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Presented by the BlueCross BlueShield Association: Feb 13, 2019 View in browser
By Jake Sherman, Anna Palmer, Daniel Lippman, Garrett Ross and Eli Okun

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WILL HE OR WON'T HE? ... HE WILL! ... THE LEDEALL from JOHN BRESNAHAN, SARAH FERRIS and MELANIE ZANONA: "Congress rushes to finish spending deal with hope Trump will sign it": "House Democratic and GOP leaders each briefed their rank-and-file members Wednesday on the still-unfinished package, which appears to have broad support despite some grumbling on the left and right - and amid cautious optimism that Trump will back it. ...

"After two days of frenetic closed-door talks, House leaders hope to unveil the giant spending compromise as early as Wednesday afternoon, with a floor vote Thursday night. ... House GOP leaders said that Trump has indicated that he would sign the package." POLITICO

TRUMP IN THE OVAL ... The president told reporters this afternoon that he doesn't want another shutdown but he would review the deal for "land mines." He emphasized that the border bill includes $23 billion for border security. "With the wall they want to be stingy, but we have options that most people don't really understand."

THE VOTE will be tomorrow evening in the House due to funerals for former Reps. John Dingell (D-Mich.) and Walter Jones (R-N.C.).

-- SARAH FERRIS (@sarahnferris): "Majority Leader Hoyer announces that House will vote soon on a bill to protect Dreamers/TPS recipients. He says it *will* be bipartisan."

JARED KUSHNER, the president's senior adviser and son-in-law, seemed bullish he was going to be able to solve Congress' immigration logjam. WHERE IS HE NOW? Poland for a conference.

MORE FROM TRUMP IN THE OVAL ... ON A PLAN B IN VENEZUELA: "I always have plan B and C and D and E and F. I have great flexibility. I probably have more flexibility than any man that's ever been in this office."

BULLETIN -- KATIE GALIOTO and ERIC GELLER: "Former Air Force intelligence officer charged with revealing classified information to Iran": "[T]he Justice Department said former Air Force officer Monica Witt defected to Iran in 2013, where she is still suspected to be located. She allegedly provided the code name and mission of a secret Department of Defense program and information about her former intelligence colleagues to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

"Four Iranian nationals said to be working with Witt were named in the indictment and face charges for alleged efforts to collect intelligence from U.S. individuals abroad and target Witt's former military and government co-workers in cyber attacks." POLITICO ... The indictment

Good Wednesday afternoon. PRE-VALENTINE'S DAY SNACK -- NBC'S "TODAY" SHOW: "Bob and Elizabeth Dole open up about 45-year love story"

WHAT'S ON THE PRESIDENT'S MIND -- @realDonaldTrump at 10:01 a.m.: "The Gallup Poll just announced that 69% of our great citizens expect their finances to improve next year, a 16 year high. Nice!"

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THE LATEST IN VIRGINIA -- NYT'S JONATHAN MARTIN and MICHAEL WINES in Richmond: "Unmistakable Divide Among Women in Virginia Over Accusations Against Fairfax": "As Virginia comes to terms with the possibility that its executive branch for the next three years could include two men who once mocked African-Americans and a third accused of rape, there is an unmistakable racial divide among progressive female advocates and elected officials about whether to resolutely side with Mr. Fairfax's accusers or to withhold judgment. ...

"The matter is so delicate for Virginia Democrats that the House caucus sent an email message Monday to members warning them that a New York Times reporter was outside the chamber wanting to talk to female lawmakers. A picture of the reporter and a series of talking points about how to handle questions about Mr. Fairfax were included in the message, which was forwarded by a Democrat who requested anonymity to share an internal document." NYT

-- CNN'S RYAN NOBLES: "Boston-area DA ready to investigate claims against Fairfax": "[Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael] Rollins sent a letter to Vanessa Tyson's attorneys last week saying her office will investigate if Tyson chooses to file a criminal complaint against Fairfax, Jake Wark, a spokesman for Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins' office confirmed to CNN. The Boston Globe first reported the letter by Rollins. Rollins told CNN in a statement her office is 'ready, willing and able' to help and prepared to deal with the situation on Tyson's terms." CNN

HEATHER CAYGLE and JOHN BRESNAHAN: "House Democrats postpone vote on leadership term limits": "Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-Colo.) announced in the House Democratic Caucus meeting on Wednesday that there will be no vote on term limits by Feb. 15, which had been the informal deadline ... Some Democrats privately believe the issue will never come up for a vote." POLITICO

THE NEW MAJORITY -- ALICE MIRANDA OLLSTEIN: "Push for Medicare buy-in picks up with '50 and over' bill"

THE INVESTIGATIONS ... "Roger Stone to judge: Mueller must prove he didn't tip off CNN," by Matthew Choi and Darren Samuelsohn: "Roger Stone urged a federal judge Wednesday to make special counsel Robert Mueller's office explain why it shouldn't be held in contempt for violating the seal on the longtime Donald Trump aide's indictment by allegedly leaking it to the press.

"Stone has repeatedly criticized the dramatic arrest at his FBI home in January, which was caught on film by a CNN camera crew staking out his south Florida house. ... The network has said it merely was monitoring the house after piecing together clues from its reporting." POLITICO

ON THE WORLD STAGE -- DAVID HERSZENHORN in Warsaw and NAHAL TOOSI: "Donald Trump's diplomatic 'dumpster fire' on Iran": "It is the Iran conference where uttering the word Iran is almost taboo. It is the Middle East peace gathering with utterly no chance of forging peace in the Middle East. And it is a meeting intended to end a sense of U.S. isolation from discussions about the region that so far have only cast a bright light on President Donald Trump's pariah status among longtime allies.

"Officials from dozens of nations are convening in Warsaw at Washington's behest on Wednesday for an event billed as the 'Ministerial to Promote a Future of Peace and Security in the Middle East.' ... A number of key players were not planning to attend at all - notably Russia, which is now viewed by many as the dominant power in the Middle East after successfully protecting President Bashar al-Assad of Syria." POLITICO Europe

-- AP'S AMIR VAHDAT in Tehran, Iran: "Iran's supreme leader says any talks with U.S. can only 'harm'"

-- NYT'S DAVID SANGER and WILLIAM BROAD in Warsaw: "U.S. Revives Secret Program to Sabotage Iranian Missiles and Rockets": "The Trump White House has accelerated a secret American program to sabotage Iran's missiles and rockets, according to current and former administration officials, who described it as part of an expanding campaign by the United States to undercut Tehran's military and isolate its economy.

"Officials said it was impossible to measure precisely the success of the classified program, which has never been publicly acknowledged. But in the past month alone, two Iranian attempts to launch satellites have failed within minutes." NYT

-- CBS' MARK KNOLLER (@markknoller): "VP Pence says U.S. officially acknowledging agreement by Poland to purchase a battalion's worth of high-mobility artillery rocket system launchers from the U.S. Tells Poland's Pres Duda, the U.S. is 'pleased to partner with you in Poland's national defense.'"

WHERE THEY ARE NOW ...

-- STEVE BANNON on a Chinese-language Chinese New Year program. The five-hour video (hat tip: Jonathan Swan)

-- TOM BARRACK: "Trump ally defends Saudi Arabia despite Khashoggi murder," by Caitlin Oprysko: "[Tom] Barrack, who chaired the Trump inaugural committee now under investigation by federal prosecutors for possibly misusing donations, told attendees of the Milken Institute MENA Summit in Abu Dhabi that 'whatever happened in Saudi Arabia, the atrocities in America are equal, or worse,' according to the UAE newspaper Gulf News." POLITICO

TRADE WARS -- "New Nafta Is Threatened by Partisan Split Over Enforcement," by WSJ's William Mauldin and Vivian Salama: "In the area of enforcement, most Democrats and Republicans in Congress want mechanisms in trade agreements designed to hold all partners to account through international arbitration panels or other means. But the Trump administration opposes ceding enforcement to such panels, believing Washington could face binding decisions that undermine U.S. sovereignty." WSJ

2020 WATCH -- NUMBER DU JOUR ... MARC CAPUTO: "Michael Bloomberg's $500 million anti-Trump moonshot": "If he runs, he will use that half-billion-dollar stake - roughly $175 million more than the Trump campaign spent over the course of the entire 2016 election cycle - to fuel his campaign through the 2020 primary season, with the expectation that the sum represents a floor, not a ceiling, on his potential spending.

"If Bloomberg declines to seek the presidency, his intention is to run an unprecedented data-heavy campaign designed to operate as a shadow political party for the eventual Democratic nominee." POLITICO

-- "Elizabeth Warren taps Roger Lau as campaign manager," by CNN's MJ Lee: CNN

-- AP'S BILL BARROW: "Howard Dean to head new Dem voter data exchange": "The agreement still requires the expected approval from state party leaders gathering Wednesday in Washington, but it would end more than 18 months of internal party wrangling that has dogged DNC Chairman Tom Perez amid fights over money and control. ... The arrangement would allow the national party, state parties and independent political action groups on the left to share voter data in real time during campaigns." AP

-- LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: "Progressive groups launch ads, website to draft Gallego for Arizona Senate"

FOR YOUR RADAR -- "Black mold, rats and lead: Survey of military families paints slum-like picture of housing on U.S. bases," by WaPo's Alex Horton: "Families said their complaints have been met with resistance, and in some cases threats from property management companies and commanders to silence them. Some families said their children have been sickened by toxic living conditions but feel there is no recourse; respondents suggested they cannot withhold rent payments as leverage for improvements." WaPo

THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION -- WSJ'S LALITA CLOZEL: "Bank Mergers Get Faster Under Trump": "That stance could potentially help fuel more consolidation, though it has also raised concerns that regulators aren't scrutinizing mergers closely enough. ... The number of bank mergers approved hasn't changed significantly in the past two years. But the process for getting a deal across the finish line has gotten quicker and community groups appear to have less input." WSJ

CLICKERS -- "Since Parkland: 12 months. 1,200 American kids killed by guns. 1,200 stories about the lives they led, reported by teen journalists across the country": "Working with The Trace, The Miami Herald, and McClatchy, student reporters set out to measure the void left in homes and classrooms that have lost young people to the pull of a trigger." The stories

-- WAPO'S DAVID FAHRENTHOLD and JOSH DAWSEY: "President Trump installed a room-sized golf simulator at White House": "President Trump has installed a room-sized 'golf simulator' game at the White House, which allows him to play virtual rounds at courses all over the world by hitting a ball into a large video screen ...

"That system replaced an older, less sophisticated golf simulator that had been installed under President Obama ... Trump's system cost about $50,000, and was put in during the last few weeks in a room in his personal quarters." WaPo

MEDIAWATCH -- Matt Thompson will be editor in chief at The Center for Investigative Reporting. He currently is executive editor at The Atlantic.

-- Joe Anuta is joining POLITICO New York's City Hall bureau. He currently covers real estate for Crain's New York Business.

SPOTTED: Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) eating breakfast at Pete's Diner. Pic (h/t Quint Forgey) ... Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) at the Navy Yard Whole Foods on Tuesday night.

TRANSITIONS -- Tricia Russell will be chief of staff for Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.). She previously was chief of staff for Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.). ... Chad Kreikemeier will be chief of staff for Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.). He currently is a senior adviser for the Senate Intelligence Committee. ... Concordia is opening a D.C. office this week to be led by director of partnership development Hanne Dalmut.

ENGAGED -- Amanda House, deputy political editor at Breitbart and host of "Breitbart News Sunday" on the SiriusXM Patriot channel, got engaged to Nicholas Lombardi, associate at Sullivan & Cromwell. He proposed at the site of the couple's first date in NYC at Battery Park. Pic ... The ring

-- Kristen Hayford, a marketing and communications manager for LIGHT in Torrance and a POLITICO alum, got engaged to Michael Rooders, a made-to-measure specialist at Suitsupply. The couple met on Tinder. Instapic

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