Trump Is Desperate, Despondent as Numbers Crater and “Loser” Label Looms

[Plus: Sophisticated Ladies]( [View in your browser]( | [Update your preferences](newsletter=vf) [Vanity Fair’s Cocktail Hour Newsletter]( A daily digest of things to discuss over drinks July 03, 2020 [Trump Desperate, Despondent as Numbers Crater and “Loser” Label Looms]( [The Joni Ernst campaign is angry at Trump’s horrible numbers. Meadows and Kushner are at loggerheads over Parscale. And if things don’t turn around by Labor Day, GOP defections may begin.]( [READ MORE »]( [There’s Never Been a Better Holiday Weekend to Spend Indoors]( [On this week’s Little Gold Men podcast, a look at enough movies and TV shows to keep anybody occupied—plus interviews with stars of two of the best ones, Bob Odenkirk and Kaitlyn Dever.]( [READ MORE »]( [Lena Horne’s Long, Hard Climb]( [All about the screen icon and civil rights activist, who would have turned 103 this week—from her best friendship with Ava Gardner to her righteous response to a racist attack.]( [READ MORE »]( [The Hiltons Were the Trumps Before the Trumps Became the Hiltons]( [In this excerpt from his new memoir Gatecrasher, editor and former gossip columnist Ben Widdicombe draws the unmistakable connections between the New York families—and recalls the time he spent at Mar-a-Lago for Ivana’s fourth wedding, a spectacle optimized for media coverage.]( [READ MORE »]( [A Riveting Story of Murder and Grief]( [HBO’s true-crime series, I’ll Be Gone in the Dark, based on the book by Patton Oswalt’s late wife, Michelle McNamara, illuminates not just the horrific Golden State Killer but also the love story between a brilliant writer and her husband.]( [READ MORE »]( [Meghan Markle’s Wedding Makeup Artist Shares Secrets]( [Daniel Martin, recently having joined Tatcha, understands the need for value—and values—in beauty. He shares his essential summer products, plus the ’90s docs that inspired his career.]( [READ MORE »]( [Five Feel-Good Podcasts to Help Find Your Inner Optimist]( [These shows provide respite without denying reality; instead they seek out light within the darkness of the human experience, and because of this, the uplifting stories they uncover feel all the more impactful.]( [READ MORE »]( [From the Archive: Sophisticated Ladies]( [Epitomizing the glamorous heyday of the Café Carlyle, the Starlight Roof, and Reno Sweeney’s, four legendary cabaret stars, Richard Merkin wrote, defied time and age to light the New York night. In 1998, Julie Wilson, Lena Horne, Hildegarde, and Eartha Kitt smoldered for Annie Leibovitz’s camera, while Merkin found his table waiting.]( [READ MORE »]( [(image) Condé Nast Spotlight | The breaking news and top stories everyone is talking about. All in one place. From the editors of Vogue, GQ, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Wired, Architectural Digest and more. READ NOW]( [][Vanity Fair]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [YouTube]( This e-mail was sent to you by VANITY FAIR. To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add our e-mail address, vanityfair@newsletter.vf.com, to your address book. View our [Privacy Policy]( [Unsubscribe]( Copyright © Condé Nast 2020. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.