2016-12-08

Listen to Playbook in 90 Seconds http://bit.ly/2gFaCBJ … Subscribe on iTunes http://apple.co/2eX6Eay

TRUMP GOES AFTER UNION BOSS -- @realDonaldTrump at 7:41 p.m.: “Chuck Jones, who is President of United Steelworkers 1999, has done a terrible job representing workers. No wonder companies flee country!” … at 8:56 p.m.: “If United Steelworkers 1999 was any good, they would have kept those jobs in Indiana. Spend more time working-less time talking. Reduce dues”.

--DANIELLE PAQUETTE (@DPAQreport) of the Washington Post at 8:41 p.m.: “Just talked to Chuck: ‘He needs to worry about getting his cabinet filled and leave me the hell alone.’ … “Chuck, a union leader in Indianapolis, says he is now getting death threats.” Danielle’s story http://wapo.st/2hnaSoK

Good Thursday morning. The government is set to shut down tomorrow evening. (No, we don't expect that it will)

A MUST READ -- NYT, A1: “Donald Trump Is Said to Intend to Keep a Stake in His Business,” by Maggie Haberman and Jo Becker: “President-elect Donald J. Trump is considering formally turning over the operational responsibility for his real estate company to his two adult sons, but he intends to keep a stake in the business and resist calls to divest, according to several people briefed on the discussions. Under a plan now being considered by the Trump family and its lawyers, Ivanka Trump, Mr. Trump’s elder daughter, would also take a leave of absence from the Trump Organization, in the surest sign that she is exploring a potential move to Washington with her husband, Jared Kushner. Mr. Kushner is discussing an as-yet undetermined role advising his father-in-law, and Ms. Trump plans on being an advocate on issues in which she has a personal interest, like child care. …

“The Office of Government Ethics has told Mr. Trump’s lawyers that only a divestiture would resolve ethical concerns, guidance that was made public in an extraordinary stream of posts on the office’s Twitter feed. Officials with the office did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the plan under consideration.” http://nyti.ms/2gdX9je

TRANSITION UPDATE -- “Trump Team Said to Consider Thiel Associate O’Neill for FDA,” by Bloomberg’s Drew Armstrong, Jen Jacobs and Robert Langreth: “President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team is considering a Silicon Valley investor close to billionaire Peter Thiel to head the [FDA] ... [Jim] O’Neill is a managing director at Thiel’s Mithril Capital Management, and last served in government during the George W. Bush administration as principal associate deputy secretary at the Department of Health and Human Services. He’s also a board member of the Seasteading Institute, a Thiel-backed venture to create new societies at sea, away from existing governments.” http://bloom.bg/2hj8h3f

FROM TRUMP TOWER - SCOTT PRUITT NAMED EPA DIRECTOR - News release Thursday morning: “For too long, the Environmental Protection Agency has spent taxpayer dollars on an out-of-control anti-energy agenda that has destroyed millions of jobs, while also undermining our incredible farmers and many other businesses and industries at every turn. As my EPA Administrator, Scott Pruitt, the highly respected Attorney General from the state of Oklahoma, will reverse this trend and restore the EPA’s essential mission of keeping our air and our water clean and safe,” said President-elect Donald Trump. “My administration strongly believes in environmental protection, and Scott Pruitt will be a powerful advocate for that mission while promoting jobs, safety and opportunity.”

-- CRITICAL READING on Pruitt from NYT’s Eric Lipton in 2014, “Energy Firms in Secretive Alliance With Attorneys General” http://nyti.ms/2gYRaCR

-- NYT A18, “What It’s Like to Apply for a Job in Donald Trump’s White House,” by Julie Davis: “Mr. Trump’s interview style in the real world is direct but conversational, according to people who have sat opposite him. He did not take notes or appear to refer to a set list of questions, but he did have dossiers on his visitors and often displayed intricate knowledge of their backgrounds and experience. He rarely drank or ate. He kept his suit jacket on. In New York, he liked to show off the sweeping views of Central Park visible over his shoulder. ...

“Mr. Trump has been more hands-on in the interviews than his predecessors were. George W. Bush rarely spoke in person to more than one finalist for each cabinet post, said Clay Johnson III, who directed his transition effort in 2000. President Obama also interviewed a single finalist for each post in most cases, usually in a one-on-one discussion meant to confirm an already well-established conclusion that the candidate would be right for the job … Mr. Trump, who prizes loyalty, also wanted to know precisely what the job seekers did to propel him into the White House.” http://nyti.ms/2hnz8qN

-- “Obama officials alarmed at slow pace of agency-level transition: Despite rush of cabinet appointments, Trump’s team lags in crucial, lower-profile work that will help launch his agenda,” by Sarah Wheaton: “The slower pace applies not only to key appointments throughout his administration, but also to Trump’s lower-profile agency review teams whose nitty-gritty work with Obama’s career bureaucrats could make or break Trump’s pledge to get his presidency off to a barn-burning start. Obama administration officials assigned to the transition say Trump’s representatives have been AWOL at some agencies, leaving them sitting on binders full of briefing materials that have been amassed since March.” http://politi.co/2h9Ed7i

SPOTTED -- @kevcirilli: “Spotted in @TrumpDC, Old Post Office Building, lobby earlier this afternoon: Heidi Cruz. I’m told she’s in town on business. Small town!” Sen. Ted Cruz was spotted there as well. Pic http://politi.co/2gdv4gR

BEHIND CLOSED DOORS -- “Trump thrills donors with tales of election night,” by Isaac Arnsdorf, Alex Isenstadt and Ben White: “President-elect Donald Trump treated more than 800 donors to a play-by-play of election-night drama at a New York breakfast fundraiser on Wednesday ... Trump’s recounting of his emotions on Nov. 8 took up the bulk of his remarks at the restaurant Cipriani, with one attendee relaying that Trump said he expected to lose and take a vacation with his wife, Melania. Trump said he would name his secretary of state next week, but didn’t say who he’s considering or provide other details. He also singled out Ronna Romney, the Michigan GOP chair and a niece of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, saying she’d get something big. She’s seen as a possible choice to lead the [RNC]. ...

“When it comes to his inauguration, Trump said he recently met with TV producer Mark Burnett, who urged him to plan an extravagant celebration with events in Washington and New York. ... Trump said he even converted one opponent to a $10 million donor. ‘They said Never Trump, now they’re Only Trump,’ he bragged to laughter and applause ... ‘I got Jeff Zucker his job and they spent 18 months trashing me!’ Trump said, according to a source in the room, referring to the president of CNN. Trump’s choice for chief of staff, Reince Priebus, also spoke, and joked that Trump would be such a good president his face would one day be on the $20 bill.” http://politi.co/2h61syJ

SPOTTED from DC attending the breakfast fundraiser: Jeff Deboer of The Real Estate Roundtable; Richard Hunt of the Consumer Bankers Association; Molly Wilkinson of the Electronic Payments Coalition; Nick Owens of Magnolia Strategy Partners; Leah Ann Pusey of the American Insurance Association; Loretta and Bill Greene; Ali Tulbah; Geoff Grey; Noe Garcia; and Chris Berardini of Quicken Loans. The franchise industry also had a strong contingent: IFA President and CEO Robert Cresanti, FirstService Brands President and CEO Charlie Chase, SportClips founder and CEO Gordon Logan, JaniKing President and CEO Jerry Crawford and Dairy Queen franchisee William C. Hall.

COMING ATTRACTIONS -- @TeddyDavisCNN: “Hillary Clinton will headline a ‘thank you celebration’ for her top donors in on Dec. 15. The event will take place at The Plaza in NY.”

-- “The RNC Is Hosting Its Christmas Party This Year At Donald Trump’s Hotel,” by HuffPost’s Sam Stein: “The event ... is said to be a more exclusive and celebratory affair this year owing to the unexpected election victories enjoyed by the party this November. But in moving the proceedings to Donald Trump’s downtown D.C. hotel, which only opened this past fall, the committee risks furthering the perception that the president-elect is leveraging his newfound political power for private gains.” http://huff.to/2gnuwTT

KOCH WORLD -- “Koch brothers announce layoffs: The billionaire brothers, who sparred with Donald Trump, are reorganizing their advocacy network,” by Ken Vogel: “The Koch brothers’ massive conservative advocacy organization, which this summer began consolidating its operations after deciding to sit out the presidential race, on Wednesday announced it would be laying off 81 people. ... Also on Wednesday, the network announced the creation of a for-profit communications firm called ‘In Pursuit Of,’ which will be owned by the central non-profit group in the Koch network, Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce. In Pursuit Of will provide paid services to Freedom Partners and other groups in the network, as well as to other clients that adhere to the small government brand of conservativism that animates the Kochs.” http://politi.co/2gYo1aO

FIRST FAMILY -- “Tiffany Trump tours Harvard Law School,” by Daniel Lippman and Josh Dawsey, making his Politico debut even though he doesn't officially start until Monday: “Tiffany Trump, the 23-year-old daughter of President-elect Donald Trump, toured Harvard Law School on Tuesday, according to multiple on-campus sources. ... Trump, the only child of Donald and Marla Maples, graduated this spring from the University of Pennsylvania, majoring in sociology and urban studies. ... Trump gave a hint of her future education plans earlier this year when she posted a picture of LSAT prep books with the phrase ‘I got this,’ garnering more than 6,000 likes on Instagram.” http://politi.co/2h7ikYC

HARRY REID EXIT INTERVIEW -- “Reid predicts end of filibuster,” by Seung Min Kim, Burgess Everett and John Bresnahan: “Senate Democrats are about to get rolled on Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks. They could spend years in the minority. And instead of the GOP collapse that many expected on Nov. 8, it's now Democrats soul-searching about what went wrong. But as Harry Reid prepares to leave the Senate this month after 34 years in Washington, he says everything is just fine with his party, thank you …

“And Reid not only refused to admit any misgivings about invoking the ‘nuclear option’ for most nominations - a move that’s backfiring now by empowering Republicans - he predicted it's just a matter of time before the filibuster is done away with altogether. Though the filibuster is Democrats' best weapon against Trump, Reid said it would be a ‘mistake’ for his party to reflexively oppose whatever Trump proposes. But the outgoing minority leader also wants Democrats to stand firm for their core principles, urging lawmakers to do ‘everything in their power’ to block ‘wacky’ Supreme Court nominees and to not be ‘complicit’ in supporting GOP priorities like tax cuts for the rich and repealing Obamacare.” http://politi.co/2h9zUc4 ... The seven best quotes: http://politi.co/2hjfAI7

--“Senate Dems shamed for nearly all-white top staffers: Activists say there’s a ‘soft bigotry’ at work — and party leaders say they need to do a better job hiring minorities,” by Elana Schor and Anna Palmer: “Senate Democrats are facing growing pressure to break the white male stranglehold on senior staff positions in their ranks — a push that's uniting consultants and lobbyists inside the Beltway with Black Lives Matter and other minority leaders who are accusing the party of ‘soft bigotry.’ The attacks are prompting uncomfortable discussions among Democrats even as they welcome their historic Senate freshman class, which includes the chamber’s first Latina and Indian-American members …

“Now, activists are shaming Senate Democrats, noting that the chamber’s only African-American chief of staff works for Republican Sen. Tim Scott. And civil rights groups are holding a public conference call on Thursday to escalate their campaign for more diverse hiring by newly elected senators … More than a dozen lobbyists — some big donors, some smaller donors — have been meeting to discuss how to proceed. The group has focused on the [DSCC] in particular. ‘As minority lobbyists, we know we invest in the DSCC directly, financially, and we want them to, in return, invest in us as a community and not just take our money and then — when they make decisions on who to hire as vendors and staff — to look the other way,’ said Oscar Ramirez, a lobbyist at the Podesta Group.” http://politi.co/2h8N7EB

SCHOCK UPDATE -- A federal judge has denied former Rep. Aaron Schock’s (R-Ill.) request that she move his trial on 24 criminal counts from Springfield to his hometown of Peoria. Schock will be arraigned on Monday in Springfield.

WOMP WOMP -- “Judge’s order suspends Michigan’s recount,” by Detroit News’ Robert Snell and Chad Livengood: “A federal judge Wednesday suspended a recount of the Nov. 8 presidential election that started three days ago and has yet to reveal fraud or significantly alter the results. ... [Jill] Stein failed to show she was an aggrieved candidate as defined by state law and entitled to a recount, the judge said. He concluded Stein’s request to test the election system’s vulnerability to fraud lacked evidence.” http://detne.ws/2hn6N3V

-- “Joe Biden Says He Has ‘No Intention’ of Running in 2020,” by WSJ’s Siobhan Hughes: “Vice President Joe Biden, heading into a farewell party organized after a series of tributes on the Senate floor, on Wednesday pulled back from his own suggestions he could make a bid for the presidency in 2020. ‘I have no intention of running,’ Mr. Biden told reporters on his way in to a farewell party at the Senate.” http://on.wsj.com/2gYNuRC

VIDEO DU JOUR – Kellyanne Conway’s funny story Wednesday morning at POLITICO’s #WomenRule event about how she negotiated her first speaking fee (with a Mark Mehlman cameo). 2-min. video http://politi.co/2h7ffry

IF YOU LOOK AT ONE THING -- “‘They Are Slaughtering Us Like Animals’” -- photographs and text by Daniel Berehulak in the NYT: “Inside President Rodrigo Duterte’s brutal antidrug campaign in the Philippines, our photojournalist documented 57 homicide victims over 35 days.” http://nyti.ms/2gnwVxY

NIGEL FARAGE PROFILE -- Bloomberg Businessweek’s Joshua Green: “Green spends time with Nigel Farage, aka Mr. Brexit, who has some radical international trade ideas for his new BFF, Donald Trump, which would upend U.S. policy toward the U.K. and the European Union. ‘His ideas will always be listened to seriously in a Trump White House,’ said Steve Bannon, Trump’s senior counselor and chief strategist.” Story live at 7 a.m. http://buswk.co/Farage

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: MIKE SHIELDS AND ROB SIMMS START THEIR OWN SHOP -- Mike Shields and Rob Simms, two of D.C.’s top GOP operatives, are starting Convergence Media, a “political strategy, public affairs, creative, online, television digital agency,” Shields said. Shields most recently ran American Action Network and the Congressional Leadership Fund, organizations that support House Republicans. Before that, Shields was chief of staff of the Republican National Committee under Reince Priebus, who is now the incoming White House chief of staff. Simms has spent the last four years in top positions at the NRCC -- he was the executive director this cycle, and the political director the cycle before. The pair are not going to lobby but plan to have corporate and political clients. FUN FACT: Shields and Simms were fraternity brothers at George Mason and first talked about starting their own firm in 1994. WHY THIS MAKES SENSE: They both have both run massive political organizations and have worked in government. Shields is close to Priebus, and will be able to translate what the White House is up to. The firm’s website www.convergencemedia.us/

-- DANIELLE BURR, director of external affairs for House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy, is leaving to become a partner at Peck Madigan Jones. A former lobbyist at Navigators Global, Burr has also served as whip liaison for then-Senate Whip Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.). “Danielle’s knowledge of the intersection between Capitol Hill, advocacy groups, and the private sector has made her such a valuable member of my team,” McCarthy said in an email. “She has earned a reputation for her honesty and her collaborative style. While we’ll miss her on Capitol Hill, I know Danielle’s experience working for me and the House Leadership team will bring her success wherever she goes.”

--“Rep. Dana Rohrabacher to Yahoo’s Bianna Golodryga on Human Rights Abuses in Russia: ‘Oh, baloney!’”: “When Golodryga brought up Russia’s history of alleged human rights abuses, he responded, ‘Baloney–where do you come from?’ Golodryga responded that she immigrated to the United States from the former Soviet republic of Moldova as a political refugee. ‘Then the American people know you’re biased,’ Rohrabacher retorted. ‘Oh, baloney!’” Video https://yhoo.it/2glaJ7C

WEST COAST WATCH -- “Capitol Journal: When a door opened unexpectedly for Rep. Xavier Becerra, he walked in and impressed,” by George Skelton in Sacramento for the LA Times: http://lat.ms/2geLxkD

JEN PALMIERI SPEAKS, in the Washington Post - “Our campaign lost the election. But Trump’s team must own up to how he won”: “I know how to be a gracious loser. I could have let it go last week when Kellyanne Conway, Donald Trump’s campaign manager, challenged me to look her in the eye and say she ran a campaign that gave white supremacists a platform. I considered for a split second. I knew you were supposed to be gracious when you come for the post-election forum at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. But I decided this was a year where normal rules don’t apply. Speaking the truth was more important.” http://wapo.st/2geuQ9i

GREAT TRUMP ANECDOTE -- HuffPost's Arthur Delaney: "President-elect Donald Trump has asked his chief of staff to get him a list of every American company that has plans to shift production to another country. 'Hey, Reince, I want to get a list of companies that have announced they’re leaving,' Trump said to Reince Priebus last week in the middle of an on-the-record interview with Time magazine that was published on Wednesday. 'I can call them myself,' Trump said. 'Five minutes apiece. They won’t be leaving. O.K.?'" http://huff.to/2gnFiK5

JACK SHAFER on “America’s First Real Estate Presidency”: “A real estate guy doesn’t just sell things — he oversells them. For instance, Trump has mythicized the repair job he did on the Wollman skating rink in Central Park when the real story is much less heroic. He oversold his 58-story tower on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue as a 68-floor building. Floor 30 follows floor 19 in the tower.” http://politi.co/2gERXWx

JAMIE DIMON, Chairman and CEO of JP Morgan, has been named the new chairman of Business Roundtable, succeeding Doug Oberhelman, chairman and CEO of Caterpillar.

COAL FOR CHRISTMAS -- “Left wing PR firms keep canceling Christmas over Trump win,” by Page Six’s Carlos Greer and Emily Smith: “Clinton friendly p.r. firm Sunshine Sachs, which counts Leo DiCaprio, Jon Bon Jovi and Barbra Streisand among its clients — all who threw their celebrity weight behind Hillary Clinton — has joined LaForce and canceled its holiday party because of Donald Trump’s election win. ‘Ain’t no party like a Sunshine Sachs party, but this year ain’t no party,’ a non-invite said. Boss Ken Sunshine is a Democratic adviser and a donor to the Clintons. The firm says it plans to instead donate the dough from the bash to charity.” http://pge.sx/2gnp4jQ

MEDIAWATCH -- “Vice CEO Shane Smith: ‘we’re going to try and make the most’ of post-election political turmoil,” by Hadas Gold: “Shane Smith, the bombastic founder and CEO of Vice, thinks the current political climate is ‘crazy’ and that the level of dysfunction in Washington is at a whole new level never seen before in history … Smith explores that turmoil in a new feature for Vice called ‘Special Report: A House Divided’. Debuting Friday on HBO, the feature examines the fierce partisan fighting and political climate that gave rise to Donald Trump and features interviews with President Obama, Vice President Biden, Sen. Harry Reid, former Speaker John Boehner, Sen. Lindsey Graham, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, former Rep. Eric Cantor and others.” http://politi.co/2hjoCFb ... Exclusive 1-min. preview clip of Boehner: http://bit.ly/2h8R3VW

-- SHEP SMITH paid tribute to his father yesterday, and tied it into the 75-year anniversary of Pearl Harbor – 90-second video http://bit.ly/2gERzaB

BRIAN ROSS (with help from Matthew Mosk and Ali Dukakis) made his way into the Trump Hotel for a segment for yesterday’s ABC’s “World News Tonight.” He confronted dignitaries in attendance for the national day celebration for Bahrain, which spent $100K to use the hotel’s presidential ballroom space for the occasion. Of course, it turned into a mini-confrontation and security men tried to block Ross’ cameras. 2-min. video http://bit.ly/2h5UTvQ

STAT DU JOUR – “U.S. life expectancy declines for the first time since 1993,” by WaPo’s Lenny Bernstein: “Rising fatalities from heart disease and stroke, diabetes, drug overdoses, accidents and other conditions caused the lower life expectancy revealed in a report released Thursday ... In all, death rates rose for eight of the top 10 leading causes of death. ... Overall, life expectancy fell by one-tenth of a year, from 78.9 in 2014 to 78.8 in 2015.” http://wapo.st/2gF5Q7d

LATE NIGHT BEST – “Pizzagate Is An Alt-Right Fever Dream”: “For the record, Stephen Colbert has no part in this fake conspiracy. At least that’s what ‘they’ want him to say.” Video http://bit.ly/2hjjsJf

DESSERT -- HOWARD WOLFSON’s annual best music list in The Daily Beast, “A Bad Year That Was Good for Music”: “Beyoncé—Lemonade ... Drive-By Truckers—American Band ... Radiohead—A Moon Shaped Pool ... Sturgill Simpson—A Sailor’s Guide to Earth ... Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds—Skeleton Tree ... Hiss Golden Messenger—Heart Like a Levee ... The Gloaming—2 ... A Tribe Called Quest—We Got It From Here … Thank You 4 Your Service ... Bob Mould—Patch the Sky ... 75 Dollar Bill—Wood / Metal / Plastic / Pattern / Rhythm / Rock.” http://thebea.st/2hnku2H

SPOTTED -- Colorado Rep. Jared Polis hosted Democratic members first elected in the 111thCongress at his home -- pic http://bit.ly/2h921dN … Carol Melton having breakfast yesterday morning at the Four Seasons with Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes before Wednesday’s Senate Antitrust hearing ... At Cafe Milano Tuesday night: former VP Dick Cheney and his wife Lynn with former Sen. Trent Lott -- Cheney had also been the special guest that night at a Bush Cheney alumni party in which Brian McCormack “recommended” Cheney for Sec of State and Cheney responded by joking, “I don’t think Darth Vader would be welcome in the State Department” -- pic of Brian and Cheney (wearing a cowboy hat): http://bit.ly/2gEODuv ... FLOTUS at We The Pizza on Tuesday night … Juan Williams at Dunkin Donuts at DCA en route to New York to do his show … Elizabeth Warren enjoying an evening last night at Shake Shack in Penn Quarter

JOE BIDEN’s former Senate colleagues turned out in force on Wednesday to honor him. Sen. Chris Coons organized the tribute on Delaware Day while Sen. Tom Carper anchored the event. “Lots of former senators and spouses came Back. Biden said he felt like he was at his own funeral,” according to one Playbooker. Fun sidebar: Elaine Chao, Trump’s pick for transportation secretary, was working the room. http://bit.ly/2geJKfr

--“Mitch McConnell just gave a seriously moving tribute to Joe Biden” -- video http://wapo.st/2gnuATJ

HOLIDAY CIRCUIT SPOTTEDS -- at the White House print media Christmas party last night: Ben Smith, Paul Kane, Michael Crowley kneeling down at the East Wing entrance by the coat check and taking notes as he interviewed Henry Kissinger on the phone, Reid Epstein, Byron Tau, Miranda Green, Kate Bennett, Al Hunt, Jonathan Karl, John Harris, Carrie Budoff Brown, Kristin Roberts, Katty Kay, Ryan Grim, Jason Zengerle, Jake Horowitz, Bill Press, Mark Leibovich, Howard Fineman and Amy Nathan, Steven Mufson, Sheryl Gay Stolberg, Joe and Giovanna Lockhart, Ben Labolt, Marty Baron, Sam Stein, Ben Chang, Craig Gordon, Neil King, Nick Timiraos, Ari Melber. Pics http://bit.ly/2gYKsN7 ... http://bit.ly/2hnkwrA … The giant stuffed dogs representing Bo and Sunny http://bit.ly/2gnmDOu … The dessert table http://bit.ly/2hjmiy3 … “Please don’t touch the maps” http://bit.ly/2h9vLFe ... Carol Lee with her adorable kid in front of a WH Christmas tree on the way out from the party http://bit.ly/2gnl2bs

--SPOTTED at a very loud and enthusiastic set from The Struts at 9:30 Club hosted by Toby Knapp of 99.5, benefitting Musicians On Call: Chris Ortman, Katie Berner, Julian Epstein, Rick Lane, Alex Byers, Mike Huppe, Cary Sherman, Kendra Barkoff, Todd Flournoy, Dave Grimaldi, Gayle Osterberg, Jonathan Lamy, Ed Hill, John Morton, Ian Alberg, Kevin McDonald, Andrew Kovalcin, Brendan Kownacki, Cara Duckworth, Mitch Glazier, Rep. Ted Deutch (D-Fla.), Toby Knapp, John Fowler, Tyler Grimm, Mike Platt, Daniel Swartz.

-- Once again, the Entertainment Software Association’s Mike Gallagher hosted the annual holiday party that brings together the digital creatives of Austin, San Francisco and Seattle along with folks from Trumpland and Capitol Hill. SPOTTED at the Rock N Roll Hotel (under the ESA signature klieg lights beaming over H Street): Marc Lampkin, Tommy Quinn, Shana Teehan, Christian Dawson, Suzanne Kianpour, Jared Parks, Ashley Darby, Ali Amirhooshmand, Tim Teehan, Michael Pachter, Alex Slater, Sunny Mehta, Alan Lewis, Dan Hewitt.

SUNDAY SO FAR:

-- “Fox News Sunday”: Donald Trump (his first Sunday show appearance as president elect http://politi.co/2gnet8M)

-- CNN’s “State of the Union”: Vice President Joe Biden

BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: The Guardian’s Sabrina Siddiqui, a HuffPost alum, celebrating by spending the day with her parents, who live in Maryland, and probably an Italian dinner -- read her Playbook Plus Q&A: http://politi.co/2gYRm4Z

BIRTHWEEK (was yesterday): NBC News’ Katie Wall

BIRTHDAYS: Rachel Sklar … ABC News special events king Marc Burstein ... Jordan Morrell ... World Bank President Jim Yong Kim is 57 … Ann Coulter is 55 … AP’s Pablo Martinez Monsivais ... Lizzie O’Leary, host of Marketplace Weekend ... Honey Sharp (h/t forever grateful and lucky son Daniel Lippman) ... Think Progress editor Judd Legum ... Politico’s Danica Stanciu ... Ginny Badanes, strategic advisor for Civic Tech Services at Microsoft ... Brie Sachse of Siemens USA ... Cayman Clevenger of Imagine Louisiana Political Communications who has worked in Louisiana politics at every level since he was 17 (h/t Lamar White, Jr.) … Stephen Spaulding, special Counsel to FEC Commissioner Ann M. Ravel and a Common Cause alum ... Nick Colvin, alum of the Obama Senate Office, OFA and White House Counsel’s Office now a lawyer in Chicago (h/t the Ortiz crew) ... Steve Bouchard (h/t Jon Haber) ... CNN’s Brooke Lorenz (h/t sister Taylor, who gave her Snapchat Spectacles) ... P. Lynn Scarlett ...

… Rep. Raul Labrador (R-Idaho) is 49 ... former Rep. Duke Cunningham (R-Calif.) is 75 ... Sylvester Okere ... Al Williams is 67 ... Mark Zavatsky is 52 ... Michael Shapiro ... M. Dolon Hickmon is 41 ... Courtney Johnson, executive director of Women Lead PAC ... Luis Rosero, an Obama HHS alum … Karen Keller, director of special events and protocol at the Smithsonian ... B.R. McConnon, CEO of DDC ... Philadelphia Magazine’s Emily Leaman, a Washingtonian alum … Solange Uwimana ... Jeff Neubauer … Steve Day … Jackie Gran … Milwaukee mayor Tom Barrett … Nancy Balz (h/ts Teresa Vilmain) ... Nick Colvin … Linda Rotunno … Deloitte’s Alison Matarazzo Edwards ... Jen Minton … Anna Waterfield of House ASC ... Tom Bush, senior LA for Sen. Moran ... Courtney O’Neal ... Gregg Allman is 69 … Kim Basinger is 63 (h/ts AP)

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