 Scott Walker confers with Donald Trump during a break in Fox News’ Republican primary debate. (AFP Photo/Mandel Ngan) THE BIG IDEA: GREENVILLE, S.C.—Good morning from South Carolina, where I am about to cover a Donald Trump rally. The billionaire has peppered his stump speech, if you can call it that, with even harsher language about China since the country manipulated its currency to stimulate its struggling economy. Earlier this week, he said colorfully that he would downgrade Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Washington next month by serving him a Big Mac. Scott Walker, the Wisconsin governor who has tried appealing to both the tea party and establishment wings of the GOP, went even further. He called on President Obama to cancel the visit altogether as retaliation for recent Chinese actions. Aiming to say something that would get him back in the conversation and make him look tough, Walker has instead faced a backlash and a battery of negative headlines. The governor found himself on the defensive again yesterday. The Des Moines Register story about his latest visit leads with Walker arguing that "canceling an official state visit with the Chinese president wouldn’t harm Iowa’s trade interests with the country." The piece notes that the Hawkeye State exported nearly $1 billion worth of products to China in 2014. It is true that Walker’s comment won't really turn off rank-and-file voters. The folks supporting Trump in the polls, who Walker would love to peel off, find his tough talk and lack of nuance refreshing. The Pew Global Attitudes Project found this spring that only 27 percent of Republicans view China favorably and 63 percent view the country unfavorably, Post pollster Peyton Craighill notes. Where the China-bashing is hurting is with party elites. It has raised eyebrows among some of the major donors and foreign policy graybeards who have for months quietly expressed concerns about whether Walker is ready for prime-time, especially in a possible race against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Walker was mocked after a donor conference this spring when he said that Ronald Reagan's firing of striking air-traffic controllers was the most significant foreign policy decision of his lifetime. Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad is an example of someone who doesn’t welcome the tough talk. While he wants a governor to win his state’s caucuses, he has had a friendly relationship with Xi since he was a low-ranking government official visiting Iowa in 1985. He even introduced him to Walker two years ago. Branstad’s spokesman Jimmy Centers didn’t defend Walker when asked by my colleague Jenna Johnson, stressing the importance of the state's relationship with the country. Tellingly, none of the other leading Republican candidates—Trump aside—has followed Walker's lead. - Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal even rebuked him. "The answer isn't to refuse to meet," spokeswoman Shannon Dirmann told the 202. "What good does that do? We're surprised he said that, that's weak. The answer is to confront China and tell them directly to stop pretending that everything is fine and to demand change. Tell China that their economic policies are absurd, and that we will no longer tolerate their acts of cyber terror and currency manipulation."
- Asked what John Kasich thought of trying to cancel the state dinner, a spokesman for the Ohio governor replied: "We haven’t said anything like that…"
- A Marco Rubio spokesman said they will address the China question during a big speech here in South Carolina tomorrow. In New Hampshire yesterday, the senator seemed to telegraph a general theme when he told reporters that the GOP nominee needs to be "optimistic but realistic…" Watch for Rubio to promise a much more aggressive posture but also position himself as a level-headed, adult-in-the-room type.
To be sure, China is a tough issue for candidates. Voters overwhelmingly want a hard line. The country has been more aggressive militarily, especially in the South China Sea and, of course, stands accused of the massive cyberattack that stole the personnel records of millions of federal employees. This is one of the rare issues at the intersection of economics and national security — which consistently rank as the top two voter worries this year. Finally, the debate over China will only heat up as the state dinner approaches. National Security Adviser Susan Rice is visiting Beijing tomorrow and Saturday to lay the groundwork for the trip. A White House statement said "she will underscore the United States' commitment to building a more productive relationship between our two countries as well as discuss areas of difference." Recall that last November, when Obama visited Xi in Beijing, the two announced a major agreement to reduce carbon emissions, as well as plans to extend business and tourist visas.  Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on August 17 (EPA/Posted on the Supreme Leader’s official web site) — Increasingly, on the Iran deal, it’s very likely that Senate Democrats will muster the votes necessary to block a veto override. Privately, some leading deal critics acknowledge they’ve steeled themselves for this outcome. Republicans think they can probably secure the 60 votes for a resolution of disapproval but not two-thirds to overcome the president’s rejection. The new D.C. parlor game is: who will be the 34th senator that clinches the win for Obama? PowerPost’s Karoun Demirjian notes that some of the “undecided” Democrats will almost certainly support the agreement, but they don’t want to be the decisive vote because of the political risks. Someone like Michael Bennet, the former DSCC chairman, probably fears drawing heavy fire from outside groups during his 2016 reelection campaign in Colorado, for example. Senators like Connecticut’s Richard Blumenthal or Michigan’s Gary Peters might be more willing to speed the White House momentum. Among the undecided Democrats are several members with aspirations to take on bigger leadership roles, such as Maryland's Ben Cardin, Delaware’s Chris Coons and Virginia’s Mark Warner. Obama did a round of local TV interviews on the deal yesterday, targeting the undeclared Democrats, including on D.C. stations (which reach Cardin and Warner’s constituents). The next big question, once Obama gets to 34, is if the president can reach 41. That would allow Senate Democrats to filibuster and spare Obama the need to use his veto pen. But that’s a much heavier lift: 12 of the 15 undecided Senate Democrats would need to rally behind a deal that’s still very controversial. WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING: — MSNBC announced that Al Sharpton’s weeknight show is going off the air next week. As a consolation, the Reverend will get a one-hour weekly show to air Sundays at 8 a.m. Eastern, per the Los Angeles Times.  Joe Biden on Aug. 15 in Chattanooga. (Photo by Jason Davis/Getty Images) — Joe Biden told members of the Democratic National Committee that he’s trying to decide if he has the “emotional fuel” to run for president. "We're dealing at home with … whether or not there is the emotional fuel at this time to run," the vice president said in a conference call with the Democratic National Committee, referencing his son's death, according to multiple media accounts. "If I were to announce to run, I have to be able to commit to all of you that I would be able to give it my whole heart and my whole soul, and right now, both are pretty well banged up." A Quinnipiac University poll publishing this morning shows Biden with high favorability among Democrats. Clinton leads the Democratic field with 45 percent, down from 55 percent at the end of July, with Bernie Sanders at 22 percent and Biden at 18 percent. The poll found that Biden has the best appeal in general election matchups against top Republicans. In head to head matchups among all American voters: "Biden tops Trump 48 – 40 percent. He beats Bush 45 – 39 percent and gets 44 percent to Rubio’s 41 percent. Clinton edges Trump 45 – 41 percent. She gets 42 percent to Bush’s 40 percent and gets 44 percent to Rubio’s 43 percent." More good news for Biden is on the front page of today’s Post: major donors are interested in supporting him. “A wide swath of party financiers is convinced that Biden will make a late entry into the race, and a sizable number are contemplating backing him, including some who have signed on with Clinton, according to more than a dozen top Democratic fundraisers nationwide,” Matea Gold reports. “The chatter among a cadre of well-connected party fundraisers suggests that he could benefit from an early jolt of money should he run. Clinton maintains a broad and loyal donor base, and her financial dominance would present a huge challenge.” Hillary tried to be classy about it in Iowa yesterday: “I just want the vice president to do what’s right for him and his family," she said. "I don’t think it’s useful to be behind the scenes, asking this or saying that. I’ve done none of that. I just want him to reach whatever the right decision is." …While Tom Harkin, who served for 25 years alongside Joe Biden in the Senate, publicly discouraged him from getting in. “I love Joe,” the Iowan told the New York Times’ Jonathan Martin. “I just don’t think this would be a wise move.” He suggested that Biden could be Secretary of State or U.N. ambassador under Hillary, who he has endorsed. GET SMART FAST: - Hillary tweaked her defense of the homebrew email server yesterday. Instead of blaming Republicans for manufacturing a phony story, she said she gets why Americans are concerned and said she takes responsibility. "It clearly wasn't the best choice," she told press.
- A judge sentenced the Aurora movie theater shooter, James Holmes, to the maximum possible jail terms for all 165 counts he was convicted of. That's 12 consecutive life sentences in prison — one for every person he killed in 2012 — followed by another 3,318 years for trying to kill 70 other people and plotting to blow up his apartment. He was spared the death penalty by the jury, but he has no chance for parole. (Denver Post)
- "Amid a significant downsizing of the money-strapped U.S. Postal Service, the number of letters arriving late has jumped by almost 50 percent since the start of the year," per Lisa Rein. "And that's as measured against the agency's own newly relaxed standards."
- The Pentagon's inspector general is investigating an internal complaint that U.S. military intelligence analysts have painted an overly optimistic assessment of the war against the Islamic State, which spy agencies see as a stalemate.
- A senior Hezbollah operative accused of helping carry out the 1996 bombing of an American military housing complex in Saudi Arabia that killed 19 U.S. service members has been captured, Adam Goldman reports. Ahmad Ibrahim al-Mughassil, 48, was arrested in Beirut and flown to Saudi Arabia to face questioning and likely prosecution.
- Saudi Arabia King Salman will visit the United States on Sept. 5 for the first time since ascending the throne and will meet with Obama.
- Executives at Solyndra, the solar panel company that cost taxpayers a half-billion dollars, repeatedly misled federal officials and omitted information about the firm's financial prospects as they sought to win a major government loan, the Energy Department's Inspector General said in a report.
- Wal-Mart said it has been working to phase out sales of assault rifles in its stores, but the company insisted that the move was not made in response to political clashes about guns but rather a reflection of waning sales.
- The Obama Foundation put out a call for architects to let them know if they're interested in bidding to design his presidential library in Chicago's South Side.
- Despite threats to cut off ties if they allowed openly gay leaders, the Mormon Church announced it will continue its affiliation with the Boy Scouts.
POWER PLAYERS IN THE NEWS: - Trump said he and Fox News chief Roger Ailes spoke by phone yesterday morning to again try patching over their differences. “He's a special guy and a good friend of mine," Trump told radio host Laura Ingraham. “I have no problem.”
- "The Justice Department asked an Illinois judge to proceed with a Friday hearing to determine whether former Republican Rep. Aaron Schock has complied with a subpoena to produce a raft of documents from his tenure in Congress," per Politico. "On Wednesday, Schock produced more than 10,000 documents pertaining to his financial transactions while a member of Congress."
- Maine's colorful and controversial Republican governor, Paul LePage, said he is thinking "very strongly" about challenging Sen. Angus King, the independent who caucuses with the Democrats, in 2018. (Bangor Daily News)
- Heather Mizeur, who appealed to progressives during her unsuccessful bid for Maryland governor last year, endorsed Chris Van Hollen over Donna Edwards in the Democratic Senate primary, a helpful boost in his effort to make inroads with the left.
- Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) called on Hillary to actually take a position on the Keystone XL Pipeline. He supports the project.
- Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) is now the only Senate Republican who has NOT come out against the Iran agreement. (The Hill)
WAPO HIGHLIGHTS: — “Two Roanoke journalists killed on live television by angry former colleague,” by John Woodrow Cox, Dana Hedgpeth and Justin Jouvenal: “Alison Parker, 24, was interviewing the head of the local chamber of commerce live on Roanoke's ‘News 7 Mornin'’ show when the shooting began. Vester L. Flanagan II — an embittered former colleague — would soon post the horror he recorded to Facebook and Twitter. Parker and a cameraman, Adam Ward, 27, died at the scene; the chamber director, Vicki Gardner, 62, underwent surgery and is expected to recover. The killings were part of what appears to have been an elaborate plot carried out by a troubled man who — after years of professional turmoil and a growing rage he linked to the mass shooting at a Charleston, S.C., church — was determined to wreak vengeance against co-workers he insisted had wronged him.” — “Mini flash crash? Trading anomalies on manic Monday hit small investors,” by Todd C. Frankel: “The queasy chaos of this week's markets, which has rattled even Wall Street pros, appeared to hit smaller investors especially hard, leaving a fresh dent in their stock market confidence. Millions of these Main Street investors were locked out during the crucial hour when the worst hit, just as markets opened Monday…some professional traders and market analysts [are] saying the technology that has made the markets such a modern marvel is making it harder for everyone but a select few investors, raising questions about whether the exchanges offer a fair playing field.” — Bernie Sanders is now urging the same Democratic elites and insiders to back his upstart bid instead of Hillary’s, reports John Wagner: “Sanders huddled with advisers at his home here Wednesday to chart what he describes as the second phase of a campaign that has exceeded all expectations but still lacks the infrastructure and support from the party elites that could help him compete with Clinton on a national level.” SOCIAL MEDIA SPEED READ: — ZIGNAL VISUAL: Bernie Sanders continues to get way more love from the grassroots on social media than from the pundits in the mainstream media. Looking at the Democratic race through social media and television tells two very different stories. Here’s how the race looked on television Wednesday, according to our analytics partners at Zignal Labs. In terms of total mentions, Clinton dominated with a 70 percent share, while the pondering Biden followed with a 24 percent share. On TV, Sanders is an afterthought with just 6 percent of mentions. 
But here’s the race, as seen on Twitter. The vice president was mentioned in less than 10 percent of all tweets naming one of the three candidates, while nearly one in three tweets mentioned Sanders. 
–Pictures of the day: Alison Parker and Adam Ward, the two Virginia journalists killed by a gunman on Wednesday morning:  (@Newseum) –Tweets of the day: The shooting drew a call for stricter gun control from Hillary Clinton: Watch her comment on the issue here:  (@HillaryClinton) Former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), herself shot in the head by a deranged gunman in 2011, weighed in as well: [Read more reaction from 2016 candidates and members of Congress] Parker’s fiance mourned her loss on Twitter: While the governor of Louisiana addressed another mass shooting in his state: –Instagrams of the day: Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) offered a bird’s-eye view of Seattle:  (drrandpaul) While Rep. Elise Stefanik (R) posted this shot from her upstate New York district:  (elisestefanik) –Dogs of the day: On a lighter note (and we need one after Wednesday’s news from Virginia), it was National Dog Day. Below are pictures of five cute pups from among the dozens posted by lawmakers and politicos. First, there is the Santorums’ dog, Darcy:  (ricksantorum) Bo Obama (of course):  (@dccc) Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.) with Scout:  (@RepMikeQuigley) Mako and Napo, via Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.):  (@MarioDB) And finally, Franklin and Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio):  (@dscc / @SherrodBrown) GOOD READS FROM ELSEWHERE: — Des Moines Register: “Leaked emails show new Trump aide used to scorn him,” by Jennifer Jacobs: “‘(Trump) left me with questions about his moral center and his foundational beliefs. … His comments reveal no foundation in Christ, which is a big deal,’ evangelical conservative activist Sam Clovis said in an email just 35 days before he quit his job as Republican Rick Perry's Iowa chairman and signed on with Trump's campaign…In the emails, shared by Perry backers Wednesday with The Des Moines Register, Clovis castigated Trump for his past liberal positions and admission that he has never asked for God's forgiveness for any wrongdoing.” — New York Times, “Testy News Conference Exchange Puts Donald Trump’s Quirks on Display,” by Michael Barbaro: “The 30-minute news conference Mr. Trump presided over in Iowa on Tuesday night was the purest distillation of the psychological quirks and emotional idiosyncrasies that have made his candidacy such an irresistible spectacle — at times repellent, but often riveting. ‘One of the lasting memories of this campaign is going to be that exchange,’ said David Gergen, an adviser to four presidents. America is well acquainted with Trump the Tormentor, who, armed with a bully's eye for weak spots, expertly deploys an arsenal of clever insults at his unfortunate rivals. But as the news conference wore on, viewers saw something more revealing: the profound vulnerability and the insatiable hunger for affirmation that lurk beneath Mr. Trump's better-known qualities of bombast and bravado.”  Ramos went on Megyn Kelly’s show last night to talk about his confrontation with Trump. She pressed him on why the billionaire would engage with him when he’s been so publicly critical. (@FoxNews) — From George Will, another blistering column in today’s Post, titled “The havoc that Trump wreaks,” warns conservatives that the White House is in serious danger: “Every sulfurous belch from the molten interior of the volcanic Trump phenomenon injures the chances of a Republican presidency. After Trump finishes plastering a snarling face on conservatism, any Republican nominee will face a dauntingly steep climb to reach even the paltry numbers that doomed Mitt Romney.” — Wall Street Journal, “An Unfinished Riff: The New Orleans Economy Ten Years After Katrina,” by Leslie Eaton and Cameron McWhirter: “In the years since the storm forced out about half the metropolitan area's residents, the population has rebounded to 1.25 million people, 90% of its pre-Katrina level…But as the $135 billion rebuilding winds down, federal employment data reveal a local economy increasingly skewed to low-wage jobs, especially restaurant work, one of the few sectors now employing more people than before Katrina. Those jobs drag down average incomes, analysts say, widening the economic divide between whites, who are generally richer than before, and blacks, who aren't.” — Baltimore Sun, “Adnan Syed’s defense attorney says he has new evidence to overturn conviction,” by Justin Fenton: “The attorney for “Serial” podcast subject Adnan Syed says key cellphone evidence used against his client was unreliable — by the phone company’s own warning — and should have been excluded from his murder trial” His attorney argued that “cellular carrier AT&T included a warning about the accuracy of cell tower data on a fax cover sheet to Baltimore police.” Cellphone data was used to place Syed at Leakin Park, where police think the body of his ex-girlfriend is buried.” HOT ON THE LEFT Federal court upholds ruling ordering clerk to issue marriage licenses to gay couples. From the Associated Press: "A federal appeals court has upheld a ruling ordering a Kentucky county clerk to issue marriage licenses to gay couples. Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis objects to issuing same-sex marriage licenses for religious reasons. She stopped issuing marriage licenses the day after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned state bans on same-sex marriage … An attorney for Davis said he was disappointed in the ruling and that Davis could appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court." | | | HOT ON THE RIGHT Conservative sting video goes inside Clinton campaign training. From Time: "The conservative group Project Veritas released a video Wednesday morning showing a glimpse of its long-anticipated undercover video sting inside the Clinton campaign … Nothing in the video shows the Clinton campaign violating the law, or the campaign's own policy. But Veritas claims, nonetheless, that the campaign is 'skirting the law' by first asking whether potential voters are supporters before making the [voter] registration offer.” | | | DAYBOOK: –What’s happening today on the campaign trail: Hillary Clinton will attend an organizing meeting in Cleveland. Rand Paul will speak in Idaho Falls, Idaho. Donald Trump will speak in Greenville, S.C. Rick Perry will do a town hall in Columbia, S.C. Mike Huckabee attends events in Spencer, Sheldon, Sibley and Okoboji, Iowa. Scott Walker will campaign in Greenfield and Guthrie Center, Iowa. Carly Fiorina will attend events in Le Mars, Sioux Center, Okoboji, Iowa. Martin O’Malley will attend one event in Manchester, N.H. Marco Rubio will campaign in Fort Mill and Columbia, S.C. George Pataki is in Derry, Salem and Concord, N.H.
–On the Hill: Both chambers are in recess. –At the White House: President Obama will travel to New Orleans, where he will deliver remarks on the state of the region and the legacy of Hurricane Katrina. Obama will meet with youths affected by the storm and participate in a roundtable discussion with local officials.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “This guy is now the front-runner. He should be held to account just like me." – Jeb Bush on Donald Trump in Florida | NEWS YOU CAN USE IF YOU LIVE IN D.C.: — “Our pampered weather existence continues today,” says the Capital Weather Gang. “Summer comes slithering back in and is in full form by the weekend, so don't pack away the swim suit and grill yet. While Tropical Storm Erika still remains far away, for now, it will begin to get more humid and a lot warmer anyway.” — The Nationals lost to the San Diego Padres, 6-5. VIDEOS OF THE DAY: The National Zoo held a press conference about the newborn panda cub that died yesterday:  (Washington Post) First Lady Michelle Obama shared her collection of military challenge coins:  (The White House) | 
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