The Playbook Podcast

Our colleague Betsy Woodruff Swan has an eye-popping story up this morning on a previously unreported DHS domestic-intelligence program, “one of many revelations in a wide-ranging tranche of internal documents reviewed by POLITICO. “Those documents also reveal that a significant number of employees in DHS’s intelligence office have raised concerns that the work they are doing could be illegal. Under the domestic-intelligence program, officials are allowed to seek interviews with just about anyone in the United States. That includes people held in immigrant detention centers, local jails, and federal prison. And while plenty of Republicans are eager to send Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to Washington, many of them have forgotten that he’s been here before. This morning, Playbook co-author Rachael Bade and Playbook editor Mike DeBonis discuss Rachael and Playbook producer Bethany Irvine's deep dive on DeSantis’ low-profile House tenure, interviewing over a dozen of his former colleagues about his six years among the back benches. Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter Raghu Manavalan is the host and senior editor of POLITICO's Playbook Daily Briefing.Jenny Ament is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

What’s more important: respecting the principle of D.C. self-governance, or staying on the right side of an explosive national issue? Yesterday, President Joe Biden chose politics over principle. It did not go over well with some Democrats. In November, the D.C. Council passed a major reform of the District’s criminal code. The legislation was vetoed by Mayor Muriel Bowser, who objected to reductions in penalties for some serious crimes, such as carjackings and home burglaries. In January, her veto was overridden by the council, 12-1. At the time, the White House issued a statement of administration policy opposing the resolution on the grounds that “denial of self-governance is an affront to the democratic values on which our Nation was founded.” An overwhelming majority of House Democrats voted against the resolution (31 Dems supported it). As the resolution was teed up in the Senate, it became conventional wisdom that Biden would veto it. That was incorrect. On Thursday, while addressing Senate Democrats, the president shocked Washington and declared that he would sign the measure if it reached his desk. “I support D.C. Statehood and home-rule,” Biden tweeted after the meeting, “but I don’t support some of the changes D.C. Council put forward over the Mayor’s objections — such as lowering penalties for carjackings. If the Senate votes to overturn what D.C. Council did — I’ll sign it.” Plus, Playbook editor Mike DeBonis catches up with national political correspondent Meridith McGraw who's on the ground at CPAC, the annual conservative conference. Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter Raghu Manavalan is the host and senior editor of POLITICO's Playbook Daily Briefing.Jenny Ament is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

Since Trump’s first appearance at CPAC in 2011, the conference had become an early venue for him to court the base of the Republican Party. Now, the fate of the Schlapp-era CPAC and Donald Trump himself are tied together. The annual event, which began yesterday in National Harbor, has been abandoned by most top GOP elected officials. The annual event, which began yesterday in National Harbor, has been abandoned by most top GOP elected officials. Here’s a breakdown: Senate GOP leadership: None attending. House GOP leadership: Only ELISE STEFANIK is attending. GOP governors: Only Idaho Gov. BRAD LITTLE. GOP presidential candidates, declared and undeclared: Trump, NIKKI HALEY, MIKE POMPEO and VIVEK RAMASWAMY. Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter Raghu Manavalan is the host and senior editor of POLITICO's Playbook Daily Briefing.Jenny Ament is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

A bipartisan group of six senators today will introduce the Railway Safety Act of 2023, legislation aimed at preventing a repeat of the toxic firestorm in East Palestine, Ohio, that followed the Feb. 4 derailment of a chemical train. According to a summary we saw last night, the legislation would: 1) require rail carriers to give advance notice to state emergency response officials before running trains carrying hazardous materials; 2) mandate trains run with at least two-person crews; 3) require better monitoring of railcar wheel bearings — which overheated in the Ohio train accident, according to the NTSB, and likely caused the train to jump the tracks — and 4) increase penalties for wrongdoing in the industry. AP’s Julie Carr Smyth with the scoop And as House Republicans ramp up their investigation into alleged politicization at the Justice Department, Attorney General Merrick Garland will use his opening statement at a congressional hearing today to defend the integrity of his workforce. Speaking at the Senate Judiciary Committee, Garland will emphasize how DOJ officials have worked to combat violent crime and hate crimes, to assist Ukraine officials in defending democracy and to “protect reproductive freedom,” according to an excerpt shared with Playbook. Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter Raghu Manavalan is the host and senior editor of POLITICO's Playbook Daily Briefing.Jenny Ament is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

Polls open in less than an hour in Chicago, where Mayor Lori Lightfoot faces eight rivals — and a very real chance of being shut out of the likely April 4 runoff election. A new poll from Victory Research finds the incumbent trailing both former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas and Cook County commissioner Brandon Johnson. Plus in just a few hours, President Joe Biden's student debt relief plan will come under the scrutiny of the Supreme Court, whose justices will decide in the months following today’s oral arguments whether the $400 billion program is constitutional. A lot more than debt relief for 40 million Americans is on the line. A broad ruling by the conservative high court might not only put a stake through Biden’s signature promise to young voters; it could cripple his plans to take executive action in other areas and leave federal policymaking more vulnerable to hostile states’ legal challenges. And the House Select Committee on China holds its first hearing this evening against a backdrop of rising trans-Pacific tensions, heightened by last month’s spy balloon revelations and recent speculation that China might overtly assist Russia with its invasion of Ukraine. The committee, operating so far with bipartisan cooperation, is supposed to take a look at the range of economic, technological and military concerns posed by China over the next two years. Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter Raghu Manavalan is the host and senior editor of POLITICO's Playbook Daily Briefing.Jenny Ament is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

Ron DeSantis's “The Courage to Be Free” will be released tomorrow, kicking off a media tour that is widely assumed to be the prelude to a formal announcement this spring that he’s running for president. The book rollout is taking full advantage of DeSantis’s relationship with the Rupert Murdoch media empire. The book is published by HarperCollins, which is owned by Murdoch’s News Corp. The first excerpt, “How the Florida blueprint can work for the whole US,” was published in the NY Post. Two authorized leaks from the book, one about his relationship with Trump and, early this morning, one about a private phone call with former Disney CEO Bob Chapek, have been published by foxnews.com. And DeSantis started his media tour last night by giving his first interview about the book to Mark Levin, on Fox News’s “Life, Liberty & Levin.” The 40-minute conversation was as friendly and fawning as you’d expect. After midnight, The New York Times published a review of the book by Jennifer Szalai, who is, to put it mildly, not impressed. Taken together the Levin interview and the Szalai review perfectly capture how the right and left are greeting the DeSantis 2024 rollout. Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter Raghu Manavalan is the host and senior editor of POLITICO's Playbook Daily Briefing.Jenny Ament is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

One year ago today, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an invasion of Ukraine that he thought would quickly topple the government in Kyiv, expose Western powers as feckless and hopelessly divided, and usher in a new, muscular era of Russian world power. He was wrong on all counts. But the toll of that decision has been immense. A year of unspeakable tragedy has left enormous questions about what lies ahead — more on that in a moment — but the history of this conflict is now beginning to be written. Our team has compiled a must-read oral history of the effort, told by those in highest echelons of power, including Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines. Plus, national security reporter Alex Ward recently attended the Munich Security Conference and visited Poland alongside President Biden's trip to the region, and shares the view from the ground. Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter Raghu Manavalan is the host and senior editor of POLITICO's Playbook Daily Briefing.Jenny Ament is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

Did Emily Kohrs just save Donald Trump from prosecution in Georgia? Kohrs is the 30-year-old woman from the Atlanta area who was between retail jobs last year when she was suddenly tasked with one of the most sensitive jobs in America: forewoman of the special grand jury investigating whether Trump and his allies committed any crimes in trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election in Georgia. The Kohrs-led jury listened to secret testimony for eight months last year and issued its findings and recommendations in a mostly secret report last week. The next step in the process is for FANI WILLIS, the district attorney of Fulton County, Ga., to decide whether she wants to indict anyone, which would require impaneling a new grand jury with the power to issue criminal charges. Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter Raghu Manavalan is the host and senior editor of POLITICO's Playbook Daily Briefing.Jenny Ament is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

With Congress out on recess and President Joe Biden still abroad, most of today’s marquee political events are happening outside of the beltway … — IN Iowa, Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) begins his “Faith In America” listening tour, dipping his toe in the proverbial water ahead of a possible 2024 campaign. And this morning, Playbook has exclusive excerpts from Scott’s speech. “Conservatism is my personal proof there is no ceiling in life. I can go as high as my character, my education, and my perseverance will take me. I bear witness to that,” Scott will say. “So, for those of you on the left, you can call me a prop, you can call me a token, you can call me the N-word, you can question my blackness, you can even call me ‘Uncle Tim.’ Just understand: Your words are no match for my evidence. … The truth of my life disproves your lies.” — IN Ohio, as former President Donald Trump visits the site of the toxic train derailment in East Palestine, Tanya Snyder, Alex Guillén and Adam Wren note that he’s handing Biden a political gift: a welcome contrast with his own record on rail safety regulations. — IN Georgia, a grand jury probing possible interference in the 2020 presidential election has recommended indictments for more than a dozen people, according to foreperson Emily Kohrs, who did an interview with NBC. That list, she said, “might” include Trump himself. “There are certainly names that you will recognize, yes. There are names also you might not recognize,” she said. Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter Raghu Manavalan is the host and senior editor of POLITICO's Playbook Daily Briefing.Jenny Ament is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

President Joe Biden is in Europe, reminding everyone that he’s commander in chief — even as Republicans back home are angling to try to take his job. Today, he’ll huddle with Polish President Andrzej Duda and give a speech at Warsaw Castle ahead of the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine later this week. The meeting comes as the media is still buzzing about his surprise visit to Kyiv — a risky endeavor that reportedly infuriated cronies of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who may respond as he delivers his annual parliamentary address today in Moscow. Meanwhile, on the home front, GOP presidential contenders are revving their engines. — In his Don’t-Call-It-A-Campaign-Yet campaign, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis hit up New York, Chicago and Philly yesterday, touting his tough-on-crime agenda and goading liberal cities and prosecutors as “woke” and out of touch. NYT’s Jonathan Weisman and Emma Fitzsimmons have more. NBC’s Natasha Korecki writes that in speaking to “the rank and file of some of the biggest police unions in the country, DeSantis was homing in on a specialized electorate Trump has owned since he first ran for president in 2016.” Tomorrow, Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) will head to Iowa, while former President Donald Trump will head to East Palestine, Ohio, the site of a train derailment two weeks ago that has unleashed toxic chemicals into the surrounding community. Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter Raghu Manavalan is the host and senior editor of POLITICO's Playbook Daily Briefing.Jenny Ament is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

Don Lemon may just be the luckiest man in cable TV. The “CNN This Morning” co-anchor set the media and political worlds ablaze yesterday morning with his on-air suggestion that GOP presidential contender Nikki Haley wasn’t “in her prime” at age 51. “A woman is considered to be in their prime in [their] 20s and 30s and maybe 40s,” he said. Yet by day’s end, the vicious backlash to Lemon’s remarks had been stunningly eclipsed by blockbuster revelations about CNN’s chief rival, Fox News Channel, revealed in a new court filing made public in the $1.6 billion lawsuit over Fox’s coverage of the 2020 presidential election results. The internal communications revealed by Dominion Voting Systems paint a stark and damning picture — a split screen between the false and conspiratorial claims beamed to Fox viewers about rigged Dominion voting machines, and the private, candid opinions of the network’s hosts and executives, who repeatedly admitted to each other that the claims were utter, unsourced garbage. And Labor Secretary Marty Walsh confirmed he's leaving the post in March to become the next Executive Director of the National Hockey League's Player Association. The question then, who will take over his seat in the Biden administration? West Wing Playbook co-author Eli Stokols shares some names he's heard as potential nominees. Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter Raghu Manavalan is the host and senior editor of POLITICO's Playbook Daily Briefing.Jenny Ament is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

Comets have staying power because they orbit the sun, while shooting stars burn up as they crash through the Earth’s atmosphere. The early take on Nikki Haley, who made her GOP presidential primary debut yesterday with a speech in Charleston, S.C., is that she’s more likely to shine brightly for a moment and then fall to Earth. “[H]ers will be a highly conventional campaign,” wrote Rich Lowry after watching her announcement video, and “there will be a number of other candidates with as strong or a stronger case to represent generational change.” In a pretty brutal editorial this morning, the Wall Street Journal says there is “no clear rationale for her candidacy.” Over at the Times, they assembled 10 pundits to assess Haley’s candidacy, and the majority opinion was that the two-term governor and former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations shouldn’t be taken very seriously. “Nikki Haley Will Not Be the Next President,” reads the headline. We are old enough to remember when pundits in 2015 declared that Donald Trump would never be president, and we can recall nights in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada in late 2019 and early 2020 when the same was said about Joe Biden. Haley acknowledged the low expectations set by the nattering nabobs. “I’ve been underestimated before,” she said. She entered politics in 2004 by defeating South Carolina’s longest-serving House member. In 2010, she leapt from the statehouse to the governor’s mansion after defeating a field of seasoned politicians in a GOP primary and overcoming her close association with disgraced Gov. Mark Sanford. Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter Raghu Manavalan is the host and senior editor of POLITICO's Playbook Daily Briefing.Jenny Ament is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

Happening today (offically offically) — “Haley enters the fray, a female candidate against a man known for mocking them,” by Natalie Allison in Charleston, S.C.: “Stepping out ahead of a field of men who spent the better part of two years mulling and flirting with a 2024 run, Nikki Haley marked her entrance into the Republican presidential primary with an announcement video and a formal event on Wednesday. And tonight, VP Kamala Harris will board Air Force Two for the Munich Security Conference, the annual confab of global political, defense and intelligence leaders. It stands to be the most critical foreign trip of her vice presidency — at least since last year’s trip to Bavaria. Plus, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), the oldest sitting senator at age 89, announced yesterday that she would retire at the end of her term in 2024. Playbook editor Mike DeBonis and deputy editor Zack Stanton reflect on her career in politics and what's next for her Senate seat. Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter Raghu Manavalan is the host and senior editor of POLITICO's Playbook Daily Briefing.Jenny Ament is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

“Pence to fight special counsel subpoena on Trump's 2020 election denial,” by Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein: Former VP Mike Pence “is set to argue that his former role as president of the Senate — therefore a member of the legislative branch — shields him from certain Justice Department demands. And the biggest subplot of the slowest-moving story In Washington — the partisan standoff over the federal debt ceiling — has so far centered on whether, absent a deal between President Joe Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy, moderate House Republicans might somehow band together with House Democrats to avoid a catastrophic default. The speculation has gone far enough to prompt several explainers about how it all might work — whether through a discharge petition or other obscure House procedures that could allow a bipartisan coalition to skirt conservatives’ spending-cut demands. Plus, it’s consumer price index day in DC, and once again, the economy faces an interesting conundrum. Economics reporter Victoria Guida breaks down what the Fed and the Biden administration are looking for. Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter Raghu Manavalan is the host and senior editor of POLITICO's Playbook Daily Briefing.Jenny Ament is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

For the fourth time in eight days, the U.S. shot down a flying object yesterday. The latest kill came above Lake Huron, near the border with Canada, after it had flown over part of Michigan, The Detroit News’ Melissa Nann Burke and Kim Kozlowski report. The Pentagon said an F-16 fighter jet took the object down with a Sidewinder missile at around 20,000 feet after determining that it posed no “kinetic military threat” but could potentially interfere with flight safety or conduct surveillance. Our Paul McLeary, Olivia Olander, Lara Seligman and Alexander Ward write that defense officials remain mum on the topic, “raising questions over the threat the objects could have represented to civilians across North America, what the purpose of the objects was, and why there has been a rash of detections and responses with fighter planes and guided missiles.”

Since 2009, the president has almost always sat down for an interview with the network broadcasting the Super Bowl. But ahead of Sunday’s big game, Fox News is worried Biden is freezing them out, Variety’s Brian Steinberg scooped. Though Fox didn’t demand any conditions for the interview, the White House hasn’t committed, and “executives at Fox News are proceeding as if it will not” happen. And Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott's “Rescue America” plan, which states, “All federal legislation sunsets in 5 years,” with no exceptions for Social Security and Medicare: “This is a bad idea. I think it will be a challenge for him to deal with this in his own reelection in Florida, a state with more elderly people than any other state in America.” More McConnell: “Speaker [Kevin] McCarthy said Social Security and Medicare are not to be touched, and I’ve said the same. And I think we’re in a more authoritative position to state what the position of the party is than any single senator.” (h/t AP’s Seung Min Kim) Scott world’s response, via longtime Scott spokesman Chris Hartline: “Lol. Rick Scott knows how to win Florida a hell of a lot better than Mitch McConnell does. Some DC Republicans can keep parroting Democrat lies, but that won’t stop Rick Scott from fighting for conservative principles instead of caving to Biden every day.” Reminder: After Biden called out “some Republicans” Tuesday for wanting to sunset Social Security and Medicare, Scott called the suggestion “a lie” but has not changed the wording of his plan. Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter Raghu Manavalan is the host and senior editor of POLITICO's Playbook Daily Briefing.Jenny Ament is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

After feeling lightheaded, Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) was admitted to GWU Hospital yesterday and stayed overnight for observation. “Initial tests did not show evidence of a new stroke, but doctors are running more tests,” his office announced in a statement. And as President Joe Biden visits Florida today, “he’s bringing more than just talking points,” writes Gary Fineout. “Biden will be giving beleaguered Florida Democrats a glimmer of hope that the rest of the party hasn’t written off the nation’s third most populous state after a crushing midterm. … [Dems say] Biden’s visit shows that Florida is still part of his re-election calculus.” Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter Raghu Manavalan is the host and senior editor of POLITICO's Playbook Daily Briefing.Jenny Ament is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

President Joe Biden had a few goals last night: 1. Remind his audience of his accomplishments over the last two years; 2. Reiterate his positions in the spending debate (no negotiations over the debt ceiling and no touching Social Security and Medicare); 3. Detail the most popular highlights of his 2023 agenda; and 4. Expose his congressional GOP opposition as unreasonable and chaotic. The speech accomplished the first three goals if you listened or read it carefully. But it will be best remembered for the dramatic clashes with jeering members of the GOP which may have done more than Biden ever could have hoped to accomplish goal No. 4. Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter Raghu Manavalan is the host and senior editor of POLITICO's Playbook Daily Briefing.Jenny Ament is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

In his prior trips to the House rostrum, President Joe Biden was flanked by symbols of unified Democratic power in Washington: VP Kamala Harris over his right shoulder and then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi over his left. When Biden arrives tonight for his State of the Union address, things will look different. A newly minted Republican speaker, Kevin McCarthy, will look down on Biden in a visual reminder of how power has shifted in Washington — and how Biden’s presidency will have to shift along with it. Yes, tonight’s address comes just weeks before Biden expected to announce his reelection campaign. Softening inflation, persistent growth and record-low unemployment have given him a strong economic record to sell even as he suddenly finds himself battling Republicans on a new front over his willingness to confront China. But we’re told not to expect a red-meat, campaign-style speech. Instead, expect a traditional presidential call for unity — and a subtler pitch for steady leadership over partisan chaos as Washington heads into a high-stakes standoff over the debt limit and long-term fiscal planning. Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter Raghu Manavalan is the host and senior editor of POLITICO's Playbook Daily Briefing.Jenny Ament is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

When President Joe Biden ascends the House rostrum tomorrow to deliver his State of the Union address, the buzz will hover tens of thousands of feet higher, where a Chinese surveillance balloon floated until it was shot down Saturday off the South Carolina coast. It’s a distraction Democrats aren’t exactly thrilled about. They’ve been hoping Biden could use the biggest bully pulpit of them all to tout their legislative victories of the past two years — moving to cut prescription drug prices, combat climate change, rebuild the nation’s infrastructure, tighten gun laws and protect same-sex marriage. They’re also eager for Biden to highlight a resilient economy and paint a sharp contrast with Hill Republicans while millions of voters tune in to watch. And yet, thanks to the balloon saga, it’s the GOP that’s relishing the chance to differentiate itself this week. Playbook editor Mike DeBonis and co-author Rachael Bade discuss what they'll be watching for as the week unfolds. Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter Raghu Manavalan is the host and senior editor of POLITICO's Playbook Daily Briefing.Jenny Ament is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

We have our first taste of how different conducting foreign policy will be for President Joe Biden now that Republicans control the House. The Pentagon revealed Thursday afternoon that it has detected and is tracking a large Chinese spy balloon floating in the stratosphere above Montana, where it was surveilling a nuclear missile base. The balloon, which entered U.S. airspace on Tuesday, is well above the altitude at which commercial aircraft fly, and Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder insisted that it “does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground.” Officials also noted that it’s not the first time one of these balloons has been spotted in American airspace in recent years — including during the Trump administration. But another official said the balloon has lingered longer than the others. “It is appearing to hang out for a long period of time this time around, more persistent than in previous instances,” the official said. D.C.-based China correspondent Phelim Kine joins to break down the reaction from Washington in the midst of already high tensions with China. Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter Raghu Manavalan is the host and senior editor of POLITICO's Playbook Daily Briefing.Jenny Ament is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

“The Cold Calculus Behind the Shrinking GOP Presidential Field.” Would-be Republican White House aspirants face a harsh reality: It’s not just Donald Trump who’s freezing the 2024 field, reports Jonathan Martin. As GOP strategist Scott Jennings puts it: “They don’t have a Trump problem, they have a [Ron] DeSantis problem.” But consider this: “[T]he history most on the minds of the Republicans considering the race, who are not named Trump or DeSantis, is what happens when there’s a bloody battle between top contenders. Spoiler: It augurs well for a third candidate.” And this afternoon, a subset of the Congressional Black Caucus will sit down with President Joe Biden and VP Kamala Harris to officially restart the push for police reform legislation following the funeral of Tyre Nichols, whose death last week at the hands of Memphis police has galvanized advocates for reform. Black lawmakers have zeroed in on their first and biggest request of Biden: a commitment to talk about policing in next week’s State of the Union. One CBC member told us the group is even considering telling Biden exactly what they want him to say — and that they expect him to bang the drum until legislation hits the Oval Office. Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter Raghu Manavalan is the host and senior editor of POLITICO's Playbook Daily Briefing.Jenny Ament is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

President Joe Biden and Rep. Kevin McCarthy are scheduled to meet today in the Oval Office at 3:15 p.m. Keep your expectations in check. “Boring,” a top White House official said, when we asked about the first one-on-one session between the president and new House speaker. “First meeting of a hundred to follow.” McCarthy has set a similarly low bar. “I think the first thing he should do,” McCarthy told reporters on Tuesday, “especially as president of the United States, is say he’s willing to sit down and find a common ground and negotiate together.” The White House released a memo setting its own limited priorities for the meeting, saying Biden will pose two questions to McCarthy today: “Will the Speaker commit to the bedrock principle that the United States will never default on its financial obligations…?” “When will Speaker McCarthy and House Republicans release their Budget?” Playbook co-author Rachael Bade stops by to explain what she'll be watching for when Biden and McCarthy meet later today. Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter Raghu Manavalan is the host and senior editor of POLITICO's Playbook Daily Briefing.Jenny Ament is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

One month into the House Republican majority, a clear picture is emerging of the problems Speaker Kevin McCarthy will face managing his slim, five-seat majority. (That is, if the chaotic speaker election didn’t make things clear enough.) Already, Republicans are scrambling to salvage red-meat proposals they’ve been talking about for months, whether it’s cracking down on the southwest border or targeting Omar’s committee seat. Yes, it’s early going, but the new majority’s struggles in passing messaging bills does not bode well for the more consequential legislation that will have to clear the House later on. “Nothing in a majority this narrow is going to be easy,” Rep. Bill Johnson (R-Ohio) said, in what we might call the understatement of the year. Two key dynamics we’re watching this week... Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter

The brutal and shocking video showing Tyre Nichols being beaten to death by Memphis police officers earlier this month prompted condemnation from all corners of Washington after it was released Friday. Whether it will prompt action is another matter. It has, for now, renewed behind-the-scenes conversations on Capitol Hill about the possibility of bipartisan policing legislation. Aides for key lawmakers on the issue, including Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Tim Scott (R-S.C.), as well as White House staff, made calls through the weekend to set the stage for further talks. To be clear, any negotiations will not start from a hopeful place. The last round of negotiations between Booker and Scott collapsed in September 2021 in a flurry of behind-the-scenes finger-pointing that threw the whole framework of a potential deal into question. Playbook editor Mike DeBonis joins the show to explain how policing reform efforts might look in Congress.

Later this morning, RNC members here at a five-star resort on the Pacific Ocean will pile into a private conference room and elect the organization’s next chair after a weekslong, bitter campaign pitting incumbent Ronna McDaniel against top challenger Harmeet Dhillon. While McDaniel remains the favorite, Dhillon’s team has been working overtime since they arrived, and there are unmistakable signs she’s made headway. Just days ago, she had fewer than 30 of the 168 RNC members publicly endorsing her compared to more than 100 who had backed McDaniel in an open letter after the midterms. The race’s new fluidity comes as members wrangle with one big question in increasingly urgent tones: What does this race say about Donald Trump's hold on the GOP? Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter

With a catastrophic federal default potentially months away, Wall Street and the rest of America is reacting with a big yawn — and, honestly, can you blame them? The high-stakes debt standoffs of Barack Obama's presidency each ended with last-second deals that avoided economic calamity and saved face for all the principals involved. Washington went on to lift the debt limit four more times with minimal drama. So why are so many veterans of the first modern debt ceiling showdown freaking out? Across party lines and perspectives from both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue, those who lived through the 2011 showdown agree on one thing: This time feels different — and they are terrified that it will end with the country in financial ruin, as Eugene Daniels and Adam Cancryn report this morning. And Donald Trump can now return to Facebook and Instagram following a decision by Meta that will end the former president’s two-year suspension from the platforms. More from Rebecca Kern The view from Meta: “The public should be able to hear what their politicians are saying — the good, the bad and the ugly — so that they can make informed choices at the ballot box,” Meta policy guru Nick Clegg said. Read Meta’s full blog announcement Politco tech reporter Rebecca Kern joins the show with more details. Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter

On Tuesday, Kevin McCarthy officially booted Reps. Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell from the House Intelligence Committee. In a letter that was short on details about the two California Democrats’ sins, the new House speaker referred to “integrity,” “honesty” and “credibility” as driving his decision. It is no surprise that reporters immediately asked McCarthy how his expulsion of the two Democrats for alleged dishonesty squares with his hands-off approach to another well-known congressman: Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.), who has lied about … well, pretty much everything … and was recently given assignments on two House committees. Our colleague Jessica Piper reports this morning on some rather unusual disbursements included in Santos’ campaign finance reports. “Santos’ congressional campaign reported dozens of transactions just cents below the threshold that would have triggered a requirement to preserve spending records — an unusual spending pattern that is now part of broader complaints about alleged financial improprieties." Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter

Speaker Kevin McCarthy issued the new GOP roster for the House Rules Committee Monday, and he made good on his pledges to give his conference’s hard right a foothold on the powerful panel, naming Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) and Chip Roy (R-Texas) to the powerful gatekeeping panel. Norman and Roy were among the cadre initially opposing McCarthy’s speaker bid, and Massie is — how to put it? — a real pain in leadership’s ass. And our colleagues Ally Mutnick and Sarah Ferris have an exclusive report on the rift that is splitting the influential Blue Dog Coalition nearly in half following an internal dispute over whether to rebrand the moderate Democratic group. Seven of the 15 members, including Reps. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) and Mikie Sherill (D-N.J.), are on their way out, which will leave the group with only men as its members and the smallest roster in decades. Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter

The biggest moment yet in the 2024 election cycle happens later this week in Dana Point, Calif., where RNC members will choose their next leader — and incumbent Chair Ronna McDaniel faces an unexpected fight for a fourth two-year term. McDaniel is still the favorite, but the race has turned contentious: Attorney Harmeet Dhillon, who backed Donald Trump's attempt to throw out the 2020 election results and represented him before the House’s Jan. 6 panel, is challenging McDaniel, blaming her for the GOP’s abysmal midterm performance. (MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell is also running, but few RNC members take him seriously. Plus, Congress is back in session this week, with debt ceiling negotiations taking center stage. And, Jeff Zients will take over for Chief of Staff Ron Klain. Playbook editor Mike DeBonis and co-author Rachael Bade discuss what to watch in the day ahead. Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter

President Joe Biden was sworn in two years ago today. To mark the occasion, White House Comms Director Kate Bedingfield is sending congressional Dems and other allies this “Cheat Sheet” of the president’s accomplishments to tout. It’s worth a read to understand the emerging Biden reelection message — note the heavy emphasis on a manufacturing renaissance — which these talking points contend “is in contrast to MAGA Republicans in Congress who are creating chaos and proposing an extreme and divisive agenda.” Meanwhile, AP’s Aamer Madhani tells the story of Biden’s first two years “by the numbers,” which he reports “is a mixed bag”: “It includes a long-sought $1 trillion bill to shore up the nation’s bridges, roads and other infrastructure, but also the unwelcome milestone of historic inflation. There’s been a huge number of COVID-19 vaccinations, but nearly 680,000 people have died of the disease. Biden has visited three dozen states and spent all or part of nearly 200 days in his home state of Delaware.” We wouldn’t be us if we didn’t flag this entry on the AP’s list: “21: Biden held fewer solo or joint news conferences than his three most recent predecessors at the same point in their presidencies.” Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter

Just days after House Democrats announced impeachment proceedings against Donald Trump in 2019, House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy faced an unwanted pressure campaign from the president’s closest allies. McCarthy refused — centrists, he believed, would have more credibility when they called foul on the Democrats’ impeachment process. Trump allies, meanwhile, would be dismissed by persuadable voters as knee-jerk partisans playing to an audience of one. That strategy has now flown the coop. McCarthy this week rewarded Trump’s most bombastic allies — including some of the members who initially opposed him as speaker — with seats on the high-profile House Oversight Committee, ground zero for the GOP’s investigations of President Joe Biden. Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter

NBC’s Scott Wong and Kyle Stewart did the work on putting together a comprehensive list of where all of the antagonizers who slowed McCarthy’s ascension to the speakership ended up after committee assignments were settled Tuesday. A few of the notables: Reps. Andy Biggs (R- Ariz.), Dan Bishop (R-N.C.) and Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) kept their seats on the Judiciary Committee; Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), who like Biggs and Gaetz voted ‘present’ on the final ballots, won a seat on the Oversight and Accountability Committee, in addition to keeping her seat on Natural Resources; Rep. Michael Cloud (R-Texas) won a spot on the coveted Appropriations Committee; and Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), who was nominated to run against McCarthy for speaker and flipped to him on the 12th ballot, was awarded a seat on Financial Services as well as a spot on the House GOP steering committee, which doles out panel assignments. And Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is getting prodded to jump into the 2024 presidential primary field from an unexpected — and distant — camp: Michigan Republicans. “Last month, Bryan , the Republican floor leader in the Michigan state House, flew to Florida and hand-delivered DeSantis a letter encouraging him to run for president,” our colleague Alex Isenstadt reports this morning. “The letter — which was signed by 18 Republican members of the state House, one quarter of the party’s caucus — called DeSantis ‘uniquely and exceptionally qualified to provide the leadership and competence that is, unfortunately, missing’” in the White House. “While the letter doesn’t explicitly endorse DeSantis over [Donald Trump], it illustrates simmering discontent with the former president among Republicans, following a series of elections that saw the party get bludgeoned at the ballot box,” Alex writes. Plus, Playbook editor Mike DeBonis and deputy Zack Stanton look at how senate primaries are starting to take shape ahead of the 2024 cycle, including in the pivotal battleground state Michigan. Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter Raghu Manavalan is the host and senior editor of POLITICO's Playbook Daily Briefing.Jenny Ament is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

Today, ambitious Indiana Republican Rep. Jim Banks launches his bid to replace retiring GOP Sen. Mike Braun. (Watch his announcement video here.) The 42-year-old former chair of the Republican Study Committee is widely seen as the favorite in the race, which has already attracted interest from fellow Rep. Victoria Spartz. But he could face a challenging primary if former Hoosier State Gov. Mitch Daniels jumps in. And, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen sent a letter to Speaker Kevin McCarthy and other congressional leaders last Friday urging Congress to act “promptly” to raise the debt ceiling and avoid defaulting. Yellen writes that the debt is projected to reach its “statutory limit” this Thursday, though she says it is “unlikely that cash and extraordinary measures will be exhausted before early June.” Playbook editor Mike DeBonis and deputy Zack Stanton discuss the upcoming fight over debt ceiling and the state of Indiana's GOP senate primary. Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter Raghu Manavalan is the host and senior editor of POLITICO's Playbook Daily Briefing.Jenny Ament is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

In a September interview with CBS’ Scott Pelley for “60 Minutes,” President Joe Biden blasted Donald Trump for taking sensitive classified materials with him to Mar-a-Lago. When he learned the news, Biden said he instantly wanted to know “how that could possibly happen.” He worried that the documents contained information “that may compromise sources and methods.” He was flummoxed how “anyone could be that irresponsible.” Now, four months later, those same pointed reactions are aimed at Biden after the revelation yesterday that a trove of classified documents were discovered in the garage at his home in Wilmington, Del. — prompting AG Merrick Garland to appoint former U.S. Attorney Robert Hur as special counsel to probe Biden’s handling of classified documents. For the White House, it’s a burgeoning political nightmare that comes just as Biden tries to draw a contrast with the new House Republican majority, which the administration is eager to cast as chaotic and irresponsible. Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter Raghu Manavalan is the host and senior editor of POLITICO's Playbook Daily Briefing.Jenny Ament is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

January is a time of new beginnings in Washington. A new Congress. A new Republican-led House. A new speaker, Kevin McCarthy. New investigations into Biden by GOP-helmed committees. And now, in light of all of the above, there’s a new effort from the White House to go on offense against Republicans like never before. Like so many Washington trends these days, it started with a tweet. “It’s a giant tax cut for rich tax cheats. Bill #1 from the new House GOP,” Ron Klain, the very online White House chief of staff, wrote in a Monday afternoon tweet about an effort to roll back Biden’s IRS funding boost. Later that evening, VP Kamala Harris echoed the sentiment, accusing House Republicans of “rushing to … allow too many millionaires, billionaires and corporations to cheat the system.” On its face, those messages can seem fairly run-of-the-mill. Playbook deputy editor Zack Stanton and co-author Eugene Daniels discuss how a closer look reveals the change at hand — one informed by a few key calculations. Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter Raghu Manavalan is the host and senior editor of POLITICO's Playbook Daily Briefing.Jenny Ament is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

Most listeners to this show or readers of the Playbook newsletter didn’t know Blake Hounshell, but all of you were influenced by him. He nurtured and mentored dozens of young journalists who now populate virtually every significant news organization. He plucked brilliant academics from obscurity and turned them into influential writers. He shaped the world of online political news, newsletters and social media for over a decade at Foreign Policy, POLITICO and The New York Times. He put together the current incarnation of Playbook. He helped create POLITICO Magazine. He taught beat reporters how to become longform storytellers. He relentlessly spotted and recruited new talent. He was a terrific reporter with a rare breadth of knowledge — just go read his archive of stories over the last two years at the Times. “Blake had lots of insights,” our Sam Stein noted to us last night. “And observations. And advice. He was informed but inquisitive; hyperactive but not overbearing. Those were qualities that made him a great editor. “What made him a brilliant one was that he loved to stir up shit. When … he hired me for the role of White House editor, he said he was eager to cause ‘some good trouble.’ He loved to push the envelope. He wanted to build: stories and newsrooms and products. And he did. Great ones. What a wonderful legacy to leave.” We lost Blake yesterday. It was sudden and baffling. His friends were texting and emailing with him — about dinner plans and story ideas and a new class he was set to teach at NYU. He was tweeting. And then he was gone. He committed suicide after a long struggle with depression. Blake was a singular figure in Washington journalism, and we asked those who knew Blake best to share some remembrances of him. We were ultimately overwhelmed by the extraordinary array of Playbookers whose lives he had touched — so many, in fact, that we’re hard-pressed to share them all here. Uncut, those tributes run to 13 pages, and we’d love to hear more still: [email protected]. Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter Raghu Manavalan is the host and senior editor of POLITICO's Playbook Daily Briefing.Jenny Ament is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

For President Joe Biden, it was an inconvenient discovery — and the potential source of considerable future political, if not legal heartburn. The Justice Department is investigating how and why classified documents from Biden’s time as veep made their way from the White House to a think tank, the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement, where he used to have an office. CBS’ Adriana Diaz, Andres Triay and Arden Farhi scooped the news last night, and White House special counsel Richard Sauber confirmed the November discovery and subsequent federal probe, noting in a statement that Biden’s “personal attorneys have cooperated with the Archives and the Department of Justice in a process to ensure that any Obama-Biden Administration records are appropriately in the possession of the Archives.” Nedless to say, newly empowered Republicans see the circumstances here as a hell of a lot more than inconvenient — seizing on superficial similarities between this discovery and the August search and seizure of more than 100 classified documents from President Donald Trump’s home in Florida.

The rules package that will govern how the House operates this session is scheduled for a vote this evening. It’s shaping up as Speaker Kevin McCarthy's first big test in governing what is shaping up to be an ungovernable Republican majority. The package is the closest thing to a contract drawn up between McCarthy and his internal critics. Alongside various side deals dealing with committee assignments, budget policy and other matters, the rules changes define the devolution of power away from leadership and towards the House Freedom Caucus. If tonight’s vote goes down, the entire project unravels. And President Joe Biden will meet with Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador at the North American Leaders’ Summit in Mexico City – the pair are expected to talk through trade issues, drug trafficking, and migration. Playbook editor Mike DeBonis and deputy editor Zack Stanton break down the day ahead in DC. Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter Raghu Manavalan is the host and senior editor of POLITICO's Playbook Daily Briefing.Jenny Ament is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

Around Christmas, Texas Republican Rep. Roger Williams’ wife suffered a medical emergency. This week, as she underwent treatment, her husband was eager to be by her side. Instead, he has been stuck in Washington taking failed vote after failed vote in Kevin McCarthy's quest to become speaker. “This is killing him,” one of Williams’ GOP lawmaker friends told us late Thursday night. “I’ve never seen Roger as down as he was yesterday.” Williams isn’t alone. On Thursday, Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) felt ill; his colleagues had to convince him it was OK to duck out of the speakership drama and go home for rest. Rep.-elect Wesley Hunt (R-Texas) is eager to return to Texas after his wife gave birth this week. Rep. Kevin Hern's (R-Okla.) mother died this week; he wants to attend her funeral on Saturday. “There’s a lot more at stake than whether Kevin McCarthy’s going to be able to get the gavel,” the aforementioned GOP lawmaker told us. “We’ve got lives that are being impacted right now, and this is tough for people.” There’s been wall-to-wall coverage of the 20 anti-McCarthy rebels. But as the GOP leader faces down what will likely be his 12th failed bid for the gavel today, the story is about to shift to McCarthy’s increasingly tenuous support network. Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter Raghu Manavalan is the host and senior editor of POLITICO's Playbook Daily Briefing.Jenny Ament is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

After spending the last 48 hours on life support, Kevin McCarthy's bid for the speakership is seeing a potential revival. Following a rollercoaster of a Wednesday during which the California Republican failed three more times to secure the 218 votes for the gavel, McCarthy and some of his critics finally got in a room and had what both sides are describing as productive conversations. This morning, after slamming coffee at midnight and working the phones until the wee hours, we have a readout of new concessions McCarthy has offered his critics and where things stand. Will this be enough to land McCarthy the speakership? That’s TBD. Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter Raghu Manavalan is the host and senior editor of POLITICO's Playbook Daily Briefing.Jenny Ament is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

So how does this end? And how long will it take to end it? Those are the questions towering over the new House Republican majority, which for the first time in 100 years, found itself unable to choose a speaker on the first ballot — or two others afterward. The House is now paralyzed, unable to swear in its members or form committees or adopt rules — let alone pass legislation. And the scary realization for the GOP rank-and-file is that there’s no easy way out of this mess and no sign that one is going to appear anytime soon. Playbook editor Mike DeBonis and co-author Rachael Bade break it all down, plus West Wing Playbook co-author and White House correspondent Eli Stokols stops by to discuss the view from the Biden administration. Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter Raghu Manavalan is the host and senior editor of POLITICO's Playbook Daily Briefing.Jenny Ament is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

Welcome to the 118th Congress, the new Republican House majority, and one of the most unpredictable and potentially chaotic scenarios we’ve seen on Capitol Hill. The House will gavel in at noon, and following a prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance and a quorum call, the clerk will immediately start the live roll call to elect the next speaker. GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy, however, still hasn’t clinched the votes he needs, and the day could drag late into the night, we’re told, as Republicans grapple with choosing their leader. Be prepared for surprises and a lot of drama. Even veteran lawmakers who emerged from meetings with McCarthy on Monday evening weren’t entirely sure how this will all shake out. We’re told that McCarthy’s plan, however, is to continue voting — over and over again — in a bid to wear down his detractors until he gets the gavel. Playbook editor Mike DeBonis and co-author Rachael Bade discuss the long day ahead for Kevin McCarthy. Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter Raghu Manavalan is the host and senior editor of POLITICO's Playbook Daily Briefing.Jenny Ament is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

The Jan. 6 committee released its final report on Thursday night — an 845-page document drawn from nearly 1,200 witness interviews and reams of hard-won documents that places Donald Trump at the center of the deadly assault. POLITICO's Kyle Cheney and Nicolas Wu write “Trump’s incendiary lies about the 2020 election activated an extraordinary coalition of far-right militants and conspiracy theorists who not only joined the mob but were its vanguard smashing through police lines." Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.) — a "Never Kevin" Republican — would likely be dismissed by his colleagues as a gadfly. But given the unexpectedly slim House majority the GOP gained in November, Good and a handful of like-minded conservatives hold McCarthy’s fate in their hands — and stand ready to wield considerable power next year, no matter who ends up as speaker. Playbook co-author Rachael Bade sat down with Good for the Playbook Deep Dive podcast this week to try to understand the rebellion brewing against McCarthy. We learned that Good & Co. are formulating a plan for the Jan. 3 speaker vote. He said Anti-McCarthy members are currently plotting to back Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) on the first ballot to prove McCarthy can’t get the gavel. But once the second ballot is called, they’ll begin coalescing around another, unnamed candidate — a GOP lawmaker most have already agreed upon, Good said, but one that he will not name for fear of hurting this person’s candidacy. While Playbook reported extensively this week on the quiet effort to prepare No. 2 leader Steve Scalise as an alternative, Good stayed mum, explaining that this person, quote “cannot be part of, and they are not part of, the effort to block McCarthy.”

Sean McElwee is a well-known progressive activist who started the “Abolish ICE” movement and in 2018 founded Data for Progress, a progressive think tank with an emphasis on influencing public policy through polling. DFP quickly embedded itself into the top layers of the Democratic firmament. More recently, McElwee became a close political ally and adviser to FTX founder SAM BANKMAN-FRIED. McElwee had easy access to the White House and the press. And he made sure they had access to him. He kept an open Slack channel at DFP that became a rolling conversation between McElwee, Biden administration officials, and some well-known reporters. On Saturday, November 12, the day after FTX filed for bankruptcy and SBF resigned as CEO, McElwee abruptly shuttered the Slack channel. Six days later, he and Data for Progress began negotiating his exit from the firm he had built. At the time, the reported reason for the rupture was that McElwee’s well-known penchant for betting on the outcomes of elections created a conflict of interest for a polling firm. A slew of 2022 DFP polls had a GOP bias, and activists on Twitter— as well as some prominent Democrats pinging reporters— asked whether McElwee was cooking DFP’s polls to affect races and cash in. Sources at DFP insist that this would have been highly unlikely, and that their polls had a GOP bias because of an oversampling of respondents via SMS. In the wake of this, DFP recently adopted a previously unreported “Gambling and Wagering Policy” that prohibits employees from betting on anything related to DFP projects or clients. The McElwee-DFP breakup was ugly, but the two sides were trying to negotiate an amicable separation agreement and a severance. Then on Dec. 13, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York unsealed an eight-count indictment against SBF. The first seven counts, which were about financial crimes, garnered the most attention. But it was the eighth count that turned heads in Washington, alleging a straw-donor scheme in which SBF funneled corporate money to candidates and committees through third parties. And SDNY alleged that SBF had help: SBF “and others known and unknown,” the indictment says, made contributions “in the names of other persons.” In the race to figure out who might have helped SBF make straw donations, McElwee’s name was at the top of the list. The leadership at DFP suddenly feared they could be in the middle of a much bigger scandal.

It's that time of year: the omnibus has dropped. This time it's a $1.7 trillion dollar whopper, with appropriations filling out more than 4,000 pages. Right after the bill dropped on Tuesday, we looked at some of the most notable big-ticket inclusions and omissions in the text of the omnibus government spending bill released overnight, from Electoral Count Act reform to Ukraine aid to the expanded child tax credit. But in such a behemoth, there are plenty more consequential policy decisions to dig into. Playbook editor Mike DeBonis and Playbook reporter Eli Okun discuss what's inside — and what's not.

Democrats are scouring the record of Rep.-elect George Santos to determine their next steps following an extraordinary New York Times investigation of the incoming Republican from Long Island that revealed a history of seemingly fraudulent claims. Democrats are pondering how far to go in their condemnation. Should he be referred to the House Ethics Committee? (Almost certainly.) Should they call for his resignation before he is sworn in? (Some say yes.) Should they call for his expulsion after he’s sworn in? (Probably, but with the GOP in charge it won’t work.) Or should they try to prevent him from being sworn in at all?

This looks like it will be the final week of the 117th Congress… and it’s going to be a busy one. The clock is ticking on the Democratic House majority, and they are looking to wrap up some unfinished business before Republicans move in and take control. Number one on that list is to close out the Jan. 6 select committee, the panel created last year to investigate the attack on the Capitol by angry Donald Trump supporters. Another unanswered question for House Democrats: what to do with Trump’s taxes? Tomorrow the Ways and Means Committee is set to meet and hash that out. The real must-do on the list however is to pass a bill funding the government. Congress has until Friday to do that, and it appears this morning they are on track to do so. But there is some unresolved intrigue surrounding what might get attached to the big year-end bill. Be sure to subscribe to the Playbook newsletter if you haven’t – www.politico.com/playbook.And follow the POLITICO Playbook team @playbookdc.

The latest news this morning comes via our colleagues Olivia Beavers, Jordain Carney and Sarah Ferris, who note that McCarthy is now “punting conferencewide races for committee leadership slots until after his speaker election on Jan. 3,” which could “incapacitate Republicans during a crucial planning period, virtually guaranteeing a sluggish start for the new House majority.” McCarthy can’t risk pissing off members who lose these races to run House Committees. The downside of this delay is stark: “days, if not weeks, of uncertainty for GOP committees as they begin their stint in the majority. Some of the most important panels, including those charged with tax-writing and border security, won’t be able to prepare bills, tee up hearings, or even hire staff. While some House committees already have uncontested leaders in place, those chairs won’t be able to choose their member lineup or potentially pay staff. The GOP’s subpoena power, too, will be frozen.” Plus, deputy editor Zack Stanton and co-author Eugene Daniels recap Eugene's trip to the White House Holiday Party. Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter Raghu Manavalan is the Host and Senior Editor of POLITICO's Playbook Daily Briefing.Jenny Ament is the Executive Producer of POLITICO Audio.

On Friday, after a group of seven House conservatives issued a public letter outlining the demands that GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy would need to meet to win their support in his bid for speaker, a key McCarthy backer quietly reached out to several moderate Republicans with a request, according to people familiar with the conversations. The Freedom Caucus rabble-rousers had reiterated their demand that McCarthy restore a 200-year-old, now-infamous House rule known as the “motion to vacate,” which allows any one member to force a floor vote to oust the speaker at any moment. McCarthy’s camp wanted the centrists to push back hard on the proposal, which the speaker-hopeful fiercely opposes. If they did, McCarthy would be able to point to their opposition, say his hands are tied and refuse to give in to conservatives’ demands. McCarthy’s office declined to comment to Playbook. Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter Raghu Manavalan is the Host and Senior Editor of POLITICO's Playbook Daily Briefing.Jenny Ament is the Executive Producer of POLITICO Audio.