Trump at Top of the List

"Donald Trump's immigration controversy does not seem to be hurting the real-estate developer's standing in the Republican presidential primary.
Two new polls have him in first place among registered Republican voters.
The latest poll arrived Thursday. In the Economist/YouGov poll, Trump holds 15% of the Republican vote nationally — ahead of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush's (R) 11%." msn

Bush 40 hours comment

"HUDSON, New Hampshire — Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush said Americans should have the chance to work longer hours, a remark that drew criticism from Democrats but which he said was intended to highlight that an improved U.S. economy could create more full-time jobs.

Bush told a forum hosted by the Union-Leader newspaper of Manchester that his aspiration for the country if he is elected in November 2016 would be to generate annual 4 percent economic growth

“as far as the eye can see, which means we have to be a lot more productive.”

“Workforce participation has to rise from its all-time modern lows,” Bush said. This means, he said, “that people need to work longer hours and through their productivity gain more income for their families.”

The Democratic National Committee quickly pounced on the comment as being out of touch with the concerns of ordinary Americans.

"It is easily one of the most out-of-touch comments we’ve heard so far this cycle. Jeb Bush would not fight for the middle class as president,” DNC spokeswoman Holly Shulman said in a statement.

Bush was asked about the comment by reporters after a town hall event in Hudson. He said the U.S. economy needs to grow far faster than currently to allow people to move from part-time work to full-time so they can better provide for their families." msn

Trump Trumps in North Carolina

"GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump is the leading choice among North Carolina Republican primary voters in a recent Public Policy Poll. Trump received 16 percent, while former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush received 12 percent.

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker came in tied for second with Bush at 12 percent. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee was third with 11 percent. Dr. Ben Carson got 9 percent with

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL)

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY)
.got 7 percent while Se.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX)

got six percent. Gov. Chris Christie received five percent. Carly Fiorina followed with four percent and former Texas Gov. Rick Perry had two percent.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC)

had one percent, as did Gov. Bobby Jindal, and former Sen. Rick Santorum. Gov. John Kasich and George Pataki were under one percent.

“Trump’s favorability rating in North Carolina is 55/32, much higher than we were finding in national polls prior to his entry into the race. Trump’s really caught fire with voters on the far right- 66% of ‘very conservative’ voters see him favorably to only 24% with a negative view of him. Trump is polling particularly well with younger voters (29%) and men (20%),” Public Policy Poll (PPP) reported." PPP

Carson on Sanctuary Cities

"GOP presidential candidate Ben Carson said on Tuesday that he opposes “sanctuary cities” and the

protections they offer illegal immigrants. 
Carson criticized cities for not cooperating with federal authorities on deportations, according to The Boston Herald
“No sanctuary cities,” Carson responded when asked about the policy during an event at the Bedford Village Inn in Bedford, N.H.
Carson’s remarks follow a fatal shooting last week in San Francisco that allegedly involved an undocumented immigrant.
Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez, 45, pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Tuesday to killing Kathryn Steinle, 32, on the evening of July 1.
Carson argued the same day that “sanctuary cities” like San Francisco endanger their citizens by helping criminals like Lopez-Sanchez evade justice." TheHill

What's up on Wall Street?

Chinese stocks were suffering huge declines prior to the New

York Stock Exchange shutdown due to an alleged “technical issue,” fueling concerns whether the NYSE was actually halted due to the free fall in China. InfoWars

Sanders gains on Hillary

Christie hits Paul hard

"If there is another terrorist attack against the United States, Chris Christie says Rand Paul should

be called before Congress to answer for it.

“People are really worried about ISIS, they’re worried about the threat of terrorism, and that’s why what Rand Paul has done to make this country weaker and more vulnerable is a terrible thing. And for him to raise money off of it? It’s disgraceful,” the New Jersey governor and Republican presidential candidate said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” Monday. “He should be in hearings in front of Congress if there’s another attack, not the director of the FBI or the director of the CIA.”

The Kentucky senator and fellow GOP hopeful has been one of the most vocal opponents of the National Security Agency’s controversial collection of telephone metadata, recently leading a successful push in the Senate that resulted in the temporary expiration of surveillance programs approved under the Patriot Act. Paul’s campaign proudly sells his cheekily branded “NSA spy cam blockers” among the merchandise on its website." yahoo

Hillary Campaign in Trouble?

"One expert believes Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign is "sinking like a rock."

During an appearance on Newsmax TV's "Newsmax Prime," John Zogby of Zogby Analytics tells host J.D. Hayworth Clinton's stock is plummeting.

"Both her and her campaign are in trouble," Zogby says. "The very fact that there was a modest sort of acknowledgement of that really should reflect the fact that it's a much bigger problem. Not only for her, but for the party at this point and time. She is frankly sinking like a rock."

Zogby doesn't think Sanders will be the Democratic nominee for president, however.

           

"Bernie Sanders is playing the would-be Elizabeth Warren role. He is the progressive with flesh and bones," Zogby says. "Essentially, he's not a very appealing persona."

"It is the progressive wing of the Democratic Party and right now they see an alternative to Hillary and that's what he is. An alternative to Hillary and already he's increasing his support. Will he be the nominee? Oh, probably not. Will he go to the end? Probably not. What you'll see sooner rather than later is somebody jumping into the race that can really not only electrify that base of the party, but give Hillary the real run and she should be worried."

Zogby adds that Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State John Kerry are two names who may throw themselves into the campaign.

Zogby also discussed Republican candidate Donald Trump during the segment, saying the real estate mogul is "not a serious candidate." Newsmax

Jimmy Carter Swipe at Hillary

"Former President Jimmy Carter said Tuesday that 2016 Democratic presidential front-runner

Hillary Clinton hasn’t yet "proven" to be as adept a politician as her husband.
The former Democratic president said last year that Clinton "took very little action" for peace as secretary of State, instead praising her successor John Kerry's efforts.
Carter, 90, suggested Tuesday that he was withholding support from Clinton amid her nascent 2016 White House bid, noting unforeseen world circumstances can change the political landscape." TheHill

Sanders crowd in Portland, Maine

"Bernie Sanders had another huge political campaign rally last night. This one was in Portland,

Maine, a city of just over 66,000 residents.
Alex Seitz-Wald, an MSNBC reporter, noted the crowd size on Twitter. "Official crowd count, per @BernieSanders campaign: 7,500, below some estimates for Portland event," wrote the reporter. "Portland has 66,000 residents." msn

Fiorina Upswing

“In total, Carly has raised over $1.4 million in hard dollars toward the primary alone. We won’t raise

as much as others at this early stage of our campaign, but we will raise what we need to go the distance,” Sadler stated.
In just 63 days campaigning, Fiorina has made it to 15 different states and is currently in New Hampshire with 13 events on her schedule there.
Sadler also pointed out the growth seen in recent polls, as Fiorina continues to climb. He said:

NBC News and the Wall Street Journal surveyed Republican primary voters nationwide and found more than half didn’t know Carly’s name and only 17 percent could see themselves supporting her as the Republican nominee for president. Less than 45 days later, that same poll found that Carly had cut her name ID deficit by 14 points and had almost doubled the support of her candidacy. She now consistently ranks among the top 10 Republican presidential contenders.

A recent CNN/WMUR poll found Fiorina tied for fifth place in New Hampshire.
“Just 60 days after Carly announced that she is running for President of the United States, the momentum is real. We are building a movement day by day, speech by speech, interview by interview. As Carly has said time and time again: Don’t underestimate her,” Sadler concluded." Breitbart

Cruz on Trump Controversy

"CHUCK TODD, MEET THE PRESS: Let's bring up Donald Trump. You defended him. Your former governor, Rick Perry, has criticized him. You've had an experience with plenty of Mexican immigrants in Texas. Are they-- are these immigrants that are coming into Texas what Donald Trump describes? Are they drug dealers, rapists, and such?

SEN. TED CRUZ: Listen, I am a passionate advocate for legal immigrants. I am the son of an

immigrant who came legally from Cuba. And I'll tell you, from the day I started campaigning, I traveled the state of Texas, talking about how all of us, we are the children of those who risked everything for freedom. That that immigrant experience of all of us is what makes us Americans, because we value in our DNA liberty and opportunity above all else.

Now, when it comes to Donald Trump, I like Donald Trump. He's bold, he's brash. And I get that-- that-- that it seems the favorite sport of the Washington media is to encourage some Republicans to attack other Republicans. I ain't gonna do it. I'm not interested in Republican on Republican violence.

CHUCK TODD: Rhetoric matters.

TED CRUZ: You know--

CHUCK TODD: Doesn't rhetoric matter?

TED CRUZ: I salute Donald Trump for focusing on the need to address illegal immigration. The Washington cartel doesn't want to address that. The Washington cartel doesn't believe we need to secure the borders. The Washington cartel supports amnesty and I think amnesty's wrong. And I salute Donald Trump for focusing on it. He has a colorful way of speaking. It's not the way I speak. But I'm not gonna engage in the media's game of throwing rocks and attacking other Republicans. I'm just not gonna do it." RCP

Christie Repsonse to BRIDGEGATE

"A "Morning Joe" panelist asked N.J. Gov. Chris Christie a question this morning about the cultural

attitudes which existed in the state government when "Bridgegate" happened. Was Christie's office the sort of place where "the subliminal message is we will do whatever it takes... even if that means shutting down bridges"?

Gov. Christie responds that that sort of thinking is "the refuge" for people who are disappointed to discover he didn't do anything wrong. In fact, Christie suggests that the media should feel "sorry for having prejudged this." RCP

NYT Admits False story about Walker

"Jonathan Martin at the New York Times admits that Breitbart News caught a false article claiming that Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker privately backpedaled on a tough immigration stance–characterizing the Republican presidential candidate’s view of such policies as “nativist.”" Breitbart

America coming apart at the seams

"Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably seen that America is being torn apart. Fundamental principles and common sense are being destroyed. Up is down, down is up, and two plus two suddenly equals five. People are losing their jobs because they stand up for religious principles. Politicians espouse whatever stance on is popular at the moment. Gun rights and freedom of speech are attacked at every opportunity. When will it stop?

Freedom of religion, religious institutions in some cases have been forced against their doctrine to provide birth control, contraception, and even abortion. Have you heard the latest on Steve Green’s place? Hobby Lobby. Hobby Lobby may have to close. Because the government is going after them again. And they just came out and said, we may not be able to stay open this time. Hobby Lobby! So don’t tell me we have freedom of religion. People are being forced to provide services for ceremonies in which they conscientiously object. It’s called a conscientious objector. We’ve always had that, that carve-out in the Constitution. If your God tells you I can’t do that, you don’t do it, and no one can force you to do it. 

But now, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, two ministers who operate church threatened with arrest for not performing a gay wedding ceremony. Arrest, jail time!" GlennBeck

Trump goes after Bush's wife

"Donald Trump appears to have deleted a tweet he quoted that made questionable comments about

Jeb Bush and his wife.

On July 4th, Trump quoted another users tweet which claimed to know why Bush likes “Mexican illegals.”

The tweet appeared to be live for 24 hours before Trump deleted it. Bush’s wife, Columbia, is Mexican." yahoo

Perry Piles on Trump

"Rick Perry has joined the chorus of current and former Republican presidential candidates

condemning Donald Trump over comments the real estate mogul made about Mexican immigrants.

“Donald Trump does not represent the Republican Party,” the former Texas governor said on ABC News’ “This Week” on Sunday. “I was offended by his remarks.”

During a speech last month launching his campaign, Trump vowed to build a wall between Mexico and the United States to keep Mexican criminals and “rapists” from crossing the border.

“They are bringing drugs, they’re bringing crime, they are rapists,” Trump said. “And some are good people.”

“Hispanics in America and Hispanics in Texas, from the Alamo to Afghanistan, have been extraordinary people, citizens of our country and of our state,” Perry said. “To paint with that broad a brush that Donald Trump did … he’s going to have to defend those remarks. I never will. And I will stand up and say that those are offensive, which they were.”" yahoo

Ron Paul dumps on Trump

"Former Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) said on Thursday that GOP presidential candidate Donald

Trump’s ‘aggressive personality’ troubles him.
“I don’t think anybody should be running the economy and that’s the whole fallacy of our last hundred years,” Paul told host Ed Berliner of Newsmax TV’s “The Hard Line.” TheHill

Romney dumps on Trump

"Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney attacked real estate mogul and 2016 GOP presidential

candidate Donald Trump on Saturday, telling a CNN reporter he thinks Trump’s remarks on illegal immigrants were a “severe error.”
“Do you think Donald Trump’s comments on Mexicans have hurt the Republican Party?” a reporter asked Romney in video carried on CNN on Saturday.
“Yes, I think he made a severe error in saying what he did about Mexican-Americans,” Romney replied. “And it’s unfortunate.”
“Do you think the candidates should speak up about that?” the reporter followed up.
“I think a number of them have,” Romney replied." CNN

Graham tears up for Biden

"Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) got emotional when talking about his friendship with Vice President Joe Biden.

In an interview with The Huffington Post published Friday, the South Carolina senator visibly choked up when talking about his relationship with Biden and the death of Biden's son Beau in June.

"He's the nicest person I think I've ever met in my whole life," Graham said." yahoo

Governor LePage endorses Christie

"Chris Christie interrupted his New Hampshire campaign swing to drive over to the Pine Tree State for a symbolic bro hug with Paul LePage, the Maine governor who finds himself in the middle of

another controversy.The Tea Party Republican won a tough re-election in 2014. He won with support from Christie, then chairman of the Republican Governors Association. LePage on Wednesday became the first sitting governor to endorse a presidential hopeful. Christie said he was honored for the support. He didn’t just stop there — he came to LePage’s defense against allegations LePage resorted to blackmail against Maine House Speaker Mark Eves." ManchesterUnionLeader

Sanders draws 10,000

Sanders Draws 10,000 In Wisconsin, Support For ‘Revolution’ Doubles In Iowa

"Speaking to largest crowd any campaign for president has yet seen, the field's most progressive candidate says "a grassroots movement of millions of people" must overcome power of "handful of wealthy campaign contributors." Quinnipiac poll released on Thursday morning shows his campaign continuing to close the gap with frontrunner Clinton. According to the survey, Sanders is now is receiving support from 33 percent of likely Democratic caucus participants compared to Clinton’s 55 percent. That distance is remarkably smaller now than it was in early May when Clinton enjoyed a 45-percentage point advantage.  MintPress

Trump picked up

"The Miss USA pageant, left without a TV home following blowback against co-owner Donald

Trump over his comments on Mexican immigrants, has been rescued by the Reelz channel.

Reelz CEO Stan E. Hubbard said in a statement Thursday that the cable and satellite channel acquired the rights because of a belief that the pageant and the women who compete in it "are an integral part of American tradition."

"As one of only a few independent networks, we decided to exercise our own voice and committed ourselves to bringing this pageant to American viewers everywhere," Hubbard said.

While Reelz, which reaches 70 million homes, said it considered the interests of Miss USA contestants, the host city of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and viewers in making its decision, it made no mention of Trump or the hot water he's found himself in since he announced his presidential bid in June.

In an interview, Hubbard said the pageant is the issue, not Trump. He said the billionaire won't make any money off the telecast." yahoo

Christie hits Trump

"Gov. Chris Christie (R-N.J.) said on Thursday that Donald Trump had crossed the line by

repeatedly criticizing Mexico’s impact on the U.S. immigration system.
“The comments were inappropriate and have no place in this race,” Christie said of Trump’s remarks in Nashua, N.H.
Trump sparked outrage by deriding Hispanic immigrants during his formal campaign launch on June 16. “They’re sending people who have a lot of problems,” he said at Trump Tower in New York City.
“They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists,” Trump added. “And some, I assume, are good people.”" TheHill

Webb In!!!

"Democrat Jim Webb, the former Virginia senator, jumped into the presidential race with an email

announcing his candidacy on Thursday afternoon.
“I understand the odds, particularly in today’s political climate where fair debate is so often drowned out by huge sums of money,” Webb wrote in the roughly 2,000-word email. “I know that more than one candidate in this process intends to raise at least a billion dollars – some estimates run as high as two billion dollars – in direct and indirect financial support.”" Politico