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Today's POLITICO Playbook presented by PhRMA

By JAKE SHERMAN (sherman@politico.com; @JakeSherman), ANNA PALMER (anna@politico.com; @apalmerdc) and DANIEL LIPPMAN (daniel@politico.com; @dlippman)

Listen to today's Audio Briefing | Subscribe on Apple Podcasts | Visit the online home of Playbook
Driving the Day
THE STATE DEPARTMENT has issued a "worldwide caution" for U.S. citizens traveling the world. MATT LEE, the AP's longtime diplomatic correspondent (@APDiploWriter), says: "The last time the @StateDept issued a 'Worldwide Caution' because of a US policy decision was March 2003 at the start of the Iraq war." The State Department memo http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=46c6b028e50cdc63468e4f5d638f3c1267498a265ada045aa7247429121a34d61d0fa9dd3274ed545fed2c10e018b0b1

AP/GAZA CITY, at 4:18 a.m.: "GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) - Hamas leader calls for new uprising against Israel in wake of US decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital."

-- ADELSON'S PAPER -- ISRAEL HAYOM FRONT PAGE: In English: "Thank you, Mr. President! Jerusalem" (the "usa" in Jerusalem is colored with the American flag). In Hebrew: "The capital of Israel" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=46c6b028e50cdc63edeb4c01b8bce147ee92603940f48f15080ff3bb096ef3cb63606fcf157e42748acb71736cabf36e

WSJ EDITORIAL -- "The Reality of Jerusalem": "Arab leaders denounced the Embassy move, but we wonder how long the fury will last. The Sunni Arabs also confront the threats of Islamic terrorism and Iranian imperialism, and the Palestinians are a third order concern. If the movement of an American Embassy that was signaled more than 20 years ago is enough to scuttle peace talks, then maybe the basis for peace doesn't yet exist." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=46c6b028e50cdc638f86c01d7c6e8863b61738a69282385e83897f8355068478aae2407c214588fb5485205697e20033

Good Thursday morning. EXPECTED TODAY: House Republican leaders tell us they feel confident they will pass a bill to fund government for two weeks. Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) is widely expected to resign. And Congressional leaders head to the White House for fiscal talks.

TRUTH BOMB: THE NEXT MONTH IS GOING TO BE A MESS -- It looks like Congress is going to avoid a government shutdown this week. But this is only the beginning of a very, very messy month for Republican leaders. Top GOP lawmakers, at the moment, are not completely certain how they'll fund the government when funding expires on Dec. 22. One idea bouncing around is for the House to send the Senate a bill it won't even be able to take up -- a yearlong bill that increases military spending but doesn't bump domestic spending. Conservatives are itching for House Republican leaders to stand firm when the Senate rejects its opening funding salvo later this month.

-- ALSO TOUGH: Republicans and Democrats are almost certain to cut a deal to boost spending, renew CHIP -- the massive children's health program and bolster Obamacare. Some of that could come at the end of the month, or next month, on the back of an omnibus spending package, which will lump together 12 spending bills. The mood isn't good at the moment, and it only seems to be getting worse. Optimists hope tax reform makes all Republicans happy. Color us a tad skeptical.

AROUND THE TAX REFORM HORN ...

-- HOUSE/SENATE DIFFERENCES: "Tax Bill Is Likely to Undo Health Insurance Mandate, Republicans Say," by NYT's Robert Pear and Tom Kaplan: "House and Senate negotiators thrashing out differences over a major tax bill are likely to eliminate the insurance coverage mandate at the heart of the Affordable Care Act, lawmakers say.

"But a deal struck by Senate Republican leaders and Senator Susan Collins of Maine to mitigate the effect of the repeal has been all but rejected by House Republicans, potentially jeopardizing Ms. Collins's final yes vote. 'I don't think the American people voted for bailing out big insurance,' said Representative Dave Brat, Republican of Virginia, who opposes a separate measure to lower insurance premiums that Ms. Collins thought she had secured." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=46c6b028e50cdc63035db257dc8b3b5b9f0eb02e1b9bead5d8cb4bc9188111a3ed45a7e8a76aabbc0aab38e6c9a4ba3f

-- THE FIGHT OVER 20 PERCENT: "Corporate rate cut in tax bill could change as GOP hunts for votes," by Seung Min Kim, Nancy Cook and Bernie Becker: "In a closed-door meeting Wednesday with CEOs from the Business Roundtable, Republican Sen. Pat Toomey and White House economic adviser Gary Cohn in separate sessions told the crowd their strong preference was to keep the corporate rate at 20 percent, where it is now in the legislation, even as lawmakers were under intense pressure to find new revenue, according to three people familiar with the meeting.

"Both men left the crowd with the impression that the corporate rate was a target in the hunt for that revenue and could rise as a result. ... Each percentage point the corporate rate increases is worth about $100 billion over a decade. The top corporate rate is now 35 percent. ...

"Boosting the corporate tax rate could open a floodgate of other demands from lawmakers seeking to get provisions in the tax bill. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), for instance, told POLITICO on Wednesday that if the rate goes up to 22 percent 'and they don't use some portion of it to help' boost the child tax credit, 'I'm going to have a big problem.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=46c6b028e50cdc63eb2b027cdda1d9fead017ee9227ecbab21a5b654231b16bfb7609c134547a7865627189cc287fee1

-- K STREET INC.: "Lawmakers face pressure to save deductions for mortgage interest and state and local taxes," by Theo Meyer, Aaron Lorenzo and Colin Wilhelm: "Lobbyists have launched an all-out effort to save tax breaks and protect powerful industries as the Republicans' tax overhaul lurches toward President Donald Trump's desk. Builders and real estate interests are pushing to save the mortgage interest deduction. Businesses are fighting to strip out a last-minute provision inserted into the Senate bill that would preserve the corporate alternative minimum tax. And a coalition of trade groups and local government leaders is urging Republicans not to cut the state and local tax deduction.

"With Trump pressing Congress to send him a bill before Christmas, lobbyists must decide where they want to focus their efforts over the next week. Some are working the senators and representatives who will make up the conference committee charged with ironing out the differences between the House and Senate bill. Others are working to persuade Republican leaders or leaning on the members of Congress whose constituents may see their taxes go up if changes aren't made to the bill." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=46c6b028e50cdc639ec47d8b0310e9fd5b72d647942bfd70d96b21a3281924297067fedd6d32d1f0e742ef0679470a78

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK -- TAX AIR WARS IN NEW YORK - 45Committee, a group backed by the Adelson and Ricketts families, is launching ads against House GOP members who opposed both the tax bill and Obamacare repeal. The first ad -- on which the group says it's spending six figures -- criticizes Rep. Dan Donovan (R-N.Y.) for saying he is opposed to Obamacare and supports a tax overhaul, but voting against them. It's part of 45Committee's $10 million effort on tax reform, a representative of the group said. The ad's narrator ends the spot by saying "If he won't keep his word and support tax reform, how can we ever trust him again?" The ad http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=46c6b028e50cdc6309b8979a2c4ef76460c6ff549a5098499736a14331c5b690e72ee6088931ab928d194dc4ad9a8acc

-- SCOOP: AMERICAN ACTION NETWORK is putting $2 million on TV, explaining what they believe the tax bill would do for 24 districts across the country. The ad http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=46c6b028e50cdc63f51f013ea7db639bf95e13f3586e809e4f83f4f84f2a35811ed65d75a8359f43ce4b5b1ea466cf1c

WSJ'S KRISTINA PETERSON and KATE DAVIDSON: "House Republicans Weigh Linking Debt Ceiling Increase to Spending Bill": "Rep. Doug Collins of Georgia, a member of House GOP leadership and the head of a working group of House Republicans on the debt limit, said lawmakers were considering increasing the debt ceiling as part of the bill funding the government for the rest of the fiscal year, known as an omnibus.

"GOP leaders are likely to seek to raise the debt limit enough to last at least through next November's midterm elections, lawmakers and aides said. They will have to act, likely by March, to avoid a default.

"'There's just going to be an omnibus at some point, probably after the first of the year,' Mr. Collins said in an interview this week. 'Probably there'll be some debt ceiling discussions with the White House [going] into that bigger omnibus bill,' he said, but noted that the group of 23 House Republicans hadn't reached a final decision." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=46c6b028e50cdc634f7b8489161a16049362f9c3c06407c1a02781664f898398dd874db4fd48d6a9466bdc4ee45b8b08


****** A message from PhRMA: A medicine's path from the biopharmaceutical company to the patient involves many entities across the supply chain. A new report examines how money flows through this system - which includes wholesalers, pharmacy benefit managers, pharmacies and insurers - and how that impacts what patients pay at the pharmacy. Read more. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=46c6b028e50cdc631672dc1bc7c6bffd354b759a1ed60841bc27fb1ecfc0a046a46ea96a76e77797b84659a99586338a ******

IF YOU READ ONE THING - POLITICO MAGAZINE INVESTIGATION: "The Environmental Scandal in Scott Pruitt's Backyard: It's one of the dirtiest places in America. Former residents of Tar Creek, Oklahoma, want to know why Trump's EPA chief didn't prosecute allegations of wrongdoing during a federal buyout program," by Malcolm Burnley in Picher, Oklahoma: "Tar Creek, Oklahoma, is breathtaking in a terrible way: At one time the world's deepest source of lead and zinc, the three-town region is now a cratered landscape so poisonous that no one, aside from 10 holdouts, can live there. Mountains of ashlike 'chat,' a toxic residue from lead-zinc milling, rise majestically among the remains of homes torn
from their foundations. Abandoned pets forage around the ruins. A child's teddy bear lies sprawled in a ghostly living room. A gorilla statue fronts an empty high school, atop a sign proclaiming '1A Football State Champs, 1984.'

"Tar Creek is also part of the environmental legacy of one of the state's-and nation's-leading politicians, Senator Jim Inhofe, and his longtime ally, Scott Pruitt, the former Oklahoma attorney general who is now head of President Donald Trump's [EPA]. After the EPA struggled to clean up the area, in 2006, Inhofe endorsed a plan in which a trust overseen by local citizens would use federal dollars to purchase homes and businesses in the toxic region so residents could move elsewhere. Then, when the plan proved so problematic that it spawned more than a half-dozen civil lawsuits and an audit into possible criminal wrongdoing, Pruitt, as the state's attorney general, invoked an exception to
state freedom-of-information laws to keep the audit from being an open public record.

"Now, that decision is coming into new light as many Oklahomans clamor for the audit to be released, suggesting that its revelations will prove embarrassing to Inhofe, who played a key role in designing the buyout plan, and cast doubt on Pruitt's decision not to move forward with charges." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=46c6b028e50cdc63a5da4e940707a9194ca33809525639c68c06df4b2a0297209879957994e56a41093bde02b12b740b

ATTN. DETROIT -- "John Conyers III was arrested for domestic abuse but not prosecuted," by NBC News' Andrew Blankstein in LA: "John Conyers III, a Detroit hedge fund manager named as a possible successor to his scandal-rocked father, Rep. John Conyers, was arrested in Los Angeles this year on suspicion of domestic violence, but prosecutors declined to charge him, according to documents obtained by NBC News. ... Conyers III, 27, was arrested on Feb. 15 at a Los Angeles residence on suspicion of violence against his girlfriend after the alleged victim called police. ... The girlfriend said that Conyers III suspected her of cheating after he went through her computer. She told police that he
'body slammed her on the bed and then on the floor where he pinned her down and spit on her,' the report says." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=46c6b028e50cdc63623b7e3a6d0ad4acd843b9c3207fb9fea381e2f308f28f554f5e670a25f16f4841dea4286307bd30

FOR YOUR RADAR -- "N. Korea says war is inevitable as allies continue war games," by AP's Kim Tong-Hyung in Seoul, South Korea: "North Korea says a nuclear war on the Korean Peninsula has become a matter of when, not if, as it continued to lash out at a massive joint military exercise between the United States and South Korea involving hundreds of advanced warplanes. In comments attributed to an unnamed Foreign Ministry spokesman, North Korea also claimed high-ranked U.S. officials, including CIA Director Mike Pompeo, have further confirmed American intent for war with a series of 'bellicose remarks.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=46c6b028e50cdc6347f52ec6692e4a64164db499a7d25abddf24b143b968e3d886440650eb4ceafc67c19327c1aa700b

JARED WATCH -- "Kushner bets he can have it both ways on Jerusalem move," by Annie Karni: "Jared Kushner is betting the house on a risky strategy that Middle East experts worry will derail any future Israeli-Palestinian peace deal - as well as what remains of the powerful son-in-law's shrinking West Wing portfolio. He privately encouraged President Donald Trump's announcement Wednesday that 'Jerusalem is Israel's capital,' which was seen by some experts in the region as a setback for peace efforts led by Kushner and his small team.

"The group has made dozens of trips to the region and spent hours on listening tours, working to gain the trust of the Palestinians and the broader Arab world. 'It is very, very hard to imagine how that peace effort can be continued,' said Ghaith al-Omari, who served as an adviser to the Palestinian Authority's negotiating team from 1999 to 2002. 'All the Arab leaders who have been cultivating relations with the new administration will be forced to come out very strongly against this.' But a person close to Kushner said he was forceful in his backing of the move. 'Encouraging would be an understatement,' the person said. 'It was him.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=46c6b028e50cdc63f0d679625ad6694626f5960369a232a9abc8588ff8567c3f2155a975836c138ea53aee83806c5253

THE BACK STORY -- "Inside the demise of Al Franken," by Elana Schor and Seung Min Kim: "Al Franken weathered six women's sexual misconduct allegations without hearing a single resignation call from his fellow Democratic senators. No. 7 broke the dam. The Democratic women of the Senate had been talking among themselves about the Franken allegations for weeks, one Democratic aide said. None, however, went further than to call for a Senate Ethics Committee probe of the Minnesota senator, who many of them had considered a close friend.

"That stance became increasingly untenable as the accusations against Franken piled up. In calls and texts, the female senators eventually came to an unstated agreement, according to another aide familiar with their discussions: The next credible story of misconduct in a credible news outlet would would prompt them to call for Franken's resignation. When POLITICO reported Wednesday that a former Democratic congressional aide said Franken tried to forcibly kiss her in 2006, the aide said, it 'was the tipping point.'

"The first public resignation nudge came from Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), a champion for reform of Capitol Hill's sexual harassment policy who one day earlier publicly declined to push Franken. Six more Senate Democratic women followed, with head-snapping speed. 'I think many people have been talking about this for some time. And we all responded with what we had been feeling today,' Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) said after she said Franken should step aside. 'It wasn't coordinated, it just happened.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=46c6b028e50cdc63838294365e6f8847c638f50a283d7085a9172e25c70cf523bd6f37df1e0c50799fcd5be69ed02b8e

THE REPLACEMENT -- "Female lieutenant governor expected to replace Franken if he resigns," by Maggie Severns: "Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton is expected to appoint his lieutenant governor and close ally, Tina Smith, to Al Franken's seat if the Democratic senator resigns on Thursday, three people familiar with the Democratic governor's thinking said. But that appointment would be just the start of a huge upheaval in Minnesota.

"Part of the reason Smith could be heading to the Senate, the sources said, is because she has indicated no interest in running for Congress in the past and would not run for the remainder of Franken's term, which expires in 2020, in a 2018 special election. That would clear the way for a wide-open Democratic primary next year if Franken steps down." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=46c6b028e50cdc63845e8d296af30c006ee784dcb2a03cb88efb478d7397d9cba41b6ba393ddb1511e5881cc99c46189

FIRST PERSON - TINA DUPUY in The Atlantic, "I Believe Franken's Accusers Because He Groped Me, Too: The Democratic Party needs to stand with women who have been harassed-and not defend the politicians who abused them." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=46c6b028e50cdc63b6fd18571991efd3421281406a02bd2d952037fc4745313ad43279c9c41df057949013e8538ec15c

RUSSIA WATCH -- "Trump Jr. cites attorney-client privilege in not answering panel's questions about discussions with his father," by Kyle Cheney: "Donald Trump Jr. on Wednesday cited attorney-client privilege to avoid telling lawmakers about a conversation he had with his father, President Donald Trump, after news broke this summer that the younger Trump - and top campaign brass - had met with Russia-connected individuals in Trump Tower during the 2016 campaign.

"Though neither Trump Jr. nor the president is an attorney, Trump Jr. told the House Intelligence Committee that there was a lawyer in the room during the discussion, according to the committee's top Democrat, Rep. Adam Schiff of California. Schiff said he didn't think it was a legitimate invocation of attorney-client privilege. 'I don't believe you can shield communications between individuals merely by having an attorney present,' he said, after the committee's lengthy interview with Trump Jr. 'That's not the purpose of attorney-client privilege.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=46c6b028e50cdc6380e142285bb1c16f2c47e766d1438bfa5dda7bb69036b48d67ccbe9bfbcf3e6d914bad29d055c401

TRUMP'S THURSDAY -- The president is meeting with Republican senators and RNC Chair Ronna Romney McDaniel. He is also signing a proclamation for National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. In the afternoon he will meet with congressional leaders and former Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton. He and the First Lady will also host a Hanukkah reception.

THE JUICE...

-- FIRST IN PLAYBOOK - TOM LOBIANCO, an AP White House reporter, has signed a deal to write a book on Vice President Mike Pence. LoBianco has covered the former governor of Indiana for multiple news organizations, including the AP and the Indianapolis Star, since 2011. The book was sold by Bridget Matzie of Aevitas Creative Management to Julia Cheiffetz of Dey Street Books, an imprint of HarperCollins.

-- JUSTIN MYERS has been hired as the CEO of For Our Future and For Our Future Action Fund. For Our Future was founded in 2016, when it ran a $60 million ground operation to help progressive candidates. He most recently has been SVP at the Pivot Group and is an alum of DCCC, Kay Hagan and the New Jersey Democratic State Committee, where he was ED.

-- THE WING, a New York-based women's co-working and social club, held a "welcome" dinner at 1789 last night. It is opening its D.C. outpost in Georgetown early next year. SPOTTED: Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Audrey Gelman, Giovanna Lockhart, Dayna Grayson, Alyssa Mastromonaco, Edith Gregson, Juleanna Glover, Kasie Hunt, Kristen Welker, Annie Karni, Pia Carusone, Susan Tynan, Tammy Haddad and Katie Glueck.

FUN VIDEO -- @TheDailyShow: "Trump's Best Words of 2017" - 1-min. video http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=46c6b028e50cdc632a2ddc13e432c72ac5781c6cab7a72edf6f7bd034ef97cc501f504073061f388a66372293df607f5 (h/t Matt Negrin)

HAPPENING TONIGHT -- Our first live podcast taping is TONIGHT at 7 p.m. at Sixth and I. Our inaugural guests: MICHAEL BARBARO, host of the New York Times' hit podcast "The Daily," DCCC EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR DAN SENA and NRCC EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR JOHN ROGERS. And a panel of POLITICO stars: RACHAEL BADE, SEUNG MIN KIM and ANNIE KARNI. Get your tickets now! http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=46c6b028e50cdc6347a041a2e5f2ea0ba20042e681fae0ac10482846d26f08e184cdb5809be15865e3be0ec09a2692e2


Playbook Reads


PHOTO DU JOUR: A motorist on Highway 101 watches flames from the Thomas fire leap above the roadway north of Ventura, Calif., on Dec. 6. | Noah Berger/AP Photo

THE LATEST ON THE BAN -- "Appeals court considers legality of latest Trump travel ban," by Josh Gerstein: "A federal appeals court gave a somewhat friendlier reception Wednesday to President Donald Trump's latest travel ban order, just two days after the Supreme Court allowed the policy to be implemented in full for the first time. A three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals met in Seattle to hear arguments over an injunction against varied travel restrictions Trump issued in September on citizens of six majority Muslim countries, as well as North Korea and Venezuela." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=46c6b028e50cdc63deb5171b7fb8916aa4acb66b9a0e15805a969cf5b9131e686cec3d0adee1087d501c65805dcbf420

JUST POSTED -- "The surgeon general and his brother: A family's painful reckoning with addiction," by Andrew Joseph in STAT News: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=46c6b028e50cdc639538b6ae9707089003c63c9f2dacd1ef198ce6ad74d94203d5bccd2732829cb1bcc69c56f5244c6b

HMM - "VA cuts program for homeless vets after touting Trump's commitment," by Arthur Allen and Lorraine Woellert: "Four days after Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin held a big Washington event to tout the Trump administration's promise to house all homeless vets, the agency did an about-face, telling advocates it was pulling resources from a major housing program. The VA said it was essentially ending a special $460 million program that has dramatically reduced homelessness among chronically sick and vulnerable veterans.

"Instead, the money would go to local VA hospitals that can use it as they like, as long as they show evidence of dealing with homelessness. Anger exploded on a Dec. 1 call that was arranged by Shulkin's Advisory Committee on Homeless Veterans to explain the move. Advocates for veterans, state officials and even officials from HUD, which co-sponsors the program, attacked the decision, according to five people who were on the call." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=46c6b028e50cdc63240346dbad9027fb6ff65a2d6f983ef5dc23e9c98f57a943b64b7a34569512c844aeb7fb2e58e755

VALLEY TALK -- "Silicon Valley Investor Shervin Pishevar Accused Of Spreading False Information To Cover Up Alleged Sexual Misconduct," by BuzzFeed's Ryan Mac: "Venture capitalist Shervin Pishevar, who has been accused by multiple unnamed women of sexual misconduct in a recent news report, is now being accused by a Republican-affiliated opposition research firm of spreading false information about it in an attempt to cover up his alleged wrongdoings. In a bizarre twist on Wednesday, Definers Public Affairs - which Pishevar is suing for allegedly helping to spread a false police report that accuses him of rape - filed a motion to dismiss the investor's suit in full.

"That motion, made in San Francisco Superior Court, argues that Pishevar's lawsuit should be thrown out under California's anti-Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (anti-SLAPP) law, which was designed to prevent litigation that is simply meant to silence or intimidate critics by burying them under legal costs." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=46c6b028e50cdc63d0ef6d831746fa9a7c884592015691b763929304a214b3ac8e331195adf94763481b4dbf4368fe69

ZACK STANTON in POLITICO Magazine: "John Conyers Was An Icon. Then He Lost His Way: It's time to reckon with the legacy of a man who saw so much and stayed too long": http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=46c6b028e50cdc63a68f3fd4e00a6ebb58ffa61c17e8741a121a7aea0798322767e115be6fce8dd0e2f253d651e2539b


****** A message from PhRMA: A medicine's path from the biopharmaceutical company to the patient involves many entities across the supply chain. A new report examines how money flows through this system - which includes wholesalers, pharmacy benefit managers, pharmacies and insurers - and how that impacts what patients pay at the pharmacy. Read more. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=46c6b028e50cdc631672dc1bc7c6bffd354b759a1ed60841bc27fb1ecfc0a046a46ea96a76e77797b84659a99586338a ******

DESSERT -- "A history of the final dying days of the power suit," by WaPo's Robin Givhan: "Douglas Heye wears suits. Like a lot of men, he gives a fair amount of consideration to the way those suits are styled. Unlike a lot of men, he is willing and able to break down those considerations into specifics. 'I like a pocket square, but I generally don't wear one with a tie,' says Heye, a former Republican strategist, now a CNN contributor. 'If I'm wearing a tie, three out of four times it's blue. I like blue and I've been told it works for me. ... If I'm wearing a jacket and no tie, I always like a pocket square. I think it's a little bit more dressy. It shows a little bit of effort.'

"Effort is important. The whole reason for wearing the suit, he says, is to set a tone. He recently attended a meeting where he knew everyone else would be casual. But he couldn't bring himself to show up in khakis and a golf shirt. A suit, he reasoned, signaled a certain seriousness. 'But I don't know,' he says. 'Maybe it means something to me and not the viewer.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=46c6b028e50cdc63b9481ebae8d2681f9b45a0142e996c99913945b1337139dbc732d8958bc30f97f2d207d37017a50c

MEDIAWATCH -- "ABC reprimands producer for giving data to Trump campaign," by Michael Calderone: "In their new book 'Let Trump Be Trump,' campaign insiders Corey Lewandowski and David Bossie wrote that Chris Vlasto -- then-executive producer of 'Good Morning America' and now senior executive producer for investigative reporting -- called Bossie, Trump's deputy campaign manager, at 5:01 p.m. on election night with information being shared within a consortium of the Associated Press and the major TV networks. ...

"Bossie had known Vlasto for decades, going back to when Bossie was a Republican House investigator in the 1990s and Vlasto was covering the Clinton Whitewater investigations, according to the book. Vlasto was considered for a senior communications position in the Trump White House in the weeks after the election before pulling himself out of consideration." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=46c6b028e50cdc633f2982ef25ace79fc350e9c751497557bbd94b987b2193f09dde952050d99502053a8514fc31aade

--PER MICHAEL CALDERONE IN MORNING MEDIA: "Doyle McManus is taking a buyout from the Los Angeles Times after 39 years with the paper. He said in a note to friends that he'll write occasional op-ed columns for the paper as a contributing writer, and that he plans to do more long-form pieces -- and possibly a book."

Playbookers
SPOTTED: Donald Rumsfeld in Farragut Square yesterday after getting a haircut

SPOTTED at the annual American Defense International holiday party at the Hotel George hosted by defense lobbyists Van Hipp and Michael Herson: Rick Harrison, star of History Channel's "Pawn Stars," Ed Nixon, brother of former President Richard Nixon, former Virginia Governor, RNC Chair and presidential candidate Jim Gilmore, Reps. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-Fla.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Adam Smith (D-Wash.), Joe Wilson (R-S.C.), Jim Banks (R-Ind.), Scott Taylor (R-Va.), Bill Shuster (R-Pa.), Pete Visclosky (D-Ind.), Bradley Byrne (R-Ala.), Martha McSally (R-Ariz.), Charlie Crist (D-Fla.), Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.), and Mike Turner (R-Ohio).

TRANSITIONS -- "Cruz chief of staff leaves Capitol Hill," by Seung Min Kim: "Sen. Ted Cruz's chief of staff is leaving Capitol Hill after more than a year leading the Texas Republican's congressional operation in Washington and in his home state. David Polyansky, 46, came on board as Cruz's chief of staff following the Republican National Convention in 2016 at a time when the senator re-focused his energies on Texas following his unsuccessful presidential campaign.

"Now, Polyansky is returning to Houston, where his family resides, and staying on as a senior adviser for Cruz's re-election campaign in 2018. ... Pre Shah, currently Cruz's chief counsel, will take over for Polyansky as the senator's chief of staff. Cruz's legislative director, Steve Chartan, will become deputy chief of staff while keeping his legislative duties." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=46c6b028e50cdc636be731e0b4e760824d7665615ce1c92e810af36bd39010ed96da3c43ec8acf7c472d5ab9d2e82b79

-- SPOTTED: Cruz, Polyansky and Scott Reed in a booth at Capital Grille last night - also seen there: Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.) chatting with Arkansas Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin. Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) and Rep. Roger Williams (R-Texas) were also at the restaurant.

BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Suhail Khan, Microsoft director of external affairs. A fun fact about Suhail: "I was a nanny in college, have ridden a '61 Harley Davidson since high school and am currently restoring a '67 Shelby Mustang GT500. I was also front row for Metallica three times this summer." Read his Playbook Plus Q&A: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=46c6b028e50cdc6361e00081946ac2f551262265cccd151af7d4745272bf6296bfeec172e3f3f0bad75a744ee9190533

BIRTHDAYS: Carole Simpson is 76 ... Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) is 65 ... Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) is 8-0 ... CNN's Ashley Killough (hat tip: Kevin Cirilli) ... Emily Hamilton, director at Hamilton Place Strategies ... Kate Tummarello, policy analyst at Electronic Frontier Foundation ... Allie Grasgreen Ciaramella, comms manager at the National College Access Network ... Nicolás Luis Rosero ... Larisa Alexandrovna Horton ... Oath's Sarindee Wickramasuriya ... former Amb. Michael Punke, VP of global public policy for Amazon Web Services and author of "The Revenant" ... Scott Greene ... Kenny Fried ... Patrick Lee Plaisance is 54 ... Molly Block, newly-hired press secretary at EPA
... Ben Fallon ... Maria Fuentes ... Jeannie Lough ... Doug Henwood ... Dafna Tapiero ... Adam Culbertson ... Michael Steinhardt is 77 ... Jonathan Tisch is 64 ... Edelman's Erika Reyes ... NYT's Dean Chang ...

... Priya Dayananda of KPMG ... Anne MacMillan of Invariant ... Sam Runyon, deputy press secretary for Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), celebrating over three days (h/t Jonathan Kott) ... Christina Freundlich ... Olivia Wenk (h/t Dad, Christopher) ... Tyler Prell ... Robert Cresanti, pres. and CEO of Int'l Franchise Association ... Mary Heitman, EVP at IFA ... Illinois State Sen. Dan McConchie ... Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) is 41 (h/t Robb Watters) ... Tom Frieden ... Mike Klein ... Deloitte's Sam Schofield, a State alum (h/t Nihal Krishan, "his fellow Fessenden Fiefdom housemate") ... Jenny Kordick ... Amanda Faulkner, public policy and government relations at Google (h/t Ben Khouri) ...
Lisa Sun ... Raj Peter Bhakta ... Tim Andrews ... Kim Bradford ... Peter Truell is 62 ... Brian Mosteller ... Mike Meece ... Cristina Beato ... Noam Chomsky is 89 ... Alice Parker ... Ruthanne Buck ... Sachin Chheda ... Antha Williams ... Jeff Blum (h/ts Teresa Vilmain)

****** A message from PhRMA: In the competitive marketplace for medicines, negotiations between pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and biopharmaceutical companies result in substantial rebates and fees. According to a new report, in many cases, this system often creates incentives for PBMs to prefer medicines with higher list prices and higher rebates. Read more about how money flows through the supply chain here: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=46c6b028e50cdc631672dc1bc7c6bffd354b759a1ed60841bc27fb1ecfc0a046a46ea96a76e77797b84659a99586338a ******

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