1. Satire from The Borowitz Report: Republicans Accuse Rosenstein of Secretly Plotting to Uphold Constitution

In a joint press conference, Representatives Mark Meadows, of North Carolina, and Jim Jordan, of Ohio, said that they had “ample evidence” that Rosenstein was prepared to protect the Constitution “by any and all means at his disposal.”

“There is only one way to describe Rosenstein’s obsession with putting the Constitution before all other concerns,” Meadows said. “Conflict of interest.”

“It is almost as if Rod Rosenstein had taken some kind of solemn oath to defend a centuries-old document,” Jordan said. “This should make every American very, very scared.”

Though the Republicans have shelved their articles of impeachment against Rosenstein for now, they hope that their impeachment threat will send a clear message to Rosenstein that his reckless allegiance to the Constitution will no longer be tolerated.

“If, going forward, Rosenstein uses his position at the Department of Justice to seek justice, he will be crossing a red line,” Meadows said. https://www.newyorker.com/humor/borowitz-report

2. The Latest Generic Congressional Ballot Polls

Here’s a quick round up:

Quinnipiac: Democrats 51%, Republicans 39%

Economist/YouGov: Democrats 44%, Republicans 38%

NPR/PBS/Marist: Democrats 47%, Republicans 40%

Reuters/Ipsos: Democrats 42%, Republicans 37%

NBC News/Wall Street Journal: Democrats 49%, Republicans 37%

For comparison, the FiveThirtyEight polling average shows Democrats leading 48% to 40%.

3. How the Trump Tax Cut Is Helping to Push the Federal Deficit to $1 Trillion

“The amount of corporate taxes collected by the federal government has plunged to historically low levels in the first six months of the year, pushing up the federal budget deficit much faster than economists had predicted,” the New York Times reports.

“The reason is President Trump’s tax cuts. The law introduced a standard corporate rate of 21 percent, down from a high of 35 percent, and allowed companies to immediately deduct many new investments. As companies operate with lower taxes and a greater ability to reduce what they owe, the federal government is receiving far less than it would have before the overhaul. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/25/business/trump-corporate-tax-cut-deficit.html

4. Trump approval sags in trio of Midwest states

“In three politically important Midwest states — including two that were key in deciding the 2016 election — President Donald Trump’s job approval rating is below 40 percent, and Democrats hold a sizable lead for the upcoming congressional midterms,” according to a trio of new NBC News/Marist polls.

In Michigan, which Trump won by nearly 11,000 votes, 36% of registered voters approve of the president’s job, while 54% disapprove.

In Wisconsin, which he won by about 23,000 votes, another 36% give Trump a thumbs up, with 52% giving him a thumbs down.”

“And in Minnesota, which Trump narrowly lost by 1.5 percentage points, his rating stands at 38% approve, 51% disapprove. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/first-read/polls-trump-approval-sags-trio-midwest-states-n894556

5. The DAILY GRILL

“The man is an honest, honorable lawyer.” — Rudy Giuliani, about Michael Cohen on May 6, 2018.

VERSUS

“He has lied all his life… a person who is found to be an incredible liar, he’s got a tremendous motive to lie now… I don’t think anyone believes that.” -- Rudy Giuliani, about Michael Cohen on July 25, 2018.

 

Incredible numbers. I remember when “the experts” laughed about breaking 3%. Just because Obama never broke 2% doesn’t mean that someone with great policies can’t. Let’s keep this going. -- Donald Trump Jr.

VERSUS

Except that Obama was responsible for 5 different quarters in which the US GDP increased to 4% or higher: Second Quarter, 2014 – 5.1% Third Quarter, 2014 – 4.9% Fourth Quarter, 2013 – 4.0% Fourth Quarter, 2011 – 4.7% Fourth Quarter, 2009 – 4.5% --- Diane Straub

 

“I haven’t seen any evidence that the attempts to interfere in our election infrastructure was to favor a particular political party. I think what we’ve seen on the foreign influence side is they were attempting to intervene and cause chaos on both sides.” — Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, in remarks at the Aspen Security Forum, July 19, 2018

VERSUS

“We assess Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an influence campaign in 2016 aimed at the US presidential election. Russia’s goals were to undermine public faith in the US democratic process, denigrate Secretary Clinton, and harm her electability and potential presidency. We further assess Putin and the Russian Government developed a clear preference for President-elect Trump. We have high confidence in these judgments.” -- U.S. intelligence community’s January 2017 assessment

Obamacare is collapsing. We must do something. This year, a majority of states are seeing premiums and costs double, including states that expanded Medicaid. Three states – Alaska, Alabama, and our own Oklahoma – are seeing premiums triple." -- Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) 5/24/18

VERSUS

A recent Health and Human Services study found that individual-market premiums in many states had doubled -- but over four years, not "this year." But the comparison itself is flawed. It doesn’t reflect several significant issues that would paint a different picture, including federal subsidies that lower the out-of-pocket cost, coverage requirements that provide better benefits for the insured, and the possibility that people with pre-existing conditions could buy a plan at all. -- Politifact

 

“We can have a theoretical discussion later, OK? This is why they don’t know what it means to win, OK? We don’t have time to have some theoretical discussion and to have their spokesman come out and say the president is divisive.” -- Steve Bannon

VERSUS

ICYMI. https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/steve-bannon … it’s really hard to imagine how the Kochs can withstand this kind of pressure. I mean a combined net worth of $80 billion in privately held companies leaves them so vulnerable to a dude with 5 shirts and fewer followers. — Jonah Goldberg on twitter.

6. From MEDIA MATTERS (They watch Fox News so you don't have to)

Lou Dobbs celebrates White House banning CNN reporter: "It's about time there were consequences for disrespectful behavior ... The president does insist on respect." https://www.mediamatters.org/video/2018/07/25/lou-dobbs-celebrates-white-house-banning-cnn-reporter-its-about-time-there-were-consequences/220791

NRATV host: "Nobody gives a rat’s ass” that Trump bragged about sexually assaulting women. https://www.mediamatters.org/video/2018/07/26/nratv-nobody-gives-rat-s-ass-trump-bragged-about-sexually-assaulting-women/220798

Fox analyst Jack Keane says North Korean denuclearization may take a while "given the Asian culture...They move slowly -- slower than we do -- dealing with anything. Not just North Korea, but other countries as well."chttps://www.mediamatters.org/video/2018/07/26/fox-analyst-jack-keane-says-north-korean-denuclearization-may-take-while-given-asian-culture/220797

NRATV’s Dan Bongino misquotes Rep. Maxine Waters to claim she made a “decapitation” analogy about Trump. https://www.mediamatters.org/blog/2018/07/26/nratv-s-dan-bongino-misquotes-rep-maxine-waters-claim-she-made-decapitation-analogy-about-trump/220796

Fox & Friends First reports on violence "spilling across the border into Baja California" from Mexico (Baja California is a Mexican state). https://www.mediamatters.org/video/2018/07/31/fox-friends-first-reports-violence-spilling-across-border-baja-california-mexico-baja-california/220854

NRATV host: Opposition to 3D printed guns is just “a way to scare ordinary people away from supporting the Second Amendment.” https://www.mediamatters.org/video/2018/07/31/nratv-host-opposition-3d-printed-guns-just-way-scare-ordinary-people-away-supporting-second/220864

Conservatives on social media are spreading a fake Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez quote about Medicare. https://www.mediamatters.org/blog/2018/07/31/Conservatives-on-social-media-are-spreading-a-fake-Alexandria-Ocasio-Cortez-quote-about-Me/220860

Rush Limbaugh: LeBron James and NFL athletes who kneel are "spoiled brats being used as political tools by left-wing activists." Limbaugh: LeBron James "railing against Trump" on CNN is "supposed to bring all the other dead-brain dolts that watch that network right along into the fold." https://www.mediamatters.org/video/2018/07/31/rush-limbaugh-lebron-james-and-nfl-athletes-who-kneel-are-spoiled-brats-being-used-political-tools/220858

7. Late Night Jokes for Dems

President Trump tweeted today quote, “Collusion is not a crime, but that doesn’t matter because there was No Collusion (except by Crooked Hillary and the Democrats)!” Okay, follow this logic with me. Collusion is not a crime, also I didn’t do it, but also Hillary did it and she should be in jail! Good news, Rudy Giuliani, you’re no longer the worst lawyer in the world. -- Seth Meyers

According to The New York Times, Ivanka Trump, like President Trump, is said to hold grudges. Well you know what they say, the apple doesn’t fall far from the orange. -- Seth Meyers

The new “Mission: Impossible” won the box office this weekend, bringing in over $60 million. They’ve already come up with the plot for the next “Mission: Impossible” — getting Rudy Giuliani to stop talking. -- Jimmy Fallon

8. Trump’s Bailout Won’t Stop the Farm Belt Rebellion

American farmers have finally found a government subsidy they don’t like. Earlier this week, President Trump announced a $12 billion emergency relief package for agricultural producers — who’ve been harmed by the “emergency” of his own trade policies.

While some farm groups applauded the handout, many took it as confirmation that the White House has no intention of calling off its trade war anytime soon. After all, if the president were on the brink of a breakthrough with China, he wouldn’t feel compelled to funnel such large subsidies through an obscure New Deal–era program. On Tuesday, the American Soybean Association demanded a “a longer-term strategy to alleviate mounting soybean surpluses and continued low prices, including a plan to remove the harmful tariffs.” That sentiment was echoed by other agricultural lobbies, including the recently formed Farmers for Free Trade — which is preparing a $2.5 million campaign against the president’s tariffs.  http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2018/07/trumps-bailout-wont-stop-farmers-anti-tariff-campaign.html

9. Trump admin has no central strategy for election security, and no one's in charge

Nineteen months into his presidency, there is no coherent Trump administration strategy to combat foreign election interference — and no single person or agency in charge,” NBC Newsreports.

After terrorists struck on 9/11, the U.S. government passed laws, boosted funding, and reorganized itself with the goal of making sure such an attack could never happen again. But no such wholesale changes have taken place in the nearly two years since Russia sought to manipulate the 2016 election, cyber aggression that some lawmakers have called an act of war. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/trump-admin-has-no-central-strategy-election-security-no-one-n895256

10. Hillary Clinton’s prophetic speech

Hillary made this speech 8 days before the 2016 US Presidential election. Considering what we know now, it’s spookily prophetic. Watch it at https://twitter.com/JamesMelville/status/1019555023007739904

11. Democrats Are ‘Substantial Favorites’ to Win House

With 102 days to go, Democrats remain substantial favorites for House control. A big reason: Republicans are defending 42 open or vacant seats, a record since at least 1930. The retirements of Speaker Paul Ryan (WI-01), as well as powerful committee chairs like Reps. Ed Royce (CA-39) and Rodney Frelinghuysen (NJ-11) and popular moderates like Reps. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (FL-27) and Frank LoBiondo (NJ-02), have given Democrats stellar pickup opportunities.

Of Republicans' 42 incumbent-less seats, eight are in districts that voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016, and an additional 13 are in districts where President Trump received less than 55 percent. History is working against the GOP in many of those seats: we found that since 1992, in situations when a president's party was stuck defending an open seat two years after the president failed to carry it, that party has batted zero for 23 keeping it in their column. -- Cook Political Report https://www.cookpolitical.com/analysis/house/house-overview/bottom-line-republicans-42-open-seats

12. Emails: Lawyer who met Trump Jr. tied to Russian officials

The Moscow lawyer said to have promised Donald Trump's presidential campaign dirt on his Democratic opponent worked more closely with senior Russian government officials than she previously let on, according to documents reviewed by The Associated Press.

Scores of emails, transcripts and legal documents paint a portrait of Natalia Veselnitskaya as a well-connected attorney who served as a ghostwriter for top Russian government lawyers and received assistance from senior Interior Ministry personnel in a case involving a key client. https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/emails-lawyer-met-trump-jr-tied-russian-officials-56851982

13. An Extremely Detailed Map of the 2016 Election

The New York Times has published an incredibly detailed, interactive map of 2016 presidential election results at https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/upshot/election-2016-voting-precinct-maps.html

14. New Yorker Video: Immigrants Deported to Death and Violence

https://video.newyorker.com/watch/the-immigrants-deported-to-death-and-violence

15. As Affordable Housing Crisis Grows, HUD Sits on the Sidelines

The country is in the grips of an escalating housing affordability crisis. Millions of low-income Americans are paying 70 percent or more of their incomes for shelter, while rents continue to rise and construction of affordable rental apartments lags far behind the need.

The Trump administration’s main policy response, unveiled this spring by Ben Carson, the secretary of housing and urban development: a plan to triple rents for about 712,000 of the poorest tenants receiving federal housing aid and to loosen the cap on rents on 4.5 million households enrolled in federal voucher and public housing programs nationwide, with the goal of moving longtime tenants out of the system to make way for new ones. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/27/us/politics/hud-affordable-housing-crisis.html

16. Trump policy shop filters facts to fit his message

Trump’s appointees in the health department have deleted positive references to Obamacare, altered a report that undermined the administration’s positions on refugees and added anti-abortion language to the strategic plan — part of an ideological overhaul of the agency’s research office.

“While every administration puts its imprint on the executive branch and promotes ideas that advance its own agenda, this one has ventured several steps further — from scrubbing links to climate change studies from an Environmental Protection Agency website to canceling an Interior Department study on coal mining risks and suppressing reports on water contamination and the dangers of formaldehyde.”

“Inside the Health and Human Services policy research shop, staffers say the political pressures to tailor facts to fit Trump’s message have been unprecedented.” https://www.politico.com/story/2018/07/28/trump-facts-policy-shop-administration-research-714353

17. Trump threatens again to shut down federal government over border-wall funding

Donald Trump “threatened to shut down the federal government if Congress does not pass sweeping changes to immigration laws, including appropriating more public money to build his long-promised border wall.

Trump’s threat raises the stakes ahead of a Sept. 30 government funding deadline, a political showdown before the November midterms that Republican congressional leaders had hoped to avoid. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-threatens-again-to-shut-down-federal-government-over-border-wall-funding/2018/07/29/a8795546-9333-11e8-810c-5fa705927d54_story.html

18. House Republicans Are In Almost Total Disarray As Summer Recess Begins

When the House reconvenes, the GOP plans to devote a significant amount of the limited time it has left before fiscal 2019 begins to three tax cut bills that have no chance of being enacted any time soon because…wait for it…the Republican-controlled Senate has already said it’s not interested.”

And none of this even begins to anticipate what the House Republicans who are running for reelection and think they will need to energize the Trump base will do in September as the Manafort trial and Cohen investigations continue and as the Mueller probe moves forward.

In other words, this year’s legislative crunch time is about to get very real but House Republicans have little leadership, no plan, a very divided caucus, are very likely to be distracted and are relying on a notoriously unreliable Donald Trump to do the right thing.

This is almost a textbook definition of political and legislative chaos. https://thebudgetguy.blog/2018/07/28/house-republicans-are-in-almost-total-disarray-as-summer-recess-begins/

19. Women Drive Dems To 12-Pt. Lead In U.S. House Races

With almost 2-1 backing from women, Democrats take a 51 – 39 percent lead in hypothetical races for the U.S. House of Representatives this year, according to a Quinnipiac University National Poll released today.

Women back Democratic candidates 57 – 32 percent, the independent Quinnipiac University National Poll finds. Men are divided with 46 percent going Republican and 44 percent for Democrats. White voters are divided with 46 percent for Democrats and 45 percent for Republicans. Black voters go Democratic 78 – 16 percent and Hispanic voters back Democrats 66 – 23 percent.

The key block of independent voters backs Democratic candidates 50 – 33 percent. American voters disapprove 66 – 27 percent of the job Republicans in Congress are doing and disapprove of Democrats in Congress 63 – 30 percent. https://poll.qu.edu/images/polling/us/us07252018_uytw29.pdf/

20. 99 Days to Go, and the Midterm Elections Battleground Is Not What Was Expected

The battleground in the fight for control of the House is starting to come into focus with 99 days to go until the November election. It’s not exactly the battleground that analysts expected.

It’s not dominated by well-educated, suburban districts that voted for Hillary Clinton. Instead, the battleground is broad, and it includes a long list of working-class and rural districts that voted for Donald J. Trump in 2016.

The broader battleground is a positive development for Democrats. It’s a reflection of how much the Republican structural advantage in the House has eroded over the last year. What remains of it isn’t helping the Republicans as much as analysts assumed it would, at least not yet. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/30/upshot/99-days-till-midterm-elections-battleground.html

21. ‘Eye-popping’ payouts for CEOs follow Trump’s tax cuts

Some of the biggest winners from President Donald Trump’s new tax law are corporate executives who have reaped gains as their companies buy back a record amount of stock, a practice that rewards shareholders by boosting the value of existing shares.

A POLITICO review of data disclosed in Securities and Exchange Commission filings shows the executives, who often receive most of their compensation in stock, have been profiting handsomely by selling shares since Trump signed the law on Dec. 22 and slashed corporate tax rates to 21 percent. That trend is likely to increase, as Wall Street analysts expect buyback activity to accelerate in the coming weeks.

“It is going to be a parade of eye-popping numbers,” said Pat McGurn, the head of strategic research and analysis at Institutional Shareholder Services, a shareholder advisory firm.

That could undercut the political messaging value of the tax cuts in the Republican campaign to maintain control of Congress in the midterm elections. https://www.politico.com/story/2018/07/30/eye-popping-payouts-for-ceos-follow-trumps-tax-cuts-747649

22. Trump Administration Mulls a Unilateral Tax Cut for the Rich

 The Trump administration is considering bypassing Congress to grant a $100 billion tax cut mainly to the wealthy, a legally tenuous maneuver that would cut capital gains taxation and fulfill a long-held ambition of many investors and conservatives.

Steven Mnuchin, the Treasury secretary, said in an interview on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit meeting in Argentina this month that his department was studying whether it could use its regulatory powers to allow Americans to account for inflation in determining capital gains tax liabilities. The Treasury Department could change the definition of “cost” for calculating capital gains, allowing taxpayers to adjust the initial value of an asset, such as a home or a share of stock, for inflation when it sells.

“If it can’t get done through a legislation process, we will look at what tools at Treasury we have to do it on our own and we’ll consider that,” Mr. Mnuchin said, emphasizing that he had not concluded whether the Treasury Department had the authority to act alone. “We are studying that internally, and we are also studying the economic costs and the impact on growth.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/30/us/politics/trump-tax-cuts-rich.html

23. Mueller Says Manafort Made $60 Million from Ukraine

Prosecutors from special counsel Robert Mueller’s office said Monday that Paul Manafort earned $60 million from his work as a political consultant in Ukraine and challenged a motion by the former Trump campaign chairman’s attorneys to exclude dozens of exhibits on the topic.

Manafort is charged with lying on tax forms and bank fraud. He has denied all charges against him. https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/30/politics/mueller-says-manafort-earned-60m-from-ukraine-consulting/index.html

24. U.S. spy agencies: North Korea is working on new missiles

U.S. spy agencies are seeing signs that North Korea is constructing new missiles at a factory that produced the country’s first intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of reaching the United States, according to officials familiar with the intelligence.

Newly obtained evidence, including satellite photos taken in recent weeks, indicates that work is underway on at least one and possibly two liquid-fueled ICBMs at a large research facility in Sanumdong, on the outskirts of Pyongyang, according to the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe classified intelligence. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-spy-agencies-north-korea-is-working-on-new-missiles/2018/07/30/b3542696-940d-11e8-a679-b09212fb69c2_story.html

25. Trump blasts media as 'unhinged' and 'crazy'

President Trump blasted the media as “unhinged” and “crazy” on Tuesday morning, adding that news organizations ruin the lives of “innocent” people as he continues his long-running battle with the news organizations.

He added: “In 7 years, when I am no longer in office, their ratings will dry up and they will be gone!” https://www.politico.com/story/2018/07/31/trump-criticize-media-751422

26. Layoffs from Trump tariffs are piling up. So are calls for more bailouts.

Trump has repeatedly said he would protect American farmers in the trade war, last week setting aside $12 billion to help them, but he is facing pressure to extend aid to other industries if the tariffs remain in place or get extended to more products.

Extending those bailouts would be an expensive proposition. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Monday estimated the total price tag could hit $39 billion if Trump compensated the losses across all industries. It would take $7.6 billion to help car and automobile parts manufacturers alone, the Chamber said, calling it a “slippery slope” for Trump to determine who gets help and who doesn’t. The Chamber has been a vocal critic of the tariffs. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2018/07/30/after-trumps-farmer-bailout-manufacturers-ask-what-about-us/

 

27. Trump Admin Ordered to Stop Injecting Migrant Kids With Psychotropic Drugs Without Consent

After reading testimony from several migrant children who said they’d been injected with psychotropic medication without their consent, a federal judge ruled that the Texas facility holding them had violated state child welfare laws.

Per the Washington Post, U.S. District Judge Dolly Gee of Los Angeles ordered the Trump administration to either obtain consent or a court order before giving medication to minors, unless there is a dire emergency. She also demanded the immediate evacuation of all children — except those deemed to pose a “risk of harm” — from the offending facility, Shiloh Residential Treatment Center in Manvel, Texas, which is contracted by the U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement. https://www.thecut.com/2018/07/immigrant-kids-drugs-trump-judge-ruled.html

28. New Emails Show Michigan Republicans Plotting to Gerrymander Maps

Newly disclosed emails show Michigan Republicans angling to give their party a dominant position through gerrymandered maps and celebrating the plight of their Democratic rivals.

Republicans in the state have denied that they sought partisan gain when they drew new legislative boundaries in 2011. But a federal lawsuit, which argues the maps are unconstitutional, has unearthed records showing Republicans intent on drawing boundaries that would help their party.

The emails, disclosed in a filing on Monday, boast of concentrating “Dem garbage” into four of the five southeast Michigan districts that Democrats now control, and of packing African-Americans into a metropolitan Detroit House district. One email likened a fingerlike extension they created in one Democratic district map to an obscene gesture toward its congressman, Representative Sander M. Levin.

“Perfect. It’s giving the finger to Sandy Levin,” the author of the message wrote. “I love it.” https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/25/us/michigan-gerrymandering.html