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Presented by Meta: The unofficial guide to official Washington. | | | | |  | | By Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels and Ryan Lizza | | | With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine
| | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | | GOING DARK — “Positivity is out in the modern GOP. ‘Vermin’ and ‘scum’ are in,” by Adam Wren: “The last of their kind amid a field of slash-and-burn culture warriors and angry brawlers … [MIKE] PENCE and [Sen. TIM] SCOTT had bet that there was a silent majority of Republican primary voters who wanted a return to an optimistic, whistle-while-you-work-the-base standard bearer. If there are in fact any of those voters left, they could surely use a drink.” BACK TO THE FUTURE — “Meta Allows Ads Claiming Rigged 2020 Election on Facebook, Instagram,” by WSJ’s Salvador Rodriguez: “Meta made the change last year, but it hasn’t gained wide attention. The company decided to allow political advertisers to say past elections were ‘rigged’ or ‘stolen’ but prevented them from questioning the legitimacy of ongoing and coming elections.”
|  House Speaker Mike Johnson speaks during a press conference at the U.S. Capitol Nov. 14, 2023. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | JANUARY LOOMS — Lawmakers appear to be on a glidepath to fund the government through late January, as we predicted yesterday (and, okay, probably hoped, for the sake of our holiday plans). Democrats joined most House Republicans to pass Speaker MIKE JOHNSON’s two-step continuing resolution, and the Senate, we’re told, will take up the funding patch and clear it for President JOE BIDEN’s signature soon — perhaps even today. But this morning we’re going to look ahead and deliver some bad news when it comes to shutdown showdowns: They’re far from over. In fact, this week’s funding fight was only a warm-up for what’s coming in early 2024. Eventually, lawmakers are going to have to confront tough questions about how to handle long-term spending priorities, and the answers are going to divide not just Republicans and Democrats, but House and Senate Republicans and even members within the GOP on both sides of the Capitol. At the crux of the mess is whether Johnson will honor the spending levels his predecessor KEVIN McCARTHY agreed to last spring as part of his big debt ceiling agreement with the White House. You’ll recall McCarthy walked away from the toplines negotiated with Biden and instead instructed House GOP appropriators to write bills $120 billion cheaper. Senior GOP aides tell us this was always just a negotiating strategy, that McCarthy knew he’d eventually have to revert back to the original White House agreement but wanted to send a message to the Senate, which wanted to plus-up defense spending above the McCarthy-Biden deal. But now McCarthy is no longer speaker, and the months of wrangling have only raised expectations among conservatives that the House will fight to cut spending beyond the deal McCarthy cut. Johnson voted for that deal, but we’re told by senior GOP aides that he hasn’t yet decided whether he’ll ultimately honor it. Instead, he’s essentially carrying out the strategy McCarthy was following before his ouster: trying to pass the House’s full-year appropriations bills while trying to extract concessions from Democrats on border policy — a negotiation that has now shifted to the White House’s $106 billion supplemental request and, we’re told, will color how the border spending debate will play out. Here’s where things get tricky for Republicans: Baked into the May debt-limit deal was a circuit-breaker provision meant to prevent what is now happening from happening: a series of kick-the-can funding patches. It automatically imposes an across-the-board 1 percent spending cut if fiscal 2024 appropriation bills haven’t been passed by Jan. 1. (The cuts, however, don’t go into effect until April.) While there are plenty of conservatives who could happily accept those cuts, they would hit the Pentagon alongside every other government agency, and GOP defense hawks say that’s simply out of the question given Ukraine’s ongoing war with Russia, the war in the Middle East and increased threats to the homeland. That means Johnson is already under pressure not to just settle for a full-year CR, as some conservatives want. “That’d be pretty tough because of the Defense numbers,” said Sen. KEVIN CRAMER (R-N.D.), a former House member who visited Johnson’s office yesterday. “I think the closer he can stick to [the Biden-McCarthy deal], the better.” He added, “I do think consistency maintains trust. Sen. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-S.C.), meanwhile, remains adamant that Pentagon spending be increased above the McCarthy-Biden deal, telling Playbook that “the topline number is not sufficient for the threats we face.” Graham, who has spoken to Johnson and believes him to be sympathetic, wants lawmakers to include a general Pentagon plus-up as part of any supplemental. That leaves Johnson without many options. He’s ruled out another short-term CR. A full-year CR would generate pushback from defense hawks, as well as conservatives who don’t think a 1 percent cut is good enough. Trying to exempt defense from the sequester would generate fierce opposition from Democrats. And swallowing full-year spending bills written to the Biden-McCarthy levels would consume whatever goodwill he has remaining on his right. There’s one more option, of course: Fight. That would mean trying to force Democrats to accept lower spending levels than they’ve already agreed to, and it would almost certainly mean sparking a confrontation that would begin with a partial shutdown on Feb. 2, just days after the Iowa caucuses and potentially continue for weeks, exploding in the middle of the presidential primary season. All of this is to say: Enjoy your holiday break while you can. Related reads: “How the White House got to yes on an ‘unserious’ government funding proposal,” by Jennifer Haberkorn and Burgess Everett … “Conservatives hold back on Johnson ouster threat — but plot other payback,” by Jordain Carney, Olivia Beavers and Sarah Ferris Good Wednesday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. What are you approps staffers planning to do with your freed-up holiday season? Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza.
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Explore the impact. | | | BIDEN MEETS XI — President JOE BIDEN and Chinese President XI JINPING will sit across from each other at a historic Bay Area estate for their first face-to-face meeting in more than a year. Biden will hold a solo news conference afterward. Biden and his aides have been downplaying expectations for days. They’ve signaled there are no major deliverables expected out of the confab, which is happening on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco. Biden himself told reporters yesterday he would define success as getting “back on a normal course of corresponding: being able to pick up the phone and talk to one another when there’s a crisis, being able to make sure our militaries still have contact with one another.” And yet, the sitdown itself is consequential due to circumstances and timing, as Phelim Kine, Jonathan Lemire and Gavin Bade lay out: Biden is sitting down with his chief geopolitical rival after multiple tense episodes — NANCY PELOSI’s trip to Taiwan, the spy balloon saga, ongoing saber-rattling in the South China Sea — and hoping to settle things down “so the White House can instead focus its energy on Israel, Ukraine and the upcoming reelection campaign.” The list of discussion topics is long and consequential: the wars in Europe and the Middle East, fentanyl, artificial intelligence and lessening military tensions. You can also expect Biden to try to level-set and focus on fundamentals ahead of an election year, where Xi is certain to hear a lot of tough-on-China rhetoric from America’s top leaders. And, who knows, maybe he’ll bring up the pandas. Related reads: “Inside the remarkably intricate planning for Biden’s meeting with Xi,” by CNN’s MJ Lee and Kevin Liptak … “What America’s Top China Commission Is Worried About,” by Foreign Policy’s Rishi Iyengar … “For climate advocates, a well-timed meeting between Biden and Xi,” by NBC’s Lucas Thompson
| | | | A message from Meta:   | | | | | WHAT'S HAPPENING TODAY | | On the Hill The Senate will meet at 10 a.m. It will vote at 2:30 p.m. on a Congressional Review Act resolution to undo the Education Department’s income-driven student loan repayment plan. The Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will meet at 11 a.m. to vote on nominations including HARRY COKER JR. as White House national cyber director. The House will meet at 9 a.m. DHS Secretary ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS and FBI Director CHRISTOPHER WRAY will testify before a Homeland Security subcommittee on worldwide threats at 9 a.m. 3 things to watch …
- The days might be numbered for Sen. TOMMY TUBERVILLE’s (R-Ala.) blockade of military nominees. With yesterday’s party-line vote in the Senate Rules Committee, Democrats handed Senate Republicans a tool to end the standoff. It remains to be seen, however, if and when they will use it. Minority Leader MITCH McCONNELL hinted that day could come soon enough, saying before the panel vote that he opposed allowing en bloc confirmations of Pentagon nominees “at this time” — suggesting that times might change.
- Yesterday’s spasms of congressional near-violence won’t be immediately forgotten, if only because Rep. MATT GAETZ (R-Fla.) is requesting a House Ethics Committee investigation into what precisely transpired between McCarthy and Rep. TIM BURCHETT (R-Tenn.) in the Capitol basement. While Burchett appears ready to let the alleged assault go (after doing a round of media interviews detailing it), Gaetz isn’t. He cites “substantial evidence” that McCarthy breached his duty to “reflect creditably on the House” in demanding a probe.
- We might be on track to avoid a Christmas-time spending cliff, but there’s another year-end deadline that isn’t addressed in the CR: the surveillance program known as Section 702. Jordain Carney reports that House Intelligence Committee efforts to reauthorize the program are running into issues over the scope of circumstances where authorities might be forced to seek warrants.
At the White House Biden is in Northern California, where he’ll hold the bilateral with Xi at 2 p.m. Eastern time, followed by a press conference at 7:15 p.m. Eastern. Later, the Bidens will host a welcome reception for APEC leaders at the Exploratorium in San Francisco.
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Donald Trump leaves after speaking at a campaign rally in Claremont, New Hampshire, on Nov. 11, 2023. | Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images | TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS — For all the legal peril that Trump’s many ongoing court cases pose to him, there’s also the huge question of how they’ll affect his political fortunes in 2024 — either directly or indirectly. And there were two striking developments on that front yesterday: First, a Michigan judge declined to boot Trump off the ballot for a 14th Amendment challenge, the Detroit News’ Craig Mauger reports. Trump’s campaign welcomed the decision as a win, though it will be appealed. And second, Fulton County, Ga., DA FANI WILLIS told WaPo that Trump’s criminal election subversion trial in Atlanta — one of the gravest threats to him — may not conclude until early 2025, meaning it could crescendo in the final months of the campaign. Willis also requested an emergency protective order yesterday after news organizations published “proffer” videos with several of Trump’s co-defendants, a leak she called “disappointing.” Elsewhere in the legal system: Special counsel JACK SMITH’s team asked an appeals court to reinstate Judge TANYA CHUTKAN’s gag order on Trump, per NYT’s Alan Feuer. … Trump gave up on his attempt to have his STORMY DANIELS hush money case moved from state to federal court, CNN’s Kara Scannell and Devan Cole. … Two top Trump allies, Reps. ELISE STEFANIK (R-N.Y.) and MIKE TURNER (R-Ohio), want a criminal probe into MICHAEL COHEN’s admission that he lied to Congress, NBC’s Katherine Doyle scooped. TO TELL THE TRUTH SOCIAL — “Trump’s Truth Social faces ‘substantial doubt’ following financial losses,” by WaPo’s Drew Harwell JUDICIARY SQUARE THE PAUL PELOSI ATTACK — “David DePape describes far-right conspiracies that led him to Pelosi house,” by the S.F. Chronicle’s Annie Vainshtein: At his trial yesterday, DAVID “DePAPE sketched the contours of his worldview and his political leanings, both of which were heavily informed by conservative media personalities and podcasters.” The big picture: “What Paul Pelosi’s attacker has in common with Jan. 6 rioters,” by Dustin Gardiner: DePape’s attorneys “are effectively claiming that he was living in an alternate reality where [NANCY PELOSI’s] role as speaker of the House did not factor into his thinking. As a result, the trial has become something of a test — not just of DePape’s guilt or innocence, but of what happens when certain far-out strains of digital-age American radicalism collide with the criminal justice system.” SCOTUS STEPBACK — “Supreme Court’s New Ethics Code Is Toothless, Experts Say,” by NYT’s Adam Liptak … “The Supreme Court’s path to issuing an ethics code and the fine print,” by WaPo’s Ann Marimow and Robert Barnes: “Even the smallest of word changes from the lower-court code could have significant implications.” 2024 WATCH BILLIONAIRE SWEEPSTAKES — Citadel’s KEN GRIFFIN is getting close to deciding on whether to back NIKKI HALEY, he told Bloomberg TV: “We’re actively contemplating” the move. SURVEY SAYS — A new New Hampshire poll from Emerson finds Haley jumping to second place (though still way behind Trump) as Florida Gov. RON DeSANTIS falls to fourth behind CHRIS CHRISTIE. Meanwhile, a write-in Biden campaign leads (though not by a ton) in the symbolic Democratic primary, and Biden is up 3 over Trump in the general election with third-party candidates on the ballot. MANCHIN IN THE MIDDLE — Sen. JOE MANCHIN (D-W.Va.) told CBS’ Norah O’Donnell that he can’t vote for Trump next year — but he’s not sold on Biden, either, without some changes. REALITY CHECK — In The Atlantic, Nevada sage Jon Ralston writes that Biden’s situation in the state is not quite as dire as some recent polling suggests — but the race is definitely close, and the incumbent should worry. MORE POLITICS
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The Kentucky state Capitol in Frankfort, Ky., is pictured on April 7, 2021. | Timothy D. Easley/AP | DOWN BALLOT — Kansas and Kentucky aren’t typical places for Democrats to pump resources into the odd state legislative campaign. But the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee has its eye on breaking GOP supermajorities in states where they can override Democratic governors’ vetoes — and it plans to spend millions in those states plus North Carolina and Wisconsin to flip only a handful of seats, NYT’s Nick Corasaniti reports. Apart from tackling supermajorities, Democrats have their eyes on trying to flip chambers in Arizona, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania, The Messenger’s Dan Merica reports. But advocates voice the familiar concern that donors will focus on the top of the ticket and under-resource these efforts. More top reads:
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Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo speaks during an interview on April 18, 2018, in Dallas. | Brandon Wade/AP | HOW WE GOT HERE — In a revelatory POLITICO Magazine excerpt from his new book, “Network of Lies,” Brian Stelter traces the origins of the 2020 election fraud lies to a very specific source: MARIA BARTIROMO’s Fox interview with SIDNEY POWELL the day after the election was called for Biden. That’s when Powell first spouted conspiracy theories about Dominion Voting Systems; they were based on an email she’d just received from a woman who said that her own ideas were “wackadoodle,” that she was “internally decapitated” and that “The Wind tells me I’m a ghost.” This, Stelter writes, was the “Patient Zero” that led to the current situation in which a majority of GOP voters believe, wrongly, the election was stolen. “What Bartiromo began,” Stelter alleges, “destroyed America’s sense of a shared reality about the 2020 election, and the consequences will be felt for years to come.” CONGRESS ONE TO WATCH — “Push renewed for online child safety bill despite setbacks,” by Roll Call’s Gopal Ratnam: “Sen. MARIA CANTWELL, D-Wash., chair of the Senate Commerce Committee … said the Senate is on track to pass a package of child online safety measures this year and will attempt to pass federal data privacy legislation early next year.” IF AT FIRST YOU DON’T SUCCEED — Rep. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R-Ga.) vowed to bring forth her impeachment attempt against Mayorkas yet again, per the Washington Examiner’s Anna Giaritelli. JUST ANOTHER DAY IN FUCKNUTSVILLE — “James Comer Calls Dem a ‘Smurf’ During Meltdown Over Daily Beast Report,” by The Daily Beast’s AJ McDougall AMERICA AND THE WORLD BEHIND THE SCENES — “US Is Quietly Sending Israel More Ammunition, Missiles,” by Bloomberg’s Anthony Capaccio: “The weapons pipeline to Israel is extending beyond the well-publicized provision of Iron Dome interceptors and Boeing Co. smart bombs. It continues even as Biden administration officials increasingly caution Israel about trying to avoid civilian casualties.” In Washington: A major pro-Israel rally in D.C. yesterday featured emotional speeches from families of Israeli hostages, per CNN’s Holly Yan, Gabe Cohen and Katherine Grise. Thousands of demonstrators showed support for Israeli and condemned antisemitism while also voicing anguish at Palestinian civilian deaths. Congressional response: A newly forming Jewish Caucus will be a rare bipartisan gathering, as Rep. MAX MILLER (R-Ohio) joins House Democrats in the caucus, Axios’ Andrew Solender reports. Hot on the left: “Bernie Sanders faces blowback as progressives urge cease-fire in Gaza,” by WaPo’s Liz Goodwin: “[T]he senator has explicitly eschewed slogans and taken a more nuanced and cautious approach that has alienated many of his former staffers and supporters.” FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Marking the 40-day mark since their family members were taken hostage by Hamas, some of the loved ones today will meet with ROGER CARSTENS, the special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, followed by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Chair BEN CARDIN (D-Md.).
| | | | GET A BACKSTAGE PASS TO COP28 WITH GLOBAL PLAYBOOK: Get insider access to the conference that sets the tone of the global climate agenda with POLITICO's Global Playbook newsletter. Authored by Suzanne Lynch, Global Playbook delivers exclusive, daily insights and comprehensive coverage that will keep you informed about the most crucial climate summit of the year. Dive deep into the critical discussions and developments at COP28 from Nov. 30 to Dec. 12. SUBSCRIBE NOW. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Lisa Murkowski wants Mitt Romney to stop eating her salmon with ketchup. Does Janet Yellen like her Double-Double Animal Style? Markwayne Mullin kicked Tim Burchett out of his workout club due to a “lack of character.” John Fetterman wore an Israeli flag to yesterday’s march. Joe Biden sent flowers to Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt. SPOTTED: Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) having a conversation with TikTok’s Michael Beckerman while waiting in line for the Acela to D.C. on Monday. OUT AND ABOUT — SPOTTED at a party last night at Cafe Milano for Jonathan Karl’s new book, “Tired of Winning” ($32): Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Bob Woodward, Kim Godwin, Mike Allen, Jim VandeHei, Sarah Isgur, Chris Ruddy and Senay Bulbul, Sally Quinn, UAE Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba, Tom Nides, Cassidy Hutchinson, Eric Schultz, Juleanna Glover, Rick Klein, Betsy Klein, Liz Johnson, Chris Isham, Tammy Haddad, Shawn McCreesh, Jeremy Bash, Manu Raju, Josh Dawsey, Meridith McGraw, Sidney and Jackie Blumenthal, Bill Barr, Ron Bonjean, Brooke Brower, Margaret Carlson, Maureen Dowd, Justin Fishel, Sabina Ghebremedhin, Jonathan Greenberger, Kendall Heath, Mae Joo, Paul Kane, Allan Karl, Anna Karl, Emily Karl, James Karl, Maria Karl, Robert Karl, Alex Karl, Brittany Karl, Avery Miller, Terry Moran, John Parkinson, Ali Pecorin, Karl Rove, George Sanchez, Bob Schieffer, Rachel Scott, Ben Siegel, Margaret Talev, Audrey Taylor, Alex Thompson, Katherine Faulders, J. Michael Luttig, Quinn Scanlan, Frank Luntz and Annie Lehman. — At the 30th annual journalism awards dinner from The Fund for American Studies in NYC last night, Lucas Tomlinson presented the Kenneth Y. Tomlinson Award for Courageous Journalism to Fox News’ Benjamin Hall, who was significantly injured in Ukraine. “Supporting journalism is essential. It is the only way to encourage people to change the world,” Hall said. “And there’s only one way of doing that as a journalist. And that is by going into the field, looking people in the eyes. Smelling what it’s like, feeling it.” The Thomas L. Phillips Career Achievement Award was presented to City Journal’s Brian Anderson. Also SPOTTED: Greg Headen, Maryam Jimenez and Janette Nesheiwat. — Newly sworn-in Rep. Gabe Amo (D-R.I.) had a celebration yesterday evening at the Frost Group office. SPOTTED: Sens. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Rep. Seth Magaziner (D-R.I.), Yebbie Watkins, Julie Chávez Rodríguez, Stephen Neuman, Kamau Marshall, David Dietz, Thomas Winslow, Michael Halle, Dan Kanninen, Alexa Kissinger, Gareth Rhodes, Avra Stackpole, Isaac Fordjour and Nick Buis. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Democratic Latino research firm Equis Research is spinning off its disinformation work into the Digital Democracy Institute of the Americas, a stand-alone organization headed by Roberta Braga. It’ll work on countering disinformation across countries and languages and creating healthier information ecosystems. TRANSITIONS — Allison Nyholm is joining Elevate Government Affairs as an EVP. She previously was VP of policy at the American Council on Renewable Energy. … Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions is adding Sharone Waldman as director of grants management, Buse Atmaca as partnership coordinator and Ana Vivas Thomas and Zoya Dhakam as policy analysts. WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Jordan Wood, VP at Monument Advocacy and a Mike Pence alum, and Kaitlyn Wood, a Heritage Foundation alum, on Nov. 8 welcomed Michael Joseph Wood, who came in at 7 lbs, 8 oz. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Rep. Drew Ferguson (R-Ga.) … Fox News’ John Roberts ... AP’s Zeke Miller … Jen Palmieri … USDA’s Xochitl Torres Small … Amanda Renteria … Robert Draper … Gail Gitcho … WaPo’s Greg Miller … Molly O’Toole … Bill Signer of the Carmen Group … John Easton … Augie McGinnity-Wake … Jennifer Jones … Adam Snider … Laura Bernardini … Elliott Phaup of the Office of the National Cyber Director … Davan Maharaj … Joe Sandler … Jim Boyle … Helen Brosnan … CFPB’s Joe Valenti … Matthew Fried … Zach Bauer … Max Steele of Everytown for Gun Safety … Shannon-Elisabeth O’Hare … Ben Goodman … Economic Innovation Group’s August Benzow … Asha Rangappa … Elizabeth Daniels 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, producer Andrew Howard and Playbook Daily Briefing producer Callan Tansill-Suddath.
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