Former President George H.W. Bush was admitted to the hospital on Sunday — the day after his wife, Barbara’s, funeral — “after contracting an infection that spread to his blood,” the Washington Post reports.
McSally Alleges Sexual Abuse by High-School Coach
Rep. Martha McSally (R-AZ) “said she was sexually abused by a coach when she was in high school, an experience that she said shaped some of the biggest decisions in her life,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Ms. McSally, a Republican who is running for the Arizona U.S. Senate seat being vacated by GOP Sen. Jeff Flake, has spoken before of being sexually harassed during her 26 years in the Air Force, where she became the first female pilot to fly in combat. But she hasn’t previously discussed publicly her high-school track coach’s alleged sexual abuse.”
Trump Tax Provision Gives $17B Break to Millionaires
A congressional report finds the wealthiest Americans will benefit the most from President Trump’s tax deduction for owners of “pass-through” businesses, NBC News reports.
“The deduction, which ranges up to 20 percent, will shower $40.2 billion in tax breaks on owners of pass-throughs — largely businesses owned by an individual or a partnership, or those ‘S’ corporations that kick income and losses to shareholders for tax purposes — in 2018, the Joint Committee on Taxation estimated. The provision was included in the larger overhaul of tax rates enacted in December.”
Trump Convinced Paul to Support Pompeo Nomination
“President Trump personally intervened to convince a committed Republican naysayer to back Mike Pompeo for secretary of state, possibly securing the backing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for a favored adviser whose committee vote, if not his ultimate confirmation, seemed in grave jeopardy,” the Washington Post reports.
“Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), who pledged to oppose Pompeo the day after he was nominated, tweeted about Trump’s outreach and his newfound support for Pompeo on Monday just moments before the committee vote started, seemingly saving face for the nominee, who was expected to fail the panel vote but secure the support of the full Senate later this week.”
Court Says Colorado Lawmaker Can’t Be On Ballot
“Six-term Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO) should be kept off the Republican primary ballot this year, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled Monday in a decision that — if upheld — could end the longtime conservative lawmaker’s congressional career,” the Denver Post reports.
“The ruling finds in favor of a lawsuit that contended Lamborn didn’t properly petition his way onto the ballot because of problems with those he hired to gather signatures for his re-election bid.”
Trump Ramps Up Personal Cell Phone Use
President Trump “is increasingly relying on his personal cell phone to contact outside advisers… as Trump returns to the free-wheeling mode of operation that characterized the earliest days of his administration,” CNN reports.
”Sources cited Trump’s stepped-up cell phone use as an example of chief of staff John Kelly’s waning influence over who gets access to the President.”
White House Deters Republicans Defending Pruitt
“White House officials are cautioning Republican lawmakers and other conservative allies to temper their defense of Scott Pruitt… in a sign that administration support for the embattled EPA chief may be waning,” Bloomberg reports.
“The warnings come as several top GOP lawmakers have stepped forward to publicly criticize Pruitt in recent days, marking a dramatic turn of fortune for one of the most conservative members of President Donald Trump’s cabinet who has been heralded for dismantling Obama-era regulations.”
Records Contradict Trump’s Moscow Story
“President Trump twice gave James Comey an alibi for why a salacious report about the 2013 Miss Universe pageant in Moscow couldn’t be true: He never even spent the night in Russia during that trip, Trump told the former FBI director, according to Comey’s memos about the conversations,” Bloomberg reports.
“Yet the broad timeline of Trump’s stay, stretching from Friday, Nov. 8, 2013, through the following Sunday morning, has been widely reported. And it’s substantiated by social media posts that show he slept in Moscow the night before the Miss Universe contest.”
“Now, flight records obtained by Bloomberg provide to-the-minute details, from wheels down to departure.”
Extra Bonus Quote of the Day
“I’m not a hero. I’m just a regular person.”
— James Shaw Jr, quoted by the New York Times, a day after he wrested an assault rifle from a man who opened fire at a Waffle House restaurant in Nashville.
[alert type=”general” dismiss=”no”]Of course, that’s exactly what a hero would say.[/alert]
Trump Re-Elect Figures Similar to Clinton, Obama
“U.S. registered voters solidly believe that President Trump does not deserve to be re-elected, by 59% to 37%,” according to a Gallup survey.
“The percentage of voters who say Trump deserves re-election is essentially identical to that of Bill Clinton and Barack Obama at the time of the 1994 and 2010 midterm elections, respectively. More voters said George W. Bush deserved re-election at the time of the midterm elections in his first term, in 2002.”
The President Is Missing
Coming in June: The President Is Missing by Bill Clinton and James Patterson.
“Set over the course of three days, The President Is Missing sheds a stunning light upon the inner workings and vulnerabilities of our nation. Filled with information that only a former Commander-in-Chief could know, this is the most authentic, terrifying novel to come along in many years. And a timely, historic story that will be read — and talked about — for years to come.”
Worst Endorsement Ever?
Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) refused CNN interview to even say Rep. Marsha Blackburn’s (R-TN) name — referring to her only as the “nominee” — as he claimed he backed her for his U.S. Senate seat.
Bonus Quote of the Day
“I’m not in this race because I have some political career I’m trying to foster.”
— Mitt Romney, quoted by the Washington Examiner, as he embarks on his 5th political race since 1994.
Trump’s Approval Rate Remains Very Steady
Nate Silver: “Trump’s approval rating has been between 40.0% and 41.1% for 55 consecutive days in our tracking. It really doesn’t move very much at all. And it’s not like there hasn’t been news during this period.”
RNC Spent $225K at Mar-a-Lago Just Last Month
The RNC spent more than $224,000 at President Trump’s private Mar-a-Lago club in March, the Daily Beast reports.
“The expenditures, which were for rental and catering fees, were to cover the costs of an RNC fundraiser there early in the month. It was, far and away, the largest amount that the committee has spent at that specific Trump property (in January, the RNC spent $62,700 at Mar-a-Lago) and it is a reflection of how the president’s private business holdings continue to be intertwined with his political activities.”
Special Election Will Be Called for Farenthold Seat
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) got the go-ahead from Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) to suspend state law so the governor can call a special election to replace former Rep. Blake Farenthold (R-TX) as soon as possible, the Texas Tribune reports.
Manchin Will Vote to Confirm Pompeo
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) said that “he will support CIA Director Mike Pompeo in his confirmation vote to be the next secretary of state, the second Democrat to back the nominee increasing his chances of being confirmed by the chamber,” CNN reports.
Conservatives Say Comey Set a Trap for Trump
Jonathan Chait: “Former FBI Director James Comey has been telling the world about his harrowing encounters with President Trump, who repeatedly demanded his personal loyalty, implored him to stop investigating Michael Flynn, and then dispatched his personal bodyguard to fire him when he failed to comply. But what if we have the story backwards? What if Trump, an innocent family business operator, naïve to the ways of Washington, had been accosted by a scheming, predatory deep state operator? And what if Comey’s firing was a defensive measure against his nefarious trap? This is the scenario Trump’s defenders now envision, and have laid out in columns by The Federalist’s Mollie Hemingway and the Washington Examiner’s Byron York.”
“Hemingway’s theory is that CNN had the Steele dossier, and could not cover it unless it had a news hook to do so. Comey’s meeting was designed to be the hook. He would tell Trump about the dossier, and then leak the fact that he told Trump to the news media, which ‘provided them the very news hook they sought and needed’ to report on the dossier.”
“York’s analysis is different than Hemmingway’s, but possibly even less plausible. York argues that Trump’s request for loyalty was not an attempt to suborn the FBI into an instrument of his personal control, but instead a defensive and completely reasonable response to what looked like Comey blackmailing him.”