Tag: book

With the Syria strikes over, President Trump is furiously tweeting about James Comey's new book. NPR's Michel Martin and the Washington Post's Robert Costa consider the state of the Trump presidency. But many more of his tweets were dedicated to aggressive personal attacks on former FBI Director James Comey and Comey's new book, which will be available to the public starting this week. ROBERT COSTA: Great to be with you. MARTIN: Well, the big news this weekend was the U.S.-led strikes on Syria. MARTIN: So let's talk about the other aspect of this story, which is the United States ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, said today that new sanctions are going to be announced tomorrow against Russia because of Russia's support for the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad. And how do we understand this administration's evolving Russia policy? MARTIN: So let's talk about the story that a lot of us have been following today, which is the president's tweets about former FBI Director James Comey and his book. But the real big picture that's worrying this administration, based on my reporting, is the midterm elections, and you look at the news last week of Speaker Paul Ryan announcing his decision not to seek re-election. MARTIN: That was Washington Post national political reporter Robert Costa.

WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—Melania Trump said on Monday that she did not understand the controversy swirling around James Comey’s new memoir, because the book she is writing is “so much meaner.” Speaking to reporters at the White House, she said that she had obtained an advance copy of Comey’s book because she “couldn’t wait to read it,” but said that she found its tone and contents disappointingly mild. “It felt like he was pulling his punches,” she said. “No one will say that when they read my book.” She said that, as a fellow-author, she had sympathy for Comey. “Clearly, he was trying very hard to be nasty, and he deserves credit for effort,” she said. “But I will show him how it is done.” When reporters expressed surprise at the news that Trump was writing a book, she replied, “I am alone much of the time. That is ideal for a writer. And now, if you’ll excuse me, I must get back to my desk.”

WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—Calling it a “regrettable accident,” Amazon apologized on Thursday for shipping ten thousand advance copies of James Comey’s book, “A Higher Loyalty,” to the White House. Cartons of the book arrived early Thursday morning and kept coming throughout the day, until stacks of the book clogged virtually every hallway and office in the building. Reportedly, Donald J. Trump was so incensed by the book situation that he screamed at Mike Pence while the Vice-President was in the middle of praising him, one source said. The White House press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, called any speculation that Trump had ordered Comey’s book “absurd,” adding, “The President does not order reading material.” Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, said that he had “absolutely no idea” how the ten thousand Comey books made their way to the White House, but advised Trump to follow the procedures on the Amazon Web site for returning unwanted merchandise. “You can print up the return labels at home,” he said. “The books should be picked up and out of there in two weeks, three weeks, max.” Bezos said that shipping the ten thousand books back to the company’s warehouse would not be overly costly for Amazon. “We get an amazing deal on postage,” he said.

What can poetry do in the face of gun violence? Critic at large Adriana E. Ramirez attended a reading — in Florida, not long after the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland — that paired the work of poets with the voices of the families of survivors. "Throughout the anthology and evening, the image of a loved one, usually a mother, still crying, still holding on, permeates," she writes. "The image emerges again and again, but it's never old. The pain of losing someone is always fresh, always necessary." Entering our nonfiction list this week is "After/Image" by Lynell George at No. 9. The Los Angeles author and journalist is also a photographer with a keen eye; this book looks at Los Angeles' disappearing landscapes through a personal lens. George will be at the Festival of Books on the panel "Photography and Narrative" with Geoff Dyer and Karen Tei Yamashita, moderated by David L. Ulin.

WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—Donald J. Trump, legendary among U.S. Presidents for his aversion to reading, demanded on Thursday that members of his White House circle act out Michael Wolff’s new book, “Fire and Fury,” in a command performance in the Oval Office. According to those who witnessed the dramatic presentation, Jared Kushner played the role of Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump played the role of Ivanka Trump, and Sarah Huckabee Sanders played Steve Bannon. Sources who sat through the private performance of “Fire and Fury” said that Sanders’s portrayal of Bannon was particularly impressive. “Sarah’s a natural,” one source said. “At the end of the day, acting is just lying.” But the performer who “stole the show,” according to one source, was Eric Trump, who was cast in the role of his father. “Eric played his dad like a bumbling, spoiled idiot who couldn’t do anything right,” the source said. “It was the role of a lifetime for him.” The President, who sat stone-faced as the spectacle unfolded, became increasingly angry and agitated, especially as he witnessed Kellyanne Conway’s scathingly sarcastic portrayal of herself. Reportedly, after Conway mimed putting a finger gun to her head for the fifth time, Trump grabbed his remote and tried to turn her off.