| | | | | President Donald Trump presides over his first full Cabinet meeting Monday at the White House. Credit: Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images | | | Oprah 2020 a No-Go: "I will never run for public office"
What Pyongyang Is Talking About: Dennis Rodman lands in North Korea as detained American student is released
Show Me the Tapes: What Repubs think about Trump's tapes threat | | | What the White House Is Talking About:
President Donald Trump heads to Wisconsin, where first he's going to meet with those the administration calls "Obamacare victims," and then give a statement on health care. From there, it's on to Waukesha County Technical College, where he'll talk about "workforce development week" and vocational training. Ivanka Trump is scheduled to join him.
What the White House Press Corps Is Talking About:
Attorney General Jeff Sessions' testimony before the Senate intelligence committee at 2:30 p.m.
But First Tweets:
Trump railed this morning, mainly against "fake news media," at one point wondering when he was going to get an apology. Later he switched back over to topic, posting two tweets about Obamacare and workforce, but not before he got his morning tweet tantrum out the way. It's a curious thing -- these morning tweets ostensibly become the headline of the day, and the preferred storyline du jour (workforce, health care, infrastructure) takes a back seat. | | First Medal of Honor as President:
The White House announced today that Trump will award the Medal of Honor on July 31 to former US Army Spc. 5 James C. McCloughan for conspicuous gallantry during the Vietnam War. | | Oprah 2020 a No-Go:
Good thing I didn't have those Oprah for POTUS bumper stickers made, because in a new podcast with The Hollywood Reporter, Oprah Winfrey says she's not getting into politics. About an hour in: "I will never run for public office. That is a pretty definitive thing. I will never run."
This Is Crazy Good:
Let's face it, the people in media having the most fun with the Trump presidency are art directors. Foreign Policy scores this week with this Bruce Emmett interpretation of "King Donald," surrounded by his court -- note Kellyanne Conway, lower left. | | Credit: foreignpolicy.com
Everyone Wants to Be "The Expert":
The graphic T-shirt that 11-year-old Barron Trump was wearing Sunday evening when he arrived in Washington was so popular it's now sold out. It was $29.50, from the J.Crew boys line. | | Credit: Left, Mandel Ngan/Getty Images; jcrew.com
Pete Souza Trolling Gets Payback:
Since Barack Obama's been gone from the White House, his former chief photographer, Pete Souza, has pretty much become a professional troller of Trump. Souza (check out his Instagram page), is really good at posting images from the Obama years that directly correlate with those showing the Trump foible of the day/week/moment. Anyway, Souza has a coffee-table book coming out in November and the publisher, Little, Brown and Co., announced Obama will write the forward, a nice return-the-favor. According to a release, "Obama: An Intimate Portrait," will feature more than 300 of Souza's "most iconic photographs in exquisite detail."
I Took This!:
Sometimes I get the the right shot, with the right light, and it's just really cool to step back for a second with all that's happening in the world, and see the White House for what it is: a beautiful, historic, majestic representation of America. I snapped this one Monday night before my last live shot just as the sun was setting. | | What Washington Is Talking About:
Attorney General Jeff Sessions' testimony in front of the Senate intelligence committee scheduled to begin at 2:30 p.m. ET.
What America Is Talking About:
The Golden State Warriors winning their second NBA title in three years. Both Steph Curry and coach Steve Kerr have criticized Trump in the past, and CNN's Zach Wolf noted it'd be surprising if they went to the White House for the traditional ceremony with the President.
What Pyongyang is Talking About:
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said today that North Korea has released one of four Americans detained there -- University of Virginia student Otto Warmbier.
Also, it just so happens that former NBA star and one-time "The Apprentice" contestant Dennis Rodman landed in North Korea today and plans to spend four nights there and do "something that's pretty positive," he said. Rodman has visited North Korea on at least four occasions, including a January 2014 trip when he played an exhibition basketball game and was filmed singing "Happy Birthday" to Kim Jong Un.
Here's a photo of Rodman arriving in North Korea from our Will Ripley. He's wearing a shirt promoting PotCoin, which provides digital currency for the cannabis industry and is sponsoring the trip. | | Credit: @willripleyCNN/Twitter
In a video from PotCoin, the man standing next to Rodman also in similar T-shirt describes the former basketball player as "the only man to have a relationship and be friends with both" Trump and Kim. Rodman will "bring peace and dialogue between both nations," the man says, before adding, "PotCoin is the reason we are going out there." #spon #ad
Show Me the Tapes:
The big question in Washington now: Are there White House tapes of the conversations between Trump and former FBI Director James Comey that the President alluded to in a May 12 tweet? Some Republicans don't believe there are. Here's what three sources told CNN:
White House aide: "It's all hot air. Unless he had a recorder in his pocket, this didn't happen."
Republican aide on Capitol Hill: "I don't think they exist. I think that was a miscalculation on his part."
Sen. Lindsay Graham: "I don't think so."
If there are tapes, they're due to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence's Russia investigation by June 23. If there aren't any, what does Trump's suggestion mean for his credibility in a controversy between him and Comey?
Blocked:
Best-selling author Stephen King tweeted this morning that Trump has blocked him on Twitter.
John Kasich Considers His Next Act:
He's said the best best jobs in the world are No. 1. President of the United States, and No. 2. Governor of Ohio. He applied for the former and didn't get it, and in 20 months, he'll be out of the latter due to term limits, so what does John Kasich do next?
I just published a profile of Kasich, where I explore what a politician does when he's running out of politics to do. We also talked a lot about music, including Taylor Swift vs. Katy Perry and Tricky, a rapper he's a fan of whom I only knew about because I have his cover of Britney Spears' "Piece of Me" on my phone. (It's quite good.)
I promised my grandma I'd send a printed copy of the article because she was worried she wouldn't be able to find it online. If you also want a printed copy, email me your address at coverlinehunter@cnn.com and I'll send you one, too :) | | Credit: Hunter Schwarz/CNN
Views:
Rep. Jason Chaffetz shared this photo on Instagram of a view we don't normally see, from his last hearing as chairman of the House oversight committee. He will resign June 30. | | Credit: @jasoninthehouse/Instagram
Street Art Sighting:
Sent in from COVER/LINE reader Rachel Critchell in Salt Lake City: the eternal cry of a Bernie Sanders fan stenciled on a sidewalk in Bernie blue, "Bernie WOULD HAVE WON." | | Credit: Rachel Critchell
Send me your pics of political street art to coverlinehunter@cnn.com, tweet me @hunterschwarz or tag @cnncoverline on Instagram.
See You Next Week:
I'm heading out the rest of the week for a little summer vacation and leave C/L in Kate's hands until Monday. Will miss you guys! 👋 | | | | | | |
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