POLITICO’s Post

Important questions around the attempted assassination of Donald Trump remain unresolved, but one is already prompting calls for an investigation: the glaring failure of the Secret Service to protect the former president. The gunman, identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, was shot dead by a Secret Service sniper team after he opened fire from a building overlooking the rally, killing one attendee and wounding Trump. His ability to reach that rooftop, where he had a direct shot at Trump, is among the most immediate areas of review. Link below for full story. https://lnkd.in/e_qwz9m8

The attempted assassination of Donald Trump shocked the nation — but not everyone was totally surprised: It was “almost just a matter of time,” said political violence expert Rachel Kleinfeld. Kleinfeld, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told us the shooting at Trump’s rally Saturday comes amid a huge rise in threats and violence against lawmakers, judges and others engaged in the political process. She said while the attack *could* help fuel further violence, it doesn’t have to. In American history and abroad, political violence can be tamped down — but the public also has to want it. Swipe for some of Kleinfeld’s thoughts on how the U.S. can curb political violence, or read her full Q&A at the link below. 📷 Scott Goldsmith for POLITICO https://lnkd.in/ee5EwY4h

Here are some of the biggest questions law enforcement, the Trump campaign and members of Congress will tackle following the assassination attempt on Donald Trump ⬇️

Pastors at megachurches across the country on Sunday credited God with sparing the life of Donald Trump. The portrayal could solidify the inevitability of Trump’s presidency among some Evangelicals.

Not everyone was totally surprised by the attempted assassination of Donald Trump. An expert on political violence said it was "just a matter of time." Still, she believes there's a way out of America's crisis — but the public has to want it.

As Joe Biden’s support continues to crumble, his party is reckoning with the possibility of a punishing defeat in November — a potential GOP wave that would not only elect Donald Trump but also sweep away Democrats from power in Congress. Biden’s chances in critical Sun Belt states like Arizona and Nevada are dwindling. Blue safe zones like New Hampshire are suddenly in play. And some big donors are threatening to withhold millions of dollars in pledges to pressure the president to step aside. All these forces are fueling panic that Biden could drag down the rest of the ticket so badly that Democrats not only fail to win back the House, but could also hand Trump and Hill Republicans big-enough majorities to actually carry out huge GOP priorities. “It’s over,” said an aide to a battleground Democrat. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eygxafE5

Officially, NATO doesn’t want to set new goals on what countries should spend on their own defenses until next year. Unofficially, no one could stop talking about it at the NATO Summit.

For the last eight years, Marco Rubio conceded to Donald Trump’s dominance by repressing parts of his political identity that were out of favor.  He remade himself for a changed era. And now — as one of the finalists in Trump’s veep apprentice sweepstakes — it’s inviting a harder look.

A federal judge is poised to dismiss Rudy Giuliani’s #bankruptcy case, expressing concern that Giuliani has used the proceedings to obfuscate his assets and delay paying a massive defamation penalty to two Georgia election workers.

The Federal Trade Commission is getting ready to sue big health care companies, claiming that they’re illegally maximizing profits by steering patients to high-cost drugs. The pending case would target large pharmaceutical intermediaries owned by UnitedHealth Group, CVS and Cigna.