“An extensive New York Times review of popular right-wing media platforms found hundreds of examples of language, ideas and ideologies that overlapped with the mass killer’s written statement — a shared vocabulary of intolerance that stokes fears centered on immigrants of color. The programs, on television and radio, reach an audience of millions.”
Texas Republicans Brace for 2020 Drubbing
“As bad as it’s been for Texas Republicans lately, some members of the party are warning that 2020 could be even worse,” Politico reports.
“The rash of recent House GOP retirements is just the latest sign of a state party in distress: In last year’s midterms, Democrats flipped a pair of longtime GOP districts, a Democrat came within striking distance of a Senate seat and more than 50 elected Republican judges lost their jobs. Democrats also gained ground in state legislative races.”
Said Rep. Will Hurd (R-TX): “If the Republican Party in Texas doesn’t start looking like Texas, there won’t be a Republican Party in Texas.”
Clinton’s 2008 Collapse In South Carolina Looms Large
Charleston Post & Courier: “As the 2020 Democratic race prepares to enter the crucial fall campaign season, it’s now former Vice President Joe Biden who is far in front of the pack for South Carolina’s pivotal First in the South primary — and determined not to let history repeat itself.”
“Some supporters of other candidates, like former state Rep. Bakari Sellers, who endorsed U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris of California, cite potential parallels with 2008 as a reason why they believe the race remains wide open despite Biden’s commanding lead.”
Said Sellers: “I think the vice president’s support, a lot like the first lady’s support at the time, is very wide, but it’s not deep. I think once Sen. Harris is able to prove her electability, which I don’t have much concern that she will, I expect the tide to change with African American voters like it did with Hillary Clinton.”
Hong Kong Cancels Flights Over Protests
“Hong Kong airport authorities canceled remaining flights on Monday after protesters swarmed the main terminal building for a fourth day, the biggest disruption yet to the city’s economy since demonstrations began in early June,” Bloomberg reports.
U.S. Suspects Nuclear Accident In Russia
“American intelligence officials are racing to understand a mysterious explosion that released radiation off the coast of northern Russia last week, apparently during the test of a new type of nuclear-propelled cruise missile hailed by President Vladimir V. Putin as the centerpiece of Moscow’s arms race with the United States,” the New York Times reports.
“American officials have said nothing publicly about the blast on Thursday, possibly one of the worst nuclear accidents in the region since Chernobyl, although apparently on a far smaller scale, with at least seven people, including scientists, confirmed dead.”
Border Chief Grilled on Potential Trump Crimes
“CNN host Jake Tapper grilled Mark Morgan, acting commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, about whether federal officials are giving the Trump Organization a pass on hiring undocumented immigrants while raiding other companies that do the same,” the HuffPost reports.
“Though President Trump has repeatedly stoked fears over a so-called ‘invasion’ of the undocumented migrants, at least eight of his company’s properties have employed workers who entered the U.S. illegally, according to a Washington Post report published Friday.”
Postcard from Yellowstone National Park
We’re having a wonderful time in Wyoming. This photo of the Grand Prismatic Spring, the largest hot spring in the United States, is just another reminder of the beauty of this country. It’s simply amazing.
Thanks for your patience while Political Wire is in vacation mode!
Warren Wows In Iowa
Associated Press: “For someone whose White House ambitions were dismissed by some Democrats earlier this year after a shaky campaign launch, Warren’s reception in Iowa this weekend was a clear warning sign to other candidates that hers is a campaign to be reckoned with in the state that kicks off the race for the party’s nomination.”
“As the caucuses near, strategists say Warren’s ground-level organization — demonstrated by her large staff and a proven ability to get her supporters to appear at large events like the fair — is fueling her momentum.”
Scaramucci Says GOP May Need to Replace Trump
Anthony Scaramucci told Axios that Republicans may need to pick a different candidate in 2020.
He compared Trump to a melting nuclear reactor and said he may support a Republican challenger to Trump.
Said Scaramucci: “We are now in the early episodes of ‘Chernobyl‘ on HBO, where the reactor is melting down and the apparatchiks are trying to figure out whether to cover it up or start the clean-up process.”
He added: “A couple more weeks like this and ‘country over party’ is going to require the Republicans to replace the top of the ticket in 2020.”
Trump Sent Odd Notes To Justin Trudeau
Jonathan Swan: “President Trump has sent highly unusual, Sharpie-written notes to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at least twice.”
“One missive was so odd, the Canadian ambassador double-checked with the White House to be sure it wasn’t a prank. In at least one instance, Trudeau also wrote to Trump.
O’Rourke Says Trump Is ‘Sick’ and ‘Unfit’ for Presidency
Beto O’Rourke lambasted President Trump’s visit to El Paso, Texas after last weekend’s mass shooting, calling the president “sick” and “unfit for this office,” NBC News reports.
Said O’Rourke: “The people of El Paso told me that they didn’t want to see the president and they didn’t want him to come here.”
He added: “Not a single patient at University Medical Center or Del Sol Hospital, the two hospitals caring for survivors of that attack, wanted to see the president. That says it all, if you ask me.”
Sinema Praised by Arizona’s Top Newspaper
The Arizona Republic leads with a story on how Sen. Kirsten Sinema sidesteps “chaos and drama.”
“In her first 6 months, Arizona senator is living up to her centrist reputation.”
Biden’s Gaffes Are Back
Politico: “From mangling a favorite one-liner to almost suggesting that poor kids aren’t white to flubbing his campaign’s text message address on the debate stage last week, Joe Biden’s propensity for verbal missteps burst into view after he mostly kept it in check for the first three months of his candidacy.”
“It reflects an ongoing difficulty for Biden: His gaffes inevitably draw outsize attention, overshadowing his message and, at times, the depth and versatility of his remarks. Biden’s headline-grabbing comment about “poor kids” was at a marathon, two-hour event addressing the Asian-Latino coalition, where he took questions and then delivered lengthy answers, at times delving deep into policy.”
Bloomberg Says Democratic Race Is Wide Open
Michael Bloomberg told CBS News that he is holding off on endorsing any of the current presidential candidates, adding that frontrunner Joe Biden is “not a lock” for the nomination.
Said Bloomberg: “No, I think — and Joe would certainly tell you — that he’s not a lock for the nomination. There are 20 candidates, of which the majority of them have a really legitimate chance.”
Kamala Harris Makes Her Play for Iowa
New York Times: “As Ms. Harris trundles her way across Iowa on a five-day bus tour that is her longest trip yet to any early primary state, the California Democrat’s embrace of Iowa’s quirky political traditions has delivered the unmistakable message that the state’s kickoff caucuses are increasingly central to her 2020 calculations after months of focus on South Carolina.”
“By the end of her tour on Monday, Ms. Harris will have made more stops in Iowa on this trip than she did in the entire first half of 2019, according to the Des Moines Register’s candidate tracker. She did not once venture farther west than the Des Moines suburbs until July, as her one planned trip there was scratched because of Senate votes.”
Senior Voters May Decide 2020 Election
“The fastest-growing segment of the U.S. electorate is seniors. They supported President Trump in 2016 but aren’t squarely in his camp as the 2020 campaign picks up,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“In 2016, despite polling showing an advantage for Democrat Hillary Clinton, voters over 65 backed Mr. Trump in the presidential election by a 52%-45% margin, according to exit polls. With still more than a year before next year’s election, 41% of seniors in a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll in June said they would prefer to see Mr. Trump re-elected, while 48% favored a generic Democrat to win in 2020. That comes as 46% of seniors said they approve of Mr. Trump’s performance in office, slightly higher than his 44% overall approval rating.”
Trump’s El Paso Photo Is Obscene
Graeme Wood: “A really exceptional work of obscenity, like a really exceptional work of beauty, exceeds the ability of its viewers to fathom what they just saw. Did that just happen? But … how? What sorcery created it? Words don’t arrive, and the stammering gives way to silence.”
“The latest publicity photograph of the president in El Paso, Texas, knocked me into silence for a good half hour this morning while I tried to figure out the many layers of obscenity on display. The photo features a baby whose parents were killed in El Paso a few days ago. The baby survived because his parents shielded him with their bodies. In the photo, he is cradled by Melania Trump. The president is next to her; both are smiling broadly, and the president is offering a thumbs-up. The child is expressionless and wearing a cute plaid bow tie.”
Scaramucci Says Trump Will Turn on Everyone
Former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci denounced President Trump early Sunday, arguing that he would eventually turn on everyone in his circle, The Hill reports.
Said Scaramucci: “For the last 3 years I have fully supported this President. Recently he has said things that divide the country in a way that is unacceptable. So I didn’t pass the 100% litmus test. Eventually he turns on everyone and soon it will be you and then the entire country.”
