CHARLESTON, SC -- Last night a bit after 9 p.m., Hillary and Bill Clinton were reunited. This took place in a convention center in North Charleston, and the ballroom was showing plenty of floor. The Clintons brought along all their pals, like Charlie Rangel and David Dinkins and David Patterson and Sheila Jackson-Lee (Texas, 18th District) and former South Carolina state Representative Lucille Whipper, and also a few white friends! She brought them on the stage, President Clinton provided a brief introduction, and then Hillary was given the space, all to herself, for a speech.  read more »

CHARLESTON, SC -- Last night a bit after 9 p.m., Hillary and Bill Clinton were reunited. This took place in a convention center in North Charleston, and the ballroom was showing plenty of floor. The Clintons brought along all their pals, like Charlie Rangel and David Dinkins and David Patterson and Sheila Jackson-Lee (Texas, 18th District) and former South Carolina state Representative Lucille Whipper, and also a few white friends! She brought them on the stage, President Clinton provided a brief introduction, and then Hillary was given the space, all to herself, for a speech.  read more »

In the midst of increasingly frequent rumors about a presidential bid, Michael Bloomberg held his annual prayer breakfast at the New York Public Library this morning, giving Democratic Mayor David Dinkins a shout-out from the podium.

Afterwards, I asked Dinkins about his feelings about a Bloomberg run.

"I'm a big fan of the mayor, I like him a lot," he told me. But he added, “I stay with my friends. Hillary and Bill Clinton supported me, and I will support them."

I asked him what he would do if she wasn’t the nominee.

"Then, that's a whole other question," he replied.

The jostling for New York's official Democratic convention delegate spots has been quietly playing out in political circles here for some time. And since a Hillary Clinton win in New York is kind of a foregone conclusion, it's really a contest to be named by her campaign.

Officially, delegates have to run and win the spot in party elections, so anyone can still grab a slot. But the campaign has its own list, which is pretty determinative.

Here’s a list of a few of those delegates, this one coming from the 14th congressional district, based on information from two Democratic sources:  read more »

Awards were given out at the Americans for the Arts 2007 National Arts Awards last night, and speeches were made. Sitting down for dinner in Cipriani 42nd Street's massive main hall, guests dressed in black-tie attire-Jeff Koons among them-were surrounded by billboard-sized cloth screens covered with images of Andy Warhol's iconic poppies. Warhol was the official featured artist of the evening.

Honorees included Wallis Annenberg, Ellsworth Kelly, Anna Deavere Smith, and, as a sort-of wrinkle-reducer, the musician John Legend.

Also on hand were Ronald Lauder, Jessye Norman, C. Terry Lewis, Mayor David Dinkins and Jeffrey Sachs. Yoko Ono was jet-lagged, but she made it, too.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg arrived minutes before he was to go on stage, while people were picking at their first course.  read more »

Here is the invitation to an 80th birthday party for David Dinkins at Gracie Mansion, hosted by Michael Bloomberg.

Expect some revelry about the good old days (circa 1990 to 1993), jokes about the political longevity of people who work in City Hall and possibly a humorous anecdote about Rudy Giuliani.

No birthday gifts, though. Tokens of affection (money!) can be donated directly to the Gracie Mansion Conservancy, according to the invite.

Ben beat me to the punch in noting that Hillary Clinton's campaign announced today an endorsment from former Mayor David Dinkins, wihch was made public back on New York 1 back on May 4.

Yes, rolling out all the endorsements is a complicated science. But the timing of this announcement may have something to do with the black journalists who will question the Democratic presidential candidates at tonight's debate at Howard University in Washington.

Speaking of which, Steve Kornacki has a column previewing the debate, focusing on the governor who could be the next big Democratic thing. He'll also be back sometime this evening or early tomorrow with his thoughts, and stay tuned to this space for further analysis and reaction throughout the day.  read more »

“I’m sworn to secrecy,” Rupert Murdoch told The Observer as he was leaving the New-York Historical Society’s auditorium last night. But: “We’re making progress,” the News Corp. chief added.  read more »

John Edwards hired Howard Dean's Internet guru Joe Trippi.

Ben sees significance in Hillary Clinton's use of the phrase "partial birth abortion."

New Yorkers for Obama has scheduled a fund-raiser scheduled for June 1.  read more »