Good Friday morning. I'm Jake Sherman and welcome to your political playbook audio briefing.

Stay tuned after the show for a message from pharma. Here's the latest in Iran. The New York Times

is reporting Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said American intelligence agencies believe Tehran was

responsible for the explosions that crippled two oil tankers in the Gulf of Amman on Thursday.

The Washington Post is reported that

U.S. officials that several nations are consulting about how to react, which can include

using military escorts for commercial tankers in the Strait of Hormuz. The United States government

has released video showing allegedly that the Iran Revolutionary Guard was responsible for the

attacks. Reuters is reporting that Iran says that is not true.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders is out as President Donald Trump's press secretary.

The president mentioned he wants her to run for governor of Arkansas.

The job of press secretary has obviously changed a ton under Donald Trump.

The allure of the press briefings is gone.

Clearly the president doesn't have an interest in someone

at the podium every day, and the president sets his own narrative. Even though she all but stopped

the press briefing, Sanders transcended the press secretary role and was a close advisor to the president

on almost every issue. It will be interesting to see how the next inhabitant of the job shapes the

role, especially during a campaign season.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi appointed eight Democrats to negotiate changes to the USMCA with Bob Lightheiser.

The chair of this panel is Ways and Means Chairman Richie Neal. Drug pricing will be handled by Earl Blumenauer and Jan Chikowski, Labor by Mike Thompson and Jimmy Gomez, environment by

Susan Bonamichi and John Larson, and

enforcement by Terry Sewell and Rosa DeLoro.

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