Subject: POLITICO Playbook, presented by Chevron: House Republicans’ big TAX REFORM moment -- TRUMP TEASES a Wednesday trade announcement -- MNUCHIN and IVANKA to NJ to sell tax reform -- DEMS smell opportunity in the South -- GREG KELLY gets married
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Date: Mon, 13 Nov 2017 05:25:12 -0600
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Today's POLITICO Playbook presented by Chevron 
            
By JAKE SHERMAN ([email-masked]; @JakeSherman), ANNA PALMER ([email-masked]; @apalmerdc), DANIEL LIPPMAN ([email-masked]; @dlippman)
        
Listen to today's Audio Briefing | Subscribe on Apple Podcasts | Visit the online home of Playbook
                  Driving the Day         
Good Monday morning. With the Roy Moore controversy continuing to rage, Republicans in Washington are looking to return to more comfortable territory this week -- tax reform. After months of work, the House is expected to pass its overhaul of the tax code while the Senate Finance Committee is slated to pass their own version. The forward progress is welcomed by the White House and GOP operatives who believe passing a tax package before the midterm elections is even more essential to holding their majorities in Congress than it was just a week ago. 

BUT, BUT, BUT -- Nothing is over in Washington until it is over. There are still massive differences in the House and Senate bills and it's unclear how Republicans will find a path forward on key issues like state and local tax deductions. So Republicans could find themselves one step forward, two steps back when it comes to final passage. 

WHERE THINGS STAND -- "GOP leaders bullish tax bill will pass the House this week," by Rachael Bade: "Republican leaders are confident they have the votes to pass their once-in-a-generation tax reform bill in the House this week. There was little arm-twisting over the weekend, multiple sources close to leadership told POLITICO. And unlike with the Obamacare repeal effort earlier this year, when leaders made final-hour tweaks to win over resistant members, Speaker Paul Ryan's team doesn't intend to make significant changes to the legislation before the vote this time.

"'I think they've made the calculation that they have 218,' Rep. Peter King said in a Saturday phone interview. The New York Republican, currently a 'no' on the bill, said he hasn't heard from leadership in more than two weeks. Fellow New York Rep. Dan Donovan, another GOP opponent of the legislation, said the same. The lack of outreach to GOP holdouts suggests leadership feels good about the level of support in the conference - though the Republican whip team won't officially count votes until Monday night." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=147ec8d861336a645f2764e25599589eaafc8abb9529d8bad7f7be3ecae425bf237cacb076d59a914cdc7eaa005e7b13

ABOUT THOSE SALT VOTES -- FIRST IN PLAYBOOK -- AMERICAN ACTION NETWORK is launching a new $1.5 million TV and online ad campaign today to sell the state-specific benefits of tax reform to targeted House districts affected most by the state and local tax deduction. The campaign will air in California, Illinois, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. List of districts they're targeting  http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=147ec8d861336a6482f5e8ea71b5399410045f0ac5f307f02c08d30cd6b4e4aab99556d1294dc3965fe9776b5116ccfc

HAPPENING TODAY - TREASURY SECRETARY STEVEN MNUCHIN, IVANKA TRUMP and REP. TOM MACARTHUR (R-N.J.) are participating in a discussion on tax reform this morning in Bayville, New Jersey.

-- REMEMBER: McArthur has been a key voice in pushing Republicans to keep the state and local tax deduction.

IN THE SENATE -- FROM MORNING TAX: "The Finance Committee's website lists more than 350 potential amendments for this week's markup - including the first and most important of all, the as-yet-unreleased changes that would allow the Senate tax bill to meet budget rules that require that a reconciliation measure not add to deficits outside the 10-year budget window. Other interesting items that could be up for discussion: proposals to force more retirement contributions into Roth-style accounts, and to ease the double taxation of corporate income - a pet project of Finance Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah). Democrats are proposing to claw back some of the bill's benefits for the wealthy, in
 keeping with a broader point that Republicans couldn't find a way to give tax relief to everyone even while working with $1.5 trillion."

A POSTCARD FOR FILING TAXES? -- "GOP Bills Remove Some of the Tax Code's Complexities," by WSJ's Rich Rubin: "The GOP plans would repeal the alternative minimum tax, a parallel tax system affecting more than four million households. The House bill would consolidate a tangle of tax breaks for higher education. Both plans would remove -- temporarily -- thorny depreciation rules. Narrow deductions for tax-preparation fees, teachers' out-of-pocket expenses and moving costs would vanish under the House plan, removing lines from tax forms and pages from Internal Revenue Service publications.

"The full House and a Senate committee are each expected to vote this week on the competing plans, as Republicans push to have a tax bill signed into law by year-end. Simplification is part of the GOP's promise to voters, but for many filers, a simpler tax code without the breaks they use the most could leave them paying more. ... The plans' biggest simplification affects itemized deductions. Republicans want to repeal the personal exemption, which would let taxpayers in 2018 subtract $4,150 from taxable income for themselves, their spouses and each of their dependents. They would replace it with a nearly doubled standard deduction of at least $24,000 while limiting or repealing deductions.
 The House and Senate would repeal the deduction for state and local income and sales taxes; the House would retain a partial property-tax deduction." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=147ec8d861336a644f1e520aeb5648526a59222a4057e6d94d240c835a4c33f0f79facb8c60fdad63743d5e558b42739

BREAKING OVERNIGHT - "Powerful earthquake on Iran-Iraq border kills over 330," by AP's Nasser Karimi and Amir Vahdat in Tehran: "A powerful 7.3 magnitude earthquake that struck the Iraq-Iran border region killed over 330 people in both countries, sent people fleeing their homes into the night and was felt as far west as the Mediterranean coast, authorities reported on Monday. ... [Iranian state] television said some 3,950 were injured. ... More than 100 aftershocks followed." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=147ec8d861336a641ef15912db4728c8fe6aec2af889c3437e43c0ffcbeb0bb68ffb6acd37dfc20edbcd30406136ad30

CATCHING YOU UP ON TRUMP ABROAD ... 

-- TRUMP ON U.S.-INDIA RELATIONSHIP, per pooler NYT's Mark Landler: "He's become a friend of ours," Trump said of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "A great gentleman doing a fantastic job in bringing around lots of factions in India, bringing them all together. That's what I hear, and that's good news. A lot of good reports coming out of India."

-- TRUMP PRAISES PHILIPPINES PRESIDENT RODRIGO DUTERTE: "But ah, we've had a great relationship," Trump said. "This has been very successful. We've had many meetings today with many other leaders. The ASEAN conference has been handled beautifully by the president of the Philippines and your representatives. I've really enjoyed being here." Trump did not respond to questions from the pool about whether he had raised questions about human rights with Duterte.

-- HOW DUTERTE VIEWS THE MEDIA: "'Whoa, whoa,' Duterte said. 'This not a press statement. This is the bilateral meeting.' ... 'We will be discussing matters that are of interest to both the Philippines and ... with you around, guys, you are the spies.' 'Hah, hah, hah,' Trump said laughing. 'You are,' Duterte repeated."

-- White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told the reporters that the bilateral meeting focused on "ISIS, illegal drugs, and trade. Human rights briefly came up in the context of the Philippines' fight against illegal drugs. Pool tried again to elicit answer on whether Trump had raised human rights with Duterte, but did not get a response."

-- @alivitali: "Trump pleased with the opulent welcome treatment he's been given on this trip. 'It was a red carpet like nobody, I think, has probably ever seen.'"

****** A message from Chevron: When an endangered butterfly was found near a Chevron refinery, we protected the habitat and still plant the only thing they eat-buckwheat. Watch the video: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=48c0505f4df5aceee16353645f15c05f2ab71dbc31dda2fe9e3be00a8a937c2979a00ed200738bd747c1034f00407aec ******

ANDREW RESTUCCIA in Manila, Philippines: "Trump teases Wednesday trade announcement at the White House": "President Donald Trump said Sunday he'll make a 'major' announcement on trade next week at the White House upon returning from his Asia trip. The statement, planned for Wednesday, will detail Trump's discussions with world leaders during his 12-day, five-country tour of Asia. 'A lot of things are happening on trade and I'll be announcing pretty much what happened here and also with other meetings, including with China, South Korea and lots of other places,' Trump said during a trilateral meeting here with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

"Trump added later, 'We've made some very big steps with respect to trade, far bigger than anything you know.' Trump did not offer any specifics about the pending announcement, but he complained about the large trade deficits with other nations. 'We have deficits with almost everybody,' he said. 'Those deficits are going to be cut very quickly and very substantially.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=147ec8d861336a64628c28cc43048a185077ee781c257f951a82a870cb11ffc5ecdb344a7bdda72351dc8a54b6a3cada

-- "In Asia, Trump briefly baffled by group handshake," by AP's Jonathan Lemire in Manila: "President Donald Trump is known for his long, at times aggressive, handshakes with world leaders. But at an international summit in the Philippines on Monday, he struggled briefly with a different kind of handshake. Trump, in Manila, attended the opening ceremonies of the Association for Southeast Asian Nations conference, which began with pageantry and a group photo of the leaders. Then, the announcer intoned that it was time for the leaders to take part in the 'traditional' ASEAN handshake. It's a cross-body exercise, during which each leader extends their right arm over their left and shakes the
 opposite hands of those next to him.

"The announcer's instructions briefly baffled Trump, who at first simply crossed his hands in front of him. Then, looking around, he turned to the leaders that flanked him - Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc to his right, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte to his left - and simply extended his arms outward, only to find that wasn't quite right either. Then he laughed, crossed his arms and reached to the correct sides. He grimaced at first, particularly when bending down to reach the hands of the two shorter leaders next to him. And then, with an exaggerated smile, he vigorously gripped their hands." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=147ec8d861336a640fabc380417842286b3200fed1a32ef438091b935ea6d9589e533d5e6d7ee1b9d39977d253cacc68

-- "News photographer who protested White House restrictions on access gets revenge with revealing shot of Trump," by WaPo's David Nakamura in Manila: "On Monday, [NYT photographer Doug] Mills got his revenge at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit here with Trump in Manila. Admitted with the pool for a few minutes to observe the annual ritual of the ASEAN leaders' 'family photo,' Mills snapped a quick frame that spread quickly through social media after he posted it online." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=147ec8d861336a64be5f3cff92c52b150ea33d75d2a2561f173f2af6bf9631d822f57bbdca376ab11d44bbdd20837f05 ... Doug's pic http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=147ec8d861336a643e2ace20294a7cd0207bda0cd525bc99ab5c7446b64c9545056f682697eb7676402a3a0541711df7

-- Press access continued to be an issue with pooler NYT's Mark Landler noting that the travel pool was going to be limited to only three people in Trump's trilateral meeting with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. After objections from the press, White House officials "negotiated again with their Japanese and Australian counterparts and informed us a few minutes later than the full pool would be admitted."

SUSAN GLASSER interviews SUZANNE DIMAGGIO in the latest "Global Politics" podcast: "'They want to know if he's crazy,' said Suzanne DiMaggio, 'or if this is just an act." 'They' is North Korean officials. And 'he' is Donald Trump. Four times over the last year, in Geneva, Pyongyang, Oslo and Moscow, DiMaggio has secretly met with North Koreans to talk about the country's nuclear program. But what they really want to talk about, DiMaggio said in an extensive new interview for The Global Politico, is America's volatile president. ... 'They really want to know what is his end game,' said DiMaggio, a scholar at New America who specializes in talking with rogue regimes and has spent nearly two
 decades in secret discussions with the North Koreans.

"She believes they were ready after Trump's surprise election to discuss a new round of official talks with the U.S. to defuse the standoff over their nuclear weapons - but that Trump's escalating rhetoric and Twitter rants such as his weekend taunting of North Korea's "short and fat" Kim Jong Un may have foreclosed that option. 'They follow the news very closely; they watch CNN 24/7; they read his tweets and other things.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=147ec8d861336a64275e0c5c5c8f354af5c565dec8f556ae19233c3e4c3e46c918fa2015a99dad57f7b3e4bbd15ffda7 ... Listen to the full podcast http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=147ec8d861336a64c87beaece4629d3316e2afc4a9969bf6b11ba2e729d2f40660f7cd86d2f6f3adbf28fd3df3136c2a

TROUBLE AT FORT MEADE -- NYT A1, "Security Breach and Spilled Secrets Have Shaken the N.S.A. to Its Core: A serial leak of the agency's cyberweapons has damaged morale, slowed intelligence operations and resulted in hacking attacks on businesses and civilians worldwide," by Scott Shane, Nicole Perlroth and David E. Sanger: "Current and former agency officials say the Shadow Brokers disclosures, which began in August 2016, have been catastrophic for the N.S.A., calling into question its ability to protect potent cyberweapons and its very value to national security. The agency regarded as the world's leader in breaking into adversaries' computer networks failed to protect its own. ...

"Fifteen months into a wide-ranging investigation by the agency's counterintelligence arm, known as Q Group, and the F.B.I., officials still do not know whether the N.S.A. is the victim of a brilliantly executed hack, with Russia as the most likely perpetrator, an insider's leak, or both. Three employees have been arrested since 2015 for taking classified files, but there is fear that one or more leakers may still be in place. And there is broad agreement that the damage from the Shadow Brokers already far exceeds the harm to American intelligence done by Edward J. Snowden, the former N.S.A. contractor who fled with four laptops of classified material in 2013." 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=147ec8d861336a64f8d23e045cc2b19055b4cb0620bdd18f65a1da877589e7e6cb296e37dd95f62038fb395069597ecf

IN ALABAMA -- "Moore seeks to refocus campaign on conservative religious values amid firestorm," by WaPo's Elise Viebeck, Dino Grandoni and John Wagner: "Addressing a gathering at the Huntsville Christian Academy in Huntsville, Ala., on Sunday night, the former judge suggested that he was investigating his accusers, threatened to sue The Washington Post and called on the United States to restore its culture by going 'back to God.' 'We can be proud of where we came from and where we're going if we go back to God,' Moore said at his second public event since The Post reported the allegations of misconduct last week. 'If we go back to God, we can be unified again,' he said." 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=147ec8d861336a64897fb67d6e52bcfc938b717cc3857cbfce9b77cc04542c038b92738b8abe7ba71ad9f127e6f6f24a 

-- "Sean Hannity fans #BoycottKeurig after brand pulls ads in wake of Roy Moore accusations," by Anna Claire Vollers in AL.com: "The #BoycottKeurig hastag was a top trending subject Sunday ... Some Twitter users posted videos of themselves smashing their Keurig coffee makers. ... The ad removal came after Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore's appearance on Hannity's radio show on Friday ... [in which] Hannity said Moore should be given the benefit of the doubt. At least five companies ... have pulled ads from the television show after Hannity interviewed Moore: Keurig, Realtor.com, 23 and Me, Eloquii and Nature's Bounty." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=147ec8d861336a644583f1dab1767aa49bac91621ab1b929a4a32fba2202396575c6f8037dd8444adf87b94b55929b7e

REALITY CHECK -- "Despite Recent Wins for Democrats, Gerrymanders Dim Hopes for 2018," by NYT's Alex Burns, Michael Wines and Trip Gabriel: "Around the country, gerrymandering, refined to a high art, and increasingly restrictive voting laws have left many experts wary of assuming that the intensity of Democratic voters will translate into equally robust electoral gains. ... Striving to expand the political playing field, Democrats have announced a target list of 80 House seats ... But in a sign of their fundamental advantages, Republicans have a far shorter list of races that concern them, and multiple party strategists said they believed there were only 35 to 40 Republican lawmakers in
 seats that Democrats could seize." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=147ec8d861336a641251923fdc851af08114ae7b30d36dd2b74a36d5ad8a7318cd69b4abdca4454c98530a83adb96a18 

BUT, BUT, BUT -- "Democrats smell opportunity in the South after Virginia rout," by Gabe Debenedetti: "National Democrats are seeing glimmers of electoral hope flickering across the deep red South for the first time in years. Fresh off sweeping victories in Virginia, and eyeing a possible historic upset in Alabama, the party is looking ahead to a political environment next year defined by both energized liberal base voters and discouraged conservatives. That, combined with an intraparty GOP war, has liberal leaders taking a new look at Senate, gubernatorial and House races in Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, North Carolina and Mississippi, in addition to next month's contest in Alabama.
 One or two upsets in the South next year could be the difference in which party controls the Senate after next year's midterms." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=147ec8d861336a6440476f036cdf43c40b8c28ca76f6e04903b6a1d730bd157acab080d21a2dcb7977f8b13813d2501d

MUELLER WATCH -- "What Mueller's org chart reveals about his Russia probe," by Darren Samuelsohn: "Special counsel Robert Mueller has not publicly uttered a single word about the direction of his high-stakes Russia probe. But the way he's assigned the 17 federal prosecutors on his team - pieced together by POLITICO from court filings and interviews with lawyers familiar with the Russia cases -gives insight into how he's conducting the investigation and what might be coming next.

"His most experienced attorneys have discrete targets, such as former Donald Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, former national security adviser Michael Flynn and current White House aides. Mueller's longtime chief of staff is coordinating all the lawyers, including some who cover multiple topics. Select FBI special agents have been tapped to question witnesses.

"Spearheading the criminal case against Manafort and his longtime deputy Rick Gates are three prosecutors schooled in money laundering, fraud, foreign bribery and organized crime: Andrew Weissmann, Greg Andres and Kyle Freeny. ... Mueller's org chart pulls back the curtain on how the special counsel's relatively small team is handling an array of investigative targets ranging from campaign contacts with Russian operatives to possibly Trump himself." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=147ec8d861336a64619bcc0e2dd8aece9952dc38f116834cf4c7bfb2031a3615ad3553521a55c1f9c25759c8f288a11b

BIDEN WATCH -- "Biden on 2020: 'Not sure it's the appropriate thing' to do," by AP's Zeke Miller: "Former Vice President Joe Biden says he's uncertain about a run for president in 2020, but he indicates he's looking for fresh blood to lead the Democratic Party. Biden ran for president in 1992 and 2008. As far as another bid, he says, 'I'm just not sure it's the appropriate thing for me to do.' His comments come in an interview with Snapchat's 'Good Luck America' set to be released Tuesday morning. It's one of Biden's first on-camera interviews since leaving office in January. In the interview, Biden says, 'We gotta turn this ship around' and adds that 'I'd much prefer to be helping someone
 turn it around than being the guy trying to turn it around.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=147ec8d861336a649908857cf30f1baeae459de2d6fb964a6b2d0e2e1d956ce4e1774a93e8fc8a1dc6285fa48989b381

THE JUICE ...

-- KATIE WALDMAN, who worked for Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), is joining DHS as assistant press secretary. Breanna Deutsch starts today as press secretary for Daines. She was most recently with Rep. Dave Reichert (R-Wash.).

-- ARE YOU INVITED? @maggieNYT: "Trump White House Hanukkah party invites have gone out for Dec. 7."
 
REMEMBERING LIZ SMITH -- NYT's Robert D. McFadden: "Liz Smith, the longtime queen of New York's tabloid gossip columns, who for more than three decades chronicled little triumphs and trespasses in the soap-opera lives of the rich, the famous and the merely beautiful, died on Sunday at her home in Manhattan. She was 94. ... From hardscrabble nights writing snippets for a Hearst newspaper in the 1950s to golden afternoons at Le Cirque with Sinatra or Hepburn and t&ecirc;te-a-t&ecirc;te dinners with Madonna to gather material for columns that ran six days a week, Ms. Smith captivated millions with her tattletale chitchat and, over time, ascended to fame and wealth that rivaled those of the
 celebrities she covered." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=147ec8d861336a6491787e325e0f6ecd14e5780fb74968eae0de6e83e2273edbcf5e5cdc7e84e697ecf7f77e5ee74d84

          Playbook Reads         

PHOTO DU JOUR: President Donald Trump reacts as he does the "ASEAN-way handshake" with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (left) and Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte (right) on stage during the opening ceremony at the ASEAN Summit at the Cultural Center of the Philippines in Manila, Philippines on Nov 13. | Andrew Harnik/AP Photo

GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN -- "Price investigation continues to roil HHS," by Rachana Pradhan and Dan Diamond: "Tom Price left his job as Health and Human Services secretary in September, but the investigation into his use of private jets for official travel now threatens to enmesh others in the department. The department's inspector-general's probe will review who approved - or should have been approving - Price's use of private jets on at least 26 trips from May to September, some of them quick jaunts on routes heavily traveled by commercial aircraft, according to three people with knowledge of the probe. ...

 "Price's use of corporate jets appears to run afoul of federal regulations stating that private travel should be approved only when commercial flights aren't feasible, and the inspector-general probe is likely to put a spotlight on HHS Assistant Secretary for Administration John Bardis, the official designated in department rules as overseeing the travel approval process along with the HHS general counsel's office. Bardis is, in some ways, a unique appointee - a Georgia-based entrepreneur who was named by Price to the job in March. ... 

"Before joining the federal government, Bardis used his own corporate jets to fly executives, sometimes for charity missions, which may have made him more indulgent of Price's requests for one, according to one individual who's worked with him." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=147ec8d861336a64122756f4b95fac1aa830649000eb4bd15575e89c0988f4a41b628dd2d70e97f30c7f3c52cfd98cc9

NEW POLICY - USA Today 1A, "Army lifts ban on waivers for recruits with history of some mental health issues," by Tom Vanden Brook: "People with a history of 'self-mutilation,' bipolar disorder, depression and drug and alcohol abuse can now seek waivers to join the Army under an unannounced policy enacted in August, according to documents obtained by USA TODAY. ... To meet last year's goal of 69,000 [new recruits], the Army accepted more recruits who fared poorly on aptitude tests, increased the number of waivers granted for marijuana use and offered hundreds of millions of dollars in bonuses." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=147ec8d861336a645e222f5d9201aba77aba2629944c5a987b2a60f1b1eaafa5ffd8b68ebaeb7d5a179cccc32b2afa7a

****** A message from Chevron: This is a story about DOERS, butterflies, and buckwheat. In '75, the endangered El Segundo Blue butterfly was found near a Chevron refinery. We protected the habitat and planted the only thing they eat-buckwheat. We're still planting and keeping an eye on our littlest neighbor. Watch the video: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=48c0505f4df5aceee16353645f15c05f2ab71dbc31dda2fe9e3be00a8a937c2979a00ed200738bd747c1034f00407aec ******

THE RESISTANCE -- "Top Democrats stage anti-Trump revolt at Bonn climate summit," by David Siders and Emily Holden: "A handful of Democratic governors and scores of other lawmakers and mayors are mounting an insurgency at the United Nations climate conference here, orchestrating a highly choreographed campaign to persuade world leaders that President Donald Trump doesn't speak for the United States on climate change. Several Democratic U.S. senators began meeting last week with officials from other countries, seeking to minimize Trump's withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement. Meanwhile, the governors of California, Virginia, Oregon and Washington - along with mayors from throughout the
 nation - were expected to touch off a blitz of public appearances at the conference as the meeting enters its final week." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=147ec8d861336a648127e41bb282eea07a21cdba68c044e14df4df51dfeefee3176661108ca547385ea544396307e914

-- "Warren focuses on Democratic unity at town hall," by Massachusetts Playbooker Lauren Dezenski in Greenfield, Mass.: "Democratic Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren told a packed town hall Sunday that her party has grown more unified since President Donald Trump's inauguration, despite the recent eruption of intramural fights over the 2016 presidential election. 'We have come together as the party of opposition,' Warren told reporters after the town hall in western Massachusetts. ... 

"Since the election, Warren has avoided reopening the wounds of Clinton's shocking loss. On Sunday, she focused on steps current chairman Tom Perez is taking to address the underlying 'problems' that plagued the DNC's handling of the Clinton vs. Sanders primary, saying Perez is 'negotiating rules to make sure that never happens again.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=147ec8d861336a64f4ee38ce47605ef3fb45d594e5cf79c4d99d0c9418997d74e309d9c606dfd35e1902e10ed7f83bc3

HMM -- WSJ A1, "Surveillance Cameras Made by China Are Hanging All Over the U.S.," by Dan Strumpf, Natasha Khan and Charles Rollet: "The Memphis police use the surveillance cameras to scan the streets for crime. The U.S. Army uses them to monitor a base in Missouri. ... At one point, the cameras kept watch on the U.S. embassy in Kabul. All the devices were manufactured by a single company, Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology. It is 42%-owned by the Chinese government. Hikvision (pronounced 'hike-vision') was nurtured by Beijing to help keep watch on its 1.4 billion citizens, part of a vast expansion of its domestic-surveillance apparatus. In the process, the little-known company has
 become the world's largest maker of surveillance cameras." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=147ec8d861336a6499a5bea2836c4e6f0326dff97e21393774f1e008ec23d385b65ed66989704c8f2fb78dc22f986e0e

                  Playbookers         
SPOTTED: Joe Biden riding Amtrak north Sunday afternoon "saying hi to kids," per a tipster.

TRANSITIONS - FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: CHRISTINA REYNOLDS has been hired as the VP of communications at EMILY's List. She most recently was SVP at Global Strategy Group and deputy comms director for Hillary for America. EMILY's List has also promoted Ben Dotson to VP of digital.

WEEKEND WEDDINGS -- Former Rep. John Barrow (D-Ga.) on Sunday married Ang&egrave;le Hawkins, co-founder of Dynamix Group Inc. and New Hope Enterprises, in a ceremony in Georgia surrounded by family and friends. Pool report: "Barrow is currently running for Georgia Secretary of State; the election will be held November 2018. ... They met while he was in Congress but only started dating after he left. At the time of their engagement, Playbook reported that he told a former colleague, 'This never would've happened if I was still married to my old job. Thank you, John Boehner!" Pic of the couple on the dance floor http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=147ec8d861336a6482c1253dd434604dc456b33490406ddfa592cdfaee28458d69f689d4f90baac968fc3527c62b5bbd SPOTTED: Ashley Jones, Lynthia
 Ross, Jonathan Arogeti, Justin Davey

-- Greg Kelly, former co-host of "Fox and Friends" and White House correspondent for Fox News, on Sunday married Judith Grey, a freelance creative director who grew up in Australia. The ceremony was at the University Club in Manhattan. Kelly was most recently co-host of "Good Day New York." "About 300 guests saw former NYC Mayor David Dinkins officiate. Former NYC Police Commissioner Ray Kelly and his wife Veronica [Greg's parents] hosted. The couple's first dance was to 'With You I'm Born Again.'" Pics http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=147ec8d861336a64ddb6b251931d1b2a89ef53d44f5c52ff505e8c3a434dec24d86dd6c797cc31860dee391a99288f9f ... http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=147ec8d861336a64eadba66fb2a37a11b6cf74e1c40db77457c21dbd5286f9159c8edda754d5baff58dbfa286ca03631 ... http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=147ec8d861336a64279575a6862fb4f2c547d7abb764a7876b1ff786541a7786716142d050c28c4571fdec424e54d8a5 

SPOTTED: Lally Weymouth, Alexandra Wolfe, Shirley Lord Rosenthal, Rhona Graff, Ron Lauder, John Catsimatidis, Francine LeFrak, Lloyd Grove, Gigi Stone Woods, Emily Smith, Richard Johnson, Peter Johnson, Jr., Judy Miller, Ed Cox, Sara and James Rosen, Robert Zimmerman, Oscar and Didi Schafer, Mickey Kaus, Gayfryd Steinberg, Michael Shnayerson, David Monn, Frank Bisignano, Mark Simone, Morgan Pehme.

-- Mark Bednar, comms director for Rep. Sean Duffy (R-Wisc.), and Lindsay Bembenek, comms director at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation and a U.S. Chamber alum, were married at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Milwaukee on Saturday with a reception at the Hilton City Center. "The couple met at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and LOVE the Packers." Pics http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=147ec8d861336a649d63d6b1becab3b271bdee098fcd4ad5d7563f1bf022f61314a183df765c5b087e593ed5c88429b7 ... http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=147ec8d861336a648fb0cfd4a5e8c6dca48839ab056d17cb89a055124a50113aa27522385b72749ad2e92e5f4ea22224 ... NYT announcement http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=147ec8d861336a6447ab10a0223f969692db479744ed2e9d4f120b2b0a9bdc5b1ed6ca643896659dd5be4aeeab115673

SPOTTED: Rep. Sean Duffy, John Murray, Michael Ramlet and Brook Hougesen, Keith Gilkes and his wife Kristin, Brian Reisinger, Andrew and Rachel Millard, Will Allison, Ally Manley, Ben Voelkel, Ryan and Suzanne Wrasse, Johnny Koremenos, John Horstman, Bobby Hamill, Jon Rosborough and Katie Niederee, Jon Blum and Mandi Critchfield, Kate Welsh, Drew and Stephanie Marrs, Rachel Hicks, Jared Michael, Stephen Duerst, Emily Wilkinson, Kyle Dropp, John Halliwell.

BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: journalist Harry Hurt III, also a private tutor and golf guru, is 66. How he got his start in journalism: "I got my start in serious journalism as a sophomore at my college newspaper, The Harvard Crimson, which was once edited by Franklin D. Roosevelt and subsequently spawned the likes of David Halberstam, James Fallows, and Nicholas Lemann. Soon after, I turned pro and got my first paying gig at an 'underground' newspaper called The Real Paper. That rag was edited by future NPR host Paul Solomon, who also published the likes of future Newsweek correspondent Joe Klein and future New York Times critic Janet Maslin." Read his Playbook Plus Q&A: 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=147ec8d861336a6483d980c746b022731649ad3ca6a0d081a0b8281c70f6d57776e0b282c8527c7511413f38141b29a5 

BIRTHDAYS: Peter Arnett ... Jimmy Kimmel ... Addie Whisenant, director at Bully Pulpit Interactive ... NPR alum Ken Rudin ... Michael Schwab, video strategist for USA Today Network, is 31 ... Geoff Freeman, president and CEO of the American Gaming Association (hat tip: Stewart Verdery) ... Lindsay Drewel ... Politico alum Jonathan Topaz, now at Harvard Law School (h/t Ben Schreckinger) ... Zach Gillan, research director at American Action Network and the Congressional Leadership Fund, is 29 ... Jared Goldberg-Leopold is 35 ... Jared Parks, senior director for advocacy and external affairs for the Global Intellectual Property Center at the U.S. Chamber, is 34 ... CNN's Eric Bradner ... Sen.
 Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) is 53 ... Jeff Blattner, president of Legal Policy Solutions (h/t Jon Haber) ...

... Joe Cirincione, president of Ploughshares Fund ... Jon Wadsworth, partner at Atlas Advocacy and Howard Dean 2004 alum, celebrating by "screaming his way into another year of life" (h/t Matt Smith) ... Nochi Dankner is 63 ... Harold Waldenberg ... Saul Kripke is 77 ... Ayaan Hirsi Ali is 48 ... Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker is 61 (h/t Ed Cash, who calls Baker "the most popular elected official in America") ... Ruth Wattenberg ... Nochi Dankner ... Kevin Pailet ... Ari Morgenstern ... Dominique Mann ... Brad Clark ... Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is 6-0 ... Texas First Lady Cecilia Abbott ... Nikki Blank ... Kelly Hughes ... Morgan Downey ... Edelman's Camille Uzel ... David Alexander ...
 Sherine El-Nahas ... Robert Hastings, EVP at Bell Helicopter ... Chuck Thies ... Marion Steinfels ... WashTimes' Seth McLaughlin is 4-0 ... Mark Cheadle ... Terry Adamson, VP of global law affairs at Boeing and a NatGeo alum ... Ken Asby ... John Lapp ... Martha McKenna ... Tanya Brown (h/ts Teresa Vilmain)

****** A message from Chevron: This is a story about DOERS, butterflies, and buckwheat. In '75, the endangered El Segundo Blue butterfly was found near a Chevron refinery. We protected the habitat and planted the only thing they eat-buckwheat. We're still planting and keeping an eye on our littlest neighbor. Watch the video: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=48c0505f4df5aceee16353645f15c05f2ab71dbc31dda2fe9e3be00a8a937c2979a00ed200738bd747c1034f00407aec ******

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