On Thursday night, downtown DC was packed with people hoping to catch a glimpse of the tree lighting, but a block away from the White House, Morning Consult was having a time of their own. After a long summer of renovation at the original Securities and Exchange Commission building, Morning …

Emily Heil checks out her Roll Call “fake front page” during her going away party at Irish Times on Capitol Hill, Wednesday. She heads to the Washington Post’s “In the Loop” column after 4 years with Roll Call. Carl Hulse, freshly named New York Times deputy Washington bureau chief, is …

We hope you enjoyed the break. What did you talk about over the grill? Triage or Playboy? Jeff Zeleny & Carl Hulse: Democrats Plan Political Triage to Retain House Eddie Kim: Salahi to Auction State Dinner Dress, Pose in Playboy

Don’t look now, but several FamousDC reporters are blowing up big time by spending an evening on the front of the Drudge Report. Let’s review which reporters get to a) show proof to their bosses they were at work and not the Cap Lounge and b) explain to their parents …

Patrick O’Connor: Boehner’s GOP fix: A new committee Faced with dire predictions of an electoral bloodbath in November, House Republican leader John A. Boehner responded Wednesday by creating a committee to advise the National Republican Congressional Committee. … Rep. John Kline (R-Minn.), who will serve on the committee, said its …

Politico introduces THE HUDDLE From the inaugural edition (Tuesday): Welcome to the first edition of THE HUDDLE – a BlackBerry-friendly, early-morning timesaver distilling what Hulse and David Rogers have filed, what Daly and Stewie are cooking up, and what Roll Call and Politico are breaking. Also today, Politico is launching …

Congress returns this week – at least half of it does – for the start of 2008 and a session that should have distinct differences from 2007. [click]