The Edge: Staff Writer for President
Today in One Paragraph
Donald Trump defended a January fundraiser for veterans groups in response to pressure from the press. Bill Kristol is reportedly considering National Review staff writer David French for a last-minute independent presidential run. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other Republican senators are encouraging Marco Rubio to hang on to his Senate seat. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled against the Obama administration in a wetlands-development case, and declined to hear a case challenging the death penalty’s constitutionality. The State Department issued a travel alert warning Americans traveling to Europe about the risk of terror attacks. And North Korea attempted to launch another missile.
Top News
Trump’s Follow-Through. The presumptive GOP nominee said he gave $5.6 million to veterans groups during a news conference, after announcing that he had raised $6 million in January. Trump released a list of the groups that received the money and scolded the press for questioning him. “The press should be ashamed of themselves,” Trump said, referring to months of pressure from news outlets to release details on where the fundraising money had gone. (Jose A. DelReal and David A. Fahrenthold, The Washington Post)
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A Surprise Candidate? Bill Kristol, the editor of the Weekly Standard, is attempting to recruit National Review staff writer David French to enter the 2016 presidential race, sources told Bloomberg. Kristol tweeted on Sunday that an “impressive” independent candidate was about to enter the race, and in the Standard’s June 6 issue, he floated French’s name, among others, saying he would be “a better and a more responsible president than Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump.” Sources say French has not decided whether to run. (Mark Halperin and John Heilemann, Bloomberg)
Run, Marco, Run. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on MSNBC’s Morning Joe that he and other Republicans are “doing everything we can to encourage” the former presidential contender to keep his Senate seat. The deadline to enter the Senate race is June 24, and so far, the Florida senator has remained firm in his pledge not to seek reelection. (Russell Berman, The Atlantic)
Terror Risk in Europe. The U.S. Department of State issued a travel warning to Europe-bound Americans due to the risk of terrorism, particularly at crowded summer events like the European Soccer Championship in France and the Catholic Church’s World Youth Day in Poland. The State Department regularly issues travel advisories to Americans headed abroad, but this is only the third time it’s listed Europe as potentially dangerous in 20 years. (BBC News)
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At the Supreme Court. The justices unanimously ruled that landowners can take the government to court to challenge decisions made by federal regulators that protect land against development. In a separate case, they decided not to hear a challenge to the death penalty which would have proposed that the practice constitutes unconstitutional “cruel and unusual punishment.” (Bloomberg; Reuters)
A Failed Missile Launch. North Korea attempted to launch another test missile but was unsuccessful, the South Korean military said. Reports said the missile was shot off the eastern coast of the country and flew for a few seconds before exploding. It’s the latest in a series of missile tests from the country, and the chief of public affairs for the South Korea Joint Chiefs of Staff said the military is “bracing for possibilities of additional provocations.” (KJ Kwon and Katie Hunt, CNN)
Tomorrow in One Paragraph. Hillary Clinton will campaign in New Jersey and Massachusetts, while Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders hold rallies in California.
Follow stories throughout the day with our new Politics & Policy page. And keep on top of the campaign with our 2016 Distilled election dashboard.
Top Read
“Her pathological desire for privacy is at the root of the never-ending email saga, to name just one example. But how do you convince a woman whose entire career taught her to be defensive and secretive that the key to her political success might just be to lay all her cards on the table and trust that she’ll be treated fairly?” New York Magazine’s Rebecca Traister on Hillary Clinton.
Top Lines
Off the Rails. From his temperament to his inexperience in matters of national security, Donald Trump has shattered seven of America's accepted political norms. (David Frum, The Atlantic)
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What Do Protesters Want? Students across the United States are engaged in a culture war—the likes of which hasn’t been seen since the 1960s. But what is the movement’s aim? (Jack Dickey, Time)
Resentment Is a Two-Way Street. The popular resentment that Donald Trump has been able to tap into isn’t just about getting people upset about their own circumstances. He’s also been able to stoke justified anger at the smugness of the cozy world of the elite “establishment.” (Victor Davis Hanson, National Review)
Top View
Virginia Is for Voters. In April, Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe restored voting rights to more than 200,000 convicted felons. In this short video, The Atlantic’s Vann Newkirk explains why it matters.
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-Written by Elaine Godfrey (@elainejgodfrey)
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This article was originally published on The Atlantic.
