Subject: Playbook PM: Cohen pleads guilty as Trump scraps Putin meeting
From: "Anna Palmer Jake Sherman Daniel Lippman" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 29 Nov 2018 12:04:52 -0600
List-Id: <1376319.xt.local>

Presented by Better Medicare Alliance: Playbook is POLITICO's must-read briefing on what's driving the day                Nov 29, 2018 View in browser                   
 By Anna Palmer, Jake Sherman, Daniel Lippman, Eli Okun and Garrett Ross 
         
Presented by
           
TRUMP CANCELS MEETING WITH PUTIN ... THE PRESIDENT TWEETED at 11:34 a.m.: "Based on the fact that the ships and sailors have not been returned to Ukraine from Russia, I have decided it would be best for all parties concerned to cancel my previously scheduled meeting...." "....in Argentina with President Vladimir Putin. I look forward to a meaningful Summit again as soon as this situation is resolved!"

-- ABOUT AN HOUR BEFORE, Trump told reporters as he was leaving the White House that he "probably" would meet with Putin and added: "I think it's a very good time to have a meeting."

BULLETIN -- AP at 12:27 p.m.: "ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (AP) - White House: Formal meetings with Turkey, S Korea canceled; Trump will instead speak informally with leaders at G-20."

SIREN -- ABC'S GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS, ELIANA LARRAMENDIA and JAMES HILL: "Michael Cohen pleads guilty to lying to Congress in new deal with Mueller in Trump-Russia probe": "Sources familiar with the special counsel's proposed agreement with Cohen told ABC News that the 52-year-old New Yorker will admit to making multiple misstatements to two congressional intelligence committees investigating alleged collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia to influence the 2016 presidential election. It was not immediately clear what Cohen told the congressional committees in the fall of 2017 that he will now say was false." ABC ... More from Josh Gerstein

-- THE CHARGING DOCUMENTS, which detail the Trump Corporation's involvement in a project in Moscow: The doc ... MICHAEL COHEN'S plea agreement with the special counsel: The agreement

-- FLASHBACK -- BUZZFEED'S ANTHONY CORMIER and JASON LEOPOLD on May 17: "Trump Moscow: The Definitive Story Of How Trump's Team Worked The Russian Deal During The Campaign"

-- TRUMP TOLD REPORTERS that Cohen is "a weak person and not a very smart person. What he's trying to do is very simple, he's got himself a big prison sentence and he's trying to get a much lesser prison sentence by making up a story," per pooler George Condon of National Journal. He also said, "When I run for president, that doesn't mean I'm not allowed to do business."

-- NYT'S MICHAEL SCHMIDT (@nytmike): "[Giuliani] attacks Mueller in statement: 'It is hardly coincidental that the Special Counsel once again files a charge just as the President is leaving for a meeting with world leaders.. [Mueller] did the very same thing as the President was leaving for a world summit in Helsinki.'"

-- REBECCA MORIN: "Top Democrats call for new Cohen testimony following guilty plea" ... "Schiff: Americans should have 'no confidence' in Whitaker's control of Mueller probe" 

MORE HOUSE ELECTIONS ... ILLINOIS REP. CHERI BUSTOS was elected DCCC chair on the first ballot. She got 117 votes, Washington Rep. Denny Heck got 83 votes and Washington Rep. Suzan DelBene got 32 votes. ... RHODE ISLAND REP. DAVID CICILLINE was elected chair of the DPCC. More from Heather Caygle

Good Thursday afternoon. PRINT THIS OUT ... DEMOCRATS released the 2019 HOUSE CALENDAR today. This is the document that largely controls the pace and tenor in Washington. The calendar

THE LAME DUCK WALKS ... "Deal reached in farm bill talks," by Helena Bottemiller Evich and Catherine Boudreau: "Top farm bill negotiators said today they reached an 'agreement in principle,' offering hope of breaking a months-long impasse over commodity and food stamp policy that would pave the way for Congress to send legislation to President Donald Trump before the end of the year. ... 

"The four leading farm bill negotiators in the House and Senate said in a statement this morning that they're still waiting on cost estimates from the Congressional Budget Office and are also working to finalize language." POLITICO

THE PRESIDENT is on his way to Buenos Aires ... AROUND THE G-20 HORN ... 

-- AP'S CATHERINE LUCEY and ZEKE MILLER: "The homebody president: Trump keeps it quick on trips abroad": "The schedule this week is so tight that a scheduled one-on-one meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will morph into a 'trilateral' when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi joins them midway. ... The shift reveals not just a personal preference for where he rests his head, but also underscores the increasing isolation of the U.S. under Trump's 'America First' leadership." AP 

-- REUTERS' ANTHONY BOADLE in Rio de Janeiro: "Trump adviser Bolton hones ties with Brazil's far-right leader": "Bolton tweeted after the meeting that he had extended Trump's invitation for the Brazilian leader to visit the United States and that the one-hour meeting was 'wide-ranging' and 'very productive.'" Reuters 

-- BEN WHITE: "Trump's trade war collides with economic reality": "President Donald Trump is approaching an economic crossroads as he pushes closer to a full-scale trade war with China, even as warning signs flash that the U.S. economy is decelerating and growing increasingly vulnerable to a major shock. ... 

"As Trump prepares for a high-stakes meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Group of 20 summit in Buenos Aires on Saturday, economists are warning that a full-scale trade war with the world's second-largest economy could tip markets into panic mode. ... 

"If Trump's big bet proves correct - that Xi and the Chinese really don't want a trade war that will hurt them badly - he could wind up getting a deal and declaring victory much as he did after inking a new trade agreement with Canada and Mexico, even if the changes are mostly around the edges." POLITICO
       
A message from Better Medicare Alliance:
 
Seniors need Congress to act now. Delay of the 2020 Health Insurance Tax (HIT) would preserve affordable access to needed coverage and care for seniors, individuals with disabilities, and low-income beneficiaries in Medicare Advantage. Learn More.
         
WHAT ELSE IS ON THE PRESIDENT'S MIND -- @realDonaldTrump at 6:37 a.m.: "General Motors is very counter to what other auto, and other, companies are doing. Big Steel is opening and renovating plants all over the country. Auto companies are pouring into the U.S., including BMW, which just announced a major new plant. The U.S.A. is booming!"

... at 6:54 a.m.: "Did you ever see an investigation more in search of a crime? At the same time Mueller and the Angry Democrats aren't even looking at the atrocious, and perhaps subversive, crimes that were committed by Crooked Hillary Clinton and the Democrats. A total disgrace!"

... at 7:16 a.m.: "When will this illegal Joseph McCarthy style Witch Hunt, one that has shattered so many innocent lives, ever end-or will it just go on forever? After wasting more than $40,000,000 (is that possible?), it has proven only one thing-there was NO Collusion with Russia. So Ridiculous!"

... at 7:32 a.m.: "Billions of Dollars are pouring into the coffers of the U.S.A. because of the Tariffs being charged to China, and there is a long way to go. If companies don't want to pay Tariffs, build in the U.S.A. Otherwise, lets just make our Country richer than ever before!"

MARIANNE LEVINE: "Senate delays vote on controversial Trump judicial nominee": "Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), who voted in favor Wednesday of moving forward with Farr's nomination, is undecided on confirming the judge, according to a source. ... 

"All 49 Senate Democrats have said they plan to vote against him along with Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) who has vowed to block all judicial nominees until Republican leadership brings to the floor legislation to protect special counsel Robert Mueller." POLITICO 

PAUL RYAN SPEAKS ... AP: "Paul Ryan lists immigration, debt as biggest regrets": "The Republican lawmaker sat for an interview Thursday with The Washington Post as he prepares to retire after 20 years in Congress. Ryan says if the national debt and immigration can be addressed, 'we will have a great 21st century.'

"But Ryan says 'history is going to be very good to this majority' because of the tax reform bill Republicans passed under his leadership. Ryan says he also has sympathy for Democratic Rep. Nancy Pelosi, who is vying to succeed him as speaker. Ryan says he was able to become speaker on his terms, but 'this is the benefit Nancy does not have.'" AP 

-- WAPO'S JOHN WAGNER: "Ryan says he does not support Senate measure to end U.S. backing for Saudi-led war in Yemen": "The measure, which cleared the Senate on a 63-to-37 vote on Wednesday, was widely seen as a historic rebuke of Saudi Arabia and President Trump's handling of the fallout over Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi's killing last month." WaPo 

WASHINGTON INC. -- MARIANNE LEVINE: "Warren demands lobbying firms come clean on Saudi ties": "The push comes as Warren is set to deliver a speech Thursday outlining her foreign policy vision." POLITICO

2020 WATCH -- BLOOMBERG'S JOSH GREEN: "Looking Toward 2020, Democrats Shift Focus From Health Care to Mueller": "In the past several weeks, prominent Democrats have run thousands of Facebook ads urging viewers to sign petitions in support of Mueller, who may be vulnerable to political interference by the Trump administration after the resignation of Attorney General Jeff Sessions. They include Senators Kamala Harris of California, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, and Cory Booker of New Jersey and billionaire activist Tom Steyer, along with a super PAC tied to former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick." Bloomberg 

TRADE WARS ... MEGAN CASSELLA: "Warren to vote against Mexico-Canada trade deal in current form": "In a speech later Thursday, just a day before the three North American countries are set to sign the deal, the Massachusetts Democrat will argue the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada agreement doesn't go far enough to prevent outsourcing, raise wages and create new jobs." POLITICO

-- "In Nafta Rewrite, Canada Took Cue From Mexico: Make a Big Concession," by WSJ's Kim Mackrael in Ottawa, Santiago P&eacute;rez in Mexico City and Jake Schlesinger in Washington: "Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland was frustrated as the deadline approached for renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement. ... Mexican Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo offered advice: Make a key concession to the U.S. to break the logjam. 

"Mexico had bent to U.S. pressure on policies aimed at shifting auto production from Mexico back north, opening the way for Mexico and the U.S. to strike a broader deal a month earlier. ... For Canada, the equivalent of Mexican cars was dairy. ... That triggered three days of near-round-the-clock talks, paving the way for an agreement announced barely an hour before the midnight Sept. 30 deadline set by the Trump administration for moving ahead with a new Nafta that excluded Canada." WSJ 

WAPO'S MANUEL ROIG-FRANZIA: "The Swamp Builders: How Roger Stone and Paul Manafort helped create the mess Trump promised to clean up": "One of the first clients of the firm they christened Black, Manafort & Stone was a New York developer named Donald J. Trump, brought into their portfolio by Stone, who'd met him through the notorious Gotham lawyer Roy Cohn.

"The brash Reagan boys would become essential architects of the city Trump now dominates, a place where the line between the lobbyists and the lobbied is so blurred that some question whether it exists at all." WaPo 

MEDIAWATCH -- "Mic has laid off the majority of its staff," by Recode's Peter Kafka: "Until today the company had employed more than 100 people. ... Facebook recently cancelled a deal with Mic to publish a news video series. People familiar with the company say that move removed a crucial source of revenue and scared away potential acquirers and investors." Recode

SPOTTED: Former Minnesota Sen. Al Franken eating dinner at Sababa on Connecticut Avenue on Wednesday night. ... Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) dining at Fiola Mare last night with Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

... Sens. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Cory Gardner (R-Colo.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), David Perdue (R-Ga.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) at La Loma on Wednesday night, all at separate tables. ... Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), David Polyansky, Chip Roy, Samantha Dravis and Paul Teller having dinner Wednesday night at Capital Grille.

TRANSITIONS ... Anthony Pileggi will be chief of staff for Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.). He most recently was northeast regional political director for the NRCC. ... Kyle Plotkin will be chief of staff for Sen.-elect Josh Hawley (R-Mo.). He previously managed Hawley's Senate campaign. ... 

... Bill Jaffee is now press secretary for Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.). He previously was communications director for Rep. Lloyd Smucker (R-Pa.).

WELCOME TO THE WORLD -- OBAMA ALUMNI: Kevin Griffis, the outgoing VP of communications for Planned Parenthood Federation of America and Planned Parenthood Votes and an Obama 2008, Commerce and HHS alum, and Kristin Lee, technology comms manager at Facebook and an Obama OSTP and DHS alum, welcomed Avery. Pic ... Another pic

-- Charlie Spiering, White House correspondent for Breitbart and a Washington Examiner alum, and Rebecca Spiering welcomed Arthur Thomas Spiering, the couple's fifth child. Instapic
           
A message from Better Medicare Alliance:

 
Congress has the power to save seniors from increased costs for Medicare Advantage. Congress, delay the Health Insurance Tax and save our seniors. Learn More.
                        
Follow us on Twitter
      
Anna Palmer @apalmerdc
 
Jake Sherman @JakeSherman
 
Daniel Lippman @dlippman
 
Eli Okun @eliokun
 
Garrett Ross @garrett_ross
              
Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family
 
 Playbook  |  Playbook PM  |  California Playbook  |  Florida Playbook  |  Illinois Playbook  |  Massachusetts Playbook  |  New Jersey Playbook  |  New York Playbook  |  Brussels Playbook  |  London Playbook 
 
View all our politics and policy newsletters
      
Follow us
                To change your alert settings, please go to http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=97cf1d9fb8d390e10b3aac8729907118848a32933cf7d160ffb3593c2e07661ae80d214d688d37d46791d18a8a2596e5 or http://click.politicoemail.com/profile_center.aspx?qs=c1c81b2ef644fde1dd3c1f6178ef6a8ea3ee660992025bd4fa6bad450578be88468d3906525470f4e41f7017944c2da0da20f0b6fe1326ce55b87df8585db3df
This email was sent to [email-masked] by: POLITICO, LLC 1000 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA, 22209, USA

To unsubscribe,https://www.politico.com/_unsubscribe?e=00000167-60a1-da1d-adef-6be9cc6a0000&u=0000014e-f0fe-dd93-ad7f-f8fffbc40000&s=acccff3198b513dd481ff5212c2ebcde7abae29ec33703a1ea02a5cd1daf8d2024f33a78460c432931c34f7c80c5db5df30fd7cbd9c6a282b8c0a4e2b94ee0ac