| | | | Now comes the hard part for Donald Trump | | The first seven-plus months of Donald Trump's presidency have not gone terribly smoothly -- largely due to a series of self-inflicted wounds by the commander in chief.
Now comes the hard part.
Once Labor Day comes and goes [Editor's note: There will be no Point newsletter tomorrow but we will be back with a Labor Day edition!] and Congress comes back to Washington, the challenges begin to stack up for Trump.
Consider what he wants to get done and/or needs to get done before the fall is over:
1. Tax reform
2. Debt ceiling increase
3. Government funding package/avoidance of government shutdown
4. Disaster relief for Hurricane Harvey victims
5. Funding for the border wall
6. Health care repeal (or reform) (or something)
7. Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)
That list doesn't include the ongoing stand-off with North Korea -- which former White House chief strategist Stephen Bannon says has no military solution -- or the special counsel investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election and possible collusion by the Trump campaign.
Nor does it factor in Trump's repeated attacks on Republican senators -- 11 at last count -- for a variety of real and perceived slights. Or his tempestuous relationship with Gary Cohn, his chief economic adviser and the man expected to run point on tax reform. Or his utter lack of familiarity with or interest in legislative minutiae -- as demonstrated by his inability to convince wavering Senate Republicans to vote for the attempted repeal of the Affordable Care Act earlier this summer. Or his high 30s job approval numbers, the lowest measured for a sitting president at this point in a term.
You get the idea. September looks like the month where the chickens come home to roost for Trump. All the bad seeds he has planted since January will likely bloom next month in ways he can't control and won't like.
In great peril, of course, exists great possibility. And, it is possible that Trump finds a way through this legislative thicket and emerges from the fall a changed -- and bolstered -- president.
That is not the likely outcome, however. Faced with so many major legislative and political challenges, even the most seasoned and proven president with deep ties and trust with Congress might falter. Trump has none of those things.
-- Chris | | WHAT'S THE FUTURE OF DACA? | | As Chris noted above, the DACA deadline is looming.
The Trump administration is looking at whether the state attorneys general -- who are pushing for a decision on DACA -- would be willing to extend their deadline of September 5 for action from the White House, two sources told CNN's Jim Acosta.
President Donald Trump is weighing his options on the protections for the nearly 800,000 young undocumented immigrants under DACA, which gave young people who had come to the United States illegally as children the chance to work and study in the country without fear of deportation.
There is concern about the optics of announcing a decision amid the devastating effects of Hurricane Harvey in Texas, as well as an already-packed legislative month ahead for Congress.
"Harvey has changed the calculus on a lot of this stuff," a source familiar with the deliberations said.
And Fox News is reporting that Trump, as early as Friday, is planning to announce the end of DACA. White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters at the daily press briefing that it is still "under review."
Meanwhile, the focus is intensifying on Capitol Hill on whether congressional leadership can reach a deal to continue the popular Obama-era program. House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell would have to decide whether they're willing to risk angering the most conservative wing of the Republican base by allowing a vote on what some on the right consider "amnesty" -- which would almost certainly need Democratic votes to pass. | | | Because August is almost over, Daniella (who is co-writing this issue of The Point while Saba is off) wanted to include her summer jam: "Mi Gente" (which translates to "My People"), a song by Colombian singer J. Balvin and French singer Willy William. | | #TBT: PRINCESS DIANA CHARMS THE REAGANS | | Today marks the 20th anniversary of Princess Diana's death. To mark the solemn anniversary, this week's #TBT looks back on one of the more joyful moments of her too-short life.
CNN's Brenna Williams writes: In November 1985, President Ronald Reagan and first lady Nancy Reagan welcomed Diana and her husband, Prince Charles, to the White House. President Reagan noted that the trip was Diana's first to the United States.
That evening, Nancy Reagan famously facilitated a dance between Diana and actor John Travolta -- no stranger himself to pop culture immortality -- which resulted in some of the most iconic images of the princess. | | WHAT TO EXPECT FOR HARVEY RELIEF | | From CNN's Ryan Struyk: Pressure is already starting to dial up on lawmakers to pass funding for Harvey recovery in Texas — but how much money should they expect?
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said he thinks the state will need "far in excess" of $125 billion in federal relief. Houston Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee called for a record-breaking $150 billion aid package on CNN on Tuesday.
The federal government responded to an estimated $160 billion in economic damage from Hurricane Katrina with roughly $114.5 billion in recovery efforts. And after the $70.2 billion in damage from Superstorm Sandy, the federal government spent $56 billion for relief.
Estimates of the damage from Harvey are still very fluid, but we can explore a ballpark figure for how much federal recovery money might be coming.
The lowest current estimates fall in the $40 billion to $50 billion range, easily making Harvey one of the most expensive hurricanes in American history. Using the 62% threshold from the past decade of hurricane relief, federal recovery money would fall between $25 billion and $32 billion.
The highest estimate from AccuWeather soars up to $190 billion -- more than both Katrina and Sandy combined -- which would put the 62% federal aid benchmark at $118 billion of support. | | GOOD NEWS (AND GIF) AFTER HARVEY | |  | | H/T CNN's Brenna Williams | | WATCH: CNN was aboard a helicopter in Beaumont, Texas, where the US Coast Guard rescued residents -- and pups! -- stranded on a roof.
A reminder: For ways to help the victims of Hurricane Harvey, visit CNN Impact. | | 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. | | | Get the Nightcap, a comprehensive summary of the most important political news, delivered to your inbox daily. | | | | | |
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