Politico: “Trump’s first 100 days in office appear to have resuscitated the party, if for no reason other than the rank-and-file loathe him so deeply and furiously. Grassroots activism and organizing is surging. Irate Democrats are flooding GOP town halls even in conservative states like Idaho and South Carolina. Small-dollar fundraising is also on fire — six of the 10 Senate Democrats up for re-election in states Trump won collected over $2 million in the first three months of the year. For some of them, that represented more than had ever been raised in their state this early in the election cycle. But while the president has generated a vibrant culture of resistance on the left, it’s obscuring the depth of the hole that the Democratic Party still finds itself in.”
Americans Don’t Want to Repeal Obamacare
A new ABC News-Washington Post poll finds just 37% of Americans say Obamacare should be repealed and replaced; 61% say it should be kept and fixed instead.
Even more broadly, the public by 79% to 13% says Trump should seek to make the current law work as well as possible, not to make it fail as soon as possible, a strategy he’s suggested.
French Parties Unite to Defeat Marine Le Pen
“Not since World War II has the anti-immigrant far right been closer to gaining power in France. With her second-place finish on Sunday in the first round of the presidential election, Marine Le Pen has dragged her National Front party from the dark fringes of its first 40 years,” the New York Times reports.
“But that remarkable accomplishment is so alarming to so many in France that as soon as the preliminary results were announced at 8:01 p.m., virtually all of her major opponents in the 11-person race called for her defeat in the second-round runoff on May 7. They implored their supporters to vote for the candidate projected to come out on top on Sunday, the centrist, pro-European Union former economy minister Emmanuel Macron, a political novice and outsider.”
White House Infighting Cools Down
President Trump’s White House “is making an effort to heal the wounds from the infighting and leaks that have dogged the administration over its first 100 days,” The Hill reports.
“Trump appears to have brokered at least a temporary peace between son-in-law Jared Kushner, a senior adviser with a growing portfolio of responsibilities, and chief strategist Stephen Bannon, the former Breitbart News chief whose rough edges and nationalist vision were among the animating characteristics of Trump’s insurgent campaign.”
“People who have spoken with Bannon say he has given explicit orders to allies who may have been taking swipes at Kushner in the press to knock it off.”
Flynn’s Turkish Lobbying Deal Linked to Russia
“The Turkish man who gave Mike Flynn a $600,000 lobbying deal just before President Donald Trump picked him to be national security adviser has business ties to Russia, including a 2009 aviation financing deal negotiated with Vladimir Putin,” Politico reports.
Trump Willing to Delay Border Wall Funding
President Trump signaled “he would be comfortable delaying a fight over a wall at the U.S.-Mexico border until September, possibly averting a government shutdown looming around his 100th day in office,” Politico reports.
Decision Time for Republicans to Avoid a Shutdown
“Republicans are caught in one of their biggest dilemmas of the year: Whether to cross President Donald Trump and ignore his demand for border wall funding or join him and invite a government shutdown while the GOP controls all of Washington,” Politico reports.
New York Times: “Fights over short-term spending bills have long been used by Republicans and Democrats as proxies for broader policy fights. But with Republicans fully in control of Washington, President Trump has turned a sure thing into a major drama, with a Friday night deadline before much of the government shuts down.”
For members: Why Trump May Welcome a Government Shutdown
Dissatisfaction With Ryan, Congress Is Growing
A new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll finds that Americans hold dim views of Congress and of House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI).
“Nearly three-quarters of Americans disapprove of Congress’s job performance, up 12 percentage points since February… Just one-fifth said they approve of the job Congress is doing, a drop of 9 points.”
“Ryan is one focus of growing dissatisfaction, with 40% saying they view the House speaker negatively, compared with 22% who had a positive view—an 18-point gap. In February, unfavorable opinions outweighed positive ones by just 1 point.”
Trump Jokes About Firing Nikki Haley
President Trump joked that if members of the United Nations Security Council don’t like U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley, she “could easily be replaced,” The Hill reports.
Said Trump: “Does everybody like Nikki? Because if you don’t… she can easily be replaced, right?”
Le Pen Steps Down as Party Leader
Marine Le Pen said she’s stepping aside as leader of far-right National Front party as she seeks French presidency in order to “unite all French people,” the BBC reports.
Trump Will Announce Tax Plan on Wednesday
Wall Street Journal: “During a meeting inside the Oval Office last week, Mr. Trump told staff he wants a massive tax cut to sell to the American people, the person said. It was less important to him if the plan loses revenue. Mr. Trump told his team to ‘get it done,’ in time to release a plan by Wednesday.”
“Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn are scheduled to meet Tuesday to discuss Mr. Trump’s tax proposals with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Speaker Paul Ryan, Senate Finance Chairman Orrin Hatch and House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady of Texas. The meeting comes in advance of a Wednesday announcement by Mr. Trump about his principles for tax policy.”
Trump Wanted to Focus on ‘Smoke-and-Mirrors’
In his new book, Ohio Gov. John Kasich retells the story that Donald Trump’s son, Don Jr., called a Kasich adviser during the 2016 presidential race and asked if the governor would consider being Trump’s vice president, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
Don Jr. said Kasich could be in charge of “all domestic and foreign policy,” and Trump would “be busy making American (sic) great again.”
Kasich writes: “He would leave the running of the country to someone else and keep his focus on the smoke-and-mirror aspects of the job of president, helping Americans feel that he was somehow making their lives better just by being at the helm.”
Fox Anchor Is New State Department Spokeswoman
Fox & Friends news anchor Heather Nauert was officially announced as the next spokeswoman for the U.S. State Department, the Daily Beast reports.
“During the controversy over Nordstrom dropping Ivanka Trump’s clothing line, Nauert tweeted out her support for the brand in spite of ‘liberal pressure,’ and included a photograph of herself wearing the brand’s items.”
Ivanka Trump Clothing Is Secretly Relabeled
Business of Fashion: “At American discount retailer Stein Mart, Ivanka Trump apparel is being sold under the guise of a different label. BoF has learned that the Jacksonville, Florida-based chain — which has 290 stores in 31 states, everywhere from Little Rock, Arkansas to Madison, Wisconsin — is selling Ivanka Trump garments relabeled as Adrienne Vittadini Studio.”
The After Trump Era
Graydon Carter: “You’re not alone if you think you are living through an Allen Drury novel—or, depending upon your age, Dr. Strangelove or Wag the Dog. Sean Spicer, the poor fellow, is living through his own episode of South Park. In the B.T. (Before Trump) era, most people I know went about their daily lives reasonably confident in the knowledge that the papers or news sites they read that morning were all they needed to stay informed for the rest of the day.”
“But now, A.T., all that has changed. Those same people check their phones with the regularity of lovelorn teenagers—wincing as they look to see what fresh horrors the great man in the White House has unleashed. Trump may thrive on conflict and disorder, but most of us do not.”
Majority Want Independent Probe of Russian Tampering
A new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll finds that 73% of Americans want an independent, non-partisan commission instead of Congress to investigate Russia’s involvement in the 2016 election.
Also striking: 61% say they have little to no confidence in Congress conducting a fair and impartial investigation into Russia’s involvement in the 2016 election.
Sheldon Adelson Not Happy with Trump
GOP mega-donor Sheldon Adelson “hasn’t contributed to pro-Trump outside groups since the inauguration, a move that’s drawn notice within the party… Adelson has privately complained about Trump’s failure to fulfill his campaign promise to move the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem… Adelson is also rankled that some people he recommended for administration posts haven’t yet been tapped,” Politico reports.
“More fundamentally, Adelson is dismayed by what he sees as a state of chaos in the new administration.”
