Wiretap: Following the money, the polls, and the aftermath of a 7th-grader’s sext

Return on investment

Trump always said he could get politicians to do whatever he wanted just by sending a check – and he has the brushes with campaign fund rules to prove it. Now, he says, in the case of Florida attorney general Pam Bondi, that’s not what he had in mind at all.  Via the New York Times.

Snacks and refreshments

The Huffington Post gets the scoop that Trump apparently also threw in a deeply discount event rate at the Mar-a-Lago for a Bondi fundraiser. As a bonus, HuffPost throws in this Trump quote: “I’ve got to give [campaign contributions] to them, because when I want something, I get it,” he said in January. “When I call, they kiss my ass. It’s true. They kiss my ass. It’s true.”

“Hell, no” appointments 

For those who worry that Hillary Clinton co-opted Bernie Sanders, there’s still Elizabeth Warren to her left making sure that Clinton follows through on her Wall Street-related promises. Via Politico.

Parsing the polls

Yes, the polls are narrowing, but it’s still Clinton’s race to lose (not that she still can’t). Via the New Yorker.

Trump is gaining ground

And yet Clinton’s lead is undeniably shrinking. Ask anyone – and especially Nate Silver. Via fivethirtyeight.com.

20 seconds analyzed

Meanwhile, there’s this breaking news: Clinton coughed. Via the Atlantic.

Heading Clinton off at the pass

For a preview of what a Clinton presidency might look like, the National Review is getting a big jump. Andrew McCarthy wants to impeach Clinton  before she becomes president.

Easing anxiety among allies

Barack Obama still wants to greatly reduce the numbers of nuclear weapons, and yet he has apparently given in to advisers who warned against him making a no-first-use pledge. Via the New York Times.

“I won’t show anyone.”

We step away from politics and take a look at real life in the year 2016: A seventh-grader’s trip through the world of sexting and how it nearly destroyed her. Via the Washington Post.

 Flickr photo by Mike Licht
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