POLITICO Playbook PM: McConnell’s next move

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SNOW DAY -- @USOPM: “1/7: Federal offices in the Washington, DC area status: Early Departure 4 hour staggered early release all employees must depart no later than 1:00 PM.” The notice

GOING IT ALONE … BURGESS EVERETT and MARIANNE LEVINE: “McConnell prepares to move forward on impeachment trial rules without Democrats”: “Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is on the verge of having sufficient backing in his 53-member caucus to pass a blueprint for the trial that leaves the question of seeking witnesses and documents until after opening arguments are made, according to multiple senators. That framework would mirror the contours of President Bill Clinton’s trial and ignore Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s demands for witnesses and new evidence.

“No final decision has been made, but in a brief interview, McConnell said he would address the possibility of spurning Democrats on Tuesday afternoon. GOP leaders are expected to finalize their vote counts at their first party lunch since the holiday break and Senate Majority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.) said on Tuesday that McConnell’s leadership team is ‘trying to get consensus among Republicans about how to go forward.’” POLITICO

JUST A THOUGHT … IF JOHN BOLTON has something to say or knows something pertinent to the impeachment process, why doesn’t he just say it?

YIKES … MOURNING SOLEIMANI IN MICHIGAN … DETROIT FREE PRESS: “Iraqi Consulate in Detroit to open for condolences in death of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani,” by Bisma Parvez: “The Consulate General of the Republic of Iraq in Detroit announced that it will be open for condolences for Iranian Major General Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a U.S. airstrike in Baghdad on Friday.

“According to their statement, the consulate announced ‘the opening of a record of my condolences for the lives of the righteous martyrs who were killed as a result of the recent American raids in Iraq.’ “

SECRETARY OF STATE MIKE POMPEO’S PRESSER … DID THE IRAN SITUATION AFFECT HIS SENATE DECISION? “I said the same thing yesterday that I said for months. No real news there.” POMPEO noted that he had been saying he was going to stay as secretary of State for some time. Monday’s reporting that Pompeo affirmatively told McConnell he was not running is new, however.

NBC’S ANDREA MITCHELL asked Pompeo about targeting cultural sites in Iran, and Pompeo said, “Every action we take will be consistent with international law.” The real risk to Persian culture comes from the Iranian regime, not the U.S., he added.

THE LATEST ON IRAN -- “U.S. won’t grant Iran foreign minister visa for U.N. visit,” by AP’s Matthew Lee: “Mohammed Javad Zarif told ‘CBS This Morning’ on Tuesday that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo informed the U.N. secretary general, who in turn relayed to Zarif, that ‘they didn’t have time to review my request.’

“A U.S. official confirmed Tuesday that the application couldn’t be processed in time. The official wasn’t authorized to speak on the record and discussed the matter on condition of anonymity. It’s not clear that Zarif’s request has been formally rejected, however, which would trigger legal technicalities that could affect future visa applications. The State Department cited visa confidentiality laws that bar the release of such information with certain limited exceptions.” AP

-- FWIW: POMPEO wouldn’t get into this decision, saying they don’t comment on visa matters, but said the U.S. is committed to upholding its obligations under the U.N. Headquarters Agreement. Pompeo did, however, describe Zarif as a “propagandist.”

HAPPENING TOMORROW … HOUSE DEMOCRATS will hear from Wendy Sherman, Obama’s chief Iran negotiator, and Avril Haines, who was Obama’s deputy national security adviser, in a closed meeting Wednesday. (h/t Heather Caygle)

AFTERNOON READ … “Confronting Iran at Sea Is an Iranian-American Navy Commander,” by NYT’s Dave Phillips: “As a child, Kavon Hakimzadeh fled the Islamic Revolution in Iran with his family and found refuge in small-town Mississippi. Now, 40 years later, he is back in the Persian Gulf region, this time as the commander of the United States aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman, which with tensions rising over the killing of Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani could play a role in any confrontation with his former homeland.

“Like many Iranians who serve in the United States armed forces, the oppression and turmoil of the Iranian Revolution cultivated an appreciation for the liberty that the United States military vows to uphold and defend, and inspired many to enlist.” NYT

USMCA TIMELINE UPDATE -- “Grassley: Impeachment could delay USMCA vote by a month,” by Adam Behsudi: “[Sen. Chuck Grassley] said he was hopeful that a delay by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to send over the articles of impeachment could give the upper chamber time to vote on the agreement. …

“The process could be further complicated by a procedural move that would require the bill to be referred for approval by a number of other committees that have jurisdiction over issues included in the agreement. ‘That’s something I wasn’t aware of until yesterday and I think that’s going to be a problem,’ Grassley said.” POLITICO

Good Tuesday afternoon.

SPOTTED at a party Monday for Ruth Marcus’ new book, “Supreme Ambition: Brett Kavanaugh and the Conservative Takeover” ($26.73 on Amazon), hosted by David Bradley: Kellyanne and George Conway, John Harris, Jane Harman, Carl Hulse, Mark Leibovich, Maureen Dowd, Evan Osnos, Phil Rucker, Michael Beschloss, Jonathan Capehart and Nick Schmitt, Juleanna Glover, Jeff Goldberg, Alan Fleischmann …

… David Corn, Daniel Lippman, David Brooks and Anne Snyder Brooks, Andrea Mitchell, Jon Leibowitz, Adam Rubenstein, Carol Ross Joynt, Jake Miller, Carl Cannon, Jonathan Rauch, Don Baer, Margaret Carlson, Steve Clemons, Jeff Zeleny and Hilary Rosen.

TRADE WARS -- “U.S. Trade Gap Narrowed 8.2% in November,” by WSJ’s Harriet Torry and Amara Omeokwe: “The U.S. trade deficit narrowed in November for the third straight month, dropping to its lowest level in three years as the rate of imports dropped and exports picked up.

“The foreign-trade gap in goods and services contracted 8.2% from the prior month to a seasonally adjusted $43.09 billion in November, the Commerce Department said Tuesday. That was the lowest goods and services deficit since it hit $42 billion in October 2016.” WSJ

ON THE RIGHT -- “Leonard Leo to shape new conservative network,” by Axios’ Jonathan Swan and Alayna Treene: “Conservative powerhouse Leonard Leo tells Axios that he’ll step aside from the daily running of the Federalist Society to focus on a new venture — inspired by Arabella Advisers on the left — that will funnel big money and expertise across the conservative movement. …

“One of the first projects will be a ‘minimum of $10 million issue advocacy campaign focusing on judges in the 2020 cycle,’ Leo told Axios. The new venture will be called CRC Advisors. Leo will remain co-chair of the Federalist Society’s board.” Axios

2020 WATCH -- “Bloomberg bets early — and big — on Florida,” by Matt Dixon in Tallahassee: “First came the ads. Then came the staff. Former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg has spent weeks flooding Florida media markets with ads touting his business acumen and jabbing President Donald Trump, but his operation now is expanding in a state that could make or break the billionaire media mogul’s presidential aspirations.

“Bloomberg has made a round of key state staff hires. He’s plowing millions of dollars each week into television ads. And over the next two weeks, 50 organizers will begin work at more than 20 regional campaign offices across the state. The blitz is part of Bloomberg’s unconventional, skip-the-early-states strategy, which puts its focus — and the candidate’s ample supply of cash — on delegate-rich March primary states, including Florida and its 219 delegates.” POLITICO

FLASHBACK … SOUTH FLORIDA SUN-SENTINEL, Dec. 27, 2007: “Iowa? Nah -- Giuliani pins hopes on Florida”

-- “Pete Buttigieg Fails To Secure Delegates In Illinois’ Most Diverse Districts,” by HuffPost’s Kevin Robillard: “Finding a person to fill each slot ... is considered an early test of a campaign’s strength in the delegate-rich state, and supporters of Buttigieg’s rivals said his failure to fill the slots points to a potentially fatal weakness with voters of color. … Buttigieg’s missing delegates are concentrated in the state’s most diverse congressional delegations, according to an analysis of candidate data files from the Illinois State Board of Elections.

“Illinois has two majority-Black districts: The 1st, represented by Rep. Bobby Rush, and the 2nd, represented by Rep. Robin Kelly. Buttigieg filled zero of the eight slots in the 1st district, and just four of seven slots in the 2nd district. In the 7th District, which is plurality Black and represented by Rep. Danny Davis, Buttigieg filled four of six slots. (Of the four delegates in the 7th District, the Buttigieg campaign said two are Black and two are Hispanic.) The state also has a lone majority-Hispanic district, the 4th, which is represented by Rep. Chuy Garcia. Buttigieg filled just a single delegate slot of the five available there.” HuffPost

-- “Deval Patrick Hopes for an Unlikely Surge, but for Many, ‘It’s Awfully Late,’” by NYT’s Stephanie Saul in Manchester, N.H.: “Almost two months into his unlikely run, Mr. Patrick’s campaign has failed to make big headlines, draw attention-grabbing endorsements, or dominate a news cycle with standout policy proposals. Compared with his better-established rivals in a packed field, he is drawing thin crowds. …

“While the other candidates are sweating through a marathon, Mr. Patrick is hoping to stage a last-minute sprint primarily by focusing on a two-state campaign strategy — banking on hopes that the early primary states of New Hampshire and South Carolina will serve as springboards to propel his candidacy.” NYT

THE POLICY PRIMARY -- “Warren takes shot at Biden with new bankruptcy plan,” by Katy O’Donnell: “Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) wants to make it easier for Americans to go through bankruptcy, unveiling a plan Tuesday that she cast as a way to reverse the damage wrought by a 2005 law championed by her presidential rival Joe Biden. …

“The plan would eliminate a means test included in the 15-year-old law that required people making more than their state’s median income to go through Chapter 13 bankruptcy, a longer and costlier process than Chapter 7. Warren would replace the two chapters, giving distressed borrowers the chance to either surrender their property to have their debt discharged, along the lines of Chapter 7, or choose from a ‘menu of options’ to restructure specific debts while continuing to pay down others outside bankruptcy.” POLITICO … The plan

PLAYBOOK METRO SECTION -- “Did Jeff Bezos Just Buy a Second Kalorama Mansion?” by Washingtonian’s Marisa Kashino: “In 2016, Jeff Bezos paid $23 million in cash for the old Textile Museum in Kalorama and began transforming it into his DC compound. Now, a source says it appears he has snapped up the mansion right across the street, at 2325 S Street, NW. …

“The home hit the market a month ago for $4,995,000 — which seems ambitious, especially since December is the doldrums for real estate. It has four bedrooms and seven bathrooms, plus a wine cellar and a roof deck.” Washingtonian

MEDIAWATCH -- “TV Networks Put Harder Sell Behind Hard News as 2020 Election Draws Closer,” by Variety’s Brian Steinberg: “Both NBCUniversal and Fox Corp. are talking to advertisers about recent or ongoing research that demonstrates viewers don’t think negatively about the advertisers in news programs, no matter whether the host leans toward a particular political view or if the news itself is extremely serious. …

“Fox News Channel is projected to take in nearly $1.32 billion in advertising in 2020, which would mark an increase of 7.9% over 2019, according to Kagan, a market-research firm that is part of S&P Global. CNN is seen securing around $773.1 million, representing an increase of about 11.7%. And MSNBC is expected to win around $723.1 million, according to Kagan, a raise of about 0.8%.” Variety

-- The Daily Beast is adding Hunter Woodall as a campaign reporter, Nicole Phillip as senior social media editor and Laura Bradley as an entertainment reporter. Woodall currently is a political reporter at the AP and was on a Pulitzer-finalist team at the Kansas City Star. Phillip previously was at the NYT, where she led social efforts for the 1619 Project. Bradley currently is at Vanity Fair.

-- Will Dobson is now co-editor of the Journal of Democracy. He previously was chief international editor at NPR.

-- Lana Zak is now an anchor at CBS News. She previously was a reporter and fill-in anchor at ABC.

-- Jay Kirsch is now senior VP of consumer revenue and products for G/O Media. He previously was president of ALM Media.

BONUS BIRTHDAY: Lauren Harmon, deputy executive director at the Association of State Democratic Committees (h/t Jody Murphy)