Playbook: “In recent days, the general consensus among Republican operatives and aides seems to have shifted, and most people we talk to say that the GOP will lose the House, if the election were held today. Of course, the election is three months from now, but the political picture has darkened for the GOP.”
An Actual Ad In the Florida Governor’s Race
Chuck Todd: “This goes beyond doubling down on Trump. Need a whole new set of words to describe this strategy.”
Trump Putting a Conservative Stamp on the Judiciary
“With another judge expected to be confirmed Tuesday by the Senate, President Trump and Senate Republicans are leaving an ever-expanding imprint on the judiciary, nudging powerful appeals courts rightward through a determined effort to nominate and confirm a steady procession of young conservative jurists,” the New York Times reports.
“The confirmation of Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court would tilt the balance of the nation’s highest court, but, already, the president and the Senate have proved strikingly efficient at installing judges to lifetime appointments on appeals courts that handle far more cases.”
Trump Shapes the Governor’s Races
New York Times: “In recent weeks, the president has leapt enthusiastically into contested nomination fights, doling out endorsements — sometimes several a day — as part of an immersion into primaries that has caught contestants, Republican officials and in some cases even his own staff by surprise. By taking sides in intraparty disputes in a way his predecessors studiously avoided, Mr. Trump has helped put his favored candidates over the top in Alabama, South Carolina and most recently Georgia, where he helped a hard-right Republican prevail over a more mainstream candidate in the runoff for governor.”
“And there may be more to come: Mr. Trump recently said he would campaign ‘six or seven days a week’ this fall for vulnerable Republican candidates — though some of them may not want his help in states or districts where he is unpopular.”
Extra Bonus Quote of the Day
“That means a lot to me. It was very moving for me. It was very gratifying. I put my heart in the job. I miss the whole job. I loved that job, I loved the job as Senator. … It was very meaningful for me and bittersweet, I would like to still be there.”
— Former Sen. Al Franken (D-MN), quoted by WCCO, responding to a crowd in Minnesota during his first public appearance since resigning.
Giuliani Was Trying to Kill NYT Story
Throughout Monday, Rudy Giuliani “went on a chaotic media tour, with each subsequent interview seeming to atone or clean up for a key element laid out in a previous appearance,” the Daily Beast reports.
In an interview, Giuliani “appeared to blame the maelstrom he kicked up on inquisitive New York Times reporters who he suggested had compelled him to proactively spin a potentially damaging story that may or may not actually be real. Several veterans of the Trump campaign, like much of the viewing public, were left befuddled.”
North Korea Is Working on New Missiles
“U.S. spy agencies are seeing signs that North Korea is constructing new missiles at a factory that produced the country’s first intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of reaching the United States,” the Washington Post reports.
“Newly obtained evidence, including satellite photos taken in recent weeks, indicates that work is underway on at least one, and possibly two, liquid-fueled ICBMs at a large research facility in Sanumdong, on the outskirts of Pyongyang.”
Bob Woodward’s Book on Trump Coming Soon
Coming soon: Fear: Trump in the White House by Bob Woodward.
Washington Post: “The expected tenor of the book is underscored by its unsettling cover, an extreme close-up of a squinty-eyed Trump depicted through a gauzy red filter. The hush-hush project derives its title from an offhand remark that then-candidate Trump made in an interview with Woodward and Post political reporter Robert Costa in April 2016. Costa asked Trump whether he agreed with a statement by then-President Barack Obama, who had said in an Atlantic magazine interview that ‘real power means you can get what you want without having to exert violence.'”
“At first Trump seemed to agree, saying: ‘Well, I think there’s a certain truth to that. . . . Real power is through respect.'”
“But then he added a personal twist: ‘Real power is, I don’t even want to use the word: Fear.’”
Manafort Quits Civil Suit Against Mueller
Paul Manafort “gave up his effort to challenge special counsel Robert Mueller in civil court,” CNN reports.
“The decision to drop the appeal comes one day before Manafort’s criminal trial is scheduled to begin in Virginia federal court. Manafort is accused of financial crimes, including bank fraud and tax evasion, relating to his lobbying work for the government of Ukraine… The unsuccessful civil lawsuit sought, among other things, to prevent Mueller from bringing additional charges in the future, including potential charges relating to Manafort’s work on the Trump campaign.”
Sting Targets Senator for Dirt on Russia Sanctions
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), known for her outspoken criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin, “was hit with a bizarre impersonation attempt by someone hoping to get inside information on American sanctions targeting Russia,” according to emails and an audio recording obtained by the Daily Beast.
Shaheen “was contacted through her staff last November by an individual who said he worked for the foreign ministry of Latvia, a tiny Baltic nation supportive of efforts to reign in Russian aggression. The man said he was trying to set up a phone call between the senator and Edgars Rinkevičs, the Latvian foreign minister.”
“But before the call could take place, Shaheen’s office contacted the Latvian embassy to confirm Vaiders’ bona fides. The embassy responded that outreach attempt was fake.”
Trump Mulls a Unilateral Tax Cut for the Wealthy
“The Trump administration is considering bypassing Congress to grant a $100 billion tax cut mainly to the wealthy, a legally tenuous maneuver that would cut capital gains taxation and fulfill a long-held ambition of many investors and conservatives,” the New York Times reports.
“Steven Mnuchin, the Treasury secretary, said in an interview on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit meeting in Argentina this month that his department was studying whether it could use its regulatory powers to allow Americans to account for inflation in determining capital gains tax liabilities.”
Said Mnuchin: “If it can’t get done through a legislation process, we will look at what tools at Treasury we have to do it on our own and we’ll consider that.”
Walker Trails By Seven In Wisconsin
A new Emerson College poll in Wisconsin finds that Tony Evers (D) leads Gov. Scott Walker (R) in the race for governor, 48% to 41%, with 7% of voters still undecided.
Lawmaker Predicts Indictments for Trump Jr. and Kushner
Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) predicted on CNN interview that Donald Trump Jr. and Jared Kushner will both be indicted by special counsel Robert Mueller.
Said Cohen: “I think they’re getting closer to knowing that the truth is going to come out that there was activities with the Trump campaign and Russia in releasing those hacks and guiding them to the states and the localities where they came from.”
He addded: “Some of that was Jared Kushner’s responsibilities, some of it was Donald Jr. I think you’re probably going to see indictments of both of those people.”
Koch Network Will Not Back Candidates In Three States
The Koch political network announced that it does not currently plan to support Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) in his effort to unseat Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), “one of the most vulnerable Democrats up for reelection this November,” the Washington Post reports.
“Heitkamp’s race is a top pickup opportunity for Republicans, who are trying to retain their slim two-seat majority in the Senate. Heitkamp, the only Democrat who holds statewide office in North Dakota, is running for reelection in a state that President Trump won by more than 35 points.”
“Koch network also has no current plans to back Senate candidates in Nevada and Indiana.”
Trump Says He’s Willing to Meet with Iran’s Leader
President Trump said he is willing to meet with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani anytime, saying that he believes it is always better to meet with adversaries, the Washington Post reports.
Said Trump: “No preconditions. If they want to meet, I’ll meet. Anytime they want.”
Trump Doubles-Down on Shutdown Threat
President Trump “reiterated his willingness Monday to allow the government to shut down this fall if he does not receive sufficient funding for border security but he declined to take a firm stance on the specific amount of money he would accept,” CNN reports.
Said Trump: “If we don’t get border security after many, many years of talk within the United States, I would have no problem doing a shutdown. It’s time we have proper border security. We’re the laughingstock of the world. We have the worst immigration laws anywhere in the world.”
Trump Preparing ‘Counter-Report’ to Rebut Mueller
Rudy Giuliani told USA Today that his team is preparing a “counter-report” designed to rebut any accusations that special counsel Robert Mueller makes in his expected report about the Russia investigation.
He also said that he believed Mueller’s team is “writing the report as we speak.”
“Giuliani said he has no firsthand knowledge of Mueller’s plans, but that he expects the special counsel to file something by Sept. 1, two months ahead of the midterm elections.”
Giuliani Walks Back Claim of Prep Meeting
Rudy Giuliani went on Fox News and explained that actually he was denying that the pre-planning meeting for the infamous Trump Tower meeting with the Russian lawyer took place.
Josh Marshall: “The walk back is just as convoluted as the original claims. So I’m going to just show you the video of what he said.”
