Donald Trump takes the stage at Gilley’s in Dallas yesterday. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)
THE BIG IDEA:
Donald Trump will hold a fundraiser tomorrow in the Arizona house where Barry Goldwater announced his 1964 presidential campaign. Ahead of the event, Philip Rucker called the late senator’s widow to ask what she thought of the presumptive Republican nominee.
“Ugh or yuck is my response,” Susan Goldwater Levine said. “I think Barry would be appalled that his home was being used for that purpose. Barry would be appalled by Mr. Trump’s behavior — the unintelligent and unfiltered and crude communications style. And he’s shallow — so, so shallow.’”
Levine said she generally finds Trump’s candidacy “crazy and inappropriate”: “I can’t believe we are doing this as a country,” she said of Trump. “Barry was so true to his convictions and would never be issuing these shallow, crude, accusatory criticisms of the other party or the other person.”
Robert and Karen Hobbs currently own the property. They do not know Trump but agreed to host the event out of loyalty to the Republican Party. “I’m not sure that Trump is conservative, but he’s who our nominee is,” Hobbs told Rucker.
Barry Goldwater (James K.W. Atherton/The Washington Post)
— The chairman of the House Energy and Commerce committee, Fred Upton, said that Trump has “gone off the track.” The Michigan congressman said he has no plans to endorse Trump “or anyone in this race.” “I’m going to stay in my lane,” he said during a radio interview, according to The Detroit News.
— Richard Armitage, who served as George W. Bush’s Deputy Secretary of State, announced he will vote for Clinton. “[Trump] does not appear to be a Republican, he doesn’t appear to want to learn about issues,” he told Politico. “So, I’m going to vote for Mrs. Clinton.”
— Charles Krauthammer says Trump how shown over the past month that he cannot and will not change. “It’s no accident that Trump’s poll numbers are sliding,” he writes in his column today. Michael Gerson, meanwhile, decries Trump’s flawed character in his column and argues that it is a far worse problem than the first-time candidate’s lack of self-discipline.
— “At this point, I just can’t do it,” John Kasich said on “Morning Joe.” “But we’ll see where it ends up … I’m not making any final decisions yet.”
— Several more companies have announced this week that they are steering clear of the Republican convention in Cleveland: Wells Fargo, UPS, Motorola, JPMorgan Chase, Ford, and Walgreens Boots Alliance all said they will not be participating despite years of previous support — joining Coca-Cola, Microsoft and a host of others refusing to join in Trump’s coronation. (Bloomberg)
— Even Trump’s core supporters are angry with him. Several allies publicly rebuked him yesterday for trying to prevent suspected terrorists from being able to buy guns. Jeff Sessions, Trump’s point man on the Hill, declared that congressional Republicans should not take cues from The Donald on the subject. “We’re a co-equal branch of government,” the Alabama senator said.
Donald Trump, Ed Koch and Roy Cohn attend the Trump Tower opening in October 1983. (Photo by Sonia Moskowitz/Getty Images)
— Best read of the morning: “The man who showed Trump how to exploit power and instill fear.” From Robert O’Harrow Jr. and Shawn Boburg: Trump was a young developer anxious to leave his mark on New York. “Roy Cohn was a legendary New York fixer, a ruthless lawyer in the hunt for new clients. They came together by chance one night at Le Club, a hangout for Manhattan’s rich and famous. Trump introduced himself to Cohn … and sought advice: How should he and his father respond to Justice Department allegations that their company had systematically discriminated against black people seeking housing? It was 1973, and the start of one of the most influential relationships of Trump’s career. Cohn soon represented Trump in legal battles, counseled him about his marriage and introduced Trump to New York power brokers, money men and socialites. He also showed Trump how to exploit power and instill fear through a simple formula: attack, counterattack and never apologize.” Trump prized Cohn’s reputation for aggression. When frustrated by an adversary, Trump used to reportedly pull out a photograph of Cohn, asking, “Would you rather deal with him?”
WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING:
LeBron last night (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
— Cleveland beat Golden State 115-101 to force a Game 7 in the NBA Finals. LeBron James scored 41 points, eight rebounds, 11 assists, four steals and three blocks.
— Bernie Sanders pledged to help defeat Trump but made no mention of endorsing Hillary Clinton during a heavily-promoted, live-streamed address to his supporters last night. John Wagner calls it a concession-style speech – without a concession. He profusely thanked his supporters. He said he looked forward to working with Clinton to advance key issues. And he urged like-minded followers to run for state and local offices. “The major political task that we face in the next five months is to make certain that Donald Trump is defeated and defeated badly,” the Vermont senator said, speaking from Burlington. “And I personally intend to begin my role in that process in a very short period of time.”
“Election days come and go,” he added. “But political and social revolutions that attempt to transform our society never end.” (Read the transcript here.)
Aides said that more than 218,000 people watched the 23-minute address. It came two nights after his sit-down with Hillary at the Washington Hilton, which was described by both campaigns as “positive.”
Bigger picture, Bernie has given up on trying to wrest the nomination from Hillary. He’s focused solely on platform concessions at this point. “Aides said Sanders has not been lobbying superdelegates,” Wagner reports. “Nor does Sanders have any immediate plans to do that.”
And the party apparatus continues falling in line behind Clinton:
She has taken over the Democratic National Committee. The campaign picked Brandon David, 38, who formerly served as national political director for the Service Employees International Union, to be the DNC’s chief of staff and oversee the party’s day-to-day operations. (Abby Phillip)
The AFL-CIO formally endorsed HRC, with promises to launch “a sophisticated, ground campaign” on her behalf. (Wagner)
Arizona Rep. Raul Grijalva, one of the few members of Congress who supported Sanders, endorsed Clinton. (The Hill)
Tributes and candles are left for Jo Cox in London. (Reuters/Stefan Wermuth)
— The man accused of brutally murdering British MP Jo Cox yesterday reportedly has ties to a U.S.-based, neo-Nazi group. From Griff Witte and Karla Adam: Tommy Mair, 52, had longstanding ties to a U.S.-based neo-Nazi organization and, in the past, had ordered a how-to guide for assembling a homemade gun. “According to documents obtained by the Southern Poverty Law Center, the U.S.-based organization that tracks extremist groups, Mair was a long-time supporter of the National Alliance, a once-prominent white supremacist group. In 1999, Mair bought a manual from the organization that included instructions on how to build a pistol, the center said. Cox was shot by a weapon that witnesses described as either homemade or antique. In all, Mair sent $620 to the group’s publishing imprint. Mair also had reportedly subscribed to a South African magazine published by the White Rhino Club, a pro-apartheid group.” He reportedly called out “Britain first!” during and after the attack, invoking the name of a far-right group that stages provocative anti-Muslim demonstrations. The group denied involvement in the event.
— “The killing was of the sort that has become all too common in the U.S. but is virtually unheard of in Britain: without warning, hyper-violent and ultimately, perhaps, inexplicable,” Griff and Karla write from London. “It claimed as its victim Cox, a widely respected 41-year-old member of the center-left Labour Party who won election last year after a career in humanitarian work and who was widely respected for her outspoken advocacy on behalf of refugees and civilians in Syria.” She was attacked outside a library near the city of Leeds.”
— This has shaken Britain to the core and prompted an outpouring of grief across the political spectrum. “It came as the country heads into the homestretch of a bitter campaign to determine whether to stay in the E.U., with a vote scheduled next Thursday. Both the pro- and anti-E.U. camps announced that they were suspending their campaigns at least until the weekend. Cox, who was a supporter of keeping Britain in the 28-nation bloc, was lauded Thursday by those on both sides of the debate.”
The assassination of MP Jo Cox at the hands of a man driven by hatred is a manifestation of a coarseness in our politics that must stop.
— Gabrielle Giffords (@GabbyGiffords) June 16, 2016
GET SMART FAST:
Authorities are searching for a former Guantanamo Bay prisoner who disappeared after being transferred to Uruguay in 2014 and is believed to have slipped into neighboring Brazil. The incident will intensify friction between the Obama administration and Republicans as the president pushes to shutter the facility. (Missy Ryan)
Obama is giving the military more control over the drone program, but the CIA will retain a role. (Wall Street Journal)
The GOP-led House and Senate tacitly approved a 1.6 percent pay raise for federal employees by failing to take action to stop it. The arcane federal pay law requires that Congress legislate a figure by the end of the year. If it fails to do so, Eric Yoder explains, the White House recommendation will take effect.
The Supreme Court ruled that the Department of Veterans Affairs must set aside more contracts to be filled by veteran-owned small businesses, a decision that will help them compete for billions in additional contracts awarded by the federal government. (Robert Barnes)
Philadelphia’s City Council approved a 1.5-cent-per-ounce tax on sugar-sweetened and diet beverages, the first such tax imposed in a major U.S. city. (Philly Inquirer)
Three in 10 female undergrads at Georgetown University said they have experienced “sexual misconduct” since arriving at the school, mirroring similar results from nearly a dozen other prominent research universities in the U.S. (Nick Anderson)
Walt Disney World is putting up new signs warning visitors about alligators, after a 2-year-old boy was drowned in an attack on its property. (Orlando Sentinel)
White House officials are considering a proposal to expand a Hawaiian national monument to more than four times its current size, creating what would become the world’s largest marine reserve. (Juliet Eilperin)
The Taliban now hold more ground in Afghanistan than at any point since 2001. (AP)
Media mogul Sumner Redstone moved to oust five members of Viacom’s board of directors, deepening turmoil in his $40 billion empire amid a contentious legal battle over his mental state. (Wall Street Journal)
Meat Loaf, the Grammy-winning singer, was rushed to the hospital after collapsing on stage during a concert in Edmonton last night. His condition is still unknown. (CBC News)
A 94-year-old former Auschwitz guard who has been charged with more than 100,000 counts of accessory to muder is expected to receive a verdict today. He faces up to 15 years in prison if found guilty. (Boston Globe)
Microsoft is breaking the corporate taboo on pot use this week, announcing new software that can track marijuana plants from “seed to sale.” The software is aimed at helping states that have legalized the drug to keep track of sales and commerce. (New York Times)
Two small bush planes are flying to the South Pole this week in a high-stakes rescue mission to evacuate sick employees in the middle of the Antarctic winter. The mission is only the third of its kind. In 1999, a woman was forced to conduct her own chemotherapy and breast cancer biopsy until a thaw allowed her to get out. (Sarah Kaplan)
A Canadian woman who was stalked by a wolf for 12 hours launched a risky plan of escape, leading the animal into the path of a mother bear in hopes that the two would attack each other. It worked! (CBC News)
An American man committed suicide in a Taiwan courthouse after he was convicted of growing marijuana. When told he would receive a four-year prison sentence, the 41-year-old cried out: “I don’t want to live anymore!” before stabbing himself with a pair of scissors. (Peter Holley)
This girl was injured after an airstrike on the rebel-controlled city of Idlib, Syria, on Wednesday. (Reuters/Ammar Abdullah)
— Dozens of State Department employees signed and submitted a memo early this week urging the Obama administration to adopt a more aggressive stance against the Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad, including the use of military force. From Karen DeYoung: “The 51 signatories to the document, which was sent through the department’s internal ‘dissent channel,’ were largely mid-level diplomats based in Washington and overseas, including a Syria desk officer and the consul general in Istanbul … The memo calls on the administration to respond to the worsening humanitarian situation in Syria … with air attacks and other ‘stand-off’ weapons, fired from a distance without troops on the ground, to force Assad into U.S.-led negotiations to end the conflict. Much of the thrust of the document has been advocated inside the administration by Secretary of State John F. Kerry … President Obama has consistently resisted direct U.S. military involvement in the war.”
— In related news: The Southern Baptist Convention, the denomination that represents more Americans than any religion but Catholicism, approved a resolution on refugee resettlement in the United States at its annual meeting. “Scripture calls for and expects God’s people to minister to the sojourner,” the resolution said. “We encourage Southern Baptist churches and families to welcome and adopt refugees into their churches and homes.” (Julie Zauzmer)
THE BATTLE FOR THE SENATE:
George W. Bush campaigns for Jeb in February in South Carolina. (Alex Holt for The Washington Post)
— George W. Bush is hosting fundraisers for five Republican senators. The New York Times fronts a story this morning about “an unlikely savior” who might help save the upper chamber after eight years in the wilderness. In the weeks since Trump locked down the nomination, Bush has headlined finance events for John McCain and Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire. “Next week, he will appear in St. Louis at a fund-raiser for Senator Roy Blunt of Missouri. And similar events are being planned for Senators Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Rob Portman of Ohio,” Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Martin report.
“Friends say that the former president is ‘deeply’ bothered by Mr. Trump’s campaign message, especially his derogatory remarks about Muslims and immigrants. While Mr. Bush has largely refrained from taking part in politics, he is motivated to try to shore up Republican control of the Senate, which he views as a force for stability at a chaotic time in politics, and to help those who reflect his more inclusive brand of conservatism. … Mr. Bush declines to praise or criticize either Mr. Trump or Mrs. Clinton in public settings. ‘My candidate lost,’ he tells audiences, referring to his brother.”
John McCain (AP Photo/Ralph Freso)
— John McCain said President Obama was “directly responsible” for the terror attack in Orlando due to his failure to combat the rise of the Islamic State terror group. From Mike DeBonis: The Arizona senator answered a question about the debate over gun control by citing Obama’s culpability for the attack through his foreign policy: “Barack Obama is directly responsible for it, because when he pulled everybody out of Iraq, al-Qaeda went to Syria, became ISIS, and ISIS is what it is today thanks to Barack Obama’s failures.” When pressed by a reporter on the claim that Obama was “directly” responsible, McCain reiterated his point — that Obama should not have withdrawn combat troops from Iraq. “He pulled everybody out of Iraq, and I predicted at the time that ISIS would go unchecked, and there would be attacks on the United States of America,” he said. “It’s a matter of record, so he is directly responsible.”
In a statement a few hours later, McCain said he “misspoke.” “I did not mean to imply that the President was personally responsible,” he said. “I was referring to President Obama’s national security decisions, not the President himself.”
Facing a serious primary challenge, McCain is “feeling the gravitational pull” of Trump. “Whether or not Trump wins the White House, he already has had a profound effect on American politics generally and the Republican Party more specifically,” says The Fix’s Chris Cillizza. “McCain’s comments reflect that influence — whether the Arizona senator realizes it or not.”
His Democratic challenger, Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, said McCain has crossed “a dangerous line in comments that undermine our Commander in Chief on national security issues — at the very moment the president was in Orlando to comfort victims’ families.”
Obama arrives in Orlando. (Stephen M. Dowell/AP)
ORLANDO FALLOUT:
— The owner of a Florida gun store said his employees called the FBI after Omar Mateen attempted to purchase body armor and ammunition: Gun store co-owner Robbie Abell said his workers had a “gut feeling” about Mateen when he came to the store four or five weeks ago. Mateen reportedly asked for level 3 body armor but was told the store did not carry it, Abell said. He then made a phone call and spoke in Arabic before asking for bulk ammunition, but employees “did not sell it to him.” Abell said they contacted the FBI directly. Law enforcement officials said they have so far not received any evidence of the contact. (CBS)
— Obama traveled to Orlando yesterday to meet with families of the victims, and he issued another call for stricter controls on assault weapons. From Katie Zezima, Ellen Nakashima and Mark Berman: While laying flowers at a memorial in downtown, Obama said the city was “shaken by an evil, hateful act,” saying that when he and Vice President Biden met with family members, their grief was indescribable. “The Vice President and I told them, on behalf of the American people, that our hearts are broken, too, but we stand with you and that we are here for you, and that we are remembering those who you loved so deeply,” Obama said. “Today, once again, as has been true too many times before, I held and hugged grieving family members and parents, and they asked, why does this keep happening? And they pleaded that we do more to stop the carnage.”
The president set aside his “soaring rhetoric,” delivering a speech that was brief, blunt, and starkly political. “This was a president who was fed up,” Greg Jaffe and Juliet Eilperin, our White House reporters, explain in an analysis. “His goal was not to inspire, but to demand change. ‘Those who were killed and injured here were gunned down by a single killer with a powerful assault weapon,’ Obama said. ‘The motives of this killer may have been different than the mass shooters in Aurora or Newtown. But the instruments of death were so similar.’”
— REALITY CHECK: The effort to pass new gun legislation after Orlando is poised to fail. No one expects any of the four measures coming up for a vote in the Senate Monday to pass. From Karoun Demirjian and Ed O’Keefe: “Trump said this week that lawmakers should find a way to bar terrorism suspects from obtaining guns and that he planned to meet with the nation’s top gun lobby to build support. At the same time, some Republicans and Democrats jumped at the chance to renew their efforts to reach compromise. But the effort didn’t go far.”
Several delegates to the Republican convention said they will take steps next month to make the party platform’s more pro-gun. Some even threatened to withhold support for Trump if he continues to call for new laws. Wendy Day, a GOP delegate from Michigan, said that many of her party colleagues were startled to see Trump “turn left when it came to the Second Amendment. I think that surprised and angered a lot of people.”
— This is happening against the backdrop of rising public support for new laws: 61 percent of Americans now support stricter gun controls in the U.S., according to a new NBC/SurveyMonkey poll, while 38 percent remain opposed. Six in 10 said they support a nationwide ban on the sale of assault weapons, while 38 percent are opposed.
— The Post’s Fact Checker gives Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) three Pinocchios for his claim that states with “reasonable” firearm limitations have less gun crimes and homicides: The data Murphy was referring to (a 2013 National Journal chart) calculates the number of gun-related deaths by including all gun deaths, including homicides, suicides, accidental gun deaths and legal intervention involving firearms, Glenn Kessler explains. “We removed suicides from the totals and reran the numbers – and in some cases, it made a huge difference. Half of the 10 states with the lowest gun-death rates turn out to be states with less-restrictive gun laws.”
— “Despite prayers for the Orlando victims, few expect advances in gay rights.” From Katie Zezima in Orlando: “The fight over gay rights in Florida has been contentious for a decade and flared anew earlier this year. For months after the Supreme Court made same-sex marriage legal nationwide, Florida’s law barring it remained on the books and the heavily Republican legislature failed to take up legislation to ditch it. Nadine Smith, executive director of Equality Florida, the state’s largest gay rights advocacy organization, said the shooting has laid bare the fact that many elected officials still do not support equality for gay men and women.” “People say there are stages of grief,” Smith said. “Today, I am feeling angry.”
A man draped in the U.S. flag protests outside Trump’s rally in Dallas. (Stewart F. House/Getty Images)
THE DAILY DONALD:
— Trump appeared in D.C. yesterday for a deposition. The businessman filed a $10 million breach of contract suit against Chef Geoffrey Zakarian after he terminated plans to open a restaurant in the remodeled old Post Office Building. He says that it is justified because Trump called Mexican immigrants drug dealers and rapists. (Keith L. Alexander and Jonathan O’Connell)
— Then he flew to Dallas and celebrated his one-year anniversary as a candidate. From Sean Sullivan, Jamie Thompson and Jenna Johnson: At a rally in a well-known honky-tonk, Trump reflected on his unexpected rise. “As he entered (Gilley’s Club), Trump said he saw ‘thousands and thousands’ of his fans stuck outside the venue, and he wanted to ‘wade in and hug them and kiss them,’ but was held back by the Secret Service … Trump lamented that the new gig also comes with a higher level of scrutiny from the press.”
The mogul outlined his plans for an unconventional Republican convention in Cleveland: Instead of having “boring politicians talk and put everyone to sleep,” he said there will be a “winner’s night” featuring “champions” that have endorsed him.
— The value of being there –> The Guardian’s Matthew Teague reports on an eerie and disheartening scene he witnessed at a Trump rally earlier in the week. “Before Trump came on stage, an announcer asked – as is customary at Trump rallies – that supporters identify any protesters to security and shout ‘Trump! Trump! Trump!’ until the dissenters were removed. There were protesters, and their presence was particularly obvious in the smaller, dimly-lit venue. When security escorted them out through the emergency exits, the opened doors shot rays of sunlight across the theater. The suspicion of protesters reached a point at which Trump supporters were informing on each other for not being ‘real’ supporters. One woman pointed security toward a couple sitting quietly in their seats. ‘Them,’ she mouthed. The couple seemed baffled and denied to a security agent that they were anything but genuine Trump admirers. He waved them toward the exit and said, ‘Let’s go.’ Afterward the informer, who declined to give her name, grinned as onlookers congratulated her. ‘I heard one of them say ‘Never Trump’,’ she said. ‘And one held up three fingers, like this.’ She held up her hand in a Boy Scout salute. What did the three fingers signify? ‘I have no idea,’ she said.”
— Trump’s empire could be called many things, but “diverse” is not one of them. An AP investigation finds a dearth of African Americans in senior positions: There are few, if any black executives in the upper ranks of the Trump Organization, and other minorities at that level are “scarce.” Former executives say they cannot recall a single black vice president-level executive at Trump’s headquarters during their combined tenures at the Trump Organization ranging from 1980 to late in the past decade. Reviews of information posted by Trump and family members, as well as Trump’s acknowledgements thanking executives in his books also fail to identify any senior black employees past or present. Other black former employees said the absence of minorities among Trump’s top lieutenants was “striking.” (Read more here.)
— Trump’s fundraising continues to be in disarray, several of his bundlers told Fox Business: “People are having a hard time writing checks for this guy,” said a major Trump bundler involved in organizing a Dallas reception that took place yesterday. “If they write a check they’re holding a tissue while they’re doing it.” Texas oil billionaire T. Boone Pickens said he would like to raise money for Trump but complained that “he still doesn’t know what super PAC he should be giving to.”
— “Trump Accused of Using His Charity as a Political Slush Fund,” from The Daily Beast’s Tim Mak and Andrew Desiderio: “The foundation is accused of violating rules prohibiting it from engaging in politics—prompting ethics watchdogs to call for public investigations. On numerous occasions this year, Trump’s campaign work and his foundation work have overlapped—putting himself at risk for penalties and his charity at risk of being shut down. Trump is listed as the president of the foundation in the charity’s annual disclosures, and his children are all listed as directors. Foundations like theirs are exempt from paying taxes and as such are barred from engaging in political causes.”
Trump handed out multiple Foundation checks to charities at campaign rallies in early primary states.
In 2013, the Trump Foundation donated $25,000 to a political organization supporting Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi—a prohibited action which the foundation failed to report on its disclosures.
— The Clinton Presidential Library is preparing to release behind-the-scenes photos of Trump meeting with Bill Clinton in 2000, at a fundraising event held at a Trump Tower apartment in New York. The goal is to undercut some of his attacks on WJC’s character. (Politico)
— Whether the next president is Trump or Clinton or someone else entirely, Paul Ryan and fellow House Republicans believe that president should have less power. From DeBonis: “The fourth installment in the six-part House GOP agenda, focused on the Constitution, was unveiled by Ryan and other Republican leaders Thursday. The new 22-page proposal is aimed at reining in what Republicans call the ‘fourth branch’ of government, the executive bureaucracy, to which Congress has ceded significant powers over the course of decades. ‘I would argue this is the most important of our agenda,’ Ryan said at the event. ‘Because won’t be able to fix our safety net, we wouldn’t be able to rebuild our military or pare back the red tape until we put the people back into the driver’s seat.’”
Asked how confident he is that Trump would respect the constitutional separation of powers if elected, Ryan said: “You can’t make this up sometimes … I’ll just say we represent a separate, but equal, branch of government … We’re going to fight for those rights on behalf of our citizens so that we remain a self-governing people.”
— More than a month after Ted Cruz dropped out of the race, a super PAC that supported his bid is cutting checks to his staffers: Trusted Leadership PAC is currently paying some half-dozen staffers who served as senior aides on Cruz’s presidential campaign, including former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, political adviser David Sawyer and Texas state director Tyler Norris. The group has primarily focused on the upcoming convention in Cleveland, hoping to pass a set of rules to govern the 2020 primary calendar, when Cruz would like to run again. (Politico)
MORE ON THE DEMOCRATIC RACE:
Clinton campaigns in Virginia. (Melina Mara/The Washington Post)
— “Russian Hackers Targeted Hillary Clinton Campaign Google Accounts.” From Forbes Magazine’s Thomas Fox-Brewster: “Clinton’s private email server has attracted the attention of foreign hackers and American regulators alike. But now her campaign crew’s Google email has been targeted by hackers thought to be working for the Russian government … In the last three months, the same group that allegedly breached the DNC in April has been trying to take control of Gmail accounts of staff working for Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign … Targets included those running Clinton’s communications and organizing her travel, which Forbes believes includes Kristina Schake and Nick Merrill, as well as the director of speechwriting Dan Schwerin.” The stings appeared to take the target through to a fake Google login page. As soon as staffers provided login credentials, the Russian crew would log in and access all the data in the Google account. Online records for hillaryclinton.com indicated the official Clinton campaign used Google Apps. Clinton’s staff would, therefore, have signed into their email via a Google login looking much like the spoofed pages.
— Clinton’s new ads, to run in all the major battleground states, will highlight the themes of “togetherness” and unity.” One will showcase her tenure as First Lady.
VEEPSTAKES:
— Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) said nobody from the Trump campaign has reached out to her and she is not being vetted. “I think they would’ve reached out by now,” she told The Des Moines Register’s Jason Noble.
— Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) told NBC that he is “not being vetted” by the Clinton campaign.
— The Wall Street Journal says Sanders is not being vetted either. Laura Meckler and Colleen McCain Nelson reported that the campaign is “actively looking” at Warren. “Other prospective candidates include Labor Secretary Tom Perez; Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro; Sens. Tim Kaine of Virginia, Sherrod Brown of Ohio and (Booker); Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, and Reps. Xavier Becerra of California and Tim Ryan of Ohio, several Democrats said.”
WAPO HIGHLIGHTS:
Michael Bennet (Nigel Parry/For The Washington Post)
— The Sunday Magazine has a long, glowing profile of Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), calling him “the can-do senator in a can’t-do Congress.” From Steven Pearlstein: “In an era of ideological polarization and hyper-partisanship, he is a pragmatic centrist whose instincts run to bipartisan compromise. In the shouting match that American politics has become, he’d rather listen than talk, steering clear of the national media. In a capital seething in self-importance, his is the rare ego that does not precede him into the room. And at a time when politicians get ahead by being nasty, superficial and glib, Bennet gets by, as one Republican staffer put it, by being ‘the most affable and knowledgeable guy in the room.’ Bennet is the anti-Trump, the anti-Cruz — but also the anti-Hillary, straightforward and authentic. In many ways, he is a throwback to a bygone era, an optimist with impeccable establishment credentials who finds himself miscast for today’s politics of anti-establishment anger and resentment. Whether he is able to survive the vitriol of this year’s election and find a constructive role to play in Washington offers a test of whether there is still a place in American politics for talented, experienced leaders more interested in governing than winning.”
SOCIAL MEDIA SPEED READ:
— ZIGNAL VISUAL: Social media was talking way more about Oprah Winfrey’s endorsement of Hillary, made during an interview with Entertainment Tonight, than Sanders’s non-concession. Here is Clinton’s word cloud for yesterday, via our analytics partners at Zignal Labs:
After McCain blamed Obama for Orlando, Twitter erupted:
I have seen the best of John McCain. It is really sad to see the worst of him.
— Norman Ornstein (@NormOrnstein) June 16, 2016
John McCain reading his mentions rn pic.twitter.com/1mbey6I7b0
— Dorsey Shaw (@dorseyshaw) June 16, 2016
Shortly before the senator walked back his comments, the Trump campaign circulated the story:
John McCain: Obama is ‘directly responsible’ for Orlando attack – The Washington Post https://t.co/hjh5ry2r3B
— Corey Lewandowski (@CLewandowski_) June 16, 2016
John McCain does not want to be “directly responsible” for his earlier comment. pic.twitter.com/7UyF2gNCW3
— Matt Viser (@mviser) June 16, 2016
On this day.
June 16, 1858: Lincoln gives House Divided speech.
June 16, 2015: Trump descends escalator, gives “they’re rapists” speech.
— Paul Blumenthal (@PaulBlu) June 16, 2016
A look at Trump rally fashion:
Trump supporters wearing these shirts in Dallas. Underscores Trump’s go-it-alone message. pic.twitter.com/EXH1DJhA7Z
— Jill Colvin (@colvinj) June 16, 2016
#TrumpFashion in Dallas pic.twitter.com/LysyzgwtCZ
— Nick Corasaniti (@NYTnickc) June 16, 2016
As Trump speaks inside Dallas rally– pic.twitter.com/k1pw109AdC
— Vaughn Hillyard (@VaughnHillyard) June 17, 2016
Trump said the LGBT community is starting to like him:
Trump: “LGBT is starting to like Donald Trump very much…starting to like Donald Trump very, very much lately…”
— Sopan Deb (@SopanDeb) June 17, 2016
The RNC chairman pushed back on stories about tension between his staff and Trump’s, writing in the style of Trump:
Flying to Dallas now with @realDonaldTrump…Reports of discord are pure fiction. Great events lined up all over Texas. Rs will win in Nov!
— Reince Priebus (@Reince) June 16, 2016
One response:
Hey, @reince sent a selfie from the Trump plane. pic.twitter.com/Gi7TPQL0vj
— Josh Barro (@jbarro) June 16, 2016
From the chief strategist on John Kasich’s campaign:
Not fair to Landon, Willkie, Stevenson, Goldwater, McGovern, Mondale, Dukakis to compare their campaigns to Trump’s. They were honorable men
— John Weaver (@JWGOP) June 16, 2016
A Cruz aide responded to Trump holding a rally today in Houston, where he lives:
Thanks, but 7pm on Friday night is my laundry time. https://t.co/It6q4YzQ1M
— Josh Perry (@MrJoshPerry) June 16, 2016
An AEI scholar replaced state names with countries of equivalent GDP:
RT @Mark_J_Perry: US State Map Renamed with Countries with Similar GDPS, CA = France, TX = Canada, etc. pic.twitter.com/I8K93LJAez
— AEI (@AEI) June 16, 2016
Patricia Arquette was on Capitol Hill:
Frank Underwood — erm, Kevin Spacey — received an honorary knighthood:
I may play a President on TV, but in real life I’m now a Sir. Thanks HRH–what a prince of a guy! pic.twitter.com/Pqs00wka7Q
— Kevin Spacey (@KevinSpacey) June 16, 2016
At the congressional women’s softball game on Wednesday night, Rep. Martha McSally (R-Ariz.) wore #A-10 on her jersey to celebrate the approval of her amendment adding $100 million for wing upgrades to the A-10. (She was the first American woman to fly in combat, and she flew the Warthog.)
Can’t make this up: Martha McSally’s wearing jersey number A-10. #CWSG pic.twitter.com/l0ahLi9vng
— Connor O’Brien (@connorobrienNH) June 16, 2016
HOT ON THE LEFT
“White classmates pulled black girl by the neck with a rope, lawsuit alleges,” from The Guardian: “The parents of a 12-year-old black girl have sued her Texas school after a group of white classmates allegedly wrapped a rope around her neck and ‘violently jerked’ her to the ground, leaving burns in her skin that are documented in graphic photos included in the complaint. The incident, which reportedly left the girl with a “severe and painful” rope cut on her neck, has brought national attention to Live Oak classical school, a largely white private school in Waco, Texas, that has been accused of having a history of bullying problems.”
HOT ON THE RIGHT
“Harvard Law Grad With ‘Cognitive Impairments’ Sues After Failing Bar Exam Twice,” from the Daily Caller: “A graduate of Harvard Law School is suing New York’s bar examination board, claiming a promising legal career was derailed because she wasn’t given enough special treatment on the bar exam. Tamara Wyche claims that ever since sustaining a head injury in an ATV accident in 2009, she has suffered from a host of cognitive problems that seem as though they would make it very difficult to be an effective lawyer. Despite her troubles with reading, thinking, and remembering, Wyche says she would have had an excellent legal career if she’d simply received proper accommodations from the New York State Board of Bar Examiners the first two times she sat for the New York bar exam.”
DAYBOOK:
On the campaign trail: Trump is in Houston.
At the White House: Obama meets with Deputy Crown Prince and Minister of Defense Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, then travels to Carlsbad, New Mexico, and Yosemite Valley, Calif.
On Capitol Hill: The Senate meets at 11 a.m. for a pro forma session. The House is out.
QUOTE OF THE DAY:
Brendan Cox released a poignant statement after his wife was murdered in Britain: “Jo believed in a better world, and she fought for it every day of her life with an energy, and a zest for life that would exhaust most people. She would have wanted two things above all else to happen now, one that our precious children are bathed in love and two, that we all unite to fight against the hatred that killed her. Hate doesn’t have a creed, race or religion, it is poisonous.”
NEWS YOU CAN USE IF YOU LIVE IN D.C.:
— Sunshine returns just in time for the weekend! The Capital Weather Gang forecasts: “Showers may persist into the morning, but they aren’t as heavy as the rain we saw at times last night and it should be tending to wind down on the early side. Sunshine then tries to break out strongly by midday into afternoon, helping push high temperatures into the mid-70s to near 80 in the sunniest of spots.”
— The Nationals beat the Padres 8-5, and Bryce Harper homered.
— The first major Metro rail shutdown is set to begin Saturday, resulting in “major service reductions” for Blue Line commuters traveling in and out of the city. Transportation officials are urging carpool and teleworking as options to combat an expected flood of drivers on the road. (Paul Duggan)
— A Baltimore prosecutor accused a police detective of “sabotaging” investigations related to the death of Freddie Gray, accusing him of fabricating notes to suggest that the state’s medical examiner believed the manner of death was an accident rather than a homicide. The heated exchange came in the chaotic sixth day of the trial of Baltimore Officer Caesar Goodson Jr., who drove the police van in which Gray suffered a fatal spine injury in 2015. (Derek Hawkins and Lynh Bui)
— The International Spy Museum is moving to L’Enfant Plaza in 2018: Construction has already begun on the new museum, a trendy, 140,000-square-foot building located eight blocks south of its current location. Check out a digital rendering here.
VIDEOS OF THE DAY:
Cavs fans sang a moving rendition of the national anthem:
Seth Meyers is standing by his Trump ban:
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Last month, speaking in the House of Commons, Cox (the murdered British MP) gave an impassioned speech on the plight of Syrian refugees and civilians:
Watch Obama’s statement on Orlando:
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Democrats are preparing to take on Marco Rubio if he announces for Senate next week. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee will release this new web video today to highlight the scores of votes and committee hearings Rubio missed while pursuing the presidency, the repeated pledges he made during that campaign not to return to the Senate and his vote in December against a Democratic proposal to bar suspected terrorists from purchasing guns:
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(Mike DeBonis has more.)
Yesterday’s 202 had several examples we found of Rubio talking about his frustrations and inability to set the agenda in the Senate. American Bridge 21st Century, the liberal group that had trackers following the senator throughout the primaries, tracked down several additional instances and created a 2.5-minute compilation. Many of these could appear in attack ads:
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Politifact walked through the some of the biggest falsehoods from the year of Trump (click for video):
The 10 biggest falsehoods from the year of Trump (a video snippet) pic.twitter.com/PW0z4oWI04
— PolitiFact (@PolitiFact) June 16, 2016
Bret Baier asked the Dalai Lama if he’s every seen “Caddyshack.” His Holiness had not even heard of it. (Watch here, via Gawker.)
Check out this footage of a massive wave hitting a resort in Bali:
Kid President delivered a message to dads for Father’s Day:
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Don’t forget to get something for Dad before Sunday…and have a great weekend!
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