Markey Opens Wide Lead In Senate Primary
A new UMass Amherst poll in Massachusetts finds Sen. Ed Markey (D) leading Rep. Joe Kennedy (D) in the Democratic U.S. Senate primary, 51% to 36%.
Quote of the Day
“Like everything else he inherited, he ran it straight into the ground.”
— Sen. Kamala Harris, quoted by the New York Times, on President Trump taking office after the longest economic expansion in U.S. history.
Trump to Relax Rules for Showers
“The U.S. Energy Department proposed easing water efficiency requirements for shower heads Wednesday following multiple complaints from President Trump about how low water flow is impeding his ability to properly wash his hair,” Bloomberg reports.
Said Trump: “You can’t wash your beautiful hair properly.”
Republicans Fret Over Trump’s Reaction to Harris Pick
NBC News: “Despite having months to prepare for the probable outcome that Harris would be chosen, the Trump re-elect effort countered with a series of contradictory and at times confusing messaging on the California senator, on everything from her record as a California prosecutor to her positioning in the party.”
“Some allies of the president were stunned that the rejoinder appeared to be so flat-footed and incongruous, reiterating that Trump and his campaign have had trouble landing a punch on presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden and this does not bode well for their same attempts with Harris.”
Fox News Insists Biden Didn’t Actually Pick Harris
Daily Beast: “It took Fox News no more than an hour after Joe Biden selected Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate to start dabbling in wild speculation and conspiracy theories about the hidden, nefarious reasons behind the pick.”
“In the day after the ex-veep and presumptive Democratic nominee announced his running mate, Fox News hosts pushed a number of unsupported theories largely centered around two themes: Harris forced her way onto the ticket and intends to usurp or overtaken Biden; and/or Biden is not mentally capable of selecting his own running mate, and so Harris was installed by a shadowy, unseen puppeteer.”
Trump Wants to Replace Esper After Election
“President Trump has privately said that he intends to replace Secretary of Defense Mark Esper after the November election,” Bloomberg reports.
Meanwhile, Esper has told people close to him “that he intends to leave regardless of the election’s outcome, meaning he could exit the administration about two months before Trump does, if the president loses.”
Is This a Successful School Reopening?
New York Times: “In Georgia, Tennessee, Mississippi, Indiana and elsewhere, some schools, mainly in suburban and rural areas, have been open for almost two weeks. Their experience reveals the perils of returning to classrooms in places where the coronavirus has hardly been tamed.”
“Students and teachers have immediately tested positive, sending others into two-week quarantines and creating whiplash for schools that were eager to open, only to consider closing again right away. All of this has only further divided communities where parents and teachers have passionately disagreed over the safety of reopening.”
Most Republicans Silent on Likely QAnon House Member
Playbook on President Trump congratulating Marjorie Taylor Greene (R), a QAnon conspiracy theorist, on her GOP primary victory last night and almost certain victory in the general election:
“Privately, Republicans have said they’re ashamed of this but don’t believe there’s anything they can do about it. Of course, they’re wrong — they can spend money to defeat people who espouse beliefs contrary to theirs, but they have decided not to.”
Fiorina Praises Biden’s Pick of Kamala Harris
Carly Fiorina said she disagrees with Sen. Kamala Harris “on many things,” but added “setting aside those disagreements as a woman, I think it is high time that we see a ferociously self-determined, highly accomplished, thoroughly prepared woman of color at the top of the national ticket,” The Hill reports.
She added: “And I think regardless of people’s political persuasions, I think honestly it just reminds us that diversity and possibility are the core of what makes this nation great.”
Kansas Senate Race Is Close
A new SurveyUSA poll in Kansas finds Roger Marshall (R) leading Barbara Bollier (D) in the U.S. Senate race, 46% to 44%.
Sarah Cooper Gets Netflix Special
Comedian Sarah Cooper, who has found fame on social media by lip-syncing President Trump’s unhinged coronavirus tangents, has scored a Netflix comedy special, Variety reports.
Trump Vows to Save ‘Suburban Housewives’
President Trump vowed to save “suburban housewives” saying he’ll protect them from an “invasion” of poor people supposedly led by Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), the Black senator from New Jersey.
Said Trump: “The ‘suburban housewife’ will be voting for me. They want safety & are thrilled that I ended the long running program where low income housing would invade their neighborhood. Biden would reinstall it, in a bigger form, with Corey Booker in charge!”
Trump Adds Adviser Who Mimics His Unscientific Claims
President Trump added a new adviser on the coronavirus pandemic, CNN reports.
Dr. Scott Atlas “frequently appears on Fox News and has advised Republicans in the past. And crucially, unlike the government’s medical experts who have advised Trump until now, has adopted a public stance on the virus much closer to Trump’s — including decrying the idea that schools cannot reopen this fall as ‘hysteria’ and pushing for the resumption of college sports.”
Said Trump: “He’s working with us and will be working with us on the coronavirus. And he has many great ideas. And he thinks what we’ve done is really good, and now we’ll take it to a new level.”
Pelosi Says There’s a ‘Chasm’ In Economic Relief Talks
Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Democrats and the Trump administration remain “miles apart” on negotiations over a coronavirus stimulus deal, Axios reports.
Said Pelosi: “It’s a chasm. Because they do not share our values, they don’t believe in science, they don’t believe in governance.”
For members: Trump Thinks He Set a Trap for Democrats
Jared Kushner Met with Kanye West
Jared Kushner met privately last weekend with Kanye West, the rapper who has filed petitions to get on the November ballots for president in several states, the New York Times reports.
Inside Biden’s Search for a Running Mate
NBC News has a very good deep dive into the process that led Joe Biden to pick Sen. Kamala Harris.
GOP Lawmaker Condemns QAnon
Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) tweeted that QAnon has “no place in Congress,” a day after Marjorie Taylor Greene (R), a QAnon conspiracy theorist, won the Republican nomination in a Georgia congressional runoff.
