6am – A DNC DEBATE PREVIEW:
DNC debate candidates for July 30: Candidates will appear onstage from left to right: Marianne Williamson, Tim Ryan, Amy Klobuchar, Pete Buttigieg, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Beto O’Rourke, John Hickenlooper, John Delaney and Steve Bullock
DNC debate candidates for July 31: Candidates will appear onstage from left to right: Michael Bennet, Kirsten Gillibrand, Julián Castro, Cory Booker, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Andrew Yang, Tulsi Gabbard, Jay Inslee and Bill de Blasio
Poll: Biden leads 2020 Dem field by 14 points (The Hill) – Former Vice President Joe Biden’s support jumped 5 points, slightly extending his lead over Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in the latest Hill-HarrisX poll. The survey showed that 34 percent of likely Democratic primary voters back Biden, marking a 14-point lead over Sanders.
Biden Promises To Be More Aggressive, Reportedly Scrambles To Recover Support Before Dem Debates. (Daily Caller) — Former Vice President Joe Biden is reportedly scrambling to reassure donors after his performance at the June Democratic debates, sources told Politico. Biden had conversations with his donors shortly after it became clear he had slipped in the polls, according to Politico. The former vice president’s support dropped 10 percentage points after his debate performance, according to a Morning Consult/FiveThirtyEight poll. But Biden is promising to be more aggressive in the next round of Democratic debates. “I’m not going to be as polite this time,” Biden said Wednesday at a fundraiser, referring to Harris’ emotional attack. “Because this is the same person who asked me to come to California and nominate her in her convention.”
6am – B/C INTERVIEW – DR. ALVEDA KING – niece of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. and Director of Civil Rights for the Unborn, the African American Outreach of Priests for Life – discuss her Inner City Pastors meeting with the White House.
Trump hosts African American pastors and faith leaders at the White House (CNN) — Twenty members of the faith community gathered in the Oval Office to meet with President Donald Trump on Monday, according to one of the participants. Rev. Bill Owens, the controversial founder of a conservative religious organization, said the President did “more talking than listening” during the event, which was long-scheduled but came after Trump disparaged a top African American lawmaker over the weekend. Trump tweeted ahead of the meeting that he was “looking forward to” a meeting “with wonderful Inner City Pastors!” The meeting was not open to press but afterward several of the attendees answered a few questions. “Two hours of discussion, that’s not a photo-op,” Owens said defending the length and substance of the meeting. He said the leaders discussed “the issues facing the black community, and there are many.” The meeting came the same day as Trump escalated attacks against Rep. Elijah Cummings, a Maryland Democrat, and launched new ones against Rev. Al Sharpton. Over the past few days, Trump continued his attacks against notable people of color, drawing condemnation from Democrats and progressives, who lambasted the President for his divisive rhetoric. The President notably called Baltimore, a majority African American city which Cummings represents, a “disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess.”
6am – D/E/F BALTIMORE BACKLASH:
Trump: Sharpton a ‘con man,’ Cummings should investigate himself with his own committee. (Fox News) — The war of words between President Trump and House Oversight and Reform Committee Chair Elijah Cummings, D-Md.,over the condition of Baltimore and the border crisis has expanded to include the Rev. Al Sharpton, a staunch Cummings supporter. Sharpton held a press conference Monday to condemn Trump’s criticism of Cummings. (Over the weekend, Trump called Baltimore a “disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess” where “no human being would want to live” – and blamed Cummings, in part, for the city’s deterioration. Some critics called Trump’s remarks racist. Trump supporters argued the president was telling the truth about Baltimore and Democratic leadership in major cities.) Ahead of the Sharpton press conference, Trump called the activist a “con man” and “troublemaker.” Sharpton replied by calling the president a “bigot.” Trump then claimed that “Billions of dollars have been pumped in” to Baltimore. “The money was stolen or wasted,” Trump tweeted. “Ask Elijah Cummings where it went. He should investigate himself with his Oversight Committee!”
Rev. Al Sharpton: “Elijah Cummings is a respected and well-regarded member of Congress, and for [President Trump] to be angry at Mr. Cummings because Mr. Cummings has the moral standing to question how migrant children are being treated at the border is an abomination to me.”
Rev. Al Sharpton: “He attacks everybody. I know Donald Trump. He’s not mature enough to take criticism… But he has a particular venom for blacks and people of color.”
Michael Steele, Former Chairman of RNC: “Mr. President, come on down [to Baltimore]. The streets are ready for you. The neighborhoods are ready for you. Folks want to talk to you. So just show up. Put the tweet down, brother, and show up.”
Maryland GOP Gov. Larry Hogan calls Trump’s tweets attacking Baltimore “outrageous and inappropriate” (The Hill) — Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) on Monday weighed in on President Trump’s series of attacks aimed at Baltimore over the weekend. Hogan, once thought to be a potential GOP primary challenger to Trump, called the president’s comments “outrageous and inappropriate” while appearing on WBAL’s “C4” radio show. He pointed to a speech he gave over the weekend where he discussed the “angry and divisive politics that are literally tearing America apart.“ “Enough is enough,” Hogan said. “People are completely fed up with this kind of nonsense. Why are we not focused on solving the problems and getting to work? … Quite frankly, what is the president doing? What is the Congress doing?” Hogan was reacting to Trump’s string of attacks on Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) and the city of Baltimore over the weekend in which he sent out more than a dozen tweets bashing the lawmaker and district he represents. Hogan said he, unlike Washington, is focused on solving the problems that currently plague Baltimore, but acknowledged he could use some assistance.