The President trashes the city of Baltimore because Rep. Elijah Cummings criticized his immigration policies, Trump advisors are telling reporters that racism is a good political strategy, the House Judiciary Committee effectively begins an impeachment inquiry, and 20 Democratic candidates prepare for the second round of debates. Then Pod Save the People’s DeRay Mckesson talks to Tommy about Trump’s criticism of his hometown.

Show Notes

Trump v. Cummings

NYT : Trump Accuses Black Congressman and Allies of Being Racist, Deepening Feud

WaPo : ‘Louder and more hateful’: Big-city leaders say Trump’s attacks on Baltimore are escalation of his strategy to denigrate diverse, liberal areas

Baltimore Sun – Trump calls Cummings ‘racist’ in new round of Twitter fury about Baltimore

Vox : Trump launches another racist attack on a lawmaker of color

WaPo : Trump attacks Rep. Cummings’s district, calling it a ‘disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess’

WaPo : Hogan’s muted response to Trump comments about Baltimore stirs more anger

Baltimore Sun Editorial Page – Better to have a few rats than to be one

WaPo : A CNN anchor’s emotional response to Trump’s Twitter rant about his ‘infested’ hometown

CNN : The Fox News distortions behind Trump’s attack on Baltimore and its congressman

Media Matters – Fox’s Pete Hegseth defends Trump’s racist Baltimore tweet: It’s bringing attention to “forgotten men and women”

Mediate – This Fox & Friends Segment that Preceded Trump’s Rant at Cummings Showed Piles of Trash in Baltimore

The Atlantic – What Elijah Cummings Once Told Trump in Private.

WaPo : Kushner owns lots of Baltimore-area apartments. Some are infested with mice.

NYT Magazine / Pro Publica – Jared Kushner’s Other Real Estate Empire in Baltimore

WaPo : The ‘I alone can fix it’ president wants black areas to fix themselves

WaPo : ‘Everything that Donald Trump says is offensive to some people,’ Mulvaney says

Daily Beast – Chris Wallace Confronts WH Chief of Staff on Trump’s Racist Baltimore Tweets: There’s a ‘Clear Pattern Here’

CNN : Democratic senator says Trump’s Twitter ‘is the most hate-filled, racist, and demeaning.’ So he unfollowed him

Guardian – Democrats and media condemn Trump’s racist Cummings attack

Baltimore Sun : A young Elijah Cummings faced hate when integrating a Baltimore pool. Today, Trump’s tweets reopen old wounds.

Politico : Trump has a ‘hate agenda,’ Tlaib charges

NYT – Op-Ed – By Kevin Kruse – Trump Is Different Than George Wallace. He’s Worse.

NYT : Pelosi. Clinton. Obama. Now ‘the Squad’ Is the New Target for the Right.

Axios : Julián Castro: Trump is the “biggest identity politician” of the last 50 years

Vox : Trump launches another racist attack on a lawmaker of color

Vox : Women voters of color are watching how Democrats respond to attacks on “the Squad”

WaPo – Op-Ed – We are African Americans, we are patriots, and we refuse to sit idly by

WaPo : The Trailer: How a moderate Democrat runs for Congress in the age of the Squad

WaPo : Trump campaign sees political advantage in a divisive appeal to working-class white voters

Politico : Supreme Court gives Trump go-ahead on border wall

WaPo : Adviser, son-in-law and hidden campaign hand: How Kushner is trying to help Trump win in 2020

The Atlantic – By Ron Brownstein – Will Trump’s Racist Attacks Help Him? Ask Blue-Collar White Women.

FiveThirtyEight – Is Trump’s Use Of Identity Politics An Effective Strategy?

New Yorker – There Is Nothing Strategic About Trump’s Racism

The Atlantic – What Americans Do Now Will Define Us Forever

WaPo : New GOP panic about Trump’s racism reveals an ugly truth

WaPo : State senator from Arizona criticized for saying that ‘we’re going to look like South American countries’

CNBC – GDP slows to 2.1% in second quarter but beats expectations thanks to strong consumer

NYT : U.S. Economy Slows, Denying Trump 3% Talking Point

Bloomberg – U.S. Economic Growth Seen Stumbling as Trade Hits Companies

WSJ : Economic Growth Didn’t Hit 3% Mark Last Year, Revised Data Show

Slate : Donald Trump’s Entire Story About the Economy Fell Apart This Week

NYT : White House Considered Weakening U.S. Dollar Before Ruling It Out

WaPo – Analysis by Dan Balz – The economy isn’t saving Trump because he keeps getting in the way