With help from Myah Ward ENDGAME — Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chair Rep. Cheri Bustos tested positive for Covid, with mild symptoms. California is pulling what Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom called “the emergency brake” to try to contain the virus. Joe Biden is telling President Donald Trump that “more people may die” if the two men don’t start cooperating. But also, maybe, the end is in sight. I reached out to pharma editor Lauren Morello over Slack to break down the latest vaccine news — Moderna said today its shot was more than 94 percent effective — and talk about what it would take for the virus to officially be behind us. This conversation has been edited. So, is the pandemic over yet? Alas, no. But having two effective vaccines — Moderna and Pfizer, pending FDA authorization — is a huge step forward. Having them less than a year into the pandemic is a historic achievement. But getting enough doses, and distributing them, is going to be tough. We probably won’t return to anything like normal life until next summer. At the earliest. There are now potentially two vaccines. How to decide who gets which one? The immune system weakens as we age, so one vaccine might turn out to be better for the elderly. Another might be better for kids. There are also logistical questions — storing the Pfizer vaccine requires specialized freezers or dry ice, while the Moderna vaccine can be kept in normal freezers. So areas with less-developed health infrastructure might get the Moderna vaccine. Are specialized freezers going to be the next big logistical challenge? The freezer thing has caused a lot of confusion. The CDC told states not to buy the super-cold freezers, but a lot of states and hospitals have gone ahead and done that anyway — they’re skeptical of the feds’ reasoning. The Moderna vaccine could help close this looming “freezer gap.” Pfizer is shipping its vaccine in containers packed with dry ice that can last for two weeks or so if the dry ice is replenished. But most facilities understandably prefer being able to put doses into a freezer. These vaccines were both developed with a new technology — this is exciting and a little scary. Any sense of what this means for future drug development? Like are we going to get a foolproof flu vaccine? The jury’s still out. The Moderna and Pfizer vaccines both use mRNA technology, and there’s never been a successful mRNA vaccine on the market. Both companies have other mRNA vaccines in development for viruses like Zika, flu and HIV. But just because the approach seems to have worked for this coronavirus doesn’t mean it’ll work for other viruses. Companies are also interested in using mRNA for therapeutics or drugs, to cure or treat diseases by directing the body to make certain proteins. But in a lot of ways, vaccines are an easier problem — because you give them in one dose, it’s a little easier to balance between getting the body to do what you want it to do (revving up the immune system or making a protein) and prompting a harsh immune reaction. Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. A look at what happens when a college player doesn’t make the NFL. Reach out at rrayasam@politico.com or on Twitter at @renurayasam.
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A message from Uber: CA voters & app workers voted overwhelmingly to protect workers’ flexibility and provide new benefits. Time for other states to follow, see how here. | | |
| | THE GROVER CLEVELAND OPTION — Trump dropped a bombshell on North Dakota Sen. Kevin Cramer during a phone call last week: “If this doesn’t work out, I’ll just run again in four years,” Trump said. Trump’s flirtation with a 2024 bid ensures he’ll remain the dominant force in the party and will cast a shadow over anyone looking to succeed him, writes Alex Isenstadt. Even the possibility will impede other Republicans from laying groundwork for their own bids — lest they upset Trump and his tens of millions of supporters, many of whom are convinced the election was stolen. Those who’ve worked for Trump — Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley — are in perhaps the toughest spot of all. Each would have to maneuver around the soon-to-be-ex-president after spending the last four years aligning themselves with him. For many other would-be Republican candidates, building a national political apparatus could prove tricky — or worse — with Trump in the 2024 mix. Strategists might be fearful of being blacklisted during a second Trump term if they work for another potential candidate. Then there’s the task of courting donors, who could be reluctant to get crosswise with Trump. More public actions, like taking trips to early-voting states like Iowa or New Hampshire, could be perceived as an open affront to Trump and potentially alienate his voters. Those who’ve previously clashed with the president , like Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) or Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, are less likely to be deterred by a Trump candidacy and are staking out an anti-Trump lane. During a speech today at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute, Hogan offered a direct rebuke of Trump’s Republican Party, warning that “divisive rhetoric and toxic politics is alienating large parts of the country.”
| | COAST TO COAST — States and cities around the country are imposing — or reimposing — Covid restrictions. Here’s a look at the latest: — California Gov. Gavin Newsom halted indoor operations of many businesses in much of the state today, including shuttering gyms, indoor dining and churches. — Philadelphia mayor Mayor Jim Kenney closed indoor restaurant dining, gyms, and museums, required office employees to work remotely and banned indoor gatherings. The restrictions go into effect Friday and last through Jan. 1. — In Kansas City, Mo., Mayor Quinton Lucas announced today a limit on indoor gatherings, a new mask requirement and a 10 p.m. closing time for restaurants and bars. — Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s 30-day stay-at-home advisory took effect early today, with the mayor asking residents only to leave their homes for work, school or essential outings for medical care or the grocery store. The city also limited gatherings to 10 people. — Nonessential businesses in New Mexico must shut down tonight and essential businesses must reduce capacity for two weeks in a new stay-at-home order issued by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. — Starting at midnight tonight, retail stores and religious services in Washington state will be limited to 25 percent capacity, gyms won’t be allowed to offer indoor classes and weddings and funerals will be capped at 30 people. Restaurants must shutter indoor dining starting Wednesday, part of sweeping new measures announced by Gov. Jay Inslee on Sunday. — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s administration ordered high schools and colleges to stop in-person learning. The governor also closed restaurants to indoor dining, halted organized sports and restricted indoor and outdoor gatherings. ‘THE WORST WAVE SO FAR’ — The country is seeing more than 100,000 new daily Covid infections and more than 1,000 deaths a day right now. “This looks like the worst wave so far,” said health care reporter Adam Cancryn. “We don’t have the summer to save us.” More from Adam about where we are now and where we are headed next in this video.
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| | | Welcome to Bidenology, Nightly’s look at the president-elect and what to expect in his administration. Tonight, we dive into the POLITICO archives to examine Biden’s support for same-sex marriage in 2012. The following is adapted from an April 16, 2014, article headlined “Book: W.H. scrambled after Biden gay marriage comments” by former POLITICO and current Atlantic reporter Edward-Isaac Dovere: Vice President Biden really did get ahead of President Barack Obama on accepting gay marriage in 2012 — and the White House really wasn’t happy about it, despite the two leaders’ many attempts to claim otherwise. That’s the story laid out in Jo Becker’s book, “Forcing the Spring,” which documents the past few years of successful efforts to expand the legalization of gay marriage. Speculation that Biden’s comments on “Meet the Press” in May 2012 were meant as a trial balloon, Becker writes, came from people “not privy to the chaos that erupted inside the West Wing after an emailed transcript of the interview landed in the inbox of the White House press team.” A furious Valerie Jarrett, Becker adds, accused Biden of “downright disloyalty.” Becker describes the months leading up to that rushed moment as a scramble to weigh the political dangers of backing gay marriage against the expected push to add marriage equality to the Democratic convention platform. And Becker says Obama senior adviser David Plouffe reached out to an unexpected ally: former Republican National Committee chairman Ken Mehlman, who came out as gay in 2010. In a private lunch at the White House, Mehlman advised Obama that backing gay marriage could reassert his character strength from 2008, appealing to young people, Republicans and independents and beyond by seeming to take a bold stand without regard to the political consequences. On Nov. 10, 2011, Mehlman sent Plouffe a full write-up of how the president should announce his support — in a joint interview with the first lady, conducted by a female journalist and “all 3 should be sitting. Soft lighting” — as well as a full suggested script for the president to use. That script wasn’t far off from what Obama eventually said when he went public with his “evolution,” and though he did the interview solo, he did it, as Mehlman advised, with a female interviewer (ABC’s Robin Roberts). But he did the interview six months after Mehlman sent Plouffe the email, and only after Biden forced him. The first lady and Jarrett, Becker writes, were pressuring Obama to pull the trigger, but his own personal and political anxieties held him back. Several top Obama advisers wanted him to come down hard on Biden. He refused.
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| | JOIN WEDNESDAY - CONFRONTING INEQUALITY TOWN HALL “BRIDGING THE ECONOMIC DIVIDE": Although pandemic job losses have been widespread, the economic blow has been especially devastating to Black workers and Black-owned businesses. POLITICO's third “Confronting Inequality in America” town hall will convene economists, scholars, private sector and city leaders to explore policies and strategies to deal with the disproportionate economic impact of the pandemic and the broader factors contributing to the persistent racial wealth and income gaps. REGISTER HERE. | | | | |
| | COLLECTIVE BARGAINING — Union leaders are hoping to influence Biden’s pick for Labor secretary — but they’re increasingly at odds over who should get the job, Eleanor Mueller and Megan Cassella write. AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka and some of his organization’s largest affiliate unions are singing the praises of Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, who previously led the city’s Building and Construction Trades Council and could appeal to construction workers who supported Trump. But other unions in the federation are publicly pushing Rep. Andy Levin , a Michigan Democrat who worked as a labor organizer and ran the state’s job training program before he was elected. NOT SO FAST — Biden says he wants to overhaul the nation’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. Step one: Get the nation to mask up. But a bloc of GOP governors remain opposed to the idea. In the latest POLITICO Dispatch, health care reporter Dan Goldberg explains how Biden is set to face some major turbulence from red states when he takes the reins in January.
| | | | JE VOTE — Postal voting was banned in France in 1975 because of fears about voter fraud, but the record turnout in the U.S. general election has reignited the debate around voting by mail in the country. Even among President Emmanuel Macron’s own party, there are different views on whether expanding electoral participation via postal ballots is a good idea, Pierre-Paul Bermingham writes. France allows voting by proxy, which poses similar risks of pressure from relatives. It also allows mail-in voting in very limited circumstances — notably during legislative and consular elections for French citizens abroad. But in this case there has been a relatively high level of rejected ballots (20 to 25 percent), suggesting voters are not always sure how to mark their ballot correctly. Unlike in America, there is no clear political fault line over postal voting, and most opposition parties have no agreed-upon position.
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| | TRACK THE TRANSITION, SUBSCRIBE TO TRANSITION PLAYBOOK: As states certify their election results, President-elect Biden is building an administration. The staffing decisions made in the coming days, weeks, and months will send clear-cut signals about his administration’s agenda and priorities. Transition Playbook is the definitive guide to what could be one of the most consequential transfers of power in American history. Written for political insiders, it tracks the appointments, people, and the emerging power centers of the new administration. Stay in the know, subscribe today. | | | | | | 
Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris receive a briefing on the economy in a Zoom meeting with economic advisors at the Queen Theater in Wilmington, Del. | Getty | | | | |
2,500 The number of troops the White House asked the Pentagon to remain in Afghanistan and in Iraq by Jan. 15, just days before Trump leaves office, according to a defense official. The drawdowns would roughly halve the number of troops in each country. |
| | | FROM SLOVENIA WITH LOVE — As world leaders lined up to congratulate Biden on his victory, Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša remained noticeably silent. Days earlier, Janša tweeted that it was “pretty clear that American people have elected” Trump even though the result was at that point far from known. Janša also said he thought Biden “would be one of the weakest presidents in history.” Yet while Janša remained defiantly pro-Trump, there was precious little closeness between the U.S. under Trump and Slovenia, the birthplace of Melania Trump, Jure Kosec writes. Miro Cerar, who was prime minister in 2016, confirmed that both he and his successor’s governments considered Melania Trump a potential asset in Slovenia’s foreign policy and relations with the Trump administration. The current government led by Janša was much more public in its hopes. As part of Slovenia’s presidency of the Council of the EU in the second half of 2021, his government wanted to lure Trump to Brussels for a high-level EU-U.S. summit, the first in more than six years. After Trump’s election defeat and Janša’s tweets, hopes for a Slovenia-brokered summit next year have evaporated, although officially, the government’s ambition has not changed. Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here.
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