| | | | | President Donald Trump pauses before signing a memorandum to expand access to STEM education while students watch closely Monday in the Oval Office. Credit: Kevin Dietsch/Pool/Getty Images | | | Personal Email Accounts, Yep, They Used Them: Javanka were two of six presidential advisers who reportedly used personal non-White House accounts
Did the Cowboys Figure Out How to Defuse the Anthem Controversy? Their kneel-stand combo Monday night
Everyone's Got a Podcast These Days: Even Joe Biden | | | What the White House Is Talking About:
President Donald Trump has a busy day. He met with GOP members of the House Ways and Means Committee this morning, and was scheduled for a hurricane recovery status briefing. Later today he welcomes Spanish President Mariano Rajoy to the White House for a bilateral meeting; then the two have a press conference in the Rose Garden at 1:45 p.m. Later Trump goes to New York for meetings with the Republican National Committee and then a big-dollar donor dinner at Le Cirque this evening.
What the White House Press Corps Is Talking About:
Trump's schedule of events -- and the story about his staff/family using personal email accounts. Also, the Senate runoff race in Alabama is today.
Trump told the press pool this morning he plans to travel to Puerto Rico on October 3 to survey the damage from Hurricane Maria; he also might stop off in the US Virgin Islands, which were battered by Hurricane Irma. He said it's been difficult to get supplies to Puerto Rico because "it's an island sitting in the middle of an ocean -- a very big ocean."
"It's Really Caught On":
The President hosted a private dinner Monday night at the White House for conservative leaders. He talked about, wait, the NFL. "It's really caught on," Trump said of his NFL comments, according to someone who attended the dinner.
Trump said his constant barrage of tweets about the NFL and the National Anthem (24 of them since Friday) was "what millions of Americans were thinking."
This morning he also tweeted about the NFL ratings being down, but as CNN's Brian Stelter and Betsy Klein explain here, it's a little more complicated than that.
Donald Trump Jr. Back in Protection Mode:
Remember last week when Donald Trump Jr. didn't want such intensive Secret Service protection for himself and his family, so he could have more privacy? Well, that's already over. He's back under protective service. | | Personal Email Accounts. Yep, They Used Them:
The New York Times reports that six of the president's closest advisers, including daughter Ivanka Trump and son-in-law Jared Kushner, used personal, non-White House email accounts to correspond about official administration stuff. I mean, this is ironic and interesting for a whole host of reasons, not the least being the Hillary Clinton "lock her up!" chant so popular with Trump and his supporters over her use of a private email server. Stay surreal, 2017.
Barack and Joe, Still Bros:
Monday night was the annual Beau Biden Cocktail Reception and Silent Auction, which raises money for the Beau Biden Foundation, and the surprise guest of the evening was former President Barack Obama. Obama told the 600 or so guests that he traveled to Wilmington, Delaware, to "lend his voice and support" to the event. Biden tweeted about it, and here they are hugging. | | Credit: @JoeBiden/Twitter
Trump's Granddaughter Wears Trump Mask:
I took note of this image when Donald Trump Jr. first posted it on his Instagram a few days ago, because it was funny/creeped me out. It's his younger daughter, Chloe, trying on a Donald Trump rubber Halloween mask, which is weird and sort of says a lot about where we are right now in this odd mashup of politics and popular culture. Anyway, clearly the President liked it, too, because he regrammed the post Monday night. | | Credit: @realdonaldtrump/Instagram
Melania Trump's Plane:
So I'll geek out for a second because Saturday was my first time traveling with the first lady on her plane -- she went to Toronto to represent the United States at the opening of the Invictus Games. Also, Prince Harry was there, with his girlfriend, AND THEY HELD HANDS YOU GUYS. But back to Melania Trump. She was gracious and punctual, and she shook hands and chatted with the athletes on the US team, and at the opening ceremonies, she gave them all a standing ovation. She also cheered and waved her arms, which I could observe in the stadium because she, like most everyone else, was wearing a special bracelet that would like up with the music to create a very cool special effect. In short: she was into it.
But back to the plane. She has her own cabin, and it has a little couch with a blanket that says "first lady," and a chair with a jacket draped over it, which also says "first lady." I know this makes me a dork, but I thought it was cool and quickly snapped a pic as we passed the open door to depart the plane. | | Image credit: Kate Bennett
As long as I'm admitting my dorkness, I will divulge I was sort of obsessed with what I was going to wear that day, and I wasn't sure I had made the right choice -- because, let's be honest, culottes are not everyone's jam -- but when the first lady got off the plane in her Christian Dior suit and the pants were culottes, I knew the universe was telling me I wardrobed wisely. | | | Credit: Left, Kate Bennett; right, Betsy Klein | | What Washington Is Talking About:
What happens to Republicans' Obamacare repeal efforts after the Graham-Cassidy bill appeared to be on life support. Also former Trump campaign adviser Roger Stone testified before the House Intelligence Committee today and told reporters he has not heard from Robert Mueller's office.
What America Is Talking About:
Equifax CEO Richard Smith, is retiring, three weeks after the company disclosed a data breach that affected up to 143 million Americans.
Did the Dallas Cowboys Figure Out How to Defuse the Anthem Controversy?
At their game Monday night in Glendale, Arizona, against the Cardinals, Cowboys players and owner Jerry Jones took a knee before the anthem, then stood with their arms interlocked when it played. Jones said the team wanted to "stand and respect the flag" and also "demonstrate that unity is important and equality is important." | | Credit: Christian Petersen/Chris Coduto/Getty Images
The team was booed when players took a knee. Trump later tweeted that it was "the loudest I have ever heard" but said their standing for the anthem was "big progress." | | Credit: @realDonaldTrump/Twitter
For as divisive an issue as kneeling controversy is, and for as much as Trump seems interested in keeping it alive, the athletes appear not to want to be divided. We've seen them interlock arms to show their unity or stay off the field completely when the anthem played to avoid the controversy. We've seen them respect their teammates' decisions on whether to stand or kneel. The controversy is one about symbols; what it means -- and doesn't mean -- to stand or to kneel, and how you view it says a lot about your politics. The Cowboys' kneel-stand combo was an attempt to take the good of both symbols, sending a message they stand united in their support for both equality and patriotism.
We've got a break from NFL anthems for a couple of days. The next game will be Thursday when Chicago travels to Green Bay, followed by 14 games Sunday.
Anthem Singer Jordin Sparks Had Her Own Message:
The "American Idol" winner and Arizona native sang the National Anthem at Monday's Cardinals-Cowboys game, with "Prov. 31: 8-9" written on her hand. "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy." | | Credit: Christian Petersen/Getty Images
Villanueva Didn't Mean for That Anthem Pic to Look Like It Did:
In another example of how athletes seem to be actively pushing against the divisiveness of this controversy, Pittsburgh Steelers' Alejandro Villanueva apologized for how he looked with his hand over his heart during the anthem Sunday when the rest of his team wasn't on the field. He told the press the photos of him made it appear that his team and coach were not behind him "and that's absolutely wrong," the former Army Ranger said. "It wasn't me stepping forward."
He said his team respects how he feels about the flag, but he also said he respects their views. "I'm not going to pretend like I have the righteous sort of voice to tell you that you should stand up for the National Anthem," he told the press. "It's protected by our Constitution and our country. It's the freedom of speech."
This Week's Sports Illustrated Cover:
The cover line reads, "A Nation Divided, Sports United." | | Credit: @SInow/Twitter
Everyone's Got a Podcast These Days:
Even Joe Biden. "Biden's Briefing" features short episodes of news articles read by a voice actor, with an intro from the former vice president. Biden himself described it as "articles, essays and posts that made an impression on me and I want to share with you," including some with which he says he disagrees. The podcast is a collaboration with the startup Ground Control and Creative Arts Agency. | | Credit: iTunes
We've heard rumors of politicians exploring the possibility of starting their own media companies before. Last year, both Obama and then-candidate Trump were rumored to be looking into it, but both rumors were denied.
Ben Bradlee's Getting an HBO Doc:
The late Washington Post executive editor will be featured in "The Newspaperman: The Life and Times of Ben Bradlee," out December 4. Per HBO, the documentary will include unseen home movies, and interviews with Bob Woodward, Carl Bernstein, Henry Kissinger, Sally Quinn and Tina Brown. Time Warner is the parent company of both HBO and CNN.
Street Art Sighting:
@PostSecret tweeted this photo of "Ghostbusters"-inspired anti-KKK street art in Los Angeles. | | Credit: @PostSecret/Twitter
Send me your pics of political street art to coverlinehunter@cnn.com, tweet me @hunterschwarz or tag @cnncoverline on Instagram. | | | | | | |
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