| | | | John Kelly acknowledged the obvious today | | White House chief of staff John Kelly made a rare -- and surprise -- appearance in the White House press briefing room on Thursday with the express goal of making one thing clear: He wasn't quitting, or getting fired.
"I don't think I'm being fired today and I am not so frustrated in this job that I'm thinking of leaving," Kelly joked, knocking down whispers that he might be the latest Trump Cabinet official to head for the exits.
But it was what Kelly said later -- answering a question from reporters in the room -- that was even more revealing about how he views the reach and limits of his job.
"I was not brought to this job to control anything but the flow of information to our President so he can make the best decisions," said Kelly.
What's not said in that quote -- but certainly hangs in the air around it -- is this: No one can control Donald Trump. So why try?
It's a bit of realpolitik from Kelly. He is working to solve problems -- most notably the flow of information to the President from various advisers and assorted hangers-on -- that he can control. He can make it harder to get to see President Trump. He can institute a closed-door policy in the Oval Office.
What he can't do is tell Trump what to tweet (or not to tweet). Or what to say at a campaign rally or any public event. Attempting to do so is pointless. And Kelly is acknowledging that he's not even trying.
Kelly's quote is a reminder that attempts to figure out whether this person or that person might be able to wrangle Trump into a more conventional box are totally and completely pointless.
Trump says and does whatever he wants. Not John Kelly, not Ivanka Trump, not anyone tells him what to do. And, while he may listen to advice from time to time, he ultimately does exactly what he wants.
There is no Trump other than Trump. Never has been. Never will be.
-- Chris | | PUERTO RICO POST-HURRICANE | | "We cannot keep FEMA, the Military & the First Responders, who have been amazing (under the most difficult circumstances) in P.R. forever!" Trump tweeted Thursday, suggesting that Puerto Rico is going to have to shoulder more responsibility for recovery efforts from Hurricane Maria.
But the situation in Puerto Rico remains dire (no matter what President Trump tweets). Chris and CNN's Sam Petulla analyzed recent data, gathered from Department of Energy situation reports, Federal Communications Commission status report and status.pr, a website that FEMA has pointed people to track the progress of the recovery. The verdict? A whopping 83% of electricity customers are still without power. Check out Chris and Sam's story here for more.
BTW, as CNN's Ryan Struyk pointed out: FEMA actually can stay in Puerto Rico indefinitely. And while you're reading up on P.R., check out CNN reporter Dan Merica's story on how Trump handled Puerto Rico compared to Texas and Florida after Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.
The House on Thursday passed a $36.5 billion disaster aid bill to help victims struggling to recover from a string of devastating hurricanes and wildfires. | | "Tweet away your hate to mask your administration's mishandling of this humanitarian crisis. While you are amusing yourself throwing paper towels at us, your compatriots and the world are sending love and help our way. Condemn us to a slow death of non drinkable water, lack of food, lack of medicine while you keep others eager to help from reaching us since they face the impediment of the Jones Act."
-Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz of San Juan, Puerto Rico, in response to Trump's tweets | | | | The "Pokémon" theme song because ... well keep reading. | | POKEMON GO TO THE POLLS RUSSIA | | Turns out, nothing is sacred. As CNN's Donie O'Sullivan and Dylan Byers reported in this major exclusive: Even Pokémon Go was used by an extensive Russian-linked meddling effort. From their report:
"Russian efforts to meddle in American politics did not end at Facebook and Twitter. A CNN investigation of a Russian-linked account shows its tentacles extended to YouTube, Tumblr and even Pokémon Go. One Russian-linked campaign posing as part of the Black Lives Matter movement used Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Tumblr and Pokémon Go and even contacted some reporters in an effort to exploit racial tensions and sow discord among Americans, CNN has learned.
"The campaign, titled 'Don't Shoot Us,' offers new insights into how Russian agents created a broad online ecosystem where divisive political messages were reinforced across multiple platforms, amplifying a campaign that appears to have been run from one source -- the shadowy, Kremlin-linked troll farm known as the Internet Research Agency." | | As CNN's Tami Luhby and Kevin Liptak reported earlier today:
"President Trump took his first steps toward fulfilling his vow to dismantle Obamacare, signing an executive order that he says will bring affordable health insurance to millions more people. The order broadly tasks the administration with developing policies to increase health care competition and choice in order to improve the quality of health care and lower prices.
"However, it could also destabilize Obamacare by siphoning out younger and healthier Americans from the exchanges. The order, Trump said from the Roosevelt Room of the White House, would provide 'millions of Americans with Obamacare relief.' It would 'cost the United States government virtually nothing and people will have great great health care. And when I say people, I mean by the millions and millions.'"
Read more in their story here. | | What's Joe Biden up to? CNN's Eric Bradner and Caroline Kenny looked into the former VP's potential political future in this deep dive. Here was Caroline's post-reporting takeaway:
Joe Biden isn't staying in the shadows after his time in the spotlight like Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama appear to be doing; he's out there campaigning for Democrats across the country, holding bipartisan events with anti-Trump Republicans and isn't holding back when it comes to criticizing the President. He's also making a bunch of visits to early primary states, so we decided to look into his relationships with folks and talk to those close to him to see if this is all in anticipation of a potential 2020 run.
Read more in Caroline and Eric's story here. | | FEELING THE BERN (OR NOT) | | Organizers behind the Women's Convention feel the Bern -- but that doesn't mean all their followers do. On Thursday, the Women's Convention organizers -- who were also behind the Women's March -- announced Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders will be a "featured speaker" at the three-day event, which will take place in Detroit later this month.
The convention "aims to have participants leave inspired and motivated, with new connections, skills and strategies for working towards collective liberation for women of all races, ethnicities, ages, abilities, sexual identities, gender expressions, immigration statuses, religious faiths, and economic statuses," according to its press release. The news of Sanders as one of the headliners was met by mixed reactions on Twitter.
"What ultimately disappoints me about the choice of Sanders to open the first Women's Convention in some 40 or so years is that we have some excellent leaders to choose from who are women," Valerie Street, who tweeted her disappointment, told CNN. "Ones who are blazing their own trails in American politics right now."
Read more in Saba's story here. | | | YOU! Yes, you! 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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