| | | | DNC chair quits on convention eve | | The Democratic convention in Philadelphia was supposed to be the no-drama production -- no plagiarism, no primary challenger still holding out on endorsing the nominee. ... Welp.
Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the Democratic National Committee chairwoman, ended her five-and-a-half year tenure by announcing her resignation this afternoon, effective after the end of the convention. The DNC chairwoman is falling on her sword after losing support from key Democrats in the wake of the leak of DNC emails showing party staffers favoring Hillary Clinton over Bernie Sanders in the primary. She says she still wants to speak at the convention, and the two sides have tentatively agreed to give her a few minutes on stage, CNN's Jeff Zeleny reports.
What it means this week: The 1,900 Sanders delegates in Philadelphia just got evidence confirming what they've believed all along: The system was rigged against them. Tens of thousands of pro-Sanders protesters are on hand, too. The DNC emails are now putting a fragile post-primary detente to the test, writes CNN's Gregory Krieg.
A sign of unity: Ben Jealous, the former NAACP head and a top Sanders supporter, told CNN's Wolf Blitzer this evening that, with Democrats "cleaning house at the DNC," he now supports Clinton -- a major signal of Sanders world coalescing around the party's presumptive nominee.
What it means for Wasserman Schultz: Her August primary against a Sanders-backed supporter just got more complicated. Here's what her challenger tweeted today: | | | Donald Trump's take: He touted his own party's chairman, Reince Priebus, as "the tough one and the smart one," and tried to pick up the Sanders mantle. | | | Wait, what? Noting that the DNC email release comes on the heels of "changes to the Republican platform to make it more pro-Russian," Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook told CNN's Jake Tapper on "State of the Union" Sunday he thinks Russian hackers are trying to help Trump. | | "Now, I don't want to alarm you, but John Podesta is outside your building right now." -- Hillary Clinton to Tim Kaine on Friday evening, when she called to officially offer him the vice presidential slot, per The Washington Post's Karen Tumulty and Dan Balz. | | | | It was tough to read states' names in blue lettering against silver backgrounds -- so CNN's Dan Berman spotted union workers swapping those out of the Wells Fargo Arena on Sunday for new signs with a blue background. | | Bloomberg to endorse Clinton at DNC | | Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, an independent who considered his own presidential run this year, will endorse Hillary Clinton and speak at the Democratic National Convention -- a move motivated by his distaste for Donald Trump. The New York Times' Alexander Burns had the scoop, which CNN confirmed.
What to expect from Bloomberg, per adviser Howard Wolfson: "As the nation's leading independent and a pragmatic business leader, Mike has supported candidates from both sides of the aisle. This week in Philadelphia he will make a strong case that the clear choice in this election is Hillary Clinton." | | '60 Minutes': Kaine weighs in on Trump's nicknames | | Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine's first joint interview airs tonight on CBS' "60 Minutes" -- and per the portion CBS released early, Clinton says she won't engage in an "insult fest" with Donald Trump. Kaine, though, was willing to weigh in on the "Crooked Hillary" moniker.
Here's what Kaine said: "When I see this, you know, 'Crooked Hillary,' or I see the, 'Lock her up,' it's just ridiculous. It is ridiculous. ... It is beneath the character of the kind of dialogue we should have, because we've got real serious problems to solve. And look, most of us stopped the name-calling thing about fifth grade." Here's my story with Dan Merica.
The "Hillary standard": Clinton complained of a "Hillary standard" -- suggesting that she faces more scrutiny than other top-level politicians. "I often feel like there's the Hillary standard and then there's the standard for everybody else," she said. Asked to explain that, Clinton cited "unfounded, inaccurate, mean-spirited attacks with no basis in truth" that "take on a life of their own," pointing to Republicans' criticism at the party's convention in Cleveland last week.
Kaine's spiritual center: From CNN's Chris Frates and Betsy Klein: Kaine returned Sunday with his wife, Anne, to the place where they started their lives together more than 30 years ago: St. Elizabeth Catholic Church. He entered the packed house to an ovation and took his usual seat in the third pew on the right before the choir kicked off the service singing "glad to be of service one more time." The service at the predominantly African-American church in the working-class Highland Park neighborhood of Richmond, Virginia, celebrated its native son. And despite the honorifics he's earned over a lifetime of public service -- mayor, governor, senator -- the people who know him here just call him Tim. | | | Donald Trump wouldn't close the door to ousted Fox News chief Roger Ailes advising his campaign. ... Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine will go on a bus tour of Pennsylvania and Ohio after the Democratic convention. ... Bill Kristol, whose efforts to stop Trump have repeatedly failed, is warning Democrats not to underestimate Trump. | | | Get the Nightcap, a comprehensive summary of the most important political news, delivered to your inbox daily. | | | | | |
Post a Comment