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Donald Trump remains unapologetic, faces the wrath of his own party

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Welcome to Trail Guide, your daily tour along the road to the White House. It's been a busy weekend on the campaign trail. Here's what we're watching today: 

  • Donald Trump appears to have crossed the line with his comments about Sen. John McCain
  • Martin O'Malley and Bernie Sanders  visited with the Netroots nation
  • Ted Cruz and Bobby Jindal were crowd favorites at a confab of Christian conservatives in Iowa
  • Marco Rubio and Scott Walker hit the Sunday shows

 

#BernieSoBlack trends as Twitter users debate Netroots Nation protests

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont speaks at the Netroots Nation political conference in Phoenix on Saturday.

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont speaks at the Netroots Nation political conference in Phoenix on Saturday.

(Ross D. Franklin / Associated Press)

Black Twitter was calling Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders “black” on Sunday, and it's not because of his civil rights pedigree. The Times' Dexter Thomas takes a look at the hubbub surrounding the Vermont senator.

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In California, GOP worries that Trump's trash talk will hurt its image

Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump speaks in Arkansas on Friday. Trump's recent criticisms of immigrants from Mexico don't sit well with California Republicans, who've worked hard to make the party diverse and inclusive.

Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump speaks in Arkansas on Friday. Trump’s recent criticisms of immigrants from Mexico don’t sit well with California Republicans, who’ve worked hard to make the party diverse and inclusive.

(Danny Johnston / Associated Press)
"We've got 15-16 very serious people running for president -- and one clown. Trump is a pig, and he's coming in upsetting every cart he can find, throwing dishes off the table."
Shawn Steel, California's representative to the Republican National Committee

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Question to Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker: Is being gay a choice?

I don't have an opinion on every single issue out there. I mean, to me, that's, I don't know. I don't know the answer to that question.
Walker said in an interview with CNN on Sunday as he traveled through Iowa.

Hillary Clinton's political director brings key lessons from her own (losing) campaign

Amanda Renteria, Hillary Rodham Clinton's political director, learned valuable lessons from her own campaign for Congress last year, which she lost.

Amanda Renteria, Hillary Rodham Clinton’s political director, learned valuable lessons from her own campaign for Congress last year, which she lost.

(Renteria for Congress )

Amanda Renteria ran for Congress in 2014 and was trounced. The Times' Evan Halper looks at how Renteria, now Hillary Rodham Clinton's political director, learned from her midterm defeat, and how she hopes to use her experience to help propel Clinton to victory in 2016.

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Sen. Marco Rubio: Trump's comments insult "all men and women" who have served in military

Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., speaks at the Family Leadership Summit in Ames, Iowa, Saturday, July 18, 2015. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)

Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., speaks at the Family Leadership Summit in Ames, Iowa, Saturday, July 18, 2015. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)

(Kurtis Lee)

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio on Sunday called Donald Trump's comments about Sen. John McCain an insult to "all men and women" who have served in the military.

"He's saying somehow if you're captured in battle you're less worthy of honors than someone who isn't. It's not just absurd, it's offensive," said Rubio while on CNN's “State of the Union.” "It's a disqualifer as commander-in-chief."

While speaking at a Republican gathering in Iowa on Saturday, Trump, who has surged to the top of recent national polls in the race for the GOP presidential nomination, took aim at Arizona's senior senator, saying “he's not a war hero.” McCain, the 2008 Republican presidential nominee, was a prisoner of war for nearly six years in North Vietnam during the late 1960s and early 1970s.

“He's not a war hero. He's a war hero because he was captured. I like people that weren't captured,” Trump said at the Family Leadership Summit in Ames, Iowa.

In recent days, McCain has highlighted Trump's rally in Phoenix last weekend in which he said the real-estate mogul was firing up "crazies" within the Republican party.

Rubio, along with several Republicans vying for party's 2016 presidential nomination, were less forceful in their denunciations of Trump after he made inflammatory comments about Mexican immigrants -- calling them rapists and drug runners -- at his campaign kickoff last month.

When pressed as to why he's now vocally denouncing Trump's remarks, though he seemed more tentative when it came to Mexican immigrants, Rubio said he had spoken out.

"We have to remember this is a man who has spent his life saying outrageous things, so early in his campaign when he said something outrageous, people kind of said just ignore it and move on ,” said Rubio. “Now, as this has gone forward and he's become a more covered candidate and people have paid more attention to him , it's required people to be more forceful on some of these offensive things he's said.”

Our leaders have failed to honor our country's sacred duty to care for our veterans. This has to stop but it will not stop if we continue to depend on politicians who are controlled by the donors, lobbyists and special interests. Politicians are all talk and no action.
Donald Trump in a statement on veterans released Sunday. The real-estate mogul has been assailed for his comments about Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who was POW in Vietnam.

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Trump doubles-down after inflammatory McCain comments

A day after Donald Trump mocked Sen. John McCain's war record as a POW in Vietnam, the real-estate mogul continued to face immense backlash from both Republicans and Democrats.

In a series of tweets Sunday, Trump did not back down from his comments.

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Protesters interrupt O'Malley, Sanders at Netroots convention

Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont found themselves face-to-face with protesters Saturday, led by supporters of the Black Lives Matter movement. The Times' Nigel Duara reports on the controversy.

Sen. Bernie Sanders speaks to the crowd at the Phoenix Convention Center.

Sen. Bernie Sanders speaks to the crowd at the Phoenix Convention Center.

(Charlie Leight / Getty Images)

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