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Good Friday morning. 42 days until Donald Trump is president.
WELCOME TO THE WORLD -- Savannah Guthrie and Mike Feldman welcomed Charles Max Feldman into the world. Pictures, courtesy @TODAYshow http://on.today.com/2gIDdWG
YOUR FRIDAY MUST READ -- “10 Crucial Decisions That Reshaped America: Nothing about the most dramatic campaign in memory was a foregone conclusion. The inside story of the pivotal choices that got us to President Trump,” by Glenn Thrush http://politi.co/2hsu0BO
TO SHUT DOWN, OR NOT TO SHUT DOWN? -- “Dem blockade threatens brief government shutdown,” by Burgess Everett, Seung Min Kim, and Ben Weyl: “Democrats are pushing the government to the brink of a shutdown, with coal country Senate Democrats leading a strategy to oppose a GOP spending bill if their demands aren’t met for a longer extension of expiring health care benefits for coal miners. Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin (W.Va.) and Sherrod Brown (Ohio), two senators up for reelection in 2018 from states won by Donald Trump, are leading the charge to get a better deal from Republican leaders. And their push helped hardened resistance to the GOP throughout the rest of the 46-member Democratic caucus as the day went on.
“But Republicans say they will not renegotiate a four-month extension of coal miner health benefits and that Democrats have lost all leverage after the House passed the spending bill, 326-96, and then promptly left town. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell set in motion votes to pass the bill, leaving Democrats only procedural tactics to delay the measure through Friday's funding deadline — which would put Senate Democrats in line to be blamed for a potential government shutdown. Flanked by coal miners during a bitingly cold outdoor press conference on Thursday evening Manchin insisted this is ‘not a shutdown issue’ and maintained he has a ‘strong commitment’ from his Democratic colleagues to stand firm and demand a year-long health care extension.” http://politi.co/2hcbxwV
-- Worth noting: House Republicans have taken their last vote of the year, and left down. They passed a bill that would fund the government through April 28.
THERE’S BUZZ that Donald Trump will tap Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) to be Interior secretary. If he does, it would have the unintended consequence of sparking what could be one of the most competitive races for House Republican leadership in recent memory. Since McMorris Rodgers -- known in D.C. as CMR -- is the only woman in the top rung of Republican leadership, there would be pressure to replace her with another woman. PEOPLE YOU SHOULD WATCH: Indiana Rep. Susan Brooks, California Rep. Mimi Walters, Tennessee Rep. Marsha Blackburn and Utah Rep. Mia Love. Rachael Bade and Kyle Cheney http://politi.co/2h3XFUT.
DSCC EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR -- Sen.-elect Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) has started to interview candidates to run the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee -- incoming Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is sitting in on the interviews. Top picks Democrats are talking about: Paul Tencher, who most recently ran Evan Bayh’s race; Brandon Davis, former SEIU political director and DNC chief of staff; Dan McNally, Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet 2016 campaign manager; Addisu Demissie, who worked for the Clinton campaign; Mindy Myers, who ran the DSCC I.E.; and Anne Caprara from Priorities.
BREAKING OVERNIGHT -- From AP in Seoul, “South Korean president is impeached in stunning fall”: “South Korean lawmakers on Friday impeached President Park Geun-hye, a stunning and swift fall for the country's first female leader amid protests that drew millions into the streets in united fury. After the vote, parliamentary officials hand-delivered formal documents to the presidential Blue House that stripped Park of her power and allowed her No. 2, Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, to assume leadership until the country's Constitutional Court rules on whether Park must permanently step down. The court has up to six months to decide.” http://apne.ws/2grFEPy
FOR YOUR RADAR -- “Republicans ready to launch wide-ranging probe of Russia, despite Trump’s stance,” by WaPo’s Karoun Demirjan http://wapo.st/2grIkNk
CABINET TALK -- “Trump builds a brass Cabinet: Infatuated with military swagger and Hollywood’s Patton, the president-elect sets outlines of military-run civilian government,” by Shane Goldmacher: “As President-elect Donald Trump began building the top tier of his administration, he has turned to friends and advisers to ask just how many generals would be too many — suggesting he may want to tap as many as five — to fill his Cabinet and the highest rungs of the White House … Even before all his picks are finalized, Trump is on pace to assemble the most military-heavy White House and civilian administration since at least World War II. Military leaders have long held a special allure for Trump, according to people who have spoken to the president-elect both during the formation of his Cabinet and in the years before, including some Hollywood portrayals.” http://politi.co/2haGe2t
-- “Trump on Cabinet: ‘I want people that made a fortune’,” by Ken Vogel and Madeline Conway in Des Moines, Iowa: “Donald Trump on Thursday brushed aside concerns that he had tapped too many super-rich people for his cabinet, saying ‘I want people that made a fortune!’ and boasting that he was ‘putting together one of the great cabinets that has ever been assembled in the history of our nation.’ In a campaign-style speech at a convention center here, he playfully rejected criticism that his nominees - a group that includes four billionaires with Thursday's appointment of former wrestling executive Linda McMahon to head the Small Business Administration - are not reflective of the American public. Seemingly focusing on those who would renegotiate trade deals on behalf of his administration, Trump said ‘some of the people I’ve put on to negotiate ... are some of the most successful people in the world.’” http://politi.co/2hc4ww9
-- “Romney spotted near Trump Tower amid cabinet talks,” by Page Six’s Emily Smith: “Mitt Romney, still in the running for President-elect Donald Trump’s secretary of state, is certainly hustling for the job. A sharp-suited, carefully coiffed Romney was seen with a briefcase briskly walking on 56th Street, near Fifth Avenue, on Thursday. A witness said, ‘Romney was walking away from Trump Tower and seemed in a hurry, like he didn’t want to be seen.’” http://nyp.st/2gjLi7S
TRUMP TOWER INTRIGUE -- GABE SHERMAN in NYMag.com, “Trump’s Transition Team ‘Is Like Game of Thrones’”: “According to interviews with seven transition officials and senior Republicans in recent days, the question of whether senior counselor and chief strategist Steve Bannon or chief of staff Reince Priebus — represented by Trump as ‘equal partners’ in the White House — has more power is one that is being widely discussed in Trumpworld. ‘In this administration, titles will not matter,’ one transition staffer said. ‘It’s like Game of Thrones.’ ... Some Trump advisers are dismayed by Priebus’s influence because they question the Washington insider’s loyalty to the president-elect. Three sources told me that shortly after the Access Hollywood tape leaked in early October, Priebus went to Trump’s penthouse and advised the candidate to get out of the race. Priebus told Trump that if he didn’t, he ‘will go down with a worse election loss than Barry Goldwater’s.’” http://nym.ag/2gjdfNa
-- @maggieNYT: “The challenge of covering Trump isn’t just whether people are telling truth to reporters. It’s that advisers are at times lying to each other”
WITH FRIENDS LIKE THESE … -- “Trump ‘originals’ say they’re getting frozen out,” by Alex Isenstadt and Ken Vogel: “[A]s President-elect Donald Trump builds out his administration, the loyalists who helped launch his campaign and powered its stunning early victories are growing worried they won’t be getting plum jobs. Many of them say they’ve heard nothing about their career prospects and, during furtive huddles, have been commiserating with one another about how they can’t seem to get their calls to top Trump transition brass returned. Some are convinced that party establishment figures who’ve taken the reins of the transition are giving them short shrift ...
“That includes people like George Gigicos, Trump’s director of advance; Michael Glassner, the former deputy campaign manager; and Stuart Jolly, the former national field director. The staffers who led Trump’s campaign in early primary states — like Matt Ciepielowski, Charles Munoz and James Merrill — haven’t been offered positions, either. Nor has Mike Rubino, who oversaw Trump’s campaign in several states, or Stephanie Milligan, who ran his Oklahoma campaign.” http://politi.co/2gjdAiX
HOW ABOUT THAT… -- “Trump Paid Nearly $2.9 Million to Family-Owned Businesses as Campaign Wound Down: Trump also gave $10 million to his campaign in the final weeks of the election,” by WSJ’s Rebecca Ballhaus. http://on.wsj.com/2hsvsEg
RNC WATCH -- “Trump zeroes in on RNC chair pick,” by Eliana Johnson, Ken Vogel and Alex Isenstadt: “The Republican National Committee may sit on Capitol Hill, but its fate is being decided in Manhattan, where the field of contenders to run it has narrowed to two leading candidates, Michigan GOP chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel and Nick Ayers, a Republican operative currently serving as an aide to Vice President-elect Mike Pence. High in Trump Tower, dueling factions in President-elect Donald Trump’s orbit have lined up behind each of the candidates, according to half a dozen people familiar with the discussions. The situation is fluid, transition sources cautioned: Others in the mix include RNC official Matt Pinnell and veteran Bush operative Mercedes Schlapp, whose names are being floated as potential co-chairs as the two sides work toward a solution.” http://politi.co/2hmqjlc
HILL WATCH -- “Free-market Republicans contort to defend Trump: Lawmakers who slammed Barack Obama’s stimulus say they’re fine with Trump’s — among other ideological accommodations they’re making for the president-elect,” by Rachael Bade and Jake Sherman. http://politi.co/2hsohfp
AARON SCHOCK will not be silenced! The former congressman, who has been indicted on 24 criminal counts that essentially allege he used his public office to make money, filed opposition to a gag order requested by the government ahead of his arraignment next week. Our favorite line: “[T]he government suggested that Mr. Schock sought to ‘screen himself’ from public scrutiny and turn himself into a ‘super-citizen, immune from criminal responsibility.’ … Comments such as these were picked up and repeated in the media, where coverage has been extensively one-sided.”
FIRST IN PLAYBOOK -- ANDY KEISER, former deputy national security adviser for the Trump for America transition team, is joining Navigators Global as a principal of the firm. Keiser also served as chief of staff to former House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) and senior adviser to the committee.
-- MEREDITH KELLY, the DCCC’s national press secretary last cycle and an alum of Sen. Chuck Schumer’s communications shop, has signed on to be the party committee’s communications director for the 2018 cycle. From DCCC Chairman Ben Ray Luján: “Meredith is a smart tactician and her aggressive approach put House Republicans on defense last cycle. I know that she will play a crucial role in driving strategy that protects our incumbents and maximizes House Democratic gains in 2018.”
BUZZ -- Tim Huelskamp, who lost his primary in Kansas, is talking about running for Rep. Mike Pompeo’s House seat. Pompeo is Trump’s nominee for CIA director.
HOT DOCS -- Marlene Ricketts gave Speaker Paul Ryan’s main political committee $100,000 on Oct. 25. Facnudo Bacardi gave him $25,000 on Oct. 24… Hotelier Andre Balazs gave Hillary Clinton $100,000 on Oct. 27 … New York supermarket magnate John Catsimatidis gave Clinton $50,000 on Oct. 25 … Ted Leonsis, the owner of the Capitals and Wizards, and his wife gave Clinton $100,000 on Oct. 28 … Trump’s victory fund got $249,000 from Robert Johnson of the Johnson Company … Bridget Rooney Koch gave Trump’s victory effort $50,000 … Ray Washburne kicked in $50,000
-- FINAL TALLY by POLITICO’s Isaac Arnsdorf: “Clinton and her allies, including her joint committees with the Democratic Party and the super PACs supporting her, raised more than $1.2 billion for the full [2016] cycle, according to the last reports filed Thursday with the Federal Election Commission. Trump and his allies collected about $600 million.” http://politi.co/2hcDrXb
HAPPENING TODAY -- Donald Trump is holding a rally in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, at 10 a.m. followed by a 7 p.m. rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan. … Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel will participate in a Brookings Institution discussion on cities in the age of Trump and Brexit at 10 a.m. today http://brook.gs/2h3TkRI
VIDEO DU JOUR -- “Harry Reid Senate Farewell Speech 12/8/16” http://bit.ly/2hdnsIp
FIRST PERSON – CHUCK JONES in the WaPo, “I’m the union leader Donald Trump attacked. I’m tired of being lied to about our jobs”: “Though Trump said he’d saved 1,100 jobs, he hadn’t. Carrier told us that 550 people would get laid off. Trump didn’t tell people that, though. When he spoke at our plant, he acted like no one was going to lose their job. People went crazy for him. They thought, because of Trump, I’m going to be able to provide for my family. All the while, I’m sitting there, thinking that’s not what the damn numbers say.” http://wapo.st/2gI91uV
--“Carrier to ultimately cut some of jobs Trump saved,” by CNN Money’s Chris Isidore: “The company’s deal with President-elect Donald Trump to keep a furnace plant from moving to Mexico also calls for a $16 million investment in the facility. But that has a big down side for some of the workers in Indianapolis. Most of that money will be invested in automation said to Greg Hayes, CEO of United Technologies, Carrier’’ corporate parent. And that automation will replace some of the jobs that were just saved.” http://cnnmon.ie/2hc1Ezi
MUST READ -- “This is what happens when Donald Trump attacks a private citizen on Twitter,” by WaPo’s Jenna Johnson: “About a year ago, 18-year-old college student Lauren Batchelder stood up at a political forum in New Hampshire and told Donald Trump that she didn’t think he was ‘a friend to women.’ The next morning, Trump fired back on Twitter — calling Batchelder an ‘arrogant young woman’ and accusing her of being a ‘plant’ from a rival campaign. Her phone began ringing with callers leaving threatening messages that were often sexual in nature. Her Facebook and email inboxes filled with similar messages. As her addresses circulated on social media and her photo flashed on the news, she fled home to hide. ... This is what happens when Trump targets a private citizen who publicly challenges him.” http://wapo.st/2hc1wzD
REMEMBERING JOHN GLENN -- NYT’s John Noble Wilford, who also wrote the Times front-page moon landing story (!) in 1969: “John Glenn, a freckle-faced son of Ohio who was hailed as a national hero and a symbol of the space age as the first American to orbit Earth, then became a national political figure for 24 years in the Senate, died on Thursday in Columbus, Ohio. ... In just five hours on Feb. 20, 1962, Mr. Glenn joined a select roster of Americans whose feats have seized the country’s imagination and come to embody a moment in its history, figures like Lewis and Clark, the Wright brothers and Charles Lindbergh. To the America of the 1960s, Mr. Glenn was a clean-cut, good-natured, well-grounded Midwesterner, raised in Presbyterian rectitude, nurtured in patriotism and tested in war, who stepped forward to risk the unknown and succeeded spectacularly, lifting his country’s morale and restoring its self-confidence.” http://nyti.ms/2grl4in
TRUMP INC. -- “Donald Trump to Remain Executive Producer on ‘Celebrity Apprentice,’” by Variety’s Cynthia Littleton: “NBC’s ‘Celebrity Apprentice’ ... is returning Jan. 2 after a two-year hiatus with new host Arnold Schwarzenegger. MGM confirmed to Variety that Trump has retained his EP credit on the series. ... The larger issue for MGM, NBC, and the White House is the payment that Trump will receive for the series. It’s unclear what his per-episode fee is, but it is likely to be in the low five-figures, at minimum.” http://bit.ly/2hmbzCO … Trailer for the new season http://bit.ly/2gIAM6F
K-FILE – “Michael Flynn once claimed Arabic signs on southern border guide ‘radicalized Muslims’ into US,” by CNN’s Andrew Kaczynski: http://cnn.it/2grhbdq
HMM -- C.T. POST: “Report: Bobby Valentine pitched as Japan ambassador”: Bobby Valentine as U.S. ambassador to Japan? WEEI.com reports that multiple sources are telling the Boston station that Valentine is on a short-list of candidates for the job of United States Ambassador to Japan. The 66-year-old, who currently serves as Sacred Heart University’s athletics director, has engaged in ‘preliminary discussions’ with President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team regarding the position. When contacted Thursday night, Valentine refused comment.” http://bit.ly/2grKzAb
-- NOTE: Valentine is a former manager of the Mets and Red Sox. He also managed a team in Japan and is from Stamford, Connecticut.
DAVID CORN in Mother Jones, “Does Donald Trump Believe Nuclear War Is Inevitable? The man about to take control of US nukes has a very fatalistic view”: “During a 1990 interview with Playboy, he was asked about running for president (yes, even then) and to describe what ‘would be some of President Trump's longer-term views of the future.’ Trump replied, ‘I think of the future, but I refuse to paint it. Anything can happen. But I often think of nuclear war.’” http://bit.ly/2haiQSH … The interview http://bit.ly/2hcedKK
ICYMI -- “How Trump got yanked into GOP’s IRS impeachment fight,” by John Bresnahan and Rachael Bade: “In the frenzied hours as the impeachment showdown neared, multiple conversations ensued between Priebus and Freedom Caucus leaders. There are conflicting accounts of where the outgoing Republican Party chairman came down. GOP leaders say Priebus remained opposed to [John] Koskinen’s impeachment. Freedom Caucus sources counter that Priebus called them back several times to retract any such opposition and say Trump’s inner circle would remain neutral.” http://politi.co/2han2Ss
LIVE FROM WALL STREET -- “Eric Cantor column: Rebuilding a responsive Virginia GOP” in the Richmond Times Dispatch with the header “Turn Virginia Red Again” http://bit.ly/2gjMZlN
FRED SMITH SPEAKS -- From our Morning Trade colleagues: “The free-traders are fighting back. In a speech this morning at the National Competitiveness Forum, Fedex Chairman Fred Smith extols the benefits of trade and free trade agreements in sunnily optimistic terms that stand in stark contrast to President-elect Donald Trump’s dark view of the pacts. ‘Trade has made America great, and expanding trade has been a bi-partisan pursuit for over 80 years,’ Smith plans to tell the Washington meeting, according to excerpts … The 72-year-old business leader warns that withdrawing from the North American Free Trade Agreement, as Trump has threatened to do, ‘would be catastrophic for the U.S. economy’ and expresses hope the 23-year-old pact will be ‘updated and strengthened’ instead.”
HILLARY ALUMNI -- “Former Clinton staffer launches new anti-Trump site: corrupt.af,” by Blake Hounshell: “Matt Ortega, who served as Clinton’s digital director for communications until he left the campaign in June, told POLITICO that he launched the site ‘completely on my own and out of my own pocket.’ Officially, the ‘af’ in the site’s web address is the country code for Afghanistan ... Unofficially, in the abbreviated argot of texting and online chatting, ‘af’ stands for ‘as f***.’” http://politi.co/2hs3V5S
PRESIDENT OBAMA will appear next Monday on “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah,” in an interview that will be taped at the White House. http://on.cc.com/2gqB2t8
MEGATRENDS – “Barely Half of 30-Year-Olds Earn More Than Their Parents,” by WSJ’s Bob Davis: “In 1970, 92% of American 30-year-olds earned more than their parents did at a similar age, they found. In 2014, that number fell to 51%.” http://on.wsj.com/2hdnUX2
MEDIAWATCH -- “Could a Last-Minute Suitor Woo Megyn Kelly Away from Fox News?” by Vanity Fair’s Sarah Ellison: “Within the last month, according to a person familiar with the discussions, ABC has renewed, and perhaps sweetened, its effort to woo Kelly. At one point, in an overture, Kelly was shown a recruitment presentation depicting the so-called legends of ABC, which started, oddly enough, with an image of Willy Wonka, and ended with one of Kelly.” http://bit.ly/2hmd1VM
--“Clinton decries fake news ‘epidemic,’” by Elana Schor: “‘This is not about politics or partisanship,’ Clinton said during remarks at a tribute to retiring Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.). ‘Lives are at risk.’” http://politi.co/2gI9mxw
--The owner of Comet Ping Pong has created a GoFundMe campaign http://bit.ly/2grn0Yp
--NYT Business Day front, “Nonprofit Journalism Groups Are Gearing Up With Flood of Donations,” by Nicholas Fandos: “At the Center for Public Integrity in Washington and its international investigative arm, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, individual donations are up about 70 percent compared to the same period last year. ... From local public radio affiliates to established watchdog groups to start-ups that focus on a single issue, nonprofit, nonpartisan media is having a moment.” http://nyti.ms/2hdmo7a
--BuzzFeed has hired Anthony Cormier, most recently an investigative reporter at the Tampa Bay Times, and Nancy Youssef, currently of the Daily Beast and formerly with McClatchy. http://politi.co/2hmGWx8
-- “The Washington Post honors David Fahrenthold with inaugural Ben Bradlee Prize”: http://wapo.st/2h3VxfI
THE LEGENDARY JOHN MARKOFF on Medium, “I Covered Tech for the Times for 28 Years, And Now My Time Is Over”: http://bit.ly/2hc9rNE
SPOTTED: Ronan Farrow with Rich McHugh at the Ritz yesterday ... The Denver Nuggets staying at the Ritz Carlton in the West End … Frank Luntz at DCA boarding a 10:25 a.m. flight to Charlotte … Jay Carney last night at the Smithsonian’s American Ingenuity Awards at the National Portrait Gallery (Jeff Bezos was one of the winners) -- Mary Jordan, Jay Newton-Small, Kimball Stroud, Chris Wilson, Nika Nour, and Suhail Khan also attended
OUT AND ABOUT -- SPOTTED at the VIP grand opening party for the MGM National Harbor last night: former Speaker John Boehner, Geoff Freeman, Michael Steele, Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD), former Sen. John Warner (R-Va.), CBC chair Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-La.), Rep.-elect Ruben Kiheun (D-Nev.), former Ambassador Andrew Young, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, Maryland Senate President Mike Miller, Baltimore Mayor, Stephanie Rawlings–Blake, Roger Dow, Wolf and Lynn Blitzer, Jerome Bettis, Sarah Jessica Parker, Marcus Samuelsson, Jose Andrés, Tom Burr, Jeffrey Ballou, Ryan Zimmerman, Heather Zimmerman, Tammy Haddad, Marc Adelman, Ambassador Peter Selfridge, Franco Nuschese, Andrea Roane, Steve Chenevey, Jim Murren, Erin Como, Chris Smith, Kate Bennett. Pic of Boehner http://bit.ly/2hsmGGi ... Two pix by Dan Swartz – outside of the hotel: http://bit.ly/2hmGsXD ... View of the hotel tower through the skyglass of the casino atrium http://bit.ly/2hsELnP
SUNDAY SO FAR -- “Fox News Sunday”: Exclusive with Donald Trump ... Panel: George Will ... Julie Pace, Jason Riley, Charles Lane
CNN’s “State of the Union”: Exclusive with Vice President Joe Biden ... Panel: Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, Dana Loesch, Marc Morial
--CNN’s “Inside Politics,” anchored by John King: Jen Jacobs, Mary Katharine Ham, Matt Viser, Manu Raju
--ABC’s “This Week”: Reince Priebus ... panel: E.J. Dionne, Sarah Huckabee, Rich Lowry, Jamal Simmons
--CBS’ “Face the Nation”: Kellyanne Conway, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)
--NBC’s “Meet the Press”: Gov. Jerry Brown (D-Calif.) ... Mike Rowe ... panel: Michael Lewis ... Rick Stengel ... Kimberley Strassel
OBAMA ALUMNI -- MIKE BLAKE, a N.Y. State assemblyman, is running for DNC vice chairman. He was the Iowa caucus deputy political director for Obama in 2008, and then worked in the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Engagement in the White House. Press release http://politi.co/2gjjJvx
WELCOME TO THE WORLD – Ed Mullen, partner at The Georgetown Group and Erin Book Mullen, principal at Williams and Jensen, on Wednesday welcomed Caroline Caldwell “CC” Mullen. Her big sister Amelia turns two later this month. Pic http://politi.co/2hajLCJ
-- Richard VanOrnum, a director in APCO Worldwide’s DC office, just welcomed a new addition to his family. “We checked into the hospital Monday at 4:00 pm and welcomed baby Hunter into the world about 30 hours [on Tuesday] night! He was born 8lbs, 14 oz. and is an alert, happy, healthy (and hungry!) baby.” Pic http://bit.ly/2h8JJJQ
OUT AND ABOUT -- CNN’s Jake Tapper, Sam Feist, Ed O’Keefe, Rachel Smolkin and Brian Stelter last night celebrated the first book by CNN Politics, “Unprecedented: The Election That Changed Everything” (out Dec. 6), with a party at Del Frisco’s Double Eagle. Pre-order -- $25.47 on Amazon http://amzn.to/2gIpsaB SPOTTED: Jonathan Martin, Betsy Fischer Martin, Al Cardenas, Mike Shields, Jeffrey Lord, John Tass-Parker, Armstrong Williams, Sergio Gor, Ashley Parker, Ben Ginsberg, Alice Stewart, Ana Navarro, Amanda Carpenter, Brittany Bramell, Bill Press, Steven Sloan, Amos Snead, Lauren Pratapas, Jennifer Tapper, Polson Kanneth, Ben Ginsberg, Rob Collins, Juana Summers, David Chalian, Roger Simon.
HOLIDAY PARTY CIRCUIT -- Bruce Josten celebrated his last Chamber holiday party after 42 years of service. SPOTTED: President and CEO Tom Donohue, Jack Howard, Sen. Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma, Rick and Debbie Hohlt, Elizabeth Hays Taylor, Josh Holmes, John Ashbrook, Lauren Ehrsam, Jared Parks, Tommy Joyce, Michael Duncan, Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga), Kevin McLaughlin, Zach Graves, Chris Merida, Bill Behrens, Stephen Aaron, Carl Hulse, Alex Conant, Gregg Nunziata, Eli Yokley, Robert Flock, Evan Hollander, Lauren Weber, Patrick Kilcur, Reid Wilson.
-- SPOTTED at the Blair House (“The President’s Guest House”) State Department holiday party last night: Peter Selfridge, Tom Kartsotis, Tammy Haddad, Ben Chang, Jeannie Rangel, Lena Lee, Larry La and Alisa La, Tim Lowery and Michael Zingali, Natalie Jones, Mike Hammer, Thomas Debass, Gary Lee, Kate Gage, Marc Adelman, Fran Holuba, Amy Selco, Ann Stock. Pics -- the recipe for George and Martha Washington’s holiday eggnog: http://bit.ly/2h4eDT5 … The gingerbread house http://bit.ly/2ghNJmV
--PIC from Wednesday night’s White House holiday press party - reunion shot of party attendees who have worked for Obama: http://bit.ly/2grN855
BGR GROUP celebrated its 25th anniversary at the St Regis Hotel on Thursday evening. Former Gov. Haley Barbour, a founder of the firm, joked in his remarks that as a lawyer, politician and lobbyist he had achieved the “trifecta.”
SPOTTED: North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis, Harold Ickes, Texas Rep. Mike Burgess, Ted Olson, Susie DeFrancis, former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson, North Dakota Sen. John Hoeven, West Virginia Rep. Evan Jenkins and Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker, Tammy Haddad, Ted Olson.
BIRTHDAYS OF THE DAY: former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) is 69 -- he’s celebrating with his team from The Daschle Group over lunch and then having a nice dinner with his wife Linda, and some friends -- read his Playbook Plus Q&A: http://politi.co/2gjJcFh ... Terry Moran, chief foreign correspondent for ABC News, celebrating at home with his wife and four kids – Playbook Plus Q&A: http://politi.co/2gIA213
BIRTHDAYS: Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) is 5-0 ... Nathan Daschle (h/t dad Tom) … Samantha Tubman (h/t Meredith Carden) … Treasury alum Neal Wolin, now a senior counselor for Brunswick Group, is 55 … Jonathan Wald, EP at “CNN Tonight” ... N.H. political reporter James Pindell of the Boston Globe and the pride of New Castle, Ind. ... Jeff Smith, “Mr. Smith Goes to Prison” author and proud St. Louis native, is 43 … Cris Turner, VP and head of office of Americas gov’t affairs at Dell ... Kyle Roberts, president of Smart Media Group ... Treasury's John E. Smith (h/t Peter Baker) ... Politico alum Emily Kopp ... Okla. Gov. Mary Fallin is 62 ... Rep. Pete Olson (R-Tex.) is 54 ... former Rep. Ciro Rodriguez (D-Tex.) is 7-0 ... Levick VP Andrew Ricci ... Laena Fallon, VP of comms. at the Financial Services Forum, a Cantor and Judd Gregg alum and a native Granite Stater … Kathryn Cameron Porter ... Fernando Lujan ... Richard Allen Smith ... Graham Wilson, DLCC’s national field director ... Veronique “media maven” Rodman … Arlington Commonwealth’s Attorney Josh Katcher …
… Ryan Whalen, once a Chuck Schumer body guy, Mayor Bloomberg alum, and now director of initiatives and strategy at The Rockefeller Foundation … Pie Sister Alli Blakely Sydnor is 37 (h/t Ed Cash) ... Karen Harbert, president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber’s Institute for 21st Century Energy (h/t Blair Latoff Holmes) ... Megan Devlin of the Meridian International Center, formerly at the Atlantic (h/t Ben Chang) ... Shoshana Weissmann, digital director at Opportunity Lives and Weekly Standard alum, is 24 ... Roll Call’s Eric Garcia, a National Journal alum, is 26 (h/t Tara Jeffries) ... Dottie Suggs ... Tricia Enright (h/ts Jon Haber) ... Derrick Johnson … Bush 43 WH alum Anne Dudro, now a senior associate at HCM Strategists ... Richard Wachtel is 34 ... Rhett Dawson ... Rick Horten is 48 ... Dawn Wilson ... Diane Kopp ... Robert Kraig (h/ts Teresa Vilmain) ... Kirk Douglas is 100 … Dame Judi Dench is 82 … Beau Bridges is 75 … John Malkovich is 63 (h/ts AP)