| | | | | Cindy McCain, the widow of US Sen. John McCain, kisses his casket during a memorial service Wednesday at the Arizona Capitol in Phoenix. Credit: Ross D. Franklin/AFP/Getty Images | | | Jeff Sessions, On the Bubble: Members of Congress are urging Trump not to fire him before the midterms
Nothing to See Here...: All the dirt Trump reportedly tried to buy from the National Enquirer
McCain Will be Just the 31st Person to Lie in State at the US Capitol: McCain's casket will arrive today at Andrews Air Force Base | | | What the White House is Talking About:
President Trump today heads to Evansville, Indiana, for fundraising events and an evening Make America Great Again rally.
What the White House Press Corps is Talking About:
The President was up early and tweeting about a lot of things.
TWEETSTORM:
Trump seemed to be in a decently good mood yesterday, answering questions in a pool spray, (even talking cordially to CNN's Jim Acosta). But this morning, he awakened with a bee in his bonnet, or bouffant. First, he railed against the media, then he touted the economy, then it was on to defending Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, then a random Jim Comey tweet, then Bruce Ohr, a more predictable topic lately, then two about Don McGahn's departure. It was a lot.
Jeff Sessions, On the Bubble:
The President's relationship with Attorney General Jeff Sessions hasn't been good for a long time, but now Trump's allies are worried it is teetering on the brink of disaster. CNN is reporting that several members on Capitol Hill are urging Trump not to fire Sessions before the midterms. The issue is whether he will listen. Sessions has recently stood up to the President's comments, and as we know, being vocally opposed to Trump while in the administration typically doesn't bode well.
'Winter is Coming':
This was a warning from a Trump ally reported by the Washington Post in reference to Trump being ill-prepared for the legal storm that could be headed his way if the Democrats take back the House after midterms. Republicans close to the President are apparently worried he doesn't have the legal advisers he needs -- Rudy Giuliani doesn't count, guys -- to create a strategy for everything from investigations to possible impeachment.
Nothing to See Here...:
The New York Times has a story about all of the dirt that Trump apparently tried to buy, with the help of Michael Cohen, from the National Enquirer. For years, the tabloid hung on to Trump gossip and tips and tales, amassing quite the collection. The deal never went through.
Make Time for This José Andrés Story:
Especially do it today, when we're all still thinking about Puerto Rico almost a year after the devastating hurricane and as startling new death toll numbers are released. DC's heroic chef was among the first to head to the island to help feed survivors, and his actions (I think) were woefully underreported. So glad now he has written about his experience, and this fabulous Wall Street Journal piece takes us inside ... with this amazing accompanying photo: | | Credit: Dan Martensen/WSJ Magazine
Take Your Daughter to the Hill Day:
We used to see many more pictures of (my favorite young Trump) Arabella Kushner doing stuff with her mom -- remember when they went to the Supreme Court for a day? So, it was sort of nice to see the mother-daughter duo back at it, this time with a visit yesterday to Capitol Hill and Sen. Lindsey Graham to work on her women's economic empowerment initiatives. | | Credit: @LindseyGrahamSC/Twitter
Dress Like the First Lady:
I can appreciate how Melania Trump re-wears her clothes -- and she does. Last night, at a White House reception for the White House Historical Association, she wore the same Roksanda dress she wore more than a year ago to the Holocaust Memorial in Israel. It's sold out in white, but you can still get it here in a cranberry color (which I don't love, actually) for $1,030. | | | Credit: @JenniferPickens/Twitter, Gali Tibbon/AFP/Getty Images, mytheresa.com | | What Washington is Talking About:
Florida's Republican gubernatorial candidate, US Rep. Ron DeSantis, is being criticized for his comments on Fox News that have been condemned as racist about his Democratic opponent, Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, who is black. Also, John McCain's casket will arrive tonight from Phoenix to Andrews Air Force Base ahead of memorial services for him in Washington.
What America is Talking About:
After being barred from wearing her dope Nike bodysuit, Serena Williams wore a tutu at the US Open as she won her second-round match, and the Green Bay Packers' Aaron Rodgers is the highest-paid NFL player after he reportedly signed a four-year, $134 million deal Wednesday.
McCain Will be Just the 31st Person to Lie in State at the Capitol:
The honor is rare, and historically it has been reserved for Presidents, members of Congress who die in office and unknown soldiers from World War I, World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. The first person to lie in state was House Speaker Henry Clay in 1852, followed by Abraham Lincoln in 1865. The ritual has been expanded to those outside of public service four times, and it's called "lying in honor" as opposed to "in state" -- for evangelist Billy Graham, civil rights icon Rosa Parks, and two Capitol Police officers killed in the line of duty during a 1998 shooting at the Capitol, Jacob Joseph Chestnut and John Michael Gibson. You can see a full list of everyone whose remains have lain in state or in honor here.
Sarah Palin Wasn't Invited:
McCain's 2008 running mate was not invited to his funeral, sources told People and CNN has confirmed. But there is someone who wants Palin around: Lindsay Lohan tweeted last night her thoughts for the McCain family and for Palin, and said, "Maybe it is time we meet." | | Credit: @lindsaylohan/Twitter
Trump's Anti-Google Tweet is Totally Bogus:
Like much of the supposed evidence of Big Tech's war on conservatives, Trump's tweet yesterday claiming Google promoted the State of the Union on its homepage when Barack Obama was President but not Trump was not accurate. Google said in a statement that it did promote Trump's 2018 SOTU and it didn't promote his 2017 address because it wasn't technically a State of the Union, it was a joint address to Congress, and it similarly didn't promote Obama's 2009 joint address to Congress. There are Wayback Machine screenshots that back up Google. | | Credit: Google via Wayback Machine
Trump's inaccurate claims were repeated by Republican Party chair Ronna McDaniel and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy. There are so many real concerns our lawmakers could have when it comes to technology and social media companies, privacy and security, but we have repeatedly seen conservatives latch on to demonstrably false ones instead. 🤷
Trump Unblocks:
At least 20 people who were blocked by @realDonaldTrump have been unblocked, per a judge's order. But Rosie O'Donnell is apparently not among them.
Kanye West Apologizes for Slavery Comment:
In an interview with Chicago's WGCI, he said he was sorry about his comments on TMZ about slavery and talked a little bit more about his support for Trump. Here are the highlights:
On his slavery comments: "I don't know if I properly apologized for how that slave comment made people feel, so I want to take this moment right now to say I'm sorry for hurting, I'm sorry for the one-two effect of the MAGA hat into the slave comment, and I'm sorry for people who felt let down by that moment."
On supporting Trump because he believed his presidency would lead to protests (??): "I knew this rogue personality was going to allow me to see and understand and allow my brothers to understand what we were dealing with all the marches, people fighting, people standing up, people having a conversation about politics, our well-being. I knew this was going to happen when he got into office."
On whether he believes Trump cares about black people: "I feel that he cares about the way black people feel about him and he would like for black people to like him like they did when he was cool in all the raps songs. He will do the things that are necessary to make that happen because he's got an ego like the rest of us and he wants to be the greatest president and he know he can't be the greatest president without the acceptance of the black community." | | Credit: wgci/Instagram
Red Sox Player Stands Behind Fake Hitler Quote on Guns:
This summer has seen a number of athletes have to answer for their old social media posts, and teams have even allegedly reached out to players' representatives, asking them to do a deep dive and get rid of any controversial tweets or Instas that could come back to haunt them. One of the latest athletes to have an old post brought up is Red Sox player J.D. Martinez, who posted an image in 2013 of Adolf Hitler with the quote, "To conquer a nation, First disarm it's citizens," falsely attributed to him. Martinez told reporters, "I love my country. I love this country. I stand by the Constitution and I stand by the Second Amendment and it's something that I take pride in. It's something that I'll back up. At the time I posted that, the Second Amendment at the time was definitely a hot topic. The point of it wasn't to offend anybody."
NBA Lifts Sneaker Restrictions:
Expect to see a lot more expressive sneakers, political and otherwise, when the NBA season starts in October. The league, which has gradually loosened footwear restrictions over the years, will now allow players to wear whatever they want, whenever they want, per ESPN.
Street Art Sighting:
Electronic road signs in Arizona are paying tribute to McCain. Sen. Jeff Flake tweeted a photo out of this one, with the message, "Country First, Rest In Peace Senator McCain." | | Credit: @JeffFlake/Twitter
If you spot political street art, tweet me @hunterschwarz, tag me on Instagram @hunterschwarz, or email me at coverlinehunter@cnn.com with your sighting so I can feature it in COVER/LINE.
I'll be off tomorrow for the long holiday weekend. Don't forget to send any political street art you see if you're out traveling, and don't forget the first of the month will be Saturday and rent will be due. I'll be back next Tuesday. See you then! ✌️ | | | | | | |
