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OFF TO THE RACES: Obama Hits the Trail

Barack Obama didn’t hold back yesterday in urging Americans not to embrace Donald Trump, saying he is not "fit in any way, shape or form to represent this country.”

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell called Trump a "national disgrace” and an "international pariah" in a personal email exchange leaked Tuesday by hackers.

Mike Pence ran into trouble trying to rally Republicans on Capitol Hill over Clinton’s “deplorables” comment.

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman revealedTuesday that his office is making an inquiry into possible impropriety at the Trump Foundation.

Also, "Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee are asking the Justice Department to investigate the circumstances surrounding a $25,000 donation the Donald J. Trump Foundation made to Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi at a time when her office was considering whether to open a fraud investigation of Trump University,” according to the Washington Post.

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Newsweek looks at all of the potential conflicts of interest between a Trump White House and his sprawling business empire.

Trump outlined his new childcare plan Tuesday night with his daughter Ivanka.

The Washington Post crunches some numbers on how much of the public thinks Trump is unqualified to be president.

Republicans joining up with Team Clinton expect to get something in return, writes POLITICO.

The Wall Street Journal looks at how Trump’s new team has tried to steer him towards more “presidential” appearances. "Newly installed campaign chief executive Stephen Bannon and campaign manager Kellyanne Conway told their new boss, basically, trust us. Mr. Trump needed to move away from a preoccupation with rallies and wall-to-wall TV interviews toward “moments,” in the new managers’ parlance, that showed him in TV newscasts as presidential, with a caring side."

The New York Times: "The agreement that Secretary of State John Kerry announced with Russia to reduce the killing in Syria has widened an increasingly public divide between Mr. Kerry and Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter, who has deep reservations about the plan for American and Russian forces to jointly target terrorist groups."

Hacker “Guccifer 2.0” released a new round of documents last night, including Tim Kaine’s cell phone number.

From the AP: "Democrats are sounding increasingly concerned about their chances of retaking control of the Senate, as Republicans demonstrate a commanding fundraising advantage and Hillary Clinton's lead narrows in key battleground races. Although most Democrats still express confidence that they will win back the Senate majority in November, they now appear to have fewer paths to victory as wins in Ohio and even Florida look increasingly remote.”

Gary Johnson will appear on all 50 state ballots.

The Washington Post offers a profile of GOP mega-donor Rebekah Mercer.

What happens if a presidential candidate withdraws or dies after the nominating conventions? The Washington Post asks an expert.