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Today's Playbook Power Briefing presented by PhRMA

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)


THE IMMIGRATION BUZZ IN REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP ... The big House Republican immigration meeting is Thursday afternoon, but that's just a sideshow, of sorts. GOP leadership is still spending the week trying to hash out an immigration compromise between conservatives and moderates -- meetings will kick into gear tomorrow. We hear that the White House is engaged in the process.

AT THIS MOMENT, we find it hard to believe that there is a deal between moderates and conservatives that hardliners like Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio can get on board with. And most people we talk to in leadership believe a successful discharge petition is the most likely outcome, at this point.

-- BIG DEAL ALERT: TEXAS REPS. VICENTE GONZALEZ and FILEMON VELA -- two Democratic holdouts -- announced today they would sign the petition. It stands three away from 218.

STEVE SCALISE, getting good with KEVIN MCCARTHY, on "Mornings with Maria" on Fox Business: FOX's DAGEN MCDOWELL: "House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy and yourself are said to be frontrunners to succeed House Speaker Paul Ryan when he steps down in January. You've said that you won't run against McCarthy, but as it stands now do you think he has enough votes to win outright? And that there are other people who have, kind of, are raising their hand a little bit in terms of interested in the leadership role."

SCALISE: "I think Kevin is in a really good spot to become next speaker. But the thing that we're most concerned about is holding the majority, because the only announced candidate for speaker of the House is Nancy Pelosi. She's publicly said she will run for speaker again if they get majority and they are focused on doing it. They're raising millions of dollars to get there, we're not going to let that happen, but we need to stay focused on primary objective and that is holding the House so that you don't see an unwinding of the success we had. Pelosi said she wants to raise taxes to undo the tax cuts we worked with President Trump to get. So stay focused on main objective." The full
interview http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=84e85ee1f3b3de835482d8faf2fc1bc99674a6d2ebf393e3396f58965078e80dd4e4c7b4b2a6cf3f6f0e47b23c722652

HEADS UP ... SENATE MAJORITY LEADER MITCH MCCONNELL will announce today his intention to cut a big chunk of August recess. Will the House follow suit? Probably not, unless there's tremendous pressure. Political dynamics dictate that the House should have its members at home.

THE WHITE HOUSE, in a 11:57 a.m. statement, said the "vast majority of the Eagles team decided to abandon their fans" by not showing up at the White House today. The full statement http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=84e85ee1f3b3de83e42308e1aca6d5e418a087f474930b7563aaddb33d07c3336ebeb35ece02a9d46632a480470fb2f8

-- Annie Karni and Christopher Cadelago: "Last week, the Eagles submitted more than 80 names of players who would were planning to visit the White House, according to a White House official. The team was 'full steam ahead,' the official said, for an event that had been in the works since February. But on Monday, the White House was informed that the delegation had been reduced to just two or three players, the owner, and the team's beloved mascot, Swoop. ...

"The last-minute cancellation took many White House staffers by surprise. Some people working in the communications shop said they were alerted to the change of plans just minutes before the presidential statement was blasted out by the press office." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=84e85ee1f3b3de8343d73940113ba8fc64c901afe33c3b960b7fc91f1cfaefe3b37a405fe5f329976fae41dd6e5d2ae3

-- THE NFL PLAYERS ASSOCIATION, before the White House's statement: "Our union is disappointed in the decision by the White House to disinvite players from the Philadelphia Eagles from being recognized and celebrated by all Americans for their accomplishment. This decision by the White House has led to the cancellation of several player-led community service events for young people in the Washington, DC area. NFL Players love their country, support our troops, give back to their communities and strive to make America a better place."

THE CAPELLA HOTEL in Singapore will host the U.S.-North Korea summit.

Good Tuesday afternoon. HUGE NEWS -- "Conservative icon David Koch leaving business, politics," by the AP's Steve Peoples: "The 78-year-old New York resident is suffering from deteriorating health, according to a letter that older brother Charles Koch sent to company officials Tuesday morning.

"Charles Koch wrote that he is 'deeply saddened' by his brother's retirement. 'David has always been a fighter and is dealing with this challenge in the same way,' he wrote.

"Koch is also stepping down as chairman of the board for the Americans For Prosperity Foundation, the charity related to Koch brothers' primary political organization. ... Charles Koch had assumed a more visible leadership role in the brothers' affairs in recent years. He will continue to serve as the CEO of Koch Industries and the unofficial face of the network's political efforts." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=84e85ee1f3b3de835a4b15c6fe2ab0ffa098526ab010977e38c3c0c0647187416a00528a718811b873106ac95319137b

POLLS CLOSE TONIGHT in California at 11 p.m. Eastern. Follow along with POLITICO's live tracker for California (https://politi.co/2LXreoa) and the other states having their primaries tonight: Alabama (https://politi.co/2LZl9ra), Iowa (https://politi.co/2LZnrGZ), Mississippi (https://politi.co/2M1Gkcb), Montana (https://politi.co/2LZnX7T), New Jersey (https://politi.co/2LZofM1), New Mexico (https://politi.co/2LZYYRK) and South Dakota (https://politi.co/2LXa5uG).

-- @realDonaldTrump at 9:02 a.m.: "In High Tax, High Crime California, be sure to get out and vote for Republican John Cox for Governor. He will make a BIG difference!" ... at 9:09 a.m.: "Get the vote out in California today for Rep. Kevin McCarthy and all of the great GOP candidates for Congress. Keep our country out of the hands of High Tax, High Crime Nancy Pelosi." The president also tweeted support for California Rep. Devin Nunes and Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker.

-- KEVIN MCCARTHY, DEVIN NUNES AND ROGER WICKER are not really at risk of losing their primaries tonight -- we don't think!

IN THE COURTS -- "Judge: Trump can be deposed in Summer Zervos lawsuit," by New York Playbooker Laura Nahmias: "A judge ruled Tuesday that President Donald Trump can be deposed in a defamation lawsuit brought last year by Summer Zervos, a former contestant on 'The Apprentice' who says Trump kissed and groped her after she appeared on the show. ... Trump could still avoid a deposition, though. His lawyers have appealed to New York's highest court in hopes of avoiding it. His legal team has argued that Zervos' lawsuit is politically motivated." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=84e85ee1f3b3de83b7f837ec0eeafac540e3e8c6a4d49f64c4d9de761263ea2c26debe04bc375c205e6b7b067d56203f

ALSO ON THE PRESIDENT'S MIND -- @realDonaldTrump at 7:58 a.m.: "Separating families at the Border is the fault of bad legislation passed by the Democrats. Border Security laws should be changed but the Dems can't get their act together! Started the Wall."

-- This is not true. NYT's Amy Harmon in May, after the president tweeted similar claims: "There is no law mandating separation. The closest is the Trump administration's own 'zero tolerance' policy. And the Democrats did not initiate that." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=84e85ee1f3b3de8314faf61a7bbb765fc988d134cc5477b3d1ede611402bba2a5352f31330b48d9dc7c3e71965439cc3

-- HUGH HEWITT questioning ATTORNEY GENERAL JEFF SESSIONS this morning: "Is it absolutely necessary, General, to separate parents from children when they are detained or apprehended at the border?" Sessions: "Yes. What's happening is we are having more people coming bringing children with them entering between the ports of entry, between the ports of entry illegally, and they're not, you cannot give them immunity. That's an offense. We believe every person that enters the country illegally like that should be prosecuted." The full interview http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=84e85ee1f3b3de8359e28f8adea48ebca36de91437a49277d2e7a090d2ed5356bcbf72df546e62ebe1207665fdb49bea

... And more attacks on the Justice Department ... at 6:38 a.m.: "What is taking so long with the Inspector General's Report on Crooked Hillary and Slippery James Comey. Numerous delays. Hope Report is not being changed and made weaker! There are so many horrible things to tell, the public has the right to know. Transparency!" ...

... at 7:31 a.m.: "The Russian Witch Hunt Hoax continues, all because Jeff Sessions didn't tell me he was going to recuse himself...I would have quickly picked someone else. So much time and money wasted, so many lives ruined...and Sessions knew better than most that there was No Collusion!" He also sent out several tweets on canceling the Philadelphia Eagles' visit to the White House ("NFL, no escaping to Locker Rooms!"), the economy, and the meeting with North Korea in Singapore ("hopefully be the start of something big").

** A message from PhRMA: New analysis from IHS Markit shows providing access to discounted medicine prices at the pharmacy could save seniors with diabetes more than $350 annually. Sharing negotiated rebates could also save Medicare nearly $1,000 annually for every senior taking diabetes medication, reducing total health care spending by approximately $20B over the next 10 years. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=84e85ee1f3b3de83eb7cb2bab9d1c186065e86ab4adff098b589347a15dba46648efad6bf80c8484f9ef5f67f6b9f38f **

AT THE DOJ -- "Trump Administration Sidelines Effort to Appoint Justice Department No. 3," by WSJ's Sadie Gurman and Aruna Viswanatha: "The Trump administration has put its search for the Justice Department's No. 3 official on the back burner after failing to persuade several early candidates to take the challenging position, according to people familiar with the matter. ...

"Without any immediate candidate ready to sign onto the job of associate attorney general, the administration is instead focusing on other vacancies. Department officials say the delays have strained resources and limited the agency's ability to fully enact and implement new policies. ...

"Officials have informally approached at least three potential candidates for the post, including attorneys Helgi Walker and Kate Todd, who said they wouldn't be interested in taking on the job right now, according to the people familiar with the matter. Both declined to comment." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=84e85ee1f3b3de833ae0eab5430df6df4b975da0f8286302893cb89845ca227cfd2e59232911e3675b28316d8e181d3f

THE INVESTIGATIONS ...

-- "Judge orders Manafort to respond to witness tampering claims," by Josh Gerstein and Darren Samuelsohn: "U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson set a Friday deadline for Manafort's attorneys to respond to the filing special counsel Robert Mueller's team submitted to the court Monday night, claiming that Manafort and one of his allies repeatedly reached out to two individuals who had been involved in organizing ex-politicians in Europe to promote Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych.

"Jackson's order gave no details about how seriously she views the allegations, but she set a hearing on the matter for June 15.

"Prosecutors say the alleged tampering is grounds to revoke the house arrest Manafort has been under or to make the conditions more stringent. Manafort has been trying for months to loosen the conditions by posting a package of real estate properties." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=84e85ee1f3b3de83b8fa096cead0167dbfa24f1ff33d1b457dfea5482b733cbdd395a02cd7e75c79d1da52162484d86c

-- "Cambridge University perch gave FBI source access to top intelligence figures -- and a cover as he reached out to Trump associates," by WaPo's Tom Hamburger, Bob Costa and Ellen Nakashima: "Before Stefan A. Halper emerged at the center of a political storm over the FBI's Russia investigation, he was a familiar face among the Gothic buildings and on the twisting river paths at the University of Cambridge, where he was known as a foreign policy expert with a network of intelligence sources cultivated over decades. ...

"His perch as a Cambridge professor gave Halper, a veteran of three Republican administrations, the chance to mingle with figures such as then-Defense Intelligence Agency chief Michael Flynn and Vyacheslav Ivanovich Trubnikov, former director of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service.

"It also gave him a valuable cover to assist the FBI in a secret operation: investigating Russia's efforts to interfere in the 2016 campaign." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=84e85ee1f3b3de839b0863df1c2686aaaa8718b6f41b040560937c2530f4f0ddb0c2a2f38ab8ab7768af74b7f6895cb5

PRUITT LOSING FRIENDS ON THE HILL-- "Pruitt 'is about as swampy as you get,' Republican senator says," by Eric Wolff: "Pruitt 'is about as swampy as you get here in Washington, D.C. And if the president wants to drain the swamp, he needs to take a look at his own Cabinet,' [Sen Joni Ernst (R-Iowa)] said Tuesday at an energy policy forum in Washington. She stressed that she was speaking for herself and that it is up to Trump to decide whether to keep Pruitt on board." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=84e85ee1f3b3de834c54792810c8db48cecf148a410956682bf731ff6131dd5668f980183574054588fe7616a74b25bf

-- CNN's MANU RAJU (@mkraju): "'I think that Pruitt has betrayed the president,' said Sen. Chuck Grassley, referring to a dispute with the administration over the renewable fuels standard."

WHAT RIC GRENELL IS UP TO... "Germany wants answers on U.S. ambassador's remarks," by Deutsche Welle's David Martin: "Germany's Foreign Ministry, led by Heiko Maas, said on Monday it would address [U.S. ambassador to Germany Ric] Grenell's comments [where he said he'd work on 'empowering' European conservatives] with the ambassador when he visits the ministry on Wednesday. Spokesperson Christofer Burger said Grenell's inaugural visit would provide an opportunity to 'explain how he wants his statements to be understood.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=84e85ee1f3b3de83b8e44aa685c79d185b76397916278154571a5cfc2965302169d599f97002c8b1ebd07a867ba999da

TRADE UPDATE -- "Kudlow: Trump wants to break NAFTA into 2 deals," by Adam Behsudi: "'He is very seriously contemplating kind of a shift in the NAFTA negotiations. His preference now, and he asked me to convey this, is to actually negotiate with Mexico and Canada separately,' Kudlow said on Fox News. 'He prefers bilateral negotiations and he's looking at two, much different countries.'

"Kudlow added that the president 'may be moving quickly toward these bilateral discussions' but cautioned that Trump does not want to pull out of NAFTA. ...

"Kudlow said the idea of pursuing two, separate negotiations was presented to Canada on Monday, but Canadian officials have not yet responded." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=84e85ee1f3b3de83d052a15ef885928548e94ae22a5a3c1c484e37aa9c2d591f34a3fdbc2fb4665175f2fa793785fb12 ... Video from "Fox & Friends" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=84e85ee1f3b3de83ec0bb8be4c947a1c557192a914ced61eaa025df13db9f76df18ef4de2be176b2898a016fc7795eb3

MEDIAWATCH -- Erick Erickson joined the streaming service CRTV to host a new series "The Resurgent Family with Erick Erickson."

-- Alexandra DeSanctis is now a staff writer with National Review. She previously was a William F. Buckley Jr. Fellow in Political Journalism with the National Review Institute.

TRANSITIONS -- ED GILLESPIE, the former RNC chair and the 2017 Republican gubernatorial nominee in Virginia, joined Sard Verbinnen & Co as a managing director and chairman of their public affairs practice. ... Kate Coleman is joining Scarlet Oak Strategies as senior director for strategic communications. She was most recently at the One Campaign and the DSCC. ...

... Arlen Valdivia is now government relations director for the MPAA and will be based in LA. She previously was a VP at Edelman in D.C. ... Brynna Quillin is joining American Bridge 21st Century as digital content director. She previously co-founded and launched Amplifire News, a progressive media start-up.

-- WHITE HOUSE DEPARTURE LOUNGE -- FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Jessica Anderson is returning to Heritage Action for America to be VP. She currently is associate director of intergovernmental affairs and strategic initiatives at OMB.

-- OBAMA ALUMNI: Evan Medeiros will hold the inaugural Penner family chair in Asian studies at Georgetown's School of Foreign Service. He is former special assistant to President Obama and senior director for Asian affairs at the NSC.

BONUS BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Katy Summerlin of ROKK Solutions, a Darrell Issa and Doug Collins alum. Q&A: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=84e85ee1f3b3de831d25df6673f20bb24c94e70d3fa1093e64790ba618bab46bdc22c8539b938240c8f07535f488f6ac

** A message from PhRMA: For more than 10 years, Medicare has provided prescription drug coverage for seniors. Competition continues to keep premiums low, but seniors are facing higher out-of-pocket spending. Insurers negotiate significant discounts for medicines in Part D. Giving seniors 80% of those discounts at the pharmacy counter could save a senior with diabetes more than $350 per year on their health care costs. The change could also save Medicare nearly $1,000 per year for every senior taking diabetes medication. How? By helping patients afford the drugs they need to stay healthy and stay out of the hospital. Seniors share the cost. They should share the savings.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=84e85ee1f3b3de83eb7cb2bab9d1c186065e86ab4adff098b589347a15dba46648efad6bf80c8484f9ef5f67f6b9f38f **

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