Feds believe Trump aide met with Russian man linked to USA hacks

This is getting really, really interesting. The info comes from Politico reporter Eric Geller (linking to another news report): https://twitter.com/ericgeller/status/779402523945766912

New questions raised about how Trump used his foundation

Source: CBS News

Donald Trump is under fire for reports, including those from the Washington Post, saying he used money from his charitable foundation for business and personal expenses. CBS News has new details on one of the payments.

At a 2010 charity golf tournament at a Trump Westchester golf course, Martin Greenberg thought he’d won a million dollars when he hit a hole in one.

But the insurance company that was supposed to pay out balked, saying the tee was set up wrong. Greenberg sued the tournament’s sponsor, the charity of former NBA player Alonzo Mourning, and Donald Trump’s club.

Trump’s campaign says to help pay for the resulting settlement, Trump donated lifetime memberships at his golf courses. They were auctioned through an online charity website that said proceeds would benefit the Donald J. Trump Foundation and Mourning’s charity. The winner was still required to pay $1,500 monthly dues.

Read more: Link to source

Pew interviews 75% cell phones. PPP 80% landlines

Methodology of last PPP NC poll:
"Public Policy Polling surveyed 830 likely voters from August 5th to 7th. The margin of error is +/-3.4%.
80% of participants, selected through a list based sample, responded via the phone, while 20% of
respondents who did not have landlines conducted the survey over the internet through an opt-in internet
panel." http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/pdf/2015/PPP_Release_NC_81016.pdf

...

Methodology of Pew Surveys:
"Pew Research Center will call 75% cellphones for surveys in 2016" http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/01/05/pew-research-center-will-call-75-cellphones-for-surveys-in-2016/

Cincinnati Enquirer "has supported Republicans for president for almost a century"

But the Enquirer, second largest newspaper in Ohio, just endorsed...Hillary Clinton:

The Enquirer has supported Republicans for president for almost a century – a tradition this editorial board doesn’t take lightly. But this is not a traditional race, and these are not traditional times. Our country needs calm, thoughtful leadership to deal with the challenges we face at home and abroad. We need a leader who will bring out the best in all Americans, not the worst.

That’s why there is only one choice when we elect a president in November: Hillary Clinton.

Clinton is a known commodity with a proven track record of governing. As senator of New York, she earned respect in Congress by working across the aisle and crafting bills with conservative lawmakers. She helped 9/11 first responders get the care they needed after suffering health effects from their time at Ground Zero, and helped expand health care and family leave for military families. Clinton has spent more than 40 years fighting for women's and children's rights. As first lady, she unsuccessfully fought for universal health care but helped to create the Children's Health Insurance Program that provides health care to more than 8 million kids today. She has been a proponent of closing the gender wage gap and has stood up for LGBT rights domestically and internationally, including advocating for marriage equality.

Trump is a clear and present danger to our country. He has no history of governance that should engender any confidence from voters. Trump has no foreign policy experience, and the fact that he doesn't recognize it – instead insisting that, "I know more about ISIS than the generals do" – is even more troubling. His wild threats to blow Iranian ships out of the water if they make rude gestures at U.S. ships is just the type of reckless, cowboy diplomacy Americans should fear from a Trump presidency. Clinton has been criticized for being overly cautious when it comes to sending our troops into battle, but there is a measured way to react to the world's problems. Do we really want someone in charge of our military and nuclear codes who has an impulse control problem? The fact that so many top military and national security officials are not supporting Trump speaks volumes.

Pollster (NBC/WSJ) to release national poll at 5PM

Heads up!

PPP's North Carolina poll: 80% were landline users

At a time when 40% of the US population still has landlines (as of 2015), PPP conducts a poll where 80% of respondents are landline users. Not surprisingly, Trump came out ahead by 2%:

Methodology: Public Policy Polling surveyed 1,024 likely voters from September 18th to 20th. The margin of error is +/-
3.1%. 80% of participants, selected through a list based sample, responded via the phone, while20% of
respondents who did not have landlines conducted the survey over the internet through an opt-in internet
panel.
http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/pdf/2015/PPP_Release_NC_92116.pdf

47 days until we learn which pollsters suck

47 days...

Flashback: Marquette poll ( Oct 11-14): Obama leads Romney by 1% (He won by 7%)

NY Times editorial: By refusing to release returns, Trump "is disqualifying himself as a candidate"

Excerpts:

All major party nominees for president going back nearly 40 years have released their tax returns except Donald Trump. That leads to a simple question: What is he hiding?

Mr. Trump has offered nothing but fallacious excuses for keeping his returns secret. Initially, he said he would not release returns until the Internal Revenue Service completed an ongoing audit; the agency said there’s no rule stopping disclosure during an audit. Recently, one of his sons said the returns are so long and complex that people would ask too many questions if they were allowed to see them. None of these claims make sense.

New York Times picks up the story of Trump settling lawsuits with charity money

Legal experts say that Trump violated the law, and "it's not even close":

"“That’s way across the line,” said Lloyd Mayer, a professor at Notre Dame Law School who specializes in nonprofit and tax law. “It’s not even close. It’s clearly self-dealing for a private foundation like the Trump Foundation."

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/21/us/politics/donald-trump-foundation-charity.html