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Today's POLITICO Playbook presented by Chevron

08/22/2017 06:33 AM EDT

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

Listen to the Playbook Audio Briefing | Subscribe on iTunes | Visit the online home of Playbook
Driving the Day
Good Tuesday morning. SIREN: INSIDE THE DEBT-CEILING DRAMA ... THE NATION'S BORROWING LIMIT needs to be lifted in the next month or so, and House and Senate Republicans and the Trump administration have NO IDEA AND NO PLAN how it's going to get done, according to sources in each corner of the fight. ELEMENTS IN THE WHITE HOUSE have signaled to Hill leaders they believe Congress will pass a clean increase -- lifting the debt cap without other provisions. This will not fly with some conservative members, who want some sort of policy concessions. HOUSE and SENATE REPUBLICANS tell us they have not decided on a strategy as of yet. The prevailing theory among GOP aides continues to be that the
Senate will pass a clean debt ceiling increase and jam the House with it. That seems risky, and aides are worried.

-- MITCH MCCONNELL, yesterday in Kentucky: "There is zero chance -- no chance -- we will not raise the debt ceiling."

-- FROM A GOP HILL AIDE: "Leadership has no plan for debt ceiling. Zero specifics on tax reform. We are six weeks away for funding the government and no one has any idea what will happen. Leadership has nothing they've articulated."

THE BOSTON GLOBE'S VICKY MCGRANE -- "Businesses fret over Congress' ability to avoid debt default" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a0c86bb771b9ed3504fc9c1e4c7d38596701bba7507a03fbdc150c00e21814923798cb2635a2f01f73856ce45ef93eea09a7ea7e3f49bd28

NANCY COOK on tax reform: "There is broad consensus, according to five sources familiar with the behind-the-scenes talks, on some of the best ways to pay for cutting both the individual and corporate tax rates. The options include capping the mortgage interest deduction for homeowners; scrapping people's ability to deduct state and local taxes; and eliminating businesses' ability to deduct interest, while also phasing in so-called full expensing for small businesses that allows them to immediately deduct investments like new equipment or facilities." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a0c86bb771b9ed354f8fae3c4c300446d2235e14a6d8e05e8c5c4f7dbe7e57c0c5e635701231616e26c6d201f24e626687cc5bebc2e97aec

ABOUT LAST NIGHT ... PRESIDENT TRUMP'S WAR ....

-- NYT's MARK LANDLER and MAGGIE HABERMAN: "Angry Trump Grilled His Generals About Troop Increase, Then Gave In": "President Trump's skepticism about America's involvement in Afghanistan was no secret to his staff. But his top national security officials were still taken aback at a meeting in the Situation Room on July 19, when an angry Mr. Trump began ripping apart their latest proposal to send thousands of additional American troops to the country. 'We're losing,' the president declared, according to a person who was in the room. The plan, he complained, was vague and open-ended, with no definition of victory. 'What does success look like?' he asked.

"The day before that meeting, Mr. Trump had invited four soldiers who had served in Afghanistan to the White House for lunch. His exchanges with these enlisted men, an official said, left him sober about the prospects for turning around a war that has dragged on for nearly 16 years. He showed up the next day determined to ask hard questions." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a0c86bb771b9ed351843fbe52fc1779c39e31b688a2c8e82b67ee5844ea6adf11733ad231e4e89671bca266748104bed42c23c36720f4eec ... Video of Trump's speech http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a0c86bb771b9ed358162042909d91d4655d053021a8e6ef592655e37e5a172eb04318bd7eeee70ab5407bee4d9203c12687e0dd8ccf871fe

-- ELIANA JOHNSON: "How Trump swallowed a bitter Afghanistan pill,": "The plan - which will maintain an unspecified U.S. troop presence without withdrawal timetables and intensify pressure on Pakistan to crack down on terrorist safe havens - was the product of a months-long strategy review in which the president's national security team talked him out of ending the costly 16-year war. 'It wasn't a debate,' said a senior White House aide. 'It was an attempt to convince the president.' ... If there was a worldview behind the remarks, it was what Trump called a 'principled realism' devoted to rooting out terrorists without building up the countries that host them - a balance between the
president's isolationist tendencies and the neoconservative ideology that animated the last Republican administration. 'We are not nation-building again,' Trump said. 'We are killing terrorists.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a0c86bb771b9ed35c5a9a773c81bf04a43f191d0e48d80e423505ab4ea89a9c455474a1e79ec9b68aebe654a6619c277e9781b636f920e89

-- WAPO'S PHIL RUCKER and BOB COSTA: "Trump's private deliberations -- detailed in interviews with more than a dozen senior administration officials and outside allies -- revealed a president un­attached to any particular foreign-policy doctrine, but willing to be persuaded as long as he could be seen as a strong and decisive leader. 'This has been many months in the making,' said Kellyanne Conway, counselor to the president. 'The hallmark of leadership is a deliberative process, not an impulsive reaction, and that is precisely the protocol he followed here.'

"Part of that listening included hearing out the military about sharing the burden in the region and getting Pakistan more involved in managing the war. 'When Secretary [Jim] Mattis said this would be a South Asia strategy, that tells you a lot,' said John Bolton, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, referring to recent remarks by the defense secretary. 'The big issue wasn't land-war tactics. The big issue is Pakistan.' He called Trump's Monday speech the 'defining moment of the Trump policy seven months into the administration.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a0c86bb771b9ed35292542016b706fc7cfd7c7fd65581a604fbf5bac4fa3fb7d6cd1cc445c582b855849299ff31d25bd29020691e6262a54

-- POLITICAL REALITY, via WaPo's Thomas Gibbons-Neff and Anne Gearan: "Trump's decision is a middle path that does not hew to either of the main foreign policy themes he articulated as a candidate: to stay out of expensive overseas quagmires, and to decisively win any conflict worth entering." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a0c86bb771b9ed359538cbaca1a74315fd20ce7a42fd21f102d62b5f2b102f341aca856ca30324b6d89b57c302a27bf08e67da1416199141

BREITBART HEADLINES: "Trump Reverses Course, Will Send More Troops to Afghanistan" ... "Defends Flip-Flop in Somber Speech" ... "...TRUMP'S 'AMERICA FIRST' BASE UNHAPPY WITH FLIP-FLOP AFGHANISTAN SPEECH..." ... "...HIS MCMASTER'S VOICE: IS TRUMP'S AFGHANISTAN POLICY THAT DIFFERENT FROM OBAMA'S?" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a0c86bb771b9ed35511f59187246b9f0c45eb413abf74c1407aa52c19b0f07a665590448b1de5b83b68104f2af4f0ec226a81aac130d5d4b

-- SUSAN GLASSER: "America Is Out of Ideas in Afghanistan": "President Trump proved one thing beyond the shadow of a doubt in his Afghanistan strategy speech Monday night: After nearly 16 years of fighting America's longest war, there are no new ideas. He called his plan 'dramatically different.' It wasn't. The only thing that seemed a striking change from his two presidential predecessors' approach to the war launched after the attacks of September 11, 2001, was Trump's escalatory rhetoric. He repeatedly vowed to 'win' a conflict that his Defense Secretary James Mattis told Congress recently 'we are not winning' and sharply criticized Afghanistan's neighbor Pakistan, a troublesome ally
Trump excoriated for offering 'safe haven' to terrorists." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a0c86bb771b9ed35bf740b3afbcf6f3723ef508a916f1a18fedb80a2b19b72a96735b20f503a4dca1f291608809b261750b2e6c25195d948

-- WHAT KABUL IS THINKING -- AP: "Afghanistan's government is applauding President Donald Trump's speech for focusing on needs and conditions instead of timelines. Afghan Ambassador to the U.S. Hamdullah Mohib calls it a '10 out of 10.' He tells The Associated Press by telephone from Kabul that Afghans heard 'exactly what we needed to.' Mohib says critiques of the speech for failing to disclose troop numbers are misguided. He says the focus on numbers detracts from the 'real focus' on conditions and support needed for Afghanistan to succeed and achieve peace.

"The ambassador is also praising Trump for 'breaking the silence' about Pakistan's sheltering of what he calls terrorists. Trump emphasized the need for Pakistan to stop harboring the Taliban. Mohib says Afghanistan has made progress and is committed to pursuing reforms to show it merits continuing help from the U.S." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a0c86bb771b9ed357f982643e0de028ac9ee2a4a9e2db72a4d6ca26afb36323736b5c5ddcc2d771d3be2e0c4120f7b4a5582584084db4f19

WHAT TRUMP IS WAKING UP TO -- N.Y. POST: "THE TRUMP DOCTRINE: We stay in A'Stan, but 'no nation building'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a0c86bb771b9ed353a223f27c9ea7796ec4fffdce8bcaab959e8d1efc6d71bb7b4322a4b2875dbaea3c4af38fba08e4230c867d0362c519f ... N.Y. DAILY NEWS: "MAKE WAR SURGE AGAIN: Trump touts new plan for Afghanistan but won't give strategy" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a0c86bb771b9ed355ac84fd7f3802e0ac0b41a387680c941f917842dc2a1caab5090c1a1c7b2f206fc21598e90ca875a64a46675c4dad7a8 ... ANOTHER DAILY NEWS COVER: "NOT TOO BRIGHT!: Trump ignores fake news warning, stares at eclipse" ... N.Y. TIMES: "IN SPEECH, TRUMP SETS U.S. STRATEGY FOR AFGHAN WAR ... Generals' Warnings Overrode Initial Skepticism ... Expanding Role in a Conflict He Once Called Futile" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a0c86bb771b9ed35e42b98eab607250c25bf07f27d3b29995e969b3e201d8f26a374ad278d5a315438bc8f0458741f8f4fcd2fb5d0f258e6 ...

... WAPO: "Troop increase planned in Afghan war ... Behind the decision: Debate, infighting and stalemate, and finally a bow to the generals ... NEW STRATEGY AFTER INTERNAL REVIEW: Trump previously called conflict a waste of time" ... WSJ: "Trump Vows New Afghan Tack: President will boost pressure on Pakistan, avoid telegraphing U.S. military strategy".

-- ONE THOUGHT: Trump says he will not detail publicly how many more troops he's sending to Afghanistan. We'll see if that flies with lawmakers when Defense Secretary Jim Mattis heads to Capitol Hill to testify this fall.


****** A message from Chevron: When an endangered butterfly was found near a Chevron refinery, we protected the habitat and still plant the only thing they eat-buckwheat. Watch the video: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a0c86bb771b9ed3534495f732b7eb216257dde3ab0fdccdd9638baeb2855efb1d169e35101a6f214fc3d2d4fdcf693c1b740a280e17f8dae ******

FOR YOUR RADAR -- "Navy to Pause Operations, Review Collisions, With 10 Missing: Defense Secretary Jim Mattis responds as storm impedes search for sailors from USS John S. McCain," by WSJ's Nancy Youssef in Washington and Jake Maxwell Watts in Singapore: "The U.S. Navy announced a pause in its global operations and patrols and has begun a broad investigation after the destroyer USS John S. McCain on Monday collided with a merchant vessel, leaving 10 sailors missing, the second such incident in just over two months.

"The response by the U.S. military signals the Navy believes it needs to examine whether there may be institutional problems behind the deadly collisions, and that it may need to retrain some of its personnel in seamanship. Navy Adm. John Richardson, the chief of naval operations, announced 'an operational pause be taken in all of our fleets around the world' -- a move that officials said was rare." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a0c86bb771b9ed35895ff91811e9b4e80a704f45280eccb7cda9089bf0b729aebb4006b6b4f0e39a32c753760cbcd594ec68aa3bc5ee5c7e

TRUMP'S TUESDAY -- TRUMP is going out west. He'll head to Yuma, Arizona, at noon. He'll go on a tour of "U.S. Customs and Border Protection equipment" and meet with Marines. He'll then head to Phoenix for a campaign rally.

-- WE HEAR the White House was working the Hill to drum up support for Trump's trip to the border. The House Freedom Caucus is taking the lead in that effort.

VP MIKE PENCE is accompanying Trump to the rally in Phoenix. JUST A NOTE: Pence and Jeff Flake served together in the House and know each other well. If Trump attacks Flake, it will be interesting to see Pence's reaction.

NEXT UP... "GOP on eggshells as Trump storms into Phoenix," by Alex Isenstadt in Phoenix: "President Donald Trump faces a decision on Tuesday evening with profound implications for his already strained relationship with the GOP: Whether to attack a vulnerable Republican senator on his home turf. While White House officials won't say exactly what's on Trump's agenda when he holds a campaign-style rally here, there is a widespread expectation that he will go after GOP Sen. Jeff Flake, a loud critic of the president who recently published an anti-Trump manifesto, 'Conscience of a Conservative.'

"Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Majority Whip John Cornyn, and [NRSC] Chairman Cory Gardner all declared that Flake had their full support. On Tuesday morning, Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC closely aligned with McConnell, will amp the pressure. The group is set to release a blistering digital ad campaign that targets former Kelli Ward, a conservative former state senator and Flake primary opponent who Trump praised in a tweet last week.

"The ad paints Ward as an extreme figure with 'crazy ideas' who engages in 'embarrassing behavior.' People close to the group describe the offensive as part of a broader effort to show that any Trump-led push to undermine Flake, or any GOP incumbent for that matter, won't go uncontested." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a0c86bb771b9ed352a81bdb7c015fbde72d313c3204bb2e5f63887a07ffae85045db02aaf143cbdaead728d8f52ca32e7146fc8f178da51d ... The ad http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a0c86bb771b9ed35838bb37555744b9bf3be6e055f0870a185c8c679671605adbd4f74d07718d73272075532d73e2a2713e033fca5a81e42

-- @KFILE: ".@kelliwardaz's new ad ties Jeff Flake to Obama, but it looks like a photo from bill signing for judge killed in the Giffords attack." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a0c86bb771b9ed35313cbb14a5152588fae47cb5caa83d775200857117650d85c2c62c558e0f9b56240ef2754b5623cd27ba61944ea06a13

-- SEN. JEFF FLAKE (R-ARIZ.) to Kurtis Lee of the L.A. Times: "What did he think about Trump calling him toxic on Twitter, reporters asked Flake on Monday after speaking to a gathering of local business leaders? 'I don't worry about it at all,' Flake said at an events center here in the suburbs east of Phoenix. Is Trump right in offering aid and comfort to his primary challenger, former state Sen. Kelli Ward? 'That's not my realm. That's somebody else's. I just - I'm running my own campaign. It's going well. And what the president does, that's his prerogative,' Flake said." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a0c86bb771b9ed35444e238a754a9cb79a96d887e2e62f086c6531cf091684e36c0c6ae885b63771e334b00536d6d71d24a42adfcec134b7

-- "Arpaio keeping his calendar clear for possible Trump pardon," by Ted Hesson: "Former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio said Monday that he doesn't know whether President Donald Trump will grant him a pardon this week -- but he's keeping his calendar open. When asked whether he would be available when Trump visits Phoenix on Tuesday, the 85-year-old former Arizona lawman told POLITICO that 'of course' he would be. ... The former sheriff was convicted in late July of criminal contempt in a racial profiling case and faces a maximum of six months in jail. He is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 5." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a0c86bb771b9ed3591915460aad1b702b73b74947c84d29795f34c8d514f0de0a450d028319cbc696121e04596d974c8fec709f09e42be50

BEHIND THE SCENES -- "Trump aides plot big immigration deal - that breaks a campaign promise," by McClatchy's Anita Kumar: "Donald Trump's top aides are pushing him to protect young people brought into the country illegally as children -- and then use the issue as a bargaining chip for a larger immigration deal -- despite the president's campaign vow to deport so-called Dreamers. The White House officials want Trump to strike an ambitious deal with Congress that offers Dreamers protection in exchange for legislation that pays for a border wall and more detention facilities, curbs legal immigration and implements E-verify, an online system that allows businesses to check immigration status,
according to a half-dozen people familiar with situation, most involved with the negotiations.

"The group includes former and current White House chiefs of staff, Reince Priebus and John Kelly, the president's daughter, Ivanka Trump, and her husband, Jared Kushner, who both serve as presidential advisers, they said. Others who have not been as vocal publicly about their stance but are thought to agree include Vice President Mike Pence, who as a congressman worked on a failed immigration deal that called for citizenship, National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster and Gary Cohn, a Democrat who serves as director of the National Economic Council. ...

"On the other side, a smaller group - including Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his former aides, Stephen Miller, who serves as Trump's senior policy adviser, and Rick Dearborn, White House deputy chief of staff - opposes citizenship, according to sources familiar with the discussions. ... Miller was ordered not to brief the president on the issue in recent months, according to two of the people." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a0c86bb771b9ed35d7d67edc7eb36f116bf075548e7c481c9991de18a5aa04a3cc358924cd5a744a9de1efe07f10bf89b20d74448f26b37c

RYAN FACES LOCAL PEPPERING -- FIRST TOWN HALL SINCE 2015 -- "Ryan faces heat back home in Wisconsin," by Rachael Bade in Racine, Wisconsin: "Paul Ryan was one of most popular Republicans in the country last fall, routing his Democratic challenger and beating back a Donald Trump-inspired primary challenger who trolled him at every turn. Yet there he was, taking flak from discontent constituents at a town hall in Racine on Monday night. ...

"In this small southeast Wisconsin town on Lake Michigan, the speaker fares no better than any other congressional Republican facing unhappy crowds. And in some ways his powerful position in Washington makes it worse because he controls the 240-strong House Republican majority. While the CNN-hosted Ryan town hall was carefully choreographed, packed with about 300 well-behaved attendees, interviews with constituents who have voted for Ryan showed many were disquieted by the GOP's failure to deliver on key campaign promises. ...

"To be sure, Ryan is still extremely popular with Republicans here in the First District. All but one Republican interviewed for this story said he or she would vote for Ryan again, and many praised him as 'honest,' 'tenacious' and 'hard-working.' Some, like Franksville-native Bill Jaeck, even parroted Ryan's talking points about House-passed bills stalled in the Senate -- an echo worthy of Ryan's Washington press conference.

"But there's a sinking feeling among some Ryan supporters that the man they've known and voted in for years is not the superman they'd hoped. 'Being speaker of the House has become a setback. ... It's basically ruined his career for a while, because he's forced to do many unpopular things,' said Marlene Lamberton of Caledonia, a longtime supporter." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a0c86bb771b9ed35908d344762312ede3c7e518edaf3f8cea55bcd7fd0d5bede55243456eb1c6d20890b93b5e1b70fd138fd8d1c432b6b90

INTERESTING BITES FROM RYAN... ON NEW AFGHANISTAN STRATEGY: "I'm pleased with the decision. I'm actually pleased with the way he went about making this decision. ... So I also think what I heard tonight for the first time -- this is what I wasn't briefed on -- is I think I heard a new Trump strategy, or a doctrine, so to speak. Principled realism I think is how he described it."

-- ON TRUMP'S HANDLING OF THE CHARLOTTESVILLE SITUATION: "[I] think it was in New York on an infrastructure press conference, in answer to a question, I think he made comments that were much more morally ambiguous, much more confusing. And I do think he could have done better. I think he needed to do better. I actually think what he did two days ago in commending the peaceful protests against the hate in Boston was a good start. And I think just what I heard, I don't know, 25 minutes ago, was exactly what a president needs to say and what we needed to hear. So I do believe that he messed up in his comments on Tuesday, when it -- it -- it sounded like a moral equivocation, or at the very
least moral ambiguity, when we need extreme moral clarity."

-- ON CENSURING TRUMP: "I will not support that. I think that would be -- that would be so counterproductive. If we descend this issue into some partisan hack-fest, into some bickering against each other, and demean it down to some political food fight, what good does that do to unify this country?"

PER BEN WHITE'S MORNING MONEY - "MNUCHIN'S WIFE HITS TURBULENCE - Lot of buzz on Twitter last night over an Instagram post and reply from Louise Linton, the actress who recently wed Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. The initial post showed Linton and Mnuchin getting off an official plane from a trip to Kentucky. And Linton hashtagged just about everything including her high end ensemble featuring #tomford sunglasses, #roulandmouret pants and #hermesscarf. A commenter on the post said: 'Glad we could pay for your little getaway. #deplorable.' That apparently set Linton off. In a long response she said, among other things: 'Have you given more to the economy than me or my husband. ... I'm
pretty sure we paid more taxes toward our day 'trip' than you did. ... Thanks for your passive aggressive nasty comment.' ... Linton's Insta account is now private. Needless to say, saying 'my husband and I are richer than you' is probably not a great move." The deleted Instapic http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a0c86bb771b9ed35d1e2a7680cac27831722ea55b0a667bb0eaa0bb9be51617fb5d82e4049397c4869b7addae9abbb6642e3031c10b9f397

THE JUICE ...

-- SPOTTED AT THE SINCLAIR BROADCAST GROUP OFFICES: Laura Ingraham yesterday meeting with David Smith, the company's executive chairman.

-- AMERICAN ACTION NETWORK is doubling down on tax reform. The group is running ads in 34 congressional districts as part of a $1 million radio campaign running through the end of the month. Six of the districts will be up with a Spanish version. The ad http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a0c86bb771b9ed35c634e03064b6a9fd5a79cce025341d9dbfeb27663dae7e9a911794a39a4f0c2ac1573ba57769cf6a01dd8f9e1da39095

MEDIAWATCH - "Ross Levinsohn named new publisher and CEO of Los Angeles Times as top editors ousted," by LA Times' Meg James: "In a dramatic shakeup at the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago-based parent company has installed new leadership and plans to invest more resources in the news organization to move it more quickly into the digital age. Ross Levinsohn, 54, a veteran media executive who worked at Fox and served as interim chief of Yahoo, was named publisher and chief executive of the 135-year-old news organization. ...

"Jim Kirk, 52, a veteran Chicago news executive, who was publisher and editor of the Chicago Sun-Times until last week, was named interim editor of the storied newspaper. The two men replace Davan Maharaj, who has served as both editor and publisher since March 2016. Maharaj was terminated Monday morning, along with a handful of other senior editors, including Managing Editor Marc Duvoisin, Deputy Managing Editor for Digital Megan Garvey and Assistant Managing Editor of Investigations Matt Doig." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a0c86bb771b9ed35f0b2d8d87554d90752ef05f8288e5f9c204dbe48a1c911bd9672ec78bc87d140abcb885af9a4baa0e2a4385931aad439


Playbook Reads


PHOTO DU JOUR: President Donald Trump looks up towards the partial solar eclipse while joined by First Lady Melania Trump on the Truman Balcony at the White House on August 21. | Mark Wilson/Getty Images

TOP ECLIPSE TWEETS -- @GeorgeHWBush: "Four generations of family taking in the partial eclipse today. Already looking forward to the next one in Texas in 2024!" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a0c86bb771b9ed355c71523909c91c6102ed56c20dd3d2cbc661072611b523a3834abd4dea9e5749e3bff343492d32903b4a682e055c95ec ... @JoePerticone: "Most adorable eclipse photo goes to... Jeff Sessions" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a0c86bb771b9ed355657614f9786a20776a9875128b188e783b86280e6645ead91766630e13fab4d93e47f95ae10659565b2297306492b2d ... @LaraLeaTrump: "When you don't have #EclipseGlasses, you find the next best option in a builder's office: #WeldingMask #eclipse2017" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a0c86bb771b9ed35f89c17c1152810f4c589e85f210fe800a37953ec9794482978bac8b5d7d4d0da43564edf0b86bd22c5e427692791e545 ... @IvankaTrump: "Sharing the #Eclipse2017 experience with the President, First Lady & Cabinet Secretaries on the White House Truman Balcony. #STEM #NASA"
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a0c86bb771b9ed35682689bc3f8c48014b78a91d7f55fa26f7b2656426b22bc9df4e08745f9eda9eed94f2219d820beba01d8f4ac61a58ee ... @ScottGustin: "International Space Station #Eclipse photobomb via @NASA" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a0c86bb771b9ed35314cf28a4c184d2c523a8961b600e67df7baf4355570178089939fa1aeb6e919efee17742cbeeec60614525d6ae82c62 ... @AP: "This multiple exposure photo shows the eclipse as it passed over the St. Louis Arch." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a0c86bb771b9ed359aa4620fad04d384cec9c92a2fae6d354ed5c834bc61d8393ed26e61c9b3db922ede7b193058ebc3bed27de80a1d3f15

-- CLICKERS: CNN -- 22 eclipse pix on one page http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a0c86bb771b9ed359707ec46397705bbdd3ed22ca7d973a4e35dbb4041c2322306a9bb5a919b4d6e9ca6834b98d0b1b6d4f1281ff971161f ... NYT -- 55 reader pix on one page http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a0c86bb771b9ed35ca542f53979cb0563b9fc77d8b9d7a70b0e46855a23018b0488d1b60c0e3b125622aa1ef8b8ff86c5314365ade049a15

JUST POSTED - TRUMP. INC - "Here's How the Trump Brothers Are Running the Family Business: Usually with other people's money, sometimes with dubious partners. Inside the empire, under new management," by Bloomberg Businessweek's Peter Robison and Michael Smith: "Donald Jr., 39, and Eric, 33, ... [have] repeatedly pursued licensing arrangements in which they attach the family name to projects, generating cash without bearing much risk. They have a seemingly ad hoc, opportunistic style that's sometimes led to partnerships with questionable characters, including people barred for securities violations or sued for fraud. And they've walked away, leaving employees, customers, or business
partners with the fallout." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a0c86bb771b9ed352fae2b6477c658a33b8b37a43d3e24742962888e2d488cc7b50d87954358d031721f87c9399b83a46250f3f0a5cb724f

FIRST PERSON - "How I Became Fake News: I witnessed a terrorist attack in Charlottesville. Then the conspiracy theories began," by Brennan Gilmore in POLITICO Magazine: "On Saturday morning I witnessed James Fields smash his car into a crowd of demonstrators, killing Heather Heyer and wounding 19 others. Although I immediately shared the footage with police on the scene, it took me a half hour to decide to post it publicly. ... Desperate to lay blame on anyone besides the alt-right, [conspiracy theorists] seized on these facts to suggest a counter-narrative to the attack, claiming there was no way that someone with my background just happened to be right there to take the video. ...

"They wrote that I was a CIA operative, funded by (choose your own adventure) George Soros, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, the IMF/World Bank, and/or a global Jewish mafia to orchestrate the Charlottesville attack in order to turn the general public against the alt-right. I had staged the attack and then worked with MSNBC and other outlets controlled by the left to spread propaganda. They claimed my ultimate goal was to start a race war that would undermine and then overthrow Donald Trump on behalf of the 'Deep State.' (I'm generalizing here as the theories are widely variant, logically inconsistent and I'm only aware of the small percentage I could be bothered to read.)"
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a0c86bb771b9ed359ef2aa941a30f4862a747163cf3ac53409045451c707f2a723a19dc294f936782750e1c848e46b8e9b60310113b79ae7

THE BENCH -- "Dems' first wave of recruits 'outsiders' in 2017 version of Tea Party," by Heidi Przybyla in Murphysboro, Illinois: "Much like the Republican men and women who swept into Washington in the 2010 Tea Party wave, the majority of Democratic candidates are new to state-level or national politics. Unlike the Tea Party, many of these Democrats have a long record of public service. They are former public prosecutors, doctors, CIA operatives and veterans, and they are concentrated in 'heartland' states like Kansas, Iowa, Indiana and Minnesota." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a0c86bb771b9ed35eb1a382bf98ac1ef6465398e8f7d94a3639f9f43eb9bb32dc97c17c813ccf37166c225c4881a4098951268a52a700caf

2020 WATCH ... HAVE AT IT! -- "This House Democrat Lost A Leadership Race To Nancy Pelosi. Now He May Run For President," by BuzzFeed's Alexis Levinson in Manchester, New Hampshire: "It's still more than three years until the next presidential election, and yet here was Ray Buckley -- the chairman of the New Hampshire Democratic Party for the last decade -- riding shotgun last Wednesday from Boston to Hopkinton, New Hampshire, with Rep. Tim Ryan, the 44-year old Democrat from Youngstown, Ohio. ... last week's New Hampshire visit was not just a reunion of old friends. In June, Ryan campaigned for a Democratic candidate in South Carolina. Next month, he'll make his second trip of the year to
Iowa." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a0c86bb771b9ed35a99ce1e226b26ac8deb4aa4e2e5e79e063b7dc8ac7bb2812df2f73666854fe195973f398c9273feb9d73cdcde97369ec

-- "Dems prep for Trump primary challengers in 2020," by Gabe Debenedetti: "The [DNC] is conducting full-scale opposition research on multiple Republicans it believes could challenge President Donald Trump for reelection - or are likely to run if he does not. The effort, which began in late spring, covers Vice President Mike Pence, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley and Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse, among others." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a0c86bb771b9ed3558587be7ea7c77dd1cac6104ca9461c95ff4793acbfbe7e1043a1aef32c07b45b1196a0a905c3df9c3f5bb475adf0e77


****** A message from Chevron: This is a story about DOERS, butterflies, and buckwheat. In '75, the endangered El Segundo Blue butterfly was found near a Chevron refinery. We protected the habitat and planted the only thing they eat-buckwheat. We're still planting and keeping an eye on our littlest neighbor. Watch the video: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a0c86bb771b9ed3534495f732b7eb216257dde3ab0fdccdd9638baeb2855efb1d169e35101a6f214fc3d2d4fdcf693c1b740a280e17f8dae ******

JON MEACHAM in the NYT, "Why Lee Should Go, and Washington Should Stay": "'I wonder,' Mr. Trump said, 'is it George Washington next week, and is it Thomas Jefferson the week after? You know, you really have to ask yourself, where does it stop?' "To me, the answer to Mr. Trump's question begins with a straightforward test: Was the person to whom a monument is erected on public property devoted to the American experiment in liberty and self-government? Washington and Jefferson and Andrew Jackson were. Each owned slaves; each was largely a creature of his time and place on matters of race. Yet each also believed in the transcendent significance of the nation, and each was committed to the
journey toward 'a more perfect Union.

"By definition, the Confederate hierarchy fails that test. Those who took up arms against the Union were explicitly attempting to stop the American odyssey. While we should judge each individual on the totality of their lives (defenders of [Robert E.] Lee, for instance, point to his attempts to be a figure of reconciliation after the war), the forces of hate and of exclusion long ago made Confederate imagery their own. Monuments in public places of veneration to those who believed it their duty to fight the Union have no place in the Union of the 21st century - a view with which Lee himself might have agreed. 'I think it wiser,' he wrote in 1866, 'not to keep open the sores of war.'"
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a0c86bb771b9ed353790d13bfec423dadbc02f34b89b90c1b49d6a9f783bf2d289c75cb1f3b1451c8ea9476234e1fdff1c9191d10990731c ... Meacham's latest for Time, "American Hate, a History" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a0c86bb771b9ed35ee63c8b234b865b207acbea659ddc281b6bdd137f84358041e9640803d1ce39180dd31d984f30040f2d076b45edf7b57

TEVI TROY in POLITICO Magazine, "Why the White House Needs Another Bannon: Every GOP president needs an intellectual wrangler. Trump can't succeed without one": "For the past four decades, Republicans have viewed themselves as the party of ideas -- and a crucial part of that self-perception has been having a person inside the White House to serve as a conduit to conservative thinkers. ... Steve Bannon wasn't a traditional liaison to that world, but there's no question he served this function for the Trump administration ... One major difference between Bannon and his predecessors, though, is that he did not appear to be able to get his boss interested in his reading. [Daniel Patrick]
Moynihan often recommended books to Nixon, and [Karl] Rove even had a reading contest with Bush." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a0c86bb771b9ed351127ce8e92497486fe989e060374bead668831a7d428c0b8e3d297045a6c5784aa5abeade7ca322c15dd54d1cea4741c

ISAAC DOVERE talks with REV. AL SHARPTON and REP. JERRY NADLER (D-N.Y.) in the latest "Off Message" podcast. "We're in a poisonous atmosphere that is being increased by the president of the United States. It's like turning on the gas in a room," Sharpton told Dovere. "Any match could lead to an explosion, and we're getting that kind of atmosphere from this president." Nadler, who wrote the censure resolution, told Dovere he thinks Trump should quit, and warned Republicans now not to count on House Democrats for the votes to pass a continuing resolution or raise the debt ceiling, unless both are clean-even if that leads to a shutdown or economic meltdown: "We can't give in to that kind of
blackmail."

As for the Jewish aides who defend Trump, including his daughter and son-in-law Jared Kushner: "I don't care what Jared Kushner said about the fact that Donald Trump loves, loves him and Ivanka and other people," Nadler said. "He was willing to traffic in anti-Semitism. He was willing to use anti-Semitic imagery. And then, when caught up in it, refused to repudiate it, and denied that it was what it clearly was." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a0c86bb771b9ed35d40714d68f437ae4500cfab18ef5696d53992a4c8ee3278334e1ea06067856df52ee6a83d1e306f48b2ee01ec9438ff6

FUTURE OF NEWS -- "CNN Launches a Daily News Show for Snapchat," by WSJ's Alexandra Bruell: "CNN is launching a daily news show for Snapchat called 'The Update,' the latest reflection of how media companies are stepping up their interest in the mobile messaging platform. The show will include a news roundup that airs at 6 p.m., with updates from CNN's anchors and reporters around the world, said Turner, the network's parent company, in a statement. There will also be breaking news segments. If news breaks after the show, CNN might update the running list of news featured on its show and change the cover photo to reflect the update." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a0c86bb771b9ed35fa2f47f11d699f730f21ed6d14064e603bc29faf7ae5d8b439a0c4d2f102837764d0196587ece2572b7c4dc49f495c34

Playbookers
SPOTTED: Sean Spicer in his Navy uniform at the Pentagon Monday for reserve duty.

TRANSITIONS - Julie Morse starts next Monday as a producer at "CBS This Morning". She has her last day as a producer for MSNBC Friday.

WEEKEND WEDDINGS -- OBAMA ALUMNI -- Melissa Nitti, public affairs manager at Google, and Mark Beatty, partner at 270 Strategies, got married on Sunday. Pool report: The couple "said their vows ... in Hood River, [Oregon] against the majestic backdrop of Mt. Hood -- the same mountain that welcomed Melissa's great, great grandparents when they made their journey along the Oregon Trail. The bride and groom met on the 2012 Obama for America campaign where Melissa was a member of the media team and Mark served as deputy battleground states director. The happy couple was feted by friends and family -- including proud parents Rick and Jan Nitti and Duane and Elaine Beatty -- who came from around
the country to join the celebration." Pic http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a0c86bb771b9ed3570ec8b1e5ac1d04f596b81922f14d1d424ed7bc75a5f6e97310ce66f622fd36c1723d5b37823795b36f2b17b83f13fd4

SPOTTED: Jeremy Bird (who served as the wedding officiant), best man Stephen Brokaw, Mitch Stewart, Isaac Baker, Kristina Peterson, Betsy Hoover, Lauren Kidwell, Meg Ansara, Lynda Tran, Sara El-Amine, Jeff Gabriel, Greg Schultz, and Chris Wyant, Kelly Norton, Anne Sokolov, Kate Sokolov, and Stephanie Gent, Jessica Santillo, Keith Maley, Niraj Chokshi, Jamie Hill and Stephanie Gunter.

WELCOME TO THE WORLD -- Erik Elam, LD for Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), and Amy Elam, events principal at HIS/Markit, on Sunday welcomed their son Everett Brooks Elam into the world. He's 6 lbs, 9 oz. Pic http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a0c86bb771b9ed357f0e220f2ce5444d1d2d645625b02529785ca09a3d17921f8949d897111a679126ae176197403ffb834f4d3267d6e8f2

BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: National Review editor Rich Lowry is 49. He tells us he's "been reading almost exclusively about nationalism lately for a potential book project." How he got his start in journalism: "I wrote for an alternative conservative publication at UVa called the Virginia Advocate. I still have boxes of old issues that are fun, if wince-inducing, to look back at. I always tell people that I was sophomoric as a first-year -- I was precocious that way.

"My first real journalism job was as a research assistant with Charles Krauthammer. This was back before he was a TV star. Probably the most notable thing I did working for him was inadvertently insert a typo into his Washington Post column at the last minute. I mentioned this at a tribute dinner to Charles a couple of years ago, and merciful and gracious man that he is, he officially forgave me." Read his Playbook Plus Q&A: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a0c86bb771b9ed35eac08bd66c11e905c5a0d634af4056fdf9debe22d099a630092647e5a7996f4e653e6b4c46e68a37102c743368d89caa

BIRTHDAYS: Luke Russert is ageless ... Obama WH alum Jess Allen, a JD candidate at NYU Law, is 28 (hat tip: Rachel Racusen) ... Paul Singer is 73 ... Steve Kroft is 72 ... Morton Dean is 81 ... Jennifer Loven, managing director at Glover Park Group and an AP alum ... Steve Brill, celebrating with a road trip up the coast of Maine (h/t wife Cynthia) ... Tom Edsall is 76 ... HPS alum Sabrina Siddiqui ... Jen Nedeau, head of marketing and comms at Bully Pulpit Interactive ... Robin Wright of the U.S. Institute of Peace and the Wilson International Center ... MSNBC's Steve Kornacki is 38 ... Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) is 43 ... Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC) is 53 ... former Rep. Thad McCotter
(R-Mich.) ... Chris Smith ... Grazia Salvemini ... Ryan Patmintra ... AP's Nebi Qena is 4-0 ... Ken Farnaso, digital comms at the House Small Business Cmte. and an NRCC alum (h/t Alex Stroman) ... Carolyn Harrold, new AtlanticLIVE director of business development and former SXSW head of programming, celebrating her first birthday in DC since making the move from Austin (h/t Patrick Garrigan) ...

... Bill Miller, SVP at the Business Roundtable ... Bill Cortese ... Jim Strader ... Abby Denburg ... Sward Tondoneh ... Bill Turenne Jr. ... Elizabeth Lubben ... Eleanor Strom of Google ... Natalie Apsell ... Sinclair's AnnaMaria Di Pietro ... Selena Strandberg ... Katie Gordon ... Morgan Canup ... Matthew Barnes ... Claire Stein-Ross ... Pema Levy of Mother Jones ... Gigi Sukin, digital editor at Colorado Biz magazine (h/t Gordon Bronson) ... Chad Connelly, RNC's director of faith engagement ... Tori Amos is 54 (h/t Tracy Sefl) ... Nick Mildebrath ... Alex Pellegrino ... Adrian Slater ... Katie Bloodgood ... Nick Greene ... Jordan Goldes ... Rob Borden ... Charlotte Day-Reiss ... former
Rep. Bud Cramer (D-Ala.) is 7-0 ... Megan Paulsen ... Chris Pumphrey ... Essence Motley ... Alyssa Palisi ... Mac Flores ... Brystol English ... Julia Rothwax ... Pat Eltman ... Chris Lapetina ... Hailey Arends ... Phoebe Link (h/ts Teresa Vilmain)

****** A message from Chevron: This is a story about DOERS, butterflies, and buckwheat. In '75, the endangered El Segundo Blue butterfly was found near a Chevron refinery. We protected the habitat and planted the only thing they eat-buckwheat. We're still planting and keeping an eye on our littlest neighbor. Watch the video: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a0c86bb771b9ed3534495f732b7eb216257dde3ab0fdccdd9638baeb2855efb1d169e35101a6f214fc3d2d4fdcf693c1b740a280e17f8dae ******

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