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Presented by the BlueCross BlueShield Association: Playbook is POLITICO's must-read briefing on what's driving the day Feb 12, 2019 View in browser
By Jake Sherman, Anna Palmer, Daniel Lippman, Garrett Ross and Eli Okun

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HAVE INDEPENDENCE DAY PLANS? ... PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP, per pooler Melissa Quinn of the Washington Examiner: "Trump says he's thinking about 'certain things' they're 'starting to look at.' Says he's thinking about a July 4th parade, perhaps at the Lincoln Memorial that would 'become a tradition.'"

TRUMP IS 'NOT HAPPY' WITH THE WALL DEAL ... More from Quinn, today's pooler: "I can't say [I'm] happy. I can't say I'm thrilled." ... "'I'm not happy about it. It's not doing the trick.' Says he is 'adding things to it' 'Am I happy? The answer is no, I'm not. I'm not happy."

-- NOTE: The president cannot add anything to a bill himself, and this deal seems pretty buttoned up. But, as we noted this morning, if he accepts this, he'll probably take some action on his own. Trump seems to almost be dismissing the legislation as just part of the way to build the wall.

KEEP AN EYE OUT for a low House GOP vote total, if Trump isn't pleased.

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT ... If the Senate goes first and puts up 70-something votes, it becomes a bit easier in the House. Trump is saying he's unhappy at the moment. If he moves to "I'll veto this," it gets trickier in the House.

... BUT: MOST WASHINGTON HANDS would say Trump's sentiment of no one being too happy is a sign the right type of deal has been struck. Legislating is the art of the possible.

LOGISTICAL ISSUES OF NOTE: The John Dingell D.C. funeral is Thursday and Rep. Walter Jones' funeral in North Carolina is also Thursday.

MORE ON THE BORDER DEAL ... BURGESS EVERETT, JOHN BRESNAHAN and HEATHER CAYGLE: "GOP leaders lobby Trump to support spending deal": "The top Republican leaders in Congress mounted a quick campaign to convince Trump that he'd come out on top over Democratic resistance to ICE enforcement and border barrier funding. Top GOP members of Congress are still worried that Trump could reject the deal, just as he spurned spending legislation in December that sparked a 35-day partial government shutdown.

"'I never try and predict,' said Senate Majority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.), on Tuesday morning. But he argued in favor of the compromise: 'I'm inclined to be for something that gets us out of the current logjam we are in and builds the wall and keeps the government open. From what I can tell, it seems like the Dems gave a lot of ground.'

"Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) weighed in warmly about the bipartisan, bicameral pact on Tuesday morning and said he hopes the 'Senate can act' on the bill as soon as possible. The GOP leader touted the legislation as a rejection of the 'extreme positions' of liberals and said the agreement is 'certainly good news.'" POLITICO

NEWS ... JOHN BRESNAHAN (@BresPolitico): "Bad weather in Detroit has forced the military planes carrying members to John Dingell's funeral to head back to Washington instead, per several House sources."

MISSOURI REP. BILLY LONG (@auctnr1): "We held an impromptu service at 30,000 feet for @JohnDingell lead by @repjohnlewis @SpeakerPelosi and @RepFredUpton After a delayed start we took off for #Detroit & circled there for an hour waiting for the temperature to rise one degree. It didn't and we're back at @Andrews_JBA."

Good Tuesday afternoon. THE INVESTIGATIONS ... NBC'S KEN DILANIAN: "Senate has uncovered no direct evidence of conspiracy between Trump campaign and Russia": "After two years and 200 interviews, the Senate Intelligence Committee is approaching the end of its investigation into the 2016 election, having uncovered no direct evidence of a conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia, according to both Democrats and Republicans on the committee.

"But investigators disagree along party lines when it comes to the implications of a pattern of contacts they have documented between Trump associates and Russians - contacts that occurred before, during and after Russian intelligence operatives were seeking to help Trump by leaking hacked Democratic emails and attacking his opponent on social media." NBC

-- DARREN SAMUELSOHN: "Democrats tap Norm Eisen to consult on House Judiciary Committee": "Norm Eisen, a former White House lawyer in the Obama administration and an outspoken Trump critic, is signing on as a part-time counsel to help Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler conduct oversight of the Justice Department and special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe. Also joining Nadler's team is Barry Berke, a New York-based criminal defense attorney who has handled a series of white-collar cases.

"Nadler's committee is front and center in the Democrat-led push to examine a range of Trump administration policies, and it would be the primary venue for any potential impeachment proceedings against Trump." POLITICO

BREAKING -- AP: "Notorious drug lord Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman convicted"

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THE SHUTDOWN IMPACT -- NYT'S JIM TANKERSLEY and PATRICIA COHEN: "The Government Shutdown Made the I.R.S. Even More Frustrating to Deal With": "A record shutdown of the United States government resulted in a 'shocking' number of taxpayers' calls to the Internal Revenue Service going unreturned or being left to languish on hold for unusually long periods, according to a government audit released on Tuesday.

"The audit, by the office of the National Taxpayer Advocate, shows that when thousands of agency employees furloughed during the shutdown returned to work after more than a month away, they found over five million pieces of unanswered mail and 87,000 amended tax returns waiting to be processed. ... The problems continued even after the shutdown, the audit found. In the week that ended Feb. 2, shortly after agency employees returned to their jobs, less than half of the calls to the I.R.S.'s accounts-management lines were answered, compared with nearly 90 percent during the same week last year." NYT

TRADE WARS -- "China, U.S. Seek to Narrow Gap on Trade for Trump, Xi to Close at a Summit," by WSJ's Lingling Wei and Bob Davis in Beijing: "Chinese and U.S. negotiators are focusing this week on producing a broad outline of a trade agreement for their presidents to clinch at a possible summit, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

"Officials holding trade and economic portfolios for both governments are seeking to narrow the still-substantial gap between the concessions China is willing to offer and what the Trump administration will accept. Discussions between midlevel officials began on Monday in China's Commerce Ministry." WSJ

WAR REPORT -- AP'S BASSEM MROUE in Beirut: "U.S. strikes IS-held mosque as Syria battle intensifies": "The U.S.-led coalition said warplanes struck the mosque in the small town of Baghouz on Monday in support of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. It said the airstrike occurred as IS was using the mosque to direct attacks and employ suicide car bombs against the SDF." AP

ON THE KOREAN PENINSULA -- WSJ'S TIMOTHY MARTIN and ANDREW JEONG in Seoul: "North Korea Keeps Stockpiling Materials to Make Nuclear Weapons, Report Finds": "North Korea 'continued to operate and, in some cases, expand the nuclear weapons complex infrastructure,' the report said. The lead author is nuclear scientist Siegfried Hecker, who last visited North Korea's nuclear facilities in 2010 and has advised U.S. negotiators involved in the current talks with Pyongyang. The apparent stockpile of fissile material, however, is a reminder of Pyongyang's ability to increase its nuclear arsenal should diplomacy with Washington falter." WSJ

THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION -- VICTORIA GUIDA: "Mnuchin's team dwindles amid exodus from Treasury": "Behind the move toward the exits: burnout, a lack of nominees from the White House, an increasingly lengthy and arduous Senate confirmation process and a Treasury chief, Steven Mnuchin, who prefers having a lean staff.

"People familiar with the work environment at Treasury say the department can be an especially stressful place to work, given its key role in advancing much of the administration's agenda on issues such as sanctions and financial deregulation. But in an administration that has made it a priority to reduce the footprint of the federal government, that agenda is also more limited." POLITICO

PALACE INTRIGUE ... JOHN BRESNAHAN, LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ and HEATHER CAYGLE: "Superstar freshman Dems replace Pelosi as GOP targets": "It's a move born, in part, out of desperation. ... House Republicans, who now find themselves in the minority after eight years in power, badly need something else to rally around. Thus the focus on the three high-profile Democratic lawmakers, who have gotten more national media attention in the past three months than many members get in their whole careers. ...

"The GOP strategy risks a backlash - a party that has problems with women and minorities continues to focus its attacks on women of color - even as the freshman Democrats say they're not surprised by it." POLITICO

2020 WATCH -- "Sherrod Brown separates from Dem pack on Medicare, Green New Deal proposals," by Daniel Strauss

-- DAVID SIDERS in El Paso, Texas: "'This is where we make our stand': Beto O'Rourke finally looks like a 2020 candidate": "If O'Rourke was testing Democrats' appetite for his potential candidacy, the signs he saw on Monday were reaffirming - beginning with a march to the rally that was so thick with supporters that organizers linked arms in a circle around O'Rourke and his family to keep them moving through the crowd. ...

"The speech - and O'Rourke's promotion of it beforehand - marked a pivot for O'Rourke from a contemplative period of wayfaring to a more traditional brand of campaign politics following his closer-than-expected loss to Republican Ted Cruz in the Texas Senate race last year." POLITICO

-- STEVE SHEPARD: "Mark Kelly launches run for Senate in Arizona": "Kelly's four-and-a-half-minute announcement video does not mention President Donald Trump, who carried Arizona in the 2016 election. Nor does it include any reference to the gun-control initiatives Kelly and Giffords have championed in the years since the 2011 assassination attempt in Tucson, Ariz., that seriously wounded Giffords and led to her resignation from Congress. ...

"Kelly is seeking the Democratic nomination in next year's special election, which will fill the final two years of late Sen. John McCain's unexpired term. The seat's appointed occupant, Republican Martha McSally, took office last month after her selection by GOP Gov. Doug Ducey; McSally plans to be a candidate in the 2020 special election, as well." POLITICO ... His announcement video

THE 2020 SHUFFLE ... Joyce Kazadi will be director of advance for Sen. Kamala Harris' (D-Calif.) presidential campaign. She previously was director of partner engagement at Axios and was a national advance lead with Hillary for America.

ALEX GUILLEN: "Trump calls to save coal plant supplied by major supporter"

VALLEY TALK -- "Where cybersecurity legislation 'goes to die' in Congress," by Tim Starks and Eric Geller: "Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson leads the committee with broad oversight over the nation's most important cybersecurity issues, including protecting consumers and U.S. elections from hackers. But he's also a major reason little legislation on these topics ever passes, according to lobbyists, cybersecurity policy experts, lawmakers and congressional aides from both parties who spoke with POLITICO." POLITICO

MEDIAWATCH -- Jessica Estepa will be campaigns editor for CNN. She previously was an editor at USA Today. ... David Grant will join Facebook's News Partnerships team. He previously was associate publisher of the Christian Science Monitor. ... Joy Robins will be chief revenue officer at WaPo. She previously was global chief revenue officer at Quartz.

SPOTTED: Martin O'Malley having dinner on Monday night at the Bombay Club.

SPOTTED at a table at Capitol Grille on Monday night: Reps. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.), Trent Kelly (R-Miss.), Steve Watkins (R-Kan.), Van Taylor (R-Texas), William Timmons (R-S.C.) and Jim Banks (R-Ind.).

SPOTTED at Uber's D.C. office Monday night, where Danielle Burr interviewed Jean Case about her new book, "Be Fearless: 5 Principles for a Life of Breakthroughs and Purpose" ($16.51 on Amazon): Charles Rivkin, Steve Case, Heather Podesta, Kathleen Biden, Margaret Talev, David Chavern, Jon Decker, Niki Christoff, Susan Goldberg, Tammy Haddad, Anita McBride, Dan Meyers, Gail MacKinnon, Susan Hendrick, Kathy O'Hearn, Patrick Steel, Kevin Cirilli, Ryan Williams, Robyn Bash, Connie Partoyan, Peter O'Toole and Geoff Burr. Listen to Anna's recent Women Rule podcast with Jean

TRANSITION -- FOGGY BOTTOM ARRIVAL LOUNGE: Rebecca Ulrich is now senior adviser to State Department Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs Assistant Secretary Kimberly Breier. She previously was a staff director for the House Foreign Affairs Western Hemisphere Subcommittee.

ENGAGED -- Terrell Mizell, talent acquisition partner at POLITICO, recently got engaged to Taleah Anderson, an elementary art teacher in the Richmond area. Pic

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