President Trump has given Defense Secretary Jim Mattis the authority to set troop levels in Afghanistan, a U.S. official told Reuters, opening the door for future troop increases requested by the U.S. commander.
Black Voters Will Be Democratic Kingmakers in 2020
Josh Kraushaar: “For all the talk about the power of progressives in the Democratic Party, one significant part of the Democratic coalition has been overlooked in the run-up to the next presidential election: African-Americans. Black voters made up at least 20 percent of the Democratic vote in at least 15 states during the 2016 presidential primaries (and comprise that share in three other states without exit polling: Louisiana, New Jersey, and Delaware). Without African-Americans, who gave 76 percent of their vote in the primaries to Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders easily could have been the Democratic nominee. Sanders won 49.1 percent of the Democratic white vote to Clinton’s 48.9 percent.”
“Black voters have historically rallied behind one Democratic candidate… Since 1976, the candidate backed by black voters became the Democratic nominee in seven of the nine contested nomination battles.”
Trump May Go Small
Politico: “Bill Clinton salvaged his presidency by focusing on small-ball policy wins. Now Team Trump is trying to master the art of thinking tiny. Faced with a rising drumbeat of scandal stemming from ongoing Russia probes, President Donald Trump is continuing to pursue a big, complicated legislative agenda — repealing Obamacare, reforming the tax system and passing an infrastructure package.”
“Any of those would be hard to achieve in perfect circumstances, but with the GOP ideologically fragmented and the White House distracted by legal trouble, it’s increasingly difficult to imagine Trump landing a big win.”
Voters Trust Comey More Than Trump
“Voters have greater faith in former FBI Director James Comey to tell the truth than in President Donald Trump, who has disputed the veracity of Comey’s sworn testimony before a Senate committee last week. A new Politico/Morning Consult poll conducted in the days following Comey’s appearance before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, 45% of voters said they trust Comey more to tell the truth, compared to 32% for Trump. Twenty-three percent have no opinion.”
Northam Wins In Virginia
Virginia Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam, “backed by almost every Democratic elected official in the state, defeated the populist campaign of former congressman Tom Perriello, who had the support of Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, in a race that resembled the national party’s struggle over its future direction,” the Washington Post reports.
In the Republican race, Ed Gillespie “was hoping to fend off a stronger-than-expected challenge from rival Corey Stewart, whose strength was perhaps the biggest surprise of the night.”
Trump Says House Health Care Bill Is ‘Mean’
Congressional sources say President Trump has told Republican senators that the House health care bill is “mean” and that the Senate version should be “more generous,” the AP reports.
“The remarks were a surprising critique of a Republican-written House measure whose passage Trump fought for and embraced. They also seem to undercut efforts by Senate conservatives to impose restrictions in their chamber’s legislation, such as curbing the Medicaid health care program for the poor and limiting the services insurers must cover.”
Sessions Denies Suggestion He Colluded with Russia
Attorney General Jeff Sessions forcefully denied meeting with any Russian officials in 2016 to discuss the presidential campaign, calling allegations that he had undisclosed meetings with them an “appalling and detestable lie,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“He also specifically denied holding any private meetings with the Russian ambassador to the U.S. at the Mayflower Hotel, a Washington establishment that has been the subject of speculation in recent days.”
Senate Bars Reporters from Filming In Hallways
“Reporters covering the U.S. Senate have been told they can no longer film interviews with senators in the hallways outside their offices, an abrupt break with precedent that has set off alarm bells for journalists and media watchdogs,” CNN reports.
“The announcement, which comes as Senate Republicans are drafting a health care bill in a process shrouded in secrecy, prompted a flurry of tweets from concerned journalists who feared the move would enable the Senate to conduct public business in private and without accountability.”
Pelosi Predicts Trump Will ‘Self-Impeach’
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) believes President Trump will “self-impeach” and that Democrats should wait for the Russia investigations — especially special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe — to play out before pushing to remove him from the Oval Office, Politico reports.
“Pelosi’s views are important because while she has publicly dismissed discussions on impeaching Trump, her remarks show she thinks the president will ultimately take some action that will be egregious enough to make it easy for Congress to act.”
Internal House Budget Feud Threatens GOP Agenda
“House GOP efforts to write a fiscal 2018 budget are deadlocked amid Republican infighting, a divide that threatens to undermine President Trump’s agenda by stalling tax reform and delaying progress on appropriations,” Politico reports.
“The House Budget Committee is months behind its usual timeline in releasing and marking up its annual fiscal blueprint. While the panel said it hoped to release the budget by early June, conference-wide bickering over priorities and spending levels have all but ground the process to a halt.”
Trump Disapproval Hits New High
The Gallup daily tracking poll finds President Trump’s approval rate at a lowly 36% to 60%.
Only Political Ruin Will Cause GOP to Abandon Trump
Jennifer Rubin: “What if Trump decides to fire special counsel Robert Mueller, as Trump confidante Chris Ruddy, chief executive of NewsMax, said Trump is considering? That would spark a good deal of outrage in the press and among independents and Democrats. It might even cost Trump some support from sensible Republicans. A wholesale mutiny among Republicans however would not be guaranteed — even then. That reality gives one a full appreciation for how reluctant Republicans are to step out of line — even when it comes to defending an independent investigation by a man many of them praised.”
“In sum, the sad answer is that these Republicans won’t act out of principle, won’t challenge the right-wing echo chamber and won’t give up the delusion that they can get parts of their agenda through. Given truth serum, nearly all would prefer Pence to replace Trump; they just cannot summon the courage to make that happen. I suppose some undeniable smoking gun either of Trump’s Russian complicity or obstruction could force their hand, but increasingly it looks like the only thing that will convince them to abandon Trump is the certain prospect of political ruin. Even more likely, they’ll have to lose the House in 2018 before they realize Trump is politically radioactive.”
For members: History Shows the Bottom Can Fall Out Quickly for Trump
Extra Bonus Quote of the Day
“My expectation would be that this would be the last straw for Republicans — that they would finally have to stand up to the president. Of course, that expectation has proved illusory in the past. So there’s no guarantee.”
— Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), quoted by the Washington Post, on speculation that President Trump might fire special counsel Robert Mueller.
Kasich Backs Slower Medicaid Rollback
Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) said that “he could accept a gradual phaseout of the expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, but only if Congress provides states with more money than the House health care bill included and more flexibility to manage the health program for the poor,” the New York Times reports.
“Mr. Kasich’s statement could prove significant as Senate Republicans try to find near unanimity on a bill to repeal and replace President Barack Obama’s signature domestic achievement. His position points to a compromise that moderate Senate Republicans could embrace — but that could challenge the chamber’s most conservative members.”
Bonus Quote of the Day
“Clinton only survived a special prosecutor because he made Ken Starr the enemy.”
— Dick Morris, quoted by Politico.
Trump’s Lawyer Boasted of Getting Bharara Fired
Marc Kasowitz, President Trump’s personal lawyer in the Russia investigation, “has boasted to friends and colleagues that he played a central role in the firing of Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York,” ProPublica reports.
Kasowitz told Trump: “This guy is going to get you.”
“Those who know Kasowitz say he is sometimes prone to exaggerating when regaling them with his exploits. But if true, his assertion adds to the mystery surrounding the motive and timing of Bharara’s firing.”
Why Ruddy Floated the Idea of Firing Mueller
Chris Cillizza: “My (educated) guess is that during his visit to the White House on Monday, Ruddy heard that Trump was considering firing Mueller. Ruddy thought, rightly, that doing so would be an absolutely terrible political move. Rather than calling the President to tell him that, Ruddy took to a medium where he knew Trump would listen: TV.”
“Yes, this is strange, unorthodox and unlike any past president. But, so is almost everything Trump has said and done since he became a candidate for president almost exactly two years ago today.”
“Those who successfully influence Trump meet him on his terms, not their own. That’s what Ruddy is doing here. Telling Trump his opinions through the TV filter. Because he knows that’s the only way to ensure Trump will hear it.”
Dead Heat In Georgia’s Special Election
A new SurveyUSA poll in Georgia’s 6th congressional district finds Jon Ossoff (D) and Karen Handel (R) tied at 47% each in the special congressional election with 6% of voters still undecided.
