Whoever was in charge of tonight’s State of the Union tickets may have been under the influence of covfefe. The Sergeant-at-Arms office, which is responsible for printing the tickets, misspelled “union” as “uniom.” The address begins at 9P -- and while we know who won’t be showing up -- some are wondering which version of 45 will enter the chamber. Some of Trump’s base fear that teleprompter Trump will lose his hard edge. But given that Stephen Miller, the president’s Senior Policy Advisor, is in charge of writing this year’s address -- I think they can rest assured some rhetoric will be included just for them. And, in a fundraising solicitation on Monday, 45 is turning SOTU into a cash cow. The president offered those willing to pay at least $35 the opportunity to see their name displayed during a live streaming of the address on his campaign website. By the way -- a reminder -- the government runs out of funding next week. And both Republicans and Democrats are doubtful they can reach a long-term budget deal by February 8th. Which brings us to the Hill… Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee voted last night to release a classified memo alleging misconduct by senior FBI officials involved in the Russia probe, despite warnings from the DOJ. This was on the heels of the abrupt departure of FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe. Also, a closely divided Senate on Monday blocked a proposed federal ban on abortions after 20 weeks in a vote that is likely to be the first of several election-year attempts to highlight the split between Ds and Rs. In a show of bipartisanship, the House overwhelmingly passed a bill Monday that requires mandatory reporting of sexual abuse in amateur athletics to law enforcement. And Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-NJ) is the latest veteran Republican to announce his retirement, opening up another competitive district as the GOP braces for what could be a brutal midterm cycle. Lastly, Jess O’Connell, the CEO of the DNC, is leaving after less than a year on the job. Okay! I’ll be live tweeting the SOTU this eve. Follow along. We’re kicking off Tuesday with this...
- FCC Chair Ajit Pai comes out against Trump’s national 5G network.
- Trump extends an olive branch to African leaders ahead of their conference this weekend.
- Want to work for the Obama Foundation? Meet their new Director of People.
- Former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara launches task force on democracy.
- Ken Chenault named Chairman and Managing Director of venture capital fund.
- Michelle Obama picks Ellen DeGeneres for her first post-White House television interview.
- Cleveland MLB team shelves Native American logo.
- Airbnb launches response to Trump’s “shithole” comments.
- Congressman Elijah Cummings (D-MD) and Oversight Dems want to subpoena Homeland Security over Russian interference.
- President of Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce running for congressional seat.
- Meet the Pulitzer Prize-winning journo just named MSNBC Correspondent.
- WSJ names a new Assistant Managing Editor.
- HRC’s 2008 campaign manager says she was overruled on the firing of a campaign advisor accused of harassment.
- Former UN Ambassador Bill Richardson quits Myanmar advisory board.