Joe Biden, pressing his argument that President Trump is failing the country with his handling of the coronavirus, plans on Wednesday to make the case that Mr. Trump is hurting the nation’s parents, teachers and schoolchildren with his push for schools to reopen, the New York Times reports.
Washington Post: “The return to a focus on the pandemic’s effect on education is another in Biden’s repeated efforts to connect with Americans whose lives the virus has upended in myriad ways.”
“After struggling for much of the year to settle on a clear and concise reelection message, President Donald Trump appears to have found his 2020 rallying cry,” the AP reports.
“Four years ago, it was ‘Build the Wall,’a simple yet coded mantra to white America that nonwhite outsiders threatened their way of life. This week, Trump has re-centered his campaign on another three-word phrase that carries a similar racial dynamic: ‘Law and Order.'”
Earlier for members: Trump Isn’t Likeable, But He Can Try to Be Strong
“In early July the Department of Homeland Security withheld publication of an intelligence bulletin warning law enforcement agencies of a Russian scheme to promote ‘allegations about the poor mental health’ of former Vice President Joe Biden,” ABC News reports.
A new Grinnell College/Selzer poll finds Joe Biden leading Donald Trump in the presidential race nationally, 49% to 41%.
Said pollster J. Ann Selzer: “Beyond the overall eight-point advantage, this poll shows some areas of underlying strength for the former Vice President. Mr. Biden holds a wide lead with moderates 55% to 33%, who are a plurality of the electorate; he benefits from a 10-point lead among independents who do not lean toward any political party, 44% to 34%.”
A new USA Today/Suffolk poll shows Biden leading 50% to 43%.
A new Reuters/Ipsos poll finds Biden ahead 47% to 40%.
Joe Biden has a new ad which condemns recent rioting in several urban areas.
Playbook: “We should all begin to focus our attention on the end of this month and the fiscal stimulus/government funding mess that awaits Washington — because it is massive, can easily go off the rails and is very far from being figured out.”
“As we’ve mentioned a few times, government funding runs dry Sept. 30. Because Congress is Congress, and the Trump White House is the Trump White House, Covid relief remains unfinished as well.”
“These two discussions — government funding and Covid relief — will be paired this month, and it seems almost inevitable that they get wrapped into one package, which should pass by the end of the month. Our confidence level is low that this will happen without major turbulence, and perhaps a government shutdown. In other words, this is real, so brace for impact.”
“I think I did win the popular vote. There was tremendous cheating in California. There was tremendous cheating in New York and other places.”
— President Trump, in an interview on Fox News, falsely claiming he won the popular vote in 2016.
Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) has defeated Rep. Joe Kennedy (D-MA) in the Democratic U.S. Senate primary In Massachusetts, Decision Desk reports.
Kennedy is now the first member of his immediate family to lose a primary election in Massachusetts history.
Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, promoting her book Melania and Me, told Rachel Maddow that she has audio recordings of First Lady Melania Trump: “I was going to do anything in my power to make sure I was protected.”
She added: “The last thing they should do is come after me.”
Rep. Richard Neal (D) is projected to defeat Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse (D) in the Massachusetts 1st congressional district’s Democratic primary, WCVB reports.
Vice President Mike Pence told Fox News that he does not “recall” being told to be on standby to assume the powers of the presidency if President Trump was put under anesthesia during his sudden visit to Walter Reed Medical Center last November.
The incident was reported in Michael Schmidt’s new book.
“The Federal Emergency Management Agency said it is changing the policy on the personal protective equipment that it will pay for,” NPR reports.
“The changes mean that in most cases, FEMA will no longer reimburse states for the cost of cloth face coverings at nonemergency settings, including schools, public housing and courthouses. The policy goes into effect on Sept. 15.”
“Federal prosecutors are preparing to charge longtime GOP fundraiser Elliott Broidy in connection with efforts to influence the U.S. government on behalf of foreign interests, a result of a sprawling, years-long investigation that involved a figure who helped raise millions for Donald Trump’s election and the Republican Party,” the Washington Post reports.
A new Public Policy Polling survey in Michigan finds Joe Biden leading Donald Trump in the presidential race, 48% to 44%.
In the U.S. Senate race, Sen. Gary Peters (D) leads John James (R), 47% to 39%.
A new East Carolina University poll in North Carolina finds Donald Trump leading Joe Biden in the presidential race, 49% to 47%.
“The level of excitement about voting in the presidential election is similar for both candidates, with 71% of Trump voters and 70% of Biden voters reporting they are “extremely excited” about voting for president.”
In the U.S. Senate race, Cal Cunningham (D) and Thom Tillis (R) are tied, 445 to 44%.
USA Today: “Trump, who has expressed off-again, on-again support for mask wearing during the COVID-19 pandemic, was maskless again Tuesday as he surveyed businesses damaged during protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin.”
“The Trump administration said it will not join a global effort to develop, manufacture and equitably distribute a coronavirus vaccine, in part because the World Health Organization is involved, a decision that could shape the course of the pandemic and the country’s role in health diplomacy,” the Washington Post reports.
“More than 170 countries are in talks to participate in the Covid-19 Vaccines Global Access Facility, which aims to speed vaccine development and secure doses for all countries and distribute them to the most high-risk segment of each population.”
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.
Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.
Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.
Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.
Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.