| | | | Donald Trump goes to war with the GOP | | Don't underestimate what Donald Trump's feud with Bob Corker means.
Yes, Corker, a two-term Tennessee Republican, is retiring from the Senate at the end of next year. And, yes, Trump feuding with people -- including people in his own party -- is nothing new.
But Trump's spat with Corker is about much more than just hurt feelings or a disagreement in tactics or strategy. Corker represents the old guard, establishment within the GOP. He was the establishment choice to fill the seat of then retiring Sen. Bill Frist way back in 2006, and the money and influence the establishment was able to throw Corker's way helped him immeasurably as he beat back Ed Bryant and Van Hilleary -- two former congressmen who ran to Corker's ideological right. (That primary might have come out very differently if it had been run any time after 2010.)
While Corker isn't as close to Senate Leader Mitch McConnell as his fellow Volunteer Stater Lamar(!) Alexander, he is part of the GOP establishment majority in the Senate. And, for all the attention paid to Ted Cruz, Rand Paul and Mike Lee, that establishment group still controls things in the Senate.
And they don't like attacks on their members. Witness the quick defense of Corker from other stalwarts of the GOP establishment wing.
"Sen. Corker is a valuable member of the Senate Republican caucus and he's also on the Budget Committee and a particularly important player as we move to the floor on the budget next week and he's an important part of our team," McConnell told reporters in Kentucky on Monday.
"Bob Corker has been a leader in Congress on issues as diverse as deficit reduction and combating terrorism, and he is a man of unwavering integrity," said Ohio Sen. Rob Portman, who served in the Bush administration before being elected to the Senate. "If we're going to accomplish our economic and national security agenda we're going to have to work together, period."
The Trump wing of the party -- particularly when under the influence of former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon -- has been in somewhat open rebellion against the McConnells of the world for at least the last two years.
But Trump himself has played both sides of that divide. He seemed to offer an olive branch to the establishment when he acceded to McConnell's wishes to endorse appointed Sen. Luther Strange over Roy Moore in the Alabama special election primary.
That move backfired, however, as Moore soundly defeated Strange. Trump, never one to take a loss well, is reportedly still bothered by being allegedly misled by McConnell and other establishment types about Strange's chances.
In retrospect, it's possible that Strange's loss was the final straw for Trump, that his appetite for playing nice with the establishment disappeared on that Tuesday in late September as Strange went down the drain.
This attack on Corker is then rightly seen as Trump's first strike against the establishment in the post-Strange period. His aides are already promising that Trump hasn't said his last about Corker and, if Trump does male good on that threat to go after the Tennessee senator again, an all-out civil war within the GOP is the most likely outcome.
-- Chris | | Trump's EPA Chief Scott Pruitt on Monday announced he is ending former President Barack Obama's Clean Power Plan, CNN's Daniella Diaz, Miranda Green and Rene Marsh reported. The Clean Power Plan requires states to meet specific carbon emission reduction standards based on their individual energy consumption. Pruitt said he will sign the proposed rule repealing Obama's plan on Tuesday. CNN obtained the leaked proposal over the weekend.
"When you think about what that rule meant, it was about picking winners and losers. Regulatory power should not be used by any regulatory body to pick winners and losers," Pruitt said at an event in Kentucky on Monday. "The past administration was using every bit of power and authority to use the EPA to pick winners and losers and how we generate electricity in this country. That's wrong." | | "I'm first lady, OK?"
-Ivana Trump, joking around during an interview with "Good Morning America." First lady Melania Trump's response? Her communications director Stephanie Grisham said: "There is clearly no substance to this statement from an ex, this is unfortunately only attention-seeking and self-serving noise." | | | GOLF DAYS: BY THE NUMBERS | | President Trump spent some of his Monday at Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia, with Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. CNN's Dan Merica broke down POTUS' golf trips since January:
President Trump has spent 72 days as president at one of his golf properties, according to CNN's count. In total, Trump has spent 80 days as president at a property that bears his name – over 30% of his days in office.
This does not include his time at Mar-A-Lago – where Trump spent 25 days over seven weekends. Also notable: Trump has now spent 30 weekends as president at one of his properties. | | | Bob Dylan starts a US tour on Friday, so why not just go on a Spotify binge listen of his top songs? | | | California Sen. Dianne Feinstein is running for re-election next year, CNN confirmed Monday. Feinstein, 84, has been in her seat since 1992. She is the oldest senator currently serving in the chamber and the top Democrat on the Senate judiciary committee. Still, some of her critics in the fiercely blue state believe Feinstein is not speaking out strongly enough against President Trump. (Saba recently wrote a story about whether this backlash would impact her choice to run again). | | CNN's Tal Kopan writes:
The White House late Sunday released a wish list of items for any potential deal to preserve DACA -- the Obama administration policy that protects from deportation some of the young undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children. The priorities include virtually everything conservatives could want in any immigration deal -- including many pieces that each alone could be a deal breaker that would virtually ensure there will be no resolution.
But key players on the Hill still aren't sure yet whether the fuse is actually lit. Reaction to the administration's immigration priorities list from the Hill ranged from dismissal as "noise," to skepticism about the President's commitment level, to declarations of it being a "nonstarter" by Democrats. Ultimately, most agree, President Donald Trump himself will have to signal what he is prepared to draw a line in the sand on, and only that will determine whether a deal is still achievable.
Read more in Tal's story here. | | CNN's Laura Jarrett -- who has been covering Sen. Bob Menendez's federal corruption trial since day one -- writes:
Prosecutors trying Sen. Menendez for bribery aren't finished with their case yet, but the judge has already casually referenced their worst nightmare. Specifically, Judge Walls said he's got "McDonnell" on his mind -- an evocative reference to a 2016 Supreme Court case unanimously tossing out the bribery conviction of former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell. That case has subsequently turned into a cottage industry of litigation for defense lawyers and a slew of ex-politicians have used it successfully as a Get Out of Jail Free card.
So what does this all mean for Menendez?
Read more in Laura's full story here. | |  | | Malala Yousafzai, a women's rights advocate recognized worldwide for speaking out against inequality, tweeted Monday that she is starting at Oxford University today -- which gave us #allthefeels. Read more about her journey from near death to the Nobel Peace Prize in this CNN story from 2014. | | | Did somebody say golf? Tell people 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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