In his Cheers & Jeers column this week, Opinion Editor Marty Trillhaase of the Lewiston Tribune CHEERS ... Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho:

He's finally put some daylight between himself and President Trump.

What got Risch's attention was last week's Washington Post report that the president personally drafted a misleading statement about that 2016 session between Donald Trump Jr., and a Russian lawyer.

For the Idaho Republican - who could look past Trump's dismissal of former FBI Director James Comey, minimize Russian meddling in the election and target his outrage at leakers rather than their disclosure that Trump gave away sensitive information to Russian diplomats - this apparently was a bridge too far.

"I guarantee you there were phone calls in addition to those emails, and I want to hear all of it before I answer the question you put to me," Risch said.

Even CBS News was taken aback, suggesting Risch, "a once-outspoken Republican defender of Mr. Trump is sounding more like a critic." Or at least - as a member of the Senate Intelligence and Foreign Relations committees - Risch is someone who knows where to look.

Risch was back on CNN this week defending Trump's threats of raining "fire and fury like the world has never seen" on North Korea. Two steps forward, one back. It's progress. Full Cheers & Jeers column here.