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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
BREAKING ... THE PRESIDENT this morning caused panic at the NATO SUMMIT in Brussels. Before 6 a.m. on the East Coast, German news reports indicated that PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP was threatening to pull out of NATO if countries didn't up their spending.

AT AROUND 6:20 A.M., Trump -- flanked by John Bolton and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo -- said that "tremendous progress has been made," and NATO member countries would be committing "an additional $33 billion."

-- TRUMP: "We are doing numbers like they've never done before." ... "I let them know yesterday ... that I was extremely unhappy with what was happening and they have substantially upped their commitment."

AFTER THE EMERGENCY MEETING, Trump said there was a "great collegial spirit in that room." NATO, Trump said, is a "fine tuned machine."

CLIP AND SAVE ... WHAT WILL DRIVE WASHINGTON NUTS ... TRUMP ON PUTIN ... "He's been very nice to me the times I've met him, I've been nice to him. He's a competitor. Somebody was saying, 'Is he an enemy?' No, he's not my enemy. Is he a friend? No, I don't know him well enough. But the couple of times that I've gotten to meet him, we got along well... I hope we get along well. But ultimately he's a competitor. He's representing Russia. I'm representing the United States. So, in a sense, we're competitors. It's not a question of friend or enemy. He's not my enemy. And hopefully some day maybe he'll be a friend. It could happen. But I just don't know him very well. I met him a couple of
times."

ON PUTIN AND MEDDLING: "He may deny it. All I can do is say, 'Did you?' and 'Don't do it again.'"

ASKED IF HE WOULD change his tune on NATO in a tweet on Air Force One, Trump said he is consistent and a "very stable genius."

TRUMP SAID "it's fine" that people are protesting his visit in the United Kingdom because "they like me a lot" there. He called the U.K. a "hot spot" because of the political turmoil.

SIREN ... TRUMP ON IRAN: "At a certain point they're going to call me and say let's make a deal, and we'll make a deal."

LINES OF THE MORNING ... TRUMP to PBS' YAMICHE ALCINDOR (also an MSNBC contributor): "You're very famous on television." ... When BLOOMBERG'S MARGARET TALEV introduced herself, the president said, "After all these years I know, Margaret."

-- ALSO ... FALSE!!!! TRUMP said that Ronald Reagan did not win Wisconsin in 1984. He did! The state he didn't win was Minnesota!

THIS CAME AFTER an emergency session with NATO allies over defense spending. Perhaps an ominous sign: Earlier in the day, TRUMP showed up 30 minutes late for a meeting centered on Russian aggression.

CONGRESS has been abundantly clear without being rude to the president: NATO is essential. SPEAKER PAUL RYAN just yesterday said NATO is indispensable! But, as we've seen so many times, Trump doesn't really care what Congress says on these big transformative issues. The Hill has been begging him to pull back on tariffs, go tough on Russia and stop alienating U.S. allies, mostly to no avail.

FACT-CHECK - "How does NATO funding work? Not the way Trump says it does," by CNN's Ryan Browne: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9a90d7b0570b846c924e18a5d32ba4061939a2a4af6d50074e099ac3b25d0a7b5183b7d6ab50fdd8c52d9f27e77e3ea3

QUOTE OF THE DAY ... WALL STREET JOURNAL'S VALENTINA POP (@valentinapop): "Luxembourg PM @Xavier_Bettel gives download of the NATO dinner last night: 'Trump was in a good mood, he said Europe is a continent he appreciates and which has to develop its defense spending further. But he has wifi on the plane, so we will have to see in the end.' #NATOSummit."

WAPO'S PHIL RUCKER in BRUSSELS: "At NATO dinner last night, Trump bragged about Kim Jong Un summit and said he called golfer Jack Nicklaus to say, 'They have 1,000 cameras at the Oscars and we had 6,000 cameras in Singapore. The buzz was fantastic,' an attendee tells WaPo."

SIREN ... BIG DEVELOPMENT IN THE MIDTERM ELECTIONS ... THE CONGRESSIONAL LEADERSHIP FUND -- the House GOP leadership-aligned super PAC -- will announce today that it raised $51 MILLION in the second quarter of 2018. That's more than CLF raised all of last cycle. The super PAC has $71 million on hand, and it's raised $93 million this cycle.

-- BEFORE YOU ASK ... YES, $30 million of that haul is from SHELDON ADELSON, the Las Vegas casino mogul and prolific Republican donor. But an additional $21 million on top of that is significant and gives Republicans a more-than healthy outside group willing to wage war to keep the majority. Some Republicans and Democrats say the CLF hauls have been landscape-shifting for Republicans' efforts to keep the majority.

IT HELPS that Republicans have PAUL RYAN, KEVIN MCCARTHY and STEVE SCALISE all fundraising for the NRCC, CLF and Protect the House. It also shows that RYAN has been keeping a break-neck schedule in fundraising -- and, we know from our conversations on the Hill that CLF has been working to integrate McCarthy into its fundraising schedule.

TRUTH BOMB ... Dozens of Democrats have been outraising their Republican challengers, which makes this kind of cash even more important. We'll give you a rundown of who gave what to CLF when its report is filed in the coming days.

****** 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. ******

BIG MATT NUSSBAUM SCOOP ... JUST POSTED ... "Marc Short, Trump's director of legislative affairs, is leaving later this month to join a D.C. consulting firm and teach at UVA": "Short ... is taking a position at Guidepost Strategies consulting firm and will teach at the University of Virginia's business school, where he received his MBA, and will also serve as a senior fellow at the university's Miller Center." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9a90d7b0570b846cee08d7a7a762624615c94d485ba48c8a2c5f6b2368154fc7e427b18cb13379f987cb056a5f454a5c

NYT'S MIRIAM JORDAN in LOS ANGELES: "Trump Administration to Speed Reunions of Families Separated at Border": "The government will stop requiring a litany of steps before a child can be released from a shelter, the American Civil Liberties Union confirmed. It has sued the government over the family separations.

"To speed up the reunions, the government will no longer insist on fingerprinting all adults in a household where a child will live, or require home visits by a social worker. Instead, the authorities will release children to a parent once a familial tie has been established, provided the parent or guardian does not have a criminal record." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9a90d7b0570b846cbb2a6169c14ff2d0065c35e5c9ce3abe823be29af086e05cf4b38e2d15894c4344a0b74285390264

Good Thursday morning.

NEXT STOP ... THE U.K. ... WAPO'S BILL BOOTH and DAVID FAHRENTHOLD: "'Not exactly rolling out the red carpet': Trump visit to Turnberry resort spotlights challenge facing his brand": "This weekend, President Trump will take a break from visiting heads of state in Europe and detour to this tiny village in Scotland - so he can visit a luxury golf resort named after himself.

"The side trip will allow Trump the president a chance to shine an international spotlight on Trump the brand by staying at Trump Turnberry, a 112-year-old Scottish resort that he bought in 2014.

"But the visit will also highlight a challenge facing many Trump properties since his election. They were built on the premise that the Trump name symbolizes lavish hospitality, but are now trying to survive in an era in which it represents the opposite of hospitality to many in the United States and abroad." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9a90d7b0570b846cd599f15254dd4b89562966620a359d4f876800103c200e4f618a0b4284886656bad24658736ceb79

... THEN MEETING WITH PUTIN: BURGESS EVERETT and RACHAEL BADE: "Trump sparks Republican rift on Russia": "Republicans are having a Russian identity crisis. The congressional GOP is openly struggling with the United States' relationship with Russia during President Donald Trump's overseas trip this week - with some worried about fraying U.S. alliances and Russian President Vladimir Putin's growing influence and others pleased to see improved relations and fearful of getting on the wrong side of the leader of their own party. ...

"'Things that are said to try to create instability, all that does is strengthen Putin,' said Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Corker (R-Tenn.). 'I was just in the region last week, and it's really disturbing to hear the conversations people are having at the highest of levels [about] whether we're reliable or not.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9a90d7b0570b846cd0848ee599df7328138363c8b4d937f9cb5ea33ae69a2ca7e10a66f13155351579449e3d826a7f77

BANNON IN EUROPE -- "Bannon hosts Europopulists in London ahead of Trump's visit," by Annie Karni in London: "A day before President Donald Trump's arrival here, leaders of Europe's rough-edged populist movement quietly filed into a five-star hotel in London's Mayfair district, unnoticed by summer tourists enjoying their clotted cream.

"Louis Aliot, a right-wing French politician and boyfriend of the French populist firebrand Marine Le Pen, walked through the lobby to a conference room tucked away behind the restaurant serving afternoon tea. So did Nigel Farage, the right-wing British politician and Brexit mastermind whom the local tabloids say is 'banned' by his government from meeting with President Donald Trump during his visit.

"Ben Harris-Quinney, chairman of a prominent London conservative think tank, lingered by the concierge booth as he discussed ways Trump's British fans can offer him a warm greeting amid planned protests and a giant inflatable diapered Trump baby set to fly over the city. 'We're trying to tell the story that there is a strong well of support,' said Harris-Quinney.

"They had all come to see Trump's former chief strategist Steve Bannon, who had set up a bare war room, of sorts, in a conference room at the hotel to confer and conspire with leaders of Europe's surging populist movement. Bannon's goal, he said in a brief interview between meetings, was to help 'contextualize Trump' for a European audience that hates him and a fiery tabloid media culture that he believes doesn't give the American president a fair shake." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9a90d7b0570b846c8f1d803ecbe02b85638d73521b67c140d67f746f3f1681fee053318347844eef0ccfd3f38c81b692

BLOOMBERG: "North Koreans Are No Show at U.S. War Dead Talks, Yonhap Reports," by David Tweed and Kanga Kong: "U.S. negotiators arrived Thursday at the militarized border between the two Koreas as previously announced by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and were kept waiting, the Yonhap News Agency reported, citing diplomatic officials it didn't identify." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9a90d7b0570b846cf331436a1de1f33dc0842a1959a196b61ad42f9a2a0c4e96cda6c98cd749c6936f6d8e7fc7563890

THE PRIDE OF CHEVY CHASE AND NEW HAVEN ...

-- NYT'S KATIE BENNER: "Rosenstein Asks Prosecutors to Help With Kavanaugh Papers in Unusual Request": "Rod J. Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general, has asked federal prosecutors to help review the government documents of Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh, President Trump's Supreme Court nominee, according to a letter obtained by The New York Times on Wednesday. Mr. Rosenstein's request was an unusual insertion of politics into federal law enforcement.

"While the Justice Department has helped work on previous Supreme Court nominations, department lawyers in Washington typically carry out that task, not prosecutors who pursue criminal investigations nationwide. But in an email sent this week to the nation's 93 United States attorneys, Mr. Rosenstein asked each office to provide up to three federal prosecutors 'who can make this important project a priority for the next several weeks.' Names were to be submitted to Mr. Rosenstein's office by the end of Wednesday." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9a90d7b0570b846cd2c5d7b0d7cacdfd47e758a17e1874ffc85cd7601c81b801623caf200836391d117fe31d7ed5c66f

-- "'Ranting and raving': The time Kavanaugh knocked Chris Ruddy," by Josh Gerstein: "Two decades ago, as Brett Kavanaugh labored on independent counsel Ken Starr's team, the young prosecutor had some less-than-pleasant interactions with a man who would go on to become one of President Donald Trump's closest confidants: Christopher Ruddy.

"At the time, Kavanaugh was responsible for re-investigating the death of Clinton White House attorney Vince Foster, which had become part of Starr's sprawling probe. And Ruddy, reporting for the conservative Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, was one of the chief conspiracy theorists casting doubts on earlier investigations into Foster's apparent suicide in Fort Marcy Park, just outside Washington on July 20, 1993.

"Records from Starr's office obtained by POLITICO suggest that Kavanaugh didn't think much of Ruddy and his conservative media colleagues, who were dismissed in the mainstream press for peddling the idea that Foster was murdered - and that the Clintons may have played a role. 'Most of the conversation involved Ruddy ranting and raving about various matters,' Kavanaugh wrote to Starr and other senior aides in a May 1995 memo. The young lawyer and former Supreme Court clerk said the chat followed very persistent outreach by Ruddy, who called eight to 12 times over a two-day period." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=95d521b6a6db8960898829acd3cc7fa4a8a036d9bc4e5e5808a01d4aa739e9000736801f9094eba9b3e5e5634b8d6c27

-- "The Yale Secret Society [Truth and Courage] Brett Kavanaugh Joined Was Mostly About Drinking, Yale Alumni Say," by BuzzFeed's Molly Hensley-Clancy: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=95d521b6a6db8960253b51a4f5590242e443198a3a173fc4e9261d04e18f5c4d1548819a9bb6a7d6dae883789cad97f8

KEEPING TRACK ... CINCINNATI ENQUIRER: "If the Democrats flip Ohio's 1st Congressional District in November, Nancy Pelosi won't be gaining a new ally from Southwest Ohio. ...

"'Will I support Nancy Pelosi for Speaker? The answer is "no," ... I'm running for Congress because I genuinely believe we need a new generation of leadership. Washington is broken. It's toxic, and it's on both sides.' [Aftab] Pureval, 35, is challenging long-time incumbent Steve Chabot, whose campaign has followed a nationwide GOP message and tried to link his opponent to Pelosi and her 'liberal agenda.' House Democrats have identified Pureval's race as their top priority in Ohio." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=95d521b6a6db89605b3f8d3ee073892d846a8e148bdc601d4ea2dd2361a477caaca380757428e8563f00ab1f9e4c07b5

TWO BITES THAT ARE FIRST IN PLAYBOOK ...

-- MASSACHUSETTS REP. SETH MOULTON (D) -- who has been running his own candidate recruiting effort in the House -- will report raising $1.2 million in the second quarter, showing an unusually high number for a member of the House without a leadership role. Of that haul, $790,000 went to candidates he has endorsed through Serve America PAC.

-- ARIZONA REP. MARTHA MCSALLY (R) raised more than $3 million in the second quarter for her Arizona Senate campaign and has more than $4.5 million cash on hand.

JOHN BRESNAHAN and RACHAEL BADE: "McCarthy launches stealth campaign for speaker": "House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy is quietly lining up votes to succeed Paul Ryan as speaker, reaching out to key lawmakers across the Republican Conference and asking whether they will commit to back him as speaker next January, according to GOP lawmakers and aides.

"In public, McCarthy says he's not campaigning for the job, saying it's more important to focus on saving the Republican majority in the House than a campaign for the top leadership post. Yet running for speaker is precisely what McCarthy is doing.

"He isn't talking to every member of the House GOP Conference, according to lawmakers who have spoken to him about the issue. Instead, McCarthy is targeting select lawmakers who represent different factions of the conference. McCarthy is hoping that locking up those members now will serve as a 'force multiplier' if and when he formally announces a bid for speaker. His ask, according to those on the receiving end, is simple and direct." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=95d521b6a6db8960ff5f603f4fd6b43ec87bbdd8d00d6f192fe64b014d15b89e6bfb5ce173b85e091d484cb926643596

THE INVESTIGATIONS ...

-- BLOOMBERG'S DAVID VOREACOS: "Mueller Wants Manafort Jury to Hear of Lobbying Decades Ago": "Prosecutors want jurors to hear about Manafort's interactions with the Justice Department over FARA in the mid-1980s when he was at firms including Black Manafort Stone and Kelly. Manafort registered under FARA as a Saudi agent from June 1984 through June 1986, even though he was a director of a federal agency, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, according to the filing. Federal law barred public officials from acting as registered agents of foreign principals, and President Ronald Reagan's administration refused to grant Manafort an exemption, prosecutors said. Manafort resigned from
OPIC in May 1986." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=95d521b6a6db89605513ce6241d1fdb0eb53ae4d6167706e60286c8d741608915240bb30c35d8e566b1373ab6d7520d6

-- DARREN SAMUELSOHN: "Mueller team listening to Manafort's jail phone calls": "Paul Manafort may not be a free man. But the former Donald Trump campaign chairman's jail conditions are hardly the stuff of Alcatraz. According to telephone calls being monitored by special counsel Robert Mueller's team, Manafort has recently told people he's being treated like a 'VIP' at the Virginia prison where he's been held since June 15.

"The longtime GOP operative's living arrangements, described in an eight-page motion filed Wednesday by Mueller's prosecutors, also include 'unique privileges' like a private, self-contained cell that's bigger than what other inmates get, a private bathroom and shower, a personal telephone and daily access between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 10 p.m. to a workspace where Manafort can meet with his lawyers and prepare for his upcoming criminal trials. Manafort also doesn't have to wear a prison uniform at the Northern Neck Regional Jail about two hours south of Washington D.C." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=95d521b6a6db8960067e70cdb8e112468eb2f0c1ccd413d728e7f694639ca0f3594c8fe54bf20d3f94778f3944cbdb78

-- "Inside Mueller's New Army: As the special counsel zeroes in on Russia's online arsonists, he's brought in a new crew of cyberspy fighters-and a straight-up street crime prosecutor, too," by the Daily Beast's Betsy Woodruff: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=95d521b6a6db8960bd1d03a8d9bf0969698d364701d5760d5afed37ec449b4b5ff87530382552a2d20a3c8a21b54e8f3

-- "Papadopoulos' wife won't testify before House Intelligence members," by Kyle Cheney: "House Democrats' plans to interview Simona Mangiante Papadopoulos - the wife of former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos - fell through late Wednesday over efforts to reimburse her travel expenses.

"Papadopoulos told POLITICO that she had arranged to testify to members of the House Intelligence Committee on July 8 and had even selected flights only to be informed that the committee's Republican majority was unwilling to fund her transportation from Chicago." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=95d521b6a6db89609f4a91b48f63e4cce04a1243442d6e829e3b9b95391986ef69bf59134a1ed5e46546acbd5a5714a9


Playbook Reads


PHOTO DU JOUR: President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Theresa May attend a group photo of NATO heads of state and government at Park Cinquantenaire in Brussels on Wednesday. | Francois Mori/AP Photo

REBUILDING THE EPA? "New EPA chief reaches out to those Pruitt had spurned," by Alex Guillen and Emily Holden: "In a speech at agency headquarters, acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler pledged to safeguard the environment, saying it was his privilege 'to work alongside you to protect human health.' He reassured employees shellshocked by Pruitt's 17 months of secrecy and scandal that he shared their concerns. And he welcomed reporters into the EPA's fortress-like building, even setting out extra chairs for them.

"The former industry lobbyist's 15-minute address still made it clear he intended to hold the course that his predecessor had set - rolling back EPA's Obama-era regulations and helping speed the development of energy sources like coal, gas and oil. But the contrast with the Pruitt era still had people expressing relief. 'Seems like he gets it better than Pruitt. Fingers crossed,' said one staffer, who added that Wheeler's plan to stick to regulatory rollbacks was 'predictable.' Wheeler avoided directly criticizing Pruitt's management of the agency, which has shed nearly a thousand workers and seen morale dive." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e7d5d72786c81d3aa30c1ac0a472b811d089f4145b1ff7e47a23e248f39bce1bc5f6fe5ac83194edea649170ea7ec741

K-FILE - "Wife of top Trump aide had radio show where she said women in military should expect sexual harassment," by CNN's Andrew Kaczynski, Nathan McDermott and Chris Massie: "Darla Shine, the wife of new White House deputy chief of staff for communications Bill Shine, hosted a radio show in the late 2000s where she once mocked victims of sexual harassment in the military and repeatedly pushed fringe conspiracy theories about vaccines. CNN's KFile reviewed hours of audio from Darla Shine's radio program after her controversial views came to light." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e7d5d72786c81d3a02ba0e2efde43c6390abc2066ba7d401e2eaaa86435dd72ab30ce1837bef9c3f7c6127619b4cc4a8


****** 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. ******

JARED INC. - "Kushner's Firm Deepens Ties to Those With Business in Washington," by NYT's Jesse Drucker and Kate Kelly: "Eighteen months into Jared Kushner's White House tenure, his family's real estate firm is deepening its financial relationships with institutions and individuals that have a lot riding on decisions made by the federal government. In the latest example, an arm of Brookfield Asset Management is close to completing an investment of up to $700 million in the Kushner family's tower at 666 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan.

"The deal will be a boon to the Kushners, who are struggling to recoup their investments in their flagship building. At the same time, another Brookfield unit is awaiting the Trump administration's approval of its acquisition of the nuclear-power company Westinghouse Electric. The deal is being reviewed by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, made up of senior federal officials who consider the potential national security risks of transactions involving foreign companies. Brookfield's headquarters are in Canada." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e7d5d72786c81d3a8a0cfd378b0e39982c506a37a29b2575601a7b6fc2612b80b92a5f0d02e8c041e8161f452d4aae2d

WAPO'S PAUL FARHI: "Once partners, 'Game Change' authors feuding over their shattered franchise": "For months, [John] Heilemann, 52, and [Mark] Halperin, 53, have engaged in negotiations over material that was to be part of a follow-up 'Game Change' book and TV miniseries about the 2016 presidential campaign. Halperin appears to hold the key to the project: Notes and transcripts of interviews with Donald Trump and his campaign advisers and staff.

"But Heilemann has made clear that his collaboration with Halperin is over and that Halperin won't share in any advances or royalties from anything Heilemann produces, according to people familiar with their negotiations. ... The two men have been unable to agree on a price for Halperin's material, which has made it impossible for any project based on it to go forward." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e7d5d72786c81d3a094a2de9273845bcefdc5ee07a01ade114582388e1a964400ad4f8d81d9fbc59b1ff3655356f9acf
Playbookers
MEDIAWATCH -- BRIANNA KEILAR will start anchoring her own CNN show this fall. It will air weekdays from 1 to 2 p.m.

-- NYT's MARK MAZZETTI is now also a CNN contributor.

- CHRISTINA BELLANTONI is joining the USC Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism as a professor of journalism and the director of the student newsroom known as the Media Center. She most recently was an assistant managing editor at the Los Angeles Times.

SPOTTED -- Colin Powell, Jill Biden and Madeleine Albright all together in the Amtrak Acela lounge yesterday at Penn Station in New York ... Paul Begala on the Acela from New York to D.C. Wednesday afternoon.

PETER HAMBY'S GOOD LUCK AMERICA IS BACK ... This season it will focus on "young candidates, voters, activists in both parties who are driving grassroots politics around the country having a very different political conversation than the one happening in Washington." It's on Snapchat now.

BIRTHWEEK (was Tuesday): Alex Angelson, special assistant to the President for legislative affairs ... Ben Napier, deputy floor director for House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, turned 28 (hat tip: Lauren Fine)

BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Alex Levy, president of executive comms firm A.H. Levy & Co. A book he's recently read: "I recently finished 'Den of Thieves' (the 1992 book by Pulitzer-winner Jim Stewart, not the 2018 action movie starring 50 Cent). On the surface, it's about the Michael Milken/Ivan Boesky insider trading scandal, but really, it's a morality play about the excesses of 1980s Wall Street. What's uncanny is that so many of the book's characters remain key players in our politics-Kimba Wood was the presiding judge, Rudy Giuliani was the prosecutor, Alan Dershowitz was the defense lawyer. The more things change..." Read his Playbook Plus Q&A:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e7d5d72786c81d3a31abf1fbef8512f4776b7e17d3b4f103592d4544d9afe37d294c7f3b4c2e095fd106fafd7790f1e6

BIRTHDAYS: Sean Cairncross, RNC and Trump WH alum, current nominee for CEO of the Millennium Challenge Corporation ... Susan Axelrod ... Adam Elias, chief of staff to Rep. Bill Foster (D-Ill.) ... Josh King, former Clinton image guru, author of "Off Script," and head of comms at Intercontinental Exchange, owners of the NYSE (h/t Jeremy Gaines) ... Matt Rosenbaum is 32 ... Politico's Isaac Dovere is 38 ... Beth Lester Sidhu, COO of PE firm The Stagwell Group ... Ryan Lizza, chief political correspondent for Esquire and political analyst for CNN, is 44. He's celebrating with a BBQ with his family (h/t Olivia Nuzzi) ... Brendan Daly, senior director of comms at Save the Children Action Network
... Christie Vilsack ... Jason Childress ... Paul Shone (h/ts Teresa Vilmain) ... Thea McDonald ... Brandon Shaw, director of corporate comms at ICM Partners ... Eva Brown ... Ginny Justice ... Politico's Ryan Bock ... Teresa Buckley Bill, senior director of federal affairs at PhRMA ... WaPo photog Jabin Botsford is 28 ... Javier Folger, director of marketing and comms for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (h/t Jon Haber) ...

... Eric Ueland, senior strategy officer at Millenium Challenge Corporation, is 53 ... Jordan Gehrke, partner at Precision Campaigns ... John Gans Jr. ... David Lerman ... Nicole Narea ... Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.) is 64 ... Rep. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) is 42 ... former Rep. Mickey Edwards (R-Okla.) is 81 ... former Rep. J.D. Hayworth (R-Ariz.) is 6-0 ... Angela Belden Martinez ... Ashley Williams ... Anna Lavigne ... Edelman's Kayla Spencer ... CBS News' Mary Walsh ... Alexandra Betesh ... Vogue's Ella Riley-Adams ... Gregorio Gomez ... documentary and news producer and writer Basel Hamdan is 37 ... Jessica Hanks, SVP at DKC ... Brian Schoeneman is 41 ... Debbee (Keller) Hancock,
communications director for Kay Ivey for Governor... Rachel DiCarlo Currie ... Seton Motley ... Nobel peace prize laureate Malala Yousafzai is 21 (h/t AP)

****** 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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