| | | | |  | | By Rachael Bade and Eugene Daniels | | Presented by |  | | | With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine
|  | DRIVING THE DAY | | | | | BREAKING, PT. I — The MATT GAETZ House Ethics report has leaked. Just the News’ John Solomon and CBS’ Michael Kaplan published stories overnight detailing the 37-page document ahead of its anticipated release later today. The bombshell conclusion: “The Committee determined there is substantial evidence that Representative Gaetz violated House Rules and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, impermissible gifts, special favors or privileges, and obstruction of Congress." Among the panel’s findings: “The record overwhelmingly suggests that Representative Gaetz had sex with multiple women at [a 2017 Florida] party, including the then-17-year-old, for which they were paid. … Victim A recalled receiving $400 in cash from Representative Gaetz that evening, which she understood to be payment for sex. At the time, she had just completed her junior year of high school. Victim A said that she did not inform Representative Gaetz that she was under 18 at the time, nor did he ask her age.” Gaetz last week denied criminal wrongdoing and slammed the House probe, but acknowledged “embarrassing” behavior: “I probably partied, womanized, drank and smoked more than I should have earlier in life. I live a different life now.” BREAKING, PT. II — President JOE BIDEN has commuted the sentences of 37 federal death row prisoners, making it likely that President-elect DONALD TRUMP won’t be able to add to the 13 executions carried out during his first term. Only three notorious mass murderers were left unspared: ROBERT BOWERS, who killed 11 at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue in 2018; DYLANN ROOF, perpetrator of the 2015 Mother Emanuel AME Church killings in Charleston, S.C.; and DZHOKHAR TSARNAEV, the 2013 Boston Marathon bomber. The others will now be imprisoned for life without the possibility of parole. More from Adam Cancryn Biden’s statement: “Make no mistake: I condemn these murderers, grieve for the victims of their despicable acts, and ache for all the families who have suffered unimaginable and irreparable loss. But guided by my conscience and my experience … I am more convinced than ever that we must stop the use of the death penalty at the federal level.”
|  Speaker Mike Johnson's handling of the year-end spending drama had some conservatives openly musing about defenestrating a second speaker in as many years. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | DROP THE MIKE? — It’s no secret at this point that House conservatives have no love lost for Speaker MIKE JOHNSON. His handling of the year-end spending drama had some of them openly musing about defenestrating a second speaker in as many years. But the real threat to Johnson’s gavel is from Donald Trump, who wants an unfailingly loyal lieutenant leading the MAGA charge on Capitol Hill. And, according to Rachael’s must-read reporting that just posted, what Trump saw last week — where he asked unsuccessfully for Johnson to deliver a debt-ceiling hike — did not fit the bill. What Trump world insiders are saying should put a chill down Johnson’s spine with just 11 days until the speaker election:
- “The president is upset — he wanted the debt ceiling dealt with.”
- “In the past couple weeks, we’ve questioned whether [Johnson has] been an honest broker.”
- “No one thinks he’s strong. No one says, ‘Damn, this guy’s a fighter.’”
- “I don’t see how Johnson survives.”
Yes, those are the anonymous musings of unelected officials who don’t truly understand the difficulty of wrangling a barely functional single-digit majority. And it’s a fair question to ask who, if not Johnson, could do a better job under the circumstances. But as Rachael’s story makes clear, Trump isn’t interested in excuses as he prepares to begin his second term with an all-out legislative sprint. He wants results, and he decided weeks ago — perceptively — that the approaching debt cliff represents an existential threat to his agenda. Not only will it constitute a big distraction from GOP plans for border security and tax cuts, a debt showdown will give Democrats leverage to rein in his project to slash government spending, with ELON MUSK at the helm. Click through for a blow-and-blow of the recriminations being traded about how this all went down — who told whom what and when, whether Trump was clear about his debt-limit desires, and so forth. But the upshot is this: Trump is backing away from Johnson just at the moment where the speaker most needs the new president’s help. Johnson won’t be able to lose more than four Republican votes on Jan. 3, and it’s impossible to see him mustering that kind of unity without Trump’s vocal backing. His best friend right now? Circumstance. No Republican wants a reprise of last fall’s two-week power vacuum, least of all with the official electoral college tally scheduled for just three days later. No elected speaker means no certification. And it definitely means no progress on reconciliation — forget the one-bill-or-two debate. So far, Rachael reports, Trump is waiting and watching. After vocally backing Johnson in the recent past — and going out on a limb to back the Johnson-blessed spending-and-debt-limit deal that later imploded on the House floor — he hasn’t said a peep publicly about the speaker. If Trump wants Johnson out, he doesn’t have to do anything at all. Just like when Gaetz & Co. took out KEVIN McCARTHY last year, he could just sit on his hands and let the inevitable happen. But insiders say the die is not yet cast. While MAGA loyalists are fuming about Johnson’s role in last week’s drama, figures including Sen. TED CRUZ (R-Texas) are giving him a public boost. Don’t be surprised to see Johnson himself down at Mar-a-Lago before too long, with a plan in hand to deliver Trump exactly what he wants. “If he wanted to bury Mike Johnson, everyone knows he could — and he hasn’t,” one of the Trump insiders said. “While the president thinks there could have been a better deal, he also hasn’t pulled the ripcord. Where we end up in a week or two is largely undecided.” Good Monday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade and Eugene Daniels.
| | | | A message from Instagram: Congress can help keep teens safe online today.
By passing federal legislation requiring app store parental consent and age verification, Congress would put parents in charge of teen app downloads. This helps parents ensure teens download apps that are safe.
That's why 3 of 4 parents agree: teens under 16 shouldn't be able to download apps without parental consent.
Tell lawmakers: support a national standard requiring app store parental consent and age verification for teens. | | | PICKING UP WHERE HE LEFT OFF — “Trump Revives Interest in Greenland as Key to National Security,” by Bloomberg’s Sanne Wass: “Trump hinted he still wants to buy Greenland, a self-ruling territory of Denmark, saying that US ownership and control of the island is an ‘absolute necessity’ for national security. … Trump made the statement on Sunday as he nominated PayPal co-founder KEN HOWERY for US ambassador to the Kingdom of Denmark.”
| | | | A message from Instagram:   | | | | | WHAT'S HAPPENING TODAY | | On the Hill The House and the Senate are out. What we’re watching … Rep. KAY GRANGER (R-Texas) should have ended her congressional career remembered as the first GOP woman to chair the House Appropriations Committee. Instead, she has become the latest symbol of an aging generation clinging too long to power. The full picture of Granger’s condition was first unveiled Friday by the Dallas Express, an online outlet with ties to conservative activists. The rumor mill grew online, with many noticing the 81-year-old hadn’t voted since July. And yesterday, Granger issued a statement through her office saying her “health challenges have progressed,” as aides denied that she was receiving memory care, as the Express had reported. Her son, meanwhile, told the Dallas Morning News she was in fact experiencing “dementia issues.” Granger did not seek re-election this year, but her decision to stay in office even after he relinquished the Appropriations gavel in April is generating significant debate. “We have a sclerotic gerontocracy,” Rep. RO KHANNA (D-Calif.) wrote, arguing that Congress “rewards seniority & relationships more than merit & ideas.” Expect Capitol Hill’s 23 lawmakers who are 80-plus to to face more scrutiny than ever. At the White House Biden has nothing on his public schedule. VP KAMALA HARRIS will conduct meetings at the White House and receive briefings from staff.
| | | | You read POLITICO for trusted reporting. Now follow every twist of the lame duck session with Inside Congress. We track the committee meetings, hallway conversations, and leadership signals that show where crucial year-end deals are heading. Subscribe now. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | TRANSITION LENSES
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Over the course of 90-minutes, Donald Trump touched on everything from immigration, the “woke” movement, to renaming Denali. | AP | PHOENIX RISING — In a wide-ranging speech at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest in Phoenix yesterday, Trump laid out what he described as a “small preview of the common-sense revolution” that’s coming with his second administration. Over the course of 90 minutes, Trump touched on everything from immigration, the “woke” movement, to renaming Denali back to Mount McKinley. Here are some other notable moments: On his sweeping immigration plan: “On my first day, I will sign a historic slate of executive orders to close our border,” Trump said. “On that same day, we will begin the largest deportation operation in American history.” Trump, NYT’s Michael Shear writes, “did not say who would be deported or when. But he promised to designate Mexican drug cartels as terror organizations.” On Democratic jokes about ‘President Elon Musk’: “No, he’s not going to be president, that I can tell you … And I’m safe. You know why? He can’t be. He wasn’t born in this country.” More from Madison Fernandez On the war in Ukraine: Trump said ending Ukraine’s war with Russia is “one of the things I want to do quickly,” adding that Russian President VLADIMIR PUTIN wants to meet “as soon as possible.” On TikTok’s future: “We did go on TikTok, and we had a great response with billions of views,” Trump said. “They brought me a chart ... and as I looked at it, I said, maybe we got to keep this sucker around for a little while.” The 30,000-foot view: “Donald Trump’s Agenda Has New Enforcers: Charlie Kirk and a Legion of Influencers,” by WSJ’s Aaron Zitner More top reads:
- Staffing up: The president-elect announced another flurry of appointments yesterday. Trump announced on Truth Social CALLISTA GINGRICH as his pick to be U.S. ambassador to Switzerland. Trump also tapped former Venezuelan envoy MAURICIO CLAVER-CARONE as special envoy for Latin America. Trump also named four top defense nominations, including STEPHEN FEINBERG for deputy secretary of defense, ELBRIDGE COLBY as undersecretary for policy, MICHAEL DUFFEY for undersecretary for acquisitions and sustainment, and EMIL MICHAEL for undersecretary for research and engineering, NYT’s John Ismay reports. Trump is expected to tap Army veteran ANDREW PEEK as senior director for Europe and Eurasia at the NSC, Robbie Gramer reports.
- Immigration files: The Trump team is digging into their legal options to end birthright citizenship when he takes office, “teeing up a legal fight with the expectation that the Supreme Court would ultimately have to rule on the matter,” CNN’s Priscilla Alvarez and Tierney Sneed report. Trump allies have been crafting strategies that include “directing the State Department to not issue passports to children with undocumented parents and tighten requirements for tourist visas to crack down on ‘birth tourism.’”
AMERICA AND THE WORLD
|  Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino said yesterday that his nation will continue to control the Panama Canal. | AP | A MAN, A PLAN, A CANAL — Panamanian President JOSÉ RAÚL MULINO said yesterday that his nation will continue to control the Panama Canal after Trump restated his plans to take over the important waterway, Eric and Mia McCarthy report. In a social media video, Mulino said he hoped to bring the U.S. and Panama closer together but noted “every square meter of the Panama Canal and its adjoining zone is Panama’s and will remain so,” adding that the “sovereignty and independence of our country is non-negotiable.” The video was posted moments after the president-elect doubled down on his Saturday Truth Social threat to take back the canal during his Arizona speech: “If the principles, both moral and legal, of this magnanimous gesture of giving are not followed, then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to the United States of America in full, quickly and without question,” Trump told audience members at AmericaFest. Trump added he would not let the canal fall into “the wrong hands,” warning of potential Chinese influence on the passage, Reuters’ Gram Slattery reports. Why Trump has recently zeroed in on Panama has puzzled Washington, since “Panama has been a steady ally since the U.S. ouster of dictator Manuel Noriega in 1989,” Eric and Mia write. “Mulino’s government, meanwhile, has pledged to deepen ties with the United States, and China has not announced additional investments or overtures regarding the crucial shipping way in recent months.” More top reads:
- Middle East latest: A U.S. assault on the Houthi militant group Saturday was marred by a friendly fire incident that resulted in the downing of a Navy jet, WSJ’s Dov Lieber reports: “The military said the two pilots safely ejected from their F/A-18 after it was hit by fire from the guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg. … One of the crew members sustained minor injuries and an investigation is under way.”
| | | | A message from Instagram:   | | | ALL POLITICS FOCUS ON ME — New focus group data shows the Democratic party’s issues run much deeper than voter turnout. Recent data from the progressive group Navigator Research shows that “even voters who previously backed Democrats cast the party as weak and overly focused on diversity and elites,” Elena Schneider reports. “The focus group research, shared first with POLITICO, represents the latest troubling pulse check for a party still sorting through the wreckage of its November losses and looking for a path to rebuild.” Notable nugget: “When asked to compare the Democratic Party to an animal, one participant compared the party to an ostrich because ‘they’ve got their heads in the sand and are absolutely committed to their own ideas, even when they’re failing.’ Democrats, another said, are ‘not a friend of the working class anymore.’” WHAT THE DNC RACE IS REALLY ABOUT — “State Democratic parties use DNC chair race to pitch redistribution of power, money,” by WaPo’s Michael Scherer: “The Association of State Democratic Chairs, which directly represents the largest single block of the national party’s voting members, adopted a proposal this month that would give state parties 50 percent of all funds that national leaders raise through joint fundraising agreements with their state accounts. “The proposal has provoked sharp concern among party leaders in Washington, who fear the changes could discourage high-dollar donors from writing six-figure checks, pull money away from battleground states, and deplete funds for other national priorities ahead of a difficult fundraising year for the party.” MEDIAWATCH HISTORY LESSON — “The ABC Settlement Is Just the Start of Trump’s Press Crackdown. History Shows Us What Comes Next,” by POLITICO Mag’s Joshua Zeitz
| | | | POLITICO Pro's unique analysis combines exclusive transition intelligence and data visualization to help you understand not just what's changing, but why it matters for your organization. Explore how POLITICO Pro will make a difference for you. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Jim Pillen was hospitalized after being bucked off a horse. Lisa Murkowski wants to keep Denali great. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Reps. Michael Burgess (R-Texas), Yadira Caraveo (D-Colo.) and Morgan McGarvey (D-Ky.) … Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry … Bill Kristol … Texas AG Ken Paxton … Lucinda Guinn of Ralston Lapp Guinn … Dentons’ John Russell IV … Patrick Burgwinkle … Kelley Moore of Sen. Shelley Moore Capito’s (R-W.Va.) office … Steve Thomma of the White House Correspondents’ Association … Sophia Dycaico of Rep. Bobby Scott’s (D-Va.) office … Fox News’ Shannon Bream … Danielle Ruckert of RH Strategic Communications … retired Gen. Wes Clark ... Natasha Dabrowski ... Brittany Bolen ... Rich Tarplin ... former EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler … former Rep. Dave Loebsack (D-Iowa) … Snezhana Valdman Orlando … Chris Peacock (64) … Nat Purser of Public Knowledge … Jane Reffelt of Merchant McIntyre … David Jimenez of the Niskanen Center … Dan Shott … Charlie Townsend of the KCE Group 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.
| | | | A message from Instagram: Instagram Teen Accounts: automatic protections for teens.
Parents want safer online experiences for their teens. That's why Instagram is introducing Teen Accounts, with automatic protections for who can contact teens and the content they can see.
A key factor: Only parents can approve safety setting changes for teens under 16.
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