Trump’s new plane
Plus: Christina Aguilera absolutely slayed at the Obama opening
The jet Qatar gifted to President Donald Trump has been painted and Trump’s planning on using it for a future presidential library. Meanwhile, former President Barack Obama opened his presidential library, and while there’s no Air Force One, Christina Aguilera did sing at the opening, which is actually cooler.
Welcome to this week’s issue of Whig. Read to the end to find out what the family of a celebrated record exec said about his legacy. — Hunter Schwarz
Iran war peace plan:
Vice President JD Vance, who went on “The View” last week, said in Switzerland Monday that peace talks between the U.S. and Iran have “laid a very good foundation for a successful final deal.” Domestically, though, members of his own party aren’t sold on it.
Republican lawmakers have criticized the memorandum of understanding, including Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, who called it the “worst foreign policy blunder in decades,” and Sen. Roger Wicker of Arkansas, who criticized the deal’s proposed $300 billion economic development fund for Iran and said the deal is “completely out of step with the president’s goals.”
Trump’s new plane:
Trump unveiled the Boeing jet on Friday that the Qatari government gave him last year, and it’s been painted in a new white, red, gold, and navy blue color scheme.
“It was my taste,” Trump said at the unveiling at Andrews Air Force Base. “All of the planes in the fleet are being changed into this look, which is a much better look and a more appropriate look.”
Last fall, months after Qatar gifted Trump the plane, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Qatar would build a military facility at a U.S. Air Force base in Idaho. Trump has said he plans to take the jet with him after he leaves office for his presidential library.
An Olympian was arrested at the Reflecting Pool:
After the refurbished Reflecting Pool turned green with algae beginning the day after it was refilled, Trump said it will have to be drained again and repaired, and he’s blaming vandals without providing evidence.
David Hearn, an Olympic canoeist who competed at the 1992, 1996, and 2000 Games, was arrested and detained for five hours Friday for destruction of government property after he said he touched a piece of detached piece of liner in the Reflecting Pool. Officials say at least five people have been arrested for alleged vandalism, per officials. Sure, Jan.
Obama doesn’t like nostalgia:
Obama told his own alumni last week before the opening of the new Obama Presidential Center in Chicago that he hopes they don’t feel nostalgia when they visit.
“I don’t believe in nostalgia, because I think nostalgia implies this sentiment that there’s this thing in the past that was somehow golden and better, but is unattainable now, and it lets us off the hook,” he said. Obama said he hopes visitors will instead “be reminded of what’s possible.”
Michelle Obama said something really important about respecting others:
No shade to her husband, but the former FLOTUS hit it out of the park during her remarks at the opening. After praising his job as president (and bringing him to tears, awwww), former First Lady Michelle Obama spoke plainly about the dangers of not respecting others as fellow children of God and Americans, even if we don’t agree with them.
“To refuse to respect the contributions and experiences of people who aren’t exactly like us, y’all, puts us all at risk,” she said. “Failing to see the humanity in all people puts us all on a slippery slope. And once that slide starts, there’s no telling where it stops. A dangerous precedent that flies in the very face of our faith. And of the founding promise of this democracy that all of us, all of us are created equal, that each of us is a child of God with inherent value. And no one, and I mean no one, has the right to sit in judgment of who’s American enough.”
Obama continued to say that’s why “we simply don’t have the luxury or time to be cynical or complacent, to wring our hands in despair, to wait for someone else to fix the problem. Y’all, hope is all we have.” She said that we have the power and choice to build a country that “reflects us all.”
W. brought Michelle some Altoids:
Every living former president and first lady was on hand last week for the Obama Center opening. As a symbol of friendship and reference to shared mints at John McCain’s funeral back in 2018, former President George W. Bush brought a tin of Altoid mints for Michelle.
On a more awkward note, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was face-to-face with the Bidens just days after saying former President Joe Biden’s decision to run for reelection was a “terrible mistake.” Anyways, I love when they take pics like this:
🎬 No. 1 movie: Disney’s and Pixar’s Toy Story 5
💿 No. 1 album: Olivia Rodrigo’s You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl so in Love
🎵 No. 1 song: Taylor Swift’s “I Knew It, I Knew You” for a second week
Christina Aguilera absolutely slayed at the Obama opening:
There were so many great performances at the Obama Presidential Center opening, but sorry, no one did it better than Xtina, who wore a Prabal Gurung gown to perform a special arrangement she made of “What A Wonderful World.”
Obama Foundation CEO Valerie Jarrett said the song, first performed by Louis Armstrong in 1967, was “one of President Obama’s favorite songs.” It was also Xtina’s first time ever singing the song publicly, but you wouldn’t know it just from listening since she absolutely nailed it.
Olivia Rodrigo just announced she’s putting on an all-female festival:
Rodrigo said Monday she’s headlining a festival she’s putting on called the Daisy Chain Fields Festival to be held August 29 in Irvine, California. “I’ve had a dream of doing this festival for years and i am so ecstatic it’s finally coming true!!” Rodrigo said in a social media post announcing the news.
The all-female lineup includes Chappell Roan, Doechii, Katseye, and Garbage, and all the net proceeds from the festival will go to charities that support women and girls.
Charli clears up some things about dance and rock music:
Charli XCX explained to Rolling Stone how the line “I think the dance floor is dead” in her song “Rock Music” isn’t meant as shade to anyone.
“That lyric is very much about my relationship with Brat, and my personal experience with that album,” she said. “My husband runs a dance-music label. There’s been such a wealth of incredible dance/electronic-adjacent records that have been coming out recently, whether it’s Slayyyter or Underscores or PinkPantheress. Dance music is in an incredible place.”
Charli also said her forthcoming album Music, Fashion, Film isn’t a rock album. “Obviously, I know that there’s been a lot of conversation around me making a rock album, which is something that I never said,” she said. “But to be honest, I’ve never thought about genre in a binary way. I find that to be a very old-school notion. I don’t even know what the genre is.” Me neither.
Madonna is obsessed with her most viral fan:
The internet’s “favorite Madonna Stan,” 62-year-old Florida man Martín Diaz, has gone viral for his infectious lip syncing videos to the Queen of Pop’s new songs, and he spoke movingly about how Madonna’s music changed his life in 1998 when he checked into rehab for addiction and she released Ray of Light.
“It was like my mother, Madonna, was sitting there telling me it was going to be okay,” Diaz told Paper. The line in her song “The Power of Good-Bye” about “there’s nothing left to lose” helped him work through his recovery. “It was a release…letting go of the bad stuff and having this woman become a spiritual guide to me. I quoted her the first time I shared my story at a [Narcotics Anonymous] meeting.”
That’s beautiful. Pop music saves lives. Madonna shared one of Diaz’s videos on Instagram and wrote, “Obsessed with this diva!!!!,” which is the highest honor a diva can give.
Mick Jagger can’t pick just one favorite song:
Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger told Today his favorite albums of his band’s are 1968’s Beggars Banquet, 1971’s Sticky Fingers, and 2023’s Hackney Diamonds. He couldn’t pick just one favorite song.
“I mean, there's so many different styles. I mean, you're running the gamut of ‘Sympathy for the Devil.’ You know, ‘Start Me Up,’ ‘Angie,’ ‘Honkey Tonk Women,’” Jagger said. “I can’t do one song. There’s hundreds of songs.”
You can now submit to be Best New Artist in the Grammys four times:
Not every artist makes it big right away with their debut, and especially today, some breakthroughs take years. To account for that, the Grammys has over the years become increasingly flexible about what counts as “new.” Their newest change allows artists to submit themselves for the Best New Artist category four times instead of three.
The Grammys is also adding five new categories: Best Asian Pop Music Performance, Best R&B Collaboration or Duo/Group Performance, Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance, Best Traditional Folk Album, and Best Latin Song. The 2027 Grammys will be held on Feb. 7.
RIP Clive Davis:
Record executive Clive Davis, the star maker behind artists like Whitney Houston, Bruce Springsteen, Alicia Keys, and “American Idol” winners, has died at the age of 94, his family said Monday.
Davis’s family said in a statement, “To the world, our father was the iconic music legend whose vision, instincts, and relentless pursuit of excellence shaped the soundtrack of countless lives. He discovered, mentored, and championed the greatest artists in modern music history, leaving an indelible mark on culture that will endure for generations.” To them, he was dad and granddaddy and “the source of wisdom, strength, encouragement, and unconditional love.” Listen to some of the songs Davis helped made hits here.
Thanks for reading! See you next week. ⭐