The Lid: Questions Linger After Clinton Campaign Explanation

Welcome to The Lid, your afternoon dose of the 2016 ethos… “Restrictive in every sense of the word,” “cramped and windowless,” and “locked” were phrases reporters used in Politico Magazine to describe covering the White House. We're looking forward to the start of "Survivor: Brady Briefing Room" this fall.

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’16 AT 30 THOUSAND

The Clinton campaign on Thursday struck back at a New York Times report that the State Department approved a business deal in 2010 that was pushed for by a Canadian mining company run by major donors to the Clinton Foundation. Highlights of their pushback include:

1. Hillary Clinton was not involved in the State Department review
2. The main donor referenced in the article had already sold his stake in the company at the heart of the transaction, Uranium One
3. The State Department was just one of nine agencies involved in reviewing the deal

The rebuttal focused on the reporting of a quid pro quo, but there has been much more to the story. What about the link between Clinton’s speaking fees and the companies that donated to the Clinton Foundation? Or the Times reporting on undisclosed donations they may have been relevant to the deal? A lot of questions remain that continue to distract from the message the Clinton camp is pushing in the early days of the campaign.

POPPING ON NBC POLITICS

Attorney General Loretta Lynch was finally confirmed today, NBC’s Halimah Abdullah reports.

Hillary Clinton is being called on to testify on Benghazi as early as May, Rep. Trey Gowdy said.

“Florida Sen. Marco Rubio has become the voice and face of a Charles and David Koch priority - ending the Export-Import Bank,” NBC’s Leigh Ann Caldwell reports.

Ted Cruz led the charge against Lynch’s nomination, but did not stick around to vote against her, NBC’s Frank Thorp and Kelly O’Donnell report.

First Read lays out all the bad news that came out today related to the Clinton Foundation.

CAMPAIGN QUICK READS

CRUZ: Two prominent gay businessmen held a reception for Ted Cruz on Wednesday, and the Texas senator did not mention his opposition to same-sex marriage and said it would be fine if one of his daughter’s was gay, the New York Times reports.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCBP leaders cut out of Trump ad buy decision

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAmerican passenger drafted goodbye texts to her family as Flydubai plane plummeted

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation pushes embattled New York prosecutor into national spotlight

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCBP leaders cut out of Trump ad buy decision

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAmerican passenger drafted goodbye texts to her family as Flydubai plane plummeted

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation pushes embattled New York prosecutor into national spotlight

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FIORINA: She told Iowans that she’s going to enter the presidential race within the next “couple weeks,” the Des Moines Register reports.

RUBIO: He’s doing some double-talk behind closed doors on immigration, Buzzfeed reports.

CLINTON: NPR looks back at the campaign that started it all back in 2000.

FOR THE RECORD

“I understand that when people are running for President there's a lot of scheduling pressures.”

• Sen. John Cornyn on Ted Cruz missing the final Loretta Lynch confirmation vote Thursday

TOMORROW’S SKED

President Barack Obama speaks at the office of the director of national intelligence.

Scott Walker attends a fundraiser in Sheldon, Iowa

Carly Fiorina continues to campaign in Iowa

Bernie Sanders holds events in South Carolina