The Trail 2016: You mean there are primaries today?

by Jonathan Swan - 06/07/16 5:28 PM ET

Welcome to THE TRAIL 2016, your daily rundown from The Hill on all the latest news in the White House, Senate and House races.

In a normal America, the big news today would be tonight’s California primary and the fact that for the first time in history, a woman is being crowned the presumptive nominee of a major U.S. political party.

But we’re living in Donald Trump’s America, where no news cycle is safe from his clutches.

Hillary Clinton’s grind toward the nomination – the Associated Press declared last night she crossed the magic number of 2,383 delegates via the support of several more party insiders known as superdelegates – became a footnote today as the fallout intensified from Trump’s racially-tinged comments about a federal judge.

Republican attacks on Trump kept coming, and harder as the afternoon wore on.

House Speaker Paul Ryan said Trump’s remarks about Judge Curiel were “textbook” racism. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ordered Trump to “get on message,” and by mid-afternoon Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) said he’d never vote for Trump.

Finally, Trump backtracked. Well, sort of. Late afternoon his campaign issued a statement saying his comments about the judge’s Mexican heritage were “misconstrued,” while at the same time arguing that he is “justified in questioning whether I am receiving a fair trial” because of the judge’s rulings. Then he vowed never to speak of the case again.

It won’t be the last we hear of this story. Stay on TheHill.com late into this evening for more on Trump fallout and for that other important news (almost) buried under today’s Trump saga, including how Republican donors are reacting to his racially charged statements. There are also six primaries tonight – including the biggest delegate prize of all, California – which could finally end this long Democratic primary fight between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. Stay with TheHill.com for results and coverage of candidates’ speeches.

RACE TO 1600 PENN

FIVE THINGS FOR TONIGHT: The Hill’s Jonathan Easley reports: Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders will square off on Tuesday for the last big day of presidential primary elections. The Hill gives you the key storylines to follow.

PELOSI FOR HILLARY: The Hill’s Jesse Byrnes reports: Announcing her endorsement for maximum effect, on the morning of the California primary, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) declared her backing of Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton.

CLINTON SWINGS: The Hill’s Jonathan Easley reports:Hillary Clinton will begin campaigning in critical battleground states as she shifts her focus from the Democratic primary to a general election match-up against Republican Donald Trump.

SAYONARA SANDERS? The Hill’s Niall Stanage and Amie Parnes report: Democrats appear ready to bring the curtain down on the tumultuous primary struggle between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders — irrespective of the results Tuesday in California’s primary.

THAT’S SOME ENDORSEMENT: The Hill’s Jesse Byrnes reports: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said in an interview this week that it’s an “honest answer” to say that a general election match-up between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton represents picking the lesser of two evils.

OBAMA HANGING TIGHT: The Hill’s Jordan Fabian reports: President Obama won’t hit the campaign trail with Hillary Clinton just yet, the White House said Tuesday. Obama will be in New York City on Wednesday not far from Clinton’s headquarters, but will not be adding a campaign stop to his schedule. And an endorsement won’t necessarily come immediately.

THIS COULD TAKE A WHILE: The Hill’s Julian Hattem reports: The State Department on Tuesday defended its claim that releasing all the emails sought by the Republican National Committee (RNC) would take 75 years. “It’s not an outlandish estimation, believe it or not,” spokesman Mark Toner told reporters Tuesday.

ODDS AND ENDS:

CONSPIRACY #1: The Hill’s Harper Neidig reports: Supporters of Bernie Sanders expressed outrage and suspicion after reports of an email sent to Hillary Clinton supporters with an image labeled “secret win” surfaced shortly after The Associated Press said she had secured the Democratic presidential nomination.

CONSPIRACY #2: The Hill’s Jesse Byrnes reports: A former state chairman for Sen. Ted Cruz’s (R-Texas) presidential campaign is calling for an “insurrection” at the Republican National Convention this summer to keep Donald Trump from being nominated.

TAKING A HIT: The Hill’s Rebecca Savransky reports: A delegate for Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders was asked to step down because he faces multiple drug charges.

POLL POSITION

DEEP PURPLE? The Hill’s Jesse Byrnes reports: Donald Trump only holds a slim lead over Hillary Clinton in a three-way match-up in Utah, suggesting the deep-red state could be in play. Trump is supported by 29 percent of registered voters in Utah, according to a poll released this week from Florida-based Gravis Marketing, with Clinton follows closely at 26 percent.

NO SUNSHINE BETWEEN THEM: The Hill’s Jesse Byrnes reports: Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are neck-and-neck in Florida, according to a new poll of the likely general election matchup. Trump is supported by 41 percent of Florida voters and Clinton is supported by 40 percent in the survey from the left-leaning Public Policy Polling (PPP) released Tuesday.

FANTASY RUBIO: The Hill’s Harper Neidig reports: Florida Sen. Marco Rubio may face an uphill battle if he decides to run for reelection, according to a new poll from Public Policy Polling. in a hypothetical matchup with Rep. Patrick Murphy, the leading Democratic primary candidate, Rubio trails by 1 point, 43 to 44 percent.

THE DAILY TRUMP

THE TRUMP EFFECT: The Hill’s Harper Neidig reports: A Republican Iowa state senator is suspending his party membership to protest presumptive nominee Donald Trump. “I will not stand silent if the party of Lincoln and the end of slavery buckles under the racial bias of a bigot,” David Johnson told The Des Moines Register Tuesday.

PLAY NICE: The Hill’s Jesse Byrnes reports: Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) defended Donald Trump as a “first-time candidate” amid swirling criticism about Trump’s racially charged rhetoric. “Be nice to him, he’s a first-time candidate,” Hatch told members of the media in Washington, according to reporters, adding that Trump is “going to make mistakes.”

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“From my perspective, it’s refreshing to have someone who is willing to speak his mind.”

— New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, insisting that Donald Trump is not a racist

CONGRESSIONAL CAMPAIGNS

SEVEN PRIMARIES TO WATCH: The Hill’s Cristina Marcos reports: The main event in a slew of House primaries on Tuesday pits two North Carolina Republicans against each other. The Hill tells you the other key races to watch tonight.

TAKE IT TO THE BANK: The Tampa Bay Times reports: U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio and Florida Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera may have just ended any speculation that Rubio might still seek re-election to the U.S Senate. On June 24, Rubio is set to attend a fundraiser to help raise money for Lopez-Cantera to replace him in the U.S. Senate. That also happens to be the final day of qualifying to get on the ballot for Florida’s GOP primary.

MONEY WATCH

SILICON CLINTON: The Hill’s Megan Wilson reports: Hillary Clinton is the Democratic presidential candidate of choice among many tech industry employees, according to Federal Election Commission (FEC) data reviewed by The Hill.

SILICON PARTY: The Hill’s Megan Wilson reports:Employees at four of the nation’s largest technology companies have given the majority of their political dollars to Democratic candidates and causes, federal records show.

WHAT WE ARE WATCHING FOR TODAY AND TOMORROW:

(All times Eastern)

Hillary Clinton holds a primary night event today at Duggal Greenhouse in Brooklyn, sitet of the last Democratic debate. Doors open at 6 p.m.

Bernie Sanders holds an election night rally in Santa Monica at 1 a.m. Wednesday.

Donald Trump Will make post-election remarks at Trump National Golf Club Westchester in New York, at 9 p.m. He is scheduled to be a guest on tonight’s “Hannity,” which is scheduled to air at 10 p.m.

Tuesday’s primaries: New Jersey, South Dakota, North Dakota, New Mexico, Montana and California.

TWEET OF THE DAY

Trump translated: “When I said the Hispanic judge isn’t qualified because of his heritage, the correct construing is that I love taco bowls”

— Dick Polman (@DickPolman1) June 7, 2016