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Today's POLITICO Playbook presented by the Coalition for Affordable Prescription Drugs (CAPD)

06/27/2017 06:56 AM EDT

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

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Driving the Day
BULLETIN at 5:46 a.m. -- "BRUSSELS (AP) - EU fines Google record 2.42 billion euros ($2.7 billion) for breaching competition rules in online shopping service."

Good Tuesday morning. BUZZ IN THE CAPITOL -- If Senate Republicans pass their health care bill Friday, House GOP leadership is planning to keep the chamber in session over the weekend until they pass the legislation, according to multiple sources familiar with their plans. There's an unusual level of confidence among House Republicans that they'll be able to pass the Senate bill. Color us much more skeptical.

A REMINDER -- 22 MILLION MORE UNINSURED ... The CBO score, per NYT's Tom Kaplan and Robert Pear: "[T]he report said premiums for older people would be much higher under the Senate bill than under current law. As an example, it said, for a typical 64-year-old with an annual income of $26,500, the net premium in 2026 for a midlevel silver plan, after subsidies, would average $6,500, compared with $1,700 under the Affordable Care Act. And the insurance would cover less of the consumer's medical costs. Likewise, the report said, for a 64-year-old with an annual income of $56,800, the premium in 2026 would average $20,500 a year, or three times the amount expected under the Affordable Care Act."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d19bb5b74d967d728250ebbf83ef514c5867a1705b312736aa6ec19fbc091cbfd5443a8d707e20ac33cfdbc071fe9588c07ee0ae7b76fe1a

-- NYT's UPSHOT: "A Few Bright Spots for Republicans. The Rest Can Be Scored as Grim." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d19bb5b74d967d7280128307f5df39c5ef78c965bd85af4a19487c0cd586d74a0f5a49da7f93d9ae4234c678e761b9693b99829cf9ffbce2

THE LATEST FROM BURGESS EVERETT AND JEN HABERKORN -- MCCONNELL "WORKING FURIOUSLY" TO SAVE HEALTH CARE BILL -- "Senate Obamacare repeal on brink of defeat": "Senate Republicans' Obamacare repeal effort is on track to blow up before it even gets started. The GOP is well short of the votes needed to bring their bill to the floor, and party leaders and President Donald Trump are kicking into overdrive to save their imperiled health care overhaul. At least four Republican senators, Susan Collins of Maine, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Dean Heller of Nevada and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, have signaled they could oppose a key procedural vote that will occur either Tuesday afternoon or Wednesday. A number
of other senators, like Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia and Marco Rubio of Florida, are undecided.

"Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and his team are working furiously to round up 50 of the caucus's 52 senators to even bring the bill to the floor, let alone pass it by week's end. GOP leaders said ultimately that even lawmakers that oppose the bill in its current form could be convinced to allow the debate over the party's long-sought Obamacare rollback to begin. 'I would hope ... our members would at least let us get on it,' said Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), the No. 3 GOP leader. 'Everybody wants to exert whatever leverage that they can, where they can get the most leverage, but I would expect we'd be able to get on the bill.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d19bb5b74d967d7240154d4e5f7471fc98fc1eda0523a76eba1f0cef3a5c3408ef62e9793f5dc0ab357135b8cbdae58e980a9fd17da9ccda

-- TO REITERATE ... Forget passage for the moment. Republicans have not yet secured the votes to begin work on the bill. It'll be a crazy week. And make no mistake: Republicans might not be able to repeal and replace Obamacare. The situation is that dire for them.

-- "Pence woos Senate conservatives in Obamacare repeal push," by Eliana Johnson and Seung Min Kim: "With the fate of Republicans' Obamacare repeal bill hanging in the balance, Vice President Mike Pence is swooping in to see if he can work out a deal to secure the 50 votes needed to pass it through the Senate. Pence will host a group of conservative GOP senators including Utah's Mike Lee for dinner on Tuesday to discuss their concerns with the legislation. Invitations have also been extended to Oklahoma Sen. James Lankford and Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton. Sen. Ben Sasse was also invited to the dinner, although it is unclear whether he will attend."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d19bb5b74d967d72cba3b7e78565b9e20862030607d7b8346b2de43bb9363f2c8419dda117de8df6aefad4b8536e0d30dee9b3b6394963ab

-- AP'S ERICA WERNER: "These senators will make or break the GOP's health care push" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d19bb5b74d967d729e9abd46032dd5581f1fe9f51abb4315cbd4ae0733e32763b0adb1a81b91f41766b23541ecad701832321a151bbada68

-- WARNING, FROM THE WSJ ED BOARD: "The Senate's Health-Care Hour: GOP opponents will be held accountable if they ruin this rare reform moment": "Senate Republicans are headed for a vote on their health-care bill as soon as this week, and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is still scrambling for 50 votes. What the holdouts should understand is that this is a defining political moment. They may never have a better chance to improve U.S. health care and reform government, and the window is closing. ...

"Another fantasy is that Republicans can vote no and blame Democrats for the collapsing ObamaCare status quo. The media will blame Republicans for every premium hike, and voters believe they elected a GOP Congress and President. If this bill fails Republicans will be forced to come hat in hand to Chuck Schumer's Democrats for the votes to stop a downward spiral of surging premiums and declining choices. Conservative reform won't be included. ...

"Every consequential legislative reform is difficult, but the GOP anxiety over repeal and replace is excessive. They should have more confidence in their convictions and how their solutions can improve American lives." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d19bb5b74d967d72dc3d73586111737d2fcfa972ce509c126f6ff45214dc4b484a01c736a78cf7518f16cdfe8edb1a186d68a023b20092f8

IMPORTANT STORY -- ANOTHER WAR? -- "White House threatens Syria over possible chemical attack," by Bryan Bender and Annie Karni: "The White House, in a rare high-stakes gambit that took some national security veterans off guard, announced Monday it has evidence that Syria is preparing to launch another chemical attack and warned that it will 'pay a heavy price' for doing so. 'The United States has identified potential preparations for another chemical weapons attack by the Assad regime that would likely result in the mass murder of civilians, including innocent children,' Press Secretary Sean Spicer said in a brief statement issued late in the evening. 'The activities are similar to
preparations the regime made before its April 4, 2017 chemical weapons attack.'

"If Syrian President Bashar Assad 'conducts another mass murder attack using chemical weapons,' the statement added, 'he and his military will pay a heavy price.' The public warning was seen as highly unusual -- reflecting both confidence in the intelligence information suggesting that another attack might be imminent and a willingness to take military action should the warning not be heeded." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d19bb5b74d967d7239776af62b682b85dc0f6913ae3f67df990b9fdac65c3800a5c7317cb9e72a23e13f92a5ed87f53e484b3b95689d3702

-- WAIT A SECOND... We thought President Donald Trump didn't telegraph what he's going to do?

-- AP REPORTER VIVIAN SALAMA (@vmsalama): "It appears policy advisers at State were not briefed on WH Syria statement. Spoke to one senior official tonight who heard the news from me."

-- BUZZFEED'S CLAUDIA KOERNER and NANCY YOUSSEF: "Five U.S. defense officials reached by BuzzFeed News said they did not know where the potential chemical attack would come from, including one US Central Command official who had 'no idea' about its origin. The officials said they were unaware the White House was planning to release its statement; usually such statements are coordinated across the national security agencies and departments before they are released." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d19bb5b74d967d7255529bacef48a9df38e121903ce565db9a941acddca987dffd857d866959e395189259bb2fbf09e8040f778530cc7e0a


****** A message from the Coalition for Affordable Prescription Drugs (CAPD): A new study found that pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) reduced spending in Medicare Part D by 58 percent in 2014, driving down costs for the government, taxpayers, and beneficiaries. The study forecasts that PBMs will save $1,800 per Medicare beneficiary, per year over the next ten years. Learn more at affordableprescriptiondrugs.org ******

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK -- HATCH CLOSELY-TIED POLITICAL, FOUNDATION FUNDRAISING -- Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), who runs one of the most powerful committee in Congress, is raising money for his reelection at the Montage Deer Valley resort in Park City, Utah, in August. The following two days after that political fundraiser, the Orrin Hatch Foundation is raising money at the same resort. The ties don't end there: the two organizations use the same fundraiser, the Larrison Group. And his fundraising team and allies have targeted lobbyists and consultants with business before Hatch's committee to attend the events.

THE POLITICAL EVENT IS HATCH'S ANNUAL "Fly Fishing & Outdoor Adventure Weekend" Aug. 11 and 12 at Montage Deer Valley. Attendees are asked to contribute up to $5,000 for PACs and $3,000 for individuals to be "Main Street" donors. His "First Annual Golf Tournament & Outdoor Adventure Weekend" for the foundation is Aug. 13 and 14 at the same resort. Foundation donors are asked to contribute at much higher levels, with top "Kings Peak Club" donors contributing $100,000, or more.

NOTHING PROHIBITS LAWMAKERS from raising campaign contributions and also raising money for a nonprofit. However, it is very unusual for lawmakers to host back-to-back destination fundraisers for their campaign and their eponymously titled charity at the same time in the same location. Scott Anderson, chairman of the foundation, said in a statement that "[t]he Orrin G. Hatch Foundation has taken appropriate steps to ensure that its activities comply with all applicable ethics requirements." The foundation has ethics lawyer Rob Walker of Wiley Rein on retainer.

HATCH LAUNCHED HIS FOUNDATION in 2016 in an effort to raise tens of millions of dollars for the "Hatch Center," a place to house documents from his tenure in the Senate, at a university in his home state. While there has been widespread speculation that he won't run for reelection in 2018, Hatch has raised $4.3 million this year, and has $3.5 million in the bank to run for re-election next year.

IF YOU CARE ABOUT THE GOP AGENDA, READ THIS -- "Fight between GOP House chairs imperils budget deal," by Sarah Ferris and Rachael Bade: "A fight between House Republican chairmen is threatening to upend a tentative budget deal enabling the chamber to take the first steps toward tax reform, forcing the budget panel to cancel plans to begin work this week. Republican leadership and House Budget Committee Chairwoman Diane Black (R-Tenn.) reached a fragile agreement with defense hawks over the weekend, defusing a contentious matter over Pentagon spending that had held up the fiscal blueprint for weeks. But several committee chairmen are now balking at the second part of the deal: a promise of
about $50 billion in additional cuts to mandatory programs to make those very defense increases more digestible for conservatives." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d19bb5b74d967d7278a38b8d51daee02cf20032e49c790a47ebc0cca74000793d3c0fc97b364ec6a12d3098b443ed7177451f24236a46813

WHAT PAUL RYAN IS THINKING -- "Something Important is Happening" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d19bb5b74d967d720d604b7f0df35adf2085ec832db22f1b6953d828b53350e70af6cf0a202fc94544bf45646a6e4af376da64c21459a03c

DEVLIN BARRETT in WAPO -- "FBI has questioned Trump campaign adviser Carter Page at length in Russia probe": "FBI agents have repeatedly questioned former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page about his contacts with Russians and his interactions with the Trump campaign, according to people familiar with the investigation. Over a series of five meetings in March, totaling about 10 hours of questioning, Page repeatedly denied wrongdoing when asked about allegations that he may have acted as a kind of ­go-between for Russia and the Trump campaign, according to a person familiar with Page's account.

"The interviews with the FBI are the most extensive known questioning of a potential suspect in the probe of possible Russian connections to associates of President Trump. The questioning of Page came more than a month before the Russian investigation was put under the direction of Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III. Page confirmed Monday that the interviews occurred, calling them 'extensive discussions.' He declined to say if he has spoken to investigators since the March interviews." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d19bb5b74d967d728ac94418f2246c91fc7d31cf44793e9e048396ae4faf3872187512aa2b0f2081228f9d009835843905bcda25271062ed

JOHN BRESNAHAN and RACHAEL BADE: "Conyers and Lujan face Ethics Committee scrutiny: John Lewis' top aide is also under review for an alleged campaign violation": "Democratic Reps. John Conyers of Michigan and Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico are under scrutiny by the House Ethics Committee for alleged violations, although both men strongly deny any wrongdoing.

"The allegation against Lujan is tied to the Democratic 'sit-in' on the House floor in June 2016. Conyers has come under review for his interaction with a former top aide who pleaded guilty to receiving stolen property.

"And Michael Collins, chief of staff for Rep. John Lewis, is also under investigation by the Ethics panel following a complaint from a conservative watchdog group over allegedly serving improperly as the Georgia Democrat's campaign treasurer and top aide at the same time." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d19bb5b74d967d7216f4d64ee8496828bd1f61e64c79ef7a35c8a38fa1bac2b898eb0e6bea6fd165f625f2814b8675b1aa0d53ba183d0a5d

TRUMP'S TUESDAY -- TRUMP is speaking with French President Emmanuel Macron. He'll meet with H.R. McMaster and will speak with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar.

THE JUICE ...

-- PETER BAKER has a new book out today -- "Obama: The Call of History." It is an illustrated, coffee-table sized book with photographs by Times photographers like Doug Mills and Stephen Crowley, and a narrative account of the Obama presidency by Baker. Baker is promoting the book at a Times Talk in New York tonight with Dean Baquet, Maggie Haberman and Jim Rutenberg, and at a D.C. event at the National Press Club Thursday. $31.45 on Amazon http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d19bb5b74d967d72c63242fe9b45aef101201fb855fc755962eb673f797e81221fa6a0feb969e822ffb898ca4eaa9e2f930955f933e94f13

-- 2018 WATCH: Republicans have again found their boogeyman: House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. The Congressional Leadership Fund, which is aligned with Speaker Paul Ryan, is out with new polling from 11 Congressional districts showing Pelosi's popularity is underwater. The lesson: Expect Republicans to employ the same tactic they have been using since 2010: make Pelosi a key issue in ads in states like California, Florida, Montana and Nebraska. The memo http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d19bb5b74d967d726d6b690bf9df19490f56e1eddf3a4d729b70fd6c72ec162e2a97ebd232a02da78e9ef828d68ebdbd0155bb8ef9fbfe9b

-- FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: PENNY PRITZKER has signed on with the Harry Walker Agency for speaking. She will be speaking on a number of issues, including helping workers adjust and train for today's economy and making sure a modern social safety net is there to support people as needed.

-- AD WARS: SAVE MY CARE up against Sen. Lisa Murkowski in Alaska. It's part of a seven-figure ad buy nationwide. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d19bb5b74d967d72ecd27a642744ca3fc0d5ce76ac4e28a5ea2057b6eebb0699faeafdcef83494c41c4968ef72f1a9e45f7951c16fb6a440 ... THE ASSOCIATION FOR COMMUNITY AFFILIATED PLANS is targeting Sens. Shelley Moore Capito (W.Va.), Rob Portman (Ohio), Cory Gardner (Colo.), Dean Heller (Nev.) and Jeff Flake (Ariz.). National ad http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d19bb5b74d967d72405fea88ff14fb9386e1426a7de8f271e69d71567abcfd5078e83f11b54e5764a42ea51eb4f9e7d1ef8b7fe2c1c30ff0 ... One of the ads -- West Virginia: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d19bb5b74d967d72fa1cc3e68844e5654b53a4e2eb31a3b4984c8de8bd602e0ab8920fa86009f3cc24897ce7d87fabb517740625bd674361

PLAYBOOK has been hitting the road, taking our events across the country. We are trying to find out a bit more information on where you, the Playbook community, live. Please take this two-question survey http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d19bb5b74d967d7272e1f0a7215669093dd758ce20510db2b25481cd681f492ecce58a75999491d367dccf26e3afdd932baf00f509e640db

NEW "OFF MESSAGE" PODCAST -- NEW ORLEANS MAYOR MITCH LANDRIEU -- What I'm doing is directly challenging what the word 'great' means." Or, to put it more simply: Trump "is wrong most of the time, because he takes a myopic, narrow view." Take the health care bill: "When all those people in the cities don't have health care, where are they supposed to go? And how do we provide enough drug treatment centers and emergency rooms," Landrieu told Isaac Dovere. "And if you don't have an answer for that, why are we doing this again?"

-- ON 2020 CHATTER: "I'm not planning to run for president, I'm not running for president. I can't tell you if they offered me the job I wouldn't take it, but that generally is never going to happen."

-- ON TAKING DOWN NOLA'S CONFEDERATE MONUMENTS: "I miscalculated that. I would have done it anyway, but I really did think it was not going to dig up the kind of vitriol and the kind of intentional intimidation, nor did I think I would find as much institutional bias as I found, which manifested itself to me just in the very simple act of trying to get a crane to take the monuments down. That surprised me, and it bothered me tremendously. It's confirmation that institutional racism continues to exist." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d19bb5b74d967d72ee71ec26d236c86ba3847935e6925bd25f721ecb09e366ce0bbd95f19a87e1ba0c992393d8a987f2ab4cae65934b8581


PHOTO DU JOUR: Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, Steve Handel, and Representative-elect Karen Handle (R-GA) participate in a ceremonial swearing-in on Capitol Hill on June 26. | Drew Angerer/Getty Images

#THISTOWN -- DANIEL LIPPMAN and JOHN F. HARRIS in the July/Aug. issue of POLITICO Magazine, "'It's the End of Small Talk in Washington': There may be no city as unsettled by Donald Trump as the one he just moved to. A social anthropology" (Daniel's print magazine debut): "During the 1968 riots, Washington, D.C., was ablaze with arson and looting when an aide burst in to tell President Lyndon B. Johnson of a rumor that the carnage was headed toward the exclusive precincts of Georgetown. Johnson replied with acid humor: 'I've waited 35 years for this day.' ... If these were normal times, the kind of people LBJ excoriated and Leibovich lampooned would be engaged right now in a familiar ritual.
It would involve lunches and dinners with the new White House team, off-the-record chats about the workings of government mixed with let's-be-friends chatter about real estate and schools and fitness routines.

"But these aren't normal times. Team Trump is showing few signs so far of hungering for the sort of social intercourse with permanent Washington that usually accompanies a new administration. Presidential advisers would respond cautiously, flattered by their new social cachet, and correctly worried that they might be suspected of divided loyalties and leaks back at the White House. ... It's common to hear well-known D.C. media figures describe Trump in terms like 'low-class jerk' or diagnose him with maladies, like 'serious personality disorder,' as one did at a recent party." With cameos by Sally Quinn, Kellyanne Conway, Tony Podesta, Steve Clemons, Margaret Carlson, Evan Thomas
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d19bb5b74d967d720f0ab2840832402618bff46b2e848c2ec2d9a7f7e9ec57664d0b9b536d214ac625862fb478ca07c2c9be2a932fc2296b

HISTORY LESSON -- TIM WEINER in the N.Y. Times Magazine, "How Donald Trump Misunderstood the F.B.I.: Since Watergate, the agency has come to view itself as an essential, and essentially independent, check on the president": Former FBI agent John "Mindermann, the young ex-cop with five $27 department-store suits to his name, remembers the president's men who stonewalled the investigation throughout 1972 and early 1973 as 'Ivy Leaguers in their custom-fitted finery - these privileged boys born to be federal judges and Wall Street barons. They were gutless and completely self-serving. They lacked the ability to do the right thing.' By late April 1973, however, the stonewalls were crumbling.

"On Friday, April 27, as Nixon flew off to Camp David for the weekend, mulling his dark future, the F.B.I. moved to secure White House records relevant to Watergate. At 5:15 p.m., 15 agents arose from their dented metal desks in the Old Post Office building and marched in tight formation, fully armed, up Pennsylvania Avenue. On Monday, a highly agitated Nixon returned to the White House to find a skinny F.B.I. accountant standing watch outside a West Wing office. The president pushed him up against a wall and demanded to know how he had the authority to invade the White House." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d19bb5b74d967d7267b3dbe30e74f23b152ce6c662d7e7c428463383fff7e34cd2f161098137ab01f1a090ec62edb587dccd20c6ee8a7986

AMERICA AND THE WORLD -- "Poll shows U.S. tumbling in world's regard under Trump," by WaPo's Isaac Stanley-Becker in Berlin and Scott Clement: "[I]n the survey of 37 countries, Russia is a bright spot for Trump. As beleaguered as the president is at home, a majority of Russians say they have confidence in him. And Russians' attitudes toward the United States have improved since Trump took office. Elsewhere, though, and with remarkable speed, Trump's presidency has taken a toll on the United States' image abroad.

"The international survey by the Pew Research Center found that favorable ratings of the United States have decreased from 64 percent of people across all countries surveyed at the end of Barack Obama's presidency to 49 percent this spring. The new figures are similar to those toward the end of the George W. Bush administration. The president himself has fared even worse: A median 22 percent are confident that Trump will do the right thing in global affairs, down from 64 percent who had confidence in Obama." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d19bb5b74d967d72c1f8478b98b97f2ccbbb1ae737a9cad04be16b37f00f7626745782cb06d91503c782582a1f4c6ebd2631ff0cb5809a00

JARED'S NEW LAWYER -- "Kushner adds powerhouse lawyer Abbe Lowell to legal team," by Josh Dawsey: "Jared Kushner has hired Abbe Lowell, one of the country's leading criminal defense lawyers, to represent him in the special counsel's probe of potential Russian collusion with the Trump campaign and his financial dealings, as well as in separate congressional inquiries. But Kushner has also decided to keep Jamie Gorelick, his current lawyer and a WilmerHale partner, on his legal team ... Lowell, a Democrat, has represented prominent politicians such as John Edwards and lobbyist Jack Abramoff. ... Lowell is currently representing New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez, who is charged with corruption and
faces a trial later this year. He was also chief minority counsel to the Democrats during the Bill Clinton impeachment proceedings." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d19bb5b74d967d72d300a32dcc8a8de7a6a3230f398e2c8fc2f3b9ee4dbad8eb9864bb342793a0b2bec54eb386b902642c86c7e4fd063c52


****** A message from the Coalition for Affordable Prescription Drugs (CAPD): A new study projects pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) will save Medicare Part D $896 billion over ten years. PBMs drive savings for taxpayers and seniors by negotiating discounts from drug manufacturers; by encouraging the use of lower cost, clinically equivalent drugs; and by providing clinical programs that improve health outcomes. Learn more at affordableprescriptiondrugs.org ******

INSIDE THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION -- "E.P.A. Official Pressured Scientist on Congressional Testimony, Emails Show," by NYT's Coral Davenport: "The [EPA's] chief of staff pressured the top scientist on the agency's scientific review board to alter her congressional testimony and play down the dismissal of expert advisers, his emails show. Deborah Swackhamer, an environmental chemist who leads the E.P.A.'s Board of Scientific Counselors, was to testify on May 23 before the House Science Committee on the role of states in environmental policy when Ryan Jackson, the E.P.A.'s chief of staff, asked her to stick to the agency's 'talking points' on the dismissals of several members of the scientific
board. 'I was stunned that he was pushing me to 'correct' something in my testimony,' said Dr. Swackhamer, a retired University of Minnesota professor. 'I was factual, and he was not. I felt bullied.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d19bb5b74d967d7280749ef2933f6bdd476daa5e7fc91adcdd437b5406577542ba11fb8201b773bf464d5f244d05690fb4455b72e00d06d1

SCOTUS WATCH -- "5 questions on the future of Trump's travel ban," by Josh Gerstein: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d19bb5b74d967d729d31cc05271c52aac5dd29eaedecd7f883effd37fba377fd8dc31f3600732a5470c7f5702756cfceacd7ba303376329c

MEDIAWATCH -- "Three CNN employees resign over retracted story on Russia ties," by WaPo's Erik Wemple: "Thomas Frank, a reporter for 'CNN Investigates,' last Thursday appeared to have a compelling exclusive on the story of the year. The Senate Intelligence Committee, reported Frank, was investigating a Russian investment fund - the Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) -- 'whose chief executive met with a member of President Donald Trump's transition team four days before Trump's inauguration.'

"That transition team official is Anthony Scaramucci, a Wall Streeter who was expected to take a prominent White House position but did not. Scaramucci met in January with RDIF head Kirill Dmitriev. The CNN exclusive -- which hung from one unnamed source -- didn't take long to wither. Breitbart News's Matthew Boyle bombed the CNN piece as baseless.

"Sputnik News published a refutation, indicating that the fund was not a part of Russian state bank Vnesheconombank, as the CNN report had claimed. This detail mattered a great deal, considering that Vnesheconombank was listed in a set of sanctions issued by the U.S. government. ... CNN announced on Monday afternoon that three network officials are leaving their jobs over the incident: Frank, the reporter on the story; Eric Lichtblau, a recent CNN addition from the New York Times who edited the piece; and Lex Haris, the executive editor of 'CNN Investigates.' The moves follow an investigation carried out by CNN executives over the weekend, with the conclusion that longstanding network
procedures for publishing stories weren't properly followed." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d19bb5b74d967d72d3e507d094028ad59df1e5e25a48e88693a10ed2bd253e159c220bfbe40bad75f4f9ad80c7556f56568a15d6019e614d

IN THE BREITBART WORLD -- "Exclusive - Donald Trump Jr: Jeff Zucker Must Address CNN's Very Fake News Scandal in On Camera Press Briefing," by Breitbart's Matt Boyle: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d19bb5b74d967d72ab1820fce5b59d40a32dcd2809d2c875a91f6ac896228e45beaa30033acb247010ef549e794b6f4361863394e9bbd620
Playbookers
SPOTTED -- DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL ROD ROSENSTEIN, on an American Airlines flight from Dallas to DCA Monday night with four federal agents ... Sergio Gor in midtown Manhattan trying to hail a cab yesterday with Eric Bolling ... Rep. Roger Williams (R-Texas), on crutches and with boot, yesterday at the Cubs/Nats game.

OUT AND ABOUT IN NYC -- St. Martin's Press hosted a book party last night at Del Frisco's Steak House in midtown for Fox News host Eric Bolling to celebrate the debut of his second book "The Swamp: Washington's Murky Pool of Corruption and Cronyism and How Trump Can Drain It." $17.70 on Amazon http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d19bb5b74d967d72fca6acbf72f21daf4f007ea34706bda127f1f53280f7c48afe4934226e537830b5d757cf2c32c3b1e93bdcfb27b4b0b7 ... FoxNews.com op-ed, "Why Trump must dare to drain the swamp (and four ways he can do it)" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d19bb5b74d967d7240257dfa76b648271f20c5a46b35cba0d5924f60bb68b8931feaaf367c8c1cf2c1c22cb17ac5529570e3474c5a9e9638

SPOTTED: Eric Bolling, Kimberly Guilfoyle, Sean Hannity, Eboni Williams, Fox News president Jack Abernethy, Sergio Gor, Kyle Nolan, Eldad Yaron, Geraldo Rivera, Max Tani, Oliver Darcy, George Witte, Sally Richardson, Sharri Berg, Mina Pertesis, Brian Palo, Liam Walsh and Todd Seavey.

TRANSITIONS -- Katie Martin has joined the National Partnership for Women & Families as VP for health policy and programs. She most recently was acting assistant secretary for planning and evaluation at HHS ... The Consumer Healthcare Products Association has hired Taylor Holgate as senior manager for federal government affairs. She was previously press secretary to Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.).

ENGAGED -- Former Iowa Democratic Party and Katie McGinty for Senate press secretary Josh Levitt proposed to Carolyn Spiro on the roof of their Upper East Side Manhattan apartment building this weekend. Josh is currently communications director for NYC Council Member Rory Lancman and Carolyn is a PhD candidate in clinical psychology at Rutgers University. The relationship has spanned four states and three campaigns. Pic http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d19bb5b74d967d72873173c368f1c60a98d0aa696c8fd25473b99260aef4e1cf89094921adb477803eb25e0476bfe7d443899dbfa18766df (h/t friend and Republican sparring partner, Charlie Szold)

WELCOME TO THE WORLD -- Vanessa Sinders, SVP and department head of gov't affairs for the American Hotel & Lodging Association, and Chip Sinders, who works in gov't affairs for Kraft Heinz Company, welcomed Sam Green Sinders, born at 11:15 p.m. on Friday.

BIRTHWEEK (was yesterday): WSJ's Michael Bender turned 4-0 (h/t Reid Epstein)

BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Bush alum Tony Fratto, partner at Hamilton Place Strategies. How he got his start in politics: "In the 4th grade I persuaded my classmates at Wilson Elementary School in the McKees Rocks, PA 'bottoms' to support Gerald R. Ford over Jimmy Carter. ('A Ford in your garage or peanuts on your plate?'). I volunteered on campaigns -- Dick Thornburg, John Heinz. Growing up in Pittsburgh in the 1980s, seeing the steel industry evolve, I became very interested in economic policy and trade." Read his Playbook Plus Q&A: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d19bb5b74d967d7284cb04d940829369f1be8261a4e228fd6775fa7249b8733e3299b0b9827074684bbcc8b5cee90983fdbd589eb01cc705

BIRTHDAYS: Kelly Ayotte is 49 ... Ross Perot is 87 ... former Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt is 79 ... Jesse Lehrich, comms director for OFA and an HFA alum, is 28 ... former Rep. Mike Honda (D-Calif.) is 76 ... former Rep. Jeff Miller (R-Fla.) is 58 ... Rep. David Scott (D-Ga.) is 72 ... Rep. Scott Taylor (R-Va.) is 38 ... Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-Pa.) is 58 ... FP1 Strategies founding partner Terry Nelson, a Bush-Cheney alum, is 48 ...Bob Boorstin of the Albright Stonebridge Group and his twin brother Louis of the Osprey Foundation ... Josh Rubin, J.D. candidate at Yale Law School and a John Kerry alum ... Reuters' David Shepardson (h/t Andrea Bitely) ... George Malkin, a student at
Stanford's GSB ... France Latremoliere ... Casey Davis-Van Atta ... Carrie Stevenson, executive producer for special projects at CNN (hubby tip: Todd Foley) ... Brent Roske, Iowa gubernatorial candidate and former host of "Roske on Politics" ... Ilya Shapiro, senior fellow in constitutional studies at Cato, former columnist at the Daily Princetonian, and the pride of University of Toronto Schools, is 4-0 (h/t wife Kristin Shapiro and Christian Gomez) ... Jennifer DeCasper, COS for Sen. Tim Scott (h/t Christopher Gahan) ... Kathleen Welch of Corridor Partners (h/t Jon Haber) ...

... Caroline Adler Morales, who works for former First Lady Michelle Obama ... Scott Livingston ... The New Yorker's Anna Russell is 27 ... RoseAnn Gerson ... Paul Tencher, COS for Sen. Ed Markey, is 37 ... Ron Kirk is 63 ... US News' Robert Schlesinger ... Jon Cardinal ... former Rep. and OMB director Jim Nussle, president of America's Credit Unions, is 57 ... Lisa Friedman ... Shawn Brimley, EVP and director of studies at CNAS ... Isaac Reyes, lobbyist for Target ... CNN's Justin Lear ... Alex Barniea ... Gordon Gerstein, brother of Josh ... Matthew Tilghman is 3-0 ... Matt Letourneau of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Institute for 21st Century Energy ... Teresa V Wells ... Eve Galanter
... Mike Sanders ... Rachelle VanGalder ... Reva Bottles ... Taylor Lane ... Kerri Toloczko ... Barry Blackman ... David Kelley ... Monica Showalter ... Steve Beste ... Susan Firey ... Vera Wang is 68 ... Tobey Maguire is 42 ... Khloe Kardashian is 33 (h/ts AP)

****** A message from the Coalition for Affordable Prescription Drugs (CAPD): A new study estimates that Medicare Part D costs would be 58 percent higher without pharmacy benefit managers' (PBMs') clinical tools and price negotiations with drug manufacturers and pharmacies. The study shows PBMs significantly lower premiums and out-of-pocket costs for Medicare beneficiaries. In fact, PBMs are projected to save Medicare Part D $896 billion over the next decade. Thanks to PBMs, Medicare Part D continues to drive savings and value for taxpayers and beneficiaries, ensuring that more than 39 million American seniors can access the prescription drugs they need. Learn more at
affordableprescriptiondrugs.org ******

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