Power Briefing: Trump invites Vladimir Putin and Shinzo Abe to visit U.S. Presented by Amazon

President Donald Trump invited Russian President Vladimir Putin and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to visit the U.S. The Japanese leader will visit Mar-a-Lago this month while a Kremlin spokesman said there was no additional details on a potential meeting between Trump and the Russian strongman. | Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP Photo

TRUMP TO PUTIN: LET’S SET UP A MEETING … WaPo’s Anton Troianovski: “The [Kremlin] aide, Yury Ushakov, said no preparations for such a meeting have taken place since the March 20 phone call, according to Russian news agencies.

“‘[I]f everything will be all right, I hope that the Americans will not back away from their own proposal to discuss the possibility of holding a summit,’ Ushakov said, according to state news agency RIA Novosti. ‘When our presidents spoke on the phone, it was Trump who proposed holding the first meeting in Washington in the White House.’” https://wapo.st/2pVaogs

-- SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS, via pooler Chris Johnson of the Washington Blade: “As the [p]resident himself confirmed on March 20, hours after his last call with President Putin, the two had discussed a bilateral meeting in the ‘not-too-distant future’ at a number of potential venues, including the White House. We have nothing further to add at this time.”

ACOSTA and TRUMP, via Johnson: CNN’s Jim “Acosta: ‘What about the DACA kids? Should they worry about what's going to happen to them?’

“POTUS: ‘The Democrats have really let them down. They really let them down. They had this great opportunity. The Democrats have really let them down. It's a shame. And now people are taking advantage of DACA and that’s a shame.’ Acosta: ‘Didn’t you kill DACA?’ POTUS: [No answer]”.

Playbook PM Sign up for our must-read newsletter on what's driving the afternoon in Washington. Email Sign Up By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or alerts from POLITICO. You can unsubscribe at any time. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Good Monday afternoon. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP will host JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER SHINZO ABE at Mar-a-Lago from April 17-18, according to a White House release. They “will discuss the international campaign to maintain maximum pressure on North Korea in advance of President Trump’s planned meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un” and talk about trade.

OVER/UNDER … 3 MORE DAYS … How long will David Shulkin’s media blitz last?

ON THE PRESIDENT’S MIND -- @realDonaldTrump at 7:02 a.m.: “Mexico has the absolute power not to let these large ‘Caravans’ of people enter their country. They must stop them at their Northern Border, which they can do because their border laws work, not allow them to pass through into our country, which has no effective border laws.....” …

… at 7:10 a.m.: “...Congress must immediately pass Border Legislation, use Nuclear Option if necessary, to stop the massive inflow of Drugs and People. Border Patrol Agents (and ICE) are GREAT, but the weak Dem laws don’t allow them to do their job. Act now Congress, our country is being stolen!” …

... at 7:17 a.m.: “DACA is dead because the Democrats didn’t care or act, and now everyone wants to get onto the DACA bandwagon... No longer works. Must build Wall and secure our

borders with proper Border legislation. Democrats want No Borders, hence drugs and crime!” …

… at 9:08 a.m.: “Mexico is making a fortune on NAFTA...They have very strong border laws - ours are pathetic. With all of the money they make from the U.S., hopefully they will stop people from coming through their country and into ours, at least until Congress changes our immigration laws!”

... at 9:28 a.m.: “So funny to watch Fake News Networks, among the most dishonest groups of people I have ever dealt with, criticize Sinclair Broadcasting for being biased. Sinclair is far superior to CNN and even more Fake NBC, which is a total joke.” … at 9:35 a.m.: “Only fools, or worse, are saying that our money losing Post Office makes money with Amazon. THEY LOSE A FORTUNE, and this will be changed. Also, our fully tax paying retailers are closing stores all over the country...not a level playing field!” ...

… at 9:58 a.m.: “So sad that the Department of “Justice” and the FBI are slow walking, or even not giving, the unredacted documents requested by Congress. An embarrassment to our country!”

-- Trump ended the DACA program, not the Democrats. Senators have vociferously resisted changing the chamber’s rules.

A message from Amazon: Amazon helps independent sellers grow and thrive in our store. Read the story behind the success of small- and medium-sized businesses in the Amazon store.

THE TRUMP WHITE HOUSE -- “Donald Trump ‘Cherishes’ Lou Dobbs So Much He Puts Him on Speakerphone for Oval Office Meetings,” by the Daily Beast’s Maxwell Tani and Asawin Suebsaeng: “Dobbs doesn’t get to just interview and socialize with the president, he is involved in some of the administration’s more sensitive discussions. During the first year of the Trump era, the president has patched Dobbs in via speakerphone to multiple meetings in the Oval Office so that he could offer his two cents, according to three sources familiar with these conversations. Trump will ask Dobbs for his opinion before and after his senior aides or Cabinet members have spoken. Occasionally, he will cut off an official so the Fox Business host can jump in.” https://thebea.st/2JcttCw

2018 WATCH -- “Nancy Pelosi targeted in more than a third of GOP House commercials,” by USA Today’s Craig Gilbert: “The House Democratic leader has been featured in roughly one-third (34%) of all GOP broadcast ads aired in House races this year, according to data provided to the USA TODAY NETWORK by Kantar Media’s Campaign Media Analysis Group (CMAG), which tracks political advertising. That compares with 9% in all of 2016 and 13% in 2014.” https://usat.ly/2H5l2sb

-- Randy Bryce, the Democrat challenging Speaker Paul Ryan, announced his campaign raised $2.1 million in the first quarter of 2018, with nearly $2.3 million cash on hand.

ABOUT THE AMAZON HQ2 SEARCH … WSJ’S Laura Stevens, Shibani Mahtani and Shayndi Raice: “A few of Amazon’s desires are crystallizing, some of the people said. The company appears to be leaning toward a more urban site, despite requesting proposals that included sites in the suburbs. It also wants to come to a city prepared to handle its growth and the influx of high-paid employees. In its home base of Seattle, the company has faced criticism for contributing to traffic and higher housing costs.

“‘They believe there is no American city that can provide for all their needs,’ said the person involved in a site visit. Another person said the company expects to have to compromise no matter which location it selects. Amazon has also placed particular emphasis on the tech talent pipeline: How much already exists locally, and how much Amazon can attract from around North America and the rest of the world.” https://on.wsj.com/2q0DvyE

HARASSMENT FILES -- “Justice in the #MeToo era is not nearly as swift for federal employees,” by WaPo’s Lisa Rein: “The federal government once led the way in addressing sexual harassment in its ranks. But it now lags behind the private sector as the problem gains prominence in the #MeToo era, according to federal officials and employment lawyers. A new study shows that sexual harassment is commonplace in federal offices. One in 5 women at large agencies say they have experienced some form of inappropriate behavior from a co-worker or supervisor. Nearly 9 percent of male employees report similar problems.

“Once employees file complaints, their cases drag on in what attorneys and federal officials describe as an overburdened, underfunded system that has not kept pace with other workplaces, even though the government is the country’s largest employer.” https://wapo.st/2GJznwG

TRUMP’S LEGAL TEAM? -- “Attorney diGenova: We’re playing the role of Trump lawyers on T.V. and ‘real life’,” by Rebecca Morin: “Former federal prosecutor Joseph diGenova, who was set to join the president’s legal team, on Monday said he and his wife Victoria Toensing are still speaking with President Donald Trump and his lawyers despite parting ways due to a conflict of interest. ‘Victoria and I are playing the role of lawyers on television and in real life,’ diGenova said in an interview with WBAL. …

“Despite diGenova not being part of the legal team, he said he has talked to the president ‘several times.’ He did not elaborate on what they discussed and did not detail what role, if any, he currently plays with respect to the president.” https://politi.co/2GMs7Qz

-- “Trump appeals New York ruling that let Zervos suit move forward,” by Josh Gerstein: “Lawyers for President Donald Trump are appealing after a judge last month refused to dismiss a lawsuit by a former ‘Apprentice’ contestant who says Trump groped and kissed her following her appearance on the popular reality TV show.

“Trump’s attorneys filed court papers over the weekend to appeal the New York court decision that allowed Summer Zervos to proceed with her suit, in which she says Trump defamed her by denying her account of their encounters.” https://politi.co/2pWZM0q

MARK ZUCKERBERG to Vox’s EZRA KLEIN on what he’ll be looking at in 20 years to see if Facebook succeeded: “Well I don’t think it’s going to take 20 years. I think the basic point that you're getting at is that we’re really idealistic. When we started, I think we thought about how good it would be if people could connect, if everyone had a voice. I mean, these are values that I think are broadly shared. And frankly, I just think we didn't spend enough time investing in or thinking through some of the downside uses of the tools. …

“And over the long-term, I think that that's the big question, is, how have we enabled people to come together in new ways? Whether that's creating new jobs, creating new businesses, spreading new ideas, promoting a more open discourse, allowing good ideas to spread through society more quickly than they might have otherwise.

“And on the other side, it’s, did we do a good job of preventing the abuse? Of making it so that governments aren’t interfering in each other’s civic elections and processes like that? Are we eliminating, or at least dramatically reducing things like hate speech that are offensive, that maybe when people come into contact, even if they’re connecting, it’s actually having a divisive effect.” The full interview on Klein’s podcast (42 minutes) http://bit.ly/2GOzbwf

SPOTTED: former Sen. Max Cleland (D-Ga.), Ret. Col. Frank Gleason and DoD alum Michael Duga at Easter services on Sunday at the Northside Church, a United Methodist congregation in Atlanta.

SUBSCRIBE to the Playbook family: POLITICO Playbook http://politi.co/2lQswbh ... Playbook Power Briefing http://politi.co/2xuOiqh ... New York Playbook http://politi.co/1ON8bqW … Florida Playbook http://politi.co/1OypFe9 ... New Jersey Playbook http://politi.co/1HLKltF ... Massachusetts Playbook http://politi.co/1Nhtq5v … Illinois Playbook http://politi.co/1N7u5sb ... California Playbook http://politi.co/2bLvcPl ... London Playbook http://politi.co/2xfDPuK … Brussels Playbook http://politi.co/1FZeLcw ... All our political and policy tipsheets http://politi.co/1M75UbX

Follow us on Twitter Anna Palmer @apalmerdc



Jake Sherman @JakeSherman



Eli Okun @eliokun



Garrett Ross @garrett_ross