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QUICK THOUGHT -- If it’s possible for President Donald Trump to have a drama-free week, this might be it. Congress is gone. He is being widely praised for tapping H.R. McMaster as national security advisor. There are no obvious pressure points on the horizon. It’s Tuesday. Let’s see how far we get.
WHAT TRUMP IS DOING TODAY -- The president heads to the Museum of African American History and Culture with Housing and Urban Development Secretary nominee Ben Carson and his wife Candy, Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Alveda Celeste King, Ivanka Trump, founding director of the museum Lonnie Bunch and secretary of the Smithsonian David Skorton.
Good Tuesday morning. A DINNER YOU WISH YOU WERE INVITED TO -- White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, Chief Strategist Steve Bannon and Newsmax CEO Chris Ruddy dined at Buccan in Palm Beach Sunday night. The trio, who were joined by two women, chatted for roughly three hours, per our source. Ruddy, you may recall, was until recently saying Priebus was in over his head and was to blame for some of Trump’s stumbles. Priebus and Bannon have been telling every journalist in town that yes, they do get along.
ATTN. CAPITOL HILL -- "Trump Month Two: Talks on health care and on tax overhaul," by AP's Julie Pace: "White House chief of staff Reince Priebus told The Associated Press that he expects a health care plan to emerge in 'the first few days of March.' Pressed on whether the plan would be coming from the White House, Priebus said, 'We don't work in a vacuum.' On Sunday, White House advisers held a three-hour meeting on health care at Trump's South Florida club, their third lengthy discussion on the topic in four days. Gary Cohn, the former Goldman Sachs banker now serving as Trump's top economic adviser, and newly sworn in Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin have been leading talks with Republican lawmakers and business leaders on taxes. Neither man has prior government experience. ...
"One of the biggest questions on Capitol Hill is how involved Trump plans to be in legislative minutia. One GOP leadership aide whose office has been working with the White House described the president as a 'big picture guy' and said he expected Trump to defer to Capitol Hill on health care in particular. The aide was not authorized to speak publicly and insisted on anonymity. Priebus said he expects Congress to pass both a tax package and legislation repealing and replacing Obama's health care law by the end of the year. But the White House's outward confidence belies major roadblocks on both matters." http://strib.mn/2kHcTCd
-- KEEPING TRACK: The White House says they will release a replacement to Obamacare, a tax plan and a 2018 budget in the next few weeks.
GET SMART FAST -- KNOWING H.R. MCMASTER -- “Trump’s new warrior-scholar,” by Austin Wright and Jeremy Herb: “President Donald Trump has picked one of the military’s leading warrior-scholars to restore order to the National Security Council -- but also one who has staked out a decidedly more hawkish position on Russia and gone out of his way to assert that the war against terrorism must not morph into a war against Islam. Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, Trump's newly named replacement for ousted National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, is considered one of the Army’s top intellectuals. When he was a young major he published a best-selling book about failed military leadership during the Vietnam War and later went on to help pioneer counterinsurgency operations in Iraq.
“The first active-duty officer to hold the post since Colin Powell under President Ronald Reagan, he has also attained legendary status in military circles for his willingness to buck conventional wisdom. It is a pedigree that might soon come in handy in his new post as the top national security policy official in the Trump White House. McMaster is currently the director of the Army Capabilities Integration Center, where his job has been to figure out what the Army should look like in 2025 and beyond. He has placed particular emphasis on preparing to counter the kind of tactics and weapons that Russia, which he considers a rising threat to global stability, has used in its incursion in Ukraine. This emphasis could put him at odds with Trump, who says he wants to improve relations with Russia and has expressed little concern about its aggressive behaviors in Eastern Europe and contends that Vladimir Putin can be bargained with. But McMaster’s views will likely help build bridges with hawks in Congress who have been some of Trump’s fiercest Republican critics.” http://politi.co/2l2GOkC
-- BACK STORY -- Matt Nussbaum: “McMaster wasn’t on the White House’s radar for the job until Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), increasingly a trusted foreign policy voice within the White House, called Steve Bannon, Jared Kushner and Reince Priebus early last week and urged them to consider the former combat general, who served in both Iraq wars and in Afghanistan. Cotton’s staffers then helped facilitate contact between McMaster and the White House. On Thursday, Cotton received word in a text message from one senior White House staffer that McMaster was on the short list. The senator, a former Army captain who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, has long admired the general from afar, according to a source close to Cotton. He even submitted his resignation papers to the Army in 2007 partly because they passed over H.R. McMaster for a promotion to 1-star general, this person said. (Cotton later rescinded the resignation to deploy to Afghanistan.)” http://politi.co/2kTx2Aq
-- FLASHBACK -- H. R. McMASTER in the NYT, July 20, 2013, “The Pipe Dream of Easy War”: “Over time, American forces learned that an appreciation of the fears, interests and sense of honor among Afghanistan’s and Iraq’s citizens was critical to breaking cycles of violence and helping to move their communities toward making political accommodations that isolated extremists.” http://nyti.ms/2kTRlxC
TOP TWEETS -- @BraddJaffy: “H.R. McMaster’s ‘Dereliction of Duty’ is the #1 best seller on Amazon” http://amzn.to/2lhWItV … Obama alum @JaredCohen: “HR McMaster as National Security Advisor is a fantastic appointment. He is a brilliant strategist and thinker.” … @BillKristol: “I say this honestly and non-snarkily: I can’t imagine anyone better prepared for the challenges of being Trump’s NSA than H.R. McMaster.” … @strobetalbott: “McMaster has a stellar reputation. With Tillerson, Mattis, & superb Intel Community - with POTUS’s support - he can help get back on track.” … Manu Raju (@mkraju): “McCain praises McMaster appointment. ‘I could not imagine a better, more capable national security team than the one we have right now.’”
CABINET WATCH -- “Trump’s nominees gripe the White House isn’t protecting them,” by Tara Palmeri and Andrew Restuccia: “Candidates for top jobs in President Donald Trump’s administration are getting spooked after Andrew Puzder’s nomination was scuttled and they fear the White House isn't doing enough to protect them from grueling confirmations, according to several sources involved in the process. The concerns are affecting not only some of the highest profile nominations, including agriculture secretary pick Sonny Perdue, but also candidates for ambassadorships, judicial positions and a range of other nominees. The chill that’s settled in even has some people considering bowing out of contention, meaning that Trump’s attempt to quickly fill out his government could drag out even further.” http://politi.co/2kU6bUO
THE JUICE …
-- OHIO GOV. JOHN KASICH will speak at the Robin Toner Award Dinner on March 27. President Barack Obama spoke last year. The Toner Award -- named for the late NYT chief political correspondent Robin Toner -- will be awarded at the dinner. ... KASICH is also meeting with Trump Friday, CNN is reporting. http://cnn.it/2m3lLlV
-- SCOOP: ADO MACHIDA, former director of policy implementation for the Trump transition, is returning to the lobbying firm Navigators Global. Machida, who will lead the firm’s issues management practice, joins another Trump alum, Andy Keiser, at Navigators. Before the transition, Machida was president of the International Stability Operations Association and a VP of government relations at BAE Systems.
-- FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: At noon today, Dr. Jill Biden will officially become chair of Save the Children’s board of trustees. She is taking over for Anne Mulcahy, the former CEO of Xerox, who was chair since 2010.
-- TRUMP WAS PLAYING GOLF! We apologized yesterday for saying Trump was playing golf Sunday when it wasn’t entirely clear what he was doing at the course. But Trump was on the links -- and was joined by Rory McIlroy, the four-time major winner, and Paul O’Neill, the former New York Yankee. Story by CNN’s Dan Merica http://cnn.it/2kUbzHt … Pic of Trump and his golf buddies http://bit.ly/2lqloPr
TEXAS BORDER ADVENTURES -- “Cornyn brings delegation from Washington to RGV,” by the McAllen Monitor’s Mitchell Ferman: “A group of six U.S. senators and congressmen huddled with McAllen Mayor Jim Darling upon arriving at Anzalduas Park overlooking the Rio Grande. Two days ago, Sen. Ted Cruz was here. The Congressional Border Caucus is also here and U.S. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, along with his own delegation, is scheduled to have a day-long tour on Wednesday. … The group was led by Texas Sen. John Cornyn, with Sens. Dean Heller, R-Nev., and [North Carolina Sen. Thom] Tillis, along with U.S. Reps. John Carter, R-Round Rock, Mike Conaway, R-Midland, and David Rouzer, R-N.C.” http://bit.ly/2lhSjaj
-- VIDEO of Paul Ryan getting off a private jet in Corpus Christi. http://bit.ly/2lBAl3b
VALLEY TALK -- “Uber hires Eric Holder to investigate sexual harassment claims,” by WaPo’s Steven Overly: “Uber has hired former U.S. attorney general Eric Holder to help lead an investigation into claims of sexual harassment and discrimination that a former female employee made public over the weekend in a highly circulated blog post. CEO Travis Kalanick told employees in a memo Monday that the review will be conducted in ‘short order’ and that it will involve, among others, the participation of Arianna Huffington, founder of the Huffington Post and an Uber board member, and Liane Hornsey, the company’s recently hired human resources chief.
“Susan Fowler Rigetti wrote that during her year working as an engineer at Uber she and other female staffers reported multiple instances of sexual harassment and discrimination to the company’s human resources department. Rigetti wrote that soon after starting at the company she received messages from a manager stating he was in an ‘open relationship’ and that he made advances toward her. When she reported the incident to human resources, Rigetti wrote, she was told it was the manager’s first offense and she was advised to transfer teams. Rigetti writes that she later learned other women had also complained about the same manager. ‘It was such a blatant lie that there was really nothing I could do. There was nothing any of us could do. We all gave up on Uber HR and our managers after that,’ wrote Rigetti, who now works for online payment firm Stripe, according to her LinkedIn profile.” http://wapo.st/2m7mUFT … Rigetti’s blog post http://bit.ly/2lBTJNu ... Travis Kalanick’s letter to Uber employees http://politi.co/2m7q3Wi
HILLWATCH -- “In Trump’s future looms a familiar shutdown threat,” by AP’s Andy Taylor: “Add a potential government shutdown to embattled President Donald Trump's growing roster of headaches. Beneath the capital's radar looms a vexing problem — a catchall spending package that’s likely to top $1 trillion and could get embroiled in the politics of building Trump’s wall at the U.S.-Mexico border and a budget-busting Pentagon request. While a shutdown deadline has a few weeks to go, the huge measure looms as an unpleasant reality check for Trump and Republicans controlling Congress.” http://apne.ws/2kGUHsG
-- “Court fight follows Democrats home,” by Burgess Everett: “Conservatives are aggressively ramping up their campaign to confirm Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court this week, using a rare congressional recess to needle vulnerable Senate Democrats into supporting President Donald Trump’s high court nominee. A bloc of right-leaning groups are organizing events around the country to help Gorsuch get confirmed, organizers said. The Judicial Crisis Network has arranged events aimed squarely at vulnerable Senate Democrats up for reelection in 2018 in red and purple states: Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, North Dakota, Indiana, Montana, Michigan, Florida, Missouri and West Virginia.” http://politi.co/2kTTfhG
-- “Georgia special election shapes up as referendum on Trump,” by AP’s Bill Barrow in Atlanta: “The scramble to succeed Health Secretary Tom Price as Georgia congressman may quickly become a referendum on the popularity and agenda of Price’s new boss, President Donald Trump, while offering a preview of 2018’s midterm elections. Democrats are looking for an upset in the GOP-leaning district where Trump underperformed among the affluent, well-educated residents of the northern Atlanta suburbs. Trump narrowly topped Democrat Hillary Clinton, but fell shy of a majority even as Price cruised to re-election with more than 60 percent of the vote. It’s a dynamic Democrats must capitalize on around the country if they hope to reclaim a House majority next year, and it leaves a wide-open Republican field in Georgia to decide whether to run alongside the president or establish some independence from a White House off to a rocky start.
“It could pose a particular challenge for one potential candidate, Price’s wife Betty, who now serves in the Georgia General Assembly. Adding to the mix is a quirk of Georgia election law that makes special congressional elections a ‘jungle primary’ with all candidates on the same ballot, regardless of party. If no candidate wins a majority on April 18, the top two finishers -- again regardless of party -- would advance to a second ballot set for June 20.” http://apne.ws/2kUtZYx
SCARY -- WAPO: “Jewish cemetery vandalized. Jewish centers threatened. ADL calls on Trump to ‘step forward’” http://wapo.st/2lBEUdR
--@IvankaTrump: “America is a nation built on the principle of religious tolerance. We must protect our houses of worship & religious centers. #JCC”
THE CPAC DUSTUP -- “CPAC rescinds Yiannopoulos invitation amid social media uproar,” by WaPo’s David Weigel and Bob Costa: “The organizers of this week’s Conservative Political Action Conference rescinded their booking of Breitbart Editor Milo Yiannopoulos on Monday, following an outcry after the right-wing speaker’s critics resurfaced videos of him criticizing age-of-consent laws and joking about a teenage sexual encounter he had with a Catholic priest. ... [American Conservative Union chairman] Matt Schlapp [said]: ‘We realize that Mr. Yiannopoulos has responded on Facebook, but it is insufficient. It is up to him to answer the tough questions and we urge him to immediately further address these disturbing comments.’ By late Monday afternoon, there were ongoing discussions at Breitbart about Yiannopoulos’s future at the company ... Inside the newsroom, several staffers made clear to senior leadership that they felt uncomfortable and may decide to leave if he stays, the people said. There was also an aggressive liberal campaign to get advertisers to quit Breitbart News.” http://wapo.st/2kGTMbs … Milo’s statement on Facebook yesterday http://bit.ly/2lq7nRL
-- NYT’S JEREMY PETERS, ALEXANDRA ALTER AND MIKE GRYNBAUM: “Until now, Mr. Yiannopoulos, a fervent supporter of President Trump, had emerged as something of a hero to many on the right, who saw in him an eager and willing combatant against a culture they believed was too politically correct. He became a star at Breitbart, the hard-right news outlet, and earned the admiration of Stephen K. Bannon, who was its publisher before becoming Mr. Trump’s chief White House strategist. Mr. Yiannopoulos was just getting a foothold in the media. He recently appeared on the comedian Bill Maher’s HBO talk show, and aggressively taunted liberals without much pushback from the host. His book ‘Dangerous,’ a free-speech manifesto and memoir that he sold in December to Threshold Editions, a conservative imprint within Simon & Schuster, had shot to the top of Amazon’s best-seller list, based on advance orders. The publisher had encountered mounting criticism of its relationship with Mr. Yiannopoulos. The author Roxane Gay withdrew from her contract for a book with a Simon & Schuster imprint in protest. …
“But in a terse statement late Monday, the publisher said it was canceling the book ‘after careful consideration.’ In a statement released through his agent, Mr. Yiannopoulos said: ‘The people whose views, concerns and fears I am articulating do not sip white wine and munch canapés in gilded salons. And they will not be defeated by the cocktail set running New York publishing. Nor will I.’ The decision is likely to be a costly one for Simon & Schuster, which may not be able to recover the portion of the reported $250,000 advance it had already paid to Mr. Yiannopoulos. ‘Dangerous’ had sold just under 50,000 copies, according to his literary agent, Thomas Flannery Jr., who said he planned to find another publisher.” http://nyti.ms/2lq3SKR … Video of Bill Maher’s Milo interview on Friday http://bit.ly/2kGUdCG … http://bit.ly/2lBQKVb
FOR YOUR RADAR -- “Vitaly Churkin, Russia’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Dies Suddenly: Career diplomat was struck down by a heart attack the day before his 65th birthday,” by WSJ’s Farnaz Fassihi. http://on.wsj.com/2kH0s9J
TRUMP WORLD -- KNOWING DON MCGAHN -- “‘He’s Going to Be an Enabler’,” by Nancy Cook: “When Don McGahn first arrived at the Federal Election Commission in July 2008 as a shaggy haired, guitar-playing campaign finance lawyer, his casual appearance masked his carefully crafted plans for the sleepy agency charged with regulating campaign finance. As a new commissioner, McGahn—now President Donald Trump’s top White House lawyer—quickly consolidated power. He persuaded the two other Republican commissioners to vote in lockstep with him, essentially deadlocking the agency’s decision-making. And he ostracized two of the FEC’s Democratic commissioners so much that they rarely spoke to the Republicans. McGahn once grew so irritated with one Democrat that he ripped out pages of a rule book and threw them at her during a meeting. He aggressively questioned and sometimes belittled career staffers and attorneys, according to 10 former FEC officials and staffers; the general counsel, the agency’s top staff lawyer, quit after McGahn tried to curb the power of the legal staff.” http://politi.co/2kU6XkD
-- SEBASTIAN GORKA PROFILES -- “For a Trump adviser, an odyssey from the fringes of Washington to the center of power,” by WaPo’s Greg Jaffe: “For years, Gorka had labored on the fringes of Washington and the far edge of acceptable debate as defined by the city’s Republican and Democratic foreign policy elite. Today, the former national security editor for the conservative Breitbart News outlet occupies a senior job in the White House and his controversial ideas — especially about Islam — drive Trump’s populist approach to counterterrorism and national security. Amid the cheering, music and confetti that night, Gorka talked about Trump’s opening shot in a high-stakes civilizational war, still in its early days. ‘Everything’s changed,’ Gorka said.” http://wapo.st/2m35Kwo
-- “Conservative Pundit Sebastian Gorka Brings ‘Global Jihadist Movement’ Theory Into White House,” by WSJ’s Shane Harris: “Mr. Gorka is a theatrical public speaker, and his plummy baritone can fill a room. ‘He’s a showman,’ said one expert who has worked with him. Rather than stand at a lectern, he has been known to move up and down the aisles in large auditoriums. But his rhetorical flare masks a shallow grasp of his subject matter, some critics say.” http://on.wsj.com/2kGSeOX
HMM -- “Trump Administration Considers Change in Calculating U.S. Trade Deficit,” by WSJ’s Will Mauldin and Devlin Barrett: “The Trump administration is considering changing the way it calculates U.S. trade deficits, a shift that would make the country’s trade gap appear larger than it had in past years, according to people involved in the discussions. The leading idea under consideration would exclude from U.S. exports any goods first imported into the country, such as cars, and then transferred to a third country like Canada or Mexico unchanged ... Economists say that approach would inflate trade deficit numbers because it would typically count goods as imports when they come into the country but not count the same goods when they go back out, known as re-exports. ... Several economists interviewed by the Journal were uneasy with fully excluding re-exports from exports but not imports.” http://on.wsj.com/2m7avlm
WITHER CAMP DAVID? -- “Mar-a-Lago 3, Camp David 0. With Trump as president, is the rustic Md. retreat doomed?” by WaPo’s Michael Rosenwald in Thurmont, Maryland: “Trump’s Florida compound and his other gold-laden properties have been top of mind lately in Thurmont, where just a few miles up a winding mountain road presidents have vacationed and cajoled world leaders at Camp David -- deep in the woods, in cozy cabins, a total anathema to Trump. ‘Camp David is very rustic, it’s nice, you’d like it,’ Trump said in an interview with a European journalist just before taking office. ‘You know how long you’d like it? For about 30 minutes.’ White House officials have not said whether Trump plans to use Camp David or, if not, whether he would close the Navy-run facility, which in recent years has cost taxpayers about $8 million a year to operate. Although local officials hope he will visit, they have been given no signals he will, raising concern about the financial and symbolic costs of the president’s getaway tastes.” http://wapo.st/2mhlSGv
THE HILLARY BEAT -- “Hillary Clinton’s in the House: For Broadway audiences, she’s become a familiar sight -- and another reason to applaud,” by NYT’s Michael Paulson: “In many ways she is the typical Broadway audience member: a woman of a certain age, affluent and highly educated, living in suburban New York. But there’s one big difference: She was almost president of the United States. In the weeks since losing the election, Hillary Clinton has gone to four Broadway shows -- often enough that industry wags joke about making her a Tony voter. And she’s even been spotted at theater district haunts — last week, just before seeing a revival of ‘Sunset Boulevard,’ she had dinner at Orso with Kate McKinnon ... At each theater appearance, Mrs. Clinton is greeted as a vanquished hero -- standing ovations, selfies, shouted adulation.” http://nyti.ms/2m376XY
MAYOR OF THE WORLD -- “Bloomberg-backed group launches new immigration push under Trump,” by Seung Min Kim: “The Partnership for a New American Economy, the advocacy group led by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, has recruited a number of congressional Republicans and Democrats to headline events promoting immigration across the country. … [T]he Bloomberg group has ... brought on a number of GOP lawmakers who haven’t so far been marquee names in the immigration battle, including several from agriculture-heavy states: Oklahoma Reps. Frank Lucas and Steve Russell, and Georgia Reps. Doug Collins, Austin Scott and Drew Ferguson. ... About 100 events will be held nationwide during recess, primarily in conservative and swing districts and states.” http://politi.co/2kUg199 … Map of the events http://bit.ly/2lHjXyr
WEST COAST WATCH -- “Half the candidates in L.A.’s latest congressional race have their own immigrant story. With Trump, this contest is personal,” by LA Times’ Christine Mai-Due: “Of the 23 candidates who will appear on the ballot in the first congressional primary since the election of President Trump, two are immigrants and 11 are the children of immigrants. Whoever wins the seat previously held by state Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra will be serving under a president who has moved to block refugees, vowed to build a massive border wall and threatened to deport millions of immigrants who are in the country illegally. For them and many in this district, where two-thirds of residents are Latino and nearly half were born in other countries, the election is personal and expectations for the winner are high.” http://lat.ms/2kU95ZR
-- “With Snap’s I.P.O., Los Angeles Prepares to Embrace New Tech Millionaires,” by NYT’s Katie Benner in Los Angeles. http://nyti.ms/2mhvzow
TOP-ED – NED PRICE in WaPo, “I didn’t think I’d ever leave the CIA. But because of Trump, I quit”: “If this administration is serious about building trust with the intelligence community, however, it will require more than rallies at CIA headquarters or press statements. What intelligence professionals want most is to know that the fruits of their labor — sometimes at the risk of life or limb — are accorded due deference in the policymaking process. Until that happens, President Trump and his team are doing another disservice to these dedicated men and women and the nation they proudly, if quietly, serve.” http://wapo.st/2kTWqpJ
MEDIAWATCH -- Fox News Channel is airing a live town hall, “The First 100 Days,” hosted by Martha MacCallum, tonight at 7 p.m. The town hall is airing from Jacksonville, Florida, and focuses on immigration. The Orlando Sentinel’s preview http://bit.ly/2l2Itqt
CLICKERS -- NYT: “Who Are the Richest of the Rich?: There are 2,473 billionaires in the world by a new count, and how they got their money and what they plan to do with it are matters of global importance” http://nyti.ms/2kUc8B4 … “Where the World’s Wealthiest Invest Their Billions” http://nyti.ms/2lH9cwe
ENGAGED -- Katie Packer, a partner at Burning Glass Consulting, got engaged on Monday night to Rich Beeson, partner at FLS Connect. They’ve known each other for years and were both deputy campaign managers for Romney/Ryan 2012. He proposed on a boat just off Cooper Island in the British Virgin Islands. Pics http://bit.ly/2m7mOya ... http://bit.ly/2lq4NeD
-- "Special Report with Bret Baier" booking producer ASHLEY KOERBER is engaged to Rob Moir. He proposed in front of the Capitol, where the couple had their first kiss. Pic http://bit.ly/2lH48be
SPOTTED -- Former Rep. Aaron Schock (R-Ill.) eating seafood and steak at Tadich Grill on Pennsylvania Avenue Monday night … Katie McGinty, who lost her race for the U.S. Senate from Pennsylvania, walking into Shophouse on Dupont Circle Monday. She looked at the menu, then left … Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) on Monday night at the Hotel Adlon Kempinski next to the Brandenburg Gate and U.S. Embassy in Berlin (h/t @EuropeAdvisor)
TRANSITIONS -- FIRST IN PLAYBOOK -- Convergence Media has added 3 new hires: Tom Newhouse, Ben Miller and Kate Constantini. Newhouse, most recently the NRCC digital director, will be VP of digital marketing. Miller, previously the director of public affairs for Generation Opportunity, will be VP of production and Constantini, most recently the NRCC’s deputy press secretary, will be communications strategist and operations manager. The firm will also be partnering with Cara Mason, founder of Mason Strategies and former RNC and Trump Victory finance director.
BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Kevin Sheridan, founder of Sheridan Media Group and a Romney-Ryan and RNC alum – he’s celebrating by working today and heading to south Florida this weekend with his girlfriend and having Cuban dinner at Versailles” -- read his Playbook Plus Q&A: http://politi.co/2m3pQqj
BIRTHDAYS: AP’s Mark Smith, who has been at the wire since 1975, except for 5 months at CNN in 1981 ... Bob Sherman (Jake, Corey and Kate’s dad) … Whitney Majorsky ... Jeremy Gaines, managing director at Burson-Marsteller and alum of Tegna, Clinton and MSNBC alum ... David Sherzer (h/t Peter Watkins) ... Kristie Greco ... Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) is 77 ... Rep. Scott DesJarlais (R-Tenn.) is 53 ... Rep. Steven Palazzo (R-Miss.) is 47 ... former Sen. Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine) is 7-0 ... former Rep. Charles Boustany (R-La.) is 61 ... former Rep. Phil Hare (D-Ill.) is 68 ... Tricia Nixon Cox is 71 ... film/music company executive David Geffen is 74 ... Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe, who has been prime minister or president for 37 years, is 93 ... Stan Collender, Qorvis’ EVP and national director of financial comms. … Mark Kelly, former astronaut, husband of Gabby Giffords, and co-founder of Americans for Responsible Solutions, and his twin brother Scott ... Ryan Rudominer of R2 Strategic Consulting, a DCCC alum, is 39 ... Reuters’ Ross Colvin … Elise Lewis, Director of Media Optimization at Deep Root Analytics is 28 (h/t Jarrett) ... Rodney Kazibwe, staffer for Sen. Schumer, is 25 (h/t Louis York) ...
... Paul Teller, special assistant to the president for leg affairs, former chief of staff to Sen. Ted Cruz, and proud Duke grad ... Rebeccah Propp, who recently joined the Trump administration on Vice President Pence’s staff ... Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget ... James Callan ... Ashley Etienne, alum of Obama WH and Pelosi ... Politico alums Terry Mulcahy and NanHee Kim ... Mitchell Delk, longtime lobbyist and GOP fundraiser ... Katherine Getty, the NRCC’s PAC special events and projects manager ... Karl Frisch, executive director of Allied Progress who played a big role in derailing Andy Puzder’s nomination, is 39 (h/t Mike Czin) ... Beth Viola, senior policy advisor at Holland & Knight who co-chairs the firm’s Energy Team and is a Clinton/Gore alum (h/t Jon Haber) ... Beth Adelson, former press secretary for Sen. Warner ... AFP’s Paul Raymond, a McClatchy alum ... Elise Kelly … Stephen Smith, managing director of Purple Digital at Purple Strategies ... Joyce Wolf ... Jeong Lee ... Ivan Villegas … Shawn Reinschmiedt ... Michelle Cordero, managing editor of Heritage.org … Bob Chlopack ... Nicole Rowe ... Karen Kapler (h/ts Teresa Vilmain) ... fashion designer Hubert de Givenchy is 9-0 ... Kelsey Grammer is 62 ... Jennifer Love Hewitt is 38 ... Jordan Peele is 38 ... actress Ellen Page is 3-0 (h/ts AP)