Trump's 'Death Star' plays defense

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VIEW IN BROWSER | SUBSCRIBE TUE, JUN 30, 2020 CNBC POLITICS EDITOR'S NOTE Hello,   President Donald Trump's campaign is playing defense.   His Democratic rival, Joe Biden, has been surging in polls at the national and state level. The Trump team's internal data isn't much better, either, sources tell CNBC's Brian Schwartz. The campaign is responding by spending tens of millions of dollars on air time this fall in states Trump won in 2016, such as Arizona, Pennsylvania and North Carolina.   Trump will have to pull out all the stops to rebound from his recent polling stumbles. He will need to rely on the massive pile of cash he and the GOP have raised for his reelection effort – which Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale has called the "Death Star."   There is a lot of time between now and Election Day, but that can work against the president as much as it could help him. Biden is on a fundraising hot streak himself, and Trump is increasingly mired in crises, from the coronavirus to the Russian bounty controversy. Right now, it looks like the best move for the president is the safest move: invest in the states that will decide the election.   Here are other stories the CNBC Politics team has been covering: The CEOs of America's biggest companies are warning that business conditions might not improve from the coronavirus' economic impact until the end of 2021 at the earliest. As the coronavirus begins to flare up again in several big states, including Florida and Texas, the top Democrats in Congress are pushing to start bipartisan talks over a new economic relief bill. The mother of a Marine killed in an attack in Afghanistan last year wants to know whether the bombing was the result of alleged Russian bounties on U.S. troops. The matter has engulfed the White House, as the president has denied he was ever briefed that Russian intelligence agents were offering payments to Afghan militants to kill Americans. You can find more coverage linked below. Thoughts? Email Mike Calia at CNBCPolitics@nbcuni.com.     Have friends or colleagues who might like this newsletter? They can sign up here.  Mike Calia @Michael_Calia KEY STORIES  Trump spends millions on battleground TV ads as his campaign sees warning signs in key states The move comes as some in the Trump campaign see warning signs in some key states, including Michigan, Georgia and North Carolina, according to people familiar with the matter. Trump was briefed on Russian bounties earlier than thought, reports say Trump and the White House have denied that the president had been briefed on the matter. The White House had also said that the intelligence underpinning the claim was unverified. Biden tells donors: I'm going to get rid of most of Trump's tax cuts 'and a lot of you may not like that' Biden's warning to his backers came as the candidate laid out an ambitious suite of policy goals during a virtual campaign fundraiser on Monday. Supreme Court leaves consumer regulator standing but backs president's ability to fire director The Supreme Court allowed the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to continue operating, but said its director could be removed by the president "at will." Amazon's video site Twitch suspends Trump's channel, citing 'hateful conduct' Amazon's video site Twitch, primarily used to stream video games, temporarily banned President Donald Trump from its platform Monday, citing "hateful conduct." Supreme Court strikes down Louisiana law that would have limited state to one abortion clinic The Supreme Court on Monday voted 5-4 to strike down a restrictive Louisiana abortion measure in a major win for reproductive rights activists, with Chief Justice John Roberts siding with the court's four liberals. Top CEOs see business impact from coronavirus lingering until at least the end of 2021 The Business Roundtable, a trade group representing the CEOs of the country's biggest companies, released its second-quarter report on Monday. Pelosi and Schumer urge McConnell to start bipartisan talks on more coronavirus relief as cases surge House Democrats passed $3 trillion coronavirus relief legislation last month, but the Senate has delayed action until at least July. Mom of Marine killed in Afghanistan wants investigation of claim Russians paid Taliban to kill U.S. soldiers President Donald Trump has denied a report he was briefed on intelligence that a Russian military intelligence unit paid bounties for the killings of U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan. New Jersey delays resuming indoor dining at restaurants as coronavirus cases grow in other states New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said Monday that under the revised plan, indoor dining will be allowed to resume at a later date that has yet to be determined.       Unsubscribe Manage Newsletters Terms of Service Join the CNBC Panel Digital Products Feedback Privacy Policy   © 2020 CNBC LLC. All rights reserved. A property of NBCUniversal. 900 Sylvan Avenue, Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632 Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes. Global Business and Financial News, Stock Quotes and Market Data and Analysis. Data also provided by THOMSON REUTERS