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Presented by the National Retail Federation: Playbook is POLITICO's must-read briefing on what's driving the day Jan 14, 2019 View in browser
By Jake Sherman, Anna Palmer and Daniel Lippman

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DRIVING THE DAY
WEATHER-RELATED CLOSURES: THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT is shut down today due to weather. Full list of closures

-- THE HOUSE is scheduled to have votes this evening at 6:30 p.m., and as of publication time, the votes were still on despite almost a foot of snow on the ground in D.C., and the expectation of a rough commute. We'll keep you posted with what we hear.

SHUTDOWN ... DAY 24 ... FROM 30,000 FEET -- NYT'S PETER BAKER, "Trump Confronts the Prospect of a 'Nonstop Political War' for Survival": "The border wall fight is just the preliminary skirmish in this new era of divided government. The real battle has yet to begin. With Democrats now in charge of the House, the special counsel believed to be wrapping up his investigation, news media outlets competing for scoops and the first articles of impeachment already filed, Mr. Trump faces the prospect of an all-out political war for survival that may make the still-unresolved partial government shutdown pale by comparison." NYT

-- ABC'S TARA PALMERI (@tarapalmeri): "NEW: White House's latest idea for funding the wall -- asset seizure funds. Trump presented with the idea of using DOJ's unappropriated cash as one of the many pots of money to pay for the wall. Justice Department fiercely against this. Would likely end up in courts..."

WHERE THE PRESIDENT'S HEAD IS AT -- @realDonaldTrump at 10:12 p.m.: "The Trump portrait of an unsustainable Border Crisis is dead on. 'In the last two years, ICE officers made 266,000 arrests of aliens with Criminal Records, including those charged or convicted of 100,000 assaults, 30,000 sex crimes & 4000 violent killings.' America's Southern...."

... at 10:18 p.m.: "....Border is eventually going to be militarized and defended or the United States, as we have known it, is going to cease to exist...And Americans will not go gentle into that good night. Patrick Buchanan. The great people of our Country demand proper Border Security NOW!"

THE IMPACT ... NYT'S ALAN BLINDER: "Government Shutdown Across America: In many parts of the United States, the shutdown has underscored how deeply the federal government is connected to everyday life": "Restaurants and shops near major federal offices, especially in Washington, have emptied out. So have laboratories run by NASA and the Smithsonian Institution's museums along the National Mall.

"Food inspections have become fewer, as have many checks by the Environmental Protection Agency. Travelers have complained that airport security lines, run by Transportation Security Administration officers who are working without pay, have come to a crawl. Trash has piled up at National Park Service sites, or at least those that are still open." With 13 pictures on one page: NYT

-- WSJ: "Shutdown Pinches Economic Growth," by Josh Mitchell and Sharon Nunn: "The partial federal government shutdown that became the longest on record Sunday is curtailing infrastructure projects, food-processing inspections and economic data used by Wall Street. But on a more micro level, it is showing signs of disrupting commerce as hundreds of thousands of federal workers missed out on their first payday of the closure late last week.

"While the economic gashes aren't enough to derail the recovery, now in its 10th year, they appear to be at least temporarily diminishing the vigor of an expansion that was already projected to slow in 2019. Output is now expected to grow at a 2.2% pace in the first quarter, less than an estimated 3.1% growth recorded in 2018, economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal projected earlier this month." WSJ

INSIDE THE WHITE HOUSE ... AXIOS' JONATHAN SWAN, "Scoop: Trump dressed down Mulvaney in front of congressional leaders": "President Trump chastised his new chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, over his handling of shutdown talks, creating an awkward scene in front of congressional leaders of both parties, according to two sources who were present. ...

"The encounter came near the end of a meeting in the White House Situation Room on Jan. 4, these sources said. Trump had spent the meeting restating his demand for $5.7 billion for his wall. (Vice President Pence, at Trump's behest, had previously asked the Democrats for just $2.5 billion.)

"Mulvaney inserted himself into the conversation and tried to negotiate a compromise sum of money, according to the sources in the room. Mulvaney said 'that if Dems weren't OK with $5.7 [billion] and the president wasn't OK with $1.3 [the Democratic offer] ... he was trying to say we should find a middle ground,' one of the sources said, paraphrasing Mulvaney's remarks. 'Trump cut him off ... "You just f***ed it all up, Mick,"' the source recalled Trump saying. 'It was kind of weird.'" Axios

AG WATCH ... BURGESS EVERETT and MARIANNE LEVINE, "Kavanaugh hangs over Barr confirmation fight": "Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation to the Supreme Court tore the Senate Judiciary Committee apart. Now the panel is trying to put itself back together ahead of another contentious nomination fight.

"The committee has a new chairman, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), whose fiery denunciation of Democrats during Kavanaugh's hearing on sexual assault allegations cemented his turn as one of President Donald Trump's most aggressive allies in Congress. It has three Democrats mulling a presidential run in 2020, all of whom played central roles in cross-examining Kavanaugh.

"And now it has William Barr before it - Trump's attorney general nominee who will come under fierce questioning at his confirmation hearing this week over his views of presidential power and how he will oversee special counsel Robert Mueller's probe.

"It will be up to Graham to set the tone. And he's not making any promises. 'I'm going to let it be up to [Democrats]. You pick these fights at your own peril. [Barr will] be challenged for sure. Hopefully respectfully,' Graham said." POLITICO

A message from the National Retail Federation:

Ferris Bueller was one of the best comedies of its generation, but there's nothing funny about tariffs. Scroll down to find out more. www.tariffsarebad.com

NYT'S SHANE GOLDMACHER on A1: "Ocasio-Cortez Pushes Democrats to the Left, Whether They Like It or Not": "In the two months since her election, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez has had the uncanny ability for a first-term member of Congress to push the debate inside the Democratic Party sharply to the left, forcing party leaders and 2020 presidential candidates to grapple with issues that some might otherwise prefer to avoid. ...

"Asked about Ms. Ocasio-Cortez's splashy entrance into Congress, Mr. Jeffries instead went through the names of every other incoming New York member, listing her last. 'I don't think singling out one over the other is the appropriate thing for me to do, at least at this moment,' Mr. Jeffries said as he left a recent gathering of the New York Democratic delegation that she also attended.

"As for the primary-challenge matter, he said he and Ms. Ocasio-Cortez had not spoken about it. 'I've said hello,' Mr. Jeffries said. 'We haven't talked about any particular issue beyond the logistics of her arrival into the United States Congress.'" NYT

2020 WATCH ... K-FILE ... CNN'S ANDREW KACZYNSKI: "Tulsi Gabbard once touted working for anti-gay group that backed conversion therapy": "Rep. Tulsi Gabbard in the early 2000s touted working for her father's anti-gay organization, which mobilized to pass a measure against same-sex marriage in Hawaii and promoted controversial conversion therapy. ...

"Her past views and activism in opposition to LGBT rights in the late 90s and early 2000s, which put her out of step with most of the Democratic Party at the time, have come under more intense scrutiny since her announcement." CNN

-- HOLLY OTTERBEIN: "Bernie Sanders staffs up for 2020": "Means of Production, the filmmaking cooperative that created the viral campaign video that propelled Ocasio-Cortez's House campaign, is in talks with the Sanders team about a major role in 2020. And two people who powered Sanders' record-breaking small-dollar fundraising operation in 2016 have agreed to join a subsequent presidential bid if it materializes, according to a Sanders campaign aide: Tim Tagaris and Robin Curran, his digital fundraising director and digital production director in 2016, respectively." POLITICO

WHAT THEY'RE DOING NOW ... "Anthony Scaramucci joins 'Celebrity Big Brother' cast," by Mark Moore in Page Six

A message from the National Retail Federation:


THE JUICE ...

-- FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: REP. ILHAN OMAR (D-MINN.) is writing a memoir called "This is What America Looks Like" that will be published by Dey Street Books. The book is about her life from fleeing Somalia amid war as a child to becoming a refugee and later becoming the first woman of color lawmaker to represent Minnesota.

TRUMP'S MONDAY -- The president is leaving the White House at 9 a.m. for New Orleans. He will speak at the American Farm Bureau Federation's 100th Annual Convention at 11:40 Central time before returning to Washington. He will arrive at the White House at 4:25 p.m. At 6:30 p.m., he will host the Clemson Tigers in the East Room.
PLAYBOOK READS


PHOTO DU JOUR: Parents and students react as United Teachers Los Angeles announces Sunday that teachers in the nation's second-largest school district will go on strike. | Damian Dovarganes/AP Photo

L.A. TIMES: "Is Tehran spying on Southern California? Feds say O.C. waiter and 'Chubby' from Long Beach were agents of Iran," by Melissa Etehad

COURT WATCH -- "Judge freezes Trump administration contraception rule," by Alice Miranda Ollstein and Victoria Colliver: "A federal judge in California blocked a Trump administration rule on contraception just hours before it was to go into effect Monday. It would have allowed virtually any employer to refuse to cover workers' birth control by citing religious or moral objections.

"U.S. District Judge Haywood Gilliam, Jr. ruled the policy would cause harm to the Democratic states suing over the rules, and he issued an order staying the rules from going into effect while the lawsuit proceeds. His temporary block is limited to just the 13 states plus the District of Columbia involved in the lawsuit. However it's possible that a court in Pennsylvania, considering a similar request for an injunction, could issue a broader national order." POLITICO

A message from the National Retail Federation:


JON RALSTON, "Harry Reid unplugged": "In my conversation with Reid I raised the issue, reported in 'Double Down: Game Change,' but speculated on by many including myself, that Jon Huntsman, Sr., was the source Reid had claimed he had for the tax information on Romney. Reid dodged the question, but did gush about Huntsman in the interview, saying he returned the wealthy businessman's call when he was in Congress years ago: 'So, I called, and that was the beginning of the relationship that was unbelievable because Utah members of Congress were crap,' Reid recalled.

"'They wouldn't help you at all. And I helped him so much. I mean I helped him so very, very much. He was such a great guy. I'll give you one example. So, he had heard that they were going to endow a chair for me here at UNLV. ... He heard about it. He said, 'You call, you talk to the president of the university when he has a few minutes any time in the next 10 days. Tell him to set some time aside for me, I'll bring a million dollar check. And he did.'" Nevada Independent

MEDIAWATCH -- "Hedge-Fund-Backed Media Group Prepares Bid for Gannett," by WSJ's Cara Lombardo: "A hedge-fund-backed media group known for buying up struggling local papers and cutting costs is planning to make an offer for USA Today publisher Gannett Co., according to people familiar with the matter.

"MNG Enterprises Inc., one of the largest newspaper chains in the country, has quietly built a 7.5% position in Gannett's stock and plans to publicly urge the McLean, Va., publisher to put itself up for sale ... Closely held Digital First is known for its contentious history with the newspaper industry in part because of its penchant for slashing costs." WSJ
PLAYBOOKERS
TRANSITIONS -- FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Lyndon Boozer is joining Capitol Counsel LLC, where he will be a partner. He will focus on House Democratic leadership and Energy and Commerce Committee issues. Boozer previously was a senior lobbyist at AT&T, where he spent 21 years.

-- Susan Hendrick is joining the federal affairs team at Uber in D.C. as the federal communications lead. She served at FEMA and DOT in the Obama administration.

BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Michael Reed, RNC's research director and deputy comms director, celebrating at home with a birthday dinner that also doubles as his two-year anniversary with wife Alice. How he got his start in politics: "I've known I wanted to work in politics since high school. I have an aunt (Alixe Mattingly) who was a press secretary for President H.W. Bush, so she was a mentor of sorts. My first political internship was in Mitt Romney's governor's office (I grew up in the Boston area). I also interned at the [Republican National Convention] in NYC in 2004." Playbook Plus Q&A

BIRTHDAYS: Susan Glasser is 5-0 (hat tip: Tim Burger) ... Bill Plante is 81 (h/t Ben Chang) ... Maureen Dowd ... Shepard Smith is 55 ... LCV President Gene Karpinski is 67 ... Eric Alterman is 59 ... Doug Michelman, president of the Sprint 1 Million Project Foundation ... Erin Haber (h/ts Jon Haber) ... Toby Harnden is 53 ... Brennan Moss ... Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) is 56 ... Colin Milligan, senior associate director for media relations at the American Hospital Association (h/t Robyn Bash) ... Frank Raines is 7-0 ... Jack Torry, D.C. bureau chief for The Columbus Dispatch ... Michael Block ... Karl Beckstein (h/t Jon Conradi) ... Margaret Chadbourn ... WaPo's Molly Gannon ... CAP's
Marcella Bombardieri ... David Vyorst ... Alexandra Shapiro ... Mary Kusler ... Nina Totenberg, NPR legal affairs correspondent ... Sean Johnson (h/t Brian Dunn) ... Hugh Kaufman ...

... Andrea Seabrook, managing editor at Countable ... Michael Tuchin is 54 ... Ben Koltun, senior research analyst at Beacon Policy Advisors ... Christina Daigneault ... NPR's Jen Liberto ... Andrew Baris ... William Johnson ... Teddy Eynon ... former North Carolina Gov. Bev Perdue is 72 ... Francisco Martin-Rayo ... Duncan Currie ... Michael Moates ... Sinead Casey ... Ellen Wulfhorst, chief correspondent for the Americas at the Thomson Reuters Foundation ... Jack Herzog ... John Ellsworth ... Regina Schofield ... Jeffrey Webb ... Patty Link ... Charlotte Hudek ... Laura Pena ... Marc Schloss ... David Green ... Megan Milligan ... Andy Gussert ... Ruby Macklem ... Mary Jane Cobb (h/ts
Teresa Vilmain)

A message from the National Retail Federation:

In 1930, Congress enacted the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act, which raised tariffs and caused the U.S. economy to sink deeper into the Great Depression. Today, historic tariff increases are forcing American businesses and families to pay billions of dollars in higher costs while threatening to slow U.S. economic growth. It's time to negotiate a deal and put an end to the trade war. Tariffs are B-A-D economics. Learn why at www.tariffsarebad.com.

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