Business Insider: “Op-eds in The Houston Chronicle and the Canadian news magazine Maclean’s suggested the only way to quell the rising trade tensions is to strike at Trump’s businesses. While some countries, such as China, have appeared to try and sway the president through treating his family’s businesses more favorably, countries have not made moves to curtail the businesses’ activity within their borders.”
Bonus Quote of the Day
“You’re out of your cotton-picking mind.”
— Former Trump deputy campaign manager David Bossie to Democratic strategist Joel Payne, who is black, on Fox News.
Quote of the Day
“Unfortunately, yes … you can’t, as a Republican these days, stand in opposition to some of the president’s policies or not condone his behavior and expect to win a Republican primary.”
— Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ), in an interview with ABC News, on whether President Trump has “redefined” the Republican party.
White Nationalists Plan Washington Rally
The National Park Service has approved an application for white nationalists to rally near the White House in August to celebrate the one-year anniversary of Charlottesville’s Unite the Right rally, the Washington Post reports.
Obamacare Rate Hikes Pose Problems for GOP
“Obamacare premiums are once again poised to spike by double digits in 2019, causing heartburn for politicians as voters will head to the polls within days of learning about the looming hit to their pocketbooks,” Politico reports.
“But unlike recent campaign cycles, when Republicans capitalized on Obamacare sticker shock to help propel them to complete control of Congress and the White House, they’re now likely to be the ones feeling the wrath of voters.”
‘Peace Plan’ May Not Include Palestinians
Jared Kushner said in an interview published Sunday that the Trump administration will soon present its Israeli-Palestinian peace plan, with or without input from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, the AP reports
“In an interview published in the Arabic language Al-Quds newspaper, Kushner appealed directly to Palestinians and criticized Abbas, who has shunned the Trump team over its alleged pro-Israel bias, particularly on the fate of contested Jerusalem.”
The Week that Finally Broke Trump’s Spell
Rick Wilson: “Donald Trump can’t define or pronounce the word Manichaean, but he knows it when he sees it. For Trump, there are two types of people; Donald Trump, and losers, and the one thing Donald Trump can’t abide is a loser. Donald Trump lost this week on immigration, and across the board. He lost, doubled down, lost again, hocked his cufflinks, lost, tried to flip the table and was finally escorted out of the casino and had his knees broken in the parking lot when he couldn’t pay his marker.”
“Donald Trump was defeated this week by the two things he hates most: immigrants, and the media.”
Trump Takes Lewandowski on Air Force One
President Trump took campaign manager Corey Lewandowski along with him for a trip to Nevada this weekend, despite a growing backlash over the latter mocking reports of a 10-year-old girl with Down syndrome being separated from her family at the U.S. border, the Daily Beast reports.
Trump’s Bond with Supporters Grows Deeper
New York Times: “In interviews across the country over the last few days, dozens of Trump voters, as well as pollsters and strategists, described something like a bonding experience with the president that happens each time Republicans have to answer a now-familiar question: ‘How can you possibly still support this man?’ Their resilience suggests a level of unity among Republicans that could help mitigate Mr. Trump’s low overall approval ratings and aid his party’s chances of keeping control of the House of Representatives in November.”
“Republican voters repeatedly described an instinctive, protective response to the president, and their support has grown in recent months: Mr. Trump’s approval rating among Republicans is now about 90 percent. And while polling has yet to capture the effect of the last week’s immigration controversy, the only modern Republican president more popular with his party than Mr. Trump at this point in his first term, according to Gallup, was George W. Bush after the country united in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks.”
Trump Makes Immigration Central Issue for Midterms
Washington Post: “Clearly comfortable making himself the centerpiece of the GOP’s midterm strategy, Trump has begun increasing his campaign activity this month, doling out endorsements and staging rallies and other events. The president is trying to use his star power to galvanize his base voters and stave off what history predicts should be losses for the president’s party in off-year congressional elections.”
New York Times: “Back in the capital, some government officials are reeling over directives to enforce — and, as of Wednesday, reverse — Trump administration policies that resulted in the separation of some 2,300 children from their parents at the border. Congressional Republicans, stalled by dysfunctionand flummoxed by the president’s back-and-forth orders, are unsure how to proceed with a legislative fix before November.”
“Mr. Trump, seemingly unconcerned by the clashes, has instead focused on deploying an old campaign tactic: inundating the public with conflicting messages, then hitting the trail to speak to supporters who are more focused on winning the state and sharing his grievances about the Democrats.”
Trump’s China Tariffs Could Backlash on Farmers
Washington Post: “With no talks underway between the two sides, prospects for an early deal that averts imposition of the import levies appear dim.”
“Once the U.S. tariffs on the first $34 billion in Chinese goods take effect on July 6 — and trigger Chinese retaliation against American farmers and exporters — the political pain will mount for the president, according to several former U.S. negotiators and trade analysts.”
”Complaints from affected voters could push Trump to settle for a limited deal involving higher Chinese purchases of American products and promises of future market openings and leave the president vulnerable to charges of having blinked in his confrontation with China, the former officials said.”
Trump Goes After ‘Wacky Jacky’
President Trump “tried to give a boost to Sen. Dean Heller (R-NV) in Las Vegas on Saturday, dubbing opponent Jacky Rosen as “Wacky Jacky” while brushing past the immigration controversy that has overwhelmed his presidency in recent days,” Politico reports.
Said Trump: “You don’t want her as your senator. Now, that name didn’t come from me. That’s a name that people have known because people that know her, that’s what they call her, Wacky Jacky, that’s what you want for your senator?”
Sarah Huckabee Sanders Thrown Out of Restaurant
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders was thrown out of a Virginia restaurant Friday night after the owner took issue with her role as “Trump’s mouthpiece,” the Daily Beast reports.
Manafort’s Lawyers Try to Bar Mentions of Trump at Trial
“Attorneys for former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort want a judge to bar any mention of Manafort’s connections to the president at his Virginia trial,” the AP reports.
“Manafort’s lawyers filed their motion Friday in federal court in Alexandria ahead of next month’s scheduled trial. Manafort is charged in Virginia with hiding millions of dollars from the IRS he earned advising Ukrainian politicians. He faces a separate indictment in Washington.”
“In court papers, Manafort’s lawyers argue that because Manafort’s alleged crimes occurred before he ever served on President Donald Trump’s campaign, any mention of Manafort’s connections to Trump are irrelevant.”
Pompeo Says Trump-Putin Meeting Coming
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that he expected that a planned visit to Moscow by U.S. national security adviser John Bolton would lead to a meeting between U.S. President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Reuters reports.
How Alabama Has Made It Harder to Vote
“Five years after the Supreme Court invalidated the Voting Rights Act’s requirement that certain states get federal approval to change their election laws, there are few places where the results are clearer than in Alabama, where the lawsuit began,” the New York Times reports.
“Alabama has enacted a slew of restrictive laws and policies, many of which disproportionately affect African-Americans, Latinos and other marginalized groups. In this, it stands out only in degree, not in kind: All over the country, state legislators are making it harder to vote.”
Congressional Candidate Seriously Injured in Car Accident
Katie Arrington (R), who defeated Rep. Mark Sanford (R-SC) in a primary last week, was in a car accident late Friday and taken to the hospital, the Charleston Post & Courier reports.
“She sustained a fracture in her back and several broken ribs. Other injuries will require major surgery, including the removal of her small intestine.”
Mueller Prepares to Hand Off Russian Troll Case
“A handful of new federal prosecutors have joined one of special counsel Robert Mueller’s cases — an indication that he is preparing to hand off at least one prosecution to others when his office completes its investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election,” the Washington Post reports.
“The case those prosecutors are joining could drag on for years because the indictment charges a number of Russians who will probably never see the inside of a U.S. courtroom. Russia does not extradite its citizens.”