Welcome to The Lid, your afternoon dose of the 2016 ethos…And now (as of this moment) emblematic of the lowest form of clickbait. We’re sorry, but now that we have you take a look...
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‘16 from 30,000
In a wide-ranging interview on Tuesday, GOP vice presidential candidate Mike Pence told our own Kelly O’Donnell that his running mate ended the birther controversy last week. “It’s over,” Pence declared aboard the Battleship Wisconsin in Norfolk, Virginia. But here’s why it’s not -- Donald Trump still has not answered WHEN he changed his mind about President Obama’s birthplace, nor has he been pressed on his unfounded claim that the conspiracy theory started with Hillary Clinton during the 2008 campaign. That’s because the Republican presidential nominee hasn’t held a formal press conference in more than 50 days, NBC’s Ali Vitali notes. And he ignored a reporter today who got close enough to yell a question. Sure, Trump has done media appearances and has talked to reporters in that time, but the tables have turned between the two candidates when it comes to actual press avails. After breaking a 270-plus-day formal press conference drought, Clinton has been the more accessible candidate of late. It’s a noteworthy turnaround for Trump, who began his most recent presser on July 27 blasting his opponent by saying, “So, it's been 235 days since crooked Hillary Clinton has had a press conference.”
POPPING ON NBC POLITICS
- Hillary Clinton regained some momentum, according to this week's NBC News|SurveyMonkeyWeekly Election Tracking Poll.
- Chicago Cubs owners Joe and Marlene Ricketts have decided to back Trump, NBC’s Leigh Ann Caldwell reports.
- NBC’s Jane Timm has everything you need to know about the 2016 presidential debates.
- Donald Trump stuck to the script on Tuesday, delivering an uncharacteristically repetitive speech on Tuesday, NBC’s Ali Vitali notes.
- Skittles fired back at Donald Trump Jr., for his tweet that used the candy to make an argument about Syrian refugees.
- And from First Read: Clinton is outspending Trump over the airwaves by a 5-to-1 margin.
FOR THE RECORD…
"So, Katherine, what do you do?"
House Speaker Paul Ryan to U.S. Rep. Katherine Clark, D-Mass., during a conversation they had at the airport early earlier this year. (Clark told the story to the New England Council breakfast Monday, saying Ryan sent her an apology note after the awkward exchange.)
TOMORROW’S SKED
Donald Trump and Mike Pence campaign in Toledo, Ohio.
Hillary Clinton campaigns in Orlando.
