The Tap: Sunday, August 14, 2016

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The Tap covered election news, public policy, and other noteworthy events from February 2016 to February 2022.

Review of the day

The excerpts below were compiled from issue #30 of The Tap, which was published on August 20, 2016. READ THE FULL VERSION HERE.

Federal

• Politico reported that Republican National Committee strategist Sean Spicer gave an off-the-record account of the party’s efforts to support Donald Trump’s campaign to journalists last week, suggesting that the national party has “all these staffers out there working and knocking on doors, with a data system they believe rivals what Obama build [sic] in 2012—so it’s not their fault” if Trump loses in November. According to Politico, Reince Priebus calls Trump five or six times each day and has warned him that the party could divert resources away from his campaign.

• U.S. Rep. Mark Sanford (R-S.C.) wrote an op-ed in The New York Times calling on Donald Trump to release his tax returns. “I suggest this not as a partisan against Mr. Trump. I am a conservative Republican who, though I have no stomach for his personal style and his penchant for regularly demeaning others, intends to support my party’s nominee because of the importance of filling the existing vacancy on the Supreme Court, and others that might open in the next four years. However, my ability to continue to do so will in part be driven by whether Mr. Trump keeps his word that he will release his tax records,” Sanford wrote.

• The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service removed three subspecies of island fox from the federal list of endangered species. The foxes, which inhabit California, were listed as endangered in 2004. In 2000, 15 foxes each inhabited the San Miguel and Santa Rosa islands, while 55 foxes inhabited Santa Cruz Island. The fox population is now estimated at 700 foxes on San Miguel Island and 2,100 foxes on Santa Cruz Island. The species’ recovery is attributed to the relocation of predators and the breeding of foxes in captivity for release back into the wild. Federal officials estimated that the rearing of foxes in captivity cost approximately $20 million over the 12-year period. Wildlife officials had to kill thousands of pigs to force golden eagles—the main predator of the island foxes—to forage in other areas, an action that aided the foxes’ recovery. As of May 2016, there had been 698 federally listed animal species—497 endangered species and 201 threatened species—in the United States.
• The New York Times reported that Trump campaign chair Paul Manafort was named in a handwritten ledger in Ukraine showing $12.7 million in undisclosed cash payments allocated to him. The ledger is being investigated by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau as part of a “corrupt network they say was used to loot Ukrainian assets and influence elections during the administration of Mr. Manafort’s main client, former President Viktor F. Yanukovych.“ Manafort dismissed the story in a statement, saying, “Once again, the New York Times has chosen to purposefully ignore facts and professional journalism to fit their political agenda, choosing to attack my character and reputation rather than present an honest report.” He continued, “My work in Ukraine ceased following the country’s parliamentary elections in October 2014. In addition, as the article points out hesitantly, every government official interviewed states I have done nothing wrong.”

Local

• In California, Los Angeles City Councilman Felipe Fuentes announced he would resign in September in order to become a lobbyist with Apex Group. Fuentes was elected to the District 7 seat on the council in 2013 and was scheduled to be up for re-election in 2017. He previously served as a Democrat in District 39 of the California State Assembly from 2007 to 2012. The Apex Group lobbies on behalf of the Associated General Contractors of California trade organization. The Los Angeles Times reported that a special election to replace Fuentes was unlikely and that his position would be filled by “a caretaker — typically an official in the city’s chief legislative analyst’s office.” The open District 7 seat will be up for general election in March 2017. Los Angeles is the largest city in California and the second-largest city in the U.S. by population.

Preview of the day

There were no items for this day in issue #29 of The Tap, which was published on August 13, 2016. See the "Review of the day" tab for more information.