Good Sunday morning. The next three days will be a whirlwind for both candidates. Just today, Donald Trump is in Sioux City, Iowa, at noon, Minneapolis at 2 p.m., Sterling Heights, Michigan, at 6 p.m., Moon Township, Pennsylvania, at 8 p.m., and then Leesburg, Virginia, at 9:30 p.m.
Trump will probably win Iowa, where the final Selzer poll has him up 7. Beyond that, he’s engaged in a last-ditch effort to knock off Hillary Clinton in Democratic strongholds. Clinton hasn’t trailed in one major poll in Michigan, but the campaign is sending its big guns there today and Monday. Clinton’s lead in Virginia -- which has an all blue-slate of statewide elected officials -- has been solid. A Republican hasn’t won in Minnesota since 1972 (not 1984, as Jake wrote yesterday).
ONE ALMOST GETS THE SENSE that they’re just flying around and seeing what sticks.
-- @maggieNYT: “Have now heard from two people close to the Trump campaign that they haven’t been polling MN this week. FWIW.”
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HILLARY CLINTON is campaigning with LeBron James at 4:30 p.m. today in Cleveland, as she tries to juice turnout in the Buckeye State. She then goes to New Hampshire for a 5:45 event, where she will appear with James Taylor. TIM KAINE is in Milwaukee, Green Bay and La Crosse, Wisconsin.
CLINTON is playing defense in Michigan, heading to Grand Rapids Monday -- the day before Election Day -- and sending Barack Obama to Ann Arbor for a rally. TRUMP just announced he’ll end Monday with an 11 p.m. rally in Grand Rapids.
-- @jmartNYT: “Hillary scrambling to lock down MI illustrates her weakness But her coming to make the case in Grand Rapids illustrates Trump’s weakness” (JMart’s what to watch for with Alan Rappeport http://nyti.ms/2fuubf2) … @ZekeJMiller: “Trump camp: ‘we can bank on 266 electoral votes’” http://bit.ly/2erW4mX
-- Bloomberg’s Jen Epstein (@jeneps): Hillary Clinton’s final sprint SUNDAY Philadelphia Cleveland Manchester, NH MONDAY Pittsburgh Grand Rapids, Mich. Philadelphia Raleigh”
CLINTON just announced a midnight rally in Raleigh Monday night.
CHARLIE MAHTESIAN -- “16 battlegrounds that will decide the election”: “Miami-Dade County … Philadelphia suburbs … Waukesha County, Wis. … Northern Maine … Polk County, Iowa … Mahoning County, Ohio … Wake County, N.C. … Oakland County, Mich. … Clark County, Nev. … Northern Virginia … Arapahoe County and Jefferson County, Colo. … Hillsborough County and Rockingham County, N.H. … Maricopa County, Ariz. … Gwinnett County, Ga. … Salt Lake County, Utah … Omaha, Neb.” http://politi.co/2frcnoE
THE SURROGATES -- One of Clinton’s get-out-the-vote strengths is in her high-profile surrogate operation. BILL CLINTON is in Lansing, Michigan. BERNIE SANDERS is in Phoenix and Las Vegas. JOE BIDEN is in Scranton and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. CHELSEA CLINTON is in Chester, Morton, West Chester, Norristown and Elkins Park, Pennsylvania.
-- “Clinton’s concert tour isn’t just about big crowds: Before she takes the stage with Beyonce, Jay-Z and Katy Perry, her campaign uses the events as crucial organizing tool,” by Gabe Debenedetti: http://politi.co/2foWUmH
NATIONAL POLLS YOU NEED TO SEE -- POLITICO/MORNING CONSULT -- Clinton 45, Trump 42 http://politi.co/2eBZ4AC … Takeaways: 12 percent of the electorate is going to support Gary Johnson or Jill Stein ... Trump leads among men by just one point, and Clinton leads among women by six points … 50% of Republicans want Paul Ryan to remain as speaker no matter who wins the White House.
-- WaPo/ABC tracking poll -- Clinton 48, Trump 43. http://wapo.st/2ecT4PY
-- NBC/WSJ -- Clinton 44, Trump 40, Johnson 6, Stein 2. http://on.wsj.com/2erTopi
WHAT STEVE SHEPARD THINKS -- “The final tracking polls all point in the same direction: a low-to-mid-single-digit Clinton lead. Trump continues to hit a very low ceiling – 42% in POLITICO/Morning Consult, 40% in NBC/WSJ and 43% in ABC/WaPo. But Clinton’s advantage isn’t quite assured at 45%, 44% and 48%, respectively.”
OHIO TRENDING TOWARD CLINTON? -- COLUMBUS DISPATCH: Clinton 48, Trump 47 http://bit.ly/2fdGCwm … Be sure to read the methodology to this poll http://bit.ly/2futqT8
-- CBS “BATTLEGROUND TRACKER”: OHIO -- Trump 46, Clinton 45 … FLORIDA -- Clinton 45, Trump 45. http://cbsn.ws/2fswEYK
ABOUT THAT GUN… -- Trump was shuffled offstage last night in Reno after someone said an audience member had a gun. No one had a gun. Secret Service statement http://bit.ly/2foN3gA … 97-second video http://bit.ly/2fr1V0p
7-MIN. CAMPAIGN CLOSING VIDEO -- @HillaryClinton: “The story of this campaign.” http://bit.ly/2f6G2mp
-- HMM...: @jmpalmieri: “Friends, please remember that if you see a whopper of a Wikileaks in next two days - it’s probably a fake.”
IF YOU READ ONE THING -- “Latina Hotel Workers Harness Force of Labor and of Politics in Las Vegas: The 57,000-member Culinary Union, which is 56 percent Latino and includes guest room attendants, is a powerful supporter of Nevada Democrats,” by NYT’s Dan Barry in “This Land” column, on A1 today. http://nyti.ms/2fswsbX
TRUMP’S PATH -- “Trump in final stretch pursues new opportunities to reach 270 electoral votes,” by WaPo’s Karen Tumulty and Dan Balz: “With hours until Election Day, the wildest U.S. presidential race in memory has grown more competitive in most of the battleground states, although Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton continues to hold a broader path to victory than Republican Donald Trump. The political map suggests that Clinton can lose several key states long assumed to be in her column and still reach the 270 electoral votes she needs to win. Trump, meanwhile, has a new reason for optimism, as a growing number of states appear potentially within his grasp. But to win, he would have to take nearly all of them.” http://wapo.st/2fQrBnx
-- STEVE SHEPARD: “Latino voting surge rattles Trump campaign: ‘A certain group’ appears to be turning out in big numbers in several key states”: “Hispanic voters could be poised to deliver a historic rebuke to Donald Trump and the Republican Party. Early-vote statistics from battleground states with large Hispanic populations show record turnout among a bloc that has voted at a lower rate than whites or blacks in past elections. If, as some polls suggest, Hispanic voters are supporting Hillary Clinton by blowout margins, these numbers could sink Trump in a handful of states that are essential to his path to 270 electoral votes.” http://politi.co/2erX22C
-- QUOTE OF THE DAY, in JMart’s NYT story today: “‘The story of this election may be the mobilization of the Hispanic vote,’ said Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, an anti-Trump Republican who has pleaded with his party to do more to win over Latinos. ‘So Trump deserves the award for Hispanic turnout. He did more to get them out than any Democrat has ever done.’” http://nyti.ms/2frfT2g
VIDEO DU JOUR -- Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump visited the grave of the Lubavitcher Rebbe -- a major orthodox Jewish figure who died in 1994 -- Saturday night in Queens to pray. It’s somewhat common practice among his followers. http://bit.ly/2f6J3Dn
SWING STATE FRONTS -- states we need to care about edition -- MIAMI HERALD (four columns, with a photo), “In razor-tight Florida, one more push for Trump, Clinton” http://bit.ly/2foQx2E … TAMPA BAY TIMES (two columns, left-hand side of the page), “I-4 runs through hopes for president: The 132-mile road from Tampa Bay to the Atlantic is a diverse must-win swath in a must-win state” http://bit.ly/2fdP8LN … SOUTH FLORIDA SUN SENTINEL (centerpiece package), “FLORIDA IS FINAL FOCUS: A tight race as tume runs down brings both presidential candidates -- again -- to the nation’s largest swing state” http://bit.ly/2fI4fS3 … ORLANDO SENTINEL (four columns), “Key votes: Minorities, nonpartisans” http://bit.ly/2foSego …
… THE PALM BEACH POST (two columns), “How important is Florida? For Trump it’s the only path to victory. For Clinton, it could seal the deal” http://bit.ly/2fQsPz8 … ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION (four columns), “FINISH LINE IN SIGHT” http://bit.ly/2fI5Ve3 … COLUMBUS DISPATCH (centerpiece package), “VIRTUALLY TIED: Poll finds presidential race too close to call in Ohio” http://bit.ly/2fdQTIJ … CINCINNATI ENQUIRER, “OHIO’S NOT THE DECIDER? While it’s ‘do or die’ time for Trump and Clinton, swing state’s status is in jeopardy for the first time since 1960” http://bit.ly/2fqYt5U … TOLEDO BLADE (four coumns, with a photo), “Trump taking message to Democrats’ territory: GOP nominee rushed offstage briefly in Nevada” http://bit.ly/2erOSai
NATIONAL A1s -- NYT, (Trump holding a baby, and Clinton holding a straw hat) http://bit.ly/2fdPJxc … WaPo, (big map displaying “Washington Post projections) http://bit.ly/2erUily … LAT, (“Divided country looks ahead) http://bit.ly/2foVbgS
POLITICO MAGAZINE has photographers with both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Both galleries are worth your time.
-- “Hillary’s Final Campaign Weekend of 2016 (with Beyoncé & Jay Z)”: “The Clinton campaign’s final push of the 2016 presidential race is star-studded and energetic. Here, some of photographer Brooks Kraft’s best photos from the last weekend of the election.” 27 pix http://politi.co/2f6HsgO
-- “Donald Trump’s Final Weekend on the 2016 Campaign Trail”: “As the Republican candidate barnstorms the country in the final few days of the 2016 election cycle, POLITICO photographer M. Scott Mahaskey captures the sights from the trail.” 16 pix http://politi.co/2fHUGCK
INBOX -- “CHARLIE ROSE TO SIT DOWN WITH GOVERNOR CHRIS CHRISTIE FOR EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW FOLLOWING BRIDGEGATE VERDICT” Airing on CBS “This Morning” Monday, and PBS’s “Charlie Rose” Monday evening
2018 WATCH -- Paul Steinhauser (@steinhauserNH1): “Asked about GOP challenge in 2018 from Curt Schilling @SenWarren tells @NH1News ‘eh’” http://bit.ly/2fI02xH
CLICKER -- “The 155 Craziest Things Trump Said This Election” --POLITICO Magazine: “They used to be called gaffes, until he won the nomination. A highly subjective list of ‘Trumpisms.’” http://politi.co/2ecNYn4
BEYOND THE BELTWAY -- “Race for Obscure Illinois Political Office Pulls in Millions in Donations: Normally innocuous battle for state comptroller is seen as a proxy fight between Republican governor and Democratic state House speaker,” by WSJ’s Will Connors in Chicago: http://on.wsj.com/2ecW5ju
PLAYBOOK ELECTION CONTEST -- Guess the winner of the presidential election, plus who wins the swing states, top Senate races and party breakdown of House and Senate. Contest closes Monday at midnight. Winner gets a lunch with us three. Thanks for all the great entries so far. Good luck! http://bit.ly/2eIbzYQ
--“With His Father’s Campaign in Chaos, Eric Trump Was Looking to Trade Guns on the Internet,” by Yashar Ali in NYMag.com: http://nym.ag/2f6N3DE
HADAS GOLD: “16 breakout media stars of 2016”: “1. David Fahrenthold - The Washington Post ... 2. Brianna Keilar – CNN – ‘Polls. All of them.’ ... 3. Sopan Deb – CBS News – The Trump Chronicler ... 4. Katy Tur - NBC/MSNBC - Trump’s fixation ... 5. Andrew Kaczynski and the KFILE team - CNN, formerly BuzzFeed - Trump’s Iraq War oppo team ... 6. Hallie Jackson – NBC/MSNBC – Making news by asking questions ... 7. Jonathan Swan - The Hill - The Aussie with bipartisan praise ... 8. Daniel Dale - Toronto Star - The Trump lie tracker ...
... “9. Olivia Nuzzi - Daily Beast/GQ - Magazine features ... 10. Nate Cohn – The New York Times - The new Nate Silver? ... 11. Susanne Craig - New York Times - Check your mailbox ... 12. Bob Costa - The Washington Post - The Trump whisperer ... 13. Teddy Schleifer - CNN - Cruz world and campaign finance ... 14. Alana Goodman - Daily Mail - Weiner’s dsexts ... 15. Jennifer Jacobs – Bloomberg Politics – Bringing the Iowa big league ... 16. Breitbart – #War.” http://politi.co/2fus36Z
PLAYBOOKERS on the trail share their post-election vacation plans: NYT’s Amy Chozick: “Not very exotic, but we rented this beauty in Marfa, Texas, and plan to spend some time in the blue-skied nothingness that is West Texas, where buffalo and armadillos roam and cellphones don’t.” Pic http://bit.ly/2fsr9ba ... NYT’s Maggie Haberman: “Just time with my family.” ... NYT’s Alex Burns:“MJ [Lee] and I just booked a big, beautiful trip to -- Mexico!” … NBC’s Andrea Mitchell: “I’m planning a post election trip to SLEEP - and be with my husband and friends and family. The last thing I’d want to do is get on another airplane!” … NBC’s Katy Tur: “I’m going to Thailand, Vietnam, and Japan. Hoping to get as far away from election talk as I possibly can while also eating delicious spicy noodles.” ... NBC’s Ali Vitali: “We’ve been eyeing the beaches of Colombia for a few weeks now. Nothing booked yet but the dream is real!” ... NBC’s Hallie Jackson: “I’m fantasizing about a post-election vacay but haven’t had a single second to plan one. Hoping for a week in December and soliciting suggestions. Only requirements: unlimited wine, and unlimited naptime. (A nonstop flight = bonus.)” …
… NBC’s Vaughn Hillyard: “I did just turn in a rent check for the first time in 17 months! I’ll be seeing old clothes and a toaster for the first time in awhile. And then hopefully I’ll be able to jump back into a car and hit some of the western and big sky country that the trail did not lead me to.” … CBS News’ Jacqueline Alemany: “I’m headed to St Lucia for a beach getaway and then visiting my baby bro at WashU in St Louis!” ... CBS News’ Sopan Deb: “Honestly, I need to reconnect with all the people I was close with before I left for the trail. I haven’t seen my family since the holidays. I need to remind my young niece and nephew that they have a favorite uncle who is much cooler than every other human they know. But after that, hibernation and a trip, but I am not quite sure where yet.” ... WaPo’s Bob Costa: “I’ll head to California after Thanksgiving for a bit of work and fun, starting with the Notre Dame-USC game and then an election panel at USC with Bob Shrum. I also plan to stop by the Nixon and Reagan presidential libraries.” ... WaPo’s Jenna Johnson: “I am supposed to go to Spain and Portugal in December with a group of friends, but I have been so slammed that I still haven’t planned or booked anything. The post-election event that I am most excited about: My mom and dad are traveling from Iowa to D.C. for Thanksgiving.” ...
… BuzzFeed’s Ruby Cramer: “Kauai for 10+ days in December (paid for by Marriott-turned SPG points), with local recs provided by Nancy Cordes of CBS News! Possible Las Vegas blackjack stopover on the way back east.” ... Bloomberg’s Kevin Cirilli: “I’m pumped to stay in one place so I have no travel plans, except for back home to Delco for the holidays.” … Bloomberg’s Jen Jacobs: “The Cayman islands in mid-January.” … ABC’s Jonathan Karl: “In December escaping to the BVI for a bit.” ... ABC’s Liz Kreutz: “Wanted to go somewhere far, so I’ll be taking a 10-day trip to Japan after Thanksgiving. (All covered by hotel points & frequent flyer miles!)” … CNN’s Brianna Keilar: “I’ll be anchoring our noon show starting the Monday after the election until the end of the year. I’m getting married around New Year’s and we're hoping to squeeze a honeymoon in before inauguration!” ... CNN’s Jeff Zeleny: “My readjustment to life comes in three steps: 1. Memorial Stadium in Lincoln to catch the best Husker season in years. 2. Sullivan’s. 3. And only then, after I’m rested up, a beach far away where televisions and iPhones are optional.” …
... CNN’s Liz Landers: “I’m going to Paris on Saturday (week from today) for a week to enjoy chocolate croissants and red wine.” ... FOX News’ Carl Cameron:“After daily bombshells on the trail I’m going to sun and snooze among the unexploded ordinance and hidden beaches of Vieques with my wife and dog.” ... FOX News’ Jennifer Griffin: “If I had an ounce of energy and could see past Nov 8 I would plan a trip but right now the only place I want to be is home, back in my own bed surrounded by my kids and husband and with my cockatoo Izzy at my feet.” ... WSJ’s Peter Nicholas: “We’re going to spend a few days in New York City, where I plan to stop in and watch part of the World Chess Championship match ... Have obtained press credentials for the event, [it] would be fun to write about an actual chess match, as opposed to the virtual one we’ve seen play out in Election 2016. We’re also planning to see ‘The Front Page’ on Broadway. After a tough election season, the play should be a nice reminder of everything that’s fun and exciting about the news business.”
MEDIAWATCH -- DEEP DIVE -- “Nick Denton, Peter Thiel, and the Plot to Murder Gawker,” by David Margolick in Vanity Fair: How Denton reacted “to, some of what Thiel said at his press conference earlier this week: that Gawker’s reporters were ‘not journalists’ (‘No one person, no matter how rich, should get to decide who’s a journalist’); that Gawker was a ‘flimsy’ business (it had made money until Thiel came along); that it went after ‘small fry’ (‘Thiel is not “small fry.” Nor is Hulk Hogan'); and that [AJ] Daulerio was an ‘aspiring child pornographer’—a reference to an ill-advised but clearly flippant remark that Daulerio had made during his deposition. ‘Despicable,’ Denton says, ‘remarkably tabloid for someone who sets himself up as a guardian of journalistic integrity.’” http://bit.ly/2fdWHCl
– JACK SHAFER, “How Trump Took Over the Media By Fighting It: He made himself the biggest news story since 9/11, and almost neutered the press in the process”: “No matter who claims the presidency on November 8, the 2016 election was a story about one human being’s domination of the media. Not since 9/11 has a single topic so colonized all of the media territories—print, television, and the Web—as thoroughly as Donald J. Trump did. ... Trump has taken press-baiting further than anyone else in public life would have imagined possible. He has isolated the press as his genuine rival, campaigning harder against it sometimes than the other candidates.” http://politi.co/2fdGaxV
MARK RUFFALO’s robocall to voters: “Hi, this is actor and climate change activist Mark Ruffalo, calling with the Progressive Change Campaign Committee. Please don’t hang up. That will make me angry. You won’t like me when I’m angry.” Listen: http://pccc.me/2f5xhci
BONUS GREAT WEEKEND READS, curated by Daniel Lippman:
--“The New Evangelical Moral Minority,” by The New Yorker’s Kelefa Sanneh: “If the Southern Baptist church can’t be bigger, Russell Moore wants it to be better.” http://bit.ly/2fo2PZv
--“The ruthlessly effective rebranding of Europe’s new far right,” by Sasha Polakow-Suransky in The Guardian: “Across the continent, rightwing populist parties have seized control of the political conversation. How have they done it? By stealing the language, causes and voters of the traditional left.” http://bit.ly/2fnuwS4 (h/t Longform.org)
--“What Beyoncé taught me,” by Zadie Smith in The Guardian: “From Fred Astaire’s elegance to Beyoncé’s power, Zadie Smith is inspired by dancers as much she is by other writers.” http://bit.ly/2fnro94 (h/t Longreads.com)
--“Inside Trump TV, The Best Network Yet,” by Drew Magary in GQ: “Try not to think of Election Day as the end of Donald Trump’s presidential fantasies. That’s so sad! Instead, think of it as the beginning of Trump TV! It’s gonna be the BEST (worst) network. Millions (hundreds) will watch it. Every cable provider (one in Montana) will carry it. Prepare your eyeballs for luxury with a sneak peek at what we assume will be the launch lineup for Trump TV.” http://bit.ly/2e1e2RY
--“The Curious Have Won,” by Rany Jazayerli in The Ringer: “Theo Epstein overcame 108 years of history to build a championship team in Chicago. In the process, he ended baseball’s long-running analytics war by proving that an objective, data-driven approach can change the game.” http://bit.ly/2fDoJve (h/t TheBrowser.com)
--“Steven Pinker on Language, Reason, and the Future of Violence” – Tyler Cowen on Medium: “Pinker ... recently joined Tyler for a conversation not only on the power of reason, but also the economics of irrational verbs, whether violence will continue to decline, behavioral economics, existential threats, the merits of aerobic exercise, photography, group selection, Fermi’s paradox, Noam Chomsky, universal grammar, free will, the Ed Sullivan show, and why people underrate the passive (or so it is thought).” http://bit.ly/2fpJUvM
--“Free Shipping Is A Lie,” by Neal Unterleider in Fast Company: “Free shipping is a top priority for online shoppers, but many merchants are struggling to keep up with the costs.” http://bit.ly/2f2tVXu
--“A Poker Champ Identifies Clinton and Trump’s Tells,” by JR Havlan in Esquire: “You’ll be amazed by what the candidates are telling you without even telling you!” http://bit.ly/2fkjAEm
--“Sebastian Mallaby’s biography of Alan Greenspan,” by Ben S. Bernanke in Brookings, reviewing “The Man Who Knew: The Life and Times of Alan Greenspan”: “Greenspan was (and is) a fascinating and often enigmatic character—a mostly self-taught economist; a jazz musician; a skilled political operator and policy adviser; a socialite and lady’s man; a connoisseur of economic arcana; and, of course, the Maestro for more than 18 years at the helm of the Federal Reserve.” http://brook.gs/2fkl29S … $24.28 on Amazon http://amzn.to/2ecYhHP
--“The Story of How McDonald’s First Got Its Start,” by Lisa Napoli in Smithsonian: “From the orange orchards of California, two brothers sought a fortune selling burgers.” http://bit.ly/2e9Alok
--“Living the Life,” by Andrew O’Hagan in the London Review of Books, reviewing “Powerhouse: The Untold Story of Hollywood’s Creative Artists Agency,” by James Andrew Miller: “Being an agent isn’t a job, it’s a lifestyle, and the people who are really good at it are having a wonderful life, though none of them is going to heaven.” http://bit.ly/2fkNmv4 ... $23.72 on Amazon http://amzn.to/2e9IvND
--“Meet the Dapper White Nationalist Who Wins Even if Trump Loses,” by Josh Harkinson in Mother Jones: “Alt-right founder Richard Spencer aims to make racism cool again.” http://bit.ly/2emlhPs
--“How a Pillar of German Banking Lost Its Way,” by Ullrich Fichtner, Hauke Goos and Martin Hesse in Der Spiegel: “For most of its 146 years, Deutsche Bank was the embodiment of German values: reliable and safe. Now, the once-proud institution is facing the abyss. SPIEGEL tells the story of how Deutsche’s 1990s rush to join the world banking elite paved the way for its own downfall.” http://bit.ly/2fnts0L
BONUS GREAT WEEKEND LISTEN, curated by Jake Sherman:
-- I’ll admit it, it might sound lame, but I’ve been relistening to the Beatles albums for the first time in years. Here is the remastered version of “Let It Be.” http://spoti.fi/2eC9EHv
SPOTTED -- Kevin Spacey having dinner at The Riggsby Saturday night … Scott Pelley boarding the 3 p.m. Acela from New York to D.C. Saturday … Clinton aides Adrienne Elrod and Sara Latham missing the motorcade after the Katy Perry concert in Philadelphia. Elrod called Ed Rendell, who had two spots left in his van. Debra Messing was in the car. When they got to the Logan Hotel -- where Hillary was staying -- Rendell announced on a megaphone that they were arriving. Rendell -- a former mayor of Philadelphia and governor of Pennsylvania -- also commandeered a police escort through Philly.
SCALIA’s SCOTUS memorial -- Pool report: On Friday “the Supreme Court of the United States held a Memorial for Justice Antonin Scalia. The Chief Justice of the United States and the Associate Justices held a Special Session of the Court. Presentations were presented by the Acting Solicitor General of the United States and the Attorney General of the United States. Everyone in the Court was misty-eyed during [Justice Roberts’] very moving closing remarks. Paul Clement told the audience: “Clerk conferences with Scalia was the best preparation for oral arguments before the Court, especially when he conducted such conferences in Latin!”
SPOTTED: Justice Scalia’s wife, Maureen, and their 9 children, Jane Roberts, Merrick Garland, Nina Totenberg, Fred Graefe, James Duff, and members of the Supreme Court Bar.
OUT AND ABOUT -- pool report: “An intimate, tuxedo-clad audience of nearly 100 cigar aficionados witnessed the final performance of Mark Russell, the legendary Beltway pianist and political humorist, at the University Club on Thursday night, when a standing ovation closed out the Buffalo native’s six-decade run as one of the country’s premiere practitioners of musical comedy. ... Formerly the resident pianist and entertainer at the old Shoreham Hotel (now the Omni Shoreham), Russell was a fixture on PBS for three decades, starting in 1975, when his political satire TV specials started airing four times a year.”
SPOTTED: Judge Loren A. Smith, Loren A. Smith, Jr., Jack Evans, Jim Nichols, James Rosen, Mark Touhey, Paul Garmirian, John Vickers-Smith, University Club President Fern O’Brian
BIRTHWEEK (was yesterday): Steve Pfister, SVP of gov’t affairs for National Community Pharmacists Association
BIRTHDAYS: Dan Senor ... Sid Blumenthal is 68 ... former Education Secretary Arne Duncan is 52 ... Catherine Crier is 62 ... Maria Shriver is 61 ... Rob Jesmer, partner at FP1 Strategies, and the pride of St. Paul ... Arun Chaudhary, the pride of Chappaqua, N.Y., is 41, currently creative genius for Revolution Messaging, previously with Obama ’08 and the WH, where he served as the first official White House videographer in a position created for him by President Obama (h/t Breanna Chandler) … Ruth Messinger, past president of American Jewish World Service ... Politico’s Louis Nelson is 28 ... Katie Niederee, comms director for Sen. Jerry Moran ... Max Gleischman, VP at the Glover Park Group … Eric Mondero, gov’t relations at American Red Cross ... Rep. John Carter (R-Tex.) is 75 ... Rep. Dan Donovan (R-NY) is 6-0 ... Marlon Bateman, comms at Hoover Institution and an RNC alum ... The Nation’s Mychal Denzel Smith ... Ashley Lewis, press secretary and senior comms advisor at Ex-Im Bank, DCCC and AFL-CIO alum, and the pride of Detroit (h/t Joe Philipson) ... Alan Dechert is 65 ...
… Whitney Mitchell Brennan ... Politico’s Ana Estes ... Bush WH alum Matt Kirk, now an SVP at The Hartford ... Bush 43 State alum JoJo Sears ... Rick Nussio … Matt Wyatt … Sheila Walter … Scott Anderson … LaCreda Drummond-Mondon … Ian Braun … NPR TV critic Eric Deggans, a Tampa Bay Times alum, is 51 ... Diana Banister ... Ben Wrobel of Village Capital and CAP alum ... Julia Moseley … Gray Brooks … NBC News’ Gresham Striegel … Michael Beland … Trish Turner of “CBS This Morning” and a Fox alum … Angelica Lavito … Chris Fitzgerald … Suzanne Granville … Sara Bowlsby … Tommy Norman (h/ts Teresa Vilmain) ... Burson Taylor Snyder, deputy chief of staff for Sen. Roy Blunt ... Andrew Weinberg is 53 ... Sally Field is 7-0 ... Ethan Hawke is 46 ... basketball player Lamar Odom is 37 ... Emma Stone is 28 (h/ts AP)