Subject: POLITICO Playbook, presented by BP: MUELLER ‘has enough evidence’ to charge FLYNN -- BEYOND THE BELTWAY: SEXUAL MISCONDUCT rocks statehouses -- More DONNA BRAZILE fallout -- CNN’S David Chalian and Justin Bernstine wed -- B'DAY: John Harwood
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Date: Sun, 05 Nov 2017 10:17:40 -0600
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Today's POLITICO Playbook presented by BP 
            
By JAKE SHERMAN ([email-masked]; @JakeSherman), ANNA PALMER ([email-masked]; @apalmerdc) and DANIEL LIPPMAN ([email-masked]; @dlippman)
        
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                  Driving the Day         
BREAKING ... NBC NEWS -- "Mueller Has Enough Evidence to Bring Charges in Flynn Investigation," by Julia Ainsley, Carol Lee and Ken Dilanian: "Federal investigators have gathered enough evidence to bring charges in their investigation of President Donald Trump's former national security adviser and his son as part of the probe into Russia's intervention in the 2016 election, according to multiple sources familiar with the investigation.

"Michael T. Flynn, who was fired after just 24 days on the job, was one of the first Trump associates to come under scrutiny in the federal probe now led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller into possible collusion between Moscow and the Trump campaign. Mueller is applying renewed pressure on Flynn following his indictment of Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, three sources familiar with the investigation told NBC News." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0437b2042653b6a11e5ad9796a3d94d7f2723d18e39b1c09a6aa79afdfe789596dcc8a5f6ff843835550fde0dfa9f71e 

Good Sunday morning. THE POWER OF PLAYBOOK -- PUTTING THE PIECES TOGETHER: "Sexual misconduct allegations rock statehouses," by Illinois Playbooker Natasha Korecki, California Playbooker Carla Marinucci and New York Playbooker Jimmy Vielkind: "Statehouses from Boston to Sacramento have been rocked by an onslaught of sexual misconduct allegations, creating unprecedented pressure on state legislative leaders to take immediate action.

"Amid a flood of recent testimonials from female legislators, staff and lobbyists, a portrait is fast emerging of male-dominated state capitol cultures rife with sexual harassment and bereft of protections for victims, where complaints from women frequently languish -- or are outright ignored. In Illinois alone, hundreds of women signed onto an open letter charging a pervasive predatory culture in the state capitol, prompting a public hearing that exposed a grossly neglected, nearly non-existent reporting system. Already, one high-ranking Illinois lawmaker has been stripped of his leadership post - and mandatory training from an outside professional is likely to become legally required. An
 emergency meeting of an ethics commission is set for next week." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0437b2042653b6a1555aa076eb8de4405f8de0dfb7b3e2258db7e7f1df23e726585389a3d6c3d3a3730c04732d10a3f9 

SUNDAY BEST -- TAX REFORM TIMING -- SPEAKER PAUL RYAN told "FOX NEWS SUNDAY" host CHRIS WALLACE that Republicans are on track to move the tax reform bill through the House before Thanksgiving with hope to get a final bill on the president's desk by Christmas. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0437b2042653b6a124f22055bfe0ab508d8e4bcafd17ef63d2ce287fc92928dfb2dd5237d1eee7bb886ca50eb91e4ca1

-- CHUCK TODD speaks with SEN. JAMES LANKFORD (R-OKLA.) on NBC'S "MEET THE PRESS": "If this tax bill increases the debt too much, you're a no?" LANKFORD: "I am a no. I want to make sure we have reasonable assumptions in the process for growth estimates." 

WEEKEND NUMBERS: WAPO's DAN BALZ and SCOTT CLEMENT: "Approaching the first anniversary of his victory over Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election, Trump has an approval rating demonstrably lower than any previous chief executive at this point in his presidency over seven decades of polling. Fewer than 4 in 10 Americans -- 37 percent -- say they approve of the way he is handling his job." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0437b2042653b6a19d23f4c0b1354594f75ffd417e46247ac380da1951bd96cce2f7c7db5f58f1ecebfe1dc578e5d8b3 

BOSTON GLOBE'S MATT VISER: "A year after Trump's election, York, Pa., is forever changed" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0437b2042653b6a1b8564dd513dd1c3c451fcf2a30c6b718e3294bde3953b9d8348daf6619d1bcad34d8619331f0aa11 

WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING ... TRUMP ABROAD ...

-- POOLER WSJ'S MIKE BENDER: "About 6.5 hours into the 8-hour flight, POTUS unexpectedly walked back to the press cabin and spoke for a little less than 12 minutes. During that time, he went off the briefly went off the record at two different moments. Wearing a white shirt with no tie and his collar open, he was in good spirits -- joking with reporters, and taking a few questions from the trip. ... 'I think it's expected we'll meet with Putin, yeah. We want Putin's help on North Korea, and we'll be meeting with a lot of different leaders.' ... Explaining his Aramco tweet: Said he spoke to the Saudi King during the flight: 'I know they're looking at London, I know they're looking at others,
 they're probably looking at themselves, they have a much smaller stock market. So I would like them to consider the New York Stock Exchange or NASDAQ.'" 

-- ON THE BUSH BOOK: "I'll comment after we come back. I don't need headlines. I don't want to make their move successful." 

-- AT GOLF: The two leaders signed white ball caps that read, 'Donald and Shinzo Make Alliance Even Greater.'

-- AT DINNER: "Hello everybody. Thank you very much for being here. We're in the midst of having very major discussions on many subjects, including North Korea and trade and we're doing very well. Doing very well. Our relationship is really extraordinary. We like each other and our countries like each other. And I don't think we've ever been closer to Japan than we are right now. It's a great honor, it's a great honor. We'll have dinner tonight. I think we'll insult everybody by continuing to talk about trade. But the time is a little bit limited and then tomorrow is a very busy day.'" On the menu: Hokkaido scallops and white truffle salad, saut&eacute;ed Shizuoka's ise-ebi bisque and
 Tajima beef steak.

ANDREW RESTUCCIA in Tokyo -- "Trump gets ready to 'maximize pressure' on North Korea": "President Donald Trump eased into his 12-day sprint through Asia with a round of golf and a private dinner with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, one of his closest allies on the international stage. But the seemingly carefree start to his five-country tour belied the sky-high stakes of the trip. With the threat of North Korea's burgeoning nuclear weapons program looming, the grueling swing through the region - the longest trip since Trump took office - will likely be a defining moment for the president.

"The White House's top priority for the trip is to ratchet up pressure on Asian nations to denuclearize North Korea. But the administration is also under pressure to confront a series of other challenges, including China's unrelenting dominance of the continent and Trump's desire to challenge what he deems unfair trade practices." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0437b2042653b6a1bdb6e77facef238b51e8da28a6fa73fa017d934aadb803ce6d97057a74ad4751c15e210869ed65c0

-- @JenniferJJacobs: "Trump thought about throwing a party to celebrate one-year anniversary of his election victory then thought better of it, he told us on AF1."

****** A message from BP: We invest more in the U.S. than in any other country. And we reinvest every dollar we earn here right back into the American economy. See how our investment in America is at work in your community. ******

TRUMP'S SUNDAY -- Trump is speaking to U.S. and Japanese business leaders this morning. He and the First Lady will participate in an embassy meet and greet, in a welcoming ceremony and state call with Their Majesties Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko of Japan. Trump will have lunch with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan, take an official photo with Abe, and hold a joint press conference with him. Trump and the First Lady will also meet with families of Japanese abducted by North Koreans. Tonight, they will attend a state banquet.

WHAT EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT -- "Donna Brazile: I considered replacing Clinton with Biden as 2016 Democratic nominee," by WaPo's Phil Rucker: "Former [DNC] head Donna Brazile writes in a new book that she seriously contemplated setting in motion a process to replace Hillary Clinton as the party's 2016 presidential nominee with then-Vice President Biden in the aftermath of Clinton's fainting spell, in part because Clinton's campaign was 'anemic' and had taken on 'the odor of failure.' In an explosive new memoir, Brazile details widespread dysfunction and dissension throughout the Democratic Party, including secret deliberations over using her powers as interim DNC chair to initiate the
 process of removing Clinton and running mate Sen. Tim Kaine (Va.) from the ticket after Clinton's Sept. 11, 2016, collapse in New York City.

"Brazile writes that she considered a dozen combinations to replace the nominees and settled on Biden and Sen. Cory Booker (N.J.), the duo she felt most certain would win over enough working-class voters to defeat Republican Donald Trump. But then, she writes, 'I thought of Hillary, and all the women in the country who were so proud of and excited about her. I could not do this to them.' ...

"As one of her party's most prominent black strategists, Brazile also recounts fiery disagreements with Clinton's staffers - including a conference call in which she told three senior campaign officials, Charlie Baker, Marlon Marshall and Dennis Cheng, that she was being treated like a slave. 'I'm not Patsey the slave,' Brazile recalls telling them, a reference to the character played by Lupita Nyong'o in the film, '12 Years a Slave.' 'Y'all keep whipping me and whipping me and you never give me any money or any way to do my damn job. I am not going to be your whipping girl!'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0437b2042653b6a136e7f733c89b6984a47228a862b5f44ef60ed4efb7ccf2007d626e2867de631c1d128ebd30ba284d ... $16.80 on Amazon http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0437b2042653b6a12668c9ef8a18a2599ebb5b25afa64b10447d5f2a57bd8812bb0ac0976959de1ad057eb6233fdb70e

-- DOES ANYONE actually believe she could've and would've done this?

-- BRAZILE talking to GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS on ABC'S "THIS WEEK": STEPHANOPOULOS: "Do you agree with Elizabeth Warren that the primaries were rigged?" BRAZILE: "I don't think she meant the word rigged, because what I said, George, as you well know after I left this show on July 24, I said I would get to the bottom of everything. And that's what I did and I called Sen. Sanders to say, I wanted to make sure there was no rigging in the process. I'm on the rules and bylaws committee. I found no evidence. None, whatsoever. The only thing I found, I found the cancer, but I'm not killing the patient, was this memorandum that prevented the DNC from running its own operation."

--"Open Letter from Hillary for America 2016 Team": "We were shocked to learn the news that Donna Brazile actively considered overturning the will of the Democratic voters by attempting to replace Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine as the Democratic Presidential and Vice Presidential nominees. It is particularly troubling and puzzling that she would seemingly buy into false Russian-fueled propaganda, spread by both the Russians and our opponent, about our candidate's health." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0437b2042653b6a16b06be200e4855bc4e8c5881233fd1401f171997453bf821ec98aeb2658e4f2a16e1b9ecfef49cff

-- SOME OF THE LETTER's 120 signers included: Huma Abedin, Lily Adams, John Anzalone, Glen Caplin, Brynne Craig, Leslie Dach, Amy Dudley, Marc Elias, Adrienne Elrod, Brian Fallon, Jesse Ferguson, Tyrone Gayle, Teddy Goff, Mandy Grunwald, Alex Hornbrook, Connolly Keigher, Ron Klain, Elan Kriegel, Marlon Marshall, Jim Margolis, Nick Merrill, Robby Mook, Jen Palmieri, John Podesta, Christina Reynolds, Jake Sullivan and Josh Schwerin and Dan Schwerin.

KEEP AN EYE ON THIS -- "Billionaire prince among dozens arrested in Saudi sweep," by AP's Abdullah Al-Shihri in Riyadh and Aya Batrawy in Dubai: "Saudi Arabia has arrested dozens of princes and former officials, including a well-known billionaire with extensive holdings in Western companies, as part of a sweeping anti-corruption probe that further cements control in the hands of its young crown prince. A high-level employee at Prince Alwaleed bin Talal's Kingdom Holding Co. told The Associated Press that the royal was among those detained overnight Saturday. 

"Reports suggested those detained were being held at the Ritz Carlton in Riyadh, which only days earlier hosted a major investment conference with global business titans from the U.S., Japan and other countries. A Saudi official told The Associated Press that other five-star hotels across the capital were also being used to hold some of those arrested. ... Analysts have suggested the arrest of once-untouchable members of the royal family is the latest sign that the 32-year-old crown prince is moving to quash potential rivals or critics." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0437b2042653b6a1c640833a37dd4b8036fe5e0fecb8ff7ad559d1b5485117571554aa5ea187e392d9abb52774916bd3 ... Investments of Kingdom Holding, fund controlled by Alwaleed bin Talal 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0437b2042653b6a1e2101ee4e099774df73d5e1809e39118aa156a10a26aef756993aa76ff7a0cba607b0826d2de6829 

****** A message from BP: We delivered 11 billion gallons of fuel in the U.S. last year - that's enough to run all the cars in New York & New Jersey for the entire year. Find out what we're doing in your state. ****** 

-- NYT's ALEXANDRA STEVENSON in Hong Kong: "Citigroup, 21st Century Fox, Twitter: Prince's Arrest Touches Many": "Among Prince Alwaleed's crown jewels: sizable stakes in Twitter, Lyft, Citigroup and 21st Century Fox. He has gone into business with some of the corporate world's biggest titans, from Bill Gates to Rupert Murdoch and Michael Bloomberg. His investments span the globe, including the historic George V hotel in Paris, the Savoy in London and the Plaza in New York. He has also invested in the AccorHotels chain and Canary Wharf, the London business development." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0437b2042653b6a19e086667da11dd6cc8d8bc18cfa9a9416becc799df13410790c866c48ef30a89ba39771568554d1b 

-- TRUMP called the king of Saudi Arabia. White House readout: "[P]resident Trump noted that the King and Crown Prince's recent public statements regarding the need to build a moderate, peaceful, and tolerant region are essential to ensuring a hopeful future for the Saudi people, to curtailing terrorist funding, and to defeating radical ideology - once and for all - so the world can be safe from its evil."

FOR YOUR RADAR -- "Securing North Korean nuclear sites would require a ground invasion, Pentagon says," by WaPo's Dan Lamothe and Carol Morello: "The only way to locate and secure all of North Korea's nuclear weapons sites 'with complete certainty' is through an invasion of ground forces, and in the event of conflict, Pyongyang could use biological and chemical weapons, the Pentagon told lawmakers in a new, blunt assessment of what war on the Korean Peninsula might look like." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0437b2042653b6a10d080a3a7e53f280e30494694bc48d00e1203a1f4b48db5c2779474494dda43eb8b5f350887cd7fc

THIS IS A NEW ONE -- "Mitch McConnell: Facebook, Google should help U.S. government 'retaliate' against Russia" -- Fast Company: "'What we ought to do," McConnell said [on MSNBC yesterday], 'with regard to the Russians is retaliate, seriously retaliate against the Russians. And these tech firms could be helpful in giving us a way to do that.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0437b2042653b6a15af456870177669c96a3c96bcb1ca853223c3ae709ea9d582f5989d13e121aa8f66316cd03bafdb6

SPEAKING OF RUSSIA -- "Manafort proposes $12.5 million bail package," by Josh Gerstein: "Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort is offering to post $12.5 million-worth of assets -- including his Trump Tower apartment -- as part of a bail package to ensure that he appears for the trial he's facing on charges of money laundering and failing to register as a foreign lobbyist, Manafort's defense team said Saturday. Manafort's lawyers identified three properties he is willing to pledge: the Trump Tower condo in Manhattan, a condo several miles to the south on Baxter Street in Chinatown and his primary residence in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. 

"In a court filing, the veteran lobbyist also said several life insurance policies worth a total of $4.5 million could be posted, although they're held by trusts or Manafort's wife Kathleen. In exchange for pledging the properties, Manafort is seeking to be released from home confinement at his Alexandria, Va. condo and permitted to travel freely in Florida, Virginia, Washington, D.C. and New York." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0437b2042653b6a16a6c72b2916294e74fcd90ac82d446db111b8555f2ff0a4b8ec54b5b77a3e820ff786923151cdbd4

FIRST PERSON -- "I worked for Paul Manafort. He always lacked a moral compass," by K. Riva Levinson on the cover of WaPo's Outlook: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0437b2042653b6a1a542eefe456b98c9dc385bd45348ddf2c19da28555ddc885b771379b85fe73f128bf47999ed83f85

-- PAUL MANAFORT sent an email this week to his neighbors in his Alexandria condo building apologizing for the inconvenience of the media staking out the building, according to two residents and another neighbor who saw the letter.

ON TAX REFORM -- "Multinationals grapple with Republican excise tax surprise," by Reuters' Amanda Becker in Washington and Tom Bergin in London: "The Republican tax bill unveiled last week in the U.S. Congress could disrupt the global supply chains of large, multinational companies by slapping a 20-percent tax on cross-border transactions they routinely make between related business units. ... 

"The proposed tax, tucked deep in the 429-page bill backed by President Donald Trump, caught corporate tax strategists by surprise and sent them scrambling to understand its dynamics and goals, as well as whether Congress is likely ever to vote on it. Reuters contacted seven multinational companies and four industry groups. None would comment directly on the proposal, with most saying they were still studying the entire tax package." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0437b2042653b6a1722605f2a2497c25b71bd9493719fc0443e7a01767015649abbdcfdcd404431658899d5797fe3778

ELECTION WATCH -- "Activists eye post-Charlottesville surge in black voting in Virginia," by Kevin Robillard in Norfolk, Virginia: "Democratic activists expect a surge in black political engagement fueled by backlash to this summer's violent white nationalist rally in Charlottesville could tip the scales in Tuesday's Virginia gubernatorial race. ... Turnout already shot upward in heavily black areas during the Democratic primary, compared to the last one in 2009, and Northam won big in those regions in June. Since then, black political groups have run a steady stream of radio and digital ads invoking Charlottesville and inequality in the criminal justice system, including NFL players'
 protests of the issue. And they are talking with voters one-on-one in Norfolk and other African-American population centers to make a personal case about voting this year." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0437b2042653b6a117a19049cd12718d32e2900ea74034a1d5972f0c11cb854e0296cd1054f532766520bdddfaa1eb9e

SUNDAY BEST ...

-- BONUS: WALLACE and RYAN on "FOX NEWS SUNDAY": "House Speaker Paul Ryan vowed Sunday that Congress would not interfere with special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 elections, a probe that has intensified with recent indictments of Trump campaign officials. ... 'We're not going to interfere with his investigation. The investigation will take its course, and we will let it take its course,' the GOP leader said. Ryan (R-Wis.) also said he believed that President Donald Trump would uphold his repeated pledge to not dismiss Mueller." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0437b2042653b6a1bbd0d5d5d4e67d47f061d4edcbcd6bf8ed0f0ddb1bba5efdc5c340f4cb88c54256cf237b1551b868

-- JAKE TAPPER talks with HOUSE MINORITY LEADER NANCY PELOSI on CNN'S "STATE OF THE UNION": TAPPER: "Now, a letter from the Pentagon to members of Congress says that the only way to take out North Korea's nuclear program with -- quote -- 'complete certainty' would be a ground invasion. Is that something that you could support?" PELOSI: "Well, I think we have to exhaust every other remedy. North Korea's behavior is -- has to be contained, stopped, reversed. They cannot have a nuclear weapon that they -- my view, my concern about North Korea is not only what they're doing, but what they're advertising, that they may want to sell some of this technology. ... I would like to think that we would
 exhaust every diplomatic remedy, because we're dealing - we're sticking a -- poking a stick in the eye of a mad dog with some of what we're saying."

ON TAX REFORM -- TAPPER: "There seem to be provisions that you could support. There is a tax cut for middle-class Americans, as well as for wealthier Americans. The plan doubles the standard deduction to $12,000 for individuals, $24,000 for couples. Is it not true that some lower- and middle-class families will do better under the plan?" PELOSI: "No. No, they won't." TAPPER: "They won't?" PELOSI: "And here's the thing, is they give with one hand and take away with the other. First of all, this -- let me just give it a macro and then the micro, because the micro is very important, what it means in people's lives. But the macro is that this thing will explode the deficit, the national debt." 

BOWLING GREEN NEWS -- "BG man charged with assaulting Paul at senator's home," by Don Sergent: "A Bowling Green man was arrested Friday and charged with fourth-degree assault after an incident at the Bowling Green home of U.S. Sen. Rand Paul. Rene Boucher, 59, is in the Warren County Regional Jail in lieu of a $5,000 bond ... Paul suffered minor injuries ... Kelsey Cooper, Paul's Kentucky communications director, issued a statement to the Daily News indicating that 'Senator Paul is fine.'

"'Senator Paul was blindsided and the victim of an assault' ... The arrest warrant in the case indicates that Paul told police his neighbor came onto his property and tackled him from behind, forcing him to the ground and causing pain. According to the warrant, Paul had injuries to his face and had trouble breathing due to a rib injury." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0437b2042653b6a1c455dd90f1c9189cbefb81e4f6a1d7846ce160567affbc235a4dcdf754a9f8cc3ecc2f08d6e00460

SNL COLD OPEN - "Paul Manafort's House Cold Open" -- TRUMP (played by Alec Baldwin) visits PAUL MANAFORT's condo: "I just came by to check up on you." MANAFORT (Alex Moffat): "Of course. I'm embarrassed. I only wore a casual $10,000 suit. I thought you were on your way to Asia." TRUMP: "Everybody does. But in fact I sent Melania, along with a very convincing lookalike." MELANIA (Cecily Strong), reading "Private Islands" magazine on Air Force One: "Donald: why are you so quiet? ... Okay for the first time in 10 years, let me tell you about my day."

TRUMP: "Paul: Believe me my staff is much happier that that look-alike is going. They were terrified that when I got to China, I would do that slant-eyes like that guy on the Houston Astros. Hilarious by the way. Everyone is so politically correct now. I'm surprised that you can even say Oriental rugs anymore, which by the way these are fantastic." MANAFORT: "Yeah thanks thanks. I got a great deal, only a million bucks because I paid cash." 5-min. video http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0437b2042653b6a13049c21edb411a8e5b1b0c6f9baa977f7d327b68678d30d82951c827a819acf45374a17f2d42bbcf
          Playbook Reads         

PHOTO DU JOUR: President Donald Trump puts on a military jacket as he meets the U.S. troops at the U.S. Yokota Air Base, on the outskirts of Tokyo, Sunday, Nov. 5. | Eugene Hoshiko/AP Photo

WEST COAST WATCH -- "Jerry Brown's holy war on Donald Trump" by California Playbooker David Siders in Vatican City: "California has opened a new front in its war on Donald Trump - the Vatican, where Gov. Jerry Brown on Saturday sought to enlist the Catholic Church in his effort to undermine the president's climate policies abroad. Brown, addressing a somber gathering of scientists, politicians and religious leaders here, rebuked Trump's rejection of mainstream climate science as a 'lie within a lie,' urging religious establishments to help 'awaken the world' to efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0437b2042653b6a16f3421156ac4c8d0129f7e05ae6621be8cce3a4d947640e835e9b1ba7b3a15b43bdeb8b813d3b626

-- "Poised for West Coast Dominance, Democrats Eye Grand Agenda," by NYT's Alex Burns and Kirk Johnson in Sammamish, Washington: "It is the stuff of liberal fantasies: a vast, defiant territory, sweeping along the country's Pacific coastline, governed by Democrats and resisting President Trump at every turn. A single election in a wealthy Seattle suburb on Tuesday could make that scenario a reality, handing the party full control of government in Washington State - and extinguishing Republicans' last fragile claim on power on the West Coast. The region has been a rare Democratic stronghold on an electoral map now dominated by vast swaths of red, and Republicans' only toehold on power there
 has been a one-seat majority in the Washington State Senate.

"The prospect of such far-reaching autonomy for Democrats, who already hold all three governors' offices as well as both houses of the legislatures in Oregon and California, has infused extraordinary energy into what might have been a low-key special election. The race is on track to draw more than $9 million in campaign spending, a record-breaking sum for Washington State. National environmental and abortion rights groups have mobilized, business associations and oil companies have poured in money, and a former vice president, Joseph R. Biden Jr., has intervened on the Democratic side." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0437b2042653b6a1df4abc14113373304da0ee7d06dd3fa0c5526bce10f6eb8167b5b3f01cb80f226f22d1312e050f3a

BUSINESS BURST -- "The Inside Story of How the Sprint and T-Mobile Deal Collapsed, Again," by WSJ's Ryan Knutson, Drew FitzGerald and Dana Mattioli: "During months of merger talks with T-Mobile US Inc., Sprint Corp. Chairman Masayoshi Son sought a way to merge the two wireless rivals without really having to hand over the keys. There was discussion over inserting a provision to buy the combined company back after two years, two people familiar with the matter said. They explored giving the Japanese billionaire the right to increase his stake over time. He was offered the role of co-chairman.

"In the end, nothing worked. In a joint statement Saturday, the companies called off the merger for good. The abrupt turn of events derailed a deal that many on Wall Street have anticipated for years, and that Mr. Son has long desired. ... The latest round of deal talks began to unravel in late October. The transaction that was being contemplated was an all-stock merger that would have given Deutsche Telekom control over the combined company and made T-Mobile Chief Executive John Legere the new firm's head, the people said. Beyond having a voice as a major shareholder, Mr. Son wouldn't be able to dictate the combined company's direction." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0437b2042653b6a189b2f77c60dbbf84ca282ec55bf5640a3b20a3b742ece4073666efd187e49f6be82e116ae04dc0a1

2018 WATCH -- "Can Erik Prince Beat the GOP Establishment and Win a Senate Seat?" by NBC News' Keri Geiger and Jon Allen: "In an interview last month in a noisy, crowded German bar in Washington, D.C., Prince acknowledged that he is 'mulling' a primary challenge to [Sen. John] Barrasso ... 'The people of Wyoming, they embrace very much Trump's agenda and its senator should too.' Or, Prince said, he 'needs to be replaced by someone who does, too.' ... He advocates a tightly run Special Forces unit, overseen by a supreme commander (which he calls a 'viceroy') and assisted by private military contractors, that would not only 'deny terrorists sanctuary' but save the government billions of
 dollars over the long run. ... 'He [Trump] resisted the Pentagon's approach all the way up until that weekend. If it was not for the debacle of Charlottesville and all the political pressure the president took that week, he would have done this,' said Prince. ...

"Barrasso hasn't shown much capacity for raising money from Wyoming-one measure of the intensity of support for a candidate. Of the roughly $2.4 million he's collected in itemized individual contributions since the start of 2013, only $130,525 - or 5.5 percent of the total haul - has come from the Cowboy State." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0437b2042653b6a19ecbfb926adbbd0a877721110c029e6559919cc80d70b3b35a94d0097b174886e32b288dd119ee32

-- PER KURT BARDELLA: "More than 80 members of the country music community have signed a letter urging songwriter Lee Thomas Miller to run for the Congressional seat currently held by Marsha Blackburn. Those signing the letter include Brad Paisley, Kix Brooks, Dustin Lynch, Jamey Johnson, Chris Janson, John Esposito (CEO of Warner Music Nashville), the famous songwriters behind almost every hit in country music Luke Laird, Craig Wiseman, busbee, Chris DeStefano, Corey Crowder, Ross Copperman, Kelley Lovelace, etc." The letter http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0437b2042653b6a13f21d11ec030a7eade8c8e5e6063135d11049175ae0dc74bd7607e1e57a5bf2839a8243b6f647eec 

BONUS GREAT WEEKEND READS, curated by Daniel Lippman:

-- "The war against Pope Francis," by Andrew Brown in The Guardian: "His modesty and humility have made him a popular figure around the world. But inside the church, his reforms have infuriated conservatives and sparked a revolt." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0437b2042653b6a1011dbd7594c6b483200541db8048325ae264117cde6fb127f1423800b675515d8500722549e81217

-- "The Other Foucault," by Bruce Robbins in the Nation: "What led the French theorist of madness and sexuality to politics?" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0437b2042653b6a1222df0dae19736855ac3b719fc6e1382a515bf2c32d98c52c4c4a833d6d3bc7aedc79811ed46a2c0

-- "Western philosophy is racist," by Bryan W. Van Norden in Aeon Magazine: "Academic philosophy in 'the West' ignores and disdains the thought traditions of China, India and Africa. This must change." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0437b2042653b6a1145a2ae6a65494d43a1a3dbb55294ba1e80bab994d95818f8bb85e18525a2080b97c2b6996e98c00

-- "Philadelphia's Boulevard of Broken Dreams," by Charles F. McElwee III in the American Conservative: "At the same time as the Parkway is struggling, Philadelphia is also experiencing a renaissance. Over the past decade, the city witnessed a boom in commercial and residential development, game-changing investments made by universities, and gentrifying neighborhoods that had recently suffered from crime and blight. The Fairmount neighborhood, near the Art Museum, has turned into a thriving residential quarter and a popular nightlife destination." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0437b2042653b6a13fc71ba28207ae869bc58dec9af4cfeb4e438d058dbab9e729d54e6a1f3dc1d4ca5f1ae0f2e386d9

-- "How to Replace a Ghost," by Alan Massey in Longreads: "En route to a wedding, Alana Massey is haunted by the ghosts of relationships past." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0437b2042653b6a1cd545e904ca161cd0fed8c6fec219f7018581c6f525e0cf1f73cbaa2b5527b6f1b4121ad3ae7e278

-- "Here's Why Vaccines Are So Crucial," by Cynthia Gorney in the Nov. issue of NatGeo: "If children in poor countries got the shots that rich countries take for granted, hundreds of thousands of young lives could be saved." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0437b2042653b6a170c01b9709f539754ed66b6c3a9f186f3bd622c085e57e264de0987ec9d3fe4b03c5b9fd6c93cabd

-- "The Sins of Leon Wieseltier," by Joseph Epstein in the Weekly Standard: "The climb and fall." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0437b2042653b6a1201424e2e6ea55970d77649ec00494e74fa41342bd8a71cb782449591cc9162fc89640e008ddbefa

-- "The Dialysis Machine," by Anne Kim in the Nov./Dec. issue of Washington Monthly: "How Medicare steers low-income and minority kidney patients toward the hell of dialysis-and keeps two big companies rolling in profits." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0437b2042653b6a1243215e675eec130bcaecd539f1a1ca809a68cd5714e698e2b1db897f23d205847a4b3950d0847ef

-- "Decriminalization: A Love Story," by Susana Ferreira in the Common: "Portugal's remarkable recovery, and the fact that it has held steady through several changes in government-including conservative leaders who would have rather ushered in a return of the War on Drugs-could not have happened without an enormous cultural shift and collective change of heart around how the country viewed drugs, addiction, and itself." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0437b2042653b6a12192e978dd6266913b596e76f306b7ffd15854aceff5c88664697807d55d4c9d38ac3f42fcc10fc8

-- "What Killed the Democratic Party?" by William Greider on the cover of the Nation: "A new report offers a bracing autopsy of the 2016 election-and lays out a plan for revitalization." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0437b2042653b6a1ad035b5b0c6c26d77219b4873c1bb9dc47a16c6b14e2038563c8c2e0fa0a98081c2470f4b433bef6 ... The cover  http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0437b2042653b6a1a7d386f1267e349670fb05fe9d79f537a8270d98897e8f94206b64f46efccd6a9159ac1d2aa82239 

-- "How Much is Too Much to Save a Dying Cat?" by s.e. smith in Longreads: "A series of losses prompts s.e. smith to wonder why, if it's inevitable, we tend to view death as failure." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0437b2042653b6a11bc190abafd3a8599127d62ab5eca5f5e618414f3bb155df418cc3cd8b139f409e9cdd0a250aab5e

-- "The True, Twisted Story of Amityville Horror," by Michelle Dean in Topic: "There were haunted houses before Amityville, of course, but no one place has made as deep an impression on American pop culture in the past half century or so as the notorious Long Island home, the site of a terrible murder and then the basis of scores of books and movies." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0437b2042653b6a1179acd9cb4f1916ad7354061a8dd93734eca0c0ebaa80eb6ae91d1a491ab6298463b8059d3ce567b (h/t Longform.org)

-- "The Russian Spies Who Fooled Seattle," by James Ross Gardner in Seattle Met: "Before hackers tried to sway the 2016 election or word spread that our new president might be compromised, a peculiar couple resided on Seattle's Capitol Hill. Have we really taken stock of the spies who lived among us?" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0437b2042653b6a15a32811f459568916296211c2da3f4ec39419eaaa51b6d6ae0767ad6fd5032b0fb80d5506b6b5d91

-- "General David Petraeus: How The Best Leaders Inspire And Confront Failure" - Q&A by Zack Friedman in Forbes: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0437b2042653b6a178d195c23721307129f1a43a1f525a73be22bdfda39f9ea3b986e5411d6e5ca9e9a2c1e9d35a8441 ... Bloomberg Businessweek Q&A http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0437b2042653b6a1be8e3efbf501b505125037259d03c07553f1f01bbc7602f76c225bd75c3ef2abcdd0d0c60ef08a4e

-- "Inside Trump's Cruel Campaign Against the U.S.D.A.'s Scientists," by Michael Lewis in the Nov. issue of Vanity Fair: "The folks at the Department of Agriculture laid on a friendly welcome for the Trump transition team, but they soon discovered that most of his appointees were stunningly unqualified. With key U.S.D.A. programs-from food stamps to meat inspection, to grants and loans for rural development, to school lunches-under siege, the agency's greatest problem is that even the people it helps most don't know what it does." With a shout-out to Politico's Jenny Hopkinson  http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0437b2042653b6a1c01036e173dcdb92355b1f53b6e3fedbc46c614a7da17d0122ffbdc8104d13e1f59a3c3a7d4d57d6

-- "Weaken From Within," by Hannes Grassegger and Mikael Krogerus on the cover of TNR: "Moscow has been honing an information age art of war-through fake news, disinformation, leaks, and trolling-for more than a decade. How can free societies protect themselves?" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0437b2042653b6a116824bf47af434e85c3d853710f4ad186c5190cae62fb3187bbda97006cfba2199374b5794455f6b
                  Playbookers         
DANIEL MITROVICH, author of a new book "Forever at the Finish Line," with a foreword by former President Bill Clinton, tells the story of getting a life-size statue of New York Marathon founder Fred Lebow in Central Park. It would end up taking an army of politicos, including former President George H.W. Bush, VP Joe Biden, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, former Sens. Alan K. Simpson (R-Wyo.) and Al D'Amato (R-N.Y.), former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, and 13 members of Congress. Mitrovich is running the Marathon today. Good luck to him and all the runners! $13.68 on Amazon http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0437b2042653b6a1402480f2fa300d10b7da2ac6df7552ac215273abf274eb3bb488d39104e33f9e10131bef5a19a08a 

OUT AND ABOUT -- Betsy Fischer Martin and Jonathan Martin, Hilary Rosen and Megan Murphy, Kelley and Brian McCormick, former Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D-Calif.) and Jeremy and Robyn Bash hosted a surprise birthday party last night for Tammy Haddad at Jose Andres' restaurant FISH at the MGM National Harbor. 13 courses were served. Guests wore black and white wigs to surprise Tammy and the evening concluded with Jeremy Bash leading the crowd with his guitar singing "Country Road," "Sweet Tammy" (a version of "Sweet Caroline"), and "Leaving on a Jet Plane." JMart and others also took the mic to sing. PICS -- Jeremy on the guitar and JMart, Patrick Steel and Lee Satterfield, Hilary Rosen, Heather
 Podesta and Tammy all singing http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0437b2042653b6a15b1174c0f0839c68cdb8700f8ac3fa3dc2892dc038e23eb85ba71c7a4a412b322df001842789ead2 ... JMart with the mic http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0437b2042653b6a19af201d3bd72f583657f751598c1000eba6c07364c5e820fb40e22843abda3ccadf686dbacf2fcfe ... Tammy about to blow out her cake  http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0437b2042653b6a1cda07e0f003c381f46aa9de9201befb552e121cf7b0c5c0d0f77168ef2751380c799c8a3fea8346d 

SPOTTED: Greta Van Susteren and John Coale, Capricia and Rob Marshall, Carol Melton, Dan Meyers, Heather Podesta and Steve Kessler, Jim Popkin, Kevin Cirilli, Lee Satterfield and Patrick Steel, Marc Adelman, Polson Kanneth, Robin Goldman, Niki Christoff, Mike Allen, Ryan Williams, Kellie Meyer, Alice Lloyd, Jacqui and Keith Bloom, Kevin Letek.

SPOTTED at Taylor Lorenz's going-away party at Satellite Room last night to toast her move to SF as the Daily Beast's new tech reporter: Nikki Schwab, Neil Grace, Betsy Woodruff and Jonathan Swan, Sara Pearl Kenigsberg, Greg Overzat, Keturah Hetrick and Patrick Tucker, Asawin Suebsaeng, Lachlan Markay.

WEEKEND WEDDINGS -- "David Chalian, Justin Bernstine" -- N.Y. Times: "Mr. Chalian, 44, is a vice president of CNN in Washington, where he serves as political director, overseeing all the political coverage across all of CNN's platforms. He graduated from Northwestern. ... Dr. Bernstine, 39, is the assistant dean for undergraduate academic services in the School of Communication at American University in Washington. He graduated from Brown and received a doctoral in higher education administration from George Washington University. ... The couple met online in October 2013." With pic http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0437b2042653b6a1cc899533c21a57b0b23914c8f87538c07a66b74680398135b89f0920954cff27f3e21acb99ee0bf6 

-- Sarah Kaplan and Joe Feinmann were married Saturday at sunset at Houston's McGovern Centennial Gardens. Kaplan, who is from Houston, is staff director for the House Democratic Caucus's Future Forum. Feinmann, from Scotland, works for PricewaterhouseCoopers. The traditional Jewish nuptials were officiated by Rabbi Steve Gross under a Chuppah made of the bride's mother's wedding gown and witnessed by family and friends. Pic http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0437b2042653b6a198744fc87c7a085029ee101e8fc7523bc9551060237fbc77e35789f39f4125d080dac65399dd6b19 SPOTTED: Reps. Gene Green (D-Texas) and Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.); and Danielle Aviles Krueger, Cait McNamee, and Carly Reed. 

-- "Katey McCutcheon, Ryan Black" -- Times: "The couple met at West Virginia University, from which they graduated. Mrs. Black, 25, is a deputy press secretary in Washington for Senator Joe Manchin III, Democrat of West Virginia. ... Mr. Black, 26, is a deputy sheriff at the Arlington County Sheriff's Office." With pic http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0437b2042653b6a13159a29eed8b41786bf84a6e304fff645081b42e879a1246091fef104688dc83a0969dc4bb2ae24b

-- Zach Butterworth, former legislative director to former Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) who now works for New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, married Ariel Roland, Saturday night in St. Francisville, Louisiana. SPOTTED: Mary Landrieu, Mitch Landrieu and Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-La.). 

BIRTHDAYS: John Harwood ... NBC News D.C. bureau chief Ken Strickland ... Valerie Biden Owens, E.V.P. at Joe Slade White and Co. ... Politico's Katy O'Donnell, who was surprised on Friday night with Neapolitan pizza, close friends and family (hat tip: Alyson Chwatek) ... Nolan McCaskill ... Benjamin Wittes, senior fellow at Brookings and editor-in-chief of Lawfare blog ... Jason Calabretta, associate producer at "NBC Nightly News" ... Autumn VandeHei (h/ts Jim VandeHei and Lisa Barclay) ... Moira Whelan, partner at BlueDot Strategies (h/t Ben Chang) ... Casey Smith, deputy director of the office of protocol and special events at USAID ... HFA alum Heather Stone ... Steve Pfister ... Annie
 Kelly Kuhle, SVP at FP1 Strategies and Jeb alum (h/t Ryan Williams) ... Stephen Rubright ... WaPo senior correspondent Kevin Sullivan ... New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu is 43 (h/t Ed Cash) ... Tom Guthrie ... Lori Sanders ... Richard Parker ... Trudy Vincent (h/t Jon Haber) ... Keith Castaldo, general counsel to Sen. Gillibrand ...

... Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.) is 75 ... Camille von Kaenel ... Jeremy Ravinsky ... Curtis Skinner ... Austin Butler ... Zack Marshall ... Kristin Bodenstedt ... John Procter, EVP at Signal Group, is 38 (h/t Eric Bovim) ... former Rep. Ben Quayle (R-Ariz.) ... former Rep. Bob Barr (R-Ga.) ... Corey Jones ... Steve Caldeira ... Chris Mewett ... Susan Arbetter ... Ryan Mewett ... Malik Haughton ... Ted Kulongoski ... Joseph Perman ... Kate Throneburg ... Meryl Holt of the NYC Law Department ... Jessica Harris ... Ben Polk ... Kim Griffin ... Sheri Sweitzer ... Jackie Boynton ... Rick Leach ... Karen Mulhauser ... Janice Griffin ... Craig Kirby ... Evie deFrees (h/ts Teresa Vilmain)

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