últimas notícias

DRIVING THE DAY

ANOTHER PRISONER SWAP … AP/TEHRAN: “Iran frees Chinese-American scholar for US-held scientist,” by Nasser Karimi and Jon Gambrell: “Iran and the U.S. conducted a prisoner exchange Saturday that saw a detained Princeton scholar released for an Iranian scientist held by America, marking a rare diplomatic breakthrough between Tehran and Washington after months of tensions.

“In a trade conducted in Zurich, Switzerland, Iranian officials handed over Chinese-American graduate student Xiyue Wang, detained in Tehran since 2016, for scientist Massoud Soleimani, who had faced a federal trial in Georgia. …

“Wang’s release had been rumored over recent days, with one lawyer involved in his case tweeting out a Bible verse about an angel freeing the apostle Peter just hours before Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif broke the news in his own tweet.

“‘Glad that Professor Massoud Soleimani and Mr. Xiyue Wang will be joining their families shortly,” Zarif wrote. “Many thanks to all engaged, particularly the Swiss government.’ President Donald Trump shortly after acknowledged Wang was free in a statement from the White House, saying the Princeton scholar would be ‘returning to the United States.’ ‘Mr. Wang had been held under the pretense of espionage since August 2016,’ Trump said. ‘We thank our Swiss partners for their assistance in negotiating Mr. Wang’s release with Iran.’” AP

— NYT’S MICHAEL CROWLEY: “In exchange for Mr. Wang’s release, the United States freed Masoud Soleimani, an Iranian scientist who was arrested at a Chicago airport last year and was convicted on charges of violating American trade sanctions against Iran.

“American officials said that Mr. Soleimani’s release was a low price to pay for Mr. Wang’s freedom because Mr. Soleimani was expected to be released from prison as early as next month under a plea agreement.” NYT

THE SHOOTING IN FLORIDA … PENSACOLA NEWS JOURNAL: “A shooting at a Naval base that left four people dead (including the shooter) and eight others injured was carried out by an aviation student. He was identified as Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani, a member of the Saudi military authorities, a U.S. official told the Associated Press.

“Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan said two of his deputies exchanged gunfire with the man just before 7 a.m. at a classroom at the base, resulting in Alshamrani’s death. The two deputies were injured but expected to recover.”

— PENSACOLA NEWS JOURNAL FRONT PAGE BANNER HEADLINE: “‘DARK DAY’”

— MATT DIXON in Tallahassee and BRYAN BENDER: “Saudi’s role in Florida naval base shooting poses new threat to alliance”

THE WHITE HOUSE IS DONE PARTICIPATING IN IMPEACHMENT … AGAIN: “White House won’t take part in House Judiciary impeachment hearings,” by Anita Kumar: “The White House will not participate in future House Judiciary Committee hearings that are designed to outline evidence in support of President Donald Trump’s removal from office.

“In a one page letter sent to Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), White House Counsel Pat Cipollone criticized the ongoing impeachment inquiry as ‘completely baseless’ and that it violates ‘basic principles of due process and fundamental fairness.’” POLITICO

— FLAGGING … “Schiff: Pence aide provided new impeachment evidence — but VP’s office classified it,” by Andrew Desiderio and Kyle Cheney.

WHAT EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT: IS BIDEN BUNGLING HUNTER? … MARC CAPUTO in Elkader, Iowa: “‘People have real questions about this’: Hunter-Ukraine questions cloud Biden tour”: “Joe Biden has two methods of responding to questions about his son’s controversial business dealings in Ukraine: denial and anger.

“But so far, Biden doesn’t have a clear and cogent message — and Iowa voters are starting to take notice, especially after his fiery encounter Thursday with a retired farmer who advanced the unfounded claim that the former vice president played a role in landing his son a job at a Ukrainian gas company. …

“[Biden] denied that Iowans want to talk to him about his son Hunter Biden’s overseas business deals. ‘We’ve had over 2,000 people show up on this bus trip and no one has done it except that fella,’ Biden told reporters briefly after an event Friday morning in Cedar Rapids. ‘It’s going to be part of what is the opposition’s case, ‘You’ve done a bad thing to so and so.’ It’s just not true. Trump’s already spending 12 million bucks to try to make the same message. And there’s nothing to the message.’

“The problem for some, however, isn’t the president’s attacks — which many Democrats dismiss out of hand. It’s Biden’s response. To voters like Carol Wickey, a 78-year-old Cedar Rapids Democrat who is undecided in the race and attended a Biden event in her hometown, the candidate isn’t explaining enough.

“‘He needs to be prepared to answer questions about it. And I don’t think he is. I don’t think he’s come up with an answer,’ she said. ‘Loving his kid to death and not doing anything wrong is not an answer. And I, as someone who thinks he’s a really decent human being, when I first started hearing about the Hunter connection, it bothered me. I wanted an answer because it doesn’t look good. It’s a bad perception.’” POLITICO

… AND JMART TELLS US TO BUCKLE UP!: NYT’S JONATHAN MARTIN in Mason City, Iowa: “As Candidates Jostle for Position, a Long Race May Become a Marathon”: “With just under two months until the Iowa caucuses, the already-volatile Democratic presidential race has grown even more unsettled, setting the stage for a marathon nominating contest between the party’s moderate and liberal factions.

“Pete Buttigieg’s surge, Bernie Sanders’s revival, Elizabeth Warren’s struggles and the exit of Kamala Harris have upended the primary and, along with Joseph R. Biden’s Jr. enduring strength with nonwhite voters, increased the possibility of a split decision after the early nominating states.

“That’s when Michael R. Bloomberg aims to burst into the contest — after saturating the airwaves of the Super Tuesday states with tens of millions of dollars of television ads.

With no true front-runner and three other candidates besides Mr. Bloomberg armed with war chests of over $20 million, Democrats are confronting the prospect of a drawn-out primary reminiscent of the epic Clinton-Obama contest in 2008.”

Good Saturday morning.

SPOTTED at a welcome-back-to-D.C. party for NORAH O’DONNELL at Sally Quinn’s house in Georgetown on Friday night: Norah O’Donnell and Geoff Tracy, Chris Isham, Bob Costa, Margaret Brennan, Molly Ball, Bob Schieffer, Chuck Todd, Don Graham, Kristen Welker, Bill Weld, Steve Rattner, Evan Ryan and Tony Blinken, Tammy Haddad, Carl Hulse, Daniel Lippman, Elisabeth Bumiller, Susan Zirinsky, Andrea Mitchell and Alan Greenspan, Mike Allen, Jake Tapper, Marty Baron, George Conway, Josh Dawsey, Dan Balz …

… John Harris and Anne O’Hanlon, Elaina Plott, David Sanger, Mark Leibovich, Ryan Lizza and Olivia Nuzzi, Michael Beschloss, Margaret Carlson, Bob Woodward, Bill Hamilton and Jane Mayer, Steve Case, Frank Lowenstein, Evan Osnos and Sarabeth Berman, Chris Matthews, Phil Musser, Marianne Williamson, Kara Swisher, Maureen Dowd, Shawn McCreesh, Richard Cohen, Tammy Haddad, Terry McAuliffe, Susan Rice and Ian Cameron, Mike Morrell, Neera Tanden, Carol Leonnig, Linda Douglass and John Phillips, and Nick Johnston.

— SPOTTED: George Conway giving his email address to Bob Woodward.

A LONG DECEMBER, BUT IS THERE REASON TO BELIEVE? … SARAH FERRIS and HEATHER CAYGLE: “Dems brace for pre-Christmas deadline crash”: “House Democrats are hoping to accomplish in the next two weeks what would usually take an entire Congress to achieve.

“Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her deputies are scrambling to nail down a shutdown-averting spending bill, a caucus-unifying prescription drug bill and a continent-spanning trade deal — all before Christmas. And that doesn’t include the widely anticipated vote to impeach President Donald Trump, potentially even in the same week.” POLITICO

WHAT IVANKA IS READING … WSJ: “Congress, White House Reach Tentative Deal Over Paid Parental Leave for Federal Workers,” by Lindsey Wise and Mike Bender: “Congress struck a tentative bipartisan agreement that would authorize 12 weeks of paid parental leave for all federal workers, in a potentially historic deal negotiated with the White House.

“Draft language for a must-pass annual defense policy bill includes a provision that would allow 2.1 million civilians who work for the U.S. government across the country to take paid leave to care for a new baby after birth, adoption or the initiation of foster care, according to multiple people familiar with the agreement.” WSJ

RBG PRESSES PAUSE … NYT: “Release of Trump’s Banking Records Delayed by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg,” by Neil Vigdor: “Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Friday put a one-week hold on a lower court’s order for President Trump’s bank records to be turned over to Congress.

“The stay issued by Justice Ginsburg came just three days after the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York said that Deutsche Bank and Capital One must cooperate with subpoenas of two Democratic-controlled committees in the House of Representatives.

“The release of the records had been expected to give Democrats a trove of documents about Mr. Trump’s financial dealings as they pursue impeachment. The stay is in effect until Dec. 13 and is not considered an indication of any potential ruling by the Supreme Court in Mr. Trump’s appeal of the disclosure order, as well as Justice Ginsburg’s leanings in the records dispute.”

BIG PICTURE … NYT’S MAGGIE HABERMAN: “Trump Can’t Resist Campaigning for Governors. But They Can Resist Him.”: “His grip on Republican senators has held in the lead-up to a historic impeachment trial. Members of the House have faced the prospect of retiring before going against him. And he frequently boasts about his strong approval ratings among Republican voters.

“Yet for a party leader who inspires fear in Washington, President Trump has been bedeviled by governor’s races time and again, even after his aggressive campaigning has helped Republican candidates win.

“Unable to modulate his excitement for other people’s political battles — and, according to advisers, not understanding the distinct incentives for governors who run their own states and senators who have to work with him in Washington — Mr. Trump has plunged headfirst into contests that have done little but expose his own political vulnerabilities.” NYT

THE PRESIDENT’S SATURDAY … THE PRESIDENT will leave the White House for Andrews at 2:30 p.m., and he’ll fly to Fort Lauderdale, Fla. At 5:50 p.m., he will arrive at the JW Marriott Miami Turnberry Resort & Spa for the Republican Party of Florida 2019 Statesman’s Dinner. He’ll speak at 6:30 p.m.

AT 7:35 P.M., THE PRESIDENT will go to The Diplomat Beach Resort Hollywood for the Israeli American Council National Summit 2019, where he’ll speak at 8 p.m. At 9:35 p.m., he’ll fly from Fort Lauderdale back to Washington.

FRONT PAGE OF THE TAMPA BAY TIMES … “New menu tonight at Trump dinner: His first Statesman event was in the shadow of the 2012 GOP convention. Much has changed.”

PLAYBOOK READS

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 Class of 2000 ‘Could Have Been Anything,’” by NYT’s Dan Levin: “The high school yearbook is a staple of teenage life. But for some, it reflects the devastating toll of the opioid crisis.” NYT

— “Blood and Soil in Narendra Modi’s India,” by The New Yorker’s Dexter Filkins: “The Prime Minister’s Hindu-nationalist government has cast two hundred million Muslims as internal enemies.” New Yorker

— “Taking Virtual Reality for a Test Drive,” by The New Yorker’s Patricia Marx: “I walked with Jesus, shopped for a sofa, and flew like a bird over New York City.” New Yorker

— “He’s a Liar, a Con Artist and a Snitch. His Testimony Could Soon Send a Man to His Death,” by ProPublica and NYT Magazine’s Pamela Colloff: “Paul Skalnik has a decadeslong criminal record and may be one of the most prolific jailhouse informants in U.S. history. The state of Florida is planning to execute a man based largely on his word.” ProPublica (h/t Longform.org)

— “The Intoxicating History of Gin,” by The New Yorker’s Anthony Lane: “The current gin craze knows no bounds, but the British have been imbibing the stuff for hundreds of years, sometimes with disastrous results.” New Yorker

— “Inside the Cell Where a Sick 16-Year-Old Boy Died in Border Patrol Care,” by Robert Moore, Susan Schmidt and Maryam Jameel in ProPublica: “Video obtained by ProPublica shows the Border Patrol held a sick teen in a concrete cell without proper medical attention and did not discover his body until his cellmate alerted guards. The video doesn’t match the Border Patrol’s account of his death.” ProPublica

— “Chaos at the Top of the World,” by Joshua Hammer in GQ — per Longreads.com’s description: “Despite bitterly cold and harsh conditions, the prestige associated with summiting the highest mountain in the world continues to make Mount Everest a dangerous lure for many, regardless of their climbing skill and experience. Nepal and China handed out nearly 500 pricey climbing permits during the 2019 season. Partly due to a massive logjam of over 100 summit hopefuls crowding the ascent during a rare break in the weather on May 22nd and 23rd, over 11 people died on the mountain.” GQ

— “Ponzi Schemes, Private Yachts, and a Missing $250 Million in Crypto: The Strange Tale of Quadriga,” by Nathaniel Rich in Vanity Fair’s holiday issue: “When Canadian blockchain whiz Gerald Cotten died unexpectedly last year, hundreds of millions of dollars in investor funds vanished into the crypto ether. But when the banks, the law, and the forces of Reddit tried to track down the cash, it turned out the young mogul may not have been who he purported to be.” VF

— “Under The Weather,” by Ash Sanders in Believer Magazine: “As psychiatrists and philosophers begin the define a pervasive mental health crisis triggered by climate change, they ask who is really sick: the individual or society?” Believer (h/t Longform.org)

— “Diplomats for sale: How an ambassadorship was bought and lost,” by Al-Jazeera’s Kevin Hirten: “The story of Ali Reza Monfared, the Iranian who tried to buy diplomatic immunity after embezzling millions of dollars.” AJ

— “52 things I learned in 2019,” by Tom Whitwell in Medium — per TheBrowser.com’s description: “An Internet institution. Every one a gem. The world produces 1,000 times as many transistors as it does grains of rice and wheat combined. Drunk shoppers spend $45 billion per year and only 6% of them regret their drunk purchases. The UK male suicide rate is the lowest since accurate records began in 1981. Nigeria spends more on petrol subsidies than on health, or education, or defence. Some people feel better just having a placebo drug in their possession without even consuming it.” Medium

— “The Champion Who Picked a Date to Die,” by NYT’s Andrew Keh with photographs and additional reporting by Lynsey Addario: “Knowing she had the legal right to die helped Marieke Vervoort live her life. It propelled her to medals at the Paralympics. But she could never get away from the pain.” NYT

PLAYBOOKERS

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

SPOTTED: U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See Callista Gingrich and Newt Gingrich having dinner at Cafe Milano on Friday night.

SPOTTED at the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts’ “Una Noche Linda con Linda Ronstadt” private salon dinner for the Kennedy Center honoree at the home of Ginny Grenham and Paul Zevnik: Linda Ronstadt, Felix Sanchez, Rep Linda Sánchez (D-Calif.), FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel, Dan and Rhoda Glickman, Angie Gates, Gregory Nava, Deborah Rutter, Noel Greene, Maria Cardona, Lyndon Boozer, Cynthia Palafox, Connie Coopersmith, Gordon Peterson, Capricia Marshall, and Mariella and Michael Trager.

SPOTTED at Julian Zelizer’s 50th birthday party at Bustan NYC on Friday night: Robert and Ina Caro, Eric Alterman, Amber Tamblyn, David Shaw and Beth Kobliner, Anthony Appiah and Henry Finder, Lisa Benenson, Jonathan Alter, David Greenberg and Suzanne Nossel, Daniel Steinman and Alyssa Quint, Robert Schenkkan and Stephanie Rosenbloom.

TRANSITION — “Trump Energy Adviser Leaving White House After Ukraine Subpoena,” by Bloomberg’s Jennifer Dlouhy and Ari Natter: “Wells Griffith, who has been serving as a senior director for international energy and environment on the National Security Council, is set to join the Overseas Private Investment Corp. next week.” Bloomberg

ENGAGED — Matt Blackwell, legislative director for Rep. Neal Dunn (R-Fla.), proposed to Leah Grace Denny, a legislative assistant for Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.), at the Georgetown waterfront Thursday night. They met while working on the Hill. Instapic

WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Eddie Vale, a partner at New Paradigm Strategy Group, and Katey Vale, a program manager at the St. Albans School of Public Service, welcomed Carole Elizabeth on Friday morning. She joins big brother Charlie. Pic

BIRTHWEEK (was Friday): Robert Cresanti, president and CEO of the International Franchise Association (h/t Matt Haller) … Brian Mosteller … Evelyn Farkas, New York congressional candidate and former Obama Pentagon official

BIRTHDAYS: Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) is 67 … Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) is 43 … Mike Roman, a Trump White House alum … USAID Deputy Administrator Bonnie Glick (h/t Richard Parker) … Carole Simpson is 78 … Suhail Khan, Microsoft director of external affairs … Emily Hamilton … Roma Daravi, deputy director of broadcast media at the White House … Kate Tummarello, policy director at Engine … Bennett Roth of Bloomberg Government (h/t Bill McQuillen) … Allie Ciaramella … Larisa Alexandrovna Horton … POLITICO’s Sam Sutton and Devika Modak … Sarindee Wickramasuriya … Michael Punke, VP of global public policy for Amazon Web Services … Scott Greene … Kenny Fried … Patrick Lee Plaisance is 56 … Molly Block, senior adviser for strategic communications and policy at EPA … Maria Fuentes …

… CNN’s Ashley Killough and Sarah Mucha … Jonathan Tisch is 66 … Noam Chomsky is 91 … Jeannie Lough … Adam Culbertson … Ben Fallon … Kyle Noyes, professional staff member for the House Homeland Security GOP (h/t girlfriend Katharine Cooksey) … Erika Reyes … NYT’s Dean Chang … Doug Henwood … Dafna Tapiero … Priya Dayananda … Anne MacMillan (h/ts Heather Podesta) … Sam Runyon … Christina Freundlich … Tyler Prell … Mary Heitman … Illinois state Sen. Dan McConchie … Kathryn McQuade … Deloitte’s Sam Schofield … Jenny Kordick … Lisa Sun … Raj Peter Bhakta … Tim Andrews … Kim Bradford … Karla Gonzalez, deputy head of mission for the Panamanian Embassy in the U.K. … Mike Meece … Cristina Beato … Alice Parker … Sachin Chheda … Antha Williams … Jeff Blum (h/ts Teresa Vilmain)

THE SHOWS, by Matt Mackowiak, filing from Austin:

— NBC’s “Meet the Press”: Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) … Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) … Rep. Denny Heck (D-Wash.). Panel: Bob Costa, Carlos Curbelo, Stephanie Cutter and Kristen Welker.

— CNN’s “State of the Union”: Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) … Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.). Panel: Rep. Joe Neguse (D-Colo.), David Urban, Jen Psaki and Linda Chavez (substitute anchor: CNN’s Dana Bash).

— ABC’s “This Week”: Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) … Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) … Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.). Panel: Chris Christie, Rahm Emanuel, Yvette Simpson and Alice Stewart.

— CBS’ “Face the Nation”: Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) … Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) … White House national security adviser Robert O’Brien … Neal Katyal. Panel: Ed O’Keefe, Josh Holmes, Julie Pace and Adam Entous.

— “Fox News Sunday”: Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) … Defense Secretary Mark Esper. Panel: Michèle Flournoy, Sam Nunn, Karl Rove and Jennifer Griffin … “Power Player of the Week”: Spy Museum’s Keith Melton.

— Sinclair’s “America this Week with Eric Bolling”: Rudy Giuliani … Rep. Greg Steube (R-Fla.) … acting USCIS Director Ken Cuccinelli … Austan Goolsbee.

— Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures”: Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) … House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy … Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) … Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.) … Carter Page.

— Fox News’ “MediaBuzz”: White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham … Mollie Hemingway … Griff Jenkins … Mo Elleithee … Emily Jashinsky.

— CNN’s “Inside Politics”: Julie Pace, Vivian Salama, Jeff Zeleny, Karoun Demirjian and Errin Haines Whack (substitute anchor: David Gregory).

— CNN’s “Fareed Zakaria GPS”: NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg … Nigel Farage … Alistair Campbell and Zanny Minton Beddoes … Maziar Bahari.

— CNN’s “Reliable Sources”: Olivia Nuzzi and David Frum … Liz Mair … Damon De Ionno … Thomas Patterson.

— Univision’s “Al Punto”: Family of Frank Ordoñez … Julián and Adrián LeBarón …Mario Vargas Llosa … Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-Texas) … Paula Arenas.

— C-SPAN: “The Communicators”: Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.) and The Information’s Ashley Gold … “Newsmakers”: Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.), questioned by The Hill’s Scott Wong and the Washington Examiner’s Susan Ferrechio … “Q&A”: Holly Jackson.

— MSNBC’s “Up with David Gura”: Kurt Bardella … Julián Castro … Andrew Desiderio … Josh Gerstein … Danielle Moodie-Mills … Mike Pesca … Christine Quinn … Shermichael Singleton … Joyce Vance.

— MSNBC’s “Kasie DC”: Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.) … Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-La.) … Bob Costa … Philip Bump … John Harwood … Maria Teresa Kumar … Bret Stephens … Errin Haines Whack … Kyle Cheney … Mike Allen … Michael Steel (substitute anchor: MSNBC’s David Gura).

— Washington Times’ “Mack on Politics” weekly politics podcast with Matt Mackowiak (download on iTunes, Google Play, Spotify or Stitcher or listen at MackOnPoliticsPodcast.com): Bill O’Reilly.

• Anna Palmer @apalmerdc
• Jake Sherman @JakeSherman

View all our political and policy newsletters

Follow Us