Current Affairs Of Pakistan & World: POLITICO Playbook: Nearing 100,000 dead

POLITICO Playbook: Nearing 100,000 dead

May 27, 2020

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By Anna Palmer and Jake Sherman

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DRIVING THE DAY

USA TODAY -- the largest U.S. newspaper by circulation -- believes America will hit 100,000 dead from the coronavirus sometime this afternoon. They've given over their front page to that this morning, and it's quite striking. USA Today front page … JHU's Covid-19 tracker, currently at 98,929 U.S. deaths

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP will meet with New York Gov. ANDREW CUOMO this morning before spending the day at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida to watch the SpaceX launch. Can TRUMP and CUOMO avoid banter -- or sparring -- at 11 a.m. in the Oval in front of the cameras? The president has complained repeatedly that certain governors have been getting far too much credit for controlling the coronavirus, and that he deserves more kudos.

HERE WE ARE, 160 DAYS before Election Day, and, in the middle of a pandemic, here's what our national dialogue looks like:

IN THE LAST DAY, THE PRESIDENT has baselessly raised questions about whether JOE SCARBOROUGH was involved in the death of a staffer. It's an episode that has disgusted some of the president's staunchest allies, who privately grunted to us about the line of attack. The president is wrong. According to a medical report from the incident, the woman died after she hit her head from a fall from an undiagnosed heart condition. The White House's retort to criticism is to watch a clip of shock jock DON IMUS from nearly 20 years ago.

… THE PRESIDENT suggested Reuters reporter JEFF MASON was trying to be "politically correct" because he kept his mask on while asking a question at a news conference. … TRUMP said he wants to know in the next week whether he will be able to hold a large-scale political convention in Charlotte in late August.

… A WOMAN CALLED THE POLICE after a black man asked her to put her dog on a leash in Central Park. She said she was being threatened. She wasn't. She was fired. … A MINNEAPOLIS POLICE OFFICER had his knee on the neck of a man on the streets. People shouted, begging him to stop. The man died.

… AND: THE STOCK MARKET was up 2% Tuesday, and is pointed up again today.

N.Y. POST COVER: "TWEET FIGHT: Prez furious as Twitter labels him 'fake news'"

INTERESTING … WSJ ED BOARD TELLS TRUMP TO SHUT UP ABOUT SCARBOROUGH: "A Presidential Smear: Trump imitates the Steele dossier in attacks on Joe Scarborough": "Donald Trump sometimes traffics in conspiracy theories—recall his innuendo in 2016 about Ted Cruz's father and the JFK assassination—but his latest accusation against MSNBC host Joe Scarborough is ugly even for him. Mr. Trump has been tweeting the suggestion that Mr. Scarborough might have had something to do with the death in 2001 of a young woman who worked in his Florida office when Mr. Scarborough was a GOP Congressman. …

"There's no evidence of foul play, or an affair with the woman, and the local coroner ruled that the woman fainted from an undiagnosed heart condition and died of head trauma. Some on the web are positing a conspiracy because the coroner had left a previous job under a cloud, but the parents and husband of the young woman accepted the coroner's findings and want the case to stay closed. …

"We don't write this with any expectation that Mr. Trump will stop. Perhaps he even thinks this helps him politically, though we can't imagine how. But Mr. Trump is debasing his office, and he's hurting the country in doing so."

Good Wednesday morning.

WELCOME BACK, HOUSE! The people's chamber is back in session today with a pair of simmering messes:

-- THE PRESIDENT has urged Republicans to vote against a renewal of the FISA bill, and our colleagues MEL ZANONA, HEATHER CAYGLE and JOHN BRESNAHAN report that "House Minority Leader KEVIN MCCARTHY (R-Calif.) has asked Democratic leaders to hold off on putting a bill on the floor to renew a trio of expired surveillance tools, according to lawmakers and aides, raising new doubts about whether Congress can get the measure over the finish line this week." ... NYT's Charlie Savage: "House to Vote on Limiting F.B.I. Power to Collect Americans' Internet Data"

-- WSJ'S KRISTINA PETERSON and NATALIE ANDREWS: "House Republicans Move to Block Proxy Voting": "House Republicans filed a lawsuit late Tuesday in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) to block the chamber's new system. Republicans argue proxy voting, which was passed by Democrats with no GOP support, is unconstitutional. More broadly, they say that Congress has an obligation to meet in person, despite the risks."

HERE'S A SCENARIO TO CHEW OVER: Will the president ignore bills that are passed largely by proxy? He can threaten that -- he threatens a lot! -- but there will be times this could be helpful for him and the House, broadly speaking. SIXTY-THREE lawmakers have given their proxy to another member so far.

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PLAYBOOK METRO SECTION … WAPO: "D.C. will likely reopen Friday after city changes key thresholds for reopening," by Fenit Nirappil and Julie Zauzmer: "D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) is expected Wednesday to announce the gradual reopening of the capital, saying the city has been meeting key thresholds to contain new coronavirus infections. Hospitals have been running below their maximum capacity, testing is on the rise and the city is in the process of hiring enough contact tracers to identify and quarantine residents exposed to the virus."

CNN'S DANA BASH got the first in-person sit-down with JOE BIDEN during this pandemic. The key exchange:

BASH: "You mentioned the mask -- that you wore a mask yesterday, President Trump went to a Memorial Day service, he did not wear a mask. It's not just some people making fun of you, he did." BIDEN: "Yes."

BASH: "He did on Twitter, he retweeted a photo of you wearing it -- he's trying to belittle you for wearing a mask, making it seem like it's a sign of weakness. Is it?"

BIDEN: "He's a fool, an absolute fool to talk that way. I mean, every leading doc in the world is saying we should wear a mask when you're in a crowd, and especially when you know you're going to be in a position where you're going to inadvertently get closer than 12 feet to somebody. I know we're 12 feet apart, I get that.

"But it's just absolutely this macho stuff, and for a guy -- I shouldn't get going. But it just has -- it's cost people's lives, it's costing people's lives, and like I said we're almost 100,000 dead today -- 100,000 people. Columbia study showing that we could have -- if he just started a week earlier would have saved thousands of lives. I mean, these are -- this is a tragedy."

WHAT TRUMP'S STAFF IS TELLING HIM … ALEX ISENSTADT: "Trump's 2016 campaign brass warns he's in trouble in 2020": "David Bossie and Corey Lewandowski, two key allies and former political advisers to Donald Trump, went to the White House last week to issue him a warning: The president was slipping badly in swing states, and he needed to do something to fix it.

"Three days later, the Trump campaign's political directors in Arizona and Florida — states the president won in 2016 but where surveys show him lagging — were summoned to the White House Roosevelt Room. The officials offered a detailed rundown of his organization in the battlegrounds and tried to reassure the president that he was on firm ground.

"After his May 18 meeting with Bossie and Lewandowski, Trump called his top campaign lieutenants to vent his frustration about his political standing. Bossie and Lewandowski, who served as top aides on Trump's 2016 effort, complained to the president about his political operation. Trump's campaign team, in response decided to rush their Arizona and Florida representatives onto airplanes for a Thursday meeting with the president."

MEDIAWATCH -- HANS NICHOLS is leaving NBC for Axios, where he will be a political reporter. NICHOLS will cover BIDEN'S campaign, and national politics.

WAR REPORT … NYT'S THOMAS GIBBONS-NEFF and JULIAN BARNES: "Trump Wants Troops in Afghanistan Home by Election Day. The Pentagon Is Drawing Up Plans": "Senior military officials are set to brief President Trump in the coming days on options for pulling all American troops out of Afghanistan, with one possible timeline for withdrawing forces before the presidential election, according to officials with knowledge of the plans.

"The proposal for a complete withdrawal by November reflects an understanding among military commanders that such a timeline may be Mr. Trump's preferred option because it may help bolster his campaign.

"But they plan to propose, and to advocate, a slower withdrawal schedule, officials said. The move is part of the Pentagon's attempt to avoid another situation like the one in December 2018 and again in October 2019, when Mr. Trump surprised military officials by ordering the complete withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria. Diplomatic chaos and violence followed, and the president subsequently modified each announcement. American troops remain in Syria, although in smaller numbers.

"Senior military officials believe a quick withdrawal from Afghanistan would effectively doom the peace deal reached this year with the Taliban."

WSJ'S TED MANN: "Amtrak Prepares to Cut 20% of Workforce: 'The climb back will be hard,' Chief Executive Bill Flynn says in internal memo": "Amtrak employs more than 18,000 people nationwide. It plans to make the job cuts by October, the memo said, the start of Amtrak's 2021 fiscal year."

THE NEW INTEL CHAIR -- "Marco Rubio zeroes in on Russia — not Obama," by Andrew Desiderio: "Donald Trump's allies on Capitol Hill are pushing aggressive new investigations targeting the president's political opponents. Marco Rubio isn't joining the fray.

"As Rubio assumes the acting chairmanship of the Senate Intelligence Committee, the Florida Republican is distancing himself from a GOP-led probe targeting Hunter Biden. He has declined to embrace Trump's 'Obamagate' claims. And he is warning the Republicans spearheading the Biden investigation not to promote Russian disinformation in the process.

"'I'm not going to accuse any member who believes that they are exercising oversight to be colluding with a foreign power,' Rubio said in an interview last week. 'I will say to you that I think it's pretty clear that the Russians are constantly pursuing narratives that they believe will drive conflict in our politics and divide us against each other.'"

STATE OF THE ART: JESSE LEHRICH -- an Obama and Hillary Clinton alum -- and NICOLE GILL are launching Accountable Tech, which is aimed at combating misinformation online. It's a 501(c)(4), which does not need to disclose its donors. Bios … Why they're doing it … Poll memo

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TRUMP'S WEDNESDAY -- The president is due to meet with CUOMO in the Oval Office at 11 a.m. At 12:20 p.m., TRUMP and first lady MELANIA TRUMP are scheduled to leave the White House for Joint Base Andrews, where they'll fly to the Kennedy Space Center. They will land at 2:35 p.m., and at 3 p.m., they will tour the crew quarters. Liftoff for DEMO-2, the SpaceX launch carrying two U.S. astronauts, is scheduled for 4:33 p.m. The Trumps will be at NASA until 7:10 p.m. before departing for Andrews, where they're expected to land around 9 p.m. before arriving at the White House at 9:15 p.m.

HAPPENING TODAY – GLOBAL BANKING AND INVESTING DURING A PANDEMIC: Join Global Translations author Ryan Heath today at 9 a.m. EDT for a virtual interview with Suma Chakrabarti, president of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). Why is so much of the Covid-related government spending is inefficient? How did EBRD became the world's first Covid-only bank? Will the push for the private sector to become more sustainable pay off? Don't miss out on this fascinating conversation presented in partnership with The Atlantic Council. REGISTER HERE.

PLAYBOOK READS

Haley Skarupa is pictured. | Getty Imagges

PHOTO DU JOUR: Haley Skarupa, an Olympic gold medalist in women's hockey, trains in her driveway in Rockville, Md., as many athletes have to practice at home during the pandemic. | Patrick Smith/Getty Images

PLEASE FIGURE THIS OUT! … AP/NEW YORK: "Players call MLB economic proposal 'extremely disappointing,'" by Ronald Blum

NATASHA BERTRAND: "Mike Pompeo's CIA advisory board rankled agency veterans"

A STORY THAT WILL SOUND FAMILIAR TO MANY HERE IN D.C., by Charlie Cooper and Emilio Casalicchio in London: "'It would be meltdown': Why Boris Johnson can't let Dominic Cummings go": "Never mind whether Boris Johnson should get rid of Dominic Cummings, the real question is whether he can.

"To the U.K. prime minister, his top aide -- whose lockdown journey from London to Durham has dominated headlines for days — is more than just an effective political adviser. He is the linchpin of the Downing Street operation; someone who -- according to several people who have worked with the two men in and out of government -- gives Johnson policy direction and operational grip, while commanding more loyalty among a number of key officials and ministers than the prime minister does himself."

-- NYT'S MARK LANDLER and STEPHEN CASTLE: "Outcry Over Dominic Cummings Turns Public Against Boris Johnson for 1st Time"

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THE COMING MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS … WAPO: "A third of Americans now show signs of clinical anxiety or depression, Census Bureau finds amid coronavirus pandemic"

NATASHA KORECKI: "California DA launches investigation into Tara Reade testimony": "The Monterey County District Attorney's office has launched an investigation into whether Tara Reade lied on the witness stand while acting as an expert witness. Reade, under the name Alexandra McCabe, for years testified as an expert in domestic violence cases for the California D.A.'s office. Among the issues is whether she lied about her credentials to qualify as an expert.

"'We are investigating whether Ms. McCabe gave false testimony under oath,' Monterey County chief assistant district attorney Berkley Brannon told POLITICO Tuesday. Brannon said the office does not yet know how many cases in which Reade testified as an expert. 'We have no database or search engine to use to determine in how many cases she testified,' Brannon said. 'However, that effort is ongoing.'"

ALLY MUTNICK: "Steve King is on the ropes": "The Iowa Republican with a history of racially-charged — sometimes racist — rhetoric on white nationalism, immigration and multiculturalism is facing his toughest race since he was elected to the House almost 20 years ago. He is underfunded, abandoned by longtime allies and down in the polls as a formidable coalition mobilizes against him in the GOP primary.

"Major Republican power players in Washington and Iowa -- from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and operative Karl Rove, to former Gov. Terry Branstad and evangelical leaders — have ganged up to take him down."

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PLAYBOOKERS

Send tips to Eli Okun and Garrett Ross at politicoplaybook@politico.com.

TRANSITION -- Justine Turner is now independent expenditure regional political director for the DLCC. She previously was national director of delegate operations for Elizabeth Warren's campaign.

WELCOME TO THE WORLD -- Roshan Patel, executive director of the Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association and partner at 50 State, and Meredith Patel, owner of Barre3 Old Town, welcomed Rhodes Raman Patel on Friday. He came in at 4.9 lbs and 18.5 inches. Pic … Another pic

BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Brigid Schulte, director of the Better Life Lab at New America. What she's been reading: "I finally finished reading 'Moby Dick.' I'd always felt guilty that, as an English major, I never got past page 50 or so. Now that I have, I wonder what would've happened if Ahab were a woman." Playbook Q&A

BIRTHDAYS: Rep. Alma Adams (D-N.C.) is 74 (h/t Sam Spencer) … Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) is 73 … Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) is 58 … Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-Va.) is 52 … Henry Kissinger is 97 … Sumner Redstone is 97 … David Plouffe is 53 (h/t Jon Haber) … Matt McKenna … Ned Sebelius … Marc Stanley is 63 (h/ts Teresa Vilmain) … NYT's Campbell Robertson and Noam Scheiber … former Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) is 76 … former FBI Director William Sessions is 9-0 (h/t Matt Mackowiak) … NBC News' Cynthia McFadden … Andrew Harnik, AP staff photojournalist … POLITICO's Randy Lemmerman and Megan McCrink … POLITICO Europe's Marylise Mahé … Katya Dimenstein, COS for Rep. David Schweikert (R-Ariz.) … NPR's Julie McCarthy … Rasheedah Thomas, principal and co-founder of RC Communications …

… Benny Johnson, chief creative officer at Turning Point USA … Thalia Assuras … Andrew Powaleny, director of public affairs at PhRMA … Sean Rapelyea … Rob Flynn … News UK boss Rebekah Brooks is 52 … Julie Rasicot … Kelsey Baron ... Jillian Busch ... Andrew Seidman ... Jenny Drucker ... Andrew Fowler ... Russ Rosler ... Drew Cole, partner at Roberti Global ... Carl Conetta ... Andrew Overton, associate director of media logistics for the Democratic National Convention Committee ... Push Digital's Marisa Brand is 24 (h/t Laura Galanter) ... Bob Rayner is 59 ... Dustin Mooney ... Katharine Gallogly ... Devin Drewyer ... WaPo's Stefanie Weishaupt Prelesnik ... Devan Barber ... Whitney Reboulet ... Diana Roday Hosford ... Melissa Ludtke ... Karen Kirksey ... Cary O'Reilly ... Kris Martinsek ... Juanita Williams ... Jill Wilkins ... Richard Schiff is 65

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