| | | | | President Trump speaks during the 2019 National Prayer Breakfast Thursday in Washington, D.C. Credit: Chris Kleponis/Pool/Getty Images | | What the White House is Talking About:
President Trump this morning spoke at the National Prayer Breakfast. Later he participates in the national security presidential memorandum signing to launch the Women's Global Development and Prosperity Initiative with Ivanka Trump. What the White House Press Corps is Talking About:
The drama with Trump's attorney general nominee Matt Whitaker, who is refusing to testify in front of the House Judiciary Committee unless the DOJ gets a guarantee Whitaker will not be subpoenaed. Whitaker Trying to Strike a Deal, Or Else No-Show:
It's just easier to quote our CNN story on this Whitaker thing because it's complicated: "The Justice Department told the House Judiciary Committee Thursday afternoon that acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker will not appear at Friday's closely-watched oversight hearing unless he receives a written assurance by 6 p.m. ET Thursday that he will not be served with the subpoena the committee pre-emptively authorized to use if he avoids questions. The House Judiciary Committee on Thursday voted to authorize a subpoena for Whitaker ahead of his Friday testimony." So, basically, the DOJ, on Whitaker's behalf, is essentially trying to protect him from having to answer certain questions. Is that how it works?
Mueller Report? The People Say "Yes, Please":
A new CNN poll out today says nine out of 10 people think special prosecutor Robert Mueller should release his report to the public. And almost half of Americans, 48%, think Trump's campaign did collude with Russia. The 87% who want the report released is actually a reflection of high numbers on the sentiment from both sides of the political spectrum; support for release is at 80% among Republicans, 92% among Democrats, and 88% of Independents. | | Our Daily Melania:
This is why my part is late today, and short! Sorry. Spent the morning covering Melania Trump's events at National Harbor, where she spoke at the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America Youth Leadership Forum, and then handed out awards to kids who were recognized for their work with the coalition. *Then* we motorcaded back over to near the White House to the Office of National Drug Control Policy, where Melania went to a briefing with leadership there to learn about the latest in the drug crisis and how it's affecting children and teenagers. Long morning -- but I should also note it marked Melania's first solo public events since before Christmas, a lengthy time for a first lady not to be doing stuff.
Dress Like the First Lady:
Today FLOTUS wore a denim shirt-jacket situation by Victoria by Victoria Beckham. It's on sale here for 40% off at $348. | | | Credit: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images, net-a-porter.com | | What Washington is Talking About:
The Green New Deal proposal by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Ed Markey was released today; a House Ways and Means subcommittee is discussing requiring presidential and vice presidential candidates to release 10 years of taxes; and House Intel Committee chair Rep. Adam Schiff said Wednesday they'll investigate President Trump "beyond Russia."
What America is Talking About:
The Unicode Consortium has announced a new round of emoji, including interracial couples and an otter; Spotify announced it's buying podcast companies Gimlet Media and Anchor; and in Florida, a cross washed up on the beach.
What's in the Green New Deal:
The 14-page joint resolution calls for investments in things like wind and solar energy, zero-emission vehicles, and high-speed rail, with an emphasis on helping people of color and the poor, including those in rural and de-industrialized areas. You can read our Lydia DePillis on the proposal here.
2018 was the Fourth Hottest Year on Record:
That's according to NASA and NOAA, who announced their findings in a press conference Wednesday. It was also the third-wettest year on record in the contiguous US.
Parkland Father Interrupts Off-Track Hearing:
Yesterday's House Judiciary Committee hearing on guns got testy after Rep. Matt Gaetz brought up Trump's border wall and said it was necessary to protect Americans. Manuel Oliver, the father of Joaquin Oliver, who was killed in the Parkland shooting, stood up and interrupted Gaetz.
Oliver told our Poppy Harlow this morning he did so when Gaetz seemed to suggest that illegal immigration, not firearms, posed a greater threat to national security. "Don't bring the wall as a solution for everything," he said on CNN, calling Gaetz's remarks "pretty offensive."
Oliver is an artist, and to mark the one-year anniversary of the shooting on February 14, his work will be on display in Washington at the Center for Contemporary Political Art beginning Friday. I'll have coverage from the exhibit in Cover/Line Monday, so stay tuned.
Charlotte Pence Posts For #EndItMovement:
Today, the non-profit End It coalition to end human trafficking and modern-day slavery called on supporters to post photos of themselves with red Xs. Second daughter Charlotte Pence joined in.
USPS Announces New Stamps:
The US Postal Service is rolling out some new stamps in 2019, including: - Star Ribbon by designer Aaron Draplin, the co-founder of the notebook company Field Notes
- "Little Mo" of tennis star Maureen Connolly Brinker by artist Gregory Manchess
- Military Working Dogs showing a German shepherd, Labrador retriever, Belgian Malinois and Dutch shepherd by DKNG Studios
- Abstract works by the artist Ellsworth Kelly, who died in 2015
- Transcontinental Railroad to mark the 150th anniversary of the transcontinental railroad in 1869, by Michael J. Das and Kevin Cantrell
| | Credit: USPS
Alice Johnson Has a Book Coming:
HarperCollins announced Wednesday it's publishing a book by Johnson titled "After Life: My Journey From Incarceration to Freedom," with a foreword written by Kim Kardashian West. Film, television, and life rights were sold to Endeavor Content and One Community, per USA Today.
Johnson told TMZ after the book comes out, she'd like to continue to write plays, which she did while incarcerated. "I love to use the plays that I write to change lives," she said. Johnson also said she was fighting back tears at the State of the Union, thinking about how one year before, she was in prison. "I tried to press my back in the seat to keep a stoic face, but it just wasn't working." "After Life" is scheduled to be released May 21.
Street Art Sighting:
Speaker Pelosi's clapping at the State of the Union has inspired meme makers and artists. Moments before the clapping began, Pelosi was reading through notes on the rostrum. Then Trump said, "We must reject the politics of revenge, resistance, and retribution, and embrace the boundless potential of cooperation, compromise, and the common good," and she got up and began aggressively clapping in his direction until he noticed.
Artists TL Duryea (below left) and Edel Rodriguez (below right) each depicted the moment in their own style. "I felt the 'Clap' moment captured a perfect example of the strength of Democratic Women in standing up to the President, literally to his face," Duryea said in an email. "As a political artist I wanted to memorialize the moment with a painting to inspire us all to keep going." | | Credit: T Duryea/@edelstudios/Twitter
Tag or DM me your political street art sightings @hunterschwarz on Twitter or Instagram, or email me at coverlinehunter@cnn.com. | | | | | | |
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