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SANDERS OUT — SYMONE SANDERS, a senior adviser and chief spokesperson for VP KAMALA HARRIS, “is expected to leave the White House at the end of the year,” Eugene, Chris Cadelago and Daniel Lippman reported Wednesday night. “It was not immediately clear where Sanders is heading next or when she will be leaving the vice president’s office. Sanders is the highest profile exit and the second high-profile one from the Harris team in the last month. ASHLEY ETIENNE, Harris’ communications director, is also set to depart in the coming weeks.”

Sanders, a 31-year-old African-American strategist and one of the admin’s most recognizable advisers, leaves amid a flurry of stories about internal frictions and disorder in the VP’s office. Sanders was often the aide who pushed back on those storylines, defending the VP and advocating for her both publicly and in one-on-one dealings with reporters.

In a note to staff Wednesday night, Sanders wrote: “I'm so grateful to the VP for her vote of confidence from the very beginning and the opportunity to see what can be unburdened by what has been. I’m grateful for [Harris chief of staff] TINA [FLOURNOY] and her leadership and her confidence as well. Every day, I arrived to the White House complex knowing our work made a tangible difference for Americans. I am immensely grateful and will miss working for her and with all of you.”

An official in the VP’s office confirmed the departure and said the president and VP have “known for a while.” Sanders transitioned to Harris’ VP team after serving as a key Biden campaign senior adviser during the 2020 election. The official added that the White House will throw a party for Sanders in the coming weeks to celebrate her service.

— WaPo’s Cleve Wootson Jr. and Tyler Pager note two more pending departures: “PETER VELZ, director of press operations, and VINCE EVANS, deputy director of the Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs in the vice president’s office, have also told others in the vice president’s office that they are leaving, according to two administration officials. Both are expected to take new jobs in or close to the administration.”

TIME MISMANAGEMENT — When we pushed send this morning, the Senate remained at a standstill on its two big priorities this week:

1) Government funding: GOP hard-liners threatening to force a shutdown over funding for federal vaccine mandates were trying to secure a separate vote on the issue (which would likely fail) in return for backing down. Senate Majority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER sounded uninterested in entertaining the idea: “Any few handful of members who believe strongly in something can say, ‘I’m going to shut down the government unless I get what I want.’ If people do that, it’s chaos.”

Meanwhile, Minority Leader MITCH MCCONNELL and the majority of Senate Republicans who believe it’s absurd to threaten a shutdown over the mandate issue were trying to convince Sen. MIKE LEE (R-Utah) and the shutdown caucus to drop the issue and clear the way for a new continuing resolution.

The current CR runs out at midnight Friday.

2) National Defense Authorization Act: The latest holdup is courtesy of Sen. MARCO RUBIO (R-Fla.). He blocked a deal Wednesday night to move forward on the defense bill this morning after his amendment to ban Chinese imports connected to forced labor in Xinjiang province was excluded from a package of two dozen other amendments to be considered.

Schumer excoriated Rubio’s tactic as “sad, tragic and almost absurd.” The Democratic leader argued that the Rubio amendment, which has already passed the Senate separately, has a so-called blue slip problem, which means it would kill the NDAA in the House by violating the constitutional requirement that “All Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House.”

“I would ask Marco Rubio to sleep on this overnight,” an exasperated Schumer pleaded on the Senate floor.

MEANWHILE, IN THE HOUSE: Olivia Beavers and Heather Caygle report on how Minority Leader KEVIN MCCARTHY is trying to contain the damage caused from his own chamber’s GOP member-on-member combat:

“In the last 24 hours, the fallout from Rep. LAUREN BOEBERT's (R-Colo.) Islamophobic comments about progressive Rep. ILHAN OMAR (D-Minn.) has tangled Reps. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R-Ga.) and NANCY MACE (R-S.C.) in their own separate, ugly Twitter spat.

“As more controversies crop up in McCarthy’s conference, the ultra-conservatives in his party are increasingly emboldened. Their calls to squeeze out Republicans who have rebuked former President DONALD TRUMP, despite McCarthy arguing that the GOP is a ‘big tent party’ that has never been more united, are only growing louder.

“During a conference meeting Wednesday morning, GOP members in the room said McCarthy sought to handle the recent flare-ups diplomatically. Rather, sources in the room said he did not directly name Greene or Mace, whose battling he tried and failed to defuse Tuesday night.”

House Republicans may be on a glide path to taking back the House next year, but at least some of them worry that the party’s radicals could cause them to blow it.

“We’re undermining ourselves,” Rep. DON BACON (R-Neb.) said while leaving the GOP meeting Wednesday. “We have everything in our favor.”

Good Thursday morning, and thanks for reading Playbook. Bob Dylan returns to The Anthem tonight. Drop us a line and tell us what you want him to play: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza, Tara Palmeri.

DONALD TRUMP, SUPERSPREADER? — The explosive news, first reported by the Guardian’s Martin Pengelly, that Trump tested positive for the coronavirus three days before the first presidential debate, according to MARK MEADOWS’ forthcoming book, “The Chief’s Chief,” raises the possibility that the president could have transmitted the virus to numerous people. Here’s what Trump was up to while infected:

Sept. 26:

— Trump tests positive for the coronavirus, according to Meadows’ book.

— Trump hosts a Rose Garden event and indoor reception at the White House for the announcement of AMY CONEY BARRETT as his Supreme Court nominee. At least 11 people at the event soon tested positive for the coronavirus, including first lady MELANIA TRUMP, Lee, Sen. THOM TILLIS (R-N.C.), CHRIS CHRISTIE, KELLYANNE CONWAY and KAYLEIGH MCENANY.

— Trump leaves the White House for a rally in Pennsylvania shortly after his positive test, which Meadows says was followed by a negative test that Trump decided was the more conclusive result.

— Aboard Air Force One, Trump walks to the back of the plane and chats with reporters, including NYT’s MICHAEL SHEAR, who tested positive several days later.

Sept. 27: Trump holds a press conference in the White House briefing room and meets with Gold Star families at the White House. (He later says that one of the attendees may have infected him.)

Sept. 28: Trump has debate prep and two public events at the White House, including one on a new coronavirus testing plan.

Sept. 29: Trump attends the first presidential debate with JOE BIDEN in Cleveland, where he mocks Biden for often wearing a mask. (Asked Wednesday if he believed Trump “put you at risk,” Biden replied, “I don’t think about the former president.”)

Sept. 30: Trump attends a rally in Duluth, Minn. Aboard Air Force One, HOPE HICKS shows signs of being sick with Covid-19. (Trump later suggests she infected him.)

Oct. 1: Trump attends a fundraiser in Bedminster, N.J. McEnany later says, “The first positive test he received was after his return from Bedminster.”

Oct. 2: Trump tweets before 1 a.m. that he has Covid, and later in the day he is airlifted to Walter Reed hospital. He is much sicker than the White House reveals, and from his hospital bed he tells a friend, “I could be one of the diers.”

BIDEN’S THURSDAY:

— 10 a.m.: The president will receive the President’s Daily Brief.

— 12:45 p.m.: Biden will depart the White House en route to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

— 1:15 p.m.: Biden will visit the NIH in Bethesda, Md., where he’ll deliver remarks on the pandemic and the Omicron variant at 1:40 p.m.

— 2:25 p.m.: Biden will return to the White House.

— 5:30 p.m.: Biden and first lady JILL BIDEN will be joined by Harris and second gentleman DOUG EMHOFF for the National Christmas Tree Lighting on the Ellipse. Biden and Interior Secretary DEB HAALAND will deliver remarks.

HARRIS’ THURSDAY:

— 9:20 a.m.: The VP will also depart D.C. en route to Charlotte, N.C.

— 11:20 a.m.: Harris and Transportation Secretary PETE BUTTIGIEG will tour the Charlotte Area Transit System Bus and Light Rail Garage.

— 11:55 a.m.: Harris and Buttigieg will deliver remarks.

— 2:50 p.m.: Harris will depart North Carolina to return to D.C.

Press secretary JEN PSAKI will brief at 11 a.m.

THE HOUSE will meet at 8 a.m. and will take up several bills. The Rules Committee will meet at 9:30 a.m. to formulate a rule on a resolution recommending that the chamber find JEFFREY CLARK in contempt of Congress in the Jan. 6 investigation. Speaker NANCY PELOSI will hold her weekly press conference at 10:45 a.m.

THE SENATE is in.

TRUMP CARDS

TRUMP 2022 — Alex Isenstadt reports that the former president is throwing himself into midterm races where he hasn’t even endorsed a candidate because he views the contests “as a tool to bolster and measure his own political standing ahead of a potential 2024 bid.” For instance, Trump took exception to Club for Growth ads in Ohio highlighting J.D. VANCE’s comments in 2016 calling him an “idiot,” “noxious” and “offensive.” The reason: Trump told Club President DAVID MCINTOSH the ads “could have the effect of driving down his popularity in Ohio.”

TRUMP 2024 — Former chief of staff JOHN KELLY told The Atlantic’s Peter Nicholas that “Trump won’t run” in 2024. “He’ll continue talking about it; he may even declare, but he will not run,” Kelly said. “And the reason is he simply cannot be seen as a loser.”

ALL POLITICS

BIG SHAKEUP AT AFP — Americans for Prosperity President TIM PHILLIPS resigned from the political advocacy group “after the Koch-backed conservative organization made clear he was no longer welcome following an internal investigation into unspecified personal impropriety,” Washington Examiner’s David Drucker reports. The group is a “well-funded grassroots and voter turnout arm of the Koch network of political and policy groups, and Phillips was its public face for nearly 17 years before resigning Wednesday. Phillips had been on paid leave since just before Thanksgiving, when the group became aware of a personal indiscretion. After investigating the matter, Americans for Prosperity concluded Phillips’s ‘behavior’ was ‘incompatible with our organization’s values,’ and he was allowed to resign.”

SHE’S RUNNING (AGAIN) — Democrat STACEY ABRAMS announced her campaign to be Georgia’s governor Wednesday, setting up another challenge against Gov. BRIAN KEMP. Abrams ran against Kemp in 2018 and lost by 1.4 percentage points, writes The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Greg Bluestein. “Her decision, long expected by local Democrats, clears the way for what could be a titanic showdown between two longtime political rivals. That is, if Kemp survives a fight for the GOP nomination first,” Bluestein notes.

AND HE’S THINKING ABOUT IT — Sources told Alex Thompson, Eleanor Mueller, Lisa Kashinsky and Stephanie Murray that Labor Secretary MARTY WALSH “is weighing whether to return home to Massachusetts and run for governor next year. … A number of Democrats have called Walsh about the race after Massachusetts’ Republican Gov. CHARLIE BAKER announced on Wednesday that he was declining to run for a third term. Allies of the former Boston mayor are also telling fellow Massachusetts Democrats that he is considering running.”

JUDICIARY SQUARE

SCOTUS TAKEAWAYS — Josh Gerstein and Alice Miranda Ollstein break down Wednesday’s high court hearing on the Mississippi law prohibiting abortion after 15 weeks, a case that could significantly pare back abortion access if not overturn Roe v. Wade.

’22 POLITICS — As the Supreme Court weighs a monumental ruling on abortion rights, Democrats and Republicans are also measuring how much the issue will play into next year’s elections. “The differing responses framed a central question: Would Wednesday’s bombshell Supreme Court argument, where the conservative majority suggested it was prepared to sharply cut abortion rights, energize liberals after decades when the issue has been a more powerful motivator for the right?” write WaPo’s Sean Sullivan and Seung Min Kim. “The court’s ruling could come as late as next June, meaning it would land while campaigning is in full swing for the November 2022 congressional elections.”

COLLINS ON ABORTION — The office of Sen. SUSAN COLLINS (R-Maine) released a statement Wednesday saying that she “favors passing legislation to enshrine the protections of Roe v. Wade into law,” NBC’s Sahil Kapur reports. Any such measure would lack the 60 votes needed to pass the Senate. Collins has defended her vote to confirm BRETT KAVANAUGH in part because he said Roe is settled law. But the justice sounded a different note on abortion at Wednesday’s oral arguments than he did at his confirmation hearings.

THE PANDEMIC

NEW VARIANT, NEW PLAN — Biden will unveil a new “winter strategy” to fight Covid-19 as the Omicron variant begins to pop up around the globe, including a case in California. NYT’s Sheryl Gay Stolberg writes the president “will announce Thursday that the more than 150 million Americans with private health coverage will be able to get at-home coronavirus tests reimbursed by their insurers, and that international travelers must show proof of a negative coronavirus test taken the day before departing for the United States.”

MASK MANDATE NOT GOING ANYWHERE — Sources tell Reuters’ David Shepardson that the president “will extend requirements for travelers to wear masks on airplanes, trains and buses and at airports and train stations through mid-March, amid concerns about the new Covid-19 variant. … A formal announcement extending the requirements through March 18 is expected on Thursday. The TSA in August extended the transportation mask order through Jan. 18.”

CONGRESS

RETIREMENT ROUNDUP — House Democrats are already staring down a brutally long list of retirements among their caucus, and the list is only expected to grow, report Sarah Ferris, Heather Caygle and Ally Mutnick. That potentially includes a “significant number of older committee chairs who have served for decades or seen their marquee legislation enacted this Congress — or both.”

MEDIAWATCH

INSIDE THE CNN-CUOMO SAGA — CHRIS CUOMO “said on Wednesday that he was embarrassed by CNN’s decision to suspend him indefinitely for his efforts earlier this year to help his brother, former Gov. ANDREW M. CUOMO of New York, stave off a mounting sexual harassment scandal,” NYT’s Michael Grynbaum and John Koblin report. “For CNN and its president, JEFF ZUCKER, however, the questions over Mr. Cuomo’s breach of basic journalistic rules and the timing of the network’s decision to suspend him are unlikely to disappear. …

“CNN has no immediate plans to retain an outside law firm or forensic investigators for the review, according to a person briefed on the company’s plans, who was granted anonymity to share details of private discussions. The review is expected to focus on any ethical journalistic lines that Mr. Cuomo may have crossed, the person said. … CNN has not publicly referred to the inquiry as an investigation, instead calling it ‘a thorough review’ that would seek ‘additional clarity’ into the situation.”

Kamala Harris convened the inaugural meeting of the National Space Council under her leadership.

Mike Pence, in an interview with Christian Broadcasting Network, defended his actions on Jan. 6: “I don’t know if President Trump and I will ever see eye to eye on that day. Or that many of our most ardent supporters will agree with my decision that day. But I know I did the right thing.”

D.C.’s Duke Ellington School of the Arts reaffirmed its decision to name its theater after Dave Chappelle despite an Instagram campaign by the comedian to have the issue settled by a fundraising battle between Chappelle haters and fans.

Mike Bloomberg announced a $750 million charter school initiative in a WSJ op-ed.

Anthony LaBruna, a college student the Trump administration hired for a significant post, is running for the Iowa state Senate.

TUBERVILLE MAKES AN APPEARANCE: As the Alabama Senate primary race heats up with some polls showing candidate Katie Britt leading the Trump-endorsed Rep. Mo Brooks, guests at a fundraiser for Britt on Wednesday were surprised to see Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) in attendance. The reason: Tuberville hasn’t endorsed in the race. His appearance was naturally interpreted by some as a nod of support. The fundraiser was co-hosted by former GOP Senate chiefs Joe Hack, Olivia Kurtz, Mike House and Kate Dickens at S-3 Group’s townhouse on C Street. Also SPOTTED: Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Marc Short, Jeff Miller, Rachel Pearson, Katie Walsh, Mike Williams, Gina Rigby and Cindy Hayden. Pic

ADAMS IN GHANA: Omicron be damned, New York City Mayor-elect Eric Adams was going to Africa. Standing before a crowd of Jewish leaders in a gold caftan, Adams saluted Rabbi Menachem M. Scheerson or “The Rebbe” from Crown Heights for his work before a crowd of Jewish leaders in Ghana on Wednesday night as part of their Hanukkah celebration. “I came here to close the open wound of slavery and connect with my ancestors,” Adams said. “You have wounds around what happened in Nazi Germany.” He said “no matter what pain we experience, we must turn that pain into purpose.”

SPOTTED at a 50th anniversary party for the United Arab Emirates hosted by UAE Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba at the Kennedy Center on Wednesday night: national security adviser Jake Sullivan, climate envoy John Kerry, Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, CIA Deputy Director David Cohen, Reps. Ted Deutch (D-Fla.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), Jon Finer, Anne Neuberger, Daniel Benaim, Marcelle Wahba, Shirin Herzog, Malcolm Hoenlein, William Daroff, Rob Satloff, David Makovsky, Jason Isaacson, Dan Mariaschin, Brian Hook, Patrick Steel, Yehuda Neuberger, Richard Mintz, Seth Horwitz, Dana Al Marashi, Shannon Connolly, Adriana Sahliyeh, Matthew Jennings and Mark Vlasic.

SPOTTED: Andrew Yang in line ordering Cava at Union Station on Wednesday afternoon. Pic … Mick Mulvaney having lunch at Bombay Club on Wednesday. … Paul Ryan at Charlie Palmer on Wednesday.

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Ben Petersen is now Arizona comms director for the RNC. He most recently was deputy comms director for Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey.

TRANSITIONS — Bryan Humphreys will be CEO of the National Pork Producers Council. He previously was SVP at the National Pork Board. … Annie Weinberg is joining Summer Lee’s Pennsylvania congressional campaign as campaign manager. She most recently was principal at AMW Strategies. … Elizabeth Powell is joining the ONE Campaign as special assistant to the CEO, where she will do external engagement. She currently is a VIP engagement specialist at POLITICO. …

… Anthony Birch and Matt Johnson are joining Platform Communications. Birch will be VP of marketing and digital strategy and most recently was a social media supervisor at Generac Power Systems. Johnson will be a field operations strategist and account executive and most recently was field operations director at the Land and Liberty Coalition.

ENGAGED — Daniel White, special assistant at the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and Denise Pyfrom, global partnerships manager for the NBA and an MBA candidate at Columbia Business School, got engaged at Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park in New York City in late November. They met in New York City and will soon share Columbia University as an alma mater — Daniel graduated from the School of International and Public Affairs. Pic

— Jay Bhargava, press secretary for the Senate Homeland Security Democrats, and Harshitha Teppala, legislative correspondent for Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), got engaged Wednesday morning in front of the Capitol. The two were in the same middle school class in Montgomery, N.J., and then in 2017 they reconnected when both were on the Hill — Harshitha messaged Jay on Facebook to get coffee because they were from the same hometown. Pic

WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Eric Delaney, professional staff and director of member services for the House Rules Committee, and Johanna Montiel, legislative director for Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.), welcomed Benjamín Louis Delaney on Thursday. Pic

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Interior Secretary Deb Haaland … VA Secretary Denis McDonough … Cal Thomas … incoming U.S. Permanent Representative to NATO Julianne Smith … Bob Carey … Finsbury Glover Hering’s Mina Moore … Carrie Wofford … Dan Puskar of the Public Lands Alliance … Alex Short … NBC’s Chris Berend … Erin Bailey … ABC’s Brad Mielke … Mairéad Lynn of Sen. Bob Casey’s (D-Pa.) office … Rayshon Payton … Andrew Howell of Monument Advocacy … Evan Walker … John Bodnovich of the American Beverage Licensees … Shannon Kiely Heider … Kelly Klass of Locust Street Group … Hogan Lovells’ Mark Irion … Lauren Cross … former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid … former A.G. Edwin Meese (9-0) … former Sen. Wayne Allard (R-Colo.) … former Reps. Carol Shea-Porter (D-N.H.) and Pete Gallego (D-Texas) … POLITICO’s Kristi Swartz and Troy Kieser … Stone Phillips

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