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

08/18/2017 06:35 AM EDT

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

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Driving the Day
BREAKING OVERNIGHT -- ANOTHER ATTACK IN SPAIN -- AP/BARCELONA: "Police on Friday shot and killed five people wearing fake bomb belts who staged a car attack in a seaside resort in Spain's Catalonia region hours after a van plowed into pedestrians on a busy Barcelona promenade, killing at least 13 people and injuring over 100 others. Authorities said the back-to-back vehicle attacks - as well as an explosion earlier this week elsewhere in Catalonia- were connected and the work of a large terrorist group. Three people were arrested, but the driver of the van used in the Barcelona attack remained at large and the manhunt intensified for the perpetrators of the latest European rampage claimed
by the Islamic State group. ...

"Authorities were still reeling from Thursday's Barcelona attack when police in the popular seaside town of Cambrils, about 130 kilometers (80 miles) to the south, fatally shot five people near the town's boardwalk who had plowed into a group of tourists and locals with their blue Audi 3. Six people, including a police officer, were injured, though it wasn't clear how badly. Catalonia's interior minister, Joaquim Forn, told Onda Cero radio that the five suspects killed in a subsequent shootout with police were wearing fake bomb belts." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e7c39c5161deaf322990fa34f637a9cb5787e6bb7cf629c2592fa4688688eb8b6f2cccc8b7918528364054f9cdb331d0283f0587242d9542

Good Friday morning. It is day 210 of Donald J. Trump's presidency. He has another 1,251 days in his first term. There are 445 days until Election Day 2018.

PLAYBOOK ON THE ROAD -- Matt Haller reading Playbook in Sea Island, Georgia at the Cloister http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e7c39c5161deaf3230fb16e93c08fb1dad7ebb21e7570e14b9f505c96e69a6823c9ac700c23e2ee1767f0d8fa9521c75b59de24a76918ffe ... Chris Wilson of WPA Intelligence at the Sydney Westin http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e7c39c5161deaf322c105cbddea8a92b982139878fce7b19fe6aeb456677cb7b0c7ca7df1dd695fb14ba535abded917f9e1551e59bcf58cc ... John Michael Gonzalez in Santa Fe, New Mexico http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e7c39c5161deaf325a4ea10d18e4abfc0514f7c1512aa07b141e9f512df45dd5d087ae7d37ba8311eaea5ca7c4327775f99e7d3546a7ffad ... Kurt Bardella in Napa http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e7c39c5161deaf32c36a1cdaebfde6f4d685cc872a42aad221d102c04a823ab05d81dc066f8070f630c9f0135e80bc31dff5923cfaff1468 ... Winston Lord at the Jean Talon farmers market in little Italy in Montreal for a 'baby moon' he and his wife are on:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e7c39c5161deaf3225e4402739aee9c1cb84fd053c86184ef0081664815308c30284e6a2e60db6c91858d7a90fea87a7e2d416889d4a5561

-- OTHER READERS sent in pictures of themselves reading Playbook in Yangon, Myanmar, Legoland, California, Siem Reap, Cambodia, Shenzhen, China, Shanghai, Homer Spit, the southern tip of the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska, the northern edge of Alaska, Alderney in the Channel Islands, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, Maho Bay in St. John's in U.S.V.I, the Yale Club in NYC and Cipriani Dolci at Grand Central Terminal. Send photos to Daniel daniel@politico.com, or Tweet photos with #PlaybookLoyal for a chance to be featured next week and be entered into a contest to win a signed Matt Wuerker cartoon. See the whole gallery of entries this week http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e7c39c5161deaf3230fb16e93c08fb1dad7ebb21e7570e14b9f505c96e69a6823c9ac700c23e2ee1767f0d8fa9521c75b59de24a76918ffe

STORY OF THE DAY -- JOHN BRESNAHAN and RACHAEL BADE -- "The agonizing, 8-page memo on how to chauffeur a congressman": "Empty his trash. Always have hand sanitizer and gum at the ready. And don't bother with 'unnecessary conversation' - the congressman doesn't have time for your chit-chat. Demanding, high-maintenance bosses are notorious on Capitol Hill. The late Sen. Ted Kennedy's staff had to walk his dog, poop pick-up and all. Former Texas Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison made her male aides carry her purse. The latest addition to the list: Rep. Todd Rokita, an Indiana Republican running in one of next year's most competitive Senate races.

"Who knew it could take eight pages of instructions on how to properly escort a member of Congress around his district? Yet there it is, laid out in mind-blowing detail, in a memo obtained by POLITICO that's sure to make any young, eager-beaver political aide shudder. Tasks listed in the document, entitled 'Instructions on Staffing and Driving - District Version,' include handing Rokita a cup of black coffee upon picking him up at his home, acting as a physical barrier between him and trackers looking to capture embarrassing footage of the congressman, and 'avoid[ing] sudden acceleration or braking' while driving. 'The goal is to provide as smooth a ride as possible,' reads the instruction
manual, co-authored by a former chief of staff to the congressman and Tim Edson, Rokita's ex-communications director turned campaign spokesman.

"Drivers are expected to transport not only Rokita's toothbrush and toothpaste but also stock and tote around the district a nearly 20-item supply box that Rokita's staffers call 'the football.' The contents include gum, hand sanitizer, business cards, bottled water, napkins and Kleenex, Lozenges-brand cough drops, a stapler and stapler remover, Post-it notes and Shout wipes, among other items. ...

"Asked about the memo, Rokita's campaign spokesman Tim Edson wrote in an email that 'there is nothing embarrassing about always being prepared.' Edson blamed the leaked memo on his boss' longtime nemesis, Rep. Luke Messer (R-Ind.), who's running against Rokita for the GOP nomination to challenge Democratic incumbent Sen. Joe Donnelly." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e7c39c5161deaf32180b7c0d79c5b85ec9415265a0f9e8abf3de868746b0fdc4a80c615ec78ffaae3494eba6f90dee254a16d2335cc5d59a ... The memo http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e7c39c5161deaf32757a867ecf654a801531f6a411a15424ea6340df2a1882e0be1a432dab71341e1cbeda042808aaaca8887ead97ceb9b1

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK -- CHARLOTTESVILLE, STANDING UP TO TRUMP SEEPS INTO 2018 -- MARK PUTNAM, the top-flight Democratic ad maker, has cut another ad for Amy McGrath, the Marine veteran running against Rep. Andy Barr in Kentucky. The spot -- set at the end of a runway -- talks about her fighter pilot service after 9/11. But she eventually says "There are times when politicians might have to make a difficult choice: do you stand with the president, or do you stand with the country? Right now is one of those times. Every Republican congressman and senator has to make a choice. Standing up to the president may not be what they signed up for, but when the president is in solidarity with white
supremacists and Nazis, those members of Congress have to stand up and tell him he's wrong." ... "That's why I'm running for Congress against Andy Barr in Kentucky. He has yet to condemn the president on anything." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e7c39c5161deaf3259914b6bd4535fbc9e54b181f9dc2b18cdbf63d6cf971efe6e6df167e1b00f4be8c4cce9fa4b52ba259653f518e8c309

-- THIS LINE OF ATTACK could be fruitful for Democrats who are looking to tie Trump to Republican lawmakers. So far, GOP operatives believe that Trump is his own brand apart from the Republican Party. If that changes, it could be a major drag on GOP incumbents in the 2018 midterms.

OVER TO YOU, MR. PRESIDENT -- SEN. JEFF FLAKE (R-Ariz.) in the NYT: "We Need Immigrants With Skills. But Working Hard Is a Skill": "Someone recently said, 'When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best.' The man who said that never met Manuel Chaidez." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e7c39c5161deaf32d518ce5c1c977fa21b133b5d28d1065ba0ead709a96d13c5e39ea178036c973f4131888551a4d6ac3747c23201564916

-- IF YOU HADN'T GUESSED BY NOW, that someone Flake is referring to is President Donald Trump.

-- @Team_Mitch: "Jeff Flake is an excellent Senator and a tireless advocate for Arizona and our nation. He has my full support. -MM".

4TH ON-RECORD BANNON COMMENT IN 3 DAYS -- "Trump embraces culture war with call to preserve Confederate statues," by WaPo's Bob Costa and David Nakamura: "Bannon -- a hard-line nationalist whose position has been threatened in recent days by his clashes with moderate colleagues and his blunt remarks to a liberal magazine -- has fiercely defended Trump in internal staff discussions, according to White House officials. In an email to The Washington Post on Thursday, Bannon said Democrats do not understand Trump and underestimate his appeal. 'This past election, the Democrats used every personal attack, including charges of racism, against President Trump. He then won a landslide victory on a
straightforward platform of economic nationalism,' Bannon wrote. 'As long as the Democrats fail to understand this, they will continue to lose. But leftist elites do not value history, so why would they learn from history?'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e7c39c5161deaf329049fc4345f5a0579daa7b5f415d1ca0c992b87728755aeb6bf96f06bbfb5ba4c1a54f4b406cfd4e89750ad762d73640


****** A message from the Coalition for Affordable Prescription Drugs (CAPD): If you know only one fact about rising drug costs, know this one: drug makers set prices for prescription drugs. To help manage nearly double-digit price increases, employers, unions and government programs use PBMs to negotiate lower net prices to help curb costs for employers and patients. Learn more at affordableprescriptiondrugs.org ******

READ THIS ONE -- "White House aides squirm at Trump's rhetoric but stay put: Officials said they don't expect anyone in the West Wing to resign, despite distaste for Trump's Charlottesville comments," by Annie Karni and Ben White: "National security adviser H.R. McMaster and his deputy, Dina Powell, have been unhappy with Trump's rhetoric on race over the past week, according to a White House official. But neither of them is considering resigning - they have told people it is too serious and dangerous a moment in the world for them to simply walk away." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e7c39c5161deaf322913dac24e5fd66b827b518e11f48b538635af740a07391488d812674db39b9106f7be36165791435b4b1d9f7cafd8b6

WALL STREET JOURNAL EDITORIAL BOARD -- "The men and women who have joined the Trump Administration aren't doing so because it enhances their reputations. They have no illusions about Mr. Trump's character flaws, or if they did, they don't any more. They are trying to serve their country. They know nearly 63 million Americans voted for Donald Trump, and that it does the country no good to root for a Presidency's disintegration.

"They see a rare moment of united Republican government to move in a better direction on domestic policy. Or they want to correct the erosion of American power and influence that accelerated during the Obama years. But that task gets harder with every reckless Trumpian flight from normal presidential behavior. Every person has to decide how long he or she can serve in good conscience. But we hope the best stay as long as they can for the good of the country." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e7c39c5161deaf32a41b2f56d57b6314ef923fd592f03e6c78c8686e96e46e059c30bb256ddad4c38ad7e1cbfd7eaf29a272fe2926ef5d9f

-- "Gary Cohn stays put -- for now -- following Trump's comments on Charlottesville," by WaPo's Damian Paletta and Renae Merle: "The White House on Thursday took the unusual step of saying that National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn would not resign, trying to contain the fallout from President Trump's controversial comments about the deadly riot in Charlottesville over the weekend and his assertion that 'very fine people' were protesting alongside neo-Nazis. Cohn, who funded the Cohn Jewish Student Center at Kent State University in 2009, was mortified by Trump's comments, three people close to him said, and he has been bombarded with calls from friends asking him if he will leave.

"Instead, the White House said that Cohn plans to stay put and focus on advancing Trump's economic agenda. It was unclear, though, how long Cohn would remain in the job or if he is still a leading candidate to be nominated as the next chairman of the Federal Reserve." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e7c39c5161deaf32ecc7a6cdff7b37c4487966b583ba7deb2308344f774a5e8b10c3a17ead012f01f9650ebf03397b615f8694ffcafde5ed

-- LUNCH WITH THE FT -- STANLEY FISCHER on COHN: "Fischer declares that the current incumbent would be an 'excellent choice', pointing out that she has made the potentially market-unsettling process of unwinding Fed stimulus 'sedate. She has done it very well.' That said, Fischer says he likes Cohn, whom he used to sit next to at dinners thrown by Goldman Sachs during the IMF's annual meetings. And he isn't worried that Cohn is not an economist. 'The chairman of an institution such as the Fed, one of the primary things he needs is the ability to judge the advice he is getting,' he says." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e7c39c5161deaf3211621200ceecb7319555f2e7756667ac385b75688b02a21fbd6deb7b682068d3ce55c9bcf43b79b563f7e03396fb555e

MORE CHARLOTTESVILLE REPUBLICAN REACTION ...

-- SEN. BOB CORKER (R-Tenn.) on POTUS, via Nooga.com: "The President has not yet been able to demonstrate the stability nor some of the competence that he needs to demonstrate in order to be successful ... He also recently has not demonstrated that he understand the character of this nation. He has not demonstrated that he understands what has made this nation great and what it is today, and he's got to demonstrate the characteristics of a president who understands that." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e7c39c5161deaf3263c596c4b55bd35ebc71c72fe036ce1929374162d46535ff4dec9d25d2a4637f8f740d965ebf6d543158022fc8e454d4

-- "Sen. [Tim] Scott says Trump's 'moral authority is compromised,'" by Vice's Shawna Thomas: "'I'm not going to defend the indefensible ... [Trump's] comments on Monday were strong. His comments on Tuesday started erasing the comments that were strong. What we want to see from our president is clarity and moral authority. And that moral authority is compromised when Tuesday happened. There's no question about that.' Scott added that the president hasn't reached out to him to discuss Charlottesville." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e7c39c5161deaf3244dd0cbbeb9557016545394a07ce3306156ea4d7ee16d245db934c75447ebfcf8bdf9cbb7a8a77a6c003483aee987b5d

-- ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER to ATTN: "I have a message to the Neo-Nazis, to the White Nationalists, and to the Neo-Confederates ... Your heroes are losers. You are supporting a lost cause. And believe me, I knew the original Nazis, because you see, I was born in Austria in 1947, shortly after the Second World War. And growing up, I was surrounded by broken men, men who came home from a war filled with shrapnels and guilt, men who were misled into a losing ideology. And I can tell you: that these ghosts you idolize spent the rest of their lives living in shame and right now, they're resting in hell." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e7c39c5161deaf3220577517e4605ea3779e0e128d1c2435757337dbd41250f968657af4b489287c62150fa704ee097cf1bad0694afb83bf

TRUMP'S FRIDAY -- THE PRESIDENT is heading to Camp David around 11 a.m. and arrives there at 12:15 p.m. He has a working lunch, then meets with the National Security Council. Trump heads back to his country club in Bedminster around 4:15 p.m.

TRUMP INC. -- "Three fundraising giants cancel plans for galas at Mar-a-Lago," by WaPo's Drew Harwell and David Fahrenthold: "The American Cancer Society, a high-dollar client at the club since at least 2009, cited its 'values and commitment to diversity' in a statement on its decision to move an upcoming fundraising gala. Another longtime Mar-a-Lago customer, the Cleveland Clinic, abruptly changed course on its winter event only days after saying it planned to continue doing business at Mar-a-Lago, a leading venue for charitable events in the posh resort town. The American Friends of Magen David Adom, which raises money for Israel's equivalent of the Red Cross, also said it would not hold
its 2018 gala at the club 'after considerable deliberation,' though it did not give a reason. The charity had one of Mar-a-Lago's biggest events last season, with about 600 people in attendance." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e7c39c5161deaf32067dc8b4249e90947a28b3976c47d17a475e68ef333ea71e8ffbe5246a62ad1fec16bcf8deec5af8fbf9c522e59d6667

HACKED -- "Online activist group Anonymous posts what it says are private contact details for 22 GOP members of Congress," by WaPo's Todd Frankel and Craig Timberg: "A group affiliated with the online activist group known as Anonymous Thursday posted what it says are the private cellphone numbers and email addresses for 22 Republican members of Congress in a bid to push for President Trump's impeachment, reigniting the use of hacked information in U.S. political battles." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e7c39c5161deaf32c7bce417394511adf0b1ee251c3eacf57930d496a951d4a945fac331f82e6be925b889eb54436a9fd9c6eab685599618

HOUSE CHIEF DEPUTY WHIP PATRICK MCHENRY: SCALISE HAS TO RELEARN TO WALK -- Gaston Gazette: "McHenry: This has been a challenging year for us as Americans. Let's just be honest about it. Two months ago, I saw somebody who so hated the president of the United States that he shot my friends that were out playing baseball at 7 o'clock one morning. And my friend Steve Scalise got shot that morning. I saw him Monday night, he's recovering well. He's got to re-learn to walk as a result of it, two months later. He has a long road ahead. But he is good, sound mentally, emotionally, spiritually, encouraging. But I saw my friend get shot because somebody so hated the president that he wanted to take
it out on Republicans." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e7c39c5161deaf323578f54fd6fc58b2c791a9d986f5cfec2394b2f39210adb2f8611971f50b805980485444d708313657ff19fe1f32b958

FOR YOUR RADAR -- "Mattis says a decision is closer on strategy for Afghanistan," by AP's Robert Burns: "After months of sometimes heated internal debate, the Trump administration has almost reached a decision on a new approach for fighting the 16-year-old war in Afghanistan, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Thursday. He gave no hint of what the strategy would look like. In remarks at the State Department, Mattis told reporters President Donald Trump will confer with his national security team Friday at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland, and said the talks 'will move this toward a decision.' 'We are coming very close to a decision, and I anticipate it in the very near
future,' he added." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e7c39c5161deaf3267d02cdd1f4660d2bb62162b54344ab131ff3d47cf7e151b801adbb94e3e07115f1f0fef7caa7c8f98bdfe4258141bf1

HMM -- "Pentagon Forces Out Popular Press Spokesman," by Foreign Policy's Dan De Luce and Paul McLeary: "The Defense Department has parted ways with a senior media adviser who had years of experience working with reporters, a move that is sure to aggravate the administration's already difficult relations with the press corps. The abrupt departure of Steve Warren, an Army colonel who established a rapport with Pentagon correspondents over the course of his career, coincides with broader complaints raised by journalists about how the department is providing information and handling media access to Defense Secretary James Mattis. ...

"Dana White, the assistant secretary of defense for public affairs, played a key role in Warren's departure, current and former officials told Foreign Policy. In an emailed statement, White said Warren became ineligible for the position due to White House objections. ... Several reporters who had committed to travel with Mattis to the Middle East were informed late Monday -- just four days before they were to leave -- that they had been disinvited from the trip. This follows a pattern that has become increasingly common under Mattis, where reporters who have completed their visa paperwork and made plans to take multi-day international travel were told they were no longer welcome, with
little explanation." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e7c39c5161deaf323adce1928ae9b7bdb0898a0fafbcbb5a1231603e2b297311c712f7625ecb6fd2139c16d2439e3e4618e606a2d9c69332

-- REUTERS: "Top U.S. general reaffirms commitment to Japan amid North Korea tensions," by Tim Kelly in Tokyo: Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Joe Dunford "restated Washington's 'ironclad commitment' to the security of its close Asian ally, Japan, on Friday amid regional tensions over North Korea, telling his counterpart in Tokyo that 'an attack on one is an attack on both of us.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e7c39c5161deaf32263b86c9127a7a01e9c79ef0201e4d7763dfae28d15a1a08dcc1be3bd1287edda372f99e7df9f988aa0727cf140d1bf8

THE JUICE ...

-- STEVEN MNUCHIN is facing new calls to step down from the administration. More than 250 of Mnuchin's fellow Yale class of 1985 alumni have written an open letter pushing him to resign. "We call upon you, as our friend, our classmate, and as a fellow American, to resign in protest of President Trump's support of Nazism and white supremacy. We know you are better than this, and we are counting on you to do the right thing." The letter http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e7c39c5161deaf32a8298b5377180cf09103aac8a7bfe29148e62e33633047dd621825f5da6f424902431459fcb6d6ce7b99aa91ef442990

-- NYT's MAGGIE HABERMAN: "James Murdoch, Rebuking Trump, Pledges $1 Million to Anti-Defamation League": "In an email on Thursday, a copy of which was obtained by The New York Times and confirmed as authentic by a spokesman for Mr. Murdoch's company, the Fox scion gave an extraordinarily candid statement against the white supremacist sentiment that swept through Virginia last weekend. It was also the most outspoken that a member of the Murdoch family has been in response to the week's events. ...

"'I'm writing to you in a personal capacity, as a concerned citizen and a father. It has not been my habit to widely offer running commentary on current affairs, nor to presume to weigh in on the events of a given day save those that might be of particular or specific concern to 21CF and my colleagues,' he wrote. 'But what we watched this last week in Charlottesville and the reaction to it by the President of the United States concern all of us as Americans and free people.'

"He added: 'These events remind us all why vigilance against hate and bigotry is an eternal obligation -- a necessary discipline for the preservation of our way of life and our ideals. The presence of hate in our society was appallingly laid bare as we watched swastikas brandished on the streets of Charlottesville and acts of brutal terrorism and violence perpetrated by a racist mob. I can't even believe I have to write this: standing up to Nazis is essential; there are no good Nazis. Or Klansmen, or terrorists. Democrats, Republicans, and others must all agree on this, and it compromises nothing for them to do so.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e7c39c5161deaf3240f158b08eee00fd49c5649dd7b495c3c9bf0cfc1cbdfe0dd6771fda5f4bb96295ec00463cec157ce2499d23d3b4aa13 ... The email
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e7c39c5161deaf3282c3e2cb205bfba5be3f736d3feaf72f67c6b27afccd46b17a68ccce1cb0042d76812ff8296f64d9ae774007b76f36ad

CLICKER -- TINA FEY, a University of Virginia graduate, gives her thoughts on Charlottesville in a special NBC SNL "Weekend Update" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e7c39c5161deaf3257342c553578ea62fe2f4d1bec7324173a4754e512da08f2291a1c96aa640834cea02f34eda118d75049e44e90725e38

TV TONIGHT - Bob Costa's guests on PBS' "Washington Week": Geoff Bennett of NPR, Shawna Thomas of VICE News, Michael Scherer of TIME Magazine and Molly Ball of The Atlantic.

MARK LERNER RECOVERING FROM CANCER -- "Read the letter from Nationals principal owner Mark Lerner to The Post regarding his bout with cancer" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e7c39c5161deaf3286eb42f6f60115308d6d7f34fa904b81e6df3ea31e3b91ad2e9db2233e9ff9fe2e665e06de72ded42ed73aba3a9bea41


Playbook Reads


PHOTO DU JOUR: Workers use a crane to lift a monument dedicated to former U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger Brooke Taney after it was was removed from outside Maryland State House, in Annapolis, Md. on Aug. 18. | Jose Luis Magana/AP Photo

TALKER -- NEW YORKER COVER -- "Blowhard," by David Plunkert, who rarely does work on politics, shows Trump alone in a sailboat, with the sail looking like a KKK hood. "President Trump's weak pushback to hate groups -- as if he was trying not to alienate them as voters -- compelled me to take up my pen," he said. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e7c39c5161deaf32eb7c44ab506cacd703552504561d876383ad745b786af320c965119946196c079ff930fcfafe07798c697b1934713806

FIRST PERSON -- "I Voted for Trump. And I Sorely Regret It," by Julius Krein in the NYT: "I supported the Republican in dozens of articles, radio and TV appearances, even as conservative friends and colleagues said I had to be kidding. As early as September 2015, I wrote that Mr. Trump was 'the most serious candidate in the race.' ... I saw the decline in this country - its weak economy and frayed social fabric - and I thought Mr. Trump's willingness to move past partisan stalemates could begin a process of renewal. It is now clear that my optimism was unfounded. I can't stand by this disgraceful administration any longer, and I would urge anyone who once supported him as I did to stop
defending the 45th president. Far from making America great again, Mr. Trump has betrayed the foundations of our common citizenship. And his actions are jeopardizing any prospect of enacting an agenda that might restore the promise of American life." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e7c39c5161deaf321123093d1335c4006f2733c63837e734b762cd3c39d4a06bf09e3088fe718203040831ec9f55b174e6f6281704508a90

RAHM EMANUEL appeared on "The Axe Files" with David Axelrod, talking about Trump, Charlottesville, Sessions, immigration, 2018 midterms, and more. Podcast: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e7c39c5161deaf32ab1cefee64b0398ceed1c4ebc447036592790565ea31187fd905cb1e23cc8c97ec9a07489996a44ac2e553610db0dd3e ... CNN story: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e7c39c5161deaf32473182a00c73c5d8d54c1dfd7884e1e1d6f831bfd7fd88a7c49faa18d5cd94794f6025442856deb9a3d006a06fc07235


****** A message from the Coalition for Affordable Prescription Drugs (CAPD): Pharmacy benefit managers negotiate the lowest net price for prescriptions on behalf of employers and other health care purchasers; however, the list price - the important starting point for those negotiations -- continues to rise, at a rate of nearly ten percent in 2016 alone. Increased competition, faster reviews of generics and biosimilars and ending anti-competitive practices can also bring down the cost of medications for patients. Learn more at affordableprescriptiondrugs.org ******

BUSINESS BURST -- "AT&T-Time Warner Deal, an Early Trump Target, Reaches Advanced Stage," by WSJ's Drew FitzGerald and Joe Flint: "The government review of AT&T Inc.'s $85 billion takeover of Time Warner Inc. has reached an advanced stage, people close to the situation said, a significant milestone in a deal that was closely watched for signs of how the Trump administration would view large mergers. The deal's regulatory review has hit a late-stage point where AT&T lawyers are discussing merger conditions with the Justice Department, the people said. The review process has reached that point despite a vacant seat atop the department's antitrust division. An approval could underscore the
administration's pro-business credentials at a time when President Donald Trump's ties with America's CEOs are under severe stress." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e7c39c5161deaf32ba1161922c058656a5b2f011b233ef03292bbb2a9459cfe4b9d609eb443932d3d1625b4bcc95aff5c6e8f0b1bd297ca4

CAPITOL FILE GETS POLITICAL -- Politics meets pop-culture in Capitol File's fall issue. Under guest editor Marissa Mitrovich's leadership, the D.C. magazine looks at political fashion via global fashion authority Ken Downing and showcases a snapshot of lawmakers with social media savvy. Former Obama speechwriter David Litt talks about his new memoir and operatives Jimmy Williams and Doug Heye pen a bipartisan piece on Congress post-August recess. The magazine http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e7c39c5161deaf32f28a01b6bccb7176af130cada2036d72fbd8250eef6a8d97e855bbc6ee01aa82a0e68a276bfd3e3834f7ae9ae0eb2c3e

THE PLAYBOOK INTERVIEW: DAVID SKORTON, SECRETARY OF THE SMITHSONIAN


David Skorton, secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, warms up on his flute before joining a rehearsal with the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra at Smithsonian's National Museum of American History in 2015. | Andrew Harnik/AP Photo

Smithsonian Secretary David Skorton initially thought a search firm had the wrong mail merge when he was contacted about the position more than two years ago. "To this day it is possible they did have the wrong mail merge," he joked in an interview with Playbook in his office in the Smithsonian Castle last week. "I guess they couldn't get their first 26 candidates." The cardiologist and former president of Cornell and University of Iowa just passed the two-year mark at his newest job, where he is charged with overseeing the institute's museums, national zoo and partnerships with over 200 affiliate museums across the country.

Skorton, who helped celebrate the Smithsonian's 171st anniversary last week, said that while the scientific and historical aspects are perhaps the most known, the arts are just as crucial a part of the institution's mission: "I didn't want to use a stethoscope to make a living, I wanted to use this," he said, pointing to a flute he keeps in his office next to his desk. "That's my advocation. I spend a lot of time on music. I feel like I come partly from the arts in my heart."

More highlights...

ON PUBLIC SKEPTICISM OF SCIENTIFIC FINDINGS: "Concern by the scientific community that the public does not either grasp or believe the results of science is nothing new. ... As unpopular as this may be with my fellow scientists, I think it is largely our responsibility, the scientists' responsibility, because we don't emphasize dissemination of scientific information to the public in a form it can be digested by non-specialists ... [and we don't explain] how the method works. The scientific method is a self-correcting endeavor, and scientists are professional skeptics. ... We really need to spend more time ... being an interface between the sometimes very obscure areas of work that we do
... and the general public, even the broadly educated public who just don't happen to come from a science background. ... I think both science and the media have in a sense failed the American public by not making that stuff more digestible."

ON FOSTERING PUBLIC CONVERSATIONS: "One of the things that the Smithsonian has done, in a way that wasn't organized across the institution, is to convene conversations for and among the public on issues that are troubling. We're not policymakers, we're not regulators. We're in an industry that's still trusted in America. Americans trust libraries, archives, museums. I think [we're] bringing together that trust that the public has in us and our capabilities of bringing people together. ... We started a website called Smithsonian Second Opinion, and I'll convene panel discussions and try hard to get the panelists across the spectrum of opinion. ... We're going to do this every three or so
months. We're about to record the second one on immigration, the third one which will be just a few months from now, which will be entitled something like 'does art matter?' That's another way in which we're going to parly what I hope is continuing trust that the American public has in the Smithsonian." The first Second Opinion on climate change http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d6f46ed6774836b66a5aeeb2483da16eb1dbe8ad174377dfbea52abe763de7ffaa07e733bcc1f4a38ccfcd834708698003f30ef49fc1dd74

--Read more from Skorton on the Smithsonian's work with the D.C. community and his favorite artifacts http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d6f46ed6774836b6399a75f2a6ee6f5ab56538720d8fb24a74dc47eddfba03904a194296e1eae110e9a268c19236841990644a0433314e87

Playbookers
SPOTTED: #NeverTrump-ers Katie Pavlich, Guy Benson, Ben Domenech (son of a Trump political appointee) and Michelle Fields arriving at the Aruba airport yesterday and heading toward the Ritz-Carlton.

SPOTTED IN SAN FRANCISCO at a TechNet young professional happy hour last night for Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) at Microsoft on Market Street: Gideon Lett, Tucker Bounds, Davis White, Katie Biber, Blain Rethmeier, Carolyn Glanville, Jackie Rooney, Duf Sundheim, Vikrum Aiyer, Kate O'Sullivan, Amelia McLear, Jamie Corley.

SUNDAY SO FAR - CBS' "Face the Nation": Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) ... Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.). ... president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund Sherrilyn Ifill, co-founder of Life After Hate Christian Picciolini and Vice's Elle Reeve. Political panel: Jamelle Bouie, Jeffrey Goldberg, Julie Pace, and Reihan Salam

-- "Fox News Sunday": Charlie Hurt, Bob Woodward, Gillian Turner, Juan Williams

-- CNN's "State of the Union": Bakari Sellers, Rick Santorum, Nina Turner, Rep. Scott Taylor (R-Va.)

-- CNN's "Inside Politics," guest-hosted by Nia-Malika Henderson: Julie Pace, Mike Bender, Michael Warren, Jackie Calmes

WELCOME TO THE WORLD -- Amanda Brown Lierman, political and organizing director at the DNC and Kyle Lierman, founder and CEO of Civic Advisors, email friends and family: "Amanda and I are excited to introduce you to Belle Brown Lierman!! We are still at GW Hospital where the staff have been incredible. Amanda was a hero during the birth and her and Belle are both in good health and resting peacefully. Thanks to all of you for your prayers, support and guidance along this journey. We'll be heading back to Maryland tomorrow, and we can't wait to introduce her to the whole village soon!" Pic http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d6f46ed6774836b689fa16455a802158a2e17eed158dd26cf806dbd6efd9ce8b56b4f744bb53d0392c1b231d74d10eccf1408683b89c02c7

-- Hastie Afkhami, SVP and head of digital at the Podesta Group, and Dr. Amir Afkhami, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and associate professor of global health at GW and a former Robert Wood Johnson health policy fellow for Sen. Stabenow, post on Facebook: "Leela Eleanor Afkhami joined our family on August 15th at 4:30 a.m. Named after one of her mother's favorite flowers, Leela is the Farsi name for the lilac flower. Leela's middle name pays homage to her father and mother's love of history and the many strong and wise Eleanors who have transformed the world for the better. Aryana can't wait to introduce all of our friends and family to her little sister!" Pic
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d6f46ed6774836b6dcb920bea91a8b3801220edbd3891f8858473aef7df8bbb4981333099d4e0dc7e2f6278ea18295ed253bb9cd03eb793c ... Big sister Aryana meeting Leela http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d6f46ed6774836b62fdce918d23de23f2d667a17c09a99e7be7db62b7c0c6214a85a627da3b09d6a1aa4f1bc94db3ea390e6977dbcaae62e

BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Austan Goolsbee, professor of economics at UChicago and former chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, is 48. How he's celebrating: "I'm on vacation in Oregon with my wife and our 3 kids. We are closing out with the solar eclipse on Monday. The family got me a present of a three hour SUP downwinder through the Columbia River Gorge which should be #amazeballs.* *h/t the kids". Read his Playbook Plus Q&A: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d6f46ed6774836b6038ccfd4541bb9f0e381c8b7995ed3335f52403f0c51414b357a75e470570293bda54fbf67a78b3b29ea4e0433b0c01c

BIRTHDAYS: Jason Furman, senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics and former chairman of the WH Council of Economic Advisers, is 47 ... Tim Geithner, president of Warburg Pincus, is 56 ... Rosalynn Carter is 9-0 ... Bob Woodruff is 56 ... Obama alum Jon Lovett, co-host of "Pod Save America," host of "Lovett or Leave It" and founder of Crooked Media ... Dr. Darryl Walker ... Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) is 64 ... Cara Mason (hat tip: Sean Spicer) ... Paris Dennard, CNN commentator ... Holly Kuzmich, executive director of the George W. Bush Institute and SVP at the George W. Bush Presidential Center ... Mark Edwards, chocolatier at Edward Marc Chocolatier, is 36 ...
former Providence mayor Angel Taveras is 47 ... Louisa Terrell ... Lee Kamlet ... Scott Haber ... Meera Kallupura ... Lincoln Foran, VP at J.P. Morgan ... Gerry Wallace is 77 ... Politico alums Bill Tomson and Ethan Melnick ... Megan Scully ...

... Felipe Calderon, the former president of Mexico, is 55 (h/t Jorge Guajardo) ... Simone Pathe, senior politics reporter at Roll Call ... Jeffrey Hiday, director of media relations at RAND Corporation ... David Fishman, managing director and partner at Global Gateway Advisors in New York (h/t Arlette Saenz) ... Elizabeth "Lizzy" Letter, oversight counsel for the ranking member at Senate HELP committee (h/t Osaremen Fortune Okolo) ... WSJ and NJ alum Martin Vaughn ... Kristi Slafka Brannan ... Connie Hair ... Betsy Stark ... Gab Forsyth ... J.P. Duffy ... Matt Chandler ... Elizabeth Metraux ... Haley Graves ... Luke Mitchem ... Lou Ventre ... Jordan Baugh ... Shaun Sahloff ... Elizabeth
Hart ... Emily D'Antonio ... William McCormick ... Dan Sullivan, founder and managing director of Montrose Advisors ... Chris Black ... Lauren Smith ... Kim Haddow, the queen of New Orleans ... Beth Grupp, spending her day making the world a better place for everyone ... Pat Heinz-Pribyl ... Pam Houston ... Jua Johnson ... Margaret Planner ... Bob Dvorsky (h/ts Teresa Vilmain)

****** A message from the Coalition for Affordable Prescription Drugs (CAPD): The high prices that drug makers set for prescription drugs can put financial strain on patients, employers, unions and others who provide health care coverage to more than 50 percent of Americans. Pharmacy benefit managers negotiate the lowest net price for prescriptions on behalf of employers, unions and government programs. But, as list prices - the starting point for those negotiations -- continue their nearly double-digit increases, the effects ripple throughout the system. The key to ensuring greater access and affordability lies in fostering greater competition. Facilitating faster reviews of generics and
biosimilars, identifying off-patent drugs with little or no generic competition, and ending anti-competitive practices that keep safe, effective alternatives out of the market are also key to abating rising drug costs for patients. Learn more at affordableprescriptiondrugs.org ******

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