| | | | | President Donald Trump speaks to the press as he departs the White House en route to Alabama. Credit: Mark Wilson/Getty Images | | COVER/LINE NEWS:
Just wanted to take a quick moment to thank you all for reading Cover/Line. We are going on hiatus after today. However! We'll return in April in a different form, with a different name, focused on all things first family and more ...
What the White House is Talking About:
President Trump and first lady Melania Trump today are in Alabama to see firsthand the damage from Sunday's devastating and deadly tornadoes. Follow along with live updates here.
Later, the first couple goes to Mar-a-Lago for the weekend.
What the White House Press Corps is Talking About:
Paul Manafort's shorter-than-expected sentence. Also ... TGIF.
🚨 OH, AND BILL SHINE RESIGNED.
Per a White House statement late this morning:
"Assistant to the President and Communications Director, Bill Shine offered his resignation to the President yesterday evening, and the President accepted. Bill continues to support President Trump and his agenda and will serve as Senior Adviser to the 2020 re-election campaign. '"Serving President Trump and this country has been the most rewarding experience of my entire life. To be a small part of all this President has done for the American people has truly been an honor. I'm looking forward to working on President Trump's reelection campaign and spending more time with my family."' Bill Shine '"Bill Shine has done an outstanding job working for me and the Administration. We will miss him in the White House, but look forward to working together on the 2020 Presidential Campaign, where he will be totally involved. Thank you to Bill and his wonderful family!" President Donald J. Trump.
Trump Says Democrats Are "Anti-Jewish," So There's That:
This morning on his way out of the White House, Trump stopped to answer media questions and was asked about the House vote on a resolution condemning anti-Semitism. He was very direct in his feels:
"I thought yesterday's vote by the House was disgraceful because it's become, the Democrats have become an anti-Israel party, they've become an anti-Jewish party. And I thought that vote was a disgrace, and so does everybody else if you get an honest answer. If you get an honest answer from politicians, they thought it was a disgrace. The Democrats have become an anti-Israel party, they've become an anti-Jewish party. And that's too bad."
Manafort Gets a Break:
Trump also talked about Paul Manafort, who, lest we forget, used to run his campaign -- and who is now looking at three years behind bars for financial crimes. The President said this morning he felt "very badly" for Manafort, who quite frankly could have had a lot more for him to feel bad about; prosecutors had requested between 19 and 25 years for a sentence. The judge didn't go for it.
Shockingly Low Jobs Numbers:
Just 20,000 jobs were added to the American economy last month, far, far below the anticipated number, and way off the past several months. Economists were anticipating a number more like 180,000 added jobs, so the 20,000 was a shocker. Trump brushed it off this morning, focusing instead on the growth of wages, which is looking strong. | | Also, This Tweet Seems ... Important:
Trump this morning, on his way to Alabama, tweeted that Michael Cohen *did* in fact directly ask him for a pardon, something Cohen said last week had never happened, in his testimony before Congress. And then Cohen tweeted back at him, calling *him* a liar. Ah, the old he-said, he-said -- just two grown men, one the most powerful in the world, having a very public spat with potentially very real consequences. | | Credit: @realDonaldTrump/Twitter
Doug Mills Fan Club, Charter Member:
Doug Mills is the White House photographer for the New York Times, and he's literally a living legend. I'm a huge fan of Doug's and not just because he's an incredibly great visual storyteller. It's not always easy being the new person in the White House press corps -- much less, the only one on the FLOTUS beat -- and it can sometimes feel isolating because the people who have been around a long time can sometimes be gruff and unfriendly (and, occasionally, jerks -- the other night when we landed late at Andrews Air Force base, the three still photographers who had been on the Melania Trump trip with me and other press played a joke on me, saying it was pouring rain outside and I was going to get soaked when I got off the plane. Since it was dark and difficult to see from the plane windows, I believed them and started to panic about wet gear and wet clothes, etc. It was not raining.) Doug, however, has always been a kind colleague and consummate gentleman. I adore him. This Q&A with Doug is a great and informative read, and a good salve for this long and news-heavy week.
Trumps Get Gifts:
To be fair, all US presidents and first ladies get presents from foreign leaders -- some more expensive than others -- but it's not an exclusive thing that just belongs to Trump. That said, it's still fun to read about the various gifts bestowed, all of which must be turned over to the National Archives, unless the President and/or first lady want to purchase the present with personal funds for market price. Melania got lots of jewelry and art and even bags... | | Dress Like the Czech Republic First Lady:
My obsession with Monika Babišová rages on -- please follow her Instagram because her life looks actually like so much fun. Also, see my tweet yesterday for the times she and Melania had similar styles. Speaking of, I'm dead that she wore an extremely almost-the-same Fendi coat as the one Melania wore last month with the pink fur cuffs. Monika's version is available here for $5,900. | | Credit: Getty Images, Jabin Botsford/Washington Post/Getty Images, farfetch.com
Dress Like the First Lady:
Melania today was chic-casual on her way to Alabama. She was wearing these red J Brand jeans, available here on sale for $74, and the iconic Adidas Superstars in red, which are on sale here for $64.99 (and I think I might get them?). I can't find her pea coat, or the sweater underneath, but it's all about the kicks anyway. | | | Credit: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg/Getty Images, barneyswarehouse.com, footlocker.com | | What Washington is Talking About:
The House passed its resolution condemning hate 407-23 on Thursday and the For The People Act, which includes provisions on voting, ethics, and presidential tax returns, 234-193 this morning.
What America is Talking About:
It's International Women's Day; Facebook announced it's taking action against anti-vaccination hoaxes on its platform; and reminder: daylight saving time begins Sunday, except for you mavericks out in Arizona and Hawaii.
Warren Targets Big Tech:
We've seen anti-monopoly attitudes against Big Tech companies bubble up into politics recently, and today, it entered the presidential campaign. Elizabeth Warren unveiled her plan for tech companies in a Medium post titled "Here's how we can break up Big Tech," targeting Amazon, Facebook, and Google in particular.
Warren said companies with annual revenue of $25 billion or more that provide online marketplaces or platforms would be designated as a "platform utility" and that as president, she would appoint regulators to break up companies. She mentioned Facebook spinning off Instagram, Amazon giving up Whole Foods and Zappos, and Google breaking up with DoubleClick.
"Today's big tech companies have too much power -- too much power over our economy, our society, and our democracy," Warren wrote. "They've bulldozed competition, used our private information for profit, and tilted the playing field against everyone else." | | Credit: Elizabeth Warren/Medium
One thing that stood out to me from a design perspective about Warren's rollout is how she used her campaign's Ringside font and Liberty green. I suspect we're going to see a lot more of candidates using their text-first branding to campaign, fundraise, and talk policy. The true test of their effectiveness will be if voters eventually know who the message is from just by seeing the font and colors, without the candidate's name.
Stormy Lawsuit Tossed:
A federal judge in California has dismissed Stormy Daniels' lawsuit seeking to release her from the nondisclosure agreement she signed as part of the hush-money payment over her alleged affair with President Trump. The reason? Because she hasn't actually been held to the terms of the nondisclosure, the judge said.
Bryce Harper's Agent Talks Tax Policy:
It looks like taxes were part of the consideration when Bryce Harper was looking for his next team. Harper's agent, Scott Boras, told San Francisco station KNBR the Giants "took some great steps" to look at Harper's wants and needs for his next team, but being in California added some difficulties. "It's difficult for a California team because of the tax issues when you're doing valuations and you're in competition with a team that has much more valued tax elements," he said. "There are economics involved."
California has the highest income tax in the nation, at 13.3%, per Tax Foundation. Meanwhile, Harper's new home of Pennsylvania is at 3.07%. "With a contract of that magnitude, it's dramatic," Boras told the Los Angeles Times. "It could be almost a full year's compensation." | | Credit: Michael Reaves/Getty Images
Side note: I miss seeing Harper in a Nats curly W hat, but that Liberty Bell hat is very dope and I could get used to it.
Street Art Sighting:
"We The People" uses hanging shoelaces to spell out the first three words of the preamble to the Constitution. It was created in 2011 by Nari Ward, a Jamaican-born artist who moved to the US as a child. The use of shoelaces in his work was inspired by the sight of shoes hanging from their laces over power lines. To me, the multi-colored laces add a subtext of "E pluribus unum" to the opening of one of our most important founding documents. Out of many one. "We The People" is up at the New Museum through May 26. | | Credit: Hunter Schwarz
Farewell:
Today is my last issue of Cover/Line. Thanks to CNN for the opportunity, to Kate for being my writing partner the past three years, and to Alanne Orjoux and Zach Wolf for editing day in and day out. And of course thank you for welcoming me into your inbox. It's truly been my privilege to share the past 74.5 Scaramuccis with you. You can reach me on Twitter, Instagram, and Spotify, and my DMs are open if you want to say hi or send your latest street art sightings (yes, I'm still accepting submissions).
Until we meet again,
Hunter Schwarz 🇺🇸 | | | | | | |
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