MORNING MESSAGE
On
Monday, Donald Trump talked about the economy on television for an hour. That
may have exceeded the graduate-level curriculum at Trump University. But the
biggest lesson I learned is that Trump contradicts himself more, and becomes
more typically Republican, with every passing day.
Trump's ECONOMIC SPEECH ATTACKED ON ALL SIDES
Trump
economic speech fact-challenged. AP: “He wrongly accused Hillary Clinton of
proposing to increase middle-class taxes and blamed crumbling roads and bridges
on money spent on refugees … He overstated the corporate tax burden and declared
the jobless rate … a hoax.”
EPI’s
Larry Mishel trashes speech: “Donald Trump fashions himself a populist, but
his economic plan just recycles the failed policies of deregulation and massive
tax cuts for the rich and corporations … There was nothing in Trump’s policy
agenda that would ensure that wage growth will be generated by economic
growth.”
Republican
economist Douglas Holtz-Eakin calls Trump speech “a hot mess” on MSNBC:
“He’s saying, for example, we’re going to tax those carried interests for the
first time. But the rate at which he’s going to tax them is lower than the rate
at which they’re currently being taxed, so he’s actually cutting the tax on
carried interest.”
“Trump’s
child care plan won’t help poor families” says Politico’s Danny Vinik:
“…Trump is proposing a tax deduction, not a tax credit—and that’s a problem …
Millions of low-income Americans—the families most likely to be unable to afford
child care—don’t pay any income taxes. They won’t see any benefit from Trump’s
new proposal.”
Republicans
unsettled by Trump infrastructure promises. The Atlantic: “Trump’s devotion
to infrastructure draws criticism even from his own economic advisers …
[Stephen] Moore ripped Trump’s comments on infrastructure in an op-ed for the
Washington Times … congressional Republicans have largely kept quiet about
Trump’s promises to spend big on roads, rails, and bridges. House Speaker Paul
Ryan … has responded with the rhetorical equivalent of a brush-off … [However,]
Trump hasn’t released a detailed infrastructure plan…”
Trump
won’t name bundlers. Politico: “Trump has scheduled a blitz of fundraisers
across the country in the coming weeks … including one at the home of
billionaire Bill Koch, the lesser-known brother of Charles and David … It is a
sharp departure from the primary, when Trump claimed he couldn’t be bought …
[And] it is Clinton who is more open about her own finances and where the money
is coming from.”
Libertarian
Gary Johnson touts national sales tax. Roll Call: “Johnson made clear … that
he hoped his sales tax plan would attract voters and entice endorsements from
uncommitted GOP elected officials and donors … Johnson calls for replacing the
income tax with a 28 percent national sales tax on goods and services, and says
his blueprint is revenue neutral and includes incentives for low-income
families.”
CLINTON MOVES INTO RED TERRITORY
Clinton
campaign moves into AZ and GA. W. Post: “Representatives of Hillary
Clinton’s campaign phoned state Democratic leaders in Arizona and Georgia on
Monday night to alert them of plans to begin transferring funds to hire more
field organizers in those states … Polls in both states … show a tightening race
… And the money could also help promote down-ballot candidates in Arizona and
Georgia.”
Trump
weak in Utah. NYT: “…a large Mormon population with a strong distaste for
Mr. Trump has left the state up for grabs, and with a substantial Mormon
presence spilling into places such as Arizona, Idaho and Nevada, what would
normally be a Republican safe zone could be surprisingly competitive … [Gary]
Johnson, whose campaign headquarters is in Salt Lake City, has been returning
regularly … the Clinton campaign has staff on the ground in Utah, and it is
dispatching former President Bill Clinton to the state for a fund-raising event
this week…”
OBAMACARE MAKING PEOPLE HEALTHIER
New
data shows improving health after Obamacare. NYT: “A new study, published
Monday in JAMA Internal Medicine, offers another way of looking at the issue.
Low-income people in Arkansas and Kentucky, which expanded Medicaid insurance to
everyone below a certain income threshold, appear to be healthier than their
peers in Texas, which did not expand.”
Louisiana
embraces Obamacare. Boston Globe: “Last January, Louisiana voters elected
John Bel Edwards governor (the only Democrat governor in the Deep South). On
just his second day in office he signed an executive order that made Louisiana
the 31st state to expand Medicaid, which is a crucial part of Obamacare … Though
applications for the new Medicaid benefit did not begin until June, already
265,723 Louisianians have signed up.”
BREAKFAST SIDES
Class
gap emerges with paid family leave. American Prospect: “…it’s far more
common in the lucrative tech and finance industries and in the liberal coastal
states [to] such policies. But those who are working blue-collar jobs or in the
South are far less likely to have access to paid time off to care for newborns
or sick loved ones … only about 12 percent of American workers had access to
paid family leave.”
Speaker
Paul Ryan faces primary tonight. AP: “[Opponent] Paul Nehlen’s star rose
after Trump praised him last week on Twitter, then later pointedly withheld his
endorsement of Ryan. Trump relented just three days later … He ran well to
Ryan’s right, accusing Ryan of betraying Trump and favoring a ‘globalist agenda’
of disastrous trade deals and porous borders.”
Progressive
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