| | | | | Kim Kardashian enters the White House grounds Wednesday ahead of her visit with administration officials to discuss criminal justice reform. Credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images | | | Kim K in the White House: "She was not only moved to tears, she was moved to action"
What Obama Really Thought of Trump Winning: His private statements and doubts
Melania Wanted a "Clean" Veep: What the future FLOTUS wanted in her husband's future Veep | | | | Kate Bennett is off. Her section will return in two weeks. | | What Washington is Talking About:
It's the finals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, which will take place at National Harbor and air on ESPN 2. And the Capitals beat the Knights last night, tying the series.
What America is Talking About:
Walmart, the nation's largest employer, is paying for employees to earn degrees in business or supply chain management, and tonight is Game 1 of the NBA finals, at Golden State
Poll of the Day:
Ted Cruz has a comfortable lead in Texas. A Quinnipiac poll of Texas voters released yesterday found Cruz up 50% to Dem challenger Beto O'Rourke's 39%. Back in April, O'Rourke was three points behind Cruz. | | Credit: Quinnipiac
This Photo Will Be in Our Children's History Books One Day:
The reality star queen and the reality star president. Amazing. | | Credit: @realDonaldTrump/Twitter
Kim Has Only Posted One Photo From Her Visit:
And it was just a pic of the carpet with a note for Alice Johnson, the woman she's calling to be pardoned. | | Credit: @KimKardashian/Instagram story
She also posted this note from Johnson. "I believe that history will record that Kim Kardashian had the courage to take a stand against human warehousing and was a key figure in meaningful criminal justice reform becoming a reality," Johnson wrote. | | Credit: @KimKardashian/Instagram story
"She Was Not Only Moved to Tears, She Was Moved to Action":
I spoke by phone with Brittany Barnett, an attorney who's known Johnson for ten years and is working with her today. She praised Kardashian and said she's "shining a light on the critical issues this country faces of mass incarceration."
"The fact that Kim Kardashian is using her platform to highlight this issue in the case of Alice Johnson, it should be commended," she said. "She saw the Mic.com video [of Johnson's story] by chance. She was not only moved to tears, she was moved to take action. She could have kept scrolling, she could have gone on with her life after seeing that video."
Johnson was convicted in 1996 in connection with a cocaine conspiracy, and has spent 21 years behind bars. She wrote in an op-ed for CNN that she "made some very poor decisions out of desperation" after she was divorced, lost her job, and her youngest son was killed in a motorcycle accident. "I made the biggest mistake of my life to make ends meet and got involved with people selling drugs."
Barnett said for Johnson's four remaining children, "It means the world to them that their mother's voice is being amplified and her story is being heard," and she's optimistic Johnson will be pardoned.
"It's our profound and hopefully realistic hope that release is on the horizon," she said.
Koch Industries Keeping Up:
Koch Industries senior Vice President Mark Holden told BuzzFeed News the Koch network would be "happy to work with" Kardashian where they have a "common goal and vision" and praised Trump for meeting with her to talk about criminal justice reform.
Kim Went to Javanka's Last Night:
After her White House meeting, paparazzi spotted Kardashian at Javanka's Kalorama home. You can see the pics here.
Why Prison Reform is a Winner for Javanka and Kim K:
I wrote here how Javanka needs a win and Kim could use a political reset after her husband went MAGA and said slavery is a choice. J-Kush has already written that he sees criminal justice reform as a bipartisan issue, and should they get a pardon for Johnson and make meaningful progress on the issue, it could be an important victory.
As POTUS says, ~we'll see what happens~, but I'm assuming Trump's tweet this morning that he intends to pardon Dinesh D'Souza, who pleaded guilty to violating federal campaign finance laws in 2014, isn't what Calabasas wanted to see the day after Kim's meeting.
What Obama Really Thought of Trump Winning the Election:
I've often said there was no Dem who was more chill about Trump winning in 2016 than Obama, who expressed optimism publicly. But privately, he was shaken and questioned his impact on American history, according to excerpts from Obama's former deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes' upcoming book "The World As It Is," out Tuesday. Here are a few of Obama's key lines from the excerpt: - "Sometimes I wonder whether I was 10 or 20 years too early."
- "Maybe we pushed too far. Maybe people just want to fall back into their tribe."
- On speaking out about Russian meddling during the campaign, he said, "What else are we going to do? We've warned folks," and he said he thought if he spoke out more about it, Trump would "just say it's rigged."
- "Maybe this is what people want. I've got the economy set up well for him [Trump]. No facts. No consequences. They can just have a cartoon."
- "We're about to find out just how resilient our institutions are, at home and around the world."
Melania Wanted a "Clean" Veep:
The future FLOTUS played a major role in picking the future VP, according to Kate Andersen Brower, who's forthcoming "First in Line: Presidents, Vice Presidents, and the Pursuit of Power" is also out Tuesday. It was Melania who "drew the final line" during a final meeting in Bedminster, New Jersey over Trump's running-mate pick, saying whoever it was had to be "clean" and without affairs or messy financial entanglements.
Trump's New Diet:
Trump has acknowledged privately he needs to lose some weight, and the White House kitchen is doing its part to help. They've begun swapping out steak for Trump's favorite fish, Dover sole, and Trump has also been getting rid of the top bun on burgers.
A-Schock Loses Appeal:
Federal appeals court judges rejected former Rep. Aaron Schock's appeal to throw out his criminal indictment Wednesday. Schock's attorney George J. Terwilliger III said in a statement he was "disappointed" in the decision, per Politico.
Guess Who Mitt Voted For in 2016?:
I'll give you one clue... | |
Romney told the editorial boards of Salt Lake City's KSL and Deseret News he wrote in his wife Ann's name for president. "I wrote in the name of a person who I admire deeply, who I think would be an excellent president," he said. "I realized it wasn't going to go anywhere, but nonetheless felt that I was putting in a very solid name.
Romney also said he has friendly conversations with Trump every three to four months and that he believes even though what Trump says "sometimes does not communicate a sobriety and stability," he thinks Trump "has more method to the madness than people expect."
Saint Hoax Did Three Kim K Oval Office Edits:
The KKW cosmetics one is my fav. | | Credit: @SaintHoax/Instagram
Street Art Sighting:
"The Wall Project" is an outdoor exhibit in Los Angeles that includes 10 sections of the original Berlin Wall. It's the largest stretch of the wall outside of Germany and across from LACMA on Wilshire Boulevard. One of the murals, by Kent Twitchell, shows former Presidents Kennedy and Reagan, with the words "We Are All Berliners" and "Tear Down This Wall." So dope. | | Credit: Hunter Schwarz
And the backside of the wall includes this mural of a skeleton Captain America by DFace. Behind him are signs for McDonald's, Burger King, KFC, and Starbucks. | | Credit: Hunter Schwarz
If you spot political street art, tweet me @hunterschwarz, tag me on Instagram @hunterschwarz, or email me at coverlinehunter@cnn.com with your sighting so I can feature it in COVER/LINE.
P.S.:
Drake has responded to the blackface photo used for Pusha-T's diss track art, and meanwhile, Charli XCX is displaying a Drake-like work ethic, popping out new song after new song. Her latest, out today, is called "In The Morning." | | | | | | |
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