Tuesday 12 February 2019

Trump is Never, Ever, Ever Getting a Dog

Tuesday, February 12, 2019
President Donald Trump rallies for a border wall Monday at the El Paso Coliseum. Credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Kate Bennett

What the White House Is Talking About:
President Donald Trump has a Cabinet meeting today. Later, he meets behind closed doors with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. 

What the White House Press Corps Is Talking About:
Will the proposed budget deal go through? 
Also, what was all that dog talk at Trump's Texas rally Monday night? 

Trump Weighs Deal: 
It's now up to the President to see if he wants to sign a deal that allocates $1.375 billion for a border barrier -- well short of the $5.7 billion he wanted. 

Shutdown Countdown Clock On or Off?
A deal on the table would mean avoiding a second shutdown, which would happen Friday. Here's the latest live updates on where everything stands, but basically negotiators on Capitol Hill have reached what they're saying is "an agreement in principle," and now everyone's just waiting for Trump to comment.

The President, who once so eagerly took ownership of the shutdown, on Monday night sounded like he wasn't even involved in the back-and-forth to get the funding he so desperately wanted. Here's what he said about it during his rally in El Paso, Texas: "They say that progress is being made. Just so you know. Just now, just now. I said wait a minute, I gotta take care of my people from Texas. I got to go. I don't even want to hear about it. I don't want to hear about it."

And back to the countdown clock -- you know it's on. We're CNN. We love our countdown clocks!
Credit: CNN.com

The Cost of a Shutdown. Literally.:
If you want to know what a government shutdown actually costs in delayed compensation to federal employees per day -- we did the math:
 
"When the government closes, an average of about $275 million in compensation to federal employees is delayed per day, according to an analysis of agency staffing and pay data by CNN. All told, more than $9 billion in compensation went unpaid to federal employees during the 35-day shutdown over a demand by President Donald Trump for funding to build a wall between Mexico and the United States."
Credit: CNN.com

Trump Is Never, Ever Getting a Dog:
Is it me, or does Trump have a weird thing with dogs? First of all, he compares people he doesn't like to dogs, a lot, as The Washington Post's Phil Rucker so eloquently broke down in a recent piece. Second, he once lived with a dog, Chappy, when he was married to Ivana Trump -- and he wasn't really happy about it. Chappy, Ivana has said, had an equal dislike of Trump. And, basically, he thinks people who have dogs in Washington are insincere, or at least that's what he implied at this rally Monday night when a section about how important German shepherds are to border security turned into an odd rant about what he would look like walking a dog. Per CNN's Betsy Klein, here's what he said: "I wouldn't mind having one," the notoriously pet-averse Trump said. "How would I look walking a dog on the White House lawn sort of not -- I don't know, I don't feel good, feels a little phony to me," Trump said. He added that people have asked and told him it's "good politically" to have a dog, but "That's not the relationship I have with my people." An audience member pointed out that Obama had a dog. Trump laughed. "Obama had a dog. Yeah you're right."

Awkward, but Vice President Mike Pence got a dog, an Australian shepherd puppy named Harley, shortly after arriving in Washington. 

Klein wrote a cool piece in 2017 about how Trump *not* having a dog is a break with years and years of presidential tradition. For historical perspective, we turn to author Michael Beschloss:
Credit: @BeschlossDC/Twitter

Stronger Together? 
"We're only getting stronger together" appears to be the new GOP slogan for Trump's 2020 campaign, according to a tweet Monday night from the Republican National Committee. But if it sounds familiar, that's because it is. It was Hillary Clinton's 2016 slogan. Which didn't get past her, clearly: 
Credit: @HillaryClinton/Twitter

Hunter Schwarz

What Washington is Talking About:
Lawmakers said they've reached a bipartisan deal to avert a government shutdown; Rep. Ilhan Omar apologized for her tweets about Israel; and funeral services are being held for Rep. John Dingell today in Dearborn, Michigan, with speakers including former Vice President Joe Biden.

What America is Talking About:
The head of the flight attendant union called for demonstrations in the event of another shutdown and a Washington Post-Schar School poll found Americans trust special counsel Robert Mueller over President Trump, 56% to 33%.

Trump Hits GND:
Trump hit the Green New Deal during his rally in El Paso last night, saying it "sounds like a high school term paper that got a low mark." Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez responded, tweeting, "Ah yes, a man who can't even read briefings written in full sentences is providing literary criticism of a House Resolution." 

The proposal has faced confusion over an FAQ that was posted online and sent to reporters that included details not found in the resolution that was unveiled last week. AOC tweeted this weekend: "when I talk about the GND, [the resolution] is what I'm referring to -- and nothing else."

Mark Kelly Announces Senate Run in Arizona:
The retired astronaut and husband of former Rep. Gabby Giffords announced today he's running for Senate in a biographical video that covers his career and the shooting that injured his wife. This will pit the Democrat against Sen. Martha McSally. The astronaut vs. the fighter pilot. Guys, this will be a race.

O'Rourke Keeps Focus on Wall:
Former Rep. Beto O'Rourke didn't make any big announcements last night during the counter-rally in El Paso he attended, but instead kept the focus on the border wall. "We stand for America and we stand against walls," he said. "We know there is no bargain in which we can sacrifice some of our humanity to gain a little more security." Also at the rally was Annie Leibovitz, who was photographing O'Rourke.

Metro Boomin Wears Jacket for 21 Savage:
Metro Boomin conducted an orchestra while wearing a jacket that said "Free 21 Savage" on the back during a performance of his song "Space Cadet" with Gunna last night on "Tonight Show." Boomin performed with 21 Savage in January, days before he was arrested by ICE. Earlier this week he retweeted a call for people to call up ICE's Atlanta office and request that 21 Savage be released.
Credit: The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon/YouTube

Street Art Sighting:
Manuel Oliver, whose son Joaquin "Guac" Oliver was killed in the Parkland shooting, has several pieces up at the Center for Contemporary Political Art in Washington right now. Many feature his son, like the "Stronger Than Ever" piece (below left), and there's also his sculpture "The Last Lockdown" (below right) of a child hiding under a desk. On top of the desk are written stats about gun violence. 
Credit: Hunter Schwarz

Tag or DM me your political street art sightings @hunterschwarz on Twitter or Instagram, or email me at coverlinehunter@cnn.com.
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