Former White House staff secretary Rob Porter tells Axios that Bob Woodward’s new book, Fear: Trump in the White House, is selective and often misleading” about President Trump and the administration.
Trump Wins Dismissal of ‘Inciting to Riot’ Case
President Trump won the dismissal of an “inciting to riot” claim brought by three protesters who said they were roughed up at a March 2016 rally in Kentucky, Reuters reports.
“The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the protesters did not state a valid claim under Kentucky law, and that Trump was protected by the First Amendment because he did not specifically advocate imminent lawless action.”
McConnell Says Senate Republicans Facing a ‘Storm’
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) warned that the midterm elections will be “very challenging” for Republicans, saying that the GOP is facing a “storm” as it tries to hold on to the Senate, The Hill reports.
McConnell said Republicans know the “wind is going to be in our face” with several make-or-break races with tight polling.
Said McConnell: “You can’t repeal history, and almost every election two years into any new administration the party of the presidency loses seats. They don’t always lose the body, but almost always loses seats. And so we know that this is going to be a very challenging election on the Senate side.”
Democrats See Houston, Milwaukee as Convention Finalists
Five Democrats with knowledge of the site selection process for the Democratic National Convention tell Politico that the race is between Houston and Milwaukee.
“Heat, humidity and hurricanes were already among the factors weighing against Miami Beach. Some members worried about traffic and Miami Beach’s hard-partying reputation, which might muddy convention messaging. They’re also not crazy about the consideration of cruise ships as options for housing some delegates. Finally, there’s sensitivity to hosting yet another convention in the Eastern time zone while trying to portray a party that’s not anchored on the coasts.”
Said one DNC member: “Houston and Milwaukee are the only viable candidates right now. The weather, the logistics. Also, the imagery. What does the party want to portray from its convention? Do you want bikinis on the beach? Or do you want people in the heartland or a diversity of people in Texas?”
Kansas Republicans Stay Silent on Kobach
“Kris Kobach may be the chosen standard-bearer for the Kansas Republican Party, but elected GOP officials are less than unified behind him in his run for governor,” the Kansas City Star reports.
“Almost 40 percent of Republicans in the Kansas Legislature, when asked whether they will support Kobach in November, either would not say or did not respond to repeated inquiries.”
Cohn Takes Issue with Woodward’s Book
Former White House economic adviser Gary Cohn tells Axios that Bob Woodward’s new book is “inaccurate” — but he declined to say what specifically Woodward got wrong.
Said Cohn: “This book does not accurately portray my experience at the White House. I am proud of my service in the Trump Administration, and I continue to support the President and his economic agenda.”
“Trump has privately been angry at both Gary Cohn’s and Rob Porter’s starring roles in the book, which both Trump and White House officials viewed as evidence that they were major sources for the author.”
Trump Cancels Trip to Ireland
President Trump has cancelled his planned visit to Ireland in November, the Irish Times reports.
“The visit, which was expected to attract huge protests, had been announced by the White House at the end of August. At the time it said Mr Trump would visit Ireland as part of his planned trip to Europe in November, when he was due to attend the Armistice commemorations in Paris on November 11th.”
The Independent says the development will “come as a massive relief” to the Irish government.
Hurricane Forces Trump to Cancel Second Rally
President Trump’s campaign “canceled a second rally ahead of Hurricane Florence’s landfall, citing safety concerns as the storm threatens to wreak havoc on the East Coast,” Politico reports.
“The rally was scheduled for Thursday in Missouri to promote U.S. Senate candidate Josh Hawley, who is running against Sen. Claire McCaskill in the upcoming midterm election. The Trump campaign also canceled a rally in Mississippi on Monday in anticipation of the storm.”
Trump Accused Christie of ‘Stealing’ from Him
USA Today: “In one passage from Fear: Trump in the White House, Woodward described a scene in which then-candidate Trump summoned Christie to Trump Tower along with campaign CEO Steve Bannon. Trump was angry to learn that Christie, whom he made head of his transition team in May 2016, was raising money for the team’s operations.”
Said Trump: “Where the fuck is the money? I need money for my campaign. I’m putting money in my campaign and you’re fucking stealing from me.”
“Christie explained the money was necessary for the transition team to do its job of preparing Trump to smoothly take over the executive branch of the government should he defeat his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton.”
Responded Trump: “You’re jinxing me. I don’t want a transition. I’m shutting down the transition. I told you from day one it was just an honorary title. You’re jinxing me. I’m not going to spend a second on it.”
Billionaires Cause Their Parties Headaches
McClatchy: “Republican Richard Uihlein and Democrat Tom Steyer have poured tens of millions of dollars into the 2018 campaign. And their political parties are irritated about it. The two billionaires have backed candidates and causes that Republican and Democratic leaders believe are detrimental to their chances in November.”
“Uihlein, the founder of a Wisconsin-based shipping supplies company, has boosted insurgent conservative candidates over the GOP’s choices in several races… He hasn’t picked many winners… Steyer, a San Francisco hedge fund manager, has poured cash into a campaign to impeach Trump, an effort many Democrats view as counterproductive at best.”
Senate Forecast Moves Towards Democrats
The Weekly Standard’s forecast shows Democrats now have a 41% chance to take control of the Senate in this year’s midterm elections.
Trump Makes It Easier to Release Methane Into Air
“The Trump administration, taking its third major step this year to roll back federal efforts to fight climate change, is preparing to make it significantly easier for energy companies to release methane into the atmosphere,” the New York Times reports.
“Methane, which is among the most powerful greenhouse gases, routinely leaks from oil and gas wells, and energy companies have long said that the rules requiring them to test for emissions were costly and burdensome.”
Trump’s Praise for Woodward Is Part of Marketing Effort
The press release for Bob Woodward’s new book has a long list of endorsements and ends with a quote from President Trump from the phone call the two had last month.
Said Trump: “I think you’ve always been fair.”
Of course, Trump now calls the book “a scam” and claims it was “made up.”
Republicans Lack Will (and Votes) to End Obamacare
“Arizona’s new senator says he’d vote to repeal the nation’s health care law. That’s one additional Republican ready to obliterate the statute because his predecessor, the late Sen. John McCain, helped derail the party’s drive with his fabled thumbs-down vote last year,” the AP reports.
“It could well be too little, too late.”
“After years of trying to demolish former President Barack Obama’s prized law, GOP leaders still lack the votes to succeed. Along with the law’s growing popularity and easing premium increases, that’s left top Republicans showing no appetite to quickly refight the repeal battle.”
First Read: “Another political cycle, another fight over health care — but this time with a twist. Unlike in 2010, 2014 and even in 2016, Democrats are no longer playing defense on the Affordable Care Act, a.k.a. Obamacare, with less than two months before Election Day.”
Americans Shift Their Identity to Match Their Politics
Perry Bacon: “We generally think of a person’s race or religion as being fixed — and that those parts of identity (being black, say, or evangelical Christian) drive political views. Most African-Americans vote Democratic. Most evangelical Christians vote Republican.”
“But New York University political scientist Patrick Egan has written a new paper showing evidence that identity and politics operate in the opposite direction too — people shift the non-political parts of their identity, including ethnicity and religion, to align better with being a Democrat or a Republican.”
Woodward’s Week
Bob Woodward has scheduled 23 interviews this week about his newly-released book, Fear: Trump in the White House., according to Axios.
Pence Steers Clear of Trump
Bob Woodward writes in his new book that Vice President Mike Pence’s “default mode is to not do anything that would prompt Trump to tweet about him or call him an idiot,” USA Today reports.
“Pence appears to have done his best to stay out of Woodward’s book. Pence was also largely absent from Michael Wolff’s Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House.
Said Woodward: “Little leaked out of the Pence side of the White House.”
Zephyr Teachout Gets an Ultrasound in New Ad
Zephyr Teachout (D), who is running in the Democratic primary for Attorney General, released a new ad featuring an ultrasound of her unborn baby.
Jezebel: “This may be the first use of an ultrasound in a political ad that isn’t about stripping people of their basic reproductive rights.”
