Welcome to THE TRAIL 2016, your daily rundown from The Hill on all the latest news in the White House, Senate and House races.
Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are getting straight to the point.
A day after Trump featured the women who have accused Bill Clinton of sexual assault in a campaign ad, the likely GOP nominee got further into the dirt, raising the specter of Vince Foster.
Trump said there’s something “very fishy” surrounding the 1993suicide of the top aide to Bill Clinton, insinuating that the Clintons may have had something to do with it.
That earned Trump the rebuke of Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid, who called the attack “desperate,” and CNN anchor Jake Tapper, who called the remarks “shameful.”
It doesn’t appear that anything will be off-limits for Trump as he seeks to take down Clinton.
Hillary Clinton is swinging back hard, drawing attention to remarks Trump made in 2006 in which he said he’d profit off a housing market crash.
Clinton hammered Trump for the remarks at an event in Los Angeles, and her campaign released a video doing the same.
Bernie Sanders will continue to make noise in the Democratic primary, but it appears the general election battle of heavyweights is underway.
Check back at The Hill tonight and into the morning for news and analysis.
The Hill’s Alexander Bolton will take a look at whether embattled DNC chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz can unify the party.
The Hill’s energy and environment reporters, Timothy Cama and Devin Henry will have a story on Trump’s efforts to make inroads with the fossil fuel industry.
And Niall Stanage will report on Green Party nominee Jill Stein looking to leave her mark on the race during a cycle when the two major party front-runners are historically unpopular.
And Jonathan Easley will have a profile of the young GOP operative in charge of running the RNC.
RACE TO 1600 PENN
NEVER GIVE UP: The Hill’s Harper Neidig reports: Bernie Sanders’s campaign has requested a recanvassing of the Kentucky primary, which Hillary Clinton won narrowly.
BLAME GAME: The Hill’s Amie Parnes reports: Hillary Clinton’s allies are blaming Bernie Sanders for her bad poll numbers against Donald Trump.
BAD TIMING: The Hill’s Ben Kamisar reports: Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe is seeking to distance himself from a federal investigation into his campaign contributions from his ties to the Clinton family.
RAMPING UP: The Hill’s Alexander Bolton reports: Bernie Sanders is stepping up his attacks against Hillary Clinton down the home stretch.
FORK IN THE ROAD: The Hill’s Jesse Byrnes reports: An ad from Bernie Sanders is calling on the Democratic Party to take a “new direction.”
HOARDING: The Hill’s Jesse Byrnes reports: John Kasich is instructing his delegates to stick with him at the convention.
CONVENTION MADNESS: The Hill’s Ben Kamisar reports: The Cleveland Cavaliers’ are marching toward the NBA Finals, creating a headache for the GOP, which needs the Cavs arena for its convention in July.
ODDS AND ENDS:
DODGE, PART I: The Hill’s Rebecca Savransky reports: Rush Limbaugh avoided endorsing Donald Trump on Tuesday.
DODGE, PART II: The Hill’s Rebecca Savransky reports: Ohio Gov. John Kasich says he’s not ready to endorse Donald Trump for president unless the presumptive GOP nominee adopts values more like his own.
DODGE, PART III: The Hill’s Mark Hensch reports: Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) is defending Hillary Clinton’s decision to decline a debate invitation with Bernie Sanders in her home state.
BACK AWAY SLOWLY: The Hill’s Jordain Carney reports: Harry Reid thinks it’s time to “lay off” Bernie Sanders a little bit.
BACK TO WORK: The Hill’s Jesse Byrnes reports: Jeb Bush is returning to the education foundation he founded.
KINGS AND QUEENS: The Hill’s Ben Kamisar reports: Bernie Sanders is pushing back against Hillary Clinton’s insistence that she’s the likely Democratic nominee, saying the U.S. isn’t a monarchy.
BLAST FROM THE PAST: The Hill’s Harper Neidig reports: The former independent counsel who oversaw the investigation that led to Bill Clinton’s impeachment is now heaping praise on him.
POLL POSITION
LIBERTARIAN RISING: According to The NM Political Report: Gary Johnson has hit double-digits in another poll, the third time he’s achieved that mark in this cycle.
THE DAILY TRUMP
HAND SIZE: The Hill’s Cristina Marcos reports: A Democrat mocked Donald Trump on the Hous e floor for having short fingers.
ASKING YOUR ENEMIES FOR HELP: The Hill’s Paulina Firozi reports: Donald Trump is asking the “dishonest media” to investigate the Clinton Foundation.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Mr. Trump is proud to pay a lower tax rate, the lowest tax rate possible…Every deduction possible. He fights for every single dollar.”
— Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski
CONGRESSIONAL CAMPAIGNS
SARCASM: The Hill’s Lisa Hagen reports: A GOP super-PAC has ‘endorsed’ Democratic National Committee chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s reelection fight against upstart challenger Tim Canova.
MONEY WATCH
BIG GAME HUNTING: The Hill’s Jonathan Swan reports: Some of the GOP establishment’s biggest donors are rallying behind Donald Trump. Trump, who has prided himself on running a self-funded campaign, says he’s only doing this because the party wants him to.
WHAT WE ARE WATCHING FOR TODAY AND TOMORROW:
(All times Eastern)
Hillary Clinton holds a campaign event in Riverside, Calif., tonight at at 8:30 p.m. On Wednesday, the episode of the “Ellen DeGeneres Show” she taped today will air on NBC. She also has two California campaign events, one in Orange County at 1:15 p.m., the other in Salinas at 5 p.m.
Bernie Sanders holds a rally in San Bernadino, Calif., today at 10 p.m. He holds two California rallies on Wednesday, in Cathedral City at 3 p.m. and in Lancaster at 10 p.m.
Donald Trump holds a rally in Albuquerque, N.M., 9 p.m. today. He holds a rally in Anaheim at 3 p.m. Wednesday and will be a guest on “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” which airs at 11:35 p.m. on ABC. Donald Trump Jr. appears on “Greta,” which airs on Fox News at 7 tonight.
TWEET OF THE DAY
Write us with tips, suggestions and news: Jonathan Easley, Ben Kamisar, Jonathan Swan, Lisa Hagen.
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