| | | | |  | | By Eli Okun | | | THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING — DONALD TRUMP argued on Truth Social early this morning that the Supreme Court should rule that presidents cannot be criminally prosecuted for anything. “ALL PRESIDENTS MUST HAVE COMPLETE & TOTAL PRESIDENTIAL IMMUNITY,” he wrote, “OR THE AUTHORITY & DECISIVENESS OF A PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES WILL BE STRIPPED & GONE FOREVER.” SHUTDOWN SHOWDOWN — The Senate right now is working through amendment votes for the continuing resolution to keep the government open into March. The House officially canceled votes tomorrow due to snow, indicating that they intend to pass the CR later today — with House Democrats reluctantly bailing out Speaker MIKE JOHNSON again, Nick Wu reports. But there’s still time for things to go sideways. Though it’s expected to fail, Sen. ROGER MARSHALL (R-Kan.) is moving to send the CR back to the Senate Appropriations Committee on the floor; he and other conservatives want a clean extension through the end of the fiscal year. And House Freedom Caucus members are meeting with Johnson to push him to attach the hard-line anti-immigration H.R. 2 to the CR; Chair BOB GOOD (R-Va.) claimed to reporters that Johnson was considering it. (That would all but ensure a shutdown.)
|  VP Kamala Harris is kicking off a multi-state swing focused on abortion in Wisconsin on Monday. | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images | RUN IT BACK — Will 2024 be another abortion election? After suburban anger over the end of Roe v. Wade helped power Democrats to a better-than-expected midterms performance, both parties — and activists on both sides of the issue — are gearing up for how to motivate and persuade voters yet again in a vastly different landscape for abortion access. The Biden campaign is harnessing the 51st anniversary of Roe on Monday to mount a new push for abortion rights and warn Americans about the potential for a national ban, CBS’ Nancy Cordes, Shawna Mizelle and Fin Gómez report. President JOE BIDEN, first lady JILL BIDEN, VP KAMALA HARRIS and second gentleman DOUG EMHOFF will appear for their first reelection campaign event all together at a Northern Virginia rally Tuesday focused on abortion rights. The campaign and the DNC are also launching a major effort to spotlight state-level abortion restrictions, with TV and digital ads going up in swing states, op-eds running in local papers, and additional campaign events. Harris is kicking off a multi-state swing focused on abortion in Wisconsin on Monday. “She is expected to highlight the true stories of American women affected by the Supreme Court’s decision,” write CNN’s Arlette Saenz and Nikki Carvajal. On the flip side, tomorrow’s March for Life in Washington will provide anti-abortion advocates with a major moment to keep celebrating their Dobbs victory — and brace for what comes next, AP’s David Crary previews. Johnson and other big names will address the crowd, but the mood is expected to be more concerned this year following repeated state ballot measure defeats for abortion restrictions. “I don’t know of any year that was easy,” says National Right to Life Committee president CAROL TOBIAS, “but it definitely got harder after Dobbs.” In a reflection of conservatives’ effort to make anti-abortion messaging more supportive of women, this year’s march theme is “Pro Life: With Every Woman, For Every Child.” But the state-level efforts to beat back restrictions continue: Missouri is the latest battleground where organizers today announced a drive to put the matter directly to voters, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Jack Suntrup reports. If successful, the ballot measure could undo the state’s near-total abortion ban — and, Democrats may hope, drive liberal turnout higher. But Gov. MIKE PARSON would decide which election day to place the ballot measure if it gathers enough signatures. And, in echoes of Ohio, state Republicans are considering preempting the vote with a separate measure that would make amending the state constitution more difficult. More abortion reading: “This GOP Rep.’s Anti-Abortion Stances Keep Vanishing From Her Website,” The Daily Beast’s Sam Brodey and Riley Rogerson write about Rep. MONICA DE LA CRUZ (R-Texas) … “State Democrats are leading on abortion policy. D.C. Democrats don’t want to get left behind,” by NBC’s Julie Tsirkin and Kate Santaliz … “Amid post-Roe concerns, Democratic lawmakers introduce bill to protect access to IVF,” by CNN’s Jacqueline Howard LOOK WHO’S BACK — Former Rep. JUSTIN AMASH, who entered Congress as a Republican and left as a Libertarian, is weighing a return to the GOP and a leap into the open Senate race, he announced on X this morning. Good Thursday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me a line at eokun@politico.com.
| | A message from the National Retail Federation: Every January, NRF convenes the most extraordinary retail industry leaders and partners in New York City for its annual conference and expo. NRF 2024: Retail’s Big Show will bring together 40,000 people from 6,200 brands and 100 countries for three days of learning, collaboration and discovery. Retail leaders will connect with 1,100 students at the NRF Foundation Student Program, and the industry will celebrate visionary individuals shaping retail’s future at the NRF Foundation Honors. Learn more. | | | |  | 7 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW | | |  Donald Trump’s allies hope to frame his primary victory as inevitable. | Matt Rourke/AP Photo | 1. TRUMP’S KNOCKOUT PLAN: The Trump campaign is getting more aggressive against NIKKI HALEY and Florida Gov. RON DeSANTIS, hoping to dispatch them from the race and wrap up the GOP presidential nomination by Super Tuesday, NYT’s Maggie Haberman, Jonathan Swan and Shane Goldmacher report. Trump’s allies want to avoid a lengthy fight in part because he has few high-profile legal clashes set for February, which are generally a big boost for his financial support and publicity. They hope to cast South Carolina as Haley’s and DeSantis’ Waterloo, and frame Trump’s victory as inevitable. The latest signs to that end: KEN LANGONE tells FT’s Alex Rogers that further largesse for Haley depends on her Granite State performance, and Nevada Gov. JOE LOMBARDO is getting behind Trump, per The Nevada Independent’s Tabitha Mueller. Notable tidbits in the Times story:
- Trump is trying to land the endorsement of Sen. TIM SCOTT (R-S.C.) before the South Carolina primary, with Sen. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-S.C.) helping to cajole him.
- Trump’s allies have already basically written off DeSantis, focusing more on making sure they can defeat Haley quickly.
- Sen. MIKE LEE (R-Utah) didn’t give DeSantis a heads up that he would be endorsing Trump — even though his wife, SHARON, had worked for Never Back Down.
2. NOT WHAT BIDEN WANTS TO HEAR: “Netanyahu says he has told US he opposes Palestinian state in any postwar scenario,” by AP’s Najib Jobain, Jack Jeffery and Melanie Lidman: “[I]n a nationally broadcast news conference, [Israeli PM BENJAMIN] NETANYAHU vowed to press ahead with the offensive until Israel realizes a ‘decisive victory over Hamas.’ … “The prime minister needs to be capable of saying no to our friends,” he added.” More from the WSJ on America’s struggles to get countries on board with its postwar vision 3. MARK YOUR CALENDARS: The House Homeland Security Committee plans to hold a vote on impeaching DHS Secretary ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS on Jan. 31, CNN’s Manu Raju and Haley Talbot report. The committee is holding its second of two impeachment hearings today; the schedule could lead to action on the House floor by next month. That would tee up Mayorkas for a nearly unprecedented — and unpredictable, given Republicans’ narrow margins — impeachment effort, one that’s largely inspired by policy differences on immigration. Republicans blame Mayorkas for a humanitarian crisis at the southern border, while Democrats call the move politically motivated.
| | | | 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. | | | | | 4. CHRIS COLLINS’ SECOND ACT: “Can this ex-congressman show Trump the path to life after indictment?” by WaPo’s Manuel Roig-Franzia on Marco Island, Florida: “As Collins lays the groundwork for a campaign to return to Congress, perhaps as soon as this year, he foreshadows a world in which federal convictions and prison stints might not be career-killers or even pesky annoyances. Instead, they’re badges of pride.” There are also new details on how his wife, MARY SUE, worked White House chief of staff MARK MEADOWS to get her husband a pardon after he went to federal prison for insider trading. 5. HAPPENING THIS AFTERNOON: As he travels to North Carolina, Biden will announce $82 million in new federal funding from the American Rescue Plan that will get 20,000 people in the state access to high-speed internet, The News & Observer’s Danielle Battaglia reports. The White House says the money for laying fiber-optic cable will also create hundreds of jobs in North Carolina. (Of course, the trip also offers Biden more visibility in the state he most narrowly lost in 2020.) 6. UNSOLVED MYSTERY: “Trump Money Probe in Congress Dogged by Denials and Claims of ‘Fraud,’” by The Messenger’s Stephen Neukam: “Trump’s old accounting firm abruptly stopped providing congressional investigators with financial documents last year in a probe of Trump's acceptance of foreign payments. … The top Republican on the House committee overseeing the investigation denies any involvement, which begs the question: Who, then, instructed the accounting firm to no longer cooperate with Congress? … “[A] Trump lawyer told Mazars that lawmakers on the House Oversight Committee were no longer interested in making the firm turn over more documents … House Oversight Committee Chairman JAMES COMER, R-Ky., tells The Messenger he had no involvement … When told of Comer’s denial, [ranking member JAMIE] RASKIN told The Messenger that if the chairman is telling the truth, then ‘Trump’s lawyers have essentially engaged in obstruction of justice.’” 7. MUCK READ: “The Weird Money Connection Between This Dem and the Catholic Church’s Sex Abuse Scandal,” by The Daily Beast’s Roger Sollenberger: “[JOANNA] WEISS, a Democratic newcomer vying to replace Rep. KATIE PORTER (D-CA) as she runs for Senate, has contributed a total $231,600 to her political operation as of the end of September … [W]hile Weiss has independently carved out a successful and impactful legal and advocacy career, the lion’s share of the money she’s used to fund her campaign may come from her husband, JASON WEISS, who has walked a far more lucrative — and controversial — career path. … [He] has defended the Catholic Diocese of Orange County in at least four sex abuse lawsuits.” Plus: EMILY’s List responded on behalf of the campaign, calling the article “misogynistic” — which separately raised campaign finance questions about the group’s involvement. The campaign and candidate later responded to call the story “misogynistic” and “shameful.” But they didn’t address the money questions. (Read editor Matt Fuller’s X thread for more of the story behind the story.)
| | | | 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: our 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. Cut through the jargon and get the latest developments in California as lawmakers and industry leaders adapt to the changing climate. Subscribe now. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Merrick Garland is in Uvalde, Texas, for the release of the DOJ report on the Robb Elementary shooting. Scott Stringer is planning to jump into the NYC mayoral race. Jake Sullivan is meeting today with families of American hostages held by Hamas. Angela Alsobrooks raised $1.78 million in the fourth quarter. Ron DeSantis acknowledged that his early media strategy was a mistake. IN MEMORIAM — A celebration service was held yesterday for the late House Democratic aide and former White House staffer Dan Turton at Union Station, where a letter from President Joe Biden was read aloud. The Grateful Dead’s “Ripple” played on the speakers in a tribute to Turton’s fandom, and people gathered afterward for a reception at Bobby Van’s. Among the attendees were Reps. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) and Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), Bruce Kieloch, Yebbie Watkins, Erik Huey, Matt Gorman, Joe Crowley, Fred Humphries, Matt Gelman, Mary Streett, Kimball Stroud, Rob Bassin, Izzy Klein, Jim Moran, Karl Koch, John O’Hanlon, Bruce Harris, Michael Collins, Shanti Stanton, Elizabeth Burks, Helen Milby and Don Sisson. MEDIA MOVES — Virginia Moseley was named executive editor of CNN under the new leadership of Mark Thompson, the N.Y. Post’s Alexandra Steigrad reports in a piece that quotes staffers both complimentary and strikingly critical of the new newsroom leader. … Damian Paletta is returning to the WSJ as Washington coverage chief. He currently is deputy business editor at WaPo. … … Robert Samuels is returning to WaPo as a national enterprise reporter. He most recently has been a staff writer at The New Yorker and won a Pulitzer for the book he co-authored, “His Name Is George Floyd.” … NewsNation plans to launch a new Sunday show, “The Hill Sunday with Chris Stirewalt,” on March 3. WHITE HOUSE DEPARTURE LOUNGE — Victoria Vinall is now a senior comms manager for U.S. public policy at Microsoft, based in the Innovation & Policy Center. She previously was a press secretary and speechwriter for the Council on Environmental Quality, and is a DOE alum. TRANSITIONS — Emma Brown has been named the new executive director of Giffords, The 19th’s Jennifer Gerson scooped. She previously ran Sen. Mark Kelly’s (D-Ariz.) reelect and is a Democratic campaign veteran. … Natalie Johnson is now a strategic adviser for Merrimack Potomac + Charles. She most recently was comms director for Will Hurd’s presidential campaign, and is a Firehouse Strategies alum and Capitol Hill veteran. … Lucy Panza is joining Crossroads Strategies as EVP. She most recently led Amazon’s outreach to Senate Democrats and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and is a Chuck Schumer and Senate Judiciary alum. … … Abbey Linsk is now director of state and regulatory affairs at the American Chemistry Council. She previously was at APCO Worldwide, and is an EPA and John Barrasso alum. … Michael Lisowski is joining R&R Partners as senior director of government affairs. He most recently was at CURA Strategies, and is a Hill alum. … Sarah Jane Glynn is the new chief economist for the Department of Labor. She previously was at its Women’s Bureau and is a Center for American Progress alum. 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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