From: Craig Quigley To: Craig Quigley Subject: Executive Insight Brief | August 25, 2017 Date: Friday, August 25, 2017 6:16:46 PM Attachments: image001.png

Ladies & Gentlemen, below please find this week’s edition of Executive Insight Brief from The Roosevelt Group.

Craig R. Quigley Rear Admiral, U.S. Navy (Ret.) Executive Director Hampton Roads Military and Federal Facilities Alliance 757-644-6324 (Office) 757-419-1164 (Mobile)

EXECUTIVE INSIGHT BRIEF – AUGUST 25, 2017

TOP STORIES

HURRICANE HARVEY: TEXAS BRACES FOR MASSIVE STORM. Harvey, currently a category two storm in the Gulf of Mexico, is expected to make landfall on Texas' central coast late on Friday or early Saturday. It may be the worst storm to hit the U.S. mainland in 12 years. Read More.

MNUCHIN CONFIDENT DEBT CEILING WILL BE RAISED. “I am 100 percent confident,” Mnuchin said at the White House press briefing on Friday. “Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the same thing last week. There is no scenario where the government won’t be paying its bills.” Read More.

TRUMP ADVISER: WHITE HOUSE “MUST DO BETTER” IN CONDEMNING HATE. The remarks from Gary Cohn, the director of the White House National Economic Council, suggest lingering dissatisfaction among Trump's team over how the president responded to the violence in Charlottesville, VA. Read More.

McMASTER: NO MILITARY ACTION AGAINST VENEZUELA ANTICIPATED IN THE NEAR FUTURE. McMaster and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin briefed reporters on new economic sanctions the administration is imposing against Venezuela after President Nicolás Maduro initiated an overhaul of the country’s Constitution. Read More.

POLITICS

KELLY’S LATEST MISSION: CONTROLLING THE INFORMATION FLOW TO TRUMP. In two memos sent to the staff on Monday, the president’s new chief of staff, John F. Kelly, began to detail his plan, starting with how he wants information to get to the president, and how Mr. Trump will respond. Read More.

PRESIDENT DOUBLES DOWN ON CALL FOR GOP SENATORS TO NIX FILIBUSTER. Frustrated by Senate Democrats’ ability to throw up roadblocks in front of his legislative agenda, Trump has regularly called on McConnell to undo the chamber’s filibuster rules and allow bills to pass with a simple majority instead of the 60-vote threshold currently required for most legislation. Read More.

RESEARCHER BEHIND UNVERIFIED TRUMP DOSSIER MEETS SENATE INVESTIGATORS. The file alleges that Trump had a long-running relationship with Russia and that the Kremlin holds compromising material on him. It also claims that Trump's campaign colluded with Russia to defeat Hillary Clinton in last year's election. Read More.

DEFENSE AND FOREIGN AFFAIRS

TRUMP AFGHANISTAN STRATEGY CALLS FOR MORE TROOPS, REGIONAL PRESSURE. President Donald Trump announced a new plan for Afghanistan Monday night with calls for additional U.S. forces, greater NATO participation and regional pressure that held echoes of the previous administrations. Read More. JARED KUSHNER WRAPS UP ‘PRODUCTIVE’ MIDDLE EAST TALKS. The U.S. described Jared Kushner’s whistle-stop diplomatic tour of the Middle East as “productive” as he tried to make progress with President Donald Trump’s plan to revive peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians. Read More.

U.S. NAVY CALLS OFF SEA SEARCH FOR MISSING USS JOHN S. McCAIN SAILORS. The Navy called off a multinational search at sea Thursday for Sailors still missing from the destroyer and will instead focus efforts on the flooded interior of the damaged warship. Read More.

ECONOMY AND FINANCE

JANET YELLEN DEFENDS U.S. REGULATIONS. The Federal Reserve Chair defended financial rules introduced to the U.S. after the 2008-2009 financial crisis, backing policies that President Donald Trump has deemed "a disaster." Read More.

TRUMP TO BEGIN BIG TAX REFORM PUSH NEXT WEEK. In an interview with the Financial Times, Cohn said Trump will begin the campaign Wednesday in Missouri. He added that the administration does not have a "fixed or detailed plan,” and will leave it to the congressional committees to finalize the legislation. Read More.

TECHNOLOGY

SAMSUNG CHIEF GETS 5-YEAR PRISON TERM FOR CORRUPTION. The criminal conviction is a blow for Samsung, the world's largest smartphone maker and South Korea's biggest family-run conglomerate whose businesses are estimated to account for around 15% of the country's entire economy. Read More.

AMAZON’S WHOLE FOODS STRATEGY: CHEAPER KALE AND AVOCADO. The era of “Whole Paycheck,” the derisive nickname for Whole Foods, may be drawing to a close. Amazon, which takes control of the upscale grocer on Monday, intends to slash prices the same day. Read More.

ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT

HURRICANE HARVEY HEADS FOR TEXAS FRACKING'S FAVORITE PORT. The first major storm to hit the United States since 2005 is on target to strike a part of the Texas coast where the recent growth of the oil and gas industry has increased the risk of catastrophic storm damage. Read More.

EPA TO HOST 10 HEARINGS ON WATER RULE REWRITE. Nine of the sessions will be dedicated to specific interests like agriculture, construction, conservation and energy, and one will be for the general public. Read More.