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Presented by ExxonMobil: Playbook is POLITICO's must-read briefing on what's driving the day in Washington Oct 12, 2018 View in browser
By Jake Sherman, Anna Palmer, Daniel Lippman, Garrett Ross and Eli Okun

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THIS. IS. BONKERS. DALLAS MORNING NEWS' TODD GILLMAN and TOM BENNING: "Beto O'Rourke raised $38.1 million in last three months, smashing all records in bid to oust Ted Cruz": "Rep. Beto O'Rourke raised an astonishing $38.1 million in three months, as Democrats in Texas and nationwide showered him with donations for his bid to oust Sen. Ted Cruz.

"The haul smashed previous records for a U.S. Senate contest, and assures that the hard fought race, already the nation's costliest, remains on top of the 2018 list. O'Rourke's haul is more than triple the $12 million that Cruz said he raised from July through September. Combined, the rivals have raised roughly $86 million but the challenger's tally of $61.2 million vastly eclipses the incumbent's $24.9 million." DMN

-- IMPORTANT NUGGET: "ActBlue, the online Democratic fund-raising platform, makes it easier than ever for candidates to collect small sums from many people, and to prompt supporters for recurring donations. O'Rourke has brought in at least $25 million that way this year, and based on the latest tally, likely far more."

REPUBLICANS have nothing like ActBlue, and it's bludgeoning candidates across the country.

BUT, THE REALITY ... FiveThirtyEight rates the Texas Senate race Likely Republican and gives O'Rourke a 23 percent chance of winning. The forecast

THE CHATTY POTUS: N.Y. POST'S MICHAEL GOODWIN: "Trump dishes on 'lowlife' Eric Holder, Hillary and the 2020 race"

DAVE WASSERMAN of the Cook Report has moved two incumbent Republican seats toward Democrats. REP. PETER ROSKAM (R-ILL.), once a member of the GOP leadership, is now lean Democrat, and REP. RANDY HULTGREN (R-ILL.) is now a toss-up.

Happy Friday afternoon. AXIOS' JONATHAN SWAN: "Khashoggi intrigue: A text from the Saudi ambassador, then silence": "On Monday afternoon, I received an unsolicited note on the encrypted messaging service, WhatsApp, from the Saudi ambassador to the United States, Prince Khalid bin Salman. ... [T]he ambassador denied allegations that the Saudi government was involved in the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi ... I responded with two messages: 'Thank you' and 'Do you have footage of him leaving the consulate?' I'm still waiting for a reply." Axios

-- MEANWHILE ... "Treasury Secretary Mnuchin 'planning on going' to Saudi event despite journalist's disappearance," by CNBC's Sam Meredith: "U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin still plans to attend a Saudi investment conference later this month, despite growing outrage over the disappearance of prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. ...

"'We are concerned about what is the status of Mr. Khashoggi ... (But) I am planning on going at this point,' Mnuchin told CNBC's Geoff Cutmore on Friday. 'If more information comes out and changes, we could look at that but I am planning on going,' he added." CNBC

WSJ'S MIKE BENDER, GORDON LUBOLD, KATE O'KEEFE and JEREMY PAGE: "U.S. Edges Toward New Cold-War Era With China: A more hard-nosed stance with Beijing is emerging from the Trump administration as China's help with North Korea wanes and trade talks stall": "The Trump administration is moving deliberately to counter what the White House views as years of unbridled Chinese aggression, taking aim at military, political and economic targets in Beijing and signaling a new and potentially much colder era in U.S.-China relations. ...

"Efforts to build the U.S.-China military relationship by showing off American capabilities have been exploited by the Chinese. Gen. Joe Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, came away even more clear-eyed about that after a trip to Beijing last year to establish a formal military communication mechanism: An aide's tablet, left in a hotel room, had been tampered with, souring the U.S. military establishment on doing business with China." WSJ

ON THE WORLD STAGE -- "U.S. pastor Andrew Brunson released from Turkish detention," by CNN's Sebastian Shukla and Angela Dewan in Aliaga, Turkey: "The court on Friday sentenced Brunson to three years and one month in prison, but chose to release him based on his time already served, as well as his manner during the proceedings, his lawyer said. Prosecutors were seeking a 10-year jail term. ...

"Before the verdict, Brunson was able to meet his wife in the courthouse, where they held hands and talked about the possible outcome. 'I am an innocent man. I love Jesus. I love Turkey,' said Brunson, wearing a dark suit and red tie. ... A senior White House official cautioned that an intricate 'choreography' needed to unfold before Brunson could return to the United States. He is expected to first fly to Germany for a full medical evaluation at the US' Ramstein Air Force Base, the official said. ...

"Brunson's release is also a step forward in Turkish-U.S. relations, which have shown signs of warming in recent months." CNN

WHAT'S ON THE PRESIDENT'S MIND -- @realDonaldTrump at 9:42 a.m.: "Working very hard on Pastor Brunson!"

... at 9:54 a.m.: "So nice, everyone wants Ivanka Trump to be the new United Nations Ambassador. She would be incredible, but I can already hear the chants of Nepotism! We have great people that want the job."

... at 10:26 a.m.: "PASTOR BRUNSON JUST RELEASED. WILL BE HOME SOON!"

A message from ExxonMobil:

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ON THE KOREAN PENINSULA ... "North Korea intends to abolish all nuclear weapons, South says," by Reuters' Hyonhee Shin in Seoul: "[South Korean President Moon Jae-in] emphasized Kim [Jong Un]'s resolve to abandon nuclear and missile programs, that the North pursued in defiance of U.N. Security Council resolutions, and focus on the economy if regime security is guaranteed.

"'By complete denuclearization, he meant to start by stopping additional nuclear and missile tests, and then abolish the facilities that produce the nukes and develop the missiles, and all the existing nuclear weapons and materials,' Moon said, according to a script of his interview with BBC shared by his office." Reuters

-- CBS' KYLIE ATWOOD: "Pompeo's six hours in Pyongyang -- a reporter's notebook": "Pompeo was moved to the front door, where he stood to welcome Kim Jong Un. Pompeo clasped his hands in front of his body, waiting patiently, with a flat expression on his face. 'It's like you are standing at the altar,' [spokesperson Heather] Nauert observed. Pompeo turned around to acknowledge her comment. He smiled but didn't reply.

"The comment reflected the power dynamic of the moment, that the North Koreans held all of the control during the visit. Now Pompeo was standing, waiting expectantly, with no idea when Kim might materialize. 'It's good to see you again,' Pompeo said when Kim Jong Un finally came through the mahogany doors, his wide black pants swinging back and forth. ... 'So is everything OK?' Kim asked Pompeo, leading him down the hallway towards their lunch." CBS

THE LATEST ON HURRICANE MICHAEL -- AP'S JAY REEVES and BRENDAN FARRINGTON: "Florida: Grim search through ruined landscape after Michael"

IMMIGRATION FILES -- "Army expelled 500 immigrant recruits in 1 year," by AP's Martha Mendoza and Garance Burke: "Over the course of 12 months, the U.S. Army discharged more than 500 immigrant enlistees who were recruited across the globe for their language or medical skills and promised a fast track to citizenship in exchange for their service ... The AP has interviewed more than a dozen recruits from countries such as Brazil, Pakistan, Iran, China and Mongolia who all said they were devastated by their unexpected discharges or canceled contracts. ...

"The list, which was unsealed this week after a request from the AP, offers 'refuse to enlist' as the reason for expelling two-thirds of the recruits. ... But at least one recruit whose paperwork said he was being discharged from the program for that reason said it was not accurate." AP

2018 WATCH -- "He Settled a Sex Discrimination Complaint. Now He Wants to Lead Maine," by NYT's Jonathan Martin in Scarborough, Maine: "In 2006, [Jill] Hayward, a former member of management at a Moody's store, filed a sexual discrimination complaint against [Shawn] Moody with the Maine Human Rights Commission, accusing him of firing her because he did not think she was up to the job after giving birth to her son. ...

"Mr. Moody repeatedly cited the settlement to indicate he was restricted from addressing Ms. Hayward's accusations. ... But Mr. Moody did say he had faced no other such complaints in 40 years ... But shortly after [Hayward] gave birth to her son, she said, Mr. Moody sent her life into a tailspin from which she only emerged after more than a decade. As Ms. Hayward sees it, he fired her because he did not think she could do the job as a single mother." NYT

-- NATIONAL JOURNAL'S DAN NEWHAUSER in Susquehanna Township, Pa.: "In a Purple District, Perry Runs a Red-Meat Campaign": "Perry is in a race for his political life. In February, the state Supreme Court redrew Pennsylvania's congressional map ... Just as surely as Perry was swept into office in the tea-party wave of 2012, he risks becoming a casualty of the expected blue wave of 2018.

"But rather than shying away from his conservative reputation, Perry is going on the attack, betting that he can hold onto his seat with a firebrand style of retail politics that he hopes will gin up the GOP base. ... Democrats are betting on the opposite. To counter Perry, they've nominated a soft-spoken Lutheran pastor, George Scott, and recently, election trackers have been increasing the chances that Perry will lose." NJ

-- "POLITICO-Harvard poll: Most Democratic voters driven by desire to ice GOP health agenda," by Adam Cancryn: POLITICO

NYT'S MATT FLEGENHEIMER: "Michelle Obama Wanted Democrats to 'Go High.' Now They Aren't So Sure": "Two years later, the appeal of 'high' seems low. As much as any policy tensions or messaging debate within the party, this question of tone - of how to combat Mr. Trump effectively without slipping into a pale imitation - is perhaps the central divide of this Democratic moment (and the next one, with the 2020 campaign looming). ...

"While the wisdom of such confrontation in a national race remains untested, this year's Democratic primary season demonstrated that many voters are prepared to reward more insurgent energy in the party." NYT

MELANIA SPEAKS ... "First lady has 'more important things to think about' than Trump's alleged affairs," by ABC's Lucien Bruggeman: "First lady Melania Trump is brushing aside allegations of infidelity on her husband's part, telling ABC News in an exclusive interview that she has no time for what she calls media speculation and gossip.

"In his exclusive interview, [Tom] Llamas asked the first lady if she has been hurt by all the stories over the last year. 'It's not always pleasant, of course, but I know what is right and what is wrong and what is true and not true,' Melania Trump said. ... Trump later added: 'I'm very strong, and I know what my priorities are.'" ABC

TRADE WARS -- ADAM BEHSUDI, "Democrats could control trade deal's fate": "Congressional staff members from both parties say there's little desire to finish the job before the next session of Congress begins in January. ... That means the fate of the new pact may rest on whether it appeals to the left. ... And there are still questions from Democrats and their labor union backers about how some new provisions would be enforced, particularly when it comes to pushing Mexico to improve worker rights and wages." POLITICO

-- HEADLINES THE PRESIDENT WON'T LIKE ... "China's trade surplus with the U.S. hit a record $34.1 billion in September amid trade war," by WaPo's Anna Fifield in Beijing: WaPo

THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION -- "E.P.A. to Disband a Key Scientific Review Panel on Air Pollution," by NYT's Lisa Friedman: "An [EPA] panel that advises the agency's leadership on the latest scientific information about soot in the atmosphere is not listed as continuing its work next year, an E.P.A. official said.

"The 20-person Particulate Matter Review Panel, made up of experts in microscopic airborne pollutants known to cause respiratory disease, is responsible for helping the agency decide what levels of pollutants are safe to breathe. Agency officials declined to say why the E.P.A. intends to stop convening the panel next year, particularly as the agency considers whether to revise air quality standards." NYT

PLAYBOOK METRO SECTION -- "Pope Francis accepts resignation of D.C.'s archbishop, Cardinal Wuerl, amid criticism of Wuerl's handling of abuse claims," by WaPo's Michelle Boorstein, Chico Harlan and Julie Zauzmer: "But even as Wuerl becomes one of the highest-profile prelates to step down in a year of prominent abuse scandals, Pope Francis offered the cardinal a gentle landing, praising him in a letter and allowing him to stay on as 'apostolic administrator' in the Washington archdiocese until a successor was found." WaPo

WHAT GARY COHN IS UP TO -- FINANCIAL TIMES' HANNAH MURPHY in London: "Ex-Donald Trump adviser Gary Cohn joins blockchain start-up"

SPOTTED last night at Off the Record at the Hay-Adams (separately): Elon Musk, former Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez, Israel Hernandez, Dennis Ambach and Chris McCannell ... Dana Bash, Patti Hansen (the model who married Keith Richards) and Susanna Quinn last night at a book party and panel at the Portrait Gallery last night for photographer Ivan Shaw's book, "Patti Hansen: A Portrait." Pic

TV TONIGHT -- Bob Costa sits down with NYT's Peter Baker, BBC's Katty Kay, WSJ's Vivian Salama and Time's Brian Bennett on PBS' "Washington Week" at 8 p.m.

SPOTTED last night at the new International Spy Museum to celebrate the new book by Gus Russo and Eric Dezenhall, "Best of Enemies: The Last Great Spy Story of the Cold War" ($18.30 on Amazon): Robert De Niro, Gennady Vasilenko, the family of Jack Platt, Jennifer Jacobs, Anne Marie Malecha, Josh Culling, Richard Ben-Veniste, Dan Maldea, James Swanson, Fred Brown and Rebecca Schieber, James Hewitt and Maya Shackley.

MEDIAWATCH -- AZI PAYBARAH is joining the NYT to write NY Today, the Times' Metro morning newsletter. He most recently was a Knight-Wallace fellow at the University of Michigan and before that was a senior reporter for POLITICO New York and co-author of POLITICO New York Playbook. The internal memo

-- Breanne Deppisch is heading to the Aspen Institute to help lead a new cybersecurity initiative. She currently works for the Daily 202 at WaPo.

TRANSITIONS -- Ken Wingert has been hired as Zillow Group's head of federal government relations. He was most recently at the National Association of Realtors. ... Jeff Murray is now senior manager of government relations at Accenture, leading Republican lobbying and outreach efforts in the U.S.

WELCOME TO THE WORLD -- OBAMA ALUMNI: Simon Limage, VP for nonproliferation and international security at Culmen International, an Obama State Department alum and former COS for former Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D-Calif.), and Julia Limage, senior policy adviser with DHS' Countering WMD office, welcomed David Samuel Limage. Pic ... Another pic

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