| | | | | White House press secretary Sarah Sanders speaks during a briefing in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House on Tuesday. Credit: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images | | | What a Briefing, Man: Sarah Sanders "can't guarantee anything" re: possible tapes of Trump using the n-word
The Unite the Right 2 Rally Cost D.C. $2.6 Million: That's per early estimates, and D.C. could be reimbursed
Alex Jones Gets Suspended From Twitter ... Temporarily: His week-long suspension came after a "false flag" tweet | | | What Washington is Talking About:
The Senate is back from recess, and closing arguments in Paul Manafort's case are today after the defense called no witnesses and rested its case Tuesday.
What America is Talking About:
Democrat Christine Hallquist won her primary in Vermont to become the first openly transgender major party nominee for governor, former Republican Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty lost his bid to win back his old job, and students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School go back to school today on a campus with security upgrades.
Poll of the Day:
A majority of Americans, but not Republicans, believe the news media is an important part of democracy. According to a Quinnipiac poll released Tuesday, 65% of American voters (including 36% of Repubs, and 91% of Dems) believe the press is important to democracy, and 26% believe it's the enemy of the people. | | Credit: Quinnipiac
What a Briefing, Man:
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders held the first press briefing in 12 days Tuesday amid controversy over Omarosa's book and press tour, and what a briefing it was. The biggest news was Sanders saying that although she hasn't personally heard President Trump use the n-word, she can't guarantee we won't one day possibly hear a recording of him using it ("I can't guarantee anything, but I can tell you that the President addressed this question directly," she said, referencing his tweet). She also made an inaccurate claim about the number of jobs created under Obama vs. Trump and issued a rare correction for the error. And she denied there's a pattern in Trump's attacks on Omarosa and other people of color because he says mean things about all kinds of people. There is currently no briefing scheduled for today.
"Unhinged" Reviews Are In:
Reviews are in for Omarosa's book, currently No. 2 on Amazon's bestseller list, and here's what three people said:
EW's David Canfield: "It's engineered as a media tool, structured in a fashion that complements what its author says on TV and reveals in a steady stream of recorded semi-bombshells. The book itself reads mostly like the Fire and Fury sequel you never wanted: a swift account of the major events to surround Trump since he began his campaign for president, filled out with one adviser's observations, opinions, and insider 'knowledge.' Like her old boss, she 'hears' many things."
New York Times Opinion Columnist Michelle Goldberg: "Either she is telling the truth when she calls Trump 'a racist, a bigot, and a misogynist' in serious mental decline, or the Trump campaign's former director of African-American outreach, a woman frequently called upon to testify to Trump's lack of racism, is a lying con artist."
David, an Amazon user from Sacramento who's left more than 1,000 reviews for products on the site and who currently has the top review: "Supported account of what is happening in the White House. I imagine the Trump supporters will try to stop this book from being sold. Well written. Unbelievable the people is in charge of the United States of America's White House." | | Credit: Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images
The Unite the Right 2 Rally Cost D.C. $2.6 Million:
And most of that went to police, according to a first estimate from the city government. That cost could be covered by the federal government, which set aside $13 million to help D.C. pay for protests, rallies and events, and reimbursed the city for $9.1 million in the 2017 fiscal year, per the Washington Post.
6 Million Georgia Voters' Records Were Exposed:
Georgia voter records, password files, and encryption keys were online and accessible to anyone who wanted to look, according to a lawsuit that accused Georgia Secretary of State and gubernatorial candidate Brian Kemp of failing to protect voter information. The group behind the suit, Coalition for Good Governance, has called for paper ballots. Kemp told CNN the state's voting system "remains accurate and secure" and said switching to paper ballots would be "chaotic."
Alex Jones Gets Suspended From Twitter ... Temporarily:
Jones has had some features on his account suspended for a week for a video he tweeted Tuesday in which he said it was "time to act on the enemy before they do a false flag," Twitter told CNN. On Friday, Jones deleted several tweets that violated Twitter rules following a report by our Oliver Darcy.
Tech Logos Have Gotten More Serious:
Tumblr recently redid its logo, dropping the dot at the end and making slight changes to the font. Here's the new logo, top, with the old one below: | | Credit: Tumblr
Fast Company's Jesus Diaz noted that Tumblr is just the latest tech company to drop the quirkier aspects of its logo for a brand refresh (see also Airbnb, GoDaddy, Pinterest, and before that, Google and Spotify). Obviously, there's a lot of different considerations that go into logo redesigns and trends always change, but I can't help but notice that these new, more serious logos come at a time when Big Tech is being questioned about its power and influence. Though these specific logos are not all necessarily for companies that have been dragged in to testify before Congress, they mirror an increasing seriousness we're seeing in our culture and politics about Big Tech. | | Credit: @OHNoTypeCo/Twitter
Free Press Tees:
The Freedom of the Press Foundation and New York PR agency Workhouse teamed up for a limited edition line of "Free Press" tees. "An independent press ensures that citizens stay informed about the actions of their government, creating a forum for debate and the open exchange of ideas," Workhouse said in a statement on its site. "And the press also occupies another critical role: watchdog." Part of the proceeds from the $25 shirts goes to the Freedom of the Press Foundation. | | Credit: Workhouse
Street Art Sighting:
This bold "None Are Free Until All Are Free" mural by the group 411 Collective is at the Bethlehem Baptist Church in southeast Washington. | | Credit: Hunter Schwarz
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.
P.S.:
Taylor Swift marked the one-year anniversary of the ruling in her sexual assault case last night during her Reputation Tour show in Tampa. "This is the day the jury sided in my favor and said that they believed me," she said. "I guess I just think about all the people that weren't believed and the people who haven't been believed, and the people who are afraid to speak up because they think they won't be believed."
Kate Bennett is off. | | | | | | |
