| | | | How Donald Trump spent his morning (HINT: 📺) | | The first event on President Donald Trump's public schedule on Wednesday was at 11:30 a.m. -- an intelligence briefing.
How did Trump spend the time between when he woke up -- usually around 5:30 a.m. -- and that first meeting of the day, six hours later? We can't know for certain. But we can make a pretty educated guess: He was watching cable TV -- and tweeting.
Let me make the case. Between 8 a.m. and 11:12 a.m., Trump sent 10 tweets. Of those 10, two were direct quotes from Fox News Channel's "Tucker Carlson Tonight" from Tuesday. The third -- ''Anonymous Sources are really starting to BURN the media" -- appeared to come from Fox, too. (Trump's tweet referenced the @Foxnews Twitter handle.)
The other tweets were about Trump's normal hobbyhorses -- alleged corruption within the Justice Department, the media being bad, candidates he endorsed winning -- that are also regular cable TV talking points.
Then there's this -- about Trump's well-known penchant for "Executive Time" -- from Axios' Jonathan Swan back in January:
"President Trump is starting his official day much later than he did in the early days of his presidency, often around 11 a.m., and holding far fewer meetings, according to copies of his private schedule shown to Axios. This is largely to meet Trump's demands for more 'Executive Time,' which almost always means TV and Twitter time alone in the residence, officials tell us."
Sound familiar?
This may not concern you. He's the President! He can spend his time however he wants!
Both of those statements are true. But I'm not sure the President of the United States should be spending his morning the same way I did.
The Point: This is a presidency like none other. In a lot of ways. Including this one.
-- Chris | | | "My wife refers to me as Seabiscuit. We were counted out at many points. People thought we would not make it, but we kept going slow and steady." -- Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, who won the Democratic nomination for Florida governor in an upset victory, speaking with CNN's Don Lemon (H/T Chris) | | | HISTORY IN ARIZONA AND A SURPRISE IN FLORIDA | | In Arizona, Rep. Martha McSally, a favorite of the GOP establishment, won out in the Republican primary for a US Senate seat and will face off against Democratic Rep. Kyrsten Sinema in the general election.
The outcome of the Arizona race is also poised to make history by shattering a glass ceiling. CNN's Kyung Lah reports: "Either Democratic Rep. Kyrsten Sinema or Republican Rep. Martha McSally will become the first female US senator from Arizona in what could be a critical result for which party controls the Senate."
In Florida, Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum's surprise victory is getting the most buzz. It sets up what is sure to be a closely-watched race for the Florida governor's mansion in a contest between a progressive Democrat and a Republican who has embraced President Trump.
CNN's Eric Bradner and Dan Merica describe the dynamics of the general election race: "Florida's first African-American major-party nominee for governor, Gillum will face Republican Rep. Ron DeSantis, who has the backing of President Donald Trump. Their race will pit a Republican who is known for praising Trump on Fox News against a Democrat who says he wants single-payer health care and Trump impeached just as the 2020 presidential race gets underway."
One of Chris' key takeaways is that Gillum's victory re-proved "that the energy within the Democratic Party is all on its left."
The morning after the vote, DeSantis was accused of racism for saying that voters would "monkey this up" if Gillum is elected. Later Wednesday, Gillum responded: "It's very clear that Mr. DeSantis is taking a page directly from the campaign manual of Donald Trump." | | | Today's topic, tackled by Brenna: Will Trump's endorsement help or hinder his Senate picks in November? | | WHITE HOUSE COUNSEL MC-GONE IN THE FALL | | President Donald Trump announced this morning that White House counsel Don McGahn will leave his post sometime this fall.
Trump tweeted that the departure will take place "shortly after the confirmation (hopefully) of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the United States Supreme Court," and said, "I have worked with Don for a long time and truly appreciate his service!"
CNN's Maegan Vazquez and Jeremy Diamond have more: "McGahn's departure will close the book on a tumultous relationship that has been both a boon for Trump's agenda and a test of the limits of Trump's executive authority. McGahn has been the key architect of Trump's successful efforts to reshape the federal courts -- sealing a lasting part of Trump's conservative legacy -- but he has also repeatedly clashed with the President over his attempts to interfere in the Justice Department's investigation of Russian interference and any collusion with the Trump campaign." | | TRUMP TOUTS 'FANTASTIC JOB' IN PUERTO RICO | | Puerto Rico's government announced Tuesday it had revised its death toll from Hurricane Maria to 2,975, a number that stands roughly 46 times higher than the government's prior count.
In the aftermath of the new count, President Donald Trump defended his administration on Wednesday. Trump told CNN's Jim Acosta, "I think we did a fantastic job in Puerto Rico."
"We're still helping Puerto Rico," he added. | | Sen. Lindsey Graham told CNN's Dana Bash on Wednesday that President Donald Trump called to tell him he "did right" by Sen. John McCain after Graham delivered an emotional tribute to his longtime friend in a Senate floor speech. "He called yesterday after my speech and he couldn't have been nicer. He said, 'That was very sad. I just want to let you know you did right by your friend,'" Graham told Bash in an interview.
Separately, CNN's Jeff Zeleny reports on a surprise request McCain made of former President Barack Obama: "It was a day in early April when Barack Obama received an unexpected call from McCain, who was battling brain cancer and said he had a blunt question to ask: Would you deliver one of the eulogies at my funeral? Obama, who is responsible for extinguishing McCain's second bid for the White House a decade ago, immediately answered that he would." | | MICHAEL COHEN PREPARES FOR JAIL TIME | | President Donald Trump's former personal attorney Michael Cohen is resigned to going to jail, CNN's MJ Lee reports. Cohen sent shockwaves through Washington earlier this month when he pleaded guilty in Manhattan federal court to eight criminal counts, including tax evasion, false statements to a bank and campaign finance violations tied to his work for Trump.
More from MJ's story: "As Cohen waits for his sentencing hearing set for December, a source familiar with his thinking says 'resignation' would be a fitting word to describe the 52-year-old's mindset -- acceptance that he is headed to prison in order to protect his family. 'He's very resigned to doing the time. He's resigned to the fact that he's going to go to jail for some time,' the person said, adding that Cohen does not believe he will receive a presidential pardon from Trump." | | | CORRECTION: Yesterday's newsletter mistakenly identified Sen. Angus King as being from Vermont. He is from Maine. | | | From Brenna: "I admire how resistant Washington is to most fashion, but especially when it comes to eyewear. Some looks, like that of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, are just classic." | | | | | | |
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