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BREAKTHROUGH BREAKDOWN — “What to know about DOE’s fusion ‘breakthrough,’” by Peter Behr

INFLATION EASES AGAIN — Here’s the latest indication of where inflation is heading: “Consumer prices rose less than expected in November, up 7.1% from a year ago,” by CNBC’s Jeff Cox

The details: 

• “The consumer price index, which measures a wide basket of goods and services, rose just 0.1% from the previous month, and increased 7.1% from a year ago, the Labor Department reported Tuesday. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had been expecting a 0.3% monthly increase and a 7.3% 12-month rate.

• “The increase from a year ago, while well above the Federal Reserve’s 2% target for a healthy inflation level, was tied for the lowest since November 2021.”

• “Excluding volatile food and energy prices, so-called core CPI rose 0.2% on the month and 6% on an annual basis, compared with respective estimates of 0.3% and 6.1%.”

INSIDE THE CRYPTO CRISIS — This morning, federal prosecutors unsealed the indictment against fallen crypto king SAM BANKMAN-FRIED, who was arrested in the Bahamas on Monday.

“The 13-page indictment says that, beginning in 2019, Bankman-Fried devised ‘a scheme and artifice to defraud’ FTX’s customers and investors, diverting their money to pay expenses and debts at his crypto hedge fund, Alameda Research, and to make lavish real estate purchases and large political donations,” AP’s Ken Sweet writes.

WaPo’s Rachel Lerman has the breakdown on the charges SBF faces:

• “Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York unsealed an eight-count indictment against Bankman-Fried on Tuesday, alleging fraud and conspiracy charges.”

• “The Commodity Futures Trading Commission filed fraud charges against the entrepreneur Tuesday, seeking restitution for investors and customers in civil court.”

• “The Securities and Exchange Commission lobbed its own civil charges at Bankman-Fried for allegedly ‘orchestrating a scheme to defraud equity investors.’”

Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, the hearing where SBF was scheduled to appear prior to his arrest went on as planned. Newly installed FTX CEO JOHN RAY appeared solo before lawmakers, where he “repeatedly declined requests by House Financial Services Committee members to detail the corporate wreckage he is sorting through with specific numbers, pointing to the company’s bad recording-keeping,” WaPo’s Tory Newmyer writes.

But it’s not just FTX that’s under intense scrutiny in the crypto landscape. Reuters’ Angus Berwick, Dan Levine and Tom Wilson report that “splits between U.S. Department of Justice prosecutors are delaying the conclusion of a long-running criminal investigation” into Binance, which counts itself as the largest crypto exchange in the world.

“Some of the at least half dozen federal prosecutors involved in the case believe the evidence already gathered justifies moving aggressively against the exchange and filing criminal charges against individual executives including founder CHANGPENG ZHAO, said two of the sources. Others have argued taking time to review more evidence, the sources said.”

CoinDesk’s Krisztian Sandor reports that Binance “endured a wave of withdrawals” on Monday as nervous traders sus out what’s up with the company in the wake of the FTX saga. “Net outflows, the difference between the value of assets arriving and leaving the exchange, hit $902 million in the past 24 hours,” Sandor writes. The context: “Binance’s net outflow has surpassed those of all other centralized exchanges’ in the last 24 hours, and is almost nine times larger than the second largest outflow.”

NO HARD FEELINGS — NBC’s @scottwongDC: “[Arizona Sen. KYRSTEN SINEMA] WILL attend WH signing ceremony for same-sex marriage bill w/ @POTUS today, her office confirms, just days after she left Dem party and registered as independent. She was a lead cosponsor of RFMA & helped broker religious freedom [amendment] that brought over GOP votes.”

Good Tuesday afternoon, and thanks for reading Playbook PM. Send me your predictions for the World Cup semifinals: [email protected]. I’m sticking with my Argentina pick.

CONGRESS

THE WHEELS ON THE OMNIBUS — “Deal to prevent another Jan. 6 included in spending package, Schumer says,” by Caitlin Emma and Marianne LeVine: “[Senate Majority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER] also said anticipated additional Ukraine aid would make it into the deal, though he did not specify an amount. Top appropriators are looking to cement the overall spending levels on the stalled funding bill as soon as Tuesday, a critical step for negotiations to wrap up by the end of the year.”

THE SPLIT GOP — CNN’s Manu Raju (@mkraju): “GOP Rep. NANCY MACE says she opposes kicking Ds off committees. Says ‘voters get to decide who serves them when they're in Congress, not members of Congress after they've gotten here,’ per @MZanona. [House GOP Leader KEVIN] McCARTHY has vowed to kick off [Reps. ILHAN] OMAR, [ADAM] SCHIFF and [ERIC] SWALWELL from their committees.”

SIGHTS ON SUPPLY CHAIN — “​​Supply-Chain Shortfalls Targeted by New Bill,” by WSJ’s Katy Stech Ferek: “Sen. MARCO RUBIO (R., Fla.) and Rep. RO KHANNA (D., Calif.) plan to introduce legislation on Tuesday that would force leaders at cabinet-level agencies to identify weaknesses in U.S. supply chains that could hurt national security and domestic manufacturing growth. Leaders would be charged with periodically recommending ways that federal agencies can attract private investment and change federal financing programs to advance U.S. economic-development policies.”

REPORT CARD — “Senate Report Finds Widespread Sexual Abuse of Women in Federal Prisons,” by NYT’s Glenn Thrush

ALL POLITICS

FOLKS … “Former VP Pence says positive response to autobiography ‘great source of encouragement’ as he mulls 2024 bid,” by Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser in Bedford, N.H.

REQUIEM FOR IOWA — “Letting Go of the Iowa Caucus,” by The Atlantic’s Elaine Godfrey: “Americans outside the Midwest may soon forget about the Butter Cow. Iowa will take an economic hit if the state doesn’t go first in the Democrats’ nominating process. The restaurants serving tenderloins and chicken lips to eager-to-please politicians won’t make as much; the hotels and bars frequented by the national press corps will suffer. But the real reason these changes will be hard for many Iowans to accept is that a whole lot of pride is tied up in this thing.”

JUDICIARY SQUARE

SCOTUS WATCH — “Supreme Court will review conviction in murder-for-hire case,” AP: “The justices said they will review the case of ADAM SAMIA, who is serving a life sentence for killing a real estate broker in the Philippines. Samia acted at the behest of PAUL LeROUX, a South African who led the crime organization and cooperated with federal authorities after his arrest in 2012, prosecutors said. LeRoux ordered the killing of the broker, CATHERINE LEE, because he believed Lee had stolen money from him.”

BEYOND THE BELTWAY

CLIMATE CLICKER — “The Climate Impact of Your Neighborhood, Mapped,” by NYT’s Nadja Popovich, Mira Rojanasakul and Brad Plumer: “New data shared with The New York Times reveals stark disparities in how different U.S. households contribute to climate change. Looking at America’s cities, a pattern emerges.”

BIG OPIOID INVESTIGATION — “A DEA agent tracked the source of fentanyl in Mormon country — a Mexican cartel,” by WaPo’s Kevin Sieff in St. George, Utah

INSIDE THE CLASSROOM CRISIS — “Students turn to TikTok to fill gaps in school lessons,” by AP’s Cheyanne Mumphrey in Phoenix: “Scrutiny from conservatives around teaching about race, gender and sexuality has made many teachers reluctant to discuss issues that touch on cultural divides. To fill in gaps, some students are looking to social media, where online personalities, nonprofit organizations and teachers are experimenting with ways to connect with them outside the confines of school. The platform has opened new opportunities for educators looking to expand students’ worldviews.”

THE NEW NORMAL — “Shrinking Office Building Values Are Becoming a Dilemma for City Budgets,” by WSJ’s Peter Grant

POLICY CORNER

FOR YOUR RADAR — “Ken Griffin Sues IRS Over Tax Privacy Breach That Also Affected Other Billionaires,” by WSJ’s Richard Rubin: “Tax data about wealthy people such as ELON MUSK and JEFF BEZOS were published by the news organization ProPublica starting in June 2021, in an unusual breach of the confidentiality of tax returns. The news site published articles mentioning [KEN] GRIFFIN and using information from his tax records in April and July this year.”

TROOP TROUBLES — “Transitioning of U.S. Troops to Civilian Life Falls Short, Watchdog Says,” by WSJ’s Ben Kesling: “The mandatory program that helps prepare U.S. troops for civilian life as they get ready to leave the military is plagued by low participation rates and lacks accountability, according to findings from a government watchdog released Monday.”

AMERICA AND THE WORLD

NOW THAT GRINER IS HOME — “Brittney Griner’s Unprecedented Choice: How, or Whether, to Return to Basketball,” by WSJ’s Robert O'Connell

DANCE OF THE SUPERPOWERS — “China readying $143 billion package for its chip firms in face of U.S. curbs,” by Reuters’ Julie Zhu

— “Former U.S. Pilot Helped Chinese Aviators Train for Aircraft Carriers, Indictment Says,” by WSJ’s Mike Cherney

THE LATEST IN CHINA — “As Covid Spreads Fast, Beijing Isn’t in Lockdown. But It Feels Like It,” by NYT’s Keith Bradsher and David Pierson

WAR IN UKRAINE

THE VIEW FROM THE KREMLIN — “Cornered in Ukraine, Putin ditches annual news conference,” AP

AID ON THE WAY — “U.S. finalizing plans to send Patriot missile defense system to Ukraine,” by CNN’s Barbara Starr

ON THE GROUND — “Explosions Strike Key Bridge in Russian-Occupied Melitopol,” by WSJ’s Jared Malsin and Ann Simmons

PLAYBOOKERS

IN MEMORIAM — “Kawānanakoa, ‘last Hawaiian princess,’ dies at 96,” by AP’s Jennifer Sinco Kelleher: “Abigail Kinoiki Kekaulike Kawānanakoa … held no formal title but was a living reminder of Hawaii’s monarchy and a symbol of Hawaiian national identity that endured after the kingdom was overthrown by American businessmen in 1893.”

OUT AND ABOUT — Charles Fazzino, the official artist for the 75th anniversary of the Marine Toys for Tots program, hosted a dinner at Cafe Milano on Monday night, following an earlier event with the Bidens. SPOTTED: Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro and Betty Del Toro, retired Lt. Gen. James Laster, Marine Corps Reserve Commandant Lt. Gen. Dave Bellon and Sue Bellon, Col. Shane Donahue and Gulnaz Donahue, Ike and Jenna Ryan, Suzi Kelly and Thorne Bartlett,Susan Fazzino, Jose Fazzino Cavanaugh and Kevin Cavanaugh, Janet Donovan, Julie Maner, Fran Kessler and Michael Weitz.

— Incoming Congressional Black Caucus Chairman Rep. Steven Horsford (D-Nev.) hosted a holiday reception Monday night on Capitol Hill. Horsford and Sen. Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) spoke to the large crowd and attendees feasted on holiday foods and seasonal treats. SPOTTED: Reps. Lucy McBath (D-Ga.), Stacey Plaskett (D-U.S. Virgin Islands), Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.), Marc Veasey (D-Texas) and Nikema Williams (D-Ga.), Rep.-elect Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas), Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin, Ashley Etienne, Kamau Marshall, Vince Evans, Keenan Austin, Michael Reed, Yolonda Addison, Trey Baker, Carissa Smith, Heather Foster, Brandon Webb, and Meaghan Lynch.

MEDIA MOVES — Beth Diaz is joining POLITICO as its first ever chief data officer. She previously was VP of audience development and analytics at WaPo. The announcement

— “Jeff Zucker, Former CNN President, to Lead Sports-and-Media Investment Firm RedBird IMI,” by WSJ’s Jessica Toonkel

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Natasha Sarin is leaving the Treasury Department, where she has been a counselor focused on tax policy, Daniel Lippman and Ben White report. Sarin, a Larry Summers protégé, led efforts to get more funding for the IRS and stayed to help oversee implementation of the tax elements of the Inflation Reduction Act. She is heading to Yale Law School and the Yale School of Management, where she’ll teach.

WHITE HOUSE ARRIVAL LOUNGE — Katie Berger is now director of education at the Domestic Policy Council at the White House. She most recently was senior policy adviser at the Senate HELP Committee.

TRANSITION — Jeremy Crandall will be AVP of State Affairs at CTIA. He previously was director of federal and state policy at NACHC.

ENGAGED — Avi Berkowitz, a partner at the Jared Kushner private equity firm Affinity Partners and Trump White House alum, proposed to Gabrielle Posner on Dec. 6 in NYC. They were introduced in the beginning of 2022 by a mutual family friend. Pic

—Kelvin Lum, legislative director for Rep. Ami Bera (D-Calif.), proposed to Nisha Ramachandran, executive director of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, in D.C. on Saturday. They met 10 years ago as staffers for Bera, and have been dating since 2019. Pic

— John Kleinhans, comms and government affairs adviser for the city of Danbury, Conn., and an AIPAC alum, proposed to Brooke Parker, comms and legislative program manager for the Connecticut Office of Consumer Counsel and a Joe Courtney alum, on Saturday with the help of their two dogs Shelly and Rooney. Pic … Another pic

WEEKEND WEDDING — Samuel Lau, senior director of advocacy comms at Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and Oren Bumgarner, a senior research scientist at Metron, got married Saturday at the Torpedo Factory Art Center in Old Town Alexandria. They met online about five years ago. They walked down the aisle together in velvet tuxedos to Donna Lewis’ “I Love You Always Forever.” UNC basketball highlights played on a giant screen throughout the cocktail hour, and Dangerously Delicious Pies catered dessert instead of cake. Pic … SPOTTED: Mariel Saez, Patrick Burgwinkle, Andrew Binns, Liz Hart, Christina Freundlich, MaryAlice Parks, Joanne Peters Denny, Greg Sunstrum, Ben Garmisa, Kate Waters, Meghan Pennington, Ryan Carey, Alex Glass, Eric Walker, Ryan Daniels and Jacqueline Stewart.

WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Zachary Gillan, VP at S-3 Group, and Cherie Gillan, a Fox News, David Perdue and Cathy McMorris Rodgers alum, welcomed Chloe Hazel Gillan on Dec. 2. She joins big sister Alice. Pic … Another pic 

Correction: Friday’s Playbook PM misspelled Rachel Carson’s name.