POLITICO Playbook: Biden won’t testify in impeachment trial

AS THE IMPEACHMENT PROCESS moves to the Senate, a whole lot of speak has targeted on course of — what is going to the trial truly look like and who will and gained’t testify. Several of PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP’S prime White House officials refused to testify earlier than the House. And, to date, nothing seems to have modified on that entrance on the subject of the Senate.

JOE BIDEN has additionally now doubled down on comments that he gained’t comply with a potential subpoena from his previous colleagues to testify, leaving vast open the query of what, exactly, a Senate trial would seem like and the way significant it might truly 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 stated in early December he wouldn’t comply with a subpoena by the Senate, and confirmed that assertion Friday in an interview with the Des Moines Register’s editorial board. He has not been subpoenaed, however Trump's allies have floated the thought.

“Testifying earlier than the Senate on the matter would take consideration away from Trump and the allegations towards him, Biden stated. Not even ‘that thug’ Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s private lawyer and former New York Metropolis mayor, has accused Biden of doing anything however his job, the previous vice chairman stated. Biden additionally stated any try and subpoena him can be on ‘specious’ grounds, and he predicted it wouldn't come to that.” Des Moines Register

THE STAKES by way of JAMES ARKIN: “Impeachment trial will supercharge battle for Senate”: “The battle for the Senate majority in 2020 was all the time going to be heated. And now right here comes impeachment. The Senate's impeachment trial of President Donald Trump continues to be stuck in limbo, however the looming verdict represents probably the most consequential vote senators will take earlier than subsequent yr's elections — and a weighty place for challengers looking for to be a part of the chamber.

“Impeachment additionally threatens to yoke the 35 separate races for Senate seats even closer to the presidential contest. The politics round impeachment have calcified for each parties, with public opinion rigidly constant and senators and candidates principally falling along get together strains ahead of a prospective vote to acquit Trump or take away him from office.

“Democrats — who have to internet three seats in subsequent yr's elections to win back control of the chamber if additionally they win the presidency — have attempted to squeeze weak GOP senators, calling for a fair trial to incorporate administration witnesses who refused to testify before the Home and criticizing Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for saying he did not contemplate himself an impartial juror.

“However Republican senators have shown few signs of breaking with Trump — as an alternative criticizing the House Democrats’ impeachment process as sloppy, partisan and incomplete — following an analogous sample after not a single Republican defected from Trump within the House.” POLITICO

-- KFILE: “Schumer stated in 1999 Senate wasn't like a jury box and was 'prone to the whims of politics'” by CNN’s Andrew Kaczynski and Em Steck: “Senate Democratic Chief Chuck Schumer has blasted his Republican counterpart Mitch McConnell in current days after he described himself as "not an impartial juror" forward of President Donald Trump's Senate impeachment trial, however Schumer himself repeatedly expressed comparable sentiments in the late 1990s when senators weighed the removing of President Invoice Clinton.

“Schumer's previous feedback are the newest example of how lawmakers on each side of the aisle are having to confront their prior positions on impeachment that seem to conflict with their present-day statements. … [I]n several appearances on television in 1998 and 1999 reviewed by CNN's KFile, Schumer famous that senators had beforehand shaped 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 can be a vote to not impeach Clinton. A spokesman for Schumer informed CNN in an e-mail on Friday that his statements got here 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 should do one thing about their TREMENDOUS Homeless problems. They are setting data! If their Governors can’t deal with the state of affairs, which they need to have the ability to do very easily, they need to name and “politely” ask for assist. Can be really easy with competence!”

NEW: USA TODAY POLL -- “Will it's a cheerful new yr? Positive, in our own lives. For the country? Poll says that is harder,” by Susan Web page, William Cummings and Nicholas Wu: “A USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll this month requested People in the event that they thought issues would get better or worse in their own lives in 2020. By an awesome 80% to 11%, they predicted their lives can be better. That optimism stretched across demographic strains, although males had a more constructive outlook than ladies (83% versus 76%) and Southerners a extra constructive outlook than Midwesterners (84% versus 74%).” USA Today

FOR YOUR RADAR -- “New Russian weapon can journey 27 occasions the velocity of sound,” by AP’s Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow: “A new intercontinental weapon that may fly 27 occasions the velocity of sound turned operational Friday, Russia’s defense minister reported to President Vladimir Putin, bolstering the country’s nuclear strike functionality.

“Putin has described the Avangard hypersonic glide car as a technological breakthrough similar to the 1957 Soviet launch of the primary satellite tv for pc. The new Russian weapon and a comparable 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 in contrast to a daily missile warhead that follows a predictable path after separation it may possibly make sharp maneuvers in the environment en route to focus on, making it much more durable to intercept.” AP

-- “Russia Deploys Hypersonic Weapon, Probably Renewing Arms Race,” by NYT’s Julian E. Barnes and David Sanger: “Moscow has been working on the know-how for years and has invested heavily in it, decided to reverse the pattern within the Cold Warfare, when it was typically struggling to catch up with American nuclear weapons methods. If the brand new system, referred to as “Avangard,” works as President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia boasted when he described the weapon a yr in the past, it will considerably enhance Moscow’s already powerful nuclear forces, American officials stated. …

“But the Russian announcement could also be as a lot about spurring a brand new round of diplomatic talks as it is about reviving an arms race, current and former diplomats stated. Moscow is anxious for President Trump to renew the final remaining arms control treaty between america and Russia, referred to as New START, which limits strategic nuclear missile launchers and deployed warheads for both nations. The treaty expires quickly after the subsequent presidential inauguration in 2021.” NYT

CNN: “Federal decide denies bid to undo Georgia voter purge,” by Paul LeBlanc: “A federal decide on Friday blocked an effort to restore 98,000 Georgia voters to the rolls who had been eliminated earlier this month after being categorized as ‘inactive.’ Decide Steve C. Jones denied a motion filed by the voting rights group Truthful Battle Action, who had claimed that Georgia's voter-list maintenance course of violated voters' rights to procedural due process underneath the US Constitution, courtroom paperwork present.” CNN

2020 WATCH …

-- “Biden reveals deep bench of marketing campaign bundlers,” by Maggie Severns: “Joe Biden released the names of more than 200 individuals and couples who're raising cash for his presidential marketing campaign, an inventory that includes a variety of massive names in Democratic cash like Hollywood producer Jeffrey Katzenberg and LGBT rights activist Tim Gill and his husband, Scott Miller. Biden’s record of fundraisers, every of which has brought in at the least $25,000 for his presidential bid, consists of most of the largest names in Democratic fundraising. The listing spans Wall Road, Silicon Valley and a number of politicians themselves.

“The previous vice chairman voluntarily disclosed the record because the Democratic area — and particularly Pete Buttigieg and Elizabeth Warren — sparred with each other throughout November and December over learn how to have sufficient transparency about money and finances on the marketing campaign path.

“More than some other main candidate, Biden is relying on massive fundraising occasions to energy his bid for the presidency, which makes these bundlers essential to his success. Other big-name bundlers for Biden embrace New York venture capital and personal 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 Endurance Haggin: “Spotify Know-how stated it might stop selling political ads in early 2020 as a result of it lacks the applicable instruments to evaluate them, a move that comes as digital platforms promoting such advertisements face rising criticism for serving to spread misinformation.

“‘At this time limit, we don't yet have the required degree of robustness in our processes, methods and instruments to responsibly validate and evaluation this content material. We'll reassess this determination as we continue to evolve our capabilities,’ a Spotify spokeswoman stated.

“The spokeswoman declined to say what evaluation process the digital music service carried out for political advertisements in the 2016 and 2018 election cycles, and declined to specify whether the move was motivated by considerations about overseas meddling in U.S. campaigns.” WSJ

TRUMP’S SATURDAY -- The president has no public occasions scheduled.

AP: “Truck bomb in Somalia’s capital kills at the very least 76 individuals,” by Abdi Guled in Mogadishu, Somalia: “A truck bomb exploded at a busy safety checkpoint in Somalia’s capital Saturday morning, killing a minimum of 76 individuals including many students, authorities stated. It was one of many deadliest attacks in Mogadishu in current memory, and witnesses stated the pressure of the blast reminded them of the devastating 2017 bombing that killed lots of.

“The toll might rise as scores of people have been rushed to hospitals, government spokesman Ismail Mukhtar informed The Associated Press. Dr. Mohamed Yusuf, director of Madina hospital, stated that they had acquired 73 bodies. The Aamin Ambulance service reported a minimum of 76 lifeless and greater than 50 wounded.” AP

CLIMATE WATCH -- GAVIN BADE: “The power agency that would thwart Democrats’ climate plans”: “Democratic presidential candidates’ guarantees to battle climate change might hinge on whether they can reshape an obscure federal company that has overseen a surge in oil and fuel tasks.

“The Federal Power Regulatory Fee, an unbiased regulator of pipelines and energy markets, derives its authority from decades-old laws that largely predate worries about local weather change and have been targeted primarily on making certain that power provides stay low cost and reliable. But that mandate might intrude with a few of the extra aggressive local weather plans Democrats are considering, and candidates are dealing with strain to overtake the agency if elected. ...

“Though little recognized to a lot of the public, FERC has attracted growing notoriety amongst local weather activists, who staged months of sit-ins that thwarted its attempts to hold public meetings through the latter years of the Obama administration. Now, Hudson's group is floating a far-reaching proposal to rebrand the agency because the Federal Renewable Power Fee and reorient its mission towards preventing climate change.” POLITICO

D.C. METRO SECTION: “Most Washington-area federal staff to receive 3.52 % increase,” by WaPo’s Eric Yoder: Most federal staff within the Washington-Baltimore area will receive a 3.52 % increase in January, the most important improve among metropolis areas in the pay system for white-collar federal staff, underneath an order President Trump signed Thursday.” WaPo

-- MEANWHILE: “Rank-and-File Staff Get Greater Raises,” by WSJ’s Eric Morath and Jeffrey Sparshott: “Wages for rank-and-file staff are rising at the quickest pace in more than a decade, even quicker than for bosses, a sign that the labor market has tightened sufficiently to convey greater increases to lower-paid staff.

“Positive aspects for these staff have accelerated a lot of this yr, a time when the unemployment fee fell to a half-century low. A short provide of staff, elevated poaching and minimum-wage will increase have helped those nearer to the underside 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 man is freaking evil,’ Particular Operator Miller informed investigators. ‘The guy was poisonous,’ Special Operator First Class Joshua Vriens, a sniper, stated in a separate interview. ‘You might inform he was completely O.Okay. with killing anyone that was shifting,’ Special Operator First Class Corey Scott, a medic within the platoon, advised the investigators.

“Such dire descriptions of Chief Gallagher, who had eight combat deployments and typically glided by the nickname Blade, are in marked contrast to Mr. Trump’s portrayal of him at a current political rally in Florida as one among ‘our great fighters.’

“Though fight in Iraq barely fazed the SEALs, sitting down to inform Naval Legal Investigative Service agents about what that 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 Approach: An oral historical past of the 2010s” -- NYT: “When the decade began, tech meant promise — automobiles that would drive themselves, social networks that would take down dictators. It related us in methods we might barely imagine. However someplace along the best way, the issues of know-how turned abundantly clear. What occurred? The individuals who introduced us this decade explain.” NYT

-- “Meet the Mad Scientist Who Wrote the Guide on How one can Hunt Hackers,” by Wired’s Andy Greenberg: “Thirty years in the past, Cliff Stoll revealed ‘The Cuckoo’s Egg,’ a ebook about his cat-and-mouse recreation with a KGB-sponsored hacker. In the present day, the web is a far darker place—and Stoll has grow to be a cybersecurity icon.” Wired ... $10.39 on Amazon

-- “The Most Trendy Scammer: 20 Years of ‘The Gifted Mr. Ripley,’” by Haley Mlotek in The Ringer: “In the 20 years since launch, ‘The Gifted Mr. Ripley’ ... stays one of our best-looking modern movies. ... Visually, the movie remains beautiful for its lush evocation of depravity hid by good manners and better garments; texturally, the depth of feeling is as enduring as the bloodstain that gained’t wash off. ... The pull of wanting good is what [Anthony] Minghella understands. It’s immensely pleasing to observe wealthy people who know how you can spend their cash right.” The Ringer ... Trailer (h/t Longform.org)

-- “The Schooling of David Stockman,” by William Greider in December 1981 in The Atlantic: “‘None of us actually understands what’s happening with all these numbers.’” Atlantic

-- “The Battle to Decolonize the Museum,” by Adam Hochschild in The Atlantic’s January/February concern: “Textbooks may be revised, but historic sites, monuments, and collections that memorialize ugly pasts aren’t so simply modified. Lessons from the wrestle to update the Royal Museum for Central Africa, outdoors 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 adorned and newly demobbed black war-veteran boards a bus residence from Georgia to South Carolina in 1946. The white driver takes a dislike to his passenger, stops at a small city en route, and reviews him to the native police as drunk and disorderly. A sergeant beats the soldier unconscious and jails him in a single day. When he seems in courtroom next morning he is permanently blind from blows to each eyes. The decide 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 concern: “Feeling out of step with the mores of up to date life, members of a conservative-Catholic group have built a thriving group in rural Kansas. Might their flight from mainstream society be a harbinger for the nation?” Atlantic

-- “Dying Of A Freelancer,” by Charlotte Alfred in HuffPost: “Christopher Allen reported in a number of the most dangerous elements of the world. Who was searching for him?” HuffPost (h/t Longform.org)

-- “The Motion to Deliver Demise Closer,” by Maggie Jones within the NYT Journal: “Residence-funeral guides consider 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 the whole lot however resolved nothing,” by The Guardian’s Andy Beckett: “The typical life expectancy, which had been growing virtually constantly for a century, stopped rising. The typical wage rose extra slowly than in any decade because the Napoleonic wars. A million more youngsters with working mother and father entered poverty. The variety of individuals sleeping rough greater than doubled.” Guardian (h/t TheBrowser.com)

-- “Scenes from the Life of Roz Chast,” by The New Yorker’s Adam Gopnik: “Prior to now four many years, the cartoonist has created a universe of spidery strains and nervous areas, turning anxious truth-telling into an authoritative artwork.” New Yorker

MEDIAWATCH -- “Magazine trade group focuses on DC with new headquarters and CEO,” by the New York Submit’s Keith Kelly: “The MPA, or Affiliation of Magazine Media (formerly generally known as the Magazine Publishers Association) has tapped its former chief authorities affairs lobbyist as president and CEO as it prepares [to] officially open its new headquarters in Washington, DC on Jan. 1.

“The buyer magazine trade group promoted Brigitte Schmidt Gwyn, who was the chief vice chairman of authorities affairs.” N.Y. Post

Send tricks 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 examined the bounds of shock radio together with his irreverent attacks on celebrities, politicians, racial and ethnic teams, ladies, gay individuals and practically anyone whose head stuck up out of the foxhole, died on Friday in School Station, Texas. …

“For almost a half-century … Mr. Imus, with occasional and typically extended timeouts for..

Src: POLITICO Playbook: Biden won’t testify in impeachment trial
==============================
New Smart Way Get BITCOINS!
CHECK IT NOW!
==============================