Subject: POLITICO Playbook, presented by Delta Air Lines: SCOOPS: RNC’s record haul and the House GOP’s new immigration strategy
From: "Anna Palmer Jake Sherman Daniel Lippman" <[email-masked]>
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Date: Fri, 18 May 2018 04:12:41 -0600
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Today's POLITICO Playbook presented by Delta Air Lines 
            
By ANNA PALMER ([email-masked]; @apalmerdc), JAKE SHERMAN ([email-masked]; @JakeSherman) and DANIEL LIPPMAN ([email-masked]; @dlippman)
        
Listen to today's Audio Briefing | Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
                  Driving the Day         
BREAKING -- "Man firing shots and 'spewing' about president inside Trump National Doral shot by police," by Sun Sentinel's Doug Phillips: "A man who was firing shots, waving an American flag and 'yelling and spewing some information about President Trump' was shot and wounded by police early Friday at Trump National Doral, the golf and spa resort owned by President Donald Trump in northwest Miami-Dade. The shooting ... happened about 1:30 a.m., Miami-Dade Police Director Juan Perez said during a pre-dawn news conference ... 

"'These officers did not hesitate for one second to engage this individual who was actively shooting in the lobby of the hotel,' Perez said. ... During the incident which played out quickly an officer from the Doral Police Department was hurt, but not from gunfire. He was taken to a hospital with a possible broken bone, officials said." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=2a379c930e3eb50b2f19cf2ebc6d71f9ba5debf52e49abe5faffa565931d1c7f6aa0ae4e83e080a79af1cb4a631384be

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK -- RNC RAISES $13M IN APRIL -- The Republican National Committee continued its strong fundraising push, bringing in $13 million last month, a record for a non-presidential April. (The next closest April of a non-presidential was back in 2005 when the RNC raised nearly $10.5 million.)

The group has raised $184.5 million total this cycle, has $43.8 million cash-on-hand and no debt. RNC CHAIR RONNA ROMNEY MCDANIEL said the funds will help Republicans "defy history in November."

Good Friday morning. NEWS ... HOUSE REPUBLICANS' IMMIGRATION STRATEGY ... House Republicans are in a box. Twenty GOP lawmakers have signed onto a discharge petition, which would force a series of immigration votes. 

BUT A NEW STRATEGY has emerged behind the scenes. JUNE is going to be an immigration filled month. Republican leadership -- Speaker Paul Ryan, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy and House Majority Whip Steve Scalise -- are quietly promising the figures behind the discharge petition and those who might sign that they will put a bunch of immigration bills on the floor NEXT MONTH for a vote.

THEY SAY THIS is a better option then the discharge petition, because this will actually allow the GOP leadership to control the process. Right now, the discharge petition would allow Democrats a vote on whatever they want -- probably the DREAM Act.

EACH IDEOLOGICAL SEGMENT of the House GOP will get a bill to vote on: there will be a Trumpy bill, there will be something for moderates to vote on and so on and so forth. We got a hint of this strategy Thursday, when McCarthy promised a vote on Rep. Bob Goodlatte's (R-Va.) immigration bill.

OF COURSE, no one believes there's going to be a deal right now. We're in the middle of an election year, and the president's demands do not line up with 218 House Republicans at the moment. There might not be 218 votes for anything at the moment -- including the bills in the the GOP leadership strategy. Also, the Senate has no interest in an immigration process, at the moment. This is a member-management move -- lawmakers of all ideological stripes want a vote, and their leadership is going to give them that. Rachael Bade on immigration http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=2a379c930e3eb50b8e8cf22c9069887a6d05cde7266dee52a1991f75175369016a998eeee8b80940cb5fa6273efe98fa 

PROBLEMS ON ANOTHER FRONT ... FARM BILL DRAMA ... LIZ CRAMPTON, HELENA BOTTEMILLER EVICH and RACHAEL BADE: "House Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows said Thursday his members will not support [the farm bill] until after a vote is held on conservative immigration legislation -- a move that could sink leadership hopes of voting on the sweeping agriculture and nutrition bill this week. House GOP leaders maintain lawmakers will still vote on the legislation Friday, despite the threat.

"The Freedom Caucus announcement comes after GOP leaders floated a tentative deal to the group of rabble-rousers. Leaders would put the conservative immigration bill introduced by Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) on the House floor in June if the Freedom Caucus backed the farm bill.

"Even after the group rejected that offer, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy maintained that he was not pulling the bill from the floor. Senior Republicans are holding out hope that they could reach some sort of accord by Friday." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=2a379c930e3eb50b4f7c477d58068693de2bd198bcea05ba230526b5043f79067f5d11270dc5e37397c8469aec2f8884

-- ONE THING TO NOTE: The farm bill that eventually gets signed into law will look a lot more like the Senate version. 

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK ... JOSH HAWLEY COMES TO D.C. ... Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.), Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (Texas) and Sens. John Thune (S.D.), John Barrasso (Wyo.) and Cory Gardner (Colo.) are hosting a D.C. fundraiser for Josh Hawley, the Missourian running against Sen. Claire McCaskill. The event is next Tuesday at the NRSC. PAC hosts pay $2,500, or $1,000 for an individual. To attend is $1,000 for a PAC or $500 for an individual. "Private dinner following the event - please request additional information if you are interested in attending." ... 

... ALSO, that morning, Thune is hosting a breakfast fundraiser for him at 9 a.m. at 401 Constitution. Hosts pay $2,000 and attendees pay $1,000.

BURGESS EVERETT and ELANA SCHOR: "When Trump attacks, Democrats shut their mouths and pray": "After laying into [Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.)] in late April, Trump is reveling in a new round of attacks on the 10 senators up for reelection in states that the president won in 2016. Always more of an attack dog toward his enemies than a defender of his allies, Trump is laying into 'Sleepin'' Sen. Joe Donnelly of Indiana, calling Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania a 'disaster' and blaming Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio for 'catch and release' immigration policies.

"And Democrats are responding with a shrug, total silence or, in West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin's case, effusive praise for the commander in chief. Vulnerable Senate Democrats have made a conscious decision not to engage Trump on his terms, after watching the president tear apart the GOP primary field in 2016 with personal insults, derisive nicknames and political broadsides." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fc9c67117172f6a4c36cc391704d7aa9d1d215c6c71d751c8af15a0c01e6c192be06be01dbaa328d4c30074691e2fd8c 

NYT'S ANA SWANSON and ELISABETH MALKIN: "Chance of Nafta Deal in 2018 Diminishes as Talks Drag Past Congressional Deadline": "The prospect of rewriting the North American Free Trade Agreement this year appeared to diminish significantly on Thursday, as a deadline set by congressional Republicans passed and the lead American trade negotiator, Robert Lighthizer, said the countries involved were 'nowhere near close to a deal.' ... 

"Trade advisers across the political spectrum cautioned that the current Congress could still vote on the deal this year if negotiators wrapped up their talks in the next few weeks. But with significant disagreements remaining among the three countries as well as disparate views among the lawmakers who must approve the deal, the chance of Nafta's quick resolution is diminishing.

"In a statement on Thursday, Mr. Lighthizer, the United States trade representative, said that 'gaping differences' remained between the countries on intellectual property, agriculture, energy and other areas. 'We of course will continue to engage in negotiations, and I look forward to working with my counterparts to secure the best possible deal for American farmers, ranchers, workers and businesses,' he added." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fc9c67117172f6a41b70e7cb131dd0d40749820f26dc06c9883daa713425d23086b6ad807680ee87f35d0a591d19e0ed 

ONE DEM WHO WON'T BE CHALLENGING NANCY PELOSI: TIM RYAN (D-OHIO): Ryan joined SiriusXM's "Steele & Ungar" host Rick Ungar and tried to put to rest any speculation he will challenge Pelosi again to lead House Democrats. UNGAR: "So, congressman, will you be running against Nancy Pelosi to become Speaker of the House in the fall?" RYAN: "No." UNGAR: "Really? That's a flat-out no? That's not political, that's an answer. Okay. Well, I'm a little disappointed. So, all right..." RYAN: "Well, I'll let you work on me, Rick. Maybe you can buy me a Miller Lite."

****** A message from Delta Air Lines: At Delta, we're committed to donating 1% of our net profits to charitable organizations around the world. Delta contributed over $40 million to charities and nonprofits in 2017, and we look forward to continuing our support for years to come. For more information about Delta, visit www.delta.com. ******

DARREN SAMUELSOHN: TRUMP'S LEGAL STRATEGY -- "Giuliani: Mueller interview prep on Trump's summer schedule": "Donald Trump's lawyers have begun planning a series of summer prep sessions for the president before a possible sit-down for an interview with special counsel Robert Mueller, Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani said Thursday. The planning meetings -- to be held during off-hours at the White House and perhaps over rounds of golf at Trump's private courses, Giuliani said -- will mirror the then-GOP nominee's 2016 debate preparation, in which aides briefed an impatient Trump in several brief sessions over many weeks.

"Giuliani said the briefings likely will begin after Trump returns from a June 12 summit in Singapore with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un if a Mueller interview is agreed to. 'You can't take a president away to Camp David and just prepare him for two or three weeks,' Giuliani said in an interview. 'I think of it as the way we prepared him for debates,' he added. 'He never liked to be sitting down for long stretches. We'd do an hour here, two hours there. We'd end up doing 15, 16 hours of preparation, particularly for the first debate. But we'd do it here and there. We have to do it over the course of two or three weeks. Maybe at nights, maybe in the morning.'" 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fc9c67117172f6a45ba69c2e24502e7f97c6930f1a0a6117412ca6b52b96d5b3d1011a611af2bb4e74814555639cbad8 

W.H. COMMS CRACKDOWN -- "An Aggrieved Trump Wants Better Press, and He Blames Leaks for Not Getting It," by NYT's Maggie Haberman and Katie Rogers: "The big daily meeting that past administrations have used to keep the White House on message has been scrapped in favor of something smaller. ... A senior White House official insisted that some of the procedures were meant to keep information secure, not stanch leaks, but other precautionary steps were taken in response to staff carelessness that fueled Mr. Trump's sense of being undermined. In one case, a crackdown came after a junior aide was found to be taping meetings with Mr. Trump and playing them to impress friends, according to several
 people familiar with the episode." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fc9c67117172f6a46c9e2c36f71ca052ba5df5dd362852df20b0fb96577df93d3e17e3c0e38f5d5e8e5a63c4c4b4a66f 

-- "White House weighing shrinking communications team after McCain leak," by CNN's Kaitlan Collins: "The White House is considering shrinking its communications team in the coming weeks, two officials with knowledge of the expected changes tell CNN, with one objective being reducing the number of leaks and the overall goal being restructuring the entire press shop. ... 

"Staffers are not expected to be fired outright, but pushed out slowly or shifted to other departments in the administration outside of the West Wing ... It will also likely affect junior aides without clearly defined responsibilities. The reason staffers aren't expected to be fired directly is because, although the White House has taken several steps to combat leaks including canceling the daily communications meeting, senior officials aren't confident about who it is exactly that is doing the leaking." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fc9c67117172f6a460856bbd4405245ff65d05b11669025edd949af609b5bdc7d320dcecf5a37407bbaa9544a24ec8e0 

THE INVESTIGATIONS -- "'Bigger than Watergate': Trump joins push by allies to expose role of an FBI source," by WaPo's Phil Rucker, Bob Costa, Carol Leonnig and Josh Dawsey: "President Trump's allies are waging an increasingly aggressive campaign to undercut the Russia investigation by exposing the role of a top-secret FBI source. The effort reached new heights Thursday as Trump alleged that an informant had improperly spied on his 2016 campaign and predicted that the ensuing scandal would be 'bigger than Watergate!' The extraordinary push begun by a cadre of Trump boosters on Capitol Hill now has champions across the GOP and throughout conservative media - and, as of Thursday, the first
 anniversary of Robert S. Mueller III's appointment as special counsel, bears the imprimatur of the president.

"The dispute pits Trump and the Republican chairman of the House Intelligence Committee against the Justice Department and intelligence agencies, whose leaders warn that publicly identifying the confidential source would put lives in danger and imperil other operations. The stakes are so high that the FBI has been working over the past two weeks to mitigate the potential damage if the source's identity is revealed, according to several people familiar with the matter. The bureau is taking steps to protect other live investigations that the person has worked on, and trying to lessen any danger to associates if the informant's identity becomes known, said these people." 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fc9c67117172f6a44d3bf14c9569aee2f6233fe504fe41665585a96fd533c6960aac8771a6687d32671267f56f29f17e 

-- "Manafort's former son-in-law cuts plea deal, to cooperate with government - sources," by Reuters' Nathan Layne: "The former son-in-law of Paul Manafort, the one-time chairman of President Donald Trump's campaign, has cut a plea deal with the Justice Department that requires [Jeffrey Yohai] to cooperate with other criminal probes, two people with knowledge of the matter said. The guilty plea agreement, which is under seal and has not been previously reported, could add to the legal pressure on Manafort." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fc9c67117172f6a4d1a9cb3a880e995e4a862e3289a7f20347a9a6ac3852c1bbb9e6504ed6f5edf15241501fb5456bb3 

DEEP DIVE -- "The Crazy True Story of Trump Moscow: The Definitive Story Of How Trump's Team Worked The Trump Moscow Deal During The Campaign," by BuzzFeed's Anthony Cormier and Jason Leopold: "All through the hot summer campaign of 2016, as Donald Trump and his aides dismissed talk of unseemly ties to Moscow, two of his key business partners were working furiously on a secret track: negotiations to build what would have been the tallest building in Europe and an icon of the Trump empire - the Trump World Tower Moscow. ...

"The documents reveal a detailed and plausible plan, well-connected Russian counterparts, and an effort that extended from spearfishing with a Russian developer on a private island to planning for a mid-campaign trip to Moscow for the presidential candidate himself. ... Michael Cohen, the president's embattled personal fixer, and Felix Sater, who helped negotiate deals around the world for Trump, led the effort. Working quietly behind the scenes, they tried to arrange a sit-down between Trump and Putin, the documents show." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fc9c67117172f6a4ebc7192fd5167454810c512b18bac904e0eef752ca90ca227d2f4dbe0680a613b32c7d72f6b1019e

WHAT STEPHEN MILLER IS READING -- "Trump's ICE Is Increasingly Arresting Immigrants Without Criminal Convictions," by HuffPost's Elise Foley: "About two-thirds of those arrested by ICE from October 2017 to the end of March had no criminal convictions - up from 21 percent during the same period the year before and only 13 percent the year before that. ICE officials noted that some of the arrested immigrants had been charged with a crime but not convicted." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fc9c67117172f6a4d95d907119efdecd227c0fdd5b78da132f6e46062274994daee4c39b400f563e8ae36d1b31852e15 

TRUMP'S FRIDAY -- The president will give remarks in the morning at the Prison Reform Summit. In the afternoon, he will meet with the United Nations Secretary-General Ant&oacute;nio Guterres.

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK -- Actress YARA SHAHIDI of ABC's "Black-ish" is up with a new video promoting prison reform as part of her "Eighteen x '18 campaign" with NowThis. "Your vote sends the clearest message. You can change the system if you support the people who believe what you believe, who believe in change," Shahidi says. "If you think your tax money is better spent on prevention, treatment, and rehab programs rather than locking up non-violent drug offenders, your vote can say that." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fc9c67117172f6a4ee81bf1b1b5c4f91623c6211bea5673f50277959355c924f7949d81c577944b61ab1b3e57fc0a714

SUNDAY SO FAR - CBS' "Face The Nation": Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) ... Jon Meacham. Panel: Amy Walter, Reihan Salam, Anne Gearan and Jamelle Bouie

-- "FOX News Sunday": Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) ... Panel: Brit Hume, Jane Harman, Josh Holmes and Juan Williams. Power Player: Bob Baffert, a Triple Crown winning horse trainer whose horse Justify won the Kentucky Derby and is in the hunt for the Triple Crown

-- ABC's "This Week": Donna Brazile, Amanda Carpenter, Ronan Farrow, Matt Schlapp and Jonathan Swan

-- NBC's "Meet the Press": Yamiche Alcindor, David Brooks, Hugh Hewitt and Hallie Jackson

-- CNN's "State of the Union": Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) ... Jack Kennedy Schlossberg. Panel: Rep. Robin Kelly (D-Ill.), David Urban, Jennifer Granholm and Linda Chavez

-- CNN's "Inside Politics" (guest-host: Nia-Malika Henderson): Margaret Talev, Rachael Bade, Perry Bacon and Carl Hulse

SNEAK PEEK - Sunday's "The Circus" on Showtime: "Chris Christie On Trump, Scandal, and Robert Mueller": "John Heilemann sits down with the former Governor of New Jersey, Chris Christie, to discuss his relationship with Donald Trump, dealing with scandals, and what is was like working with Robert Mueller." 4-min. video http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fc9c67117172f6a492704b8d7ff4b2fef68f9fd8aba03a38cbee2df643b55e8aded861807f03be85033abe068e95ced9 

OUT AND ABOUT ... -- SPOTTED at the Business Council's dinner last night at the National Museum of African American History and Culture: Ivanka Trump, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and Hilary Ross, Henry Kravis, Alex Gorsky, Fred Smith, Roger Ferguson, Bob Johnson, Ajay Banga, Mary Barra, Lloyd Blankfein, Marc Benioff, Chris Liddell, Justin Clark

-- SPOTTED yesterday at a Capitol Visitors Center screening of HBO's new documentary "John McCain: For Whom the Bell Tolls": Sens. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), John Kennedy (R-La.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Doug Jones (D-Ala.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), Richard Plepler, Mark Salter, Rick Davis, Roberta McCain,
 Dana Bash, Judy Woodruff, Kasie Hunt, Sally Quinn, Quinn Bradley, Carol Melton, Carl Hulse, David Chavern, Tammy Haddad, Alex Brown.

-- The documentary, which will air at 8 p.m. on Memorial Day and does not mention "Trump" once, has interviews with George W. Bush, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, John Kerry, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Joe Lieberman, Rick Davis, Meghan McCain, Henry Kissinger and more. Pic of Manchin greeting McCain's mom Roberta before the screening, with Corker and Woodruff looking on  http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fc9c67117172f6a4f75b46a312a681427724e9905508c7b3d775566b98a61395bc59c6d712d9a3d89f06d89b68b81fb7

          Playbook Reads         

PHOTO DU JOUR: Russian President Vladimir Putin meets Syrian President Bashar al-Assad at the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Russia on May 17. A transcript of Thursday's meeting released by the Kremlin quoted Assad as saying that Syria is making progress in fighting "terrorism," which "opens the door to the political process." | Mikhail Klimentyev/Sputnik/Kremlin Pool Photo via AP

SUSAN GLASSER in The New Yorker, "Is Trump the Second Coming of Reagan?": "Since the start of Trump's outsider campaign to remake the Republican Party in his own image, his partisans have branded him a Reagan for our times-a brasher and brusquer one, perhaps, but like Reagan in that they were both renegades who fought the party establishment and politically revitalized the G.O.P. with a new coalition of former Democrats like themselves. ... But, for the most part, the heads exploding at the Reagan-Trump parallels have been those of staunch Reaganites, many of whom hate the comparisons between the sunny, optimistic Cold Warrior they still idolize and the wheeling-and-dealing, narcissistic
 America Firster now in the White House." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fc9c67117172f6a4a0c18ca534562f8f808f7fd8b815e00738d58968ed3a6f33c6495e262eb14e11f80003c7c63f8fda

SCOOP -- "Trump Administration to Tie Health Facilities' Funding to Abortion Restrictions," by NYT's Julie Hirschfeld Davis and Maggie Haberman: "The Trump administration plans to announce on Friday a new policy barring Planned Parenthood and other reproductive health organizations from providing or mentioning abortions at any facility that receives federal family planning funds, according to two White House officials and others familiar with the matter."  http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fc9c67117172f6a4aa7328461da4d25efd070e93efe6404b79956509b7d97871198a8924c0a47d654bdf747866a1bc26

DAN DIAMOND spoke to HHS SECRETARY ALEX AZAR in the latest POLITICO "Pulse Check" Podcast. Azar said the president has remained laser-focused on his campaign promise to lower drug prices. "I have not had a single phone call or meeting with the president where drug pricing is not top of the agenda," Azar said.

While the drug industry was able to kill a similar Obama-era plan, Trump is willing to disregard industry complaints, Azar added. "I have the complete support of the president in stiffening my spine and fighting back against the special interests here to drive this change." Read the full story http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fc9c67117172f6a40b32b0e0feb362bd41872618d671fdcaf6389214ca5ef9450bf8837e5c96bccb32bbe654ab84ea0c ... Listen to the podcast http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fc9c67117172f6a4afef1427f938cd9dddd98c6d23f447db00b6b4b95347ae92cff669f97c5ecd1546ffbd2740fecd16

****** A message from Delta Air Lines: At Delta Air Lines, we're proud to support the causes that shape our world by giving back to the communities where we live, work, and serve. We're committed to donating 1% of our net profits to key charities and nonprofit organizations as we strive to truly make a difference in D.C. and throughout our global communities. Our goal is to positively impact the world through continued investments in our current partners as well as contributions to our new partners. Our donations support education, promote health and wellness, and salute our armed service members and veterans. We contributed over $40 million in 2017 to charities and nonprofits around the
 world, and we look forward to continuing our support for many years to come. For more information about Delta, visit www.delta.com. ******

NEW POLICY -- "Watch List Shields T.S.A. Screeners From Threatening, and Unruly, Travelers," by NYT's Ron Nixon: "The [TSA] has created a new secret watch list to monitor people who may be targeted as potential threats at airport checkpoints simply because they have swatted away security screeners' hands or otherwise appeared unruly. A five-page directive obtained by The New York Times said actions that pose physical danger to security screeners - or other contact that the agency described as 'offensive and without legal justification' - could land travelers on the watch list, which was created in February and is also known as a '95 list.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fc9c67117172f6a404a81bdf00ddd7120f7af1b85aff31b72135603229f36d5bb362013f7d3f155e97fda8d0b34cd68a

MEDIAWATCH -- "Show Starring Avenatti and Scaramucci Is Being Pitched to Television Executives," by NYT's Mike Schmidt and Maggie Haberman: "A television show featuring Michael Avenatti, the lawyer who is suing President Trump on behalf of a pornographic film actress, and the former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci was pitched to two cable networks in recent weeks, people briefed on the matter said on Thursday. The prominent television agent Jay Sures discussed with executives at CNN and MSNBC the concept of a program where the two men would square off, according to three people briefed on the issue." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fc9c67117172f6a404102dbb32747fddf436816b5568db597224a39339eb673a2d1ead97537ea74f084107e5ff08c1b7 
 
-- @MichaelAvenatti: "Lol. I have no interest in television right now. I'll leave that to the experts. I enjoy practicing law and look forward to prevailing on behalf of my client Stormy Daniels. That's where my focus is. #focused #basta".

                  Playbookers         
OUT AND ABOUT ... Pool report: "The Global Down Syndrome Foundation held its annual AcceptAbility Gala at the Ritz Carlton to present the Quincy Jones Exceptional Advocacy Awards to Reps. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) and Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.). ABC's Kyra Phillips and Fox News' John Roberts emceed the gala with entertainment by 'The Voice' winner Cassadee Pope and dancers with Down Syndrome, part of Maryland-based Rhythm Xpress Inc."

TRANSITION -- JENNA LOWENSTEIN, former Hillary for America digital director, has recently moved to Connecticut to serve as campaign manager for Sen. Chris Murphy's (D-Conn.) campaign. She previously worked at EMILY's List and Change.org.

BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Peter Watkins, who runs WGS, a communications strategy firm based in Salt Lake City, Utah and is also the owner of Sette Neckwear. A trend he thinks deserves more attention: "Declining dress standards. We're about 3 years away from the tracksuits predicted in Disney's Wall-E." Read his Playbook Plus Q&A: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fc9c67117172f6a4e9b0fa526c418be587684397a87fe62791c3ec27bf4cfdf615117f821269e1c1d8eeba5cf81b3b97 

BIRTHDAYS: Tina Fey is 48 ... Erik Smith, founder of Blue Engine Message & Media and co-founder of Bully Pulpit Interactive and Analytics Media Group (hat tips: Edith Gregson and Tim Burger) ... Tim Chapman (h/t Mike Needham) ... Vox's Matt Yglesias and Libby Nelson ... Querry Robinson ... Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.) is 7-0 ... Politico's Bryan Bender, Cristiano Lima and Simona Lightfoot ... Anthony Cruz, of Sen. Rubio's office, is 25 (h/t Sally Fox) ... AP's Josh Lederman (h/t Jonathan Easley) ... Alex Witt, associate director at Bully Pulpit Interactive ... Gary Kopff ... Teddy Nykiel ... Abby Sugrue ... Snap's Sofia Gross ... Robin Roberts, communicator at the National Head Start Association
 ... State alum Jason Meininger ... Nate Denny is 36 ... Dana Singiser ... 

... Heather Swift, Interior Dept. press secretary, who celebrated last night at the Trump hotel with friends Amanda Lee House, Julia Hahn, Katie Waldman, Benny and Katelyn Johnson, Alex Hinson, Katie Frates, Tommy Burr and more (h/t Eli Nachmany) ... Clyde Haberman, former NYT columnist and foreign correspondent (h/t: Maggie) ... Elsa Rinta-Kanto ... Rokk Solutions' Ryan Hughes (h/t Katy Summerlin) ... Jennifer Foley Lisaius ... Eliza Krigman, newsdesk editor at Gartner ... Democrat Matt Gorman (h/t Carla Frank) ... Julie Percha ... Ariel Min ... Farah Melendez of the Democratic Attorneys General Association and the pride of Salt Lake City (h/t Geoff Burgan) ... John Pouland ... Pete
 Boogaard of FWD.us ... Nate Garvis ... Darla Marburger ... AP's Meg Kinnard ... GMMB VP Liz Oxhorn ... Taylor West ... Judy Boullet ... Fay Sliger ... Sam Graham-Felsen ... Kari Lacosta ... Caitlin Bozell Manaois ... Katie Young ... Harriet Goldberg ... Shlomo Yanai, senior adviser at Moelis & Company, is 66 ... Beth Scovith ... Brenda Kole ... Dawn Connet (h/ts Teresa Vilmain)

****** A message from Delta Air Lines: At Delta Air Lines, we're proud to support the causes that shape our world by giving back to the communities where we live, work, and serve. We're committed to donating 1% of our net profits to key charities and nonprofit organizations as we strive to truly make a difference in D.C. and throughout our global communities. 

Our goal is to positively impact the world through continued investments in our current partners as well as contributions to our new partners. Our donations support education, promote health and wellness, and salute our armed service members and veterans. 

We contributed over $40 million in 2017 to charities and nonprofits around the world, and we look forward to continuing our support for many years to come. 

For more information about Delta, visit www.delta.com. ******

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