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bigbirdgladiator · 4 years ago

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President Donald Trump and his political lieutenants are privately hoping that former President George W. Bush will endorse Joe Biden this cycle, creating a bizarre confluence of interests with an increasing number of Democrats who are hoping for the same.To Team Trump, a Bush endorsement of Biden would allow them to hitch a formerly unpopular GOP president and the personification of dynastic politics to the Democratic Party’s 2020 ticket. They believe that Bush’s backing would drive the progressive wing of the party into a tizzy, especially if the Democratic nominee were to accept and promote it, creating internal strife for Biden at a time when he needs unity. According to two people familiar with his private remarks on the matter, Trump has said it would be “fun” if he could effectively run against both Bush and Biden. These sources with knowledge of the president’s thinking say he views both Biden and Bush as emblematic of the political establishment that he successfully ran against in the last election, and that Trump continues to harbor a visceral distaste for members of the Bush family and administration.“We would LOVE him to officially endorse Biden,” messaged a source close to the White House adding it “would be such a gift to us” citing the 43rd president’s legacy on trade, big government policies, and “constant war.”One senior Trump campaign official even said that some on the team “desperately” wanted the 43rd president of the United States to come out for Biden 2020, as it would make for easy messaging fodder. “I imagine we want it about as much as a lot of Biden people would not want it,” the official said.The New York Times reported Saturday that, among other Republicans struggling with an endorsement decision, the former president would not support Trump’s re-election efforts, citing people familiar with the situation. A spokesman for Bush told The Texas Tribune that the Times’ assertion was “false.”Bush certainly left the White House as a deeply unpopular figure, under the cloud of disastrous wars, various scandals, and a cratered economy. But his standing has improved in his years away from the political scene, including among Democratic voters. And on the few occasions he has waded back into public life, he has conveyed a more socially conscious approach to national affairs, including offering his recent support for ending systemic racism in police forces. Over time, the previously unthinkable has begun to happen, with prominent Democrats warming up to him and—now—the idea that an endorsement from him could provide an assist to the Democrats’ White House chances. “Our task is to build the broadest coalition possible,” Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), a leading House progressive and former co-chair of Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-VT) presidential campaign, told The Daily Beast about a hypothetical endorsement. “I began my career in public service running against Bush’s war in Iraq in 2004. But no one doubts his commitment to tolerance and inclusiveness.”Khanna argued that Bush is in a “different moral league” than Trump, particularly in regard to the latter’s fondness for promoting “divisiveness” and “fearmongering.” “His endorsement would help to highlight the enormous stakes in 2020 for our democracy,” he said. Former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, a top Biden booster, said he would “welcome” the endorsement, arguing that the public embracing of a high-profile Republican could have an electoral upside in critical swing states. “Ninety percent of Trump’s vote is the base. And the base isn’t going to care what George Bush says,” Rendell said. “Then there’s the 10 percent of Independents, suburban Republicans that stuck with him. … The question is: what effect does a George Bush endorsement have with them? I’d say, it adds weight to the entire picture that’s growing. I don’t think there’s any blowback on our side.”Ellen Defends Laughing It Up With George W. Bush at Cowboys GameIt is unclear if Bush will end up endorsing anyone for president this year, and he could very well sit on the sidelines and merely refuse to publicly support Trump’s reelection. According to a New York Times story published this weekend, Bush “won’t support the re-election of Mr. Trump.” But a Bush spokesperson told The Texas Tribune that the detail in the Times’ piece was “false.”Bush is hardly a Republican turncoat, having fundraised for conservative House and Senate candidates in the 2018 midterm elections in an effort to help preserve GOP congressional majorities—which, had it been successful in the House, would have preserved Trump’s sway on Capitol Hill. But his distaste for Trump has been evident for some time. And, in this case, the animus goes both ways. Two White House officials said they simply couldn’t care what Bush did or didn’t do ahead of this election, casting him as a trivial media obsession. “Elections are about the future, not the past,” said Ed Brookover, a former senior Trump adviser during the 2016 race. “President Bush performed well during his two terms, but people judge today’s candidates in today’s world. President Trump receives support from many voters who supported President Bush, as well as voters he pulled into his own orbit. President Trump’s policies and actions represent a new brand of leadership, which America has been needing for quite a while.”Dubya Was Bad, but the Donald Might Be Worse: Richard ClarkeFor Biden, the risks of accepting a Bush endorsement are fairly clear. The association with the Iraq War (which Biden supported), the use of torture, and the handling of Hurricane Katrina, alone, represents a heaping of political baggage that could outweigh any benefit. And some progressives were clear that they would struggle with having a president they had deeply reviled in their proverbial corner. “George W. Bush is a war criminal who lied to the American people in order to illegally invade a country. If nothing else, for that reason alone, I would never support accepting his endorsement,” said Charlotte Clymer, a LGBTQ activist who previously backed Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and has since thrown her weight behind Biden. But even Clymer found a bigger upside to the idea of an endorsement for party purposes, saying she wouldn’t be surprised to see Biden accept it “in order to remove our greatest national security threat in modern history: Donald Trump.”And among more establishment Democrats, the choice to welcome a potential boost from Bush now was seen as a no-brainer. “No one can ever accuse me of being a fan of former President George W. Bush,” said Jim Manley, a longtime senior Democratic Senate aide who served as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s spokesman during the latter Bush years. “But as far as I’m concerned, it would be fantastic if he were to come out and support the vice president. It would serve as a powerful rebuke to the current president.”James Carville, a former top adviser to President Bill Clinton’s 1992 campaign who is now advising the pro-Biden Democratic group American Bridge, responded enthusiastically about the prospect of a Bush endorsement for the presumptive Democratic nominee.“I fought with these guys during impeachment, I fought with these guys on the Iraq War, I fought with these guys left and right,” Carville said. “We’re in a different situation now. We have a deadly pathogen that’s infected this country and we got to get rid of it.”Put another way, Carville said: “What did Churchill say? ‘If Hitler invaded hell, I would side with the devil.’” Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.

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lorajackson · 4 years ago

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Team Trump ‘Desperately’ Wants Bush to Endorse Biden. Some Dems Love the Idea, Too.

President Donald Trump and his political lieutenants are privately hoping that former President George W. Bush will endorse Joe Biden this cycle, creating a bizarre confluence of interests with an increasing number of Democrats who are hoping for the same.To Team Trump, a Bush endorsement of Biden would allow them to hitch a formerly unpopular GOP president and the personification of dynastic politics to the Democratic Party’s 2020 ticket. They believe that Bush’s backing would drive the progressive wing of the party into a tizzy, especially if the Democratic nominee were to accept and promote it, creating internal strife for Biden at a time when he needs unity. According to two people familiar with his private remarks on the matter, Trump has said it would be “fun” if he could effectively run against both Bush and Biden. These sources with knowledge of the president’s thinking say he views both Biden and Bush as emblematic of the political establishment that he successfully ran against in the last election, and that Trump continues to harbor a visceral distaste for members of the Bush family and administration.“We would LOVE him to officially endorse Biden,” messaged a source close to the White House adding it “would be such a gift to us” citing the 43rd president’s legacy on trade, big government policies, and “constant war.”One senior Trump campaign official even said that some on the team “desperately” wanted the 43rd president of the United States to come out for Biden 2020, as it would make for easy messaging fodder. “I imagine we want it about as much as a lot of Biden people would not want it,” the official said.Bush certainly left the White House as a deeply unpopular figure, under the cloud of disastrous wars, various scandals, and a cratered economy. But his standing has improved in his years away from the political scene, including among Democratic voters. And on the few occasions he has waded back into public life, he has conveyed a more socially conscious approach to national affairs, including offering his recent support for ending systemic racism in police forces. Over time, the previously unthinkable has begun to happen, with prominent Democrats warming up to him and—now—the idea that an endorsement from him could provide an assist to the Democrats’ White House chances. “Our task is to build the broadest coalition possible,” Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), a leading House progressive and former co-chair of Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-VT) presidential campaign, told The Daily Beast about a hypothetical endorsement. “I began my career in public service running against Bush’s war in Iraq in 2004. But no one doubts his commitment to tolerance and inclusiveness.”Khanna argued that Bush is in a “different moral league” than Trump, particularly in regard to the latter’s fondness for promoting “divisiveness” and “fearmongering.” “His endorsement would help to highlight the enormous stakes in 2020 for our democracy,” he said. Former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, a top Biden booster, said he would “welcome” the endorsement, arguing that the public embracing of a high-profile Republican could have an electoral upside in critical swing states. “Ninety percent of Trump’s vote is the base. And the base isn’t going to care what George Bush says,” Rendell said. “Then there’s the 10 percent of Independents, suburban Republicans that stuck with him. … The question is: what effect does a George Bush endorsement have with them? I’d say, it adds weight to the entire picture that’s growing. I don’t think there’s any blowback on our side.”Ellen Defends Laughing It Up With George W. Bush at Cowboys GameIt is unclear if Bush will end up endorsing anyone for president this year, and he could very well sit on the sidelines and merely refuse to publicly support Trump’s reelection. According to a New York Times story published this weekend, Bush “won’t support the re-election of Mr. Trump.” But a Bush spokesperson told The Texas Tribune that the detail in the Times’ piece was “false.”Bush is hardly a Republican turncoat, having fundraised for conservative House and Senate candidates in the 2018 midterm elections in an effort to help preserve GOP congressional majorities—which, had it been successful in the House, would have preserved Trump’s sway on Capitol Hill. But his distaste for Trump has been evident for some time. And, in this case, the animus goes both ways. Two White House officials said they simply couldn’t care what Bush did or didn’t do ahead of this election, casting him as a trivial media obsession. “Elections are about the future, not the past,” said Ed Brookover, a former senior Trump adviser during the 2016 race. “President Bush performed well during his two terms, but people judge today’s candidates in today’s world. President Trump receives support from many voters who supported President Bush, as well as voters he pulled into his own orbit. President Trump’s policies and actions represent a new brand of leadership, which America has been needing for quite a while.”Dubya Was Bad, but the Donald Might Be Worse: Richard ClarkeFor Biden, the risks of accepting a Bush endorsement are fairly clear. The association with the Iraq War (which Biden supported), the use of torture, and the handling of Hurricane Katrina, alone, represents a heaping of political baggage that could outweigh any benefit. And some progressives were clear that they would struggle with having a president they had deeply reviled in their proverbial corner. “George W. Bush is a war criminal who lied to the American people in order to illegally invade a country. If nothing else, for that reason alone, I would never support accepting his endorsement,” said Charlotte Clymer, a LGBTQ activist who previously backed Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and has since thrown her weight behind Biden. But even Clymer found a bigger upside to the idea of an endorsement for party purposes, saying she wouldn’t be surprised to see Biden accept it “in order to remove our greatest national security threat in modern history: Donald Trump.”And among more establishment Democrats, the choice to welcome a potential boost from Bush now was seen as a no-brainer. “No one can ever accuse me of being a fan of former President George W. Bush,” said Jim Manley, a longtime senior Democratic Senate aide who served as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s spokesman during the latter Bush years. “But as far as I’m concerned, it would be fantastic if he were to come out and support the vice president. It would serve as a powerful rebuke to the current president.”James Carville, a former top adviser to President Bill Clinton’s 1992 campaign who is now advising the pro-Biden Democratic group American Bridge, responded enthusiastically about the prospect of a Bush endorsement for the presumptive Democratic nominee.“I fought with these guys during impeachment, I fought with these guys on the Iraq War, I fought with these guys left and right,” Carville said. “We’re in a different situation now. We have a deadly pathogen that’s infected this country and we got to get rid of it.”Put another way, Carville said: “What did Churchill say? ‘If Hitler invaded hell, I would side with the devil.’” Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.

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michaeljtraylor · 6 years ago

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Advisers warn Trump about border closing

Editor’s Note: This edition of Morning Money is published weekdays at 8 a.m. POLITICO Pro Financial Services subscribers hold exclusive early access to the newsletter each morning at 5:15 a.m. To learn more about POLITICO Pro’s comprehensive policy intelligence coverage, policy tools and services, click here.

Advisers warn Trump on the border — Donald Trump’s senior advisers, per our Nancy Cook and Andrew Restuccia, are strongly warning the president about the potentially dire course of attempting to shut down the southern border

Story Continued Below

“Both the White House’s Kevin Hassett and Larry Kudlow have shared economic papers and data with Trump over the last 36 hours, illustrating the way economic growth could slow down even if the president shut down the border for just one day — not to mention the effect on the flow of goods, raw materials, and the U.S. supply chain.”

Inside the White House — Officials frantically spent the day Tuesday “searching for ways to limit the economic impact of shutting the border, according to two senior administration officials and one Republican close to the White House. One possibility involved closing the border to cars but allowing commercial trucks to continue to pass through. Officials stressed, however, that no final decisions had yet been made.”

Trump not swayed — Trump did not seem swayed by his advisers’ economic arguments: “Sure, it will have a negative effect on the economy,” Trump told reporters … “But to me, trading is very important, the borders are very important, but security is what is most important. I mean, we have to have security.”

Inside Biden-world — Per a source close to former vice president Joe Biden’s inner circle: “Joe told them yesterday to put out the word that it’s full steam ahead and yes, they expected this and expect more to come … They thought they were ready but know now that they were not. They are a bit overwhelmed but very clear headed and self aware.”

** A message from U.S. Chamber of Commerce Center for Capital Markets: At the 13th Annual Capital Markets Summit, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Center for Capital Markets Competitiveness released their Financing Main Street report based on the responses of more than 300 businesses of various type, sizes, and revenue to better understand how Main Street uses the financial system, and to measure the impact that financial regulation was having on the overall economy. Read the report here. **

GOOD WEDNESDAY MORNING — Email me on [email protected] and follow me on Twitter @morningmoneyben. Email Aubree Eliza Weaver on [email protected] and follow her on @AubreeEweaver.

ADP jobs report at 8:15 a.m. expected to show a gain of 175K … ISM Non-manufacturing Survey at 10:00 a.m. expected to dip to 59.0 from 59.7 … CBA Live closes with remarks from FDIC Chair Jelena McWilliams Consensus and Comptroller Joseph Otting at 9:15 a.m.

SHARES RISE ON ASIA HOPES — Reuters: “European shares rose for the fourth straight session on Wednesday, as investors took heart from further signs of recovery in China and progress toward a possible trade deal between Beijing and Washington. …

“Also helping sentiment was reports that British Prime Minister Theresa May might seek another Brexit delay to try to agree an EU divorce deal with the opposition Labour leader.” Read more.

CRUNCH TIME FOR CHINA TALKS — Via Bloomberg: “Chinese Vice Premier Liu He will resume negotiations with his U.S. counterparts in Washington on Wednesday as both governments push for an agreement to end their protracted trade dispute.

“The latest round of talks follow discussions last week in Beijing, where Liu met with U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer. Outstanding issues include protection for intellectual property and how to enforce any broader trade agreement

MORE ON THE BORDER IMPACT — Via our Rebecca Morin and Caitlin Oprysko:

“Trump …. acknowledged Tuesday that shutting down the U.S.-Mexico border could have a dire impact on the economy, but contended the move was about national security, and ‘that’s more important than trade.’ …

“Republican and Democratic lawmakers alike have expressed concern over Trump’s proposal to close the U.S.-Mexico border, arguing such a move could have a disastrous impact on the economy. An estimated $502 billion in goods — about $1.4 billion a day — crossed the border through trucks and trains last year, according to the Commerce Department.” Read more.

DEMS LOOK TO JAM GOP ON THE BORDER — Via our Sarah Ferris and Laura Barrón-López: “House Democratic leaders are considering a vote to condemn … Trump’s calls to shut down the southern border, in a clear attempt to force Republicans into a difficult political spot …

“Top Democrats discussed the measure at a meeting in Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office Tuesday evening. The measure — which would formally reject the White House’s repeated threat to halt all traffic along the U.S.-Mexico border — could come up for a vote as early as this week.” Read more.

STOCKS POST MIXED FINISH — AP’s Alex Veiga: “A day of listless trading on Wall Street ended with an uneven finish for stock indexes as the market lost some of its momentum after a three-day winning streak.

“After a brief early slide, U.S. stocks mostly wavered between small gains and losses through the rest of the day, as gains for some big technology companies were offset by losses in other sectors. … The S&P 500 ended essentially flat, having eked out a sliver of a gain, which was still good enough to extend the benchmark index’s winning streak into a fourth day.” Read more.

TRUMP BLASTS POWELL OVER ECONOMY — WSJ’s Nick Timiraos and Alex Leary: “Trump is blaming the Federal Reserve for holding back the economy and stock market despite the central bank’s recent decision to do two things he wanted—halt rate increases and stop shrinking its asset portfolio. …

“The president blasted the Fed and Chairman Jerome Powell at three meetings in the past week alone, telling Republican senators, supporters and staffers that if it wasn’t for the central bank’s past rate increases, economic output and stocks would be higher and the U.S. budget deficit would be rising less.” Read more.

And remember when stocks slid last month? — Bloomberg’s Craig Torres: “Powell received a call from … Trump on March 8 as concerns that day about the U.S. job market helped send stocks to their biggest weekly drop of the year. For months, Trump has been pointing the finger at Powell and the Fed’s interest-rate increases for restraining the economy and spooking the stock market.” Read more.

MOORE HAS NO PLANS TO STEP ASIDE — NYT’s Alan Rappeport and Jim Tankersley: “Stephen Moore … Trump’s presumptive nominee for a seat on the Federal Reserve board, said on Tuesday that he had no plans to withdraw from contention for the job despite ethical and financial problems that have surfaced in recent days. ‘It’s full speed ahead,’ Mr. Moore said in a brief interview before an event he was attending at the Trump International Hotel in Washington.” Read more.

U.S. WON’T SEND SENIOR OFFICIALS TO SILK ROAD SUMMIT — Reuters’ David Brunnstrom: “The United States will not send high-level officials to attend China’s second Belt and Road summit in Beijing this month, a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department said on Tuesday, citing concerns about financing practices for the project.

“China’s top diplomat, Yang Jiechi, said on Saturday that almost 40 foreign leaders would take part in the summit due to be held in Beijing in late April. He rejected criticisms of the project as ‘prejudiced.’” Read more.

TRUMP ON THE BORDER – NYT’s Jim Tankersley and Ana Swanson: “Trump acknowledged … that closing the southern border with Mexico could damage the United States economy, but said protecting America’s security was more important than trade.

“In remarks from the Oval Office, Mr. Trump reiterated his threat to shut the border if Mexico, America’s third largest trading partner, cannot restrict a flow of asylum seekers trying to cross into the United States. But the president’s economic team, concerned about the damage from such a move, said it was looking for ways to limit the fallout if Mr. Trump does do so.” Read more.

IS THIS TIME DIFFERENT FOR THE YIELD CURVE? — Bloomberg’s Vivien Lou Chen: “‘This time is different.’ That famous line, which mutual-fund legend Sir John Templeton once called “among the four most costly words in the annals of investing,” is back in fashion these days when it comes to the Treasury yield curve.

“Skeptics from Goldman Sachs Group Inc. to Morgan Stanley Investment Management say the curve’s recessionary signals may be distorted now as a result of central-bank policy that’s kept interest rates exceptionally low since the financial crisis. Is it deja vu all over again?” Read more.

IMF MANAGING DIRECTOR SAYS ECONOMY IS AT ‘DELICATE MOMENT’ — AP’s Martin Crutsinger: “The head of the 189-nation International Monetary Fund said Tuesday the global economy is at a ‘delicate moment’ with a hoped-for rebound in growth later this year being threatened by a variety of factors such as rising trade tensions between the world’s two biggest economies. IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde said the IMF does not forecast a recession in its updated economic outlook to be released next week, but she called the current situation ‘precarious’ and vulnerable to policy mistakes.” Read more.

** A message from U.S. Chamber of Commerce Center for Capital Markets: This week, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Center for Capital Markets Competitiveness released a new report at their 13th Annual Capital Markets Summit. This report, “Financing Main Street: The State of Business Financing in America,” was based on the responses of more than 300 businesses of various type, sizes, and revenue. It shows that in order to promote sustainable economic growth, our financial system must be as vibrant and diverse as the businesses it serves. And though more optimistic, 82% of companies reported taking some action as a result of changes to banking regulations, up from 61% in 2013 and 79% in 2016. Read the full report here. **

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garkodigitalmedia · 6 years ago

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Advisers warn Trump about border closing

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GOOD WEDNESDAY MORNING — Email me on [email protected] and follow me on Twitter @morningmoneyben. Email Aubree Eliza Weaver on [email protected] and follow her on @AubreeEweaver.

“Also helping sentiment was reports that British Prime Minister Theresa May might seek another Brexit delay to try to agree an EU divorce deal with the opposition Labour leader.” Read more.

MORE ON THE BORDER IMPACT — Via our Rebecca Morin and Caitlin Oprysko:

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garkomedia1 · 6 years ago

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Advisers warn Trump about border closing

Story Continued Below

GOOD WEDNESDAY MORNING — Email me on [email protected] and follow me on Twitter @morningmoneyben. Email Aubree Eliza Weaver on [email protected] and follow her on @AubreeEweaver.

“Also helping sentiment was reports that British Prime Minister Theresa May might seek another Brexit delay to try to agree an EU divorce deal with the opposition Labour leader.” Read more.

MORE ON THE BORDER IMPACT — Via our Rebecca Morin and Caitlin Oprysko:

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nicholerestrada · 6 years ago

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Advisers warn Trump about border closing

Story Continued Below

GOOD WEDNESDAY MORNING — Email me on [email protected] and follow me on Twitter @morningmoneyben. Email Aubree Eliza Weaver on [email protected] and follow her on @AubreeEweaver.

“Also helping sentiment was reports that British Prime Minister Theresa May might seek another Brexit delay to try to agree an EU divorce deal with the opposition Labour leader.” Read more.

MORE ON THE BORDER IMPACT — Via our Rebecca Morin and Caitlin Oprysko:

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recentnews18-blog · 6 years ago

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New Post has been published on https://shovelnews.com/what-matters-in-the-midterms-the-economy-stupid/

What matters in the midterms: The economy, stupid

It’s still the economy, stupid.

Every month the Labor Department announces big job gains. But national polls show Americans still worry about the economy.

Pollsters for NBC News and the Wall Street Journal asked Americans in June about the issues that would drive their votes in the midterm elections. At the top of the list were health care (38 percent) and the economy and jobs (37 percent). Health care is all about cost and really is a reflection of economic anxiety.

Why are Americans still so anxious about the economy? And what impact will these concerns have on the outcome of the midterm results?

The monthly increase in jobs obscures the problems middle-class Americans continue to have making their monthly mortgage payments, feeding their families and paying medical bills.

President TrumpDonald John TrumpTrump: Dems playing destructive ‘con game’ with Kavanaugh Several Yale Law classmates who backed Kavanaugh call for misconduct investigation Freedom Caucus calls on Rosenstein to testify or resign MORE claims we have the best economy ever but the numbers say he’s wrong.

An analysis by the Economic Policy Institute indicates that the median income in the U.S. actually declined by 0.8 percent between 2000 and 2017. According to the authors, “the bottom half of households are still falling short of 2000 income levels.”

The EPI research indicates that both men and women have good reasons to worry about money. In 2000, men working full time for the whole year earned $53,175. Income for men actually went down to $52,175. Income for women actually increased during the same period from $39,200 to $41,977 but they still earned a lot less than men.

Middle-class Americans have fallen behind and they won’t catch up soon. Inflation continues to eat up wage gains. Inflation will continue to increase as the Federal Reserve Board raises interest rates. The Trump administration tariff increases on foreign goods entering the U.S. will also raise consumer prices.

Research by the U.S. Department of Labor indicates the inflation rate rose by 2.7 percent between August 2017 and August 2018. Energy prices rose by 10 percent.

Judge Brett Kavanagh’s Supreme Court confirmation battle and the investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election dominate the news. But Democrats should avoid this low hanging fruit to focus on a populist economic message that includes an increase in the minimum wage, tax cuts for middle-income Americans and affordable health care.

The opportunity for Democrats is the failure of Trump to keep his promise to restore economic security for working families. These voters, many living in the Industrial Midwest paved his path to the White House.

The tax plan proposed by the president and enacted by Congress is the only big economic GOP initiative. But it stiffed the working families who supported the president and his party in 2016. The administration has also undermined the Affordable Care Act without developing a substitute that would cover the medical needs of financially hard-pressed middle-class Americans.

Endangered congressional Republicans hope their tax law will bail them out this November. It’s more of a fantasy than a hope.

Trump’s tax plan is an insult to the forgotten Americans who made him president. Why? Because an analysis by the Brookings Tax Policy Center reveals the lion’s share of the benefits from the president’s tax reform plan go to wealthy Americans and big corporations. By 2025, 25 percent of the benefits from the tax cut will go to the top 1 percent. Two thirds (66 percent) of the benefits will go to the top-earning 20 percent of households.

A new poll for the Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee indicates that voters by a two to one margin (60 percent to 31 percent) believe the new tax law benefits rich Americans and large corporation middle-class Americans.

The formal name of the new tax law is the Tax Cut and Jobs Act. But progressives justifiably call it the Trump Tax Scam. The law significantly raises the federal budget deficit. The GOP then uses the increase in the deficit to justify the need to cut spending on Social Security and Medicare.

The scam is Robin Hood in reverse since the law is a boon for wealthy Americans and the cuts in entitlement programs are a bust for working families and the poor. The analysis from the RSCC survey states “most voters believe that the GOP wants to cut back on these programs to provide tax breaks for corporations and the wealthy”.

Democrats need to ardently preach the importance of economic justice which is the bridge the party needs to unite poor and middle class voters who are victims of GOP indifference.

A cloud of sex and spy scandals hangs over Washington, D.C. But the real scandal outside the Beltway is the rigged economic system that has left hard working families out in the cold. To win, Democrats must resist the temptations inside the Beltway to focus on scandal, so the party can address the economic security concerns that are the real stressors for working families.

Brad Bannon is a Democratic pollster and CEO of Bannon Communications Research. He is also a senior adviser to, and editor of, the blog at MyTiller.com, a social media network for politics.

Source: https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/408445-what-matters-in-the-midterms-the-economy-stupid

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newssplashy · 6 years ago

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Politics: Trump targeted Mueller in his most direct attack yet, and experts say his comments could impact the Manafort trial

President Donald Trump went after the special counsel Robert Mueller on Monday in his most direct attack yet. The unprecedentedly harsh and highly personal attacks come as jurors are deliberating the fate of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, who Mueller's team put on trial in weeks past.

President Donald Trump went after the special counsel Robert Mueller on Monday in his most direct attack yet on the former FBI director.

He called Mueller "disgraced and discredited," and referred to his team of prosecutors as "thugs" who enjoy "ruining people's lives."

On Sunday, Trump's lead lawyer Rudy Giuliani accused the special counsel's team of leaking stories to the press and said he wouldn't let Trump walk into a "perjury trap" by agreeing to a sit-down interview with Mueller.

The unprecedentedly harsh and highly personal attacks come as jurors are deliberating the fate of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, who Mueller's team tried on tax and bank fraud charges.

In four tweets on Monday, President Donald Trump went after the special counsel Robert Mueller in his most direct attack yet.

"Disgraced and discredited Bob Mueller and his whole group of Angry Democrat Thugs spent over 30 hours with the White House Councel, only with my approval, for purposes of transparency," Trump tweeted, referring to White House lawyer Don McGahn's testimony with Mueller and misspelling "counsel."

Mueller is overseeing the FBI's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and whether members of Trump's campaign colluded with Moscow to tilt the race in his favor. He is also investigating whether Trump sought to obstruct the Russia probe at various points throughout the investigation.

A bombshell New York Times article on Saturday reported that McGahn was a witness in the special counsel's obstruction of justice probe, and has sat for a combined total 30 hours of testimony under oath with Muller's team, discussing key events he was privy to working for Trump.

In subsequent tweets, Trump continued: "Anybody needing that much time when they know there is no Russian Collusion is just someone ... looking for trouble. They are enjoying ruining people's lives and REFUSE to look at the real corruption on the Democrat side - the lies, the firings, the deleted Emails and soooo much more! Mueller's Angry Dems are looking to impact the election. They are a National Disgrace!"

The "angry Democrat Thugs" was a reference to some of the prosecutors on Mueller's team. PolitiFact wrote in March that at least 12 of the prosecutors on Mueller's team are registered Democrats, some of whom have donated to Democratic politicians in the past, and one more has been reported to be a Democrat.

Mueller is a registered Republican who has been appointed to different positions in the federal government by both Republican and Democratic presidents, including Trump's own deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein. He was director of the FBI for 12 years.

In the fourth tweet, Trump asked, "Where's the Collusion?"

"They made up a phony crime called Collusion, and when there was no Collusion they say there was Obstruction (of a phony crime that never existed)," he wrote. "If you FIGHT BACK or say anything bad about the Rigged Witch Hunt, they scream Obstruction!"

Trump is correct in the sense that "collusion" is not itself a denoted federal offense, but it is a catch-all term that encompasses a number of federal crimes, including conspiracy to defraud the United States.

The president has repeatedly accused his former opponent Hillary Clinton and the Democratic party of committing collusion, while simultaneously claiming it's not a real crime when it comes to his team and the Mueller investigation.

Battle over the truth

While Trump has tweeted dozens of times insinuating that the Mueller probe is a "rigged witch hunt" and there was "no collusion," his referring to the prosecutors as "thugs" who "ruin people's lives" and calling Mueller "disgraced" is a highly personal and unprecedented form of attack that could signal his increasing distress over some of the investigation's recent developments.

Two sources with knowledge of the president's thinking told CNN that McGahn's 30 hours of interviews with Mueller "unnerved" Trump.

Reacting to Trump's tweets, former federal prosecutor Joyce Alene said, "Any prosecutor knows, you don't waste 30 hours on a witness who's got nothing."

Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani has also taken a more aggressive and personal stance against Mueller in recent days.

After telling Business Insider on Thursday that he planned to fight a potential grand jury subpoena from Mueller "all the way to the Supreme Court", Giuliani argued on "Meet the Press" Sunday that he didn't want Trump to get stuck in a perjury trap in an interview with Mueller.

When host Chuck Todd pushed back by implying that telling the truth would prevent a perjury charge, Giuliani caused an Internet uproar by replying, "truth isn't truth."

Former federal prosecutor Roland Riopelle told Business Insider on Friday that the defense of a perjury trap is a "long-ago discredited phrase of law" that had never, to his knowledge, been successful in a criminal court.

Giuliani, citing no evidence, also accused Mueller of leaking multiple stories to the press, including The Times story about McGahn.

'Pulling out all the stops'

Trump's tweets also come as jurors in Virginia are deliberating the fate of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, who Mueller's prosecutors have spent the last two weeks prosecuting on 18 charges of tax and bank fraud.

The presiding judge, T.S. Ellis, instructed both sides to keep politics out of the trial and only focus on the facts of the case.

But Trump's name made into the courtroom on Friday when Manafort's lead attorney Kevin Downing said it was "great to have the support of the President of the United States" — a comment legal experts said may have violated ethical standards.

Since the jury is not sequestered from consuming news media, experts warn these statements, combined with Trump telling reporters on Friday the Manafort trial was "very sad," could have an impact on how the jury perceives the credibility of the prosecutors in the case.

"Totally inappropriate comment by Manafort's attorney," former federal prosecutor Renato Mariotti wrote on Twitter. "They're pulling out all the stops to get a hung jury. If they do, it wouldn't surprise me if Trump pardoned Manafort before the case could be tried again."

source http://www.newssplashy.com/2018/08/politics-trump-targeted-mueller-in-his.html

#News

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njawaidofficial · 7 years ago

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Hollywood's China Money Heartbreak: Is the Love Affair Really Over?

http://styleveryday.com/2017/08/12/hollywoods-china-money-heartbreak-is-the-love-affair-really-over/

Hollywood's China Money Heartbreak: Is the Love Affair Really Over?

Billions have been thrown into turmoil as Chinese regulators crack down on investments, Paramount’s backer skips a payment, and both Trump and some Dems adopt a protectionist stance.

For nearly five years, Hollywood has been buoyed by a flood of cash from China in the form of both surging box-office revenue and multibillion-dollar investments in studio slates and independent film companies.

The most high-profile pacts have involved some of the biggest brands in both China and Hollywood, such as real estate behemoth Dalian Wanda, which bought Legendary Entertainment for $3.5 billion in 2016 and owns leading U.S. cinema exhibitor AMC Entertainment; internet giant Alibaba, which in October took an equity stake in Steven Spielberg’s shingle Amblin; China Media Capital, which owns part of Brian Grazer and Ron Howard’s Imagine Entertainment; and Fosun, financiers of Jeff Robinov’s Studio 8.

With a largely stagnant domestic movie business — so far this year, box-office receipts in North America are down 3 percent — the film studios have come to rely on Chinese capital to get their movies made and keep profits climbing.

But economic and political shifts coming from both Washington and Beijing are threatening to create a perfect storm of regulatory upheaval that could sink, or at least beach, future U.S.-China media deals.

“Hollywood should be worried because now we are seeing pressure [to crack down on deals] from both ends,” says Stanley Rosen, a professor of political science at USC who studies China’s film industry. “Access to the Chinese market will continue, but investment from China in the U.S. entertainment industry will be toned down considerably.”

Already there are signs of disruption in the Sino-Hollywood love affair. Several big deals that were in the works — Wanda’s $1 billion takeover of Dick Clark Productions, the $345 million acquisition of Voltage Pictures by Chinese mining group Anhui Xinke and a $416 million investment by China’s HNA Group in U.S. in-flight entertainment provider Golden Eagle — have failed, with sources citing a regulatory crackdown in China as a major reason for their demise.

Another high-profile deal involving HNA — the company’s planned $200 million acquisition of Skybridge Capital, an investment group controlled by former White House director of communications Anthony Scaramucci — also could face renewed scrutiny in what would be yet another blow for “The Mooch,” whom President Donald Trump fired just 10 days into the job.

The protectionist tendencies of Trump, who made China-bashing a pillar of his election campaign, have found rare bipartisan support from Capitol Hill, with several lawmakers pushing for increased regulatory scrutiny of Sino-Hollywood deals. On Aug. 1, Sen. Chuck Schumer, the ranking Democrat in the Senate, went a step further, calling on Trump to block all major Chinese investment in the U.S. as a means of pressuring Beijing to do more to deter North Korea’s nuclear missile program.

Meanwhile, Beijing officials have tightened restrictions on outside investment by mainland firms, worried that too many companies are using U.S. media acquisitions as a means of funneling money offshore. On Aug. 3, Viacom disclosed that it did not receive its expected June payment from Huahua Media, the Chinese group that has a three-year, $1 billion deal to fund 25 percent or more of Paramount’s film slate. Paramount has been counting on that cash to help it bounce back from years of financial losses.

Then there’s the case of Dalian Wanda, which in July saw its standing as perhaps China’s most aggressive acquirer of Hollywood assets — including Legendary and AMC — plummet after the company and its brash chairman, Wang Jianlin, became the target of a crackdown on debt that resulted in the $9.3 billion sale of the bulk of its theme park and hotel interests. The company now reportedly is barred from receiving loans from the country’s biggest banks, leading some to question the long-term financial health of the U.S. companies in its stable.

Legendary insists it is “business as usual,” but the studio has significant overhead (with about 300 employees) and doesn’t have a new film hitting theaters until the spring, when it rolls out Pacific Rim: Uprising, the sequel to the 2013 actioner that grossed $411 million worldwide. Legendary’s recent run has been mixed, with the flop of The Great Wall set against the global success of Kong: Skull Island. In 2015, the last year for which figures are available, Legendary lost $560 million.

There have been some encouraging signs that business still is being done, such as the Aug. 7 announcement that Tang Media Partners, which has several Chinese backers, finalized the acquisition of troubled Spotlight studio Open Road Films. While incoming CEO Rob Friedman says the deal is secure from Chinese regulators (“I have no concerns about that whatsoever,” he tells THR), truly big deals of the Wanda-Legendary or Alibaba-Amblin variety look scarce.

All eyes now are on Paramount’s financing agreement with Huahua, the last big studio slate deal signed after China began its crackdown. The deal has been a money loser for Huahua so far, with disappointing box-office performances for Paramount’s recent titles, including Transformers: The Last Knight, which underperformed in the Middle Kingdom, earning about $230 million compared with $320 million in China for Transformers: Age of Extinction.

Christopher Spicer, an attorney at Akin Gump who has packaged several China pacts, says studio slate deals are unlikely to be impacted by the current crackdown. Instead, he sees problems for U.S. film companies looking for Chinese corporate equity. Deals like the one China Media Capital inked with Imagine Entertainment or Fosun with Studio 8 — a Chinese company spending big to acquire a piece of a Hollywood production house — might become a thing of the past.

“I don’t think the dream’s over … but companies selling for crazy [money] to Chinese companies, those deals are over,” says Spicer, who believes several China-Hollywood deals in the works still could go through, provided the Chinese firms in question have “enough money parked offshore” to bypass government restrictions on exporting capital.

Lindsay Conner, a partner in charge of entertainment and media at the L.A. office of Manatt, cautions that large investments in Hollywood by Chinese companies outside the entertainment field — Voltage suitor Anhui Xinke is a mining company, and HNA Group runs a Chinese airline — could be over. “The Chinese government will continue to be skeptical of non-entertainment companies in China throwing money into entertainment investments,” he says. “They are concerned that it is motivated in part by a desire to get money out of China.”

Conner, however, believes Beijing will continue to support established entertainment companies with global expansion plans. He expects deal making to pick up again by the end of the year, particularly after the ruling Communist Party holds its national congress in the Fall.

“It’s no longer a gold rush but (China) has shown they are still willing to let mature Chinese entertainment companies make thoughtful investments in Hollywood,” he says. “I believe that after a relatively brief period of lesser activity we will see a renewed level of activity.”

Others see the political saber rattling between Washington and Beijing as a sign that things likely are to get worse — maybe much worse. In his letter to the president, Schumer said Trump should use his authority over the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. to hit Beijing with a suspension on “all mergers and acquisitions in the U.S. by Chinese entities.”

If Trump wants to crack down on China, he has a number of options, including enacting Section 301 of the 1974 Trade Act, which allows the commander in chief to take unilateral punitive measures, including fines and tariffs, against countries deemed guilty of “unfair” trading practices. Even mere talk of such a move, insiders say, could pressure regulators to more closely scrutinize future deals and cast a pall over the Sino-Hollywood relationship.

“Already you are seeing a more cautious approach on the part of regulators who are worried about potential political blowback if they approve a deal,” says DJ Rosenthal, a Washington-based analyst with corporate investigations and risk consulting firm Kroll.

If Trump does take the nuclear option and reactivates Section 301, it could spell disaster for U.S.-Chinese business, not least because Beijing is likely to play tit for tat, imposing fines or restrictions of its own on U.S. companies.

“They have a huge range of options,” notes Rosen. “They can slap a billion-dollar fine on American companies working in China, they can add new regulations or restrictions to anyone doing business there. We are in a very bad position to try and influence the Chinese on this issue. They have a long-term plan and speak with one voice. We have no clear policy and an administration that says different, and contradictory, things one day to the next.”

A version of this story first appeared in the Aug. 9 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.

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everettwilkinson · 7 years ago

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Tweets pour out as Trump returns to DC — INSIDE THE WEST WING: POLITICO, WaPo and NYT on WH intrigue — FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Trump’s week — ANDREW KACZYNSKI’s wedding

FROM THE VATICAN at 7:30 this morning — @Pontifex: “I encourage everyone to engage in constructive forms of communication that reject prejudice towards others and foster hope and trust today.”

HE’S BACK!! — @realDonaldTrump at 8:10 a.m.: “Just returned from Europe. Trip was a great success for America. Hard work but big results!” … at 8:33 a.m.: “It is my opinion that many of the leaks coming out of the White House are fabricated lies made up by the #FakeNews media.” … at 8:34 a.m.: “Whenever you see the words ‘sources say’ in the fake news media, and they don’t mention names….” at 8:45 a.m.: “….it is very possible that those sources don’t exist but are made up by fake news writers. #FakeNews is the enemy!” … at 8:45 a.m.: “Does anyone notice how the Montana Congressional race was such a big deal to Dems & Fake News until the Republican won? V was poorly covered” … at10:43 a.m.: “British Prime Minister May was very angry that the info the U.K. gave to U.S. about Manchester was leaked. Gave me full details!”

Story Continued Below

— BY THE WAY … — Trump’s White House asks for permission to speak without attribution to reporters all the time. Also, just days ago, Trump said he wanted his administration to find the leakers. Now he’s saying that leaks “coming out of the White House” are fake. Which one is it?

— @anniekarni: “I’ve been told a factor in the lack of tweeting abroad overall was the presence of Melania Trump.” Note: Melania is supposed to move into the White House sometime next month.

**SUBSCRIBE to Playbook: http://politi.co/2lQswbh

A QUICK SUNDAY BEST — TRUMP “WIDE OPEN” ON PARIS ACCORDS — DEFENSE SECRETARY JAMES MATTIS to JOHN DICKERSON on CBS’ “FACE THE NATION” — DICKERSON: “Let me ask you about the Paris climate accords. The president is going to make a decision on those. Tell me about the national security role of climate change.” MATTIS:“You know, we’ve – we’ve obviously got a discussion going on about our policy in this regard. And I was sitting in on some of the discussions in Brussels, by the way, where climate change came up, and the president was open, he was curious about why others were in the position they were in – his counterparts in other nations – and I’m quite certain the president is wide open on this issue as he takes in the pros and cons of that accord.”

Good Sunday morning. JUST WONDERING…. Will President Trump head to his golf club in Virginia today to take in the final round of the Senior PGA Championship? We hear it’s a possibility.

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — THE PRESIDENT’S WEEK — The only items listed on the president’s schedule so far are remarks at Arlington tomorrow for Memorial Day, meetings with Rex Tillerson and Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Wednesday and a travel day Thursday (Trump recently canceled a rally in Iowa, but the travel day still remains on his schedule). Lots of free time — as of now.

INSIDE THE WEST WING — Expect more rallies to try to jumpstart Trump’s legislative agenda. Expect more loyalists in the West Wing. Expect to see an effort to woo high-profile D.C. lawyers. BUT, BUT, BUT … — The old crew — people like Corey Lewandowski — were sidelined for a reason. Nationwide rallies do not always spark legislative action. Just ask Barack Obama how his rallies worked out for his legislative agenda. And big-time D.C. scandal lawyers will probably tell Trump to do all sorts of things he doesn’t want to do, like stop tweeting whatever comes to mind, dump some advisers and normalize White House operations.

WE HEAR — That the White House has told people on Capitol Hill that Jared Kushner is willing to cooperate extensively with any investigation.

SO MUCH AWESOME PALACE INTRIGUE … WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW —

— ANNIE KARNI and JOSH DAWSEY with TARA PALMERI, “Russia scandal casts uncertainty over Kushner’s future role: Trump’s son-in-law, who’s long been above White House infighting, now has to defend his position in the West Wing”: “Internally at the White House, according to multiple sources, there is a feeling of resentment among people about Kushner’s special status as a family member, and a feeling that it’s about time for him to have a turn under the gun. There is also a sense of uncertainty about how long Kushner and Ivanka Trump – who associates say likes, but doesn’t love, Washington – are planning to stick it out. Some have noted that they rent their Kalorama mansion, which allows them to keep their options of moving back to Manhattan more open. …

“Two associates who have spoken to Kushner in recent weeks described him as ‘unhappy’ and ‘miserable,’ in part because he has not been able to make the changes he wants to under his father-in-law. Kushner, the source said, has recently seemed resigned to the fact that the internal dysfunction that has defined the first months of Trump’s administration is unlikely to pass. ‘He’s still trying to tell people it will improve but he seems like he was trying to convince himself,’ the source said.” http://politi.co/2qrU2d8

– WAPO A1, JOHN WAGNER, BOB COSTA and ASHLEY PARKER, “Trump considers major changes amid escalating Russia crisis” (print headline: “Trump may retool his staff”): “White House officials … are trying to find ways to revive Trump’s stalled policy agenda in Congress and to more broadly overhaul the way the White House communicates with the public. That includes proposals for more travel and campaign-style rallies nationwide so that Trump can speak directly to his supporters …

“[T]he beefed-up operation could include the return of some of Trump’s more combative campaign aides, including Corey Lewandowski, who was fired as campaign manager nearly a year ago, and David N. Bossie, who was deputy campaign manager and made his name in politics by investigating Bill and Hillary Clinton for two decades. Both men have been part of ongoing discussions about how to build a war room that have been led in part by chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon. …

“Other Trump players who have drifted from his orbit in recent months, such as Sam Nunberg, are also being courted to play more active roles, either officially joining the White House or in an outside capacity, working through confidants of the president. ‘Go to the mattresses,’ a line from the film ‘The Godfather’ about turning to tough mercenaries during troubled times, has circulated among Trump’s friends [The scene http://bit.ly/2qwn3nq] … Underscoring the uncertainty of what lies ahead, some Trump associates said there have been conversations about dispatching Priebus to serve as ambassador to Greece — his mother is of Greek descent — as a face-saving way to remove him from the White House. A White House spokeswoman strongly denied that possibility Saturday. …

“On Thursday, Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump and Eric’s wife, Lara Trump,participated in a two-hour meeting at the RNC headquarters in Washington. … RNC spokesman Ryan Mahoney … said the RNC is increasing its efforts to bolster Trump. … At a recent breakfast in Washington with Ruddy, Lewandowski and Alexandra Preate, a close ally of Bannon, the trio discussed whether Lewandowski and Nunberg could put aside their differences to again rally behind Trump.” http://wapo.st/2r9qnH0

— NYT A1, MAGGIE HABERMAN, GLENN THRUSH and JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS: “Trump Returns to Crisis Over Kushner as White House Tries to Contain It” (print headline: “President Faces Growing Crisis On Russia Ties”): “The White House canceled a presidential trip to Iowa in the coming days and was putting together a damage-control plan to expand the president’s legal team, reorganize his communications staff and wall off a scandal that has jeopardized his agenda and now threatens to engulf his family. Mr. Trump’s private legal team, led by his New York lawyer, Marc E. Kasowitz, was preparing to meet in Washington to face new questions about contacts between Mr. Kushner and representatives of President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia. Mr. Trump may meet with Mr. Kasowitz as early as Sunday, and aides have recruited a series of prominent Washington lawyers with experience in political investigations for Mr. Trump to interview in hopes that they might join the legal team.

“Mr. Kushner … has no plans to step down from his role as senior adviser or to reduce his duties, according to people close to him. Still, there are signs that he is tiring of the nonstop combat and the damage to his reputation. He has told friends that he and his wife, Ivanka Trump, have made no long-term commitment to remain by Mr. Trump’s side, saying they would review every six months whether to return to private life in New York. …

“The president, who has more than 30 million followers on Twitter, has been told by his lawyers to limit his posts. Each one, they argue privately, could be used as evidence in a legal case against him, and the president went through his entire overseas trip without posting a single incendiary message.

“Among those most adamant about limiting Mr. Trump’s access to the news media was Mr. Kushner, who has been critical internally of the White House press operation and has sought to marginalize Mr. Spicer, whom he views as too undisciplined to control the president’s message. Mr. Kushner has also favored creating a rapid-response team to counter reports like the ones that emerged on Friday.” http://nyti.ms/2r9pSwz

–WAPO A1, “A high-stakes gamble: How Jared Kushner reacted to previous crises,” by Michael Kranish and Jonathan O’Connell in New York. http://wapo.st/2r9j1Dy

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WHAT PEOPLE IN THE KNOW ARE SAYING — The interesting — and unpredictable — element of the Jared saga is what happens when he has to testify on Capitol Hill. He’ll be put under oath, either in a private setting or public setting, and be forced to testify about his contacts with the Russians. One slip up could land him in hot water. ALSO: As we get closer to 2018 — and midterm elections — this chaotic environment will become less tenable for Republicans.

BULLETIN from AP at 9:25 a.m.: “BROOKHAVEN, Mississippi (AP) – Police say eight people are dead, including deputy sheriff, after shooting in Mississippi; suspect in custody.”

REAX AFTER THE G7 — Via AFP/Frankfurt am Main: “Europe ‘must take its fate into its own hands’ faced with a western alliance divided by Brexit and Donald Trump’s presidency, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Sunday.

“‘The times in which we could completely depend on others are on the way out. I’ve experienced that in the last few days,’ Merkel told a crowd at an election rally in Munich, southern Germany. ‘We Europeans truly have to take our fate into our own hands,’ she added. While Germany and Europe would strive to remain on good terms with America and Britain, ‘we have to fight for our own destiny’, Merkel went on.” http://bit.ly/2rc7qWj

MORE SUNDAY BEST — CHUCK TODD speaks with DHS SECRETARY JOHN KELLY on NBC’S “MEET THE PRESS” — TODD: “Before I get to the stuff that is in your portfolio, I do want to ask about Jared Kushner, the Washington Post report, the president’s son-in-law, about this idea of setting up a backchannel communication while he was a private citizen before the president took the oath. Can you add much to this story and to what the White House has said?” KELLY: “I can’t. I know Jared. He’s a great guy, decent guy. His number one, number one interest, really, is the nation so you know there’s a lot of different ways to communicate, backchannel, publicly with other countries. I don’t see any big issue here relative to Jared. … I think any time you can open lines of communication with anyone, whether they’re good friends or not so good friends, is a smart thing to do.” …

— TODD: “Do you plan — you call — you believe it’s treason, to leak some of this stuff, you believe that’s treason?” KELLY: “I do believe it is. I believe when you leak the kind of information that seems to be routinely leaked – high, high level of classification — you are telling the –” TODD: “And what was leaked on this Manchester bombing you believe maybe even meets the treason standard?” KELLY: “I think it’s darn close to treason.”

CHRIS WALLACE also spoke with DHS SECRETARY JOHN KELLY on“FOX NEWS SUNDAY” (via Cristiano Lima) — “While not confirming reports that Kushner discussed with Russian officials how to create secret back channels of communication that escaped potential U.S. monitoring, Kelly said that any attempts to strengthen dialogue with Russia were a positive.

“‘I don’t know if it is true or not, I know it’s being reported in the press,’ Kelly said on ‘Fox News Sunday,’ before being told by anchor Chris Wallace that the network had confirmed that the discussion between Kushner and Russian officials had taken place. ‘I think that any channel of communication back or otherwise, with a country like Russia is a good thing,’ he said. ‘It doesn’t bother me.’”

— SCARY, from Mattis on CBS’s “Face the Nation”: DICKERSON: “Help people understand what a conflict with North Korea would be like and how it would be different?” MATTIS: “A conflict in North Korea, John, would be probably the worst kind of fighting in most people’s lifetimes. Why do I say this? The North Korean regime has hundreds of artillery cannons and rocket launchers within range of one of the most densely populated cities on earth, which is the capital of South Korea. We are working with the international community to deal with this issue. This regime is a threat to the region, to Japan, to South Korea. And in the event of war, they would bring danger to China and to Russia as well. But the bottom line is it would be a catastrophic war if this turns into a combat if we’re not able to resolve this situation through diplomatic means.”

MARTHA RADDATZ spoke to REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D-Calif.) on ABC’S “THIS WEEK” — Schiff on the Kushner-Russia back channel: “If these reports are accurate, right after that campaign, after that intervention, to have the president’s son-in-law, a key player within the Trump Organization trying to establish a back channel with the Russians through a Russian diplomatic facility, you have to ask, well, who are they hiding the conversations from? … I think we need to get to the bottom of these allegations. But I do think there ought to be a review of his security clearance to find out whether he was truthful, whether he was candid. If not then there’s no way he can maintain that kind of a clearance.”

DANA BASH talks to SEN. CORY BOOKER (D-N.J.) on CNN’S “STATE OF THE UNION” — BASH: “In the meantime, while there’s an investigation, should Jared Kushner’s security clearance be revoked or at least suspended?”BOOKER: “Well, again, I think we need to first get to the bottom of it. He needs to answer for what was happening at the time. It raises very serious concerns for me and that could be a potential outcome that I seek, but I want to understand, at least hear from, Jared Kushner as well as the administration about what was exactly going on there.” Flashback, 7/16/13 “Trump to host fundraiser for Booker” http://politi.co/2ruw5q3 (Ivanka and Jared bundled tens of thousands of dollars for Booker.)

THE JUICE …

— SPOTTED IN ASPEN: Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) yesterday in the hot tub at the St. Regis spa.

PHOTO DU JOUR: President Donald Trump shakes hands as he arrives to speak to U.S. military troops and their families at Naval Air Station Sigonella on May 27 in Sigonella, Italy. | Evan Vucci/AP Photo

COOL NEW FEATURE — “Inside Trump’s war on regulations: The push to block, rewrite and delay scores of Obama-era rules may be the administration’s biggest untold success,” by Andrew Restuccia and Nancy Cook with help from seven Politico Pro colleagues: “The president’s aides say the goal is ‘systemic’ change. … Trump is … setting bureaucratic wheels in motion that could eventually ax or revise hundreds of regulations as agencies reorient themselves toward unwinding red tape and granting speedier approvals to projects. … If successful, these efforts could represent the most far-reaching rollback of federal regulations since Ronald Reagan’s presidency, especially if Trump’s proposed budget cuts make it hard for a future Democratic president to reaccelerate the rule-making apparatus.” With an interactive look at the fate of regulations across industries http://politi.co/2qrQw2N

THE GRADUATION CIRCUIT — “Defense Secretary Mattis at West Point graduation: ‘We Americans are not made of cotton candy’” – AP via Army Times: “He spoke on a sun-drenched day at the military academy’s football stadium in New York’s Hudson Valley, but spoke of ‘storm clouds gathering’ around the world. ‘Our enemies are watching,’ he said. ‘By your commitment, you will prove the enemy wrong. Dead wrong.’ He drew loud cheers when he added: ‘We Americans are not made of cotton candy.’” http://bit.ly/2rL8gKa

BOMBSHELL — “New accuser sues Dennis Hastert, alleging sexual abuse,”by the Chicago Tribune’s Marwa Eltagouri: “Less than three months before Dennis Hastert’s scheduled release from prison, a new accuser has come forward with allegations saying he was sodomized by Hastert decades ago, according to a lawsuit filed in Kendall County on Friday. …

“The new accuser, referred to in the lawsuit as Illinois resident ‘Richard Doe,’ is seeking $50,000 in damages from Hastert and Yorkville Community Unit School District 115 for charges including battery, negligent infliction of emotional distress and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

“The accuser said that during the spring or summer of 1973 or 1974, he stopped by the Game Farm Building, now the Yorkville High School parking lot, to use the bathroom after riding his bike along Game Farm Road. He was 9 or 10 at the time, in fourth grade, the lawsuit alleges. The accuser entered the bathroom and, while sitting on the toilet in a stall, heard a male voice mutter something outside the stall door, according to the lawsuit. The stall door opened, and he alleges he was sodomized.” http://trib.in/2r9tsXK

REMEMBERING JIM BUNNING – David Cohen: “Jim Bunning, the only person ever elected both to the U.S. Senate and the Baseball Hall of Fame, died late Friday. He was 85 and, according to his family, died of complications from a stroke suffered last year. Bunning, a blunt, conservative Republican who spent a combined 24 years representing Kentucky in the House and Senate, weathered several close elections to earn his place in both institutions. Sometimes, his two professions seemed to go together perfectly.

“‘I have been booed by 60,000 fans at Yankee Stadium standing alone at the pitcher’s mound, so I have never really cared if I stood alone here in Congress as long as I stood by my beliefs and my values,’ he said in his farewell Senate speech in December 2010. ‘I have also thought that being able to throw a curve ball never was a bad skill for a politician to have.’” http://politi.co/2qw7rQW

— FLASHBACK, per C-SPAN: The moment on March 5, 1996, when then-Rep. Henry Hyde (R-Ill.) informed the House that their colleague Jim Bunning got into the Baseball Hall of Fame and gave him a standing ovation: http://cs.pn/2qoU2Pi (h/t Howard Mortman)

REMEMBERING GREGG ALLMAN — Atlanta Journal Constitution’s Melissa Ruggieri: “A seminal voice of Southern rock is gone. Gregg Allman, leader of The Allman Brothers Band, died Saturday at his home in Savannah from complications due to liver cancer. He was 69.

“‘It’s a sad passing,’ said Peter Conlon, president of Live Nation Atlanta, who knew and worked with Allman for decades. ‘It’s not only the end of Gregg Allman, but between him and Butch (Trucks) gone, the end of The Allman Brothers.’” http://on-ajc.com/2rL7tca … Some essential contemporary Allman Bros videos (compiled by Jake): http://bit.ly/2rLvlwd … http://bit.ly/2r9XR8g… http://bit.ly/2rbXxaU

****** A message from the Coalition for Affordable Prescription Drugs (CAPD): As list prices for brand drugs continue to rise, employers are partnering with PBMs to keep drug costs under control. In fact, every dollar an employer invests in a PBM service returns six dollars in savings. Learn more at www.affordableprescriptiondrugs.org. ******

OBAMA ABROAD — “Close Personal Friends Prince Harry and Barack Obama Hung Out at Kensington Palace: The visit comes a little over a year since the Obamas’ last visit” — Vanity Fair: http://bit.ly/2rL8MrP … @David_Cameron: “Great to catch up with my good friend @BarackObama today.” Pic http://bit.ly/2r95An6

BONUS GREAT HOLIDAY WEEKEND READS, curated by Daniel Lippman:

–“Writer Evan Ratliff Tried to Vanish: Here’s What Happened” – November 2009 in Wired: “The premise is simple: I will try to vanish for a month and start over under a new identity. … Wired offered a $5,000 bounty — $3,000 of which would come out of my own pocket — to anyone who could locate me between August 15 and September 15, say the password ‘fluke,’ and take my picture.” http://bit.ly/2r8yiX0

–“The Advantage Of Being A Little Underemployed,” by Morgan Housel in Collaborative Fund: “Tell your boss you found a trick that will make you more creative and productive, and they ask what you’re waiting for. Tell them that your trick is taking a 90-minute walk in the middle of the day, and the answer will be no, you need to work. Another way to put this is that a lot of workers have thought jobs, without much time to think.” http://bit.ly/2r4ZiEV

–“How a Small Town Is Standing Up to Fracking,” by Justin Nobel in Rolling Stone: “Grant Township, Pennsylvania, population 741, has became the front line of a radical new environmental movement – and they’re not backing down.”http://rol.st/2qrKkXF

–“The ACLU’s Radical Plan to Fight Jeff Sessions,” by Ben Wofford in Politico Magazine: “I went canvassing with ex-convicts that are trying to make their case for criminal justice reform.” http://politi.co/2r4NT86

–“Andy Slavitt can’t stop: How a health care wonk became a rabble-rouser,”by Stat’s Eric Boodman: “From 2015 to early 2017, he had been the head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the government agency that administers President Obama’s Affordable Care Act and that provides health insurance for children, the elderly, the disabled, those on low incomes. … [Now he] has become one of the strongest voices in the fight against the dismantling of the Affordable Care Act.” http://bit.ly/2r1jx7W

–“U.S. Veterans Use Greek Tragedy to Tell Us About War,” by NYT’s Bruce Headlam: “The ancient Greeks didn’t go to the theater just to be entertained. Aristotle believed that audiences saw themselves reflected in tragic characters and that the very act of watching a character’s downfall helped purge them of emotions like pity and fear, a process he called catharsis or, roughly, ‘purification.’ More than 2,500 years later, a young classics major named Bryan Doerries … [started] a project he calls Theater of War, which has now staged more than 400 performances [of Sophocles] for veterans across the country.” http://nyti.ms/2rLeE46

–“Playing the Shell Game in the Mediterranean”: “Malta poses as a model member of the European Union, but it makes its living off of large European companies seeking to avoid higher tax rates back home. Der Spiegel went to the island nation to investigate, and found a lot of empty offices and empty words.” http://bit.ly/2r4VIKZ (h/t TheBrowser.com)

–“Kafka in Vegas,” by ProPublica’s Megan Rose, also published in Vanity Fair: “Fred Steese served more than 20 years in prison for the murder of a Vegas showman even though evidence in the prosecution’s files proved he didn’t do it. But when the truth came to light, he was offered a confounding deal known as an Alford plea. If he took it he could go free, but he’d remain a convicted killer.” http://bit.ly/2rYUaC6

–“Norman Lear: The Comedy Godfather of Television,” by Michael Paterniti in GQ: “Before TV was a thing (and before it was prefaced by words like ‘premium’ and ‘peak’), Norman Lear had been pushing the boundaries of the small screen for decades. The revolutionary writer and producer who tapped into the hot-to-the-touch culture wars of the ’70s with shows like All in the Family, The Jeffersons, and Sanford and Son, is back now, at 94 years young, and may just be the only one out there capable of explaining our times to us.” http://bit.ly/2rpFsag (h/t Longform.org)

–“There Aren’t Enough Slaughterhouses to Support the Farm-to-Table Economy,” by Deena Shanker in Bloomberg Businessweek: “Sellers of high-end pork, beef, and chicken agree: there simply aren’t enough facilities to humanely and safely kill their animals.” https://bloom.bg/2r6gWdd (h/t Longreads.com)

–“Dress Up: What We Lost in the Casual Revolution,” by G. Bruce Boyer in First Things – per ALDaily.com’s description: “It used to be simple: dark suit, white shirt, discreet tie, black oxfords. Then came ‘casual Fridays’ — and all we lost by dressing down…” http://bit.ly/2rHytta

–“Crushing on Crushers,” by Theodore Dalrymple in City Journal: “Why do intellectuals fall in love with dictators and totalitarians?” http://bit.ly/2rpIj35

–“For 40 Years, This Russian Family Was Cut Off From All Human Contact, Unaware of World War II,” by Mike Dash in Smithsonian Magazine: “In 1978, Soviet geologists prospecting in the wilds of Siberia discovered a family of six, lost in the taiga.” http://bit.ly/2rzCk8F

–“The Poisoned Generation,” by Vann R. Newkirk II in The Atlantic: “When the blood came back, [Casey] Billieson found out that both of her children were poisoned and likely had been for years. She called the lawyer who’d left his card with her. That phone call began a legal war of attrition that spanned more than two decades, three presidents, and one of the most devastating natural disasters in American history.” http://theatln.tc/2rYUsce

SPOTTED: Mika and Joe yesterday going for a run in Georgetown, on 33rd and N streets … John King yesterday at Nats Park on Star Wars day as the Nats beat the San Diego Padres, 3-0.

WEEKEND WEDDINGS – ANDREW KACZYNSKI, reporter at CNN’s KFile and a BuzzFeed alum, on Friday married RACHEL LOUISE ENSIGN, a banking reporter at the Wall Street Journal. Pool report: “It was decidedly non-scene! Lots of family and old friends … [celebrating a] wonderful evening at Prospect Park boathouse. The bride and groom were married by the groom’s older brother, Steve. There was a reading of a passage from ‘All the King’s Men’ and a reading of the poem ‘Ithaka.’ A live band played throughout the evening. … They met in intern group housing in D.C.” in 2010. Wedding pics by Jocelyn Voo of Everly Studios http://bit.ly/2rLkv9x … http://bit.ly/2qs2IAc … http://bit.ly/2rbVjIA … Pic of the KFile crew http://bit.ly/2qpq25O SPOTTED: Nathan McDermott, Christopher Massie, Kyle Blaine, Matt Dornic, McKay Coppins, Miriam Gottfried, Lindsay Gellman

OBAMA ALUMNI — “Eleanor Blume, Samuel Houshower” — N.Y. Times: “The bride and groom both received law degrees from the University of California, Berkeley, where they met. Ms. Blume, 31, is a special assistant attorney general in California, working on the executive team in San Francisco. She graduated from Wellesley College. … Mr. Houshower, 36, is a legal consultant in San Francisco for nonprofit organizations. From 2010 to 2016, he was an associate counsel to President Barack Obama. He graduated with an associate degree from Deep Springs College in California and with a bachelor’s degree from Harvard.” With pic http://nyti.ms/2sa1IS3

HILLARY ALUMNI — “Diana Padilla, Eduardo Cisneros”: “Mrs. Cisneros, 32, is the press secretary for Representative Raúl M. Grijalva, Democrat of Arizona. She graduated from California State University, Fullerton, and received a master’s degree in business management from EADA Business School in Barcelona, Spain. … Mr. Cisneros, 33, is a health care program coordinator for the Service Employees International Union in Washington. During the 2016 presidential campaign, he served as a national regional political director for Hillary for America in Brooklyn. He graduated from California State University, Long Beach, and received a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Chicago. … The couple met in 2013 at an inaugural ball given by the California Democratic Party in Washington.” http://nyti.ms/2qw063y

— “Coral Davenport, David Higgins”: “Ms. Davenport, 41, is a correspondent for The New York Times, covering energy and climate change policy from the newspaper’s Washington bureau. She graduated from Smith College. … The bride is the great-great-great maternal granddaughter of Matthew Fontaine Maury, the astronomer, meteorologist and oceanographer who is known as the Pathfinder of the Seas. Mr. Higgins, 39, is an intelligence analyst at the Energy Department in Washington, where he focuses on foreign nuclear weapons programs. He graduated magna cum laude from James Madison University and received a master’s degree in international affairs from Georgetown. … The couple met in 2005 at a party in Washington at a house from which Mr. Higgins had just moved out and which Ms. Davenport was about to move in. He helped her move in, carrying her boxes and assembling her Ikea furniture.” With pic http://nyti.ms/2qw0Wxp

–“Johanna Barr, Joseph Pikowski”: “The bride, 29, is a staff editor at The New York Times. She graduated cum laude from Skidmore College and received a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia. … The groom, 28, is a technical solutions manager in Manhattan at Criteo, a global advertising technology company, where he oversees clients’ digital advertising campaigns. He graduated cum laude from Tufts. … The couple met in 2008 during a study abroad program at the British American Drama Academy in London.” With pic http://nyti.ms/2ru6mxP

–“Allison Bernstein, Andrew Garin”: “The couple both graduated from Brown, magna cum laude. They met in 2005 as high school seniors while waiting for a flight to an event for prospective Brown students. The bride, 30, works in Providence, R.I., as the deputy communications director for Gov. Gina M. Raimondo. … The groom, 29, studies labor and public economics as a doctoral candidate at Harvard. … The groom’s father [Geoff Garin] is the president of Hart Research Associates, a strategic public opinion firm in Washington.” With pic http://nyti.ms/2r1fKaI

–“Alexandra Kennedy, Peter Haviland-Eduah”: “The bride, 29, works in Baltimore at Under Armour, the footwear and apparel company, where she is the chief of staff to the chief information officer and executive vice president for global operations. She graduated from Princeton. … The groom, 29, is a senior consultant in the Arlington, Va., office of Deloitte, the professional services firm; he works on projects contracted by the federal government. He is a former aide to Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Democrat of New York. He graduated from Union College and received a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Michigan.” With pic http://nyti.ms/2rLmeM1

–Christopher Carofine, an SEC communications aide and a Hill GOP alum, on Saturday married Katherine Clubb, a teacher in Fairfax. The couple met in 2014 and Chris proposed on the banks of the Potomac in Old Town, one of their favorite spots and where they hold court most weekends. Their wedding was at Fort Belvoir Officers’ Club in Virginia. Pics http://bit.ly/2qvRPN8 … http://bit.ly/2qp3VfV

TRANSITIONS — Sam Frizell, who covered the 2016 campaign and was on the Hill for Time Magazine, has left the magazine and is headed to law school at Yale. … Vicki Ballagh, formerly a director at the Incite Agency, is joining Airbnb as the communications manager for the office of trust and risk management, an office led by Nick Shapiro, the global head of the office who is the former CIA deputy chief of staff. … John Weber has joined EMILY’s List as comms assistant. He formerly was a press intern for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.

DEBORAH SPRIGGS, who spent “40 years, 1 month and 19 days” working for the House is retiring. “It has been an extraordinarily rewarding experience I will never forget. I have been so fortunate to have worked for so many great Members of Congress including the first female Speaker of the House and to work with so many talented and dedicated professional staff. It has truly been a privilege, working in a Member’s personal office, two exclusive Committees (Rules & Appropriations), Leadership and becoming Deputy Clerk; I could not have asked for a better career path.”

BIRTHDAYS: Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) is 46 … Katharine Weymouth, former Washington Post publisher and CEO … Rudy Giuliani is 74 … Pelosi alum Diane Dewhirst … Andy Stone, policy comms. manager at Facebook … Elisabeth Hasselbeck is 4-0 … BBC’s Tim Willcox is 54 … Dan Janison of Newsday … WSJ editor Carrie Melago … Ry Triplette of Franklin Square Group … Uber’s Josh Gold … former Rep. Aaron Schock (R-Ill.) is 36 … Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) is 68 … Rep. Mark Sanford (R-S.C.) and former Rep. Scott Rigell (R-Va.) are both 57 … former Rep. Tom Petri (R-Wis.) is 77 … Lauren Mandelker … Graham Miller … Natalie Yezbick, press assistant for Sen. John Cornyn – her office celebrated with cake on Friday … Isabella Moschen … Politico’s Joseph Kennedy … Giulia Melucci, VP of PR at Harper’s … Coleen Jose … Tamara Draut, VP of policy and research for Demos and author of “Sleeping Giant” (hat tip: Kelley McCormick) … Jonathan Jones is 51 (h/t Pete Madigan) …

… Jessica Anderson, associate director at OMB, is 3-0, celebrating by having their budget out the door (hubby tip: Brandt Anderson, a great Chinook pilot) … Adam Collins, comms director for Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who celebrated by seeing the Cleveland Indians play the Kansas City Royals yesterday (pic http://bit.ly/2rL16pk), is 35 … Christopher Downing … Alan Khazei is 56 (h/ts Teresa Vilmain) … Julie Hershey Carr, a principal at Kountoupes Denham (h/t David Peluso) … David Lobl … Matthew Pritzker is 35 … Adam Daniel Pearl, son of Daniel Pearl, is 15 (h/ts Jewish Insider) … Jim Snyder … Andrea Wuebker … Texas Tribune editor in chief Emily Ramshaw … Jon Black … Harry Weinstein … Marty Kramer … Joe Paulsen … Ryan Graham … Christy Harvey Felling … Omid Memarian … Adelle Nazarian, politics and national security reporter at Breitbart and a Fox News alum … Tim Dowling is 32 … Ron Jacobi of Bryan Cave … Peter Cobus … Robert Walter Harleston is 58 … Carey Mulligan is 32 (h/t AP)

****** A message from the Coalition for Affordable Prescription Drugs (CAPD): One in two Americans rely on their employers to provide health care benefits. So, employers partner with PBMs to provide access to effective medications at the most affordable price. PBMs drive savings in part by using clinical expertise to identify generic alternatives that achieve the same health outcomes for a lower price. With generics accounting for 89 percent of prescriptions filled in 2015, but only 27 percent of drug costs, that represents a savings of $227 billion across the U.S. health care system in just one year. Learn more at www.affordableprescriptiondrugs.org. ******

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michaeljtraylor · 6 years ago

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The GOP’s tax refund nightmare

The GOP’s tax refund nightmare — It might not be fair given most people got a net tax cut. But the reality is that shrinking tax refunds are becoming a big headache for the GOP whose tax bill was already unpopular. Take just a few local headlines from recent days across the country:

Story Continued Below

Spokane Spokesman Review: “Your federal tax refund only a pittance? You’re not alone. Here’s why.” … Charleston Post and Courier: “Yes, you may get a smaller federal income tax refund, or have a tax bill to pay” … Detroit Free Press: “Smaller tax refunds mean some won’t catch up on bills” … News Center Maine: “Tax refunds tank travel plans for some” … The Lima (Ohio) News: “Smaller refunds surprise early tax filers”

WALL STREET AND 2020 DEMS — One of Wall Street’s biggest nightmare candidates, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), officially jumped in the Democratic race on Monday and immediately shot to the top tier, second in many polls to Joe Biden. Sanders will base his campaign in part on his plan to break up the nation’s largest banks including J.P. Morgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, Citigroup, Wells Fargo and Morgan Stanley.

WHAT ABOUT SHERROD? — As we’ve reported, Wall Street would strongly prefer Biden or perhaps Kamala Harris, Cory Booker, Amy Klobuchar or Beto O’Rourke. But our Zachary Warmbrodt and Daniel Strauss report this morning that bankers may also be okay with Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), who is “viewed by many in the industry as a reasonable alternative.”

GOOD WEDNEDAY MORNING — Hope DC survives the … 3 inches of snow? Email me on [email protected] and follow me on Twitter @morningmoneyben. Email Aubree Eliza Weaver on [email protected] and follow her on @AubreeEWeaver.

THIS MORNING ON POLITICO PRO FINANCIAL SERVICES — Patrick Temple-West on the SEC’s proposed rule that would offer help for big startups seeking IPOs. To get Morning Money every day before 6 a.m., please contact Pro Services at (703) 341-4600 or [email protected].

The U.S. and China resume lower level trade talks in DC ahead of higher-level meetings starting Thursday aimed at getting to a point where Trump can extend the March 1 deadline for a deal … President Trump hosts Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz at the White House … FOMC minutes at 2:00 p.m.

TRUMP TALKS DOWN MARCH 1 DEADLINE — As we’ve been reporting for a while, Trump appears inclined to keep the China talks going and not ratchet up tariffs on March 2. Here’s what he told reporters on Tuesday: “The real question will be: will we raise the tariffs? I know that China would like not for that to happen. So I think they are trying to move fast so that doesn’t happen. But we’ll see what happens. I can’t tell you exactly about timing, but the date is not a magical date. A lot of things can happen.”

This may make it harder for USTR Robert Lighthizer to use the deadline as leverage. But it’s a pretty clear window into Trump’s thinking.

The 2020 Election. The New Congress. The Mueller Investigation … Keep up with POLITICO Playbook. Be in the Know. Sign up today here.

MORE ON BROWN from Zach and Daniel: “The Ohio senator has called for breaking up the big banks and has even fought against Democratic colleagues who supported financial deregulation. But according to bank representatives, Wall Street watchdogs and others who have worked closely with him in Congress, Brown has also earned a reputation as someone open to dialogue with the industry in his role as the top Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee.”

BERNIE GETS IN — Our Holly Otterbein: “[N]early four years after he kicked off his 2016 campaign at a 10-minute press conference outside the Capitol, this time will be a lot different. He starts as a frontrunner in the polls, armed with near-universal name ID, a massive email donor list, and a digital media empire that is currently unparalleled among other 2020 candidates. His left-wing policies, dismissed as fringe in 2016, have been embraced by much of the Democratic Party.” Read more.

Via WP’s @daveweigel: “Sanders campaign says it’s raised $1 million since its launch three and a half hours ago. Donations from all 50 states.” … By day’s end that figure was up to $4 million. … Sanders will also get the CNN town hall treatment next Monday night.

WARREN: TAX MILLIONAIRES TO FUND CHILD CARE — Our Kimberly Hefling: “Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren … rolled out a plan that would tax millionaires to fund free child care for millions of low-income children and affordable care for others. … Warren said the proposal would be paid for by an ‘ultra-millionaire tax; that would apply to families with a net worth of more than $50 million.

“‘Experts project that the Ultra-Millionaire Tax will generate $2.75 trillion in new government revenue over the next ten years,’ she wrote. ‘That’s about four times more than the entire cost of my Universal Child Care and Early Learning plan.’”

STOCKS BOUNCE BACK AFTER WOBBLY START — AP’s Alex Veiga: “Stocks shook off an early wobble on Wall Street Tuesday, finishing modestly higher and extending the market’s gains into a fourth week. Solid earnings from Walmart encouraged investors to bid up other retailers and consumer goods companies.” Read more.

TOO BULLISH ON RATES? — WSJ’s Akane Otani: “Stocks and bonds are rising on bets that the Federal Reserve has ended its nearly four-year campaign of interest-rate increases, worrying investors who believe the central bank could upend those expectations later this year.”” Read more.

WILBUR ROSS IN MORE HOT WATER — Our Patrick Temple-West: “The head of the Office of Government Ethics has refused to approve Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross’s 2018 financial disclosure report, citing an inaccuracy concerning the former investing mogul’s holdings of BankUnited stock.

“The action is the latest blow for Ross, who has repeatedly drawn scrutiny over his personal finances since he was nominated for the Commerce job. He is scheduled to testify next month before a House committee. … In a statement on Tuesday, Ross said he held 100 BankUnited shares totaling about $3,700, ‘an amount that federal regulations deem de minimis and below the threshold of a possible conflict of interest.’” Read more.

OCC HIT OVER ETHICS RULE — Our Victoria Guida: “For a decade and a half, a top bank regulator failed to properly enforce an ethics rule prohibiting federal officials from having a financial interest in the industries they regulate, a key government watchdog told the White House and Congress

“The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, which supervises national banks, ‘engaged in a serious ethical lapse spanning 15 years by failing to implement any’ oversight under the rule between 1996 and 2011, according to the Office of Special Counsel, which handles claims from government whistleblowers.” Read more.

SOC GEN PRESSURED — Our Zachary Warmbrodt: “Louisiana Sens. Bill Cassidy and John Kennedy are calling on French bank Société Générale to release millions of dollars to victims of the Allen Stanford Ponzi scheme, 10 years after the massive financial fraud was first revealed.” Read more.

SEC LOOKS AT ‘TESTING WATERS’ BEFORE PUBLIC OFFERINGS — Reuters’ Katanga Johnson: “The [SEC] proposed … to expand a rule that allows companies to sound prospective investors out privately before going public. The move forms part of a broader push by SEC chairman Jay Clayton to make it easier for companies to go public by relaxing rules, amid worries that a 50 percent decline in U.S. listings over the past two decades is hurting investors.” Read more.

YELLEN CAUTIOUS ON YUAN — Bloomberg’s Randy Woods: “Former Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen signaled it may be harder than U.S. trade negotiators think to prevent China from manipulating its currency. That’s because some of the tools central bankers use to stabilize their economies also end up weakening their exchange rates. As a result, it may be difficult for negotiators to define what is currency manipulation as opposed to benign monetary policy.” Read more.

HOUSING PROBABLY CAN’T CAUSE A RECESSION — NYT’s Conor Dougherty: “The United States has had 11 recessions since the end of World War II. All but two were preceded by a big decline in the housing market. Inside that bit of trivia lie some fundamental insights into housing’s outsize role in the business cycle, along with clues to suggest that the economy is on firmer footing than the increasingly pessimistic forecasts make it seem. The gist is this: The United States may or may not enter a recession this year, but if it does, housing is unlikely to be the cause, because it never really recovered in the first place.” Read more.

FED’S WILLIAMS CALLS FOR NEW ECONOMIC OUTLOOK — Reuters’ Howard Schneider, Jonathan Spicer and Trevor Hunnicutt: “New York Fed President John Williams on Tuesday said he was comfortable with the level U.S. interest rates are at now and that he sees no need to raise them again unless economic growth or inflation shifts to an unexpectedly higher gear.”” Read more.

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