President Trump attacked Elizabeth Warren in a tweet last night, claiming media reports have inflated the size of crowds attending her campaign rallies.
He added that his own crowds, “which are bigger,” get no coverage at all.
Boris Johnson Asks Queen to Suspend Parliament
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson asked the Queen to suspend Parliament just days after MPs return to work in September – and only a few weeks before the Brexit deadline, the BBC reports.
Washington Post: “The impact of suspending Parliament would mean that opposition lawmakers would have less time to try and stop Britain from leaving the European Union without a deal.”
“Johnson told reporters that he had asked Queen Elizabeth II to give her customary speech outlining the country’s legislative agenda in mid-October, effectively suspending the body between Sept. 11 and Oct. 14. ”
“The move to suspend— or prorogue — Parliament at this crucial time in the Brexit process sparked howls of outrage from many lawmakers, including from some within the governing Conservative Party.”
Most Democrats Back Medicare for All
A new Politico/Morning Consult poll finds 65% of Democratic primary voters would be more likely to support a candidate who wants to institute a single-payer health care system like Medicare for All, while 13% said they’d be less likely to back a candidate based on that support
Biden Still Holds Big Lead
A new USA Today/Suffolk poll finds joe Biden retained a wide lead over the Democratic Presidential filed at 32%, followed by Elizabeth Warren at 14%, and Bernie Sanders at 12%.
Only three other candidates received support above 2%: Pete Buttigieg and Kamala Harris, each at 6%, and Andrew Yang at 3%. At 2% were Beto O’Rourke and Cory Booker.
Bank Source Says Trump Had Russian Co-Signers
A source close to Deutsche Bank told MSNBC that President Trump’s tax returns show he pays very little income tax and, more importantly, that his loans have Russian billionaires as co-signers.
Said Lawrence O’Donnell: “If true, that would explain every kind word Donald Trump has ever said about Russia and Vladimir Putin.”
Watch the entire segment.
Biden Extols His Black Support
Joe Biden pressed his case that he is the “most electable” Democratic presidential nominee, telling black journalists that while his primary rivals may draw large crowds in urban centers or excite young progressives, he retains the most racially diverse coalition of supporters, the New York Times reports.
Politico: “Biden’s campaign convened a dozen or so black reporters from major media outlets Tuesday for what was offered as a private, off-the-record sit-down… But Biden opened the discussion allowing himself to be quoted.”
“And then he started talking, and talked some more, and before everyone knew it, the former vice president had held forth for 90 minutes. That’s an extraordinary amount of time for a major presidential candidate to meet the press in a single sitting.”
Trump Tries to Fast Track His Border Wall
“President Trump is so eager to complete hundreds of miles of border fence ahead of the 2020 presidential election that he has directed aides to fast-track billions of dollars’ worth of construction contracts, aggressively seize private land and disregard environmental rules,” the Washington Post reports.
“He also has told worried subordinates that he will pardon them of any potential wrongdoing should they have to break laws to get the barriers built quickly.”
“The president has told senior aides that a failure to deliver on the signature promise of his 2016 campaign would be a letdown to his supporters and an embarrassing defeat. With the election 14 months away and hundreds of miles of fencing plans still in blueprint form, Trump has held regular meetings at the White House to receive progress updates and hasten the pace.”
Reeves Wins GOP Nod for Mississippi Governor
Mississippi Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves (R) has won the Republican nomination for governor and will face Democratic Attorney General Jim Hood (D) and two other candidates in November, the AP reports.
Reeves defeated former Mississippi Supreme Court Justice Bill Waller Jr. in Tuesday’s primary runoff.
British MPs Pledge to Form Alternative Parliament
A group of British MPs gathered symbolically at Church House — where parliament met during World War II — in Westminster where they pledged to form an alternative parliament should Prime Minister Boris Johnson shut down the government to push through a no-deal Brexit if an agreement is not reached by the Oct. 31 deadline, the Guardian reports.
Trump Calls Primary Challengers the ‘Three Stooges’
President Trump dismissed three potential Republican presidential primary challengers — former Reps. Mark Sanford (R-SC) and Joe Walsh (R-IL) as well as former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld (R) — as “Three Stooges” as he gears up for his reelection campaign in 2020.
Biden Says We Must Shame the Racists
Joe Biden said that racism in America is institutional and it is a “white man’s problem visited on people of color,” arguing that the way to attack the issue is to defeat President Trump and shame the racists he has emboldened, the AP reports.
Taking aim at incendiary racial appeals by Trump, Biden said that a president’s words can “appeal to the worst damn instincts of human nature,” just as they can move markets or take a nation into war.
Trump Allows New Logging in Alaska National Forest
“President Trump has instructed Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue to exempt Alaska’s 16.7 million-acre Tongass National Forest from logging restrictions imposed nearly 20 years ago,” the Washington Post reports.
“The move would affect more than half of the world’s largest intact temperate rainforest, opening it up to potential logging, energy and mining projects. It would undercut a sweeping Clinton administration policy known as the ‘roadless rule’ that has survived a decades-long legal assault.”
Trump Repeatedly Clashed with G7 Leaders Over Putin
“A sharp and sometimes bitter disagreement broke out between President Trump and several G7 leaders over whether to allow Russia back into their club during a welcome dinner on Saturday,” CNN reports.
“Trump, as he did in public over the course of the summit, ardently advocated for it… As the leaders discussed issues like Iran and fires in the Amazon rainforest, Trump interjected and asked why Russia should not be included in the talks, given its size and role in global affairs.”
“That met sharp resistance from some of the leaders, principally German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.”
Deutsche Bank Subpoena Would Include Tax Returns
“Deutsche Bank wouldn’t say publicly on Tuesday whether it has President Trump’s tax returns. Yet the bank acknowledges the US House would see people’s tax returns — possibly even those of Trump family members — if the bank fulfilled a subpoena related to Trump,” CNN reports.
“The bank, in its filing Tuesday, argued that there are ‘statutory, contractual, and privacy concerns’ that have made it reluctant to name whose tax returns it has that would fall under the spring 2019 House subpoena.”
Executive Director of Log Cabin Republican Quits
Jerri Ann Henry, the executive director of the Log Cabin Republicans, has resigned following a controversial decision by the organization’s board to endorse President Trump, the Washington Blade reports.
Henry told CNN: “Log Cabin was once a civil rights organization with conservative principles. That’s why I joined on. Now it’s mostly about happy hours.”
Falwell Steered University Land Deal to Personal Trainer
“Evangelical leader and prominent Donald Trump backer Jerry Falwell Jr personally approved real estate transactions by his nonprofit Christian university that helped his personal fitness trainer obtain valuable university property,” Reuters reports.
“Around 2011, Falwell, president of Liberty University in Virginia, and his wife, Rebecca, began personal fitness training sessions with Benjamin Crosswhite, then a 23-year-old recent Liberty graduate. Now, after a series of university real estate transactions signed by Falwell, Crosswhite owns a sprawling 18-acre racquet sports and fitness facility on former Liberty property.”
Barr Plans $30K Holiday Party at Trump’s Hotel
Attorney General William Barr booked President Trump’s D.C. hotel for a 200-person holiday party in December that is likely to deliver Trump’s business more than $30,000 in revenue, the Washington Post reports.
Ex-Kansas Governor Calls for Primary of Watkins
Former Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer (R) is publicly encouraging state Treasurer Jake LaTurner (R) to abandon his campaign for Senate and instead primary Rep. Steve Watkins (R-KS), Politico reports.
