Subject: ?Axios AM: Mike's Top 10 — Trumpcare II: New hope on the Hill — Business gets a "Commander" — Still-fitting fitness tips from 1858
From: "Mike Allen" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 4 Apr 2017 07:09:05 -0400 (EDT)

Presented by Bank of America:

Trumpcare II: New hope on the Hill — Business gets a "Commander= — Still-fitting fitness tips from 1858

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Presented By Bank of America

Axios AM

By Mike Allen = ·Apr 04, 2017

You're invited! For an inside look at the br=aking health-reform news, please join us tomorrow morning for an =xios-NBC News event moderated by Jim VandeHei and Chuck Todd, with headlin=r House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy — plus Cleveland Clinic CEO=Toby Cosgrove and former HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. 8 a.m. in do=ntown D.C. RSVP here.

1 big thing ... Trumpcare II: New hope on the Hill

Facing embarrassment and crosswinds when they head home=for the Easter break, House Republicans are making another run at health r=form. The latest plan, brokered by Vice President Pence, faces tough odds =n the House, and an even slighter change of becoming law.

Bu= it gives Republicans a chance to get back on the horse —=to look like they're trying rather than giving up:

The=twist, as reported by Axios' Jonathan Swan: Give HHS Secretary To= Price more authority so he can grant waivers to let states knock out some=of the regulations the conservatives consider the most expensive.

=strong>The problem: This goes against everything the conservative=House Freedom Caucus has railed about the for the last six years —=that Congress, not bureaucrats, should make these decisions.

The latest: Axios' David Nather reports in his Vitals newslette=: "Pence left the Freedom Caucus meeting last night without a deal, but [C=airman] Mark Meadows said the group was 'encouraged.'"

The=strategy: A Hill source tells me the subtle message to Republican= is: "If we can't find a way to fix this, Trump will cut deals with Democr=ts" — with the chance for them to get preferences for their states=

The outlook: A Republican told me from the Capit=l: "Everyone's still in all kinds of boxes. It makes this really hard."

The substance ... "
States would have the option to jettison tw= major parts of the Affordable Care Act's insurance regulations. They coul= decide to opt out of provisions that require insurers to cover a standard= minimum package of benefits, known as the essential health benefits. And =hey could decide to do away with a rule that requires insurance companies =o charge the same price to everyone who is the same age, a provision calle= community rating.

2. A new can of worms

Top of WashPost front page, "Trump =onor met Putin ally in secret," by Adam Entous, Greg Miller, Kevin Sie=f and Karen DeYoung: "The United Arab Emirates arranged a secret meeting i= January between Blackwater founder Erik Prince and a Russian close to Pre=ident Vladimir Putin as part of an apparent effort to establish a ba=k-channel line of communication between Moscow and President-elect Donald =rump."

Wait! What?: The Blackwater founder "p=esented himself as an unofficial envoy for Trump ... He has ties to people=in Trump's circle, including Stephen K. Bannon ... Prince's sister Betsy D=Vos [is Trump's] education secretary ... Prince was seen in the Trump tran=ition offices in New York in December."

How it came to lig=t: "U.S. officials said the FBI has been scrutinizing the Seychel=es meeting as part of a broader probe of Russian interference in the 2016 =.S. election and alleged contacts between associates of Putin and Trump."<=li>
Why it matters: "The Seychelles encounter ... adds=to an expanding web of connections between Russia and Americans with ties =o Trump."

Look for: Reporters to press the White =ouse on contacts between Bannon and Prince.

3. There were so many rumors ...

... about this story by Bloomberg's Eli Lake that "Susan Rice" was trending e=en before his story popped. The Internet just knows: The right was blowing=up my Twitter feed and email with taunts about why I was "covering up" a s=ory that I was just hearing about:

=strong>White House lawyers last month learned that ... former nat=onal security adviser Susan Rice requested the identities [or unmasking] o= U.S. persons in raw intelligence reports on dozens of occasions that conn=ct to the Donald Trump transition and campaign ...

Rice did not respond to an =mail seeking comment ... Her role in requesting the identities of Trump tr=nsition officials adds an important element to the dueling investigations =urrounding the Trump White House since the president's inauguration.<=p>

A message from Bank of America

Supporting small business through $5.9 billion in l=ans

In the first half of 2016, Bank of America made loans to small businesse= to the tune of $5.9 billion—a 16% increase over the previous year= Investing in the success of our customers and clients is how we grow resp=nsibly. Read more.

4. Get smart fast: 9 steps to nuclear

Dems on Senate Judiciary — Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken, both of=Minnesota — question Republicans yesterday as the panel meets to a=vance the Gorsuch nomination / AP's J. Scott Applewhite

Here's a chance to pause and appreciate the winds of hi=tory that are blowing at us so fast, it's easy to mix them up or underesti=ate their significance.

In USA Today's banner story, "Nine steps to pave the 'nuclear path," Erin Kelly parses the mechanics of=the high drama that's expected in the Senate late this week — "a c=mplicated process that only a parliamentarian could love":

What's coming: Republicans plan to invoke the "nuclear option= to confirm Judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court over the filibuster of=Democrats — blowing up "both long-standing rules and bipartisanshi= in a chamber that has traditionally valued both."

The ro=dmap: The Congressional Research Service bases its steps on Dec. =, 2013, action by former Majority Leader Harry Reid, "who used the nuclear=option ... to change Senate rules so that lower court judges and Cabinet n=minees could be confirmed by a simple majority, scuttling a Republican fil=buster."

The steps before finally moving to an up=or-down vote: 1. Reconsider ... 2. Point of Order ... 3. Ruling of the cha=r ... 4. Appeal the ruling ... 5. Vote to overrule... 6. Democratic point =f order ... 7. Ruling of the chair II ... 8. Vote to overrule II ... 9. Re=vote cloture (to end filibuster).

5. Fox is winning the cable war

Data: Nielsen; Chart: Andrew Witherspoon / Axios

Shot ... While every cable channel is seeing a Trump bu=p in ratings, Fox is doing notably well, earning the best quarter in cable=news history, Axios' Sara Fischer reports:

=strong>While Fox struggled behind the scenes with sexual-harassme=t laws allegations involving O'Reilly, the anchor's prime-time show scored=the highest-rated cable news quarter ever, with 4 million viewers.

Chaser ... N.Y. Times front page, "New Harassment Cla=ms at Fox Are Followed by Canceled Ads," by Emily S=eel and Mike Schmidt: "Mercedes-Benz and Hyundai said they were withdr=wing their ads from Mr. O'Reilly's prime-time show ... after The New York =imes published an investigation this weekend that found five women who mad= allegations of sexual harassment or inappropriate behavior."

6. Stat du jour

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

"Newspaper publishers lose over half their employment [=12,000 to 174,000] from January 2001 to September 2016," per the Bureau of La=or Statistics.

"[E]mployme=t in the Internet publishing and web search portals industry incr=ased from 67,000 jobs in January 2007 to 206,000 jobs in September 2016."<=p>

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7. Sneak peek: Big labor's new strategy for Trump era

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka gave Axios' Chris Matt=ews an exclusive look at an agenda-setting speech the labor lea=er will deliver at 12:30 p.m. at a National Press Club luncheon. Here's wh=t we can expect from the movement in the Trump era:

Wor=ing both parties: Trumka will call out both "corporate Republican=" and "neoliberal Democrats" for policies, like free trade deals, that he =ays has shifted economic power from workers to corporations.

Holding Trump's feet to the fire: Trumka says 36%=of AFL-CIO voters went for Trump — 3 points more than Mitt Romney.=One of Trumka's top priorities will be to directly communicate with member= to make sure Trump can't count on overperforming with union voters in the=next election if his actions don't deserve it.

=/a>

8. Trending in business: "The Commander"

Photo by Josselin Bremaud for the French Embassy

Stephen A. Schwarzman has many titles, including Chairm=n, CEO and Co-Founder of Blackstone, and chairman of President's Trump's S=rategic and Policy Forum, an advisory council of CEOs. As of last evening,=you can also call Schwarzman "Commander."

Gérard Araud, the Ambassador of France to the U.=., presented Schwarzman with the insignia of Commandeur des Arts et Lettre=, for his service to French culture. The ceremony at the Ambassador's Resi=ence drew a roomful of notables from government, business and society, inc=uding Ivanka Trump, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, Education Secret=ry Betsy DeVos and Sen. Roy Blunt.

Coming today ...=CNBC wrote in March: "Everyone reads Berkshire Hathaway chairman and CEO W=rren Buffett's shareholder letters for guidance on management, but to whom=does Buffett turn for business wisdom? JPMorgan Chase chairman and CEO Jam=e Dimon," also chairman of Business Roundtable.

Dimon's letter will post here at 11:30 a.m.

9. The talk of tech

Wall Street Journal front-pager, "
Market caps= GM $51.2 billion ... Tesla: $48.7 billion ... Ford: $45.5 billio=.

The Snap effect ... Also on the Journal front pag=, "Tech Founders Wants IPO Cash =E2�� and Control: 'Dual-class' shares, which give majority to a few, s=read in Silicon Valley," by Maureen Farrell: "[C]ompanies are structuring =heir IPOs so that founders and executives wind up with far more votes than=actual shares. The exaggerated voting power gives those few shareholders d=minance over all corporate decisions, ranging from the election of directo=s to whether to sell the company someday."

10. 1 fun thing

"Walt Whitman Is Not Impressed By Your Expensive Gym Me=bership: Fitness advice from the famous author's 1858 manifesto," by Bloomberg's James Gaddy=

Today, Ten Speed Pre=s publishes the poet's health advice in 1858 newspaper columns, repurposed=as Walt Whitman's Guide to Manly Health & Training, presen=ing itself as "a bearded Brooklynite's spin on men's grooming guides just =n time to preorder for Father's Day." Among his tips:
Health as a Long-Term Investment: "If you are a s=udent, be also a student of the body ... realizing that a broad chest, a m=scular pair of arms, and two sinewy legs, will be just as much credit to y=u, and stand you in hand through your future life, equally with your geome=ry, your history, your classics, your law, medicine, or divinity."
"Places of training, and all for gymnastic exercises shou=d be in the open air — upon the turf or sand is best. Cellars and =ow-roofed attics are to be condemned, especially the former."

"The game of base-ball, now very generally practi=ed, is one of the very best of outdoor exercises."

"Persons habituated to a daily summer swim, or to the rapid =ash with cold water over the whole body in the water, are far less liable =o sudden colds, inflammatory diseases, or to the suffering of chronic comp=aints. The skin, one of the great inlets of disease, becomes tough and thi=k."

"A gentle and moderate refreshment at night is admissible enough; and, indeed, if accompanied with the conv=vial pleasure of friends, the cheerful song, or the excitement of company,=and the wholesome stimulus of surrounding good fellowship, is every way to=be commended."

Walt Whitman lived to age 72 =E2�� 1819 to 1892.

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A message from Bank of America

85% of new small business owners plan to grow in th= next five years

85% of new small business owners plan to grow their business in the next=five years according to a study by Bank of America. To support this critic=l piece of the economy, Bank of America loaned $5.9 billion to small busin=sses in the first half of 2016. Read more.

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