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Presented by Google: POLITICO's must-read briefing on what's driving the afternoon in Washington. | | | | |  | | By Bethany Irvine | | | COMING SOON — The House is set to vote later today to formalize an impeachment investigation into President JOE BIDEN based on yet-unknown charges stemming from yet-unseen evidence and yet-unproven allegations. All of that could change, of course, and House Republicans argue that okaying the inquiry will give them more clout as they seek to execute subpoenas and obtain evidence from the White House. The math: To pass the measure, House Republicans can only afford to lose three votes. At the moment, there is only one GOP holdout on record: Rep. KEN BUCK (R-Colo.).
|  Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, talks to reporters at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday. | AP | THERE’S HUNTER — HUNTER BIDEN wants you to know where he is, and — spoiler alert — it's not in a closed House committee room for a private deposition. House Republicans had called on the younger Biden to testify in a closed-door meeting this morning related to their nascent impeachment investigation into his father. Instead, Hunter opted to show up on Capitol Hill, where he spoke to reporters, blasted GOP “attacks” on his family and reiterated his call for a public hearing — effectively defying a subpoena from the House Oversight Committee in the process. “For six years, I have been the target of the unrelenting Trump attack machine shouting, ‘Where’s Hunter?’” the younger Biden said. “Well here’s my answer: I am here.” Biden repeated that his father was “not financially involved" in his business, claiming impeachment advocates have “distorted the facts by cherry-picking lines from a bank statement, manipulating texts I sent, editing the testimony of my friends and former business partners, and misstating personal information that was stolen from me." More from Jordain Carney Reactions from the Hill:
- On the right: House Oversight Chair JAMES COMER (R-Ky.) and Rep. JIM JORDAN (R-Ohio) in a joint statement: “Hunter Biden today defied lawful subpoenas and we will now initiate contempt of Congress proceedings.”
- On the left: Rep. JAMIE RASKIN (D-Md.): A closed-door deposition would’ve meant “the public couldn't see it. And so they could continue to cherry-pick little pieces of evidence and distort and misrepresent what had taken place … [T]his is a pattern.”
ON THE DOCKET, PART I — “Supreme Court will review scope of obstruction law that Trump is charged with breaking,” by Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein: The Supreme Court has agreed to take up a case arising from the prosecution of a Jan. 6 defendant that challenges federal prosecutor’s use of an obstruction law to punish rioters who stormed the Capitol during the insurrection. The outcome of the case “that could derail hundreds of Jan. 6 felony prosecutions — and could also deal a blow to special counsel JACK SMITH’s prosecution of former President DONALD TRUMP.” More details: “[In Jan. 6 defendant JOSEPH] FISCHER’s petition to the high court, his attorneys conceded that the obstruction statute applies to some proceedings conducted by Congress, but asked the justices to decide whether that would ‘include acts unrelated to investigations and evidence.’ … The Supreme Court will likely hear oral arguments on the issue in the spring, with a decision to follow by the end of June.” ON THE DOCKET, PART II — “Supreme Court to decide whether abortion pill will remain widely available,” by Josh Gerstein and Alice Miranda Ollstein: “In an order, the high court said it will hear a case brought by a conservative group seeking to revoke FDA policies that have allowed the drug, mifepristone, to be prescribed online, mailed to patients, and dispensed at brick-and-mortar pharmacies. The justices are likely to hear arguments in the case in the spring and to issue a decision by the end of June.” Good Wednesday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me a line at birvine@politico.com.
| | | | A message from Google: HomeTeam is an AI-powered training tool designed to help veterans navigate mental health conversations with their peers. Last year, Google.org gave a $1.5 million grant and deployed nine Google.org Fellows to support ReflexAI, a social enterprise that uses AI-powered tools to help emergency response, public safety, and healthcare organizations train counselors to better serve people in crisis. Together, they built HomeTeam. Learn more. | | | 2024 WATCH AD IT AGAIN — A new set of bilingual ads from President Biden’s reelection campaign aimed at Latino voters likens former President Trump to infamous Venezuelan dictators HUGO CHAVEZ and NICOLAS MADURO, The Messenger’s Adrian Carrasquillo scoops this morning: “The ads come in three versions: English, Spanish with a Mexican accent, and Spanish with a Puerto Rican accent, and will run on television programming that over-indexes among Hispanic audiences in Arizona, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania, as well as targeted digital platforms in Georgia, Missouri, and Wisconsin.” More context: “The spots arrive at a time when a series of national and state polls have shown Biden struggling in a head-to-head rematch against Trump, including among voters of color.” WHAT VIVEK RAMASWAMY’S CAMPAIGN IS READING — “The New Face of the ‘Great Replacement,’” by The Atlantic’s Adam Serwer IT’S ALL ABOUT MEME — NYT’s Ken Bensinger is up with a look behind the curtain at a group of “meme-makers” who have helped create and spread online memes and videos boosting Trump’s campaign. “Led by a little-known podcaster and life coach, this meme team has spent much of the year flooding social media with content that lionizes the former president, promotes his White House bid and brutally denigrates his opponents,” Bensinger writes. “Much of the group, which refers to itself as Trump’s Online War Machine, operates anonymously … Cheered on by Mr. Trump, the group traffics freely in misinformation, artificial intelligence and digital forgeries known as deepfakes. Its memes are riddled with racist stereotypes, demeaning tropes about L.G.B.T.Q. people and broad scatological humor.” Related read: “Meet the woman working to stop the far-right creator money machine,” by WaPo’s Taylor Lorenz CONGRESS ON THE BORDER — As senators continue to haggle over tying Ukraine aid to security on the U.S.-Mexico border, Minority Leader MITCH McCONNELL told reporters this morning he is "hopeful we can reach an agreement and address two national security priorities.” OFFENSE AND DEFENSE — In a list of internal talking points, House Freedom Caucus members are slamming Speaker MIKE JOHNSON for his handling of the National Defense Authorization Act, calling this year’s NDAA “"an utter disaster for House Republicans and a massive unforced error from leadership,” Axios’ JulieGrace Brufke scoops: “‘This is an obvious play to end-run conservative objections and pass liberal 'woke' military policy with the help of House Democrats — a page ripped from the [former House Speaker JOHN] BOEHNER playbook,’ they wrote. … Top lawmakers have said they are confident that the bill will ultimately pass, but the honeymoon period with conservative hardliners appears to be over for Johnson.” ROCKY ROAD IN ROCKLAND — “Mike Lawler loves cable TV, but his rocky relationship with the local press draws scrutiny,” by The Journal News’ David McKay Wilson: “A darling of the national press corps, [Rep. MIKE] LAWLER [(R-N.Y.)] appears often on Fox News, MSNBC and CNN … Back home, however, he bars the press from his Congressional office’s public Town Hall meetings and declines to answer questions about why he does so.”
| | | | SUBSCRIBE TO CALIFORNIA CLIMATE: Climate change isn’t just about the weather. It's also about how we do business and create new policies, especially in California. So we have something cool for you: A brand-new California Climate newsletter. It's not just climate or science chat, it's your daily cheat sheet to understanding how the legislative landscape around climate change is shaking up industries across the Golden State. Subscribe now to California Climate to keep up with the changes. | | | | | JUDICIARY SQUARE JAN 6. LATEST — Trump’s legal team argued before a federal appeals court this morning that “it should not speed up its consideration of whether the former president is immune from prosecution, accusing federal prosecutors of trying to rush his 2020 election subversion case through before next year’s presidential election,” AP’s Eric Tucker reports. Trump’s lawyers allege that the prosecution’s goal is to “try, convict, and sentence President Trump before an election in which he is likely to defeat President Biden,” and that it amounts to “a blatant attempt to interfere with the 2024 presidential election.” The context: “The issue is of paramount significance to both sides given the potential for a protracted appeal to delay a trial beyond its currently scheduled start date of March 4. … A postponement until after the election would clearly benefit Trump, especially since, if elected president, he would have the authority to try and order the Justice Department to dismiss federal cases.” AND IN TRUMP’S NEW YORK CASE — “Another court rejects Trump’s bid to assert ‘presidential immunity’ from his many legal troubles,” by Erica Orden POLICY CORNER HAPPENING SOON — Federal Reserve officials will wrap up an intense year of fighting inflation this afternoon in their last meeting of the 2023, where they are expected to continue their historic pause on rate hikes through the new year. The Fed will issue its statement and a new set of quarterly economic estimates at 2 p.m., followed by a press conference with Fed Chair JEROME POWELL. More from NYT’s Jeanna Smialek WELCOME HOME — New data shows that this year, the Department of Housing and Urban Development assisted more than 94,000 households in exiting homelessness or avoiding home foreclosure, NBC News’ Megan Lebowitz scoops this morning. “More than 582,000 people experienced homelessness in the U.S. last year … The figure was in line with that of 2020 and significantly lower than a decade ago.” AMERICA AND THE WORLD THE LATEST IN THE MIDDLE EAST — “Israel, Hamas Press On Despite Rising Death Tolls on Both Sides,” by WSJ’s Margherita Stancati: “Despite the high death tolls in Gaza, neither Israel nor Hamas appears willing to back down from fighting soon, and each is pressing the other to surrender. … With intense air bombardments and ground combat taking place in northern and southern Gaza — and the healthcare system disintegrating — the war could now be entering its deadliest phase yet.”
| | | | 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 PLAYBOOK METRO SECTION — “DC Transit Sees Service Cuts, Thousands of Layoffs During Deficit,” by Bloomberg’s Skylar Woodhouse: “Subway riders in Washington are facing a tougher commute next year with the agency that runs the public transit system serving the nation’s capital forecasting thousands of layoffs and service cuts to plug a $750 million budget hole.” OUT AND ABOUT — WaPo hosted a preview screening last night of its PBS “Frontline” collaboration “The Discord Leaks,” which airs tonight, including a Q&A with Tom Jennings, Annie Wong, Shane Harris and Sam Oakford. SPOTTED: Will Lewis, Patty Stonesifer, Sally Buzbee, Kathy Baird, Matea Gold, Phil Rucker, Craig Timberg, Ben Pauker, Joe de Feo, James O’Donnell, Rebecca Newman, Cindy Linnell, Chris and Elizabeth Dehghanpoor, Dan Lamothe and Katherine Cox, Courtney Kan and Olivia Petersen. — SPOTTED at Poder PAC’s holiday party: Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), House Minority Whip Katherine Clark, Reps. Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-Calif.), Norma Torres (D-Calif.), Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-N.M.), Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.) and Andrea Salinas (D-Ore.), Ingrid Duran, Maria Cardona, Catherine Pino, Gisel Aceves, Patricia Campos-Medina, Ilse Rodriguez, Marcela Zamora, Leo Muñoz, Stephanie Peters, Natalie Armijo, Sandra Alcala, Daniela Fernandez, Francisco Carrillo, Sarita Brown and Daiquiri Ryan Mercado. — SPOTTED at a holiday reception last night for Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) at the Associated General Contractors townhouse, with a “meatballs and bourbon” theme: Jonathan Hirte, Evan Armstrong, Mike Telliga and Sage Eastman. — BerlinRosen hosted a holiday party Monday night at Bluejacket to welcome and celebrate their new EVP and co-leader of the Campaigns and Creative Team, Karen Defilippi. SPOTTED: Rep. Gabe Amo (D-R.I.), Valerie Berlin, Isaac Goldberg, Jessica Floyd, Jessica Mackler, Anna Greenberg, Jessica Post, David Hogg, Paul Tencher, Jonae Wartel, Rick Fromberg, Lucinda Guinn, Tim Persico, Rebecca Pearcey, Andy Grossman and Fiona Conroy. — SPOTTED on Monday night at a Hanukkah party at Hamilton Live hosted by the Jewish Democratic Council of America: Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, Reps. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), Deborah Ross (D-N.C.), Lois Frankel (D-Fla.), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), Kathy Manning (D-N.C.) and Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.), former Rep. Ron Klein (D-Fla.), Dan Shapiro, Nikki Fried, Halie Sofer, Amy Spitalnick, Richard Strauss and Sheila Katz. — SPOTTED at Vera DC last night celebrating the launch of Conexión, led by partners Adrian Saenz, Colin Rogero, Pili Tobar and Marsha Espinosa: Sen. Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.), Reps. Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.) Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.) and Gabe Amo (D-R.I.), Yadira Rosas, Doug Thornell, Carlos Sanchez, Jim Margolis, Luisana Perez Fernandez, Marifer Zacarias, Sam Barrett, Missayr Boker, Adrianne Shropshire, Brooke Butler, Sara Schreiber, Mayra Macias, Carlos Paz Jr., Sarah Curtis, Marissa Padilla, Albert Morales and Mariel Saez. TRANSITIONS — Madison Alexander is now digital director for the House Budget Committee. She most recently was digital director for Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) and is a @SenateGOP alum. … Ming Lewis is now deputy director of email and SMS for the Biden reelect. She previously was associate VP of email and strategy director at MissionWired. … Giulia Balentine has joined J Strategies’ public affairs team as a VP. She was previously a senior associate at SKDK. Correction: Yesterday’s newsletter included a typo in the name of Dorothy Height Elementary School. Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here. Send Playbookers tips to playbook@politico.com or text us at 202-556-3307. Playbook couldn’t happen without our editor Mike DeBonis, deputy editor Zack Stanton, producer Andrew Howard and Playbook Daily Briefing producer Callan Tansill-Suddath.
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