| | | | It was a jam-packed news week -- even with President Trump away from DC | | It's been a stormy start to spring so far for the Trump administration, with adult film star Stormy Daniels dominating headlines. But -- this being the Trump administration -- the Daniels news wasn't even the biggest news of the week.
Instead, the political world's eyes were on former FBI Director James Comey, beginning Sunday night when he sat down with ABC's George Stephanopoulos. Comey, who was fired by Trump last year, released his book "A Higher Loyalty" on Tuesday and has been making media rounds -- and headlines -- all week.
Meanwhile, in Florida, Trump hosted Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at Mar-a-Lago (or, as the President calls it: "indeed the Southern White House"). Trump also received some good news: Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani will be joining his legal team. Giuliani told CNN his focus will be on interfacing with special counsel Robert Mueller in his Russia probe and to help bring everything to a conclusion. Speaking of Russia ... on Thursday there was a flood of developments related to the Russia investigation.
CNN's Brenna Williams compiled a whopping 42 headlines from Monday through Friday, making this one of the more news-packed weeks of the Trump administration to date -- and the President wasn't even in Washington!
--Saba
Monday: Tuesday: Wednesday: Thursday: Friday: | | Chris read former FBI Director James Comey's private memos on his interactions with President Donald Trump. He outlined the 11 must-read passages, including the following: - "He then started talking about all the women who had falsely accused him of grabbing or touching them (with particular mention of a "stripper" who said he grabbed her) and gave me the sense he was defending himself to me."
- "The conversation, which was pleasant at all times, was chaotic, with topics touched, left, then returned to later, making it very difficult to recount in a linear fashion. ... It really was conversation-as-jigsaw-puzzle in a way, with pieces picked up, then discarded, then returned to."
- "I said I don't do sneaky things. I don't leak. I don't do weasel moves."
Read the full memos for yourself here, or Chris' full roundup of notable passages here. | | | It's the 25th anniversary of the formation of the Backstreet Boys! Here's the Essential Backstreet Boys album jams. | | | Today's topic? Ted Cruz's Time magazine write-up about President Trump. | | Marijuana is on the mind of a handful of potential Democratic 2020 contenders. CNN's Dan Merica reports:
"In a significant political shift, several top Democrats considered to be possible contenders in the 2020 presidential race are backing legislation that would decriminalize marijuana. The shift has left Democratic operatives and marijuana legalization activists across the country saying it's difficult to imagine a debate stage in the 2020 primary race where almost all of the presidential hopefuls don't publicly back removing marijuana from the federal Controlled Substances Act.
"The latest signal came when Sen. Bernie Sanders, a 2016 Democratic candidate who is widely considered a top contender for the nomination in 2020, signed onto The Marijuana Justice Act on Thursday. The bill, proposed by Sen. Cory Booker, himself a 2020 contender, would effectively end the federal crackdown on marijuana by removing the drug from the Controlled Substances Act. It was also backed by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, another possible 2020 hopeful."
Read more here. | | REPORTER'S NOTEBOOK: COLUMBINE ANNIVERSARY WALKOUTS | | CNN's Betsy Klein followed Washington students as they joined thousands of others across the United States during a nationwide walkout protesting gun violence on the 19th anniversary of the Columbine High School massacre. Here's her reporter's notebook for The Point:
Students assembled at Lafayette Park, just outside the White House, where they held 19 minutes of silence -- one for every year since Columbine (which, by the way, happened before many of the attendees were born) -- read the names of the victims, and then marched to Capitol Hill for a speaking program that included survivors of Parkland and Columbine and other students impacted by gun violence.
"Our blood, your hands," they shouted as they marched. As they reached the Capitol, they chanted, "Do your job, Congress."
I covered DC's March for Our Lives and some of the other area student protests since the Parkland massacre, and what struck me today is how many of the high school students I spoke with had felt called to mobilize following the tragic February shooting -- most had attended all of the major rallies in the area, and some of them had stepped into leadership positions at their schools. But the main message today: You gotta vote. Organizers had voter registration clipboards on site, and almost every speaker in the program emphasized that sentiment.
Read more about the nationwide walkouts here. | | BARBARA BUSH FUNERAL THIS WEEKEND | | Many will gather in Houston on Saturday for the funeral of former first lady Barbara Bush, the matriarch of a Republican political dynasty.
From CNN's story: "Security will already be heightened at the funeral at St. Martin's Church -- Bush's husband, former President George H. W. Bush, and her son former President George W. Bush will be in attendance, as well as former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. Former first ladies Michelle Obama, Laura Bush and Hillary Clinton will also attend.
Not attending? President Donald Trump, who cited the desire to "avoid disruptions" out of respect for her family and friends. Former President Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter will also not attend, as Jimmy Carter will be on a trip overseas and Rosalynn Carter is recovering from recent intestinal surgery.
Read more here. | | From Brenna: "Students across the country -- including these ones in Richmond, Virginia -- staged a National Student Walkout, marking the 1999 Columbine High School shooting in Colorado. Students at more than 2,500 schools were expected to participate."
As always, thanks for reading, and please spread the word about The Point and tell people 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. | | | | | | |
No comments:
Post a Comment