March 11, 2019 | by Lauren Dezenski

It's back! The return of the press briefing

But for one day only?

For the first time in more than a month, White House officials took to the press briefing room to officially speak to reporters.

This is White House press secretary Sarah Sanders' first briefing since January 28 -- ending a 42-day drought.

So why come back today? For starters, the man instrumental in stopping them -- Bill Shine -- left the administration on Friday.

But the more legit reason: The White House rolled out its 2020 budget today, and was able to use the platform of the press briefing to showcase its budgetary priorities (thanks to acting Budget Director Russell Vought, who fielded budget questions from reporters before Sanders took over).

That, of course, doesn't mean that Trump has cut off press access to the White House.

His frequent gaggles with reporters (more than his predecessor!) means he speaks directly to news outlets in ways that aren't possible in a briefing hosted by his press secretary. And for a President partial to speaking (and tweeting) directly to his supporters and followers, that's no mistake.

Sanders defended the administration's press strategy today -- and gave basically zero indication there'll be more frequent briefings in the pipeline:

"I know that the President is the most accessible president in modern history. I know that he takes questions from you guys nearly every single day and on days he doesn't, sometimes I do it from here. We answer hundreds of questions from reporters all over the world every day. We're going to continue to do that. Sometimes we'll do it from this room, sometimes we'll do it from other venues and other platforms."

The Point: The briefing is back ... just don't hold your breath for the next one.

-- Lauren

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"That's a question you should ask Democrats."

-- White House press secretary Sarah Sanders, when asked whether President Donald Trump believes Democrats hate Jewish people. Trump reportedly made the comment to Republican donors over the weekend at his Florida estate.

SEE YOU IN MILWAUKEE!

... For the 2020 Democratic National Convention.

Milwaukee beat out two other top contenders, Miami and Houston. And there's already backbiting in Miami, where officials are pointing fingers and laying blame on Democratic National Committee Chair Tom Perez.

"I can't imagine Milwaukee winning this on the merits," Miami Beach Commissioner Ricky Arriola told the Miami Herald recently. "We checked all the boxes and he (Perez) has been trying to find a reason not to come here."

Perez actually got married in Milwaukee. Maybe the spot holds a special place in the chairman's heart?

Either way, Perez said Milwaukee's selection is "a statement of our values."

And the pick is a pretty clear sign that the party is not trying to repeat the same mistakes of 2016, when the Hillary Clinton campaign infamously overlooked Wisconsin.

LAUREN'S GOOD READS

Nancy Pelosi tells The Washington Post Magazine that Trump isn't worth impeaching

Meet the loneliest Republican in Congress

Photographing 45

A former Dannemora prison guard penned a wild account of the famous escape

Cape Cod dogs are eating marijuana, and it's not good!!

SO PETTY

MUSICAL INTERLUDE

Savor the warmer weather in DC with Vampire Weekend's latest release, "Sunflower," featuring Steve Lacy.

INSTA POINT

Today's topic: We're going to Wisconsin! Yeah!

THE IOWA POLL

He may still be biding his time to announce a presidential bid, but for 27% of Iowa Democrats, it's Joe Biden time, according to the latest latest CNN/Des Moines Register/Mediacom poll.

But the poll is also great news for someone like Cory Booker, despite his 3% support. That level puts Booker over the 1% threshold required by the DNC to get onto the primary debate stage later this year.

Here's who else tops 1%:

Joe Biden (27%)
Bernie Sanders (28%)
Elizabeth Warren (9%)
Kamala Harris (7%)
Beto O'Rourke (5%)
Cory Booker (3%)
Amy Klobuchar (3%)

Candidates will need to cross the 1% threshold in three separate approved polls, per the new DNC debate regulations for the 2020 cycle -- but they can also meet grassroots fundraising benchmarks in order to qualify.

LAUREN'S 2020 LATEST

Beto O'Rourke: Is headed to Iowa as soon as this weekend, suggesting he's ramping up to make a presidential bid.

Kirsten Gillibrand: A former aide to the senator resigned in protest over how her sexual harassment claim was handled, according to Politico.

Bill de Blasio: The New York mayor may be visiting early-voting states, but close advisers are panning his presidential ambitions, Politico reports.

Seth Moulton: Has upcoming visits to South Carolina and New Hampshire on the books.

Donald Trump: The President's 2016 "Make America Great Again" campaign slogan will morph into "Keep America Great" for 2020, per The Washington Post.

⏰IF I COULD TURN BACK TIME ⏰

Can Trump find a way to make daylight saving time permanent?

Not exactly.

While the President tweeted that it is "O.K. with me!" to make it permanent, it's technically Congress that has the means to make it happen.

Some House Republicans unsuccessfully filed a bill last session to make it permanent -- and Sen. Marco Rubio filed similar legislation again last week.

YOUR DAILY GIF

From Brenna: "Did you catch CNN's back-to-back-to-back town halls last night? My takeaway was this GIF of Pete Buttigieg reacting after being asked whether Mike Pence would be better than Trump. Share The Point with someone who needs to get caught up on the lesser-known 2020 candidates!"

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