1. ‘Dangerous’ and ‘scary’
In a tarmac news conference, Hillary Clinton said Donald Trump’s continued praise for Russian president Vladimir Putin “is scary, it is dangerous”. “Bizarre” and “astonishing” were other words she used.
Summary
Trump inaccurately claimed on TV yesterday that Putin had called him “brilliant” and he admired Putin’s “82% approval rating”. 82% – not bad, but Assad got 98% in 2007.
Terrifying taste of debates to come
Not all Republicans
Asked about Trump's praise of Putin, @SpeakerRyan says: "Vladimir Putin is an aggressor who does not share our interests."
— Sabrina Siddiqui (@SabrinaSiddiqui) September 8, 2016
2. ‘I blanked’
Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson explained that he “blanked” when asked about the humanitarian crisis in Aleppo, Syria. “What is Aleppo?” Johnson replied. “You’re kidding,” said the interviewer.
3. Between Clinton and Trump, Johnson chooses death
It was quite a media day for Johnson, who was asked by a separate interviewer, “If someone had a gun to your head would you vote for Hillary or Trump?” He replied: “I’d let the gun go off.”
4. Powell: 'I was not trying to influence her'
Former secretary of state Colin Powell replied to the release of an email showing he had advised Clinton in detail about skirting state department servers. “I was not trying to influence her but just to explain what I had done eight years earlier,” Powell said.
5. Snug swing state polls
A new poll showed Clinton’s lead in Pennsylvania at five points and shrinking. Trump led in Ohio, and Florida was tied. Polls in North Carolina gave conflicting results. Translation: either side could win.
Summary
Overall, about what you'd expect given a 3-4 point Clinton nat'l lead. OH & NC are mildly surprising, but sort of cancel one another out.
— Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) September 8, 2016
... and another thing:
Hillary Clinton hasn’t held a press conference in 3 minutes. What is she scared of?
— Philip Bump (@pbump) September 8, 2016
... and another thing:
Biden to Rubio: "keep the faith man" pic.twitter.com/Vz7TQCRSvX
— Burgess Everett (@burgessev) September 8, 2016
