| | | | | Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg arrive to testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Capitol Hill this morning. Credit: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images | | | "Fear," the White House Defense: How the Trump administration is fighting against a book by a nationally lauded investigative journalist and Pulitzer Prize winner
Zuck Won't Say How Confident He is About the Midterms: Mark Zuckerberg penned op-ed ahead of today's Big Tech hearing
Kim K's Back at the White House: The reality star and criminal justice advocate is pushing a new case | | | What the White House is Talking About:
President Trump today hosts the Emir of Kuwait. Later he meets with Republican Congressional leadership. Finally, the President will host a group of sheriffs on the State Floor for a reception.
What the White House Press Corps is Talking About:
The White House spin machine working to discredit Bob Woodward's new book.
More hearings on Capitol Hill for Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh.
And, once again, there is no briefing on the schedule -- batting zero for September. There were five briefings in August, three in July.
Kavanaugh, Continued:
Yesterday's lengthy opening day of hearings for Kavanaugh was just a preview to what begins today. This morning, senators will actually get to question the nominee, and the judge will get to respond. Watch the proceedings and all of the live updates here, because it should be an interesting and lively discussion.
"Fear," New York Times Book Review:
The New York Times is out with its review of Woodward's "Fear: Trump in the White House." "Nothing in Bob Woodward's sober and grainy new book, "Fear: Trump in the White House," is especially surprising. This is a White House that has leaked from Day 1. We knew things were bad. Woodward is here, like a state trooper knocking on the door at 3 a.m., to update the sorry details," writes reviewer Dwight Garner in the first paragraph. Overall, Garner calls Woodward's writing stiff, but he notes the colorful details, and the ability to realistically portray the overarching sense that there's true chaos in the West Wing.
"Fear," the White House Defense:
It appears the defense from Trump and his administration is just going to be simply, "it's not true," and that Woodward got his facts from "disgruntled employees," fabricating scenes and anecdotes. Here's Trump's tweet about it last night: "The Woodward book has already been refuted and discredited by General (Secretary of Defense) James Mattis and General (Chief of Staff) John Kelly Their quotes were made up frauds, a con on the public. Likewise other stories and quotes. Woodward is a Dem operative? Notice timing?" And, even later last night, where he says he never said the things Woodward writes that he said about Attorney General Jeff Sessions: "The already discredited Woodward book, so many lies and phony sources, has me calling Jeff Sessions 'mentally retarded' and 'a dumb southerner,' " Trump tweeted. "I said NEITHER, never used those terms on anyone, including Jeff, and being a southerner is a GREAT thing. He made this up to divide!"
This morning, the book was clearly still on the President's mind, because he tweeted and brought up the word "libel": "Isn't it a shame that someone can write an article or book, totally make up stories and form a picture of a person that is literally the exact opposite of the fact, and get away with it without retribution or cost. Don't know why Washington politicians don't change libel laws?"
So, basically, Trump is calling Bob Woodward, nationally lauded investigative journalist and Pulitzer Prize winner, a bad reporter who makes up stuff. Here's my take: Trump's base probably isn't going change its mind about how they feel about the President just because a Washington Post reporter wrote a book. And for everyone else, "Fear" is a juicy read that -- while not as salacious or ethically questionable as Michael Wolff and Omarosa Manigault-Newman's books -- basically confirms the confusion and weirdness happening at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, which, depending on how you feel, ranges from "meh," to "oh my god this is terrifying."
But Behind the Scenes ...:
Trump is apparently fuming, writes the Washington Post, trying to find out which of his former (and possibly current) aides and advisers turned on him to talk to Woodward. "He doesn't think he can trust anybody," one of his advisers outside the White House says.
This Town:
Also Washington and New York journalists taking to Twitter to "confirm" that Woodward is actually a good journalist is lol. Nothing like reporters telling other reporters that their reporter friends (especially ones who have broken historic stories, like Watergate) are good reporters. GUYS IT'S BOB WOODWARD.
Lightning Strikes:
This photo by CNN photojournalist Khalil Abdallah, taken late yesterday afternoon, demonstrates what the mood was inside the White House, as well as a spectacular shot of a thunderstorm. The image went viral, even TMZ picked it up. | | Credit: @madcameraman/Instagram
The Obamas Are Back:
Michelle Obama today announced she will be doing at least two rallies -- one in Las Vegas, one in Miami -- to promote "When We All Vote," the non-profit initiative of which she is a co-chair. The events will take place later this month. And Barack Obama will campaign before mid-terms, making stops in Ohio and California, according to the New York Times. Katie Hill, Obama's spokeswoman, told the Times the former president is getting back into the political fray because, "this moment in our country is too perilous for Democratic voters to sit out."
Vanity Fair's Annual Best-Dressed List:
The glossy mag is out with its yearly determination of who is best-dressed. I think, as I often do, that this is an accurate list (although I find the omission of Melania Trump a little annoying.) One first lady who did make the cut is France's Brigitte Macron. Here's what VF's fashion panel had to say about her: | | Credit: vanityfair.com
Wolf is My Favorite:
There is no one better with the deadpan humor. | | | Credit: @wolfblitzer/Twitter | | What Washington is Talking About:
It's the second day of Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey are testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee (Google was a no-show), former Sen. John Kyl was tapped by Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey to fill John McCain's Senate seat and will be sworn in today, and the Washington Mystics are advancing to the WNBA finals for the first time ever.
What America is Talking About:
A man ran his truck into a TV news station's building in Dallas early this morning, and "Fear" is currently the No. 1 bestselling book on Amazon -- six days ahead of its release. | | Credit: Amazon
Poll of the Day:
Nearly three-fourths of American adults who use Facebook have in the past year adjusted their privacy settings, taken a break for several weeks or more, or deleted the app from their phone, according to a Pew poll. | | Credit: Pew
Zuck Won't Say How Confident He is About the Midterms:
In an op-ed in today's Washington Post, Mark Zuckerberg called social media manipulation an "arms race" against "sophisticated, well-funded adversaries who are getting smarter over time." In the piece, Zuck writes that he's "often asked how confident I feel about our midterms," and then goes out to not actually say how confident he is, which isn't very comforting. Zuck also spreads the responsibility for protecting democracy from abuse on his platform to lots of people who aren't Facebook, writing that "everyone — governments, tech companies and independent experts — needs to do a better job of sharing the signals and information they have to prevent this kind of abuse."
Alex Jones is on the Hill Today:
Our Donie O'Sullivan snapped a shot of the InfoWars head at the Capitol today ahead of the Big Tech hearings. He wasn't there to sit through the hearing and listen, instead getting into an argument outside with Sen. Marco Rubio. That's one way to get on social media after you've been deplatformed. | | Credit: @donie/Twitter
Trump Was Actually Pretty Chill About the Kaepernick Ad:
Trump said the ad sent a "terrible message" and wasn't something he would have done, but otherwise, he didn't really go after it during an interview with the Daily Caller. Trump went all First Amendment on us and said the ad represented "what this country is all about, that you have certain freedoms to do things that other people think you shouldn't do, but I personally am on a different side of it." He also pointed out he makes money from them. "Nike is a tenant of mine," he said. "They pay a lot of rent." He also tweeted on the ad this morning.
Bezos Gives $10 Million to Veteran PAC:
Jeff Bezos and his wife MacKenzie donated $10 million to With Honors, a PAC that supports veterans of both parties running for office. It's the largest political donation the Amazon CEO and Washington Post owner has made. In 2012, he donated $2.5 million to back Washington state's same-sex marriage law.
Kim K's Back at the White House:
Kim Kardashian West is at the White House today, her second visit since May. A White House official told CNN she's not expected to meet with Trump, but will discuss clemency issues with a group that includes Jared Kushner and Van Jones. She's seeking a pardon for Chris Young, a man who was sentenced to life in prison for marijuana and cocaine possession. Kim K was on the latest episode of the podcast "Wrongful Conviction with Jason Flom" to talk about her advocacy for criminal justice. "I do talk to the White House often on this subject with J-Kush and he is really passionate about changing some of these laws and getting a lot of bills passed," she said. She recently visited a prison, is learning as she goes, and believes "the laws have to change," she said. She even said she would be willing to advocate on behalf of someone accused of murder because there are women who have been locked up for things they did in self-defense. "What's on paper and what's in person is so different and that is the hard part," she said. | | Credit: Wrongful Conviction/Podcasts
"House of Cards" Drops its Own Spoiler:
The show tweeted a video of Robin Wright's Claire Underwood standing in front of Frank's headstone. "When they bury me, it won't be in my backyard," she says. "And when they pay their respects, they'll have to wait in line."
Street Art Sighting:
You can see Nike's Kaepernick ad IRL too. A billboard of the ad has gone up at Niketown San Francisco. | | Credit: @sarinamiko/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. | | | | | | |
