Overnight Energy: Trump still has confidence in Pruitt | Pruitt headed back to Capitol Hill | Trump sits down with automakers

View in your browser     TRUMP SAYS HE HAS CONFIDENCE IN PRUITT: President Trump told reporters Friday that he still has confidence in Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt amid continuing ethics and spending controversies. Asked by CNN's Ryan Nobles at a White House meeting with Pruitt, automaker executives and others whether he has confidence in the EPA head, Trump responded, simply, "Yes, I do." Democrats, environmentalists and even some White House officials such as chief of staff John Kelly have pushed Trump to fire Pruitt amid a slew of ethics and spending controversies. But Trump has thus far repeatedly stood by the embattled EPA chief. Pruitt's aggressive deregulatory agenda -- including ongoing work to roll back emissions rules for cars -- has continued to please conservatives and Trump. "The president is pleased with the job that he is doing as EPA administrator," White House deputy press secretary Raj Shah told reporters on Thursday. "However the issues that have been raised -- I think you guys are all familiar with -- they have raised some concerns and we are hopeful and expecting that Administrator Pruitt will be able to answer those." Read more.   About the auto exec powwow: The remarks came at the beginning of a meeting with 10 automaker executives, which Trump said would touch on the administration's efforts regarding fuel economy regulations and his desire to get more cars produced in the United States. A proposal that leaked last month said the administration wanted to freeze standards in 2020, rolling back the Obama administration's plan to keep ramping up the standards. "We're working on CAFE standards, environmental controls," Trump told reporters. "We're working on how to build more cars in the United States. We have a great capacity for building. We're importing a lot of cars, and we want a lot of those cars to be made in the United States." The heads of Washington's two main automaker associations were pretty tight-lipped about the substance of the meeting in a statement afterward. "We thank President Trump for inviting us to the White House to discuss the automotive sector. He is passionate about our industry and we appreciate his interest and shared commitment to American jobs and the economy," the Auto Alliance's Mitch Bainwol and Global Automakers' John Bozzella said in their joint statement. "The administration will soon issue a range of proposals for future fuel economy and greenhouse gas regulations, and we look forward to reviewing their notice of rulemaking and providing comments along with other stakeholders. We also appreciate the president's openness to a discussion with California on an expedited basis."   NEXT WEEK: PRUITT BACK ON CAPITOL HILL: Scott Pruitt is due to return to Capitol Hill for a hearing next week on the EPA's budget. He'll testify Wednesday to the Senate Appropriations Committee's subpanel for EPA and the Interior Department, which is chaired by Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska). It'll be Pruitt's first Senate appearance since his series of high-profile ethics controversies started becoming public in March. Pruitt faced House lawmakers in a pair of hearings last month, when the controversies were high on the agenda but appeared to walk away relatively unscathed. Previously House Republicans appeared to be turning on the administrator whose controversies splashed across news shows for weeks, but most seemed satisfied with his appearance and promises to learn from previous mistakes. Next week's panel of Senate Democrats, led by Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.), are likely to use the hearing to continue to grill Pruitt on his spending and ethics decisions especially in the wake of four key political employees at the agency resigning.   OUTSIDE THE BELTWAY: California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) is putting nearly $100 million into a new effort against wildfires, Capital Public Radio reports. China's environmental watchdog is preparing to crack down on dumping waste on soil and in water, Reuters reports. The United States' oil rig count rose for the sixth straight week, MarketWatch reports.   RECAPPING THE WEEK: The New York Times published EPA documents detailing threats to Scott Pruitt, who has used safety concerns to justify his spending on first-class travel and extra security. One of the nation's top lobbying groups for automakers urged the administration to keep raising fuel efficiency standards. Senators who met with Trump said that he is backing changes to the ethanol mandate. Democratic states asked a court to issue a ruling on Obama's landmark climate change rule. The House voted to advance the nuclear waste storage project at Yucca Mountain in Nevada. And California became the first state to mandate solar panels on new homes.   IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Check out Friday's stories ... -EPA: Pruitt's meeting with Cardinal charged with sexual assault was not a 'one-on-one' dinner -Trump says he still has confidence in Pruitt -Trump to meet with automakers on push to relax efficiency rules     Please send tips and comments to Timothy Cama, tcama@thehill.com; and Miranda Green, mgreen@thehill.com. Follow us on Twitter: @Timothy_Cama, @mirandacgreen, @thehill         Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up for Energy Newsletters     Forward Energy Newsletters       Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  |  Email to a friend  |  Sign Up for Other Newsletters   The Hill 1625 K Street, NW 9th Floor, Washington DC 20006 ©2016 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc.

Overnight Health Care: Trump unveils plan to lower drug prices | Dem questions drug company's payment to Trump attorney | House panel unveils opioid proposals

Welcome to Overnight Health Care. We love Fridays -- especially when there's big health care news. Today, after a long wait, President Trump finally unveiled his plan to lower drug prices in a speech. The early reactions are now in, and most believe the drug industry got off easy.   What's in Trump's plan: Stricter policing of delaying tactics that drug companies use to prevent less expensive generic drugs from reaching market. Exploring whether to require companies to list drug prices in television ads. Cracking down on gag clauses that prevent information from getting to consumers at the pharmacy counter. Going after pharmacy benefit managers (PBM), so-called "middlemen" who negotiate prices and who drug companies point the finger at over costs. Calls for more competition in Medicare Part B, which covers drugs administered in doctors' offices.   What's not in Trump's plan: Trump stopped short of the sweeping proposals he offered on the campaign trail, like having Medicare negotiate drug prices. The plan is also big on raising questions or outlining items the administration is considering, rather than setting immediate actions.   Key quote from Trump: "The drug lobby is making an absolute fortune at the expense of American consumers... We are putting American patients first."   Takeway: Reactions were, well, predictable. Republicans praised Trump's proposal. Democrats said the president didn't go far enough. The health industry's many sectors praised the parts of the speech they liked, and made sure to point fingers at each other over high prices. For the most part, industry didn't see the speech as a threat to their profits. Both drug company stocks and PBM stocks spiked after the announcement.   React: Steve Ubl, CEO of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufactures of America, was critical of elements of the proposal but said the group was still reviewing it. "These far-reaching proposals could fundamentally change how patients access medicines and realign incentives across the entire prescription drug supply chain," he said. "While some of these proposals could help make medicines more affordable for patients, others would disrupt coverage and limit patients' access to innovative treatments." "The AMA is pleased the Trump administration is moving forward with its effort to address seemingly arbitrary pricing for prescription drugs… No one can understand the logic behind the high and fluctuating prices. We hope the administration can bring some transparency – and relief – to patients." - David O. Barbe, president of the American Medical Association. Express Scripts, the country's largest PBM, touted their efforts at saving customers money. "President Trump rightly recognizes drug companies charge way too much, and their prices need to come down."   Democrats and patient advocates panned the measures as ineffective.   "They're breathing a sigh of relief in pharmaceutical board rooms across the country," Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), the Senate Finance Committee's ranking member, said in a statement. "Today's announcement is a far cry from what Trump called for when he said the drug companies were 'getting away with murder.' It's still open season for drug companies to set astronomical prices that families can't afford." "President Trump's speech was full of bluster, grand claims and empty promises that won't add up to a thing," said Health Care for America Now. "His plan will do nothing to lower prices or help seniors and millions of others who are struggling to afford the prescriptions they need to stay healthy." Click here for our full report.   In other health care news... Opioid update: The House Ways and Means Committee released four bipartisan proposals aimed at combating the opioid epidemic, as lawmakers and other congressional panels work to combat the scourge of opioid overdose deaths plaguing the country. Next step: Marking up the packages. Here are the titles of the bills, but they will also be combined with an array of other legislation. Preventing Addiction for Susceptible Seniors (PASS) Act Combatting Opioid Abuse for Care in Hospitals (COACH) Act Providing Reliable Options for Patients and Educational Resources (PROPER) Act Medicare and Opioid Safe Treatment (MOST) Act Also: The House Energy and Commerce Committee will hold its last mark-up of opioid legislation next week.   Senator questions drug company's payment to Trump attorney. The top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee says he is opening an investigation into Michael Cohen, President Trump's personal attorney and his relationship with the pharmaceutical giant Novartis. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) wants to know what Novartis was looking to accomplish when it paid Cohen $1.2 million in 2017. The company said they wanted Cohen to advise them on health policy matters. But even when they realized he couldn't deliver what they were seeking-- after one meeting-- they still paid his contract. Cancer drug in play?: Wyden suggested the payments to Novartis may be linked to Kymriah, the company's breakthrough cancer drug that was being reviewed by the Food and Drug Administration. The drug costs $475,000, and Novartis at the time was also in negotiations with Medicare about paying for it. Other payments: Wyden also noted that Cohen was paid much more than any of Novartis's seemingly high-powered lobbyists. No single firm was paid more than $300,000 during the first 15 months of the Trump administration, but Cohen's firm was paid that much every quarter for a whole year. Read more here.   After a deadly flu season, a group of senators are pushing Trump to do more.  In particular, they want to boost research to develop a universal flu vaccine to the tune of $1 billion -- and are calling on President Trump to support their effort. The argument from six Democrats and Sen. Angus King (I-Maine): The seasonal flu is a "pressing public health threat, taking a substantial toll on our families, health care system, and economy each year," they wrote in a letter sent to Trump Friday. They wrote that they appreciated Trump has reportedly expressed "strong interest" in the development of a universal vaccine. Here's the backstory: Per Stat. In March, philanthropist and Microsoft founder Bill Gates was reportedly talking to Trump in the Oval Office about the idea of a universal flu vaccine. Gates said that Trump was "super interested" in the notion -- so much so that he called Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb to ask him about the vaccine while Gates was still in the Oval Office. Read more here.   Planned Parenthood airs ad during 'Fox  & Friends' warning against changes to family planning program. Anti-abortion groups and Republicans are amplifying their calls for the administration to reform Title X, the nation's federally funded family planning program for low-income women and men. And Planned Parenthood is pushing back, in a way they know will catch the President's attention. In a 30-second spot that aired during "Fox & Friends" and "Morning Joe" in the D.C. and New York City markets, a narrator says that the administration is "going after women's health and rights" and "threatening a new attack on access to Planned Parenthood." "Tell Trump and Pence to stop the attack on women's health and rights," the narrator says. Why it matters: Both sides say administrative action on Title X could be imminent. Many are expecting the administration to bring back Reagan-era Title X restrictions related to abortion providers, which could come through regulation. Read more here.   What we're reading Trump challenge to Native Americans' health splits HHS, alarms Hill GOP (Politico) Why did Novartis pay Trump's lawyer $1.2 million? Look at its drug prices (Kaiser Health News) The blockbuster fight over this obscure federal program explains America's drug prices (Vox)   State by state New York, Minnesota settle lawsuit over missing federal funding for health plan program (Modern Healthcare) Florida Democrats ask feds to block health care change (Associated Press) Michigan's GOP has a plan to shield some people from Medicaid work requirements. They're overwhelmingly white. (Washington Post)   Send tips and comments to Jessie Hellmann, jhellmann@thehill.com; Peter Sullivan, psullivan@thehill.com; Rachel Roubein, rroubein@thehill.com; and Nathaniel Weixel, nweixel@thehill.com. Follow us on Twitter: @thehill, @jessiehellmann, @PeterSullivan4, @rachel_roubein, and @NateWeixel.         Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up for Healthcare Newsletters     Forward Healthcare Newsletters       Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  |  Email to a friend  |  Sign Up for Other Newsletters   The Hill 1625 K Street, NW 9th Floor, Washington DC 20006 ©2016 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc.

Hillicon Valley: AT&T calls hiring Cohen a 'big mistake' | Dem wants to block cyber nominee over Stingray surveillance | Amazon pressed on child privacy | One year anniversary of Trump cyber order

View in Browser     Welcome to Hillicon Valley, The Hill's comprehensive newsletter with all you need to know about tech and cybersecurity from Capitol Hill to Silicon Valley. Welcome! Follow the cyber team Morgan Chalfant (@mchalfant16) and Olivia Beavers (@olivia_beavers), and the tech team, Ali Breland (@alibreland) and Harper Neidig (@hneidig), on Twitter. Contact us about scoop, tips, comments...and especially compliments.   THE LATEST ON AT&T, COHEN: AT&T's CEO said Friday that hiring President Trump's personal attorney Michael Cohen was "a big mistake." In a memo to employees, AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson said that while everything the company did in hiring Cohen was in accordance with the law, they should not have hired him. "There is no other way to say it -- AT&T hiring Michael Cohen as a political consultant was a big mistake," Stephenson wrote. "To be clear, everything we did was done according to the law and entirely legitimate. But the fact is, our past association with Cohen was a serious misjudgment." This is big: In the letter, Stephenson also announced that Bob Quinn, AT&T's senior executive vice president of external & legislative affairs, will step down. AT&T's legislative affairs group will now report to the company's general counsel, David McAtee. Stephenson explained Quinn's departure as a retirement without specifying further. The AT&T CEO also included a fact sheet with his letter to employees detailing the company's version of events on the Cohen hiring. According to the fact sheet, Cohen approached the company around the time of the Trump presidential transition, saying that he would be leaving the Trump Organization to consult for corporate clients on the new administration. AT&T confirmed that it paid Cohen $600,000, in monthly $50,000 installments from January 2017 to December 2017. AT&T paid a Cohen company, Essential Consultants LLC. That is the same company the Trump lawyer used to pay adult-film star Stormy Daniels $130,000 to not talk about an affair she alleges she had with Trump. Read more here.   WYDEN VS. TRUMP CYBER PICK: Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) says he will "object" to President Trump's nominee to lead the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) cybersecurity efforts over unreleased information lawmakers are seeking from the agency. Wyden said Thursday he would oppose the Senate proceeding with its consideration of Christopher Krebs until the agency publicly presents additional information about the DHS's discovery of unauthorized mobile surveillance devices being used in the U.S. DHS previously presented the information about these devices, known as "Stingrays," with other federal agencies earlier this year. "That presentation included important information that I believe the American people have a right to know. My colleagues and I asked Mr. Krebs to remove the 'For Official Use Only,' FOUO designation from the slides used at this presentation and make them available for public release," Wyden said in a congressional notice. "I remain hopeful that this is an issue we can work through and resolve soon. However, until the FOUO designation is removed from those slides and they are made available for public release, I will object to the Senate proceeding with the Krebs nomination," he continued. To read more of our coverage, click here. And to catch up on Krebs' nomination, click here and here.   LAWMAKERS PRESS AMAZON ON KIDS' PRIVACY: A pair of lawmakers on Friday called on Amazon to provide answers about privacy protections for a new product meant for children. Sen. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) and Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas), who co-chair the Congressional Privacy Caucus, are asking Amazon to detail how it handles privacy concerns on its Echo Dot Kids Edition, a digital voice-operated assistant similar to the company's Echo. "We write to seek information about how Amazon plans to protect the privacy of children who use Amazon Echo Dot Kids Edition and what steps the company is taking to ensure that using this product will not negatively affect children's development," they wrote in a letter to the company. In their letter, the lawmakers asked Amazon whether audio from children's interactions with the Echo Dot would be saved and if so whether parents or third parties would have access to such data, among other issues. A little context: Their letter follows an uptick in attention earlier this year to how technology can impact children. Read more here.   A LIGHTER TWITTER CLICK: The perils of online dating.   TAKING ON BOTNETS: A joint cybersecurity venture launched by two lobbying groups representing technology and telecommunications firms released its 2018 priorities on Friday. The venture, called the Council to Secure the Digital Economy, unveiled its agenda ahead of the expected release of the Trump administration's report on countering botnets. The Information Technology Industrial Council (ITI) and USTelecom announced the venture back in February. The initiative said it plans to "develop and promote an international guide to anti-botnet baseline security practices for key segments within" the information, communications and technology sector. The group also plans to develop a "global operational framework" to mobilize key stakeholders in the sector in a "major international cyber emergency." More on the initiative's priorities here. To read more about the effort, check out our piece on the venture's launch.   HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CYBER ORDER! Today, May 11, marks one year since President Trump signed the executive order on cybersecurity, which triggered a flurry of reports by various agencies across the government. But since then, two major players in crafting the EO--Tom Bossert and Rob Joyce--have already left the White House.   A CASE IN FOCUS: A former CIA contractor on Friday pleaded guilty to improperly removing and retaining classified materials, and then later lying to federal law enforcement officers about these unauthorized actions, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ). Prosecutors for the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Eastern District of Virginia say Reynaldo Regis searched classified databases without authorization during the time he worked as a contractor for the spy agency, between August 2006 and November 2016. He then copied the information into his personal notebooks and brought it to his house. "During a search of his home, FBI agents recovered approximately 60 notebooks containing classified information. The classified information contained in the notebooks included information relating to highly sensitive intelligence reports, disclosure of which could cause serious damage to the national security," the Justice Department said. Regis then lied to federal investigators about improperly handling classified materials during an interview. What we still don't know: It is unclear what his motivations were for taking the information.  More here.   A(NOTHER) MUELLER UPDATE: President Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani says in a new interview with the Associated Press that any decision on a possible interview between the president and special counsel Robert Mueller would likely take place after Trump's planned meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. More here.   COMING UP NEXT WEEK: Kirstjen Nielsen, President Trump's Homeland Security Secretary, will testify before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Tuesday on the department's fiscal 2019 budget request and legislative priorities. We expect to hear about cybersecurity, given that it is one of Nielsen's main points of focus. FBI Director Christopher Wray will also be on the Hill this week, testifying before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee for Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies on Wednesday afternoon about the FBI's budget. On Wednesday, the Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on Cambridge Analytica and the future of data privacy. On Thursday, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai and Federal Trade Commission Chairman Joseph Simons will testify before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government to discuss their fiscal 2019 funding request and budget justifications.   NOTABLE LINKS FROM AROUND THE WEB: Florida voting officials and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) are in a spat over election cyber threats. (Tampa Bay Times) It's been one year since 'Wanna Cry.' Are we prepared for the next attack? (ZDNet) "It's up to Trump to prepare for Kremlin cyberattacks. He's falling short." (Washington Post opinion) Boston Dynamics is going to start selling its dog-like robot next year. (TechCrunch) National security adviser John Bolton receives more criticism after a report he is considering eliminating a top White House cyber role. (Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.)) Building a think tank on the internet (Logic) BSA, the Software Alliance weighs in on the IDEA Act OP-ED from Code for America: Trump's SNAP fix fails to put people first (Technica.ly)           Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up for Technology Newsletters     Forward Technology Newsletters       Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  |  Email to a friend  |  Sign Up for Other Newsletters   The Hill 1625 K Street, NW 9th Floor, Washington DC 20006 ©2016 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc.