| | | | Melania's hidden hand just became not so hidden |  | | Melania Trump is, without question, the most enigmatic and least-known first lady in modern memory. She is deeply private, rarely offering even the slightest glimpse into what she thinks about her husband's administration -- or the country as a whole.
All of which is what makes what Melania did -- through her communications director Stephanie Grisham -- on Tuesday sooooooo fascinating.
"It is the position of the office of the first lady that [deputy national security adviser Mira Ricardel] no longer deserves the honor of serving in this White House," said Grisham.
And boom goes the dynamite!
Within hours, Ricardel, who had reportedly clashed with the first lady and her staff during a recent trip to Africa, was gone -- off the White House grounds and widely rumored to have been fired. (Sidebar: Really? This is solely about a series of clashes during an Africa trip? I mean, OK. But, odd.)
The removal of Ricardel may well signal the opening gambit in a broader staff shakeup in the White House, with chief of staff John Kelly and Kirstjen Nielsen, the head of the Department of Homeland Security, rumored to also be on their way out amid Trump's unhappiness with their respective performances.
But Ricardel's unceremonious ouster offers surefire proof of one thing: Cross Melania Trump and you are going to get got.
Donald Trump doesn't a) listen to almost anyone or b) care what almost anyone thinks. But it's been made pretty clear over his first two-ish years in office that his wife is someone he listens to -- or, at the very least, is invested in trying to keep happy. And when Melania isn't happy, things happen. And they happen quickly.
The Point: It's exceedingly rare that we are given a window into Melania Trump's thinking -- and how she exerts her influence on her husband to make things happen in the White House. Today was one of those unique moments.
-- Chris
| | "It shouldn't take a lawsuit from CNN to remind the President of the First Amendment."
-- The ACLU-issued statement in support of CNN's lawsuit against President Donald Trump and top aides involved in revoking White House press credentials from CNN's Jim Acosta. The judge in the case will hold a hearing tomorrow at 3:30 p.m., according to CNN's Brian Stelter. | | |  | New York Rep.-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez defied expectations in her primary win to oust a longtime incumbent Democrat, and it looks like she'll continue to hustle while in Washington.
While in town for her first day of orientation, Ocasio-Cortez joined a protest with hundreds of young people outside the office of her potential House speaker, Nancy Pelosi. They were staging a sit-in over climate change.
It was Ocasio-Cortez's first visit to Pelosi's office.
Ocasio-Cortez was also pictured snapping a selfie with fellow new House members and young women of color, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan. | |  | Why Hillary Clinton running in 2020 is a terrible idea | | | Is the third time the charm for Hillary Clinton's presidential hopes? Probably not. Chris explains why Clinton 2020 would be a disaster for Democrats. | | | Hiss Golden Messenger -- aka MC Taylor -- makes some of the most beautiful music around these days. And he makes a lot of it. Here's his new one: "Virgo Fool." | |
BADASS WOMAN OF WASHINGTON | |  | 'I want women to see that you do not get pushed around' | |  | | Today's topic: Senate Democrats lost the 2018 battle, but they may have won the war. | | She may have broken a few ribs, but a nasty fall isn't stopping Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg from putting in her work as a Supreme Court justice.
Ginsburg, who is 85, is now working from home after falling in her office last week, according to a Supreme Court spokesperson.
The court's oldest justice has already survived two forms of cancer and a heart procedure -- and has said she plans to stay on the court beyond 2020. | |
MEANWHILE, IN GEORGIA 🍑 | | The saga continues in the still-unresolved race for governor in Georgia.
A federal judge has blocked the Georgia secretary of state from certifying election results before Friday.
The judge also said state and local officials must conduct a "good faith review" of all provisional ballots that had been rejected because a voter's name was not found on the voter registration list. Issues around voter registration swirled ahead of Election Day -- an issue Democrats laid at the feet of then-Secretary of State Brian Kemp, who also is the Republican candidate for governor.
CNN still has not projected a winner in this race, though Kemp leads Democrat Stacey Abrams 50.3% to 48.8%. With the deadline now November 20 at 5 p.m., the state has a week to certify its election results. | | | | | | |
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