Fun and foreboding at the Washington Hilton

Apr 28, 2024

By Ryan Lizza, Rachael Bade and Eugene Daniels

Presented by

With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine

DRIVING THE DAY

SCENES FROM LAST NIGHT: COLIN JOST making last-minute revisions to his remarks at the backstage VIP reception before the dinner. … REINCE PRIEBUS chatting with CAITLYN JENNER at the dinner. … Sen. JOHN FETTERMAN (D-Pa.) in a hoodie with parts of a tux imprinted on the front. … Senate Majority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER chatting up CHRIS PINE at the VIP pre-reception. … JOHN KIRBY complimenting EUGENE’s outfit, then noticing his lack of socks: “What the hell?” (It’s called fashion, Kirby. Look it up.) … Rep. SETH MOULTON (D-Mass.) speaking with Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN at the NBC party at the French Embassy. … Second gentleman DOUG EMHOFF and JON HAMM chatting like old friends. … Sen. AMY KLOBUCHAR (D-Minn.) getting some facetime with ScarJo. … DAVID RUBENSTEIN and CIA Director BILL BURNS making a beeline for the garden bar at the NBC party. … LARA TRUMP walking around the NBC party with her hair and makeup artist JESS in tow. … SCARLETT JOHANSSON mobbed by gawkers on the rear terrace at the French Embassy because D.C. still has no chill.

President Joe Biden laughs as host Colin Jost speaks at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton, Saturday, April 27, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

President Joe Biden mixed revelry with serious warnings about Donald Trump last night. | Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP Photo

BEST OF THE DINNER — An NBC production: NBC promised to put a lot into this weekend and it showed. Led by White House Correspondents’ Association president KELLY O’DONNELL, NBC leaned on its formidable stable of news personalities and the firepower of “Saturday Night Live” to help create one of the more highly produced and polished WHCA Dinners we’ve attended. The show included a montage of SNL’s best political sketches, a vignette by STEVE KORNACKI breaking down the map of the famously crammed ballroom of 2,600 people, and lots of references to Johansson, with many C-SPAN cutaway shots of her sitting front and center below the dais.

Johansson’s husband, SNL “Weekend Update” anchor Jost, roasted President JOE BIDEN. VIPs (and those who have been nice to RICHARD HUDOCK this year) gathered after the show at NBC’s classy affair at the French Embassy, where Washingtonians took Jost’s joke encouraging them to ask for a selfie with his wife a little too seriously.

BEST OF BIDEN:

Biden’s best jokes about DONALD TRUMP:

— “I want to thank you for the warm welcome, but please, not so loud. Donald is listening … ‘Sleepy Don’! I kinda like that, I may use that again.”

— “Trump’s speech [about Gettysburg] was so embarrassing, the statue of ROBERT E. LEE surrendered again.”

— “Donald has had a few tough days lately. You might call it STORMY weather.”

— “Of course the 2024 election is in full swing. And yes, age is an issue: I’m a grown man … running against a 6-year-old.”

Biden’s best jokes about age:

— “I’m campaigning all over the country: Pennsylvania, Georgia, North Carolina. I’ve always done well in the original 13 colonies.”

— “Age is the only thing [Trump and I] have in common. My vice president actually endorses me.”

His edgiest joke: “Being here is a reminder that folks think what’s going on in Congress is political theater. That’s not true. If Congress were theater, they’d have thrown out LAUREN BOEBERT a long time ago.”

His best joke about the media: “The NYT issued a statement blasting me for ‘active and effectively avoiding independent journalists.’ Hey, if that’s what it takes to get the NYT to say I’m active and effective, I’m for it.” [NB: Emotions on both sides are still pretty raw when it comes to the recent WH-NYT dustup, according to Times staffers and WH aides we chatted with throughout the weekend.]

BEST OF JOST:

Best ScarJo joke: “Doug, as you can tell from all the comments about my wife, I’m also used to being the second gentleman.”

Best jokes about Biden:

— “I have to admit it’s not easy following President Biden. I mean, it’s not always easy following what he’s saying.”

— “My Weekend Update co-anchor MICHAEL CHE was going to join me here tonight, but in solidarity with President Biden, I decided to lose all my Black support.”

— “The last time I was in D.C., I left my cocaine at the White House. Luckily, the president was able to put it to good use for his State of the Union.”

— “The economy is sort of like you on the steps of Air Force One: It feels like it’s stumbling, but there is somehow upwards progress.”

Best jokes about Trump:

— “Can we just acknowledge how refreshing it is to see a president of the United States at an event that doesn’t begin with a bailiff saying ‘All rise’?”

— “LARA TRUMP is here tonight. She recently released a cover of ‘I Won’t Back Down.’ Upon hearing it, TOM PETTY died again. I can’t believe I’m saying this to a member of the Trump family, but maybe stick to politics.”

Best media jokes:

— “By the way, when I started at the Staten Island Advance, we had a circulation of 100,000. The Washington Post would kill for that.”

— “Wordle is here tonight. Sorry, I meant the New York Times.”

— “Fox News is here tonight. It’s the end of an era: RUPERT MURDOCH’s stepped down at Fox News. Which is strange: I didn’t think there was a step down from Fox News.” [Both STEVE and PETER DOOCY allowed a chuckle at that one.]

— “The Washington Post is here. Washington Post — they were the ones taking your coats at the door. Please be sure to tip.”

— “The New York Post is like having the New York Times summarized for you by a crackhead.”

Jokes that elicited the most uncomfortable laughter:

— “I am honored to be here at what is — according to swing-state polls — the final White House Correspondents’ Dinner.”

— “I would really like to take a moment to recognize all the print journalists in this room. Your words speak truth to power. Your words bring light to the darkness. And most importantly, your words train the AI programs that will soon replace you.”

The one that had perhaps the biggest reaction from the crowd, especially Biden himself: “I’m not saying both candidates are old, but you know JIMMY CARTER is out there thinking, ‘I could maybe win this thing.’”

NEXT YEAR AT THE HILTON? — Despite the good vibes and roasting, there was an undercurrent of foreboding about how things could be very different next April.

Biden — and perhaps more surprising, Jost — both ended their remarks on a serious note about the fragile nature of a free press that seemed perhaps a little less pro forma than usual.

Biden: “There are some who call you the enemy of the people. That’s wrong and it’s dangerous … The defeated former president has made no secret of his attack on our democracy. He has said he wants to be a dictator on day one. And so much more. He tells supporters he is their revenge and retribution. When, in God’s name, have you ever heard of another president say something like that? And he promised a ‘bloodbath’ when he loses again. We have to take this seriously. … I’m sincerely not asking you to take sides. I’m asking you to rise up to the seriousness of the moment. Move past the horse-race numbers and the gotcha moments and the distractions, the sideshows that have sensationalized our politics. And focus on what’s actually at stake. I think, in your hearts, you know what’s at stake.”

Biden ended with this toast: “To a free press, to an informed citizenry, to an America where freedom and democracy endure. God bless America.”

Good Sunday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza.

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POLL POSITION — The latest CNN/SSRS survey finds Trump still holding steady as the slight presidential frontrunner, beating Biden 49 percent to 43 percent among registered voters nationwide. That’s up from a 4-point lead in their last poll in January. A majority of Americans say Trump’s presidency was successful. But a new CBS poll shows essentially a coin toss in perhaps the three most important states: Among likely voters, Biden leads by 2 in Michigan and Trump leads by 1 in both Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

SUNDAY BEST …

— Senate Minority Leader MITCH McCONNELL on what changed some Senate Republicans’ minds to vote for Ukraine aid, on CBS’ “Face the Nation”: “The actual facts. Once we realized we were not going to get a border result, I think our members really started focusing on the package. It was clear that it was not going to have a border provision attached to it. And there are almost no good arguments against this. … We’ve got a lot more to do. I mean, this was an important episode. I think the fact that isolationism, at least on this issue, was defeated is not nearly enough.”

— McConnell on whether he’d support a federal 15-week abortion ban with exceptions, on NBC’s “Meet the Press”: “I’m not advocating anything at this level. I think it’s gonna be sorted out all across the country and be very different in different states. … I don’t think any federal legislation is likely to get 60 votes in the Senate [in] any direction.”

— Fetterman on the tone Biden should take about campus protests, on NewsNation’s “The Hill Sunday”: “I’m not going to give the president any advice or anyone, only on fashion. But I will say this, is that it’s very clear that there is a very germ of antisemitism in all of these protests, you know, and then sometimes it flares up … It’s a great American value to protest, but I don’t believe living in a pup tent for Hamas is really helpful.”

— Kirby on the Israel-Hamas war, on ABC’s “This Week”: “[The Israelis have] assured us that they won’t go into Rafah until we’ve had a chance to really share our perspectives and our concerns with them. So we’ll see where that goes. … If we’re able to get this hostage deal in place — and we are still working at that, Hamas has not fully rejected it. They are considering this proposal on the table. If we can get that in place, then that gives you six weeks of peace.”

TOP-EDS: A roundup of the week’s must-read opinion pieces.

“Colleges Have Gone Off the Deep End. There Is a Way Out,” by David French for the NYT
“We have a radical democracy. Will Trump voters destroy it?” by Robert Kagan for WaPo
“The Politics of Pessimism,” by Frank Bruni for The Atlantic
“MAGA Is Obsessed with Viktor Orban. Liberals Should Be Too,” by Marc Champion for Bloomberg
“Reality on abortion hits the Supreme Court,” by Mary Ziegler for the Boston Globe
“Biden Just Saved the 40-Hour Work Week,” by Timothy Noah for The New Republic
“The grim reality of relocating to get access to gender-affirming care,” by Melissa Santos for Stat
“Consolidation shouldn’t be a dirty word for public universities,” by the Boston Globe
“The Unreality of Columbia’s ‘Liberated Zone,’” by Michael Powell for The Atlantic
“Postcard from the Hispanic Working Class,” by Ruy Teixeira for the Liberal Patriot
“The Wrong Question to Ask About Climate Change,” by Heather Souvaine Horn for The New Republic
“Justin Trudeau Is No Match for a Polarized World” by Stephen Marche for the NYT
“Does automation increase support for the far right?” by Julian Jacobs, Francesco Tasin, and AJ Mannan for Brookings

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WHAT'S HAPPENING TODAY

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PLAYBOOK READS

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox is still seen as the frontrunner to win reelection, but he lost the vote at the GOP state convention. | Alex Brandon, File/AP Photo

9 THINGS FOR YOUR RADAR

1. ABOUT LAST NIGHT: Grassroots Republican discontent with elected officials rumbled at multiple party conventions yesterday.

At Utah’s nominating convention — where attendees tend to lean very conservative — the assembled Republicans voted to back challengers to Gov. SPENCER COX and Reps. BLAKE MOORE and CELESTE MALOY, The Salt Lake Tribune’s Bryan Schott and Emily Anderson Stern report. The incumbents will all still appear on the primary ballot nonetheless, and Cox is still favored to win once voting is opened to the whole state. But Maloy came very close to missing the ballot entirely, and she could face a stiff challenge from COLBY JENKINS. The convention also tapped TRENT STAGGS for Senate.

And in Minnesota, the convention ended without an endorsement of incumbent Rep. MICHELLE FISCHBACH, who went through multiple rounds of voting against STEVE BOYD, the Star Tribune’s Briana Bierschbach and Ryan Faircloth report. Both will run in the primary. In the swing 2nd District, the GOP tapped TAYLER RAHM to go up against Democratic Rep. ANGIE CRAIG, though JOE TEIRAB will continue to the primary too.

2. THE OTHER DAKOTA GOV: “Gov. Doug Burgum moves up Trump’s VP ladder,” by Axios’ Sophia Cai and Juliegrace Brufke: “North Dakota Gov. DOUG BURGUM is quickly moving up former President Trump's list of possible vice presidential picks because Trump’s team believes he would be a safe choice who could attract moderate voters … Trump and his wife, MELANIA, hosted Burgum and his wife, KATHRYN, at Mar-a-Lago for Easter Brunch.”

3. SPOILER ALERT: RANDALL TERRY won the nomination to be the Constitution Party’s presidential nominee, Ballot Access News’ Richard Winger scooped. STEPHEN BRODEN was selected as Terry’s running mate, the first Black person to be on a Constitution Party ticket. Terry is expected to focus almost entirely on his anti-abortion stance, per Giselle Ruhiyyih Ewing, including with “made-to-shock ads.” The party is already on the ballot in 12 states. … Meanwhile, Trump is continuing to scorch ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR. on Truth Social today, trying to paint him as further left than CORNEL WEST (!).

4. TRUMP’S EXTREME RHETORIC: “Donald Trump Has Never Sounded Like This,” by the NYT Magazine’s Charles Homans: “No major American presidential candidate has talked like he now does at his rallies — not RICHARD NIXON, not GEORGE WALLACE, not even Donald Trump himself. … Trump’s great accomplishment [in 2016], one that was less visible from a distance but immediately apparent at his rallies, was the us that he conjured … That us is still there in Trump’s 2024 speeches. But it is not really the main character anymore. These speeches, and the events that surround them, are about them — what they have done to Trump, and what Trump intends to do in return.”

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5. MIDDLE EAST LATEST: Blinken is heading to Saudi Arabia in the latest effort to try to reach a cease-fire deal (and other priorities) in the Israel-Hamas war, per NYT’s Edward Wong. A new last-ditch attempt from Egypt, in conjunction with Israel, has set forth a proposed deal for a cessation of hostilities and the release of hostages, WSJ’s Summer Said and Chao Deng report; Hamas said yesterday that it’s reviewing the latest proposal, per AP’s Samy Magdy and David Rising. Hamas also put out a new video of two hostages, including U.S. citizen KEITH SIEGEL, NBC’s Mirna Alsharif reports.

As Blinken faces a May 8 deadline to determine whether Israel’s use of weapons provided by the U.S. breaks the law, multiple State Department bureaus have offered him conflicting advice, Reuters’ Humeyra Pamuk scooped. Some senior officials have leaned toward finding that Israel has violated the law, though others disagreed.

In the U.S., angst over the 34,000 dead Palestinians continues to grow. Two hundred more protesters were arrested at Northeastern, Arizona State, Indiana University and Washington University in St. Louis yesterday, NYT’s Anna Betts, Matthew Eadie and Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs report, including JILL STEIN. And a pair of profiles — NYT’s Robert Jimison on Rep. MARK POCAN (D-Wis.) and WaPo’s Yasmeen Abutaleb on Dearborn, Michigan, Mayor ABDULLAH HAMMOUD — show how hard it’s getting for progressives to keep supporting Democrats.

6. VLADIMIR PUTIN BACK IN CONTROL: “Thousands of former Wagner fighters are now answering to Moscow,” by Erin Banco: “The reconstituted paramilitary groups have already forced the Biden administration to withdraw troops from Niger and Chad — in major setbacks for counterterrorism — while challenging U.S. policies in the Central African Republic, Mali, Burkina Faso, Libya and other African nations. … [YEVGENY PRIGOZHIN’s] disinformation arms are now likely under the control of Russia’s foreign intelligence service.”

7. THE ABORTION ELECTION: With abortion mostly illegal in many states now, tragic stories of women who suffered complications in pregnancy are increasingly featuring in campaign ads. Harris tells WSJ’s Catherine Lucey in an interview that she has stayed in touch with some of the women. The VP says she wants to tell them “that they’re not alone, and that what they are experiencing matters and that there are people who are gonna stand up and fight for them.” But anti-abortion groups are working to use women’s testimonials in their messaging too.

8. KEY DEMOGRAPHIC: “Disillusionment plagues young Latinos who could decide the 2024 race in battleground states,” by NBC’s Suzanne Gamboa, Nicole Acevedo and Isabela Espadas Barros Leal in Tempe, Arizona: “[I]nterviews with nearly two dozen young Latino students on college campuses in battleground states revealed many are currently unmotivated to back a candidate or even cast a ballot. The students in Arizona, Pennsylvania and Georgia spoke passionately about Israel’s war in Gaza, the rising cost of living, immigration and abortion. Almost everyone interviewed said TikTok is where they get most of their news.”

9. BATTLE FOR THE HOUSE: Maryland’s 6th District, set to be vacated by Democratic Rep. DAVID TRONE, is Republicans’ best shot to flip a congressional seat in the state. But some leading Republicans are tacking hard to the right in the primary, despite the district’s Democratic lean, WaPo’s Steve Thompson reports. Two of the frontrunners are NEIL PARROTT, who lost this election the past two times but has sounded more moderate than Trump on issues like Ukraine aid, and DAN COX, who lost the gubernatorial election and continues to assert falsely that Trump won the election. Political novice TOM ROYALS has way outraised both of them, though, as the state party struggles financially.

PLAYBOOKERS

John Barrow is trying to flip a Georgia Supreme Court seat.

Jim Biden worked with companies partially owned by Qatari government officials.

Alex Padilla is leaning into the immigration debate as an important advocate.

Andy Kim has mastered the art of surprise.

Sam Brown is already working to appeal to independents in Nevada.

Katty Kay has a new podcast.

OUT AND ABOUT — SPOTTED at the POLITICO/CBS pre-dinner reception yesterday evening: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-Calif.), national security adviser Jake Sullivan, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Mathias Döpfner, Alex Burns, Anita Kumar, Brad Dayspring, Bob Costa, Elizabeth Ralph, Goli Sheikholeslami, Jonathan Martin, Joe Schatz, Neera Tanden, RNC Chair Mike Whatley, Shuwanza Goff, Steve Benjamin, Gayle King, Ken Buck, Steve and Amy Ricchetti, Irish Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason, Andrew Bates, Karine Jean-Pierre, Mitch Landrieu, Ian Sams, Emilie Simons, Gene Sperling, Robert and Elena Allbritton, Ben LaBolt, CFPB Director Rohit Chopra, Julie Chavez Rodriguez, Wilson Cruz, Jon Hamm, Sophia Bush, Jordan Klepper, Sam Cornale and François-Philippe Champagne.

— At the Comcast-NBCUniversal News Group after-party at French Ambassador Laurent Bili’s residence, guests drank cocktails and spirits from LVMH and a sketch artist drew pictures of the evening. One room was Olympics-themed ahead of this summer’s Paris games, and another featured a replica “Weekend Update” desk from “Saturday Night Live.” Guests could also try out racing simulators from Ford, and the top three winners had donations made in their names to veterans’ nonprofits. SPOTTED: Colin Jost and Scarlett Johansson, Jon Hamm, Rosario Dawson, Chris Pine, James Austin Johnson, Karine Jean-Pierre, George Conway, second gentleman Doug Emhoff, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Kaitlan Collins, Lorne Michaels, national security adviser Jake Sullivan, chief of staff Jeff Zients, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, Gayle King, Cesar Conde, Kelly O’Donnell, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, RNC Co-Chair Lara Trump, Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.), Hogan Gidley, Chris Smith, Mark Truby, Savannah Guthrie, Andrea Mitchell, Al Roker, Lester Holt, Craig Melvin, Peter Alexander, Lawrence O’Donnell, Jen Psaki, Molly Jong-Fast, José Díaz-Balart, Ari Melber, Amanda Ach, Gene Sperling, Dina Powell McCormick, Kara Voght, Joanna Coles, Jim Acosta and Liz Landers, Olivia Nuzzi, Miriam Sapiro and Stephen Labaton, Kellyanne Conway, Mark Ein, Sahil Kapur, Betsy Fischer Martin and Jonathan Martin, Susan Glasser and Peter Baker, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Gus Kentworthy, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, Lisa Monaco, Mike Donilon, Neera Tanden, Ned Price, OMB Director Shalanda Young, FCC Commissioners Geoffrey Starks and Anna Gomez, Mike Cavanagh, Jen Friedman, Phil Tahtakran, Sena Fitzmaurice, Andrew Ross Sorkin and Joe Kernen.

— SPOTTED at WaPo’s pre-dinner reception last night: Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Anthony Fauci, Sally Buzbee, Heather Podesta, William Lewis, Eugene Robinson, E.J. Dionne, SBA Administrator Isabel Guzman, Symone Sanders-Townsend, Lynda Carter, Heather Boushey, Kathy Baird, Karl Wells, Toluse Olorunnipa, Robert Samuels, Shane Harris, Caroline Kitchener, Cat Zakrzewski, Catherine Rampell, Josh Dawsey, Tammy Haddad, Johanna Mayer-Jones, Glenn Fogel, Leslie Cafferty and Simon Behrmann.

— SPOTTED at WaPo’s dinner to kick off the weekend at Riggs Hotel on Friday night: William Lewis, Sally Buzbee, Kathy Baird, Johanna Mayer-Jones, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, Andrea Mitchell, Mark Ein, Robert Barnett and Rita Braver, Symone Sanders-Townsend, Wendy McMahon, Kara Swisher, David Ignatius, Michael Scherer, Philip Rucker, Ashley Parker, Sesha Joi Moon, Vandana Venkatesh and Vincent Evans.

— SPOTTED at the Time/Amazon MGM after-party last night at the Swiss ambassador’s residence, where Jermaine Dupri spun in the DJ booth: Swiss Ambassador Jacques Pitteloud and Angelique Gakoko Pitteloud, Jessica Sibley, second gentleman Doug Emhoff, Massimo Calabresi, Mercuria’s Matt Lauer, Chris Pine, Sophia Bush and Ashlyn Harris, Jon Hamm and Anna Osceola, Molly Ringwald, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, Bill Nye, Rosario Dawson, Maria Teresa Kumar, Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), Reps. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.), Michael McCaul (R-Texas) and Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), Mitch Landrieu, Aldis Hodge, Kasie Hunt, Jennifer Griffin, Sam Feist, Jeff Zeleny, Nancy Cordes, Shawna Thomas, Samantha Barry, Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright, Desiree Gruber and Kyle MacLachlan, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Steve Hartell, Wilson Cruz, David Zapolsky, Ed O’Keefe, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Kate Bolduan, Juju Chang, Alex Marquardt, Abby Phillip, Pamela Brown, Gene Sperling, Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks, Kimball Stroud, Ben Haas, Tayhlor Coleman, Ryan Thompson, Jordan Colvin and Karine Jean-Pierre.

— Solidarity Strategies hosted its second annual “Brown and Bougie Brunch” yesterday to celebrate Latino journalists, recognizing Noticias Telemundo’s Lori Montenegro and CNN’s Jim Acosta with awards. SPOTTED: Alicia Menendez, Chuck Rocha, Ebony Payne, Laura Barrón-López, Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas), Mónica Gil, Maca Casado, Leticia Herrera, Johanny Adames, Gemma Garcia, Jennifer Molina, Miguel Franco, Xenia Ruiz, Kevin Gray, Clarissa Rojas, Marco Frieri, Rafael Bernal, Mark Lima, Cristina Londoño, Fin Gómez, Maria Cardona, Christina Kolbjornsen, Adrian Carrasquillo, Julián Castro and Peter Albrecht.

— SPOTTED at Tammy Haddad’s garden brunch yesterday at the Beall-Washington House, co-hosted by Ruth Porat, Kevin Sheekey, Mark and Sally Ein, Symone Sanders-Townsend, Jon Banner, Craig Minassian and Franco Nuschese: Sens. Mark Warner (D-Va.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.), Reps. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) and Gabe Amo (D-R.I.), D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, Sophia Bush and Ashlyn Harris, Mathias Döpfner, Jan Bayer, Emma Mears, Brad Lightcap, Carol Melton, Alyssa Farah Griffin and Justin Griffin, Fran and Giuseppe Lanzone, Greta Van Susteren and John Coale, Kelley McCormick, Jackie Rooney, Rachel Levitan, Jackie Alemany, Jim Rutenberg, Hailey Fuchs, Michael Schaffer, Miriam Sapiro and Stephen Labaton, Cathy Merrill Williams, Michael Kratsios, Susan Bennett, John McCarthy, Dmitri Alperovitch, Patrick Steel and Lee Satterfield, Robert Allbritton, Andrea Riccio, Doug Thornell and Kate Meissner.

— SPOTTED at the “Politics & Inclusion Dinner” at Masseria on Friday, co-hosted by CNN’s Abby Phillip and ColorComm’s Lauren Wesley Wilson: Alicia Menendez, Laura Jarrett, Rachel Scott, Amna Nawaz, Laura Coates, Weijia Jiang, Geoff Bennett, Laura Barrón-López, Astead Herndon, Ayesha Rascoe, Elaine Welteroth, Mehdi Hasan, April Ryan, Cecilia Vega, Fin Gómez, Kristen Welker, Sabrina Siddiqui, Trymaine Lee, Cari Champion, Bhumi Tharoor, Daniella Diaz, Brakkton Booker, Eva McKend and Jeffrey Ballou.

— Deadline Hollywood and Irish Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason hosted a panel discussion with the creators of “The Diplomat” yesterday. Ted Johnson moderated the conversation with Keri Russell, Debora Cahn, Rufus Sewell and Nason. SPOTTED: Anthony Fauci and Christine Grady, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, USAID Administrator Samantha Power, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Luxembourg Ambassador Nicole Bintner-Bakshian and Kevin Sheekey.

— SPOTTED at the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition’s mid-Atlantic regional summit Friday at the Hotel DuPont in Wilmington, Delaware: Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.), Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Ukrainian Ambassador Oksana Markarova, David Beasley, Jose Fernandez, Scott Nathan, Brian Sikes, Candi Wolff, Kathryn Wengel, Mary Maker, Collin O’Mara, Delaware Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long, New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer, Martha Raddatz and Liz Schrayer.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Justice Elena Kagan … Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) … former Secretary of State James Baker III (94) … Zoe Garmendia … Josh Schwerin of Saratoga Strategies … Maurice Daniel … Ed Pagano of Akin Gump … NYT’s Karoun Demirjian … Kristine Kippins … POLITICO’s Ben Weyl, Samrawit Ferede and Kayla Chowdhury … Erin Peck … Chris Wilson … Carrie Hessler-Radelet … Daniel Keylin of Sen. Thom Tillis’ (R-N.C.) office … Susan Katz Keating … Nikki Reeves of Sen. Josh Hawley’s (R-Mo.) office … Ben Garmisa … NPR’s Deepa Shivaram … Mort Kondracke … Joaquin Tamayo

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Send Playbookers tips to playbook@politico.com or text us at 202-556-3307. Playbook couldn’t happen without our editor Mike DeBonis, deputy editor Zack Stanton and Playbook Daily Briefing producer Callan Tansill-Suddath.

Corrections: Friday’s Playbook misspelled SBA Administrator Isabel Guzman’s and Swiss Ambassador Jacques Pitteloud’s names. Yesterday’s Playbook included an incorrect byline for a POLITICO story about the Supreme Court. It was written by Josh Gerstein.

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