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Good Wednesday morning. We sat down with SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-N.Y.) on his first day as minority leader for a Playbook Interview. He seemed energized for battle with Donald Trump. And he used the Playbook Interview to reveal a brand new Democratic messaging campaign seeking to paint an apocalyptic picture of America when Republicans repeal Obamacare.
THE PHRASE: “MAKE AMERICA SICK AGAIN.” Democrats are going to use the slogan across the country to describe GOP attempts to repeal the health-care law. It begins immediately, but will be most prominent at nationwide rallies on Jan. 15. He used the word “chaos” several times in the interview, a sign that Democrats are going to try to talk about the efforts to scrap the Affordable Care Act as not only unwise, but prompting disorder across the country. Full story http://politi.co/2iOjCG5
-- SCHUMER’S VIEW OF GOP EFFORTS TO REPEAL THE LAW: “It’s chaos rather than affordable care. Because once you repeal and don’t replace it with anything, lots of things happen. Costs go up. All the insurance companies and everybody else in charge are going to charge a lot more because they are not sure what’s going to happen. You’re going to lose a lot of benefits, unless the Republicans put tens of billions of dollars down on the table. … They are like the dog who caught the bus. … Because you cannot repeal a plan and put nothing in its place. It doesn’t matter if you say the repeal won’t take place for a year or two years.”
-- CONVERSATIONS WITH TRUMP ABOUT HEALTH CARE: “No, I talked to the president-elect once about this, and … he said costs keep going up. I said [the growth rate on costs has slowed] since ACA [passed], and that only 8 percent of all Americans are covered by ACA. There are lots of other problems in the system. But he didn’t bite at that. He said it’s terrible. Costs are going up and we have to repeal it. But then replace it with something. They can’t. It’s virtually impossible to keep all the benefits everyone wants kept and repeal it.”
-- DEMS WON’T HELP WITH AN OBAMACARE ALTERNATIVE: “[I]f they think we’re going to come in and save their butts when they screw it up? No. If they are having trouble, work with us not to repeal ACA, but to improve ACA. … [T]he idea of just tweaking a Republican plan that takes away these benefits, the bottom line is there is virtual unanimity in our caucus that we’re all from Missouri. ‘Show me.’ If they show us a plan, and it’s a plan that we can live with, of course. But we’re not going to sit down in a room with them once they repeal and say let’s figure out a joint plan. They have to show us what their alternative is, and there’s a small chance maybe it’s a good plan. Highly unlikely.”
-- HIS CONFIRMATION HEARINGS STRATEGY: “The American people deserve extensive hearings, where we see who these people are. To say they have to be done in week one when these people can be in for four years and they have such potential conflicts of interest, and such potential ability to do damage is ridiculous. … We’re not going to rush this. Now, could they try to jam us? Yes. I think there will be an outcry in America and if they jam us … we have the ability to slow a lot of things down. We prefer not to do that.”
-- HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH TRUMP: Schumer said they never dined together, or played golf, but he ran into him in New York political circles. “He was a Democrat. And I asked all the big Democrats in New York to help the DSCC and he had a big fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago for the DSCC that helped us take back the Senate. God bless him. But I don’t know him that well. And it doesn’t matter. What matters are the issues and our values, not pats on the back. They can try to flatter me. It’s not going to work.”
THE REPUBLICAN RESPONSE -- “Senate Moves to Dismantle Health Law,” by WSJ’s Siobhan Hughes and Kristina Peterson: “The Republican-controlled Senate on Tuesday took its first step toward dismantling the 2010 Affordable Care Act, using its initial day in office to introduce a measure that sets an aggressive timeline for developing plans to repeal much of President Barack Obama’s signature health law … The first fireworks over the repeal of the 2010 health law will begin Wednesday, when Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) is set to open debate on a measure known as a budget resolution. If approved as expected, it would set in motion a controversial legislative process allowing the GOP to repeal much of the health law with a simple majority vote. Republicans are using the process because they hold 52 seats in the new Senate, short of the 60 needed to approve most legislation.” http://on.wsj.com/2i9rGjX
-- “GOP plans to crush Democratic opposition to Trump Cabinet,” by Burgess Everett and Seung Min Kim: “Senate Republicans have a plan to break the Democratic resistance to Donald Trump’s Cabinet: Make their delay tactics as excruciating as possible. With Senate Democrats threatening to drag out the confirmation process for weeks, the GOP is preparing to keep the chamber running around the clock if that’s what it takes to speedily confirm Trump’s cabinet. It’s the kind of retaliatory strategy that will bring all-night sessions, 3 a.m. votes and a long slog through the first months of Trump’s presidency that could sap some of the GOP’s legislative momentum. Sen. John Thune, the No. 3 Senate Republican, said the GOP will do ‘whatever it takes’ to get Trump his team as quickly as possible.” http://politi.co/2j87AKS
PLAYBOOK EXCLUSIVE -- BOLTEN TO HEAD BRT -- Josh Bolten, George W. Bush’s former White House chief of staff, will be the next president and CEO of the Business Roundtable. The veteran GOP operative comes on board as the business group looks to raise its profile and adjust to the impending Trump administration and Republican Congress. It recently named JPMorgan Chase & Co. Chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon as its chairman effective Jan. 23. The BRT, which is comprised of nearly 200 CEOs, expects to be heavily engaged on tax reform, infrastructure investment and other economic priorities. Bolten takes over from former Michigan Gov. John Engler, who announced his retirement in December. http://bit.ly/2j7XNVn
BRAIN DRAIN -- Republicans on Capitol Hill are heading for the exits, looking to cash out on their control of Congress and the White House -- some are being forced out. The brain drain is increasingly apparent in House GOP leadership offices. First there was Speaker Paul Ryan’s chief of staff Dave Hoppe. Now, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s chief of staff Tim Berry is leaving for a gig at the new startup Axios. That follows McCarthy’s lead coalitions staffer, Danielle Burr, who left for the lobbying firm Peck Madigan Jones. And, House Majority Whip Steve Scalise’s communications aide T.J. Tatum also left for Finsbury before the new Congress.
-- FIRST IN POLITICO: “McCarthy taps [Barrett] Karr as new chief of staff,” by Rachael Bade: “House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy will announce Barrett Karr as his new chief of staff Wednesday, promoting the longtime House staffer to lead his office as Republicans gear up for busy four years of policymaking. The Texas native, who currently serves as McCarthy’s deputy chief of staff, takes the reins of the No. 2 House leadership office from Tim Berry, who left the Hill on Tuesday. Her rich legislative background -- overseeing House schedules for the leader, running both rank-and-file offices and the Education and the Workforce Committee, and acting as a top liaison to the Hill for George W. Bush’s White House -- was one of her strongest appeals to the California Republican.” http://politi.co/2iOgv0J
DAY TWO -- “House Republicans, Under Fire, Back Down on Gutting Ethics Office,” by NYT’s Eric Lipton and Matt Flegenheimer: http://nyti.ms/2iOBwZj … BEHIND THE SCENES -- “Inside the House GOP ethics debacle,” by Rachael Bade, John Bresnahan and Kyle Cheney. http://politi.co/2hP6NcS … “What we’ve learned from the GOP’s ethics fiasco,” by Jake Sherman and John Bresnahan. http://politi.co/2iOnmaE ... WaPo leadall, “A day of chaos at the Capitol as House Republicans back down on ethics changes,” by Bob Costa, Mike DeBonis and Phil Rucker. http://wapo.st/2hPorxa
--“The Final Episode Of The Joe Biden Show,” by BuzzFeed’s Emma Loop and Lissandra Villa: “For the last time, the vice president held court during the ceremonial swearing in where he flirted, hugged, and schmoozed with the families of senators.” http://bzfd.it/2iHgD54
--“13 awkward moments during the Biden swearing-in” -- 2-min. video http://politi.co/2iCE2lx
AT 1600 – “President Obama to host a goodbye party at the White House on Friday,” by WaPo’s Helena Andrews-Dyer: “President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama will host a goodbye party for close friends and major donors Friday.” http://wapo.st/2j8bWBS
HAPPENING TODAY -- VP-ELECT MIKE PENCE and PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA are coming to Capitol Hill today to discuss health care. Of course, Pence is going to be a leading figure in the repeal and replace movement, while Obama is trying to rally Democrats to not participate in gutting the law. We spoke to leading Republicans and Democrats on Tuesday, and they told us WHAT TO EXPECT: Pence’s visit is mostly a rah-rah-type rally, urging Republicans on the Hill to work closely with Republicans in the Trump administration. House Republicans feel like Pence is one of them. Just a few years ago, he was chatting with reporters in the basement outside HC-5 -- the House GOP meeting room. A lot of guys in the House have his cell phone. Don’t expect policy proclamations out of this meeting.
OBAMA’s visit won’t be terribly different. He doesn’t want Democrats to fall into the trap of allowing Republicans to use Obamacare as a negotiating chip. Obama will try to rally Democrats to stick by his side -- even after he’s a goner. Schumer told us Obama’s message is the “same as ours.” “Our message is not just on Obamacare. Our message is don’t cut health care. Medicare. Medicaid. Obamacare.”
NEW POLITICO/MORNING CONSULT POLL -- 74% of voters say it's important for Trump to talk about healing the country in his inaugural address…. STEVE SHEPARD: “Voters want Trump to concentrate on jobs”: “Voters want President-elect Donald Trump to focus on bringing back manufacturing jobs from overseas and preventing more jobs from leaving the country when he takes office later this month. A new POLITICO/Morning Consult survey reveals less enthusiasm for some other major Trump proposals during last year’s presidential campaign, including building a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border or restricting Muslims from entering the country.” http://politi.co/2izygmI
DISCONNECT ALERT -- Just 43% had heard not much or nothing about the U.N.’s resolution condemning Israel for building in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Voters are split on whether Israel is right to build in those disputed areas. 28% support it, 28% say it’s illegal and 44% said they didn’t know or had no opinion. This shows a MAJOR disconnect with Capitol Hill, which is working this week to condemn the U.N. resolution.
MEGYN KELLY TO NBC -- NYT A1: “Megyn Kelly’s Jump to NBC From Fox News Will Test Her, and the Networks,” by Jim Rutenberg: “For Megyn Kelly, the shift from Fox News to NBC -- where she will host a daily daytime show and a Sunday newsmagazine program -- will be a test of whether she can connect with a broader audience in a different format and reach another level of television stardom. … For NBC, the addition of Ms. Kelly, 46, may help address a challenge confronting many major news organizations: connecting with a politically diverse audience. … Ms. Kelly had spoken with top executives at ABC News, CNN and in the syndication industry, as well as NBC News, but NBC remained largely under the radar as a landing spot. ... [NBC News chairman Andrew] Lack won her over by starting the talks with a question about what she was seeking, instead of flatly offering possibilities. He then came back with a deal that was tailored to her preferences. A daytime show would give her a schedule that would allow her to see her children off to school and to have dinner with them and her husband, Douglas Brunt, a novelist.” http://nyti.ms/2j8mf95
-- A FEW THOUGHTS -- WHAT INSIDERS ARE SAYING … Andy Lack 1, Jeff Zucker 0 in 2017… If MSNBC now locks up Greta Van Susteren for the 6 p.m. hour, that solidifies a pretty formidable lineup in the Trump era. “Morning Joe,” which has an insider’s read on Trump, Kelly and Greta, combined with the leading liberals in the evening could boost ratings … N.Y. MAG’S GABE SHERMAN: “According to insiders I spoke with ... the consensus seems to be that the Murdochs will choose a woman to fill her 9 p.m. time slot. The leading internal contenders include Trish Regan, Shannon Bream, Sandra Smith, and Martha MacCallum. Two sources said Kimberly Guilfoyle is lobbying for the job.” http://nym.ag/2i9t9Xm … CNN’S DYLAN BYERS: “Previous TV news talents who have made the jump to daytime include Katie Couric, Anderson Cooper and Meredith Vieira. All three of their shows were canceled within a few years.” http://cnnmon.ie/2hQgDAc
FOR YOUR RADAR -- SHOT: @realDonaldTrump: “The ‘Intelligence’ briefing on so-called ‘Russian hacking’ was delayed until Friday, perhaps more time needed to build a case. Very strange!” ... CHASER: WaPo (and a bunch of other outlets): “Trump alleges delay in his briefing on ‘so-called’ Russian hacking; U.S. official says there wasn’t one” http://wapo.st/2hRptf2
TRUMP INC. -- “Trump’s agenda would boost his bottom line,” by Darren Samuelsohn: “Donald Trump stands to personally profit from the legislative agenda he is expected to push in his first 100 days, raising questions about whether he can separate his financial interest from his public office without totally cutting ties from his business empire. The top items on the president-elect's policy checklist - from rewriting the tax code to scrapping Wall Street regulations to repealing Obamacare - have for years been Republican orthodoxy. But Trump could see a direct benefit to muscling through broad tax cuts and eliminating regulations: billions of dollars in new savings for him and his family and fresh revenue for his business portfolio, according to a POLITICO analysis of Trump’s public statements and financial disclosures and interviews with tax experts.” http://politi.co/2hRCzZV
CABINET WATCH -- “Tillerson, Exxon set conflict-of-interest agreement,” by Anthony Adragna: “Oil giant Exxon Mobil announced late Tuesday it had reached an agreement with secretary of State nominee Rex Tillerson over the hundreds of millions of dollars he’s owed from the company. Under the deal that Exxon said was developed with ethics regulators to comply with conflict of interest requirements that Tillerson sever all ties with the company, the former chairman and CEO would see the value of the more than 2 million deferred shares that he is owed put into an independently managed trust, and the share awards would be canceled. At current market prices, those shares are worth more than $180 million.” http://politi.co/2hQjqsM
-- Wilbur Ross’ Commerce questionnaire http://bit.ly/2hPpmO5
– “Jeff Sessions says he handled these civil rights cases. He barely touched them,” by J. Gerald Hebert, Joseph D. Rich and William Yeomans in the WaPo: “We worked in the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, which brought those lawsuits; we handled three of the four ourselves. We can state categorically that Sessions had no substantive involvement in any of them.” http://wapo.st/2hRxxwF … “[Deval] Patrick urges US senators to reject Sessions as AG,” by Boston Globe’s Annie Linskey: http://bit.ly/2iOzmZz … The letter http://politi.co/2iOHdWX
-- “Report fuels questions about Mnuchin role in foreclosure crisis,” by Zach Warmbrodt: “Treasury Secretary-nominee Steven Mnuchin is facing new criticism over the foreclosure practices of the bank that he and partners helped establish after the 2008 housing crisis because of leaked details of an investigation by the state of California. The 2013 document published Tuesday by The Intercept suggests that investigators looking into foreclosures by the bank, OneWest, found evidence of ‘widespread misconduct.’ Investigators suggested there was evidence OneWest signed backdated documents and undertook steps in the foreclosure process when it wasn’t allowed to do so. Though the California attorney general did not pursue charges, the internal findings have given critics of Mnuchin’s nomination fresh ammunition ahead of a Senate Finance Committee confirmation hearing. Democrats and progressive groups have been planning for weeks to make OneWest’s foreclosures a centerpiece of their opposition campaign against Mnuchin.” http://politi.co/2j3zm79 … The Intercept story http://bit.ly/2iHe8PX
COUNTERPROGRAMMING -- The Trump Transparency Project, an initiative of Allied Progress, is launching two six-figure ad buys on broadcast and cable TV in Arizona and Nevada urging Sens. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) and Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) to reject Steven Mnunchin as Treasury Secretary. Their message: the senators have a “simple choice” to stand with Mnunchin and Wall Street or their constituents.
-- “Democratic Party builds a war room to battle Trump,” by WaPo’s Philip Rucker: “The DNC has hired John Neffinger, a longtime operative who runs the Franklin Forum, to serve as interim communications director and oversee the national party’s operation. He will be joined by two Clinton veterans who spent the campaign focused on Trump ... Zac Petkanas, the Clinton campaign’s rapid-response director, will serve as a senior adviser to the DNC and direct the Trump war room, while Adrienne Watson, a [former] Clinton campaign spokeswoman, will serve as the DNC’s national press secretary.” http://wapo.st/2iHfY3D
WEST WING WATCH -- “Pence expected to name Josh Pitcock as chief of staff,” by Matt Nussbaum: “Pitcock served as an aide to Pence during his time in the House and eventually became his chief of staff there. After Pence was elected governor of Indiana in 2012, Pitcock stayed in Washington during Pence’s governorship, serving as the state’s lobbyist. The soft-spoken Pitcock served as a senior policy adviser to Pence throughout the campaign and the transition.” http://politi.co/2hRwWuS
-- AP’s Julie Pace and Julie Bykowicz: “Omarosa Manigault ... is expected to join President-elect Donald Trump’s White House staff ... Her job is expected to focus on public engagement. ... This will be her second tour of duty at the White House — she worked in the office of Vice President Al Gore during the Clinton Administration.” http://abcn.ws/2izlUuY
ADELSON WATCH -- “Next Stop, Hawaii: Sheldon Adelson Sets Record With 18-Hour Flight From Israel: Billionaire flies direct to Honolulu on his private Airbus A340 from Ben Gurion International Airport - the longest flight ever to depart from Israel,” by Ha’aretz’s Gili Melnitcki: “Adelson’s Airbus A340 allows for very long flight times, especially when it’s empty of passengers and cargo. With a total range of 15,000 kilometers, the Airbus model is meant to carry as many as 380 passengers and serves the longest commercial route in the world - from Singapore to Newark. According to various reports, Adelson's plane is personalized to his needs and includes bedrooms with double beds as well as a bottom floor with large bathrooms and showers at passengers’ disposal. All the seats that are installed in the plane are on the first-class level, with advanced accessories.” http://bit.ly/2i8nil0
-- NYT A4, “In Graft Inquiry, Benjamin Netanyahu’s Worst Enemy May Be Himself,” by Isabel Kershner and Peter Baker in Jerusalem: “He has dominated the Israeli political scene for years, outmaneuvering or outlasting one opponent after another, the ultimate survivor in a system that has chewed up many of his predecessors. But after a nighttime visit by police investigators who read him his rights before asking him if he was corrupt, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu now faces a new kind of challenge. The opponent who just might sink him is none other than Benjamin Netanyahu himself. Abraham Diskin, a political scientist at the Academic Center of Law and Science outside Tel Aviv who has advised Mr. Netanyahu, said on Tuesday that it was ‘not very clear that Netanyahu is going to escape some kind of indictment.’ And ‘once there is an indictment,’ Professor Diskin added, ‘he will have to resign.’ Details of the graft investigation remain murky -- ‘the truth is that we don’t know anything,’ Professor Diskin said -- but the questions it raises are clear: Could an appetite for high living abetted by wealthy business executives ultimately undercut Mr. Netanyahu as it has so many other politicians in Israel and around the globe?” http://nyti.ms/2iCGGru
-- PLAYBOOK’S TAKE: If Netanyahu is indicted, and elections are called, could the left win a majority of seats in the Knesset, stymying Trump’s plans to push U.S./Israel relations further to the right?
FIRST IN PLAYBOOK -- The Food Policy Action Education Fund is rolling out a three-year anti-hunger initiative backed by $300 million of donated media from major media partners for a campaign called “A Place at the Table.” The campaign’s first commercial, a montage of average people going about their daily lives worried about putting food on the table, features Michelle Obama. Viacom, BuzzFeed and iHeartMedia are among the media partners. The campaign includes broadcast, digital and print advertising.
MEDIAWATCH -- “Meet the Harvard whiz kid who wants to explain Trumpism,” by Eliana Johnson: “[N]ext month, Julius Krein, a 2008 Harvard graduate who has spent most of his admittedly short career in finance, is launching a journal of public policy and political philosophy with an eye toward laying the intellectual foundation for the Trump movement. If his nerdy swagger is any indication, he has big ambitions: He noted wryly that he is — ‘coincidentally’— the same age that William F. Buckley Jr. was six decades ago when he founded National Review, the magazine that became the flagship of the conservative movement.” http://politi.co/2iCArUM
-- “Inside Dan Senor’s Bid for [Israeli newspaper] Globes” – Jewish Insider: “Over the past few weeks, reports and rumors have been swirling on both sides of the Atlantic about Dan Senor’s $13.6 million bid for the Globes newspaper. ... According to a report last week in Globes itself, ‘the bid to acquire ‘Globes’ is not related to American-Jewish billionaire Paul Singer. Senor wants to buy ‘Globes’ with his own money, and is not serving as a front for anybody.’ Senor has said publicly — as recently as October to a group of entrepreneurs in Tel Aviv — that Israel deserves a world-class business newspaper, on par with the Wall Street Journal and Financial Times.” http://bit.ly/2iOhqy6 … Globes’ Senor story http://bit.ly/2hQvOcx
--“BuzzFeed News hires ‘FOIA terrorist’ Jason Leopold from Vice News,” by Poynter’s Benjamin Mullin: http://bit.ly/2izhAvU
--“How the team of wonks at Vox will cover Trump’s presidency,” by Poynter’s Benjamin Mullin: “Jim Tankersley, who covers economic policy for The Washington Post, is heading to Vox.com to run its politics and policy section. He'll replace Laura McGann, who is being promoted to the new position of editorial director. Lauren Williams, the site's managing editor, is also being promoted, to the position of executive editor.” http://bit.ly/2iCzcF8
--JAMES TARANTO’s final WSJ.com “Best of the Web” column, “Finale: Parting thoughts on journalism, authority and the Trump era.” His new gig is the Journal’s editorial features editor. http://on.wsj.com/2hQfZCM
--Per Morning Media: “Bloomberg Media has hired veteran media executive Stephen Colvin, former CEO of Tina Brown and Barry Diller’s Newsweek-Daily Beast mashup and most recently CEO of luxury mag the Robb Report, to head up and expand its two-year-old global events division, Bloomberg Live.” http://politi.co/2iOrHua
COMING ATTRACTIONS – “CNN Anchor and Chief Washington Correspondent Jake Tapper will sit down with House Speaker Paul Ryan for a primetime Town Hall on Thursday, Jan. 12 at 9 p.m. ET live from George Washington University.”
Yup. That's Rex Tillerson in my local Safeway shopping like a plebeian. His security guy is about 20 paces behind him. pic.twitter.com/9ptVGo8dBE
— Sanho Tree (@SanhoTree) January 4, 2017
TRUMP TOWER POOL REPORT DU JOUR -- Per Politico’s Annie Karni: “At 2:03 p.m., Bob Woodward left the building. The AP’s Steve Peoples ran after him and delivers us this exchange: Why were you up there? [A:] ‘Just visiting a couple of people that’s all. I’ve got to come back not to see somebody else.’ Q: Not the president elect? [A:] ‘I’ve agreed, I’m kind of --’ Q: You’re one of us. Why the secrecy? [A:] ‘There’s no secrecy about it. It’s just that I’m doing my work.’ Q: Are you reporting? [A:] ‘Yeah.’ ‘It’s something I’m working on long term. I hope you’ll understand.’”
SPOTTED: Rep. Charlie Crist (D-Fla.) snapping photos with Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) on the House floor Tuesday … Dick Cheney walking around the Capitol with his daughter, Rep. Lynne Cheney (R-Wyo.) … Mayor Rahm Emanuel flying yesterday from St. Thomas to Atlanta
INSTAPIC DU JOUR -- VAN HOLLEN and SCHUMER, from CR Wooters. http://bit.ly/2hRxkcB
SPOTTED at Rep. Josh Gottheimer’s reception yesterday: a huge crush of Clinton alumni and other high-profile types far beyond the typical freshman reception: Sen. Bob Menendez, Don Baer, Steve Elmendorf, Kiki McLean, Michael Keegan, Chris Wayne, Lara Bergthold, Jeff Shesol, Paul Orzulak, Jeff Nussbaum, Matt Bennett, Ian Alberg, David Saperstein, Kristen Ludecke, many more.
OUT AND ABOUT -- Sen. Rand Paul hosted a swearing-in party yesterday that attracted some luminaries of the libertarian movement and a number of former campaign staffers. SPOTTED: Matt and Terry Kibbe, Grover Norquist, former Sen. Jim DeMint, John Berlau, Mike Biundo, Steve Munisteri, George Will, Brian Darling, Norm Singleton, Jack Hunter, Sam Feist, Cliff Maloney, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, Tommy Behnke, Suhail Khan, Marianne Copenhaver, Sen. Roger Wicker.
PLAYBOOK METRO SECTION -- “Ivanka Trump Will Move into a House in Kalorama,” by Washingtonian’s Marisa M. Kashino: “[M]ultiple real-estate sources say Trump and husband Jared Kushner will move into 2449 Tracy Pl, NW, in Kalorama. That will put the couple less than two blocks from the Obamas, who will reportedly move here post-White House. The six-bedroom house at 2449 Tracy Place sold on December 22nd for $5.5 million, though it is unclear whether Trump and Kushner bought it, or will rent it from the recent buyer.” With 13 pix on one page http://bit.ly/2iOudka
--WHAT THE D.C. JEWISH COMMUNITY IS WONDERING: Will Ivanka and Jared, who are Orthodox, go to Chabad’s TheSHUL, Rabbi Levi Shemtov’s synagogue off Connecticut Avenue? (Shemtov is a longtime D.C. political player). Or will they opt for the traditional Kesher Israel in Georgetown?
-- “Tony Kornheiser, Gary Williams and Maury Povich walk into a bar. Then they buy it,” by WaPo’s Dan Steinberg: “Tony Kornheiser announced on his podcast Tuesday that an ownership group that includes himself, former Maryland basketball coach Gary Williams and TV host Maury Povich purchased Chad’s, the longtime Friendship Heights restaurant and bar. Kornheiser said the group plans to rename the former Chadwick’s, soliciting naming suggestions from his podcast listeners, among others. He also said he would like to put a studio in the Wisconsin Avenue hangout, where he could record his podcasts and potentially host other local podcasters.” http://wapo.st/2iBo9Mm
-- POVICH frequented the haunt for 15 years when he worked at Fox 5, which had its studios on Wisconsin Avenue. We -- well, really just Jake -- idolize Kornheiser, and love his show. We’ll go to this restaurant and hope Playbookers go, too.
TRANSITIONS – TIM GRIFFIN to Brunswick as senior counselor -- “The current lieutenant governor of Arkansas, Tim was previously elected to the U.S. House of Representatives where he served on the Ways and Means Committee, was Deputy Majority Whip for the Republican caucus, and the Vice Chair for strategy and communications at the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC). Earlier in his career, he was special assistant to the President and deputy director of the Office of Political Affairs for President George W. Bush.” Griffin was most recently at Purple Strategies and continues in his part-time job as Arkansas’ lieutenant governor. http://bit.ly/2i9saX2
--Marsha Catron, fresh off a four-year stint at DHS as deputy assistant secretary of public affairs, is headed back to Capitol Hill as chief of staff for freshman Rep. Nanette Barragan (D-Calif.). ... Faiz Shakir, a former senior aide to Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid (who also advised Bernie Sanders) is going to work for the ACLU as its interim national political director -- a move that seems to suggest the non-partisan group may be preparing to do battle with Trump on its animating civil liberties issues. ...
... AMD has named Amy Wolverton as associate vice president for U.S. gov’t affairs; she was previously at smartphone and virtual reality hardware manufacturer HTC America. ... Logan Churchwell, longstanding comms director for voters’ rights group True the Vote, is now leading the comms shop for Public Interest Legal Foundation helmed by best-selling author and DOJ whistle-blower J. Christian Adams.
ENGAGED -- Former Rep. John Barrow (D-Ga.) recently proposed to Atlanta entrepreneur and philanthropist Angèle Hawkins. They made the announcement to their families over Christmas. Barrow was the last white Democrat in Congress from the Deep South, and Hawkins is a co-founder of Dynamix Group Inc. and New Hope Enterprises. Barrow recently wrote a former colleague, “This never would’ve happened if I was still married to my old job. Thank you, John Boehner!” And he’s being recruited to run for statewide office in Georgia. Pic http://bit.ly/2hQd9NT
WELCOME TO THE WORLD -- Jamie Mageau, director of research projects at the U.S. Travel Association, and Mike Mageau, managing director of The Sotor Group, and have welcomed Addison Aida Mageau, who was born at 12:34 p.m. last Thursday. Pics http://bit.ly/2iHdVfW … http://bit.ly/2j8eakJ ... http://bit.ly/2hRLfPR
BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY -- Ben Mayer, senior broadcast producer of “Morning Joe,” is 32, celebrating with good friends in Colorado. “I always forget how dry it is here, but on the bright side, less sweaty, which is good for large/beardy people like me” -- read his Playbook Plus Q&A: http://politi.co/2iHlu6j ... Jeremy Funk, comms. director of Americans United for Change, is 38, celebrating by having dinner with his wife Erica at Le Diplomate. “I’ve challenged her to a snail eating contest, but we’ll both be winners either way” -- Q&A: http://politi.co/2hRAixU
BIRTHDAYS: Rob Gifford, senior producer at CBSN, is 38 ... Doris Kearns Goodwin is 74 ... James Warren, chief media writer for the Poynter Institute, and contributing editor for N.Y. Daily News ... Politico’s David Kihara, the quiet hero who helps keep Politico.com running ... Politico’s Caitlin Emma Kuchman is 28 ... comedian and satirist Andy Borowitz is 59 (hat tip: Jewish Insider) ... Samantha Slosberg, alum of Hillary for America and Dewey Square Group ... Politico’s Deborah Matteliano ... Sarah Andrews, a Vermont native, Obama and Hillary campaign alum, who most recently worked for the Colorado Democratic Party ... Don Shula, the winningest coach in NFL history (and now Shula’s Steak House magnate), is 87 ... Hillary Brandenburg, policy adviser in Treasury’s Office of Financial Institutions ... Philly lobbyist Holly Kinser ... Myanmar (Burma) is 69 on its Independence Day (h/t @BCIU) ... Hoyer alum Terry Lierman ... Nan Aron, founder and president of Alliance for Justice … Terrorism Research & Analysis Consortium research associate Audrey Hickenlooper (h/t Colby Bermel) ... Jim Friedman is 7-0 (h/t son Andrew) ... Courtney Piron, global health-care practice lead at APCO (h/t Anthony DeAngelo) … Marc Brumer, comms director for Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand …
… Chip Kahn, CEO and president of the Federation of American Hospitals ... Barbara Menard … David Muir, British political consultant and former Harvard Institute of Politics visiting fellow … Qianwei Zhang of Baobab Group SE ... Peter Schorsch publisher of FloridaPolitics.com … Doug Centilli ... Jen Flaherty, a Romney alum … Michele Remillard, executive producer of C–SPAN’s Washington Journal … Anthony Terrell ... WJLA’s Brian van de Graaff and his son Tony, who shares his birthday … Madeleine Daly, daughter of Meredith Carlson Daly and Matthew Daly of AP ... Patrick Connolly, associate at Portfolio Advisors ... Joe Hansen ... Belen Mendoza ... Lorraine Driscoll (h/ts Teresa Vilmain) ... Jennifer Sullivan ... Patrick Purtill, director of legislative affairs at the Faith and Freedom Coalition ... Adam Goldman is 45 ... OFA alum Claire Zucker ... Ronnie Stangler ... David Phelps ... Anthony Terrell ... Jeff Angevine … Erin Moffet, comms director for Rep. Charlie Crist ... Lisa Pittman of House Natural Resources ... Doug Campbell of House Foreign Affairs ... Tiana McCall of Rep. Cheri Bustos’ office ... Amanda Septimo of Rep. Jose Serrano’s office ... Joe McAndrew of Sen. Schatz’s office ... Anne Louise Simmons of House Ag (h/ts Legistorm)