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Presented by Google: Playbook is POLITICO's must-read briefing on what's driving the day Jan 31, 2019 View in browser
By Jake Sherman, Anna Palmer and Daniel Lippman

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DRIVING THE DAY
WHITE HOUSE BUZZ ... MICK MULVANEY, the acting chief of staff, is interested in succeeding WILBUR ROSS as Commerce secretary, according to several people with knowledge of his plans. Our colleagues Nancy Cook and Andrew Restuccia scooped in November that Mulvaney was angling for the job, but now that he's in the White House's top job, the positioning has started anew, and seems to have picked up in recent weeks, according to multiple people in the administration.

WHAT TO KEEP AN EYE ON: Where will Mulvaney's stock be after the wall negotiations, which are slated to wrap up Feb. 15? Mulvaney did not respond to an email seeking comment.

ABOUT THE NORTH KOREA SUMMIT ... SECRETARY OF STATE MIKE POMPEO spoke with SEAN HANNITY on FOX NEWS: "I think we'll have a summit at the end of the month. That's the plan. That's what the North Koreans have now agreed to. It's what we've agreed to with them as well. We'll do it someplace in Asia.

"So I think that looks good. I am dispatching a team there. They're headed that way now to lay the foundations for what I hope will be a substantial additional step towards the path for not only denuclearization of the peninsula but a brighter future for the North Korean people."

-- NOT OUT IN THE COLD FOREVER: BLOOMBERG'S NICK WADHAMS and JENNIFER JACOBS: "'Never Trumpers' Can Get State Department Jobs With Pompeo There"

Good Thursday morning. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK ... FORMER REP. BARBARA COMSTOCK (R-VA.) is joining Baker Donelson as a senior adviser in its government relations and public policy group.

MCCONNELL'S SHUTDOWN PLAY ... BURGESS EVERETT: "'Get this done': McConnell moves to avoid shutdown": "Mitch McConnell is willing to go big, go small or anything in between to avoid another government shutdown. He's even willing to appeal to a higher power.

"At a meeting with GOP chairmen on Wednesday, the Senate majority leader had a lighthearted message for his negotiators trying to avoid another shutdown, according to attendees: 'We're praying for you. Get this done.'

"McConnell has made no secret of how much he hates shutdowns, particularly the most recent and historic partial funding lapse. He said Tuesday he'll probably support 'whatever works' to avoid another debacle. He's considering bills to end shutdowns forever and giving his four GOP conference committee negotiators wide berth to strike a deal with Democrats. POLITICO

-- JEN SCHOLTES: "Democrats won't take hard line against border 'barrier' money in shutdown talks": "Top Democrats refused to rule out extra funding for some kind of added barrier at the border as congressional deal-makers started negotiations Wednesday aimed at a compromise that could stave off a second shutdown.

"The 17 lawmakers appointed to the special conference committee did not reach an agreement during their first meeting on whether they would fund President Donald Trump's border wall as they try to prevent another funding lapse in two-and-a-half weeks. But Democratic spending leaders said afterward that they will not take a hard line upfront against funding for a border barrier, the specifics of which were not defined.

"'I'm not going to give you the conclusion. We're going into this conference, and we're open to everyone's facts and figures,' House Appropriations Chairwoman Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.) told reporters after the meeting. 'Everything's on the table.'" POLITICO

BEFORE THE CONFERENCE COMMITTEE CONVENED WEDNESDAY, members broke into side conversations and whispered to each other that they wanted to keep the drama to a minimum as they negotiate a border security package. Lawmakers were trying to set up meetings and build alliances ahead of the two weeks of talks. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tenn.) and Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) exchanged phone numbers, and Capito and Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-Calif.) talked about getting together early next week.

-- NANCY COOK: "White House preps emergency wall plan while Congress negotiates": "The White House is finalizing the details of a potential national emergency declaration to secure President Donald Trump's border wall, even as lawmakers are trying to broker an immigration deal that could avert another shutdown in just over two weeks.

"Trump met with his budget chief, acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, Jared Kushner and other top officials including White House lawyers on Tuesday to walk through the logistics of such a move. And White House aides have been quietly meeting with outside conservative political groups to build support for the president to take such an action. Those talking points, which emphasize Trump's legal authority, have begun to show up in such conservative media outlets as Breitbart News." POLITICO

REMINDER ... 15 DAYS until the government runs out of funding.

CALIFORNIA RISING, via L.A. Times' Sarah Wire: "It's not just that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) are both Californians, the first time in U.S. history both posts have been held by leaders from the same state.

"A Californian now sits on all 20 of the House committees named so far. They chair four of those panels and lead another 20 subcommittees. No other state can claim such a reach, including the next three largest delegations, from Texas, New York and Florida." LAT

DEM LEADERSHIP INTRIGUE ... LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ and JOHN BRESNAHAN: "Top DCCC staffer resigns after 2 months": "The [DCCC's] new chief of staff resigned this week to pursue another job after just two months in the position. Jalisa Washington-Price's departure so early in an election cycle surprised Democratic leadership staffers, but the veteran operative said she couldn't pass up a new opportunity." POLITICO

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MARC CAPUTO in Miami, "Trump Venezuela policy scores in Florida": "Vice President Mike Pence and top Florida Republicans plan to rally Friday in Miami to support Venezuela's new interim president and highlight the Trump administration's aggressive approach to the ongoing political crisis. But it's also an opportunity to open a door with Hispanic voters in a state that's critical to the president's reelection. ...

"Between ongoing strife in Nicaragua under Daniel Ortega and the unrest in Venezuela under dictator Nicolás Maduro - which has also led to troubles in neighboring Colombia - Republicans see a window to send a hardcore anti-socialist message - one that, some say, helped the GOP win just enough of the overall Hispanic vote in November's midterm elections to keep Florida's governorship in Republican hands and take a Senate seat from the Democrats." POLITICO

CNN'S TED BARRETT, ELI WATKINS and MANU RAJU: "Top Republicans pushing back on Trump's national security moves": "A growing number of Republicans are openly scoffing at President Donald Trump's handling of national security issues, with the Senate's number two Republican bashing Trump's criticism on Wednesday of the heads of the US intelligence community ahead of a vote on a measure disapproving Trump's Middle East policy.

"The rebuke from Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, the Senate majority whip, came as the GOP-led chamber prepared to vote on an amendment breaking with Trump's plans to pull the U.S. military away from Syria and Afghanistan." CNN

SCHULTZ WATCH ...

-- WAPO'S MICHAEL SCHERER: "Budding independent Howard Schultz aims most of his ire at Democrats": "In a four-day blitz of interviews across major broadcast networks, Schultz has been outspoken in his criticism of liberal Democratic leaders, saying their policies for expanding Medicare or taxing the wealthy are 'not American,' 'misinformed' and 'ridiculous.' ...

"Schultz's aggressive approach reflects a core strategy his advisers have developed in recent months through extensive polling and research. Schultz hopes to turn the 2020 campaign into a referendum not only on Trump, as is traditional when a president seeks reelection, but on the nation's two-party political system, which could open up space for partisans to reconsider an independent campaign." WaPo

-- SOMEONE TELL HIM HE DOESN'T NEED TO RUN IN PRIMARIES ... CNBC'S BRIAN SCHWARTZ: "Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz likely to visit early caucus and primary states as he considers running for president"

2020 WATCH ... BEHIND THE SCENES -- LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ and JOHN BRESNAHAN: "Harris and Booker jostle for backing of black lawmakers": "A behind-the-scenes scramble has broken out among Democratic White House hopefuls for support from members of the influential Congressional Black Caucus - a sign of the brewing battle for African-American voters.

"Two African-American senators, Kamala Harris and Cory Booker, are aggressively courting black lawmakers as they look to build networks in key presidential voting states like South Carolina, Ohio and Michigan. Both showed up at the CBC's weekly meeting on Wednesday. As Harris worked the room, Booker told at least two members that he would call them afterward, according to sources at the meeting.

"But Joe Biden could complicate their plans: The former vice president is a longtime ally of the CBC and has been reaching out to veteran black lawmakers to talk about the race, according to multiple members." POLITICO

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THE MONEY CHASE -- "Universal's Jeff Shell to Host Kamala Harris for 2020 Campaign Fundraiser," by Variety's Ted Johnson: "Shell will host a fundraiser for Kamala Harris' presidential campaign on Saturday, in what is expected to draw heavily on entertainment industry supporters. Sources said that Harris will appear at the event after one earlier in the day hosted by David Cooley, the CEO and founder of the Abbey, the West Hollywood eatery and nightclub. Harris is the first declared 2020 Democratic candidate to line up official, Hollywood-centric fundraising events." Variety

TRUMP'S THURSDAY -- The president is meeting at 11:45 a.m. with American manufacturers and will sign an executive order in the Oval Office. At 3:30 p.m., he will meet with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He in the Oval Office.
PLAYBOOK READS


PHOTO DU JOUR: A person walks by the lake in Chicago on Wednesday amid a fatal, record-breaking deep freeze sweeping the Midwest. | Kiichiro Sato/AP Photo

KNOWING RIC GRENELL -- "The un-diplomat: As US ambassador to Germany, Ric Grenell hasn't won many hearts and minds. But he has gotten results," by POLITICO Europe's Matthew Karnitschnig: "Eight months after exploding on to the scene in Berlin, tweets blazing, Grenell remains as controversial as ever. He has cajoled, prodded and antagonized Berlin's political establishment over everything from Germany's tepid military spending to its commercial ties with Iran, prompting howls of consternation from the country's strait-laced political establishment over the future of the transatlantic relationship.

"What's more surprising is that Grenell, 52, has proved to be something else: a success. Love him, hate him or hate him more, there's no denying Grenell has made his voice heard, becoming in the process the highest profile American ambassador in Europe and arguably the world." POLITICO Europe

THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION -- "APNewsBreak: U.S. moves ahead with oil leases near sacred park," by Susan Montoya Bryan in Albuquerque, N.M.: "U.S. land managers will move forward in March with the sale of oil and gas leases that include land near Chaco Culture National Historical Park and other sites sacred to Native American tribes.

"The sale comes as Democratic members of Congress, tribal leaders and environmentalists have criticized the federal Bureau of Land Management for pushing ahead with drilling permit reviews and preparations for energy leases despite the recent government shutdown." AP

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AT THE BORDER ... "AP NewsBreak: ICE force-feeding detainees on hunger strike," by Garance Burke and Martha Mendoza: "Federal immigration officials are force-feeding six immigrants through plastic nasal tubes during a hunger strike that's gone on for a month inside a Texas detention facility, The Associated Press has learned. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement says 11 detainees at the El Paso Processing Center have been refusing food, some for more than 30 days.

"Detainees who reached the AP, along with a relative and an attorney representing hunger strikers, said nearly 30 detainees from India and Cuba have been refusing to eat, and some are now so weak they cannot stand up or talk.

"Another four detainees are on hunger strikes in the agency's Miami, Phoenix, San Diego and San Francisco areas of responsibility, said ICE spokeswoman Leticia Zamarripa on Wednesday. The men say they stopped eating to protest verbal abuse and threats of deportation from guards. They are also upset about lengthy lock ups while awaiting legal proceedings." AP

HOT ON THE RIGHT ... WAPO'S FELICIA SONMEZ: "Lindsey Graham asks FBI to brief Senate panel on Roger Stone's arrest": "Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) sent a letter to FBI Director Christopher A. Wray on Wednesday asking for a briefing on last week's arrest of Roger Stone, a longtime friend and adviser to President Trump. In the letter, Graham said he was concerned about the way the arrest was conducted, particularly 'the number of agents involved, the tactics employed, the timing of the arrest' and whether the FBI tipped off members of the media.

"'The American public has had enough of the media circus that surrounds the Special Counsel's investigation,' Graham said in the letter, referring to Robert S. Mueller III's probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election. "Yet, the manner of this arrest appears to have only added to the spectacle.'" WaPo ... The letter

VALLEY TALK -- "Bezos Launches Investigation Into Leaked Texts With Lauren Sanchez That Killed His Marriage," by The Daily Beast's Lachlan Markay and Asawin Suebsaeng: "Jeff Bezos' personal security team has launched an investigation into how his text messages ended up in The National Enquirer, and the inquiry is increasingly convinced that political motives are behind the disclosure.

"The investigation is taking place independent of Amazon, and Bezos, the world's richest man, is personally funding it. Investigators want to know who leaked the texts that publicly blew up Bezos' marriage earlier this month by revealing, in lurid detail, his affair with Los Angeles news anchor Lauren Sanchez." The Daily Beast

MEDIAWATCH -- Trey Gowdy is now a Fox News contributor.
PLAYBOOKERS
SPOTTED: Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) at Aqua Al 2. ... Barney Frank at LGA. Pic

OUT AND ABOUT -- SPOTTED at the "Musicians On Call" charity event hosted Wednesday night by RIAA and Spotify at the 9:30 Club, featuring Miguel: Mitch Glazier, Michele Ballantyne, Morna Willens, Stan Pierre-Louis, Deirdre McDonald, Amy Isbell, Mike Huppe, Tom Manatos, Jonathan Lamy, Toby Knapp, Pete Griffin, Chris Ortman, Rich Taylor, Sally Rose Larson, Tyler Grimm, Cara Duckworth, Jen Jacobsen, Liz Allen, Deb Amazon, Kate LaBorde, Emily Fritcke, Svetlana Matt, Ian Mariani and Elaina Houser.

BIRTHWEEK (was yesterday): U.S. Chamber's Josh Kram turned 4-0 ... (was Monday): Stephanie Adams

BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Martha MacCallum, anchor of "The Story with Martha MacCallum" on Fox News (and a big Patriots fan), who started her career at the Wall Street Journal Report as a production assistant. What she's been reading recently: "I am doing a lot of WWII study right now. I am writing a book on Iwo Jima. My uncle, whom I never knew, was killed at the age of 18 on March 13, 1945. His letters had a big impact on me the first time I read them as a teenager and I've wanted to tell this story ever since. I've been digging into the Doolittle Raid in my research lately and uncovering things I never knew about it. It's an honor to work on this, my first book." Playbook Plus Q&A

BIRTHDAYS: David Plotz is 49 ... Dick Gephardt is 78 ... Nic Pottebaum of WH intergovernmental affairs ... Dylan Byers of NBC News (hat tips: Rachel Adler and Ben Chang) ... former Interior Secretary James Watt is 81 ... Heather Riley ... CNN's Clarissa Ward ... Katherine Miller, BuzzFeed political editor (h/t Ben Smith) ... Chris Marklund ... Barbara Slavin, director of the Future of Iran Initiative at the Atlantic Council (h/t Steve Clemons) ... Kate Hansen (h/t Michael Falcone) ... Ali Zaidi, of counsel at Kirkland and Ellis ... Tom O'Donnell, director of the LBJ School Washington Center (h/t Jon Haber) ... Eli Nachmany, Interior speechwriter (h/ts Heather Swift and Alex Hinson) ...
Nathan Lewin is 83 ... Megan Ellison is 33 ... Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-Mich.) is 5-0 ... Rep. Garret Graves (R-La.) is 47 ... Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-Md.) is 73 ... Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.) is 45 ... former Rep. Larry Kissell (D-N.C.) is 68 ... former Rep. Gwen Graham (D-Fla.) is 56 ...

... Christine Romans, co-anchor of CNN's "Early Start" ... Brooke Buchanan ... Eleanor Anaclerio ... Sarah Blackwill, senior producer for NBC's "Meet the Press" ... E&E News' Michael Doyle ... Gerri Carr ... David Hagedorn ... Sam Dorn ... Derrick Plummer ... Ray Kerins, SVP of corporate affairs for Bayer ... Bob Norris ... Peter Sagal, host of the NPR news quiz "Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!" ... Tim Naftali ... Karen Petel ... Lindsey Paola ... Paul Curran of Cox Media Group ... USTR's Conor Harrington (h/ts Andy Hemming and Webber Steinhoff) ... Christopher Alan Chambers ... Bobbie Brinegar ... Ray Sullivan ... Marlene Hall ... Rahul Prabhakar ... Hunter Wallace ... Michael Kempner, CEO of
MWW, is 61 ... Fred Karger is 69 ... Christopher Semenas ... Matthew Gottlieb ... Mike Rabinowitz, managing director at BerlinRosen ... Jarrett Murphy ... Anna McMahon ... Lisa Duvall (h/t Steven Cohen)

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