| | | | | White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders walks up to speak to the media on the driveway outside of the West Wing this morning. Credit: Mark Wilson/Getty Images | | | The Midterm Country Crisscross: Trump's brutal campaign schedule for the next week
Oprah's Going on Tour with Michelle: I guess that's why tickets were so expensive
Ye Says He's Done with Politics": He said he's "been used to spread messages I don't believe in" | | | What the White House is Talking About:
President Trump today attends the Our Pledge to America's Workers event at the White House. Later, he departs Washington for Florida, where tonight he will hold a rally.
What the White House Press Corps is Talking About:
Trump's exhaustive pre-midterm travel schedule.
The Midterm Country Crisscross:
Already this month, Trump has visited 16 states in an attempt to rally his base to the polls next week. He'll continue a brutal schedule for the next seven days, traveling to states where the races are tight. The plan is to continue to push his fear-based immigration policies (more on that below), while surrogates like Vice President Mike Pence, who today is in Ohio, and Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner (with Pence today), Donald Trump Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle, blanket the parts of the country Trump can't get to.
As of this morning, more than 20 million people have already voted -- with women leading men in casting ballots. Also, interestingly, in the states with the closest races, more older people are getting out to early vote than young people. CNN has partnered with Catalist to collect this data. | | Credit: cnn.com
But It's a Birthright, Right?:
Trump's vow to end birthright citizenship -- something he mentioned in an interview on Tuesday -- can't actually happen with an executive order. Or, well, maybe it could, because I honestly now believe anything is possible in a Trumpian world, but lawmakers on Capitol Hill would probably fight it pretty hard. Trump also said the United States is the only country to allow birthright citizenship, which just is not true. I'm putting in this map to a) prove it and b) brush up on my geography, which I always like and need to do. | | Credit: CIA World Facebook/cnn.com
The First Couple, Via Tweets:
I sometimes like to compare and contrast tweets from Trump with tweets from his wife, Melania Trump. Because sometimes, like today, the differences in tone and measure are so vastly divided that it's weird. So, Trump's takeaway from the visit to Pittsburgh yesterday was that his role as president was respected, he was treated well, and that the protest was far away (it wasn't, it was about a block and a half from where he was), while Melania's tweet was about abolishing hate and expressing condolences and solidarity. Different strokes, ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. | | Credit: @realDonaldTrump/Twitter, @FLOTUS/Twitter
Also, Here is a Picture of the Protestors:
Trump's version of a "small protest" looked, in part, like this: | | Credit: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images
Must Watch TV: Christiane Amanpour Interview with Jon Stewart and Dave Chapelle:
Seriously, this is good stuff. Amanpour sat down with Stewart and Chapelle and asked them basically what we all want to know, like why Chapelle walked away from his career and how he feels about it now; what's the deal with Louis CK, and can he "rehabilitate"; how Stewart can talk about equal rights for women when all of his writers are dudes; and, of course, what they think about Trump and politics today. I personally think Stewart nailed it when he dissected the relationship between journalists and the President -- and how Trump goes after the Achilles heel of their own narcissism.
L'Eau du Ridiculous:
Guys, there's a perfume out there that costs $1.5 million and the scariest part -- because today *is* Halloween -- is that one bottle has already been sold and more are in production. Smells like money....
Sweet and Human Moment:
Ivanka Trump spent her 37th birthday visiting the site of the horrific mass shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh. When she came home to DC, she Instagrammed a nice moment that came via her 7 year old daughter, Arabella. Ivanka and her family have a tradition of practicing the Chinese custom of eating noodles on their birthdays, a symbol of longevity. | | Credit: @IvankaTrump/Twitter
Dress Like the First Lady:
I'm pointing out that yesterday's belted plaid coat was designed by Off White label creator Virgil Abloh, who is pretty much the hippest thing going in fashion right now. I don't think -- at least by my memory -- Melania has worn Abloh before, but I dig it that she went there, because his designs are fairly avant garde for the most part. (FYI, Abloh is also the artistic director of Louis Vuitton's menswear.) The coat is sold out, but it retailed for about $1,500. | | Credit: bergdorfgoodman.com, Gabriella Demczuk/pool/Getty Images
However, if you really like the print ... Abloh did make a matching over-the-knee boot. Available here for $2,051. Just sayin. | | What America is Talking About: - It's six days until the midterm election.
- Oprah is hitting the campaign trail for gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams in Georgia.
- Missouri Democratic Senate candidate Claire McCaskill criticized "crazy Democrats" in an interview with CNN and said she isn't one of them.
- National Republican Congressional Committee chair Rep. Steve Stivers of Ohio came out against white nationalist rhetoric from Iowa Republican Rep. Steve King, calling it, "completely inappropriate."
- Dr. Phil dressed as Kid Rock, in honor of a viral tweet of Kid Rock looking like Dr. Phil dressed up as Kid Rock.
Poll of the Day:
Gallup has lined up some key indicators ahead of Election Day to compare them with past midterm years. The data shows approval ratings for President Trump and Congress are both about 10 percentage points lower than the average going back to 1974, but that economic conditions are better than any other midterm since 1998, with 55% of Americans saying the economy is "good" or "excellent," minus 12% who say it's "poor," for a +43 net rating.
The average seat loss by a president's party in House in the midterms is 22. | | Credit: Gallup
Like a Blueprint for Radicalization:
Our KFile went through Cesar Sayoc's social media accounts and found thousands of tweets about conspiracy theories like "Pizzagate," "chemtrails," and birtherism, actual fake news, and more than 240 threats made to at least 50 people or organizations. You can read their full story about Sayoc's accounts, which "read like a blueprint for the radicalization of an alleged domestic terrorist," here.
Oprah's Going on Tour with Michelle:
OK, so I guess that's why tickets were so expensive? Michelle Obama announced some special guests for her "Becoming" book tour, including Oprah on opening night in Chicago. She'll be joined on other dates by Tracee Ellis Ross, Valerie Jarrett, Reese Witherspoon, and Sarah Jessica Parker.
Ye Says He's Done With Politics:
Kanye West tweeted Tuesday that he's "been used to spread messages I don't believe in" and will be "distancing" himself from politics and "completely focusing on being creative." RIP MAGA Ye (for now, at least).
Here's the backstory: On Saturday, Candace Owens told Page Six that West designed a line of "Blexit" apparel celebrating black Americans who left the Democratic Party. "Blexit is a renaissance and I am blessed to say that this logo, these colors, were created by my dear friend and fellow superhero Kanye West," she said. The line included shirts and hats from $25 to $28. | | Credit: shopblexit.com
But West disputed that he had anything to do with it. "I introduced Candace to the person who made the logo and they didn't want their name on it so she used mine," he tweeted. "I never wanted any association with Blexit. I have nothing to do with it."
West still follows Owens on Twitter (you may remember she was once one of just three people he followed along with Emma Gonzalez and Kim Kardashian), but he went on a following spree yesterday, adding pop stars and Kardashians. He now follows 120 people.
West's announcement that he's stepping away from politics came, ironically, hours after he tweeted some kids dressed up as Kim and MAGA Ye. But, in his defense, he seemed to be on a Ye Halloween 2018 kick, also tweeting photos of artist Takashi Murakami (who did the album art for Graduation) wearing his own version of the boxy suit West and Lil Pump wore in their "I Love It" music video and a Perrier app that puts users' face on their bottle, a la, what West and Lil Pump wore when performing the song on SNL. | | Credit: @kanyewest/Twitter
Anyways, West dropped politics just four days after Kris Jenner's interview with Ellen Degeneres where she said she'd prefer he keep some of those things private. She gets results.
TSwift's Mom Voted Bredesen Too:
Taylor Swift isn't finished stumping for Phil Bredesen for Senate on Instagram. She posted a photo of her and her mom waving American flags in front of a Bredesen campaign sign yesterday and wrote in the caption, "These two Tennessee women voted for the candidate who has proven himself to be reasonable and trustworthy. We want leadership, not fear-based extremism." The Bredesen campaign reposted to their story and thanked Swift for her support. | | Credit: @philbredesenforsenate/Instagram story
On This Day in History:
On Halloween 1962, the Kennedy White House released this PSA encouraging people to vote. "There is one way you can indicate your devotion to freedom," Kennedy says. "There is one way in which we can show how strongly we believe in democracy. Next Tuesday, November 6 is Election Day. I hope every American will turn out and vote."
Street Art Sighting:
JR's Time magazine cover is on more than just newsstands. A moving slow-motion video version of the cover was on display at Union Market in Washington last night and will be on display at the Pace Gallery in New York City through Saturday, and it was turned into a mural at Houston and Bowery. Someone put a red "11" on it and mourners left flowers under it. | | Credit: Hunter Schwarz
I had a chance to take a closer look at everyone included in the piece, which includes eight sitting members of Congress, Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser, and Black Guns Matter founder Maj Toure, who you may remember from my road trip last summer. Two people you may be surprised to learn are not in it: David Hogg and Emma Gonzalez.
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.:
I love it when pop stars dress as other pop stars for Halloween, so shoutout to Beyoncé, who posted photos dressed as "Phoni Braxton." Happy Halloween! | | | | | | |
