| | | | |  | | By Bethany Irvine | | Presented by |  | | | |  | THE CATCH-UP | | | BULLETIN — Former Speaker NANCY PELOSI (D-Calif.) was hospitalized while traveling in Luxembourg for the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge, according to her office. A spokesperson said the 84-year old lawmaker “sustained an injury during an official engagement and was admitted to the hospital for evaluation.” She “continues to work and regrets that she is unable to attend the remainder of the CODEL engagements.” More from Anthony Adragna
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Newly-sworn Sen. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) shared footage of strange lights he observed in a rural part of his home state, and he called on federal authorities to share more. | David Hume Kennerly for POLITICO | THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE — Mystery drones over the Atlantic seaboard are the talk of the national security world, and some prominent politicians are sharing their first-hand encounters with the discomfiting unidentified aerial phenomena. Newly-sworn Sen. ANDY KIM (D-N.J.) shared footage of strange lights he observed in a rural part of his home state, and he called on federal authorities to share more. “If they haven’t fully identified the devices yet we still should know what is being done,” he wrote on X. “This has gone on for weeks. It’s hard to understand how with the technology we have we aren’t able to track these devices to determine origin and this makes me much more concerned about our capabilities more broadly when it comes to drone detection and counter measures.” Separately, former Maryland Gov. LARRY HOGAN shared footage of “what appeared to be dozens of large drones in the sky” above his residence southwest of Annapolis. “I join with the growing bipartisan chorus of leaders demanding that the federal government immediately address this issue,” he wrote. “The American people deserve answers and action now.” ICYMI: Rep. JEFF VAN DREW (R-N.J.) claimed Wednesday, citing “very high sources,” that the drones had originated from an Iranian “mothership.” The Pentagon denied that was the case, and yesterday Van Drew doubled down, saying Americans “aren’t being told the truth,” per Sam Skove. “They are dealing with the American public like we’re stupid.” AVOIDING THE NAUGHTY LIST — With just a week left before Congress breaks for the holidays, the drama surrounding some of President-elect DONALD TRUMP’s nominees for top administration roles is still playing out on Capitol Hill. While still cautious about his more controversial picks — including PETE HEGSETH for Defense secretary and TULSI GABBARD as director of national intelligence — Senate Republicans are still hoping to err on Trump’s good side lest they gain his ire before his second administration even begins, WaPo’s Liz Goodwin reports in the latest look at the MAGA pressure campaign bearing down on Capitol Hill. Sen. LISA MURKOWSKI (R-Alaska) summed up the message from Trump’s allies at a conference yesterday as: “We got you here. And if you want to survive, you better be good.” She noted that those who step out of line are being warned: “Don’t get on Santa’s naughty list here, because we will primary you.” For now, the winds may be shifting for Trump's Hegseth, who has walked back some of his more controversial statements this week. But Gabbard’s meetings don’t seem to be going as well. The Hill’s Alex Gangitano and Al Weaver report that the former Democratic congresswoman has struggled to win over lawmakers in meetings this week and shore up support for her nomination. What they’re saying … “She was proving to be a little shallow, like a House member talking at a hearing and not someone who needs to provide the president’s daily intelligence briefing,” one source said. … “I’ve heard that she’s not very well prepared. … I’ve heard not great things,” a Senate Republican added, describing Gabbard’s meetings as “BS sessions.” What the public thinks … A new AP-NORC Center poll found that about half of U.S. adults are “not at all confident” in Trump’s ability to select qualified people for his cabinet and top administration posts, while only 3 in 10 Americans are “extremely” or “very” confident he will appoint qualified candidates. Predictably, Republicans have a higher confidence in the president-elect than Democrats, but it’s not an overwhelming majority: “About 2 in 10 Republicans are ‘moderately confident,’ and another 2 in 10 are ‘slightly’ or ‘not at all’ confident in each case.” OUT OF THE DUSTBIN — “The Jan. 6 Verdict Is In: The Rioters Lose, Even If Trump Pardons Them,” by Michael Schaffer: “It’s going to be very hard to simply memory-hole the biggest investigation in Justice Department history, one that created an indelible historic record of the assault. Why else would so many Jan. 6 perps still be furiously fighting against verdicts that are going to be undone in six weeks?” TOP-ED — “UnitedHealth Group C.E.O.: The Health Care System Is Flawed. Let’s Fix It,” by Andrew Witty for the NYT Happy Friday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me a line at birvine@politico.com.
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Learn more about open source AI. | | | | | 6 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW | | |  Secretary of State Antony Blinken attends a briefing at the US Embassy headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, Dec. 13, 2024. | AP | 1. SYRIA AND BEYOND: As the White House scrambles to navigate the ramifications of the the unrest in Syria, Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN made an unannounced visit to Iraq today to help shore up support for a smooth transition of governments, WSJ’s Lara Seligman Isabel Coles and Gordon Lubold report from Baghdad. Much as he did with leaders in Jordan and Turkey, Blinken is expected to speak with Iraqi officials on the need to support a Syrian government that is inclusive, supports human rights of minority groups and works to prevent Syria from being used by Islamic State or other terrorist groups. Still, the U.S.’s complicated relationship with Turkey and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces is “testing U.S. commitment to its longtime partner in the country, where President-elect Donald Trump has said America shouldn’t involve itself,” they write. “The attacks against it have compelled the SDF to halt operations to counter Islamic State and transfer some of its prisoners to more stable areas.” A timely history lesson: “How America Created the Enemy It Feared Most,” by NYT’s Azam Ahmed 2. VAX ARE STUBBORN THINGS: While Trump HHS pick ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR. has indicated he doesn't want to remove access to vaccines, his partnership with vaccine critic and lawyer AARON SIRI has health officials on edge, NYT’s Christina Jewett and Sheryl Gay Stolberg report. Siri put forth a petition urging the government to revoke its approval of the polio vaccine in 2022 and has pushed to end the distribution of 13 other vaccines — including products that cover tetanus, diphtheria, polio and hepatitis. Much of his work “has been on behalf of the Informed Consent Action Network, a nonprofit whose founder is a close ally of Mr. Kennedy” that focuses on increasing the testing standards of the vaccines. However, “his detractors say he twists snippets of science to make questionable claims that will deepen vaccine hesitancy, threatening the system of childhood vaccines that is credited with saving millions of lives.” FWIW … Trump told NBC’s “Meet the Press” last weekend that he is open to a review of vaccines and autism, but said: “If someone told me ‘get rid of the polio vaccine,’ they’re going to have to work really hard to convince me.” Let us not forget … Any questioning of the polio vaccine might not sit well with Sen. MITCH McCONNELL (R-Ky.), who contracted polio as a toddler in 1944, leaving him with permanent difficulties with his left leg. 3. WHAT BIG PHARMA IS READING: Lawmakers may be nearing a deal on an end-of-year healthcare package that would reauthorize funding for a variety of federal health programs and could be broader than initially expected, Ben Leonard scoops. While the deal text is not finalized, it’s also expected to include several new regulations for pharmacy benefit managers and would “delink the reimbursement PBMs in Medicare get from the list price of drugs and crack down on so-called ‘spread pricing’ in Medicaid. … Pharmacy benefit managers, companies that negotiate drug prices on behalf of insurers and employers, oppose the measures.”
| | | | 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. | | | | | 4. PLAYING THE FIELD: Saturday’s Army-Navy game in Annapolis is shaping up to be a tense match up both on the field and the sidelines, Joe Gould reports. Hegseth will attend the game alongside Trump. He will also be joined by the Florida Gov. RON DeSANTIS, whom he reportedly has considered to replace Hegseth as Trump’s nominee for the top Defense role. “Now Trump is reportedly urging DeSantis to appoint his daughter-in-law, LARA TRUMP, to fill MARCO RUBIO's Senate seat if the Florida senator is confirmed as secretary of State. Their appearance together Saturday will fuel questions about the alliance and whether the role of the Defense secretary is part of the bargain. … It’s a reminder that in Trump’s game, just like in football, today's teammate might be tomorrow's opponent.” Another name on the guest list … NOTUS’ Reese Gorman reports that VP-elect JD VANCE will be joined by DANIEL PENNY, the former Marine who acquitted this week in the 2023 chokehold death of JORDAN NEELY on a NYC subway train. 5. DANCE OF THE SUPERPOWERS: The U.S. updated a decades-old security and technology pact with China today, signing a new agreement with a “narrower scope and additional safeguards to minimize the risk to national security,” AP’s Didi Tang reports. The new pact, which was last extended in 2018, extends Beijing and Washington cooperation on basic research interests for five years. Over recent years, “Washington had come to view the agreement as failing to reflect the shift in U.S.-China relations and China’s emergence as a heavyweight in the field.” Still, the agreement does not cover emerging technologies like quantum computing and artificial intelligence. Related read: “Trump looms over Republicans’ year-end China scramble,” by Eleanor Mueller, Jasper Goodman and Gavin Bade 6. UNDER THE INFLUENCE: “Trump transition wants to scrap crash reporting requirement opposed by Tesla,” by Reuters’ Jarrett Renshaw, Rachael Levy and Chris Kirkham: “Removing the crash-disclosure provision would particularly benefit Tesla, which has reported most of the crashes – more than 1,500 – to federal safety regulators under the program. … In addition to ditching the reporting rule, the recommendations call for the administration to ‘liberalize’ autonomous-vehicle regulation and to enact ‘basic regulations to enable development’ of the industry. … Reuters could not determine what role, if any, [ELON] MUSK may have played in crafting the transition-team recommendations or the likelihood that the administration would enact them.” Another Musk read: “Elon Musk’s Playbook for DOGE Has a Precedent: X,” by NYT’s Kate Conger
| | | | Write your own chapter in the new Washington. From the Lame Duck Congress Series to New Administration insights, POLITICO Pro delivers intelligence across 22+ policy areas to help you anticipate and navigate change. Discover how a Pro subscription empowers you. Learn more today. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | | | | | A message from Meta:   | | | Jamaal Bowman wishes he “didn't pull that damn fire alarm.” Eric Trump says he’s “the wrong guy” to curry favor for his father’s real estate business. Kirsten Gillibrand wants Joe Biden to enshrine the Equal Rights Amendment. Herschel Walker finally got his degree. IN MEMORIAM — “Clarke Reed, Who Helped the G.O.P. Conquer the South, Dies at 96,” by NYT’s Clay Risen: “Mr. Reed became a national figure after the 1968 election, when he rallied support behind Richard M. Nixon, whose ‘Southern strategy’ involved bringing disaffected Southerners into the Republican fold. In return, Mr. Nixon gave him an unofficial veto on policies affecting the South: ‘Clear it with Clarke’ became a standing order in the White House. … After Mr. Nixon resigned in 1974 over the Watergate scandal, Mr. Reed was among the power brokers hashing out the party’s future.” OUT AND ABOUT — SPOTTED last night at a holiday party hosted by Australian Ambassador Kevin Rudd at his residence: Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Julie Sullivan, Arthur B. Culvahouse, Brent Sadler, Charles Moran, Danny Hartl, Molly Carpenter, Liz Banicki, Micah Chambers, Adam Korzeniewski, Max Castroparedes, Jim Frogue, Whitney Jones, Dennis Shea, Kate and Emily Lair, Emily Tremblay, Cristina Del Rosso, Mandy Lester, Finley Varughese, Mallory McGough and Aynsley Moore. — SPOTTED at ROKK Solutions’ holiday party at Yardbird last night: Kristen Hawn, Rodell Mollineau, Ron Bonjean, Paul Kane, Carl Hulse, Talisha Holmes, Emily Mellencamp Smith, Camden Stuebe, Amy Simmons, Vacheria Keys, Madeleine Rivera, Al Weaver, Julia Manchester, Sarakshi Rai, Shannon McGahn, Mollie O’Dell, Morgan Rimmer, Allie Raffa, Colin Allen, Stephanie Strategos Polis, Anthony DiGrado, Kailey Leinz, Joe Mathieu, Jody Schneider, Matt Shirley, Colin Demarest, Amy Grappone, Sara Bonjean, Sheena Mollineau, Steve Rochlin, Brian Sansoni, Simon Behrmann, Brandon Pollak, Jeremy Thompson, Zack Colman, Drew Pusateri, Mallika Vastare, Doug Heye, Don McGahn, Kathryn Stack, Frank Coleman, Nick Massella, Christine Delargy, Cori Kramer, Brad Howard, Liz Johnson, Laura Mengelkamp, Charlotte Taylor, Christina Sevilla, Serafin Gomez, Alana Anyse, Stacy Scarazzo Skelly, Jessica Salani and Tom Shaw. MEDIA MOVES — Marc Lotter has been named co-anchor of Newsmax's "Wake Up America." He most recently was chief comms officer at the America First Policy Institute and is a Trump White House and 2016 and 2020 campaign alum. … Courtney Rozen is now a federal workforce and government efficiency reporter at Bloomberg Law. She previously was a White House correspondent at Bloomberg Government. 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.
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