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Today's POLITICO Playbook presented by Chevron

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

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Driving the Day
Good Saturday morning and happy weekend. SHOT -- @realDonaldTrump at 8:22 a.m.: "Very little reporting about the GREAT GDP numbers announced yesterday (3.0 despite the big hurricane hits). Best consecutive Q's in years!"

CHASER -- FRONT PAGES OF MAJOR AMERICAN NEWSPAPERS: WALL STREET JOURNAL: "U.S. Economy Picks Up Steam: Despite hurricanes, U.S. consumers and businesses drove a six-month expansion" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=2c39936ae262418b399f5b95f51bc15c4491c14d734a5927686301124b30e7f320e3cec066e9edc3a433cd6ba4338ddb ... NEW YORK TIMES: "Economy's 3% Spurt Emboldens Tax Cut Supporters (and Critics)" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=2c39936ae262418bc4c14498df56392b0caf0bba6e5f8e5ae35a48f4f7ab5503363d1129ecbe5db3ffb9579228017a4f ... TAMPA BAY TIMES: "Jobs, stocks, growth add up: The economy posts a second quarter with 3 percent GDP. Can it be sustained?" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=2c39936ae262418b5930e4e2a6a0059b017ec54afa405fa1924e437433c6bc42496b20c8cc823e53511b3353d9982730 ... WAPO: "Economy shows strong growth, could provide GOP m:omentum" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d83cf32781a39a8e7e41478440440e2e21fb8646340d319abfc0f1cf54ce2d3d17f24359bb82e962608baf5c313dc734

-- ALSO FROM TRUMP: ... at 8:28 a.m.:"Just read the nice remarks by President Jimmy Carter about me and how badly I am treated by the press (Fake News). Thank you Mr. President!"

BUT, BUT, BUT ... NUMBERS TRUMP WON'T LIKE -- "Most Americans say divisions under Trump as bad as during Vietnam, poll shows," by WaPo's John Wagner and Scott Clement: "Seven in 10 Americans say the nation's political divisions are at least as big as during the Vietnam War, according to a new poll, which also finds nearly 6 in 10 saying Donald Trump's presidency is making the U.S. political system more dysfunctional. The Washington Post-University of Maryland poll - conducted nine months into Trump's tumultuous presidency - reveals a starkly pessimistic view of U.S. politics, widespread distrust of the nation's political leaders and their ability to compromise, and an erosion of pride in
the way democracy works in America." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d83cf32781a39a8e1313c6cc11ffe21f43d352f1d3f7d8fd49c95f7627f72cacf71f7e05e4059846b2b8294bf96ec16c

POLITICO GETS RESULTS -- FRONT PAGE OF THE MIAMI HERALD: "In affair fallout, top Fla. Senate Democrat resigns" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d83cf32781a39a8e92a43cddaaabd7f6dbaa53924006471a932463b41ab2f8e42adeab57c7f8e844c153d064a3582fe7

-- MARC CAPUTO, ALEXANDRA GLORIOSO and MATT DIXON in Tallahassee: "The incoming Florida Senate Democratic leader abruptly resigned Friday and acknowledged he's been in therapy after admitting to an extramarital affair with a lobbyist.

"State Sen. Jeff Clemens' decision to quit office came less than a day after Politico Florida first reported his tryst, prompting Republicans to accuse him of abusing his position of power while calls poured in from fellow Democrats who said it wasn't an isolated incident." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d83cf32781a39a8e2278c9c2eeeb5c7d77a54c76bf21232bd0d3bada444e2b107fdaa1ced6f12eb749299eb606ebbbfb

IT BEGINS -- "First charges filed in Mueller investigation," by CNN's Pamela Brown, Evan Perez and Shimon Prokupecz: "A federal grand jury in Washington on Friday approved the first charges in the investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller, according to sources briefed on the matter. The charges are still sealed under orders from a federal judge. Plans were prepared Friday for anyone charged to be taken into custody as soon as Monday ...

"On Friday, top lawyers who are helping to lead the Mueller probe, including veteran prosecutor Andrew Weissmann, were seen entering the court room at the DC federal court where the grand jury meets to hear testimony in the Russia investigation. Reporters present saw a flurry of activity at the grand jury room, but officials made no announcements." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d83cf32781a39a8e92064bd1474a8fd62cbe870400dab21dd618913af0084a559a5d2dc9b79733d08cb253dcab0f0c4e

-- Garrett M. Graff (@vermontgmg): "Remember, FBI investigations rarely start at the top. First charges likely to be sure-fire cases at peripheral figures."

ABOUT TAX REFORM ...

-- "GOP tax bill shrouded in secrecy," by Aaron Lorenzo and Seung Min Kim: "Rank-and-file House Republicans are increasingly alarmed by the secrecy shrouding the massive tax bill their party leaders plan to ram through Congress next month. Just days ahead of the legislation's release, GOP members of the House Ways and Means Committee are still in the dark on numerous details being ironed out by the powerful tax-writing committee's chairman, Kevin Brady (R-Texas), and his staff. And they're blaming the panel's top-down approach for the uncertainty.

"'There are a lot of open issues,' said Rep. Jim Renacci (R-Ohio), echoing comments made by several of his colleagues on the committee. Heading into the weekend, question marks remained on at least two high-profile proposals to offset the cost of slashing individual and business tax rates: curbing federal deductions for state and local taxes and business interest as well as potential changes to taxing retirement savings.

"The uneasy feeling among members extends to their tax aides, who've been excluded from a recent series of hours-long member meetings with Brady and his tax counsels. Several personal office tax staffers to committee Republicans indicated that they're grappling with how to brace their bosses for the coming lobbyist wave. Well-funded special interests are ready to pounce on the tax bill when Brady brings it out Nov. 1; aides are worried about the onslaught, particularly over any surprises in the legislation." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d83cf32781a39a8e80774ffe42cea9b23165437b2e223c4c20317f799a83b4aa288bfea108ba6222ed68e435584fa475

KEVIN BRADY LIVE! -- YOU'RE INVITED -- KEVIN BRADY, the chairman of the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee, will sit down with Jake and Anna FRIDAY (Nov. 3) at noon to discuss the Republicans' tax plan. The bill will be introduced this week, so we'll have plenty to talk about. The event will be at THE NEWSEUM (555 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW). RSVP http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d83cf32781a39a8e803e76bd9742ab34bd79be9c13f10186caf3c845236ff4534e42fccdb8a1ddffd09f4ccf32da7588 Outside cameras welcome!

L.A. TIMES: "GOP says lower-tax states are subsidizing California. It's the other way around, and tax overhaul could make it worse," by Jim Puzzanghera: "California is among 13 states that ship more tax money to Washington than they get back in federal spending, according to the Rockefeller Institute of Government, a public policy think tank in Albany, N.Y. They're known as donor states, a title California has held for years, mostly because of the state's relatively younger population and large number of high-income earners. Killing the state and local tax deduction, as President Trump and congressional Republican leaders have proposed, probably would tilt the equation even more against
California." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d83cf32781a39a8e999d8b1fee83ade86faeb2c3747b47186a52f84f915c2eb866a8b03605591c11918cef23e6cea063

****** 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=9125457a03f3e229dedb6c813f2ba34ad7bdd711f9fcd2ce4932ec73beae22a7faaee68816d2538a76a5e75a6da8ff13 ******

RUSSIA REPORT -- NYT A1, "Conservative Website First Funded Anti-Trump Research by Firm That Later Produced Dossier," by Ken Vogel and Maggie Haberman: "The Washington Free Beacon, a conservative website funded by a major Republican donor, first hired the research firm that months later produced for Democrats the salacious dossier describing ties between Donald J. Trump and the Russian government, the website said on Friday. The Free Beacon, funded in large part by the New York hedge fund billionaire Paul Singer, hired the firm, Fusion GPS, in 2015 to unearth damaging information about several Republican presidential candidates, including Mr. Trump.

"But The Free Beacon told the firm to stop doing research on Mr. Trump in May 2016, as Mr. Trump was clinching the Republican nomination. Hillary Clinton's campaign and the Democratic National Committee had begun paying Fusion GPS in April for research that eventually became the basis for the dossier. The Free Beacon informed the House Intelligence Committee on Friday that it had retained the firm." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d83cf32781a39a8e9500c6dd0509b76f2c03383ea56b184610ff942fe52040cc97ab980da4d437461089308d5a4afdfd

-- NYT A1, "Talking Points Brought to Trump Tower Meeting Were Shared With Kremlin," by Sharon LaFraniere and Andrew E. Kramer: "Natalia V. Veselnitskaya arrived at a meeting at Trump Tower in June 2016 hoping to interest top Trump campaign officials in the contents of a memo she believed contained information damaging to the Democratic Party and, by extension, Hillary Clinton. The material was the fruit of her research as a private lawyer, she has repeatedly said, and any suggestion that she was acting at the Kremlin's behest that day is anti-Russia 'hysteria.'

"But interviews and records show that in the months before the meeting, Ms. Veselnitskaya had discussed the allegations with one of Russia's most powerful officials, the prosecutor general, Yuri Y. Chaika. And the memo she brought with her closely followed a document that Mr. Chaika's office had given to an American congressman two months earlier, incorporating some paragraphs verbatim.

"The coordination between the Trump Tower visitor and the Russian prosecutor general undercuts Ms. Veselnitskaya's account that she was a purely independent actor when she sat down with Donald Trump Jr., Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law, and Paul J. Manafort, then the Trump campaign chairman. It also suggests that emails from an intermediary to the younger Mr. Trump promising that Ms. Veselnitskaya would arrive with information from Russian prosecutors were rooted at least partly in fact - not mere 'puffery,' as the president's son later said." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=17f35638a16f0f4a555396c5d5e4aae149ba42e47b68a3506a92ff8b806af6532565947b8c05db9a4e74976937afa90f

--"Manafort Realtor testified before grand jury in Russia probe," by Josh Gerstein: "The Realtor who helped former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort buy the Virginia condo that was recently raided by the FBI testified last week before the federal grand jury hearing testimony in Robert Mueller's Russia probe, POLITICO has learned. The real estate agent, Wayne Holland of Alexandria, Virginia-based McEnearney Associates, appeared before the Washington-based grand jury after a federal judge rejected the firm's lawyer's bid to quash subpoenas for testimony and records about various real estate transactions." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=17f35638a16f0f4a2b9e0ad0007dd4dac7ef3889b54a02b6aa40b3e7a6443a52a607af5dd33cc8b7c9b5e570ce7cb9f2

FOR YOUR RADAR -- "Mattis says threat of nuclear attack by N.Korea accelerating," by AP's Robert Burns in Seoul, South Korea: "In remarks in Seoul with South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo at his side, Mattis accused the North of illegal and unnecessary missile and nuclear programs - and vowed to defeat any attack. Mattis said North Korea engages in 'outlaw' behavior and that the U.S. will never accept a nuclear North. He added that regardless of what the North might try, it is overmatched by the firepower and cohesiveness of the decades-old U.S.-South Korean alliance." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=17f35638a16f0f4a16245bdfff24570eb2a29d8e8e0ac94d769ac4744a5bb8843f9e6715bfd9a50e7a45f0a4f24a95db

TRUMP'S DIPLOMACY -- "Trump finds golf isn't the way to Congress' heart," by Darren Samuelsohn: "The president found some early success using golf to his advantage in office, inviting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to play with him at two of his South Florida courses in February to cement their personal relationship - a favor Abe is planning to repay by hosting a golf game when Trump visits Tokyo next weekend. But it has worked less well in Washington, where the president hasn't been able to leverage his nearby golf club into close relationships on Capitol Hill." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=17f35638a16f0f4a222076ecffa1c6f612421d4aa042823cfc29c6cd82f63aafc7d6a0040d11a2a266b812b7e097c6cb

-- "Trump says he'll announce Fed chair pick 'sometime next week'," by Cristiano Lima: "'People are anxiously awaiting my decision as to who the next head of the Fed next week. I will be announcing it sometime next week,' the president said in a video posted on his official Instagram account. Trump added: 'It will be a person who hopefully will do a fantastic job. I have somebody very specific in mind. I think everybody will be very impressed.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=17f35638a16f0f4a561e8da620a068f1a9785da4ec744478b0709cd22771559485c79a19681895ea1b6041fb68a768b5 ... The Instagram video http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=17f35638a16f0f4abd209a1e261b7bfe9986173a7ce98c7cac0d08557f45e2f8e72e924d417ba3c99f0487b38bca20a1

OBAMA'S POST-PRESIDENCY LIFE -- "Former President Obama called to jury duty in Cook County and plans to serve," by Chicago Tribune's Steve Schmadeke: "Cook County ... Chief Judge Tim Evans told county commissioners during a budget hearing that Obama, who owns homes in Washington, D.C., and Chicago's Kenwood neighborhood, will serve next month. Evans later told the Tribune that adjustments would be made to accommodate Obama's security detail, but he could not say the date or courthouse location where the former president is expected to report." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=17f35638a16f0f4aecb077f018c562a7e4a63c7dd552275b5015251519d78380ed5419f2237906fd64dd942af4382c61

WITH FRIENDS LIKE THESE... -- "Likely Trump envoy nominee slams Senate Republicans," by Nahal Toosi: "Potential nominees usually choose their words with extreme care. But this week a conservative activist said to be President Donald Trump's likely foreign envoy for women's issues lashed out at two Senate Republicans who would have a major say in her confirmation. Democrats are already preparing to fight the expected nomination of Penny Young Nance, president and CEO of Concerned Women for America, to be Trump's ambassador-at-large for global women's issues.

"But they hope her recent Twitter swipes at GOP Senators Bob Corker and Jeff Flake - whom she likened to a 'middle school girl' - could kill her chances of a nomination. A congressional aide said that Nance is being considered for the ambassador's job, and a second congressional aide as well outside activists report hearing the same. The possibility has alarmed Democrats who say she is too fringe for a position that can address issues ranging from women in the workforce to family planning." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=17f35638a16f0f4a4b5228b42021f44019ac2259d17918252cc6d670f079d89674912842c828399fab2a83f3b3d455a0

CLICKER - "The nation's cartoonists on the week in politics," edited by Matt Wuerker - 14 keepers http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=17f35638a16f0f4a148f0c3209d5ab24533fc96b3db2c3c81b5baa71923f83df7b514f6b306b3eeafe2bb18de3df53e8

VIDEO DU JOUR -- @cspan: "President Trump with trick-or-treaters in Oval Office: 'I cannot believe the media produced such beautiful children.'" 3-min. video http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=17f35638a16f0f4ac51eecbb641e034f26b7a6a5c851f03f9c76f4e468579b324aece0032cd081e30ad4ba01121b2feb


Playbook Reads


PHOTO DU JOUR: President Donald Trump greets children dressed in their Halloween costumes in the Oval Office on Oct. 27. The White House invited members of the media to visit the president with their kids and to trick-or-treat. | Pablo Martinez Monsivais/ AP Photo

2020 WATCH -- "2020 hopefuls dodge Iowa and New Hampshire," by Gabe Debenedetti: "In the early run-up to 2020, would-be candidates are skipping Iowa and New Hampshire for a new set of must-stop destinations: big battleground states like Florida, Ohio and Michigan. Wary of planting a Trump-sized target on their backs so far out from the election, many potential 2020 hopefuls are avoiding headline-drawing trips to traditional primary-season destinations like Des Moines, Manchester, Columbia and Las Vegas.

"Instead, at least half a dozen Democrats with the potential to become serious contenders - including Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Kamala Harris of California and Cory Booker of New Jersey - have been quietly visiting battleground states that will likely be front-and-center in the next presidential election. The official purpose of the trips is almost always to raise money for colleagues up for reelection in 2018. But the visits also provide White House wannabes an easy way to build in-state credibility and ties to local power-players and contributors who may prove influential three years down the line." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e67dd3136b35f5936a12b9270f65b818b431ee1c186e2ed5b8ea5276bc145a285cc63ef9c5d24434d80a7b5a8edf3ea2

MORE ON HALPERIN - "Four more women accuse Mark Halperin of harassment, bringing total to at least a dozen," by CNN's Oliver Darcy: "[T]he number of accusers has grown to at least a dozen women, including four who are now sharing their accounts for the first time. ... The new accusations from the four women include that Halperin masturbated in front of an ABC News employee in his office and that he violently threw another woman against a restaurant window before attempting to kiss her, and that after she rebuffed him he called her and told her she would never work in politics or media.

"The alleged incidents occurred while Halperin was in a position of significant authority at ABC News, while the women were young and had little power. Halperin denies that he masturbated in front of anyone, that he physically assaulted anyone, or that he threatened anyone in the way described in this story. ... 'He put both hands on my arms and threw me against the window of the restaurant hard. So my head banged against the window hard, in a way I thought people inside were going to think something terrible had happened to me,' [one woman] said, adding, 'This was rough, and hard, and violent. And not in a seductive way -- in a way that telegraphs some anger and meanness.'"
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e67dd3136b35f593183853ac0b13f6adc43692b8174b5d65744c7311143812864b9e4241fcf44e86c9d59d67e282d7db

FIRST PERSON -- LARA SETRAKIAN in WaPo, "I'm one of Mark Halperin's accusers. He's part of a bigger problem we need to fix": "I speak out now because I should have then. And because we need the broadcast industry -- everyone in it -- to acknowledge what happens to women in our newsrooms, including but beyond the physical abuse. Young television journalists in their 20s are often under intense pressure to look sexually attractive and physically flawless - as judged by their supervisors. Intense anxiety, self-loathing and eating disorders can ensue. With time, newswomen in their 30s and 40s can feel terrorized by the same pressure; it implies a 'sell by' date to their time on air.

"Losing one's sex appeal can mean losing one's seat as a reporter. That fact stings even deeper when men can not only age gracefully, but lie, plagiarize, assault women and stay on air. I understand that television is a visual medium. But we are reporters, not fashion models. We are putting ourselves forward for our journalism. We should expect some dignity in how we are treated, both on air and off. Something toxic happens in the newsroom when men can comfortably comment on the sex appeal of their female colleagues." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e67dd3136b35f593100eaa22ea1ccf8d2fdbb7825017c5b835f9d3097842cfed41023630d2d2ab478672a3b723cd5f5c

RONAN FARROW on NewYorker.com, "Weighing the Costs of Speaking Out About Harvey Weinstein: Annabella Sciorra, Daryl Hannah, and other women explain their struggles with going public": "In March, Annabella Sciorra, who received an Emmy nomination for her role in 'The Sopranos,' agreed to talk with me for a story I was reporting about Harvey Weinstein. Speaking by phone, I explained that two sources had told me that she had a serious allegation regarding the producer. Sciorra, however, told me that Weinstein had never done anything inappropriate. ...

"But, two weeks ago, after The New Yorker published the story ... Sciorra called me. The truth, she said, was that she had been struggling to speak about Weinstein for more than twenty years. She was still living in fear of him, and slept with a baseball bat by her bed. Weinstein, she told me, had violently raped her in the early nineteen-nineties, and, over the next several years, sexually harassed her repeatedly.

"All told, more than fifty women have now levelled accusations against Weinstein, in accounts published by the New York Times, The New Yorker, and other outlets. But many other victims have continued to be reluctant to talk to me about their experiences, declining interview requests or initially agreeing to talk and then wavering. As more women have come forward, the costs of doing so have certainly shifted. But many still say that they face overwhelming pressures to stay silent, ranging from the spectre of career damage to fears about the life-altering consequences of being marked as sexual-assault victims." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e67dd3136b35f593be9d52ce20c62608e8399d66f9c3f766319c797a390e9293dde310be40b90ff9b0eae70cae6f554f

****** 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=9125457a03f3e229864ae3233751a4cf66faa9f1992d20c9fa48aa22771ad81d69dd1ee338139ae789c4ac8d92560939 ******

THE NEW MEDIA LANDSCAPE -- BUSINESS INSIDER: "A founder who sold his last startup for ~$50 million wants to make iconic TV for teens in the YouTube era" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e67dd3136b35f5936adcdd7bc691e7eda87d9fc79234ee972fe050133d4df43ca728c885add1986e1fced9d3c98d70ad

GREAT WEEKEND READS, curated by Daniel Lippman:

--"Leon Wieseltier: A Reckoning," by The Atlantic's Michelle Cottle: "Women who once worked at The New Republic reflect on their experiences with the legendary literary editor, who is now facing allegations of workplace 'misconduct.' ... Whatever else he was aiming for, Leon delighted in making young women sexually uncomfortable." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e67dd3136b35f59357db5ac266e8247bf4ea1c5f27ef0729d28aa9a77fc023bdc4adeb6960f7acc7a6ab2de464c0fce7

--"The Very Busy, Very Unproductive Life of Leon Wieseltier," by Lloyd Grover in the March 1995 issue of Vanity Fair: "In [one] letter, he reported, 'Today I will write a bit, read a bit, receive friends and a few strangers who have phoned to say they admire my work (the fools! I do no work!)" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e67dd3136b35f593ca66a2750fcfc63c56dae47bae92433cbec33360faf3d9e4f01d55879b93955cf45405312964dd47

-- "Cheater's Poker," by Charlotte Shane in Book Forum, reviewing "The State of Affairs: Rethinking Infidelity": "Esther Perel's suave, crowd-pleasing take on surviving infidelity." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e67dd3136b35f593b8bb28a6e45f566e90a201e3d97227a756605273dee4d6f5dd4a75ec7a9d26d31b6fd54501d481ef ... $18.35 on Amazon http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f35f6ee79e2c56993252dea1ccb0f396c10c13110cdab4cf0ab6a064b37650e57c1e9b9b72a71579d7fb04ba2e32ad79

-- "Boko Haram strapped suicide bombs to them. Somehow these teenage girls survived," by NYT's Dionne Searcey in Maiduguri, Nigeria: "The New York Times interviewed 18 girls who were captured by militants in Nigeria and sent into crowds to blow themselves up. Here are their stories." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f35f6ee79e2c5699b92d0187e222f0490faa9d6d5371748df5ba9bc4da48a9c31231a3efe8bc6ce94aa2737ccb61ab34

-- "Did We Adopt A Jihadist?" by Scott Sayare in GQ: "When one family took in a Syrian refugee, they did it out of compassion, to help a kid who said he'd escaped an ISIS prison. But then the boy got caught up in lies about his terrifying past, and they realized they no longer knew who was living in their home." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f35f6ee79e2c56997c43cb33ad5f02f2798d5387b0d928d1a106b073ca86714ef434c3d6229c790e3c281d7d37c89c17 (h/t Longform.org)

-- "The Wonder Drug for Aging (Made From One of the Deadliest Toxins on Earth)," by Cynthia Koons on the cover of Bloomberg Businessweek: "It's based on the substance that causes botulism. That's part of what protects Allergan's $2.8 billion Botox empire." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f35f6ee79e2c569990cb6a5ec3a20050cc7c5b111c07b1ed7eafe179a3d36eced61ba1b097f8d5f1d2eb5fe1dce16a02 ... The cover http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f35f6ee79e2c56992479d9d5d32ff92160bcee6a4fac55635654f5f839d35d74c6eee55b9e3e2826b80f0b27d8d06b3b

-- "A Second Look at the Steele Dossier-Knowing What We Know Now," by John Sipher, a former member of the CIA's Senior Intelligence Service, in JustSecurity.org: "Sipher examines the Steele dossier using methods that an intelligence officer would to try to validate such information. Sipher concludes that the dossier's information on campaign collusion is generally credible when measured against standard Russian intelligence practices, events subsequent to Steele's reporting, and information that has become available ... since Steele's final report" was published. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f35f6ee79e2c5699a3ea957d77ae63830c5beae9e6cdf1bc9a2523c47df68f6576a56351f09cce77d407465769afdc0b

-- "The Man Who Thought He Could Fix Afghanistan," by May Jeong in the Friday cover of POLITICO Magazine: "To get something done in Afghanistan, you need to know Scott Guggenheim. But even the ultimate fixer isn't sure anyone can solve the country's problems." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f35f6ee79e2c5699d7566bfc43c71b0fa552772fd3155a1dd9ae808fc9e07b8496541a60c5b22d3422b1b7705643bb5c

-- "Robert Sapolsky's 'Behave' is a tour de force of science writing," by Henry Marsh in the New Statesman: "You will learn more about human nature than in any other book I can think of." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f35f6ee79e2c56998d0d9f8111a6342bfb94766a20aa8bc6defc09ed34ca43d666f34617d1b2ccfc128bb0ffc118b8a9 ... $23.79 on Amazon http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f35f6ee79e2c56997689d6f5778a5fef912d916ce8301bfaf8c30c03a45aee1f1672482d3328a04befefea18a8742c22

-- "We're All Mad Here: Weinstein, Women, and the Language of Lunacy," by Laurie Penny in Longreads: "'He has demons.' The language of madness is the last resort for a society that can no longer deny the evidence of structural oppression and violence." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f35f6ee79e2c5699ebd3e05aa2004a097db17b6643c1dd9e6a01c026aa4e2c4a97dc76ba97d3fc09b3387bbdad171636

-- "It Takes a Boom," by Blaire Briody in Proximity Magazine: "'All men and no families live here [in the Bakken in North Dakota]. A few women that are the housekeepers do live here. I don't venture out. I don't make a lot of local friends. I don't especially like the cleaning ladies. A couple of them are quite the bar party girls. I'm not. I can't afford to be. Because what's she going to do? She's going to get up and vacuum in the morning. I'm going to go drive a 100,000-pound truck.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7e3833c83ec3c31dc90d494686f0420ab18b59aa6297c27e41fe94125e784aa23d476fe6a980c998f2fe6821a9eb3a50

-- "The slow train to Tallinn," by Matthew Engel in the New Statesman: "Estonia is as due for an invasion as California is for an earthquake. Nowhere has had so much geopolitics dumped on it. Of the past 750 years Estonia has been independent for just 49: 1918 to 1940 and again since 1991. Otherwise, it has been sat on by the Danes, the Teutonic Knights, the Swedes, the tsars, the Nazis and the communists." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7e3833c83ec3c31d5820249580ca8415142a6448a73f321e8fd302149cb3fcf645e384b6440814b9dd450ef20761ae1c (h/t TheBrowser.com)

-- "Mark Twain's Get-Rich-Quick Schemes," by Alan Pell Crawford in the Paris Review - per ALDaily.com's description: "Mark Twain had one goal: Make money. By the age of 50, he was rich. 'I am frightened by the proportions of my prosperity,' he said, and he was right to be afraid." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7e3833c83ec3c31de9d6191dcf5263e4fba7cb59224ba570e5f6439023f98fca38fb721cda1172ba3efd5592df0d4b19

-- "'Reality shrivels. This is your life now': 88 days trapped in bed to save a pregnancy" - The Guardian: "Months before she was due to give birth, disaster struck for Katherine Heiny. Doctors ordered her to lie on her side in bed and not move - and gave her a 1% chance of carrying her baby to term." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7e3833c83ec3c31dbcedd113583d96a628d73adf04cbaf02722f24918dea3c3d7261299fe2db2e9ecbf04edb4d534b66

Playbookers
SPOTTED: Sarah Huckabee Sanders last night at Fiola ... OMB senior advisor Russ Vought and Mary Vought with their daughters Ella and Porter yesterday at the White House trick or treat event - pic of the family in the OMB offices in EEOB http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7e3833c83ec3c31d2bd5d14ce4a80594e38662caca64e39067e79bfdc3377a9389ef208367bfa35f47025f028200f2c0

BUSH ALUMNI -- DAVID MCCORMICK, who served in the Treasury Department and the Bush 43 White House and now is co-CEO of Bridgewater Associates, has been named chairman of the Atlantic Council's International Advisory Board, replacing General Brent Scowcroft.

SPOTTED eating raclette at London's newest La Fromagerie last night at Sara Latham's birthday party: Joe Lockhart, Geoff and Ann Morrell, Hannah Pawlby, and Joel Johnson.

WELCOME TO THE WORLD - BEN TERRIS, political reporter for the Style section of the Washington Post, and Rachel Pfeffer Terris, a D.C.-based jeweler (RachelPfeffer.com), on Tuesday welcomed Ralph David Terris. "He came in four days ahead of schedule, and was named for his maternal grandfather (Ralph) and his paternal grandfather (David), on a frantic drive to Sibley hospital in the middle of the night. His mom ... already has more energy than her worn out husband (me)." Pic http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7e3833c83ec3c31d033db919b806d6258d1a854da03148fb3f22b5937e758194aceb6d8e69acf5d5c4fee7ea60bd28f6

BIRTHDAYS: Matt Drudge is 51 ... Bill Gates is 62 ... David Ford, Fusion's SVP of corporate comms. and PR ... Doug Band ... Teresa Vilmain, the pride of Cedar Falls, Iowa (hat tip: Jon Haber) ... Max Cummings, COO of Smoot Tewes Group, is 32 ... David Finkel ... Bridget Walsh, VP of federal gov't relations at Pfizer ... E&E's Dylan Brown ... Jonny Slemrod, associate director for legislative affairs at OMB, is 3-0 ... Matt Patton, analytical lead at Google ... Jeanie Figg ... Devex's Chadwick Vincent ... CNN senior photojournalist Peter Morris ... Ansley Rhyne ... Alison Starling ... Nikki Collins ... Susan E. Roberts ... Robert Bush ...

... Helena Andrews ... Zach Hunter, comms director for House Energy & Commerce (h/t Jordan Davis) ... Stefanie Christensen ... Andrew Lee ... Louise Dodsworth ... Adam Bozzi ... Acee Agoyo ... Margaret Given (h/t Jacqueline Klimas) ... Alex and Brett Harris ... Brian Witkofsky is 5-0 ... Uber's Alix Anfang ... Peter Savodnik ... Sam Weston ... Jason Rodriguez ... CBS News' Meghan Zusi ... Alex J. Harris ... Zach Williams ... Asher Hildebrand, COS for Rep. David Price ... Simon Pereira ... Griffin Anderson ... former Rep. Zach Wamp (R-Tenn.) is 6-0 ... Justin Discigil ... former president of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is 61 ... Darlene Setter ... Scott Harrington ... Connie Wimer ... Nadia
Garnett ... Sarah Beaulieu (h/ts Teresa Vilmain)

THE SHOWS, by @MattMackowiak, filing from Austin:

--CNN's "State of the Union": Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) ... Gov. Chris Christie. Panel: Jennifer Granholm, Rick Santorum, Charlie Sykes and Nina Turner

--NBC's "Meet the Press": Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) ... Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) ... Opioid segment Huntington, W.Va. Fire Chief Jan Rader and a preview of Netflix Original "Heroin(e)" (trailer: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9125457a03f3e229566c0bfd997b5751957525a7738487eb49c2495b1cea895df4c10c8b4e1196db928789a94a2515a2 Panel: Al Cardenas, Eliana Johnson, Chris Matthews and Amy Walter

--CBS's "Face the Nation": Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) ... Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) ... Gov. Chris Christie. Panel: Ben Domenech, Ruth Marcus, David Nakamura and Julie Pace ... "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" bandleader Jon Batiste on his reinterpretation of the "Battle Hymn of the Republic"

--"Fox News Sunday": Gov. John Kasich ... Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.). Panel: Michael Needham, Woodrow Jane Harman, Ari Fleischer and Mo Elleithee ... "Power Player of the Week" with "Thank You for Your Service" director Jason Hall and actor Miles Teller -- trailer http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7e3833c83ec3c31d4c45062ddca69f2e257aae8ec4a006e9949dbd623b7af12c11512d26a83ed811b593cc0603c017b0

--ABC's "This Week": Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) ... Gov. Chris Christie. Panel: Matthew Dowd, Karen Finney, Brian Kilmeade, Roland Martin and Katie Walsh Shields

--Fox News' "MediaBuzz": Joe Trippi ... Emily Jashinsky ... Anna Palmer ... Marc Lotter ... Ed Henry ... Francesca Chambers

--CNN's "Reliable Sources": Carl Bernstein and Bruce Bartlett ... Oliver Darcy and Jessica Valenti ... Jake Sherman and Manu Raju ... author and CBS News 60 Minutes executive producer Jeff Fager ("Fifty Years of 60 Minutes: The Inside Story of Television's Most Influential News Broadcast")

--Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures": House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) ... Ian Bremmer ... Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) ...Mike Huckabee. Panel: Caitlin Huey Burns and Jon Hilsenrath

--CNN's "Inside Politics" with John King: Panel: Julie Pace, Jen Jacobs, Karoun Demirjian and Perry Bacon

--CNN's "Fareed Zakaria GPS": Bill Browder ... Larry Summers ... Kevin Hassett ... Walter Isaacson

--Univision's "Al Punto": Adryana Aldeen and Astrid Silva ... journalist and Mexicans Against Corruption and Impunity's Raul Olmos and Mexican Institute for Competitiveness anticorruption director Max Kaiser ... Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado ... salsa singer Luis Enrique ... musical duo Ibeyi

--C-SPAN: "The Communicators": Microsoft's Ethan Jackson, Eric Horvitz, and William Mendoza, Phone2Action co-founder Ximena Hartsock and Bansen Labs CEO Ray Abel ... "Newsmakers": NAACP president and CEO Derrick Johnson (from Los Angeles), questioned by the Washington Post's Eugene Scott and AP's Jesse Holland ... "Q&A": Middlebury College's Allison Stanger

--Washington Times' "Mack on Politics" weekly politics podcast with Matt Mackowiak (download on iTunes, Google Play, or Stitcher or listen at http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9125457a03f3e22900d690fb62ff9a8aa065d9c5c7911e9a0952cc2a4fb7af6b92fb3bb1dd3c104be8ec39208ca5d9e9 MSNBC anchor Chris Hayes.

****** 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=9125457a03f3e229a0f575831b818f0985fd8db3cf3db0c1f1c8c1e96db6d1762fcbc8d5561df747beabc809cbd755f2 ******

SUBSCRIBE to the Playbook family: POLITICO Playbook http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=59cd5798be02f82ac2d25041b494addc1ba50e292e9fd7b692b28972ec9889a97beb422a29e05fa8e9dc82c11c27dc2f ... Playbook Power Briefing http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=59cd5798be02f82a9643843dbf9c9b7296561cd7d2e605878d403f33e45908dfacd10cbefad04590af47af1136f2c1da ... New York Playbook http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=59cd5798be02f82af8fb8d61c2c42ca096764c3b4458d9eb42b3372800efb2f3d75ef5346d659fe0f5f4d441bd3ad394 ... Florida Playbook http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=59cd5798be02f82a2750e423eca13f372fd32bf105185706132489230a48f5a65e2af0c7cec44ff7c325abb766883ee4 ... New Jersey Playbook http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=59cd5798be02f82aa6fa7e514cc549a091164a36da62bf3d2322c5f918922686373b3c36d1cbdec99c8b79f673d6cf1c ... Massachusetts Playbook http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=59cd5798be02f82a069f3b2d7504b70ba5fa9994e96c01c6b526c1a9c909ba9de9c558a810fe1287a23ee79fc9161c90 ... Illinois Playbook
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