| | | | Robert Mueller spoke! Now what? |  | | Wednesday, we got the moment we had all been waiting for: Robert Mueller spoke publicly.
It was -- as all highly anticipated things usually are -- somewhat anticlimactic. Mueller spoke for 10 minutes. He broke no major new ground. He took no questions.
In short, he was the same riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma he has been for the duration of the almost two-year probe he led into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
What Mueller said about the probe seemed to purposely lend itself to analysis based on what you already believed about the investigation.
President Donald Trump and his allies insisted Mueller simply provided a recitation of what was already in his report. "Nothing changes from the Mueller Report," tweeted Trump. "There was insufficient evidence and therefore, in our Country, a person is innocent. The case is closed! Thank you."
Democrats and anti-Trumpers focused on Mueller's emphasis that Trump had not been charged with anything because he couldn't be charged with anything under Justice Department precedent.
So where the heck do we go now? Mueller was quite clear in his statement that he had no interest in testifying before Congress, insisting that "the report is my testimony." House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler (N.Y.) seemed disinclined to immediately subpoena Mueller in hopes of compelling his testimony: "Mr. Mueller told us a lot of what we need to hear today," Nadler said Wednesday.
It's hard to see Democrats would subpoena Mueller, given his long track record of government service and their lauding of how he handled himself during the investigation. The question for Democrats now appears to be "to impeach, or not to impeach?"
If there is a next chapter in this saga, that's it: House Democrats moving (or not) to impeach Trump based on Mueller's report and the statement he made this week. Speaker Nancy Pelosi remains resistant and, at present, there's not enough of a rebellion within her caucus to make her reconsider that position.
The Point: With Mueller now off the stage -- probably for good -- the ball is firmly in House Democrats' court. Do they take a swing or let it bounce on by?
-- Chris
Below, the week in 24 headlines.
Monday: Tuesday: Wednesday: Thursday: Friday: | | "Everyone dies."
-- Attorney General William Barr got nihilistic when asked whether he's concerned about his reputation after criticism of his handling of the Russia investigation. | | | 5 THINGS OUR EMBEDS LEARNED ON THE TRAIL | | Chris spoke with two of CNN's 2020 campaign embeds about what life is like covering the candidates wherever they go. Here's what CNN's Daniella Diaz and DJ Judd have learned in their seven months on the trail so far: - Judd: "How difficult it can be to get from El Paso, Texas, to Keokuk, Iowa, for a 5 a.m. press call during a wind advisory!"
- Diaz: "Voters will share their hearts with us and with candidates at town halls. They all have stories to tell."
- Judd: "These are voters who aren't afraid to take candidates to task for what they perceive as shortcomings, and they expect answers before they even think about supporting them."
- Diaz: "I've learned so much about campaigns, politics, candidates, different states around the country, voters ... it's unreal. I love it. I'm so lucky."
- Judd: "Before this experience, I never really considered the participatory nature of our democracy. ...We owe voters the courtesy of doing a good job."
We'll be cheering you on from DC, Dianella and DJ! Have some fried butter at the Iowa State Fair for us. Or don't. | | Kevin Sullivan tells the story of Cory Booker and an Orthodox rabbi
5 ways Donald Trump had remade the Democratic party via John F. Harris
The rise and fall of Kamala Harris
These previously hidden photos of the Tiananmen Square protests are stunning
Jackie MacMullan on Nick Nurse's journey to the NBA Finals
The 92nd Scripps National Spelling Bee had an epic ending with eight co-champions | | | Chris has been really into ambient music for about a year now. And one of his favorites -- Matthew Cooper, who performs as Eluvium -- is out with a brand-new album called "Pianoworks." Check it out! | | TAXATION WITH REPRESENTATION? | | For the first time in more than 25 years, the House of Representatives will hold a hearing to discuss DC statehood legislation.
Introduced by DC's very own Eleanor Holmes Norton, the legislation would would provide District residents with two senators and at least one voting House member. Notably, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, who at first was hesitant about statehood, came out this week in favor of the proposition in an op-ed in The Washington Post.
There are three different paths to statehood: through changing the Constitution, through a bill in Congress, or by petitioning Congress to admit DC into the union.
But not so fast -- the bill's chances of passing the GOP-controlled Senate are ... not great.
Fun Fact: The last time the United States got a new state was August 21, 1959 -- Hawaii! | |
LAUREN'S CAMPAIGN TRAIL SCHEDULER | | | It's cattle call season! We get our first big clutch of candidates (14!) in one place over the weekend with the California Democratic Party's Organizing Convention, plus two more Cali-based forums. There's three back-to-back CNN town halls Sunday night, then, later in the week, the DNC's IWillVote gala in Atlanta is another draw for the top-tier contenders.
Friday, May 31: - The California Democratic Party Convention kicks off: The largest gathering of Democrats in California will draw 14 presidential candidates over its three days. Cory Booker, Pete Buttigieg, Julián Castro, John Delaney, Tulsi Gabbard, Kirsten Gillibrand, Kamala Harris, John Hickenlooper, Jay Inslee, Amy Klobuchar, Beto O'Rourke, Bernie Sanders, Eric Swalwell and Elizabeth Warren will attend the convention in San Francisco.
- The Unity and Freedom Presidential Forum: Harris, Castro, Sanders and Inslee participate in an afternoon forum about immigration reform in Pasadena, California.
Saturday, June 1: - Move On's Big Ideas Forum: Castro, Harris, Gillibrand, Sanders and Warren participate in the San Francisco event, where each candidate will present "One Big Idea" that will change people's lives for the better.
- Joe Biden: Travels to Columbus, Ohio, for the Human Rights Campaign gala -- and is one of the few candidates not attending any sort of convention or forum in California.
- Bernie Sanders: Rallies in San Jose, California.
- Seth Moulton: Holds a veterans mental health town hall in Las Vegas.
- Tim Ryan: Makes three stops during his second day in Iowa.
- Bill de Blasio: Spends the day campaigning in South Carolina.
Sunday, June 2: Tuesday, June 4: - Elizabeth Warren: Holds a community conversation and a town hall in Detroit and Lansing, Michigan.
- Joe Biden: Will return to New Hampshire -- where and when he'll be there is unclear. Biden's campaign has not released any further details.
Wednesday, June 5: Thursday, June 6: | |  | | From Brenna: "Waving goodbye to this news-packed week like Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Share The Point with someone looking forward to the weekend!" | | | | | | |
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