Subject: Playbook PM: Funding negotiators to meet this afternoon
From: "Anna Palmer Jake Sherman Daniel Lippman" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2019 12:18:21 -0600
List-Id: <1376319.xt.local>

Presented by the BlueCross BlueShield Association: Playbook is POLITICO's must-read briefing on what's driving the day                Feb 11, 2019 View in browser                   
 By Jake Sherman, Anna Palmer, Daniel Lippman, Garrett Ross and Eli Okun 
         
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HEADS UP ... THE HOUSE has canceled votes tomorrow. Former Rep. John Dingell's funeral is tomorrow in Michigan.

SHUTDOWN WEEK UPDATE ... BURGESS EVERETT, SARAH FERRIS and HEATHER CAYGLE: "Congress makes last-gasp try for border deal as shutdown looms": "Democratic and Republican negotiators will meet on Monday afternoon in a last-ditch effort to salvage faltering government funding talks amid a raging debate over immigration policy ... 

"If Monday's meeting produces no progress, Congress and the White House will need to assess fallback options to avoid another shutdown." POLITICO

-- BLOOMBERG'S ERIK WASSON (@elwasson): "Top four appropriators will meet today at 3:30 to try to salvage budget talks as shutdown looms." Top four appropriators: Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), Sen. Pat Leahy (D-Vt.), Rep. Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Kay Granger (R-Texas). 

THE LATEST ON ILHAN OMAR ... MELANIE ZANONA and HEATHER CAYGLE: "Top House Dems condemn Omar tweet as anti-Semitic": "Senior House Democrats moved swiftly Monday to denounce controversial comments about Israel by Rep. Ilhan Omar, as party leaders faced growing pressure to respond to accusations that one of its members is anti-Semitic. The Minnesota Democrat, one of the first two Muslim women elected to Congress, suggested in a tweet Sunday night that Republican support for Israel is fueled by campaign donations from pro-Israel groups like the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. 

"Democratic leaders have yet to weigh in, but more than half a dozen Democrats, including high-profile chairmen, criticized Omar in a rare rebuke of a colleague. ... The statements from top Democrats follow an effort by a pair of rank-and-file members earlier Monday to garner support for letter demanding leadership condemn Omar's latest statements." POLITICO 

-- NEW YORK DEMOCRATIC REP. JERRY NADLER -- the chairman of the Judiciary Committee -- has also spoken out against the Minnesota Democrat. His statement 

-- WAPO'S MIKE DEBONIS (@mikedebonis): "BIG DEAL: [Anti-Defamation League] calls on @SpeakerPelosi @LeaderHoyer @WhipClyburn to do something about @IlhanMN (though does not specify what)."

Good Monday afternoon. 

WHAT'S ON THE PRESIDENT'S MIND -- @realDonaldTrump at 7:43 a.m.: "No president ever worked harder than me (cleaning up the mess I inherited)!" ... at 8:18 a.m.: "The Democrats do not want us to detain, or send back, criminal aliens! This is a brand new demand. Crazy!" ... at 9:19 a.m.: "The Democrats are so self righteous and ANGRY! Loosen up and have some fun. The Country is doing well!"

A MESSAGE TO TRUMP ... "Slamming Trump's 'political theater,' California Gov. Gavin Newsom pulls National Guard from border," by the L.A. Times' Jazmine Ulloa and Taryn Luna: "As a second partial government shutdown looms in Washington over border discussions, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday will order the removal of roughly 360 National Guard members from California's southern boundary with Mexico, repudiating President Trump's characterization of a recent influx of Central American refugees and migrants as a national security crisis.

"The announcement comes just one day before the governor delivers his first State of the State address Tuesday, setting the stage for Newsom to counter Trump's State of the Union address from last week. In released excerpts of his speech, Newsom says he is giving the National Guard a new mission so that troops would not take part in the White House's "political theater" and instead 'refocus on the real threats facing our state.'" LAT 

COMING ATTRACTIONS -- BLOOMBERG'S LIZ MCCORMICK: "Debt-Limit Looms as 'Mind-Numbing' Impasse Stokes Shutdown Risk": "The standoff in Washington that's increasing the chances of another U.S. government shutdown at the end of the week is also raising the specter of bigger risks as the reinstatement of the debt-ceiling approaches in early March." Bloomberg

-- REMINDER: Treasury can, generally speaking, delay the debt limit deadline.
       
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THE LATEST IN VIRGINIA -- "'Everyone deserves to be heard,' Fairfax says in interview as Democrats explored impeachment," by WaPo's Laura Vozzella in Richmond: "Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax (D) said he will not step down and will preside over the Senate Monday regardless of any attempts to remove him from office amid allegations that he sexually assaulted two women. ... The two women deserve to be heard, but at the same time, he deserves due process, Fairfax said." WaPo

-- "Justin Fairfax placed on leave by his law firm after rape allegation," by Washington Examiner's David Mark

-- NYT'S JONATHAN MARTIN and CAMPBELL ROBERTSON in Richmond: "Virginia Democrat Backs Off Effort to Open Impeachment Inquiry Against Fairfax": "A Virginia state legislator who intended to begin impeachment proceedings against Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax backed off on Monday after African-American lawmakers demanded there not be a rush to oust Mr. Fairfax, who is black, over accusations of sexual assault while the state's white governor and attorney general are refusing to resign after they admitted wearing blackface in their youth.

"The failed attempt by Delegate Patrick A. Hope, the white lawmaker who was to file the impeachment legislation, demonstrated that as the scandal engulfing Virginia's government enters its second week it is only growing more painful for Democrats, who are having to confront three statewide officials of their own party." NYT

TRADE WARS -- SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST'S LAURA ZHOU and ZHOU XIN: "Where? When? How? China and United States at odds over right place and time for next Xi-Trump summit": "Beijing has suggested the next China-US summit take place on the tropical Chinese island of Hainan next month, following suggestions from the White House that US President Donald Trump is eager to meet with his counterpart, Xi Jinping, sooner than later.

"'He wants to meet with President Xi very soon,' White House adviser Kellyanne Conway told Fox News on Monday, adding that it 'absolutely' looked like both sides were closing in on a deal to end the trade war. ... Axios also reported on Monday that 'Xi may soon come to Mar-a-Lago' to meet Trump in mid-March, citing two unidentified administration officials." SCMP 

ON THE WORLD STAGE -- WSJ'S JOHN MCKINNON and STU WOO: "Rural U.S. Carriers Resist Proposed Chinese Telecom Ban Aimed at Huawei"

-- CNN'S MANU RAJU (@mkraju): "'America's not covering up for a murder,' Mike Pompeo today on administration refusal to determine if MBS to blame for Jamal Khashoggi murder. 'The president's made very clear ... as we get additional information, we'll continue to hold all of those responsible accountable.'"

-- NYT'S EDWARD WONG: "Iraq Rebuffs U.S. Demands to Stop Buying Energy From Iran": "Iraqi leaders, fearing that a further shortfall in power would lead to mass protests and political instability in their electricity-starved country, are pushing back on the demand, which is rooted in President Trump's sanctions against Iran.

"The dispute has frayed American diplomacy with Baghdad ... Iraq's defiance further jeopardizes Mr. Trump's goal of getting all nations to comply with sanctions after withdrawing from the deal to limit Tehran's nuclear program last year. ... American officials are seeking to cut off Iraqi purchases of natural gas and electricity, even though the country relies on those for a good portion of its energy needs." NYT

2020 WATCH -- NYT'S ALEX BURNS in Mason City, Iowa: "Democrats' 2020 Choice: Do They Want a Fighter or a Healer?": "Down one path, [Cory] Booker's, lies a mission of healing and hope, with a campaign to bind up social wounds that have deepened in the Trump era. The other path, [Elizabeth] Warren's, promises combat and more combat - a crusade not just to defeat Mr. Trump but to demolish the architecture of his government.

"As much as any disputation over policy, this gulf defines the Democratic presidential field, separating candidates of disparate backgrounds and ideologies into two loose groups: fighters and healers." NYT

-- WAPO'S JULIET EILPERIN and MICHAEL SCHERER: "Amid a shifting legal landscape on abortion, both parties seek political advantage": "The U.S. Supreme Court's shift to the right has intensified the long-running battle over abortion, with activists on both sides racing to pass new laws and capitalize on the divisive issue ahead of the 2020 elections.

"In several states, advocates of abortion rights have launched an aggressive campaign to shore up and expand guaranteed access to abortion in anticipation of adverse action by the court. At the same time, abortion opponents are pressing sharp restrictions on the procedure - potential test cases for the new conservative majority." WaPo 

-- "These are the Democrats winning the 'Never Trump' Republican primary," by McClatchy's Katie Glueck: "Biden and Bloomberg-two white, male, relatively centrist septuagenarians-both appear at odds with the ascendant progressive wing of the Democratic Party. ... But on Election Day, those two Democrats would be best-positioned to earn the votes of Republicans who rejected Trump in 2016-not the candidates tracking leftward to align with an increasingly liberal activist class that has embraced self-described democratic socialists." McClatchy 

-- BUT, BUT, BUT ... MCCLATCHY'S ALEX ROARTY: "'Weaker candidate than Hillary': Democrats cast deep doubt on Biden's 2020 value": "McClatchy interviewed 31 Democratic strategists - pollsters, opposition research experts, media consultants, ex-party officials, and communications specialists - from across the country about a potential Biden campaign. ... Strikingly, these conversations yielded a similar view: The Democratic political community is more broadly and deeply pessimistic about Biden's potential candidacy than is commonly known." McClatchy 

-- BUZZFEED'S TARINI PARTI: "Trump's 'Low-Key,' 'Ultimate Loyalist' Now Has More Power Ahead Of 2020": "Tommy Hicks Jr., a longtime friend of the Trump family, was recently named co-chairman of the [RNC]." BuzzFeed 

THE INVESTIGATIONS ... "Alleged Russian agent Maria Butina in her own words: 'Truth is my best defender,'" by ABC's Kyra Phillips, Pete Madden and Shannon Crawford: "'If I would be the Russian spy, you would never see me in public. I mean, I would be the most unseen person on Earth.'" ABC

SPOTTED: Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) at Gate 35X at DCA.

WELCOME TO THE WORLD -- Jenna Talbot, SVP for strategy and head of the communications practice at Whiteboard Advisors and an AEI alum, and Davey Talbot, COS at the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, welcomed Frank Field Talbot (known as Field). Pic
           
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