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By Jake Sherman, Anna Palmer and Daniel Lippman

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DRIVING THE DAY
BEHIND THE SCENES ... HOUSE REPUBLICANS yesterday held a private conference call to take stock of the election results, and begin thinking about the end of the Congressional session. A few quick nuggets that we think you'll find interesting:

-- NOT A SINGLE House Republican asked about the plan to fund Trump's border wall.

-- WEST VIRGINIA REP. DAVID MCKINLEY, who handily won re-election, asked the leadership why Republicans aren't planning immediate action on a bill that guarantees health care to people with pre-existing conditions. He noted that this was a major election-season issue. SPEAKER PAUL RYAN said the bill they passed in 2017 did ensure coverage for people with pre-existing conditions, and doing so now would be a false concession -- in his mind -- that the initial bill fell short in that regard.

-- TWO SOUTHERN lawmakers -- Florida Rep. Neal Dunn and Georgia Rep. Austin Scott -- said Congress needs to pass an emergency disaster spending bill to help clean up from the hurricane.

-- REP. FRENCH HILL of Arkansas said he would not vote for any candidate to lead the NRCC unless they've come up with a way to address ActBlue -- the online fundraising platform that funnels millions of dollars to Democrats.

Good Friday morning. SNEAK PEEK: HOUSE MINORITY LEADER NANCY PELOSI is continuing to try to solidify support within her caucus in her bid to return as speaker. Although there remains some dissent in her caucus, OHIO REP. JOYCE BEATTY will call this morning on her colleagues to unite around Pelosi.

"The American people have spoken. Democrats will lead in the 116th Congress and I will support Nancy Pelosi for Speaker. Now is the time for House Democrats to unify so that the will of the majority prevails," Beatty will say in a statement. "House Democrats must not allow a handful of members to hold a veto over the overwhelming majority of our Caucus. Any attempts to undermine Nancy Pelosi for Speaker of the House are unwarranted and fly in the face of her stellar and unrivaled leadership that led Democrats to victory in the House."

RACHAEL BADE and JOHN BRESNAHAN: "Opposition to Pelosi hardens": "Ten Democratic incumbents or members-elect told POLITICO that they will vote against Nancy Pelosi for speaker on the House floor, exposing a serious problem for the California Democrat in her bid to reclaim the gavel. ...

"Pelosi's office dismissed the notion that she wouldn't get the votes to be speaker. And her allies note that she has two months to win skeptics and said she plans to take her fight all the way to the floor.

"'Leader Pelosi is confident in her support among Members and Members-elect,' said Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill. 'Democrats don't let Republicans choose their leaders. The election proved that the GOP attacks on Pelosi simply do not work.' ...

"The eight lawmakers or offices who have confirmed to POLITICO that they intend to vote against Pelosi on the floor are Democratic Reps. Ed Perlmutter of Colorado, who organized the Wednesday night call, Kathleen Rice of New York, Seth Moulton of Massachusetts, Bill Foster of Illinois, Tim Ryan of Ohio, Filemon Vela of Texas, Kurt Schrader of Oregon and Rep. Conor Lamb of Pennsylvania.

"The campaigns of Reps.-Elect Abigail Spanberger and Jason Crow have told POLITICO their bosses won't vote for her on the floor. Pelosi critics say there are more to come, but until these members publicly say so, it is unclear if they will follow through." POLITICO

CHRIS CUOMO spoke with NANCY PELOSI on CNN last night. CUOMO: "What is your level of confidence that you'll be the Speaker of the House?" PELOSI: "Total." CUOMO: "A hundred percent." PELOSI: "A hundred percent, yeah. I think that my letter [Wednesday] night -- because I didn't ask anybody for support, because I was too busy winning an election and I didn't think it was appropriate to ask members or candidates then." ... CUOMO: "You don't think that you'll have to deal with unusual opposition?" PELOSI: "If I do, I mean, that's politics. This is not a day at the beach. This is politics."

SANCHEZ DROPS OUT -- "Rep. Linda Sanchez ends leadership bid after husband's indictment," by John Bresnahan: "Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.) on Thursday dropped out of the race to lead the House Democratic Caucus and faced questions about her political future following her husband's indictment on federal criminal charges." POLITICO

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THE NEW HOUSE ... AP'S LISA MASCARO: "Pelosi unveils plans to establish new House diversity office": "Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi wants to establish a new House diversity office to hire employees from different backgrounds to Capitol Hill. ... The House Diversity Initiative calls for creating a permanent House office with staff to help recruit and retain diverse employees. It would be voted on at the start of the new Congress." AP

TED HESSON and GABBY ORR: "Trump moves to restrict asylum access at the U.S.-Mexico border"

A PREVIEW OF THE DECEMBER SPENDING FIGHT ... It seems as if Senate and House Republican leadership has decided it will push for giving PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP $5 BILLION for his border wall at the end of the year. Republicans are going to push for a full year of funding for the remaining spending bills, which includes DHS -- and, presumably the wall. This would give Congress the ability to get a fresh start on spending in 2019. But Democrats have to go along with that plan -- and they may see it to their advantage to enact a short-term bill so they can negotiate immigration and border security language on their terms.

BUT Republicans and Democrats will need to negotiate a new budget deal next year, and the GOP believes that a short-term spending deal might delay those talks.

-- THAT ALL SAID ... NEW YORK REP. JERRY NADLER, who will chair the Judiciary Committee, said he would try to attach a bill to protect Robert Mueller to the year-end spending bill.

NYT'S SHANE GOLDMACHER, "Fresh Off Re-Election, Gillibrand Says She Is Giving 'Long, Hard Thought' to 2020 Run": "Senator Kirsten Gillibrand on Thursday gave her strongest public indication yet that she was contemplating a run for president in 2020, telling the late-night show host Stephen Colbert she would 'give it a long, hard thought of consideration.' 'I've seen the hatred and the division that President Trump has put out into our country, and it has called me to fight as hard as I possibly can to restore the moral compass of this country,' Ms. Gillibrand, Democrat of New York, said in what sounded like the makings of a campaign theme." NYT ... 8-min. video

LATEST ON CALIFORNIA SHOOTING -- "Victims of Thousand Oaks shooting were full of hope and heroism: An actress' niece, an aspiring soldier and a heroic sheriff's sergeant were among those killed at the Borderline Bar and Grill," by NBC News' James Rainey and Dareh Gregorian: "A father's desperate search for his son ended in crushing heartbreak in Thousand Oaks on Thursday. 'I've been here fighting for him all morning long, and we did just get the news that he was one of the [12] that were killed last night,' the man, Jason Coffman, told reporters, choking back tears.

"'His name was Cody Coffman, my first-born son.' 'Only him and I know how much I love ... how much I miss, miss him,' Coffman said, holding his fist to his heart as he struggled to speak. 'Oh, son! I love you so much.'" NBC News

-- L.A. TIMES: "He was a bouncer, she loved music, he wanted to join the Army - these are the victims of the Borderline shooting"

SESSIONS FALLOUT ...

-- THE NEXT AG ... "Chris Christie emerges in A.G. hunt hindered by Russia probe," by Eliana Johnson, Gabby Orr, Annie Karni, and Ben White: "The shadow of special counsel Robert Mueller's ongoing investigation is complicating President Donald Trump's search for a new attorney general.

"Labor Secretary Alex Acosta has told associates he is unlikely to accept the job if it is offered before Mueller issues his report, according to two sources familiar with the ongoing conversations. And two other candidates approached by the White House about the position signaled they were not interested in the position.

"As a result, former New Jersey governor Chris Christie has emerged as a strong contender, according to two former White House officials briefed on the ongoing discussions, one of whom predicted that 'this is going to end up with Christie.' The president has said in recent days that he believes Christie, the first prominent Republican to back his presidential bid, has patiently waited his turn after being passed over for the job during the post-2016 election transition." POLITICO

ABOUT MATT WHITAKER -- "Listen: Trump's Acting Attorney General Said the President Can Kill Any Investigation He Wants: And Matt Whitaker claimed Trump cannot commit obstruction of justice," by Mother Jones' David Corn.

-- "Sessions replacement Matthew Whitaker called Mueller's appointment 'ridiculous' and 'a little fishy,'" by CNN's Andrew Kaczynski: "Whitaker, formerly Sessions' chief of staff, made the comments on the radio in 2017 before his appointment at the Justice Department. In those appearances, he also said the President did not obstruct justice when he allegedly asked then-FBI Director James Comey to drop the investigation into Trump's former national security adviser Michael Flynn." CNN

-- "Acting Attorney General Once Declared Courts 'Inferior' and Criticized Supreme Court's Power," by NYT's Charlie Savage.

-- DARREN SAMUELSOHN: "Mueller's new boss immediately draws enemies": "To Whitaker's critics, the newest member of the Trump boogeyman club is an inexperienced but loyal acolyte installed as Mueller's new supervisor to make under-the-radar moves designed to protect the president. They vowed to be vigilant in watchdogging him.

"'There are no secrets,' said Norm Eisen, the former top ethics official in the Obama White House. 'If he steps out of line, it's going to become known.' ... 'Terrific!' John Dowd, the president's former personal attorney, said in an email to POLITICO when asked for comment about Whitaker's appointment." POLITICO

THE INVESTIGATIONS ... NYT's MARK MAZZETTI and CHARLIE SAVAGE, "Mueller Inquiry Faces New Uncertainty With Skeptic Atop Justice Dept.": "In a conference call on Thursday afternoon, House Democrats discussed steps they could take, according to one lawmaker who participated, speaking on the condition of anonymity to describe the internal discussion. ...

"Among the plans discussed, the lawmaker said, were a resolution to protect Mr. Mueller's work, and efforts to insert language into must-pass year-end spending bills to insulate the investigation through judicial review and requiring critical documents be preserved. ... [Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.)] said that Democrats were keenly interested in learning whether Mr. Trump had sought a commitment from Mr. Whitaker not to recuse himself from the Russia investigation, regardless of potential advice of ethics lawyers.

"Mr. Whitaker has appeared eager to please the president in meetings in the Oval Office, according to two people with direct knowledge of his visits there. During those discussions, they said, he appeared to agree with Mr. Trump when the president denounced the Mueller investigation." NYT

2018 WATCH -- MATT DIXON and MARC CAPUTO in Tallahassee: "Florida readies for massive recount": "Election officials, campaign operatives and lawyers across Florida are gearing up for massive recounts in large part due to a familiar problem: Broward County, which has been saddled with election controversies ever since the disputed 2000 presidential race.

"All eyes are on that problematic South Florida county - Florida's second largest and one of its most Democratic - as it lags nearly every other in the state in reporting ballot tallies. The county's results could help decide the races for U.S. Senate, governor and agriculture commissioner, which are headed for recounts." POLITICO

-- JAMES ARKIN: "Sinema takes slim lead in too-close-to-call Arizona Senate race": "Democratic Rep. Kyrsten Sinema took a narrow 2,106-vote lead over GOP Rep. Martha McSally Thursday evening as Arizona's election authorities counted more ballots in the state's uncalled Senate race.

"The lead amounts to just a tenth of a percentage point with over 1.8 million votes counted. McSally was up by 17,703 votes earlier in the day, before the counties processed another 130,000 votes - but about a half-million more votes remain to be counted across Arizona, according to both campaigns." POLITICO


TRUMP'S FRIDAY -- The president and First Lady Melania Trump will leave the White House at 9 a.m. for Joint Base Andrews before departing for Orly, France. At 4 p.m. Eastern Time, they will head from Orly to Paris.

SUNDAY SO FAR ...


FOX

"Fox News Sunday": Panel: Rich Lowry, Jane Harman, Josh Holmes and Jim Messina. Power Player: Hershel "Woody" Williams, the last surviving Medal of Honor recipient from World War Two

CBS

"Face the Nation": Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) ... Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) ... House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). Panel: Rachael Bade, Dan Balz, Mark Landler and Ed O'Keefe. (Margaret Brennan will anchor on her first Sunday back since returning from maternity leave.)

ABC

"This Week": Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) ... Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.). Panel: Mary Bruce, Matthew Dowd, Chris Christie, Rahm Emanuel and Sara Fagen

NBC

"Meet the Press": Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.). Panel: David Brooks, Matthew Continetti, Donna Edwards and Eliana Johnson

CNN

"State of the Union": Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) ... Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.). Panel: Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-Ill.), Rick Santorum, Mike Rogers and Nina Turner

CNN

"Inside Politics": Josh Dawsey, Julie Pace, Manu Raju and Rachael Bade
PLAYBOOK READS


PHOTO DU JOUR: People gather for a vigil for Sean Adler, a victim of the Thousand Oaks, Calif. shooting, on Thursday. | Jae C. Hong/AP Photo

WAPO'S KRISSAH THOMPSON: "In revealing new memoir, Michelle Obama candidly shares her story": "The first-lady memoir is a rite of passage, but Obama's is different by virtue of her very identity. 'Becoming' takes her historic status as the first black woman to serve as first lady and melds it deftly into the American narrative. She writes of the common aspects of her story and - as the only White House resident to count an enslaved great-great-grandfather as an ancestor - of its singular sweep.

"In the 426-page book, Obama lays out her complicated relationship with the political world that made her famous. But her memoir is not a Washington read full of gossip and political score-settling - though she does lay bare her deep, quaking disdain for Trump, who she believes put her family's safety at risk with his vehement promotion of the false birther conspiracy theory. ...

"She also shares intimate details for the first time, for instance, that she and her husband had trouble getting pregnant, suffered a miscarriage, and that both daughters were conceived through in vitro fertilization. And that she did a great deal of this while her husband was away serving in the state legislature, leaving her to administer the shots that are a part of that process herself." WaPo ... $19.50 on Amazon

FOR JARED ... L.A. TIMES' NOGA TARNOPOLSKY in JERUSALEM: "Emboldened by Trump, Israel's Netanyahu suggests a tough new approach to the Palestinian territories": "Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu started the week with a statement that in the past might have provoked an international outcry: 'The 'occupation' is nonsense,' he said, referring to 51 years of Israeli military rule over Palestinians in the West Bank.

"In a single sentence, Netanyahu appeared to dismiss a legal and moral issue that has shaped most of the public discourse relating to Israel for more than half a century. Speaking to members of his party's parliamentary caucus, Netanyahu elaborated on his provocative assertion. 'Huge states have conquered and replaced populations, and no one talks about them,' the prime minister declared." LAT


THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION -- "Zinke prepares to leave Trump's Cabinet," by Ben Lefebvre and Eliana Johnson: "Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has been exploring potential roles with Fox News, the energy industry or other businesses amid growing signs that he will leave President Donald Trump's Cabinet as he faces investigations into his ethics, according to people knowledgeable about the discussions. ... Two of those people said Zinke has reached out to Fox to inquire about working at the conservative news channel as a contributor." POLITICO

2020 WATCH -- "Source: Eric Swalwell to run for president in 2020," by Alex Thompson: "Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell plans to run for president in 2020, according to a person close to the California congressman who is familiar with his plans. 'He's definitely running,' the source said. This weekend, Swalwell will be the first potential presidential candidate to visit Iowa after the midterms with a trip to meet the Asian & Latino Coalition in Des Moines and Iowa Democratic Party chairs in Dubuque." POLITICO

FOR YOUR RADAR -- "FDA plans curbs on e-cigarette sales over concerns about surge in teen vaping," by WaPo's Laurie McGinley: "As soon as next week, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb is expected to announce a ban on the sale of most flavored e-cigarettes in tens of thousands of convenience stores and gas stations across the country, according to senior agency officials. The agency will also impose such rules as age-verification requirements for online sales ... Gottlieb also is expected to propose banning menthol in regular cigarettes." WaPo

-- DAN DIAMOND: "Exclusive: Why SCOTT GOTTLIEB is banning most e-cigarette sales. The FDA commissioner told POLITICO that too many kids and teenagers are using devices like Juul, prompting his agency's planned ban on flavored e-cigarettes in convenience stores and gas stations around the country." Listen to the podcast

-- "Keystone XL Pipeline blocked by federal judge in major blow to Trump administration," by WaPo's Fred Barbash and Allyson Chiu: "It was a major defeat for President Trump and the oil industry, who scorned the Obama administration for failing to move ahead in the face of protests based largely on environmental concerns. Trump signed an executive order two days into his presidency setting in motion a course reversal, saying the move showed how he would overcome environmental roadblocks to spur job and infrastructure development in the U.S." WaPo

MEDIAWATCH -- "It's a trap: Reporters struggle to respond in White House press pass fight," by Jason Schwartz: "Some on Twitter have called for a mass walkout or some other protest at the next media event, while Washington Post columnist Margaret Sullivan wrote Thursday that CNN should sue the White House. But many reporters fear that such bold action would only give President Donald Trump the fight with the press that he and his base crave." POLITICO

-- TUCKER CARLSON last night addressed the incident on Wednesday night when demonstrators protested at his house and threatened his family. Video
PLAYBOOKERS
BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Nancy Jacobson, founder and CEO of No Labels. How she got her start in politics: "In 1991 I knew I wanted to work for then Gov. Bill Clinton's unannounced campaign - I orchestrated meeting his finance chairman Bob Farmer by cornering him in an elevator and making my pitch for getting hired. He said - 'I will hire you if you can raise $60,000 in three weeks.' I said yes and ended up delivering $170,000. The rest is history." Playbook Plus Q&A

BIRTHDAYS: John Harris ... DOJ's Sarah Isgur Flores ... Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) is 66 ... Kevin Sullivan, founder of Kevin Sullivan Communications and senior adviser at the Bush Presidential Center in Dallas (hat tip: Blain Rethmeier) ... Bob Graham, former U.S. senator and Florida governor, is 82 ... USA Today's Alan Gomez ... Shannon Currie ... Rep. John Katko (R-N.Y.) is 56 ... Rep. Scott Tipton (R-Colo.) is 62 ... Jake Oeth ... Peter Roff ... Jessica Stuart ... POLITICO's Hugh Ferguson ... Orlando Watson (h/t Raffi Williams) ... Trevor Eischen ... Sunshine Sachs' Claire Tonneson is 3-0 ... Hunter Hall, Trump Commerce alum ... Leslie Nolan, executive director of CME Group ...
HuffPo's Arthur Delaney ... Lee Gochman ... Joel Seidman ... David Wolfson ... Aliza Klein ... BBC's James Goldburn ... Hal Dash ... Samara Hutman ... Matthew Ellison is 3-0 ... László Baksay ... FT's Chris Giles ...

... Amazon's Jill Shatzen Kerr ... Idrees Kahloon, U.S. policy correspondent for The Economist (h/t Nihal Krishan) ... Bill Arnone ... Elise Norris ... Tara Patel ... Kendra Kostek ... Matthew Dolan ... David Mastio, deputy editorial page editor of USA Today, is 47 ... Matthias Reynolds of Zignal Labs ... Karen Scott, Obama WH alum ... Peter Lichtenbaum, a partner at Covington & Burling ... Edelman's Aleena Hasnain ... Samantha Sher ... Andy McCarty ... Catherine Martin ... Kevin Bailey ... Mathew Konkler ... Lisa De Pasquale ... Megan Carpentier ... Dee Dee Sorvino ... Jennifer Overbye ... Alex Curd ... NRF's Bethany Aronhalt ... Marc Kimball ... Carolyn Casey ... John Cacciatore ...
Catherine Chen ... Sarah Godlewski (h/ts Teresa Vilmain)


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