“The political branch of the powerful Koch network is facing scrutiny as operatives chafe against a decision to endorse Nikki Haley for president that many see as out of step with their values,” NBC News reports.

“The decision by Americans for Prosperity’s super PAC to get behind a candidate with seemingly little chance of prevailing in the GOP primary — and, more critically, one who espouses views contrary to key parts of the Koch network’s well-financed advocacy efforts — has confounded longtime Koch-world operatives alike.”

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R) is suspending his campaign in the Republican presidential primary after failing to gain traction in the crowded field, The Hill reports.

New York Times: “Mr. Trump’s violent and authoritarian rhetoric on the 2024 campaign trail has attracted growing alarm and comparisons to historical fascist dictators and contemporary populist strongmen. In recent weeks, he has dehumanized his adversaries as ‘vermin’ who must be ‘rooted out,’ declared that immigrants are ‘poisoning the blood of our country,’ encouraged the shooting of shoplifters and suggested that the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mark Milley, deserved to be executed for treason.”

“As he runs for president again facing four criminal prosecutions, Mr. Trump may seem more angry, desperate and dangerous to American-style democracy than in his first term. But the throughline that emerges is far more long-running: He has glorified political violence and spoken admiringly of autocrats for decades.”

The Atlantic: If Trump wins.