Welcome to THE TRAIL 2016, your daily rundown from The Hill on all the latest news in the White House, Senate and House races.
Orlando’s massacre has resulted in some unexpected maneuvers concerning gun control, an issue President Obama and presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton have been pushing for some time.
As Democrats took over the floor of the Senate today to call for tougher gun control laws, presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump said he was going to meet with the National Rifle Association to discuss barring “people on the terrorist watch list, or the no fly list, to buy guns.”
Meantime, vulnerable Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) took to the floor — a day after his Democratic opponent Katie McGinty said Toomey had “failed the test of leadership” on gun safety — urging for compromise between Democratic and Republican-backed bills.
Clinton, meanwhile, took credit for Trump’s call to prevent suspected terrorists from purchasing firearms and emphasized that it’s been an issue she’s “been talking about for a long time.”
Check back tonight for a story from The Hill’s Jonathan Easley and Amie Parnes about embattled Democratic National Committee chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s role in the party with Clinton as the standard bearer.
And come back tomorrow morning for stories about Trump’s rough start in the general election and a look at five states that could unexpectedly be battlegrounds for Clinton and Trump.
RACE TO 1600 PENN
THE DNCLINTON: The Hill’s Amie Parnes reports: The majority of Hillary Clinton’s campaign staff has transitioned immediately to the payroll at the Democratic National Committee, two sources familiar with the change tell The Hill. The moves signals that general election season has officially begun for Clinton and that the DNC is shifting its focus to November even as Bernie Sanders remains in the Democratic primary.
UNIONS FOR HILLARY: The Hill’s Jonathan Swan and Mike Lillis report: Local union leaders across the Rust Belt are voicing confidence that their members will stick with Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump in the race for the White House.
SECRET MEMO: The Hill’s Ben Kamisar reports: Donald Trump tweeted a link to an article that claims President Obama has indirectly supported the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, standing behind his remarks earlier this week that Obama might sympathize with terrorists.
PRIMARY WINNERS AND LOSERS: The Hill’s Niall Stanage reports: Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have emerged as the presumptive nominees of the two major parties. But it’s been a long and winding road to get here. Whose star has risen, and whose luster has dimmed?
PRIMETIME LIBERTARIANS: The Hill’s Jessie Hellmann reports: CNN will host a primetime town hall with the Libertarian ticket for president, Gary Johnson and his running mate Bill Weld next week.
ODDS AND ENDS:
VP CHATTER:The Hill’s Jesse Byrnes reports: Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), a top vice presidential prospect, dodged questions on Wednesday on whether Hillary Clinton’s campaign has been in touch about being her running mate.
TOP DEMS SPLIT OVER WARREN: The Hill’s Alexander Bolton and Amie Parnes report: Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has urged Hillary Clinton to select Elizabeth Warren as her vice presidential nominee, but the idea doesn’t have buy-in from his deputy, Sen. Charles Schumer.
BORDER FENCE BRAWL: The Hill’s Ben Kamisar reports: Donald Trump chided Hillary Clinton for her past support of a border fence, questioning her criticism of his signature issue of a border wall. “If you look back into history a long time ago, look at what Hillary wanted to build. It was a wall or a fence or something,” Trump said.
TRUMP OPPO LEAKED: The Hill’s Caitlin Yilek reports: More than 200 pages of what appears to be the Democratic National Committee’s opposition research on Donald Trump was leaked to Gawker, after Russian government hackers reportedly infiltrated the DNC’s computer networks.
CRUZ COMEBACK: The Hill’s Jonathan Swan reports: Texas Sen. Ted Cruz attended a confidential dinner with more than 20 top conservatives on Tuesday night to plan his comeback as a movement leader in the mold of Ronald Reagan.
POLL POSITION
DISAPPROVING RESPONSE: The Hill’s Jesse Byrnes reports: Most Americans disapprove of Donald Trump’s response to the mass shooting in Orlando over the weekend, and a wide majority oppose his proposed Muslim ban, according to a new CBS News poll.
ASSAULT WEAPONS BAN: The Hill’s Jessie Hellmann reports: A new CBS News poll shows a majority of Americans support a nationwide ban on assault weapons following the worst mass shooting in U.S. history last weekend in Orlando.
UNFAVORABILITY: The Hill’s Jesse Byrnes reports: Donald Trump is viewed unfavorably by seven in 10 Americans, according to a new national ABC News/Washington Post poll.
BADGER STATE SHOWDOWN: The Hill’s Rebecca Savransky reports: Hillary Clinton leads Donald Trump by 7 points in Wisconsin, according to a new Marquette Law School poll.
THE DAILY TRUMP
MONITOR WITH RESPECT: The Hill’s Mark Hensch reports: Donald Trump said at a Wednesday rally in Atlanta that law enforcement should treat Muslims with dignity while scrutinizing mosques for terrorist activity.
BANNED: The Hill’s Caitlin Yilek reports: Seth Meyers is banning Donald Trump from his “Late Night” show after he revoked the Washington Post’s press credential over a headline and “dishonest reporting.”
DISTANCE FROM DONALD:The Hill’s Rebecca Savransky reports: Maryland’s Republican governor Larry Hogan said Wednesday he won’t vote for Donald Trump in November.
HAWKEYE FOCUS: The Hill’s Devin Henry reports: Eric Branstad, the son of long-time Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad (R), will lead Donald Trump’s campaign in the state, the Des Moines Register reported Wednesday.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“She’s being protected, she’s being totally protected.”
— Donald Trump, saying Wednesday it’s unlikely Clinton will be indicted over her private email system she used while serving as secretary of State.
CONGRESSIONAL CAMPAIGNS
SHOULD HE STAY OR SHOULD HE GO: The Hill’s Harper Neidig reports: Sen. Marco Rubio will reconsider his decision not to run for re-election, re-opening the door to running after Florida Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera, a close friend of his, said he would end his race for the position if Rubio changes his mind. Rep. David Jolly (R-Fla.) says he’ll announce on Friday if he’ll remain in the Senate GOP primary or run for reelection in his redistricted House seat.
IS THIS THING ON?: The Hill’s Ben Kamisar reports: Rep. Charles Boustany’s (R-La.) Senate’s legislative Facebook profile apparently began to stream live video in which he and others discussed two of Boustany’s top opponents, according to the New Orleans Times-Picayune.
NARROW LEAD: The Hill’s Lisa Hagen reports: Former Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) holds a 4-point lead over vulnerable Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) in a rematch for the competitive Wisconsin Senate seat, a new poll finds.
NC RECOUNT: The Hill’s Cristina Marcos reports: Rep. Robert Pittenger (R-N.C.) faces a possible recount after winning a close race in his primary last week.
MONEY WATCH
RETURN TO THE PUBLIC: The Washington Post reports: Former President Jimmy Carter in an interview called for all elections to be publicly funded. Carter relied on public financing during the 1976 election.
WHAT WE ARE WATCHING FOR TODAY AND TOMORROW:
(All times Eastern)
Donald Trump holds a rally in Dallas at 8 p.m. on Thursday. Tonight, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump are guests on “Hannity,” which airs at 10 on Fox News.
Bernie Sanders addresses supporters by livestream on Thursday to talk about how the “revolution” goes forward.
Republican Florida Senate candidate Ron DeSantis is a guest on “Lou Dobbs Tonight” on Fox Business network, which airs at 7 p.m.
TWEET OF THE DAY
Write us with tips, suggestions and news: Jonathan Easley, Ben Kamisar, Jonathan Swan, Lisa Hagen.
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