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$17 billion
Estimate from the Obama White House of how much money Americans lost annually because of conflicts of interest among financial advisers. Wall Street groups say that estimate is too high. Academics say it’s too low. The Obama administration’s Fiduciary rule — which requires advisers to have a fiduciary responsibility to act in the best interests of their clients when dealing with retirement accounts — is set to take partial effect on Friday. But it may be short-lived: President Trump ordered that the rule be reevaluated, reports Bloomberg.
“Lordy, I hope there are tapes” of Trump talks.
— Former FBI Director James Comey, answering questions from Senate Intelligence Committee Member Dianne Feinstein on his hopes that here are tapes of his Oval Office conversations with President Donald Trump, reports Bloomberg.
“I was honestly concerned that he might lie.”
— Former FBI Director James Comey, quoted by the AP, testifying on why he created a memo on his January meeting with President Trump.
“This is not how a President of the United States behaves.”
— Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), quoted by Axios, in his opening statement before former FBI Director James Comey testifies before the Senate Intelligence Committee.
7 points
Amy Walter: “The latest example of this enthusiasm gap is the drop in the percentage of Americans who identify as Republican. Polling taken in May by Gallup finds 45% of Americans identify themselves as Democrats and 38% identify as Republican. The seven-point gap is the largest recorded by Gallup since April of 2015. With Trump’s overall job rating stalled in the high 30’s to low 40’s and the GOP- controlled Congress yet to rally around (or pass) a significant legislative agenda, it’s not surprising to see fewer Americans identify themselves as a Republican.”
34%
A new Quinnipiac poll\ finds President Trump’s job approval rating has dipped to a new low, 34% to 57%. Washington Post: “If you look at the trend in Quinnipiac’s polling since January, strong approval of the president’s job performance has faded in a number of constituencies — including Republicans and whites without college degrees.”
“I think if you compare the two, that Watergate pales, really, in my view, compared to what we’re confronting now.”
— Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, quoted by Reuters.
61%
A new ABC News-Washington Post poll finds 61% of Americans think President Trump fired FBI Director James Comey in order to protect himself rather than for the good of the country, and 56% think Trump is trying to interfere with official investigations of possible Russian influence in the 2016 election. “A broad seven in 10 also doubt Trump’s word on the Russia issue.”
Rep. Al Green (D-TX) “is drafting articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump, saying the president should be forced from office for firing FBI Director James Comey in the middle of the bureau’s ongoing Russia investigation. … The articles of impeachment, which Green will officially announce Wednesday, follow increasing calls from some rank-and-file Democrats for Trump to be booted from office.”
$1.2 million
Forbes: “In reviewing filings from the Eric Trump Foundation and other charities, it’s clear that the course wasn’t free–that the Trump Organization received payments for its use, part of more than $1.2 million that has no documented recipients past the Trump Organization. Golf charity experts say the listed expenses defy any reasonable cost justification for a one-day golf tournament.”
