* The White House has been saying that the president would make a major announcement on his return from the trip to Asia. There were some rumblings that he would be talking about a major development on trade. Yesterday, Trump tweeted this:

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/930320191699017730

But even Major Garrett reported this afterwards:

As a result, most of the response was about this:

* On Sunday, Jonathan Swan reported that Breitbart News had sent two reporters to Alabama to discredit the Washington Post story about Roy Moore sexually assaulting a teenage girl. By Tuesday, this was happening:

At least one Alabama resident received a voicemail Tuesday from a man calling himself “Bernie Bernstein,” a supposed Washington Post reporter offering cash in exchange for unsubstantiated allegations against U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore.

“Hi, this is Bernie Bernstein,” says a voice calling from an hidden phone number. The caller seems to affect a (terribly performed) Brooklyn accent and a slight non-rhotic speech impediment.

“I’m a reporter for The Washington Post calling to find out if anyone at this address is a female between the ages of 54 to 57 years old, willing to make damaging remarks about candidate Roy Moore for a reward of between $5,000 and $7,000,” “Bernstein” continues. “We will not be fully investigating these claims, however we will be making a written report. I can reached by email: AlBernstein@washingtonpost.com. Thank you.”

The Post said the voicemail bore “no relationship to reality.”

Coincidence? You tell me.

* Senate Republicans have made some changes to their tax cut bill in order to accommodate the rules for using the reconciliation process.

Senate Republican leaders moved Tuesday to include a repeal of the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate in their tax bill, a major change of strategy as they try to accomplish two of their top domestic priorities in a single piece of legislation.

They also announced that the individual tax cuts in the plan would be made temporary, expiring at the end of 2025 to comply with Senate rules limiting the impact of legislation on the long-term deficit. A corporate tax cut, reducing the rate from 35 to 20 percent, would be left permanent.

* Meanwhile, despite Republican attempts to sabotage Obamacare, people are signing up in record numbers.

https://twitter.com/TopherSpiro/status/930856933942317057

* Apparently the President of the United States was blasted at the climate talks in in Bonn, Germany yesterday.

President Donald Trump is taking a beating at the United Nations climate conference here.

Politicians from across the globe mischievously pose for photographs beside a sign at a French pavilion that reads “Make Our Planet Great Again.” Climate activists repeatedly chastise Trump in panel conversations and throughout the convention halls. The leaders of Mexico and Canada formalized an agreement to circumvent the president and work directly with mostly Democratic governors of climate-minded states.

* This is bad news for the country, but might be good news for the people of Ohio.

Richard Cordray, one of the few remaining Obama-era banking regulators, said on Wednesday that he plans to step down as head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau by the end of the month, clearing the way for President Trump to remake a watchdog agency loathed by Republicans and Wall Street…

Cordray did not explain the timing of his decision, but it clears the way for him to potentially run for Ohio governor.

* If you want to create a twitter meme that blows up in your face, this is how you do it:

* Finally, this one goes out to all the women out there, and the people who care about them.

YouTube video

Our ideas can save democracy... But we need your help! Donate Now!

Follow Nancy on Twitter @Smartypants60.