By Mike Allen (@mikeallen; mallen@politico.com) and Daniel Lippman (@dlippman; dlippman@politico.com)
Happy Friday! Hadas Gold reports that host network ABC sent this memo to reporters covering tomorrow night’s Dem debate in Manchester, N.H. (8 p.m., moderated by David Muir and Martha Raddatz): “Please note in order to accommodate everyone, the media filing center is on St. Anselm’s hockey rink in the Sullivan Arena. Please remember to dress warmly.” http://politi.co/1OAgSDG
INSIDE THE CAMPAIGNS – “Rubio baiting Cruz on immigration was months in the making: Now the campaign aims to paint the Texan as a craven insider who lacks authenticity,” by Eli Stokols: “The three men leading Marco Rubio’s presidential campaign were huddled in a Las Vegas war room when Ted Cruz walked into their trap. … [W]hen Rubio ad-libbed an interrogation of Cruz’s past position on legalizing undocumented immigrants, they knew the Texas senator wouldn’t be able to contain himself. ‘I have never supported legalization, and I do not intend to support legalization,’ Cruz declared. …
“Rubio campaign manager Terry Sullivan, top adviser Todd Harris and communications director Alex Conant [had] been planning this exchange all along. Not only had Cruz just contradicted his own statements from 2013, he’d used words that gave them the opening they’d been wanting to turn their rival’s anti-establishment narrative on its head. Joe Pounder, the GOP opposition research guru who recently joined Rubio’s campaign, was sitting back in Washington on a stockpile of quotes and video clips of Cruz’s 2013 statements. …
“Cruz went hours before responding during a press conference in California. Then he appeared … on Fox News and stammered as he struggled to square his support for his own 2013 amendment, which scrapped the bill’s full pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants but left open a path to legal status … Pressed by host Bret Baier, Cruz was forced to acknowledge that he was … ostensibly supporting an amendment to ‘improve’ the bill that, as only Beltway insiders may have understood, was truly aimed at killing it. ‘Bret, you’ve been around Washington long enough, you know how to defeat bad legislation,’ Cruz said …
“On Thursday, Cruz attempted to brush off his 2013 amendment as ‘a bluff.” In one 24-hour news cycle, the tables had been turned. Rubio’s campaign had managed to put Cruz on the defensive over the issue most expected would be the Florida senator’s Achilles heel.” http://politi.co/1ZfBkRJ
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NEW CRUZ ad, “Win” -- He says straight to camera, “Securing our borders and stopping illegal immigration is a matter of national security. That’s why I fought so hard to defeat President Obama and the Republican establishment’s Gang of 8 amnesty plan.” http://bit.ly/1NX5PrL
PIC DU JOUR -- @HallieJackson: “Today’s office: @marcorubio’s campaign plane.” http://bit.ly/1YpcLzt
TED CRUZ on Politico, “The Republicans in Congress Are Surrendering to Obama: Why I won’t support the latest last-minute $1.1 trillion spending bill”: “[W]hile they exit the U.S. Capitol, patting themselves on their backs, and make beelines for Washington cocktail parties where many a toast will be raised to their ‘effectiveness,’ working Americans who will never step foot in a Georgetown salon will continue to struggle under this administration’s failed policies.” http://politi.co/1mbO7Gl
FIRST LOOK -- Speaker Ryan releases 2016 preview video, continues aggressive digital outreach -- Later this morning, Ryan will send his GOP colleagues a video made in-house to preview his plan for running the House in 2016. This video closes out Speaker Ryan’s first 7 weeks on the job and an increased digital presence online. See the 1-min. video, “A Confident America” http://bit.ly/1IcDai7
--Also today, Ryan’s team will unveil its first personalized bitly link, using spkrryan.us ... Examples of Ryan being non-traditional on Twitter: http://bit.ly/1IXWoIu ... http://bit.ly/1PcxvKb ... http://bit.ly/1T5q8U5
WHAT N.H. IS READING – Union Leader banner, “It’s official: Primary will be Feb. 9 [8 days after Iowa caucuses],” by Garry Rayno in Concord: “Secretary of State Bill Gardner … unveiled a poster commemorating the 100th anniversary of the first primary that included sample ballots with the Feb. 9 date.” http://bit.ly/1MkSgwV
AMY BRUNDAGE, deputy White House communications director, had her last day yesterday after being present for every major Obama moment, from his Senate office to the 2008 campaign to the last seven years. Amy was toasted at the Exchange last night by current and former colleagues, including Josh Earnest, Jen Psaki, Jason Furman, Rachel Racusen, Nancy Ann DeParle, Melanie Newman and Liz Allen. Dan Pfeiffer and Jennifer Palmieri sent written toasts. Amy starts at SKDK at the end of February. Her portfolio will include the Obama library.
--Boston Globe’s Tracy Jan: “Earnest praised Brundage, with whom he’s worked for the past eight years, for her ability to clearly explain policy to help ensure it gets maximum media and political attention.” http://bit.ly/1PaIO3O
POWER MOVES: Aaron McLear, Sacramento savant, joins Uber to lead public affairs in the West.
--MARK PAUSTENBACH to DNC: Paustenbach, who began his career in the research and press shops at the DNC, will rejoin the committee in the new year as national press secretary and deputy communications director. A veteran of the Obama administration’s Treasury and Transportation departments, and Bidenland, Pausty was most recently manager of external comms at Promontory Financial Group.
** A message from Qualcomm: It’s just human nature. To be impatient. To want what’s around the corner to be in front of us today. That’s why Qualcomm invents and shares technologies that transform the way we live and perceive the world. Learn how Qualcomm is accelerating the progress of mobile and other industries. Why Wait™. http://bit.ly/1Gw9FCU **
BREAKING – Out at 7 a.m. – “Clinton Takes Big Lead into Debate, But With a Trustworthiness Deficit,” by Langer Research’s Gregory Holyk for ABC: “Clinton leads Bernie Sanders by 31 percentage points, 59-28 percent, among Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents who are registered to vote in the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll, with Martin O’Malley in the single digits. … 44 percent of leaned Democrats say Sanders is more honest and trustworthy, vs. 38 percent who pick Clinton.” http://abcn.ws/1UIw4DM
--WHERE’S BERNIE? Clinton out-hustling Sanders: “Progressives are anxious to see the Vermont senator spend more time on the hustings,” by Gabriel Debenedetti: “The Vermont senator has visited nine fewer states than Clinton … His schedule from Sept. 28 through Saturday night’s debate — 84 days in total — has included 34 days campaigning or fundraising outside of Washington or his home state, including 10 in New Hampshire and nine in Iowa. Clinton’s … has been made up of 55 days outside of her New York home base, including … 10 days [each in] New Hampshire and Iowa.” http://politi.co/1NBpmdU
--“DNC: Sanders campaign improperly accessed Clinton voter data,” by WashPost’s Ros Helderman, Anne Gearan and John Wagner: Sanders campaign manager “Jeff Weaver … said one Sanders staffer was fired … NGP VAN, the vendor that handles the [DNC] master file, said the incident occurred Wednesday while a patch was being applied. … The DNC has told the Sanders campaign that it will not be allowed access to the data again until it provides an explanation as well as assurances that all Clinton data has been destroyed.” http://wapo.st/1Ocuta6
SUNDAY SO FAR:
--CBS News “Face the Nation”: John Dickerson tapes Marco Rubio today in Iowa, then flies to New Hampshire to tape Jeb Bush tomorrow. Plus CBS News Battleground Tracker polls in Iowa, N.H. and S.C. Panel: Peggy Noonan, David Axelrod, Dan Balz, Jeffrey Goldberg
--NBC’s “Meet the Press”: Speaker Ryan exclusive … Bernie Sanders … Sunday exclusive: John Podesta … Panel: José Díaz-Balart, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Maggie Haberman, Hugh Hewitt
--ABC’s “This Week”: George Stephanopoulos anchors live from N.H., with Christie, Sanders and Trump. Roundtable: Donna Brazile, Matthew Dowd, Ana Navarro, Cokie Roberts
--“Fox News Sunday”: Carly Fiorina … Rep Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) … Power Player: Morrill Worcester, Wreaths Across America … Panel: Brit Hume, Julie Pace, George Will, Juan Williams
--CNN’s “State of the Union”: Jake Tapper has Rand Paul.
HOW WE LIVE – L.A. Times A1, below fold, “Theme parks’ terror fears lead to beefed-up security,” by Hugo Martin and Cindy Carcamo: “At Disneyland and California Adventure, walk-through metal detectors were added … for … randomly selected customers. … [T]he parks have banned visitors from carrying toy guys and prohibited those over age 14 from wearing masks or costumes that conceal their identities. And the park no longer sells replica guns. Universal Studios began to use metal-detecting wands … SeaWorld Entertainment Inc. in Orlando … said it was ‘enhancing’ security at all 11 parks for the holiday season.” http://lat.ms/1Rt4awA
2016 PLAYERS – Roger Stone “signs onto pro-Trump super PAC” – AP’s Jill Colvin and Jeff Horwitz: “Stone, who publicly parted ways with Trump’s campaign in August, says he is supporting the Committee To Restore America's Greatness, which first filed paperwork with federal regulators in October. … Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski called the group ‘a big-league scam … He’s welcome to talk about what he wants, but he’s in no way shape or form authorized by the campaign.’” http://apne.ws/1PcZs4D
DAILY TRUMP – WashPost, top of A1, “Trump’s rally majority: Not so silent -- At GOP front-runner’s Arizona appearance, cheers, jeers, a slur and a punch,” by Stephanie McCrummen in Mesa, Ariz. (online: “What it’s like in the crowd at a Donald Trump rally”): “For the most part, people were not exactly coming to hear Trump. … They had read his books, had seen him on the news. Instead, they were here to be part of something larger than themselves: part of the Trump Crowd, … a phenomenon … that has become more raucous and sporadically violent as this primary season of fear and anger has progressed.” http://wapo.st/22d16IS
PUTIN-TRUMP SMOOCHING -- USA Today 1A, below fold, “‘Talented’ Trump wins praise from Putin,” by Oren Dorell: “Putin said the Republican presidential frontrunner ‘is a very outstanding man, unquestionably talented. … It is not up to us to judge his virtue, that is up to U.S. voters, but he is the absolute leader of the presidential race’ … Trump said in October that he would ‘probably get along very well’ with Putin.” http://usat.ly/1NWW6Sv
--TRUMP STATEMENT: “It is always a great honor to be so nicely complimented by a man so highly respected within his own country and beyond.”
NEW JEB VIDEO, “Happy Anniversary, Donald!” digs up an old interview Trump did with Wolf Blitzer on Dec. 18, 2008, in which he praised Obama as “doing great. I think Hillary is a great appointment. I think that some of the others are just great appointments.” http://bit.ly/1Ypbicx
RUBIO STRATEGERY – N.Y. Times A29, “Fretful Backers Push Rubio to Pick a Must-Win Early State Among 4 Contests,” by Jeremy Peters in West Des Moines: “Every Republican nominee in modern times has won Iowa or New Hampshire … But … Rubio’s strategy has pointed toward a test of whether a candidate who finishes no better than second in either could still manage to stay alive. … Opponents are already attacking Mr. Rubio in New Hampshire for taking a lackadaisical approach there. … Union Leader … accused Mr. Rubio of ‘just going through the motions’ in his visits to the state.” http://nyti.ms/1YlVrAO
CARLY video, “Carly Fiorina, America’s Iron Lady” http://bit.ly/1JfWSEH
MONEY HONEYS -- “Clinton campaign raises $8 million at Manhattan fundraiser,” by Gabe Debenedetti: “Convening its top fundraisers for a glitzy dinner and concert at the St. Regis hotel in Manhattan [last night,] Hillary Clinton’s campaign brought in roughly $8 million for its joint fundraising group with the [DNC] and state parties ... The event — which featured remarks from both Bill and Hillary Clinton ... John Podesta and ... Dennis Cheng, as well as a concert by rocker Sting — was the campaign’s first event for the Hillary Victory Fund. Roughly 160 fundraisers attended the reception, for which they paid a minimum of $33,400. Chairs of the event paid or raised at least $100,000.” http://politi.co/1Ob3IfN
HILLARY OP-ED in the Union-Leader, “My plan to bolster homeland security and defeat ISIS”: “The threat is real, and the need for action is urgent. We can’t give in to fear or let it drive us to take reckless action. Shallow slogans don’t add up to a strategy. We need serious leadership. That’s why I’ve laid out a three-part plan to defeat ISIS and the broader radical jihadist movement. ... We need a 360-degree strategy to keep America safe and stop terrorists from recruiting, training, plotting, and carrying out attacks.” http://bit.ly/1RVRAFp
TRAILER OF THE DAY – “Fuller House, the highly anticipated spin-off of the classic hit family sitcom Full House, will premiere on Netflix on Friday, Feb. 26.” http://bit.ly/1OAhXvf
“60 MINUTES” LISTINGS: “Apple – The technology giant’s CEO Tim Cook addresses the issues concerning his company, including encryption technology, corporate taxes, and manufacturing his products in China. Charlie Rose reports and gets a tour of the company’s Silicon Valley headquarters, including a rare look inside Jonathan Ive’s design studio. Michael Radutzky, Andrew Bast and Glen Rochkind are the producers. This is a double-length segment. ... Michael Caine – The veteran British actor who’s made dozens of films and won two Oscars over 50 years is still going strong as a leading man at the age of 82. Lesley Stahl reports. Ruth Streeter is the producer.”
MEDIAWATCH -- Who will be the next NYT public editor? – Politico’s Joe Pompeo reports: Margaret Sullivan has another eight months left in her four-year contract, but Times brass has already begun considering who should replace her. Newsroom leaders were recently encouraged to think of potential candidates for the role. Sullivan was given the option to renew her contract—which is up in August—beyond the agreed-upon four years, but decided not to because she felt it was best for the institution to have fresh blood. The previous four public editors have generally served between two and three years, making Sullivan’s tenure the longest.
--“Two Economist journalists join New York City bureau”: “Gady Epstein is the media editor. Prior to that he took over as Beijing bureau chief of The Economist in 2014. In that role and before that as China correspondent since 2011 ... Charlotte Howard joined The Economist in 2004 and is currently the consumer goods and marketing correspondent. From 2011 to 2014 she was The Economist’s health-care correspondent, covering the health industry, health-care policy in America and global health. From 2007 to 2011 she was The Economist’s Midwest Correspondent, based in Chicago.”
TRANSITIONS -- Blue Engine Message and Media hired Kris Fetterman from the gov’t relations team at the National Cable Telecommunications Association and Carly Coakley, who taught seventh-grade science with Teach for America in Charlotte, N.C. Fetterman replaces TJ Adams-Falconer, who left the firm to rejoin the White House Press office.
WHITE HOUSE DEPARTURE LOUNGE -- Today is the last day at the White House for Allison Lessne of the National Economic Council where she’s been the right hand for NEC Director Jeff Zients and before that Gene Sperling. Allison, who also worked with Neera Tanden at CAP, is headed off to NYC.
-- Biden aide Carri Twigg will join DKC’s New York office as a Senior Vice President after two years at the White House where she served as both Director of Public Engagement for Vice President Biden and Associate Director in the Office of Public Engagement focusing on organized labor. She is also a veteran of the Ford Foundation, the DNC, and Ted Strickland’s gubernatorial administration. Starting Jan. 18, she will focus on issue advocacy, corporate and non-profit clients out of the firm’s NYC office. DKC this week was named the #1 most influential PR firm by the New York Observer. http://bit.ly/1NWBB8u
WASHINGTON INC. -- “Progressive PR Firm [FitzGibbon Media] Closes Down Over Sexual Harassment And Assault Allegations,” by HuffPost’s Amanda Terkel and Ryan Grim: “Trevor FitzGibbon and his team worked with some of the biggest progressive organizations … Multiple female employees came forward with accusations of sexual harassment and assault.” http://huff.to/1RVRnSJ
OUT AND ABOUT – America’s Natural Gas Alliance celebrated a final farewell last night before merging with API, with ANGA CEO Marty Durbin recognizing the collective work of ANGA employees past and present and the work that will continue at API. SPOTTED: Jed Bhuta from General Motors, Sarah Lyle from AFPM, Peter Robertson from Pebble Partnership, Dan Whitten from SEIA, Sami Hauser from the US Chamber of Commerce, and Anton Vuljaj.
– SPOTTED at the 0ptimus, Gridiron and Endeavor screening of Star Wars Episode 7: The Force Awakens: Benny Johnson, Todd Harris, Brian Walsh of Redprint, Scott Tranter, Brian Stobie, Chris Faulkner, Kurt Bardella, Caitlin Rush, Thomas DiFonzo, Chris Green, Ashley Simmons, Charlotte Sellmyer, David Watts, Katrina Valdes, Chris Marklund, Jonathan Strong,
SPOTTED: At Tunnicliff’s in Eastern Market celebrating the holiday season: Chairman Fred and wife Amey Upton along with staff Mark Ratner, Tom Wilbur and Joan Hillebrands joined briefly by Rob Collins, Mike Ference and Noelle Clemente.
HOLIDAY PARTIES – “The National Association of Manufacturers [transformed] the group’s downtown headquarters with early 20th century industrial décor to celebrate the culture and history of manufacturing [with] three-dimensional installations of metallic gears on the walls … a new Faces of Manufacturing exhibit by former White House Photographer David Bohrer … video screenings of the NAM’s 1950 TV series ‘Industry on Parade.’”
--SPOTTED among the party’s 500+ attendees: former Sen. Elizabeth Dole, Reps. Foxx (NC), Stivers (OH), Comstock (VA), Ellmers (NC), Flores (TX), Walker (NC) and Hice (GA), former Gov. George Allen, Mary Cheney, American Iron and Steel Institute’s Tom Gibson, Aluminum Association’s Heidi Brock, Cleaning Institute’s Ernie Rosenberg, 94.7 FRESH FM’s Tommy McFly.
BIRTHWEEK (was yesterday): Erin Taylor (h/t Jon Haber) ... (was Weds.): Allison Thompson, Women’s Campaign Forum and Florida State alum, celebrating with friends this weekend at Texas de Brazil (h/t Sandra Saenz) ... Judith Giuliani
BIRTHDAYS: Dwight Holton is 5-0 (Orioles tip: Mary Ellen Glynn) … WSJ’s Jeanne Cummings … Robb Watters, managing partner of the Madison Group and a squash devotee, celebrating in NYC seeing the Rockettes with his kids (h/t Blair Watters) … former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark is 88 … Lindsay Conwell of Google’s GOP ads team (h/t Anton Vuljaj) ... Randi Weingarten, president of American Federation of Teachers (h/t Hilary Rosen) ... Politico’s Jon Prior is 31 ... Matt Schlapp, principal at Cove Strategies, chairman of the American Conservative Union and the pride of Wichita ... Google’s Jesse Suskin ... CNN’s Rachel Streitfeld (we jumped the gun on both yesterday) ... DCI Group’s Jennifer Scoggins Hanks, a CNN alum ... Rich Luchette, comms. director for Rep. David Cicilline (h/t Alex Macfarlane) ... Politico’s Andrew Restuccia and Max Mounkhaty ... Sara Kamla Pasi, daughter of Peter, is 3 ... Noam Neusner, co-owner/principal at 30 Point Strategies ... Lee Spieckerman ... Deborah E. Cunningham ...
… Frank Coleman, SVP of public affairs at Distilled Spirits Council (tap tips: Matt Labash and Sean Spicer) … Kristina Budelis, cofounder of KitSplit and a New Yorker alum ... Spencer Sharp, publisher at Louise Blouin Media and a NY Observer alum ... Nicole Audet ... Tyler Lechtenberg ... Paul Cooper … McCall Johnson … Jim Whitney … Wendy Strout ... Adam Phillips ... AP’s Will Lester ... Wes Coulam, executive director of Washington Council Ernst & Young and a Morgan Stanley alum ... Judith Giuliani ... RNC and Chamber alum Anne-Claire Whitehead, now director of external relations at Spark Program in Chicago ... Mary Grace ... Sheena Jeffers ... rock singer-musician Keith Richards is 72 … Steven Spielberg is 69 … movie reviewer Leonard Maltin is 65 … Brad Pitt is 52 … “Stone Cold” Steve Austin is 51 … Casper Van Dien (“Mortal Kombat”) is 47 … DJ Lethal (Limp Bizkit) is 43 … Katie Holmes is 37 … actress Isabella Cramp is 11 (h/ts AP)
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