Infrastructure council bites the dust Presented by Freight Rail Works

INFRASTRUCTURE COUNCIL BITES THE DUST: The group of industry reps that was supposed to be advising President Donald Trump on infrastructure policy is kaput. A White House spokeswoman told our Lauren Gardner on Thursday afternoon that the council, steered by Richard LeFrak and Steven Roth, “will not move forward.” The previous day, Trump’s business and manufacturing councils were also scrapped as members were withdrawing en masse over the president’s remarks on violence in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Another departure: Valarie Long, the executive vice president of the Service Employees International Union, on Thursday quit the National Advisory Committee on Travel and Tourism Infrastructure, which the FAST Act required the executive branch create. Long said in a letter to other members of the committee that they had only met one time -- at the end of the Obama administration, and urged other members to leave the panel too.


Shadow advisory: While corporate executives might not be posing for photos with the president anytime soon, they aren't planning to give up the opportunity to help shape his tax overhaul, infrastructure or health care policies, POLITICO's Nancy Cook reports. Instead of working through advisory councils and meetings, some companies' advisers and lobbyists still plan to plan to engage with top White House officials like Vice President Mike Pence and political appointees at agencies.

TERRORISM STRIKES BARCELONA: Spanish authorities are still investigating a terrorist attack that occurred in Barcelona on Thursday where a van plowed through a crowd of pedestrians in the city’s Las Ramblas District. At least 13 people were killed and nearly 100 injured in an attack for which ISIS claimed responsibility, POLITICO Europe’s Stephen Brown and Christian Oliver report. Police have yet to confirm any ties to ISIS, though they have arrested two men in connection to the incident.

Trump’s reaction: Trump offered words of support as details of the van-ramming incident emerged Thursday afternoon. “The United States condemns the terror attack in Barcelona, Spain, and will do whatever is necessary to help. Be tough & strong, we love you!” he tweeted. But he quickly assumed a more threatening tone when he appeared to make reference to a widely panned account of Army General John “Black Jack” Pershing’s execution of Muslim prisoners using bullets dipped in pigs’ blood during the early 20 th century. You can find more details about the historical inaccuracies in this story from Newsweek’s Tim Marcin.

DHS monitoring: A White House official said Chief of Staff John Kelly was following developments and keeping the president “abreast,” according to a pool report. Kelly’s former second-in-command at DHS, Elaine Duke, was also reported to be monitoring the situation closely. “DHS has reached out to Spanish authorities, and the department is standing by to support our allies as they respond to and recover from this horrendous attack," a DHS spokeswoman said.

HAPPY FRIDAY: Thanks for tuning in to POLITICO’s Morning Transportation, your daily tipsheet on all things trains, planes, automobiles and ports. Brianna is taking a trip to Canada next week, but Steph will be here driving the MT bus. Please send along tips, feedback, lyrics and recommendations for things to check out in Toronto, Montreal and Quebec City to [email protected] or @Steph_Beasley and [email protected] or @brigurciullo.

“If you need a friend / I’m sailing right behind / Like a bridge over troubled water / I will ease your mind.”

GET LISTENING: Follow MT’s playlist on Spotify. What better way to start your day than with songs (picked by us and readers) that are all about flying, driving, commuting and sailing?

WHITE HOUSE: COHN HERE TO STAY: Gary Cohn isn’t going anywhere, the White House said Thursday, even though reports were swirling that the National Economic Council director was upset over what Trump has said about Charlottesville. Cohn, who is involved in the Trump administration’s infrastructure plans, “is focused on his responsibilities as NEC Director and any reports to the contrary are 100% false,” a White House official said. “Nothing has changed.”

In related news: Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), a member of the House Transportation Committee, said Thursday that he would introduce articles of impeachment because of Trump’s remarks. “President Trump has shown time and time again that he lacks the ethical and moral rectitude to be president of the United States,” Cohen said in a statement.

TAKE A LOOK: POLITICO’s Jeremy C.F. Lin and Lily Mihalik mapped out the U.S. roads, highways and bridges that commemorate the Confederacy across the country. “From General Lee Avenue in Brooklyn, New York, to Jefferson Davis Highway in San Diego, California, nearly 500 roads, highways and bridges memorialize the Confederacy,” Jeremy and Lily write.

AN ULTIMATUM FOR CHAO: Nine Asian American organizations are pushing Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao to “make a public statement supporting fellow immigrants who rely” on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals and Temporary Protected Status — or step down. They also knocked Chao for standing next to Trump during his comments Tuesday about Charlottesville. The Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect made a similar criticism this week via Twitter. A DOT spokesperson defended Chao as "one of the strongest forces in advancing the Asian American community" and someone who has dedicated her professional life to helping minorities achieve success. That sentiment was echoed by a coalition of 16 Asian advocacy groups, including the U.S. Asia Center, who expressed "unequivocal support" for Chao.

HOURS OF SERVICE SMACKDOWN: FMCSA is revoking the license of a commercial truck driver whose “egregious violation” of federal work rules led to a crash that killed a Fairfax County football coach. The Washington Post’s Faiz Siddiqui reports that FMCSA has declared Carlos Alberto Garcia, who was charged with reckless driving in June, a public safety hazard after discovering that he’d driven 103 hours over an eight-day period with “minimal breaks.” Commercial truck drivers are required to take a 10-hour break for every 11 consecutive hours of driving, per FMCSA’s hours-of-service regulations. They also must take at least 34 hours off after driving 60 hours in seven days or 70 hours in eight days.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE BALL: Leaders at ICAO are pushing Asia-Pacific members to improve air traffic management and increase the number of new air routes to help boost the market and also to provide more reliable transport in times of crisis. “While the Asia-Pacific presently leads the world in terms of traffic growth, it also faces attendant challenges with respect to managing and sustaining it, safely, securely and efficiently,” ICAO Council President Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu said at an event in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, this week. He added that a “reliable network of air links within and among island countries, and to major air transport hubs, is essential to the viability of these countries from humanitarian, political and economic perspectives.”

Security concerns: ICAO Secretary Fang Liu also encouraged members to “evolve a common security approach” in the Asia-Pacific region that would be both streamlined and unobtrusive to passenger and cargo transport. TSA is currently working with airlines and airports globally to establish a more uniform security regime for flights to the United States. That will include updates such as the use of explosive trace detection equipment at checkpoints as well as preclearance screening areas for travelers flying to the United States.

ASSOCIATIONS ASSEMBLE: The American Highway Users Alliance, the Automotive Service Association and the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International have joined the Coalition for Future Mobility, which advocates for legislation that “fosters the continued growth” of self-driving cars.

SLICE OF PI: Hagir Elawad, the director of legislative affairs for the United Arab Emirates’ embassy in Washington, will switch to handling those same duties as an outside consultant with Hagir Elawad and Associates (operating under the name UAE Strategies) starting in September. Her new title will be “lead congressional liaison.” She will report directly to UAE Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba in Washington. According to disclosure forms, the UAE has also hired several additional Washington firms, including Akin Gump Strauss Hauer and Feld, DLA Piper and the Harbour Group. On a related note, the UAE has reportedly created a “slush fund” to funnel domestic economic development project money to the Middle East Institute, a D.C. think tank, The Intercept’s Alex Emmons writes. The UAE has given the group $20 million in grant funding so far, an amount that surpasses the think tank’s annual budget. (h/t POLITICO Influence).

MT MAILBAG: The Agricultural Transportation Working Group — which includes the American Farm Bureau Federation, the National Farmers Union and others — sent a letter Thursday to the Surface Transportation Board griping about CSX’s service issues. The group suggested that the STB release a recap of its weekly calls with CSX, hold a public hearing on the service issues and get back to work on “reciprocal switching” rules.

By the way: Hunter Harrison, the head of CSX, wrote to the Rail Customer Coalition, which had called for a formal investigation into the railroad’s issues. Harrison wrote that the members of the coalition made “unfounded and grossly exaggerated” claims, according to Reuters.

THE AUTOBAHN:

— "The incredible shrinking airline seat." Bloomberg.

— “EPA will review parts of Phase 2 truck emissions rule.” POLITICO Pro Energy.

— “Hyundai unveils new fuel cell SUV with longer travel range.” The Associated Press.

— “Carper flies drone, rides a quadski at August recess lab visit.” Roll Call.

— “Overdoses on the road: Drugged driving rises as a menace.” The Associated Press.

— “Veteran lobbyists see hard road for tax reform.” POLITICO.

— "Drones will fly into the path of the eclipse to study weather." Popular Science.

— "Delta jets clip 2 planes, truck in 24 hours at JFK Airport." Bloomberg.

THE COUNTDOWN: DOT appropriations run out in 43 days. The FAA reauthorization expires in 43 days. Highway and transit policy is up for renewal in 1,139 days.

Follow us on Twitter Kathryn Wolfe @kathrynwolfe



Sam Mintz @samjmintz



Stephanie Beasley @steph_beasley



Brianna Gurciullo @brigurciullo



Tanya Snyder @tsnyderdc