| | | | A good end to a bad week for President Trump | | This is the week that will likely be remembered for the official turning of Michael Cohen away from President Donald Trump. Twice this week, Cohen (or his legal team) took actions that either embarrassed Trump or put him in potential legal jeopardy: 1) releasing an audio tape of the two men talking about a potential payoff to a former Playboy model and 2) suggesting that Trump knew in advance of the June 2016 Trump Tower meeting between his top campaign officials and a group of Russians.
That is a very big deal, considering how close for how long Cohen was to Trump. The question going forward is whether Cohen can deliver the goods on Trump or whether this is all one big bluff to secure a presidential pardon or a better deal from special counsel Robert Mueller.
None of it is good for Trump and his administration -- not least because the Cohen-Trump story sucks all the oxygen out of the room, making it hard for stories that are far better for the White House to poke through.
One such story came Friday with the news that economic growth in the second quarter of 2018 hit 4.1%, the highest its been since 2014. Trump quickly moved to seize on the news as the latest piece of evidence that his economic policies -- up to and including his tariffs on foreign goods -- are working better than anyone thought possible.
"We've accomplished an economic turnaround of historic proportions," Trump crowed Friday morning.
And it wasn't just Trump singing Trump's praises. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, whom no one would mistake for a Trump supporter, tweeted his own praise of the President. "Today's news confirms that 4% growth isn't just aspirational, it's achievable through policies that unleash the power of the market," wrote Jeb(!). "Credit to @POTUS's economic policies. To sustain this growth, we must pursue a free trade agenda and move to a merit-based immigration system."
Recent polling suggests people are not only noticing the improved economic indicators but are giving Trump credit for it, too. Fully 50% of people in a new Wall Street Journal/NBC poll said they approved of the job Trump was doing with the economy, while only 34% disapproved. That's a long way from Trump's far more mediocre ratings on his handling of border security and immigration (41% approve/51% disapprove) or the relationship between Russia and the United States (26% approve/51% disapprove).
Congressional Republicans could barely contain their excitement with the new numbers -- and Trump's on-message address touting them. The problem, of course, is that the positive economic numbers were quickly moved to the backburner as the he said/he said battle between Cohen and Trump played out. Which is a common problem for Trump: Self-inflicted wounds not only cut deep but make it harder for him to focus on narratives that are far better for him and his party.
Below, the week that was in 26 headlines.
-- Chris
Monday: Tuesday: Wednesday: Thursday: Friday: | | President Donald Trump kicked off the morning with -- you guessed it -- a tweet! On social media, he denied his former personal attorney Michael Cohen's claim that Trump knew in advance about a highly controversial 2016 Trump Tower meeting, the latest public breach in the fraying relationship between the President and his former confidant. The tweets come the morning after a CNN story in which sources said that Cohen claims that then-candidate Trump had advance notice of the June 2016 meeting in Trump Tower involving Donald Trump Jr.
But the day got better for POTUS, as he was able to tout the economy in a speech at the White House. The US economy grew at a 4.1% annual rate in the second quarter of the year, a figure Trump touted as "amazing" and sustainable -- even as economists caution economic growth for the second half of the year will likely be slower. Trump's reaction? "These numbers are very, very sustainable -- this isn't a one-time shot." (Read more in CNN's story here.)
In other WH news ... a US Air Force plane carrying what are believed to be the remains of US troops killed in the Korean War some 65 years ago arrived Friday morning at Osan Air Base in South Korea. Trump said Vice President Mike Pence, who stood behind him during the remarks, will greet the remains of US service members returning from North Korea. "These incredible American heroes will soon lay at rest on sacred American soil," Trump said. The US President also thanked North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for "keeping his word." | | | The xx has been doing shows in DC all week! So here's "I Dare You." | | | Today's topic: The Trump Tower Russian meeting was a big deal before. New questions about it are an even bigger deal. | | The Environmental Protection Agency is saying goodbye to a rule enforced by the controversial former EPA chief Scott Pruitt.
CNN's Gregory Wallace reported Friday the EPA will "now enforce an Obama-era rule that limits diesel truck emissions, reversing one of the final decisions made under Pruitt. ... The decision not to enforce the rule was made because the Trump-era EPA is looking to change a regulation about 'glider' trucks."
Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler wrote in a memo: "I have concluded that the application of current regulations ... does not represent the kind of extremely unusual circumstances that support the EPA's exercise of enforcement discretion."
Read more here. | | TRACKING DOWN DEPORTED PARENTS | | According to the latest government statistics, some 430 parents from separated families were likely deported without their children. Officials maintain that before that happened, the parents consented. Now immigrant advocacy groups are on the ground working to help these parents. But it's not going to be easy...
CNN's Catherine E. Shoichet reported Friday: "Immigrant advocacy groups are gearing up to track down more than 400 parents who were separated from their children and deported without them. The challenge is so daunting that government attorneys have bristled every time it's come up in court.
"Already, some devastated parents are coming forward, desperate to be reunited with their kids, according to advocacy groups. But there are hundreds whose whereabouts are unknown."
Organizations helping include: The ACLU and Kids in Need of Defense, which announced the launch of a new initiative to help reunite children with parents who were deported. Read more of CNN's reporting here. | | PUTIN 'READY' FOR WASHINGTON | | Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to trek to the swamp.
Putin said of going to Washington: "We are ready for such meetings. We are ready to invite President Trump to Moscow. He has this invitation already and I told him about it."
White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders' response: "President Trump looks forward to having President Putin to Washington after the first of the year, and he is open to visiting Moscow upon receiving a formal invitation."
Read more here. | | | From Brenna: "Yesterday, President Trump showed off this twist on the MAGA hat, promising to 'Make Our Farmers Great Again.' Sorry to the farmers who already thought they were great. Check out this week's other top political GIFs and tell your friends 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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