Trump caps off a lost summer by golfing and rage-tweeting through a hurricane, and a debate begins about which states are most important in 2020. Then political strategists David Axelrod and Mike Murphy, co-hosts of the Hacks On Tap podcast, talk to Jon F. about the Democratic primary and upcoming debate.

Summer of Trump

• WaPo: “Trump’s lost summer: Aides claim victory, but others see incompetence and intolerance”
• CNN: “Why Donald Trump is thrilled about this fight with the ‘Squad’”
• NBC News: “’Not very smart’: Trump renews attacks on ‘the squad’ by calling them ‘racist’”
• Vox: “Trump’s racist tirades against “the Squad,” explained”
• NPR: “Leaders In Baltimore And Maryland Denounce Trump Tweets Attacking Elijah Cummings”
• USA Today: “Poll: About half of Americans disapprove of how Trump handled El Paso and Dayton shootings”
• HuffPo: “Trump Slammed For Tone-Deaf ‘Photo-Op’ With El Paso Orphan
• New York Times: “Trump Uses a Day of Healing to Deepen the Nation’s Divisions”
• The Atlantic: “Trump’s Habit of Contradicting Himself After a Tragedy”
• Vox: “Trump suggests El Paso and Dayton shooting response should include hardline immigration reform”
• NPR: “’Hate Has No Place’ In America, Trump Says After El Paso And Dayton Shootings”
• New York Times: “Texas Shooting Brings New Urgency to Gun Debate in Congress”
• WaPo: “Democrats press Trump, GOP to tighten gun controls after Odessa mass shooting”
• WaPo: “Texas’s second mass shooting during August kills at least 7”
• USA Today: “’Congress has a lot of thinking to do’ on gun control after Midland-Odessa shooting”
• NBC News: “New Texas laws loosening gun control draw outrage from advocates after Odessa shooting”
• CBS News: “More than 100 lawmakers denounce decision to end program for sick immigrants”
• WaPo: “Trump administration clarifies policy on citizenship of children born abroad to American servicemembers”
• ABC News: “Trump administration ends relief program for immigrants with medical issues”
• Boston Globe: “Trump’s move halts virtually all asylum cases in New England”
• CBS News: “5 U.S. industries hit hardest by Trump’s latest China tariffs”
• CNBC: “China takes cautious steps with new tariffs, leaving most to December”
• Bloomberg: “China Plays Down Latest Trump Tariffs With Path to Talks Unclear”
• CNN: “US-China trade war shows no sign of ending as new tariffs arrive”
• The Hill: “Trump lashes out at the media, Democrats in Labor Day tweets”
• CNN: “Trump appears to taunt Iran with tweet that raises concerns he disclosed classified information”
• Slate: “The President Spent the G-7 Summit Retweeting Conspiracy Theories”
• New York Times: “A Gyrating Economy, and Trump’s Volatile Approach to It, Raise Alarms”
• Forbes: “5 Key Trump Moments From The Weekend’s G7 Summit
• WaPo: “G-7 summit ends with little consensus amid Trump’s mixed messaging on the trade war”
• New York Times: “Trump Sends Mixed Signals on China During G7 Summit”
• NBC News: “Trump officials defend decision to send FEMA funds to ICE ahead of Hurricane Dorian”
• Politico: “Trump says he’s OK with acting FEMA chief as Hurricane Dorian bears down”
• CNN: “Trump prepares to face Dorian surrounded by acting officials”
• New York Times: “Storm Roars Through Caribbean but Spares It the Worst”
• CNBC: “A recession in 2020 would hurt Trump, but it wouldn’t necessarily sink his reelection”
• WaPo: “Obama ratings sink to new lows as hope fades”
• New York Times: “A Test for Obama’s View of a One-Term Presidency”
• CNN: “Debt ceiling: Timeline of deal’s development”
• The Hill: “GOP fears Trump backlash in suburbs”
• The Guardian: “To beat Trump in 2020, Democrats will need to get down and dirty”
• CBS News: “2020 Democrats attack Trump’s response to El Paso and Dayton shootings”

2020

• WaPo: The 2020 electoral map could be the smallest in years. Here’s why.
• CNN: Trump trails Democrats by a historically large margin
• Politico: DeSantis — and Florida — in the storm spotlight
• NYT: Two Polling Methods, Two Views of Trump’s 2020 Re-election Chances – Is the president basically like other presidents, or is he uniquely divisive?
• CNN: Texas’ biggest metro areas may tip America’s balance of power in the years ahead
• Axios: Trump’s net approval rating sinks in every battleground state
• The Intercept: How Democrats Plan To Win Wisconsin In 2020
• The Nation: How Democrats Can Win Back Rural Wisconsin
• NBC News: Deep dive poll of Latino voters aims to ramp up 2020 election outreach
• Politico: DNC hires staff in 6 battleground states
• WaPo: The false choice between the Sun Belt and the Blue Wall
• FiveThirtyEight: The Movement To Skip The Electoral College May Take Its First Step Back
• Politico Magazine: Why Republicans Should Get Behind a National Popular Vote, Too
• NYT: Both Parties See Control of the Senate as Pivotal. Here Are the Key Races They’re Watching.
• New Yorker: The Urgency of the 2020 Senate Race
• The Intercept: Progressive Candidates Are Carving A Path To The Senate In 2020 — No Thanks To Chuck Schumer
• NYT: 2020 Democrats Demand Gun Control, but Differ on Tactics
• FiveThirtyEight: Georgia Will Now Have Two Senate Elections In 2020
• ABC News: Senate Democrats, Republicans prepare for 2020 battleground in Trump era
• NBC News: The Senate suddenly looks like it’s up for grabs in 2020

David Axelrod & Mike Murphy

• WaPo: Presidential hopefuls face a stubborn problem: how to bump Biden
• Bloomberg: ‘Time Is Running Out’: The 2020 Democratic Race Is About to Get Serious
• FiveThirtyEight: Joe Biden Has An Iowa Problem, Not An Enthusiasm Problem
• WaPo: Joe Biden, the anemic front-runner
• NYT: Does Joe Biden Want to Be Doing This? – On certain days, Biden 2020 can feel more like a dutiful slog than the last march of a happy warrior.
• Reuters: Biden seen as weak front-runner as 2020 U.S. Democratic race heats up
• NYT: Why Some Labor Unions Are Holding Back on 2020 Endorsements
• Politico: Why black voters are backing two old white guys
• NYT: Pete Buttigieg Was Rising. Then Came South Bend’s Policing Crisis.
• McClatchy: “Flip the switch:” Stuck in the polls, Buttigieg plans to beef up campaign staff
• Politico: We analyzed the schedules of every top 2020 Democrat. Here are the big takeaways.
• Politico: Julián Castro claims he can reassemble Obama’s winning coalition
• WaPo: The Trailer: Is there still time for a candidate to surge?
• WaPo: Black farmers say Warren’s plan wouldn’t solve their biggest problem
• Vox: The suddenly uncertain future of the Iowa caucuses, explained
• The Atlantic: Iowa’s Most Famous Pollster Faces Her Toughest Test Yet
• The Atlantic: Michael Bennet, Mad as Hell
• NYT: Two Polling Methods, Two Views of Trump’s 2020 Re-election Chances – Is the president basically like other presidents, or is he uniquely divisive?
• Politico: ‘The rock star’ vs. ‘The rock’: Warren and Biden hurtle toward collision
• NYT: How Kirsten Gillibrand’s Presidential Dreams Unraveled