Welcome to The Lid, your afternoon dose of the 2016 ethos… Critics are mocking Paul Ryan for making an interviewer agree not to ask him about Donald Trump during an interview for People’s “Celebrity Babies” vertical. Count us among the Americans who did not know until this point that “Celebrity Babies” was a real thing people cared about and not just a pejorative for high-maintenance political candidates.
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‘16 from 30,000
Let us welcome everybody to the wild, wild west … of close Democratic primary poll numbers, that is! It’s a tight one in California, with our brand new NBC/WSJ/Marist poll numbers of the Golden State showing Hillary Clinton leading Bernie Sanders by just two points with likely primary voters, 49 percent to 47 percent -- within the poll’s margin of error. We’re seeing some familiar patterns in the data, with Clinton leading among voters over 45, past participants in the Democratic primary and self-identified Democrats. Sanders is ahead with independents and first-time participants. Clinton also leads with those who have already voted, 58 percent to 41 percent. Clinton is besting Sanders among more reliable parts of the Democratic electorate, but the numbers really emphasize her major challenge in the fall to consolidate support from newer, younger voters without a strong allegiance to the party. And if Clinton loses in California, an emboldened Sanders will be even less incentivized to leave the race and call for party unity against Trump before the convention.
POPPING ON NBC POLITICS
- The New York City Department of Buildings is investigating whether Donald Trump violated an agreement with the city by closing Trump Tower to the public for campaign events.
- Trump University staffers described the for-profit school as a “fraudulent scheme” in newly released court documents.
- Hillary Clinton called Donald Trump a "fraud" for the first time Wednesday afternoon, accusing him of taking "advantage of vulnerable Americans" through Trump University.
- Bernie Sanders compared his campaign to the Golden State Warriors after the defending NBA champs came back from down three games to one to make the finals.
- Who is David French, the potential third-party challenger to Trump and Clinton.
- And from First Read: Trump’s temperament problem.
FOR THE RECORD…
“I bought underwear on Amazon the other day and I bought them too small. I’m dealing with that right now.”
- Gary Johnson in a conversation with New York Times political reporters.
TOMORROW’S SKED
Hillary Clinton campaigns in California, where she will make the case that Donald Trump is a threat to national security.
Bernie Sanders campaigns in Modesto and Chico, California.
Donald Trump holds a rally in San Jose.
