President Trump insisted that he wouldn’t be watching former special counsel Robert Mueller’s upcoming congressional testimony, then conceded he might watch “a little bit,” USA Today reports.
Trump Says He Could Win Afghanistan War In a Week
President Trump touted a secret plan to win the war in Afghanistan “in a week” at a tremendous cost to life, but insisted he would rather work with regional partners to “extricate” U.S. troops and bring to a close the nearly two-decade-long military conflict, Politico reports.
Said Trump: “If we wanted to fight a war in Afghanistan and win it, I could win that war in a week. I just don’t want to kill 10 million people.”
He added: “I have plans on Afghanistan that if I wanted to win that war, Afghanistan would be wiped off the face of the Earth. It would be gone. It would be over in — literally in ten days. And I don’t want to do that. I don’t want to go that route.”
Trump Campaign Sells 140K Plastic Straws
President Trump’s reelection campaign has sold more than 140,000 plastic straws in just a few days, The Hill reports.
The campaign first promoted the plastic straws last week in response to what the campaign website calls an alternative to “liberal paper straws.”
See Green That Life for why plastic straws are a much bigger problem than you might think.
Army Lets Slip Details of Secret Operation Near D.C.
“The Pentagon has revealed a few details about a secret Army mission that has Black Hawk helicopters flying missions over the Washington, D.C., area backed by active-duty and reserve soldiers,” Bloomberg reports.
“The mysterious classified operation was disclosed when the Army asked Congress for approval to shift funds to provide an extra $1.55 million for aircraft maintenance, air crews and travel in support of an ‘emerging classified flight mission.’”
Most Americans Won’t Vote for Trump
A new NPR/PBS Newshour/Marist poll finds that by a 53%-to-39% margin, Americans said they would definitely vote against President Trump, statistically unchanged from a month ago.
However, 54% of American voters did not vote for Trump in 2016.
Facebook Ads Soar as Democrats Try to Qualify
Some Democratic presidential candidates “are in danger of being ‘bled dry’ by spending well more than $1″ on social media advertising in an attempt “to get a $1 contribution and meet the debate criteria,” Bloomberg reports.
Bonus Quote of the Day
“I’m not going nowhere, not until I impeach this President.”
— Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), quoted by CNN, clearly responding to President Trump’s attacks on her.
Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren on Collision Course
McClatchy: “As they rise to the top of 2020 Democratic presidential field, Harris and Warren are increasingly in direct competition for many of the same voters and donors, according to polls and fundraising data, with each drawing support from the party’s more affluent, college-educated wing — particularly women.”
“The overlap between their supporters might be a surprise, especially for Warren, who is usually portrayed as being in direct competition with fellow liberal stalwart Bernie Sanders. But Warren’s strongest support so far has come from the same group of voters that is critical to Harris’ path to the nomination.”
Quote of the Day
“There’s no question that he is stoking racial divisions.”
— Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace, quoted by USA Today, about President Trump.
Beto Challenges Staff to Push Up Competition
Caught on video: With his flight delayed out of Sioux City, Iowa, Beto O’Rourke challenged his presidential campaign staff to a push up competition.
Said O’Rourke: “We gotta make use of this time.”
Police Officer Threatens Violence Against Congresswoman
A Louisiana police officer posted a comment on his Facebook page calling Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) a “vile idiot” who “needs a round, and I don’t mean the kind she used to serve,” the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.
The Washington Post notes the threat came in response to a false Facebook post.
RIP GOP
Out this fall: RIP GOP: How the New America Is Dooming the Republicans by Stanley Greenberg.
“Greenberg argues that the 2016 election hurried the party’s imminent demise. Using amazing insights from his focus groups with real people and surprising revelations from his own polls, Greenberg shows why the GOP is losing its defining battle. He explores why the 2018 election, when the New America fought back, was no fluke. And he predicts that in 2020 the party of Lincoln will be left to the survivors, opening America up to a new era of renewal and progress.”
- Hardcover Book
- Greenberg, Stanley B. (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 336 Pages - 09/10/2019 (Publication Date) - Thomas Dunne Books (Publisher)
Trump Steps Up Attacks on ‘The Squad’
President Trump continued his Twitter attacks on a group of four freshman Democratic lawmakers, calling the group of minority women a “racist group of troublemakers.”
Budget Negotiators Close to Deal on Debt, Spending
“The Trump administration and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi are on the cusp of the critical debt and budget deal, one that would amount to an against-the-odds victory for Washington pragmatists seeking to avoid politically dangerous tumult over must-do fiscal deadlines,” the Associated Press reports.
“The agreement on an outline for $1.3 trillion in agency spending would represent a win for lawmakers eager to return Washington to a more predictable path amid political turmoil and polarization, defense hawks determined to cement big military increases and Democrats seeking to protect domestic programs. Nobody can claim a big win but both sides view it as better than a protracted battle this fall that probably wouldn’t end up much differently.”
2020 Campaigns Delayed Paying Staff
Daily Beast: “By putting off the payments until then, Klobuchar was able to put the best possible spin on her presidential campaign’s financial position during the previous three months. If those expenses had come a day earlier, Klobuchar’s cash on hand figure would have been roughly $6.35 million. Instead, the campaign was able to claim roughly $7 million in reserves—a sum that placed her among the better-positioned Democrats in the presidential race.”
“A Daily Beast review of campaign finance records indicates that the delayed-expenses strategy has continued through the just completed cycle, and has involved payments to campaign staffers as well.”
“Klobuchar, whose campaign did not respond to multiple requests for comment, is one of at least four Democratic presidential candidates who appear to have skipped a staff payday at the end of June, putting off that pay period until the beginning of the following month and hence transferring the expense to the next quarter’s balance sheets.”
Trump Jr. Has a Book Coming Out
Out this fall: Triggered: How the Left Thrives on Hate and Wants to Silence Us by Donald Trump Jr.
Axios: “The book’s thrashing of political correctness previews the stump message Don Jr. will use to try to jack up swing-state turnout by the Republican base.”
Wendy Davis Is Running for Congress
Former Texas state Sen. Wendy Davis (D) announced she is challenging Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), in next year’s election, the Texas Tribune reports.
Will There Be a Spending Deal?
Playbook: “There are just four days left until the August recess — Democratic leadership has said it would not keep the chamber in session past this week.”
“The question inside the White House is this: Will Mnuchin win, and get Trump to support the bill? Or will the fiscal hawks in OMB, backed by acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and urged on by mischief-making House Republicans, inject enough skepticism to make him wary and tank a deal?”
“The question in the Capitol: How do members of Congress view this deal? A two-year debt limit hike coupled with a boost of budget caps is, broadly speaking, an attractive proposition for Congress in today’s day. But there are tripwires. There will still be a few Republicans who will balk at spending increases. And there will be Democrats who will be wary of any agreement that could allow Trump to enact policies they disagree with.”
Related for members: Stories Being Missed in the Trump Era