The Trail 2016: Four days and counting

by Jonathan Easley - 08/01/16 5:55 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.

The controversy over Donald Trump’s attacks against the Muslim parents of a U.S. soldier whose son was killed in Iraq continue to dominate headlines four days after Khizr Khan made his remarks at the Democratic National Convention.

Trump is arguing that the story should be about the presidential candidates’ positions on the fight against terror and radical Islam, but nothing the campaign has said has been able to squelch the controversy.

Trump’s allies have helped keep the story in the news with controversial statements of their own. Roger Stone has alleged that Khizr Khan, the father of the slain soldier, is a member of the Muslim Brotherhood and former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski claimed that Capt. Humayun Khan would still be alive had Trump been president.

Gold Star families are demanding an apology from Trump and the Veterans of Foreign Wars have denounced the remarks.

President Obama and the White House have rebuked Trump. Democrats up for election are seeking to tie their rivals to Trump, as Republicans look for separation from their party’s nominee. Trump’s advisers have chided him.

It looks like the only winner so far is the U.S. Constitution, which has rocketed up the bestseller list since being held up by Khizr Khan at the Democratic National Convention last week.

The furor has made John McCain’s life particularly tough. THe Arizona senator denounced Trump’s remarks but is still supporting him. That move has drawn the ire of both his primary challenger and his likely Democratic challenger in the general election.

Read the full timeline of events here and check back at The Hill all night and into the morning for updates on this drama as it unfolds as well as ongoing campaign coverage.

RACE TO 1600 PENN

IS THIS THE YEAR?: The Hill’s Ben Kamisar reports: Support for third party candidates is surging as voters voice their frustrations with the major party candidates.

CONSPIRACY: The Hill’s Ben Kamisar reports: Donald Trump is warning that the election is “rigged” against him.

240 DAYS AND COUNTING: The Hill’s Joe Concha reports: Hillary Clinton still has not held a press conference this year.

INTERNATIONAL INTRIGUE: The Hill’s Katie Bo Williams reports: The Kremlin said Monday that claims Russia hacked the Democratic National Committee are a cover-up intended to hide domestic manipulation of the U.S. presidential election.

ODDS AND ENDS:

PANTS ON FIRE: The Hill’s Rebecca Savransky reports: Donald Trump is looking to highlight a fact-checking article that gave Hillary Clinton “four Pinocchios” for claims she made over the weekend about her private email server.

GOODBYE, GOP: The Hill’s Jesse Byrnes reports: A top adviser to Jeb Bush has left the Republican Party and is considering voting for Hillary Clinton.

EXPECTED?: The Hill’s Jesse Byrnes reports: Hillary Clinton’s campaign manager was reluctant to say that he was surprised by emails showing Democratic National Committee officials plotting to undermine Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders’s campaign.

DON’T GET COMPLACENT: The Hill’s Jesse Byrnes reports: A former Sanders aide is warning that Donald Trump could defeat Hillary Clinton.

POLL POSITION

CONVENTION BUMP: The Hill’s Rebecca Savransky reports: Hillary Clinton has leapt to a 7-point advantage over Trump nationally.

CLOSE RACE IN PENNSYLVANIA: The Hill’s Lisa Hagen reports: Hillary Clinton has a narrow lead over Donald Trump in Pennsylvania, a key battleground state that the GOP nominee has not won in nearly 30 years.

THE DAILY TRUMP

MEDIA WARS: The Hill’s Jesse Byrnes reports: Donald Trump is going hard after CNN, calling it a “press shop” for Hillary Clinton. He’s also talking about revoking the New York Times credentials.

FIRE MARSHALL WARS: The Hill’s Ben Kamisar reports: Trump also took aim at the fire marshall at an Ohio rally, accusing him of turning away thousands of Trump supporters.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“John wouldn’t be saying this if he were running two years from now. He’d just keep his mouth shut.”

— Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani ripping John McCain for criticizing Donald Trump’s remarks about Khizr Khan.

CONGRESSIONAL CAMPAIGNS

BRIGHT SIDE: The Hill’s Reid Wilson reports: Republicans are growing confident about their chances of saving the Senate majority.

STILL KICKING: The Hill’s Ben Kamisar reports: Debbie Wasserman Schultz leads her House challenger by 8 points.

DOWN BALLOT: The Hill’s Mark Hensch reports: Marco Rubio’s Democratic rival is pressing him to respond to Trump’s controversial remarks about Khan.

MONEY WATCH

HERE COME THE KOCHS: The Hill’s Jonathan Swan reports: The Koch network is launching massive ad buys to help Republicans running for Senate.

SMALL DOLLARS ADD UP: The Hill’s Ben Kamisar reports: Donald Trump says he raised at least $35 million in July through grassroots donations.

WHAT WE ARE WATCHING FOR TODAY AND TOMORROW:

(All times Eastern)

Hillary Clinton campaigns in Omaha, Neb., at 6 p.m. on Monday.

Vice Presidential candidate Tim Kaine will attend a welcome home rally in Richmond, Va., at 7 p.m. on Monday. On Tuesday he’ll campaign in Daytona Beach, Fla., at 3 p.m.

Donald Trump will hold a rally in Mechanicsburg, Pa., at 7 p.m. on Monday. He’ll appear on Fox News Channel’s “Hannity” at 10 p.m. Monday. On Tuesday, Trump will hold a rally in Ashburn, Va., at 11 a.m.

Vice presidential candidate Mike Pence will hold a town hall in Carson City, Nev., at 6 p.m. on Monday, followed by a rally in Reno at 10 p.m. On Tuesday he’ll hold a townhall at 5 p.m. in Tucson, Arizona and another in Phoenix at 10 p.m.

TWEET OF THE DAY

Trump just said that unless he wins the general election, it will have been because it was rigged. Dangerous words.

— Eric Jotkoff (@Eric_Jotkoff) August 1, 2016