Subject: ?Axios AM: Mike's Top 5 — 'Go to the mattresses': Raging Bull Trump — Killer quake 'definite' for California — Memorial spikes
From: "Mike Allen" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 28 May 2017 09:22:09 -0400 (EDT)

Presented by JPMorgan Chase & Co.:

'Go to the mattresses': Raging Bull Trump — Killer quake 'defini=e' for California — Memorial spikes

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Presented By JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Axios AM

By Mike Allen = ·May 28, 2017

Good Sunday morning. I'm making today a Top =, in consideration of your time on the holiday weekend.

Star=ing Tuesday, I look forward to also chatting in the afternoon, wi=h Axios PM! 1-click sign-up here.

1 big thing: "Raging Bull" Trump

The President and the First lady address U.S. troops and their families =t the Sigonella Naval Air Station in Italy before boarding Air Force One /=AP's Luca Bruno

On Day 129 (and the beginning of the 19th full week), t=e next phase of Trump's presidency is becoming clear:

Fa=ing political and legal jeopardy, he follows his instincts and ru=s the government even more like a campaign, with renewed stature for "stre=t fighter" aides and an elevated obsession with his base.

R=turning last night from a nine-day overseas trip where Russia hea=lines wrestled with beauty shots from the world stage, here's a snapshot o= the emerging "Raging Bull" Trump:

Axios' Jonathan Swa= and Amy Harder scooped la=t night that Trump has privately told multiple people, including EPA A=ministrator Scott Pruitt, that he plans to leave the Paris agreement on cl=mate change. Trump has told different things to different people, and said=yesterday in a TV-teaser-style tweet that he'll make up his mind this week= But his willingness to entertain such a drastic step, right up against hi= own deadline, was a brushback to Europe and and a reminder to moderates i= the West Wing, most notably Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, that they're =dvisers, not puppeteers.

The President is likel= to spend more time in his happy place: massive rallies with supporters. T=e Washington Post reports (lead story: "Trump may retool his staff") that among the ideas from White House =fficials, in an effort to revive his stalled legislative agenda and overha=l communications, are proposing "more travel and campaign-style rallies na=ionwide so that Trump can speak directly to his supporters."

We're told that big changes are imminent <=em>for the press and communications operations, with a diminished role for=the on-camera daily briefing that has proved so entertaining for daytime c=ble viewers, and such a gift to network correspondents who get to run dail= cameos of themselves badgering Sean Spicer.

A classic li=e in the Post story: "'=o to the mattresses,' a line from the film 'The Godfather' about turning t= tough mercenaries during troubled times, has circulated among Trump's fri=nds."

All three members of the triumvirate who ra= the fall campaign saw their power wane, but now are ascendant. White Hous= Chief Strategist Steve Bannon has restored clout as the West Wing draws u= org charts for a war room to field Russia incoming. Kellyanne Conway, Whi=e House counselor, had been isolated by West Wing enemies but has been emp=wered to court outside support for Trump. And conservative firebrand Dave =ossie, banished after the campaign, may come into the White House in a pol=tical or war-room role.

Corey Lewandowski, who r=n afoul of the family as Trump's first campaign manager, is once again tal=ing regularly to Trump. Corey is unlikely to come back inside, but a Trump=confidant laughed at the press speculation about Corey returning: "Corey's=already back."

The biggest talker of all inside Trumpland:=Sam Nunberg, on the outs with the Trump inner circle since he was=fired from the campaign in 2015, is among the members of Trump's outside c=orus who are "being courted to play more active roles," The Post said.

The takeaway: One of the most plugged-in West Wing advisers points to this essenti=l dynamic: "Jivanka has influence where it does not conflict with the base="

Coming attractions ... N.Y. Times reports in an a=ove-the-fold mash-up, "President Faces Growing Crisis On Russia Ties": "White H=use aides were trying to assemble a powerhouse outside legal team that the= hoped would include seasoned Washington lawyers of the stature of Paul D.=Clement, Theodore Olson or Brendan Sullivan, and they planned to introduce=some of them to Mr. Trump as soon as this weekend."

2. California's big quake is "definite"

Axios cuts away the fog and says things clearly, but we=can't top this L.A. Times headline<=a>: "The Big One is going to happen, no matter how much you want to deny i=, California scientists say." Rong-Gong Lin II, who has earthquakes as par= of his beat, writes:

"Seismol=gist Lucy Jones ... said the way experts like her used to talk ab=ut earthquakes wasn't very effective. They tended to focus on the probabil=ty of a major earthquake striking in the next 30 years ... Now she is maki=g a dramatically different point, emphasizing that a devastating earthquak= will definitely happen, and that there is much the public can do to prote=t themselves."

What's coming: "[N]ext year, sc=entists and the U.S. Geological Survey are expected to unveil the first li=ited public phase of an earthquake early warning system that would eventua=ly offer seconds and perhaps more than a minute of warning through smartph=nes and computers. The system has been planned for years but still could b= derailed by budget cuts proposed by President Trump."

Failure of imagination: "Jones recalled a ... trip to a =evastated area of Japan washed away by a tsunami after the magnitude 9 ear=hquake off the nation's east coast in 2011. Communities there endured a de=th toll as high as 10% of the population."

"S=e remembered being taken to Otsuchi, where the city hall sat behi=d a 20-foot sea wall. Experts had forecast a 16-foot tsunami from the quak=. 'The city leaders ignored protocol that said to move to higher ground an= conducted their emergency meeting in the city hall. When the tsunami pour=d over the sea wall, they lost over 1,000 people, including most of their =ity government.'"

3. Bite of the day

Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, to "Meet the Pr=ss" moderator Chuck Todd, about leaking classified information like eviden=e from the Manchester concert attack: " I don't know why people do these k=nd of things, but it's borderline, if not over the line, of treason. ... I=think it's darn close to treason."

Kelly, on reports Jared Kushner tried to set up a back channel=to the Kremlin during the transition: "I know Jared. He's a great guy, dec=nt guy. His ... number one interest, really, is the nation. So, you know, =here's a lot of different ways to communicate — back-channel, publ=cly —with other countries. I don't see any big issue here =elative to Jared." (Video)=/p>
Bonus bite ... French President Emmanuel Macron tel=s a Sunday newspaper in France (Le Journal du Dimanche) that his now famou= white-knuckle handshake showdown with President Trump was "a moment of tr=th" — designed to show that he's no pushover:

"[M]y handshake with him, it wasn't in=ocent. ... One must show that you won't make small concessions, even symbo=ic ones, but also not over-publicize things, either." (AP)

Lingo ... WashPos= columnist Jonathan Capehart refers to Trump's handshake a= a "grab-and-pull power pump that always seemed to reduce=the other person to a rag doll."

A message from JPMorgan Chase & Co.

What’s driving Detroit’s growth?

JPMorgan Chase is increasing their commitment to Detroit to $150 million, a=city they've been invested in for the past 80 years. They teamed up with D=troit artist Joseph Alessio to illustrate the Motor City’s spirit =f creativity and collaboration. Watch the impact come to life here.=/a>

4. Hillary: "What I was doing was working"

From New York magazine's cover story, tweeted=/a> is "a tough but good read from @rtraister ... Hill=ry has some very smart insights on media, Dems, and politics":

Piecing together what happened,

Clinton has been looking at where some of the Google searches fo= WikiLeaks were coming from. "They were from a lot of places where people =ere trying to make up their minds," she says. "Like, 'Oh my God, I kinda l=ke her, I don't like him, but she might go to jail. And then what about al= this other stuff?' It was just such a dump of cognitive dissonance �=A6" Clinton trails off and then smiles and nods to herself. "I have a lot =f sympathy for voters in a lot of places I didn't win," she says. "Because=I can see how hard it was."

5. 1 Memorial thing

The Washington Nationals' Bryce Harper tweets: "The HARPER 2 coming at yo=! Memorial Day edition🙌🏻🔥."

<=trong>See pics of more custom Memorial Day cleats.

Bonus: A-Rod t= ABC ... N.Y. Post "Page Six"-er Emily Smith has the scoop: "Former Yankee slu=ger Alex Rodriguez has sealed a deal with =BC News, which will see him appearing in segments across the news division=including for 'Good Morning America' and even 'World News Tonight.'"
"A network insider said A-Rod, 41, had been in talks with ABC News brass about appearing a= an on-air contributor for sports, family and even financial segments."

A message from JPMorgan Chase & Co.

What makes Detroit so inspiring?

JPMorgan Chase is increasing its commitment to Detroit, a city they've been=invested in for the past 80 years. They teamed up with Detroit artist Jose=h Alessio to illustrate the Motor City’s growth and how its succes= can be replicated in cities everywhere. Get the full story here.

Axios, 3100 Clarendon B‌lvd, Suite 200, Arlington VA 22201

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