To:
Jackson, Ryan[jackson.ryan@epa.gov]
From: Morning Transportation
Sent: Wed 7/5/2017 2:07:05 PM
Subject: POLITICO'S Morning Transportation, presented by Delta Air Lines: Gateway to the unknown --
Has the time come for the FAA overhaul? -- Laptop ban update
By Lauren Gardner | 07/05/2017 10:00 AM EDT
With help from Daniel Lippman and Tanya Snyder
GATEWAY TO THE UNKNOWN: DOT quietly pulled out of the Gateway Program's board of directors on Friday, the latest wrinkle in the saga of the $24 billion mega-project (Pros can read a copy of the letter here). While DOT cautioned Monday that its decision "should not be misinterpreted as any form of decision about the multiple individual projects promoted by the Gateway Development Corporation," it at the very least reinforces the feeling that this administration won't treat the project the same way as the Obama administration. More from a department spokeswoman: "The decision underscores the Department's commitment to ensuring there is no appearance of prejudice or partiality in favor of these projects ahead of hundreds of other projects nationwide. Moreover, this decision is more consistent with the Department's provision of effective and objective oversight in instances where we provide financial assistance."
About that money: The Trump administration has already proposed winding down a transit grant program that was expected to fund the Portal North Bridge project in New Jersey, a major bottleneck area where early design work has already begun. John Porcari, interim executive director of the Gateway Program Development Corporation, reiterated in a statement over the weekend that the multibillion-dollar endeavor won't get off the ground without federal backing. "We believe Gateway satisfies each of the administration's infrastructure priorities including project sponsors committing their own financial resources," he said. "While the Gateway team knows that a project of national significance cannot proceed without a federal funding partner, we appreciate the important technical assistance provided by Secretary Chao and her team at USDOT in advancing this vital project."
Nothing to see here: The department says this isn't part of a broader policy change on DOT's service when it comes to other boards "when required by law," like Amtrak. DOT is also authorized to sit on the boards of the redevelopment projects for New York's Penn Station and Washington's Union Station. MT reached out to New York's and New Jersey's senators, who have been vocal boosters for Gateway, but didn't get a response. (Congress is on a week-long break for Independence Day.)
Coming attractions: DOT plans "to make several project announcements regarding the Northeast Corridor in the coming weeks," and specifically anticipates publishing the draft environmental impact statement for the Hudson Tunnel project "in the near future," the spokeswoman said.
IT'S WEDNESDAY: Thanks for tuning in to POLITICO'S Morning Transportation, your daily tipsheet on all things trains, planes, automobiles and ports. Send your tips, feedback and lyrics to
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lgardner@politico.com or @GardnerJLM and tsiiyder@politico.com or @TSnyderDC.
"You know I get paid by the mile / like Avis I pave this / fast save this / everybody smile and act gracious."
Want to keep up with MTs song picks? Our Spotify playlist has over 100 followers - you can get listening, too!
HAS THE TIME COME? Proponents of an air traffic control overhaul are pushing for an answer to that very question, as both chambers prepare to push through bills reauthorizing the FAA that take very different approaches to the subject. But the outstanding question, as your MT co-host and our Brianna Gurciullo write , is whether the Trump administration has spent enough political capital to sway enough lawmakers to his side. We've made this point before - a president's support for an issue when his party controls all levers of power in Washington can help make or break an issue, but when it comes to major policy changes that aren't 100 percent ideological in nature, they can be far from a slam dunk.
Case in point: Sen. Jim Inhofe - a staunch conservative, pilot and GOP booster - questioned just how much President Donald Trump cares about making an air traffic control overhaul a reality. "It's kind of funny because he hasn't mentioned that to me, and I'm the one that he would mention it to, and I've been around him a lot," the Oklahoma Republican said. "So I just question the depth of his commitment to that cause, to that legislation."
Vive la persistance: Even so, some Republicans told us they sensed a shift among at least some of their colleagues on the issue once Trump endorsed changes. "I think members took it more seriously when [Trump] came out and openly endorsed it, yeah. And then the speaker did as well," Rep. Kenny Marchant (R-Texas), a member of Ways and Means, said.
That cooling saucer, though: Still, Senate Commerce Chairman John Thune (R-S.D.) has said for months (many months) that he doesn't have the votes to move House Transportation Chairman Bill Shuster's plan out of his committee, let alone on the floor, meaning members will more likely than not have to hash things out in the most old-school of ways - through a conference committee (remember those?). It's way too early to tell just how a conference committee might come down, but we'd observe that the last time there was a user fee fight as part of an FAA bill - and that one, keep in mind, was without the additional wholesale governance change that's being proposed - the scuffle forced dozens of extensions strung out over about four years. Which, of course, is the standard time for an FAA reauthorization to run.
A handy visual: Ever wish for a side-by-side comparison of the economic underpinnings of our air traffic control system and that of NavCanada, the closest sibling to the system Shuster wants to implement here - along with a summary of each system's advantages, disadvantages, and performance histories? Of course you have, transportation nerds. Here you go, courtesy of our crack team over at Datapoint.
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HEAT AWAITS IN THE SENATE: As your favorite Pros reported last week, the Senate bill is not without its own controversies, the biggest of which is language to loosen the strictures on pathways for pilots to be certificated to fly with less than 1,500 hours of flight time logged. A DOT working group set up under last year's FAA bill submitted a final report to Congress last week that urged lawmakers to do just that. "The imposition of the new 1,500 hours requirement has drastically increased the time and cost for aspiring aviators to become commercial airline pilots, in many cases putting the piloting career out of reach," the working group said.
ALPA pushback: In May, the Air Line Pilots Association, which had a representative on the working group, pleaded with Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao to force members back to the drawing board on the report, on which President Tim Canoil said the other panel members "appeared to have a predetermined notion of what the end results should be." Canoil outlined in the 15-page letter the group's issues with the report (while also complaining that it had been limited to a one-page dissent in the eventual submission to DOT and Congress). Members of the panel included regional airline executives (plus Regional Airline Association President Faye Malarkey Black), executives from small airports and state and local government officials constituencies that have been pushing the notion of a nationwide pilot shortage (which ALPA disputes) for years.
The process: Report author Russell Mills, a former FAA policy analyst and now an associate professor at Bowling Green State University, said the group's work was "a very collaborative process throughout," but conceded that ALPA was always going to disagree on the pilot shortage issue. Mills said that, from his own experience at Bowling Green, he's observed a dearth of flight instructors because they leave as soon as they meet their hours requirement. And to ALPA's complaint that the study didn't do enough to probe ways to improve regional airline business models, Mills noted that regionals are offering job candidates more money now than they historically have.
Other recommendations: The working group urged policymakers to write an Essential Air Service community "Bill of Rights" to give those locations greater say in voicing concerns about their service (while also stating that "many of the perceived inefficiencies in the EAS program are symptoms of larger issues, especially the shortage of qualified pilots"). The group also urged Congress to boost funding for and tweak the Small Community Air Service Development Program.
ADVANCE WARNING: Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) urged MTA Chairman Joseph Lhota to implement a "culture of safety" in the wake of a preliminary NTSB report that found that Metro-North knew of a "real nasty kink in the rail" before train 1373 derailed in Rye, N.Y., in May. Fourteen passengers and two crewmembers sustained minor injuries in the incident. Blumenthal underscored that any improvement in rail safety must include "a commitment to implementation of Positive Train Control" by the December 2018 deadline. Blumenthal asked Lhota to report back to him on "how you will prioritize safety so incidents like the Rye derailment will not be allowed to recur."
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Busy weekend for NTSB: NTSB responded to six general-aviation airplane crashes - with a combined death toll of 14 - plus a natural-gas pipeline explosion and an engine fire on a commercial airliner during Saturday and Sunday of the Independence Day weekend.
FREE TO TYPE ABOUT THE CABIN: DHS lifted its ban on large electronic devices in passenger cabins over the weekend for Etihad Airway flights from Abu Dhabi, our Stephanie Beasley reports. While other affected airlines and airports are still subject to restrictions, the department said Etihad and Abu Dhabi International Airport had stood up enhanced security measures that voided the need for them to adhere to the so-called laptop ban. The Associated Press reported late Tuesday that Emirates and Turkish Airlines will meet with U.S. officials today "to show they have complied with measures to be exempted from the ban as well," according to a DHS spokesman.
YES, (MEXICAN) TRUCKS GO: The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals last week rejected a challenge by the Teamsters of FMCSA's authority to issue permits to Mexican truck companies after a 2015 report by the agency deemed them safe enough to drive within the United States. The judges dismissed the union's suit against the report because it wasn't a reviewable final agency action, and rejected its challenge to FMCSA's issuance of an operating permit "because the decision whether to grant long-haul authority based on the results of a pilot program is committed to agency discretion by law."
CONGRATULATIONS: To Will Kinzel, managing director of government affairs at Delta Air Lines, and Marcie Kinzel, senior adviser to Sen. Steve Paines (R-Mont.), who welcomed a new baby into their family June 29. What a sweetie!
THE AUTOBAHN:
- "Cargo delivery at PortMiami terminal paralyzed after cyber attack." Transport Topics.
- Rahm Emanuel schools other city leaders on maintaining transit infrastructure. The New York Times.
- Advice on surviving an airplane engine fire, from someone who lived through one over the weekend. Quartz.
- "Drones may soon have to identify themselves electronically while in flight." Recode.
- "On London's Streets, Black Cabs and Uber Fight for a Future." The New York Times.
- "Inside the White House's policy-making juggernaut." POLITICO.
THE COUNTDOWN: DOT appropriations run out in 88 days. The FAA reauthorization expires in 88 days. Highway and transit policy is up for renewal in 1,184 days.
** A message from Delta Air Lines: Committed to bettering the travel experience, Delta has
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partnered with CLEAR, the biometric identity platform. CLEAR allows SkyMiles Members to use fingerprint and iris I.D. technology to speed through airport security by offering them exclusive Member-only rates on CLEAR membership. CLEAR is trusted by over one million travelers and by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. CLEAR's three-step enrollment process takes less than five minutes - CLEAR digitally authenticates your driver's license or passport, confirms your identity, and then creates your biometric account. After enrollment, members can begin using the CLEAR Lanes immediately. Enroll today at clearme.com/delta. **
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To:
Jackson, Ryan[jackson.ryan@epa.gov]
From: Anna Palmer Jake Sherman Daniel Lippman
Sent: Sat 6/24/2017 2:20:35 PM
Subject: POLITICO Playbook, presented by Starbucks: MATT MIKA out of hospital - GOP HEALTH
CARE bill in shambles as Trump begins to get involved - PRO-TRUMP group looking to pressure Dean
Heller - WOODY JOHNSON spotted at Trump hotel - PENCE huddles with Koch
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Driving the Day
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Good Saturday morning. GOOD NEWS - MATT MIKA IS OUT OF THE HOSPITAL A note from his family: "Our family is pleased to report that Matt has been discharged from George Washington University Hospital. We are truly grateful for the compassionate, world-class care provided by the doctors, nurses and team at George Washington, and we will never forget and continue to be grateful for the heroism shown by the U.S. Capitol Police. We truly appreciate the prayers, words of encouragement and support from Matt's friends, family and people across the nation and the world. Matt's discharge is a welcome and important step. As he continues to recover we ask for your respect of our family's privacy. The family currently has no plans to do media interviews or provide further updates."
BAD NEWS FOR TRUMP -- Five Senate Republicans oppose the GOP health care bill. Sens. Dean Heller (Nev.), Ron Johnson (Wis.), Mike Lee (Utah), Ted Cruz (Texas) and Rand Paul (Ky.) have all come out against the package. It matters precious little at this point who else is against the bill because the math here is pretty simple. With Democrats uniformly opposed to the legislation, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell can only lose two votes. While Trump has started personally lobbying GOP senators, his ability to turn votes in the chamber is uncertain and untested. Still, no one should ever count McConnell out -- he's among the savviest leaders Capitol Hill has seen.
WHAT AMERICA IS SEEING THIS MORNING - SAN DIEGO UNION TRIBUNE: "HEALTH BILL LOBBYING HEATS UP: Key GOP senator balks at current version; Trump, Democrats scramble to shore up allies before vote" http://bit.lv/2t6o0bU ...DENVER POST: "Fifth GOP senator opposes latest health bill: Nevada's Heller
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worried by Medicaid cuts; Republican super PAC to attack him in ads" http://bit.ly/2tFmhHp ...
... HARTFORD COURANT: "Senators Expect 'Titanic' Fight: Blumenthal, Murphy Blast 'Evil' Bill, GOP Secrecy" http://bit.lv/2u0cRpi ... JANESVILLE GAZETTE: "Medicaid faces hard times: Historic change possible with GOP health plans" http://bit.lv/2sBNHzm
STATEMENT FROM THE PRESIDENT, FROM THE WHITE HOUSE @realdonaldtrump at 8:51 a.m.: "Democrats slam GOP healthcare proposal as Obamacare premiums & deductibles increase by over 100%. Remember keep your doctor, keep your plan?"
-- GUESS WHAT: Democrats were never going to vote to repeal Obamacare. The stalemate on health care is a GOP issue. If you talk to elected Republicans on the Hill, they pretty much all understand that they now own health care as a political issue.
THE HEADACHE MCCONNELL DOESN'T NEED - "The surprising GOP holdout on the Senate's health bill," by Jen Haberkorn: "Ron Johnson stormed Washington in 2010 by railing against Obamacare, becoming one of the law's harshest and most persistent critics. Now, with the Senate on the brink of repealing the law, he's one of the surprise holdouts threatening to block the bill. The Wisconsin Republican says Senate leaders are rushing the vote before he and the public can analyze it and are not doing enough to actually bring down premiums. He joined with a trio of Senate conservatives on Thursday who say they're open to negotiation but can't support Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's bill as it is." http://politi.co/2uOcOdd
- FROM WAPO'S SEAN SULLIVAN, BOB COSTA AND KELSEY SNELL: "As the vote-counting effort intensifies, Trump, who has said he supports the bill but it needs more 'negotiation,' is trying to build consensus both in public and behind the scenes. On Thursday, he called Sen. Ted Cruz (Tex.), one of the five GOP holdouts, to speak with him about his proposed changes, according to White House officials and a Trump ally with knowledge of the conversation." http://wapo.st/2sMHSh6
AIR WARS -- "Pro-Trump group to target GOP Sen. Heller over health care bill," by Matt Nussbaum and Alex Isenstadt: "A pro-Trump outside group is launching an advertising blitz against Republican Sen. Dean Heller over his opposition to the health care repeal bill - a bold act of political retaliation against a member of the president's own party. Heller, a Nevada Republican, is up for re-election in 2018 and is seen as one of the most vulnerable incumbents up for reelection this cycle. The barrage, which will be orchestrated by America First Policies, a group run by many of President Donald Trump's top campaign advisers, is backed by more than a million dollars ... Digital ads [were] set to begin running on Friday, and television and radio spots are set to launch early next week." http://politi.co/2t6bZDi
-- THIS IS STUNNING. Heller is perhaps the most embattled Senate Republican in 2018. A group that VP Mike Pence raised money for is going after him. This is the kind
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of thing that is going to have Senate Republicans wondering if the White House and its allies have any idea what they're doing.
-- @HillaryClinton: "Forget death panels. If Republicans pass this bill, they're the death party."
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WHAT REX TILLERSON'S BEEN UP TO - "Overruling diplomats, U.S. to drop Iraq, Myanmar from child soldiers' list," by Reuters' Jason Szep and Matt Spetalnick: "In a highly unusual intervention, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson plans to remove Iraq and Myanmar from a U.S. list of the world's worst offenders in the use of child soldiers, disregarding the recommendations of State Department experts and senior U.S. diplomats, U.S. officials said. The decision, confirmed by three U.S. officials, would break with longstanding protocol at the State Department over how to identify offending countries and could prompt accusations the Trump administration is prioritizing security and diplomatic interests ahead of human rights.
"Tillerson overruled his own staff's assessments on the use of child soldiers in both countries and rejected the recommendation of senior diplomats in Asia and the Middle East who wanted to keep Iraq and Myanmar on the list, said the officials, who have knowledge of the internal deliberations. Tillerson also rejected an internal State Department proposal to add Afghanistan to the list, the three U.S. officials said." http://reut.rs/2rNvrAa
BONUS FOGGY BOTTOM REPORT -- "Intelligence officials worry State Dept, going easy on Russian diplomats," by Ali Watkins: "Intelligence officials and lawmakers are concerned that the State Department is dragging its feet in implementing a crackdown on Russian diplomats' travel within the U.S., despite evidence that Moscow is using lax restrictions to conduct intelligence operations. The frustration comes amid bipartisan concern that the Trump administration is trying to slow down other congressional efforts to get tough on Russia. ... The Kremlin's U.S.-based diplomatic corps, according to several U.S. intelligence sources, has been known to skip notification rules and use the lax restrictions to roam around the country, likely engaging in surveillance activities." http://politi.co/2tZI8cb
-- "State's Afghanistan-Pakistan envoy leaves, spurring confusion about U.S. diplomacy in region," by Nahal Toosi: "The State Department unit that deals with Afghanistan and Pakistan has lost its top official and its fate is uncertain, even as President Donald Trump weighs increasing U.S. military presence in the region. The development has spawned confusion inside and outside the State Department about the future of the section known as the Office of the Special Representative for Afghanistan
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and Pakistan, or SRAP." http://politi.co/2t5NmWF
KOCH WATCH -- "Vice President Pence meets with billionaire Charles Koch," by USA Today's Fredreka Schouten in Colorado Springs: "Pence, who has longstanding ties to Koch's political and policy empire, met with the Kansas industrialist for about 50 minutes ... Friday's meeting included Marc Short, Trump's director of legislative affairs, and longtime Pence aide Marty Obst. Short is a former top official in the Koch network. Those accompanying Charles Koch included key Koch lieutenants Mark Holden and Brian Hooks, who oversee the network's activities, along with Tim Phillips, who runs the Kochs' grassroots arm, Americans for Prosperity. [James] Davis also attended." https://usat.lv/2sMR0XU
COMING ATTRACTIONS -- "The other treaty on the chopping block," by Gregory Hellman and Bryan Bender: "A fierce debate is brewing inside the Trump administration over whether to withdraw from another international treaty - this one a cornerstone disarmament pact with Russia banning an entire class of nuclear missiles. ... Leading Republican hawks are pushing legislation to compel Trump to take steps to develop new missiles in response - the first steps to jettisoning what is known as the INF treaty, signed by President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mihkail Gorbachev. ... But there are serious questions inside the Pentagon, State Department and the White House National Security Council - and loud warnings from the architects of the pact - about the consequences of such a move, which some say could spark a full-blown arms race." http://politi.co/2t6mWET
THE JUICE...
SPOTTED: Woody Johnson -- the newly nominated ambassador to the United Kingdom - in the Franklin study at the Trump Hotel last night for the reception for Steven Mnuchin's wedding to Louise Linton (at 6:30 p.m. tonight at the Carnegie Mellon Auditorium). Mnuchin was wearing a dark suit and red tie.
- NEW YORK REP. ADRIANO ESPAILLAT (D-N.Y.), who is in his first term, filed a financial disclosure that lists two assets: a pension, and between $5 million and $25 million in cash in a checking account.
SPORTS BLINK -- "AP sources: Jeb Bush, Romney join forces to pursue Marlins," by Steven Wine: "Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush has switched sides in pursuit of the Miami Marlins, and he's trying to beat out former teammate Derek Jeter. Bush has joined forces with businessman Tagg Romney in a group trying to buy the Marlins ... Bush and Jeter, the 14-time New York Yankees All-Star shortstop, led rival groups earlier this year. They then joined forces, but Bush dropped out in May. Now they're rivals again, and Jeter is still exploring financing options." http://apne.ws/2t2idmz
CLICKER -- "The nation's cartoonists on the week in politics," edited by Matt ________________ Wuerker --15 keepers http://politi.co/2sA9sQ0
Playbook Reads
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DEPT. OF PREVIOUS LIVES - N.Y. DAILY NEWS - "Trump commerce secretary once flouted zoning laws and built a wall around his Southampton property," by James Fanelli: "President Trump isn't the only one in his administration who thinks a border wall can solve a problem. U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross once built an illegal wall on the perimeter of his swanky Southampton estate to block the noise from the American Indian reservation across the street and the traffic along Montauk Highway. When the billionaire cabinet member was told he couldn't have the wall, he waged a three-year legal battle with the local zoning board of appeals that he ultimately lost. Ross installed the sound barrier after his infant grandson kept waking up from the procession of cars and trucks along the highway and from the parade of customers at the tax-free tobacco shops on Shinnecock Nation land." http://nydn.us/2s7v8Qg
THE BLURRING -- "The White House hires a Trump hotel executive to serve as chief usher," by WaPo's Krissah Thompson and Jonathan O'Connell: "Melania Trump on Friday named a senior manager at Washington's Trump International Hotel to serve as chief usher of the White House. Timothy Harleth, who worked for Mandarin Oriental hotels in D.C. and New York before joining one of the Trumps' flagship hotels last year, will take the crucial position overseeing the staff of housekeepers, butlers and others who work in the first family's living quarters and maintain the executive mansion. ... This spring, the Trumps pushed out Chief Usher Angella Reid, an Obama appointee who had also come from the world of luxury hotels. The White House gave no reason for her firing other than a desire for change." http://wapo.st/2rN5NM2
KNOWING CORRY BLISS -- "The GOP's one-man fire brigade: After four special election wins, Republicans are relying on the Congressional Leadership Fund's Corry Bliss to safeguard the House majority," by Eliana Johnson: "Bliss has proselytized relentlessly about the declining importance of television, which Trump used to great effect, and the rising importance of ground game, something Barack Obama and Democrats were quicker to exploit than their Republican counterparts. He was bitterly critical of what he regarded as the [RNC's] weak field program last year in Ohio, where he built an independent field operation on Portman's behalf - a move that ruffled feathers at the [RNC].
"The senator waltzed to victory, but Bliss clashed repeatedly with then-RNC chairman Reince Priebus and his chief of staff, Katie Walsh, over Portman's field program; and Priebus and Walsh later waved off Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan from hiring Bliss to run the [NRSC] and the [NRCC]. Sources close to Bliss and Priebus say they have a cordial relationship now."
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BEYOND THE BELTWAY -- "California activist Tom Steyer adds health care to his brand," by Victoria Colliver in San Francisco: "California billionaire activist Tom Steyer made his name as an environmental activist, worked with Democratic groups to register a million new voters and redefined green politics with high-profile campaigns on climate change and clean energy. Now as he weighs a run for public office, he's adding health care - specifically drug prices - to his brand. ... The former hedge fund executive, 59, is backing a California effort to force drug manufacturers to give notice of price increases, a move Steyer sees as a first step to reining in drug costs and curbing the power of corporate interests." http://politi.co/2s6S8yY
CONNECTING THE DOTS - NYT A1, "Maritime Mystery: Why a U.S. Destroyer Failed to Dodge a Cargo Ship," by Scott Shane: "There should have been lookouts on watch on the port, starboard and stern of the destroyer Fitzgerald - sailors scanning the horizon with binoculars and reporting by headsets to the destroyer's bridge. At 1:30 a.m. last Saturday, off the coast of Japan south of Tokyo, they could hardly have failed to see the 730-foot freighter ACX Crystal, stacked with more than 1,000 containers, as it closed in. Radar officers working both on the bridge and in the combat information center below it should have spotted the freighter's image on their screens, drawing steadily closer. ... But none of that happened. The Fitzgerald's routine cruise in good weather through familiar, if crowded, seas ended in the most lethal Navy accident in years. Seven sailors lost their lives." http://nyti.ms/2sMJBTG
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FIRST PERSON - DAVID RANK in WaPo, "Why I resigned from the Foreign Service after 27 years": "When the administration decided to withdraw from the Paris agreement on climate change, however, I concluded that, as a parent, patriot and Christian, I could not in good conscience be involved in any way, no matter how small, with the implementation of that decision. ... I worry about the frequently politically motivated portrayal of those who work for the American people as members of some mythical elite, separate and suspicious. Such false characterizations drive talented Americans away from public service or discourage them from entering it in the first place." http://wapo.st/2t5Wif5
IN LANGLEY - NYT A1, "C.I.A. Set Up Secret Back Channel With Syria to Try to Free U.S. Hostage," by Adam Goldman: "In the early days of the Trump administration, national security officials began exploring ways to free Austin Tice, an American journalist and a former Marine officer believed to be held by the Syrian government. ... [I]n early February, Mike Pompeo, the C.I.A. director, spoke on the phone with Ali Mamlouk, the head of Syria's National Security Bureau intelligence service, a man accused of human rights abuses during the country's civil war and slapped with sanctions by the United States. The call was the highest-level contact between the
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governments in years. Though Mr. Pompeo's discussion with Mr. Mamlouk prompted further communications that renewed hope that Mr. Tice would be freed, the operation fizzled out after the Syrian government's nerve gas attack in rebel-held northern Syria in April and the American missile strike in response." http://nyti.ms/2t6hK3Z
DEEP DIVE -- "Why Grenfell Tower Burned: Regulators Put Cost Before Safety," by NYT's David D. Kirkpatrick, Danny Hakim and James Glanz: "The London police on Friday blamed flammable materials used in the facade for the spread of the blaze and said the investigation could bring charges of manslaughter. ... [Interviews with tenants, industry executives and fire safety engineers point to a gross failure of government oversight, a refusal to heed warnings from inside Britain and around the world and a drive by successive governments from both major political parties to free businesses from the burden of safety regulations. ... Builders in Britain were allowed to wrap residential apartment towers - perhaps several hundred of them - from top to bottom in highly flammable materials, a practice forbidden in the United States and many European countries. And companies did not hesitate to supply the British market." http://nyti.ms/2s2auWs
GREAT WEEKEND READS, curated by Daniel Lippman, filing from Palm Beach, Florida:
--"China's Mistress-Dispellers," by Jiayang Fan in the New Yorker: '"There are no enduring marriages,' [Ming Li] told me matter-of-factly. 'Only mistresses who haven't worked hard enough at tearing it apart.'" http://bit.lv/2t4q2bO
--"How Accusing A Powerful Man of Rape Drove A College Student To Suicide," by BuzzFeed's Katie J.M. Baker: "When an Alabama college student told the police she was sexually assaulted, she did everything she thought she was supposed to do. She ended up killing herself." http://bzfd.it/2t0rAmV
--"What Makes Us Happy?" by Joshua Wolf Shenk in the June 2009 issue of The Atlantic: "Is there a formula-some mix of love, work, and psychological adaptation-for a good life? For 72 years, researchers at Harvard have been examining this question, following 268 men who entered college in the late 1930s through war, career, marriage and divorce, parenthood and grandparenthood, and old age." http://theatln.tc/2sKRede (h/t Longform.org)
--"Shakespeare's Politics," by Robert Cooper in the American Interest: "We know little of his political opinions, but there's much we can learn of them from the recurrent themes of his works." http://bit.ly/2szQRE1
--"Covering the Cops," by Calvin Trillin in the Feb 17, 1976 issue of The New Yorker per Longform's description: "A profile of Edna Buchanan, a Pulitzer Prize-winning crime reporter for the Miami Herald during its heyday." http://bit.lv/2tDzwlB
--"Can Jonathan Haidt Calm the Culture Wars?" by Evan R. Goldstein in the
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Chronicle of Higher Education - per ALDaily.com's description: "Haidt is famous for explaining how liberals and conservatives think. Now he's wagering that social psychology can calm the campus culture war." http://bit.lv/2szUObR
--"A Declaration of Urban Independence," by Richard Florida in the July/Aug. issue of POLITICO Magazine: "Cities are under assault in the age of Donald Trump. It would be better for the country if they ran themselves instead." http://politi.co/2sAhrqb
--"Fighting for the Immigrants of Little Pakistan," by The New Yorker's Jennifer Gonnerman: "The Brooklyn neighborhood persevered after 9/11. Can it survive in the age of Trump?" http://bit.ly/2t0lovn
--"Trained to Kill: How Four Boy Soldiers Survived Boko Haram," by Sarah A.
Topol in the N.Y. Times Magazine: "The four children, from a fishing village in Nigeria,
were among thousands abducted by Boko Haram and trained as soldiers. They learned
to survive, but only by forgetting who they were."
^ic/Ftlc^/B
--"What's Wrong With the Democrats?" by Franklin Foer in the July/Aug. issue of The Atlantic: "If the party cares about winning, it needs to learn how to appeal to the white working class." http://theatln.tc/2t4ancx
--"The Tamarind is Always Sour," by Keane Shum in Granta: "The business model was to get as many passengers to Malaysia alive as possible, but crews were not shy about shooting or beating people to maintain order. The murdered would be thrown overboard, along with the handful who perished from starvation or sickness. We think about twelve of every thousand passengers died at sea, almost all from abuse or deprivation." http://bit.lv/2szMq4p
--"The Monster of Florence: A true crime story," by Douglas Preston in the July/Aug. 2006 issue of the Atlantic: "Between 1974 and 1985 seven couples were murdered while making love in parked cars in the hills of Florence. The case was never solved. There have been suicides, exhumations, poisonings, body parts sent by post, sances in graveyards, lawsuits, and prosecutorial vendettas." http://theatln.to/2sKUFRe
Playbookers
SPOTTED: Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor last night at the Nats game (the Nats beat the Cincinnati Reds 6-5)... Rep. Lois Frankel (D-Fla.) asking for (and taking) a selfie with Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs yesterday at the taxi line at West Palm Beach airport after finding out that he was the reporter body-slammed by her new colleague Greg Gianforte (R-Mont.)... former Sen. Mark Kirk (R-lll.) on a United Airline flight yesterday from DCA to ORD ... Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) yesterday at Spokane airport, coming in from a flight from ORD.
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TRANSITIONS -- Samantha Greene is starting Monday as the comms director for Rep. Julia Brownley (D-Calif.); Greene most recently spent two years as communications director at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation. ... Sara Roberts had her last day on Friday as digital director for the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. She's moving to New York to be digital marketing editor for the Peninsula Hotels.
ENGAGED! @sethmoulton: "My girlfriend of 2+ years, Liz Boardman, just said yes! So excited!!" Boardman is a senior client partner at Korn Ferry Sports. With pic of the couple on the Speaker's Balcony, where he proposed http://bit.lv/2tXZPZt
WELCOME TO THE WORLD -- Alison Hawkins, VP of comms at the Financial Services Roundtable and a Capitol Hill, VA and Romney alum, and David Hawkins, a special agent at the VA, recently welcomed Hunter Hawkins. "He's now the little brother to Avery (3) and Evangeline (2) who haven't left their baby brother alone since he got home. He was 8 lb 8 oz, 20 1/2 in long." Pics http://bit.lv/2rYTGzC ...
http://bit.lv/2sOLgrz
-- Sarah Martin Castro, director of federal relations at the University of Washington, and Andre Castro, comms director for Rep. Bill Flores (R-Texas), on Friday welcomed Lorraine Lupita Castro in to the world. Pic http://bit.lv/2s6N1hW
--Amber Moon, comms director for Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) and Byron Mills, who works at Treasury's Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, this week welcomed Wesley Samuel Mills to the world. Amber writes in: "He weighed in at 7lbs, 11oz despite being a few weeks early. He's the best birthday gift I could ever ask for!" Pic http://politi.co/2t4cEEB
BIRTHWEEK (was yesterday): Jeremy Katz, deputy director of the National Economic Council and former Bush 43 Jewish liaison ... Robert D. Kaplan, CNAS senior fellow and senior adviser at Eurasia Group, turned 65 (hat tips: Jewish Insider)... Bradley Engle of Purple Strategies and a Jindal alum (h/t Kyle Plotkin)
BIRTHDAYS: Ralph Reed, founder and chairman of the Faith & Freedom Coalition ... Washington Free Beacon editor Matt Continetti is 36 ... Roger Fisk, Obama advance alum, is 5-0 ... former NY Gov. George Pataki is 72 ... Ed Traz, Republican mail consultant... Texas Tribune's Morgan Smith (hubby tip: Travis Considine, filing from Zanzibar on their honeymoon)... Billionaire activist investor Nelson Peltz is 75 ... former Clinton Labor secretary Robert Reich is 71 (h/ts Jewish Insider)... Gretchen Reiter, founder of Highline Strategies ... Kevin Goldman, former WSJ media reporter and CNBC spokesman, now senior director and head of global media practice at APCO ... Politico media booking maven Jonathan Yuan ... former Treasury COS Chris Weideman ... former Jeb 2016 research director Quentin Cantu ... Ronie Gazit... Zach Seward, VP of product and executive editor of Quartz ... Anna Massoglia ... WSJ's Jennifer Maloney ... Mike Gula, a Republican fundraising consultant... Jesse Stinebring, data scientist at Civis Analytics and Obama alum ... Heather Hurlburt of New America Foundation ...
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Sara Shannon ... Kim Fenske ... Brett Rosner (h/t Oliver Darcy, filing from Palm Beach)
... Omnika Thompson, executive producer for "MSNBC Live with Katy Tur" (h/t Michael Weiss)... Mike Gula, who runs the Gula Graham Group with Jon Graham (h/t Zack Roday)... Benjamin Tomchik, director of public affairs at American Insurance Association ... Neal Becton ... Sara Shannon ... Melinda Arons (h/t Adrienne Elrod)... Joanna Reagan (h/t Jon Haber)... Kaitlyn Burton, who writes Politico's Day Ahead newsletter (h/t Peter King)... Katherine Marie Kulik ... Thomas Doane Perry III ... Allie Bradford ... Tyler Kasperek Somes ... Abel Acua ... Kathleen Hartnett... Sarah Dale ... Bush 43 admin, alum Joe Bogosian, now CEO of Safran Vectronix in Boston ... Roger Roscoe ... SEIU alum Tyler Somes ... Ricki Peltzman, spending her day as she always does - dressing all of DC - from her Upstairs on 7th store!)... Keida Helen Roys (h/ts Teresa Vilmain)... Mindy Kaling is 38 ... Minka Kelly is 37 ... Solange Knowles is 3-0 (h/ts AP)
THE SHOWS, by @MattMackowiak, filing from Los Angeles:
--NBC's "Meet the Press": Sen. Bernie Sanders (l-Vt)... Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.). Panel: Helene Cooper, Hallie Jackson, Mark Leibovich and George Will
--CBS's "Face the Nation": Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.)... Adam Entous ... Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.)... Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.)... Mark Bowden. Panel: Ben Domenech, Michael Duffy, Ed O'Keefe and Amy Walter
--CNN's "State of the Union", guest-hosted by Dana Bash: HHS Secretary Tom Price ... Ohio Gov. John Kasich ... Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.). Panel: Amanda Carpenter, Rick Santorum, Rep. Andre Carson (D-lnd.) and Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.)
--ABC's "This Week": Kellyanne Conway ... Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.)... Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine)... Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.). Panel: Matthew Dowd, Lanhee Chen, Julie Pace and Neera Tanden
--"Fox News Sunday": Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-lll.)... Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.)... HHS Secretary Tom Price. Panel: Michael Needham, Jennifer Griffin, Josh Holmes and Bob Woodward
--CNN's "Inside Politics" with John King: Michael Bender, Margaret Talev, Karoun Demirjian and Manu Raju
--Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures": Eric Trump ... Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) ... Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.)... Alberto Gonzales. Panel: Ed Rollins and A.B. Stoddard
--Fox News' "MediaBuzz": Sean Spicer... Shannon Pettypiece ... Mollie Hemingway ... Ray Suarez ... Ed Henry ... Sarah Lacy
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--CNN's "Fareed Zakaria GPS": Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel... Joseph Cirincione ... David Brooks
--CNN's "Reliable Sources": Panel: April Ryan, David Drucker and Michael D'Antonio ... Phil Donahue ... Sarah Kliff... Masha Gessen
--Univision's "Al Punto": Mexican Institute for Competitiveness general director Juan Pardinas and Miguel Agustin Pro Jurez Human Rights Center executive director Mario Patrn ... El Cenizo, Texas Mayor Ral Reyes and Brownsville, Texas Mayor Tony Martinez ... Human Rights Program of the Universidad Iberoamericano coordinator Denise Gonzlez and researcher Jorge Ruiz Reyes ... violinist and Venezuelan activist Wuilly Arteaga ... Mexican-American singer-songwriter Lila Downs
--C-SPAN: "The Communicators": AT&T executive vice president for external & legislative affairs Robert Quinn, questioned by Reuters' David Shepardson ..."Newsmakers": Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas), questioned by The Wall Street Journal's Gordon Lubold and Defense News' Joe Gould ... "Q&A": Robert Caro
--Washington Times' "Mack on Politics" weekly politics podcast with Matt Mackowiak (download on iTunes, Google Play, or Stitcher or listen at http://bit.ly/2omgw1D): Author and The Atlantic national correspondent Mark Bowden.
****** & message from starbucks: One in eight Americans struggles to get enough to eat. Inspired by the commitment from our partners (employees), Starbucks is working with Feeding America to channel our unsold fresh food to feed the communities we serve. By 2020, as our FoodShare program grows, we'll donate 50 million meals each year: http://sbux.co/2sBiWeM ******
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