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Today's POLITICO Playbook presented by Delta Air Lines

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

Today's Audio Briefing
Driving the Day
STORY OF THE DAY, from POLITICO EU'S DAVID HERSZENHORN and JACOPO BARIGAZZI in BRUSSELS: "'Very stable' Trump? European leaders beg to differ": "'Nobody knows when Trump is doing international diplomacy and when he is doing election campaigning in Montana,' Danish defense minister Claus Hjort Frederiksen said. 'It is difficult to decode what policy the American president is promoting. There is a complete unpredictability in this, and one of the things you need in this alliance is predictability towards Russia.'

"Frederiksen said NATO allies now 'live with the uncertainty' that Trump 'plays in a completely different way than the rest of us.' ... 'The U.S. president has come up with some pretty bombastic announcements and Twitter has moved into the conference room,' [Danish Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen] said during a post-summit briefing.

"Denmark's foreign minister, Anders Samuelsen, chimed in with his own concern: 'It is a new reality, and you have to look past both spelling and factual mistakes and take Trump serious when he barrels forward with his Twitter.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7bc08db286692521777c3e00c3c4723c90c9b59e85a96cae9c710eaa1bd0e921a87e2845204827df20ed2f1b5731ef01

WHAT THE U.K. IS TALKING ABOUT ... THE SUN ... "TRUMP'S BREXIT BLAST: I told May how to do Brexit but she wrecked it - the U.S. trade deal is off, says Donald Trump ... In a world exclusive interview with The Sun, the U.S. President said Theresa May had ignored his advice by opting for a soft Brexit strategy": "In an extraordinary intervention timed to coincide with his UK visit, Mr Trump said Theresa May ignored his advice by opting for a soft Brexit strategy.

"And he warned her any attempts to maintain close ties with the EU would make a lucrative U.S. trade deal very unlikely. Mr Trump said: 'If they do a deal like that, we would be dealing with the European Union instead of dealing with the UK, so it will probably kill the deal.'

"His comments, damaging to the Prime Minister, come as he delivers his most brutally honest verdict yet on Britain in which he also: Accused EU leaders of destroying its culture and identity by allowing in millions of migrants ... Tore into London Mayor Sadiq Khan for not standing up to terrorists ... Blamed Khan for spiralling crime in the capital ... Insisted former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson would make 'a great Prime Minister' ... Denied once branding Theresa May a 'bossy schoolteacher' ...

"Maintained he would keep ties with Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin despite the Salisbury Novichok poisonings ... Demanded Britain and other Nato countries spend more on defence ... Spoke of his sadness at feeling unwelcome in the capital by anti-Trump protesters ... Claimed millions of Brits backed his policies ... Told of his pride at taking wife Melania to meet the Queen." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7bc08db2866925212ff7d6536141732bfdec03e8e84a41a8d459d53d248571d7944066c70fe3140cf1aebf513fee3013 ... Cover of The Sun http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7bc08db286692521ec261e285323fd662616679fb9964e67730c1e86ff78da698de2013de4f8ed37e7f2f1a8fb23ee28

-- DAMAGE CONTROL: Sarah Huckabee Sanders put out a statement via pooler Julie Davis of The New York Times: "The President likes and respects Prime Minister May very much. As he said in his interview with the Sun she 'is a very good person' and he 'never said anything bad about her.' He thought she was great on NATO today and is a really terrific person. He is thankful for the wonderful welcome from the Prime Minister here in the U.K."

TRUMP is at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst this morning. He was greeted by May and will view a joint U.S. and British military exercise. Later today, the president and May will hold a bilateral meeting, working lunch and also have a joint press conference scheduled. Trump and first lady Melania Trump are also scheduled to have tea with Queen Elizabeth at Windsor Castle before departing for Trump Turnberry in Scotland.

THE BOSTON GLOBE'S ANNIE LINSKEY, "Donald Trump has long obsession with British royal family": "[T]he brief meeting with Queen Elizabeth - the Trumps are set to have a 25-minute tea with the monarch - is a moment for Trump to bathe in some of the pomp and ceremony he's tried to copy in his own life with gold adornments and rococo style. He has recounted how, as a boy, his mother - whom he says he gets his sense of showmanship from - sat for an entire day watching Queen Elizabeth's coronation. Even his youngest child is named with royal flair: Baron." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7bc08db28669252100db8ba487f061091cdd5a34723231a1956f9c9465b8dbd20760fdba4e105d6b048e686d282da8f3

UP NEXT: SUSAN GLASSER on NewYorker.com, "'An Amateur Boxer Up Against Muhammad Ali': Washington Fears Trump Will Be No Match for Putin in Helsinki": "Beyond the allure of aggrandizement and the mystery of President Trump's affinity for the Russian strongman, why the meeting is taking place now remains a mystery. Is the purpose to discuss arms control? Syria? Ukraine? To rehash the 2016 election? Remarkably, it's not clear, and that in and of itself marks this as a most unusual summit. ...

"Needless to say, one preparatory trip, no formal agenda, and no 'deliverables' is not normal for a summit between the heads of the world's two biggest nuclear-armed nations. Washington usually spends months, or even years, working up to a meeting between the President and the leader of Russia. But not this time." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7bc08db286692521628ec0769f9c7762618a8dfc8771af47288922e6895c5e56330bf5e8f3d1f885da8ffe5039ea6a92

****** A message from Delta Air Lines: At Delta, we're committed to donating 1% of our net profits to charitable organizations around the world. Delta contributed over $40 million to charities and nonprofits in 2017, and we look forward to continuing our support for years to come. For more information about Delta, visit www.delta.com. ******

TOP TALKER -- SALLY QUINN in Politico Magazine -- "What Ben Bradlee Would Think of Donald Trump": "There is a big, white, two-story wall in the center of the newsroom at the Washington Post directly across from the glass-walled Ben Bradlee conference room. On the wall in bold letters in Post font is this quote from my late husband: 'The truth, no matter how bad, is never as dangerous as a lie in the long run.'

"What Ben believed - that lies are degrading and corrosive to the deceiver no less than the deceived, that truth is liberating for both individuals and societies - is something that at bottom every journalist I know believes. Ben knew Donald Trump slightly but died in 2014 before his emergence as a political leader whose words and values have consequences that echo around the globe.

"Amid the daily (make that hourly) torrent of deceit in the Trump era - Trump lies on average six and half times a day, according to one tally, and made 29 false or misleading statements in just one speech last week - I can't help but wonder how he would be viewing the spectacle.

"Ben would not be hyperventilating about Trump, as some journalists are. ... But Ben would have exuberantly accepted the challenge, as many top editors are doing today, to assert the independence of the news media and to defend and vindicated the highest values of our profession. He believed to his core that lies might work for presidents for a while, but that there is always a price to be paid, that the truth emerges eventually. ...

"The reality is we need a searching national discussion about the fundamental value of truth. The core issue is not Trump's deceptions but the public's self-deception: Why do we tolerate levels of deceit in political life that we would never find acceptable in our personal lives as parents, as friends, as neighbors and colleagues, and as law-abiding citizens?" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7bc08db2866925216b5bd1a85d8bc4ba22cd3d0b3437e43037f298f342575dce514db455e1bdb8df97c179073171cf1e

Happy Friday the 13th! QUOTE OF THE DAY -- BURGESS EVERETT and ELANA SCHOR: "'Kiss my you know what': Schumer hamstrung in SCOTUS fight": "Chuck Schumer says he's going to fight Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court with 'everything I've got.' To do so, he'll need to get centrist Democrats to hold the line. The minority leader's problem? Those Democrats say he can't tell them what to do. 'I'll be 71 years old in August, you're going to whip me? Kiss my you know what,' said Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) when asked if Schumer can influence his vote." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=38e1ef780c0b9aae398cd17cc5c5996486063ab2e67e01620dd8d1c71893f55f34fce1b7f6cc110cafa1e73fe2aad2c5

THE CASH DASH ... FIRST FOR PLAYBOOKERS ...

-- SPEAKER PAUL RYAN raised a total of $10 MILLION this quarter through Team Ryan -- his personal political operation -- and by raising and giving money to members and candidates. $4 MILLION came in through direct Team Ryan fundraising. This doesn't count the money that Ryan raised for Protect the House and CLF, the super PAC.

RYAN has raised $70 MILLION this cycle, and has transferred $45 MILLION.

THE SPEAKER continues to bring in big cash for his committees, affiliated entities and members. Just this week alone, Ryan raised money Monday for Reps. Jason Lewis and Erik Paulsen in Minnesota. In D.C. this week, he raised money for Troy Balderson, who is running in a special election in Ohio; Bryan Steil, who is running for his seat; and Reps. Mimi Walters (R-Calif.), Will Hurd (R-Texas), John Carter (R-Texas) and Bruce Poliquin (R-Maine).

RYAN is attending the NRCC's summer retreat this weekend, and will fundraise in Pittsburgh Monday.

WHIP CASH ...

-- IMPRESSIVE ... HOUSE MAJORITY WHIP STEVE SCALISE, the No. 3 House Republican, brought in $2.5 million in the second quarter, he'll announce today. Team Scalise says they've brought in more than $10 million from donors in every state. Remember: The Louisiana Republican was sidelined after being shot, so he had an extended break from the fundraising circuit. Scalise has done 74 events for House Republicans and the NRCC, and has transferred $3 million to the NRCC and plans to cut another $1 million check next week. Scalise has also contributed $900,000 to Republican candidates, lawmakers and special elections.

-- DEPT OF MAKING MOVES: REP. PATRICK MCHENRY (R-N.C.) raised $1.3 million in Q2, which brings his total to $4.7 million. He's given $2.3 million of that to the NRCC. That's a really good chunk of change for a guy who is not even in elected leadership. McHenry has done 148 events for House Republicans this cycle, which brought in $8.3 million. Add all that up, and you'll get $13 million for McHenry, who, in a GOP majority next Congress, has a good chance at being the No. 3 leader, if McCarthy and Scalise move up.

KEEP IN MIND ... EACH OFFICE counts their fundraising totals differently. McHenry is counting events he has done for Republicans in his total, and Scalise is not. Either method is acceptable.

-- THIS IS FASCINATING, via Bloomberg: "'We need to get out of this Dodd-Frank morass we've been in,' McHenry said in an interview Wednesday at his office in the U.S. Capitol. 'The next crisis will look different from the previous crisis, so we need to be forward-looking when it comes to legislating.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=38e1ef780c0b9aae23cf401460a879b65cd18ae08014ab5f685b401e6968b878587de17cd01836b115773309437d512c

HEATHER CAYGLE and RACHAEL BADE: "Republicans look to squeeze Dems with vote to abolish ICE": "House Republican leaders plan to hold a vote on a liberal bill to abolish the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency - forcing Democrats to weigh in on a controversial issue that has divided the party just months before the midterms. 'We can have a debate,' House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy told reporters Thursday, adding that the vote would occur before the August recess. ...

"But Pocan and the bill's other authors, Reps. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.), say they won't be part of a GOP 'political stunt.' Pocan said he expects other Democrats to follow suit in voting no but said they'd relish the opportunity to debate immigration on the House floor." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=38e1ef780c0b9aae2a9899e8cc24b22953e79a8561966ddf54cae8d3dbde272735366023c5498d6ca5913cafe27d227a

-- THIS KIND OF BACKFIRED on Republicans. They said this vote would put Dems in a tough spot. Democrats are expected to almost uniformly vote no. Guess it didn't put them in that tough a spot. The biggest pitfall in Democrats' strategy is that the base gets upset with them. There was dissent in GOP leadership on this plan, because some people realized it could make Republicans look silly.

THE NEXT BIG FUNDING BATTLE ... "Lawmakers battle over busting budget to pay for veterans health care," by Sarah Ferris and Jennifer Scholtes: "Spooking House conservatives and risking a presidential veto, Senate spending leaders are proposing to blow past budget limits to fund a popular private health care program for military veterans.

"Minutes before they were to meet on Thursday, congressional appropriators canceled their first public conference talk that had been intended to settle differences in three of the 12 annual spending bills President Donald Trump must sign by Sept. 30 to avert a government shutdown. One of the three provides for spending on veterans.

"The 11th-hour cancellation came amid a cross-Congress showdown over how to pay for a program that allows some veterans to spend taxpayer money on private doctors and hospitals. The question is whether to break budget limits, known as caps, to come up with the cash." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=38e1ef780c0b9aae05c78f5aba6f85a3fc883e73a7bd3f70b45b7d8e8fcbb77df40aacb2e4056999e2febfb9192686c3

TRADE WARS -- "As Trade War Persists, Mnuchin Says China Talks Have 'Broken Down,'" by NYT's Alan Rappeport and Jim Tankersley: "The trade war between the United States and China showed no signs of yielding on Thursday, as Steven Mnuchin, the Treasury secretary, told lawmakers there was no clear path to resolution and Beijing blasted the administration over its approach. Mr. Mnuchin, who has tried to avoid calling the trade tensions with China a 'war,' said talks with Beijing had 'broken down' and suggested it was now up to China to come to the table with concessions. ...

"The Chinese, meanwhile, accused the United States of 'acting erratically' and said the administration had 'blatantly abandoned the consensuses that two sides have reached and insisted on fighting a trade war with China.' Republicans and Democrats on the House Financial Services Committee showed little patience for Mr. Mnuchin's answers about the lack of progress, repeatedly pressing him about whether there was a strategy to resolve the trade war and expressing concern that it was starting to hurt parts of the economy." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=38e1ef780c0b9aae113f6ab863f82ff2cbebcd5e2a5f018fea297847105d05fddcdc6c366186ced003c0e3e97f070b7e

KUSHNER UPDATE -- "Jared Kushner lacks security clearance level to review some of the nation's most sensitive intelligence in White House role," by WaPo's Carol D. Leonnig, Josh Dawsey (whose birthday is today) and Ashley Parker: "Jared Kushner, a senior White House adviser and President Trump's son-in-law, lacks the security clearance level required to review some of the government's most sensitive secrets, according to two people familiar with his access. For the first year of the Trump administration, Kushner had nearly blanket access to highly classified intelligence, even as he held an interim security clearance and awaited the completion of his background investigation.

"But when White House security officials granted him a permanent clearance in late May, he was granted only 'top secret' status - a level that does not allow him to see some of the country's most closely guarded intelligence, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss security issues. Kushner has not yet been approved to review 'sensitive compartmented information,' better known as SCI. The Central Intelligence Agency determines who can access this information, which primarily involves U.S. intelligence sources and surveillance methods, they said." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=38e1ef780c0b9aae3649dfb3a2447249680f511ea0af4393538f5bd506def54c97a20eebc0b8d8a3f0c09a5228c99fcf

KYLE CHENEY: "FBI agent Strzok defiant in face of Republican interrogation": "Republicans lashed out at FBI counterintelligence agent Peter Strzok for roughly nine hours on Thursday, berating his assertions that his anti-Donald Trump sentiment - captured in text messages exposed by an internal watchdog - never affected his work on the Russia probe.

"But a defiant Strzok hit back at GOP lawmakers, defending his professionalism and slamming the hearing as a 'victory notch in Putin's belt.' And he got backup from Democrats who accused Republicans of harassing Strzok and running roughshod over the committees." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=38e1ef780c0b9aaeec822fcb8867b2eebb37ee6c5bc8e9fe4a2bc1e4142cccf6d4a53f6f87299332223ad6aa36bb9bad ... 2-min. viral video of Strzok defending his text messages http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=38e1ef780c0b9aae369536af776fc7020a82677d5d0423800b92a9783cd482fb2a84f072c5a5f34f1cab3721abb1ca0f

-- WAPO EDITORIAL: "The Strzok hearing damaged our democracy" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=38e1ef780c0b9aae320dc000a90ea3e9e5910fea081cc6cae8960ec2a41239ddd1d7303ad3eb5bd4b43ae89736a21da8

MORE ON THE OHIO STATE WRESTLING STORY ... "Ohio State wrestlers describe abuse by Dr. Strauss in wrenching video," by NBC News' Corky Siemaszko: "A video that was created to spur on the internal university investigation into a former Ohio State University wrestling doctor - and last week led to questions about what Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, a former coach, knew about the alleged abuse at the time - is an emotional recounting of what one former athlete has called a 'cesspool of sexual deviance.' The heavily edited 11-minute video ... features wrenching descriptions of the alleged misconduct by Dr. Richard Strauss from two former wrestlers whom Jordan coached more than two decades ago, and
from former head coach Russ Hellickson and a former Ohio State student who worked with Strauss at a clinic and who says he, too, was molested by the doctor." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=38e1ef780c0b9aae92fde433da4f82812bf63fafff85f7dd8b1d01a2596f6e3ae129ea2720d8e0e4e1c4c6020793d558

-- NYT EDITORIAL: "Is the G.O.P. Following Jim Jordan Over a Cliff?" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3653d7cac3be4f6dad62ce2278de0babbe22bd3d9d84bf34f02230ef9197edbbeabc6e1f98b0e4018571380c7beb0271

THE INVESTIGATIONS ...

-- NYT'S MARK MAZZETTI: "White House Orders Broader Access to Files About F.B.I. Informant": "The White House has rebuffed concerns among American intelligence and law enforcement officials and ordered that more lawmakers be given access to classified information about an informant the F.B.I. used in 2016 to investigate possible ties between the Trump campaign and Russia, according to two American officials with knowledge of the decision. Both the director of national intelligence and the director of the F.B.I. tried to keep the classified documents tightly restricted, fearing that a broader dissemination of operational reports and other sensitive material could lead to more leaks of
detailed information about the role of the confidential F.B.I. informant.

"Some American officials believe, in fact, the reason the White House made the decision was to provide political ammunition to President Trump's Republican allies who have argued - without any evidence - that the F.B.I. investigation was opened in July 2016 as an effort to keep Mr. Trump from becoming president.

"The F.B.I. files about the informant will now be available to all members of the Senate and House Intelligence Committees, instead of to just a group of congressional leaders known as the Gang of Eight. It is unclear whether Mr. Trump or a lower-level White House official authorized the move." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3653d7cac3be4f6d5cbc13023988e900dfa3dc9ec67af4971178251cb97dde1975970c56beb4888d738600ced4e491e1

-- "Russian attendee at Trump Tower meeting sues Putin critic Browder," by Josh Gerstein: "A Russian-American lobbyist who attended the infamous meeting with Trump campaign officials at Trump Tower in June 2016 has filed a libel suit against one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's most prominent critics.

"Rinat Akhmetshin filed the civil case Thursday against investor Bill Browder in federal court in Washington, alleging that Browder repeatedly defamed him by labeling him as a Russian intelligence operative." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3653d7cac3be4f6d4befc3541b9529c5d6126b68d6d450c8d0824a85a06ba8518178287e5987010dcb6792f71c1ec82a

-- NOT TOO SHABBY: "Michael Cohen Purchases New York City Apartment for $6.7 Million," by WSJ's Katherine Clarke: "Michael Cohen, Donald Trump's former personal lawyer who is under federal investigation, bought a $6.7 million apartment in April in a new Manhattan skyscraper [in Tribeca] that is being developed by two of Mr. Trump's longtime friends, according to people familiar with the transaction.

"On the 19th floor, Mr. Cohen's unit is about 2,697 square feet, with four bedrooms and 4½ bathrooms, according to listing website StreetEasy. It had been on the market for $7.475 million ... Amenities in the building include a Turkish bath, a private dining room, a 75-foot lap pool, a fitness center, an arcade and a concierge service that books private aircraft. ...

"People familiar with the transaction said Mr. Cohen had been in a rush to close due to an impending tax event. He'd sold a unit at New York's Trump World Tower for roughly $3.3 million in October 2017, and needed to reinvest the profits within a fixed time frame to avoid incurring immediate taxes on the sale." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3653d7cac3be4f6d3abf2ec8a70a7b8a9fefbcb4ec09d6126da5f5c899c5dbf11ef7f605ab51bf8e8453cea0c300a936

-- PIC DU JOUR: CNN's DAVID GELLES (@gelles): "The Alexandria, Virginia Detention Center has put out a mugshot of Paul Manafort after he was booked into the facility [Thursday] morning." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3653d7cac3be4f6d0ed78a1f941c67172278779c8195b06bc28d3e96ae8b1aa4b9b6ede250c84d9291b92442892eb287

BORDER TALES -- "ACLU says it can't verify migrant reunifications," by Ian Kullgren: "Attorneys seeking to reunify migrant children separated from their parents at the southern border said Thursday that they were not able to verify the Trump administration's claim that nearly five dozen children had been returned to their parents.

"In a federal court filing, the American Civil Liberties Union accused immigration officials of preventing attorneys and human rights workers from verifying the 57 reunifications between parents and under-5 children announced Thursday morning by the Health and Human Services and Homeland Security departments.

"Immigration officials broke a promise to notify attorneys when and where each reunification would take place, the ACLU said, and to allow third parties to witness them. Instead, the ACLU said, authorities 'only provided a general prediction,' making the reunifications impossible to confirm. Asked to comment, spokespeople for DHS and the DOJ declined." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3653d7cac3be4f6d7061c199c8365a317fcab1fe147833ac6a0aa99bacf80fdc96c4316ca4e83f8e5814c8d38d2815c6

SUNDAY SO FAR ... CNN's "State of the Union," with Jake Tapper in Helsinki: Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) ... Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) ... Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.). ... David Remnick ... Masha Gessen. Helsinki panel: Susan Glasser, David Gergen, John Kirby and Philip Mudd

-- ABC's "This Week" with Jonathan Karl anchoring from D.C. and George Stephanopoulos reporting from Helsinki: Chris Christie, Donna Brazile, Elisabeth Bumiller and Steve Inskeep

-- "Fox News Sunday" with Chris Wallace in Helsinki (where he will interview Putin after the summit): Helsinki panel: Jonathan Swan and Michael Gordon. D.C. panel: Karl Rove, Susan Page, Newt Gingrich and Charles Lane

-- NBC's "Meet the Press": Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.). Panel: Hugh Hewitt, Joshua Johnson, Elise Jordan and Amy Walter

-- CBS' "Face the Nation": Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) ... Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) ... Rep. Joe Crowley (D-N.Y.) ... Victoria Nuland. Political panel: Rachael Bade, Ben Domenech, David Nakamura and Jerry Seib.


Playbook Reads


PHOTO DU JOUR: President Donald Trump and first lady Melania leave Air Force One as they arrive at London's Stansted Airport on Thursday. Ambassador to the U.K. Woody Johnson follows behind. | Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP Photo

MCGAHN WATCH -- "White House Lawyer Reshapes U.S. Courts," by WSJ's Peter Nicholas and Brent Kendall: "Colleagues say they have expected [Don] McGahn to resign for months after a tumultuous first year of the administration. But Mr. McGahn, 50 years old, once told Steve Bannon, formerly White House chief strategist, that his aim was to get two justices confirmed to the Supreme Court, a person familiar with the matter said." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3653d7cac3be4f6dbe82e71c3e4ed3da90a1cb3f9740980de64bc43b6811d8bd391dc9133f9385c36c3df9abd8917454

GETTING RESULTS -- "Commerce secretary divests from all stocks after criticism from ethics watchdog," by Doug Palmer and Colin Wilhelm: "Billionaire Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said Thursday he was selling all his stock holdings after being criticized by the Office of Government Ethics for some of his financial transactions.

"'I have made inadvertent errors in completing the divestitures required by my ethics agreement,' Ross said in a statement. 'To maintain the public trust, I have directed that all of my equity holdings be sold and the proceeds placed in U.S. Treasury securities.'

"The admission came after Ross received a letter from OGE general counsel and acting Director David Apol that admonished him for failing to divest from some stocks by Jan 15, 2017, as he had indicated and more recently engaging in stock market activity that appeared aimed at belatedly correcting that error." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3653d7cac3be4f6de4f143bba2aeaf7755799ab7f2c0b5891926c8a81834971274262be6870d2a29137d41c944e06975

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MORE ALI WATKINS FALLOUT -- "Border Agent Who Questioned Reporter Is Investigated for Computer Misuse," by NYT's Scott Shane and Ron Nixon: "A Border Patrol agent who obtained the confidential travel records of a Washington journalist and used them to press her about her sources last year is under investigation for misuse of government computer systems, according to an official briefed on the inquiry.

"The agent, Jeffrey A. Rambo, who usually worked in the San Diego area, was temporarily assigned at the time to the National Targeting Center, a facility in Sterling, Va., operated by Customs and Border Protection that stores data on the travel of millions of Americans and foreigners.

"Such information is supposed to be used only under strict rules by immigration and law enforcement officials. Now the Department of Homeland Security's inspector general and investigators from the border agency are examining whether Mr. Rambo used the travel data improperly or illegally and whether anyone else was involved. Press advocates have expressed alarm that a government official would use sensitive private information in what they say amounted to a blackmail attempt against a journalist." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6e6657853816f1d52e1f1faa7da6874a1220cad092e4b2f9ef0992d502887dd817ee30436ff01ed6123ea059504a9d3d

MEDIAWATCH - "Five Picassos went missing from the L.A. Times. What happened to them?" by LA Times' Daniel Miller: "The downtown complex that has housed the Los Angeles Times for decades is filled with notable spaces: the pristine test kitchen, the bustling newsroom and the historic Globe Lobby with its 10-foot-high murals, busts of past publishers and hulking linotype machine. Then there's the community room, a drab, workaday gathering spot for employees and visitors that inspires few selfies.

"But for years, something remarkable resided in this otherwise unremarkable space, largely unseen. It was art, five pieces framed as one, often hidden behind a lowered projection screen. The artist was Pablo Picasso. The five lithographs were abstract depictions of famous literary figures, including Shakespeare, done in vibrant brushstrokes. ... The artwork had disappeared at some point between 2014 and 2018, a period of great tumult at The Times, as a series of publishers and top editors were shuffled in and out by then-owner Tribune Publishing, which renamed itself Tronc." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6e6657853816f1d54e30f06ca9654292b4d51ca83b9ace9cc91ad44fed84432a02a95c6fb9b0092a00abe624dc26eb78
Playbookers
SPOTTED: Joe Scarborough on a JetBlue flight Friday morning from JFK to ACK ... Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) sitting economy on an American Airlines flight from DCA to Providence. ...

-- IN ACK: Govs. Phil Murphy (N.J.), Dannel Malloy (Conn.), John Carney (Del.) and Ralph Northam (Va.) and former Secretary of State John Kerry at a DGA event hosted by Sally Sussman and Robin Canter at the Nantucket home of Ambassador Louis Sussman. Kerry previewed his memoir, saying it "is about his whole life -- that he is generally someone who looks forward, not back. He tried to compare this time to the tumultuous civil rights era and Vietnam," according to an attendee.

WELCOME TO THE WORLD -- Paige Winfield Cunningham, health care reporter at The Washington Post and a POLITICO alum, and Jameson Cunningham, policy and public affairs strategist at Americans for a Free Syria and a Randy Hultgren alum, on Wednesday welcomed Grey Joseph Cunningham, born at 9 lbs., 1 oz. and 21 inches long. "The delivery was smooth without complications and both baby and mom are very healthy. Paige was a rock star as usual, and impressed all of the staff." Pics http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6e6657853816f1d5d6e5897c2d582ca7a43e7fb8ced2854f87e50da68b88b8e6e7effbcee03c68e65440e43f188775c6 ... http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6e6657853816f1d5e85f711ad43ce247b08ad4b5b50167d3e8bdfa7f04323ca072377c35f92e10bfae748b2bb12ff707

BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Joe Lockhart, vice chairman of public affairs at Edelman and former Clinton WH press secretary. A fun fact about Joe: "In 1980, the Carter campaign was located in a nondescript building on 14th and K Street downtown. In 1980, that was also ground zero of the D.C. prostitution business. So every time President Carter came to visit the headquarters, D.C. police would swoop in and put all the prostitutes on a bus and take them to another neighborhood. After the president left, they would be brought back. The president was none the wiser." Read his Playbook Plus Q&A: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6e6657853816f1d51e77f6c217701698c27cd8c82188be8471b0f8984773efe6fd3e13449e52a22c99c9af1339afd7f3

BIRTHDAYS: Tony Kornheiser is 7-0 (Tony's restaurant Chatter, located at the corner of Wisconsin Avenue and Jenifer Street in Friendship Heights, is open for business and is a full-service, for-profit restaurant) ... Americans for Prosperity president Tim Phillips ... Anne Schroeder (h/ts Adrienne Elrod, Blain Rethmeier and Tim Burger) ... Antoinette Rangel, associate at O'Melveny & Myers and an Obama WH alum ... Aneesh Chopra, president of CareJourney and co-founder and EVP of Hunch Analytics ... Eric Cromartie ... Jill Pike, VP of public affairs at the NFL ... Bret Swanson ... Rep. Rob Bishop (R-Utah) is 67 ... Kirk Wagar, co-chairman for Asia at Mercury and former U.S. ambassador and
chief of mission to Singapore (h/ts Ben Chang and Jon Haber) ... WaPo's Josh Dawsey is 28 (h/t George Hornedo, filing from Barcelona) ... Ella Decker ... Cindy Hoffman ... Patricia Brooks ... Curtis Isakson ... Will Dempster ...

... WaPo's Devlin Barrett is 45 (h/t Justin Dillon) ... Mike Hais ... Molly Hogan ... Sarah Persitz is 33 ... Celia Fischer ... Ilona Cohen, chief legal officer at Aledade and an Obama alum ... Julie Eddy, COS for Rep. Doris Matsui (D-Calif.) ... Joseph Spatafora ... Heather Larrison, Jeb's 2016 finance director ... Steve Quigley Andrews ... Gabrielle Seay ... Christina Roof ... Rebecca Gaghen ... Jon McClellan ... Jennifer Goodman ... Amanda Hunter ... Keith Ashdown ... Dennis Craig II of No Labels ... Nick Newburger ... Kerry Lynch of Camron PR ... Patricia Brooks of MatchMap Media and Cindy Hoffman, both on the steering committee of Progressive Communicators of Washington, D.C. (h/ts
Margot Friedman) ... Todd Zwillich ... Cara Ann Mathis ... Alex Vogel ... Emma Rodriguez ... CFPB comms director Jen Howard ... Michelle Gaps ... Casey Katims ... Steve Crawford ... Becca Meehan ... Hank Kruse ... Brent Appel ... Dan Smith ... Elizabeth Bagley ... Lux Winderhof ... Grace Van Cleave (h/ts Teresa Vilmain)

****** A message from Delta Air Lines: At Delta Air Lines, we're proud to support the causes that shape our world by giving back to the communities where we live, work, and serve. We're committed to donating 1% of our net profits to key charities and nonprofit organizations as we strive to truly make a difference in D.C. and throughout our global communities.

Our goal is to positively impact the world through continued investments in our current partners as well as contributions to our new partners. Our donations support education, promote health and wellness, and salute our armed service members and veterans.

We contributed over $40 million in 2017 to charities and nonprofits around the world, and we look forward to continuing our support for many years to come.

For more information about Delta, visit www.delta.com. ******

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