Good Saturday morning. It’s still unseasonably warm in Washington this morning. Go outside because it could rain this afternoon. Read Playbook, then leave Twitter and all of this behind for a bit. Tomorrow the temps will drop back to the 40s and 50s, per the Capital Weather Gang gurus. http://wapo.st/2lQmlmi
A FEW THOUGHTS ON THE LOCKOUT -- Let’s stipulate the obvious before delving into the details. Banning news organizations is a dangerous practice. Sure, many White House press secretaries have their favorite outlets, and dish to them. Barack Obama’s White House unloaded news to the New York Times all the time, and had off-the-record sessions with wonky, liberal opinion writers frequently. But what the Trump White House did yesterday was different. They created an invite-only session in place of the White House press briefing.
NOW LET’S TALK ABOUT THE STRATEGY. The basic mystifying element of this is Donald Trump has an aggressive agenda that includes repealing a health care law whose popularity is growing; he wants to rewrite the tax code, jumpstart infrastructure spending across the country and build a wall on the border with Mexico. He needs support from 218 members of the House, and between 50 and 60 members of the Senate. Several top-level Republican aides in D.C. wondered why they would voluntarily choose to ban outlets, and therefore talk to fewer Americans when they’re trying to sell an agenda! Paul Ryan, John Boehner and Nancy Pelosi -- the three most recent speakers of the House -- have had their fair share of rough times. But they dutifully come out and talk to the press corps every week -- at least once. At times they don’t like it -- Boehner called it “feeding the alligators” -- but they do it.
WHY DID THEY DO IT? One source close to the White House told us that Trump loves pitting himself against the press and believes that, ultimately, it will bring the American public on his side and boost his approval rating. And, if nothing else, it shifted the press’s focus from Reince Priebus asking the FBI to downplay the Russia hacks to media navel gazing about its own access.
-- @GlennThrush: “Why Spicer wants hand-picked gaggle: 1) avoid on-camera goof 2) Trump can’t watch a gaggle 3) get press to ‘whine’ 4) sow internal strife” … @peterbakernyt: “Can’t remember any press secretary from Clinton, Bush or Obama canceling briefing and handpicking small group for gaggle. @PressSec”
BUT, BUT, BUT … Sean Spicer told us he wouldn’t ban reporters like the Trump campaign did! During a Playbook Interview event in December, Spicer said: “There’s a big difference between a campaign where it is a private venue using private funds and a government entity and I think we have a respect for the press when it comes to the government that that is something that you can’t ban an entity from. Conservative, liberal or otherwise. I think that’s what makes a democracy a democracy versus a dictatorship.” 49-second clip http://cs.pn/2mvUSDh
WE ASKED THE WHITE HOUSE for their takeaways about yesterday, and the briefing kerfuffle, and they pointed to the president’s speech at CPAC and the executive order he signed.
THE BANNED -- POLITICO, The Washington Post, The New York Times, BuzzFeed, CNN, BBC and the L.A. Times. AP and Time boycotted the briefing in solidarity. Statements from major news organizations about yesterday http://politi.co/2mw2rKt
WHAT NEW ENGLAND IS READING -- “Donald Trump claims to remake GOP as party of ‘the American worker’,” by the Boston Globe’s Tyler Pager on A1: “Attempting to put a defining framework on his tumultuous first month in office, President Trump on Friday articulated a new vision for the Republican Party as a populist defender of the working class that will challenge elites at home and abroad. Trump, speaking to hard-line GOP activists at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference, made it clear how much the world has changed for rank-and-file Republicans since his insurgent campaign upended the party. At times, he promoted positions that could have been ripped from the playbook of liberals Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders. ‘The GOP will be from now on the party also of the American worker,’ Trump declared. ‘First, we need to define what this great, great unprecedented movement is and what it actually represents,’ he added. ‘The core conviction of our movement is that we are a nation that will put its own citizens first.’” http://bit.ly/2lUFUu6 … A1 PDF http://bit.ly/2kWsQok
REAL NEWS AND A BIG DEAL -- INSIDE THE NSC -- “H.R. McMaster Breaks With Administration on Views of Islam,” by NYT’s Mark Landler and Eric Schmitt: “President Trump’s newly appointed national security adviser has told his staff that Muslims who commit terrorist acts are perverting their religion, rejecting a key ideological view of other senior Trump advisers and signaling a potentially more moderate approach to the Islamic world. The adviser, Lt. Gen. H. R. McMaster, told the staff of the National Security Council on Thursday, in his first ‘all hands’ staff meeting, that the label ‘radical Islamic terrorism’ was not helpful because terrorists are ‘un-Islamic,’ according to people who were in the meeting. That is a repudiation of the language regularly used by both the president and General McMaster’s predecessor, Michael T. Flynn.” http://nyti.ms/2lUyx63
-- “Trump administration sought to enlist intelligence officials, key lawmakers to counter Russia stories,” by WaPo’s Greg Miller and Adam Entous: “The Trump administration has enlisted senior members of the intelligence community and Congress in efforts to counter news stories about Trump associates’ ties to Russia, a politically charged issue that has been under investigation by the FBI as well as lawmakers now defending the White House. Acting at the behest of the White House, the officials made calls to news organizations last week in attempts to challenge stories about alleged contacts between members of President Trump’s campaign team and Russian intelligence operatives, U.S. officials said. The calls were orchestrated by the White House after unsuccessful attempts by the administration to get senior FBI officials to speak with news organizations and dispute the accuracy of stories on the alleged contacts with Russia.” http://wapo.st/2mospQL
-- “Donald Trump Rejects Intelligence Report on Travel Ban,” by WSJ’s Shane Harris: “An intelligence report by the Department of Homeland Security contradicts the White House’s assertion that immigrants from seven Muslim-majority countries pose a particular risk of being terrorists and should be blocked from entering the U.S. The report is the latest volley in a struggle between intelligence officials and the Trump administration that has rippled across several agencies.
“Some officials have critiqued administration policies, while the president and senior members of his staff have accused officials of leaking information to undermine his administration and the legitimacy of his election. The report, reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, came from Homeland Security’s Office of Intelligence and Analysis. It said that its staff ‘assesses that country of citizenship is unlikely to be a reliable indicator of potential terrorist activity.’ The White House on Friday dismissed it as politically motivated and poorly researched. The compilation and disclosure of an intelligence report so directly at odds with top White House priorities marks an unusually sharp rupture between the administration and career public servants. It also underscores the difficulty President Donald Trump has had in converting his confrontational and bombastic campaign rhetoric into public policy.” http://on.wsj.com/2mw0xtn
WHAT TRUMP IS TWEETING -- @realDonaldTrump at 7:53 a.m.: “Maybe the millions of people who voted to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN should have their own rally. It would be the biggest of them all!” … at 8:19 a.m.: “The media has not reported that the National Debt in my first month went down by $12 billion vs a $200 billion increase in Obama first mo.” Herman Cain said this on Fox News this morning http://bit.ly/2lkHwtL … at 8:27 a.m.: “Great optimism for future of U.S. business, AND JOBS, with the DOW having an 11th straight record close. Big tax & regulation cuts coming!”
-- FACT CHECK: President Trump has not signed a spending bill into law yet. The downtick in the deficit really doesn’t have anything to do with him.
MEANWHILE, OBAMA IN NYC -- Former President Obama having lunch yesterday at NYC’s Gramercy Tavern – he had kale salad, black bass and chocolate chip cookies, per a tipster. Pic, via @deray: “He’s rested & has a glow about him. The man is back.” http://bit.ly/2lUHa0h … Menu http://bit.ly/2lkG0HQ … @KateBennett_DC: “.@BarackObama backstage last night after seeing ‘The Price’ on Broadway, via @GettyImages . cc @MarkRuffalo @DannyDeVito” http://bit.ly/2kWsxKl
WHAT TRUMP IS SEEING THIS MORNING -- NYT: Two columns, lead story “TRUMP INTENSIFIES CRITICISM OF F.B.I. AND JOURNALISTS -- Condemns ‘Leakers’ as White House Bars Some Reporters From Briefing” http://bit.ly/2lQe4yw … WaPo: “Key officials were asked to rebut Russia reports” … “White House slams door on several reporters” http://bit.ly/2mhPwQ1 … N.Y. POST: “FUR FLIES! … Inflatable cat scares off union rat” http://nyp.st/2algwpl
-- FOR THE PRESIDENT’S RADAR -- THIS IS BREAKING THROUGH: THE TRIBUNE-DEMOCRAT (Johnstown, Pa.): “Trump feud with media heats up -- President rips anonymous sources -- after his staff uses them” http://bit.ly/2mwbb32 … MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL: “News outlets barred from White House press briefing” http://bit.ly/2lGpTFp … THE MACOMB DEMOCRAT (Michigan): “Trump administration bars major news outlets from briefing” http://bit.ly/2mon6AE
ADELSON’S WORLD -- “Pence, addressing Jewish Republicans, condemns rash of anti-Semitic vandalism,” by Alex Isenstadt in Las Vegas: “Vice President Mike Pence on Friday forcefully condemned a string of anti-Semitic acts of vandalism across the country, telling a group of powerful Jewish Republicans that such acts had ‘no place’ in the country. ‘Let me be very clear: We condemn these acts of vandalism and the people that perpetrated these acts in the strongest possible terms,’ Pence told a Republican Jewish Coalition gathering here. ‘Hatred and anti-Semitism have no place in American society.’ Pence’s remarks come at a time of growing unease among many Jewish Americans, who have witnessed numerous acts of anti-Semitism in recent months.” http://politi.co/2moi6vS
-- SPOTTED on Thursday night at Adelson’s Vegas house at a party for VIP attendees of the RJC gathering: Sam Fox, Steve Wynn, Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.), Rep. Ed Royce (R-Calif.), Rep. Mia Love (R-Utah), Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY), Rep. Devin Nunes, RNC Chair Ronna Romney McDaniel, Lew Eisenberg, Yitz Applbaum, Phil Rosen, Fred Zeidman, Jay Zeidman, Ed Czuker, David Flaum, Phyllis Greenberg Heideman, Elliott Broidy, and Boris Epshteyn. (h/t Jewish Insider)
SOMETHING TO WATCH -- “Issa: Trump-Russia probe requires a special prosecutor,” by Kyle Cheney: “Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) said on HBO's ‘Real Time’ that Attorney General Jeff Sessions — who Trump appointed as the nation’s top law enforcement officer — should not handle the problem. ‘You cannot have somebody, a friend of mine Jeff Sessions, who was on the campaign and who is an appointee,’ the California Republican said in response to a question from host Bill Maher. ‘You’re going to need to use the special prosecutor's statute and office to take — not just to recuse. You can't just give it to your deputy. That's another political appointee.’ Issa emphasized that ‘there may or may not be fault’ with Trump's associates but said Russian President Vladimir Putin’s brutality toward political enemies highlighted the need for such a probe.” http://politi.co/2lkY055 … Video of Issa/Maher http://bit.ly/2lUFx2F
-- REMEMBER: Issa served as the top oversight lieutenant in the House, often relishing his role antagonizing the Obama administration.
THE LOYAL OPPOSITION -- DNC CHAIR VOTE IS TODAY -- “Democrats hope for quick end to DNC chair fight,” by Isaac Dovere, Gabe Debenedetti, and Daniel Strauss in Atlanta: “Democratic leaders are pushing hard to get the chair race settled on the first ballot, bringing an end to the four-month long proxy war for what the party’s supposed to stand for. ‘After months of future forums, the future is now,’ said Donna Brazile, the outgoing interim chair said Friday, kicking off proceedings. She’s not running for re-election, and has remained neutral in the race, but Brazile has been quietly urging members not to let the chair vote descend into multiple, divisive rounds that members fear will only feed tensions in the room and a media narrative that the party remains in disarray in the wake of President Donald Trump’s win.” http://politi.co/2lUCNm4
-- “Grass-roots fury masks intense Democratic anxiety: On the eve of electing a new chairman, the party is gripped by Trump-era angst,” by Isaac Dovere and Gabe Debenedetti in Atlanta: “They’re energized by the marches and excited about the crowds showing up at town halls held by Republican lawmakers. But not far below the surface, Democrats are just as anxious, depressed and strung out as they’ve been since the night Donald Trump won the presidential election. Gathered here for the [DNC] winter meeting at which they’ll elect a new chair and other officers on Saturday, state leaders and top operatives can’t go long in the hallways or at the hotel bar without sighing, grimacing, shaking their heads at how bad the situation still is.” http://politi.co/2lkEvcR
-- “House Democrats plan to troll Trump at big speech,”by Heather Caygle: “House Democrats are seizing on President Donald Trump’s first major speech to Congress Tuesday as an opportunity to troll the new president in prime time. Many of the same Democrats who boycotted Trump’s inauguration are choosing not to skip his first address to Congress as president, instead opting to bring guests directly affected by the administration’s controversial policies on immigration and refugees and Republican attempts to repeal Obamacare. ‘It’s my hope that gallery is going to look like America,’ said Rep. Jim Langevin (D-R.I.), who is leading an effort to have his colleagues bring diverse guests Tuesday and will be joined by Rhode Island Dr. Ehsun Mirza, a Muslim-American born in Pakistan. ‘It’s another reminder to the president that he’s not the arbiter of patriotism.’ The effort is designed to put a human face on Trump’s immigration and refugee — and perhaps steal a bit of the spotlight from the president’s big speech. Though it’s unlikely to resonate much beyond Tuesday night, members said doing something is better than nothing.” http://politi.co/2lGuRDS
THE A1 TAKE -- GLENN THRUSH in the NYT, “Trump’s Blistering Speech at CPAC Follows Bannon’s Blueprint”: “Speaking to the Conservative Political Action Conference on Friday, Mr. Trump launched what was easily the most blistering attack on the media and corporate elites of his already bellicose and eventful presidency. His speech also included a promise to throw undocumented immigrants ‘the hell out of the country’ and a recitation of his law-and-order campaign promises. It represented a not-entirely friendly takeover of CPAC, an establishment Republican group whose leadership once viewed the party’s surprise standard-bearer as a noisy interloper.” http://nyti.ms/2kWiOnh
DONNA BRAZILE SPEAKS -- “‘It transformed me’: Donna Brazile reflects on ‘constant harassment,’ bomb threats that came after DNC hacks,” by Business Insider’s Maxwell Tani: “‘It was a campaign that I’ve never experienced before, and I have seven presidential campaigns under my belt. When I assumed the chair role, I assumed, ‘Well, this will only take a couple months out of my life, and I’ll go back to being Donna.’ But it transformed me,’ Brazile said.” http://read.bi/2lGyytr
NATASHA KORECKI IN CHICAGO -- “Trump wages war on Chicago”: “Forget the media. Chicago is emerging as one of President Donald Trump’s favorite punching bags, the big city he loves to hate. The president barely gets through a few days without sounding off on Chicago violence, often casting the nation’s third largest city as a war-torn wasteland.” http://politi.co/2mw0U6Z
THE THORN IN TRUMP’S SIDE -- NYT Sunday Business cover, “The Anti-Trump Activist Taking On Retailers,” by Rachel Abrams in San Francisco: “Sitting in a basement office that she rents by the hour, Shannon Coulter ticks off the activities she gave up in defiance of President Donald J. Trump: renting movies with her husband on Amazon, and shopping at Nordstrom, Macy’s and other retailers that sell Ivanka Trump’s products. A Nordstrom bag sat on a nearby table. It represents a victory lap of sorts for Ms. Coulter, who has almost single-handedly spearheaded a retail revolt against the president and his family. She was wearing a new silver Elizabeth and James lariat necklace purchased at the department store soon after it scrubbed Ms. Trump’s name from its website. ‘The goal,’ Ms. Coulter said, ‘came originally from a place of really wanting to shop the stores we loved again with a clear conscience.’ It’s been a wild ride these past few months for Ms. Coulter, who runs her shoestring movement from her home, or from cheerfully decorated work spaces like this one — surrounded by bright-blue furniture, clam chairs and decorative pillows that feel more Silicon Valley than anti-administration war room.” http://nyti.ms/2kWrKsV
DARREN SAMUELSOHN -- “Who’s watching Trump's ethics watchdogs?” http://politi.co/2mopc3t
WEST COAST WATCH -- OP-ED: “Kevin McCarthy displays his clout, for good and ill,” by the Sacramento Bee’s Dan Morain: “As he regularly does, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy was mining for Silicon Valley campaign money at a fundraiser at the Ritz-Carlton in San Francisco this month. And as donors in blue California paid tribute to the Republican congressman from the Kern County oil patch with more than $100,000, one of the gala’s hosts, Jim Wunderman, executive director of the business group, the Bay Area Council, broached a touchy subject. McCarthy had sent a letter to our nation’s newly confirmed transportation secretary, Elaine Chao, urging that she block $650 million in federal funding to electrify the San Jose-to-San Francisco rail line, a project the Bay Area Council believes is vital to the Silicon Valley’s economic viability.
“‘It was hard not to bring it up,’ Wunderman said. ‘Everybody was talking about it.’ Little good it did Wunderman or the people who spend hours stuck in traffic on the Bay Shore Freeway and Highway 280. McCarthy’s letter, signed by all 14 California Republican members of Congress, had its intended effect. In one of her first acts as transportation secretary, Chao halted funding to electrify the rail line and replace old diesel engines, even though the project would vastly increase rail travel and take thousands of cars off the choked freeways. McCarthy was displaying his clout in the era of Donald J. Trump, though he also was exposing Chao as a tool. So long as Republicans control the White House and Congress, few federal dollars will flow to California without McCarthy’s blessing. That could make him the most important California politician not named Jerry Brown. The question is whether he will use that power for good or ill.” http://bit.ly/2mvVHvS
THE OSCARS ARE TOMORROW -- “Syrian who worked on nominated film can’t attend Oscars,” by AP’s Brad Klapper: “U.S. immigration authorities are barring entry to a 21-year-old Syrian cinematographer who worked on a harrowing film about his nation’s civil war, ‘The White Helmets,’ that has been nominated for an Academy Award. According to internal Trump administration correspondence seen by The Associated Press, the Department of Homeland Security has decided at the last minute to block Khaled Khateeb from traveling to Los Angeles for the Oscars. Khateeb was scheduled to arrive Saturday in Los Angeles on a Turkish Airlines flight departing from Istanbul. But his plans have been upended after U.S. officials reported finding ‘derogatory information’ regarding Khateeb.” http://apne.ws/2lGslMl ... Trailer for “The White Helmets” http://bit.ly/2lGvrje
MEDIAWATCH -- “Breitbart CEO Lobbies For Congressional Press Passes,” by BuzzFeed’s Steven Perlberg: “When asked about the financial ownership of the company, [CEO Larry] Solov asked if he could disclose that to the committee members privately (there were three reporters present documenting the on-the-record event). Solov said he wanted to reveal as little as possible about Breitbart’s financial structure, but when pressed by the committee he said that the company’s owners are himself, Susie Breitbart (the widow of founder Andrew Breitbart) and the Mercer family. The Wall Street Journal reported in January that the Mercers, a powerful political family with deep ties to President Donald Trump, bought nearly 50% of Breitbart News for $10 million in 2011. Solov said that Susie Breitbart has the largest percentage ownership stake in Breitbart.” http://bzfd.it/2laEFTd
-- “Media companies rethink their WHCA dinner party plans,” by Hadas Gold: “As the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner approaches, the status of the weekend of events surrounding the end of April festivities remains turbulent. Already, Vanity Fair has canceled its after-party ... Bloomberg, Vanity Fair’s co-host of that party, confirmed on Friday it was pulling out of the event as well, as Axios first reported. (Bloomberg will still attend the dinner itself). ... Time and People magazines, which have traditionally hosted an event the night before the dinner, replete with celebrities and a swag bag to match, declined to comment on the status of their party. But a recent call to the St. Regis Hotel, where the event is normally held, revealed that it is still completely booked for events that evening. MSNBC, which also hosts an elaborate after-dinner party said on Friday that it had no update on the status of its event.” http://politi.co/2lGuAkv
CLICKER – “The nation’s cartoonists on the week in politics,” edited by Matt Wuerker -- 12 keepers http://politi.co/2mvUdBS
GREAT WEEKEND READS, curated by Daniel Lippman:
--“Killer, kleptocrat, genius, spy: the many myths of Vladimir Putin,” by Keith Gessen in The Guardian: “Russia’s role in Trump’s election has led to a boom in Putinology. But do all these theories say more about us than Putin?” http://bit.ly/2lkNSZR (h/t Longform.org)
--“I Was a Muslim in Trump’s White House,” by Rumana Ahmed in The Atlantic: “When President Obama left, I stayed on at the National Security Council in order to serve my country. I lasted eight days.” http://theatln.tc/2lPKRDY
--“Jerusalem Syndrome at the Met,” by Edward Rothstein in Mosaic Magazine: “An exhibition on the diverse multiculturalism of medieval Jerusalem has been ecstatically received. There’s just one problem: the vision of history it promotes is a myth.” http://bit.ly/2lGkZKm (h/t ALDaily.com)
--“Is Donald Trump An Untreated Al-Anon?” by Eric Pfeiffer in Good magazine: “Warning: You may feel empathy for the president after reading this.” http://bit.ly/2lksFPM
--“Sick, Dying and Raped in America’s Nursing Homes,” by CNN’s Blake Ellis and Melanie Hicken: “‘You prepare for a phone call your mother has passed. You don’t prepare for a phone call that your mother has been raped.’” http://cnn.it/2kWaCDr
--“The High Cost of Cheap Labor,” by Brian Barth in Modern Farmer: “At least half of all farmworkers in the United States are undocumented Mexican immigrants. And ‘documentation’ often dictates inclusion in a guest-worker program that’s been compared to slavery. Americans avoid these jobs, yet elected a president who promised mass deportation. There’s a crisis brewing in our fields, and it’s about to get much, much worse.” http://bit.ly/2laxY3h (h/t Longreads.com)
--“What is to Become of the White House Easter Egg Roll?” by Tim Burger in his Town and Country debut: “Bunny jokes aside, can the Trump administration pull off the White House’s biggest annual event?” With a great pic of Spicer in a Easter Bunny outfit http://bit.ly/2lGgJbX
--“The Rise of Roxane Gay,” by Molly McArdle in Brooklyn Magazine: “A career decades in the making, Gay’s literary stardom looks more sudden than it is.” http://bit.ly/2kW52kz
--“The Faces of Obamacare,” by Michael Hall in the March Texas Monthly: “For many Americans, the controversial health law is a government run amok. But for these people in San Antonio, it’s been a lifesaver.” http://bit.ly/2mnZDQp
--“The Librarian of Congress and the Greatness of Humility,” by Sarah Larson in The New Yorker: “The values of Dr. Carla Hayden, the first woman and the first person of color in the position, can be seen in every aspect of the institution she runs.” http://bit.ly/2mvSY5W
--“The Meaning of Allahu Akbar,” by Mehreen Kasana in Hazlitt Magazine: “When I hear the significance of the two words twisted by those too paralyzed with fear to understand their meaning, I think about all they encompass for my family and my friends.” http://bit.ly/2lPRgPM
--“PPE: the Oxford degree that runs Britain,” by Andy Beckett in The Guardian: “Oxford PPE is more than a factory for politicians and the people who judge them. It also gives them a shared outlook: confident, internationalist, intellectually flexible, and above all sure that small groups of supposedly well-educated, rational people, such as themselves, can and should improve Britain and the wider world.” http://bit.ly/2kW92S0 (h/t TheBrowser.com)
--“Sovereignty Under the Stars,” by Trevor Quirk in VQR: “On the island of Hawaii, a proposed telescope has ignited a fight between the champions of modern astronomy and Hawaiians seeking to protect a sacred site.” http://bit.ly/2lUlAJi
--“I say, damn it, where are the beds?” by David Trotter in the London Review of Books, reviewing “Orwell’s Nose: A Pathological Biography,” by John Sutherland and “Or Orwell: Writing and Democratic Socialism,” by Alex Woloch: “Like it or not, ‘Orwell’ is a brand: ordinariness, common decency, speaking plain truths to power, a haggard, prophetic gaze. It is surely some or all of those qualities, rather than any particular political prescience, which have been invoked by the remarkable spike in the sales of Nineteen Eighty-Four following Kellyanne Conway’s notoriously unblushing embrace of ‘alternative facts’.” http://bit.ly/2lUqaqR … Sutherland -- $21.52 on Amazon http://amzn.to/2lGG6e2 … Woloch -- $45 on Amazon http://amzn.to/2lGDj4t
--“What Does the Zapruder Film Really Tell Us?” by Ron Rosenbaum in the Oct. 2013 Smithsonian: “Documentary filmmaker Errol Morris deconstructs the most famous 26 seconds in film history.” http://bit.ly/2lkJlH1
--“On the Milo Bus With the Lost Boys of America’s New Right,” by Laurie Penny in Pacific Standard Magazine: “What happens when a movement of gamers recognizes they’re not players, but pawns?” http://bit.ly/2mvAdQ2
SPOTTED: Stephen Miller wandering around City Center Friday night … Rep. Dave Brat (R-Va.) on Thursday getting out of the hot tub at the Camelback Resort & Spa in Scottsdale, Arizona, where he was a guest at a FreedomWorks gathering -- pic http://bit.ly/2mhJYoZ ... Chris Christie on yesterday’s 8 a.m. Acela from NYC to D.C. He got on in Newark.
OUT AND ABOUT -- SPOTTED Friday night on Breitbart’s CPAC Luau boat called the “Spirit of Mount Vernon” which stayed dockside in National Harbor: Matt Boyle (who was shadowed by a photographer and Luke Mullins, who is profiling him for Washingtonian), Julia Hahn, Alex Marlow, Larry Solov, Sergio Gor, Jeremy Peters, Michael Grynbaum, Betsy Woodruff, Dog the Bounty Hunter (pic http://bit.ly/2mhSUL2), Jon Kahn, Josh Green, Ryan Williams, Colin Reed, Olivia Nuzzi, Melissa Brown, Sarah Westwood and Jon Conradi, Curt Schilling, Asawin Suebsaeng, Robert Sinners, Nigel Farage, Nikki Schwab, David Martosko, Jonathan Swan, Tara Palmeri, Taylor Lorenz, Benny Johnson, Lachlan Markay, Francesca Chambers, Chris Bedford, Garrett Murch, Eliana Plott,Trevor Loudoun, Travis Korson, Neil Munroe, Alyssa Farah, Tom Qualtere, Tommy Sears, Julie Grace Burfke. 15 second video of luau dancers http://bit.ly/2moqlYR ... Pics of a roast pig onboard http://bit.ly/2mhOioc … http://bit.ly/2mhTSqz
-- SPOTTED at a Bollywood bash Friday night at the Indian embassy with food from Rasika and many governors in attendance because of the National Governors Association meeting: Boeing CEO Marc Allen, Governors Terry McAuliffe, Brian Sandoval, Gary Herbert, Scott Walker, Terry Branstad, Matt Bevin; actress Jennifer Garner chatting with Mark Shriver, Vinay Singh and Priya Dayananda of KPMG, Jay Carney of Amazon, Jonathan Mantz, and Ashok Bajaj of the Rasika empire.
TRANSITIONS -- OFA has tapped Jesse Lehrich to be their communications director as they continue ramping up their grassroots organizing program and efforts to protect Obamacare. He previously served as a foreign policy spokesman for the Clinton campaign, and before that, as the national press secretary for American Bridge. ... Sarah Belknap Curran is joining Dallas-based Beast Digital as VP. Curran, a Republican digital and fundraising operative, has advised campaigns and firms in more than 30 states and worked as a war-room digital strategist on the Trump transition team. …
... Alyene Senger is joining the Senate Republican Policy Committee as a health care policy analyst. She was previously at the Center for Health Policy Studies at The Heritage Foundation. ... Amy Travieso has joined the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to serve as director of congressional and public affairs. ... Devon Kearns is moving to the Center for American Progress as the associate director of media relations for health care, education and poverty. She most recently spent two years on the media team at Planned Parenthood.
WELCOME TO THE WORLD – Liz Peluso, CoS for Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), and David Peluso, who was longtime CoS for Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) and Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.), and just went downtown to be a principal at Kountoupes Denham, have welcomed Lucia Josephine Peluso. “The battle for which party the kids will align with has already begun. Their room is full of stuffed elephants and donkeys.” Pics http://bit.ly/2mvDDlA … With big sis Mila http://bit.ly/2mvxXYT
BIRTHWEEK (was yesterday): Cliff May, RNC and N.Y. Times alumnus (Clifford D. May!), and president of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies
BIRTHDAYS: Bob Schieffer, the pride of Austin, is 8-0 ... Keith Smythe Meacham ... Andy Rosenthal, NYT columnist, is 61 … GOP digital guru Andrew Burk is 3-0 ... Barbara Levin, VP of comms. at CNN ... Lauren Kapp, president of Prospect Media Group and a HuffPost and NBC alum … Jessica Yellin … WaPo alum Anne Kornblut, director of strategic comms. for Facebook ... Tom Nides, former Deputy Secretary of State under Hillary Clinton (h/t Ben Chang) ... Burlington Vermont Mayor Miro Weinberger ... Dan Riordan, president of global political risk and trade credit at XL Catlin (h/ts Jon Haber) ... Politico’s Hadas Gold and Matt Dixon ... Jeremy Tunis, public and regulatory affairs advisor/consultant at UHS, is 39 ... Ralph Fertig, civil liberties activist ... Mini Timmaraju ... Tyler Houlton, COS to Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-Wisc.) … Hollis Gurley, the pride of Friona, TX, and a Shared Employee for too many Members of Congress to list here ... Greg Crist, the EVP of public affairs at Advamed (h/ts wife Laura and Ken Spain) ...
... Eric Wall, leg. aide for Sen. Coons (h/t Sophie White) ... Anna Albert of the Tombras Group ... Tim Berry, former C/S to House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, now EVP at Axios, married to the lovely and talented D.C. super lawyer Lisa Barclay, with 3 great kids, too ... Rep. Darren Soto (D-Fla.) is 39 ... former Rep. Jim Gerlach (R-PA) is 62 ... Steve Gutow, formerly CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs ... Gabi Ashkenazi, former chief of the General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces, is 63 (h/ts Jewish Insider) ... Jack Burns is 2, celebrating at Roer’s Zoofari (h/t dad Mike Burns) ... Brian Davis of the Federal Managers Association, the pride of New Jersey and a long time suffering Jets fan (h/t Phil Dibert) ... Bridgett Frey, comms director for Sen. Van Hollen … Paul Nash … A Texas trio: Texas GOP consultant David White … RSC chairman U.S. Rep. Bill Flores (R-TX) is 63 ... Arnold Garcia … Bayanne Surdashi ... Bob Healy ... Trey Graham … OFA alum Laurin Manning ... Jonathan Nabavi ... Charles Faulkner is 42 ... Stuart Wagner ... Gloria Torres ... Julie Goldman ... Harrison Clark ... George M Urban ... Jim Mulhall ... Christina Sanchez ... Genevieve Craggs (h/ts Teresa Vilmain) ... Tea Leoni is 51 ... singer Julio Iglesias Jr. is 44 ... Chelsea Handler is 42 ... Rashida Jones is 41 (h/ts AP)
THE SHOWS, by @MattMackowiak, filing from Austin:
--NBC’s “Meet the Press”: Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) … Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper. Panel: Helene Cooper, Eliana Johnson, Ramesh Ponnuru and Gerald Seib
--“Fox News Sunday”: Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) … Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) … Corey Lewandowski. Panel: Former Prime Minister David Cameron’s adviser Steve Hilton, Julie Pace, Lisa Boothe and Juan Williams … “Power Player of the Week” with White House Director of Social Media Dan Scavino
--CNN’s “State of the Union” (9 a.m. /12 p.m.): New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) … Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). Panel: Jennifer Granholm, Rick Santorum, Reps. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) and Mark Sanford (R-S.C.)
--ABC’s “This Week”: House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) … Sarah Huckabee Sanders … Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan (R). Panel: Stephanie Cutter, Amy Holmes, Robert Reich, David Remnick and Matt Schlapp
--CBS’s “Face the Nation”: John Brennan … Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) … results of a focus group in Richmond, Virginia. Panel: Ben Domenech, Ezra Klein, Lanhee Chen and Molly Ball … David Martin
--Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” (10 a.m.): Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin … David Clarke … House Homeland Security Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) Panel: Ed Rollins, Al D’Amato and Jessica Tarlov
--Fox News’ “MediaBuzz” (SUN 11 a.m.): Corey Lewandowski … Erin McPike … Guy Benson … Margaret Carlson … Tucker Carlson … Susan Ferrechio
--CNN’s “Inside Politics” with John King (8 a.m.): Panel: Abby Phillip, Jeff Zeleny, Margaret Talev and Reid Wilson
--CNN’s “Reliable Sources”: (11 a.m.): NYT Executive Editor Dean Baquet … Panel: Tara Palmeri, Bret Stephens, Amy Kremer and Philadelphia Daily News columnist Will Bunch … UC-Berkeley’s George Lakoff … Atlanta Journal-Constitution editor Kevin Riley
--Univision’s “Al Punto” (10 a.m.): White House Director of Policy and Interagency Coordination Carlos Díaz-Rosillo … La Raza’s Clarissa Martínez-de-Castro and immigration attorney Ezequiel Hernández … National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference president Rev. Samuel Rodriguez … community activist Nora Sandigo … Conan O’Brien … “Notanserio Univision” hosts Arantxa Loizaga and Fernando Arau
---C-SPAN: “The Communicators” (6 p.m.): Ro Khanna, questioned by Axios’ David McCabe … “Newsmakers”(SUN 10 a.m. ET): Federalist Society executive vice president Leonard Leo, questioned by WSJ’s Jess Bravin and Politico’s Josh Gerstein … “Q&A” (8 p.m./11 p.m.): Author and the Wall Street Journal’s Alexandra Wolfe (“Valley of the Gods”)
--Washington Times’ “Mack on Politics” weekly politics podcast with Matt Mackowiak (download on iTunes or listen at MackOnPolitics.com): Susan Page, Blain Rethmeier, Ashley McGuire.