| | | | | An Air Force bus intended to be used by members of Congress sits outside the US Capitol Thursday. Credit: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images | | What Washington is Talking About:
It's Day 28 of the shutdown; lawmakers are reacting to the BuzzFeed News story claiming President Trump personally directed Michael Cohen to lie to Congress about the proposed Trump Tower in Moscow, including House Intel Committee chair Adam Schiff, who said it was among the most serious allegations Trump's faced and vowed to "do what's necessary to find out if it's true"; and the annual March for Life rally is being held today on the National Mall.
What America is Talking About:
BuzzFeed News' story about Cohen and the proposed Trump Tower Moscow is the top story on Google Trends; the Los Angeles United School District says it's lost $97 million due to a teacher strike this week; and Netflix claims it owns about 10% of screen time in the US.
Trump Hasn't Denied It Yet:
As we go to press, Trump has not denied the BuzzFeed story. Instead, this morning on Twitter, Trump claimed another caravan is on the way, referenced what appears to be a Washington Examiner story that cites a single anonymous rancher near the border who claimed they've found prayer rugs on their property, and tweeted "MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!" and "AMERICA FIRST!"
Ok.
Poll of the Day:
Sunday is the anniversary of Trump taking office, and Pew is out with some data on how Americans are feeling two years in. Trump's approval sits at 37%, tied with Ronald Reagan at this point in his term for the lowest approval of the six most recent presidents. | | Credit: Pew
A few other points from the survey: - 64% say Trump has a responsibility to release his taxes.
- 58% say they trust Trump less than other presidents.
- 59% say the ethical standards of top Trump administration officials are not good or poor.
- 47% say Trump will be an unsuccessful president in the long run, 29% say he'll be a successful president, and 23% say it's too early to tell.
- 40% say Trump's policies have made the economy better, 28% say they've made it worse, and 29% say they haven't had an effect.
Ahhh, So That Must Have Been What He Was Waiting For:
Trump broke his silence over Speaker Pelosi asking him to postpone the SOTU because of the shutdown with a letter released Thursday afternoon announcing he was denying Pelosi a military aircraft for her trip to Afghanistan, and suggesting she fly commercial if she still wanted to go.
Pelosi and a group of lawmakers were scheduled to depart within the hour when the letter came out, leaving the Air Force bus they were supposed to use to depart from the Capitol waiting in front of TV news cameras and reporters. Pelosi's deputy chief of staff Drew Hammill tweeted this morning that Trump announcing the speaker's travel plans had "significantly increased danger to the delegation & to troops, security, & other officials supporting trip" and said the trip has been postponed.
VP Defends Second Lady Teaching Gig:
In an interview with Eternal Word Television Network, a Catholic network, Vice President Mike Pence defended second lady Karen Pence's decision to teach art at Immanuel Christian School, which bans LGBTQ students and employees. "My wife and I have been in the public eye for quite a while. We're used to the criticism," he said. "To see major news organizations attacking Christian education is deeply offensive to us."
Meanwhile, the school will receive a delivery of 100 copies of the spoof book "A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo," sent by the youth LGBTQ support group Trevor Project. They included a letter calling on the school to end its policies, per the Reliable Source.
Build The Wall:
Here's the cover of the New Yorker's January 28 issue, by artist John Cuneo. "When it comes to drawing Trump, I've kind of hit the wall myself," he told the magazine. "Half of a face is more than enough." | | Credit: The New Yorker
Cardi B's Shutdown Rant is Now a (Very Short) Song:
The Gregory Brothers, the team behind Auto-Tune the News videos, added the beat of "Bodak Yellow" to Cardi's Instagram video criticizing Trump and the shutdown. You can listen here. Warning, NSFW language.
Jim Carrey Makes New York Art Debut:
The actor-turned-political-cartoonist has work on display as part of the Outsider Art Fair at the Metropolitan Pavilion in New York through Sunday. It includes new work, and work inspired by the midterms. Director Andrew Edlin told Artnet News, "Carrey shows that we're still discovering incredible examples of work by people who aren't part of the art world, aren't schooled, and came to art without career aspirations or without the audience being a driving factor." | | Credit: Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images
Street Art Sighting:
I spotted this mural of Martin Luther King, Jr. last year in Baltimore. Tuesday would have been MLK's 90th birthday. | | Credit: Hunter Schwarz
Tag or DM me your political street art sightings @hunterschwarz on Twitter or Instagram, or email me at coverlinehunter@cnn.com.
Have a safe holiday weekend. I'll be back Tuesday, see you then!
Kate Bennett is off. Her section will return next week. | | | | | | |
