Someone is using Craigslist to help find President Trump a new lawyer.
Is the Trump Bump Real?
Amy Walter: “What’s remarkable about Trump’s approval ratings during the course of his presidency, is how volatile and totally stable they are at the same time.”
“Since early March, Trump’s job approval has ticked up, but it is not any higher than it has been at previous points in his presidency. We will know things are really different this time around if Trump’s approval ratings break through – or at least continue to stay at — his current polling ceiling. However, it seems as if Trump’s floor and his ceiling are well-established with little, it seems, that can fundamentally move them.”
“The more pressing question, especially for Republicans going into 2018, is if Trump’s approval ratings will be on the higher end of the range (say 42-45%) than on the lower end (like 33-38%). While both are empirically pretty terrible numbers for any president, GOP members could have a fighting chance at preserving their House majority if Trump is on the higher end, while the lower end is likely to produce a tsunami-like wipeout.”
Earlier for members: Trump’s Approval Rate in Perspective
Trump Congratulates Roseanne Barr
“President Trump made a personal phone call to a political supporter with a huge megaphone — Roseanne Barr,” the New York Times reports.
“Mr. Trump called Ms. Barr to congratulate her on the revival of her comedy, Roseanne, and to thank her for her support.”
“The revival of the vintage ABC sitcom got off to an enormously strong start on Tuesday night, drawing 18.2 million viewers and a 5.1 rating among adults under 50, according to Nielsen.”
Trump Freezes Out Kelly
“White House Chief of Staff John Kelly has lost some of his clout following recent missteps and wasn’t at President Trump’s side for recent crucial decisions on staffing and policy moves,” Bloomberg reports.
“Kelly wasn’t with the president last week when Trump abruptly decided to oust H.R. McMaster as national security adviser and replace him with John Bolton. Just two people were in the room for that decision: Trump and Bolton.”
“And Kelly is rarely on the line any more when Trump calls foreign leaders. Last week, when Trump spoke with President Vladimir Putin days before the U.S. decided to expel dozens of Russian diplomats, Kelly wasn’t on the call.”
Chasing Hillary
Coming soon: Chasing Hillary: Ten Years, Two Presidential Campaigns, and One Intact Glass Ceiling by Amy Chozick.
Axios reports that Chozick uses pseudonyms to identify top Clinton aides in her memoir.
Chozick explains: “I changed some names and identifying details, and gave lots of people pseudonyms, sometimes to protect the innocent but usually to protect the story — I think having to remember the names of dozens of political operatives who all essentially perform the same purpose is boring.”
‘It Should Not Be This Hard to Serve Your Country’
David Shulkin wrote an op-ed in the New York Times following his ouster as Veterans Affairs secretary, railing against the “toxic” and “chaotic” environment in Washington and describing a “brutal power struggle” at the VA.
Said Shulkin: “As I prepare to leave government, I am struck by a recurring thought: It should not be this hard to serve your country.”
Quote of the Day
“I’m not going to talk about the 2016 election. I’m still in therapy.”
— Jeb Bush, quoted by the Yale Daily News.
Scalise Admits He’d Like to Be Speaker
House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA) admitted to Politico “his desire to lead the conference someday but said now isn’t the time to discuss it.”
Said Scalise: “I wouldn’t rule it out. Obviously, I’ve shown interest in the past at moving up. I’ve enjoyed being in leadership. I feel like I’ve had a strong influence on some of the things that we’ve done, and I’ve helped put together coalitions to pass a full repeal of Obamacare.”
Playbook: “Scalise’s interest in the speakership is now public. So, whether he meant it or not, there is now an alternative to Kevin McCarthy. If you’re a member who wants Scalise as speaker — or doesn’t want Kevin — you now know a vote against McCarthy could get you the Louisiana Republican.”
Why Manafort Isn’t Talking
Harry Litman: “The most enduring mystery to date in special counsel Robert Mueller’s inquiry has been former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort’s obdurate refusal to cooperate with the investigation. Manafort has a reputation as a swashbuckling gambler, but he has been playing odds in the biggest game of his life that are not just long but prohibitive. A new report that the president’s now-former lawyer once discussed pardoning Manafort may finally explain why the latter has kept quiet — even though that bet is still incredibly risky.”
“Manafort’s refusal to cooperate can’t be driven by a rational calculation that he has any reasonable chance of escaping conviction, multimillion-dollar legal fees and a prison sentence that will result in years behind bars.”
Rival Korean Leaders to Meet in Historic Summit
“North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will meet South Korean President Moon Jae-in at a border village on April 27, the South announced Thursday after the nations agreed on a rare summit that could prove significant in global efforts to resolve a decades-long standoff over the North’s nuclear program,” the AP reports.
Shake Up Remakes Kushner’s Role
Wall Street Journal: “Policy differences could also emerge. In talking with friends, Mr. Kushner has joked about the hawkish Middle East views of Mr. Bolton, who has said he opposes a two-state solution for achieving peace in the region in favor of Egypt and Jordan absorbing the Palestinian territories. The ‘Orthodox Jews’ working toward a Middle East peace deal—himself, White House chief negotiator Jason Greenblatt and U.S. ambassador to Israel David Friedman—are now looking like ‘the moderates,’ Mr. Kushner told his friends.”
Trump Replaces Veterans Affairs Secretary
“After weeks of uncertainty atop the Department of Veterans Affairs, President Trump on said he plans to replace its secretary, David Shulkin, with the president’s personal physician, Dr. Ronny Jackson, a rear admiral in the Navy,” the New York Times reports.
“The announcement punctuated what has been a sharp fall from favor for Dr. Shulkin, a politically moderate former hospital executive, who delivered Mr. Trump a string of bipartisan legislative victories at a time when he was struggling to find them. And it adds to a significant shake-up of Mr. Trump’s senior staff, which has already included the secretary of state, director of the C.I.A. and the president’s national security adviser.”
Why Is Trump So Quiet This Week?
The Atlantic: “The period of relative quiet began with a classic Trumpian outburst. On Friday, the president found himself compelled to sign an omnibus budget bill that he hated—not unjustifiably, since it was a repudiation of his administration’s budget and many of his own priorities, even if his method of expressing that discontent was ineffective. Since then, he has gone quiet.”
“It is not only on Twitter that Trump is quiet. Trump’s schedule has been unusually light since the hastily convened session Friday where he railed against the spending bill. He hosted a credential ceremony for ambassadors, attended a private fundraiser in suburban Virginia, and has met with the vice president, treasury secretary, and defense secretary. Beyond that, there’s not much listed.”
Student Discounts Are Back!
Several generous readers have made donations so that I could offer discounted memberships for college students. I’m matching the donation.
The first 30 students who send an email from their college email address, will get a coupon code for 40% off the annual membership.
It’s just more proof that we have an amazing community here.
Lawsuit Over Trump’s Business Ties Can Proceed
“A lawsuit accusing President Trump of violating the Constitution by refusing to divorce himself from his businesses cleared a critical hurdle Wednesday when a federal judge in Maryland refused the Justice Department’s plea to dismiss it,” the New York Times reports.
“The decision could allow the plaintiffs to scrutinize the Trump Organization’s financial records for payments from foreign entities and others possibly seeking to influence the White House.”
Trump Lawyer Raised Prospect of Pardons
“A lawyer for President Trump broached the idea of Mr. Trump pardoning two of his former top advisers, Michael Flynn and Paul Manafort, with their lawyers last year,” the New York Times reports.
“The discussions came as the special counsel was building cases against both men, and they raise questions about whether the lawyer, John Dowd, was offering pardons to influence their decisions about whether to plead guilty and cooperate in the investigation.”
“The talks suggest that Mr. Trump’s lawyers were concerned about what Mr. Flynn and Mr. Manafort might reveal were they to cut a deal with the special counsel, Robert Mueller, in exchange for leniency.”
Josh Marshall: Who ratted out John Dowd? I think we know.
Renacci Didn’t Report $50K In Donations
Rep. Jim Renacci (R-OH) “failed to disclose nearly $50,000 in political contributions while registered as a Washington lobbyist starting in the late 2000s,” the AP reports.
“Renacci is Republicans’ favored candidate to win a GOP primary and take on Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown this fall in one of the year’s most closely watched Senate contests.”
NBC News: “Well, this isn’t the kind of headline Republicans probably want to deal with as they head into a challenge to a potentially vulnerable Democratic Senate incumbent.”
Menendez Kicks Off Re-Election Bid
Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) will kick off his re-election bid for a third term, just two months after federal prosecutors dropped corruption charges against him, the AP reports.
“Menendez was charged in 2015 with trading his political influence for gifts and campaign donations from a friend. His trial ended in a hung jury last fall, and in January prosecutors decided not to retry him.”
