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Presented by H&R Block: Playbook is POLITICO's must-read briefing on what's driving the day Nov 19, 2018 View in browser
By Jake Sherman, Anna Palmer and Daniel Lippman

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DRIVING THE DAY
FIRST IN PLAYBOOK ... HARVARD'S CONGRESSIONAL ORIENTATION LINEUP ... ONE OF THE HALLMARKS of congressional orientation is the Harvard Institute of Politics' bipartisan program. This year, it will be Dec. 4-6 on Harvard's campus. SPEAKERS INCLUDE: Gary Cohn, who served as PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP'S economic adviser; Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao; former Defense Secretary Ash Carter; GM CEO Mary Barra; Johnson and Johnson CEO Alex Gorsky; former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu; AEI president Arthur Brooks; David Gergen; Danielle Allen; and Doug Elmendorf.

BREAKING ... WSJ'S SEAN MCLAIN in Tokyo: "Nissan Motor Co. said it has uncovered numerous significant acts of misconduct by Carlos Ghosn and intends to oust him as chairman. Nissan released a statement Monday about Mr. Ghosn amid news reports in Japan that he was about to be arrested.

"Nissan said its investigation had been going on for several months. It said Mr. Ghosn has been reporting compensation amounts in securities reports that were less than the actual amount. Nissan said that in regards to Mr. Ghosn, 'numerous other significant acts of misconduct have been uncovered, such as personal use of company assets.'" WSJ

-- BLOOMBERG reports Ghosn has been arrested.

2020 WATCH ... THE BETO FACTOR -- DAVID SIDERS: "'He's Barack Obama, but white': Beto O'Rourke blows up the 2020 Democratic primary": "Sparked by his narrow defeat in a Texas Senate race, Beto O'Rourke is scrambling the 2020 presidential primary field, freezing Democratic donors and potential campaign staffers in place as they await word of his plans.

"Even prior to O'Rourke's meteoric rise, many Democratic fundraisers had approached the large number of 2020 contenders with apprehension, fearful of committing early to one candidate. But the prospect of a presidential bid by O'Rourke, whose charismatic Senate candidacy captured the party's imagination, has suddenly rewired the race.

"O'Rourke - who raised a stunning $38 million in the third quarter of his race - is widely considered capable of raising millions of dollars quickly, according to interviews with multiple Democratic money bundlers and strategists, catapulting him into the upper echelons of the 2020 campaign.

"Mikal Watts, a San Antonio-based lawyer and major Democratic money bundler, said several donors and political operatives in Iowa, after hearing from other potential candidates in recent days, have called to ask if O'Rourke is running, a sign of his impact in the first-in-the-nation caucus state.

"'They're not wanting to sign on to other presidential campaigns until they know whether Beto is going,' Watts said. 'And if Beto is running, what good progressive Democrat wouldn't want to work for Beto O'Rourke?' He said, 'I can tell you that there has not been this kind of level of electric excitement about a candidate since' Barack Obama ran in 2008." POLITICO

-- "Inclusivity, allyship and POC: 2020 Democrats go all-in on identity politics," by Alex Thompson

Good Monday morning, and happy Thanksgiving week. Congress is out, and the president is heading to Mar-a-Lago tomorrow.

SPOTTED at GW's Lisner Auditorium on Sunday evening: Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg at the U.S. premiere of Charles Gounod's 1851 opera, "Sapho," performed by Washington Concert Opera and starring mezzo-soprano Kate Lindsey. Per our tipster: "The justice was given a lengthy standing ovation by the audience as she made her way back to her seat after intermission." ... Justice Brett Kavanaugh eating dinner with his family last night at Chevy Chase Lounge on Connecticut Avenue

IN FLORIDA ... SOUTH FLORIDA SUN SENTINEL: "Brenda Snipes submits resignation as Broward elections supervisor," by Anthony Man: Just hours after finishing a tumultuous election recount, Broward Supervisor of Elections Brenda Snipes submitted her resignation, ending a 15-year tenure full of botched elections, legal disputes and blistering criticism.

"'It is true. She did send it,' said Burnadette Norris-Weeks, an attorney who works as counsel to the Supervisor of Elections Office. Evelyn Perez-Verdia, a former office spokeswoman who left several years ago, said Sunday evening she was told by people in the office that the letter was sent 'to Tallahassee' earlier in the day.

"Norris-Weeks said she saw an early draft of the letter. In the version she saw, she said Snipes, 75, expressed a desire to spend more time with her family." Sun Sentinel

-- SEN. BILL NELSON (D-FLA.) conceded to Rick Scott in the Florida Senate race. Nelson's video

TOP-ED - MIKE BLOOMBERG in the NYT, "Why I'm Giving $1.8 Billion for College Financial Aid": "America is at its best when we reward people based on the quality of their work, not the size of their pocketbook. Denying students entry to a college based on their ability to pay undermines equal opportunity. It perpetuates intergenerational poverty. And it strikes at the heart of the American dream: the idea that every person, from every community, has the chance to rise based on merit." NYT

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THE SPEAKER RACE ... MICHELLE COTTLE, NYT ed board member, on the op-ed page: "Go Ahead, Democrats. Fight Over Nancy Pelosi: Just get it out of your systems now, please": With a large freshman class on its way and the Democratic Party in the midst of a roaring debate about its core values, there will, of course, be clashes about who will have what kind of influence in the caucus, and which voices will lead the way. ...

"Many incoming Democrats ran on the promise of disrupting the status quo. And there's a wide range of views about the degree to which the party should try to work with President Trump on issues of shared interest versus pursuing a path of total resistance. Members old and new need to air their grievances, hash out their differences and set a course for how the team can better function over the next two sure-to-be-bonkers years. ...

"Change is hard. Change in Congress can be darn near impossible. And convincing powerful members who have been well-served by the existing system to tinker with that system requires more than a gentle nudge. Why shouldn't reformers press their issues now, when they have influence with leadership? While Ms. Pelosi is seeking their support, they can lobby for rule changes to empower the rank-and-file, to reform how chairmanships are assigned, to put in place programs aimed at nurturing young talent - or maybe even to extract a promise that she will step gracefully aside in 2020." NYT

ZACH WARMBRODT: "Maxine Waters wants to investigate Trump, but her party may resist": "Rep. Maxine Waters is running into an unexpected obstacle in her bid to investigate a president who has mocked her as a 'low IQ person': members of the California Democrat's own party.

"Waters, the incoming chairwoman of the House Financial Services Committee, has promised to follow the 'Trump money trail,' targeting the Trump Organization's hundreds of millions in loans from Deutsche Bank, the German lender that has been under scrutiny in connection with Russian money laundering.

"But the committee has a handful of moderates who worry that such aggressive moves will backfire. 'The American people will understand thoughtful, well-grounded investigations,' said Rep. Jim Himes, a Connecticut Democrat. 'But they will bridle at investigations that seem overtly political.'

"That tension between cautious Democrats and those who want to train their subpoena firepower at the White House is being repeated throughout the House, as establishment veterans face off against progressives out for revenge against President Donald Trump." POLITICO

WSJ'S DION NISSENBAUM: "John Bolton Energizes Trump's Agenda-And His Own": "Mr. Bolton's ability to shape Mr. Trump's priorities and pursue his own causes have given rise to a new nickname among some critics: President Bolton. His allies know the term could earn him the ire of Mr. Trump, who has been known to turn on others seen as stealing his spotlight." WSJ


GOOD READ ... WSJ'S DEEPA SEETHARAMAN on Page One: "With Facebook at 'War,' Zuckerberg Adopts More Aggressive Style": "Mark Zuckerberg gathered about 50 of his top lieutenants earlier this year and told them that Facebook Inc. was at war and he planned to lead the company accordingly. During times of peace, executives can move more slowly and ensure that everybody is on board with key decisions, he said during the June meeting, according to people familiar with the remarks.

"But with Facebook under siege from lawmakers, investors and angry users, he needed to act more decisively, the people said. Mr. Zuckerberg's new approach is causing unprecedented turmoil atop Facebook, driving several key executives from the company, according to people familiar with the matter. ...

"This spring, Mr. Zuckerberg told Ms. Sandberg, 49, that he blamed her and her teams for the public fallout over Cambridge Analytica, the research firm that inappropriately accessed private data on Facebook users and used it for political research, according to people familiar with the exchange. Ms. Sandberg later confided in friends that the exchange rattled her, and she wondered if she should be worried about her job." WSJ

TRUMP'S MONDAY -- He and First Lady Melania Trump will participate in the delivery of the White House Christmas tree at 1 p.m. The president is having lunch with VP Mike Pence at 1:30 p.m.
PLAYBOOK READS


PHOTO DU JOUR: An anti-migrant demonstrator is surrounded by press as she argues with a woman during a protest against the presence of thousands of Central American migrants in Tijuana, Mex., on Sunday. | Rodrigo Abd/AP Photo

THE LATEST IN CALIFORNIA ... "Trying to get a handle on California's deadly wildfires has lawmakers flummoxed," by L.A. Times' George Skelton

TICK TOCK - "California fire: What started as a tiny brush fire became the state's deadliest wildfire. Here's how" - LA Times: "From his station bunk at the head of Jarbo Gap, Capt. Matt McKenzie of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection woke to the sound of pine needles pelting the roof. At 6:15 a.m., a Pacific Gas & Electric Co. high-voltage line near the Poe Dam generating station six miles away malfunctioned. A report of fire came at 6:29.Fifteen minutes later, McKenzie stood at the dam looking helplessly across the river canyon at a 10-acre fire on the rock slope above.

"He had no way to reach it. Its unpaved access route, Camp Creek Road, clung to the mountain so precariously that rock slides threatened to erase it....'This has got potential for a major incident,' he radioed. 'Still working on access.'He called for an evacuation of the nearby community of Pulga and ordered a slew of engines, water tankers, bulldozers and strike teams....

"McKenzie appealed for 'early up' of the helicopters and air tankers that could attack the fire from above. He was told he'd have to wait. Cal Fire planes don't fly before light or if the wind is too fierce, and both the time and weather conspired with the growing fire on Camp Creek Road." LAT

-- NYT: "'Hell on Earth': The First 12 Hours of California's Deadliest Wildfire"


MEDIAWATCH -- FROM CNN'S BRIAN STELTER: "If you thought the Trump administration would seek to settle CNN and Jim Acosta's lawsuit out of court ... think again. ... White House officials sent Acosta a letter stating that his pass is set to be suspended again once the restraining order expires. From the looks of the letter, the W.H. is trying to establish a paper trail that will empower the administration to boot Acosta again at the end of the month.

"CNN responded with this statement on Sunday: 'The White House is continuing to violate the First and 5th Amendments of the Constitution. These actions threaten all journalists and news organizations. Jim Acosta and CNN will continue to report the news about the White House and the President.'"

-- "'Nothing on this page is real': How lies become truth in online America," by WaPo's Eli Saslow in North Waterboro, Maine: "'We live in an Idiocracy,' read a small note on [Christopher] Blair's desk, and he was taking full advantage. In a good month, the advertising revenue from his website earned him as much as $15,000, and it had also won him a loyal army of online fans. Hundreds of liberals now visited America's Last Line of Defense to humiliate conservatives who shared Blair's fake stories as fact.

"In Blair's private Facebook messages with his liberal supporters, his conservative audience was made up of 'sheep,' 'hillbillies,' 'maw-maw and paw-paw,' 'TrumpTards,' 'potatoes' and 'taters.' 'How could any thinking person believe this nonsense?' he said. He hit the publish button and watched as his lie began to spread." WaPo
PLAYBOOKERS
TRANSITION ... MATT HOUSE, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's communications director, is leaving the Hill.

BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Matt Viser, WaPo national political reporter, is 39. A fun fact about Matt: "I hesitate to share this, but what the heck: I have a pretty strong musical background. I was in show choir in high school (Glee to the T, complete with blue sequins stitched on an ill fitting tuxedo), and in college had a double major, along with journalism, in classical guitar performance. Most of those talents have fallen by the wayside, though, so don't ask me to do jazz hands or play the Bach sonatas I once knew." Playbook Plus Q&A

BIRTHDAYS: Brad Bauman is 4-0 ... State Dept.'s Matt Lloyd, who's celebrating by taking his wife Amy to lunch and skipping the State Dept. bureau of public affairs Thanksgiving potluck (hat tip: Heather Nauert) ... Ann Curry ... Meghan Burris, OMB deputy comms director ... former Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) is 79 ... Tommy Thompson is 77 ... Larry King is 85 (h/t Tammy Haddad) ... Jack Welch is 83 ... Ted Turner is 8-0 ... Ashton Adams ... Time's Sam Jacobs (h/t Gabe Debenedetti) ... Justin Hamilton is 43 ... Allison Janney ... WaPo's Dana Hedgpeth ... DHS' Jeff Mitchell (h/t Scott McConnell) ... Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, president of Egypt, is 64 ... Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey is 42 ... Robert
Marcus ... Annie Tomasini ... Nicole Isaac ... Michael Dale-Stein of Sunshine Sachs ... Trey Emerson Sprick ... former Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell is 56 ... Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) is 71 ... former Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-N.Y.) is 76 ... former Rep. Jo Bonner (R-Ala.) is 59 ...

... Adriana (Lorenzo) Guzman, who married CBS News' Javier Guzman this past summer -- pic (h/t Jacqueline Corba) ... Maya Hixson ... Scott Garlick ... Sarah Hamilton ... Jason Dumont ... John Axelrod ... Lauren McCulloch ... Dena Iverson ... Chris Harlow ... Eric Finkbeiner ... BuzzFeed's Vera Maria Bergengruen ... Mike Deutsch ... Matt Allen ... Beth Mickelberg ... Lynne Walton ... Patrick K. O'Donnell ... Andrew Sollinger, publisher of Foreign Policy ... Cait Graf, VP of comms at The Nation ... Bloomberg's Ivan Levingston ... Alexander Heffner is 29 ... Ellen Silva of NPR ... Shelley Hearne (h/ts Jon Haber) ... Charlie Siguler ... Geoff Sokolowski ... Neil Bjorkman ... Hannah McLeod ...
Michael Reynold ... Amber Manko ... Mary Kay Mantho ... Ivette Diaz ... Julie Cassidy ... David O'Boyle ... Ricky Wilson.

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