The Note: Trump and the Plane
— -- NOTABLES
--TRUMP REPEATS APPARENT FALSE CLAIM OF IRAN CASH TRANSFER VIDEO: Donald Trump again referred to a video he claims to have seen of the $400 million exchange between the U.S. and Iran — despite his campaign saying otherwise. "You know, it was interesting because a tape was made," Trump said to supporters at a rally in Portland, Maine, yesterday. "You know why the tape was given to us? Because they want to embarrass our country." Trump initially discussed a video of the exchange in detail at a rally in Florida Wednesday, writes ABC’s CANDACE SMITH and JENNIFER HANSLER. http://abcn.ws/2aUgxUR ABC’s JUSTIN FISHEL has the backstory: http://abcn.ws/2alBgR1
--TRUMP TWEETS THIS MORNING: “The plane I saw on television was the hostage plane in Geneva, Switzerland, not the plane carrying $400 million in cash going to Iran!” http://bit.ly/2aqR7sU
--OBAMA -- 'OF COURSE THE ELECTION WILL NOT BE RIGGED': President Obama mocked Donald Trump's suggestion that the November election could be "rigged" yesterday. "Of course the election will not be rigged. What does that mean?" Obama asked when he was questioned about Trump's comments at a press conference. "I've never heard of someone complaining about being cheated before the game is over or before the score is tallied," the president said. ABC’s JORDYN PHELPS has more: http://abcn.ws/2aYOxwo
--CLINTON CAMPAIGN RELEASES NEW AD: It’s titled “Unfit,” and according to the campaign it “features a litany of Republican voices expressing concern over the notion of Donald Trump becoming commander in chief.” It will air on national cable television. WATCH: https://youtu.be/GsIhFog4aJg
--SANDERS URGES HIS FANS TO BACK CLINTON in a Los Angeles Times Op-Ed today: "I understand that many of my supporters are disappointed by the final results of the nominating process, but being despondent and inactive is not going to improve anything,” Sanders writes. “Going forward and continuing the struggle is what matters. And, in that struggle, the most immediate task we face is to defeat Donald Trump.” The article is similar to his convention speech, listing a number of issues that he cares about from health care to college tuition and arguing that Clinton, not Trump, will fight for those things, according to ABC’s MARYALICE PARKS. He says that Clinton is the nominee and he will support her “vigorously” though he makes the point right at the top of listing how many super delegate votes she got compared to him.
THIS WEEK ON ‘THIS WEEK’: The Powerhouse Roundtable debates the week in politics with ABC News political analyst Matthew Dowd, Republican strategist and CNBC contributor Sara Fagen, host and managing editor of TV One’s “News One Now” Roland Martin, and ABC’s Cokie Roberts.
YESTERDAY ON THE TRAIL with ABC’s JENNIFER HANSLER and ADAM KELSEY
CLINTON: TRUMP AND HIS KIDS 'KILLED A LOT OF ANIMALS'. Hillary Clinton took aim at Donald Trump and his children at a rally in Las Vegas, Nevada, saying they "killed a lot of animals" in response to animal rights protesters who were heckling her. Secret Service agents descended upon Clinton during the rally after protesters approached the stage. As ABC’s JOSH HASKELL and ADAM KELSEY note, the moment was similar to one in March in which Secret Service agents surrounded Donald Trump after a man rushed his stage in Ohio. http://abcn.ws/2ayp5kS
PENCE ENDORSES JOHN MCCAIN AND KELLY AYOTTE. After beginning the day by siding with his running mate and declining to explicitly endorse Sens. John McCain and Kelly Ayotte, Republican vice presidential candidate Mike Pence subsequently reversed course, with an aide confirming he would in fact offer his support for them, ABC’s INES DELACUETARA and ALANA ABRAMSON note. Pence will be supporting every sitting Republican candidate, including Ayotte and McCain. Earlier in the day, Pence avoided a direct response when asked if he would diverge from Trump and support the two senators in their reelection campaigns. "I look forward to supporting Republican candidates in the days and weeks ahead all over the country, and so does Donald Trump," he told traveling press aboard his plane. "To restore our country at home and abroad, we need new leadership, and I'm looking forward to standing shoulder to shoulder with Donald Trump to drive that new leadership forward," he added. http://abcn.ws/2axGqo7
TRUMP BREAKS SILENCE ON ZIKA, REMAINS MUM ON FEDERAL FUNDS. In sharp contrast to new alarms over dwindling resources to fight Zika, Donald Trump broke his silence yesterday on the federal response to the mosquito-borne virus, but declined to say whether Congress should approve more money. ABC’s JOHN KRUZEL explains that rump also said Zika appears to be “under control” in Florida where the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) this week took the unprecedented step of advising pregnant women not to travel to certain areas of Miami, amid reports of 15 cases of the virus transmitted in the state. http://abcn.ws/2aM6Zc2
MEET DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ’S PRIMARY OPPONENT. Bernie Sanders sent shock waves through the Democratic Party last May when he formally endorsed Tim Canova, the primary opponent of Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, at the time the chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee. Months later, Wasserman Schultz’s resignation from the top party post, on the eve of the party’s national convention, has catapulted her primary race back into the national headlines. As ABC’s MARYALICE PARKS notes, with the help of Sanders’ backing — and thousands of small donations to fuel his campaign — Canova says he is within “striking” distance of his opponent. http://abcn.ws/2b5uYC2
WHO’S TWEETING?
@ron_fournier: Ex-CIA chief calls @realDonaldTrump "an unwitting agent of the Russian Federation." http://nyti.ms/2aVZxgZ
@liamstack: Trump was asked about potential female cabinet members and the only person he named was his daughter Ivanka http://bit.ly/2aV11YZ
@jeneps: There are 13 people on Donald Trump's new economic advisory council. All 13 are men.
@mattklewis: People being conned can't be reasoned with. Evidence doesn't matter. http://dailycaller.com/2016/08/04/confidence-game-author-maria-konnikova-trump-is-a-con-artist/ …
@markknoller: Was nearly 11pm when Pres & Mrs Obama got back to WH last night after leisurely 3½ hr dinner out with friends to mark @POTUS 55th birthday.