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Today's Playbook Power Briefing presented by Chevron

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)


Good FRIDAY afternoon. TAKE THIS IN, FOR A SECOND: DAVE WASSERMAN (@redistrict) is the gold standard when it comes to handicapping House races. He has changed the ratings in seven different seats. But, most notably: Reps. PETER ROSKAM (R-ILL.), RODNEY FRELINGHUYSEN (R-N.J.) and REP. JOHN CULBERSON (R-TEXAS) have all moved from lean Republican to toss up.

FRELINGHUYSEN is a 23-year veteran of Congress and the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. CULBERSON is a 16-year veteran who chairs an Appropriations subcommittee. ROSKAM has been in D.C. since 2008, and is the chairman of the Ways and Means tax subcommittee. Yes, it's early. But if these members of the House are in danger, that's a troubling sign for the GOP in 2018. Dave Wasserman's analysis http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ce7d8c30573ea871a8f88a65a554be549e726a3910748a6faecf9fa42d29361d339fd99f958920afdf4b4795de87c9d7

-- AMY WALTER, also at The Cook Political Report, has this headline: "A Wave Is a Comin'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ce7d8c30573ea8719e5e95109d639739926221da0f0beb9200246869e8ada94b37b473a027caabc2a8d56477d8746d17

THE TAX BATTLE -- "Murkowski Tax Vote Contingent on Stabilizing Individual Health Insurance Market," by Roll Call's Joe Williams: "Sen. Lisa Murkowski suggested on Thursday that her vote on the current version of the tax overhaul is contingent on passing a separate bill to stabilize the individual health insurance market. ...

"'I think that there is a path and I think the path is a reasonable path,' the Alaska Republican said of her support for [Alexander-Murray]. 'If the Congress is going to move forward with repeal of the individual mandate, we absolutely must have the Alexander-Murray piece that is passed into law.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ce7d8c30573ea8714ce38b904043e158db46cbf6677e77dc1f09ed6a0760e64499f1f72cb75fdb760ec26b42e89266d2

-- READ BETWEEN THE LINES: Alexander-Murray will get a vote in the first part of December and will end up in a big spending package of some sort.

POLITICO KILLING IT IN FLORIDA -- "MIAMI (AP) - Florida Democratic Party chairman resigns after women complained about his sexually inappropriate comments, demeanor." The original story, by Matt Dixon and Marc Caputo http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ce7d8c30573ea8710b4d5c41374be3f2b7a0366b491afaa2c2ea798753fd147b363e763e040b32234bebd2c44ca09440

ON THE RUSSIA INVESTIGATION -- SCOOP -- "Goldstone Ready to Come to U.S. and Talk to Mueller," by NBC News' Robert Windrem: "The British publicist who helped set up the fateful meeting between Donald Trump Jr. and a group of Russians at Trump Tower in June 2016 is ready to meet with Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller's office, according to several people familiar with the matter. Rob Goldstone has been living in Bangkok, Thailand, but has been communicating with Mueller's office through his lawyer, said a source close to Goldstone. ...

"[S]ources close to Goldstone and familiar with the investigation say they expect he will travel to the United States at some point 'in the near future,' as one put it. Goldstone helped set up - and attended - the June 9, 2016, meeting at Trump Tower at which Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya says she presented information to Donald Trump Jr. and other key Trump aides." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ce7d8c30573ea871a3bd7503ac8b419c2a372a6ed17a6291b80dfe739ba77a9706935452cd61c5df45754a8770a0b0aa

-- "Trump to Pay His Own Legal Bills, Set Up Fund to Cover Staff," by Bloomberg's Shannon Pettypiece: "President Donald Trump has started paying his own legal bills related to the Russia probe, rather than charging them to his campaign or the [RNC], and is finalizing a plan to use personal funds to help current and former White House staff with their legal costs.

"The Office of Government Ethics and a tax firm are working on a mechanism for Trump to contribute to staffers' legal bills that would meet regulatory and ethical standards, White House lawyer Ty Cobb said in an interview. The White House is hoping the issue will be resolved shortly, said Cobb, who declined to elaborate further on the details of the plan. ...

"Trump is only considering using his personal funds to pay for the legal bills of current and former White House aides, not people who served exclusively during the campaign. That would rule out some of the highest profile figures in the investigations, including former campaign manager Paul Manafort and his deputy, Richard Gates, both of whom were indicted on charges of money laundering last month. George Papadopoulos, a campaign foreign policy adviser who pleaded guilty to making false statements to the government, also wouldn't be eligible." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ce7d8c30573ea8719e9bc99c262f848334d77030a7bfd30a2d59b7ad3566063f0859da95938c13f7ee7d1c136ddcd94c

TRUMP INC. -- "A Panama tower carries Trump's name and ties to organized crime," by NBC News' Aggelos Petropoulos and Richard Engel in Panama City: "An NBC News investigation into the Trump Ocean Club, in conjunction with Reuters, shows that the project was riddled with brokers, customers and investors who have been linked to drug trafficking and international crime. [Former financial crimes prosecutor Mauricio] Ceballos, who investigated the project, went as far as to call the skyscraper 'a vehicle for money laundering.' The investigation revealed no indication that the Trump Organization or members of the Trump family engaged in any illegal activity, or knew of the criminal backgrounds of
some of the project's associates. But Ventura said that the Trumps never asked any questions about the buyers or where the money was coming from." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ce7d8c30573ea871d8870fdca185670e37c15d333fdfbc3baff6924fcdf1f79ef5a48019d65f34def79149660bb26e61

****** A message from Chevron: When an endangered butterfly was found near a Chevron refinery, we protected the habitat and still plant the only thing they eat-buckwheat. Watch the video: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a6c65e5096c40d79f0a1fd807e86fec46a61742655e0f00c39cd7185f49d11d2914818c99e0452b833b5e7b8081c1483 ******

DISASTER RELIEF UPDATE -- "White House seeks $44 billion in third disaster request," by John Bresnahan, Jen Scholtes and Sarah Ferris: "The White House sent its third disaster request to Congress on Friday, asking for $44 billion to aid recovery from this summer's deadly trio of hurricanes. If the funding package is approved, Congress will have kicked in nearly $100 billion in extra money this year to help storm-ravaged communities in places like Texas, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Florida.

"Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) welcomed the administration's move, adding in a statement, 'The House will review the request and work with the administration and members from affected states to help the victims get the resources they need to recover and rebuild.' Other lawmakers, however, voiced strong complaints that the package fell short of expectations." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ce7d8c30573ea87150bae69f4f6b87c9743ed7047805db72d8e9e2aa950b72541fad36d1b2ef8f257416503f7fa2c5b3

AT 1600 PENNSYLVANIA -- "Lawyers call White House sexual harassment policy 'useless'," by Matt Nussbaum: "As Congress and the private sector move to improve reporting procedures and increase transparency amid multiplying revelations of widespread harassment, the White House remains uniquely opaque -- and reliant on guidance lawyers say falls short of common standards for shielding employees from abuse. Employees joining the White House are provided with new-hire documents that contain two pages defining sexual harassment and discrimination and giving directions for reporting such incidents.

"The document, which was obtained by POLITICO, lists three 'strategies for addressing discrimination': "Talk to the individual about any behavior, actions or decisions that appear discriminatory; Discuss the situation or incident with an appropriate supervisor; Seek EEO [Equal Employment Opportunity] counseling.' The paperwork was not substantially updated or changed from what was used by the Obama administration when President Donald Trump took office, according to a White House source. Five lawyers who reviewed the document for POLITICO raised concerns." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ce7d8c30573ea871df247ac330b04d69f7e3c5f4c2c76e07c2a4180c0547a0addea57e2a3f2c1661fe11021aca9330e0

CLINTONWORLD V. GILLIBRAND -- @PhilippeReines: "Ken Starr spent $70 million on a consensual blowjob. Senate voted to keep POTUS WJC. But not enough for you @SenGillibrand? Over 20 yrs you took the Clintons' endorsements, money, and seat. Hypocrite. Interesting strategy for 2020 primaries. Best of luck."

JESSE JACKSON SR. announced he has been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. His letter http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a6c65e5096c40d79ed1050b9db60405256093f83c34306fa27f78f27527a6050343b441a3242ffa9ab894e3b208c3115

EIGHT FORMER FEMALE STAFFERS TO SEN. AL FRANKEN SPEAK OUT: "Many of us spent years working for Senator Franken in Minnesota and Washington. In our time working for the Senator, he treated us with the utmost respect. He valued our work and our opinions and was a champion for women both in the legislation he supported and in promoting women to leadership roles in our offices," the eight staffers said in a statement. The staffers: Katherine Blauvelt, Alexandra Fetissoff, Jessi Held, Lisbeth Kaufman, Natalie Volin Lehr, Karen Saxe, Charlotte Slaiman and Bethany Snyder.

2020 WATCH -- "McAuliffe to raise money for cash-strapped DNC," by Gabe Debenedetti: "Terry McAuliffe is set to host the [DNC's] major year-end fundraising reception, according to an invitation obtained by POLITICO -- making the outgoing Virginia governor and former DNC chairman one of the only potential 2020 contenders to raise much-needed funds for the party as it struggles for cash.

TERRYWORLD'S THINKING: "'It's easy to take shots at the DNC, but what we need is more of the people who want to be considered leaders in the party to step and actually do something to make the DNC stronger,' said one Democrat close to McAuliffe. 'Send some emails, host some fundraisers, do what you can to make sure Democrats have the resources to compete everywhere.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a6c65e5096c40d79bb988b9c6b9a1e818f3a63c96c4f11d2a4f2badfb02b3e4fe554c590fbb15c27bc260f1d7c018a3e

THE REX BEAT -- "Corker-Tillerson alliance frays: The GOP Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman and longtime defender joins a chorus of criticism over the Secretary of State's plans to restructure his department," by Nahal Toosi: "Sen. Bob Corker, having already turned on the president, has a new target for his frustration: Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.The Tennessee Republican and Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman has voiced concerns about Tillerson's management of the State Department and his still-fuzzy plans to restructure it. ... Until recently, Corker has been a steadfast ally of Tillerson ...

"Corker is far from the only one expressing concern about Tillerson's plans. Last week, a bipartisan group of Senate staffers met with Tillerson aides to get an update on Tillerson's plan to reshape his department. The State staffers shared a presentation, a copy of which was obtained by POLITICO, that infuriated the Senate aides with its lack of substance." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a6c65e5096c40d799db10fd552de39d13eef07afab54924352578e0d9adf528443f626c45f494dfd0ea65c91efd773f3 ... The presentation http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a6c65e5096c40d79028ef887e5710b8e470fad6c5a13d002f9969291789912abf0b2b0ed28a8875ad2f6b5dea6a96996

2018 WATCH -- "Indiana candidate's D.C.-area home complicates Senate campaign," by AP's Brian Slodysko: "A campaign stop for Rep. Luke Messer in his bid for Senate involves traveling from his family's home in suburban Washington back to Indiana, where aides say he typically stays overnight with his mom. Although living outside the state is hardly a first for members of Indiana's congressional delegation, past elections signal Messer's address could complicate his plans to win the Republican primary and ultimately unseat Democratic Sen. Joe Donnelly next year. ...

"[Messer's] family lives in McLean, Virginia, keeps a vacation house in Dandridge, Tennessee, yet sold their home in Indiana two years after his election to Congress in 2012. They now say a two-bedroom house Messer co-owns with his mom in Greensburg is the family's Indiana residence. One of his chief primary rivals, fellow Rep. Todd Rokita, has already seized on that as a line of attack." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a6c65e5096c40d793567418dfee5cb7d0e944fa59d69128bad541bae5ac1757b63357b1bda510b0b171bdefb0a104166

TOM RIDGE IN CRITICAL CONDITION -- PennLive.com's Travis Kellar: "Former Pennsylvania governor Tom Ridge remains in critical condition after an emergency heart procedure that took place on Thursday. An official with Dell Seton Medical Center at The University of Texas confirmed his condition as of Friday morning. Ridge, 72, was at a Republican Governors Association conference in Austin on Thursday when at about 7 a.m., he asked hotel staff for medical assistance. He was at the conference for Ridge Global, his security and risk management firm." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a6c65e5096c40d79e8d8f49bbed6fbd5ec5cd1c5b5b7242ec974aeb7fcd570038f24ffceee21e7b19d23084d6ecd22cb

ON THE WORLD'S STAGE -- "North Korea rules out negotiations on nuclear weapons," by Reuters' Stephanie Nebehay: "North Korea on Friday ruled out negotiations with Washington as long as joint U.S-South Korea military exercises continue, and said that Pyongyang's atomic weapons program would remain as a deterrent against a U.S. nuclear threat. In an interview with Reuters, Han Tae Song, North Korea's ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, brushed off the new sanctions which the Trump administration has said it is preparing, as well as the possibility of North Korea being added to a U.S. list of states sponsoring terrorism." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a6c65e5096c40d79229ad78b87ef4458dc6c5715f5ec4c3330e6476a43f260596627a1e3579ee771ff0fe2b9bf3934f5

-- "Life under Kim Jong Un: Recent North Korean escapees relate how the secretive country has changed under the 'Great Successor'," by WaPo's Anna Fifield: "In six months of interviews in South Korea and Thailand, The Washington Post talked with more than 25 North Koreans from different walks of life who lived in Kim Jong Un's North Korea and managed to escape from it. In barbecue restaurants, cramped apartments and hotel rooms, these refugees provided the fullest account to date of daily life inside North Korea and how it has changed, and how it hasn't, since Kim took over from his father, Kim Jong Il, at the end of 2011. Many are from the northern parts of the country that border China --
the part of North Korea where life is toughest, and where knowledge about the outside world just across the river is most widespread -- and are from the relatively small segment of the population that is prepared to take the risks involved in trying to escape. ...

"But in talking about their personal experiences, including torture and the culture of surveillance, they recounted the hardships of daily life under Kim Jong Un's regime. They paint a picture of a once-communist state that has all but broken down, its state-directed economy at a standstill. Today, North Koreans are making their own way, earning money in an entrepreneurial and often illegal fashion. There are only a few problems in North Korea these days that money can't solve." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a6c65e5096c40d79791870cfbd81ead1a0f7015bde5a9add4f3040c189d96b7683dc6aa98ecced8dbe02d5e7ca78926c

MEDIAWATCH -- FT: "New editor of Vanity Fair inherits inbox full of big challenges: Radhika Jones will have to cut editorial budget by 30% as secular trends bite," by Matthew Garrahan in London and Shannon Bond in New York: "Condé Nast will find some of its savings for Vanity Fair in Ms Jones's remuneration package: she will earn about $500,000 a year, substantially less than Mr Carter, who was paid about $2m a year plus a generous perks package that included use of a private plane, according to one person briefed on the arrangements." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a6c65e5096c40d79b0e747411f64139e8166b4ebe4cf983fd348ab158ea647f497355bd46263748088242a43f1031724

-- "Vox Media's editorial employees are seeking to unionize," by Business Insider's Maxwell Tani http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a6c65e5096c40d790788ebafe55097a933d9b443aec2e171b3a1e06d092691ad86e9131d21d148c2a4e6d2ed776a7da2

SPOTTED: Condoleezza Rice this morning in the lobby of the Mandarin Oriental in D.C. She's speaking to Deloitte ... Qatari Foreign Minister and Deputy PM Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani this morning walking around the same hotel - on his trip to D.C. this week, he met with Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), and Sens. Bob Corker (D-Tenn.) and Ben Cardin (D-Md.).

OUT AND ABOUT -- SPOTTED at the RFK Human Rights award laureate event at the Kennedy Caucus Room in Russell yesterday: Reps. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and Joe Kennedy III (D-Mass), Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Kerry Kennedy, Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Alfredo Romero (the award winner), Richard Iannuzzi, Maria Hinojosa, Luis Almagro, William Schultz.

SPOTTED at a fundraiser last night for Massachusetts State Sen. Eric Lesser, an Obama WH alum, held in the D.C. office of Blue Engine Message & Media: South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg, former Amb. to Italy John Phillips, Reggie Love, Erik Smith, Nate Tibbits, Amb. Peter Selfridge (Ret.), Andrew Platt, Bob Duff, Sal DiDomenico, Adam Hinds, Will Brownsberger, Mike Brady, Andrew Bates, Ross Baird, Nate Rawlings, Roger Fisk.

SPOTTED last night at the Niskanen Center's pre-holiday party: Jerry Taylor, Joe Coon, Andrew Mills, Liz Mair, Ian Vasquez, Gene Healy, Rachel Wolbers, Tim Lee, David Mastio, Megan McArdle, Peter Suderman, Bruce Bartlett, Brooke Oberwetter, Dara Lind, Libby Wuller, Gordon Cummings, Adele Morris, Joseph Brazauskas, Chuck Podolak, Hector Arguello, Alex Hergott, Ali McCormick, Andrew Harding

TRANSITIONS -- Cristina Antelo is joining VantageKnight as CEO. She was previously at the Podesta Group. ... Mike Meece, currently the chief of staff of former President George W. Bush's office, will join N2 Capital in 2018 as chief operating officer. ... Andrea Palermo started today as press secretary for Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.). She was previously communications coordinator for Heritage Action. ... Brian Forest, chief speechwriter for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, is joining the National Association of Manufacturers as director of strategic messaging.

WEEKEND WEDDING -- OBAMA ALUMNI - CAROLINE SIMMONS, a Democratic Connecticut state representative, recently married ART LINARES, a Republican Connecticut state senator. Simmons, the youngest serving female legislator in the state, served as a policy analyst at DHS during the Obama administration and then was director of special projects in the counterterrorism coordinator's office; she also worked on the Obama 2008 campaign. The couple met on the Judiciary Committee in the Connecticut General Assembly as well as through the Bi-Partisan Young Legislators Caucus. The wedding was in Old Lyme, and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.) were among the attendees. PICS:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a6c65e5096c40d7919a040391c6a9e6051173f6c3e8d14d8a84fd3b01c4407927d20321eb238a59fd64f52c511af76ac ... http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a6c65e5096c40d799bbd2aa996772a53bb7740dcfc961ecc0062220df0178d9860c2307c37e94fdfaffcc2de6bc4faf0 ... http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a6c65e5096c40d79183c5d351137f91e529ce55aa1f83f74332b8986785dee60c86ce5175c78201f13236c213c84bef9 ... http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a6c65e5096c40d79a556055530702ef26086aca9cd77456c582e9043c3df74d6fd5990df08a4faaa361f51dd9b45e8ab ... Blumenthal photobombing the couple http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a6c65e5096c40d794e945b849b5ad842836433654f82840a65f829d1c6e83669f25178d34678070e1417a28f9c2258cb

****** A message from Chevron: This is a story about DOERS, butterflies, and buckwheat. In '75, the endangered El Segundo Blue butterfly was found near a Chevron refinery. We protected the habitat and planted the only thing they eat-buckwheat. We're still planting and keeping an eye on our littlest neighbor. Watch the video: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a6c65e5096c40d79f0a1fd807e86fec46a61742655e0f00c39cd7185f49d11d2914818c99e0452b833b5e7b8081c1483 ******

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