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Today's Playbook Power Briefing presented by Hewlett Packard Enterprise

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


Happy Wednesday afternoon and happy hump day on this short week.

NEWS -- PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP sided with House and Senate Democrats, accepting their offer to lift the debt ceiling and fund government for three months, setting up another wild December in Washington. SPEAKER PAUL RYAN, SENATE MAJORITY LEADER MITCH MCCONNELL and HOUSE MAJORITY WHIP KEVIN MCCARTHY -- the top GOP leaders, who were all at the White House with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer -- all wanted a debt-limit increase through the end of 2018, and believe they would've been able to extract it from Democrats, according to aides. Now they will be forced into an awkward spot: the GOP president is asking them to push a legislative package they
disagree with.

-- THERE IS NO AMBIGUITY HERE: Trump defied Ryan and McConnell, who were working in tandem to clear the debt ceiling through the end of the midterm elections. Trump sided with Pelosi and Schumer just a few hours after they made their position clear. REPUBLICANS WANTED A LONG-TERM DEBT CEILING INCREASE because Hill leaders always work to minimize the number of times lawmakers have to vote to raise the borrowing limit. It's a horrible vote politically. Now Congress will have to vote to lift the debt ceiling at least twice.

NO ONE QUOTE SUFFICES -- Every Republican leadership aide we've spoken to disagrees with this strategy, and thinks the president got rolled.

ACCORDING TO AN AIDE BRIEFED ON THE MEETING -- "Republican leaders pushed for 18 month debt limit hike, then floated 6 months. Pelosi and Schumer dismissed 6 month hike. Trump then agreed to the 3 month hike that Democrats put on the table."

NEWS: Republicans are already telling us they'll push for a long-term debt-limit package before December. They don't want a debt-limit crisis in December.

-- OH YEAH: Democrats are already whispering that they might use the must-pass bills in December for the reinstatement of DACA.

HOW THIS ALL WENT DOWN. Earlier this morning, Pelosi and Schumer said Democrats would only vote for a Harvey aid package if the debt limit was lifted for three months. They had leverage, because they had the votes.

-- RYAN told us this morning at his news conference that this was a "ridiculous idea" and Democrats were playing politics with hurricane relief and the debt limit. Ryan seemed pretty perturbed at the gambit.

-- SCHUMER and PELOSI'S VICTORY LAP: "In the meeting, the President and Congressional leadership agreed to pass aid for Harvey, an extension of the debt limit, and a continuing resolution both to December 15, all together. Both sides have every intention of avoiding default in December and look forward to working together on the many issues before us. As Democratic leaders, we also made it clear that we strongly believe the DREAM Act must come to the floor and pass as soon as possible and we will not rest until we get this done."

TRUMP'S VIEW, from a gaggle on Air Force One: "We had a very good meeting with Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer. We agreed to a three-month extension on debt ceiling, which they consider to be sacred -- very important -- always we'll agree on debt ceiling automatically because of the importance of it.

"Also on the CRs and also on Harvey, which now we're going to be adding something because of what's going on in Florida -- but we had a very good meeting. We essentially came to a deal, and I think the deal will be very good. We had a very, very cordial and professional meeting.

"So we have an extension, which will go out to December 15th. That will include the debt ceiling, that will include the CRs, and it will include Harvey -- the amount of money to be determined, but it will include -- because everyone is in favor obviously of taking care of that situation. So we all very much agree."

-- NOTE: Trump says "always we'll agree on debt ceiling automatically because of the importance of it." That's significant, given the GOP's posture on the debt limit in the past. Also, note how he doesn't mention McConnell, Ryan or McCarthy.

-- COULD THIS "DEAL" FALL APART? Probably not. But who knows.

GOP LEADERSHIP has said they will stay in town as long as it takes to pass the final aid package. It passed the House 419-3 a little after 12:30 p.m. The House-passed version did not include the debt-limit piece or the government-funding element, which will be added in the Senate. The three nos where Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), Justin Amash (R-Mich.) and Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.).

DEMOCRATS are also trying to hold Republicans feet to the fire on DACA. Schumer said that "If a clean DREAM Act does not come to the floor in September, we're prepared to attach it to other items this fall until it passes," at the joint press conference with Pelosi.

HEATHER CAYGLE and ELANA SCHOR: "But Schumer, as well as Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), stopped short of committing to withholding Democratic votes for government funding legislation or other must-pass bills that Congress is expected to consider this fall. Yet some House Democrats believe that now, when the issue has captured the public's attention, is the best time to force Republicans to act and want to take a tougher stand.

"Rep. Luis Gutiérrez (D-Ill.) stood up during House Democrats' weekly caucus meeting Wednesday to give a rousing speech about how now is the time for Democrats to take a stand on DACA, saying lawmakers need to lay out a clear line in the sand for Republicans.

House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) then suggested Democrats withhold their votes for a short-term funding bill later this month if there isn't a clear path forward to addressing DACA. Both Gutiérrez and Hoyer received standing ovations, according to multiple sources in the room.

"But the idea of blocking a budget deal and threatening a government shutdown is not the official caucus position -- at least not yet. And it's unclear whether Democrats would vote as a bloc against a short-term funding deal. Either way, the threat could force House Republican leaders to round up additional votes on their side to ensure the government stays open beyond Sept. 30." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3575764b3718dcf24cbc3f4f3daf4acf8bd5ca9cd7ce6d515b8dcf5fa5a5defa55b5a2cf89302f84bd7c8f355eb287264f2e202f369124f4

TO BE SURE -- THIS IS DEMOCRATS giving Republicans a taste of their own medicine. They long played hardball on must-pass items when Democrats controlled the White House. Now Democrats are saying they will do the same.


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ON WAR WITH NORTH KOREA -- TRUMP said "certainly, that's not our first choice, but we will see what happens." Trump said this as he boarded Marine One for North Dakota, per the Tampa Bay Times' Alex Leary.

DETENTE -- "Trump, McConnell meet after monthlong standoff," by John Bresnahan and Burgess Everett: "President Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell met privately on Tuesday in a bid to repair their badly frayed relationship, according to sources familiar with the meeting.

"Trump and McConnell huddled privately for roughly 20 minutes ahead of a larger gathering of Republican leaders and officials working on tax reform. The meeting was an apparent attempt to clear the air after a contentious August recess between the two, mostly fueled by the Senate's failure to repeal Obamacare." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3575764b3718dcf295a3693c0ed6c6c8fa50cb56ecf9dd2ffe919e0ccd418e99b3d77b0fe5eb8d893b399dc245fa58be39aab65952233238

THE LATEST ON THE STORM, from POLITICO's weather guru Steven Shepard: "As of 11 a.m., Irma remains an extremely powerful, Category-5 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 185 mph. After passing through the Leeward Islands last night and this morning, Irma is bearing down on the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, which will see damaging winds, flooding rains that could lead to mudslides and deadly storm surge. After that, Irma is forecast to track close to Hispaniola and Cuba, bringing the same dangerous conditions.

"The forecast then turns the storm north toward Florida. Irma is expected to be over or near the Florida peninsula on Sunday or Monday. It is still too early to determine whether the center of Irma will make landfall in Florida or remain offshore, and small changes in the forecast may make large differences in impact. But Florida needs to prepare for dangerous weather beginning on Saturday and potentially lasting several days. Other areas of the East Coast should also monitor Irma's track over the next few days."

BANNON ON '60 MINUTES' -- THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER: "Steve Bannon, the ousted White House strategist, sat for an interview with CBS News' Charlie Rose on Wednesday afternoon in New York, sources tell The Hollywood Reporter. The full interview will air Sunday on 60 Minutes with portions of it set to run Thursday afternoon on CBS This Morning. It will be the first in-depth TV interview Bannon has given since he left the White House last month amid intense criticism over President Trump's "both sides" equivocating on the deadly violence in Charlottesville, Va. in August." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3575764b3718dcf2860aecd34453586119d40c337d98bb52c924f57b157ce0a00d615e7841da2d8dbb21a252881b4da3ca60d82c38bff656

TRUMP INC. -- "Trump gets millions from golf members. CEOs and lobbyists get access to president," by USA Today's Brad Heath, Fredreka Schouten, Steve Reilly, Nick Penzenstadler and Aamer Madhani: "Dozens of lobbyists, contractors and others who make their living influencing the government pay President Trump's companies for membership in his private golf clubs, a status that can put them in close contact with the president, a USA TODAY investigation found. Members of the clubs Trump has visited most often as president -- in Florida, New Jersey and Virginia -- include at least 50 executives whose companies hold federal contracts and 21 lobbyists and trade group officials. Two-thirds played
on one of the 58 days the president was there, according to scores they posted online. ...

"Among Trump club members are top executives of defense contractors, a lobbyist for the South Korean government, a lawyer helping Saudi Arabia fight claims over the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the leader of a pesticide trade group that sought successfully to persuade the Trump administration not to ban an insecticide government scientists linked to health risks. ...

"Trump marked his 100th day in office by visiting a factory owned by a company run by a member of his New Jersey golf club. Standing behind Trump as he signed two executive orders was Robert Mehmel, president of the company that owns the Harrisburg, Pa., factory and another company that sells radars and electronics to the military, including about $54 million worth of contracts last year." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3575764b3718dcf28424223e590a470643831eb32e962cf0f22a1a3334f55d24390c5b726661a8335a1908a7fb0dd51995a7ee96c3aeb876

THE LATEST ON RUSSIA -- "Donald Trump Jr. to face Thursday grilling before Senate Judiciary panel," by Darren Samuelsohn: "Donald Trump Jr. is scheduled to meet in private Thursday with the Senate Judiciary Committee for a long-awaited interview to discuss a 2016 meeting he arranged with a Kremlin-linked lawyer who promised damaging information about Hillary Clinton during the height of last year's presidential campaign, according to Trump Jr.s' attorney.

"The closed-door session involving aides and senators has long been in the works, though the exact details of when the meeting would occur have remained under wraps until now. Trump Jr. was called to publicly testify before the Senate committee in July but the president's oldest son instead offered to conduct both a private interview and hand over documents for committee investigators." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3575764b3718dcf29cd8d910d199b203082b04058c0adcdafd9e070a6309da04dae83c3be9b930982794160c57babe9ce975284f463a5504

BRING IN THE REINFORCEMENTS -- "Chief of staff Kelly builds out his West Wing team," by Nolan McCaskill: "President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday a handful of White House appointments, including a deputy and an assistant for his latest chief of staff John Kelly. Kirstjen Nielsen, who worked under Kelly at the Department of Homeland Security as his chief of staff, will be his deputy in the White House and an assistant to the president. Zachary Fuentes, a former military assistant to Kelly at DHS, will serve as a special assistant to the president and assistant to the chief of staff." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3575764b3718dcf2f52ec6a080ae80e59095d41775015a93424c4fb2bad2a7116d755297217e1cec21a3f73ff1a9bb6dbcda7c445c8cbe98

-- "Fox pundit Mercedes Schlapp expected to join White House communications," by Tara Palmeri: "Fox News pundit Mercedes Schlapp, wife of American Conservative Union chairman Matthew Schlapp, is expected to join the White House in a senior role in the communications department, according to three White House officials with knowledge of the situation. The role for Mercedes Schlapp, who served in the George W. Bush administration as a spokesperson for Spanish-language media outlets, has yet to be defined." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3575764b3718dcf20af03c38e68958a6b495fe27bd6b6c3dbd3faa59ef243219789f6a5ddfd1723fa0124e1392be2825712348062e511688

WASHINGTON STATE REP. DAVE REICHERT is retiring. STATEMENT FROM HIS OFFICE: "After spending time during the August work period with family and friends, reflecting on the past, discussing the future, and celebrating another birthday, I have decided this will be my last term and I will not run for reelection in November, 2018. It was not an easy decision but I believe it was the right one for my family and me. I have spent my entire career and devoted my life to service. I see this not just as a job, but as a calling - a calling I will not walk away from.

MORE POLITICO/MORNING CONSULT POLL DATA -- An interesting nugget from today's POLITICO/Morning Consult poll is softness in Sen. Mitch McConnell's support among GOP voters. When Republican voters were asked if they'd be more or less likely to vote for their member of Congress if they supported keeping Mitch McConnell as Senate majority leader, 30% said they'd be less likely, while 28% said they'd be more. When asked about their support for their member of Congress if they backed Paul Ryan as speaker, 40% said they'd be more likely and 28% said they'd be less likely. More on Democrats' support of Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3575764b3718dcf203f82d7185ad494950cafb1dcc94e6a332f3b5889707a18c806419a30cc75f4ca5f8a10c934aced3074b83c3fb2f9f85

TOP TALKER -- "Defiant Clinton looks to explain loss in new memoir," by CNN's Dan Merica and Kevin Liptak: "A raw and aggrieved Hillary Clinton takes ownership -- to a degree -- for her stunning 2016 loss to Donald Trump in her upcoming book, which offers a revealing look at the campaign through the eyes of the contest's loser. CNN purchased the book -- 'What Happened' (Simon & Schuster, 494 pages) -- from a Jacksonville, Florida, bookstore a week before its widespread release. ...

"In a voice that swings from defiant to conciliatory to -- at rare moments -- deeply vulnerable, Clinton does assume ownership where the fault lines are obvious. And in overarching terms, she admits she badly misjudged the environment in which she was running and the candidate she was running against. But Clinton still finds ample blame to go around. She writes bluntly that sexism hampered her ability to reach voters effectively. She offers unvarnished assessments of those who have cast doubts on her campaign, including Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders, her former rival. And she singles out James Comey -- a 'rash FBI director' -- for direct and lashing criticism. The book
also oozes with contempt for Trump, the campaign he ran and the President he has become." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3575764b3718dcf283f94512d64e15306bf3eb74186e28f1a5fe37c758e9c5ba6be22a18151dccc2cc29e305eeb63727969133fc4915915c

-- @AlexWeprin: "Just in: Hillary Clinton gives first TV interview about new book to CBS News' Jane Pauley. Airs this weekend on 'CBS Sunday Morning.'"

FED OPENING -- "Fischer resigns as Fed vice chair, in new opening for Trump," by Victoria Guida http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3575764b3718dcf2aade59c603be9d8a142cc4d894a65ba585200909d9a50000eb08e5bee4f9bb99753a5cdebb99fc0b54a86d7ae7531afd

MEDIAWATCH -- "Washington Post's Scott Wilson is out as national editor," by WaPo's Erik Wemple: "Washington Post National Editor Scott Wilson has left his position after disputes with his superiors over newsroom resources for his coverage areas, according to informed sources at the newspaper. The move comes after Wilson, a veteran Postie who has covered the White House and served as a foreign correspondent, reportedly yelled at a fellow editor in a conversation about the duties of digital editors." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3575764b3718dcf276a0b35abf72d17ba1e2816158d20abbb860eb4123dc707d9533e6f1d00db76857262227a7fc9364b894ec4719fd3627

PLAYBOOK METRO SECTION -- "Washington National Cathedral to remove stained glass windows honoring Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson," by WaPo's Michelle Boorstein http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3575764b3718dcf22be0cd36ab8547a2cc6b8ecf01beb59b3dc071ab7c79d2d5dd91b9fe96dcf1399d2f11a20f3857f075078573c2ccede4

PLAYBOOK AT UNGA -- Join us Sept. 18 and 19 in New York for the 2017 Concordia Annual Summit. POLITICO is the official media partner of the event, a nonpartisan forum that brings together more than 2,000 influencers. Top speakers for the summit include IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, retired Gen. David Petraeus, Forest Whitaker and cellist Yo-Yo Ma. Anna will moderate a session with David Axelrod and Tim Phillips on political strategy in the age of information load on Sept. 18 starting at 12:55 p.m. Registration http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3575764b3718dcf27e4c35410b14a8284b61c2a97714a948b277e74cbaee14f773a5910ae553d5ca825c861024339ba39ca1205a5883ac40

-- BONUS EVENT: Anna will be joined by Jack Blanchard, the author of the new London Playbook, for a Global Playbook Briefing Sept. 19 at 9 a.m. The briefing, moderated by POLITICO Europe's Matt Kaminski, will shed the light on some of the most pressing issues driving the day in Washington and in Europe as we navigate the Trump administration and Brexit negotiations. Registration http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3575764b3718dcf2d35bcb64cb63e96bf8a7c9f948abc49f34315fe546051355b6b0c5225ecaa6738a291a4119e5e67573efd81531dea4cd

NOTHING TO SEE HERE -- "'Shut up,' judge tells Menendez lawyer," by POLITICO New Jersey's Matt Friedman and Ryan Hutchins: "U.S. District Court Judge William H. Walls told a lawyer for Sen. Robert Menendez to 'shut up for a moment; as the two engaged in a heated argument during the first moments of the New Jersey Democrat's corruption trial. Shortly after court proceedings began, defense attorney Raymond Brown criticized Judge William H. Walls for a line in his opinion on Friday that rejected Menendez's request that the trial be recessed on days where the Senate is taking 'critical' votes, so that the senator can be in Washington. ...

"Brown said that Walls was 'speculative as to our motives.' Brown and Walls then began talking over each other. 'Shut up for a moment if you don't mind,' Walls said. 'I said what I said' to 'underscore what I considered the lack of merits in this motion,' Walls added." More highlights, including Sen. Cory Booker arriving http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3575764b3718dcf234750cbceadd9531bbe599c4cc226b54a872a199471dda5846f2716146fb2c0041a31243e8c3ed43b2b39ff5a9b63c88

CAMPAIGN STOP -- Americans for Prosperity rolled out a seven-figure ad buy in the Virginia gubernatorial race. The ad slams Democrat Ralph Northam's tenure as a board member of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3575764b3718dcf24dcd9046c5225117a0fbbb55f1eb0d5e75e134d9df4dd8bbee910eeb0f9651bcae4a291b36737c04677ef3ed2a0dbd03

CLICKER -- Vanity Fair's 2017 International Best Dressed List was released today, featuring former President Barack and First Lady Michelle Obama, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, French President Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron, Jack Schlossberg and more. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3575764b3718dcf212d8d93c1ac70a10a039908fedac65c20dc6c54395f48898848f26c7e5ae5788711e22641ab054ea6133c2e998661e34

SPOTTED: John Kerry watching last night's Venus Williams vs. Petra Kvitova and Kevin Anderson vs. Sam Querrey matches at the U.S. Open in New York (h/t Josh Goldstein) ... Jon Huntsman, Trump's nominee for ambassador to Russia, making the rounds in Dirksen today

WELCOME TO THE WORLD - OBAMA ALUMNI -- Ayame Dinkler, former chief of staff for the assistant HHS secretary in the Obama administration and now COS at LCMC Health in New Orleans, and Carling Dinkler IV, VP at Enhanced Capital Partners, recently welcomed Ansley Yoshiye Dinkler. Pic http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3575764b3718dcf238d506b925a494dd0089fc8fcdf44593f67886436cbcd563fa81f8957e39e59c787495384ca715871eb44d4ba5aade5e

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