The Point: O'Rourke makes it o-fficial

View this email in your browser March 14, 2019  | by Lauren Dezenski O'Rourke makes it o-fficial Beto O'Rourke is officially running for president. It was an announcement that was increasingly becoming a when - not an if. Especially after a major Vanity Fair profile of the former Texas congressman went live on Thursday night, in which O'Rourke essentially said he wanted to run. Roughly 12 hours later, O'Rourke hit "send" on an announcement video posted on Twitter. In that video, O'Rourke and his wife, Amy, sit on a couch as O'Rourke explains why he is running for president and embarking on the "greatest grass-roots campaign this country has ever seen." Gesticulating throughout the video, he called this a moment of "maximum peril and maximum potential." The tweet included a link to his website, with portals for donations (gotta tap into those grass roots somehow!), a store selling BETO for AMERICA lawn signs and T-shirts, and a listing for jobs. It's worth noting that O'Rourke is leapfrogging the "exploratory committee" stage that candidates like Elizabeth Warren and Julián Castro took before announcing (and which Kirsten Gillibrand is still in). Pretty bold for the guy who just lost to Ted Cruz. President Donald Trump has already weighed in on the latest 2020 contender, criticizing something that is often leveled at Trump himself: his hand gestures. "Well, I think he's got a lot of hand movement," Trump said. "I've never seen so much hand movement. I said, 'Is he crazy or is that just how he reacts?' " The President said reporters should "Study it." O'Rourke will now spend three days in Iowa talking to voters, where he'll surely be followed by packs of reporters looking for any evidence of how the latest presidential candidate is faring. The Point: Months after losing his Senate race, Beto O'Rourke is running for president. 2020, here we come. -- Lauren QUOTE OF THE DAY "I said, 'No.' " -- Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams, recounting how she had responded when asked today if she would ever concede the Georgia gubernatorial race. WATCH: TAX FIGHT COMETH  Dems might make Trump release his tax returns Democrats are closer to getting their hands on President Trump's tax returns. House Ways and Means Chairman Richard Neal, D-Massachusetts, has the power to request Trump's tax returns, but that doesn't mean the President won't give them up without a fight. Have you gotten your hands on The Point on YouTube? Subscribe!  LAUREN'S GOOD READS Meet the 12 GOP senators who voted against Trump's emergency declaration Rejoice: Facebook's outage is resolved Sandy Hook families will be able to sue gunmaker, judge rules Get well soon, anonymous eagle Butterball caution!!  THE ULTIMATE PI DAY CONTENT MUSICAL INTERLUDE My March resolution is to listen to more Lizzo. Her single "Cuz I Love You" makes that very easy.  A SHOE THING Haven't we all been there? Pennsylvania's Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon had a fast-paced fashion faux pas on Wednesday, putting on two different shoes -- and not even realizing until almost the end of the day.  LAUREN'S 2020 LATEST Bernie Sanders: Urged nationalization of most major industries in the '70s -- including energy companies, factories and banks -- when he was a leading member of a self-described "radical political party," according to a new KFILE investigation. Julián Castro: Will make his first South Carolina trip as a presidential candidate this weekend.  Cory Booker: Just had his relationship with Rosario Dawson confirmed by Dawson herself.  Kamala Harris: Told NPR that on immigrants and refugees seeking asylum at the border, she "would not enforce a law that would reject people and turn them away without giving them a fair and due process." Howard Schultz: Has apologized after saying he had "probably" spent more time with the military than any other 2020 candidate over the last decade. Both Pete Buttigieg and Tulsi Gabbard have actually served in the military. REMEMBERING FORMER SEN. BIRCH BAYH The late Indiana senator was the architect of Title IX, an amendment to a 1972 education act that said no one in the United States, on the basis of sex, should be excluded from participating in or be denied benefits for or subjected to discrimination in any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance. The Democrat was also deeply involved with two constitutional amendments: Article 25, which updates presidential succession and clarifies what happens if the president becomes incapacitated Article 26, which lowered the voting age from 21 to 18.  Bayh died on Thursday. He was 91.  YOUR DAILY GIF From Brenna: "Beto is running for president and no sport coat is gonna hold him back. Share The Point with someone who has helped you wrestle yourself free of a jacket after you tried to casually slip it off and failed!" 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. Send your tips and thoughts via email to Chris Cillizza and Lauren Dezenski. Follow Chris and Lauren on Twitter. Subscribe to The Point unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences  Copyright © 2019 Cable News Network, LP, LLLP. A WarnerMedia Company. All Rights Reserved., All rights reserved. You are receiving this message because you subscribed to CNN's The Point with Chris Cillizza newsletter. Our mailing address is: Cable News Network, LP, LLLP. A WarnerMedia Company. All Rights Reserved. One CNN Center Atlanta, GA 30303 Add us to your address book Sign up to get updates on your favorite CNN Original Series, special CNN news coverage and other newsletters.​