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Presented by UnitedHealth Group: Playbook is POLITICO's must-read briefing on what's driving the day Dec 27, 2018 View in browser
By Anna Palmer, Jake Sherman and Daniel Lippman

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DRIVING THE DAY
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP has landed back in the United States after a 29-hour journey to Iraq and Germany. Trump stopped for a quick visit to Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany, where he met with Air Force leaders based there, according to Time magazine's Brian Bennett, who was part of the pool for the president's trip to Iraq and Germany.

-- FROM THE RAMSTEIN POOL REPORT, sent last night at 9:03 p.m. Eastern: "President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump entered a large [hangar] where hundreds of service members were arranged in a large semi circle to greet the president. 'Hello folks,' Trump said, stretching out his arms. He was wearing his signature long red tie and a black overcoat. The First Lady was in black and white sneakers, a black bomber jacket and olive green pants. A few troops in uniform had brought red hats and held them as POTUS and FLOTUS shook hands and greeted troops. Pool was ushered out into a van after 15 minutes. ...

"POTUS and FLOTUS spent about 45 minutes greeting troops in the hangar at Ramstein, Germany. Pool was pulled out after 15 minutes to load in a press van. Toward the end of President Trump's time with the troops, pool could see through the windows POTUS speaking into a microphone, also could hear cheers. Pool was not ushered back into the room so didn't hear any remarks. The First Lady spoke too. Pool was told the remarks were not planned. We are rolling at 9:28 pm ET / 3:28 pm local."

ABOARD AF1 ...

-- TRUMP on AF1 about SYRIA and ISRAEL, per Brian Bennett: "I spoke with Bibi. I told Bibi, you know we give Israel $4.5 billion a year. And they are doing very well at defending themselves. ... We'll always be there for Israel. ... So that's the way it is, we are going to take great care of Israel. Israel is going to be good. We give Israel 4.5 billion a year. And we give frankly a lot more than that if you look at the books. They've been doing a good job."

-- TRUMP'S PLANE flew with the call sign "Reach 358" when it was en route to the Middle East, and when it was between Iraq and Germany. "Reach" is a call sign used by military cargo planes. But as it made its way from Ramstein to Andrews, it switched back to Air Force One.

ON THE GROUND ... AP'S DARLENE SUPERVILLE at Al-Asad Airbase, Iraq: "President Donald Trump once opined that it wasn't 'overly necessary' for him to visit troops in danger zones abroad. But with the lights of Air Force One out and window shutters drawn, the president did just that, slipping into Iraq at night to greet U.S. service members and show that his norm-busting presidency would hew at least to this tradition.

"Addressing troops at an air base in western Iraq Wednesday, Trump defended his decision to pull forces from neighboring Syria, declaring of Islamic State militants: 'We've knocked them out. We've knocked them silly.' His appraisal is at odds with that of military officials, aides and allies who consider IS a diminished but deadly force. His defense secretary and envoy to the anti-IS coalition quit after Trump blindsided much of the national security establishment with his call.

"Trump had faced criticism for not yet visiting U.S. troops stationed in harm's way as he comes up on his two-year mark in office. ... Trump told his audience in Iraq that the decision to withdraw the roughly 2,000 troops from Syria illustrated his quest to put 'America first.' 'We're no longer the suckers, folks,' Trump said at al-Asad Air Base, about 100 miles or 60 kilometers west of Baghdad. 'We're respected again as a nation.' He did not meet Iraqi officials while there but spoke on the phone with Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi." AP

-- ANDREW RESTUCCIA, "How Trump gave away his secret war zone trip"

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GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN ... DAY 6 ... There has been no progress in reopening 25 percent of the government, and the players involved are increasingly convinced that this will not get solved until January, at the earliest. The president's allies say he's standing pat, and privately, the GOP leadership does not believe it will get a deal until the new Congress.

THE HOUSE will not be in session today, and that means they cannot come back until Friday -- if a deal is reached, which no one expects at this moment.

-- "Federal workforce starts to feel pinch of prolonged shutdown: But President Donald Trump and congressional leaders aren't even talking," by John Bresnahan and Rachael Bade

Good Thursday morning.

THE TRUMP BUMP ... "Dow Industrials Leap More Than 1,000 Points," by WSJ's Jessica Menton: "The Dow Jones Industrial Average surged more than 1,000 points for the first time in a single session Wednesday, rebounding after a bruising four-day selloff put the blue-chip index and the S&P 500 on the brink of a bear market. All 30 stocks in the Dow industrials notched gains, as did each of the 11 sectors in the broader S&P. Shares of Amazon.com, Facebook and Netflix climbed more than 8%, while retailers including Kohl's and Macy's rallied as early data on the crucial holiday shopping season appeared robust.

"Energy stocks including Exxon Mobil and Chevron, meanwhile, rose alongside a nearly 9% climb in oil prices. But as in many of the volatile days that have characterized markets since the end of September, investors and traders were left scratching their heads to explain the wild swing, with the Dow adding nearly 450 points in the last hour of the session." WSJ

-- WSJ'S PETER NICHOLAS and PAUL KIERNAN on JAY POWELL: "Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell has told White House officials he is open to their suggestion that he meet directly with President Trump, a sit-down that they hope will defuse Mr. Trump's anger over interest rate increases that he blames for dramatic market swings, a senior administration official said Wednesday.... The law is somewhat vague on the president's power to fire the Fed chairman, who is a member of the central bank's board of governors.

"A 1935 statute says the president can remove a governor 'for cause,' though the term isn't defined. Kevin Hassett, chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, is the latest, saying in an interview Wednesday that Mr. Powell, who goes by Jay, is secure in his job. 'The president has voiced policy differences with Jay Powell, but Jay Powell's job is 100% safe. The president has no intention of firing Jay Powell,' Mr. Hassett told The Wall Street Journal." WSJ

-- BLOOMBERG'S JENNY LEONARD: "U.S.-China Trade Talks to Take Place in Beijing in Early Jan.": "A U.S. government delegation will travel to Beijing in the week of Jan. 7 to hold trade talks with Chinese officials, two people familiar with the matter said. Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Jeffrey Gerrish will lead the Trump administration's team, which will also include Treasury Under Secretary for International Affairs David Malpass." Bloomberg

-- "China is finding new ways to hurt U.S. businesses: Tougher regulations, surprise inspections and other bureaucratic moves are hampering U.S. exports amid the trade war," by Megan Cassella and the South China Morning Post's Chad Bray and Finbarr Bermingham.

BORDER TALES -- "Nielsen deflects blame for boy's death in Border Patrol custody," by Ian Kullgren and David Beavers: "Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen sought to deflect blame Wednesday for the Christmas Eve death of an 8-year-old Guatemalan boy in the custody of U.S. Border Patrol agents, blaming 'a system that prevents parents who bring their children on a dangerous and illegal journey from facing consequences for their actions.' ... 'Our system has been pushed to a breaking point by those who seek open borders,' Nielsen said in a written statement.

"'Smugglers, traffickers, and their own parents put these minors at risk by embarking on the dangerous and arduous journey north.' In January, Trump will have to face a Democratic House with newfound oversight authority. Incoming Majority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said Wednesday in a written statement that the House will 'hold hearings on the young boy's death and the death of seven-year-old Jakelin Caal earlier this month - as well as the conditions under which thousands of children are being held.'" POLITICO

-- NYT'S MIRIAM JORDAN: "A Guatemalan boy who died on Christmas Eve while in United States custody was moved among at least four crowded facilities at the border over the six days from his apprehension until his death.

"That chronology, provided by government officials, underscores how stretched the facilities and their staff are in handling the surge of Central American families reaching the southwest border, particularly minors. Kirstjen M. Nielsen, the secretary of homeland security, acknowledged on Wednesday that the 'dramatic increase' had pushed the system to 'a breaking point.'

"She said she had ordered her agency to bolster medical screenings of children at the southwest border and had enlisted the medical corps of the United States Coast Guard to assist. The secretary also said that she would travel to the border this week to personally observe the screenings. 'Moving forward, all children will receive a more thorough hands-on assessment at the earliest possible time post-apprehension - whether or not the accompanying adult has asked for one,' Ms. Nielsen said in a statement." NYT


WSJ'S MARK MAREMONT: "Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker Incorrectly Claims Academic All-American Honors": "Matthew Whitaker, the acting U.S. attorney general, has incorrectly claimed on his résumé and in government documents to have been named an Academic All-American while playing football at the University of Iowa, according to the documents and the organization that awards that honor. ... To be considered for Academic All-American status, a student-athlete must have at least a 3.3 cumulative grade point average and be a starter or important reserve on his or her team.

"Mr. Whitaker's name doesn't appear in the list of Academic All-Americans on the website of the organization that bestows the annual honor, the College Sports Information Directors of America. ... Kerri Kupec, a Justice Department spokeswoman, said Mr. Whitaker relied on a 1993 University of Iowa football media guide, which listed him as a 'GTE District VII academic All-American.' (GTE was the contest sponsor at that time.)" WSJ
PLAYBOOK READS


PHOTO DU JOUR: Rather than face long waits at ports of entry, a Honduran migrant family climbs over the border fence with the U.S. at Tijuana, Mexico, to hand themselves over to Border Patrol. | Daniel Ochoa de Olza/AP Photo

2020 WATCH ... BOSTON GLOBE'S JESS BIDGOOD and LIZ GOODWIN: "Anne Reid, a senior adviser to [Elizabeth] Warren who worked previously for the Obama administration and as a Democratic committee staffer on Capitol Hill, is set to begin in the [chief of staff] role when the 116th Congress opens next week. Reid, who is black, joined Warren's office earlier in the fall. She has a background in public health, having served as a counselor to Sylvia Mathews Burwell, the final secretary of Health and Human Services during Obama's presidency." Boston Globe

-- DAVID SIDERS and NOLAN MCCASKILL: "O'Rourke and Castro on collision course in Texas"


VALLEY TALK ... WAPO'S TONY ROMM, CRAIG TIMBERG and AARON DAVIS: "Internet billionaire Reid Hoffman apologizes for funding a group tied to disinformation in Alabama race": "Internet billionaire Reid Hoffman apologized on Wednesday for funding a group linked to a 'highly disturbing' effort that spread disinformation during last year's Alabama special election for U.S. Senate, but said he was not aware that his money was being used for this purpose. Hoffman's statement is his first acknowledgement of his ties to a campaign that adopted tactics similar to those deployed by Russian operatives during the 2016 presidential election." WaPo ... His Medium post, "Truth and Politics"

-- MICROSOFT, where Hoffman is a board member, in April started an initiative called the "Defending Democracy Program" that, in part, aims to combat these types of disinformation efforts. The company declined to comment to Playbook on Hoffman's apology or whether Microsoft's program includes measures to protect the public from the types of disinformation activities that took place in Alabama. LinkedIn was acquired by Microsoft in 2016.

DEEP DIVE -- JUST POSTED -- THE NEW YORKER'S PATRICK RADDEN KEEFE: "How Mark Burnett Resurrected Donald Trump as an Icon of American Success: With 'The Apprentice' the TV producer mythologized Trump-then a floundering D-lister-as the ultimate titan, paving his way to the Presidency."
PLAYBOOKERS
SPOTTED: George Papadopoulos at Greek restaurant Avra Beverly Hills on Christmas.

WELCOME TO THE WORLD -- Weijia Jiang, White House correspondent at CBS News, and Luther Lowe, SVP of public policy at Yelp, on Christmas Eve welcomed Frances Mei. Pic

BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Mercedes Schlapp, White House director of strategic communications, who got her start in politics when she was 15 and volunteered on the "Bush-Quayle presidential campaign making calls and going door-to-door, where I learned the basics of retail politics." Two fun facts about Mercy: "Best salsa dancer of the Schlapp family. Or produced President George W. Bush's first Spanish radio address." Playbook Plus Q&A

BIRTHDAYS: Savannah Guthrie ... Karen Hughes, worldwide vice chair of BCW Global ... GSA Administrator Emily Murphy ... Cokie Roberts ... Arthur Kent is 65 ... Kurt Volker, U.S. special representative for Ukraine negotiations ... Brennan Bilberry, alum of the Messina Group ... Trygve Olson, president of Viking Strategies ... Bloomberg's Glen Carey ... POLITICO Europe's Shéhérazade Semsar, Tim Ball and Nick Vinocur ... Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.) is 58 (hat tip: Blake Waggoner) ... former Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.) is 57 ... WilmerHale's Ben Lazarus ... Alex Baren ... Bill Connor ... Andi Lipstein Fristedt of the Senate HELP committee ... Osaremen Okolo ... Jessica McCreight,
SVP at Three Point Media ... Rep.-elect Abby Finkenauer (D-Iowa) is 3-0 ... Marc Smrikarov, the founder and principal of Chatham Strategies, is 37 (h/t Colin Hart) ... Laura Lott, president and CEO of the American Alliance of Museums (hubby tip: Steve) ...

... Kamau Marshall, DCCC's director of African-American media and deputy national press secretary ... James Burnham of DOJ's civil division (h/t Liz Johnson, filing from Florida) ... Andi Pringle (h/t Jon Haber) ... Benji Backer, president of the American Conservation Coalition (h/t Mike Yelovich) ... Dale Vieregge ... Jessica Bachman ... Jeb Fain, comms director for House Majority PAC, is 33 ... Jacob Levy, celebrating in Peru ... Joseph Grieboski ... Hemanshu Nigam ... Mike Thomas is 5-0 ... Jacqueline Policastro, Gray Television's D.C. bureau chief ... Emily Hytha, comms director for Rep. Mike Conaway (R-Texas) ... Edelman alum Alex Milwee ... Sheri Treadwell ... TPM's Tierney Sneed ...
Barclay Palmer ... Joseph Collins ... Sarah Guinan Nixon ... Joe Harris ... Andrew Chesley ... Edelman's Holli Holsan ... Josh Litten ... Catherine Marx ... Moyer McCoy ... Geri Palast ... Yael Belkind (h/ts Teresa Vilmain)

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When nearly 300,000 men and women are committed to making a difference, anything is possible. The men and women of UnitedHealth Group demonstrate our commitment to helping build healthier communities by offering time and support to benefit local partners around the world. Together, we have supported more than 23,000 charitable causes, resulting in over $250 million in donations. From providing responsive, compassionate services to the chronically ill, to supporting veterans and their caregivers, to helping build the health care workforce of tomorrow, UnitedHealth Group is helping men and women live healthier lives and helping make the health system work better for everyone - a mission that
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