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Presented by UnitedHealth Group: Playbook is POLITICO's must-read briefing on what's driving the day in Washington Sep 19, 2018 View in browser
By Anna Palmer, Jake Sherman and Daniel Lippman

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DRIVING THE DAY
ALL OF A SUDDEN, out of seemingly nowhere, it seems like Republicans are gently steering BRETT KAVANAUGH'S Supreme Court nomination back on track.

REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS are at a stalemate. Senate Republicans offered Christine Blasey Ford the chance to testify publicly or privately, but her lawyer said that first the FBI should investigate the three-decade-old sexual assault allegations against Kavanaugh.

FORD'S ATTORNEY SENT THIS LETTER TO THE COMMITTEE ... "In the 36 hours since her name became public, Dr. Ford has received a stunning amount of support from her community and from fellow citizens across our country.

"At the same time, however, her worst fears have materialized. She has been the target of vicious harassment and even death threats. As a result of these kind of threats, her family was forced to relocate out of their home. Her email has been hacked, and she has been impersonated online.

"While Dr. Ford's life was being turned upside down, you and your staff scheduled a public hearing for her to testify at the same table as Judge Kavanaugh in front of two dozen U.S. Senators on national television to relive this traumatic and harrowing incident. The hearing was scheduled for six short days from today and would include interrogation by Senators who appear to have made up their minds that she is 'mistaken' and 'mixed up.' While no sexual assault survivor should be subjected to such an ordeal, Dr. Ford wants to cooperate with the Committee and with law enforcement officials." The letter

SENATE JUDICIARY CHAIRMAN CHUCK GRASSLEY (R-IOWA) is going to push ahead with a vote next week if Ford does not testify Monday. He said last night: "Immediately after learning of Dr. Ford's identity from news reports Sunday, committee staff started working to gather facts related to her claims. We've offered Dr. Ford the opportunity to share her story with the committee, as her attorney said yesterday she was willing to do.

"We offered her a public or a private hearing as well as staff-led interviews, whichever makes her most comfortable. The invitation for Monday still stands.

"Dr. Ford's testimony would reflect her personal knowledge and memory of events. Nothing the FBI or any other investigator does would have any bearing on what Dr. Ford tells the committee, so there is no reason for any further delay."

REPUBLICANS WILL INSIST they were reasonable, and Kavanaugh's fate will be in the hands of MAINE SEN. SUSAN COLLINS and ALASKA SEN. LISA MURKOWSKI. The more time that goes by without her testifying, the more likely it is that Kavanaugh will be confirmed.

WE ALREADY SEE THE DYNAMICS SHIFTING IN THE RANK AND FILE in favor of Kavanaugh. ... SEN. BOB CORKER (R-TENN.), who was publicly pushing for a delay, tweeted last night: "After learning of the allegation, Chairman @ChuckGrassley took immediate action to ensure both Dr. Ford and Judge Kavanaugh have the opportunity to be heard, in public or private. Republicans extended a hand in good faith. If we don't hear from both sides on Monday, let's vote."

-- WATCH SEN. JEFF FLAKE (R-ARIZ.). He tweeted at 11:50 p.m.: "When Dr. Ford came forward, I said that her voice should be heard and asked the Judiciary Committee to delay its vote on Judge Kavanaugh. It did so. I now implore Dr. Ford to accept the invitation for Monday, in a public or private setting. The committee should hear her voice."

WEIGHING IN ON HIS BEHALF -- "Exclusive: Bush reaffirms support for Kavanaugh," by Daniel Lippman: "Former President George W. Bush is standing by Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, a former top White House aide whose confirmation to the high court has been thrown into doubt amid sexual assault allegations. Bush told POLITICO in a statement on Tuesday: 'Laura and I have known and respected Brett Kavanaugh for decades, and we stand by our comments the night Judge Kavanaugh was nominated.'" POLITICO

-- NOT HELPING HIS CAUSE -- "Kavanaugh in 2015: 'What happens at Georgetown Prep, stays at Georgetown Prep'" ... "When 11 men interrogate: GOP tries to head off Kavanaugh debacle"

WHERE PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP STANDS -- @realDonaldTrump at 11:45 p.m.: "The Supreme Court is one of the main reasons I got elected President. I hope Republican Voters, and others, are watching, and studying, the Democrats Playbook."

-- @seungminkim: "NEWS - Mark Judge in letter obtained by WaPo says 'I have no memory of this alleged incident' and defends Kavanaugh." The letter

Good Wednesday morning. SPOTTED: Cindy McCain, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Rick Davis and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) having dinner last night at Fiola ... Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) at DCA yesterday (pic).

WHAT ELSE IS ON TRUMP'S MIND -- @realDonaldTrump at 12:04 a.m.: "Kim Jong Un has agreed to allow Nuclear inspections, subject to final negotiations, and to permanently dismantle a test site and launch pad in the presence of international experts. In the meantime there will be no Rocket or Nuclear testing. Hero remains to continue being........"

... at 12:11 a.m.: "....returned home to the United States. Also, North and South Korea will file a joint bid to host the 2032 Olympics. Very exciting!"

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NEW -- WOMEN RULE PODCAST: ANNA spoke with DANA PERINO on her move from the White House to Fox News and how she thinks this administration is handling the press. Subscribe and listen to the podcast

-- ON SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS: "I never grade anyone's performance," Perino said. She noted that Sanders "represents her boss very well. ... We all know that the press secretary's job is really hard. Hers is probably harder than most. ...

"I do wish that she felt like she could have a little bit more fun in the job," Perino said. "I do think she's actually a cheerful and joyous person off camera when she's not having to be on stage. She's charming and funny."

-- ON THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION: "There's no doubt President Trump is unprecedented. He's different. ... The voters said, 'We want somebody to go in there and shake things up,' and that's what he's done," Perino said. "President Trump obviously is frustrated that people don't look at it and say, 'He said he was going to do these seven things; he has done these seven things.'" Still, Trump's "style," Perino admitted, "does rub a lot of people the wrong way."

-- WHETHER SHE'D GO BACK TO THE W.H.: "I feel like I've passed my prime. ... Those White House jobs are really hard and the president doesn't seem to trust people who worked for George W. Bush."

NEW -- "Poll: Democratic women turbocharged to vote in midterms," by Steven Shepard: "Nearly two-thirds of voters are highly motivated to cast ballots in this November's midterm election - but no group more than Democratic women, according to a new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll. Overall, 64 percent are 'very motivated' to vote, the poll shows. That is statistically unchanged from the 66 percent who said last month they were very motivated by the midterms, and up from 55 percent back in May.

"But as voters begin to lock in their November plans in President Donald Trump's first midterm election, one key demographic group - Democratic women - is more motivated to vote than all the others.

"Seventy-one percent say they are very motivated to vote, more than any other group including Democratic men (63 percent), Republican men (68 percent), Republican women (69 percent), independent men (58 percent) and independent women (51 percent)." POLITICO

SCOOP -- "FEMA official suspended in connection with IG probe," by Daniel Lippman: "A senior FEMA official has been suspended without pay in connection with a Department of Homeland Security inspector general investigation into the improper use of government vehicles by FEMA administrator Brock Long, according to two current government officials. The official, John Veatch, was informed of his suspension by FEMA chief of staff Eric Heighberger last Friday, just as the agency was leading coordination of the response to Hurricane Florence. Veatch, appointed by Trump to oversee FEMA's National Continuity Programs directorate, did not immediately respond to requests for comment." POLITICO

NEW -- RANDY BRYCE responds to THE CONGRESSIONAL LEADERSHIP FUND ... CLF, the House super PAC, took a shot at Bryce -- the Democrat running for Speaker Paul Ryan's (R-Wis.) House seat -- for being arrested. They even enlisted Bryce's brother to dump on him in the ad.

-- BRYCE cut an ad where he owned up to mistakes, and said: "The fact is people do make mistakes and I was raised to own up to what I did in the past that was wrong. It's not about who is the more perfect person to represent you, it's about who understands the hardships you are going to face in order to make our world a better place." They are putting $175,000 behind this ad. The 30-second spot

TRADE WARS -- "Canada's Trudeau under growing pressure to get NAFTA deal done," by Reuters' David Ljunggren in Ottawa: "Business and political leaders are increasing the pressure on Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to agree on a deal to renew NAFTA and drop his insistence that no deal is better than a bad deal. Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland will hold fresh talks on the North American Free Trade Agreement with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer in Washington on Wednesday as a U.S.-imposed deadline of Oct. 1 looms.

"The two sides are far apart in some areas and Trudeau says his Liberal government will walk away if necessary. Signs are growing that hitherto solid domestic support for Ottawa's stance is fraying amid fears of the potential economic damage. The United States takes 75 percent of Canada's goods exports and President Donald Trump is threatening to impose tariffs on autos." Reuters

ON THE KOREAN PENINSULA -- "Kim agrees to dismantle main nuke site if U.S. takes steps too," by AP's Eric Talmadge in Pyongyang, North Korea, and Kim Tong-Hyung in Seoul: "South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un announced a sweeping set of agreements after their second day of talks in Pyongyang on Wednesday that included a promise by Kim to permanently dismantle the North's main nuclear complex if the United States takes corresponding measures, the acceptance of international inspectors to monitor the closing of a key missile test site and launch pad and a vow to work together to host the Summer Olympics in 2032.

"Declaring they had made a major step toward peace on the Korean Peninsula, the two leaders were side by side as they announced the joint statement to a group of North and South Korean reporters after a closed-door meeting Wednesday morning." AP

-- "Kim Jong-un Will Visit South Korea, Leaders Announce," by NYT's Choe Sang-Hun in Seoul: "Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader, will visit South Korea 'in the near future,' he said on Wednesday after meeting with the South's president, Moon Jae-in. ...

"Such a trip would be the first by any North Korean leader, another dramatic moment in a flurry of diplomacy in recent months. Mr. Kim said he and Mr. Moon had 'made a firm commitment to exert active efforts to make the Korean Peninsula free of nuclear weapons and nuclear threat and turn it into a land of peace.'" NYT

-- @AP: "BREAKING: North and South Korea agree to seek to jointly host the 2032 Summer Olympics."

2018 WATCH -- "Trump rails on top Florida ally over Hurricane Maria flap," by Alex Isenstadt and Marc Caputo: "President Donald Trump is privately lashing out at one of his top allies, Ron DeSantis, angrily accusing the Florida Republican gubernatorial nominee of publicly betraying him.

"The president has told close associates in recent days that he views DeSantis - who won his Aug. 28 GOP primary thanks to Trump's strong support - as profoundly disloyal for distancing himself from the president's assertion that the Hurricane Maria death toll was inflated by Democrats for political purposes." POLITICO

-- "Democrats fear Shalala campaign is in 'sleep mode' while challenger surges," by Marc Caputo: "[L]ocal Democrats are dismayed as [Donna] Shalala is struggling to put away her Republican rival, a popular former Spanish-language television newswoman named Maria Elvira Salazar. Salazar leads the former Clinton Foundation head by 7 percentage points in a poll conducted for the Republican's campaign that was completed Thursday. In a poll from Shalala's campaign, completed Sept. 1, the Democrat leads Salazar by 4 percentage points.

"Either way, the race is far too close for Democrats in Miami ... 'Donna's campaign changed in April. It went from active mode to sleep mode. And she hasn't woken up,' said Grant Stern, a longtime critic of Shalala's and a Miami-Dade County Democratic Executive Committee member, echoing the sentiment of party insiders." POLITICO

-- "Shopping-mall scion sisters have a beef with Pence and millions for Democratic candidates," by Maggie Severns: "A pair of shopping-mall scions from Indiana might seem like unlikely champions of the Democratic resistance. But sisters Deborah Simon and Cynthia Simon-Skjodt - who have for years opposed Mike Pence in Indiana over abortion and religious freedom laws - have poured $12 million into backing Democrats, making their combined contributions the seventh largest chunk of cash donated to either party this cycle." POLITICO

REVOLVING DOOR WATCH -- @kaitlancollins: "Asked by @barbarastarrcnn if he ever thinks about leaving, Defense Secretary James Mattis grins and says, 'Of course I don't think about leaving. I love it here. I'm thinking about retiring here, getting a little place by the Potomac.'"

THE INVESTIGATIONS -- "Trump 'dossier' stuck in New York, didn't trigger Russia investigation, sources say," by ABC's Mike Levine: "President Donald Trump and his allies have long insisted that what he calls the 'fake dirty dossier' was wholly 'responsible for starting the totally and discredited witch hunt' by special counsel Robert Mueller.

"But, beginning in July 2016, that so-called 'dossier' actually sat for several weeks inside an organized crime unit at the FBI's New York field office, even as counterintelligence agents in Washington, D.C. - unaware of the new allegations - were already investigating Russian efforts to hijack American democracy. ...

"Despite what Trump and like-minded politicians have said, sources told ABC News the 'dossier' was plainly not the initial basis for the federal investigation." ABC

THE JUICE ...

THE CROOKED MEDIA team has created a new tool -- Vote Save America -- which connects people to volunteer opportunities in their community, and allows people to look up whether they're registered to vote. Vote Save America

-- TANYA SOMANADER -- Crooked Media's content director, who worked in the Obama White House digital shop -- emails this: "The three main reasons young people give when asked why they don't vote are: a) I don't know where or how to vote, b) I don't know what I'm actually voting on, and c) I don't think my vote matters. That last one we can answer now: Of course it f***ing matters. For the other two, we have Vote Save America. which is a step-by-step guide/site that makes it easy to register, to find your ballot explained in plain English, and to get involved in your local races."

A message from UnitedHealth Group:


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TRUMP'S WEDNESDAY -- The president will travel to Havelock, N.C., this morning. He will travel to the Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point before returning later in the day to Washington, D.C.

HAPPENING TOMORROW -- JAKE and ANNA will be in Columbus, Ohio for our latest Playbook Elections event. DEMOCRAT RICHARD CORDRAY, the former head of the CFPB who is running for governor, and REP. JIM RENACCI (R-OHIO), who is running for Senate, will join us for a conversation on what's happening in the midterms. Join us
PLAYBOOK READS


PHOTO DU JOUR: A Coast Guard helicopter crew works to rescue people stranded amid the flooding in Burgaw, N.C., on Tuesday. | Steve Helber/AP Photo

THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION -- "Records: Chao government flights cost $94K," by Tanya Snyder: "Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao flew on Federal Aviation Administration planes rather than commercial flights on seven occasions between January and August 2017, newly released records show - including one flight to and around Europe that cost taxpayers an estimated $68,892 for her and five staffers.

"All told, Chao's flights on the FAA planes cost an estimated $93,977.84, the records show. She appears to have halted the practice just as one of her fellow Cabinet members, then-Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, was facing increasing scrutiny over his use of private and military flights. Price resigned in September 2017 after POLITICO raised questions about the flight expenses, which totaled about $1.2 million." POLITICO

NEW DETAILS ... "Cuomo's top aides knew about Nixon mailer," by the New York Post's Nolan Hicks and Carl Campanile: "Gov. Andrew Cuomo's inner circle was aware of the slimy mailer that sought to link Cynthia Nixon to anti-Semitism, casting new doubts on his campaign's repeated denials about the smear against his Democratic primary rival. Campaign manager Maggie Moran was copied on discussions about the mailer and her top aide, Adam Steinberger, was involved in its creation two weeks before the election, interviews and documents obtained by The Post show.

"Cuomo's office was looped in, too: Jill DesRosiers - top lieutenant to Cuomo's right hand, Melissa DeRosa - was copied on the email, according to sources familiar with the exchanges. The emails show that it would have been difficult for longtime top Cuomo adviser Larry Schwartz to review the mailer but miss the large-type line linking Nixon to anti-Semitism, as he claimed, because both the positive and negative parts of the mailer were contained in a single attachment." NY Post

BUSINESS BURST -- "Danske Bank CEO quits in $234 billion money laundering scandal," by Reuters' Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen and Teis Jensen in Copenhagen: "Danske Bank's chief executive Thomas Borgen quit on Wednesday in a money laundering scandal which involved 200 billion euros ($234 billion) flowing through its Estonian branch between 2007 and 2015, most of which was suspicious." Reuters

VALLEY TALK -- "Apple CEO walks trade tightrope with Trump," by Steven Overly: "Apple CEO Tim Cook has successfully navigated his company through President Donald Trump's trade war with China - but the escalating fight still threatens to disrupt the iPhone giant's bottom line.

"Apple's popular gadgets were spared in the Trump administration's latest round of tariffs on $200 billion worth of products from China, thanks in part to savvy maneuvering by Cook that allows him to do what few others can: simultaneously criticize and endear himself to a temperamental, impulse-driven president.

"But as both the U.S. and China pledge to ratchet up tensions further, trade experts warn it will be harder for Cook to keep Apple unscathed." POLITICO

A message from UnitedHealth Group:


Nurse practitioners can help boost access to high-quality primary care for millions of Americans. Learn more.

MEDIAWATCH -- "Barro joining New York magazine as a business columnist," by Talking Biz News' Chris Roush: "Josh Barro is joining New York magazine as a business columnist for Intelligencer, a new site covering politics, business, technology, media, and innovation.

"The site, which will incorporate the company's tech vertical Select All into Daily Intelligencer, will launch in October. Barro was previously senior editor at Business Insider, where he wrote commentary on politics, business, and the economy. He is also host of KCRW's 'Left, Right & Center,' and a contributor to MSNBC." Talking Biz News

-- "Ex-L.A. Times Beijing Bureau Chief Resigns Amid Sexual Misconduct Claims," by NYT's Alexandra Stevenson

-- Per Morning Media: "The former deputy director of the FBI [Andrew McCabe], who has endured attacks from the president and was fired a day before his planned retirement after a distinguished 22-year career, will be out on Dec. 4 with 'How the FBI Protects America in the Age of Terror and Trump.' The book will be published by St. Martin's Press."
PLAYBOOKERS
WEEKEND WEDDING -- Kwabena Nsiah, policy director for the Congressional Black Caucus, on Saturday married Alaina Gibbs, director of board relations and strategic initiatives at NPR, in a ceremony on Martha's Vineyard. Pic

BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Lucette Lagnado, senior special writer for the WSJ and bestselling author. How she thinks the Trump presidency is going: "No comment. But I would point people to my early - really early - Trump coverage, dating back to 1990 to be precise. As a reporter for the New York Post my editors assigned me to the Trump beat amid rumblings that his Atlantic City hotel was faltering. ... My favorite Trump story was about his refusal to pay for limousines he ordered. The lede seems oddly salient, 28 years later: 'Donald Trump, who has demonstrated a passion for tall women, tall buildings, and tall stacks of casino chips, is now balking at paying for a fleet of limousines -- because
they are too short. Two and seven-eighth inches short to be precise.'" Playbook Plus Q&A

BIRTHDAYS: Andrea Saul, policy comms at Facebook (hat tips: Tucker Bounds and Jackie Rooney) ... Michael Barone, senior political analyst for the Washington Examiner and co-author of "The Almanac of American Politics," is 74 ... Roger Angell is 98 ... former Defense Secretary Harold Brown is 91 ... Spencer Garrett is 55 ... Christina Iskandar ... Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) is 53 (h/t Michele Exner) ... Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) is 63 ... Anne Garland ... Rebecca Blank, chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison ... Jeannie Bunton ... Sarah Davey ... Toby Chaudhuri ... Suzanne Salgado ... Chris Cooper, WSJ alum now at Potomac Square Group (h/t Jon Haber) ... POLITICO's Colleen
Connolly ... David Pittman ... David Silber (h/t Claude Marx) ... Greta Carnes ... Claire Gianotti, a former Obama comms staffer now a 2L at Georgetown Law ... Ariana Mushnick of Precision Strategies ... Dorey Scheimer, producer at Cox Media's Washington Bureau ... Jeannie Bunton, EVP and chief of staff with the Consumer Bankers Association ... Bhutan Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay is 53 ... Maggie Moran, managing partner at Kivvit (h/t Jesse Shapiro) ...

... Edward Scheinman, senior editor at Pacific Standard, is 33 (h/t Nadia Szold) ... Politico Europe's Marion Solletty ... John Byers ... Sarah Kleiner, federal politics reporter at the Center for Public Integrity (h/t Dave Levinthal) ... Carly Rolfe ... Amanda DeBard ... Will Hackman of Pew Charitable Trusts (h/t Nihal Krishan) ... Curtis Rhyne ... Sarah Marie Miller ... Frank Konkel, executive editor at Nextgov ... Dan Kolko ... WSJ senior news editor Wade Lambert is 58 ... Andrea McCarren ... Masamichi Hanabusa ... Valentyna Polunina ... Neal Urwitz, VP at Edelman, is 35 ... Kimberly Halkett ... Sean Coit, comms director for Sen. Coons (D-Del.) ... Paul Logan ... Mike Laws ... Adam
Temple ... Bruce Alpert ... Ali Glisson ... Janno Lieber ... Donn Stanley ... Mary Pat Day ... Larry Fox ... Mark Edwards ... Sarah Bailey (h/ts Teresa Vilmain)

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