| | | | For the last time: Hillary Clinton won the popular vote | | MSNBC's Katy Tur asked Kris Kobach a very simple question on Wednesday afternoon: Do you believe Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by 3 million to 5 million votes?
"You know we may never know the answer," said Kobach, who is running President Trump's Commission on Election Integrity. "We probably will never know the answer to that question."
Um, WHAT?
We do, in fact, know the answer to that question.
And, here it is: Hillary Clinton won the popular vote over Donald Trump by 2,864,974 votes. She received 65,844,610 votes nationwide. He received 62,979,636. Those results have been certified in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. (The Cook Political Report's David Wasserman has a state-by-state popular vote count here.)
The only person claiming these results are in question is Donald Trump. (And now Kris Kobach.) In the immediate wake of the 2016 election, Trump repeatedly claimed he would have won the popular vote if 3 million to 5 million illegal votes hadn't been cast. He provided no evidence for that claim -- likely because, well, there is no evidence to provide.
"The President does believe that, I think he's stated that before, and stated his concern of voter fraud and people voting illegally during the campaign and continues to maintain that belief based on studies and evidence people have brought to him," White House press secretary Sean Spicer said in January about Trump's fallacious claim. It didn't make sense then. It doesn't make sense now.
That Kobach, who is leading a commission devoted to "election integrity," would repeat something that has ZERO evidence to back it up is remarkable. Just to be totally clear: This is not a "he said, he said" issue. Everyone in a position to know -- except Trump -- says Clinton won the popular vote.
What's even more amazing is that the Trumpian focus on the popular vote is totally pointless. We decide our presidents by the electoral college -- which Trump won! No one is disputing that fact! Trump is the president through inauguration day 2021 no matter what happened in the popular vote.
Let's say it together: Hillary Clinton won the popular vote. Donald Trump is president.
See, that wasn't too painful! | | KICKING IT WHEN IT'S DOWN | | | The Congressional Budget Office on Wednesday issued its latest score, which estimates enacting the Senate's Obamacare Repeal Reconciliation Act would "reduce federal deficits by $473 billion over the coming decade and increase the number of people who are uninsured by 32 million in 2026." Here's the full report. | | | As Bloomberg's Justin Sink pointed out on Twitter, pillow dude brought his pillow to the White House Wednesday. In case you forgot: Pillow Dude = My Pillow USA founder Mike Lindell, who got a lot of hate after expressing support for Trump. The Better Business Bureau accused Lindell, known for the MyPillow infomercials, of swindling consumers. | | A 'HOME RUN' FOR HISTORY BUFFS | | Baseballs signed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower and President Richard Nixon are up for auction. CNN's Liz Stark reached out to Steiner Auctions, the group auctioning off the signed baseball memorabilia, about its historical significance.
"I was thrilled at the items and I could relate to each one, having studied baseball history for decades," said auction manager Dave Amerman. "At Steiner Auctions, a collection like this one helps validate our appreciation for their history of the game and the collectibles we sell appeal to collectors of all levels from the most novice to the lifelong seasoned veterans."
The baseballs were set for auction as part of a collection from the family of former Washington Senators' coach Cookie Lavagetto.
The Eisenhower baseball's starting bid is currently at $5,000, compared to Nixon's, which is set at $250. "The Eisenhower baseball's historical significance is that the ball was signed during Eisenhower's presidency," Amerman explained. "It has a bright white appeal, and the signature is as perfect as I have ever seen. … The Nixon ball, although unique because it was personalized to Cookie, doesn't command the same value as Dwight."
"It isn't every day to find a collection that began in the 1930s and hasn't been sold off until nearly 90 years after the collection began," Amerman added. "The history and age of these items is simply awesome." | | | The Economist pointed out in an article on Tuesday that President Donald Trump is "the first president without a pet in nearly 150 years." Good thing VP Mike Pence and his family have beloved rabbit Marlon Bundo -- nicknamed BOTUS -- to give the public what they really need: pics of cute animals at the White House. | | | Check out the new Waxahatchee record "Out in the Storm." Also, check out her twin sister's(!) new record. | | Rep. Ben Ray Luján, of New Mexico, used to help his mom "figure out how to corral the animals, which were supposed to be guarding the family's sheep herd in New Mexico." Now, as Los Angeles Times' Lisa Mascaro writes in this recent profile, he has become "a shepherd for House Democrats."
"It falls largely to Luján to shepherd the campaign arm of the fracturing party, united mainly by opposition to Trump and by a desire to win back the House majority," Mascaro wrote. "Luján must help recruit dozens of candidates and persuade deep-pocketed donors to shell out more than $200 million for the midterm election." | |  | | Courtesy of Black Mask Studios | | CalExit is a comic book now.
The first issue of CALEXIT -- written by Matteo Pizzolo and illustrated by artist Amancay Nahuelpan -- launched last week with a print run of 25,000. But within 24 hours, the book had sold out at the distribution level and at most major comic book retailers. Publisher Black Mask Studios initiated a second printing, and Pizzolo said there are plans for a second volume.
The series, which includes five issues in volume 1, follows citizens of California as they struggle to seize power back from an autocratic government. It takes place after America's president signs an executive order to deport all immigrants, and California responds by making itself a Sanctuary State.
Though the comic book shares its name with the political movement for California to secede from the union, Pizzolo said they were inspired by Brexit, but if it happened to California.
Saba chatted with Pizzolo as he was en route to San Diego Comic-Con. Here's what he said:
We've been working on this since before the election, so it's not a direct reaction specifically to the Trump presidency. It's more reaction to the kind of events that were going on -- like the primaries -- that gave us the era we are in now. The message of it is pretty broad: celebrating the spirit of resistance and people getting over contentiousness to be able to work together. We're hoping that shines through beyond the story being a timely dystopia. Pizzolo will contribute his writing royalties from the CALEXIT comic book to start a SuperPAC called Become The Government to support first-time candidates from nonpartisan backgrounds in the 2018 midterm elections. | | | Happy National Hot Dog Day! Sorry not sorry about reusing this Snapchat dancing hot dog GIF. USA Today has a good roundup of where you can "find freebies and deals on dogs." It's not too late! | | | The boy who lived is coming back this fall. That's right: Two new HARRY POTTER books are hitting bookshelves in October, thanks to UK publisher Bloomsbury. They aren't written by wizarding world queen J.K. Rowling, but we're still excited for more magic. The books, which accompany an exhibition at the British Library -- are called Harry Potter: A History of Magic -- The Book Exhibition and Harry Potter - A Journey Through A History of Magic. | |  | | Courtesy of GIPHY | | | Throwback to one of our favorite "Parks and Recreation" moments: Leslie Knope meets VP Biden. Happy Hump day! And, thanks, as always, for reading! Remember to tell your friends, fans, family-- whoever! -- to subscribe. | | | Get the Nightcap, a comprehensive summary of the most important political news, delivered to your inbox daily. | | | | | |
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