How The GOP Is Boxing Itself In On SCOTUS, Obama Meets 12-Year-Old Kicked Out Of Trump Rally, And Militias Brace For Election Results

Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

Check out Monday’s newsletter!

November 7th, 2016

Top Stories


Overpromises And Litmus Tests: How The GOP Is Boxing Itself In On SCOTUS

The Gist: If Hillary Clinton wins, conservatives have already devised a new litmus test for how truly anti-Clinton a Republican is: Will they commit to blocking any Clinton nominee to the Supreme Court?

Obama Meets 12-Year-Old With Cerebral Palsy Who Was Kicked Out Of Trump Rally

The Gist: One day after he was removed from a Donald Trump rally, a 12-year-old boy who has cerebral palsy met with the president.

Cummings On FBI Conclusion: Trump Had Already ‘Blown This Thing Up’

The Gist: “This should have never happened,” said Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD), ranking member of the House Oversight Committee.

From The Reporter’s Notebook


In the final days of the 2016 campaign for president, Hillary Clinton described the election on Sunday as a chance for voters to “rebuild confidence” in democracy and the American government by working together, TPM’s Esme Cribb reported. “I want to rebuild confidence in what we can do together,” Clinton said at a Sunday rally in Cleveland, Ohio. “It’s not good for anybody that our democracy and our country are viewed so suspiciously, without confidence. That is how we govern ourselves. So we have to work together.”

Agree or Disagree?


Josh Marshall: “I think Trump’s own beliefs, mentality and drives get you more than half way toward that the content of that ad. But Trump has surrounded himself with people from the transnational anti-Semitic, racist right. Steve Bannon is there at the top of the list but he’s not the only one. So a worldview which touches some anti-Semitic themes but isn’t inherently anti-Semitic gets packaged by folks who are anti-Semites and you get that kind of ad.”

Say What?!


“You can’t review 650,000 new emails in eight days.”

– Donald Trump took on the technical capacity of the FBI to review emails in bulk during a Sunday rally, calling that “rigged” as well.

BUZZING: Today in the Hive


From a TPM Prime member: “When it comes to his political messages, Trump is not actually saying much (if anything) that hasn’t been stated by other Republicans, including members of Congress. Some of his statements echo those made by some of the candidates he defeated, even more echo positions implied by his primary opponents, and even more represent positions that his primary opponents were at best reluctant and at worst chose not to repudiate. When a party allows its rhetoric to fall well below what has been deemed acceptable in modern elections, it needs to take responsibility for whatever ends up floating to the top.”

Related: Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) said Sunday that the FBI’s conclusion about Hillary Clinton’s use of a private server will not stop Congress from continuing to investigate her email use.

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

What We’re Reading


Sexist ‘scouting report’ ends Harvard men’s soccer season. (CNN)

A militia gets ready for a Clinton presidency. (The New York Times)


Latest Daybreaker
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: