POLITICO Playbook: What the embassy attack in Iraq means

BREAKING OVERNIGHT -- The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad was attacked and its outer walls have been breached -- purportedly by protesters indignant over current U.S. airstrikes. That compound was designed as a modern-day fortress. However it’s a reasonably alarming improvement, and it exhibits the dangers inherent within the Trump staff’s showdown with Iran.

Thankfully, no one seems to have died, nevertheless it raises the apparent specter of a Benghazi-style disaster. And it raises doubts about the way forward for the American presence in Iraq, a rustic Iran has sought to dominate because the ill-starred U.S. invasion of 2003. It is also more likely to gasoline questions about whether the administration’s “most strain” technique towards Iran is working as meant. Video

-- @realDonaldTrump: “Iran killed an American contractor, wounding many. We strongly responded, and all the time will. Now Iran is orchestrating an assault on the U.S. Embassy in Iraq. They will be held absolutely accountable. In addition, we anticipate Iraq to use its forces to protect the Embassy, and so notified!”

The NYT’s story from Baghdad: “Hundreds of protesters marched into Baghdad’s heavily guarded Green Zone on Tuesday after prayer providers for the militia fighters killed in the American strikes. Whereas few of them have been armed, many have been members of Kataib Hezbollah and other groups which are technically overseen by the Iraqi army. The militia is separate from the Hezbollah motion in Lebanon, although each groups are backed by Iran and oppose america.

“At the USA Embassy, protesters broke safety cameras, coated the compound partitions with anti-American graffiti and lit a guardhouse on hearth. After breaking open a compound entrance, dozens of men entered and lit extra fires inside whereas embassy safety guards fired tear fuel.

“The demonstrators did not break into the embassy buildings, however their means to storm probably the most closely guarded zone in Baghdad prompted speculation that that they had acquired at least tacit permission from Iraqi safety officials sympathetic to their demands.”

6 TAKEAWAYS FROM THE NEW CENSUS NUMBERS -- The Census Bureau launched new estimates of population tendencies in america on Monday, they usually have some pretty fascinating implications for politics. With the assistance of William Frey, a demographer at Brookings who shared his projections with us, listed here are a number of nuggets to chew on:

FOR WHAT IT’S WORTH -- “Schumer seizes on new reporting in calls for trial witnesses,” by Marianne Levine

Pleased Tuesday. Blake Hounshell right here, filling in for Jake and Anna. Over the vacations, Eli Okun and Garrett Ross compiled the hottest books and developments named by Playbook readers in these pages. The results are pretty fascinating! Check it out.

2020 WATCH …

-- ALEX THOMPSON: “Warren confronts ghost of Howard Dean”: “Liberals swooned. The Democratic institution was on its heels. Powered by small donors and grassroots power, in late 2003 Iowa seemed Howard Dean’s for the taking.

“However then came the attacks … The surge turned a stall. On caucus day, the Vermont governor came in third and never recovered.

“Elizabeth Warren is making an attempt to avoid the identical destiny. Whereas the Warren marketing campaign has caught to its corruption-centric message, it has noticeably shifted techniques in current weeks. The Massachusetts senator changed her stump speech and is now taking many more audience questions. She’s drawing sharper contrasts with opponents after months of making an attempt to stay above the fray. There are more huge, thematic campaign speeches, and extra off the report chats with reporters.” POLITICO

-- “A Biden-G.O.P. Ticket? He’s Open to It, however Doesn’t See Options,” by NYT’s Thomas Kaplan in Exeter, N.H.: “Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. is accustomed to fielding questions from voters about choosing a operating mate. But on Monday, he was requested a particularly provocative one: Would he contemplate selecting a Republican as his vice chairman?

“‘The reply is I might, however I can’t consider one now,’ Mr. Biden stated at a town hall-style occasion in Exeter, N.H., drawing laughter from the gang.

“Mr. Biden then elaborated on what he meant. ‘There’s some really respectable Republicans which might be out there still, however here’s the issue right now of the well-known ones: They’ve acquired to step up,’ he stated.

“Mr. Biden has emphasized the need for a future Democratic president to work with Republicans, stressing the importance of consensus in an effort to get things carried out. That viewpoint has been criticized by some liberals who see it as an unacceptable embrace of the established order and assume Mr. Biden is naïve about making an attempt to work with Republicans. But selecting a Republican to be his operating mate can be a far more grievous act in the eyes of many Democrats, something many social gathering officials and both liberal and average activists would oppose.” NYT

-- The Biden marketing campaign introduced two new employees hires this morning, with an eye fixed on Tremendous Tuesday: Fernando Mercado as Virginia state director and Travis Brimm as North Carolina state director.

TRUMP’S TUESDAY -- Nothing on the president’s public schedule. The climate in Palm Seashore is cloudy at present, with a projected excessive of 75 and no probability of rain.

JUST READ THIS. You gained’t remorse it.

THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION -- “Immigration Official Tweets, Then Deletes, Accusation Towards Monsey Suspect,” by NYT’s Zolan Kanno-Youngs: “Kenneth T. Cuccinelli II, a prime immigration official for the Trump administration, confronted blowback on Monday after saying the person accused of stabbing five Orthodox Jews in New York was the son of an ‘unlawful alien’ and came from a household missing ‘American values.’

“Little was recognized about Grafton Thomas, the suspect in the attack in Monsey, N.Y., when Mr. Cuccinelli, the appearing director of United States Citizenship and Immigration Providers, took to Twitter to say that Mr. Thomas’s father got here to the nation illegally but gained amnesty underneath a far-reaching immigration invoice signed by President Ronald Reagan in 1986.

“‘Apparently, American values did not take hold among this complete family, at the very least this one violent, and apparently bigoted, son,’ Mr. Cuccinelli wrote in a tweet that was deleted shortly after its posting. The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees Citizenship and Immigration Providers, didn't answer questions in search of clarity on the source or accuracy of the info or the purpose of releasing it.” NYT

LITTLE ROCKET MAN -- “North Korea’s Kim to unveil ‘new path’ in New Year speech after U.S. misses deadline,” by Reuters’ Hyonhee Shin in Seoul: “North Korean chief Kim Jong Un is about to make a intently watched New Yr handle on Wednesday which is more likely to supply a glimpse of a ‘new path’ he has vowed to take if the United States fails to satisfy his deadline to soften its stance over denuclearization.”

TRADE WARS -- “Initial U.S.-China trade deal has major hole: Beijing’s massive business subsidies,” by WaPo’s David Lynch

BEYOND THE BELTWAY -- “West Virginia Governor Approves Firings of Jail Staff in Nazi Salute Photograph,” by WSJ’s Joe Barrett: “West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice stated Monday that he accepted the firing of three state instructors and 34 jail-guard cadets who showed the Nazi salute of their commencement photograph.

“The firings have been advisable by Jeff Sandy, cupboard secretary of the state’s Division of Army Affairs and Public Safety, based mostly on an investigation by the Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation. The probe began after the photograph was made public by the state earlier this month, drawing widespread criticism.” WSJ

WILD STORY -- “Team Trump’s Furious Hunt to Find Out Who ‘Liked’ a Chelsea Clinton Tweet,” by The Every day Beast’s Erin Banco and Asawin Suebsaeng

CLIMATE WATCH -- “‘We Have been Freaking Out.’ Terrifying Hearth Season Takes a Dangerous Flip in Australia,” by WSJ’s Mike Cherney and Rachel Pannett in Sydney: “About Four,000 individuals trapped by raging wildfires in an isolated holiday city took shelter on the shore and in boats, with the sky turning purple and raining embers, as an already devastating hearth season took a flip for the more severe in Australia.

“Macey Ellison, 18, and her household, who have been holidaying in Mallacoota, in the southeastern state of Victoria, took cover in a good friend’s small boat for more than 4 hours as the hearth threatened the city. Ms. Ellison stated they thought the boat was the most secure choice as a result of they might go out on the water if needed, although they stayed at a jetty the complete time. They carried water, snacks, blankets and sweaters on board.” WSJ

CLICKER -- “Politico Magazine’s 19 Top Reads of 2019”

MEDIAWATCH -- “Alex Jones and InfoWars Ordered to Pay $100Okay in Courtroom Prices for Sandy Hook Case,” by The Every day Beast’s Will Sommer: “A Texas decide has ordered Alex Jones and his InfoWars hoax web site to pay more than $100,000 in courtroom prices and authorized fees, marking the newest courtroom victory for a Sandy Hook household suing Jones for his promotion of conspiracy theories about the 2012 capturing.

“Jones and InfoWars are being sued by Neil Heslin, whose six-year-old son was killed within the Newtown, CT capturing. On Dec. 20, Travis County Decide Scott Jenkins granted a movement for sanctions and authorized expenses towards Jones and InfoWars, ordering them to pay $65,825 for ignoring a courtroom order about offering paperwork and witnesses. In one other ruling issued that same day in Heslin’s case, Jenkins denied an InfoWars motion to dismiss the case and ordered Jones and InfoWars to pay a further $34,323.80, for a mixed complete of $100,148.80 levied towards Jones and InfoWars in a single day.

“Added to an earlier October order towards InfoWars, Jones and his outlet have been ordered to pay $126,023.80 over the case, even earlier than it reaches trial.” Daily Beast

-- JACK SHAFER, THROWING THE HEAT: “Bret Stephens and the Perils of the Tapped-Out Column”

-- John Duber shall be a director for numerous dayside MSNBC packages starting Jan. 6. He beforehand was director of CNN’s “New Day.”

Send tips to Eli Okun and Garrett Ross at politicoplaybook@politico.com.

SPOTTED at a birthday celebration for Dave Wilezol, chief speechwriter for Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, at District Commons on Monday: Jessica Andrews, Riley Barnes, Zach Tyree, Marlon Bateman, Will Fleeson and Kristina Baum. Pic

ENGAGED -- Regan Web page, of Ralston Lapp Media, and Paul Tencher, of World Warfare Zero and a Joe Donnelly, Gary Peters, Evan Bayh and Ed Markey alum, received engaged Monday in Paris. They met in 2014 at the DSCC. Instapic

WEEKEND WEDDINGS -- Will Allison, a senior advisor at FTI Consulting and a Home Finances Committee, Thom Tillis, Ron Johnson and Bruce Rauner alum, and Ally Manley, former scheduler for Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas), received married Saturday in Houston, with a reception at the Houstonian with music from Uptown Drive. Pic … SPOTTED: Emily Wilkinson and Pete Holland, Erin Collins and Ben Voelkel, Katherine Cooksey and Kyle Noyes.

-- Juliana Darrow, senior adviser within the International Affairs Office at HHS, and Sam Richardson, senior marketing consultant at the Kenrich Group, acquired married Saturday at the Stanley Lodge in Estes Park, Colo. Pic … SPOTTED: Thomas Alexander, Alex Titus, Saagar Enjeti, Marshall Kosloff, Pi Praveen, Ryan Richardson, Jonathan and Paige Bronitsky, Olivia Webb, Daniela Lozano, Alex Entz, Madeline and Connor Osburn, Jillian McGrath and Tim Rodriguez.

BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Karina Cabrera Bell, co-founder of OpenAccess. A development she thinks doesn’t get enough consideration: “Gender fairness. Ladies proceed to be underrepresented in leadership positions. Pay inequity endures, particularly for ladies of shade. Too many workplaces are still unfriendly to families. To me that is pretty outrageous. We will’t just look forward to gender equity to unravel itself. It requires extra consideration and action. And we will do more at this time.” Playbook Q&A

BIRTHDAYS: Josh Rogin, celebrating with Ali at Nobu … Donald Trump Jr. is 42 ... Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) is Four-Zero … Rep. Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) is 82 … Jeff Flake is 57 … David Wilezol, chief speechwriter for Secretary of State Mike Pompeo ... Pete Souza is 65 … Brian Danza, co-founder of Foxbat Media, is 39 (h/t Tim Burger) ... WaPo’s Joel Achenbach and Naftali Bendavid ... former Rep. Heath Shuler (D-N.C.) is 48 ... Mark Ein, chairman and CEO of Capitol Investment Corp and Venturehouse Group, is 55 ... Dick Brief … Karina Cabrera Bell ... Betsy Barrett … John Davis ... Henry Hunter (h/t Jon Haber) … Bloomberg’s Simon Kennedy … Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud is 84 … Shelby Hartley … Ronnie Cho is 38 … POLITICO Europe’s Jillian Deutsch …

... Robyn Bryan, press secretary for Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) … Rick Bosh, Washington producer for MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reviews” (h/t wife Kristin Donnelly) … Michela Greco (h/t fiance Alex LePore) … APCO Worldwide’s Wayne Pines ... Nathan Martin is 33 ... Jim Lengthy is 55 … Travis Wolfe (h/t Tammy Haddad) ... WaPo alum Martin J. Kady is 74 ... Wade Atkinson ... CyberScoop’s Shannon Vavra ... Shelby Hodgkins ... Danny Shea, chief model officer at Thrive International ... Reuben Johnson is 31 ... Meeghan Prunty ... former Obama WH photographer Lawrence Jackson ... Becca Brukman ... Jeff Milstein … Marni Karlin … Darren Reisberg … Andy Sere … Bob Dietz ... John Francis Kucera is 6-Zero ... Meg Boland ... Chris Donesa is 53

Article initially revealed on POLITICO Magazine

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