Happy New Year and welcome to 2017. PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD TRUMP spoke to the pool Saturday night at his Mar-a-Lago New Year’s Eve party (which had paying guests). Here is what he said, per pooler S.V. Dáte of the Huffington Post.
-- ON U.S. INTELLIGENCE THAT RUSSIA INTERFERED IN THE ELECTION: “Well, I just want them to be sure, because it’s a pretty serious charge, and I want them to be sure. And if you look at the weapons of mass destruction, that was a disaster, and they were wrong. And so I want them to be sure. I think it’s unfair if they don’t know. And I know a lot about hacking. And hacking is a very hard thing to prove. So it could be somebody else. And I also know things that other people don’t know, and so they cannot be sure of the situation.” Follow-up question -- What do you know that others don’t? “You’ll find out on Tuesday or Wednesday.”
-- ON CYBERSECURITY: “It’s very important, if you have something really important, write it out and have it delivered by courier, the old fashioned way because I’ll tell you what, no computer is safe. I don’t care what they say, no computer is safe. I have a boy who’s ten years old, he can do anything with a computer. You want something to really go without detection, write it out and have it sent by courier.”
-- WHAT TRUMP WILL ASK AT HIS INTEL BRIEFINGS NEXT WEEK:“We’re talking about normal questions, but everything’s going to work out very well. Hopefully we’re going to have great relationships with many countries, it includes Russia and it includes China.”
-- TRUMP’S NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION: “Make America Great Again, OK? I’ll do that one!” Maggie Haberman’s story in the NYT from West Palm Beach http://nyti.ms/2hGyTKw … The menu at Trump’s NYE party http://bit.ly/2hGInFv
JUST ASKING… -- Has any president ever so openly doubted U.S. intelligence before? And how many people still use couriers?
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REMINDER -- Tomorrow, Jan. 2, is a national holiday. TRUMP is traveling back to New York this afternoon. OBAMA arrives back in D.C. at 10 a.m. Monday.
TOP STORY -- “Manhunt underway after massacre at Istanbul nightclub, officials say,” by WaPo’s Erin Cunningham in Istanbul and Kareem Fahim in Cairo: “Turkish authorities on Sunday were hunting for the lone gunman who opened fire on a New Year’s celebration at one of Istanbul’s most popular nightclubs, killing dozens of people, including a number of foreigners, and wounding scores more ... At least 39 people were killed, and another 70 people wounded, in the latest in a string of attacks that has shaken Turkey as it faces an array of threats both at home and as a result of the ongoing civil war in Syria. Early Sunday, Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said the attack at the Reina Club, which began with a spray of gunfire around 1 a.m., was carried out by a single assailant, who has not yet been identified. Speaking to reporters outside an Istanbul hospital, Soylu said the attacker changed clothes in order to escape the scene.” http://wapo.st/2hGSegm
--NYT/Istanbul: “The target of the attack was the upscale Reina nightclub, in the Ortakoy neighborhood overlooking the Bosporus, which had maintained its popularity with a mostly affluent, cosmopolitan clientele despite a series of terrorist attacks that had severely crimped Turkey’s tourism industry. Popular among professional soccer players and soap opera stars, and with Turks and foreigners, the nightclub is known for its late-night parties and the beautiful view from its terrace. As many as 600 people were estimated to have been in the club … Fifteen of the people killed were foreigners, the Foreign Ministry said. They included five Saudis; three Jordanians; two Lebanese men; two Indians; a Tunisian couple, one of whom was also a French citizen; a teenager from Israel; and a dual citizen of Belgium and Turkey.” http://nyti.ms/2iSXYzs
DAILY DONALD -- “Trump kicks biographer off golf course,” by Ken Vogel: “President-elect Donald Trump on Friday ejected from his West Palm Beach golf course one of his most critical biographers, Harry Hurt III, who had been preparing to play in a foursome with billionaire mega-donor David Koch. Hurt is the author of ‘Lost Tycoon: The Many Lives of Donald J. Trump,’ a 1993 book that revealed among other things that Trump was accused of ‘rape’ by his ex-wife Ivana Trump in a sworn deposition during their divorce proceedings. ... On Friday, Hurt approached Trump on the practice tee at Trump International Golf Club, and congratulated him on his victory in last month’s presidential election, according to an account that Hurt posted on Facebook on Saturday.
“Trump responded by criticizing Hurt’s biography as untrue, to which Hurt replied ‘It’s all true,’ according to both Hurt’s Facebook post and a transition official who was briefed on the incident ... Trump told Hurt ‘you’re out of here,’ according to the transition official, while Hurt wrote on Facebook that Trump told him it was ‘inappropriate’ for him to play at the club. ... Hurt’s Facebook post says that Trump ‘had his security detail escort Hurt, Koch, and their playing partners to the parking lot,’ and that Koch ‘was appalled,’ and criticized Trump as ‘petty’ and ‘vulgar.’” http://politi.co/2hZ1CrJ ... Hurt’s Facebook post http://bit.ly/2iw3bRj… Hurt’s Trump bio -- $18.95 on Amazon http://amzn.to/2hGNqGb
TRUMP INC. – NYT A1, “Trump’s Indonesia Projects, Still Moving Ahead, Create Potential Conflicts,” by Richard C. Paddock in Jakarta and Eric Lipton in DC: “One resort, planned as the largest in Bali, will overlook a spectacular Hindu temple. The other, in the verdant hills of West Java, will adjoin a theme park. The properties will be so luxurious, the Trump Organization says, that even an impressive five-star rating will not do them justice. So it will give them six stars instead. Even as President-elect Donald J. Trump promises to end foreign business deals that could pose conflicts of interest — there will be ‘no new deals’ while he is in office, he has said — his company is moving ahead with two Indonesian projects that illustrate how tricky that pledge might be.” http://nyti.ms/2hGTtvP
SUNDAY BEST -- SEAN SPICER on “THIS WEEK” with guest-host JONATHAN KARL -- KARL: “OK, I want to move on to the inauguration coming up. You’ve promised, and we’ve heard from Trump talking about a big start to this administration.” SPICER: “Right.” KARL: “What is the one big thing we are going to see after he takes the oath of office?” SPICER: “It’s going to be not one big thing; it’s going to be many big things. On day one he’s going to sign a series of executive orders, do two things, one is repeal a lot of the regulations and actions that have been taken by this administration over the last eight years that have hampered both economic growth and job-creation. And then secondly, do the same on a forward thinking thing. He’s going to start implementing things. … He’s going to institute a lobbying ban, five years. It’s very forward thinking. What we’ve had in the past is people who have looked in the rear view mirror. This time, we’re thinking forward. If you want to serve in a Trump administration, you’re going to serve this country, not yourself. So there’s going to be a five year ban on people going off to be lobbyists, or a lifetime ban on anyone who wants to serve a foreign government.”
OBAMA LEGACY – NYT A1, “Obama’s Last Days: Aiding Trump Transition, but Erecting Policy Roadblocks,” by Mike Shear: Obama recently “has banned oil drilling off the Atlantic coast, established new environmental monuments, protected funding for Planned Parenthood clinics, ordered the transfer of detainees from Guantánamo Bay, criticized Israeli settlements and punished Russia for interfering in the recent elections through cyberattacks. ... Mr. Obama is continuing to fill the ranks of the government with his own appointees; since Election Day, he has named 103 people to senior Civil Service jobs, boards, key commissions and oversight panels.” http://nyti.ms/2hGGubR
BRIANNA KEILAR IS MARRIED! -- Pool report from Paul Kane, filing from Vegas: “Brianna, CNN’s senior political correspondent and anchor, and Fernando, a lieutenant colonel in the Army Special Forces and current director of Afghanistan for the … National Security Council, were married Friday night in Las Vegas. The ceremony took place in The Gallery at CityCenter, with vows that included Keilar’s pledge to always root for Army over Navy and Lujan’s promise to always take her seriously, not literally. The reception was held next door at the Mandarin Oriental, where Lujan and the groomsmen serenaded Keilar and the bridesmaids backed by a mariachi band. Later, ‘Elvis’ entertained the crowd.
“Friends and family danced well past midnight, interspersed with a series of emotional toasts recounting the couple’s initial meeting in 2012 (when Brianna at first tried to set Fernando up with a friend), reconnecting several years later and starting to date, then Lujan conspiring with Keilar’s mother to propose to her, her mother’s passing last May before the engagement and overcoming that sorrow. Kelly Keilar, Brianna’s sister, was maid of honor; David Lozano, who served in the Army with Lujan, was best man. Bridesmaids included Elise Labott, Kristen Welker and Brooke Baldwin. Carol Lee, also a bridesmaid, could not attend because she's covering President Obama's last presidential vacation in Hawaii, but Lee was represented by a life-size cardboard cutout that mingled with the crowd. … Glenn Keilar, in a powerful toast recounting overcoming despair after his wife’s passing, gave a final bit of advice to his daughter and son-in-law on how to have a successful marriage. Always just say two words to one another: ‘Yes, dear.’” Pic by Dana Bash http://bit.ly/2im7LkI
SPOTTED: Richard Clarke, Wolf Blitzer and Lynn Greenfield, Michael Glantz and Heidi Skolnik, Spencer Garrett and Dana Bash, John Hughes, James Fletcher, Ron and Sara Bonjean, Erika Masonhall, Angel Burdette, Kenya Daniel, Kyung Lah, Tom Pratt, Jason and Samantha Galui, Valerie and Dean Boyd, Mara Schiavocampo and Tommie Porter, Lyla Kohistany, Thomas and Ericka Sowers, Pallavi Reddy, Billy Laing, Becky Zimmerman, Alex and Ann Gallo, Neilesh Shelat, Christy Abizaid and Jill Murphy, Jay and Sara Shaylor, and Courtney Cooper, who caught the bouquet. Khoshal Sadat, an Afghan Special Forces officer who worked closely with Lujan in Afghanistan in 2011, traveled the farthest to make the wedding.
ENGAGED -- On New Year’s Eve in London, former RNC chief of staff and current head of the Congressional Leadership Fund Mike Shields proposed to current RNC chief of staff Katie Walsh. Pool report: “They were in London with their best friends Rob and Cindy Boyd and were having dinner but left early because Mike told her there was a party at 10 Downing Street they were going to stop by. ... As they were getting over there she got caught up on a call with Sara Armstrong (CEO of the Presidential Inaugural Committee) ... and didn’t realize no one else was going through security at 10 Downing. They got inside and the very nice security guards were giving them a little tour and she started to question why no one else seemed to be there. The security guard showed them the staircase from ‘Love Actually’ and then walked them into the cabinet room and closed the door. Then Mike got down on his knee and asked her to marry him. They then headed to the top of The Chard to watch the fireworks with Rob and Cindy and her best friend, Cara Mason, RNC’s finance director, whom Mike had flown over.” Instapic http://bit.ly/2irGNGu (h/t Reince Priebus)
PAGE SIX: “Huma Abedin spends holidays with her son in the Hamptons”: “Anthony Weiner apparently didn’t get to spend the holidays with his son and estranged wife, Huma Abedin. Top Hillary Clinton aide Huma and her 4-year-old son with Weiner, Jordan, have been hiding out in the Hamptons over the holidays with her mother, Saleha Mahmood Abedin, and sister, Heba Abedin. On Wednesday, Huma was spotted taking Jordan to see the animated film ‘Sing’ at the 4 p.m. showing in Southampton.” http://pge.sx/2iwbIDV
COLLEGE FOOTBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP -- No. 3 Clemson vs. No. 1 Alabama. Jan. 9 at 8 p.m. in Tampa. Televised on ESPN.
WHAT PHIL MATTINGLY IS BURNING -- COLUMBUS DISPATCH FRONT-PAGE HEADLINE -- “UH, NOT THIS YEAR -- Ohio State falls to Clemson 31-0, ending title hopes” http://politi.co/2hCZYuP
WHAT NEW HAMPSHIRE IS READING -- “At Union Leader and Sunday News, one McQuaid succeeds another”: Brendan J. McQuaid of Manchester is the new president of the Union Leader Corp. McQuaid, 37, was named to the top post by the company board of directors. He succeeds his father, Joseph W. McQuaid, who will continue as Publisher, overseeing news and editorial operations.” http://bit.ly/2hCTU5q … Front page for the McQuaid scrapbook http://politi.co/2hH6G7X
SHERIFF JOE ARPAIO IS OUT -- “‘WHEN I THINK BACK HOW DID I SURVIVE FOR 24 YEARS ...?’ -- Now, ‘America’s Toughest Sheriff’ is just an average Joe,” by the Arizona Republic’s Megan Cassidy and Michael Kiefer. http://bit.ly/2hCTOuA … A1 spread http://politi.co/2im2MQS
CLICKERS – “2016: A very Wuerker year: A look back at 2016’s political cartoons from the desk of Matt Wuerker.” 30 funnies http://politi.co/2is01vl
--“16 Photos That Will Change Your View of Washington: The best shots ‘inside the beltway’ in 2016,” by Ruairi Arrieta-Kenna: http://politi.co/2hZ1qc
PICKING UP THE PIECES -- “Why the Democrats’ 2017 comeback dream is like nothing we’ve seen before,” by WaPo’s Dave Weigel: http://wapo.st/2iUu8yD
GET SMART FAST -- “Putin’s Real Long Game: The world order we know is already over, and Russia is moving fast to grab the advantage. Can Trump figure out the new war in time to win it?” by Molly K. McKew in Politico Magazine: “From Moscow, Vladimir Putin has seized the momentum of this unraveling, exacting critical damage to the underpinnings of the liberal world order in a shockingly short time. As he builds a new system to replace the one we know, attempts by America and its allies to repair the damage have been limited and slow. ... What both [the Obama and incoming Trump] administrations fail to realize is that the West is already at war, whether it wants to be or not. It may not be a war we recognize, but it is a war. This war seeks, at home and abroad, to erode our values, our democracy, and our institutional strength; to dilute our ability to sort fact from fiction, or moral right from wrong; and to convince us to make decisions against our own best interests.” http://politi.co/2hH3qJz
MOOD MUSIC -- “Feminism Lost. Now What?” by Susan Chira on the cover of Sunday Review: “This was supposed to be the year of triumph for American women. ... Instead, for those at the forefront of the women’s movement, there is despair, division and defiance. Hillary Clinton’s loss was feminism’s, too. A man whose behavior toward women is a throwback to pre-feminist days is now setting the tone for the country. The cabinet that Donald J. Trump has nominated includes men — and a few women — with public records hostile to a range of issues at the heart of the women’s movement. A majority of white women voted for him, shattering myths of female solidarity and the belief that demeaning women would make a politician unelectable. More broadly, there is a fear that women’s issues as the movement has defined them — reproductive rights, women’s health, workplace advancement and the fight against sexual harassment, among others — could be trampled or ignored.” http://nyti.ms/2hH3l8N
FOR BROOKLYN -- “Losing a Presidential Bid Looks a Lot Like Getting Dumped,” by Gillian Brassil in POLITICO Magazine: “Here’s how other losing presidential contenders have muddled through the worst breakup of their lives. 1. Retreating to the woods ... 2. Growing a beard ... 3. Making a big show of how much more fun you’re having now ... 4. Retail therapy ... 5. More retail therapy ... 6. Going on solo drives ... 7. Indulging in guilty pleasures ... 8. Eating the pain away ... 9. Taking to the skies ... 10. NOT wandering the streets ... 11. Spending time in the great outdoors ... 12. Stockholm syndrome a.k.a. ‘Let’s stay friends’ ... 13. Pursuing new hobbies.” With 13 pix on one page: http://politi.co/2iw0zTK
USED NEWS – NYT, yesterday, “Kitty Dukakis, a Beneficiary of Electroshock Therapy, Emerges as Its Evangelist” http://nyti.ms/2iDK2dv ... POLITICO Magazine, Sept. 3, 2015, “Michael Dukakis’ Final Campaign: Can he and Kitty lift the stigma from the electric shock treatment that saved her life?” by Jen Haberkorn. http://politi.co/2iSSZyO
BEYOND THE BELTWAY – “Republicans embrace Amtrak’s Gulf Coast rebirth,” by Lauren Gardner in Mobile, Alabama: “A decade after Hurricane Katrina wiped out a long stretch of Amtrak’s transcontinental passenger route in the Deep South, the railroad is plotting to bring it back. And it’s attracted a seemingly unlikely group of cheerleaders: red-state Republicans. For Amtrak, extending the City of New Orleans line from Louisiana to Orlando, Fla., is a chance to demonstrate that its traditionally money-losing long-distance routes deserve Congress’ investment. It could also mark a shift in some Republicans’ attitudes toward Amtrak, after decades of GOP leaders in Washington trying to slash the passenger rail’s funding and force it to dump unprofitable routes. Now local and state Republican leaders along the Gulf Coast are promoting a revived Amtrak route as a tool for commerce and jobs.” http://politi.co/2iUDdaV
FRENCH ELECTION UPDATE -- “Le Pen borrows from father’s company to fund presidential campaign: Loan highlights ties at a time when National Front is trying to carve fresh image,” by FT’s Michael Stothard in Paris: “Marine Le Pen will borrow €6m from a company owned by her father to fund her campaign for the French presidency this year, after the leader of the far-right National Front failed to secure financing from traditional banks. Florian Philippot, the deputy head of the party, told Europe 1 radio on Sunday that the money would come from a group called Cotelec, which is owned by Jean-Marie Le Pen, and was being taken because ‘the French banks refuse to finance us.’” http://on.ft.com/2iDSpWf
BUSINESS BURST – NYT Sunday Business cover, “Deutsche Bank Flew and Fell. Some Paid a High Price,” by Landon Thomas Jr.: “In 2005, Deutsche Bank, then a powerhouse in the selling of risky derivatives on a global scale, was minting money. To mark the moment, the bank’s profit engine — its global markets division — commissioned a book about itself. ... In the view of one senior executive, it all came down to masterly salesmanship by a single man, Anshu Jain, the chief promoter of the bank’s hottest product: risk. ‘The size just kept mounting and mounting,’ this person marveled in a passage in the book, referring to the growing demand for some of Deutsche’s raciest fare. And it was Mr. Jain, the bank’s eventual leader, who ‘dramatically accelerated that delivery of complex structures to the broader client base.’ Today, these words read more like an epitaph than a commemoration.” http://nyti.ms/2hH2llb
YOWZA -- “Mariah Carey’s New Year’s Eve Nightmare in Times Square,” by NYT’s Pat Healy: “Mariah Carey suffered through a performance train wreck in Times Square on New Year’s Eve as technical malfunctions left her at a loss vocally during her hit song ‘Emotions,’ struggling to reach notes and to sync the lyrics and music. The trouble continued when she gave up on another of her best-known numbers, ‘We Belong Together,’ while a prerecording of the song continued to play, a confirmation that she had been lip-syncing. It was a rare meltdown on national television by one of the top-selling recording artists of all time. Ms. Carey, a pop phenomenon in the 1990s who won five Grammys out of 34 nominations over the years, was the final pre-midnight act on ABC’s ‘Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest’ She had just finished ‘Auld Lang Syne’ when her star turn began to spiral out of control.
“‘We can’t hear,’ she said in the opening seconds of ‘Emotions’ after she sashayed down the stage before more than 1 million people gathered to watch the ball drop in Manhattan. Standing still with her left hand on her hip while music played, Ms. Carey told the audience that there had not been a proper sound check before her performance. Then she said, ‘We’ll just sing,’ and noted proudly of her song, ‘It went to No. 1.’ But she could not manage the notes that followed, and she either forgot lyrics or did not want to deliver a subpar performance. ‘We’re missing some of these vocals, but it is what it is,’ she said. ‘Let the audience sing.’ ABC quickly cut to shots of the Times Square crowd as Ms. Carey tried to perform some of her choreography. She continued suggesting fixes from the stage, and at one point seemed to defend herself. ‘I’m trying to be a good sport here,’ she said. When the number ended, the crowd cheered her on. ‘That was —’ she said, pausing for effect, ‘amazing.’” http://nyti.ms/2hCMbV8 … Video http://bit.ly/2iDT4Hp
HOLLYWOODLAND – “KKK Leaders Allege Producers Paid Them to Fake Scenes in Canceled A&E Documentary,” by The Hollywood Reporter’s Nate Thayer: “Some KKK leaders divulged that they were paid hundreds of dollars in cash each day of filming to compel them on camera to distort the facts of their lives to fit the documentary’s predetermined narrative: tension between Klan members and relatives of theirs who wanted to get out of the Klan. ... The KKK leaders who were interviewed by Variety detailed how they were wooed with promises the program would capture the truth about life in the organization; encouraged not to file taxes on cash payments for agreeing to participate in the filming; presented with pre-scripted fictional story scenarios; instructed what to say on camera; asked to misrepresent their actual identities, motivations and relationships with others, and re-enacted camera shoots repeatedly until the production team was satisfied.” http://bit.ly/2im0aCD
BONUS GREAT WEEKEND READS, curated by Daniel Lippman, filing from New Orleans:
--“The Most Powerful Men in the World,” by Masha Gessen in the NY Review of Books: “Trump and Putin, on the other hand, lack a concept of the future. In Putin’s version of the clash of civilizations, we have only a threatening Western present versus an imaginary Eurasian past. In Trump’s case, the threatening present is global while the alluring past is American.” http://bit.ly/2hxOitn
--“The Economist bids farewell to a formative home: Goodbye 25 St James’s Street” – The Economist cross-posted on Medium: “From the upper floors of the Economist tower, we are surrounded by buildings only half as high. ... Perhaps our height also [gave] us greater confidence in handing down Olympian judgments on world affairs.” http://bit.ly/2hxUtNR (h/t TheBrowser.com)
--“He auctioned off the pistol that killed Trayvon Martin. She watched her child die in a mass shooting. Can they change each other’s minds about guns?” by Lisa Miller in NY Mag: http://nym.ag/2hvu4nh (h/t Longreads.com)
--“How Donald Trump Beat Palm Beach Society and Won the Fight for Mar-a-Lago,” by Mark Seal in the February Vanity Fair: “From the moment Donald Trump set eyes on Mar-a-Lago, the grand palace of old Palm Beach, he was on a collision course with one of the richest and most insular towns in America. Mark Seal chronicles how the president-elect created his ‘Winter White House’ with brash ploys, lawsuits, and by turning Palm Beach’s exclusivity against it.” http://bit.ly/2igNV8h
--“Inside an ISIS Bunker,” by The Daily Beast’s Kim Dozier in Baa’shiqa, Irag: “Booby-trapped houses above. A city strewn with bombs ahead. And below, a network of tunnels fit for a terror army.” http://thebea.st/2hGLld6
--“Anthony Bourdain on Sichuan Peppers, Sex, Eating Dogs, and Political Correctness,” by Alexander Bisley in Reason magazine: “Bourdain talked about how Sichuan peppers are like sex, whether animal-rights activists have any sense of humor, and how the ‘utter contempt with which privileged Eastern liberals such as myself discuss red-state, gun-country, working-class America as ridiculous and morons and rubes’ is a problem.” http://bit.ly/2iT56fl
--“Is Putin’s Master Plan Only Beginning?” by Vanity Fair’s Henry Porter: “With three consequential European elections occurring in 2017, the former K.G.B. officer has more potential to undermine free societies than he could have ever fathomed during his Cold War days.” http://bit.ly/2igSHmp
--“Mr. Comey Goes To Washington,” by Chris Smith in NYMag’s Oct. 20, 2003 issue: “Just as his terrorism and corporate-corruption cases here are heating up, United States Attorney James Comey is heading south to become John Ashcroft’s deputy. What’s a nice, nonpartisan prosecutor going to do in a Justice Department like that?” http://nym.ag/2i0CkKu
--“A Sportscaster’s Secret Mission To Save Jewish Family At The ‘Nazi’ Olympics,” by Karen Given on WBUR’s “Only a Game”: http://wbur.fm/2iaQieK (h/t Jewish Insider)
--“Steve Dunleavy: The Writer They Call Mr. Blood and Guts,” by Chet Flippo in the April 19, 1979 Rolling Stone: “A profile of the [N.Y.] ‘Post’ newspaperman whose crime coverage in 1970s New York made headlines.” http://rol.st/2ioj1cX
--“Doing Her Quiet Thing,” by Michelle Koufopoulos in Longreads: “Concerned that she’s a ‘bad victim,’ a writer is silent about being raped—until she isn’t.” http://bit.ly/2hB3R4g
--“Jihadists in Paradise,” by Mark Bowden in The Atlantic’s March 2007 issue: “A kidnapping at a Philippine resort triggered a yearlong hunt for pirate terrorists and their American hostages. A behind-the-scenes tale of intrigue, spycraft, and betrayal.” http://theatln.tc/2hmwMwK
--“Land of the Free? This Firsthand Report From the Emmett Till Murder Trial Is Chilling to Read Today,” by Dan Wakefield in the Oct. 1, 1955 issue of The Nation: “The crowds are gone and this Delta town is back to its silent, solid life that is based on cotton and the proposition that a whole race of men was created to pick it.” http://bit.ly/2i1gUgj
--“Polymath at large: revisiting the travels of Andrew Solomon,” by Erica Wagner in The New Statesman: “Solomon’s gifts are so wide-ranging it can be hard not to believe he comes from an earlier century.” http://bit.ly/2hD8wGU (h/t ALDaily.com)
--“The Crazy Story of the Professor Who Came to Stay—and Wouldn’t Leave,” by Ian Gordon in Mother Jones: “It’s not easy to evict someone in California. Usually that's a good thing.” http://bit.ly/2imtFCu (h/t Longform.org)
--“The Objectification of Birthing Bodies,” by Sarah Scullin in Eidolon: “While ‘general’ medicine has been faster to shed the vestiges of the Greco-Roman humoral medicine that dominated Europe and its colonies for roughly 2500 years, the branches that focus on lady parts ... and their workings ... reflect outdated and needlessly gendered ideas about the workings of the female body.” http://bit.ly/2i1lGdA
TRUMP FAMILY NYE PICS -- @IvankaTrump: “2016 has been one of the most eventful and exciting years of my life. I wish you peace, joy, love and laughter. Happy New Year! #NYE” http://bit.ly/2iV09Xy … @EricTrump: “New Year’s wouldn’t be New Year’s without @TheSlyStallone … #GreatAmerican” http://bit.ly/2hH45uR … @DonaldJTrumpJr: “Happy new year everyone. #newyear #family #vacation #familytime” http://bit.ly/2irNWGQ
SPOTTED: Jonathan and Betsy Martin at Antoine’s in New Orleans last night in a private room at Walter and Cathy Isaacson’s annual New Year’s Eve dinner (Walter was spotted earlier in the afternoon on the balcony of his New Orleans house working on his upcoming Leonardo da Vinci biography) ... Troy Aikman at Cafe Milano last night at an early NYE dinner ... Matt Boyle celebrating Trump’s win yesterday at Disney World ... Bluebonnet CEO and GOP fundraiser Caroline Wren and CLS Strategies’ and former America Rising VP Dan Knight enjoying foie gras and bubbles in Paris last night. Pic http://bit.ly/2iSMFaC
OUT AND ABOUT -- British Ambassador to the United States, Sir Kim Darroch, and his wife, Vanessa, with their children Georgina and Simon, hosted a New Year’s Eve party at the residence, complete with Scotch bar and roaring fireplace. With music from the Rolling Stones to George Michael provided by DJ Ben Chang, revelers toasted the new year to the chiming of Big Ben and singing of Auld Lang Syne. Pics -- the crowd singing Auld http://bit.ly/2hGDf4e ... The fireplace http://bit.ly/2iUCnLd ... The gingerbread house model of official British residence http://bit.ly/2hH67Ll
SPOTTED: David Rennie and Nina Potts, Gen. David Petraeus, Kellyanne and George Conway, Steve Clemons and Andrew Oros, Liz Sherwood-Randall, Mike Hammer and Margret Bjorgulfsdottir, Jeffrey Goldberg and Pamela Reeves, Marc Grossman, David Sanger, Andrea Mitchell and Alan Greenspan, Gov. Terry McAuliffe, Fred Hiatt, Ben Rhodes and Ann Norris, Ashley Chang, Amanda Downes, Eric Pelofsky and Joyce Pasion, Phil Gordon, Bill Burns, Melanne Verveer, Michael and Beth Hoare, Susannah and Matt Goshko.
WELCOME TO THE WORLD -- Wells Griffith and his wife, Catherine Bray Griffith, welcomed their first child last Friday. Wells Hamilton Griffith was born 8 pounds, 5 ounces. Both mom and baby are doing well. Big Wells, currently on the President-Elect’s transition team, most recently served as battleground states director for the Trump campaign. He previously served as deputy chief of staff to RNC Chairman Reince Priebus. Pic http://bit.ly/2im80fC
WEEKEND WEDDINGS -- Nate Williams, a field representative for Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and Morgan Darlington, a former Daines/Bozeman field representative, were married Saturday night in Bozeman at the Baxter Hotel. This is the second Daines staff wedding. Pic http://bit.ly/2hGBhkB
--“Lauren Pully, Dylan Graham” – Times: “Ms. Pulley, 27, ... is a consultant in Manhattan for McKinsey & Company, the management consulting firm. She was until November a mobile app developer at the Clinton campaign headquarters in Brooklyn. She graduated from Columbia and received an M.B.A. from M.I.T. ... Mr. Graham, 28, is a senior software developer in Hoboken, N.J., for Jet.com, a commerce website that was recently acquired by Walmart. He graduated from Cornell. ... The couple met at a mutual friend’s birthday party in Manhattan in February 2012.” With pic http://nyti.ms/2hGyg3F
LAST NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION -- From loyal Playbooker Ben Chang: “Send more postcards.”
BIRTHDAYS: Rick Perry alum Rob Johnson, founder of Johnson Strategies ... Daniel Arrigg Koh, COS to Boston Mayor Marty Walsh ... Politico’s Kara Kearns ... Politico alum Tomer Ovadia, who’s enrolling this February in the App Academy ... James Glassman, chairman and CEO at Public Affairs Engagement and a Bush Presidential Center and State alum, is 7-0, celebrating with a brunch for about 40 close friends and family at the Hay-Adams (h/ts daughter Kate Glassman Bennett and Tim Burger) ... Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) is 63 (h/t Robb Watters) ... IMF chief Christine Lagarde is 61 ... former N.J. Sen. and Gov. Jon Corzine is 7-0 … former Sen. Fritz Hollings (D-S.C.) is 95 ... Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) is 63 ... Rep.-elect Val Demings (D-Fla.) is 6-0 ... Rep. Terri Sewell (D-Ala.) is 52 ... former Rep. John Sullivan (R-Okla.) is 52 ... former Rep. Martin Frost (D-Tex.) is 75 ... Stephanie Penn, press secretary for Sen. McConnell ... Katie Lee, an Ed Markey and Juliette Kayyem alum ... Kevin McGrann, AVP for federal relations at AT&T and a Boehner alum ... Nirmal Mankani ... WaPo’s Brady Dennis ... Daniel Bonner of the Paul E. Singer Foundation is 27 ... Ronald Perelman, the 36th richest American (per Forbes), businessman and philanthropist, is 74 ... Gail Golden Icahn, founder of Gutsy Women Travel, a company that arranges luxury trips for women who are traveling overseas alone, and the wife of Carl Icahn, is 64 (h/ts Jewish Insider) ... Brightfind’s Jeremy Bates ... Ted Bridis, AP’s editor of its Pulitzer-winning investigative team ... J.D. Bryant, VP and digital advertising director at 270 Strategies and an OFA alum ...
… Todd Webster, VP of Cornerstone Government Affairs and Coons, Daschle and Murray alum (h/ts Jon Haber and Jonathan Kott) … Politico Europe’s Giulia Chiatante ... Ken Toltz, founder of Safe Campus Colorado … Hannah Schwartz and Michael Kelly, both former deputy press secretaries for Tim Kaine Senate campaign ... Bush 43 WH alum Meagan Vargas ... Margot Friedman, principal at Dupont Circle Communications ... Hugh Delehanty ... Alison Howard, director of alliance relations at Alliance Defending Freedom ... Kate Beale Maguire, deputy assistant administrator for LatAm and the Caribbean at USAID and a Hillary, Gillibrand and USAID alum ... Brian Frederick, COS at the ALS Association and an alum of Sports Fans Coalition and Media Matters, is 41 ... Caroline Buck of Brown Harris Stevens ... Yama Noori ... Jennifer Hall ... James Donnelly, owner of DC political/policy job bank DistrictDaybook.com ... Esther Haluts ... Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, now part of Everytown for Gun Safety (h/t birthday boy Ken Toltz) ... Remy White ... C-SPAN’s Nicole Ninh ... Jim Flynt ... Kay Wood ... Sally Slater, VP at Bliss Integrated Communication ... Uber’s Andrew Greene is 27 ... Josh Nanberg, president at Ampersand Strategies and an AIPAC alum, is 43 ... Abdul Qayyum Khosa ... Max Richtman ... Najam Kunjahi ... Jay Kahn ... Junaid Khan ... Jennifer Hall ... Paul Ullman … Tony Esoldo (h/ts Teresa Vilmain) … Walt Gorski ... Nizar Latif Al-Babli ... Frank Langella is 79 ... Elin Nordegren is 37 (h/ts AP)