Donald Trump is expected to decertify the Iran nuclear deal ahead of this month’s deadline. What that means, and how the president came to this decision, is the subject of a story in the brand-new issue of THE WEEKLY STANDARD. The story, which I co-wrote with editor-in-chief Steve Hayes pulls back the curtain on the drama in July when President Trump recertified Iran’s compliance, despite his misgivings. Here’s an excerpt:
Mark It Down—“We’re certainly open to that moving forward, but we want to be part of that conversation as it takes place in the coming days and weeks.” —Sarah Huckabee Sanders, White House press secretary, on a potential bipartisan ban on bump stocks, October 5, 2017.
There was a rather mysterious comment from President Trump on Thursday night, when the White House press pool was unexpectedly ushered into the Oval Office for a “spray” (that’s a photo-op where print journalists can lob questions). Trump and the first lady were preparing to have dinner with several top military officials and their wives, who were in the Oval for the photo-op.
“You guys know what this represents?” Trump teased the press, who asked what it meant.
“Maybe it’s the calm before the storm,” Trump replied.
As the press lobbied questions about what the “storm” could mean, Trump remained coy.
“We have the world’s great military people,” Trump said. “Thank you all for coming.”
Must-Read of the Day—From BuzzFeed: “Alt-White: How the Breitbart Machine Laundered Racist Hate.”
Hollywood Watch—The New York Times made good on the promise that the paper would have a bombshell report on Hollywood mega-producer Harvey Weinstein. It seems Weinstein has had a string of sexual harassment allegations going back decades—including, featured right in the Times’s lead, alleged harassment of movie star Ashley Judd, who spoke to the reporters on the record.
“Two decades ago, the Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein invited Ashley Judd to the Peninsula Beverly Hills hotel for what the young actress expected to be a business breakfast meeting,” write Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey of the Times. “Instead, he had her sent up to his room, where he appeared in a bathrobe and asked if he could give her a massage or she could watch him shower, she recalled in an interview.”
The allegations get worse and more disgusting from there. Be sure to stick through to read the . . . interesting statement from Weinstein.
Song of the Day—“Sandusky” by Uncle Tupelo.
