News Reporter: The Daily 202: Wisconsin focus group spotlights Clinton’s crisis of trust

Wisconsin focus group spotlights Clinton's crisis of trust

Hillary Clinton speaks yesterday at Truckee Meadows Community College in Reno, Nevada. (Carolyn Kaster/AP)

With Breanne Deppisch

THE BIG IDEA: At best Hillary Clinton is a six...

During a focus group in Milwaukee last night, a dozen Wisconsinites who have voted for both a Democrat and a Republican for president in the past 16 years lamented the choice that looms before them in November.

The room split evenly. Four leaned to Clinton, four leaned to Donald Trump and four said they were truly undecided.

The group reflected the electorate's disenchantment and lack of enthusiasm. Asked to name a scent or smell that best describes the 2016 campaign, the answers were sulfur, rotten eggs, garbage, manure and a skunk's fart. Of the eight participants who have an idea of who they'll vote for, only two raised their hand to say they are "proud" of their choice.

But everyone seemed bothered, at least to some degree, by the Democratic nominee's trustworthiness, or lack thereof. It was a major theme that came up again and again during a two-and-a-half-hour discussion.

Only one of the 12 participants said Clinton looks out for average people, and the group collectively struggled to name a single accomplishment that she can lay claim to until someone suggested health care reform – ironically one of her biggest failures.

-- Democratic pollster Peter Hart, who led the focus group, asked everyone to say a word that comes to mind when they hear Hillary's name. Three said "liar." Three others said a variation of dishonest.

Seven of the 12 said they think she is lying this week as she insists major donors to the Clinton Foundation received no special treatment while she was secretary of state. Eight said Clinton lied when she claimed to have never received nor sent any material that was marked classified on her private email server.

-- Hart, who conducted the session on behalf of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania, had everyone rate Clinton's honesty on a scale of 1 to 10. Half of the participants gave her a one, and no one gave her higher than a six. Meanwhile, almost everyone gave her close to a 10 on "competence."

Sheri LaValley – a senior I.T. compliance analyst who voted for Barack Obama both times, John Kerry in 2004 and George W. Bush in 2000 – said Clinton's lies make her "blood boil." "I just don't trust her," said LaValley, 51. "She's hiding behind a façade, and there's just so much that she's done that we don't even know. … She will not win my vote."

Beth Gramling, an undecided Democrat who voted twice for Obama and twice for Bush, also gave Clinton a one of 10 on trust. "She's a smart woman. She has the experience … but you just can't trust her," the payroll analyst said.

Colleen Gohsam, an independent who voted twice for Obama and twice for Bush, said Clinton would be "self-serving" as president but she's leaning toward voting for her anyway because "she understands the job." Asked to describe Trump in one word, she replied: "Eew."

Gohsam, who coordinates the admission of new patients at a local hospital, gave Clinton a four on trust. Beyond the emails, she wondered: "What else is she trying to cover up? What else is she not saying?" The 34-year-old compared the Democratic nominee to a child: "You trust your three-year-old to not go outside when you tell them not to go outside, but you also know in the back of your mind that they're still going to try to."

Hillary stops at Hub Coffee Roasters in Reno. (Aaron P. Bernstein/Reuters)

Timothy Jones, a preschool teacher who supports Clinton, is the one who gave her a six on the trust scale. He reminded everyone in the room that Scott Walker also used a private email server when he was Milwaukee County Executive. "If that's the only thing you've got over 20 years of public service, she's doing really good as far as I'm concerned," he said.

Jones, who is African American, voted twice for Obama and twice for Bush. He was the only one of the dozen in the room who agreed with the notion that "Clinton is looking out for the average person." But he made clear that he is not enamored with her: "It's almost like Donald Trump has lost my vote as much as Hillary has won my vote."

A Marquette University poll conducted this month validates what the focus group participants said: Even as she led Trump by 10 points among registered Wisconsin voters (46-36), only 32 percent said "honest" describes Clinton. Two-thirds said it does not.

-- Let's stipulate for a second that Clinton is likely to win in November. Eleven of the 12 participants in this group, regardless of who they're supporting, predicted she ultimately will. Closing this credibility gap would be a serious challenge for her White House.

-- A big part of Clinton's problem is that the people she refers to as "everyday Americans" see her as distant and aloof.

Hart, the Democratic pollster, asked: If HRC could be any member of your family, who would she be? The most common answer was step-mother. The other suggestions were aunt and sister-in-law. (Everyone pretty much agreed that Trump is the "crazy uncle" or "the drunk uncle.")

Asked what zoo animal Hillary would be, one of the women picked a giraffe because "she kind of looks down on you."

A giraffe in the Serengeti. (Juan Carlos/Istockphoto)

"She's removed from you," said undecided voter Barbara Kass, a retired airline employee who is now a part-time tour guide.

Kass voted for Obama twice but said she has not trusted Clinton ever since she stayed with Bill when he cheated on her. "She stayed with him for her own political agenda," the 62-year-old said. "She went on TV and let herself get humiliated."

But she said she may wind up reluctantly voting for Clinton because of Trump's unsettling temperament. "Just blurting out that Hillary was a bigot. Why would you say that? Maybe she is. I don't know. But on national TV, as a person running for the presidency, that's not a thing to do," explained Kass, who describes herself as a moderate.

Members of the focus group offered advice about how Hillary can improve her image. Here is a taste of the answers: "Admit that she can make mistakes … She's so dismissive on a lot of things, and if she would be more willing to give an explanation it would be helpful. … Come clean. … Take down the mask and show she's human. … Soften up."

-- Despite the frustrations and disappointments, many seem inclined to settle for Clinton. "I'm choosing what I feel is the lesser of two evils," said Dara Schneider, 47, an independent who works professionally as a recruiter. She voted for Bush in 2000 and then the Democrat in the past three elections. In her view, neither candidate ever talks about improving life for the middle class the way Obama did. She said the email system was "a horrible mistake … but it doesn't make Hillary a dishonest person." But Schneider wonders about Trump's mental state. "I'm afraid he's bipolar," she said.

Donald Trump visits the Milwaukee County War Memorial Center last Tuesday. (Gerald Herbert/AP)

-- Nine of the 12 said they don't think Trump will be able to change if he's elected. "I keep waiting for Trump 2.0," said David Locher, 34, a transportation supervisor who voted for Mitt Romney in 2012 (and Kerry in 2004). "I was planning to vote Republican but now that he's stuck with the same rhetoric I don't know that I can do that. He's a bully and a loudmouth, but at least you know who he is. I'm not saying I like it or I agree with it, but what you see is what you get. The substance, that's a different issue. … Both have baggage, but Hillary has less." Locher said it is frustrating to not know what Trump really believes about an issue like immigration.

-- Even Trump's supporters used words like "loose cannon" and "erratic" to describe him. They were bothered by him describing Obama as "the founder of ISIS," as well as his attacks on the Gold Star parents.

-- But the group gave Trump a pass on his refusal to release his tax returns. Only two of 12 said they care even remotely.

-- Terrorism is the issue the participants were most concerned about. Less than three weeks before the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, participants talked about the Orlando nightclub attack and fretted about lone wolf attacks – with young people being radicalized on social media. "It's a scary time to be raising kids and telling them it's going to be okay, but you really don't know if it's going to be okay or not," said Gohsam, a moderate independent leaning toward Clinton.

-- The running mates are totally inconsequential: Three-quarters of the room was unable to offer up a word to describe either Tim Kaine or Mike Pence. But the group gave high marks to the 2012 V.P. nominee. Speaker Paul Ryan, after all, is a congressman from the Badger State.

Welcome to the Daily 202, PowerPost's morning newsletter.
With contributions from Elise Viebeck (@eliseviebeck).

WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING:

A Hawaiian Monk Seal (Pew Charitable Trusts)

-- "President Obama will create the largest protected area on the planet Friday, by expanding a national marine monument off the coast of his native Hawaii to encompass 582,578 square miles of land and sea," Juliet Eilperin reports. "The move, which more than quadruples the size of the Papahānaumokuākea (pronounced 'Papa-ha-now:-mow-koo-ah-kay-ah') Marine National Monument that President George W. Bush established a decade ago, underscores the extent to which Obama has elevated the issues of conservation and climate change in his second term. Obama has now used his executive authority under the 1906 Antiquities Act to protect more than 548 million acres of federal land and water, more than double what any of his predecessors have done. Many scientists, environmentalists and native Hawaiians have argued that recent scientific deepwater discoveries and threats of climate change and seabed mining warrant more stringent protection of the remote and biologically rich region."

Miners' protest in Bolivia becomes deadly

-- A group of striking miners in Bolivia kidnapped and beat to death the country's deputy interior minister after he attempted to intervene in a bitter protest over mining laws. In a televised statement, Governor Minister Carlos Romero condemned the act as a "cowardly and brutal killing," his voice breaking as he asked for the body to be turned over to authorities. The fatal beating comes after two protesters were killed in clashes with riot police, which escalated tensions. (AP)

Ousted Iraqi Defense Minister Khaled al-Obeidi, seen arriving at an air base in Tikrit, is out of a job this morning. (Hadi Mizban/AP)

-- Iraq's parliament voted to sack its defense minister amid accusations of corruption. The move follows the resignation of the interior minister last month after that horrible bomb attack in Baghdad. This means the government's two most important security posts are empty ahead of a planned offensive in Mosul, their biggest fight yet against ISIS militants. (Loveday Morris)

Iranian boats harass Navy warship

GET SMART FAST:

The Navy fired several "warning shots" at an Iranian ship this week after it came dangerously close to U.S. vessels in the Persian Gulf. Pentagon officials said the incident was one of several that have recently occurred, and have condemned the actions as "unsafe and unprofessional." (Missy Ryan and Thomas Gibbons-Neff)
Ed Henry will return to Fox News on Monday after being sidelined over tabloid revelations about an affair. Ed will no longer cover the White House or the presidential campaign. He'll be a general assignment reporter on the early shift. (The Hill)
Ryan Lochte was charged by Brazilian police for filing a false police report, stemming from allegations that he and other members of the U.S. men's swim team were robbed at gunpoint. If convicted, he could receive one to six months in jail. (Des Bieler)
Dozens of aftershocks continued to hamper earthquake rescue efforts in central Italy, rocking the country with 4.7 magnitude waves. The death toll has risen to 267. (USA Today)
Mississippi police are investigating the brutal killings of two Catholic nuns who were found dead in their home on Thursday. Authorities believe the women, both nurse practitioners, were stabbed. (Amy B Wang)
The California judge who sentenced Stanford swimmer Brock Turner to just six months in prison for sexual assault has removed himself from handling criminal trials, requesting reassignment to civil court. Efforts to recall him for the light punishment remain. (AP)
Six USC students agreed to settle with the LAPD in a $450,000 racial bias lawsuit, after officers used riot gear to shut down an off-campus party of predominantly black students. Officers were accused of using excessive force to shut down the party, violating civil rights and allowing a party across the street to continue. (LA Times)
Joe Biden said he expects Guantánamo Bay to be closed before Obama leaves office, telling reporters in Sweden that shuttering the military facility by January is his "hope and expectation." His remarks come after Pentagon officials announced the largest transfer of detainees to the UAE earlier this month. (The Hill)
The police chief for the D.C. Metro system was grilled over his department's continued employment of Nicholas Young, the officer accused of attempting to provide material support to ISIS. Officials were notified of a federal probe in 2010, but they did nothing because they said Young "never posed a threat" to employees or passengers. (Faiz Siddiqui)
The Department of Homeland Security said it is investigating the hacking of Leslie Jones' website, after a torrent of the comedian's personal info – including her driver's license, passport and intimate photos, was exposed online. (USA Today)
Former Turing Pharmaceuticals CEO Martin Shkreli injected himself into the debate over Mylan's EpiPen price increase, hinting that he may plan to give congressional testimony on the issue. Shkreli, widely known as the "pharma bro" who hiked up the cost of life-saving medication earlier this year, asked the House Oversight committee to allow him to appear on Twitter. (Bloomberg)
A Czech hiker was found alive in the New Zealand mountains this week, officials said, surviving a month alone in the wilderness after her husband fell and died on a remote hiking trail. (The Guardian)
A Canadian animal rights activist faces potential jail time – or thousands of dollars in fines -- after she was caught giving water to pigs bound for the slaughterhouse. Her trial has drawn attention from advocates across the country. (Amy B. Wang)

Trump campaign CEO Stephen K. Bannon (Kirk Irwin/Getty Images for SiriusXM)

THE DAILY DONALD:

-- Trump campaign CEO Stephen Bannon was charged in a 1996 domestic violence case, allegedly grabbing his then-wife "by the throat and arm" and threatening to flee with their twin daughters, the New York Post reports. He then allegedly prevented her from calling police, smashing her phone into pieces as she attempted to dial for help. (Physical evidence was later corroborated by officers who visited the scene.) "I took the phone to call the police and he grabbed the phone away from me throwing it across the room, and breaking it as he [was] screaming that I was a 'crazy f—ing c–t!' she said in the documents. The charges, which were later dismissed when Piccard did not appear in court, come as the latest hurdle as Trump's campaign seeks to bolster support among women and minorities."

-- The New York Post story went live just a few hours after Clinton singled Bannon out by name during an aggressive speech in Reno, elevating and portraying him as emblematic of how Trump would govern. "The latest shake-up was designed to – quote – 'Let Trump be Trump.' To do that, he hired Stephen Bannon, the head of a right-wing website called Breitbart.com, as campaign CEO," the Democratic nominee said. "To give you a flavor of his work, here are a few headlines they've published: 'Birth Control Makes Women Unattractive and Crazy.' 'Would You Rather Your Child Had Feminism or Cancer?' 'Gabby Giffords: The Gun Control Movement's Human Shield.' 'Hoist It High And Proud: The Confederate Flag Proclaims A Glorious Heritage.' That one came shortly after the Charleston massacre, when Democrats and Republicans alike were doing everything they could to heal racial divides. Breitbart tried to enflame them further. Just imagine – Donald Trump reading that and thinking: 'this is what I need more of in my campaign.'" (Read our story about her speech; see the full transcript here.)

-- Bigger picture: "Trump has hired and elevated some of the very worst people in American politics, known for their cruelty, radicalism, prejudice and corruption," writes Post columnist Michael Gerson, a speechwriter in George W. Bush's White House. "In Trump's view, leaders elevate themselves by belittling others. They yell and abuse and bully. And their most important quality is absolute loyalty to the great leader, the star of the show. … Trump, more than most, needs to surround himself with people who compensate for his alarming weaknesses. Instead, his choices demonstrate and amplify those weaknesses, becoming one more reason to utterly reject his leadership."

-- Shot: Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R) fiercely defended the latest in a torrent of racially-charged remarks this week. Under fire for telling reporters that he keeps a binder of pictures of drug dealers in his desk, and that most are black or Hispanic, he said: "Black people come up the highway and they kill Mainers. You ought to look into that!" Then he stormed from the State House, the Portland Press Herald reports.

-- Chaser: Trump's campaign has put LePage's daughter, Lauren, on the payroll. The third-year University of Maine law student will serve as coalitions director in the state. (Boston Globe)

Trump speaks at a rally in Manchester, New Hampshire, yesterday. (Carlo Allegri/Reuters)

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU NOMINATE SOMEONE WITH NO IDEOLOGICAL CORE:

-- Trump continues to be ALL OVER THE PLACE on IMMIGRATION. Under pressure from his core supporters, like Ann Coulter, he's now re-embracing mass deportation. He told CNN last night that he does NOT support a path to legal status for immigrants who come to the U.S. illegally, shifting back to more hardline rhetoric after a week of confounding statements on the issue. "There's no path to legalization unless they leave the country," Trump told CNN's Anderson Cooper. "When they come back in, then they can start paying taxes, but there is no path to legalization unless they leave the country and then come back." (Sean Sullivan)

Left unclear is whether he still supports his earlier plan for a "deportation force" to forcibly remove some 11 million immigrants from the country: "Bad dudes" would go first, Trump said, which he said numbered "probably millions." What about the remaining, "peaceful" immigrants? "There is a very good chance the answer could be yes," Trump said when asked if they would eventually get deported. He then insisted he was not softening on immigration, despite offering an array of floated positions this week and polling the audience at an Austin town hall event. "I don't think it's a softening," he said. "I've had people say it's a hardening, actually."

-- Meanwhile, a new national survey finds Americans "broadly" rejecting much of Trump's rhetoric on undocumented immigrants: 76 percent of Americans said that illegal immigrants are as hard-working and honest as U.S. citizens, according a Pew Research Center poll, while 67 percent said they are no more likely than citizens to commit serious crimes. A majority of Americans – 61 percent – also oppose Trump's proposal to build a wall between the U.S. and Mexico. (Katie Zezima)

-- Earlier in the day, Jeb Bush said he's "not buying" Trump's so-called immigration "softening," suggesting his former primary rival is willing to say whatever it takes to get elected in November. "I can't comment on his views, because his views are… they seem to be ever, ever-changing, depending on what crowd he's in front of," he said in a radio interview. "All the things that [Trump] railed against, he seems to be morphing into — it's kind of disturbing." "He doesn't believe in anything," he added. "This is all a game." (Buzzfeed)

Eric Cantor trolled Trump by comparing his new immigration position -- which he's, of course, since walked back -- to Jeb's:

-- Time, "What Trump Knew About Undocumented Workers at His Signature Tower," by Massimo Calabresi: "For 36 years, Trump has denied knowingly using undocumented workers to demolish the building that would be replaced with Trump Tower in 1980. When asked about the issue in a debate this year, Trump was dismissive: 'I hire a contractor …They have people. I don't know … that was so many years ago, 35 years ago.' [But thousands of pages of court documents tell a different story]: Kept for more than a decade in 13 boxes in a federal judiciary storage unit in Missouri, the documents contain testimony that Trump sought out the Polish workers when he saw them on another job, instigated the creation of the company that paid them and negotiated the hours they would work. … Trump repeatedly toured the site where the men were working, directly addressed them … and even promised to pay them himself, which he eventually did."

At one point, Trump reportedly threatened, through his lawyer, to call the Immigration and Naturalization Service and have the workers deported. "And when the Labor Department launched a probe of the Polish laborers, Trump called [a labor consultant] for help, asking him to meet the federal investigator at Trump's office."

-- How Donald does business --> "Taxpayers built this New York golf course. Trump reaps the rewards," by Drew Harwell; "At the grand opening last year of the public New York City golf course Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point, Trump called for a moment of self-congratulation. 'They say, 'He's crazy, he's got to be crazy,' [he said]. But we knew we could get it done." One important footnote was missing, though: Trump didn't build the course. He doesn't own it, either. His company manages it for the city, whose taxpayers spent $127 million to sculpt it atop an old Bronx garbage dump. [And] city officials … say Trump was merely a 'concessionaire' let in after the bulk of the city's design and heavy construction work was finished. That hasn't stopped Trump from prospering in a different way. With the course nearly finished, Trump secured a generous 20-year deal with the city allowing him to keep almost every dollar that flows in. Taxpayers for the first four years get nothing, except for the sprawling course's utility bills."

-- A Russian-born businessman with ties to both Trump and Vladimir Putin visited Trump Tower for "undisclosed business" last month – and maxed out to Trump with a $5,400 campaign donation. From Politico's Ben Schreckinger: "[Felix] Sater, whose firm co-developed a major Trump project in New York and who was later hired by Trump to drum up business in the former USSR, has said that he closely associated with Trump and his family, while Trump has suggested he wouldn't even recognize Sater." The revelation of Sater's contribution and recent Trump Tower visit comes as the Republican nominee's Russian stances have been called into question. Spokeswoman Hope Hicks denied knowledge of both the visit and the contribution."

More defections --> "The Wall Street Journal reached out to all 45 surviving former members of the White House Council of Economic Advisers under the past eight presidents, going back to Richard Nixon. Among 17 Republican appointees who responded … none said they supported Mr. Trump. Six said they did not support Mr. Trump and 11 declined to say either way."

-- A Trump presidency could cause a global recession, according to a new Citigroup study led by Chief Economist Willem Buiter: "A Trump victory in particular could prolong and perhaps exacerbate policy uncertainty and deliver a shock (though perhaps short-lived) to financial markets," the team writes. "Tightening financial conditions and further rises in uncertainty could trigger a significant slowdown in U.S., but also global growth." (Bloomberg)

-- Creepy and paternalistic --> The Daily Beast, "Trump's 'Apprentices' Had to Agree to Go Nude," by Olivia Nuzzi: "Appearing on The Apprentice with Donald Trump required agreeing to a series of odd and invasive demands regarding sex, nudity, and food consumption. According to an NBC contract … contestants had to agree to be filmed, 'whether I am clothed, partially clothed or naked, whether I am aware or unaware of such videotaping, filming or recording.' The men and women who wanted a shot at proximity to Trump … were made to undergo [STD] screenings … Along with such testing, contestants had to accept 'that Producer may impose one or more Series Rules regarding the type of sexual activity, if any, that participants will be permitted to engage in.' And, the contract states, 'I further acknowledge and understand that the … recordings that will be made of me in connection with the Series might in other circumstances be considered a serious invasion of my privacy.'"

-- Trump's lack of a data operation is hurting the GOP. From Yahoo's Jon Ward: "Trump has for much of his candidacy scoffed at the role of data and individualized targeting of voters. He dismissed it as 'overrated' in May and said his candidacy would succeed based on holding large rallies. Since then, his campaign has paid a paltry sum of $100,000 to one data targeting group, Cambridge Analytics, according to the most recent federal disclosure forms. Ted Cruz's campaign paid the same group almost $6 million in the primary."

"I don't think there's anyone who's going to look at the Trump campaign and think that they ran a strong data operation," said Chris Wilson, who oversaw data analytics for Cruz.
"His digital effort will be cost-efficient," said Dave Carney, who ran Rick Perry's 2012 campaign. "Money spent on digital and data per vote will be a record low."

HRC greets police officers at Reno Tahoe International Airport. (Aaron P. Bernstein/Reuters)

-- Out of his depth --> Filling out a questionnaire sent by the International Association of Chiefs of Police, Trump said he sees no cooperation between the federal government and local law enforcement: "Currently, there is no noticeable partnership between the federal government and state and local law enforcement." He then added, "That will dramatically change in a Trump administration."

As our Tom Jackman notes: "The lack of partnership may come as a surprise to the numerous joint federal-local task forces currently focused on terrorism, drugs, gangs, human trafficking, Internet sex crimes and more." He adds that Trump's four-page response does not go into great detail, while "Clinton's 12 pages of answers are much more detailed, and endorse concepts widely discussed by American police commanders, such as evidence-based policing, de-escalation training, focused deterrence and crisis intervention training for officers encountering those with mental illness."

-- A November surprise? --> One of Trump's electors in Texas said he is considering voting for Clinton in November, the latest member of the Electoral College to suggest he may be faithless. Several Electoral College members from Republican states are grappling with the idea of not voting for Trump. (Politico)

Corey Stewart, Trump's Virginia chairman, talks with patrons prior to a Veterans for Trump dinner at L&B Pizzeria in Woodbridge on Monday. (Toni L. Sandys/The Washington Post)

-- A big gamble --> "Trump's Virginia Mini-Me: Corey Stewart ties his ambitions to the GOP candidate," by Paul Schwartzman: Trump's Virginia chairman, 48, bets that his alliance with the Republican nominee will propel his own quest to win the commonwealth's 2017 gubernatorial race. "Stewart acknowledges that his gambit is high risk, particularly in a place where seismic demographic shifts have helped Democrats capture every statewide race since 2009 … Yet as Virginia's self-anointed face of 'Trumpism,' Stewart contends that he stands to inherit a potent electoral base — the legions of white working-class voters propelling Trump's candidacy. 'I was Trump before Trump was Trump,' Stewart likes to boast, his grin suggesting no small amount of pride."

John McCain in Phoenix this month (Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg)

-- The Trump Effect is prompting candidates to question their opponent's physical health without evidence. Sen. John McCain's (R-Ariz.) desperate primary challenger, virtually certain to lose next Tuesday, did so during an interview with MSNBC's Chuck Todd last night. "John McCain is falling down on the job," she said. "He has gotten weak. He has gotten old. I do want to wish him a happy birthday. He's going to be 80 on Monday, and I want to give him the best birthday present ever -- the gift of retirement. … I'm a physician. I see the physiological changes that happen in normal aging, in patients again and again and again over the last 20, 25 years. So I do know what happens to the body and the mind at the end of life." Aaron Blake notes that McCain's mother is still around at the age of 104.

Hillary Clinton holds up a pamphlet while testifying before Congress on health care reform in 1993. (AP/Doug Mills)

IF YOU READ ONE STORY ABOUT HILLARY --> "After health-care missteps, a chastened Hillary Clinton emerged," by Amy Goldstein: "On a Saturday morning in the summer of 1994, first lady Hillary Clinton was unnerved as she stood at a lectern in downtown Seattle. The first lady faced signs saying "Heil Hillary," and she could barely hear her own voice over the boos. The charged feelings about Clinton and health-care reform that had spread across the country were part of a spectacular [19-month] downfall … In the end, the Clintons' quest to reform health care failed even to get a floor vote in either chamber of Congress."

"From the ashes of this defeat emerged a chastened Hillary Clinton whose caution has, over the years … become a hallmark of her identity. [The months] from the dawn to the demise of the Clinton health plan showed the first lady as the Washington neophyte that she was, overvaluing her own ideas, misreading power relationships, crusading for a complex plan that would have disrupted many Americans' health care. Privately, even some admirers of Clinton today view her work on health-care reform as a case study in how not to function in political Washington … She has not attempted anything as daring again."

POLLING ROUNDUP:

-- Clinton opened a double-digit lead over Trump in a fresh Quinnipiac University national poll, leading the Republican nominee 51-41 in a head-to-head matchup among likely voters. (The numbers push her just past the coveted 50 percent threshold, and a RealClearPolitics polling average has her up Trump by six points.) A majority of Trump voters – 64 percent -- said they are motivated primarily by their dislike of Clinton, while just 25 percent said they are pro-Trump. Among Clinton supporters, meanwhile, 47 percent are mainly anti-Trump, while 32 percent are pro- Clinton.

-- Clinton leads Trump in Michigan by 7 points (44-37), according to a Suffolk University poll. She's up 64 points among non-white voters, while Trump leads with white voters by 10 points (43-33).

-- A super PAC led by former CATO president Ed Crane launched a $1 million ad buy for Gary Johnson, trying to help the Libertarian nominee crack 15 percent in the polls so he can win a spot in the debates. (David Weigel)

-- George W. Bush continues stepping up to aid the bucket squad that's trying to save the Republican Senate amidst the Trump inferno:

SOCIAL MEDIA SPEED READ:

When this is the chryon, you're losing:

With Paul Manafort fired, Trump's ex-manager is back in the entourage:

In addition to her speech, Clinton put out this video linking Trump to the alt-right (click to watch):

She read Breitbart News headlines aloud to the crowd:

To attack Trump, one Clinton spokesman spoofed their campaign theme song:

A good observation -- how many lawmakers rose to their party nominee's defense when he was called a racist?

Meanwhile, the reaction from Trump's supporters:

What about Trump's back-and-forth on immigration this week? Ann Coulter commented:

From ABC's political director:

A reminder of how small New Hampshire is compared to other swing states:

Mike Pence drew cartoons to pass the time when he was in law school. (See more here.)

Everyone seemed to be celebrating the National Park Service's 100th birthday -- here are a few examples:

Meanwhile, on European social media:

In pop culture, Gillian Anderson took a shot at Trump on Twitter:

Katy Perry tweeted support for hacking victim Leslie Jones to her 92 million followers:

Note her use of "misogynoir." Caitlin Gibson explains the backstory: "The word was coined by black queer feminist scholar Moya Bailey, a professor at Northeastern University, to 'describe the particular brand of hatred directed at Black women in American visual and popular culture,' as she wrote in an essay in 2014. The term applies specifically to black women alone, and not other women of color, she noted ... Some feminists on Twitter noted the irony that 'misogynoir' only made headlines after a famous white woman used the term."

GOOD READS FROM ELSEWHERE:

-- Wall Street Journal A1, "The Great Unraveling: Years of Fed Missteps Fueled Disillusion With the Economy and Washington," by Jon Hilsenrath: "In the 1990s, a period known in economics as the 'Great Moderation,' it seemed the Fed could do no wrong. Policy makers and voters saw it as a machine, with buttons officials could push to heat or cool the economy as needed. Now, after more than a decade of economic disappointment, the central bank confronts hardened public skepticism and growing self-doubt about its own understanding of how the U.S. economy works. … Once admired globally for their command of the economic system, central bankers now are blamed by the left and right for bailouts during the financial crisis and for failing to foresee and manage forces suffocating the global economy in its aftermath."

Hedge fund founder David Einhorn cites the fable of the ant and the grasshopper, in which a famished grasshopper begs a thrifty ant for help in wintertime after failing to stockpile food. "We had the grasshoppers party from 2002 to 2007 … and the Fed bailed them out," he said, referencing financial firms and those living above their means. "Now the ants are pissed."

Megyn Kelly gets a touch up to her makeup before Fox's March debate in Detroit. (Jim Young/Reuters)

-- Vanity Fair, "After Ailes, Fox News has a new crisis: Can it keep Megyn Kelly?" By Sarah Ellison: "Beyond the fears of the newsroom [and] the ongoing internal investigation … executives at Fox News are staring down another emerging threat. Their biggest issue is not just how they will get through the election without their founder, or who will win, but how the Murdochs can hold on to one of their most high-profile anchors: Megyn Kelly. In fact, more than anyone, Kelly could be the key figure in determining whether the Murdochs are able to change Fox News' culture, or whether it remains the same. Kelly is the most prized anchor in cable news at the moment. When word circulated around the newsroom that Kelly had spoken with the Murdochs, 'everyone got nervous all over again,' according to one staffer. Besides a ratings hit, losing Kelly would be devastating for the optics of Fox News. 'On top of all their troubles they have, if they lose their 'It girl,' they'll be in even worse shape,' one rival television executive told me. 'If I'm her agent, I'm thinking ka-ching.'"

HOT ON THE LEFT

"Portland schools reconsider ban on rap music after 'racist memo' goes viral," by Lindsey Bever: "An Oregon school district has come under fire for a memorandum banning bus drivers from tuning into talk-show programs or religious or rap radio stations while students are in the vehicles. Portland Public Schools' transportation director Teri Brady sent the directive in March, instructing the drivers to stick with pop, country and jazz … 'Colleen Ryan-Onken, a parent who starting circulating the memorandum … [said it] 'leaves out two of our major communities in our music choices.' 'When you outlaw a kind of music that is very indicative of the modern culture of one group of people you're basically saying that they're not welcome,' she said."

HOT ON THE RIGHT

"Don't ask us for trigger warnings or safe spaces, the University of Chicago tells freshmen," by Susan Svrluga: "University of Chicago students should not expect to get 'trigger warnings' before professors talk about sensitive topics, or 'safe spaces' where they can gather with others to avoid a speaker whom they find offensive, entering students were told this week. It is the first university to take such a strong, proactive stand … on an issue that has been divisive nationally. [And] … after a year of intense protests at campuses across the country, many involving raw emotions over conflicts about racial tensions and sexual assault, the letter's direct language set off flares both on campus and far beyond with a debate about free speech, hate speech, student rights and students' demands."

DAYBOOK:

On the campaign trail: Clinton appears on "Morning Joe." Trump is in Las Vegas. Kaine is in Tallahassee, Fla.

At the White House: Obama visits the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. Biden speaks at an event announcing new investment in rail service that will benefit Amtrak. His remarks are in Wilmington, Del.

On Capitol Hill: The Senate and House are out.

QUOTE OF THE DAY:

"A man with a long history of racial discrimination, who traffics in dark conspiracy theories drawn from the pages of supermarket tabloids and the far, dark reaches of the internet, should never run our government or command our military." -- Hillary Clinton

NEWS YOU CAN USE IF YOU LIVE IN D.C.:

-- Another day of BROILING TEMPERATURES ahead – think heat indexes in the 105-degree-range. Today's Capital Weather Gang forecast: "Pretty unbearable low-to-mid-90s, oppressive humidity (dew points near 70) and essentially no (cooling) rain chance. Partly to mostly sunny skies bake us well during the afternoon … D.C.'s record high of 97 and IAD's of 95 are both in play." Ugh.

-- The Nationals beat the Orioles 4-0.

VIDEOS OF THE DAY:

Tim Kaine played harmonica on Stephen Colbert's show last night for more than a minute: