The Note: Clinton Returns to the Trail
— -- NOTABLES
--SHE’S BACK: After three days resting at home, Hillary Clinton is set to return to the campaign trail for her first public appearance since her pneumonia diagnosis, ABC’s LIZ KREUTZ notes. Today, the Democratic presidential nominee -- who released additional medical information from her doctor Wednesday saying a recent physical “was normal and she is in excellent mental condition” -- will hold a campaign event in Greensboro, N.C. and then attend the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute dinner in Washington, D.C. Clinton’s return to the trail is sure to come with additional scrutiny and questions regarding her overall health. Donald Trump, who has thus far remained quiet about his opponent’s recent diagnosis, has consistently questioned Clinton’s health and “stamina” throughout the campaign. And his campaign is unlikely to let down. http://abcn.ws/2cyKxVu
--TRUMP CALLS FLINT PASTOR WHO INTERRUPTED HIM A 'NERVOUS MESS': The pastor in Flint, Michigan, who interrupted Donald Trump during a Wednesday campaign event was a "nervous mess,” the Republican presidential nominee said today. Trump, speaking at a Flint church, had started to mention Hillary Clinton when the Rev. Faith Green Timmons cut him off to say, "Mr. Trump , I invited you here to thank us for what we’ve done in Flint, not give a political speech.” Trump acquiesced, and promptly continued with his remarks. "She was so nervous,” Trump said this morning on “Fox and Friends.” “She was a nervous mess, and so I figured something -- I figured something was up, really.” More from ABC’s ALANA ABRAMSON: http://abcn.ws/2cAhQUX
--ANALYSIS -- ABC’s RICK KLEIN: We don’t know everything we should know, but we now know plenty that, by all rights, we shouldn’t. In this odd election’s twists on transparency, new standards are being written for candidate disclosure, including a rightful focus on the need for medical records and tax returns for conclusions to be made about physical and financial health. That’s part of what we don’t have, and the Clinton campaign is right to emphasize Donald Trump is by far the worse offender when it comes to redefining what it means to be a transparent candidate. But what we now do have is perhaps more remarkable: The DNC’s internal strategy memos and communications – with the promise of much, much more – and now even the private emails of a former secretary of state (no, not the one running for president). If Russian state actors are behind the hacks that produced those documents, are we missing a truly scary forest for some easy-to-talk-about trees? The story of Russian attempts to influence this election has diplomatic and geopolitical implications; in all honestly, Trump’s effective tax rate probably doesn’t. Both candidates should disclose more. But the real stories might be in what we are learning unexpectedly, as opposed to what we expect to learn.
BY THE NUMBERS -- PESSIMISTIC OR OPTIMISTIC? ELECTION-WISE, IT MATTERS. Two-thirds of Americans feel they have little or no influence over the actions of the federal government. Forty-five percent say the country’s greatness is ebbing. As many see voter fraud as commonplace. A third aren’t confident that votes in the presidential election will be counted fairly. And a third say people like them are treated unfairly in this country. The results of this poll, produced for ABC by Langer Research Associates, mark the extent to which underlying views of the state of the nation interact with political preferences. In some ways, a pessimists vs. optimists election. More from ABC’s JULIE PHELAN: http://abcn.ws/2cW3qnN
YESTERDAY ON THE TRAIL with ABC’s VERONICA STRACQUALURSI
CLINTON RELEASES MORE MEDICAL INFORMATION FOLLOWING PNEUMONIA DIAGNOSIS. Hillary Clinton on Wednesday released more information about her medical history following the announcement on Sunday that she had been diagnosed with pneumonia and questions that have continued to swirl about her health. In a statement released by the campaign, Clinton’s longtime physician, Dr. Lisa Bardack, who visited with Clinton at her home on Wednesday, says Clinton’s physical exam “was normal and she is in excellent mental condition." She adds that Clinton, who takes a handful of medications, including for her thyroid, is “recovering well with antibiotics and rest” and that “she continues to remain healthy and fit to serve as President of the United States. The statement released Wednesday says a chest CT scan was performed on Clinton last Friday, the results of which revealed pneumonia. The statement says this is a non-contagious bacterial pneumonia and that Clinton was treated with Levaquin, which she has been advised to take for 10 days. ABC’s LIZ KREUTZ, JOSH HASKELL, DAN CHILDS and DR. RICHARD BESSER have more. http://abcn.ws/2cIWtWG
ON TRIP TO FLINT, TRUMP GIVES STUMP SPEECH, GETS INTERRUPTED. On his trip to Flint, Michigan, where he toured a water plant and addressed local residents gathered at a church, Donald Trump was interrupted when he began criticizing his opponent Hillary Clinton, remarks he usually delivers at campaign rallies. “Hillary failed on the economy. Just like she’s failed on foreign policy. Everything she touched didn’t work out,” Trump said to a small crowd of local residents gathered at the Bethel United Methodist Church. Then the Rev. Faith Green Timmons, a pastor at the church, went on stage and stopped Trump. “Mr. Trump, I invited you here to thank us for what we’ve done in Flint, not give a political speech,” the pastor said. Trump complied and turned back to addressing Flint. ABC’s VERONICA STRACQUALURSI, ADAM KELSEY and JOHN SANTUCCI have more. http://abcn.ws/2c9m853
NEW POLLS SHOW ELECTION TIGHTENING, TRUMP GAINING IN BATTLEGROUND STATES. A series of polls released Wednesday show the gap is narrowing between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, both nationally and in surveys of the key battleground states of Florida and Ohio. A Quinnipiac poll of likely voters shows Clinton with 48 percent support nationally compared to Trump's 43 percent. The poll marks a tightening from late August when Quinnipiac showed the margin as 51-41 in favor of Clinton. The Quinnipiac poll was followed by the release of polling in Florida and Ohio by CNN/ORC that delivered additional good news for the New York businessman, ABC’s ADAM KELSEY and RYAN STRUYK note. In Florida, Trump received the backing of 47 percent of respondents while Clinton acquired 44 percent. In Ohio, Trump's support measured 46 percent to Clinton's 41 percent, Johnson's 8 percent and Stein's 2 percent. http://abcn.ws/2cbnIIx
COMPARING TRUMP'S AND CLINTON’S CHILD CARE POLICIES. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump unveiled his vision for child care overhaul Tuesday night at a rally in Pennsylvania. "Child care is such a big problem. We're going to solve that problem," Trump told the crowd. But Hillary Clinton’s campaign slammed Trump’s proposal Tuesday as a “regressive and insufficient” policy that is “out-of-touch, half-baked and ignores the way Americans live and work today.” The Trump campaign hit back, arguing that their plan is more complete than Clinton’s. ABC’s VERONICA STRACQUALURSI looks at what each candidate is offering U.S. voters in their child care policies. http://abcn.ws/2cIH9cj
TRUMP REVEALS MEDICAL RESULTS DURING 'DR. OZ' TAPING. Donald Trump reportedly shared the results of a physical examination during a television appearance Wednesday, despite an earlier assertion by his campaign that no medical information would be divulged. A clip has been released from the interview and in it, Trump offers to reveal the results of a recent physical exam, according to ABC’s TOM LLAMAS and MEGHAN KENEALLY. "I have really no problem doing it," Trump says in the clip. "I have it right here. Should I do it?" he asks the crowd. "It's two letters: one is the report and one is from Lenox Hill Hospital," he says, handing the papers over to the show's host, Dr. Mehmet Oz. http://abcn.ws/2cHUnGi
CLINTON TAKES TO TWITTER QUESTIONING TRUMP'S BUSINESS TIES TO FOREIGN COUNTRIES. A Newsweek article published Wednesday that looks at how Donald Trump's business ties could "upend U.S. national security" if he became president has unsurprisingly, has sparked a flurry of questions from his Democratic rival. ABC’s JOSH HASKELL notes that Clinton tossed 20 questions at Trump focusing on his ties to Russia and whether he'll "conduct foreign policy that puts the U.S." above his companies' "profits." http://abcn.ws/2cbg5BZ
COLIN POWELL IS NOT A FAN OF EITHER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE, HACKED EMAILS SHOW. Former Secretary of State Colin Powell's private email has been hacked and the messages made public reveal that he is not really a fan of either major party's presidential candidate. ABC News has not independently accessed these emails, which have been provided to a number of news outlets by a website called DCLeaks.com, which some experts believe is linked to Russian-backed cyber-espionage. Nevertheless, a spokesman for Powell told ABC News that the emails are "accurate," and has not challenged the veracity of any of the messages that have surfaced since Tuesday night. In the emails made public, the retired four-star general, speaking candidly to friends, has harsh words for both candidates, particularly his fellow Republican, Donald Trump. ABC’s JUSTIN FISHEL has more. http://abcn.ws/2cYCRtU
OBAMA 'UNLIKELY' TO ORDER RELEASE OF TRUMP'S TAX RETURNS, WHITE HOUSE SAYS. President Barack Obama has repeatedly slammed Donald Trump for his apparent unwillingness to release his tax returns, a break in precedent for decades of candidates for the nation's highest office. However, according to the White House, Obama is "unlikely" to take advantage of a widely overlooked rule in the Internal Revenue Code that would allow him to see and release Trump's returns for him. During Wednesday’s White House briefing, ABC’s ALEXANDER MALLIN notes, White House press secretary Josh Earnest brushed off the idea Obama would use the IRS to politically force the hand of a candidate. http://abcn.ws/2curVEt
GARY JOHNSON ON NOVEMBER BALLOT ON ALL 50 STATES. Gary Johnson, the Libertarian presidential nominee and former governor of New Mexico, will be on the ballot in all 50 states and the District of Columbia in November’s presidential election, his campaign announced Tuesday. “With a majority of Americans wanting a choice other than Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, today we now know for certain that on Election Day, every voter in America will have that alternative option,” Johnson said in a statement. Johnson’s running mate, former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld, will also be listed on the ballot, ABC’s JORDYN PHELPS reports. http://abcn.ws/2ctwLlk
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
HOW TO READ THE POLLS: A GUIDE TO THE 2016 ELECTION HORSERACE. The most difficult thing to understand while tracking the 2016 race may also be one of the most important: public opinion polling. Like checking the scoreboard in the final minutes of a playoff basketball game, Americans are soaking up each new political poll released in this year’s topsy-turvy election cycle. A poll isn’t a crystal ball for the future: the goal is a snapshot of the current state of the race. So how is it done? Ask a small, representative group of people for their thoughts on the presidential race. It works best with a small sample size -- usually around 1,000 people -- as a representation of the full U.S. population. (And the likelihood of being asked is very small -- there's a better chance of being struck by lightning than being called for the next ABC/Post poll.) ABC’s RYAN STRUYK notes what to watch while reading the polls over the next eight weeks: http://abcn.ws/2cx9Szo