Subject: Axios AM: Mike's Top 10 — Bannon's back — Big Sky apology — Trump's last leg ???? — See the death grip — Snapchat streaks
From: "Mike Allen" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 26 May 2017 06:46:09 -0400 (EDT)

Presented by JPMorgan Chase & Co.:

Bannon's back — Big Sky apology — Trump's last leg �=9F��🇹 — See the death grip — Snapchat stre=ks

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Presented By JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Axios AM

By Mike Allen = ·May 26, 2017

You asked for it ... You got it! Axios PM — ou= super-quick take on what's happened while you've been doing actual work =E2�� detonates Tuesday afternoon, following the holiday weekend. Sign =p here — I look forward to continuing the conversati=n. (The same link is an easy way to get =our friends, colleagues and relatives to join the Axios AM breakfast bunch= Ditto for Future of Work, our newsletter coming soon on robo=s, artificial intelligence and automation.)

1 big thing: Bannon's back

Rebecca Zisser / Axios

The crises engulfing the White House have produced a su=den resurgence of power and purpose for Chief Strategist Steve Bannon, wh= had seen his clout wane as the Jivanka faction gained sway.

in the West Wing and within Trump's close orbit tell=Ax=os' Jonathan Swan that the Russia scandals are Bannon's shot at redemp=ion.

He's being described as a "wartime consiglier=" relishing a fight against the "deep state," media, Democrats and investi=ators.

Why it matters: The once-omnipotent Ban=on had been on rocky footing lately — Trump has vented about him t= a number of people. But the war-room team being built to respond to the c=ises is a joint effort led by Jared Kushner, Bannon (who declined to comme=t for this story) and Chief of Staff Reince Priebus.

=strong>The senior staff that had been out for each other is now u=ited by a common enemy.

The new mission fits Bann=n's skills and passions: Cunning at misdirection and deflection, he played=a key role during the tensest moments of the campaign, deploying scorched-=arth tactics against Hillary Clinton.

The pla=ned war room is not conceived as replacing current staff, but rat=er adding "experienced veterans from the campaign trail who recognize the =ravity of the situation."

2. Kushner, "a focus," offers to cooperate

Surprising no one in the West Wing, Jared Kushner was n=med yesterday as the "current White House official" who was to be "a significant person of interest" in the Rus=ia investigation:

WashPost 2-column lead story,Kushner meetings with Russia=s are a focus of probe," by Matt Zapotosky, Sari Horwitz, Devlin Barre=t and Adam Entous: "Kushner, who held meetings in December with the Russia= ambassador and a banker from Moscow, is being investigated because of the=extent and nature of his interactions with the Russians."

=The Post has not been told that Kushner is a target — or =he central focus — of the investigation, and he has not been accus=d of any wrongdoing."

"[I]nvestigators are also l=oking broadly into possible financial crimes — but ... people fami=iar with the matter ... did not specify who or what was being examined."
Statement from Kushner lawyer Jamie Gorelick, sugge=ting he hasn't been contacted by investigators: ""Mr. Kushner previously v=lunteered to share with Congress what he knows about these meetings. He wi=l do
the same if he is contacted in connection with any other inquiry."=/li>
Why it matters: Jared has his hands in everything= So even the best case scenario is bad: This is a terrific, distracting ti=e suck at the very top of the White House.

3. Big Sky apology

Greg Gianforte and his wife, Susan, celebrate at the Hilton Garden Inn i= Bozeman, Mont., last night / Photo by Rachel Leathe / Bozeman Daily Chron=cle via AP

In Montana, Republican U.S. House candidate Greg Gianfo=te, charged on election-eve with assaulting a reporter, wins (50.2% to 44.=%), then apologizes:

N.Y. Times' Jonathan Ma=tin and Alex Burns: "Gianforte apologized to the Guardian reporter, Ben Ja=obs, by name, acknowledged he 'made a mistake ... You deserve a congressma= who stays out of the limelight and just gets the job done.'"

"Gianforte's success underscored the limitations of the Democr=ts' strategy of highlighting the House's health insurance overhaul and rel=ing on liberal anger toward President Trump, at least in red-leaning state=."

Why it matters: The GOP had a near-death exper=ence. Republicans and Trump had better get some concrete things done, or t=ey will blow this once-in-a-generation opportunity.

N.Y. Times =uote of the Day ... Speaker Paul Ryan on Gianforte, while polls we=e open: "Should the gentleman apologize? Yeah, I think he should apologize= I know he has his own version, and I'm sure he's going to have more to sa=, but there's no call for this, no matter what — on any circumsta=ce."

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4. Sneak peek: Al Franken's book

The Guardian / YouTube

Here's a taste of "Al Franken: Giant of the Senate," by Sen. Al Frank=n (D-Minn.), the "Saturday Night Live" alumnus, out Tuesday from Twelve Bo=ks:

"Here's the thing you have to understand =bout Ted Cruz. I like Ted Cruz more than most of my other colleagues like =ed Cruz. And I hate Ted Cruz."

"When Trump de=anded an investigation into those millions of fraudulent votes, i= reminded me of O.J. Simpson, who, after being acquitted of murdering his =x-wife and Ron Goldman, vowed to spend the rest of his life 'finding the k=ller or killers.'"

On campaign life: "[I]magine .=. the training montage from a 'Rocky' movie, with a driving soundtrack and=energetic editing. But instead of jumping rope, I'm eating hotdish at an a=sisted-living facility that traditionally has high caucus turnout."
The funniest Republican in the Senate ... L=ndsey Graham: "In 2016, Lindsey ran for president, and found himself somew=ere around fifteenth in a field of seventeen. Running into him in the sena=ors' bathroom, I told him, 'Lindsey, if I were voting in the Republican pr=maries, I'd vote for you.' ... [W]ithout hesitation, he replied, 'That's m= problem.'"

5. "You are graduating into a world that needs purpose"

Facebook CEO and Harvard dropout Mark Zuckerberg sits next to actor Jame= Earl Jones onstage during Harvard commencement / AP's Steven Senne

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who dropped out of Harvar= in 2004 after launching his social network in his dorm room, returned 12 years later to recei=e an honorary degree, and was introduced to graduates as "Dr. Mark Zuckerb=rg." From his commencement address:

"A student in a dorm room, connecting one community at a =ime, and keeping at it until one day we connect the whole world. Change st=rts local. Even global changes start small — with people like us."=/li>
"[I]t's our time to define a new social contract =or our generation. We should have a society that measures progress not jus= by economic metrics like GDP, but by how many of us have a role we find m=aningful."

"We should explore ideas like universa= basic income to give everyone a cushion to try new things."

"We're all going to make mistakes, so we need a society that fo=uses less on locking us up or stigmatizing us. And as technology keeps cha=ging, we need a society that focuses more on continuous education througho=t our lives."

6. 🇮🇹 Trump in Italy before returning tomorrow night=20

President Trump grips French President Emmanuel Macron yesterday during = meeting at the U.S. Embassy in Brussels / AP's Evan Vucci

Omission galls allies ... N.Y. Times 1-column lead story= "TRUMP'S MESSAGE TO NATO IS PAY UP, NOT 'ALL FOR ONE': ALLIES GET A S=OLDING — Europe Doesn't Hear a Firm Endorsement of Mutual Defense=" by Mike Shear, Mark Landler and James Kanter, in Brussels:

"On a tense day when Mr. Trump bro=ght the 'America first' themes of his presidential campaign to the very he=rt of Europe, he left European leaders visibly unsettled, with some openly=lamenting divisions with the United States on trade, climate and the best =ay to confront Russia."

Pushy, pushy ... "Watch Pre=ident Trump push a prime minister aside," by CNN's Daniella Diaz
<=i>"Trump shoves fellow NATO leader aside on =is first summit" — Reuters: He confidently ad=usted his suit as he emerged in the front of the group, closer to=NATO head Jens Stoltenberg.

53-second video.

Death grip? ... Presid=nt Trump, who had called Marine Le Pen the "strongest" candidate in the Fr=nch election, met the new French President, Emmanuel Macron, in Brussels a=d told him: "You were my guy."

Pool report from WashPo=t's Phil Rucker: "The two presidents ... shook hands for an extended perio= of time. Each president gripped the other's hand with considerable intens=ty, their knuckles turning white and their jaws clenching=and faces tightening."

=/a>

7. GOP operative gets 2.5 gigabytes of Dem docs

"How Alleged Russian Hack=r Teamed Up With Florida GOP Operative: Political consultant =aron Nevins received documents from hacker 'Guccifer 2.0' and posted some =n his blog," by Wall Street Journal's Alexandra Berzon and Rob Barry: U.S. officials believe Guccifer 2.0 is linked to Russian military intelligence. ... DCCC [Democr=tic Congressional Campaign Committee] documents sent to Mr. Nevins analyze= specific Florida districts, showing how many people were dependable Democ=atic voters, how many were likely Democratic voters but needed a nudge, ho= many were frequent voters but not committed ...

Besides posting some of the hacked mat=rial on his blog, Mr. Nevins said he passed some on to Florida journalists= He said he didn't use any in his consulting business, which includes runn=ng grass-roots-style campaigns for corporations and wealthy landowners see=ing to influence local politics.

8. Turkish attack in D.C.: frame by frame

A police officer pushes a man away from protesters, in this still image =aptured from a video footage, during a violent clash outside the Turkish a=bassador's residence between protesters and Turkish security personnel dur=ng Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit to Washington on May 16 = Courtesy Armenian National Committee of America, via Reuters

A remarkable interactive reconstruction from the N.Y. T=mes, "Did the Turkish President's Security Atta=k Protesters in Washington? What the Video Shows":

"Men in Dark Suits" include "Rushed, punche= protesters" ... "Kicked, punched protesters" ... "Choked, slammed woman" =.. "Kicked man in head" ... "Kicked man on ground" .... "Punched, kicked t=o protesters."

"Ten of the men who attacked p=otesters appear to be part of a formal security detail. They dressed in da=k suits, and they wore in-ear radio receivers, Turkish breast pins and lan=ards with identification cards. At least four of the men carried guns."
Why it matters: "Turkey's president, [Recep Tayyip] =rdogan, watched the brawl from a black Mercedes-Benz sedan parked nearby, =t the Turkish ambassador's residence. ... [V]ideo ... shows that at least =ne member of the security detail positioned next to him rushed into the fi=ht and started kicking and punching protesters."

9. "More is not always better"

Economist cover story, "Jail break: America's prisons are f=iling. Here's how to make them work — A lot is known about how to =eform prisoners. Far too little is done":

America passed the point of negative returns long =go. Its incarceration rate rose fivefold between 1970 and 2008. Relative t= its population, it now locks up seven times as many people as France, 11 =imes as many as the Netherlands and 15 times as many as Japan. ...A ten-year sentence c=sts ten times as much as a one-year sentence, but is nowhere near ten time= as effective a deterrent. Criminals do not think ten years into the futur=. If they did, they would take up some other line of work. ...

Appeals to make prisons m=re humane often fall on deaf ears; voters detest criminals. But they detes= crime more, so politicians should not be afraid to embrace proven ways to=make prison less of a school of crime and more of a path back to productiv= citizenship.

10. 1 fun thing: Snapchat streaks

Ask your kids the longest streak they've heard of ... "=hatever You Do, Don't Let Your Snapchat Streak End Today: Snapchat fans go=to extremes to make daily check-ins; 'send a blank picture'" — Wall Street Journal A-hed, by Katherine Bindley: =/p>

"Send a snap, get one back within 24 hours; se=d another, get another. After three days, it's an official streak that con=inues as long as each person sends a snap within a 24-hour window."
"A streak earns a flame emoji and a number =howing how many days the chat has gone on. An hourglass appears when time =s running out."

"Do whatever it takes to beat the=clock. Dropped your phone in the ocean? Borrow a friend's, log on and snap= Grounded with no phone? Get a friend to log on as you and send snaps."
Elizabeth Kroll, 17, of Lapeer, Mich., has a streak =hat "hit 437 days on Tuesday, she says — snapping even friends she=is angry with. ... To save a streak with a friend whose phone died, Ms. Kr=ll got the friend's password. 'I had to log in for four days and Snapchat =yself.'"

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