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Presented by Google: Playbook is POLITICO's must-read briefing on what's driving the day Feb 01, 2019 View in browser
By Jake Sherman, Anna Palmer, Daniel Lippman, Garrett Ross and Eli Okun

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TRUMP AND THE TIMES ... via NYT's Mike Grynbaum: Publisher A.G. "Sulzberger told Mr. Trump that his paper's responsibility was 'to cover people and institutions of power, toughly, aggressively.' 'It's never fun to be on the other side of that ... You have my commitment that as we do that toughly and aggressively, we will also do it fairly.'

"'I appreciate that,' the president replied, before reminiscing about the highlights of his unlikely political rise. ... 'I came from Jamaica, Queens, Jamaica Estates, and I became president of the United States,' Mr. Trump said. 'I'm sort of entitled to a great story - just one - from my newspaper.'" NYT

-- A GREAT LISTEN ... NYT'S MICHAEL BARBARO interviews SULZBERGER about the experience. 32-minute listen

HEADLINES THE PRESIDENT WILL LIKE -- IAN KULLGREN: "U.S. economy created 304,000 jobs in January": "The economy added 304,000 jobs in January, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported, up from a revised estimate of 222,000 in December. Average hourly private-sector earnings were up 3.2 percent over the previous year, strengthening the case that the accelerated wage growth observed in recent months was no mere blip. ...

"The numbers confounded economists' expectations and provided some badly-needed good news to President Donald Trump, who suffered deflated poll numbers after the shutdown. The jobs report allows Trump to claim victory in the economy despite evidence of growing dysfunction in Washington." POLITICO

THE LATEST ON BORDER TALKS -- WSJ'S NATALIE ANDREWS and KRISTINA PETERSON: "Democratic Lawmaker Has Tough Task of Helping Avoid Another Shutdown": "New York Rep. Nita Lowey has two weeks to cajole and prod 16 other lawmakers from both parties and congressional chambers into agreeing to a spending deal that could avoid another partial government shutdown. ...

"Standing at 5 feet 1 inch, she often greets lawmakers with a hug or a pat on the shoulder-even Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby, the Alabama Republican who towers over her at 6 feet 4 inches. Yet her warm manner shouldn't be misread, say lawmakers used to working with her. ... both Republicans and Democrats expressed optimism that a deal can be reached, and point to Mrs. Lowey as part of that." WSJ

-- THE DAILY SEESAW ... DAILY MAIL'S FRANCESCA CHAMBERS (@fran_chambers): "The White House is back to telling Democrats they can call it a 'fence' if that's what it takes to get Trump his money. 'Call it what you want. But get it so it's a physical barrier,' Kellyanne Conway tells reporters."

-- CAITLIN OPRYSKO: "Stabenow predicts border deal could survive a presidential veto"

-- PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP said at a meeting about human trafficking this morning, "Nancy Pelosi is doing a very, very great disservice to our country." He also called the committee a "waste of time" and touted the border wall as a way to prevent trafficking, per pooler Nikki Schwab of the New York Post.

HE'S RUNNING! -- NATASHA KORECKI: "Cory Booker launches bid for president": "Booker will seek to set himself apart in a crowded field focusing on a message on love and unity, one that urges America to swing back from a bitter, divisive era under President Donald Trump. He also intends to appeal to the better angels of the Democratic Party - if they're willing to listen - that it's possible for a Democrat to work across party lines, three advisers familiar with Booker's strategy told POLITICO. ...

"Booker will hold up as a signature accomplishment his work with Republicans late last year to push through a major criminal justice reform package ... Booker is also expected to tout his work with Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) to create 'Opportunity Zones.'" POLITICO

-- MORE FROM NATASHA: "Cory Booker didn't announce first. But that doesn't mean he's behind: The New Jersey senator has already generated considerable goodwill in the early presidential states." POLITICO

-- BUZZFEED'S RUBY CRAMER: "Addisu Demissie, a longtime Democratic operative and organizer who managed Booker's first Senate race in 2013 and most recently ran Gov. Gavin Newsom's successful gubernatorial campaign in California, will serve as campaign manager." BuzzFeed

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Happy Friday afternoon. BIG NEWS IN THE SUNSHINE STATE ... GARY FINEOUT is joining POLITICO as a co-author of Florida Playbook at the end of February. He previously was in the AP's Tallahassee bureau.

NAHAL TOOSI, NANCY COOK and BRYAN BENDER: "Trump makes it official: U.S. to quit missile treaty with Russia": "The decision to abandon the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty has raised concerns about a renewed arms race with Moscow. But it's not a surprise: The Trump administration has been signaling for months that it will walk away from the treaty, alleging that Russia has not met its obligations under the agreement for years. ...

"President Donald Trump ... issued a warning to Russia that hinted at another concern: That China, too, wants to take advantage of the existence of the treaty to surge ahead in its own missile capabilities. 'We cannot be the only country in the world unilaterally bound by this treaty, or any other,' Trump said in a statement. 'We will move forward with developing our own military response options and will work with NATO and our other allies and partners to deny Russia any military advantage from its unlawful conduct.'" POLITICO

WHAT'S ON THE PRESIDENT'S MIND -- @realDonaldTrump at 8:23 a.m.: "I inherited a total mess in Syria and Afghanistan, the 'Endless Wars' of unlimited spending and death. During my campaign I said, very strongly, that these wars must finally end. We spend $50 Billion a year in Afghanistan and have hit them so hard that we are now talking peace..."

... at 8:35 a.m.: "....after 18 long years. Syria was loaded with ISIS until I came along. We will soon have destroyed 100% of the Caliphate, but will be watching them closely. It is now time to start coming home and, after many years, spending our money wisely. Certain people must get smart!"

... at 9:16 a.m.: "Best January for the DOW in over 30 years. We have, by far, the strongest economy in the world!" Eugene Daniels: "How much should Trump lean on stock market gains?"

THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION -- MICHAEL STRATFORD: "Warren slams Trump over replacement of Education Department watchdog": "The Trump administration abruptly replaced the top acting watchdog at the Education Department this week ... Warren and the department's Office of Inspector General said the move raises questions about the watchdog's independence from the Education Department because the new acting inspector general, Phil Rosenfelt, is also the department's deputy general counsel." POLITICO

2020 WATCH ... KNOWING STEVE BULLOCK -- ALEX THOMPSON in Helena, Mont.: "The 2020 Democrat with a full-fledged Republican fan club": "His pitch to national audiences who don't know him is that he won reelection in 2016 in a state Donald Trump won by 20 points and passed Medicaid expansion and campaign finance reform in a state legislature dominated by Republicans. In short, he says he's a Democrat who can get stuff done and heal partisan wounds. ...

"Bullock's relative moderation has led some state legislators to speculate that the trips to Iowa and New Hampshire are an attempt to raise a national profile before ultimately running for Senate against Republican incumbent Steve Daines in 2020. He may be the only Democrat in the state who could beat Daines." POLITICO

-- WSJ'S JOSHUA JAMERSON in Cresco, Iowa: "Sherrod Brown Casts Himself as Progressive Before It Was Cool": "Mr. Brown this week kicked off his 'Dignity of Work' tour that will take him through the early primary states of Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina. A big part of Mr. Brown's pitch in the primaries would be that he has the best shot at winning back Trump voters in the 2020 presidential election. ...

"Mr. Brown is leaning on votes he has taken when he was a congressman in the 1990s and early 2000s to bolster his progressive credentials. On his tour, Mr. Brown highlighted his votes in the House against the Defense of Marriage Act and Iraq War." WSJ

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CASH DASH -- SCOTT BLAND: "Warren raised $299K online on launch day of exploratory committee": "A POLITICO analysis of the year-end filing from ActBlue, the online fundraising platform used by Warren and most other Democratic campaigns, shows more than 8,000 donations earmarked to Warren's exploratory committee streaming in on Dec. 31 ...

"The numbers are the first official glimpse at Democratic fundraising in the 2020 presidential race, along with a filing from former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro's campaign showing he raised over $220,000 in December. But they significantly trail Sen. Kamala Harris' (D-Calif.) January campaign announcement that she raised $1.5 million in the first 24 hours." POLITICO

ON THE WORLD STAGE -- BARAK RAVID in AXIOS: "U.S. cuts off all aid to Palestinian security forces"

SCOTUS WATCH -- "Challenge to abortion clinic restrictions in Louisiana will test Supreme Court's new conservative majority," by USA Today's Richard Wolf: "[T]he justices' upcoming verdict on a Louisiana law requiring abortion providers to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals ... could reveal much about the court's respect for its own precedents, as well as its willingness or hesitancy to wade into hot-button political issues. Unless they intercede, Louisiana's law will take effect Monday, even though the high court struck down a nearly identical Texas law in 2016.

"In a last-ditch effort, abortion rights proponents asked the Supreme Court to block the law's implementation pending further review. But since the Texas case was decided, former associate justice Anthony Kennedy - who was in the majority - has retired. Now, two new justices named by Trump likely hold the key to what happens next." USA Today

AFTERNOON READ -- NANCY SCOLA for POLITICO MAGAZINE: "Kamala Harris' Crusade Against 'Revenge Porn'": "Now, with the downside of technology again at the center of the national conversation, Harris is almost uniquely positioned among the presidential candidates to understand some of the thorniest issues that face the country on this front, and how government might tackle them. But in the Senate she has been largely quiet. When Congress took up an internet-policing bill closely connected to her own legal work, she barely played a role, and in fact initially refused to sign on.

"Why is she sitting it out? Harris has burst quickly onto the national stage; she currently polls behind only Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders among Democrats as a likely challenger to Donald Trump in 2020. Her legal fight against online harassment is one of her most innovative, and least-understood, contributions to public policy. But it's also potentially toxic with important Democratic constituencies. Harris, by all accounts, is unfazed by such concerns." POLITICO Magazine

TOP-ED -- STACEY ABRAMS in FOREIGN AFFAIRS: "Identity Politics Strengthens Democracy"

MEDIAWATCH -- THE HITS KEEP COMING ... "Vice Media to Reorganize, Lay Off 10 Percent of Staff," by The Hollywood Reporter's Natalie Jarvey: "Around 250 jobs are expected to be cut ... as the 2,500-person Vice reduces redundancies internationally and reorients to focus on growth areas like film and television production and branded content. All departments at every level are expected to have layoffs, from IT to finance to television." THR

-- Per Morning Media: "Daniel Lippman reports: Bloomberg has recently added an internal function on the Bloomberg terminal, called (BBYB), for employees to order free copies of founder (and possible 2020 contender) Michael Bloomberg's revised and updated book, 'Bloomberg by Bloomberg.' ... The company quickly went through its initial order of 15,000 copies for some 20,000 employees worldwide ... and has had to order another 10,000 more copies." Some choice quotes from the book

TV TONIGHT -- Bob Costa sits down with WaPo's Bob Woodward, CBS' Nancy Cordes, NYT's Peter Baker and Vice News' Shawna Thomas on PBS' "Washington Week" at 8 p.m.

WELCOME TO THE WORLD -- Jennifer Myers, senior director of communications for the American Hotel and Lodging Association and an Edelman alum, and Louis Kishkunas, a consultant for the Matrix Group, on Tuesday welcomed Kate Victoria Kishkunas. Pic

TRANSITION -- Todd Ricketts will be finance chairman for the Trump Victory Committee. He previously was finance chairman at the RNC. ... Miryam Lipper will be Iowa communications director for Sen. Kamala Harris' (D-Calif.) presidential campaign. She currently is press secretary for Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and is an HFA and DNC alum.

BONUS BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Julie Samuels, executive director of Tech:NYC. A fun fact about her: "Despite the fact that I am -- as of today -- 41 years old, I still get a weekly letter from my dad in Chicago. It always includes treats for my dog, candy for my kids, a couple pieces of gum for me, and some spending money. The letters have followed me across the country -- from Chicago to D.C. to NYC to Nashville to San Francisco and now back to NYC. I'm happy to report that he believes in cost-of-living adjustments." Playbook Plus Q&A

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