EVIL EMPIRE. What Mick Mulvaney’s doing behind the scenes: ‘This account of Mulvaney’s rising power is based on interviews with 32 White House aides, current and former administration officials, lawmakers and legislative staffers, some of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity to be candid….Mulvaney has focused much of his energy on creating a new White House power center revolving around the long-dormant Domestic Policy Council and encompassing broad swaths of the administration. One White House official described Mulvaney as “building an empire for the right wing.”’
LOVE ME TENDER. Baz Luhrmann has cast his Elvis Presley.
HISTORIC. Lil Nas X continues to make history with “Old Town Road”.
NYT. Pete Buttigieg’s life in the closet: “He may have waited far longer than most young gay men today. But ever the overachiever, he made record time in setting a new bar. In less than four years he went from being single and closeted to being married and out as a gay candidate for president.”
BOLSONARO. Brazilian president may nominate son as U.S. ambassador: ‘Eduardo Bolsonaro, who is currently a congressman, met with Foreign Minister Ernesto Araujo on Friday and told reporters that the minister “expressed support” for his nomination.’
WILLIAM DANNEMEYER. Ding dong, the U.S. House’s most notorious anti-gay crusader is dead. ‘Mr. Dannemeyer advocated for new anti-sodomy laws, falsely declared that AIDS patients “emit spores” that can infect pregnant women and followed conspiracy theorist Lyndon H. LaRouche Jr. in calling for AIDS patients to be quarantined. ‘
PROVINCETOWN. Last few days to enter our big Provincetown contest. Details here.
ACA 2.0? Biden unveils healthcare plan: ‘The plan — which the campaign says will cost $750 billion over a decade, to be paid for by reversing some of the Trump administration’s tax cuts — is less transformative than the “Medicare for All” proposal advanced by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and supported by some other Democrats, which would effectively do away with private insurance and shift all Americans to government-run health care.’
WILL HURD. A Republican congressman finally called Trump racist. “The tweets are racist and xenophobic. They are also inaccurate. … It’s behavior that’s unbecoming of a President of the United States”
IT’S A NO FROM ME. Kim Cattrall on doing another Sex and the City movie.
AUDIO SUNGLASSES. Wearable with shade: “Putting a top-quality audio experience into sunglass frames feels like as seismic a shift as the first era of wireless headphones.”
BOB ROSS. Where are all his paintings of happy little trees?
UNEXPECTED SEA CREATURE OF THE DAY. A huge barrel jellyfish off the coast of Cornwall, UK. “It has got a very mild sting and poses no threat to humans – some people don’t even feel it,” Daly said. “Many people would be immediately worried, but it is not dangerous. Its a majestic creature.”
MUSIC VIDEO OF THE DAY. Blood Orange “Benzo”.
MONDAY MUSCLE. Doug Souza.
