“The White House has signaled to congressional Republicans that it will not shut down the government in October if money isn’t appropriated to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, potentially clearing a path for lawmakers to reach a short-term budget deal,” the Washington Post reports.
Quote of the Day
“Everyone takes money in this town; everyone fights someone here. They’re just like me; like mercenaries. I spend other people’s money here to achieve other people’s goals.”
— Rinat Akhmetshin, quoted by the Financial Times, explaining his attendance at a controversial meeting at Trump Tower in June 2016 with Donald Trump Jr, Jared Kushner, Paul Manafort and a Russian lawyer.
Ryan Asks Trump to Hold Off on Scrapping DACA
Speaker Paul Ryan “gave a major boost to legislative efforts to preserve protections for young undocumented immigrants — and urged President Trump to not tear up the program,” CNN reports.
“The popular Obama administration program — which gives protections from deportation to undocumented immigrants that were brought to the US as children to work or study — has long been targeted by Republicans as an overreach of executive authority. Nevertheless, a number of moderate Republicans alongside Democrats support the program and have offered legislation that would make the protections permanent.”
Hurricane Harvey Shifts Political Calculus for Fall Agenda
New York Times: “Gone are the confrontational talk of a government shutdown and the brinkmanship over the debt limit. Instead, both Mr. Trump and his putative allies in Congress — many of them professed fiscal hawks — are promising an outpouring of federal aid to begin a recovery and rebuilding effort that will last for years and require tens of billions of dollars, if not substantially more, from Washington.”
“The storm has utterly transformed the federal fiscal picture.”
Cohn and Mnuchin Differ on Tax Reform Progress
“The Trump administration is sending mixed signals on how far along negotiators are on a tax reform plan,” Politico reports.
“National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn said on CNBC Friday that only outlines have been set so far. That seemed to contradict Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who told CNBC Thursday “we have a very detailed plan” that would come out later in September.”
Trump Attorneys Lay Out Arguments to Mueller
“Lawyers for Donald Trump have met several times with special counsel Robert Mueller in recent months and submitted memos arguing that the president didn’t obstruct justice by firing former FBI chief James Comey,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“One memo submitted to Mr. Mueller by the president’s legal team laid out the case that Mr. Trump has the inherent authority under the constitution to hire and fire as he sees fit and therefore didn’t obstruct justice when he fired James Comey as director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Another memo outlined why Mr. Comey would make an unsuitable witness, calling him prone to exaggeration, unreliable in congressional testimony and the source of leaks to the news media.”
The Invisible Primary Begins
Mike Allen: “A quiet but consequential battle for staff and cash has begun among ambitious Democrats with their eyes on the 2020 presidential race. The party is likely to start with a bigger field — perhaps much bigger — than the unwieldy Republican batch that produced Donald Trump as the nominee.”
“Our conversations with well-wired Democrats produced a list of three dozen names that range from possible to plausible to probable. Other potential candidates seem certain to emerge, based on who looks strong after the 2018 midterms.”
“Several have begun to actively talk to potential staff members, and a few more have put out feelers, according to Democrats familiar with the conversations.”
World In No Rush to Help Trump
Politico: “As soon as Hurricane Harvey hit, Mexico — a country described by President Trump as a source of rapists and drugs — stepped up to offer boats, food and other aid to the United States. Another offer of help came from Venezuela, a country in severe political and economic crisis that has been repeatedly sanctioned by the Trump administration; it said it could give $5 million in aid. The European Union has proudly noted that it is sharing its satellite mapping with U.S. emergency responders dealing the Harvey’s devastation. This despite Trump’s chastisement of European countries he views as overly dependent on the U.S. military. Then there’s tiny Taiwan, which has reportedly offered $800,000 in aid — a number likely calculated to annoy China as much as to curry favor with Trump.”
“But compared to past crises, the list of foreign governments lining up to help the United States this time is relatively short for the time being. And the few countries that have raised their hand may get more out of it – politically, at least – than the U.S. The relative dearth of global goodwill, some analysts say, may stem from anger at Trump over his ‘America First’ approach to the world, which has irked even staunch U.S. allies.”
Kushner Raises Money for Meadows
Playbook: “Jared Kushner quietly escaped to North Carolina last night to raise money at a private fundraiser for Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC), the chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, according to multiple sources familiar with the event. Meadows and Kushner have discussed Israel — part of Kushner’s portfolio, and a key issue for Meadows — and paid leave, which faces long odds in the Republican Congress. Kushner went in a private capacity.”
“Why does this matter? Easy. Meadows has been a thorn in the side of Republican leaders for years, and is now one of the most powerful men in the Capitol. He has been a key ally of President Donald Trump’s — and an intermediary between conservatives in the House and the White House. Kushner traveling to North Carolina ahead of the long weekend shows the nature of the relationship between Meadows and members of the Trump administration.”
The Bernie Handbook
Just published: Bernie Sanders Guide to Political Revolution.
Kenya Election Result Thrown Out
The Kenyan Supreme Court “nullified the re-election last month of President Uhuru Kenyatta, ordering a new vote to be held within 60 days, in a stunning decision that said the election had been tainted by irregularities,” the New York Times reports.
Garcetti Won’t Rule Out Bid for Senate or Governor
“Eric Garcetti started the week toying with a 2020 presidential run on a trip to New Hampshire, but the Los Angeles mayor is still keeping his options open for a 2018 run closer to home,” Politico reports.
“That includes next year’s open governor’s race, and possibly a Senate race, should Sen. Dianne Feinstein decide not to seek a fifth term.”
Mnuchin Won’t Commit to Harriet Tubman on $20 Bill
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told CNBC he would not commit to his predecessor’s pledge to remove President Andrew Jackson from the twenty-dollar bill and replace him with Harriet Tubman.
Said Mnuchin: “People have been on the bills for a long period of time. This is something we’ll consider; right now we have a lot more important issues to focus on.”
Mueller Enlists IRS for Trump-Russia Investigation
Daily Beast: “Special counsel Bob Mueller has teamed up with the IRS. According to sources familiar with his investigation into alleged Russian election interference, his probe has enlisted the help of agents from the IRS’ Criminal Investigations unit.”
“This unit—known as CI—is one of the federal government’s most tight-knit, specialized, and secretive investigative entities. Its 2,500 agents focus exclusively on financial crime, including tax evasion and money laundering. A former colleague of Mueller’s said he always liked working with IRS’ special agents, especially when he was a U.S. Attorney.”
“And it goes without saying that the IRS has access to Trump’s tax returns—documents that the president has long resisted releasing to the public.”
Trump Bypasses Kelly By Calling Bannon and Others
Washington Post: “Friends used to be able to call the White House and be patched directly through to Trump; now those calls are routed through Kelly and do not always make it to the president. Friends used to drop by the West Wing when they had time to kill, wandering to the Oval Office to say hello; now they must have an official appointment — and a clear reason — to visit.”
“But Trump sometimes defies — and even resents — the new structure. He has been especially sensitive to the way Kelly’s rigid structure is portrayed in the media and strives to disabuse people of the notion that he is being managed. The president continues to call business friends and outside advisers, including former chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon, from his personal phone when Kelly is not around, said people with knowledge of the calls.”
Trump Pledges $1 Million for Hurricane Relief
Washington Post: “Speaking to reporters in the White House briefing room, Sanders was asked whether Trump’s pledged money would come from his personal finances or another source, such as a private charitable foundation he founded or his real estate company.”
Said Sanders: “I know that the president, he said he was personally going to give. I don’t know the legal part of exactly that, but he said his personal money.”
Clarke Quits In Advance of Taking Job with Trump
David Clarke, the controversial outgoing sheriff of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, is expected to take a job in the Trump administration, Politico reports.
“Clarke resigned as sheriff on Thursday. A regular presence on Fox News, Clarke has become a well-known figure in conservative circles in recent years… But he has come under fierce criticism amid a series of deaths in the Milwaukee County prison, including that of Terrill Thomas, who died of dehydration last year after guards turned off the water in his cell.”
Trump Slashes Obamacare’s Ad Budget
“The Trump administration plans to deeply cut Obamacare outreach and advertising,” Vox reports.
“They will reduce Obamacare advertising spending 90%, from the $100 million that the Obama administration spent last year to $10 million this year, and cut the budget for the in-person enrollment program by 41%.”
“Taken together, this represents a 72% cut to efforts to enroll eligible Americans into health law programs.”
