Subject: Playbook Power Briefing, presented by Goldman Sachs: Trump says Rudy is ‘learning the subject matter’ and will ‘get his facts straight’
From: "Anna Palmer Jake Sherman Daniel Lippman" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 04 May 2018 11:22:41 -0600
List-Id: <1376319.xt.local>

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Today's Playbook Power Briefing presented by Goldman Sachs 
            
By ANNA PALMER ([email-masked]; @apalmerdc), JAKE SHERMAN ([email-masked]; @JakeSherman), DANIEL LIPPMAN ([email-masked]; @dlippman) and ZACH MONTELLARO ([email-masked]; @ZachMontellaro)

        
BREAKING -- MATT NUSSBAUM: "Pence doctor resigns after Jackson debacle": "Vice President Mike Pence's physician has resigned, the latest fallout from the collapse of Ronny Jackson's nomination for secretary of Veterans Affairs.

"Dr. Jen Pe&ntilde;a, who like Jackson is a military physician detailed to the White House, was among those who detailed claims of professional misconduct against Jackson to senators considering his nomination, according to a person familiar with the events.

"'The Vice President's office was informed today by the White House Medical Unit of the resignation. Physicians assigned to the Vice President report to the White House Medical Unit and thus any resignation would go entirely through the Medical Unit, not the Vice President's office,' Pence spokeswoman Alyssa Farah said in a statement." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0a82b7d565e355afde075cf2b8ba4bd578d0dd2f0ce00983c66f793773637ff9b175d21051d992be3412f4cb6ed8f9a3 

WAPO'S JOSH DAWSEY -- @jdawsey1: "Rudy Giuliani confirms he will be issuing a new statement. 'It's a question of misinterpretation,' he says. Of the president: 'He says he loves me.'"

THE INVESTIGATIONS -- JOSH GERSTEIN: "Judge challenges Mueller's actions in Manafort case": "A federal judge sharply challenged special counsel Robert Mueller's prosecution team Friday, questioning how its indictment of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort on financial charges relates to Mueller's core mandate to investigate alleged 2016 Russian election interference.

"U.S. District Court Judge T.S. Ellis said Mueller's team seemed to be pursuing the case -- which involves bank and tax fraud -- in order to 'tighten the screws' on Manafort, in the hope that he will testify against others including President Donald Trump.

"'I don't see what relation this indictment has with what the special counsel is authorized to investigate,' Ellis said during an hourlong hearing in Alexandria, Virginia. 'You don't really care about Mr. Manafort's bank fraud. ... What you really care about is what information Mr. Manafort could give you that would reflect on Mr. Trump or lead to his prosecution or impeachment.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0a82b7d565e355afc74f9aabe5eb34602c9086212c172150a3a821d8be6d6d008b38734fc6f10d4c72128978d1a9d573 

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP on his new lawyer RUDY GIULIANI to the press before he left the White House for the NRA convention: "Rudy is a great guy, but he just started a day ago. But he really has his heart into it, he's working hard, he's learning the subject matter ... He is a great guy. He knows it's a witch hunt, that's what he knows. ... Rudy knows it's a witch hunt, he started yesterday. He'll get his facts straight."

-- RUDY did not start his job "yesterday."

... AND ON THE MULLER PROBE: "You have a group of investigators that are all Democrats. ... In all fairness Bob Mueller worked for Obama for eight years. ... I would love to speak [to Mueller]. Nobody wants to speak more than me, in fact against my lawyers because most lawyers, they never speak on anything. I would love to speak because we've done nothing wrong. ... I would love to speak, but I have to find that we're going to be treated fairly."

-- ACTUALLY ... Robert Mueller worked for George W. Bush for seven years and Barack Obama for five years. 

... AND ON NORTH KOREA: "We're having very substantive talks with North Korea, and a lot of things have already happened with respect to the hostages. And I think you're going to see very good things ... The trip is being scheduled, we now have a date and we have a location. We'll be announcing it soon." TRUMP later confirmed that the date and location is "all agreed to" and that he will say when it is "very soon."

... AND ON THE STORMY DANIELS PAYMENT, before departing from Joint Base Andrews: "I'm not changing any stories. All I'm telling you is that this country is right now running so smooth, and to be bringing up that kind of crap, and to be bringing up witch hunts all the time, that's all you want to talk about," followed by cross-talk from reporters and the president. Then, Trump: "You take a look at what I said. You go back and take a look, you'll see what I said."

-- WHAT TRUMP SAID ON AIR FORCE ONE on April 5, per the official White House transcript: Q: "Mr. President, did you know about the $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels?" THE PRESIDENT: "No. No. What else?" Q: "Then why did Michael Cohen make those if there was no truth to her allegations?" THE PRESIDENT: "Well, you'll have to ask Michael Cohen. Michael is my attorney. And you'll have to ask Michael Cohen."

Q:"Do you know where he got the money to make that payment?" THE PRESIDENT:"No, I don't know. No." Q: "Did you ever set up a fund of money that he could draw from?" No answer from Trump, followed by another question from reporters on Scott Pruitt.

GIULIANI said yesterday that Trump only knew the details of the payment "a couple weeks, 10 days ago." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0a82b7d565e355af311a59ee6c44819076c6e233a7e3532a7ecafe5779837ed2c88a34012561ed77025d556d2714319b 

Good Friday afternoon. UNEMPLOYMENT RATE: 3.9%. 164,000 new payroll jobs. This is the lowest unemployment rate in 18 years. 

-- BLOOMBERG: "Payrolls rose 164,000 after an upwardly revised 135,000 advance, Labor Department figures showed Friday. The jobless rate fell to 3.9 percent, the lowest since December 2000, after six months at 4.1 percent. Average hourly earnings increased 0.1 percent from the prior month and 2.6 percent from a year earlier, both less than projected." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0a82b7d565e355afccc49c2118d13d241affc5db7b8042dbf2dfbacc92ab3724092c58ee57c4755839ef1077d127b0a8 

-- @morningmoneyben: "Labor force declined, wages stuck, pace of job creation seems to be slowing. Otherwise a fantastic jobs report!"

... IF YOU TALK TO REPUBLICANS they are obviously buoyed by the unemployment number. They say: If the economy is good, and people feel it, how do they lose the House?

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK -- 2020 PREVIEW -- The Center for American Progress is hosting their 2018 Ideas Conference, and a number of potential 2020 Democratic hopefuls will be speaking at the event. Speakers include Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), former HUD Secretary Julian Castro and more. The fill list of confirmed speakers http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0a82b7d565e355af526ac89012f8ac2bb311720683758d50a2b2633db781d21b4e0dcda264f835fdd54c7abeb24e07d1 

****** A message from Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses: The Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program empowers entrepreneurs across all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. The program fosters economic development by providing entrepreneurs with practical tools so their businesses can grow and compete. This National Small Business Week, learn how our 10,000 Small Businesses graduates #MakeSmallBig year-round. ******

THE BIG READ ... TIM ALBERTA in POLITICO MAGAZINE: "James O'Keefe Can't Get No Respect: The muckraking conservative just wanted journalists to take him seriously. They never did, and now he's out for blood": "Journalism has a dark side, and James O'Keefe has embraced it. But as proven by the recent sting operation by a British TV channel on the data-mining firm Cambridge Analytica, undercover reporting has been, and still can be, a devastatingly effective tool for exposing wrongdoing. O'Keefe, the best-known sting artist this side of the Atlantic, has a chance to rehabilitate the practice -- and himself. 

"Perhaps he cannot change; perhaps he is destined to remain a fringe player whose bloodiest scalps -- and there have been plenty -- go unappreciated. But many hours of rare conversations with O'Keefe, and with his friends and associates, suggest that an evolution is being debated. That Project Veritas could steer away from partisan causes and adopt the identity of an apolitical watchdog. That maybe, just maybe, its leader is open to reinvention -- and redemption." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0a82b7d565e355af2cf5a028e70bc0c66ede311f04a46d78b9ff8b418d8b20b1cfeabd6839420d8c4fbbe8f17aa5f7aa 

PENTAGON REPORT -- "Laser From Chinese Base Aimed at U.S. Military Pilots In Africa's Skies, Pentagon Charges," by WSJ's Gordon Lubold and Jeremy Page: "Chinese military personnel are targeting American flight crews in the skies over the east African nation of Djibouti using a high-powered laser in what amounts to a new show of Chinese harassment of the U.S. military at a time of heightened tensions between the nations, according to Pentagon officials.

"The incidents bolster longstanding U.S. concerns about China's decision to establish its first overseas military outpost close to the largest U.S. military base in Africa." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0a82b7d565e355aff9c4457fdf3713f457ddd6d7e7238ce5f559f876b2d2c46a8ee8c938043a4a7fbda9ec0653bb4897 

-- @LucasFoxNews: "Pentagon: 'The NYT story is false. The President has not asked the Pentagon to provide options for reducing American forces stationed in South Korea. The Department of Defense's mission in South Korea remains the same, and our force posture has not changed,' statement says" Yesterday's story from Mark Landler on South Korea, which was featured in this morning's Playbook http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0a82b7d565e355af20e7c8073036b145f559937f14032eb772cfb11d4dc94c5f2eab05358a2180b1a29263fade61170b 

2020 WATCH -- "Sam Clovis eyes 2020 role as he exits Trump administration," by Ian Kullgren and John Lauinger: "Former Trump campaign aide Sam Clovis may be leaving the administration, but he thinks an encore performance in helping President Donald Trump win an election could be in the cards.

"'2020 is not that far away, and I have a feeling my phone will ring,' the Iowan told POLITICO on Thursday night, after his penultimate day as USDA's liaison to the White House. Clovis, who was a co-chairman and policy adviser on Trump's campaign, said he'd jump at the chance to join Trump's reelection campaign if the president comes calling." More for Pros http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0a82b7d565e355af5435b0b1c18f9ca4f9817a0ab81d3f5fd338e94fff45a12663defb8593d423e725c814b6b247bca9 

EPA DEPARTURE LOUNGE -- "Another EPA political aide to depart amid Pruitt controversies," by Emily Holden and Daniel Lippman: "John Konkus, the second-in-command on the public affairs team and who has worked with Pruitt since helping prepare him for his Senate confirmation, is leaving for a top communications job at the Small Business Administration, according to two sources with knowledge of the move." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0a82b7d565e355afb358b65d0d562b2d21f8d56854222a8bd2459fa1c6e4444c59220de1408182c4e58a1be45d3a70a1 

ON TO CINCINNATI ... "Trump to appoint Bill Belichick to his Sports Council," by Axios' Jonathan Swan: "President Trump is appointing a number of sports celebrities, including New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick, to his 'Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition,' Axios has learned. ... According to a source with direct knowledge, alongside Belichick, Trump will also appoint golfer Natalie Gulbis, three-time Olympic beach volleyball gold medalist Misty May-Treanor, retired Major League Baseball pitcher Mariano Rivera, retired NFL running back Herschel Walker, and Dr. Mehmet Oz." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0a82b7d565e355af038880aeb38d11a4a0ddf426e9d0ef59a84a109caf7189454d9125cb1ef32d36e108a9272d7b13a5 

MEDIAWATCH -- MEMO FROM POLITICO EDITOR CARRIE BUDOFF BROWN: "With the midterm elections upon us, and the 2020 campaign fast approaching, we're thrilled to announce three additions to our national politics staff. Two of them are very familiar names: Both Natasha Korecki and David Siders have been pillars of our growing state political coverage, enriching our national site with deeply reported stories on the players driving the agenda in Illinois and California and helping to put POLITICO firmly on the map in both states with their entrepreneurial energy. As we looked for the reporters best-positioned to bring new reach and depth to our 2018 and 2020 political coverage across the nation,
 Natasha and David were obvious choices.

"James Arkin isn't entirely unfamiliar to long-time POLITICOs, either: After interning here in 2013, he's established himself as a rising star at Real Clear Politics, reporting on Congress and elections. James will be reporting to Scott Bland as the lead Senate campaigns reporter for Campaign Pro and the home page."

-- "After Ten Years, a Journalist Who Fled Mexico Faces Deportation," by The New Yorker's Steve Coll http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0a82b7d565e355af7ba0b81bed72eca9b68f55f388ca208c8ced6002068db2bf0b04b84314d89b20acded8e0920574fb 

FUN ... AND USEFUL: "Distinguished Travel Hacker ... To Make Sure You Eat Well While Traveling a Lot, Be a Baby About It ... NBC's Hallie Jackson travels non-stop for work. Here's her advice for making your life easy on work trips, and for maximizing adventure when you're on the road for fun." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0a82b7d565e355afd8a720afb2312bd41d1a1e93402388d5cfea287537a738a55b8e2c64a47c54ca9efe684c9767b546 

TV TONIGHT -- Bob Costa has The Boston Herald's Kimberly Atkins, NYT's Julie Hirschfeld Davis, WaPo's Carol Leonnig and NYT's Jeremy Peters on tonight at 8 p.m. on PBS' "Washington Week".

SUNDAY SHOWS -- CBS' "Face the Nation": Mike Hayden. Panel: Shawna Thomas, Ben Domenech, Nancy Youssef, Ed O'Keefe.

PLAYBOOK PREVIEW ... CNN'S MARK PRESTON spoke to OHIO GOV JOHN. KASICH ... and he didn't rule out challenging Trump in 2020: Kasich on 2020 http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0a82b7d565e355afc0681a2304fb5a02c5339b0480e417c6a92b370a33c541ac90fdcb92aa8a09c7ca5353c65d826385 ... This will air on "Full Stop with Mark Preston" Sat noon and Sunday 5 p.m. on SiriusXM POTUS 124. 

SPOTTED: Major Garrett in first class on a flight from DCA to Dallas ... DIA director Lt. Gen. Robert Ashley at the UAE Embassy on Thursday for UAE's Armed Forces Day

TRANSITIONS - Jonathan Powell has moved back to his hometown of Los Angeles to start as LA Mayor Eric Garcetti's director of strategic communications. He has served as a speechwriter for former Secretary of State John Kerry, former Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, and Antonio Villaraigosa. ... Rob Damschen is now press secretary for House Ways and Means. He previously was comms director for Rep. Kenny Marchant (R-Texas).

WELCOME TO THE WORLD - OBAMA ALUMNI: Bishop Garrison, director of strategic initiatives for Sentinel Strategy and Policy Consulting and alum of HFA and the Obama DHS, DoD, and VA, and Cannon-Marie Green, managing editor of state tax at Bloomberg Tax, welcomed Bishop Augustus Green "Gus" Garrison. Pics http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0a82b7d565e355afcd7b07931fdc90b661edd38b6655a25efbf7e5aad69320bbea030bac85340c72d45fbf1a650c0de8 ...  http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0a82b7d565e355af688023659d62da32464cc41f04601abdbd9ee7c449672a2382962b8aa1c0b8ba76cdf42e0eb6d1ef

BONUS BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Jay Timmons, president and CEO of the National Association of Manufacturers. A trend he thinks deserves more attention: "Misperceptions about careers in modern manufacturing. There's a narrative out there that automation is a threat to the manufacturing worker. That's just not true: the jobs are changing and shifting, but they're not going away. In fact, we have 426,000 open jobs today. Job creation and automation are not at odds." Read his Playbook Plus Q&A: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0a82b7d565e355af6cb58cef07ed81051707f3b60634f67badf81675eac7d41b0d15ab2b120e918a4415dbe5fd9c3f77 

****** A message from Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses: The total revenues of 10,000 Small Businesses participants amounts to over $9 billion, and more than 130,000 individuals are employed across participants' businesses. This collective impact on American communities is both positive and enduring. This National Small Business Week, learn how our 10,000 Small Businesses graduates #MakeSmallBig year-round. ******

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