AS THE IMPEACHMENT PROCESS moves to the Senate, a lot of talk has focused on process — what will the trial actually look like and who will and won’t testify. Several of PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP’S top White House officials refused to testify before the House. And, so far, nothing seems to have changed on that front when it comes to the Senate.
JOE BIDEN has also now doubled down on comments that he won’t comply with a potential subpoena from his old colleagues to testify, leaving wide open the question of what, exactly, a Senate trial would look like and how meaningful it would actually be.
— DES MOINES REGISTER: “Biden says he would not comply with a Senate subpoena in the impeachment trial of President Trump,” by Nick Coltrain: “Former Vice President Joe Biden confirmed Friday he would not comply with a subpoena to testify in a Senate trial of President Donald Trump. … Biden said in early December he wouldn’t comply with a subpoena by the Senate, and confirmed that statement Friday in an interview with the Des Moines Register’s editorial board. He has not been subpoenaed, but Trump’s allies have floated the idea.
“Testifying before the Senate on the matter would take attention away from Trump and the allegations against him, Biden said. Not even ‘that thug’ Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s personal attorney and former New York City mayor, has accused Biden of doing anything but his job, the former vice president said. Biden also said any attempt to subpoena him would be on ‘specious’ grounds, and he predicted it wouldn’t come to that.” Des Moines Register
THE STAKES via JAMES ARKIN: “Impeachment trial will supercharge battle for Senate”: “The battle for the Senate majority in 2020 was always going to be heated. And now here comes impeachment. The Senate’s impeachment trial of President Donald Trump is still stuck in limbo, but the looming verdict represents the most consequential vote senators will take before next year’s elections — and a weighty position for challengers seeking to join the chamber.
“Impeachment also threatens to yoke the 35 separate races for Senate seats even closer to the presidential contest. The politics around impeachment have calcified for both parties, with public opinion rigidly consistent and senators and candidates mostly falling along party lines ahead of a prospective vote to acquit Trump or remove him from office.
“Democrats — who need to net three seats in next year’s elections to win back control of the chamber if they also win the presidency — have attempted to squeeze vulnerable GOP senators, calling for a fair trial to include administration witnesses who refused to testify before the House and criticizing Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for saying he did not consider himself an impartial juror.
“But Republican senators have shown few signs of breaking with Trump — instead criticizing the House Democrats’ impeachment process as sloppy, partisan and incomplete — following a similar pattern after not a single Republican defected from Trump in the House.” POLITICO
— KFILE: “Schumer said in 1999 Senate wasn’t like a jury box and was ‘susceptible to the whims of politics’” by CNN’s Andrew Kaczynski and Em Steck: “Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer has blasted his Republican counterpart Mitch McConnell in recent days after he described himself as “not an impartial juror” ahead of President Donald Trump’s Senate impeachment trial, but Schumer himself repeatedly expressed similar sentiments in the late 1990s when senators weighed the removal of President Bill Clinton.
“Schumer’s past comments are the latest example of how lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are having to confront their prior positions on impeachment that appear to conflict with their present-day statements. … [I]n several appearances on television in 1998 and 1999 reviewed by CNN’s KFile, Schumer noted that senators had previously formed opinions heading into the trial and that the Senate was ‘not like a jury box.’
“Schumer was elected to the Senate in 1998 after saying during his campaign that a vote for him would be a vote to not impeach Clinton. A spokesman for Schumer told CNN in an email on Friday that his statements came after the conclusion of the Starr investigation.” CNN
Good Saturday morning.
WHAT’S ON PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP’S MIND THIS A.M. — @realDonaldTrump tweeted at 8:33 a.m.: “California and New York must do something about their TREMENDOUS Homeless problems. They are setting records! If their Governors can’t handle the situation, which they should be able to do very easily, they must call and “politely” ask for help. Would be so easy with competence!”
NEW: USA TODAY POLL — “Will it be a happy new year? Sure, in our own lives. For the country? Poll says that’s tougher,” by Susan Page, William Cummings and Nicholas Wu: “A USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll this month asked Americans if they thought things would get better or worse in their own lives in 2020. By an overwhelming 80% to 11%, they predicted their lives would be better. That optimism stretched across demographic lines, although men had a more positive outlook than women (83% versus 76%) and Southerners a more positive outlook than Midwesterners (84% versus 74%).” USA Today
FOR YOUR RADAR — “New Russian weapon can travel 27 times the speed of sound,” by AP’s Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow: “A new intercontinental weapon that can fly 27 times the speed of sound became operational Friday, Russia’s defense minister reported to President Vladimir Putin, bolstering the country’s nuclear strike capability.
“Putin has described the Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle as a technological breakthrough comparable to the 1957 Soviet launch of the first satellite. The new Russian weapon and a similar system being developed by China have troubled the United States, which has pondered defense strategies.
“The Avangard is launched atop an intercontinental ballistic missile, but unlike a regular missile warhead that follows a predictable path after separation it can make sharp maneuvers in the atmosphere en route to target, making it much harder to intercept.” AP
— “Russia Deploys Hypersonic Weapon, Potentially Renewing Arms Race,” by NYT’s Julian E. Barnes and David Sanger: “Moscow has been working on the technology for years and has invested heavily in it, determined to reverse the pattern in the Cold War, when it was often struggling to catch up with American nuclear weapons systems. If the new system, called “Avangard,” works as President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia boasted when he described the weapon a year ago, it would significantly enhance Moscow’s already powerful nuclear forces, American officials said. …
“Yet the Russian announcement may be as much about spurring a new round of diplomatic talks as it is about reviving an arms race, current and former diplomats said. Moscow is anxious for President Trump to renew the last remaining arms control treaty between the United States and Russia, called New START, which limits strategic nuclear missile launchers and deployed warheads for both nations. The treaty expires soon after the next presidential inauguration in 2021.” NYT
CNN: “Federal judge denies bid to undo Georgia voter purge,” by Paul LeBlanc: “A federal judge on Friday blocked an effort to restore 98,000 Georgia voters to the rolls who had been removed earlier this month after being classified as ‘inactive.’ Judge Steve C. Jones denied a motion filed by the voting rights group Fair Fight Action, who had claimed that Georgia’s voter-list maintenance process violated voters’ rights to procedural due process under the US Constitution, court documents show.” CNN
2020 WATCH …
— “Biden reveals deep bench of campaign bundlers,” by Maggie Severns: “Joe Biden released the names of more than 200 people and couples who are raising money for his presidential campaign, a list that includes a number of big names in Democratic money like Hollywood producer Jeffrey Katzenberg and LGBT rights activist Tim Gill and his husband, Scott Miller. Biden’s list of fundraisers, each of which has brought in at least $25,000 for his presidential bid, includes many of the biggest names in Democratic fundraising. The list spans Wall Street, Silicon Valley and a number of politicians themselves.
“The former vice president voluntarily disclosed the list as the Democratic field — and especially Pete Buttigieg and Elizabeth Warren — sparred with each other throughout November and December over how to have adequate transparency about money and finances on the campaign trail.
“More than any other leading candidate, Biden is relying on big fundraising events to power his bid for the presidency, which makes these bundlers crucial to his success. Other big-name bundlers for Biden include New York venture capital and private equity investor Alan Patricof, and billionaire real estate broker George Marcus.” POLITICO … More from WaPo’s Michelle Ye Hee Lee on the end-of-the-year fundraising dash
— “Pete Buttigieg once boasted he helped McKinsey ‘turn around’ Fortune 500 companies. Not anymore,” by WaPo’s Amy B. Wang
— “‘Call Me Elizabeth’: Inside the Hours Elizabeth Warren Spends on the Phone,” by NYT’S Shane Goldmacher
— WSJ: “Spotify to Suspend Political Advertising,” by Patience Haggin: “Spotify Technology said it would stop selling political advertisements in early 2020 because it lacks the appropriate tools to review them, a move that comes as digital platforms selling such ads face growing criticism for helping spread misinformation.
“‘At this point in time, we do not yet have the necessary level of robustness in our processes, systems and tools to responsibly validate and review this content. We will reassess this decision as we continue to evolve our capabilities,’ a Spotify spokeswoman said.
“The spokeswoman declined to say what review process the digital music service implemented for political ads in the 2016 and 2018 election cycles, and declined to specify whether the move was motivated by concerns about foreign meddling in U.S. campaigns.” WSJ
TRUMP’S SATURDAY — The president has no public events scheduled.
AP: “Truck bomb in Somalia’s capital kills at least 76 people,” by Abdi Guled in Mogadishu, Somalia: “A truck bomb exploded at a busy security checkpoint in Somalia’s capital Saturday morning, killing at least 76 people including many students, authorities said. It was one of the deadliest attacks in Mogadishu in recent memory, and witnesses said the force of the blast reminded them of the devastating 2017 bombing that killed hundreds.
“The toll could rise as scores of people were rushed to hospitals, government spokesman Ismail Mukhtar told The Associated Press. Dr. Mohamed Yusuf, director of Madina hospital, said they had received 73 bodies. The Aamin Ambulance service reported at least 76 dead and more than 50 wounded.” AP
CLIMATE WATCH — GAVIN BADE: “The energy agency that could thwart Democrats’ climate plans”: “Democratic presidential candidates’ promises to fight climate change could hinge on whether they can reshape an obscure federal agency that has overseen a surge in oil and gas projects.
“The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, an independent regulator of pipelines and power markets, derives its authority from decades-old laws that largely predate worries about climate change and were focused primarily on ensuring that energy supplies remain cheap and reliable. But that mandate may interfere with some of the more aggressive climate plans Democrats are contemplating, and candidates are facing pressure to overhaul the agency if elected. …
“Though little known to most of the public, FERC has attracted growing notoriety among climate activists, who staged months of sit-ins that thwarted its attempts to hold public meetings during the latter years of the Obama administration. Now, Hudson’s group is floating a far-reaching proposal to rebrand the agency as the Federal Renewable Energy Commission and reorient its mission toward fighting climate change.” POLITICO
D.C. METRO SECTION: “Most Washington-area federal employees to receive 3.52 percent raise,” by WaPo’s Eric Yoder: Most federal employees in the Washington-Baltimore area will receive a 3.52 percent raise in January, the largest increase among city areas in the pay system for white-collar federal workers, under an order President Trump signed Thursday.” WaPo
— MEANWHILE: “Rank-and-File Workers Get Bigger Raises,” by WSJ’s Eric Morath and Jeffrey Sparshott: “Wages for rank-and-file workers are rising at the quickest pace in more than a decade, even faster than for bosses, a sign that the labor market has tightened sufficiently to convey bigger increases to lower-paid employees.
“Gains for those workers have accelerated much of this year, a time when the unemployment rate fell to a half-century low. A short supply of workers, increased poaching and minimum-wage increases have helped those nearer to the bottom of the pay scale.” WSJ
A YEAR IN REVIEW … “US mass killings hit new high in 2019, most were shootings,” by AP’s Lisa Marie Pane
— “Trump’s quest to shatter GOP economics reached its culmination in 2019,” by WaPo’s Jeff Stein: “
NYT’S DAVE PHILIPPS: “Anguish and Anger From the Navy SEALs Who Turned In Edward Gallagher”: “‘The guy is freaking evil,’ Special Operator Miller told investigators. ‘The guy was toxic,’ Special Operator First Class Joshua Vriens, a sniper, said in a separate interview. ‘You could tell he was perfectly O.K. with killing anybody that was moving,’ Special Operator First Class Corey Scott, a medic in the platoon, told the investigators.
“Such dire descriptions of Chief Gallagher, who had eight combat deployments and sometimes went by the nickname Blade, are in marked contrast to Mr. Trump’s portrayal of him at a recent political rally in Florida as one of ‘our great fighters.’
“Though combat in Iraq barely fazed the SEALs, sitting down to tell Naval Criminal Investigative Service agents about what they had seen their platoon chief do during a 2017 deployment in Iraq was excruciating for them.” NYT
CLICKER — “The nation’s cartoonists on the week in politics,” edited by Matt Wuerker — 16 keepers
GREAT WEEKEND READS, curated by Daniel Lippman (@dlippman):
— “The Decade Tech Lost Its Way: An oral history of the 2010s” — NYT: “When the decade began, tech meant promise — cars that could drive themselves, social networks that could take down dictators. It connected us in ways we could barely imagine. But somewhere along the way, the flaws of technology became abundantly clear. What happened? The people who brought us this decade explain.” NYT
— “Meet the Mad Scientist Who Wrote the Book on How to Hunt Hackers,” by Wired’s Andy Greenberg: “Thirty years ago, Cliff Stoll published ‘The Cuckoo’s Egg,’ a book about his cat-and-mouse game with a KGB-sponsored hacker. Today, the internet is a far darker place—and Stoll has become a cybersecurity icon.” Wired … $10.39 on Amazon
— “The Most Stylish Scammer: 20 Years of ‘The Talented Mr. Ripley,’” by Haley Mlotek in The Ringer: “In the 20 years since release, ‘The Talented Mr. Ripley’ … remains one of our best-looking contemporary films. … Visually, the film remains stunning for its lush evocation of depravity concealed by good manners and better clothes; texturally, the depth of feeling is as enduring as the bloodstain that won’t wash off. … The pull of looking good is what [Anthony] Minghella understands. It’s immensely pleasing to watch rich people who know how to spend their money right.” The Ringer … Trailer (h/t Longform.org)
— “The Education of David Stockman,” by William Greider in December 1981 in The Atlantic: “‘None of us really understands what’s going on with all these numbers.’” Atlantic
— “The Fight to Decolonize the Museum,” by Adam Hochschild in The Atlantic’s January/February issue: “Textbooks can be revised, but historic sites, monuments, and collections that memorialize ugly pasts aren’t so easily changed. Lessons from the struggle to update the Royal Museum for Central Africa, outside Brussels.” Atlantic
— “An Account of the Blinding of Sgt. Isaac Woodard by the Police Officer, Lynwood Shull,” by Richard Gergel in LitHub — per TheBrowser.com’s description: “Read and weep. A decorated and newly demobbed black war-veteran boards a bus home from Georgia to South Carolina in 1946. The white driver takes a dislike to his passenger, stops at a small town en route, and reports him to the local police as drunk and disorderly. A sergeant beats the soldier unconscious and jails him overnight. When he appears in court next morning he is permanently blind from blows to both eyes. The judge sees no cause for concern. He fines the blind man $50 and sends him away.” LitHub
— “The Christian Withdrawal Experiment,” by The Atlantic’s Emma Green in the January issue: “Feeling out of step with the mores of contemporary life, members of a conservative-Catholic group have built a thriving community in rural Kansas. Could their flight from mainstream society be a harbinger for the nation?” Atlantic
— “Death Of A Freelancer,” by Charlotte Alfred in HuffPost: “Christopher Allen reported in some of the most dangerous parts of the world. Who was looking out for him?” HuffPost (h/t Longform.org)
— “The Movement to Bring Death Closer,” by Maggie Jones in the NYT Magazine: “Home-funeral guides believe that families can benefit from tending to — and spending time with — the bodies of their deceased.” NYT Magazine
— “The age of perpetual crisis: how the 2010s disrupted everything but resolved nothing,” by The Guardian’s Andy Beckett: “The average life expectancy, which had been growing almost continuously for a century, stopped rising. The average wage rose more slowly than in any decade since the Napoleonic wars. A million more children with working parents entered poverty. The number of people sleeping rough more than doubled.” Guardian (h/t TheBrowser.com)
— “Scenes from the Life of Roz Chast,” by The New Yorker’s Adam Gopnik: “In the past four decades, the cartoonist has created a universe of spidery lines and nervous spaces, turning anxious truth-telling into an authoritative art.” New Yorker
MEDIAWATCH — “Magazine trade group focuses on DC with new headquarters and CEO,” by the New York Post’s Keith Kelly: “The MPA, or Association of Magazine Media (formerly known as the Magazine Publishers Association) has tapped its former chief government affairs lobbyist as president and CEO as it prepares [to] officially open its new headquarters in Washington, DC on Jan. 1.
“The consumer magazine trade group promoted Brigitte Schmidt Gwyn, who was the executive vice president of government affairs.” N.Y. Post
Send tips to Eli Okun and Garrett Ross at politicoplaybook@politico.com.
IN MEMORIAM — “Don Imus, Radio Host Who Pushed Boundaries, Dies at 79,” by NYT’s Robert McFadden: “Don Imus, who tested the limits of shock radio with his irreverent attacks on celebrities, politicians, racial and ethnic groups, women, gay people and practically anyone whose head stuck up out of the foxhole, died on Friday in College Station, Texas. …
“For nearly a half-century … Mr. Imus, with occasional and sometimes extended timeouts for illnesses, accidents or legal problems, entertained and offended countless millions with his mercurial outbursts. The outpouring of sympathy after his disclosure about his prostate cancer reflected not only his wide following as a radio personality but also admiration for his private charity work, raising millions for the rehabilitation of wounded veterans of the Iraq war and for children with cancer and siblings of victims of sudden infant death syndrome.” NYT
ENGAGED — Madeleine O’Connor, a communications associate in external affairs at the Community Preservation Corporation, and Christopher “CJ” Anderson, a senior associate in BNY Mellon’s real estate finance group, got engaged Dec. 18. They met during their senior year at George Washington University, and their first date was taking his dog for a walk. Pic
— Rich Chrismer, founder of Seen Read Heard and a Jim Talent, Matt Blunt and Roy Blunt alum, proposed to Colleen Timson, a sommelier, private event specialist and administrative coordinator at KNOWiNK, on Christmas Eve in St. Louis, Mo. Pic
BIRTHDAYS: Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) is 75 … Susanna Quinn … CFPB Director Kathy Kraninger … Sahil Kapur, national political reporter for Bloomberg News, is 33 … Seth Meyers is 46 … former Sen. Tim Johnson (D-S.D.) is 73 … former Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe is 73 (h/t Tim Griffin) … Seth Wimer, president of Brandywine Public Affairs … Shari Yost Gold … Debbie Willhite (h/ts Teresa Vilmain) … Michele Altemus … David Eisner (h/ts Jon Haber) … POLITICO’s Zach Montellaro and Han Ah-Sue … Kevin Boyd, DLCC national political director … Melissa Block, NPR special correspondent … AP economics writer Josh Boak … Maria Olson, professional staffer for Senate Aging Chairwoman Susan Collins (R-Maine) (h/t Cody Sanders) … Jacqueline Godfrey Bassermann, government relations manager for the American Red Cross, celebrating with her two sons and husband in her hometown of Bay Shore, N.Y. (h/t husband Steve) … D.J. Jordan, VP at the Pinkston Group …
… Harold Thune, father of Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), is 1-0-0 (h/t Ryan Wrasse) … former Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.) is 83 … former Rep. Spencer Bachus (R-Ala.) is 72 … Mark Katz is 56 … David Dunn … Christa Robinson, SVP of communications for CBS News … Ed McFadden … Ramon Looby, SVP and public policy lead at BofA … Andy Estrada, communications officer for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation … Ian Wishingrad … Will Candrick … Christina Sevilla, deputy assistant USTR (h/t Tim Burger) … Clara Brillembourg of Foley Hoag (h/ts Ben Chang) … Lynn Hatcher … Cam Cullman is 3-0 … Kyle Anderson … Boeing’s Alexa Marrero … Christina Glenn … Katy Montgomery … Lou Gallo is 62 … Virginia state Sen. Jennifer McClellan … Janne Emilie Nolan … Chris Cooper is 49 … Raquel Wojnar … Douglas Wiley … Adrienne Fox Luscombe … Erica Martinson … Molly Varoga … Owen Bieber, former UAW union president, is 9-0 … Brandon DeGraff
SUNDAY SHOWS via Matt Mackowiak, filing from Nashville:
— CBS’ “Face the Nation”: Ivanka Trump … Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) … Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.). Panel: Nancy Cordes, Major Garrett, Jeff Pegues, Jan Crawford and David Martin.
— “Fox News Sunday”: Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) … House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.). Panel: Jason Chaffetz, Marie Harf, Chris Stirewalt and Charles Lane.
— NBC’s “Meet the Press”: Dean Baquet and Marty Baron … Clint Watts … Masha Gessen and Michael McFaul. Panel: Kara Swisher, Joshua Johnson, Susan Glasser and Matthew Continetti.
— ABC’s “This Week”: White House national security adviser Robert O’Brien … Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) … Andrew Yang. Panel: Rick Klein, Chris Christie, Stefanie Brown James and Susan Davis.
— CNN’s “State of the Union”: Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) … Rep. Joe Kennedy (D-Mass.). Panel: Scott Jennings, Karen Finney, Sarah Isgur and Nayyera Haq.
— Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures”: Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) … Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) … Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) … Gordon Chang … Gary Kaltbaum.
— Fox News’ “MediaBuzz”: Susan Ferrechio … Mollie Hemingway …Clarence Page … Ed Henry … Paul Steinhauser.
— CNN’s “Inside Politics”: Panel: Catherine Lucey, Karoun Demirjian, Alex Thompson and Francesca Chambers (substitute anchor: Phil Mattingly).
— CNN’s “Fareed Zakaria GPS”: Special episode: “Scheme and Scandal: Inside the College Admissions Crisis”: Malcolm Gladwell, Daniel Golden … Cardinal Education CEO Allen Koh … Nicholas Lemann … Daniel Markovits.
— CNN’s “Reliable Sources”: Marc Benioff … David Zurawik and Nicole Carroll … Paul Huntsman … Panel: Amy Webb, Jennifer Kavanaugh and Oliver Darcy.
— C-SPAN: “The Communicators”: Margaret O’Mara … “Newsmakers”: National Border Patrol Council President Brandon Judd, questioned by Stephen Dinan and Rebecca Morin … “Q&A”: Stephen Baker.
— MSNBC’s “Kasie DC”: Christopher Wilson … David Wasserman … Shannon Pettypiece … Jacqueline Alemany … Natasha Bertrand … Adrienne Elrod … Rick Tyler … Dylan Byers … Coral Davenport … Julia Ainsley … Enes Kanter … Caroline Fourest (substitute anchor: Ayman Mohyeldin).
— Gray TV’s “Full Court Press with Greta Van Susteren”: FCC Chairman Ajit Pai … Cat Zakrzewski.
— Sinclair’s “America This Week with Eric Bolling”: Phil Robertson … Katrina Pierson … Craig Shirley … Rachel Bovard. Panel: Ameshia Cross and Hannah Cox.
— Washington Times’ “Mack on Politics” weekly politics podcast with Matt Mackowiak (download on iTunes, Google Play, Spotify or Stitcher or listen at MackOnPoliticsPodcast.com): Rich Galen.
