Wiretap: Cory Gardner’s international Donald Trump damage control

No changes

Cory Gardner goes to South Korea with two other Republican senators and tells its leaders to pay no attention to what Donald Trump has to say about trade agreements or defense costs. Nothing, he tells them, is going to change whoever is elected president, which may be news to Trump. Via Politico.

Race baiting

Trump’s personal, racially tinged vendetta against a federal judge raises alarm among legal experts. And maybe some other people, too. Via The Washington Post.

Charitable venture

Dana Milbank: If you think that Trump was a little slow in getting the promised money to veterans, wait until you hear about his philanthropy when it came to Trump University, which he said he started “as a charitable venture.”

Reagan’s heir?

Frank Rich: Donald Trump may not be the heir to Ronald Reagan, but Donald Trump’s candidacy is clearly the heir to Reagan’s — including the Republican elite’s disdain, the media’s discounting and the certainty all around that he would never be president. Via New York Magazine.

Social Security

Obama’s reversal on Social Security — he now wants to expand it — is a big win for liberals. Just ask Bernie Sanders. Via Vox.

Before Bernie

Before Bernie Sanders, there was a four-term senator from Oregon named Wayne Morse. Via The New Yorker.

Libertarian season

This is the election season in which Libertarians could make a mark, writes Al Hunt in Bloomberg View. The question is, which party would they hurt?

Bad loans

New federal regulations could gut the payday-loan industry, which would be required to check if the loan recipients’ income is sufficient to repay the money. Via The New York Times.

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore, Creative Commons, Flickr

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