To:
Jackson, Ryan[jackson.ryan@epa.gov]
From: Anna Palmer Jake Sherman Daniel Lippman
Sent: Wed 10/18/2017 5:06:31 PM
Subject: Playbook Power Briefing, presented by JPMorgan Chase & Co.: TRUMP accuses Dem
congresswoman of lying about conversation with Gold Star family -- POTUS and PAUL RYAN back away
from CSR deal - SESSIONS says he has not been interviewed by MUELLER
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Good Wednesday afternoon. THIS MORNING, IN REVIEW ...
-- PRESIDENT TRUMP accused Frederica Wilson, a Democratic congresswoman from Florida, of lying about a conversation he had with the widow of a fallen U.S. soldier. "Democrat Congresswoman totally fabricated what I said to the wife of a soldier who died in action (and I have proof). Sad!" Wilson said she was in the car when Trump called. She tweeted this morning: "I stand my account of the call with @realDonaldTrump and was not the only one who heard and was dismayed by his insensitive remarks."
The fallen soldier's mother -- who also said she was in the car -- told the Washington Post that "President Trump did disrespect my son and my daughter and also me and my husband." She also backed up Wilson's side of the story. Trump has not released any evidence, but said during a pool spray at a meeting with senators that he "did not say what she said." The WaPo story from Anne Gearan and Kristine Phillips http://wapo.st/2zy7q4w
-- PRESIDENT TRUMP backed away from the Alexander-Murray deal which, as we detailed in the morning, he had given shifting opinions on. At 9:41 a.m., he tweeted: "I am supportive of Lamar as a person & also of the process, but I can never support bailing out ins co's who have made a fortune w/ O'Care." Situational awareness, Doug Andres, Ryan's White House press spokesman, said: "The speaker does not see anything that changes his view that the Senate should keep its focus on repeal and replace of Obamacare." (h/t Matt Fuller)
OTHER THINGS TRUMP COULD BE TALKING ABOUT - Senate Republicans passing a budget, putting Washington one step closer to a once-in-a-generation tax rewrite ... His meeting with the Senate Finance Committee -- including Democrats! - about tax reform ... The RNC raising $100 million ...
MCCONNELL: LET'S WORK MORE "McConnell to hold Senate in session for
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longer workweeks," by Burgess Everett: "The Senate majority leader is preparing to hold the chamber in session for more rigorous workweeks, including Friday's and possibly even weekends, according to two sources familiar with the matter. The Senate GOP discussed a more aggressive schedule at Tuesday's party lunch and the majority of the conference agreed.
"The Senate has come under criticisms from conservatives for its light workweeks, typically spanning from Monday evening to early Thursday afternoon. But without buy-in from his members, it's been difficult to hold the chamber in open longer without facing the possibility of attendance problems and failed votes." http://politi.co/2zxfm5X
SESSIONS ON THE HILL -- "Sessions says Mueller hasn't interviewed him in Russia probe," by Josh Gerstein and Elana Schor: Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Wednesday told senators that he has not been interviewed by the special counsel probing Russia's meddling in the 2016 election and declined to answer questions about his private conversations with President Donald Trump.
"Until the president waives any claims to executive privilege, Sessions told the Senate Judiciary Committee, he would not address questions about his talks with Trump concerning the federal investigation into Russian electoral meddling, the firing of former FBI Director James Comey and other high-profile issues.
"Sessions told senators that Robert Mueller, the special counsel leading the Department of Justice's Russia probe, had not interviewed him. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who has taken over supervision of the Russia probe, has been interviewed by Mueller's team. ... Sessions did not discuss whether he had provided documents or other materials to Mueller, and his spokeswoman, Sarah Isgur Flores, said she did not know whether he had been asked. The attorney general initially hesitated when Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) asked about his interactions with Mueller." http://politi.co/2zyxlJh
-- "Grassley promises hearing on 2016 law after reports it hurt opioid enforcement," by Elana Schor: http://politi.co/2ziOWnF
HMM... -- "Republican lawmakers' posh hideaway bankrolled by secret corporate cash," by the Center for Public Integrity's Carrie Levine: "[B]ehind the scenes, several major corporations and trade groups secretly bankrolled a plush hideaway for lawmakers at the same Republican National Convention in Cleveland where Trump gave the speech, records obtained by the Center for Public Integrity show. Comcast Corp., Microsoft, Koch Companies Public Sector, the National Retail Federation, Health Care Service Corp., the American Petroleum Institute, Chevron and AT&T are among the companies, associations and lobbying powerhouses that funded a limited liability company called 'Friends of the House 2016 LLC,' according to bank records.
"Friends of the House 2016 LLC, in turn, paid for the design and outfitting of an exclusive office, lounge and gathering space for Republican lawmakers -- including
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House Speaker Paul Ryan -- and controlled access to the so-called 'cloakroom.' The limited liability company effectively hid the corporations' contributions from public view at a time when activist groups were pressuring companies to scale back giving to the Republican convention, and a few of the companies had publicly minimized their participation." http://bit.lv/2zxZvUI
****** a message from JPMorgan Chase & Co.: What's the Word It's been more than 30 years since we reformed our tax code, putting good jobs and higher wages at risk. In fact, 90% of CEOs believe that inaction by lawmakers could slow hiring and wage growth. Learn more about what tax reform could mean for American workers:
******
TRAVEL BAN UPDATE - RULING THIS MORNING - "Second judge rules against latest travel ban, saying Trump's own words show it was aimed at Muslims," by WaPo's Matt Zapotosky: "A federal judge in Maryland early Wednesday issued a second halt on the latest version of President Trump's travel ban, asserting that the president's own comments on the campaign trail and on Twitter convinced him that the directive was akin to an unconstitutional Muslim ban.
"U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang issued a somewhat less complete halt on the ban than his counterpart in Hawaii did a day earlier, blocking the administration from enforcing the directive only on those who lacked a 'bona fide' relationship with a person or entity in the United States, such as family members or some type of professional or other engagement in the United States." http://wapo.st/2zy1 sRb
CAMPAIGN STOP - "DCCC raised $8.9M, NRCC $4.9M in September," by Maggie Severns More for Pros http://politico.pro/2zko9qW
AFTERNOON READ -- "A Marine Attacked an Iraqi Restaurant. But Was It a Hate Crime or PTSD?" by NYT's Dave Philipps in Portland, Oregon: "The DarSalam Iraqi restaurant, with its steaming plates of falafel and kebab, has for years served as a popular community gathering spot here. The Iraqi family who ran it felt welcome in this eclectic city.
"But all of that changed one night last spring when a man with a shaved head walked in and took a seat. As other customers chatted, he refused to order, instead staring at photos of the Iraqi countryside on the wall. After about a half-hour, he got up, walked over to the cash register, began cursing about Iraq, and threw a chair at a waiter's head, sending him dazed to the floor. ...
"Determined to take a stand, the authorities came down hard on the restaurant attacker, a 40-year-old California man named Damien Rodriguez. Though similar crimes typically merit misdemeanor charges, lawyers said, prosecutors charged him with felony level hate crime and assault charges that carry a mandatory prison sentence. That is where people who know Mr. Rodriguez say the case took a wrong turn. Mr. Rodriguez was a decorated Marine sergeant major who was forced to retire after his arrest. He had
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spent years in combat. Friends and family say his actions were not provoked by hate but by post-traumatic stress disorder for which, despite repeated efforts, he never received effective treatment." http://nvti.ms/2zy8R34
THE LATEST ON RUSSIA -- "GOP calls grow to end Russia investigations in Congress this year," by CNN's Manu Raju and Jeremy Herb: "In the House and Senate, several Republicans who sit on key committees are starting to grumble that the investigations have spanned the better part of the past nine months, contending that the Democratic push to extend the investigation well into next year could amount to a fishing expedition. The concerns are in line with ones raised by President Donald Trump, who has publicly and privately insisted he's the subject of a 'witch hunt' on Capitol Hill and by special counsel Robert Mueller.
"Democrats, meanwhile, are raising their own concerns that the congressional Russia probes are rushing witnesses -- including the testimony of President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner -- as well as stalling appearances of other key Trump associates. ... Sen. Jim Risch, a senior GOP member of the Senate intelligence committee, said 'nobody wants to move this so quickly that we miss something,' but added: 'The question is how many weak leads can you follow?"' http://cnn.it/2zi93m4
-- "These Americans Were Tricked Into Working For Russia. They Say They Had No Idea," by BuzzFeed's Rosalind Adams and Hayes Brown: "Russia's most infamous troll farm recruited US activists to help stage protests and organize self-defense classes in black communities as part of an effort to sow divisions in US society ahead of the 2016 election and well into 2017. Four people contacted by what is believed to be the 'American Department' of the St. Petersburg-based Internet Research Agency told BuzzFeed News that while they found their contacts strange, they never suspected that they were the target of foreign recruitment." http://bzfd.it/2zy8XaE
ATTENTION HILL STAFFERS - "Cups Could Be No More," by Roll Call's Alex Gangitano: "The beloved Cups & Company in the Russell Senate Office Building, a favorite on Capitol Hill, could lose its contract and end services. Charles and Kathy Chung have been operating Cups since 2001 and their contract has to be renewed every four years. But this time around, they are competing with other companies and will find out in November if Cups will still be operating." http://bit.lv/2zy5Y2f
-- PLEASE, don't do this. Cups is great.
CORRECTION OF THE DAY --WSJ: "Max Scherzer of the Washington Nationals is a right-handed pitcher. A Sports article Saturday about starters incorrectly identified him as left-handed."
BEYOND THE BELTWAY -- "Obama's name to replace Jeff Davis on Jackson [Mississippi] elementary school," by Mississippi Today's Kayleigh Skinner http://bit.lv/2zyTiYY
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SPOTTED: Steve McMahon at the Westin Excelsior rooftop bar in Florence, Italy on Wednesday "chatting with other Americans about past races as the sun went down," per our tipster... Tim Geithner waiting at Penn Station for the Acela back to D.C. last night
DESSERT - OBAMA ALUMNI - ZEKE EMANUEL, former special adviser on health policy to President Obama's OMB director and the National Economic Council, has partnered with Askinosie Chocolate to create the "Zeke Bar," a dark chocolate bar with beans from Madagascar, which he visited to craft the limited-edition chocolate bar, which went on sale on Tuesday. http://bit.lv/2xOllvQ ... Video of the making of the bar http://bit.lv/2gNWMyS
****** a message from JPMorgan Chase & Co.: Ready, Set, Grow The American economy is poised for growth - and tax reform can drive that expansion. According to a Business Roundtable survey of American CEOs, more than 70% believe that that tax reform is the best way to accelerate growth. According to JPMorgan Chase Chairman and CEO, "Reforming the tax code is the single most important thing that Congress could do to jump-start our economy, create jobs, and raise wages for American workers." Learn more about how tax reform can help the economy get off the starting line: http://politi.co/2z6iOD8 ******
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