| | | | | President Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe leave the podium after a joint news conference Wednesday in Palm Beach, Florida. Credit: The Asahi Shimbun via Getty Images | | | A President Willing to Walk Out: If the meeting with Kim isn't "fruitful," Trump says he'll walk out
2018, the Year of Playboy: Playboy has a table at this year's WHCD and will host an invite-only afterparty
Sarah Palin is Now an Influencer: The onetime would-be VP is offering 15% off your order for a Florida "skinny tea" | | | What the White House is Talking About:
President Trump today remains in Florida. He will head to Key West to tour a federal anti-drug trafficking facility before returning to Mar-a-Lago.
What the White House Press Corps is Talking About:
Still no word whether Trump intends to join Melania Trump at the funeral for Barbara Bush in Houston, Texas, on Saturday.
A President Willing To Walk Out:
At yesterday's news conference with Japanese PM Shinzo Abe, Trump was asked about his upcoming sit-down meeting with North Korea's Kim Jong Un. The President said he would attend the face-to-face but that he would be fine with walking out on the dictator if things didn't go to his liking. "If we don't think it's going to be successful, we won't have it. If the meeting when I'm there isn't fruitful, I will respectfully leave the meeting. I like always remaining flexible. We'll remain flexible here."
Congress' Second-Thoughts about Trump 2020:
CNN's Manu Raju spoke with more than two dozen GOP lawmakers about how they were feeling about the idea of Trump 2020. The answer? For many of them, not so good. Many of them avoided the question altogether, some weren't sure Trump would even go for a second term, and still others said if he did, they didn't know how they would feel about it. "I've supported the President in the past and support him now but three years from now?" said Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy, a freshman Republican. | | Will Cohen Flip?:
One of Trump's own former attorneys apparently warned him that if pressured with possible jail time, Michael Cohen might flip and cooperate with special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. Jay Goldberg, who worked for Trump for many years, said the President called him up last Friday, seeking advice, and Goldberg straight-up told him to be careful about Cohen. Goldberg warned Trump, "anybody who is facing 30 years never stands up." Cohen, of course, has yet to be indicted on any charges, but in the wake of FBI raids, the prediction is he could soon face serious legal and possible criminal trouble.
2018, the Year of Playboy:
Just when the WHCD party scene was starting to look as lackluster as last year (with the exception of CNN's Sunday "Hangover Brunch," which is literally the best), a newbie has arrived on the scene. Playboy announced yesterday it would be holding its first ever WHCD, invite-only afterparty on April 28, after the dinner at the Washington Hilton. Playboy has also purchased a table at the dinner, which are only available via a publication with an official White House correspondent. The late Hugh Hefner's son, Cooper Hefner, now COO of Playboy Enterprises, decided this was the right year for Playboy to infiltrate Washington in support of, as a press release states, the First Amendment and the right to a free press. And despite what you might have read elsewhere yesterday, I've confirmed there will be Playboy bunnies dressed in the iconic ears and tail to entertain revelers. It's called the "No Tie Party," which I get because they want people to loosen up, but I also don't get because the bow tie is such a part of the bunny costume, they even use it on the invitation, which I'm showing you here. Full disclosure, I was invited. | | Credit: me
Theme Bar's Next Take is Royal Wedding:
Drink Company, which swaps out different, elaborate themes in a cluster of bars in Shaw, will close the current Cherry Blossom situation on April 29 and reopen on May 4 with an entire bar celebrating the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. (You know you're going to go.) Drink tip: there's a When Harry Met Meghan cocktail served in a commemorative mug, and also a martini, Queen Elizabeth's go-to drink, which comes with a crown. There's a royal wedding viewing party on May 19, then the bar turns back into a pumpkin on May 20. | | Credit: Nicholas Karlin, washingtonian.com
Dress Like the First Lady:
To visit Palm Beach's Flagler Museum with Japan's Akie Abe, Melania wore this green Derek Lam dress. I think she really looks good in this sort of "military" style silhouette; something about the belted waist, strong shoulder and button detail really works for her. It's available here for $1,090, interestingly shown as an open shirt over slacks. | | Credit: Rhona Wise/AFP/Getty Images, saksfifthavenue.com
Dress Like the First Lady, Special Shout-Out:
Kudos to longtime New York Times photojournalist Doug Mills, who played fashion detective last night at Mar-a-Lago when he zoomed in on Melania's evening shoes -- which, as I found, are Louboutins in Melania's preferred style of "So Kate, 120," these in "Pompadour Glitter," here for $775. | | | Credit: @dougmillsnyt/Twitter, christianlouboutin.com | | What Washington is Talking About:
Mike Pompeo's confirmation as secretary of state could come down to finding a Dem who will vote for him, and a group of 31 male Dem senators signed a letter to Senate leadership calling for action on Capitol Hill sexual harassment legislation.
What America is Talking About:
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos announced the company has more than 100 million Prime members, the first time he's publicly commented on the number of Prime memberships.
Poll of the Day:
The fear of school shootings is real among American teens. A Pew poll released Wednesday found 57% are either "very worried" or "somewhat worried" about the possibility of a shooting happening at their school. | | Credit: Pew
Teens were also asked what measures they thought were most effective in preventing school shootings. Preventing people with mental illness from purchasing guns and improving mental health screening and treatment were the most popular options, at 86% each, while allowing teachers and school officials to carry firearms was the least popular, at 39%.
Stormy Lawyer Threatens Lawsuit Over Trump Tweet:
Stormy Daniels' attorney Michael Avenatti told our Wolf Blitzer Wednesday he's "likely" to amend his complaint against President Trump, adding a defamation claim for Trump's tweet calling the composite sketch of the man Daniels said threatened her in 2011 a "total con job" about a "nonexistent man."
Avenatti also told TMZ since releasing the sketch, he's received more than 1,500 tips, several hundred of which he believes are credible enough to pursue.
Another Trump Accuser Gets a Magazine Cover:
First it was Stormy on Penthouse. Now former Playboy Playmate Karen McDougal, who says she had an affair with Trump, has reached an agreement with American Media Inc., allowing her to speak openly. As per the agreement, she'll be on the cover of the September issue of AMI's Men's Journal.
This Year's Time 100 Has Got Some Names:
The 2018 edition of the Time 100 is out. President Trump is on the list, and his blurb was written by Ted Cruz ("a flash-bang grenade thrown into Washington by the forgotten men and women of America), while Barack Obama wrote about the Parkland students ("Our kids now show us what we've told them America is all about, even if we haven't always believed it ourselves: that our future isn't written for us, but by us.").
Other people who made the list and would be of interest to COVER/LINE readers: Kehinde Wiley, the artist behind Obama's official portrait by LL Cool J; Michelle Obama designer Christian Soriano by Leslie Jones; Roseanne by Rosie O'Donnell; Meghan Markle by Priyanka Chopra; Robert Mueller by Preet Bharara; Nancy Pelosi by Cecile Richards; Jeff Sessions by Mitch McConnell; Rihanna by Adele; Kesha by Cyndi Lauper; Adam Rippon by Cher; Oprah by Tiffany Haddish; and Jeff Bezos by Jamie Dimon.
David Hogg is Writing a Book:
It's called "#NeverAgain," it's out June 5, and he wrote it with his sister Lauren.
Sarah Palin is Now an Influencer:
The onetime would-be vice president of the United States is now posting about "skinny tea" to her more than 25,000 followers on Instagram. Last night, Palin posted a photo of her in the snow holding a $24.99 Teami Tea Tumbler along with three additional photos of her holding the tumbler, with her son Trig. | | Credit: @sarahpalin97/Instagram
The caption, which I have included in its entirety, reads thusly:
"As a busy 🏒mom I need all the energy I can get, but coffee makes me crash mid-day and I dread feeling sluggish (and sometimes not so super kid-friendly 🤣!). After visiting Bristol recently, she raved about the @teamiblends skinny tea that she swears by and has been using forever, so I gave the teas a shot - Amazing! My new coffee replacement for a few weeks now! I travel a lot, plus we do so many outdoor activities requiring lots of energy - the teas help and actually let me keep up with Trig 🏃 It's easy to take the tea everywhere after filling up my tumbler in the morning. So easy! No need to add sugar because it's so good 😘 You can use code PALIN for 15% off your order! #thankyouteami"
Teami lists an address in Seminole, Florida, on its website. Other influencers that have posted about the company's products include a woman named Haley Dillon with more than 28,000 followers who is the wife of NASCAR driver Ty Dillon; Camelia Katoozian, a beauty blogger with 320,000 followers; and Jessica Carroll, a contestant on Season 22 of "The Bachelor" with nearly 21,000 followers.
The FTC requires influencers to disclose their relationship to a brand if they endorse or promote it on social media. This is often seen with the hashtag #ad, #spon, or #sponsored in the caption, which Palin did not include in hers. I reached out to Teami through its website and phone number and Palin through her website to ask about their relationship, but have not yet received a response.
Palin's daughter Bristol, who has 145,000 followers, has posted about Teami seven times so far this year and has included similar language in her captions, offering a 15% discount with the code BRIS15 and also using the hashtag #thankyouteami.
Posting about products on Instagram can be lucrative for users with large following, and fitness tea is among the most popular products hawked. Influencers who talked to BuzzFeed for a March story said its typical to make about 1% of their follower count per post. Using that estimate, if Palin's post is indeed sponsored, she could have made about $250 for it.
Palin is a newbie to Insta, posting for the first time in October 2017. Her social media following, which includes 1.51 million followers on Twitter and more than 4.8 million followers on Facebook, has largely become a conservative content mill, posting links to news articles including some on a blog on her personal site. She also posted the Teami photo on her Facebook, editing it a minute after it was posted to add an "-SP" after the paragraph explaining how she uses the product, indicating she wrote it and not someone on her behalf. It also includes the 15%-off discount code.
Street Art Sighting:
Spotted on Elden Ave and Pico Boulevard in Los Angeles: a mural of Kim Jong Un holding a doughnut and cup with the words "Coming To America" and the Hollywood sign replaced with one for Koreatown. It was made by Rasmus Balstrøm, Welin and Søren Arildsen. In a DM, Balstrøm called it "a work of politics, love and humor." | | Credit: @balstroem/Instagram
If you spot political street art, tweet me @hunterschwarz, tag me on Instagram @hunterschwarz, or email me at coverlinehunter@cnn.com with your sighting so I can feature it in COVER/LINE.
P.S.:
Kanye West is back on Twitter, and all his latest tweets are packed with Yeezyisms. This one is among the Yeeziest: | | | Credit: @kanyewest/Twitter | | | | | | |
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