| | | | |  | | By Eugene Daniels | With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine
| | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | |  Despite the wintry weather, Washington — or at least those parts of it not sidelined by today’s OPM status — is fully back to work. | AFP via Getty Images | Good morning, and good luck digging out from the snow. After some relative downtime for holiday festivities, Washington — or at least those parts of it not sidelined by today’s OPM status — is fully back to work. TODAY … At noon, the House will briefly meet for legislative business then recess ahead of a 1 p.m. joint session of Congress at which the newly sworn-in members of both chambers will count the Electoral College votes affirming President-elect DONALD TRUMP’s victory in the presidential election. Every indication is that it will go smoothly. No riots, no storming of the Capitol, no delays. Of course, a few things are different this time compared to 2021: There’s a formidable fencing system up around the Capitol, the overnight snowstorm has made it difficult to get around the city and no Democratic congressional leaders are doing what many Republican leaders did four years ago by publicly questioning the validity of the election results. Our colleagues on the Hill team made the rounds to the Democrats who have symbolically protested the election results in the past; none of them plan on doing anything this time around. Vice President KAMALA HARRIS, who of course lost to Trump, will preside over the joint session. This morning, Harris will release an online video reiterating the importance of the rule of law and will “once again remind all Americans of the role they play in preserving our democracy,” a White House official tells Playbook. In the video, Harris will herald the “peaceful transfer of power” as “one of the most fundamental principles of American democracy” — something that “distinguishes our system of government from monarchy or tyranny.” “As we have seen, our democracy can be fragile,” Harris will say. “And it is up to each of us to stand up for our most cherished principles.” The counting of the Electoral College votes is expected to take roughly an hour. THIS WEEK … Once the joint session’s work is over, much of Washington’s attention will turn to the funeral preparations for President JIMMY CARTER. Tomorrow, Carter’s casket will be flown to D.C., where it will lie in state in the rotunda of the Capitol.. Members of Congress will be the first to pay their respects at a 3 p.m. service. Public viewings will start on Tuesday night from 7 p.m. through midnight, continuing on Wednesday starting at 7 a.m. on through 7 a.m. Thursday. On Thursday morning, Carter’s casket will travel by motorcade to the Washington National Cathedral for a funeral service. President JOE BIDEN has declared it a National Day of Mourning. All living presidents are expected to attend the service and pay their respects, and Biden is expected to speak. The following day, Biden will head to Rome and the Vatican, where he’ll be received by POPE FRANCIS. All the while, Washington’s policy focus will be on Republicans’ coming attempt at a massive reconciliation package. Last night, Trump called for Congress to get “to work on one powerful Bill.” “We must Secure our Border, Unleash American Energy, and Renew the Trump Tax Cuts, which were the largest in History, but we will make it even better - NO TAX ON TIPS,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “Republicans must unite, and quickly deliver these Historic Victories for the American People. Get smart, tough, and send the Bill to my desk to sign as soon as possible.” That’s a tall order. Not only is it a breathtakingly expansive amount of policy to enact, but Trump’s definition of “as soon as possible” is likely different from that of Republicans on the Hill. At the moment, House Speaker MIKE JOHNSON can only afford to lose the vote of a single Republican (assuming united Democratic opposition), and members of the Freedom Caucus, for example, are unlikely to accept a bill that doesn’t try to do something about government spending or the debt. Johnson has laid out a tentative timeline for adopting “a budget resolution that will include instructions for the sweeping energy, border and tax package in February,” Jordain Carney and Meredith Lee Hill report. “He then wants to pass the bill itself in the House in early April, with the goal of getting it to Trump’s desk by the end of the month,” though Johnson acknowledged yesterday that the bill could slip into May. (Worth noting: April 1 is the date for special elections in Florida’s 1st and 6th districts, two Republican districts that should provide Johnson with a bit of breathing room.) It’s unclear if that comports with Trump’s ASAP wishes. Johnson’s embrace of the single bill approach “solidified in recent weeks as it became clear — in the December spending drama and in last week’s nail-biter of a speaker election — just how difficult it will be to get one major bill passed, let alone two,” Rachael Bade reports this morning. With all of the push and pull expected with one of the narrowest House majorities in history, “the only way to pass anything, the thinking goes, is to lump everything together, giving everyone a little sugar to help the medicine go down.” Or, as Sen. MARKWAYNE MULLIN (R-Okla.) put it to Rachael: "It seems more realistic — especially given the recent speaker's election — that we may only get one bite at the apple because you have a highly thoughtful, and a highly dysfunctional, House.” Good Monday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop me a line at edaniels@politico.com.
| | | WHO’S AFRAID OF ANDREW CUOMO? — In an exclusive interview with POLITICO’s Sally Goldenberg, NYC Mayor ERIC ADAMS “laid out how he intends to go on the offensive in the coming weeks: He’s going to demand changes to the state’s controversial bail reform laws and pointedly remind voters that his most well known possible challenger — former Gov. ANDREW CUOMO — signed those reforms into law.” Says Adams: “People who are running — they’re going to have to take claim for the stuff that they did when they were holding office. Who was there for the original bail reform? Who signed some of these procedures? You’re going to have to answer these questions.” BRUTAL FOR WAPO — Layoffs are coming to the Washington Post this week, with “deep” cuts expected to hit “many dozens” of staffers, Status’ Oliver Darcy reports. The paper is at an ebb amid a wave of high-profile departures (the latest big name to head for the exit: JOSH DAWSEY, who is going to the WSJ), management drama and more than a quarter-million subscription cancellations over JEFF BEZOS blocking an editorial board endorsement of Harris. BREAKING THIS MORNING — “Biden bans new offshore drilling along most of the U.S. coastline,” by NBC’s David Hodari TRU-D’OH — Canadian PM JUSTIN TRUDEAU could announce his resignation as soon as today, ahead of a national caucus meeting on Wednesday, the Globe and Mail’s Robert Fife and Marieke Walsh scooped. Trudeau, whose anemic poll numbers as of late have increased expectations that his Liberal Party will lose control of parliament in the next federal elections, has served as PM since 2015. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — BEN WIKLER has picked up another endorsement from a key insider: outgoing Michigan Democratic Party Chair LAVORA BARNES endorsed his bid for DNC chair, Elena Schneider scooped. In a statement, Barnes emphasized Wikler's focus on a "permanent campaign" and push for year-round organizing. On Saturday, DNC chair prospects will meet for their first, virtual candidate forum — the first of four planned for January ahead of the party's Feb. 1 vote.
| | WHAT'S HAPPENING TODAY | | The House and the Senate will meet at noon and then proceed to a joint session at 1 p.m. to count the Electoral College votes and certify Trump’s victory. 3 things to watch …
- With the work of the Jan. 6 committee back in the news (both because of today’s anniversary and because of President Biden’s awarding of the Presidential Citizens Medal to panel leaders LIZ CHENEY and BENNIE THOMPSON last Thursday), House Democrats are ramping up their defense of the group’s work. Today, via House Administration Committee Ranking Member JOE MORELLE (D-N.Y.), they released a report defending the Jan. 6 committee and offering a hearty rebuttal to Republicans’ claims about it — most notably those made in the Dec. 17 report from Administration Chair BARRY LOUDERMILK (R-Ga.), which Morelle’s report slams as “a tapestry of lies” that includes allegations that are “malicious, despicable and the result of either bad faith or a fundamental misunderstanding of the law.” Read the full Dem report
- As Big Tech girds itself for total Republican control of Washington, MARK ZUCKERBERG’s Meta continues to make staffing shifts that reflect the new balance of power. The latest: FRANCIS BRENNAN is joining Meta’s strategic response communications team in Washington. Brennan previously worked as the House GOP Conference’s deputy communications director under Chair ELISE STEFANIK (R-N.Y.) and was director of strategic response for Trump’s 2020 campaign. Last week, Meta began to revamp its global policy team, elevating JOEL KAPLAN to its head.
- Senate Majority Leader JOHN THUNE has reportedly told President-elect Trump that Defense Secretary nominee PETE HEGSETH “will have the votes to be confirmed,” per CBS News’ Jennifer Jacobs, Nikole Killion and Alan He. But whether that support is solid — and whether it will remain as the myriad allegations about Hegseth face new publicity in the days ahead — is unclear. With confirmation hearings due to start a week from Tuesday, Hegseth is soon to become an even bigger lightning rod and an early test of both Republican support for Trump’s more controversial nominees and Democrats’ appetite for a knock-down, drag-out fight. (Also not to be underestimated: How senators on both sides of the aisle use the confirmation hearings to signal their own 2028 ambitions.)
At the White House Biden and first lady JILL BIDEN will travel to New Orleans, where they’ll attend an interfaith prayer service at 7 p.m. Eastern with family members of those killed in the New Year’s terrorist attack and others, hosted by the Archdiocese of New Orleans at the Cathedral-Basilica of Saint Louis, King of France. Afterward, the Bidens will travel to Santa Monica, California. VP KAMALA HARRIS will preside over the joint session of Congress.
| | | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | JUDICIARY SQUARE
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On the campaign trail, Donald Trump repeatedly promised clemency for his supporters. | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images | FOUR YEARS LATER — As we reach the anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection, the big question is to what extent Trump will pardon the many people who committed crimes — some of them violent — when he takes office. More than 1,000 people have been convicted for crimes connected with the insurrection, which sought to block the certification of Biden’s victory after a campaign of lies by Trump and his allies. But on the campaign trail, Trump repeatedly promised clemency for his supporters. Among House Republicans, there’s a range of views: While Rep. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R-Ga.) wants universal pardons, other GOP lawmakers tell AP’s Kevin Freking that case-by-case reviews for non-violent offenders would be more appropriate. But some lawmakers who feared for their lives that day, Capitol Police officers who lost colleagues due to the riot and judges who have overseen the cases are outraged at the prospect of pardons. “Any early action on Jan. 6 pardons would set the tone for how he might wield the presidency to reward loyalists and, critics fear, punish opponents,” Bloomberg’s Zoe Tillman and Hadriana Lowenkron write. But Biden doesn’t want Trump to memory-hole what actually happened. In a WaPo op-ed that published last night, the president warned that “we should not forget. We must remember the wisdom of the adage that any nation that forgets its past is doomed to repeat it. We cannot accept a repeat of what occurred four years ago.” And there are still 200 people yet to be charged for whom federal authorities are considering criminal cases, Kyle Cheney reported overnight. Those new numbers from the Justice Department include 60 “suspected of assaulting or impeding police officers.” Meanwhile, we’re still learning more about what happened (and why) that day. POLITICO Magazine’s Michael Kruse reveals that last summer, MIKE PENCE told AL GORE he certified Biden’s election win in part because of having watched the precedent Gore set in certifying his own loss in 2001: “I never forgot it,” Pence said. Must-read feature of the day: “What Jan. 6 Did to Officer Howie Liebengood,” by Luke Mullins in POLITICO Magazine: “The veteran Capitol police officer took his own life three days after the riot. His family has no doubt about what really killed him.” ALL POLITICS MUSICAL CHAIRS — Wikler and Minnesota Dem Chair KEN MARTIN are now standing out as the two frontrunners for DNC chair, NYT’s Reid Epstein reports. The debates between their supporters largely hinge on procedural questions of internal mechanics, not a grand disagreement over strategy or a radical new direction for the Democratic Party — which has left some outsiders from their camps seeing the field as "uninspiring.” BEYOND THE BELTWAY
|  New Orleans terrorist attacker Shamsud-Din Jabbar left two improvised explosive devices in the area before the attack. | Butch Dill/AP Photo | NEW ORLEANS FALLOUT — In the latest details about New Orleans terrorist attacker SHAMSUD-DIN JABBAR, FBI officials revealed yesterday that he’d traveled to the city in October and November seemingly to scope out the Bourbon Street area, per NBC’s Doha Madani. Jabbar wore Meta smart glasses during those visits to take videos, and he also wore them during the apparently Islamic State-inspired attack, officials said. Authorities are also looking into trips he made to Egypt and Canada in 2023. Jabbar also left two improvised explosive devices in the area before the attack, the FBI said, but they ultimately did not explode either because he made mistakes or because police killed him before he could detonate them, per The Times-Picayune’s James Finn. New Orleans Mayor LaTOYA CANTRELL also said yesterday that she’d ask for more federal help for the upcoming Super Bowl and Mardi Gras, though it’s “not clear exactly what federal aid Cantrell is seeking, who will be involved or what role the White House will play,” The Times-Picayune’s Jeff Adelson and Ben Myers report. AMERICA AND THE WORLD HOSTAGE DIPLOMACY — Four Americans are among more than 50 foreigners Venezuela has detained over the past half a year, in what analysts say is a strategy to build leverage against the Trump administration and other countries, WSJ’s Kejal Vyas reports. Some governments have denounced Caracas’ detentions on charges of spying or terrorism. But President NICOLÁS MADURO, who has clung to power despite being broadly suspected of stealing the election, says he wants a new chapter with the U.S. nonetheless. TOUGH TIMES AHEAD IN TEHRAN — “A Weakened Iran Prepares to Face Trump 2.0,” by WSJ’s Benoit Faucon THE WHITE HOUSE
|  President Joe Biden signed the Social Security Fairness Act into law yesterday. | Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP Photo | FROM THE PRESIDENT’S DESK — Biden signed the Social Security Fairness Act into law yesterday, and the pomp and circumstance reflected how important the White House considered the bill to be: It was the first public ceremony for a bill signing that Biden has held in more than two years, and probably his final one, Bloomberg’s Kate Queram and Gregory Korte note. The White House hadn’t confirmed for sure that Biden would sign the bipartisan legislation into law until Friday. But the new law will have significant effects: Between 2.5 million and 3 million Americans, many of them public-sector retirees, will see their Social Security benefits quickly increase — in some cases by several hundred dollars a month. That’s due to tweaked formulas to determine benefits. Biden and other supporters said the new law will finally make these people whole for what’s rightfully theirs. But opponents criticized the price tag, noting that the changes are expected to hasten Social Security’s insolvency by half a year. More top reads:
- Parting shots: Biden yesterday decried Trump’s plans to try to end birthright citizenship, per Reuters’ Jeff Mason.
- Remembering Jimmy Carter: When the former president lies in repose at the Carter Center tomorrow, visitors will have the chance to reflect on how essential Atlanta was to his political rise and post-presidential life, though it’s far from Plains, NYT’s Emily Cochrane captures. From Nairobi, AP’s Cara Anna reports on the massive legacy Carter left in sub-Saharan Africa — a region that he was one of the first U.S. leaders to take seriously. And WaPo’s Marc Fisher examines whether Carter’s honesty in office doomed him politically.
POLICY CORNER STOPPING THE STEEL — “Rival CEO spread doubt about Nippon Steel deal prospects, documents allege,” by Reuters’ Alexandra Alper
| | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Elon Musk turned on Nigel Farage. Joe Biden bragged about having met more world leaders than the press corps. JD Vance wants awards-season justice for Michael Keaton. IN MEMORIAM — David Barton, a longtime House Foreign Affairs staffer and State Department alum, died last month at 80. “[H]e played a key role in advancing the Chemical Weapons Treaty … In 2002, he led an investigation team and developed the final report for the Joint Inquiry of the House and Senate Intelligence Committees into terrorist events of 9/11/2001. From 2003-05 he worked on Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee policy and legislative matters related to 9/11 and led a bi-partisan team to achieve the intelligence reform legislation, adopted as public law in 2004.” Full obituary MEDIA MOVES — Josh Dawsey is joining the WSJ as political investigations reporter, Puck’s Dylan Byers reports. He currently is a political investigations and enterprise reporter at WaPo, and is a POLITICO alum. … Adrian Carrasquillo is writing a new newsletter for The Bulwark focused on Trump’s coming mass deportations, called Huddled Masses, Semafor’s Max Tani reports. He’s a Messenger, Newsweek and BuzzFeed alum. WHITE HOUSE DEPARTURE LOUNGE — Mariana Adame de Vreeze is now deputy chief of staff for Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-Calif.). She most recently was a special assistant to the president, and is a Hill alum. TRANSITIONS — Rep. Ami Bera (D-Calif.) is adding Rachel Tochterman as comms director and Asha Samuel as senior health policy adviser. Tochterman previously was deputy chief of staff for Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg. Samuel previously was legislative director for Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.). … Adam Joseph is now digital director for the House Energy and Commerce Committee under Chair Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.). He most recently was digital director for the House Small Business Committee. … Cam Erickson is now legislative director for Rep. Abraham Hamadeh (R-Ariz.). He previously was legislative assistant for Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.). … … Luke Graeter is now policy adviser for Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio). He previously was legislative director for Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio). … Ruben Gonzales will be a principal at Penchina Partners. He most recently has led external affairs for the Peace Corps, and is a Biden White House alum. … Rep. Shomari Figures (D-Ala.) is adding Bry’Shawna Walker as press secretary and Iyanla Kollock as policy adviser. Walker most recently was lead press wrangler for Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on the Harris campaign. Kollock most recently was a legislative assistant for Rep. Nikema Williams (D-Ga.). ENGAGED — Catie Talenti, manager of media relations and strategic positioning at UL Standards & Engagement, and Joe Nacci, director of beverage at Marriott International, got engaged at the Red Fox Inn & Tavern in Middleburg, Virginia, over the holidays. Pic HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Reps. Frank Lucas (R-Okla.) and Bob Onder (R-Mo.) … Eric Trump … Kate O’Keeffe … WSJ’s James Taranto … NBC’s Shaquille Brewster … Terri Fariello of United Airlines … Kimball Stroud … POLITICO’s Kaitlyn Locke, Christa Marshall and Kelsey Hayes … Stuart Siciliano of Penta … Kate Randle Ross … Kathleen Gayle … Joe Hagin … former FBI Director Louis Freeh … Mandy Bowers … former FEMA Director James Lee Witt … Matt Ford … Abby Gunderson-Schwarz … David Polyansky … Air & Space Forces Magazine’s Chris Gordon … Sallie Sorenson of the Herald Group … Natalie Boyse … Oregon AG Ellen Rosenblum 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. | | | | 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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