Another Very Bad Day For Donald

 And this time it's personal. Consider (and forgive my language, I'm quoting):

"He knows he has an unusual penis," Daniels writes. "It has a huge mushroom head. Like a toadstool... 

"I lay there, annoyed that I was getting fucked by a guy with Yeti pubes and a dick like the mushroom character in Mario Kart...

"It may have been the least impressive sex I'd ever had, but clearly, he didn't share that opinion."

Thus sayeth Stormy Daniels, quoted by The Guardian via an advance copy of her book Full Disclosure. (Read the article here.)

How will Donald respond? As I'm writing, just after noon Central Time on Tuesday, he hasn't, but that's almost certain to change. Stay tuned, the book comes out two weeks from today.

And one more thing: If, like me, you have no idea what Mario Kart is, Esquire provides this helpful graphic. The mushroom character, named "Toad," is on the right:



Read the Esquire article here.

The Guessing Game - Updated

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

Burt Reynolds: Dead Celebrity
Bob Woodward: His book comes out Tuesday and is already causing a fuss
Geoffrey Owens: I had him on the list last week, when the Cosby Show actor was job shamed for working at Trader Joe's. Now Tyler Perry has hired him for 10 episodes on The Haves and the Have Nots, seen on OWN
Miss America: The pageant, in its new format featuring no swimsuit competition, is tomorrow night (Sunday.) Will anyone watch? Does anyone, in 2018, care? 
Christopher Lawford: A member of the Kennedy family, dead of a heart attack at age 63. His mother Patricia Kennedy Lawford was President Kennedy's sister; Chris was one of the 29 grandchildren born to patriarch Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr. and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy. He is the fifth member of his generation to die, following JFK Jr., David Kennedy and Michael Kennedy, sons of Bobby and Ethel, and Kara Kennedy, daughter of Ted Kennedy.
Vanilla Ice: Back in the spotlight when he was aboard an Emirates flight that was quarantined at JFK airport
Johnny Bobbitt, Jr.: The homeless veteran wasn't given the money a couple raised for him on GoFundMe. The website says they will honor the fundraising and give him the full amount; the couple who started the campaign is under investigation
Denise Richards: Engaged. Sunday morning update: She got married yesterday after a very short engagement
Zara Tindall: The Queen's granddaughter has been talking about her miscarriages
Tyler Linfesty, aka the guy in the plaid shirt: Standing behind Donald at a rally, he was removed for not clapping enthusiastically enough, then detained by the Secret Service. Linfesty is a senior at Billings West high school, read about him here
Jeff Lewis and/or Jenni Pulos: The Flipping Out stars have broken up
Colton Underwood: After appearing on The Bachelorette and Bachelor In Paradise, Colton gets the call and will be the new Bachelor
Mac Miller: Died at 26 of a suspected overdose, Ariana Grande is an ex-girlfriend
Cardi B and Nicki Minaj: A slight disagreement at a Fashion Week party

Update: Botham Shem Jean: Killed in his own home by a Dallas policewoman, who entered his apartment by mistake. An investigation is underway

Update #2: Naomi Osaka and/or Serena Williams: Osaka, from Japan, upset Serena Williams to win her first Grand Slam tournament, there's controversy about the officiating:

(1/2) Several things went very wrong during the @usopen Women’s Finals today. Coaching on every point should be allowed in tennis. It isn’t, and as a result, a player was penalized for the actions of her coach. This should not happen.

— Billie Jean King (@BillieJeanKing) September 9, 2018

(2/2) When a woman is emotional, she’s “hysterical” and she’s penalized for it. When a man does the same, he’s “outspoken” & and there are no repercussions. Thank you, @serenawilliams, for calling out this double standard. More voices are needed to do the same.

— Billie Jean King (@BillieJeanKing) September 9, 2018

Sunday morning, update #3: Summer and/or Stormy: There's news in the world of women who are causing trouble for Donald, or to put it another way, women who are speaking the truth about what a degenerate pig Donald is: 

Trump will provide written answers under oath in defamation lawsuit brought by former “Apprentice” contestant Summer Zervos, who claims Trump sexually assaulted her. https://t.co/AJDqTbuBgf pic.twitter.com/KvitqVnXgM

— Jim Roberts (@nycjim) September 9, 2018

Pres. Trump said he will not attempt to enforce a nondisclosure agreement blocking porn star Stormy Daniels from revealing details of her alleged affair with him, according to papers filed Saturday. https://t.co/Il4X37Xo77 pic.twitter.com/7fCMFqUayi

— ABC News (@ABC) September 9, 2018

Monday morning, update #4: Ryan Lochte: A wedding ceremony. He and his wife officially got married earlier this year in a civil ceremony, the one this week-end was just for show.

John Legend, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice: Won Creative Arts Emmys for the TV production of Jesus Christ, Superstar and are now members of the EGOT club.

Monday afternoon, update #5: I've seen a lot of stories over the week-end and today that could end up on the cover. Brandon Jenner, son of Caitlyn Jenner, and his wife have announced they're divorcing, and Olivia Newton-John has a book coming out, in which she says her cancer had recurred back in 2013, which she didn't announce publicly. Another possibility is Bradley Cooper and/or Lady Gaga, whose new version of A Star Is Born comes out October 5.

And one more thing, on Tuesday morning: Sally Field has a new memoir coming out September 18.

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

Wednesday morning update: See the new cover, featuring Meghan Markle, here.

She Believes Her Husband?

Does Melania Trump think her husband cheated on her with Stormy Daniels? Rudy Giuliani says no: "She believes her husband, and she knows it's untrue." Is Rudy speaking for Melania? Does he really know what she thinks about this? 

Melania's actual spokesperson says no, quoted by Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: 

Yikes. I asked @FLOTUS spokeswoman @StephGrisham45 about Giuliani saying that she believes her husband re Stormy Daniels. Response: “I don't believe Mrs. Trump has ever discussed her thoughts on anything with Mr. Giuliani.”

— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) June 7, 2018

And here's a reminder from Kate Bennett of CNN, the only reporter who covers Melania full time:

Again, this is not a @FLOTUS who does or says anything just because it is "expected" of her. If someone is pushing a false narrative that directly relates to her, it is not unusual that she will fight back. https://t.co/cFUER9Q8uV

— Kate Bennett (@KateBennett_DC) June 7, 2018

The Morning After

photo credit: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

As I'm writing, at about 10.25 a.m. Monday morning, the president still hasn't tweeted about Stormy, or shown any reaction to last night's interview. He did tweet this out, including the (correctly spelled!) word "voluminous"

So much Fake News. Never been more voluminous or more inaccurate. But through it all, our country is doing great!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 26, 2018

You know he really wants to blast Stormy to smithereens but someone (Ivanka? Melania? John Kelly?) has effectively restrained him on that subject, at least so far. I'd love to have been a fly on the wall for that conversation. 

He also hasn't done anything drastic to distract from the story, but hey, it's early.

In the meantime, look at this seriously unpleasant picture of the president, which I believe was taken yesterday. (You can see a larger version here.) In previous posts I've said that he looks tired, overwhelmed and every day of his 71 years. He still does, along with now, possibly, a tiny bit fearful of what may be coming down the pike. (Actuarial note: the president turns 72 in 80 days.)

Stormy's Big Night

Just a few more hours until the big Stormy Daniels interview uncorks on 60 Minutes, and frankly, I'm beginning to think it's going to be a bit of an anticlimax, or at least a bit of a letdown for those expecting something salacious or presidency-ending for Donald Trump. Daniels' lawyer appears to agree, trying to manage expectations with this tweet from this morning:

Note: (a) not all of our evidence will be mentioned/displayed tonight – that would be foolish; (b) we are not sure what CBS will include but we know a lot from the full interview will have to be cut bc of the time allowed; (c) tonight is not the end – it’s the beginning. #basta

— Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) March 25, 2018

Remember, the interview is airing on network television at 7.00 p.m Eastern/6.00 p.m. Central time, right at the dinner hour and before the kids have gone to bed. For that reason alone, it's almost certain to be "G rated." Further, the bones of the story are already out there -- the affair, the sex, the money to keep quiet, etc., and it doesn't appear to have harmed Trump much so far, at least in any serious and lasting way. For people who don't like or admire the president the entire "affair with a porn star" story is just more evidence that he's a degenerate pig. For his admirers, even if, deep down, they don't really believe his denials, it's still just Trump being Trump. I can't imagine anything will be shown tonight that changes anyone's mind about anything. 

Random thoughts:

What's on that CD? Who knows. (He likes to be tied up? He likes to wear women's lingerie? He takes Viagra? His hands aren't the only part of his body that is... small? Yawn to all.) Whatever it is, we almost certainly won't see it tonight.

How does Melania feel about all this? Who knows. On Thursday she posed for and posted a tweet that appeared to want to convince the world that everything's fine...

Greetings from @WhiteHouse pic.twitter.com/mjuHFqglYz

— Melania Trump (@FLOTUS) March 22, 2018

... but the very next day, Friday, she once again refused to fly with the president on Marine One. (I wrote about the first time here.) She refused to go to Davos with him earlier this year, and traveled separately to the State of the Union too, all of which would appear to indicate that Melania is not happy to learn about her husband's various affairs. And yet, her carefully constructed public persona is that she's strong, smart and independent, not just a "hot piece of ass" decorating Donald Trump's arm. If she's really surprised to learn that Donald Trump hasn't been faithful to her, she's not nearly as smart and savvy as she wants us to believe. 

Will Melania be watching tonight? Maybe, but not with The Donald. He's on his way back to Washington from Palm Beach, Melania and Barron are staying in Florida for Spring Break. 

Will this be my last post about Stormy Daniels? Almost certainly not. To tide you over until the next post, here's what I've written previously: 

January 18: Stormy Indeed

January 21: The Cheater-In-Chief

January 27: The President and The Porn Star

February 16: The President, The Porn Star And The Playboy Model

March 17: Stormy Weather

March 20: How Does This End?

One more thing: Will Trump do something dramatic and/or drastic this afternoon to distract from the Stormy interview? Possibly. Stay tuned. 

The Guessing Game - Updated

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

The Porn Star and the Playboy model: I've had both of them on the Guessing Game list before, now with Stormy's 60 Minutes interview tonight and Karen McDougal's on CNN this past Thursday, the spotlight is getting brighter on both of them. Another possibility is Summer Zervos, the former Apprentice contestant who is suing the president for defamation
Meghan Markle: People is milking her story for all it's worth, turning a bland comment about baby products into a "major royal baby hint," as if the fact that Meghan and Harry will at some point have children is some kind of surprise and not just the natural order of things. (The story that accompanied the headline was actually pretty bland, including the "no kidding" statement that Meghan is "already thinking about her own royal baby." Read it here.)
Emma Gonzales and/or Sam Fuentes: And all the young people who Marched For Their Lives yesterday
Sister Jean: The Loyola-Chicago Ramblers are this year's March Madness Cinderella team, now heading to the Final Four; 98-year-old nun Sister Jean is their chaplain and good luck charm
The Sharp family: An American family of four, vacationing in Mexico, died from toxic fumes in their rented condo
The Americans: The Cold War-era spy show returns for its final season
Charlotte Casiraghi: Engaged. She's the granddaughter of Princess Grace and the daughter of Princess Caroline of Monaco. This one's a stretch, but People does like royal engagement stories

Note: I've made a slight change to the way I post updates. Up until now, I've posted them at the top of a post, so the most recent item is at the top. Looking over old posts, however, it's clear that that can be confusing. So now updates will be posted at the bottom. I'll put an "Updated" note in the title of the post.

Sunday night update: Star Jones: Got married over the week-end

Tuesday morning, update #2: Beyonce. Someone bit her???

Wednesday morning, update #3: See the new cover here.

Chrissy Metz

Issue dated April 2, 2018: Chrissy Metz


This Is Us star Chrissy Metz gets the main cover slot, promoting her upcoming book titled This Is Me. This is her second cover, you can see her first, dated February 20, 2017, here.

Two of my Guessing Game guesses made the cover, Donald Trump Jr's divorce, which I was thinking might be the main story, and the House of Horrors family. Still no sign of Stormy, or of Melania.

Read the Guessing Game post here.

Last year at this time: Issue dated April 3, 2017

How Does This End? - Updated

Update on April 12: Stormy has apparently taken her Twitter feed private, and since I'm not one of her "confirmed followers" her tweets are no longer visible to me. That's why the tweet below no longer looks like a tweet. The language is still there but the unique twitter formatting no longer appears.

Update #2, April 19: Stormy's Twitter feed is public again and the tweet below is back to looking like a tweet, at least for now. Will things change again? Who knows.

Original post:
I admit I'm interested to see how the Stormy Daniels story plays out. She's not shy on Twitter, that's for sure:

Technically I didn't sleep with the POTUS 12 years ago. There was no sleeping (hehe) and he was just a goofy reality TV star.  But I digress...People DO care that he lied about it, had me bullied, broke laws to cover it up, etc.  And PS...I am NOT going anywhere. xoxoxo https://t.co/Js9sEnanIk

— Stormy Daniels (@StormyDaniels) March 20, 2018

And as Eugene Robinson pointed out in his live chat today, Trump rage-tweets about pretty much everything, except this woman. What exactly has she got on him? (Read the chat transcript here.) 

The Guessing Game

Wednesday morning, update #3: See the new cover here.

Monday afternoon, update #2: Cynthia Nixon. The Sex And The City star announces she's running for governor of New York.

Monday morning update: a few additions and a picture:
Ben Affleck: Some kind of weird tattoo


The Turpin (house of horrors) family: The adult children have been released from the hospital and are living in freedom somewhere in rural California
Hope Hicks: Lots of interesting info in an article at New York magazine (Read it here)

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

Stephen Hawking: Died at age 76
Donald Trump Jr. and/or his wife Vanessa: Divorcing
Stormy Daniels: I've had her on the list before but things are heating up, with the president filing a $20 million lawsuit against her and her 60 Minutes interviewed scheduled to run next Sunday
Anderson Cooper: Broke up with his longtime boyfriend
Elizabeth Holmes: Built a billion dollar fortune with tech company Theranos, now being investigated for fraud
Scandal: The series is ending, Friday was the last day of production. I think the finale airs April 19
Irgo: The dog who was mistakenly sent to Japan by United Airlines. BTW, he was flown home on a private jet, how about that?
Andrew McCabe: The former Deputy Director of the FBI was fired just hours before he was scheduled to retire, thereby denying him his pension
James Comey: His book doesn't come out until April 17, but it's already #2 on Amazon's best seller list.
Yann Arnaud: Cirque du Soleil performer who died after falling during a performance
Sarah Palin: Gave a speech at the Palm Beach, Florida GOP's annual Lincoln Day dinner, which was held at Mar-A-Lago. According to local reports attendees, who paid $350 and up, were not impressed:

Many in the audience lost interest about a quarter of the way through the speech. Attendees voted with their voices, which kept getting louder and louder as Palin spoke, eventually sounding like a roar — so noticeable that she made a couple of comments noting the audience’s lack of attention.

“The first 10 minutes was inspirational. The last 10 minutes was blah, blah, blah, blah. She went way too long,” said Lori Konis of Coral Springs, an independent who voted for Trump in 2016. (Read more here.)

Palin was paid $15,000 for her trouble, which isn't nothing but is a big jump downward from the six-figure fees she supposedly earned in 2009-2010. I'm also wondering if she had been hoping to spend a little quality time with the president. (Ask him for a job, perhaps? Rumors are that he's got vacancies...) Alas, POTUS stayed in Washington this week-end. Sarah had to be content with soon-to-be-divorced Don Jr. 

Stormy Weather

Questions worth asking: why is @realDonaldTrump so afraid of Stormy Daniels? Why is he working so hard to silence her? What is he afraid she will say? Trump doesn’t care if people know he’s unfaithful. He never has. His base doesn’t care. Why is he fighting her so hard?

— Joy Reid (@JoyAnnReid) March 17, 2018

I agree with Joy. What is Trump so desperate to hide? It also feels like a good day to re-post this cartoon. Why? Because I can.

pic.twitter.com/zkOKX27ikb

— 🖕🏻Aunt Crabby 🖕🏻 (@DearAuntCrabby) January 27, 2018

The Guessing Game

See the new cover here.

Monday afternoon, update #3: A few more possibilities: Hubert de Givenchy, Audrey Hepburn's favorite designer, has died at age 91; Betsy DeVos, the secretary of education gave a disastrous interview on 60 Minutes; and CNN anchor Erin Burnett is expecting baby #3 at age 41. Note that the cover is usually finalized on Monday night, so if anything cover-worthy happens tomorrow it will have to wait for next week's issue. Oh, and one more thing: Bachelor/Bachelor In Paradise/Bachelor Winter Games alum Ashley Iaconnetti has broken up with whoever it was that she was involved with.

Monday morning, update #2: Tim McGraw, who collapsed due to dehydration during a concert in Ireland, and Cameron Diaz, who may or may not have "retired" from acting. (Vanity Fair has the scoop, here.)

Sunday evening update: O.J. Simpson. His "If I did it..." interview from (I think) 2006 airs tonight on Fox.

Original post:
What will be on the cover of People this week? I've got a whole bunch of all-over-the-place guesses:

Meghan Markle: Baptized into the Church of England, making her first public appearance with the Queen on Monday
Stormy Daniels: Suing the president. Gradually her story is coming out, does anyone seriously believe that Donald Trump didn't have an affair with her?
Melania: What is she thinking, about anything? I keep putting her on the list, People continues to ignore her
Becca Kufrin: The new Bachelorette
Adam Rippon: Meets Reese Witherspoon, will he dance on Dancing With The Stars?
Timeless: The NBC show that was cancelled, then uncancelled, returns Sunday night
American Idol: Also returning Sunday night, now on ABC
Colin Firth: His wife had an affair, now the man is stalking them. (Read the story here)
Princess Madeleine of Sweden: Gives birth to baby #3
Michelle Obama: A cute meeting with a small girl who liked the Smithsonian painting, will she and Barack produce videos for Netflix?
True Crime: Stand-off at a veterans home in California ends with the gunman and three hostages dead
Camilla: Will she be Queen when Charles accedes to the throne? British tea-leaves readers think it's possible
Mallory Ortberg: The Toast co-founder and current "Dear Prudence" advice columnist announces she's transitioning female-to-male
Scott Baio: His wife has a brain disease

The Guessing Game

Wednesday morning update: See the new cover here.

Monday evening update: Fergie. Her artistic risk-taking with the National Anthem bombed at the NBA All Star game.

Original post:
What will be on the cover of People this week? The Florida school shooting will almost certainly be the main story, featuring the 17 victims and possibly the inspirational student survivors who are fighting for gun control. Other possibilities:

Jennifer Aniston: Divorcing 2nd husband Justin Theroux. If the shooting hadn't happened, this would be my best guess for the main cover story
Olympians: Including Adam Rippon, Nathan Chen, Chloe Kim and all the others
Amy Schumer: A surprise wedding
The Playboy model and/or the porn star: Stormy Daniels says she now feels free to tell her story; the New Yorker story about Karen McDougal upset Melania so much she wouldn't fly in the same helicopter with POTUS Friday afternoon
Melania: One of these days...
Evan Bass and Carly Waddell: The Bachelor In Paradise stars' first daughter was born
Mitt Romney: Mittens is back! He's running to be a senator from Utah
Bristol Palin: Husband Dakota Meyer files for divorce. Bristol scored a sidebar cover headline in the issue dated July 13, 2015, when she cancelled their planned wedding, then announced her pregnancy a few weeks later. After marrying in May, 2016, they're now getting a divorce after moving to Texas and having two children together

The President, The Porn Star And The Playboy Model

Update #4: Another reporter weighs in:

My primary beat focus is @FLOTUS. I have learned not to believe in Melania Trump coincidences. Generally speaking, her movements and decisions are thoughtful and done with intent. Schedule or no, this is an interesting day to assert independence. #take

— Kate Bennett (@KateBennett_DC) February 16, 2018

Update #3: It's that old bugaboo, "scheduling and logistics." According to Stephanie Grisham, the First Lady's communications director, "With her schedule, it was easier to meet him on the plane." I have to ask, what schedule, exactly? What exactly does Melania do all day long?

Update #2: I guess this explains it. POTUS went to Andrews via Marine One, Melania went via motorcade. It still feels off.

No comments on the Mueller indictments from President Trump as he boarded Marine One. Kelly and McGahn were spotted in Oval just before Trump departed, Kelly is on M1. pic.twitter.com/WDMdPgrntO

— Jennifer Epstein (@jeneps) February 16, 2018

Friday afternoon update: No pictures of Melania allowed. Gee, is it possible the First Lady is once again upset with the cheater-in-chief?

Press was invited to get on Air Force One, then rushed off and hurried back inside as Melania Trump's motorcade pulled up. Some screaming from a White House press aide. No pictures allowed of first lady's arrival.

— Josh Dawsey (@jdawsey1) February 16, 2018

And what's with "Melania's motorcade?" Can't the President and the First Lady travel from the White House together?

Original post:
This is the top story currently at People.com: "Donald Trump Reportedly Had 9-Month Affair With Playboy Model While Married to Melania: Read the Explosive Details" (You can read them here.)

The story is based on a new article at The New Yorker titled "Donald Trump, A Playboy Model and A System For Concealing Infidelity." The model in question is named Karen McDougal and she apparently took notes:

The interactions that McDougal outlines in the document share striking similarities with the stories of other women who claim to have had sexual relationships with Trump, or who have accused him of propositioning them for sex or sexually harassing them. McDougal describes their affair as entirely consensual. But her account provides a detailed look at how Trump and his allies used clandestine hotel-room meetings, payoffs, and complex legal agreements to keep affairs—sometimes multiple affairs he carried out simultaneously—out of the press.

Like Stormy Daniels, she was also apparently paid money to keep quiet: 

On November 4, 2016, four days before the election, the Wall Street Journal reported that American Media, Inc., the publisher of the National Enquirer, had paid a hundred and fifty thousand dollars for exclusive rights to McDougal’s story, which it never ran. Purchasing a story in order to bury it is a practice that many in the tabloid industry call “catch and kill.” This is a favorite tactic of the C.E.O. and chairman of A.M.I., David Pecker, who describes the President as “a personal friend.” As part of the agreement, A.M.I. consented to publish a regular aging-and-fitness column by McDougal. After Trump won the Presidency, however, A.M.I.’s promises largely went unfulfilled, according to McDougal. Last month, the Journal reported that Trump’s personal lawyer had negotiated a separate agreement just before the election with an adult-film actress named Stephanie Clifford, whose screen name is Stormy Daniels, which barred her from discussing her own affair with Trump. Since then, A.M.I. has repeatedly approached McDougal about extending her contract.

Read the article here. 

The President And The Porn Star

pic.twitter.com/zkOKX27ikb

— 🖕🏻Aunt Crabby 🖕🏻 (@DearAuntCrabby) January 27, 2018

The Trump presidency gives snarky bloggers a lot to work with and political cartoonists are having fun too. I'm posting this one with a serious comment, however. It amazes me that conservative Christians, including Franklin Graham, Tony Perkins and VPOTUS Mike Pence, continue to support the wretched man who is currently our president. The mental gymnastics involved are just baffling.

The Cheater-In-Chief

The updates keep coming: Friday morning, update #4: After her visit to the Museum Thursday, Melania took leave of the White House for a surprise, unplanned (or at least, not previously announced) trip to Palm Beach, Florida. (No scheduling and logistical issues with that, apparently.) You can read CNN's report here; POTUS comes home tonight, will he join his wife in Florida?

Thursday afternoon, update #3: I was wrong below, when I said we wouldn't see Melania in public until the 4th of July. She visited the Holocaust Museum today. (I will note that her husband is conveniently out of the country.) Her next big First Lady gig is the State Of The Union speech Tuesday night. Will the FLOTUS be sitting in the usual First Lady seat, sincerely cheering for her husband? We'll see.

Thank you @HolocaustMuseum for a powerful & moving tour that honors the millions of innocent lives lost, and educates us on the tragedies and effects of the holocaust. #WeRemember #AskWhy pic.twitter.com/za8MN6pKRZ

— Melania Trump (@FLOTUS) January 25, 2018

Tuesday morning, update #2: CNN is reporting that Melania is no longer planning to accompany the president to Davos:

First lady Melania Trump, in a change of plans, will not be joining President Donald Trump on his trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, later this week.

East Wing communications director Stephanie Grisham confirmed to CNN that the first lady's decision to forgo the trip was based on "scheduling and logistical issues."

A week ago, Grisham told CNN the first lady would be attending the annual meeting of influential financial leaders and business titans in a show of support for her husband, who intends to give remarks during his visit. 

I bet we don't see her in public before the 4th of July, if then.

Sunday night update #1: The party went on, apparently, with the president's two large adult sons standing in for him. Even at $100,000 per couple, however, the caviar was served with plastic spoons. That's just tacky. 

Mar-a-Lago guests paying $100k or more per couple to attend Trump’s  inauguration anniversary political fundraising fala—which Eric & Don Jr attended in President Trump’s stead due to the shutdown—are apparent “traumatized” by scooping caviar with plastic spoons. pic.twitter.com/vcwcExYpX2

— Anna Massoglia (@annalecta) January 21, 2018

Original post:


If any other president had had sex with a porn star then paid money to keep her quiet, it would be the scandal of the century. With Trump, apparently it's just baked in, not unexpected and no big deal.

As I've said before, there's no way to know how Melania feels about all this, but I'm guessing she's relieved that she didn't have to appear in public and pretend to be delighted to be standing next to the cheater-in-chief this week-end. (They were supposed to go to Mar-A-Lago and attend a big fundraiser last night. The government shutdown kept them in Washington.) It's one thing to sell your soul (and of course, your body) to a degenerate pig in exchange for the luxurious (private) life of a rich man's wife. It's another thing to have to play that role in the glare of the spotlight that comes with being the president's wife. As I said, I'm just guessing...

Stormy, Indeed

There's no mention of Stormy on the cover of the new issue of People but In Touch goes for it, with details from an interview Ms. Daniels apparently gave back in 2011. (Read the online article here.)

And I love this tweet from Ana Navarro:

Convo-

Her: What would Christian Conservatives have done to Obama if it’d come out he paid hush-money to hide he had sex w/a porn star?

Me: They wouldn’t have been able to do anything other than boycott his funeral. Michelle would have killed him. https://t.co/wGkrMTIuCd

— Ana Navarro (@ananavarro) January 17, 2018

"Michelle would have killed him." No kidding. Strong, smart, no nonsense, no prisoners, a fully equal partner in the marriage, expecting/insisting on integrity, loyalty and respect. That's Michelle all right. Can we say the same about Melania? It doesn't look that way from the outside but who knows what really goes on between Donald and Melania. I read recently that they dated for 6-7 years before they got married, so Melania knew what she was getting. That tells me that if she was of a mind to (figuratively) kill The Donald for infidelity it would have happened long before now. (And I assume if he had been a middle-class accountant from Queens, she would never have married him.)

What's it like to be Melania Trump these days? In a previous post I said that being married to Donald would be wretched soul-destroying indentured servitude and I still think so. Living at the White House, meeting foreign leaders and flying around on Air Force One doesn't change anything.

The Guessing Game

Tuesday afternoon update: Kim Kardashian's 3rd baby was born via surrogate. According to People.com, the baby arrived at 12.47 a.m. Monday, but the announcement just came late this morning, which is probably too late for this week's issue. If so, "hold that thought" for next week.

Original post:
What will be on the cover of People this week? Just a few guesses:

Stormy Daniels: Porn star was paid money to stay silent about an affair with Donald Trump
Mark Wahlberg and/or Michelle Williams: After an uproar about their respective salaries, Wahlberg donates $1.5 million to the #Time'sUP movement in Williams' name
Eric Clapton: Announces that he's going deaf
Eric Greitens: Conservative family values governor of Missouri, embroiled in a sex scandal
Delores O'Riordan: Lead singer of The Cranberries dies at age 46
Tenley Molzhan: Former Bachelor, Bachelor Pad and Bachelor In Paradise star is engaged
Aziz Ansari: Accused of sexual misconduct