Here are the stories our DC insiders are talking about in this week’s “Inside Politics” forecast, where you get a glimpse of tomorrow’s headlines today.
1) No State of the Union road show
As President Trump gears up for his first State of the Union address on Tuesday, CNN has learned he won’t be taking his messaging on the road.
CNN’s Jeff Zeleny reports that Trump won’t do events beyond the Beltway to promote his SOTU agenda — and that’s unusual for a president.
“Most recent presidents at least have gone out into America to sell their message locally. It’s a great way to get good media attention. I’m told the president says no — he wants to stay here in Washington — and it’s frustrating to some West Wing advisers,” Zeleny says.
“One told me this week if it’s not a big rally, he’s not interested. So this is something that is telling of this president — he bypasses the media through social media. But he does not do those local media stops to get so much earned attention. So the question is, if he wants to reach a broader audience through the State of the Union, why not travel across the country?”
2) Dems put spotlight on DACA
Members of Congress on both sides have long used their State of the Union invites to send a political message. And this year will be no different.
The Daily Beast’s Jackie Kucinich shares more on the Democrats’ strategy.
“This year, at least 22 House Democrats have invited DACA recipients to sit and watch the president’s speech,” Kucinich reports. “This is all in an effort to put a human face on an issue that has become an increasingly a political football.”
3) #ReleasetheMemo watch
The House Intelligence Committee is taking up a vote that could decide whether the controversial Nunes memo will be declassified. The memo, drafted by Rep. Devin Nunes, alleges wrongdoing by the FBI.
CNN has reported that President Trump is inclined to allow the classified memo to become public.
As Washington Post’s Karoun Demirjian finds, the committee vote could come as early as Monday — and then the clock starts ticking.
“The House Intelligence Committee could vote to make that public. It would then trigger a five-day window for the president to decide whether or not he’s actually going to let it be declassified. And if he does, we could be looking at this very controversial memo being released within a week, ” Demirjian explains.
“That would politically rock the boat quite a bit in Congress, especially as we’re discussing if the President’s going to be talking to (special counsel Robert) Mueller.”
4) Could green cards pay for the border wall?
As a candidate, Trump famously promised that Mexico would pay for his border wall. But now his latest immigration plan includes $25 billion for border enforcement — money not coming from Mexico.
As McClatchy’s Franco Ordoñez explains, some members of Congress have a different idea.
“A group of members of Congress are working on this plan where foreign tech workers would actually raise the money,” he says. “A bunch of foreign tech workers have been waiting decades to get green cards. They would gladly pay 2,000, 2,500 dollars, maybe even 5,000 dollars on extra green card fees to raise that kind of money to pay for the wall.”
5) Worries at the RNC
This is a big week for the Republican National Committee. First, Steve Wynn resigned as the committee’s finance chairman, sparing the RNC a drawn-out controversy after the Wall Street Journal reported on sexual harassment allegations against the casino mogul.
As CNN’s John King reports, the Wynn factor isn’t the only thing on the RNC’s minds.
“Here are some other things to watch as the national committee members gather here in Washington this week. There are discussions, for example, about the 2020 primary rules … something of great interest to the President and to those thinking of challenging the President in 2020 Republican primaries,” King says.
“And the 2020 convention site selection (committee) also meets on Wednesday amid some serious rumbles,” King says. “I’m told many cities are now having big worries about the protests, security and image costs (that) playing host to a Trump renominating convention would bring to them.”