Presented by

SCOOP — Rep. RUBEN GALLEGO (D-Ariz.) has taken another step toward launching a 2024 challenge of newly independent Sen. KYRSTEN SINEMA.

Gallego has signed up the Democratic polling firm GBAO Strategies for a “leadership role” for a potential Senate bid, a source familiar tells Holly Otterbein. GBAO Strategies is fresh off a slate of victories in the general election, after working for Democratic Pennsylvania Sen.-elect JOHN FETTERMAN and Georgia Sen. RAPHAEL WARNOCK.

In a statement to POLITICO,MARGIE OMERO, one of GBAO’s principals, said that “Congressman Gallego puts Arizona first and we look forward to working with him on whatever is in store for him.”

Asked about a possible run on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” this morning, Gallego said, “I’m going to listen to my family over the holidays — I have a big Latino family that’s going to come in over Christmas, it’s going to be a very, very crowded house — but then after that, we’ll be making a decision. And we’ll be making a decision based on what’s best for Arizona and based on what I hear from the actual constituents of Arizona.”

Gallego did not immediately return requests for comment from POLITICO.

And then there’s this: Gallego tweeted out something of a tease, pointing to the results of the 2022 Arizona secretary of state results.

MEGATREND — “How Did the Housing Market Get So Unaffordable for So Many?” by WSJ’s Paul Williams: “A survey from the Pew Research Center released this year showed a 10-percentage-point increase since 2018 in the share of Americans — now one in two — who see the availability of affordable housing in their area as a serious problem.”

BOO WHO? — “Elon Musk booed at Dave Chappelle show, claims it was only like ‘10 percent boos,’” by The Verge’s Alex Cranz

GEN Z TO DEMS: YOU’RE CHEUGY — “Young voters’ enthusiasm for Democrats waned during midterms,” by AP’s Will Weissert and Hannah Fingerhut: “Voters under 30 went 53% for Democratic House candidates compared with only 41% for Republican candidates nationwide, according to AP VoteCast, a sweeping national survey of the electorate. But that level of support for Democrats was down compared with 2020, when such voters supported President JOE BIDEN over his predecessor, DONALD TRUMP, 61% to 36%. And in 2018, when Democrats used a midterm surge to retake control of the House, voters 18 to 29 went 64% for the party compared with 34% for the GOP.”

Good Monday afternoon. Send me your hot takes on the 2023 Golden Globe nominations: [email protected].

CONGRESS

REALITY CHECK — “Hopes Fade for Year-End Tax Deal in Congress to Aid Companies, Children,” by WSJ’s Richard Rubin: “Barring a last-minute breakthrough, many businesses will face higher taxes because of changes to how they can deduct research costs and interest expenses. For families, the child tax credit would remain at its current levels, without reinstating temporary expansions that Democrats implemented in 2021. Those changes expired at the end of last year.”

THE WHITE HOUSE

OFFICIAL OUTREACH — “Biden Is Bringing Africa’s Leaders to Washington, Hoping to Impress,” by NYT’s Declan Walsh in Nairobi, Kenya: “White House officials say the three-day gathering will include top-level meetings, new initiatives and business deals, and a gala dinner at the White House. But African leaders have grown accustomed to being courted by foreign suitors, and Washington is one stop on what has become a global circuit of Africa summits held by China, Russia, Turkey, France, Japan and the European Union.”

JAN. 6 AND ITS AFTERMATH

HAPPENING TODAY — “2nd Oath Keepers Jan. 6 sedition trial to get underway,” by AP’s Michael Kunzelman and Alanna Durkin Richer: “Openings statements are expected in Washington’s federal court less than two weeks after STEWART RHODES, the founder of the Oath Keepers, and KELLY MEGGS, who led its Florida chapter, were convicted of seditious conspiracy for what prosecutors described as a violent plot to overturn President Joe Biden’s victory.

“The defendants facing jurors in the latest trial are JOSEPH HACKETT, of Sarasota, Florida; ROBERTO MINUTA of Prosper, Texas; DAVID MOERSCHEL of Punta Gorda, Florida; and EDWARD VALLEJO of Phoenix. They are charged with several other felonies in addition to seditious conspiracy.”

JUDICIARY SQUARE

SCOTUS WATCH — “High court won’t hear Title IX case involving Michigan State,” AP

STEPHEN MILLER’S NEW PROJECT — “How a Trump-allied group fighting ‘anti-white bigotry’ beats Biden in court,” by WaPo’s Beth Reinhard and Josh Dawsey: “America First Legal is headed by STEPHEN MILLER, the architect of President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigrants. While AFL lacks the name recognition and financial heft of many conservative counterparts, it has racked up notable court victories over the Biden administration.

“Casting itself as ‘the long-awaited answer to the ACLU,’ AFL has weaponized the grievance politics embodied by Trump’s ‘Make America Great Again’ movement through dozens of federal lawsuits, challenging efforts to remedy racial disparities, support LGBTQ students and expand the pool of early voters.”

POLICY CORNER

BIG OPIOID INVESTIGATION — “Cause of death: Washington faltered as fentanyl gripped America,” by WaPo’s Nick Miroff, Scott Higham, Steven Rich, Salwan Georges and Erin Patrick O'Connor: “During the past seven years, as soaring quantities of fentanyl flooded into the United States, strategic blunders and cascading mistakes by successive U.S. administrations allowed the most lethal drug crisis in American history to become significantly worse, a Washington Post investigation has found.

“Presidents from both parties failed to take effective action in the face of one of the most urgent threats to the nation’s security, one that claims more lives each year than car accidents, suicides or gun violence. Fentanyl is now the leading cause of death for Americans ages 18 to 49.”

IMMIGRATION FILES — “Biden restarts task force on immigrants’ success in U.S.,” by AP’s Colleen Long: “The Task Force on New Americans will be run by the Domestic Policy Council and the focus will be workforce training, education and financial access as well as language learning and the health of immigrants who have green cards and other types of legal status, according to the White House.”

CRYPTO CRISIS CONTINUES — “FTX Bankruptcy Means $73 Million in Political Donations at Risk of Being Clawed Back,” by Bloomberg’s Laura Davison, Bill Allison, and Allyson Versprille: “While there’s precedent for forcing political entities to return contributions in cases of fraud, recovery prospects are unclear in FTX’s case. Recouping campaign funds as part of the bankruptcy proceedings is a complicated and lengthy process, and the scope of the total funds eligible for clawback depends on myriad federal and state laws.”

— “Sam Bankman-Fried’s Parents Were There for FTX’s Rise, and Now Its Fall,” by WSJ’s Justin Baer and Hardika Singh: “JOSEPH BANKMAN and BARBARA FRIED remain by [SAM] BANKMAN-FRIED’s side — as legal advisers, one person familiar with the matter said, but mainly as parents to a son who is in deep trouble. Before FTX’s collapse, Mr. Bankman was a paid employee of the company for almost a year. He joined his son in meetings with Washington policy makers, expanded its philanthropic endeavors and helped connect his son to at least one major investor.”

ALL POLITICS

AUTOPSY REPORT — “How Kari Lake’s campaign to be the Trump of 2022 unraveled,” by WaPo’s Isaac Stanley-Becker and Yvonne Wingett Sanchez in Phoenix: “Interviews, internal documents and voting data point to the reasons behind her defeat: The candidate, so focused on parroting Trump and settling personal scores, failed to execute on a plan to court the independents and centrist Republicans who decide elections in Arizona, once a red state that now gleams purple. As advisers urged her to consolidate GOP support after the primary, [KARI] LAKE remained fixated on a grudge match against people loyal to the legacy of the late Sen. JOHN McCAIN.”

2024 WATCH IN THE HOOSIER STATE — “Why one rising GOP senator is tapping out for a governor’s race instead,” by Burgess Everett: Sen. MIKE BRAUN (R-Ind.) “became the first sitting senator in seven years to seek a governorship, giving up a safely red seat for the opportunity to become the chief executive of his state. The decision came with no shortage of drama for Braun, whose term ends in 2024 — the same year as the governor race.

“After defeating a Democratic incumbent in 2018, the loquacious Hoosier businessman arrived in the Senate hoping to energize the staid chamber’s plodding pace, pledging to serve a maximum of two terms, and even shake up its dress code along the way.”

— “Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch launches campaign for governor,” by Indy Star’s Arika Herron: “Crouch's campaign site also says she won't let ‘Washington politicians" compromise Hoosier values, ‘ensuring we will always be there for the most vulnerable while protecting our faith, families, and freedom.’”

THE ECONOMY

DEPT. OF TEMPERATURE TAKING — “Slowing Growth Edges Out Inflation as Top Concern,” by WSJ’s Matt Grossman: “Equities and fixed-income markets have diverged in December, with energy and financial stocks among the worst-performing sectors.”

BEYOND THE BELTWAY

INTERESTING READ — “Can red states overcome their hatred of California and embrace electric cars?” by L.A. Times’ Noah Bierman in Kokomo, Ind.: “The uneasy reception to EVs in Indiana — in a national climate that includes Republican lawsuits against California’s new emissions rules and televised warnings that they represent an attack on freedom — suggests that the country remains divided over embracing a technology that environmentalists say is essential to combating climate change.”

WAR IN UKRAINE

PRESIDENTIAL POWWOW — “Zelensky and Biden Discuss Ukraine’s Grid as Country Scrambles to Restore Power,” by WSJ’s Isabel Coles: “[Ukrainian President VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY] spoke to President Biden after weekend calls with the leaders of France and Turkey ahead of planned Group of Seven and European Union meetings on Monday that could agree further sanctions on Russia. There are no official peace talks, but U.S. and Russia have held a series of contacts in Turkey.”

THE VIEW FROM THE U.S. — “Biden admin wants to boost efforts to track U.S. weapons in Ukraine, may send another handful of troops,” by NBC’s Courtney Kube and Carol Lee

HOW RUSSIA IS FIGHTING — “Russia Is Using Old Ukrainian Missiles Against Ukraine, General Says,” by NYT’s Marc Santora

ANOTHER AID ASK — “Ukraine PM urges more military aid to counter Russia attacks,” by AP’s Jamey Keaten and John Leicester

AMERICA AND THE WORLD

DANCE OF THE SUPERPOWERS — “In U.S. Bid to Blunt China’s Pacific Sway, Postal Service Has a Say,” by WSJ’s Charles Hutzler and Mike Cherney: “The U.S. is trying to shore up its influence among Pacific island nations against China’s inroads in the region. First, the U.S. Postal Service needs to get on board. Negotiations to renew broad, decades-old agreements are intensifying with three nations whose islands lie just north of the equator between Hawaii and the Philippines — the Marshall Islands, Palau and the Federated States of Micronesia.”

THE LATEST IN CHINA — “‘It Doesn’t Hurt at All’: In China’s New Covid Strategy, Vaccines Matter,” by NYT’s Alexandra Stevenson and Olivia Wang: “As the government drops its restrictions, it not only needs to convince people that the virus is nothing to fear, but also that inoculations are essential.”

— “Covid spreads and medical staff sicken after China relaxes restrictions,” by WaPo’s Lily Kuo and Lyric Li

FOR YOUR RADAR — “Japan to buy Tomahawk missiles in defense buildup amid fears of war,” by WaPo’s Michelle Ye Hee Lee and Ellen Nakashima in Tokyo

THE GLOBAL CULTURE WAR — “How Dutch farmers became the center of a global right-wing culture war,” by NBC’s Patrick Smith in Aalten, The Netherlands

PLAYBOOKERS

MEDIA MOVE — “Emma Tucker Is Named New Editor of The Wall Street Journal, Succeeding Matt Murray,” by WSJ’s Jeffrey Trachtenberg and Alexandra Bruell: “Ms. Tucker, 56 years old, will assume her new position on Feb. 1, the company said Monday. Mr. Murray, also 56, will work with Ms. Tucker during a transition period until March 1. He will then continue in a senior position at News Corp, where he will work on new projects and report to Chief Executive Robert Thomson.”

TRANSITIONS —Samantha Carter is now director of marketing and comms for the House Office of the Chief Administrative Officer. She most recently was the digital director for Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.)and is a House Budget Committee alum. … Jones Day has added Alexa Baltes, Louis Capozzi III, Michael Heckmann and John Henry Thompson as residents in their D.C. office.

WEDDING — Patrick Lichtenstein, assistant director in NCAA’s Office of Government Relations, and Kathleen Duffy, intellectual property associate at Arnold & Porter, got married on Dec. 3 in Philadelphia. The couple met in the JD/MBA program at American University.