ONE YEAR FROM TODAY: Inauguration Day. (h/t Susan Page)
‘EXTREMELY TORN’ … That’s what NYT editorial board member MARA GAY said about their endorsement process, which ended with the nation’s leading paper endorsing both SENS. AMY KLOBUCHAR (D-Minn.) and ELIZABETH WARREN (D-Mass.). GAY on “Morning Joe” talked about the decision to endorse two candidates: "I think first of all, again, this is an acknowledgement that there's more than one pathway forward but I also want to say that this is about respecting the voters.
No one has actually cast a ballot in this election yet. And so let's let this play out. However, we did have to narrow the field. And we really do believe that these two senators -- in this case happens to be the two women in the field who are left -- are the best to do that, and an endorsement isn't about supporting a candidate necessarily. It's more about educating voters and helping them make the best decision based on their own beliefs. That respect for voters did inform this process.“And obviously we are also extremely torn. The editorial board of The New York Times is really traditionalist, it’s an institutionalist newspaper, progressive to be sure, but this is an acknowledgement especially our endorsement of Sen. Warren that the institutions in this country need strengthening in a way that may require something far beyond what it did in the past.” The endorsement
MORE LEONNIG-RUCKER … VANITY FAIR: “‘IT’S LIKE A FOREIGN LANGUAGE’: DONALD TRUMP’S ENCOUNTER WITH THE CONSTITUTION DID NOT GO WELL”: “With LED lights on stilts in front of him, Trump took his seat. ‘You’re lucky you got the easy part,’ Pelosi told him cheerfully. ‘It gets complicated after this.’ But the president stumbled, trying to get out the words in the arcane, stilted form the founding fathers had written.
Trump grew irritated. ‘It’s very hard to do because of the language here,’ Trump told the crew. ‘It’s very hard to get through that whole thing without a stumble.’ He added, ‘It’s like a different language, right?’ The cameraman tried to calm Trump, telling him it was no big deal, to take a moment and start over. Trump tried again, but again remarked, ‘It’s like a foreign language.’” “A Very Stable Genius” is $21.26 on AmazonTHE LATEST ON IMPEACHMENT: Senate Minority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER (D-N.Y.) vowed at a press conference last night in New York to press for votes on witnesses and documents at the beginning of the Senate impeachment trial. The move comes as Democrats try to increase pressure on Senate Majority Leader MITCH MCCONNELL (R-Ky.) ahead of Tuesday, when McConnell is expected to introduce his resolution.
HOUSE DEM IMPEACHMENT MANAGERS are meeting today and are expected to do a walkthrough of the Senate floor. (h/t Alex Moe)
MANAGING UP … “When McConnell speaks, Trump listens. Impeachment trial will test the unlikely bond,” by Rachael Bade and Seung Min Kim: “President Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell huddled privately in the Oval Office this month to discuss a judicial nominee. But the president, seething over the stain of impeachment, had something else on his mind: He wanted to know how the GOP could short-circuit his trial.
“During the Jan. 8 session, Trump rejected the House charges against him, abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, calling it a shoddy case that would never hold up in court. He urged McConnell (R-Ky.) to use his power to end the trial before it began. McConnell cautioned Trump, as he had many times before: Such a vote to dismiss the charges would fail in the Senate and generate embarrassing headlines, he flatly told the president.
“In addition, it would split Senate Republicans at the outset of Trump’s impeachment trial — which will probably be among the most challenging times of his presidency. ‘Better to be unified than divided,’ McConnell said, according to two people with knowledge of the exchange who spoke on the condition of anonymity to be frank.
“The warning underscores the advisory role McConnell has been playing to Trump as he seeks to protect his fragile Senate majority and his own reelection this year while ensuring a smooth acquittal of the president. Although the men are polar opposites — and initially had a rocky and somewhat awkward relationship — the president has come to view McConnell as an asset and reliable counselor, deferring to him on impeachment strategy, even at times against his own no-holds-barred instincts.” WaPo
-- MEANWHILE … BIDEN GOES ON THE OFFENSIVE: “Biden campaign warns against media use of Trump disinformation during impeachment trial,” by NBC’s Heidi Przybyla and Mike Memoli: “A day before the opening of President Donald Trump's Senate impeachment trial, former Vice President Joe Biden's campaign is issuing a pre-emptive strike, sending an unusual open memo to the media warning against disinformation pushed by the president and his defenders.
“The memo, first obtained by NBC News, is also a shot across the bow of Republican senators as they consider whether to entertain Trump's demands to call Hunter Biden, Joe Biden's son, as a witness in the trial.” NBC
NYT’S ELAINA PLOTT in Denver: “Where Is Cory Gardner?”: “[M]r. Gardner’s invisibility — he hasn’t held a town hall-style meeting in two years -- is also pragmatic, a means of avoiding questions about his ties to the divisive president, especially as the Senate impeachment trial nears. If Mr. Gardner ends up vocally supporting the president, or votes to acquit him in the trial, it will complicate and perhaps even endanger his race to hold onto his seat.” NYT
Good Monday morning. Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
HAPPENING TODAY -- “Virginia’s capital braces for gun-rights rally,” by AP’s Alan Suderman and Sarah Rankin in Richmond, Va.: “Gun-rights activists and other groups began to descend on Virginia’s capital city Monday to protest Democrats’ plans to pass gun-control legislation.
“Gov. Ralph Northam declared a temporary state of emergency days ahead of the rally, banning all weapons including guns from the event on Capitol Square. The expected arrival of thousands of gun-rights activists — along with members of militia groups and white supremacists — raised fears the state could again see the type of violence that exploded in Charlottesville in 2017.
“Virginia’s solicitor general told a judge Thursday that law enforcement had identified “credible evidence” armed out-of-state groups planned to come to the state with the possible intention of participating in a ‘violent insurrection.’ … The Virginia State Police, the Virginia Capitol Police and the Richmond Police are all coordinating the event and have plans for a huge police presence at Monday’s rally with both uniformed and plainclothes officers. Police plan to limit access to Capitol Square to only one entrance and have warned rallygoers they may have to wait hours to get past security screening.” AP
-- THE RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH has a live blog going.
NEW IOWA POLL via NATASHA KORECKI -- A rare Iowa poll just 2 weeks before the caucuses has 2020 campaigns on alert. The Focus on Rural America poll (which surveys statewide) is to go live today at 10 a.m. EST. and we have some early takeaways, via the group’s co-founder, JEFF LINK:
-- There are a whole lot of uncommitted Iowans. Note, that’s not just undecided – but Democrats actually saying they’re expecting to initially caucus “uncommitted,” intending to make a decision in the second round after those with lower support are cut out. It’s a risky approach: If 15% of those in your precinct are uncommitted, that’s where you’ll be stuck.
-- The poll will calculate a telling metric Link says wasn’t in the Des Moines Register/CNN poll: the second choice of those Democrats who support candidates who didn’t garner 15% in the poll. As this mimics caucus rules, it’s intended to show which candidate most likely benefits in the final count of the caucuses if candidates like Andrew Yang or Tom Steyer don’t reach 15% viability in the first round.
-- The poll was in the field Wednesday through Saturday, just after the Elizabeth Warren-Bernie Sanders feud swallowed news coverage after last week’s debate in Des Moines. There are some hints that news of the spat, even if they’re on the mend now, held some sway over the survey. Link tells us 70% of those polled watched news coverage of last week’s debate and 50% actually watched it.
IOWA PREVIEW … NEW YORK MAG’S GABE DEBENEDETTI: “In the final days before the Iowa caucuses every four years, it’s typical for campaign aides and reporters, and baristas and taxi drivers, and any Iowan who’s ever turned on a television or heard a radio ad, to try predicting which presidential candidates will win and which ones will fall flat. But this year is different. Just two weeks out, as the outcome of the race should be taking shape, almost no one in the state — much less the campaign operatives paid to project confidence to anyone who’ll listen — is comfortable even hazarding a shadow of a guess about the Democratic caucuses.” NY Mag
WARREN/SANDERS KUMBAYA MOMENT? -- “Warren joins Bernie in jabbing Biden on Social Security,” by Alex Thompson in Des Moines: “Elizabeth Warren hit Joe Biden for his past stances on changing Social Security and expressed solidarity with Bernie Sanders on the issue as the two liberal senators seek to move past their recent feud.
“‘Bernie Sanders and I established the ‘Expand Social Security Caucus’ in the Senate,’ Warren said in a quick interview as she hopped into her car outside a candidate forum in Iowa. ‘As a senator, Joe Biden had a very different position on Social Security, and I think everyone's records on Social Security are important in this election.’
“Warren’s comments come as Sanders has been relentlessly bashing Biden for his past openness to freezing cost-of-living spikes or raising the retirement age as part of larger bipartisan deals — proposals that Sanders opposed during his time in Congress. Warren linking arms with Sanders on the issue also comes after long-simmering tensions between the two exploded into the open this week.
“The campaigns have been trying to move on from the conflict — which climaxed Tuesday night when each accused the other of calling them a ‘liar’ on the stage immediately following the debate —and are largely not responding to media questions about the rift. The Social Security issue provides a potential opportunity for a liberal tag-team against Biden as both senators have long fought to expand the program and have rolled out plans on the campaign trail.” POLITICO
BUT NOT UNIVERSAL … LOT OF DEM-ON-DEM FIGHTING: “With two weeks until Iowa, the Democratic presidential candidates are getting aggressive — with each other,” by WaPo’s Matt Viser, Sean Sullivan and Cleve R. Wootson, Jr. in Indianola, Iowa
DEPT. OF UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES: “Bloomberg’s massive ad campaign hikes TV prices for other candidates,” by Maya King: “Michael Bloomberg’s big-spending, shock-and-awe TV ad campaign has made politicking more expensive for everyone from his 2020 rivals to Senate, House and state legislative candidates around the country.
“Eight weeks into his presidential campaign, Bloomberg has already spent more money on advertising — $248 million — than most candidates could spend in years. That amount has squeezed TV ad inventory in nearly every state, lowering supply and causing stations to raise ad prices at a time of high demand, as candidates around the country gear up for their primaries.
“On average in markets around the country, prices for political TV ads have risen by 20 percent since Bloomberg began his campaign. Meanwhile, some local politicians have already found difficulty trying to reach their own constituencies.” POLITICO
TRUMP’S MONDAY -- The president will leave the White House at 6:15 p.m. en route to Andrews. He will depart at 6:35 p.m. for Zurich, Switzerland, en route to Davos for the World Economic Forum.
The theme of this year’s gathering, which will include some 119 billionaires, is “Stakeholders for a Cohesive and Sustainable World.”
POTUS is expected to give opening remarks and hold bilateral meetings, but the White House has released scant details. More over at POLITICO’s Davos Playbook
THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION … NANCY COOK: “Trump’s staffing struggle: After 3 years, unfilled jobs across the administration”: “Pushing nominees through the Senate confirmation process takes twice as long under President Donald Trump as it did during President Ronald Reagan’s time in office — a record that appears to have limited Trump’s influence during his three years as president.
“On average, it takes 115 days to confirm a presidential appointee for Trump, compared with 56.4 days under Reagan, according to new data from the nonpartisan Partnership for Public Service. In 2019, the process took even longer: an average of 136 days for the Senate to confirm appointees, particularly for sub-Cabinet positions.
“The delays come from several factors including the extensive paperwork applicants must complete, as well as the increasingly common practice of the opposing party delaying nominations by placing holds on them, or filibustering them, according to the partnership’s research.
“The latest data illuminates the extent to which the Trump administration has struggled to fill jobs as it heads into its fourth year on Monday. Of the 714 key positions requiring Senate confirmation, 515 of them have a confirmed nominee in place — with 170 positions having no nominee, according to the latest tracking from the partnership. White Houses typically do not get many nominees confirmed in the fourth year of any presidency apart from Cabinet positions, if needed, and judicial nominations. The Trump administration is likely to be no different and is aware of this fact, one White House official said.” POLITICO
BACKSTORY … WSJ: “Lev Parnas Paid His Way Into Donald Trump’s Orbit,” by Rebecca Ballhaus, Aruna Viswanatha and Alex Leary: “At a meeting with prosecutors from the Manhattan U.S. attorney’s office late last year, people familiar with the matter say, Mr. Parnas’s attorney disputed that he pushed for the removal of the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine at the behest of a Ukrainian official—one of the charges in the campaign finance indictment.
“As Mr. Parnas sat without speaking, the attorney told prosecutors that his client didn’t act at the official’s direction, though the two had been in contact about removing the ambassador, the people said. Manhattan prosecutors rejected that explanation, the people said. Prosecutors haven’t detailed publicly any evidence that would support their allegation.”
SUE GORDON SPEAKS -- “Former Deputy Intelligence Director Sue Gordon on the Power in Making Up Your Mind,” by InStyle’s Sarah Cristobal: “Last August, after 30-plus years of carrying out covert operations on behalf of the CIA, Sue Gordon was foisted into the spotlight. Despite her cordial relationship with President Trump, her bipartisan support, and the fact that it was a federal statute to promote her, the president made it clear that he was going to bypass her for the top position of director of National Intelligence, vacated by Dan Coats. So, Gordon reluctantly tendered her resignation, which became headline news.
“‘On the one hand, it was awful because it was my life’s work and I’m good at it, and there’s no reason in the world that the president shouldn’t trust me,’ Gordon says now of the dismissal. “I don’t know who was served by this. And I don’t understand the real basis. It hurt.’ InStyle
POSTCARD FROM SEOUL -- “U.S. envoy say it’s his mustache; South Koreans say otherwise,” by AP’s Hyung-Jin Kim: “The U.S. ambassador to South Korea has some unusual explanations for the harsh criticism he’s faced in his host country. His mustache, maybe? Or a Japanese ancestry that raises unpleasant reminders of Japan’s former colonial domination of Korea?
“Many South Koreans, however, have a more straight-forward explanation for Harry Harris’ struggle to win hearts and minds in Seoul, and it’s got more to do with an outspoken manner that they see as undiplomatic and rude.
“Since arriving in Seoul in July 2018, Harris, a retired navy general born to a Japanese mother and an American navy officer, has been the focus of keen attention because of his military and ethnic background. The 63-year-old former U.S. Pacific Command chief has sometimes drawn criticism from those who take issue with his manner when dealing with South Koreans.
“His mustache has become the subject of ribbing online, with jokes made about how it resembles those of Japanese colonial masters, who brutally occupied the Korean Peninsula from 1910-45. But there is more serious concern that the discord could widen a growing rift in Seoul’s relations with Washington at a time when diplomacy with rival North Korea seem in danger of imploding.” AP
IMMIGRATION FILES -- “The Fight to Save an Innocent Refugee from Almost Certain Death,” by the New Yorker’s Ben Taub: “Omar Ameen came to the U.S. to escape the violence in Iraq. Now he’s accused of being a member of an ISIS hit squad.”
Send tips to Eli Okun and Garrett Ross at politicoplaybook@politico.com.
SPOTTED: Former President Bill Clinton on an American Airlines flight from Westchester County Airport to DCA on Sunday evening. Pic
SPOTTED at a female-focused series Femme Force One brunch guest-hosted by Karen Travers at Dacha Navy Yard on Sunday: Meridith McGraw, Alisa Wiersema, Amna Nawaz, Abby Livingston, Francesca Chambers, Kimberly Halkett, Katie Watson, Jordyn Phelps, Dmitri Chekaldin, Alexandra Triana, Timur Tugberk and Courtney Flantzer. Pic
TRANSITION -- Steve Cortes will be a senior adviser and spokesman for America First Action PAC. He previously was head strategist for BGC Partners.
ENGAGED -- Rachel Bovard, senior director of policy at the Conservative Partnership Institute and senior adviser to the Internet Accountability Project, and Lawrence Stanley, entrepreneur, philanthropist and managing director of The Cap-X Group, got engaged Friday at the Library of Congress. Pic
WEEKEND WEDDING -- Jonathan McKernan, senior adviser at the Federal Housing Finance Agency, and Sapna Sharma, staffer for the House Armed Services Committee, got married Saturday at the National Museum of Women in the Arts. Pic … Another pic … SPOTTED doing a pre-wedding dance: Mandi Critchfield, Jon Blum, Shil Patel, Tyler Williams, Saat Alety, Andrew Rothe, Kyle Hauptman, Sarah Brown, Gerald Huang and Conor Carney. Pic
BIRTHDAYS: Kellyanne Conway is 53 … Nikki Haley is 48 … Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) is 51 … Chip Englander ... Paola Ramos … Paul Mandelson, special assistant to the assistant secretary of Defense for legislative affairs … Jessica Katz … Robin Roberts of National Media ... Eric Simmons is 47 ... Bill Maher is 64 ... Kirsten White ... Elena Hernandez ... Dan Schneider, associate director for comms at the WH Council on Environmental Quality ... West Honeycutt is 3-0 ... Ian Sams ... Anna Stolitzka ... POLITICO’s Brianna Gurciullo, Gavin Bade and Megan Erickson ... Bob Michaels ... Richard Kirsch ... Al Kamen (h/t Jon Haber) … former Rep. Bill Owens (D-N.Y.) is 71 … former Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-Nev.) is 69 … Soroush Shehabi ... Mike McMearty ... Georgina Bloomberg is 37 … Diane Ruggiero, CNN supervising producer (h/t Kevin Bohn)… CBN anchor and correspondent Jenna Browder … Pablo E. Carillo …
… WSJ’s James V. Grimaldi … Natan Sharansky is 72 … CBS’ Maria Gavrilovic … Adrien Borisavljevic … Tanya Meck, Global Strategy Group’s head of communications and public affairs (h/t Erin Billings) … Morton Abramowitz is 87 … Susan Finkelstein … Jeb Golinkin is 32 … Sam Dealey, managing principal at Monument Communications (h/t Tim Burger) … Matthew Sanderson … Arica VanBoxtel … Stacie Rumenap … Chris Schmitter … Jessica Hanna … Purple Strategies’ Alec Jacobs is 3-0 … Michelle Rodriguez … Joan Tilouine ... Ben Edwards ... Tracy Russo ... Merrill Hartson is 77 ... Elena Robertson ... Brent Desiderio is 5-0 ... Andy Taylor ... James Ryan ... Nicole deSibour Rodgers ... Michelle Runk ... GE’s Alan Gilbert ... Sophie Trainor ... Jed Webb ... Zack Walz ... Chuck Gray ... Pat Souders … Lane Kasselman (h/t Teresa Vilmain)