Coach Acquires Kate Spade For $2.4 Billion

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Coach will buy handbag and accessories brand Kate Spade for $2.5 billion, an acquisition already approved by both boards of directors. 

Coach CEO Victor Luis said he planned to "unlock Kate Spade's largely untapped global growth potential" and that the acquisition provides "an additional vehicle for driving long-term, sustainable growth.” The purchase also gives Coach a prestige brand with a strong Millennial following and potential to capitalize on recent success expanding into lifestyle categories like home furnishings. 

Coach is also focused on its own brand, with a strategy of running fewer promotions and pulling out of discounting department stores like Macy's and Lord & Taylor. The company will employ the same strategy with Kate Spade by reducing online flash sales and its wholesale presence.

Kate Spade is the second major acquisition by Coach, who bought designer shoe brand Stuart Weitzman in 2015.

'Morning Joe' Gets The SNL Treatment & Kate McKinnon Is Brilliant As Mika Brzezinski

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This weekend's 'Saturday Night Live' took aim at the American Health Care Act; President Donald Trump -- voiced by Alex Baldwin -- posing via phone as his own mythical PR agent John Miller; and this week's news that 'Morning Joe' hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski are engaged. 

The shows's cold open skit featured comedians Kate McKinnon doing a great Brzezinski with Alex Moffat playing Scarborough. The duo got racy and more than once -- much to the horror of regular 'Morning Joe' panelists also in the skit. 

Meet Brigitte Macron -- The Super Smart, Glamorous First Lady of France! Viva la France!

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Meet Brigitte Macron -- The Super Smart, Glamorous First Lady of France! Viva la France!

This is going to great, watching Brigitte Macron, France's new First Lady, who is a true modern woman, not living in the shadow of her husband but in concert with him. Like Melania Trump, Brigitte loves 'blue' and I'll bet she gets along great with Michelle Obama. My mind is racing on what these two ace women can do together. Obama gave a big endorsement to her husband, so expect the two couples to develop a deep personal relationship.

Forbes just profiled Brigitte Macron and also included what the haters -- lead by Marine Le Pen at this week's debate in terrible, personal insinuations -- have to say about their age difference.

Forget The Flip Book, Ivanka: The Women You Say You Stand For Are Getting Creamed By Republicans

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Smart Women Across America Are Asking: 'Where Is Ivanka When We Need Her?' AOC RedTracker Daily

The insults to Ivanka Trump are piling up in trailerloads. Sady Doyle's is one of countless, incredulous, scathing reviews of the pink frosted cupcakes baked from the wisdom of other people that America's First Daughter calls a book for working women. There is near-unanimous agreement that Ivanka Trump has a unique idea about the very word 'working'.  It's not the one that over 100 million of the rest of us relate to. 

One wonders if Ivanka isn't actually doing more damage than good with this book, even if the proceeds are going to charity. Personally, I thought Ivanka was smarter than the Stepford wife she projects in 'Women Who Work'.  Her prolific use of people's quotations, taking them out of context and giving them revised life through an Ivanka-envisioned hastag, implies a certain sympatico with her -- one that more often than not, doesn't exist at all. Ivanka Trump is smelling the roses in Hillary country, leaving many people not amused. 

When Ivanka takes Toni Morrison's 'Beloved' and its reflections on both freedom from physical slavery and a psychological prison living in the mind of its main character Sethe and applies it to the lives of well-off, working white women, our aggravation is beyond exasperation. She sounds like a heartless, clueless airhead -- or more like her father than we want to believe. 

As Gail Collins wrote in her New York Times column this weekend: 'Where's Ivanka When We Need Her?' 

Hard Work Is All That's Required, Says Ivanka Trump In A Book Drowning In Bad Reviews AOC In-Depth

Martha Stewart Goes Rogue With Trump & Snoop Dogg Artworks At Frieze New York

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Martha Stewart Goes Rogue With Trump & Snoop Dogg Artworks At Frieze New York

We don't know if Martha had a double shot of vodka in her morning green juice, before heading off Saturday to the Frieze Art Fair at Randall's Island Park in New York. In true Martha's new style, she enjoyed a double take at the juncture of Donald Trump's image positioned against her good friend's Snoop Digg.

"Was taking a pic of Trump and Snoop Dogg at Frieze and Martha Stewart walks up like this #america," Twitter user Newlin Tillotson wrote, alongside a photo of Stewart flipping the bird at Trump's portrait and giving a V sign to Snoop's.

Ever the businesswoman, Stewart also needed a promo for her and Snoop's VH1 cooking show 'Martha & Snoop's Potluck Dinner Party' and Sunday's 2017 MTV Movie and TV Awards.  Her Instagram photo shows her giving V signs to both men.  The pc pic was taken by an executive at Stewart's company Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, who shared it on Instagram and said it was a "so much less interesting" version of a similar image. 

Absent A Terrorist Attack, Marine Le Pen Is Poised To Lose French Presidency

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Absent A Terrorist Attack, Marine Le Pen Is Poised To Lose French Presidency

Writing for The Daily Beast, Christopher Dickey says definitively that "barring an act of God or ISIS, or a massive vote for the mysterious Monsiur Blanc", it is near certain that France will dodge a right-wing bullet, electing 39-year-old centrist candidate Emmanuel Macron and not far-right, nationalist-socialistic candidate Marine Le Pen as France's next president. 

The two candidates faced off in their one and only debate on Wednesday night, in which instant polls declared Macron the winner 60%-40%. If Macron is elected on Sunday, his victory represents a huge roadblock in what threatened to be a wave of nativism and populism sweeping Europe after Britain's Brexit vote.  

Morning Joe Hosts Joe Scarborough & Mika Brzezinski Confirm Engagement

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MSNBC's Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski are engaged to be married, cementing their relationship at a weekend proposal at the scenic Bar Bellini at the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Antibes. Brzezinski celebrated her 50th birthday on the romantic trip to the south of France and Monaco. 

Scarborough remarked to The Hollywood Reporter last month that he and Brzezinski "have a crackling on-air chemistry, and a crackling off-air chemistry, too." Scarborough divorced his second wife in 2013 and Brzezinski divorced her husband in 2016. In the same interview, Scarborough made it clear that even their pets were co-mingling. 

Hillary Clinton Slams Trump Administration's Assault On Women's Reproductive Health

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Hillary Clinton, speaking at the 100th anniversary gala honoring Planned Parenthood on Tuesday, slammed "groups of men" in Washington, DC who are deciding the future of women's health protections. Everyone in the room knew she was talking about the men of the Trump administration and now the anti-women lieutenants like Teresa Manning and Charmaine Yoest, hired to rollback women's health advancements over the last 50 years. 

Chloe Sevigny Is Lensed By Yelena Yemchuk For The Edit April 20, 2017

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Chloe Sevigny Is Lensed By Yelena Yemchuk For The Edit April 20, 2017

Actor Chloe Sevigny covers the April 20th, 2017 cover story of 'The Edit', styled by Tracy Taylor in printed femininity from Gucci, Balenciaga, Isabel Marant and more for images by Yelena Yemchuk

Trumps Launch Full Assault On International Programs That Benefit Women & Girls

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Trumps Launch Full Assault On International Programs That Benefit Women & Girls

The Trump family double teamed their lies about women's rights with the proposed elimination of Hillary Clinton's Global Women's Issues Office, a State Department office that fights for the rights of women all over the world, with a special focus on defending those who are in the most precarious and vulnerable situations in impoverished countries.

Angela Merkel Meets With Vladimir Putin, Armed With Her 5-Point Plan For Dealing With Autocratic Strongmen

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Angela Merkel Meets With Vladimir Putin, Armed With Her 5-Point Plan For Dealing With Autocratic Strongmen

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is at Russian President Vladimir Putin's summer residence in Sochi for talks on a variety of complex issues. No one is expecting any major breakthroughs in Sochi, writes the BBC. 

In January 2017, Foreign Policy wrote a fascinating piece on how Angela Merkel deals with bullies, noting that Vladimir Putin considers her to be a "dangerous person," according to Russian dissident and former oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky.

The chancellor’s astounding record in outfoxing, outlasting, and outmaneuvering full-of-themselves male rivals, however, began before Putin appeared on the scene. Her track record offers the outlines of a go-to plan for dealing with bullies — and, not coincidentally, it dovetails tightly with her top foreign-policy advisor’s five-point plan for taking on Trump.

Chi-chi Nwanoku's Chineke's All Black Orchestra Soars In Classical Music World

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Chi-chi Nwanoku's Chineke's All Black Orchestra Soars In Classical Music World

Chi-chi Nwanoku is a double bass player and professor of Historical Double Bass Studies at the Royal Academy of Music in London. She was a founder member and principal bassist of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, a position she held for 30 years. The New York Times profiles Nwanoku, whose Chineke! Foundation has formed Europe's first professional all-black orchestra. 

World's Leading Women Look At Ivanka With Incredulous Silence As She Extols Dad's Support For Women

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World's Leading Women Look At Ivanka With Incredulous Silence! A Few Booed!

One unplanned development from the meeting was Chancellor Merkel's accidental revelation of a new global investment  fund for female entrepreneurs that is connected to the Trump administration and the World Bank. 

Dina Powell, President Trump's deputy national security adviser for strategy and senior counselor for economic initiatives, who was in attendance, said that the announcement was unplanned. 

Speaking at a Thursday evening dinner in Washington, DC, welcoming the 2017 class of the Fortune US State Department Global Women's Mentoring Parntership, Powell explained that the announcement was premature, and the details will be forthcoming.  

One wonders if Powell mentioned that the Trump administration's intention is not only to cut off all global funds for contraception and other forms of health assistance for poor women and families, but also to abolish the State Department's  Global Women's Issues Office, a State Department office that fights for the rights of women all over the world and was created by Hillary Clinton in the earliest days of her tenure as Secretary of State. The Trump administration is on the record saying they have no interest in soft power. Note that many Republicans in the Senate support the office as a deterrent to terrorism, and it may well have its defenders.

Ivanka Preaches 'Eat Organic' While Dad Reverses Ban On Pesticide Chlorpyrifos

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Ivanka Preaches 'Eat Organic' While Dad Reverses Ban On Pesticide Chlorpyrifos

As a progressive independent, Ivanka Trump talked a good game -- advocating on countless opinions that differ with the core beliefs of the mostly white men who occupy positions of power in the Trump administration.  One can track Ivanka Trump's silence on a daily basis as her father decimates countless programs and safeguards for American families. 

Ivanka's latest silence mode -- as a key adviser to her father -- fell over the president's decision to give a reprieve to Dow Chemical's pesticide chlorpyrifos. Dow CEO Andrew Liveris is the head of President Trump's new American Manufacturing Council. Oh, and he also donated $1 million to Trump's inauguration. Before his election as president, Trump called activities like this "pay to play" and he promised to end them as he cleaned up the DC swamp. What a hoot!!!

Spanish Women Face Hate Crime Charges Over Plastic Vagina Protest

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Spanish Women Face Hate Crime Charges Over Plastic Vagina Protest

Three women who staged a 2014 May Day protest are facing charges of "crimes against religious sentiment" for parading "a plastic vagina a couple of metres high in the style of the Virgin Mary", according to court papers. 

The protest was designed to highlight issues of discrimination against women in the workplace and also restrictions on women's reproductive health as part of the national Workers’ Day march in Seville by the Spanish union the General Workers' Confederation (CGT).

The legal case was already dismissed in Spain's judicial system but the Association of Christian Lawyers appealed the decision and the previous judge's ruling that "not believing in the dogmas of a religion and manifesting it publicly falls under the freedom of expression". The new case claims to contain 'new evidence' that the protest was a deliberate insult to "religious sentiments of Cathlics' with "a mockery of the Easter procession."

Meet Emily Steel, Dedicated New York Times Reporter Who Is Bill O'Reilly Enemy #1

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Meet Emily Steel, Dedicated New York Times Reporter Who Is Bill O'Reilly Enemy #1

Marie Claire interviews New York Times reporter Emily Steel, who insists "I'm not the story" when talking about Bill O'Reilly's epic fall at Fox News. Perhaps not, but the investigative research approach that she took, together with her Times colleague Michael S. Schmidt, was absolutely awesome, inventive, meticulous and truly original. 

Three weeks ago, Steel and Schmidt dropped their explosive Times article, documenting settlements with at least five accusers over the last 15 years, to the hefty sum of $13 million. Within two days of their report, over 50 advertisers had fled O'Reilly's show. And now he's gone from his perch as the biggest anchor on cable TV.

Beyoncé Launches Formation Scholars With Four Full 2017/2018 Scholarships For Young Women

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Beyoncé Launches Formation Scholars With Four Full 2017/2018 Scholarships For Young Women

Beyoncé used the first anniversary of 'Lemonade', the world's best-selling album in 2016, to launch Formation Scholars -- full college scholarships for four young women -- one for each of the participating institutions: Berklee College of Music, Howard University, Parsons School of Design and Spelman College, her site explains. 

Peter Lindbergh Captures Emma Watson For Interview Magazine May 2017

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Peter Lindbergh Captures Emma Watson For Interview Magazine May 2017

'Beauty and the Beast' star Emma Watson covers the May 2017 issue of Interview Magazine. Emma is styled by Elin Svahn in noble origins looks from Louis Vuitton, Carven, Balenciaga, Paco Rabanne, Celine, Stella McCartney and more for images by Peter Lindbergh.

Watson is interviewed by close friend Jessica Chastain, while soaking in a Parisian bathtub. About shooting with Peter Lindbergh, she says:

Will The Berlin Girls Club Confront Ivanka Trump About Her Father's Anti-Contraception Drive In Poor Countries?

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Will The Berlin Girls Club Confront Ivanka Trump About Her Father's Anti-Contraception Drive In Poor Countries?

The coverage of Ivanka Trump in the German press in the days leading up to her speech was similar to that at home, where she has been criticized on late night programs like “Saturday Night Live” for being “complicit” in her father’s agenda. The front page of one daily newspaper, Berliner Zeitung, featured a photograph of Ivanka Trump under the headline “First Flusterin,” or “the first whisperer.” 

Ivanka can read the headlines, and anticipating not being taken seriously, having no policy chops, the Trump daughter co-authored an op-ed in The Financial Times, with World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, arguing that the estimated 170-year timeline to close the gender pay gap "is unacceptable."

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It's ironic to read Ivanka Trump's commentary about empowering women in developing countries, after her father has decimated family-planning budgets in place under the Obama Administration and instituted when Hillary Clinton was Secretary of State.