Last night in Phoenix, some anti-Trump protesters threw punches at Trump supporters and police used tear gas and launched bean bags (providing a painful experience for one anti-Trump protester) to disperse the crowd. Here’s how Reuters reported the two sides: 
 
 Pro-Trump supporters face off with peace activists during protests outside a Trump rally in Phoenix. REUTERS/Sandy Huffaker pic.twitter.com/DkPrnmTwR7 — Reuters Top News (@Reuters) August 23, 2017 
 
 Wait, what was that? 
 
 Peace activists? You cannot be serious. — JWF (@JammieWF) August 23, 2017 
 
 And yet they are. 
 
 Antifa are peace activists now? Hard to process how disingenuous our media has become https://t.co/ov9K4wUYO2 — Eddie (@eddiecarl4468) August 23, 2017 
 
 Without a doubt. 
 
 What happened #2: 
 
 Trump supporters in Phoenix blocked from leaving rally before being assaulted by left-wing rioterspic.twitter.com/iSFog0JnjH — Piper Fogle (@ElectPiperFogle) August 23, 2017 
 
 "Peace activists" ? This is how stupid the mainstream media thinks you are. https://t.co/bWRCepBMXM — Asa J ?? (@asamjulian) August 23, 2017 
 
 No, seriously, the MSM are now referring to ANTIFA as peace activists. ? Satire and irony are dead. https://t.co/WRpeLKL18p — Protective Fences ⦿ (@PFencesMusic) August 23, 2017 
 
 "Peace activists" 
 
 Throw urine. 
 
 Slash horses. 
 
 Attack grandma. 
 
 Smash windows. 
 
 Set fires. 
 
 Throw rocks. 
 
 Harass police. 
 
 Shoot Congressmen. https://t.co/YzdLbLeMHf — BlueReaganite (@ThinBlueLR) August 23, 2017 ||||| Good Friday morning. Situational awareness: "Bomb cyclone" flight cancellations at U.S. airports yesterday, per FlightAware: 4,395. Cancellations today: 1,128. 
 
 1 big thing: What Wolff got most right @realDonaldTrump There are definitely parts of Michael Wolff's " of Michael Wolff's " Fire and Fury " that are wrong, sloppy, or betray off-the-record confidence. But there are two things he gets absolutely right, even in the eyes of White House officials who think some of the book's scenes are fiction: his spot-on portrait of Trump as an emotionally erratic president, and the low opinion of him among some of those serving him. Why it matters: Wolff captures the contempt some Trump aides have for the president and his family. Axios' Jonathan Swan notes that this includes people you see trumpeting their loyalty to him. 
 
 Wolff captures the contempt some Trump aides have for the president and his family. Axios' Jonathan Swan notes that this includes people you see trumpeting their loyalty to him. So Wolff's liberties with off-the-record comments — while ethically unacceptable to nearly all reporters — have the effect of exposing Washington's insider jokes and secret languages, which normal Americans find perplexing and detestable. In the past year, we have had many of the same conversations with the same sources Wolff used. We won't betray them, or put on the record what was off. But, we can say that the following lines from the book ring unambiguously true: How Trump processes (and resists) information: "It was during Trump's early intelligence briefings … that alarm signals first went off among his new campaign staff: he seemed to lack the ability to take in third-party information." 
 
 "Or maybe he lacked the interest; whichever, he seemed almost phobic about having formal demands on his attention." 
 
 "Trump didn't read. He didn't really even skim. ... [H]e could read headlines and articles about himself, or at least headlines on articles about himself, and the gossip squibs on the New York Post's Page Six." 
 
 "Some ... concluded that he didn't read because he just didn't have to, and that in fact this was one of his key attributes as a populist. He was postliterate — total television." 
 
 "[H]e trusted his own expertise — no matter how paltry or irrelevant — more than anyone else's. What's more, he had an extremely short attention span, even when he thought you were worthy of attention." Instinct over expertise: "The organization ... needed a set of internal rationalizations that would allow it to trust a man who, while he knew little, was entirely confident of his own gut instincts and reflexive opinions, however frequently they might change." 
 
 "Here was a key Trump White House rationale: expertise, that liberal virtue, was overrated." Ill-preparedness: "[T]he president's views of foreign policy and the world at large were among [his White House's] most random, uninformed, and seemingly capricious aspects. His advisers didn't know whether he was an isolationist or a militarist, or whether he could distinguish between the two." 
 
 "He was enamored with generals and determined that people with military command experience take the lead in foreign policy, but he hated to be told what to do." 
 
 "In the Trump White House, policy making ... flowed up. It was a process of suggesting, in throw-it-against-the-wall style, what the president might want, and hoping he might then think that he had thought of this himself." Low regard by key aides: "He spoke obliviously and happily, believing himself to be a perfect pitch raconteur and public performer, while everyone with him held their breath. 
 
 "If a wackadoo moment occurred on the occasions … when his remarks careened in no clear direction, his staff had to go into intense method-acting response. It took absolute discipline not to acknowledge what everyone could see." 
 
 "At points on the day's spectrum of adverse political developments, he could have moments of, almost everyone would admit, irrationality. When that happened, he was alone in his anger and not approachable by anyone." 
 
 "His senior staff largely dealt with these dark hours by agreeing with him, no matter what he said." Be smart: More than half a dozen of the more skilled White House staff are contemplating imminent departures. Many leaving are quite fearful about the next chapter of the Trump presidency. 
 
 2. How to sell a book Letter from Trump's lawyer to Wolff and Steve Rubin, president and publisher of Henry Holt President Trump is so furious about Michael Wolff's book that some aides are just trying to avoid him. Key aides tried to talk him out of legal threats against the author and Steve Bannon, the key source. 
 
 tried to talk him out of legal threats against the author and Steve Bannon, the key source. Lawyers laughed: Does Trump really want to give discovery to Michael Wolff? 
 
 Does Trump really want to give discovery to Michael Wolff? But Trump was insistent on following a tactic he frequently used in business — rattling cages with lawyers' letters that resulted in no actual legal action. 
 
 was insistent on following a tactic he frequently used in business — rattling cages with lawyers' letters that resulted in no actual legal action. His demand that the publisher withhold the book (POTUS needs to see "The Post," with its takeaway on prior restraint) was a publisher's impossible dream that had the predictable effect: more publicity and presales. 
 
 that the publisher withhold the book (POTUS needs to see "The Post," with its takeaway on prior restraint) was a publisher's impossible dream that had the predictable effect: more publicity and presales. The publisher issued this statement: "Henry Holt confirms that we received a cease and desist letter from an attorney for President Trump. We see 'Fire and Fury' as an extraordinary contribution to our national discourse, and are proceeding with the publication of the book." 
 
 issued this statement: "Henry Holt confirms that we received a cease and desist letter from an attorney for President Trump. We see 'Fire and Fury' as an extraordinary contribution to our national discourse, and are proceeding with the publication of the book." Not only that: "Due to unprecedented demand, we are moving the on-sale date for all formats ... to [today] from the [previous] on-sale date of [next] Tuesday." 
 
 "Due to unprecedented demand, we are moving the on-sale date for all formats ... to [today] from the [previous] on-sale date of [next] Tuesday." In D.C., Kramerbooks started selling copies at midnight. P.S. WashPost Style front, "Breitbart may see a Bannon backlash," by Paul Farhi: "The website and its chairman found themselves isolated ... after Bannon's comments ... caused a backlash inside the White House, among rival conservative media outlets and among Trump supporters." 
 
 and its chairman found themselves isolated ... after Bannon's comments ... caused a backlash inside the White House, among rival conservative media outlets and among Trump supporters." "Bannon's comments ... prompted a key backer, the billionaire Mercer family, to withdraw financial support for Bannon's political activities. So far, however, the Mercers have not signaled that they will walk away from Breitbart itself, which would be a crippling blow." Be smart: Key conservatives tell us Bannon could wind up being ousted from Breitbart. 
 
 3. Is obstruction the new collusion? "Legal experts said that of the two primary issues ... Mueller appears to be investigating — whether Mr. Trump obstructed justice ... and whether there was collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia — there is currently a larger body of public evidence tying the president to a possible crime of obstruction," the N.Y. Times' Michael Schmidt writes in the paper's lead story: "Mueller has ... substantiated claims that [former FBI Director James] Comey made in a series of memos describing troubling interactions with the president before he was fired in May." 
 
 substantiated claims that [former FBI Director James] Comey made in a series of memos describing troubling interactions with the president before he was fired in May." "Mueller has also been examining a false statement that the president reportedly dictated on Air Force One in July ... about a meeting that Trump campaign officials had with Russians in 2016." 
 
 been examining a false statement that the president reportedly dictated on Air Force One in July ... about a meeting that Trump campaign officials had with Russians in 2016." But, but, but: "[I]t could be difficult to prove that the president, who has broad authority over the executive branch, including the hiring and firing of officials, had corrupt intentions when he [ousted] the F.B.I. director." 
 
 4. Bugs named Meltdown and Spectre "The disclosure of security flaws in computer chips dealt Intel Corp.what seemed like a sudden crisis, but behind the scenes it and other tech companies and experts have been grappling with the problem for months," the Wall Street Journal reports on the front page: "Apple ... became the latest tech giant to acknowledge it was affected by the vulnerabilities. The company said all iPhones, iPads and Mac computers were exposed, and that it already issued updates to fix the flaws." 
 
 the latest tech giant to acknowledge it was affected by the vulnerabilities. The company said all iPhones, iPads and Mac computers were exposed, and that it already issued updates to fix the flaws." "The flaws, which could allow hackers to pilfer sensitive information like passwords, affect most modern chips from an array of companies." "Nonetheless, the impact on Intel is likely to be minimal ... Intel said it expects by the end of next week to have issued software updates for more than 90% of processors introduced in the past five years." 
 
 which could allow hackers to pilfer sensitive information like passwords, affect most modern chips from an array of companies." Why it matters: "The issue called into question the security of Intel's products, and requires many customers to take action to protect their systems." "It also highlights how the growing complexity in chips and the software that runs on them makes them difficult to lock down and allows them to harbor flaws that can go undetected for years." 
 
 "The issue called into question the security of Intel's products, and requires many customers to take action to protect their systems." Go deeper: Axios' Ina Fried on the chip vulnerability 
 
 5. Global economy absorbs Trump "2017 turned out to be the global economy's best year since 2010, according to the International Monetary Fund, and 2018 looks even better," the WashPost's David Lynch writes on A1: The takeaway: "[T]he contrast between Trump's inflammatory rhetoric and the placid economic scene is striking." "Investors and corporate executives ... have learned to cope with an unpredictable president, often by ignoring his most provocative statements." 
 
 "[T]he contrast between Trump's inflammatory rhetoric and the placid economic scene is striking." The big picture : "Economics dominated politics last year outside the United States, too. In Europe, fears that ascendant populism in Britain, Poland, and Hungary would destabilize the E.U. proved exaggerated. And in Asia, prosperity surged despite rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula." 
 
 : "Economics dominated politics last year outside the United States, too. In Europe, fears that ascendant populism in Britain, Poland, and Hungary would destabilize the E.U. proved exaggerated. And in Asia, prosperity surged despite rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula." What's next: "[S]ome foreign executives are acting on concerns that the president may finally erect barriers against countries that sell more to the United States than they buy. ... Japanese companies [including] Toyota ... have stepped up investments in U.S.-based research, production and distribution." N.Y. Times Quote of the Day ... From a front-page James Stewart "Common Sense" column, "The Dow Hits 25,000: The Party Will End One Day, but When?": James Stack, a market historian and president of InvesTech Research: "A correction would be healthy. The longer we go without one, the greater the risk this will end badly." 
 
 6. Trump, GOP leaders to Camp David today The reflecting pool was frozen yesterday at the Capitol. (AP's Jose Luis Magana) Republicans have begun the year divided over whether their legislative agenda should include the use of a special budget tool (reconciliation) allowing them to pass legislation without Democrats — and whether to use it for health care or a welfare overhaul, Axios' Caitlin Owens the year divided over whether their legislative agenda should include the use of a special budget tool (reconciliation) allowing them to pass legislation without Democrats — and whether to use it for health care or a welfare overhaul, Axios' Caitlin Owens writes What to watch: This will be discussed when GOP leaders meet with President Trump at Camp David beginning this afternoon. 
 
 This will be discussed when GOP leaders meet with President Trump at Camp David beginning this afternoon. The takeaway: While Speaker Ryan is eager to tackle welfare and entitlements, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said it's not happening. 
 
 7. Fears of weed crackdown by feds "The buzz kill long dreaded in the marijuana industry came just days after California opened what is expected to be the world's largest legal pot market," AP long dreaded in the marijuana industry came just days after California opened what is expected to be the world's largest legal pot market," AP reports from L.A. "The Trump administration announced ... that it was ending an Obama-era policy to tread lightly on enforcing U.S. marijuana laws." 
 
 announced ... that it was ending an Obama-era policy to tread lightly on enforcing U.S. marijuana laws." "The declaration renewed anxiety, confusion and uncertainty that has long shadowed the bright green leafy drug still forbidden under federal law but now legal in a majority of states as medicine and in a handful of those for recreational purposes." 
 
 anxiety, confusion and uncertainty that has long shadowed the bright green leafy drug still forbidden under federal law but now legal in a majority of states as medicine and in a handful of those for recreational purposes." Why it matters: "The action by Attorney General Jeff Sessions was not unexpected given his longtime opposition to pot, but comes at a heady time for the industry as retail pot sales rolled out New Year's Day in California." What's next: Citing states' rights, Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.), chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said he found Sessions' announcement "extremely alarming," and said he was prepared to place a hold on Justice Department nominees." A DoJ source: "Cory Gardner can change federal law; the Department of Justice cannot." 
 
 8. "My personal challenge for 2018" Facebook screenshot Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced his 
 
 announced his 2018 personal challenge : "fixing" the platform he created so that "we'll end 2018 on a much better trajectory." Zuckerberg wrote that when he announced his first challenge in 2009, "the economy was in a deep recession and Facebook was not yet profitable. We needed to get serious about making sure Facebook had a sustainable business model. It was a serious year, and I wore a tie every day as a reminder." 
 
 that when he announced his first challenge in 2009, "the economy was in a deep recession and Facebook was not yet profitable. We needed to get serious about making sure Facebook had a sustainable business model. It was a serious year, and "Today feels a lot like that first year. The world feels anxious and divided, and Facebook has a lot of work to do — whether it's protecting our community from abuse and hate, defending against interference by nation states, or making sure that time spent on Facebook is time well spent." 
 
 a lot like that first year. and Facebook has a lot of work to do — whether it's protecting our community from abuse and hate, defending against interference by nation states, or making sure that time spent on Facebook is time well spent." What's next: The issues facing Facebook "touch on questions of history, civics, political philosophy, media, government, and of course technology. I'm looking forward to bringing groups of experts together to discuss and help work through these topics." Why it matters: Zuckerberg's post is the latest indication that Facebook leaders recognize that misuse of the platform during the 2016 election — including fake news, and infiltration by Russian manipulators — are no passing blip, and require fixes from the top. Facebook execs tell us they plan to change without waiting for legislation, and this is a sign of that. 
 
 tell us they plan to change without waiting for legislation, and this is a sign of that. Go deeper: See Zuckerberg's full post. For each of us: What's your singular personal challenge for 2018? If you have an interesting one, shoot me a note at mike@axios.com (or must reply to this email!), and I'll share your idea with other AMers. 
 
 9. New overnight: Sports talker Robert Kraft, owner and CEO of the New England Patriots, head coach Bill Belichick and Tom Brady celebrate a year ago at the AFC Championship Game in Foxboro, Mass. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) Power struggle at Foxboro: "For Kraft, Brady and Belichick, is this the beginning of the end?" by ESPN The Magazine senior writer Seth Wickersham: "[T]he three most powerful people in the franchise — [coach Bill] Belichick, [QB Tom] Brady and owner Robert Kraft — have had serious disagreements." 
 
 people in the franchise — [coach Bill] Belichick, [QB Tom] Brady and owner Robert Kraft — have had serious disagreements." "They differ on Brady's trainer, body coach and business partner Alex Guerrero; over the team's long-term plans at quarterback; over Belichick's bracing coaching style; and most of all, over who will be the last man standing." 
 
 on Brady's trainer, body coach and business partner Alex Guerrero; over the team's long-term plans at quarterback; over Belichick's bracing coaching style; and most of all, over who will be the last man standing." Why it matters: "Those interviewed describe a palpable sense in the building that this might be the last year together for this group." 
 
 "Those interviewed describe a palpable sense in the building that this might be the "Kraft, Brady and Belichick were supposed to meet in late December to clear the air, but that never happened. It probably won't until after the season. Those interviewed describe a lingering sadness around the team, as if coaches and staff know that the end might be near." 
 
 were supposed to meet in late December to clear the air, but that never happened. It probably won't until after the season. Those interviewed describe a lingering sadness around the team, as if coaches and staff know that A classic Brady moment ... In a legendary playoff game, the Snow Bowl in 2002 (the Tuck Rule Game), when the Patriots played the Raiders in the snow, Brady once recalled in an NFL Films interview that "he took the field for warm-ups wearing a sleeveless T-shirt in the thick snow. He was 24 years old, at the beginning of a career only he saw coming. He wanted to send a message to everyone watching that nobody was tougher, both mentally and physically, than this California kid." 
 
 In a legendary playoff game, the Snow Bowl in 2002 (the Tuck Rule Game), when the Patriots played the Raiders in the snow, Brady once recalled in an NFL Films interview that "he took the field for warm-ups wearing a sleeveless T-shirt in the thick snow. He was 24 years old, at the beginning of a career only he saw coming. He wanted to send a message to everyone watching that nobody was tougher, both mentally and physically, than this California kid." Worthy of your time. ||||| poster="http://v.politico.com/images/1155968404/201708/2918/1155968404_5548903830001_5548884538001-vs.jpg?pubId=1155968404" true White House Shutdown threat grows as Trump digs in on wall The fight over the border wall is likely to explode in September. 
 
 President Donald Trump’s vow Tuesday to close down the government if he doesn’t get money for the border wall mirrors private comments he has made to advisers in recent days — and could cause significant rifts within his own party if he follows through. 
 
 The fight over the wall is likely to explode in September as the administration wrangles over a new budget, an increase in the debt ceiling, the beginning of a tax reform package and a possible resuscitation of health care legislation. 
 
 Story Continued Below 
 
 Trump has told his advisers he will not accept a deal on other issues without money for the wall “and it has to be real money,” said one senior White House official. 
 
 Trump has told senior White House officials and advisers he would be willing to go to whatever lengths are necessary to get money for the wall, a contentious claim even among his advisers. 
 
 He hasn’t identified specific amounts of money that he wants, but he seeks “enough to really start building it,” said one person who spoke to him last weekend. 
 
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 “He is animated about the wall,” the person said. “He cares about that more than many other things. He knows his base cares and chants about it.” 
 
 At a campaign rally in Phoenix on Tuesday, the president reiterated to his loyalists that he is committed to his vision for securing the border. “If we have to close down our government," Trump said, "we're building that wall.” 
 
 Some said Trump’s preoccupation is in keeping with what he has said since before the election last year. “It should surprise exactly no one,” presidential counselor Kellyanne Conway said. “Why are people surprised when they try to change his mind on something significant and fail?” 
 
 Few staff members in the West Wing are as concerned about it, senior administration officials said. 
 
 Some in the White House have urged Trump not to focus as much on the wall, try to pass a clean debt-ceiling bill and move to tax reform. “You have barely anyone here saying, ‘Wall, wall, we have to get the wall at all costs,’” one White House official said. 
 
 It would be impossible to get Democrats on board for such a plan, Capitol Hill aides say, and Republicans will probably need Democratic support to enact a budget or raise the debt ceiling. 
 
 Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), who leads the conservative Freedom Caucus, praised the idea Tuesday — and Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) has promised to try to get money for the wall. The House passed a bill in July that delivers some wall funding, but it has little chance of becoming law. 
 
 Trump, on the campaign trail, said that Mexico would pay for the wall — a promise that has been widely mocked for its improbability. 
 
 Two people who have spoken to Trump said he sees not building the wall as a personal embarrassment — and that he has shown more interest in building the wall than in other issues, like the upcoming budget negotiations. 
 
 “You don’t want a government shutdown,” the White House official said. “He is told that. He says, ‘I want money for the wall.’” ||||| 
 
 
 
 Twitter 
 
 The account has since deleted this Tweet. 
 
 First it was Breitbart.In August, 2016, Steve Bannon's right-wing site used a photo from the Cavs' championship parade, gleaned from social media, and said it was from a Trump rally in Jacksonville, Fla.The same thing happened last night at a Donald Trump rally in Arizona, the content of which we'll refrain from remarking upon. (Maggie Haberman at thethough, called it "an angry, unbridled and unscripted performance that rivaled the most sulfurous rallies of his presidential campaign.")Twitter users, including the Tennessee Republican party, began tweeting an aerial shot of the parade to validate the strength of Trump's support.The Tennessee GOP account eventually deleted this tweet when their error was publicized, but not before it had been retweeted hundreds of times. Several other accounts, including those that tweeted yet another aerial photo of the Cavs championship parade, have deleted their Tweets "Frankly," wrote the folks at AZcentral.com (the online home of Phoenix's"anyone who is at all familiar with Phoenix should have known better. It's a desert people."Trump's rally, perhaps predictably, became a media bash session. He decried the "very dishonest people" working in journalism and at one point worked the crowd into a "CNN sucks" chant. He and his supporters remain preoccupied with their victimization at the hands of #fakenews. ||||| Tweet with a location 
 
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– President Trump was speaking in Reno Wednesday even as the assessment continued over his Tuesday night rally in Phoenix. In Arizona, he didn't just vent about the media, he also made headlines on multiple policy fronts. Among other things, he renewed his push for a border wall in a big way. "If we have to close down that government, we are going to build that wall," he told cheering supporters. The issue is expected to come to a head during budget negotiations in September, with Politico reporting that Trump has been telling advisers he won't accept any deal unless it contains "real money" to start construction. “He is animated about the wall,” one source tells the website. “He cares about that more than many other things. He knows his base cares and chants about it.” Related coverage about the rally: Followup tweet: In a tweet on Wednesday, Trump went after Arizona GOP Sen. Jeff Flake, who is up for re-election, calling him "weak on crime & border." Flake has been skeptical about a wall, notes the New York Times, which sees Trump's threat of a shutdown as an "extraordinary challenge to his own party." Killing NAFTA? Trump also made an ominous threat about the trade pact with Mexico and Canada, currently in the midst of a renegotiation process. "We will renegotiate NAFTA, or we will terminate NAFTA," he said. "I personally don't think you can make a deal without a termination, but we're going to see what happens, OK?" Axios rounds up that quote and others, including his promise to remember the business leaders who abandoned his councils. Violence at the end: Police officials say they will investigate the use of pepper spray, smoke canisters, and flash bangs by officers on protesters, reports the Arizona Republic. Meanwhile, Trump supporters took exception to Reuters' description of the protesters as "peace activists," per Twitchy. And an African-American supporter of Trump was punched repeatedly in the face by a protester as he left the rally, reports Mediaite, which has video. Familiar face: Those watching on TV likely noticed an African-American man holding up a "Blacks for Trump" sign in the audience behind Trump. He's a regular at Trump events, and the Washington Post digs into the story of the man who calls himself "Michael the Black Man." One paragraph provides a taste: "The radical fringe activist from Miami once belonged to a violent black supremacist religious cult, and he runs a handful of amateur, unintelligible conspiracy websites. He has called Barack Obama 'The Beast' and Hillary Clinton a Ku Klux Klan member. Oprah Winfrey, he says, is the devil." Familiar photo: The Arizona Republic reports that a viral photo purporting to show a huge crowd of Trump supporters was actually from a Cleveland Cavaliers parade a while back. The photo has surfaced previously, notes Cleveland Scene. At the same time, one critic thinks the Republic's front page, featuring a large "Violence Erupts" headline, was "overcooked."