| | | | Sarah Sanders: These aren't the droids you're looking for | | On Wednesday afternoon, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders tried to convince reporters that President Trump hadn't said what he said.
"He said the process has people calling us a joke and calling us a laughingstock," Sanders insisted, referring to Trump's comments earlier in the day about the justice system in regards the treatment of suspected terrorists.
Except, well, that's not what Trump said.
Here is what he said: "We need quick justice and we need strong justice -- much quicker and much stronger than we have right now, because what we have right now is a joke and it's a laughingstock. And no wonder so much of this stuff takes place. And I think I can speak for plenty of other countries, too, that are in the same situation."
So.
Here's what Trump said: "What we have right now is a joke and it's a laughingstock."
And here's what Sanders said Trump said: "He said the process has people calling us a joke and calling us a laughingstock."
I mean. Seriously?
Here's the thing: ALL White House press secretaries -- from the creation of the job -- have massaged the facts to make things look as good as possible for their bosses.
But what Sanders is doing here is different. She isn't massaging the facts. She is trying to change them. Trump said what he said about the justice system. There is video and audio of it. It's not up for debate.
Facts are facts. Spin can't change them. And when the White House press secretary, who speaks for the entire country when she is behind that podium, tries to do just that, it says something very scary about where we are headed.
-- Chris | | CNN's Ryan Struyk writes:
Well, here's one thing that (kinda, sorta) unites Americans on tax reform. Majorities of Republicans, Democrats and independents all say they're OK with cutting wealthy Americans' taxes -- "as long as everyone else gets the same tax cut." That poll result, and somewhat ambiguous wording, comes in a new CBS News poll released today. Of course, the sticking point comes in the meaning of the word "same" -- whether we're talking about the same percentage or the same dollar amount. One other result that unites a majority of both parties? Concern about tax cuts running up the deficit. | | | L-O-V-E this "Tiny Desk Concert" by Gracie and Rachel. Hauntingly beautiful stuff. | | "Probably not the best way to bring out the best in our country."
-Sen. Bob Corker to CNN's Ashley Killough regarding Trump's tweets after the NYC attack | | | Kelli Ward, a doctor and former Arizona state senator, who failed to unseat Sen. John McCain in a 2016 Senate primary, has won over a new supporter: Sen. Rand Paul.
Last year, she made headlines after calling McCain "old" and "weak." More recently, in July, she sparked social media backlash after she said McCain should step aside as quickly as possible after the news of his brain cancer diagnosis.
Paul is not the first to back Ward. In August, Trump tweeted: "Great to see that Dr. Kelli Ward is running against Flake Jeff Flake, who is WEAK on borders, crime and a non-factor in Senate. He's toxic!" Her campaign has received both manpower and money from Trump supporters. Eric Beach and Brent Lowder, of Great America PAC, which were supportive of Trump, are on Ward's campaign team. | | Director Brett Ratner became the latest Hollywood power player to be taken down by accusations of sexual assault Tuesday, after a bombshell report by the LA Times detailing six women's on-the-record accounts of the director's harassment and misconduct going back to the 1990s. CNN's DJ Judd flagged a politics connection within the story. He writes:
Allegations against Ratner, who joins Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey in an ever-expanding cabal of powerful men in Hollywood who used their cache to abuse and assault the vulnerable, may cause ripples in Washington as Ratner's production company -- RatPac Entertainment -- faces increased scrutiny. From the LA Times article:
"In 2012, Ratner co-founded production company RatPac Entertainment. A year later, RatPac partnered with now-Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin's Dune Entertainment to create the investment vehicle RatPac-Dune Entertainment, which inked a co-financing deal with Warner Bros. worth about $450 million."
Per IMDb, Mnuchin and Ratner's joint venture RatPac-Dune boasts production credits on films such as the Oscar-nominated "Mad Max: Fury Road," the franchise-launching "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," and 2014's smash hit "The LEGO Movie." Mnuchin divested his stake in RatPac-Dune following his confirmation as Donald Trump's treasury secretary. Still, questions may eventually be raised regarding what Mnuchin knew with respect to his business partner's alleged sexual misconduct. | | LAURA BUSH ON ALLEGATIONS AGAINST GEORGE H.W. BUSH | | During an interview with CNN's Brooke Baldwin on Wednesday, former first lady Laura Bush addressed sexual assault allegations against former President George H.W. Bush.
"I'm just sad that we've come to this," Laura Bush said. "That was something that was very, very innocent that he's been accused of. But I know he would feel terrible."
"He would never hurt anybody," she added of her father-in-law.
Read more from the interview in CNN's story by Maegan Vazquez. | | MICHELLE OBAMA'S WORDS OF WISDOM | | Former first lady Michelle Obama spoke at the Obama Foundation's inaugural youth leadership summit in Chicago on Wednesday, where she dished advice on everything from tweeting to fostering friendships. - On tweeting: "When you have a voice, you can't just use it any kind of way, you know?" she said. "You don't just say what's on your mind. You don't tweet every thought. Most of your first initial thoughts are not worthy of the light of day."
- On Twitter as a platform: It's a "powerful weapon that we just hand over to little kids."
- On finding good friends: "Y'all should get you some friends. Y'all need to go talk to each other about your stuff because there's so much of it! Talk about why y'all are the way you are."
Read more in CNN's story by Juana Summers. | | | Speaking of the former FLOTUS, we'll #neverforget her "Turnip for What?" Vine video from 2014. Happy Hump Day! Remember to tell people 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. | | | Get the Nightcap, a comprehensive summary of the most important political news, delivered to your inbox daily. | | | | | |
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