| | | | 2 signs Senate Republicans are starting to get nervous about the midterms | | Senate Republicans shouldn't have a care in the world heading into the 2018 election. And yet, there are signs in just the last 48 hours that Senate GOP strategists are growing increasingly nervous about their chances of holding the majority. Consider: 1. In North Dakota, Republicans are desperately trying to change Rep. Kevin Cramer's mind about challenging Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, a Democrat, in November, according to the Washington Examiner's David Drucker. Kramer decided against the race in January, but Republicans have grown increasingly concerned about the remaining candidates in the race -- state Sen. Tom Campbell in particular -- and their ability to beat Heitkamp.
2. Some Republicans are pressuring Sen. Bob Corker to reconsider his decision to retire at the end of the 115th Congress -- as first reported by CNN. Corker has been silent about the speculation since the news broke over the weekend, meaning that he almost certainly is thinking twice about his previous decision. (If Corker wasn't reconsidering, he could shut down all speculation with a simple "No" to any of the scads of reporters asking him whether he is reconsidering.)
Individual race anxieties are reflective of a broader concern among Senate Republicans that, despite their overwhelming numbers advantage, the combined weight of historical losses for the President's party in midterms election and President Trump's continued unpopularity nationally could endanger their majority come November. Recruiting has also been far more difficult than Republicans would have hoped.
None of this is to say Republicans will lose their majority come fall. The numbers -- still -- favor them. But, the attempts to convince Cramer to change his mind, coupled with efforts to coax Corker out of retirement are the latest evidence that an election cycle that looked like one of the best for Republicans in modern memory suddenly appears to be a bit more of a nail-biter.
Read more in my full take -- and check out more graphics -- here.
--Chris | | "I was feeling like a regular person. And regular people, when someone says something mean to you on social media, regular people are allowed to respond. ... I was so stupid. I wish I could take it back."
-Louise Linton, in an interview with Elle, regarding her infamous Instagram post and reply | | | Chris wrote about how people are leaving the Trump White House in record numbers.
According to a study done by Kathryn Dunn Tenpas of the Brookings Institute, more than one in three Trump administration staffers have left the White House in its first year, a pace that far eclipses the rate of departures in the previous five White Houses.
Chris writes: "Look at this picture [above]. It includes some people, like former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, who were never at the White House, but who unceremoniously left Trump's orbit. Others didn't work directly at the White House, but have featured prominently in the Trump administration. And Manafort, by the way, has been charged by special counsel Robert Mueller with money laundering and filing false foreign lobbying reports. See if you can name all of the people -- each one of whom has left the White House or Trump's orbit -- in it. (Confession: I couldn't)." | | | Happy Galentine's Day to all our lovely lady readers! In case you need a refresher on what the "Parks and Rec"-created holiday is, here's an explainer. | | | NPR's first listen has Brandi Carlile's new single: "By The Way, I Forgive You." | | GILLIBRAND TO STOP ACCEPTING $ FROM CORPORATE PACS | | New York Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand said Tuesday she will no longer accept contributions from corporate PACs.
"Because of the corrosive effect of corporate money in politics, I've decided from this point on I am no longer accepting corporate PAC checks into my campaign," she said in a video statement posted on Twitter. "One of the reasons why I'm so concerned about money in politics is because of the Supreme Court decision Citizens United. We have a system where corporations can spend unlimited money that isn't even disclosed so there's no transparency."
Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Maria Cantwell of Washington also decline to take corporate PAC money. | | PLANNED PARENTHOOD RIDING #RESISTANCE MOMENTUM | | Saba got a little scoop this morning: Planned Parenthood will announce on Tuesday a new campaign to help expand access to reproductive health care state-by-state, CNN has learned.
The nonprofit is working alongside state lawmakers, advocates for reproductive rights and partners -- such as the Oklahoma Coalition for Reproductive Justice, Latino Memphis in Tennessee and the Michigan Progressive Women's Caucus -- to push reproductive rights policies in more than a dozen states and DC this week. The organization, its partners, policymakers and activists plan to advance initiatives in all 50 states by the end of the year.
"This really is growing out of an unprecedented grass-roots movement across the country," Danielle Wells, Planned Parenthood's assistant director of state policy media, told Saba. "People are mobilizing, organizing and fighting back on behalf of their health and rights. We are channeling that energy into action, and really going on the offense. Now is time for us to unite together and expand reproductive health care."
News of the initiative comes as anti-abortion organizations continue to call on lawmakers to strip Planned Parenthood of federal funding. It also comes several weeks after Planned Parenthood CEO Cecile Richards announced her plans to step down in 2018. | | 'BLUE APRON' FOR FOOD STAMP RECIPIENTS? | | CNN's Tami Luhby reported Tuesday: "Think of it as Blue Apron for food stamp recipients. That's how Budget Director Mick Mulvaney described the Trump administration's proposal to replace nearly half of poor Americans' monthly cash benefits with a box of food. It would affect households that receive at least $90 a month in food stamps, or roughly 38 million people. 'USDA America's Harvest Box is a bold, innovative approach to providing nutritious food to people who need assistance feeding themselves and their families -- and all of it is homegrown by American farmers and producers,' said Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue in a statement. 'It maintains the same level of food value as SNAP [Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program] participants currently receive, provides states flexibility in administering the program, and is responsible to the taxpayers.'"
Read more in Tami's story here. | | OMAROSA ON PENCE: 'HE'S EXTREME' | | CNN's Maegan Vazquez reports: Former White House aide Omarosa Manigault-Newman took aim at Vice President Mike Pence during CBS' "Celebrity Big Brother" on Monday, telling her housemates that Pence is worse than President Donald Trump.
"Can I just say this? As bad as y'all think Trump is, you would be worried about Pence," Manigault-Newman told her housemates seated around her. She continued, "We would be begging for days of Trump back if Pence became President, that's all I'm saying. He's extreme."
Read more here. | | DOG'S GUBERNATORIAL DREAMS DASHED | | All Angus Woolley wanted was to be the top dog in the Kansas governor's race.
But the Kansas secretary of state's office this week determined that Angus can't serve as governor -- not because he's the top dog, but because he's a dog.
"A dog cannot run for governor." Samantha Poetter, a spokeswoman for the secretary of state's office, told CNN in an email statement. "Kansas statute and the Kansas Constitution make repeated references to a person being Governor. Nor can a dog carry out the statutory and constitutional duties required of a Governor."
Read more in Saba's full story here. | | | Make sure you include a note in your Valentine's Day cards reminding your loved ones 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. | | | | | | |
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