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Today's POLITICO Playbook presented by UC Davis

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

Listen to today's Audio Briefing | Subscribe on iTunes | Visit the online home of Playbook
Driving the Day
Good Thursday morning. THE BIG STORY -- BURGESS EVERETT and SEUNG MIN KIM: "Senate girds for final Obamacare repeal vote: The majority leader's office does leave some wiggle room, however": "It's still anyone's guess whether the bill's backers can get to 50 votes. One Republican senator suggested that McConnell may ultimately decide to bring the bill up for another failed vote, in part to show GOP donors and President Donald Trump that the Senate GOP tried again.

"In an interview, McCain sounded like he could end up tanking a bill written by Graham, his close friend. 'Nothing has changed. If McConnell wants to put it on the floor, that's up to McConnell,' McCain said. 'I am the same as I was before. I want the regular order.' Asked if that means he's a 'no' vote, McCain said: 'That means I want the regular order. It means I want the regular order!'

"Murkowski said Wednesday that she is still undecided, stressing that she needs 'full understanding as to numbers and formulas' under the Graham-Cassidy bill. 'Just last evening, late, my team was on the phone with the folks from [Health and Human Services] because we've got hard questions about numbers that we feel that we deserve an answer to,' Murkowski said. 'So we've been working through that.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=96fcc8d57d6fc422de30a2c7f9a02c06ae96610df2fc35a0bcd8b58627bb82f45ca3a0f57d4a5afb2eb50e1e6674e8851cf0719e1d463fc3

-- FIRST THINGS FIRST: THIS ISN'T A DONE DEAL IN THE SENATE: As Burgess and SMK write, this is not sealed up. McCain and Murkowski have not definitively said where they stand on Graham-Cassidy. McCain keeps saying he wants regular order, which means putting the bill through the committee process. The bill will get a hearing next week, but just one. Will that be enough for McCain? Our Senate GOP sources say the plan is to throw this bill on the floor next week -- the GOP's ability to pass it on a simple majority expires Sept. 30. McConnell's office says it's his "intention" to vote on this bill next week. Intention doesn't always translate to action.

-- COULD DEMOCRATS SLOW THIS DOWN, OR END IT? Eh, kind of. They can try to drown the process in amendments. There's no more debate time left for this on the floor. So Democrats can offer unlimited amendments to slow the process down, and try to drag it past Sept. 30.

-- WHAT THE SENATE PROCESS WILL LOOK LIKE, per an aide -- If and when the Senate moves forward, it will take up the House-passed health care bill, and there will be a vote on the motion to proceed to that bill, which will require a simple majority. At that point, anyone can offer amendments, and they will get a vote -- amendments are unlimited. Senators could motion to waive points of order, if they are raised. When the Senate is done voting on amendments, the Senate will move to vote on the House bill -- which will be, theoretically, amended by Graham-Cassidy.

-- THE PROBLEMS IN THE HOUSE. ... SEVERAL TOP-LEVEL SOURCES tell us this will be a tough lift in the House. It's not going to fly through. Will it pass? Maybe. But here are some issues that will come up in the House:

A) Conservatives have complained to us that this bill does not do enough to cut off funds to Planned Parenthood. B) There are plenty of blue-state Republicans whose states would suffer who will be pressured to vote against the bill. C) There is no CBO score.

-- COULD THESE PROBLEMS BE SOLVED? Yeah, sure. Congress could pass a sidecar -- a separate legislative vehicle that could carry some patches to Graham-Cassidy. But they'd have to do this on a must-pass bill so it doesn't endlessly linger.

THE BACKSTORY -- "The unlikely group who brought Obamacare repeal back to life," by Jen Haberkorn and Rachael Bade: "Senate Republicans' last-ditch attempt to repeal and replace Obamacare rests on the unlikely collaboration of a veteran senator who can't stand health policy, a wonky freshman who has never passed major legislation and a former senator who lost his seat a decade ago. Together, Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum crafted the latest GOP repeal bill in hopes of delivering on the party's seven-year-old campaign promise to repeal Obamacare." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=96fcc8d57d6fc422849f8b4984926626a4b61ca9e83c2046f9cb3d987fbbcc0e3f9850f8ca7448994145cbc3caf61eb200e1b7899d63fd74

OVERHEARD AT DCA ... -- AP's CALVIN WOODWARD: "Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham on Wednesday appealed for support from fellow senators for his GOP health care bill despite 'all its imperfections.' 'We're going to vote,' Graham told broadcaster Sean Hannity. 'Everybody will be held accountable.' Graham made his comments in an overheard cellphone call in front of a passenger at Reagan National Airport before he boarded a flight. They were misinterpreted by The Associated Press as being delivered to a fellow senator. Graham's office did not dispute that interpretation when asked about the comments and did not say who was on the call with the senator. It turned out to be Hannity."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=96fcc8d57d6fc422f5ad35a69d7f3f657bf688895f385b747da3f5b1c11546f1d2c93926aba424eaaefff09c984b690c228c206029366d3b

-- Kimmel fires back at Cassidy over Obamacare repeal bill," by Cristiano Lima: "Jimmy Kimmel escalated his war of words with Sen. Bill Cassidy over his proposed Obamacare repeal bill Wednesday night, blasting the lawmaker for 'defending the indefensible' and continuing to support a measure he said was 'by many accounts the worst health-care bill yet.' Kimmel torched Cassidy for saying earlier Wednesday that the late-night host 'does not understand' his health-care bill, adding that the Republican senator from Louisiana 'either doesn't understand his own bill or he lied to me.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=96fcc8d57d6fc422bf31122efb35167236ea3bb3b464b418ee7510371d754112b79e7951e4238a6b9e1ed3daaf035cc3a1cdc62c8d927d54 ... Video http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=96fcc8d57d6fc422a1af497acb4fb5ea379cb649ca63f25cf1a02f3771312eb97ceaa7f7fa93d15946c85a960e9d4d2160a326c5b4c81378

-- "Chuck Grassley: Fulfilling campaign promise just as important as 'substance' of health bill," by Des Moines Register's Jason Noble: "Despite many evident shortcomings in a bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act health care law, Republicans have a responsibility to pass it, U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley said Wednesday. ... 'You know, I could maybe give you 10 reasons why this bill shouldn't be considered,' Grassley said [to Iowa reporters]. 'But Republicans campaigned on this so often that you have a responsibility to carry out what you said in the campaign. That's pretty much as much of a reason as the substance of the bill.' Grassley also expressed doubt, however, that the bill would pass
in the Senate ... 'No, I think we're one or two votes short and I don't see those other one or two votes coming,' he said when asked if the votes were there. 'I hope I'm wrong.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=96fcc8d57d6fc4227cc7ffa500e5a3aef23bcc8556429c956ceb9f9c75752a3708c03bbc2890c1c4ae14936e8ae28f3428527eb428997ed7

-- "Left on 'full war footing' to stop Obamacare repeal," by Elana Schor: "The liberal activists roused into the streets by President Donald Trump are revving up for one last campaign to save Obamacare. The sudden resurgence of Republicans' repeal push appeared to catch Democrats and their base by surprise. But ahead of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's plans to vote next week on a new bill to dismantle the health law, the Democratic grass roots is on what one leading activist called 'full war footing.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=96fcc8d57d6fc42299703234c1e18176a392074b56e92fe391b1567e3f39bf2c473b331fbe6cf06c46b1ffa393b74255f4babbf0a5661152

LANHEE CHEN in the WSJ: "Republicans Get One Last Chance on ObamaCare Reform: Graham-Cassidy is not perfect, but it creates a competition of ideas and gives power back to states." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=96fcc8d57d6fc422ad69d179e1bd5f2227445795bfd3f5df98b9795f2a80d0680abd20d8717a5da2286256ad2b898d4a6d7b088ce738a294

SPOTTED: Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) dropping off his Capital Bikeshare bike last night at the Giant on H Street NE ... Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) last night at the Hamilton. "Folks were shaking her hand and saying thank you for the no vote on GCHJ," per our tipster. (There hasn't been a vote, of course, but Collins has pretty much signaled she's not supportive of the bill.)

WHAT SENATE REPUBLICANS ARE READING -- "Tax Reform Progress," by WSJ editorial board: "House Republicans like to grouse about the Senate as a legislative graveyard, but on tax reform GOP Senators may be saving the day. A tentative deal between Senators Pat Toomey and Bob Corker to create $1.5 trillion in tax-cutting room as part of the budget resolution could rescue the House from its familiar factional dysfunction." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=96fcc8d57d6fc4220b958333ff2b0c68addf116df081f1887f9459b627a3023af1a858c15fdecd914dd7dbff76ae4ca7af064d3978720f70

... BUT, BUT, BUT -- "Tax reform lags other issues on list of voters' concerns," by Bernie Becker: "Republicans plan on making tax reform one of their top policy priorities this fall, but it's far from clear that's what voters actually want. One in five adults said that reducing taxes for businesses and individuals should be a major focus for Congress this fall, a POLITICO-Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health poll found, with a higher percentage calling for action on items like lowering prescription drug costs, increasing the minimum wage and infrastructure spending. Even among GOP voters, support for tax reform was rather muted, with far more Republicans interested in continuing the
battle over repealing Obamacare. A third of Republicans called for taxes to be a key part of the congressional to-do list, roughly the same as wanted more defense spending and a focus on reducing federal debt. About half of Republicans want Congress to maintain its efforts to roll back the Affordable Care Act." For Pros http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=96fcc8d57d6fc422285e9797a95ce44fde12083be582c4e2adc19936aa0f2a4164b7329220a364a0099470f374200e67569e9b07b75e0f29


****** A message from UC Davis: As the No. 1 agricultural university in the nation, UC Davis understands how food touches every living thing and what's at stake if we don't answer its challenges. Our research innovations and partnerships with farms, industry and policymakers around the world help ensure healthy, safe food for all. Learn more at 21stcentury.ucdavis.edu. ******

THE MUELLER STORIES ...

-- "Manafort offered to give Russian billionaire 'private briefings' on 2016 campaign," by WaPo's Tom Hamburger, Ros Helderman, Carol Leonnig and Adam Entous: "Less than two weeks before Donald Trump accepted the Republican presidential nomination, his campaign chairman offered to provide briefings on the race to a Russian billionaire closely aligned with the Kremlin, according to people familiar with the discussions.

"Paul Manafort made the offer in an email to an overseas intermediary, asking that a message be sent to Oleg Deripaska, an aluminum magnate with whom Manafort had done business in the past, these people said. 'If he needs private briefings we can accommodate,' Manafort wrote in the July 7, 2016, email, portions of which were read to The Washington Post along with other Manafort correspondence from that time. ...

"There is no evidence in the documents showing that Deripaska received Manafort's offer or that any briefings took place. And a spokeswoman for Deripaska dismissed the email exchanges as scheming by 'consultants in the notorious 'beltway bandit' industry.' http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=96fcc8d57d6fc42209d8aed54eda8af15e48277ae0d93d90b68f4a24d32e591a74af37e37b40da02ec6ed9407bdc6eb156aaaa722d9a5765

-- TIM MILLER (@timodc): "Campaign managers have so much free time that they frequently give private briefings to rich people who aren't contributing to the campaign."

-- STILL AT IT!: "Manafort Working on Kurdish Referendum Opposed by U.S.," by NYT's Ken Vogel and Jo Becker: "Paul J. Manafort, the former campaign chairman for President Trump who is at the center of investigations into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election, is working for allies of the leader of Iraq's Kurdish region to help administer and promote a referendum on Kurdish independence from Iraq.

'The United States opposes the referendum, but Mr. Manafort has carved out a long and lucrative career advising foreign clients whose interests have occasionally diverged from American foreign policy. And he has continued soliciting international business even as his past international work has become a focus of the investigation by the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, into ties between Russia and Mr. Trump and his associates, including possible collusion between them to influence the presidential election. In fact, the work for the Kurdish group appears to have been initiated this summer around the time that federal authorities working for Mr. Mueller raided Mr. Manafort's home in
Virginia and informed him that they planned to indict him." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=96fcc8d57d6fc42263ef07652697c186e199fd99eb7d9718828c6b64bdccb77e6d6cc9b8bcb34694602e5509b092a20159006e3788e357ac

-- "Manafort used Trump campaign account to email Ukrainian operative," by Josh Dawsey: "Former Donald Trump aide Paul Manafort used his presidential campaign email account to correspond with a Ukrainian political operative with suspected Russian ties, according to people familiar with the correspondence. Manafort sent emails to seek repayment for previous work he did in Ukraine and to discuss potential new opportunities in the country, even as he chaired Trump's presidential campaign, these people said." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=96fcc8d57d6fc4222ca9e9e28aca93c6f2e41bbe72da54b81cd3d2a864aab02089200fdfbf5f0250974b0f4ae3027dfdf0fbf81c01f477e8

-- "Mueller Seeks White House Documents Related to Trump's Actions as President," by NYT's Mike Schmidt: "Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel, has asked the White House for documents about some of President Trump's most scrutinized actions since taking office, including the firing of his national security adviser and F.B.I. director, according to White House officials. Mr. Mueller is also interested in an Oval Office meeting Mr. Trump had with Russian officials in which he said the dismissal of the F.B.I. director had relieved 'great pressure' on him. The document requests provide the most details to date about the breadth of Mr. Mueller's investigation, and show that several aspects
of his inquiry are focused squarely on Mr. Trump's behavior in the White House.

"In recent weeks, Mr. Mueller's office sent a document to the White House that detailed 13 areas in which investigators are seeking information. Since then, administration lawyers have been scouring White House emails and asking officials whether they have other documents or notes that may pertain to Mr. Mueller's requests." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=96fcc8d57d6fc422555a83606732403eefb5dfe5d2324f34c136d3980d6da0c36d59d5a9a6ed2e60d2be644c1717664b872a35f8f68bbbd8

-- @DanielBice: "I sent a note to @SheriffClarke's new official email about his security costs as sheriff. The reply: 'F**k you & the horse you rode in on.'"

TRUMP'S THURSDAY -- TRUMP will meet with the presidents from Afghanistan, Ukraine, South Korea, Japan and Turkey before heading to his golf course in Bedminster, New Jersey.

THE WORLD SCENE -- "NKorea minister calls Trump's threat 'sound of dog barking,'" by AP's Hyung-Jin Kim in Seoul: "The comments are the North's first response to Trump's debut speech at the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday, during which he vowed to 'totally destroy North Korea' if provoked. ... The North's Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho told reporters in New York late Wednesday that 'It would be a dog's dream if he intended to scare us with the sound of a dog barking.' South Korean TV footage also showed Ri saying he feels 'sorry for his aides' when he was asked about Trump's 'Rocket man' comments." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=96fcc8d57d6fc422dc4de8c71fb58ebaaa0d1e8439d3f63f6d6165c85a81eff5b4470b56243daa84e6a1c3791ed22ad7c16106145cbfb8ea

-- NYT A1: "Trump Pushes to Revisit Iran Nuclear Deal, and Asks Allies to Help," by Peter Baker and Rick Gladstone: Mr. Trump, who denounced the agreement in a speech to the United Nations General Assembly this week as an 'embarrassment to the United States,' wants to expand on it by extending its time frame and imposing new limits on Iran's development of ballistic missiles. Although European officials strongly back the current deal, some signaled openness to negotiating a separate follow-up agreement.

"The maneuvering suggested a possible path forward for Mr. Trump short of abandoning the accord, but it remains uncertain whether he can reach consensus with the European allies, much less with Russia and China, the deal's other patrons. Iran on Wednesday ruled out revisiting the agreement as President Hassan Rouhani declared it a 'closed issue' and warned that if the United States pulled out, Iran might resume uranium enrichment. 'We see today the Americans are seeking an excuse to break this agreement,' Mr. Rouhani said at a news conference after his own speech to the General Assembly. For that reason, he said, negotiating with 'an American government that tramples on a legal agreement
would be a waste of time.'

"Mr. Trump remained coy later when he met with Prime Minister Theresa May of Britain and declined to tell her his decision either. 'Prime Minister May asked him if he would share it with her and he said no,' Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson said." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=96fcc8d57d6fc422b5a5f12deb059d2b481c51cc7a575dac70b84bbb54975be370c738eb1ffd675aee76cfecd15605d5a3b7cf1d4a193357

DEPT. OF REBUILDING -- "A stunned Puerto Rico seeks to rebuild after Hurricane Maria," by AP's Danica Coto in San Juan: "Tens of thousands of Puerto Ricans stunned by a hurricane that crushed concrete balconies, twisted metal gates and paralyzed the island with landslides, flooding and downed trees vowed to slowly rebuild amid an economic crisis as rescue crews fanned out across the U.S. territory Thursday. The extent of the damage is unknown given that dozens of municipalities remained isolated and without communication after Maria hit the island Wednesday morning as a Category 4 storm with 155 mph winds, the strongest hurricane to hit Puerto Rico in over 80 years.

"Uprooted trees and widespread flooding blocked many highways and streets across the island, creating a maze that forced drivers to go against traffic and past police cars that used loudspeakers to warn people they must respect a 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew imposed by the governor to ensure everyone's safety. ... In the capital of San Juan, towering eucalyptus trees fell nearly every other block over a main road dotted with popular bars, restaurants, and coffee shops, some of which were damaged." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=96fcc8d57d6fc422887a45ff0dfb3358e08ef21c502a54f03447a49208b68de75d2d27e12b4b9dd4638048b4640c23a741a0f70321d4caa6

THE JUICE ...

-- BIG DONORS, RNC EDITION: Shipping magnate Richard Uihlein - $237,300. (Disclosed in the RNC's most recent FEC filing)

-- ON THIS WEEK'S NYT BESTSELLER LIST: Savannah Guthrie and Katy Tur. See the full list http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=96fcc8d57d6fc422dd69ae1ac1ba21f05c77ce6edab6a2024efb9fe2fffad5aa30f6ec07ac5aea53d7728ce9e69af652d63aaa5a95f8a66a


Playbook Reads


PHOTO DU JOUR: A man surveys a building demolished by a 7.1 earthquake, in Jojutla, Mexico on Sept. 20. IT was Mexico's deadliest quake in decades. | Eduardo Verdugo/AP Photo

HMM ... -- "A trove of letters passed down from White House press secretaries since the Ford administration has gone missing," by WaPo's Emily Heil: "The jacket that's for decades hung in the closet of the White House press secretary has carried many meanings. It's called the 'flak jacket,' though in reality it's a men's formal tuxedo vest with allegedly bulletproof lining that one former custodian suspected 'wouldn't deflect a BB' ... And it literally held something special: each man or woman who wore it would leave a note in a pocket for his or her successor. The notes, recalled George W. Bush press secretary Dana Perino, remained with the vest, tied together with a red ribbon. Her
favorite, she says, was a touching one from her predecessor, Tony Snow, who died of colon cancer in 2008.

"But those missives are now missing. Emails among an informal press-secretary alumni club revealed that the notes that filled a pocket are nowhere to be found - and they've been gone for years. It seems that they might have disappeared sometime during the Obama administration." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=96fcc8d57d6fc422db491752aadac160a828b3c7b8e5956963f2e440791ca7a1b3897756d14192f5de7eaa5920a9ca23c6dc6899df2485d6

UPDATE -- "Democrats request inspector general investigate Price's use of charter planes," by Rachana Pradhan: "House and Senate Democrats on Wednesday formally requested that the HHS inspector general investigate HHS Secretary Tom Price's use of private planes for government business. Five Democrats asked the inspector general to review Price's adherence to federal regulations on traveling by government employees, following a POLITICO investigation that found Price used charter planes to conduct official business within the United States." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=96fcc8d57d6fc422f5ae898b54284612f5733c4b8851eb5105d3d6e9df58e1cd985e60641129f3ca38b9ea056782c8062a04d9705e350cff ... The original story http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=96fcc8d57d6fc422d0b879778e0cb351e9e3b3738203ffe665a9a064691f4b44c225fa5de560e4a15068ae2792caa9e97e2a9d53c6212f3f

NEW BLOOMBERG BUSINESSWEEK COVER -- "It's Not Easy Being Mark Zuckerberg Right Now," by Max Chafkin and Sarah Frier: "Zuckerberg denies he's running and seems irritated by the speculation. But he concedes that many of the things he's done might seem political -- at least from a certain cynical vantage point that he, for one, doesn't share. 'I get what people are saying,' he says in an interview at Facebook's headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif. ... During the interview he insists his travels have been about personal discovery, not politics ... 'Wouldn't it be better,' he asks with a sly smile, 'if it was actually an accepted thing for people to want to go understand how other people were
living?' ...

"Thanks to a block of supervoting shares, he owns 14 percent of Facebook but has voting control of the company ... Last year at the company's annual meeting, he proposed (and then, as Facebook's controlling shareholder, approved) a plan to issue an additional class of shares that will allow him to maintain his control even if he sells most of his shares. ... [T]he proposal also included a provision that would allow him to control the company if he left to serve in government. Zuckerberg says he's been hesitant to explain the provision because of the lawsuit, and adds that he wasn't imagining the presidency but rather taking 'a temporary role in government related to technology or science,'
for instance if the U.S. needed to improve a critical part of its technology infrastructure." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=96fcc8d57d6fc4222c15137d547be83fe00659398b3fefe945d0f38df0a3127923978cf863d2d41623cd99e3e225c934a145102ade3a2da6 ... The cover http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=96fcc8d57d6fc4222146d0e579940ed8048730349232046009476fa78bc7ee911a2aa1d062820b50e87c38a7aa527d642407ef8925a9236f

TRUMP INC. -- "Black employees of BLT Prime, in Trump International Hotel, allege racial discrimination," by WaPo's Jonathan O'Connell: "Dominique Hill and Irving Smith Jr. had good jobs. Last year, Hill worked as a bartender at P.F. Chang's in Tysons Corner and Smith had recently been promoted to bartender at Wildfire grill, also in Tysons. ... In a civil complaint filed Wednesday morning in D.C. Superior Court, Hill, a former BLT employee, and Smith, a current one, allege that the Trump Organization and hotel managing director Mickael Damelincourt saw to it that the restaurant routinely steered black employees to less lucrative shifts and subjected them to discriminatory behavior by other
staff and by guests. The two men are joined in the case by another former BLT employee, JaNette Sturdivant." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=96fcc8d57d6fc4220631295734340354af63f84fabf385543effdaa1323700a80fa0402e81e009e1c2ee86f49525b410938ba60108dcdf0c


****** A message from UC Davis: To ensure the production of healthy, safe food, you need to know agriculture. And water management. Plant biology. Ecology. Economics. Engineering. Animal science. Human health. Policy. And community development. At UC Davis, the No. 1 agricultural university in the nation, we know a bright future in food requires expertise, research and collaboration across many fields. It's a complex effort, and one we're proud to cultivate with farms, industry and policymakers around the world. Learn more at 21stcentury.ucdavis.edu. ******

FIRST FAMILY - "Ivanka Trump reveals battle with postpartum depression," by CBS News' Emily Tillett: "In an interview with talk show host Doctor Oz airing on Thursday, Mr. Trump's eldest daughter Ivanka revealed that she suffered from 'some level' of postpartum depression after delivering each of her three children. 'It was very - it was a very challenging, emotional time for me because I felt like I was not living up to my potential as a parent or as an entrepreneur and an executive. And I had had such easy pregnancies, that in some way the juxtaposition hit me even harder,' Trump said on the daytime talk show. ...

"When pushed to respond to those who call for Ivanka to be a 'voice of moderation' for Mr. Trump during his most outspoken moments as president, Trump said 'I think my role -- and anyone who works for the president of the United States -- their role is continue to inform, advise, and then ultimately execute. ... I don't view it as my obligation to moderate and I don't think anyone working for a sitting president should see themselves in that capacity.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=96fcc8d57d6fc4229dfb9cbe5604dadca0546fc04e9843eff7bc4047d3db1349c4c3913ee28c6b45aa949f87ce3b6adec61ed2cd478fef0d

VALLEY TALK - "Apple Acknowledges Cellular Connectivity Problem in New Watch," by WSJ's Tripp Mickle: "Apple Inc. acknowledged problems with cellular connectivity in its newest smartwatch, raising questions about the device's most significant feature days before it goes on sale in stores in the U.S. and other countries. In a statement Wednesday, Apple said the problem connecting to cellular networks occurs when the Apple Watch Series 3-the first watch from Apple to feature an LTE chip for cellular service-joins 'unauthenticated Wi-Fi wireless networks without connectivity.' Apple said it is 'investigating a fix for a future software release.' Apple issued the statement after reviewers from
The Wall Street Journal and the Verge encountered problems at times making calls, connecting with the Siri virtual assistant and maintaining a cellular-network connection." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=96fcc8d57d6fc4228c509d3ec59c6e96383b4fb863786dfffa8b081644bbcdb2e2ca9ba2e3820f79887a64149ee57112e5ae531c21fe7b79

BUSINESS BURST -- "SEC Discloses Edgar Corporate Filing System Was Hacked in 2016," by WSJ's Dave Michaels: "The top U.S. markets regulator disclosed Wednesday that hackers penetrated its electronic system for storing public-company filings last year and may have traded on the information. The Securities and Exchange Commission's chairman, Jay Clayton, revealed the breach in an unusual and lengthy statement issued Wednesday evening that didn't provide many details about the intrusion, including the extent of any illegal trading. The SEC said it was investigating the source of the hack, which exploited a software vulnerability in a part of the agency's Edgar system, a comprehensive database
of filings made by thousands of public companies and other financial firms regulated by the SEC." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=96fcc8d57d6fc422ae50f7165e37b26be100f9ce232e5a88e7170356d7609c34eb095444d3611035f45263273937d7d2890355230fcc4659

--AP at 5:14 a.m.: "BEIJING (AP) - Standard & Poor's rating agency cuts China's credit rating, citing rising debt."

MEDIAWATCH -- JIM ACOSTA PROFILE - "Jim Acosta Is the White House's Favorite Reporter: The CNN correspondent has embraced the role of White House antagonist, which makes his boss happy. But the White House loves the matchup, too," by Ben Strauss in POLITICO Magazine: "[F]or Acosta, 46, disdain delivered with a theatrical flourish has become something of a signature in the nine months of the Trump administration. Never was that more apparent than when Acosta threw down with White House adviser Stephen Miller. ... Fans leave bourbon in Acosta's mailbox and stop him on the street to thank him for standing up to Trump's policies and press-bashing ... After Miller stepped away from the podium,
he received high-fives from his colleagues." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=96fcc8d57d6fc4224a0b6a2dfca77e977a5b3869d503512b89fae4ae0ed19573fd236df5033d4e16de13f710f13611e96a6f2069b7f7d165

-- "Preet Bharara joins CNN as senior legal analyst," by Michael Calderone: "Preet Bharara, whom President Donald Trump fired as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, is joining CNN as a Senior Legal Analyst, POLITICO has learned." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=96fcc8d57d6fc422deed31de07f2062eea64c36847e5f7bc2343866e15b35e07b013c8d4d212065a798a6c727c4b3dc1c6af04bce2e0abd4

-- BUZZFEED'S STEVEN PERLBERG: "CNN Digital Is Facing A $20 Million Budget Shortfall: CNN is having a huge year on TV, but a budget shortfall at CNN Digital has restricted travel for digital employees and scaled back expenses." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=96fcc8d57d6fc4221771ed74b7bb663fb9d7eb996da69ca4ca6a9a79862c93e5519a85b371aef8be765503fb3542eb6232162ca5cd9d405c

LATE NIGHT BEST -- SEN. JEFF FLAKE (R-ARIZ.) on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=96fcc8d57d6fc4223eec26ff34700e5460b88b0c8b4ce2649dc49fbd3eabfb8f07873b264ba3ba998782d93a09f18d2a08908b57c627a49e

Playbookers
FIRST IN PLAYBOOK -- FORMER SEN. KELLY AYOTTE is joining the ONE Campaign's board of directors ... Pete Maysmith has been named the new SVP of campaigns at the League of Conservation Voters. He most recently was executive director of Conservation Colorado. ... JOSHUA DUBOIS has joined CNN as a contributor. He led faith and community partnerships for Obama and now runs Values Partnerships.

-- MIKE DUBKE spoke at a D.C. communicators meeting yesterday about his time in the White House and how companies and outside groups should communicate in the Trump era. John Feehery and EFB Advocacy hosted. SPOTTED: Katie Wilson, Eric Wohlschlegel, Brian Sansoni, Greg Crist, John Easton and Adam Belmar, Sue Hensley and Christina Pearson.

BIRTHDAYS OF THE DAY: Brianna Keilar, CNN senior Washington correspondent and anchor. How she got her start in journalism: "I was the sports reporter for my high school television news magazine, Diablo Heat. I then had a brief foray into print journalism at my college paper, The Daily Californian, covering women's golf." Read her Playbook Plus Q&A: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=96fcc8d57d6fc4225254068afd2a2ed4878330fa87d65d371445bcc4e7b895a8c59e377e3e393729c6f0c4aa87a138de195d35a86b14dc89 ... Kiki Burger, account director in the LA office of Sunshine Sachs and a Politico and Susan G. Komen alum. How she's celebrating: "Tonight I'll be up in San Francisco having dinner at Tartine Manufactory with my husband Tim, my sister Kate, my best friend from college Tessie, fellow former D.C.-er
Vikrum Aiyer and some other friends. Last night Tim and I had an awesome dinner at Bestia here in LA. So basically it revolves around food." Q&A: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=96fcc8d57d6fc42271a3ffdf2e5a24705c92831e416507daac3ea6948ee0e542e7fc5d81d1b2921ef54dd68ee0df50d8ce0643099a12a317

BIRTHDAYS: Shealah Craighead, the White House photographer (hat tip: Peter Watkins) ... Maggie Dougherty, senior policy adviser for U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley ... Dean Baquet is 61 ... Cass Sunstein is 63 ... former CIA director James Woolsey is 76 ... former Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear is 73 ... former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is 6-0 ... Brian Roehrkasse, VP of external comms at BAE Systems (h/t Blain Rethmeier) ... Politico's Karey Van Hall and Jessica Andrews ... Rep. Al Lawson (D-Fla.) is 69 ... Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) is 52 ... Anna Greenberg, partner at Greenberg Quinlan Rosner (h/t Jon Haber) ... former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Samantha Power,
celebrating during #UNGA week (h/t Ben) ... Charles Garrison, account executive for local markets at OpenGov ... Ian Russell, principal at Beacon Media and a DCCC alum ...

... Erin Graefe Dorton, managing director at Prime Policy ... WSJ's Zeke Turner ... Patricia Summers Edwards, vice consul and head of comms at the British Consulate General in NYC ... Elizabeth Wiebe ... DCCC's Laurel Ruza ... Monica Carmeant ... Matt Thorn ... Justin Reilly ... CQ Roll Call's Toula Vlahou ... Lydia Stuckey ... John Celock ... Jonathan Robinson, entrepreneur-in-residence at the VA ... Rachel Barth ... Mark Watson ... Sarah Sibley ... John McKechnie ... Chelsie Paulson ... Ricki Lake ... Kelly Lindner ... Dan Turrentine is 4-0 ... Lisa Marie ... Mike Veselik ... Soren Dorius ... Jane Bowlsby ... David Craighead ... Joerg Wareka ... John Paul Croake (h/ts Teresa Vilmain)

****** A message from UC Davis: To ensure the production of healthy, safe food, you need to know agriculture. And water management. Plant biology. Ecology. Economics. Engineering. Animal science. Human health. Policy. And community development. At UC Davis, the No. 1 agricultural university in the nation, we know a bright future in food requires expertise, research and collaboration across many fields. It's a complex effort, and one we're proud to cultivate with farms, industry and policymakers around the world. Learn more at 21stcentury.ucdavis.edu. ******

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