THE UNIFIER

Trumpy has no idea how to unify the party behind him. He is a man of roiling, bitter resentments who never forgets a slight and can't forgive anyone who criticizes him. Imagine this guy with real power over others

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/trump-sign-rnc-pledge-banned
Trump Says GOP Opponents Should Support Him Or Be Banned From Office 

Here's an appealing campaign line: "If I win, I will indict my opponent"

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/trump-fundraising-indict-clinton 

Another GOP senator won't support him

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/mike-lee-cannot-support-trump 

Mitch McConnell, Senate majority leader

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/mcconnell-trump-still-not-a-credible-candidate
McConnell: Trump Still Not A 'Credible' Candidate, 'Needs To Change' 

Trumpy is so determined to fight terrorism he is willing to commit war crimes to do it

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2016/06/trump-is-running-to-be-war-criminal.html

More: http://www.vox.com/2016/6/29/12058208/trump-waterboarding
Donald Trump on waterboarding: “I like it a lot”

Trump surrogate says his Muslim ban "isn't about religion"

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/carl-paladino-trump-muslim-ban

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/30/us/politics/donald-trump-flip-flop.html

More: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/06/29/1543428/-What-Trump-s-stunning-lack-of-interest-in-any-major-event-unrelated-to-terror-tells-us
What Trump's stunning lack of interest in any major event unrelated to terror tells us

Ouch. This is gonna leave a mark

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/fec-complaint-trump-emails-foreign-fundraising
Two watchdog groups, the Campaign Legal Center and Democracy 21, said they will file Wednesday a complaint with the Federal Election Commission, arguing that the Donald Trump campaign has broken federal law by sending fundraising emails to foreign elected officials. . . .
 
Who's in charge here?

http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2016/06/chart-day-hillary-outspent-trump-26-million-zero-june
NBC News reports that Donald Trump spent $0 on ads in swing states in June . . .[read on]
  
Trumpy has said he wants sports stars to speak on his behalf at the convention (because he can't find enough credible GOP pols to do it). Here's one choice he seems to have reconsidered

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/06/29/1543552/-Trump-denies-asking-convicted-rapist-to-speak-at-Republican-convention
Trump denies asking convicted rapist to speak at Republican convention

More: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/trump-aides-celebs-athletes-rnc
B-List Extravaganza? Trump Convention Will Be 'Unlike Any We’ve Ever Seen'

So maybe Trumpy hasn't been saved after all

http://www.charismanews.com/politics/elections/58066-after-donald-trump-s-salvation-dr-james-dobson-reminds-how-to-deal-with-baby-christians
Following his statement last week that Donald Trump has been saved, Dr. James Dobson apparently had some explaining to do with some Christians. . . .

More: http://prospect.org/article/trump-lays-bare-moral-bankruptcy-religious-right 

Before there was Trump U . . .

http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2016/06/bnefore-turmp-university
. . . There Was the Trump Institute. Here's How Donald Trump Learned the Hustle.

More: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/30/us/politics/donald-trump-institute-plagiarism.html

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/move-over-trump-u-the-new-scandal-the-trump-institute

NOBODY seems to have a very good handle on the trade issue

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/06/trumps-right-on-trade-but-his-fix-wont-work.html
Trump Is Right About Trade Hurting American Workers, But His Fix Makes No Sense

More: https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2016/06/29/donald-trump-is-selling-american-workers-a-scam/
Donald Trump is selling American workers a scam

https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2016/06/29/trumps-favorite-new-trade-experts-say-hes-full-of-it-on-globalization/
In his speech lamenting globalization and its ill effects on American workers, Donald Trump relied on the research and analysis of the liberal Economic Policy Institute over a dozen times. . . .

http://crooksandliars.com/2016/06/round-unexpected-allies-against-trump
Whodathunk that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a billionaire like Paul Singer and the AFL-CIO would all be in exact agreement about who they DON'T want for 2016?  . . .

http://crooksandliars.com/2016/06/cnn-trump-spox-says-trump-businessman
Donald Trump, who has been using "bad trade deals" as one of his campaign issues, hijacked Bernie Sanders' message during his economic speech on Tuesday by attacking the NAFTA trade deal . . .

Nobody

http://www.vox.com/2016/6/28/12053790/clinton-response-trump-trade-speech
Hillary Clinton’s surprising (and unconvincing) response to Donald Trump on trade

More: https://politicalwire.com/2016/06/29/clinton-boxed-in-on-trade/
Clinton Boxed In On Trade  

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/06/bernies-case-against-trade-dumber-than-trumps.html
Bernie Sanders’s Case Against Free Trade Is More Ignorant Than Donald Trump’s

More: http://washingtonmonthly.com/2016/06/29/an-honest-discussion-about-free-trade-is-not-likely-in-this-election/
An Honest Discussion About Free Trade Is Not Likely in This Election  

I've said here before that I think a possible scenario is that Sanders never formally concedes or endorses Clinton, but works "independently" to criticize Trump and promote only those areas where Clinton agrees . . . with him. He keeps saying he wants Trump to lose; he doesn't say he wants Clinton to win (which seems to be playing it all too cute). 

We are getting close to the point where refusing to concede isn't just a leverage point in negotiating for changes to the platform etc, but a sign that promoting his "political revolution" is more important to him than helping the Democrats. I hope I'm wrong

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/06/will-sanders-or-trump-ever-formally-concede.html
Will Either Sanders or Trump Ever Give Hillary Clinton the Satisfaction of a Concession Speech?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/bernie-sanders-convention_us_5773f0f4e4b0352fed3e97f7
Bernie Sanders’ Endgame Is Increasingly Bewildering To Team Clinton

The changing dynamics of the US vote

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/06/30/democrats-the-white-working-class-isn-t-voting-for-you-so-stop-pandering-to-them.html
So white working-class voters for Trump aren’t racist, they just need their class interests explained to them. Right? Yeah, right.

More: https://politicalwire.com/2016/06/29/can-trump-reshape-the-republican-party/ 
“For decades, Republicans argued for lower taxes, fewer regulations and a smaller welfare state. Democrats took up the opposite view, and voters split along familiar lines. . . . Whatever you think of Donald Trump, it is clear that this election has the potential to reshape the allegiances of many white working-class voters who have traditionally sided with the Democrats, and many well-educated voters who have sided with the Republicans.” 

In other news . . .

The party that can't govern can't even do something about a nonpartisan issue like dealing with the Zika virus

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/efforts-to-fight-zika-fail-as-lawmakers-play-politics-with-looming-health-crisis/2016/06/28/4a0f390e-3d53-11e6-80bc-d06711fd2125_story.html

Elizabeth Warren blasts them: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/06/29/1543594/-Elizabeth-Warren-fires-off-a-class-5-tweetstorm-over-Republican-Zika-hypocrisy
  
GOP Senate now says it won't confirm any Obama judges AT ALL

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/06/29/1543565/-Republicans-Senate-bows-to-lobby-groups-shuts-down-judicial-nominations
  
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/06/29/men-say-they-work-more-than-women-heres-the-truth/
Men say they work more than women. Here’s the truth.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/06/29/american-gun-ownership-is-now-at-a-30-year-low/
American gun ownership is at a 30-year low

http://washingtonmonthly.com/2016/06/29/what-donald-trump-gets-wrong-about-u-s-manufacturing/
The number of manufacturing jobs has grown since 2010.
 

Bonus item: Science!

http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2016/06/dna_testing_cannot_determine_ancestry_including_elizabeth_warren_s.html
A DNA Test Won’t Explain Elizabeth Warren’s Ancestry

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL: http://pbd.blogspot.com

I don’t get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don’t run ads, etc.). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a “mission,” it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***

NEVER APOLOGIZE

The Benghazi report came out, and (surprise, surprise) it revealed NOTHING of substance we didn't already know

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/29/us/politics/hillary-clinton-benghazi.html
House Benghazi Report Finds No New Evidence of Wrongdoing by Hillary Clinton

https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/politics/the-5-most-serious-accusations-from-house-republicans-benghazi-report/2016/06/28/230a75ac-3d45-11e6-9e16-4cf01a41decb_video.html
The 5 most serious accusations from House Republicans’ Benghazi report

http://www.vox.com/2016/6/28/12051226/benghazi-house-republican-report-paragraph
The most revealing paragraph in the House Benghazi report

The report shows (again, like all the previous reviews) that Clinton and others were slow to realize the seriousness of the situation in Libya, until it grew quickly out of hand. People died as a result.

Clinton has already admitted these errors, some of which are 20/20 hindsight by others who don't actually have to carry tough responsibilities. She has also admitted mishandling her emails, even though there is no evidence that any classified leaks actually occurred and even though her predecessors and others in government were doing the same thing.

Which raises the question: Which kind of president do you want, one who openly admits errors, and tries to learn from them? Or one who pretends he has NEVER made a mistake, never admits errors or wrongdoing, and who says consistently that he ignores advice from experts and follows his own "very good brain"?

http://www.mediaite.com/tv/trump-to-jimmy-fallon-i-never-apologize-because-im-never-wrong/
Trump to Jimmy Fallon: I Never Apologize Because I’m Never Wrong

Trump lawyer accuses Clinton of "murder"

http://www.salon.com/2016/06/28/watch_cnn_anchor_rips_trumps_lawyer_for_celebrating_gops_benghazi_report_by_accusing_hillary_clinton_of_murder/ 

Trumpy gives a trade speech in front of a pile of trash

http://crooksandliars.com/2016/06/donald-just-gave-economic-speech-front

More: http://www.vox.com/2016/6/29/12054540/donald-trump-trade-poor

Trumpy's ever-shifting Muslim ban

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/trumps-morphing-muslim-ban

Trump is LOSING the argument over terrorism

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/06/voters-think-donald-trump-is-weak-on-terror.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2016/06/28/impossible-but-true-strongman-donald-trump-is-losing-the-argument-over-terrorism/

His response to Turkey: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/trump-responds-istanbul-waterboarding-torture
Trump Responds To Istanbul Suicide Bombings With New Calls For Torture

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/06/29/1543542/-Waterboarding-isn-t-tough-enough-for-Donald-Trump
Donald Trump is proudly pro-torture but, in a Tuesday speech in Ohio, the real question he left open is whether he is also pro-beheading. Trump had one reservation about waterboarding, saying “I like it a lot. I don’t think it’s tough enough.” So what is tough enough?

Trumpy says he gives millions to charity. There's no record of it

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/wapo-trump-charitable-giving-only-10k

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/06/28/1543240/-Donald-Trump-s-charitable-giving-over-7-years-was-equivalent-to-12-seconds-of-his-time

Trumpy finally hires a communications director -- one who has been consistently criticizing him

http://www.salon.com/2016/06/28/trump_finally_hires_a_communication_director_who_then_promptly_deletes_all_of_his_sleazydonald_tweets/
Trump finally hires a communication director — who then promptly deletes all of his #SleazyDonald tweets 

More: http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2016/06/trumps-new-hire-didnt-like-him-very-much.html

Mr. "America First" is asking foreign pols for donations. That's illegal

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/06/28/1543337/-The-Trump-campaign-s-likely-going-to-regret-asking-this-fierce-Scottish-MP-for-an-illegal-donation

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/trump-now-hitting-up-iceland-mps-for-cash

Another tough Clinton ad with words taken straight out of Trumpy's mouth

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/clinton-super-pac-intense_us_5771e381e4b017b379f72964

Bernie shows no signs of folding his tent, despite platform concessions

http://www.vox.com/2016/6/28/12039638/bernie-sanders-convention-fight
Sanders is already saying that he'll try to put many of the measures already shot down last weekend back up for a vote in Orlando next week. . . . [read on]

More: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/06/28/sanders-campaign-asks-donors-to-help-delegates-get-to-philadelphia-for-critical-votes/

Meanwhile, the Republicans are prepping for chaos

https://politicalwire.com/2016/06/29/republicans-brace-for-unusual-convention/
“With less than three weeks to go, Donald Trump’s Republican National Convention in Cleveland is poised to be the most chaotic GOP gathering of the modern era,” the Washington Post reports. . . . Anxiety mounts over GOP convention security

In other news . . .

http://www.adn.com/alaska-news/nation-world/2016/06/26/when-you-dial-911-and-wall-street-answers-the-call/
"We're reaching new lows in the public safety services we will help provide, especially in very poor cities". . . 

http://prospect.org/article/first-post-middle-class-election-0
The politics of downward mobility and racial diversity have eroded the center, pushing Democrats to the left and Republicans toward an authoritarian right.

Bonus item: The Ninny

http://www.salon.com/2016/06/28/watch_sarah_palin_gets_stumped_by_hardball_question_from_10_year_old_about_support_for_sexist_donald_trump/

WATCH: Sarah Palin gets stumped by hardball question from 10-year-old

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL: http://pbd.blogspot.com

I don’t get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don’t run ads, etc.). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a “mission,” it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***

BURDEN OF PROOF

A major Supreme Court case on abortion rights

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/abortion-scotus-ruling

http://www.vox.com/2016/6/27/11713644/whole-womans-health-supreme-court-choice

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/06/27/1542876/--Common-sense-prevails-in-the-Supreme-Court-s-abortion-decision

Conservatives freak out: http://crooksandliars.com/2016/06/conservatives-freak-out-over-abortion

Its future consequences: http://www.vox.com/2016/6/27/12038934/supreme-court-texas-whole-womans-health-closed-clinics-reopen-years
Despite a Supreme Court victory, it could take years for Texas abortion clinics to reopen

http://www.vox.com/2016/6/27/12040176/supreme-court-abortion-states-texas
Expect other states' laws to start falling too. 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/06/27/the-critical-thing-to-know-after-the-supreme-court-ruled-against-a-major-abortion-law/
The critical thing to know after the Supreme Court ruled against a major abortion law

Warren vs Trump, Trump vs Warren -- you decide who gets the best of it

http://crooksandliars.com/2016/06/elizabeth-warren-and-hillary-clinton-rain

http://crooksandliars.com/2016/06/donald-trump-explodes-elizabeth-warren

Erp

https://politicalwire.com/2016/06/27/experts-say-trump-is-lying-about-his-fundraising-haul/
Experts Say Trump Is Lying About His Fundraising Haul 

How Trumpy gets away with lying

http://washingtonmonthly.com/2016/06/27/how-trumps-lies-do-their-work/

Trumpy's media troubles  

http://www.vox.com/mischiefs-of-faction/2016/6/27/12037926/trump-general-election-media-problem  

Trumpy's spokespeople are hilariously bad -- especially this one

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/trump-spox-brexit-benghazi
Donald Trump faced heavy criticism for noting that the United Kingdom’s momentous vote to leave the European Union would translate to more business for his new Scottish golf course. But in an interview Monday, his spokeswoman resorted to a classic conservative strategy to deflect attention: invoke Benghazi. . . .

More: http://www.salon.com/2016/06/27/watch_cnns_smerconish_eats_trump_spokeswoman_katrina_pierson_alive_for_defending_her_boss_fascistic_response_to_brexit/ 
CNN’s Smerconish eats Trump spokeswoman Katrina Pierson alive for defending her boss’ fascistic response to Brexit  

http://crooksandliars.com/2016/06/trump-spokeswoman-cannot-explain-single
Trump Spokeswoman Cannot Explain A Single Specific Proposal On His Immigrant Ban

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/katrina-pierson-muslim-ban-individual-vetted
Spox Insists Trump Hasn't Changed Muslim Ban: He's Just 'Refining' It  

Another dopey Trump proxy, centerfold Scott Brown, says Elizabeth Warren should take a DNA test to prove she's Native American

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/scott-brown-warren-dna-test 

Trumpy's oh-so phony godfulness

http://www.salon.com/2016/06/27/not_keeping_the_faith_donald_trump_and_the_conning_of_evangelical_voters/ 

What Trumpy could do with Executive Orders as president

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2016/06/just-dont-call-it-tyranny.html 

Warren for Veep. A good idea?

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2016/06/should_hillary_clinton_pick_elizabeth_warren_for_vice_president.html

https://politicalwire.com/2016/06/27/clinton-weighs-impact-of-veep-choice-on-senate-control/ 

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2016/06/to-veep-or-not-to-veep-by-bloggersrus.html
 
More: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/06/27/women-worry-that-america-can-t-a-clinton-warren-ticket.html 
Why Women Worry About a Clinton-Warren Ticket 

Clinton shows up at a gay pride parade in NY

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/27/us/politics/hillary-clinton-surprises-by-attending-pride-parade-in-new-york.html 

What Sanders has won on the Dem platform so far

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/06/27/heres-what-bernie-sanders-has-won-in-the-democratic-platform-so-far/ 

More: https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2016/06/27/bernie-sanders-has-won-some-big-concessions-but-he-still-wont-endorse-hillary-clinton/
Bernie Sanders has won some big concessions. But he still won’t endorse Hillary Clinton.
 
In other news . . .
 
Dems turn the tables on Benghazi 

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/28/us/politics/house-democrats-benghazi-report.html
House Democrats on Monday moved to pre-empt the findings of a two-year Republican-led investigation into the attacks in Benghazi, Libya, in which four Americans were killed, by issuing their own 339-page report that cast the inquiry as a politically motivated crusade that wasted time and money. . . .

http://prospect.org/article/why-britain-likely-remain-eu
Why Britain Is Likely to Remain in the E.U.

Bonus item: John Oliver on Brexit because, well, of course

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/06/27/john-oliver-loses-it-over-brexit-there-are-no-fucking-do-overs.html

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL: http://pbd.blogspot.com

I don’t get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don’t run ads, etc.). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a “mission,” it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***