Subject: ?Axios AM: Mike's Top 10 — The ministers of Trump's truths — Our questions about tonight's speech — Gates on leadership — World's Most Admired Companies
From: "Mike Allen" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 28 Feb 2017 06:45:10 -0500 (EST)

Presented by Walmart:

The ministers of Trump's truths — Our 10 questions about tonight=s speech — World's Most Admired Companies

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Presented By Walmart

Axios AM

By Mike Allen = ·Feb 28, 2017

1 big thing: ​The ministers of Trump's truths

Forget the theater, the palace intrigue, the stumbles. =ne thing you should know on Day 40 (and soon the 40th night) of President =rump is this: This a Bannon-Miller presidency in the making. Think about t=e dark view of the state of the world, of the state of our nation, of the =tate of media. This is the worldview of the Stephens -- chief strategist B=nnon and policy guru Miller -- trumpeted by Trump. We see this in ...
=/p>

A budget draft that guts the regulatory state=to fund a defense build-up.

A war without end wit= the media, where allies like Breitbart get Oval Office face time and fren=mies like the New York Times get endlessly tagged as evil.

on immigrants, visitors from Muslim countries, trade= companies exporting jobs.

A dismissive view of t=e U.N. and conventional views on China.

The s=ow destruction of political norms, and Washington customs and nic=ties.

Stephen Miller, 31, is=the "Minister of Truth" on the cove= of the forthcoming Bloomberg Businessweek, profiled by Josh Green. Bannon= of course, is quoted extensively.

"Economic nationalism, as defined by Trump's advisers, would =eize the levers of government and the presidential bully pulpit to direct =esources to helping marginalized U.S. workers. ... Miller's us-vs.-them vi=ion for overhauling U.S. policy and his combative defense of Trump have al= the elements of a compelling talk-radio rant.

"But actually enacting Trump's agenda would deliv=r a tremendous shock to the political system, one sure to spark massive re=istance. ... For all the impact his executive actions have had on U.S. imm=gration policy, the bulk of his agenda is legislative—and it has s=owed to a crawl, despite Republican majorities in the House and Senate. ..= 'I understand his vision, his ideas,' Miller says. 'I can be an implement=r.'"

Classic Miller: "='m prepared to to on any show, anywhere, anytime, and repeat it, and say t=e president of the United States is correct. One. Hundred. Percent."

2. Our questions about the speech

Rebecca Zisser / Axios

What we'll be listening for at 9 p.m. ET:

Th= real state of our Union is unsettled — on edge. Does the presiden= acknowledge that, and do anything to alleviate it?

If he tries to=break the ice with humor about himself, what trait does he choose?
What will Trump say that's tailored directly to lawmakers, to balance the=bulk of his speech, which'll be aimed beyond the chamber?

Can Trum= convince Republicans that there's a clear path to success on his big-tick=t agenda items: health care, taxes, infrastructure?

Will Democrats=have a "You lie!" moment?

How will Trump handle it?

What w=ll he say about Russia?

What will he say about the media?

=ow closely does he stick to the prompter?

Does he deliver on aides= promise of a sunny speech?

3. Reality v. spin

The White House is casting President Trump's speech ton=ght as "an optimistic vision for all Americans." Axios' Jonathan Swan has =a href="http://link.axios.com/click/8994199.36681/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYXhpb3=uY29tL3RydW1wcy1zcGVlY2gtdGhlLXNwaW4tdmVyc3VzLXRoZS1yZWFsaXR5LTIyODkzMTY3N=IuaHRtbD91dG1fc291cmNlPW5ld3NsZXR0ZXImdXRtX21lZGl1bT1lbWFpbCZ1dG1fY2FtcGFp=249bmV3c2xldHRlcl9heGlvc2Ft/5871993924c17c54d77a8b8cBdb764c9a" target="_=lank">a reality check:

"The=Obamacare repeal-and-replace process is buckling under enormous s=rain. (Tax reform is a mess, too. But let's stick with healthcare as it's =he first priority for Republicans.) House GOP leaders need much more from =rump than a gauzy vision speech. They need a specific, forceful declaratio= of support for the House's Obamacare repeal-and-replace plan.

Here's what the White House wants you to hear tonight (per an administr=tion background briefing with reporters last night):

=t's big on promises made and kept. Trump will spend the early part of his =peech running through these fulfilled promises — mostly executive =rders and unilateral actions like withdrawing from the Trans-Pacific Partn=rship trade deal.

Core themes of the speech: Economic opportunity =lus protecting the American people.

When asked whether Trump would=be attacking his "enemies" (aka the "fake news" media), a senior official =esponded: "it's fair to say this is a look forward."

Trump didn't=just rely on his top speechwriter Stephen Miller for the speech. Agencies =ere consulted. And Trump got lots of info from "listening sessions" with f=lks from the healthcare industry, business community, coal miners, union o=ficials, and other frontline workers.

Trump on the N.Y= Times, in Oval Office interview with Breitbart's M=tt Boyle: "[I]f you read the New York Times, it's—the int=nt is so evil and so bad … The stories are wrong in many cases, bu= it's the overall intent. Look at that paper over the last two years. �=80� [T]hey write lies.

A message from Walmart

Committed to the American people

At Walmart, we’re committed to investing in the communities we s=rve. That’s why we’re working to create new jobs in cities=like Ilwaco, Washington, by investing in products made, assembled, and gro=n in America. Read more.

4. The choices

We told you in our first preview of tonight's speech th=t lawmakers want specific plans and paths, not campaign slogans. R=p. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) has a checklist in a New York Times Op-Ed, =What the G.O.P. Wants Trump to Say Tonight," calling=for Trump to "become an active participant in the legislative process":
"How much money will be pumped into the Pentagon,=and will it be offset by reduced spending on domestic priorities such as e=rly childhood education, biomedical research and clean drinking water?"
"Do Republicans finance their new health care syste= by keeping some of the Obamacare taxes or, as some suggest, taxing upper-=nd health insurance plans — an idea they previously opposed?"
=li>"And will the tax cuts ... be made permanent and paid =or by a 'border adjustment tax' on imports, or phased out at the end of a =ecade, as was the case with the George W. Bush tax cuts?"

"There are divisions within Republican ranks in Congress=on all these issues."

=/a>

5. Trump's faces

Guests who'll be seated with First Lady Melania Trump t=night, as described by the White House:

Maureen McCarth= Scalia, widow of Justice Antonin Scalia.

Megan C=owley: At 15 months, Megan was diagnosed with Pompe Disease and n=t expected to live more than a few years. To look for a cure, her father f=unded Novazyme Pharmaceuticals, a five-person startup that he built into a=100-person company. Megan, age 20, is now a sophomore at Notre Dame.
<=i>Jessica Davis and Susan Oliver: Jessica and Susan are t=e widows of Detective Michael Davis and Deputy Sheriff Danny Oliver, Calif=rnia police officers killed in the line of duty in 2014 "by an illegal imm=grant." Their names are memorialized in the Davis-Oliver bill, aimed at in=reasing cooperation between federal and local officials to enforce immigra=ion laws.

Denisha Merriweather: After struggling =ith classes and switching schools often, Denisha moved in with her godmoth=r and enrolled in the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program. She began go=ng to a private school, Esprit de Corps Center for Learning, and became th= first member of her family to graduate from high school and college.
=li>Jamiel Shaw, Sr.: Shaw's son, Jamiel Jr., was a high s=hool football star before he was shot "by an illegal immigrant, who was al=o a gang member," in 2008.

6. The unsocial social network

The WSJ how Snap is different than Twitter and Facebook.

The office: "[T]he company defiantly operates unlike most Sili=on Valley outfits, where collaboration and wide-open office spaces are pri=ed. ... Snap doesn't have a headquarters."

The founder: "Former employees say often the only way they knew co-founder and CEO=Evan Spiegel was at work was by seeing his chauffeured SU=. He avoids holding companywide meetings and prefers to dispense informati=n to individuals or small groups, they say."

And the quotes=/strong>:

"Evan doesn't talk much."

"For someone of h=s age, he operates with much more wisdom than anyone else I have seen. I f=nd him to be a very, very clear thinker. ... [H]e gets it right every time="

7. Bob Gates' leadership advice for Trump

For our "Smarter, Faster" =ideo series, Bob Gates — the former SecDef and CIA director, a=d lifelong practitioner of reforming massive organizations — says = key is making the people beneath you "believe that the changes are their =hanges."

8. Hot in tech

"Buffett reveals $18bn Apple stake" -- top of Financial Times second =ront: "Berkshire had $7bn of its $122bn equity portfolio invested in A=ple at the end of 2016 after almost a year of incremental purchases ... Be=kshire is now one of Apple's top five shareholders, with a stake worth $18=2bn."

9. Fortune: World's Most Admired Companies

3,800 executives, analysts, directors, and experts vote=. These are the top All-S=ars, winning votes from inside and outside their industries:

<=i>Apple

Amazon

Starbucks

Berkshire Hathaway (Warre= Buffett)

Disney

Alphabet (parent of Google)

Gener=l Electric

Southwest Airlines

Facebook

Microsoft =tie for 9th with Facebook)

10. 1 fun thing

Jimmy Kimmel to Warren Beatty: "Warren, what did you do?"

Jimmy Kimmel uses his mo=ologue to give the host's-eye-view of the #OscarFail: "I don'= know if you know this but I hosted the Oscars last night. ... Any of you =ver host the Oscars before? ... Except for the end, it was a lot =f fun. It went very well. We were chugging along, and then, all of a sudde= out of nowhere, it turned into one of those Maury Povich paternity-test s=ows. It was the weirdest TV finale since 'Lost' ... 'La La Land' was simul=aneously, somehow, the biggest winner and loser last night. You k=ow it's a strange night when the word 'envelope' is trending on Twitter. .=.

"I'm now sitting in the audi=nce, watching these speeches. The plan is for me to end the show =rom the audience in a seat next to Matt Damon, who, ... whatever confusion=there was about who won, Matt Damon lost. He was a loser. He is a=loser.

"But we're sitting ther= and we notice some commotion going on and Matt says, 'I think I =eard the stage manager say they got the winner wrong.' Because the stage m=nager is on the stage -- the stage manager is never on-camera. ... So we'r= sitting there -- you just kinda figure: Well, the host will go onstage an= clear this up. And then I remember, 'Oh, I'm the host!' ...

"My first instinct was to tell [th= producer of 'La La Land'] to run! ... I'm standing there like an idiot, f=eling bad for these guys. But also trying really hard not to laugh, to be =onest. ... As I walked offstage, people started speculating ... 'Did you p=ll a prank?' ... If I pulled a prank, ... when they opened it, there would= been like a Bed Bath & Beyond coupon."

"A Transcript of the Best-Picture Mixup: It Was 'La La L=nd,' Until It Was 'Moonlight.'"

A message from Walmart

Walmart's commitment to U.S. manufacturing

At Walmart, our commitment to domestic products helps reduce the overall=time from factory or farm to shelf. By investing in American manufacturing= we can support local businesses and create more jobs. Learn more.

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