Tipsheet: Trump grabs midterm spotlight

View in your browser     Trump grabs midterm spotlight By Lisa Hagen   He may not be on the ballot in November, but with 100 days to go before the midterms, the critical race for control of Congress has become all about President Trump. Midterms have traditionally been referendums on the president and the party in power, but Trump has had an influence over this year’s race in a way that strategists say they have never seen before. And that could be a double-edged sword — for both Democrats and Republicans. Read the full story here     Top Koch network officials vent frustration with White House, GOP-led Congress By Jonathan Easley   Senior officials from the group of networks affiliated with billionaire conservative businessman Charles Koch are expressing deep frustration with Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress, even as they spend heavily to elect Republicans and promote conservative causes ahead of the midterm elections. Read the full story here     The Memo: Trump and Cohen wage a credibility war By Niall Stanage Trump and his longtime personal attorney and fixer Michael Cohen are waging a war over credibility — and the stakes could hardly be higher. Read the full story here     Giuliani: We warned Cohen that he violated attorney-client privilege By Jacqueline Thomsen Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani said Saturday that the president’s legal team has warned Cohen against speaking about the president, claiming that he has violated attorney-client privilege. Read the full story here       GOP lawmaker: 'Nobody’s going to be surprised' if Trump approved Russia meeting By John Bowden Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) on Saturday downplayed renewed scrutiny over whether Trump knew in advance about his son's meeting with a Russian lawyer offering dirt on Hillary Clinton before the 2016 election, saying "nobody’s going to be surprised." Read the full story here     German defense minister: Trump has 'no strategy' for dealing with Putin By John Bowden Germany's defense minister unloaded sharp criticism of Trump's relationship with Russia and its government, saying the president has "no recognizable strategy" for dealing with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Read the full story here     Trump officials urge patience on North Korea By Rebecca Kheel and Morgan Chalfant The Trump administration is urging patience on North Korea amid a flurry of developments this week that appear to offer conflicting portraits of U.S. diplomatic efforts. Read the full story here     White House named Trump allies as political appointees at small agency: report By Jacqueline Thomsen The White House has reportedly been tapping political appointees and Trump allies for positions at a small federal agency that generally go to development experts. Read the full story here     Therapists say they've seen a rise in anxiety under Trump: report By Avery Anapol Though a condition has not been officially named, therapists and patients have referred to it as "Trump Anxiety Disorder." Read the full story here     Spicer threatens legal action over AP report By Jacqueline Thomsen Former White House press secretary Sean Spicer is threatening to take legal action against the Associated Press over a report from the wire service about an incident on his book tour. Spicer’s attorney Michael J. Bowe said in a statement Saturday night that the AP “recklessly republished a categorically false accusation about Sean Spicer.” Read the full story here     Cohen's fight to survive makes him dangerous By Jonathan Turley OPINION | Whether this is the new or old Michael Cohen, his move this week could present serious perils for both himself and his former client, Donald Trump. Read the full story here     American prosperity of Trump era marks real turning point in history By Arthur Laffer OPINION | While the GDP growth of any one quarter can be offset, revised or magnified in subsequent quarters, a pattern appears to be emerging under the stewardship of the Trump administration. Read the full story here     The Wall Street Journal: Trump CFO thrust into legal spotlight By Rebecca Davis O’Brien and Alexandra Berzon Allen Weisselberg, little known outside Trump’s inner circle, had the ability to play hardball. Read the full story here     The Washington Post: ‘Deleted’ families: What went wrong with Trump’s family-separation effort By Nick Miroff, Amy Goldstein and Maria Sacchetti At the core of what is now widely regarded as one of the biggest debacles of Trump's presidency were failures to record, classify and keep track of migrant parents and children pulled apart by the “zero tolerance” border crackdown. Read the full story here     The Associated Press: No mystery to Supreme Court nominee Kavanaugh’s gun views By Michael Kunzelman and Larry Neumeister   Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh says he recognizes that gun, drug and gang violence “has plagued all of us.” Still, he believes the Constitution limits how far government can go to restrict gun use to prevent crime. Read the full story here     Reuters: US says farmers could get cash aid by October but will not be made whole By Hugh Bronstein   U.S. farmers could receive cash payments from a planned $12 billion aid package as soon as late September, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue told Reuters on Saturday, warning that the program will not make tariff-hit farmers whole. Read the full story here     The New York Times: New US tactic in Afghanistan mirrors past plans for retreat By Thomas Gibbons-Neff and Helene Cooper The Trump administration is pushing Afghan commanders to surrender rural and sparsely populated areas of the country and focus on protecting cities. Read the full story here         Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up for The Hill Tipsheet       Forward this Tipsheet     You might like         Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  |  Email to a friend  |  Sign Up for Other Newsletters   The Hill 1625 K Street, NW 9th Floor, Washington DC 20006 ©2016 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc.