The Note: Candidates Respond to Terror
— -- NOTABLES
--TRUMP, CLINTON URGE END TO TERRORISM AFTER ISTANBUL ATTACK: The two presumptive presidential nominees today weighed in on the terrorist attack at the main international airport in Istanbul, Turkey, that claimed the lives of at least 36 people and injured 147 more. Speaking at a campaign event in St. Clairsville, Ohio, GOP candidate Donald Trump began his remarks by addressing the attack. "There is something going on that’s really, really bad,” Trump said. “Alright, it’s bad. And we better get smart. And we better get tough. Or we are not going to have much of a country left.” http://abcn.ws/28YZv1x
--CLINTON CONDEMNS ATTACK: In a statement, Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton declared that “all Americans stand united with the people of Turkey against this campaign of hatred and violence.” “Today’s attack in Istanbul only strengthens our resolve to defeat the forces of terrorism and radical jihadism around the world,” Clinton said in a statement. “And it reminds us that the United States cannot retreat. We must deepen our cooperation with our allies and partners in the Middle East and Europe to take on this threat.” http://abcn.ws/28YZv1x
--LATEST TWEAK IN TRUMP’S PROPOSED MUSLIM BAN RAISES MORE QUESTIONS: The latest adjustment in Trump's proposed temporary ban on Muslims' entering the United States comes in relation to which Muslims would be affected. Some kind of ban on Muslims has been the centerpiece of Trump's presidential campaign, but his description of it has changed since he introduced the concept in December. ABC’s KATHERINE FAULDERS and MEGHAN KENEALLY report it started as a temporary "total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States"; now it would be limited to a ban focusing on "terrorist" countries. But his aides have repeatedly denied that this represents a shift in policy. http://abcn.ws/29542mL
--TRUMP VOTERS VOICE MIXED REACTIONS TO SHIFT: Trump's backers expressed a range of opinions over the presumptive Republican presidential nominee’s tweak in his proposed ban on Muslims entering the U.S., according to phone interviews with participants in the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll. Some criticized Trump’s bowing to political pressure, while others praised what they called a pragmatic move that could strengthen his hand in the general election. Melvin Hicks, a retired 79-year-old mechanical engineer and a Trump backer from Lakeland, Florida, supported the candidate's original pledge in December to temporarily ban all Muslims from entering the U.S., and expressed disappointment over the shift. "I would have rather he stayed with his stronger position," he said. "He's getting a lot of pressure and I think he's wilted a little bit there." More from ABC’s JOHN KRUZEL, RYAN STRUYK and NOAH FITZGEREL: http://abcn.ws/291o7f4
FIVETHIRTYEIGHT IN THE NOTE: NATE SILVER PREDICTS CLINTON WILL WIN IT ALL. This morning on ABC's “Good Morning America,” FiveThirtyEight’s Nate Silver predicted that Hillary Clinton will win the general election against Donald Trump. Clinton has a 79 percent chance of winning the election, compared to Trump's 20 percent, according to FiveThirtyEight’s forecast. "We're at halftime of the election right now," Silver said, ABC’s VERONICA STRACQUALURSI notes. "She's taking a seven-point, maybe a ten-point lead into halftime. There's a lot of football left to be played. She's ahead in almost every poll, every swing state, every national poll." FiveThirtyEight launches its general election forecast later today. http://abcn.ws/298Ed7e
YESTERDAY ON THE TRAIL with ABC’s VERONICA STRACQUALURSI and PAOLA CHAVEZ
TRUMP SLAMS TPP TRADE DEAL AS A ‘CONTINUING RAPE OF OUR COUNTRY.’ In an effort to narrow in on economics and hammer Hillary Clinton on trade, Donald Trump got graphic on Thursday in describing the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), ABC’s JESSICA HOPPER and INES DE LA CUETARA report. “The Trans-Pacific Partnership is another disaster, done and pushed by special interests who want to rape our country. Just a continuing rape of our country. That’s what it is too,” he said at a rally in St. Clairsville, Ohio. “It’s a harsh word. It's a rape of our country. This is done by wealthy people that want to take advantage of us, and that want to sign another partnership. So Hillary Clinton not so long ago said this is the gold standard of trade pacts,” he went on. http://abcn.ws/29ae3zM
TRUMP SAYS US ROBBED BY ‘ELITE’ HE ‘USED TO BE’ PART OF. Donald Trump announced a twist on his campaign slogan during an economic speech in Pennsylvania, saying that he has a plan to "Make America Wealthy Again" and claiming that the country was robbed by the "financial elite" of which he "used to be" part. "The legacy of Pennsylvania steelworkers lives in the bridges, railways and skyscrapers that make up our great American landscape. But our workers' loyalty was repaid you know it better than anybody with betrayal," Trump said during the speech, at an aluminum plant. ABC’s KATHERINE FAULDERS and MEGHAN KENEALLY report Trump repeatedly said under his presidency he would order "American steel" to be used to reinforce bridges and build "skyscrapers soaring, soaring into the sky." http://abcn.ws/298tpVf
NOTED: TRUMP'S UNUSUAL BACKGROUND STEALS THE SHOW. Trump revealed his plan to obtain “economic independence” while speaking at the Alumisource Factory today in Monessen, Pennsylvania -- but it seems like all anybody could focus on was his rather eco-friendly background. So just what was behind the presumptive Republican nominee? Twitter has some thoughts, curated by ABC’s PAOLA CHAVEZ: http://abcn.ws/2928WCt
CLINTON: IT’S ‘TIME TO MOVE ON’ FOLLOWING RELEASE OF BENGHAZI COMMITTEE REPORT. Following the release of the House Republicans on the Benghazi Select Committee’s final report, Hillary Clinton brushed off the document, saying it was nothing new and that it was “time to move on,” ABC’s VERONICA STRACQUALURSI, LIZ KREUTZ and PAOLA CHAVEZ report. “I said this when I testified for 11 hours that no one has thought more about or lost more sleep over the lives that we lost, the four Americans, which was devastating,” Clinton said. “We owe it to those brave Americans to make sure we learn the right lessons from this tragedy.” Clinton also seemed to suggest that the Benghazi committee spent millions of taxpayers' money for nothing and that the report “took on partisan tinge.” http://abcn.ws/29coEsP
ANALYSIS: HOW POLITICS LIMITED HILLARY CLINTON’S BENGHAZI FALLOUT. It has loomed over Hillary Clinton’s political ambitions for four years: the death of four Americans, including her friend the ambassador, at a previously obscure outpost in Libya, all on her watch as secretary of state. Benghazi was and is, arguably, the biggest black mark on Clinton’s legacy in office, ABC’s RICK KLEIN writes. And with Republicans on Capitol Hill digging in for a long and extensive examination of the incident and Clinton’s role back in September 2012, it represented a significant threat to Clinton’s presidential candidacy from its start. But Tuesday’s release of the long-delayed and extraordinarily expensive report of the House Select Committee on Benghazi suggests it will have limited, if any, political fallout for Clinton. The committee did not uncover any startling new details of Clinton’s involvement or culpability, and the report appears unlikely to significantly alter public perceptions of a highly politicized tragedy. http://abcn.ws/29660Fm
TRUMP’S FAVORABILITY AMONG ‘HIGHLY RELIGIOUS’ WHITE PROTESTANT REPUBLICANS ON THE RISE. Donald Trump has maintained and even increased his favorability numbers among white Protestant Republican voters in the past few weeks, a recent Gallup poll shows. The numbers stand in stark contrast to the latest ABC News-Washington Post poll showing his loss of support in the past few weeks among several other key voting blocs, including Hispanics and African-Americans. ABC’s NOAH FITZGEREL reports the Gallup poll found that Trump’s favorability among “highly religious” white Protestant Republicans increased to 66 percent this month from 57 percent in the window between February and the end of May. The 9-point gain is reflective of attitudes among evangelical Republicans, according to Gallup. http://abcn.ws/2912szj
OBAMA LAUGHS OFF TRUMP, BREXIT COMPARISONS, CAUTIONS AGAINST ‘HYSTERIA’ OVER VOTE. President Obama cautioned against “hysteria” over the U.K.’s decision to exit the European Union, while also declining to draw strong parallels between the so-called Brexit vote and the political rise of presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump. "Mr. Trump embodies global elites and has taken full advantage of it his entire life," Obama said in an interview with NPR, laughing when asked about Trump’s saying that U.S. voters will have a chance to reject “the global elite” in the November election. ABC’s JORDYN PHELPS has more. http://abcn.ws/2912ZCU
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
ELIZABETH WARREN ON ‘THE VIEW’: DONALD TRUMP TRYING TO ‘BULLY ME INTO SHUTTING UP’. The day after her first campaign appearance with Hillary Clinton, Sen. Elizabeth Warren addressed allegations lobbed by Donald Trump that she made fraudulent claims about her ancestry, Tuesday. Host Sunny Hostin of ABC's "The View" asked Warren to respond to Trump’s recent attacks alleging that Warren has made fraudulent claims that she is of Native American descent as a ploy to advance her career. “What this is really about is can they bully me into shutting up,” Warren said. The liberal Massachusetts senator promised that Trump and the Republican party would be unsuccessful in their efforts. ABC’s MATTHEW CLAIBORNE reports Warren did not entertain questions about being a possible vice presidential pick for Clinton, but ABC News confirmed on Monday that she is being formally vetted as a possible VP pick, among others. http://abcn.ws/291QzLu
WHO’S TWEETING?
@realDonaldTrump: Iron Mike Tyson was not asked to speak at the Convention though I'm sure he would do a good job if he was. The media makes everything up!
@ABCLiz: HRC to @BriaandChrissy on revenge porn: "I will do everything I can to try to figure out how to give victims like you the tools you need."
danmericaCNN: Hillary Clinton raised over $4 million on Tuesday at four fundraisers in CO and CA, per ticket prices & attendance numbers.
@IanSams: Ambassador Stevens' sister on criticism of @HillaryClinton on Benghazi: "It is very unjust." http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/chris-stevenss-family-dont-blame-hillary-clinton-for-benghazi …
@mlcalderone: CNN turns to new commentator Corey Lewandowski, who says this was "Mr. Trump’s best speech of the presidential cycle."
