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Presented by Google: Playbook is POLITICO's must-read briefing on what's driving the day in Washington Sep 26, 2018 View in browser
By Jake Sherman, Anna Palmer and Daniel Lippman

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DRIVING THE DAY
THREE QUICK BITES TO START YOUR DAY ...

-- THE VETO FEAR ... The White House and Hill Republicans say they think PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP will sign the spending package that the House will pass today to avert a partial government shutdown. But there is a palpable fear lingering in the Capitol that Trump will want to distract from the BRETT KAVANAUGH hearing, and will do so by vetoing the bill, plunging the nation into crisis 41 DAYS before Election Day. A few White House sources say the fear is unfounded, but a lot of people are on edge at the moment and that fear won't lift until Trump's signature is on the bill.
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WATCH for the Trump press conference this afternoon at 5 p.m., where we're sure to get some additional clarification.

-- WEEKEND VOTE? ... THE SENATE REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP is making it known that it might move to begin confirmation votes for Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court as early as Saturday, per sources. The hearing with Christine Blasey Ford is tomorrow, and they have noticed a committee vote for Friday. Speed is a major plus in getting this nomination through.

-- JORDAN FOR SPEAKER ... There will be a Freedom Watch-sponsored rally from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. today, aimed at boosting OHIO REPUBLICAN REP. JIM JORDAN for House speaker. His buddy Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) -- the Freedom Caucus chairman -- will be there. As will Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.). Will he address if there's a deal to be cut to get him to step aside if HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER KEVIN MCCARTHY (R-CALIF.) is close to gaining the support for speaker? Probably not.

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK -- SEN. PATTY MURRAY (D-WASH.) told colleagues Tuesday that she would cut a $1 million check from her campaign account to the DSCC.

Good Wednesday morning. SOME MORE POLITICO NEWS ... FROM JOHN HARRIS and CARRIE BUDOFF BROWN: "We will be launching a full-fledged team in Sacramento to cover the intersection of policy, regulation and politics in the nation's largest state. This new team, which will be in place to greet a new gubernatorial administration taking power in January, builds on the success of the California Playbook, which is already is a central part of the daily conversation in political circles. ...

"Robert's goal for POLITICO is a publication that stands out for editorial and business excellence across multiple arenas around the world, and that is constantly offering our audience new ways to connect the dots between arenas in ways that make them more informed as citizens and more effective as policy professionals. This announcement represents an exciting next step in that strategy."

-- LOOK FOR POLITICO JOB LISTINGS for the expanded California operation: "[POLITICO will be] hiring reporters and editors in coming months that will bring our editorial footprint in California to a dozen. These journalists will cover state-level battles over energy, health care, the budget, education and more for a California audience, in the same way we do in New York, New Jersey and Florida." The full memo

CLICKERS ... WAPO: "Inside Steven Mnuchin's Manhattan co-op"

-- AARON SCHOCK, wearing his member of Congress pin, talking U.S. visas in Brazil. Schock has been indicted on two dozen criminal counts related to alleged misspending while he was in office. Check out photos

THE LATEST ON KAVANAUGH ...

USA TODAY: "Kavanaugh accuser Christine Blasey Ford offers Senate four people who corroborate her assault claims," by Steve Kiggins: "In documents sent to the Senate Judiciary Committee and obtained by USA TODAY, Ford's attorneys present declarations from Ford's husband, Russell, and three friends who support the California college professor's accusation that Kavanaugh pinned her to a bed, groped her and attempted to pull off her clothes while both were high school students in 1982." USA Today

JOHN BRESNAHAN, BURGESS EVERETT and ELIANA JOHNSON: "Trump stays away from Senate Kavanaugh fight": "More than a dozen Republican senators said in interviews Tuesday that they haven't heard anything from Trump -and they think that's just fine. John Thune of South Dakota, the No. 3 Senate Republican, said he was 'not aware' of any personal outreach to senators who are undecided on Kavanaugh.

"'It's probably better to see him let the process play out. We've got members who want to come to their own conclusions, make their own decisions, and sometimes it's better that happens independent of the White House,' Thune said.

"'I have had no conversations with the president and I've never had any conversation with my staff that would indicate the involvement of the president,' added Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), who is overseeing Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing." POLITICO

-- BURGESS' WHIP SHEET (@burgessev): "Here's whip count according to senators + aides: Tester, Jones and Nelson viewed as firm no votes. Heitkamp now more likely to vote no with Cramer comments. Manchin 'open' to Kavanaugh and Donnelly a wild card. Donnelly said at caucus today many in Indiana still support Kavanaugh."

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HOW IT IS GOING TO WORK: @ChadPergram: "Format for Thursday Ford/Kavanaugh hearing. Statements from Grassley/Feinstein. Ford will give an opening statement with no time limit. Then, a five-minute round of questions Then a statement by Kavanaugh with no time limits. Then a five-minute round of questioning."

HMM ... Peter Doocy (@pdoocy): "NEW: Sen. Feinstein, D-Ca, just told me 'I have no way of knowing' if Dr. Ford is actually going to show up to Kavanaugh hearing Thursday - if outside counsel is asking the questions."

THE QUESTIONER ... WAPO: "Arizona prosecutor Rachel Mitchell is GOP choice to question Kavanaugh and accuser at hearing"

DUELING IMAGES -- "Frat boy vs. choir boy: Dueling versions of Kavanaugh raise credibility questions," by Marianne Levine and Andrew Restuccia: "Call them the two Brett Kavanaughs: One was a rowdy frat boy who once bragged about '100 kegs.' The other was a studious rule-follower who spent his free time going to church, volunteering and remaining chaste. Making the contrast even stranger is the fact that both versions have been offered by Kavanaugh himself.

"As the battle over Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination places his adolescence and young adulthood under the microscope, critics are asking which version of the man is real - and whether the conservative judge has represented himself to the public honestly. The war over the nomination has produced neck-snapping moments of cognitive dissonance.

"When former high school classmates accused Kavanaugh of making a crude joke in his yearbook about having sex with a girl from a nearby high school, Kavanaugh's lawyer countered that he was simply commemorating a 'brief kiss good night.' When Kavanaugh insisted he was a virgin through high school and for 'many years thereafter,' a college classmate challenged him on Twitter. Following the discovery that a high school buddy's memoir depicted a 'Bart O'Kavanaugh' who partied so hard he sometimes passed out, Kavanaugh told Fox News he never drank to the point of not remembering the previous night." POLITICO

-- NYT: "In Yale's Culture of Privilege and Alcohol, Her World Converged With Kavanaugh's" ... WAPO: "Kavanaugh's 'choir boy' image on Fox interview rankles former Yale classmates" ... WAPO: "Three Yale Law School classmates who endorsed Kavanaugh call for investigation into sexual misconduct claims"

ROSENSTEIN WATCH -- "Trump Considers Keeping Rosenstein On, Advisers Say," by WSJ's Mike Bender and Sadie Gurman: "President Trump told advisers he is open to keeping Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein on the job, and allies of the No. 2 Justice Department official said Tuesday he has given them the impression he doesn't plan to quit.

"That raised at least the possibility that a roller coaster of a week could end with no major shake-up in the top ranks of the Justice Department, even as White House and Justice officials cautioned that it was impossible to know for sure what Mr. Trump would do. ...

"The president has told advisers that he wants to hear directly from Mr. Rosenstein about reports that he discussed secretly recording the president and recruiting cabinet members to remove him from office, according to people who have spoken to the president." WSJ

THE INVESTIGATIONS -- "House Republicans prepare subpoena for McCabe memos," by Kyle Cheney: "House Republicans have initiated the process to issue a subpoena to the Justice Department for memos drafted by former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, according to a Judiciary Committee source. The memos have become the centerpiece of recent news reports suggesting that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein last year sought to secretly record President Donald Trump, following his decision to fire FBI Director James Comey.

"House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) has faced pressure from conservatives in the House to call Rosenstein in to testify. Just moments after he revealed his intent to issue the subpoena, the Trump-aligned House Freedom Caucus issued a formal call to demand Rosenstein's testimony this week - or else demand his resignation." POLITICO

BROCK LONG UPDATE -- "FEMA Chief Brock Long's Unauthorized Travel Cost Government $151,000, Inspector General Report Shows," by WSJ's Mike Bender: "President Trump's top disaster official cost the government $151,000 through the unauthorized use of government vehicles that included travel to his home in North Carolina, according to an internal investigation. ... Mr. Long's use of government vehicles and staff cost $94,000 in salary, $55,000 in travel expenditures and $2,000 in maintenance-related costs, according to a portion of the inspector general's report obtained by The Wall Street Journal." WSJ


INTERESTING ... THE NRCC just disclosed a $31,829 digital ad buy on behalf of Virginia Rep. Scott Taylor, who represents a deep-red district but has had some legal woes.

TRUMP'S WEDNESDAY -- The president is participating in a bilateral meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the United Nations. He will also participate in a U.N. Security Council briefing on counterproliferation. Trump will then head to Lotte New York Palace. He will participate in bilateral meetings with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May. At 5 p.m., the president will hold a press conference. Trump will then participate in a dinner with supporters.
PLAYBOOK READS


PHOTO DU JOUR: Protesters walk outside the Trump International Hotel and Tower in New York on Tuesday upon President Donald Trump's visit to the U.N. | Andres Kudacki/AP Photo

2018 WATCH -- "Tom Steyer to Spend Millions Backing Andrew Gillum in Florida," by NYT's Alex Burns: "Tom Steyer, the billionaire investor and Democratic activist, has directed his political operation to spend more than $5 million aiding Andrew Gillum's campaign for governor of Florida, an enormous investment that will test whether fired-up Democratic voters can flip control of a state long dominated by Republicans. ...

"Mr. Steyer, who is based in California and has crusaded since last year for Mr. Trump's impeachment, said in an interview that he would spend more money in Florida this fall than any other state." NYT

-- NOT JUST A PELOSI PROBLEM: "Bredesen won't back Schumer as Democratic leader," by James Arkin: "Tennessee Democrat Phil Bredesen said at a debate Tuesday that if he is elected, he would not back Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to continue as Democrats' leader in the Senate. Bredesen made the announcement during the opening statements of his first debate with the Republican nominee, Rep. Marsha Blackburn. Bredesen said Washington had become 'hyper-partisan' and blamed current leadership in both parties." POLITICO

-- CULTURE WARS: "GOP ground game focuses on abortion to turn out base," by James Arkin: "Republicans desperate to juice base turnout in a brutal election cycle are weaponizing abortion against incumbent Democratic senators in more than a half-dozen races that could determine control of the chamber.

"The issue is getting a fraction of the attention of President Donald Trump, health care and immigration. But Republican and anti-abortion groups have made it a major part of their ground game: Organizers for Susan B. Anthony List, an anti-abortion group, ran a series of events in red states in August and early September and have had more than 500 canvassers knock on doors at more than 1.6 million homes in Ohio, Florida, Missouri, Indiana, West Virginia and North Dakota." POLITICO

NEW WOMEN RULE PODCAST -- ANNA spoke with JANE FONDA about her political activism and how she approaches the Trump administration. FONDA ON TRUMP, via Reena Flores: "You never want to criticize Trump, and you don't want to criticize Fox [News]. You want to tell people things they don't know ... You have to have empathy for him ... And I think that that has to also transfer to the people who voted for him.

"Some of them, you can't possibly persuade otherwise because they're white supremacists. You know, or they're so far off the spectrum, for their own traumatic reasons, probably. But there's a whole bunch of Trump voters who we have to open our hearts to and understand why they voted the way they did." Listen and subscribe


THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION -- "E.P.A. Places the Head of Its Office of Children's Health on Leave," by NYT's Coral Davenport and Roni Caryn Rabin: "The [EPA] on Tuesday placed the head of its Office of Children's Health Protection on administrative leave, in an unusual move that several observers said appeared to reflect an effort to minimize the role of the office.

"Dr. Ruth Etzel, a pediatrician and epidemiologist who has been a leader in children's environmental health for 30 years, joined the E.P.A. in 2015, after having served as a senior officer for environmental health research at the World Health Organization.

"She was placed on administrative leave late Tuesday and asked to hand over her badge, keys and cellphone, according to an E.P.A. official familiar with the decision who was not authorized to discuss the move and asked not to be identified." NYT

MEDIAWATCH -- "CBS Names Richard Parsons as Interim Chairman," by WSJ's Joe Flint: "CBS Corp.'s board of directors has named Richard Parsons interim chairman, and two other longtime directors have resigned, in the latest significant change in the broadcaster's ranks, the company said Tuesday. A former chairman and chief executive of Time Warner Inc., Mr. Parsons only joined the CBS board a few weeks ago after Leslie Moonves stepped down as chairman and chief executive amid sexual misconduct allegations.

"Known for his amiable personality and as a consensus builder, Mr. Parsons will look to bring stability to the CBS board and company, reeling not only from Mr. Moonves's abrupt departure but also amid questions about how accusations against him were handled." WSJ
PLAYBOOKERS
SPOTTED: Tiffany Trump in coach on the 93 regional Amtrak from New York City to Washington on Tuesday.

BIRTHWEEK (was yesterday): Jack Davis of the Messina Group.

BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Risa Heller, CEO of Risa Heller Communications, who answered "Oy. Is there space for this?" when asked how the Trump presidency is going. How she got her start in her career: "After college, I really wanted to do legislative work at a non-profit in D.C. but I had no idea how to go about doing that. I grew up in suburban Detroit and I didn't know anyone in Washington. My college roommate met the Washington counsel of the Anti Defamation League, Michael Lieberman, on an airplane and convinced him to talk to me. He gave me an internship. He was a really great and generous boss." Playbook Plus Q&A

BIRTHDAYS: WaPo's Dave Weigel is 37 ... Doug Sosnik is 62 ... former Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer is 74 ... Elizabeth Arzt ... Julia Slingsby, comms director for House Ways and Means ... Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D-Tex.) is 46 ... Politico's Patterson Clark and Casey Miles ... Jessica Bakeman ... Alexis Barranca ... Josie Martin, SVP of corporate affairs and comms at Purdue Pharma ... Bloomberg's Henry Seltzer and Lucas Shaw ... former Rep. Frank Guinta (R-N.H.) is 48 ... Bill Scher is 46 ... Jordan Cohen, NYT's director of comms (h/t Lisa Vedernikova) ... WaPo's Kathleen Parker ... photographer Stephen Voss is 4-0 ... Ben Freed ... Sam Myers Sr. is 68 ... Missy Edwards, founding principal of Missy
Edwards Strategies ... Jon Rosborough ... Evan Hollander, comms director for House Appropriations Committee Democrats ... Goli Ameri ... former N.J. Gov. Christine Todd Whitman is 72 ...

... Robert Kagan is 6-0 ... Hudson Institute Chair Emeritus Wally Stern is 90 (h/t Ann Marie Hauser) ... David Javdan (h/t Tevi Troy) ... George Alafoginis (h/t Tim Burger) ... Kris Perry, president of Save the Children Action Network (h/t Brendan Daly) ... Tom Gannon, VP of public policy at Mastercard ... Jen Chung, executive editor of Gothamist.com at WNYC Radio ... Miguel Santana ... Wells Thorne ... Edelman's Rebecca Herrigel ... Parag Mehta ... Stacy England ... Mark Isakowitz ... Greg Lorjuste ... Erin Cunningham ... Monique Moss ... David Mansouri ... Roy Hodson ... Mackenzie Smith ... Alexander Howe ... Sarah Crawford Stewart ... David Sanders ... Sam Drzymala ... Matt McKillip ...
John Fitzpatrick ... Bob Nash ... Eric Stepney ... Dayne Cutrell ... Ian Rose ... Andrew Goldston ... Steve Janack ... John Law ... John Norris ... Ken Trautmann

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