muriel Cooper, Mike Tringale, Diane Cosson, Emilio Vega-Centeno, Heidi Bialk, Campbell Spencer, Kelsey Johnson, Brian Heindl, Roberto Sada, Louanne Roark, Kelly Molinari, A’Lelia Bundles, Rachel Caggiano, Benjamin Miles, Tom Myers, Tesia Williams, Kent Knutson, Chloe Brown, Meghan Check, Amy Oberhelman, Alex Bratsafolis and Tom Langan. — SPOTTED Thursday at a Mozilla event celebrating 20 years of Firefox: Alan Davidson, Nabiha Syed, Linda Griffin, Andrew Overholt, Kush Amlani, Jenn Taylor Hodges, Alissa Cooper, Natalie McIntyre, James Mann, Lori Ismail, Alexandra Reeve Givens, Gigi Sohn and Daniel Zhao. TRANSITION — Wendy Atobatele is now an account manager at Global Situation Room. She previously was at SKDK. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) … Bloomberg’s Bennett Roth … Noam Chomsky (96) … Molly Block of Sen. Bill Cassidy’s (R-La.) office … Dafna Tapiero … Anne MacMillan … Sam Runyon … Tyler Prell … POLITICO’s Sam Sutton and Katelyn Cordero … Sarah Mucha … International Trade Administration’s Sam Schofield … Bonnie Glick … Suhail Khan … Roma Daravi of Daravi Strategies … Kate Tummarello … Kyle Noyes … NYT’s Dean Chang … Mary Heitman … Christina Freundlich … Carole Simpson … Michael Punke … Candy Glazer … Mike Klein … Kathryn McQuade THE SHOWS (Full Sunday show listings here): NBC “Meet the Press”: President-elect Donald Trump. Panel: Eugene Daniels, Carol Lee, Jen Psaki and Marc Short. Fox News “Sunday Morning Futures”: Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) … Stephen Miller … Tom Homan … Kevin McCarthy … Miranda Devine. MSNBC “The Sunday Show”: Sen.-elect Andy Kim (D-N.J.) … DNC Chair Jaime Harrison. CNN “State of the Union”: Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) … Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.). Panel: Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), Scott Jennings, Alyssa Farah Griffin and Jamal Simmons. CBS “Face the Nation”: Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) … Frank McCourt … Samantha Vinograd … Reps. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.) and Jason Crow (D-Colo.). NewsNation “The Hill Sunday”: Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) … Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.) … Tom Dupree. Panel: Noah Rothman, Tamara Keith, Tia Mitchell and David Drucker. ABC “This Week”: Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) … retired Gen. Frank McKenzie … Robert Boyce and Mary O’Toole. Pardons panel: Sarah Isgur and Preet Bharara. Panel: Donna Brazile, Reince Priebus, Rachael Bade and Susan Glasser. 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 Playbook Daily Briefing producer Callan Tansill-Suddath.
| | | | A message from Tobacco-Free Kids Action Fund: E-cigarettes are more addictive and kid-friendly than ever.
E-cigarette makers are hooking kids with illegal vapes featuring fun flavors and built-in video games. These products contain more nicotine than ever — some have as much nicotine as 20 packs of cigarettes.
Over 1.6 million kids use e-cigarettes, and nearly 90% use flavored products — almost all of which are illegal. That’s why we are calling on the FDA and other agencies to take action. It's time to protect kids by removing illegal products from store shelves and stopping them from pouring into our country. Learn more. | | | | | | | 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 | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
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