| | | | | President Trump with Leo Varadkar, Ireland's prime minister, and first lady Melania Trump, during the Shamrock Bowl Presentation in the East Room Thursday. Credit: Eric Thayer/Bloomberg via Getty Images | | | Donald Trump, Jr. and Vanessa Trump Split: They announced they're going "separate ways" after 12 years of marriage
Ivanka is Doing Diplomacy: She met with South Korea's foreign minister
Stormy Was Physically Threatened, Lawyer Says: Attorney Michael Avenatti also says he's been approached by other women to take legal action against Trump | | | What the White House is Talking About:
Nothing on President Trump's official schedule today, but he does have a closed-press lunch with Secretary of Defense James Mattis.
What the White House Press Corps is Talking About:
Speculation about what's going to happen with West Wing staffing, which may or may not be on the brink of more changes. Dipping into journalist Twitter is like reading Bachelor Nation Twitter with all the speculation about who might be sent home and who might get a rose.
Sarah Sanders set to brief at 2 p.m.
McMaster ... Survivor?:
Last night, the Washington Post first reported that national security adviser H.R. McMaster would be told today that he was off the island. But then Sarah Sanders tweeted that McMaster is safe, and could even have an immunity idol because, she said, he had "a good working relationship" with the President. But, today is a slow-news Friday, so there could be a #blindside.
John Kelly Forms Truce in the Alliance, Tho:
I apologize for the analogies, but it's all so "Survivor." To back-track, in addition to the McMaster ousting, there was also buzz that chief of staff John Kelly could be resigning today. However, the Wall Street Journal reported late this morning that Trump had fortified his alliance with Kelly and that his torch of life will remain lit for at least the near future.
New New Yorker Cover Lays Trump Bare:
Sorry. I make puns.
Artist Barry Blitt with his 15th Donald Trump cover for the mag says this one is in response to the President's "stormy relationship with the press," literally and figuratively. | | Credit: Barry Blitt for newyorker.com
Donald Trump, Jr and Vanessa Trump Split:
The President's oldest child, Donald Trump Jr, and his wife, Vanessa Trump, announced in a statement yesterday that they are going "separate ways" after 12 years of marriage. I tweeted this last night, but let me make clear I feel badly for anyone going through difficult times, especially those who have young children; the Trumps have five kids. Last month, Vanessa Trump was briefly hospitalized with one of her children after receiving an envelope containing white powder -- both were fine. But signs of impending separation were possibly indicated on the couples' social media accounts. Where once Vanessa, a former model, would retweet almost every tweet of her husband, she quit the habit months ago. And Trump, for his part, has tweeted and instagrammed almost exclusively about his children (and some politics) since last fall, when Vanessa's regular presence in his pics seemed to diminish. (Who can forget Trump's TMI post about swan and heart shaped linens with rose petals on a bed set for Valentine's Day?) It's impossible to read tea leaves about a marriage, but it's a sad outcome for the couple.
Meanwhile, Ivanka Trump is Doing Diplomacy:
Ivanka Trump continues the conversation she began at the Olympics with South Korea Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha by sharing a meal (or at least a bread basket) with her in Washington yesterday. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs tweeted this pic of the two dining together. | | Credit: @MOFAkr_eng/Twitter
Dress Like the First Lady:
If Melania Trump was going to *have* to wear a certain color, she at least did it in a leopard print. At yesterday's Shamrock Bowl Presentation ceremony at the White House with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar and the President, Melania wore this $1,595 Brandon Maxwell dress. Personally, I would have gone with the pants version and a white t-shirt, but that's just me. Also, I included Trump in the below pic because he's got some shamrocks in his jacket pocket and I think it's a solid indicator that a colored pocket square might be something he should do -- it brings something to his look. | | Credit: Alex Edelman/pool/Getty Images, neimanmarcus.com
About Brandon Maxwell, the designer of the dress -- he got famous as Lady Gaga's personal stylist, and he continues to dress many celebrities. However, it was Michelle Obama who really took a chance on Maxwell, and sent his ready-to-wear collection into retail orbit. She chose a Maxwell design (this somewhat avant garde white strapless gown) for a State Dinner in August 2016, and she wore a Maxwell on the cover of InStyle magazine's October 2016 issue. On his Instagram, Maxwell has been effusive in his praise and recognition of Michelle Obama, expressing gratitude for her wearing his designs. He hasn't yet posted about Melania's dress choice. | | | Credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images, instyle.com | | What Washington is Talking About:
Rep. Louise Slaughter, a New York Dem elected to the House in 1986, microbiologist, and first female chair of the House Rules Committee, died today at 88 years old.
What America is Talking About:
The pedestrian bridge in Miami that collapsed, killing at least six people.
Poll of the Day:
The percentage of Russians who have confidence in the honesty of their presidential election, which will be held Sunday, according to a Gallup poll out today: | | Credit: Gallup
For as low as that is, it's actually the highest level of confidence since Gallup began tracking in 2012. Spoiler alert: Vladimir Putin is expected to win.
US Accuses Russia of at Least Two Years of Cyber Attacks:
The Department of Homeland Security and FBI announced Thursday that the Russian government has targeted American energy, infrastructure, transportation, manufacturing and government entities for cyber attacks going back to at least March 2016. You can read their joint technical alert here.
In it, the DHS and FBI detail Russian actors' methods, including using publicly available sources to gather information (one example they reference is blowing up a small photo available on an HR web page so they could see control systems and status information in the background) or a spear phishing email campaign that used attachments to get access to a document on a remote server. They conclude the cyber campaign has "affected multiple organizations in the energy, nuclear, water, aviation, construction, and critical manufacturing sectors."
Add this to a list of actions from Putin's Russia that includes the use of a nerve agent in an attack on an ex-Russian spy in the UK earlier this month, meddling in the 2016 US elections, annexing Crimea in 2014, and invading Georgia in 2008. Guys, this isn't good.
The Special Counsel Subpoenas the Trump Organization:
Special counsel Robert Mueller has subpoenaed business documents from the Trump Organization, a source told CNN. We know the company turned over documents back in January, and the source said the subpoena was to ensure Mueller's team got ahold of all related documents for their investigation.
Let the Flake 2020 Boomlet Begin:
Repub Sen. Jeff Flake, who said Thursday, "my party might not deserve to lead" because of its support for President Trump, is in New Hampshire today to speak at the "Politics and Eggs" event at Saint Anselm College. He said he's just "going for the weather," but everyone's like, bro, are you going to run for president? Flake has previously said he's not currently running for president, but also not ruling out the possibility. | | Credit: C-SPAN
Stormy Was Physically Threatened, Lawyer Says:
We don't have much information about the accusation -- Stormy Daniels' attorney Michael Avenatti said it will fully be revealed in her upcoming "60 Minutes" interview with our Anderson Cooper, scheduled for March 25 -- but Avenatti said this morning on "New Day" that Daniels "was physically threatened to stay silent about what she knew about Donald Trump" and that "she's going to be able to provide very specific details about what happened." Avenatti also said other women have approached him about taking legal action against Trump. | | Credit: CNN
Tiffany Posts L.A. Photos During Spring Break:
Georgetown Law is on spring break, and while Washington has been bundled up this week, Tiffany Trump posted photos from sunny Los Angeles. Her friend, designer Andrew Warren, commented, "HI ITS [sic] HANNAH MONTANA AND YOUR [sic] WATCHING DISNEY CHANELL," [sic] and I'm now dead. | | Credit: @tiffanytrump/Instagram
Street Art Sighting:
This banner with a quote attributed to Marjory Stoneman Douglas was spotted near the high school named in her honor in Florida by South Florida Sun Sentinel reporter Tonya Alanez. It says:
"Be a nuisance where it counts. Do you part to inform and stimulate the public to join your action. Be depressed, discouraged and disappointed at failure and the disheartening effects of ignorance, greed, corruption and bad politics -- but never give up." | | Credit: @BrittanyWallman/Twitter
Hope you guys have a great weekend! See you Monday.
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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