| | | | Donald Trump's PR PR push | | For more than half an hour on Thursday, President Donald Trump sat with Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello as reporters lobbed questions at the duo. And through it all, Trump wanted to make sure only one thing was clear: He, himself, has done a terrific job on the US hurricane response in Puerto Rico.
Take #1: "I think we've done a really great job."
Take #2: "I give ourselves a 10." (Trump was asked what number grade he would assign himself for the handling of Hurricane Maria.)
Take #3: "A+" (Trump, channeling former FEMA Director James Lee Witt, again grading himself.)
Take #4: "Did we do a great job?" (Trump asking Rossello a question for which he has a very specific answer in mind.)
Take #5: "I think we did a fantastic job, and we're being given credit."
Trump's motive for the extended photo-op was clear: He resents the coverage of Puerto Rico as a rolling crisis and, especially, the criticism his administration has taken for the way it has reacted to the aftermath of the hurricanes. (Worth noting: Just over 20% of Puerto Ricans now have electricity, according to FEMA.)
BOTTOM LINE: Trump creates the narrative he wants using the power of the presidency. He thinks things are going well in Puerto Rico so he will find a way to tell that story. Whether or not the facts back it up. (They don't.)
-- Chris | | CNN's polling director Jennifer Agiesta writes: "Nearly six in 10 Americans say the Trump administration is doing too little to make sure the nation's health insurance system works the way it should, according a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS.
"A similar 60% say that trying to make sure the current health insurance system works should be a higher priority than trying to replace the current system with something else."
The poll comes as senators continue to pitch a bipartisan health care fix despite setbacks.
Read more on the polling numbers from Jenn here and more about the health care legislation efforts in this article by CNN's Lauren Fox. | | MENENDEZ TRIAL: REPORTER'S NOTEBOOK | | CNN's Laura Jarrett sent us another great dispatch from New Jersey, where she continues to cover Sen. Bob Menendez's trial. She writes:
This proved to be a critical week for the defense team in Sen. Bob Menendez's corruption trial, as lawyers got their chance to begin poking holes in the prosecutor's story.
They seem to be mounting a three-pronged defense strategy: show the senator and a wealthy eye doctor are best friends without any possible corrupt intent; make the jurors believe Menendez was motivated to act out of broader (and legitimate) policy concerns, not because he was being paid off by his friend; and then undermine the prosecution's strongest witnesses with directly contradictory testimony.
But Judge William Walls regularly spars with defense attorneys about the extent to which certain witnesses get to testify about what Menendez said in certain meetings or his mindset, leading one to wonder whether the senator will take the witness stand in his own defense in order to provide a coherent narrative.
Bickering among the lawyers at trial is routine at this point, but one such debate led to a disappointing, and self-described "chauvinistic," comment from Judge Walls on Thursday when he called two female attorneys talking over each other a "hen party."
Meanwhile, the jurors are now best friends. One even brought in Dunkin' Donuts for his colleagues one chilly morning this week. | | "Our identity as a nation, unlike other nations, is not determined by geography or ethnicity, by soil or blood. ... This means that people from every race, religion, ethnicity can be full and equally American. ... It means that bigotry and white supremacy, in any form, is blasphemy against the American creed."
-Former President George W. Bush during remarks at the George W. Bush Institute in New York
(read Chris' take on the speech here). | | | | T. Swift drops a new single called "Gorgeous" tonight at midnight ET. She teased it on her Instagram. Get ready for it by listening to her most recent single "...Ready For It?" (See what we did there?) | | | CNN's Daniella Diaz writes: If you've ever wondered what former President Barack Obama was like when he was younger, Emory University has obtained letters to his then-girlfriend that could reveal more about his youth -- and they will be available to the public later this week. The nine letters written and sent by Obama to his then-girlfriend Alexandra McNear were obtained by Emory's Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives and Rare Book Library, where students or visitors can read them in person by appointment when they become available Friday.
Rosemary Magee, the director of the Rose Library, described them to CNN as 'very lyrical letters.'
Read more in Daniella's story here. | | Former President Barack Obama will return to the campaign trail, CNN's Eric Bradner reported Thursday. He writes:
Obama will campaign in Newark, New Jersey, with Phil Murphy on Thursday afternoon. Then he'll hold a night rally in Richmond, Virginia, with Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam. The events -- designed to galvanize black voters who Democrats worry are disengaged this year -- mark Obama's first appearance on the campaign trail since he left office.
Read more in Eric's story here. | | As CNN's Jeremy Diamond reported Thursday: "White House chief of staff John Kelly, in an extraordinary and at times emotional statement, said he was 'stunned' by what a Democratic congresswoman told reporters after she listened in on President Donald Trump's call to the widow of a fallen soldier."
Chris' take? "Kelly stepped to the podium and delivered a moving and raw recounting of how soldiers killed in action are transported from the field of battle to their homes. How they are honored by their peers. And how they are the best of us. It was incredibly powerful stuff -- made even more so by the back story of Kelly's firsthand experience with his own son's death. This wasn't a politician saying the right words. This was a man who knows loss intimately. Who knows what it means to make the ultimate sacrifice. No one who watched those first few minutes could help but be swayed by the power of Kelly's words and his experiences. It was stunning. Then, however, Kelly transitioned into an attempt to clean up Trump's mess."
Read more of Chris' analysis here. | | | ICYMI: Sen. Bernie Sanders and Sen. Ted Cruz debated tax reform on Wednesday. It produced this GIF-worthy moment. Now, here's your end of newsletter reminder to 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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