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BULLETIN at 5:28 a.m. -- “TOKYO (AP) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says he will visit Pearl Harbor with President Barack Obama in late December.”
GOOD MONDAY MORNING. 46 days until Donald Trump is sworn in as president of the United States.
IT’S OFFICIAL -- From the Trump transition team this morning: “President-elect Donald J. Trump today announced his intent to nominate Dr. Ben Carson to serve as Secretary of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Dr. Carson is a distinguished national leader who overcame his troubled youth in the inner city of Detroit to become a renowned neurosurgeon who served as the director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Maryland ...
“Ben Carson has a brilliant mind and is passionate about strengthening communities and families within those communities. We have talked at length about my urban renewal agenda and our message of economic revival, very much including our inner cities. Ben shares my optimism about the future of our country and is part of ensuring that this is a Presidency representing all Americans. He is a tough competitor and never gives up.”
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COMING ATTRACTIONS: THE DEBT CEILING -- Republicans on Capitol Hill are already beginning to fret over how they’ll lift the debt ceiling in the age of Donald Trump. Here’s how top Republicans are thinking of things. In the past, fiscal conservatives have insisted on cutting spending to match any increase of the debt ceiling . If they hold fast on that this time around, they’ll have to go after entitlements -- which Trump has been cool to. GOP leadership will spend much of the first part of 2017 passing an infrastructure bill, working on tax reform and repealing the health care law -- and that will take a lot of political capital. There has been some discussion about lifting the debt ceiling -- which has to be done by late summer -- as part of a larger deal, but there are mixed feelings about going down that path. Rank-and-file Republicans have relished fights over the debt ceiling, so with the White House in GOP hands, they might not be so eager to get in line. That Republicans are already thinking -- and strategizing -- about this shows how big of a deal it will be.
TRANSITION WATCH -- “Trump revels in the secretary of state show,” by Shane Goldmacher and Alex Isenstadt: “President-elect Donald Trump is no closer to choosing his secretary of state, but he is making the most of auditions — as suitors sell themselves on television and in private Trump Tower sessions — that have become the kind of public spectacle that Trump relishes. After initially narrowing his list to four finalists, Trump expanded it anew over the weekend, with interview invitations given to ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson and retired Navy Admiral James G. Stavridis for this week … Trump already has a relationship with Tillerson, according to two sources involved in the transition, and he appeals to the president-elect because he’s ‘somebody who already deals on the world stage,’ one source said. But despite being CEO of one of the world’s largest corporations, Tillerson has undergone little to no vetting in advance of meeting with Trump …
“Stavridis, dean of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, is intriguing in part because he was vetted by Hillary Clinton as a potential running mate -- and because he, like Romney, has been sharply critical of Trump. Meanwhile, Romney’s longtime nemesis, former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, has told people that he badly wanted to be in the mix for secretary of state. Huntsman, who also served as President Barack Obama’s ambassador to China, didn’t respond on Sunday to questions about his interest in the job. One senior Trump transition official floated an unlikelier secretary of state pick on Sunday: Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, who has been publicly been linked previously to the administration as a potential energy secretary.” http://politi.co/2gT1FFm
--Seth Masket (@smotus): “So if Romney criticizes Trump’s behavior now, it looks like sour grapes over a lost Secy of State bid. Well played, Donald.”
-- NEWS YOU CAN USE: “The Plum Book is here, for those angling for jobs in Trump’s Washington,” by WaPo’s Lisa Rein: “The biggest Help Wanted ad in eight years will materialize in Washington first thing Monday: A plum-colored paperback listing 9,000 political jobs that will be available for those who want to work in Donald Trump’s administration. The 226-page Plum Book — so called for the desirable jobs that change hands at the end of a presidential term — lists every patronage position in the executive and legislative branches that could be filled by Trump supporters. ... The publication’s 10 a.m. release Monday in hard copy at the Government Publishing Office bookstore at 710 N. Capitol St. NW and digitally at www.govinfo.gov (plus through the Plum Book App) also will mark a shift in the newly elected administration’s center of gravity to Washington from Midtown Manhattan. ... As of Friday, 65,800 men and women had applied to serve in the Trump administration through the website GreatAgain.gov.” http://wapo.st/2h3mmxv
BEHIND THE SCENES -- “Trump’s Taiwan phone call was long planned, say people who were involved,” by WaPo’s Anne Gearan, Philip Rucker and Simon Denyer: “Donald Trump’s protocol-breaking telephone call with Taiwan’s leader was an intentionally provocative move that establishes the incoming president as a break with the past, according to interviews with people involved in the planning. The historic communication — the first between leaders of the United States and Taiwan since 1979 — was the product of months of quiet preparations and deliberations among Trump’s advisers about a new strategy for engagement with Taiwan that began even before he became the Republican presidential nominee ... The call also reflects the views of hard-line advisers urging Trump to take a tough opening line with China, said others familiar with the months of discussion about Taiwan and China.” http://wapo.st/2gRUXiF
-- TRUMP INC.: NYT A13, “Taiwan City Planning a Makeover Says a Trump Agent Showed Interest,” by Mike Forsythe: “Described as the biggest development project in Taiwan’s history, the multibillion-dollar Taoyuan Aerotropolis promises, in a video with a saccharine violin and harp soundtrack, a futuristic utopia of eco-friendly homes and thousands of technology jobs. Investors are welcome, and on Sept. 8, one arrived, a Taiwanese-American woman named Chen Siting, or Charlyne Chen. She claimed to represent a very prominent businessman: Donald J. Trump. … ‘I told them: Isn’t Mr. Trump campaigning for president? Isn’t he very busy?’ the mayor, Cheng Wen-tsan, said in a television interview that aired on Nov. 18, referring to Ms. Chen’s group. ‘They said she is a company representative. His company is still continuing to look for the world’s best real estate projects, and they very much understand Taiwan.’” http://nyti.ms/2gEsLCe … That Taiwan project promotional video http://bit.ly/2g1WfpZ
TRUMP ON CHINA -- @realDonaldTrump early Sunday night: “Did China ask us if it was OK to devalue their currency (making it hard for our companies to compete), heavily tax our products going into … their country (the U.S. doesn’t tax them) or to build a massive military complex in the middle of the South China Sea? I don’t think so!”
--FACT-CHECK -- WaPo: “The United States does impose a tax on Chinese goods — 2.9 percent for non-farm goods and 2.5 percent for agricultural products.” http://wapo.st/2gRUXiF
-- @Ed_Miliband: “Trump railing against China on Twitter like it is a Celebrity Apprentice feud is not funny, but deeply, deeply worrying for the world.”
FAKE NEWS UPDATE -- “N.C. man told police he went to D.C. pizzeria with assault rifle to ‘self-investigate’ election-related conspiracy theory,” by WaPo’s Faiz Siddiqui and Susan Svrluga: “The man told police he had come to the restaurant to ‘self-investigate’ a false election-related conspiracy theory involving Hillary Clinton that spread online during her presidential campaign. The incident caused panic, with several businesses going into lockdown as police swarmed the neighborhood after receiving the call shortly before 3 p.m. Police said 28-year-old Edgar Maddison Welch, of Salisbury, N.C., walked in the front door of Comet Ping Pong and pointed a firearm in the direction of a restaurant employee. The employee was able to flee and notify police. Police said Welch proceeded to discharge the rifle inside the restaurant; they think that all other occupants had fled when Welch began shooting. Welch has been charged with assault with a dangerous weapon. Police said there were no reported injuries.” http://wapo.st/2gT3EJF
-- STATEMENT FROM COMET OWNER JAMES ALEFANTIS: “There will be a time and place to address how and why this happened in greater detail. For now, I will simply say that we should all condemn the efforts of certain people to spread malicious and utterly false accusations about Comet Ping Pong, a venerated DC institution. Let me state unequivocally: these stories are completely and entirely false, and there is no basis in fact to any of them. What happened today demonstrates that promoting false and reckless conspiracy theories comes with consequences. I hope that those involved in fanning these flames will take a moment to contemplate what happened here today, and stop promoting these falsehoods right away.”
-- “How The Bizarre Conspiracy Theory Behind ‘Pizzagate’ Was Spread,” by BuzzFeed’s Craig Silverman. http://bzfd.it/2gaFGeG
-- “Incoming national security adviser’s son spreads fake news about D.C. pizza shop,” by POLITICO: “On Sunday, Flynn’s son, Michael Flynn Jr., tweeted, ‘Until #Pizzagate proven to be false, it’ll remain a story. The left seems to forget #PodestaEmails and the many ‘coincidences’ tied to it.’ The younger Flynn, who has served as his father’s adviser, linked to the account of Jack Posobiec, whose Twitter account describes him as the special projects director of a group called Citizens4Trump. Posobiec said Welch’s actions were a ‘false flag,’ and claimed he was an actor carrying out an elaborate conspiracy to discredit sites that spread the fabricated #PizzaGate accusations. ‘Planted Comet Pizza Gunman will be used to push for censorship of independent news sources that are not corporate owned,’ he tweeted.” http://politi.co/2h9w4m0
PAYBACK -- “Jane Timken launches bid to unseat Ohio Republican Party Chairman Matt Borges,” by the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Henry Gomez: “Jane Timken, an influential Canton Republican who helped raise money for President-elect Donald Trump, is angling to unseat Ohio GOP Chairman Matt Borges, whose lukewarm support of Trump’s winning campaign upset some party activists this year. Timken has been working the phones for several days, according to several Republican sources. She made her intentions clear in a letter sent Sunday to members of the GOP State Central Committee, a 66-member body that will determine Borges’ fate next month.
“‘In fairness to Chairman Borges, this was a difficult year to be Chairman,’ Timken wrote. ‘In a Presidential election year, there are many competing obligations that must be balanced. I supported Governor [John] Kasich's two campaigns for Governor and his campaign for President. For many Ohioans, his loss was heartbreaking. Once the nomination was settled, Chairman Borges had the obligation to fully support the nominee and his campaign. He did not, and his actions have divided the state party leadership. This was his choice.’” http://bit.ly/2gaCv6B
FIRST IN PLAYBOOK -- House Democratic Caucus Chair Xavier Becerra will meet with California Gov. Jerry Brown in Sacramento. It will be the first face-to-face meeting since Brown nominated Becerra to become California attorney general.
-- IT’S WORTH NOTING: If confirmed, Becerra will be one of the most visible opponents to Trump. The top attorney in the nation’s biggest state will have quite the platform to go after the president.
This photo was taken May 1, 2016. pic.twitter.com/r8yqja9uWf
— Will Jordan (@williamjordann) December 4, 2016
EURO UPDATE -- NYT A1, “Italy’s Premier, Matteo Renzi, Says He’ll Resign After Reform Rejected,” by Jason Horowitz in Rome: “Italy plunged into political and economic uncertainty early Monday as Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said he would resign after voters decisively rejected constitutional changes, a step certain to reverberate across a European Union already buffeted by anti-establishment anger … Mr. Renzi’s defeat, and the instability that his resignation is likely to cause, raised the prospect of punishment in the markets, but also a caretaker government staffed with technocrats appointed by the Italian president … If early elections do occur next year, 2017 is shaping up to be a seminal year in the history of the European Union with founding members Germany, France and potentially Italy all going to the polls with strong Euro-skeptic and populist candidates in the running. … Italy [has long been] mocked as the chaotic home of 63 governments in 70 years.” http://nyti.ms/2gRTqct
KATIE COURIC went to Moscow to interview Edward Snowden. https://yhoo.it/2gaOfWY
MICHAEL GRUNWALD on Politico, “The Victory of ‘No’: The GOP’s unprecedented anti-Obama obstructionism was a remarkable success. And then it handed the party to Donald Trump”: “One conservative Republican congressman who actually supported Trump’s candidacy told me his office was deluged with furious callers after he once dared to criticize Trump during the campaign. He called back one woman in her sixties who owned a vacation home in his district and had donated to his campaigns. He said the chat turned ugly in a hurry, until she said she had just three things to say to him. ‘First: Go f*** yourself. Second: I’m going to raise $75,000 to find a primary challenger to take you out. And third: Go f*** yourself.’
“The congressman thought that would be the end of it, but the woman then went on Facebook and posted an account of their conversation, along with his cell phone number. For the next several weeks, Trump supporters called him at all hours to repeat his donor’s first and third recommendations.” http://politi.co/2h3iNrc
BUSH MOVES ON -- “Jeb Bush to align with Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney law firm as strategic consultant,” by Florida Politics’ Peter Schorsch: “Jeb Bush is bringing his star power to the law firm of Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney in a strategic affiliation through his firm Jeb Bush & Associates. The two-term Florida governor and former presidential candidate will be providing expertise as a consultant to the firm and its clients, according to a statement by the firm first shared with FloridaPolitics.com … In his new role, Bush — who will not be lobbying — will focus primarily on guidance for issues concerning Florida, the state he led as governor from 1999 to 2007.” http://bit.ly/2h9w4Ta
PIPELINE UPDATE -- NYT A1, “Army Blocks Drilling of Dakota Access Oil Pipeline,” by NYT’s Jack Healy and Nicholas Fandos in Cannon Ball, N.D.: “The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe won a major victory on Sunday in its battle to block an oil pipeline being built near its reservation when the Department of the Army announced that it would not allow the pipeline to be drilled under a dammed section of the Missouri River. The Army said it would look for alternative routes for the $3.7 billion Dakota Access pipeline. Construction of the route a half-mile from the Standing Rock Sioux reservation has become a global flash point for environmental and indigenous activism, drawing thousands of people out here to a sprawling prairie camp of tents, tepees and yurts … But it was unclear how durable the government’s decision would be. Sunday’s announcement came in the dwindling days of the Obama administration, which revealed in November that the Army Corps of Engineers was considering an alternative route … President-elect Donald J. Trump, however, has taken a different view of the project and said as recently as last week that he supported finishing the 1,170-mile pipeline, which crosses four states and is almost complete.” http://nyti.ms/2gXxyNk
FROM POLITICO ILLINOIS -- Natasha Korecki: “J.B. Pritzker is calling political power players in Illinois to gauge support for a 2018 gubernatorial run as a Democrat -- and he’s telling them that he’d finance his own campaign, POLITICO has learned. The billionaire businessman and philanthropist is periodically approached about running for higher office but hasn’t shown this level of interest since his 1998 unsuccessful congressional run against U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., sources who have talked to Pritzker in recent weeks told POLITICO. ‘He’s deeply connected to the community and deeply concerned about what’s going on right now,’ a source who is close to Pritzker said of the state’s ongoing budget impasse. ‘What really motivates him is that little people are getting screwed.’
“Some Democrats believe Pritzker, who has instant name recognition, a lengthy resume in philanthropy and an investment in Chicago’s business and tech world, is uniquely positioned to go up against multi-millionaire Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner, who in 2014 spent a record amount of money in an Illinois governor’s race -- more than $65 million. ‘J.B. is not intimidated by Rauner’s money,’ said a source close to Pritzker. ‘If he did this, he would do whatever it took to do it the right way. He would run to win and he would do what it takes to do that.’”
MEDIAWATCH -- “How Donald Trump and ‘Morning Joe’ made up: While critics lash out, MSNBC's morning talker builds a pipeline to Trump Tower,” by Hadas Gold: “A saga that included cohost Joe Scarborough comparing Trump policies to Nazi-era Germany and the candidate tweeting that cohost Mika Brzezinski is ‘crazy and very dumb’ has taken a distinctly positive turn. The cohosts are now in regular communication with Trump and his circle — so much so that they are fielding criticism for being a house organ for the incoming administration. ‘They have always been boosters. Things turned south when trump froze them out but coverage always stilted. They are transition spokesmen now,’ tweeted rival morning anchor, CNN’s Chris Cuomo on Tuesday. (Cuomo declined to comment further.) … Scarborough, in an interview, declared that he and Brzezinski talk several times a week with Trump himself. And this week, Brzezinski traveled to New York and visited Ivanka Trump for coffee.” http://politi.co/2g1K9gm
--"Tomi Lahren: Young, Vocal and the Right’s Rising Media Star," by NYT's Jonah Engel Bromwich: http://nyti.ms/2g9pzhe
TRUMP’S FAVOR FACTORY -- “Woody Johnson under consideration for ambassadorship,” by Page Six’s Ian Mohr and Emily Smith: “Jets owner Woody Johnson has emerged as a leading contender for a key ambassadorship under Donald Trump — sources exclusively tell Page Six — with other Trump backers lining up for prestigious diplomatic posts, including former MTA chief Peter Kalikow, Duke Buchan III, Georgette Mosbacher and Wilbur Ross Jr.’s wife, Hilary Geary Ross. Johnson is under consideration for ambassador to the UK, multiple sources say.” http://pge.sx/2fZ9pJ9
WHO WORE WHAT AT THE MERCER PARTY -- “Trump Takes ‘Thank-You Tour’ to Wealthy Donor’s Costume Ball,” by Bloomberg’s Zach Mider and Jen Epstein: “Many of the guests were intellectuals, activists and politicians in the Mercers’ orbit, and their costumes ran the gamut from Tonya Harding, the disgraced figure skater, to Cruella de Vil. At least three women dressed as Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the liberal Supreme Court justice. ... Peter Thiel, the billionaire libertarian tech entrepreneur and founder of Clarium Capital, sported one of the evening’s most talked-about costumes. He dressed as the professional wrestler Hulk Hogan, whose real name is Terry Gene Bollea ... Earlier this year, Thiel, who nursed a grudge against Gawker Media, secretly financed Bollea’s successful invasion-of-privacy lawsuit against the company, and forced it into bankruptcy. ...
“Nigel Farage ... came as the naval hero Admiral Lord Nelson ... Spotted boarding a hotel shuttle to the party was Scott Garrett, a New Jersey congressman who lost his seat after reports that he wouldn’t support a Republican Party committee because it backed gay candidates. Garrett and his wife, Mary Ellen, were dressed as gangsters from the 1930s. ... Brent Bozell, a longtime conservative activist whose Media Research Center has raised millions of dollars from the Mercers, came as Lionheart, the crusading British monarch, in a blood-red tunic.” http://bloom.bg/2gWzlT2
PLAYBOOK METRO SECTION – “How the Obamas Changed Washington,” by Elaina Plott on the cover of the December issue of Washingtonian: “DC in the last days of the Obamas is richer, younger, and whiter than before the First Family arrived. Plenty of people will tell you it’s cooler. But just as many will say the District has never felt more like two different cities at once. Both are true. ... When it comes to how we live, and how we play, the District has a new gloss. Yet we’re as steeped as ever in the same challenges as before, from mundane ones like improving federal hiring to tragic ones like racial inequality.” Cameos by Jack Quinn, Herbie Ziskend, Sally Quinn, Norm Eisen, Eric Lesser, Linda Douglass, Ben Rhodes, Josh Lipsky, Jake Levine, Vin Weber http://bit.ly/2gWZH9W
IF YOU SEE ONE PLAY… Make it “Dear Evan Hansen.” The show started in D.C. in the summer of 2015 and moved to the Second Stage theater earlier this year for an off-Broadway run before landing on Broadway. The NYT review http://nyti.ms/2gXxyNp
SPOTTED: Rev. Jesse Jackson on last night’s 7:25 p.m. Southwest MDW to DCA flight. “He was wearing a black fedora and posing for photos with passengers” ... Benny Johnson and Katelyn Rieley Johnson celebrating her birthday at the Inn at Little Washington.
WELCOME TO THE WORLD -- Dave Rosenbaum of Rep. Dina Titus' (D-Nev.) office and Miri Cypers of Americans for Responsible Solutions welcomed a daughter, Daniella Rosenbaum, on Wednesday "at the George Washington University Hospital, just a few blocks from where they met more than a decade ago. Both mom and baby are doing great.”
TRANSITIONS -- KAMRAN MUMTAZ, former spokesperson for Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, is leaving Citigroup Inc. to join the National Football League as director of communications. At the NFL, Mumtaz will be responsible for helping develop media strategies related to marketing, consumer products, partnerships and events, including the NFL Draft and Pro Bowl. Mumtaz became popular among the City Hall press corps for his magic tricks (http://nydn.us/2gE821n). He will report to Natalie Ravitz, SVP of communications, who previously served as chief of staff to Rupert Murdoch and was a top aide to Bloomberg and Sen. Barbara Boxer.
QUITE THE BIRTHDAY -- Pool report: “Trent Edwards celebrated his 40th birthday by marching in the Scottish Christmas Walk Parade in Alexandria on Saturday. In a surprise twist, Trent went from an audience member to celebrated participant when the Friends Of Trent Edwards (FOTE) social organization marched his way. FOTE pulled in Trent who was celebrated along the crowded parade route with cheers from the audience, rousing choruses of the happy birthday song, cheers of ‘40 more!’, and his friends counting up to 40 as the parade came to a close. Members of FOTE include Rebecca Mark (girlfriend and surprise planner guru), Andrew Christianson, Andrea McCarthy, David and Lizzy Peluso, Casey and Sarah Phillips, Diana Bergwin, Rhett Spivey, Sarah Hale, Tom Dunn, Emily Mueller, Ben Cassidy, Brian and Natasha Walsh, Tom Rust, David Smentek, Brandon Eden, Jackie Barber, Geoff Antell, Dan Conston, and Dave Kanevsky.” Video http://bit.ly/2gaE9W9
SPOTTED Sunday at the annual Story Partners holiday party hosted by Gloria Story Dittus at her home, which had a Santa for the kids attending: Kenny Day, Rebecca and Matt Haller, Michael and Mary Kathryn Steel, Juliet Eilperin, Lauren Pratapas, Gindy, Jared Parks, Margaret Carlson, Heather Podesta, Mark Elliott and Katie McBreen, Amy Walters and Matt Cooper.
OUT AND ABOUT – Pool report: “Brendan and Lee Dunn hosted their annual ‘GOP Tax Nerds and Team McConnell’ Christmas party in Old Town Alexandria Saturday night, which one attendee called ‘a conservative safe-space’ during this post-election season. So if you left a message for a GOP staffer about the CR, you likely didn’t get a response because most were drinking Kentucky bourbon at the Dunn’s house. Per tradition, the Brendan and Lee had political cocktail napkins celebrating the year in politics that included, ‘Pray for Pajama Boy’ and ‘May Your Christmas be Bigly and Bright’ and a few others seen here along with Trump cookies. Pics http://bit.ly/2gWAB8H ... http://bit.ly/2h3Yl9z
SPOTTED: McConnell crew including Sharon Soderstrom, Hazen Marshall, Don Stewart, Antonia Ferrier, John Abegg, Tom Hawkins, Scott Raab, Jane Lee, Neil Chatterjee, Stephanie Munchow along with McConnell Alums Josh Holmes, Kyle Simmons, Rohit Kumar, Malloy McDaniel, Denzel McGuire and Bradi White. From the “GOP Tax Nerds” crowd was Senate Finance Committee and Banking staff including Jay Kholsla, Tony Coughlan, Nick Wyatt, Kim Brandt, Chris Allen (in Santa suit), Greg Richard, Julia Lawless, Jen Kushowski and Jeff Wrase. Other Senate staff included Secretary of the Senate Laura Dove, Robert Duncan, Brendon Plack, Jonny Slemrod, Rick Murphy, Adam and Andrea Hechavarria, Glen Chambers, Andrew Siracuse, Wendy and Zak Baig, Brian Callahan, Emily and Michael Kirlin, John Chapuis and Ted Lehman.
SPOTTED at last night’s Kennedy Center honors, which celebrated Mavis Staples, James Taylor, the Eagles, Al Pacino and Martha Argerich and was hosted by Stephen Colbert: Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker, former Rep. Mike Rogers, Sen.-elect Tammy Duckworth, Sens. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Pat Leahy (D-Vt.), Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), and Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Rep. Tom Price (HHS Sec nominee), Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Pa.), Rep. Darrell Issa (D-Calif.), Heather Podesta, Poppy McDonald, Lyndon Boozer
TEL AVIV ON THE POTOMAC – Pool report: “The Saban Forum, the annual gathering of business, media and government leaders to discuss U.S.-Israeli relations and the Middle East concluded the days of meetings on Sunday afternoon at the Willard. The session started Friday with Israeli Defense Minister Lieberman and Egyptian Foreign Minister Shoukry. Prime Minister Netanyahu joined the session via satellite and Haim Saban closed the session by presenting John Kerry with a plaque for his commitment to peace. Kerry declined to comment on the Trump transition but did say that the State Department has not been consulted before Trump’s calls with foreign leaders. With regard to his own phone calls, he revealed that in his 4 years in office, he’s spoken with Netanyahu more than 350 times for about 150 hours — and those are just the ones that are public.” View sessions here: http://brook.gs/2gWa63c
SPOTTED in the Willard this weekend: Andrea Mitchell, Sens. Lindsey Graham and Chris Coons, Jeffrey Goldberg, Jane Harman, Justice Stephen Breyer, Jake Tapper, George Tenet, Joe Lieberman, Leader Nancy Pelosi, Henry Waxman, Paul Marciano and Melanne Verveer. Daniel Lubetzky brought KIND bars and everyone left with Tom Friedman’s new book.
WEEKEND WEDDINGS -- “Dara Postar, Marshall Cohen” – Times: “Mrs. Cohen, 32, works in Washington as the chief of staff to Representative Norma J. Torres, a California Democrat. The bride graduated from Washington University in St. Louis and has a master’s in public policy from Georgetown. ... Mr. Cohen, 29, is the deputy political director in Washington for the Democratic Governors Association. He graduated from George Washington University, from which he also received a master’s in political management. ... The couple were introduced in 2013 by friends in Washington.” With pic http://nyti.ms/2h3g3u2 ...Wedding pic http://bit.ly/2g0WZeS
SPOTTED: Rep.-Elect Jamie Raskin and Dep. Treasury Secretary Sarah Bloom Raskin, Adam Weiss, Mike Kandel, TJ Ducklo, Stephan Miller, Lucinda Guinn and Brian O'Donnell, Gabby Adler, Alex Zwerdling, Travis Lowe and Emily Parcell, Geoff and Jessica Mackler, Jason Bresler, Nicole Dorris, Jess Aune, Amy Strathdee, Gina and Josh Cherwin, Nicole Haber and Matt Stein, David Montes, Eve Lieberman and Ian Rayder, Sarah Cotton, Jordy Ziegler and Brian Lenzmeier, David and Becky Schatz, Spencer Lucker and Stephanie Bloom, Hilary Nachem and Josh Loewenstein, Becca Kaplan and Adam Levy.
--“Kate Offerdahl, Brendan Guy”: “Mrs. Guy, 24, recently worked in Brooklyn as the assistant to the campaign manager for Hillary Clinton. The bride graduated from Columbia, from which she also received a master’s degree in international affairs. ... Mr. Guy, 28, is the manager of international policy at the Natural Resources Defense Council in New York. He graduated from the University of British Columbia and received a master's in environmental management from Yale. ... The couple met in 2012 when he was assigned to be her student host during a weekend conference at Yale on United Nations global environmental policy.” With pic http://nyti.ms/2h3gfJM
--“Emma King, Brett Doyle”: “Mrs. Doyle, 28, is a registered lobbyist in Washington for the Ford Motor Company. She graduated summa cum laude from Georgetown, from which she also received a master’s degree in finance. ... Mr. Doyle, 27, is a legislative assistant in Washington for Senator Pat Toomey, Republican of Pennsylvania. The groom graduated cum laude from Lafayette College. ... The couple met in January 2011 on their first day of work for Senator Toomey in Washington. At the time, she was a staff assistant and he was a legislative correspondent.” With pic http://nyti.ms/2gR9qvd
BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: NYT media correspondent Mike Grynbaum, celebrating at a surprise spot for dinner with girlfriend Juli Weiner – read his Playbook Plus Q&A: http://politi.co/2gTdGul
BIRTHWEEK (was yesterday): Dem media consultant Colin Rogero ... Rick Hohlt ... Marina McCarthy, who celebrated at newly renovated 1789 (h/t Jeff Solnet)
BIRTHDAYS: Trump aide Eli Miller is 34 (hat tip: Jenna) ... Jamie Loftus Rhoades ... photographer Paul Morse, the pride of Seattle ... Stuart Brotman (h/t son Gabe of Politico Europe) ... Evan Burfield, co-founder of startup incubator 1776, is 4-0 (h/t Peter and the whole 1776 crew) ... Andrew Williams, VP of media relations at Goldman Sachs and an alum of GE, Treasury and the Fed … WaPo’s Rachel van Dongen, a Politico alum ... Roy Schwartz, co-founder and president of Axios and former chief revenue office at Politico, is 41 ... Moira Mack Muntz, the pride of Albany and an Obama ’08, W.H. and OMB alum, currently helping Revolution Messaging on a freelance basis ... Politico Europe’s Stephen Brown ... Jamie Estrada ... Politico’s Khorri Atkinson ... Rep. French Hill (R-Ark.) is 6-0 ... NewsHour’s Jeffrey Brown is 6-0 ... Lisa Spies ... WRC NBC4 anchor Chris Lawrence (h/t wife Marcela Salazar) ... Alex Simon, expansion at Oscar Insurance and a World Economic Forum “Global Shaper” ... Adam Casella, MBA candidate at Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business and an alum of GSO Capital Partners and Barclays Capital, who got married earlier this year (pic: http://bit.ly/2gWm7FP; NYT announcement: http://nyti.ms/2gE0qfm) ... Katie Owen, associate at McKinsey ... Gray Johnson, program assistant at the Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Center (h/t Colby Bermel) ... Yana Mayayeva, a policy analyst for the Democratic staff of the Joint Economic Committee (h/t Thomas Nicholas) ... Jeremy Thompson, digital media specialist at Subject Matter and the pride of Annandale, Va. (h/t Sean Simons) ... Brai Odion-Esene ... Zoey Davidson ...
… Simon Jerome, International Republican Institute boy wonder and the pride of NYU, is 25 ... Adam Rosenberg, group PR/digital manager at Clorox and a Burson-Marsteller and Edelman alum ... former Rep. Rodney Alexander (R-LA) is 7-0 … Politico alum Chad Krilow, now a bioinformatics engineer at Quest Diagnostics ... Bush DHS alum Caroline Dierker Poe ... Anne Trenolone, alum of Bush 43, DOD and RNC ... Porter McNeil, IL-IA political consultant and former Kerry-Edwards’ IL comms. director ... Zach Drennen, a LCV alum most recently on the national press advance staff at Hillary for America ... Susan Scott Neal – longtime writer for the Free Lance Star, although retired now ... Alex Traub of The Telegraph in India ... Nicole Drummond, deputy digital director at Strategic Partners & Media ... Angelo Turner ... Mike O’Toole ... Anthony Bedell, president of RedFive Strategies, is 49 ... Roderick McKelvie … Arthur Colby, MBA candidate at UChicago, a former captain in the U.S. Marine Corps and Brunswick Group alum … Kim Perkins ... Chuck Chvala (h/ts Teresa Vilmain) ... Arthur Lewis … Joan Didion is 82 … Calvin Trillin is 81 … the other Jim Messina (pop singer) is 69 … writer-director Morgan J. Freeman is 47 (h/ts AP)