* The story-of-the-day that got smothered by the media’s obsession with the health of the two presidential candidates comes from Kurt Eichenwald titled, “How the Trump Organization’s Foreign Business Ties Could Upend U.S. National Security.”
A close examination by Newsweek of the Trump Organization, including confidential interviews with business executives and some of its international partners, reveals an enterprise with deep ties to global financiers, foreign politicians and even criminals, although there is no evidence the Trump Organization has engaged in any illegal activities. It also reveals a web of contractual entanglements that could not be just canceled. If Trump moves into the White House and his family continues to receive any benefit from the company, during or even after his presidency, almost every foreign policy decision he makes will raise serious conflicts of interest and ethical quagmires.
* Clinton responded to this story with a tweet storm of questions for Donald Trump that you can read here. For example:
2. How will you handle non-cancelable contractual obligations with parties whose interests conflict with those of the United States?
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) September 14, 2016
Are you listening Lester Holt? These would be great questions to ask at the first debate.
* Guccifer 2.0 released a bunch of hacked emails from Colin Powell. He sure had a lot of choice words about Republicans. For example, here’s exchange between Powell and Condoleezza Rice about Donald Rumsfeld:
“First, we didn’t invade Iraq to bring democracy — but once we overthrew Saddam, we had a view of what should follow,” Rice responded. “If Don and the Pentagon had done their job (after claiming the rights to lead post-war rebuilding—things might have turned out differently).”
“Don should just stop talking,” she added. “He puts his foot in his mouth every time.”
Powell replied by seconding Rice’s critique, saying “the boys in the band were brain dead.”
* Here’s what Powell had to say about Dick and Liz Cheney:
Former Secretary of State Colin Powell slammed his former Bush Administration colleague Dick Cheney in private emails seen by BuzzFeed News, saying about the former vice president’s book written with his daughter, Liz, “They are idiots and spent force peddling a book that ain’t going nowhere.”
* Powell doesn’t think much of Donald Trump.
Former Secretary of State Colin Powell, a retired four-star general who served under three Republican presidents, slammed GOP nominee Donald Trump as “a national disgrace” and an “international pariah,” according to his personal emails seen by BuzzFeed News.
* Powell also doesn’t think much of Trump’s chief military advisor, retired Gen. Michael Flynn.
Colin Powell, a retired four-star general who served under three Republican presidents, slammed Donald Trump’s closest military adviser, retired Gen. Michael Flynn, as “right-wing nutty” and “a jerk” according to the former secretary of state’s personal emails seen by BuzzFeed News.
* In case you’d like the details about the health status of Hillary Clinton, her doctor released this letter today. Still nothing new from Trump on that one or his tax returns. We all need to recognize that this is a true statement.
It’s simple. Trump will never release med recs, tax returns, Melania’s immigration history, fndn recs, or anything else we need to see.
— elissa taub (@ejtaub) September 14, 2016
* Finally, this video produced by Tucker Walsh is without a doubt the best thing we’ve seen so far this election season.
