Subject: Axios AM: Mike's Top 10 — Trump's retaliation — May hung in June: Europe still restless — Warming to Gore — Trevor Noah rising
From: "Mike Allen" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 9 Jun 2017 06:47:10 -0400 (EDT)

Presented by JPMorgan Chase & Co.:

Trump's retaliation — May hung in June: Europe still restless =E2�� Warming to Gore — Trevor Noah rising

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Presented By JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Axios AM

By Mike Allen = ·Jun 09, 2017

1 big thing: Trump's retaliation

Comey is greeted by Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr =R-N.C.) at the beginning of yesterday's hearing (AP's Andrew Harnik)

President Trump's advisers feared Jim Comey had held =ack some devastating cards, and would unfurl new facts that could speed Tr=mp's legal or political troubles. Instead, they considered yesterday's mes=erizing testimony a damaging but not cataclysmic public spectacle.
<=l>
"The threat level to the presidency is less than it=was," a White House adviser said.

Mainly, they were re=ieved that POTUS didn't tweet yesterday.

Trump=tweeted this morning: "Despite so many false statements and lies,=total and complete vindication...and WOW, Comey is a leaker!"

=strong>Look for Trump and his allies to scream four things:

Comey's a liar: After the hearing, Marc Kasowitz, Tr=mp's personal lawyer, escalated the combat: "The president ... never told =r. Comey, quote, 'I need loyalty, I expect loyalty.'"

Come='s a leaker: Kasowitz also said: "Comey admitted that he unilater=lly and surreptitiously made unauthorized disclosures to the press of priv=leged communications with the president."

Clinton did it, =oo: Republicans instantly jumped on Comey's charge that Loretta L=nch, Obama's attorney general, had encouraged him to echo Clinton campaign=lingo in discussing the email probe.

Comey agrees: Fake ne=s! If Trump enjoyed any moment of the hearing, it was surely whe= Comey said a memorable New York Times story was untrue.

But don't lose sight: There is no way to spin away this was a =ery dark and damning day for Trump. The head of the FBI testified he so di=trusted his own president and White House that he took detailed notes of h=s conversations to prove he felt pressure to drop an investigation of coll=sion with the Russians. He then felt so strongly he leaked those notes to =he press to force a special prosecutor. Imagine Act 2!

Be smart: This wasn't the end but the beginning of a long= agonizing process for the Trump White House. What they fear most is the p=obes into central figures around Trump, and what happens when inv=stigators dig into the context for so many meetings with the Russians.
Up next: Attorney General Jeff Sessions' testimony =a href="http://link.axios.com/click/9806728.29002/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubGVhaH=uc2VuYXRlLmdvdi9wcmVzcy8tY29tbWVudC1vZi1zZW5hdG9yLXBhdHJpY2stbGVhaHktZC12d=1vbi1mb3JtZXItZmJpLWRpcmVjdG9yLWphbWVzLWNvbWV5LWFuZC1hdHRvcm5leS1nZW5lcmFs=WplZmYtc2Vzc2lvbnMtdGVzdGltb255LW5leHQtd2Vlaz91dG1fc291cmNlPW5ld3NsZXR0ZXI=dXRtX21lZGl1bT1lbWFpbCZ1dG1fY2FtcGFpZ249bmV3c2xldHRlcl9heGlvc2FtJnN0cmVhbT=0b3Atc3Rvcmllcw/5871993924c17c54d77a8b8cB0147a1fb" target="_blank"> before a Senate appropriations subcommittee becomes high drama. And =he Senate Intelligence Committee expects Jared Kushner to meet with commit=ee staffers.

Top Comey quote: "[T]here should=be no fuzz on this whatsoever. The Russians interfered in our election dur=ng the 2016 cycle. They did it with purpose. They did it with sophisticati=n. They did it with overwhelming technical efforts. And it was an active-m=asures campaign driven from the top of that government. There is no fuzz o= that."

N.Y. Times Quote =f the Day ... Comey: "The president surely knows if there are=tapes. If there are, my feelings aren't hurt. Release the tapes."

<=i>The buzz: Is the flat denial by Trump's lawyer that he =aid something Comey attributed to him during the Green Room dinner ("I nee= loyalty") a clue that there aren't tapes?

2. New threats to Trump

Marc Kasowitz, Trump personal attorney, makes a post-Comey statement at =he National Press Club (AP's Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Many of Trump's mounting perils are self-inflicted:
=ul>
From a New York Times front-pa=er by Peter Baker, "For Trump, a Looming 'Cloud' Just Grew Th=t Much Darker": "Comey ... revealed that he had turned over memos of his c=nversations with Mr. Trump to that newly appointed special counsel, Robert=S. Mueller III, suggesting that investigators may now be looking into whet=er Mr. Trump obstructed justice by dismissing the F.B.I. director.=

Comey testified that he arranged the le=k of his private conversations with Trump after the president tweeted a th=eat at Comey.

CNN: "Comey told senators in a closed hearing [after his public testimony= that Attorney General Jeff Sessions may have had a third interaction with=Russia's ambassador to the US."

Sound smart: =magine how much the public would never have known if Trump hadn't canned C=mey.

3. Media hit, too

Comey declared that a New York Times front pager from Feb. 14 �=94 "Trump Aides Had Contact With Russian Intelligence" — was "in =he main ... not true. ... [W]e don't call the press to say, 'Hey, you got =hat thing wrong about this sensitive topic.' We just have to leave it ther=."

The article's lead: "Phone records and inte=cepted calls show that members of Donald J. Trump's 2016 presidential camp=ign and other Trump associates had repeated contacts with senior Russian i=telligence officials in the year before the election, according to four cu=rent and former American officials."

In today's paper, the same three authors write: "Comey did =ot say exactly what he believed was incorrect about the article ... The or=ginal sources could not immediately be reached after Mr. Comey's remarks, =ut in the months since the article was published, they have indicated that=they believed the account was solid."

On the other hand= Comey said another Times scoop — reporting that Comey had writt=n an in-the-moment memo saying Trump had asked him to shut down the invest=gation of former national security adviser Michael Flynn — had bee= spoon-fed to the paper through a friend.

<=trong>CNN had to backtrack from an article originally headlined "Co=ey expected to refute Trump," with this correction: "The article and headl=ne have been corrected to reflect that Comey does not directly dispute tha= Trump was told multiple times he was not under investigation in his prepa=ed testimony released after this story was published."

=e smart: CNN's lapse, and the charge against The New York Times, =rovide ammunition for Trump partisans to shout "Fake news!" in an effort t= discredit other reporting that is perfectly valid.
=/ul>

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4. "Gut feel ... it's ... important ... that I make records"

Comey is sworn in (Reuters' Jim Bourg)

Two of the most memorable exchanges ... Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D=Calif.): "You're big. You're strong. I know the Oval Office, and = know what happens to people when they walk in. There is a certain amount =f intimidation. But why didn't you stop and say, 'Mr. President, this is w=ong. I cannot discuss this with you'?"

Comey: "M=ybe if I were stronger, I would have. I was so stunned by the conversation=that I just ... took it in. ... [L]ook, ... I've seen the tweet about tap=s. Lordy, I hope there are tapes." ...

"I remember saying, 'I agree [Flynn is] a good guy,' as a=way of saying, 'I'm not agreeing with what you just asked me to do.' Again= maybe other people would be stronger in that circumstance ... I hope I'll=never have another opportunity. Maybe if I did it again, I would do it bet=er." ...

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.): "Do you belie=e there were any tapes or recordings of your conversations with the presid=nt?"

Comey: "It never occurred to me until the pres=dent's tweet. ... I'm not being facetious, I hope there are, and I'll cons=nt to the release of them."

5. Britons break the anti-elite fever

Breaking ...

Get smart fast ... Axios' Steve LeVine: "The U.K.'s repudiation =f Theresa May marks a definitive break in the wave of anti-establi=hment politics that for more than a year have roiled Brazil to th= Philippines, and the U.S. to Austria. European elections have now spurned=the trend in three straight elections in the Netherlands, France and the U=K."

What's next: "Elections are scheduled in t=e fall in Germany and Austria, and Italy may hold one, too. But while extr=mist and anti-establishment politics are not dead, they no longer seem to =hreaten the major institutions created in the aftermath of World War II."<=li>
The takeaway: "Europeans remain restless —='unhappy with the status quo and seeking change, but they don't know what =hat change should be.'"

"Softer Brexit" possible — Reuters: With Brexit talks with Br=ssels set to begin June 19, the result increases chances of "a softer deal=on Britain's planned departure from the European Union than the 'hard Brex=t' that markets have worried May would deliver."

"[I]f =e get more of a softer Brexit or more of a globalist stance from =he UK ... it's good for Europe, the UK and U.S. assets."

M=lcolm Barr, economist at JPMorgan, in a research note: "Perhaps t=e most obvious conclusion is that the likelihood of the UK needing to requ=st a delay in the Brexit process has risen substantially, given the chance=that political developments in the UK disturb what is already a time-compr=ssed process," said Malcolm Barr, economist at JPMorgan, in a research not=." (Via Reuters)

6. Expert voices: Death of bricks and mortar

Rebecca Zisser / Axios

With sales plunging, more than 8,000 U.S. brick-and-mor=ar stores could close this year — twice the number as 2016, per Axios'=Steve LeVine.

Why it matters: Among the ch=ef victims are retail workers. Amazon says it's adding 100,000 employees, =ut a multiple of that number have lost their jobs in recent years. One in = Americans work in bricks-and-mortar retail, almost 16 million people in a=l.

Five experts weigh in.

7. A debate that'll get louder

Economist cover leader (e=itorial) ... "Terror and the internet: Tech firms could do more t= help stop the jihadists":

=[T]he firms can act when they want to. Before Edward Snowden expo=ed them in a huge leak in 2013, they quietly helped American and British i=telligence monitor jihadists. Whenever advertisers withdraw business after=their brands ended up alongside pornographic, violent or extremist materia=, they respond remarkably quickly. ...

In the past, internet firms have tended to "buil= it first, figure out the rules later". However, the arguments about terro=ism and extremist content are a stark reminder that the lawless, freewheel=ng era of the early internet is over. Technology firms may find that diffi=ult to accept. But accept it they must, as part of the responsibility that=comes with their new-found power and as part of the price of their success=

8. The talk of tech

Sheryl Sandberg speaks in Paris in January (Reuters' Philippe Wojazer)

"Facebook Is Determined to Build Ties With Automakers,"<=strong> by Bloomberg's Jamie Butters and Sarah Frier:

C=O Sheryl Sandberg, in Detroit yesterday for an a=nual Facebook Automotive Summit, "shared a stage with [GM CEO] Mary Barra =t a women's-only event ... before the two toured a factory and spoke with =bout 200 GM employees."

Sandberg: "Our industries=are converging. Detroit's writing software and Silicon Valley is building =ardware."

"Mark Zuckerberg visited Ford ... headq=arters and an F-150 truck plant in April to rub elbows with Executive Chai=man Bill Ford."

The plot: "Facebook is focused on=boosting sales for video advertising, ... which should help take a cut of =he $70 billion television ad market."

Key stat: "=he U.S. automotive industry is the second-largest spender on digital adver=ising behind retail."

Why it matters: "Autos and =eal estate are among the last categories that aren't transacting online, a=d it's taken longer for Facebook to break into categories with expensive p=rchases like travel and cars."

9. Warming to Gore

Al Gore interview in Interview magazine, by editor-in-chief=Nick Haramis, ahead of the July 28 nationwide release of the documentary "=a href="http://link.axios.com/click/9806728.29002/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZmFjZW=vb2suY29tL0FuSW5jb252ZW5pZW50VHJ1dGgvP3V0bV9zb3VyY2U9bmV3c2xldHRlciZ1dG1fb=VkaXVtPWVtYWlsJnV0bV9jYW1wYWlnbj1uZXdzbGV0dGVyX2F4aW9zYW0mc3RyZWFtPXRvcC1z=G9yaWVz/5871993924c17c54d77a8b8cBae51c4c1" target="_blank">An Inconvenie=t Sequel: Truth to Power":

On not getting stale while tr=veling the world leading seminars for climate activists:

I update my slide show alm=st every day. I have a personal staff of ten in Nashville that helps me sc=ur the internet and other media around the world for the latest scientific=peer-reviewed findings, the latest examples of climate-related extreme wea=her events, and the latest examples of progress.

On ma=ntaining a positive outlook:

=em>I had the privilege of working with the late economist=Rudi Dornbusch, who once said, "Things take longer to happen than you thin= they will, and then they happen faster than you thought they could." Wher= solar energy is concerned — and wind energy and battery storage a=d electric vehicles and efficiency technologies — that is what we =re now seeing.

On parallels between climate deniers an= gay-rights opponents:

I think they're more similar than different. The gay rights =ovement of recent years has been an inspiring victory for humanity and it =s in the tradition of the civil rights movement ...

God intends for us to take responsi=ility for how we treat God's creation, and if we choose to use the thin sh=ll of atmosphere surrounding our planet as an open sewer for 110-million t=ns of global-warming pollution every day, the consequences are attributabl= to us.

10. 1 fun thing

"Trevor Noah strikes a nerve — and=ratings gold — as he steers 'The Daily Show' into the Trump era," =y L.A. Times' Greg Braxton: "[A]lmost two years after his debut [as Jon S=ewart successor], Noah ... notched his most-watched week ever in May, with=more than 1 million viewers."

I= there any potential danger of "Trump fatigue"?

I definitely think so. But I believe=people aren't often good with separating Trump from what is happening with=n the the world he inhabits. Donald Trump is the president of the United S=ates. That is something that some people still refuse to acknowledge, nor =o they wish to accept as a reality. That's the first mistake people make, =n my opinion. And this president in particular has an impressive ability t= create and sustain scandal and news like no one before.

I don't think of Donald Trump as the st=ry. I see this as America's story, and Donald Trump is the antago=ist. America is dealing with Donald Trump, not the other way around. That =haracter offers up the opportunity to have conversations about things that=people may not have otherwise been interested in. On the griddle of "The D=ily Show's" barbecue, we cook different foods every day. But the fuel we u=e to cook that food is Donald Trump.

What are you reading these days?

"The H=p Hop Wars" by Tricia Rose.

I'm re-reading "The Autobiogr=phy of Malcolm X."

"The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexand=r.

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