POLLS DU JOUR -- DISASTER for Trump -- Donald Trump is down nine points in Michigan, 15 points in New Hampshire and 11 points in Pennsylvania, according to three new polls out this morning. Hillary Clinton is beating Trump 41 percent to 32 percent in a Detroit News poll of Michigan, a state the GOP nominee’s team says is crucial to winning the White House. Sixty percent of voters in Michigan say Trump is not qualified to be president. In New Hampshire, WBUR found Clinton is up 47 percent to 32 percent. Trump and Clinton were running neck and neck there two months ago. And in a Franklin and Marshall poll in Pennsylvania, Clinton is up 49 percent to 38 percent among likely voters. New Hampshire poll: http://wbur.fm/2azO0lD … Michigan poll: http://detne.ws/2avnsk3 … Pennsylvania poll: http://bit.ly/2aEGKml
--“Walker, Ryan and Johnson all skipping Trump campaign stop” – AP/Madison: “Gov. Scott Walker on Wednesday joined with House Speaker Paul Ryan and U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson in announcing he would be skipping the [Donald] Trump rally in Green Bay. All three have backed Trump, but their support has come with criticism over some of his most controversial policies and comments.” http://apne.ws/2b4MAxQ
THE NARRATIVE -- “GOP reaches ‘new level of panic’ over Trump’s candidacy,” by WashPost’s Philip Rucker, Dan Balz and Matea Gold: “Turmoil in the Republican Party escalated Wednesday as party leaders, strategists and donors voiced increased alarm about the flailing state of Donald Trump’s candidacy and fears that the presidential nominee was damaging the party with an extraordinary week of self-inflicted mistakes, gratuitous attacks and missed opportunities. ... Former House speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.), one of Trump’s most loyal defenders, warned that his friend was in danger of throwing away the election and helping to make Clinton president.” http://wapo.st/2b4K9LL
THE MAP -- “Trump’s shrinking electoral map: There are growing signs that Colorado, a key Western swing state, is no longer in play,” by Gabe Debenedetti in Commerce City, Colorado: “‘Colorado has a significant and growing Latino population, and Trump has done everything he possibly can to draw Latino voters into the waiting arms of Democrats. The same is true in Nevada. So it’s not surprising that Hillary Clinton looks reasonably strong there — I don’t know if he can [win Colorado]. Maybe not attack a Gold Star mother while she’s grieving?’ said Republican pollster Whit Ayres, who worked for Marco Rubio’s presidential campaign.” http://politi.co/2aPHJ5W
Good Thursday morning. The Olympics opening ceremony is FRIDAY night in Rio. Ninety-six days until the election.
POINT-COUNTERPOINT: Will Trump drop out? Should he? (A mindmeld of party insiders and operatives, campaign sources and students of Donald Trump.)
--Why he will: It’s been four consecutive days of utterly disastrous press. There’s staff turnover in key swing states and reports of dissension at the highest ranks of the campaign. Prominent Republicans are announcing they’ll vote for Hillary, the battleground map is shrinking rapidly, he’s being badly outspent over the airwaves and there’s talk of a situation so dire that an intervention from some of the GOP’s top figures is in the works.
If Trump’s trajectory doesn’t change dramatically -- and quickly -- the race is cooked. And once he concludes the election is unwinnable, why would he stay in? He has no allegiance to the GOP and won’t lose any sleep over what happens down-ballot. Keep in mind: He didn’t become a billionaire by throwing good money after bad.
The only question, then, is how to get out and save face. He’s already laid down a foundation for his exit -- he’s now asserting the race is already rigged for Hillary Clinton. The next step? Throwing Reince Priebus under the bus and claiming that BOTH major parties are conspiring to keep him from winning.The exit scenario isn’t that far-fetched. Lots of folks, in fact, are already thinking it. Here’s the top trending question on Google yesterday: “Is Trump dropping out of the elections?”
--Why he won’t: Trump knows this better than anyone: The news cycle is so incredibly sped-up that any one of his scandals can fade to background noise with a savvy media play. For example: We all spent yesterday talking about his non-endorsement of Paul Ryan and John McCain, not his continuing war with the Khan family.
Trump is closing the gap in fundraising. He’s still drawing massive crowds almost everywhere he goes. Economic growth is still anemic. And despite the stuff that’s bubbled up, he’s still within striking distance in some polls. Another WikiLeaks release could redirect the race and put Clinton on the ropes. Another terrorist attack here or abroad could help him, and hurt Clinton. But most of all, Trump -- above everything else -- is not a quitter, especially not when the stakes are so high and the fight is so public. Slinking away from Clinton would prove that he didn’t have the mettle to take her on, toe to toe.
REAL TALK -- If Trump dropped out, Republicans would be in big trouble. According to multiple sources with knowledge of ballot-access laws, Republicans could be forced to wage state-by-state legal battles to get a new candidate on the ballot. Courts have tended to discard ballot deadlines in favor of having two parties represented on the ballot. But that would be a time-consuming and expensive exercise for the RNC.
HAPPENING TODAY -- Hillary Clinton is in Nevada, touring the Mojave Electric training facility in Las Vegas. Donald Trump is in Portland, Maine, and Norfolk, Virginia. Mike Pence is in Raleigh, North Carolina, and Virginia Beach.
THE NEW GAME -- House Democrats are launching a Twitter ad blitz against Trump in 15 districts and D.C. “We are targeting House GOPers specifically on the Khan attacks. The message behind the ad applies perfectly to the Gold Star Khan family issue that all GOPers are facing: If Trump is your standard-bearer, then what happened to your standards?,” per a DCCC aide. Republican members targeted include: California Reps. Jeff Denham and Darrell Issa, Colorado Rep. Mike Coffman, Illinois Rep. Bob Dold, Texas Rep. Will Hurd and Virginia Rep. Barbara Comstock.
DEFECTION WATCH -- “Republican releases ad promising to ‘stand up’ to Trump,” by Alex Isenstadt: “The commercial, from GOP Rep. Mike Coffman of Colorado, represents the first time a House Republican has used explicitly anti-Trump messaging in paid advertising. It comes as many in the Republican Party — concerned about Trump’s impact on down-ballot races — are grappling with whether to take further measures to repudiate their presidential nominee after a string of controversies including an attack on a Gold Star family and his refusal to endorse House Speaker Paul Ryan in his primary.” http://politi.co/2aPEonH
-- “Rep. Kinzinger says he will not vote for Trump,” by Tyler Pager: “[Illinois Rep. Adam] Kinzinger told CNN he went to the [RNC] and had hoped to be able to endorse Trump by the end of it. However, the former Air Force pilot said after Trump’s comments on NATO and his spat with Khizr Khan, the father of a fallen soldier who spoke at the [DNC], he doesn’t see how he could endorse him.” http://politi.co/2awMJM5
DAILY DONALD -- NYT A1 above the fold, “Fueled by Small Donations, Donald Trump Makes Up Major Financial Ground,” by Nick Confessore and Nick Corasaniti: “Donald J. Trump all but erased his enormous fund-raising disadvantage against Hillary Clinton in the span of just two months ... converting the passion of his core followers into a flood of small donations on a scale rarely seen in national politics. Mr. Trump and the [RNC] raised $64 million through a joint digital and mail effort in July ... the bulk of it from small donations. All told, Mr. Trump and his party brought in $82 million last month, only slightly behind Mrs. Clinton’s $90 million, and ended with $74 million on hand, suggesting he might now have the resources to compete with Mrs. Clinton in the closing stretch of the campaign.” http://nyti.ms/2aCa7oG
--“Republican Donors Panic As Trump Melts Down,” by BuzzFeed’s Tarini Parti and Rosie Gray: “Republican donors weren’t expecting a traditional campaign from Donald Trump, but they weren’t expecting the level of this week’s implosion either. ‘I don’t know what he’s doing — trying to commit suicide?’ said Stan Hubbard, a Minnesota-based top donor to a pro-Trump super PAC.” http://bzfd.it/2anrc5s
--“Trump: ‘I don’t know why we’re not leading by a lot,’” by Cristiano Lima: “‘I hear we’re leading Florida by a bit,’ he said. ‘I don’t know why we’re not leading by a lot. Maybe crowds don’t make the difference.’” http://politi.co/2aPAlrm
--FLASHBACK: Mitt Romney thought he would win on Election Day 2012 when he saw a big crowd at the Pittsburgh airport. “Intellectually I’ve felt that we’re going to win this, and I’ve felt that for some time. But emotionally, just getting off the plane and seeing those people standing there — we didn’t tell them we were coming. We didn’t notify them when we’d arrive. Just seeing people there, cheering as they were, connected emotionally with me.” http://wapo.st/2aSLwRd
WHAT THE RIGHT IS READING -- Mass stabbings in the U.K. -- Drudge banner: “WARZONE LONDON” http://bit.ly/2awzCNM
DAMAGE CONTROL -- “Trump meets with Gold Star families amid controversy,” by Military Times’ Leo Shane III: “Reeling from days of controversy, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump met Wednesday with the families of troops killed in Iraq and Afghanistan to hear their concerns about the campaign and broader national security issues. The private conference, which attendees said lasted about 30 minutes before a rally in Florida, included top Trump defense adviser retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn and was organized by Karen Vaughn, the mother of a fallen Navy SEAL and a featured speaker at last month’s Republican convention. Ten parents, siblings and spouses of fallen service members were included.” http://bit.ly/2aWmM85
VIDEO DU JOUR -- “Voices From Donald Trump’s Rallies, Uncensored,” by NYT’s Ashley Parker, Nick Corasaniti and Erica Bernstein: “‘Kill her.’ ‘Trump that bitch!’ ‘Build a wall — kill them all.’ New York Times reporters have spent over a year covering Donald J. Trump’s rallies, witnessing so many provocations and heated confrontations at them that the cumulative effect can be numbing ... [W]hat struck us was the frequency with which some Trump supporters use coarse, vitriolic, even violent language — in the epithets they shout and chant, the signs they carry, the T-shirts they wear — a pattern not seen in connection with any other recent political candidate, in any party.” 3-min. video http://nyti.ms/2aSzXcF
YOU’RE INVITED! -- Playbook Breakfast this morning with Tom Donilon and Stephen Hadley, two of the nation’s top national security minds. Donilon was national security adviser to President Barack Obama and is now a distinguished fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and vice chairman at O’Melveny and Myers. Hadley was national security adviser to George W. Bush and is now a partner at Rice Hadley Gates LLC. We’ll talk national security, Russia and cybersecurity. Doors open at 8 a.m. at the Mayflower, 1127 Connecticut Avenue, NW (Metro to either Farragut North or West). RSVP http://bit.ly/2apGEUg … Livestream starts at 8:30 http://politi.co/2aUD0le
‘DOH! -- Breitbart runs a photo of the Cleveland Cavaliers championship parade under the headline: “TRUMP’S JACKSONVILLE RALLY DRAWS 15,000” -- photo has now changed -- @BecketAdams: “LOL. Okay, guys. (h/t @ConradKaz).” http://bit.ly/2akkOR3
INSIDE TRUMP TOWER -- “Donald Trump’s man on Israel: The GOP nominee gets his advice on the Middle East’s most politicized conflict from someone he trusts: His lawyer,” by Katie Glueck in New York: “Donald Trump’s chief Israel adviser doesn’t believe in briefing books, or in sharing topical news articles with his boss. He has no formal background in foreign policy. And his most extensive writing about the Middle East comes in the form of a family travel guide to Israel that he penned with his wife. What Jason Greenblatt does have is a fierce loyalty to Donald J. Trump … In an hour-long conversation with POLITICO this week, his first interview with a secular outlet, Greenblatt painted a picture of life inside the Trump Organization where efficiency is prized over nuance and depth, where loyalty outweighs experience and passion trumps traditional credentials.” http://politi.co/2aKH84b
2016 PLAYERS -- Eli Stokols: “According to two sources, the [Trump] campaign has brought on Larry Weitzner, a veteran ad man who has worked for the likes of Christie and former New York Gov. George Pataki, to help craft TV commercials. He joins Rick Reed, who helped oversee the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth offensive against John Kerry in 2004 on the Trump media team.” http://politi.co/2axuru3
REMEMBERING STEVE LATOURETTE -- The former Ohio congressman died Wednesday at 62 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. LaTourette, a close friend of former Speaker John Boehner, represented the Cleveland area in Congress. He was a very nice man, who loved the game and the rough and tumble of the House of Representatives. Obit http://bit.ly/2aBs9Yf
TWEET DU JOUR -- @DRUDGE: “Non-reported story: Rise of MSNBC. Andy Lack pulling off huge upset, easily passing CNN again last night. Primetime avg nearly 2m viewers!”
SHOT -- CNN President Jeff Zucker defended Corey Lewandowski in a “Variety” story Tuesday morning: “I actually think he’s done a really nice job.”
CHASER -- Appearing on CNN Tuesday night, Lewandowski said of President Barack Obama: “And the question was: Did he get in as a U.S. citizen, or was he brought into Harvard University as a citizen who wasn’t from this country?”
TALKING POINTS -- “No going back: Senate Republicans have made their bed with Trump,” by DSCCPress on Medium: “But here’s the plain reality for any Senators thinking that they can now create some distance between themselves and Trump: The damage is done. Whether — or if — they try to disavow Trump in a few hours, a few weeks, or after Election Day, GOP Senators and candidates will be remembered for not having the guts to take a stand against Donald Trump and put their country over their party.” http://bit.ly/2aC70gx
--AMERICAN BRIDGE is out with new 30-second ads titled “What Will it Take?” attempting to tie six GOP senate candidates to Trump: Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Roy Blunt of Missouri, Richard Burr of North Carolina, Joe Heck of Nevada and Marco Rubio of Florida. Bridge declined to comment on the size of their ad buy. Their ad against Toomey: https://youtu.be/Q3SwjjZ_IfY
THE PLAYBOOK INTERVIEW: BEN SMITH
“Variety” ran a profile earlier this week about Jeff Zucker, the head of CNN. In that piece, Zucker said BuzzFeed and Vice aren’t serious news outlets. We think highly of BuzzFeed, and they have had some interesting pieces about Donald Trump’s business practices, his foreign policy views and the presidential campaign. Ben Smith, a longtime friend of Playbook and former POLITICO reporter, called us up yesterday to talk about his news organization.
--Smith clearly disagrees with Zucker. “The way you earn respect from the people you cover and your peers, is you break news and you do stories, and reporters think, ‘Damn I wish I had that story,’ and people you cover say, ‘I wish they hadn’t done that story about me.’ I think in Silicon Valley, Washington and New York, people in the middle of the biggest stories in the world realize we’re covering them really competitively. There’s a huge universe of people who don’t consume a ton of news, and only consume it when it matters to them and who love BuzzFeed … and still sometimes are surprised to see us as a news brand, and I think we’re winning them over. That’s a longer game.”
--He was “nervous” going into 2016. “For BuzzFeed News, 2012 was the year we broke out – the way Politico did in 2008 … I was pretty nervous going into 2016 because I knew the expectations were higher. We weren’t going to get back pats for basic blocking and tackling, the way in 2012, people said, 'Wow, BuzzFeed is doing stories. Cool.' I’m thrilled where we’ve come out. Andrew Kaczynski has done a number of really defining stories of the cycle … unearthing the Trump-Howard Stern stuff. That’s a huge chunk of what people know about Donald Trump, and raising very serious questions about Trump’s foreign policy instincts and debunking the notion he’s a dove. McKay Coppins reporting, Ruby Cramer on Clinton … I’m obsessed with scoops and I think we’re breaking news every day.”
--Trump is the breakout media star of the cycle. “It’s Donald Trump’s cycle. Donald Trump is the breakout media organization of 2016 … This is very much my theory of the world, and I got it from Peter Kaplan, and it’s part of why I took the job at BuzzFeed. The idea that because politics is the media business, new media organizations and products can define and be defined by presidential campaigns … Trump … exists almost entirely through television and uses Twitter to program television and talk back to television …The non-media elements – a field organization, voter contact – he’s not really doing. He’s only doing the media piece. He’s competing for attention with media outlets. During the primary, there was a tacit partnership with the cable outlets, where he was providing content for ratings, perhaps the implicit deal that no one was interfering with that stream, pretty much … He essentially provided the Donald Trump show to television.”
FUTURE OF MEDIA – NYT Business Day front, “How Snapchat Helped Ad Buyers Get Over Their Fear of a Ghost,” by Katie Benner and Michael J. de la Merced: “In the last 15 months, Snapchat has ... introduced new ad formats. It dangled its attractive user base — the service now claims 150 million daily users, including nearly half the country’s population from ages 18 to 34 — to lure advertisers. Most important, Snapchat has persuaded brands like Tiffany & Company, Kraft Foods and Burger King that its ads let them interact playfully with this young audience.” http://nyti.ms/2aEdHzk
MEDIAWATCH -- NYT B1, “Fox News Sexual Harassment Inquiry Is Said to Look at What Others Knew,” by Jim Rutenberg and Ben Protess: “Investigators looking into sexual harassment accusations against the former Fox News chairman Roger Ailes are also examining whether other executives knew of alleged improper behavior by Mr. Ailes and failed to act on it ... The investigation, focused on accusations against Mr. Ailes, has not broadened into a comprehensive look at the workplace culture at Fox News.” http://nyti.ms/2aPAACB
-- “Clinton, Kaine to release book 2 months before election,” by AP’s Hillel Italie: “Hillary Clinton and her running mate, Tim Kaine, are releasing a book two months before the election. Simon & Schuster told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the 256-page book being released Sept. 6 will be called ‘Stronger Together.’ It will present a wide range of the policy proposals from the Democratic presidential nominee.” http://apne.ws/2aEE486 A Bob Barnett production.
WEST COAST WATCH -- “Is Sean Parker changing politics — or is politics changing him?” by LA Times’ Evan Halper: “Parker is the man who terrorized the music industry with his file-sharing technology at Napster, inspired a sinister Justin Timberlake acting performance with his scheming at Facebook, and threw environmentalists into a fit with his multimillion-dollar fairy tale-themed wedding in a California redwood grove … The 36-year-old Silicon Valley oligarch once vowed to rattle the established order of Washington. But several years into a multiplatform, multimillion-dollar effort that seeks to transform politics through technology, campaign cash and a few big ideas, the renowned rule-breaker is finding that the rules of politics are not easily broken.” http://lat.ms/2aWDS5D
WASHINGTON INC. -- “Drug lobby plans counterattack on prices,” by Sarah Karlin-Smith: “Washington’s powerful drug lobby is gearing up to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on a post-election ad war pushing back against politicians from both parties who have savaged its members over drug prices. The massive campaign by the [PhRMA] — expected to start positive by highlighting drugs that save or prolong lives — will dwarf the $20 million that health insurers spent on the iconic ‘Harry and Louise’ campaign credited with sinking Hillary Clinton's health reform plan in the early 1990s.” http://politi.co/2anuINd
BILL KOCH RAISING MONEY FOR TRUMP -- Page Six’s Richard Johnson: “Normally generous Republican donors Charles and David Koch aren’t supporting Donald Trump, but their fun-loving, wine-collecting brother Bill Koch is. Trump will be the guest of honor Saturday at the Cape Cod, Mass., home of Bill and his wife, Bridget. Tickets range from $2,700 to $50,000.” http://pge.sx/2aPJFvl
TRANSITIONS -- Elizabeth Wilner, who has helped the political press corps cover the ins and outs of election advertising from Kantar Media, and before, that, served as NBC political Director, is joining Airbnb as managing editor for policy … Mark Bergman is leaving his job as Connecticut Gov. Dan Malloy’s office as deputy chief of staff at the end of the summer to begin work as senior associate for communications at the public affairs shop Grossman Heinz. Andy Grossman recently served as the Staff Director of the Democratic Platform Committee at the DNCC ...Former RNC communications director Lisa Camooso Miller has joined Reset Public Affairs as a partner.
SPOTTED: Sen. Chuck Schumer last night at the Lumineers concert in Brooklyn, where he gave a short stump speech before introducing them.
LATINOS44 LAUNCHES -- A small group of current and former Obama political appointees have established LATINOS44, a 501c6, alumni group for Latinos who served in the Obama administration. The organization is holding an inaugural retreat this weekend to bring together more than 150 current and former appointees to help provide connections and professional development beyond the Obama administration. Speakers and coaches at this weekend’s retreat include: Lisa Quiroz, Time Warner Inc. Chief Diversity Officer; Michael Strautmanis of the Barack Obama Foundation; Ramona Romero of Princeton University; Janis Bowdler of JPMorgan Chase; Francisco Sanchez of CNS Global Advisors; and representatives from Korn Ferry, Funny or Die, Univision, Google, Comcast, Verizon, GMMB, Estee Lauder, LATimes, Spotify, LinkedIn, The Raben Group, Podesta Group, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and others.
SPOTTED celebrating Sen. Patty Murray’s primary win last night at the Edgewater Hotel in Seattle: Murray chief of staff Mike Spahn, Steve Hartell, Cantwell alums Kurt Beckett and Michael Meehan, Democratic Senate Energy Committee Chief Angela Becker-Dippman and Amazon’s Andy Elting.
WELCOME TO THE WORLD – Kara Kearns, director of operations for Politico, and Geoff Pelletier, assistant department manager of construction services at HNTB, email friends and colleagues: “Geoff and I are proud to announce the arrival of Poppy Alice Pelletier, born Friday afternoon at Sibley Memorial Hospital, greeting the world at an impressive 8 lbs, 8 ounces and a lanky 21 and 3/4 inches. Not to be rushed, Poppy fought her scheduled induction for 36 hours, and was eventually so bothered about her impending eviction, she required some surgical coercion.”Pic http://bit.ly/2asoWeZ
BIRTHWEEK (was yesterday): Puerto Rico Gov. Alejandro Javier Garcia Padilla is 45 ... Ed Carberry ... Alex Mackler, deputy counsel for VP Biden ... (was Tues.): FCC’s Gigi B. Sohn
BIRTHDAYS: President Obama is 55 … Sheldon Adelson is 83 … Bret Baier is 46 … Politico’s Seung-Min Kim, Randi Braun and Ashley Ryan … former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is 61 ... Andrei Cherny (h/t wife Stephanie) ... Caren Auchman, SVP at FleishmanHillard and a Waxman, GSA, and Dodd alum (h/ts Brad Bosserman and Allison Preiss) ... Alex Mallin, ABC White House producer (h/t Arlette Saenz) ... Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) is 53 ... Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) is 46 ... Rep. Tom Rice (R-NC) is 59 ... Andrea Hechavarria ... Daniel Moss, Bloomberg News’ executive editor on global economics … Washingtonian editor Michael Schaffer is 43 (h/t Cathy Merrill Williams) ... Susan Benton, president and CEO of the Urban Libraries Council ... former Rep. Andrew Hinshaw (R-Calif.) is 93 ... Jonathan Green of Senate Armed Services ... Sam Carmody of DeLauro ... former Rep. Rob Andrews (D-NJ) is 59 ... former Rep. Jim Slattery (D-Kans.) is 68 ... Kaci Sturgeon of Cotton ... Derek Dash of Bennet ... David Myles FitzSimmons, COS for Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) is 38 (h/ts Legistorm) … Allison Rhodes Morgan, former press secretary for Sen. Rick Santorum, now a stay at home mom (h/t Kristina Baum) ... AP’s Sinan Salaheddin is 41 ... Nick Wing, senior viral editor at HuffPost, is 29 ... Kate Michelman ... John Edgell, comms director for Rep. Marcy Kaptur (h/ts Jon Haber) ... former U.S. treasurer Rosario Marin ...
... Brett Loper, SVP of gov’t affairs at American Express, and a Boehnerworld alum ... WashPost deputy Outlook editor Mike Madden, a City Paper alum, is 4-0 ... Wendy Ruderman ... Wendy Cohen, party planner extraordinaire ... CNN Politics’ Greg Krieg, alum of Mic and ABC ... former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland is 75 ... Daniel Son, a banking officer at M&T Bank and alum of HPS and Capitol Hill ... The U.S. Coast Guard is 226 (h/t Stew) ... Joel Bailey … Hayley Prim, principal at Hilltop Public Solutions … Martha Love … Steve Kean … Lina Brunton … Paige Shipman … Anna Bennett (h/ts Teresa Vilmain) ... Valerie McCabe ... Susan Whitson, a Laura Bush alum and now travel advisor at King & Whitson Travel ... Fritz Fitzpatrick ... WJLA’s Steve Rudin ... Emil Hill, SVP/management supervisor at PowellTate ... actor-comedian Richard Belzer is 72 ... Football Hall-of-Famer John Riggins is 67 ... actor-screenwriter Billy Bob Thornton is 61 ... Hall of Fame track star Mary Decker Slaney is 58 ... retired MLB All-Star pitcher Roger Clemens is 54 ... race car driver Jeff Gordon is 45 ... country singer Crystal Bowersox (“American Idol”) is 31 ... Tom Parker (The Wanted) is 28 ... Jessica Sanchez (“American Idol”) is 21 (h/ts AP)