Scottish Leader Calls for New Referendum
“Nicola Sturgeon, the First Minister Of Scotland has announced that she will start proceedings for a second Scottish referendum on independence,” CNBC reports.
“In a speech in Edinburgh, the First Minister said that the language of partnership from the United Kingdom had ‘gone completely’ in relation to Scotland’s view on Brexit… Scotland voted 62% to 38% to remain in Europe, but as it currently exists as part of the United Kingdom would be forced to leave the European Union.”
Conway Suggests Even Wider Surveillance of Trump
Kellyanne Conway suggested to the Bergen County Record that the “surveillance” of Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign may be broader than the unsubstantiated wiretaps he claimed.
Said Conway: “What I can say is there are many ways to surveil each other. You can surveil someone through their phones, certainly through their television sets — any number of ways.”
Conway went on to say that the monitoring could be done with “microwaves that turn into cameras,” adding: “We know this is a fact of modern life.”
Trump Pays Close Attention to White House Briefings
New Yorker: “President Trump, by most accounts, is rarely too busy to watch TV, especially when he is the topic. ‘Look at his daily schedule, and you’ll notice how few events are held between 1 and 2 p.m.,’ a radio correspondent told me. This is the hour during which Spicer almost always conducts his briefings…”
“Another correspondent pointed out how often press aides deliver notes to Spicer while he’s at the lectern, and how obediently Spicer seems to respond to the notes’ directives, cutting a response short or abruptly ending a briefing. The reigning theory is that the notes are transcribed messages from the President, watching live from elsewhere in the building.”
CBO Score for Health Care Bill Coming This Week
Playbook: The Congressional Budget Office is set to release its ‘score’ — the fiscal and practical impact — of the Republican health-care bill today or tomorrow and it’s not expected to be pretty. The White House has been bashing the CBO, saying it frequently misses the mark, but it will be critical data for lawmakers on Capitol Hill as they consider how to vote. A budget-busting number could thwart the bill’s chances, or at least prolong this process.”
The Hill: “As the healthcare world anticipates the cost estimate of the controversial legislation by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Office of the Actuary may also be putting its own price tag on the measure. The CBO is Congress’s official scorekeeper, but if CMS puts out a similar analysis, it could help shield the non-partisan CBO from criticism.”
For members: It’s Hard to See How the GOP Health Plan Becomes Law
Where Are Trump’s Appointments?
John Fund: “Trump has named only 20 sub-Cabinet-level positions, including two who withdrew — a list that includes nominees for ambassadorships, counsel positions, and commissioners, according to a tracker from the Washington Post and Partnership for Public Service. Trump has more than 1,900 vacancies within his new administration, most of which did not require Senate confirmation, according to data from tracking service Leadership Directories.”
“The White House objects to those numbers, but didn’t provide me with any data of their own to refute them.”
Trump Will Host Chinese President at Mar-a-Lago
Mike Allen: “President Trump plans to host Chinese President Xi Jinping at the gold-plated Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida next month for a lowering-the-temperature summit with vast economic and security implications.”
“No golf is planned during the meeting of the globe’s two superpowers — this will mostly be a working session, according to officials familiar with the planning. The tentative dates are Thursday afternoon, April 6, through Friday, April 7.”
Key takeaway: “For a White House that views China as threat #1, Trump’s willingness to meet with Xi — and give him the Mar-a-Lago treatment, no less — will be seen as a reassuring sign by establishment powers in the U.S. and around the world.”
Trump to Seek Historic Contraction of Federal Workforce
“President Trump’s budget proposal this week would shake the federal government to its core if enacted, culling back numerous programs and expediting a historic contraction of the federal workforce,” the Washington Post reports.
“This would be the first time the government has executed cuts of this magnitude — and all at once — since the drawdown following World War II.”
“The spending budget Trump is set to release Thursday will offer the clearest snapshot of his vision for the size and role of government. Aides say that the president sees a new Washington emerging from the budget process, one that prioritizes the military and homeland security while slashing many other areas, including housing, foreign assistance, environmental programs, public broadcasting and research. Simply put, government would be smaller and less involved in regulating life in America, with private companies and states playing a much bigger role.”
GOP Taking Many Risks Trying to Repeal Obamacare
David Nather: “It was never a secret that Republicans would take a risk by repealing Obamacare, as unpopular as it was, and taking ownership of what happens next. But it’s striking just how many political dangers they’re putting themselves in — and how they’re ignoring pretty much all of them. Democratic operatives are already testing which ones resonate the most in swing districts, I’m told.”
Another Kennedy Fights the GOP on Health Care
“A familiar name from Massachusetts, Rep. Joe Kennedy III, is carrying his family legacy into a new era, battling Republicans who want to undo Barack Obama’s health care law,” the AP reports.
“Kennedy, the 36-year-old grandson of the late Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and great-nephew of the late Sen. Ted Kennedy and President John F. Kennedy, has been a low-key presence in the House since he was first elected in his Boston-area district in 2012. He emerged last week as a major Democratic voice against the Republican health care bill, delivering several speeches in a committee’s all-night session that have been viewed millions of times on the internet.”
“While the technology may be new, his support for the Obama-era health care law and more services for the poor are familiar Kennedy territory. Sen. Ted Kennedy was a fierce proponent of the law before his death from brain cancer in August 2009.”
Democrats Start Redistricting Fundraising
Politico: “Democrats leading the party’s new effort to coordinate political and legal resources to redraw state legislatures’ and House of Representatives’ maps will kick off the first phase of fundraising next weekend, heading to San Francisco on Saturday and Los Angeles on Sunday to make their case to some of California’s biggest donors.”
“Former Attorney General Eric Holder — who’s chairing the National Democratic Redistricting Committee — will be joined by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe.”
A Deep Dive Into the GOP Health Care Bill
John Oliver: “Trump is not clamoring to put his name on this bill, and he’s put his name on some of the shittiest products in human history.”
House Investigators on Trump-Russia Collision Course
“Adam Schiff says Russia’s effort to sway the election for President Donald Trump is one of the most serious issues of our time. Devin Nunes isn’t even convinced Russia tried to help Trump,” Politico reports.
“As Nunes and Schiff, the Republican chairman and top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, lead the House investigation into Russia’s meddling in the 2016 presidential election, it’s unclear how two lawmakers with diametrically-opposed approaches will handle the most politically sensitive investigation to hit Capitol Hill in decades.”
Ryan Predicts Disaster for GOP If Health Care Bill Fails
Speaker Paul Ryan “expressed confidence that House Republicans’ Obamacare replacement could pass the Senate but also acknowledged the potential reality of the GOP’s failure to advance the legislation to the president’s desk: a 2018 bloodbath,” Politico reports.
Said Ryan: “I do believe that if we don’t keep our word to the people who sent us here, yeah.”
It’s Hard to See How the GOP Health Plan Becomes Law
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Heller Rips GOP Health Care Bill Privately
Sen. Dean Heller (R-NV) panned Speaker Paul Ryan’s bill to repeal and replace Obamacare during a closed meeting with constituents, according to audio obtained by Politico.
“The remarks by Heller, the most vulnerable GOP senator on the ballot next year, are another sign of the difficult prospects the House bill faces in the other chamber. Already, more than a half-dozen senators have criticized the bill, and Republicans can only afford to lose two votes.”
“His strategy on Obamacare shows the tightrope Heller is walking in a state that’s trending Democratic but has a strong presence of conservative activists.”
White House Unhappy with Bharara’s Attitude
The Wall Street Journal references an anonymous aide in a story claiming the White House “appears to be unhappy” with Preet Bharara’s handling of his dismissal as U.S. Attorney.
In reference to Mr. Bharara’s ouster, the White House aide said: “The U.S. attorneys are political appointees, and all 46 of the holdovers from the Obama administration received the same resignation letter. It’s fair to say that 45 of the 46 behaved in a manner befitting the office.”
The aide added: “As much as Preet wants everything to be about Preet, everyone was treated the same way.”
Mr. Bharara, in response to the White House’s comments, said: “It was my understanding that the president himself has said anonymous sources are not to be believed.”
The Slowest Transition In Decades
New York Times: “From the moment he was sworn in, President Trump faced a personnel crisis, starting virtually from scratch in lining up senior leaders for his administration. Seven weeks into the job, he is still hobbled by the slow start, months behind where experts in both parties, even some inside his administration, say he should be.”
“The lag has left critical power centers in his government devoid of leadership as he struggles to advance policy priorities on issues like health care, taxes, trade and environmental regulation. Many federal agencies and offices are in states of suspended animation, their career civil servants answering to temporary bosses whose influence and staying power are unclear, and who are sometimes awaiting policy direction from appointees whose arrival may be weeks or months away.”
