On Wednesday, President Trump will deliver his closing argument on tax reform to an audience made up largely of young people and middle-class families whose personal stories will be laced into his remarks.
Trump's remarks at the Treasury Department, next door to the White House, are expected to lay out how the once-in-a-generation tax cut/reform bill will create economic opportunity and brighter futures.
Richard Shelby, Alabama's senior senator, told Jake Tapper on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday that the Ethics Committee will have to investigate Roy Moore should he be elected on Tuesday, and the Senate will have to make a decision as to whether he's fit to serve.
Why it matters: As the NY Times' Jonathan Martin notes, "The most senior Ala R goes on nat’l TV to torpedo his would-be colleague!... Shelby has been in Cong for 40 years. He knew exactly what he was doing accepting this Sunday show invite."
Read this sentence twice to understand this year and Trump: "Before taking office, Mr. Trump told top aides to think of each presidential day as an episode in a television show in which he vanquishes rivals."
That's from a juicy N.Y. Timestour de force on the president's style and habits, "The President vs. the Presidency ... Inside Trump's Hour-by-Hour Battle for Self-Preservation," by Maggie Haberman, Glenn Thrush and Peter Baker.
It's been one helluva season for this Trump show:
"Around 5:30 each morning, President Trump wakes and tunes into ... CNN for news, moves to 'Fox & Friends' for comfort and messaging ideas, and sometimes watches MSNBC's 'Morning Joe' because, friends suspect, it fires him up for the day."
"Trump spends at least four hours a day, and sometimes as much as twice that, in front of a television, sometimes with the volume muted."
"Watching cable, he shares thoughts with anyone in the room, even the household staff he summons via a button for lunch or for one of the dozen Diet Cokes he consumes each day."
"Trump is an avid newspaper reader who still marks up a half-dozen papers with comments in black Sharpie pen ... [Steve] Bannon has told allies that Mr. Trump only 'reads to reinforce.'"
"As he ends his first year in office, Mr. Trump is redefining what it means to be president. He sees the highest office in the land ... as a prize he must fight to protect every waking moment, and Twitter is his Excalibur. Despite all his bluster, he views himself less as a titan dominating the world stage than a maligned outsider engaged in a struggle to be taken seriously."
"Trump still takes shots at Mark Cuban, a fellow rich-guy reality star, and expresses disappointment that Tom Brady ... has distanced himself."
After dinner, he "sometimes 'hate-watches' CNN to get worked up, especially Don Lemon."
"In between, it is time for phone calls ... In recent weeks, Mr. Trump's friends have noticed a different pitch, acknowledging that many aides and even his own relatives could be hurt by Mr. Mueller's investigation. As for himself, he has adopted a surprisingly fatalistic attitude ... 'It's life,' he said of the investigation."
"From there it is off to bed for what usually amounts to five or six hours of sleep."
P.S. The article has this footnote: "Glenn Thrush contributed to this article before he was suspended pending the result of an investigation into allegations of inappropriate behavior. Matt Apuzzo also contributed reporting."
An AP Fact Check finds a few inaccuracies in President Trump's 85-minute rally remarks in Pensacola, Florida, on Friday night:
Trump said "black homeownership just hit the highest level it has ever been in the history of our country." Not true or even close. The U.S. Census finds that the black homeownership rate peaked during 2004, when 49.7% of black households owned homes (the rate for all races that year reached 69.2%, also a modern record). This year: 42.7% in the first quarter, 42.3% in the second and 42% in the third. Quarterly rates this year for the total U.S. population: 63.6%, 63.7% and 63.9%.
Three media screw-ups in eight days on one investigation. The bad week for big news has President Trump feeling that he has moved the "fake news" argument from the fringe to the conservative mainstream, according to close Trump associates.
Why it matters: The mistakes — ABC's Brian Ross on Michael Flynn's plea, financial outlets on a Mueller subpoena of bank records, and CNN on an email about WikiLeaks — give Trump fodder for one of his favorite, and most damaging, tropes.
As of December 7 there were 369 women running or planning to run for a House seat in 2018, according to Rutgers University's Center for American Women and Politics, which would be the most women House candidates ever. The number is subject to change, as the filing deadlines for most states are months away.
One reason: Following President Trump's election, and particularly since the Women's March, women have been more "energized" and "driven to get involved," per the the New York Times. Another factor is the sexual harassment awakening that has taken the country by storm over the last several months, and involved the president as well as several male members of Congress.
President Trump is declining to accept Washington Post reporter Dave Weigel's apology, and is now calling for his firing:
.@daveweigel of the Washington Post just admitted that his picture was a FAKE (fraud?) showing an almost empty arena last night for my speech in Pensacola when, in fact, he knew the arena was packed (as shown also on T.V.). FAKE NEWS, he should be fired.— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 9, 2017
Background: Weigel tweeted, then deleted, a photo on Saturday from Trump's Friday rally in Florida. Weigel's tweet mocked Trump for claiming the crowd was "to the rafters."
Washington Post reporter Dave Weigel has apologized to President Trump on Twitter after Trump lambasted him for posting a photo from before his rally in Pensacola, Florida, Friday night.
The backstory: The photo Weigel posted spread quickly online, with Weigel and others thinking it showed the moment Trump took the stage. In fact, it was before the event began. Trump has attacked reporters for not owning up to mistakes in coverage; Weigel tweeted Saturday night that "it was a bad tweet on [his] personal account, not a story for the Washington Post," and it's "very fair" for Trump to call him out.
President Trump will record a robocall for Roy Moore that will reach Alabama voters the day before the election, Politico reports.
Why it matters: Trump is all in, and his support could convince some Republicans to go to the polls. That's key, as turnout in special elections is typically very low.
President Trump honored Navajo Code Talkers last month (and called Sen. Elizabeth Warren "Pocahontas") in front of a portrait of President Andrew Jackson, who presided over the "Trail of Tears" forced re-settlement of Native Americans.
Why it matters: The backdrop to some of Trump's events sometimes seem to hold symbolic significance, whether by plan or by coincidence. Here are some other examples:
President Trump watches four to eight hours of television a day and grows restless if he doesn't see himself on the news, according to a New York Times report.
Why it matters: Trump has long fought the idea that he's stuck to his TV, claiming recently, "I don't get to watch much television... I'm reading documents a lot." But per the Times, cable is "ammunition for his Twitter war," and White House staff know the morning shows can dictate the rest of their day.
President Trump traveled to Mississippi on Saturday morning to speak at the opening of a new civil rights museum. "Today we pay solemn tribute to our heroes of the past and dedicate ourselves to building a future of freedom, equality, justice and peace," he said.
"These buildings embody the hope that has lived in the hearts of every American for generations -- the hope and the future that is more just and more free," President Trump says https://t.co/tLoG01ERC6pic.twitter.com/zKF5BicFtP— CBS News (@CBSNews) December 9, 2017
The backdrop: John Lewis, the congressman and civil rights hero, declined to attend in protest of Trump's presence.
Rep. Alcee Hastings, a Florida Democrat, said he was never informed of a $220,000 sexual harassment settlement paid using taxpayer money to a former staffer, who sued him for "unwelcome sexual advances" and "unwelcome touching," Politico reports.
Why it matters: Lawmakers are under intense scrutiny after three members stepped down last week over sexual harassment allegations. He says the original lawsuit filed against him was dismissed in 2012, and he was cleared by the House Ethics Committee two years later.
Trump, speaking last night at his Make America Great Again political rally in Pensacola, Fla., capitalized on a string of media mistakes about Russia-related investigations:
Former Fox News anchor Juliet Huddy said President Trump attempted to kiss her in an elevator after he took her to lunch, according to a Page Six report.
"He said goodbye to me in an elevator while his security guy was there, rather than kiss me on the cheek he leaned in to kiss me on the lips. I wasn't offended, I was kind of like, 'Oh my god.'"
Why it matters: The incident allegedly took place in 2005 or 2006, and Trump married Melania in January 2005. Huddy tweeted on Friday night that she was "neither threatened nor offended" by the incident, though she has been offended by Trump's "comments on 'other matters.'"
From last night's Florida rally in support of Senate candidate Roy Moore:
“Did you see what happened today? You know, the yearbook? Did you see that? There was a little mistake made... She started writing things in the yearbook.”— President Trump, on Beverly Young-Nelson
Go deeper: Our breakdown of the yearbook that is part of Young-Nelson's accusation against Moore.
