Hope Hicks Admits She Lies For the Lying President

Welcome to WHAT NOW, a morning round-up of the news/fresh horrors that await you today.

In a meeting with investigators on Tuesday, White House Communications Director Hope Hicks admitted that being the mouthpiece for a president well-known for his ability to tell bald-faced lies without shame has required her to also tell “white” lies.

But three people familiar with Hicks’ private testimony before the House Intelligence Committee told The New York Times that, after a lengthy consultation with her lawyers, Hicks insisted that didn’t lie about anything related to Russia’s interference in the 2016 election, or links between Russia and associates of President Trump.

Hicks also repeatedly refused to answer questions about her time with Trump’s transition team or her tenure in the administration, telling investigators she was only there to talk about the campaign, while also saying for the record that she was not invoking executive privilege.

As the Times notes, when former White House adviser Steve Bannon tried that tactic before the committee, he was quickly slapped with a subpoena. So far, there’s no indication whether the committee will also look to subpoena Hicks.

WHAT ELSE?

• Students are going back to school at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School today two weeks after former student Nikolas Cruz killed 17 people there. Deputies guarding the school will carry AR-15 rifles, the Sun-Sentinel reported, the same weapon Cruz used.
• The Associated Press reports that Trump personally negotiated a $3.9 billion deal with Boeing for two new presidential planes. Trump previously balked at the cost of the planes, which he tweeted were more than $4 billion. Now that’s dealmaking!
• Jared Kushner may have lost his top secret security clearance but he’s still going to bring peace to the Middle East.
• Serena Williams’ husband just one-upped that terrible movie by buying four billboards to celebrate his love, or something.