| | | | 24 headlines that sum up 1 very bad week for Trump | | It's hard to avoid hyberbole when it comes to Donald Trump. The President himself constantly engages in braggadocio about the biggest this or the worst that. He lives in a world of extremes and, therefore, the way that he is covered tends to favors the extremes as well.
And yet, it's very hard to look at this past week and not see it as the worst one of Trump's 18 months -- to the day! -- in office.
The week began with Trump's disastrous press conference in Helsinki with Russian president Vladimir Putin in which he sought to cast the Russian interference in the 2016 election as at least partly America's fault.
BOOM!
Tuesday was consumed by the debate over whether Trump meant "would" or "wouldn't" in regards to Russia meddling.
POW!
The White House spent Wednesday walking back Trump's assertion early in the day that Russia was no longer targeting the US.
BIFF!
Thursday brought the news that Trump had invited Putin to a second summit in Washington this fall -- an announcement that surprised at least one person: Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats.
ZONK!
Then, today, we learned that Michael Cohen, the President's longtime fixer, secretly taped a conversation with Trump regarding a possible payout to a former Playmate alleging she had an affair with Trump in the mid-2000s.
KAPOW!
A disastrous week -- from beginning to end. Even by Trumpian standards. Below, the week as told through 24 major headlines.
Monday: Tuesday: Wednesday: Thursday: Friday | | "Over the course of my career as an undercover officer in the C.I.A., I saw Russian intelligence manipulate many people. I never thought I would see the day when an American president would be one of them."
-- Texas Rep. Will Hurd, a Republican former CIA officer facing a tough reelection bid this year, wrote a scathing op-ed in the NYT about Trump's relationship with Putin. Could it be a sign that the Republican wall of support for Trump is breaking? We'll bet no, but still -- this is quite a read. | | | 'I CAN'T BELIEVE MICHAEL WOULD DO THIS TO ME' | | What did Trump know?
That's the question at the heart of so many of the assorted probes and suspicions surrounding the President. On Friday, we learned that -- contrary to what some skeptics surmised -- he is capable of keeping a secret.
Like the one about the phone conversation he had, pre-election, with his former personal attorney Michael Cohen -- a blockbuster scoop from the NYT.
CNN's Evan Perez, Dana Bash, Gloria Borger and Erica Orden have more:
The FBI is in possession of a recording between President Donald Trump and his former personal attorney Michael Cohen in which the two men prior to the election discuss a payment to a former Playboy model who has alleged an affair with Trump, Rudy Giuliani and a source familiar with the matter told CNN Friday.
Cohen has other recordings of the President in his records that were seized by the FBI, said both a source with knowledge of Cohen's tapes and Giuliani, who described the other recordings as mundane discussions.
The recording about the former Playboy model, Karen McDougal, was among the troves of documents and materials seized in the FBI raid of Cohen's hotel room, residence and office earlier this year amid a criminal investigation of Cohen by the US attorney's office for the Southern District of New York. A transcript of the recording was reviewed by the Trump legal team, which does not believe it poses a legal problem for the President.
Maybe so, but Trump seems to be miffed, to put it gently:
Giuliani said Trump had no idea he was being recorded during the McDougal discussion, which took place in the then-candidate's office at Trump Tower in September 2016. When informed about the recording, Trump said, "I can't believe Michael would do this to me," a source familiar with the tapes told CNN. | | OK. TIMEOUT. When bombshells like this fall, it's easy to miss the wider implications. So, what does it all really mean?
Here's Chris on why Trump's call with Cohen could fundamentally change the shape of... everything:
The big story here -- and it is a B-I-G story -- is that Cohen secretly recorded a conversation with Trump. And that this wasn't the only conversation with Trump he taped. And certainly not the only conversation that might be of interest to special counsel Robert Mueller that Cohen taped. These two paragraphs, from CNN's report on the taping, hit the nail on the head:
"Cohen has other recordings of the President in his records that were seized by the FBI, said a source with knowledge of Cohen's tapes and Giuliani, who described the other recordings as mundane discussions.
"There are other tapes of Cohen and other "powerful" individuals that the FBI seized beyond the President that could be embarrassing for the people on the tape and for Cohen, according to a source familiar with the tapes. The source said the people are of "significance and consequence."
The bottom line:
A Cohen freed from his almost-sycophantic relationship with Trump could be a dangerous thing for Trump -- not to mention the likes of Donald Trump Jr. and Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner. And Cohen with possession of recordings he secretly taped of conversations with Trump as well as other "powerful" people is a prospect that should send a shiver of fear through Trump world.
Get the full take HERE | | | In honor of Liam Gallagher's suggestion to brother Noel that they (literally) get the band back together ... here's some classic Oasis to see you into the weekend. | | | Today's topic: The Cohen tapes and why they really matter. | | That picture, up there, is from the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland.
In 2020, the party is going to have another one of those, presumable for the purpose of re-nominating Trump ahead of what's expected to be a bruising general election. And, as was made official today, Charlotte, North Carolina, will be playing host.
CNN's Clare Foran has the deets:
The Republican National Committee announced the news after a unanimous vote from committee members in favor of the city.
"I am thrilled to announce Charlotte as the official host city for the 2020 Republican National Convention," RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said in a statement.
"We look forward to seeing the Queen City take center stage as the Republican Party renominates President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence to continue fighting for the American people," McDaniel said.
But what about the Dems?
As Republicans announce Charlotte as their convention host, Democrats are still weeks away from starting to actively scout locations for their own gathering. According to a Democratic National Committee source, no site visits have happened yet and they likely won't begin until this fall. Democrats have narrowed the list of cities they are considering to three: Houston, Miami Beach and Milwaukee.
More details HERE on Charlotte's second major-party convention in a decade | | | From Brenna: "Fridays are notoriously slow in Washington, so I'll use this opportunity to share what I think is the appropriate GIF to close out the week: The lights going out during a White House meeting right as President Trump was talking about the intelligence community. Even he joked about it! If you like this GIF, check out my weekly GIF roundup, and tell your friends 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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