| | | | Why Trump's 'enemy of the people' messaging matters | | By now, it's somewhat old hat. Donald Trump bashes the media as "fake news." He says that reporters are the worst and most dishonest people he knows. And he calls the media "the enemy of the American people."
But just because Trump says it all the time doesn't mean we should take for granted what he's doing: He is systematically trying to dismantle the idea of a free and independent press. And unfortunately, it's working.
Witness the last 48 hours.
At a Trump rally in Tampa, Florida, Trump supporters chanted "CNN Sucks" behind CNN's Jim Acosta. Which isn't great. But then Trump himself grabbed the video/audio and sent it out through his Instagram account.
Then, on Thursday morning, Ivanka Trump broke with her father's view of the media: "I do not feel that the media is the enemy of the people," she told Axios' Mike Allen.
At the White House daily briefing on Thursday, press secretary Sarah Sanders was asked whether the President would disavow his past attack on the media as the enemy, given his daughter's comment. Nope! "The media continues to ratchet up the verbal assault against the President and everyone in this administration," Sanders said. "And certainly, we have a role to play, but the media has a role to play for the discourse in this country, as well."
Trump himself, never one to walk away from a fight without throwing a punch, took to Twitter to turn his daughter's conciliatory words into an attack. "They asked my daughter Ivanka whether or not the media is the enemy of the people," he tweeted. "She correctly said no. It is the FAKE NEWS, which is a large percentage of the media, that is the enemy of the people!"
Which leaves us where, exactly? Any attempt to defend the media as just people doing their jobs the best they can is met with derision from Trump backers. That's just Trump being Trump! You media guys can give it out but you can't take it!
That misses the point. This isn't about the media or even Trump. It's about the idea that facts exist. That holding people in power to account -- regardless of their party affiliation -- is a necessary role in a healthy democracy. That attacking people as dishonest, as other, as the enemy has real and lasting consequences.
The Point: I'm not sure even Trump knows the damage he does by asserting that the media is the enemy of the people. I am sure he doesn't care -- which is almost worse.
-- Chris | | "We can't keep going down this partisan, picky, stupid, dumbass road that has happened around here for so long. I am sick and tired of it, to be honest with you, and I'm tired of the partisanship."
-- Utah Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch, regarding Democrats' argument that they won't have enough documents to make a decision about Supreme Court Nominee Brett Kavanaugh | | | TODAY'S EVENTFUL WHITE HOUSE BRIEFING | | Sarah Sanders wasn't the only one at the White House podium today. The press secretary was joined by a handful of top US national security officials, including Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. The topic at hand? Election interference -- and Russia.
Yes, Russian interference in US elections continues to be a problem: - Coats: "We continue to see a pervasive messaging campaign by Russia to try to weaken and divide the United States."
- Nielsen: "Our democracy itself is in the crosshairs. Free and fair elections are the cornerstone of our democracy and it has become clear that they are the target of our adversaries."
But the US government is ON IT:
"Our focus here today is simply to tell the American people we acknowledge the threat, it is real, it is continuing and we are doing everything we can to have a legitimate election that the American people can have trust in," Coats said.
And officials don't believe interference is as bad as in 2016:
"It is not the kind of robust campaign that we assessed in the 2016 election," Coats said. "They stepped up their game big time in 2016. We have not seen that kind of robust effort from them so far."
Also, it may not just be Russia:
"We know that there are others who have the capability," Coats said. "We will continue to monitor and warn of any such efforts."
But speaking of Russia...
Coats admitted Thursday that he is still does not know the details of what was said during the sit-down. As CNN's Zachary Cohen reported, Coats would not elaborate on why he, the nation's top intelligence official, is "not in a position" to "fully understand" what occurred during that meeting, but his comments are sure to raise more questions about why he is in the dark. | | | Robyn has her first new solo single in 8 years. It's called "Missing U." | | TWO BIG RACES IN TENNESSEE | | It's time for yet another primary! Tonight in Tennessee, a heated GOP governor's race will come to a close and a key Senate contest will take shape. CNN's Dan Merica reports what you need to know ahead of the race: - Democrat Phil Bredesen and Republican Marsha Blackburn, both running for US Senate, are widely expected to win the nomination from their respective parties. It's the race to replace GOP Sen. Bob Corker.
- If Blackburn wins in the fall, she would be the first woman from Tennessee to serve in the US Senate.
- CNN currently rates the race as "Lean Republican."
- Trump visited the state in May to stump for Blackburn, who spoke at his rally.
- The race to be the Volunteer State's next governor will also come into focus, with particular focus on a competitive and nasty fight for the Republican nomination between Rep. Diane Black, businessmen Bill Lee and Randy Boyd.
- Black was widely seen as the frontrunner for months, buoyed by her vast personal wealth and the fact she was able to self-fund much of her campaign. But then she ran into Lee and Boyd, two equally well-financed businessmen.
- Trump has stayed out of the Republican gubernatorial race.
Read more in Dan's full story here. | | IVANKA WEIGHS IN ON MEDIA, FAMILY SEPARATION | | White House senior adviser and first daughter Ivanka Trump spoke at an Axios event at the Newseum in Washington. When asked about whether "the media is the enemy of the people," Trump said: "No, I do not."
When asked about family separations at the US-Mexico border, Trump said: "That was a low point for me as well. I felt very strongly about that and I am very vehemently against family separation and the separation of parents and children, so I would agree with that sentiment. Immigration is incredibly complex as a topic. Illegal immigration is incredibly complicated."
Read more in CNN's coverage of the event here and here. | | Today marked the third day of Paul Manafort's trial. It featured more dissection of the former Trump campaign chairman's lavish lifestyle -- as well as more fighting between prosecutors and the judge over showing jurors pictures of Manafort's luxury purchases. Here are some of the notable takeaways, from CNN's Katelyn Polantz: - Manafort spent over $900,000 with the custom men's clothing store Alan Couture, one witness who ran the store told prosecutors.
- In total, the six vendors on the witness stand Wednesday described more than $6 million in payments Manafort sent to them for luxury items and services.
- Manafort appears to have purchased not just a $15,000 ostrich jacket, but also a $9,500 ostrich vest.
- And a python jacket, which cost $18,500, according to invoices from Alan Couture entered into the case's evidence collection. Take a look at some photos of Manafort's various jackets and suits, complied by CNN's Jasmine Lee.
- Manafort was a big spender when it came to computers and entertainment -- spending millions on audio-video home installations, and $10,000 on a karaoke system for his Hamptons mansion.
- Manafort's bookkeeper Heather Washkuhn testified Thursday that Manafort and his longtime deputy Rick Gates sent several fake, inflated income business statements to banks, when their political consulting company was actually losing money.
Read more in CNN's full report here. | | | From Brenna: "Ivanka Trump covering a wide range of issues during her chat with Axios in DC today. Happy almost Friday! Tell your friends to subscribe to The Point so I can stop nagging you about it." | | 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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