SNEAK PEEK -- WHAT BIDEN WILL SAY TODAY WITH CLINTON -- Vice President Joe Biden -- who riled up the convention crowd in Philly a few weeks back -- will hold a rally with Hillary Clinton today in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Here is what he’ll say, per an aide: “[Y]ou will see Vice President Biden - a son of Scranton, [Pennsylvania] - make the case for Hillary Clinton as the only person in this race who understands the challenges facing the people in the kind of neighborhoods he grew up in. He will argue that if you’re worried about your job, about bringing home a decent paycheck, about making sure your kid gets a good education - only Hillary is offering solutions that will make a difference, and that will continue to build on the work of this administration. He will argue that Donald Trump doesn't have a clue when it comes to the needs of working families.”
“The vice president will also argue that no major party nominee in the history of this nation has ever known less or has been less prepared to deal with our national security than Donald Trump. He will argue that he is unfit and unqualified to be commander in chief, and that the bluster and volatile rhetoric he's offering will make the people of Scranton, and the nation, less safe.”
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BOMBSHELL -- Manafort’s previous employer -- NYT A1 (two columns, top of the page), “Secret Ledger in Ukraine Lists Cash for Donald Trump’s Campaign Chief,” by Andrew Kramer in Kiev, Ukraine and Mike McIntire and Barry Meier in New York: “On a leafy side street off Independence Square in Kiev is an office used for years by Donald J. Trump’s campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, when he consulted for Ukraine’s ruling political party. His furniture and personal items were still there as recently as May. And Mr. Manafort’s presence remains elsewhere here in the capital, where government investigators examining secret records have found his name, as well as companies he sought business with, as they try to untangle a corrupt network they say was used to loot Ukrainian assets and influence elections during the administration of Mr. Manafort’s main client, former President Viktor F. Yanukovych. Handwritten ledgers show $12.7 million in undisclosed cash payments designated for Mr. Manafort from Mr. Yanukovych’s pro-Russian political party from 2007 to 2012 ... Investigators assert that the disbursements were part of an illegal off-the-books system whose recipients also included election officials.” http://nyti.ms/2aTbwa6
--NOTE No. 1: Manafort denies receiving cash payments.
--NOTE No. 2: This story was retweeted by Corey Lewandowski!
--BROOKLYN response: “Given the pro-Putin policy stances adopted by Donald Trump and the recent Russian government hacking and disclosure of Democratic Party records, Donald Trump has a responsibility to disclose campaign chair Paul Manafort’s and all other campaign employees’ and advisers’ ties to Russian or pro-Kremlin entities, including whether any of Trump’s employees or advisers are currently representing and or being paid by them.”
WIKILEAKS FALLOUT -- This is the screenshot of an inbox of someone whose email address was revealed in the DCCC hack last week. Sources tell us the spam is slowing down, but many are simply changing their email addresses. http://bit.ly/2bhGKsP
Good Monday morning! Eighty-four days until Election Day. Otherwise, the dog days of August are truly upon us. Lots of out-of-office messages, Facebook posts from the beach and lethargy in D.C. Jeff Zeleny (@jeffzeleny) made us all jealous with this Instagram post of a paddleboarder on Sullivan’s Island in South Carolina (http://bit.ly/2aUjbbf) accompanied with the caption “See you in a week…” Anna and Jake are coming to you from the Left Coast this week. Daniel is holding down the fort in D.C.
We are in beautiful Palo Alto this morning for a Hoover Institute media roundtable.
HOW LONG WILL THIS MESSAGE LAST? -- “Trump would stop issuing visas if screenings were inadequate,” by the AP’s Jill Colvin in Jersey City: “Donald Trump will declare an end to nation building if elected president, replacing it with what aides described as ‘foreign policy realism’ focused on destroying the Islamic State group and other terrorist organizations. In a speech [he] will deliver on Monday in Ohio, Trump will argue that the country needs to work with anyone that shares that mission, regardless of other ideological and strategic disagreements. Any country that wants to work with the U.S. to defeat ‘radical Islamic terrorism’ will be a U.S. ally, he is expected to say. ‘Mr. Trump’s speech will explain that while we can’t choose our friends, we must always recognize our enemies,’ Trump senior policy adviser Stephen Miller said ahead of the speech. Trump is also expected to outline a new immigration policy proposal under which the U.S. would stop issuing visas in any case where it cannot perform adequate screenings.” http://apne.ws/2bwzY7a
HAPPENING TODAY -- Hillary Clinton and Vice President Joe Biden are campaigning together in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Donald Trump is in Youngstown, Ohio, for his speech on radical Islam. Tim Kaine is in Asheville and Fayetteville, North Carolina.
THE RISK OF TAKING ON TRUMP -- Anti-Trump organizer forced to go to Feds -- The man who organized a letter last week of more than 70 Republicans calling on RNC Chairman Reince Priebus to stop funding Trump and focus on down ballot races has gone to the FBI after facing harassment on hate websites. One site — INCOG MAN — tells readers that "It's time to put the SMACK DOWN on these filthy Jew rats!" and refers to Andrew Weinstein, the organizer, as “an unhinged Jewish rat,” among other things. Weinstein tells Playbook that “apparently they didn’t realize that I’m pro-gay, pro-Jew, and pro-rat, so their insults were not particularly effective. That said, this was my first horrifying glimpse behind the curtain at some of the extremist hate groups supporting the Trump campaign, and it’s a very dark and scary place.”
A Playbooker noticed that @GOP hasn’t tweeted about Donald Trump or Mike Pence by name since July 28. Nothing about Trump or Pence. The DNC account tweets about Hillary/Kaine almost every day.
--SEND your suggested Trump-related tweets for @GOP to daniel@politico.com and we’ll feature the best tomorrow.
DATA DU JOUR -- “Pollsters: Trump approaching zero hour: Candidates polling ahead after the conventions have won the popular vote in 16 straight elections,” by Steven Shepard: “No candidate in Donald Trump’s position at this stage of the campaign has gone on to win the popular vote in November in the modern polling era. That’s the sobering news confronting the Trump campaign as it seeks to rebound from his recent slump. Those who have studied presidential campaigns since 1952 — the advent of modern polling and TV — aren’t writing off Trump yet. But they say that time is running short for Trump to reverse the trajectory of the race before voters’ preferences become locked in.” http://politi.co/2baNmbI
TWO OPINION PIECES FOR YOUR RADAR: -- WSJ editorial, “Trump’s Self-Reckoning”: “Mr. Trump is right that most of the media want him to lose, but then that was also true of George W. Bush, George H.W. Bush and Ronald Reagan. It’s true of every Republican presidential nominee. The difference is that Mr. Trump has made it so easy for the media and his opponents. ... He is now losing in every key battleground state, some like New Hampshire by double digits. The Midwest industrial states he claimed he would put into play—Wisconsin, Pennsylvania—have turned sharply toward Mrs. Clinton. ... If they can’t get Mr. Trump to change his act by Labor Day, the GOP will have no choice but to write off the nominee as hopeless and focus on salvaging the Senate and House and other down-ballot races. As for Mr. Trump, he needs to stop blaming everyone else and decide if he wants to behave like someone who wants to be President—or turn the nomination over to Mike Pence.” http://on.wsj.com/2aVEtVO
-- “Donald Trump’s Destruction Isn’t Funny Anymore,” by SKDK exec Jon Reinish in The Observer (owned by Jared Kushner!): “Say no. If you are sane, if you stand with life, if you care about this nation, our character and our survival, this is when you get off the sidelines and say no. This is the line in the sand. Our psychological Maginot Line has been breached. There is no middle ground here. This is where you look into the abyss, into the Day of the Locust, into this Helter Skelter, into this proposed mayhem and make a choice and say no. Today’s comments are not banter. They are not theories. This is real. There is no turning back. He is saying there will be blood. I’m horrified.” http://bit.ly/2aTRfRy
NEW HILLARY VIDEO -- per a Clinton campaign official: “Hillary for America will release a new video of Republicans and conservatives speaking out about the how unfit, unprepared and dangerous Donald Trump is in advance of Trump’s foreign policy speech on Monday.” With cameos by Joe and Mika, Mike Murphy, Mike Morrell, Max Boot, Michael Hayden, Andrea Mitchell http://bit.ly/2bh8pxR
JUST POSTED -- “Ivanka and Jared’s Power Play: How the patrician couple came to have an outsized influence on a populist Presidential campaign,” by Lizzie Widdicombe in The New Yorker: “Ivanka and Jared are an unlikely couple to represent the ticked-off populism that has emerged as Trump’s Presidential theme. Sleek, tall, and patrician, they went to élite schools: he attended Harvard and New York University; she went to Georgetown and Wharton. They live on Park Avenue, where talk of ‘the wall’ refers more rarely to the border with Mexico than to the climbing facility at the local Equinox. In person, they are known for being almost spookily presentable. Ivanka, the more charismatic of the pair, is a master of the thoughtful baby gift, the heartfelt dinner-party toast. Jared, who has a more stilted bearing, is a listener and a helper-outer: he volunteers to officiate at weddings—he’s done two—and performs pro-bono real-estate work for his friends. ... For young people, Jared and Ivanka’s social circle includes a lot of old people, among them aging media figures such as Barbara Walters, Barry Diller, and Diane von Furstenberg.” http://bit.ly/2aTOwYg
DEEP DIVE -- “Hillary Clinton’s breakout moment at Wellesley College,” by WaPo’s Frances Stead Sellers and Marilyn W. Thompson: “At a time when the country was questioning the system, Clinton was known for working squarely within it. She was a conciliator, not a bomb thrower. On graduation day, the onetime Goldwater Girl reinvented herself as a provocative voice speaking for her angry generation. With the national media closely following campus upheaval that spring, Clinton stole the spotlight by rebuking a Washington symbol she had helped elect. ... Clinton’s remarks transformed her, virtually overnight, into a national symbol of student activism. Wire services blasted out her remarks, and Life magazine featured her photo, dressed in bold striped bell-bottoms.” http://wapo.st/2aTvodA
POLL DU JOUR -- “Young voters flee Donald Trump in what may be historic trouncing, poll shows,” by USA Today’s Susan Page and Fernanda Crescente: “The survey shows Clinton trouncing Trump 56%-20% among those under 35, though she has failed so far to generate the levels of enthusiasm Sanders did — and the high turn-out that can signal — among Millennials. ... If the trend continues, the Democratic Party will have scored double-digit victories among younger voters in three consecutive elections, the first time that has happened since such data became readily available in 1952.” http://usat.ly/2aTvZfc
EXCLUSIVE TO PLAYBOOK – Excerpt from MAUREEN DOWD’s new book “The Year of Voting Dangerously: The Derangement of American Politics” (out Sept. 27 from Twelve): “2016 is a dizzying dive through the looking glass and into Donald Trump’s Narcissus pool—and must-follow Twitter feed … The Republican Party, held hostage to the whims of its 70-year-old high-chair king, is imploding. The Democratic Party, held hostage to the Clintons’ bizarre predilection for arrogant and self-defeating behavior just when things are going well, had to stitch itself back together after its unexpected civil war. Tectonic plates are grinding. Gatekeepers, old rules and old media are vanishing. We have an out-of-control id taunting a tightly controlled super-ego. We have the king of winging it versus the queen of homework. She says he’s too unpredictable to be president, he says she’s too predictable. Trump can excite his crowds but falters on substance; Hillary has substance but falters on exciting her crowds. ‘The boor versus the bore,’ Time’s Charlotte Alter calls it.” The cover http://bit.ly/2aVkpG8 ... GIF of animated cover http://bit.ly/2bsfGay ... Pre-order -- $28.80 on Amazon http://amzn.to/2bjclKz
TOP TWEETS -- @realDonaldTrump: “Crooked Hillary Clinton is being protected by the media. She is not a talented person or politician. The dishonest media refuses to expose!” … @Peter_Wehner -- a Bush alum -- replies: “You mean like @nytimes, which broke the story about her private email server? Blaming the media is for losers.” … @alexburnsNYT: “Interesting tactic to answer a story about how he is angry, demoralized, off message & fixated on his media coverage”
-- “How Donald Trump Brought House Conservatives to Heel: By winning over their constituents, he forced them to get in line,” by National Review’s Tim Alberta: “For House conservatives, fighting against that which their constituents despised — [John] Boehner, Obamacare, debt-ceiling hikes — always made sense, both ideologically and politically. When it comes to Trump, however, the lines have blurred: Many members harbor deep concerns about his candidacy and his commitment to conservatism, but few will raise them publicly for fear of backlash from the base. ‘It disappoints me, but I understand it,’ [Michigan Rep. Justin] Amash says. ‘For a lot of them, their district voted for Trump, sometimes overwhelmingly. And many of them feel they have an obligation to be supportive of the nominee. I never felt that way. I didn’t support Boehner when he was the nominee for speaker, either.’” http://bit.ly/2bseQeX
2016 PLAYERS -- “One of Donald Trump’s biggest economic supporters? It’s a UC Irvine economist,” by Orange County Register’s Margot Roosevelt: “With a doctorate in economics from Harvard University, [Peter] Navarro is the only academic on Trump’s 21-member economic advisory council ... With his shock of white hair, rugged good looks and crisp sound bites, Navarro is a media-savvy advocate on camera. But his style – interrupting interviewers and combatively questioning them – has critics, too. ... Navarro has never met Trump in person. And as for speaking with him by phone, he acknowledges, ‘I have never had the pleasure.’” http://bit.ly/2bh8D8u
MANU RAJU -- a MASTER of the Senate -- “Records contradict [Evan] Bayh’s assertion over staying in Indiana”: “A CNN review of public records since Bayh left office in 2011 shows the Democrat repeatedly listed his two multi-million dollar homes in Washington as his main places of residence -- not the $53,000 condo he owns in Indianapolis. Just three weeks after leaving office in 2011, Bayh changed his address to his $2.3 million home in a leafy neighborhood in Washington, according to Indiana records. And often when Bayh registered his address -- whether it was on an Alaska fishing license, a donation to Hillary Clinton or on the deed to his beachfront property in Southern Florida -- he listed Washington as his home. … A source with Indianapolis Power and Light said Bayh’s monthly electric bills averaged less than $20 per month since 2012, suggesting little -- if any -- use at his Indiana condo. And when he hit the speaking circuit after his post-senatorial life, his firm noted that he travels ‘from D.C.’” http://cnn.it/2bsiJzJ
BOB COSTA in the Washington Post: “Ryan challenger Paul Nehlen launches super PAC”: “Nehlen, 47, will serve as chairman of the group, Citizens Revolt PAC, and use his role to speak across the country and target Trump’s Republican critics. He will hold a news conference Monday in Wisconsin to discuss his plans. Although Nehlen lost the Aug. 9 contest by a staggering margin — Ryan won 84 percent of the vote — he and his allies think that the support he received from right-wing figures such as Ann Coulter and former Alaska governor Sarah Palin has given him a burgeoning national profile.” http://wapo.st/2aW814t
--TRUTH BOMB: Good scoop by Costa. Nehlen’s new gambit won’t work. He mustered $760,000 for his race against Ryan -- and that was when people were giving to him to defeat a sitting speaker. Now he’s just a guy who got trounced -- 84 percent to 16 percent -- in a congressional primary.
MEDIAWATCH -- “Fox News confronts (but just barely) a scandal in its own house,” by WashPost’s Paul Farhi: “Ever since former Fox host Gretchen Carlson filed a sexual harassment suit July 6 against the network’s co-founder and chairman, Roger Ailes, Fox has been tight-lipped about telling its viewers about the allegations, which have turned the network upside down. Fox mentioned the lawsuit and Ailes’s subsequent resignation July 21, but that’s about all it has done since the news broke. It has not conducted a single on-camera interview with any person connected with the news, including Ailes ... In all, Fox has devoted a total of about 11 minutes of airtime to the news about Ailes over the past five weeks.” http://wapo.st/2b5sVQD
ADAM DAVIDSON to The New Yorker – per Morning Media: “Davidson is trading in his role at The New York Times Magazine for a slot ... [as] a contributing writer at The New Yorker, he will cover business and economics for newyorker.com starting August 30. ... Davidson’s also a public radio veteran, podcast host and the co-founder of NPR’s ‘Planet Money.’”
OFF MESSAGE – Glenn Thrush interviews CBS’s John Dickerson – “Don’t blame John Dickerson for Donald Trump. Actually, don’t blame any of the broadcast media for Trump’s meteoric rise, the CBS Sunday show host says – unless you want to give TV credit for Trump’s summer flameout.” Listen http://apple.co/1OQiFux … Story http://politi.co/2aXsnue
--Are you a fan of “Off Message?” Tell us more about you by taking a short “Off Message” survey. http://bit.ly/2aVcwk3
RIO ROUNDUP -- “U.S. Swimmer Ryan Lochte Robbed at Gunpoint in Brazil,” by NBC News’ Hasani Gittens: “‘We got pulled over, in the taxi, and these guys came out with a badge, a police badge, no lights, no nothing just a police badge and they pulled us over,’ Lochte [told Today’s Billy Bush]. ‘They pulled out their guns, they told the other swimmers to get down on the ground — they got down on the ground. I refused, I was like we didn’t do anything wrong, so — I’m not getting down on the ground. ‘And then the guy pulled out his gun, he cocked it, put it to my forehead and he said, “Get down,” and I put my hands up, I was like “whatever.” He took our money, he took my wallet — he left my cell phone, he left my credentials.’” http://nbcnews.to/2bj19gQ
-- MEDAL COUNT: The U.S. has 69 medals. 26 gold, 21 silver and 22 bronze.
--“NBC Sports Takes On First Summer Olympics In Stamford,” by Hartford Courant’s Kristin Stoller: “The new facility has a giant newsroom, six on-air studios with control rooms, 50 graphics suites and more than 50 editing rooms. More than 700 employees work at the facility year-round, but during the Olympics, that number almost doubles.” http://cour.at/2aNgb23
CLICK DU JOUR -- “Can You Beat Usain Bolt Out of the Blocks?” http://nyti.ms/2aVj8vW
FIRST IN PLAYBOOK -- LIS SMITH and TUCKER MARTIN are joining 50 State LLC, “a bipartisan consulting firm that focuses exclusively on helping private sector clients achieve results in the states.” 50 State LLC was founded less than two years ago by former Republican Governors Association Director Phil Cox and Colm O’Comartun, the chair of the Democratic Governors Association. The firm says it has more than 25 clients. Smith most recently was Martin O’Malley’s deputy campaign manager and spokesman. Before that, she ran rapid response for Obama’s campaign. Martin most recently worked for a pro-Chris Christie super PAC. http://bit.ly/2aTNSdT
OUT AND ABOUT IN MARTHA’S VINEYARD – Per WH pooler Gardiner Harris of the NYT: “The First Family is joining friends for a social event at Lola’s in Oak Bluffs ... This is what happens when the kids grow up -- late night outings en famille. The Obamas have been out just about every night of this summer vacation, and tonight may be the latest. Lola’s serves southern seafood ... But it also welcomes private parties, and this seems the hour for something private.” Menu http://bit.ly/2btEVfo
POTUS playlist #1 globally -- NYT A11, “President Obama’s Emotional Spotify Playlist Is a Hit,” by Gardiner Harris in a “White House Letter” from Edgartown: “[W]ithin a day, Mr. Obama’s playlist was the most listened-to on Spotify, other than those organized by the global music streaming service itself. That level of popularity occurs only when listeners do more than sample the songs, but actually enjoy the set, said Jonathan Prince, a Spotify spokesman. ‘For a playlist to hit No. 1 globally on its own out of nowhere is just bananas,’ Mr. Prince said. ‘If he wants a job curating music when this presidential gig is over, we’d take him in a second.’” http://nyti.ms/2aTLcwC ... His daytime playlist http://bit.ly/2aTMd87 ... Nighttime http://bit.ly/2bcxZnL
SPOTTED: Rep. Chris Van Hollen in Bethesda at Chef Tony’s on Saturday. Per our tipster: “Lucky guy: pulled into a parking meter on the street DIRECTLY IN FRONT of the restaurant, almost an impossibility on a Saturday at 7:30 pm -- but maybe possible in mid-August. Put coins into the 1-hour meter... and then halfway through his meal, went out to feed the meter.”
-- “The Bidens bump into the Bushes in the Hamptons,” by Page Six’s Emily Smith: “Witnesses said Bush ‘went over to Biden’s table, and they shared a nice exchange. Politics the way it should be: professional and cordial.’” http://pge.sx/2bgmeLH
WEEKEND WEDDINGS -- Polson Kanneth, senior editorial producer for CNN's “State of the Union” and a genuine man about Washington, married Sandhya Kotha, a senior business analyst at Capital One, on Saturday, making one of the hottest days of the year quite memorable for those in attendance. Pool report: “Hundreds of family members, friends and colleagues -- including Sandy’s parents who traveled from India -- gathered at the Church of the Holy City in Washington for a mid-afternoon traditional Syrian Orthodox marriage ceremony that included touches of Sandy’s Hindu faith. The church doesn’t have air conditioning, so Kanneth -- always focused on key details -- moved quickly in the days preceding the ceremony to secure the use of three industrial-sized fans to try keeping temperatures under control and to ensure that the catering team provided iced towels, iced tea and lemonade to guests. (As one guest commented, ‘From now on there’s hot and then there’s “Polson’s Wedding Hot.”’)
“Over rounds of champagne toasts after Polson placed the traditional silver toe rings on his bride, some of the Indian guests wryly noted, that it was actually cooler in India. ‘Thanks for sweating for us,’ Polson said in his toast. ‘Our wedding was hot, literally!’ The party continued later in the day at American University’s Katzen Arts Center, where revelers dined on traditional Indian fare, danced late into the night and heard the couple share hysterical details from their first date. Polson and Sandy depart today for a two-week trip to India to visit extended family and are planning a post-election honeymoon in November to Japan and South Korea.” Pics http://bit.ly/2bx3ARQ ... http://bit.ly/2bj4ah8
SPOTTED: A large ABC News delegation led by Diane Sawyer (Polson’s former boss), Mark Robertson, Katherine Faulders, Jordyn Phelps, Justin Weaver, Santina Leuci, Audrey Taylor, Rick Klein and wife, Laine Kaplowitz; CNN’s Jake Tapper, Katie Hinman, Teddy and Emily Davis; Paul Julian; Ed and Valerie O’Keefe; Anita and Tim McBride; Stephanie Smith and Paul Hill; Georgeanna Thanos; Tom Johnson; Christina Loccke; Jill and Brad McClain; Mosheh Gains; Jay Newton-Small; Jessica Reis; Michael and Mary Kathryn Steel; Amy Eisman; Lake County, Ohio Commissioner Kevin D. Malecek and his wife, Dr. Nora Colburn; Several of Polson’s American University classmates, including Gordon Simonett, Anthony DeAngelo, George Melissinos and wife, Emily Rich, Haley Stevens and Rob Marmet.
--Friends and family gathered under the stars in Napa Valley to celebrate the wedding of California GOP politicos Mason Harrison and Chelsea Wilson this weekend. The couple first met while working on Carly Fiorina’s 2010 Senate bid. Mason is political director at Crowdpac and Chelsea is senior policy comms manager for Lyft. Pic http://bit.ly/2aVG6CW
SPOTTED: Neel Kashkari, Danita Ng, Saat Alety, Tal Eslick, George Andrews, Josh and Melissa Sharp, Chelsea Young, Caroline Wren, Kris Anderson, Matt Connelly, Matt Rexroad, Michael Antonopoulos, Ryan Clumper, Francis Barazza, Chandra Sharma, Pat Melton.
MATT LATIMER on the cover of NYT’s Sunday Styles, “He Likes Trump. She Doesn’t. Can This Marriage Be Saved?” by Sridhar Pappu: “Anna Sproul-Latimer, an agent with the Ross Yoon Literary Agency in Washington, D.C., believed she knew the man she would marry. But that was before politics got in the way. When she met Matt Latimer in 2008, he was a disaffected former speechwriter in the George W. Bush administration. Back then she considered herself something of a Libertarian, although she had supported Mr. Obama’s first presidential run. ... As Mr. Trump’s momentum grew, the household showed signs of strain. Mr. Latimer cheered the unraveling of the party’s establishment. And while not ready to jump on the ‘Trump Train,’ he said, he was willing to give Mr. Trump a chance. ... These days, they try to stay away from discussing the campaign.” http://nyti.ms/2brYUZV
MCLAUGHLIN ABSENT -- Long-time McLaughlin Group viewers have emailed Playbook noting that the show’s creator and host has been absent recently. The show addressed it Sunday with a full-screen graphic: “Dear friends of the McLaughlin Group, Dr. McLaughlin here. As the panel’s recent absences attest, I am under the weather. The final issue of this episode has my voice but please forgive me for its weaker than usual quality. Yet my spirit is strong and my dedication to the show remains absolute!” See the graphic http://bit.ly/2bsfnNI
BIRTHWEEK (was yesterday): Bill Couch, AVP for federal relations at Ohio State
BIRTHDAYS: Karen Finney, the pride of Berkeley ... Vernon Jordan is 81 ... Melinda Gates is 52 ... Justice Breyer is 78 ... Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) is 78 ... Rep. Robert Pittenger (R-NC) is 68 ... Phyllis Schlafly is 92 ... Linda Ellerbee is 71 (And so it goes!) ... Dave Price of Des Moines ... Devin O’Malley is 29 … McClatchy’s Kevin Hall is 54 … Elise Labott, CNN global affairs correspondent and the pride of Marlboro, N.J. … Matt Pinnell, national state party director at the RNC ... Peggy Binzel, principal at the Podesta Group ... Democratic pollster Diane Feldman (h/ts Jon Haber) ... Jarrett Lewis, Romney 2012 alum, now executive director for consumer research at The Health Management Academy ... RNC’s Jon Black, a Romney alum … Leigh Ann Caldwell … Patrick Gleason, state affairs director at Americans for Tax Reform ... Kathryn Potter, SVP of marketing/comms at American Hotel & Lodging Association ... Annie Minkler, a floor assistant for the Speaker … Billy Pitts ... Politico alum Sarah Bell … Eric Tanenblatt, former chief of staff to Gov. Sonny Perdue and now a principal at Dentons, is 5-0 (h/t James Richardson) ... Bart Reising, Whip Scalise’s director of operations, is 3-0 (h/t TJ Tatum) ...
… Rachel Haot, former chief digital officer for NYC and NY State, now managing director at 1776 (h/ts Ben Chang and Jessie Singleton) ... Richard Hudock of CNN PR, celebrating in Las Vegas (h/t colleague Liza Pluto) ... E&E fellow Colby Bermel (h/t Nathan) ... Jesse McKinley, NYT Albany bureau chief (and former SF buro chief), is 46. He celebrated early with an epic go-kart race Thursday night outside Albany. For the record, he won (ignoring warnings from the race track attendant not to bump). (h/t Sarah Varney) ... former Rep. Judy Biggert (R-Ill.) is 79 ... Meg Joseph, COS for Rep. Sinema ... Christopher Loring of Senate Commerce ... Maral Karaccusian, district director for Rep. Karen Bass ... Zahava Urecki of Sen. Manchin’s office ... former Rep. Ronnie Flippo (D-Ala.) is 79 ... former Rep. Tom Sawyer (D-Ohio) is 71 ... former Rep. Tim Mahoney (D-Fla.) is 6-0 (h/ts Legistorm) ... Emily Smith ... Tom Murphy ... Diane Feldman ... Susanne Salkind (h/ts Teresa Vilmain) ... Todd Bernstein, president of Global Citizen ... Will Dizard ... Alison Rose Levy ... Frank Sicoli is 38 ... Desiree Wineland ... Derek Kan, general manager at Lyft ... Miranda Barrett, VP of membership strategy at Entrepreneurs’ Organization (hubby tip: WSJ’s Devlin Barrett) ... actress Rose Marie is 93 ... Tom Johnston (The Doobie Brothers) is 68 ... Britain’s Princess Anne is 66 ... Ben Affleck is 44 ... Joe Jonas is 27 ... Jennifer Lawrence is 26 ... Rap DJ Smoove da General (Cali Swag District) is 26 (h/ts AP)