Kobach Pushes GOP Convention Platform To Far Right, Trump Has No Plans To Pivot, And Gun Deaths In America

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July 14, 2016

Top Stories


Forget Trump! The GOP’s Convention Platform Makes It The Party Of Kris Kobach

The Gist: With Trump at the top of the GOP ticket, Kobach’s far-right, anti-immigrant stance is being reflected in the party platform.

Unusual Speaker Roster At RNC Includes Melania Trump, Pro Golfer, Ex-Model

The Gist: While Trump may have dialed back his plan to prioritize “showbiz” at the convention, the speaker list remains unconventional.

Trump Says He’ll Probably Never Pivot For The General Election (VIDEO)

The Gist: Trump says that it’s unlikely that he’ll change his unconventional campaigning style now that he’s about to be officially nominated as the Republican presidential nominee.

From The Reporter’s Notebook


TPM’s Tierney Sneed reported on Kris Kobach’s contributions to the party platform. In addition to his amendments proposing a border wall, condemning the Supreme Court’s same-sex marriage decision and opposing certain gun control measures, Kobach successfully offered language that he described to TPM as “concerning the screening of high risk aliens entering the United States.”

Agree or Disagree?


Josh Marshall: “There’s no question these are very volatile times. So many of us saw the news Friday that a black man murdered five white police officers over anger at police harassment of black men. Beyond the horror of the act itself, those are the kinds of horrific, societal-fabric-tearing events that can pull our whole country apart and press us toward the abyss. But that hasn’t happened. There have continued to be protests. There’s no reason why there should not be. But every Black Lives Matter leader of any note has spoken clearly denouncing Johnson’s atrocity. Indeed, if anything the continuing protests have been tempered calls for an end to violence on all sides. For all the horror, the outrage has spawned moments of bridge-building, unity. So these are combustible times. But they’re not the times Trump is describing. Indeed, what Trump said in the passage above is something verging on the notorious ‘big lie.'”

Say What?!


“Now we’re seeing him reap what he has sowed.”

– A GOP congressman from Virginia blamed Obama’s support of the Black Lives Matter movement for last week’s shooting in Dallas.

BUZZING: Today in the Hive


From a TPM Prime member: “The Court took a huge hit to its credibility in Bush v. Gore (rightly or wrongly) and has frequently decided such critical issues as desegregation, abortion, Miranda rights, slavery and gay marriage (among many, many others). Although the Court likes to lag public opinion (I think) it nonetheless has a very important job of cementing or ratifying the rights of our citizens. To this end, I believe Supremes should work very hard to be apolitical in their public life. Now, I also agree RBG isn’t the first to flaunt this. No — RBG shouldn’t recuse herself from anything, because anyone who thinks personal perspective of feelings don’t enter the realm of the judiciary is kidding themselves. But do I wish she had been less adamant and public? You betcha.”

Related: Trump doubled down on his call for Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg to resign, saying that “her mind is shot.”

Have something to add? Become a Prime member and join the discussion here.

What We’re Reading


Who are the people who go to Trump rallies? (The New Yorker)

Gun deaths in America. (FiveThirtyEight)


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