| | | | |  | | By Adam Wren | | Presented by |  | | | With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine
|  | DRIVING THE DAY | | SYRIA LATEST — Syria’s Assad era is over. President BASHAR AL-ASSAD, the dictator whose family has ruled in the country for a half-century, fled the nation last night as rebel forces continued their rapid advance and seized the capital city of Damascus. Russia, whose support for the brutal regime has buoyed it for many years, said through its foreign ministry that Assad has left office and ordered a peaceful transfer of power. Live updates from Reuters — How Trump sees it: Yesterday, President-elect DONALD TRUMP tweeted that as Syrian rebels made gains, the U.S. “should have nothing to do with it. This is not our fight. Let it play out. Do not get involved!” Overnight, in a post on Truth Social at 2 a.m., he tied the events to Russia’s war in Ukraine, said Ukrainian President VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY “would like to make a deal and stop the madness” and called on Russian President VLADIMIR PUTIN to come to the negotiating table: “I know Vladimir well. This is his time to act. China can help. The World is waiting!” — What comes next in the region?: The Syria crisis has been top of mind for participants at the Middle East-focused IISS Manama Dialogue in Bahrain this weekend. The main feeling? Fear of the civil strife that could follow the collapse of the Assad regime, reports our own Nahal Toosi. One Arab official, granted anonymity to discuss a sensitive issue, put it this way: “The first concern is really the sort of potential sectarian, family to family, village to village, chaos in a transition that is very much born out of a military confrontation right now.” That includes victims of Assad’s regime engaging in retribution, he said. A second concern is how the conflict inside Syria could spill over into neighboring countries such as Lebanon and Jordan, which already are dealing with the fallout of Israel’s battles with Hamas and Hezbollah. Then, of course, there’s “what looks like the jihadist nature” of the insurgent groups, and the possibility they could turn Syria into a haven for Islamist militants, the official said.
|  No Republican Senator is yet willing to publicly and explicitly oppose Pete Hegseth's nomination for Defense secretary. | Angelina Katsanis/POLITICO | PETE’S DRAGON — PETE HEGSETH’s week started on shaky ground, but it’s ending on firmer terrain. This morning on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” President-elect DONALD TRUMP defended his embattled pick to lead the Pentagon. Asked by moderator Kristen Welker whether he still has confidence in Hegseth, Trump said, "Yes I do. He's a very smart guy. I've known him through Fox, but I've known him for a very long time. And he's basically a military guy.” Trump added that he’s “had a lot of senators call me up saying he's fantastic.” Asked if he is concerned about Hegseth’s drinking: “I've spoken to people who know him very well, and they say he does not have a drinking problem.” Video from “Meet the Press” That came on the heels of Sen. JONI ERNST (R-Iowa) posting on X Friday that she wants to give Hegseth a “fair hearing.” That may sound unremarkable, but it’s a reminder of something that is: No Republican — not even Ernst — is yet willing to publicly and explicitly oppose his nomination. Now, a new pressure campaign aims to keep it that way. MIKE DAVIS — the former top Senate GOP aide who is perhaps Trump’s fiercest legal defender — is something of an outside adviser on the transition. And he’s mobilizing his Article III Project to become the tip of the spear in building pressure from the base on Republican senators to confirm Hegseth. In recent days, after a blitz of appearances on conservative media, Davis has driven tens of thousands of phone calls, emails and social posts targeting senators on not only Hegseth’s nomination, but also that of would-be FBI director KASH PATEL’s. In numbers shared first with POLITICO, as of last night, Davis marshalled 3,481 advocates for Hegseth (people who have seen his media appearances on conservative outlets and gone to Article III’s action page), driving what he says are 9,377 “connections” with senators. Meanwhile, for Patel, he generated 8,059 advocates and delivered 23,729 connections. But that’s cornhole compared to what Davis is promising next. The Iowan is amping up his rhetoric — and the stakes — around Trump’s cabinet picks to the point where he’s questioning whether senators operate with a moral double standard. Earlier this week, he posted to X: “Let’s get this straight: Pete Hegseth used to drink too much and couldn’t keep his dick in his pants. He’d make a great senator.” In an interview with Playbook, Davis went further, threatening to hire private investigators to sift through the backgrounds of any potential Senate GOP holdouts. "The Article III project is very excited about this new standard that drinking and womanizing is disqualifying for public office,” Davis tells Playbook. “I'm very happy to hire investigators for senators and use that standard." HOW WE GOT HERE: However you feel about Davis’ tactics, it’s impossible not to see them as the outgrowth of Supreme Court Justice BRETT KAVANAUGH’s 2018 confirmation process. In that battle, Republicans effectively “made it the rule” that the accuser must (a) come forward publicly and (b) bear the burden of proof, says Davis. Now, Hegseth’s team is calling that same play. On Thursday night, Hegseth’s attorney, TIM PARLATORE, practically dared his client’s accuser to share her story (he said she is not barred by an NDA after accusing Hegseth of rape in 2017, though also said if she publicly makes the accusation, he’ll sue her for defamation). It’s a sign of a post-Kavanaugh standard. "In order to disqualify a qualified cabinet nominee, you have to come forward,” Davis tells Playbook. “The burden is on the accuser to come forward with clear and convincing evidence that they’re not fit for the current job based upon their prior misconduct. It has to be testimony and not innuendo. It has to be testimony, not anonymous sources.” Adds Davis, 'You make an allegation, and then Kavanaugh is guilty until he proves his innocence? I said, 'Fuck that. We're gonna do the American presumption of innocence.'" Davis, interestingly, made no effort to defend Hegseth on the merits, particularly on the alleged rape that took place in 2017 — which Hegseth has denied. “We’re not solving crimes,” Davis says. “We’re not canonizing saints during this process. It's, 'Do they have the current character and fitness to serve?'” Few GOP insiders are better equipped to force the argument for Hegseth. After being radicalized by the Kavanaugh confirmation fight, Davis launched the Article III Project, his brass knuckles advocacy group. And he is newly confident — predicting publicly and telling Trump in private — that Hegseth will get confirmed. He’s not the only one thinking that way on account of the post-Kavanaugh standard and Davis’ new pressure tactics. STEVE BANNON, speaking on his podcast “The War Room,” said that this technique is already working. “You saw with [withdrawn AG nominee MATT] GAETZ, I said, ‘Stick it out — by Christmas, he’d be drawing fire and they’d be freaking out. You wouldn’t hear Pete’s name. Kash would glide in.’ Fast-tracking works — flood the zone, overwhelm the system. It’s info warfare. … You’ve got to fight back.” Davis is vowing to do exactly that. Trump, Davis told Playbook, “doesn’t need to fight this, because I’m going to do it for him.” Is this just Davis’ trademark bluster? Will he actually follow through and hire private investigators to dig into GOP senators’ backgrounds? "Fuck yes I will,” he says. Good Sunday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop me a line at awren@politico.com.
| | | | 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. | | | HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE GRIDIRON — Last night, the Gridiron Club held its winter dinner — the smaller, black-tie version of the group’s annual white-tie spring gathering. As per tradition, the Club was treated to comedic speeches from prominent members of both major parties. This year, Republicans were repped by former UN Ambassador NIKKI HALEY, while Colorado Sen. MICHAEL BENNET came for the Democrats. Among their best jokes: — Bennet, suggesting that he will deliver the same speech he prepared in 2020: “‘MIKE PENCE is so attached to Donald Trump, there are bakeries in Indiana that won’t sell the two of them a cake.’ That joke, just like the mob that Trump actually sent after Pence, would have killed.” — Haley on being straightlaced: “I was vaccinated, I have no tattoos and I drink pasteurized milk. Or as the transition team told me, ‘Three strikes and you’re out.’” — Bennet on Haley’s shifting views on Trump: “Just this February, Nikki called Trump unhinged, diminished and not qualified — only to write an op-ed last month urging people to vote for him, and announcing that she was on standby to campaign for him. Nikki has undergone such a transition that NANCY MACE won’t let her use the bathroom in Congress.” — Haley on Trump’s former nominee for attorney general: “Don't worry about MATT GAETZ having to withdraw. He will have lots of career options. I mean, for example, he could be an NHL mascot — for the Nashville Predators. You know, back in 2020, the Republican Party said they wanted to reach out to young voters. And I guess Matt took that literally.” — Bennet on Trump’s cabinet picks: “I know their type — not as a senator, but as a former superintendent of the Denver public schools. … Matt Gaetz is the guy who lives close to school, but keeps volunteering to chaperone the prom. ELON MUSK is the teacher's pet, but by the end of the year, the teacher is starting to wish KRISTI NOEM would take him home.” — Haley on MARCO RUBIO: “As Secretary of State, he can bring peace between sworn enemies: CHRIS LaCIVITA and COREY LEWANDOWSKI. KEVIN McCARTHY and Nancy Mace. Pete Hegseth and Pete Hegseth’s mom.” — Bennet on LINDA McMAHON’s nomination for Education secretary: “Teaching kids the difference between what's real and what's fake is a huge concern these days, and the perfect challenge to hand to a former WWE executive.” — Haley on the governor of Florida: “RON DeSANTIS may end up as Defense secretary. It would be interesting to see who would succeed Ron as governor. Those are mighty big shoe lifts to fill.” SUNDAY BEST … — Trump on pardoning Jan. 6 rioters, on NBC’s “Meet the Press”: “I’m going to be acting very quickly. First day … they’ve been in there for years, and they’re in a filthy, disgusting place that shouldn’t even be allowed to be open.” On his mass deportation effort … “It’s a very tough thing to do. It’s — but you have to have … rules, regulations, laws. They came in illegally. You know, the people that have been treated very unfairly are the people that have been [in] line for 10 years to come into the country. … But we’re starting with the criminals, and we got to do it. And then we’re starting with others, and we’re going to see how it goes.” On winning the popular vote … “People like me now, you know? … It’s different than the first — you know, when I won the first time, I wasn’t nearly as popular as this. And one thing that’s very important, in terms of the election, I love that I won the popular vote, and by a lot.” On whether he’ll appoint a special prosecutor to investigate Biden … “I’m not looking to go back into the past. … Retribution will be through success.” On if he’ll try to remove Federal Reserve Chair JEROME POWELL … “No, I don’t think so. I don’t see it … But, I don’t — I think if I told him to, he would. But if I asked him to, he probably wouldn’t.” On whether he can guarantee American families won’t pay more as a result of tariffs .. “I can’t guarantee anything. I can’t guarantee tomorrow.” — Rep. BYRON DONALDS (R-Fla.) on using military force for mass deportation efforts, on ABC’s “This Week”: “I think if you're going to use military assets, that’s in the last resort but that's only for logistical purposes. … So I think that what we have to be very careful of is not to try to throw out this idea that you're going to have troops in the United States going door to door.” — Sen. MARKWAYNE MULLIN (R-Okla.) speaking to Jake Tapper on Hegseth’s past alcohol use, on CNN’s “State of the Union”: “There's a lot of alcohol that flows through Washington, D.C., on a regular basis, and I wouldn't say that people are alcoholics or they have a drinking problem because of that … And just because he's on this side of the confirmation process, it seems like everybody wants to point out everybody's faults. Yes, he has a past. Jake, you and I both have a past, and our listeners have a past too. And we get that. He's not hiding from his past. He's answering the questions of his past. That doesn't disqualify him from being secretary of defense, though.” TOP-EDS: A roundup of the week’s must-read opinion pieces.
| | | | 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 will host the Kennedy Center Honorees in the East Room at 4:30 p.m., with VP KAMALA HARRIS and second gentleman DOUG EMHOFF attending. In the evening, they and first lady JILL BIDEN will attend the Kennedy Center Honors.
| | | | 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 | | 9 THINGS FOR YOUR RADAR
|  President-elect Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron met with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Paris on Friday. | AP | 1. TRUMP-ILY IN PARIS: French President EMMANUEL MACRON (literally) rolled out the red carpet yesterday for President-elect Trump’s visit, bestowing “the kind of full diplomatic welcome that France offers sitting American presidents, complete with trumpets blaring and members of the Republican Guard in full uniform,” AP’s Sylvie Corbet, Adriana Gomez Licon and Jill Colvin report. “It was a clear sign that even though Trump doesn’t take office until Jan. 20, 2025, Macron and other European leaders are already working to win his favor and treating him as America’s representative on the world stage.” While in Paris, Trump and Macron met jointly with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy in three-way talks “proposed by Macron and arranged shortly before Trump’s arrival. … Trump spent about 90 minutes inside, meeting first with Macron before they were joined by Zelenskyy for about 35 minutes.” 2. KEYSTONE COPS: Two days before the election ended, a group of staffers from VP KAMALA HARRIS’ campaign discretely launched an unauthorized last-ditch effort to reach Black and Latino voters in Philadelphia they believed the campaign had ignored, NYT’s Nicholas Nehamas, Maya King and Zolan Kanno-Youngs report. “Many of the thousands of Black and Latino voters they talked to said they had never heard from the campaign, a stunning breakdown so close to Election Day. … Campaign organizers in Philadelphia said they were told not to engage in the bread-and-butter tasks of getting out the vote in Black and Latino neighborhoods. Instead, they said, they were instructed to spend most of their days phoning the same small pool of volunteers and asking them to knock on voters’ doors and help run field offices. The strategy essentially turned experienced organizers into glorified telemarketers making hundreds of calls daily, with some harried volunteers begging to be taken off call lists.” KELLAN WHITE, a senior adviser to the Harris campaign in Pennsylvania, disputed that characterization. “The issue is not that we didn’t knock on these doors — we knocked on a ton of doors,” White told the Times. “The problem was that the message itself didn’t connect — and that’s what we as a party need to spend our time and energy on, trying to understand why when we knocked these doors, what we had to say didn’t resonate with enough voters.” 3. RUSSIA-UKRAINE LATEST: In one of his last major speeches before leaving office, Defense Secretary LLOYD AUSTIN announced a new $1 billion military aid package yesterday aimed at supplying U.S.-made air munitions and drones to Ukraine, Paul McLeary reports from Simi Valley, California. “The announcement will leave about $1 billion more in authority for more contracts, and over $6 billion in authorities to pull other equipment from U.S. military stocks for immediate delivery to Kyiv. The money is all that remains from the $61 billion military supplemental passed by Congress in April.” 4. TRANSITION LENSES: In addition to the standard rounds of interviews, prospective members of Trump’s second administration have reportedly faced a set of screening questions aimed at testing their loyalty to the president-elect, NYT’s David Sanger, Jonathan Swan and Maggie Haberman report. “The questions went further than just affirming allegiance to the incoming administration. The interviewers asked which candidate the applicants had supported in the three most recent elections, what they thought about the events of Jan. 6, 2021, and whether they believed the 2020 election was stolen. The sense they got was that there was only one right answer to each question.” Applicants who decried the violence at the Capitol or said Biden won in 2020 said their “answers were met with silence and the taking of notes. They didn’t get the jobs.”
| | | | A message from Tobacco-Free Kids Action Fund:   Almost all flavored e-cigarettes are illegal. The FDA must act. Learn more. | | | 5. DANCE OF THE SUPERPOWERS: “As Russia and China Rewrite Rules of War, NATO Adapts Its Game Plan,” by WSJ’s Daniel Michaels and Alan Cullison: “Sabotage, hacking and terrorist-type attacks in the U.S. and Europe are escalating … Politicians and intelligence agencies finger Russia, China, Iran and the West’s other adversaries for most of the incidents, but attributing blame is often difficult. Responding can be even harder. … [C]ountering these attacks is a nuanced mix of hardening Western defenses against cyber forays and sabotage, but also playing down the significance of attacks when they are successful.” 6. REGULATION STATION: “How billionaire Charles Koch’s network won a 40-year war to curb regulation.” by WaPo’s Justin Jouvenal, Jon Swaine and Ann Marimow: “Koch-funded charities pumped nearly $18 million in recent years into the New Civil Liberties Alliance (NCLA) and Cause of Action, the public interest firms that brought the lawsuits. … The battle against Chevron was often publicly portrayed as the saga of a group of scrappy fishermen taking on the federal government. Behind the scene, NCLA and Cause of Action drove the case.” 7. PARDON ME?: In a special report, Ben Schreckinger dives into Mississippi lawyer JOEY LANGSTON, his family’s complicated, scandal-laden history and how their “relationship with President Joe Biden could be the difference between freedom and incarceration for one of its members.” Langston’s son, KEATON, pled guilty in federal court this year to “$50 million worth of fraud, some of which occurred at a hospital company JIM BIDEN worked for,” but a new audio file shows there may be more to the case. “On the recording, Keaton Langston vents about his plea negotiations and the pressures of feeling caught between his father, the Justice Department, and the president’s brother,” Ben writes. “He also says he was not truthful with federal investigators about Jim Biden and describes his father’s view of his situation as: ‘We have a guarantee that Keaton gets a pardon.’ … And as Keaton Langston awaits his sentencing, it remains to be seen whether the Biden brothers’ long history with a crew of canny Southerners will enable this small-town legal dynasty to clinch the outcome of one last case.” 8. MUSK READ: “Elon Musk’s Martian dreams are a boon to the U.S. military,” by Eva Dou and Aaron Gregg: “Security experts say [Musk-owned] SpaceX has leapfrogged so far ahead in several critical technologies that it could deter major rivals like China from engaging in a war with the United States — or tip the balance if one breaks out. Others worry that it could provoke an untimely response.” 9. WHAT, ME WORRY?: “Trump’s Energy Secretary Pick Preaches the Benefits of Climate Change,” by WSJ’s Benoît Morenne: “CHRIS WRIGHT, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for energy secretary, says that climate change poses only a modest threat to humanity. The biggest U.S. oil companies disagree. A fracking executive, Wright acknowledges that burning fossil fuels is contributing to rising temperatures. But he also says climate change makes the planet greener by increasing plant growth, boosts agricultural productivity and likely reduces the number of temperature-related deaths annually.”
| | | | 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 | | Laura Kelly was elected to lead the DGA for the next year. IN MEMORIAM — “Peter Teeley, aide and confidant to George H.W. Bush, dies at 84,” by WaPo’s Emily Langer: “Mr. Teeley, an old hand in Republican politics, was born in a shipbuilding town on the northwestern coast of England that endured heavy bombardment during World War II. He celebrated his seventh birthday at sea en route to the United States. He became an American citizen and, ultimately, a trusted aide to a long line of local, state and national political leaders. … Mr. Teeley supplied [President George H.W.] Bush with the term ‘voodoo economics,’ a catchphrase intended to deride [Ronald] Reagan’s plan to invigorate the economy through tax cuts.” OUT AND ABOUT — SPOTTED at the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue’s 2024 Trusted Tech Summit on Thursday: Matthew Cranston, Jackie Davalos, Diane Farrell, Michelle Giuda, Keith Krach, Joan Polaschik, Ruth Porat, Estonian Ambassador Kristjan Prikk, Josh Rogin and Audrey Tang. — The White House hosted a special multimedia performance from historian John Monsky Friday night, the eve of the 83rd anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. The performance, entitled “American History Unbound's The Eyes of the World: From D-Day to VE Day" was introduced by Katie Couric and recounted the final 11 months of WWII in Europe through archival footage, photos, live music and personal accounts from soldiers. President Joe Biden spoke briefly before the concert, and a reception and buffet dinner followed in the State Dining Room. SPOTTED: Carlos Del Toro, Frank Kendall, Tanya Bradsher, Phyllis Wilson, Edna Cummings, Martha Schuler, John Molner, Barry and Lizanne Rosenstein, Jonathan Spalter, Jeremy Gaines, Josh King, Patrick and Amy Hemingway Adams, Shereen Ahmed, Kate Rockwell, Nicholas Rodriguez, Daniel Yearwood, Ian Weinberger, Jon Kamen, Clive Gillinson, Dennis Alves, Tom Davison, Bob Nederlander Jr. and Peter Shapiro. — SPOTTED at the VIP matinee of “A Christmas Carol” at Ford’s Theatre yesterday: Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, acting Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Adrianne Todman, Sen.-elect Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Reps. Don Beyer (D-Va.), Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), Jay Obernolte (R-Calif.) and Mike Turner (R-Ohio), Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), Michael Donilon, Steve Ricchetti, Roy and Abby Blunt, Elaine Chao, Terri Fariello, Karyn Frist, Heather Kennedy, Kent and Karen Knutson, Marlene Malek, Matthew Shay, Paul Tetreault, Donald Tang, Carlos Trujillo and Mike Wirth. ENGAGED — Marli Collier, managing director of comms at Airlines for America and a Shelley Moore Capito alum, and Thomas Supinka, management a program analyst at DHS, got engaged Saturday in Central Park. They met on Hinge last year. Pic WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Ian Fury, comms director for South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem and Hannah Fury, welcomed Vida Lilliana Fury on Wednesday. Pic HAPPY BIRTHDAY: NBC’s Cesar Conde, Tom Mazzarelli and Elyse Perlmutter-Gumbiner … WSJ’s Sabrina Siddiqui … Debra Saunders … Reuters’ Scott Malon … Kerri Kupec … Washington Examiner’s Zach Halaschak … Joseph Zeballos-Roig … POLITICO’s Annie Yu … AP’s Pablo Martínez Monsiváis … Judd Legum … Ann Coulter … B.R. McConnon … Artemis Strategies’ Brooke Lorenz … ABC’s Marc Burstein … Microsoft’s Ginny Badanes … Lynn Scarlett … Siemens’ Brie Sachse … Stephen Spaulding … Mark Piland of Rep. Ralph Norman’s (R-S.C.) office … former World Bank President Jim Yong Kim … Karen Keller … Preston Hill … Steve Bouchard … former Rep. Raúl Labrador (R-Idaho) ... Courtney Johnson … Luis Rosero … State’s Anna Miller … Tom Bush … Lizzie O’Leary … Tanika Pradhan … Taylor Dibbert … Jeremy D’Aloisio of Sen. Ed Markey’s (D-Mass.) office … Debbie Cox Bultan ... Honey Sharp … Sophia Narrett … Danica Stanciu 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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