CNN: “In 2015, 2016 and the early days of Trump’s first term in office, Stefanik criticized Trump over everything from his incendiary comments about Muslims and women to his signature policy positions, such as reforming NATO, building a U.S.-Mexico border wall and having stronger cooperation with Russia.”
Pelosi Now Hedging on Stepping Down After 2022
Washington Post: “House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is declining to say whether she will abide by an agreement she struck with a group of Democratic rebels three years ago to step down by the end of the 2022 cycle.”
Said Pelosi: “Well, let’s take it one step at a time. I myself had thought I was leaving in 2016, when Hillary Clinton would be the president of the United States. But I don’t have any intention of declaring myself a lame duck.”
2022 Overview: State-by-State Redistricting Analysis
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New York Attorney General Sues Over Robocalls
New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) is suing conservative operatives Jacob Wohl and Jack Burkman “over robocalls the pair allegedly made to suppress the Black vote ahead of the 2020 presidential election,” the Daily Beast reports.
“If successful, they will be on the hook for $2.75 million, in addition to the felony charges they face in other states.”
Exchange of the Day
White House press secretary Jen Psaki wouldn’t bite at a “many people are saying” question from Emerald Robinson of Newsmax:
ROBINSON: What do you say to people who say that?
PSAKI: Who’s saying that?
ROBINSON: You’ve heard that a lot in the media.
PSAKI: Who in the media?
ROBINSON: Different people.
Conservatives Make Gains Across the U.K.
“Labour is losing ground to the Conservatives in elections across England, in the first big test of Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership of the party,” the BBC reports.
The Telegraph: “The by-election results – announced in the early hours of Friday – are further evidence of Labour’s estrangement from its traditional heartlands, the ‘Red Wall’ seats that would have been unthinkable candidates for turning blue just a decade ago.”
The Guardian reports Starmer “conceded his party had lost the trust of working people across England” and called the local election results “bitterly disappointing.”
Trump Aides Cast Doubt on McCarthy Becoming Speaker
Insider: “They are pointing out how House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) fell short when he first tried to win the job in 2015 before withdrawing… And they routinely note Trump doesn’t like to associate himself with losers.”
“One former House GOP leadership aide said McCarthy enjoys front-runner status to succeed Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi should Republicans win the majority. But this person added that any flash of weakness from McCarthy between now and 2022 could prompt frenemies to pounce.”
Bobby Valentine Running for Mayor
Former Major League Baseball player and manager Bobby Valentine “is taking a swing at politics, announcing that he’s running for mayor of his Connecticut hometown,” ESPN reports.
Ohio GOP Calls on Anthony Gonzalez to Resign
The Ohio Republican Party passed resolutions censuring Rep. Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH) and calling on him to resign for voting in January to impeach ex-President Donald Trump, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
Polling Suggests Wide Open Race for Virginia GOP Nod
A Public Policy Polling survey finds state Sen. Amanda Chase (R) leads among primary voters (when asked who they would like their delegates to support) with 23% and Glenn Youngkin (R) at 21% and 30% undecided.
A Change Research poll finds that Chase leads among primary voters (when asked who they would like their delegates to support) with 29% and Youngkin with 25%.
A Trafalgar Group poll on behalf of the Youngkin campaign of likely delegates has him leading with 38% and Pete Snyder (R) at 26%.
Missouri Moves to Create ‘Rush Limbaugh Day’
“Missouri state lawmakers voted on Thursday to pass a bill that would create Rush Limbaugh Day in honor of the late conservative radio show host,” The Hill reports.
The Danger of the GOP Embracing the Big Lie
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Nebraska Governor Launches ‘Beef Passport’
Associated Press: “Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts ramped up his crusade for the meat industry on Wednesday by endorsing a new ‘beef passport’ program to promote meat eating, a few weeks after he blasted Colorado’s governor for a resolution encouraging its residents to eat less.”
“The Nebraska Beef Passport, managed by the Nebraska Beef Council, features 40 restaurants throughout the state that offer the meat on their menus. It’s modeled after the state-run Nebraska Passport Program, a popular yearly initiative where visitors travel to different businesses, museums, parks and other attractions to collect stamps which they can send in for prizes.”
Facebook Passes the Buck
Kara Swisher: “In general, I have considered the case of Mr. Trump to be much less complex than people seem to think. And it has been made to appear highly complicated by big tech companies like Facebook because they want to exhaust us all in a noisy and intractable debate.”
“Mr. Trump should be seen as an outlier — a lone, longtime rule breaker who was coddled and protected on social media platforms until he wandered into seditious territory. He’s an unrepentant gamer of Facebook’s badly enforced rules who will never change. He got away with it for years and spread myriad self-serving lies far and wide…”
“In moving the key decision over Mr. Trump out of its own hands (where it belonged), the company has passed along the hottest of potatoes and said good riddance to responsibility. Facebook is pretending that its hands are tied, even though Facebook executives were the ones who tied them.”
Warren Doesn’t Buy the GOP-Big Business Rift
“Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), long one of Congress’s fiercest critics of corporate power and economic inequality, is skeptical of her Republican colleagues’ newfound desire to battle big business,” the HuffPost reports.
Said Warren: “Actions speak louder than words. And for 40 years, the driving principle of the Republican Party in Washington has been to help the rich and powerful get richer and more powerful. And that’s not an abstract proposition. They’ve done it over and over.”
Quote of the Day
“Thanks for making The Tyranny of Big Tech a best seller all week on Amazon!”
— Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), on Twitter, apparently not understanding the irony of who is selling his new book.
FEC Deadlocks on Stormy Daniels Hush Payments
Wall Street Journal: “A split Federal Election Commission said it won’t pursue a complaint that former President Donald Trump violated campaign finance rules when his lawyer tried to buy an adult film actress’s silence before the 2016 presidential election.”
“The commission’s decision, made public Thursday, was the result of a deadlock between Republican and Democratic members during a meeting in February. Four of the six commissioners must agree to proceed with an action.”
Big Majority of Republicans Still Don’t Believe Biden Won
Geoffrey Skelley: “President Biden took office more than three months ago, but Republicans are not any closer to accepting his victory now than they were then.”
“The latest CNN/SSRS survey, released on April 30, found that 70 percent of Republicans believed the false allegation that Biden did not legitimately defeat former President Trump; just 23 percent said Biden legitimately won. Meanwhile, Democrats (97-3 percent) and independents (69-27 percent) said Biden had won fairly. These numbers are very similar to what CNN/SSRS found in mid-January, just before Biden’s inauguration.”
“And this lack of movement is really the story.”