| | | | Clinton, Trump begin national security brawl | | Hillary Clinton attacked Donald Trump as inexperienced. Trump called Clinton a failed foreign policy leader. So began the homestretch to Election Day, as both candidates on Tuesday put national security squarely at the center of the 2016 campaign.
Clinton's zinger, on stage in Tampa: "We are going to work with our allies, not insult them. We are going to stand up to our adversaries, not cozy up to them. We are going to have real plans, not claims and secret plans."
And Trump's attack, alongside retired Gen. Michael Flynn in Virginia Beach: "(Russian President Vladimir) Putin looks at Hillary Clinton and he smiles. Boy, would he like to see her. That would be easy. Because just look at her decisions. Look how bad her decisions have been."
Why are they both talking security? A few reasons, starting with: The 15th anniversary of 9/11 is Sunday. Early voting, including mail-in ballots used by active-duty military, begins in many states this month. Clinton relishes hitting Trump on a subject on which she's well-versed and she sees him as ill-prepared. And Trump needs military-focused voters on his side.
Another prize: "Security moms," particularly middle-class suburban women in must-win swing states like Pennsylvania. A late-August Franklin and Marshall poll found Clinton ahead by 15 points in Southeastern Pennsylvania -- largely Philadelphia's suburbs -- even as the Republican Senate incumbent leads his Democratic challenger by 9 points in the same region. That margin would be tough for Trump to overcome on Election Day.
Dropping the bomb on Trump: Pro-Clinton super PAC Priorities USA is pumping $5 million into a swing-state ad buy that features some of Trump's most hawkish comments -- including his praise for wars and nuclear weapons -- in a spot that features a mushroom cloud. You can watch it here.
What we're watching tomorrow: A forum featuring Clinton and Trump, sponsored by the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America and broadcast on NBC and MSNBC. It's their first joint appearance of the campaign. | | Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump enter the campaign's final stretch in a statistical dead heat among likely voters, a new CNN/ORC Poll shows. Helping Trump right now: A 49% to 29% advantage with independents. CNN's Jennifer Agiesta has tons of great info from the poll.
Is Clinton blowing it? Read this great line from Politico's Glenn Thrush: "No one -- not the bullpen of the New York Mets, not the French army, not Wile E. Coyote, not even Al Gore -- is better at squandering a commanding lead than the Queen of Coasting, Hillary Rodham Clinton. And nobody is better at handing her adversaries talking points to undermine trust, on emails, on the Clinton Foundation, on her own refusal to do something as simple as talking to the reporters who cover her every day." | | Congress returns with deadline looming on Zika, budget | | A primer from CNN's Ted Barrett and Deirdre Walsh: Lawmakers returned to work Tuesday for what's expected to be a brief but intense legislative dash with a short and critical to-do list that includes contentious bills to battle the Zika virus and prevent a government shutdown.
How long do they have? Because the normal appropriations process broke down months ago over disputes about funding levels and controversial policy riders related to gay rights, abortion funding and other issues, Congress has until September 30 to reach a deal to keep the government operating.
One failure on Zika already: Senate Democrats tonight blocked a $1.1 billion bill to combat the Zika virus. They opposed provisions in the bill that would have blocked funding for Planned Parenthood and that would have allowed Confederate flags to fly at military veteran cemeteries. The vote failed 52 to 46. It needed 60 votes to advance. | | | Bill Clinton picked up some beer at the Durham Co-op Market in North Carolina today. | | The price of cursing Obama right before meeting him | | | Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte is expressing regret after his obscenity-laden rant against President Barack Obama -- who he cursed as a "son of a b---h" -- prompted the White House to cancel planned bilateral talks between the two leaders. Duterte said in a statement through his spokesman that he regretted "it came across as a personal attack on the US President." The statement added: "We look forward to ironing out differences arising out of national priorities and perceptions." More from CNN's Sheena McKenzie and Kevin Liptak. | | | A policy change at Goldman Sachs means the firm's partners can't donate to Donald Trump and Mike Pence. ... Where does John McCain stand on immigration? His Spanish-language site gives a different impression than his English-language site. ... The Pentagon plans to play hardball against Paul Ryan's Defense spending plan. | | | Get the Nightcap, a comprehensive summary of the most important political news, delivered to your inbox daily. | | | | | |
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