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Today's Playbook Power Briefing presented by Postmates

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


TOMORROW IS FRIDAY ... "White House spokesman: 'I can't speak to the future of Scott Pruitt'": "'I can't speak to the future of Scott Pruitt,' [Hogan] Gidley told Fox News in an interview. 'I can just talk about where we are now and that is that the White House is aware of these reports.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=47f639c26d88a8b995a7a580d7162cbb6b13f85c2a01b6684003d18b7ec4381875f0a9973da44e8a2d99d7c7ad5a600d

-- "Pruitt's troubles deepen: The EPA chief is facing another possible inspector general probe and stumbled in a Fox News interview, among other woes," by Alex Guillen, Emily Holden and Louis Nelson: "The [EPA's] inspector general is reviewing requests for an investigation into Administrator Scott Pruitt's $50-a-night condo lease - a development accompanied by the departure of one of his top aides, the erosion of one of his key defenses, a troubled Fox News interview and growing concern in the White House about his cascade of ethical problems. ...

"The IG is already conducting at least three investigations into Pruitt's taxpayer-funded travel, his use of a special hiring authority, and his spending on a soundproof phone booth for his office." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=47f639c26d88a8b9eb2f326763d411006c0840f7c73d5ce911c584608a87ba2634bbbd7c64c63925782197cd6163e0bf

-- NYT's Coral Davenport and Lisa Friedman: Pruitt's "chief of staff, Ryan Jackson, has grown frustrated enough with his boss that he has considered resigning, according to people in whom Mr. Jackson has confided." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=47f639c26d88a8b9cad38e652027d08c616318388cd1f51ee2a10fda0aae0d792a36cc96f8027fe4443330d1b4dbc4c7

-- @JenniferJJacobs: "TRUMP has been asking lawmakers to share their opinions on EPA chief Scott Pruitt, I'm told. He didn't signal any intention to fire Pruitt, just asked how they thought Pruitt is doing politically."

THE BIG READ ... NYT'S RUKMINI CALLIMACHI in Mosul, Iraq: "THE ISIS FILES: We unearthed thousands of internal documents that help explain how the Islamic State stayed in power so long ... On five trips to battle-scarred Iraq, journalists for The New York Times scoured old Islamic State offices, gathering thousands of files abandoned by the militants as their 'caliphate' crumbled." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=47f639c26d88a8b9ce5bc7f6ed578bd6b210580b6b92dc0ec12b0d8b84916fb19a85f6a22d348f097ef98f4f460c8372

Good Thursday afternoon. The Nationals' home opener against the Mets just started. TIGER WOODS is +1 through 8 holes at the Masters.

EARLY, BUT SIGNIFICANT ... THE TENNESSEAN: "Phil Bredesen holds double-digit lead over Marsha Blackburn in U.S. Senate race, new MTSU poll shows": "The poll, released Thursday, found 45 percent of 600 registered Tennessee voters said they would choose Bredesen, a Democrat and former Nashville mayor, if the election were immediately held. Blackburn, a Brentwood Republican, netted 35 percent, with another 17 percent of respondents saying they were not sure." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=47f639c26d88a8b97edbb5f51dcc1090a7b68713d2ad4ab362c72b8b15760b7f60a406420b9bfc1ef55346063c44e8e7

-- OF COURSE, this is an early poll. But if Republicans can't hold Tennessee, that hurts their chances of keeping the majority, to put it mildly.

PRESIDENTIAL POLITICS -- "Trump wades into nasty Senate primary," by Alex Isenstadt: "President Donald Trump's trip to West Virginia Thursday to talk about tax cuts is technically an official event. But it is also being seen as a way for the White House to play favorites in the state's cut-throat Republican Senate primary.

"The president will be flanked by two mainstream Republicans, Rep. Evan Jenkins and state Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, who are competing in the May 8 primary for the right to take on Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin. Jenkins and Morrisey will sit on opposite sides of the president, according to those familiar with the planning." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=47f639c26d88a8b94859e9d87d7ee0256553142a20ae27f52eb58a03da73408339e691dcb6149deb97706cf274795b79

FRIEND OR FOE? -- "As Trump Bashes Amazon, the Government Increasingly Relies on It," by WSJ's Ted Mann and Brody Mullins: "In the past several years, the Seattle-based company has won much of the business to help the government shift computing services from legacy mainframes onto the cloud, a business where Amazon is the world leader.

"This extraordinary transformation has included the provision of cloud services across Washington's bureaucracy from the Department of Homeland Security to the Smithsonian Institution. It also has made the U.S. government a top Amazon customer.

"The company doesn't release specifics, but GBH Insights, a research firm, predicts that Amazon's government business will grow to $2.8 billion in 2018 and $4.6 billion in 2019, up from less than $300 million in 2015. Other company analysts say those projections are optimistic, but not implausible." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=47f639c26d88a8b929606bb7adeeb7438693287f68a8f578628b09e38123f409f3455edd0102b7f6c904c4d7b6c689d3

****** A message from Postmates: How do brick & mortar retailers compete in the era of Amazon and e-Commerce? Last year, on-demand delivery technologies fueled a 4X boost in sales for local businesses. By connecting merchants with new customers across 250+ U.S. cities, Postmates powered the sale of over $1B in commerce, despite global retail headwinds. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=47f639c26d88a8b979fcd8921e568e68edc90d22bcb47e7c7e35737e087d852f04cae6019058617ab9f6f9be5c7f760c ******

EVERYONE'S AN EDITOR! -- @realDonaldTrump at 9:10 a.m.: "The Fake News Washington Post, Amazon's 'chief lobbyist,' has another (of many) phony headlines, 'Trump Defiant As China Adds Trade Penalties.' WRONG! Should read, 'Trump Defiant as U.S. Adds Trade Penalties, Will End Barriers And Massive I.P. Theft.' Typically bad reporting!"

-- THAT'S just, like your opinion, man. (Name the movie!)

... AND ON IMMIGRATION -- at 7:40 a.m.: "The Caravan is largely broken up thanks to the strong immigration laws of Mexico and their willingness to use them so as not to cause a giant scene at our Border. Because of the Trump Administrations [sic] actions, Border crossings are at a still UNACCEPTABLE 46 year low. Stop drugs!"

FROM 30K FT ... THE RUSSIA INVESTIGATION -- AP's ERIC TUCKER: "George Papadopoulos, taken by surprise by FBI agents at an airport last summer, now tweets smiling beach selfies with a Mykonos hashtag. Rick Gates, for weeks on home confinement with electronic monitoring, gets rapid approval for a family vacation and shaves down his potential prison time. Michael Flynn, once the target of a grand jury investigation, flies cross-country to stump for a California congressional candidate and books a speaking event in New York. The message is unmistakable: It pays to cooperate with the government. ...

"The perks of cooperation have manifested themselves in freer travel, lenient punishment prospects and even public comments by defendants that might have been unthinkable months ago. They form a counterpoint to the experiences of Paul Manafort, the former Trump campaign chairman who has refused to cooperate and faces decades in prison, and send a message to others entangled in the Mueller probe that they, too, could receive favorable treatment if they agree to work with investigators." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=47f639c26d88a8b9003a2a062900817835fd9d5eb9d80535ced3dc19158a697f5ec64901d6de0c3f434b80765b0a3f13

-- THE GUARDIAN'S LUKE HARDING: "Former Trump aide approved 'black ops' to help Ukraine president": "Donald Trump's former campaign manager Paul Manafort authorised a secret media operation on behalf of Ukraine's former president, featuring 'black ops', 'placed' articles in the Wall Street Journal and U.S. websites, and anonymous briefings against Hillary Clinton.

"The project was designed to boost the reputation of Ukraine's then leader, Viktor Yanukovych. It was part of a multimillion-dollar lobbying effort carried out by Manafort on behalf of Yanukovych's embattled government, emails and documents reveal." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=47f639c26d88a8b94929d3c6b45967404b7be4028415f4862996840678062086c75b7404837acf250e6dda580cd916e6

UPDATE ON THE POISONED EX-SPY IN THE U.K. -- "Yulia Skripal, daughter of ex-Russian spy, gives first statement after poisoning," by NBC News' Alexander Smith: "'I am grateful for the interest in me and for the many messages of goodwill that I have received,' the 33-year-old said in the statement released by London's Metropolitan Police. ... The police statement did not give an update on the condition of her father, Sergei Skripal. Reports say he is critically ill but stable." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=47f639c26d88a8b970759e8107f2e43cd09b0dba7b0e530f1da858e0f7b11048b85f9cc3e5d78f5adb599c738fe81232

DEFENDING MAIN STREET SUPER PAC has dropped $250,000 on a TV ad supporting Ohio GOP state Sen. Troy Balderson, who is running to replace retired Rep. Pat Tiberi in the Columbus area, according to a recently released FEC report. That super PAC has gotten its money from LIUNA Building America, Air Line Pilots Association International PAC, EARN International Union of Operating Engineers, Working for Working Americans and International Union of Painters and Allied Trades.

NUNES BACK IN THE SPOTLIGHT -- "Nunes presses FBI for new Trump-Russia document," by Kyle Cheney: "The House Intelligence Committee may have concluded its Russia investigation, but the committee's Republican chairman, Devin Nunes, is not finished grilling the FBI over its probe into Kremlin election meddling.

"In a letter to the Justice Department, Nunes is demanding an unredacted copy of the document that initiated the FBI's investigation of links between Russia and President Donald Trump's campaign. In the letter, provided Wednesday to the Washington Examiner, Nunes threatens to exhaust 'all appropriate legal remedies,' including civil action in federal court if they refuse to provide the document by April 11." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=47f639c26d88a8b94fb40627850ec30d9dcf90554dd8c1cc2d0f138d5aeabd9bb1f3341345d35f5ddea013634a3ff660

TOP-ED -- HAROON ULLAH in USA Today, "New China worry for Donald Trump: Can U.S. win propaganda war against 'Voice of China'?": "Within the last few weeks, China has leaped into the front ranks of global media by launching its Voice of China super-network. The country's new 'sharp' power approach is more about bylines than bombs. ... By merging the three mammoth state-run radio/TV networks, China automatically becomes a dominant content-heavy force and gives Beijing a highly robust propaganda weapon to find new audiences around the world. With over 14,000 journalists and staff employees, this Asian blitzkrieg in the information war is deployed to neutralize American influence and spread
disinformation on every continent." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=47f639c26d88a8b9948748afafe7ad0044bd069a77b273692ecf224a300796136f4f032ea5675098e86c463eaeb85dfa

NO THE ROCK 2020, BUT NEVER SAY NEVER? -- JOSH ELLS profiles DWAYNE JOHNSON in Rolling Stone: "'I mean, look,' says Johnson, 'people are very excited, and it's so flattering that they're excited. I think it's also a function of being very unsatisfied with our current president. But this is a skill set that requires years and years of experience. On a local level, on a state level and then on a national level. I have the utmost respect for our country and that position, and I'm not delusioned in any way to think, 'Oh, absolutely, if Trump can do it, I can do it, and I'll see you in 20-whatever, get ready.' Not at all.' ...

"Johnson says he's been taking 'under-the-radar' meetings with experts from across the political spectrum: 'Republicans, Democrats, independents, mayors, strategists, you name it. Just soaking in and listening. Trying to learn as much as I possibly can. I entertain the thought, and thank you, I'm so flattered by it. But I feel like the best thing I can do now is, give me years. Let me go to work and learn.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=47f639c26d88a8b995de35e34bbaddf60561c43615fa843ee68d041c939b164808d690a2b8f72f00285039f03fdceb48

VALLEY TALK -- "'The Business of War': Google Employees Protest Work for the Pentagon," by NYT's Scott Shane and Daisuke Wakabayashi: "Thousands of Google employees, including dozens of senior engineers, have signed a letter protesting the company's involvement in a Pentagon program that uses artificial intelligence to interpret video imagery and could be used to improve the targeting of drone strikes." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=47f639c26d88a8b98d15be8afe92ebb74c6cea060cd26ac7af42f84c4dffc34764f4846277a2a136a6f77370271f5365

MEDIAWATCH -- Oliver Knox was named SiriusXM's chief Washington correspondent. He was previously chief Washington correspondent for Yahoo News. ... Colleen Long is joining the AP's Washington bureau to cover DHS. She has been with the AP for 15 years. ... HuffPost also announced a slew of hires, including Kevin Robillard, who will start April 23 as a senior politics reporter. He currently works at POLITICO. Molly Redden, who will cover "politics as a workplace" starting April 9. More HuffPost hires http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=47f639c26d88a8b9b8c890cfa64cc1ca45ee9f42a03301006092531ea7d9e612e5da11f8d3371382e491a89d36625d1f

TRANSITIONS -- Christina Mandreucci, formerly of NASA and Sen. Marco Rubio's (R-Fla.) office, is the new press secretary for Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) at the Senate HELP committee. Evan Dixon, who previously worked at "Meet the Press Daily" as a booking producer and as deputy communications director on Heather Wilson's Senate campaign, is the committee's new deputy press secretary and digital director.

SPOTTED at the French ambassador's residence for a conversation on the roles of France and the U.S. in the global order ahead hosted by French ambassador Gerard Araud and moderated by Steve Clemons: Laurent Bigorgne, Walter Russell Mead, Nina Totenberg, Josh Lederman, Andrea Mitchell, Helene Cooper, John Harwood, John Hudson, Tara McKelvey, Peter Bergen, Nicholas Johnston, Karen Finney, Kevin Baron, Bart Gordon, Robert Shapiro, Eugene Robinson, Evan Burfield, Mary Louise Kelly, Eric Fanning, Margaret Carlson, Nate Tibbits, Jon Finer, James Hohmann, Jim Cicconi, Michael Steele, Mike Schmidt and Victoria Nuland.

BONUS BIRTHDAY: Laura Berkey-Ames of the National Association of Manufacturers (hubby tip: Mark Ames, who was on time)

****** A message from Postmates: How do brick & mortar retailers compete in the era of Amazon and e-Commerce? Some companies build wholesale warehouses in your cities. We treat the whole city as the warehouse, and give local merchants the tools they need to distribute their goods. In 2017, on-demand delivery technologies fueled a 4X increase in sales for local retailers, despite the sector facing headwinds globally. By connecting merchants with new customers across new geographies in 250+ US cities, Postmates is transforming 21st century commerce, empowering retailers to sell over $1B in goods annually; and helped generate over $6.6B in follow-on economic activity across the nation in 2017.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=47f639c26d88a8b979fcd8921e568e68edc90d22bcb47e7c7e35737e087d852f04cae6019058617ab9f6f9be5c7f760c ******

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