War. And peace?
Plus: Cardi B is finally releasing her sophomore album
President Donald Trump had two used-car-lot-sized flagpoles installed at the White House just in time for all the live shots there as he entered the U.S. into Israel’s war with Iran. Outrage over the strikes without Congressional authorization has members of both parties up in arms.
Welcome to this week’s issue of Whig. Read to the end find out the only artist who’s unbookable for the weddings of the super rich, and once you hear who it is you’ll be like, yeah, that tracks. — Hunter Schwarz
War:
The U.S. entered Israel’s war with Iran over the weekend, striking three Iranian nuclear sites. Trump, who called the strikes without authorization of Congress, said the attack “completely and fully obliterated” the sites. Called Operation Midnight Hammer, it was the largest operational strike ever by B-2 stealth bombers.
Trump’s claim that Iran was close to building a nuclear weapon goes against recent U.S. intelligence that Iran was not building a nuclear weapon. World leaders responded to the strikes, including U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, who said he was “gravely alarmed” and called for deescalation.
Vice President J.D. Vance claimed on Meet the Press, “We’re not at war with Iran. We’re at war with Iran’s nuclear program.” Iran responded Monday with a limited missile attack directed at a U.S. base in Qatar that had no casualties.
And peace?:
Trump wrote on his social network shortly before this newsletter went to print that a ceasefire had been agreed to.
Massie’s and Khanna’s bipartisan call to reign in war powers:
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), who said the strikes were “not Constitutional,” told Fox News Sunday he felt “a bit misled” by Trump not keeping his campaign promise to keep the U.S. out of war. He introduced a House resolution last week with Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) to block Trump from “unauthorized hostilities” with Iran.
“There was no imminent threat,” Massie said on CBS News’s Face the Nation. Khanna said, “I’m always open to new intelligence, but the procedure should have been Congress be briefed before we decided to enter war and actually have a vote on it.”
Now, the Trump-aligned super PAC MAGA, Inc., has launched a Kentucky operation to unseat Massie in the Republican primary ahead of next year’s midterm election, and they’re ready to spend big. Massie isn’t the only Republican speaking out against Trump over Iran. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) accused Trump of a “bait and switch.”
AOC says strikes are grounds for impeachment:
Trump’s strikes on Iran without approval from Congress is grounds for impeachment, said Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.).
“The President’s disastrous decision to bomb Iran without authorization is a grave violation of the Constitution and Congressional War Powers. He has impulsively risked launching a war that may ensnare us for generations. It is absolutely and clearly grounds for impeachment,” she wrote on X.
Ariana Grande shared AOC’s post on Instagram Stories.
The White House has way more flag now and the Rose Garden is a construction zone:
Trump had two comically large 88-foot-tall flag poles installed on the White House grounds Wednesday for two giant-sized U.S. flags to fly on the North and South Lawns.
And new photos show the White House Rose Garden now covered in gravel as part of Trump’s renovation of the space to remove the grass, which he said was an issue for “women, with the high heels.”
Oh, and Trump put his terrible Truth Social avatar on the wall between two FLOTUS portraits:
That’s not the only redecorating he’s doing. The image of Trump with U.S. flag-style face paint like he’s in Braveheart that he uses on Truth Social is now displayed on an East Wing wall between portraits of former First Ladies Laura Bush and Pat Nixon.
The Supreme Court ruled to let Trump deport criminals to “third countries”:
The Supreme Court said in an order Monday that the Trump administration can deport convicted criminals to “third countries,” or countries they have no personal connection to.
“The ramifications of the Supreme Court’s order will be horrifying; it strips away critical due process protections that have been protecting our class members from torture and death,” National Immigration Litigation Alliance executive director Trina Realmuto told NBC News.
Yes, Michelle Obama saw Oh, Mary!:
Former First Lady Michelle Obama says she’s seen the Tony Award-winning Oh, Mary! and she “loved it.” “I didn’t know fully what Oh, Mary! was,” Obama confessed on an episode of “Las Culturistas” about the Broadway play by Cole Escola who stars as a fictional version of another former FLOTUS, Mary Todd Lincoln. “I wasn’t sure what was going on and then scene one and I am cracking up,” Obama said, but she was worried about being seen laughing out loud. “If people see me laughing it’s going to be on Page Six,” she said.
Obama, who was spotted last week with her daughters Malia and Sasha Obama in Mallorca, a Spanish island in the Mediterranean, appeared on “Las Culturistas” with her brother an fellow podcast co-host Craig Robinson. She told hosts Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers that she and her daughters saw Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter Tour in New York City, and she called Stevie Wonder’s album Talking Book “art.” “It wasn’t just about the music, it was about the message,” she said.
Schlossberg calls upcoming JFK Jr. series “grotesque”:
Jack Schlossberg, the nephew of the late George magazine co-founder John F. Kennedy, Jr., said last week his family wasn’t consulted about producer Ryan Murphy’s forthcoming American Love Story series about JFK Jr.’s relationship with Carolyn Bessette. Actor Paul Kelly plays JFK Jr. in the series.
“The right to privacy, which includes the ability to control your own name, image, and likeness, doesn't survive death in the state of New York. For that matter, he's considered a public figure, so there's not much we can do,” Schlossberg said in an Instagram Story. “I hope those making these shows about him take seriously what he stood for in his life, all that he achieved in it.”
Cuban says he turned down vetting for Dem VP role in ‘24:
Mark Cuban told The Bulwark’s Tim Miller he turned down an offer from former Vice President Kamala Harris’s 2024 campaign to be vetted as running mate. “I’m not very good as the No. 2 person,” Cuban said. “The last thing we need is me telling Kamala, you know, the president, that, ‘No, that’s a dumb idea,’ right? And I’m not real good at the shaking hands and kissing babies.”
Cardi B is finally releasing her sophomore album:
OKurrrr, Cardi B had us waiting for the follow-up to her 2018 Grammy Award-winning debut Invasion of Privacy. The singer announced her forthcoming sophomore album Am I The Drama? will be released on Sept. 19. The 23-track album will include 2020’s “WAP” with Megan Thee Stallion and “Up” from 2021, both of which hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
“7 years and the time has come,” Cardi said teasing the album. “7 years of love, life and loss. 7 years I gave them grace, but now, I give them hell. I learned power is not given, it’s taken. I’m shedding feathers and no more tears. I’m not back, I’m beyond. I’m not your villain, I’m your tyrant. The time is here. The time is now.”
Dolly Parton’s getting a mini Las Vegas residency:
Dolly Parton hasn’t been on tour since her Pure & Simple Tour ended in 2016, but she announced Monday she’s performing a six-night residency this December in Sin City. “Dolly: Live In Las Vegas” will run from Dec. 4 through Dec. 13 at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace. “I haven’t worked Vegas in years and I’ve always loved singing there,” Parton said in a statement.
The Drag Race main stage got a makeover:
The main stage of RuPaul’s Drag Race has gotten its first redesign in 16 seasons courtesy production designer Jen Chu. “We had to update our stage out of necessity,” she told The Hollywood Reporter. “Some of the equipment became obsolete, and it became clear that it was time to move forward.” The new stage includes screen panels and backlights so when contests wear black they won’t blend into the black stage.
“I moved in the direction of creating a stage that has a feeling of nostalgia,” Chu said, since contestants are “always referencing classic actors, classic films, and I wanted a stage that did not necessarily feel flung into the future.”
Beyoncé’s Paris guest stars:
Beyoncé brought out surprise guest stars during her three-night run of the Cowboy Carter Tour at the Stade de France outside Paris. Miley Cyrus joined in Thursday for the live debut of their duet “II Most Wanted,” while husband Jay Z was there for Sunday’s show to rap his parts in songs including Beyoncé’s first Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit as a solo artist, “Crazy In Love,” and “Drunk in Love.”
Madonna went to see Hamilton and she was reportedly on her iPad the whole time:
Actor Anthony Ramos said on Watch What Happens Live last Thursday that during the original run of Hamilton, the most terrifying celeb encounter he had was with Madonna, who had “her iPad in her face” during the whole show. Jonathan Groff, who was also in Hamilton, said in 2015 that Madonna was on her phone the entire time when she came to watch. “You couldn’t miss it from the stage,” he said.
Paris Hilton just bought Mark Wahlberg’s old house:
Paris Hilton and her husband Carter Reum bought a Beverly Hills home once owned by Mark Wahlberg for $63 million. The purchase coms after Hilton’s Malibu home was destroyed in fires earlier this year. The 12-bedroom home has a five-hole golf course, driving range, sports court, skate park, and wine-and-cigar cellar.
There’s only one artist who’s unbookable for the weddings of the super rich, and once you hear who it is you’ll be like, yeah, that tracks:
With Amazon founder and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos set to wed Lauren Sánchez this week in Venice, Italy, The Wall Street Journal spoke to luxury wedding planners about what goes into planning nuptials for the super wealthy. The most interesting detail to me was about the entertainment.
London luxury planner Sarah Haywood said the Russians started the trend of celebrity performances, and since, artists like Paul McCartney, Elton John, the Rolling Stones, Lionel Richie have been booked to sing mini-sets at the weddings of the world’s wealthiest people. At the wedding last year of the son of one of India’s richest men and the daughter of a pharmaceutical company CEO, for example, Rihanna was estimated to have been paid $6 million to perform at a pre-wedding event and Justin Bieber $10 million for a wedding performance.
The director of events at luxury planning firm said Adele was the only artist he found couldn’t be booked. “Even the DJs charge a million dollars,” said event designer Preston Bailey, who planned Ivanka Trump’s wedding.
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