| | | | OUT: Scott Pruitt. IN: Bill Shine | | The revolving door of the Trump White House swung again this week, with EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt resigning and former Fox News head honcho Bill Shine coming on as deputy chief of staff for communications.
Let's cover the departure first. Pruitt left after months and months of negative headlines -- primarily surrounding his apparent attempts to use his office for personal profit. According to Brookings' Kathryn Dunn Tenpas, 54% of top staffers -- including Cabinet-level officials -- have left the Trump administration to date. Among Cabinet officials, seven have now left in Trump's first 18 months in office.
And now for the arrival. Shine, after resigning last year as the co-president of Fox News following whispers that he had been involved in building the toxic culture at the network, was scooped up by Trump to serve as his de facto communications director. Shine, a close confidant of Sean Hannity, had long been expected to join the White House -- and nary an issue was raised, at least not publicly, about the circumstances surrounding Shine's departure.
Next week holds an even bigger arrival: Trump will make his Supreme Court nominee known at 9 p.m. on Monday night. Primetime, of course.
Below, the week that was -- as told through 25 Trump-related headlines.
-- Chris
Monday: Tuesday: Wednesday: Thursday: Friday: | | "By the way, hate to say it, take a look at the pictures for the inauguration. We had some monster crowd. Big, monster-- big monster"
-President Donald Trump on his inauguration crowd | | | CNN's Kaitlan Collins and Clare Foran reported Friday: Vice President Mike Pence met this week with three potential Supreme Court nominees, Brett Kavanaugh, Raymond Kethledge and Amy Coney Barrett, according to a source with knowledge of the meetings. (Read more here).
Also on the VP's agenda this week: Visiting the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). CNN's Liz Landers reports: In remarks at ICE, Pence acknowledged the recent "Abolish ICE" trend -- and doubled down to reiterate that the White House backs ICE and DHS.
Here's what Pence said: "While some people are actually calling for the abolition of this agency… let me be clear: we are with you 100% – and as the President said last night we will always stand proudly with the brave heroes of ICE and border patrol." Read more in CNN's full story here.
The visit comes as the Trump administration said it may need more time to reunite the immigrant families it separated. Ahead of a hearing in federal district court Friday afternoon, the Justice Department laid out certain challenges in meeting the reunification deadlines of July 10 for children under 5 and July 26 for children over 5 and said it may request more time. | | | Chris has been feeling Drake's new album "Scorpion." Listen here. | | | Today's topic: Donald Trump really doesn't get the #MeToo movement. | | PLANNED PARTIES ACROSS THE POND FOR TRUMP VISIT | | The UK is rolling out the royal carpet for President Trump next week. Yes, there will be a "Trump Baby" balloon flying near the UK Parliament. And, there will be protests. But there will also be a "degree of pomp and ceremony," CNN's Laura Smith-Spark reports. On the schedule: - A meeting with Queen Elizabeth II
- A black-tie dinner hosted by Prime Minister Theresa May at Blenheim Palace, the birthplace of the UK's celebrated wartime leader Winston Churchill. First Lady Melania Trump will also attend.
Read more about Trump's UK trip here. | | EPA POST-PRUITT: STILL MAKING HEADLINES | | One day after President Trump tweeted that he accepted the resignation of the EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, another EPA scandal made headlines.
From CNN's story: "Administration officials within the Environmental Protection Agency are blocking a report from the public on the dangers of inhaling formaldehyde vapor, according to Politico. The draft assessment, completed by EPA scientists shortly before the inauguration in 2017, shows that the inhalation of formaldehyde vapor puts people at risk of developing leukemia and other ailments, both a current and former agency official told Politico. Though formaldehyde is found in everyday materials like wood and household products, it has been found to be highly toxic and may cause adverse health effects. The EPA considers formaldehyde a probable human carcinogen. However, this new draft assessment provides evidence of ties to nasopharyngeal cancer and leukemia." | | ICYMI: TRUMP MOCKED #METOO, SEN. WARREN IN MONTANA | | President Donald Trump flew to Montana on Thursday to headline a rally for Matt Rosendale, the Republican nominee against Sen. Jon Tester (D) this November. Trump's speech was, like most of his addresses, a remarkable mix of stream-of-consciousness thinking, fact-challenged claims and demagoguery.
But, Chris writes "Trump's speech on Thursday night contained a number of genuinely dangerous lines, lines no president before Trump would even considering uttering among a small group of friends -- much less in front of thousands of people." He identified 11 of the most dangerous lines Trump said last night -- and why each one poses a real risk to the body populace. Among them was this line:
"We will take that little kit and say, but we have to do it gently. Because we're in the '#MeToo' generation so I have to be very gentle. And we will very gently take that kit and we will slowly toss it, hoping it doesn't hit her and injure her arm even though it only weighs probably two ounces. And we will say, I will give you a million dollars to your favorite charity, paid for by Trump, if you take the test so that it shows you're an Indian."
Read the full roundup of lines here. | | | Vice President Pence visited ICE and made this gesture. This wasn't quite a point, but we'll accept it as your daily reminder to tell everyone you know to sign up for 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.
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