The Week Ahead: President’s birthday

President Obama turns 49 on Wednesday and has a busy week of travel. He
leaves for Chicago on Wednesday to spend his birthday evening there.

First lady Michelle Obama will be out of town for the president’s
big day. She heads to Spain for a private visit, although she will meet
with King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia. The White House has been mum on trip details, but she’ll be traveling with daughter
Sasha and family friends.

{mosads}The Senate is in its final week before adjourning for the August
recess. The chamber is likely to vote Monday on a bill to pay for education
and Medicaid spending. There could be a vote on an energy
bill Wednesday; the rest of the week will be spent debating the
Supreme Court nomination of Elena Kagan.

Senators are likely to adjourn late Thursday, as they did last year
when voting on the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor just before the August
recess, but the actual schedule will depend on negotiations between
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Minority Leader Mitch
McConnell (R-Ky.). If enough senators wish to speak on Kagan’s
nomination, they could stay in town until Friday or the weekend.

Three states hold primaries Tuesday: Kansas, Michigan and Missouri; and Tennessee holds its primary Thursday.

Monday, Aug. 2

—
Obama will be in Atlanta for a Democratic National Committee fundraiser
and a speech to the Disabled American Veterans convention.

— The Alliance for Health Care Reform holds a briefing from 12:15
p.m. to 2 p.m. called “50 Ways to Implement Health Reform: State
Challenges and Federal Assistance.”

Tuesday, Aug. 3

—
The big race in Kansas is the primary for the Republican Senate
nomination. Reps. Todd Tiahrt and Jerry Moran are battling for the nod
as Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) runs for governor. The race got
nasty in its final days, with negative ads and accusations of push-polling. Moran has led in the polls and the seat is considered solidly
Republican, meaning the primary winner will likely be the next senator.

— Meanwhile, there are six Republicans running for Moran’s seat
and five running for Tiahrt’s, which are expected to stay in GOP hands.
Another House race to watch is the battle for retiring Rep. Dennis
Moore’s (D-Kan.) seat. His wife, Stephene Ann Moore, is running in the
Democratic primary. The seat is a top GOP target.

— In Michigan, Rep. Pete Hoekstra is running for the Republican
gubernatorial nomination. He came in third in Friday’s Detroit Free
Press poll, but the contest is close enough. The race is a three-way
contest between businessman Rick Snyder, Attorney General Mike Cox and
Hoekstra.

— Rep. Carolyn Kilpatrick (D-Mich.) faces a tough primary.
She squeaked by in 2008’s Democratic primary and has been haunted by
family troubles this cycle. Her son, former Detroit Mayor Kwame
Kilpatrick, spent time in prison on corruption charges. Rep. Kilpatrick
was with Obama during his Detroit visit on Friday, and the images from that meeting could help.

— In Missouri, Sen. Kit Bond (R) is retiring. Missouri Secretary
of State Robin Carnahan (D) and Rep. Roy Blunt (R) are expected to win
the party nominations.

— Obama hosts a town hall at the White House as part of his Forum with Young African Leaders.

Wednesday, Aug. 4

— Obama speaks to the AFL-CIO Executive Committee meeting and leaves for Chicago in the afternoon.

—
There’s a Krispy Kreme Breakfast at the National Republican Senatorial
Committee for Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.). And, yes, it’s invite-only.

— The Tea Party Express holds a 9:30 a.m. press conference at the National Press Club.

—
The Cato Institute hosts a Capitol Hill briefing called “The Real
Impact of the New Health Care Law” at noon in the Rayburn House Office
Building.

— The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and its
oversight subcommittee hold a 10 a.m. joint hearing to consider the use
of oil dispersants in cleaning up the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. The
Senate Judiciary panel also meets at 10 a.m. on government preparedness
for a terrorist attack.

— The Senate Homeland Security Committee’s Investigations subpanel
holds a 2:30 p.m. hearing on Social Security disability fraud.

Thursday, Aug. 5

—
Obama visits a Ford plant in Chicago. He will also attend two
Democratic National Committee fundraisers and fundraise for Democratic
Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias, who is running for his old seat.

— The Kaiser Family Foundation and the Center for Strategic and
International Studies host a forum looking at policy, research and
other development from last month’s international AIDS conference in
Vienna, Austria.

— Tennessee holds its primary and all eyes will be on the GOP
governor’s primary. Rep. Zach Wamp is running for the
nomination but faces tough competition from Knoxville Mayor Bill
Haslam, who has poured more than $1.45 million into the race. Lt. Gov.
Ron Ramsey is also running.

— “Real Housewives of D.C.” premieres on Bravo at 9 p.m. There will be
a private viewing party in Washington for castmates, their families and
invited guests.

J. Taylor Rushing contributed to this article.