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Presented by Meta: The unofficial guide to official Washington. | | | | |  | | By Rachael Bade, Ryan Lizza and Eugene Daniels | | | With help from Eli Okun and Garrett Ross
| | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | | LATEST IN MAINE — Lewiston Sun Journal: “At least 16 people were killed and dozens more injured in multiple shootings here Wednesday night, in what is likely the deadliest shooting in Maine’s history.” AP: A state police intelligence bulletin identifies ROBERT CARD as a person of interest in the killings. Card is “trained as a firearms instructor at a U.S. Army Reserve training facility in Maine,” and was “committed to a mental health facility for two weeks in the summer of 2023.” Live updates from the Bangor Daily News
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House Speaker Designate Mike Johnson (R-La.) is greeted by other House members during a vote to elect a Speaker of the House, Oct. 25, 2023. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | MAGA MIKE’S LOOMING GAVEL WOES — House Republicans’ three-week-long nightmare is over. But for new Speaker MIKE JOHNSON, the nightmare is just beginning. While it was all smiles and standing ovations from his GOP colleagues yesterday, the new leader is about to run smack into the tough reality that he just got promoted to the worst job in Washington. That includes the pleasure of dealing with the egos, rivalries and demands of a bitterly divided GOP Conference … of negotiating with Democrats eager to flip the House and see him fall flat on his face … and let’s not forget about the public scrutiny that’s already ratcheting up on a man who has probably received more attention in the past 48 hours than he has in his entire career. Let’s unpack some of the heartburn ahead … 1. A GOVERNMENT FUNDING FIASCO With just over three weeks until Uncle Sam runs out of money, Johnson has laid out a plan to pass another stopgap funding bill to keep the government running through either mid-January or mid-April. As you’ll recall, KEVIN McCARTHY’s embrace of a “continuing resolution” ultimately cost him his job. But so far, conservatives signal a willingness to cut Johnson some slack since he’s taking the gavel just a few weeks ahead of the deadline.
The big question: What kind of CR are we talking about here? Some conservatives appear to want a patch that includes toxic policy riders or steep cuts, rather than a “clean” CR. Notably, Johnson recently backed a GOP-authored CR that included a 30% chop for most agencies as well as a border crackdown, then voted against the “clean” CR that ultimately became law.
But there’s no way Democrats will accept such a conservative stopgap. And that means Johnson could face a tough choice early on: Does he avoid a shutdown, or do what his fellow conservative hardliners want? There are also long-term funding bills to consider. Johnson wants the House to pass the remaining FY 2024 appropriations bills in the coming weeks. But many of those include lightning-rod cultural issues that divide Republicans, as moderates balk at taking politically poisonous votes and conservatives insist that such provisions be included. The Johnson of the past would likely have been on board with such riders. But as speaker, his job is to protect his majority, which could mean shutting out language that he might personally support. 2. THE SANTOS SAGA Now that the gavel drama is finished, New York Republicans say they’ll move forward on a resolution to expel Rep. GEORGE SANTOS (R-N.Y.) from office. While the effort will certainly appeal to lawmakers disgusted by Congress’ own FRANK ABAGNALE JR., in a narrow majority, Republicans can’t afford to lose his vote. That means Johnson could become the bearer of bad news and end up expending political capital early to try to save a man most of them loathe. While the threshold for expulsion is high (you need two-thirds of Congress to agree to it), even allowing such a vote will put Republicans in an awkward position of either voting to expel him or potentially imperiling their governing majority by saving Santos — which will, of course, open them up to attacks from Democrats come 2024. 3. THE UNFORGIVING PUBLIC MICROSCOPE As a backbencher, Johnson’s policy proposals and opinions never gained much nationwide media attention. Welp, that all changed yesterday. Every word Johnson has ever uttered or written is about to come under scrutiny like never before. The Louisiana Republican is already facing questions about his role leading Republicans to question the integrity of the 2020 election. While in recent days he has dodged questions about the matter, as speaker, he won’t be able to indefinitely. In that vein, Kyle Cheney and Nicholas Wu have a revealing read up on the extent to which Johnson personally counseled DONALD TRUMP on challenging the 2020 results, and details on an impassioned speech he gave to his colleagues on Jan. 5, 2021, invoking prayer and God in encouraging his colleagues to object to the Electoral College. Johnson’s past writings on gay rights are also going to stir up questions. He defended state-level anti-sodomy laws that were struck by the Supreme Court, opposed giving domestic partner benefits to same-sex couples, and argued that LGBT people should be excluded from employment discrimination suits. More surprisingly, he wrote editorials in local papers calling homosexuality “inherently unnatural,” suggesting that legalizing same-sex marriage would lead to the legalization of pedophilia and bestiality, and slammed the Supreme Court’s decriminalization of gay sex: “by closing these bedroom doors, they have opened a Pandora's box.” More from CNN’s KFile A few other odds and ends are bound to raise eyebrows: Johnson could face questions on his blaming post-Katrina looting on secularism, liberalism and legalized gambling … his moves to lobby local governments to crack down on adult video shops … and suggestions in a recent podcast that he doesn’t believe in the separation of church and state.
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Explore the impact. | | | 4. DEMOCRATS’ NEW BOOGEYMAN Johnson is about to become for Democrats what NANCY PELOSI was for Republicans: a base-motivating, money-raising boogeyman who embodies everything they dislike most about the other party. At least that’s what Democrats are hoping. As our colleagues Brittany Gibson and Holly Otterbein write, “if Democrats have their way, [Johnson] will soon be well-known by every American — as an election denier, an anti-abortion extremist and a slasher of Social Security and Medicare.” Indeed, Dems and their allies are salivating over the possibility of using the new speaker as a cudgel to pound vulnerable Republicans, and think he’ll make it easier to flip the House in 2024. (When swing-district Republican MIKE LAWLER (R-N.Y.) voted for Johnson yesterday on the floor, one Democrat could be heard in the chamber saying, “Bye, bye!”) One outside group has already turned GOP lawmakers’ booing of ABC correspondent Rachel Scott into an attack ad. And they’re privately thanking their lucky stars Rep. MATT GAETZ (R-Fla.) coined the nickname “MAGA Mike” — which Trump himself used to refer to Johnson in a Truth Social post last night. 5. THE FUNDRAISING FRENZY As we noted yesterday, Johnson is going to have one hell of a time filling the fundraising shoes of Make-It-Rain McCarthy, who brought in tens of millions to elect Republicans. WaPo’s Paul Kane has an eye-popping stat on just how steep his learning curve will be: “Since launching his first House campaign in 2016, Johnson raised just $5.5 million for his races; his separate leadership PAC brought in less than $450,000 in the past seven years. His predecessor … by contrast, raised $15.3 million from July through September this year." Already McCarthy’s team is gearing up to help. Our colleagues Hailey Fuchs, Caitlin Oprysko and Jessica Piper scoop that the ousted speaker’s fundraising fixer JEFF MILLER is planning to assist Johnson. And to be sure, Republicans are seeing dollar signs in a series of meet-and-greets with the new speaker. “Easiest hundred grand,” one lobbyist told them. Good Thursday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza. IF YOU CLICK ON ONE THING — “55 Things You Need to Know About Mike Johnson,” by Anna Canizales and Michael Kruse STRIKE WATCH — “Ford reaches tentative agreement with the UAW after 41-day strike,” by the Detroit Free Press’ Phoebe Howard, Eric Lawrence and Jamie LaReau … Related read: “UAW-Ford tentative deal could relieve some pressure on Biden,” by Nick Niedzwiadek, Olivia Olander and Tanya Snyder
| | | | A message from Meta:   | | | | | WHAT'S HAPPENING TODAY | | On the Hill The Senate will meet at 10 a.m. to take up the “minibus” spending bill, with votes later in the day on forcing the U.S. to withdraw troops from Niger and overturning a USDA resolution on anti-LGBTQ discrimination. Majority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER and Minority Leader MITCH McCONNELL will meet with Australian PM ANTHONY ALBANESE at 10:30 a.m. Schumer will hold a photo op with families of hostages held by Hamas at noon. The House will meet at 10 a.m. 3 things to watch …
- The supplemental spending debate is heating up, with four conservative Senate Republicans today introducing an alternative to the $106 billion White House national security proposal that would instead send $14.3 billion to Israel alone. Unlike the Biden proposal, the Israel Supplemental Appropriations Act from Sens. ROGER MARSHALL (Kan.), TED CRUZ (Texas), MIKE LEE (Utah) and J.D. VANCE (Ohio) does not include funding for Ukraine, Taiwan or humanitarian aid for Gaza. More from WSJ
- The House might finally have a speaker, but Johnson’s ascension now means there’s an opening at the mailroom level of the House Republican leadership. Already, four members — Reps. MARK ALFORD (Mo.), STEPHANIE BICE (Okla.), MICHELLE FISCHBACH (Minn.) and NICOLE MALLIOTAKIS (N.Y.) — have declared for the conference vice chair post, No. 7 in the GOP hierarchy, and Olivia Beavers reports several others are considering runs.
- A pair of ethics matters could soon be coming to a head in the House. As we mentioned, a group of New York Republicans is pledging to push forward with a resolution expelling Santos. But news that Rep. JAMAAL BOWMAN (D-N.Y.) is pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge in connection with his triggering a Cannon building fire alarm is also likely to have potential ethics ramifications, with Republicans seeking his censure over the incident.
At the White House President JOE BIDEN will receive the Presidential Daily Briefing at 11 a.m., with VP KAMALA HARRIS attending. Harris will also host a luncheon for Albanese along with Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN at 12:40 p.m. She’ll swear in the President’s Advisory Commission on Advancing Education, Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Black Americans at 5 p.m.
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Rep. Kathy Manning speaks during a news conference at the Capitol, July 19, 2022, in Washington. | Mariam Zuhaib/AP | GENEROUS GERRYMANDER — Few days will be as consequential to control of the House in 2025 as yesterday, when North Carolina Republicans unveiled a new map that will all but ensure three automatic flips their way, Zach Montellaro and Ally Mutnick report. The aggressive gerrymander, made possible by a change in partisan power on the state Supreme Court, could provide the GOP a major bulwark against redistricting in other states. The delegation, currently split 7R-7D, is now expected to become 10R-3D, with Democratic Rep. DON DAVIS’ seat a tossup. The breakdown: Democratic Reps. JEFF JACKSON, KATHY MANNING and WILEY NICKEL can kiss their congressional careers goodbye after next fall: Their districts have flipped solid red. Zach and Ally list tons of Republican names to know in what could be several crowded races. Among them: former Rep. MARK WALKER (who immediately dropped out of the gubernatorial race to run in the 6th District), MARK HARRIS, BO HINES, TIM MOORE and RENEE ELMERS. THE EARLY VOTE — “Ohio Democratic-stronghold counties exceeding early voting expectations for election on abortion, marijuana,” by News 5 Cleveland’s Morgan Trau TRUMP CARDS
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Former President Donald Trump speaks to the media moments after he was fined $10,000 for his second violation of a partial gag order on Oct. 25, 2023. | Spencer Platt/Getty Images | TRUMP ON TRIAL — At his New York civil business fraud trial yesterday, Trump (1) made comments to reporters that Judge ARTHUR ENGORON interpreted as a violation of his gag order; (2) took the stand publicly for the first time in a decade; (3) was immediately found not credible by Engoron and fined $10,000; and (4) stormed out of court abruptly. NYT’s Jonah Bromwich and Kate Christobek round up the extraordinary sequence of events, which served as “a discomfiting preview of what may await” Trump as he faces increasingly real legal jeopardy. Trump insisted his comments had actually been about MICHAEL COHEN, who was cross-examined yesterday and tarred by Trump’s defense attorneys as unreliable in a “lively” back-and-forth, per WaPo. In Trump’s other gag order fight, he found an unlikely ally yesterday: The ACLU argued that Judge TANYA CHUTKAN’s order in Trump’s federal criminal election subversion case infringes on his First Amendment rights, per the Washington Examiner. Meanwhile, special counsel JACK SMITH argued in a new filing that the guilty pleas from three of Trump’s former attorneys in Fulton County, Ga., could undermine any effort to put forth an “advice of counsel” defense, Kyle Cheney flags. Smith also urged Chutkan to reimpose the gag order in “a remarkable portrayal of a former president as an active danger,” Kyle and Josh Gerstein write. And the number may not stay at three. CNN’s Zachary Cohen, Nick Valencia and Jason Morris scooped that DA FANI WILLIS has talked with at least six more co-defendants about plea deals in her sprawling racketeering case over the alleged attempt to overturn the 2020 election. That includes MIKE ROMAN, MISTY HAMPTON and ROBERT CHEELEY (whose lawyer says he declined the deal). COMING NEXT WEEK — “Colorado judge paves way for trial on whether 14th Amendment disqualifies Trump from office,” by CNN’s Marshall Cohen
| | | | A message from Meta:   | | | AMERICA AND THE WORLD MIDDLE EAST LATEST — In remarks at the White House yesterday, Biden tried to walk the tightrope of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: He reiterated strong support for Israel, called for a two-state solution, condemned Israeli settlers’ West Bank moves and cast doubt on the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry’s death toll from Israeli airstrikes. “I’m sure innocents have been killed, and it’s the price of waging a war,” Biden said, per the AP. His skepticism of the casualty numbers drew criticism: experts have generally deemed the ministry’s numbers fairly accurate. But as Israeli bombardments continue to devastate Gaza ahead of a planned ground invasion, the administration has explicitly shifted to advocating for a humanitarian “pause” in Israel’s offensive, NBC reports. Biden also warned that U.S. retaliation against Iran remains on the table if attacks against U.S. forces persist, per ABC. The threat comes as multiple American troops there have reported traumatic brain injuries from Iranian proxy attacks, Lara Seligman reports. In Congress: The House’s first act under Johnson was to pass a resolution declaring support for Israel and condemning the Hamas attacks, per Axios. It passed 412-10. JUDICIARY SQUARE
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Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas poses for an official portrait Oct. 7, 2022, in Washington. | Alex Wong/Getty Images | ANOTHER SCOTUS EYEBROW-RAISER — Justice CLARENCE THOMAS failed to repay a lot, or maybe all, of a very cushy 1999 loan he got for a pricey luxury RV, instead getting the debt forgiven several years later, Senate Finance Dems alleged in a new report yesterday. That is “an outcome with ethical and potential tax consequences for the justice,” who at a minimum “appears to have flouted an ethics rule” on disclosures, NYT’s Jo Becker reports. The prospect of Thomas having gotten a “sweetheart deal” prompted Chair RON WYDEN (D-Ore.) to call on the justice to hand over more information; Thomas declined to comment to the Times. ANTHONY WELTERS, the friend who financed the RV, says it’s just a matter of one friend helping another. But that’s not how the IRS would see it, Becker writes. And of all the gifts that have raised ethics questions for Thomas, “in terms of its combined monetary and image-crafting value, few of those benefits can rival the motor coach.” (Thomas has long used the RV as a symbol of his ordinariness.) POLICY CORNER ONE IMMIGRATION CHANGE HAVING AN IMPACT … “Border crossings by Venezuelans decline as Biden starts deportations,” by WaPo’s Nick Miroff: “Illegal border crossings by Venezuelans have dropped 50 to 60 percent.” … AND ANOTHER ONE FALLING APART — “Biden officials shelve plan to require some migrants to remain in Texas after local backlash,” by CBS’ Camilo Montoya-Galvez: El Paso “officials reversed course on hosting the migrants after parts of the plan became public.”
| | | | PLAYBOOK IS GOING GLOBAL! We’re excited to introduce Global Playbook, POLITICO’s premier newsletter that brings you inside the most important conversations at the most influential events in the world. From the buzzy echoes emanating from the snowy peaks at the WEF in Davos to the discussions and personalities at Milken Global in Beverly Hills, to the heart of diplomacy at UNGA in New York City – author Suzanne Lynch brings it all to your fingertips. Experience the elite. Witness the influential. And never miss a global beat. BE PART OF THE CONVERSATION. SUBSCRIBE NOW. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Lester Holt, Kristen Welker and Hugh Hewitt will host the next GOP presidential debate. Monica Bertagnolli advanced out of the Senate HELP Committee. Dean Phillips is getting the “I don’t know her” treatment from the White House. John Leguizamo, Roy Cooper, Jeffrey Katzenberg and John Thune — but not Hunter Biden — made the state dinner guest list. Katie Porter launched a Substack. IN MEMORIAM — “Bertie Bowman, revered aide who got start sweeping Capitol steps, dies at 92,” by WaPo’s Michael Rosenwald: “Bertie Bowman, the son of South Carolina sharecroppers who arrived at the U.S. Capitol in 1944 as a 13-year-old runaway, got a $2-a-week job sweeping the building’s steps, and then became the longest-serving African American congressional aide in history, died Oct. 25 … [H]e worked until he was 90, coordinating sensitive hearings for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.” FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Phil Elwood, a PR operative in D.C. who has worked for Levick and BLJ Worldwide, is coming out with a memoir next July from Henry Holt called “All the Worst Humans: How I Made News for Dictators, Tycoons, and Politicians.” The description says he “wants to come clean, by exposing the dark underbelly of the very industry that’s made him so successful.” $28.99 pre-order SPOTTED separately at Cafe Milano last night: Ernest Moniz … Adrienne Arsht … Jonathan and Maria Karl … Jamie Weinstein and Michelle Fields … Andrew Kovalcin … Rep. Jim Costa (D-Calif.), Lyndon Boozer, Tommy Quinn, Gerry Harrington, Dave Grimaldi and Vin Roberti … Tammy Haddad, Tom Hoare, Oren Liebermann and Mitch Hochberg. OUT AND ABOUT — Independent Women’s Forum hosted its 2023 awards gala at the Waldorf Astoria yesterday, honoring Miranda Devine, Lynn Friess, Chaya Raichik and Enes Kanter Freedom. SPOTTED: Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Reps. Beth Van Duyne (R-Texas), Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), Lisa McClain (R-Mich.), Cory Mills (R-Fla.), Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), Gary Palmer (R-Ala.), Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.) and Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.), Larry O’Connor, Kellyanne Conway, Kevin Corke, Adele Malpass, Vince Coglianese, Riley Gaines, Paula Scanlan, Payton McNabb, Kim Russell and Prisha Mosley. — Reps. Mike Carey (R-Ohio) and Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.) triumphed at the Brew Across America congressional brewing competition last night at Nationals Park, where they won Anheuser-Busch’s Brew Democracy Cup for their “Bipartisan Brew.” Honor Flight got a $20,000 donation in their honor. The beer made by Reps. Susie Lee (D-Nev.) and David Joyce (R-Ohio), “ErieLee Good Beer,” won the People’s Choice Award. Also SPOTTED: Reps. Stephanie Bice (R-Okla.), Sean Casten (D-Ill.), Deborah Ross (D-N.C.), Brad Schneider (D-Ill.), Kevin Hern (R-Okla.), Brittany Pettersen (D-Colo.) and French Hill (R-Ark.), and judges Sophia Cai, David Drucker, Carl Hulse, Kelsey Snell, Rachael Bade, Abby Livingston, Andrew Desiderio and Josh Dawsey. — SPOTTED at the Center for American Progress’ Ideas Conference yesterday: Sens. Laphonza Butler (D-Calif.), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Bharat Ramamurti, Fatima Goss Graves, Darren Walker, Patrick Gaspard, Daniella Gibbs Léger, Ari Melber, Mary Kay Henry, Liz Shuler, Jimmy Williams, Navin Nayak, Neera Tanden, John Podesta, Delaware state Sen. Sarah McBride, Becky Pringle, Randi Weingarten, Alexi McCammond, Andy Levin and Tom Perriello. MEDIA MOVE — Carolyn Bruck is joining Scripps News as an anchor. She previously was an anchor for WCNC-TV in Charlotte, N.C. TRANSITIONS — Kate Letzler Moore is the new campaign manager for Debbie Mucarsel-Powell’s Florida Senate bid. She previously was political director at Giffords, where she worked with Mucarsel-Powell to launch Giffords Florida, and is a Biden campaign and Elizabeth Warren alum. … Steve Alfaro is now senior creative and culture strategist at Newco Strategies. He currently is co-founder at Avanza EV. … Courtney Miller is joining TFG as a senior associate. She previously was legislative director for Rep. Shontel Brown (D-Ohio). WEEKEND WEDDING — David Kemp, a research analyst at the Cato Institute, and Samantha Summers, senior manager of government affairs at Albertsons Companies, got married Sunday at District Winery. They met working at Cato in 2016. Pic … Another pic WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Michael Pratt, chief comms officer at the National Pharmaceutical Council, and Amanda Pratt, vocalist for the Bachelor Boys Band, welcomed Jemma Maria on Sunday morning. She came in at 8 lbs, 12 oz, and joins big sister Elle. Pic … Another pic HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Hillary Clinton … Reps. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.) and Troy Carter (D-La.) (6-0) … Katy Tur … Kristin Lynch … POLITICO’s Rebecca Kern and Danielle Feldman … Jef Pollock of Global Strategy Group … Scott Jennings … Jeff Rubin of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy … NYT’s Mark Landler and Taffy Brodesser-Akner … Hazen Marshall … Jessica Church … Cami Mondeaux of the Washington Examiner … Perry Apelbaum … Amanda Smith … Kim Waskowsky of the House Oversight GOP … Seth Morrow of Targeted Victory … USA Today’s Caren Bohan … Richard Yamada … Christine Stineman … Craig Frucht of Ascend Digital Strategies … Courtney McNamara of the International Executive Service Corps … NBC’s Bianca Brosh 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 producers Bethany Irvine and Andrew Howard.
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