Subject: POLITICO Playbook, presented by the Peter G. Peterson Foundation: TRUMP: LaVar Ball is a ‘poor man’s version of Don King’ -- Another woman accuses CONYERS of harassment -- NAVY plane crashes off Japan -- SPOTTED at Dead and Co show – B’DAY: Scott Wong
From: "Anna Palmer Jake Sherman Daniel Lippman" <[email-masked]>
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Date: Wed, 22 Nov 2017 05:24:01 -0600
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Today's POLITICO Playbook presented by the Peter G. Peterson Foundation 
            
By JAKE SHERMAN ([email-masked]; @JakeSherman), ANNA PALMER ([email-masked]; @apalmerdc) and DANIEL LIPPMAN ([email-masked]; @dlippman)
        
Listen to today's Audio Briefing | Subscribe on Apple Podcasts | Visit the online home of Playbook
                  Driving the Day         
THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, at 5:25 a.m., from Mar-a-Lago: "It wasn't the White House, it wasn't the State Department, it wasn't father LaVar's so-called people on the ground in China that got his son out of a long term prison sentence - IT WAS ME. Too bad! LaVar is just a poor man's version of Don King, but without the hair. Just think.." ... at 5:33 a.m.: "...LaVar, you could have spent the next 5 to 10 years during Thanksgiving with your son in China, but no NBA contract to support you. But remember LaVar, shoplifting is NOT a little thing. It's a really big deal, especially in China. Ungrateful fool!" ... 

... at 5:48 a.m.: "The NFL is now thinking about a new idea - keeping teams in the Locker Room during the National Anthem next season. That's almost as bad as kneeling! When will the highly paid Commissioner finally get tough and smart? This issue is killing your league!....." 

BREAKING OVERNIGHT -- WAPO'S ANNA FIFIELD in TOKYO: "Eight people have been rescued and are in 'good condition' after a U.S. Navy transporter plane carrying 11 crew and passengers crashed into the Pacific Ocean off Japan, the U.S. Navy's 7th Fleet said Wednesday. The search for the remaining three is continuing. This is the latest accident to befall the 7th Fleet, which is based in the Japanese port of Yokosuka, south of Tokyo, and has endured multiple collisions at sea this year, including two involving guided-missile destroyers that left 17 sailors dead. 

"The C2-A Greyhound aircraft was on a routine flight from Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in southern Japan to the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier, which is currently in the Philippine Sea on exercises with Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f80e2388478657ee83a28d260c78901a855be08b73fc2a59050a1f5864cf742675ccabc67c574134a79f96b05fea9e96

-- @USNavy: "#BREAKING UPDATE: Eight personnel recovered following C2-A Greyhound crash and transferred to #USSRonaldReagan for medical eval. In good condition. Search and rescue for three personnel continues. More to follow."

MAYBE SO, MAYBE NOT -- AP/BEIRUT -- "Lebanon's Prime Minister Saad Hariri says he is putting his resignation on hold following a request from the Lebanese president to reconsider. In surprise conciliatory comments from the presidential palace Wednesday, Hariri says he is putting Lebanon's interest first and is looking forward to a 'real partnership' with Lebanese President Michel Aoun." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f80e2388478657ee10189f9735eae2599ae64de6546415e992245821a290e922c333d7da301356c314edb1314a63ced9 

Good Wednesday morning, and happy Thanksgiving eve. Today is getaway day. JUST ASKING ... CAN THE DEMOCRATS keep Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) atop the Judiciary Committee? He is weathering claims he sexually harassed multiple women. One incident resulted in a nearly $30,000 payout. The House Ethics Committee is now investigating, and as of now, that's where House Democrats have stacked their chips. 

-- "Another Woman Accused Rep. John Conyers Of Sexual Harassment In Court Filings This Year," by BuzzFeed's Paul McLeod and Lissandra Villa: "Another former staff member to Michigan Rep. John Conyers alleged that she endured persistent sexual harassment by the congressman, according to court documents. A former scheduler in the Conyers' office attempted to file a sealed lawsuit against him this February in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia that alleges she suffered unwanted touching by the Democrat 'repeatedly and daily.' She abandoned the lawsuit the next month, after the court denied her motion to seal the complaint." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f80e2388478657ee6bbaf81cb2a6263cc022d9380575de21ffbe645fe1441fb1263d6d9d727c156e0347db4d9a8f7f0b 

-- DETROIT FREE PRESS EDITORIAL: "John Conyers Jr. has a long and complicated legacy in southeast Michigan and the U.S. Congress. He has been an undisputed hero of the civil rights movement, a legislator of uncommon influence and power, and an aging icon whose felonious wife and sometimes-wandering pace have confounded his place in history. 

"But the revelations of Conyers' alleged sexual harassment scandal and his documented use of taxpayer dollars to bury that scandal, in violation of congressional ethics rules, is less ambiguous. It is the kind of behavior that can never be tolerated in a public official, much less an elected representative of the people. And it means that whatever Conyers' legacy will eventually be, his tenure as a member of Congress must end - now. He should resign his position and allow the investigation into his behavior to unfold without the threat that it would render him, and the people he now represents, effectively voiceless." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f80e2388478657eec24eb90b5a5a8a9dc30f749a0807feeed937e18cc43fc401257f069a9d668102d37bb1271a8b4eea 

-- STAR TRIBUNE: "State Sen. Dan Schoen, Rep. Tony Cornish both to resign after harassment claims: Two Minnesota lawmakers announce they will resign on same day following harassment allegations that reverberated at State Capitol," by J. Patrick Coolican and Jennifer Bjorhus: "A pair of Minnesota state lawmakers - one a DFL senator, the other a Republican representative - announced Tuesday that they will resign from office in the wake of sexual harassment allegations. Word of the resignations of Sen. Dan Schoen and Rep. Tony Cornish came within two hours of each other, capping a stunning sequence of events that vividly demonstrated a new awareness of what many insiders say has been a
 long-standing tolerance of mistreatment of women working at Minnesota's Capitol. Both men had been under pressure from leaders of their parties to resign." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f80e2388478657eeef1694ee4cec62ce7d1ed891910fe7ae1bc4cda9d423634d64838aa1aa9572863877284705ee1a5e 

WAPO -- CAROL LEONNIG, DAN LAMOTHE and JULIE TATE -- "White House military personnel removed amid investigation into contacts with foreign women during Trump's Asia trip": "The service members worked for the White House Communications Agency, a specialized military unit that helps provide the president, vice president, Secret Service and other officials with secure communications. The military is scrutinizing three Army noncommissioned officers who allegedly broke curfew during Trump's trip to Vietnam this month, officials said." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f80e2388478657eebbb000796b18dc3b74c25d781bf40d8ee84672edb73740fc8412cd045f354638136c1a300762b0da 

EEK -- PHILA. INQUIRER: "U.S. Rep. Bob Brady's emails searched as FBI probe nears critical point," by Jeremy Roebuck: "In their clearest language to date, federal authorities have accused U.S. Rep. Robert Brady of leading a criminal conspiracy to hide a $90,000 payment they say he made to persuade a 2012 primary opponent to drop out of the race, newly unsealed court records show.

"The claim -- tucked into a Nov. 1 search warrant affidavit unsealed Friday -- alleges the congressman was an active participant in a scheme that has already elicited a guilty plea from Brady's one-time challenger, former Philadelphia Municipal Court Judge Jimmie Moore, and led to indictments against Brady aides Ken Smukler and Donald 'D.A.' Jones. Agents and prosecutors filed the affidavit to persuade a judge to approve a search of [email-masked], a personal email account used by Brady. It also lays out the potential charges that Brady might face should he be indicted -- a list that includes wire fraud, lying to the FBI and making an illegal campaign contribution." 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f80e2388478657ee74666553b36bb4818029b840fd05c004cce91ebcff900407e025946abad3eeff6300d75f1a05b072

NEW TRAILER -- @FinalYearFilm: ".@FinalYearFilm trailer: a look at the inner workings of the Obama Administration as they prepare to leave power after 8 years #TheFinalYear" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f80e2388478657eed9b538a6f65d35bcbda3f70023594ac2e649794f8b44015d84053933afe434e617aeccb73aff2528

****** A message from the Peter G. Peterson Foundation: As Washington debates tax reform, there's talk of tax cuts that will give trillions of dollars back to American taxpayers. That sounds great. But if these tax cuts aren't paid for, future generations will be stuck with the bill. Congress, tax reform should grow the economy. Not the debt. www.pgpf.org/tax-reform. ****** 

REMINDER, FROM SEUNG MIN KIM (@seungminkim): "December in Congress: 
 --Finishing tax overhaul
 --Averting shutdown
 --Ds demand DACA fix
 --Section 702 expires
 --Alabama Senate 
 --60-day window for Iran sanctions snapback ends
 --More re: sexual harassment on Hill". AND ... a House Democrat has promised a vote to impeach President Trump. Republicans and Democrats are working behind the scenes on a massive package to avert spending caps. 

JARED WATCH -- "Special Counsel Mueller Probes Jared Kushner's Contacts With Foreign Leaders," by WSJ's Peter Nicholas, Aruna Viswanatha and Rebecca Ballhaus: "Robert Mueller's investigators are asking questions about Jared Kushner's interactions with foreign leaders during the presidential transition, including his involvement in a dispute at the United Nations in December, in a sign of the expansive nature of the special counsel's probe of Russia's meddling in the election, according to people familiar with the matter. The investigators have asked witnesses questions about the involvement of Mr. Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law and a senior White House adviser, in a
 controversy over a U.N. resolution passed Dec. 23 that condemned Israel's construction of settlements in disputed territories ... 

"Another element of Mr. Mueller's probe has focused on whether the president obstructed justice in the May firing of James Comey, the former director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Mr. Mueller's prosecutors have asked witnesses detailed questions about Mr. Kushner's views of Mr. Comey and whether Mr. Kushner was in favor of firing him or had staked out a position, said the people familiar with the matter."  http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f80e2388478657eebbefe73e04120645d31aea82365dc889fd8e30b685a751f5b03a3cb3610bd9cab2e40e806c471dde 
 
-- FUN READ - "De Blasio and his administration had a warm relationship with Kushner, emails show," by Laura Nahmias: "Long before Mayor Bill de Blasio started to define New York City as the nexus of anti-Donald Trump sentiment, the mayor and other senior officials in his administration maintained friendly relations with the president's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and his daughter, Ivanka Trump, emails obtained through a Freedom of Information request show. The emails, spanning from de Blasio's first year in office in 2014 through the spring of 2017, show de Blasio's occasionally fawning overtures to Kushner and others in the Trump Organization in the weeks after the 2016 election. ...

 "'Jared, I hope you and your family had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and a little break from the swirl of activity these last few weeks have brought,' the mayor wrote on Nov. 26, 2016. ... He added: 'Finally, whenever you have a moment for a drink or a cup of coffee, I'd love to spend a little time with you. I can only imagine how tough your schedule has become, and I'm happy to accommodate whatever time and place works for you. Much appreciated - Bill.' ... Kushner['s] emails were punctuated with exclamation marks, smiley faces and general sunniness." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f80e2388478657eee84f8303fc94833bd734cf37bc1663cff3156106a45a0454c87a850c340e13136b04a5862e2b56d0 

THE PRESIDENT'S CANDIDATE: ROY MOORE -- "Trump privately doubted Moore's female accusers," by Alex Isenstadt: "President Donald Trump's near-endorsement of Alabama Republican Roy Moore followed days of behind-the-scenes talks in which he vented about Moore's accusers and expressed skepticism about their accounts. During animated conversations with senior Republicans and White House aides, the president said he doubted the stories presented by Moore's accusers and questioned why they were emerging now, just weeks before the election ... The White House advisers said the president drew parallels between Moore's predicament and the one he faced just over a year ago when, during the final weeks
 of the 2016 campaign, Trump confronted a long line of women who accused him of harassment. He adamantly denied the claims." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f80e2388478657ee316fe686c94d1c24c299fd09de71a9c7913b7f5fa7f9a10e809579bb0fc8a11d5e22ce83d40aa189 

--"Roy Moore Dated 'Younger Ladies' For Their 'Purity,' His Pastor Friend Says," by TPM's Cameron Joseph: "A prominent right-wing preacher who appeared alongside Senate candidate Roy Moore at a campaign rally just days ago said that Moore dated teen girls because of their 'purity' and because when he got back from Vietnam there weren't any women his age left to date. Pastor Flip Benham told a local Alabama radio show on Monday that there was nothing wrong with Moore dating teenage girls." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f80e2388478657eeba19712dbcafac338d96576c3464987ed68d7fd822e609dc1137f12a6fbb7c031b4cb72cef5d1a2b 

--@CNN: "Roy Moore campaign strategist Dean Young: 'We believe Judge Moore. We don't believe these women. It's just that simple. And y'all can keep trotting them out if you want to, but we're not going to talk about that.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f80e2388478657eec44d74b93c4bff23cd0b9afb016e0f15a9727013f932a8bf8c00ed3f0fde0886b6aa57f1558098e8 

WHAT STEPHEN MILLER IS READING -- "How Trump is building a border wall that no one can see," by WaPo's Maria Sacchetti and Nick Miroff: "[I]n a systematic and less visible way, his administration is following a blueprint to reduce the number of foreigners living in the United States -- those who are undocumented and those here legally -- and overhaul the U.S. immigration system for generations to come. Across agencies and programs, federal officials are wielding executive authority to assemble a bureaucratic wall that could be more effective than any concrete and metal one. ... The administration has moved to slash the number of refugees, accelerate deportations and terminate the
 provisional residency of more than a million people, among other measures." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f80e2388478657ee585f7381baa6ecfac3e5476d46bf74b4a32efcba8dbe64500e60a24305c57a95f2710b655e2d2750 

WORLD ORDER -- "Trump cedes Syrian postwar planning to Putin: Experts and U.S. officials say the real fight now is about a regional power struggle playing out in the country," by Michael Crowley: "Six months after President Donald Trump ordered an airstrike against a Syrian government airbase, an act his aides said would give the U.S. renewed leverage across the Middle East, he is increasingly a bystander as Russian President Vladimir Putin takes the lead in shaping postwar Syria. 

"On Wednesday, Putin will host the presidents of Iran and Turkey in the resort city of Sochi -- one of several Russian-brokered meetings the U.S. will not attend as the Syrian conflict winds down. ... 'Putin has won' in Syria, said Ilan Goldenberg, who worked on Middle East issues at the Pentagon and State Department under President Barack Obama. ... [Trump] has said privately that he considers Syria to be Obama's failure and that he sees little the U.S. can do about it now." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f80e2388478657eeb45c2c5e110f273ad900366afb4d558912f12e3302d189188f8cff83fcfadcfb84e1622aee772c0c 

NEW STYLE -- "How Trump's Hands-Off Approach to Policing Is Frustrating Some Chiefs," by NYT's Steve Eder, Ben Protess and Shaila Dewan: "Since President Trump took office, for example, the Justice Department has not entered into a single court-monitored consent decree with a troubled police department, even in towns with widespread constitutional violations, records show. It has also ordered reviews of existing consent decrees -- which are a tougher, more punitive alternative to the collaborative reform initiative -- negotiated under President Barack Obama's Justice Department. 

"The changes, designed to ease pressure on law enforcement, have actually encountered some resistance from police chiefs in cities that participated in the programs. And those chiefs work not only in big-city Democratic strongholds, but also in places like Spokane, which has a Republican mayor and is the largest city in a county that voted overwhelmingly for Mr. Trump." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f80e2388478657eed8c92c1bcbd4138d6feee45452a3e6c74ed544fffc91d22d6f46a6d2dd69cf5904d27465a40a6d8c 

-- "FCC's next step on net neutrality: Blocking the states: Chairman Ajit Pai seeks to keep states from stepping in to regulate the internet," by Margaret Harding McGill: "The Obama administration's net neutrality rules met their all-but-certain demise Tuesday as [FCC] Chairman Ajit Pai outlined a plan to repeal them - while making sure states can't impose their own regulations to fill the void. Pai will release his proposal on Wednesday with broad support on the Republican-controlled FCC, leaving supporters of the 2015 policy with little recourse except to fight back in the courts. ... [P]roponents of the current rules question whether the FCC has the authority to block states from issuing
 their own rules, especially when the agency is paring back its oversight over internet service providers in the order." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f80e2388478657ee4bacb5556f6f10c2720e504b5eb26c2b9e141f478c0e2792fa08cec24ff55f77cad96db88f6010db 

WSJ EDITORIAL BOARD vs. TRUMP - "Trump's Dubious Trust-Busting": "The lawsuit [to block the AT&T/Time Warner merger] misconstrues markets and undermines the rule of law-whether or not it was inspired by the White House. ... Justice's even stranger claim is that the merger would 'impede disruptive competition' from 'emerging online competition.' Emerging? That adjective will surprise Netflix, with its 110 million subscribers and more than two dozen original shows; or Amazon, with its original TV series and movies and its 90 million Prime members. ... Mr. Trump said again on Tuesday that 'I've always felt that was a deal that's not good for the country,' adding that 'I'm not going to get
 involved. It's litigation.' Yet uttering his opinion feeds inferences of political interference and a willingness to bend antitrust law in ways that undermine business confidence." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f80e2388478657eeb51cf9ab769ca3e8b1b29b32ac91bb9a1d58c5fcd93aaafac24e633b47f8bcb0d672603ec1da4acc 

A BOOST FOR TAX REFORM -- TOP-ED - SEN. LISA MURKOWSKI in the Fairbanks Daily News Miner, "Alaskan senator supports free choice for health care": "I have always supported the freedom to choose. I believe that the federal government should not force anyone to buy something they do not wish to buy in order to avoid being taxed. That is the fundamental reason why I opposed the Affordable Care Act from its inception and also why I cosponsored a bill to repeal the individual mandate tax penalty starting as early as 2013. And that is why I support the repeal of that tax today." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f80e2388478657eefa0642055864ca2a83d800ec8641d6c954eb52c5617ddb42edd36a82cd877ddd1ca522fbe337e057 

REPUBLICANS VS. REALTORS, via NYT's Conor Dougherty and Ben Casselman: For decades, the real estate industry has benefited from generous tax deductions that raise home values by making it cheaper for people to own property and shoulder their local taxes. Now, as the Republican tax plan makes its way through Congress, the industry is worried that the fallout will harm its business by making homeownership less valuable. ... 

"'We don't consider ourselves to be Republicans or Democrats,' said Linda Jay, chief executive of the Bakersfield Association of Realtors in central California. 'We are the Realtor party.' Last week, Ms. Jay and other agents congregated in front of the local office of Representative Kevin McCarthy, the House majority leader, holding signs and chanting, 'Save homeownership.' 'We know he has a tough job to do,' she said. 'But we certainly are not going to shy away from letting him know what our feelings are.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f80e2388478657eedb28d9edf8202797b89254f9208f4a54a4dff90a9c0b37ca635017bea947e98ae2d30a944436dfa0 

YIKES - "Uber Paid Hackers to Delete Stolen Data on 57 Million People," by Bloomberg's Eric Newcomer: "Hackers stole the personal data of 57 million customers and drivers from Uber Technologies Inc., a massive breach that the company concealed for more than a year. This week, the ride-hailing firm ousted its chief security officer and one of his deputies for their roles in keeping the hack under wraps, which included a $100,000 payment to the attackers. Compromised data from the October 2016 attack included names, email addresses and phone numbers of 50 million Uber riders around the world, the company told Bloomberg on Tuesday. The personal information of about 7 million drivers was
 accessed as well, including some 600,000 U.S. driver's license numbers." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f80e2388478657ee32d71c841e03fdf7c047aa1757dbf386b76843de7881a753337a8644d783f17d5a499e0676c0c3e7 

SUNDAY SO FAR - NBC's "Meet the Press": Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.)

THE PRESIDENT is in Palm Beach and has nothing public scheduled for the day.

-- PALM BEACH POST: "President Donald Trump arrived at Mar-a-Lago Tuesday night for a Thanksgiving visit and appeared energized by a crowd of more than 100 supporters who welcomed him and first lady Melania Trump at Palm Beach International Airport. ... 

"In a few of his previous visits, Trump briefly greeted the supporters who gathered at the airport for Air Force One arrivals. But on Tuesday, he spent about 18 minutes with the crowd signing autographs, shaking hands and talking with his fans.

"Trump also accepted an oil painting of himself from 90-year-old Bea Doone-Merena, a Boca Raton artist who brought two larger-than-life portraits of the president to the airport. Trump kept a stern-faced likeness of himself in a dark suit and red tie, and he autographed the other painting, which depicted him in a red 'Make America Great Again' hat, and gave it back to Doone-Merena." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f80e2388478657eebf6348927246077c3f9914b3bd5651e4cf0873f9b4f01fd24d5d2c45c0cca49139191070a511996a

          Playbook Reads         

PHOTO DU JOUR: President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump and their son Barron participate in a ceremony to pardon Drumstick the turkey with National Turkey Federation Chairman Carl Wittenburg and his family in the Rose Garden at the White House on Nov. 21. Following the presidential pardon, the 40-pound White Holland breed will reside at his new home "Gobbler's Rest" at Virginia Tech. | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

HOLIDAY CHEER -- "Manafort and Gates are sprung for holiday as bail talks drag on," by Josh Gerstein: "Former Trump campaign officials Paul Manafort and Rick Gates are being sprung from home detention for the Thanksgiving holiday, but the decision highlights how negotiations over bail arrangements for the two men are dragging on much longer than anticipated. At a hearing on Nov. 6, a prosecutor from special counsel Robert Mueller's team, which is looking into Russian interference in the 2016 election, predicted that discussions about a bail package for Manafort would be wrapped up within 48 hours.

"'I think, for Mr. Manafort, we're getting close,' prosecutor Greg Andres told U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson. Yet three weeks after Manafort and Gates were arraigned and nearly two weeks after Andres laid out that timeline, there's still no sign of a deal." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f80e2388478657ee921c1e872fffd79114238fbc90524ebb889b4f9eccdb052b8ed1713e58dfdf6e1c50fc34a555cb16

JOE POMPEO in Vanity Fair, "The Times is 'Torn' About Whether Glenn Thrush Should Lose His Job Over Sexual-Misconduct Allegation": "At the Times, known for occasionally obsessive self-reflection, the news prompted enormous anxiety. The news organization that fomented an extraordinary cultural upheaval was suddenly tasked with managing through it. The newsroom, like many others, is on edge. 'People are feeling embarrassed, discouraged, and vulnerable,' said one veteran Times editor. ... Among the multiple current and former Times employees I spoke with -- including men and women, managers and subordinates -- people were wrestling with whether the allegations against Thrush warranted his
 termination -- a question perhaps complicated by the fact that most of the events occurred prior to his hiring, and did not involve any Times colleagues." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f80e2388478657ee58762f72b7d25569a05fef8ed942ec1984ee822f9f480c320c6e88ff766adcf993271433e4634ee2 

MULVANEY'S SCHEDULE -- "Koch Lobbyists and Opus Dei - Who's Dropping in on Trump Budget Czar Mick Mulvaney?" by ProPublica's Justin Elliott: "One of President Donald Trump's top cabinet officials has met with a long list of lobbyists, corporate executives and wealthy people with business interests before the government, according to calendars the Trump administration fought to keep secret. The calendars for Mick Mulvaney, the former South Carolina congressman who now runs the White House Office of Management and Budget, offer a glimpse of who has access to the highest levels of the Trump administration. Among those visiting Mulvaney: Trump friend and casino magnate Steve Wynn; a flurry of
 officials from the conservative Heritage Foundation; a string of health care and Wall Street CEOs; lobbyists for Koch Industries; a cryptocurrency evangelist; and a prominent member of the Catholic group Opus Dei." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f80e2388478657ee6a87efa62a4e8b064a2c782222c4817bcd0e685cb4e95deaf9e39888d0fc0cf9aba6ac8f8a326e41 ... The calendars http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f80e2388478657ee042ce63ab2421a7c0b58dff219f6b63aa506c4d9f278bb947d3f00af5717188f0b91fd2b5fca7779

****** A message from the Peter G. Peterson Foundation: Washington is debating tax reform. There's talk of substantial tax cuts that will give trillions of dollars back to American taxpayers. That sounds great. But if these tax cuts aren't paid for, future generations will be stuck with the bill. Congress is right to pursue tax reform - the code is outdated, complex and unfair. Tax reform done right should be permanent, because businesses and individuals need certainty to plan and invest. It should be based on realistic, independent projections and assumptions about the effect on our economy and our fiscal outlook. And it should enjoy bipartisan support, so that it's durable over time.
 Lawmakers should use the valuable opportunity presented by tax reform both to improve our fiscal outlook and strengthen the economy at the same time. Congress, tax reform should grow the economy. Not the debt. Learn more at www.pgpf.org/tax-reform. ******

PUTIN'S FAVORITE CONGRESSMAN -- "He's a Member of Congress. The Kremlin Likes Him So Much It Gave Him a Code Name," by NYT's Nick Fandos: "For two decades, Representative Dana Rohrabacher has been of value to the Kremlin, so valuable in recent years that the F.B.I. warned him in 2012 that Russia regarded him as an intelligence source worthy of a Kremlin code name. ... As revelations of Russia's campaign to influence American politics consume Washington, Mr. Rohrabacher, 70, who had no known role in the Trump election campaign, has come under political and investigative scrutiny. The F.B.I. and the Senate Intelligence Committee are each seeking to interview him about an August meeting with
 Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, Mr. Rohrabacher said. The special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, is said to be interested in a meeting he had last year with Michael T. Flynn, Mr. Trump's short-lived national security adviser." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f80e2388478657eea6c0c18818ff2919d218f640b8370116fa788ead782c1c5deee6a20155184c05b906041dc0e2e259 

ON THE PENINSULA -- "Cold War drama caught on video as N. Korean soldier escapes," by AP's Foster Klug in Seoul: "It's 3:11 p.m. on a cold, gray day on the North Korean side of the most heavily armed border in the world, and a lone soldier is racing toward freedom. His dark olive-green jeep speeds down a straight, tree-lined road, past drab, barren fields and, headlights shining, across the replacement for the Bridge of No Return, which was used for prisoner exchanges during the Korean War. The shock of soldiers watching the jeep rush by is palpable from the video released Wednesday, and no wonder: They're beginning to realize that one of their comrades is defecting to the South. They
 sprint after him. ... Forty minutes later, the video has switched to infrared to show the heat signatures of two South Korean soldiers as they crawl on their hands and knees, using a wall as cover, toward the prone defector. They grab hold of the defector and drag him to safety." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f80e2388478657ee49bc02fee941920680305f6b2ca202428c954e0ff635cda4b433b8b98a24f9bc8ca7413073eff854 ... 2-min. video http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f80e2388478657ee85bdf2f638c81834626562666491a77e8ee481e20e5497515b12f085341aecedf800a5d4ec2abc36 

HOLLYWOODLAND -- "John Lasseter Taking Leave of Absence From Pixar Amid 'Missteps,'" by the Hollywood Reporter's Kim Masters: "Disney Animation head John Lasseter is taking a leave of absence from Pixar after acknowledging 'painful' conversations and unspecified 'missteps,' he wrote Tuesday in a memo to staff, obtained by The Hollywood Reporter. Lasseter's statement arrived as THR was preparing a story detailing alleged misconduct by the executive at Disney/Pixar. Lasseter is best known as one of the founders of Pixar, which began as part of the graphics group at Lucasfilm." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f80e2388478657eea575418a0a0afc7f0bfc3d798c62c258ffae87eb5a66bb303f40419024736101e836870f334cbc02 ... The story  http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f80e2388478657ee3c46c833e8bf5762cf50677c5463393d1de2d40d54f83252c223cfb4ee2dd048319defaa1d930981

VALLEY TALK -- "Facebook (Still) Letting Housing Advertisers Exclude Users by Race," by ProPublica's Julia Angwin, Ariana Tobin and Madeleine Varner: "In February, Facebook said it would step up enforcement of its prohibition against discrimination in advertising for housing, employment or credit. But our tests showed a significant lapse in the company's monitoring of the rental market. Last week, ProPublica bought dozens of rental housing ads on Facebook, but asked that they not be shown to certain categories of users, such as African Americans, mothers of high school kids, people interested in wheelchair ramps, Jews, expats from Argentina and Spanish speakers. ... Every single ad was
 approved within minutes. ... Under its own policies, Facebook should have flagged these ads, and prevented the posting of some of them." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f80e2388478657eee5a314c394d8dd89cf5697c2c284fa7401d3ccbf0a648d82041e6050503faa5306a4f91f9755f786

                  Playbookers         
SPOTTED at Dead and Company last night at the Capital One Arena (formerly the Verizon Center): David Dixon, Tim Curran, Josh Lahey, Hadar Susskind, Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh, Ken Baer, Dennis Alpert, Bob Costa ... Susan Page and Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) separately at "Mean Girls" last night ... Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) on yesterday morning's 8:45 a.m. American Airlines flight 681 from DCA to Charlotte. 

ENGAGED - TYLER LAW, DCCC national press secretary, proposed to EMMA ECKERSTROM, a middle-school English teacher for KIPP D.C. "The couple met working on Tim Kaine's 2012 Senate campaign in Richmond. ... Emma and Tyler's families spent their first Thanksgiving together out in Oakland ... (where Tyler is from) so he knew it was the right time to propose, with family there to celebrate. Tyler planned a day of wine tasting in Napa at the same wineries where they went to five years ago when Emma first came to visit Tyler in California. Tyler found a secluded spot next to the vineyard, got down on one knee, and Emma said yes." Instapic  http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f80e2388478657ee0357619b591200f61371879038c102b969cf0e8ff10514f313b3ef735d8f3340adcd998f67e15dac

BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Cassie Spodak, producer for CNN digital politics. How she's celebrating: "I'm doing some volunteer work with my family at Martha's Table, which is kind of a tradition. But I'll also celebrate my birthday over the weekend with my fianc&eacute; and some of my oldest friends from high school who will be in town, in one of my favorite places in the city: my apartment's patio with a new fire pit." Read her Playbook Plus Q&A: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f80e2388478657eeef2c3208dab0d2de95e84f866f9dd39db16b5ae018f4f8fe42fdf24b86571ff00267be78aa0a06d9 

BIRTHDAYS: ABC News' Matthew Mosk ... Bettina Incl&aacute;n Agen ... Shefali Razdan Duggal (hat tip: Jon Haber) ... Matt Strawn ... Scott Wong, senior staff writer for The Hill and a Politico alum ... Ned Price, New America fellow, GW professor and NBC contributor and a CIA and NSC alum ... Pat Cunnane, writer for ABC's "Designated Survivor" and an Obama WH alum ... Hannah August, director of communications for Women Deliver and a Michelle Obama alum ... Jeff Tiller ... Barney Keller, EVP at Jamestown Associates ... Andrew Stern ... Michael J. Szanto ... Martin Burns ... Robert Christie, VP of international media at Alibaba Group and an NYT alum ... Roger Fransecky ... Marshall Schoenthal
 is 44 ... Anne Shoup ... Jonathan Kubakundimana ... Politico's Sarah O'Neill ... TJ Cholnoky ... Zoe Schlag ... Josh Goldstein ... IBM's Sammy Jordan, who was the captain of her debate team at GMU ... Tim R. Cohen ...

... Yarden Golan, chief of staff of Israel's Embassy in Washington ... Jessica Sara Turtletaub of theSkimm and a Bloomberg alum ... Rob Atkinson, president of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (h/t Samantha Greene) ... Welles Orr ... Natasha Lennard ... Meena Ganesan ... James Williams, president of Engage Cuba, is 34 ... Alexa Lucas ... Lauren Pastarnack ... Jon Adams, NRSC's digital director ... Brian Francis Kelley ... Harry Siegel, columnist at the NY Daily News and senior editor at The Daily Beast ... Bush 43 WH alum Missy DeCamp ... Ryan Fitzgerald ... Barbara Cameron ... Craig Gilbert (h/ts Teresa Vilmain)

****** A message from the Peter G. Peterson Foundation: Washington is debating tax reform. There's talk of substantial tax cuts that will give trillions of dollars back to American taxpayers. That sounds great. But if these tax cuts aren't paid for, future generations will be stuck with the bill. Congress is right to pursue tax reform - the code is outdated, complex and unfair. Tax reform done right should be permanent, because businesses and individuals need certainty to plan and invest. It should be based on realistic, independent projections and assumptions about the effect on our economy and our fiscal outlook. And it should enjoy bipartisan support, so that it's durable over time.
 Lawmakers should use the valuable opportunity presented by tax reform both to improve our fiscal outlook and strengthen the economy at the same time. Congress, tax reform should grow the economy. Not the debt. Learn more at www.pgpf.org/tax-reform. ******

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