| | | | | Secretary of State Rex Tillerson looks at President Trump during a ceremony to commemorate the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks at the Pentagon. Credit: Andrew Harrer-Pool/Getty Images | | | Trump's Picture Not Hanging: Months after he took office, federal buildings still don't have portraits up of 45
New Trump Grandchild Arrives: Eric and Lara welcome Trump's 9th grandchild
About That @tedcruz Fav ...: Cruz says "someone inadvertently hit the like button" on a pornographic tweet from his account | | | What the White House is Talking About:
President Trump welcomes Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak to the White House for meetings.
Razak isn't staying at Blair House, nor is he at The Four Seasons in Georgetown, where foreign dignitaries often stay when in Washington. Instead he's at the, wait for it, Trump International Hotel. Here's video of him arriving.
What the White House Press Corps is Talking About:
Trump's hosting dinner tonight for six senators, presumably to talk tax reform. And Hope Hicks was named permanent White House communications director, which we all knew would happen.
Jared Kushner, On the Outs?:
There was, reportedly, a push to distance Trump from his son-in-law to keep Kushner's contacts with Russians separated from the President. Some of Trump's attorneys even advised that Kusnher should resign. He didn't, obviously, but the story is sparking renewed interest in the role Kushner played behind the scenes.
Trump's Picture Not Hanging:
The Washington Post last night had an interesting story about the lack of Trump portraits hanging in various federal offices, even now, months after he took office. It might be because of red tape, but it also *might* be personal; three months after Barack Obama assumed the presidency, his portrait was hung, with more than 130,000 images printed. In response to the delay, a White House spokesperson told the Post that the White House is "still in the process of creating the official portrait."
🚨 New Trump Grandchild Arrives:
Eric and Lara Trump this morning had their first child, a son, named Eric "Luke" Trump. This is Trump's ninth grandchild -- Donald Trump Jr. has five kids, Ivanka has three. | | Credit: @EricTrump/Twitter
Fashion Week Has Politics On the Brain:
In another example of politics affecting fashion, this week at the Spring/Summer 2018 shows in New York, purse designer Edie Parker last night showcased satirical "fake news" magazine covers at her collection presentation. She made references to Trump's infamous "Access Hollywood" debacle, and nodded to nasty women. | | Credit: @Booth/Twitter
Trump's Exes Make Awkward Fashion Week Appearances:
Both Marla Maples (Mrs. Donald Trump #2) and Ivana Trump (Mrs. Donald Trump #1) were spotted at a couple of shows yesterday at NYFW. Marla was wearing a ... white jumpsuit situation? And Ivana was in her usual perch front row at Dennis Basso, the fur and evening wear designer popular with Manhattan socialites of a certain age. Marla was supporting John Paul Atelar, a designer I've never heard of, but apparently Paula Abdul is also a fan, so. | | Credit: Mireya Acierto/Getty Images; Eugene Gologarsky/Getty Images
Hillary Clinton's Book:
If you're interested, here's a breakdown of people in "What Happened" who she blames for her loss, and people she likes. (Spoiler: she does not like James Comey; she does like Bill Clinton.) Also, there are New Yorkers who waited in line since 4 p.m. yesterday for Clinton's book signing today at Barnes & Noble. Like, they camped out. | | | Credit: @GregHale1/Twitter | | What Washington is Talking About:
The House Foreign Affairs Committee is holding a hearing on how to get North Korea to abandon nuclear missiles, while the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is holding a hearing on John Bass, President Trump's nominee as US ambassador to Afghanistan.
What America is Talking About:
Apple is expected to announce new products today at its iPhone 8 event, including the iPhone X.
About That @tedcruz Fav...:
Listen, I try to keep COVER/LINE family friendly, but sometimes politics gets a little NSFW. Cruz's account liked a pornographic video on Twitter from an account called @SexuallPosts Monday. It's now been unliked, and Catherine Frazier, Cruz's senior communications adviser, tweeted it had been "removed by staff and reported to Twitter." | | Credit: @catblackfrazier/Twitter
This is how @SexuallPosts is responding to their newfound notoriety: | | Credit: @SexuallPosts/Twitter
Cruz joked with reporters this morning, saying "If I had known that this would trend so quickly perhaps we should have posted something like this back during the Indiana primary." He said there were "a number of people" on his staff with access to his account. "It appears that someone inadvertently hit the like button."
In his defense, who among us hasn't inadvertently hit the like button?
Cruz has admitted in the past to being hands on with his account. In 2015, he told McKay Coppins he checked both his Senate (@sentedcruz) and personal (@tedcruz) accounts frequently, and scrolled through his @ mentions every morning. "I read every leftist attack," he said. "And actually my team will tell you, some of them -- particularly the clever lefties -- I laugh at."
Map of the Day:
According to data from NOAA, Florida has had 117 direct hits from a hurricane since 1851, more than any other state. | | Credit: CNN
Trump Org Drops Birther References From Trump's Corporate Bio:
The Trump Organization has removed a line about Trump's involvement in the birther movement from his biography on their site, our KFILE found. The line read, "In 2011, after failed attempts by both Sen. McCain and Hillary Clinton, Mr. Trump single-handedly forced President Obama to release his birth certificate, which was lauded by large segments of the political community." It was online as early as August 2015, and was removed in January 2017. The Trump Organization and White House did not respond to a request for comment from CNN.
Equifax is Facing At Least 23 Class-Action Lawsuits:
Woof. And also the top Repub and Dem on the Senate Finance Committee, Chair Orrin Hatch and Ron Wyden, sent Equifax a letter saying the security breach appears to be "one of the largest or record" and perhaps "the most costly to taxpayers and consumers."
Ernst Pushing to Roll Back Benefits for Former Presidents:
Sen. Joni Ernst talked to "Fox & Friends" this morning about legislation she introduced to cut some perks ex-POTUSes get after they leave office. She said:
"What we have now is a situation where our former presidents have book deals and speaking engagements. They are paid quite liberally in those areas, and they American taxpayers shouldn't be subsidizing for personal office space."
Happy "What Happened" Day:
Hillary Clinton's book is finally out. Our Dan Merica writes that her "ode to Bill" is woven throughout. She calls their marriage "the most consequential decision" of her life, says she believes their marriage isn't "anyone's business" and writes why she decided to make it work even through the "dark days."
"There were times that I was deeply unsure about whether our marriage could or should survive. But on those days, I asked myself the questions that mattered to me: Do I still love him? And can I still be in this marriage without becoming unrecognizable to myself -- twisted by anger, resentment, or remoteness? The answers were always yes. So I kept going."
How Far Audio Book Listeners Get Through Politicians' Books:
Not all the way, according to data from Audiobooks.com published by FiveThirtyEight. Of 24 books they look at, John McCain's "Faith of My Fathers" has the highest average amount that was listened to, at 74.7%. But most had a much lower average. Rand Paul's "Taking a Stand" was the lowest, at 30.5%, while Hillary Clinton's last book "Hard Choices" was at 31% and President Trump's "Great Again" was at 48.8%.
Here are the top five books, all by Republicans: | | | | | | |
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