Subject: ?Axios AM: Mike's Top 10 — 'A president on an island, alone' — What Republicans won't tell you — The new Travis? — Telepathic texting
From: "Mike Allen" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 12 Jun 2017 06:11:33 -0400 (EDT)

Presented by Raytheon:

'A president on an island, alone' — What Republicans won't tell =ou — The new Travis? — Telepathic texting

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Presented By Raytheon

Axios AM

By Mike Allen = ·Jun 12, 2017

Good Monday morning. For our Southern California readers .. On Wednesday, we're holding our debut editorial even= in L.A. — on the next frontier: the human brain — at 8:30=a.m. at a studio in Culver City. Axios Science Editor Alison Snyder will l=ad one-on-one conversations with experts on artificial intelligence, brain=machine interfaces, biopharmaceuticals and virtual reality.

=e're serving "brain food" for breakfast — foods that impr=ve memory and other mental functions, including acai bowls and avocado toa=t bases with brain food toppings (smoked salmon, turmeric, blueberries, da=k chocolate). RSVP here.

1 big thing: "A president on an island, all alone"

President Trump, first lady Melania Trump, and their son Barron, age 11,=arrive last night from Bedminster, N.J. (AP's Carolyn Kaster)

The spotlight has been on President Trump's legal <=em>jeopardy. But inside the small circle of top Republicans who advise thi= White House, there's increasing concern that future political pr=blems are stacking up.

One of the oldest (and most trust=d) hands in America told a large group of CEOs in New York City o= Friday: "Simply put, Trump has lost control of his presidency. He still has all the power of the office, but for someone who spent = portion of his life in real estate litigation, he shows once again he has=not learned the first rule of legal combat: It is often better to say noth=ng and do nothing."

That voice isn't a partisan, bu= our kitchen cabinet of Republicans is growing notably more bearish, even =hough slam-dunk evidence of "high crimes and misdemeanors" hasn't emerged.=/p>
"Another week, and no progress on the =OP agenda," said a GOP sage. "Infrastructure Week turned into Comey Week. =o one really knows Trump and came to D.C. with him. He is a president on a= island, all alone. ... [T]he ability to get anything done is in double je=pardy."

What Republicans fear: a downward =piral in which the Russia distractions make it harder to pass Trump's agen=a, new talent won't come into the West Wing, top-shelf potential challenge=s are reluctant to run as Republicans in 2018, the House flips, and articl= of impeachment become a real risk.

Watch the Georgia spec=al election results a week from Tuesday. It's officially the most=expensive House race in history, and Democrats look like they could pick u= a Republican seat.

Trump knows that he thrives w=th an opponent, so he personalized the investigation by making it Trump v.=Comey, personally calling out his fired FBI director and offering to take =im on under oath. In the short run, that plays well with the base, which w=nts a fighter. But it makes it harder to wall off the Oval Office by firin= or disowning associates.

Be smart: Comey's fail=re to deliver a smoking gun has bought Trump some time. B=t so far, he's shown no indication that he has a plan — or the wil= — to use that time to change the course of events.

2. ​Trump's safety-net problem

Jonathan Swan had a smart item in S=eak Peek, his Sunday-night lookahead newsletter, showing how Republica=s see clear signs of slow but steady erosion of Trump's most fervent suppo=t among voters.

Key point on White House strategy: "Trump will probably never be at 51% approval — the 'strongly=disapprove' number against him ... makes that virtually impossible. The st=ategy, therefore, has to involve keeping the diehard ginned up and driving=up Trump's 'strongly approve' numbers." (Read t=e whole post here.)

Truth bomb: Bey=nd his base voters, Trump has an even bigger potential problem looming wit= his base in Congress. While Republican lawmakers won't say it publicly, i='s widely known if they could pick between President Pence and President T=ump, the Vice President would win 90% of the vote among the GOP.

Why this matters: Bill Clinton benefited fr=m a large number of true fans and believers among elected Democrats when h= survived impeachment. Trump has few authentic fans or loyalists in Congre=s. So if things take a turn for the worse, GOP flight could come fast and =urious — since the end result would be President Pence.

<=iv>=.Y. Times Quote of the Day ... Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) t= John Dickerson on "Face the Nation," re Trump and the Russia investigatio=: "You may be the first president in history to go down because you can't =top inappropriately talking about an investigation that, if you just were =uiet, would clear you."

3. Uber's next CEO?

Travis Kalanick in Sun Valley, Idaho, in 2012 (AP's Paul Sakluma)

"Who will take over for Uber CEO Travis Kalanick if he tak=s a leave of absence?" — Rec=de's Johana Bhuiyan: "The company has no COO, CFO, CMO or SVP of engin=ering and all of those vacancies are without accounting for the possible t=rminations that several sources suspect will happen."

"=n addition, ... attrition among the rank-and-file staff has spike=."

"Rachel Holt, the general manager of U.S. and =anada, could take over ... Holt has been at the company since 2011, workin= her way up the ladder from general manager of Washington D.C."

"[O]ne source said the board could decide to install a commi=tee to manage the company rather than a single executive.

=Then there are the possible board members who might be able to te=porarily take the reigns such as Arianna Huffington, Garr=tt Camp or Bill Gurley."

Latest on yesterday's board meeting (whi=h included Travis), from Axios' Kia Kokalitcheva: At a six-hour-plus meeting yesterd=y, Uber's board has voted to approve all the recommendations made by forme= U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder. Uber didn't detail the changes, but pl=ns to present them to employees on Tuesday. Executive departures could com= as soon as today.

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4. Mushrooming investigations

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (Calif.), the top Democrat on Sen=te Intelligence, to Brianna Keilar on CNN's "State of the Union," re Comey=s testimony that he felt pressured by Obama attorney general Loretta Lynch=

"I would have a queasy feeling= too, ... to be candid with you. I think we need to know more abo=t that. And there's only way to know about it, and that's to have the Judi=iary Committee take a look at that."

Driving tomorrow ... Wall Street Journal fro=t-pager, "Sessions's Testimony to Keep Russia Probe in Focus," by Laur= Meckler and Jeffrey Sparshott: "Attorney General Jeff Sessions will testi=y Tuesday before the same Senate committee that heard from former FBI Dire=tor James Comey last week ... It is unclear whether the intelligence commi=tee hearing will be held in public."
"When a liberal power law=er represents the Trump family, things can get ugly," WashPost front-p=ger by Marc Fisher: "When [Jamie] Gorelick [deputy attorney general under =ill Clinton] signed up Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump ... as clients, she =new her friends might raise their collective eyebrows. She didn't know tha= some of them would call her a turncoat."

"For generations, the premier D.C. lawyer-=ixers were ... [m]en such as Clark Clifford, A.B. Culvahouse Jr.,=Edward Bennett Williams, Howard Baker, Lloyd Cutler and Robert Strauss, ..= amassing thoroughly bipartisan client rosters. ... Gore lick [is] one of =he first women to join that elite club."

"Hilary Rosen ... tweeted, 'Hey Jamie Gorelick, you've just poured that "Complicit"=perfume on yourself."

5. Between the lines

In August, airport workers in Santa Clara, Cuba, receive JetBlue flight =87, the first commercial flight between the U.S. and Cuba in more than a h=lf century (AP's Ramon Espinosa)

Sound smart ... With President Trump planning to fly to=Miami on Friday to announce a Cuba policy that at least partly reverses Pr=sident Obama's openings for commerce and travel after a half-century standof=, we asked officials inside and outside the White House to help us rea= between the lines:

The base loves a little O=ama-appeasement rhetoric, and Trump plans to give it to 'em.

This was a campaign promise that won Trump some vital South Fl=rida endorsements at a crucial time.

This is a chance for Trump to project personal and national strength.

I='s a reminder the president can do consequential, historic things=without Congress. But if you're Obama, it's also a reminder that such chan=es can be fleeting.

Big win for Sen. Marco Rubio=(R-Fla.), who tutored Trump on the issue (including in debates), and kept =rodding for this announcement. Look for Rubio at Trump's event. <=li>

L.A. Times lead story, "Trump plans = reversal on ties with Cuba," by Tracy Wilkinson: "The move will =e controversial. It could dull a boom in tourism by Americans to Cuba and =urt a burgeoning cottage industry of private enterprise on the socialist-r=led island. And it could allow Russia and China to more easily step in to =ill the void."

"Some Trump supporters argue ho=ever that President Raul Castro has failed to improve human rights or expa=d political freedoms and does not deserve better relations with the U.S."<=li>

6. Welcome Wagon

Grandparents ... Viktor and Amalija Knavs, the parents =f first lady Melania Trump, walk from Marine One across the South Lawn to =he White House yesterday (AP's Carolyn Kaster)

"Melania Trump, son Barron move into the White House," =y AP's Da=lene Superville:

"After nearly five months
"Mother and son broke wi=h tradition by living at Trump Tower in New York since the inauguration so=that Barron, now 11, could finish the school year uninterrupted."

=strong>The first lady tweeted: "Looking forward to the memories w='ll make in our new home! #Movingday."

"Barron will enter<=strong> the sixth grade at St. Andrew's Episcopal School in Potomac, Maryl=nd, in the fall."

7. An idea for Preet

Preet Bharara, fired by Trump as U.S. attorney in Manha=tan, came out swinging in his first televised interview since he left offi=e, telling George Stephanopoulos on ABC's "This Week" that "there's absolu=ely evidence to begin a case" for obstruction of justice against the presi=ent.

Bharara has built a big Twitter following (255=000) quickly, and clearly is motivated: He has worked with Comey and Muell=r, and was at Thursday's hearing.

So might he run for offic=? A New York expert emails us this dope:

He d=esn't live in New York City, so running for mayor would be hard. ="De Blasio's numbers among Democrats are good and don't suggest an obvious=opportunity, anyway.")

Governor Cuomo has improve= his numbers with Democrats and looks strong heading into '18.

Preet will be mentioned a lot for president, but he has no ba=e. And it's not like there's a shortage of anti-Trump Democratic candidate=.

The challenge for him now is to st=y relevant until something opens up in '20 under a Democratic president, o= to run for governor in '22.

He's off to a good start, carving out a niche as the Democratic l=gal anti-Trump.

"Wild card idea: Dems take the Ho=se in '18 and he becomes the Sam Dash/John Doar [Watergate committee couns=ls] of the impeachment committee."

8. The talk of tech

"How Facebook's Telepathic Texting Is Supposed to Work:=Facebook's plan to enable us to type 100 words a minute just by thinking i= a long shot, and it reflects the company's new approach to R&D," by <= href="http://link.axios.com/click/9823723.29386/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cud3NqLmN=bS9hcnRpY2xlcy9ob3ctZmFjZWJvb2tzLXRlbGVwYXRoaWMtdGV4dGluZy1pcy1zdXBwb3NlZC=0by13b3JrLTE0OTcxODI0MDI_dXRtX3NvdXJjZT1uZXdzbGV0dGVyJnV0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1ha=wmdXRtX2NhbXBhaWduPW5ld3NsZXR0ZXJfYXhpb3NhbSZzdHJlYW09dG9wLXN0b3JpZXM/5871=93924c17c54d77a8b8cB6ce68e7e" target="_blank">Wall Street Journal tech c=lumnist Christopher Mims:

"Do neuroscientists and engineers outside Facebook express extreme doubt this will succee=? Yes. Facebook doesn't care and is investing millions in research that co=ld produce a consumer gadget."

"When your fac= is stuck inside a VR headset or you're out walking around wearin= a pair of augmented-reality glasses, you can't exactly reach for a keyboa=d or mouse ...The initiative would give Facebook a way to control those sy=tems hands-free."

"Messaging is just=the beginning. Facebook isn't working on a brain implant — though =ther Silicon Valley giants are. The answer could ultimately be as simple a= a headband."

Why it matters: "[T]he=company's larger goal is to make a handful of long-term bets on technologi=s that could define the next era of computing."

9. Trump's "realism ... prudent nonintervention"

First look at the cover of the new issue of Foreign Aff=irs ... Cover story by CFR President Richar= Haass, "Where to Go From Here: Rebooting American Foreign Policy":

"The Trump administration's start has been espec=ally rocky. But the administration has already executed a noticeable cours= shift on foreign policy and international affairs, exchanging some of its=early outsider rhetoric and personnel for more conventional choices."
=li>"If it can continue to elaborate and prof=ssionalize its new approach, it could achieve a number of successes. But f=r that to happen, the administration will have to act with considerably gr=ater discipline and work to frame its policies toward regional and global =ssues as part of a coherent, strategic approach."

"The president's campaign slogan of 'America=First' was and is unfortunate, because it appears to signal a narrower U.S= foreign policy."

"Over time, 'Ameri=a First' will lead others to put themselves first, which in turn will make=them less likely to take into account (much less give priority to) America= interests and preferences."

"Trump's =ational security team could make a comeback," by WashPost col=mnist Josh Rogin: "Looking ahead, several key battles will reveal whether =he national security professionals are winning the day, including decision= on whether to commit more U.S. troops to Afghanistan, how to approach the=U.S.-South Korea free-trade agreement and whether to staunchly oppose new =ongressional sanctions on Russia, which are coming soon."

<=iv>

10. 1 fun thing

Tony Award hosts Kevin Spacey impersonates Bill Clinton (Photo by Michae= Zorn/Invision/AP)

Tony Awards crown Broadway's best, at Radio City Music =all ... L.A. Times' Steven Zeit=hik, in New York:

"[I=f the night celebrated the outsider ['Dear Evan Hansen,' the touc=ing, heartfelt musical about young outsiders, wins the biggest theater pop=larity contest], it was the consummate showbiz insider who was its biggest=star.

"The evening was=a coronation for 'Hello, Dolly!' the Jerry Zaks-directed revival that brou=ht Bette Midler back to the Broadway stage. ... Midler took lead actress i= a musical, her first-ever Tony win. Midler [age 71] has waited a long tim= ... and she was ... determined to make the most of the moment.

"Midler [thanked] 'all the Tony voters, many of which I've actually dated' ... The acceptance speech went we=l beyond the allotted time, but Midler pressed on, saying 'shut th=t crap off,' to the orchestra music attempting to play her off. .=.

"[I]n a kind of bookend momen= to the Pence fracas [over 'Hamilton'], Jill and Joe Biden's pres=nce was ... met with a standing ovation ... Jill Biden had come to promote=a veteran's charity, which she later talked about in introducing a number =rom the PTSD-themed musical 'Bandstand.' ...

"Host Kevin Spacey took an unorthodox approach, ... =rotting out impersonations — Bill Clinton, Johnny Carson and his o=n 'House of Cards' Frank Underwood character ... Spacey had the ad=lib of the evening when, appearing as Underwood at the end of the=telecast, he said he 'wanted to get the hell out of here before Bette Midl=r thanked anyone else.'"

A message from Raytheon

Seeking cybersecurity, companies turn to the milita=y

Under siege by hackers, spies, organized crime rings and others, businesses=and military agencies face a common cyber enemy – and work togethe= to counter the threat. Learn more.

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