The Hill’s 12:30 Report

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The Hill’s 12:30 Report – Live from Cleveland: Trump to speak on day one | Insurgent delegates plan last-ditch stand | What to attend | 70,000 coming to town | 125,000 balloons ready to drop | Colbert’s convention bingo

It’s an electrified Monday in Cleveland. Filing from various coffee shops around the city, where getting into the arena has been a logistical nightmare (but should be better once we have all the passes), I’m Cate Martel bringing you the behind-the-scenes look at the Republican National Convention, the events to watch and fun insider tidbits along the way. Basically: how to eat and drink your way through Cleveland. 😉 Send comments, story ideas and upcoming events to cmartel@digital-staging.thehill.com, @CateMartel and on Facebook.

The Republican National Convention is finally here! AKA: Disneyland for media and political activists. Eeek! First, here’s a quick cheat sheet to catch you up on what to expect:

Major speakers: Sen. Ted Cruz (Texas), House Speaker Paul Ryan (Wis.), Gov. Scott Walker (Wis.) and Sen. Joni Ernst (Iowa). http://bit.ly/29UZOi5

Well this is unusual: Donald Trump will speak tonight, the first night of the convention. He’ll be introducing his wife, Melania, who will deliver a speech. http://bit.ly/2antPW7 

Notable no-shows: Former Presidents George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush and former Republican presidential nominees Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) and Mitt Romney. Former NFL player Tim Tebow was also rumored to speak but now says he won’t.

Primer: The Hill’s Niall Stanage has a great primer of what to expect from Team Trump this week and how we got here: http://bit.ly/29JdhpR

Numbers: The convention is hosting 2,470 delegates, 2,302 alternate delegates, 15,000 credentialed media (an international press corps only second in size to the 2016 Rio Olympics!) and 50,000 visitors to Cleveland.

Balloons: 125,000 balloons (hidden in the ceiling) will drop on Thursday when Trump is nominated. Oh the things I would do to be able to Superman dive into them. If anyone has a way to make that happen, hit me up. http://bit.ly/29DVOPP 

Stephen Colbert rushed onstage at the convention site last night dressed as Caesar Flickerman, the emcee from “The Hunger Games” series. Couldn’t make that up if I tried. Yes, yes, there’s video: http://bit.ly/29OuX2V

Getting to Cleveland: The airport gate for Cleveland was quite the networking event — if I had a penny for every business card I saw exchanged. Tidbits that kept me entertained:

Overheard at the airport gate on the way to Cleveland: A woman asked the man she was traveling with, “Are all those bags yours?” “Yes, I have lots of stuff.” “The convention isn’t that long.” “Well I wanted to bring my boots.” “You brought those boots?” Sounding annoyed, he responded, “Yes, people wear country shirts [and boots] at night!” Welcome to the Republican convention, y’all. 

Spotted: Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) discussing her role at the convention this year: “I served my time last time [in 2012] and chaired the platform committee.” The group all chuckled.

Now, let’s set the scene for you:

Car rentals: The Hill’s Jonathan Easley rented a compact car, and when the car rental company asked if he would be attending the Republican convention, they upgraded him to a bigger vehicle. Apparently protesters tend to overturn the compact cars first. Oh. 

Police presence: Today has been fairly calm so far. Police are everywhere, but the feeling here is tame and ready for the action. One man is outside the convention center setting up shop to sell Trump merchandise, but that’s about it so far. Will update on the scene on Twitter throughout the day, so follow along!

Standing ovation for police: Bystanders in downtown Cleveland gave police officers a standing ovation as they passed by (via CNN’s MJ Lee). Video: http://bit.ly/2a2a0HX

Protesters: Police on bike, foot and horseback cordoned off a few hundred protesters yesterday who were supporting the Black Lives Matter movement (via The Washington Post’s Joel Achenbach). Photo: http://bit.ly/29NjNBC

Arrests: “[Cleveland] Police Chief says one local man arrested yesterday for trying to steal gas mask bag from state trooper – only arrest yesterday.” (via PBS’s Quinn Bowman) http://bit.ly/29Jma2X

SCOOP — WE AREN’T GOING OUT QUIETLY: Via The Hill’s Jonathan Easley, an insurgent group of anti-Trump GOP delegates are planning their last-ditch effort to get their amendments passed. According to a letter obtained by The Hill, a group of Rules Committee members is urging delegates to reject a rules package approved last week that is set for a vote on the convention floor on Monday. http://bit.ly/29V4tAP 

{mosads}FOR YOUR CONVENTION-WATCHING FUN: CBS’s “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” just unveiled a convention bingo card with all things Trump. Examples: “Smiling Chris Christie” earns a chip, as does “Stone-Faced Chris Christie,” mentions of “Crooked Hillary” or the sighting of Mike Tyson, the former professional boxer. http://bit.ly/29PRvUw 

 

NEWS OUTSIDE OF CLEVELAND: 

OVER THE WEEKEND — SHOOTING IN BATON ROUGE: Three police officers will killed and three more were wounded Sunday morning in a shooting in Baton Rouge, La., a city already reeling from the death of an African-American man killed in a confrontation with police earlier this month. Here’s the latest updates and reactions:

Who: The shooter has been identified as 29-year-old Gavin Long, a former Marine from Kansas City, Mo. 

Cleveland cop: President Obama “has blood on his hands” after Baton Rouge http://bit.ly/29PtwET

Trump questions Obama’s support for police: “There’s something going on” http://bit.ly/29OjXTm Drink every time you hear Trump say “there’s something going on” about a news story. 

DON’T FORGET ABOUT ME THIS WEEK!: Hillary Clinton is addressing the Baton Rouge, La., shooting at the NAACP’s national convention. What to expect: A Clinton campaign aide said her speech would touch on police and race relations. I.e.: the daily sacrifices police officers make and how African-American men are repeatedly victims of violence. http://bit.ly/2aneXHl

 

NOTABLE TWEETS:

MSNBC’s Ari Melber
Overheard at GOP breakfast in Cleveland: “Trump is Trump.” The 2016 version of “It is what it is.” http://bit.ly/29OjSyY

The Washington Post’s Rebecca Sinderbrand (Lol)
So at least one former president showed at the convention after all. http://bit.ly/29SKwvf

 

NOTABLE EVENTS ON TAP: 

Note: Some of these events in Cleveland are private or invite-only. Here’s the full list of events and parties: http://bit.ly/29GKTt7

Convention speakers tonight: Melania Trump, Retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Jason Beardsley and U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke (Mont.).

The Hill’s events: Here’s a full list of The Hill’s events in Cleveland: http://bit.ly/2a606le 

8 p.m. EDT: Locust Street Group, the Distilled Spirits Council and The Wall Street Journal are throwing a bash at the Old County Courthouse, inspired by the last time Cleveland hosted the convention in 1936.

10 p.m. EDT: Concerts for a Cause is hosting a concert at Jacob’s Pavilion honoring House Republican leadership and the Republican Conference, where The Band Perry will be performing. 

8:30 a.m. tomorrow: Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) speaks to the N.H. delegation. Note the 2020 GOP up-and-comers here all week

11:30 a.m. EDT tomorrow: The Hill’s COO and Army military spouse Sheila Casey is hosting an event on training and employment opportunities for veterans. Retired Gen. George Casey — her husband! — will be among the speakers. 

 

PLACES TO GO AND THINGS TO DO:

10 a.m.–3 p.m. EDT Monday–Thursday: The Rock And Roll Hall of Fame is open with free admission. http://bit.ly/29HZFLt

Monday–Thursday: Democratic super-PAC American Bridge 21st Century has rented space to set up a makeshift “Trump museum,” with “a collection of articles, 6,000 video clips dating back to the 1980s and about 40 Trump-branded items including bottled water, vodka, golf balls, men’s ties and a child’s onesie.” http://wapo.st/29DOHdq

 

NOW FOR THE FUN STUFF…:

Today is Sour Candy Day!

MY DREAM HAS BECOME A REALITY: A museum of ice cream is opening in New York. This is not a drill. There will even be a pool of rainbow sprinkles (!). http://bit.ly/29JdhpR

WINTER WON’T BE COMING FOR A WHILE, SADLY: Via BuzzFeed’s Jarett Wieselman. “Game of Thrones season 7 will premiere summer 2017 per HBO with production based in Northern Ireland this summer. Filming also in Spain & Iceland … HBO confirms [it] will be seven episodes long.” http://bit.ly/29VcGFd 

And with that, here’s the perfect way to kick off the week in Cleveland. Thank you, Megan Wilson, for sending this gem: http://bit.ly/29GQbVm

 

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