POLITICO Playbook PM: Trump’s silence on the West Bank

President Donald Trump hasn’t been shy about supporting Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s reelection, so his silence on the latest West Bank news is interesting. | Alex Wong/Getty Images

DID WE MISS IT? … As far as we know, the White House hasn’t issued a statement one way or the other about Israeli PM BENJAMIN NETANYAHU’S promise to annex parts of the West Bank if he is reelected. Nor has the State Department. Whether Netanyahu can or will do this is certainly an open question, but it’s a pretty big deal!

OF COURSE, the U.S. has long proposed land swaps between Israel and the Palestinians as part of any peace deal. But that’s not what Netanyahu’s talking about -- he’s proposing officially absorbing relatively large swaths of territory into the state of Israel. That would have been a non-starter with past administrations. It would also go down like a lead balloon with America’s Arab allies -- whose support would presumably be critical to any sustainable solution to the conflict.


BACK IN APRIL, when the annexation question came up at a congressional hearing, Secretary of State MIKE POMPEO declined to say what the administration would do if Netanyahu went ahead with the idea. As the NYT noted at the time, that’s pretty unusual for the U.S. government, which would typically say … something. We’ve asked both the NSC and State what’s up.

ONE THEORY: The U.S. doesn’t want to weigh in ahead of the elections Tuesday in Israel. But that’s lending the impression that the administration tacitly supports the idea, possibly helping Netanyahu as he fends off the centrist Blue and White party led by Benny Gantz. President DONALD TRUMP hasn’t been shy about supporting Bibi’s reelection, so his silence is interesting.

-- REMINDER: Back in June, U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman said this in an interview with the NYT: “Under certain circumstances, I think Israel has the right to retain some, but unlikely all, of the West Bank.” But it wasn’t clear if he was speaking for the president.

TODAY IN LAWSUITS BEING RESURRECTED … JOSH GERSTEIN: “Appeals court revives foreign corruption suit against Trump”: “On Friday, a panel of the New York-based 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals ruled, 2-1, that a district court judge erred in 2017 when he dismissed a lawsuit challenging profits Trump has received from foreign officials doing business with his Washington, D.C., luxury hotel and other Trump-branded properties. The suit also took issue with Trump Organization licensing arrangements approved by foreign governments.

“The new 2nd Circuit decision sharply rejected a ruling two months ago from another federal appeals court, the Richmond-based 4th Circuit, which tossed out a similar emoluments suit filed in Maryland. Second Circuit Judge Pierre Leval said the 4th Circuit and his dissenting 2nd Circuit College Judge John Walker regarded the suits with too much skepticism because they appeared to be politically motivated.” POLITICO … The ruling

-- “Appeals Court Revives Seth Rich Lawsuit Against Fox News,” by HuffPost’s Marina Fang

Happy Friday afternoon. SPOTTED: Ric Grenell and Robert O’Brien -- close friends from California, both said to be candidates to be the next national security adviser -- having breakfast at the Trump hotel in D.C. this morning. … GRENELL was spotted leaving the West Wing around noon.

TRADE WAR COOLING? … “China to exempt U.S. pork and soybeans from additional trade war duties, in response to Trump’s tariff delay,” by South China Morning Post’s Zhou Xin

IMMIGRATION FILES -- “Trump's plan to pay for border wall with Air Force funds risks national security, report says,” by NBC’s Courtney Kube: “President Donald Trump's plan to pay for his proposed border wall by taking funds from more than four dozen Air Force military construction projects poses various national security risks for the U.S. armed forces, according to a report compiled by the U.S. Air Force.

“The report, obtained by NBC News, details the importance of each of the 51 military projects chosen by the Trump administration to lose their funding, including construction of a new gate to address a growing security concern at an overseas U.S. base, projects to build facilities to safely store more than $1 billion in munitions overseas, and even replacing a boiler whose failure is ‘imminent’ and could cause the evacuation of an entire base in Alaska.” NBC

-- “Trump official urges end to medical exemption for deportations,” by Ted Hesson: “An internal memo prepared by a top Trump immigration official recommends that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services be stripped of its authority to delay deportations for undocumented immigrants receiving treatment for serious medical conditions. The Trump administration in August quietly halted its processing of such requests, which are known as ‘deferred action.’ …

“The memo, obtained by POLITICO, clarifies that the agency would prefer to see its authority removed altogether to grant relief from deportation in such cases. In the memo, USCIS Policy and Strategy Chief Kathy Nuebel Kovarik lays out six options for acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan to take. These range from removing the agency’s deferred action authority to reverting to the earlier status quo.” POLITICO

POLITICO GETS RESULTS -- “State IG Set to Recommend Discipline for Trump’s Top Iran Hand,” by The Daily Beast’s Erin Banco: “The State Department is preparing to recommend that the Trump administration’s top representative for Iran policy receive disciplinary action for his role in politically motivated firings of employees at the department, according to two government sources involved in carrying out the investigation.

“The department’s inspector general has been investigating Brian Hook and other State Department officials for their involvement in layoffs and other personnel decisions that impacted individuals who were thought to have perceived loyalty to the Obama administration. Several whistleblowers raised allegations against Hook and others, prompting the inspector general to analyze emails and other documents as part of the probe. … Hook is reportedly in the running for national security adviser following [John] Bolton’s departure earlier this week.” Daily Beast … Halley Toosi’s original 2017 story

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JOHN BOLTON UPDATE -- WAPO’S BOB COSTA (@costareports): “Bolton is going to stay politically active between now and 2020 election, making candidate endorsements and restarting his political groups, per 2 people involved…” … “And there it is. Bolton, in release, announces ‘the resumption of the John Bolton PAC and the John Bolton Super PAC.’ Endorses Cotton, Gardner, Tillis, Kinzinger, Zeldin.”

HOW WASHINGTON WORKS, PART 1 -- ANITA KUMAR: “Inside the gun lobby’s push to sway Trump”: “Advocates bombarded the White House with calls and petitions. Representatives scored meetings with senior officials. And the industry even has a former staffer working in the West Wing on legislation. Meanwhile, groups pushing for more restrictions on gun purchases haven’t been able to get in the door.

“It’s an all-of-the-above strategy that is helping to shape the package of gun proposals that Trump is expected to release soon. In addition to possible changes to the background check system, Trump will likely include gun lobby-approved offerings meant to address violent video games and mental health treatment, according to several people familiar with the situation. The red flag bill … may not make the cut.” POLITICO

… AND PART 2: OPIOID INVESTIGATION -- “Inside the drug industry’s plan to defeat the DEA,” by WaPo’s Scott Higham, Sari Horwitz, Steven Rich and Meryl Kornfield: “The industry enlisted members of Congress to limit the powers of the Drug Enforcement Administration. It devised ‘tactics’ to push back against the agency. And it commissioned a ‘Crisis Playbook’ to burnish its image and blame the federal government for not doing enough to stop the epidemic.

“The new information is emerging through the efforts of lawyers in the massive federal lawsuit against two dozen drug companies in Cleveland who have obtained depositions from high-ranking company officials, internal company emails and confidential memos.” WaPo

2020 WATCH -- JOANNE KENEN and DAN DIAMOND: “From vaping to opioids: Trump redefines health care for 2020 run”: “The Trump administration’s assault on e-cigarettes is the latest move by the White House to salvage Donald Trump’s health care agenda ahead of the 2020 elections. Turning away from the bitter Obamacare debates that have been a disaster for Republicans, Trump’s been building his disease-by-disease agenda all year, aimed at suburban voters who may be put off by the Democrats’ left turn on health care. His 2020 campaign strategists say this is all intentional. …

“Some of Trump’s initiatives have received qualified support from Democrats and public health experts. But Democrats are flabbergasted by the White House efforts to paint Trump as President Health Care. … Yet more White House-driven health care policies are coming, and several current and former administration officials described a dual-track effort going into 2020. Keep attacking Obamacare for the base, while carefully constructing a more comforting health care narrative for the center.” POLITICO

-- “Slow Growth Hasn’t Hurt Trump in Key Midwest Counties,” by WSJ’s Aaron Zitner and Dante Chinni: “More than two years into Mr. Trump’s presidency, employment growth and other measures of economic robustness in these politically important counties have lagged behind the national trend, a Wall Street Journal analysis shows.

“And yet, Mr. Trump’s job-approval rating in the blue-collar counties has risen since he took office, polling shows. Together, the data suggest that even growth below the national rate could be enough to satisfy many voters that Mr. Trump has fulfilled his promises.” WSJ

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DATA DU JOUR -- “Americans increasingly see climate change as a crisis, poll shows,” by WaPo’s Brady Dennis, Steven Mufson and Scott Clement: “[A] strong majority of Americans — about 8 in 10 — say that human activity is fueling climate change, and roughly half believe action is urgently needed within the next decade if humanity is to avert its worst effects. Nearly 4 in 10 now say climate change is a ‘crisis,’ up from less than a quarter five years ago. …

“Though Americans are increasingly worried about climate change, fewer than 4 in 10 say they believe that tackling the problem will require them to make ‘major sacrifices.’ And most are unwilling to pay for it out of their own pockets.” WaPo … The poll

-- “Americans Would Pay — A Little — To Save The Planet, A Poll Shows,” by BuzzFeed’s Ben Smith: “YouGov asked people if they’d back new restrictions on fossil fuel infrastructure, like pipelines, and tightening rules around drilling. The answer to both questions: Yes, but only for the price of a Spotify subscription.” BuzzFeed

MELANIE ZANONA in Baltimore: “Liz Cheney throws lighter fluid on feud with Rand Paul”: “Cheney, the third-ranking House Republican and head of the party’s messaging efforts, told reporters on Friday that she ‘enjoyed’ duking it out with Paul over foreign policy and arguing over who is more aligned with President Donald Trump.

“‘I thought it was an enlightening exchange,’ Cheney said at a press conference during the second day of the House GOP’s annual retreat. ‘Here I had been thinking the Senate was dull.’ ‘But there are some issues at the heart of that disagreement,’ the Wyoming Republican added. ‘There are issues surrounding whether you put America first, as Trump does, or if you blame America first, as Rand Paul does and has for years.’” POLITICO

THE HILLARY-INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX -- “Hillary Hunters Raise $72 Million. She Still Isn’t President,” by The Daily Beast’s Lachlan Markay: “Newly released financial records show contributions to Judicial Watch nearly doubled from 2015 to 2018. Last year, the group took in nearly $72 million. At the end of the year, it reported sitting on net assets of $110 million.” Daily Beast

VALLEY TALK -- “House lawmakers hit tech giants with wave of document requests,” by Cristiano Lima: “House Judiciary lawmakers today unleashed a torrent of document requests on Facebook, Apple, Amazon and Google parent company Alphabet aimed at uncovering whether the tech companies have unfairly stifled competitors.

“In a series of letters to the companies’ CEOs, Judiciary leaders demanded that the firms disclose all documents related to any foreign and domestic investigations into their conduct and that they release emails by key executives dealing with specific competition concerns.” POLITICO

YIKES -- “Ad Targeting Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Draws a Backlash,” by NYT’s Jennifer Medina: “The advertisement began with a photo of Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez bursting into flames, followed by a black-and-white image of skulls lined up on the ground. A Republican political action committee paid for the provocative advertisement, which aired during the Democratic primary debate on Thursday night. … The group that paid for the ad, New Faces GOP, states on its website that its mission is to ‘help elevate the next generation of Republicans’ and recruit more diverse candidates.” NYT

BOOK WATCH … NYT REVIEW: “In Edward Snowden’s New Memoir, the Disclosures This Time Are Personal,” by Jennifer Szalai: “‘Permanent Record’ is a riveting account and a curious artifact. The book is unlikely to change anyone’s mind about Snowden, but when it comes to privacy and speech and the Constitution, his story clarifies the stakes. …

“Without belaboring his points, Snowden pushes the reader to reflect more seriously on what every American should be asking already. What does it mean to have the data of our lives collected and stored on file, ready to be accessed — not just now, by whatever administration happens to be in office at the moment, but potentially forever?” NYT

MEDIAWATCH -- “Google Says a Change in Its Algorithm Will Highlight ‘Original Reporting,’” by NYT’s Marc Tracy: “After weeks of reporting, a journalist breaks a story. Moments after it goes online, another media organization posts an imitative article recycling the scoop that often grabs as much web traffic as the original.

“Publishers have complained about this dynamic for years, ever since the explosion in digital news obliterated the daylong exclusive enjoyed in the print era. … In a blog post, Richard Gingras, Google’s vice president of news, said the changes to the company’s search guidelines would help it to ‘better recognize original reporting’ and make it more visible on the internet.” NYT … The blog post

TV TONIGHT -- Bob Costa will sit down with Jake, WaPo’s Anne Gearan, NYT’s Carl Hulse and AP’s Juana Summers at 8 p.m. on PBS’ “Washington Week.”

SPOTTED at Finnish Ambassador Kirsti Kauppi’s residence Thursday night for the kickoff of the Institute of Education’s 29th season: FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, Sam Feist, Janine Van Lancker, John Roberts and Kyra Phillips, Kathy “Coach” Kemper, Alexandra Nemeth, Sarayu Srinivasan, Catherine Bohigian, Tajha Chappellet-Lanier, Rachel Dodell, Icelandic Ambassador Geir Haarde, Gil Alterovitz, Georgeta Dragoiu and Elena Poptodorova.

ENGAGED -- Max Docksey, an RNC and Ohio GOP alum, proposed to Cassie Smedile, deputy communications director at the RNC, in front of the Capitol on Thursday. They celebrated with family and friends later that evening. The couple met while working for Rep. Sean Duffy (R-Wis.) in 2013. Pic … Another pic

BONUS BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Matt Mackowiak, president of Potomac Strategy Group and host of the “Mack on Politics” podcast, is 4-0. What he’s been reading: “I think Tim Alberta’s ‘American Carnage’ is essential reading for anyone trying to understand the Trump era. It explains how Trump seized the moment in 2016 in the Republican Party and then among the broader electorate. He tapped into the economic desperation felt by many in the working class. Much as ‘What It Takes’ was the seminal political book of the 1980s and 1990s, I believe Alberta’s book will have similar staying power and resonance for this decade.” Playbook Plus Q&A

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