<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5d80c0012e22af32f667d8a7-2000/screen%20shot%202019-09-17%20at%20121017.png" border="0" alt="Trump New Mexico" data-mce-source="Donald J Trump (YouTube)" data-mce-caption="Trump wooed Hispanic voters at a rally in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, Monday night"><p class="source"><span>Donald J Trump (YouTube)</span></p><p class="caption">Trump wooed Hispanic voters at a rally in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, Monday night</p></img></div><p></p></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>US President Donald Trump on Monday night attempted to woo Hispanic voters at a rally in Rio Rancho, New Mexico,&#xa0;</li><li>"They don't want criminals coming across the border. They don't want people taking their jobs. They want to have that security. And they want the wall. They want the wall," Trump remarked of Hispanic Americans.</li><li>Addressing CNN commentator Steve Cortes in the crowd, Trump said "He happens to be Hispanic, but I've never quite figured it out because he looks more like a WASP than I do."</li><li>Trump has previously faced criticism for smears against Latin American migrants to the US.&#xa0;</li></ul><p>US President Donald Trump made an ambitious pitch to Hispanic voters in the state of New Mexico on Monday night, a state he lost to Democrats by eight points in the 2016 presidential election.</p><p>"We're here, because we really think we're going to turn this state and make it a Republican state," <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pj0Jl4IfWvg">Trump told supporters at the rally in Rio Rancho.</a></p><p>He went on to boast of low levels of Hispanic unemployment under his administration, praised Hispanic Heritage Month, and claimed that Hispanic Americans support his pledge to build a wall on the Mexican border to keep out undocumented immigrants from Latin American countries.&#xa0;</p><p>"They don't want criminals coming across the border. They don't want people taking their jobs. They want to have that security. And they want the wall. They want the wall."</p><p>Throughout the speech Trump launched into an ad-libbed dialogue with Steve Cortes, a CNN commentator and long-time supporter who is a member of Trump's Hispanic advisory committee, and was in the crowd.</p><p>"He happens to be Hispanic, but I've never quite figured it out because he looks more like a WASP than I do," Trump said.</p><p><em><strong>Read more: </strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/latinos-el-paso-outrage-donald-trump-2019-8?r=US&amp;IR=T">Latinos in El Paso after the mass shooting are not living in fear - instead they're outraged at Trump</a></em></p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5d80d7532e22af3ddf11dfc4-1177/screenshot%202019-09-17%20at%20135300.png" border="0" alt="Steve Cortes" data-mce-source="Screenshot/Fox News" data-link="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nK2jyiDtYqc"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nK2jyiDtYqc">Screenshot/Fox News</a></span></p><p class="caption">Steve Cortes was in the crowd at Trump's rally in New Mexico Monday.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div><p>Shouting to Cortes across the arena, Trump said: "Nobody loves the Hispanics more. Who do you like more, the country or the Hispanics?"</p><p>Cortes' response was inaudible, so Trump answered for him.</p><p>"He says the country," Trump said. "I don't know, I may have to go for the Hispanics, to be honest with you. We got a lot of Hispanics. We love our Hispanics. Get out and vote."</p><p>&#xa0;</p><p>Trump later claimed that Hispanic Americans support his border wall because they understand the US "drug crisis" better than other Americans.</p><p>"At the center of America's drug crisis, this is where the Hispanics know it better than anybody. People said: 'Oh, the Hispanics won't like a wall.' I said: 'I think they are going to love it,'" said Trump.</p><p>"You know why? Because you understand it better than other people, but at the whole center of this crisis is the drugs that are pouring in, and you understand that when other people don't understand it."</p><p><em><strong>Read more:</strong> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nigeria-south-korea-israel-public-approval-of-trump-is-high-2019-9" data-analytics-position="8" data-analytics-module="homepage-river">Most Americans don't approve of Trump, but here are 3 countries where they love what he's doing</a></em></p><p>Trump launched his presidential campaign back in 2015 with a notorious press conference in which he branded migrants from Mexico attempting to enter the US "criminals" and "rapists."&#xa0;</p><p>His support among Hispanic Americans has remained low, <a href="https://www.people-press.org/2019/08/16/most-democrats-are-excited-by-several-2020-candidates-not-just-their-top-choice/">with a recent Pew survey</a> finding that only around 20% of Hispanics approve of the job Trump is doing.&#xa0;</p><p>He is campaigning in New Mexico as part of a plan to offset potential losses in swing states that narrowly handed him victory in 2016 should they swing back to the Democratic Party in 2020.&#xa0;</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>President Trump asks his supporter Steve Cortes in the middle of the rally: "Who do you like more, the country or the hispanics? He says the country, I dont know. I may have to go with the hispanics to be honest with you. we've got a lot of hispanics." <a href="https://t.co/cuFg0hF9qf">pic.twitter.com/cuFg0hF9qf</a></p>- Salvador Hernandez  (@SalHernandez) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1173781130635620352?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 17, 2019</a></blockquote><script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/republicans-socialism-democratic-obamacare-bernie-sanders-aoc-socialist-2019-8">Republicans have themselves to thank for socialism</a></h3>        <div>            <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/ZoIs5plL-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script>        </div>    </div>

Trump asked a supporter at a rally in New Mexico who he loved more: 'The country or Hispanics?'

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5835bbf7ba6eb620008b5fb8-2400/undefined" border="0" alt="23andMe kit" data-mce-source="Lydia Ramsey/Business Insider" /><p class="source"><span>Lydia Ramsey/Business Insider</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul><li><strong>"Direct-to-consumer" genetics tests have soared in popularity in recent years as the cost of genetics sequencing has plummeted.</strong></li><li><strong>AncestryDNA, Helix, and 23andMe are some of the companies offering the tests. </strong></li><li><strong>But 23andMe is the only one with FDA approval to include information about breast cancer risk based on 3 mutations on the BRCA 1 and 2 genes.</strong></li><li><strong>Experts say that a 'negative' result on 23andMe's test may be problematic for people who go on to assume that they are not at risk for the disease, when in reality they are still at risk.</strong></li></ul><hr /><p><br />The eyes may be the windows to the soul, but spit is increasingly the portal to your health.</p><p>Consumer genetics company 23andMe recently <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/23andme-test-for-brca-breast-cancer-gene-mutations-2018-3">got a green light</a> from the US Food and Drug Administration to include information on breast cancer risk in its online customer reports, based on screening for three of the multiple genetic mutations linked to the disease. But the new test could be dangerously misleading, according to several genetics experts in the industry that spoke with Business Insider about the new test.</p><p>23andMe is one of a handful of new companies offering <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/i-tried-the-new-23andme-genetic-test-2015-12">spit-in-a-tube genetics tests</a> that don't require a doctor, also known as "direct-to-consumer" genetic testing. The tests have soared in popularity in recent years as the cost of genetics sequencing has plummeted.</p><p>According to 23andMe, the company has taken multiple steps to ensure that customers do not misinterpret their results. Still, experts say many people could be misled because they fail to read the so-called fine print on the package.</p><p>The problem with 23andMe's new test is simple, according to <a href="http://cancer.ucsf.edu/people/profiles/witte_john.3749">John Witte</a>, the program leader for the cancer genetics program at the University of California, San Francisco. If you do 23andMe's most recent genetics test and come up "negative" for the three cancer-linked mutations it screens for, you may believe your cancer risk is either low or non-existent.</p><p>But it isn't.</p><p>That's something 23andMe clearly states in the report that will accompany the new test, Andy Kill, a representative for 23andMe, told Business Insider. The company's report will include a mandatory eight-page "education module" that customers must complete before they can see their results, which includes the following statement:</p><p>"Women without a variant are still at risk of developing cancer. It's important to continue with any cancer screenings your healthcare provider recommends."</p><p>Despite all those warnings, Witte and other experts believe the test could still be troublesome - especially for people who don't thoroughly read all of that information.</p><p>"There are many other genetic variants that are linked to breast cancer that wouldn't be picked up by 23andMe's test," Witte said. "A 'negative test' just means you don't carry one of the three mutations it tests for. That's all it means."</p><h2>Angelina Jolie and the importance of genetic counselors</h2><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5abd0e12631af023008b4b29-1200/angelina jolie leg dress 2012 oscars.jpg" border="0" alt="angelina jolie leg dress 2012 oscars" data-mce-source="Ethan Miller/Getty Images" data-mce-caption="angelina jolie leg dress 2012 oscars" data-link="https://www.gettyimages.com/license/140071094" /><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.gettyimages.com/license/140071094">Ethan Miller/Getty Images</a></span></p></div><p></p></div></div>23andMe's latest test, which will be available to customers in the coming weeks, reveals whether you have a mutation on two genes which have been found to be closely linked to breast and ovarian cancer - also known as the BRCA genes.</p><p>Actress <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/angelina-jolie-ovary-and-breast-cancer-2015-3">Angelina Jolie brought public awareness to the mutations</a> when she made the decision to have her breasts and ovaries removed after testing positive for the BRCA1 mutation.</p><p>The problem with a genetics report comes without accompanying information from a doctor or genetic counselor, experts say, is that testing "positive" or "negative" for the mutations doesn't reveal whether you'll get breast cancer. I's merely one of several factors, including things like family history, ancestry, and lifestyle  that ultimately determines the development of the disease. To understand the next steps you should take, you should have a physician or a genetics counselor at hand, Witte said.</p><p>Jolie did not make the decision to have her breasts and ovaries removed solely because she carried the BRCA1 gene mutation, which interferes with how genes - the blueprint for the proteins that make up cells - function. As she wrote in a <a href="http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/03/24/opinion/angelina-jolie-pitt-diary-of-a-surgery.html">2015 essay for the New York Times</a>, Jolie also had a family history of breast cancer, and that strongly influenced her choice.</p><p>Normally, BRCA genes function as safeguards against cancer. They protect cells from growing out of control and developing into the disease. Healthy BRCA genes <a href="http://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/genetic-testing-for-breast-cancer">repair genetic errors</a> that can occur when cells multiply, for example, which is why an improperly-functioning or mutated BRCA gene - although <a href="http://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/genetic-testing-for-breast-cancer">rare amongst the general population</a> - can <a href="http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMra012284">sharply increase</a> cancer risk.</p><p>It's the job of a physician or genetic counselor to walk through all of this dense, complicated information with a patient.</p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"I hope the people who take this test have genetic counselors. I hope people will at least go see their doctor," Witte said.</span></p><h2>Other limitations of the new test</h2><p>Because BRCA mutations are so rare amongst the general population, 23andMe's new test only holds real value for people with Ashkenazi Jewish heritage, <a href="http://cancer.ucsf.edu/people/profiles/munster_pamela.3449">Pamela Munster</a>, a professor of oncology at the University of California San Francisco and co-leader of the Center for BRCA Research, said in an email. For people with Ashkenazi Jewish heritage, the chances of inheriting the mutation are <a href="http://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/genetic-testing-for-breast-cancer">10 times higher</a> than they are for the general population, of whom only 0.25% have the mutation.</p><p>"If you're Ashkenazi Jewish, those are the most common ones for that population, but I don't know that that distinction is going to come through to the average person," Witte said.</p><p>The new test does not address breast cancer risk variants among members of other populations, such as people with Latino/Latina heritage, Witte added.</p><p>"I do know that in the Latino/Latina populations there are other variants linked with breast cancer risk. So the test isn't going to be very informative for them. But the point is - will they <em>know</em> that it's non-informative? That's a concern."</p><p>Kill, the 23andMe representative, said the new test underwent months of FDA review and is safe. "The BRCA-related report is in the same format as our other genetic health risk reports which have undergone extensive user comprehension studies submitted to FDA."</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/what-happens-when-swallow-chewing-gum-stomach-2018-3">Here's what happens in your body when you swallow gum</a></h3>        <div>            <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/OAQ89fpj-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script>        </div>    </div>

23andMe's newest cancer mutation test may be dangerously misleading, according to genetics experts

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/55f9bc429dd7cc24008bac72-950-713/133362410.jpg" alt="ludwika paleta" data-mce-source="Getty Images" data-mce-caption="Emiliano Salinas and Mexican soap opera actress Ludwika Paleta in Mexico City, Mexico." /><p class="source"><span>Getty Images</span></p><p class="caption">Emiliano Salinas and Mexican soap opera actress Ludwika Paleta in Mexico City, Mexico.</p></div><p></p></div></div>We've read the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/why-we-still-need-french-2014-2" target="_blank">arguments for learning French</a>, but let's be honest: Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, Russian, or any other language with growing global importance would be a better choice.</p><p>Spanish may be the best choice of all for a second language, which is why its <a href="http://monitor.icef.com/2013/04/demand-for-spanish-instruction-escalating-higher-ed-still-facing-challenges/" target="_blank">popularity in schools is soaring worldwide</a>.</p><p>In honor of <a href="http://www.hispanicheritagemonth.gov/" target="_blank">Hispanic Heritage Month</a>, here are some reasons why you should <em>estudiar</em>.</p><h2>1. Spanish isn't a foreign language anymore.</h2><p><span>In the US, Spanish is rising ahead of any other non-English language at a rapid pace, with a steady flow of new immigrants from Latin America and growth in the already large Hispanic population. </span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><a href="http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2013/08/13/spanish-is-the-most-spoken-non-english-language-in-u-s-homes-even-among-non-hispanics/" target="_blank">According to a Pew Research Center report</a>, an estimated 37.6 million people in the US speak Spanish as their first language and analysts predict </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">the </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Latino </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">population will reach </span><a href="http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/cb13-ff19.html" target="_blank">approximately 128.8 million by 2060</a>, likely making it <a href="http://elpais.com/diario/2010/11/30/cultura/1291071603_850215.html">the largest Spanish speaking country</a> in the world<span style="line-height: 1.5em;">. </span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Proportionally, Hispanics will rise from around 16% of the US population in 2010 to 30% by 2050. </span></p><h2>2. Learning Spanish will help your career.</h2><p>With such a large Latino population in the US and booming Latin economies outside the US, employers are desperate for people who speak Spanish. There is a huge demand in the US for Spanish-speakers in <a href="http://career-advice.monster.com/job-search/company-industry-research/new-job-paths-for-hispanics-latinos/article.aspx">nursing, construction management, and media</a>, among many other positions.</p><p>Big corporations are realizing the importance of reaching a market that will represent <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/glennllopis/2012/11/12/americas-corporations-can-no-longer-ignore-hispanic-marketing-like-mitt-romney-did/">$1.5 trillion in purchasing power in the US by 2015</a>. Meanwhile, Latin America received a <a href="http://www.ibtimes.com/latin-america-received-174b-foreign-investment-2012-new-record-high-1270315">record $174 billion of foreign investment in 2012</a>, and companies everywhere are expanding there, such as <a href="http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/money/2014/01/28/pepsico-plans-to-invest-5-billion-in-mexico-over-next-5-years-as-part-push-into/">PepsiCo announcing a $5 billion investment in Mexico</a>.</p><h2 class="gmail_default">3. It will unlock a world of travel destinations.</h2><p>There are approximately 329 million native Spanish speakers in the world, and they populate some of the coolest destinations in the world. You can leave behind the touristy resorts in Cancun and explore thousands of miles of cheap and beautiful Latin America cities, beaches, and trails. Venezuela, for instance, has the longest Caribbean sea coastline of any nation and is considered <a href="http://www.environment.gov.au/topics/biodiversity/biodiversity-conservation/biodiversity-hotspots" target="_blank">one of the most mega diverse countries on the planet,</a> with more than 40 percent of its territory protected.</p><p>Even if you do go to popular destinations in Mexico and the Caribbean, speaking the local language will help you get off the beaten path and see some real culture. And then of course you can book a trip to Spain and see the wonders of Barcelona, Madrid, Andalucia and more.</p><h2 class="gmail_default"><strong>4. You can enjoy amazing books and movies.<br /></strong></h2><p class="gmail_default">Around <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/may/08/humanities.books" target="_blank">100 successful authors from 54 countries voted</a> "<span></span>El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quixote de la Mancha" by <span>novelist Miguel de Cervantes </span>as the best book of all time, and while the 17th century book is widely available in other languages, it, like any book, is best in its original language.</p><p class="gmail_default">Other Spanish-language authors you'll want to read are Chilean poet Pablo Neruda - many of whose works have not been translated - Gabriel García Márquez, <span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Roberto Bolaño, Mario Vargas Llosa, and many more. </span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">And then there are the movies. Star directors Pedro Almodóvar, Alfonso Cuarón, and Guilermo Del Toro - who all have movies in their native language - should be enough to convince you of the richness of Spanish-language cinema. </span></p><h2>5. Spanish is easy to learn.</h2><p><span>Arabic has a completely different alphabet, French spelling and pronunciation is incredibly specific and tricky, and Chinese requires learning unique tones. W<span>ritten </span>Spanish, on the other hand, is almost completely phonetic - look at any Spanish word, and you can tell how it is pronounced. </span></p><p><span>W<span>hile mastering the grammar of Spanish can be a challenge, basic grammar is straightforward enough and many vocabulary words are similar to English. </span></span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Since </span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">the number of </span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Spanish speakers in the US continues to rise, chances are it will become even easier to learn and practice this language. <br /></span></p><h2>6. Even the British are swapping French for Spanish.</h2><p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">The British Council's "</span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"></span><a href="http://www.britishcouncil.org/sites/britishcouncil.uk2/files/languages-for-the-future-report.pdf" target="_blank">Languages of the Future</a><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">" report ranks non-English languages in order of importance for British citizens to learn, based on a thorough analysis of cultural, economical, and diplomatic factors. Spanish topped the list, followed by Arabic, French, and Mandarin. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">If the home territory of the English language - which is located just miles from France and which doesn't even have that many Spanish-speaking immigrants - has decided that Spanish is the best second language, then who are we to argue?<br /></span></p><p><em><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Gus Lubin obviamente contributed to this report.</span></em></p>

6 reasons why everyone should learn Espanol

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5755841791058427008c6e22-2067/ap_146549104607.jpg" alt="Donald Trump" data-mce-source="AP Photo/Jae C. Hong" data-mce-caption="Donald Trump." /><p class="source"><span>AP Photo/Jae C. Hong</span></p><p class="caption">Donald Trump.</p></div><p></p></div></div>John Kasich has remained mostly quiet since dropping out of the presidential race in May.</p><p>But he apparently couldn't sit on the sidelines any longer.</p><p>"Attacking judges based on their race &amp;/or religion is another tactic that divides our country," the Ohio governor <a href="https://twitter.com/JohnKasich/status/739814980430630912">tweeted Monday morning</a>. "More importantly, it is flat out wrong."</p><p>Donald Trump, the now-presumptive GOP nominee, has spent the last few days lambasting a federal judge for being unfair in presiding over a Trump University case because of his Mexican heritage.</p><p>US District Judge Gonzalo Curiel, was born and raised in Indiana. But that has mattered little to Trump.</p><p>"Now, this judge is of Mexican heritage," <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-jake-tapper-judge-attacks-2016-6">Trump said during a recent interview with CNN's Jake Tapper</a>. "I'm building a wall, OK? I'm building a wall. I am going to do very well with the Hispanics, the Mexicans."</p><p>Kasich, for his part, called on Trump to apologize.</p><p><span>"<a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/" target="_blank" data-user-name="realDonaldTrump"><span>@</span><span>realDonaldTrump</span></a><span> should apologize to Judge Curiel &amp; try to unite this country," <a href="https://twitter.com/JohnKasich/status/739815105899044864">he subsequently posted</a>.</span></span></p><p><span><span>Kasich joined what's becoming a long line of Republicans who've condemned the Manhattan businessman for his latest inflammatory remarks. So many that the campaign for Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton, who's repeatedly chastised Trump for the continued comments, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/hillary-clinton-trump-judge-curiel-video-2016-6" target="_blank">cut a video</a> of Republicans calling out Trump.</span></span></p><p><span><span><span>".</span><a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/" target="_blank" data-user-name="realDonaldTrump"><span>@</span><span>realDonaldTrump</span></a><span>'s bigoted comments about a Latino judge are so disgusting, even other Republicans are offended," Clinton's campaign tweeted.</span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/575591f791058423008c6eb1-2400/gettyimages-522710192.jpg" alt="john kasich" data-mce-source="Joe Raedle/Getty Images" /><p class="source"><span>Joe Raedle/Getty Images</span></p><p class="caption">John Kasich.</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></span></span></p><h2>'Couldn't disagree more'</h2><p>Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan, the highest-ranking GOP leaders in the Senate and House, respectively, both condemned Trump's attacks. So did former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker, who have both been floated as potential Trump running mates, and Jeff Flake, an Arizona senator who, like Kasich, has yet to endorse his party's presumptive presidential nominee.</p><p><a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/mcconnell-trump-judge-comments-i-couldn-t-disagree-more-n586056">In a Sunday interview</a> on NBC's "Meet the Press," McConnell said he "couldn't disagree more" with what Trump has said.</p><p>"This is a man who was born in Indiana," McConnell said. "All of us came here from somewhere else."</p><p>And just one day after ending his month-long endorsement standoff with Trump, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/paul-ryan-donald-trump-judge-curiel-2016-6">Ryan distanced himself</a> from the racially charged remarks in a Friday <a href="http://media.ccomrcdn.com/media/station_content/1176/2016/06/mp3/default/060316_vicki_mckenna_-_paul_ry_0_1464956665.mp3">interview</a> with WISN radio host Vicki McKenna. </p><p>"Look, the comment about the judge the other day just was out of left field for my mind," Ryan told McKenna. "It's reasoning I don't relate to, I completely disagree with the thinking behind that."</p><p>"He clearly says things I do not agree with, and I've had to speak up from time to time when that happens," Ryan said, adding that he will continue to do so if necessary. </p><p>Corker, who recently visited Trump at Trump Tower and has received increased attention as a potential running mate, <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/sen-bob-corker-trump-change/story?id=39611502">told George Stephanopoulos</a> on ABC's "This Week" that he did not "condone" Trump's attacks, but insisted on moving on to another subject. </p><p><a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/mcconnell-trump-judge-comments-i-couldn-t-disagree-more-n586056"></a><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/575592619105842a008c7053-2400/ap_494763817906.jpg" alt="Bob Corker" data-mce-source="AP Photo/Andrew Harnik" data-mce-caption="Bob Corker." /><p class="source"><span>AP Photo/Andrew Harnik</span></p><p class="caption">Bob Corker.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Even Trump's own campaign reportedly wants the attacks to stop. <a href="http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/donald-trump-does-not-have-campaign">In an eyebrow-raising MSNBC report</a> Monday morning - one that caused Trump to <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/739779845572448256">go on an extended Twitter rant</a> - the outlet reported that Trump "rebuffed efforts" from his campaign, donors, and party officials to back away from the attack because he "<span>was unwilling to look like he had caved to pressure."</span></p><p><span>"These are things that will defeat [us]," a source within the campaign told MSNBC.</span></p><p>Trump <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2016/06/05/alberto-gonzales-dubious-defense-of-trumps-attack-on-judge-curiel/">did manage to receive</a> some backup from the former US attorney general under President George W. Bush, Alberto Gonzales. But it was nowhere near enough to counterbalance the roaring pushback from the GOP. </p><p>The loudest roars arguably came from Gingrich and Flake.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5755929691058436008c706c-2332/ap121855913604.jpg" alt="Newt Gingrich" data-mce-source="AP" /><p class="source"><span>AP</span></p><p class="caption">Newt Gingrich.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><h2>'One of the worst mistakes'</h2><p>Gingrich, who has served as something of a Trump surrogate in recent months, called it "one of the worst mistakes" the real-estate magnate has made and added that it's "inexcusable." </p><p>"First of all, this judge was born in Indiana," <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/transcript/2016/06/05/gingrich-on-trump-attacks-on-trump-university-judge-john-podesta-on-clinton/">Gingrich told "Fox News Sunday" host Chris Wallace</a>. "He is an American, period. When you come to America, you get to become an American. And Trump, who has grandparents who came to the US, should understand this as much as anybody."</p><p>He continued:</p><p style="padding-left: 30px;">Second, to characterize, you know - if a liberal were to attack Justice Clarence Thomas on the grounds that he's black, we would all go crazy. Every conservative would say it was wrong and it was racism. And Trump has got to, I think, move to a new level. This is no longer the primaries. He's no longer an interesting contender. He is now the potential leader of the United States and he's got to move his game up to the level of being a potential leader.</p><p>Although he did not answer whether he believed the attack to be racially motivated, Gingrich said he hoped "it was sloppiness" and said Trump's assertion of having "many Mexican friends" is "irrelevant."</p><p>"This judge is not Mexican," he continued. </p><p>Trump on Monday called Gingrich's comments "inappropriate."</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/575592c991058427008c6e84-2400/ap110728119345.jpg" alt="Jeff Flake" data-mce-source="AP" /><p class="source"><span>AP</span></p><p class="caption">Jeff Flake.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><h2>'Very disturbing'</h2><p>Meanwhile, <a href="http://www.msnbc.com/morning-joe/watch/sen-flake-trump-has-reached-a-new-level-699715651839">during a Monday-morning appearance</a> on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," Flake, a vehement critic of Trump, called this latest firestorm "a whole new level" and "very disturbing."</p><p><a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/mcconnell-trump-judge-comments-i-couldn-t-disagree-more-n586056"></a>"If this doesn't change, we're in for big trouble," Flake said.</p><p>"Because it's not just ill-informed or ignorant statements, but they suggest that once he's president after November, that he should go after that judge," he continued.</p><p>Saying Trump is "not his first choice or his 17th choice" for the presidency, he said Trump's pitting of races, genders, and cultures against each other is everything the GOP stands against.</p><p>"The whole thing that we Republicans say we're against are identity <keyword id="6358883" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Politics">politics</keyword>," he said. "That if you're a certain gender or you're a certain race, then you have to vote that way. He's just trying to confirm that stereotype that's completely wrong and it's offensive and this week it was a whole new level."</p><p>During his interview with Tapper, Trump repeatedly denied his rationale was "racist." But he hammered home several times the argument that Curiel's heritage causes him to view the Trump University cases unfairly because he is planning on "building a wall" along the US-Mexico border.</p><p>"Jake, I'm building a wall," Trump said. "I'm building a wall. I'm trying to keep business out of Mexico. Mexico's fine. ... He's of Mexican heritage, and he's very proud of it, as I am of where I come from."</p><p>Trump took his argument a step further Sunday. <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/news/donald-trump-its-possible-muslim-judge-would-treat-me-unfairly/">Asked by John Dickerson on CBS' "Face the Nation"</a> whether he believes a Muslim judge would also treat him unfairly, because of his proposal to bar Muslim immigrants and tourists from entering the country, Trump said "it's possible."</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/obama-washington-dc-president-white-house-kalorama-neighborhood-2016-5">Here's the $5.3 million mansion the Obamas will reportedly live in after the White House</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="9jc3ZxMzE6QOCQ6ydkxJ3LsB84vAV-S-" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', '9jc3ZxMzE6QOCQ6ydkxJ3LsB84vAV-S-',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

Donald Trump is again causing major alarm for Republicans - and they're calling him out

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/59948181f1a85079738b49d9-2400/rts1bidw.jpg" alt="white nationalist" data-mce-source="Joshua Roberts/Reuters" data-mce-caption="Members of white nationalists clash a group of counter-protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia, U.S., August 12, 2017." /><p class="source"><span>Joshua Roberts/Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">Members of white nationalists clash a group of counter-protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia, U.S., August 12, 2017.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>President Donald Trump <span>challenged a reporter to "define the alt-right" on Monday when she asked about a </span><a href="https://www.mccain.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=2EAD1145-92A8-49AD-B36D-E648F9F97B62" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">statement released by Sen. John McCain</a><span> in which he connected the attacks on National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster and the violence in Charlottesville to the white nationalist movement.</span></p><p>Trump told reporters during the press conference that he thinks "there is blame on both sides" for the violence that erupted at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, on Saturday, doubling down on controversial comments he made in the hours after a 32-year-old counterprotester was run over by an alleged neo-Nazi.</p><p>"Sen. McCain said that the alt-right is behind these attacks," the reporter said. "He linked that same group to those that participated in that [car] attack in Charlottesville."</p><p>"Define alt-right to me," Trump replied, pointing to the reporter. "You define it. Define it for me. Come on. Let's go."</p><p>Trump's challenging tone indicated that he knew how difficult it would be for the reporter to define the "alt-right," an umbrella movement comprising a wide range of far-right viewpoints, on the spot. </p><p><span>Trump's chief strategist, Stephen Bannon,</span><span> described the "alt-right" in an interview with </span><span>Mother Jones last year as "nationalist," but not necessarily "white nationalist." He said his company at the time, Breitbart <keyword id="6355005" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="news">News</keyword>, was a "platform for the alt-right," while denying that the movement was rooted in racial identity.</span></p><p>But J.M. Berger, an expert on far-right extremism in the United States and a<span> fellow with the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism</span>, said that the community's "center of gravity" has always been white nationalism.</p><p><span>"Not everyone in the alt-right is a overt white nationalist," Berger said in an email. "But white nationalism is definitely the movement's center of gravity, and the term originated with an explicitly white nationalist website."</span></p><p><span>That website, Alternativeright.com (now Altright.com) marked the birth of the term "alt-right" and was founded by <a href="https://altright.com/2017/08/11/what-it-means-to-be-alt-right/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Richard Spencer</a> - the head of the white nationalist think tank the National Policy Institute. </span></p><p><span>In <a href="https://cchs.gwu.edu/files/downloads/Nazis%2520v.%2520ISIS%2520Final_0.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a September report</a> published by George Washington University comparing the social media efforts of white nationalists with the Islamic State, Berger wrote that neo-Nazi groups began pushing "for more collaboration" among "Nazi-sympathetic and other white nationalist strains" when efforts stalled to recruit more "normal" people.</span></p><p><span>As of late last year, "Nazi sympathizers represented the largest distinct movement within the white nationalist dataset - about 19% - based on analysis of a random sample of users and the URLs provided in an account's Twitter profile," Berger found.</span></p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5993386cf1a850060a8b50e0-2400/rts1bjn1.jpg" alt="white nationalist" data-mce-source="Joshua Roberts/Reuters" /><p class="source"><span>Joshua Roberts/Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">A white supremacist wears a shirt with the slogan "European Brotherhood" at a rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, U.S., August 12, 2017</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span>Spencer and others who identify as "white nationalists" deny that they think white people are superior to other races. But pride in white "culture" and "heritage" and a sense that Jews, black people, and Latinos are trying to "replace" or "cleanse" the white race forms the core of many white nationalists' worldview. </span></p><p><span>The <a href="https://blog.ap.org/behind-the-news/how-to-describe-extremists-who-rallied-in-charlottesville" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Associated Press</a>, meanwhile, has determined that the term "alt-right" is "meant as a euphemism to disguise racist aims." </span></p><p><span>Psychologists Patrick Forscher and Nour Kteily recently<a href="https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/c9uvw" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> conducted a study,</a> which is still in working paper form, of individuals who identify as members of the "alt-right." Forscher and Kteily found that the subjects had "abundant support" for emphasizing the movement's "perception that certain historically advantaged groups are superior to other groups and need their interests protected."</span></p><p><span>Many members of the so-called "alt-right" would deny that they are racist. </span><span>But those studied by Forscher and Kteily reported "high levels of social dominance orientation, strong support for collective action on behalf of white people, and strong opposition to collective action on behalf of black people." </span></p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/599480e1b0e0b58e728b49a2-2400/rts1bi79.jpg" alt="white nationalist" data-mce-source="Joshua Roberts/Reuters" data-mce-caption="A white nationalist carries the Confederate flag as he walks past counter demonstrators in Charlottesville, Virginia, U.S., August 12, 2017." /><p class="source"><span>Joshua Roberts/Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">A white nationalist carries the Confederate flag as he walks past counter demonstrators in Charlottesville, Virginia, U.S., August 12, 2017.</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span>White nationalists, moreover, largely believe that white people should sit atop the west's social hierarchy.</span></p><p><span>Jason Kessler, the "pro-white" organizer of Saturday's white nationalist rally "Unite the Right," has written that "attacks on Western history and heritage are detrimental to the survival of the tradition which brought us reason, logic, medicine, human rights and took us into outer space."</span></p><p><span>White supremacist Matthew Heimbach - who said he identifies as a member of the "alt-right" and was invited by Kessler to speak at "Unite the Right" - <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/russia-connections-to-the-alt-right-2016-11" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">told Business Insider</a> in an interview late last year that he believes "the organized Jewish community" is heavily involved in "supporting movements that want to destroy nationalism."</span></p><p><span></span><span>In September 2016, Trump's director of strategic communications at the National Security Council, Michael Anton, wrote highly racialized opinion pieces that were signed under the pseudonym "<a href="http://www.claremont.org/crb/basicpage/the-flight-93-election/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Publius Decius Mus</a>," according to <a href="http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2017/aug/15/are-there-white-nationalists-white-house/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">PolitiFact.</a></span></p><p><span>"All men are not 'equal in all respects,'" Anton wrote. "They are not 'equal in color, size, intellect, moral developments or social capacity.' People from different nations with different circumstances, histories, beliefs and traditions will - by definition - hold very different conceptions of good government, some irreconcilably opposed to our own."</span></p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5994807ab0e0b5db008b56a8-2400/rts1birh.jpg" alt="white nationalists" data-mce-source="Justin Ide/Reuters" data-mce-caption="A crowd of white nationalists, carry an Identity Evropa flag, rally as they are met by a group of counter-protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia, U.S., August 12, 2017." /><p class="source"><span>Justin Ide/Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">A crowd of white nationalists, carry an Identity Evropa flag, rally as they are met by a group of counter-protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia, U.S., August 12, 2017.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Berger has noted that white nationalists began to organize on social media after President Obama's re-election in 2012 and, importantly, found that they were not just "bored teenagers making trouble" - rather, t<span>hey were "committed ideologues" who sought to uphold "older strains of organized white nationalism, including </span><a href="https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/ideology/neo-nazi" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">neo-Nazism</a><span>, the </span><a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/general-article/grant-kkk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ku Klux Klan</a><span>, and </span><a href="http://archive.adl.org/learn/ext_us/christian_identity.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Christian Identity</a>."</p><p>The white nationalist and neo-Nazi social media efforts, Berger found, quickly crystallized around Trump, who<span> announced his candidacy for president with a speech calling Mexicans "rapists" and drug traffickers. </span></p><p><span> Months later, Trump <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/09/politics/donald-trump-islam-hates-us/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">told</a> CNN's Anderson Cooper that "Islam hates us," and said "<a href="https://apnews.com/de970176930744b299d0d56d5f81989d/trump-says-china-wont-be-labeled-currency-manipulator" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">China is killing us</a>" on trade. He <a href="http://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/ward-room/Trump-Chicagos-Become-So-Sad-413051763.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">compared Chicago to a war zone</a> and urged black people to vote for him by asking: "What the hell do you have to lose?" </span></p><p><span>As president, many of Trump's early policy initiatives appealed to the white nationalists within his base - </span><span>including a harsh new immigration order that would ban travel from Muslim-majority countries. </span></p><p><span>One of the architects of the travel ban, Stephen Miller, was <a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/05/stephen-miller-duke-donald-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">claimed as a mentee</a> by Richard Spencer in a Vanity Fair article published last year. Miller fiercely disputed that he and Spencer ever had any kind of relationship, however, when they were both students at Duke University. </span></p><p><span>Spencer, for his part, told reporters earlier this week that he doesn't think Trump condemned his movement <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-second-statement-kkk-neo-nazis-charlottesville-2017-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">when he denounced</a> neo-Nazis, the Ku Klux Klan, and white supremacists on Monday.</span></p><p>"Did he say 'white nationalist?'" Spencer asked. "'Racist' means an irrational hatred of people. I don't think he meant any of us.'"</p><p>Trump did call out white nationalists by name in his explosive press conference on Tuesday, saying "they should be condemned totally" along with neo-Nazis. But many of his "alt-right" supporters - including Spencer, alt-right conspiracy theoriest Jack Posobiec, and Sputnik reporter <span>Cassandra Fairbanks - </span>celebrated when Trump doubled down on the claim that "many sides" were responsible for the violence in Charlottesville.</p><p><span>"I have never ever been so pleased with a politician," Fairbanks <a href="https://twitter.com/CassandraRules/status/897563841034420226" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">tweeted</a>. "He just verbally beat their asses while telling the truth."</span> </p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-blames-both-sides-charlottesville-press-conference-neo-nazis-protest-2017-8">'What about the alt-left?': Trump melts down and blames both sides for Charlottesville</a></h3>        <div>            <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/BPW1mJqu-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script>        </div>    </div>

White nationalism is the alt-right's 'center of gravity' - and Trump can't condemn one but not the other

<img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5966415d0976db46008b4aae-1378/rtx3b182.jpg" alt="Donald Trump Jr" /><p class="source"><span>Brian Snyder/Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">Donald Trump Jr.</p>The controversial meeting between Donald Trump Jr. and a Kremlin-connected lawyer occurred at a pivotal point in President Donald Trump's campaign.<p>The meeting took place just after the primary season concluded in June of last year, at a time when Trump and his campaign was wrangling with what could have been a massive floor battle for delegates at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland the following month.</p><p>It also took place amid one of the biggest controversies of the Trump campaign: Trump's persistent attacks against US District Judge Gonzalo Curiel, who was presiding over a case involving Trump University. Trump's line of attack, based on Curiel's Mexican heritage, that earned him scorn from across the political spectrum.</p><p>Trump also teased a "major speech" on "all of the things that have taken place with the Clintons" during his victory address following the June 7 primaries just as Trump Jr. was arranging the meeting with the Russian lawyer for two days later. Trump's promised address was later replaced, however, with a June 13 speech that focused on national security on after the Orlando terror attack that occurred one day prior.</p><p>Here's the full timeline of events that coincides with Trump Jr.'s emails and the June 9 meeting.</p><h2>June 2</h2><p>The day before music publicist Rob Goldstone, who represented a Russian pop star with ties to Trump, sent his initial email to Trump Jr., Trump was celebrating the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/paul-ryan-ill-be-voting-for-donald-trump-this-fall-2016-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">endorsement he received</a> from House Speaker Paul Ryan. The speaker had been hesitant to endorse Trump in the weeks that followed Sen. Ted Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich dropping out of the Republican primary race, leaving Trump as the presumptive Republican nominee.</p><p>"So great to have the endorsement and support of Paul Ryan," <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/738478522813972480" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Trump tweeted</a>. "We will both be working very hard to Make America Great Again!"</p><p>Trump also stepped up his attacks on Curiel. In <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/donald-trump-keeps-up-attacks-on-judge-gonzalo-curiel-1464911442?cb=">an interview with The Wall Street Journal</a>, Trump said the judge had "an absolute conflict" in presiding over the Trump University litigation because he was "of Mexican heritage," as Trump put it, and belonged to a Latino lawyers association. Trump added that the Indiana-born judge's ethnic background was relevant because of Trump's campaign promises to build a wall on the Mexican border and deport immigrants who are in the country illegally.</p><p>"I'm building a wall. It's an inherent conflict of interest," <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-attacks-trump-university-judge-gonzalo-curiel-2016-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Trump said</a>.</p><p>He zeroed in on Curiel on Twitter as well.</p><p>"Even though I have a very biased and unfair judge in the Trump U civil case in San Diego, I have thousands of great reviews &amp; will win case!" <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/738413456118841345" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Trump tweeted</a>.</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-attacks-hillary-clinton-2016-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">During a rally in San Jose</a> that night, Trump issued a blistering response to then-Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton's foreign policy speech bashing Trump earlier in the day, saying that the former secretary of state "has to go to jail" and is "guilty as hell."</p><p>"Hillary Clinton has to go to jail," he said. "Alright I said it. She has to go to jail. The fact that they even allow her to participate in this race is a disgrace to the United States, is a disgrace to our nation."</p><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5965fc31abc1c819008b4902-1294/donald trump donald trump jr.jpg" alt="Donald Trump Donald Trump Jr." /><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/Lucas Jackson</span></p><p class="caption">Donald Trump and Trump Jr.</p><h2>June 3</h2><p>June 3 <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-jr-posted-rob-goldstone-emails-russia-2017-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">marked the initial email exchange</a> between Goldstone and Trump Jr.</p><p>Goldstone wrote that the Russian pop star, Emin Agalarov, whose billionaire father Aras helped bring the Miss Universe pageant to Moscow in 2013, "just called and asked me to contact you with something very interesting."</p><p>"The Crown prosecutor of Russia met with his father Aras this morning and in their meeting offered to provide the Trump campaign with some official documents and information that would incriminate Hillary and hey dealings with Russia and would be very useful to your father," Goldstone wrote.</p><p>"This is obviously very high level and sensitive information but is part of Russia and its government's support for Mr. Trump - helped along by Aras and Emin," he continued. "What do you think is the best way to handle this information and would you be able to speak to Emin about it directly? I can also send this info to your father via Rhona, [Trump's assistant] but it is ultra sensitive so wanted to send to you first."</p><p>"Thanks Rob I appreciate that," Trump Jr. responded. "I am on the road at the moment but perhaps I just speak to Emin first. Seems we have some time and if it's what you say I love it especially later in the summer. Could we do a call first thing next week when I am back?"</p><p>On the campaign trail, Trump went after Curiel even harder <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-jake-tapper-judge-attacks-2016-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">during an interview with CNN's Jake Tapper</a>.</p><p>Trump doubled down on his attacks and insisted on eight separate occasions that because he's "building a wall" along the US-Mexico border, Curiel could not be fair to him.</p><p>"Now, this judge is of Mexican heritage," Trump said. "I'm building a wall, OK? I'm building a wall. I am going to do very well with the Hispanics, the Mexicans."</p><h2>June 7</h2><p>The final day of the primary campaign, June 7, was arguably the most important day of this roughly two-week stretch.</p><p>In the email exchange that day, Goldstone said the younger Agalarov asked if he could schedule a meeting two days later between Trump Jr. and the "Russian government attorney" who would later be identified as Natalia Veselnitskaya.</p><p>"How about 3 at our offices?" Trump Jr. wrote back.</p><p>Goldstone replied, "Perfect...I won't sit in on the meeting, but will bring them at 3 p.m. and introduce you etc. I will send the names of the two people meeting with you for security when I have them later today."</p><p>Trump Jr. said then-campaign chairman Paul Manafort and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, who is now a White House senior adviser, would likely join him in the meeting.</p><p>Meanwhile, more talk of a delegate revolt was percolating.</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-dan-scavino-hugh-hewitt-2016-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The former New Jersey chairman</a> for Cruz's 2016 White House bid <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/ted-cruz-ally-calls-for-delegate-insurrection-at-rnc-2016-6">said delegates have a "moral obligation" to launch an "insurrection"</a> and "unbind" themselves to halt the billionaire's rise. Moreover, a <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/high-trump-anxiety-1465339652">Wall Street Journal editorial</a> suggested that if Trump "doesn't start to act like a political leader," then he could "hear rumblings that delegates are looking for someone else to nominate."</p><p>And as Trump's attacks on Curiel's heritage continued, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/paul-ryan-trump-racist-curiel-judge-2016-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ryan publicly</a> disavowed them as "sort of like the textbook definition of a racist comment" during a news conference.</p><p>Later that day Trump <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-judge-attacks-statement-2016-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">relented</a> and released a statement vowing to stop talking about the Trump University case and the district judge he had repeatedly attacked.</p><p>"It is unfortunate that my comments have been misconstrued as a categorical attack against people of Mexican heritage," Trump wrote. "I am friends with and employ thousands of people of Mexican and Hispanic descent."</p><p>"The American justice system relies on fair and impartial judges," he added. "All judges should be held to that standard. I do not feel that one's heritage makes them incapable of being impartial, but, based on the rulings that I have received in the Trump University civil case, I feel justified in questioning whether I am receiving a fair trial."</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-announced-speech-hillary-bill-clinton-2016-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">In his victory speech that night</a> marking the conclusion of the primary season, Trump took aim at the Clintons just as Trump Jr. was set for a meeting under the premise that he'd receive dirt from the Russian government on the Democratic frontrunner.</p><p>"The Clintons have turned the politics of personal enrichment into an art form for themselves," Trump said. "They've made hundreds of millions of dollars selling access, selling favors, selling government contracts, and I mean hundreds of millions of dollars. Secretary Clinton even did all of the work on a totally illegal private server. Something about how she's getting away with this folks nobody understands. Designed to keep her corrupt dealings out of the public record, putting the security of the entire country at risk and a President in a corrupt system is totally protecting her - not right."</p><p>"I am going to give a major speech on probably Monday of next week and we're going to be discussing all of the things that have taken place with the Clintons," he continued. "I think you're going to find it very informative and very, very interesting. I wonder if the press will want to attend, who knows. Hillary Clinton turned the State Department into her private hedge fund - the Russians, the Saudis, the Chinese - all gave money to Bill and Hillary and got favorable treatment in return. It's a sad day in America when foreign governments with deep pockets have more influence in our own country than our great citizens."</p><h2>June 8</h2><p>Trump Jr. set the final time for the meeting that was to take place the following day and alerted Kushner and Manafort, forwarding them the email chain titled "Russia - Clinton - private and confidential."</p><p>The day featured conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt calling for the GOP to amend its convention rules so it could ditch Trump as its nominee. The host came to that conclusion after what he said were the worst 72 hours for the party in more than 15 years, pointing at Trump's attacks on Curiel.</p><p>"Paul Ryan had to come out and say those are racist comments," Hewitt said on his program. "Sen. Mark Kirk unendorsed him. Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona said, 'Well, he might not be our nominee.' Mitch McConnell hammered him. It was a day of self-savaging of the Republican nominee, I've never seen anything like it. And by the end of the day, it was clear: Trump's campaign was in free-fall and on fire."</p><p>Hewitt said that the Republican Party "ought to get together and let the convention decide."</p><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/596670cbabc1c8b1008b4e07-800/us-president-defends-son-after-emails-over-russian-campaign-help.jpg" alt="FILE PHOTO: Donald Trump Jr. (L) gives a thumbs up beside his father Republican U.S. presidential nominee Donald Trump (R) after Trump's debate against Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York, U.S. September 26, 2016.  REUTERS/Mike Segar/File Photo" /><p class="source"><span>Thomson Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">Trump Jr. and Trump.</p><h2>June 9</h2><p>The meeting took place, but it didn't go how Trump Jr. expected.</p><p>The meeting, set up on the premise that Veselnitskaya would provide damaging information on Clinton, veered into discussing the Magnitsky Act, a US law blacklisting Russians accused of human-rights abuses that so enraged Putin that he retaliated by barring US citizens from adopting Russian children.</p><p>Trump Jr. said the damaging information was never presented in the roughly 30-minute meeting.</p><p>This was also the same day of Clinton's "delete your account" <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/741007091947556864" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">tweet</a> quoting Trump's prior comment about President Barack Obama having just endorsed Clinton.</p><p>"Obama just endorsed Crooked Hillary," he <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/741007091947556864" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">tweeted</a>. "He wants four more years of Obama-but nobody else does!"</p><p>To Clinton's "delete your account" comment, <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/741007091947556864" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Trump asked</a> hours later "how long did it take your staff of 823 people to think that up-and where are your 33,000 emails that you deleted?</p><h2>June 12</h2><p>Fast-forward to Sunday, and the nation was rocked by a vicious terror attack at an LGBT nightclub in Orlando, Florida. The terrorist killed roughly 50 people at the club in the early morning hours.</p><p>Trump issued <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-tweet-orlando-shooting-2016-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a series of tweets</a> on the attack in the morning.</p><p>"Appreciate the congrats for being right on radical Islamic terrorism, I don't want congrats, I want toughness &amp; vigilance," <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/742034549232766976" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">he wrote</a>. "We must be smart!"</p><p>"Horrific incident in FL," <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/742019961946791939" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">he posted</a>. "Praying for all the victims &amp; their families. When will this stop? When will we get tough, smart &amp; vigilant?"</p><p>"What has happened in Orlando is just the beginning," <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/742096033207844864" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">he tweeted</a>. "Our leadership is weak and ineffective. I called it and asked for the ban. Must be tough."</p><p>Trump <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/742053354189299712" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">additionally posted</a> that Obama "should immediately resign in disgrace" <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-obama-resign-radical-islamic-terrorism-2016-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">if he does not</a> say the words "radical Islamic terrorism."</p><h2>June 13</h2><p>The Orlando terror attack took precedent during Trump's speech the following day, which was supposed to be focused on the Clintons. <a href="https://twitter.com/yashar/status/884900796957171712" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Some have pointed out</a> in the aftermath of Trump Jr.'s email disclosure that the June 13 speech about the Clintons <a href="https://twitter.com/RWPUSA/status/884904739414183939" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">may have been set up</a> with the idea that the June 9 meeting would provide some damaging information on Trump's opponent.</p><p>"This was going to be a speech on Hillary Clinton and how bad a President, especially in these times of radical Islamic terrorism, she would be," Trump said at a New Hampshire college, later adding "there will be plenty of opportunity to discuss these important issues at a later time, and I will deliver that speech soon. But today there is only one thing to discuss: the growing threat of terrorism inside of our borders."</p>             <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/morning-joe-scarborough-trump-mika-brzezinski-face-lift-tweets-2017-6">'He started talking about blood coming out of her ears':  Joe Scarborough claims a red-faced Trump ranted about Mika Brzezinski in front of 20 congressmen</a></h3>                                    Please enable Javascript to watch this video                    

Donald Trump Jr.'s controversial meeting with a Russian lawyer came at a pivotal moment in the Trump campaign

<p><div class="image-container" style="width:618px"><div class="image"><img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/5134fac7eab8ea6925000007-1442-1080/oberlin-rally-1.jpg?maxX=618" border="0" alt="Oberlin rally 1" width="618" /></div><p class="source">Mollie N. </p><p class="caption">Oberlin students rallied today for the university-wide "Day of Solidarity."</p></div></p>
<p>Oberlin <keyword id="6360288" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="college">College</keyword> <a href="http://oncampus.oberlin.edu/offcampus-static/">cancelled its Monday classes</a> after an individual was seen wearing a robe and hood resembling <keyword id="93329" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Ku-Klux-Klan">Ku Klux Klan</keyword> regalia near the Afrikan Heritage House.</p>
<p>The incident took place early Monday morning, and it remains unclear if the person wearing the outfit was a student at the college. The report is currently being investigated by the college's Office of Safety and Security as well as the Oberlin Police Department, the college <a href="http://oncampus.oberlin.edu/offcampus-static/">said in a statement today</a>.</p>
<p>This is only the latest in a series of racist, homophobic, and anti-Semitic incidents at the college, <a href="http://www.oberlinreview.org/article/hate-speech-incidents-continue/" target="_blank">according to the Oberlin Review</a>. The student-run paper has a detailed list of the other hate-related occurrences on campus since February 9, including swastika drawings, vandalism of Black History Month posters, and hate speech graffiti found in student common areas.</p>
<p>Additionally, <a href="http://gawker.com/5988307/oberlin-cancels-classes-after-figure-in-kkk-robes-spotted-near-african-heritage-house" target="_blank">Gawker's Max Read reported</a> there is a <a href="https://twitter.com/realmarvkrislov" target="_blank">Nazi-themed Twitter account named "Adolf Krislov" with the handle @realMarvKrislov</a>, a direct attack on Oberlin's President Marvin Krislov.</p>
<p>In lieu of classes, all students, faculty, and staff are being encouraged to participate in discussions and rallies being held on campus today, including a teach-in led by the Africana Studies Department and a community convocation at the college's chapel.</p>
<p>Oberlin is a liberal arts school that was found in 1833, and <a href="http://new.oberlin.edu/inauguration/history.dot" target="_blank">began accepting non-white students in 1835</a>. <a href="http://www.forbes.com/colleges/oberlin-college/" target="_blank">The student make-up is 72 percent white, 6 percent black/African American, and 6 percent Hispanic/Latino</a>, according to Forbes.</p>
<p>Read the college's full press release:</p>
<p><div class="image-container click-to-enlarge" style="width:618px"><div class="image"><a title_source="Oberlin College" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/5134f657ecad04ac0b000005-960/day%20of%20solidary.jpg"><span class="click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span><img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/5134f657ecad04ac0b000005-2415-1932/day%20of%20solidary.jpg" border="0" alt="oberlin Day of solidary" width="618" /></a></div><p class="source"><a href="http://oncampus.oberlin.edu/offcampus-static/">Oberlin College</a></p></div></p>
<p>See more pictures from the Oberlin campus rallies today below:</p>
<p>The rally included traditional Afrikana singing and music</p>
<p><div class="image-container" style="width:618px"><div class="image"><img src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/5134fbf9eab8eab625000007-1803-1080/100media36imag0170.jpg" border="0" alt="Oberlin Rally 8" width="618" /></div><p class="source">Mollie N.</p></div></p>
<p> A student told us that around 700 people were rallying "in strength and solidarity."  </p>
<p><div class="image-container" style="width:618px"><div class="image"><img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/5134fa38ecad049b14000000-2592-1552/100media36imag0178.jpg" border="0" alt="Oberlin rally 3" width="618" /></div><p class="source">Mollie N. </p></div></p>
<p>The rally covered an estimated 5 city blocks.  </p>
<p><div class="image-container" style="width:618px"><div class="image"><img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/5134fa38ecad04981200000f-1080-1803/100media36imag0177.jpg" border="0" alt="Oberlin rally 4" width="618" /></div><p class="source">Mollie N. </p></div></p>
<p>Now students are marching across campus together<div class="image-container" style="width:618px"><div class="image"><img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/51350a9e6bb3f73724000002-2592-1552/100media36imag0191.jpg" border="0" alt="Oberlin march" width="618" /></div><p class="source">M. Nisen</p></div></p>

Oberlin Cancels Class After A String Of 'Hate-Related Incidents' On Campus

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/57f921879bd97866598b47d2-1778/ap_16281791533171.jpg" alt="Donald Trump" data-mce-source="AP" data-mce-caption="Donald Trump." /><p class="source"><span>AP</span></p><p class="caption">Donald Trump.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Rep. Martha Roby is a three-term Republican congresswoman from deep-red Alabama.</p><p>She won her primary earlier this year with two-thirds of the GOP vote in a safely Republican district. She hails from the state where Sen. Jeff Sessions, one of Donald Trump's top surrogates, wields undue influence.</p><p>And, as of Saturday, she is no longer supporting Trump for president and is calling for him to drop out of the race.</p><p>"Donald Trump's behavior makes him unacceptable as a candidate for president," she said in a statement.</p><p>The deluge came fast and furious.</p><p>One by one, Republicans walked out on Trump, the dam broken by the more than decade-old, vile comments he made <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/will-trump-quit-audio-women-2016-10" target="_blank">boasting about his sexual advances on women</a>. </p><p>But amid the flood of unendorsements and the torrent of calls for Trump to step down, Roby's perhaps stood out the most. Donald Trump is on the verge of poisoning the Republican Party's brand for years, decades, even a generation - and the party knows it.</p><p>"Entirely possible. That has been the risk all along," said Matt Mackowiak, a GOP strategist and the founder of the Potomac Strategy Group. "... Picking up after the wreckage from potentially devastating losses in the Senate, House and governorships may take several election cycles."</p><p>There is a reason this Trump scandal feels different, and it is shown in the universal reactions of Republican leaders all the way up to House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. </p><p>His comments should offend virtually everyone. Just about every single word <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-leaked-recording-women-audio-billy-bush-2016-10" target="_blank">uttered in the recording of Trump and Billy Bush</a>, the television personality, is downright nasty toward women. Trump's immediate spin, that this was "locker-room banter," essentially suggested it was normal for all men to joke about sexual assault and cheating on your significant other.</p><p>If you are a parent, an aunt, an uncle (full disclosure), how can you allow a child to watch Sunday's debate descend into a level of vitriol that has never been seen in presidential <keyword id="6358883" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Politics">politics</keyword>?</p><p>This is the one that had Republicans rushing for the exits. With good reason: According to a source, a Democratic pollster in the field testing the down-ballot consequences of Trump's <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/hillary-clinton-trump-alicia-machado-miss-universe-trap-2016-9" target="_blank">other recent controversies</a> found little-to-no movement over the past few days.</p><p>Until Friday night.</p><p>As media coverage of Trump's lewd comments began to saturate the airwaves and internet, down-ballot Republicans in New York saw a sharp decline in support, this source said.</p><p>"We're f-----," said another source who works on the campaign of a Republican congressional candidate.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/578135d25124c91c71d00e95-800/epublican-party-chairman-confident-in-cleveland-convention-security-2016-7.jpg" alt="Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus listens to a question during an interview in Washington May 6, 2016.REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque " data-mce-source="Thomson Reuters" data-mce-caption="Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus speaks in Washington" /><p class="source"><span>Thomson Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus speaks in Washington</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Four years ago, after a loss that seemingly pales in comparison to the potential in 2016, the Republican National Committee commissioned an "autopsy report."</p><p>The report was extensive, based on more than 2,500 interviews with voters, private-sector officials, and party members and elected officials, as well as a poll of 2,000 Republican Hispanic voters and an online survey taken by more than 36,000 people.</p><p>With the party at an apparent crossroads, it urged action. The Republican Party, it said, had become "out of touch" and filled with "stuffy old men." It was "talking to itself" rather than reaching out to new constituencies. The perception was, simply, that it did not "care about people."</p><p>One election cycle later, the Democratic nominee holds a 20-point advantage among women voters. A recent electoral projection <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/hillary-clinton-latino-vote-2016-10" target="_blank">predicted Trump would receive 15% of the Latino vote</a>, by far the lowest for a major-party nominee in recorded history. There are countless other groups of people, like Muslims, who must see a party that has talked about change, about opening up, and has only closed its doors to them - in this case, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-muslim-ban-2016-6" target="_blank">they literally proposed to do so</a>.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/57f6bcda57540cd42b8b49eb-1189/cugrvynueaehwt8.jpg" alt="Ted Cruz" data-mce-source="Screenshot/Twitter" data-mce-caption="Ted Cruz." /><p class="source"><span>Screenshot/Twitter</span></p><p class="caption">Yep.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>The party is at an unthinkable reckoning point.</p><p>Every single Republican candidate for a generation will (rightly) be asked about his or her endorsement of Trump in 2016. Take Sen. Ted Cruz, who, with impeccable timing, resisted endorsing for months only to <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/ted-cruz-donald-trump-endorse-2016-9" target="_blank">buy high in September</a> - as Trump creeped up on Clinton in the polls - only to put himself in the awkward pretzel position of sticking by the party's nominee after his biggest scandal.</p><p>House Speaker Paul Ryan, meanwhile, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/paul-ryan-donald-trump-wisconsin-2016-10" target="_blank">disinvited Trump to what had been a planned joint event</a> that also included Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Sen. Ron Johnson, and RNC Chair Reince Priebus. But he, too, has not withdrawn his endorsement.</p><p>Ryan, who had also resisted endorsing for months before relenting, is now put in an awkward position: Trump is too toxic to come to Wisconsin, but should be chosen by the American people for the most important job in the world.</p><p>"Trump's presidential run is now another one of his lengthy list of bankrupted endeavors where others not only are left to pick up the pieces, but to suffer for Trump's sins," said veteran Republican strategist Evan Siegfried, a prominent Trump critic throughout the race.</p><p>Sen. John McCain, the 2008 Republican nominee, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/john-mccain-donald-trump-leaked-tape-2016-10" target="_blank">withdrew his endorsement of Trump on Saturday</a>, listing a litany of other controversies - a feud with a Gold Star family, his attack on a federal judge because of his heritage, and, most aptly, his assertion that McCain wasn't a "war hero" because he was "captured."</p><p>McCain added a fun, fantastical wish in his statement: "He alone bears the burden of his conduct and alone should suffer the consequences."</p><p>It's not going to work like that. In fact, it prompts a striking realization: It took an 11-year-old video from the set of a soap opera for so much of the party to finally realize it had had enough.</p><p class="tagline">This is an editorial. The opinions and conclusions expressed above are those of the author.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/bill-clinton-greg-norman-injury-monica-lewinsky-2016-9">Golf legend Greg Norman reveals the truth behind President Bill Clinton's late-night 1997 injury</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="11a2lwMzE6mpiitsJhlYjIRlUS7LKuIm" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', '11a2lwMzE6mpiitsJhlYjIRlUS7LKuIm',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

Donald Trump is on the verge of poisoning the entire GOP brand for years

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container"><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/53a9a4356bb3f77f2a8173e9-1200-924/ap507235813210.jpg?maxX=800" border="0" alt="AP507235813210" width="800" /><p class="source"><span>AP</span></p><p class="caption">Rep. Charlie Rangel just after voting Tuesday.</p></div><p></p></div>Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) is facing the most serious challenge of his more than four decade congressional career, but he was all smiles after voting at a school in Manhattan Tuesday morning. After casting his ballot, Rangel gave a thumbs up and a huge grin for the cameras. He was somewhat coy when Business Insider asked him the obvious question - who he voted for.</p>
<p>"The best person," Rangel replied.</p>
<p>Later on, while taking questions from reporters outside, Rangel admitted he voted for himself.</p>
<p>With his wife, Alma, standing at his side, Rangel told the press it would be the final time he cast a ballot with his own name on it.</p>
<p>"I told my wife of over fifty years that will be the last time I will be voting for myself," said Rangel.</p>
<p>Technically, if Rangel wins today's Democratic primary, he will have an opportunity to vote for himself again in November's general election, but he won't necessarily need to. There won't be any real opposition to Rangel if he survives his primary today.</p>
<p>However, his future is uncertain.</p>
<p>In 2012, Rangel's district was redrawn adding heavily Latino neighborhoods in Upper Manhattan and The Bronx to his longtime stronghold in the historically African-American neighborhood of Harlem. Additionally, the white population of the area has expanded in recent years. These changes have chipped away at Rangel's base of support.</p>
<p>Last time around, Rangel's main rival, Democratic State Senator Adriano Espaillat, finished just about 1,000 votes behind him after a <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/nyc-council-pre-emptive-strike-boe-rangel-race-2014-6">legal battle over disputed vote counts</a>. Espaillat, who, if elected, would be the first member of Congress from the Dominican Republic, capitalized on the district's growing Latino population. This time around, Espaillat has more money and greater name recognition.</p>
<p>Still, Rangel suggested he doesn't feel threatened by his rival. When Business Insider asked why Rangel hasn't highlighted his mixed Puerto Rican and African American heritage in an attempt to counter Espaillat's focus on his Latino roots, the congressman said he wasn't even interested in discussing his opponent.</p>
<p>"I have repeatedly not even talked about Espaillat and this would be the wrong time for me to start now," said Rangel.</p>
<p>That statement was far from true. Rangel has repeatedly slammed Espaillat's record throughout this campaign. In one of their debates earlier this month, Rangel suggested Espaillat has <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/charlie-rangel-racially-charged-remark-2014-6">nothing to run on apart from his Dominican origins</a>.</p>
<p>"I hope somewhere during this debate ... [Espaillat] tries to share what the heck has he done besides saying he's a Dominican," Rangel declared.</p>
<p>Espaillat responded to that remark by indicating he was <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/charlie-rangel-racially-charged-remark-2014-6">upset by the congressman's "rhetoric."</a></p>
<p>"It really saddens me that after 44 years in Congress - and I say this truly candidly - it saddens  me that the congressman has to stoop and lower himself to these types of unfounded attacks," said Espaillat, later adding, "The fact of the matter is that I have passed over 70 pieces of legislation in Albany. ... I would love to engage the congressman in a civil debate about where the future of the district is, but to engage in rhetoric that is inaccurate is really not serving to all of us."</p>
<p>In spite of the heated language that emerged at points during their race, on election day, Rangel praised what he described as a "civil" campaign. Prior to voting he made brief remarks where he said the race continued a tradition in the district where "we've never had any political disputes that were based on language (or) where you were born." Afterwards, one reporter asked Rangel what he thought was civil about the race.</p>
<p>"I haven't felt any animosity toward anybody in this campaign nor anyone who supported any of my opponents. So I think this has been a civil campaign, issues have been raised and I haven't had a bad day since," Rangel said, in a reference to the title <a href="http://www.amazon.com/And-Havent-Had-Bad-Since/dp/0312372523">of his 2007 autobiography</a>. </p>
<p>In addition to discussing the campaign, Rangel talked about what he hoped to accomplish with a final term in office. He emphasized his desire to push President Barack Obama's agenda past opposition from Republicans, specifically the Tea Party.</p>
<p>"Congress is not at a record high in terms of peoples' appreciation of the work we should be doing and not be doing. … Congress is going to have to change if the Rep Party is going to have any status after this. I look forward to working with the president during these last two years because I truly believe that there has to be a break in the hold that the Tea Party has on the Republican Party," Rangel explained. "There are good people in the Republican Party. They want to vote the right way. We do have the votes for immigration, for job creation, for education, for affordable housing. We have the votes in the Congress, the only problem is that the Tea Party won't release the regular Republicans who want to do the right thing." </p>
<p>Rangel says he's looking forward to working with Obama and he reportedly aggressively sought the president's support in this race. However, as in 2012, Obama has not endorsed Rangel. Observers have <a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2014/06/charles-rangel-barack-obama-108166.html">generally attributed</a> the president's lack of backing for Rangel to the congressman's decision to support Hillary Clinton rather than Obama in the 2008 presidential primaries and to his 2010 censure for violations of House ethics rules.</p>
<p>When Business Insider asked Rangel why he believed Obama wasn't supporting his campaign, the congressman said he doesn't believe the race is important enough.</p>
<p>"I hope you really believe me, but throughout this campaign, it has never entered my mind what the president of the United States would or would not do in my election. If you were to ask me what the hell I think about what he's doing in Iraq, that would be a different question," said Rangel. "But I would think that it would presumptuous of me to think that this is so important that the president would pause and see what's happening with Democrats fighting it out in our great district."</p>
<p>Rangel's wife, Alma, also spoke outside the school and discussed why she thinks voters should give her husband two more years in office.</p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">"I think he deserves another chance. His record speaks for itself and he promised me that he's going to take me to Paris right after this is over," she said, adding, "He needs to rest."</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Rangel, who turned 84 years old earlier this month, elaborated on his plans after retiring.</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">"We</span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> have decided that, after these two years are over, we're going to go into our grandchildrens' educational fund and we're going to do some things together that we just haven't done before. It's going to be exciting," said Rangel.</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">A spokesperson for the congressman said his grandchildren are 11, 10, and 6 years old.</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">In addition to dipping into his grandchildrens' college fund, Rangel, who suffered a debilitating spinal infection just prior to his campaign in 2012, said he plans to spend more time with his family.</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> "When I was ill, my wife and I found experiences that we had passed over, had a chance to talk with each other and realized that, besides my passion for public service, I should have had a little more passion for my wife, children, and grandchildren," Rangel said. "We're going to share that passion together."</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Alma Rangel shook her head as her husband spoke indicating she disagreed with his criticism of his prior passion for her. He continued to discuss their relationship.</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">"Every time she complains, I tell her, 'You knew who you were marrying when you married me,'" Rangel said. "I was involved in <keyword id="6358883" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Politics">politics</keyword> when we met."</span></p>

Charlie Rangel: I Voted For 'The Best Person'

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/56e163509105842a008b5691-1500-1125/donald trump.jpg" alt="Donald Trump" data-mce-source="REUTERS/Jonathan Drake" data-mce-caption="U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Fayetteville, North Carolina March 9, 2016." /><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/Jonathan Drake</span></p><p class="caption">U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Fayetteville, North Carolina March 9, 2016.</p></div><p></p></div></div>Donald Trump has done what few politicians have been able to achieve in this century: He has brought disparate immigrant groups together to oppose him in what some think of as a new "melting pot."</p><p>The concern now is, will the melting pot have a tragic meltdown?</p><p><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/08/us/trumps-rise-spurs-latino-immigrants-to-naturalize-to-vote-against-him.html?_r=0"><em>The New York Times</em></a> describes the passion and strength some Mexican immigrants are beginning to show against Trump and his hateful rhetoric. Their strategy as legal residents is to become citizens by the November election and help deny Trump the presidency. Federal data shows that naturalization applications rose 14 percent during the six months ending in January.</p><p>For Latinos, fear of deportation, separation from family and being treated as second or third class citizens is a powerful motivation.</p><p><a href="http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/2016/02/16/Fight-Against-ISIS-Now-Includes-Chemical-Weapons"></a>For Muslims, who have also been targeted and reviled by Trump, it's even more: Fighting Trump, who represents a large and growing swath of the American electorate, is a matter of faith.</p><p><iframe width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Z9Rr3kD75uM"></iframe></p><div class="panel-pane pane-views-panes pane-article-details-revisions-panel-pane-1 no-title block"><div class="view view-article-details-revisions view-id-article_details_revisions view-display-id-panel_pane_1 paragraph-count-wrapper body-content view-dom-id-51f3bc5901b2e9fca24e24e80752ee92"><div class="view-content"><div class="views-row views-row-1 views-row-odd views-row-first views-row-last"><div class="views-field views-field-body-revision-id"><div class="field-content"><p>After a string of strong primary wins, it's likely that Trump will be the Republican candidate for the 2016 presidential election. But what impact would his presidency have on U.S. homeland security?</p><p>The Paris attacks in November 2015, which were directed by ISIS, and the San Bernardino shooting a month later that was inspired by the terror group, illustrate the threat ISIS poses to U.S. homeland security, a danger that has become a major issue in U.S. foreign policy.</p><p>According to the conservative think tank the Heritage Foundation, the year 2015 witnessed <a href="http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2016/02/the-81st-terrorist-plot-against-the-us-since-2001">15 terror plots or attacks in the U.S</a>, more than any year since 2001. At least three more were uncovered in 2016. Almost every one of these plots and attacks was inspired by ISIS. There are also about a thousand open FBI investigations concerning ISIS-related cases, in all 50 states. </p><p><a href="http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/2016/02/25/ISIS-Marches-Towards-Libya-s-Oil-Crescent-Despite-US-Air-Strikes"></a>Trump has addressed the ISIS issue in many of his controversial statements. He has said that as president <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3255742/I-m-putting-notice-Trump-pledges-deport-Syrian-refugees-elected-saying-ISIS-fighters.html">he would deport Syrian refugees</a> and block any more from entering.</p><p>In November 2015, he repeatedly pledged to "bomb the hell out of ISIS." He called for the United States to kill the relatives and loved ones of terrorists. After the Paris and San Bernardino attacks, Trump called for greater surveillance of mosques and newly arrived Muslims. He has said that he would consider shutting down mosques at home.</p><p>Finally, in early December 2015, Trump called for a "<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2015/12/07/politics/donald-trump-muslim-ban-immigration/">total and complete shutdown of Muslims</a> entering the United States until our country's representatives can figure out what is going on." Trump recently said he would bring back waterboarding, a form of torture used by the CIA after 9/11. He also said he would use methods that go beyond waterboarding.  </p><h3><strong><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table center"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/56a74c06c08a8037018bc67f-1127-845/isis flag iraq security forces soldiers.jpg" alt="ISIS Flag Iraq Security Forces Soldiers" data-mce-source="REUTERS" data-mce-caption="Iraqi security forces hold an Islamist State flag which they pulled down at the University of Anbar, in Anbar province July 26, 2015." /><p class="source"><span>REUTERS</span></p><p class="caption">Iraqi security forces hold an Islamist State flag which they pulled down at the University of Anbar, in Anbar province July 26, 2015.</p></div><p></p></div></div>American Muslims and Homeland Security</strong></h3><p>The Muslim American community, which numbers close to 3 million, has recently been the subject of <a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/hate-attacks-muslims-u-s-spike-after-recent-acts-terrorism-n482456">numerous Islamophobic incidents</a> following the Paris attacks. These incidents include air travel profiling and attacks on mosques and Muslim individuals, including women wearing hijabs.</p><p>If Trump wins the presidency and implements an aggressive surveillance program aimed at mosques and Muslims in general, and if he goes so far as to shut down some mosques and start deporting Syrian refugees who were legally admitted to the U.S, the Muslim American community would suffer further alienation. This alienation could result in more frustration, more fuel for ISIS propaganda and more terror plots on U.S. soil.</p><p><a href="http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/2016/02/22/ISIS-Finds-New-Revenue-Stream-Currency-Manipulation"></a>The reaction of Muslim Americans toward a Trump presidency would vary. On one hand, secular Muslim Americans for whom Islam is a cultural background rather than a religious commitment might be singled out for hateful assaults nevertheless. As a result, sentiments toward Islamic extremism could soften among some secular Muslims. Moderate religious Muslims could have similar experiences.</p><p>Those Muslim Americans who are more religiously extreme, yet not violent, could also embrace aspects of ISIS ideology, perhaps going a step further and supporting, aiding or even plotting attacks. Negative interactions with U.S. law enforcement or with U.S. society in general have nudged some notable leaders of radical Islam into more heinous violence.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table center"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/55a793556bb3f7e40e26447d-3754-2812/muslim-worshippers-ramadan.jpg" alt="muslim worshippers ramadan" data-mce-source="Reuters/David Gray" data-mce-caption="2015Muslim worshippers pray, during the holy month of Ramadan in the Gallipoli Mosque, located in the western Sydney suburb of Auburn, Australia." data-link="http://pictures.reuters.com/Package/2C0BF1OI7SD0B#/SearchResult&amp;ALID=2C0BF1OI7SD0B&amp;VBID=2C0BX42PDEZX&amp;POPUPPN=5&amp;POPUPIID=2C0BF1OI7AIJR" /><p class="source"><span><a href="http://pictures.reuters.com/Package/2C0BF1OI7SD0B#/SearchResult&amp;ALID=2C0BF1OI7SD0B&amp;VBID=2C0BX42PDEZX&amp;POPUPPN=5&amp;POPUPIID=2C0BF1OI7AIJR">Reuters/David Gray</a></span></p><p class="caption">Muslim worshippers pray, during the holy month of Ramadan in the Gallipoli Mosque, located in the western Sydney suburb of Auburn, Australia.</p></div><p></p></div></div>Ethnically, Muslims living within U.S. borders are divided into three main groups: those with roots in South Asia, Africa or the Arab world. A study by <a href="https://cchs.gwu.edu/sites/cchs.gwu.edu/files/downloads/ISIS%20in%20America%20-%20Full%20Report.pdf">George Washington University's program on extremism</a> found that those who were seduced by ISIS in the U.S were from all three main ethnicities of the Muslim community. (A fourth ethnic background among ISIS supporters in the U.S. is white former Christians who converted to Islam, but they are not a major part of the Muslim American community.)</p><p>Among Arab-Americans - those who are first or second-generation immigrants in the United States -radicalization often occurs in a way that is alien to average Westerners. Due to four centuries of Ottoman occupation of the Arab world, followed by several decades of Western colonization and then by several decades of brutal dictatorship colored by the Arab-Israeli conflict, many Arabs - even those who are well educated - chalk up most crises as <a href="http://www.economist.com/blogs/pomegranate/2013/11/arab-conspiracy-theories">pro-Israeli or sympathetic Western crusader conspiracies</a>.</p><p><a href="http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/2016/02/11/Here-s-Who-ISIS-Would-Vote-US-Presidential-Election"></a>In mosques, schools and homes, the imams, teachers and parents feed Middle Eastern children conspiracy theories. War in Syria, a bad movie about the prophet Mohammed or an earthquake in Indonesia can surely be blamed on some group's wicked plans. In the Middle East, state TV, radio, Internet and social media also promote conspiracies. Some propaganda is promoted by authoritarian state actors, some by radical Islamists.</p><p>In the Middle East, dictators play the conspiracy theory card to discourage people from doing anything. When someone is consistently reminded that everything bad happening is because of overwhelming powers that are much stronger than ordinary citizens, he or she is left powerless. Radical Islam offers a solution where citizens can do something: terrorize those conspirators working against you. So, for some Arabs and Arab Americans, conspiracy is the shadow explanation for being personally soft on terror. It offers a type of relief valve for an otherwise upsetting view of the world.</p><p>Trump's rhetoric plays right into those conspiracy theories. Given the attention his comments have gotten, it is a sure bet that ISIS would intensify its propaganda campaign with spectacular recruiting videos targeting Muslim Americans, as it has done in other places where circumstances were ripe to exploit. This technique - seen across the Middle East, South Asia, Africa and Europe -- is how ISIS has gained a foothold, particularly in Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Libya and Afghanistan. A dark imagination would predict this outcome in the U.S. as well, especially if a Trump presidency stirred up more anti-Muslim attacks and alienation.</p><p>As we mentioned in <a href="http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/2016/02/11/Here-s-Who-ISIS-Would-Vote-US-Presidential-Election">"Who ISIS Would Vote for in the US Presidential Election,"</a> Trump wins hands-down for providing the rhetorical ammunition and news clips ISIS wants for its recruiting missions. </p></div></div></div></div></div></div><p class="tagline">This story was originally published by  <a href="http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/" target="_blank">The Fiscal Times</a>. </p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/us-military-unlawful-orders-donald-trump-bill-maher-michael-hayden-2016-2">FORMER CIA DIRECTOR: The US military is legally obligated to refuse Trump's proposed military action</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="AzeXBmMTE6qIu0jwygcq808InUM64ed8" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'AzeXBmMTE6qIu0jwygcq808InUM64ed8',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

A Trump presidency would only make ISIS stronger

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/581fe125691e8820038b5071-2000/rts68gh.jpg" alt="Donald Trump" data-mce-source="Jim Young/REUTERS" data-mce-caption="Donald Trump, behind the curtain." /><p class="source"><span>Jim Young/REUTERS</span></p><p class="caption">Donald Trump, behind the curtain.</p></div><p></p></div></div>Roger Stone couldn't fly to New York.</p><p>Stone, the flashily dressed, decades-long confidante to Donald Trump, had injured his eye in a boxing match and underwent retinal-reattachment surgery. The doctors said he couldn't fly because of the cabin pressure.</p><p>So there he was in Miami on June 16, 2015. He watched his close friend descend down Trump Tower's iconic golden escalator and deliver the speech that would launch the biggest movement in modern American <keyword id="6358883" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Politics">politics</keyword>, as if he were pretty much anyone else that day. On television. On Fox News.</p><p>Stone has been close to Trump for more than three decades and who remains a top ally to Trump despite having no role with his campaign. That day was the culmination of a years-long effort - from the brief flirtations with presidential runs to the famous boardroom sessions in "The Apprentice" - to mold Trump into what he is trying to become Tuesday:</p><p>A president.</p><p>"So he's a phenomenon," Stone said in a recent interview with Business Insider. "He came to the race with a universally known persona, which is something he carefully cultivated through many, many years of understanding self-promotion and the promotion of his brand."</p><p>It's a "movement unlike anything we've ever seen" in modern American political history, Trump often says. And he's right. It is a movement built on shared and mostly silent feelings that have burst out into the open thanks to the musings of a brash billionaire.</p><p>It's built on racial politics and, on many levels, politics of yesterday. It's built on shared frustration, anxiety, feelings of being left behind. But mostly, it's built on the candidate who finally brought it out. And for Trump, the bond has been reciprocated with a fierce loyalty to his most fervent supporters - many times to a fault.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/563bbc07bd86ef15008c7ab2-2400/gettyimages-477321340.jpg" alt="donald trump escalator" data-mce-source="Christopher Gregory/Getty Images" data-mce-caption="Donald Trump." /><p class="source"><span>Christopher Gregory/Getty Images</span></p><p class="caption">Down the escalator he came.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><h2>'Some, I assume, are good people'</h2><p>It took him almost 2,000 words to say it.</p><p>Trump had flirted with presidential runs almost every cycle for the past two-plus decades. It didn't seem like a sure thing until he said the words on June 16, the date of a "major announcement" billed by his campaign.</p><p>He descended the escalator inside Manhattan's Trump Tower. He rambled. He went off on tangents. Finally, he said it.</p><p>"So, ladies and gentlemen, I am officially running for president of the United States, and we are going to make our country great again," he said, those last five words becoming the rallying cry of his campaign.</p><p>Something he had said much earlier in his speech, though, would become a source of controversy for weeks.</p><p>"When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best; they're not sending you," Trump said. "They're sending people that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems with us. They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people."</p><p>Democrats condemned the mogul. Businesses <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/nbc-donald-trump-2015-6" target="_blank">severed their partnerships with him</a>. And much of the Republican base rallied around him.</p><p>"As soon as it became clear that he wasn't backing down from the Mexican rapists speech," Ann Coulter, a conservative best-selling author and prominent Trump supporter, said of when she realized the staying power of the Trump phenomenon. "I said he was the best GOP candidate two days later on Bill Maher's 'Real Time,' and the salt-of-the-earth audience hooted and sneered at me."</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/56b6a7172e526551008b5767-1883/screen shot 2016-02-06 at 9.07.40 pm.png" alt="jeb bush donald trump" data-mce-source="ABC" /><p class="source"><span>ABC</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><h2>'He was a joke'</h2><p>Tim Miller was in a Target in Miami, attempting to buy supplies for his new apartment there. But he became sidetracked when a phone call with a cable-news anchor devolved into a shouting match about Donald Trump.</p><p>Miller, the former communications director to the campaign of Jeb Bush, was miffed about a Trump interview sucking up airtime during Bush's first day of campaigning in New Hampshire.</p><p>"I got into a couple of heated arguments with cable bigwigs over their coverage of Trump, and I will admit a big part of my argument to them was that he was a joke and was not likely to even stay in the race in the end," Miller said. "In fairness, he had flirted with running and pulled out a few times before so I don't think that was unwarranted."</p><p>Trump launched his campaign one day after Bush, who had spent six months crisscrossing the country and testing the boundaries of campaign-finance law by building a near-insurmountable war chest for what would become his campaign's super PAC.</p><p>The Bush campaign could hardly have expected the type of contrast opportunity it received in the first week of campaigning, however, after Trump's comments about Mexican immigrants. Bush had been scheduled to do a bilingual <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/video/watch-jeb-bush-david-muir-conversation-spanish-31843369" target="_blank">interview with ABC's David Muir</a> two days after launch - one day after Trump.</p><p>"I also mistakenly believed the contrast that week with Jeb doing a bilingual first network interview with David Muir and Trump calling Mexicans rapists would accrue to our benefit," Miller said.</p><p>"Clearly it did not."</p><p>Instead, Trump sucked air out of Bush's liftoff, and he became the story. Even worse, Bush became perfect fodder for Trump, who, in one of his first instances of branding an opponent with a devastating nickname, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-jeb-bush-insult-2015-8" target="_blank">labeled him "low energy"</a> and the exact opposite of the kind of president the US should elect.</p><p>One June 16, Bush was on top of national Republican primary polls. Trump languished in the bottom half of the outsize field, registering 3.6% support in a RealClearPolitics average of recent surveys. One month later - July 19 - Trump was at 16.8%, leading the pack. </p><p>He never looked back.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5820fd7d46e27a1c008b546b-2400/ap_96150921910.jpg" alt="Donald Trump Boeing 757" data-mce-source="AP" /><p class="source"><span>AP</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><h2>'Lightning in a bottle'</h2><p>The first voter that <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/profile/chris-arnade" target="_blank">Chris Arnade</a> heard mention Donald Trump's name didn't want his picture taken. No name, either.</p><p>Arnade, a photographer who has extensively <a href="http://arnade.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">chronicled America's addiction crisis</a>, was on assignment for The Atlantic days after Trump launched his presidential campaign.</p><p>The man was a mechanic in Upstate New York, areas of which have fallen by the wayside in an ever-globalizing American economy. The man was embarrassed about it - the press was mocking Trump's candidacy and calling him a racist - but he kind of liked Trump.</p><p>That week, crisscrossing through the US as part of a trip that would put a toll of 18,000 miles on his car, Arnade found a common theme. Pretty much everyone he talked to who was white was a fan of Donald Trump.</p><p>"This is serious," he recalled thinking. "This guy's putting lightning in a bottle. And what that lightning was and why took me a little longer."</p><p>"It was just, someone finally f---ing - thank God someone's finally being blunt about it," Arnade added of the common feeling among Trump supporters. "'We've been saying this for a long time, and people look at us like we're freaks.' It's brash, it's loud, it's crude. It's a bit like a group of pirates."</p><p>Trump's slogan, "Make America Great Again," evoked the themes they had felt in their own lives. Republican pollster Frank Luntz, in a conversation with Business Insider in August 2015, called it by far the most efficient of any candidate on either side of the aisle.</p><p>"As angry as people are these days, you have to give them a mission or vision of something better if you want them to follow you," Luntz said then.</p><p>And so they followed the candidate who said the things they wanted to be said - much of it shocking to a political and media establishment they despised. There was the comment about Mexican immigrants. The dig at Sen. John McCain's status as a war hero. The proposed ban on Muslims entering the country.</p><p>Then they brushed off the countless insulting, offensive comments about everyone from Fox News hosts to a physically disabled New York Times journalist.</p><p>Arnade tells the example of Lewiston, Maine, a city that sits in Maine's 2nd Congressional district, which may give Trump a surprise electoral vote. Its unemployment rate is 3.7%, but it is not properly measured by economic statistics. Years of economic decline in the mill town have led to a restructuring as the mills have gone away.</p><p>A few years ago, Somali refugees began settling in the town, looking for areas with affordable housing, low crime, and good schools. The former community has become distrustful of the current, longing for days when the mills provided not only jobs but a sense of community.</p><p>"A community loses jobs. A very different group of people comes in and is given rights," Arnade said. "History is filled with places where if you have inequality, people blame scapegoats."</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5813fed0b28a64a26a8b47f0-2400/rtx2qwcw.jpg" alt="donald trump" data-mce-source="Thomson Reuters" data-mce-caption="Donald Trump." /><p class="source"><span>Thomson Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">Donald Trump.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><h2>'Double bind'</h2><p>The Republican politicians, they fled in droves. </p><p>They had stuck by his side in late May, when he was in the midst of attacking a federal judge's Mexican heritage. They had powered through in July, when he attacked a Gold Star family (a fight he never truly relinquished). </p><p>This one, though, was a bridge too far. Trump had been caught on tape boasting about how his fame gave him permission to grope women and kiss them without their consent. There were the swing-state prospective members of Congress. Then there were the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-2005-women-video-billy-bush-gop-ramifications-2016-10" target="_blank">three-term members of Congress from deep-red Alabama</a> who disavowed, unendorsed, even called on Donald Trump to drop out of the race.</p><p>He did not.</p><p>He followed the same script he has through each controversy - he dug in, even as no fewer than a dozen women came forward to accuse him of unwanted sexual advances. And his supporters, they dug in with him. </p><p>"The GOP electorate overwhelmingly wanted politicians to back Trump, so anyone who demonstrated the courage to stand up to him saw their popularity drop," said Miller, the former Bush campaign communications director.</p><p>And then a funny thing happened. He came back to life, with the help of the final October surprise: the FBI's <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/fbi-re-opening-investigation-into-hillary-private-e-mail-server-2016-10" target="_blank">reactivation of an investigation of Hillary Clinton's emails</a>. Republicans, realizing their renewed sense of distaste for Clinton, rallied back around him, polls showed. He climbed back to a position that <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/polls-trump-swing-states-2016-11" target="_blank">provides him a few narrow paths to victory</a>.</p><p>Trump has frustrated some of his closest allies with his campaign missteps. His campaign has taken away his access to his Twitter account, according to people close to him. They don't like how he has done almost no Spanish-language media and looks set to lose by near-historic margins among Latino voters. They resent his message to minority communities ("What the hell do you have to lose?!") when it could be much more uplifting.</p><p>His rise has broader ramifications for the Republican Party, now at a crossroads. Just four short years ago, the<span> party released an "autopsy report" on Mitt Romney's loss. The GOP, it said, had become "out of touch" and filled with "stuffy old men." It was "talking to itself" rather than reaching out to new constituencies. The perception was, simply, that it did not "care about people."</span></p><p><span>That will continue.</span></p><p>"The party is in a double bind that is going to be challenging to escape. The more we appeal to the core primary voter and core Trump voter with a hardline message on immigration and extreme rhetoric, the more we turn off the general electorate," Miller said. "Meanwhile, the candidates who tried to have a more welcoming, optimistic, inclusive message all were largely rejected by the primary electorate."</p><p>But here we are. Eighteen months later, Donald Trump still has the Republican Party by a string. He is their past. Their present.</p><p>And, win or lose, their future.</p><p>As Stone put it: "It'll be a great book. It's an epic drama."</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-gives-different-account--obama-handled--protester-2016-11">Watch Donald Trump give a startlingly different account of how Obama handled a protester in North Carolina</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="FycjBkNzE6odrUpTXw7ytuH7c8wYcPNS" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'FycjBkNzE6odrUpTXw7ytuH7c8wYcPNS',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

THE FINALE: The Trump phenomenon, the biggest story of the campaign, comes to a dramatic conclusion

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container"><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5425ce926bb3f7424361ed43-1200-924/barack-obama-eric-holder-7.jpg?maxX=800" border="0" alt="Barack Obama Eric Holder" width="800"><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/Gary Cameron</span></p><p class="caption">U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder (R) wipes tears as President Barack Obama announces Holder's resignation in the White House State Dining Room.</p></img></div><p></p></div>With Attorney General Eric Holder's departure from Washington, critics say Wall Street is losing someone who has essentially given the industry a pass on the excesses that led to the financial crisis. In another potential wrinkle for Wall Street, two of the leading candidates who could follow in Holder's footsteps both have a history of ruffling feathers in the financial industry.</p>
<p>Critics of Wall Street have slammed Holder for not prosecuting top executives during his time leading the Department of Justice. A Democratic operative who spoke to Business Insider about Holder's time as attorney general called his lack of financial industry prosecutions "bizarre," particularly in light of the fact "this administration entered office during the middle of the worst financial crisis since the great depression." </p>
<p>"He could not have been more of a disappointment in terms of dealing with the issues that led to the collapse of the financial markets and the global economy," the operative said of Holder. "He had an opportunity and, frankly, a responsibility to say there was a whole host of systemically illegal and improper behavior and to go after it." </p>
<p>Holder, whose office did not respond to a request for comment on this story from Business Insider, attempted to address this criticism <a href="http://thehill.com/policy/finance/217110-warren-shelby-agree-on-need-to-prosecute-bank-execs">at a congressional hearing last year</a>. At the hearing, Holder argued it was dangerous to impose overly harsh penalties on leaders of financial institutions because it could have a negative impact on the economy.</p>
<p>"The size of some of these institutions becomes so large that it does become difficult for us to prosecute them when we are hit with indications that if you do prosecute, if you do bring a criminal charge, it will have a negative impact on the national economy," Holder said.</p>
<p>However, this explanation has not satisfied those who argue Holder has been far too soft on the financial industry. The Democratic operative who discussed the attorney general with Business Insider argued Holder's comments were a weak excuse for a "dereliction of duty."</p>
<p>"He, for some reason, believed that he was on the board of these banks and their long term stability was part of his job," said the operative. "For some bizarre reason, he said - it was on record - that he was considering the health of those financial institutions and the broader economy when he was considering those cases. And that was totally inappropriate and, frankly, a dereliction of duty."</p>
<p>Critics of Holder's perceived inaction with respect to Wall Street include elected officials of both parties. At <a href="http://thehill.com/policy/finance/217110-warren-shelby-agree-on-need-to-prosecute-bank-execs">a Senate hearing earlier this month</a> Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts) and Richard Shelby (R-Alabama) both questioned why the crisis led the DOJ to pursue settlements against financial institutions, but not criminal prosecutions against individual executives. </p>
<p>"No corporation can break the <keyword id="6355470" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Law">law</keyword> unless the individual within that corporation broke the law," Warren said. "Not a single senior executive at these banks have been criminally prosecuted."</p>
<p>"Something's wrong with the Justice Department. People shouldn't be able to … buy their way out of culpability," Shelby added. </p>
<p>Holder served throughout President Barack Obama's time in the White House. The Democratic operative argued that, even if Obama chose to take a more gentle approach toward the financial industry, Holder had an obligation to take action.</p>
<p>"I believe the president has failed in this area ... but he is a policy maker the president so ... he does have broader economic considerations to make," the operative said, arguing Obama has a better excuse than Holder for being concerned about the health of financial institutions. "But it is not the Attorney General's job to consider those things when deciding who to prosecute or not or what remedies to pursue."</p>
<p>With Holder set to resign, those who hoped to see the DOJ get tougher on Wall Street might see signs the next attorney general could address their concerns. </p>
<p>According to many insiders, Labor Secretary Tom Perez is a frontrunner to get the nomination from Obama. In his morning political briefing Friday, analyst Greg Valliere of the Potomac Research Group argued Perez is the "is the logical pick" and noted "he's already been confirmed by the Senate." Another Democratic strategist who spoke to Business Insider said Perez's Dominican heritage was fueling rumors he would be Obama's choice to succeed Holder.</p>
<p>"People in Washington, people in the White House are buzzing that the president is favoring picking a Latino for the position of attorney general and, specifically, favoring picking Tom Perez," the strategist said.</p>
<p>The Democratic operative said Perez was the only potential pick they have heard credible chatter about.</p>
<p>"I'm hearing all Perez," they said.  </p>
<p>These rumors might upset Wall Streeters who were unhappy with efforts Perez spearheaded at the Department of Labor <a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2014/01/30/should-the-minimum-wage-be-raised-economists-weigh-in/">to raise the minimum wage</a> and <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/johnwasik/2013/08/23/why-wall-street-insurers-dont-want-fiduciary-duty/">require fiduciary duty</a>.</p>
<p>"He's proved he's got consumers' back at the DOL and I guess, if you're Wall Street that might be a bad thing," said the strategist. "But if youre 99% of people, that's a good thing."</p>
<p>However, the Democratic strategist argued the financial industry has nothing to fear from Perez. They characterized him as a "consensus builder" who knew it was important to get "business behind him" on these potentially contentious issues. They also suggested he would have a similar approach to Holder.</p>
<p>"Perez is exceptionally close to Eric Holder and would probably adopt the same style," said the strategist. </p>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5425cf78ecad04c219e14f56-535-401/preet-bharara-19.png" border="0" alt="Preet Bharara" width="480"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://video.cnbc.com/gallery/?video=3000103780&amp;play=1">CNBC screenshot</a></span></p></img></div><p></p></div>Of course, President Obama is already halfway through his second term and polls show Democrat Hillary Clinton leading the 2016 field. And one person who is often discussed as a potential attorney general pick for Clinton is US Attorney Preet Bharara, who has earned a reputation as taking an aggressive approach on corporate crime. In fact, <a href="http://nypost.com/2014/09/26/wall-street-scared-new-attorney-general-could-be-preet/">according to the New York Post</a>, some Wall Streeters are already concerned Bharara could also be tapped by Obama to lead the DOJ. </p>
<p>Both of the Democrats who spoke to Business Insider argued Bharara's habit of ending up with his name in the headlines makes him an unlikely choice for Obama. However, the operative suggested Bharara's past experience as chief counsel to Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-New York), who worked alongside Clinton during her time representing New York in the Senate, could make him her pick. </p>
<p>"Very clearly he's angling to be her attorney general," the operative said of Bharara and Clinton. "Obviously Chuck is a big fan. Obviously, Hillary is well-versed in doing things to keep Chuck happy rather than be harrassed and irritated, so I'd imagine he could be her choice."</p>
<p>However, despite Bharara's reputation for being tough on Wall Street, multiple Democrats who have previously talked to Business Insider about the possibility he could lead the DOJ under Clinton argued he has only prosecuted small targets rather than leading financial industry executives. The strategist who discussed Perez with Business Insider argued Bharara's record with regard to the Street is largely "superficial." The other operative suggested this might actually add to Bharara's appeal for Clinton. </p>
<p>"For Hillary, it could make sense," said the operative. "He would give the appearance of reform and aggression against big actors without actually carrying it out."</p>
<p>Overall, many critics on the left seem pessimistic the Department of Justice will ever really get tough on Wall Street.</p>
<p>"I don't think Wall Street has anything to fear from a Hillary Clinton administration," the operative said, adding, "The previous six years should make clear to Wall Street that they have nothing to fear at all."</p>

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