OFF TO THE RACES: Oh, what a night
The New York Times: "Ted Cruz Dashes Hopes for Unity by Snubbing Donald Trump”
The Washington Post: "Unity in question as Republicans prepare for Trump to take the stage Thursday"
The Wall Street Journal: "Despite Boos, Ted Cruz Won’t Endorse Donald Trump”
The AP: "Ted Cruz booed lustily as he refuses to endorse Donald Trump”
The LA Times: "Day 3 of the Republican convention sparks a renewed war over conservatism"
The Cleveland Plain Dealer: “Ups and Downs"
Benjy Sarlin wraps the evening’s chaos: "Donald Trump paid a steep price for his brutal insults and outrageous innuendo against his Republican primary rivals Wednesday when Ted Cruz, who placed second behind Trump in the delegate count, refused to endorse the GOP nominee during his nationally televised speech to the party's convention. The arena rained boos, chants, and jeers on Cruz, widening the Republican Party's cracks into a chasm and completely overshadowing the rollout of Trump's running mate, Mike Pence.”
Follow along with everything you need to know about the conventions on our blog here.
From the AP: "A source familiar with the campaign inner circle's thinking but not authorized to speak publicly said Trump, his relatives and closest advisers were angry at Cruz's move and had expected, while not an endorsement, a warmer embrace of the nominee and less showmanship from the senator.”
The Washington Post’s lede: "Republican leaders attempted Wednesday to steer their national convention in a more substantive and unified direction behind GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump, but their efforts came up against an eruption of lingering bitterness from the brutal primary campaign season.”
The New York Times lede: "The Republican convention erupted into tumult on Wednesday night as the bitter primary battle between Donald J. Trump and Senator Ted Cruz reignited unexpectedly, crushing hopes that the party could project unity. In the most electric moment of the convention, boos and jeers broke out as it became clear that Mr. Cruz — in a prime-time address from center stage — was not going to endorse Mr. Trump. It was a pointed snub on the eve of Mr. Trump’s formal acceptance speech."
And Dan Balz writes: "Donald Trump has left himself with a mighty challenge for the final day of the Republican National Convention. After three days of tumult and controversy, the success — or not — of the week now depends even more heavily than it should on his performance Thursday night. Trump might not have it any other way. Maybe this was always part of the plan, to create the drama and heighten the stakes ahead of his acceptance speech. After all, the campaign has always been about him.”
Somewhat overshadowed by last night’s chaos, but don’t miss this eye-opening New York Times interview with Trump about his foreign policy plans. "Donald J. Trump, on the eve of accepting the Republican nomination for president, said Wednesday that if he were elected, he would not pressure Turkey or other authoritarian allies about conducting purges of their political adversaries or cracking down on civil liberties. The United States, he said, has to “fix our own mess” before trying to alter the behavior of other nations."
Here’s what you need to know about Meredeith McIver, the speechwriter who took the blame for Melania Trump’s speech.
And then there’s this: "Tony Schwartz, ghostwriter of Donald Trump's book "The Art of the Deal," told MSNBC Wednesday that the Trump campaign sent him a cease and desist letter in response to his comments about the Republican candidate.”
"Though Mr. Trump promises to topple Washington’s “rigged system,” the opening rounds of his party’s quadrennial meeting accentuated a more enduring maxim: Money always adapts to power,” writes the New York Times.
