| | | | | White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus gives a thumbs-up as he boards Air Force One prior to departure from Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport in Vienna, Ohio Tuesday Credit: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images | | | Scaramucci Goes Off: The White House communications director takes on leakers
Sean Spicer's Next Moves Might Literally Be Moves: Please, please, please, please 🙏
The Great American Road Trip: Hunter has made it to La La Land! | | | What the White House is Talking About:
President Trump hosts a ceremony this afternoon honoring the first responders from last month's Congressional baseball practice shooting.
What the White House Press Corps is Talking About:
The frenzied whip of palace intrigue provided by new communications director Anthony Scaramucci, who with one deleted tweet and one morning show appearance has all but confirmed the warring factions within the West Wing. This quote from Scaramucci's call-in to CNN's New Day kind of nails it: "If Reince [Preibus] wants to explain he's not a leaker, let him do that." (Also, if Preibus needs a friend in Washington, he should get a goat — because the New York Times says dogs are out and goats are in.)
Today's briefing: 1:45 p.m., on-camera with Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
Oh, Yeah, and Trump Might Veto Russia Sanctions:
The new architect of the president's messaging let one more tidbit slip out on cable news: the idea that Trump might actually veto the sanctions against Russia that both parties on Capitol Hill agreed upon in a rare of show of unity last night.
ICYMI, The Highlights:
We've compiled the most "wait, wut?" parts of Scaramucci's interview into one list so you don't have to. Because there are SO MANY. | | Lemme Guess, the One Without the Tie is Caring the Least:
This pic last night snapped by reporter Mark Meredith is good feels in a tough week for Sen. John McCain, and it's another example of former House Speaker John Boehner being tieless and tan. Sen. Lindsay Graham pretty much always looks and acts the same, so. | | Credit: @markpmeredith/Twitter
Sean Spicer's Next Moves Might Literally Be Moves:
I called this one: "Dancing with the Stars" is in hot pursuit of the recently departed White House press secretary. The New York Post's Page Six was first to report that, yes, the show really, really wants Spicey to lace up his dance shoes. The story also says that Spicer was spotted taking a bunch of meetings in New York with television news honchos from multiple networks. I'm sorry, but if Spicer ends up being a talking head for "fake news," that would just be rich, and I would add it to my "Stay Weird, 2017" scrapbook, which I update on the daily. Slow clap to the art department at the NY Post for this excellent photoshopped accompaniment to the piece: | | Credit: @PageSix/Twitter
Our Daily Melania:
Melania Trump is breaking out on her own, guys. This morning she announced she'll travel solo to Canada next month to lead the US delegation to the Invictus Games, Prince Harry's beloved para-Olympic-style sporting event for wounded warriors. I've booked my ticket, obvi.
Spotted:
In the Obama White House it was Beyonce and Jay-Z, but for the Trump administration, it's looking more like ... Journey. Don't stop believing we could get better sightings in the White House briefing room than the one that happened today with the band, who took pics at the podium during what appeared to be a personal tour with Sarah Huckabee Sanders. But this is where we're at, pop culture lovers. | | Dress Like the (Former) First Lady:
On Wednesday, Michelle Obama was in Denver, Colorado, for a TogetHER Women's Foundation of Colorado event and she wore one of her preferred designers, Tanya Taylor. Obama opted for the long-sleeved "Caro" dress with pink flowers, which retails for $575. | | Credit: Jason Bahr/Getty Images; tanyataylor.com
Reuniting And it Feels So Good:
I'll be back with Hunter at some point tomorrow -- he made it to LA (see below)! We'll be taking the stage at Politicon on Saturday to talk some juicy behind-the-scenes White House stuff with former Obama social secretary Jeremy Bernard and Ebs Burnough, former deputy social secretary. It's going to be fun and fire, with lots of insight on how the social sphere of the White House gets done -- in secret. | | What Washington is Talking About:
Yesterday's Senate repeal-only bill on health care failed, and today, the Senate is expected to engage in what is known as a "vote-a-rama" on health care, where an unlimited number of amendments can be introduced and voted on. It could go on into the night and early morning.
What America is Talking About:
Jeff Bezos has surpassed Bill Gates to become the richest person in the world.
Clinton's Campaign Memoir Gets a Title:
It's going to be called "What Happened" and it's coming out September 12.
Kid Rock Puts Senate Run on Hold:
He now says he's creating a non-profit to promote voter registration. In a statement on his website, he said he'll hold a press conference in the next six weeks and "if I decide to throw my hat in the ring for US Senate, believe me… it's game on mthrfkers." | | I've been driving cross-country for COVER/LINE. You can read about it in the newsletter and follow along on Instagram, at @cnncoverline and @hunterschwarz. To read about past stops on the trip, click here.
~The Great American Road Trip 2017~ Stop No. 8: Los Angeles, California: | | Credit: Hunter Schwarz
You guys, I did it! I made it to California! After 4,250 miles, 14 states and zero speeding tickets, I got into Los Angeles yesterday afternoon. Philadelphia, the first stop on this trip, seems like months ago. Newspapers are probably stacked sky-high outside my door back home and I think that outside of holidays, this is the longest I've gone without seeing Kate. I feel a sense of relief that I don't have to hop in the car for five+ hours today, and looking at the map I've been marking up along the way, I feel accomplished, like, dang, I drove all that?!
What Los Angeles is Talking About:
Mayor Eric Garcetti said Wednesday the city is likely to host the 2028 Olympic Games, with Paris getting 2024.
Los Angeles' Must-See Political Spot:
The Donald Trump star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. It's located in front of the Forever 21 on Hollywood Boulevard, and it's neighbors with Kevin Spacey's star. Trump's star has become a pop culture lightning rod and is often defaced. Fun fact: Yours truly was the first to report the star was vandalized during the campaign. I swung by one morning before the second Republican debate, held at the Reagan library in Simi Valley in September 2015, and snapped this pic of a yellow "X" across the star that was embedded across the internet. When I went yesterday, I found the words "F**k you Bi**h!!!" written across it. I spent about 30 minutes there watching people. Everyone stops to take pictures, most people just laugh, some take a picture with their middle finger in it, and I saw one young girl do the Pepe sign 👌. | | Credit: Hunter Schwarz
Meet Phillip Proyce, founder of Lady White Co.:
I'm ending my road trip interview series in one of the the most COVER/LINE ways possible, talking about fashion and politics. Phillip Proyce founded Lady White Co., and L.A.-based company that creates vintage-inspired athletic wear.
"The first thing we did with the brand is we wanted to see if we could make a white T-shirt in Los Angeles from start to finish only using all-USA raw materials," he says. They made the shirt for a year-and-a-half before expanding to other products. | | Credit: @cnncoverline/Instagram/Ryan Alexander
Making clothes in the US means the factories they work with must pay their workers fairly and offer safe working conditions, he says. "It helps logistically to have all of our supply chain within like a 15-minute radius."
About 50% of Lady White Co.'s sales are overseas, and Proyce says retail owners these days are "cracking jokes about Trump or just Made in USA goods. You can tell there's certainly a stigma now to how they view our products as made in America, with [Trump's] face attached to it."
Proyce doesn't see things like the White House's "Made in America Week" as particularly helpful, but says if the US were to do what some other countries do by helping clothing brands travel internationally for trade shows, "that'd be a huge help."
"We're already kind of swimming upstream to make stuff here in the US," Proyce says. "I don't think the president's going to have a huge impact on that one way or the other." | | | | | | |
