| | | | Could Christie run Trump's debate prep? | | Some of Donald Trump's advisers are discussing an overhaul in how he prepares for his second faceoff with Hillary Clinton, and one option being floated internally is asking Chris Christie to take a leading role to get the Republican nominee ready. CNN's Dana Bash, Gloria Borger and I have the story.
Why Christie? The New Jersey governor, a longtime friend of Trump's, is one of "the few" in the billionaire's inner circle who has always been straight with him, and was "brutally honest" about his shortcomings after this week's debate, according to a source familiar with the discussions. He's also one of the few in Trump's orbit with recent debate experience.
What's this mean? Such a move -- should it happen -- would reflect an understanding by Trump and his campaign leadership that the first debate went poorly.
But there's been no offer yet. Today, Christie told CNN's Wolf Blitzer: "Nothing's been asked of me to do more. If there is, I'd certainly have that conversation with Donald Trump at the time, but I'm not going to presuppose anything at this point." Asked about the discussion, campaign manager Kellyanne Conway said Christie is "not currently under consideration."
In other news ... this could hurt Trump with women. The Los Angeles Times' Matt Peace, citing court records, reports Trump wanted to fire women who weren't pretty enough at his California golf club. Pearce quotes Hayley Strozier, the club's director of catering in 2008, saying in a sworn declaration: "I had witnessed Donald Trump tell managers many times while he was visiting the club that restaurant hostesses were 'not pretty enough' and that they should be fired and replaced with more attractive women." | | "Do you think Hillary got immunity? Yeah, she had the immunity. She had something." -- Donald Trump, during his rally in Bedford, New Hampshire, blasting the FBI for giving Hillary Clinton's staffers immunity in its investigation into her private email server. | | | Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson couldn't name a world leader he admires in a town hall last night with MSNBC's Chris Matthews -- and then made matters much, much worse by saying he was "having an Aleppo moment." He dug the hole a little deeper with this tweet today.
Why is Gary Johnson still running for president? Here's something to think about: What if respected former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld -- the Libertarian choice for VP -- was the party's nominee? Johnson -- who famously remarked "What is Aleppo?" earlier this month -- is squandering his good poll numbers in places like Colorado and with millennials, and his endorsements from traditionally Republican newspapers like The Detroit News in an election that has presented the Libertarian Party with a true opening.
"Having an Aleppo moment" isn't funny at all. This heartbreaking story from The Washington Post's Liz Sly and Louisa Loveluck makes clear why. One of its many devastating lines: "Entire families sleep in one room, because they prefer to die together than to create orphans, widows or bereaved parents." | | Congress regrets the 9/11 bill it approved yesterday | | Top congressional leaders from each party expressed buyer's remorse Thursday about a controversial new law that was enacted over President Barack Obama's objections that allows 9/11 families to sue Saudi Arabia.
What changed their minds? In a town hall with CNN's Jake Tapper, Obama laid out the problem with the bill this way: "If we eliminate this notion of sovereign immunity, then our men and women in uniform around the world could potentially start seeing ourselves subject to reciprocal laws."
Today, congressional leaders said whoops. House Speaker Paul Ryan said the law needs to be changed to ensure that US troops are protected. "I'd like to think there is a way we can fix it so that our service members do not have legal problems overseas while still protecting the rights of the 9/11 victims," Ryan said at his weekly news conference.
So what happened? Here's Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's explanation: "Because everyone was aware who the potential beneficiaries were, but nobody focused on the potential downside in terms of our international relationships. And I just think it was a ball dropped. I wish the President -- and I hate to blame everything on him and I don't -- but it would have been helpful had ... we had a discussion about this much earlier than the last week." | | | President Barack Obama welcomed Simone Biles and other members of Team USA to the White House today -- and admitted he can't touch his toes. | | Will Trump's alleged Cuba dealings cost him in Florida? | | Donald Trump's hotel and casino business sought to invest in Fidel Castro-led communist Cuba in the 1990s, per a new report by Newsweek's Kurt Eichenwald. He reports Trump Hotel executives visited the communist-run island in 1998 to meet with officials there about doing business. The company spent over $68,000 on the trip and does not appear to have obtained the necessary US treasury license to spend money in Cuba, according to the report.
This could hurt Trump in South Florida. A story about Trump's dealings was the lead item of El Nuevo Herald, the area's biggest Spanish-language newspaper. The Miami Herald's Patricia Mazzei reports the news has "roiled Miami politics Thursday, forcing top Cuban-American Republicans to express concern about Trump's dealings while maintaining that the allegation isn't reason enough to disavow the presidential nominee yet."
Here's how CNN's Javier de Diego, a Cuban from Miami who was CNN's senior producer there, explained the potential damage in an email: "This story may not sway the presidential election in Miami-Dade County, but it can certainly change the turnout. If Trump is seen as having done business with Fidel, a lot of older Cubans will be furious. They won't vote for Hillary, necessarily, because they really dislike her. But they might just not vote at all."
The Trump campaign did not respond to CNN requests for comment. But on ABC's "The View," Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway denied he had broken the law. "He's very critical of Cuba. He's very critical of Castro," Conway said. "We're talking about did his hotel invest money in 1998 in Cuba? No."
The number we're watching on Election Night: How much better Marco Rubio fares with Latinos in Miami-Dade County than Trump. | | | Donald Trump could ride Republican Sen. Rob Portman's coattails to an Ohio win. ... Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway says she reprimanded him over offensive comments about women. ... "Saturday Night Live" is back this weekend -- and could shape how Americans view their presidential candidates. | | | Get the Nightcap, a comprehensive summary of the most important political news, delivered to your inbox daily. | | | | | |
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