| | | | | President Trump speaks during the 2018 White House business session with state governors in the State dining room Monday. Credit: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images | | | No Drama for Obama: "We didn't have a scandal that embarrassed us," 44 said
Two New AF1s: Trump struck a deal with Boeing for not one, but two new Air Force Ones
Dolly in D.C.: National treasure Dolly Parton visited the Library of Congress today | | | What the White House is Talking About:
President Trump today meets with Republicans on trade and renewable fuel, both are closed to the press. At 4 p.m. we're scheduled to see the President when he makes an announcement regarding additional leadership in the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
What the White House Press Corps is Talking About:
Drudge's big red siren post about Trump being set to announce that he's running for re-election in 2020 -- but he already did that on the day he was inaugurated, so.
Sarah Sanders is scheduled to do the briefing at 2 p.m.
The 2020 Trump "News":
The Drudge announcement really only had one interesting news nugget, which CNN's Dana Bash quickly confirmed, that Brad Parscale will be the campaign manager. Parscale was Trump's 2016 campaign digital media director.
If It's the Morning, It's Executive Time:
The President was clearly watching the television this morning, specifically Fox News. He tweeted a few choice thoughts. | | The Plane! The Plane!:
Trump has struck a deal with Boeing for two new Air Force One planes for $3.9 billion. The one caveat is that he wants them ready by 2021, three years ahead of schedule, so that he can fly in them if he wins re-election. The current AF1s have been in service since George H.W. Bush was president. Here's a rendering from Boeing of what the new ones will look like -- which is essentially the exact same? | | Credit: rendering provided to CNN by Boeing
No Drama for Obama:
In a private speech to a sports policy industry crowd last week in Boston, Barack Obama touted his administration's lack of drama: "We didn't have a scandal that embarrassed us... Generally speaking, you didn't hear about a lot of drama inside our White House." Yeah, it was pretty boring tbh.
Our Daily Melania:
Melania Trump has severed ties with the senior adviser who pocketed $1.62 million from helping Trump inauguration festivities, and whose firm, in total, was paid $26 million. Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, a former events planner who worked for several years with Vogue magazine, was a good friend of Melania's in New York City, and when Trump won the election, Wolkoff was tapped as a FLOTUS senior adviser. However, Wolkoff's work on the inauguration was not overseen by the first lady, and she had nothing to do with how funds were distributed, according to her spokeswoman.
Dress Like the First Lady:
Today's DLTFL file is interesting. Yesterday, for her first public remarks in months, Melania Trump wore a pale pink dress by designer Gabriela Hearst. Trump has worn Hearst several times before, but I think it's interesting because as Hearst's two-year-old label has gained popularity, the designer has become more and more outspoken about her feminist ideals, and her disapproval of Donald Trump. Her Twitter feed is peppered with political posts and support for Democratic leaders. When asked in an interview with the Wall Street Journal last year if she would ever dress Melania Trump, Hearst said: "If they want to wear the clothes, they can buy the clothes."
Anyway, I'm not saying Melania was necessarily making some sort of statement by wearing Hearst -- she probably just liked the dress, as simple as that -- but I do think it's worth pointing out. The pastel pink, cap-sleeve dress is available here for $1,995. | | | Credit: Saul Loeb/Getty Images/net-a-porter.com | | Merp:
Vanity Fair's Jennifer Lawrence cover for its March issue looks a lot like last December's Hollywood Reporter Jennifer Lawrence cover, at least that's the buzz going around media world -- and it's not great for VF, since its February cover had that goof with Oprah's three hands and Reese Witherspoon's three legs. Also, the story is ok, but can we be done with Jennifer Lawrence? | | | Credit: Inez and Vinoodh exclusively for Vanity Fair; hollywoodreporter.com | | What Washington is Talking About:
White House comms director Hope Hicks is expected to appear before the House Intel Committee in a closed session. And movement on gun legislation appears to be stalled after the background check Fix NICS bill was blocked from being fast-tracked in the Senate yesterday.
What America is Talking About:
IHOP is giving away free pancakes today for National Pancake Day.
Poll of the Day:
The percentage of Americans who say they're confident President Trump is doing enough to prevent foreign countries from influencing future US elections, according to a CNN poll: | | Credit: CNN
Meanwhile, 60% say they're not confident. In related news, NSA director Mike Rogers told the Senate Intel Committee today Trump hasn't told him to confront Russia's cyber operations, and said, "we have not opted to engage in some of the same behaviors we are seeing" with Russia and, "they have not paid a price that is sufficient to change their behavior."
Trump Org Says It's Donated Foreign Profits:
The Trump Organization's chief compliance counsel George A. Sorial said Monday the company has donated profits made in the past year from foreign governments to the US Treasury. "Although not a legal requirement, this voluntary donation fulfills our pledge to donate profits from foreign government patronage at our hotels and similar business during President Trump's term in office," Sorial said.
The company declined, however, to detail how much money was donated, which foreign governments it came from, and from which Trump properties the donations came.
The District of Columbia Attorney General's office said it violates the Emoluments Clause of the Constitution. "Whether the Trump Organization donated the proceeds from those foreign emoluments is irrelevant to our case, but we would certainly be interested in learning more about which foreign governments have paid the President," the AG's spokesman Rob Marus said, per the Washington Post. | | Protesters outside a Trump hotel in Vancouver in February 2017. Credit: Stephanie Lamy/AFP/Getty Images
FedEx Keeps NRA Discounts, Delta Faces Backlash for Cutting its Ties :
In a statement, FedEx said although it "opposes assault rifles being in the hands of civilians," it doesn't set or change rates based on their political beliefs and won't end its discounts for NRA members. Meanwhile, Georgia state lawmakers are threatening to kill a measure that would save Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines tens of millions of dollars in jet fuel taxes over its severed ties with the NRA.
US Women's Hockey Team Visiting Washington Friday:
The gold medalists will visit the State Department, a senior official tells our Michelle Kosinski. No word yet if they'll also hit up the White House.
The Warriors Heading to African-American Museum Today:
Guard Klay Thompson said the Golden State Warriors will visit the National Museum of African-American History and Culture with students today in lieu of visiting the White House for the traditional NBA champs visit. He said:
"The White House is a great honor, but there are other circumstances that we felt not comfortable going. We're not going to politicize anything. We're just going to go hang out with some kids and take them to the African-American Museum and teach them things we learned along the way, life lessons and hopefully give them some great memories."
You Can Finally Get Your Hands on a Pair of Equality LeBron15s:
Nike is giving away 400 pairs of the shoes -- 200 in white and 200 in black -- through an online drawing. You can enter for free for the chance to get a pair, or donate $10 for a pop for unlimited entries. All donations will go to the National Museum of African-American History and Culture. | | Credit: Nike
Just What the House Needs, a "Clueless" Congresswoman:
Stacey Dash has filed to run for Congress in California.
Also, Another Sanders:
Bernie Sanders' son Levi Sanders is running for Congress in New Hampshire.
Dolly in D.C.:
Dolly Parton was at the Library of Congress this morning to commemorate the 100 millionth book donated by her nonprofit, Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. The milestone book was "Coat of Many Colors," which she wrote, and she read/sang it to the kids there. What an icon and national treasure. Fun fact: Dolly said she reads 52 books a year (!) and singled out the Bible as a favorite. "That was the first book that we had in our home and the one that meant the most and one that has followed me more through my life," she said. | |
Street Art Sighting:
My mom has a street art sighting for the second day in a row. This one is a campaign billboard for a California state Senate candidate named Maria Elena Durazo, who's leaning on Shepard Fairey for visual inspiration, playing off his "Hope" portrait of former President Obama, and going with the message of "Disobey Trump." | | Credit: Joan Schwarz
If you spot political street art, I'd love to see it. Here's how you can reach me:
1. Tweet me @hunterschwarz
2. Tag me on Instagram @hunterschwarz
3. Email me at coverlinehunter@cnn.com | | | | | | |
