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First Read's Morning Clips: Voter Fraud Panel Clashes in N.H.

A roundup of the most important political news stories of the day
Image: Manchester Voter Fraud Commission
The second meeting of the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity, was open to the public, and held at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College on September 12, 2017 in Goffstown, New Hampshire.Kayana Szymczak / for NBC News

TRUMP AGENDA: Voter fraud panel clashes in New Hampshire

From NBC’s Dartunorro Clark: “A leader of President Donald Trump's voter fraud commission clashed on Tuesday with the man who has ruled elections in New Hampshire for decades over the integrity of ballots cast in last year's presidential election. At the commission's second public meeting, Kris Kobach, the panel's vice chairman and Kansas' secretary of state, defended a claim he made last week that it was “highly likely” that votes cast by nonresidents of the state influenced the result, a charge that New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner, a member of the commission, dismissed.”

From Leigh Ann Caldwell: “Last week's bipartisan deal to push back some crucial September deadlines has given Congress some breathing room in a crowded calendar, but GOP leaders are now trying to maneuver through new and shifting dynamics as their frustration mounts over a lack of progress on key issues and a president who is increasingly opening his door to Democrats.”

The latest on Bernie Sanders’ health care push, via the Washington Post: “Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) will introduce legislation on Wednesday that would expand Medicare into a universal health insurance program with the backing of at least 15 Democratic senators — a record level of support for an idea that had been relegated to the fringes during the last Democratic presidency… Sanders’s bill, the Medicare for All Act of 2017, has no chance of passage in a Republican-run Congress. But after months of behind-the-scenes meetings and a public pressure campaign, the bill is already backed by most of the senators seen as likely 2020 Democratic candidates — if not by most senators facing tough reelection battles in 2018.”

POLITICO notes how Sanders’ proposal is dividing Democrats.

The Wall Street Journal reports on how two Senate health care bills from Republicans aren’t getting a lot of enthusiasm from the West Wing.

“The Trump administration is considering reducing the number of refugees admitted to the country over the next year to below 50,000, according to current and former government officials familiar with the discussions, the lowest number since at least 1980,” writes the New York Times.

Should James Comey face charges? The White House says the Justice Department should “certainly look at” it.

Interesting data points, via the Washington Post: “The incomes of middle-class Americans rose last year to the highest level ever recorded by the Census Bureau, as poverty declined and the scars of the past decade’s Great Recession seemed to finally fade. Median household income rose to $59,039 in 2016, a 3.2 percent increase from the previous year and the second consecutive year of healthy gains, the Census Bureau reported Tuesday. The nation’s poverty rate fell to 12.7 percent, returning nearly to what it was in 2007 before a financial crisis and deep recession walloped workers in ways that were still felt years later. The new data, along with another census report showing the rate of Americans lacking health insurance to be at its lowest ever last year, suggest that Americans were actually in a position of increasing financial strength as President Trump, who tapped into anger about the economy, took office this year.”

The AP: “Congress has approved a resolution condemning white supremacists, neo-Nazis and other hate groups following a white-nationalist rally in Virginia that descended into deadly violence.”

Keep an eye on the Senate fight over the defense bill, writes the Wall Street Journal.

OFF TO THE RACES: Democrats pick up seats in New Hampshire, Oklahoma

POLITICO reports that internal polling and focus groups show that Democrats are having a tough time landing a punch on Trump outside the base.

And/but: Here’s the latest on those Democratic state legislative wins in New Hampshire and Oklahoma.

AL-SEN: A group linked to Steve Bannon has this tough new ad against Luther Strange.

Strange and Moore are tussling over Moore’s canceled appearance at a forum, with Moore calling for a “mano a mano” debate.

AL.com asks if Doug Jones might be Guy Hunt of the Democratic Party in Alabama.

MI-SEN: Kid Rock was at it again during his show in Detroit last night. From the Detroit Free Press: “Early in the set, he reprised a segment premiered last week in Grand Rapids, delivered this time with a bit less raw fire in his voice: Marching onstage to the strains of "Hail to the Chief," he served up an edgy, profanity-laced "stump speech" that knocked "the redistribution of wealth," "deadbeat dads" and "those who take a knee or sit during our 'Star-Spangled Banner.'" He also spewed venom at "Nazis ... bigots ... and the KKK."… Tuesday, the rhyming speech got a new verse addressing transgender bathroom controversies. "Things shouldn't be so complicated, and no, you don't need to choose," Rock said. ‘Because whatever you have between your legs should determine the bathroom that you use.’”

UT-3: “Provo Mayor John Curtis has captured the early and expected lead — by a sizable 30 point margin — in the first major poll during the off-cycle general election to replace former Utah Rep. Jason Chaffetz.”

WV-SEN: Don’t miss Joe Manchin’s comments on a single-payer health care system.