| | | | | President Trump salutes a US Customs and Border Patrol helicopter as he stands with Border Patrol agents at the Rio Grande after his visit to a border patrol station in McAllen, Texas, Thursday. Credit: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images | | What the White House is Talking About:
At 2:30 p.m., President Trump hosts a roundtable discussion on border security and safe communities with state, local, and community leaders.
What the White House Press Corps is Talking About:
Shutdown Day 21. At midnight, this government shutdown becomes the longest in the country's history.
Where We Are:
Again, it looks as though there's not a compromise on the horizon for the shutdown, with a national emergency more and more likely. | | Credit: CNN.com
Keep An Eye on These GOP Members For a Break:
This is a great and easy to read story from our crack CNN team about who in the Republican party is most likely to break with Trump on the hold-out for border wall funding. Trump needs the support of essentially all GOP members of the Senate if he wants to hang on to his stance, but this story points out there are clearly weak spots for him among the ranks.
Trump's Border Look, Casual:
I love Robin Givhan, as you know if you read this space, and today she turned her poison pen to the President, dissecting his look at the border and the message it sent. A snippet: "Trump's disaster ensemble bears a striking resemblance to his golfing togs. But that's not surprising. Trump has a limited imagination when it comes to clothes, so any foray from behind a desk or a lectern has him pulling from a particularly small array of self-edited choices." 😬 🔥
"Obviously, I Never Said This":
But, you kind of did. Trump yesterday on the border said he never said Mexico would actually pay for the wall, like with a check. However, he did say that. It was basically the rallying cry of his entire presidential campaign.
Michael Cohen Clearing His Throat:
Because he's going to go tes-ti-fy -- before Congress, that is. Cohen is anticipated to spill whatever it is he can spill when he answers questions in front of the House Oversight Committee on February 7th. Cohen said to CNN, "...In furtherance of my commitment to cooperate and provide the American people with answers... I look forward to having the privilege of being afforded a platform with which to give a full and credible account of the events which have transpired."
Trump was asked about the Cohen testimony news yesterday and he said, "I'm not worried about it at all." But when he said it, it was interesting because his voice dropped to a quieter level and a more subdued tone. | | Awkward:
It's not easy being new. But, also, come on, guy. | | | Credit: @lbarronlopez/Twitter | | Dress Like the Duchess:
The Duchess of Sussex (always Meghan Markle to us) made her first public outing in officially official maternity wear -- visiting Smart Works, an organization that helps women get back on their feet, and of which the Duchess is now an official patron. Meghan wore a simple black t-shirt dress by trendy U.S.-based maternity line, Hatch, available here for $218. I personally was way more into her coat, which was this Oscar de la Renta oversized cotton-poplin number, now sold-out but retailed for $2,990, and her adorably chic purse by Victoria Beckham, the cross-body version of which is available here on sale for $956. | | | Credit: Neil Mockford/Getty Images | | | Credit: hatchcollection.com, oscardelarenta.com, victoriabeckham.com | | What Washington is Talking About:
Mark your calendars, clear your schedules, the House Oversight Committee announced Michael Cohen is scheduled to come in for a hearing February 7; Oprah announced she's interviewing Beto O'Rourke in Times Square February 5 👀; and the House continues today to vote to reopen parts of the government, but over in the Senate, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell shut it down, calling it a political stunt.
What America is Talking About:
Federal workers are missing their paychecks today; Tim Tebow is engaged to former Miss Universe Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters; and 87 days after she vanished following her parent's murder in Wisconsin, missing teenager Jayme Closs has been found alive.
Pot Policy Brings Millennial Lawmakers Together:
Two House millennials on polar opposite sides of the political spectrum can at least agree on marijuana. On Thursday, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeted a link to a High Times story about her hiring of Dan Riffle, a former federal policy director of the Marijuana Policy Project, as a senior counsel and policy adviser and called for marijuana to be legalized and for "justice for communities ravaged by the War on Drugs."
Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz, who's backed medical marijuana, RTed AOC and added, "You had me at hello." Bipartisanship! A 2018 Pew poll found 74% of millennials support legalizing weed, a higher percentage than older generations.
Local TV News Employee Fired For Edited Trump Video:
Seattle Fox affiliate Q13 reportedly aired edited footage of President Trump during his Oval Office address that showed him with a big mouth and very orange skin (kind of like some of the edits video creator Vic Berger is known for).
The station's news director Erica Hill told the Seattle Times the video "does not meet our editorial standards and we regret if it is seen as portraying the president in a negative light," and the employee responsible for it airing has been fired. Here's a side-by-side of Trump's address on CNN vs. the edited version, uploaded to YouTube by conservative radio station KTTH: | | Credit: via KTTH/YouTube
The Rock is Anti-Snowflake:
In an interview with the Daily Star in the UK, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson said "snowflakes" are setting us back. "I don't have to agree with what somebody thinks, who they vote for, what they voted for, what they think, but I will back their right to say or believe it," he said.
"So many good people fought for freedom and equality -- but this generation" -- which he called "generation snowflake or, whatever you want to call them" -- "are looking for a reason to be offended," he said.
NFL Players Want Kaep Back:
The Athletic anonymously polled 85 defensive players across 25 NFL teams and found 81 of them believe Colin Kaepernick deserves to play in the league.
Street Art Sighting:
Gene Hanson, a North Dakota farmer known for writing messages in fields (including his grandson's marriage proposal... she said yes!) and a call for Trump to get a Nobel Prize, posted an image of his latest work to Facebook: "Build The Wall." | | Credit: Gene Hanson/Facebook
Tag or DM me your political street art sightings @hunterschwarz on Twitter or Instagram, or email me at coverlinehunter@cnn.com. | | | | | | |
