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Presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield Association: POLITICO's must-read briefing on what's driving the afternoon in Washington. | | | | | |  | | By Eugene Daniels and Garrett Ross | | | WILL TRUMP TALK? — New York A.G. LETITIA JAMES “is seeking a deposition from former president DONALD TRUMP early next year as part of her investigation into potential fraud inside the Trump Organization, according to people familiar with the matter,” WaPo’s Josh Dawsey and David Fahrenthold report. “James has requested to take his testimony on Jan. 7 at her New York office as part of a civil investigation into whether Trump’s company committed financial fraud in the valuations of properties to different entities.” Adds the NYT: James is pursuing a subpoena. — ALSO: James announced that she is dropping out of the New York governor’s race and will instead run for reelection as AG. NY1’s Zack Fink was first to report the news “I have come to the conclusion that I must continue my work as attorney general,” James said in a tweet. “There are a number of important investigations and cases that are underway, and I intend to finish the job. I am running for re-election to complete the work New Yorkers elected me to do.” More from Bill Mahoney FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Our PA politics expert Holly Otterbein writes in: MEHMET OZ’s opponents are starting to survey his standing in the campaign for Senate in Pennsylvania. Data for Progress, the pollster for Democratic Lt. Gov. JOHN FETTERMAN, tested a general-election matchup between the two candidates from Dec. 3-5. Fetterman narrowly leads Oz 44-42 among likely voters, with a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points. Fetterman is ahead among independents, women, college-educated voters and the under-45 set. Oz is winning men, white voters, those without a college degree and voters 45 and up. Data for Progress said it did not test a head-to-head between Oz and Rep. CONOR LAMB, Fetterman’s top opponent in the primary. The full memo is here — The response from Oz campaign manager, CASEY CONTRES: “Other candidates’ internal polls are always suspect, but we love the contrast between a conservative world renowned heart surgeon and a career politician in the mold of BERNIE SANDERS.” UNEMPLOYMENT CLAIMS HIT 52-YEAR LOW — Via AP’s Paul Wiseman: “Unemployment claims dropped by 43,000 to 184,000 last week, the lowest since September 1969, the Labor Department said Thursday. The four-week moving average, which smooths out week-to-week ups and downs, fell below 219,000, lowest since the pandemic hit the United States hard in March 2020.” REMEMBERING BOB DOLE — At the congressional tribute ceremony for BOB DOLE this morning, President JOE BIDEN placed the former Senate majority leader and presidential candidate among the likes of GEORGE WASHINGTON, ABRAHAM LINCOLN, THOMAS JEFFERSON and MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.: “Bob Dole loved this capitol. It’s where he served the nation, shaped by the figures that surround us. … In a sense, Bob belongs here. He, too, was a giant of our history. That’s not hyperbole,” Biden said, describing Dole as a man “of wit and grace, of principle and persistence, of courage and conviction.” Biden’s full remarks Congressional leaders NANCY PELOSI, CHUCK SCHUMER and MITCH MCCONNELL also delivered remarks to honor Dole. — Pelosi: “As I stand here and see his coffin on the catafalque that was built for Lincoln with that flag draped over it, I’m sure many of you here will agree, it’s hard to think of anyone who was more worthy to have a flag draped over his coffin because of his great patriotism to our country.” — Schumer: “Bob and I never worked together in the Senate, but I was not spared his famous ribbing. Don’t worry, Bob: It’s safe to be between me and the cameras today.” (One of Dole’s famous quips was that “the most dangerous place in Washington is between Chuck Schumer and a television camera.”) — McConnell: “After he had become leader, Bob described his Senate management challenges with his trademark wit. ‘If I’d known,’ he said, ‘we were going to win control of the Senate, we’d run better candidates.’ I swear Bob could have made it as a stand-up comic, but he was earnest. … [T]he real engine behind Bob’s 98 remarkable years was his love.” Happy Thursday afternoon. | | A message from Blue Cross Blue Shield Association: Ending the maternal health crisis in the United States requires action from all of us. That’s why Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies support the Momnibus package. Congress: Passing the Momnibus will help save lives and fight maternal health inequities across the country. | | | CONGRESS HAPPENING TODAY — The Senate is taking up the debt ceiling workaround today, with at least 10 Republicans expected to join Democrats in a one-time maneuver to lift the limit. “Final passage on the debt ceiling workaround is expected to follow by week's end. And both the House and Senate plan to pass another bill in the next few days to actually raise the debt limit,” Jennifer Scholtes writes. “While Democrats have yet to divulge a dollar amount, the new ceiling is expected to exceed $30 trillion, to ensure Congress won't need to act again until after the midterm elections next November.” BIG NEWS FOR PUBLIC TRANSPARENCY — Reuters’ @nateraymond: “The Senate Judiciary Committee has just voted to advance a bill to make PACER free, after it appears the bulk of the panel decided during the hearing to join as co-sponsors of the bipartisan legislation.” FYI — A House Chief Administrative Office staffer was arrested by Capitol Police this morning for carrying a handgun into the Longworth House Office Building, Nicholas Wu reports for Congress Minutes. “The department said in a statement officers found the employee and arrested him four minutes after they spotted the image of a gun in a bag on an X-ray machine. According to the department, he told officers he forgot he was carrying the gun inside. Capitol Police said they would charge him with carrying a pistol without a license.” JAN. 6 AND ITS AFTERMATH ‘ONE SIDE OR THE OTHER IS LYING’ –– Two former top DC National Guard officials say there are all types of falsehoods in an internal Army report on the deadly Jan. 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol, Betsy Woodruff Swan and Meridith McGraw write . “The Army report, obtained by POLITICO, lays the foundation for the Pentagon’s defense against criticism that it took too long to approve the Guard’s response to the Capitol attack. The March 18 report says Guard members weren’t prepared to respond quickly to the riot and describes multiple communications between top Army officials and the D.C. Guard’s commander, then-Maj. Gen. WILLIAM WALKER.” | | | | BECOME A GLOBAL INSIDER: The world is more connected than ever. It has never been more essential to identify, unpack and analyze important news, trends and decisions shaping our future — and we’ve got you covered! Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Global Insider author Ryan Heath navigates the global news maze and connects you to power players and events changing our world. Don’t miss out on this influential global community. Subscribe now. | | | | | THE WHITE HOUSE AN ‘INFLECTION POINT’ FOR DEMOCRACY — The Summit for Democracy is officially underway. President Biden kicked off the two-day virtual confab this morning with remarks and a leaders session. “We stand at an inflection point in history, in my view,” Biden said. “I wanted to host this summit because, here in the United States, we know as well as anyone that renewing our democracy and strengthening our democratic institutions requires constant effort,” he said alluding to Jan. 6 and the “Big Lie” about the 2020 election. More from Quint Forgey MANDATE UPDATE — Biden’s vaccine mandates are coming under fire from nearly every front — but the White House is geared up to fight, NBC’s Lauren Egan, Sahil Kapur and Jonathan Allen report . “A legal team has been assembled to wage the battle in the courts. Biden is prepared to veto any legislation that Congress might manage to pass to erode his mandates as bipartisan opposition grows. And he will keep talking to the public about his goals. … Biden is gambling that the long-term value of defeating the disease — for Americans' health, the economy and his own standing — far outweighs short-term political considerations, said a White House aide and a strategist close to the administration, who asked to speak anonymously to detail internal thinking.” THE ECONOMY INFLATION WATCH — While inflation doesn’t appear to be going away anytime soon, Victoria Guida writes that the outlook may not be as grim for Biden and Dems ahead of next year’s elections as some pundits suggest, as “the prices felt most acutely by voters” — specifically, oil and commodities — “could be telling a better story for Democrats heading into the midterms.” — TO WIT … Biden released a statement through the White House today that seemed to get ahead of tomorrow’s announcement of the latest inflation numbers: “[I]n the weeks since the data for tomorrow’s inflation report was collected, energy prices have dropped. … The information being released tomorrow on energy in November does not reflect today’s reality, and it does not reflect the expected price decreases in the weeks and months ahead, such as in the auto market.” WATCH: How supply chain issues are becoming Biden's ‘Nightmare before Christmas’: While ships are still stuck at sea and warehouses are at full capacity, the global supply chain woes look like they'll continue even after the holidays. And the impetus for a lot of the challenges we’re seeing right now is the coronavirus pandemic. This week, STEVEN OVERLY joins RYAN to break down how the supply chain crisis could be a political problem for President Biden. | 
| | | | | STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president’s ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today. | | | | | POLICY CORNER SOCIAL FLOW — A bipartisan group of Senators wants to see social media apps open their doors and release data more freely, WSJ’s Jeff Horwitz reports. “The bill, to be announced Thursday by Sens. CHRIS COONS (D., Del.) ROB PORTMAN (R., Ohio) and AMY KLOBUCHAR (D.,Minn.), would allow researchers to submit proposals to the National Science Foundation. If the NSF supports a proposal, social-media platforms would be required to furnish the needed data, subject to privacy protections that could include anonymizing it or ‘white rooms’ in which researchers could review sensitive material.” THE PANDEMIC THE VACCINATION EQUATION — Now that children aged 5 to 11 are cleared to receive Covid-19 vaccines, states are trying to reach that population — with varied success so far. “Roughly five million, or 18%, of the estimated 28.4 million U.S. children in the 5-to-11 age bracket have gotten at least one shot in the five weeks since they were cleared to get vaccinated, the [federal] data show,” WSJ’s Jon Kamp writes . “The picture varies by region, with rates in several New England states above 30% and some states in the South far off the national pace, an analysis by The Wall Street Journal of the data shows.” Related: NYT’s Keith Collins and Josh Holder have a deep dive filled with helpful visuals. MEGATREND — WSJ’s Leslie Scism writes that death-benefit payments in 2020 saw the greatest increase since the 1918 influenza epidemic. ALL POLITICS 2024 … ER, 2022 WATCH — Former VP MIKE PENCE was out in New Hampshire on Wednesday for a visit that had “all the trappings of a day on the presidential campaign trail,” AP’s Jill Colvin writes in Manchester. Pence said he was there with an eye on next year’s midterms, but it’s hard not to look a little further ahead. “Pence is opting for a middle ground, spending much of his time talking up his and Trump’s time in office and insisting the two parted ways on good terms. In interviews, for instance, he declined to take a side in the GOP primary for governor in Georgia, which features incumbent Brian Kemp against Trump-backed challenger and former Sen. David Perdue,” Colvin writes. “He similarly sidestepped the question of what Trump’s calculations mean for him. But he’s clear that he’s not waiting for his old boss to make a decision as he travels the country, delivers speeches and raises money. ‘Come 2023, we’ll reflect, we’ll pray and we’ll respond to that calling, whatever that is,’ he said.” AMERICA AND THE WORLD FOR YOUR RADAR — The Biden administration is ramping up its enforcement of sanctions against Iran as it seeks to bring the country back to the negotiating table to restore the 2015 nuclear deal, WSJ’s Laurence Norman reports. — Meanwhile, AP’s Kiyoko Metzler reports in Vienna: “Negotiations between Iran and world powers aimed at salvaging a tattered 2015 nuclear deal resumed in Vienna on Thursday, with tensions high after Tehran made demands last week that European countries strongly criticized. The talks’ chairman said he detected ‘a renewed sense of purpose.’” STUCK IN THE MIDDLE — The situation on the Ukraine-Russia border is requiring Biden to do a bit of a balancing act as he seeks to strike the right tone with both countries. Despite Ukraine’s desire to join NATO, “senior State Department officials have told Ukraine that NATO membership is unlikely to be approved in the next decade, according to a person familiar with those private talks who spoke on condition of anonymity,” AP’s Ellen Knickmeyer, Matthew Lee and Nomaan Merchant report . “For Biden, the challenge will be encouraging Kyiv to accept some of the facts on the ground in eastern Ukraine, without appearing to cave to Putin — a perception that could embolden the Russian leader and unleash a fresh line of condemnations by Republicans as Biden’s popularity is already in decline.” | | | | A message from Blue Cross Blue Shield Association:   Let’s end the maternal health crisis. | | | | | | | 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 politics and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |  |
