| Exactly 180 days from tonight, we'll know who will be the next president of these United States. (Probably.) The last time we gave the Oval Office to a first-time elected official was more than six decades ago, and the last time we gave it to a Clinton was more than two presidents ago, so one of those streaks is about to end (barring a sudden, drastic increase in Bernmentum, of course). |
| Speaking of, we have 154 editions of For the Record left before Election Day. We'll give you more electoral twists and turns than a no-highways Spokane-to-Tallahassee road trip. Buckle up! |
| 'We know him from work. We think you guys would be great together' |
| The most awkward blind date in America is happening today between Donald Trump and Paul Ryan. "You two will really hit it off, seriously," say nervous Republicans looking to close ranks against Hillary Clinton this fall. Presumably both Trump and Ryan spent the last several days Facebook-stalking each other to try to find something they have in common. |
| What's so significant about it? Ryan is the de facto leader of the Republican establishment (a job with a higher turnover rate than the graveyard shift at a drive-thru) but thus far, he has refused to endorse Trump's candidacy . Presuming that 1) Trump wins the presidency, and 2) Ryan retains the speakership, these guys will be working together on the Republican agenda. It might be a good idea at some point for them to agree on what that agenda actually is. |
| Who has the upper hand in all this? We're going to go with "neither." Ryan's popularity in his home state of Wisconsin tops Trump's by quite a bit, so it's not likely his lack of support for Trump will lose him his seat in Congress. (His role as speaker is another matter altogether.) Trump, for his part, says it would be great to get on the same page as Ryan, but he doesn't need Ryan's blessing to win the White House. Mutual friends should clear their schedules this evening for the inevitable post-date phone calls. |
| 'So many issues,' Bernie muttered while staring off into the distance |
| Bernie Sanders spoke with MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell and emphasized his belief that the American people want to talk about his key issues - income inequality, health care, et al. - instead of scandal, even though "there are many issues" where he could have attacked Clinton. "Those are the issues that I talk about, not Bill Clinton's personal life, not Hillary Clinton's emails, not the Clinton Foundation," Sanders said, naming three issues that he steadfastly refuses to talk about ... issues that perhaps could have narrowed the race over the past few months. Bernie somehow continued the interview despite Little Texas blaring in his headspace. |
| Meanwhile, the FBI continues to be neither sick nor tired of Clinton's damn emails, but the investigation is "not tethered to any external deadline," including the looming Democratic convention, FBI Director James Comey said Wednesday. The convention opens in 74 days, for anyone keeping track of such things. |
| One of the hidden perks: Everyone will refer to you as 'the sane one' |
| The latest updates on who does and does not want to be associated with Trump for the next six months, the rest of their natural lives, and quite probably in their obituaries: |
| Former Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer: Trump called her "fantastic" on Fox News yesterday; Brewer says she's "willing" to appear on a national ticket with Trump. |
| U.S. Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN): A spokesman said Corker "has no reason to believe he is being considered for vice president," which doesn't sound like a "no" to us. |
| Indiana Gov. Mike Pence: "I have no interest in that," said the man who has managed to endorse two different Republicans for president in less than two weeks. But one of them was Trump, so that's a plus. |
| U.S. Sen. Dan Coats (R-IN): Through a spokesman, Coats says he's "spending the summer at Wrigley Field cheering on the Cubs." Six months of campaign stops across the country, or drinking an Old Style in the Wrigley bleachers ... decisions, decisions. |
| More from the campaign trail |
| • | Trump says his Supreme Court nominee will overturn Roe v. Wade, investigate Hillary's email and - if they have time - teach Trump what Supreme Court justices actually do (USA TODAY OnPolitics, Politico) | | • | Sanders draws thousands of humans, zero birds to an Oregon rally Tuesday night (Statesman Journal) | | • | Ben & Jerry's co-founder in Louisville to support Bernie, promote new 'Mathe-Mint-ically Improbable' flavor (Louisville Courier-Journal) | | • | Colorado Legislature can't agree on which party hates caucuses more, so they're keeping them for now (The Coloradoan) | |
| Take it slow, Paul Ryan |
| "I mean, look at Chris Christie. He rushed right in to endorse, and now everywhere he goes is a walk of shame." |
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