Trump Touts A 'Red Wave' But Should GOP Batten Down The Hatches?

After move against John Brennan and talk that Bruce Ohr is next, Trump’s revocation gambit puts him on collision course with national security world [NPR Politics]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [President Trump departs the White House on Tuesday in Washington, D.C., headed to a rally in Florida.]( Renee Klahr/NPR The Big Picture: Red Or Blue Wave? Signs Point One Way [President Trump again boasted of a “Red Wave!” this week](. But, as the primary season begins to wrap up, let’s take a look at which way the undercurrents are really flowing: [Democratic enthusiasm is high](. Democratic turnout continues to outpace that of Republicans, [even in places the GOP is hoping to contest in November](. And Democrats are overperforming in special elections, [which have been predictive of election success in the past](. President Trump and Republicans rightly point out that they’ve won eight of nine of those House special elections. But those races have all been in Trump Country. And [now Democrats are going after Republicans on scandals and ethics]( something that [helped them regain control of the House in 2006](. Trump has been the one constant this year. His numbers have been static, and polling suggests he’s [turned off independents]( and [suburban women]( who are key to winning many of the swing districts that will determine control of the House. After the 2016 presidential election, a lot of analysts are rightly reserving judgment, but the primary season has shown the signs are pointing in a clear direction. — Domenico Montanaro, NPR's lead political editor --------------------------------------------------------------- [President Trump departs the White House on Tuesday in Washington, D.C., headed to a rally in Florida.]( Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images ICYMI: Top Stories D.C. awaits jury verdict in Manafort trial: Jurors have not yet handed down a verdict in the tax and bank fraud trial of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort. [Prosecutors concluded their arguments earlier this week]( after 10 days of testimony and more than two dozen witnesses. NPR’s Miles Parks, Carrie Johnson and Ryan Lucas report that Manafort’s defense team [rested their case without calling any witnesses]( including Manafort himself. In closing arguments, [prosecutors sought to simplify the complex financial case against Manafort]( while the defense argued the government had not sufficiently proven beyond a reasonable doubt that he broke the law. Kavanaugh’s work on Starr investigation: In 1994, Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh was a lawyer working on independent counsel Ken Starr’s investigation of then-President Bill Clinton. [NPR’s Tamara Keith reports]( that while Kavanaugh had a major role in the probe, he also expressed serious doubts about whether an independent counsel was the best way to investigate a president — and later on, whether or not a president should even be subject to a criminal investigation while in office. Are White House nondisclosure agreements legal?: Former White House aide Omarosa Manigault Newman went public this week with the nondisclosure agreement she refused to sign when she was fired from her post. NPR’s Peter Overby and Brett Neely report that while White House press secretary Sarah Sanders misleadingly asserted that such agreements are normal, [the broad agreements likely wouldn’t hold up in court](. The agreement came to light as Manigault Newman promotes her new book about her time in the Trump White House, [for which Trump has attacked her]( as “a loser” and labeled her “vicious.” Fact-checking White House black employment claims: Press secretary Sarah Sanders was [forced to apologize this week after wildly misstating the level of job gains by African-Americans under former President Barack Obama](. Sanders claimed in a press briefing that Obama created just 195,000 jobs for African-Americans during his presidency. But as NPR’s Scott Horsley reports, 2.9 million more African-Americans had jobs by the time Obama left the White House. Sanders later issued a rare and grudging apology on Twitter: "I'm sorry for the mistake. But no apologies for the 700,000 jobs for African Americans created under President Trump." Kavanaugh fight rages on: [Senate Democrats threatened to sue the National Archives this week]( to obtain documents from Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s time as a White House official, NPR’s Kelsey Snell reports. The move comes as activists launch [a massive campaign to pressure vulnerable Democratic senators]( ahead of Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearings. NPR’s Sarah McCammon reports that millions of dollars of ads and activists have flooded the states of moderate senators trying to hold onto their seats in November. Dem stresses independence in Trump Country: [Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp is one of the most vulnerable senators up for re-election in November]( — and her future may depend on how closely she can align herself with President Trump without angering her fellow Democrats. NPR’s Kelsey Snell reports the North Dakota Democrat is stressing her independence as she runs for another term in a state Trump won by more than 35 points in 2016. — Brandon Carter, NPR Politics social media producer --------------------------------------------------------------- [President Trump departs the White House on Tuesday in Washington, D.C., headed to a rally in Florida.]( Pool/Getty Images The Russia Imbroglio: Trump Moves Against Brennan President Trump made good on his threat to [revoke the security clearance held by former CIA Director John Brennan]( this week, escalating the politics of the Russia imbroglio in an important way. Trump, whether or not this was his intention, has demoted Brennan from what lawyers might call a "fact witness" to a simple critic. [The president also has singled out his next target in the new campaign of clearance-pulling]( Justice Department lawyer Bruce Ohr, a lesser-known player in the Russia saga whom Republicans accuse of trying to conceal his ties to the author of [the infamous Russia dossier](. First, Brennan. He has become an unsparing critic of the president, one especially dangerous because of the perception — one Brennan cultivates — that he knows something secret about the president based on his tenure as head of the CIA. [Here was Brennan on Twitter]( for example, back in March, faulting Trump for the way his administration handled the case of former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe: When the full extent of your venality, moral turpitude, and political corruption becomes known, you will take your rightful place as a disgraced demagogue in the dustbin of history. You may scapegoat Andy McCabe, but you will not destroy America ... America will triumph over you. Brennan's clear implication: There are things to be known about Trump and when they are known, game over. Further implication: I, John Brennan, a long-serving national security leader with deep awareness of America's official secrets, know these things. This, quite clearly, got to Trump. He has become the first president to use his near-plenary power over security clearances to revoke one based, by his own admission, on the speech of the holder. There are serious implications for the national security world. In terms of the political duel with Brennan, however, Trump may have scored an important short-term victory. [Read the full imbroglio update on NPR.org](. Briefly: - Former intel chiefs: [White House using security clearances as a "political tool"]( - [Rep. Cummings demands explanation]( for stripping ex-CIA chief's security clearance - [Trump revokes clearance of ex-CIA boss Brennan]( puts other critics on notice - [Paul Manafort case goes to jury]( after closing arguments by prosecutors and defense - [FBI fires Peter Strzok]( political lightning rod who criticized Trump - [Catch up on the previous imbroglio update here]( — Philip Ewing, NPR's national security editor --------------------------------------------------------------- [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( You received this message because you're subscribed to our Politics emails. | [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Policy]( | NPR 1111 N. CAPITOL ST. NE WASHINGTON DC 20002 [NPR]