NYT’S FRONT-PAGE, FIVE-COLUMN BANNER HEADLINE -- “PUTIN LED SCHEME TO AID TRUMP, REPORT SAYS” http://nyti.ms/2iP3Tqr ... NYT story http://nyti.ms/2i1LrsK … WaPo http://wapo.st/2iNmqps … Read the report http://nyti.ms/2inFMOD
-- QUITE THE SENTENCE: NYT’s Scott Shane: “For the three agencies that produced the report -- the C.I.A., the F.B.I. and the National Security Agency -- this is a heart-stopping moment: They have just told their new boss that he was elected with the vigorous, multifaceted help of an adversary, the thuggish autocrat who rules Russia.” http://nyti.ms/2i3IEmc
TOP STORY -- “Jared Kushner, a Trump In-Law and Adviser, Chases a Chinese Deal,” by NYT’s Susanne Craig, Jo Becker and Jesse Drucker: “On the night of Nov. 16, a group of executives gathered in a private dining room of the restaurant La Chine at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in Midtown Manhattan. The table was laden with Chinese delicacies and $2,100 bottles of Château Lafite Rothschild. At one end sat Wu Xiaohui, the chairman of the Waldorf’s owner, Anbang Insurance Group, a Chinese financial behemoth with estimated assets of $285 billion and an ownership structure shrouded in mystery. Close by sat Jared Kushner, a major New York real estate investor whose father-in-law, Donald J. Trump, had just been elected president of the United States.
“It was a mutually auspicious moment. Mr. Wu and Mr. Kushner -- who is married to Mr. Trump’s daughter Ivanka and is one of his closest advisers -- were nearing agreement on a joint venture in Manhattan: the redevelopment of 666 Fifth Avenue, the fading crown jewel of the Kushner family real-estate empire. Anbang, which has close ties to the Chinese state, has seen its aggressive efforts to buy up hotels in the United States slowed amid concerns raised by Obama administration officials who review foreign investments for national security risk.Now, according to two people with knowledge of the get-together, Mr. Wu toasted Mr. Trump and declared his desire to meet the president-elect, whose ascension, he was sure, would be good for global business.” http://nyti.ms/2jeMGWC
Good Saturday morning and happy weekend. Here is TRUMP ON THE TWITTERS THIS A.M. -- @realDonaldTrump starting at 6:56 a.m.: “Intelligence stated very strongly there was absolutely no evidence that hacking affected the election results. Voting machines not touched!” … “Only reason the hacking of the poorly defended DNC is discussed is that the loss by the Dems was so big that they are totally embarrassed!” And then again, beginning at 10:02 a.m.: "Having a good relationship with Russia is a good thing, not a bad thing. Only 'stupid' people, or fools, would think that it is bad! We.....have enough problems around the world without yet another one. When I am President, Russia will respect us far more than they do now and....both countries will, perhaps, work together to solve some of the many great and pressing problems and issues of the WORLD!"
-- MAYBE IT’S JUST US, BUT… We haven’t really seen a growing movement of people saying that Trump is an illegitimate president and should not be inaugurated.... ALSO: The intelligence agencies didn't weigh in on whether Russia impacted the outcome of the election. From the report: "We did not make an assessment of the impact that Russian activities had on the outcome of the 2016 election. The US Intelligence Community is charged with monitoring and assessing the intentions, capabilities, and actions of foreign actors; it does not analyze US political processes or US public opinion."
INTERESTING POINT -- @geoffgarin: “Trump won Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin collectively by just 0.56% -- EVERYTHING affected the outcome of the election.”
CAPITAL WEATHER GANG says D.C. will get a dusting to two inches of snow. http://wapo.st/2jeBB7R
THIS COULD BE A PROBLEM -- “GOP resistance grows to Obamacare repeal without replacement,” by Burgess Everett: “A growing number of Senate Republicans are resisting the idea of repealing Obamacare without a concrete replacement proposal, complicating GOP plans to move swiftly to undo the health care law. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) started the open, intra-party dissension this week when the libertarian-leaning senator urged Republicans to vote on a replacement plan at the same time they pass a repeal bill. He was followed a day later by hard-line conservative Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), then by the more centrist Sen. Bob Corker (Tenn.) … At least a half-dozen GOP senators have now expressed public or private concerns about the party’s current trajectory. Their worry: Republicans will be blamed for wreaking havoc on the health care system and causing people to lose their coverage without any assurance they have a superior - or any - plan of their own.” http://politi.co/2inoAc8
-- @RandPaul: “I just spoke to @realDonaldTrump and he fully supports my plan to replace Obamacare the same day we repeal it. The time to act is now.”
-- THIS IS BECOMING A THINGand that’s an issue. Why? Because Republicans are nowhere close to being ready to replace the law. One of two things will need to happen: Republicans will have to wait to repeal the law until they come up with a replacement package, or someone will have to emerge with a replacement package now. There is peril in both approaches, obviously. If Republicans wait, they risk the ire of their constituents, who they have been telling they’ll repeal the law on day one. And if they rush a replacement, they hand Democrats a potent attack: Republicans rushed and rammed a health care plan down our throats quickly.
OUT AND ABOUT -- SPOTTED at the big POTUS goodbye party last night at the White House where Queen Latifah performed: Robert DeNiro, Sheryl Crowe, David Geffen, Connie Milstein, Susan Sher, Judge Neil Cohen, Julia Louis Dreyfus and Brad Hall, Stevie Wonder, Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick, Stephanie Cutter. Bruce Springsteen was spotted at the Jefferson Hotel, just up 16th Street near the White House.
ABOUT THAT WALL…. -- “Hill GOP skeptical over Trump plan to force Mexico payment of border wall,” by CNN’s Manu Raju: “In interviews with CNN, a number of Republicans suggested that Trump’s claim amounted to wishful thinking, saying they believed the billionaire businessman would ultimately backtrack on one of his central campaign promises. ‘I doubt that they're going to pay for it,’ said Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, the longest-serving Senate Republican, referring to Mexico. ‘There’s a lot he could do if he wanted to (force Mexico's hand). In all honesty, I don't think that’s going to happen.’ Rep. Mike Coffman, a Colorado Republican, added: ‘I never thought that would happen. I thought it was a gimmick.’ And some conservatives warned Trump would face a backlash if he failed to follow through. ‘I'm for building a wall,’ said Rep. Mo Brooks of Alabama. ‘And I'm for Donald Trump keeping his promise to the American people that Mexico pay for it.’ He added that he would be ‘disappointed’ if Trump failed to deliver.” http://cnn.it/2iNarrS
-- WaPo’s Mike DeBonis: “Hill Republicans embrace building of border wall, despite cost” http://wapo.st/2iNk6yp
-- Former Mexican President Vicente Fox -- @VicenteFoxQue:“TRUMP, when will you understand that I am not paying for that f***en wall. Be clear with US tax payers. They will pay for it.”
IT’S OFFICIAL … TRUMP NAMES COATS DNI -- Statement from Donald Trump: “I’m very confident that Senator Dan Coats is the right choice to serve as Director of National Intelligence. Dan has clearly demonstrated the deep subject matter expertise and sound judgment required to lead our intelligence community. If confirmed as Director of National Intelligence, he will provide unwavering leadership that the entire intelligence community can respect, and will spearhead my administration’s ceaseless vigilance against those who seek to do us harm.”
JOSH ROGIN in WaPo, “Mattis clashing with Trump transition team over Pentagon staffing”: “With only two weeks left before Inauguration Day and days before Mattis’s Senate confirmation hearing, most major Pentagon civilian positions remain unfilled. Behind the scenes, Mattis has been rejecting large numbers of candidates offered by the transition team for several top posts, two sources close to the transition said. The dispute over personnel appointments is contributing to a tenser relationship between Mattis and the transition officials, which could set the stage for turf wars between the Pentagon and the White House in the coming Trump administration.” http://wapo.st/2jkT7eE
--@seanspicer: “Great transition at DoD. Reports to contrary completely false and come from sources who do not have any knowledge of our transition efforts”
FT. LAUDERDALE UPDATE -- “Airport gunman sent panicked passengers fleeing for lives,” by AP’s David Fischer in Fort Lauderdale, Florida: “Without a word, the gunman moved through the baggage claim picking off travelers until his handgun ran out of ammunition, leaving five dead and eight wounded in Fort Lauderdale’s airport. Panicked witnesses ran out of the terminal and spilled onto the tarmac, baggage in hand. Others hid in bathroom stalls or crouched behind cars or anything else they could find as police and paramedics rushed in Friday to help the wounded and establish whether there were any other gunmen …
“The gunman was identified as 26-year-old Esteban Santiago of Anchorage, Alaska, who served in Iraq with the National Guard but was demoted and discharged last year for unsatisfactory performance. His brother said he had been receiving psychological treatment recently. A law enforcement official told The Associated Press that Santiago had walked into the FBI office in Anchorage in November to say that the U.S. government was controlling his mind and making him watch Islamic State videos. Agents questioned an agitated and disjointed-sounding Santiago and then called police, who took him for a mental health evaluation.” http://apne.ws/2i1Mx7G
UNDER THE HOOD -- “Trump’s Attack-Dog Strategy Has Limits,” by NYT’s Glenn Thrush: “As a political underdog and now as president-elect, Donald J. Trump has employed the same brutal but effective go-to move when he’s tweeted or talked himself into an impasse: Attack the attacker. That aggressiveness served him well in the presidential campaign, and allowed him to muscle through scandals and self-inflicted management mistakes that would have scuttled a lesser politician. But Mr. Trump’s postelection effort to minimize intelligence assessments about Russia’s actions came to an abrupt end Friday after a detailed classified briefing from the nation’s top intelligence officials at Trump Tower and the release of an unclassified report concluding that the Russian president, Vladimir V. Putin, had a ‘clear preference’ for Mr. Trump.” http://nyti.ms/2iP37tR
SHOW ME THE MONEY -- “Trump insiders head for big K Street paydays,” by Isaac Arnsdorf and Ken Vogel: “A growing number of Donald Trump’s allies are rushing straight to K Street to cash in, despite the president-elect's pledge to restrain the industry, and their prized connections could draw huge paydays. Legitimate ties to Trump and his inner circle are exceedingly rare - and coveted - in a lobbying industry where many established GOP players kept their distance from Trump, or defiantly opposed him, during the bitter primary. Bona fide Trump insiders can expect offers of at least $450,000 a year downtown, according to a person familiar with efforts to recruit them as lobbyists.” http://politi.co/2iP1AE9
FORMER DEFENSE SECRETARY ROBERT GATES AND HIS WIFE BECKY are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary today. Geoff Morrell emails: “When they started dating as graduate students at Indiana University, Bob told Becky that if she married him, ‘it would never be boring.’ Seems to have kept that promise!”
PLAYBOOK INBOX – From President-elect Donald Trump with the subject line, “Win a trip to join me at the Inauguration”: “Contribute $3 BEFORE January 13 at 11:59pm to be automatically entered for a chance to win a trip to Washington, D.C., to join me for our Inauguration. The entire world will be watching that day. ... They will be watching a movement of free people reclaim their independence. They will be watching us unite as one people, saluting one American flag, ready to deliver real change for our country.” At the bottom of the email: “NO PURCHASE, PAYMENT, OR CONTRIBUTION NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN.” http://bit.ly/2i1Okgy
TOP-ED – MARGARET CARLSON in the NYT, “The Life of a Disabled Child, From Taunts to Hate Crimes”: “I saw cruelty firsthand — and was guilty myself — as a child. Despite my protection, Jimmy was the last to be picked for a team, although he could swing a bat as badly as just about any other 6-year-old. ... Hitting another kid was punishable, but sidling up to Jimmy and subtly pinching him was not. ... It’s called politically correct and squishy liberal or nannyish to protect the weak among us — transgender children, minorities, the homeless, old people — but it’s really just human.” http://nyti.ms/2i1GMa5
IN YOUR SPARE TIME -- “Here’s 520 Hours of Trump Interviews So You Can Fact-Check the President,” by Motherboard’s Jordan Pearson: http://bit.ly/2j1Y3lz
ON RUSSIA -- DAVID REMNICK on NewYorker.com, “Trump, Putin, and the Big Hack”: “Duma members cheered and applauded [after Trump won]. In the days to come ... Dmitri Kiselyov, the host of ‘News of the Week,’ a popular current-affairs show on state-controlled television, gloated over Trump’s victory and Barack Obama’s inability to prevent it. Obama, he said, was a ‘eunuch.’ Trump was an ‘alpha male’—and one who showed mercy to his vanquished rival. ‘Trump could have put the blonde in prison, as he’d threatened in the televised debates,’ Kiselyov said on his show. ‘On the other hand, it’s nothing new. Trump has left blond women satisfied all his life.’ Kiselyov further praised Trump because the concepts of democracy and human rights ‘are not in his lexicon.’ In India, Turkey, Europe, and now the United States, he declared, ‘the liberal idea is in ruins.’” http://bit.ly/2jmYSsr
A NEW WASHINGTON -- “Obama and Clinton loyalists grapple with Trump recession,” by Sarah Wheaton: “The job market is about to get even more crowded for Washington Democrats, as thousands of Obama appointees join the hundreds of Clinton campaign staffers looking for employment. There’s rarely been less demand for their services. ... There are also the lobbying firms, trade associations and corporate government affairs offices that are pitching senior Obama aides’ resumes into the round file while scrambling to hire operatives with Republican connections. ... [F]or those who want to fight to keep President Barack Obama’s legacy from being erased, there aren’t a lot of places ready to pay them to do it. ‘It feels like there are just thousands of us trying to find a job, and there are no jobs,’ said Mira Patel, a longtime Clinton aide.” http://politi.co/2i1J5Kw
CABINET WATCH -- “New group boosts Pruitt nomination, adding to political backers,” by Alex Guillén and Esther Whieldon: “Energy companies and their executives have poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into political action committees run by or supporting President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt. And now Pruitt is getting extra help from a new nonprofit that doesn't have to disclose its donors … The new group, Protecting America Now, warns that Pruitt’s confirmation ‘is not a certainty’ and says that millions of dollars are needed for advertising and social media campaigns to counter anti-Pruitt campaigning from ‘anti-business, environmental extremists,’ according to a flier obtained by POLITICO.
“The flier assures donors that PAN’s 501(c)(4) status means individual and corporate donors can remain anonymous, and asks for contributions ranging from $25,000 to $500,000. Nonprofits registered as 501(c)(4)’s are not supposed to spend more than half their money on political activities. It is unclear precisely who is behind the campaign, but PAN’s activities come on the heels of separate efforts by oil, coal and other energy interests to funnel money into pro-Pruitt PACs in recent years. Legally, one of those PACs could continue to raise money even after Pruitt joins Trump's Cabinet.” http://politi.co/2i3MhIB
FOR JERUSALEM -- “Meet Arnon Milchan, the Hollywood producer at the center of Netanyahu probe,” by L.A. Times’ Ryan Faughnder, Jeffrey Fleishman and Batsheva Sobelman: “His movie credits include classics such as ‘Pretty Woman’ and ‘JFK,’ as well as recent Oscar winners ‘The Revenant’ and ‘12 Years a Slave.’ But his back story reads more like an espionage thriller that has landed him at the center of a scandal shaking the Israeli government. The latest chapter in the strange saga of Israeli billionaire and veteran film producer Arnon Milchan arose this week over accusations that he -- in typical Hollywood mogul fashion -- gave thousands of dollars worth of cigars and champagne to Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife. Israeli police Thursday interrogated Netanyahu for the second time this week over accusations that he improperly accepted gifts from rich businessmen. Those individuals are said to include Milchan, 72, and others who gave gifts to the prime minister, according to Israeli media reports. Milchan, through a spokeswoman, declined to comment. Netanyahu’s lawyer dismissed the allegations after the three-hour questioning session, saying ‘any reasonable person knows that there is nothing remotely criminal involved when a close friend gives his friend a gift of cigars,’ according to Israeli new outlets.” http://lat.ms/2j1XJD0
MEDIAWATCH – “Facebook Hires Campbell Brown to Lead News Partnerships Team,” by NYT’s Jim Rutenberg: “Facebook is turning to a former television news journalist to help smooth over its strained ties to the news media, which views it as both a vital partner and a potentially devastating opponent. It has hired Campbell Brown, a former NBC News correspondent and CNN prime-time host, to lead its news partnerships team, starting immediately. ... The addition of Ms. Brown comes as Facebook is struggling with its position as a content provider that does not produce its own content — that is, as a platform, not a media company.” http://nyti.ms/2i1KvYt ... Her Facebook post announcing the news http://bit.ly/2j07QZ3
-- “Donald Trump’s Condé Nast Meeting Draws Quiet Protest From Staff,” by WWD’s Alexandra Steigrad: “The off-the-record meeting on the 42nd floor drew what insiders described as a ‘small grassroots’ protest by some women at Condé, who chose to wear white instead of the fashion uniform of black. Wearing white is a nod to the Suffragette movement, and was also a veiled reference to the campaign of Trump’s presidential rival Hillary Clinton, who donned a white pantsuit when she clinched the Democratic nomination this summer.” http://bit.ly/2i454n9
POLITICO PRO HIRES – CARRIE BUDOFF BROWN andMARTY KADY email the staff: “Adriel Bettelheim ... is joining as Health Editor here in DC. Adriel was managing editor for leadership and enterprise at CQ Roll Call, where he was also a podcast host. ... Lisa Zamosky, who had been helping us out short-term over the last few months, is joining as a part time Deputy Health Editor based in California. ... She was a health care business columnist for the Los Angeles Times, and worked as WebMD’s health insurance/reform expert.”
-- A correction to our poll this week http://politi.co/2iPRrcI
CLICKER – “The nation’s cartoonists on the week in politics,” edited by Matt Wuerker -- 14 keepers http://politi.co/2ilb6NS
GREAT WEEKEND READS, curated by Daniel Lippman:
--“In Defense of Facts,” by William Deresiewicz in The Atlantic’s January/February issue: “A new history of the essay gets the genre all wrong, and in the process endorses a misleading idea of knowledge.” http://theatln.tc/2hYOl6j
--“In their own words: The story of covering Election Night 2016,”by CNN’s Brian Stelter: “This is the story of election night 2016 in the words of more than 20 journalists who were in the field, in the newsrooms, at the anchor desks, and in the control rooms.” With cameos by Sopan Deb, Chris Wallace, Nate Cohn, John Dickerson, Annie Linskey and more http://cnnmon.ie/2hYSq5D
--“College Football’s Financial Woes,” by Bloomberg’s Eben Novy-Williams in five articles: “A look at the pressures of rising costs, falling revenue and what, if anything, universities can do about it.” http://bloom.bg/2illp4B
--“Shame on you,” by Firmin deBrabander in Aeon Magazine: “Unburdening ourselves online can feel radical and liberating. But is baring and sharing all as emancipatory as it seems?” http://bit.ly/2hYJNNC
--“Literary Agents,” by Patrick Iber in TNR: “Rethinking the legacy of writers who worked with the CIA.” http://bit.ly/2iNlFum (h/t ALDaily.com)
--“1999 Was The Last Time Everything Was Fine,” by BuzzFeed’s Doree Shafrir: “When I moved to New York City after college in 1999, it felt like anything was possible. But things were about to change more quickly than anyone knew.” http://bzfd.it/2hYJceH (h/t Longreads.com)
--“Staring into the Soundless Dark: On the Trouble Lurking in Poets’ Bedrooms,” by Andrew Ka in The Millions: “Philip Larkin’s ‘Aubade’ [is a 1977 poem that] describes an experience all of us have at some point, that of waking up much earlier than we’d intended and, unable to get back to sleep, lying in a hazy torment in which all our life’s anxieties are amplified tenfold. The anxiety that hounds Larkin turns out to be the prospect of his own death.” http://bit.ly/2hZGksW(h/t TheBrowser.com)
--“The Couple Who Saved China’s Ancient Architectural Treasures Before They Were Lost Forever,” by Tony Perrottet in the Jan. issue of Smithsonian: “As the nation teetered on the brink of war in the 1930s, two Western-educated thinkers struck out for the hinterlands to save their country’s riches.” http://bit.ly/2iRkrAG
--“What Ever Happened to Joseph Randle?” by Dan Greene in Sports Illustrated: “Fifteen months ago Randle, not Ezekiel Elliott, was the Dallas back ripping off chunks of yards behind that awesome O-line. Then came a possible concussion, an array of off-field misdeeds and massive confusion about it all.” http://on.si.com/2iN8v0m (h/t Longform.org)
--“The Vertical Farm,” by The New Yorker’s Ian Frazier: “Growing crops in the city, without soil or natural light.” http://bit.ly/2il9svP
--“How ‘Elites’ Became One of the Nastiest Epithets in American Politics First Words,” by Beverly Gage in the NYT Magazine: “Our new president is a private-jet-setting billionaire Ivy League graduate, a real estate tycoon, a TV star and a son of inherited wealth. But he is no longer, by his own calculations, a member of the ‘elite.’” http://nyti.ms/2iZXHvr
--“Micro-dosing: The Drug Habit Your Boss Is Gonna Love,” by Josh Dean in GQ: “What started as a body-tinkering, mind-hacking, supplement-taking productivity craze in Silicon Valley is now spreading to more respectable workplaces, maybe even to your office, where the guy down the hall might already be popping a new breed of brain-boosting pills or micro-dosing LSD—all in the name of self-improvement. Can you afford not to keep up?” http://bit.ly/2jkGOzl
--“One Man’s Quest to Change the Way We Die,” by Jon Mooallem in the N.Y. Times Magazine: “How B.J. Miller, a doctor and triple amputee, used his own experience to pioneer a new model of palliative care at a small, quirky hospice in San Francisco.” http://nyti.ms/2hZHTY8
--“Eichmann in Jerusalem,” by Hannah Arendt in the Feb. 16, 1963 issue of The New Yorker: “At no time, however, is there anything theatrical in the conduct of the judges ... Their walk is unstudied; their sober and intense attention, visibly stiffening under the impact of grief as they listen to the tales of suffering, is natural; their impatience with the prosecutor’s attempt to drag out the hearings is spontaneous and refreshing; their attitude toward the defense is perhaps a shade over-polite.” http://bit.ly/2iRhwrM
PRESIDENT’S WEEK AHEAD -- “On Monday, the President will attend meetings at the White House. On Tuesday, the President will travel to Chicago, Illinois to deliver his farewell address to the American people, where he will thank his supporters, celebrate the ways we have changed this country for the better these past eight years, and offer some thoughts on where we all go from here. The First Lady, the Vice President and Dr. Biden will also attend. On Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, the President will attend meetings at the White House.”
SPOTTED: George Tenet and Michael Morrell walking into a private room at Cafe Milano last night ... Also separately at the restaurant: Claire Buchan Parker, Ken Blackwell, James Rosen, Jim Messina, Gov. Terry McAuliffe holding a large cigar in the lobby, Tina Flournoy ... Corey Lewandowski struggling to find a table at 201 Bar last night ... Sitting at the window seat yesterday at Woodward Table: Gen. Jim “Maddog” Mattis! When Todd Sadowski of Atlas Research told him congratulations, he said: “Thank you, young man and I hope you’re staying warm!” ... John Harbaugh walking out of Old Ebbitt grill ... Jon Hamm at Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak and Stone Crab yesterday ... Heather Podesta at breakfast at the Four Seasons -- Jamie Smith was later spotted working on her laptop in the hotel’s lobby ... Valerie Jarrett at lunch at Pinea restaurant at the W hotel ... Sen. Ed Markey on a delayed flight last night from National to Albany, N.Y.
TRANSITIONS -- Logan Dobson started this week at the NRSC as its director of data and analytics; he was previously manager of client strategy at Targeted Victory. ... PJ Hoffman has been hired as the new director of regulatory affairs at the Electronic Transactions Association; he previously was at Pepper Hamilton LLP. http://bit.ly/2hZOnX0 ...Miryam Lipper, former regional comms director for HRC and before that the DNC’s deputy national press secretary, has been named Sen. Casey’s press secretary on the Aging Committee. .... Kathryn Mevis,special assistant to the President and legislative affairs liaison, will be Sen. Casey’s staff director on that committee.
ANDREW KOVALCIN has left the U.S. Chamber of Commerce as its third party lead for the Global IP Center to hang a shingle setting up his own practice, Advanced Advocacy. Kovalcin, who is retaining the Chamber as a client, is focused on third party advocacy clients and issue campaigns.
BEN SCHWERIN (a co-founder of Fenway Strategies and former WJC staffer) was named a digital entertainment exec to watch in 2017 by Variety for his role at Snapchat. http://bit.ly/2hXcWIS
WELCOME TO THE WORLD -- Mark Ritacco, director of strategic initiatives for Sen. Chris Murphy and Jaime Gershberg Ritacco, director of development at the National Kidney Foundation, have welcomed Sonny Jacob Ritacco, who came into the world early Tuesday morning. Everyone is healthy and happy. Pic http://politi.co/2hYZGTY
BIRTHDAYS: Katie Couric (hat tip: Nancy Baker) ... John Reiss, executive producer of “Meet the Press” ... Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is 54, celebrating with a nice dinner with his wife and kids “along with a moment of silence at the beginning to remember the ballooning debt (kidding)” – pic of him with his staffers at an office party http://politi.co/2jkRFch (h/t Sergio) ... Sen. John Thune (R-SD) is 56, who will hopefully get a birthday gift in a Packer win tomorrow (h/t AshLee Strong) … Jann Wenner is 71 ... Monument Policy Group’s Stewart Verdery, a DHS alum, is 47 ... The Atlantic’s Conor Friedersdorf, founding editor of The Best of Journalism newsletter, is 37 ... Politico’s Conor Skelding, Jonathan Clark and Taylor Gee ... DNC and Treasury alum Holly Shulman ... Max Mallory, director at Hamilton Place Strategies ... WaPo’s Adam Entous ... Yohannes Abraham ... Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-SC) is 51 ... former Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Calif.) is 57 ... Britta Ritter-Armour, building intelligence intern at WeWork ... Monica Lee ... George David Banks, EVP at the American Council for Capital Formation and alum of Senate EPW, Bush WH, and State ... Maura Keefe (h/ts Jon Haber) ... Rishi Sahgal (h/t Kate Balcerzak) ...
… Megan Brown Clarke, who after a dedicated decade at the Fox News Channel, was recently promoted to VP of guest booking. In December, Even better, “DTMB” married JP Morgan’s Jeff Clarke (of Ridgewood, NJ) at the Rosewood Mayacoba in Riviera Maya Mexico –pic http://bit.ly/2ilc78R (h/t Lauren Fritts) ... APCO’s Tim Kraus (h/t Anthony DeAngelo) ... Alex Pazuchanics, policy advisor for the City of Pittsburgh ... Garth Spencer, D.C. office director of Delaware Gov. Jack Markell ... SUNY Albany alum and NYC subway enthusiast Michael F. Longo, former Treasurer of the NY State College Republicans, is 24 (h/t Eli Nachmany) ... Democratic Brooklyn operative Chris McCreight ... Bush Interior alum Matt McKinney, now working for Maryland Gov. Hogan ... Andrea Elizabeth Hailey ... Ken Lindeman ... AFL-CIO’s Kelly Marie Fay Rodríguez ... Eric Pfeiffer of Good Magazine ... National Journal energy star reporter Ben Geman (h/t Dan Berman) ... British politician Nick Clegg is 5-0 … Brianna Labuskes, aggregation editor at Kaiser Health News and a Politico alum ... Sharon Deardon ... Maddy Ward ... Bill Shoehigh ... David Walsh ... Naomi Rosen Marx ... Renee Davidson (h/ts Teresa Vilmain) ... Jim Bohannon ... Jeff Gulko ... Justin Martin ... William Flynn ... Brett Shogren ... Michael Ward ... Bush-Cheney ’04 alum Brian Summers ... Neal Osborne is 29 ... Yvonne Conza ... Caleb Michael ... Nicolas Cage is 53 ... Jeremy Renner is 46 (h/ts AP)
THE SHOWS, from @MattMackowiak, filing from Austin:
--NBC’s “Meet the Press”: Defense Secretary Ash Carter … Kellyanne Conway … Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.) . Panel: David Brooks, Donna Edwards, Andrea Mitchell and Rick Santelli
--ABC’s “This Week”: President Barack Obama (taped)
--CBS’s “Face the Nation”: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) … Reince Priebus … Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) … Michael Morell and James Woolsey. Panel: Ezra Klein, John Heilemann, Tammy Bruce and Ed O’Keefe
--“Fox News Sunday”: Reince Priebus … House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.). Panel: Laura Ingraham, Julie Pace, Michael Needham and Juan Williams
--CNN’s “State of the Union”: (9 a.m.): Kellyanne Conway. Panel: Mike Rogers, Neera Tanden, Rick Santorum and Nina Turner
--Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” (10 a.m.): House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) … Thom Tillis … Newt Gingrich … Larry Summers … Michael Mukasey. Panel: Tony Sayegh, Scott Brown and Jessica Tarlov
--Fox News’ “MediaBuzz” (SUN. 11 a.m.): Erin McPike … Sean Spicer … Amy Holmes … Charles Lane … Gerard Baker … Joe Concha
--CNN’s “Inside Politics” with John King (8 a.m.): Panel: Abby Phillip, Jackie Kucinich, Manu Raju and Jeff Zeleny
--CNN’s “Reliable Sources”: (11 a.m.): David Sanger and Glenn Greenwald. Panel: Kristen Soltis Anderson, Kayleigh McEnany and MSNBC.com editor-in-chief and Montclair State University’s Merrill Brown. Sarah Ellison and Jim Rutenberg
--Univision’s “Al Punto” (10 a.m.): Defense Secretary Jeh Johnson … Catherine Cortez Masto … Vicente González … Jorge Castañeda … Rita Moreno
---C-SPAN: “The Communicators” (Sat. 6:30 p.m.): Rep. Mark Walker (R-N.C.), questioned by The Hill’s Scott Wong and CQ Roll Call’s Lindsey McPherson … “Newsmakers” (SUN. 10 a.m.): Moffett Nathanson Research co-founder and senior research analyst Craig Moffett (from New York City), questioned by Reuters’ David Shepardson … “Q&A” (SUN. 8 p.m. and 11 p.m.): Author and the University of Pennsylvania’s Rosemary Stevens (“A Time of Scandal: Charles R. Forbes, Warren G. Harding, and the Making of the Veterans Bureau”)
--Washington Times’ “Mack on Politics” weekly politics podcast with Matt Mackowiak (download at MackOnPolitics.com or in the iTunes store): Bill Kristol … Jeff Roe