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Trump Was Unaware He Bombed Press Conference

July 17, 2018 at 11:37 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

CNN: “Immediately after his news conference, Trump’s mood was buoyant, people familiar with the matter said. He walked off stage in Helsinki with little inkling his remarks would cause the firestorm they did, and was instead enthusiastic about what he felt was a successful summit.”

“By the time he’d returned to the White House just before 10 p.m. ET on Monday, however, his mood had soured. Predictably, the President was upset when he saw negative coverage of the summit airing on television aboard Air Force One. It was clear he was getting little support, even from the usual places.”

State Election Systems Had Remote-Access Software

July 17, 2018 at 11:19 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

The nation’s top voting machine maker has admitted in a letter to Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) that the company “installed remote-access software on election-management systems it sold over a period of six years, raising questions about the security of those systems and the integrity of elections that were conducted with them,” Motherboard reports.

“Election-management systems are not the voting terminals that voters use to cast their ballots, but are just as critical: they sit in county election offices and contain software that in some counties is used to program all the voting machines used in the county; the systems also tabulate final results aggregated from voting machines.”

Trump Declares Putin Meeting a Success

July 17, 2018 at 11:05 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

President Trump portrayed his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin as a great success, saying that it had gone “even better” than a meeting with NATO allies the week before, the Washington Post reports.

Said Trump: “Sadly, it is not being reported that way — the Fake News is going crazy!”

Why Trump Won’t Be Held Accountable by Republicans

July 17, 2018 at 10:57 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

This piece is only available to Political Wire members.

Most Republican lawmakers admit privately that President Trump doesn’t know what he’s doing. Many concede he doesn’t understand reality or is perhaps mentally unstable. After yesterday, some are probably convinced the Russians have compromising information on him.

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Democrats Look for Another House Flip Next Month

July 17, 2018 at 10:20 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

The August 7th special election in central Ohio, which was called after longtime Rep. Patrick Tiberi (R-OH) resigned, “will be the last gut-check for both parties ahead of November’s midterms,” the Washington Post reports.

“Danny O’Connor, the Democratic nominee in a special congressional election here, has denounced both party leader Nancy Pelosi and the Republican-passed tax cut. Troy Balderson, a longtime Republican state legislator, has underwhelmed his party’s strategists and lagged in fundraising.”

“Republicans, who presided over a 2011 gerrymander that appeared to turn the district safely red, concede that Democrats have put it in play. A Republican super PAC has been on the air for five weeks; both Vice President Pence and House Speaker Paul Ryan have flown in to help Balderson raise money and wake up voters.”

Ex-Republican Governor Calls on Trump to Resign

July 17, 2018 at 9:41 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Former New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman (R) called on President Trump to resign after he refused to stand up to Russian president Vladimir Putin over election meddling.

Said Whitman: “Mr President, you should be ashamed. To deny your own country and government in favor of a foreign leader whose country has, for decades, tried to undermine the United States is irrational and dangerous. Please step down, you are not fit to lead this great nation.”

Europe and Japan Eliminate Tariffs in Landmark Deal

July 17, 2018 at 9:31 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The European Union and Japan signed a landmark deal on Tuesday that will eliminate nearly all tariffs on products they trade,” the AP reports.

“The ambitious pact signed in Tokyo runs counter to President Trump’s moves to hike tariffs on imports from many U.S. trading partners. It covers a third of the global economy and markets of more than 600 million people.”

When You’ve Lost Fox & Friends…

July 17, 2018 at 9:26 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Fox & Friends addressed President Trump directly this morning — apparently knowing he watches — telling him he was wrong to embrace Russian president Vladimir Putin’s denial of interference in the 2016 presidential election over the findings of his own intelligence services.

RNC Tops $200 Million Ahead of Midterms

July 17, 2018 at 8:48 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The Republican National Committee has raised more than $200 million this election cycle… the fastest the committee has reached the milestone in a midterm period,” CNN reports.

“The RNC haul far eclipses the more than $101 million the Democratic National Committee has raised this cycle, giving the committee upwards of five times the amount of cash-on-hand as the Democrats.”

Huntsman Urged to Resign

July 17, 2018 at 8:38 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

The Salt Lake Tribune, which is owned by U.S. Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman’s brother Paul, has a column calling on Jon Huntsman to quit his post:

As Utahns, many of us were a bit stunned last year when you accepted the job as U.S. ambassador to Russia, but your explanation made sense: It was a role you took on, much like your tenure in China, out of a deep sense of duty.

But that duty is to your country and the best way now to serve your country is not by holding on to some title and being the emissary of a president who doesn’t share your values, or American values, for that matter.

It’s by resigning immediately and speaking out against a president who attacks our allies, gives comfort to our adversaries and undermines our moral standing, our commitment to democratic ideals and our interest in human rights every time he opens his gaping mouth.

‘The Worst-Case Scenario’

July 17, 2018 at 8:34 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Rachel Maddow warned viewers of her show that it’s time for Americans to get ready to face the “worst case scenario” — the possibility that Trump has been compromised by Russia and that he’s in office to “serve the interests of another country rather than our own.”

Maddow said she recognized “it sounds nuts to say it even now, even tonight” but “there is a reason there is a big national freakout happening right now over what the president just did in public.”

Rohrabacher Trails In Re-Election Bid

July 17, 2018 at 8:09 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A new Monmouth poll in California’s 48th congressional district finds challenger Harley Rouda (D) edging Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R), 46% to 43% among registered voters.

“The state of the race does not change much when applying two different likely voter models. A historical midterm model shows the race at 47% for Rouda and 45% for Rohrabacher, while a model that includes a turnout surge in Democratic precincts gives Rouda a statistically insignificant 48% to 44% edge.”

“Rohrabacher has consistently won the district by double digits, but higher levels of enthusiasm among Democratic voters are making this year’s contest close.”

Treasury Moves to Protect ‘Dark Money’ Donors

July 17, 2018 at 8:04 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The U.S. Treasury said on Monday that it will no longer require certain tax-exempt organizations including politically active nonprofit groups, such as the National Rifle Association and Planned Parenthood, to identify their financial donors to U.S. tax authorities,” Reuters reports.

Trump’s $250K Jerusalem Embassy Will Cost $21 Million

July 17, 2018 at 8:03 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

President Trump “has repeatedly boasted that he would save US taxpayers a bundle by negotiating a $250,000 price tag for a new embassy in Jerusalem. Turns out the final cost, just for a temporary facility, is almost 100 times more,” Al Monitor reports.

“Documents uploaded this week to the official database of federal spending show that Maryland-based joint venture Desbuild Limak D&K has been awarded a $21.2 million award to design and build ‘addition and compound security upgrades’ to the embassy in Jerusalem’s Arnona neighborhood. That’s in addition to the $335,000 spent to get the facility, formerly a US consulate, ready for its ritzy grand opening as an embassy back in May.”

Trump Says ‘Nuclear Warming’ Is Biggest Problem

July 17, 2018 at 7:53 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

President Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity that “nuclear warming” is the biggest issue the United States is facing.

Said Trump: “I know President Obama said global warming is our biggest problem and I would say that no, nuclear warming is our biggest problem, by a factor of about five million.”

He added: “The nuclear problem, we have to make sure, we have to be very careful, if you look at Russia and the United States, that’s 90 percent of the nuclear weapons.”

Fox News Host Says Mexico Interferes In U.S. Elections

July 17, 2018 at 7:50 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Fox News host Tucker Carlson accused Mexico of interfering in U.S. elections by sending immigrants over the border to vote.

Said Carlson: “I don’t think Russia is our close friend or anything like that. Of course they’re trying to interfere in our affairs; they have for a long time. Many countries do, some more successfully than Russia, like Mexico, which is routinely interfering in our elections by packing our electorate.”

Both Parties Equally Likely to Vote This Year

July 17, 2018 at 7:36 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A new PRRI survey finds that Republicans and Democrats are about equally likely to say they are sure to vote this year, 59% vs. 56%.

For comparison, Republicans held a considerable edge in 2014. More than two-thirds (68%) of Republicans, compared to only about half (51%) of Democrats, said they were absolutely certain to vote four years ago.

Key takeaway: “The generation gap in reported voting intent is massive. Only 28% of young adults say they are absolutely certain they will vote in the 2018 election compared to 74% of seniors.”

In the generic ballot, Democrats lead Republicans by 11 points, 53% to 42%.

Trump Officials Embarrassed by Putin Show

July 17, 2018 at 7:27 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“President Trump sucking up to Vladamir Putin after the summit in Helsinki yesterday was such an unbelievable, indelible moment that many deflated White House officials didn’t even bother to defend or explain it,” Axios reports.

One of Trump’s own former National Security Council officials texted: “Dude. This is a total fucking disgrace. The President has lost his mind.”

However: “It’s highly unlikely any top White House officials will quit in protest; inconceivable congressional Republicans will do anything other than complain (mostly gently) in public; and unimaginable Trump will regret or rethink his pro-Putin approach.”