| | | | |  | | By Ryan Lizza, Rachael Bade and Eugene Daniels | | | With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine
| | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | | ESCALATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST — “Inside Biden’s decision to strike the Houthis,” by Lara Seligman and Lauren Egan TALK OF THIS TOWN — Michael Schaffer’s buzzy new column this morning: “Dean Phillips: MSNBC Is Blackballing Me — and It’s Joe Biden’s Fault” Philips to Schaffer: “I do know of specific cases where representatives of the Biden campaign have been very clear to others about trying to not attend events of mine, to not support me, and to not platform me,” he says, declining to name names. “It is almost antithetical to democratic principles, which include debate, deliberation and ultimately compromise.” Asked about the accusation, Biden campaign spox TJ DUCKLO offered a three-letter response: “LOL.”
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Political analyst David Axelrod attends a Democratic presidential debate, Oct. 13, 2015, in Las Vegas, Nevada. | Joe Raedle/Getty Images | Joe Raedle/Getty Images | THE PLAYBOOK INTERVIEW: DAVID AXELROD — Back in the fall of 2011, Axelrod knew that BARACK OBAMA was in trouble. The president’s approval rating was hovering around 40%. Obama was losing in head-to-head matchups against MITT ROMNEY, and he had just come off the disastrous budget battle resulting in a U.S. government credit downgrade. It was Axelrod’s job to make sure Obama knew how dire the situation was. He fired off strategy memos warning the president of his predicament and lack of a message. “We are not consistently communicating the values of fairness and responsibility,” he wrote. He warned in another “urgent memo” that a draft of a big economic speech was “all wrong” and rewrote it himself. A major White House meeting about Obama’s reelection was planned for that September, and Axelrod arrived as if it were an intervention. "I'm going to go in there and be really blunt," he told a colleague. "And if he throws me out on my ass, so be it. To win this thing, we need Barack Obama to be Barack Obama." He showed the president a highlight reel of his best moments from 2004 to 2008 and contrasted them with his “clinical and bloodless” appearances as president. According to Axelrod’s account in his 2015 memoir, “Believer,” Obama was “frustrated” with his bluntness and at first denied Axe’s assessment (“I talk about the middle class all the time”). No, Axelrod said, he couldn’t just “sprinkle mentions of the middle class formulaically in speeches,” he needed to be “waging a day-in, day-out campaign on the issue.” But by the end of the five-hour meeting, Axelrod believed he had broken through. “We’re in campaign mode now,” Obama conceded. If this all sounds familiar, it’s because it’s very similar to what Axelrod has been doing in recent months on his two podcasts, his punditry at CNN, and in interviews with reporters. Only now the potentially terminal reelection candidate is JOE BIDEN, Axelrod doesn’t work for his campaign, and his advice has been greeted by the current president with a private epithet. But the overall message of tough love is the same as it was back in 2011: fix yourself or you will lose. Ryan sat down with Axelrod in Iowa at the Hotel Fort Des Moines this week to hear more about the strategist’s advice for Biden, the costs of being a public critic of his own party, how he felt about Biden’s salty response, and a lot more. Listen to the full interview on this week’s episode of Deep Dive. What follows are some key excerpts.
| | | | A message from Instagram: New federal legislation will give parents a say in teen app downloads.
According to a new poll by Morning Consult conducted in November 2023, more than 75% of parents believe teens under 16 shouldn’t be able to download apps without parental permission.1
Instagram wants to work with Congress to pass federal legislation that gets it done.
Learn more. | | | |  | Axelrod on Biden’s messaging problems “I think Joe Biden has been a far more competent president than his ratings suggest. And this is purely a function of how people see him. These are communications issues. They’re hard to strategize around. I thought he looked very strong in delivering the speech last week at Valley Forge. There are other times when … it's much less so. “These are things that are hard — his gait and all of that stuff. These are the things where people have said, “Why are you talking about that?” It's like: You think this is a secret? If it were a secret, they wouldn't have the problems that they have.” On how Biden should frame his argument against DONALD TRUMP “You have two old guys running for president. One of them is consumed by his past, and the other has an eye on your future. That's the choice. To me, that's a compelling argument for Biden. It transcends whatever concerns people have about his presentation and so on. … “I don't think he's ever going to win a referendum. He's not going to win a report card contest — [though] I think he'd like that, and I think he's someone who likes that affirmation. But he's never going to get the credit he deserves, at least in real time. “People should at least know what he's working toward and what his vision for the country is, because Donald Trump is fully consumed by himself and his own problems and retribution. He's a backward-looking candidate.” On Biden’s focus on Trump rather than a proactive message “I'm moved by the ‘soul of America’ argument, but I also am mindful of the fact that Americans have challenges in their day to day lives, and they're probably not sitting around the kitchen table every day pondering what the Founding Fathers intended.” On Dems who dismiss hand-wringing about Biden’s polling as “bedwetting” “I think that's deeply, deeply unhelpful, because sometimes there's reason to be concerned. And there are a lot of really smart and committed supporters of Biden who have concerns. “What you need to do is contemplate what it is that is concerning people, and decide what is legitimate and what needs to be done. There are people who are really, really committed to Joe Biden who felt a sense of concern and urgency — particularly because Donald Trump is on the other side of this race.” On his public criticisms of Biden “I'm not looking to antagonize people who I like and care about. … I know that people expect 100 percent loyalty, but that's not my job. It's pretty obvious that there are challenges here.” On Biden reportedly calling him a “prick” “I don't blame him. He’s frustrated and probably thought it was unhelpful. Someone who you know — but I won't say who — sent me a box of buttons that said ‘Pricks for Biden.’ So I guess I'm the chair of that. “I'm at a stage in my life where I don’t really give a shit. I’m 68. You know, everybody in Washington sort of thinks that the most important thing is that the president likes you and that you get invited to parties and shit like that. I've been to plenty of parties. I worked in the White House. That's not the thing. “I certainly didn't say what I said to be injurious to Joe Biden. Sometimes, the most injurious thing is to say nothing at all.” Read the Q&A … Listen to the full conversation on Apple Podcasts or Spotify Happy Friday. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line with your own campaign advice: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza. TRUMPOLOGY — “‘He’s a Legal Terrorist’: Donald Trump’s 50-Year Campaign Against the Rule of Law,” by Michael Kruse: “The former president is in unparalleled legal peril, but he has mastered the ability to grind down the legal system to his advantage. It’s already changing our democracy.” MIDWEST ICE — “Blizzard warning issued for Iowa in home stretch of caucus campaigning,” by Olivia Alafriz
| | | | A message from Instagram:   | | | | | WHAT'S HAPPENING TODAY | | On the Hill The House will meet at 9 a.m. to take up a resolution that would overturn the NLRB’s joint employer rule. The Senate is in. 3 things to watch …
- A partial government shutdown is just a week away if Congress can’t get its act together and, guess what: They don’t have their act together. At least House Republicans don’t, with conservative hardliners pressuring Speaker MIKE JOHNSON to keep fighting (more below on that). Senate Democrats are pressing forward with plans to pass a stopgap measure of their own, teeing up a bill allowing for electronic bird hunting permits that will be amended next week with a CR.
- A vote on human rights in the Israel-Hamas war is headed to the Senate floor next week. Sen. BERNIE SANDERS (I-Vt.) teed up a privileged resolution under a federal law providing for State Department investigations of possible violations of international human rights law. If passed, the resolution would mandate a probe of Israel’s actions, including its “compliance with international humanitarian law” in a test vote for possibly conditioning future U.S. aid.
- Could RAND PAUL shock the world? The Kentucky senator posted yesterday that he’ll have “something very important to say about the presidential race” this morning — a day after he met with independent candidate ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR. But let’s be real here: The much more likely possibility is another endorsement for fellow Republican Donald Trump, whom Paul backed in 2016 (after dropping his own presidential campaign) and 2020.
At the White House Biden will travel to the Allentown, Pennsylvania area in the afternoon to visit several small businesses. He will return to the White House in the evening. VP KAMALA HARRIS will receive briefings and conduct internal meetings with staff.
| | | | GLOBAL PLAYBOOK IS TAKING YOU TO DAVOS! Unlock the insider's guide to one of the world's most influential gatherings as POLITICO's Global Playbook takes you behind the scenes of the 2024 World Economic Forum. Author Suzanne Lynch will be on the ground in the Swiss Alps, bringing you the exclusive conversations, shifting power dynamics and groundbreaking ideas shaping the agenda in Davos. Stay in the know with POLITICO's Global Playbook, your VIP pass to the world’s most influential gatherings. SUBSCRIBE NOW. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | AMERICA AND THE WORLD
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Sea Viper missiles are fired in the Red Sea. U.S. and British militaries are bombing more than a dozen sites used by the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen. | UK Ministry of Defence via AP | LATEST IN THE MIDDLE EAST — Yesterday, the U.S. and U.K., with support from Australia, Canada, the Netherlands and Bahrain, launched air and missile strikes on Houthi rebel sites across Yemen following a series of drone and missile assaults on ships crossing the Red Sea by the Iran-backed militants, Lara Seligman reports. The coordinated assaults come after the Houthis disregarded weeks of warnings to cease their assaults on boats in the economically critical waterway. The targets: “‘The strikes targeted radar systems, as well as storage and launch sites for drones, cruise and ballistic missiles across ‘a large area of Yemen,’ according to a Defense Department official … The targets were chosen ‘to degrade the Houthi ability to continue endangering mariners in the Red Sea.’ No civilians were assessed to be present at the sites.” The context: The White House’s decision to launch the massive assault on Yemen comes after “intensifying pressure” to respond to the attacks on U.S. warships, Lara reports. In the Houthis’ latest attack on Thursday morning, the group “fired an anti-ship ballistic missile into international shipping lanes in the Gulf of Aden. This was the 27th such attack since Nov. 19, the Pentagon said.” The planning: Defense Secretary LLOYD AUSTIN coordinated the assault from Walter Reed hospital, AP’s Lolita Baldor and Tara Copp report. The political fallout … On the left: Progressive lawmakers ripped into the White House for launching the strikes without congressional approval, Olivia Alafriz reports, alleging that the move “violated Article 1 of the Constitution, which requires military action to be authorized by Congress. Biden notified Congress but did not request its approval. … ‘This is an unacceptable violation of the Constitution,’ Rep. PRAMILA JAYAPAL (D-Wash.), who chairs the Progressive Caucus, wrote on social media.” On the right: Senate Minority Leader MITCH McCONNELL applauded the strikes and said that Biden’s use of military force against “these Iranian proxies is overdue.” Elsewhere on the right, Sen. MIKE LEE (R-Utah) echoed the Constitution-based criticisms from Rep. RO KHANNA (D-Calif.) and other progressives. More top reads:
CONGRESS
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House Speaker Mike Johnson is facing a decision that promises to shape his speakership going forward. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | SHUTDOWN COUNTDOWN — Caitlin Emma, Anthony Adragna and Jordain Carney are out with a deep dive this morning on Speaker Johnson’s precarious balancing act as he works to quell a revolt within the House GOP that’s threatening his efforts to avert a shutdown next week: “Now, not even three months in the job, Johnson is facing a decision that promises to shape his speakership going forward: whether to give in to yet another conservative rebellion and scrap the bipartisan deal, or to hold firm and further anger his right flank.” Between a rock and a hard place: “If Johnson reneges on his accord with Senate Democrats, he would send Washington on a fast track to a partial shutdown that would kick in on Jan. 20. He’d also lose major face with the less vocal majority of House Republicans who can live with his agreement … If Johnson tries the same path his predecessor took and gives oxygen to the right flank's push for more cuts or stricter border policies, he’ll find himself in the same hopeless position that the now-retired ex-speaker did.”
| | | | A message from Instagram:   | | | TRUMP CARDS FLIP FLOP — While former President Trump now claims he is immune from charges of election tampering because they relate to his "official acts" as president, in December 2020, "he told the Supreme Court the exact opposite,” Kyle Cheney and Betsy Woodruff Swan report this morning. “The contradiction could cause headaches for Trump and his current lawyers as they now press appellate courts to accept an aggressive immunity theory … It will be up to judges to determine whether Trump was in fact operating as president or candidate during that fateful stretch of 2020.” YESTERDAY IN NEW YORK — During the closing arguments of his Manhattan civil fraud trial, Trump blasted Justice ARTHUR ENGORON and called the case a “political witch hunt,” Erica Orden reports from New York: “After Engoron warned that Trump was running up against a deadline for a planned break in the proceedings, Trump turned his attention to the judge himself, whom the former president has long criticized publicly, including during his testimony in the trial. … ‘You have your own agenda, I certainly understand that,’ Trump said. ‘You can’t listen for more than one minute.’” NAME TO KNOW — “‘The Hardest Worker In All Of Trumpland’: Steven Cheung And The Professionalization Of Trump’s 2024 Campaign,” by Cameron Joseph for NOTUS 2024 WATCH
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Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan stepped down from his position on No Labels’ board. | Drew Angerer/Getty Images | HOGAN, PARTY OF THREE? — In a move at once newsworthy and unsurprising, former Maryland Gov. LARRY HOGAN has resigned as co-chair of No Labels — which “could signal his preparations to run for president using the group’s ballot line,” AP’s Steve Peoples and Jonathan Cooper scoop. “Hogan did not address his own future in a letter to No Labels President and CEO NANCY JACOBSON announcing his resignation as co-chair, but he offered no criticism of the group, its plans or leadership.” No Labels’ ambition to run a presidential ticket in November has “spooked many Democrats and other Trump critics who fear it would siphon votes that would otherwise go [to Biden].” JUST POSTED — “Democratic group plans $140 million voter testimonial onslaught against Donald Trump,” by WaPo’s Michael Scherer: ”The previously unreported project by the outside group American Bridge 21st Century … filmed about 50 voters who will anchor a $140 million ad campaign starting this spring, aimed at reminding women and working-class voters why they voted against Trump in 2020, according to the group’s leaders.” THE WHITE HOUSE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER — HUNTER BIDEN entered a not guilty plea on federal tax charges yesterday following the failure of a previous plea deal with prosecutors, AP’s Colleen Long and Stefanie Dazio report. The president’s son faced nine felony and misdemeanor tax charges which prosecutors allege amount to a four-year effort to avoid paying $1.4 million in taxes to the IRS. A trial date was set for June 20. MEDIAWATCH THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT — “Fox town hall with Trump draws more TV viewers than debate between Haley and DeSantis,” AP LAYOFFS AT NBC — NBC News notified employees yesterday that they were laying off “several dozen employees” as a part of larger staff cuts, Semafor’s Max Tani reports. SUNDAY SO FAR … ABC “This Week”: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis … Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker. Panel: Donna Brazile, Reince Priebus, Asma Khalid, and Rick Klein. CNN “State of the Union”: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Panel: Bakari Sellers, David Urban, Kristen Soltis Anderson and Kate Bedingfield. FOX “Fox News Sunday”: Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley … Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis … Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.). Panel: Brit Hume, Dana Perino, Karl Rove and Juan Williams. NBC “Meet the Press”: Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) … Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz … Chuck Todd … Steve Kornacki. Panel: Cornell Belcher, Garrett Haake, Brianne Pfannenstiel and Marc Short. MSNBC “The Sunday Show: House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) … Rachel Bitecofer MSNBC “The Weekend”: Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) … Quentin Fulks.
| | | | POLITICO AT CES® 2024: We are going ALL On at CES 2024 with a special edition of the POLITICO Digital Future Daily newsletter. The CES-focused newsletter will take you inside the most powerful tech event in the world, featuring revolutionary products that cut across verticals, and insights from industry leaders that are shaping the future of innovation. The newsletter runs from Jan. 9-12 and will focus on the public policy-related aspects of the gathering. Sign up today to receive exclusive coverage of the show. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Robert Garcia says he's the first member of congress to quote a “Real Housewife” in the congressional record. Abigail Spanberger raised nearly $3.6 million for her Virginia governor bid. OUT AND ABOUT — Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Rep. Morgan McGarvey (D-Ky.), alums of Louisville’s duPont Manual high school (classes of 1960 and 1998, respectively), welcomed alumni of the school at the Capitol yesterday. McConnell spoke about whipping votes at Manual to win his very first election, as student body president. McGarvey, who during those days was homing in on journalism, talked about public service and the special bond that ties Manual grads of different backgrounds together. Custom cookies with the 91-year old building façade were served. Fun yearbook photos … Another pic MEDIA MOVES — CNN has named Rachel Streitfeld as executive producer for “State of the Union” and “Inside Politics Sunday,” Kristin Donnelly as executive producer for “The Source with Kaitlan Collins,” Kirk McDonald as executive producer of Washington programming and special events programming and Eric Hall as executive producer of “NewsNight.” TRANSITIONS — Former Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) is the new chair of the Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute, replacing former Rep. Lincoln Díaz-Balart (R-Fla.). More from The Hill … Morgan Kull is now digital manager for Rep. Greg Landsman (D-Ohio). She most recently was director of marketing and comms at Grassroots Analytics. … … David Berrios will manage the Biden campaign in North Carolina. He currently serves as the White House liaison at the U.S. Department of Energy. He’ll be joined on the trail by senior adviser La’tanta McCrimmon, who most recently was a senior director at APCO Worldwide, and senior adviser Scott Falmen, who is the co-founder and partner of Nexus Strategies. More from the News & Observer BIRTHWEEK (was yesterday): John Emerson (7-0) … Christine Ravold of Americans for Prosperity HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Reps. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) and Cliff Bentz (R-Ore.) … Theo Baker … Jeff Bezos (6-0) … Ryan Murphy of the Ways and Means GOP … Sarah Karlin-Smith … American Society of Landscape Architects’ Torey Carter-Conneen … CAP’s Sam Hananel … Danny O’Brien of Qcells North America. … Anne Mosle … Doug Thornell of SKDK … Stephanie Taylor of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee and Progressive Change Institute … Sarah Swanson of K&L Gates … Christiane Amanpour … AIPAC’s Jonathan Schulman … Madeline Osburn … WTOP’s Debra Feinstein … Basil Smikle … John Aloysius Farrell … POLITICO’s Wisam Qabbani … Jami LaRue of the Democratic Women's Caucus … Alicia Porile of Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester’s (D-Del.) office … Michael B. Williams … Howard Stern (7-0) … Robin Goodstein of Careerstone Group … Nathalie Rayes 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. Correction: Yesterday’s Playbook misspelled Amos Hochstein's name and misidentified Sen. Jim Risch’s role on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He is ranking member.
| | | | A message from Instagram: More than 75% of parents want to approve the apps teens under 16 download.
According to a new poll from Morning Consult, more than 75% of parents agree: Teens under 16 shouldn’t be able to download apps from app stores without parental permission.1
Instagram wants to work with Congress to pass federal legislation that gets it done.
Learn more.
1"US Parents Study on Teen App Downloads" by Morning Consult (Meta-commissioned survey of 2,019 parents), Nov. 2023. | | | | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
