| | | | |  | | By Eli Okun | Presented by ACLI, Finseca, IRI, NAFA and NAIFA | |  Jan. 6 continues to loom especially large for the two men whose political fortunes were at the center of the riot, Donald Trump and President Joe Biden. | John Minchillo/AP | THREE YEARS LATER — As we round the anniversary of the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection, the political legacy of that historic day remains contested terrain in the next presidential election, in the courts and in the minds of many Americans. The latter is borne out by the striking results of a new WaPo-University of Maryland poll, which finds that one-quarter of the country has fallen for the false conspiracy theory that the FBI incited the deadly Capitol attack. That includes 34% of Republicans, 30% of independents, 44% of DONALD TRUMP voters and 39% of Fox News viewers who either suspect or think there’s solid proof of this lie. The irony, of course, is that “a substantial minority of Americans still embrace conspiracy theories not unlike the ones that drove many rioters to storm the Capitol three years ago,” Tom Jackman, Scott Clement, Emily Guskin and Spencer Hsu write for WaPo. Experts say the finding tracks with the country’s struggling information ecosystem. Jan. 6 continues to loom especially large for the two men whose political fortunes were at the center of the riot, Trump and President JOE BIDEN. Illinois today became the 18th state to see a 14th Amendment challenge filed against Trump’s place on the 2024 ballot on the grounds that he was an insurrectionist, Dave McKinney scooped for WBEZ-FM and the Chicago Sun-Times. And Biden is ramping up his focus on Jan. 6 as he puts the stakes for American democracy front and center in his pitch to the electorate, positioning it similarly to his emphasis on the Charlottesville, Virginia, white nationalist rally in the 2020 campaign, Axios’ Alex Thompson reports. His big speeches Friday and Monday will highlight Jan. 6 as the exemplar of Trump’s threat to democracy, as his campaign sees this as a political vulnerability for the former president. The addresses will be backed up by the Biden campaign’s first ads of the year, which highlight Jan. 6 and democracy worries by leaning on Biden’s big speech in Arizona last fall, NBC’s Mike Memoli reports. The 60-second spot will hit Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin airwaves beginning Saturday and running through next week, with truncated versions going up on social media. Watch it here But Trump isn’t ceding the issue: His praise for the attendees at the Capitol on Jan. 6 dovetails with his ongoing lies about the 2020 election’s legitimacy, and he’ll mark the anniversary Saturday with two campaign rallies in Iowa, AP’s Will Weissert writes. Both contenders “are talking about the same event in very different ways and offering framing they believe gives them an advantage. … Trump has bet that the riot won’t hurt his candidacy.” More reading: “‘How are we going to defend ourselves?’ Inside the Capitol during the Jan. 6 insurrection,” by the L.A. Times’ Sarah Wire … “The Jan. 6 Riot Inquiry So Far: Three Years, Hundreds of Prison Sentences,” by NYT’s Alan Feuer and Molly Cook Escobar UP FOR DEBATE — POLITICO will host the first big TV debate of the California Senate race, along with Fox 11 Los Angeles and the University of Southern California Dornsife Center for the Political Future, on Jan. 22 in LA. It’s expected to feature the four leading contenders: Democratic Reps. ADAM SCHIFF, KATIE PORTER and BARBARA LEE and Republican STEVE GARVEY. More from Chris Cadelago BIG MONEY — Rep. ANDY KIM’s (D-N.J.) Senate bid pulled in $1.75 million in the fourth quarter of 2023, the New Jersey Globe’s David Wildstein reports. He ended the year with $2.6 million on hand. AMERICAN SICKNESS — “Multiple people were shot at a high school in Perry, Iowa. The suspect is dead,” by AP’s Nicholas Riccardi Good Thursday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me a line at eokun@politico.com.
| | | | A message from ACLI, Finseca, IRI, NAFA and NAIFA: America is facing a demographic tipping point.
This year, more Americans will turn age 65 than ever before. Millions are turning to protected lifetime income to secure greater financial certainty throughout retirement.
A new regulation proposed by the Department of Labor is out of step with this reality. It would limit access for people who need it most. Stand with us. Protect retirement for all. | | | |  | 7 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW | | |  A new House Democratic report shows that foreign governments spent big at the Trump hotel in D.C. during his presidency. | Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images | 1. THE EMOLUMENTS CLAUSE RETURNS: “China, Saudi Arabia Top List of Foreign Governments That Spent Millions at Trump Properties During His Presidency,” by WSJ’s Jack Gillum and Kate O’Keeffe: “Public documents and internal financial records obtained by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee … showed that countries spent lavishly at Trump’s hotels in Washington and Las Vegas. They also shelled out for payments at his New York properties, spending a total of at least $7.8 million during his time in office. The Chinese government and entities linked to it spent more than $5.5 million, or nine times that of Saudi Arabia, the next biggest spender.” 2. APPROPS WATCH: Reuters’ Richard Cowan has a detailed look at how the House Republican appropriations bills, conservative proposals that slash federal spending, would affect Americans. The upshot is that cuts to federal programs would disproportionately harm Black people, from removing lead paint to affordable housing to infant mortality. “Republicans argue there are better ways to administer activities on their chopping block by merging them with similar programs or clawing back unspent funds. Democrats and President Joe Biden’s administration disagree, saying the programs would wither.” Meanwhile: Leading House Republicans want to inject immigration policy into the looming government funding efforts, not just the separate negotiations over a national security supplemental package, Punchbowl’s Jake Sherman, Andrew Desiderio, Mica Soellner and John Bresnahan report. That could gum up the drive to stave off a government shutdown. 3. SCOTUS WATCH: “A Los Angeles man was denied a green card over his tattoos. The Supreme Court might take up his case,” by the L.A. Times’ Andrea Castillo: “On Friday, justices are scheduled to review the case and decide whether to take it up. … The outcome of the case could have ripple effects for immigrants like [LUIS ACENSIO CORDERO] because it’s so rare to win challenges to the government’s visa denials. But his attorneys fear that if the Supreme Court sides with the Biden administration, former President Trump, if reelected, would use the decision, and the underlying authority, to justify blanket bans of people from certain countries.”
| | | | GLOBAL PLAYBOOK IS TAKING YOU TO DAVOS! Unlock the insider's guide to one of the world's most influential gatherings as POLITICO's Global Playbook takes you behind the scenes of the 2024 World Economic Forum. Author Suzanne Lynch will be on the ground in the Swiss Alps, bringing you the exclusive conversations, shifting power dynamics and groundbreaking ideas shaping the agenda in Davos. Stay in the know with POLITICO's Global Playbook, your VIP pass to the world’s most influential gatherings. SUBSCRIBE NOW. | | | | | 4. WHITHER BURT JONES?: The Georgia lieutenant governor, who was one of Trump’s fake electors in 2020, was blocked from being charged by Fulton County DA FANI WILLIS because of her partisan conflict of interest. Instead, the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia, led by Republican PETER SKANDALAKIS, will tap a special prosecutor to steer the Jones case, NYT’s Richard Fausset reports. But after several months of waiting, choosing the prosecutor will be a difficult decision — likely to be condemned by partisans on one side or the other. The stakes are high for Jones, a rising MAGA star who could run for governor in 2026. 5. WAR REPORT: In another strike against Iranian-backed forces in Iraq, the U.S. tried to kill a member of an Iranian proxy group in a car in Baghdad, CNN’s Oren Liebermann, Natasha Bertrand and Haley Britzky report. It’s not yet clear whether the strike was successful. An American official said the man had “U.S. blood on his hands.” … Meanwhile, the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the deadly bombing attacks that left 84 dead in Iran, per the NYT. 6. SAVING THE MESSENGER: The financially struggling startup news outlet is looking to raise roughly $20 million to stay afloat, Axios’ Sara Fischer reports. Founder JIMMY FINKELSTEIN has been working on the new batch of funding for months — a turnabout from the company’s initial plan to coast on profitability after its inaugural round of investments. “Finkelstein has touted the firm’s ability to grow its digital audience quickly since launch. He has also pitched the promise of the company’s new video effort, ‘The Messenger TV,’ which the firm plans to debut this year.” But those on the receiving end of the pitch “will have to weigh their faith in Finkelstein to quickly turn page views in dollars.” 7. HISTORY LESSON: “Want to Understand 2024? Look at 1948,” by NYT’s Nate Cohn: “HARRY TRUMAN was the only president besides Joe Biden to oversee an economy with inflation over 7 percent while unemployment stayed under 4 percent and G.D.P. growth kept climbing. Voters weren’t overjoyed then, either. Instead, they saw Mr. Truman as incompetent, feared another depression and doubted their economic future, even though they were at the dawn of postwar economic prosperity. … [N]ormalcy was just beginning to arrive in 1948, when Mr. Truman won re-election. … If something similar is almost at hand, it can’t come soon enough for Mr. Biden.”
| | | | POLITICO AT CES® 2024: We are going ALL On at CES 2024 with a special edition of the POLITICO Digital Future Daily newsletter. The CES-focused newsletter will take you inside the most powerful tech event in the world, featuring revolutionary products that cut across verticals, and insights from industry leaders that are shaping the future of innovation. The newsletter runs from Jan. 9-12 and will focus on the public policy-related aspects of the gathering. Sign up today to receive exclusive coverage of the show. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Chris Christie is owning up to regretting his 2016 Donald Trump endorsement. Nikki Haley is planning Wall Street and California fundraisers after the New Hampshire primary. Steven Mnuchin is staying away from the Trump campaign. Joe Kent’s campaign/super PAC payments are raising questions. Elise Stefanik bailed on Craig Riedel. Alex Padilla and Tony Cárdenas are D.C. roommates. IN MEMORIAM — “Donald Wildmon, Early Crusader in Conservative Culture Wars, Dies at 85,” by NYT’s Trip Gabriel: “He founded the American Family Association, which became a juggernaut in the Christian right’s campaign against sex and gay themes in art, television and pop culture.” MEDIA MOVE — Taylor Scott is joining The Hill as head of product. He previously was at WaPo. TRANSITIONS — Michael Mazza is now senior director at the Project 2049 Institute. He previously was at the American Enterprise Institute. … Chelsea Blink is joining the ASPCA as director of farm animal legislation. She previously was senior policy adviser for Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.). … Kara Gerhardt Ross is joining SAIC as chief comms officer. She most recently was president of international, executive and policy comms at UPS, and is a Clinton White House alum. … … Lauren Culbertson Grieco has launched a new consultancy, the Ledyard Group. She previously was head of government affairs and public policy for the U.S. and Canada at Twitter, and will continue as a senior adviser at the Blue Owl Group. … Emily Blanchard has left the State Department, where she was chief economist. She has returned to Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business, where she is an associate professor in the economics group. Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here. Send Playbookers tips to playbook@politico.com or text us at 202-556-3307. Playbook couldn’t happen without our editor Mike DeBonis, deputy editor Zack Stanton, producer Andrew Howard and Playbook Daily Briefing producer Callan Tansill-Suddath.
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