General
Why Markets Aren’t Sweating the U.S.-China Trade War Much: The ‘Trump Put’
Neil Irwin, The New York Times
The real question is not why the stock market is down this week. It is why it is down so little.
Subpoena fight over Fast and Furious documents finally settled
Josh Gerstein, Politico
A settlement in a seven-year-long legal battle between the House and the Justice Department over records related to a gun-running investigation known as Operation Fast and Furious was publicly announced Tuesday just as similar clashes continue to intensify between the House and the Trump administration. The deal ends a civil suit the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee filed in 2012 following the House’s historic vote to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt for refusing to release some records the panel demanded about the probe, during which law enforcement officials monitored but did not intervene as up to 2000 weapons were illegally sold.
White House & Administration
Why China Decided to Play Hardball in Trade Talks
Lingling Wei and Bob Davis, The Wall Street Journal
The new hard line taken by China in trade talks—surprising the White House and threatening to derail negotiations—came after Beijing interpreted recent statements and actions by President Trump as a sign the U.S. was ready to make concessions, said people familiar with the thinking of the Chinese side. High-level negotiations are scheduled to resume Thursday in Washington, but the expectations and the stakes have changed significantly.
Trump jokes after rally attendee’s suggestion to ‘shoot’ migrants at the border
Jeremy Diamond, CNN
President Donald Trump made a joke Wednesday night when someone in the audience at his campaign rally suggested migrants crossing into the United States should be shot. Trump outlined his concerns about the US-Mexico border, making the case for his long-sought border wall: “When you have 15,000 people marching up, and you have hundreds and hundreds of people, and you have two or three border security people that are brave and great.
McMaster blasts former colleagues as ‘danger to the Constitution’
Wesley Morgan, Politico
Former national security adviser H.R. McMaster accused some of his former White House colleagues on Wednesday of being “a danger to the Constitution” because they are either trying to manipulate President Donald Trump to push their own agenda or see themselves as rescuing the country from what they view as the commander in chief’s bad policy choices. The retired Army lieutenant general, who served as a top Trump aide between February 2017 and April 2018, cast himself among the group who sought to provide unvarnished policy options to the president.
Trump Bans Trade in Iranian Metals, Ratcheting Up Tensions
Joe Deaux and Margaret Talev, Bloomberg
President Donald Trump issued an executive order on Wednesday prohibiting the purchase of Iranian iron, steel, aluminum and copper, ratcheting up tensions with the Islamic Republic less than a day after it declared it may begin enriching uranium again in two months. Trump said in his order that the prohibition on trading in the Iranian metals — the country is the world’s 18th largest steel exporter — is aimed at preventing Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon or intercontinental ballistic missiles.
Senate
Donald Trump Jr. Is Subpoenaed to Testify to Senate Panel on Russia Contacts
Mark Mazzetti and Maggie Haberman, The New York Times
The Senate Intelligence Committee has subpoenaed Donald Trump Jr., the president’s eldest son, who met with Russians in June 2016 after being promised political dirt about Hillary Clinton, according to people familiar with the committee’s decision. The younger Mr. Trump is the first of President Trump’s children to be subpoenaed in the continuing congressional investigations into Russia’s 2016 election interference, and the move by the Republican-led committee is a sign that some members of the president’s party are not aligned with his desire for a swift end to all of the Russia inquiries.
Senate GOP grows frustrated with Trump chief of staff
Alexander Bolton, The Hill
Senate Republicans are growing increasingly frustrated with acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney. GOP senators see the former House lawmaker as an obstacle to striking deals on spending, including a stalled disaster relief package.
Shelby push for harbor money adds to disaster aid impasse
Marianne Levine and Caitlin Emma, Politico
A parochial push from Senate Appropriations Chairman Richard Shelby is one of several factors complicating already-stalled negotiations on a disaster relief package. Shelby is pressing for language in the disaster aid bill that would free up more money for harbor maintenance funds — something that would be a boon to harbors and ports in his home state of Alabama.
House
Barr Contempt Fight Enters New Phase as Trump Defies Democrats
Steven T. Dennis and Andrew M Harris, Bloomberg
The House Judiciary panel’s vote to hold Attorney General William Barr in contempt sets off a potentially long and uncertain process for Democrats trying to obtain more information on Robert Mueller’s Russia probe. Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler — who warned Wednesday that “we are now in a constitutional crisis” — emphatically cast the decision to hold the attorney general in contempt as a battle between democracy and tyranny as Democrats face up to President Donald Trump’s decision to ignore their subpoenas.
Facing a Trump Stonewall, Democrats Struggle for Options to Compel Cooperation
Sheryl Gay Stolberg, The New York Times
House Democrats, infuriated by President Trump’s stonewalling, are struggling to mount a more aggressive campaign to compel him to cooperate with their investigations — a push that could include a threat to jail officials, garnish their wages and perhaps even impeach the president. With Mr. Trump throwing up roadblocks on practically a daily basis — he moved on Wednesday to keep the unredacted version of the special counsel’s report out of lawmakers’ hands — Democrats and their leaders are feeling a new urgency to assert their power as a coequal branch of government.
Some House members considering taking a pay raise this year
Andrew Taylor, The Associated Press
A handful of senior House lawmakers, frustrated by a decade of frozen congressional salaries, are quietly exploring whether to accept an annual pay raise that they’ve shunned since Barack Obama was first president. It’s a longshot at best, requiring comity that’s in short supply in a Capitol riven with partisanship.
Dems look to modify Dreamer bill to break internal logjam
Sarah Ferris and Heather Caygle, Politico
House Democratic leaders are eyeing changes to legislation to protect “Dreamers” in a bid to resolve an intraparty dispute that’s stalled a key piece of their agenda. In a closed-door meeting Wednesday, a group of top Democrats floated tweaks to the bill that would toughen the pathway to citizenship for some undocumented immigrants with criminal records, according to multiple lawmakers and aides in the room.
Further investigation into Matt Gaetz is needed for tweet at Michael Cohen, Florida Bar determines.
Steve Contorno, Tampa Bay Times
An investigation into U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz will proceed, the Florida Bar said Wednesday, meaning the Panhandle Republican could face discipline for allegedly intimidating President Donald Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen. A grand jury-like panel called the Grievance Committee will next decide whether there is probable cause that Gaetz’s tweet violated Florida rules for lawyers.
2020
Trump political machine sets massive fundraising target
Alex Isenstadt, Politico
President Donald Trump’s outside political machine is setting a $300 million fundraising goal and is pitching major GOP donors on a plan to target six swing states that are likely to decide the 2020 election, according to people familiar with the group’s blueprint. The news comes after weeks of questions — some voiced by Republicans close to the president — about whether the organization is prepared for the presidential campaign.
‘I Have a Plan for That.’ Elizabeth Warren Is Betting That Americans Are Ready for Her Big Ideas
Haley Sweetland Edwards, Time
Voters encountering Elizabeth Warren on the presidential campaign trail these days often seem surprised. After a packed gathering at an elementary school in Concord, N.H., in April, a 40-something woman told me she had expected Warren to be more like Hillary Clinton but found them miles apart.
Republicans Hire Nine Regional Directors for Trump 2020 Election
Michael C. Bender, The Wall Street Journal
President Trump’s re-election team is building out its political infrastructure with a round of hires that underscores the importance the Midwest and Florida are expected to have in the 2020 election. The campaign has carved the nation into nine regions as it decides how best to spend its resources on contacting voters, motivating supporters and, eventually, getting them to the polls on Election Day, according to campaign officials.
Kamala Harris Is Trying to Reset Her Campaign by Taking On Trump
Astead W. Herndon and Jonathan Martin, The New York Times
Senator Kamala Harris of California structures her stump speech around two themes — “truth” and “justice” — meant to evoke her career as a barrier-breaking prosecutor and cultivate a reputation as a fearless public advocate. But when Ms. Harris swept into Detroit to address an N.A.A.C.P. banquet on Sunday night, she added something new.
Bernie 2020 becomes first unionized presidential campaign in history
Emily Kopp, Roll Call
Working for a campaign can be grueling, especially because staffers lack the formal human resources structure of a more traditional workplace. But hourly workers for the Bernie 2020 campaign can now count on overtime pay.
Elizabeth Warren, Unveiling Opioid Plan, Says She Will Give Sackler Family’s Donations to Charity
Astead W. Herndon, The New York Times
Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts escalated her criticism of the pharmaceutical industry, announcing she would donate the campaign contributions she has received from the family of the pharmaceutical magnate Raymond Sackler, and calling on Harvard University to remove the Sackler name from all campus buildings where it appears. Ms. Warren, who is running for the Democratic presidential nomination, made the announcement as she unveiled a plan on Wednesday to fight the opioid crisis raging in the United States.
Biden: Democratic field will shrink rapidly early next year
David Siders, Politico
Joe Biden predicted Wednesday that the field of Democratic presidential candidates would be “winnowed out pretty quickly” next year, dismissing concerns that a lengthy and contentious primary could weaken the party’s nominee. “This field is going to be winnowed out pretty quickly,” Biden told reporters at a King Taco restaurant in Los Angeles.
House and Senate GOP ready for battle to woo Liz Cheney
Melanie Zanona, Politico
Almost immediately after Sen. Mike Enzi announced his retirement over the weekend, some of Liz Cheney’s House colleagues began pleading with her to stick around — while acknowledging that the Wyoming Senate seat is probably hers if she wants it. “I texted her when I found out about it and said, ‘Hey, you’ve got some decisions to make, but we love having you here,’” Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.) said.
States
Arizona GOP Debates Who Should Control Political Purse Strings
Emily Glazer, The Wall Street Journal
Republicans in Arizona are discussing whether to shift who oversees money raised for the 2020 election as competitive presidential and Senate contests loom. The intraparty debate highlights a growing divide in Arizona, a state that has been influential in shaping the modern GOP, between traditional Republicans loyal to the late Sen. John McCain and the “America First” movement of President Trump.
Holcomb signs bill legalizing sports betting, allowing lucrative casino industry changes
Kaitlin Lange, The Indianapolis Star
Gov. Eric Holcomb on Wednesday signed a controversial gaming bill that legalizes mobile sports wagering and allows for a new Terre Haute casino. In a late-afternoon statement announcing his decision, Holcomb called gaming a “highly regulated industry” that faces competition from surrounding states and through new technology.
Advocacy
Ex-GOP Rep. Denham heads to lobbying firm
Alex Gangitano, The Hill
The law and lobbying firm K&L Gates has hired former Rep. Jeff Denham (R-Calif.) as a government affairs counselor at the public policy and law practice. The California Republican served four terms before losing his reelection bid in November to Rep. Josh Harder (D-Calif.).
Foreign agents introduced Ukranian politician to US political figures in secretive lobbying arrangement
Anna Massoglia, Center for Responsive Politics
A failed Ukrainian presidential candidate. Former congressmen turned lobbyists. Mysterious shell companies and offshore accounts funding it all.
A Message from Verizon:
Consumers Want Congress To Take Action That Protects Their Privacy.
A recent poll shows Americans support a new national privacy law. Let’s make privacy priority #1 this year.
Opinions, Editorials and Perspectives
What Is Donald Trump Hiding?
The Editorial Board, The New York Times
President Trump owes the American people a fuller account of his financial dealings, including the release of his recent tax returns, because politicians should keep their promises, because the public deserves to know whether his policies are lining his pockets and because the integrity of our system of government requires everyone, particularly the president, to obey the law. Mr. Trump promised to release his tax returns before his presidential campaign and in the early stages of that campaign, then reneged, offering a long series of inconsistent excuses for breaking his promise.
Trump the billion-dollar loser — I was his ghostwriter and I saw it happen
Charles Leerhsen, Yahoo News
On Tuesday, the New York Times scooped the world on the news that from 1985 to 1994, Donald Trump incurred the biggest business losses of any single taxpayer in American history. What was it like for him to lose more than $1 billion in a decade?
Want to take money out of politics? Keep politics out of money.
George F. Will, The Washington Post
The progressive catechism teaches that there is “too much money” in politics. A codicil to this tenet, written in fine print, is that the term “money” does not apply to money from George Soros, government employees unions, private-sector unions, trial lawyers, Democratic-oriented private-equity firms and white-shoe law firms, Silicon Valley executives or entertainment celebrities.
Research Reports and Polling
Two Years In: How Americans’ Views Have — and Have Not — Changed During Trump’s Presidency
Robert Griffin, Democracy Fund Voter Study Group
More than two years ago, Donald Trump’s entry into American politics culminated with an unlikely Electoral College win and his inauguration as president. This Democracy Fund Voter Study Group brief gives an overview of how opinions have changed during this period and what voters are looking for in future candidates.
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