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Today's Playbook Power Briefing presented by Morgan Stanley

By JAKE SHERMAN (sherman@politico.com; @JakeSherman), ANNA PALMER (anna@politico.com; @apalmerdc), DANIEL LIPPMAN (daniel@politico.com; @dlippman) and ZACH MONTELLARO (zmontellaro@politico.com; @ZachMontellaro)


BREAKING -- MUELLER MOVES AGAINST RUSSIANS... -- "DOJ charges 13 Russian nationals with interfering in 2016 election": "The Justice Department on Friday announced indictments on 13 Russian nationals and a trio of Russian entities on charges related to the Kremlin's efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election. Charges in the indictment include conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud and aggravated identity theft." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=abf23d2bab9bbd60a576e834d3c1d4e7a87e6f428b71fdf9eb5b8c2afaa4b0c63ca918ee616072404d6baabaa2ecc85f ... The indictment http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=abf23d2bab9bbd60c63e4f9c7f56959c8939eb4fb28615e533fed36b3545fff9dd38d52af50800803a66a4c43317e561

KEY LINES ... "Some Defendants, posing as U.S. persons and without revealing their Russian association, communicated with unwitting individuals associated with the Trump Campaign and with other political activists to seek to coordinate political activities."

-- "They engaged in operations primarily intended to communicate derogatory information about Hillary Clinton, to denigrate other candidates such as Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, and to support Bernie Sanders and then-candidate Donald Trump."

-- SEE PAGE 20 for a list of advertisements the group ran... THE INDICTMENT ALLEGES that the defendants used Twitter and Facebook to organize pro-Trump and anti-Clinton rallies in New York and Florida in the summer of 2016. The indictment also alleges that the Russians "used false U.S. personas to organize and coordinate U.S. political rallies in support of then president-elect Trump, while simultaneously using other false U.S. personas to organize and coordinate U.S. political rallies protesting the results of the 2016 U.S. presidential election."

-- DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL ROD ROSENSTEIN called the Russians' actions "information warfare." ... "There is no allegation in this indictment that any American was a knowing participant in this illegal activity. There is no allegation in the indictment that the charge altered the outcome of the election."

NEWS ... FBI STATEMENT ON THE PARKLAND SHOOTING: "On January 5, 2018, a person close to Nikolas Cruz contacted the FBI's Public Access Line (PAL) tipline to report concerns about him. The caller provided information about Cruz's gun ownership, desire to kill people, erratic behavior, and disturbing social media posts, as well as the potential of him conducting a school shooting.

"Under established protocols, the information provided by the caller should have been assessed as a potential threat to life. The information then should have been forwarded to the FBI Miami Field Office, where appropriate investigative steps would have been taken.

"We have determined that these protocols were not followed for the information received by the PAL on January 5. The information was not provided to the Miami Field Office, and no further investigation was conducted at that time."

-- FROM FBI DIRECTOR CHRISTOPHER WRAY: "We are still investigating the facts. I am committed to getting to the bottom of what happened in this particular matter, as well as reviewing our processes for responding to information that we receive from the public. It's up to all Americans to be vigilant, and when members of the public contact us with concerns, we must act properly and quickly.

"We have spoken with victims and families, and deeply regret the additional pain this causes all those affected by this horrific tragedy. All of the men and women of the FBI are dedicated to keeping the American people safe, and are relentlessly committed to improving all that we do and how we do it."

-- IF YOU'RE A TRUMP ALLY looking for something to hold against the FBI, you've got it.

Good Friday afternoon. PROGRAMMING NOTE: Power Briefing will not publish on Monday for the holiday. Playbook and the audio briefing will still publish in the morning.

ATTN. SCOTT PRUITT ... SPOTTED: SPEAKER PAUL RYAN, the third-ranking official in U.S. government, sitting in the middle of a JetBlue flight from DCA to Fort Lauderdale with his detail. He watched USA Hockey with passengers while waiting to deplane, and took a selfie with a guy's dog.

****** A message from Morgan Stanley: It's hard to think of an industry that won't be touched in some way by technological disruption over the next decade. Morgan Stanley Investment Management's Growth Team shares the big ideas and emerging trends that may have far-reaching implications for economies, industries, social behavior-and investors. Read more. ******

SCOOP -- ANNIE KARNI: "Melania Trump's 'volunteer' rankles White House staff with her all-access pass": "First Lady Melania Trump's friend and special adviser Stephanie Winston Wolkoff has enjoyed a unique and eyebrow-raising set-up over the past year: in her status as a 'contracted volunteer,' the Manhattan socialite has a government-issued phone and computer, as well as a blue badge that grants her total access to the West Wing. But unlike other administration officials, the former Vogue event planner continues to live in New York City and only pops into the White House every few weeks, where her on-paper job is to consult with the First Lady on her initiatives, according to two White
House officials.

"That special arrangement has soured colleagues in the East Wing, who have long seen Wolkoff as a person capitalizing on her relationship with the First Lady while offering little in return. 'One thing that grates at people is she is supposed to work at the White House, but she still gets to live in New York City," said one administration official.

"But that unique status is now in question, after the New York Times reported on Thursday that President Donald Trump's inaugural committee paid close to $26 million to an event-planning firm that was founded by Wolkoff, and that she personally pocketed at least $1.62 million from the committee that was supposed to donate any remaining funds to charity. ... But now the question circulating in the White House is whether the First Lady will take any action to sever ties with the special adviser over her self-enriching set-up -- quick action that would mark a style change from the West Wing, where the president often dawdles in firing his advisers, or has other people do the deed for him."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=abf23d2bab9bbd6027ea4748a0d05edfdc107cea77787864f2a83e725d76df299790018882ee61558afd55f746d709fa

ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU will meet with PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP at the WHITE HOUSE March 5.

FALLOUT FROM SHULKIN'S EUROPE TRIP -- "VA secretary David Shulkin's chief of staff retiring amid travel report findings," by USA Today's Donovan Slack: "The third most senior official at the Department of Veterans Affairs is stepping down amid findings she misled ethics officials to secure approval for VA Secretary David Shulkin's wife to accompany him on taxpayer-funded trip to Europe.

"Viveca Wright Simpson, Shulkin's chief of staff, told colleagues Friday morning that she is retiring after 32 years at the agency and more than two years as Shulkin's most senior aide.

"The announcement came two days after the VA inspector general released recommendations that she be disciplined for doctoring an email to an ethics lawyer to show Shulkin was getting special recognition or an award during the trip to Denmark and London last year, the criteria for clearing his wife's flights on the public's dime. Shulkin confirmed the move to USA TODAY and said he intends to continue in his post and remains committed to fulfilling President Trump's agenda in overhauling the VA." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=abf23d2bab9bbd60ef9f5bcc6d75f67c7a7c594236fe6dd71f3ff04de075ea3400080d20027f9cdedfd401a110b5ce81

DEPARTURE LOUNGE -- "Trump tech adviser Reed Cordish is leaving the White House," by WaPo's Jonathan O'Connell: "Reed S. Cordish is leaving his post as assistant to the president in the Office of American Innovation, where he is being replaced by Brooke L. Rollins, the White House said this week.

"Rollins is a former aide to Energy Secretary Rick Perry, from his time as Texas governor. She joins the White House from the Texas Public Policy Foundation, a conservative think tank that advocates for criminal justice reform and free enterprise.

"Cordish, 43, a close friend of Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, played a central role in shaping the administration's infrastructure plan with the aim of passing it this spring. He said in an interview that he never planned to remain with the administration more than a year and that his role forging infrastructure and workforce policy was complete. He plans to return to his family's Maryland real estate company." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=abf23d2bab9bbd60c85932a6d3a0ae882203dd1cec72c79d455181e11a77bea6ed347227046b37b74867040a0934e109

ON THE PRESIDENT'S MIND -- @realDonaldTrump at 9:37 a.m.: "I will be leaving for Florida today to meet with some of the bravest people on earth - but people whose lives have been totally shattered. Am also working with Congress on many fronts." ... at 9:49 a.m.: "Cannot believe how BADLY DACA recipients have been treated by the Democrats...totally abandoned! Republicans are still working hard."

-- Trump initially canceled the DACA program, not the Democrats. The White House threatened to veto the bipartisan immigration plan in the Senate, and the plan the White House supported only attracted 39 votes.

HE'S RUNNING ... REALLY! -- MITT ROMNEY'S announcement video for his Utah Senate run http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=abf23d2bab9bbd60467fe44e1f10a9e539086b68bd8268a867f35cbb645efdb60fc8347f1a7f5615ce3ebcbe225f5dd8

-- SPEAKER PAUL RYAN'S STATEMENT: "This is a terrific day for the United States Senate. I was honored to join Mitt Romney on the national ticket in 2012 and couldn't be happier that he's running for this seat."

SEN. KAMALA HARRIS (D-CALIF.) endorses GAVIN NEWSOM for governor -- L.A. TIMES' SEEMA MEHTA http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=abf23d2bab9bbd60f96b07f2de0565bcf7aecac66b896c4f115640a2231ec4587ee8007294af7c8b581fc938fe9fb16e

HMM... -- A radio ad from REP. WALTER JONES (R-N.C.) slamming a primary opponent also labels HOUSE SPEAKER PAUL RYAN as a member of "the swamp" and "the establishment." Ryan is mentioned in the same breath as Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), former Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.) and the DSCC. The ad http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=abf23d2bab9bbd600aea95cd7ad328cfb2024658dccfaffc131e1140c61b7e4fd54d0bc98fc4be15ff03c515cbade494

-- IT'S NOT WHOLLY SURPRISING that Jones would trash GOP leadership. He regularly opposes House Republican leaders' position on war policy and has supported an independent prosecutor in the Russia investigation. The Republican establishment has gone in aggressively supporting his primary opponents in the past.

LUNCH WITH THE FT -- DAVID ROCKEFELLER JR. -- "'I believe the people who voted for Donald Trump will see, not that their reasons for dissatisfaction were inappropriate but that the solution was not in the Trump administration,' he tells me." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a9ab0e52b15dadb4a3f0a147d1c3ebb605dccb42b327b94f3ed064fd202ce04587c4b01061e2b0538f9f145bd39c0aaf

BIG GET -- "ABC's George Stephanopoulos Has Landed The Big Comey Interview," by BuzzFeed's Steven Perlberg: "Comey, who was fired by President Donald Trump in May, will sit down with ABC's George Stephanopoulos in mid-April ahead of the release of his forthcoming book, according to people familiar with the matter." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a9ab0e52b15dadb42ebc17831eeef15b56c4932f8d16b91233204ad0a00a762921fd56726a676aac263b8e15bf097603

SPORTS BLINK -- HEADLINES THE PRESIDENT WON'T LIKE -- "LeBron James and Kevin Durant discuss how Trump doesn't 'give a f- about the people'," by WaPo's Des Bieler: "During a wide-ranging discussion captured in a video released Thursday, LeBron James and Kevin Durant touched on the political situation in the United States. The pair of NBA superstars shared their dislike for Donald Trump, with James saying the president doesn't 'give a f- about the people.'

"The scene, produced by James's Uninterrupted multimedia platform, was filmed the night before his Cleveland Cavaliers hosted Durant's Golden State Warriors last month on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. They sat in the back seat of a car, riding around James's hometown of Akron, Ohio, as ESPN anchor Cari Champion drove and led the conversation." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a9ab0e52b15dadb47c5fbf46d84849396f8f2b828e3969306d25a63ec8e934b0a4229ee3895b624f6c13d180b08807b3 ... The video http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a9ab0e52b15dadb47443793bfb896c2336f128235d2964115d097d6c704e68a44b438911ea8ab87b1d04a1f39f1eef76

AFTERNOON READ -- "The President of Nowhere, USA: Pete Buttigieg could be the Democrats' savior -- if he can only find his way out of South Bend," by Adam Doster in POLITICO Magazine: "In a term-and-a-half, he has overseen an economic and psychological resurgence in South Bend that few were predicting. In 2014, he served a seven-month tour in Afghanistan with the U.S. Naval Reserves, helping disrupt flows of funding to terrorist groups while monitoring South Bend business over sketchy internet connections.

"Before his 2015 reelection, he came out publicly as gay, writing in a local newspaper that 'it took years of struggle and growth for me to recognize that it's just a fact of life, like having brown hair, and part of who I am.' (In December, he and his partner, middle-school teacher Chasten Glezman, got engaged.) Through it all, Buttigieg established himself as a Democrat worth tracking, at a time when the party was desperate for fresh faces, particularly between the coasts." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a9ab0e52b15dadb48f3ff65466c7fc249182596399d7c6c97d756f50c9e9e77ae6a7f6b3720cee855b0339bc01af1a0c

VALLEY TALK -- "Google's New Ad Blocker Changed the Web Before It Even Switched On," by Wired's Klint Finley: "On Thursday, Google Chrome, the most popular browser by a wide margin, began rolling out a feature that will block ads on sites that engage in particularly annoying behavior, such as automatically playing sound, or displaying ads that can't be dismissed until a certain amount of time has passed. Google is essentially blacklisting sites that violate specific guidelines, and then trying to filter all ads that appear on those sites, not just the particularly annoying ones. ...

"It may seem strange that Google, which still makes most of its revenue from advertising, blocks ads at all, especially since the company says it will even block those served by its own ad networks. But Google hopes ridding the web of its very worst ads might discourage Chrome users from installing more aggressive ad-blocking software that saps revenue universally." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a9ab0e52b15dadb40381505eee0183e38f03d5cb37bca74c455ef4febcebf74b5ed49634af2a28bf27ffdc4e89d5ae69

MEDIAWATCH -- Sara Sorcher has been named the deputy editor of WaPo's PowerPost. ... She was previously White House editor at USA Today.

TRANSITIONS -- Michael Greenwald has been named a senior adviser to Atlantic Council CEO and President Fred Kempe. Greenwald, who retains his day job as SVP of Tiedemann Wealth Management, served as the Treasury attaché to Qatar and Kuwait.

SPOTTED heading on two planes yesterday from Andrews Air Force Base to the Munich Security Conference as part of a CODEL: Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.), Rep. Michael Turner (R-Ohio), former Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.), former VP Joe Biden, Chris Brose, Dina Powell, Amb. Bill Burns, Amb. Bob Zoellick, Michael Allen, Richard Fontaine, David McCormick, Victoria Nuland, Doug Lute, Karen Donfried, Josh Rogin, Massimo Calabresi, Heather Conley, Elliot Cohen and Fred Kempe. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.), Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) Bob Kimmitt and others are also part of the delegation but weren't on
the planes yesterday.

SPOTTED at Landmark's E Street Cinema last night for a preview screening of "Red Sparrow" - trailer http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a9ab0e52b15dadb4ec8313cfec118fac41bed173d0dbdcea2535e96916e49c794622b8ec434f0ada5378199d07ae8889 Jennifer Lawrence, Joel Edgerton, director Francis Lawrence, Caitlin Carroll, Kaya Singleton, Artur Orkisz, Nancy Youssef, Julia Ioffe, Sonia Dridi, and Michael Crowley.

ENGAGED -- Brendon DelToro, deputy political director at the NRCC, recently proposed to Danielle Luckow, currently getting her masters in early childhood education. "We met when we were both in Vegas, on different work trips, for the iHeartRadio music festival." Pic http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a9ab0e52b15dadb47a2a27fd53f306440beab0a97c81a359acf91fabde866b4105157cd36bede19a1e0b69267afb8808

****** A message from Morgan Stanley: Interested in the long-term investment opportunities that might arise from disruption? Morgan Stanley Investment Management Disruptive Change Researcher Stan Delaney shares five emerging trends that investors should watch over the next decade. "Disruptive change is so pervasive that our team looks at all of our investments through a disruptive lens," says DeLaney "Our disruptive analysis effort is really about supporting the Growth Team's strategy of long-term investing, finding companies with a sustainable competitive advantage, and making sure that we aren't holding companies that could be left behind." These trends-spanning autonomous driving,
machine learning, augmented reality and more-could have far-reaching implications for economies, industries and social behavior. Read more. ******

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