Subject: POLITICO Playbook, presented by Morgan Stanley: VETERAN REPUBLICAN pulls ISSA into his divorce case -- CORKER reconsidering retirement, as GOP frets about Tennessee -- BOB IGER hosting fundraiser for Senate Democrats in Los Angeles
From: "Anna Palmer Jake Sherman Daniel Lippman" <[email-masked]>
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Date: Tue, 13 Feb 2018 05:17:34 -0600
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Today's POLITICO Playbook presented by Morgan Stanley 
            
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, at 5:43 a.m.: "Our infrastructure plan has been put forward and has received great reviews by everyone except, of course, the Democrats. After many years we have taken care of our Military, now we have to fix our roads, bridges, tunnels, airports and more. Bipartisan, make deal Dems?"

-- FOR THE RECORD: An infrastructure plan as big as the one the president proposed is not going anywhere eight months before Election Day -- and that's according to Republicans, not Democrats.

-- TRUMP at 5:52 a.m.: "Negotiations on DACA have begun. Republicans want to make a deal and Democrats say they want to make a deal. Wouldn't it be great if we could finally, after so many years, solve the DACA puzzle. This will be our last chance, there will never be another opportunity! March 5th."

-- AGAIN, FOR THE RECORD: March 5 is not the deadline anymore, as a federal judge has blocked the termination of DACA. This injunction probably won't get lifted before April at the earliest, and June at the latest. Plus, negotiations between the administration and Hill leaders have been going on for weeks.

JOHN BRESNAHAN, JAKE SHERMAN and RACHAEL BADE: "GOP congressman pulls Issa into ugly divorce": "Rep. Darrell Issa was a groomsman in Rep. Mike Turner's wedding to Majida Mourad in December 2015. Now, Turner is locked in a contentious divorce with Mourad - and he wants Issa deposed by his attorneys.

"Turner (R-Ohio) approached Issa (R-Calif.) in the Capitol last week and handed him a letter seeking a deposition as part of his divorce proceedings, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the interaction.

"It's unclear why Turner would seek Issa's testimony. Mourad's attorney, Sanford Ain, said in a statement Monday that Turner 'may have' told 'third parties' that she was unfaithful, 'thinking it would advantage him in the divorce.' But any claim of infidelity by Mourad 'has no basis in fact,' Ain said. 'Because it has been raised, Ms. Mourad was never unfaithful to Congressman Turner during the marriage, before or after Congressman Turner filed for divorce. Any allegation of her being unfaithful to Congressman Turner is simply false and defamatory,' Ain said.

"The couple's abrupt divorce has been a subject of speculation on Capitol Hill for months. Turner, an eight-term lawmaker, filed for divorce in May 2017 after just 1&frac12; years of marriage. Mourad and Issa, who share Lebanese-American heritage, have been friends for two decades, said a source close to Mourad. The person said their relationship is just that - friendship - and nothing more. ... 'There is no truth whatsoever to these allegations,' Issa said in a statement. The San Diego Republican announced his retirement in January." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=947b034ec638ed9e4ea1e85e667a269a98e2aaea95f8e4cd9eb55d13fca82b6ac9c0b586ee2763375cfb37f0bfc33a75 

-- A LOOK AT THE FILINGS in this case indicate that this divorce might actually go to trial. A tiff between two Republican members of Congress over a marriage is extraordinarily rare.

Good Tuesday morning. THE BATTLE FOR CONTROL OF CONGRESS, FROM LOS ANGELES TO TENNESSEE TO D.C. ... 

- CASH DASH: "Bob Iger to Host Fundraiser for Vulnerable Democratic Senators in 2018 Midterms," by Variety's Ted Johnson: "Walt Disney Co. chairman and CEO Bob Iger is hosting a fundraiser next week for half a dozen Democratic senators facing tough re-election bids this year. The Feb. 22 event, which seeks the maximum contribution of $32,400 per person, also will be hosted by Alan Horn, chairman of Walt Disney Studios, and his wife Cindy Horn, a longtime environmental activist ... 

"Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is on the bill, with the money being raised for Bill Nelson of Florida, Claire McCaskill of Missouri, Jon Tester of Montana, Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Joe Donnelly of Indiana, and Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=947b034ec638ed9ee9bb2177fb269dcaf686786ee7a26a388c95301006f0ebe6ac16521648a76ca9426e582c0c5279f4

-- BURGESS EVERETT: "Corker weighs his options as GOP frets about losing Tennessee": "Retiring Sen. Bob Corker is 'listening' to Republicans urging him to run for reelection, according to a person close to him, a development that would quell anxiety among Republicans over losing a must-win seat to Democrats this fall.

"The two-term Tennessee GOP senator decided to call it quits in September amid an on-again, off-again dispute with President Donald Trump that has eroded his standing with the party's base. But now a faction of Republicans in Tennessee and Washington are worried that the favorite for the Republican Senate nomination, Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), could lose the general election -- and with it the Senate majority. ... 

"Corker has reached out to the White House to gauge Trump's support, according to a source familiar with those conversations. ... Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky has spoken to Corker about whether he should reconsider his retirement, but the leader told Corker he needed to work it out with the president, a source with direct knowledge of the conversation said." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=947b034ec638ed9e8e2f1682eab619e04f11001a3bd2eade16dbd625d63faa69d487d8cdb9d784390ff3d4548cae7c1b 

-- SPEAKER PAUL RYAN gave $5,000 each to more than 140 of his House GOP colleagues, according to his leadership PAC's filing, which was made public yesterday. 

-- "Campaign Workers Unionize Just in Time for Midterm Elections," by Bloomberg's Josh Eidelson: "Several Democratic congressional campaigns have agreed to bargain collectively with the Campaign Workers Guild, a new union trying to organize election campaign staff in what may be a first for national politics. The CWG announced Monday that it had secured a union contract with the campaign of Wisconsin activist Randy Bryce, the leading Democratic challenger to Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan in this year's midterm elections. Campaign staffers are the latest professional targets for labor organizers. ... [O]verall U.S. unionization remained at a record-low 10.7 percent" in 2017. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=947b034ec638ed9ee9a1bdd9a0ea0e0e909d5c9adbff8ac2fd421ea6bee661736f1e45aa4c7404be5a14c91c4a335f29

ISAAC DOVERE talks with ATLANTA MAYOR KEISHA LANCE BOTTOMS about the black women turnout in the 2017 elections in the latest "Off Message" podcast. "Black women are realizing the power of their vote and of their influence," Bottoms said. "It's taken what we are dealing with on a national level, I think, to really get us energized and not taking anything for granted, but I do think we are recognizing and exercising our power in a way that we've never done before, and that's exciting." Listen to the full podcast  http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=947b034ec638ed9eba25f426e45d73d33667bdee9d224c1d45e240252896b196d9f17eabed0d11df8afccd239abc1bd5

****** A message from Morgan Stanley: Education Technology is taking off in China and India, where there are large disparities in basic and advanced education levels between rich and poor, rural and urban. Both countries are attracting large amounts of investment related to digital learning and performance measurement. Read more. ******

BACK AT THE WHITE HOUSE ... "Kelly increasingly isolated as Porter scandal rages on," by Eliana Johnson: "Turbulence in this West Wing is typically generated by President Donald Trump, but for the past week, it's been chief of staff John Kelly-the man brought in to be a steadying hand-who's inspiring what one White House official described as a crisis of confidence. While the president often makes a hash of the truth, aides took Kelly's word at face value until they were confronted with zigzagging accounts of the events leading up to former staff secretary Rob Porter's resignation-and Kelly's role in them.

"In the hours immediately after the Daily Mail published a photograph of Porter's first ex-wife with a black eye, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders hastily arranged an off-the-record meeting in the West Wing with Porter and four reporters: the New York Times' Maggie Haberman, the Washington Post's Josh Dawsey, Axios' Jonathan Swan, and the Wall Street Journal's Michael Bender. 

"In that meeting, which hasn't previously been reported, Porter relayed his version of events and fielded questions from the group. Kelly told staff two days later that once he'd been briefed on allegations of abuse against Porter by his two ex-wives, 'he was gone 40 minutes later.'

"The White House declined to comment on Porter's meeting with reporters, including whether or not Kelly was aware it took place. But two White House officials said the mixed messages are symptomatic of the extent to which the White House has left Kelly to shoulder the blame for the Porter mess." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=947b034ec638ed9e773d272283576e1624ce158a69607eda8fd1459ede1a7c8fde45d2321b6e783d6e905a7a86109607

-- AN INTERESTING NUGGET from Eliana's story: "[I]n December, [Kelly] dismissed ... Omarosa Manigault, who had been using the White House car service - known as 'CARPET' - as an office pick-up and drop-off service, something strictly forbidden by the federal government, according to three administration officials."

-- NYT'S PETER BAKER: "A Whirlwind Envelops the White House, and the Revolving Door Spins": "The doors at the White House have been swinging a lot lately. A deputy chief of staff moved on. A speechwriter resigned. The associate attorney general stepped down. The chief of staff offered to quit. And that was just Friday. 

"All of that came after the departure of Rob Porter, the White House staff secretary who cleared out his office last week amid accusations of spousal abuse. The White House had overlooked reported problems with his security clearance last year in part, officials said, because of a reluctance to lose yet another senior aide, particularly one seen as so professional and reliable. More than a year into his administration, President Trump is presiding over a staff in turmoil, one with a 34 percent turnover rate, higher than any White House in decades. ...

"Those who do come to work for him often do not last long, burning out from a volatile, sometimes cutthroat environment exacerbated by tweets and subpoenas. To visit the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, the granite, slate and cast iron edifice across West Executive Avenue from the White House where most of the president's staff works, at times feels like walking through a ghost town. The hallways do not bustle as much as in past administrations. The budget director is doing double duty as the acting head of the consumer protection agency. The personnel director is doing triple duty, also overseeing the offices of political affairs and public liaison." 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=947b034ec638ed9e2ce6cc1cedb03255ab69a40672c2f7af77966af464d24d0acdd29c16008bb6583a6b2f886059bf54

MUELLER WATCH -- "Trump budget anticipates Mueller investigation will stretch into fiscal year 2019," by Josh Gerstein and Darren Samuelsohn: "President Donald Trump's new budget projects that special counsel Robert Mueller's office will still be in business in fiscal year 2019 - even though White House officials have repeatedly said they expect the probe to wrap up soon. The budget projects that Mueller's team will keep spending at its current rate of about $10 million per year in the next fiscal year, which starts in October. Mueller's prosecutors have a criminal case pending against Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and deputy Rick Gates. No trial date has been set, but the
 judge suggested last month that a trial could start in August or September. If it does, the trial and any appeal would almost certainly extend into the next fiscal year." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=947b034ec638ed9e9a99af9be70cddf304fdc85d5d6fff369e3d7ae6a7da4daf8ae4e5f8f8f044ecf8c24694118dc3fb

-- "CNN request spurs court to unseal Starr investigation docs," by CNN's Katelyn Polantz: "A federal court in Washington will unseal documents that have stayed secret for two decades from independent counsel Ken Starr's investigation of then-president Bill Clinton, following a request from CNN. Some of the records from Starr's grand jury proceedings are public already -- but only reprinted in the independent counsel's 1998 report to Congress. Until now, the federal court had listed the cases as sealed. ... 

"CNN has argued that the records related to Clinton's grand jury could show how special counsel Robert Mueller may pursue testimony from President Donald Trump as well as other grand jury appearances and documents. For instance, court filings in the Starr report show how Clinton's and Starr's lawyers negotiated for six months before the president testified before the grand jury." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=947b034ec638ed9effcefcea279532c0a030edb075e825a291b2e8e97cc53eca7ba7c5711b20a0ab1e0b1dffce6299c5

THE LATEST ON IMMIGRATION REFORM ... 

-- THE LEAD ALL: "Senate begins the shaky search for an immigration deal," by Elana Schor and Heather Caygle: "Senators on Monday kicked off an open-ended immigration debate that promises to test their rusty skills at bipartisan legislating, with no guarantee of success. The Senate voted 97-1 to proceed to a legislative shell bill that's designed to serve as a vehicle for votes on competing immigration proposals, with Ted Cruz (R-Texas) the sole 'no' vote. 

"All eyes are now on which - if any - idea can clear a 60-vote hurdle that requires both parties to look across the aisle. But as debate began, Republicans and Democrats alike acknowledged that it's anyone's guess as to whether such an immigration plan exists. President Donald Trump's immigration framework is on track for a Senate floor vote and got endorsed Monday by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), but it's unlikely to win 60 votes without significant changes. 

"Democrats, meanwhile, are still weighing how hard to push for a vote on some of their preferred ways to help the estimated 700,000 undocumented immigrants known as Dreamers, aware that any idea with a chance of success will have to offer concessions on border security and other volatile issues. 'There's a lot at stake here,' Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) told reporters, adding, 'I just don't know at this moment that we'll have 60 votes. I don't know if we can get 11 of the Republicans to join the Democrats on anything.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=947b034ec638ed9e064f872bc4220e813c4d234d682db0bfed547276381db5cb60c370980d386aad56adc5316942bede

-- A FLAKE-TRUMP ALLIANCE?: "Flake looks to meet Trump in the middle on immigration," by Burgess Everett: "Sen. Jeff Flake is trying to meet President Donald Trump halfway on immigration. The Arizona senator and Trump foil will on Tuesday file an immigration amendment that mirrors some of the contours of the president's plan. It will go further than some Democrats would like in tweaks to legal immigration and not as far as some border hawks will prefer, according to a summary provided to POLITICO.

"The amendment appears to be a step toward the center of the GOP and away from the bipartisan Gang of Six talks Flake entered into last month. That is a legislative acknowledgment that any bill to protect recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program must reflect the GOP majorities in Congress and Trump's presence in the White House to become law." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=947b034ec638ed9ee9b1955faddbc806fa18072210d06851493c9e90e6f048cda47015a7c11568c9b98190962c668472

-- BURGESS ALSO REPORTS that Flake is readying a "a fallback plan if nothing major can pass the Senate that would provide some border funding while protecting people enrolled in the DACA program from deportation for three years."

FOR YOUR RADAR -- "Democratic senators pressure Trump on Russia sanctions," by Elana Schor: "Three senior Democratic senators on Monday introduced a resolution pushing President Donald Trump to use the new authority over Russia sanctions that Congress overwhelmingly gave him last year. The symbolic measure from Sens. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) marks the latest Democratic effort to pressure the Trump administration on its delay in implementing a bipartisan Russia sanctions bill -- designed in part as a response to Moscow's meddling in the 2016 election -- that the president signed only reluctantly." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=947b034ec638ed9e7e367131cc444df802f3c0e28d541a2c8b3d50d3101e890c1818fa6cea1af2fda9c8a6bf6ca1dd0f

OMAROSA UPDATE -- "Omarosa on Mike Pence: 'He thinks Jesus tells him to say things,'" by WaPo's Helena Andrews-Dyer: "Omarosa, who previously declared on the show that she wouldn't vote for Donald Trump again 'in a million years,' said during Monday night's episode that a Mike Pence administration would actually be worse. 'As bad as y'all think Trump is, you would be worried about Pence,' she said. 'So everybody that's wishing for impeachment might want to reconsider their lives. We would be begging for days of Trump back if Pence became president.' Why? 'He's extreme,' Omarosa said of the vice president. 'I'm Christian. I love Jesus. But he thinks Jesus tells him to say things. I'm like,
 "Jesus ain't saying that."' (In addition to being a 'reality legend' Omarosa is an ordained minister.)" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=947b034ec638ed9e29b82e32f6baefa4a6ba67928ee811fcfd12803b4761c802aec48083013af153fc04b790f51785b3

TRUMP'S TUESDAY -- The president is hosting a roundtable with the National Sheriffs' Association in the afternoon. Afterward, he and the first lady will host a National African American history month reception. 

SPORTS BLINK -- The latest Olympic medal count http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=947b034ec638ed9eb2153c4b1f0f95d61c5f8785fe6e35523cc0d14e89d50090db55ad0176b5873016e28b5342b78d6d

PIC DU JOUR -- @OliverHotham: "rare family snap of kim jong un with his sister in today's Rodong" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=947b034ec638ed9e7f14962637c1b20ad2ff9fae44ea12e61594f3ed713182d2f647f6800c416c6d76591b5b54efd7eb

CHANGE OF THE GUARD AT BRUSSELS PLAYBOOK: RYAN HEATH, the intrepid captain of our Playbook in Brussels, has been named Political Editor of POLITICO Europe. FLORIAN EDER will now take over Brussels Playbook.

WAPO'S CONTINUED EXPANSION -- Bureaus opening in Rome and Hong Kong. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=947b034ec638ed9e6501d365d74c38e13199924a691cc0809dea1d7729ad4b4c48a38291c81276512fa9a66d38d2776e 

IMPORTANT CLICKER - "The Toughest Questions We Get," by Bill Gates and Melinda Gates in their annual letter: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=947b034ec638ed9edc33ffa67e19c56bc9047dbaf7795be7a4ef030b0b3228ef48bd0a378a0be2afa60bab39b96a4497 

          Playbook Reads         
ATTN. JARED KUSHNER: SAEB EREKAT in the NYT: "Forget Trump's U.S. as the Mideast's Mediator": "A year ago, we in Palestine, like everyone else, did not know what a President Trump would bring. Today, we know: He has taken Israel's side in the Israeli-Palestinian struggle while dismissing the roles of international law, international organizations and American diplomatic tradition in the Middle East peace process.

"In doing so, he has disqualified America from being the sole broker in that effort. The question now is whether this opens an opportunity to seek peace by other paths or means the end of any chance for peace. ... Since President Trump's Jerusalem announcement, we have met with leaders in countries that could help seek new peace - Russia, China, Japan, South Africa and India, alongside members of the European Union." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=947b034ec638ed9edcb5f04468a851fc6055feb00d22984e452ecae890c0dcf77453068c4d019315cd412eb0950c6c96 

THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION -- "VA watchdog to say chief wrongly accepted Wimbledon tickets, airfare, but his lawyers blast findings," by USA Today's Donovan Slack: "Department of Veterans Affairs investigators are poised to claim Secretary David Shulkin improperly accepted Wimbledon tickets and used taxpayers' money to pay his wife's airfare during a European trip last summer - findings Shulkin's lawyers are blasting as questionable and unfair.

"The report by the VA inspector general is scheduled to be released sometime this week, but some of its key findings can be inferred from a point-by-point rebuttal drafted by Shulkin's lawyers and obtained by USA TODAY. The impending report is expected to criticize Shulkin for taking a possibly unnecessary trip and using a VA employee to arrange his leisure time. Shulkin's lawyers criticize the impending report as unfair and inaccurate and suggest the inspector general's investigation was biased against Shulkin from the start." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=947b034ec638ed9eb9c5a8bb440ae7bb3a52e9d28bbb748d7eb150740305ae6d450daef70f913b58a1098388c7694243

-- "Trump pitches plan to replace food stamps with food boxes," by Helena Bottemiller Evich: "The Trump administration is proposing to save billions in the coming years by giving low-income families a box of government-picked, nonperishable foods every month instead of food stamps. White House OMB Director Mick Mulvaney on Monday hailed the idea as one that kept up with the modern era, calling it a 'Blue Apron-type program' - a nod to the high-end meal kit delivery company that had one of the worst stock debuts in 2017 and has struggled to hold onto customers. Mulvaney said the administration's plan would not only save the government money, but also provide people with more nutritious food
 than they have now." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=947b034ec638ed9eda5a1ebc628576bb643e8aa349a9fc199b9eab26597305c3c896ebab920736aeb9711553e0863f08

****** A message from Morgan Stanley: Across the globe, disparities in income, wellbeing and living standards are growing. Opportunities to invest in technologies that provide access to critical tools that can create opportunities to close those economic gaps-such as education-exist in a wide range of geographies. Read more. ******

FIRST PERSON -- COLBIE HOLDERNESS in WaPo: "Rob Porter is my ex-husband. Here's what you should know about abuse."  http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=947b034ec638ed9e3a0924a9025a93a60cb25b35bb9fb607bd7ba2d3b9ce7b3963dec9512f5b532735e3dd55793949b4

WHAT WALL STREET IS READING - "Steven A. Cohen's Investment Firm Sued for Discrimination By Female Staffer," by WSJ's Rob Copeland: "A female employee at Steven A. Cohen's private investment firm filed a discrimination lawsuit Monday, alleging unfair pay practices and a pervasively sexist work environment. Lauren Bonner, an internal recruiter at Mr. Cohen's Point72 Asset Management, accused the firm of paying her as much as two-thirds less than her male counterparts.

"Ms. Bonner was slated to earn $450,000 last year, including a bonus, according to the lawsuit filed in federal court in Manhattan. Ms. Bonner also alleged a string of day-to-day offenses suffered while working at Point72, including being forced to gather several times in a room where Point72's president, Douglas Haynes, had allegedly written 'PUSSY' on a whiteboard. Separately, Ms. Bonner alleged that another top Point72 executive, who wasn't named as a defendant in the lawsuit, said there were 'no girls allowed' in certain meetings." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=947b034ec638ed9e125dae1f5997e749b322bbbb9fb1c4068914555c282a0228e1bde88b3b2ef90af990e4bb71c7c71c

-- "Leader of Latino Business Group Steps Down Amid Sexual Harassment Claims," by NYT's Kate Kelly: "The head of a prominent Latino business organization is leaving his job amid allegations of financial impropriety and sexual harassment. Late Monday, directors of the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce announced that the group's president and chief executive, Javier Palomarez, would step aside. 'After much deliberation and careful consideration for the future of the USHCC,' the board said, 'Mr. Palomarez and the board of directors have mutually agreed to undergo a leadership transition for the organization effective immediately.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=947b034ec638ed9e46fb1db8b723220a1dd03dc5bbd0929fb886174b13b7d6aa7f72f31885801180a3bfacc18e13c2a7 

BUSINESS BURST -- SEATTLE TIMES: "Amazon laying off corporate employees in rare cutback," by Matt Day: "Amazon is laying off hundreds of corporate employees, a rare cutback for a company that has spent most of the last few years in a frantic growth spurt.

"The layoffs, underway now, will fall on several hundred employees at the online retailer's Seattle headquarters, along with hundreds more elsewhere in Amazon's global operations, one person familiar with the cuts said. The layoffs are primarily focused on Amazon's consumer retail businesses, according to two people familiar with the matter." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=947b034ec638ed9e7938d8af21f66e4b9f8d71ace0f5e307467396d44d9353fe3b7bfb27547eb2bd4bcef8d3dbfa568d 

MEDIAWATCH -- "Former Senior FBI Official Is Leading BuzzFeed's Effort to Verify Trump Dossier," by Jana Winter in Foreign Policy: "For the last six months, a team led by a former top FBI and White House cybersecurity official has been traveling the globe on a secret mission to verify parts of the Trump dossier, according to four sources familiar with different aspects of the ongoing probe. Their client: BuzzFeed, the news organization that first published the dossier on U.S. President Donald Trump's alleged ties to Russia, which is now being sued over its explosive allegations. The investigation [is] being conducted by FTI Consulting ... 

"The ramifications of FTI's dossier investigation could be game-changing for Mueller's probe, because it 'would establish outside veracity of dossier allegations,' a source familiar with the work told Foreign Policy. ... [Anthony] Ferrante, a former top FBI official who previously served as director for cyber incident response at the U.S. National Security Council during the Barack Obama administration, is now at FTI Consulting, where he is leading the effort." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=947b034ec638ed9ea66b8afd81150e183891e6025afa13e93ba4e1e3e7882ca0d544d64ee03e3138208407e989227022

-- "CNN, Despite Trump Bump, Prepares for Dozens of Layoffs," by Vanity Fair's Joe Pompeo: "I've learned that CNN, a key property in AT&T's planned takeover of CNN's parent company, Time Warner, is targeting big savings on the digital side, with as many as 50 jobs around the globe scheduled to be eliminated this week, according to people familiar with the matter, who noted the exact number could still be in flux. 

"The cuts will affect employees who work in premium businesses including CNN Money, video, product, tech and social publishing, these people said. Several high profile digital initiatives are being scaled back, including CNN's virtual reality productions and its efforts on Snapchat, where CNN recently nixed a live daily webcast after just four months. CNN's business-oriented MoneyStream app, as BuzzFeed reported earlier this month, is in the gutter as well. A team that works on the digital extensions of documentary-style TV shows, such as Anthony Bourdain's Parts Unknown and Lisa Ling's This is Life, as well as the Brooke Baldwin series American Woman, is also being reorganized." 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=947b034ec638ed9ebad60584cde778f61c0ba0abbecc965f8196df6fba810a369a54d5f9c8b3f94554c14fb2d3aecd99

- STEVEN SLOAN has been named as director of enterprise reporting at CNN. He's been with CNN for more than three years and previously worked at Politico, Bloomberg and Congressional Quarterly.

                  Playbookers         
SPOTTED: Ed Gillespie drinking a Smash Burger milkshake at DCA Monday morning before boarding the 11:30 American shuttle to Boston - pic  http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=947b034ec638ed9edbcad417ec23bab8d9d67964293c6de814399d31c301153d67a04af8fcf45cecb3aed216e1a48888

OUT AND ABOUT IN NYC - Pool report: "The power women of the Acela corridor turn out for a birthday lunch for Tammy Haddad in a Hearst Tower penthouse hosted by Joanna Coles and Susan Mercandetti. Champagne toasts and Tammy stories were plentiful." SPOTTED: Stephanie Ruhle, Greta Van Susteren and John Coale, Izzy Povich, Colleen King, Carol Melton, Anne Fulenwider, Holly Peterson, Shelley Zalis, Liz Robbins, Megan Murphy, Hilary Rosen, Juleanna Glover, Katie Thomson, Katie Bennett, Ali Zelenko, Shailagh Murray, Becca Ginsberg Rutkoff, Kimberley Fritts, Catie Bennett, Cecile Cross Plummer, Nina Garcia and Rachel Greenberg.

ENGAGED - Dan Merica, a political reporter at CNN, on Friday proposed to Monica Alba, a White House producer for NBC News. Pool report: "They met as embeds covering Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign. He proposed on Friday night after dinner at Acqua Al 2 on Capitol Hill (which was almost foiled by late breaking news). Dan convinced Monica to take a walk around the neighborhood before he proposed on the steps of their brand new house -- a first happy memory there. After a mild freak out, Monica said 'of course!' Then, on Sunday, he surprised her with a group of close friends who came from all over to celebrate their engagement." Pic http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=947b034ec638ed9ef4be4b4ba1412ec87b5f053602534bc757a49a9be8d1af83572f98522f71f30f6ebf86c5d448bfdf ... The
 ring http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=947b034ec638ed9eadf7d603d4ee2708a9724065d8cafd4a0a1aeb548c4e78d38405003b0a12357931abf6a5d4d1b946 

WELCOME TO THE WORLD -- Christine Haughney, POLITICO Pro agriculture reporter/newsletter writer, and Thomas Dare-Bryan welcomed Elisabeth Arminal Dare-Bryan on Monday. "She came almost four weeks early but is a healthy 6 lbs., 5 ounces. Big brother Henry is excited about meeting the 'bun in the oven,' as his foodie mom had described the baby-making process to him." Pic http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=947b034ec638ed9e351c493697324c95ea870732254b5176373f12c6bfe8eec5d5f5a5dce533a9063527ac855f20d4e5

BIRTHDAYS OF THE DAY: Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center. A trend he thinks deserves more attention: "Civic literacy is declining - only a quarter of Americans can name all three branches of government, according to the latest Annenberg survey - the lowest percentage in six years." Read his Playbook Plus Q&A: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=947b034ec638ed9eaf72de2023c7ce88ece462808ffbff48d69791d2f1868938194f95d9e1c12494312d9282ca295ea3 

-- Jeanne Mancini, president of the March for Life. An interesting piece she's read recently: "I just read this piece [http://bit.ly/2CetUaW] in Vogue on a family who had a beautiful little girl with Down Syndrome. Babies with Down Syndrome are aborted at a rate of 80-85% in the U.S. and Iceland tragically boasts about 'eliminating' Down Syndrome (via aborting babies who test positive). These little ones are beautiful with no less dignity than you or me, and I love that this year Lucas Warren, a baby with Down Syndrome, was chosen as the 2018 Gerber baby." Q&A: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=947b034ec638ed9ee77a2dddf2fda32aa955c872e9ae67e0def8440fffa5df85f920a2f9648e209664d303d38af0a54a 

BIRTHWEEK (was yesterday): NBC Capitol Hill producer Marianna Sotomayor, celebrating away from the Hill in sunny Florida.

BIRTHDAYS: Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) is 72 ... Chip Smith, EVP of global public affairs and policy at 21st Century Fox ... former Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon is 62 ... Jerry Springer is 74 ... Politico's Jeffrey Banasiak ... Pew's Chris Conway ... Alex Burgos, VP for federal policy, government relations and communications at TechNet ... Stacie Sherman, New Jersey bureau chief at Bloomberg ... Raven Reeder ... Lila Nieves-Lee, director of congressional affairs at USTR ... Samantha Slater, communications director for Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) ... Megan Becker ... Danielle Baussan of the Aspen Institute ... Lauren Huston (Hammond) ... Mae Stevens, Sen. Cardin's transportation and
 environmental adviser ... Brian Szmytke ... Les Francis, long-time political operative, consultant, activist, teacher and writer, is 75 (h/t Jon Haber) ... Evan Kraus, president and DC managing director at APCO Worldwide ... Pete Solecki, Blue State Digital alum (h/ts Anthony DeAngelo) ... Sven Erik Holmes, vice chairman of legal, risk and regulatory, and chief legal officer for KPMG (h/t Jeff Solnet) ... CBN's David Brody ... Peter Lettre, design director for the Nasdaq ... Alex Hinson, Interior deputy press secretary and a Trump campaign alum (h/t Heather Swift) ...

... Jill Barclay of Advoc8 and a RNC and Romney alum (h/ts Annie Starke and Jackie Rooney) ... Alexa Den Herder of Speaker Ryan's office (h/t Madeline Ryan) ... Georgetown's Erum Haider ... Sunny Mehta, senior communications associate at Marathon Strategies ... Shannon Murphy, senior manager for global immuno-oncology communications at AstraZeneca (h/ts Alex Slater) ... Rob Crampton ... Stephen Bauer (h/t Teresa Vilmain) ... Rep. Filemon Vela (D-Texas) is 55 ... Gloria Osman ... Camille Johnston of Siemens (h/t Jo) ... Betsy Ankney, campaign manager for Bruce Rauner and the pride of Toledo (h/t Brian Reisinger) ... Diane Ward ... Allison Ryan, director of media relations at the Cato
 Institute ... George Kundanis ... Simone White ... Jeff Stein ... Mark Cohen ... J.R. Claeys, Kansas state representative ... Unjin Lee ... Mary Tiffany Cownie ... Bill McCarren, executive director of National Press Club ... Ryan Cunningham ... WSJ auto reporter Mike Spector is 37 ... Maruffe S. Oliveira ... U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Charles E. "Chuck" Yeager (ret.) is 95 (h/t AP)

****** A message from Morgan Stanley: Education Technology is taking off in China and India, where there are large disparities in basic and advanced education levels between rich and poor, rural and urban. Both countries are attracting large amounts of investment related to digital learning and performance measurement. In India, where the number of internet users is increasing quickly and is expected to reach 550 million - or 40% penetration - by 2020, digital education's potential is enormous. Technopak, a consultancy, estimates that the Indian digital learning market will almost triple between 2016 and 2020. In advanced countries, a multi-year tertiary degree does not provide life-long
 skills that keep up with the pace of technological change. Retraining has become necessary to keep employees up to speed, and Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs) like Coursera and Udacity are helping close the gap. Read more from Morgan Stanley. ******

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