RILA taps Evan Armstrong, CTIA hires Kelly Cole – Politico

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— Evan Armstrong will join the Retail Industry Leaders Association as vice president for government affairs, leading advocacy efforts on workforce and employment issues before Congress, the Department of Labor, the EEOC and NLRB. For the past two years, he was Legislative Counsel to Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.), chairman of the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections for the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. Previously, Armstrong spent three years as general counsel and legislative assistant for Rep. Michael Coffman (R-Colo.).

— CTIA hired Kelly Cole as senior vice president of government affairs. Cole ran her own firm and was a consulting counsel for Wiley Rein. She used to be executive vice president of government relations for the National Association of Broadcasters and majority counsel for the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee.

— Esther Morales is the new executive director of the National Women’s Business Council, a nonpartisan federal advisory council. Morales most recently was White House Liaison at the EPA and before that associate director of policy for FLOTUS.

— Van Jones, founder of the Dream Corps, and Molly Haigh, a former FitzGibbon Media senior director, started Megaphone Strategies, a new PR firm. Staff members include Jessica Ann Mitchell Aiwuyor from FitzGibbon Media; Diane May from the Bernie Sanders campaign; Lacy Crawford Jr., former communications director at Social Security Works; Carlos Vera, a labor rights activist; and Edil de Los Reyes, who has worked at PowerPAC and PowerPAC+. Initial clients include the Working Families Party, Vote.org, Democracy Fund, Demand Progress, #cut50, Green For All, and Women Donors Network.

— Business Roundtable promoted Andrew Beilein to director of government relations, from manager of advocacy programs. He will continue to oversee BRT’s advocacy programs and expand his role to Capitol Hill and administration initiatives.

CHILLIN’ OUT, MAXIN’, relaxin’ all cool in West Philadelphia. Send tips to iarnsdorf@politico.com.

** A message from Anthem: The status quo in health care is unacceptable and unsustainable. That’s why Anthem is challenging the DOJ’s flawed decision to block our acquisition of Cigna, a combination that will transform health care by expanding access to affordable, high quality health coverage for consumers. For important information, please visit AnthemInc.com **

AWKWARD! The Democratic National Committee staffer who took American Association for Justice CEO Linda Lipsen — a major donor — out to lunch “should be reimbursed and given a medal,” National Finance Director Jordan Kaplan wrote in an email released by WikiLeaks. Bob Glovsky, vice chair of investment advisory firm the Colony Group, asked, “what [do] I get if I give the $ 33,400 by June 1 to the Victory Fund — either from the campaign or the DNC. and, how does that compare to being a Hillraiser.” Dallas fundraiser Naomi Aberly wrote “I was lucky enough to get out of lunch and only have to talk with him on the phone – but see his entirely NOT strategic question below.” The thousands of hacked emails offer a rare look at the sometime dreary task of coddling and cajoling benefactors into opening their wallets, Ken Vogel and I report.

POLITICO Caucus: Energy and the Election — Join the POLITICO Hub at the DNC for a 2-panel conversation on the energy policy issues facing the next president. First, Elana Schor moderates a conversation with campaigns’ energy policy advisers: Heather Zichal, Trevor Houser, Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, then Steve Shepard takes on Rep. Dave Loebsack (D-Iowa) and former Gov. Ed Rendell (D-Pa.). Wednesday, 12:45pm. Livestream: www.POLITICO.com/live. Learn more: http://politi.co/2a4S3o6.

APPLAUSE LINES: The banking lobby is up in arms over the Republican Party platform’s call to bring back the Glass-Steagall Act, reports USA Today’s Darrell Delamaide. “Glass-Steagall is dumb politics and dumb economics,” said Tony Fratto of Hamilton Place Strategies. Resurrecting the bill would be an uphill battle in Congress with influential banking regulation lawmakers Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) and Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas) showing little interest in the issue.

MEGADONORS: After stepping back from a disappointing 2004 cycle, billionaire George Soros has donated or committed more than $ 25 million to Hillary Clinton and other Democratic causes like Priorities USA Action, American Bridge 21st Century, Senate Majority PAC, and Planned Parenthood Votes, POLITICO’s Kenneth Vogel reports. “This year the political stakes are exceptionally high,” said Soros adviser Michael Vachon.

LOBBYISTS AT THE CONVENTION: “During the Obama Administration I couldn’t give money to the Democratic National Committee, the President, and if the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee was having an event with him I couldn’t go even though I was a maxed-out donor,” Heather Podesta tells TIME’s Jay Newton-Small. “This year, I’m helping to raise money for Hillary … So my money is now good.” Robert Weissman of Public Citizen warns that this change may not be here to say: “We do not believe this mistaken move from the Democratic Party is a harbinger of how a Clinton administration would handle revolving door issues.”

OFF-CAMPUS: Many big corporations chose not to bankroll the political conventions this election cycle and are instead funding festivities off site, Emma Baccellieri and Ashley Balcerzak report for Open Secrets. Companies and groups sponsoring the “Celebrating Women of the Democratic Caucus” party in Philadelphia included Walgreens, Revlon, International Council of Shopping Centers, Your Life Your Voice, AmerisourceBergen, Running Start, She Should Run and the Women’s High Tech Coalition. Attendees included Karen Hinton, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio’s former press secretary; Howard Glaser, top official for New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo; Juanita Scarlett of lobbying firm Park Strategies; Violet Moss, lobbyist at Bolton St. Johns; Juliana Stratton, Democratic nominee for Illinois House seat; and Rita Norton, senior vice president of government affairs at AmerisourceBergen.Corp. Law and lobbying firm Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney hosted a reception attended by Shelley Rubino, vice president for global government affairs at Airlines for America; Bob Shuster, Rep. Bill Shuster’s (R-Pa.) brother and Buchanan Ingersoll’s co-chair of federal and state government relations; Rep. Dan Frankel (D), a member of the Pennsylvania General Assembly; and Rick Gray, mayor of Lancaster, Pa.

SPOTTED at the New Democrats mixer at the Continental in Philly: Bradley Edgell, SIFMA; Josh Tzuker, CPSC; Julie Tagen, Rep. Alan Grayson; Mike Castellano, Disney; Chris McCannell, Eris Group; Heather McHugh, Chuck Brain; Jamie Weinbaum, Ditto Development.

— At Akin Gump‘s Senate women reception with Kay Hagan Tuesday: Sens. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), and Pennsylvania Senate candidate Katie McGinty. From Akin Gump: Kim Koopersmith (firm chair), Tony Pierce (D.C. office partner in charge), Vic Fazio, Arshi Siddiqui, Joel Jankowsky, Don Pongrace (head of the public law and policy practice), Sean D’Arcy, Martie Kendrick, Hank Terhune, Allison Binney and Brian Pomper (all partners).

— At the second round of the Podesta Group brunch yesterday: Sens. Al Franken (D-Minn.), Patrick Leahy (D-Va.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Reps. Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.), Al Green (D-Texas), Jim Himes (D-Conn.), Jim Langevin (D-R.I.), Marc Veasey (D-Texas), Jerry McNerney (D-Calif. and. Dina Titus (D-Nev.). Also attending: Clement Leung (Commissioner of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office), Indian Ambassador Arun Singh.

TONIGHT Greenberg Traurig will co-sponsor “A New York Night” celebrating the New York state delegation and all New Yorkers in Philadelphia for the Democratic National Convention, with HAIM, DJ Khaled, and DJ Connor Cruise.

‘RUN DNC’: Holland & Knight‘s Public Policy & Regulation Group has a custom motor coach and lounge at the intersection of N. 12th and Filbert Streets, across from the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown and the Reading Terminal Market.

NEW PAC REGISTRATIONS:
Cape Fox Professional Agency LLC (Independent Expenditure — Person or Group, Unauthorized)
Kentucky Tomorrow, Inc. (Independent Expenditure — Person or Group, Unauthorized)
Maryland Move Forward (Independent Expenditure — Person or Group, Unauthorized)
Whip It Good (Independent Expenditure — Person or Group, Unauthorized)
Trumpets United (Single Candidate Independent Expenditure Committee, Unauthorized)

NEW LOBBYING REGISTRATIONS:
Illinois College of Optometry: Illinois College of Optometry
Steve Buyer Group: Johnson & Johnson Services, Inc.
The Majority Group, LLC: Shorelight Education
The Policy Group, Inc.: Eastern Band Of Cherokee Indians

NEW LOBBYING TERMINATIONS:
Alpha Natural Resources, Inc.: Alpha Natural Resources, Inc. (Third Quarter Termination)

TERMINATIONS — NO ACTIVITY:
Jamison and Sullivan, Inc. : Magnida (formerly Refined Energy Holdings) (First Quarter Termination)
The Ferguson Group, LLC: East Valley Water District (Third Quarter Termination)
Finn Partners: Camara Nacional de la Industria Pesquera y Acuicola (Fourth Quarter Termination)

** A message from Anthem: Access, affordability and quality are goals universally shared by all health care stakeholders, but not universally enjoyed by consumers. That’s why the Anthem-Cigna combination matters. Anthem’s acquisition of Cigna will advance affordability, returning an additional $ 2 billion in health care savings to self-insured customers each year. The combination will also allow Anthem to expand our participation in the health insurance exchanges to nine additional states, even as other companies leave this volatile market. And Anthem will advance quality by further partnering with physicians and hospitals to improve patient outcomes and satisfaction. The flawed DOJ decision is based on a fundamental misunderstanding of the dynamic, competitive, highly regulated health care landscape and preserves a suboptimal market for health care coverage when Americans need and deserve better. Anthem is fully committed to expanding access to affordable, high-quality care and defending the benefits of this acquisition on behalf of consumers. For important information, please visit AnthemInc.com **