| | | | A familiar cast returns to the spotlight |  | | | Consider this the week that saw major players return to the fray.
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump did the inevitable -- he officially kicked off his reelection campaign (even though he technically filed to run for reelection the same day he was sworn in for his first term).
Promising to Keep America Great (his slogan that tested best with his Florida rally crowd), Trump also said he would continue to Make America Great Again -- though in an interview later in the week, he indicated he wasn't interested in growing his base of strong supporters.
Trump wasn't the only one who got back into the official swing of things -- though Joe Biden's return was more to the churn of the campaign trail itself, and the media cycles surrounding a misstep.
Biden, who served as the de facto front-runner even before he made his latest presidential bid official, experienced blowback from comments he made about the civility of segregationist Dixiecrat senators, saying Sen. James O. Eastland never "called me 'boy,' he always called me 'son.' "
That prompted pushback from campaign rival New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, who said Biden should apologize for his remarks. Biden fired back, saying it was Booker who should apologize. The back-and-forth ceased Wednesday night when Biden then called Booker. The two had a conversation, described as respectful, though apologies weren't exchanged.
Up until now, Biden sought to elevate himself from his two dozen-ish fellow Democrats running for president by staying away from cattle calls that draw the field and largely campaigning to the beat of his own drum. But that strategy can last for only so long.
Biden will cross paths with Booker and the rest of the field on Friday in South Carolina, where both are expected to spend the weekend at a slate of Democratic party events -- including speaking back-to-back at the iconic annual Clyburn fish fry.
Even Washington saw the return of a familiar face.
Hope Hicks, Trump's former aide, appeared on Capitol Hill on Wednesday to testify behind closed doors about possible obstruction of justice by the President. She did not disclose much -- attorneys from the Trump administration blocked her from responding to 155 questions.
But things have changed. Hicks, once among Trump's closest confidantes, now rarely speaks to her former boss.
Even Roy Moore decided to come back for seconds: He announced Thursday that he'd again seek a US Senate seat from Alabama after losing the 2017 special election to Democrat Doug Jones after three women alleged he sexually abused them when they were teenagers decades ago.
The Point: The new week brought a return of old faces. The more things change, the more they stay the same. And now, the week in 18 headlines: Monday: Tuesday: Wednesday: Thursday: Friday: | | "We were cocked & loaded to retaliate last night on 3 different sights (sic) when I asked, how many will die."
-- President Trump, tweeting that the US was ready to strike Iran before he pulled back. | | |  | US women's soccer leads in everything except pay | | It's the country's most successful soccer team. But the women of the US national soccer team get paid, on average, roughly 38% as much as the members of the men's national team. Here's why that's a major problem.
Lead the way by subscribing to The Point on YouTube. | | | Imogen Heap makes a Tiny Desk appearance and we are here. for. it. !! | | OREGON'S LEGISLATIVE IMPASSE | | There can be any number of reasons why a lawmaker would miss a vote -- but beyond reactions from voters, there are rarely repercussions.
That's being turned on its head in Oregon's state Capitol.
CNN's Jamie Ehrlich (and friend of The Point!) has more:
"After more than eight hours of fruitless negotiations late into Wednesday night, Republican state senators in Oregon walked out of a session on Thursday over disagreements on HB 2020, a cap and trade climate bill. All 11 GOP senators failed to appear later Thursday for floor proceedings, leaving the legislative body two senators short of a quorum.
"At least some of the senators have left the state, according to a statement from the Oregon Senate Republicans, and the wife of one of them says they are all in Idaho at an undisclosed location."
Which then prompted Oregon Democratic Gov. Kate Brown to authorize the State Police to locate the Senate Republicans and bring them back to the Capitol.
State Police said they'd, ideally, work through polite communication rather than brute force.
But at least one senator wasn't having it. "Send bachelors and come heavily armed," Republican state Sen. Brian Boquist told KGW News. "I'm not going to be a political prisoner in the state of Oregon. It's just that simple."
As of Friday afternoon, the state senators were still absent from the Capitol. | |
LAUREN'S CAMPAIGN TRAIL SCHEDULER | | | It's a big weekend in 2020 world, with the Clyburn annual fish fry and South Carolina's Democratic Party Convention, but that's dwarfed by the biggest event on the trail so far: the debates, which kick off Wednesday night in Miami. Plus -- how those who didn't qualify plan to spend their time (hint: it's still in front of the cameras).
Friday, June 21 - The Blue Palmetto Dinner: This state party fundraiser serves as the kickoff to South Carolina's weekend in the presidential campaign spotlight
- Jim Clyburn's annual fish fry: Featuring all but two major candidates and thousands of Democrats in Columbia, South Carolina -- this is the largest cattle call of the season so far
- Pete Buttigieg: Heads back to South Bend, Indiana, to attend a march. He had planned to attend the fish fry but pulled out at the last minute because of a recent officer-involved fatal shooting in South Bend, where he is still mayor.
- Steve Bullock: Will be on the stump in New Hampshire through Saturday while the rest of the field crowds South Carolina
Saturday, June 22 - The South Carolina Democratic Party Convention: Features speakers from the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates. Buttigieg is planning to attend, bringing the number of expected candidates there back to 22 (with Bullock still not there).
Wednesday, June 26 - First DNC debate, night one: Cory Booker, Elizabeth Warren, Beto O'Rourke, Amy Klobuchar, John Delaney, Tulsi Gabbard, Julián Castro, Tim Ryan, Bill de Blasio and Jay Inslee take the stage in Miami
- Steve Bullock: Is participating in a locally televised town hall in Iowa after not qualifying for the first debate
- Seth Moulton: Plans to travel to Miami despite not qualifying for the first debate. His campaign hopes to generate press around not being on the debate stage.
Thursday, June 27 - First DNC debate, night two: Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Pete Buttigieg, Kirsten Gillibrand, Michael Bennet, Marianne Williamson, Eric Swalwell, Andrew Yang and John Hickenlooper take the stage in Miami
- Steve Bullock: Is participating in a locally televised town hall in New Hampshire after not qualifying for the first debate
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