FLOTUS unveils new White House tour
Plus: The Sphere voted
Politics in the front, pop culture in the back. Subscribe to Whig, a newsletter by Hunter Schwarz:
Our nation’s school teacher First Lady is doing the most school teacher thing possible as a parting gift for her time in the White House with a new, more interactive tour, while in Las Vegas, the Sphere is doing its civic duty and encouraging early voting.
Welcome to today’s issue of Whig. Read to the end for what Kylie Minogue said about almost recording Britney Spears’ “Toxic.” — Hunter
Top headlines:
🗞️ Press freedom groups urge Biden to demand Israel allow media access in Gaza. At least 18 press freedom and human rights groups expressed their support on Monday for a congressional letter urging the Biden administration to demand that Israel allow independent access into Gaza for U.S. and international journalists. [HuffPost]
🧮 IRS announces new federal income tax brackets for 2025. The agency raised the income thresholds for each bracket, which applies to tax year 2025 for returns filed in 2026, to adjust for inflation. [CNBC]
🛒 The last full-size Kmart in the mainland U.S. closed its doors in Bridgehampton, N.Y. All that’s left is one smaller Kmart with limited items in Miami and a few stores in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Guam. [CNN]
🏀 New York Liberty win their first WNBA title. The Liberty made the WNBA Finals five times before, losing each one, including last season. [Associated Press]
Biden honors Spielberg, Missy Elliott, and more:
President Joe Biden said he had “very good meetings” with “the Quad,” of Western allies after meeting in Berlin Friday with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron, and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
“There was unanimity on continuing to support what's going on in Ukraine, helping Ukrainians,” Biden said. “We also talked about the Middle East. We think there is a road to peace there. It's going to be harder. It's going to be difficult. But we're all on the same page. There was total unanimity.”
Biden returned to the White House Sunday and was on hand Monday for the National Medals of Arts and National Humanities Medals ceremony. Biden awarded Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Ken Burns, Missy Elliott, Queen Latifah, Aaron Sorkin, Jon Meacham, and others.
FLOTUS unveils new White House tour:
First Lady Jill Biden is leaving her mark on the White House with only months to go before moving out. The educator has revamped the White House visitor tour, making it more interactive for guests with digital displays and opening the tour to more rooms.
“I walk these halls every day and I thought to myself, we need something that’s more vibrant and comes alive,” Dr. Biden told Good Morning America. She said the tour is designed for visual, auditory, and tactile learners, and among the additions to the experience are a 3D rendering of the White House campus on one wall that lights up and shows when certain renovations were made and by whom. “It makes it much more interesting,” she said.
Some rooms that were previously fenced off to visitors are now open to walk into during public tours, and for the first time, the Diplomatic Reception is part of the tour. “Now they’re going to be able to come in and walk into the room,” she said. Dr. Biden said “it was the right call” for her husband to not seek reelection and she said she hopes her legacy as First Lady is one of learning.
Trump’s going on Rogan:
As part of his outreach to young male voters, former President Donald Trump is reportedly expected to sit with host Joe Rogan for his podcast “The Joe Rogan Experience” Friday in Austin. Trump’s podcast media strategy has helped him reach potential voters who don’t consume traditional media, and Rogan’s Spotify-exclusive podcast is the most popular podcast on the platform.
Trump thinks U.S. “would work better” under fascism, his former chief of staff says:
Former Trump White House chief of staff John Kelly said in new audio obtained by CNN that Trump “certainly prefers the dictator approach to government.”
“Well, looking at the definition of fascism: It’s a far-right authoritarian, ultranationalist political ideology and movement characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social hierarchy,” Kelly said. “So certainly, in my experience, those are the kinds of things that he thinks would work better in terms of running America.”
The Central Park Five just sued Trump for defamation:
Trump is facing a defamation suit from the Central Park Five, exonerated men who take issue with Trump’s comments during the debate that they admitted guilt to a 1989 assault that they didn’t plead guilty to and were exonerated of in 2002.
Attorneys for the five men wrote in a complaint they have “suffered injuries as a result of Defendant Trump’s false and defamatory statements.” Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung called the suit “another frivolous, Election Interference lawsuit.”
Trump shooting was “preventable,” House task force finds:
A bipartisan House task force said in a preliminary report released Monday that “the tragic and shocking events of July 13 were preventable and should not have happened,” citing problems including “a lack of planning and coordination between the Secret Service and its law enforcement partners before the rally” and “fragmented lines of communication.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said in a statement “Congress will leave no stone unturned in pursuit of truth and justice for the victims of that fateful afternoon,” and a full report will be released in December.
Melania makes rare public appearance:
Fresh off her No. 1 New York Times Bestseller book, former First Lady Melania Trump attended last Thursday’s Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner with her husband who joked, “Tradition holds that I’m supposed to tell a few self-deprecating jokes this evening. So here it goes. Nope. I’ve got nothing. There’s nothing to say.”
Harris, who didn’t attend, sent in a video skit filmed with Molly Shannon who played her character Mary Katherine Gallagher. “In honor of the great Al Smith, let us fight to build a better future with faith in God, our country, and in each other,” Harris said in her video’s closing message.
Harris goes on bipartisan tour with Cheney:
Harris continued her pursuit of disaffected Republican voters on a three-state “Country Over Party” tour Monday featuring panel discussions with former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) in theaters in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. “It’s not about party, it’s about right and wrong,” Cheney said in Michigan during a discussion moderated by Maria Shriver. Cheney added that Republicans “can vote your conscience and not ever have to say a word to anybody” and said, “there will be millions of Republicans who do that on Nov. 5.”
Harris said, “anyone who has openly said as he has that he would terminate the Constitution of the United States should never again stand behind the seal of the president of the United States.”
Emhoff talks music with Pearl Jam:
Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff talked about how much the music industry has come out in support of his wife on the SiriusXM Pearl Jam Radio channel with Eddie Vedder and Jeff Amet of Pearl Jam.
“The music industry has come out in a way that you guys have always done this,” Emhoff said. “It’s what you did from day one, using your voice, not only to make this music we all love, but to talk about the truth and being engaged.” Emhoff called out support from artists like Taylor Swift and Bruce Springsteen and said he’s been able to visit local record stores during campaign visits to highlight the Harris campaign’s plans for small businesses.
Vedder told Emhoff he believes Trump “unlike any other candidate in the history of our country, he’s got more at stake on a personal level, his personal freedoms, his future, all riding on this vote and I think he needs people and I think he uses people.” Vedder compared how Trump supporters at his rally in Coachella, Calif., were left stranded to how Trump would handle another term in office. “He gets what he wants, uses the people as padding and they’re left in utter chaos to fend for themselves.”
The Sphere voted:
Early voting started Saturday in Nevada, and the face on the Las Vegas Sphere wore an “I Voted” sticker to kick it off. Sphere Entertainment Co. announced last week it would build the second Sphere in Abu Dhabi.
Eminem rallies for Harris:
Rapper Eminem appeared at a rally in Detroit Tuesday to call on voters to turn out to vote and introduce former President Barack Obama. “The city of Detroit and the whole state of Michigan mean a lot to me, and going into this election, the spotlight is on us more than ever and I think it’s important to use your voice so I’m encouraging everybody to get out and vote please,” Eminem said. The rapper, who lent his No. 1 hit “Lose Yourself” to the Biden campaign in 2020 for an ad called “One Opportunity,” has long been critical of Trump.
When Obama took the stage, he tried his hand at rapping “Lose Yourself” and he sounded like a typical dad rapping. Please, stick to soaring rhetoric.
Lizzo calls early voting a “power move”:
Eminem isn’t the only musician Harris has tapped to turn out voters. Lizzo appeared at a rally Saturday with Harris in Detroit, the singer’s hometown. “This is the swing state of all swing states, so every last vote here counts,” Lizzo said. “If you ask me if America is ready for its first woman president, I only have one thing to say: It’s about damn time!” Lizzo called early voting a “power move” and said she already voted.
Usher calls Harris a “new generation of leadership”:
Meanwhile in Atlanta, Usher told the crowd at a Harris rally “we have the opportunity to choose a new generation of leadership for our country.” Usher said he’s supporting Harris “because she fights for everyone’s rights, for freedom, and it doesn’t matter where you’re from.”
Cher inducted into Rock & Roll Hall of Fame:
Cher performed “Believe” with Dua Lipa at the 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Saturday. Cher was honored alongside Ozzy Osbourne, Kool & the Gang, A Tribe Called Quest, Dave Matthews Band, and others.
“It was easier getting divorced from two men than it was getting into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame,” Cher said during her acceptance speech.
The new Lady Gaga song is going to be called “Disease”:
Lady Gaga announced her new single is coming out Friday and will be called “Disease.” Gaga shared this clip on social media to tease it.
Sabrina Carpenter reveals the making of her Short n’ Sweet Tour looks:
In an interview with Vogue, Sabrina Carpenter said “the whole show takes us through one night.” For the Short n’ Sweet Tour opening, “we thought about doing a strapless corseted bodysuit to hide” under a towel, and the show’s second act was designed to look like a cocktail hour. Carpenter said that section of the show has the most movement, so she wears a catsuit so can more easily move in.
Everyone loves Kylie Minogue’s Tension II:
Minogue is “still queen of the dance floor,” Rolling Stone said about the singer’s new album Tension II. “One of the oddities of Kylie’s career is that she’s a woman of so many comebacks, yet she’s never really had a void to come back from, or a fall from grace that’s ever made anyone regret being a Kylie fan.” NME called it “tighter yet bolder than its predecessor.”
“I never thought of doing a part two of any album before, but what we were working on definitely wasn’t the next album,” Minogue told Vogue. “The next album will be the next thing. But I feel like we’ve gone from 16:9 ratio to Panavision; it’s broadened the world of Tension. And now, with a new tour, there’s definitely still a lot of excitement for this current era.”
In an interview with “Audacy Check In” host Mike Adam, Minogue talked about being offered “ a little song called ‘Toxic’ that was headed my way, and I was like, ‘Toxic’? I don’t know if I want a song called ‘Toxic.’” That song, of course, ended up being recorded by Britney. “It was meant to be a Britney Spears song, I can’t imagine it being anything else,” Minogue said.
Britney Spears marries herself:
In an Instagram post Sunday, Spears wrote that she “married myself” and called it “the most brilliant thing I’ve ever done.” Wait, I kind of love that idea. Brb, getting engaged.
Fans held Liam Payne memorials in London and around the world:
One Direction fans held memorials around the world over the weekend to remember Liam Payne following his death at the age of 31. A partial autopsy found Payne “had multiple substances in his system” at the time of his death last week in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Thanks for reading! See you next time. ⭐