Monday 15 October 2018

Trump Reviews Melania's Interview: "She did a great job on television the other night," he said

Monday, October 15, 2018
President Trump talks to reporters before leaving the White House Monday to survey damage from Hurricane Michael in Florida and Georgia. Credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Trump Reviews Melania's Interview: "She did a great job on television the other night," he said

Warren Took a DNA Test: Sen. Elizabeth Warren released a video talking about her results

Michael Cohen Would Like You to Vote: Trump's former attorney, now a Democrat, says 2018 "might be the most important vote"

Kate Bennett

What the White House is Talking About:
President Trump and Melania Trump head to Florida today to check out the damage from Hurricane Michael and meet with victims and first responders. 

What the White House Press Corps is Talking About:
Trump's tweeted this morning that he spoke to Saudi Arabia's leader -- emphasizing Jamal Khashoggi's citizenship to that country -- and that he is sending Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to Saudi Arabia. 

"Rogue Killers":
On his way to Marine One this morning, Trump stopped to answer reporters' questions and threw out the idea that Khashoggi could have been murdered by "rogue killers." This means either that a) his discussion with Saudi's King Salman swayed him, b) Trump is already looking at other possibilities besides a Saudi plan to trap Khashoggi in the Turkish consulate and have him killed. It also may mean that a one-on-one talk with Trump almost always guarantees he can be swayed. Here's Trump's quote: "It sounded to me like maybe these could have been rogue killers, who knows. We are going to try to get to the bottom of it very soon. But his was a flat denial."
Trump Reviews Melania's Interview:
This whole smiley Melania thing is kind of throwing me off, but she seemed happy when Trump this morning praised her appearance Friday on "20/20." In general, I personally thought she seemed defensive and angry, and I think changing the answer on why she wore the jacket was a bad call. But the rest to me wasn't all that surprising or revelatory. I stick to my theory that while Melania occasionally does things that sometimes make people question her allegiance to her husband or his administration -- or even float crazy theories that she's some secret member of the resistance -- she's not, never was, never will be. And quite frankly, she doesn't mind that people think that.
Credit: @HowardMortman/Twitter

Hillary Clinton Thinks Bill Clinton's Affair with Monica Lewinsky Wasn't An Abuse of Power:
She says because Lewinsky was "an adult" it wasn't an abuse of power. Because, like, if you use this logic, isn't she saying that all powerful men who sexually harass interns are okay because the interns were technically adults? 

This Pic of Trump's White House Work Space:
A lot of people on the Twitter machine are tweeting this still shot from Trump's "60 Minutes" interview with Lesley Stahl. Yeah, the painting is weird, but I will say if I were president, I would also have a giant jar of Starbursts at the ready. 
Credit: @60Minutes/Twitter

New York Magazine Women & Power Issue:
The Stormy Daniels interview with Olivia Nuzzi is worth a read. Daniels' blunt and insightful answers are key to understanding her psyche, and what her life is like now that so many women are supporting her. It's a kooky and opposite world from the one where she has spent most of her professional life, where many women cast dispersions, and most of the men who came to see her dance at strip clubs were Trump supporters. Now, when she's at a club, those men are gone in protest, and women of the resistance and those who want to tell her their victimization stories are in their place. The Amanda Demme portraits that accompany all of the profiles in the issue are also pretty great. 
Credit: thecut.com

ICYMI, Meg's Pregs!:
OK, that was my attempt at what I think the British tabloids should use as a headline to announce the pregnancy of the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle. Congratulations to her and Prince Harry -- we can now obsess over a new royal baby come spring. 

Dress Like the First Lady: 
After some intense scrutinizing, I'm pretty sure Melania is today wearing these Timberland 6-inch waterproof boots, available here for $160
Credit: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

Hunter Schwarz

What America is Talking About:
  • It's 22 days until the midterm election.
  • Today is the last day to register to vote in Virginia and in 28 North Carolina counties affected by Hurricane Florence.
  • There are debates tonight between candidates in the races for Arizona Senate, Virginia's 7th District and Utah's 4th District.
  • Georgia's Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams told our Jake Tapper that voter suppression is about "terrifying people," and Sen. David Perdue briefly took a phone from a student who asked him about voter suppression.
  • In Texas, Democratic Senate candidate Beto O'Rourke skateboarded on stage during a campaign event, while Sen. Ted Cruz held a rally in El Paso, O'Rourke's hometown, and said he would win.
  • Republicans haven't run a single ad in 16 competitive House races in the first week of October.
  • Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson have ended their engagement.
What Washington is Talking About:
Many lawmakers are back home campaigning. I'll be putting "What Washington is Talking About" on temporary hiatus until then, because what much of Washington is talking about these days is what's going on out in the rest of the country. Send me your tips about the latest news in your home state US House, Senate, and gubernatorial races at coverlinehunter@cnn.com.

Poll of the Day:
The percentage of Americans who think President Trump will lose reelection has fallen from 54% in March to 47% today, according to a CNN poll released Sunday.
Credit: CNN

Democratic respondents were asked their 2020 preferences, and former Vice President Biden came out on top with 33% followed by Sen. Bernie Sanders at 13%, Sen. Kamala Harris at 9% and Sen. Elizabeth Warren at 8%.

Warren Took a DNA Test:
Sen. Elizabeth Warren released a video today about her family's Native American heritage. In it, Warren gets results from a DNA test ("The facts suggest that you absolutely have a Native American ancestor in your pedigree," says Carlos Bustamante, a Stanford genetics professor and advisor to Ancestry and 23 and Me), and academics she's worked with said her heritage had nothing to do with her hiring. Per the Boston Globe, Warren is between 1/32nd and 1/1024th Native American, with Native American ancestors going back somewhere between six to ten generations.

Trump said this summer he would pay $1 million to Warren's favorite charity if she took a DNA test "and it shows you're an Indian." Warren tweeted this morning for Trump to donate to the National Indigenous Women's Resource Center. Trump denied ever saying such a thing.

Michael Cohen Would Like You to Vote:
Trump's former attorney Michael Cohen tweeted Sunday that this year's midterms "might be the most important vote in our lifetime." Cohen, who you'll remember plead guilty back in August to felonies he said he committed at Trump's direction, recently switched his party affiliation back to Democrat. Cohen's lawyer, Lanny Davis, said the switch was him "putting family and country first" and "distancing himself from the values of the current" administration.

J-Kush Has Reportedly Paid Nearly No Income Tax For Years:
That's according to the New York Times, which found Jared Kushner paid almost no federal income tax between 2009 to 2014. He broke no laws but used a "common tax-minimizing maneuver" that showed losses on paper, the Times found.

HBD, Tiffany Trump:
Tiffany Trump turned 25 Saturday, and her parents wished her a happy birthday on Instagram. Marla Maples posted a photo of a young Tiffany in a sailor cap, and Trump posted a photo of him and his daughter together.
Credit: @itsmarlamaples/@realDonaldTrump/Instagram

Nice Art Choice:
Artist Andy Thomas' painting of Republican presidents playing cards (Trump's in the white shirt and red tie), titled "The Republican Club," is hanging in the White House. Amazing. The painting, which is available for $155 to $1,700, depending of the format, could be seen during Trump's "60 Minutes" interview. Thomas also painted a Democratic version of the painting, and there's a pre-Trump one of past Republican presidents playing pool for all the never-Trumpers out there.

The painting has a subtle feminist message, Thomas told Time in March. He painted a woman in the distance walking towards the table, representing the first female Republican president. Thomas, an independent, put the same woman in his Democratic painting.
Credit: 60 Minutes

👀Georgia City on the Lookout For Vandal👀:
Someone stuck a pair of googly eyes on a statue of Revolutionary War hero Nathanael Greene in Savannah, Georgia, and the city is looking for whoever is responsible. "It may look funny but harming our historic monuments and public property is no laughing matter, in fact, it's a crime," the city wrote on Facebook. Those with information about the culprit were asked to contact law enforcement.
Credit: City of Savannah Government/Facebook

Ye's Not The Only Music Star to go MAGA:
Sex Pistol member Johnny Rotten was spotted wearing a red "Make America Great Again" shirt in New Orleans for a show recently.

Street Art Sighting:
I present to you "Donye," by Lushsux:
Credit: @lushsux/Instagram

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.
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