CROOK. Trump says “we’re fighting all the subpoenas.”
LOBBYISTS. Pete Buttigieg is the only top 2020 Democrat taking money from them: ‘Of the top tier of active candidates seeking the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination ― usually identified by pundits to include Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Buttigieg, former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) ― only Buttigieg is actively accepting donations from Washington lobbyists. Several lower-profile candidates, including former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, are also taking lobbyist cash.’
DNC. How Buttigieg’s first losing campaign set up his 2020 bid. “I saw Mayor Pete’s ability to go viral before. To be honest, it was even a little frustrating for me, given that I was running against him.”
NOT IN MY HOUSE. The Trumps will not be staying at Buckingham Palace for their state visit with the Queen.
DON’T BRING IT UP. DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen was told not to bring up Russian interference in front of Trump: ‘Mick Mulvaney, the White House chief of staff, made it clear that Mr. Trump still equated any public discussion of malign Russian election activity with questions about the legitimacy of his victory. According to one senior administration official, Mr. Mulvaney said it “wasn’t a great subject and should be kept below his level.”’
MADBOD. Jared Leto is very proud of his abs.
SUPER HUMBLE. Rami Malek is a model solo diner.
AND THE OSCAR GOES TO. Netflix Amazon and streaming services! “…the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has voted not to change its rules for winning an Oscar, Hollywood’s top prize.”
DEFIANCE. California, Nevada, Washington State, Oregon, and New Mexico will continue to let transgender troops serve in the National Guard: ‘All 50 states—and four U.S. territories—have their own National Guard units that are primarily under gubernatorial control. That chain of command could allow individual governors to challenge—or at least test the limits of—the Trump administration’s newly-implemented policy, which disqualifies recruits with gender dysphoria while threatening most currently-serving transgender people with the risk of discharge.’
CALL THEM BY THEIR NAME. The Duggar family renamed Deviled Eggs “Yellow Pocket Angel Eggs” because Jeebus.
PHILADELPHIA. City can exclude Catholic foster care agency from program for foster children because it excludes gay couples: “In a 3-0 decision, the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Catholic Social Services failed to show that the placement freeze amounted to religious persecution or bias, violating its First Amendment rights to free speech and religious freedom.”
COURTING MR. LINCOLN. New book explores whether Lincoln was gay: ‘I learned as much as I can about these guys, and the book is a promiscuous mixture of fact and invention. The book that was helpful was “The Intimate World of Abraham Lincoln” by C.A. Tripp. He was a Kinsey Institute sex researcher and the first to declare that Lincoln was homosexual. The book is a bit over-the-top and was savaged at the time, but it was the first to bring up that possibility. Although [Lincoln biographer] Carl Sandburg brought up in his 1926 biography that the friendship had a “streak of lavender,” which was code.’
ONCE UPON A ONE MORE TIME. SONY pictures to develop Broadway-bound Britney Spears musical into a film: “In Once Upon a One More Time, Cinderella, Snow White and the other fairy tale princesses gather for their book club when a rogue fairy godmother drops The Feminine Mystique into their corseted laps, spurring a royal revelation. The musical features such Spears hits as Oops I Did It Again, Lucky, Circus and Toxic. The musical features an original book by Jon Hartmere and is directed by Rock Of Ages‘ Kristin Hanggi with choreography by Keone and Mari Madrid (Justin Bieber’s Love Yourself).”
TRAILER OF THE DAY. Between The Shades. “Jill Salvino, the film’s director, created the documentary from more than 50 interviews with people representing a variety of sexual orientations, ages and races. The film includes parents and their adult children, singles and couples, and people who identify as gay, straight, lesbian, trans, intersex, queer and gender nonbinary.”
NEW OLD TUNE OF THE DAY. Tiffany’s re-do of “I Think We’re Alone Now”.
HUMP DAY HOTTIE. Cristiano Ronaldo’s new underwear campaign.
