| | | | How Bill O'Reilly created President Trump | | Fox News' decision to fire Bill O'Reilly amid mounting claims of sexual harassment doesn't just rock the conservative media world -- it rattles the foundations of a movement that gave rise to President Donald Trump.
Two key paragraphs from CNN's Chris Cillizza on O'Reilly's role in creating a party Trump could conquer: "Yes, lower taxes and smaller government still mattered. But populism, wariness of elites and a deep and abiding distrust in the mainstream media also became core tenets of modern conservatism as imagined by O'Reilly and (Roger) Ailes. Democrats became the party of Hollywood and elites -- in the media, in business, in entertainment. Republicans were the ones fighting for the little guy who felt left behind and scolded by those very people.
"That rising conservative populism eventually gave birth to a candidate named Donald Trump. Trump embodied many of the principles that O'Reilly had popularized over the years -- most notably a visceral rejection of political correctness and a willingness to blame most of the problems in the country on a biased and liberal media."
Trump brought up O'Reilly -- as CNN's MJ Lee notes -- on his own in a recent interview with The New York Times' Maggie Haberman and Glenn Thrush. Despite the well-publicized accusations of sexual harassment -- something both men have faced -- Trump called O'Reilly a "good person."
O'Reilly shouldn't have kept his job this long, writes The Huffington Post's Amanda Terkel -- who notes that sexual harassment claims against O'Reilly and millions of dollars in payouts have long been known. She tells a personal story of O'Reilly dispatching his sidekick Jesse Watters to track Terkel down while on a personal vacation. "And despite O'Reilly's attempt to ruin me, unlike him, I still have a job today," she writes.
There are plenty of questions raised by this outcome. The Los Angeles Times' Cathleen Decker asks several important ones: | | A cool moment for White House press secretary Sean Spicer, a New England Patriots fan: Star tight end Rob Gronkowski crashed his briefing today, poking his head in the door and asking Spicer: "Need some help?"
"I think I got this," Spicer told Gronk. After the door closed, Spicer turned back to reporters and chuckled, "How do you follow that?" The Patriots, of course, were visiting the White House after their Super Bowl win. | | "We have an armada going toward the peninsula. That's a fact." -- Sean Spicer, attempting to explain President Donald Trump's inaccurate claims about an "armada" heading to the Korean Peninsula (the USS Carl Vinson was, at the time, en route to the Indian Ocean; it eventually redirected) ... and maybe needing Gronk's help. | | | If at first you don't pass a health care law ... try, try again? | | From CNN's Jim Acosta, Elizabeth Landers and Phil Mattingly: Two sources close to the health care legislative process tell CNN the White House is exploring whether to take one more stab at repealing and replacing Obamacare before President Donald Trump hits the key milestone of 100 days in office late next week.
The renewed effort comes as Congress returns from recess next week and as the Trump administration is fielding questions about his legislative accomplishments during his first 100 days in office. "I don't think it's impossible to think we'll have a vote," a senior administration official said optimistically. But the official cautioned that some GOP House members are still at odds over some of the bill's sticking points. "I don't think it's having to rewrite the bill. It's just a total trust gap. As soon as we solve that, we can have a vote," the official said.
Trump himself was confident Tuesday in Wisconsin about the chances of Congress passing a health bill, telling CNN affiliate WTMJ: "We are going to have a big win soon, because we are going to have health care and that's gonna happen. And there was no lose with health care, this is just a constant negotiation and the plan is getting better and better all the time." | | | President Donald Trump got a number 45 Patriots jersey from team owner Robert Kraft and head coach Bill Belichick. | | 5 things you might have missed today | | Trump's murky DACA stance tested: A dispute over whether the US government deported an undocumented immigrant with protected status heated up Wednesday, as the Department of Homeland Security released further details about the case involving 23-year-old Juan Manuel Montes Bojorquez. CNN's Tal Kopan has the details.
Ricketts withdraws from Commerce post: Todd Ricketts has withdrawn his nomination as deputy commerce secretary, officials said, becoming the latest casualty of President Donald Trump's early wave of high-ranking staff selections who stepped aside before being confirmed to serve in the administration. Ricketts, whose family owns the Chicago Cubs and spent about $1 million in helping to elect Trump, struggled to reconcile his family's complicated finances with the Office of Government Ethics. "He wanted to serve, but couldn't untangle all of the finances," a person close to Ricketts told CNN's Jeff Zeleny.
Chaffetz out of the House: Rep. Jason Chaffetz, a Utah Republican and chairman of the House's powerful oversight committee, will not seek re-election to Congress, he announced today. In a message on his Facebook page, Chaffetz thanked supporters and announced he will "not be a candidate for any office in 2018." One likely explanation: It's a lot easier to run for governor in 2020 with some distance from Washington. More from CNN's Lauren Fox and Deirdre Walsh.
Pence dodges on North Korea: Vice President Mike Pence avoided a direct answer when asked if the United States used any cyber or electronic technology to sabotage Sunday's North Korean missile test. But his response went beyond offering a simple "no comment," as he made it very clear the United States recognized the launch failed, and failed almost immediately. "I really can't comment on the electronic and technical capabilities of our military," Pence told CNN's Dana Bash aboard the USS Ronald Reagan in Japan. "What I can say is that it failed. It was one more provocation by a regime that continues to flout the use of -- and it's got to come to an end."
The Patriots go to Washington -- some of them, at least: The New England Patriots' turnout at the White House this year seemed to be noticeably smaller than in 2015, when President Barack Obama was in office. CNN's Eleanor Mueller has more. | | | The township of Bedminster is warily anticipating President Donald Trump's move from Mar-a-Lago to the more seasonally appropriate New Jersey golf course for his weekend trips. ... Democrats are waiting anxiously for the promised 50-state strategy. ... Sen. Lindsey Graham says he is "all in" on Trump. | | | We'd love to share our other newsletters with you. Check out Five Things for Your New Day, CNN's morning newsletter. Give us five minutes, and we'll brief you on all the news and buzz people will be talking about. | | | Get the Nightcap, a comprehensive summary of the most important political news, delivered to your inbox daily. | | | | | |
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