The Morning Briefing: Trump Continues Tax Reform Crusade and Much, Much More

Good Wednesday Morning.

Here is what’s on the President’s agenda today:

In the morning, President Donald J. Trump will receive his daily intelligence briefing.
The President will then meet with the Domestic Policy Council.
Later in the morning, the President will meet with Senator Tim Scott.
In the afternoon, the President will participate in a bipartisan meeting.

Trump to meet with “moderates” on tax reform, DACA

The President continues his tax reform crusade with a meeting on Wednesday with a group of “moderates.” The meeting comes on the heels of a White House dinner yesterday with an electorally fragile crew of Democratic senators.

Tax reform will be among the issues discussed. Multiple House Republican sources told POLITICO that House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady would lead a conference-wide meeting Wednesday afternoon on changing the tax system. The meeting is the beginning of an effort to whip Republicans on tax reform, though a budget resolution to serve as a vehicle for tax reform must first be passed.

Members at the White House meeting are also expected to talk with Trump about a legislative fix for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, according to two sources. Trump has sent public and private signals in recent days that he’s open to a deal on Dreamers — undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children — even one that doesn’t include funding for a wall along the Mexican border as long as there are some border-security provisions attached.

House passes resolution condemning white supremacists

Yesterday, the House of Representatives passed a resolution that condemns white supremacy and urges the President to join in the condemnation.

Trump has already done this but perhaps there isn’t much other business in front of the House?

The bipartisan resolution now heads to President Trump’s desk for his signature, making it the first formal response by Congress to the violence that broke out during a white supremacist march in Charlottesville, Va., last month.

Is there a forthcoming resolution condemning the year-long AntiFa violence targeting free speech supporters?

“Tonight the House passed my resolution condemning hate groups & the Charlottesville attack. POTUS should sign a clear message & sign it ASAP,” tweeted Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA.)

The resolution “rejects white nationalism, white supremacy, and neo-Nazism as hateful expressions of intolerance that are contradictory to the values that define the people of the United States.”

Berkeley says “Free Speech Week” in doubt

Politico reports that conservative-led “free speech” week is in doubt because the group “has repeatedly failed to comply with requests to facilitate” the event.

UC Berkeley assistant vice chancellor for communications Dan Mogulof told POLITICO Tuesday that the student organization Berkeley Patriot — whose membership is estimated by Mogulof at between 5-10 members — “still has not completed the critical steps” necessary to arrange venues for the events it announced with fanfare last month.

The conservative students’ group had said it planned speeches from Sept. 24-27 at Sproul Plaza, Zellerbach Hall and other major locations on campus, but it has failed to provide requested information needed to provide security for the events, “nor has it confirmed the list of speakers and when they intend to schedule events with those speakers,’’ Mogulof said.

Berkeley Patriot, Bryce Kasamoto told POLITICO via text message that “we are working diligently to answer any requests that the university might have…we will work to get all of this clarified in a good faith and collaborative manner.”

Berkeley is just itching to shut down this event, which features Ann Coulter, Steve Bannon and Milo Yiannopolous. Ben Shapiro will be speaking tomorrow at Berkeley for another event.

ESPN is hell-bent on transforming into MSNBC

Jemele Hill, who works at ESPN in some capacity I am unfamiliar with because I don’t watch the network, called President Trump a white supremacist.

Amid a tweet storm she unleashed that began with criticism of Kid Rock, the outspoken Hill referred to President Trump as a “white supremacist.”

ESPN suits were not pleased and on Tuesday, the network issued a statement on the matter.

“The comments on Twitter from Jemele Hill regarding the President do not represent the position of ESPN,” the network said. “We have addressed this with Jemele and she recognizes her actions were inappropriate.”

“Donald Trump is a white supremacist who has largely surrounded himself w/ other white supremacists” Hill tweeted.

Will Hill get the Curt Schilling treatment? Doubtful. The left wants everything to be political and they want every thing to signal what “side” of the “political divide” you are on while regular people just want to live their lives and watch their sports. When elites say that President Trump has divided the country, ask yourself which “side” is always injecting policy displays into mundane everyday activities like sporting events or clothes shopping. And speaking of politicizing everything…

Hurricane Telethon Gets Political Right At The Start

A bunch of Hollywood and entertainment elites held a telethon for the hurricane recovery efforts, a nice and generous idea. However, the event quickly turned into an opportunity to showcase political opinions.

Singer Stevie Wonder kicked off Tuesday’s star studded Hand In Hand telethon to raise money for hurricane recovery by getting political. Wonder started the show by saying, “Anyone who believes that there’s no such thing as global warming must be blind or unintelligent.”

The Hand In Hand telethon was run on every broadcast network to benefit victims of hurricanes Harvey, which devastated the Houston area, and Irma, which slammed Florida over the weekend. The event mirrors past telethons for natural disasters.

The 2005 telethon to raise money for victims of Hurricane Katrina became known for Kanye West’s infamous anti-President George W. Bush comments. “George Bush doesn’t care about black people,” West said as a stunned Mike Meyers looked on.

Here’s the list of celebrities participating in the event.

Celebrities participating in the Hand In Hand fundraiser include Wonder, Justin Timberlake, Oprah Winfree, George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Dennis Quaid, Adam Sandler, Terry Crews, Leonardo DiCaprio, Gwen Stefani, Ray Romano, Bryan Cranston, Beyoncé, and many more. It was broadcast from New York, Los Angeles, and Nashville and was organized by Comic Relief.

Beyonce also joined in the politicization with her contributed video : “During a time when it’s impossible to watch the news without seeing violence or racism in this country. Just when you think it couldn’t possibly be worse, natural disasters take precious life, do massive damage, and forever change lives.”

Historical picture of the day:

FILE – In this Sept. 13, 1988, file photo Democratic presidential candidate Michael Dukakis gets a free ride in a new M1-A-1 battle tank during a visit to General Dynamics in Sterling Heights, Mi., where he told workers he’s not soft on defense. The image of a helmeted Dukakis taking a spin in a tank proved to be the ultimate in What Not To Wear for a presidential candidate during his run, his losing run, for the presidency against President George H.W. Bush. ( AP Photo/Michael E. Samojeden, File)

Other morsels:

IMPORTANT Clinton State Department silenced them on Benghazi security lapses, contractors say

U.S. job openings hit record high, nearly 6.2 million

CNN Is Mad Because ‘White Men’ Speak At Trump Voter Fraud Commission

More than 50 arrested for looting in Miami during Irma: police

Steve Bannon says GOP is letting Democrats run intelligence committees

Edith Windsor, who helped end gay marriage ban, dies at 88

Supreme Court blocks rulings forcing Texas to redraw districts

The White House says the DOJ ‘should certainly look at’ prosecuting James Comey

Hope Hicks keeps gig as White House Comm. Director

DOJ won’t bring charges against officers in Gray case

Sanders will introduce universal health care, backed by 15 Democrats