| | | | | Speaker-designate Rep. Nancy Pelosi enters the chamber during the first session of the 116th Congress. Credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images | | | "Nothing For The Wall": Pelosi says they won't budge
Meanwhile, Trump Had a Two-Hour Cabinet Meeting: It was hard to focus on anything else beside the weird "Game of Thrones"-esque poster
It Begins: Trump's life is about to get a lot more complicated with a Dem House | | | What the White House is Talking About:
President Trump has no public events on his schedule today.
What the White House Press Corps is Talking About:
The new Congress.
Shutdown Day 13.
Congress, Commence!:
The 116th Congress starts off today, officially getting underway at noon. Nancy Pelosi is expected to be voted Speaker, a position she held from 2007-2011. She remains the first and only female Speaker of the House. I watched Dana Bash's excellent "Badass Women" episode on Pelosi and she was insightful about how unabashed she is about saying she is good at her job, and that she deserves to be where she is -- words and thoughts said out loud that some successful women still have trouble uttering. Dana admitted she, too, sometimes gets shy about tooting her own horn:
"For most women, frankly, myself included, it is hard to say those words, 'I am uniquely qualified. I deserve this. I earned this. I can do this better than anyone else,'" (Bash) told Pelosi.
"You know why I do it? I do it, because I want women to see that you do not get pushed around. You don't run away from the fight," Pelosi responded.
Also, fun fact from the episode: Pelosi only eats dark chocolate, not milk, not white. And a lot of it.
Live Updates Here:
Follow along with all the newsy bits of today's new Congress with our live team, here.
"Nothing for the Wall":
Pelosi said on NBC News this morning that she and the Democrats are holding firm on not giving the President any funding for the border wall, this after Pelosi and other congressional leadership met with Trump at the White House yesterday afternoon. Pelosi, in the interview, said several times Democrats won't budge on this, making it clear, "nothing for the wall."
ICYMI, Romney Not Endorsing Trump 2020:
That was just one of the interesting exchanges between now-Sen. Mitt Romney and Jake Tapper on "The Lead" yesterday. Romney also said he would continue to call out the President on issues with which he disagrees, but that he won't be the senator in the hallways talking to the media after every vote or statement. We'll remember that ... and see how that goes.
Meanwhile, Trump Had a Two-Hour Cabinet Meeting:
He talked about a lot of things, from the border wall to how he "essentially" fired Defense Secretary James Mattis (who resigned, actually), to how lonely he was at Christmas in the White House. He actually said this: "I was here on Christmas evening, I was all by myself in the White House, it's a big, big house except for all those guys out on the lawn with machine guns. Nicest machine guns. I was waving to them." I don't want to tell him, but his wife, Melania Trump, was actually also there on Christmas evening 😬.
But, back to the Cabinet meeting, where it was hard to focus on anything else besides the weird "Game of Thrones"-esque poster of the President on the table right in front of him. Jeanne Moos did a really funny and insightful story on the poster and it's good. My favorite part is that he's wearing the same thing he's wearing in the poster. | | Credit: @dougmillsnyt/Twitter
Speaking of Trump's Red Tie:
It's his favorite. Here's the new cover of Bloomberg Business: | | Credit: @business/Twitter
DOW Dips After China Woes with Apple:
The stock market is taking a big hit today, following news from Apple that China appears to have backed off its products -- possibly in the wake of Trump's trade talk. Tim Cook of Apple said the company would badly miss its quarterly sales projections.
Dress Like the First Daughter:
We saw Ivanka Trump for the first time in 2019 yesterday when she attended the Cabinet meeting at the White House. She appeared subdued and wore an Oscar de la Renta black turtleneck with pearls, which retailed for $850, but is now sold out. | | | Credit: Chip Somodevilla/AFP/Getty Images, bergdorfgoodman.com | | What Washington is Talking About:
The 116th Congress is being sworn in and Nancy Pelosi will become the first House Speaker since Sam Rayburn to return to the job after being in the minority. The House plans to pass legislation that would reopen the government that does not include money for a border wall and is expected to fail in the Senate.
What America is Talking About:
Apple lowered holiday quarter sales expectations due to iPhone sales in China during the trade war; Chinese state media said it landed a rover on the far side of the moon; and Coachella announced its 2019 lineup will include Childish Gambino, Tame Impala, and Ariana Grande.
Poll of the Day:
87% of Americans say education is "extremely" or "very important" for President Trump and Congress to tackle in 2019, the top issue, according to a Gallup poll.
So Many Firsts:
Read our Clare Foran and Phil Mattingly report on all the historic firsts in the new Congress. No other Congress has ever looked like this.
The New Congress, by Age:
The youngest member of the House is 29-year-old Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who is also the youngest member ever elected to Congress. The youngest member of the Senate is 39-year-old Josh Hawley, who was born on the final day of the '70s. Here's a breakdown by age, from our Adam Levy and Ethan Cohen:
House:
20s 1
30s 38
40s 86
50s 113
60s 126
70s 61
80s 9
Senate:
30s 1
40s 13
50s 21
60s 42
70s 18
80s 5
Break Out the Special Gavel:
Opening day of a new Congress is filled with tradition, including a special gavel and chair used in the House only on this day. The Clerk's Gavel has been used since 1999 to "gavel in" a new session, and then it's put back in storage. And a special Speaker's chair from 1941 is used in place of an identical chair that normally occupies the rostrum. | | Credit: US House History, Art & Archives
It Begins:
Trump's life is about to get a lot more complicated with a Democratic House. Case in point: in an interview with "Today" that aired this morning, Pelosi said it's an "open discussion" whether a sitting president can be indicted.
"We have to wait and see what happens with the Mueller report," she said. "We shouldn't be impeaching for a political reason, and we shouldn't avoid impeachment for a political reason."
And two sources familiar with the one of the first pieces of legislation Democrats hope to pass say they plan to include a provision that would require presidential nominees to release a decade of tax returns, up from a proposed three years' worth, as part of building a case for Trump to release his returns.
Obama Charts on Billboard:
Former President Barack Obama's feature on the "Hamilton" track, "One Last Time (44 Remix)," has landed him at No. 22 on Billboard's Hot R&B Songs chart with Christopher Jackson and BeBe Winans. Amazing.
Street Art Sighting:
Artist Jonathan Allen, who repurposes subway ads in New York, turned this one at the Bergen Street station into a message about the shutdown: | | Credit: @jonathanallenstudio/Instagram
Tag or DM me your political street art sightings @hunterschwarz on Twitter or Instagram or email me at coverlinehunter@cnn.com. | | | | | | |
