The extent of his defense against spies.
The extent of his defense against spies. Alex Wong / Getty Images

• Trump's first response to the news that a terrorist (or terrorists) mailed pipe bombs to several Democratic politicians and news organizations was to retweet Vice President Mike Pence's response on Twitter. Targets included Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, former AG Eric Holder, California Representative Maxine Waters, former DNC head Debbie Wasserman Schultz, California Senator Kamala Harris, George Soros, and the CNN offices in New York. Pence's Tweet didn't mention Soros by name because he's such a champion of civility in politics.



• A little more on those bombs, courtesy of The New York Times:

On Wednesday afternoon, New York City’s police commissioner, James P. O’Neill, said that the CNN bomb was “a live explosive device” and that it would be rendered harmless and sent to the F.B.I. to be analyzed. The package that contained the device also included white powder that the police were testing to determine if it is toxic, he said.

Some bomb technicians who studied photos of the device that circulated on social media suggested that the bomb sent to CNN had hallmarks of fake explosives — the kind more typically depicted on television and in movies, rather than devices capable of detonating.

• Hillary Clinton thanked the Secret Service for intercepting the package. CNN president Jeff Zucker said in a statement "there is a total lack of understanding at the White House about the seriousness of their continued attacks on the media."

• Eventually the President condemned attempted bombings in a press conference at the White House. From The Guardian:

'A major federal investigation is now underway. The full weight of our government is being deployed to conduct this investigation and bring those responsible for these despicable acts to justice,' he said in remarks at the White House.

'We have to unify. We have to come together,' he said. 'Acts or threats of political violence of any kind have no place in the United States of America.'

Trump did not address criticism of his own role attacking news outlets and opposing politicians.

• In non-bomb news, Trump knows the Chinese and Russians are spying on him when he calls people on his iPhone, but he doesn't care, according to The New York Times:

Mr. Trump’s aides have repeatedly warned him that his cellphone calls are not secure, and they have told him that Russian spies are routinely eavesdropping on the calls, as well. But aides say the voluble president, who has been pressured into using his secure White House landline more often these days, has still refused to give up his iPhones. White House officials say they can only hope he refrains from discussing classified information when he is on them.


• In other non-bomb news, Trump claimed Republicans will "totally protect" people with pre-existing conditions while Democrats would not. The opposite is true. In fact, two days ago Trump's Department of Health and Human Services introduced new rules that would allow insurance companies to offer "insurance" under the ACA that wouldn't, in fact, cover pre-existing conditions. Meanwhile, his justice department refuses to defend Obamacare against a lawsuit questioning the program's constitutionality. Repeal is on the ballot. Vote. In King County 123,689 have already sent in their ballots—that's three times more than returned them at this same time last year, and 10,000 more than at this same time in 2016. Keep it up!