Subject: POLITICO Playbook, presented by Better Medicare Alliance: BIG MIKE SCHMIDT scoop: Trump asked W.H. counsel to instruct Sessions to stay on Russia probe -- REINCE and DINA at Off the Record -- BANNON on the outs -- BRETT MCGURK and GINA CHON’s new daughter
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Date: Fri, 05 Jan 2018 05:19:31 -0600
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Today's POLITICO Playbook presented by Better Medicare Alliance 
            
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         
Happy Friday. BIG MIKE SCHMIDT SCOOP -- NYT, A1: "Obstruction Inquiry Shows Trump's Struggle to Keep Grip on Russia Investigation": "President Trump gave firm instructions in March to the White House's top lawyer: stop the attorney general, Jeff Sessions, from recusing himself in the Justice Department's investigation into whether Mr. Trump's associates had helped a Russian campaign to disrupt the 2016 election.

"Public pressure was building for Mr. Sessions, who had been a senior member of the Trump campaign, to step aside. But the White House counsel, Donald F. McGahn II, carried out the president's orders and lobbied Mr. Sessions to remain in charge of the inquiry, according to two people with knowledge of the episode.

"Mr. McGahn was unsuccessful, and the president erupted in anger in front of numerous White House officials, saying he needed his attorney general to protect him. Mr. Trump said he had expected his top law enforcement official to safeguard him the way he believed Robert F. Kennedy, as attorney general, had done for his brother John F. Kennedy and Eric H. Holder Jr. had for Barack Obama.

 "Mr. Trump then asked, 'Where's my Roy Cohn?' He was referring to his former personal lawyer and fixer, who had been Senator Joseph R. McCarthy's top aide during the investigations into communist activity in the 1950s and died in 1986." 

-- OTHER BOMBSHELLS IN THE PIECE: "The special counsel has received handwritten notes from Mr. Trump's former chief of staff, Reince Priebus, showing that Mr. Trump talked to Mr. Priebus about how he had called Mr. Comey to urge him to say publicly that he was not under investigation. The president's determination to fire Mr. Comey even led one White House lawyer to take the extraordinary step of misleading Mr. Trump about whether he had the authority to remove him." ...

... "The New York Times has also learned that four days before Mr. Comey was fired, one of Mr. Sessions's aides asked a congressional staff member whether he had damaging information about Mr. Comey, part of an apparent effort to undermine the F.B.I. director. It was not clear whether Mr. Mueller's investigators knew about this episode." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ee21769ad04fde83dfc259ac14d2bcad872d200495a488dfb3ae2eaa612f716be47446c0b670c156bd50588322a6977c 

-- THE TAKEAWAY GRAF FROM MIKE'S PIECE: "Legal experts said that of the two primary issues Mr. Mueller appears to be investigating - whether Mr. Trump obstructed justice while in office and whether there was collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia - there is currently a larger body of public evidence tying the president to a possible crime of obstruction." 

-- A BIT OF FUN: MIKE'S FIRST TRUMP STORY. NYT, Aug. 31, 2006: "Game, Set, Match Above the Roar of the City": "During the United States Open, many tennis fans will pass through Grand Central Terminal and hop the No. 7 train to Flushing, Queens. Little do they know that directly above their heads, some of the Open's top-seeded players are honing their skills on two almost secret courts above the terminal's main concourse.

"The courts, called the Tennis Club, are leased and operated by Donald Trump. They are directly above Vanderbilt Hall - the cavernous entrance at the south end of the building on the 42nd Street side - and are open to anyone who can, first, find them, and then is willing to pay $155 for an hour of court time on weekdays, or $130 on weekends. ... 'It is one of the greatest secrets of my time and the only people who know are the ones who play on it,' Trump said. 'The ceilings are high and you can play without people walking all over you. You are right in the middle of Manhattan, right in the most expensive real estate in the world.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ee21769ad04fde832b46bbe7d81bd9c10a5cf1eb9e5c0ff47f469c957a0aaac02edc1210cbece500909488c42e942919 

SPOTTED: Reince Priebus and Dina Powell last night at Off the Record at the Hay-Adams hotel. ... SPOTTED at a party hosted by Jared and Ivanka last night in a private room at the Trump Hotel: Gary Cohn, Rob Porter, H.R. McMaster, Sarah Sanders, Dina Powell, Tony Sayegh, Jason Greenblatt, Shahira Knight, Reed Cordish, Chris Liddell and Raj Shah.

THE PRESIDENT SPEAKS OUT -- SLOPPY STEVE! -- at 7:52 p.m.: "I authorized Zero access to White House (actually turned him down many times) for author of phony book! I never spoke to him for book. Full of lies, misrepresentations and sources that don't exist. Look at this guy's past and watch what happens to him and Sloppy Steve!" ... at 8:04 p.m.: "The Fake News Media barely mentions the fact that the Stock Market just hit another New Record and that business in the U.S. is booming...but the people know! Can you imagine if "O" was president and had these numbers - would be biggest story on earth! Dow now over 25,000."

****** A message from Better Medicare Alliance: HEALTH CARE POLICY ALERT: We can all agree that high need, high cost patients deserve the best care. And with Medicare Advantage, seniors and people with disabilities are getting the high-value care they need through flexible benefits and specialized care. Learn more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=be8aef84e6d67ced8559b3efa02874c964b6f9dd3077f64ef0a6640fcb693fa3f54c458d1e4b667428c699f6c22a1e8e ******

THE BANNON-IS-FADING PIECES ... 

-- ALEX ISENSTADT: "Bannon on the brink": "Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon has lost the support of his primary financial backer Rebekah Mercer, further isolating him and potentially crippling his ambitious plans to reshape the 2018 political landscape. Mercer, the daughter of billionaire Robert Mercer and a key funder of President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign, issued a rare public statement on Thursday rebuking Bannon for his scalding attack on Trump and his family in a forthcoming book, 'Fire and Fury,' by author Michael Wolff.

"'I support President Trump and the platform upon which he was elected,' Mercer said in the statement, which was first reported by the Washington Post. 'My family and I have not communicated with Steve Bannon in many months and have provided no financial support to his political agenda, nor do we support his recent actions and statements.' The scolding from the reclusive Mercer capped a second day of fallout surrounding the book. The president has blasted Bannon for his remarks and his cooperation with Wolff, saying that Bannon had 'lost his mind.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ee21769ad04fde83b29e1a7fb95f80f670c553437fc668bef687602b7075af7949be27b7801ae8146e6303dd3ec174c4

-- WAPO'S MICHAEL SCHERER, BOB COSTA and ROS HELDERMAN: "'Yesterday morning, he was key. Today, I'm not sure': Bannon's allies start to abandon him": "Former White House chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon's hopes of leading a revolt in the Republican Party this year suffered a severe blow Thursday as his allies rebuked and abandoned him following a nasty public break with President Trump. Candidates who once embraced Bannon distanced themselves from his efforts, groups aligned with his views sought separation, and his most important financial backer, the billionaire Mercer family, which has championed him for years, announced that it was severing ties.

"Even his position as chairman of Breitbart News, a website he has referred to as one of his most effective 'weapons,' was being reviewed by the company's leadership, according to people familiar with the talks - a move that White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders publicly encouraged at Thursday's White House news briefing. But it was the rare statement from Rebekah Mercer, daughter of investor Robert Mercer, that hit hardest and, combined with Trump's fury, has left Bannon isolated from the two power centers that elevated him from a fringe commentator to an office in the White House."  http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ee21769ad04fde8385d0377d902c815483270e3f4c4d02a6eea041a74515df8e28ac866a667ed42e2cd385cf6b586adf

-- NYT'S KEN VOGEL, JONATHAN MARTIN and JEREMY PETERS: "Led by the Mercers, Bannon's Allies Abandon Him": "Enthusiasm for Stephen K. Bannon's plans for a fiery Republican revolution had already been fading among some of the donors and candidates he was relying on to upend the party's establishment. But Mr. Bannon's provocative remarks about President Trump and his family, reported in a new book now scheduled to be released this week, and Mr. Trump's angry response, further alienated some of Mr. Bannon's most important backers - including the family of the hedge fund magnate Robert Mercer - leaving Mr. Bannon confronting the possibility of a dire fate for a publicity-hungry provocateur:
 political irrelevance. ...

"Mr. Bannon is chairman of Breitbart, and many staff members there believe there is a strong chance he might lose the job, though he was dismissive of that possibility on the site's daily editorial conference call on Thursday night, according to one person with knowledge of the call. ... His associates said he was planning a political nonprofit group called Citizens of the American Republic that would spend between $25 million and $30 million - though some advisers predicted a budget as large as $100 million - to seed the primary campaigns. Half the budget was slated to be spent on voter mobilization efforts on the ground in targeted districts for months leading up to elections, with the
 other half going toward advertising, according to people familiar with the plan.

"While Mr. Bannon publicly bashed the Republican donor class, he spent months quietly courting some of the deepest pockets on the right. ... The Mercers were upset further when they learned that Mr. Bannon had privately boasted that they would back him if he ran for president, according to one family associate." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ee21769ad04fde83cb127d05dff106f7966833c84d0611c8478d70d049cb132fa09f2ca5df4d4c36cd7b990d72a54719 

-- @elianayjohnson: "Was just told, by person present, that Trump referred to Bannon as 'Bam Bam' after allegations of domestic abuse surfaced against him (Bannon) during the campaign. Trump told ppl: 'Don't worry abt Bam Bam, he's locked away in a room working 20 hrs a day. He never comes out.'"

THE WOLFF BLAME GAME -- "As Trump fumes, White House staff spread blame on Wolff book," by Andrew Restuccia and Matt Nussbaum: "White House staffers are poring over copies of Michael Wolff's forthcoming book, scanning the index for their names and crossing their fingers that they aren't mentioned. ... [T]he book ... is also reviving frustration with other former aides whom the president's close advisers have long suspected of leaking to the press. Former White House deputy chief of staff Katie Walsh, who was quoted in the book saying that managing the president was 'like trying to figure out what a child wants,' is under fire from some in the administration for her apparent role in the
 book. 

"White House aides were so angry that they discussed whether Walsh should step down from her dual roles as a senior adviser to both the [RNC] and the outside pro-Trump group America First, according to an administration official. But Walsh appealed directly to Kushner to deny the comments and then publicly distanced herself from the book, saving her job for now after Kushner instructed other staffers to lay off of her. 'I'm shocked that she went on the record,' another administration official said Thursday. 'It's just unprofessional.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ee21769ad04fde836a706012549aa6fd204c90b36583cf88fe3e60e4048145924255fb7bfaa4353ab36a4f375acfc294 

-- GLAD PLAYBOOK CAN HELP!: "Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House," page 170-171: "By mid-March, Gary Cohn had been drafted into the effort to salvage the faltering health care bill. This might have seemed like a form of hazing for Cohn, whose grasp on legislative matters was even more limited than most in the White House.

"On Friday, March 24, the morning of the theoretical House vote for the Republican health care bill, Politico's Playbook characterized the chances of a vote actually coming to the floor as a 'toss-up.' In that morning's senior staff meeting, Cohn was asked for an assessment of where things stood and promptly said, 'I think it's a toss-up.' 'Really,' thought Katie Walsh. 'That's what you think?'"

2018 WATCH -- "Trump, GOP leaders to discuss 2018 election at Camp David Friday," by Alex Isenstadt: "Congressional leaders are slated to brief President Donald Trump on the perilous midterm landscape on Friday afternoon at Camp David. Amid rising concern that Republicans could lose their majorities in November, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) will lead separate presentations on 2018, according to three people familiar with the plans.

"The briefing will be part of a broader slate of meetings between the president and Republican congressional leadership to take place at Camp David through the weekend, when they are scheduled to discuss the legislative agenda for this year. Also attending will be House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) and Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-Texas)." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ee21769ad04fde83c2a884545955d02e295971d7ce74ecb78316f67bd7c37c06217be8a5b9c7028eee256e8ed34616b1

-- "Trump, Romney talk on phone amid speculation over Utah Senate bid," by Alex Isenstadt: "President Donald Trump spoke by phone with Mitt Romney on Thursday evening, a conversation that comes amid mounting speculation that Romney -- a fierce Trump critic -- is preparing to run for Senate in Utah. The brief call, which was described by two sources who were briefed on it, lasted less than 10 minutes. The president wished Romney, the 2012 GOP nominee, best of luck in his future endeavors.

"The two men also spoke about 83-year-old Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, who announced his retirement earlier this week, opening the seat for Romney to run. Trump had aggressively pressured Hatch to run for reelection in an effort to block Romney from taking the seat." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=be8aef84e6d67ced46926e27d055b5836db60b226ea0ee2656b3de8a502d72e749a43a726f38b7b8bdebed7f7d0bd4be

-- CONGRESS IS NO FUN, PART 1 MILLION: With the news yesterday that House Administration Chairman Gregg Harper (R-Miss.) would retire, the House is losing six committee chairmen: Harper, Financial Services Chairman Jeb Hensarling of Texas, Budget Chair Diane Black of Tennessee, Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte of Virginia, Science Chairman Lamar Smith of Texas and Transportation Chairman Bill Shuster of Pennsylvania. 

GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN COUNTDOWN -- Spending authority runs dry in two weeks from today.

-- PROGRESS? NAH -- "Inside the faltering Dreamer talks," by Seung Min Kim, Rachael Bade and Ted Hesson: "The White House has not provided details to a bipartisan group of key senators on what border security and immigration restrictions they want in return for helping Dreamers, according to the negotiators, who believe that's a major obstacle.

"And in one potentially ominous sign for a deal, two Senate Republicans who had been in talks with Democrats released an unusually downcast statement about the lack of progress in the private negotiations, which began after Trump announced last fall he would kill the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

"'Over the course of the last several weeks, we have negotiated in good faith with Senate Democrats on a DACA agreement,' said GOP Sens. James Lankford of Oklahoma and Thom Tillis of North Carolina in the joint statement. 'Unfortunately, our discussions on border security and enforcement with Democrats are much further apart, and that is key to getting a bipartisan deal on DACA. Until that happens, we cannot accomplish the solutions our country needs and many families deserve.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=be8aef84e6d67ced12b326e0400963b6527f1660d75b785f0bf6efd7bf5680f41cf81f8c42269cd6e1ffc27c502493bd 

BEHIND THE SCENES -- "Ryan backed Nunes in spat with Justice Dept. over Russia documents, sources say," by CNN's Laura Jarrett, Evan Perez and Manu Raju: "House Speaker Paul Ryan backed his fellow congressional Republican, House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes, during a meeting over the Russia investigation Wednesday, capping off a months-long dispute between the committee and the Justice Department, multiple sources with the knowledge of the situation told CNN. ... Over the summer Nunes served subpoenas seeking a broad range of documents connected to the dossier of compromising allegations about President Donald Trump's connections to the Kremlin ... 

"While Ryan had already been in contact with Rosenstein for months about the dispute over documents, Rosenstein and Wray wanted to make one last effort to persuade him to support their position. The documents in dispute were mostly FBI investigative documents that are considered law enforcement sensitive and are rarely released or shared outside the bureau. During the meeting, however, it became clear that Ryan wasn't moved and the officials wouldn't have his support if they proceeded to resist Nunes' remaining highly classified requests. ... A compromise was reached later Wednesday that allows House Intelligence Committee members to go to a Justice Department facility to view the
 documents." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=be8aef84e6d67cedbe0f4657e658aea2260432d2c1fd9d58e3e92a163ddec804501f9ac2a3b31c65c3064407d1d9698e 

-- "DOJ clash with Trump allies lands on Ryan's doorstep," by Kyle Cheney and Rachael Bade. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=be8aef84e6d67cedee2500d89d9a0f1318b7fd12942295d64d2f7376faf2e0d542ee48eab0efb5f6b54f32dea11c0870 

CZECH IT OUT -- PRAGUE DAILY MONITOR: "Paul Ryan may attend Czechoslovak centenary events": "Paul Ryan, speaker of the House of Representatives of the U.S. Congress, might attend some of the events within the celebrations of the birth of Czechoslovakia centenary this year, Czech lower house chairman Radek Vondracek said after meeting U.S. Ambassador Stephen King on Thursday. ... 
 
"King, the new U.S. ambassador to Prague, is viewed by many as a political patron of Ryan. Both are natives of Janesville, Wisconsin, and both members of the Republican Party who helped each other in election campaigns in the past." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=be8aef84e6d67ced593e73b6320439721ee5594c751c5707a280157425720f9f51171c5cd9eecade41ff83366d71b3cc 

THIS SEEMS LIKE AN OMINOUS SIGN -- "CDC briefing to focus on preparing for nuclear war," by Brianna Ehley: "The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has posted a notice touting a Jan. 16 briefing about the work that federal, state and local governments are doing in case of a possible nuclear strike. 'While a nuclear detonation is unlikely, it would have devastating results and there would be limited time to take critical protection steps,' the notice states. 'Despite the fear surrounding such an event, planning and preparation can lessen deaths and illness.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=be8aef84e6d67cedef36d39e5206a01d96f8e16b7ab75faa5c8d0989f048b8917a38a78ff2d0a4f9f24f7e3f2c82d538 
 
FOR YOUR RADAR -- "In small breakthrough, Koreas will meet for talks on Tuesday," by AP's Hyung-Jin Kim in Seoul: "The rival Koreas will sit down for their first formal talks in more than two years next week to find ways to cooperate on the Winter Olympics in the South and to improve their abysmal ties, Seoul officials said Friday. While a positive sign after last year's threats of nuclear war, the Koreas have a long history of failing to move past their deep animosity.

 "The announcement came hours after the United States said it will delay annual military exercises with South Korea until after the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, next month. The exercises infuriate North Korea, which claims they are an invasion rehearsal, although South Korea and the United States have repeatedly said they are defensive in nature." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=be8aef84e6d67cedbb4258fdaa9c820f62aca48dbc202061602cee990e7d85f8efb826fc4ac802fe8666d17d24ce6abb

DEPT. OF RESOLUTIONS -- "Mark Zuckerberg Resolves to 'Fix' Facebook in 2018: Chief executive has set annual personal challenge since 2009; in post, says company 'has made too many errors,'" by WSJ's Deepa Seetharaman: "In a Facebook post Thursday that highlights his company's mounting difficulties, Mr. Zuckerberg said the social network has made 'too many errors enforcing our policies and preventing misuse of our tools.' The Facebook chief executive, a self-described optimist about technology, said promising tools such as encryption and cryptocurrency could help counter concerns about the growing power of technology giants, but added that they, too, carried risks that needed to be
 deliberated.

"'The world feels anxious and divided, and Facebook has a lot of work to do -- whether it's protecting our community from abuse and hate, defending against interference by nation states, or making sure that time spent on Facebook is time well spent,' he wrote. 'My personal challenge for 2018 is to focus on fixing these important issues.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=be8aef84e6d67ced4f2e2e48c27961f34c34dcb1917a7d2eff84ae44ac72a13f0d9d07924a46ae8bcfd7cf01547750dc ... His post http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=be8aef84e6d67ced449984a1082fcb28b92b6c18be040c84ce4b86bc50ead8e3d797087e6adadb3791269ecba7f12cb1

          Playbook Reads         

PHOTO DU JOUR: People look out over the National Mall from the Lincoln Memorial during a snow storm in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 4. A giant winter "bomb cyclone" walloped the East Coast with freezing cold and heavy snow, forcing thousands of flight cancellations and widespread school closures. | Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

JOE SCARBOROUGH in WaPo, "I asked Trump a blunt question: Do you read?": "Mika Brzezinski and I had a tense meeting with Trump following what I considered to be a bumbling debate performance in September 2015. I asked the candidate a blunt question. 'Can you read?' Awkward silence. 'I'm serious, Donald. Do you read?' I continued. 'If someone wrote you a one-page paper on a policy, could you read it?' Taken aback, Trump quietly responded that he could while holding up a Bible given to him by his mother. He then joked that he read it all the time." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=be8aef84e6d67ceddc7d0c47ff06a098cca2ceabcb4511a7088f04f694711aeabf73bbb87e74b55870f10ea10eb2b9bf

CNN'S MANU RAJU and JEREMY HERB: "In shift, Democrats try to keep Sessions as attorney general": "Last year, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer was blunt in his assessment of Jeff Sessions: 'For the good of the country, Attorney General Sessions should resign.'

"Now, Schumer and other Democrats have changed their tune, suggesting Sessions should stay in the job as long as special counsel Robert Mueller is investigating collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign. 'I voted against Jeff Sessions and said he never should be there in the first place, given his record on civil rights, on immigration, on so many other issues,' Schumer said Thursday in the Capitol. 'My view now is very simple: nothing, nothing should ever interfere with the Mueller investigation.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=be8aef84e6d67ced046a8ce6adac1b9749272edded44fe1495e9aac49837e1c2acefbd95ee726b954cac6953f520798f 

MORE LAWSUITS -- "Woman who accused Roy Moore of unwanted sexual contact sues him for defamation," by WaPo's Beth Reinhard: "In a lawsuit that echoes a civil case against President Trump, an Alabama woman on Thursday sued failed U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore and his campaign for defamation, citing harsh personal attacks she faced after coming forward with allegations that he touched her sexually when she was 14 years old. Leigh Corfman is not seeking financial compensation beyond legal costs, said her attorney, Neil Roman. She is asking for a declaratory judgment of defamation, a public apology from Moore, and a court-enforced ban on him or his campaign publicly attacking her again." 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=be8aef84e6d67ced921e233a91be138cb3238c81517fc7acca4cfabdfb88017d4e2958aca9dad2e8b924cccc301954ce 

TRUMP ABROAD -- "Trump administration to withhold aid to Pakistan," by Cristiano Lima: "The Trump administration announced it will withhold most of its security aid to Pakistan on Thursday, dealing a blow to a government the White House has sharply criticized for being too soft on terrorism. State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert announced the freeze in securities assistance at a briefing on Thursday, citing the country's record on terrorist organizations as the impetus behind the change. 'Now, the money that has been suspended at this time does not mean that it will be suspended forever. Pakistan has the ability to get this money back, if you will, in the future, but they have to
 take decisive action,' Nauert said. 

"Nauert declined to provide specifics on the monetary extent of the aid to be withheld, but said it will continue 'until the Pakistani Government takes decisive action against groups' that are 'destabilizing the region and also targeting U.S. personnel.' The bulk of the cuts are expected to target the Coalition Support Funds for Pakistan, the vehicle used by the Pentagon to boost counter-terrorism efforts in the country, according to the State Department." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=be8aef84e6d67ced3c24c3f253cd6c649eac966d587bea4c67b93bad6701abd3b4c6a5ba0b86cb5333ec7626eee004d8

****** A message from Better Medicare Alliance: CONGRESS HAS UNFINISHED BUSINESS TO PROTECT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE SENIORS: 19 million seniors and people with disabilities choose Medicare Advantage for one reason: it gives them the flexible, affordable, and robust health care they need. And with health needs in this country becoming more complex, it's clear that innovative, integrated solutions are required.

Better Medicare Alliance urges Congress to act quickly to enhance care for Medicare beneficiaries by approving the CHRONIC Care Act providing enhanced flexibility in supplemental benefit designs for high-cost, high-need beneficiaries and permanently reauthorization of Special Needs Plans (SNPs). And, Congress should vote to delay the Health Insurance Tax (HIT) to protect Medicare Advantage beneficiaries from unaffordable premium hikes.

Enrollment in Medicare Advantage and consumer satisfaction is growing. There is more evidence that Medicare Advantage is improving outcomes and leading efforts to implement innovations in delivery of care. Learn more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=be8aef84e6d67ced8559b3efa02874c964b6f9dd3077f64ef0a6640fcb693fa3f54c458d1e4b667428c699f6c22a1e8e ******

VALLEY TALK - "Uber Co-Founder Kalanick Plans to Sell 29% of His Shares in Company," by WSJ's Douglas MacMillan: Travis "Kalanick, who was pushed out from his role as Uber's chief executive last year but remains on the board, plans to sell the stake of about $1.4 billion in the tender offer for Uber shares by a SoftBank-led consortium ... The deal provides the first opportunity for Mr. Kalanick, long a billionaire on paper, to cash out a portion of his stake in the company, at a time when he has withdrawn from the day-to-day operations of the company." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=be8aef84e6d67cedb5d9b1c9550b279a736a5bc6d2f6b005b8c2e4b527af7908187db1f60e01e097f44fef952a5003b2 

MEDIAWATCH -- Megan Murphy (@meganmurp): "I have stepped down as editor of Bloomberg Businessweek (heart breaks). Juggling being the parent I want to be with the demands of this fantastic, amazing magazine has taken its toll. (For those who've wondered why I always seem to be in London!)" Joel Weber, the editor of Bloomberg Markets magazine, is replacing Murphy's. Bloomberg named Christine Harper editor of Bloomberg Markets.

-- BUZZFEED named Tarini Parti their new White House correspondent. She previously covered Congress. Adrian Carrasquillo was previously fired for inappropriate comments. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=be8aef84e6d67ced7b4e6b125735463d578ffc27e4357480f53098d1a748815878a485b8291b4e66c7ea0dda5ef4d15d 

-- TV TODAY: CNN's Elise Labott is sitting down with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson today for an interview that will air on CNN this afternoon.

                  Playbookers         
SUNDAY SO FAR - CBS' "Face the Nation": CIA Director Mike Pompeo ... Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) ... former Mississippi Gov. and RNC Chairman Haley Barbour ... Michael Morell and Tom Donilon. Panel: Mike Allen, Molly Ball, Jeffrey Goldberg, and Ramesh Ponnuru

--"Fox News Sunday": CIA Director Mike Pompeo ... Corey Lewandowski ... Panel: Karl Rove, Julie Pace, Guy Benson, Rachael Bade. Power Player: Dr. Jerome Adams, United States Surgeon General

--NBC's "Meet the Press": Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) ... Michael Wolff. Panel: David Brooks, Mark Leibovich, Danielle Pletka and Joy Reid

--ABC's "This Week": Matt Dowd, Stephanie Cutter, Sara Fagen, Roland Martin, Matt Schlapp

--CNN's "State of the Union": Panel: Van Jones, Amanda Carpenter, Jen Psaki and Michael Caputo

--CNN's "Inside Politics" (guest host: Nia-Malika Henderson): Josh Green, Seung Min Kim, Jeff Zeleny and Mary Katharine Ham

SPOTTED: Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and her husband Archie last night at Centrolina in City Center ... former Arizona State football coach Todd Graham walking across Lafayette Square yesterday morning with his family.

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK -- HASTI AFKHAMI is joining Subject Matter as a senior vice president of digital. She most recently was at Podesta Group as a SVP and head of digital. 

WELCOME TO THE WORLD - Brett McGurk, Special Presidential Envoy to Counter ISIS at the State Department, and Gina Chon, Washington columnist at Reuters Breakingviews and a WSJ and FT alum, on Thursday welcomed Leia Mi-hee Chon McGurk, who arrived at 3:17 p.m. weighing 6 pounds, 18 inches. Pic http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=be8aef84e6d67cedd3743cb0234f83825c5cb654a298be917c55e9d553d9b43a4c86fbb16fe528ba137de95c919fe293 

BIRTHWEEK (was yesterday): Edelman's Daria Baxter

BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: former Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.), now director of federal government affairs at Deloitte and No Labels co-founder, is 69. How he got his start in politics: "I started in politics by giving a speech for Nixon in 1960 at my elementary school. Then I served as a page for 4 years in the U.S. Senate (1963-1967) sponsored by Sen. Carl Curtis and Sen. Roman Hruska from Nebraska. Then to Amherst College where my classmate David Eisenhower got me a job with Harry Dent, the political director at the White House. Then the Army, UVA Law and then elected to Fairfax County Board at 29." Read his Playbook Plus Q&A: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=be8aef84e6d67cedefc84c120afecbf8c6a940d2165e57ddf61d5db10d77b7dbb5e54c1a4d03c55d9ac534bfb284228f 

BIRTHDAYS: David Simas, CEO of the Obama Foundation, is 48 ... former CIA Director George Tenet is 65 ... former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell is 74 ... former Vice President Walter Mondale is 9-0 ... The Hill's John Solomon is 51 ... Katie Lillie, chief of staff at the Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group in Seattle, former Obama WH director of press advance and long time Manchester United fan (hat tip: Ben Chang) ... DOJ alum Allison Price ... WSJ's Nick Timiraos ... Nick Lanyi ... Danielle Melfi ... Shab Sharbatoghlie ... AP's David Bauder ... Ally Flinn ... Mimi Mager of Mager & Associates ... Kristen Grimm, president of Spitfire Strategies ... Alexis Bataillon, managing director of corporate
 responsibility at JPMorgan Chase (h/ts Jon Haber) ... Sruti Ramadugu, MBA candidate at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan (h/t Allison Bormel) ... Mark Hancock ... former Rep. Nancy Johnson (R-Ct.) is 83 ... former Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-N.Y.) is 74 ... Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.) is 48 ... Ohio Attorney General and former U.S. Sen. Mike DeWine is 71 (h/t Kristin Strobel) ... Mercury's Jake Dilemani ...

... Josh Galper is 46 (h/t Eleanor McManus) ... Christine Hall, director of comms at Competitive Enterprise Institute ... Bush alum Carrie Underwood ... Richard Harris ... Ariella Lehrer, president of HitPoint Studios and CEO of Legacy Games, is 65 (h/t Jewish Insider) ... Jeff Hauser, project manager at the Revolving Door Project at the Center for Economic and Policy Research (h/t Anthony DeAngelo) ... Time's Nash Jenkins ... Google's Tom Youngblood ... Val Mack ... Piper White Baker ... Karen Gray Houston ... Thomas Suddes ... Daniel Sieberg ... John Drogin ... Majid Siddiqui ... Shelley Adler ... Jessie Torres Perkins ... Veronica Vaquer ... Sharon Scates ... John Reid ... Aaron Dowd ...
 Lara Bergthold ... Patrick Ottenhoff ... Joe Wineke ... Sara Wisgerhof Throener ... Kevin Ronnie ... Thad Nation ... Juan Carlos, former King of Spain, is 8-0 ... Dalit Toledano ... Peter O'Keefe ... David Katz (h/ts Teresa Vilmain)

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