How Trump could use Space Force to rebrand for 2020
Can I just say how cool the #Apollo50th projections on the Washington Monument were? In this week’s issue I wrote about how it was the ultimate public art project. I also wrote about how the Trump campaign could use Space Force to rebrand for 2020 and the ethics behind fundraising off of a possible military branch (if you share my story online, tag me so I can RT!).
In non-political news, “Old Town Road”tied the recordfor most weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 this week. Lil Nas X tweeted that he “forced everybody at red lobsters to stream” his song. Gotta appreciate the hustle. By this time next week, we could have a new record holder. Talk to you then.
Yours,
The week in politics and culture
Former special counsel Robert Mueller is scheduled to testify tomorrow before the House Judiciary and Intelligence committees.
President Trump and first lady Melania Trump will host Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and his wife Jenny on September 20 for their second state dinner, the White House announced Monday. 🇦🇺
It turns out the Trump administration has not delayed the Tubman $20 bill. Although former Obama Treasury Secretary Jack Lew said he wanted the currency out by 2020, an internal report from 2013 found the new bills wouldn’t enter circulation until 2030. 💵
A Nashville country radio host said he wasn’t allowed to air an interview he had with South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D). He was, however, allowed to post it online. In the interview, Buttigieg discussed outreach to conservatives disillusioned by Trump and how his attitudes on faith differ from Trump’s. You can listen to the interview here.
The Clintons are grandparents again. Former first daughter Chelsea Clinton and husband Marc Mezvinsky announced the birth of their third child, Jasper Clinton Mezvinsky, Monday.
And the Pence family is getting a new son-in-law. Charlotte Pence announced she said “yes” to boyfriend Henry Bond Saturday.
Donald Trump Jr. announced the title of his forthcoming book will be “Triggered.” The cover was clearly designed by someone who has a passion for graphic design.
Amy Sherald, the artist behind former FLOTUS Michelle Obama’s official portrait, sat for an interview for Vogue’s August issue. She said the gray skin tone she uses in her work “feels more powerful than if I painted the skin brown” and joked the only other commission she’d accept would be for Meghan Markle. Sherald was photographed by Carrie Mae Weems. 🎨
Looks like Katy Perry, Demi Lovato, and Ariana Grande are in the #khive. The pop stars met Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) this weekend in Los Angeles at a fundraiser hosted by manager Scooter Braun. Harris’ husband Douglas Emhoff posted the below pic. 🎤
MTV announced the nominees for its “Video For Good” category at the VMAs today. Here are the videos up for the award: “Nightmare” by Halsey, “Land of the Free” by the Killers, “Runaway Train” by Skylar Grey, Jamie N Commons and Gallant, “Preach” by John Legend, “Earth” by Lil Dicky, and “You Need to Calm Down” by Taylor Swift. Ariana Grande is the most-nominated artist this year, with 10 nods.
How Trump could use Space Force to rebrand for 2020
In the modern history of presidential campaigns, we’ve never had anything like President Trump’s Space Force merchandise.
The Department of Defense prohibits unauthorized use of its military service marks, including official seals and other logos, and politicians who use them can be asked to stop. That happened last week to Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) who used a Marine emblem on a fundraising mailer and got a cease-and-desist letter.
But what if the branch of the military that being used to fundraise doesn’t exist yet?
“Until the Space Force is something, until it’s actually created, I’m not sure that any trademark prohibitions would be implicated,” Brendan Fischer, a director at the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center, told me. “What I don’t know is whether the president himself can authorize the use of the logo in his campaign or for any other use given the fact he’s the commander in chief.”
Trump’s campaign store calls its $30 Space Force shirts and $35 hats “Official” and they don’t appear to include Trump’s name on the outside. Interestingly, after they went on sale, the Air Force filed a trademark for “Space Force.”
🚀 Read more about the ethics of Trump’s unprecedented Space Force gear here.
#Apollo50th was the ultimate public art project
Photo by Evelyn Hockstein
For five nights last week, the east facade of the Washington Monument became a canvas for a 555-foot tall public art project celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 manned mission to the moon.
Conceived and commissioned by the Smithsonian, the show was produced by 59 Productions, a British company that also produced the 2012 London Olympics Opening Ceremony. It was the first time something had been projected on the Washington Monument, Smithsonian Air and Space Museum director of communications Marc Sklar told Yello.
For the first three nights, the Saturn V rocket was projected onto the monument. Animated puffs of steam made the stationary rocket look like a hypnotic high-def gif and social media posts spread the word for the two-night finale that depicted a rocket blasting off and the moon landing.
Friday and Saturday’s shows began with projected images representing some of humanity’s greatest inventions, like cave writing, moveable type, and the steam engine. It was followed by a night sky projection, which looked absolutely otherworldly, and concluded with projections depicting the Apollo 11 mission.
There’s something primal about gathering around an obelisk with hundreds of people, but the #Apollo50th display felt absolutely cutting edge.
Yello Field Guide
How plastic straws became a culture wars battle
The right has a new beverage-based symbol of choice for government overreach. Move over, Big Gulp, you’ve been replaced by the plastic straw.
🥤 Read here for how plastic straws became the latest culture war battle, and how the Trump campaign pivoted to them after a week of controversy over Trump’s racist “go back” tweet.
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