The Commentariat -- August 4, 2016

Afternoon Update:

"Tut, Tut." -- Ryan to Trump. Alexander Burns, et al., of the New York Times: Donald Trump has "risked alienating a ... pivotal constituency in the swing states that will decide the presidential election: military communities dismayed by his crude and sometimes offensive comments about the armed services. Starting last week when he clashed with Khizr and Ghazala Khan..., Mr. Trump has reignited a set of controversies surrounding his approach to the military. He has drawn fresh attention to his derisive comments about Senator John McCain's capture in Vietnam, as well as to his own avoidance of military service during the same war. He attacked Gen. John R. Allen, a retired Marine who endorsed Hillary Clinton, as a 'failed general' over the weekend, and he joked at a campaign event on Tuesday about receiving a Purple Heart, the military decoration for soldiers wounded in combat." -- CW ...

... Mike DeBonis of the Washington Post: "House Speaker Paul D. Ryan repeated Thursday that his endorsement of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump was 'not a blank check' and delivered a sharp critique of Trump's flailing campaign two days after Trump declined to endorse Ryan for reelection to his Wisconsin congressional seat.... [But Ryan said] he would remain behind Trump even after the Khan controversy while continuing to speak out against his various controversial utterances." -- CW ...

... Morgan Winsor of ABC News: "Donald Trump's campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, acknowledged that 'there's a conflict within the Trump campaign' over the Republican presidential nominee's hesitation to endorse House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin for re-election. 'But Ryan is also running against somebody who's not going to win but nonetheless is a strong supporter of Mr. Trump's'' Manafort told George Stephanopoulos on 'Good Morning America.'" -- CW

Rosalind Helderman & Mary Jordan of the Washington Post: "The [Trump] campaign has not responded to questions asking how [nude] photos [of Melania Trump] could be shot [in New York City] in 1995 if Melania Trump arrived in 1996." The report is in Q&A format. A number of the As are "We don't know. The Trump campaign would not answer this question." The reporters do write that if Melania Trump was not compensated in any way -- that is, including such benefits as airfare or housing -- her 1995 photo shoot would not have been illegal if she had traveled to the U.S. a visitor's visa. -- CW

*****

*

Presidential Race

Julian Hattem & Amie Parnes of the Hill: "Instead of finding a way to let the [e-mail] issue die, [Hillary] Clinton has time and again inflamed criticism about the server, at times growing increasingly defensive.... The strategy has caused grumblings within her campaign and led to the persistent image that she is dishonest. This week, Clinton is catching new flak for unnecessarily mischaracterizing FBI Director James Comey's comments to suggest that she never misled the public.... Aides to Clinton ... acknowledged to The Hill that they were confused by her latest remarks.... Those in her orbit chock it up to Clinton's stubbornness." -- CW

Nicholas Confessore & Nick Corasaniti of the New York Times: "Donald J. Trump all but erased his enormous fund-raising disadvantage against Hillary Clinton in the span of just two months, according to figures released by his campaign on Wednesday, converting the passion of his core followers into a flood of small donations on a scale rarely seen in national politics. Mr. Trump and the Republican National Committee raised $64 million through a joint digital and mail effort in July, according to his campaign, the bulk of it from small donations. All told, Mr. Trump and his party brought in $82 million last month, only slightly behind Mrs. Clinton's $90 million, and ended with $74 million on hand, suggesting he might now have the resources to compete with Mrs. Clinton in the closing stretch of the campaign." -- CW

Michael Shear of the New York Times: "A cash payment of $400 million delivered to Iran in January became part of the presidential campaign on Wednesday, as Donald J. Trump seized on the money transfer as a sign of what he called the administration's failed foreign policy -- prompting a forceful White House rejection. Josh Earnest, the White House press secretary, said the payment to Iran was part of the resolution of a longstanding financial dispute between the two nations, and was delivered in cash on pallets because the two nations do not have a banking relationship." -- CW ...

Our incompetent secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, was the one who started talks to give 400 million dollars, in cash, to Iran. Scandal! -- Donald Trump, in a tweet, August 3

Trump is simply wrong that Clinton started the talks that led to the release of $400 million to Iran. She initiated the talks on Iran's nuclear program, but that's as far as her involvement goes. Perhaps resolution of claims could not have been achieved without a deal on the nuclear issue, but that's going too far. Iran's claim for the $400 million was made long before Clinton took office -- and was resolved after she left. -- Glenn Kessler of the Washington Post

... Saeed Dehghan & Mazin Sidahmed of the Guardian: "... Donald Trump has jumped on reports that the US paid $400m in cash to Iran after the country's historic nuclear deal, saying that the episode was a 'scandal' for Hillary Clinton, who started the talks as secretary of state. The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that US officials secretly sent 'wooden pallets stacked with euros, Swiss francs and other currencies' to Iran, carried into the country by an unmarked cargo plane, suggesting that it may have been linked to the release of a group of Americans held in Iran. The US state department has denied this.... Although the cash payment to Iran coincided with the release of a group of Iranian American prisoners, there is no evidence to suggest any link between the two events." -- CW (Also linked yesterday.) ...

... Trump Confuses Pallets of Money with Hostages. Jenna Johnson of the Washington Post: "At a rally in Daytona Beach, Fla., on Thursday [CW: actually, Wednesday] afternoon, Trump announced that [a] months-old video [of the transfer of $400K from the U.S. to Iran] had been recorded by the Iranian government.... 'And they have a perfect tape, done by obviously a government camera, and the tape is of the people taking the money off the plane. Right? That means that in order to embarrass us further, Iran sent us the tapes.'... The video [Trump is referring to] is often labeled as being from Jan. 17 in Geneva where three American hostages first landed after being released from Tehran." -- CW ...

... Margaret Hartmann of New York: "'I'll never forget the scene this morning,' Trump sa[id]. 'Iran ― I don't think you've heard this anywhere but here ― Iran provided all of that footage, the tape, of taking that money off that airplane.'... Trump's description was pretty detailed (especially for a guy whose policy proposals usually consist of how he'll make things 'so good'); he references 'top secret' video shot with a 'government camera.'... But, as the Huffington Post notes, 'Contrary to what Trump said about the video he claimed to have seen, this video was not shot in Iran, it did not show the exchange of cash, it was not "top secret," it was not "a military tape," and it was not "provided by Iran." Nor was it released to "embarrass the United States," as Trump repeatedly claimed.'" ...

     ... CW: This solves the mystery of Trump's seeing those A-rabs dancing on New Jersey rooftops to celebrate the downing the World Trade Center. Following the 9/11 catastrophe, CNN did run footage of Palestinians celebrating the multiple attacks. Trump just can't tell the difference between Hoboken & East Jerusalem. When you get all your foreign policy views from "watching the shows" & when you half-watch TV while doing other things (see transcript of Philip Rucker's remarkable interview of Trump, linked yesterday), you're going to misunderstand a lot. Of the many reasons Trump is unfit for office, his inability to concentrate on any one thing, other than himself, is a huge one.

... Aaron Blake of the Washington Post: "In his speech Wednesday afternoon in Daytona Beach, Fla., Trump appeared to be heeding his advisers' reported wishes and giving a subdued, policy-heavy speech criticizing Clinton's foreign policy in places like Libya. He said President Obama probably regretted making her secretary of state.... Then he went back to name-calling. 'She should get an award from them as the founder of ISIS,' he said...." -- CW

Sabrina Siddiqui of the Guardian: "A Republican congressman who is a veteran of the Iraq war has said he cannot support Donald Trump in the wake of the presidential nominee's ongoing feud with the parents of an American soldier. Kinzinger, whose district Trump carried in the Illinois Republican primary in March, said he would not support Clinton nor tell voters how to cast their ballots." -- CW

Eli Stokels of Politico: "On Wednesday, Paul Manafort, Trump's top strategist, flatly denied a report that Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus, Newt Gingrich and Rudy Giuliani are planning an intervention after a stunning streak of unforced errors: the Republican nominee's combative response to a Gold Star family that criticized him during last week's Democratic National Convention; his apparent lack of knowledge related to Ukraine and Russia; and his purposeful snubbing of GOP stalwarts Sen. John McCain and House Speaker Paul Ryan. Mike Pence, Trump's running mate..., sa[id] he endorsed Ryan and that Trump had encouraged him to do so.... But ... even Priebus ... abandoned his softer demeanor when he spoke with senior Trump staff on Tuesday afternoon. 'He lit into him [Trump] pretty good,'[TM Trump] said a source.... Amid reports suggesting that he and other staffers are beginning to 'phone it in,' Manafort ... admitted that Trump's comments in response to Khizr and Ghazala Khan were 'not smart.' And he made it clear that it's Trump ... who is responsible. 'Well, first of all, the candidate is in control of his campaign...,' Manafort said in a TV interview. 'And I'm in control of doing the things that he wants me to do in the campaign.'" -- CW ...

... However Could This Have Happened? Philip Rucker & Dan Balz of the Washington Post: "The Republican Party was in turmoil again Wednesday as party leaders, strategists and donors voiced increasing alarm about the flailing state of Donald Trump's candidacy and fears that the presidential nominee was damaging the party with an extraordinary week of self-inflicted mistakes, gratuitous attacks and missed opportunities.... Meanwhile, Trump's top campaign advisers are failing to instill discipline on their candidate, who has spent the past days lunging from one controversy to another while seemingly skipping chances to go on the offensive against ... Hillary Clinton." -- CW (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...

... Chuck Todd! & Hallie Jackson of NBC News: "Key Republicans close to Donald Trump's orbit are plotting an intervention with the candidate after a disastrous 48 hours led some influential voices in the party to question whether Trump can stay at the top of the Republican ticket without catastrophic consequences for his campaign and the GOP at large. Republican National Committee head Reince Priebus, former Republican New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich are among the Trump endorsers hoping to talk the real estate mogul into a dramatic reset of his campaign in the coming days, sources tell NBC News." CW: Definitely need Newt & Rudy when it comes to advice on stability & probity. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...

... Gail Collins: "it does tell you something that Giuliani and Gingrich are supposed to be the voices of moderation and self-control in the campaign. The former mayor who told a press conference that he was going to end his marriage before he told his wife. And the former House speaker who once presided over a government shutdown, which he seemed to attribute to the bad seat he got on Air Force One." -- CW

... AND, as Jonathan Chait puts it, "Enraged Trump Toady Reince Priebus Contemplates Lashing Out With Nice Email. The gloves are off." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...

... Chait has a very good synopsis of the Trump/Republican dumpster fire. -- CW (Also linked yesterday.) ...

... Frank Rich of the (minor) effects of the Trump meltdown: "What does it say about [John] McCain, who stood up heroically to his North Vietnamese captors, that he is not brave enough to stand up to a bully like Trump out of fear of losing his reelection bid?... And what does it say about [Paul] Ryan's much-touted intellect that he thinks that Trump, if elected president, will allow him to pursue his sacred conservative agenda in Congress? President Trump will humiliate and disregard the Speaker of the House ... just as candidate Trump is doing now. When Trump withheld his support for Ryan's reelection yesterday, the reason he gave was his skepticism that Ryan was capable of 'very, very strong leadership.' On this point, at least, Ryan has proven Trump completely right." -- CW (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Michael Crowley of Politico: "Trump has spoken positively about Putin for years and from the beginning of the Ukraine crisis, he has focused less on Putin's aggression and more on what Trump calls Obama's weakness.... Until recently, Trump also frequently suggested that the U.S. needed to take a stronger stand in response.... While the reason for his shift is not clear, Trump's more conciliatory words -- which contradict his own party's official platform -- follow his recent association with several people sympathetic to Russian influence in Ukraine. They include his campaign manager Paul Manafort, who has worked for Ukraine's deposed pro-Russian president, his foreign policy adviser Carter Page, and the former secretary of state and national security adviser Henry Kissinger." ...

... CW: Crowley argues that Trump's past statements prove he knew, during his interview with George Stephanopoulos that Crimea was part of Ukraine. I think he did know -- in 2014 & '15 -- but -- perhaps because of the influence of Manafort, et al., -- he forgot. As contributor Marvin S. & others have noticed, Trump only knows what he knows in the moment. ...

... Jeff Nesbit in Time: "... several of Trump's businesses ... are entangled with Russian financiers inside Putin's circle.... As major banks in America stopped lending him money following his many bankruptcies, the Trump organization was forced to seek financing from non-traditional institutions. Several had direct ties to Russian financial interests in ways that have raised eyebrows. What's more, several of Trump's senior advisors have business ties to Russia or its satellite politicians.... It is Trump's financing from Russian satellite business interests that would seem to explain his pro-Putin sympathies. The most obvious example is Trump Soho, a complicated web of financial intrigue that has played out in court. A lawsuit claimed that the business group, Bayrock, underpinning Trump Soho was supported by criminal Russian financial interests.... There are other Russian business ties to the Trump organization as well." Via Jonathan Chait. -- CW

Jenna Johnson of the Washington Post: "As Donald Trump holds off endorsing House Speaker Paul D. Ryan in Wisconsin's Republican primary, his running mate [mike pence] enthusiastically endorsed Ryan on Wednesday, calling him a 'longtime friend' and 'strong conservative leader.'" CW: I don't think is what the meaning of "split ticket" is. (Also linked yesterday.)

Julian Hattem of the Hill: "Donald Trump's presidential campaign denied a report on Wednesday [by MSNBC's Joe Scarborough] that the Republican presidential nominee had three times asked a foreign policy adviser why the U.S. could not use its vast nuclear arsenal." -- CW (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...

... Steve M. thinks the unnamed foreign policy advisor may have been Henry Kissinger. Trump "sincerely believes the conspiracy theories he peddles, so not only will he respond to a loss by saying he was cheated, he'll mean it. He's a pure product of right-wing propaganda. He believes in nukes because thinks every problem has a simple solution ('toughness,' 'resolve'), and he believes he'd win a fair election because the right has been telling us for years that Democrats only win elections as a result of fraud. So no, he's not going anywhere." -- CW (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...

... Joe Concha of the Hill: "Fox News host Megyn Kelly went after MSNBC's Joe Scarborough during her prime-time program Wednesday night, saying the 'Morning Joe' host altered his coverage of Donald Trump after Republican presidential nominee turned on him. 'Even MSNBC and their morning program over there, I mean, they could not have promoted Trump more,' Kelly told her on-set guest... 'And now today, Joe Scarborough is out there talking about how "In three times in one meeting, he [Trump] asked why he couldn't drop a nuclear weapon." Once Trump got mad at him,' she concluded, 'he stopped saying nice things about him.'" -- CW ...

... AND Daniel Drezner of the Washington Post has some questions for "journalist" Joe Scarborough. -- CW (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Where's the Outrage, GOP? Andrew Sprung in Xpostfactoid: "... something strange happened -- or didn't happen -- [Wednesday]. Republican leadership, reeling from Trump's a) relentless attacks on a Gold Star family, b) refusal to endorse two Republican leaders facing primary challenges who have denigrated themselves for him, and c) ejection of a crying baby from his rally, have not denounced [President Obama's] all-but-unprecedented direct assault on their nominee's fitness for office.... No one in the Republican leadership is willing to make the case that Trump is fit to serve as president." Via Paul Waldman. -- CW

Donald Trump, Insulting His Way to Electoral College Victory. Louis Nelson of Politico: "... at a rally Tuesday in Northern Virginia, Trump said Harrisburg[, Pennsylvania,] 'looked like a war zone' as he flew above it on his way out of town, a characterization that the city objected to strongly enough to release a statement about it." -- CW (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Illinois State Senator Did Not Start Iraq War, After All. Nick Gass of Politico: "Donald Trump's national spokeswoman on Wednesday cleared up whom she holds responsible for the death of Army Capt. Humayun Khan in 2004, and it's not Barack Obama. It's Hillary Clinton. Less than a day after blaming the policies of Obama and his secretary of state for Khan's death in Iraq despite George W. Bush having been in the White House, Katrina Pierson laid the blame at the feet of Clinton, who as a U.S. senator representing New York voted to authorize the war in 2002." -- CW (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Callum Borchers of the Washington Post: "It is becoming commonplace for people in the media to wonder about the mental health of a major-party nominee for president of the United States. This is not a normal, every-four-years kind of trend.... Some of the speculation is based on observations from legitimate medical professionals." -- CW

Trumpenproletariat, Uncensored:

... Ashley Parker, et al., of the New York Times: "... what struck us [reporters] was the frequency with which some Trump supporters use coarse, vitriolic, even violent language -- in the epithets they shout and chant, the signs they carry, the T-shirts they wear -- a pattern not seen in connection with any other recent political candidate, in any party.... While protesters are often shouted down, crowds seldom express disapproval of the crude slogans and angry outbursts by Mr. Trump's supporters. Indeed, these displays have become inextricably bound with the Trump show itself...." -- CW

CW: This is a picture of Donald Trump signing his tax returns, which are piled up next to him. Trump tweeted out the photo in September 2015. Take a good look. This is as clear a picture as we're going to get of them:

... This is what Trump told Philip Rucker of the Washington Post:

... The poor schmuck with the teeny-weeny returns to whom Trump alludes is Mitt Romney. Seldom in the storied history of male dominance play has a guy proffered the size of his tax returns as evidence of his superiority.

Ben Schreckinger & Gabriel Debenedetti of Politico: "Nude photographs published this week are raising fresh questions about the accuracy of a key aspect of Melania Trump's biography: her immigration status when she first came to the United States to work as a model.... While Trump and her husband ... have said she came to the United States legally, her own statements suggest she first came to the country on a short-term visa that would not have authorized her to work as a model.... Trump has also said she came to New York in 1996, but the nude photo shoot places her in the United States in 1995, as does a biography published in February by Slovenian journalists.... Trump's description of her periodic [visa] renewals in Europe are more consistent with someone traveling on a B-1 Temporary Business Visitor or B-2 Tourist Visa, which typically last only up to six months and do not permit employment, [not an] ... H-1B [work] visa [which] can be valid for three years and can be extended up to six years -- sometimes longer...." CW: Donald Trump's wife was an illegal immigrant. Why would anyone think that was an issue?

* CW: As you can see, I have commissioned a fancy new 2016 Presidential Race logo by a renowned graphic artist. In the spirit of Trvmpvs, I first criticized the artist's work, then stiffed her on the commission. If she complains, I'll sue her for a yuuuge amount. After all, I expect to be treated fairly.

Congressional Races

Ken Vogel & Rachel Bade of Politico: "... a group of former Trump campaign hands is quietly working to defeat the House speaker [Paul Ryan] in his primary election next week. More than half a dozen of Trump's former campaign staff members or leading volunteer organizers from around the country -- and many more local volunteers -- have signed on to the long-shot campaign of Ryan's primary challenger, businessman Paul Nehlen, who openly embraces Trump and casts Ryan as an impediment to Trump's agenda." -- CW (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Dave Weigel of the Washington Post: "Sen. Bernie Sanders's (I-Vt.) movement scored its cleanest victory yet when [state Sen. Pramila] Jayapal, a progressive state senator, blew past two rivals in the primary for Washington's bluest House district. (Washington, like Louisiana and California, has a 'top two' system in which the highest vote-getters advance to November, regardless of party.) In an April message to his donors, Sanders said he'd need members of Congress like Jayapal 'when I'm president,' crediting her with leading 'the fight for a $15 minimum wage and paid sick leave in Seattle.'" Weigel also has more on Tim Huelskamp's primary loss in Kansas. Thanks to Dan L. for the link. -- CW (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Stupidest Senator Also an Ignorant Conspiracy Theorist. Tierney Sneed of TPM: "Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) compared those mounting the efforts to address climate change to Joseph Stalin and Hugo Chavez [and the Castros, the nutcases in North Korea], while claiming that it has been 'proven scientifically' that the climate is not in fact warming. He suggested in a radio appearance that progressives' concern about climate change was driven by their desire for government control of Americans lives.... Last year was the warmest year in recorded history, scientists said." -- CW

Other News & Views

Richard Perez-Pena of the New York Times: "A police officer with the Washington transit system has become the first American law enforcement officer to be charged with supporting the Islamic State, accused of trying to send financial help to the group after advising a friend on how to travel to Syria to join it. In court papers filed on Tuesday and made public on Wednesday, federal law enforcement officials charged the officer, Nicholas Young, with attempting to provide material support to a terrorist organization." -- CW ...

... The Washington Post story, by Rachel Weiner, is here. -- CW

... Oops! Missed this yesterday. Kevin Freking of the AP: "President Barack Obama celebrated 50 years of diplomatic relations with Singapore Tuesday with a state dinner for a leader Obama praised as respected around the world and a trusted partner. Obama reserved the 12th state dinner of his presidency to honor Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his wife, Ho Ching. Obama said the nations' ties go back nearly two centuries when Singapore was still a colony, and the U.S. had recently emerged as an independent country. He said the alliance is about more than shared strategic interests in a rising Asia Pacific." -- CW ...

... AND the big news -- Michelle Obama's dress! Rosemary Feitelberg of Women's Wear Daily: "The First Lady wore an ivory-colored Brandon Maxwell dress, according to a White House pool report. The New York-based designer is a favorite of Lady Gaga's...."

Sarah Wheaton of Politico: "President Barack Obama commuted the sentences of 214 people on Wednesday, bringing his total number of commutations to 562." -- CW (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Adam Liptak of the New York Times: "The Supreme Court on Wednesday temporarily blocked a court order that had allowed a transgender boy to use the boys' bathroom in a Virginia high school. The vote was 5 to 3, with Justice Stephen G. Breyer joining the court's more conservative members 'as a courtesy.' He said that this would preserve the status quo until the court decided whether to hear the case. Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan dissented." -- CW

Paul Weber of the AP: "Texas agreed Wednesday to weaken its voter ID law, which federal courts have said discriminated against minorities and the poor and left more than 600,000 registered voters potentially unable to cast a ballot. The state worked fast to soften the law before November's election, moving from requiring voters to show one of seven forms of suitable ID -- a list that included concealed handgun permits, but not college IDs -- to letting those without such an ID to sign an affidavit. That will allow them to cast a regular full ballot, and their vote will be counted. Texas must also spend at least $2.5 million on voter outreach before November, according to the agreement submitted to U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos, who must still approve the changes." -- CW

Beyond the Beltway

Whatever Is Happening in Brownbackistan? Mitch Smith of the New York Times: "Republican voters in Kansas rebelled against the policies of Gov. Sam Brownback on Tuesday, ousting his fellow conservatives in at least 11 state legislative primary races amid widespread angst about Kansas's financial situation." -- CW

Elise Schmelzer of the Washington Post: "Using a power granted to him in a single line of state law, Missouri's top public defender appointed [Gov. Jay] Nixon [D] as attorney for a central Missouri man charged with assault. But the decision has little to do with the man's case -- it's an attention-grabbing cry for help in a state where public defenders have long said they are overworked and underfunded.... Michael Barrett, director of the Missouri State Public Defender System..., [made the appointment and] laid out his grievances in a letter to ... Nixon: A vetoed bill that would have lightened public defenders' caseloads. Repeated budget cuts. Unfairly withholding money allotted to the office." -- CW

News Lede

Guardian: "A Norwegian national of Somali origin has been arrested [in London, England,] on suspicion of murdering an American woman and injuring five others, including Britons, in what was described by police as a 'spontaneous attack'. Speaking outside Scotland Yard headquarters, Metropolitan police assistant commissioner Mark Rowley said there was no evidence that the 19-year-old suspect had been radicalised or was motivated by terrorism and reasserted the view that 'mental health issues' played a significant role. The suspect emigrated from Norway to the UK in 2002, at the age of five, according to the Norwegian Embassy." -- CW

The Commentariat -- August 3, 2016

Afternoon Update:

However Could This Have Happened? Philip Rucker & Dan Balz of the Washington Post: "The Republican Party was in turmoil again Wednesday as party leaders, strategists and donors voiced increasing alarm about the flailing state of Donald Trump's candidacy and fears that the presidential nominee was damaging the party with an extraordinary week of self-inflicted mistakes, gratuitous attacks and missed opportunities.... Meanwhile, Trump's top campaign advisers are failing to instill discipline on their candidate, who has spent the past days lunging from one controversy to another while seemingly skipping chances to go on the offensive against his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton." -- CW ...

... Chuck Todd! & Hallie Jackson of NBC News: "Key Republicans close to Donald Trump's orbit are plotting an intervention with the candidate after a disastrous 48 hours led some influential voices in the party to question whether Trump can stay at the top of the Republican ticket without catastrophic consequences for his campaign and the GOP at large. Republican National Committee head Reince Priebus, former Republican New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich are among the Trump endorsers hoping to talk the real estate mogul into a dramatic reset of his campaign in the coming days, sources tell NBC News." CW: Definitely need Newt & Rudy when it comes to advice on stability & probity. ...

... OR, as Jonathan Chait puts it, "Enraged Trump Toady Reince Priebus Contemplates Lashing Out With Nice Email. The gloves are off." ...

... CW: Big mistake firing Corey Lewandowski. He could have put Trump on his meds & got the candidate focusing on important things, like what country Barack Obama was born in. ...

... Chait has a very good synopsis of the Trump/Republican dumpster fire. -- CW ...

... Frank Rich of the (minor) effects of the Trump meltdown: "What does it say about [John] McCain, who stood up heroically to his North Vietnamese captors, that he is not brave enough to stand up to a bully like Trump out of fear of losing his reelection bid?... And what does it say about [Paul] Ryan's much-touted intellect that he thinks that Trump, if elected president, will allow him to pursue his sacred conservative agenda in Congress? President Trump will humiliate and disregard the Speaker of the House ... just as candidate Trump is doing now. When Trump withheld his support for Ryan's reelection yesterday, the reason he gave was his skepticism that Ryan was capable of 'very, very strong leadership.' On this point, at least, Ryan has proven Trump completely right." -- CW

Jenna Johnson of the Washington Post: "As Donald Trump holds off endorsing House Speaker Paul D. Ryan in Wisconsin's Republican primary, his running mate [mike pence] enthusiastically endorsed Ryan on Wednesday, calling him ;a 'longtime friend' and 'strong conservative leader.'" CW: I don't think is what the meaning of "split ticket" is. ...

... Ken Vogel & Rachel Bade of Politico: "... a group of former Trump campaign hands is quietly working to defeat the House speaker [Paul Ryan] in his primary election next week. More than half a dozen of Trump's former campaign staff members or leading volunteer organizers from around the country -- and many more local volunteers -- have signed on to the long-shot campaign of Ryan's primary challenger, businessman Paul Nehlen, who openly embraces Trump and casts Ryan as an impediment to Trump's agenda." -- CW

Julian Hattem of the Hill: "Donald Trump's presidential campaign denied a report on Wednesday [by MSNBC's Joe Scarborough] that the Republican presidential nominee had three times asked a foreign policy adviser why the U.S. could not use its vast nuclear arsenal." -- CW ...

... Steve M. thinks the unnamed foreign policy advisor may have been Henry Kissinger. Trump "sincerely believes the conspiracy theories he peddles, so not only will he respond to a loss by saying he was cheated, he'll mean it. He's a pure product of right-wing propaganda. He believes in nukes because thinks every problem has a simple solution ('toughness,' 'resolve'), and he believes he'd win a fair election because the right has been telling us for years that Democrats only win elections as a result of fraud. So no, he's not going anywhere." -- CW ...

... AND Daniel Drezner of the Washington Post has some questions for "journalist" Joe Scarborough. -- CW ...

Donald Trump, Insulting His Way to Electoral College Victory. Louis Nelson of Politico: "... at a rally Tuesday in Northern Virginia, Trump said Harrisburg[, Pennsylvania,] 'looked like a war zone' as he flew above it on his way out of town, a characterization that the city objected to strongly enough to release a statement about it." -- CW

Illinois State Senator Not Responsible for Starting Iraq War, After All. Nick Gass of Politico: "Donald Trump's national spokeswoman on Wednesday cleared up whom she holds responsible for the death of Army Capt. Humayun Khan in 2004, and it's not Barack Obama. It's Hillary Clinton. Less than a day after blaming the policies of Obama and his secretary of state for Khan's death in Iraq despite George W. Bush having been in the White House, Katrina Pierson laid the blame at the feet of Clinton, who as a U.S. senator representing New York voted to authorize the war in 2002." -- CW

Saeed Dehghan & Mazin Sidahmed of the Guardian: "... Donald Trump has jumped on reports that the US paid $400m in cash to Iran after the country's historic nuclear deal, saying that the episode was a 'scandal' for Hillary Clinton, who started the talks as secretary of state. The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that US officials secretly sent 'wooden pallets stacked with euros, Swiss francs and other currencies' to Iran, carried into the country by an unmarked cargo plane, suggesting that it may have been linked to the release of a group of Americans held in Iran. The US state department has denied this.... Although the cash payment to Iran coincided with the release of a group of Iranian American prisoners, there is no evidence to suggest any link between the two events." -- CW

Sarah Wheaton of Politico: "President Barack Obama commuted the sentences of 214 people on Wednesday, bringing his total number of commutations to 562." -- CW

Dave Weigel of the Washington Post: "Sen. Bernie Sanders's (I-Vt.) movement scored its cleanest victory yet when [state Sen. Pramila] Jayapal, a progressive state senator, blew past two rivals in the primary for Washington's bluest House district. (Washington, like Louisiana and California, has a 'top two' system in which the highest vote-getters advance to November, regardless of party.) In an April message to his donors, Sanders said he'd need members of Congress like Jayapal 'when I'm president,' crediting her with leading 'the fight for a $15 minimum wage and paid sick leave in Seattle.'" Weigel also has more on Tim Huelskamp's primary loss in Kansas. Thanks to Dan L. for the link. -- CW

*****

Presidential Race

If you're busy today, Kevin Drum writes "the Donald Trump roundup for Tuesday evening." More substantial stories linked below. ...

... AND Now This Just in. Aaron Rupar of Think Progress: "On Tuesday's Morning Joe, Joe Scarborough claimed Donald Trump asked a 'foreign policy expert' who was advising him numerous times about 'why can't we use nuclear weapons.' Prefacing his comments by saying he'd 'be very careful here,' Scarborough said: 'Several months ago, a foreign policy expert on the international level went to advise Donald Trump, and three times he asked about the use of nuclear weapons. Three times, he asked, at one point, "If we have them, we can't we use them?"... Three times, in an hour briefing,"Why can't we use nuclear weapons?"'" Thanks to contributor Nancy for the lead. -- CW

Just Desserts. CW: While I realize the Khan story will go away, I can't help hoping that Donald Trump's attacks on two Muslim immigrant citizens will prove to have been the tipping point in the presidential election.

Here are two stories that got lost yesterday when Akhilleus & I were posting at the same time:

     Nick Gass & Gabriel Debenedetti of Politico: "Hillary Clinton raised nearly $90 million between her campaign and joint fundraising committees with the national and state parties in July, setting her up to enter August -- and the campaign's home stretch -- with more than $58 million on hand." -- CW ...

... Ali Vitali of NBC News: "Trump, who constantly reminded that he was 'self-funding' his campaign throughout the primaries, bragged while previewing his July fundraising totals. 'It's gonna be announced tomorrow or the next day: we've raised, we think, about $35.8 million. This is unheard of for Republicans, $35.8 million,' Trump said.... GOP nominee Mitt Romney raised just over $101 million in July [2012]." -- CW ...

... CW: Also lost yesterday, my prediction that Trump would quit the race before mid-October if his poll numbers were low. Now, I find out that I'm not the only one considering that possibility. Jonathan Karl of ABC News: "ABC News has learned that senior party officials are so frustrated -- and confused by Donald Trump's erratic behavior -- that they are exploring how to replace him on the ballot if he were to drop out.... Trump would have to voluntarily exit the race ... Then, it would be up to the 168 members of the Republican National Committee to choose a successor, though the process is complicated."

** Jonathan Martin of the New York Times: "Meg Whitman, a Hewlett Packard executive and Republican fund-raiser, said Tuesday that she would support Hillary Clinton for president and give a 'substantial' contribution to her campaign in order to stop Donald J. Trump, whom she berated as a threat to American democracy.... She revealed that Mrs. Clinton, the Democratic nominee, had reached out to her in a phone call about a month ago, one of the first indications that Mrs. Clinton is aggressively courting Republican leaders." CW: The story is worth reading Whitman's comments. ...

... Speaking of Endorsements. Philip Rucker of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump escalated his war with his own party's leadership on Tuesday by refusing to endorse House Speaker Paul D. Ryan or Sen. John McCain, two of the GOP's highest-ranking elected officials, in their primary campaigns. Trump's comments [are] an extraordinary breach of political decorum that underscores the party's deep divisions.... Both have endorsed Trump, but have criticized some of Trump's policies and statements.... Trump praised Ryan's underdog opponent, Paul Nehlen, for running 'a very good campaign' and said of Ryan: 'I like Paul, but these are horrible times for our country.... We need very, very strong leadership. And I'm just not quite there yet....'... Trump said Ryan has sought his endorsement, but he is only 'giving it very serious consideration.'... On Monday, McCain, a Vietnam war hero, issued a lengthy statement denouncing Trump for his comments about the Khan family. Asked about McCain's rebuke, Trump said, 'I haven't endorsed John McCain. I've never been there with John McCain because I've always felt that he should have done a much better job for the vets,' Trump continued." Trump also criticized Sen. Kelly Ayotte (N.H.), who is running for re-election. CW: It's the dominance thing. ...

     ... Here's the full transcript of Rucker's interview of Trump. CW: Read a bit of it if you want a glimpse of crazy. Update: See also Patrick's comments today on the interview. ...

... Jonathan Chait: "If elected president, Trump will not be subject to restraint by Ryan or anybody else. His only mode of cooperation is dominance. A Trump presidency means a Trump party and a Trump state." -- CW ...

... Steve M.: "Trump is running an incompetent, id-driven campaign. It looks as if it might end in a spectacular faceplant. If so, I'm going to savor that. The death of the GOP? I don't think we're going to get that lucky." -- CW ...

... Alexander Burns of the New York Times: "Donald J. Trump's unabashed and continuing hostility toward the parents of a slain Muslim American soldier, and his attacks on Republican leaders who have rebuked him for it, threaten to shatter his uneasy alliance with the Republican Party.... Ignoring the pleas of his advisers and entreaties from party leaders in Washington, Mr. Trump only dug in further on Tuesday. He told a Virginia television station that he had no regrets about his clash with Khizr and Ghazala Khan.... Facing outcry on the left and right, Mr. Trump has insisted to associates that he has been treated unfairly by Mr. Khan, the news media and some Republicans, said people familiar with the campaign's deliberations...." -- CW ...

     ... Burns, Ctd. Trump "lamented to supporters that reporters had overlooked the story of Patricia Smith, the mother of a serviceman killed in the attack in Benghazi, Libya, in order to highlight 'other people' -- apparently a reference to the Khan family. 'They give her virtually no airtime, and they give other people unbelievable amounts of airtime,' Mr. Trump said. 'It's just so unfair. It's so unfair.'" ...

     ... CW: Let's parse that. One reason the media were "so unfair" to Trump is that Trump himself drew attention away from Patricia Smith. During her convention speech, Trump gave a live interview to Bill O'Reilly as she spoke, one that Fox "News" carried instead of Smith's speech. Another reason: although Smith said she held Hillary Clinton personally responsible for the death of her son in Benghazi -- a rather more dire (and less defensible) charge than asking Trump if he's read the Constitution -- Clinton responded kindly, not criticizing Smith but expressing sorrow for her loss, and then only as a response to a reporter's question (can't readily find a reliable link*). Trump, on the other hand, has repeatedly criticized both Khizr & Ghazala Kahn, therefore creating the media story himself. Blaming a host of others for his own actions is not Donald Trump cleverly working the media to get attention; it is evidence of severe personality disorder. Trump is one sick fuck. ...

     ... *Update: Joan Walsh, now at the Nation, has it: "Asked about Smith's claims by Fox's Chris Wallace on Sunday, Clinton said: 'Chris, my heart goes out to [her]. I understand the grief and the incredible sense of loss that can motivate that.'" -- CW ...

Ben Kamisar of the Hill: "Donald Trump cast doubt on general election polls that show him trailing Hillary Clinton, calling those polls 'phony.'" -- CW ...

... The "Rigged Election" Excuse, Ctd. Dave Weigel: "Donald Trump, trailing narrowly in presidential polls, has issued a warning...: The election will be 'rigged' against him -- and he could lose as a result. Trump pointed to several court cases nationwide in which restrictive laws requiring voters to show identification have been thrown out. He said those decisions open the door to fraud in November. 'If the election is rigged, I would not be surprised,' he told The Washington Post in an interview Tuesday afternoon. 'The voter ID situation has turned out to be a very unfair development. We may have people vote 10 times.' Those comments followed a claim Trump made Monday, to an audience in Ohio, that 'the election is going to be rigged.' That same day, in an interview with Fox News Channel's Sean Hannity, he beseeched Republicans to start 'watching closely' or the election will be 'taken away from us' through fraud.... Trump's only evidence for fraud consisted of 'precincts where there were practically nobody voting for the Republican' in the 2012 election. In reality, voter fraud is rare." CW: Trump-GOP Rule: If Democrats are allowed to vote, then the election is rigged. ...

     ... Weigel, Ctd.: "... off-again, on-again [Trump] adviser Roger Stone [told] Breitbart News that Trump needed to be ready for a violent post-election contest. 'I think he's gotta put them on notice that their inauguration will be rhetorical,' Stone said. 'I mean civil disobedience, not violence, but it will be a bloodbath. The government will be shut down if they attempt to steal this and swear Hillary in.'" ...

... Josh Voorhes of Slate argues that none of the outlandish things Trump has said is as dangerous as his claim that the election will be rigged. "Trump's latest allegation is, in the words of the usually staid Associated Press, an 'unprecedented assertion by a modern presidential candidate,' one that could 'threaten the tradition of peacefully contested elections and challenge the very essence of a fair democratic process.' Trump has laid the groundwork for only two possible outcomes in the eyes of his most passionate supporters: He wins the presidency, or he has it stolen from him.... Until now, the greatest dangers posed by Trump were predicated on him winning.... Now he's dangerous even if he loses." -- CW

Ben Kamisar of the Hill: "Donald Trump cast doubt on general election polls that show him trailing Hillary Clinton, calling those polls 'phony.'" -- CW

"Get the baby out of here." Yeah, Trump actually kicked a crying baby out of a rally Tuesday. -- CW

** Michael Shear of the New York Times: "In his strongest denunciation of Donald J. Trump so far, President Obama on Tuesday said Mr. Trump was 'unfit to serve as president' and urged the leaders of the Republican Party to withdraw their backing for his candidacy. Mr. Obama said the Republican criticisms of Mr. Trump 'ring hollow' if the party's leaders continue to support his bid for the presidency this fall, particularly in light of Republican criticisms of Mr. Trump for his attacks on the Muslim parents of an American soldier, Humayun Khan, who died in Iraq.... Mr. Obama said that ... Mr. Trump ... had demonstrated that he was 'woefully unprepared to do this job.' The president said Mr. Trump lacked knowledge about Europe, the Middle East and Asia." -- CW (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...

... C-SPAN has video of the full joint press conference, held with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. ...

He [President Obama] talks about Ukraine. I believe I know far more about foreign policy than he knows. He talks about Ukraine, how tough he is, how tough he is with Russia. In the meantime, they took over Crimea and I understood that. -- Donald Trump, to Bill O'Reilly, Tuesday ...

Trump, still defending his false claim he knew Crimea was part of Ukraine. -- Constant Weader

... Ryan Cooper of the Week: "Trump ... is at bottom an impulsive and profoundly ignorant racist bully. But the reaction [to Trump's bullying the Kahns] from establishment Republicans is equally damning. With a few exceptions, they have squirmed and rationalized past Trump's comments. It's a portrait of a party in utter moral and intellectual freefall.... None rescinded their endorsement [of Trump]. The reason is obvious: Many Republican voters are fine with bigotry. They support Trump's big wall to keep out Latinos. They support his Muslim ban. Ninety percent of Republicans want Trump to win. He is now the party's center of gravity.... This generation of Republican elites are, for the most part, cowards, bigots, fools, or some combination thereof." (See also Jill Lawrence's commentary linked below.) -- CW ...

... Philip Bump of the Washington Post: "At a campaign event in Virginia on Tuesday, Trump tried to mend any damage he'd done with members of the military in an unusual way: He accepted a Purple Heart from a veteran in the audience. 'Something very nice just happened to me. A man came up to me and he handed me his Purple Heart,' Trump said. "I said to him, is that the real one, or is that a copy?" He said, "That's my real Purple Heart. I have such confidence in you." And I said, "Man, that's big stuff." I always wanted to get the Purple Heart,' Trump continued. 'This was much easier.' The Purple Heart is given to those serving in the armed forces who are wounded in combat." Thanks to Patrick for the link. ...

... CW: Obviously, Trump has no idea what the Purple Heart signifies. Nobody wants to earn a Purple Heart, and it certainly is not believable that a man who can't even handle flak as innocuous as personal criticism "always wanted" to get wounded in combat. If he'd really wanted a Purple Heart he would have signed up for the military & requested combat duty. Like people who receive honorary doctorates & insist upon being called "Doctor," you can bet Trump will now claim that he's a Purple Heart recipient. ...

... Cristiano Lima of Politico: "Responding to Donald Trump's claim that he 'always wanted to get the Purple Heart,' Rep. Tammy Duckworth on Tuesday tweeted a picture of her injured self in a hospital with her own medal.... 'This is how one usually looks when you are awarded the Purple Heart. Nothing easy about it,' the Illinois congresswoman tweeted directly at [Trump]... Duckworth is currently involved in one of the nation's most high-profile Senate races, against Republican incumbent Mark Kirk." -- CW

Katie Zezima & Philip Rucker: "Donald Trump said Tuesday that women who are sexually harassed in the workplace [have a alternatives.] 'I think it's got to be up to the individual,' Trump said in an interview. 'It also depends on what's available. There may be a better alternative; then there may not. If there's not a better alternative, then you stay. But it could be there's a better alternative where you're taken care of better.'.... [Trump's] comments came after he drew criticism late Monday for an interview with USA Today in which he said that if his daughter Ivanka were sexually harassed it would be up to her to find a new situation. 'I would like to think she would find another career or find another company if that was the case,' Trump said.... In recent weeks, Trump has defended [Roger] Ailes, a longtime friend, who was ousted [from Fox 'News'] after being accused of sexually harassing at least two dozen women. Trump has also questioned the motives of some of the women." CW: That's right, little ladies. If a colleague abuses you, it's your problem.

Trump Has Yuuge Infrastructure "Plan." Sahil Kapur of Bloomberg: "Donald Trump on Tuesday proposed a plan to rebuild U.S. infrastructure that costs 'at least double' the amount that Hillary Clinton has floated, in what would amount to a massive new government program.... Trump was vague when asked how he'd pay for his much larger plan. 'We'll get a fund. We'll make a phenomenal deal with the low interest rates,' he said. Who would provide the money? 'People, investors. People would put money into the fund. The citizens would put money into the fund,' he said, adding that he'd use 'infrastructure bonds from the country, from the United States.'" CW: It will be, like, free, okay? Trump seems unaware that the federal government would have to pay off the bonds when they matured. But, hey, by then he wouldn't be president anymore, so it would be somebody else's problem. ...

... BUT he doesn't think much of renewable energy sources: It's so expensive. And honestly, it's not working so good. -- Donald Trump, Monday

I just want to tell you we've had thousands of people outside, thousands. They were turned away -- for political reasons -- purely for political reasons. They said in this massive building you are not allowed to have any more than 1,000 people. And that is nonsense -- we could have had 4, 5, 6,000 people. They have all been turned away. It is a disgrace. -- Donald Trump to reporters just before a Columbus, Ohio, event, Monday

I have to tell you, the fire marshal turned away thousands of people. They turned away thousands of people. Look at the size of this place. They turned away thousands. They were given orders that no more than 1,000 people could attend.... Is the mayor a Democrat over here? That's what I heard. He ought to be ashamed of himself. They turned away thousands of people. -- Donald Trump, to the crowd at the Columbus event

The event in Columbus is a Town Hall so it is purposefully limited seating! -- USAforTrump2016 early on Monday

Trump's ... own senior campaign staff officials were fully aware and had agreed in writing that the Trump event in Columbus was to be restricted to a maximum of 1,000 people, according to documents signed on Friday, July 29, between the Trump campaign and Columbus Convention Center for the Monday event. -- Nate Thayer, in Politico Magazine

Even Trump's own campaign is conspiring against him. Everything is rigged! No, seriously, this is how a petit demagogue operates: he piles up slights, some real but mostly imaginary, to convince his followers they are under attack from a host of powerful, evil forces, and only he can save them from their attackers. -- Constant Weader

Zach Montellaro of Politico: "Donald Trump’s spokeswoman blamed the policies of President Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton for the death of Army Capt. Humayun Khan, despite the fact that Khan died in 2004. 'It was under Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton that changed the rules of engagement that probably cost his life,' spokeswoman Katrina Pierson said in an interview Tuesday with CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer. Khan died during the presidency of George W. Bush, while Obama was a state senator in Illinois." ...

     ... CW: This is the second time in two days that a Trump surrogate has faulted Obama & Clinton for Humayun Kahn's death. Veep nominee mike pence did so this weekend (see link in August 1 Commentariat), so obviously this is a Trump-approved nonsense talking point. P.S. I'm sorry Montellaro doesn't tell us just what Wolf's follow-up was. Probably nothing. ...

     ... Annals of "Journalism" Update. Yup, I guessed right. Media Matters: "After allowing Pierson to falsely claim that 'it was under Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton that changed the rules of engagements that probably cost [Humayun Khan] his life,' Blitzer failed to inform viewers that Barack Obama wasn't President in 2004 and was first sworn in as a U.S. Senator on January 4, 2005." -- CW

Trees and Rotten Apples: Little Eric Trump Rips the Khans and Lies Some More. Surprised? David Wright of CNN: "Eric Trump defended his father Tuesday ... and said that he had already apologized to the Khans and Gold Star families -- despite the fact that the senior Trump has pointedly declined to apologize. Appearing on 'CBS This Morning,' [Eric] Trump was pressed about his father's lack of apology for his criticism of the Khan family." Akhilleus: No, Eric, he has not apologized. Another proficient Trump liar. Even better, little Eric began the segment by implying that the Khans were ruthless for 'attacking' daddy. A bit later, in response to a question about sexual harassment in the workplace, especially if it involved his sister, Ivanka, Trump sniffed that she would never allow herself to be 'objected' to such a thing. Another English scholar. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Josh Gerstein of Politico: U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel "has decided not to make public videos of Donald Trump facing lawyers' probing questions about his Trump University real estate seminar program and his public statements about prominent politicians. Trump has repeatedly accused ... Curiel of bias, but in a ruling Tuesday the judge sided with Trump and his lawyers, rejecting a bid the media and lawyers suing Trump made to put the deposition videos in the public domain." -- CW

Air Force Mom Attacked by Trump Supporters: Matthew Nussbaum of Politico: Catherine Byrne "stood before the crowd of hundreds at a town hall-style event [in Carson City, Nevada] with Indiana Gov. Mike Pence and announced that her son serves in the Air Force. The crowd applauded. But then the woman said, 'Time and time again, [Donald] Trump has disrespected our nation's armed forces and veterans. And his disrespect for Mr. Khan ... 'The reaction of the crowd was immediate and fierce, drowning out her words.... Byrne ... continued to speak through the jeers." Akhilleus: Anyone wondering if Trump's continued attacks against a Gold Star mother bothered the stormtrumpers has their answer. There will be no questioning of der Führer. Achtung! (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Life Lessons. By Donald J. Trump: "You learn to live good, you learn to stay healthy, you learn to have a good common smart mind by turning off the negative." Also, don't watch CNN. -- CW

Congressional Race

Out with the Krazy in Kansas. Elena Schneider of Politico: "GOP Rep. Tim Huelskamp a three-term incumbent and House Freedom Caucus member from Kansas, lost his House primary Tuesday night to challenger Roger Marshall, a physician backed by agricultural interests and several big-spending outside groups. Marshall had 57 percent of the vote to Huelskamp's 43 percent when The Associated Press called the race.... Huelskamp's primary in the 'Big First' district, a safely Republican seat, became a proxy war between hard-line conservatives and more traditional GOP groups and donors. And in a twist on the usual script in recent anti-incumbent House GOP primaries, Marshall campaigned as a more pragmatic voice, promising voters he would reclaim the district's longtime seat on the House Agriculture Committee. Huelskamp was removed from the committee in 2012 after angering House GOP leadership." -- CW

Other News & Views

Abby Phillip & Katie Zezima of the Washington Post: "Three top officials at the Democratic National Committee will leave their posts this week amid the controversy over the release of a cache of hacked emails from the committee. Chief executive Amy Dacey, Chief Financial Officer Brad Marshall and Communications Director Luis Miranda will leave the DNC just days after a new leader [-- Donna Brazile --] took the helm.... Dacey was implicated in one of the most damaging exchanges, in which Marshall appeared to speculate about how Sanders's Jewish heritage could be used against him.... The messages were sent to a group that included Dacey, Miranda and another communications aide...." -- CW

AND Now for a Word from CNN's Top Birther Correspondent. Nick Gass of Politico: "During an animated discussion about his former boss Tuesday night on CNN, former Donald Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski suggested that President Barack Obama might be concealing his true birthplace by withholding his transcripts from his time at Harvard University.... "... the question was did he get in as a U.S. citizen or was he brought into Harvard University as a citizen who wasn't from this country?'... CNN chief Jeff Zucker defended hiring Lewandowski in an interview published Tuesday, before the panel aired." CW Note: I don't know what Harvard Law transcripts look like, but none of my college transcripts shows my place of birth.

** The Party of Racists. Jill Lawrence of USA Today: "If you want to quantify the distance Republicans have traveled since its 'party of Lincoln' days, look away from Donald Trump long enough to read the federal court ruling that struck down a North Carolina voting law. It's as damning a document as you will ever encounter. The evidence shows the state party as an institution that conspired -- OK, schemed -- to suppress the votes of one particular race.... The ruling that North Carolina Republicans 'surgically' targeted African Americans to deprive them of voting rights is as blatant as Trump's attacks on other minorities.... The whole law is a smoking gun in a much broader sense, one that exposes the institutional, integral role of racism in the Republican drive to grab and hold power; one that puts the lie to the fictions that non-racist Republicans hold tight: That they are color-blind, a welcoming party, a party that judges people on their merits and character." -- CW

Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. Liz Spayd, the New York Times public editor: "Hillary Clinton, in a rare interview on Fox News last Sunday, claimed that the F.B.I. director, James B. Comey Jr., had called her statements about her private email servers 'truthful' and said she has been consistent with the American people in her accounts about the controversy.... Clinton's contentions in the interview were misleading, bordering on false.... Clinton's remarks were covered by several major news organizations, several of which pointedly challenged the Democratic nominee's candor. But nothing on the interview ever appeared in The Times, either online or in print.... It was surprising that Clinton would prominently stumble over the email servers again, and on Fox. It was clearly news." -- CW

Beyond the Beltway

Jessica Reyes of the Delaware News Journal: "The Delaware Supreme Court has ruled the state's death penalty law is unconstitutional -- and the only chance at fixing it is to punt the issue to the already-divided General Assembly. The top court released its ruling Tuesday that said Delaware's current capital punishment statute violates the U.S. Constitution by giving judges, and not juries, the final say to impose a death sentence." -- CW

David Goodman & Al Baker of the New York Times: "William J. Bratton, the commissioner of the New York Police Department and the most widely recognized face in American policing, will step down next month to take a job in the private sector, ending a 45-year career in public life that spanned the country, from Boston to Los Angeles, and that reshaped the image of what a police commander could be." -- CW (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) The story has been expanded. ...

... Amber Jamieson of the Guardian: "Protesters in New York City began occupying the park next to city hall in Manhattan on Monday, declaring they would not leave until police commissioner Bill Bratton was fired. Organized by Millions March NYC, a group affiliated with Black Lives Matter movement, the #ShutDownCityHallNYC protest has been inspired by protesters setting up encampments in public spaces in Chicago and Los Angeles to fight for the abolition of the police." CW: Hmm, nothing about this is the Times story. But then the Times often doesn't think protests are news fit to print. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Way Beyond

Jason Gutierrez of the New York Times: "Since Rodrigo Duterte became president of the Philippines just over a month ago, promising to get tough on crime by having the police and the military kill drug suspects, 420 people have been killed in the campaign, according to tallies of police reports by the local news media. Most were killed in confrontations with the police, while 154 were killed by unidentified vigilantes. This has prompted 114,833 people to turn themselves in, as either drug addicts or dealers, since Mr. Duterte took office, according to national police logs." -- CW

Josh Keller, et al., of the New York Times: "Only rarely in modern history has a leader detained and fired as many perceived adversaries as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey has since a failed coup attempt last month. Here is how Mr. Erdogan's vast purge would look if Americans were targeted at a similar scale." The reporters run the numbers. -- CW

Julie Zauzmer of the Washington Post: "In May, Pope Francis remarked that the Catholic Church should study whether women could be 'reinstated' as deacons -- a proposal that could introduce a role for women in the Catholic clergy that has been open only to men for centuries. On Tuesday, he made good on that comment.... The Vatican announced the members of the new Commission for the Study of the Diaconate of Women...." -- CW (Also linked yesterday.)

The Commentariat -- August 2, 2016

Afternoon Update:

** Michael Shear of the New York Times: "In his strongest denunciation of Donald J. Trump so far, President Obama on Tuesday said Mr. Trump was 'unfit to serve as president' and urged the leaders of the Republican Party to withdraw their backing for his candidacy. Mr. Obama said the Republican criticisms of Mr. Trump 'ring hollow' if the party's leaders continue to support his bid for the presidency this fall, particularly in light of Republican criticisms of Mr. Trump for his attacks on the Muslim parents of an American soldier, Humayun Khan, who died in Iraq.... Mr. Obama said that ... Mr. Trump ... had demonstrated that he was 'woefully unprepared to do this job.' The president said Mr. Trump lacked knowledge about Europe, the Middle East and Asia." -- CW ...

... C-SPAN has video of the full joint press conference, held with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

David Goodman & Al Baker of the New York Times: "William J. Bratton, the commissioner of the New York Police Department and the most widely recognized face in American policing, will step down next month to take a job in the private sector, ending a 45-year career in public life that spanned the country, from Boston to Los Angeles, and that reshaped the image of what a police commander could be." -- CW ...

... Amber Jamieson of the Guardian: "Protesters in New York City began occupying the park next to city hall in Manhattan on Monday, declaring they would not leave until police commissioner Bill Bratton was fired. Organized by Millions March NYC, a group affiliated with Black Lives Matter movement, the #ShutDownCityHallNYC protest has been inspired by protesters setting up encampments in public spaces in Chicago and Los Angeles to fight for the abolition of the police." CW: Hmm, nothing about this is the Times story. But then the Times often doesn't think protests are news fit to print.

Julie Zauzmer of the Washington Post: "In May, Pope Francis remarked that the Catholic Church should study whether women could be 'reinstated' as deacons -- a proposal that could introduce a role for women in the Catholic clergy that has been open only to men for centuries. On Tuesday, he made good on that comment.... The Vatican announced the members of the new Commission for the Study of the Diaconate of Women...." -- CW

Air Force mom attacked by Trump supporters: Matthew Nussbaum of Politico: Catherine Byrne, "stood before [a] crowd of hundreds at a town hall-style event [in Carson City, Nevada] with Indiana Gov. Mike Pence and announced that her son serves in the Air Force. The crowd applauded. But then the woman said, 'Time and time again, [Donald] Trump has disrespected our nation's armed forces and veterans. And his disrespect for Mr. Khan ... ' The reaction of the crowd was immediate and fierce, drowning out her words.... [Byrne] continued to speak through the jeers." Akhilleus: Anyone wondering if Trump's continued attacks against a Gold Star mother bothered the stormtrumpers has their answer. There will be no questioning of der Führer. Achtung!

Trees and Rotten Apples: Little Eric Trump appeared on CBS morning to further rip the Khans and lie some more. Surprised? David Wright of CNN: "Eric Trump defended his father Tuesday from criticism for his treatment of the family of a slain Muslim US soldier and said that he had already apologized to the Khans and Gold Star families -- despite the fact that the senior Trump has pointedly declined to apologize. Appearing on 'CBS This Morning,' Trump was pressed about his father's lack of apology for his criticism of the Khan family, even amid stinging bipartisan condemnation for his remarks." Akhilleus: Another proficient Trump liar. Even better, little Eric began the segment by implying that the Khans were ruthless for "attacking" daddy. A bit later, in response to a question about sexual harrassment in the workplace, especially if it involved his sister, Ivanka, Trump sniffed that she would never allow herself to be "objected" to such a thing. Another English scholar.

Not just an excuse: Trump's declaration that the upcoming election will be rigged is a lot more than just a cover for losing: Greg Sargent of the Washington Post: "Meanwhile, longtime Trump confidant Roger Stone is explicitly encouraging Trump to make this case to his supporters. 'I think we have widespread voter fraud, but the first thing that Trump needs to do is begin talking about it constantly,' Stone told a friendly interviewer, adding that Trump should start saying this: 'If there's voter fraud, this election will be illegitimate, the election of the winner will be illegitimate, we will have a constitutional crisis, widespread civil disobedience, and the government will no longer be the government.'" Akhilleus: What Trump and Stone are trying to arrange with their scheme is nothing short of treason. Republicans have been trying to deligitimize any government run by or even with Democratic input. This goes far beyond that. This is preparation for an uprising and for directing supporters to ignore the rule of law in favor of anarchy and the Rule of Trump.

*****

Michael Shear of the New York Times: "President Obama said on Monday that his administration had made strides in turning around the veterans health care system, highlighting a decline in the number of veterans facing long waits for doctor visits. The president acknowledged that many veterans remained frustrated by the health care bureaucracy, calling continued delays in seeing doctors 'inexcusable.' And he said the country needed to do more to help economically struggling veterans. But veteran homelessness, he said, has been cut almost in half since 2010, when the administration outlined a national strategy on the issue. He vowed to continue working with states and cities toward 'ending the tragedy, the travesty of veterans' homelessness.'" -- CW ...

Adam Goldman of the Washington Post: "A longtime FBI employee with top-secret clearances pleaded guilty to acting as an agent of China and providing officials in that country with sensitive information, prosecutors announced Monday. Kun Shan Chun was secretly arrested in March and held on charges of lying repeatedly about his contacts in China, who lavished him with prostitutes, cash and expensive hotel rooms, according to the criminal complaint." -- CW

Presidential Race

Eric Bradner of CNN: "Jeb Bush's top adviser, Sally Bradshaw, has left the Republican Party to become an independent, and says if the presidential race in Florida is close, she'll vote for Hillary Clinton. Bradshaw, who's been close to the former Florida governor for decades and was senior adviser to his 2016 campaign, officially switched her registration to unaffiliated. She told CNN's Jamie Gangel in an email interview that the GOP is 'at a crossroads and have nominated a total narcissist -- a misogynist -- a bigot.'" -- CW ...

... Tom Boggioni of the Raw Story: "In a scathing letter read on CNN, Sally Bradshaw, who co-authored an RNC report showing what went wrong in the 2012 election [-- CW: the so-called 'GOP autopsy report' --] said she would hold her nose and vote for ... Hillary Clinton if the election is close.... 'As much as I don't want another four years of Obama's policies, I can't look my children in the eye and tell them I voted for Donald Trump,' she wrote. 'I can't tell them to love their neighbor and treat others the way they wanted to be treated, and then vote for Donald Trump.'" -- CW

Trump Sets Up His General Election Loss. Jeremy Diamond of CNN: "Donald Trump on Monday took his complaints about the 'rigged' political system one step further. 'I'm afraid the election's going to be rigged. I have to be honest,' Trump told voters in Ohio, a crucial swing state....Trump added that he has heard 'more and more' that the November election will be rigged -- suggesting to his supporters that the outcome of the election is out of the hands of voters." -- CW ...

... Update. Greg Sargent: "It is perhaps not a coincidence that Trump has suddenly stopped tweeting about polls (which are now showing Clinton taking a meaningful lead) at precisely the moment that he is escalating his efforts to cast doubt, in advance, on the legitimacy of the general election's outcome. Trump and his supporters have now said in a series of new public remarks that the outcome of the election is likely to be 'rigged.'... It's also about delegitimizing the Hillary Clinton presidency, should she win. Indeed, it bears recalling the GOP convention itself was to no small degree framed around this idea." -- CW

Alexander Burns of the New York Times: "Donald J. Trump unabashedly trumpeted his support for warmer relations with Russia at a campaign rally [in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania,] on Monday night, acidly mocking opponents who say he is too friendly to Vladimir V. Putin, the country's strongman president.... Mr. Trump also reiterated his view that NATO, the security alliance formed as a bulwark against the Soviet Union, was 'obsolete.'... He derided Mrs. Clinton at length and accused her Democratic primary opponent, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, of having made a 'deal with the devil' to support her in the general election. 'She's the devil,' Mr. Trump said of Mrs. Clinton." -- CW ...

... A Neville Chamberlain for Our Times. David Graham of the Atlantic: "Speaking on Monday in Columbus, Ohio, Donald Trump delivered a new series of head-spinning remarks. Most notably, Trump defended controversial comments he made about Ukraine and Crimea over the weekend, and he preemptively questioned the legitimacy of the elections, suggesting that the election might be 'rigged.'... 'So when I said, "Believe me, Russia's not going into Ukraine...." The person said, "But they're already in Ukraine,"' Trump said. 'I said, "Yeah, that was two years ago." You want to go back? You want to have World War III to get it back?'" ...

     ... CW: No, that's not what Trump said. Not at all. It was crystal-clear in the interview that Trump had no idea Russia had taken control of part of Ukraine "two years ago." Or ever. He doesn't seem to know Crimea is -- or was -- part of Ukraine. Trump promised, "He's not going into Ukraine, OK? Just so you understand. He's not going to go into Ukraine, all right? You can mark it down and you can put it down, you can take it anywhere you want." When George Stephanopoulos said, "... he's already there, isn't he?" Trump replied,

OK, well, he's there in a certain way, but I'm not there yet. You have Obama there. And frankly, that whole part of the world is a mess under Obama, with all the strength that you're talking about and all of the power of NATO and all of this, in the meantime, he's going where -- he takes -- takes Crimea, he's sort of -- I mean

Well, [Vladimir Putin has] done an amazing job of taking the mantle. And he's taken it away from the president [Obama?? Ukraine didn't have a president at the time], and you look at what he's doing. And so smart. When you see the riots in a country because they're hurting the Russians, okay, 'We'll go and take it over.' And he really goes step by step by step, and you have to give him a lot of credit. Interestingly, I own the Miss Universe pageant. We just left Moscow. He could not have been nicer. He was so nice and so everything. But you have to give him credit that what he's doing for that country in terms of their world prestige is very strong. -- Donald Trump, on Fox "News," April 2014

Andrew Kaczynski of BuzzFeed: "In an interview with a local Ohio television station on Monday, Donald Trump said that Khizr Khan was really bothered by his position on border security -- specifically his promise to keep radical Islamic terrorists from entering the country.... [Trump said,] 'And border security's very big. And when you have radical Islamic terrorists probably all over the place, we're allowing them to come in by the thousands and thousands. And I think that's what bothered Mr. Khan more than anything else.'" CW: See also stories linked today & yesterday about Trump surrogates claiming Khan is a secret member of the Muslim Brotherhood. Trump doesn't go that far, but that's what he means, wink, wink. ...

... Richard Cowan & David Morgan of Reuters: "Donald Trump's presidential campaign appealed to Capitol Hill for support on Monday as his attacks on the Muslim parents of a decorated American soldier killed in Iraq drew sharp rebukes from fellow party members." -- CW ...

... Scott Horsley of NPR: "In an implicit rebuke of Donald Trump, President Obama praised the nation's Gold Star families, saying those who've lost loved ones in military service are 'a powerful reminder of the true strength of America.' 'No one has given more for our freedom and our security than our Gold Star families,' Obama said Monday, in a speech to the Disabled American Veterans in Atlanta. 'Our Gold Star families have made a sacrifice that most of us cannot even begin to imagine.'... While Obama did not cite Trump by name Monday, there was no mistaking the target of his remarks.... The president also took a veiled swipe at Trump for criticizing America's military readiness. Back in January..., [Trump] said the U.S. military was 'a disaster,' and last month he told a Virginia TV station 'we have a military that's depleted and in horrible shape.' Obama told the veterans group, 'I'm pretty tired of some folks trash talking America's military and troops.'" -- CW ...

... Sean Sullivan of the Washington Post: "A bipartisan constellation of decorated combat veterans, members of Congress and family members of slain soldiers admonished Donald Trump on Monday for criticizing the Muslim American parents of an Army officer killed in Iraq, threatening to undermine Trump's support among core Republican voters. The condemnations by Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain (R-Ariz.), the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and dozens of veterans and family members of those killed in the line of duty served as the most forceful rebuke yet of the mogul's comments and his anti-Muslim rhetoric.... A bipartisan coalition of veterans, family members of military personnel killed in the line of duty, a veteran serving in Congress and an ex-diplomat sent a letter to Trump calling his criticism of the Khans an affront to each of them. It also called for him to apologize." -- CW ...

... Margaret Hartmann has a good overview of Trump's latest slanders of the Kahns & on Republicans' reactions (and non-reactions). -- CW ...

... And Away We Go! Judd Legum of Think Progress: "New Hampshire [State] Representative Al Baldasaro..., co-chair of the Trump campaign for veterans' issues..., told ThinkProgress that he believes Khizr Khan ... is an agent of the Muslim Brotherhood. Baldasaro explained that he believes Khan has 'long ties to the Clinton and Obama campaign.' That is damning because 'in the White House there is the Muslim Brotherhood.' Baldasaro suggested 'looking it up on the internet' for more information. There is no evidence that Khan had any connection to Clinton or Obama prior to agreeing to speak at the Democratic convention.... Last month, Baldasaro called on Hillary Clinton to be executed by firing squad and refused to apologize." -- CW ...

... The Sacrifices of the Donald, Elaborated. David Edwards of the Raw Story: "Donald Trump surrogate Scottie Nell Hughes defended the GOP hopeful over the weekend after he came under fire for appearing to equate the death of a soldier in the Iraq war to 'sacrifices' he made during his business career.... 'Is creating a job considered a sacrifice?' CNN host Fredricka Whitfield wondered. 'You know what, creating jobs caused him to be at work, which cost him two marriages,' Hughes asserted. 'Time away from his family to sit there and invest.'" (Emphasis added.)

     ... CW: Now I feel terrible about being so mean to Trump. ... Okay, I'm over it. Let's go to #DonaldTrumpTheMovie.

Trip Gabriel of the New York Times: "The investor and philanthropist Warren Buffett unleashed a withering attack on Donald J. Trump on Monday for refusing to release his tax returns, asserting he had something to hide, and for misleading voters about his success as a businessman and ability to improve the American economy. Mr. Buffett, known to investors as the Sage of Omaha, said a monkey throwing darts at the stock pages in 1995, when Mr. Trump first offered stock in his Atlantic City hotels, would have come out far ahead of anyone who listened to Mr. Trump's 'siren song' and invested in his company that lost money year over year.... Mr. Buffett appeared at a rally with Hillary Clinton..., in his hometown, Omaha. Taking on Mr. Trump, he pledged to personally transport 10 Nebraskans to the polls on Election Day on behalf of Mrs. Clinton and urged others to do the same." -- CW ...

... Abby Phillip of the Washington Post: Warren Buffett challenged Donald Trump to a tax release "duel." "'I'll bring my return, he'll bring his return, we're both under audit,' Buffett said.... 'He's not afraid because of the IRS, he's afraid because of you, he [told the crowd at the Clinton rally].... In addition..., Buffett criticized [Trump] for suggesting that "building a bunch of buildings" is a sacrifice like the one made by the families of fallen soldiers. 'I ask Donald Trump: Have you no sense of decency sir?'" -- CW ...

... CW: Reporters suggested yesterday that Hillary Clinton's trip to Omaha in search of a single Electoral College vote was a bit of a fool's errand. Evidently not.

Nick Gass of Politico: "Donald Trump reveled in The Washington Post's recent fact check [linked here yesterday] of Hillary Clinton on Tuesday, tweeting a video and alleging that the Democratic nominee has lied on multiple occasions about her use of private email while secretary of state. 'The Washington Post calls out #CrookedHillary for what she REALLY is. A PATHOLOGICAL LIAR! Watch that nose grow!' Trump said in tweeting a 60-second video from the campaign featuring footage of Clinton denying wrongdoing, the nose on a cartoon version of Clinton at the bottom of the screen grows precipitously." ...

     ... CW: Thanks, Hillary, for forcing me to agree, at least in part, with Both-Sides-Do-It King Ron Fournier: "I'm not angry at Trump; I expect him to be repugnant. I am angry at Clinton, because she followed up her convention with another unnecessary lie; another excuse for people to distrust her...." Politifact, BTW, also gave Clinton a Pants-on-Fire rating for her false claim on Fox "News" that "FBI director James 'Comey said my answers were truthful, and what I've said is consistent with what I have told the American people.'" A commenter today wrote, "... she's made mistakes but I believe she learns from them." No, she doesn't. And her failure to learn creates openings for Donald Trump, of all people, to credibly call her a pathological liar.

<'>Brian Stelter of CNN Money: "By the looks of Donald Trump's Twitter feed, you might think he is running against CNN, not Hillary Clinton. On Monday afternoon Trump fired off six tweets in a row attacking CNN's news coverage and accusing the network of being the 'press shop for Hillary Clinton.'" -- CW ...

You look at The New York Times, I mean, the fail [[ I call it 'The Failing New York Times' because it won't be in business for another, probably more than a few years unless somebody goes in and buys it and wants to lose a lot of money. But The New York Times is so unfair. I mean they write three, four articles about me a day. No matter how good I do on something, they'll never write good.... They don't write good. They have people over there, like Maggie Haberman and others, they don't -- they don't write good. They don't know how to write good. -- Donald Trump, on Sean Hannity's show, Monday

For one thing, Haberman seldom confuses a common adjective with a common adverb, and if she does, she doesn't repeat it five times in short succession. -- Constant Weader ...

... Because They Don't Write Good... Kelsey Sutton of Politico: "Donald Trump suggested that his campaign may take away press credentials from The New York Times, his latest attack on the media over the course of his presidential campaign. At a campaign event in Columbus, Ohio, Monday..., [Trump] called the Times' coverage of him 'very dishonest' and suggested adopting the same ban on the newspaper as he has on The Washington Post. Trump revoked the Post's press credentials in June after the newspaper published an article critical of Trump's statements about a mass shooting in Orlando, Florida." -- CW

New York Times Editors: "... even as [Donald Trump] creates a political whirlwind with each utterance, leading members of his own party haven't the spine to rescind their support. Sure, some have come out with strong criticisms, but none have gone far enough. Repudiation of his candidacy is the only principled response." -- CW ...

... Mark Weiner of the Syracuse (New York) Post-Standard: "U.S. Rep. Richard Hanna, a three-term Republican, said Tuesday he will vote for Hillary Clinton for president because Donald Trump is 'unfit to serve our party and cannot lead this country.' Hanna becomes the first Republican member of Congress to publicly declare he will vote for Clinton in November." -- CW ...

     ... Here is Hanna's letter to the Post-Standard explaining his decision.

Robert Kagan in a Washington Post op-ed: "The fact that Trump could not help himself, that he clearly did, as he said, want to 'hit' everyone who spoke against him at the Democratic convention, suggests that there really is something wrong with the man.... The man cannot control himself ... even when it is manifestly in his interest to do so.... His psychological pathologies are ultimately self-destructive.... What we have seen in the Trump campaign is ... a personality defect that has had the effect of stirring up anger. And because it is a defect and not a tactic, it would continue to affect Trump's behavior in the White House." -- CW

Dana Milbank: "Donald Trump's long-tortured relationship with the truth is nearing a point of total estrangement.... Journalists hesitate to call these falsehoods 'lies' because it's hard to know whether ignorance or malice is to blame. But in Trump's case, there's a third possibility that is particularly alarming: He may not be able to tell fact from fiction.... In March, Politico analyzed a week's worth of Trump's words and found that he averaged one misstatement every five minutes." -- CW ...

... Jim Fallows also runs down a shortlist of Trump's recent calumnies & foibles: "I want to steer clear of 'medicalizing' discussion of Trump's fantasies, his microscopically thin skin, his seemingly uncontrollable outbursts. I have no idea whether we're seeing his basic personality and temperament, or something else. And from a civic perspective, it doesn't matter. Either he doesn't know the difference between truth and falsehood, or he knows it and does not care. Either is a big problem in a president. Either way, something is wrong with him." -- CW ...

... Yeah, Trump Lies about Everything. Steve Eder & Dave Philipps of the New York Times: "Mr. Trump's public statements about his draft experience sometimes conflict with his Selective Service records, and he is often hazy in recalling details." For instance, "In a 2011 television interview, Mr. Trump described watching the draft lottery as a college student and learning then that he would not be drafted. 'I'll never forget...,' he said in the interview, on Fox 5 New York. 'I was going to the Wharton School of Finance, and I was watching as they did the draft numbers, and I got a very, very high number.' But Mr. Trump had graduated from Wharton 18 months before the lottery -- the first in the United States in 27 years -- was held." -- CW ...

... No, Trump Can't Let Go Any Criticism. On July 29, 2016, Donald Trump made an extended excuse for attempting to imitate the effects of reporter Serge Kovaleski's physical disability. Glenn Kessler runs down the lies in Trump proffers in his self-defense, including the Big Lie -- that he didn't mock Kovaleski.

It remains a mystery why Trump feels to need to revisit past controversies, particularly ones that reflect poorly on his tenor and judgment. But, as the evidence shows, Trump clearly mocked Kovaleski -- who in any case never 'groveled' [as Trump claimed] or in any way took back his reporting [as Trump also claimed]. -- Glenn Kessler of the Washington Post

... Steve M. is unimpressed over all the sturm und drang over Trump's mistreatment of the Kahns: "By November, no voter is going to say, 'I would have voted for Trump, but he attacked those Muslim Gold Star parents; -- either you were already disgusted by Trump's hatemongering or you're incapable of seeing people like the Khans as human. And if you're in the latter category, you're in the majority of white Americans -- which is the real problem." The video Steve posts in an update is instructive. ...

     ... CW: I think Trump's attack on the Kahns will make a difference, albeit a small one. Steve is right on the minutiae, and he's right about the press's (and, incidentally, my )overreaction. But most of the stories about Trump's instability & his lies don't trickle down to disinterested voters. However, each individual story of Trump's Barbarity of the Day increases the odds a low-info voter will get wind of a Trump atrocity, and that atrocity could repel the voter. For some conservative voters who are paying attention, there will be a cumulative effect of story after story that reveals Trump's pathology. After awhile, a decent conservative is going to hit a tipping point, just as Jeb!'s advisor Sally Bradshaw did.

Danielle Keeton-Olsen of TPM: "Donald Trump's efforts to make the Republican National Convention 'unlike any we've ever seen' produced an unexpected first: the first time more voters came away from a convention less likely to vote for the party's nominee than they were to support him or her, according to Gallup. Gallup has surveyed on this question since 1984, and the 2016 GOP convention was the first time where a candidate ended up in negative territory.... ... In direct contrast, 45 percent say they are more likely to vote for Hillary Clinton based on what they saw of the Democratic National Convention, with 41 percent saying the opposite." -- CW ...

... Jeffrey Jones of Gallup: "Trump's speech was rated less positively than any Gallup has asked about since 1996. The positive rating of [Hillary] Clinton's speech is slightly below the historical average of 47%, but similar to Barack Obama's 2012 acceptance speech.... Also, Obama's job approval rating is now up to 54%, tied for the highest it has been since early 2013." CW: So more people watched Trump's speech than Clinton's (possibly because he asked supporters not to tune in to Clinton's speech), but Trump turned them off. Great strategy, Donaldovich. Guess what? Nobody dumb enough to follow your instructions is likely to vote for Hillary Clinton anyway.

Jonathan Chait thinks he has found "the craziest endorsement of Trump yet." It comes from Hugh Hewitt, who argues that "'Hillary Clinton is thoroughly compromised by the Russians,' because Russia has hacked her emails, and thus, 'Hillary is already a Putin pawn.' On planet Earth, the evidence that Trump is compromised by Putin is vast.... If you care at all about Russian influence in American politics, Trump is ... the most alarming major-party candidate in history by a huge margin. It is also clear to reporters who follow the subject closely that Putin loathes Hillary Clinton." -- CW

News Ledes

Reuters: "A Syrian rescue service operating in rebel-held territory said on Tuesday a helicopter dropped containers of toxic gas overnight on a town close to where a Russian military helicopter had been shot down hours earlier. The opposition Syrian National Coalition (SNC) accused President Bashar al-Assad of being behind the attack. Assad has denied previous accusations of using chemical weapons." -- CW

Washington Post: "Federal health authorities on Monday urged pregnant women not to visit a South Florida neighborhood where new cases of the Zika virus have emerged, the first time officials have warned against travel to part of the continental United States due to the outbreak of an infectious disease." -- CW