“Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has been revealed as a top donor to a Republican PAC aimed at keeping control of Congress,” the Daily Beast reports.
“Musk has a history of donating to both parties, but contributions to the Republican Party raised eyebrows on Twitter, where many questioned how the ‘socially liberal’ billionaire vowing to fight climate change could support the GOP’s platform.”
Stormy Daniels “was arrested early Thursday at an Ohio strip club for allegedly touching patrons on stage in violation of state law,” CNN reports.
“When officers witnessed those activities, three detectives approached the stage. Daniels allegedly made her way toward two detectives, leaned over and grabbed their faces. She shoved each of their faces between her breasts.”
Said attorney Michael Avenatti: “This was a setup and politically motivated. It reeks of desperation. We will fight all bogus charges.”
“I’ll put it this way. People forced to play defense tend to get sloppy, they tend to make mistakes. And look, if I didn’t think Michael was doing a good job, I would fire his ass…. Every time I watch him work, I think, This is what it must have been like to see the Sistine Chapel being painted. But instead of paint, Michael uses the tears of his enemies.”
— Stormy Daniels, quoted by the New York Times, about her attorney, Michael Avenatti.
Oprah Winfrey told Vogue UK that running for president “would kill” her.
Said Winfrey: “In that political structure — all the non-truths, the bullshit, the crap, the nastiness, the backhanded backroom stuff that goes on — I feel like I could not exist. I would not be able to do it. It’s not a clean business.”
Megan McCain made her feelings clear about the way President Trump repeatedly attacks her father, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), Time reports.
Said McCain: “Trump’s comments are never going to be OK with me, especially at this moment in my life. I’m never going to forgive it. I’m never going to move on from it.”
“Attorney Michael Avenatti’s months-long publicity tour attacking President Trump and Trump attorney Michael Cohen could be brought to an abrupt end soon if a federal judge agrees to a new request for a gag order against the ubiquitous Avenatti,” Politico reports.
“A lawyer for Cohen, Brent Blakely, asked a judge in Los Angeles Thursday to issue an order barring Avenatti from making public statements about the lawsuit Avenatti’s client, porn star Stormy Daniels, filed against Trump and Cohen in March… Blakely said an avalanche of inflammatory public comments by Avenatti—including at least 121 TV appearances and 439 tweets—is tainting the court proceeding.”
President Trump said he is considering posthumously pardoning boxer Muhammad Ali, who was convicted in 1967 after refusing military service in Vietnam, CNN reports.
Said Trump: “I’m thinking about Muhammad Ali. I’m thinking about that very seriously and some others.”
“The president has made it pretty clear he’s going to try to divide all of us in this country for political gain.”
— Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr, quoted by the Washington Post.
“Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James says that neither the Cleveland Cavaliers nor the Golden State Warriors want to visit the White House, if they win the NBA Finals,” Sports Illustrated reports.
James added that he was still digesting the news of Trump’s disinviting of the Philadelphia Eagles: “That’s typical of him. I know no matter who wins this series, no one wants to go anyway.”
“The evening before the Super Bowl champion Eagles were to visit the White House, President Trump released a statement: the trip is off,” the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Said a statement: “The Philadelphia Eagles are unable to come to the White House with their full team to be celebrated tomorrow. They disagree with their President because he insists that they proudly stand for the National Anthem, hand on heart, in honor of the great men and women of our military and the people of our country.”
Samantha Bee told the Daily Beast that she “deeply regrets” calling Ivanka Trump a “feckless cunt” on her show.
Meanwhile, Deadline reports that the White House called on TBS to cancel the show.
Said press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders: “The language used by Samantha Bee last night is vile and vicious. The collective silence by the left and its media allies is appalling. Her disgusting comments and show are not fit for broadcast, and executives at Time Warner and TBS must demonstrate that such explicit profanity about female members of this administration will not be condoned on its network.”
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said that President Trump told him that criticism of NFL players who protest during the national anthem is “a very winning, strong issue for me,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
Trump told Jones: “Tell everybody, you can’t win this one. This one lifts me.”
Roseanne Barr said she was “Ambien tweeting” when she wrote racist remarks on Twitter that compared a black former Obama administration official to an ape, but the makers of Ambien “were having none of it,” the New York Times reports.
Said the company: “People of all races, religions and nationalities work at Sanofi every day to improve the lives of people around the world. While all pharmaceutical treatments have side effects, racism is not a known side effect of any Sanofi medication.”
President Trump finally weighed in on ABC’s firing of Roseanne Barr for a racist tweet:
Bob Iger of ABC called Valerie Jarrett to let her know that “ABC does not tolerate comments like those” made by Roseanne Barr. Gee, he never called President Donald J. Trump to apologize for the HORRIBLE statements made and said about me on ABC. Maybe I just didn’t get the call?
New York Daily News: “The former New York City mayor was at The Stadium to celebrate his 74th birthday on Memorial Day, with the PA announcer sharing the news with the crowd and wishing him a happy birthday. The fans, however, greeted him with hearty boos.”