| | | | |  | | By Eli Okun | | Presented by |  | | | |  | THE CATCH-UP | | | 
Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) is your new Senate majority leader. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | TURN ON, THUNE IN — Sen. JOHN THUNE (R-S.D.) triumphed over Sen. JOHN CORNYN (R-Texas) in a secret ballot today to become the next Senate majority leader, steering the chamber through the next two years. It’s a sea-change moment for the GOP, which will have a new Senate leader after 17 years of MITCH McCONNELL in charge just as President-elect DONALD TRUMP takes office and a GOP trifecta likely rules Washington. Thune beat Cornyn 29-24 in the second round of voting. In the end, all the MAGA media noise around Sen. RICK SCOTT (R-Fla.) amounted to little when the senators were behind closed doors: He got 13 votes and was eliminated after the first round. Thune, currently the 63-year-old minority whip, is a longtime McConnell protege who has managed to bridge the Trumpist and establishment conservative wings of the party. Though Thune once called Trump’s attempt to subvert the 2020 election “inexcusable,” he has more recently backed Trump and spoken with him multiple times. He’s also proven some serious fundraising chops. Sen. JOHN BARRASSO (R-Wyo.) was tapped to become the new majority whip. More from Ursula Perano TRUMP IN WASHINGTON — The president-elect publicly stayed out of the Senate GOP leader contest, but meeting with House Republicans today, he voiced support for MIKE JOHNSON to remain speaker: “I am with him all the way,” Trump said, per Olivia Beavers and Jordain Carney. The House GOP’s own secret-ballot leadership vote will come later today, when Johnson is expected to win (he told members there are no challengers), though hard-right anti-Johnson holdouts won’t let him do it by voice vote. Keep an eye on this: Johnson committed to Rep. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R-Ga.) not to send any more aid to Ukraine, per Scripps’ Nathaniel Reed. Trump also praised the other House Republican leaders, STEVE SCALISE and TOM EMMER, per Punchbowl’s Jake Sherman , and got cheers for vowing to execute “the largest deportation operation in history,” per Fox News’ Kelly Phares and Liz Elkind. He didn’t get into many specifics about government funding and future legislative fights, though. At his meeting with JOE BIDEN, the two presidents offered cordial words in brief remarks in front of reporters, per Adam Cancryn . “I appreciate very much a transition that’s so smooth,” Trump said. “Politics is tough and in many cases it’s not a nice world … But it is a nice world today.” THE LATEST TRUMP PICKS — Trump announced four assistants to the presidents: DAN SCAVINO as deputy chief of staff, STEPHEN MILLER as deputy chief of staff for policy and homeland security adviser, JAMES BLAIR as deputy chief of staff for legislative, political and public affairs, and TAYLOR BUDOWICH as deputy chief of staff for comms and personnel. More from Irie Sentner … Other names in the mix:
- DNI: TULSI GABBARD is one contender to lead the national intelligence office, Punchbowl’s Jake Sherman reports — though she could have a tough Senate confirmation process.
- More natsec: Trump is expected to tap a Ukrainian peace envoy to help end the war, Fox News’ Morgan Phillips scooped . … Despite PETE HEGSETH’s unorthodox background, Senate Republicans may already be falling in line to confirm him as Defense secretary. Armed Services ranking member ROGER WICKER (R-Miss.) told CNN’s Manu Raju he has no concerns and is “delighted.” … Beijing is surprisingly relieved at the prospect of China hawks Sen. MARCO RUBIO (R-Fla.) as secretary of State and Rep. MICHAEL WALTZ (R-Fla.) as national security adviser, WSJ’s Lingling Wei reports: They’re seen as preferable to first-term officials MIKE POMPEO and ROBERT O’BRIEN.
- Press team: KAROLINE LEAVITT, ALINA HABBA, MONICA CROWLEY, SAGE STEELE, SCOTT JENNINGS and ELIZABETH PIPKO are possibilities for White House press secretary, as the Trump team considers credentialing more partisan MAGA outlets, Axios’ Sara Fischer and Sophia Cai report. STEVEN CHEUNG or DANIELLE ALVAREZ could be comms director.
TWEET OF THE DAY — CLETA MITCHELL, responding to MARK PAOLETTA about a Justice Department purge: “Every lawyer in the Voting Section and likely in the Civil Rights Division needs to be terminated. They are not supportive of Pres Trump or MAGA. There has to be a reckoning. These are leftwing activists who have come from and should return to their leftwing organizations.” Good Wednesday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me a line at eokun@politico.com.
| | | | A message from America’s Credit Unions and the Independent Community Bankers of America: CREDIT UNIONS & COMMUNITY BANKS IN All 50 STATES OPPOSE THE DURBIN-MARSHALL CREDIT CARD BILL: America’s approximately 9,000 credit unions and community banks are united in opposition to the Durbin-Marshall Credit Card Bill because credit card routing mandates harm local financial institutions and the communities they serve. Durbin-Marshall jeopardizes access to credit for 140 million credit union and community bank customers. Congress should make no mistake about our adamant opposition. | | | | | 8 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW | | | 
Special counsel Jack Smith reportedly plans to resign before Donald Trump takes office. | J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo | 1. HEADING FOR THE EXITS: Special counsel JACK SMITH will leave his post before Biden’s presidency ends, NYT’s Devlin Barrett and Glenn Thrush scooped . He intends to resign before Trump has the chance to fire him, now that Trump’s election has rendered his federal criminal prosecutions of the once and future president dead in the water. All that’s left now is a final report summarizing his probes and Trump’s alleged crimes. But it is “fraught with both technical and practical challenges that could make the report significantly different — and shorter — from the lengthy tomes produced by other recent special counsels.” 2. INFLATION NATION: The consumer price index ticked up to 2.6 percent annually in October, signaling that the fight against inflation isn’t yet completely over, per WaPo’s Andrew Ackerman. The latest number — up from 2.4 percent in September — matched economists’ expectations, so another interest rate cut from the Fed is likely still on the way. Core inflation, taking out food and energy, was unchanged from the previous month. October’s CPI showed just how much inflation is largely a housing problem at this point: Shelter costs accounted for a majority of the overall monthly increase. Nonetheless, wages continue to rise at a faster clip than prices — 4 percent annually in October. Related read: “Trump’s economic agenda for his second term is clouding the outlook for mortgage rates,” by AP’s Alex Veiga in LA 3. MIDDLE EAST LATEST: The FBI has arrested CIA official ASIF RAHMAN for the alleged leak of super secret U.S. documents on Israel’s military plans against Iran, NYT’s Adam Goldman and Seamus Hughes scooped. Rahman, who worked overseas, was detained in Cambodia and will appear in court tomorrow. On the ground in Gaza, Israel’s own data showed that it has been allowing much less aid in for Palestinians recently than it used to, despite Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN’s decision yesterday not to punish Israel, NYT’s Liam Stack and Aaron Boxerman report. Israel failed to meet the Oct. 13 demands from the U.S., but Blinken and Defense Secretary LLOYD AUSTIN’s unfulfilled threat appears to have had limited impact. Nonetheless, the Trump administration could usher in even more pro-Israel policy: MIKE HUCKABEE, Trump’s pick for U.S. ambassador to Israel, said today that Israeli annexation of the West Bank is “of course” a possibility, per WSJ’s Dov Lieber. The idea is gaining momentum with Israel’s right wing, despite most of the world seeing such a move as illegal. 4. MEANSES TO AN END: “The Siblings Behind RFK Jr.’s ‘Make America Healthy Again’ Campaign,” by WSJ’s Kristina Peterson and Liz Essley Whyte: “The ascent of the siblings, who are top advisers to ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR., has underscored the unusual bedfellows that have comprised Trump’s winning coalition. ‘MICHELLE OBAMA was right, you know, to some degree,’ CALLEY MEANS said … Means, a former food-industry lobbyist, and his sister, CASEY, a Stanford-educated surgeon, have pushed for a radical overhaul of the country’s food and health systems, driven by a deep distrust of the pharmaceutical and food industries. They have also espoused some disputed medical theories.”
| | | | REGISTER NOW: Join POLITICO and Capital One for a deep-dive discussion with Acting HUD Secretary Adrianne Todman, Rep. Darin LaHood (R-IL), Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) and other housing experts on how to fix America’s housing crisis and build a foundation for financial prosperity. Register to attend in-person or virtually here. | | | | | 5. DEMOCRATIC RECRIMINATIONS: Having lost the election, Democrats are now squabbling over their messaging and policy on transgender issues, with centrists warning that the party needs to change course, Nick Wu, Daniella Diaz and Kelly Garrity report. A handful of moderates argue that Democrats should prioritize economic issues and respond more directly to GOP attacks — with one grumbling that House Minority Whip KATHERINE CLARK (D-Mass.) is too left-wing for the job as House Republicans tee up difficult votes on trans issues. But the real-world impact of Republicans’ victorious anti-transgender messaging is significant: Trans kids “have been flooding crisis hotlines” in the past week, fearful for their futures and struggling with mental illness or bullying, AP’s Jocelyn Gecker and Sharon Lurye report. Meanwhile, the broader ecosystem of left-leaning “resistance” nonprofits have a harder hill to climb for the second Trump term, NYT’s David Fahrenthold and Ken Vogel report. Not only will the Trump administration likely make its moves better able to withstand legal challenges, but Trump appointees have filled the courts. And many donors are feeling exhausted, not emboldened, or even fear retaliation. 6. HOW AMERICAN GUNS SPREAD: “Guns smuggled from the US are blamed for a surge in killings on more Caribbean islands,” by AP’s Dánica Coto: “[I]llegal firearms [are] blamed for an increase or a record number of killings in a growing number of Caribbean islands this year, including Trinidad and Tobago and the Bahamas. … 90% of weapons used in the Caribbean were bought in the U.S. and smuggled into the region.” 7. BIG INVESTIGATION: “How Lincare Became a Multibillion-Dollar Medicare Scofflaw,” by ProPublica’s Peter Elkind: “Despite Lincare’s track record, Medicare, which provides most of the company’s revenues, has never sought to bar the company from the Medicare system. … Faced with $60 billion a year in fraud, Medicare spends millions chasing companies but accepts penalties that are only a fraction of the profits made on misbehavior.” 8. MONEY, MONEY, MONEY: The Harris campaign may wrap up with millions of dollars in debt, a potential drag on the DNC’s future that is starting to worry Democrats, Axios’ Alex Thompson reports. Chair JAIME HARRISON “privately has expressed concerns,” as he’s had tensions with the Harris team that raised more than $1 billion. But it’s TBD what the final debt total will be.
| | | | The lame duck session could reshape major policies before year's end. Get Inside Congress delivered daily to follow the final sprint of dealmaking on defense funding, AI regulation and disaster aid. Subscribe now. | | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Melania Trump probably won’t fully live at the White House. Adriano Espaillat may be the next Hispanic Caucus chair. Kristi Noem could be in charge of FEMA despite questioning climate change . Elon Musk got a standing ovation at Mar-a-Lago. Meg Whitman resigned as U.S. ambassador to Kenya. Kevin Roberts kicked Adam Gabbatt out of an event. IN MEMORIAM — “Theodore Olson, conservative lawyer who backed marriage equality, dies at 84,” by Andrew Wolfson in WaPo: “[He] argued the 2000 Florida vote-recount case that helped George W. Bush secure the presidency … A legal luminary of the right, Mr. Olson spent most of his six-decade career as an appellate lawyer in private practice. He had two high-level government appointments — serving as assistant attorney general under President Ronald Reagan from 1981 to 1984 and solicitor general of the United States under Bush from 2001 to 2004. He was widely regarded as one of the top practitioners of his generation.” SPOTTED: Steve Bannon at the Pierre hotel last night. (h/t Hanna Trudo) … Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) hosting Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) at Pastis DC last night. OUT AND ABOUT — SPOTTED at a White Oak Caucus gathering last night at Sazerac House to toast the titular tree and the spirit it flavors: House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Reps. Ami Bera (D-Calif.), Gwen Moore (D-Wis.), Bill Huizenga (R-Mich.), Morgan McGarvey (D-Ky.), Andy Barr (R-Ky.), Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio), Tony Cárdenas (D-Calif.), Dan Meuser (R-Pa.), Raul Ruiz (D-Calif.) and Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.) and Del. Stacey Plaskett (D-U.S. Virgin Islands). MEDIA MOVES — Bill Sammon will be SVP of Washington, D.C., editorial content for The Hill and NewsNation, leading Nexstar’s national news content in the capital. He previously was a longtime managing editor and SVP of news at Fox News, where he memorably called Arizona for Joe Biden in 2020. … Dennis Murphy, Jarrett Shustrin and Lamar Goering have joined Newsmax as EPs for “American Agenda,” “Wake-Up America” and “Newsline,” respectively. Murphy most recently was senior producer of Fox News’ “Outnumbered.” Shustrin most recently was EP of morning news programming at WPIX-TV. Goering is the former EP of WNYW-TV’s “Good Day New York.” TRANSITION — Roger-Mark De Souza will be VP for environment at the Pew Charitable Trusts. He previously was VP for sustainable markets at Pact. WEDDING — Nikko Martins, an associate at Skadden, and Christina Benedict, a health care and oncology research professional at Medpace, got married recently at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church on Capitol Hill. The reception at the Willard featured cannoli from the groom’s family’s Boston bakery, Mike’s Pastry. The couple met while they were both undergraduates at Wake Forest University. Pic … Another pic WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Aurora Matthews Stolz, SVP at New Heights Communications, and Justin Stolz , pre-construction manager at rand* construction, welcomed Guinevere Ann Stolz yesterday. She joins big brother Sawyer. Pic Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here. Send Playbookers tips to playbook@politico.com or text us at 202-556-3307. Playbook couldn’t happen without our editor Mike DeBonis, deputy editor Zack Stanton and Playbook Daily Briefing producer Callan Tansill-Suddath.
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