Meghan

Issue dated March 11, 2019: Meghan


It's a home run this week, I had all three cover stories on the Guessing Game list. I'm also very happy to report that Khloé Kardashian will not be the next Bachelorette. In truth I'm almost certain it was never a real possibility, just a coordinated publicity stunt between two reality TV empires. I was surprised to see Bachelor Arie on the "last year at this time" issue below; the calendar must be slightly different this year because we're still two weeks away from Colton's big finale. According to Boss of the Bachelor Robert Mills, talking on the Bachelor Live podcast, there's something really dramatic coming during next week's episode, which is what leads to Colton's big fence jump. A real surprise or just the usual "most dramatic ever" hype? I'm not sure.

Last year at this time: Issue dated March 12, 2018

The Guessing Game - Updated

What will be on the cover of People this week? My guesses:

Lady Gaga: A broken engagement, and by tonight, she could be a double Oscar winner
Jussie Smollett and/or the Osundairo brothers: Smollett was arrested and charged with making false statements to the police, the brothers "cooperated fully" in the investigation
The Oscars: The winners, the dresses, the screw-ups, the big show is just a few hours away
Khloé K: Did she break up with her boyfriend due to cheating? Probably. Is she the next Bachelorette? Please, Lord, let me be right when I say pigs will fly on Mars before ABC picks a Kardashian to be the Bachelorette
Peter Tork: One of the Monkees, Tork died at age 77
Donald Trump Jr.: His divorce is final
Robert Kraft: The owner of the New England Patriots is arrested for solicitation
R. Kelly: Arrested and charged with aggravated criminal sexual abuse
Harry and Meghan: She had a baby shower in New York City, now they're both in Morocco for their last international visit before baby Sussex is born in April

Stories that appear on the new cover will be highlighted in green.

Update on Monday morning. Serena Williams: Hosted Meghan's baby shower then presented at the Oscars.
Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper: LG was on the list from the start and she did indeed win an Oscar, but it's her duet with Cooper that's getting all the buzz

Update #2 on Tuesday morning. Jenna Bush Hager and Hoda Kotb. Jenna has just been announced as Kathie Lee Gifford's replacement on the 4th hour of the Today show. It was big news just over a year ago when Hoda was announced as the new co-host of the flagship 2-hour Today show, replacing Matt Lauer:

Issue dated January 15, 2018


I'm guessing Hoda won't be doing double duty for long. Once Jenna settles in, she'll probably get a new partner for the 4th hour. Actually, there will probably be several personnel announcements about Today in the next few months, because as I'm thinking about it, the show hasn't named permanent hosts for the 3rd hour yet either, which was previously hosted by Megyn Kelly.

Update #3. I forgot to link to the new cover, with Meghan as the main story. See it here.

Fireworks On The 4th Of July - Updated

HOLD THE DATE! We will be having one of the biggest gatherings in the history of Washington, D.C., on July 4th. It will be called “A Salute To America” and will be held at the Lincoln Memorial. Major fireworks display, entertainment and an address by your favorite President, me!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 24, 2019

Pete Souza weighed in on Instagram:

View this post on Instagram

Comrade minus tweeted out this morning: “HOLD THE DATE! We will be having one of the biggest gatherings in the history of Washington, D.C., on July 4th....Major fireworks display...” Who do you think will draw the short straw to have to tell him?

A post shared by Pete Souza (@petesouza) on Feb 24, 2019 at 6:39am PST

... and the Twitter snark started right away: 

Wow, gathering people on the National Mall on July 4th. I’ll try to remember that. https://t.co/c5bqBBjtvC

— Seth Masket (@smotus) February 24, 2019

HOLD THE DATE! We will be having one of the biggest candy giveaways in history on October 31st. It will be called “Halloween” and will be held in every neighborhood. Major pumpkin displays.

— Rory Cooper (@rorycooper) February 24, 2019

HOLD THE DATE! We will be having one of the biggest religious celebrations in the history of Christianity on Dec. 25th. It will be called “Christmas” and everybody will gets gifts! Thanks to your favorite president, me! https://t.co/iHlYAnRzOh

— Ron Fournier (@ron_fournier) February 24, 2019

wait that’s the Fourth of July https://t.co/9ZOxlKWNcE

— John Harwood (@JohnJHarwood) February 24, 2019

Did your staff not tell you there are fireworks and a concert on the Mall and a massive gathering *every* Fourth of July? https://t.co/5CwTUtCsIw

— David Corn (@DavidCornDC) February 24, 2019

Perhaps as a follow-up act, you could — hear me out here — invent another new holiday to give thanks for everything we have. We could call it something like “A Salute to Thanks!” and it would be, I don’t know, perhaps the 4th Thursday of November? https://t.co/4INQ6qlcbQ

— Brian Klaas (@brianklaas) February 24, 2019

If this goes well, I think we should follow it with a big party in Times Square the night before New Year’s Day. https://t.co/PiiNrcpIml

— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) February 24, 2019

There were some serious reactions too. Apparently President Nixon tried something similar and it didn't go well:

As I noted in my book One Nation Under God, when Nixon was under fire in early 1970, he and his supporters planned a Fourth of July rally at the Lincoln Memorial which they called "Honor America Day."

Billy Graham and Bob Hope unveiled the plans this way: pic.twitter.com/lJuohBbJFY

— Kevin M. Kruse (@KevinMKruse) February 12, 2019

This is right.  His move is ridiculous...but it is also a political move right out of the authoritarian playbook.  It is absurd...but also dangerous, and if he politicizes whatever idiocy he does that day, he should pay for it out of campaign funds. https://t.co/ChBIeb1Y1N

— David Rothkopf (@djrothkopf) February 24, 2019

A lawmaker DM-ed me this after Trump announced (whatever he thinks he announced about the 4th of July) pic.twitter.com/UwP1ZhvIbU

— Matt Laslo (@MattLaslo) February 24, 2019

Updated on Sunday night. Must add this:

.@realDonaldTrump Thank you & Melania for the invitation to your 7/04/2019 gathering.

As it conflicts with America’s annual “Fourth of July” festivities celebrating our independence from tyranny, it is with regret I must decline.

Our Founders sent a SAVE THE DATE 243 years ago. https://t.co/0XfjD9Bhbw

— Philippe Reines (@PhilippeReines) February 24, 2019

What Jussie Didn't Know - Updated

In this week's Guessing Game post I said that Jussie Smollett isn't the sharpest tool in the box and his apparent hoax was boneheaded from beginning to end. (Read it here.) Those thoughts were reinforced as I listened to the press conference yesterday in which the Chicago Police Department (CPD) laid out their case against him.

Now, in an article titled Chicago’s vast camera network helped solve Jussie Smollett case, local TV station WGN provides more details about how police pieced the story together:

Police tapped into Chicago’s vast network of surveillance cameras — and even some homeowners’ doorbell cameras — to track down two brothers who later claimed they were paid by “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett to stage an attack on him, the latest example of the city’s high-tech approach to public safety.

Officers said they reviewed video from more than four dozen cameras to trace the brothers’ movements before and after the reported attack, determining where they lived and who they were before arresting them a little more than two weeks later.

Smollett reported being beaten up by two men who shouted racist and anti-gay slurs and threw bleach on him. But his story fell apart when Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo — bodybuilders and aspiring actors whom Smollett knew from the “Empire” set and the gym — told police that Smollett paid them $3,500 to stage the attack because he was unhappy with his salary and wanted to promote his career.

... Police Commander Edward Wodnicki, who heads the detective division that led the investigation, credited the camera network but also residents who shared information from their own cameras for helping to solve the case.

“That was super useful in this investigation,” he said of residents’ cooperation. “The city came together to investigate and help the police with this crime.”

The search went beyond surveillance cameras to include other electronic records. Detectives also reviewed in-car taxi videos, telephone logs, ride-share records and credit card records, according to a summary of the case released by prosecutors.

At first, police were puzzled when they could not find footage of the attack, which Smollett said occurred around 2 a.m. on Jan. 29 while he was walking home from a Subway sandwich shop.

Chicago has the most extensive video surveillance network in the U.S., with access to more than 32,000 cameras mounted on buildings, poles, train tunnels and buses — and even in businesses and private residences whose owners agree to opt into the system full-time. What’s more, authorities can track someone by linking those cameras at a sophisticated emergency command center, police stations or even from tablets in officers’ squad cars. (Read the story here.)

The most extensive video surveillance network in the country? A high-tech approach to public safety? A sophisticated emergency command center? Wow, who knew? Truthfully, I didn't, and apparently Jussie Smollett didn't either.

What did Jussie think was going to happen after he reported the attack? Did he assume that between the ski masks, the Osundairo brothers' immediate departure for Nigeria and the fact that he claimed his attackers were white, that would be the end of it? The attackers would never be found? The police would just shrug and call it an unsolved crime, unable to find the supposedly white attackers? Clearly he was unaware of the technology available to the CPD, as well as their willingness to devote an enormous amount of resources to solving the crime. Did he even consider the possibility that the brothers would be found? (If he expected them to take the rap for him, he probably should have paid them a lot more than $3,500.) Presumably he also didn't know, if he ever gave it any thought, that in Illinois providing a false police report is not just a lapse in judgement or a dumb stunt, it's a felony. A real crime with real consequences.

One of the ironies of the case is that the police believe Smollett was disappointed that the actual attack wasn't recorded by surveillance cameras, presumably because he expected that video would support his story and generate sympathy. Did he never consider that other surveillance cameras would provide evidence that could be used to discover the truth?

Fifty search warrants and subpoenas. Interviews with over 100 people. Homeowners' doorbell cameras. (Really? Very cool.) The Osundairos' travel itinerary, which allowed the police to meet them at the airport and take them into custody the moment they cleared customs. "The brothers are cooperating fully." That had to send a chill down Jussie's spine. Phone calls. Text messages. Surveillance video from the hardware store. The check. "We have the check." (When I heard that Smollett paid the brothers $3,500, an image of an envelope filled with $100 bills popped into my head. Wrong.) Apparently it never occurred to him that these kinds of things would be used to find his attackers and connect the dots to him. Hasn't he ever watched Law & Order or CSI?

There's more irony in his lawyers' statement last night that Jussie feels "betrayed" by the system. I would say the system did exactly what it was supposed to do. Jussie reported a crime and the police investigated it. They investigated the hell out of it. He just doesn't like what they found.

What did Jussie Smollett think was going to happen? Clearly there's a lot Jussie didn't know.

And one more thing:

BREAKING: Jussie Smollett’s character, Jamal, on #empire written out of the final two episodes. @cbschicago pic.twitter.com/27EDgm9unn

— Charlie De Mar (@CharlieDeMar) February 22, 2019

Why? TMZ says that several cast members went to producers and said that they wanted him gone:

Fox dropped the bombshell on Jussie Smollett this morning ... https://t.co/aLom6mC0Rd pic.twitter.com/5fMfXMCEZI

— TMZ (@TMZ) February 22, 2019

This tracks with a CNN report that some cast and crew members were not happy to see Smollett when he returned to the set last night: 

Jussie Smollett apologized to the cast and crew of "Empire" on Thursday night for any embarrassment the recent allegations may have caused, but he maintained that he was innocent, a person at the meeting told CNN.

The person at the meeting said they were shocked and dismayed that Smollett stuck to his story of innocence. For the most part, the source said, Smollett paraphrased what was in the statement that his attorney put out that afternoon, blaming the legal system and the media for his woes. (Read more here.) 

There will be more to come on this story, in particular because we haven't heard from the FBI concerning the letter. Stay tuned.

Saturday afternoon update. I'm fascinated by the way this investigation played out and the Wall Street Journal has a story with a few more details:

As the Chicago Police Department’s investigation into an alleged attack on “Empire” star Jussie Smollett stretched from one week to three, detectives’ biggest piece of evidence—a grainy video showing two figures silhouetted by streetlights on a city sidewalk—seemed like a slim lead.

But behind the scenes, authorities were methodically reviewing hundreds of hours of footage from security and police cameras in the area, tracking the men’s movements during the early morning hours of Jan. 29.

They would turn out to be two brothers of Nigerian descent known by Smollett and with ties to “Empire.” Prosecutors say Mr. Smollett paid them $3,500 to stage a racist and homophobic attack on the actor.

In court on Thursday Mr. Smollett’s attorneys denied those allegations.

The men in the video, police would soon see from the footage, hopped into a cab headed north. That would prove to be a big break in the case.

“Cabs in the city of Chicago have cameras,” said Edward Wodnicki, commander of area central detectives for the CPD. “It’s a huge advantage for us when we’re investigating crimes. So when we saw these guys get into a cab, we were like, ‘Yes!’”

Investigators said they located the cab and reviewed the vehicle’s video. Then they talked to the driver, who said his passengers had behaved a bit oddly, telling him to go north, then ordering him to stop abruptly in a neighborhood not far from Wrigley Field. They paid for the ride with $20 cash, and continued north on foot.

From there, the video trail petered out and a canvass of the area led nowhere, Cmdr. Wodnicki said. Detectives decided to backtrack, returning to video cameras in the area of Smollett’s alleged attack and following those feeds backward in time.

Again, they hit pay dirt. Footage from around 1:30 a.m. on Jan. 29 showed the men exiting a ride-share vehicle some blocks from where Mr. Smollett would report the attack occurred, then flagging down a cab to travel to within three blocks of the arranged scene, according to prosecutors.

“The ride-share was instrumental in helping us identify who these guys were,” Cmdr. Wodnicki said, because once investigators subpoenaed records, they had a name. “They used one of the guy’s personal accounts.”

A special group of investigators scoured social media and quickly made a surprise discovery.

“In about one second, they find this dude, he’s an actor on ‘Empire,’ so now it starts spinning,” Cmdr. Wodnicki recalled, referring to one of the two brothers who had been an extra on the series. He said his stomach dropped as he thought, “Oh, no! Please don’t tell me this is made up and we’re putting all this investigation into a lie.”

But then investigators hit a snag. Records subpoenaed from the ride-share company told them that the men had recently taken a ride to the airport, and investigators soon learned they had left the country for Nigeria on round-trip tickets. They wouldn’t be back until Feb. 13.

As detectives waited for the men’s return, they ran down tips and other leads, but little panned out.

When the pair finally flew back to Chicago, investigators had coordinated with customs officials to pull the men into a room for a secondary screening. When that screening was done, detectives were outside.

The men, identified as 25-year-old Abimbola “Abel” Osundairo and his brother Olabinjo “Ola” Osundairo, 27, were taken into custody, and they immediately called for a lawyer.

Now the clock was ticking. Investigators could only hold the men 48 hours—47 went by.

Then the pair’s lawyer, Gloria Schmidt, sought out investigators, saying what she was hearing from her clients indicated the attack was a hoax arranged by Mr. Smollett.

“You guys, I’m telling you, it doesn’t pass the smell test,” she said, according to Cmdr. Wodnicki. He agreed, but told Ms. Schmidt that without evidence, he’d likely have to charge the brothers.

“I said, ‘Gloria, it’s not passing my smell test either, but I don’t have anything more. What I’ve got right now is the two guys we’ve identified as the offenders, the two guys the victim has identified as the offenders, the two guys the victim wants to sign complaints on as the offenders who beat him up in a hate crime,’” he recalled. “My hands are tied.”

It wasn’t long after Ms. Schmidt returned to her clients with that information that the brothers decided to speak to investigators, telling them that Mr. Smollett had conceived the alleged attack as a publicity stunt designed to get the actor better pay.

Mr. Smollett, through his lawyers, has disputed this account.

When prosecutors finally spoke with the brothers, Cmdr. Woknicki said, “They tell us where they bought the rope, how they bought it.”

He added: “They couldn’t remember the name of the beauty supply store where they bought the gloves and the hats, but we just went to every beauty supply store around, and we found it.”

The most chilling part for me is in the fifth paragraph from the bottom: "...the two guys the victim has identified as the offenders, the two guys the victim wants to sign complaints on as the offenders who beat him up in a hate crime." Really? Really? Would Jussie Smollett really have signed complaints against the Osundairo brothers? Did he really expect them to stay silent and take the rap for him?

Update #2, on Sunday afternoon. The Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department, Eddie Johnson, is scheduled to speak to Good Morning, America tomorrow. When will the Osundairo brothers give their first interview? 

Update #3, on Monday morning. Supt. Johnson says on GMA that not all the evidence against Jussie Smollett has been made public: 

'I can tell you this, there's a lot more evidence that has not been presented yet that does not support his version of the incident.

'There is still a lot of physical evidence, video evidence and testimony that simply does not support his version.

'It's not the Chicago PD saying he did something. It's the evidence, the facts and the witnesses saying this,' he added. (From an article at the Daily Mail, read it here.)

Mark Harmon

Issue dated March 4, 2019: Mark Harmon


Mark Harmon? OK. This cover came out of nowhere and as far as I can tell, it's not tied to anything specific. Harmon hasn't written a memoir, doesn't have a movie coming out and isn't getting a divorce. It's just an interview. (Yes, I know. "The People Interview." So pretentious.) Thirty-three years ago Harmon was the Sexiest Man alive: 

Issue dated January 27, 1986


... and at 67, he still looks good.

I had Lee Radziwill and Miranda Lambert on the Guessing Game list.

Last year Jennifer Aniston's 2nd divorce was the big news.

Last year at this time: Issue dated March 5, 2018

Bernie Is Running

Senator Bernie Sanders has announced that he is once again running for president. (Read about it here.) Bernie is currently 77; if elected he would be 79 on Inauguration Day and 83 at the end of his first term, by far the oldest president ever.

I've moved Sanders to the "I'm Running" list. I'm also going to split the "Potential" list into two parts. As noted below, when I built the list I added anyone, anyone, from Mark Cuban to The Rock, who had ever been mentioned as a potential candidate. Now that the real campaign has started, with real candidates running real campaigns, I'm going to move Mark, The Rock and a few others to a "Probably Not Running" list.

Potential Democratic Candidates, in alphabetical order:

Reminder: Not every name on this list is "viable" as a future nominee or president, or even seriously interested in running, necessarily. It's just a list of every name I've ever seen mentioned, anywhere, as someone who might run in 2020.

1. Michael Bennet (Colorado Senator) added 2/10/19
2. Joe Biden (Former VP)
3. Michael Bloomberg (Former mayor of New York City)
4. Sherrod Brown (Ohio senator)
5. Steve Bullock (Governor of Montana)
6. Bill de Blasio (Mayor of New York City)
7. John Hickenlooper (Governor of Colorado) 
8. Jay Inslee (Governor of Washington)
9. Terry McAuliffe (Former governor of Virginia)
10. Jeff Merkley (Oregon senator)
11. Seth Moulton (Congressman from Massachusetts) 
12. Chris Murphy (Connecticut senator)
13. Beto O'Rourke (Former Texas Congressman, ran a close race for a U.S. senate seat from Texas) added Sept. 13
14. Eric Swalwell (Congressman from California) added Nov. 8

I'm Probably Not Running: Long shot candidates who don't appear to be doing any of the things an actual candidate must do: 

1. Stacey Abrams (2018 candidate for Georgia governor) added 1/3/19
2. Jerry Brown (former Governor of California)
3. Mark Cuban (Businessman, owner of the Dallas Mavericks)
4. Eric Holder (Former Attorney General)
5. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (Actor) added Nov. 10
6. Tim Kaine (Virginia senator, 2016 VP nominee)
7. Joe Kennedy (Congressman from Massachusetts) added Nov. 10
8. John Kerry (former Secretary of State, 2004 Democratic nominee) added Nov. 10 
9. Tim Ryan (Congressman from Ohio) added Sept. 8
10. Mark Warner (Virginia senator) added Nov. 10
11. Mark Zuckerberg (Businessman, founder of Facebook)

I'm Running: Declared Democratic Candidates, in order of their announcement

1. John Delaney (7/28/17) 
2. Andrew Yang (11/6/17) 
3. Elizabeth Warren (12/31/18)
4. Tulsi Gabbard (1/11/19)
5. Julián Castro (1/12/19)
6. Kirsten Gillibrand (1/16/19)  
7. Kamala Harris (1/21/19)
8. Pete Buttigieg (1/23/19)
9. Howard Schultz (1/29/19) * Running as an Independent 
10. Marianne Williamson (1/30/19)
11. Cory Booker (2/1/19)
12. Amy Klobuchar (2/10/19)
13. Bernie Sanders (2/19/19)

I'm Not Running

Oprah Winfrey

Andrew Cuomo
Sheryl Sandberg, added Sept. 8
Jason Kander, added Oct. 17
Robert Iger, added Oct. 22
Michael Avenatti, December 4, 2018
Deval Patrick, December 5, 2018
Martin O'Malley, January 3, 2019
Luis Gutierrez, added January 7, 2019
Tom Steyer, January 9, 2019
Bob Casey, January 19, 2019
Eric Garcetti, January 29, 2019
Andrew Gillum, January 29, 2019
Mitch Landrieu: added February 11, 2019

I'm Not Running Anymore: Declared candidates who have dropped out

Richard Ojeda (1/25/19)

Days until Election Day: 622

The Guessing Game - Updated

What will be on the cover of People this week? My guesses:

Miranda Lambert: A secret wedding
Katie Perry and Orlando Bloom: Engaged
Jussie Smollett: Did he arrange and pay for the attack on him?
Jennifer Aniston: Her private plane had to make an emergency landing
The Oscars: The big show is Sunday night; there's been controversy about who will and will not appear during the telecast
Lee Radziwill: Jackie Onassis's younger sister died at age 85. Blog readers know that I'm fascinated by the Kennedys and that includes Lee Radziwill by extension. She was famous enough to be featured on magazine covers back in the day:

Issue dated November 1, 1976


Issue dated July 14, 1967


... but it can't have been easy to be in Jackie's shadow her entire life. ("I'm nobody's kid sister...") It's been reported that Lee was in love and having an affair with Aristotle Onassis in the years before Jackie married him; some claim that event caused a lifetime rift between the sisters. According to author Sarah Bradford, in her biography of Jackie titled America's Queen, Lee made an incredibly hostile and bitchy remark after Onassis died: "Jackie finally has what she wanted," [Lee] told a mutual friend. "She's walking in black behind another coffin." (From America's Queen, Penguin Books, 2001, page 391.)

For me, the most intriguing question about Lee is this: Was her first husband, Michael Canfield, the illegitimate son of Prince George, the Duke of Kent? Not the current Duke, who is the Queen's first cousin. This concerns his father, who was the younger brother of King George VI and therefore the Queen's uncle, who died in 1942.

Michael Canfield was adopted as an infant by Cass Canfield, an American publishing executive, but rumors persist that the Duke was his biological father. When I first read about this I thought, wouldn't it be cool if Lee had saved a comb with a few of his hairs, or some other memento that could now be DNA-tested against a living member of the royal family? I know, the royal family would never agree to that but still, it was interesting to contemplate.

Read more here at the Daily Mail but keep in mind that although the Mail presents the story as fact, it's actually just a rumor. It could be true, but it could also not be true. Michael Canfield died, childless, in 1969 and now Lee is gone too. We'll probably never know for sure.

Stories that appear on the new cover will be highlighted in green.

Tuesday morning update:
Meghan: She's in New York City for a baby shower with friends.
Karl Lagerfeld: The fashion icon died at age 85. I was never interested in his clothes but several years ago I worked with a man who wore Lagerfeld aftershave/cologne and he smelled good.
Ola and Abel Osundairo: The brothers in the Jussie Smollett case. The story is spiraling out of control and although we don't officially know what happened because the Chicago police aren't talking on the record, I have to say that from a common sense point of view, and from someone who wasn't born yesterday, my perception now is that this was indeed a hoax set up by Smollett, who could be in real trouble. Apparently here in Illinois making false statements to the police is a felony, and Jussie could (and note, I'm just saying "could") be sentenced to jail time. If nothing else, Jussie Smollett isn't the sharpest tool in the box, because this thing now appears to have been boneheaded from beginning to end. I can only imagine how he's feeling today.

Update #2 on Wednesday morning: See the new cover, featuring Mark Harmon, here.

She's Everywhere

The Room Was Silent And The Golf Club Is Tacky

"The room was silent for a very long moment" --
Pool report on VP Pence opening remarks at John McCain Award Ceremony at Munich Security Conference.
Here's video after Pence says: "I bring greetings from the 45th president of the United States of America, President Donald Trump" pic.twitter.com/xrkq9WOb9q

— Howard Mortman (@HowardMortman) February 15, 2019

A comment from Washington Post reporter Dan Zak:

He’s used that same line at stateside rallies, in places like Dalton, Ga., but with a boastful wryness, to great applause. Here in Germany, Pence says it meekly, and it’s met with silence. https://t.co/an5evZhD7T

— Dan Zak (@MrDanZak) February 16, 2019

And what was Mike Pence's boss doing on the first day of the National Emergency?

just in — a source at the Trump International Golf Club in Palm Beach just texted me this photo taken a short time ago.

omelette bar: pic.twitter.com/eWqMbdRTwW

— J.D. Durkin (@jiveDurkey) February 16, 2019

Could the Trump International Golf Club in Palm Beach be any tackier? Seriously. To paraphrase a comment I saw on Twitter, there are airport Ramada Inns that are classier.

A Few Tweets From AJ

After a few months of quiet, other than the "he has the face of a rat and is obese" tweet (see it here,) AJ takes a couple of shots at Jason. Based on what she's said in the past, I believe their custody/child support case goes to trial within the next few days.

Interesting. Jason Miller refuses to divulge the social security number or even the birthdate of his full-time, live-in nanny. I don't know but could it be a supposed Trump stumper has an undocumented immigrant working for him????

— A.J. Delgado (@AJDelgado13) February 15, 2019

This would certainly be the pattern in line with the most ardent immigration opponents who usually are hypocrites on the matter. Maybe a journalist can look into it. https://t.co/RsZ4Mi6lDI

— A.J. Delgado (@AJDelgado13) February 15, 2019

He claimed he had a "work conflict" to get out of a court-set deposition and is "out of the country" in "Africa." Travel itinerary shows a WEEK long trip to Kenya. (What I think: He and his wife left their poor daughters again to vacation trip. Parents of the year!) https://t.co/6GZeIpsNhH

— A.J. Delgado (@AJDelgado13) February 15, 2019

Also, I want to make sure I'm doing the math correct on this: Miller stated he and his wife married in July 2008. But during a Dec 2017 court appearance, his wife said their daughter is nine years old. Hmm, was that a shotgun marriage? Or is my math off?

— A.J. Delgado (@AJDelgado13) February 15, 2019

If that's correct, 2/3 kids of his were conceived out of wedlock, and the other daughter was conceived in wedlock BUT while in utero he was cheating on her mom and impregnating someone else.
The WH & Republican circles really need to hire this guy, ASAP. #Respectable https://t.co/RtyN2RO6o0

— A.J. Delgado (@AJDelgado13) February 15, 2019

Right -- I don't like to pry but I needed to do a background check (personally, I was shocked that, despite working from home, he and his wife have a LIVE-IN, full-time nanny - not a good sign) and he refuses to provide info. https://t.co/DHrlKZ2iw3

— A.J. Delgado (@AJDelgado13) February 15, 2019

Sorry I've not been on Twitter much but Miller has been bullying me via litigation for 19 months and counting (yet doesn't even see Will for months, so it isn't about Will - just bullying) and it's an 80-hour week job to work on this case without an attorney.

— A.J. Delgado (@AJDelgado13) February 15, 2019

An Emergency?

Political scientist Jonathan Bernstein weighs in on Donald's national emergency declaration, which is supposed to happen this morning at
10.00 ET:

As the political scientist Richard Neustadt pointed out, presidents who act alone by giving orders usually do so out of weakness – and their unilateral actions tend to weaken them further. Several Republican senators publicly warned Trump not to take this step. It’s a good bet that they’ll now be less likely to defer to him on other things and more likely to tell reporters what they think about him. House Democrats will probably insist on riders restricting presidential actions in next year’s appropriations bills. Even within the executive branch, Trump is going to find constituencies that aren’t happy about “their” money being taken away and used for a wall – or perhaps tied up in court and not spent at all.

It’s never clear how these things will affect public opinion, but so far polls show that using emergency powers is even less popular than building the wall. Democrats will surely score points by talking about money wasted on a wall that was supposed to be spent on the military. And if Republicans wind up splitting on Trump’s declaration, it will almost certainly get even less popular.

Trump’s approval rating may hold up even so. But one obvious conclusion to draw from this saga is that his preoccupation with pleasing his strongest supporters is foolish. They didn’t give up on him when he surrendered after the shutdown, and they wouldn’t have given up on him if he’d just signed the funding bill and moved on, wall or no wall. The problem is that those supporters won’t be enough to get him reelected, just as they weren’t enough to avoid big Democratic gains in 2018.

Keeping a loyal audience happy may be the overriding concern in reality television. But not in politics. (Read the article here.)

This Day In History, 2009: Starting The Blog

It was Saturday, February 14, 2009 and I decided I'd do a little writing. Blogs were still pretty new at the time and I had no idea what would happen. My first post was titled "Starting My Blog..." and this is what I wrote:

Okay, here goes. I've been thinking about blogging for quite a while, and today I'm actually going to start doing it. As I begin, I've been pondering what kind of blog I want to create - should I be completely anonymous, with deeply personal musings that I wouldn't want anyone who actually knows me to read? Or should I write it with a specific audience in mind, more like a personal conversation? I've decided to stick with writing for an audience that knows me. If I ever want to go into private stream-of-consciousness mode and write things I wouldn't want my grandmother to read, I'll start another blog (and never tell any of you about it.)

For a while this blog will definitely be a "work in progress," as I learn all the tools and tricks of blogging, but hang in there with me. This is going to be fun!

The Blogger dashboard tells me I've published 1691 posts in the last 10 years, which averages out to 169.1 posts per year but I haven't actually been that consistent. Last year was my most prolific, with 400 posts; in 2011 I only managed one, on the last day of the year. (Read it here.) 

Over the next few weeks I'm planning to look back and see what I was thinking and blogging about in the beginning. I've had so much fun with my blog over the last 10 years. Will I still be blogging in 2029? There's no way to know but I wouldn't bet against it. Stay tuned. In the meantime, click here to read my first 19 posts from February, 2009. 

One Year Ago

pic.twitter.com/PtK3qGl6rp

— rosierifka (@rosierifka) February 16, 2018

How Do You Say It? - Updated

Slate.com has a fun article about how to pronounce the names of some of the current presidential candidates:

Pete Buttigieg: Pete Boot-edge-edge

Kamala Harris: Comma-la Harris

Julián Castro: Who-lee-AN Castro

Kirsten Gillibrand: KEER-sten JILL-uh-brand

Amy Klobuchar: Amy KLOW-bu-shar

Read the article here.

Thursday morning update. An addition:

Beto O'Rourke: Bet-oh O'Rourke (not Bait-oh, which is how I was pronouncing it in my head.)

Friday afternoon update #2. The Wall Street Journal is on the pronunciation issue too, and Pete weighs in:

Pretty sure I’m the front-runner on this one.... https://t.co/ejRsMZ1XMw

— Pete Buttigieg (@PeteButtigieg) February 15, 2019

Andy Cohen

Issue dated February 25, 2019: Andy Cohen


Nothing exciting on this week's cover. I had Andy Cohen on the Guessing Game list last week, and here he is with his cute new baby. Half credit? Sure. Seeing Brad and Jennifer in a headline feels like a time warp. I did the math and they broke up *14* years ago. It's interesting to me that at least as far as we know, all three members of the famous love triangle, Brad, Jen and Angelina, are currently single. (Are Brad and Jennifer getting back together? Almost certainly not.) And Jennifer is now 50, which I hope means that we will never see another "Jennifer's pregnant'' cover. People hasn't ever run one, but the other tabloids sure do.

Last year at this time: Issue dated February 26, 2018

This Day In History, 1999: President Clinton Is Acquitted

View this post on Instagram

From the Kennerly Archive: 20 years ago today, Feb. 12, 1999, President Bill Clinton walks out of the oval office after his five-week impeachment trial ended with the Senate voting to acquit him on both articles of impeachment: perjury and obstruction of justice. #canonusa

A post shared by David Hume Kennerly (@davidhumekennerly) on Feb 12, 2019 at 7:02am PST

The Guessing Game

What will be on the cover of People this week? My guesses:

Jennifer Lawrence: Engaged
Dan Mallory: Big lies from a best-selling novelist
Dina Lohan: Has been "dating" a man for five years but has never met him. Is she being catfished?
Albert Finney: The five-time Oscar nominee dies at age 82, I remember him from Scrooge
John Dingell: The longest-serving Congressman dies
Bekah Martinez: The 4th-place finisher on Bachelor Arie's season has given birth to a daughter
Prince Philip: After a car crash a couple of weeks ago, the 97-year-old prince agrees to give up his driver's license
Meghan and/or her father: Last week's cover story has stirred up controversy, her father released a letter she wrote to him shortly after the wedding
Jennifer Aniston: Today (2/11) is her 50th birthday, it's being reported that Brad Pitt may have attended her star-studded party
Hayden Panettiere: Controversy about her relationship with her daughter
Michelle Obama and/or the Grammys: A big night for women
Michael Sanchez: Brother of Lauren Sanchez, the "other women" in the Jeff Bezos divorce, was he the source who gave racy texts and pictures to the National Enquirer? (Read about it here.)

Stories that appear on the new cover will be highlighted in green.

Wednesday morning update: See the new cover, featuring Andy Cohen, here, and note that I had Andy on the Guessing Game list last week.

Amy Klobuchar Announces Her Candidacy - Updated

Minnesota senator Amy Khlobuchar officially announces her candidacy to be president:

“We must respect our frontline troops, diplomats, and intelligence officers … They deserve better than foreign policy by tweet,” Sen. Amy Klobuchar says as she officially launches 2020 presidential campaign https://t.co/tdAJEyLFUB pic.twitter.com/ECaq2wrZmD

— CNN Newsroom (@CNNnewsroom) February 10, 2019

And here's some history:

25 years ago: Before 75 supporters in her Minneapolis neighborhood, 33-year-old attorney Amy Klobuchar launches campaign for Hennepin County Attorney pic.twitter.com/YyrxfMG4Kv

— Steve Kornacki (@SteveKornacki) February 10, 2019

I'm adding her to the "I'm Running" list.

Potential Democratic Candidates, in alphabetical order:

Reminder: Not every name on this list is "viable" as a future nominee or president, or even seriously interested in running, necessarily. It's just a list of every name I've ever seen mentioned, anywhere, as someone who might run in 2020.

1. Stacey Abrams (2018 candidate for Georgia governor) added 1/3/19
2. Michael Bennet (Colorado Senator) added 2/10/19
3. Joe Biden (Former VP)
4. Michael Bloomberg (Former mayor of New York City)
5. Sherrod Brown (Ohio senator)
6. Jerry Brown (former Governor of California)
7. Steve Bullock (Governor of Montana)
8. Mark Cuban (Businessman, owner of the Dallas Mavericks)
9. Bill de Blasio (Mayor of New York City)
10. John Hickenlooper (Governor of Colorado) 
11. Eric Holder (Former Attorney General)
12. Jay Inslee (Governor of Washington)
13. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (Actor) added Nov. 10
14. Tim Kaine (Virginia senator, 2016 VP nominee)
15. Joe Kennedy (Congressman from Massachusetts) added Nov. 10
16. John Kerry (former Secretary of State, 2004 Democratic nominee) added Nov. 10 
17. Terry McAuliffe (Former governor of Virginia)
18. Jeff Merkley (Oregon senator)
19. Seth Moulton (Congressman from Massachusetts) 
20. Chris Murphy (Connecticut senator)
21. Beto O'Rourke (Former Texas Congressman, ran a close race for a U.S. senate seat from Texas) added Sept. 13
22. Tim Ryan (Congressman from Ohio) added Sept. 8
23. Bernie Sanders (Vermont senator, registered Independent, ran in 2016 primaries)
24. Eric Swalwell (Congressman from California) added Nov. 8
25. Mark Warner (Virginia senator) added Nov. 10
26. Mark Zuckerberg (Businessman, founder of Facebook)

I'm Running: Declared Democratic Candidates, in order of their announcement

1. John Delaney (7/28/17) 
2. Andrew Yang (11/6/17) 
3. Elizabeth Warren (12/31/18)
4. Tulsi Gabbard (1/11/19)
5. Julián Castro (1/12/19)
6. Kirsten Gillibrand (1/16/19)  
7. Kamala Harris (1/21/19)
8. Pete Buttigieg (1/23/19)
9. Howard Schultz (1/29/19) * Running as an Independent 
10. Marianne Williamson (1/30/19)
11. Cory Booker (2/1/19)
12. Amy Klobuchar (2/10/19)

I'm Not Running

Oprah Winfrey

Andrew Cuomo
Sheryl Sandberg, added Sept. 8
Jason Kander, added Oct. 17
Robert Iger, added Oct. 22
Michael Avenatti, December 4, 2018
Deval Patrick, December 5, 2018
Martin O'Malley, January 3, 2019
Luis Gutierrez, added January 7, 2019
Tom Steyer, January 9, 2019
Bob Casey, January 19, 2019
Eric Garcetti, January 29, 2019
Andrew Gillum, January 29, 2019
Mitch Landrieu: added February 11, 2019

I'm Not Running Anymore: Declared candidates who have dropped out

Richard Ojeda (1/25/19)

Apparently Colorado senator Michael Bennet is thinking about running too:

Colorado Sen. Bennet hints about joining crowded Democratic race for president Via @costareports https://t.co/1KkM7rNf31

— Matt Viser (@mviser) February 10, 2019

Bennet was one of four Democrats, along with Kamala Harris, Tim Kaine and Pete Buttigieg, named by outgoing president Obama as the future of the party in a 2017 New Yorker article. Of the four, only 2016 Vice Presidential nominee Tim Kaine is not currently running, or thinking about running, for president. (Read the New Yorker article here.)

I've added Bennet to the "Potential Candidates" list above.

Days until Election Day: 631

Update on Monday morning. I just read that former New Orleans mayor Mitch Landrieu recently said he won't run. I'm moving him to the "I'm Not Running" list. 

Donald Looks Awful

 photo credit: Alex Brandon/AP, from the Washington Post

Another picture, taken a week ago on February 3, in which Donald looks terrible. I'm not just snarking about a president that I don't admire, although I admit that's part of it. I also believe that his deteriorating appearance is indicative of his deteriorating mental state.

Seriously: He's not even taking his usual care with the hair. In previous "Trump's Hair" posts I referred to the hair as Donald's Carefully Constructed Coiffure. Now it doesn't even look washed.

It can't be easy or fun being Donald Trump right now, and I can only imagine what's going on in his head. Not for the first time I wonder: How will this end?

Still Intrigued...

"I don't have to go on a tour to find out what's happening in middle America, I just go to Target."
IN Mayor @PeteButtigieg would be the youngest and first openly gay person ever elected President.

"I'm aware of what it represents," he tells @KateBolduan.https://t.co/C41aDp1ctW pic.twitter.com/hCqT4kWmTn

— OutFrontCNN (@OutFrontCNN) February 9, 2019

This Day In History, 1969: The 747 Takes Off

From aviationweek.com: The era of the widebody airliner began at 11.34 a.m. on February 9, 1968, (sic) when the first 747, RA001, took off from Runway 16R at Snohomish County Paine Field in Washington. (Read the article here and note that the date is wrong in the original article. It should be 1969, 50 years ago today.)

A month later, the new plane was featured on the cover of the March 10, 1969 issue of Aviation Week & Space Technology:

Regrets For Donald? - Updated

In an article posted yesterday, Washington Post opinion writer Max Boot voices something I've wondered about lately: does (or will) Donald regret becoming president?

I suspect David Pecker will rue the day that his friend Donald Trump became president — if he does not already. And he is not alone. Paul Manafort had a flourishing business as an international influence-peddler before he became Trump’s campaign chairman. He now faces a long stretch in prison after having been convicted of felony financial charges. Trump’s friend Roger Stone has now been indicted for the first time after a long career as a political dirty trickster. Michael Flynn, Trump’s first national security adviser, has gone from well-respected general to felon. Michael Cohen had a cushy career as Trump’s personal lawyer before his client became president. Now Cohen, too, is a felon. Numerous other Trump associates and family members are facing, at a minimum, hefty legal bills and, at worst, serious legal exposure.

Every organization Trump has been associated with — the Trump Organization, the Trump Foundation, the Trump campaign, the Trump administration — is being investigated by prosecutors and lawmakers. His name, long his biggest asset, has become so toxic that bookings are down at his hotels. And Trump, a.k.a. Individual 1, faces a serious threat of prosecution once he leaves office. Before it is all over, Trump himself may regret the day he became president. His unexpected and undeserved ascent is delivering long overdue accountability for him and his sleazy associates. We have gone from logrolling to having logs rolled over — and it’s about time. (Read the article here.) 

It frequently appears that Donald didn't understand what being the president of the United States would really be like. He appears not to have understood the complexities, or the investigative scrutiny, that would come with the highest office in the land.

In a privately-held business like the Trump Organization, when you fire someone they, and presumably whatever problems they caused, mostly just go away. It doesn't work like that in the Oval Office:

President Trump and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, believed that the “Russia thing” would end as a side effect from the firing of the national security adviser, retired Lt. Gen. Michael T. Flynn, in the early days of the administration, according to an account in a new memoir by Chris Christie.

The incident recounted in Mr. Christie’s book, “Let Me Finish,” is among the anecdotes describing how the president and Mr. Kushner grappled with a campaign and a presidency that Mr. Christie says neither was prepared for.

... On Feb. 14, 2017, Mr. Christie and his wife, Mary Pat, had lunch scheduled with the president. It happened to be the day after Mr. Flynn — whom Mr. Christie did not back for the national security adviser role — was dismissed for lying to the vice president about his contacts with the Russian ambassador during the transition. Mr. Kushner decided to attend.

As Mr. Kushner tucked into his “typical salad,” Mr. Christie wrote, the president said to him, “This Russia thing is all over now, because I fired Flynn.” Mr. Christie said that he started laughing, and the president asked why.

“‘Sir,’ I said, ‘this Russia thing is far from over,’” Mr. Christie wrote. Mr. Trump responded: “What do you mean? Flynn met with the Russians. That was the problem. I fired Flynn. It’s over.” Mr. Kushner added, “That’s right, firing Flynn ends the whole Russia thing.”

Mr. Christie, who wrote that it all sounded “naïve,” recalled Mr. Kushner telling him that he was “crazy” when he said they would most likely still be discussing the Russia issue in February 2018. (From the New York Times review of Chris Christie's book Let Me Finish; read it here.)

I keep thinking about something Michelle Obama said in her speech to the 2012 Democratic convention: "Being president reveals who you are." Donald is learning the hard way that she was right.

Update on February 23: Laurence Tribe weighs in on the notion that Donald will regret running for president:

The evidence of Trump’s crooked dealings before and during his presidency will never stop pouring in. Most will go way beyond Mueller’s ambit. Here’s my bet: Trump will soon wish he had never run for office. https://t.co/Bj39Q3wWld

— Laurence Tribe (@tribelaw) February 23, 2019

Meghan

Issue dated February 18, 2019: Duchess Meghan


I thought about putting Meghan on the Guessing Game list this week (really,) but there didn't seem to be any real news. I just thought we were overdue for another Meghan cover, and it turns out I was right. There's not a lot of news in the teaser story at people.com, either, other than one friend's claim that Meghan's father has never called or texted her. Even though it's a positive story, all of the "real friends" chose to remain anonymous so as not to jeopardize their relationship with the Duchess.

Last year at this time: Issue dated February 19, 2018

Future Presidents?

Truman gave 1951 State of the Union to a Congress including future Presidents JFK, LBJ (at top of photo), Nixon, Ford: pic.twitter.com/3VeQu2SMJQ

— Michael Beschloss (@BeschlossDC) January 17, 2019

In 1951 future presidents Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon were senators; John F. Kennedy and Gerald Ford were congressmen. All four of them were in the audience for President Harry Truman's 1951 State of the Union speech.

Will there be any future presidents in the audience for Donald's 2nd State of the Union address tonight? Possibly. Of the 39 names on my Potential Candidates and I'm Running lists, 16 are current members of Congress and will presumably be there tonight:

Potential Democratic Candidates, in alphabetical order:

1. Stacey Abrams (2018 candidate for Georgia governor) added 1/3/19
2. Joe Biden (Former VP)
3. Michael Bloomberg (Former mayor of New York City)
4. Sherrod Brown (Ohio senator)
5. Jerry Brown (former Governor of California)
6. Steve Bullock (Governor of Montana)
7. Mark Cuban (Businessman, owner of the Dallas Mavericks)
8. Bill de Blasio (Mayor of New York City)
9. John Hickenlooper (Governor of Colorado) 
10. Eric Holder (Former Attorney General)
11. Jay Inslee (Governor of Washington)
12. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (Actor) added Nov. 10
13. Tim Kaine (Virginia senator, 2016 VP nominee)
14. Joe Kennedy (Congressman from Massachusetts) added Nov. 10
15. John Kerry (former Secretary of State, 2004 Democratic nominee) added Nov. 10 
16. Amy Klobuchar (Minnesota senator)
17. Mitch Landrieu (Mayor of New Orleans)
18. Terry McAuliffe (Former governor of Virginia)
19. Jeff Merkley (Oregon senator)
20. Seth Moulton (Congressman from Massachusetts) 
21. Chris Murphy (Connecticut senator)
22. Beto O'Rourke (former Texas Congressman, ran a close race for a U.S. senate seat from Texas) added Sept. 13
23. Tim Ryan (Congressman from Ohio) added Sept. 8
24. Bernie Sanders (Vermont senator, registered Independent, ran in 2016 primaries)
25. Eric Swalwell (Congressman from California) added Nov. 8
26. Mark Warner (Virginia senator) added Nov. 10
27. Mark Zuckerberg (Businessman, founder of Facebook)

I'm Running: Declared Democratic Candidates, in order of their announcement

1. John Delaney (7/28/17) 
2. Andrew Yang (11/6/17) 
3. Elizabeth Warren (12/31/18)
4. Tulsi Gabbard (1/11/19)
5. Julián Castro (1/12/19)
6. Kirsten Gillibrand (1/16/19)  
7. Kamala Harris (1/21/19)
8. Pete Buttigieg (1/23/19)
9. Howard Schultz (1/29/19) * Running as an Independent 
10. Marianne Williamson (1/30/19)
11. Cory Booker (2/1/19)    

Note that this is just lawmakers who are or may possibly be running now, only one of whom can (potentially) be elected in 2020. At the time of Harry Truman's 1951 SOTU address, Kennedy's election was almost 10 years away, Johnson's assumption of the presidency after Kennedy's assassination was 12+ years away, Nixon's election was 17+ years away, and Gerald Ford's elevation to the presidency after Nixon's resignation was more than 23 years in the future. (And the man who would be elected president in 1952, General Eisenhower, was not in Congress and had never held elective office. In 1951, he was the President of Columbia University.) Someone who is alive today will be elected president in 2040, in 2044, in 2048 and so on. Are any of those future presidents current members of Congress? It's possible. 

The Guessing Game - Updated

What will be on the cover of People this week? A very short list of guesses:

Jussie Smollett: A disturbing attack
Tom Brady: Won his 6th Super Bowl, now going to Disney World
Julian Edelman: MVP of the Super Bowl, has an epic beard
Ralph Northam: The governor of Virginia is under fire for a racist picture on his medical school yearbook page
Adam Levine: A shirtless Super Bowl performance
Kristoff St John: The Young & The Restless star died at age 52
Liam Neeson: A provocative interview while promoting his new movie, Cold Pursuit, which opens Friday

Stories that appear on the cover of the new issue will be highlighted in green.

Update on Tuesday morning. Chris Pratt: Newly engaged to Katherine Schwarzenegger, his movie "The Lego Movie 2" opens Friday.
Andy Cohen: His first child, a son, was born via surrogate Monday
The Oscars: The ceremony is two weeks from Sunday

Update #2 on Wednesday afternoon. See the new cover, featuring Meghan Markle, here.

This Day In History, 2004: Facebook Is Born

15 years ago today, the original Facebook was born.

They all start off so innocent… pic.twitter.com/gMtQ4fPYFY

— ian bremmer (@ianbremmer) February 4, 2019

This Day In History, 1959: The Day The Music Died

Sixty years ago today: pic.twitter.com/YlZML8ZiwB

— Michael Beschloss (@BeschlossDC) February 3, 2019

Vacant And Sleep Deprived - Updated

While visiting the home page of the Washington Post this morning, I clicked on Eugene Robinson's column titled "The scariest thing about Trump's tweets." The first thing I saw was this:


photo credit: Susan Walsh/AP, taken at the White House yesterday

... and all I can say is the tweets may be scary, and they are, but this picture is scarier. Donald looks wretched: vacant and sleep deprived, bright red and sheepish, childishly disengaged from whatever is going on around him. Even after two years it's hard for me to believe that this man is the president of the United States.

Click here to read Robinson's column.

And one more thing: He's incapable of coherent speech. This is from his interview yesterday with the New York Times:



Update on Sunday afternoon. In an article titled "In the Pale of Winter, Trump's Tan Remains a State Secret," the New York Times ponders Donald's other-worldly glow:

WASHINGTON — The trees in the capital are barren, spindly things. The temperature has dipped, requiring puffy coats. With the government open — for now — President Trump has left the frigidity of governing for a weekend in Palm Beach.

But in a town where not even the longtime operation of the federal government seems certain, Mr. Trump has adhered to one constant: a conspicuously sun-kissed glow, one that has shone like a stoplight against Washington’s graying backdrop. Much like Warhol’s shock of white hair or Big Bird’s saffron plumage, the president’s vibrant hue is so consistently present and meticulously maintained that it was a culturally embedded representation of him long before he entered politics.

...The official line from the White House, as with other matters surrounding the president’s physical health and appearance, is that Mr. Trump’s glow is the result of “good genes,” according to a senior administration official who would speak only on the condition of anonymity.

And, O.K., a little powder — a translucent one, not a bronzer — which the president applies himself before television appearances, the official said.

... Certainly Mr. Trump, who has long taken antibiotics to treat rosacea, a condition that can make the skin appear rosy and ruddy, is attentive to how he looks on television. He has complained that his skin and hair appear too yellow or orange on the screen, according to one person familiar with his views.

As a result, events in the White House are now more dimly lit than in previous administrations. The president has also become a fan of natural light, like the setting of the White House Rose Garden, where Mr. Trump chose to announce the end of the government shutdown in 40-degree weather.

... Mr. Trump has repeatedly documented the act of self-styling his coif, a process he has not strayed from in decades. His system includes a Head & Shoulders shampoo and an hourlong air-drying of the strands while he peruses newspapers or watches television. And tweets.

“I’ve combed it the same way for years,” Mr. Trump told Rolling Stone in 2011. “Same thing, every time.”

In the White House residence, where Mr. Trump enjoys giving tours to his supporters, there exists an array of hair sprays on a shelf in his remodeled bathroom. According to several people who have visited the residence, there is not an ounce of a self-tanning product. Or at least it is not in sight. (Read the article here.)

Update #2 on Monday morning. On top of everything else, Donald doesn't work very hard: 

We already knew that President Donald Trump was fond of his “Executive Time,” that euphemism that John Kelly came up with when he was chief of staff to describe the unstructured time that the commander in chief uses to do everything from tweet, watch TV, and make phone calls, among other things. But schedules that were leaked to Axios show just how much those two words define the president’s day. Over the past three months, around 60 percent of the president’s time has been spent on “Executive Time.”

Axios retyped all the schedules, which cover almost every working day since the midterms, and posted them online. They reveal that out of the 502 hours and 55 minutes that were scheduled, 297 hours and 15 minutes were dedicated to “Executive Time.” Even the schedules may be a bit misleading though. For example, the schedules show that Trump, who gets up early, spends the first five hours of each day in “Executive Time.” But while the schedules say that Trump’s 8-to-11 a.m. “Executive Time” is spent in the Oval Office, sources say he is never there at the time. In reality, Trump is in the residence, “watching TV, reading the papers, and responding to what he sees and reads by phoning aides, members of Congress, friends, administration officials and informal advisers.” Trump’s first meeting of the day is usually at 11 or 11:30 a.m. (From an article at Slate, read it here.)