“It’s unfortunate you’re citing that article, George, because it’s a whole lot of fake news.”
— Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI), in an interview on ABC News, on a Daily Beast story detailing her support from “prominent pro-Russian voices.”
IRS Audit Rate Drops Again
“The Internal Revenue Service audited just 0.59% of individual tax returns last year, marking the seventh consecutive annual decline as the tax agency copes with smaller budgets and fewer workers,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Audits of the highest-income households dropped sharply, to their lowest levels since the IRS began reporting that data in 2008. In fiscal 2018, the IRS audited 6.66% of returns of filers with more than $10 million in adjusted gross income, down from 14.52% in 2017. Among households with income between $1 million and $5 million, the audit rate dropped from 3.52% to 2.21%.”
Lightfoot Takes Over as Chicago Mayor
“Lori Lightfoot (D) takes over as Chicago mayor on Monday after a seven-week sprint that saw her try to build an administration she can trust to run the city and promote her agenda while she also set out to mould the City Council by installing allies in key positions to try bringing change to the notoriously reform-averse body,” the Chicago Tribune reports.
“Just days before she was to get sworn in, Lightfoot hadn’t filled several key posts in her administration. That has led to questions about just how different it will look from Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s, at least at the outset.”
Justices Reject Bid to Let Businesses Donate
“The U.S. Supreme Court declined an opportunity to give businesses broader rights to contribute money to political candidates and causes,” Bloomberg reports.
“The justices, without comment Monday, refused to question a Massachusetts law that bars for-profit corporations from making campaign donations.”
Changing the Channel
In a Fox News town hall last night, Pete Buttigieg argued that it is time for America to “change the channel” on the Trump show.
Trump Heads to Pennsylvania as Trade War Heats Up
“President Trump heads to Pennsylvania on Monday evening — another battleground state vital to his chances of winning a second term. But Air Force One will touch down in Montoursville for a campaign rally just when his trade war with China is squeezing many of his core supporters there,” Roll Call reports.
“Trump has complicated his own quest to reassemble the Electoral College map he cobbled together in 2016 by slapping tariffs on Chinese-made products… The Keystone State is a prime example as China’s retaliatory levies are hitting its manufacturers, farmers and consumers particularly hard.”
Justin Amash Gets a Primary Challenge
Michigan state Rep. Jim Lower (R) announced he will mount a primary challenge to Rep. Justin Amash (R-MI) after the congressman tweeted that he believed President Trump had committed impeachable offenses, the Detroit Free Press reports.
A Bigger Primary Field Helps Biden
Josh Kraushaar: “In his landmark book The Paradox of Choice, psychologist Barry Schwartz offered a counterintuitive argument: People claim they want more choices in life, but when they get them, they become paralyzed in their decision-making. ‘We may be worse off with all these choices: We may lack the expertise to choose them wisely, we may lack the time to develop that expertise, and we may already be so overburdened with decisions that adding more will render us unable to make any,’ he wrote.”
“Welcome to the 2020 Democratic presidential primary. The dynamic that Schwartz described plagues the Democratic Party, which is running a record 23 candidates for the right to challenge President Trump. Everyone from small-town mayors to big-state governors wants their chance at winning the presidential lottery.”
Dan Balz says the size of the field also might help Biden during the debates, making it difficult for other candidates to break through: “The size of the field … will limit the value of these early encounters, which will have to be held on consecutive nights to accommodate all of the candidates expected to qualify.”
The Biden Menu
Amy Walter: “After watching the Biden campaign thus far and Philly rally yesterday, my takeaway is that his candidacy is like one of those ‘casual’ nice restaurants that you go to b/c they have a big menu and everyone in your group can find something they’ll eat.”
“No one is unhappy (look, honey they have grilled cheese for the kids and I can get a salad), but no one walks away thinking that was an amazing meal or experience. It’s not risky, but it’s also not totally satisfying either.”
Trump Denounces Report on His Bank Transactions
“President Trump on Monday rejected a New York Times report that raised questions about multiple Deutsche Bank transactions involving entities controlled by him and his son-in-law Jared Kushner,” Reuters reports.
“Trump denied the allegations in early morning tweets, saying he had so much money as a businessman that he did not need banks. He also denied that any of his cash came from Russia.”
Trump Allies Mobilize Against GOP Lawmaker’s Revolt
“Republicans are moving fast to squelch Justin Amash’s rebellion against Donald Trump before his conclusion that the President ‘engaged in impeachable conduct‘ — the first by a GOP lawmaker — can gather momentum,” CNN reports.
“Amash’s act of conscience on Saturday sparked immediate speculation over whether a tiny leak in the Republican dam could grow into a torrent of support running away from the President. After all, it was a rising tide of Republican disgust that eventually became the unstoppable force that led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon in 1974.”
“The early signs are that Amash’s protest will not materially shift political dynamics in Washington that mean any attempt to impeach Trump remains a long-shot scenario. But it introduced an unpredictable dimension into the building political storm over potential House testimony by Robert Mueller as Democrats accuse Attorney General William Barr of slow rolling a decision on a date for the special counsel to appear.”
Trump Drops Plan to Send Migrants to Florida
President Trump “denied reports that hundreds of migrants would be flown from the Mexican border to Florida and other areas in the U.S. interior to lessen the workload at crowded Border Patrol facilities,” USA Today reports.
“Acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan, also on Sunday, acknowledged that federal officials did initially alert local leaders of the possibility that migrants would be flown to two South Florida counties.”
“But Trump appeared to blame the media for ‘false reporting.'”
The Trump Impeachment Slow Burn
Washington Post: “House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said on Thursday during an event at the Georgetown University Law Center that Trump ‘every day gives grounds for impeachment,’ but added she still did not want to impeach the president. Pelosi’s slow burn approach to the biggest issue of her speakership has so far kept her caucus united, but the question is how long that can last.”
Trump Plans Campaign Kick Off Blitz
Mike Allen: “President Trump plans to formally launch his re-election campaign next month, likely with a burst of swing-state rallies, Republican sources tell me.”
“Trump’s personal campaign approach is aimed at sowing further division in the huge Democratic field, and trying to dominate the news so the national discussion hovers on his turf.”
“In conversations, Trump makes it clear that he thinks of the official kickoff as June 16 — four years to the day since he rode down the gold escalator in Trump Tower to announce his improbable 2016 run.”
Trump Warns Iran Not to Threaten U.S.
“President Trump warned Iran early on Monday not to threaten the United States again or it’ll face its ‘official end,’ shortly after a rocket landed near the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad overnight,” the AP reports.
“Trump’s tweet comes after he seemingly sought to soften his tone on Iran following days of heightened tension sparked by a sudden deployment of bombers and an aircraft carrier to the Persian Gulf over still-unspecified threats.
Buttigieg Out of Town Nearly Half Time
South Bend Tribune: “From Austin, Texas, to West Hollywood, Calif., South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s presidential bid has taken him out of town nearly half of the days in recent months, according to his daily calendar, news stories and information online.”
“Of the 120 days from Feb. 1 through May 31, Buttigieg was away or plans to be away from the South Bend area at least 55 days, or 45 percent of the calendar days.”
“Looking at only weekdays, he’s been gone or plans to be out of town for 39 of 86 days — also about 45 percent.”
Trump Scrambles to Reverse Rust Belt Slide
“President Trump’s aides and allies are moving aggressively to shore up his support in three Rust Belt states that propelled him to the presidency — but where his own polling shows him in trouble heading into 2020,” Politico reports.
“Trump will travel to Pennsylvania Monday for a rally that comes after recent visits to Wisconsin and Michigan, two other states at the center of his reelection strategy. Those appearances are just the most public display of his team’s efforts to fortify his standing.”
“Behind the scenes, they’ve rushed to the aid of languishing state Republican Party machines and have raised concerns that a potential GOP Senate candidate in Michigan could hurt the president’s prospects there. They are also scrutinizing the map for opportunities to fire up his base in the trio of states.”
How a Full-Scale Trade War Could Slam Trump
Politico: “If the president moves ahead with 25 percent tariffs on everything China exports to the United States, it could amount to a tax hike of more than $2,000 on the average American family, swamping the reduction they won from Trump’s signature legislative achievement — the 2017 tax law.”
