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Presented by Amazon: The unofficial guide to official Washington. | | | | |  | | By Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza and Rachael Bade | | | With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine
| | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | | SMOKE SCREENED — “Biden ban on menthol cigarettes to be delayed amid political concerns, officials say,” by WaPo’s Dan Diamond and David Ovalle: “Democrats have already voiced concerns that [President JOE] BIDEN’s flagging popularity could mean low turnout among Black voters whose political support propelled him to the White House. … Among smokers who are Black, 81 percent choose menthols, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.”
|  President Joe Biden speaks to the media on the South Lawn of the White House as he returns from Boston. | Jacquelyn Martin/AP | A TALE OF TWO CANDIDATES — If the 2024 presidential race is, as expected, a rematch between Biden and DONALD TRUMP, last night offered quite the split-screen preview of the campaign ahead. Biden, kicking off a five-day fundraising blitz, was in Boston headlining three events. The fundraisers, of course, are where you get the president unfiltered, unvarnished and frequently off-script. There was jokey Biden, noting that Trump “didn't show up at my inauguration, which I can't say was a disappointment," before adding to applause, "My guess is he won't show up at my next inauguration.” There was ill-advisedly candid Biden, telling donors “if Trump wasn’t running, I’m not sure I’d be running.” It’s a line that echoes his rationale for running in 2020 but hits completely different four years later, with his approval ratings in the tank and many Democratic honchos — not to mention voters — wary of his capabilities at age 81. (Upon returning to the White House, he clarified to reporters that he’d be running no matter what.) And then there was deadly serious Biden, sounding alarms about “running against an election-denier-in-chief” who is “determined to destroy American democracy.” “Trump’s not even hiding the ball anymore,” he said. “He’s telling us exactly what he wants to do. He’s making no bones about it.” As if on cue, Trump leaned in on the notion that his second term would constitute a revenge tour. At a Fox News town hall in Davenport, Iowa, host SEAN HANNITY tried to get Trump to play down the very concerns Biden was raising. Did Trump have “any plans whatsoever, if reelected president, to abuse power? To break the law? To use the government to go after people?” he asked. Trump deflected. Hannity tried again: “You are promising America tonight, you would never abuse this power as retribution against anybody?” “Except for Day 1,” Trump replied. He added later, “This guy [Hannity], he says, ‘You’re not going to be a dictator, are you? I said, ‘No, no, no — other than Day 1.’” The back-and-forth underscored just how sobering, nasty and unprecedented a Trump-Biden rematch promises to be. A presidential frontrunner idly musing about being a “dictator,” even for a day, is not normal stuff. Immediately after, Biden campaign manager JULIE CHAVEZ RODRIGUEZ released the following statement: “Donald Trump has been telling us exactly what he will do if he’s reelected and tonight he said he will be a dictator on day one. Americans should believe him.” DEMS AREN’T DONE WITH COACH — After nearly 10 months, it ended in a whimper: Sen. TOMMY TUBERVILLE (R-Ala.) unilaterally dropped nearly all of his holds on military nominees yesterday, clearing the way for hundreds of Senate confirmations. “I think we saw some success,” Tuberville said, without elaborating on what exactly he got. “We didn't get as much out of it as we wanted.” Apparently, neither have the White House or the Biden campaign, who have eagerly seized on Tuberville’s maneuver to paint Republicans at large as an extreme party that can’t be trusted with power. Biden quickly released a statement calling the blockade “pointless,” accusing Tuberville and his GOP allies of having “threatened our national security” and telling Americans, “I hope no one forgets what he did.” A Biden campaign aide, meanwhile, told us last night that “Coach” will continue playing into the re-elect’s messaging even with the confirmation fight mostly resolved. “What I think is understated is the unanimous support that Tommy Tuberville got from the leading Republican candidates running for president, not least of which Donald Trump, who bear hugged this man and supported his efforts that undermine our national security and made us a little bit less safe,” said the aide, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to speak candidly about the campaign’s plans.
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Learn how Amazon innovates for sellers. | | | DEBATE NIGHT — Tonight’s fourth GOP presidential debate in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, is the final scheduled showdown before the Jan. 15 Iowa caucuses, with the field whittled down to just four: RON DeSANTIS, NIKKI HALEY, VIVEK RAMASWAMY and CHRIS CHRISTIE. More debates could still be scheduled before Republican voters start voting. But it’s an appropriate time to take stock of what the series of Trumpless debates have meant to the race, and our Steve Shepard is out with a look at just that this morning. In short, Haley helped herself, Ramaswamy hurt himself, DeSantis did neither — and Trump appears to have made a wise calculation by skipping the whole thing. “[T]he data is clear,” Steve writes. “Haley’s rise can be clearly traced to her performance in the first three meetings between the candidates, as can Vivek Ramaswamy’s decline. Though he remains in second place, Ron DeSantis’ once-promising candidacy has stalled.” “But former President Donald Trump’s grip on the nomination has only strengthened, undisturbed by the debates ostensibly aimed at helping pick a nominee.” As for what to expect tonight, the smaller stage means more opportunities for extended tussling between the candidates. And you can expect plenty of drama between DeSantis and Haley, the two leading Trump alternatives. A senior Haley aide told us she is prepping for more frontal attacks from DeSantis, while the Florida governor’s camp is hoping to build on the momentum — and extra practice — he saw in his Fox News debate with California Gov. GAVIN NEWSOM last week. "We are now eager to go back to the primary and remind Republicans why Ron DeSantis is the only one on stage who can defeat Donald Trump for the nomination and Joe Biden for the White House to ensure those liberal policies are reversed and America’s revival gets kicked off,” said spokesperson ANDREW ROMEO. And then there’s the stakes for debate’s host, the fledgling NewsNation network, and its trio of moderators: NewsNation anchor ELIZABETH VARGAS, Fox-star-turned-star-podcaster MEGYN KELLY and Washington Free Beacon editor ELIANA JOHNSON. Vargas tells our Kelly Garrity that the trio will do their best to make Trump a main character in tonight’s debate, even if he is not on stage. “He's the person they all have to beat,” Vargas said, adding, “Because otherwise, up there just criticizing Joe Biden, you're basically all surrogates for Donald Trump.” Related reads: “Megyn Kelly Returns to the Debate Spotlight, This Time on NewsNation,” by NYT’s Michael M. Grynbaum … “Wednesday’s Republican Debate Is Opportunity to Shine for NewsNation,” by WSJ’s Isabella Simonetti … “How Donald Trump Taught Vivek Ramaswamy to Be a Bully,” by Kierra Frazier Good Wednesday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza. WAKE UP, READ PLAYBOOK — We have an exciting update for Playbook readers: Starting Dec. 18, all Playbook s will also receive Playbook PM every Monday through Friday. As a member of the Playbook community, you will get a double dose of scoops, storylines and analysis every weekday as we enter a newsy election year. No need to take action: You will receive your first PM edition on the 18th if you aren’t subscribed already. Thank you for being a part of the Playbook community. HAPPENING TODAY — ‘“Test case’ for America: Colorado’s top court poised to weigh Trump’s eligibility to run again,” by Erica Orden, Kyle Cheney and Zach Montellaro FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Rep. MARÍA ELVIRA SALAZAR (R-Fla.), who criticized the Biden administration Sunday for its Cuba policies after the arrest of a former U.S. ambassador on charges of spying for Cuba, is returning two donations that she received from that same ex-diplomat, Daniel Lippman reports. Last year, Salazar received two donations totaling $750 from MANUEL ROCHA, the former career Foreign Service diplomat and ex-U.S. ambassador to Bolivia who was arrested Friday after being accused of being a spy for Cuba since the early 1980s. It’s the only donation he appears to have made to any federal politician, according to FEC records. On Sunday, Salazar posted on X after Rocha’s arrest, using the opportunity to call on the Biden administration to toughen its stance on Cuba: “Havana doesn’t sleep in its effort to infiltrate our country and cause harm. The regime continues to be a danger to our national security. Biden administration, wake up!” After POLITICO inquired about the donation, a campaign spokesperson said Salazar would return the money and that she had no personal relationship with Rocha. “The Congresswoman believes that Rocha should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law and has completely betrayed the Miami exile community and United States of America,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
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Amazon provides tools, programs, and services to help independent sellers grow their brands. After leveraging Amazon’s marketing tools, “customers started buying our products right away,” said Kyle Goguen, owner of Pawstruck. Learn how Amazon powers small businesses. Sponsored by Amazon   | | | | | WHAT'S HAPPENING TODAY | | On the Hill The Senate will meet at 10 a.m. to resume consideration of the nomination of NATHALIE RAYES to be ambassador to Croatia. Top bank executives including BRIAN MOYNIHAN, JAMIE DIMON and JANE FRASER will testify before the Banking Committee at 9:30 a.m. The House will meet at 10 a.m. The Judiciary Committee will meet at 10 a.m. to mark up a Section 702 extension that adds new privacy protections. 3 things to watch …
- Tuberville’s decision to stand down yesterday freed more than 400 military nominations. But he is holding firm on a dozen top officers who are in line for four-star command positions, including the would-be leaders of Space Command and Cyber Command as well as the Navy’s Pacific fleet and Nuclear Propulsion Program. Getting them confirmed will require Schumer to either burn days of floor time or hope that the approaching holiday recess pressures Tuberville into accepting a deal.
- Lawmakers could vote as soon as today on censuring Rep. JAMAAL BOWMAN (D-N.Y.), who admitted and pleaded guilty last month to a misdemeanor for triggering a Capitol campus fire alarm back in September. That’s not even the toughest break Bowman’s dealing with this week: He’s about to face a formidable primary challenge from Westchester County Executive GEORGE LATIMER.
- VP KAMALA HARRIS finally broke JOHN C. CALHOUN’s nearly 200-year-old record for most tiebreaking Senate votes cast by a vice president, five months after she tied it. But with at least 13 more months to break ties in a narrowly divided Senate, she could very well become the BOB BEAMON of deadlocked votes — blowing past the previous record in dramatic fashion. She could pad her total as soon as this week, with a vote for Tenth Circuit judicial nominee on tap.
At the White House Biden will participate in a meeting with G7 leaders in the morning. Later, he will deliver remarks at the White House Tribal Nations Summit and attend a campaign reception at the St. Regis Hotel. Harris will deliver remarks at the White House Tribal Nations Summit in the afternoon and host a holiday reception in the evening with Second Gentleman DOUG EMHOFF.
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Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) speaks with an aide during a press conference at the U.S. Capitol Nov. 28, 2023. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | TIME TO VOTE — Movement toward passing Biden’s $106 billion supplemental aid package containing funding for the Ukraine war, Israel’s military campaign against Hamas and more appears to be stuck in deep partisan divides, and the best hope right now is that today’s Senate procedural vote — which is expected to fail — will reset the talks that would link Ukraine aid to a border security package. A messy closed-door Senate briefing yesterday afternoon was emblematic of the clash, WSJ’s Siobhan Hughes and Michelle Hackman report: “Underscoring the bad feelings, several Republicans left early, telling reporters that they learned no new information and that the meeting was a waste of their time.” Ukrainian President VOLODYMYR ZELENSKY, who was expected to address the senators via video link, canceled at the last minute. “The stalemate highlights the influence of a hard-line faction of the Republican party and the challenges of accommodating their concerns on critical policy issues,” they write, with key GOP figures continuing to insist on major border policy changes as part of any deal. Related read: “Sanders: ‘Absolutely irresponsible’ to give Israel unconditional aid,” by WaPo’s Leigh Ann Caldwell More top reads:
- Three of Rep. NANCY MACE’s (R-S.C.) senior staff members have exited the office in the past week amidst claims of a “toxic work environment, The Washington Examiner’s Reese Gorman scoops: “One source with direct knowledge of the matter said [chief of staff DAN] HANLON took the office popcorn machine on his way out.”
- Rep. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R-Ga.) accused fellow Georgia Rep. RICH McCORMICK of “assault” after he “put his hands on her shoulders” and shook her following an intense conversation in November, Olivia Beavers reports: “McCormick told POLITICO that he meant the interaction with Greene to be friendly — denying that it was a physical attack of any sort.”
- “Inside the Secret Meeting That Cleared the Way for Tom Suozzi’s Return,” by NYT’s Nicholas Fandos
2024 WATCH
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Yard signs promoting Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2024 line the street leading up to a GOP congressional fundraiser on May 13. 2023, in Sioux Center, Iowa. | Tom Beaumont/AP Photo | SUPER PAC ATTACK — Semafor’s Dave Weigel looks at how big super PACs, like the pro-DeSantis PAC Never Back Down, frequently struggle to keep their candidates afloat despite their ample resources. While relying on super PACs might ease financial burdens, candidates “surrender crucial control and lose the flexibility to course-correct” like they can with their own campaigns: “This became especially clear when Never Back Down catastrophically undermined DeSantis’ first debate after — because of coordination restrictions — they posted a highly specific game plan that was publicly accessible online.” More: “Another problem, shared by every super PAC, is that a system that puts no limits on what donors can give bestows great power on those donors — like the power to chat with reporters and set narratives — outside of any campaign’s sphere of influence. … The result of all this: Swirling, complicated, often annoying storylines that the candidates can do nothing to control.” More top reads:
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|  A man looks through a hole in the wall of a house as a result of rockets fired from the Gaza Strip, in Ashkelon, Israel, on Dec. 5, 2023. | Tsafrir Abayov/AP | LATEST IN THE MIDDLE EAST — As the Israel-Hamas conflict enters its third month, the Biden administration continues to grapple with the best ways to ensure that civilian fatalities in Gaza are kept to a minimum while also supporting Israel’s right to defend itself, NYT’s Peter Baker reports: “Administration officials insist they have meaningfully influenced Israel’s actions over the last few weeks thanks to the president’s approach .. But the nightly phone calls between Washington and Jerusalem have turned increasingly fraught and the public messages by some of the administration’s top officials have become sharper in recent days.” A messaging divide: “For the moment, Mr. Biden has left it to subordinates to deliver the tougher messages in public. … Mr. Biden himself, though, has measured his words and said little about Israel’s military assault on southern Gaza since it began a few days ago.” At a campaign event last night, Biden called on the international community last night to denounce the "horrific" sexual violence that Hamas perpetrated on women and girls, Myah Ward reports: “‘Hamas terrorists inflicting as much pain and suffering on women and girls as possible and then murdering them. It is appalling,’ Biden said during a campaign reception in Boston.” Related read: “Jayapal denies resolution condemning Hamas’ sexual violence is related to her comments,” by Nick Wu More top reads:
- Russia has rejected a new offer from the Biden administration to free American captives PAUL WHELAN and EVAN GERSHKOVICH, per the AP: “[State Department] Spokesman MATTHEW MILLER did not reveal the details of the offer nor why Russia had turned it down, but the revelation of the proposal was a fresh indication that Washington is continuing to try to negotiate with Moscow to get both men home.”
TRUMP CARDS JAN. 6 LATEST — DOJ Special Counsel JACK SMITH’s office is requesting to introduce evidence in the federal case against Trump that, while not specifically charged in the criminal indictment, demonstrates the former president’s “common plan of falsely blaming fraud for election results he does not like,” Kyle Cheney reports: “These details, known as 404(b) evidence, are commonly introduced in criminal matters to aid the jury’s ability to consider a defendant’s intent or motive.” YOU BETTER WATCH OUT — “A second Trump administration will ‘come after’ people in the media in the courts, an ally says,” by AP’s Michelle Price: “KASH PATEL, who was also chief of staff in the Defense Department and held a role on the National Security Council, made the comment on STEVE BANNON’S podcast.”
| | | | 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 | | Dean Phillips borrowed a line from Jeb Bush. Joni Ernst created a “naughty list” of federal agencies. Glenn Thompson shared his prostate cancer diagnosis. Kamala Harris, Janet Yellen, Shari Redstone, Suzanne Scott, Linda Thomas-Greenfield and more made Forbes’ list of the world’s 100 most powerful women. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Jennifer DeCasper is joining Targeted Victory’s public affairs practice as an EVP. She previously was campaign manager for South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott's 2024 presidential campaign and was also Scott’s longtime chief of staff in the Senate. — Justin Discigil will be VP at Ascent Media. He most recently was senior political director for Gov. Glenn Youngkin's Spirit of Virginia PAC and is a Dan Crenshaw alum. TRANSITIONS — Lucy Westerfield is now senior director of economy campaigns at the Hub Project. She most recently ran advocacy campaigns at Patients For Affordable Drugs, and is a Kirsten Gillibrand and Hillary Clinton campaign alum. … Marcus Frias is joining Cisco as senior comms manager for government affairs. He previously was senior manager of public affairs at Signal Group. … Camille Johnston will be VP of comms at John Hopkins University. She previously has been head of corporate affairs at Siemens and is a Obama White House alum. … Will Mascaro is now a legislative assistant for Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah). He previously was Defense, Foreign Affairs, and Health legislative assistant for Rep. Dave Joyce (R-Ohio). … Sophie Mestas will be press secretary at the Progressive Change Campaign Committee. She previously was a senior associate at Ridgely Walsh. ENGAGED — Sarah Hasse, an account director at Brunswick Group and a Trump White House alum, and JT Blodgett, a systems engineer at Lockheed Martin, got engaged recently in Florence, Italy. They met through mutual friends in 2019. OUT AND ABOUT — SPOTTED yesterday morning at a Capitol Hill Club breakfast for Virginia congressional candidate and Special Forces Green Beret Derrick Anderson, hosted by House Majority Leader Steve Scalise: Reps. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.), Rich McCormick (R-Ga.), Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.) and Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.). WEEKEND WEDDING — John Poulson, staff member for the Senate Homeland Security Emerging Threats and Spending Subcommittee and a Mike Gallagher alum, and Catherine Gilday, senior associate at Fannie Mae, got married on Saturday at the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament, followed by dinner and dancing at the Columbia Country Club in Chevy Chase, Maryland. The couple met in 2020. Pic … Another pic WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Winston Lord, founder of Lord Advisory, and Stephanie Lord, temporary director of prevention and response initiative at Vital Voices, welcomed Alvin Julian Dossou Lord on Sunday. He came in at 6 lbs, 6 oz and 20 inches long. He joins big siblings, Levi, Winston, Xavion and Tyson. Pic … Another pic HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Reps. Brittany Pettersen (D-Colo.) and Andrea Salinas (D-Ore.) … former Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood … Washington Examiner’s Hugo Gurdon … Julian Zelizer … Dave Lugar … Brian Mosteller … POLITICO’s Maggie Gall and Jamie Dettmer … Glenn Rushing … Maria Stainer … Nickie Titus … Michael Beresik of Sen. Mark Warner’s (D-Va.) office … Rachel Skaar of Sen. Michael Bennet’s (D-Colo.) office … Justin Melvin of the American Bankers Association … Thomas Culver of Sen. Jon Tester’s (D-Mont.) office … Robert Rivkin … former Sen. Don Nickles (R-Okla.) … former Rep. Mia Love (R-Utah) … Matt Chilliak … Robert Cresanti … USTR’s Angelica Annino … Bill Greene … Francis Brennan … Kimberlin Love … Evelyn Farkas … Trav Robertson … Nancy Brinker … Jerad Reimers … Sharon Eliza Nichols of Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton’s (D-D.C.) office … Joe Florio … Amy Call Well … Jeff Parcher … Ali Schmidt-Fellner 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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