| | | | Donald Trump's war on the media, Halloween edition | | On Friday, a handful of kids of reporters who cover the White House got to meet President Donald Trump. They -- the kids, not the reporters -- were dressed in their Halloween costumes. It was super cute.
And then Trump started talking.
Rather than just do the normal "And what are you going as?" bit, Trump decided to use the occasion to take some shots at the kids' parents.
Here's a sample:
1. "I cannot believe the media produced such beautiful children. How the media did this, I don't know."
2. "You gonna grow up to be like you parents? Mmmm ... don't answer."
3. "So, how does the press treat you? I bet you get treated by the press better than anybody in the world. Right? Huh? I think so."
4. "Here, you did a good job," Trump said to the parents. "I wouldn't say you've done very well here," he noted, pointing to himself.
Trump was "joking," of course. But, as always with Trump, not really.
He never misses an opportunity to take a shot at his favorite scapegoat -- even when it's just a photo-op with their kids for Halloween. Maybe especially when it's a photo-op with their kids.
-- Chris | | CNN's Ryan Struyk and Sam Petulla put together a super-impressive analysis of Trump's answers to tough questions. From their story:
"The President has been looking into everything from the North Korea crisis to peace in the Middle East, from health care specifics to immigration policy, from infrastructure plans to disaster relief in Puerto Rico. Trump has used this device on a position or action more than 100 times as President, according to a new CNN analysis of transcripts, speeches, tweets and statements compiled by Factbase.
The answer is the same whether the subject is the fates of Cabinet officials, the future of trade pacts or pushes to pass major legislation -- he responds with a blanket, noncommittal 'we'll see.'" | | "He's a big man. With massive hands."
-- Michael Grimm re: President Trump (in an interview with New York magazine) | | | | Season two of "Stranger Things" debuted on Netflix last night ... so we highly recommend listening to the very '80s soundtrack to the show, available to stream on Spotify. | | On Wednesday, Trump tweeted: "The long anticipated release of the #JFKFiles will take place tomorrow. So interesting!"
But turns out, the "long anticipated release" was kind of anti-climactic. Why? The US government released more than 2,800 records Thursday night in an effort to comply with a 1992 law mandating the documents' release, but kept roughly 300 files classified.
As CNN's Stephen Collinson points out, the "incomplete JFK file dump doesn't provide the drama Trump promised."
From Stephen's article: "Once the 2,800 documents finally hit the website of the National Archives at just after 7.30 p.m., there were some fascinating historical nuggets surrounding Kennedy assassin Lee Harvey Oswald, his murderer Jack Ruby and even a tantalizing walk-on part by Marilyn Monroe. But the bigger story lay in what is still missing, unknown and secret. The big reveal didn't live up to its billing because spy agency officials successfully pleaded with Trump to hold back 300 or so files, forcing him to set up yet another classified review process -- this one lasting six months. The drama around the release of the documents was like so much of Trump's nine months in power, involving a big promise that he struggled to fulfill and a rush of last-minute chaos inside the White House." | | Our end-of-week Russia news recap, from CNN's Marshall Cohen:
This week, we learned that the CEO of Cambridge Analytica, which was part of the Trump campaign's data operation, asked WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange last summer for access to Hillary Clinton's private emails. Assange says he rejected the request. This isn't proof of "collusion," but it's not the first time that people affiliated with the Trump campaign demonstrated a willingness to work with an adversary for political gain. Remember the Trump Tower meeting?
BTW: Be sure to check out Marshall's timeline of connections between the Trump campaign, the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks and the public disclosures it injected into the presidential campaign. | | This week, it seems Sen. Kamala Harris of California is the busiest bee. From CNN's Eric Bradner:
"Harris was the first senator to announce she'll oppose an end-of-year spending bill if lawmakers aren't yet "clear about what we are going to do to protect and take care of" the undocumented immigrants brought into the United States as children whose status is now uncertain after President Donald Trump announced he'd eliminate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
Harris has some weekend political travel. She's in Rhode Island on Friday to raise money with Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse. Then, on Saturday, she's back in Washington delivering the keynote speech at the Human Rights Campaign's national dinner — where Hillary Clinton and Amazon's Jeff Bezos will also be on hand. And Sunday, Harris is in Richmond, campaigning for Virginia candidates ahead of the state's November 7 election."
Read more in Eric's #2020Vision Memo here. | | ANOTHER RACE TO LOOK OUT FOR | | More from CNN's Eric Bradner! He writes:
I recently chatted with Boyd Matheson, the former Sen. Mike Lee chief of staff whom Steve Bannon and David Bossie are eyeing to take on either Sen. Orrin Hatch or Mitt Romney for the Senate seat there.
Matheson says he'll "make a decision in the next couple of weeks," and doesn't care if he'd be running against Hatch or Romney. He said frustration with Congress is "the one item that unites everybody, from the fiercest Trump loyalist to the most ardent never-Trumper."
But he had an interesting take on running against Romney: "It'd be very different. He's going to have to come out with his own agenda and vision for what that role looks like -- and he could play a very interesting and dynamic role in the transformation of the Senate, there's no doubt about that. He would come in from a very different perspective, which could be very, very good for the Senate. If he came in and ran it like a Bain Capital, that would be good for the country." | | H/t Brenna Williams because she knows a good GIFable moment when she sees one | | | Someone's in the Halloween spirit. Spotted at the White House press briefing today: Darth Vader. Happy Friday! Remember to tell everyone you know to subscribe. | | 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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