Good Thursday morning, I'm Anna Palmer and welcome to your Politico Playbook Audio Briefing.

Stay tuned after the show for a message from the Association of American Railroads.

We've got some sad news to report this morning. ABC News is reporting that Elijah Cummings,

the longest serving Democratic congressman who has been a key political figure in Maryland politics for decades

and was deeply involved

in the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump has passed away at age 68.

Jake is traveling with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo this morning to Turkey.

He sent a note from Shannon Ireland, where Pompeo and Vice President Mike Pence's planes

touched down at midnight,

D.C. time, to refuel. They are flying to Ankara, Turkey. This trip will also take them to Jerusalem

for a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Brussels for a meeting with

NATO Secretary General John Stoltenberg. TVs were tuned to Fox News upon takeoff. Dinner was chicken, potatoes, and cheese, salad, and a big slice of chocolate cake.

The State Department is quite obviously under the microscope for many reasons at the moment.

It's enmeshed in the impeachment probe as Rudy Giuliani has been accused of conducting a shadow-formed policy around Foggy Bottoms back.

State is in the middle of the ballooning conflict in Syria, which is why the president

ordered Pompeo to Turkey.

Jake said there wasn't a sniff of any of that inside this bubble.

Pompeo dropped by the press cabin just before departure to say hello.

He noted that it is Pence, who is leading the delegation to Turkey and said it is, quote,

our mission set to see if we can get a ceasefire in Turkey's widening incursion in Syria.

See if we can get this brokered, Pompeo said.

He was jacketless with a yellow tie and trailed by Morgan Ortegis, his chief comms official.

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