MATTIS on NEW AFGHANISTAN strategy -- SNEAK PEEK: REMNICK on Trump -- BANNON to WaPo: ‘No administration in history has been so divided’ -- ELISE STEFANIK's wedding
by [email protected] (Daniel Lippman) via POLITICO - TOP Stories
URL: http://ift.tt/2wlIxea
BULLETIN -- NYT’S MICHAEL GORDON in Amman, Jordan: “Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said that President Trump, who had been accused by lawmakers of dragging his feet on Afghanistan, had settled on a new strategy after a ‘rigorous’ review.
“‘The president has made a decision,’ Mr. Mattis told reporters on an overnight flight that arrived in Amman ... on Sunday. ‘I am very comfortable that the strategic process was sufficiently rigorous.’ Mr. Mattis received the authority in June to send nearly 4,000 troops to Afghanistan so that the United States military could expand its efforts to advise Afghan forces and support them with American artillery and air power. But Mr. Mattis had refrained from building up the American force there until the Trump administration settled on a broader strategy. Mr. Mattis declined to say what steps the president had ordered, including troop levels. He added that Mr. Trump wanted to announce the details to the American people, and that the president was expected to do so in coming days. …
“The decision to send troops is just one component of a strategy that is also expected to outline ways to pressure Pakistan to shut down the sanctuaries that the Taliban and other extremist groups have maintained on its territory. ‘It is a South Asia strategy; it not just an Afghanistan strategy,’ Mr. Mattis said.” http://nyti.ms/2x2TxKm
Good Sunday morning. SNEAK PEEK -- DAVID REMNICK in the New Yorker, coming out tomorrow: “Early last November, just before Election Day, Barack Obama was driven through the crisp late-night gloom of the outskirts of Charlotte, as he barnstormed North Carolina on behalf of Hillary Clinton. … During his speech in Charlotte that night, Obama warned that no one really changes in the Presidency; rather, the office ‘magnifies’ who you already are. So if you ‘accept the support of Klan sympathizers before you’re President, or you’re kind of slow in disowning it, saying, ‘Well, I don’t know,’ then that’s how you’ll be as President.’” http://bit.ly/2ihQqes … A look inside the magazinehttp://bit.ly/2vPCKvX
-- WORTH NOTING: Obama has not publicly responded to Trump’s comments post-Charlottesville except to post a tweet quoting Nelson Mandela.
MARK LANDLER and MAGGIE HABERMAN: “With Bannon’s Ouster, Question Remains Whether His Agenda Will Be Erased, Too”http://nyti.ms/2x2QKRw
-- JOSH DAWSEY and MATT NUSSBAUM: “The departures from Trump’s White House have come at a dizzying pace in recent weeks: multiple communications directors, the chief of staff and the press secretary have all left, along with top aides on the national security council and a number of CEOs from influential business councils. But none of the departures are likely to change the dynamics as much as that of the polarizing Bannon, whose ouster on Friday could alienate conservatives, hearten some who feared his brand of populism-nationalism, and dial down the fights inside 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
‘“Bannon is the intellectual heart and soul of the Trump movement,’ said Mark Corallo, a prominent GOP operative who served briefly as the spokesperson for Trump’s private legal team. ‘He was the think tank. He’s the idea generator. … He was the guy who was the most thoughtful about how to enact the agenda, how to build a coalition.’” http://politi.co/2vdOox4
BREITBART’S LEAD STORY -- “Report: Powerful GOP Donor Sheldon Adelson Supports Campaign to Oust McMaster”http://bit.ly/2vPDzET
-- BANNON SPEAKS to Bob Costa and John Wagner, who reported from Bedminster: “‘If the Republican Party on Capitol Hill gets behind the president on his plans and not theirs, it will all be sweetness and light, be one big happy family,’ Bannon said. ... ‘No administration in history has been so divided among itself about the direction about where it should go,’ Bannon said, adding that Trump’s base is frustrated by a congressional agenda that has dovetailed more with traditional Republican priorities than the agenda Trump championed.” http://wapo.st/2wepaDo
--“Breitbart bullish on Bannon return, promises ‘aggressive expansion,’” by Cristiano Lima: “Breitbart News is riding high amid its reunion with executive chairman Steve Bannon. ... ‘I think we definitely are planning on stepping up our game,’ Breitbart News Washington editor Matthew Boyle said during the outlet’s weekly SiriusXM show on Saturday. ‘[W]e’re planning a lot of aggressive expansion and much more aggressive reporting than we’ve already been doing ... We’ve been a pirate ship without a captain for a year ... We’re thrilled to have our captain back.” http://politi.co/2xfu5AT
THERE WE GO! -- DAILY MAIL SAYS IVANKA AND JARED PUSHED BANNON OUT: “How Jewish convert Ivanka got ‘Bannon the Barbarian’ to go: Trump’s daughter ‘helped to force out’ aide blamed over President’s failure to condemn neo-Nazi rally … Chief strategist Bannon, 63, helped orchestrate the President’s election victory … But many blamed him for Trump’s failure last week to condemn neo-Nazis … ‘Pushed out’ by daughter Ivanka and her husband because of his far-Right views”: http://dailym.ai/2v3rp8p
-- FRONT PAGE OF THE BALTIMORE SUN: “Jared Kushner’s firm seeks arrest of Maryland tenants to collect debt,” by Doug Donovan: “The real estate company owned by Jared Kushner, son-in-law and top adviser to President Donald Trump, has been the most aggressive in Maryland in using a controversial debt-collection tactic: getting judges to order the arrest of people who owe his company money. Since 2013, the first full year in which the Kushner Cos. operated in Maryland, corporate entities affiliated with the firm’s 17 apartment complexes in the state have sought the civil arrest of 105 former tenants for failing to appear in court to face allegations of unpaid debt, The Baltimore Sun has found.” http://bsun.md/2weo36H
-- TIMES OF ISRAEL: “Abbas says Trump administration ‘in chaos’”: “‘Each time they reiterate their commitment to a two-state solution and the stop to settlement building, Abbas says. ‘I urge them to tell Netanyahu that, but they are deterred.’ ‘I don’t even know how they are dealing with us, because his entire administration is in chaos,’ he adds.” http://bit.ly/2uVkvWM
MNUCHIN RESPONDS TO CRITICS IN HIS YALE CLASS -- via Zach Warmbrodt: “I don’t believe the allegations against the president are accurate. I believe that having highly talented men and women in our country surrounding the president in his administration should be reassuring to you and all the American people.” Mnuchin’s full statementhttp://bit.ly/2v3Q0tY
NEW POLL -- “Trump’s Job Rating Is Below 40 Percent in Three Key Midwest States,” by NBC’s Mark Murray: “President Donald Trump’s job-approval rating in the three states that helped propel him to the White House – Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin – stands below 40 percent, according to a trio of NBC News/Marist polls of these key states in the Midwest. In addition, Democrats enjoy double-digit leads in Michigan and Pennsylvania on the question of which party voters prefer to control Congress after the 2018 midterms, and they hold an 8-point advantage in Wisconsin.
“And in all three states, more than six-in-10 voters say Trump’s conduct as president has embarrassed them, versus just a quarter who have said it’s made them proud. These three NBC/Marist polls were conducted Aug. 13-17 – after the August 12 unrest and violence in Charlottesville, Va., as well as in the midst of President Trump’s multiple responses to that unrest and violence.” http://nbcnews.to/2v3zs58
ABOUT YESTERDAY ... -- BOSTON GLOBE FRONT PAGE: “MAKING A STAND AGAINST RACISM … Resolute and ready, they marched … Rally by tens of thousands is peaceful but pointed” -- A1 pdfhttp://bit.ly/2ve082I
-- “‘Free speech’ rally speakers, little heard, end event quickly,” by the Boston Globe’s Beth Healy: “By 12:45 p.m., only 45 minutes into their official program, organizers of the Boston Free Speech rally ended the event and were escorted by police out of the park, to chants of ‘Go home, Nazis’ from the crowd. A Facebook post for the event listed 14 speakers and was scheduled to last for two hours.” http://bit.ly/2fX8NEr
-- @realDonaldTrump: “Great job by all law enforcement officers and Boston Mayor @Marty_Walsh. Our great country has been divided for decades. Sometimes you need protest in order to heal, & we will heal, & be stronger than ever before! I want to applaud the many protesters in Boston who are speaking out against bigotry and hate. Our country will soon come together as one!”
… AND IN CHICAGO: “7 shot, 1 fatally, in West Pullman attack among 33 shot in 13 hours,” by the Chicago Tribune’s Elva Malagon and Denease Williams-Harris. http://trib.in/2v32Zfp
WHAT OTTAWA WANTS YOU TO READ -- “The Trump Unit: Inside Canada’s PMO squad to save NAFTA,” by the National Post’s Alexander Panetta: “The Canadian government has created an election-style nerve centre to handle White House-related challenges and officials who describe its operations say it has about eight regular staff: two former trade officials, two senior PMO officials, an ambassador, a writer, a cabinet minister, and it’s run by a young staffer with a reputation for staying cool while smothering political fires.
“The most blistering inferno it’s preparing to confront is a scenario where the president threatens NAFTA. Everybody involved anticipates the threat level from Trump will rise with the heat of negotiations. A well-connected Washington lobbyist milling about last week’s talks said a Trump pullout threat is virtually assured: ‘Almost 100 per cent.’ Trade lawyer Dan Ujczo said it’s a logical play for the president: ‘The threat of withdrawal is his key negotiating leverage.’” http://bit.ly/2wlnOad
GREAT STORY -- ANNIE KARNI on NEWT GINGRICH: “Newt Gingrich goes to spouse school”: “Last week, Newt Gingrich sat in a classroom surrounded by 11 women and one other man, furiously jotting notes. In the weeklong intensive, where classes ran from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with only a short cafeteria lunch break in between, the former House Speaker and onetime presidential candidate received a crash course in a new role: invisible spouse. When he moves to Rome with his third wife, Callista Gingrich, to become husband of the Ambassador to the Holy See, the ubiquitous Fox News talking head, will have no official diplomatic role abroad, beyond being generally presentable and essentially not heard from.
“It will be a challenge for an outspoken sometimes-booster, sometimes-critic of the Trump administration, who said he does not plan to terminate his contract with Fox News. But like former President Bill Clinton during his wife’s two bids for the presidency, Gingrich will be taking on the secondary role of booster after a public life spent demanding the limelight. Aware that this new, less celebrated, role will take some getting used to, Gingrich eagerly enrolled himself in what he referred to, excitedly, as ‘spouse school.’
“The program, run by the State Department and hosted on the Arlington campus of the Foreign Service Institute, was started in the 1950s, when it was referred to simply as the ‘Wives Seminar.’ Over the years, a State Department official said, it ‘has evolved into a variety of training and orientation programs for foreign affairs family members.’ Today, topics include: ‘expectations and personal goals for your time overseas,’ ‘post morale,’ ‘the official residence,’ ‘navigating a public diplomacy role,’ ‘legal issues and ethics,’ as well as ‘stress management.’” http://politi.co/2x2pnHl
WHAT AMERICA IS READING … -- THE BIRMINGHAM (ALA.) NEWS: “With Jones, Democrats dreaming big again: ‘Mount Rushmore of political upsets’” http://bit.ly/2iguP5O … ARIZONA REPUBLIC: “Sign of respect for the eclipse: Navajos won’t be watching ‘sacred communication’ between sun and moon” http://bit.ly/2x3k8XK ... CHARLOTTE OBSERVER: “HERITAGE OR ‘SHAMEFUL HISTORY’?: Gastonia’s Confederate monument, one of dozens standing quietly on N.C. public property, inspires loyalty even as people question its message” http://bit.ly/2vPqZ8F … JANESVILLE (WIS.) GAZETTE: “Now available: One-fourth of business space vacant in downtown Janesville.” http://bit.ly/2wtHAjd
-- RARE: INDIANAPOLIS STAR FULL FRONT PAGE EDITORIAL: “LET’S STAND AGAINST HATE. TOGETHER” http://bit.ly/2vPTuTS
REMEMBERING ARTHUR FINKELSTEIN – NYT’s Sam Roberts: “Finkelstein, a reclusive political Svengali who revolutionized campaign polling and financing and helped elect a bevy of conservative candidates, including President Ronald Reagan and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, died on Friday night in Ipswich, Mass., where he lived. He was 72. ... Mr. Finkelstein was among the first political strategists in the late 1970s to grasp the potential of a United States Supreme Court ruling that allowed putatively independent political committees to spend money on behalf of individual candidates and causes. ... He also pioneered sophisticated demographic analyses of primary voters and methodical exit polling, and of using a marketing strategy, called microtargeting, to identify specific groups of potential supporters of a candidate regardless of their party affiliation.” http://nyti.ms/2xfq2En … Statement by his familyhttp://bit.ly/2ihkjeR … National Review profilehttp://bit.ly/2we3uqY
-- AP: “Comedian, civil rights activist Dick Gregory dies,” by Daisy Nguyen: “Dick Gregory, the comedian and activist and who broke racial barriers in the 1960s and used his humor to spread messages of social justice and nutritional health, has died. He was 84. Gregory died late Saturday in Washington, D.C. after being hospitalized for about a week, his son Christian Gregory told The Associated Press. He had suffered a severe bacterial infection. As one of the first black standup comedians to find success with white audiences, in the early 1960s, Gregory rose from an impoverished childhood in St. Louis to win a college track scholarship and become a celebrated satirist who deftly commented upon racial divisions at the dawn of the civil rights movement.” http://bit.ly/2fWy16a
SUNDAY BEST -- JAKE TAPPER talks to OHIO GOV. JOHN KASICH on CNN’s “STATE OF THE UNION”: TAPPER: “If everything continues like it has been, does a Republican need to step forward to challenge President Trump in three years?” KASICH: “Well, Jake, as you said, I don’t have any plans to do anything like that. I’m rooting for him to get it together. We all are. We’re only like seven months into this presidency. … What we have to start thinking about, all of us, not just the president, but down where we live, in the neighborhoods, in the communities, we’ve gotta build a stronger America. Look, why am I on this show. You asked me to come on.
“I’m trying to have a responsible voice. To call things out when they need to be called out, but also to support my country. So what I hope is going to happen … I hope we’re going to have stability, the president is going to learn from these episodes and we’re going to do better. That’s what I hope is going to happen. We’ll have to wait and see.”
-- FOX NEWS SUNDAY: “Trump ally blast congressional leaders,” by Kyle Cheney: “A top ally of President Donald Trump offered hints Sunday of a coming war on Republican leaders in Congress, a battle presaged by the return of former chief strategist Steve Bannon to Breitbart News.
“‘There’s a lack of leadership on one side of Pennsylvania Avenue,’ said David Bossie, a former Trump campaign adviser, appearing on ‘Fox News Sunday.’ Bossie, who said he’s spoken to Bannon ‘many times’ in recent days, said Bannon’s departure from the administration will help the administration at ‘leaning into Congress.’ He repeatedly decried a ‘failure of leadership in the House and Senate.’ ‘Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan have to step up,’ Bossie said, adding, ‘The House and Senate leadership has not bought into the president’s agenda fully.’” http://politi.co/2vdLlF0
-- SEN. TIM KAINE talks to JOHN DICKERSON on CBS’S “FACE THE NATION” about Robert E. Lee’s statue in the Capitol: “Every state gets two statues to put in Statuary Hall or throughout the capital. Just using Virginia as an example. The state gets to choose two people to represent the entire scope of the state’s history. Virginia obviously chose George Washington, the father of the country. But the second choice that was made in 1909, and has never been changed, is Robert E. Lee.
“I think as you look at the scope of Virginia history here in 2017, and if you want there to be two people to really stand for who Virginia is, why wouldn’t you think about Pocahontas who, had she not saved John Smith’s life, we wouldn’t even be here possibly? Why wouldn’t you think about a Barbara Johns, who led a school walkout in Prince Edward County that ultimately became part of the Brown versus Board, desegregation decision? Why wouldn’t you think about Governor Wilder, the grandson of a slave, a decorated Korean War combat veteran, who became the first elected African-American government in the history of the country? I think from 2017 looking backward, I think Virginia could probably do better in the two people that we choose to stand for us in Statuary Hall. And I think a number of the other states can do better as well.”
-- SIREN:@facethenation: Sen. Scott: "'As we look to the future it's going to be be very difficult for POTUS to lead. His moral authority remains compromised.'"
JAKE’S TIP OF THE DAY -- WEAR THESE SHOES (Allbirds are kind of great) -- NYT Style:“To Fit Into Silicon Valley, Wear These Wool Shoes,” by Nellie Bowles. http://nyti.ms/2vdNIaQ
DEPT. OF TAX REFORM IS HARD -- “Left warns Democrats in tax reform fight,” by Elana Schor: “Liberal activists who hounded the GOP throughout its failed Obamacare repeal bid are gearing up to hit any Democrat who strays from the fold on tax cuts for the wealthy — including some of the party’s most politically vulnerable incumbents. Democrats were spared the sight of their progressive base battling centrists on Obamacare, which proved a uniquely unifying issue for both wings of the party. But there’s no guarantee that taxes will be another kumbaya moment for Democratic leaders, who have long struggled to contain tensions between red-state lawmakers facing tough reelections and a grassroots emboldened by resistance to President Donald Trump’s agenda. …
“Liberal groups are vowing to fight the GOP tax bill as hard as they battled Obamacare repeal. They’re expecting Democrats to stand together against any legislation that cuts taxes for the rich, even if it also trims tax bills for others. And they’re prepared to unleash their energized grassroots on any lawmaker who doesn’t get on board.” http://politi.co/2wlrl8H
IMPORTANT -- THE HILL’S BEN KAMISAR: “The Republican National Committee expanded its massive fundraising lead over the Democratic National Committee in July as the Democrats posted their worst July haul in a decade. The DNC raised just $3.8 million in July, compared to the $10.2 million raised by the RNC in the same month. While the GOP has no debt, the DNC added slightly to its debt in July, which now sits at $3.4 million.” http://bit.ly/2uUsZxC
THE OPPOSITION -- “Amateur sleuths hunt for Trump bombshells,” by Darren Samuelsohn: “Nearly 3,000 miles from special counsel Robert Mueller’s Washington offices, another investigation into President Donald Trump is underway. This one unfolds in the public libraries and coffee shops of San Francisco, where a self-employed 40-year-old named Geoff Andersen has worked since November for 16 hours a day, seven days a week, burning through nearly $45,000 in personal savings and donations from friends and family in pursuit of hidden truths about Trump’s rise to power. … Andersen is not alone in his largely solitary quest. Countless amateur sleuths are on the case, from a short-order cook in Belfast whose research was recently cited by the Daily Beast to a Florida art teacher who tells POLITICO he is applying his pattern-recognition skills to Trump's sprawling business empire.
“Undaunted by a lack of subpoena power or search warrants, and the government’s vast legal and technical expertise, countless people like these are poring through Trump’s personal and business records, as well as overlooked 2016 campaign clues. They share their findings through email, blogs, Twitter, Facebook, Reddit and even tips to reporters and the FBI. Most labor in obscurity, but all are motivated by the lottery-like odds of a discovery that has eluded journalists and prosecutors but which just might bring down a president.” http://politi.co/2fW575P
VALLEY READ -- KARA SWISHER: “Jeff Immelt has emerged as the front-runner to become Uber’s CEO”: “While the tension on the board of the car-hailing company remains high — due of late to an ugly lawsuit that one of its major investors, Benchmark, is waging against its ousted co-founder and CEO Travis Kalanick — sources said that a majority of the board is coalescing around the experienced Immelt.
“That could certainly change, said sources, and there are two other executives who are also still being considered, neither of whom is a woman, as some had hoped. Sources said a vote of Uber’s directors is likely to happen within the next two weeks, which does not have to be unanimous, although most directors are hoping it will be. In any case, Immelt has pulled ahead, said several sources. One of Immelt’s earliest and strongest supporters on the board is Arianna Huffington, said sources, but he is also the top choice of several directors. Others still undecided — including Benchmark, which has weakened its status because of the lawsuit and ensuing publicity — have become convinced that Uber needs to hire someone who can quickly deal with a number of pressing and problematic issues and consider Immelt fully capable of handling that well.” http://bit.ly/2vPtw2O
MEDIAWATCH -- “Jersey Gov. Chris Christie no longer a candidate to replace Mike Francesa at WFAN,” by N.Y. Daily News’ Bob Raissman: “Scratch Chris Christie off the list of candidates to replace Mike (Sports Pope) Francesa when he leaves WFAN (if he actually does) in December. FAN sources said the suits searching for Francesa’s replacement have informed the New Jersey Governor his Gasbag services will not be needed.” http://nydn.us/2vUASAc
BONUS GREAT WEEKEND READS, curated by Daniel Lippman, filing from Nantucket:
--“After The Flame,” by Wayne Drehs and Mariana Lajolo in ESPN the Magazine: “The 2016 Summer Games were supposed to bring Rio and Brazil to new financial and athletic heights. What’s left behind? A city and country shrouded by corruption, debt and broken promises.” http://es.pn/2vGuvCn
--“A Brief History of Traveling With Cats,” by Jackie Mansky in Smithsonian: “Fierce felines of history sailed the world, survived Europe’s crusade against them and made it all the way to Memedom.” http://bit.ly/2uTzyfG
--“Bangalore, before the dystopia,” by Harish C Menon in Quartz – per The Browser’s description: “Bangalore has gone from Garden City to Garbage City in 30 years. Renowned as the tech hub of India, producing 10% of India’s GDP, the city is ‘a disaster in slow motion’. Population and area have tripled with little in the way of planning or infrastructure. Green spaces and watercourses have been concreted over. Quality of life has fallen to the lowest of all Indian cities. Residents ‘grapple with self-combusting foaming toxic lakes”. By 2025 Bangalore ‘will be simply uninhabitable.” http://bit.ly/2v4ADAs
--“‘Y’all Sent Me to Washington at an Interesting Time,’” by The Atlantic’s Molly Ball: “A freshman Republican lawmaker [Jim Banks] tries to stay on the right side of his constituents—and his principles—deep in Trump Country.” http://theatln.tc/2v4ruZ0
--“What the Heck Is Guam? A Guide for the Perplexed,” by Shannon Togawa Mercer in Lawfare: “It sits almost 1,500 miles south of Japan and around 2,100 miles from North Korea. ... According to historians, Guam was discovered and populated by Austronesian peoples around 4,000 years ago. Guam got a jump on contact with Europeans when Ferdinand Magellan stumbled upon Guam in 1521.” http://bit.ly/2wjhGOQ
--“The partition goes on: A Pakistani perspective,” by Mohammed Hanif on Al-Jazeera: “Like many Pakistanis I saw my first Indians in London and was surprised that they were a bit like us. Most Indians and Pakistanis have the same reaction when they meet. It seems as if they are brought up to believe that a community of ferals lives across the border. The most we know about each other is from moving images from films and songs, and a bit from books.” http://es.pn/2vGuvCn
--“James Baldwin’s Istanbul,” by Suzy Hansen in PublicBooks: “Baldwin was delighted by the Turkish custom of holding hands — even men could be openly affectionate. It was easier to be gay in Istanbul than in America, and easier to be black ... [The city was] a place anyone could go to live and feel free.” http://bit.ly/2fO2Vxi
--“What should you do when two ISIS suspects are interrogated right before your eyes?” by Anthony Loyd in the New Statesman: “I felt intrigued but uncomfortable, watching it all unfold, the bound and kneeling men waiting for the whip or worse. I knew that if I left the room both prisoners would get thrashed for sure, and likely tortured. If I stayed, they might get thrashed anyway, in front of me, which might have implied my acquiescence. But I also wanted to know what would happen. It was awkward either way.” http://bit.ly/2fNROEt
--“The Fight of His Life,” by Brian Castner in Esquire: “Afghan Army Captain Noorullah Aminyar was once a valuable ally to the American military. But after a failed defection attempt and three years in detention, his asylum claim now rests on the argument that the U.S. has lost its longest war.” http://bit.ly/2wdhWQi (h/t Longreads.com)
--“Mr. Nice Guy,” by Wired’s Nicholas Thompson: “Instagram’s Kevin Systrom wants to clean up the %$@! Internet.” http://bit.ly/2wdqlU0
--“My Life Lessons in Rust Belt Racism,” by Kim Kingsley on Medium:
http://bit.ly/2xfTcU0
--“The White Lies of Craft Culture,” by Lauren Michele Jackson in Eater: “How the world of small batch, single origin, and totally artisanal erases the people of color who made it possible.” http://bit.ly/2fUeLG
SPOTTED: Rep. Joe Crowley (D-N.Y.) at Cisco Brewery on Friday on Nantucket ... John King on an American Airlines flight from DCA to Nantucket on Saturday morning.
WEEKEND WEDDINGS -- “Elise Stefanik, Matthew Manda” -- N.Y. Times: “Ms. Stefanik, 33, is a United States congresswoman, representing the 21st District of New York. She is a Republican serving on the House Armed Services Committee; the Committee on Education and the Workforce; and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Elected in 2014 at age 30, she is the youngest woman elected to Congress in United States history. Previously she served in the Office of the Chief of Staff in the White House under President George W. Bush. She graduated from Harvard. ...
“Mr. Manda, 34, is the marketing and communications director in Alexandria, Va., for the Media Group of America, which owns and operates the media outlet Independent Journal Review. Previously he was the communications director for Representative Kevin Yoder, Republican of Kansas, and as the political director for 2010 campaign for Senator Jerry Moran, Republican of Kansas. The groom graduated from the University of Kansas. ... The couple met through mutual friends in January 2012 at a party hosted by the bride in Washington.” With pichttp://nyti.ms/2wlkegi
-- Pool report: “At the Hall of Springs in Saratoga State Park, guests noshed on Baby lamb chops, a raw bar pork belly sliders, potato pancakes, antipasti in honor of the bride's Italian roots, a Cannoli bar and a gelato bar. The Bride and groom had a choreographed dance to ‘Can’t Take My Eyes Off You.’ The father and daughter dance was to Hamilton’s ‘Dear Theodosia.’” Picshttp://bit.ly/2x2Paix … http://bit.ly/2fWc3Qv
SPOTTED: Russ Schriefer and Nina Easton, Lenny and Amelia Chassé Alcivar, Ryan Coyne, Joel and Laura Cox Kaplan, Anita and Tim McBride, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), Reps. Carlos Curbelo (R-Fla.), Will Hurd (R-Texas), Chris Collins (R-N.Y.), Mimi Walters (R-Calif.), David Young (R-Idaho), John Katko (R-N.Y.), Susan Brooks (R-Ind.) and Joe Wilson (R-S.C.), New York State Assemblyman Dan Stec, NY State Conservative Party Chair Mike Long, Megan and Tyler Foote, Phil Musser, Mike Leavitt, Tom and Corinne Hoare, Lindley and Dustin Sherer, Aly and Graham Wheeler, Ali and Stuart Siciliano, and Anthony Katie Pileggi.
-- Jonathan Nabavi, vice president of public policy and government affairs at the NFL, and Catherine Hansen, who works on congressional relations at Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, were married Saturday in Bar Harbor. NYT announcement with pichttp://nyti.ms/2vdRW2h … Wedding pichttp://bit.ly/2xfxkIjSPOTTED: Andrew Kovalcin, Rebecca and Matt Haller, Bradley Hayes, Adriana Brizuela and Chris Gindlesperger, Nicole Gustafson, Ali Tulbah and Alana Nolan, Sergio Rodriguera, Allison O’Brien, Nat and Melissa Sillin, Dan Finucane and Danielle Bruccheri and Sean Fairchild.
ENGAGED -- Andrea Saul, who works on communications at Facebook and was national press secretary for Romney 2012, got engaged on Saturday to David Nosbusch, who works in business development at Box and is a Harvard Business School grad. He proposed on the 18th green at 3 Creek Ranch in Jackson Hole, with friends and family nearby. They met through mutual friends watching college football at NorthStar Cafe in San Francisco.
WELCOME TO THE WORLD – Krista Zuzenak, co-founder of mKz Inc and member of Team Pelosi, and Brian Zuzenak, partner at Moxie Media and member of Team McAuliffe, “welcomed their 3rd roommate Isabelle Emma on [Friday]. Isabelle weighed 7 pounds 4 ounces and despite many bets that Baby Z was a boy she surprised and melted the hearts of her parents, family and friends. The couple fell in love across departments at the DCCC and can’t wait to introduce her to the entire Pelosi/McAuliffe Family.” Pichttp://bit.ly/2uVun37
BIRTHDAYS: Fox News’s Fin Gomez, celebrating in Iceland running a half marathon … Lea Berman ... Chuck Campion, chairman and co-founder of Dewey Square Group (hat tips: Rick Ahearn) … Jenny Backus ... Amb. Michael Froman, a distinguished fellow at CFR and former USTR, is 55 (h/t Andrew Bates) ... Brad Fingeroot … Politico’s Doug Palmer ... Scott Rothrock, CTO at advanced-manufacturing company Xometry and a Politico alum ... BPI birthday twins: partner Ben LaBolt and COO Ann Marie Habershaw (h/ts Jen Nedeau and Addie Whisenant) … Al Roker is 63 ... former Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) is 82 ... former Sen. George Mitchell (D-Maine) is 84 ... Targeted Victory co-founder Zac Moffatt ... Connie Chung … Rae-Lynn Ziegler, director of social media and outreach for the Washington Free Beacon (h/t Anton Vuljaj) … Rachel Thomas, who works on external relations, gov’t and regulatory affairs at IBM ... Susan Aspey ... Kendell (Coletti) Mountain ... Gina Keeney, partner at Lawler, Metzger, Keeney& Logan and a FCC alum (h/t Jon Haber) ... Brianna McCullough … Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.) is 56 (h/t Josh Brown) … Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Fla.) is 51 ... Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) is 55. He’s celebrating by grilling burgers with his family at home and his three dogs. ... former Rep. Ruben Hinojosa (D-Tex.) is 77 ... Tarrah Cooper, managing director at Mercury ... Matt Shapanka is 3-0 ... Morgan Murtaugh ... Jody Serrano (h/t Amy Sisk) ... Alice Frost Richardson ...
... CNN senior media reporter Oliver Darcy ... Jim Hock, adviser at PSP Capital and former Commerce COS … Meghan Grant ... Madeline Shepherd, associate director of federal policy at Council for a Strong America (h/t Rachel Wein) ... Gordon Neal ... Hayley Herrin (Peterson), senior correspondent at Business Insider ... Patrick Drahi is 54 ... Matthew Gould is 46 ... David Ryan Adelman is 36 (h/ts Jewish Insider) ... Pat Collier IV, policy director at JB Pritzker for Governor … Jeff Morehouse is 37 ... Angelica Alatorre … Nicholas Himebaugh ... Kenny Swab ... Jordan Kittleson ... Shannon Travis ... Linnea Dyer Hegarty ... Katie Peters, comms director for Americans for Responsible Solutions ... Casey Badmington ... Eleni Roumel ... Steve Pfrang ... Shannon Harris ... Ari Goldberg, VP of comms at First Focus, is 44 ... Faryar Shirzad ... Jen Brown … Lona Valmoro … Bob Hudek … Ryan O’Keefe (h/ts Teresa Vilmain)