Speaker Pelosi talks to former Speaker Boehner and Rep. John Lewis before a funeral service for former Rep. John Dingell Thursday at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Washington. Credit: Pablo Martinez Monsivais/Pool/Getty Images
Kate Bennett
What the White House is Talking About: President Trump later this afternoon meets with the Secretary of Homeland Security at the White House.
What the White House Press Corps is Talking About: hat tip, Betsy Klein: Roses are red Violets are blue Will he sign the bill Before today is through?
It's 1,169 Pages of Non-Shutdown Stuff: Late last night, the full proposal to prevent another government shutdown was released -- it was long. The spending package includes a bunch of things, but all have been agreed to by both sides. Still, says our Phil Mattingly, "a word of caution: This is a very large piece of legislation, released at midnight, less than a day before the final vote Thursday, with a Friday deadline." So, 🤞 .
This morning, Republican senators literally prayed Trump would sign the bill.
Andrew McCabe is Talk, Talk, Talking ... : The former acting director of the FBI is talking this morning, detailing his relationship with Trump and how he felt compromised in his role, where he was pretty much doomed from the start. McCabe's juicy first-person in The Atlantic is so worth your time today. Here's a part about the call he got from the President on his first day as FBI director, just after Trump had fired James Comey:
"The Russia team was in my office. I took the call on an unclassified line. That was another strange thing—the president was calling on a phone that was not secure. The voice on the other end said, It's Don Trump calling. I said, Hello, Mr. President, how are you? Apart from my surprise that he was calling at all, I was surprised that he referred to himself as "Don."
The president said, I'm good. You know—boy, it's incredible, it's such a great thing, people are really happy about the fact that the director's gone, and it's just remarkable what people are saying. Have you seen that? Are you seeing that, too?"
Judge Voids Manafort's Deal: Paul Manafort can kiss his plea deal goodbye this Valentine's Day after a federal judge ruled Trump's former campaign manager "intentionally lied" to prosecutors about key issues in the ongoing Russia investigation. Basically, when it comes to Robert Mueller's investigation, it appears lots of roads lead to and from Manafort. I enjoyed reading this piece about the case and what has developed thus far.
Our Daily Melania: I'm off to the Children's Inn at NIH with the first lady this afternoon to cover her visit to the kids -- she'll be making Valentine's snow globes and passing out cards. Melania went to Children's Inn on Valentine's Day last year and I still recall the sweet faces of the children with whom she met. The children there are very sick with rare diseases, but they can stay at Children's Inn with their families while they undergo testing and trial treatments at NIH. It's a special place, with really brave and wonderful young people. I'm looking forward to it. Feel free to follow along on my Twitter and/or Instagram this afternoon ...
Dress Like the First Lady: I can't overestimate this enough: Melania Trump has coats. All the coats. Lots and lots of coats. Yesterday she unveiled *another* one, which might be in my top five favorites. Some people on Twitter were saying it looked like a bathrobe, but it did not and it is FENDI, so please spare me. It's fashion, you guys. The one puzzling part to me (and I have asked her office about it) is that the fur on the cuffs is mink, and I wrote a story two years ago that Melania had sworn off fur. But I digress. The coat is the pink Prince of Wales check Fendi, which originally sold for $5,150 -- sadly, they're all sold out.
What Washington is Talking About: Congress is expected to vote on its spending and border security bill today to avoid another shutdown; the Senate is expected to vote to confirm Bill Barr as attorney general; and a Washington service was held to remember former Rep. John Dingell.
What America is Talking About: Students are marking the anniversary of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School with "a day of service and love" and a moment of silence this morning at 10:17 a.m.; Amazon announced it will not build its New York City headquarters; and today is Valentine's Day, but if you prefer, you can join me in celebrating Arizona's Statehood today instead. ❤️🌵
National Debt Hits Record: The national debt is now more than $22 trillion, the highest it's ever been, and up more than $2 trillion since President Trump took office.
That's Some Serious Cash: Former astronaut Mark Kelly's Senate campaign said Wednesday -- just one day after he announced his candidacy for the Arizona seat -- that he had raised more than $1.1 million. For comparison's sake, Kamala Harris' presidential campaign said it brought in $1.5 million in the first 24 hours following her announcement, so like, daaang.
Warren Posts Her Tax Returns: Elizabeth Warren tweeted out a link Wednesday to 10 years worth of tax returns and called on other presidential candidates to do the same. Per her and her husband's 2017 return, the Warrens had an adjusted gross income of $913,442 -- and they both checked the box to give $3 to the Presidential Election Campaign fund.
The Story Behind "Reefergate": Long story short, during Kamala Harris' interview on "The Breakfast Club" Monday where she admitted she's used marijuana, she was asked what kind of music she listens to. Before she answered the question, another host interjected and asked what she listened to when she smoked in college. Harris answered the original question, facing the host who asked it, by saying Snoop Dogg, Tupac, and Cardi B.
Some conservative media outlets reported on the exchange as if she was answering the question about what she listened to when she smoked in college and pointed out that Snoop and Tupac didn't release their first albums until after she graduated, leading to a nontroversy that gave us the incredible below screenshot that I will forever cherish. Read the New York Times' Astead W. Herndon on what was dubbed "Reefergate" here and see video of the interview yourself.
A Sporting Goods Store That Boycotted Nike After Their Kaepernick Ad is Closing: "Being a sports store without Nike is like being a gas station without gas," Stephen Martin, the owner of Prime Time Sports in Colorado Springs, Colorado said.
As a "fundamentally abstract" piece, Trump was a means to explore a subject bigger than just herself, Rubell said. Her only rules for the Ivanka lookalike was to have good posture and look pleasant, and she was under no obligation to vacuum what was thrown on the carpet. Rubell (below left) said she considers "Ivanka Vacuuming" a triumph in part because it got people who weren't into art talking about it.
Credit: Hunter Schwarz
"Ivanka Vacuuming's" final day is Sunday. Rubell said she's "disinclined" for the piece to travel but could see it being brought back one day in the future to look back at our moment in history.
COVER/LINE is where politics meets pop culture. From CNN's Hunter Schwarz and Kate Bennett, this daily newsletter is the must-read lunch date in Washington and beyond.
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