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Presented by Everytown for Gun Safety: Mar 01, 2019 View in browser
By Jake Sherman, Anna Palmer, Daniel Lippman, Garrett Ross and Eli Okun

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DIVIDED GOVERNMENT ... HOUSE OVERSIGHT CHAIRMAN ELIJAH CUMMINGS (D-MD.) wrote W.H. COUNSEL PAT CIPOLLONE about the NYT's reporting about security clearances. The tone is sharp -- Cummings said it was the "final time" he was going to request voluntary participation. The letter

-- REBECCA MORIN: "Kellyanne Conway says Trump has 'absolute right' to order security clearances": "'We don't discuss security clearances. I won't discuss my own,' she said during an interview on Fox News. 'I will tell you the president has the absolute right to do what was described.' ... The president denied he played a role in Kushner being granted the clearance during an interview with the Times in January." POLITICO

COMING ATTRACTIONS -- BLOOMBERG'S JENNIFER EPSTEIN (@jeneps): "Kudlow on Fox Business says to expect to see a Trump-Xi trade summit in Mar-a-Lago before the end of March."

ATTN. KEVIN MCCARTHY ... 2020 WATCH -- COOK POLITICAL REPORT'S DAVID WASSERMAN: "[I]t's tough to see Republicans winning the House back unless President Trump's approval rating is significantly higher than today's 42 percent come 2020. ... A key 2020 House battleground will be Texas. ... It's too early to offer a range of gains and losses, but Democrats begin the cycle with an edge - one they hope can sustain them until districts are redrawn in 2021." Cook Political Report

HE'S RUNNING, TOO -- DANIEL STRAUSS: "Washington Gov. Jay Inslee launches presidential campaign": "Inslee, 68, is betting that his relentless focus on climate, a fundamental issue for elements of the Democratic Party now pushing for a 'Green New Deal,' can vault him past primary opponents who may share some of his views on the issue - but who lack his singular focus or record of action at the state level.

"But the Washington governor begins his campaign less-known and behind in the polls compared to some of his rivals in Congress." POLITICO ... Announcement video

-- DAVID SIDERS and DANIEL STRAUSS: "The Washington state governor launched a White House bid Friday that stands to have a significant effect on the electoral politics surrounding climate change. ... [W]hile Inslee barely registers in presidential polls, the issue that the Washington governor is attempting to corner is showing new signs of traction with likely primary voters. The subtle shift ... is forcing other, higher-profile Democratic presidential contenders to address climate change more explicitly than in any previous presidential campaign." POLITICO

-- NBC'S ALEX SEITZ-WALD: "Inslee has selected longtime advisor Aisling Kerins to manage the 2020 presidential bid he announced Friday, making her one of only a handful of women to lead a White House campaign." NBC

Happy Friday afternoon. SPOTTED: Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) on an 8:30 a.m. JetBlue flight from DCA to Palm Beach this morning.

FALLOUT FROM HANOI ... "After U.S.-North Korea nuclear summit fails, all sides scramble to salvage the talks despite major differences," by WaPo's Simon Denyer in Hanoi: "[A]s the dust settled, it was increasingly clear that a huge gap remains between the two sides and that a clear North Korean commitment to surrender its nuclear weapons remains as elusive as ever. ...

"On Thursday afternoon, South Korean President Moon Jae-in was on the phone to Trump offering his services as mediator and even suggesting they meet in person in the near future for more 'in-depth' discussions. Trump said he had no plans to meet Kim again for a third summit. But on Friday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States was 'anxious to get back to the table.'" WaPo

-- OTTO WARMBIER'S PARENTS SPEAK ... KATIE GALIOTO: "The parents of Otto Warmbier issued a statement Friday calling Kim Jong Un responsible for the death of their son and implicitly criticizing President Donald Trump, who asserted the North Korean leader was unaware of the American student's mistreatment while in captivity.

"'We have been respectful during this summit process,' Fred and Cindy Warmbier said in the statement. 'Now we must speak out. Kim and his evil regime are responsible for the death of our son Otto. Kim and his evil regime are responsible for unimaginable cruelty and inhumanity. No excuses or lavish praise can change that.'" POLITICO

-- WASHINGTON EXAMINER'S JERRY DUNLEAVY: "Trump claim that Kim Jong Un 'didn't know' about Otto Warmbier at odds with court testimony"

A message from Everytown for Gun Safety:

The House took an important step to end gun violence in America this week by passing H.R. 8 to #UpdateBackgroundChecks. Now we look to the Senate to take action. Will they listen to the overwhelming majority of Americans who support background checks on all gun sales? Learn more here.

BACK FROM VIETNAM ... @realDonaldTrump at 7:49 a.m.: "Great to be back from Vietnam, an amazing place. We had very substantive negotiations with Kim Jong Un -- we know what they want and they know what we must have. Relationship very good, let's see what happens!"

... at 8 a.m.: "Wow, just revealed that Michael Cohen wrote a 'love letter to Trump' manuscript for a new book that he was pushing. Written and submitted long after Charlottesville and Helsinki, his phony reasons for going rogue. Book is exact opposite of his fake testimony, which now is a lie!"

... 8:08 a.m.: "Congress must demand the transcript of Michael Cohen's new book, given to publishers a short time ago. Your heads will spin when you see the lies, misrepresentations and contradictions against his Thursday testimony. Like a different person! He is totally discredited!"

... at 8:19 a.m.: "Oh' I see! Now that the 2 year Russian Collusion case has fallen apart, there was no Collusion except bye Crooked Hillary and the Democrats, they say, 'gee, I have an idea, let's look at Trump's finances and every deal he has ever done. Let's follow discredited Michael Cohen....."

... at 8:26 a.m.: "...and the fraudulent and dishonest statements he made on Wednesday. No way, it's time to stop this corrupt and illegally brought Witch Hunt. Time to start looking at the other side where real crimes were committed. Republicans have been abused long enough. Must end now!"

... at 8:37 a.m.: "Michael Cohen's book manuscript shows that he committed perjury on a scale not seen before. He must have forgotten about his book when he testified. What does Hillary Clinton's lawyer, Lanny Davis, say about this one. Is he being paid by Crooked Hillary. Using her lawyer?"

THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ... HALLEY TOOSI in POLITICO MAGAZINE: "Inside the Chaotic Early Days of Trump's Foreign Policy": "[T]wo years into Trump's tenure, current and former U.S. officials say they are worried about the long-term damage his administration is still doing to the way such critical decisions are made - with dangerous consequences that are not always easy to perceive. They worry Trump's presidency has poisoned the relationship between career government staffers and political appointees, threatening the ability of a future president to make decisions based on nonpartisan expertise.

"Career staffers ... say the atmosphere was ugly. ... In a particularly telling example, one former NSC staffer recalled informing a Trump political appointee that the administration should re-think a proposed executive order because it could undercut efforts to protect human rights. 'I said, "This could make the president look really bad,"' the former staffer told POLITICO. The political appointee replied: 'The president doesn't care about the things you care about, and the sooner that you know about it, the better.'" POLITICO Magazine

THE NEW MAJORITY -- SARAH FERRIS (@sarahnferris): "House will vote next week on its 2nd big agenda item: a package of election rights/campaign finance. CBO says today it'll cost $2B over a decade, most on state election security grants." The estimate

THE SHUTDOWN IMPACT ... CNN'S RENE MARSH: "More than 1,000 TSA employees still owed back pay from shutdown"

WSJ'S STEPHANIE ARMOUR and KRISTINA PETERSON: "Medicare for All Loses Momentum Among Democrats": "Now, enthusiasm for the proposal is waning as supporters face pointed questions over how it would work-and how it would be paid for. As a result, more candidates are backing intermediate measures, including optional buy-ins to government-run coverage that are likely more attainable in the short term. ...

"Net support for a single-payer health system among all registered voters ... fell from about 30% in November 2018 to 12% in February." WSJ

AT CPAC ... BEN SCHRECKINGER in Oxon Hill, Md.: "New CPAC stars: Black gun rights activists"

-- REBECCA MORIN: "Ted Cruz: GOP wouldn't have lost the House if border funding had passed"

CLIMATE FILES -- "Top White House adviser acknowledges threat posed by climate change," by CNN's Haley Byrd: "White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said Friday that he believes climate change could threaten economic growth. It's a position that puts him at odds with the Trump administration and the President himself, who has openly questioned whether the climate is warming at all.

"'It's something people should take seriously and think about,' Hassett said in an interview with CNN's Poppy Harlow. Hassett, an economist long involved in conventional Republican political circles, has in the past expressed support for instituting carbon taxes to curb pollution." CNN

ON THE WORLD STAGE -- WSJ'S JAKE MAXWELL WATTS and MICHAEL GORDON in Manila, Philippines: "Pompeo Pledges to Defend Philippine Forces in South China Sea": "The Philippines shelved a planned review of its military alliance with the U.S. in return for a verbal commitment that American forces would defend the country's vessels in the South China Sea, removing a major irritant between the longstanding partners." WSJ

-- AP'S JON GAMBRELL in Dubai, United Arab Emirates: "Saudi Arabia revokes citizenship of Hamza bin Laden": "Saudi Arabia announced Friday it had revoked the citizenship of Hamza bin Laden, the son of the late al-Qaida leader who has become an increasingly prominent figure in the terror network. Saudi Arabia revoked his citizenship via a royal decree in November, a notice published Friday by the kingdom's official gazette said.

"There was no explanation why the order was only becoming public now. However, the announcement comes after the U.S. government offered a $1 million reward for information leading to his capture as part of its 'Rewards for Justice' program." AP

-- BLOOMBERG'S STUART BIGGS and ALEX MORALES: "U.S. to Demand Agricultural Access in Future U.K. Trade Deal": "The U.S. laid out its vision for a sweeping trade deal with post-Brexit Britain -- and it's likely to raise alarm bells in London. President Donald Trump's administration published its 'negotiating objectives' for a future trade agreement late Thursday, including 'comprehensive access' for agricultural goods and a demand to remove 'unwarranted barriers' to trade in the farm industry related to health and safety checks." Bloomberg

THE INVESTIGATIONS ... CAITLIN OPRYSKO: "Nunes: 'I want everything that Mueller did made public'"

-- "Mueller sees needing 5 to 8 days for Roger Stone trial," by Caitlin Oprysko: POLITICO

WAR REPORT -- NYT'S ERIC SCHMITT in Loumbila, Burkina Faso: "Where Terrorism Is Rising in Africa and the U.S. Is Leaving": "[H]undreds of United States commandos and other forces are leaving West Africa - despite an onslaught of attacks from an increasingly deadly matrix of Islamist fighters. The shift has unnerved African commanders in Burkina Faso and neighboring nations in the Sahel ...

"What is emerging, critics said, is a glimpse of what happens when American troops, especially Special Operations forces, pull back before insurgents are effectively subdued, leaving local or allied forces to fend off the Islamic State, Al Qaeda or their offshoots. ... American commanders said the changes reflected the progress made by the African troops and denied that the United States was backing away from its commitment to the region." NYT

-- "U.S. military says airstrike in Somalia kills 26 al-Shabab," via AP in Nairobi, Kenya

TV TONIGHT -- Bob Costa will sit down with WaPo's Carol Leonnig, NYT's Peter Baker, USA Today's Susan Page and CNN's Manu Raju at 8 p.m. on PBS' "Washington Week."

TRANSITION -- Phil Musser is now VP for government affairs at NextEra Energy. He previously was chief communications officer and SVP at Boeing.

BONUS BIRTHDAY: Bart Stupak, who was born Feb. 29 (hat tip: John Barrow)

WELCOME TO THE WORLD -- Mitchell Hailstone, communications director for Rep. Mark Green (R-Tenn.) and a CRC alum, and Betsy Hailstone, an 11th-grade English teacher at Bishop McNamara High School, welcomed Mary Lynn Hailstone. Pic ... Another pic

-- Alex Kisling, principal at Kivvit and a Steve Driehaus alum, and Monisha Kisling, genetic counselor at Children's National, on Monday night welcomed Asher Jay Kisling. Pic

A message from Everytown for Gun Safety:


The House voted YES to #UpdateBackgroundChecks, requiring checks on all gun sales. Will the Senate? Learn more here.

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Anna Palmer @apalmerdc

Jake Sherman @JakeSherman

Daniel Lippman @dlippman

Eli Okun @eliokun

Garrett Ross @garrett_ross

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