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(Jenny Starrs/The Washington Post)

Democrats may have a new opening to set boundaries on President Trumps authority over the investigations into his 2016 presidential campaign.

For the past week, Trump and his allies have been hammering away at Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) over the GOPs failed attempt to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. Trump has mocked McConnell and his lieutenants on social media for abandoning the health-care effort. Coupled with Trumps recent attacks on Attorney General Jeff Sessions, the rift between the president and Senate Republicans is growing.

Now the question is whether Democrats can seize on these moments and extract actual results in putting up barriers between Trump, the Justice Department and special counsel Robert S. Mueller IIIs investigation.

So far, Democrats have devoted most of their time to forging a new policy agenda to show voters next year what they would do if given power. They want voters to know the party would do more than just investigate Trump and focus on scandals.

Senate Republicans have tolerated Trumps controversies. His treatment of Sessions is different.

That focus has left a void in their messaging regarding the Russia investigation. It sometimes leads to a cacophony of voices and ideas shouted into the winds of the Internet every time theres a new revelation about Trumps campaign and ties to Russia.

Some Democrats want to forge a broad bipartisan coalition to put the brakes on Trump, even if it means setting aside policy disputes for the time being.

Were going to need a temporary alliance of progressives and conservatives to save the country, and then we can get back to fighting over the size and scope of the government, Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) said in an interview before Congress left earlier this month for the August recess. This is a national emergency, and were going to have to lay down our arms on some of these public-policy issues long enough to reassert that there are, in fact, three separate, coequal branches of government and we are a country of laws and not men.

But others suggest that investigations by Mueller and the House and Senate intelligence committees are well underway and that Democrats need patience.

Were seriously into it, and I have to say that the Republicans, theyre not obstructing anymore. They are all moving forward and they all understand how serious this is, said Sen. Angus King (Maine), an independent who caucuses with the Democrats and serves on the intelligence panel.

This Democratic dilemma was captured the night that Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) posted an excerpt from his new book, Conscience of a Conservative, criticizing congressional Republican leaders for not forcefully confronting Trump during the 2016 campaign.

Three top Democratic strategists reacted completely differently to the Arizona Republicans criticism of his own party. Brave and well argued. I hope both sides have his back, Robby Mook, the 2016 campaign manager for Hillary Clinton, tweeted.

Im much more concerned with his actual voting record. Writing a column is a lot easier than voting against TrumpCare, Guy Cecil, head of the pro-Clinton super PAC Priorities USA, tweeted.

Brian Fallon, a top press aide in the Clinton campaign, called the Flake book the equivalent of just a bunch of tweets [u]ntil it is matched by any real action.

For now, there has been little to no effort by Democrats to define any real action. Do they expect Republicans to vote against Trumps policy positions because of the shadow of the Russia investigation? Do they want to push for impeachment proceedings? Do they want Republicans to join Flake in a chorus of Trump criticism?

Senators unveil two proposals to protect Muellers Russia probe

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) wants Republicans to start backing up their critiques of Trump with legislative action.

After Trump tried to implement an entry ban affecting several majority-Muslim nations, Murphy introduced legislation to block the executive order and hoped for bipartisan support, given how many Republicans criticized Trumps call for such a ban during the presidential campaign.

I heard a lot of Republicans vigorously complain about the Muslim ban, but none of them were willing to move legislation to stop it, Murphy said.

He applauded Republicans for joining Democrats in approving new sanctions against Russia, overwhelmingly passing legislation that also tied Trumps hands if he tried to waive those penalties.

A good first step for Democrats might be pressuring more Republicans to support proposed legislation that would restrict a presidents ability to fire a special counsel, considering two high-profile Republicans are already supporting such an effort.

Sens. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) have each joined Democrats to offer bills that would require a panel of judges to sign off on the firing of Mueller or any special counsel. This would limit the presidents and the attorney generals ability to shut down the investigation.

Given Senate Republicans current feelings toward Trump, Democrats might be able to get many Republicans to sign on to one or both bills, sending a warning shot at the president.

Schatz said those are the sort of actions that he is looking for in Republicans, hoping that more of them would publicly declare that one of the bright lines that Trump cannot cross would be firing Sessions or Mueller.

Schatz, firmly in his caucuss liberal wing, dismissed his allies who are critical of Republicans for continuing to vote in a conservative direction. He does not expect Republicans to start opposing conservative legislation or nominees such as Supreme Court Justice Neil M. Gorsuch just because Trump is president.

Thats a misunderstanding of who Jeff Flake is; hes a conservative, Schatz said. We cant expect them to become Democrats, but we want them to be small-R republicans, and we need them to help the president understand what the boundaries are in a republic.

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Rift in GOP gives Democrats an opening to put up barriers between Trump and Russia probe - Washington Post

As I was running out of space in my column last Sunday, I suggested without elaboration that the Democrats need an honest, hopeful approach to future campaigns. Some readers quite reasonably found that glib. But Im the wrong person to sketch a platform for Democrats, because, as an independent, Im not one. (Admittedly, that hasnt stopped Bernie Sanders.)

Will Marshall is a Democrat, well known to insiders for his long, sometimes lonely, battle to save his party from its suicidal left wing. In the 1980s, he joined Al From, Bruce Reed and others in an effort to drag the party toward the center after three epic defeats: Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush won the electoral college by a combined 1,440 to 174.

Their New Democrat movement found its face in Bill Clinton, whose upbeat centrism made him the first member of his party to win multiple terms since Franklin D. Roosevelt. Barack Obama went to school on Clintons rhetoric of optimistic pragmatism.

But memory can be short. The familiar pull from the left, personified by Sanders and his socialist surge, has steered Democrats back into the ditch. Since 2009, when Obama took office amid trumpet blasts of progressive glory, the party has lost the White House, Congress and more than 900seats in state legislatures.

On Wednesday, Marshall launched his latest rescue project, called New Democracy and aimed at making the party competitive again in the vast countryside between the coasts. Founding members include Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper and former senator Mary Landrieu (La.), along with mayors of such cities as Tucson, Denver, Houston and Pittsburgh.

Recognizing the deep dysfunction in Washington, Marshall aims to build from the grass roots on a foundation of practical problem-solving rather than cultural division. And he seeks to plant his party on choice political turf abandoned by extremes in both parties: the high ground of optimism.

Its shocking, really, how darkly pessimistic our politics have become. From the presidents American carnage inaugural address to the apocalyptic fevers of the alt-right, the Republican Party is captive to the sort of rhetoric that drives people to fill bunkers with freeze-dried goulash and homemade bullets. The Democrats, meanwhile, are in thrall to a fashionable gloom in which Americas past is only a litany of sins, its present a horror of injustices and its future an uninhabitable hothouse.

The deep pessimism that hangs like a pall over America is an anomaly, Marshall reminded me when we spoke about his endeavor. Its not the norm.

Theres no denying that the United States faces challenges, many of them as new and perplexing as the technology that drives them. How do we create broad prosperity in an economy that demands, and enables, relentless efficiency and cost-cutting? How do we meet the needs of longer lifespans in a time of shrinking birthrates? How do we create community and shared values when communication is radically personalized and targeted? These questions, and others like them, are vast and urgent but are best answered incrementally and experimentally.

But the United States has always faced problems, and the good news is we still have a knack for meeting them. Ill give you an example. On the left were told that only fundamental changes to our lifestyles and economy can prevent an environmental disaster. From the right we hear that cutting greenhouse gas emissions will impose ruinous costs. Neither is necessarily true.

A huge share of greenhouse gas emissions some 40 percent in the United States come from buildings: our homes, offices, factories and so on. As recently as 2005, government scientists projected that emissions from this sector would rise more than 50 percent by 2016. Instead, building-sector emissions were 16 percent lower last year than in 2005, even though new construction had added more than 30billion square feet. These amazing efficiency gains are saving U.S. homeowners and businesses hundreds of billions in lower energy bills.

According to the Climate Trust, Americas state and local governments, along with its world-beating private sector, can meet the goals of the Paris climate accord regardless of what happens in Washington. Indeed, they may well find their progress accelerating. These are the forces, after all, that have brought us energy independence, a widespread drop in crime rates and sharply falling water consumption, to pick just three thorny problems for which Americans are finding solutions.

Marshall is correct when he says, There is a huge vacuum for Democrats to reclaim a language of hope and progress. And Republicans might want to move in the same direction. The Americans I meet are tired of whining and blame games and itching to tackle the future.

Read more from David Von Drehles archive.

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I can't sketch a platform for Democrats. This man can. - The ... - Washington Post

President Donald Trump blamed many sides for violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, in the wake of a white nationalist demonstration.

His comments drew swift reactions. Democrats and some Republicans called on him to specifically denounce white supremacy and racially motivated hate by name. Vice President Mike Pence supported the presidents speech. A white supremacist website praised the comments.

What Trump said:

We condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides, on many sides, Trump said. Its been going on for a long time in our country. Not Donald Trump. Not Barack Obama. Its been going on for a long, long time.

What others are saying:

Im not going to make any bones about it. I place the blame for a lot of what youre seeing in American today right at the doorstep of the White House and the people around the president. Charlottesville Mayor Michael Signer, a Democrat.

Mr. President, we must call evil by its name. These were white supremacists and this was domestic terrorism. Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., via Twitter.

Very important for the nation to hear @potus describe events in #Charlottesville for what they are, a terror attack by #whitesupremacists Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., via Twitter.

@POTUS needs to speak out against the poisonous resurgence of white supremacy. There are not many sides here, just right and wrong. Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., via Twitter.

As @POTUS Trump said, We have to come together as Americans with love for our nation... & true affection for each other. #Charlottesville Vice President Mike Pence via Twitter.

Even as we protect free speech and assembly, we must condemn hatred, violence and white supremacy. Former President Bill Clinton via Twitter.

There is only one side. #charlottesville Former Vice President Joe Biden via Twitter.

The violence, chaos, and apparent loss of life in Charlottesville is not the fault of many sides. It is racists and white supremacists.'' Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring, a Democrat.

We reject the racism and violence of white nationalists like the ones acting out in Charlottesville. Everyone in leadership must speak out. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican and Trump supporter.

We should call evil by its name. My brother didnt give his life fighting Hitler for Nazi ideas to go unchallenged here at home. - OGH Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, via Twitter.

We must ALL condemn domestic terror & stand together against racism, hate and evils that if left unchecked will tear us apart #Charlottesville Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., via Twitter.

White supremacists, Neo-Nazis and anti-Semites are the antithesis of our American values. There are no other sides to hatred and bigotry. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., via Twitter.

The President's talk of violence on many sides ignores the shameful reality of white supremacism in our country today, and continues a disturbing pattern of complacency around such acts of hate. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

Trump comments were good. He didnt attack us. He just said the nation should come together. Nothing specific against us. ... No condemnation at all. When asked to condemn, he just walked out of the room. Really, really good. God bless him. Daily Stormer, a white supremacist website promoting the Charlottesville demonstration on its Summer of Hate edition.

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Republicans, Democrats Urge Trump to Denounce White Supremacy - Voice of America

Democrats in Congress think they've found a way to shed some light on how much moneyPresident Trump stands to make through his business empire by simply being president.

With Congress out oftown in August, Democrats on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee launched an investigation Tuesday into what the federal government is spending on Trump properties.

They sent letters to the heads of 23 major federal agencies requesting that the agencies calculate how much they are spending on products or services by Trump-owned-or-affiliated business: Did your agency travel and stay in a Trump hotel? How much did you spend? Did your agency provide grants to a Trump-related hotel? How much does the Secret Service spend staying at and securing the many Trump properties he and his family stay at all over the world?

If Democrats can get this information and it's a big if it could be the first time someone is able to pin down how much money related to Trump's day job is going to his businesses.The federal government is the largest employer in the country. It employs nearly 3 million people, a number of whom travel often.

Taxpayers need to know what our taxpaying dollars are being used for when it involves a question of prioritizing the United States of America or prioritizing the enrichment of the president's companies, said Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.), who helped write the letters.

But there are major hurdles to getting that information.

As of right now, their request is just that a request. Republicans would have to sign onto this effort toturn that request into a requirement via a subpoena. Watson Coleman says that behind closed doors, Republicans express concern about Trump's finances mingling with the presidency, but they're not willing to go public with it.

The Trump International Hotel inside the federally owned Old Post Office building in downtown D.C. has been mired in controversy even before opening its doors. (Claritza Jimenez,Osman Malik,Jonathan O'Connell/The Washington Post)

A spokeswoman for the Republican chairman of the committee, Rep. Trey Gowdy (S.C.), declined to comment. The White House did not return a request for comment.

The White House has said it doesn't have to comply with congressional requests to anyonewho doesn't chair a committee. They backed down from that after Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) issued a tsk-tsk to the Trump administration, but it's still an open question if agencies will devote time and resources to tracking this information.

Committee Democrats said that if they don't receive information by the end of August, they will consider using a little-known committee rule that allows at least sevenmembers to force agencies to submitto their request. At least 18 signed onto the letter.

Since day one of Trump's presidency, Democrats and watchdog groups have been trying to pin down how Trump stands to benefit financially from being president. They don't have a lot to work with, because Trump hasn't given them much to work with.

He retains an ownership stake in the Trump Organization, which has properties and provides goods and services around the world. Hehas passed running the business onto his sons and said there won't be any new deals while he's president. But he could talk to them anytime about how business is going.

D.C. and Maryland plan to sue President Trump for violating a little-known constitutional provision called "the Emoluments Clause." (Jenny Starrs/The Washington Post)

He won't release his tax returns unlike every other president has for the past four decades so we don't know how much he makes annuallyor whether he has any financial ties to foreign governments.There arebills in Congress that would force him to share his returns, but Trump would have to signto make themlaw.

So Democrats and watchdog groups are going around Trump and using what's publicly available: what businesses are his (most of them have his name slapped across them; wine, hotels, golf resorts) and how much money the federal government spends (which the government has to keep track of).

Lawmakers have already identified afew potential conflicts. The Washington Post reported the State Department spent $15,000 at a Trump hotel in Vancouver to protect members of Trump's family as they headlined its grand opening.

When Eric Trump went to Uruguay to promote a Trump hotel and condominium tower, the Secret Service spent $9,510 for hotel rooms and the tripcost $97,830 fortaxpayers.

The Post has also reported that the Defense Departmentwas looking into renting space at Trump Tower.

Then there's the president. President Trump also makes frequent trips to properties he owns, and these trips may result in U.S. taxpayers' money flowing into president Trump's pockets, the letter says.

We haven't even mentioned foreign dignitaries who come to visit and stay in a Trump hotel. On that front, Democratic attorneys general in D.C. and Maryland have sued Trump directly, alleging that heis violating the Constitution by accepting gifts in the form of foreign nations staying at his D.C. Trump hotel.

Or the intangible business benefits that come from being a Trump, like deals going through.

All this worriesgood-government types, whosay it's anathema to democracy to have a president that, at the very least, gives the appearance he is makingdecisions that enrich him personally.

This does suggest that Trump is using his position as president for his personal financial benefit, said Melanie Sloan, a board member ofwatchdog group American Oversight, which has requested the same information as Oversight Democrats and plans to sue the government to get it. It's not just the Secret Service. He'll demand some secretary come there and be there two days. And he's charging for that.

If Congress can figure out how much the federal government spends at Trump properties, it would put the first dollar amount onhow Trump's presidency may be enriching his own pockets.

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Democrats think they've found a way to pin down how much money Trump could be making off his presidency - Washington Post

The Capitol Dome is seen at dawn in Washington, Thursday, March 30, 2017.

AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

The political map doesn't look very good for Democrats ahead of the 2018 midterm elections, according to a new analysis published by FiveThirtyEight.

The analysis, written by Cook Political Report's David Wasserman, says that if Democrats were to win every single House and Senate race next year in places that Hillary Clinton won or that President Trump by less than 3 percentage points last November, they could still lose the House and lose five Senate seats.

Democrats, for example, hold six seats in the Senate out of the 26 Republican-leaning states and six are at risk next year, the report notes. Democrats will have to defend 25 of the 48 seats they currently occupy in the upper chamber while Republicans only have to defend eight of their 52 seats.

The political map, Wasserman wrote, is a product of Democratic clusters in urban areas and Republican gerrymandering.

Their odds don't look strong: the last time the Senate had such a strong Republican bias, it was 1913 when direct Senate elections were ratified, the report said. Democrats, however, did win back control of the House and Senate in 2006 when a GOP bias existed that year.

Hillary Clinton is hoping to get involved in the 2018 midterm election cycle, The Hill reported last month. The 2016 Democratic presidential nominee has been studying House districts she won in last year's election, two sources told The Hill. And she could appear on the campaign trail.

"She's very well aware of how she performed in those districts," said one longtime Clinton confidant said, who pointed out she won Republican Rep. Darrell Issa's district in California by 8 percentage points. "She knows she came close in about a handful of others. She has studied this stuff thoroughly."

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Report: Political map doesn't look good for Democrats in 2018