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Presented by PhRMA: Playbook is POLITICO's must-read briefing on what's driving the day in Washington Sep 11, 2018 View in browser
By Jake Sherman, Anna Palmer and Daniel Lippman

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DRIVING THE DAY
IT'S BEEN 17 YEARS since Sept. 11.

-- L.A. TIMES' NABIH BULOS: "Seventeen years after Sept. 11, Al Qaeda may be stronger than ever"

HOUSE REPUBLICANS are considering canceling votes this week, as Hurricane Florence approaches the East Coast. A final decision will have to be made today. This would have important impacts on legislative business. The chamber is out next week, and government funding runs out at the end of the month. If the leadership decides to cancel votes this week, all government funding business would have to be done during the last week of the month. Rachael Bade and Burgess Everett on the deadline crunch
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SCOOP: NATASHA KORECKI and DAVID SIDERS: "Hurricane Florence undercuts Miami Beach convention bid": "Hurricane Florence isn't great for Houston. But it couldn't have come at a worse time for Miami Beach. The two cities are finalists to host the 2020 Democratic National Convention. While both face the threat of flooding and downpours as the storm gains steam this week, it's Miami Beach that has the most to lose.

"Five Democrats with knowledge of the selection process tell POLITICO that at least some site committee members consider the race to be between Houston and Milwaukee. And that was before this week's threatening weather." POLITICO

-- RALEIGH NEWS AND OBSERVER: "'Extremely dangerous' Hurricane Florence hits Category 4 as it churns toward Carolinas": "Hurricane Florence is now a Category 4 storm and is 'rapidly strengthening' as it heads toward the Carolinas coast, bringing 'exceptionally heavy rain,' the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said on Monday. In a 11 p.m. update from the NHC, the storm's winds rose to 140 mph, and it picked up speed in its westward track, doubling its speed from Sunday to 13 mph. ...

"'Storm-force winds' are expected to hit North Carolina beginning 8 a.m. Thursday, and some eastern counties could see as much as 12 inches of rain in the four days that follow, the National Weather Service said in its Monday morning update." N&O

BREAKING -- "EXCLUSIVE: U.S. officials say Russia main suspect in mystery 'attacks' on diplomats in Cuba," by NBC's Josh Lederman, Courtney Kube, Abigail Williams and Ken Dilanian with Julia Ainsley: "The strong suspicion that Russia was behind the alleged attacks is backed by signals intelligence, meaning intercepted communications, say U.S. officials." NBC

NEW AD ... BRYAN STEIL, the Republican running for Speaker Paul Ryan's seat, has a new 30-second ad up called "Solutions." They're spending $159,000 on TV and $20,000 online. The spot

-- RYAN was in Dallas with veteran GOP Rep. Pete Sessions yesterday. NBC Dallas

Good Tuesday morning. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP and FIRST LADY MELANIA TRUMP will travel this morning to the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where they will attend a Sept. 11 memorial service. He'll meet in the afternoon with Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and then DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and FEMA Administrator Brock Long.

ANNIE KARNI, "Trump's assault on Woodward riddled with contradictions: "The president has slammed Woodward's book as 'fiction' - even as he rails against former aides for leaking": "President Donald Trump has called journalist Bob Woodward's book on his administration a work of 'fiction' and a 'scam,' claiming that quotes in the book are "made up" and that the author is a 'liar.'

"At the same time, sources familiar with his thinking said he is livid at his former economic adviser, Gary Cohn, and his former staff secretary, Rob Porter, for 'leaking' to Woodward. It's difficult to rationally argue that the book could be both: fiction dreamed up by Woodward, and a betrayal by former top stewards of the administration, who shared with the famed journalist alarming details about how the White House functions.

"But it's not hard for Trump, who often spouts two opposing views intended for different audiences. And his supporters often soak up the contradictory claims just as readily as he spits them out, taking it all in stride. Call it a belt-and-suspenders approach. When it comes to the ongoing special counsel investigation into Russian involvement in the 2016 campaign, for instance, Trump has simultaneously claimed that 'there was no collusion' with the Russians, but, also, that 'collusion is not a crime.'" POLITICO

-- CNN'S KAITLAN COLLINS: "White House again changes phone policy amid heightened paranoia": "After Omarosa Manigault Newman revealed last month that she secretly taped White House chief of staff John Kelly as he fired her in the Situation Room, a change was made to the West Wing's phone policy. Going forward, staffers would not be allowed to leave their phones -- even the government-issued ones -- in lockers in the small entry area outside the Situation Room, as they had done for the previous 19 months of the administration.

"Instead, staffers were directed to go back and put their White House-issued devices in their offices or alongside their personal phones in lockers stationed near the West Wing entrances before being buzzed into the Situation Room. This change was made quietly, but two senior administration officials told CNN they believed it was in direct response to the news that Manigault Newman had taped Kelly." CNN

LORRAINE WOELLERT and MARIANNE LEVINE: JAY TIMMONS PROFILE -- "Fighting against Trump's trade war from within": "As a candidate, Donald Trump railed against the Trans-Pacific Partnership, rattling manufacturers who preach free trade. Shortly after the election, Trump announced a 35 percent tax on companies that moved jobs overseas. And now, Trump shows little sign of backing off an escalating trade war, using the blunt instrument of tariffs to bludgeon China and other countries while U.S. manufacturers seek cover from foreign retaliation.

"But as other executives and trade associations take a public stand against the president, the National Association of Manufacturers and its president, Jay Timmons, have struck a close - if still uneasy - partnership with Trump, betting it's wiser to be on the inside than out as the administration wages a risky fight with the global business community.

"'You can scream and yell all you want. I've never particularly found that to be effective,' Timmons said in an interview, when asked about corporate pushback on Trump's tariffs. 'We have somebody who is in office who has had a very specific view of the world when it comes to trade-for four decades-so he's going to do what he's going to do.'

"Timmons has emerged as an unlikely Washington power center under the Trump administration, enjoying easy West Wing access and a bond with a president whose tactics have unnerved NAM's largest members even as Trump plays industry booster on a national stage." POLITICO

A message from PhRMA:

As a Medicare Part D Cliff looms for seniors, the program's successful structure is also in jeopardy. Congress can act now to protect seniors from the donut hole suddenly increasing by more than $1,200 and secure the program for the future by fixing changes that undermine its successful competitive structure.

YEAR OF THE WOMAN -- "White men in the minority among Democratic House candidates," by Elena Schneider: "A flood of women, minorities and first-time candidates is poised to radically alter the composition of Congress next year after winning Democratic primaries in record numbers in 2018.

"White men are in the minority in the House Democratic candidate pool, a POLITICO analysis shows. Democrats have nominated a whopping 180 female candidates in House primaries - shattering the party's previous record of 120, according to Rutgers' Center for American Women and Politics. Heading into the final primaries of 2018 this week, Democrats have also nominated at least 133 people of color and 158 first-time candidates to run for the House.

"The numbers are even starker in the districts without Democratic incumbents. In the 125 districts where a Democratic incumbent is leaving office or a Republican seat is at risk of flipping, according to POLITICO's race ratings, more than half the nominees (65) are women. An overlapping group of 30 Democratic primary winners are people of color, and 73 of them have never run for elected office before, tapping into voter disdain for politics as usual." POLITICO ... POLITICO'S Women Rule candidate tracker

DOCK HER 10 POINTS ... CYNTHIA NIXON, who is challenging New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, ordered a cinnamon raisin bagel with lox and capers at Zabar's on the Upper West Side. Gothamist ... Laura Nahmias and Dana Rubinstein on Cuomo's scramble to stamp out Nixon revolt

2018 WATCH -- "Rick Scott plays 'keep away from Trump': The Florida governor seldom mentions the president anymore," by Marc Caputo in Miami: "Florida Republican Rick Scott is as close as any governor with Donald Trump. Yet it's former President George W. Bush, no friend to Trump, who will join Scott at two fundraisers for a super PAC backing Scott's Senate campaign Friday. It's the latest instance of the Florida governor visibly tying his political fortunes to a prominent Republican other than the current president.

"Scott - who was frequently by Trump's side at the White House and at his resorts in Palm Beach and Bedminster, New Jersey, in 2017 - began putting more distance between himself and the unpopular president this year as he geared up for a Senate run that Trump himself had repeatedly urged him to make. Scott also chaired the super PAC backing Trump's 2016 presidential bid. Now Scott seldom mentions the president and won't commit to having an event with him specifically." POLITICO


RUSSIA WATCH -- "Judge orders Butina to remain in jail, lashes out at attorneys for missteps," by WaPo's Spencer S. Hsu: "A federal judge on Monday blasted U.S. prosecutors and defense attorneys during a hearing in which the defense sought to have a Russian woman freed on bail pending trial on charges she was a foreign agent attempting to infiltrate the National Rifle Association and other American conservative groups.

"In ordering continued detention for Maria Butina, 29, U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan said Butina remained a serious flight risk. Chutkan also imposed a gag order after slamming prosecutors for their mistaken claim in court filings that Butina traded sex for access and her defense for repeated public statements that the judge said could bias potential jurors." WaPo

REMEMBERING ADAM CLYMER -- NYT's Sam Roberts: "Adam Clymer, who covered congressional intrigue, eight presidential campaigns and the downfall of both Nikita S. Khrushchev and Richard M. Nixon as a reporter and editor for The New York Times and other newspapers, died early Monday at his home in Washington. He was 81.

"The cause was pancreatic cancer, which was diagnosed in March, said Dr. Michael A. Newman, who treated him. Mr. Clymer also had Parkinson's disease and Myasthenia gravis, a neuromuscular condition. Mr. Clymer received unsought attention in 2000, when, during a presidential campaign rally, he became the target of a vulgarism by George W. Bush that was captured on a live microphone." NYT ... Video of Bush talking about Clymer
PLAYBOOK READS


PHOTO DU JOUR: An annual display of flags at Pepperdine University in California honors the victims of 9/11 for the 17th anniversary of the attacks. | Jae C. Hong/AP Photo

DON'T BE TOO NICE! -- "Sessions Urged Immigration Judges To Show Less Sympathy, Setting Off A Firestorm Of Complaints," by BuzzFeed's Hamed Aleaziz: "Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Monday warned incoming immigration judges that lawyers representing immigrants are trying to get around the law like 'water seeping through an earthen dam' and that their responsibility is to not let them and instead deliver a 'secure' border and a 'lawful system' that 'actually works.'

"He also cautioned the judges against allowing sympathy for the people appearing before them, which might cause them to make decisions contrary to what the law requires. 'When we depart from the law and create nebulous legal standards out of a sense of sympathy for the personal circumstances of a respondent in our immigration courts, we do violence to the rule of law and constitutional fabric that bind this great nation. Your job is to apply the law - even in tough cases,' he said." BuzzFeed

THE ADMINISTRATION -- "Trump Administration Wants to Make It Easier to Release Methane Into Air," by NYT's Coral Davenport: "The Trump administration, taking its third major step this year to roll back federal efforts to fight climate change, is preparing to make it significantly easier for energy companies to release methane into the atmosphere. Methane, which is among the most powerful greenhouse gases, routinely leaks from oil and gas wells, and energy companies have long said that the rules requiring them to test for emissions were costly and burdensome.

"The [EPA], perhaps as soon as this week, plans to make public a proposal to weaken an Obama-era requirement that companies monitor and repair methane leaks, according to documents reviewed by The New York Times." NYT

HOLLYWOODLAND -- "In Hollywood, there's a nerdy new hobby: Flipping the House," by WaPo's Michelle Ye Hee Lee: "Hollywood's fervor for this year's midterm elections rivals that of recent presidential campaigns, according to Democratic donors and strategists in the Los Angeles area who say the energy is driven by a belief that a Democratic-controlled House can serve as a powerful check on President Trump.

"People who work in the television, movie and music industry in the Los Angeles metro area have given $2.4 million to House candidate committees so far this election, with the vast majority going to support Democrats ... That is the largest sum from these donors to House Democratic campaigns since at least 2008, and it's nearly $1 million more than they gave for the 2016 elections." WaPo

A message from PhRMA:

As a Medicare Part D Cliff looms for seniors, the program's successful structure is also in jeopardy. Congress can act now to protect seniors from the donut hole suddenly increasing by more than $1,200 and secure the program for the future by fixing changes that undermine its successful competitive structure.

MEDIAWATCH -- "CBS's Handling of Les Moonves Accusations Hampered by Battle for Control," by WSJ's Keach Hagey and Joe Flint: "On Aug. 15, Mr. Moonves was accidentally copied on an email to the entire CBS board detailing damaging findings in the law firms' investigations and discussing how to proceed should he need to be put on leave, according to people familiar with the matter. In recent weeks, Mr. Moonves appeared to 'hit the wall,' as one former associate put it. He hunkered down in his Studio City office. Some of his top lieutenants didn't see him." WSJ

-- "Les Moonves' CBS Replacement Dodges Sexual Misconduct Issues In Email To Staff," by HuffPost's Emily Peck: "In an email to CBS employees, obtained by HuffPost, Ianniello did not mention the controversy over Moonves' departure or the ongoing investigations into sexual harassment and culture at the company. The subject line of the email reads, 'Looking forward.' ... In a public filing on Monday, the company said Moonves would stay on for one year to 'perform transition advisory services.' Under the agreement, he also gets office services and security support from CBS for two years. These deals could be terminated early, depending on the results of the company's internal investigation."
HuffPost

-- The New York Times is launching a weekday evening politics newsletter called "On Politics with Lisa Lerer." NYT
PLAYBOOKERS
SPOTTED: Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) waiting Monday at Penn Station for a delayed Acela back to Washington.

BIRTHWEEK (was Sunday): Ken Lieberthal, senior fellow emeritus for foreign policy at Brookings, turned 75.

BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Ben Terris, political reporter for the Washington Post's Style section. How he got his start in journalism: "In eighth grade I worked for my town paper, The Concord Journal, covering high school sports for 15 dollars an article." Playbook Plus Q&A

BIRTHDAYS: former DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson, now a partner at Paul, Weiss, is 61 (h/t Todd Breasseale) ... Markos Moulitsas, founder of Daily Kos and co-founder of Vox Media, is 47 ... Ted Olson is 78 ... Fox Business' Maria Bartiromo ... hedge fund manager David Tepper is 61 ... Syrian President Bashar Assad is 53 ... WaPo's Pulitzer Prize-winning fashion critic Robin Givhan ... Jon Downs, a founding partner of FP1 Strategies ... POLITICO's Joe Schatz and Gloria Pazmino ... NBC's Pete Breen ... Jon Meyersohn, co-executive producer of History Channel's "Left Right" (h/t son Nathaniel) ... Ian Solomon ... Gaylord Lanham ... Marit Babin Stout ... Lee Verstandig ... Liz Kennedy ... Maura Hogan
... Kyle Gerron ... Colleen Kearns ... Arianne Price ... Michael Hardaway is 37 ... former Rep. Tim Murphy (R-Pa.) is 66 ... Steve Rose ... Sharon Gallagher (h/t Jon Haber) ... former Sen. Bob. Packwood (R-Ore.) is 86 ... Kara Nelson ... Sammy Yaish ... Clare Rizer ... Paige Kerr ...

... Emily Esfahani Smith, who recently joined the Manhattan Institute as editor of E21, the think tank's economics publication ... Gordon Bronson of WeWork ... Patrick Rheaume ... Mark Dubowitz, CEO of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, is 50... Carter Barrett ... Cecily Cutbill ... Cyrus Artz ... Walter Alarkon ... Tom Boyd ... former Rep. Brad Ellsworth (D-Ind.) is 6-0 ... Claude Marx ... Becky Lee ... Emy Lesofski ... Robert Favela ... Julie Goon, SVP of public affairs at Anthem ... Amanda Hughes ... Diane Tomb ... Jose Fourquet ... Sarah Weeldreyer ... Elizabeth Feldman ... Rob Lalka ... Maya Spanderashvili ... Kyle Gerron ... Karen E. Watson ... Brooke Hart, senior director of
comms at Sierra Nevada Corporation and an NBC alum ... Bruce Koeppl (h/t Teresa Vilmain)

A message from PhRMA:

There's lots of talk about how to change Part D to address affordability and predictability for seniors. But there are right ways and wrong ways to do that. The budget change passed in February was the wrong way, removing incentives experts agree are necessary to drive Part D's successful market-based structure, and potentially jeopardizing the program for the future. One right way is for Congress to address the looming Part D Cliff. In 2020, the donut hole will increase by more than $1,200, raising out-of-pocket costs for the most vulnerable seniors with significant health care needs. Congress should act now on both of these issues to protect seniors from a sudden spike in out-of-pocket
costs in Part D, while securing and strengthening the program for the long-term. Learn more.

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