| | | | What Joe Biden's Anita Hill apology tells us about 2020 | | | The biggest tell to date of Joe Biden's 2020 plans came this week, when he apologized to Anita Hill. "I wish I had been able to do more for Anita Hill," Biden told Teen Vogue in an interview. "I owe her an apology." Hill, you will remember, worked for Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas when they were both at the Department of Education. During Thomas' 1991 confirmation hearings, Hill alleged that he had sexually harassed her. She came under withering criticism from the Republicans on the Judiciary Committee, which Biden chaired at the time. Biden, as the years have passed, has been widely perceived as doing too little to defend Hill in that hearing. Amid the growing #metoo movement -- and the series of politicians who have either resigned or lost races while battling allegations of sexual harassment -- Biden's past with Hill was sure to grow as an issue in the coming weeks and months. So he nipped it in the bud. For the second time in a month.
That is not an accident. Biden, a 75-year-old white man, understands how the treatment of Hill was perceived by many women and, in light of the cultural movement around women speaking out about harassment, he is working to clear up any sort of misunderstanding or hurt feelings around it. He is clearing the decks, purging his past of anything that could be seized on by, say, a future political opponent.
Earlier this week, Biden told "The View": "If I were offered the nomination by the Lord Almighty right now, today, I would say no because we're not ready, the family's not ready to do this. If, in a year from now, if we're ready, and nobody has moved in that I think can do it, then I may very well do it."
That's not a "no." Heck, it's not even a "maybe." It's basically a "yes ... probably." Biden's caveat -- "nobody has moved in that I think can do it" -- is the tell. He's a politician. Who was a senator at 30. A two-time presidential candidate. And a two-term vice president. None of that is to say that Biden is a lock for the race. He, more than almost anyone, knows the role that fate -- and unexpected events -- can play in a life, having lost his eldest son, Beau, to brain cancer in 2015.
What Biden is doing right now -- with the Hill apology as the leading edge -- is not (yet) running for president, but preparing to decide to run for president. And, given that, the expectation should be that he will run in 2020. Read my full take here.
-- Chris | | It's Friday night in mid-December, aka the perfect time to release a tax cuts bill you plan to vote on next week. RIGHT?! That's what Republicans on Capitol Hill are doing while you get into holiday mode.
Get the latest on the tax bill here. And follow CNN's Lauren Fox and Phil Mattingly as they continue to cover the topic. | | JUST ANOTHER FRIDAY AT THE WHITE HOUSE | | CNN's Kevin Liptak reported from the White House on Friday morning, where President Trump let off some steam. He writes:
"From the moment he stepped onto the frozen White House South Lawn with a frown just after 9 a.m., Trump maintained a steady flow of indignation, lashing out at the Russia investigation, urban violence, unchecked immigration, the news media and decisions made by his predecessor Barack Obama, all within a single two-hour span.
"'It's a shame what happened with the FBI,' Trump told reporters gathered in scattered flurries to watch him depart aboard Marine One. 'It is very sad.'
"'They're spending millions and millions of dollars,' he bemoaned of the special counsel's Russia investigators, which have been steadily interviewing members of his staff over the past several months. 'There is absolutely no collusion.'"
Read more in Kevin's full story here. | | CNN's Ryan Struyk writes:
Republicans in Congress say passing their sweeping tax reform plan will be a Christmas gift to the American people — and it looks like Republican voters are already starting to give back. A new Quinnipiac University poll this week shows Republicans' views of their own party in Congress are above water for the first time since June, climbing from a 32-60% approval rating to a 47-43% score among Republicans over the last month as first drafts of tax reform have passed both chambers. But the problem clearly remains: this tax reform plan is deeply unpopular with the public at large. Republicans approved of the GOP tax plan by a broad 6-to-1 margin -- but independents disapprove of the plan by a 3-to-1 margin and Democrats by a 30-to-1 margin.
Look for Ryan's full story on CNN's website tomorrow. | | CNN's Miranda Green wrote about this interesting hearing for a Trump judicial nominee on Friday. She writes:
During his testimony, Matthew Spencer Petersen, who currently serves as a commissioner on the Federal Election Commission, was asked a string of questions by GOP Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana about his experience on trials, including how many depositions Petersen had worked on--the answer was less than five -- and the last time he had read the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure -- he said he couldn't remember.
Petersen is up for a seat on the US District Court for the District of Columbia.
During the hearing, Petersen had to acquiesce on many occasions that his "background was not in litigation," despite the role he was up for. He added, "I understand the challenge that would be ahead of me if I were fortunate enough to become a district court judge." The testimony has since been widely shared on social media. Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island tweeted out a video of the incident Thursday night, writing, "MUST WATCH: Republican @SenJohnKennedy asks one of @realDonaldTrump's US District Judge nominees basic questions of law & he can't answer a single one. Hoo-boy.
Read more in Miranda's full story here (where you can also watch a clip of the hearing). | | From Brenna: On the seventh day of GIFmas, 2017 gave to me … whatever this is. It was the Trumps' first Halloween in the White House, and they were giving out treats to visiting ghouls and goblins.
In this moment, President Trump turns from "Frozen"'s Olaf to a blowup T. rex that was taller than him. The President was NOT feeling it. Watch his smile quickly fade as he turns to the dino, then proceeds to play with his tie and his jacket.
T. rex takes the hint. An important lesson for the child in that costume: In life, sometimes you just have to known when to walk/slowly amble away.
HAPPY FRIDAY! Remind 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. | | | | | | |
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