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JUST A THOUGHT: Earlier this week, President Donald Trump mocked Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) for crying about the plight of immigrants, saying he was faking, and wondering aloud from the White House who his acting coach was. Yesterday, he followed that up by calling him “Fake Tears Chuck Schumer” to his 23 million Twitter followers. Now he’s asking Schumer to expedite the consideration and support Neil Gorsuch, his nominee for the Supreme Court. Do you think that’s how this works, Mr. President?
Good Wednesday morning and welcome to February. Yes, we expect Gorsuch to get confirmed. But Democrats are saying they want him to get 60 votes, daring Republicans to push him through on a majority vote. Gorsuch passed the Senate unanimously 2006 when President George W. Bush nominated him, but that matters little when talking about today’s political dynamics. Eight Democrats would need to join with Republicans to break the expected Democratic filibuster.
AT LEAST SEVEN Democratic senators have gone on the record saying they won’t filibuster Trump’s Supreme Court Nominee. Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (Ill.), Richard Blumenthal (Conn.), Chris Coons (Del.), Heidi Heitkamp (N.D.), Joe Manchin (W.Va.), Claire McCaskill (Mo.) and Jon Tester (Mont.).
THE REVIEWS TRUMP CARES ABOUT -- NYT -- 5 of 6 stories about Trump and ANOTHER six-column banner headline -- “TRUMP’S COURT PICK SETS UP POLITICAL CLASH.” He probably likes this one, referring to Gorsuch, “A Nominee Who Echoes Scalia’s Style,” but probably doesn’t care for this one, referring to Anthony Scaramucci, a hedge-fund manager turned adviser, “A Trump Aide, a Chinese Firm And A Fear of Tangled Interests.” http://nyti.ms/2jVIVII … WaPo -- the entire front page is about Trump, and another banner headline -- “Supreme Court nominee is Gorsuch … It’s still Justice Kennedy’s court … ‘Originalist’ pick seen as willing to compromise” http://bit.ly/2kpN1tU … N.Y. Post: “BURN IT DOWN!: Dems go full blast to undermine Trump” http://nyp.st/2jusKUo
THE BACKSTORY -- GREAT DETAILS -- “How Trump got to yes on Gorsuch,” by Shane Goldmacher, Eliana Johnson and Josh Gerstein: “Behind the scenes, [Donald] Trump settled on [Neil] Gorsuch after only a single in-person interview in Trump Tower. Gorsuch was ushered into the building through a back door on Jan. 14 so he wouldn’t be seen by the press gathered in the lobby. … Trump personally interviewed four Supreme Court finalists, three at his home in New York before he moved to the White House, according to two people involved in the search. ... Only one other person was in the room during Trump’s full interviews with the finalists: White House Counsel Don McGahn, the two officials said. And Trump only met with each of the finalists once before deciding, although he did later speak with some by phone. Trump’s top lieutenants -- Vice President Mike Pence, McGahn, chief of staff Reince Priebus, and chief strategist Stephen Bannon -- also had their own interviews with the four finalists, along with several other candidates in New York.” http://politi.co/2jul6t1 … Video of Trump announcing Gorsuch http://bit.ly/2kqcgfx
THE ANALYSIS -- NYT’s ADAM LIPTAK: “In Judge Neil Gorsuch, an Echo of Scalia in Philosophy and Style”: “Judge Gorsuch ... is an originalist, meaning he tries to interpret the Constitution consistently with the understanding of those who drafted and adopted it. This approach leads him to generally but not uniformly conservative results. … While he has not written extensively on several issues of importance to many conservatives, including gun control and gay rights, Judge Gorsuch has taken strong stands in favor of religious freedom, earning him admiration from the right. …Judge Gorsuch has not hesitated to take stands that critics say have a partisan edge. He has criticized liberals for turning to the courts rather than legislatures to achieve their policy goals, and has called for limiting the power of federal regulators.” http://nyti.ms/2kfP9lg
-- WAPO’S ROBERT BARNES: “Trump makes his pick, but it’s still Anthony Kennedy’s Supreme Court”: “Kennedy, 80 and celebrating his 29th year on the court this month, will remain the pivotal member of the court no matter how the warfare between Republicans and Democrats plays out. On almost every big social issue, neither the court’s liberal, Democratic-appointed justices nor Kennedy’s fellow Republican-appointed conservative colleagues can prevail without him. That is why an undercurrent of Trump’s first choice for the court was whether it would soothe Kennedy, making him feel secure enough to retire and let this president choose the person who would succeed him. …
“Who better, then, to put Kennedy at ease than one of his former clerks? Kennedy trekked to Denver to swear in his protege Neil Gorsuch on the appeals court 10 years ago. If Gorsuch is confirmed to the Supreme Court, it would be the first time that a justice has served with a former clerk.” http://wapo.st/2jC6nYb
-- NEAL K. KATYAL in the NYT, “Why Liberals Should Back Neil Gorsuch”: “I was an acting solicitor general for President Barack Obama; Judge Gorsuch has strong conservative bona fides and was appointed to the 10th Circuit by President George W. Bush. But I have seen him up close and in action, both in court and on the Federal Appellate Rules Committee (where both of us serve); he brings a sense of fairness and decency to the job, and a temperament that suits the nation’s highest court.” http://nyti.ms/2jTXieo
-- A 2002 op-ed in UPI by Gorsuch excoriated the Senate for delaying hearings to appoint John Roberts and Merrick Garland to the U.S. Court of Appeals http://bit.ly/2kqVRXO
-- @ShaneGoldmacher: “Gorsuch’s classmate at Harvard Law: A certain gentleman named Barack Obama”
WHO WILL HELP GORSUCH -- “Ayotte to lead White House team shepherding Supreme Court nominee,” by WaPo’s Phil Rucker and Ashley Parker: “[Kelly] Ayotte will serve as the nominee’s so-called sherpa, personally introducing the pick to senators and escorting him or her to meetings and the confirmation hearing. … The lead staffer on the nominee’s team will be Makan Delrahim, currently the director of nominations for the White House legislative affairs office. Delrahim will serve as ‘the quarterback,’ in the words of the White House official, overseeing strategy and outreach with the Senate. …
“Delrahim will work closely with Mary Elizabeth Taylor, a former aide to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), where she ran the Senate cloakroom and developed personal relationships with Republican senators. Also involved will be Rick Dearborn, a deputy White House chief of staff and a former chief of staff to Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), and Marc Short, the White House’s director of legislative affairs. The communications strategy will be overseen by Ron Bonjean, a longtime Republican strategist who has served as chief of staff to the Senate Republican Conference and as the chief spokesman for former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.).” http://wapo.st/2jUiEbb
-- BUZZ: The White House considered several other potential sherpas before settling on Ayotte. Kyle Simmons, former chief of staff to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, was among those who had been discussed. Typically, SCOTUS sherpas are veteran staffers like former Reagan chief of staff Ken Duberstein, who managed multiple Supreme Court and cabinet nominee picks.
TEAM OF RIVALS -- “White House tries to course correct after messy travel restriction rollout,” by CNN’s Dana Bash: “According to sources familiar with internal White House conversations, Chief of Staff Reince Priebus will now take more control of the systems dealing with basic functions, like executive orders. The way one source described it: Priebus already technically had the authority, but clearly the staff needed a reminder ‘not to color outside their lines.’ … Steve Bannon and Jared Kushner, two other senior advisers, still have considerable power and influence with Trump. Administration officials say no role has been diminished or expanded but rather existing roles clarified. It is unclear how that will fit in with Priebus exerting more control over White House operations. Additionally, White House Counselor Kellyanne Conway is expected to take more control of the communications strategy.” http://cnn.it/2kQb6XX
SCARAMUCCI UNDER FIRE -- NYT A1, “Trump Aide’s Deal With Chinese Firm Raises Fear of Tangled Interests,” by Sharon LaFraniere, Michael Forsythe and Alexandra Stevenson: “A secretive Chinese company with deep ties to the country’s Communist Party has become one of the biggest foreign investors in the United States over the past year, snapping up American firms in a string of multibillion-dollar deals. But it is one of its smaller deals that is apparently stalling the White House career of a top adviser to President Trump. Anthony Scaramucci, a flamboyant former campaign fund-raiser for Mr. Trump whom the president has appointed as the White House liaison to the business community, has been in limbo for more than a week since he agreed to sell his investment firm to a subsidiary of the Chinese conglomerate, HNA Group.
“Mr. Scaramucci is on the job but has yet to be sworn in, partly because of concerns about the Jan. 17 deal, according to two administration officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to publicly discuss personnel matters. It is the second known transaction between a politically connected Chinese company and an incoming White House official. And it is evidence of the unusual confluence of interests between superrich members of the new Trump administration who need to unwind complex financial portfolios to comply with government rules and international firms eager to buy American assets.” http://nyti.ms/2kfNfBd
-- “Scaramucci fights to stay in the White House,” by Tara Palmeri: “Reince Priebus and Anthony Scaramucci were sucked into a bizarre episode of infighting Tuesday as the White House chief of staff tried to push Scaramucci out of a promised role as an adviser to President Donald Trump, only to later backtrack.” http://politi.co/2kpXm93
PETRAEUS’ WARNING -- ONLY IN PLAYBOOK -- Former CIA Director, retired Gen. David Petraeus plans to warn the House Armed Services Committee this morning that U.S. global alliances are at risk, according to an advance copy of his testimony from someone close to Petraeus. In assessing the threats, Petraeus plans to tell the committee: “Americans should not take the current international order for granted. It did not will itself into existence. We created it. Likewise, it is not naturally self-sustaining. We have sustained it. If we stop doing so, it will fray and, eventually, collapse. This is precisely what some of our adversaries seek to encourage. President Putin, for instance, understands that, while conventional aggression may occasionally enable Russia to grab a bit of land on its periphery, the real center of gravity is the political will of major democratic powers to defend Euro-Atlantic institutions like NATO and the EU.”
NEW POLITICO/MORNING CONSULT POLL -- “Poll: 1-in-4 voters believe Trump's vote-fraud claims,” by Jake Sherman: “One in four voters believe President Donald Trump's unsupported claim that millions of votes were illegally cast in the 2016 election, but more people believe that Trump benefited from any electoral malfeasance instead of Hillary Clinton. A new POLITICO/Morning Consult survey showed that 25 percent of registered voters say they agree with Trump that millions of people improperly cast ballots last November. But if the election was subject to voter fraud, 35 percent say it’s more likely any improper votes benefited Trump, and 30 percent say they benefited Clinton. …
“Trump’s approval rating is ticking upward toward 50 percent: 49 percent of voters approve of how Trump is handling his job, and 41 percent disapprove. That is more positive than other polls; a 51-percent majority disapproves of Trump in the latest Gallup tracking poll. Even Trump's favorable rating -- 49 percent favorable to 44 percent unfavorable — is a significant departure from other polls, which show Trump viewed more unfavorably.” http://politi.co/2juUSGA
OTHER POLL HIGHLIGHTS …
-- SEAN SPICER IS WELL KNOWN. 60% say they have seen, read or heard a lot or some of Spicer. He has a 24% favorable rating, 32% unfavorable, 16% have no opinion and 28% don’t know him.
-- AS NETANYAHU READIES FOR TRIP TO THE U.S., AMERICANS SAY DON’T MOVE THE EMBASSY TO JERUSALEM. Across the board, our new poll shows that Americans don’t want the U.S. to move its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. When told of the history of the issue, 41% say to leave the embassy in Tel Aviv and 33% say move the embassy to Jerusalem.
THE JUICE --
-- EU ANXIETY -- POSTCARD FROM BRUSSELS: From our POLITICO Europe Playbook colleague Ryan Heath in Brussels: "European Commission Vice President Maroš Šefčovič just stood up in the EU press room and said that the College of European Commissioners discussed at their weekly Cabinet meeting that it and the EU have to choose between the 'inequality, national egoism' displayed by the Trump administration or 'openness, social equality and solidarity' that the defines the EU. Sefcovic said there was 'growing anxiety' about the transatlantic relationship and urged the Trump team to cool it because: 'The U.S. never had a better ally than Europe.'"
-- BIDEN LAUNCHES FOUNDATION: The Biden Foundation is launching “to build on Vice President and Dr. Biden’s lifelong commitment to protecting and advancing rights and opportunities of all people,” according to a release off embargo at 5 a.m. The board of the foundation: Former Sen. Ted Kaufman, a longtime Biden adviser; Valerie Biden Owens, the VP’s sister; Mark Gitenstein, a former Biden aide who later was ambassador to Romania; Mark Angelson, a long time Biden adviser; and Jeff Peck of Peck Madigan and Jones. Peck also worked for Biden on the Hill. Louisa Terrell, Sen. Cory Booker’s former chief of staff, a former Facebook lobbyist and FCC aide, will be executive director of the foundation.
-- KEY MCCARTHY AIDE TO THE WHITE HOUSE: Ben Howard, who ran the House floor for House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), has gone to work for President Donald Trump’s legislative affairs office. This is not only big for Howard, but also for McCarthy, whose stature continues to grow in Trump World. “I can’t begin to express my gratitude for all Ben has done not only for me and my team, but the entire Republican Conference,” McCarthy emails. “Over the years I’ve relied on Ben for both his wisdom and his wit. He’s been an integral part of my senior staff, but President Trump and his team will be well served by Ben as we work to enact the American people’s legislative priorities.”
-- SPOTTED: Eric Trump in first class and Don Trump Jr. in coach flying from DCA to LaGuardia on the 10 p.m. American shuttle after the Supreme Court announcement … House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte, who is under heat for several of his aides agreeing to sign non-disclosures with the Trump team, chatting with Steve Bannon at the White House Supreme Court announcement Tuesday night … NFIB President and CEO Juanita Duggan at the White House for the SCOTUS announcement.
HAPPENING TODAY -- PBS NewsHour anchor Judy Woodruff will interview Vice President Mike Pence Wednesday morning in his first sitdown since inauguration. It will air Wednesday night. … Trump is attending an African American History Month listening session. In the afternoon, he is participating in a legislative affairs strategy session.
THE RESISTANCE -- GET WITH THE PROGRAM, OR NOT -- “State Dept. Dissent Cable on Trump’s Ban Draws 1,000 Signatures,” by NYT’s Jeffrey Gettleman on A1: “It started out in Washington. Then it went to Jakarta. Then across Africa. One version even showed up on Facebook. Within hours, a State Department dissent cable, asserting that President Trump’s executive order to temporarily bar citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries would not make the nation safer, traveled like a chain letter -- or a viral video. The cable wended its way through dozens of American embassies around the world, quickly emerging as one of the broadest protests by American officials against their president’s policies. And it is not over yet. By 4 p.m. on Tuesday, the letter had attracted around 1,000 signatures, State Department officials said, far more than any dissent cable in recent years. It was being delivered to management, and department officials said more diplomats wanted to add their names to it. The State Department has 7,600 Foreign Service officers and 11,000 civil servants.” http://nyti.ms/2jutOr1
-- “Resistance from within: Federal workers push back against Trump,” by WaPo’s Julie Eilperin, Lisa Rein, and Marc Fisher: “Less than two weeks into Trump’s administration, federal workers are in regular consultation with recently departed Obama-era political appointees about what they can do to push back against the new president’s initiatives. Some federal employees have set up social media accounts to anonymously leak word of changes that Trump appointees are trying to make. ... At a church in Columbia Heights last weekend, dozens of federal workers attended a support group for civil servants seeking a forum to discuss their opposition to the Trump administration. And 180 federal employees have signed up for a workshop next weekend, where experts will offer advice on workers’ rights and how they can express civil disobedience.” http://wapo.st/2jVGN3H
COMING ATTRACTIONS -- “Trump administration circulates more draft immigration restrictions, focusing on protecting U.S. jobs,” by WaPo’s Abigail Hauslohner and Janell Ross: “The Trump administration is considering a plan to weed out would-be immigrants who are likely to require public assistance, as well as to deport --- when possible -- immigrants already living in the United States who depend on taxpayer help, according to a draft executive order obtained by The Washington Post. A second draft order under consideration calls for a substantial shake-up in the system through which the United States administers immigrant and nonimmigrant visas, with the aim of tightly controlling who enters the country and who can enter the workforce, and reducing the social services burden on U.S. taxpayers.” http://wapo.st/2jup5FU
BRIAN FALLON in POLITICO, “Why Trump’s Firing of Sally Yates Should Worry You”: “[F]or Yates, if this week’s events did mark the conclusion of her career at Justice, she can at least depart knowing she was true to herself and to the finest traditions of the institution until the very end. But there’s always the chance her leave from Justice is only temporary. It seems quite likely she will be at the top of any list for attorney general in a future administration—only next time, on a full-time basis.” http://politi.co/2kqJOK5
WHAT THE HILL IS READING -- “Staffers’ secret work on immigration order rattles the Capitol,” by Rachael Bade: “News that House Judiciary Committee staffers secretly collaborated on Donald Trump’s controversial immigration order reverberated through the Capitol on Tuesday: Democrats denounced the arrangement, the GOP panel stonewalled, and an outside ethics group requested an investigation. And the man most on the hot seat over the unusual arrangement, House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte, was in full-on cleanup mode. At a private GOP conference meeting, Goodlatte (R-Va.) tried to calm fellow Republicans who were incensed to learn that some of his aides helped craft Trump's immigration directive without telling him or GOP leaders or about it. … Democrats, meanwhile, almost immediately began raising ethical concerns about nondisclosure agreements signed by the Judiciary aides — and questioned whether such work infringes on separation of powers.” http://politi.co/2jUjRiQ
-- WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Several government employees signed a non-disclosure agreement to secretly work on an executive order on immigration for the Trump team. And Goodlatte’s staff -- whose salaries are funded by taxpayer money -- refuses to answer if the chairman approved of this, and why it was allowed.
SHOW ME THE MONEY -- “Trump raised $15 million in December,” by Ken Vogel: “President Donald Trump’s reelection efforts are off to a strong start financially, according to Tuesday evening campaign finance reports showing that Trump’s three committees brought in a combined $15 million last month and finished the year with $16 million in the bank. The committees – Trump’s campaign and two joint fundraising vehicles created by the campaign and various Republican Party committees - disbursed nearly $32 million from Nov. 29 through Dec. 31.” http://politi.co/2kPZTH2
--TEXT FROM TRUMP – “President Trump took office only 10 days ago and the media has waged a nasty fight every day. Fight back. Donate by the 11:59p deadline: www.bit.ly/2jSqMsN”
THE CABINET -- “Treasury secretary nominee’s foreign money links bring new scrutiny,” by CNN’s Phil Mattingly: “In a private interview with committee staff, aides said, Mnuchin acknowledged that his responses to the committee had not, as he had stated, been ‘true, accurate and complete.’ He twice was forced to revise his initial disclosure questionnaire. He stated his role in the entities was ‘inadvertently missed’ during the disclosure process.’” http://cnn.it/2kQrcEh
WHAT PELOSI TOLD TAPPER -- CNN’s town hall with the House minority leader -- TAPPER: “You still think you can work with [Trump]?” PELOSI: “Well, I certainly hope so. He’s the president of the United States. And by the way, I told him at the meeting, so I’ll tell you, I said, Mr. President, we have -- I worked, when I had the majority, I was the speaker, I had the gavel, and President George W. Bush was president, we worked with him even though we disagreed on the war in Iraq. What could be worse than that? And privatizing Social Security, we disagreed on those. But we passed some of the most progressive legislation to help poor children, the biggest energy bill in the history of our country. He wanted nuclear; we wanted renewables. We had a big bill. The list goes on. Drugs for HIV-AIDS, all of those kinds of things. So we disagree on certain issues. We respect that he’s the president of the United States. We want to work together. But where we will draw the line is if he wants to repeal the Affordable Care Act.”
-- FOR YOUR RADAR: Pelosi and Iowa Republican Sen. Joni Ernst will speak at the 132nd Gridiron Club and Foundation dinner on March 4.
MOVING ON -- “Strobe Talbott stepping down from Brookings,” by Michael Crowley: “Talbott, a former TIME magazine journalist who became deputy secretary of state under Bill Clinton, has led Brookings for 15 years. He will resign in October. ... He served at the State Department from 1993 to 2001, including seven years as Deputy Secretary of State.” http://politi.co/2kfHLGD … Release http://politi.co/2kUx0IN
SCHOCK UPDATE -- @kenvogel: “Ex-Rep. @AaronSchock’s campaign cmte paid a $10k ‘compliance penalty’ to the @USTreasury, & $16k+ in legal fees.” http://bit.ly/2kQ9c9X
VALLEY TALK -- “Google’s Eric Schmidt: Trump Administration Will Do ‘Evil Things,’” by BuzzFeed’s William Alden and Nitasha Tiku: “Eric Schmidt, the executive chairman of Google’s parent company, told an audience of Google employees on Thursday that the Trump administration is ‘going to do these evil things as they’ve done in the immigration area and perhaps some others.’ Schmidt’s remarks were made during the company’s weekly meeting at its headquarters in Mountain View, California, on January 26.” http://bzfd.it/2kfQLeU
MEMO FROM CARRIE BUDOFF BROWN AND JOHN HARRIS -- “Please join me in offering thanks and congratulations to our colleague, Roger Simon, who is retiring from the business after 42 years of writing columns – 10 of which were for POLITICO. Roger was the first person in this newsroom hired after John Harris joined Matt Wuerker and Ken Vogel from the Capitol Leader gang in late 2006. … In this peevish age, in which combatants seem never to relinquish the self-righteous pose, and the language of politics often is infused with contempt, Roger uses his gift for language for a different cause. He respects politics and its practitioners, even when he is being searingly critical. He is shrewd in assessing character and motive and views politics and the work of government less through an ideological prism than human one. These are real people, often quite powerful, making decisions that affect other real people, often quite powerless.”
-- ROGER’S LAST COLUMN: “A majority of one walks away from his keyboard”: “This is the end, my friends. It is time to say goodbye. I realize this is the worst possible time for a political columnist to retire, but what I didn’t realize is that any of you cared. Robert Feder, a famous media writer from Chicago, found out about my retirement a few days ago and I have been flooded with farewells ever since. I have also been flooded -- really, you can read them -- with messages on Facebook and Twitter asking me not to retire. Not now. Not, I’m told, when America ‘needs you.’ I know, I know: It is preposterous. It is laughable. But not to some.
“For some, I have been the friend they have never met for more than 40 years. For all those years, my job took me all over the world. My wife and I had precious little time for extended vacations. She stayed behind working at newspapers for 35 years and then running her own editing business. Now she wants to see the world. And I’d like to go with her while I still can.” http://politi.co/2jCde3I
MEDIAWATCH -- “White House ices out CNN,” by Hadas Gold: “The White House has refused to send its spokespeople or surrogates onto CNN shows, effectively icing out the network from on-air administration voices. ‘We’re sending surrogates to places where we think it makes sense to promote our agenda,’ said a White House official, acknowledging that CNN is not such a place, but adding that the ban is not permanent. A CNN reporter, speaking on background, was more blunt: The White House is trying to punish the network and force down its ratings. ‘They’re trying cull CNN from the herd,’ the reporter said. Administration officials are still answering questions from CNN reporters. But administration officials including White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer and senior counselor Kellyanne Conway haven't appeared on the network's programming in recent weeks.” http://politi.co/2jVAPje
--“Upset in WSJ newsroom over editor’s directive to avoid ‘majority Muslim’ in immigration ban coverage,” by Joe Pompeo: “[Gerry] Baker conveyed the message in an internal email Monday night, responding to a breaking news story about Trump’s firing of Acting Attorney General Sally Q. Yates for refusing to defend the executive order temporarily barring citizens of Iraq, Iran, Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Libya and Somalia from entering the country. ‘Can we stop saying “seven majority Muslim countries”? It’s very loaded,’ Baker wrote in an email to editors obtained by POLITICO. ... ‘Would be less loaded to say “seven countries the US has designated as being states that pose significant or elevated risks of terrorism.”” http://politi.co/2jC3gzg
--“Fox News Tops Cable News Ratings for 15 Straight Years With January Win,” by The Wrap’s Brian Flood: http://bit.ly/2jC70kA
KATY TUR PROFILE -- “Taunted by Trump, ‘Little Katy’ stood her ground. And became a star because of it,” by WaPo’s Paul Farhi: “Trump’s attacks on [Megyn] Kelly may have had a higher profile, but few reporters took as much flak from the future president as Tur. … Tur’s reaction to the tumult was like that during her first confrontations in New Hampshire and in Trump Tower. She stood her ground. She didn’t fire back. She continued reporting. Now she smiles at the memory, as composed as a sonnet. ‘Generally, I find the hotter the temperature, the cooler I am,’ she says. ‘It’s times of relative calm and ease that I start to wind myself up.’” http://wapo.st/2kOGlWA
SPOTTED -- Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump eating at RPM Italian Monday night. They also took a jog Saturday with their security detail on the trails on Rock Creek Parkway.
OUT AND ABOUT -- Democratic campaign hands gathered last night to celebrate former Howard Dean campaign manager and longtime political strategist, Rick Ridder, and his new book at the Hawk ‘n Dove. Ridder’s book “Looking for Votes in All the Wrong Places: Tales and Rules from the Campaign Trail” draws from his decades leading campaigns and the party featured friends old and new. $16.99 on Amazon http://amzn.to/2jCacg1 SPOTTED mingling in the crowd: Stephanie Schriock and Jess O’Connell from EMILY’s List, Colorado Reps. Diana DeGette and Ed Perlmutter, Mark Putnam, the DSCC’s Lauren Passalacqua, Andrew Piatt, Danny Kazin, Jay Marlin, Rich Pelletier, Mark Blumenthal, Glen Totten, and Amy Pritchard. Also spotted: Rick’s proud daughter and DCCC alum Jenn Ridder.
WELCOME TO THE WORLD -- Doug Calidas, legislative counsel for Sen. Joe Manchin III and Wharton and Duke Law alum, and Katie Calidas, a designer for an advertising agency and Parsons alum, on Sunday at 12:05 a.m. welcomed William Kristopher Calidas, 7 pounds, 11 ounces, 21 inches. “Mother and baby are doing great and came home from the hospital Monday.” Pic http://bit.ly/2jBYYYW
TRANSITIONS -- Victoria Glynn, former deputy press secretary at the Veterans Affairs Department, has joined Rep. Henry Cuellar’s (D-Texas) office as communications director. … My Brother’s Keeper Alliance (MBK Alliance) has elected former Obama administration official Broderick D. Johnson as chairman of the board of directors effective yesterday.
NSC DEPARTURE LOUNGE -- Adam Strickler departs the NSC today after nine years of service to four National Security Advisers, most recently Ambassador Susan Rice. He plans to take some time off with Lauren and Toby. (h/t Suitestaff44)
BIRTHDAYS OF THE DAY: Jake Siewert, head of corporate comms at Goldman Sachs, father of four, and Bill Clinton alumnus, celebrating with a “pancake breakfast at my kids’ school, a full day’s work, and dinner with my wife near our apartment” -- read his Playbook Plus Q&A: http://politi.co/2kQnzuV … ABC News’ Ali Dukakis, celebrating with friends and co-workers likely at Edgar -- Q&A: http://politi.co/2kUk1qP ... BuzzFeed White House correspondent Adrian Carrasquillo, celebrating with “operatives, reporters, BuzzFeed colleagues and friends” on Friday at Hawthorne -- Q&A: http://politi.co/2kpVEoi
BIRTHDAYS: CAA’s Michael Kives ... Liz Breckenridge of Sen. Casey’s office and is the pride of Chesterfield, Mo. … Hudson Lee (Carol Lee’s son) is 4 ... Fred Barnes is 74 ... Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) is 73 ... Jamie Radice, head of comms and public policy at Shift Technologies, and a McAuliffe and HRC 2008 campaign alum ... Christine Halloran ... Marc Elias of Perkins Coie (h/ts Jon Haber) … Mara Sloan … Mat Lapinski, Jeff Kimbell protégé and EVP of Crossroads Strategies (h/t Krueger) ... Matt Moon, EVP at Delve DC and a Rick Scott and RNC alum ... Politico’s Andrew Friedman (h/t wife Taylor) ... Ashley Hicks, manager of corporate alliances at USO and a Politico alum ... Joseph Jones, pride of Des Moines and beloved friend of ACYPL ... Miguel Ayala, SBA and Hillary campaign alum, is 38 ... L.A. Dodgers President and CEO Stan Kasten, the pride of Lakewood, N.J., is 65 ... David Thomas of Mehlman Vogel Castagnetti … Alexa Kissinger, Obama White House and ‘12 alum, now 2L at Harvard Law School (h/t Gareth Rhodes) ... Dan Arbell, 25-year veteran of the Israeli foreign service, now a scholar-in-residence at AU ... Tara Brown, Mid-Atlantic regional director for AIPAC (h/ts Jewish Insider) ... Jordyn Phelps, ABC News’ superstar White House producer (h/ts Jonathan Karl and Arlette Saenz) ... ABC News’ Erin Dooley (h/t Arlette) ...
... Tara McGowan, digital director at Priorities USA … Willa Prescott, the pride of Omaha and Rep. Tom O’Halleran’s scheduler and director of operations (h/t Zac Andrews) ... Bloomberg News U.S. economy reporter Michelle Jamrisko -- her Twitter bio: “I like to tell my stories with pictures and numbers” (h/t Ben Chang) ... “Meet the Press” producer Natalie Cucchiara, celebrating half of the day at 30 Rock and half of the day in D.C. (h/t Olivia Petersen) ... Locust Street Group founding partner David Barnhart (h/t Ben Jenkins) ... Andrew Oberlander ... Emmett McGroarty, education director at American Principles Project ... CBS News’ Alana Anyse ... Uber’s Alex Luzi ... David Redl, counsel for the Senate Energy and Commerce Committee ... Susan Coll, director of events and programs at Politics & Prose ... Catherine Kim, executive editor at NBC News digital ... Maria Reppas ... Dan Chmielewski ... Josh Nelson, deputy political director of CREDO Mobile ... Alex Otwell of Cvent ... Karl Bach ... Bill Sweeney, former deputy DNC chair and now president and CEO at International Foundation for Electoral Systems ... Carrie Goux … Luke Peterson ... Kelly Collins ... Zachary Tumin, deputy commissioner of strategic initiatives at NYPD ... Emily Laird ... Jordan Lillie … Michael Frias … Karl Bach, Human Rights Campaign alum … Princess Stephanie of Monaco is 52 ... Lisa Marie Presley is 49 ... Pauly Shore is 49 ... Harry Styles (One Direction) is 23 (h/ts AP)