1. ‘Adult day care’
After taking hits from Donald Trump on Twitter, the Republican senator Bob Corker, who’s not running for re-election, said the White House had become an “adult day care center”. Then he described to a reporter a top-level, daily effort to babysit the president.
Updated
'Trying to contain him'
I know for a fact that every single day at the White House, it’s a situation of trying to contain him… Look, except for a few people, the vast majority of our caucus understands what we’re dealing with here… and the tremendous amount of work that it takes by people around him to keep him in the middle of the road.
– Senator Bob Corker
Updated
Leadership
Corker's sudden turn makes you wonder what other senators would be saying if they never had to worry about re-election again
— Benjy Sarlin (@BenjySarlin) October 8, 2017
2. ‘The war on coal is over'
The EPA administrator said he would sign a new rule overriding an Obama-era effort to limit carbon emissions from coal-fired power plants. “The war on coal is over,” Scott Pruitt said.
3. Trump ties Daca deal to wall
Trump reportedly changed a deal he had struck with Democrats to protect undocumented immigrants who arrived as children. The deal had a border wall coming later. Now Trump says the wall will come first.
4. Ivana v Melania
After Donald Trump’s former wife Ivana said in an interview that she was the “first lady” – because she was Trump’s first wife – Melania Trump released a statement accusing Ivana of “attention seeking and self-serving noise”.
Updated
Summary
This is actually happening. All the wives are fighting. Even I AM SPEECHLESS https://t.co/jryTCf3pud
— Andy Cohen (@Andy) October 9, 2017
5. Golf again
The president was spending Columbus Day at his golf course in Virginia. It’s his 71st day at a golf course out of 263 days in office. The White House routinely declines comment on the frequency with which Trump, who criticized Barack Obama for golfing, himself golfs.
Inside the CIA’s black site torture room
6. The Pence NFL stunt
Vice-president Mike Pence left an NFL game Sunday after players kneeled during the national anthem. Trump took credit, saying he had ordered the vice-president to do so. Critics called it a media stunt and pointed out Pence’s travel to the game cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.
7. Puerto Rico in need
Nobody could have done what I’ve done for #PuertoRico with so little appreciation. So much work! pic.twitter.com/k2jAkIpfjI
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 8, 2017
Updated
'Humanitarian crisis'
Gov. of Puerto Rico asks Congress for more federal funding for relief, recovery efforts—says "the humanitarian crisis will deepen" without. pic.twitter.com/tOqTJucpBF
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) October 9, 2017
8. How Facebook helped Trump
The Trump campaign’s digital director, Brad Parscale, described how the campaign had used Facebook to reach rural voters, such as “15 people in the Florida panhandle that I would never buy a TV commercial for”.
Updated
...and another thing:
I am running for reelection to the Senate. Lots more to do: ending gun violence, combating climate change, access to healthcare. I’m all in!
— Dianne Feinstein (@DianneFeinstein) October 9, 2017
...and another thing:
Karen Pence Karen hahahahahaha pic.twitter.com/OqLWxelw1k
— Molly (@Molly_Kats) October 8, 2017
...and another thing:
Infamously undecided voter Ken Bone is now firmly anti-Trump because of president’s non-stop ‘crying’ https://t.co/UWD9ammqs4
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) October 9, 2017
Goodbye for now
The Minute is taking a break as of Friday, but you can catch up with all the latest US news and politics every morning with Guardian US’s daily email briefing.
