A passenger plane flies through aircraft contrails in the skies near Heathrow Airport in west London, April 12, 2015. REUTERS/Toby Melville
December 5, 2017
By Victoria Bryan
GENEVA (Reuters) – Improving economies and robust travel demand will return global airlines to record profit in 2018, with fares also set to rise, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said.
Overall profits are expected to rise 11 percent to $38.4 billion in 2018, and the outlook is encouraging, IATA said on Tuesday as it raised its 2017 forecast to $34.5 billion, up from an earlier $31.4 billion estimate, but still lower than 2016.
Of the $38.4 billion, $27.9 billion will come from North American and European airlines.
“We are eight years into this air travel cycle, but we see no reason at present to expect that cyclical pattern to repeat itself,” IATA Chief Economist Brian Pearce said, with reference to a trend that would usually indicate a major downturn was due.
After declining for six years in a row, passenger yields, a measure of ticket pricing, are also expected to rise by 3 percent next year, after falling 1.5 percent in 2017.
But not all the forecasts are so positive, with passenger demand measured in revenue passenger kilometers set to rise by only 6 percent, slightly less than 2017’s 7.5 percent increase.
And cargo demand, also a bright spot in 2017 with demand up 9.3 percent after a tough few years, is expected to moderate to 4.5 percent in 2018.
IATA said the forecast increase in passenger fares was in line with expected inflation.
EUROPEAN UPGRADE
Rising ticket revenues have helped major European airlines report better than expected profits this year, and IATA said it was upgrading its net profit forecast for Europe to $9.8 billion this year, from a previous estimate of $8.6 billion, and profits should rise further to $11.5 billion next year.
While tough competition has seen the demise of some carriers, improving economies and robust demand rather than consolidation are key to rising profit in Europe, Pearce said.
In good news for airline investors, the industry’s return on capital is expected to exceed its cost of capital for a fourth year in a row next year.
With global profitability now on a more sustainable footing, IATA said airlines’ main focus was on keeping costs under control, with rising fuel prices and labor costs set to weigh.
IATA predicts unit costs will rise 4.3 percent in 2018, after 1.7 percent in 2017, and it predicts an average jet fuel price of $73.8 per barrel next year, up 12.5 percent.
“The industry is reacting to that cost pressure. We know from the announced schedules that we are likely to see some slowdown in the increases in capacity in 2018,” Pearce said.
However, IATA said it was not concerned there was a pilot shortage after high-profile cancellations at Ryanair <RYA.I> and American Airlines due to rostering issues and after some U.S. airlines awarded high pay increases to pilots this year.
Pearce said air travel demand had grown faster than expected, outpacing the supply of new pilots.
“We expect to see the training sector respond and produce more pilots over time,” he said.
(Reporting by Victoria Bryan; Editing by Maria Sheahan and Alexander Smith)
A 3D-printed YouTube icon is seen in front of a displayed YouTube logo in this illustration taken October 25, 2017. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Ilustration
December 5, 2017
(Reuters) – Alphabet Inc’s <GOOGL.O> YouTube said on Monday it plans to add more people next year to identify inappropriate content as the company responds to criticism over extremist, violent and disturbing videos and comments.
YouTube has developed automated software to identify videos linked to extremism and now is aiming to do the same with clips that portray hate speech or are unsuitable for children. Uploaders whose videos are flagged by the software may be ineligible for generating ad revenue.
But amid stepped up enforcement, the company has received complaints from video uploaders that the software is error-prone.
Adding to the thousands of existing content reviewers will give YouTube more data to supply and possibly improve its machine learning software.
The goal is to bring the total number of people across Google working to address content that might violate its policies to over 10,000 in 2018, YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki said in one of a pair of blog posts Monday. http://bit.ly/2km1Dfi
“We need an approach that does a better job determining which channels and videos should be eligible for advertising,” she said. “We’ve heard loud and clear from creators that we have to be more accurate when it comes to reviewing content, so we don’t demonetize videos by mistake.”
In addition, Wojcicki said the company would take “aggressive action on comments, launching new comment moderation tools and in some cases shutting down comments altogether.”
The moves come as advertisers, regulators and advocacy groups express ongoing concern over whether YouTube’s policing of its service is sufficient.
YouTube is reviewing its advertising offerings as part of response and it teased that its next efforts could be further changing requirements to share in ad revenue.
YouTube this year updated its recommendation feature to spotlight videos users are likely to find the most gratifying, brushing aside concerns that such an approach can trap people in bubbles of misinformation and like-minded opinions.
(Reporting by Rishika Chatterjee in Bengaluru and Paresh Dave in San Francisco; Editing by Gopakumar Warrier)
On Monday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “Hardball,” former FBI Special Agent Clint Watts reacted to President Trump’s tweets about the FBI by stating Trump is “an enemy of the state whenever he is pushing against the FBI in that way.”
Watts said, “This is more Trump first, America second. I mean, I was worried a year ago about Russia tearing down democratic institutions. I’m more now worried about our president tearing down democratic institutions. He is the leader of the executive branch. He should be the one setting the tone for the FBI. He should be supporting them, pushing them in the right direction. If he does believe they’re in tatters, which I think is absolute nonsense, the best way to go about that would be, be a leader, set an agenda. And instead, he’s going on the attack. And that’s going to backfire on him. It may solidify his base. But it’s also undermining our country. He is actually weakening the credibility of the federal law enforcement agency for the entire United States. He’s going to sow doubt in their ability, and he is going to hurt the ability of our law enforcement and judicial systems with his claims. So he is an enemy of the state whenever he is pushing against the FBI in that way.”
Later on, Watts stated Trump takes “a discrediting approach. It’s what authoritarians do all around the world. We’ve seen that repeatedly. And now, they’re modeling their behavior off of our president, which is somewhat ironic and also scary.”
The following newsletter is an abridged version of Campaign Pro’s Morning Score. For an earlier morning read on exponentially more races — and for a more comprehensive aggregation of the day’s most important campaign news — sign up for Campaign Pro today. (http://www.politicopro.com/proinfo)
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TAXATION WITHOUT… — “Red-state Democrats stay away from GOP tax bill” by Campaign Pro’s Kevin Robillard: “When Republicans began their push for tax reform earlier this year, they had hopes of wooing multiple Senate Democrats to back their plan: 10 of them faced reelection in states President Trump won, five in states he won by more than 20 points. But those dreams were dashed by the bill’s unpopularity in public polling and the inclusion of measures no Democrat was willing to vote for. None of the Democrats voted for the plan on Friday night. But the GOP still thinks it can make them pay in 2018. … According to a Democrat tracking media buys, Republican groups have spent about $6 million on ads promoting the plan, double the $3 million Democrats have spent attacking it. The state with the most action was Wisconsin. There, the Koch Bros.-backed Freedom Partners Action Fund spent $1.6 million blasting Baldwin for supporting tax increases in the past and not supporting tax reform. Senate Majority PAC responded with its own six-figure buy to defend the Wisconsinite.”Full story.
DAILY ROLL TIDE — “McConnell on Moore: ‘I’m going to let the people of Alabama make the call’” by Robillard: “Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Sunday shifted his tone on allowing Alabama GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore to serve in the Senate if elected. … ‘I’m going to let the people of Alabama make the call,’ McConnell said on ABC’s ‘This Week.’ He said he thought the Senate Ethics Committee would handle the allegations against Moore if he is elected: ‘The ethics committee will have to consider the matters that have been litigated in the campaign should that particular candidate win.‘”Full story.
— A CBS poll released Sunday found Moore leading Jones 49 percent to 43 percent. A Washington Post poll released Saturday, however, showed Jones leading Moore 50 percent to 47 percent.
— “Is Roy Moore winning? Don’t ask the pollsters” by Politico’s Steven Shepard: “The reality? No one really has a clue about where things stand with Alabama voters in the Dec. 12 special election. For all the national attention and the millions of dollars spent to win the seat, there’s relatively little public polling in the contest. Only three public surveys in the average have been conducted since the Thanksgiving holiday, and odds are you’ve never heard of two of the three pollsters.”Full story.
SEXUAL HARASSMENT IN CONGRESS — Freshman Democrat Ruben Kihuen accused by former campaign staffer, via BuzzFeed’s Kate Nocera and Tarini Parti: “Samantha, whose last name BuzzFeed News is withholding at her request, began working for Rep. Ruben Kihuen early in his campaign to unseat Republican Rep. Cresent Hardy in December 2015 and quit by April 2016. Starting in February of that year, Samantha, who was 25 at the time, said Kihuen, who was then 35 and still competing in the primary race, propositioned her for dates and sex despite her repeated rejections. On two occasions, she says he touched her thighs without consent. … After this story was published, the congressman’s office sent out a new statement adding that he wanted to ‘make it clear that I don’t recall any of the circumstances’ described by Samantha. … DCCC chairman Ben Ray Luján called on Kihuen to resign.” Full story.
— More from POLITICO’s Heather Caygle and Elena Schneider: House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Minority Whip Steny Hoyer also called on Kihuen to resign. Lucy Flores, a former state legislative colleague and primary rival of Kihuen’s in 2016, said: “Even though he maintained a girlfriend, he was known to be very flirtatious and hands on. I personally witnessed him being grabby with young, attractive women. … I can certainly confirm that was the reputation he maintained [in the state Legislature].” Full story.
— Flores also blistered ex-Sen. Harry Reid and the Culinary Union on Twitter for aiding Kihuen’s rise: “You can thank @SenatorReid and his cronies for making sure the powers including @Culinary226 aligned behind his choice. He’s got a terrible track record of male political mentees, BTW.”
— IN FARENTHOLD’S TX-27 — Potential primary challenger steps forward: “It is a sad day when an elected official uses taxpayer money to settle a claim of sexual harassment,” said Texas Water Development Board Chairman Bech Bruun in a statement, via the Texas Tribune. “I am humbled by the numerous calls I have received today and during the past weeks asking me to run for U.S. Congress to help restore voters’ faith in our national leadership. … I anticipate announcing my intentions next week.” The filing deadline for Texas’ primaries is Dec. 11.
THE PLAYBOOK POWER LIST: 18 TO WATCH IN 2018: The final Playbook Power List of the year highlights 18 politicians, activists and operatives across the country who are poised to make waves in 2018. From the anti-Trump “Resistance” on the left to the far right Bannonite wing trying to remake the GOP, keep an eye on these people over the next 12 months. Click HERE to find out who made the list.
LEADERSHIP CHANGE— Washington Gov. Jay Inslee is poised to take over the chairmanship of the Democratic Governors Association today. Here’s a DGA video hailing the beginning of Inslee’s chairmanship.
GO SOUTHWEST — “Latino Victory Fund endorses in Southwest governor races” by Robillard: “Latino Victory Fund is backing Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico and David Garcia of Arizona in its first gubernatorial endorsements of the cycle. … Garcia and Grisham are the two most prominent Latino candidates for governor in 2018. Garcia is competing with state Sen. Steve Farley for the Democratic nomination to challenge GOP Gov. Doug Ducey. Grisham is competing with state Sen. Joe Cervantes and businessman Jeff Apodaca, the son of former Gov. Jerry Apodaca. GOP Gov. Susana Martinez is term-limited. If Grisham wins, she would become the first Democratic Latina governor in the history of the United States.” Full story. <<
LEVIN RETIREMENT — “U.S. Rep. Sander Levin will retire from Congress when term ends next year” by The Detroit Free Press’s Kathleen Gray: “After 35 years in Congress, U.S. Rep. Sandy Levin, D-Royal Oak, has decided it’s time for a different adventure. The 86-year-old Democrat will not run for reelection in 2018, but will instead join the University of Michigan’s Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, where he will continue to work on issues that have engrossed him in Congress, such as health care and trade issues. … Levin is leaving after three decades of doing everything from fighting to make sure Social Security isn’t privatized to securing a bailout for the domestic auto industry and overseeing the passage of the Affordable Care Act as the chairman of the powerful tax-writing Ways and Means committee.” Full story.
12-DIMENSIONAL CHESS — “Trump moves to block Romney from the Senate” by POLITICO’s Alex Isenstadt: “Donald Trump is going all out to persuade seven-term Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch to seek reelection — a push aimed in no small part at keeping the president’s longtime nemesis, Mitt Romney, out of the Senate. … Trump is slated to ride [to Utah today] with Hatch both ways on Air Force One — a total of roughly nine hours round-trip. After descending from the plane together, the two will meet with Mormon leaders and then head to the state capitol for the signing of the executive order, according to three White House officials. Hatch will introduce Trump, who in turn is expected to lavish praise on the senator. After the order is signed, Hatch is expected to receive the president’s pen.”Full story.
— “Steve Bannon mulls Orrin Hatch endorsement to block Mitt Romney” by The Washington Examiner’s David Drucker: “Steve Bannon is mulling an endorsement of Sen. Orrin Hatch in his bid to keep Mitt Romney out of the Senate, a source close to President Trump’s former chief strategist confirmed on Sunday. Bannon is targeting Republican incumbents in 2018 primaries to undermine support for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. Hatch, a McConnell loyalist and a fixture of Washington and the Republican establishment for more than 40 years, is not Bannon’s ideal choice. … “If Steve had a choice between Orrin Hatch and Mitt Romney, he would pick Hatch 10 times out of 10,” the source close to Bannon told the Washington Examiner.” Full story.
STAFFING UP — “Former White House southeast political director running Tennessee Senate campaign” by Campaign Pro’s Daniel Strauss and Daniel Lippman: “Thomas Midanek, formerly the White House southeast regional political director, has left the Trump administration and joined former Tennessee Rep. Stephen Fincher’s Senate campaign as campaign manager. A source familiar with Midanek’s thinking said he left the White House because he ‘wanted to get back into the campaign world.’ Midanek confirmed the new job but declined to comment further. … Fincher is one of a handful of Republicans running in the Tennessee Republican primary for Sen. Bob Corker‘s Senate seat. His most high profile opponent in the primary is Rep. Marsha Blackburn.” Full story.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “And we’ll swear in whoever’s elected and see where we are at that particular point.” —Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell during an interview on “Face the Nation” on Sunday responding to a question about what to do about Roy Moore.
A general view shows the Dome of the Rock and Jerusalem’s Old City from David Tower December 4, 2017. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
December 4, 2017
ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (Reuters) – President Donald Trump will not announce a decision on Monday on whether he will again delay moving the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, a White House spokesman said, despite Monday’s deadline for doing so.
An announcement on the decision will be made “in coming days,” White House spokesman Hogan Gidley told reporters aboard Air Force One as Trump was returning from a trip to Utah.
Trump had been due to decide whether to sign a waiver that would hold off relocating the embassy from Tel Aviv for another six months, as every U.S. president has done since Congress passed a law on the issue in 1995.
Senior U.S. officials have said that Trump is expected to issue a temporary order, the second since he took office, to delay moving the embassy despite his campaign pledge to go ahead with the controversial action.
But the officials have said Trump is likely to give a speech on Wednesday unilaterally recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, a step that would break with decades of U.S. policy and could fuel violence in the Middle East. They have said, however, that no final decisions have been made.
“The president has been clear on this issue from the get-go; that it’s not a matter of if, but a matter of when,” Gidley said.
The Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state, and the international community does not recognize Israel’s claim on all of the city, home to sites holy to the Jewish, Muslim and Christian religions.
(Reporting by Roberta Rampton: writing by Matt Spetalnick and Eric Beech; Editing by Mohammad Zargham and Peter Cooney)
A man walks his dog past a mural depicting factory workers in the historic Pullman neighborhood in Chicago November 20, 2014. REUTERS/Andrew Nelles/File Photo
December 4, 2017
By Lucia Mutikani
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – New orders for U.S.-made goods fell less than expected in October and shipments of core capital goods were much stronger than previously reported, pointing to sustained strength in manufacturing that should buoy the economy.
Factory goods orders dipped 0.1 percent amid a drop in demand for both civilian and defense aircraft after an upwardly revised 1.7 percent jump in September, the Commerce Department said on Monday.
“These data remain consistent with a solid upswing in manufacturing activity and an acceleration in corporate capital spending,” said John Ryding, chief economist at RDQ Economics in New York.
Economists had forecast factory orders falling 0.4 percent in October after a previously reported 1.4 percent increase in the prior month.
Orders for non-defense capital goods excluding aircraft -seen as a measure of business spending plans – rose 0.3 percent in October instead of the 0.5 percent drop reported last month.
These so-called core capital goods orders surged 2.3 percent in September. Shipments of core capital goods, which are used to calculate business equipment spending in the gross domestic product report, advanced 1.1 percent in October instead of the previously reported 0.4 percent rise.
Core capital goods shipments increased 1.3 percent in September. October’s upward revision to core capital goods shipments prompted forecasting firm Macroeconomic Advisers to boost its fourth-quarter GDP growth estimate by two-tenths of percentage point to a 2.7 percent annualized rate.
Economists at Barclays lifted their forecast to a 2.5 percent pace from a 2.4 percent rate. The economy grew at a 3.3 percent pace in the third quarter.
UPSIDE RISK
“The shipments revision adds upside risk to our already double-digit forecast for fourth-quarter equipment spending growth, and the revised orders data show no sign of a slowdown in capital expenditures in the months ahead,” said Jesse Edgerton, an economist at JPMorgan in New York.
Business spending on equipment has increased strongly this year as corporations anticipated hefty tax cuts from the Trump administration. Republicans in the U.S. Congress have approved a broad package of tax cuts, including slashing the corporate income tax rate to 20 percent from 35 percent.
The dollar rose against a basket of currencies on the data and the anticipated fiscal stimulus, while prices for U.S. Treasuries fell. U.S. stocks were mostly trading higher.
Business spending on equipment increased at its fastest pace in three years in the third quarter, helping to underpin manufacturing. The sector, which makes up about 12 percent of the U.S. economy, is also being supported by a weaker dollar.
The greenback has lost about 7 percent of its value against the currencies of the United States’ main trading partners this year. Factory activity is also being boosted by businesses replenishing depleted inventories and strengthening global demand, helping to offset a slowdown in spending on mining exploration, wells and shafts.
In October, orders for machinery rose 1.9 percent after a 0.8 percent gain in September. Mining, oil field and gas field machinery orders fell 1.4 percent after soaring 20.2 percent in September.
Orders for transportation equipment declined 4.2 percent, reflecting an 18.5 percent plunge in civilian aircraft orders and a 7.6 percent drop in bookings for defense aircraft. Transportation equipment orders rose 4.7 percent in September.
Motor vehicle orders increased 1.3 percent after being unchanged in September.
Inventories of unsold goods at factories rose 0.2 percent in October, with overall shipments increasing 0.6 percent. That left the inventories-to-shipments ratio unchanged at 1.37.
(Reporting By Lucia Mutikani; Editing by Andrea Ricci)
Good Monday morning. JUST POSTED — THE POLITICO PLAYBOOK POWER LIST: 18 TO WATCH IN 18.Next year — 2018 — is shaping up to be a momentous one in politics. Midterm elections are less than a year away, with the backdrop of an unfolding federal investigation into a foreign power’s influence into our political system. The collective Playbook team — reporters in six states and Washington — selected 18 political figures worth keeping an eye on over the next 12 months. The list http://politi.co/2jKHziP
REMINDER — BIG WEEK — Congress must pass a government-funding bill by Friday, or else the federal government will shut down. The House is expected to try to pass a two-week funding bill early this week. Democrats are, for the moment, on the sideline, and don’t seem to be in a cooperative mood. John Bresnahan: “Congress faces frantic week with possible shutdown, taxes, Russia” http://politi.co/2jMvNV7
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— THE HOUSE is expected to vote to go to conference this evening for the tax bill. … WSJ: “Key Issues to Resolve in Congress’s Tax Bill” http://on.wsj.com/2ihwMfL
CONGRESSIONAL INSIDERS involved in the tax debate say the conference could be wrapped up in roughly one week.
CAROL LEONNIG, JOHN WAGNER and ELLEN NAKASHIMA: “Trump lawyer says president knew Flynn had given FBI the same account he gave to vice president”: “President Trump’s personal lawyer said on Sunday that the president knew in late January that then-national security adviser Michael Flynn had probably given FBI agents the same inaccurate account he provided to Vice President Pence about a call with the Russian ambassador.
“Trump lawyer John Dowd said the information was passed to Trump by White House counsel Donald McGahn, who had been warned about Flynn’s statement to the vice president by a senior Justice Department official. The vice president said publicly at the time that Flynn had told him he had not discussed sanctions with the Russian diplomat — a statement disproved by a U.S. intelligence intercept of a phone call between Flynn and then-Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak.
“Trump was aware of the issue a couple of weeks before a conversation with then-FBI Director James B. Comey in which Comey said the president asked him if he could be lenient while investigating Flynn, whom Trump had just fired for misleading Pence about the nature of his conversations with the Russian.” http://wapo.st/2jf2Odg
TALKER — FIRST PERSON – BILLY BUSH in the NYT, “Yes, Donald Trump, You Said That”: “He said it. ‘Grab ’em by the pussy.’ Of course he said it. And we laughed along, without a single doubt that this was hypothetical hot air from America’s highest-rated bloviator. Along with Donald Trump and me, there were seven other guys present on the bus at the time, and every single one of us assumed we were listening to a crass standup act. He was performing. Surely, we thought, none of this was real. We now know better. Recently I sat down and read an article dating from October of 2016; it was published days after my departure from NBC, a time when I wasn’t processing anything productively. In it, the author reviewed the various firsthand accounts about Mr. Trump that, at that point, had come from 20 women.
“Some of what Natasha Stoynoff, Rachel Crooks, Jessica Leeds and Jill Harth alleged involved forceful kissing. Ms. Harth said he pushed her up against a wall, with his hands all over her, trying to kiss her. ‘He was relentless,’ she said. ‘I didn’t know how to handle it.’ Her story makes the whole ‘better use some Tic Tacs’ and ‘just start kissing them’ routine real. I believe her. Kristin Anderson said that Mr. Trump reached under her skirt and ‘touched her vagina through her underwear’ while they were at a New York nightclub in the 1990s. That makes the ‘grab ’em by the pussy’ routine real. I believe her.” http://nyti.ms/2A0uYDc
WHAT THE PENTAGON IS READING — “Trump’s military buildup still a mirage,” by Connor O’Brien and Bryan Bender in Simi Valley, Calif.: “President Donald Trump came into office pledging the largest defense spending spree since the administration of Ronald Reagan — assuring the troops that they would see ‘beautiful new planes and beautiful new equipment.’ But that vision remains little more than a mirage, top Pentagon officials, lawmakers and defense industry executives lamented during a gathering this weekend at Reagan’s presidential library — undermined by congressional gridlock on spending priorities and a tax overhaul expected to add more than a trillion dollars to the national debt.
“‘Nobody wants to pay more taxes, everyone wants to have the programs they like protected and everybody wants defense … and they want the deficit to go away,’ Gen. Robert Neller, the commandant of the Marine Corps, said in an interview, echoing the sentiments of several leading advocates for a more robustly funded military. ‘The math just isn’t there.’ … lawmakers and the administration have taken few concrete steps to lock in any sustained increase in defense spending close to the 3 percent to 5 percent a year that Defense Secretary James Mattis says is needed to make the vision a reality.” http://politi.co/2iMqfO0
THE LATEST ON TAX REFORM — “Passage of Senate Tax Bill Puts R&D Tax Credit in Doubt,” by WSJ’s Rich Rubin: “Senate Republicans, in their push to pass a sweeping tax bill, undermined a research-and-development tax credit many companies use to encourage innovation, and business interests are in revolt. Late Friday, just hours before the Senate voted for the bill, Republicans decided to preserve the corporate alternative minimum tax instead of repealing it as planned. The change gave them money for lawmakers’ other priorities, but it could force many companies to lose tax breaks the bill’s authors intended to protect.
“Addressing this problem is one of many challenges congressional Republicans face as they shepherd a final tax bill with implications for middle-class households, American businesses and the health-care system. The House and Senate passed competing bills that will now be merged into one. Among other thorny issues, Republicans will wrangle over international tax rules, a new system for taxing pass-through businesses such as partnerships and the fate of the estate tax.
“Also surprisingly up for grabs: the corporate tax rate. President Donald Trump, after insisting on a 20% rate and getting it, this weekend said maybe it would land at 22%.” http://on.wsj.com/2ieFsDv
THE WHITE HOUSE POLITICAL SHOP — “Trump moves to block Romney from the Senate: The president is working hard to persuade 83-year-old Sen. Orrin Hatch to run for reelection, and Mitt isn’t happy about it, people close to him say,” by Alex Isenstadt: “Donald Trump is going all out to persuade seven-term Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch to seek reelection — a push aimed in no small part at keeping the president’s longtime nemesis, Mitt Romney, out of the Senate.Romney has been preparing to run for Hatch’s seat on the long-held assumption that the 83-year-old would retire.
“Yet Hatch, the longest-serving Republican senator in history, is now refusing to rule out another campaign — a circumstance Romney’s infuriated inner circle blames squarely on the president. Their suspicions are warranted: Trump has sounded off to friends about how he doesn’t like the idea of a Senator Romney.The president’s mostly behind-the-scenes campaign to sway Hatch will burst into public view on Monday, when he arrives in Salt Lake City to hold a well-choreographed event designed to showcase his affection for the powerful Senate Finance Committee chairman.” http://politi.co/2Bwmxvp
DARREN SAMUELSOHN — “White House paranoid: ‘Everyone thinks they’re being recorded’”: “Paranoia is enveloping the White House and President Donald Trump’s network of former aides and associates as Robert Mueller’s Russia probe heats up. Former national security adviser Michael Flynn agreed to cooperate with investigators as part of the plea deal he reached last week, adding to the worry already inside Trump’s circle surrounding the secret deal struck earlier this summer by former campaign aide George Papadopoulos, whose cooperation was kept quiet for months before being unsealed in late October.
“Both cases raise the possibility that other current or former colleagues have also flipped sides — and they’re prompting anxiety that those people could be wearing wires to secretly tape record conversations. ‘Everyone is paranoid,’ said a person close to Trump’s White House. ‘Everyone thinks they’re being recorded.’ Mueller is doing little to abate those suspicions. Tucked inside last week’s 10-page plea deal Flynn struck with government prosecutors is an agreement that the former White House national security adviser could avoid a potential lengthy jail term in part by ‘participating in covert law enforcement activities.’” http://politi.co/2jO6amC
****** A message from PhRMA: A medicine’s path from the biopharmaceutical company to the patient involves many entities across the supply chain. A new report examines how money flows through this system – which includes wholesalers, pharmacy benefit managers, pharmacies and insurers – and how that impacts what patients pay at the pharmacy. Read more: http://politi.co/2ngVlPj ******
BEHIND THE SCENES — “George Papadopoulos’ late night with the FBI,” by Josh Gerstein: “When former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos stepped off a flight from Germany at Dulles Airport outside Washington last July, he had no inkling of the unwelcome surprise in store for him: FBI agents waiting to place him under arrest. For the 29-year-old Chicago native, it was going to be a long night.
“Jail records obtained by POLITICO show Papadopoulos was booked in at the Alexandria (Va.) city detention center at 1:45 a.m. the following morning. Despite the late arrival at the jail and the fact that Papadopoulos later agreed to cooperate with prosecutors, his Chicago-based defense lawyers Thomas Breen and Rob Stanley said in an interview that the FBI did not attempt to interrogate him right away.” With his mugshot http://politi.co/2iMc7Eb
TWITTER EFFECT — “Trump’s uncontrollable tweeting triggers deeper anxiety among advisers,” by Andrew Restuccia: “It took nearly 24 hours for President Donald Trump to tweet about the news that his former national security adviser Michael Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to FBI agents — a delay that Trump’s advisers said was not uncommon for the president, who often tweets after catching up on cable news. Many Republicans at first saw the radio silence as a welcome sign of restraint.
“But by Sunday, the notoriously hot-headed president had already claimed Flynn was fired earlier this year in part for lying to the FBI and had moved on to accusing the nation’s top law-enforcement agency of being ‘in tatters.’ ‘Worst in History! But fear not, we will bring it back to greatness,’ he tweeted. The tweets all combined to reignite fears among people close to Trump that the president is not taking the special counsel’s investigation seriously enough and is getting bad advice from his legal team.” http://politi.co/2BFCmkw
JARED WATCH — “Kushner upbeat, undeterred in first public remarks on Middle East peace process,” by Annie Karni: “Shorter Jared Kushner: I’m still here. On Sunday, the president’s son-in-law used his first-ever public remarks on the Middle East peace process to make a case for his own continued relevance in the Trump White House — even as the Russia probe and the more stringent reign of chief of staff John Kelly have seemingly pushed him to the margins.
“‘We do think it’s achievable,’ Kushner said of an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal. His comments came during a 30-minute question-and-answer session with Haim Saban, one of the Democratic Party’s biggest pro-Israel donors, at the annual Saban Forum, held at the Willard InterContinental Washington Hotel. …
“But his relaxed appearance — a blue blazer over a black sweater, with no tie — sent a clear message that Kushner is soldiering on, undeterred. His criminal attorney, Abbe Lowell, who is representing him in special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of potential Russian interference in the 2016 election, was in the audience for Kushner’s talk on Sunday. But other attendees said it was simply in Lowell’s off-the-clock capacity as a longtime figure in Washington’s power Jewish community, not as a legal representative.” http://politi.co/2AL6ME4
— INTERESTING BITE: HAIM SABAN: “To achieve [Middle East peace], the team has in it an entrepreneur — you — a real estate lawyer, a bankruptcy lawyer. I don’t know how you’ve lasted eight months in this lineup. But that’s for another day. And it’s impressive that it’s still going. There’s not a Middle East macher in this group. How do you operate with people who basically…with all due respect, a bunch of orthodox Jews who have no idea about anything? What are you guys doing? Seriously I don’t understand this.” KUSHNER: “I’ll definitely say it’s not a conventional team.” The cliphttp://bit.ly/2AsG0hg
PEACE PROCESS UPDATE — “Talk of a Peace Plan That Snubs Palestinians Roils Middle East,” by NYT’s Anne Barnard in Beirut, David Halbfinger in Jerusalem and Peter Baker in D.C., with Maria Abi-Habib and Hwaida Saad in Beirut, Rami Nazzal in Ramallah, West Bank, Alissa J. Rubin in Paris and Nour Youssef in Cairo: “In a mysterious trip last month, Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, traveled to Saudi Arabia’s capital for consultations with the hard-charging crown prince about President Trump’s plans for Middle East peace. What was said when the doors were closed, however, has since roiled the region.
“According to Palestinian, Arab and European officials who have heard Mr. Abbas’s version of the conversation, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman presented a plan that would be more tilted toward the Israelis than any ever embraced by the American government, one that presumably no Palestinian leader could ever accept.
“The Palestinians would get a state of their own but only noncontiguous parts of the West Bank and only limited sovereignty over their own territory. The vast majority of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, which most of the world considers illegal, would remain. The Palestinians would not be given East Jerusalem as their capital and there would be no right of return for Palestinian refugees and their descendants. …
“The White House on Sunday denied that was its plan, saying it was still months away from finalizing a blueprint for peace, and the Saudi government denied that it supports those positions. … Even if the account proves incomplete, it has gained currency with enough players in the Middle East to deeply alarm Palestinians and raise suspicions about Mr. Trump’s efforts. … One Lebanese government official who received a call was most surprised by what he said was a Saudi suggestion that the Palestinians could have Abu Dis, a suburb of East Jerusalem, as their capital.” http://nyti.ms/2np5ZmS
SUSAN GLASSER talks with ISRAELI AMBASSADOR RON DERMER in the latest “Global POLITICO” podcast: “Is Trump About to Blow Up Jared Kushner’s Mideast Peacemaking?”: “President Trump has talked of ‘the ultimate deal’ he’s going to strike, to finally make peace once and for all between Israel and the Palestinians. His son-in-law Jared Kushner has spent the last few months shuttling to and from the region, and speculation has been running high that the U.S. might soon unveil its own proposal for peace, or at least the basic outlines.
“Still, Israel’s ambassador to the United States, a close ally of the Trump team who has been working closely with them on the plan, says in a new interview for The Global Politico that while he’s an ‘optimist,’ chances are only ‘moderate to high’ of even restarting the dormant peace process over the next year. As for an actual deal, he wouldn’t even speculate.
“And the ambassador, Ron Dermer, one of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s closest confidants, confirmed in a rare on-the-record conversation that Trump this week is likely to take a controversial step by recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital—a move that Palestinians have threatened will blow up any talks even before they start.” http://politi.co/2ASlFVY … The full transcript http://politi.co/2igOKyM
— “Trump approves National Security Strategy,” by Axios’ Jonathan Swan: “The draft is almost completed, and all the principals — James Mattis, Rex Tillerson, Steven Mnuchin, etc. — have agreed on its core components. The document will be rolled out soon.… The NSS … will explain how Trump’s ‘America First’ mantra applies to the vast range of threats America faces, including Chinese economic competition, Russian influence operations, and the weaponization of space. It’s designed to guide the Trump administration’s foreign policy and national security decisions, according to three sources familiar with it. …
“Nadia Schadlow, a well-respected member of the National Security Council and trusted confidant of H.R. McMaster, spent months drafting the document, working with Deputy National Security Adviser Dina Powell and McMaster.Schadlow and Powell met with dozens of members of Congress, cybersecurity and foreign policy experts, military strategists and CEOs.” http://bit.ly/2nr2gp2
TRUMP’S MONDAY — He is flying to Salt Lake City and will meet with leaders from and tour the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Trump will give a speech at the state capitol and then will return to D.C.
— TRUMP’S WEEK: Tuesday: The president and first lady host the Congressional ball at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday: Trump has a cabinet meeting at 11:30, and lunch with VP Mike Pence at 12:30 p.m. Thursday: The president and first lady host a Hanukkah reception at 7:30 p.m. Friday: The president meets with Defense Secretary Jim Mattis at 1:30 p.m.
THE JUICE …
— FWD.US is launching a six-figure digital ad buy featuring the personal stories of DACA recipients. The ads will run in Washington, Ohio and Texas and and other target states and districts. Example of Texas ad http://bit.ly/2AshGMv
YOU’RE INVITED —Our first live podcast taping is this Thursday night at 7 p.m. at Sixth and I. Our inaugural guests: MICHAEL BARBARO, host of the New York Times’ hit podcast “The Daily,” DCCC EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR DAN SENA and NRCC EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR JOHN ROGERS. And a panel of POLITICO stars: RACHAEL BADE, SEUNG MIN KIM and ANNIE KARNI. Get your tickets now! http://bit.ly/2hWK7tF
FOR YOUR RADAR — “Stealth jets, other aircraft fly in U.S., South Korean drills,” by AP’s Youkyung Lee in Seoul: “Hundreds of aircraft including two dozen stealth jets began training Monday as the United States and South Korea launched a massive combined air force exercise. The war games come a week after North Korea test-fired its most powerful missile ever, an ICBM that may be able to target the eastern seaboard of the United States. The five-day drill, which is called Vigilant Ace, is meant to improve the allies’ wartime capabilities and preparedness, South Korea’s defense ministry said.” http://bit.ly/2AsZfHF
FIRST IN PLAYBOOK —Attorney General Jeff Sessions is traveling to Cartagena, Colombia on Wednesday, to participate in the Trilateral Summit Against Transnational Organized Crime. The summit brings together attorneys general from the U.S., Colombia, and Mexico to coordinate efforts against organized crime. Sessions was invited by Colombian Attorney General Nestor Humberto Martinez.
****** A message from PhRMA: A medicine’s path from the biopharmaceutical company to the patient involves many entities across the supply chain. A new report examines how money flows through this system – which includes wholesalers, pharmacy benefit managers, pharmacies and insurers – and how that impacts what patients pay at the pharmacy. Read more: http://politi.co/2ngVlPj ******
ON THE AIR — “Giffords buys ads against 8 Republicans on concealed carry,” by Isaac Dovere: “Gabby Giffords is going up on the air Monday with a six-figure ad buy against Reps. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-N.J.) and Jason Lewis (R-Minn.) from her gun safety group. The ads come ahead of this week’s expected House vote on Concealed Carry Reciprocity, which, if enacted, would be a massive opening of gun laws across the country, forcing all states to accept gun licenses issued in any state.
“The result could lead to gun carrying laws effectively being set everywhere at the lowest level any state would allow.… Digital ads will also go out against Reps. Steve Knight (R-Calif.), Ed Royce (R-Calif.), Mimi Walters (R-Calif.), Mike Coffman (R-Colo.), Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.) and Barbara Comstock (R-Va.). All of these are at the top of Democrats’ 2018 pick-up hopes. There will be a radio ad focused on the three Southern California members.” http://politi.co/2AmWZUm
BUSINESS BURST — “CVS to Buy Aetna for $69 Billion, Combining Major Health-Care Players,” by WSJ’s Sharon Terlep, Anna Wilde Mathews and Dana Cimilluca: “CVS Health Corp. agreed to buy Aetna Inc. for about $69 billion in cash and stock in a move to transform the pharmacy company and capture more of what consumers spend on health care. … The proposed deal is the latest and most dramatic sign of how the lines between traditional segments in health care are blurring as companies, saddled with mature businesses and in many cases restricted from buying rivals, enter new areas in search of growth.” http://on.wsj.com/2iM7XMO
SPOTTED: Sen. Ed. Markey (D-Mass.) chatting with Chris Matthews at a Starbucks in Washington on Sunday — pichttp://bit.ly/2AtJrnQ … Omarosa last night at the Ivy City Smokehouse. She was there for a party in a private area … Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) at Jose Andres’ barmini on Saturday night.
SPOTTED at the Kennedy Center honors last night: British Ambassador Kim Darroch, Ambassador Stuart Bernstein, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and Hilary Ross, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Louise Linton, Labor Secretary Elaine Chao, VA Secretary David Shulkin, John and Anne Dickerson, Patrick Steel and Lee Satterfield, Meryl Streep, Quincy Jones, Mary Street and Clyde Tuggle, Alan Fleischmann, Lara Bergthold, Maria Pica Karp and Rick Karp, Howard Fineman, Dan and Rhoda Glickman, Rob Reiner, Queen Latifah, Capricia Marshall, Stevie Wonder, Steve Ricchetti, Joe Naylor …
… Phil Musser, Matt and Abby Echols, Tim Keating, Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Kelly Paul, Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich), Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.), Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) and Megan Beyer, Glenn and Suzanne Youngkin, Valerie Jarrett and Laura Jarrett, JJ Abrams, Amb. Caroline Kennedy, Les Moonves, David Rhodes, Jackie Alemany, Nick Ayers, Adrienne Arsht, Tammy Haddad, Christine Lagarde, David Gergen, Questlove.
ENGAGED –– OBAMA ALUMNI: Eric Fanning, former Secretary of the Army and incoming President and CEO of the Aerospace Industries Association, and Ben Masri-Cohen of The National Gallery of Art. “They announced to friends Saturday night at a surprise engagement party that had been disguised as a holiday party.” They first met ten years ago and have been together two years. They got engaged in Greece. Pic http://bit.ly/2zLe9rH
TRANSITIONS — Molly Drenkard is the new manager of corporate communications at Anheuser-Busch. She was previously the national press secretary for the House Republican Conference. Olivia Hnat will join the House Republican Conference as Chairman Cathy McMorris Rodgers’ (R-Wash.) national press secretary. She most recently was with Rep. Pat Tiberi (R-Ohio) and is an alumna of Speaker John Boehner’s team.
BIRTHWEEK (was yesterday): Andy Surabian, who celebrated with “brunch at Cuba Libre with Steve Cheung, Cliff Sims and Kaelan Dorr from the White House. And then forcing his girlfriend to watch football with him for the rest of the day”.
BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Jackie Kucinich, Washington bureau chief of The Daily Beast and a CNN political analyst. How she got her start in journalism: “My start in journalism was an exercise in good timing. I sent my resume into The Hill for an internship my senior year of college. When I didn’t hear back, I called and got then-managing editor Andy Glass on the phone. I asked him for the position and he asked me when I could start. Timing is everything!” Read her Playbook Plus Q&A: http://politi.co/2jLh3FX
BIRTHDAYS: Griffin Harris … Al Hunt is 75 … Bill Muratt, COS for Sen. Tammy Baldwin (hat tip: Hilary Rosen) … Claire Lucas … Kevin O’Neill, co-chair of Arnold & Porter’s legislative team … PBS NewsHour’s deputy senior producer Anne Davenport … Nick Gass, communications specialist at Koch Industries … Rep. Francis Rooney (R-Fla.) is 64 … Edelman alum Craig Brownstein … Peter Freeman … CNN’s Suzanne Malveaux … Ashley (Nerz) Levey, comms at LinkedIn (h/t Chip Cutter) … Ben Keller … Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-Calif.) is 81 … Tyquana Henderson-Parsons … Whitney Ksiazek, a field producer for Fox News … Cesi Covey … Dani Kurtzleben, political reporter at NPR … Colin Rogero … Sarah Schanz, Duke Law student (h/t fiancé Jeremy Iloulian) … Marina McCarthy … Campbell Marshall …
… Rick Hohlt … Jennie Westbrook Courts, a principal on the communications team at Precision Strategies (h/t Tom Zigo) … Andrew Shult, digital director for Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.), is 3-0 (h/t Allison Schneider) … John Neata (h/t Jon Haber) … Yesenia Chavez, VP of the LGBT Congressional Staff Association and LA for Rep. Raul Grijalva (h/t Mitchell Rivard) … Hilary Matfess, author of the new book “Women and the War on Boko Haram: Wives, Weapons, Witnesses” (h/t Ben Chang) … Jon Fleischman … Matthew Bevens, MBA student at INSEAD in Singapore … DLCC’s Shelbi Warner … Washington Institute’s Louisa Keeler … ACLU’s Sarah Baron … Joe Britton … Leigh Strope of Burson-Marsteller … Patrick Collins … WaPo’s Jennifer Hurley … Facebook’s Francesca de Quesada Covey … Nancy Rose Senich … Steve Fowler … Leslie Rhode … Laura Derby … Emily Hines … Doug Nation … Brian Svoboda, partner at Perkins Coie … Steen Hambric … Doug Tiet … Yesenia Chavez … Meg Badame … Lis Buck … Sean Gagen … Nate Beecher … Mike Stratton (h/ts Teresa Vilmain)
****** A message from PhRMA: In the competitive marketplace for medicines, negotiations between pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and biopharmaceutical companies result in substantial rebates and fees. According to a new report, in many cases, this system often creates incentives for PBMs to prefer medicines with higher list prices and higher rebates. Read more about how money flows through the supply chain here: http://politi.co/2ngVlPj ******
Time Magazine has released its finalists for person of the year in 2017 Monday morning. It seems the easiest way to make the list is to be apart of the “Resistance.”
President Trump was one of the ten finalists on the list. However, the vast majority of the finalists for person of the year have something very interesting common: they are combative opponents to POTUS. At least six of the finalists on the list have gone on the record against the president for a diverse range of issues.
Screenshot/MSNBC
Here is a truncated version:
Colin Kaepernick: Facing off with Trump over kneeling for the national anthem.
Dreamers: Political lightning rod in the immigration debate.
Robert Muller: Investigating Trump for collusion with Russia.
Jeff Bezos: Owns The Washington Post, regular media target of Trump.
Kim Jong Un: Wants to kill all Americans.
Xi Jinping: President of China, regular Trump campaign punching bag.
Patty Jenkins: Not very political, but a Hillary Clinton fan.
NBC/Screenshot
The magazine has faced recent criticism from president Trump over its selection process. Earlier in November president Trump tweeted about being contacted by TIME for the issue, adding that he turned it down:
Time Magazine called to say that I was PROBABLY going to be named “Man (Person) of the Year,” like last year, but I would have to agree to an interview and a major photo shoot. I said probably is no good and took a pass. Thanks anyway!
This is a cartoon for Dr. Shiva Ayyadurai for his 2018 Senate run against the fake Indian, Elizabeth Warren that I was inspired to do, given his message.
The swamp in Massachusetts is deep, thick with swamp critters like Mitt Romney and Pocahontas doing their best to defeat the MAGA agenda.
To hell with the swamp- Vote Shiva and declare your INDEPENDENCE!
This is a 11’ x 17 print on heavy weight stock. Personally signed with note.
Artwork created for Dr. Shiva Ayyadurai for his 2018 Senate run against the fake Indian, Elizabeth Warren. The doctor is running as an Independent and is ready to roll up his sleeves to “Drain the Swamp”. The swamp in Massachusetts is deep, thick with swamp critters like Mitt Romney and Pocahontas doing their best to defeat the MAGA agenda.
To hell with the swamp – Vote Shiva and declare your INDEPENDENCE!
2017 Ben Garrison cartoon as a Print
This is a 11’ x 17 print signed by noted cartoonist Ben Garrison on matt heavy weight stock.
Artist will personalize print for you, leave note.
USA/ worldwide shipping availableDon’t see the print you want? Contact Us!
About Cartoon
Dr. Shiva Ayyadurai for his 2018 Senate run against the fake Indian, Elizabeth Warren. The Doctor is running as an Independent and is ready to roll up his sleeves to “Drain the Swamp”.
The swamp in Massachusetts is deep, thick with swamp critters like Mitt Romney and Pocahontas doing their best to defeat the MAGA agenda.
To hell with the swamp- Vote Shiva and declare your INDEPENDENCE!
NMADRID (Reuters) – Catalonia’s pro-independence parties were seen losing their parliamentary majority in the regional election on Dec. 21, an official poll showed on Monday.
Pro-indepence party Junts per Catalunya was seen winning 25-26 seats, ERC another 32 seats and extreme-left party CUP 9 seats, according to the poll carried out by Sociological Research Centre (CIS).
That would give the pro-independence camp just 67 seats in the 135-seat regional parliament, stripping them of the previous slim majority.
The government’s People’s Party (PP) would win just 7 seats while the Socialists would take 21 and the market friendly Ciudadanos 31-32 seats, the poll showed. CatComu-Podem, the Catalan arm of the anti-austerity Podemos party, could win 9 seats, according to the survey.