Document JvJwex9L0yMp2k9gr7NGpDEpK

FOR YOUR RADAR -- "In an apparent shift, Tillerson says U.S. willing to hold direct talks with N. Korea," by WaPo's Anne Gearan: "The Trump administration is willing to bargain directly with North Korea over ending its nuclear weapons program, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Thursday, an apparent shift in policy aimed at strengthening international resolve against what the Trump administration considers a growing menace. 'Obviously, that will be the way we would like to solve this,' Tillerson said in an interview with NPR scheduled to air Friday, when the United States is convening an unusual high-level meeting at the United Nations devoted to the threat posed by North Korea's nuclear weapons arsenal. 'But North Korea has to decide they're ready to talk to us about the right agenda, and the right agenda is not simply stopping where they are for a few more months or a few more years and then resuming things. That's been the agenda for the last 20 years.'" http://wapo.st/2qdBQEB ABOUT THAT WALL -- "Trump's Wall May Not Stretch Entire Border, Secretary Kelly Says," by Bloomberg's Nafeesa Syeed and David Gura: "In an interview Thursday with Bloomberg Television, Kelly said there are spots along the border where a wall can't be built because of the terrain. Still, the administration is committed to building a 'physical barrier' as much as possible, he said. But 'there's places probably where we won't build a wall because it's across river beds, we can't dam up the rivers,' Kelly said. Other rough areas includes the canyons of Big Bend National Park. 'There are other places where a see-through wall,' or fence, would be sufficient, he said." Full interview https://bloom.bg/2p8GCVq FOGGY BOTTOM WATCH -- "Tillerson Said to Seek 9% Cut to U.S. State Department Workforce," by Bloomberg's Nick Wadhams: "The State Department plans to cut 2,300 U.S. diplomats and civil servants -- about 9 percent of the Americans in its workforce worldwide -- as Secretary of State Rex Tillerson presses ahead with his task of slashing the agency's budget, according to people familiar with the matter. The majority of the job cuts, about 1,700, will come through attrition, while the remaining 600 will be done via buyouts, according to the people, who asked not to be identified because the decision hasn't been publicly announced. William Inglee, a former Lockheed Martin Corp. official and policy adviser in Congress, was hired to help oversee the budget cuts and briefed senior managers on the plan Wednesday, the people said." https://bloom.bg/2oSd5fS -- "Tillerson in No Rush to Fill Nearly 200 State Department Posts," by NYT's Gardiner Harris: "Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson has done almost nothing to select leaders for the White House's consideration, and nominations for assistant secretaries and others who largely run the State Department are unlikely to be made for months. In an unusual interview, R. C. Hammond, Mr. Tillerson's spokesman, said the secretary intended to embark within days on a listening tour of the building and then a restructuring of the department's operations. Only after those are underway will he begin to name his wider leadership team." http://nyti.ms/2oSbYgq BAD NEWS FOR THE 4TH ESTATE -- "Political Media Earns Poor Marks From Americans," by Morning Consult's Cameron Easley: "[R]oughly half (51 percent) of Americans said the national political media 'is out of touch with everyday Americans,' compared with 28 percent who said it 'understand the issues everyday Americans are facing.' President Donald Trump, a frequent public antagonist of the press and the first president in 36 years to skip the [White House Correspondents Association Dinner], is also slightly more trusted than the national political media. Thirty-seven percent of Americans said they trusted Trump's White House to tell the truth, while 29 percent opted for the media." http://bit.ly/2qdmekx THE JUICE ... -- CNN POLITICS is launching its first digital magazine called State to coincide with Trump's first 100 days in office. Steven Sloan, a former POLITICO who is editing the magazine, said the goal of the magazine is to "capture this moment in America's political culture." The name "represents our mission -- to state the truth, and to give time and space to all sides of this fascinating story." Landing page http://cnn.it/2psgpSj ... Editor's note http://cnn.it/2qe0fwz ... 100 Day tick tock http://cnn.it/2qeqqDr -- FIRST IN PLAYBOOK -- 45Committee, the largest pro-Trump outside group from the 2016 cycle that is backed by the Adelson and Ricketts families, is going up with a $1 million TV and digital buy promoting President Trump's accomplishments during his first 100 days in office. "Big Things" airs on national cable with a heavier buy in Harrisburg, PA, where the President will hold a rally this weekend. http://bit.ly/2oSl9xi ... "100," looking at 100 days in 100 seconds, is running in the targeted states key to Trump's victory (Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin). http://bit.ly/2oPbjf0 PLAYBOOK EVENTS FOR YOUR RADAR -- SEN. JOE MANCHIN will join us for the Playbook Interview Thursday at 9 a.m. at the Washington Court Hotel (525 New Jersey Avenue, NW). The government funding fight will be in full swing, and Manchin will be fighting for coal miner benefits. Manchin is a fascinating figure, and we hope