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Presented by Better Medicare Alliance: Playbook is POLITICO's must-read briefing on what's driving the day Nov 28, 2018 View in browser
By Anna Palmer, Jake Sherman and Daniel Lippman

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DRIVING THE DAY
OUR OVAL OFFICE INTERVIEW ... There are NINE DAYS until a slice of the government shuts down, and yesterday afternoon, we sat down with PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP at around 5 p.m. in the Oval Office to discuss how he wanted to handle the lame-duck funding of the border wall with Mexico, one of his central campaign promises.

CONTEXT: SENATE MINORITY LEADER CHUCK SCHUMER (D-N.Y.) said yesterday in the Capitol that Democrats' position is they would be open to OK'ing $1.6 billion for the physical barrier with Mexico. So we asked TRUMP -- are you firm on $5 billion for the wall?

"I AM," Trump told us. "I am firm. We need border security, of which a wall is part of it. But we need border security. All you have to do is look at the borders.

"I DON'T DO ANYTHING ... just for political gain," he said. "But I will tell you politically speaking, that issue is a total winner. People look at the border, they look at the rush to the police, they look at the rock throwers and really hurting three people, three very brave Border Patrol folks -- I think that it's a tremendous issue, but much more importantly, is really needed. So we have to have border security."

NOTE: Not only does Trump seem a bit more dug in than before, he sounds more convinced than ever that the wall fight is good for him -- something that Republican leaders have traditionally pushed back on. This means Democrats and Republicans are billions apart at the outset of the lame-duck session.

PLUS, THE PRESIDENT said the $5 billion he wants is just for the wall. Republicans, though, believe they can spread the $5 billion out over some time -- but he told House Republican leaders he wasn't happy about that either. If he doesn't get $5 billion somehow, a shutdown seems almost unavoidable.

"THE NUMBER IS LARGER for border security," Trump told us.

FROM YESTERDAY ... CNN'S MANU RAJU (@mkraju): "Schumer's office says $1.6 billion in funding Dems want is for border security generally -- fencing, not a concrete wall. Schumer at presser: 'The $1.6 billion for border security negotiated by Democrats and Republicans is our position.' He would not say if they'd support more."

"I LIKE CHUCK SCHUMER," Trump told us. "I've known him for a long time in New York. We've always had a good relationship until probably I became president because, you know, he's gotta do his thing, I have to do mine. But I've always had a good relationship. I do like him and I respect him.

"BUT WE NEED BORDER security in this country, and if that means a shutdown I would totally be willing to shut it down. And I think it's a really bad issue for the Democrats."

NOTE: Only a few hours earlier, the president sat down with PHIL RUCKER and JOSH DAWSEY of The Washington Post and said: "Now, if we don't get it, will I get it done another way? I might get it done another way. There are other potential ways that I can do it. You saw what we did with the military, just coming in with the barbed wire and the fencing, and various other things." That seems like he was relenting.

BUT AT 5 P.M., when we were in the Oval, he had just met with HOUSE REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP, which might explain why he was more dug in. The Post's interview was earlier in the day. HOUSE MAJORITY WHIP STEVE SCALISE (R-LA.) told reporters after his meeting with Trump that they were going to hold the line on $5 billion.

AND IF TRUMP is truly unmovable from $5 billion, this is going to be a long December fight, because we can't imagine Democrats moving up to that.

WE THEN ASKED TRUMP if he would be open to a deal with Democrats to shield DREAMERS from deportation as part of an agreement to build the wall.

THE ANSWER TO THAT seemed to be a resounding no.

"WELL, I THINK DACA is gonna be much more interesting to talk about when we go to the Supreme Court," he said.

"IF THE SUPREME COURT DOESN'T ALLOW DACA," he said -- in other words, if it gets struck down, "we will settle every single issue we have. Does that make sense to you?

"THE PROBLEM IS -- and we were very close to making a settlement on $25 billion and lots of other things. And we were going to allow even a larger group of folks under DACA -- you know, a generous group. And we were all set, and then shockingly, including for the Democrats, shockingly, the court said that DACA would be allowed. Once that happened, when I called up Chuck, they said, 'Let's see, Donald Trump? I don't know anybody named Donald Trump.' It was the most amazing ... transformation I've ever heard."

-- QUICK NOTE: This is not how Democrats remember the deal going down. They say the president turned them down.

"I HAVE HEART FOR THEM TOO," Trump said of Dreamers. "I have heart for them too. You know, they came here. I have big heart for DACA. I want to be able to keep them. But if the court rules properly, there will be no problem with DACA and we'll get everything solved. If the court rules in favor of Obama having that right [to put DACA in place], it's going to be a disaster because we will get nothing, we will get nothing done. Does that make sense?" Our Oval Office interview story

THERE WERE JUST FIVE people in the room: Jake, Anna, the president, White House Communications Director Bill Shine and Hogan Gidley. The president had a soda on his desk, and a small pile of papers. He seemed energized for a lame-duck border wall fight.

Good Wednesday morning. JUST ASKING: Will there be a White House media Christmas party this year? We hear likely not.

MORE FROM RUCKER, DAWSEY and DAMIAN PALETTA: "Trump slams Fed chair, questions climate change and threatens to cancel Putin meeting in wide-ranging interview with The Post": "President Trump placed responsibility for recent stock market declines and this week's announcement of General Motors plant closures and layoffs on the Federal Reserve during an interview Tuesday, shirking any personal blame for cracks in the economy and declaring that he is 'not even a little bit happy' with his hand-selected central bank chairman.

"In a wide-ranging and sometimes discordant 20-minute interview with The Washington Post, Trump complained at length about Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. 'Jay' Powell, whom he nominated last year. ...

"He added: 'So far, I'm not even a little bit happy with my selection of Jay. Not even a little bit. And I'm not blaming anybody, but I'm just telling you I think that the Fed is way off-base with what they're doing.' Sitting at the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office, Trump also threatened to cancel his scheduled meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at a global summit this week in Argentina because of Russia's maritime clash with Ukraine." WaPo

-- "Trump on climate change: 'People like myself, we have very high levels of intelligence but we're not necessarily such believers,'" by WaPo's Josh Dawsey, Phil Rucker, Brady Dennis and Chris Mooney

-- CNN'S JIM SCIUTTO (@jimsciutto): "New: President Trump will discuss security and regional issues with Vladimir Putin when they meet this week at G20 in Argentina, national security adviser John Bolton said at WH briefing. 'I think it will be a continuation of their discussion in Helsinki,' he said."

A message from Better Medicare Alliance:

Seniors need Congress to act now. Delay of the 2020 Health Insurance Tax (HIT) would preserve affordable access to needed coverage and care for seniors, individuals with disabilities, and low-income beneficiaries in Medicare Advantage. Learn More.

HOUSE DEMOCRATIC LEADERSHIP ELECTIONS are today. They kick off at 10 a.m. in the Capitol Visitor Center auditorium.

WATCH FOR THIS ... NANCY PELOSI had 134 votes and 63 no votes in 2016 when she ran for minority leader against Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio). If her no total is smaller than that, that's an amazing feat, given the attention on this race.

RACHAEL BADE, HEATHER CAYGLE and JOHN BRESNAHAN: "Pelosi faces down her enemies in first key vote for speaker": "Nancy Pelosi is so confident that she'll win the speakership that she's going out of her way to give her vulnerable members a chance to vote against her. House Democrats are expected to overwhelmingly endorse Pelosi as their nominee for speaker during a closed-door caucus meeting Wednesday, despite opposition from a band of vocal critics.

"And since no one is challenging her for the job, Pelosi has modified the internal ballot so members can vote 'no' on her nomination, Democratic insiders told POLITICO - demonstrating just how sure she is of her numbers.

"The unusual move allows members from swing districts who ran on a platform of opposing Pelosi to say they did so when they return home. In fact, Pelosi allies have actually encouraged some members-elect to oppose her in caucus so they can tell constituents they tried to push her out of the job - and then back her during the more critical Jan. 3 floor vote to officially become speaker." POLITICO

-- WAPO'S MIKE DEBONIS and ELISE VIEBECK: "Pelosi solidifies support among dozens of Democratic freshmen on eve of crucial vote"

-- BEHIND THE SCENES ... PELOSI ASKS FOR DEMS' VOTE: In a "Dear Colleague" letter sent last night she wrote: "We all agree that history is in a hurry, and we need to accelerate the pace of change in Congress. We have been blessed with a Democratic Caucus now enhanced by an historic Freshman Class. My responsibility is to recognize the myriad of talent and tools at our disposal to take us in to the future by showcasing the idealism, intellect and imagination of our Caucus."

-- ILLINOIS REP. CHERI BUSTOS secured a slew of outside endorsements yesterday in her bid to become the next DCCC chair. She is running against NEW YORK REP. SEAN PATRICK MALONEY. The Illinois Democrat got strong backing from the United Steelworkers, IBEW, the Iron Workers and the Bricklayers. The letters: United Steelworkers ... IBEW ... Iron Workers ... Bricklayers

-- JOHN BRESNAHAN: "Clyburn has 150-plus backers for House majority whip bid"

IN MISSISSIPPI ... NO SURPRISE HERE -- JAMES ARKIN in Jackson, Miss.: "Hyde-Smith wins Mississippi Senate runoff": "Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith has won Mississippi's Senate runoff, defeating Democrat Mike Espy despite controversy over recent comments. Hyde-Smith had 56 percent of the vote to Espy's 44 percent when the Associated Press called the race with more than three-quarters of all precincts reporting. The result means Republicans will hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate next year." POLITICO

-- THE BIG PICTURE: "Democrats face Trump-state gantlet to take Senate in 2020," by James Arkin

IVANKA SPEAKS -- ABC'S DEBORAH ROBERTS talked with IVANKA TRUMP ... ROBERTS: "It has come to light that early in the administration, you used your private email for White House business. Your father had taken Hillary Clinton to task for this, so how did you wind up in a similar situation?"

IVANKA TRUMP: "Well, there really is no equivalency. All of my emails that relate to any form of government work, which was mainly scheduling and logistics and managing the fact that I have a home life and a work life are all part of the public record. They're all stored on the White House system. So, everything has been preserved. Everything's been archived. There just is no equivalency between the two things."

-- "Amid political turmoil, Ivanka Trump attempts a quiet swing through Idaho," by Idaho Statesman's Cynthia Sewell: "On Monday morning, the White House informed the Statesman it could send one reporter and one photographer to observe Apple CEO Tim Cook and adviser to the president Ivanka Trump tour a Wilder elementary school the next morning.

"And there were conditions: The Statesman could not ask questions of or talk to Trump and Cook. It could only observe. The only other media attending the event would be a national crew from ABC. By Monday afternoon, the Wilder School District sent notification letters about the visit to parents, along with ABC media release forms." Idaho Statesman

SCOOP -- "Kushner makes White House policy power play," by Nancy Cook and Daniel Lippman: "Jared Kushner is pushing to install an ally as director of the White House's Domestic Policy Council, a move that would place his stamp on a little-known but influential office that shapes some of President Donald Trump's biggest agenda items.

"The front-runner to take the job is Brooke Rollins, an assistant to the president and former top aide to then-Texas Gov. Rick Perry who has worked closely with Kushner on his prison reform legislation." POLITICO

-- AP/MEXICO CITY: "Mexico to grant highest honor to Jared Kushner": "The Mexican government said Tuesday that it will award President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner the highest honor the country gives to foreigners, the Order of the Aztec Eagle. The Foreign Relations Department said Kushner earned the award 'for his significant contributions in achieving the renegotiation of the new (trade) agreement between Mexico, the United States and Canada.'" AP

THE INVESTIGATIONS ...

-- "Manafort's Lawyer Said to Brief Trump Attorneys on What He Told Mueller," by NYT's Michael Schmidt, Sharon LaFraniere and Maggie Haberman: "A lawyer for Paul Manafort, the president's onetime campaign chairman, repeatedly briefed President Trump's lawyers on his client's discussions with federal investigators after Mr. Manafort agreed to cooperate with the special counsel, according to one of Mr. Trump's lawyers and two other people familiar with the conversations.

"The arrangement was highly unusual and inflamed tensions with the special counsel's office when prosecutors discovered it after Mr. Manafort began cooperating two months ago, the people said.

"Some legal experts speculated that it was a bid by Mr. Manafort for a presidential pardon even as he worked with the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, in hopes of a lighter sentence. Rudolph W. Giuliani, one of the president's personal lawyers, acknowledged the arrangement on Tuesday and defended it as a source of valuable insights into the special counsel's inquiry and where it was headed. Such information could help shape a legal defense strategy, and it also appeared to give Mr. Trump and his legal advisers ammunition in their public relations campaign against Mr. Mueller's office." NYT

-- DARREN SAMUELSOHN foreshadowed this in an Oct. 8 story: "Trump team's contact with Mueller targets could taint findings"

-- CNN'S SARA MURRAY and KATELYN POLANTZ: "Stone's efforts to seek WikiLeaks documents detailed in draft Mueller document": "Draft court filings obtained by CNN outline significant insights into what special counsel Robert Mueller may know about Roger Stone's efforts to seek documents from WikiLeaks in 2016.

"Mueller's office was preparing to tell a federal court that Stone pushed an associate to get documents from WikiLeaks -- information that is now known to be stolen from the Democrats by Russian hackers -- that could help the Trump campaign, according to a draft of a court filing and other documents shared with CNN by Stone associate and conservative author Jerome Corsi." CNN

A message from Better Medicare Alliance:


Seniors will face increased costs. Congress, delay the Health Insurance Tax and protect our seniors. Learn More.

TRUMP'S WEDNESDAY -- The president is having lunch with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. They'll discuss the Gateway tunnel project. He and first lady Melania Trump will participate in the National Christmas Tree Lighting at 5 p.m. at the Ellipse.
PLAYBOOK READS


PHOTO DU JOUR: First lady Melania Trump and second lady Karen Pence help make holiday care packages for U.S. troops abroad at the American Red Cross National Headquarters on Monday. | Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images

THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION -- BEN LEFEBVRE: "Threat of fundraising, monument probes lifts for Zinke": "The Federal Election Commission said it won't investigate Ryan Zinke's involvement in a Virgin Islands political fundraiser whose Republican organizer failed to disclose where the money ended up, the second ethics probe against the scandal-plagued Interior secretary to be scrapped in the past week.

"The FEC said in a letter dated Nov. 21 that the fundraiser for the Virgin Islands Republican Party in March 2017 was a matter for the islands' territorial government, not the federal government. Interior's inspector general also notified the agency on the same date that it had found no evidence that Zinke shrank the borders of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument to benefit a local Republican lawmaker." POLITICO

-- ALEX THOMPSON and ELIANA JOHNSON: "Trump trashed new Pompeo aide as 'major loser': Former WSJ editorial writer Mary Kissel, who recently took a senior State Department job, has repeatedly slammed Trump's foreign policy - and once even drew his ire on Twitter": POLITICO

FOR YOUR RADAR -- "CIA official in charge of Korea to depart at year-end: sources" -- Yonhap: "A senior U.S. Central Intelligence Agency official in charge of Korea affairs will resign at the end of the year, multiple sources said Tuesday. Andrew Kim, head of the CIA's Korea Mission Center, has tendered his resignation effective Dec. 20 to move to a research post at Stanford University, a senior official at South Korea's National Intelligence Service said." Yonhap

A message from Better Medicare Alliance:


The 2020 Health Insurance Tax will raise costs for seniors. Congressional action is needed now. Learn More.

WEDNESDAY LISTEN ... WOMEN RULE -- ANNA spoke with DEBORAH RUTTER, who heads the Kennedy Center, just days before the Kennedy Center Honors about her vision for the institution in the latest "Women Rule" podcast. Rutter said she had lunch Monday with the new head of the National Endowment for the Arts, Mary Anne Carter, who said she shared that vision. "She affirmed exactly the same thing because she said, 'My daughter is a whole person and a great student because she has the arts in her day, every day,'" Rutter said of her conversation with Carter. Subscribe and listen to the full podcast

MEDIAWATCH -- "'If I could ask a follow-up': Acosta, Sanders make polite return to White House briefing room," by Jason Schwartz: "The White House on Tuesday held its first press briefing since attempting to revoke CNN reporter Jim Acosta's press pass - and it was almost like the entire drama, which led to the creation of new White House rules governing reporters' behavior, never happened. The briefing was a calm affair by the standards of President Donald Trump's administration.

"Unlike many before it, press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders did not bash the press or criticize specific journalists. And despite new rules barring follow-up questions at press conferences - the White House has not specified whether those apply to briefings and other less-formal media events - several reporters asked them without incident. ... Acosta was among those who tested the new rules Tuesday." POLITICO

-- AP'S DAVID BAUDER: "Fox disciplines employees who set up Trump aide appearance": "Fox News Channel said Tuesday that it is disciplining employees involved in an email exchange with an aide to President Trump's former EPA administrator Scott Pruitt to craft a 'Fox & Friends' interview with the environmental chief last year.

"The emails showed one of Pruitt's aides suggesting the interview, passing along 'talking points' and given the chance by a Fox producer to approve a script written to introduce Pruitt. ... Fox would not say who was being disciplined, noting that it was a personnel matter, and what that discipline involved. Earlier, the network had said that 'this is not standard practice whatsoever and the matter is being addressed internally with those involved.'" AP

-- "Two Become One: Condé Nast to Combine Operations; CEO to Exit," by Women's Wear Daily's Kali Hays
PLAYBOOKERS
SPOTTED last night at Bobby Van's on 15th Street: Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Reps. Richard Neal (D-Mass.) and Michael Capuano (D-Mass.) for a Massachusetts delegation meeting.

SPOTTED: Yo-Yo Ma and Rep. Joe Kennedy (D-Mass.) both in coach on an AA flight from Boston to DCA Tuesday afternoon. Yo-Yo's cello got its own seat. Per our tipster: "They exchanged social niceties and Yoyo asked if he will be seeing the congressman at [a Tuesday night] event (a benefit dinner with Jose Andres)," which Kennedy was unable to attend due to conflicts. Pic ... Steve Bannon at Shelly's last night.

BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Jonathan Lemire, WH reporter for the AP and political analyst at MSNBC and NBC News, is 39. A fun fact about Jonathan: "I have a long history with Donald Trump that began well before I covered his campaign and presidency. In 2001, while reporting at an event he held, he offered to set me up with another red-headed reporter. She was, I think, an intern at a local TV station and, mercifully, walked away before Trump could put his plan in motion. And later that year I saw him sneak snacks into a showing of the Tom Cruise movie 'Vanilla Sky.' He and his companion - I believe it was Melania - ducked in after the lights went down but I could see her pull out candy from her
bag." Playbook Plus Q&A

BIRTHDAYS: Jake Sullivan is 42 ... Judd Deere, special assistant to Trump and director of media affairs, is 31 (hat tips: Tim Griffin and Weston Loyd) ... Glen Johnson ... Tim Skoczek ... Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) is 54 ... WaPo's Matea Gold ... Paul Shaffer is 69 ... Jon Stewart is 56 ... Gary Hart is 82 ... former DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff, now co-founder and executive chairman of the Chertoff Group, is 65 ... former VA Secretary Eric Shinseki is 76 ... Stephen Jordan ... CBS News' Susan Spencer ... POLITICO's Cally Baute ... Trent Edwards is 42 ... Michael Sargeant ... Jason Reed ... Suzi Emmerling, director of communications for the City of LA ... Andrew Mangino is 32 ... Joy
Nadel ... Thomas Crosson ... Stacie Spector ... David Halperin ... Sean Rankin, ED of the Democratic Attorneys General Association (h/ts Jon Haber) ... Lexie Hosier (h/t Judd Deere) ... Alistair Darling is 65 ... French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe is 48 ... Latvian Prime Minister M\u0101ris Ku\u010dinski is 57 ...

... Nick Owens, CEO of Magnolia Strategy Partners, celebrating at Mar-a-Lago (h/t Lenwood Brooks) ... Rep.-elect Max Rose (D-N.Y.) is 32 ... Amanda Fagerblom (h/t Sarah Raina Horowitz) ... Kimberly Spell ... Lesley Lopez ... NYT's Elaine Sciolino ... Mark McDonald ... Patrick Mark Callahan ... Carmen Covelli-Ingwell ... Deloitte's John Kim ... Richard Norman is 63 ... Edward Chapman ... Anna Weinstein ... Stephanie Berger ... NNSA's Harris Walker is 31 ... Courtney Loper ... Ashley Phelps ... Jackie Walker ... Dan Hurley ... Steve Adamske ... Chris Tucker of FTI Consulting ... Jackie Walker ... ASU's Bret Hovell ... Tom Barker ... Mickeala Carter ... Sarah Adams ... Bridget Winstead ...
Lindsay Esson ... Mandy Gunasekara ... Paul Ambrosino ... Brady Williamson ... Joe Dennison (h/ts Teresa Vilmain)

A message from Better Medicare Alliance:

Medicare Advantage premiums went down for 2019 in part because the Health Insurance Tax was suspended. The return of the Health Insurance Tax (HIT) in 2020 would force 21 million beneficiaries to pay more for their Medicare Advantage coverage when they simply cannot afford it. Congressional action is needed now to delay the 2020 HIT Tax to protect seniors. Learn More.

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