SIREN … JAKE SHERMAN and JOHN BRESNAHAN: "Matt Gaetz appears to run afoul of House ethics rules": "Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz has privately engaged in several spending practices in his nearly four years in office that appear to be in conflict with the House's ethics rules, a POLITICO investigation has found. "Gaetz, a close ally of President Donald Trump from the Florida Panhandle, improperly sent tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars to a limited liability company linked to a speech-writing consultant who was ousted from the Trump administration, in direct conflict with House rules. "In another possible violation, a private company installed a television studio in his father's home in Niceville, Fla., which Gaetz uses when he appears on television. "Taxpayers foot the bill to rent the television camera, and the private company that built the studio — which Gaetz refuses to identify — takes a fee each time he appears on air, his office said. It's unclear how much it cost the private company to construct the studio. "This may run afoul of the House gift rule, which prohibits any lawmaker, aide, and their family members from accepting gifts worth more than $50. The official definition of a gift is very broad and covers virtually any good or service with monetary value. "Gaetz's office denies wrongdoing in both cases. Gaetz's aides said the House Ethics Committee approved both arrangements but declined to produce any evidence that that was the case. His latest actions suggest a broader pattern by the second-term lawmaker of pushing the bounds of — if not outright defying — restrictions intended to guard against corruption and conflicts of interest." POLITICO -- IT TOOK GAETZ weeks upon weeks to respond to these instances, and even then, he was circumspect. In our time covering Congress, these are very unusual practices. BREAKING OVERNIGHT -- "China Says U.S. Ordered It to Close Houston Consulate," by WSJ's Chun Han Wong in Hong Kong: "China said the U.S. ordered the abrupt closure of its consulate in Houston, a dramatic escalation in bilateral tensions that Beijing condemned as outrageous and unprecedented. "Washington's demand, issued Tuesday, marked 'a political provocation unilaterally launched by the U.S.,' Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said Wednesday at a routine briefing in Beijing. 'China urges the U.S. to immediately rescind its erroneous decision, otherwise China will undertake legitimate and necessary responses.' "Morgan Ortagus, a spokeswoman for the State Department, said Washington ordered the closure of the Chinese consulate in Houston 'in order to protect American intellectual property' and the private information of U.S. citizens." WSJ -- KPRC 2: "Houston fire and police respond to reports of documents being burned at Consulate General of China" FRONTS: NYT, with a terrific story on TRUMP pressuring his ambassador in London for the British open … N.Y. POST … WSJ THE BRIEFINGS ARE BACK … GABBY ORR: "Staring down defeat, Trump attempts a coronavirus reset": "A month ago, he insisted the novel coronavirus was 'dying out' in the U.S. As the pandemic overwhelmed huge swaths of the nation, he maintained the threat was 'fading away.' Health officials across the nation begged him for more attention on the widening health crisis — and he wanted little to do with them. … "Compared to previous disorderly spectacles that sometimes exceeded two hours, Trump's appearance at a White House lectern on Tuesday hinted that significant changes are underway as he and his aides refocus their attention on the No. 1 threat standing between them and a second term. The format of the briefing — a mostly scripted, solo Trump — also suggested a detente was reached among opposing White House factions that spent the past few weeks clashing over the role their embattled boss should play in responding to the alarming resurgence of Covid-19 in southern and southwestern states." POLITICO PLAYBOOK METRO SECTION -- "Fairfax, Loudoun, Montgomery call for all-virtual start to school year, scrapping earlier plans," by WaPo's Hannah Natanson and Donna St. George: "In a major reversal, the superintendents of three large public school systems in Virginia and Maryland are calling for an all-virtual start to the fall semester, scrapping earlier plans to offer a mix of in-person and distance learning. "The superintendents of Fairfax County Public Schools and Loudoun County Public Schools, both in Northern Virginia, argued for an online-only start in meetings with their school boards Tuesday. The superintendent of Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland announced the switch in an email late Tuesday afternoon to parents, students and staffers. "All three districts are among the largest and most highly regarded public school systems in the Washington area. They are all defying intense pressure from the Trump administration, which has urged schools nationwide to reopen their doors five days a week come fall." WaPo TALKER, NYT A1: "Trump's Request of an Ambassador: Get the British Open for Me," by Mark Landler in London, Lara Jakes and Maggie Haberman: "The American ambassador to Britain, Robert Wood Johnson IV, told multiple colleagues in February 2018 that President Trump had asked him to see if the British government could help steer the world-famous and lucrative British Open golf tournament to the Trump Turnberry resort in Scotland, according to three people with knowledge of the episode. "The ambassador's deputy, Lewis A. Lukens, advised him not to do it, warning that it would be an unethical use of the presidency for private gain, these people said. But Mr. Johnson apparently felt pressured to try. A few weeks later, he raised the idea of Turnberry playing host to the Open with the secretary of state for Scotland, David Mundell. "In a brief interview last week, Mr. Mundell said it was 'inappropriate' for him to discuss his dealings with Mr. Johnson and referred to a British government statement that said Mr. Johnson 'made no request of Mr. Mundell regarding the British Open or any other sporting event.' The statement did not address whether the ambassador had broached the issue of Turnberry, which Mr. Trump bought in 2014, but none of the next four Opens are scheduled to be played there. "Still, the episode left Mr. Lukens and other diplomats deeply unsettled. Mr. Lukens, who served as the acting ambassador before Mr. Johnson arrived in November 2017, emailed officials at the State Department to tell them what had happened, colleagues said. A few months later, Mr. Johnson forced out Mr. Lukens, a career diplomat who had earlier served as ambassador to Senegal, shortly before his term was to end." NYT NEW … AD WARS: A health care trade group is launching an ad campaign to push back on a plan the White House is considering to try to eliminate rebates for government drug plans. PCMA, the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, is running the ad that claims the plan would lead to a significant increase in premiums for seniors on FOX NEWS' "Fox & Friends" and during Sean Hannity's and Tucker Carlson's nightly programs. A source familiar with the effort says the group is committed to spending seven figures toward a state-based campaign targeting vulnerable GOP senators on the issue if it remains in play. The ad VEEPSTAKES -- "Elizabeth Warren's new role: Key Joe Biden policy adviser," by AP's Will Weissert: "Warren, a Massachusetts senator and leading progressive, has become an unlikely confidant and adviser to Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. They talk every 10 days or so, according to aides to both politicians who spoke on condition of anonymity to freely describe their relationship. Those forums have provided opportunities for Warren to make a case on top policy issues to Biden, who ran a more centrist primary campaign. "He adopted Warren-endorsed plans on personal bankruptcy, expanding Social Security benefits and canceling student-loan debt for millions of Americans. She also helped devise important portions of his post-pandemic economic recovery proposals." DOWN BALLOT: "Gardner: NRSC should pull anti-Hickenlooper ad in Colorado," by James Arkin: "Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) — in a rare break with his own party's campaign arm — is calling on the National Republican Senatorial Committee to pull a controversial television ad that attacks his Democratic opponent, former Gov. John Hickenlooper. "The ad criticizes Hickenlooper over a deadly gas explosion in the state in 2017. After the spot began airing last week, Erin Martinez, whose husband and brother died in the explosion, called it 'horrifying' and said it disgraced her family members' legacy. Hickenlooper and Democrats in the state echoed her calls for it to be taken down. "Gardner, who was the NRSC chair in the 2018 election cycle, said in a statement to POLITICO that he spoke to Martinez on Tuesday. He disavowed the committee's ad and said he wanted Republicans to stop running it." POLITICO | 
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