A PLAYBOOKER was on the flight where IGOR FRUMAN and LEV PARNAS got arrested and they snapped a photo of them getting detained. From this photo, we can’t tell which one this is, but nonetheless, here’s the pic.
A DASH OF REALITY … FT: “China makes few concessions in trade truce with US,” by Tom Mitchell in Beijing: “In return for a series of modest concessions, most of which had been offered by President Xi Jinping’s administration in previous negotiating rounds, Donald Trump agreed to suspend another set of tariff increases originally scheduled to take effect on October 15.
“The truce sets the stage for a series of much higher-stakes negotiations after Mr Xi and Mr Trump’s expected encounter on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Conference, scheduled for November 16-17 in Santiago, Chile, where Friday’s agreement will be finalised.
“The two sides are still a long way from a final settlement that addresses much more contentious issues, such as Chinese government support for strategic industries and state-owned enterprises, which Mr Trump had hoped to reach before his 2020 re-election campaign kicks off in earnest. Chinese negotiators, however, believe that time is on their side and they can continue to stonewall Mr Trump and his lead negotiator, US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, on any “systemic” reforms that they fear would weaken the Chinese Communist party’s grip over the world’s second-largest economy.
“In private, Chinese officials say they are lucky Mr Trump waited a year before launching his trade assault in the spring of 2018, giving his negotiators only about 18 months to confront China before domestic political pressures would begin to hem them in. The US president wants relief for his farm-state supporters, who have borne the brunt of China’s counter-tariffs, and a soaring stock market to help boost his re-election prospects.” FT
-- SCMP: “Beijing warns of more uncertainty in trade war negotiations despite ‘constructive’ talks in Washington,” by Wendy Wu
-- DOUG PALMER, ADAM BEHSUDI and MEGAN CASSELLA: “Derek Scissors, a China expert at the American Enterprise Institute who sometimes advises the White House, said U.S. businesses aren’t gaining many concessions from Beijing.
“‘What the U.S. is getting is purchases and several elements of nonsense,’ Scissors said before the announcement. ‘Today seems to be another 'China-is-Great' day, but future talks face a higher risk.’” POLITICO
-- DES MOINES REGISTER: “Iowa leaders, farmers pleased but cautious about Trump's China trade agreement”: “Iowa politicians, farmers and business leaders were cautiously optimistic about a Chinese trade agreement that President Donald Trump announced ‘in principle’ Friday.
“But some said they wanted more specifics from the White House, citing other times over the past year when expected relief from trade tensions failed to materialize. ‘All of these things are positive,’ said Grant Kimberley, director of market development for the Iowa Soybean Association. ‘But there’s a whole lot of details that have to get worked out. Certainly, this is not a final deal. We have seen this before.’” DMR … Front page PDF
HOW IT’S PLAYING … DENVER POST: “U.S., China declare truce” … HARTFORD COURANT: “US, China arrive at partial trade deal” … PEORIA JOURNAL STAR: “Tariff hike on Chinese imports halted”
BEHIND THE SCENES ... WHAT PELOSI SAID ON YESTERDAY’S DEM CAUCUS CALL … “As I’ve said, we all agree: nobody came to Congress to impeach a President. This is very sad for our county and we want to conduct ourselves, as Democrats, as Members of Congress worthy of the Constitution that we are there to protect. …
“One thing, I do want to say is that, POTUS – you know, that’s the president – POTUS has become a potty-mouth and children are listening. This is – this is beyond disgraceful. But, for him to say the thing that he said about Joe Biden [in Minneapolis] was so far beyond the pale. Again, that has nothing to do with impeachment. That is about elections, and I will make my final point.
“What we are doing on impeachment is about the facts – ‘Just the facts, ma’am’ – and the Constitution. His policy, his personality, his potty-mouth, that’s about the election and let’s make sure that we understand the reasons he is – the inquiry is because he has not honored his oath of office. We will honor ours.
“And, the Senate is saying, ‘Now that you are doing that, we are not doing it.’ You know, just because we have the courage to honor our oath of office doesn’t mean we have to fold to the cowardice of the Senate that is not going to honor theirs. … I’ve said before Trump, himself, is not worthy of impeachment because it’s divisive in the county. But our Constitution is worth it. Our democracy is worth it. And, our republic, if we can save it, is worth it.”
… AND THERE’S MORE! NYT: “Giuliani Is Said to Be Under Investigation for Ukraine Work,” by Mike Schmidt, Ben Protess, Ken Vogel and William Rashbaum: “Federal prosecutors in Manhattan are investigating whether President Trump’s personal lawyer Rudolph W. Giuliani broke lobbying laws in his dealings in Ukraine, according to two people familiar with the inquiry.
“The investigators are examining Mr. Giuliani’s efforts to undermine the American ambassador to Ukraine, Marie L. Yovanovitch, one of the people said. She was recalled in the spring as part of Mr. Trump’s broader campaign to pressure Ukraine into helping his political prospects.
“The investigation into Mr. Giuliani is tied to the case against two of his associates who were arrested this week on campaign finance-related charges, the people familiar with the inquiry said. The associates were charged with funneling illegal contributions to a congressman whose help they sought in removing Ms. Yovanovitch.” NYT
-- GIULIANI told WaPo’s Josh Dawsey by text that he’s still his attorney. WaPo
-- ANITA KUMAR: “‘Rudy Giuliani needs to stop talking’: Trump team tires of Giuliani”
WRAP UP: “Impeachment takeaways: Another week of big developments: Five of POLITICO’s reporters who have been covering Trump’s presidency and the impeachment inquiry share their thoughts on where we stand.”
WAPO’S JOSH DAWSEY and NICK MIROFF on the departure of KEVIN MCALEENAN: “A person close to McAleenan, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said he resigned Friday after weeks of growing disenchantment with his standing in the administration. He was never formally nominated for the job and there was no indication he would be.” WaPo
… AND NYT’S ZOLAN KANNO-YOUNGS, MAGGIE HABERMAN and MIKE SHEAR: “Mr. McAleenan’s departure from the White House came after he tried to embrace the president's increasingly aggressive assault on legal and illegal immigration publicly even as he privately resisted some of Mr. Trump’s most extreme ideas.
“A former deputy commissioner for the nation’s border security agency under President Barack Obama, Mr. McAleenan watched in recent months as the White House surrounded him with Fox News contributors to key positions in the agency.” NYT
… AND ANITA KUMAR and TED HESSON: “‘No one’s sad about it,’ said an administration official familiar with the situation. ‘How many times do we have to do this before someone realizes it actually matters who heads these agencies?’” POLITICO
Good Saturday morning. THE WASHINGTON NATIONALS took game 1 of the National League Division Series last night in St. Louis. Anibal Sanchez gave up one hit in eight innings of work, and the Nats won 2-0. Read WaPo’s Barry Svrluga on what lies ahead
SPOTTED: Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin at Nobu Friday night.
IT’S ELECTION DAY IN LOUISIANA … The front page of the Times Picayune has Trump with the two GOP candidates, and Gov. John Bel Edwards. Front page PDF
-- GABBY ORR in Lake Charles, La.: “Raw, angry, uncensored: Welcome to Trump's impeachment-era campaign”: “First he claimed the political establishment was rigging the 2016 election against him. Then he accused special counsel Robert Mueller of overseeing an ‘attempted takeover of the government.’ Now President Donald Trump is telling his supporters he’s the victim of a “coup” that House Democrats have disguised as a legitimate impeachment inquiry.
“It’s the same warlike strategy Trump has employed throughout his presidency: complain relentlessly about partisan constraints on his power, furiously berate political opponents, and use the victim card to bind with Americans who feel similarly betrayed by the political system.
“And yet, it’s unlike anything voters have seen before. The president made it known on Friday, in his second appearance on the campaign trail since Democrats launched their impeachment probe, that he is eager to stoke an already-toxic political environment by being the rawest, angriest and least censored version of himself. ‘They’ve been trying to stop us for the past three years with a lot of crap,’ he stated matter-of-factly about his Democratic opponents on Capitol Hill.” POLITICO
IN SYRIA … WAPO: “Turkey’s invasion of Syria puts Islamic State fight on hold at a critical time,” by Liz Sly and Missy Ryan in Beirut: “Hundreds of fighters with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have been relocated to the front lines with Turkey and away from areas where the anti-Islamic State operations were focused, drawing manpower and resources away from the daily raids and missions that have thwarted an Islamic State revival.” WaPo
HMM … DAN DIAMOND: “Health officials: Trump immigration order could be illegal”: “Officials who oversee the nation's health insurance markets have privately raised concerns that President Donald Trump's recent mandate requiring visa-seekers to prove they can get health insurance may be unworkable and even illegal, according to three individuals with knowledge of the deliberations.” POLITICO
ON AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS … “Shepard Smith, Fox News Anchor, Abruptly Departs From Network,” by NYT’s Michael Grynbaum: “In an announcement that stunned colleagues, Mr. Smith concluded his Friday newscast by signing off from Fox News — for good. ‘Recently, I asked the company to allow me to leave,’ Mr. Smith said calmly. ‘After requesting that I stay, they obliged.’ …
“The internal tensions had frustrated Mr. Smith, 55, who was dismayed at the disconnect between some of the pro-Trump cheerleading in prime-time and the reporting produced by the network’s newsroom.” NYT
THE PRESIDENT’S SATURDAY … THE PRESIDENT will leave the White House at 6:05 p.m. for the Omni Shoreham for the Values Voter Summit. He’ll speak at 6:30 p.m.
CLICKER -- “The nation’s cartoonists on the week in politics,” edited by Matt Wuerker -- 14 funnies
GREAT HOLIDAY WEEKEND READS, curated by Daniel Lippman (@dlippman):
-- “The FBI Lost Our Son,” by WSJ’s Brett Forest: “Billy Reilly worked in counterterrorism for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, penetrating radical groups online with false identities. Then he disappeared.” WSJ
-- “Why You Never See Your Friends Anymore,” by Judith Shulevitz, author of “The Sabbath World: Glimpses of a Different Order of Time,” in The Atlantic’s November issue: “Our unpredictable and overburdened schedules are taking a dire toll on American society.” The Atlantic
-- “Everything Is Private Equity Now” -- Bloomberg: “Spurred by cheap loans and investors desperate to boost returns, buyout firms roam every corner of the corporate world.” Bloomberg
-- “The Puzzles of Thermopylae,” by Chris Carey in History Today -- per TheBrowser.com’s description: “In 480 BC an invading Persian army marched south through Greece unopposed, until its way was blocked by a small force at the pass of Thermopylae. We owe our knowledge of the subsequent battle mainly to Herodotus, who recorded some 30 years later how 7,000 Greek warriors, with 300 Spartans at their core, held off 1.7 million Persians. The Greek defence became a byword for heroism.” History Today
-- “In an attack on Iran, misunderstanding Qasim Soleimani could be America’s downfall,” by Arron Merat in Prospect Magazine: “He is a canny, ruthless military leader—and Iran's greatest defender. Has the U.S. fundamentally misconceived the motives of this commander, and by extension, Iran itself?” Prospect
-- “Jeff Hatch Was Dealing Fentanyl. And Helping Addicts. Then a Planned Visit from the VP Blew It All Up,” by Chris Ballard in SI: “Ex-Ivy Leaguer and NFL-er Jeff Hatch spent years telling audiences of his triumph over opioid addiction, to great acclaim. Then as the rehab center he worked at drew national attention, a tortuous backstory of cops, dealers and deception came to light. Now, for the first time, Hatch, the people who know him and the people who thought they did speak out at length.” SI (hat tip: Longform.org)
-- “The Impeachment Loophole No One’s Talking About,” by Washingtonian’s Ben Wofford: “The Constitution doesn’t indicate that removal from office requires two-thirds of the Senate. It requires two-thirds of senators present for the proceedings. ... But suppose ... 30 senators ... boycott the proceedings—or, when the big day of the vote arrived, mysteriously not show up. With 70 members now present, the number of senators required to convict Trump is no longer 67. It’s 47: exactly the number of seats Democrats and independents currently hold in the Senate.” Washingtonian
-- “Kathryn Murdoch Steps Out of the Family Shadow to Fight Climate Change,” by NYT’s John Schwartz: “You know her last name, and her father-in-law, Rupert, the conservative media mogul. Now, she hopes to remove partisan obstacles to climate progress that her family’s empire helped build.” NYT
-- “Sandra Bonyton’s Captivating Universe,” by Ian Bogost in The Atlantic’s November issue: “Her picture books have sold 75 million copies in the last four decades. What’s the secret to her far-reaching appeal?” The Atlantic
-- “The Billion-Dollar High-Speed Internet Scam,” by Austin Carr in Bloomberg Businessweek: “Elizabeth Pierce impressed investors with hefty contracts for fiber—until they learned she was the only one who’d signed them.” Bloomberg Businessweek (h/t Longform.org)
-- “These Sheriffs Release Sick Inmates to Avoid Paying Their Hospital Bills,” by Connor Sheets in ProPublica: “Inmates suffering heart attacks, on the verge of diabetic comas and brutalized in jail beatings have been released so sheriffs wouldn’t have to pay for their medical care. Some were rearrested once they had recovered.” ProPublica
-- “Stronger than a man,” by Elaine Showalter in the Times Literary Supplement: “In the autumn of 1949, she transferred to the University of Chicago, where by her second year of college she had managed to sleep with thirty-six people, of both sexes. By late November of her second year, she had met a brilliant young professor of sociology, Philip Rieff, who seemed like her intellectual double. They were married on January 3, 1951.” TLS (h/t TheBrowser.com)
Send tips to Eli Okun and Garrett Ross at politicoplaybook@politico.com.
SPOTTED: John Podesta on a flight from Dulles to San Francisco.
TRANSITION -- Brian Kamoie has been named DHS distinguished chair of leadership in the Stockdale Center for Ethical Leadership at the U.S. Naval Academy. He most recently was FEMA’s associate administrator for mission support and is an NSC alum.
BIRTHDAYS: Lara Trump is 37 … “Fox News Sunday” anchor Chris Wallace is 72 … NYT’s Michael Barbaro is 4-0 (h/t Alex Halpern Levy) … Glen Bolger, partner at Public Opinion Strategies, is 57 … Jorge Guajardo, senior director at McLarty Associates … BuzzFeed’s Kate Nocera and Rosie Gray … former Michigan Gov. John Engler is 71 … former Sen. Jake Garn (R-Utah) is 87 … former Rep. Ed Royce (R-Calif.) is 68 … former Rep. Joe Garcia (D-Fla.) is 56 … Lauren Blanchard, national correspondent at Fox News, is 3-0 (h/t Amanda Crane) … NPR’s Jack Speer … Matt Bernstein … Jamie Hennigan, VP of comms at the National Association of Manufacturers … Debbie Berkowitz, senior fellow at the National Employment Law Project (h/t Jon Haber) … Lawren Mills … Will Jennings … Collin Berglund … Alastair Fitzpayne … WSJ’s Gary Rosen … Andi Ball …
… former U.S. Treasurer Anna Escobedo Cabral, now senior adviser at the Inter-American Development Bank … Eric Wilson of America Rising and Startup Caucus … Fendy Mesy … Chris Coffey, head of the New York practice for Tusk Strategies and Tusk Ventures … Leslie Carbone … Lauren Cavataro … Bloomberg’s Anna Edney … Christopher Kirchhoff … Francis Thomas, director at TPG Global and head of comms at The Rise Fund … Emily Beyer … Andrea Washington … Thomas Bowman is 4-0 … Chelsea Welch … CRC’s Elizabeth Ray … The Hill’s Juliegrace Brufke … Matthew J. Shuman … Patsy Woods Martin … Joshua Hone of Advoc8 … Amber Lyons … Simon Limage … Chris Nagel … Google’s Jennifer Zeidman Bloch … Matt Flavin is 4-0 … Liz Dawson … David Oleksak … Megan Cheney … Kenneth Ahn … David Yepsen … Ted Mondale (h/ts Teresa Vilmain)
THE SHOWS, by Matt Mackowiak, filing from Dallas:
-- NBC’s “Meet the Press”: Jim Mattis … Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) ... Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.). Panel: Cornell Belcher, Peggy Noonan, Ashley Parker and Mike Schmidt.
-- CNN’s “State of the Union”: Pete Buttigieg … John Kasich. Panel: Rep. Anthony Brown (D-Md.), Scott Jennings, Xochitl Hinojosa and Linda Chavez.
-- “Fox News Sunday”: Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) … Defense Secretary Mark Esper. Panel: Jason Riley, Donna Brazile, Guy Benson and Charles Lane. … “Power Player of the Week” segment with Iranian journalist and activist Masih Alinejad.
-- ABC’s “This Week”: Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) … Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.) ... Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.). Panel: Rick Klein, Rachael Bade, Stephanie Brown James and Jonah Goldberg.
-- CBS’ “Face the Nation”: Defense Secretary Mark Esper … Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) … Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) ... Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) … Anthony Salvanto. Panel: Toluse Olorunnipa, Jerry Seib and Amy Walter.
-- CNN’s “Inside Politics”: Julie Pace, Josh Dawsey, Tarini Parti and Rachael Bade (substitute anchor: Nia-Malika Henderson).
-- Gray TV’s “Full Court Press with Greta Van Susteren”: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
-- Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures”: Kellyanne Conway … Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.) … Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) … Mark Penn.
-- Fox News’ “MediaBuzz”: The Federalist’s Mollie Hemingway … Fox News correspondent Gillian Turner … former PBS correspondent Ray Suarez … former Trump White House press secretary Sean Spicer … The Dispatch editor-in-chief Jonah Goldberg … The Federalist’s Emily Jashinsky.
-- CNN’s “Fareed Zakaria GPS”: Susan Rice … David Miliband … Stephen Schwartzman.
-- CNN’s “Reliable Sources”: Sam Donaldson and Douglas Brinkley … David Zurawik and Irin Carmon … Amanda Marcotte … Peter Wehner … Andrew Marantz.
-- Univision’s “Al Punto”: Janeth Flores and Josue Rolando Cornejo … Fabian Núñez and Adolfo Franco … Stacey Abrams … Maria Antonieta Collins … Edward Norton.
-- C-SPAN: “The Communicators”: Gigi Sohn and Patrick Halley … “Newsmakers”: Tom Perez, questioned by POLITICO’s Alex Isenstadt and WaPo’s Jacqueline Alemany … “Q&A”: author and historian Jeff Guinn.
-- MSNBC’s “Kasie DC”: Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) … Tom Steyer … Beto O’Rourke … Evelyn Farkas … Ken Dilanian … Jake Sherman … Kimberly Atkins … Jeff Mason … David Drucker … Karine Jean-Pierre … Brendan Buck … Lindsay Heck (substitute anchor: NBC’s Geoff Bennett).
-- Washington Times’ “Mack on Politics” weekly politics podcast with Matt Mackowiak (download on iTunes, Google Play, Spotify or Stitcher or listen at MackOnPoliticsPodcast.com): Rich Lowry.
- Anna Palmer @apalmerdc
- Jake Sherman @JakeSherman
