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Today's Playbook Power Briefing presented by Samsung

06/06/2017 01:00 PM EDT

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

Good Tuesday afternoon. DON'T FORGET we have a special Playbook University with D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser. We'll be at the In3 incubator by Howard University, and doors open at 5:30 p.m. Registration for the event is CLOSED, but you can stream it live (http://politi.co/2rQtgyN) starting at around 6 p.m.

HEY...BY THE WAY -- Where is that major White House shakeup many were predicting was imminent for the last four months? Mike Dubke left late last month. Katie Walsh left a few months ago. And Mike Flynn was fired in February. Beyond that, everything is pretty static.

THE CONVERSATION -- A NEW WASHINGTON REALITY -- PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP wanted this to be a week focused on infrastructure. In typical times, that would look something like this: the Hill would hold hearings on infrastructure, pass some small-bore bills dealing with rebuilding the nation's roads and modernizing airports. INSTEAD: Congress is wrestling over financial-services reform and health care. AND THE PRESIDENT is warring with the mayor of London, tweeting about the travel ban and popping off about his perception of how his tweets are received.

-- WHAT THE REST OF WASHINGTON IS CONCERNED ABOUT: There are 18 DAYS until the July 4 recess, and 31 DAYS until the five-week August recess. Senate Republicans are trying to cobble together a health-care bill this month, but GOP senators from across the ideological spectrum are doubtful they can get anything done. Congress needs to pass a fiscal-year 2018 budget in order to start on tax reform, and there is serious skepticism that a budget can pass. So, tax reform is on hold. Democrats are turning against infrastructure spending because the president tied it to an air-traffic control plan that they hate. SO THERE'S A GOOD CHANCE that Congress leaves for the August recess without repealing
and replacing Obamacare, without passing an infrastructure package and without progress on tax reform.

OH YEAH... The government shuts down at the end of September -- Republicans are going to be thirsty for policy changes -- and the debt ceiling needs to be lifted this fall.

BREAKING IN PARIS -- "Officer attacked with hammer outside Notre Dame in Paris," by the AP's Angela Charlton: "An unidentified assailant attacked a police officer near Notre Dame Cathedral on Tuesday, and the officer then shot and wounded the attacker, Paris police said. A police union official, Cedric Michel, said a man armed with a hammer went after the police officer, who was patrolling the esplanade in front of the world-famous cathedral known for its gothic architecture and gargoyles. Michel said the attacker was 'neutralized' by police." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=972d392d8c5cc3748bd8c43cd029fa013608592908d3880013c8286caa8f06eeebddc702fa8c4c0b0abab7b9f683f333

WHITE HOUSE STATEMENTS -- @realDonaldTrump at 6:51 a.m.: "Big meeting today with Republican leadership concerning Tax Cuts and Healthcare. We are all pushing hard - must get it right!" ... at 7:58 a.m.: "The FAKE MSM is working so hard trying to get me not to use Social Media. They hate that I can get the honest and unfiltered message out." ... at 8:06 a.m.: "During my recent trip to the Middle East I stated that there can no longer be funding of Radical Ideology. Leaders pointed to Qatar - look!" ... at 8:15 a.m.: "Sorry folks, but if I would have relied on the Fake News of CNN, NBC, ABC, CBS, washpost or nytimes, I would have had ZERO chance winning WH" ... at 9:36 a.m.: "So good to see
the Saudi Arabia visit with the King and 50 countries already paying off. They said they would take a hard line on funding..." ... at 9:44 a.m.: "...extremism, and all reference was pointing to Qatar. Perhaps this will be the beginning of the end to the horror of terrorism!"

-- QATAR is the home to the largest U.S. military installation in the Middle East.

BULLETIN at 12:11 p.m.-- "GANZHOU, China (AP) - China rebuffs calls to release activists detained in investigation of Ivanka Trump supplier, seeks to silence families."

FROM THE PODIUM -- SEAN SPICER will brief the White House press at 2 p.m. State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert will have her first full on-camera briefing today at 2 p.m. as well.

****** A message from Samsung: Samsung has announced more than $10 Billion in US Growth since 2016, including our March 2017 acquisition of HARMAN International, a commitment of $1.2 Billion in U.S.-based IoT Investment and R&D, and a $1B expansion of our Austin, TX Semiconductor Manufacturing Facility. Visit Samsung.com/VisionForTomorrow for more. ******

MORE COMEY COVERAGE -- NBC: Lester Holt, Guthrie and Chuck Todd will co-anchor NBC News' coverage of former FBI Director James Comey's testimony on Thursday. MSNBC will have coverage on Morning Joe, followed by special coverage anchored by Brian Williams, who will be joined by Nicolle Wallace and other guests.

-- @costareports: "I'm told by two WH sources that Pres. Trump does not plan to put down Twitter on Thursday. May live tweet if he feels the need to respond."

STILL HAPPENING -- "Trump UK visit to go ahead despite criticism of London mayor: foreign minister," by Reuters: "British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said on Tuesday he saw no reason to cancel Donald Trump's state visit to Britain after the U.S. president criticized Mayor Sadiq Khan's response to the London Bridge killings. ... 'The invitation has been issued and accepted and I see no reason to change that, but as far as what Sadiq Khan has said about the reassurances he's offered the people of London, I think he was entirely right to speak in the way he did,' Johnson said in a BBC radio interview when asked whether Trump's state visit should be canceled. No date has been set for the
visit, which was agreed during Prime Minister Theresa May's visit to Washington in January." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=972d392d8c5cc374c9852f8c84336f2ddcaebd60c7f9b261d7c548017b8e5c46726fbf8afbb750764c9b83b707847254

NOT INTERESTED -- MICHAEL ISIKOFF in Yahoo, "Four top law firms turned down requests to represent Trump": "Top lawyers with at least four major law firms rebuffed White House overtures to represent President Trump in the Russia investigations, in part over concerns that the president would be unwilling to listen to their advice, according to five sources familiar with discussions about the matter. ...

"Among them, sources said, were some of the most high-profile names in the legal profession, including Brendan Sullivan of Williams & Connolly; Ted Olson of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher; Paul Clement and Mark Filip of Kirkland & Ellis; and Robert Giuffra of Sullivan & Cromwell. The lawyers and their firms cited a variety of factors in choosing not to take on the president as a client. Some, like Brendan Sullivan, said they had upcoming trials or existing commitments that would make it impossible for them to devote the necessary time and resources to Trump's defense.

"Others mentioned potential conflicts with clients of their firms, such as financial institutions that have already received subpoenas relating to potential money-laundering issues that are part of the investigation. But a consistent theme, the sources said, was the concern about whether the president would accept the advice of his lawyers and refrain from public statements and tweets that have consistently undercut his position." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=972d392d8c5cc37407ae7d07aaa766d1047856913666e6c6b59d256b291b09904414bc17accf37ab24b17dfbfeeb6a1e

2018 WATCH -- "Priorities USA hires up ahead of 2018," by Gabe Debenedetti: "Priorities USA Action, which raised nearly $200 million supporting Hillary Clinton's presidential bid in 2016, is ramping up again with new hires and a new headquarters ahead of the 2018 election season. ... Josh Schwerin, a national spokesman for Clinton who previously worked at the DCCC and for Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, will be the group's communications director. Priorities is also bringing on Tristan Wilkerson, who worked on national constituency outreach for Bernie Sanders, as a special adviser for voter protection and political outreach." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=972d392d8c5cc374ceb7bb9aff8d809686ec28070dbb4c46e65499d6b5505c67672823a71498018e053f336247f2eb58

MEGA-TRENDS - "Drug Deaths in America Are Rising Faster Than Ever," by The Upshot's Josh Katz in Akron, Ohio: "Drug overdose deaths in 2016 most likely exceeded 59,000, the largest annual jump ever recorded in the United States, according to preliminary data compiled by The New York Times. The death count is the latest consequence of an escalating public health crisis: opioid addiction, now made more deadly by an influx of illicitly manufactured fentanyl and similar drugs. Drug overdoses are now the leading cause of death among Americans under 50. Although the data is preliminary, the Times's best estimate is that deaths rose 19 percent over the 52,404 recorded in 2015. And all evidence
suggests the problem has continued to worsen in 2017." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=972d392d8c5cc37409713e926171f0a672f92e3b969a05b3c3e53f37a335fc3634c0b6a7e78948f7103c4d140bcdc63b

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK -- Former DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson, now a partner at Paul, Weiss, was elected to the Board of Directors of the Pacific Gas & Electric Corporation. A director at that company makes between roughly $250,000 and $325,000 a year.

DATA DU JOUR -- "Exclusive Test Data: Many Colleges Fail to Improve Critical-Thinking Skills," by WSJ's Doug Belkin: "Freshmen and seniors at about 200 colleges across the U.S. take a little-known test every year to measure how much better they get at learning to think. The results are discouraging. At more than half of schools, at least a third of seniors were unable to make a cohesive argument, assess the quality of evidence in a document or interpret data in a table, The Wall Street Journal found after reviewing the latest results from dozens of public colleges and universities that gave the exam between 2013 and 2016. At some of the most prestigious flagship universities, test results
indicate the average graduate shows little or no improvement in critical thinking over four years." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=972d392d8c5cc374ea27c04134007963651014480b5b0941042f6657c35c3e16c462087acacb2eb916b37c1d3acf8265

TODAY'S BEYOND THE BELTWAY -- Jerry Brown talks climate in China -- Primary day in New Jersey http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=972d392d8c5cc374e52b5caae8fa67b34f65097d05bfabb74c1ab73e942ff8ff5c33a91e23f72ece61cca3098a6d1879

GLOBETROTTER -- "Former President Barack Obama Pays a Visit to Parents-to-Be George and Amal Clooney in the U.K.," by People's Phil Boucher and Lindsay Kimble http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=972d392d8c5cc37442bdf5464a3d01d4a36556a48193970d3d4a23ffa7686289aea05c3c47408d880443e76e601547c7 ... The AP reported that twins Ella and Alexander Clooney were born this morning http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=972d392d8c5cc374b8e224b2560d74ae096169801e26e1d716dea24e0042237ebc6d3a60e6798d4acd3e8b70ae8e63ed

HOT DOC -- "ESPN Research on bias and viewership," from ESPN's Vice President of Original Content & Brand Intelligence Barry Blyn: "Within our Research group, we have actively looked at the question of perceived political bias for more than two years now. We have studied it from all sides of the political spectrum and party affiliation to see how fans react or do not react to our coverage of the intersection of sports and social and political issues.

"Our most recent survey was conducted May 3-7 by Langer Research Associates of New York, a nationally recognized and award-winning research firm, the findings belie the notion of any impact on our business: Approximately two-thirds (64 percent) of respondents believe ESPN is getting it right in terms of mixing sports news and political issues. Another 10 percent had no opinion ... and 8 percent said ESPN does not do enough politics in its programming." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=972d392d8c5cc374c69f70d88917d8513e2b317203b260755b4e52495f73f43384bcc2d5bfc61273c459d7eb4afd1dee (h/t Hadas Gold)

****** A message from Samsung: Samsung's footprint in the U.S. has been growing for nearly 40 years, and we announced more than $10 Billion in US Growth since 2016. This year, we're proud to have added HARMAN International and its 3,500 U.S. employees to the Samsung workforce in America, and just as enthusiastic about our common vision, the similarities in our culture of innovation, and the added value we can create for customers. Learn more about our partnership at Samsung.com/VisionForTomorrow ******

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