| | | | It's on: Donald Trump vs. Mitch McConnell! | | Even as the Trump White House continues to calibrate the right response to the news that North Korea has miniaturized a nuclear weapon, President Trump is engaged in a very public fight with the most powerful Republican in the Senate.
"Sen. Mitch McConnell said I had 'excessive expectations,' but I don't think so," Trump tweeted Wednesday afternoon. "After 7 years of hearing Repeal & Replace, why not done?"
That Trump tweet came just hours after this one from White House social media director -- and Trump confidant -- Dan Scavino Jr.: "More excuses. @SenateMajLdr must have needed another 4 years - in addition to the 7 years -- to repeal and replace Obamacare..."
Scavino added a link to his tweet of a video of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell speaking at an event in Kentucky on Tuesday, which is what stirred this all up.
"Our new President, of course, has not been in this line of work before," said McConnell, according to CNN affiliate WCPO, which covered the event. "I think he had excessive expectations about how quickly things happen in the democratic process."
McConnell's criticism -- Trump is a newbie in politics and doesn't totally get that things move incrementally even in the best of times -- seems relatively mild, especially compared to Scavino's response.
The simple fact is that McConnell was always skeptical that there were 50 votes for any sort of health care overhaul. It's why he tried to fast-walk the legislation before the July 4 congressional recess so the Senate could move on to tax reform.
But, even after McConnell was forced to delay that vote, he continued to push for passage of some sort of health care bill -- ultimately coming up a single vote short. It was a swing and miss to be sure but not, as far as I can tell, as a result of anything McConnell left on the field -- which is the implication in Scavino's tweet.
Beyond the Trump/Scavino overreaction, what baffles me is whether Trump did this in a fit of pique or whether there was some sort of intentionality or strategy behind it. For the life of me, I can't figure one out.
Remember that for everything Trump wants going forward -- tax reform, funding for the border wall, maybe even another shot at health care -- he needs McConnell. Badly. And, despite the health care setback, McConnell still inspires considerable loyalty among his colleagues.
Picking a fight with someone: a) you need to get things done and b) people look up to, seems to me to be the essence of playing dumb politics. Maybe Trump (and Scavino) have some sort of grand plan here I don't see. Always possible! But from where I sit, this was a needless fight to pick that could have decidedly negative consequences on Trump's agenda in the future.
-- Chris | | | Photo credit: Screenshot/airbnb.com | | You can live like a young President Donald Trump, thanks to Airbnb.The President's childhood home in Queens, New York, is now available on Airbnb for $725 per night.
Here's what you'd be getting, according to the listing: "Not much has been changed since the Trumps lived here, the kitchen is original and the opulent furnishings represent the style and affluence in which the Trumps would have lived. This is a unique and special opportunity to stay in the home of a sitting president. "Located in Queens, the home is just a short trip into New York City aboard the F-Train, which is easily walkable, just a few blocks away. "The President Donald J. Trump Childhood Home sleeps 20 guests in its 5 Bedrooms, has a full kitchen, internet and Cable TV. The Trump Childhood Home has space for a meeting or conference and is the perfect accommodation for a New York Vacation. "This listing has no relationship with the White House, the President, Donald Trump or the Trump organization in any way."
CNN's Miranda Green spoke to Martha Taylor, chairman of Queens Community Board No.8, which governs Jamaica Estates. Taylor has lived in the area of Jamaica Estates her entire life and grew up with some of Trump's siblings. She told Miranda:
"In NYC there is a law that no more than three unrelated people can stay in a house. If they are going to put 20 people in there, will they all be related?" Taylor said. "If they are doing anything illegal, we will have it stopped." | | BILL & HILL'S BDAY REQUEST | | Hillary Clinton is back at fundraising, this time for her and former President Bill Clinton's foundation. On Wednesday, HRC encouraged people to celebrate "Bill's 71st birthday" this month by donating to the Clinton Foundation.
In her email, she notes how last year impacted the family foundation. She writes:
"It's no secret that last year the work of the Clinton Foundation was the target of unprecedented, ugly, and misleading or outright false attacks. Again and again, people and organizations who don't appreciate the work tried to tear it down.
"But in spite of the attacks, which incredibly still continue today, the Foundation continues doing what it has done best for sixteen years – launching innovative initiatives such as the Clinton Health Access Initiative and Clinton Health Matters Initiative, forging groundbreaking partnerships such as the Alliance for a Healthier Generation with the American Heart Association, and making a meaningful, tangible difference in people's lives in everything they do." | | Massachusetts Democrat Rep. Niki Tsongas on Wednesday announced she won't seek another term in Congress, marking an end to her decadelong career on the Hill.
"I feel it is a good time to go,'' she told the Boston Globe.
Tsongas, whose late husband, Paul Tsongas, was a congressman and Massachusetts senator, is known for her efforts to prevent sexual assault in the military.
Many fellow Bay State lawmakers -- including Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Joe P. Kennedy III -- praised her afterthe news.
(Fun fact: When Saba was an intern in D.C., she covered Tsongas). | | | Bruce Springsteen is making his Broadway debut this fall! In honor of the news of his new fall solo show, we recommend streaming his albums on Spotify. H/T CNN's Liz Stark for pointing this out. | | The Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School announced its 2017 Fall Fellows on Wednesday.
They include: Yohannes Abraham, senior adviser at the Obama Foundation; Dan Balz, chief correspondent at The Washington Post; Jason Chaffetz, former US congressman and current Fox News Network contributor; Karen Finney, a political consultant and commentator and former senior adviser and spokesperson for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign; Sally Jewell, United States secretary of the interior from 2013 to 2017; and Mark Strand, president of the Congressional Institute. | |  | | Reporter Naomi Schalit pointed out this headline error on Twitter. Maine's Kennebec Journal wrote "Trump warns of 'fire and furry'" rather than "fire and fury." | | New York Mayor Bill de Blasio is reportedly "an imperious bully of a boss who threatens his underlings with dire punishment if they fail to meet his demands," according to the New York Post, which cited obtained emails sent to de Blasio staffers.
One of them from 2015 read: "What do I need to get you guys to follow a direct order? Do you need to experience consequences?"
Yikes. | | SASSE CONTINUES TO BE SASSY | |  | | Nebraska Republican Sen. Ben Sasse doesn't shy away from getting sassy on Twitter. On Wednesday, he responded to a tweet posted by Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, which features an image of flowers with the caption "I delighted to show the beautiful Naked Ladies in my flower garden at my Iowa farm." Sasse's response: "how is this appropriate." | | Is he or isn't he? That's the question many in both the tech industry and politics have been asking about Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg since he decided to take a road trip across America (for fun).
Nick Bilton penned an analysis for Vanity Fair on Tuesday called "Mark Zuckerberg's political ambitions are grander than you think."
In it, Bilton writes: "I have my own theory as to what's going on here. Over the years, I've spent some time with Zuckerberg, and I always got the feeling that he truly believed there wasn't a problem that technology couldn't solve. He felt deeply, and likely still does, that he was using Facebook to connect people, and that those connections were making the world a better place."
But Bilton warns: "While he can plan 20 moves ahead, he can't seem to understand that cavorting around the country with a professional photographer, snapping disingenuous images of him milking cows, touring shrimp boats in the Bayou, and having dinner with a lovely family in Ohio, seems aloof or, worse, patronizing. I have some advice for Zuckerberg: fire your photographer. If you want to post a picture of yourself at dinner in Ohio, take a selfie like everyone else on the planet." | | The Hollywood Reporter on Wednesday reported that "Wonder Woman" -- arguably the best movie of 2017 -- has some powerful secret investors: The Koch brothers.
The conservative duo "have been a silent investor in Warner Bros.' slate of movies for four years," THR reported. That includes "Wonder Woman," "Dunkirk" and the upcoming Steven Spielberg film "Ready Player One."
And here's that politics connection: Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin "brought the Koch brothers in as investors as part of a $450 million deal struck in 2013." He's no longer involved with slate financing, per THR. However, he served as an executive producer on a handful of films, including "Suicide Squad." | | | Happy Hump Day! Treat yourself to a cookie, and then tell everyone you know 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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