“It’s the worst political environment that I’ve lived through in 30 years of being a political consultant.”
— Democratic pollster John Azalone, in a conversation with Politico.
Ohio Republicans Try to Stop J.D. Vance Endorsement
“Republican rivals to J.D. Vance have embarked on a last-ditch effort to stave off an endorsement from Donald Trump in Ohio’s Senate primary, a response prompted by swirling speculation that the former president is close to backing Vance in the contentious race,” Politico reports.
“Trump has so far stayed out of the primary, even as early voting has already begun ahead of the May 3 election. But his endorsement could dramatically shift the margins in the crowded field of candidates, where no one in the five-way race has taken a commanding lead.”
Report Says Biden’s Top Climate Adviser Is Leaving
“Gina McCarthy, the White House national climate adviser, is preparing to leave her post coordinating the Biden administration’s domestic climate agenda,“ the Washington Post reports.
An update from McCarthy on Twitter: “Reports that I have resigned from my position as President Biden’s National Climate Advisor are simply inaccurate. We’ve made great progress these past 14 months, but we have much more work to do — and I remain excited about the opportunities ahead.”
Biden Deepens Involvement in Ukraine
Washington Post: “The Biden administration, meanwhile, has vastly expanded the types of weapons it will provide to the Ukrainian military, with the next phase of the conflict expected to include large clashes in the open fields of the Donbas region. An additional $800 million in security assistance will for the first time include anti-personnel mines, long-range artillery, armored vehicles and radar defense equipment.”
“And the top U.S. commander in Europe and his staff are developing training for Ukrainian forces that will take place on the continent and teach the soldiers about weapons new to the country’s arsenal.”
Also from the Washington Post: Russia warns the U.S. to stop arming Ukraine.
Democrats Revolt Over Biden’s Border Move
“President Biden is facing a growing mutiny from Democratic candidates — including five vulnerable senators — who are questioning his administration’s decision to lift a pandemic health order that has drastically curtailed migrants’ ability to seek asylum at the southern border,” the Washington Post reports.
“The internal dissension is an early acknowledgment from many Democrats that worries about border security and immigration could become a major obstacle for them in this year’s midterm elections. Polls show the topic to be a leading concern for voters, and one on which Biden has received low marks. Now, candidates are openly warning that the Biden administration’s decision to stop using the public health order, known as Title 42, could lead to chaotic conditions at the border and refocus public attention on an issue that has challenged president after president.”
Biden to Nominate Michael Barr as Top Fed Bank Regulator
“President Biden will nominate Michael Barr, a former Treasury Department official, to serve as the Federal Reserve’s top banking regulator, the White House said, after Mr. Biden’s first pick for the job withdrew amid opposition from Republicans and a key Democratic senator,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“If confirmed, Mr. Barr would serve as the Fed’s vice chairman for supervision, charged with overseeing the largest U.S. financial firms.”
Most Republicans Think Capitol Riot Was Patriotic
A New Republic poll found Republicans are split between whether the January 6 attack was an “insurrection” or an “act of patriotism,” with 43% saying the former and 57% saying the latter.
By contrast, 88% of Democrats characterize it as an “insurrection.”
Judge Denies Abrams Bid to Seek Unlimited Contributions
“Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams cannot immediately begin raising and spending unlimited campaign contributions under a state law passed last year because she is not yet her party’s nominee,” the AP reports.
CIA Director Says Putin Might Turn to Nuclear Weapons
CIA Director William Burns “said on Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ‘potential desperation’ to extract the semblance of a victory in Ukraine could tempt him to order the use of a tactical or low-yield nuclear weapon, publicly discussing for the first time a concern that has coursed through the White House during seven weeks of conflict,” the New York Times reports.
“But he quickly cautioned that so far, despite Mr. Putin’s frequent invocation of nuclear threats, he had seen no ‘practical evidence’ of the kinds of military deployments or movement of weapons that would suggest such a move was imminent.”
Russians Offered Congressman Free Trip
“Federal prosecutors in New York on Thursday unsealed an indictment charging a member of Russia’s legislature and two of his staffers with orchestrating a propaganda and disinformation campaign targeting US lawmakers,” CNN reports.
“As part of the alleged scheme, in 2017, prosecutors said the men allegedly violated US sanctions laws by seeking to recruit at least one US businessman and at least one congressman with an all-expenses paid trip to attend a conference in Yalta, an area in Russian-controlled Crimea, for the benefit of Sergey Aksyonov, a Russian placed on the US sanctions list following Russia’s annexation of Crimea.”
“The congressman, who was not identified, did not accept the invitation, the indictment said.”
Rioter Who Followed ‘Presidential Orders’ Found Guilty
“A January 6 rioter who claimed he was following ‘presidential orders’ when he stormed the US Capitol and stole liquor and a coat rack was convicted Thursday on all charges by a jury in Washington, DC,” CNN reports.
Russian Warship Ukraine Claimed to Have Hit Has Sunk
“The Russian Defense Ministry says its naval flagship Moskva has sunk in the Black Sea while being towed in a storm. Ukraine had claimed it hit the cruiser with a missile strike,” the New York Times reports.
“Moscow denied the ship had been hit by missiles, but acknowledged it was on fire.”
The Case for Mandatory Voting Gets Stronger
Jonathan Bernstein: “Let’s get the obvious objections out of the way. I thoroughly agree… that mandatory voting is constitutional.”
“And, no, universal voting isn’t just a partisan plot to benefit Democrats. Or Republicans. Or anyone else. Political scientists have repeatedly found minimal differences between voters and non-voters. Moreover, one of the few really positive developments over the last 20 years or so is that after a brief period in which virtually all the groups most likely to vote tended towards Republican and all those least likely to vote tended toward Democrat, things have returned to normal.”
“The best argument for universal voting has always been that it encourages participation in democracy, thereby generating additional buy-in among the broadest possible group of citizens to the whole idea of a democratic polity.”
Does Trump’s Endorsement Matter In Georgia?
A new University of Georgia poll found that Donald Trump’s endorsement didn’t significantly influence the race for governor or U.S. Senate.
“Let’s start with the premier contests. Gov. Brian Kemp led former U.S. Sen. David Perdue, his Trump-backed challenger, 48% to 37%, among the group of voters not informed of the former president’s pick. Perdue’s numbers only ticked up slightly – to 39% – with the group that knew about Trump’s backing.”
“Former football standout Herschel Walker tallied 64% of the vote among voters not told which candidate Trump endorsed compared with 76% in the group that was informed.”
However, Trump’s backing did bring a dramatic boost to down-ticket candidates.
Twitter Weighs Poison Pill to Block Elon Musk
“Twitter is weighing a poison pill that would prevent Elon Musk from increasing his stake in the company significantly,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
Bloomberg: “Musk said he has a Plan B if Twitter rejects his offer, without offering more details.”
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Democrats Retreat on Crime and Police Reform
Politico: “The signs of the Democratic Party’s evolution on crime are everywhere — and go beyond defeats suffered by the ‘defund the police’ movement in Minneapolis and elsewhere last year. As the midterm elections pick up, Democrats are calling for more police funding and attempting to co-opt traditionally Republican talking points on crime…”
“The adoption of firmer postures on law and order come after a spike in murders nationally in recent years, including in some of the nation’s largest, most heavily Democratic cities. The change of tone also comes in anticipation of attacks from Republicans about “defund the police” in this year’s midterm elections.”
Trump to Endorse J.D. Vance In Ohio Senate Race
Sources tell NBC News that former President Trump is planning to endorse J.D. Vance (R) in Ohio’s crowded Republican U.S. Senate primary.
