| | | | | President Trump speaks via video as White House press secretary Sarah Sanders listens during the daily briefing Thursday. Credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images | | | Happy "Fire and Fury" Friday: Michael Wolff's book is out, and we made some more interesting covers
"Where Do I Send the Box of Chocolates?": Wolff thanks Trump for all the free promo
The Gorilla Excerpt Wins Everything: Don't fall for it | | | What the White House is Talking About:
Another day with no public events on President Trump's schedule, but at 2 p.m. he heads to Camp David for meetings with Vice President Mike Pence and congressional Republican leadership. He'll remain there overnight.
Also, December jobs numbers are out -- in 2017, 2 million jobs were added to the US economy.
What the White House Press Corps is Talking About:
Day Three: "Fire and Fury." Also, journalist nerds who stood in line at Kramerbooks & Afterwords last night at midnight to buy, or watch others buy, the book -- *facepalm emoji*.
Feds Actively Investigating Clinton Foundation:
The FBI and federal prosecutors have launched an investigation into the Clinton Foundation, probing whether high-dollar donors were promised access to Hillary Clinton and/or policy favors.
What Mueller Knows:
The New York Times last night reported special counsel Robert Mueller is aware that Trump tried, via White House attorney Don McGahn, to get Attorney General Jeff Sessions to *not* recuse himself from the Russia investigation. It's in the weeds, but it's an important component to understand if Mueller's trying to prove obstruction of justice.
The President Has a Nickname Fixation:
When Trump wants a nickname to stick, he really gets to it -- so far he's twice tweeted "Sloppy Steve" for Steve Bannon. (And then Junior retweeted, naturally.) Here's a convenient list of Trump nicknames compiled by David Martosko. I had completely forgotten about one of my favorites, "Sleepy Eyes," which Trump dubbed Chuck Todd. The man really has a gift. | | Credit: @davidmartosko/Twitter
"Where Do I Send The Box of Chocolates?":
This was the fair question asked by Michael Wolff today on the "Today" show. He was referring, of course, to all the free promotion the President has done for "Fire and Fury." And as for Trump's claim that he didn't allow Wolff an interview, here's what Wolff said this morning:
"Whether he realized it was an interview or not, I don't know, but it certainly was not off the record. I've spent about three hours with the President over the course of the campaign, and in the White House. So, my window into Donald Trump is pretty significant."
The Gorilla Excerpt Wins Everything:
Last night, a bunch of people (legit people) believed a parody "Fire and Fury" excerpt about Trump's insistence on having his favorite 24-hour gorilla TV channel in the White House. Please read it because I swear it's hysterical on its own, but when you add that some people actually thought it was real, it's almost too much good times after all of this (ridiculous, if you ask me) focus on a book. The tweet's author even changed his handle to "the gorilla channel thing is a joke" because people were literally like, wtf, the President of the United States spends 17 hours watching a channel of gorillas fighting. | | Credit: @pixelatedboat/Twitter
Hi. It Me:
Did you guys watch "The Crown" and then find yourself Wikipedia-ing every gd thing about the show and the royals and did-this-really-happen and what did the real Lord Snowdon look like and did Jackie Kennedy actually wear that when she visited Queen Elizabeth?? All of this. If so, please read this great Washington Post take by Emily Yahr on the rabbit hole we collectively went down when Season 2 hit Netflix last month.
Awards Season Kicks Off This Weekend, Guys:
It's the most wonderful time of the year for red carpet stuff, which I dig over on my Twitter. Sunday night's Golden Globes should be super-interesting to watch (so don't forget!) with all the sexual harassment headlines. There's a push for actresses to wear black in solidarity, which appears to be happening because a bunch of the stylists I follow on Instagram have been posting racks of black gowns ... | | | Credit: @stylememaeve/Instagram, @cristinaehrlich/Instagram | | What Washington is Talking About:
Senators have the beginnings of a DACA deal, and congressional leaders including Speaker Paul Ryan and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell are heading to Camp David to talk 2018 legislative strategy and midterms.
What America is Talking About:
"Jeopardy!" host Alex Trebek, 77, underwent brain surgery to remove blood clots and is on leave. And in Florida, it's so cold that frozen iguanas are falling off trees (the good news is, they're probably not dead, just "cold stunned").
Poll of the Day:
Details in "Fire and Fury" raise questions about President Trump's fitness for office. Pollsters have asked Americans about that before, including Quinnipiac in December. The poll found 56% of voters believe Trump is not fit to be president, while 40% believe he is. | | Credit: Quinnipiac
Happy "Fire and Fury" Friday:
Its title borrows a phrase from Trump -- that he would unleash "fire and fury like the world has never seen" on North Korea. Its release is playing out like a budget made-for-TV version of "The Post," with Trump's attorneys sending Wolff and his publisher a cease-and-desist letter that was ignored and and a publish date that was moved up four days early. Its story is the emperor's new clothes updated for an American president, with tales of members of Trump's administration, family and inner circle believing he is unfit for office, yet placating him and kowtowing to his face. Trump tweeted this morning that the book was "phony," but people quoted in it -- including Steve Bannon and former Trump campaign aide Sam Nunberg -- haven't disputed what they're quoted as saying. And it's No. 1 on the Amazon bestseller list. Happy "Fire and Fury" Friday.
That Cover, Though...:
For as much of a ~bombshell~ as this book is, its cover is ... boring. A cropped wire photo with text set against a white background, is that the best we can do? Curiously, it also mirrors another book titled "Fire and Fury" published in 1998 about US federal forces marching to Utah: | | Credit: Henry Holt and Co., Packer Press
In the tradition of dissatisfied pop star fans who do their own versions of less-than-iconic album covers, I've made some alternative covers and asked people on social media to make their own. One of these would work, no? | |
Thanks to Craig Mangum for his explosive No. 2, Chad Johnson for the emojified No. 3, and everyone else who sent them in that I couldn't include (No Nazi themes will be reprinted in Cover/Line).
Sessions' Marijuana Decision is a Flop:
Attorney General Jeff Sessions' memo yesterday that attorneys general nationwide should ignore local laws on pot and enforce federal ones is being ignored so far. Here's a sample of reactions in places it's legal:
Colorado AG Cynthia Coffman said she "would encourage people not to freak out," and said she had a conversation with Colorado's US AG and believes he will not go after the state's recreational industry.
In California, where recreational use of pot became legal this week, Bureau of Cannabis Control chief Lori Ajax said they would continue to issue permits to businesses to grow and sell marijuana.
Washington state also isn't budging. Gov. Jay Inslee said the state would "use every single power at our disposal to preserve and protect" voter-approved legal pot.
Massachusetts, which is expected to begin recreational sales later this year, isn't changing its plans. In a statement, its Cannabis Control Commission said it "will continue to move forward with our process to establish and implement sensible regulations for this emerging industry."
Here in Washington, D.C., a spokesman for US Attorney Jessie K. Liu, a Trump appointee, said his office would use "discretion" in pursuing cases.
Zuck's 2018 Challenge:
Every year, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg sets a personal challenge. Last year's was to visit every state. He announced his 2018 challenge yesterday in a Facebook post and it is ... drumroll, please...
"focus on fixing these important issues" of "protecting our community from abuse and hate, defending against interference by nation states, [and] making sure that time spent on Facebook is time well spent."
OK, so, less sexy than visiting 50 states or learning Mandarin, hard to quantify and track, and isn't that already what his job should be? But good luck!
Obama Heading to Netflix:
The streaming service announced today former President Obama will be the first guest of David Letterman's new Netflix show, "My Next Guest Needs No Introduction." Other guests include George Clooney, Malala, Tina Fey, Howard Stern and Jay-Z.
Peep the New NYT Ad:
Clever. | | Credit: New York Times
Street Art Sighting:
Spotted on a wall in Gaza by photographer Momen Faiz; a depiction of Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a map of Israel, colored in with the Palestinian flag. | | Credit: Momen Faiz/NuPhoto vis Getty Images
If you spot political street art, I'd love to see it. Here's how you can reach me:
1. Tweet me @hunterschwarz
2. Tag me on Instagram @hunterschwarz
3. Email me at coverlinehunter@cnn.com | | | | | | |
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