| | | | Donald Trump's Senate problem | | In politics, every action has an equal and opposite reaction.
So when President Trump spent the last 36 hours running down Mitch McConnell and floating the possibility that the Kentucky Republican might consider resigning as Senate Majority Leader if he can't get more done, Trump was ensuring a reaction.
And that's what he's gotten -- so far, in the form of 15 Republican senators coming out with tweets and statements supporting McConnell.
That group of 15 includes: 1) Utah's Orrin Hatch, who, as the longest serving Republican senator, serves as the Senate president pro tempore 2) John Cornyn, the Texas senator who serves as McConnell's deputy and 3) a slew of younger, influentials like Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, Jeff Flake of Arizona, James Lankford of Oklahoma and Cory Gardner of Colorado.
That those 15 are willing to come out in full support of McConnell amounts to a direct, public rebuke of Trump. What each of those senators are saying is this: We side with Mitch. And, on the flip side: We could take or leave Trump.
This forced choosing is entirely the work of Trump. Had he left McConnell alone, none of this public choosing would have happened.
But that's not Trump. McConnell suggested he didn't know everything about the legislative process. And Trump couldn't stand that critique. So he punched back.
That punch -- really, punches -- has consequences. And those are likely to be visited on Trump as he tries to lean on McConnell and Cornyn (and others) to help pass his agenda in the coming months and years.
Getting major legislation passed -- even when you control the House, Senate and the White House -- requires trust and good will. Trump is rapidly spending his on pointless fights.
-- Chris | | Who run the world? Teens. Well, maybe eventually. One teen who is attempting to run: Sixteen-year-old Jack Bergeson, who is running for governor in Kansas.
The high school student from Wichita has generated so much buzz, even Jimmy Kimmel interviewed him on his late night show this week.
"I want to get the younger generation involved in politics," Bergeson told Kimmel about why he is running. When Kimmel joked about him running for student council instead, Bergeson said: "Well, I don't think that makes as big of an impact."
Bergeson, who currently works at his family's restaurant while also attending school, is running alongside his high school friend Alexander Cline, who is 17.
Even though neither of them are old enough to vote, it's still technically legal for them to run. "The law is silent on qualifications for governor," the Kansas secretary of state's Director of Elections Bryan Caskey told The Hutchinson News. "There's nothing in the law – there's no age, no citizenship, no residency, no nothing."
Living their teenage dreams, truly. | | Photos of an empty Oval Office circulated on Twitter Friday as renovations continue at the White House. Per Business Insider:
"Just an hour after Air Force One took off for New Jersey last Friday, the Oval Office had been cleared of furniture and, since then, West Wing staffers have been relocated as construction workers have flooded in. The renovations, which were approved during President Barack Obama's administration, will include an overhaul of the White House's heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning system, as well upgrades to the building's IT system, mess hall, and outdoor spaces." | | Vice President Mike Pence knows how to dish a good dad joke.
On Friday, Pence sported the same tie as the one he was wearing in his portrait. During the unveiling, he joked: "I do have more than one tie." CSPAN has full video of the moment here. | | | Photo courtesy: YouTube/NBC SNL/Screengrab | | On Thursday, we finally got to watch the first edition of SNL's "Weekend Update: Summer Edition!" And co-anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che did not disappoint.
But the real hero of the episode? Bill Hader, who made a surprise appearance to play former White House Anthony Scaramucci. He "Facetimed" in.
"It's me, Anthony Scaramucci! The Mooch!" he said. "I heard you two nutless liberal ass wipes mention my name earlier and when I hear my name three times, I appear like a Goomba Beetlejuice."
Other special guests included "Saturday Night Live" cast members Alex Moffat and Mikey Day, who played Eric and Donald Trump Jr. | | SPEAKING OF LATE NIGHT COMEDY... | | Us Weekly reported Wednesday that former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer was "angling" to appear on "Saturday Night Live."
However, the NBC show is staying quiet on the rumor. "We are not commenting," a rep told the Los Angeles Times.
Earlier this summer, it was also rumored that "Dancing With The Stars" was courting Spicer for its show. | | Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban's Twitter followers saw an uptick in political opinions on their feeds this week, after the billionaire went on a tweeting spree. He weighed in on everything from US uranium sales to Trump TV, and tweeted various random politics-related articles.
CNN's Sophie Tatum writes:
Cuban has hardly held back when it comes to criticism of the President in the past. After Trump's first 100 days in office, Cuban told CNN's Chris Cuomo he would give the commander in chief a "C-minus" grade. "There are some things he's tried to do. I give him credit for Supreme Court. Delivering," Cuban said in April, adding, "I guess it's a low bar when you do what you say you were going to do. No major policy changes at all. Signs a lot of executive orders that he doesn't truly understand."
Cillizza also noted in April Cuban seems to have a keen understanding of Trump's appeal, after Cuban called Trump "Political chemotherapy." "That is a brilliant way to think about Trump," Chris wrote.
Here's Cuban's quote in full: "I call it political chemotherapy. One of my friends who I always thought was very smart said, Mark, I voted for politicians my entire life. He's in his 50s. Do you know what the definition of insanity is? Doing the same thing over and over expecting (sic) the same results. So I voted for Donald Trump. Is he poisonous in a lot of respects? Yeah. He's our chemotherapy. We hope he's going to change the political system." | | | Be still our hearts. This is the cutest New York Times Wedding story ever, featuring Gertrude Mokotoff and Alvin Mann, ages 98 and 94, respectively. They met at the gym eight years ago. "Age doesn't mean a damn thing to me or to Gert," Mann told NYT. "We don't see it as a barrier. We still do what we want to do in life." LOVE IS REAL. | | | Cheers to the weekend! Spend a few minutes reminding your friends and family to subscribe to The Point. | | We'd love to share our other newsletters with you. Follow this link for daily coverage of the world's top stories, savvy market insights, an insider's look into the media, and more. Our authors for The Point are Chris Cillizza and Saba Hamedy. Send your tips and thoughts via email to Chris or Saba. Follow on Twitter: Chris and Saba. | | | Get the Nightcap, a comprehensive summary of the most important political news, delivered to your inbox daily. | | | | | |
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