![](https://img.semafor.com/3a8b8334d5449a2d371e9173bd15ea7385a48c45-1065x498.png?w=1140&h=533&q=95&auto=format) Beltway NewslettersPunchbowl News: Speaker Mike Johnson is talking about potentially opening direct negotiations with the White House on border security policy changes, viewing any Senate agreement as unlikely to pass the House. Playbook: Nikki Haley’s campaign is out with a new ad in New Hampshire featuring Don Bolduc, a previously pro-Trump Senate candidate in the state in 2020 and 2022, talking about why he’s backing Haley. “Look, I’m MAGA all the way. I’ve always been America First. But this time, I’m for Nikki Haley for president … With Trump, there’s too many distractions.” Axios: White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and National Security Council spokesman John Kirby have a tense relationship behind the scenes, as Kirby becomes a more influential figure in Bidenworld. White House- President Biden will speak in Philadelphia this afternoon, before heading home to Wilmington, Del.
- U.S. intelligence shows that Russia acquired ballistic missiles from North Korea and fired at least one of them into Ukraine in late December, White House national security spokesman John Kirby said.
- Jon Meacham was at the White House for the second time in as many days, as Biden prepared for his Jan. 6 speech. — Bloomberg
Congress- Speaker Mike Johnson’s office is circulating a memo accusing the White House of using “debunked” talking points to “mislead” about House Republicans’ border security funding record.
- A local New York reporter dug up 2014 video evidence of now-Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y. performing a surprisingly competent moonwalk.
Jon Campbell (@JonCampbellNY) / X- The family of the late former Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Texas plans to sue a hospital where she recovered from back surgery last year, alleging negligent care.
Outside the Beltway- A 17-year-old student opened fire at Perry High School in Iowa, killing a sixth grader and injuring several others.
- Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin may have had a disappointing legislative election last November, but his approval rating in the commonwealth still standing strong at 58% (slightly higher than it was the previous year).
EconomyIn the 2010s, U.S. growth was led by so-called “superstar cities” on the East and West Coasts. But since the pandemic, metro areas in the South and Mountain West are leading the way, as economist Joey Politano explains at Apricitas. Florida and Texas alone have counted for one-in-three new American jobs since the pandemic, he notes, helped along by booming construction as well as an influx of white-collar workers. Polls- Harvard University’s net favorability among American adults has dropped 15 points since June, most precipitously among Republicans, according to new data from Morning Consult.
- About a quarter of all Americans — and 34% of Republicans — believe the FBI “organized and encouraged” the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, according to a poll from the Washington Post and the University of Maryland. Another 26% of adults — and 34% of Republicans — say they “aren’t sure.”
2024- Donald Trump met with Teamsters boss Sean O’Brien, as the prominent union decides who to back in 2024. The union endorsed President Biden, who describes himself as the most pro-union president, in 2020.
- Vivek Ramaswamy sold over $30 million in shares from his biotech company and plans to spend some of the money on his campaign.
- Remember Steven Mnuchin? The former Treasury secretary has apparently kept his distance from the Trump campaign. — CNBC
- Rep. Andy Kim, D-N.J., who is running for embattled Sen. Bob Menendez’s, D-N.J seat., has raised a whopping $2.75 million for his Senate bid so far, after pulling in $1.75 million in the fourth quarter of last year.
- House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y. withdrew her endorsement of a top House recruit in Ohio, Craig Reidel, after a recording surfaced of him calling Donald Trump “arrogant.” Riedel’s top primary opponent, J.R. Majewski, lost the seat by a wide margin in 2022 after an AP investigation found he falsely claimed to have served in Afghanistan.
- In an odd “West Wing” reunion, actor Bradley Whitford posted a statement on Martin Sheen’s behalf shooting down rumors that he endorsed Robert F. Kennedy’s presidential run. Sheen is a Biden supporter.
CourtsElon Musk’s SpaceX is suing the National Labor Relations Board. National Security- A U.S. drone strike in Baghdad killed an Iran-allied militia commander who the Pentagon said was “actively involved in planning and carrying out attacks against American personnel.”
- The Islamic State claimed responsibility for Wednesday’s bombings at the memorial service for the late Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani that killed close to 100 people.
BlindspotStories that are being largely ignored by either left-leaning or right-leaning outlets, according to data from our partners at Ground News. What the Left isn’t reading: A Jewish teen was harassed at a mall for wearing an Israel Defense Forces jacket. What the Right isn’t reading: A former Proud Boys member who went on the run after his conviction in a case related to the Jan. 6 Capitol attack was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Principals TeamEditors: Benjy Sarlin, Jordan Weissmann, Morgan Chalfant Editor-at-Large: Steve Clemons Reporters: Kadia Goba, Joseph Zeballos-Roig, Shelby Talcott, David Weigel |