Good Monday morning. Happy New Year to those celebrating Rosh Hashana. We have a new poll out this morning that shows Hillary Clinton with a six-point lead in a four-way matchup against Donald Trump. The POLITICO/Morning Consult poll of likely voters -- taken Sept. 30 to Oct. 2 -- shows Clinton up seven in a two-way contest. 74% have heard of Trump’s back-and-forth about Alicia Machado, and 54% said it gave them a less favorable view of the GOP nominee. Women hated it: 55% said it gave them a less favorable view of Trump. 45% of women said it made them less likely to vote for Trump. Story: http://politi.co/2dKAv6a ... Full results: http://bit.ly/2dmaUh0 … http://bit.ly/2cX58CE
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS:
--America is worried about terror. 56% of those polled said it was very likely or somewhat likely that the U.S. would see a terrorist attack in the next few months. This could be a big issue in down-ballot races.
--Paul Ryan is the most popular congressional leader, but they’re all disliked. Ryan has a 34% favorable rating, and is seen as unfavorable by 39% of those polled. Mitch McConnell has a 15% favorable, and 39% unfavorable rating. Chuck Schumer doesn’t fare much better than McConnell: He is seen as favorable by 16%, unfavorable by 28% and unknown by 34%. Nancy Pelosi is seen as favorable by 27% of those polled, and unfavorable by 48% of those polled.
--People are shockingly attuned to the Saudi Arabia lawsuit issue. 64% in the poll said they heard about the bill that allows 9/11 families to sue Saudi Arabia. 47% support the bill, and 32% oppose.
--People want boots on the ground in Syria. 55% want soldiers in Syria to fight ISIS and 36% oppose. When it comes to letting more refugees in the U.S. from Syria, 58% oppose, and just 33% support.
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36 DAYS until Election Day. We are just one day away from the political class descending on Farmville, Virginia, for the vice presidential debate, but nobody is talking about Mike Pence and Tim Kaine, or for that matter seems to think the faceoff will make much of a difference to the results in November. Meanwhile, Donald Trump’s no good, very bad weekend is continuing with the media flooding the zone with more tax stories. His camp has made little effort to change the narrative as they’ve defended Trump as a “genius” for avoiding paying federal income taxes. It’s hard to see how they turn things around without a major strategic shift before the next presidential debate -- unless Roger Stone and WikiLeaks somehow pull a rabbit out of their hats.
THE TRUMP TAX DRAMA CONTINUES -- NYT A1, “Donald Trump and His Allies Struggle to Move Past Tax Revelation,” by Maggie Haberman and Nick Fandos: “Mr. Trump’s campaign lurched between refusing to acknowledge that the 1995 tax records, portions of which were published on Saturday night by The New York Times, were bona fide, to insisting that his not having paid taxes was evidence of his unrivaled business prowess … To regain footing and try to turn attention back on Mrs. Clinton, Mr. Trump plans to use a speech on Monday in Colorado to call attention to how both Clintons became very wealthy after leaving the White House, said Jason Miller, a campaign spokesman.” http://nyti.ms/2dkg1BG
-- “9 Times Donald Trump Complained About Taxes,” by NYT’s Nick Confessore: http://nyti.ms/2dp58KS
COMING ATTRACTIONS? – CNN’s Brian Stelter on Sunday to NYT’s Susanne Craig: “Are you sitting on more documents?” Craig: “No Comment.” Stelter: “Do you know who” sent them? Craig: “Again, no comment on that one.” http://cnn.it/2dCzkpw
TRUMP’S DEBATE BRAIN TRUST -- “Christie advises Trump on town-hall tactics ahead of second debate,” by WaPo’s Bob Costa: “New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who has hosted countless forums with voters and is widely considered one of the GOP’s most talented performers in that setting, spent Sunday advising Donald Trump ahead of the upcoming town-hall debate, according to Rudolph W. Giuliani … [RNC] Chairman Reince Priebus also attended and played a prominent part, offering guidance and suggestions on how to target Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. Giuliani described the conversations over salad and sandwiches as intense but informal. He said Trump sat with Christie, Priebus and his ‘usual group’ but did not hold a mock town-hall debate … Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway, campaign chief executive Stephen K. Bannon, policy adviser Stephen Miller and Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, were also present, Giuliani said.” http://wapo.st/2dITzS9
-- Key missing Trump adviser: Embattled former Fox News exec Roger Ailes.
SHOW ME THE MONEY -- “Trump’s campaign manager cashes in,” by Ken Vogel and Jake Sherman: “Donald Trump’s campaign manager Kellyanne Conway will emerge from the 2016 campaign as a winner, regardless of the result on Election Day, thanks to her unique relationships with a succession of overlapping committees and mega-donors. As Conway’s profile has soared during the 2016 campaign, her small Washington-based polling firm has collected nearly $1.9 million and counting in fees from federally registered political campaign committees - more than twice as much as in any prior election, according to a POLITICO analysis of [FEC] filings.” http://politi.co/2dozQnK
RYAN WATCH -- “Ryan stumps hard for GOP Senate,” by Rachael Bade and Seung Min Kim: “The one-time vice-presidential nominee will use his star power to help raise money and stump for some of his closest friends in the Senate facing competitive reelection races this fall. In the five-week stretch before Election Day, Ryan is headed to Pennsylvania to help his former roommate, Pat Toomey; to Missouri to raise money for Roy Blunt; and back to his home state of Wisconsin for a string of appearances with Ron Johnson.” http://politi.co/2dpiy9K
-- “Speaker Ryan Coming to Texas to Boost Hurd in Home Stretch,” by the Texas Tribune’s Patrick Svitek: “Ryan is set to visit San Antonio in mid-October to campaign for Hurd, who faces Gallego, a Democrat from Alpine, in the only competitive congressional race this November in the Lone Star State...Ryan has previously campaigned for Hurd, holding events for the freshman last month in Washington, D.C, and in March in San Antonio. Details are still being worked out, but Ryan's October trip to Texas is expected to include a fundraiser and another event.” http://bit.ly/2dpqQyi
OBAMA INTERVIEW -- “Five Days That Shaped a Presidency: Barack Obama shares with Jonathan Chait a very early draft of his memoirs” in New York magazine. In which the president takes a parting shot at Capitol Hill Republicans: “I see a straight line from the announcement of Sarah Palin as the vice-presidential nominee to what we see today in Donald Trump, the emergence of the Freedom Caucus, the tea party, and the shift in the center of gravity for the Republican Party. Whether that changes, I think, will depend in part on the outcome of this election, but it’s also going to depend on the degree of self-reflection inside the Republican Party. There have been at least a couple of other times that I’ve said confidently that the fever is going to have to break, but it just seems to get worse.” http://nym.ag/2cLscWA ... The cover: http://nym.ag/2dmecB5
STAT DU JOUR: “More Than 40 Percent of Americans Cannot Name VP Candidates” http://abcn.ws/2dJSxS0
GLENN THRUSH on the five things to watch this week -- “The week that will decide the election”: “1. Is Donald Trump really this dumb? The Google query ‘Is Trump trying to lose?’ gets you 90 million hits, and his debate performance (and subsequent blame-the-microphone rant) spawned another spate of speculation that he doesn’t want to win … 2. What does Roger Stone know – if anything? Welcome to October, month of ‘surprises’ – oft-promised, seldom delivered. Into this period of palpitations strides the spat-shoed dandy Stone, Trump’s master of mayhem, to offer a different kind of pre-dawn tweet, one that promised to undo all of the damage Trump has done to himself all week …
“3. Can Trump be likeable enough? … But if there was a blemish, several aides told me, it was the fact that she was so focused on the debate that she failed to make a connection with the 80 million-viewer audience; tearing Trump down worked so well that the building up Hillary part was postponed … 4. Is Hillary healthy enough? Ugly question, but one both Democrats and Republicans have been asking … 5. Climate change could be a key wedge issue. Most political professionals see 2016 as an extension of 2012 and 2008 – essentially another base election, and the candidate who maximizes enthusiasm and turnout among their core voters will inevitably win.” http://politi.co/2dm66YS
HAPPENING TODAY -- Donald Trump will campaign in Pueblo and Loveland, Colo. Mike Pence will hold a rally in Ashland, Virginia. Hillary Clinton is headed to Toledo and Akron, Ohio, to give economic-themed speeches.
WHAT TRUMP TOWER IS READING -- NYT A1, “How Hillary Clinton Grappled With Bill Clinton’s Infidelity, and His Accusers,” by Megan Twohey: “Outwardly, she remained stoic and defiant, defending her husband as a progression of women and well-funded conservative operatives accused Mr. Clinton of behavior unbecoming the leader of the free world. But privately, she embraced the Clinton campaign’s aggressive strategy of counterattack: Women who claimed to have had sexual encounters with Mr. Clinton would become targets of digging and discrediting — tactics that women’s rights advocates frequently denounce.” http://nyti.ms/2cLmZOr
WHAT BROOKLYN IS READING -- “How Trump’s ‘Apprentice’ moved from capitalism to sexism,” by AP’s Garance Burke: “In his years as a reality TV boss on ‘The Apprentice,’ Donald Trump repeatedly demeaned women with sexist language, according to show insiders who said he rated female contestants by the size of their breasts and talked about which ones he’d like to have sex with. The Associated Press interviewed more than 20 people ... who described crass behavior by Trump behind the scenes of the long-running hit show ... Eight former crew members recalled that he repeatedly made lewd comments about a camerawoman he said had a nice rear, comparing her beauty to that of his daughter, Ivanka. During one season, Trump called for female contestants to wear shorter dresses that also showed more cleavage ...
“Several cast members said Trump had one female contestant twirl before him so he could ogle her figure. Former producer Katherine Walker said Trump frequently talked about women’s bodies during the five seasons she worked with him and said he speculated about which female contestant would be ‘a tiger in bed.’ A former crew member who signed a non-disclosure agreement and asked not to be identified, recalled that Trump asked male contestants whether they would sleep with a particular female contestant, then expressed his own interest.” http://apne.ws/2d7Z3Rw
UNDERSTANDING TRUMP – “Trumptown: This West Virginia county used to vote solidly Democratic. Now it belongs to Trump. What happened?” by The New Yorker’s Larissa MacFarquhar: “Some months ago, Clinton said, ‘I’m the only candidate who has a policy about how to bring economic opportunity using clean renewable energy as the key into coal country, because we’re going to put a lot of coal miners and coal companies out of business.’ All most people heard, in a clip that circulated endlessly on social media, was the part about putting a lot of coal miners out of business, and that was the end of her candidacy in the state. Trump appeared at rallies wearing a hard hat and saying he was going to put miners back to work, and, even to people who knew that coal was being put out of business by natural gas more than by Obama’s E.P.A. regulations, the choice seemed clear.” http://bit.ly/2dklwjV
ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE -- AP: “Pope to US Catholics: Study, pray, vote your conscience”: “Pope Francis has some advice for American Catholics struggling to choose a president: Study the issues, pray, and then vote your conscience. Francis was asked Sunday en route home from Azerbaijan how he would counsel the American faithful who are being asked to choose between Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump. Francis said he would never interfere in an election campaign, saying ‘the people are sovereign.’ ‘I'll just say this: Study the proposals well, pray, and choose in conscience.’” http://apne.ws/2cLNzHw
ANNIE KARNI in Charlotte, N.C.: “Clinton promises ‘end to end’ criminal justice reform in pitch to black voters”: “In a humble church with a familiar name, Little Rock A.M.E. Zion, Hillary Clinton on Sunday made a passionate case for police reform and a direct appeal to the city's black voters, whose support she needs to win this swing state. Less than two weeks after the death of Keith Lamont Scott, a black man killed by police, Clinton arrived here Sunday morning with a message of sympathy for a grieving community and political promises, including ‘end to end reform in our criminal justice system — not half-measures, but full measures.’ She acknowledged that when it comes to understanding the plight of black families in America, she will never be able to replicate the symbolic empathy of President Barack Obama. ‘I’m a grandmother, but my worries are not the same as black grandmothers who have different and deeper fears about the world that their grandchildren face,’ Clinton said. ‘I wouldn’t be able to stand it if my grandchildren had to be scared and worried, the way too many children across our country feel right now.’” http://politi.co/2dRBfFH
-- “Among Seniors, Clinton Grows More Appealing,” by WSJ’s Michael Bender in Delray Beach, Fla.: “Among voters 65 and older, the most recent round of major media polls show Mr. Trump running between 11 and 18 percentage points behind 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney at this same point four years ago. ... Mrs. Clinton appears to be luring them back to her party’s fold. She was winning among older voters, 44% to 42%, among registered voters in the latest Wall Street Journal poll.” http://on.wsj.com/2dJ81JR
BEYOND THE BELTWAY -- “Drinks, dinners, junkets and jobs: how the insurance industry courts state commissioners,” by Center for Public Integrity’s Michael J. Mishak (also in the WaPo): “An investigation ... found that half of the 109 state insurance commissioners who have left their posts in the past decade have gone on to work for the industry they used to regulate — many leaving before their terms expire. Just two moved into consumer advocacy. ... [The trend] diminishes consumers’ voices as insurers press rate increases, shape regulations and scuttle investigations.” http://bit.ly/2dlm6v6
GLENN THRUSH’s ‘OFF MESSAGE’ PODCAST -- “What SNL’s weekend anchors really think of 2016”: http://politi.co/2dm2XIL … Subscribe http://apple.co/1OQiFux
--Note for listeners: Today POLITICO’s podcasts Off Message and Nerdcast are joining the Panoply network. You’ll now be able to listen to those shows on Google Play and Spotify, in addition to iTunes, Stitcher and on the POLITICO website.
--“Trump’s organization did business with Iranian bank later linked to terrorism,” by Sasha Chavkin, Michael Hudson and Dave Levinthal: “Donald Trump’s real estate organization rented New York office space from 1998 to 2003 to an Iranian bank that U.S. authorities have linked to terrorist groups and Iran’s nuclear program. Trump inherited Bank Melli, one of Iran’s largest state-controlled banks, as a tenant when he purchased the General Motors Building on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, according to public records reviewed by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and the Center for Public Integrity. The Trump Organization kept the bank on as a tenant for four more years after the U.S. Treasury Department designated Bank Melli in 1999 as being controlled by the Iranian government.” http://bit.ly/2dLKJ2p
THE NEW ECONOMY – “The Anti-Uber: An upstart tries out a bold strategy in the ride wars,” by Sheelah Kolhatkar in The New Yorker: “By 2014, investors were valuing Uber at seventeen billion dollars. Meanwhile, the company was solidifying its reputation as an uncaring employer that was hastening the decline of job security—the downside of the ‘gig’ economy. ‘Do we have an angle?’ [Juno CEO Talmon] Marco and his partners kept asking themselves as they read story after story featuring complaints from Uber’s drivers.
“‘Uber drivers are not happy. Uber drivers are not happy. ... It was like, hey, you know, there might be an opportunity here. Maybe you can get the drivers to switch to you. At the end of the day, this is a service that’s powered by drivers.’” http://bit.ly/2dK7G9V ... Map of Uber in the U.S. http://bit.ly/2dL5Xxp
VALLEY TALK -- JIM RUTENBERG on NYT Business Day front, “On Twitter, Hate Speech Bounded Only by a Character Limit”: “[Y]ou have to wonder whether the cap on Twitter’s growth is tied more to that most basic — and base — of human emotions: hatred. It courses through Twitter at an alarming rate, turbocharged by this year’s political campaigns and the rise of anti-immigration movements that dabble in racist, sexist and anti-Semitic tropes across the globe. And this is to say nothing of its use by terrorist recruiters.” http://nyti.ms/2dL5hrT
MEDIAWATCH -- “Jeff Zucker’s singular role in promoting Donald Trump’s rise,” by WaPo’s Margaret Sullivan: “It was Zucker, after all, who as the new head of NBC Entertainment gave Trump his start in reality TV with ‘The Apprentice’ and then milked the real estate developer’s uncanny knack for success for all it was worth in ratings and profits. ... And it succeeded wildly — boosting the network’s ratings, as well as Zucker’s meteoric career. ... Ten years later, it was Zucker, now the head of CNN, who gave Trump astonishing amounts of free exposure in the Republican presidential primary on the cable network, continually blasting out his speeches and rallies — often unfiltered and without critical fact-checking.” http://wapo.st/2dAkpqF
--“What’s ahead for a post-Arianna Huffington Post?” by CNN’s Tom Kludt: “[F]or the first time since it launched more than a decade ago, the Huffington Post is without an editor-in-chief. ... [CEO Jared] Grusd said the company is in the early stages of hiring a new editor-in-chief, and that there’s no timetable to name one. Both internal and outside candidates will be considered. Internally, HuffPost Washington bureau chief Ryan Grim and editorial director for lifestyle Kate Palmer are believed to be the most likely contenders for the position.” http://cnnmon.ie/2dInhGS
THOUGHT LEADERS – W. TAYLOR REVELEY IV, president of Longwood University and host of Tuesday’s VP debate, in TIME Ideas, “America’s Civic Duty: Start Teaching Democracy”: “Preparing students for the duties and rights of citizenship was once the animating purpose of education in America. Yet for two generations now education has increasingly disregarded teaching about the workings of government, in favor of a narrower focus on skills training and career preparation.” http://ti.me/2cKNGTr ... Reveley interviewed in a special edition of The Gaggle with David Helfenbein www.thegagglepodcast.com
SPORTS BLINK – “LeBron James: Why I’m endorsing Hillary Clinton” in Business Insider, published in today’s print edition of the Akron Beacon Journal: “When I look at this year’s presidential race, it’s clear which candidate believes the same thing. Only one person running truly understands the struggles of an Akron child born into poverty. And when I think about the kinds of policies and ideas the kids in my foundation need from our government, the choice is clear. That candidate is Hillary Clinton.” http://read.bi/2d7mGtq
JIM ROBERTS joins Mercury -- Hadas Gold: “Jim Roberts is turning in his newsman’s hat. Mercury, a global public strategy and communications firm, is announcing on Monday it has hired him to lead its global digital practice. Roberts, most recently executive editor at Mashable, has also held high ranking positions at the New York Times and Reuters. Roberts was laid off at Mashable as part of a massive restructuring. At Mercury, he will advise clients on strategy and guidance about the use of digital platforms, mobile devices and social media. ... Though there were other opportunities in the journalism world he could have pursued (he was consulting for The Hill for the past few months), Roberts said no position truly caught his attention.” http://politi.co/2dLQvkn ... Release http://politi.co/2cWmUGo
SPOTTED at high noon on the first Sunday in October: Ruth Bader Ginsburg arriving at DCA on shuttle from New York. Today is the first Monday in October, the start day of the new SCOTUS term.
TRANSITIONS – DAVID HALLOCK has started his own consulting firm -- Two Capitols Consulting with CJ Stolle. Hallock is “a longtime Virginia guy -- worked for Sen. Warner when he was Governor, did debate prep for Sen. Kaine in his campaigns for Governor and Senator (playing his opponents, Jerry Kilgore and George Allen), and have been involved in just about every statewide race in Virginia for the last 25 years. ... CJ has worked for multiple Republican members of the General Assembly and most recently ran the D.C.-based federal lobbying shop for a large national trade association.” www.2capconsulting.com
WEEKEND WEDDINGS -- BUSH ALUMNI -- Michael Neal, director of digital comms at General Dynamics Mission Systems and former associate director of comms for the Bush 43 WH, and Nicole Dado, an English teacher at Bishop McNamara High School, got married in Pittsburgh on Saturday. The couple met at a friend’s wedding. Pics http://bit.ly/2dIn2f8 ... http://bit.ly/2dRBMaM
SPOTTED: Rob Saliterman, Kevin Curran, Ginger Gibson, John Cook, Brian Danza, Scott and Tory Sendek.
--Scott Beauchamp, a freelance writer for The Atlantic, Rolling Stone, and The American Conservative, on Saturday married Baryshnika Knight (professional name Nika Knight), a staff writer at Common Dreams. It was an intimate ceremony of family and close friends on Church Island, Squam Lake, in New Hampshire. Pic http://bit.ly/2dnvCwi
--Ryan Cross, a Republican political strategist in Louisiana and senior advisor for Scott Angelle for Congress, got married on Saturday at Southern Oaks in New Orleans to Addie Dean, who works at the political fundraising firm The Bautsch Group. They met in high school and reunited at the LSU vs. Alabama game following the 2014 mid-term elections. Besides friends and family, numerous legislators attended. Pics http://bit.ly/2dCB2r6 ... http://bit.ly/2dCB6qT ... Their first dance http://bit.ly/2dkG2h1 ... Pic from their first date http://bit.ly/2dBZWab
--“Annie Sulzberger, Tim Wyatt” – N.Y. Times: “The bride, 34 ... is an independent researcher for film and television in London. She works mainly on scripted British/American television dramas, including ‘Strike Back,’ a series appearing on the Cinemax and Sky 1 networks, and ‘The Crown,’ about Queen Elizabeth II, for Netflix. ... The bride’s father [Arthur Jr.] is the publisher and chairman of The New York Times. ... The groom, 37, is an actor in London who performed in a production of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ at the Brighton Fringe Festival in 2015, and since that time at various outdoor venues.” With pic http://nyti.ms/2dIp52A
--“Heather McGhee, Cassim Shepard”: “Ms. McGhee, 36 ... is the president of Demos, a public policy organization in New York that conducts research and addresses inequality in society. ... Mr. Shepard, 37, writes about urban issues and was the founding editor in chief of Urban Omnibus, an online publication of the Architectural League of New York. ... The couple met on the first day of high school at Milton Academy, in Milton, Mass. They shared a few kisses in high school, but were mostly friends for many years until 2014, when they began dating.” With pic http://nyti.ms/2diToh6
WELCOME TO THE WORLD -- Meg Ansara, Hillary for America Battleground States Director (a founding partner of 270 Strategies), and comms consultant Joel Gagne welcomed their third child into the world at 6:39 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 23. “Owen Michael Ansara Gagne, named after Meg’s father Michael Ansara, weighed in at 9 lbs 3 oz -- and big sister Tessa and big brother Seamus are equally enraptured. True to form, Mama Meg was emailing through her pre-dawn contractions on the big day -- and she heads back to HFA HQ this week to close out the fight for the White House.” Pic http://bit.ly/2dSqO4x
– Rachel Rosen, senior director for broadcast comms at CAP and a CNN alum, and Evan Goldstein, editor of Arts & Letters Daily, on Friday welcomed Noa Rosen Goldstein into the world. “Big brother Ezra agreed we should keep her.” Pic http://bit.ly/2dCa3ra
BIRTHDAYS: Sarah Feinberg, administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration, the pride of Charleston, W.Va. and an alum of Facebook, Rahm and Bloomberg LP … Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.) is 63 ... Rep. Sean P. Duffy (R-Wisc.) is 45 ... Asawin “Swin” Suebsaeng, social media editor and reporter at The Daily Beast and a Mother Jones alum (h/t Tim Mak) … Politico’s Eric Wolff ... RIAA’s Jonathan Lamy ... GMMB partner J. Toscano ... Katie Whelan ... Pam Gilbert (h/ts Jon Haber) ... AP’s Darlene Superville and Verena Dobnik … Tim Albrecht, founder of Albrecht Public Relations and a Redwave Digital and Branstad alum … Betsey Apple … Bradley Tusk, Mike Bloomberg’s 2009 campaign manager, now founder and CEO of Tusk Holdings ... Rev. Al Sharpton is 62 ... former Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) is 73 ... Beth Jones ... Laura Brown, senior manager of advertising products at Lonely Planet and a Politico alum … CNN alum Edie Emery ... former Rep. David Obey (D-Wisc.) is 78 ... Sean Gibbons, executive director at The Communications Network and a Third Way and CAP alum … Cristóbal Joshua Alex, deputy director of voter outreach and mobilization at Hillary for America ... Kimberly Leonard, health care Reporter at U.S. News ...
… Logan Dobson, manager of client strategy at Targeted Victory ... Maegan Vazquez, the newly promoted deputy news editor for IJR (h/t Mallory Shelbourne) ... Chelsea Radler, account supervisor at The District Communications Group … Deloitte alum Maury Nolen, now an MBA candidate at Duke’s Fuqua School ... Eden Joyner, SVP of biz development at Revolution Messaging (h/t Breanna Chandler) ... Kevin Kelley, staff director for Senate Aging and a Susan Collins alum … Chris Michel, former speechwriter to GWB now associate at Bancroft ... Mark Hamrick, Washington bureau chief at Bankrate and an AP alum ... former Alabama Gov. Bob Riley is 72 ... Peter Stegner, LA for Sen. Crapo … Germany celebrates 26 years of reunification on its Unity Day (h/t @BCIU) … Jennifer Bland, Merck’s executive director of gov’t relations and policy and counsel ... Robert Allan Ford … Megan Franko ... Nancy Gabriner, senior editorial producer at ABC News ... Megan Franko ... Tess “T-Bone” Di Martino … Scott Richardson … Ben Adler ... Josh Kinney is 28 ... Darrell Brock Jr. ... former Rep. Charlie Melancon (D-La.) is 69 ... former Rep. Allyson Schwartz (D-Pa.) is 68 … Joel Haubrich … Bert Finsand … Denise Gaumer Hutchison, the queen of Green Bay … Eva Mosakowski (h/ts Teresa Vilmain)