Donald Trump called out Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) again on Twitter this morning: "The Failing @nytimes set Liddle' Bob Corker up by recording his conversation. Was made to sound a fool, and that's what I am dealing with!"
Why it matters: This comes one day after the New York Times published a story in which Corker, who has been feuding with Trump since last week, accused the President of treating the office like a "a reality show," and claimed he could set the U.S. "on the path to World War III." Jonathan Martin, who wrote the story, tweeted that Corker's two aides also recorded the conversation and were aware he was recording.
Trump rolled out a tweetstorm Tuesday morning covering immigration, the NFL, taxes, health care, and ESPN's Jemele Hill. In his continued frustration with NFL players who kneel during the national anthem, Trump called for a change to tax law: "Why is the NFL getting massive tax breaks while at the same time disrespecting our Anthem, Flag and Country? Change tax law!"
Background: The NFL gave up its tax exempt status in 2015, but some Republican lawmakers in recent weeks have been toying with the idea of taking away NFL tax breaks.
A newly disclosed email sent by the Russian lawyer who met with Donald Trump Jr. at Trump Tower in June 2016 may offer evidence to support her claims that she met with Trump Jr. solely to discuss the Magnitsky Act, per the Washington Post.
What they're saying: An American lawyer representing Aras Agalarov, the Russian billionaire who hosted the Trump-owned Miss Universe pageant in Moscow in 2013 and helped secure the Trump Tower meeting, says the email is proof his clients never offered damaging information about Hillary Clinton. However previously disclosed emails show Trump Jr. was told by an intermediary that the meeting was part of the Russian government's efforts to help his father win, to which he replied, "I love it."
The biggest threat to the Trump presidency, the markets and our ability to deal with future crises is the coming staff exodus. We cannot stress enough how many essential staff and officials want out — if not this quarter, then soon after the new year:
Watch for Gary Cohn to bolt after tax reform, which we think slips into Q1 of 2018.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's situation is untenable: We hear he's likely to leave by the new year. Many insiders think U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley will replace him. Then Deputy National Security Adviser Dina Powell may take Haley's job in New York. Another possible successor in case of a Rexit: CIA Director Mike Pompeo.
Chief of Staff John Kelly is the one to watch closest. He doesn't get enough credit for the discipline he has enforced inside the White House. He bristles at the boss's loose, erratic ways, though. The average tenure of a COS who likes his job is roughly a year. A weak chief of staff replacing Kelly would be hugely problematic.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), who's worked in the senate since 1992, announced on Twitter and Facebook today that she will run for reelection next year, claiming there's "Lots more to do" and that she's "all in!"
Why this matters: At 84, Feinstein will be running for her fifth full term, and despite speculation she might have trouble facing off other Democratic candidates, no prominent opponent has yet to emerge.
Nearly three weeks after Hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico, the island is still very much in crisis mode. 85% of PR is still without power, more than 40% is still without potable water, and roughly one in four grocery stores are still closed.
The official death toll has remained at 36, but the actual number is expected to be much higher, with uncounted bodies being found in places that still have no way to communicate.
"Gary Cohn and Steve Mnuchin RiskTheir Reputations" by pushing Trump tax plan, writes N.Y. Times columnist David Leonhardt: "Within the administration, there are real differences among how top officials have behaved and how they are perceived. Several — Tom Price, Reince Priebus, Sean Spicer and Rex Tillerson — ... turned themselves into punch lines."
"The clearest exception is Jim Mattis, the defense secretary. Mattis has done so partly by avoiding scandal and minimizing conflicts with Trump. But he has also been careful to set his own ethical boundaries... Cohn and Mnuchin have started to risk theirs. This column is a plea to them: Please stop, for everyone's sake, including yours."
Why it matters: "Neither one of them has yet turned 60 years old [Cohn is 57; Mnuchin, 54]. These won't be their last jobs."
"Inspectors general have opened at least five investigations into charter or military flights by Cabinet officials amounting to millions in federal spending," WashPost's Drew Harwell, Lisa Rein and Jack Gillum report on A1:
Why it matters: "The drumbeat of controversy over Cabinet travel threatens to undermine a core pillar of Trump's relationship with his base — his promise to 'drain the swamp.'"
That escalated quickly. After a nasty Twitter back-and-forth with President Trump on Sunday morning, retiring Senate Foreign Relations Chair Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), told the N.Y. Times' Jonathan Martin that Trump's "reality show" could set the nation "on the path to World War III."
Why it matters: A Republican close to the White House told me: "These comments now shape the criticism of the President going forward. Corker's comments will be the catalyst for all the doubts about Trump's fitness ... [H]e has sewn the strands of doubt about Trump into a vivid tapestry."
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