| | | | | An employee walks past a sign at the entrance of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History stating it will reopen to the public today following the 35-day partial government shutdown. Credit: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images | | What Washington is Talking About:
The Senate Intelligence Committee is holding a hearing on worldwide threats; Patricia Arquette and Alyssa Milano are in town for a presser about ratifying the Equal Rights Amendment; and Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo are reopening today.
What America is Talking About:
A FaceTime bug allows users to eavesdrop on people who don't answer their phone; about 220 million people, or 75% of the continental US, will face below-freezing temperatures this week; and the Congressional Budget Office said in a report the economy lost $11 billion due to the shutdown. About $8 billion will be recovered, but $3 billion will not.
Poll of the Day:
A Washington Post-ABC News poll out today has bad news for President Trump. The poll found 56% of Americans said they would "definitely not vote for him." Meanwhile, the Democratic field is wide open, with 56% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents saying they don't currently have a preference. Former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris led the poll, but neither got double-digit support: | | Credit: The Washington Post
Flake Rules Out 2020 Run:
Former Sen. Jeff Flake has signed on as a contributor to CBS and announced on "This Morning" he won't be challenging Trump for president because he doesn't see how he could win. "There really isn't a path, right now, that I can see," he said.
Well This Wasn't a Good Way to Start:
At a New York City Barnes & Noble -- a stop on his book tour for "From The Ground Up" -- former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz was heckled by a protester who yelled, "Don't help elect Trump, you egotistical, billionaire a**hole. Go back to getting ratioed on Twitter." As Politico's Alex Thompson noted, Schultz only has seven tweets, and every one of them has so far been ratioed. Oof.
When asked if he would drop out if polls found his third-party run would help re-elect Trump, Schultz said he was "not going to do anything to put Donald Trump back in the Oval Office," but stopped short of promising now to drop out.
The First Thing Harris Would do as POTUS:
During her CNN town hall last night, Harris said the first thing she'd do as president would be to pass a middle-class tax cut known as the LIFT Act. She also said she supports taxing the rich more ("People at the top 1% -- people who are making $10 million a year, who have $50 million a year, they need to pay more taxes"), the Green New Deal, and she said she wouldn't support building Trump's border wall under any circumstances. You can read our liveblog from the event here.
Beto's First Blog:
Before he had a Medium account, Beto O'Rourke ran an independent paper in El Paso. Mother Jones has a look at O'Rourke's short-lived alt weekly magazine, Stanton Street. In an opening issue letter from the editor, O'Rourke wrote the people felt neglected by the Gannett-owned El Paso Times, "beholden to a corporate board that meets in McLean, Virginia" and said it was inspired by his father, Pat O'Rourke. The magazine ran for 15 print issues and "offered its young publisher a crash course in city politics and community-building," and laid the foundation of his political career, Tim Murphy writes. Here's the opening paragraph of O'Rourke's welcome letter: | | Credit: via Mother Jones
Kim K Pushes for Criminal Justice Reform in Sacramento:
Kim Kardashian West paid a visit to her state lawmakers at the California Capitol in Sacramento Monday to discuss criminal justice reform. The legislature is considering an amendment to allow parolees the right to vote, and Assembly member Kevin McCarty tweeted out a selfie with Kim K and wrote she was there to support it.
Kardashian posted a photo of her sitting in the California Senate chamber and tweeted she had a great day discussing criminal justice reform before returning to tweet on her beauty brand's latest launches, coming just in time for Valentine's Day.
Cardi's Heading to Iowa:
She's not running for anything, but Cardi B will make her Des Moines debut in May for a show there. I wonder if she'll weigh in on her favorite Democrats at all while in town? Guys, the Cardi primary will be real.
Street Art Sighting:
This mural of Michelle Obama by street artist DeGrupo was spotted in Miami's Overtown neighborhood. | | Credit: Hunter Schwarz
Tag or DM me your political street art sightings @hunterschwarz on Twitter or Instagram, or email me at coverlinehunter@cnn.com.
Kate Bennett is off. Her section will return this week. | | | | | | |
