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Buzz Cut:
• First in Fox News First: Walker opens in fighting stance
• Mitt and Jeb break bread
• Bernie boom continues
• Maybe it’s that Sanders’ sexpertise
• Run for your lives. That is all.
FIRST IN FOX NEWS FIRST: WALKER OPENS IN FIGHTING STANCE
Scott Walker is laying the groundwork for Monday’s presidential announcement with the story that first introduced him the GOP voters. In a video set to be released by his campaign today, we never hear from Walker himself but rather his supporters and critics from his 2011 budget battle and failed 2102 recall effort.
Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wisc., — or at least archival footage of the 2102 GOP vice presidential nominee – plays a starring role. Walker has yet to endorse Walker, his home state governor, or any candidate, but Ryan was an ardent ally of Walker during his fight against government worker unions and in the subsequent recall election.
Ryan’s line, “courage is on the ballot” sounds like a ready-made Walker slogan.
But the closing of the spot goes to Walker’s fiercest critics at MSNBC. The final line is from Rachel Maddow who says “This election night may have just been one recall election, for one governor. What happens as a result of this could be the biggest politics story of all.”
It’s the first major move by Walker’s campaign since the Wisconsin governor informed the Federal Elections Commission last week that he was readying a presidential campaign.
You can watch the video here.
MITT AND JEB BREAK BREAD
Mitt Romney and his wife dined with Jeb Bush at the Bush family’s compound in Kennebunkport, Maine. Former President George H.W. Bush and former first lady Barbara Bush also attended.
No leniency for Snowden, says Jeb – In a tweet Monday night, Bush commented on former Attorney General Eric Holder’s remark that “possibility exists” for Edward Snowden to come back to the U.S. if the Justice Department could cut a deal with him. Bush responded, “Snowden broke the law, recklessly endangered nat’l security, & fled to China/Russia. He should be given no leniency.”
RUBIO STARTS POLICY ROLLOUT
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., is set to deliver his first major policy speech since launching his campaign. The speech, which will focus on jobs and education, takes place in Chicago, which saw 65 shootings this past weekend. Rubio gave Bloomberg a preview.
Go to the experts… – As Fox News Latino points out, The New York Times quotes an employee of the state-run newspaper in Cuba accusing Rubio of spreading “propaganda.”
[Watch Fox: Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., talks with Neil Cavuto on FBN’s “Cavuto Coast to Coast” today at 8 p.m. ET.]
Kasich rolls out Beltway team – Per a press release from his PAC New Day for America, Gov. John Kasich, R-Ohio, is set to meet with his newly formed steering committee in Washington today. Members of the committee include chairmen Rep. Pat Tiberi, R-Ohio, and Bob Rusbuldt, president & CEO of the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America, as well as numerous other Washington influencers.
[Watch Fox: Gov. John Kasich, R-Ohio, will sit center seat on “Special Report with Bret Baier” tonight at 6 p.m. ET.]
WaPo finds illegal immigrants at work at Trump’s D.C. hotel – WaPo: “…a Trump company may be relying on some undocumented workers to finish the $200 million hotel, which will sit five blocks from the White House on Pennsylvania Avenue, according to several who work there. A Trump spokeswoman said the company and its contractors follow all applicable laws…Interviews with about 15 laborers helping renovate the Old Post Office Pavilion revealed that many of them had crossed the U.S-Mexico border illegally before they eventually settled in the Washington region to build new lives.”
“Likewise, tremendous infectious disease is pouring across the border.” – Donald Trump in a campaign statement on the controversy surrounding his comments on Mexican illegal immigrants.
CAMPAIGN DAYBOOK
Carly Fiorina continues her six day New Hampshire tour.
Ben Carson participates in Politics and Eggs in Manchester, N.H.
Former Gov. Mike Huckabee, R-Ark., huddles with Edgefield County Republicans in South Carolina
WITH YOUR SECOND CUP OF COFFEE…
WaPo: “After causing quite a stir over the weekend and putting scientific observations on hold for three days, NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft seems to be recovering. On July 4, NASA reported that New Horizons — which is just days away from a historic encounter with Pluto after nine years of travel — was experiencing an anomaly. The craft went into safe mode and lost communications with Earth for an hour. The $728 million mission is meant to give us our first real observations of Pluto, the mysterious dwarf planet that sits on the edge of our solar system. It’s been zipping toward its goal since 2006, and the end — July 14 — is in sight. By July 15, the public should have access to an image of Pluto on par with shots of Earth taken from space. But this hiccup is a reminder that no space mission is a guarantee — and the July 14 flyby will require all the stars to align.”
Got a TIP from the RIGHT or the LEFT? Email FoxNewsFirst@FOXNEWS.COM
POLL CHECK
Real Clear Politics Averages
Obama Job Approval: Approve – 46.4 percent//Disapprove – 49.6 percent
Directions of Country: Right Direction – 29.8 percent//Wrong Track – 60.5 percent
BERNIE BOOM CONTINUES
Bernie Sanders sizzled in Portland, Maine last night, promising a crowd of 7,500-plus a potpourri of populist goodies while taking another dig at “establishment” politicians, a.k.a. Hillary Clinton. Sanders latest big draw comes amid word of a “worried” Clinton campaign hearing footsteps as her rival from Vermont closes in.
Maybe it’s Sanders’ sexpertise – The attention is cutting both ways for Sanders though, as deeper dives on self-described socialist’s past emerge. The latest, in a NYT weekend write on Sanders’ revolutionary roots, describes an article on health he wrote in the 70s for the leftist paper The Freeman: “…[I]n which he cited studies claiming that cancer could be caused by psychological factors such as unresolved hostility toward one’s mother, a tendency to bury aggression beneath a ‘facade of pleasantness’ and having too few orgasms. ‘Sexual adjustment seemed to be very poor in those with cancer of the cervix,’ he wrote, quoting a study in a journal called Psychosomatic Medicine.” It’s not the first time in this campaign Sanders early writings have raised eyebrows. And while the Donald Trump’s present pronouncements have branded him an outlier, Sanders past has the potential to douse the Bern and cause consternation for Democrats.
Clinton aide blocks access to environmental group – WashEx: “An environmental group whose request for records related to the Keystone Pipeline was reportedly hampered while Hillary Clinton served as secretary of state is considering taking the case to court for the second time. Ben Schreiber, climate and energy program director at Friends of the Earth, said his group has weighed the option of relitigation in the weeks since learning that Clinton’s chief of staff, Cheryl Mills, had interfered in the agency’s handling of Freedom of Information Act requests for Keystone documents.”
Hillary chides Israel boycott push – The Hill: “Hillary Clinton is taking a strong line against the ‘BDS’ movement that calls for boycotts, divestment and sanctions against Israel. In a letter to major Democratic donor Haim Saban that was released publicly, Clinton asks for advice on how to fight the BDS movement, which she argues is seeking to ‘isolate and delegitimize Israel.’”
[Clinton is back in Iowa for a couple of grassroots organizing events and will give her first network interview of her campaign.]
BENEFIT FOR CHARLESTON
A benefit for the families of those killed at Mother Emanuel AME Church will be held in Washington on Wednesday. The event, hosted by the South Carolina Business Council and the South Carolina State Society, is set to start at 6 p.m. at 101 Constitution Ave NW. Among those attending are Assistant Democratic Leader, Jim Clyburn, Senator Tim Scott and U.S. Senate Chaplain Barry Black.
RUN FOR YOUR LIVES. THAT IS ALL.
WCCO: “A grizzly bear at the Minnesota Zoo repeatedly slammed a 50-pound rock into the glass wall of its enclosure, cracking the thick pane separating the bears from surprised zoo-goers. Director of Animal Collections Tony Fisher says the custom-made, laminated safety glass safety glass did what it’s supposed to do — only one of its five layers shattered…Zoo staff are not certain which of the three grizzlies picked up the rock, but they believe it was Kenai, the middle-size brown bear. The zoo says on its website that he likes to wrestle and ‘when it comes time to new things, he’s most likely to be the first to try them.’ Fisher says the bears weren’t being aggressive or trying to escape, they were just playing…The bears have been taken out of their exhibit until a replacement pane can be installed.”
AND NOW A WORD FROM CHARLES…
“This is a fake campaign. This is a woman, this is a candidate who is going to be the nominee. We all know it, for all of the Bernie momentum stuff. That’s a side show. But you have to go through fifteen, sixteen months of a ritual of actually campaigning. There is no campaign. There is not going to be a debate. There isn’t a challenge. So she is stuck for these fifteen or so months pretending to be a candidate and what you get are pretend events.” – Charles Krauthammer on “Special Report with Bret Baier” Watch here.
Chris Stirewalt is digital politics editor for Fox News. Want FOX News First in your inbox every day? Sign up here.
Chris Stirewalt joined Fox News Channel (FNC) in July of 2010 and serves as digital politics editor based in Washington, D.C. Additionally, he authors the daily “Fox News First” political news note and hosts “Power Play,” a feature video series, on FoxNews.com. Stirewalt makes frequent appearances on the network, including “The Kelly File,” “Special Report with Bret Baier,” and “Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace.” He also provides expert political analysis for Fox News coverage of state, congressional and presidential elections.
