| | | | Why 'can't guarantee' matters so much | | On Tuesday, after an extended break from the "daily" press briefing, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders took questions from the media. And as you might expect, lots of those questions centered on the allegations made by Omarosa -- who, if we're being honest, doesn't need her full name for everyone to know who she is -- that she is aware of an audio tape of Donald Trump using a racial slur.
Sanders repeatedly sought to fend off the questions by pointing to Trump's tweet from Monday in which he insisted, "I don't have that word in my vocabulary, and never have. She made it up." (The word, in case you have been living on another planet for the last 48 hours, is the n-word.)
Then NBC's Kristen Welker asked Sanders whether she could guarantee the American public that Trump has never used that particular racial epithet on tape. "I can't guarantee anything, but I can tell you that the President addressed this question directly," Sanders replied.
"I can't guarantee anything."
That's the White House press secretary hedging -- big-time -- on whether or not the President of the United States has used the worst of all racial slurs.
Is Sanders treading carefully because she believes that an "n-word' tape exists? Or simply because she is stung by past experiences in which she told the media one thing only to see the President (or Rudy Giuliani) directly contradict her?
Either way, the end result is the same. Doubt creeps in. A door is opened -- more than a crack. WAY more than a crack when you consider Trump's past history on race -- whether it's his tendency to refer to African-Americans he dislikes as having "low IQs" or his comment that the white supremacist violence in Charlottesville, Virginia came from both sides.
There's already a pretty fat folder of evidence that shows that if Trump isn't a racist, he is more than willing to use the inchoate racism of some of his supporters for political cover and gain.
The Point: Sanders' inability to say -- definitively -- that the President has never used the n-word on tape is startling. Not surprising given what we know about Trump's history on race. But startling nonetheless.
-- Chris | | "This kind of language is unbecoming of a President of the United States. There is no excuse for it, and Republicans should not be OK with it."
-- Republican Sen. Jeff Flake in a tweet responding to President Donald Trump's attacks against Omarosa Manigault Newman, whom Trump called a "dog." | | | PRIMARY NIGHT: ALL EYES ON THE MIDWEST | | Another Tuesday, another primary. Tonight, you'll want to keep your eyes on the Midwest, specifically Minnesota and Wisconsin. Here's a look at what's at stake: - The fight to defeat Gov. Scott Walker in Wisconsin. CNN's Eric Bradner reported Tuesday: "Walker, who frustrated Democrats in 2010, rolled back union rights in 2011, survived a 2012 recall election, and won again in 2014, looks vulnerable this year. A recent poll by NBC News/Marist found him trailing his potential challenger Tony Evers. He has warned Republicans repeatedly that the party faces an enthusiasm gap. And the progressive candidate's victory in a state Supreme Court election earlier this year buoyed the left's hopes there." Evers is considered the leading candidate. But there are two candidates who have also found themselves in the spotlight: Firefighter union president Mahlon Mitchell, who would become Wisconsin's first black governor, and former state Rep. Kelda Roys.
- The search to replace Paul Ryan. House Speaker Paul Ryan announced in April that he is not seeking re-election and will retire from Congress after this year. That means his seat in Wisconsin's 1st District is up for grabs. And it is one Democrats believe could be competitive this fall. Tonight's primary pits ironworker Randy "Iron Stache" Bryce against teacher Cathy Myers.
- Ellison controversy in Minnesota. Rep. Keith Ellison, the Democratic National Committee deputy chair, was expected to win the Democratic nomination to become Minnesota's next attorney general. But over the weekend, Ellison was accused by an ex-girlfriend of domestic abuse, which he denied. But as Minnesotans go to the polls, the allegations loom.
- More Minnesota madness: CNN's Jacob Rubashkin and Adam Levy write: "Open governor seat, both Senate seats and a handful of competitive House seats could signal the campaign is about to heat up in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. President Trump endorsed Republican Pete Stauber in the 8th District's GOP primary to fill the open seat left by Democratic Rep. Rick Nolan."
Follow along tonight with CNN's coverage here. | | | New Iron & Wine(!) Listen to "Waves of Galveston." | | People approve of President Trump and his policies more than they like him as a person, a new Quinnipiac poll released Tuesday suggests. CNN's Grace Sparks breaks it down for The Point: - Trump's approval rating ticks up marginally to 41%. But while voters may approve of the job he's doing as President, fewer people like him as a person -- only 31%.
- Few more people like his policies than approve of his job as President or like him as a person, with 43% who said so, and 54% who don't like his policies.
- Republicans' approval of Trump as President is at 83%, lower than other pollsters, but fairly stable in Quinnipiac's polling. More Republican voters -- 86% -- said they like his policies. But when it comes to liking him as a person, that number drops to only 66%, the biggest difference between liking his policies and liking him as a person among any demographic subgroup.
- The Quinnipiac poll also found that two-thirds of voters said Trump should stop tweeting from his personal account, and another two-thirds who thought the news media is an important part of democracy.
| | OMAROSA 'UNHINGED' DRAMA CONTINUES TO UNFOLD | | "Sharing is caring" literally seems to be Omarosa Manigault Newman's mantra these days. She tweeted the age-old expression on Tuesday, as part of her continued promotion for her tell-all book "Unhinged." The former campaign aide and White House official has made headlines for spilling the tea -- and sharing recordings -- from her time in the Trump administration.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump's campaign said Tuesday it has filed for arbitration, accusing Manigault Newman of breaching a 2016 nondisclosure agreement with the campaign. Trump continues to slam Manigault Newman amid the allegations. He has called her a "low-life" and a "dog." In fact, as Chris pointed out in his analysis on Tuesday, Trump wrote eight tweets in 24 hours about Omarosa.
From Chris' piece: "The fact that Trump appears to be absolutely fixated on Omarosa -- and the book she wrote about her time in the White House -- speaks to the fact that Trump is concerned about what impact the allegations she makes about him might have." | | West Virginia: Lawmakers impeached the entire state Supreme Court of Appeals. Yes, seriously.
From CNN's story: "The court's justices -- Chief Justice Margaret Workman and Justices Allen Loughry, Robin Davis and Elizabeth Walker -- are accused of failing to carry out the court's administrative duties and wasteful spending during office renovations.
"They were impeached on 11 articles of impeachment, dealing with wasteful spending, maladministration, incompetency, neglect of duty and potential criminal behavior, according to a press release from state House Speaker Pro Tempore John Overington. The justices' fates are now in the hands of the state Senate, where they will be put on trial on the impeachment charges." | | | From Brenna: "Sometimes when you're in the Senate, you've got to fit your workouts in when you can, three seconds at a time. Ohio Sen. Rob Portman showed us that today as he ran to a microphone during a tax cuts event with Vice President Pence. Tell your friends to run toward this newsletter by subscribing!" | | 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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