From The Hill
The Senate on Monday overwhelmingly passed a bipartisan bill aimed at lowering housing costs, sending the legislation to the House. The rare show of near-unanimous support comes as lawmakers hustle to score wins on affordability that they can trumpet back home during a midterm campaign cycle that has focused heavily on rising costs. The bill,…
When Supergirl takes to the screen this Friday, she’ll be the biggest Warner Bros/DC Studios movie ever when it comes to promotional partnerships with 80+ sponsors who are delivering $100 million-plus in media value. That’s not even counting consumer products. With names such as Ulta Beauty, OPI, Joico, and Kentucky Fried Chicken onboard, Warner Bros […]
Source: Deadline.
It sounds like it’s going down in Jessica Simpson’s DMs … she says she welcomes direct messages from her admirers … but there’s one big string attached. We got Jessica at LAX Monday … and our photog asked her if she’s open to people sliding…
From TMZ.
Comedian Carlos Mencia just appeared in court for his felony tax case … and he entered a not guilty plea to all 12 charges against him. Prosecutors say Carlos — born Ned Arnel Holness — failed to report $8.7 million in income and owes more than…
From TMZ.
At a ‘Spider-Man’ fan event in Berlin, the actor shimmered.
Source: Vogue
Tens of millions of voters have had their data run through the Trump administration’s revamped SAVE tool. A judge just found it unlawful.
(Image credit: CJ Gunther)
Source: NPR.
Federal prosecutors say two Missouri and Washington men were involved in the alleged plot.
Source: ABC News
D4vd’s brother is making his way back onto social media after months out of the spotlight … and right as the singer’s murder trial approaches. D4vd’s brother — Caleb Burke — uploaded a new vlog this week, marking one of his first public posts…
From TMZ.
This story appeared in The Logoff, a daily newsletter that helps you stay informed about the Trump administration without letting political news take over your life. Subscribe here.
Welcome to The Logoff: President Donald Trump’s Reflecting Pool mess is only getting worse.
What’s happening? By now, you’ve probably heard: The recently renovated and refinished Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, ostensibly painted “American Flag Blue,” is green.
The reasons why, it turns out, are fairly simple: “American Flag Blue” is a much darker shade than the pool’s original gray color (you can get a sense of the difference here), making for warmer water. It’s quite warm in Washington, DC, in June to begin with, and the combination means algae has been growing like crazy.
Sections of the pool’s new, blue liner have also been lifting free from the bottom, while the Trump administration has been trying to tamp down the algal green by pouring hydrogen peroxide into the pool.
The reason we’re writing about it now, though, is not because the renovation has been a remarkably comprehensive disaster, or because it was rife with suspect no-bid contracts, or even because of the administration’s remarkable mendacity. Instead, it’s Trump’s reaction to his project going to shambles.
So what did he say? Over the last few days, Trump has been on a social media tear, accusing people of vandalizing the pool, alleging a several-hundred-foot “gash” in the new liner and “corrosive and destructive chemicals” poured into the pool.
There is — and I cannot emphasize this part enough — absolutely no public evidence that the Reflecting Pool has actually been vandalized, unless you count Trump’s original renovation job. But since Friday, there have been at least five arrests for alleged “vandalism” of the pool, including a former US Olympian who says he only touched a detached piece of the pool liner, and an equal number of citations. Trump has threatened 10-year prison sentences for the alleged “vandals.”
As of Monday, the pool is being watched over by National Guard troops, as well as US Marshals, Park Police, and various sheriff’s deputies. Oh, and it’s being drained again.
Want more close friends? My colleague Kyndall Cunningham has just the article for you (and it’s a gift link).
Plus, from the World Cup: Lionel Messi broke two records today, claiming sole possession of first the men’s record for World Cup goals (Miroslav Klose, 16) and then the overall record (Marta, 17). Here’s his incredible 18th goal.
Have a great evening, and we’ll see you back here tomorrow!
Source: Vox.
With his fifth film, Duncan Jones reveals that he was always more of a futurologist than a sci-fi guy, even though, like the films that preceded it, Rogue Trooper is another look into the black mirror of technology. Like father, like son, you might think, given that Jones’ famous father David Bowie never met a […]
Source: Deadline.
The record company executive also worked with Billy Joel, Pink Floyd, Alicia Keys and Aerosmith.
Source: BBC.
From The Hill
Comedian Bill Maher during his latest show mocked the Obama Presidential Center, which opened in Chicago last week. “It looks like something aliens built in Dubai,” Maher remarked on the Friday episode of HBO’s “Real Time” while talking with Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Politico journalist Jonathan Martin. “It cost $850 million,” he added later….