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Today's POLITICO Playbook presented by POET

06/17/2017 10:28 AM EDT

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

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Driving the Day
BREAKING -- NYT: "Judge in Bill Cosby Case Declares a Mistrial": "The judge presiding over the Bill Cosby sexual assault trial declared a mistrial Saturday after jurors reported being hopelessly deadlocked. The exhausted jurors had been deliberating since Monday, sometimes for as much as 12 hours a day. The mistrial, which Mr. Cosby's lawyers had supported, means that prosecutors will need to decide whether to retry Mr. Cosby on the charges at a later date." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9d3ed5ff1ada9cf6919bb5b40bb19da9f7be7257aa2f2ea51a74a9ae4b5c65a4bb6ddfad9eba924eb164a579979c28c9d967aacb12d9ecce

TODAY'S MUST READ -- AN ORAL HISTORY from KYLE CHENEY, HEATHER CAYGLE and ELANA SCHOR in POLITICO Magazine -- "'Somebody's Trying to Kill Me': Five terrifying minutes on a baseball field, in the words of the people who were there." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9d3ed5ff1ada9cf6884376d853befa23fcff58af4e41a90bcd3334d86128bb05f44f44c38b4560744d20295771ad6273975ba06f5d8bf274

Good Saturday morning. Today is the 45th anniversary of the Watergate break in. THE PRESIDENT'S MOOD -- AP's Julie Pace and Jonathan Lemire: "Trump advisers and confidants describe the president as increasingly angry over the investigation, yelling at television sets in the White House carrying coverage and insisting he is the target of a conspiracy to discredit - and potentially end - his presidency." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9d3ed5ff1ada9cf650cb1884aa7bbd698209dc5d68ec618b6c5e313790a3fb1c345dfcbab357ce98bb47abac2671ba30d6607489ffb479dc

-- WHAT MIGHT KEEP THE PRESIDENT UP AT NIGHT: "Mueller's staff grows to 13, with 'several more in the pipeline,'" by Darren Samuelsohn: "Special counsel Robert Mueller has added 13 attorneys -- with more still to come -- as his investigation quickly expands beyond potential collusion between President Donald Trump's campaign with Russia to potential obstruction of justice case by the president. ... [The] prosecution team [has] experience going after everything from the Mafia and Enron to al Qaeda and President Richard Nixon." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9d3ed5ff1ada9cf6585bb0b599d39266b24bfe6619276af06d969ecd664193625d5aee8e96d78f5b41d19f97a6130c0bdf42f51b2bb02bfb

-- HOW HE'S EXPANDING HIS LEGAL TEAM: "Trump hires another high-profile lawyer as FBI probe heats up," by Josh Dawsey: "John Dowd, who investigated Pete Rose for Major League Baseball and represented John McCain during the Keating Five Scandal, among other high-profile clients, has joined the president's legal team, according to two people familiar with the pick. Dowd declined to comment Friday. The addition of Dowd, a 76-year-old former prosecutor who has practiced law in Washington for decades, adds an experienced hand in the investigation. He joins Marc Kasowitz, Trump's longtime New York lawyer, Jay Sekulow and Mark Bowe, who works with Kasowitz."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9d3ed5ff1ada9cf6ec083fbbbf2e1f5135eef5a169998ee79e06fc4f77b3a21c8b2f40de43587e245ad45050e7659b86945a4e59c9488345

-- WHAT HE'S DOING WITH HIS POWER: "5 things Trump did while you weren't looking: Week 2," by Danny Vinik: "1. U.S. and China make nice on beef, dairy and poultry ... 2. Education Department targets Obama-era student protections ... 3. The Pentagon flexes its muscles ... 4. VA civil service reforms heads to Trump's desk ... 5. New food labels? Not so fast." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9d3ed5ff1ada9cf65acdccfc420331b70dcf36906348d14287ca1608cca7239adec859b0d4657de819ee070c287aaeefb6673c27fe749bc8

-- WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE WANTS: "White House Officials Push for Widening War in Syria Over Pentagon Objections," by Foreign Policy's Kate Brannen, Dan De Luce, and Paul McLeary: "A pair of top White House officials is pushing to broaden the war in Syria, viewing it as an opportunity to confront Iran and its proxy forces on the ground there, according to two sources familiar with the debate inside the Donald Trump administration. Ezra Cohen-Watnick, the senior director for intelligence on the National Security Council, and Derek Harvey, the NSC's top Middle East advisor, want the United States to start going on the offensive in southern Syria, where, in recent weeks, the U.S. military has
taken a handful of defensive actions against Iranian-backed forces fighting in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Their plans are making even traditional Iran hawks nervous, including Defense Secretary James Mattis, who has personally shot down their proposals more than once, the two sources said." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9d3ed5ff1ada9cf679647513d1f999d0790b77513344bbf4ad9486fe210b7f40d5aecfd5379611ace521d7583bd9df94705b1a4ca06cb25a

-- WHERE HE'S SPENDING HIS SATURDAY: "From regal to rustic, Trump heads to Camp David for weekend," by AP's Catherine Lucey: "President Donald Trump is picking simple over swanky this weekend. Nearly five months into his presidency, Trump is heading to Camp David, the government-owned retreat in Maryland's Catoctin Mountains, for the first time. A frequent weekend traveler, Trump has favored his palatial residences in Florida and New Jersey over the wooded hideaway used by many presidents for a break from Washington. No one expects the luxury-loving leader to make this a regular thing. After all, Trump told foreign newspapers earlier this year that Camp David was 'very rustic' and 'you know
how long you'd like it? For about 30 minutes.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9d3ed5ff1ada9cf66f7fa92df1f3af3f5a81ffc4f23cf433857fcc86956c50937f4fbd0df2eb717c99623c35e6ab8beb7d1d78addb68cfe5

TRUMP is expected to leave for Camp David sometime this morning.

-- HOW HE'S SO RICH: "Trump reports assets of at least $1.4 billion in financial disclosure," by Theo Meyer and Matt Nussbaum: "The Trump International Hotel, which opened last year just blocks from the White House in a building leased from the federal government, brought in nearly $20 million in revenue for the president, according to Trump's latest financial disclosure, released by the U.S. Office of Government Ethics on Friday. Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort, which he visited often in the early months of his presidency, raked in $37 million - up from $30 million in the report Trump filed last year and about $16 million in the report filed two years ago.

"Sales of Trump's 'The Art of the Deal' brought in as much as $1 million for Trump, compared to the less than $100,000 in royalties that Trump reported in his 2016 filing. And sales of Trump's book 'Crippled America' brought in up to another $5 million. Trump reported assets of at least $1.4 billion and income of at least $596.3 million in the 2016 calendar year and the early months of 2017. He reported owing at least $310 million to various financial institutions, including at least $130 million to Deutsche Bank." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9d3ed5ff1ada9cf6acddf80221b3cf96ef00c2a90faba170db209169a7bec8ddb7865bf6ef81a28468ff867a07fa4a2247a5f67281bcc339

--HOT DOC: Trump's financial disclosure http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9d3ed5ff1ada9cf61b98da995db00dccdf0b06869c5a8139d3f0c5dd48fb0fc66e5c31c26e5a8aec0b1e6dc12d392beb6b6b01da752f7d2a

DARREN SAMUELSOHN: "Escalating investigation puts Trump and his staff at legal odds": "The legal interests of President Donald Trump and his aides are dramatically diverging as special counsel Robert Mueller expands his probe into possible obstruction of justice - and as the president ratchets up his attacks on the investigators. While Trump's personal attorney, Marc Kasowitz, recently told White House staffers they can rely on him, rather than hire their own lawyers, some of the people closest to Trump aren't taking that advice. ... More White House staffers are likely to hire lawyers and splinter off as the president's response to the investigation grows increasingly aggressive."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9d3ed5ff1ada9cf6fff24a0a1f0634525e9f7bd66b838a3cba3d0f1bb2d27ad33e9cbd03bbcf8cfb6a57fa4ac638a942ed8b4c391ec964e6

CORRECTION OF THE DAY -- WaPo: "A May 19 Page One article about investigations into potential collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign incorrectly quoted President Trump. Speaking in the wake of Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein's decision to appoint a special counsel, Trump said, 'I respect the move, but the entire thing has been a witch hunt, and there is no collusion between -- certainly myself and my campaign, but I can always speak for myself and the Russians. Zero.' He did not say, 'I can only speak for myself and the Russians.'"


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SCARY -- "Alexandria Gunman Carried List With Names of 3 Republican Lawmakers,' by NYT's Adam Goldman: "The gunman who targeted Republican congressmen this week at a baseball field in suburban Washington was carrying a list with the names of at least three lawmakers, and had pictures of the ballpark stored on his cellphone, two law enforcement officials said on Friday. One of the officials said there were no explicit threats written on the list that was found on the body of James T. Hodgkinson, who was killed on Wednesday morning in a shootout with the police in Alexandria, Va., after he took aim at Republican lawmakers preparing for a charity baseball game against congressional Democrats.

"The official said the list included at least three names:Representatives Mo Brooks of Alabama, Jeff Duncan of South Carolina and Trent Franks of Arizona, according to the two officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because the shooting remained under investigation.

"Both officials said Mr. Hodgkinson, 66, of Belleville, Ill., had also taken pictures of the ballpark, nestled in a mostly liberal neighborhood seven miles south of the nation's capital. For several weeks, Mr. Hodgkinson had hung out at a Y.M.C.A. center located next to the ballpark, using its locker room facilities and sitting for hours in the lobby while on his laptop. Authorities believe he was living out of a van since leaving Illinois in March; his brother said he was in the capital region to protest President Trump.

"The morning of the shooting, Mr. Hodgkinson approached Mr. Duncan in an adjacent parking lot and asked for the political affiliation of the lawmakers on the playing field. 'I told him they were Republicans,' the lawmaker recalled. 'He said, 'O.K., thanks,' turned around.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9d3ed5ff1ada9cf62085cf7d16f70ee45527fe218779188564c681231632460ed6f6af6d0d7e28210272e85afc97e1a090a52053a8b4b1bc

-- THE DAILY CALLER's Peter Hassoon originally broke this story. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9d3ed5ff1ada9cf6b71aff1a3f70b3fa64dad675b7b441dc2e2c56805e7784a99980f6a9fec12a7313ebd41aa3e6b5da703b3b77f0b4d651

-- THIS WILL ONLY ESCALATE the discussion about ramping up security for members of Congress.

FOR YOUR RADAR -- "Seven sailors missing after U.S. Navy destroyer collides with container ship in Japan," by Reuters' Toru Hanai and Megumi Lim in Yokosuka, Japan: "U.S. Navy destroyer USS Fitzgerald sailed back to its base in Yokosuka, with seven of its sailors still missing after it collided with a Philippine-flagged container ship more than three times its size in eastern Japan early on Saturday. ... Search and rescue efforts by U.S. and Japanese aircraft and surface vessels were continuing for the seven missing sailors, the Navy said. Their names are being withheld until the families have been notified, it said." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9d3ed5ff1ada9cf6d6d31a53c3175fad167fe5c4af891992188d4ce3ec650e396555fc8cbe0dc8e4f7f25dcf0e0b2b20388027b8b3df09af

2020 WATCH -- "How Jason Kander Won by Losing," by Isaac Dovere in Manchester, N.H.: "Jason Kander was wearing a mic pack here as he wandered around the Puritan Backroom, chatting with local activists and politicians at the Manchester Democratic Club chicken dinner. A videographer, who followed him around as he moved from table to table, was being paid out of his campaign account. Kander's Senate race ended seven months ago. He lost. ...

"The 36-year-old Kander - who came shockingly close to ousting Missouri's Republican Sen. Roy Blunt last November despite Hillary Clinton's blowout loss in the state-has been a man in demand the last seven months, starting with a major Iowa progressive group that reached out after the election to ask him to come to its holiday party. He drew a slightly bigger crowd than Bernie Sanders had at the same event two years earlier. He's kept doing presidential-ish travel and generating presidential-ish buzz, though the highest office he's ever held is secretary of state-of Missouri.

"'All I can tell you is what people say when they invite us,' Kander said, sitting down for an interview for POLITICO's Off Message podcast. 'They say that they want me to come talk about the future of the party, how we were able to run 16 points ahead.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9d3ed5ff1ada9cf60738a5e7affbb92d7c4473a310b66de16920fdb2a055e09ff009186b858f90057eca1dda3f2b2afbd231652514e5d21c ... Listen and subscribe to Off Message http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9d3ed5ff1ada9cf631cc1038bde6a5081f027b11f258ebdc474941b24df70fe414c9142d9bff0af85cb5c59e9be1cf296f23c7d9f8675e06

HMM -- "Democratic 2020 contenders? Voters haven't heard of them," by Steven Shepard: "President Donald Trump's poor poll numbers have dozens of Democrats reportedly considering challenging him in 2020. But voters haven't heard of the vast majority of them. According to a new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll that tested voters' views of 19 potential Democratic presidential candidates - a list that includes eight senators, five governors, one congressman, a big-city mayor and a failed Senate candidate - most of the prospects are unknown among at least half the electorate. Since the next presidential election won't start in earnest for at least 18 months, that leaves a limited time for no-name
candidates to build name recognition and familiarity among voters." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9d3ed5ff1ada9cf65af37e50794db90e4ea6734c709974f9fe6f23da9526b46e0176c2d456e485ebce38b8a9cbaa244f8d9202c03b42b166

IMPORTANT READ -- "Trump threatens to break the glass on DOJ succession plan," by Annie Karni: "An abstract, in-case-of-emergency-break-glass executive order drafted by the Trump administration in March may become real-world applicable as the president, raging publicly at his Justice Department, mulls firing special counsel Robert Mueller.

"Since taking office, the Trump administration has twicerewritten an executive order that outlines the order of succession at the Justice Department -- once after President Donald Trump fired acting Attorney General Sally Yates for refusing to defend his travel ban, and then again two months later. The executive order outlines a list of who would be elevated to the position of acting attorney general if the person up the food chain recuses himself, resigns, gets fired or is no longer in a position to serve.

"In the past, former Justice Department officials and legal experts said, the order of succession is no more than an academic exercise -- a chain of command applicable only in the event of an attack or crisis when government officials are killed and it is not clear who should be in charge. But Trump and the Russia investigation that is tightening around him have changed the game." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9d3ed5ff1ada9cf6629d6d68eb7c3007f16bcf72405b1a80bb61444419c4556df4029c12927c48e370d53a21380b177d426a12e1f98de21a

KNOW HER NOW -- RACHEL BRAND PROFILE - "The Obscure Lawyer Who Might Become the Most Powerful Woman in Washington: If the deputy attorney general resigns or gets fired, oversight of the Trump-Russia investigation would fall to the Justice Department's No. 3, Rachel Brand," by Philip Shenon in POLITICO Magazine: "Brand has enjoyed a glittering career, one that marked her early for a top job at the Justice Department in a Republican administration. Raised with three siblings on an Iowa farm, she graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1995 and, three years later, from Harvard Law School. ... Brand was part of the legal team representing Bush in the Florida vote recount in 2000. She went
on to be hired as a Supreme Court clerk to Justice Anthony M. Kennedy before joining Bush's Justice Department. There, she helped shepherd the Supreme Court nominations of John Roberts and Samuel Alito. In 2011, Brand became a top lawyer for the United States Chamber of Commerce, dealing with regulatory issues." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9d3ed5ff1ada9cf64cf34a41930932ea9e603f9bb535b2995745b413985a45a4bbe7b65eb37df5a7f58d29cbc6d309a383256bf2464a41f7

SCOOP -- "House Russia investigators want to bring in Trump digital director," by CNN's Tom LoBianco: "House Russia investigators are planning to call on Brad Parscale, the digital director of President Donald Trump's campaign, as the congressional and federal probes dig into any possible connections between the Trump digital operation and Russian operatives. ... The House Russia investigation is planning to send an invite to Parscale soon, as they begin scheduling witnesses over the summer ... The Senate intelligence committee is also interested in how Russian bots were able to target political messages in specific districts in critical swing states, although it is not clear if Parscale
will be called before the Senate panel as well." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9d3ed5ff1ada9cf6168e4f4f08bc12b9c5fff7bd6b766f9f80be049d842465d4f70385b24f45453ac21f8374730f01158aef0638432739d8

BOB COSTA ON GEORGIA'S SIXTH -- "Trump's shadow and stalled GOP agenda loom over close Georgia race": "The unfolding drama over Russian meddling in the 2016 election and President Trump's handling of ensuing investigations has transfixed Washington - and bored Mather Lindsay.

"'Probably a little overdone,' Lindsay, a 46-year-old economistand father of three girls, said during lunch this week at the Salt Factory Pub. What grabbed Lindsay's attention was the GOP's stalled legislative agenda -- in particular, the promised overhauls of the tax code and the nation's health-care law. 'Trump's self-inflicted wounds are my biggest disappointment,' Lindsay said. 'He has squandered a huge opportunity to get all that done.' 'Someone,' he added, 'needs to take his Twitter away.'

"Republicans in this wealthy community on the outskirts of Atlanta -- and in traditionally right-leaning suburbs nationally -- are facing a reckoning. So far, they have been willing to stomach a torrent of Trump outbursts and worrying twists in the Russia probes, but they are beginning to wonder if their patience is worth it. A crucial test of that patience will come Tuesday in Georgia's 6th Congressional District, home not only to well-educated, mostly white Republicans but also to what has become the most expensive House race in history." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9d3ed5ff1ada9cf61ed722d47c49ed1994b66abaf176c7e9910cc55a95680ee0b77db16e8b08f81abe77ecd8e2d19705cf9b4ba9504c6c0f


Playbook Reads


PHOTO DU JOUR: President Donald Trump holds up a memorandum after signing it on U.S./Cuba policy after he spoke at the Manuel Artime Theatre in Miami, Florida on June 16. | Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty

LIFEVEST -- "Sources: Federal officials vetting [Sam] Brownback for position in Trump administration," by Kansas City Star's Bryan Lowry and McClatchy's Lindsay Wise: "Two close associates of Brownback confirmed to The Star that they were interviewed by federal officials about the governor's character and qualifications last month. And a congressional source said people close to the governor and senior officials at the White House have said that it's a matter of when, not if, he gets a post. ... [T]he appointment ... will most likely be with the U.S. State Department." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9d3ed5ff1ada9cf6d97c0597f4c45aedfe75b836a7443335ff589ca342d28d6e62ad8d5158b46ff76ef1859f7932eda8db1734bf836fda2a

NOT SO FAST -- "DACA still 'under review,' Trump administration says," by Ted Hesson: "The future of an Obama-era deportation relief program remains undecided, the Department of Homeland Security said Friday. The announcement was meant to clarify the department's position on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which allows nearly 788,000 undocumented immigrants to apply for work permits and live in the U.S. without fear of deportation.

"'The future of the DACA program continues to be under review with the administration,' a DHS spokesperson said in a written statement. 'The president has remarked on the need to handle the issue with compassion and with heart.' DHS felt compelled to issue a statement on the program's fate after POLITICO and other outlets reported Thursday on guidance posted to the DHS website that suggested DACA would remain on firm footing under the Trump administration." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9d3ed5ff1ada9cf6205ba68f213252ecc5989bdcf1b4c79aacafc10e05d2045206874e34e557970716aab32f544976b0d3f46106ab1b1d7c

MICHAEL GRUNWALD in Camageuy, Cuba: "Trump's Strange Retreat from Cuba": http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9d3ed5ff1ada9cf64099777256b5d10eb5227b493257fdf20e7ffe4e12a4bdd6cc3326937b1ba789fe5b482d09804b05b0d7358c43f25490

HOW MEGYN KELLY WOOED ALEX JONES -- "Alex Jones Scoops Megyn Kelly And Proves The Media Isn't Ready For The Trolls," by BuzzFeed's Charlie Warzel: "At 3 a.m. Friday, Infowars delivered on part of its promise and published a 30-minute video to YouTube containing roughly 10 minutes of Kelly's pre-interview where she's attempting to get Jones to agree to the interview. In the tape, Kelly repeatedly reassures Jones she intends to be fair. 'You'll be fine with it,' she can be heard saying. 'I'm not looking to portray you as a bogeyman ... The craziest thing of all would be if some of the people who have this insane version of you in your heads walk away saying, "You know, I see the dad in him. I
see the guy who loves those kids and is more complex than I've been led to believe."" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9d3ed5ff1ada9cf6be9da3778a9e837efbbe554968f884752bd9bd1f83f3807b70521faae0121dff46c8c94ad103c28e44dc392fe8f97c55

--"What Megyn Kelly says in leaked audio from Alex Jones" - Media Matters: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9d3ed5ff1ada9cf6e9e352f56b5c732bcbad2bdf888bfb2b3ac0907d7c8f6bed9fa23fa79cec5b459bc2642418515930697477df2257525c

-- TV NEWSER: "Connecticut NBC Station Won't Air Megyn Kelly Interview with Alex Jones": MEMO FROM THE NETWORK: "Whenever there is news regarding the Sandy Hook tragedy, we know that the pain resurfaces for our community, our viewers and for you, our colleagues at WVIT. Over the last few days, we have listened intently to Sandy Hook parents, our viewers and importantly, to you. We have considered the deep emotions from the wounds of that day that have yet to heal. Because those wounds are understandably still so raw, we have decided not to air this week's episode of Sunday Night With Megyn Kelly. We will continue our local coverage, including a special report on our Sunday 11pm newscast,
which includes Sandy Hook parents, Governor Malloy and others who work to affect change around violence and mental illness. For those in our viewing area who still wish to see the show, it will be available Monday on NBCNews.com." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9d3ed5ff1ada9cf6759c7b62eb81813e928fb0ae037729115d2508143a42d5989d921ba8deb6fe842bb0c87be456040ac62efb0a5e641e6d

TV TONIGHT -- MSNBC is re-airing at 9 p.m. "All the President's Men Revisited," a documentary on the Watergate scandal on the 45th anniversary of the infamous break-in at the DNC.


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CLICKER - "The nation's cartoonists on the week in politics,"edited by Matt Wuerker -- 16 keepers http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9d3ed5ff1ada9cf6af39f7a78e90c46e3bb6bed00747a91aaef5ada0911a0ee5cd45e14f2abfeeaf016fbf3119c295833a0687ab0ff850f0

GREAT WEEKEND READS, curated by Daniel Lippman:

--"How the Saudi-Qatar Rivalry, Now Combusting, Reshaped the Middle East The Interpreter," by The Upshot's Max Fisher: "Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, the crown prince of Qatar ... believed Qatar could find security only by transforming itself from Saudi appendage to rival. But how? The audacious plan he put in motion set off something of a regional cold war, in time remaking not just the politics of the oil-rich Persian Gulf, but also those of the entire Middle East, culminating in last week's crisis." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9d3ed5ff1ada9cf683274d7422d9aba7200e7496fa6e2aff79c7d5566e33835988cb7d99d55531bd02f468da5a05ac834e4268e2437dc171

--"Remembering the Murder You Didn't Commit," by Rachel Aviv in The New Yorker: "DNA evidence exonerated six convicted killers. So why do some of them recall the crime so clearly?" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9d3ed5ff1ada9cf65620dbf8c0955654a1f5c71342c1ef7734eccfecc88abea5c395db625398a5f3df08445185066b62f4a2fbddb15a781d

--"What Both the Left and Right Get Wrong About Race," by Dalton Conley and Jason Fletcher in Nautilus magazine: "Setting the scientific record straight on race, IQ, and success." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9d3ed5ff1ada9cf614310b3136bbc0624cba491e0336b1b3e3b3cb88ebe4e06eb1b7ea0a943dd09a964cab10bb71355b650e5567460fd4a7

--"The Food Stamp Program Is An Overwhelming Success. That Might Also Be Its Downfall," by HuffPo's Arthur Delaney: "Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress could cut benefits for millions." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9d3ed5ff1ada9cf625b2643e0eedf00639d789a0dc9439650dadcbd0d5fabe40f50ac5bcdb8c7ab81f00527b5f21a9d8c8700579c2ceffda

--"Rigged," by Brett Murphy in USA Today: "Forced into debt. Worked past exhaustion. Left with nothing." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9d3ed5ff1ada9cf6bad211a1d34a782c4100125d636d609d2c146805aa01bd821917ea57e50ecf44f9ebcd9ccf39325d50825f7ac599de3f

--"Knowing Me, Knowing Me," by Sarah Ditum in the Literary Review, reviewing "Selfie: How We Became So Self-Obsessed & What It's Doing to Us," by Will Storr: "Each of us ... has an internal 'storyteller'. This is a narrative voice that turns the daily barrage of experience into a comprehensible arc of actions and reactions, positioning us as the hero of the story. The trouble is, this voice is a dangerous liar. It tells us that we are good and rational and that other people are venal and flawed. And in a world that defines a good person as high-achieving, high-status, slim and attractive, sometimes the strain of maintaining the story is too much."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9d3ed5ff1ada9cf6ad7de5bb312851d2a6520f197ababa812f227658fe4e50ddd26168abd4cc539fbf58287828aea1a7e1ffb701ca9aade1 (h/t ALDaily.com)

--"A Sociology of the Smartphone," by Adam Greenfield in Longreads, in an excerpt of "Radical Technologies: The Design of Everyday Life": "Smartphones have altered the texture of everyday life, digesting many longstanding spaces and rituals, and transforming others beyond recognition." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9d3ed5ff1ada9cf65cc91970d9c763ff2a2bbe0fb41a8a2bf4fee43717a56d0a98a115dcf09431f05f20504eed15c664f2831ebcec325b4d ...$19.19 on Amazon http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9d3ed5ff1ada9cf6b07dcbb63d9cb1d75624d9097c033bdcc0955ebcb9fee874f86c6730b2fa1b11fcc01344e4a7bd81a50be52cc9647744

--"Ray Spencer Didn't Molest His Kids. So Why Did He Spend 20 Years in Prison for It?" by Maurice Chammah in Esquire: "Matt and Katie accused their father of sexual abuse. Then they started to question their memories." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9d3ed5ff1ada9cf6ae8f006c62564773f258a4cf4977a76716b8c8002baf47b3f85e3bde2feeb716b6c797d7b039aa51c76a70c1782a58e5

--"How America Lost the War on Drugs," by Ben Wallace-Wells in Rolling Stone in Dec. 2007: "After thirty-five years and $500 billion, drugs are as cheap and plentiful as ever. An anatomy of a failure." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9d3ed5ff1ada9cf67b8910e6d420d58d966b57e508500d23917cf408011387a3d62d419163cac4969a9e3feee230482937556f3b9c253c74 (h/t Longform.org)

--"When Neurology Becomes Theology," by Robert A. Burton in Nautilus magazine: "The pursuit of the nature of consciousness, no matter how cleverly couched in scientific language, is more like metaphysics and theology. It is driven by the same urges that made us dream up souls and afterlife. The human urge to understand ourselves is eternal, and how we frame our musings depends upon prevailing cultural mythology. In a scientific era, we should expect philosophical and theological ruminations to be couched in the language of physical processes." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9d3ed5ff1ada9cf6d4dfddba8a45f5aaa52bb6dd369654c6f390f1a946e7cf554745906192f829e7ecdd0e1c43df2df2138b691436153255

--"Jungle Law," by William Langewiesche in May's Vanity Fair: "In 1972, crude oil began to flow from Texaco's wells in the area around Lago Agrio ('sour lake'), in the Ecuadorean Amazon. Born that same year, Pablo Fajardo is now the lead attorney in an epic lawsuit-among the largest environmental suits in history-against Chevron, which acquired Texaco in 2001. Reporting on an emotional battle in a makeshift jungle courtroom, the author investigates how many hundreds of square miles of surrounding rain forest became a toxic-waste dump." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9d3ed5ff1ada9cf62f1112693a1c3a49c4aad49e30784ba3078d4fbdc79e41fc305ff4f97a4131ed43bd0d935f7be787e2d90911f8a70ffd

GREAT WEEKEND LISTEN, curated by Jake Sherman:

-- MY FIRST Phish show was 13 years ago today at Keyspan Park in Brooklyn. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9d3ed5ff1ada9cf6745a0adedef4a5b49eadad615dfb831dd7e6a517d5d4a37226725dca68274b726a247b849ec798e3dc0cdc7fa55195c0
Playbookers
SPOTTED: HHS Secretary Tom Price yesterday sitting in first class on the 7:23 p.m. Delta flight to Atlanta from DCA

OUT AND ABOUT: Ambassador of Jordan to the U.S. Dina Kawar hosted an Institute for Education media and tech dinner last night at her residence, which overlooks Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner's household in Kalorama. WaPo's Tory Newmyer was the special guest for the night and "discussed regulation, Dodd-Frank, Sarbanes-Oxley, and the lack of civility hindering the completion of mutually agreed regulatory reform," according to an attendee. Coach Kathy Kemper, founder and CEO of IFE, thanked the ambassador for hosting, and noted that Kawar has been decorated by four countries, Jordan, Holy Sea, France and Portugal. SPOTTED: John Paul Farmer, David Edelman, Alex Hoehn-Saric, Grace Koh, Seamus
Kraft, Hud Batmanglich and Jim Valentine.

TRANSITIONS -- Jennifer Lackey is now parliamentarian for the House Financial Services Committee. She was most recently legislative director for Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas), and previously worked for Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.) and the House Judiciary Committee. ... Prime Policy Group has hired Blaine Nolan as its deputy chief of staff. She was previously director of scheduling for Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.).

BIRTHDAYS: Tory Burch (Nolita tips: Dina and Autumn) ... GW athletic director Patrick Nero ... Desiree Barnes ... Newt Gingrich is 74 ... Reed Cordish, assistant to the president for Intragovernmental and Technology Initiatives, is 43 ... Scooter Braun is 36 (h/ts Jewish Insider) ... Matt Canter, SVP at Global Strategy Group, is 37 ... Matt Miller, partner at strategic advisory firm Vianovo (h/t Jon Karl) ... Politico's Alex Weprin ... Chris Bedford, editor in chief at The Daily Caller News Foundation, vice chairman of Young Americans for Freedom, "Kansas City Barbeque Society judge & bartender extraordinaire," per his Twitter, is 31 (h/ts Benny, Danza) ... Airbnb's Maxwell Nunes, an HFA
alum ... Christina Wilkie Sumner ... Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) is 71 ... Rep. Robert Hurt (R-Va.) is 48 ... Reps. Scott Peters (D-Calif.) and Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio) are 59 ... CNN White House producer Allie Malloy (h/t Kevin Bohn) ... Jordan Wells, military LA for Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), is 27, celebrating on a CODEL with the boss (h/t Ben Goodman) ... Chad Clanton is 46 ... Competitive Enterprise Institute President Kent Lassman ... Diane Blagman of Greenberg Traurig ... Jon Leibowitz, former FTC chairman, now with Davis Polk & Wardwell (h/ts Jon Haber) ... Gabe Horwitz ... Chris Garcia, acting national director of the Minority Business Development Agency (h/t Paris Dennard) ...
Samuel Garrett-Pate, account executive at comms firm RALLY, is 25 (h/t Mackenzie Long) ... Katie Lingle, deputy press secretary for Sen. Thune's personal office (h/t Ryan Wrasse) ... Kevin McCarthy intern Boris Abreu is 2-0 (h/t Uncle Rob) ...

... Katie Grant, comms. director and senior advisor for House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer ... Nate Thomas ... June Shih, the pride of Alexandria, Va. (hubby tip: Josh Gerstein) ... Paul Steinhauser, NH1 political director, anchor and reporter, and CNN alum ... former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett is 68 ... Scott Thuman, chief political correspondent for WJLA and Sinclair Broadcast Group ... Szabolcs Panyi ... Nicole Domenica Sganga ... Lee Newton Rhodes ... Kerri Chyka ... Emily Adams ... PBS NewsHour's Jaywon Choe (h/t Simone Pathe) ... John Dimos ... Rose Gault ... Michael McLendon ... Michael Grisso ... Nicole Auerbach ... Linda Chavez ... Craig Roberts, CoS for Rep. John Shimkus (R-Ill.)
... environmental consultant Miro Korenha is 3-0, celebrating with new husband Kurt and visiting parents (hubby tip: Kurt Bardella) ... Pat Bauer ... Joyce Johnson ... Rob Johnson ... Joni Klaassen (h/ts Teresa Vilmain) ... Chris Jennings ... Aaron Harrison ... Melissa Sabatine ... Jeffrey Grimshaw ... Priscilla Jones Stanzel ... Robert Becker is 49 ... Janice R. Lachance ... Katie Koenen Wright ... David Dolkart ... Barry Manilow is 74 ... Thomas Haden Church is 56 ... Greg Kinnear is 54 ... tennis player Venus Williams is 37 ... Kendrick Lamar is 3-0 (h/ts AP)

THE SHOWS, by @MattMackowiak, filing from Austin:

--NBC's "Meet the Press": Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) ... Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) ... Jay Sekulow

--CBS's "Face the Nation": Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) ... Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) ... member of Donald J. Trump's legal team Jay Sekulow. Panel: Slate and CBS News political analyst Jamelle Bouie, CBS News chief congressional correspondent Nancy Cordes, National Review's Ramesh Ponnuru and The Washington Post's Phil Rucker

--CNN's "State of the Union": Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) ... Jay Sekulow ... Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). Panel: Bakari Sellers, Rick Santorum, Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) and Rep. Charlie Dent (R-Pa.)

--"Fox News Sunday": Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.) ... Jay Sekulow ... Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.). Panel: Brit Hume, Julie Pace, Lisa Boothe, Juan Williams ... "Power Player" of the week with Comfort Cases founder Robert Scheer

--ABC's "This Week": Guests to be announced

--Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures": Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) ... Newt Gingrich (whose birthday is today) ... Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) ... Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas). Panel: Ed Rollins and Mary Kissel

--Fox News' "MediaBuzz": Erin McPike ... Guy Benson ... Michael Tomasky ... Susan Ferrechio ... Rich Lowry ... Dan Abrams ... Carley Shimkus

--CNN's "Inside Politics": Panel: Karoun Demirjian, Abby Phillip, Jeff Zeleny and Phil Mattingly. (Substitute anchor: CNN's Nia-Malika Henderson)

--CNN's "Reliable Sources": Panel: Matt Schlapp, Alex Conant, Kaitlan Collins, Steve Deace and Sally Kohn ... Mo Ryan and BuzzFeed's Charlie Warzel ... Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) ... Oliver Stone

--Univision's "Al Punto": Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales ... White House Director of Policy and Interagency Coordination Carlos Diaz-Rosillo ... former Rep. Joe Garcia (D-Fla.) ... Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló

--C-SPAN: "The Communicators": Walt Mossberg ..."Newsmakers": Rep. Tim Walz (D-Minn.), questioned by Politico's Connor O'Brien and CQ Roll Call's Kellie Mejdrich ..."Q&A": David Garrow ("Rising Star: The Making of Barack Obama")

--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=9d3ed5ff1ada9cf65ca3800a90975f413ac2016acdd10ea7cabcdf8f1dea94dd3ebb082906a78ebf5bd42c9e544970f5122ebdb13751a7b4 Author and former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO Adm. James Stavridis.

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