| | | | | Michael Flynn, former US national security adviser, arrives at federal court in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday. Credit: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images | | | Trump Foundation to Dissolve: New York's AG cites "shocking pattern of illegality"
Merkel Watched "The Apprentice" to Prep for Trump Meeting: She also read "The Art of the Deal"
How Russia Targeted Christians: They turned a Simpsons meme account into a Christian one | | | What the White House is Talking About:
President Trump today holds a roundtable discussion about the Federal Commission on School Safety Report.
What the White House Press Corps is Talking About:
Well, well, well, Sarah Sanders will hold an on-camera press briefing today at 1:30.
And a flurry of morning tweets from the President about the Russia dossier, Strzok/Page, Michael Flynn, illegal immigration, the Fed, and social media. Hi, it's Tuesday.
"Good Luck :
Trump's former national security adviser Michael Flynn is being sentenced today in federal court for charges associated with lying to the FBI. Special counsel Robert Mueller has suggested to the judge that Flynn receive no jail time because he has been so cooperative with the Russia investigation -- going to talk to Mueller and his team more 19 times. (19 times!)
Mueller last night released a memo detailing a January 2017 interview with Flynn, outlining the lies the FBI says he told.
Some background, in case you need it, from our crack team of reporters: "Flynn pleaded guilty in December 2017 to lying to the FBI about the substance of his calls with former Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak while he worked on the Trump presidential transition. Flynn initially denied — but eventually admitted — that they had discussed sanctions and a United Nations Security Council resolution during the presidential transition. The saga — including the fact that he had lied to high-ranking administration officials about his contact with Kislyak — led to his early exit from the White House."
Follow live Flynn updates here. And be sure to keep an eye on the President's Twitter feed, because he certainly woke up today with Flynn on his mind, tweeting him "good luck."
"You Sold Your Country Out":
As we go to press on this newsletter, the judge in Flynn case has already said some harsh things -- including Flynn's sell-out status. Judge Emmet Sullivan's full quote reads: "All along, you were an unregistered agent of a foreign country while serving as the National Security Adviser to the President of the United States. That undermines everything this flag over here stands for. Arguably you sold your country out."
The sentencing hearing is currently in recess.
Trump Foundation to Dissolve:
Also this morning, news broke that the Donald J. Trump Foundation, the charitable foundation formed by Trump and his children, would close, amid a lawsuit filed by the New York attorney general looking into some financial questions. From CNN's explainer: "The dissolution of President Donald Trump's charity resolves one element of the attorney general's civil lawsuit against the foundation, which includes claims that the President and his children violated campaign finance laws and abused its tax-exempt status. The lawsuit will continue in court because it also seeks two other outcomes: $2.8 million in restitution, plus penalties, and a ban on Trump and his three eldest children serving on the board of any other New York nonprofit." So, basically though, the dissolution of the foundation doesn't make the issues go away -- in fact, the attorney general, Barbara Underwood, will now have more access to the details around who got money, and who donated money. "'Our petition detailed a shocking pattern of illegality involving the Trump Foundation -- including unlawful coordination with the Trump presidential campaign, repeated and willful self-dealing, and much more. This amounted to the Trump Foundation functioning as little more than a checkbook to serve Mr. Trump's business and political interests,' Underwood said in a statement Tuesday."
Merry Christmas, Though:
Here's the official White House Christmas photo of the President and first lady Melania Trump, taken on Saturday night at the White House. It was shot by Melania's personal official photographer Andrea Hanks, who is quite honestly one of the nicest people working in the White House -- always has a smile, even for the press. Melania posted the image on her Twitter today: | | Credit: @FLOTUS/Twitter
The President Has to Host A Lot of Parties:
Last night alone, Trump and Melania hosted two holiday parties, as they did the night before, and as they will again later this week. The events are private, invitation-only receptions (none for the press this year), but Trump apparently doesn't like to linger at them. Standing and making chit-chat is not his thing. An excerpt from Olivia Nuzzi's piece in today's New York magazine: | | Dress Like the Duchess of Sussex:
Haven't done one of these in a while but I really liked what Meghan Markle-now-Duchess-of-Sussex wore today during a visit to a retirement home for the elderly in London. It felt very Jane Austen/Pride & Prejudice to me with the puff sleeves and the delicate floral pattern. Not usually my jam, but it was good. It's by Brock Collection, available here for $1,480. | | | Credit: Geoff Pugh/AFP/Getty Images, matchesfashion.com | | What Washington is Talking About:
With four days until a partial government shutdown, Senate Republicans don't know what sort of deal President Trump would sign to avert it; meanwhile the White House suggested it's found another way to fund the border wall to avoid a shutdown; and Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey will appoint Republican Rep. Martha McSally to fill Sen. Jon Kyl's seat (which was the late John McCain's seat), giving the state -- which already has the record for most female governors in the US, btw -- two female senators.
What America is Talking About:
"Fresh Prince" star Alfonso Ribeiro, who played Carlton, is suing the creators of the video game Fortnite over its use of his dance (you know the one); the NAACP has called for a weeklong boycott of Facebook and Instagram following yesterday's reports of how Russia's social media campaign targeted African Americans; and a Missouri poacher who illegally killed hundreds of deer has been ordered by a judge to watch "Bambi" once a month during his yearlong jail sentence.
Poll of the Day:
Before Election Day, Pew asked those who planned on voting how easy they thought the process would be, and then polled again after the election to ask voters how it went. Good news: the poll found the percentage of thought it would be "very easy" rose from 44% before the election to 76% after. Still, 8% said it was "somewhat" or "very difficult" to vote. | | Credit: Pew
Comey Criticizes Republicans:
Former FBI Director James Comey's meeting with the House Judiciary Committee Monday lasted six hours, and afterward he characterized Republicans' lack of response to Trump's attacks on the FBI as "shameful."
"People who know better, including Republican members of this body, have to have the courage to stand up and speak the truth, not be cowed by mean tweets or fear of their base," Comey said. "There is a truth and they're not telling it. Their silence is shameful."
The US is on List of Deadliest Countries for Reporters:
Reporters Without Borders released its annual report of journalists who were killed, detained, held hostage or missing, and for the first time, the US is on the list of countries, with six deaths. 😞 Four journalists were killed in the Capital Gazette shooting -- Robert Hiaasen, Gerald Fischman, John McNamara and Wendi Winters -- and two were killed while covering subtropical storm Alberto -- Aaron Smeltzer and Mike McCormick.
The deadliest countries were Afghanistan, with 15 journalists killed, and Syria, with 11. For the first time since the US-led invasion in 2003, there were no reported media fatalities in Iraq. | | Credit: Reporters Without Borders
Merkel Watched "The Apprentice" to Prep for Trump Meeting:
That's per Susan Glasser's great New Yorker story about German Chancellor Angela Merkel. She also read Trump's 1990 Playboy interview, "which has become something of a runic text for Trumpologists on both sides of the Atlantic," read "The Art of the Deal," and talked with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who had previously met with Trump.
The 111th Thing That Happened in American Politics:
I asked yesterday for reader suggestions for an 111th item to go with this list of 110 things that happened in American politics. The undisputed winner was Nancy Pelosi's coat, which, by the way, I feel like I'm seeing all over now. I saw a woman in Washington the other day wearing a coat that appeared to be similar, and again from a reporter covering the Browns-Broncos game on ESPN: | | Credit: ESPN
How Russia Targeted Christians:
One theme made clear in the reports released yesterday on Russia's Internet Research Agency (IRA) social media efforts in the US was how they targeted Americans based on identity, including Christians. Pages presented partisan content in "on-brand ways," the report from New Knowledge read.
The IRA's most-liked Instagram post before the election, for example, was the below left image asking users to "like" if they believe, which received 87,750 likes. And the below right image added a MAGA hat to the painting "Jesus The Christ" by artist Del Parson, and asked users to "like" if they think "it's time to make America believe again."
Parson told me in a statement, "Anytime that someone's art work is defaced and, especially a sacred subject, it is offensive." | | Credit: via New Knowledge
One interesting detail is how the IRA account @army_of_jesus actually started out as a Kermit meme page in January 2015 before becoming a Simpsons meme page that August. In January 2016, it changed again to a Christian-focused account.
Russian accounts also engaged in "asset development," or using calls to action to encourage Americans to attend protests, perform jobs, or engage with their pages. For their Christian pages, that included a call to DM to inquire about counseling for people with sexual addiction. | | Credit: via New Knowledge
Street Art Sighting:
Mad Dog PAC, the same group behind the "Khashoggi Way" street signs that have popped up around Washington, brought an inflatable Trump rat with a Russian flag lapel pin outside the federal court where Michael Flynn is being sentenced. | | Credit: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images
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. | | | | | | |
