Donald Trump leaves a polling place at the Waukesha Fire Department where he went to shake hands yesterday. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
THE BIG IDEA:
— Ted Cruz and Bernie Sanders each won their Wisconsin primary by 13 points. More than two months after voting began in Iowa, front-runners Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton crashed into a cheddar wall.
But Hillary remains almost certain to ultimately secure the Democratic nomination, while The Donald now finds himself facing an emboldened opposition and an increasingly likely contested convention.
— Six key indicators from the preliminary network exit polls of Republican primary voters:
35 percent said they would feel “scared” if Trump became president and another 20 percent said they would be “concerned.”
More than one in three said they would not support Trump in a hypothetical general election.
More than half said Trump has run “the most unfair campaign.”
Nearly half were looking for a president with experience in politics. That’s higher than in past primaries.
Cruz tied Trump among those who only had a high school education and among those in the lowest income brackets. That’s been Trump’s base.
More than half said they were “dissatisfied” with government, compared to one-third who were “angry.” Trump consistently does better among those who are angriest.
— The coverage this morning is brutal.
— “Trump has only himself to blame” for recent stumbles. From Karen Tumulty, Jose A. DelReal and Robert Costa: “The strength and the weakness of his campaign have been Trump himself, who functions as his own chief strategist, consultant, policy czar and communications guru. And that is the same way he built his fortune, said spokeswoman Hope Hicks. ‘In real estate, he builds a building. It doesn’t matter who the vendors are, or who the designer is. His name is on it; it’s his product,’ she said. And he approached the campaign similarly: ‘My name is on this, and nobody else really matters.’ The limitations of that approach have become apparent as the campaign has been spread more thinly and competition has narrowed.”
— “It was a loss for Trump, yes, but more important, a galvanizing moment for the forces aligned against him,” writes National Review Washington bureau chief Eliana Johnson.
— “A hard truth is emerging for the GOP: at a moment where the frontrunner should be getting stronger, Trump is getting weaker,” ABC political director Rick Klein writes. “He may not be beaten in the end, but Trump is staggering into the final two months of voting.”
Donald Trump and the Mets: Queens natives who CAN’T CLOSE
— Glenn Thrush (@GlennThrush) April 6, 2016
— The Trump campaign emailed reporters a defiant 157-word statement: “Donald J. Trump withstood the onslaught of the establishment yet again. Lyin’ Ted Cruz had the Governor of Wisconsin, many conservative talk radio show hosts, and the entire party apparatus behind him. Not only was he propelled by the anti-Trump Super PAC’s spending countless millions of dollars on false advertising against Mr. Trump, but he was coordinating `with his own Super PAC’s (which is illegal) who totally control him. Ted Cruz is worse than a puppet— he is a Trojan horse, being used by the party bosses attempting to steal the nomination from Mr. Trump. We have total confidence that Mr. Trump will go on to win in New York, where he holds a substantial lead in all the polls, and beyond.”
A former top adviser to Rick Perry hit the nail on the head:
This is one of those statements that you write to make yourself feel good but you never release. #wow https://t.co/CZJw05GbRN
— Rob Johnson (@TweetRobJohnson) April 6, 2016
Always go classy in victory and defeat! Better for you, better for how others see you. Magnanimity is attractive.
— Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) April 6, 2016
Wisconsinites are very serious about the idea of “Wisconsin nice.” That flashy, brash, serial insulter Trump is opposite of Wisconsin nice.
— Steven Greenhouse (@greenhousenyt) April 6, 2016
As Newt Gingrich put it on on Fox News, “He’s done a lot of things right, but he is also like a rookie quarterback in the Super Bowl. This is the big leagues. It gets much tougher as it goes on. But he is going to have to improve his game if he’s gonna win in the end.”
Ted Cruz and his wife Heidi arrive for their victory party in Milwaukee. (Reuters/Jim Young)
— Cruz showed he can unite the Stop Trump movement: “Give Cruz credit: When he needs to win, he wins,” writes The Fix’s Chris Cillizza. “If he had lost Wisconsin, pressure would have ramped up to bow to the reality of Trump as nominee. Now, he can make the case that Wisconsin fundamentally changed the trajectory of the race … For Cruz, the rest of the primary is about two things: 1) Keeping Trump under the 1,237 delegates needed to formally clinch the nomination, and 2) Positioning himself as the only Trump alternative. Cruz took a big step in the right direction on both fronts in Wisconsin.”
Cruz is doing better in Wisconsin against Trump than Romney did in 2012 against Santorum. More votes, wider margin, and more delegates.
— Erick Erickson (@EWErickson) April 6, 2016
— It was a bad night for John Kasich. The Ohio governor only pulled 14 percent, underperforming the polls. He is fading, and his poor showing will deprive him of buzz and mean less media coverage/oxygen in the coming weeks.
“Almost as important as Cruz’s defeat of Trump is the weakness of Kasich,” said Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol, adding that he “could now see wholesale gravitation of anti-Trump voters to Cruz … Cruz strength in upscale suburbs around Milwaukee raises question: Couldn’t he come close to replicating this in suburbs in NY, MD, CT, etc?” The Washington Examiner’s Philip Klein says Kasich has become a “fringe candidate.”
I make fun of @JohnKasich a lot, but we’re not so different. For example, I’ve also won 0 GOP delegates in 24 states this year.
— Sean Davis (@seanmdav) April 6, 2016
Here’s Kasich chief strategist John Weaver’s take on the results:
Today’s 5 takeaways: #1 White Star Line Trump taking on water, will make it to Port Cleveland, won’t reach GE waters & they know it (1/5)
— John Weaver (@JWGOP) April 6, 2016
#2 Sen Smear spent millions distorting @johnkasich record. Won’t get away with it again. Will only see inside the WH as a tourist. (2/5)
— John Weaver (@JWGOP) April 6, 2016
SO WHAT’S NEXT?
— The battle enters a new phase: “The Republican race is about to become granular,” Dan Balz explains. “The coming battles will be waged in targeted congressional districts where Trump shows weakness regardless of his statewide appeal, in hand-to-hand competition at state party conventions where the delegates are being selected, and ultimately in a battle for the hearts and minds of the men and women who will go to Cleveland, bound or unbound on the first ballot but free agents after that. For Trump and Cruz, winning states certainly remains important. But every delegate denied to Trump will be considered a small but important victory by the anti-Trump forces.”
— Trump plans to give a series of policy speeches to show he’s “presidential,” addressing topics such as how he’d strengthen the nation’s military, how he’d reform education and the criteria by which he would select Supreme Court justices. Ben Carson said he spoke with Trump by phone yesterday about a list of “10 to 12 justices” from whom Trump is considering to fill the court vacancy. (Tumulty and Costa)
— New York votes in 13 days: Trump is going to have a huge rally on Long Island tonight. His staff says 18,000 people have requested tickets.
Trump should win New York, and polls show him over 50 percent. “But New York’s rules are less than ideal for Trump at a time when he needs to sweep up as many delegates as possible,” Balz explains. “For starters, the state’s 95 delegates will be awarded proportionally, rather than on a winner-take-all basis. Beyond that, 81 of those delegates are distributed on the basis of results in the state’s 27 congressional districts. Trump could gain 14 delegates if he wins more than 50 percent of the statewide vote. Otherwise, he will share those delegates with any rival who tops 20 percent. In any congressional district where he falls short of 50 percent, even if he has the plurality of votes, he will give up one of the three delegates awarded in each of those districts. If he runs second in any district, he would pick up just one delegate.”
Trump’s big loss in WI doesn’t shut down road to 1237, but removes margin of error. Now needs big wins in NY/CA/CT & wins in NJ/DE/MD/PA/IN.
— Taniel (@Taniel) April 6, 2016
— Quite a cast of characters is helping Trump in the Empire State: Carl Paladino, the 2010 Republican gubernatorial nominee, is one of Mr. Trump’s co-chairs in the state. And former Rep. John Sweeney has been hired by the campaign to help out for the next two weeks, per the NYT’s Maggie Haberman. Sweeney was arrested twice on drunken driving charges after losing to Kirsten Gillibrand in 2006. Paladino “has been intricately involved in the preparations, scheduling Mr. Trump to land ‘in every major population center across the state,’” Maggie reports.
— Cruz now must capitalize on his victory by winning over the Republican establishment and raising money. “He tried to sound a conciliatory note in his victory speech,” Sean Sullivan and Philip Rucker relay. “Cruz used his victory speech to draw unmistakable contrasts with Trump’s incendiary campaigning. ‘We are not here to curse the darkness, but to light the candle that can guide us … to a safe and sane future,’ he said. Then Cruz brought his wife, Heidi, the subject of a nasty feud with Trump and his fans, to the podium and showered praise on her.”
“Tonight is a turning point. It is a rallying cry,” he added. “Either before Cleveland or at the convention in Cleveland, together we will win a majority of the delegates.”
Watch a 1-minute highlight reel from the speech:
— But there is still a lot of bad blood. Rep. Pete King (R-N.Y.) declined to say who he’ll vote for on CNN. “But I can tell you one thing: I would never vote for Ted Cruz,” said King, who backed Marco Rubio until he dropped out. The Hill notes that King told Cruz to “go back under a rock” when the candidate questioned Trump’s “New York values” in January.
When you consider that Cruz is clearly the only viable alternative to Trump, it’s amazing he doesn’t have more Senators + Govs with him.
— Chris Cillizza (@TheFix) April 6, 2016
— And it’s notable that Democrats are salivating at the prospect of facing Cruz in a general election:
There is not a Democrat anywhere in America who see’s a Cruz nomination as anything other than a great gift https://t.co/gbkuztd7Zm
— Dan Pfeiffer (@danpfeiffer) April 6, 2016
It’s a twisted state of affairs when there’s a collective sigh of relief that TED CRUZ wins a state. Welcome to the future GOP.
— ilyse hogue (@ilyseh) April 6, 2016
— It was another bad night for Hillary, but does it matter? The Vermont senator emerged with a solid victory in Wisconsin, prolonging his “dogged but improbable” bid to catch Clinton. Clinton won heavily African American Milwaukee County by fewer than 4 points. (John Wagner, Anne Gearan and Abby Phillip)
Sanders celebrated at a boisterous rally last night in Wyoming, the site of Democratic caucuses this Saturday: “If we wake up the American people, and working people and middle-class people and senior citizens and young people begin to stand up and fight back and come out and vote in large numbers, there is nothing that we cannot accomplish,” he said.
Hillary offered a much classier concession than The Donald:
Congrats to @BernieSanders on winning Wisconsin. To all the voters and volunteers who poured your hearts into this campaign: Forward! -H
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) April 6, 2016
— Why it matters: “Yes, Clinton has a commanding, close to insurmountable, delegate lead over Sanders. BUT Clinton has now lost seven of the last eight votes in this race to Sanders, a remarkable thing,” writes Chris Cillizza. “Everyone expects, and has long expected, Clinton to be nominee. The delegate math is close to conclusive. And yet, Sanders keeps winning … New York now becomes even more important for Clinton now as, if she loses it, the ‘she’s limping to the nomination’ storyline will take over, which is very dangerous to her attempts at building momentum for the general election.”
— Bottom line: Clinton remains more likely than anyone else to be inaugurated in nine months. In basketball terms, if the Republicans had fielded a one seed, as opposed to the seven or eight seed, there would be much greater cause for alarm in Brooklyn. And, if a Democrat like Elizabeth Warren had run, Clinton might again be on the verge of blowing it.
WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING:
President Obama decries corporate inversions yesterday in the White House briefing room. (Reuters/Gary Cameron)
— The Pfizer-Allergan inversion is off, a huge victory for President Obama. “Pfizer Inc. has decided to kill its planned $150 billion takeover of Allergan PLC, after the Obama administration took aim at a deal that would have moved the biggest drug company in the U.S. to Ireland to lower its taxes,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
The Treasury Department unveiled rules on Monday to make inversions harder. Obama spoke out against the tax avoidance schemes from the White House yesterday, saying that U.S. companies like Pfizer “effectively renounce their citizenship” when they take advantage of them. (Renae Merle)
Pfizer was going to save more than $1 billion a year with the gambit. CNBC quotes sources saying that Pfizer believed the Treasury had overstepped the bounds of its regulatory authority but did not want to risk litigation with the feds.
But, but, but: As the president noted yesterday, “While the Treasury Department’s actions will make it more difficult…to exploit this particular corporate inversions loophole, only Congress can close it for good.”
Morgan Tuck, Kia Nurse and Breanna Stewart celebrate their win last night. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
— The University of Connecticut crushed Syracuse 82-51 in the NCAA women’s tournament final. In winning its 75th straight game, the Huskies joined UCLA as the only programs, men’s or women’s, to claim four titles in a row. (Gene Wang from Indy)
David Daleiden (Photo by Charles Ommanney/The Washington Post)
— California authorities raided the home of the anti-abortion activist who released undercover videos of Planned Parenthood employees, seizing equipment that contained all the video filmed by the videographer during his 30-month project. Investigators with the state’s Department of Justice raided the home of David Daleiden, the activist said. “Authorities seized a laptop and multiple hard drives from his Orange County apartment, Daleiden said in an email. … “including some very damning footage that has yet to be released to the public.” More from Sandhya Somashekhar: “A spokeswoman for California Attorney General Kamala Harris (D) said she could not comment on an ongoing investigation. But the raid confirms that California is among the states looking into possible criminal activity on the part of Daleiden and his organization, the Center for Medical Progress, which have been the center of controversy since releasing videos purporting to show that Planned Parenthood illegally sells fetal tissue for a profit. Planned Parenthood has denied the allegations, and numerous state investigations have so far turned up no evidence of wrongdoing by the group. However, a Houston grand jury earlier this year indicted Daleiden in connection with fake driver’s licenses he used to gain access to Planned Parenthood facilities and abortion provider conferences.”
GET SMART FAST:
People demonstrate against Iceland’s Prime Minister in Reykjavik yesterday. (Reuters/Stigtryggur Johannsson)
Iceland’s prime minister offered his resignation after being linked to secret offshore holdings in the massive “Panama Papers” leak. (Brian Murphy and William Branigin)
The House Ethics Committee announced it will continue investigating whether Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.) violated federal law by managing a hedge fund while serving in Congress. A third-party report, also published yesterday, said there is “substantial reason” to believe the Senate candidate acted illegally. (Karoun Demirjian)
Tennessee lawmakers passed a bill making the Bible the official “state book,” a national first that critics say is unconstitutional. Gov. Bill Haslam (R) said he opposes the legislation but has not said whether he will use his veto pen. (The Tennessean)
Ferguson residents voted to reject a property tax increase that city leaders called “essential” to carry out a consent decree with the Justice Department. (AP)
A judge delayed trial for the accused gunman in Charleston’s church massacre for the second time, as the Justice Department continues to weigh whether or not to seek the death penalty. (Mark Berman)
Another judge ruled that “Jackie,” the former University of Virginia student who claimed she was gang-raped in a discredited Rolling Stone article, must testify in a libel lawsuit against the magazine. (T. Rees Shapiro)
California officials expressed alarm about the spread of counterfeit pain pills after 42 people in Sacramento overdosed on contaminated drugs. (CNN)
IMF chief Christine Lagard said the global economy’s recovery remains “too slow and fragile” after stocks fell in the U.S., Asia and Europe. ( Andrea Peterson)
Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi introduced a measure to become “state counselor,” a newly-created position that will give her authority exceeding the president. The measure was approved by parliament. (New York Times)
A United Airlines flight attendant used an emergency slide to exit a parked plane in Houston. Officials said they are investigating the incident. (Elahe Izadi)
A California father faces criminal charges for leaving his 9-month-old in his car while he visited a strip club. (LA Times)
A Muslim civil rights group filed a class-action lawsuit on behalf of thousands who have been placed on terrorism watch lists. (Matt Zapotosky)
Princeton’s board of trustees voted to keep Woodrow Wilson’s name on university buildings. (The Daily Princetonian)
Stanford’s 4.7 percent admission rate makes it the most selective school in the country. (Nick Anderson)
Thumbing its nose at law enforcement, WhatsApp announced it has turned on “end-to-end” encryption for its messages. (Ellen Nakashima)
Facebook launched a new feature that helps the blind “see” pictures online using artificial intelligence technology. (Andrea Peterson)
Civil war in the Congo is steady wiping out the local gorilla population. A new report shows there are 77 percent fewer of the animals in one region than in 1998. (Elahe Izadi)
The Obamas will hold a symposium challenging gender stereotypes in toys and on television shows. The conference aims to encourage more girls to explore careers in science, technology, engineering and math by rethinking both the products companies make for kids and the media these children consume. (Juliet Eilperin)
Michelle Obama hosted her last-ever spring planting at the White House vegetable garden. (Our Dan Zak wrote this fun piece on the first lady’s longtime health initiative.)
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM BILLS:
— Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant (R) signed into law a sweeping “religious freedom bill” that allows public and private businesses to refuse service to gay individuals based on religious objections. The broad legislation, which states explicitly that “marriage is only between a man and a woman” and that intercourse should only occur in such a marriage, has drawn widespread condemnation. (Mark Berman)
— North Carolina continues to face backlash from the business community over HB2. More than 120 companies called on the governor to repeal the law. PayPal yesterday announced it has abandoned plans to open a global operations center in Charlotte, an expansion that state officials predicted would bring “millions” to the local economy and create some 400 jobs. (Mark Berman)
— Corporate America’s embrace of gay rights has evolved drastically in recent years alongside public opinion. The Post’s Jena McGregor says it has reached a “stunning tipping point”: “Watershed levels of opposition to legislation in Indiana, Georgia and North Carolina have turned the question of ‘why would a company publicly wade into social issues like gay rights?’ into another one: ‘Why wouldn’t they?’ … It’s an extraordinary shift from eight years ago, when California’s Prop. 8 came up for a vote, and the number of companies that lined up to publicly support same-sex marriage rights were fewer than five. It’s even a shift from two years ago, when only 83 corporations spoke out against a ‘religious liberty’ law in Arizona. In 2013, when Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz told a shareholder his support for same-sex marriage was ‘not an economic decision,’ it was described as ‘bold.’ … Corporate America’s evolution on gay rights appears to have reached a tipping point, one where so many companies have taken a stand on the issue that the risk of speaking out has been superseded by the risk of not doing so.”
— The head of the Family Research Center Perkins defended the new Mississippi law allowing businesses to refuse service to gay people:
No one should be punished by the govt for believing what Pres Obama believed just a few yrs ago — marriage is the union of a man & a woman.
— Tony Perkins (@tperkins) April 5, 2016
MORE ON THE REPUBLICAN RACE:
— Obama grumbled that he “routinely” must respond to concerns from other heads of state about what Trump and Cruz are saying on the campaign trail. “I am getting questions constantly from foreign leaders about some of the wackier suggestions,” he told reporters. “I do have to emphasize that it’s not just Mr. Trump’s proposals … You’re also hearing concerns about Cruz’s proposals.” (Juliet Eilperin)
— The majority of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents do NOT want a contested convention, according to a McClatchy-Marist Poll: 52 percent say Trump should be the party nominee if he has the most delegates, regardless of if he has enough to win on the first ballot. And should the party nominate someone other than Trump, 65 percent say the nominee should be a candidate who ran in this year’s primaries. “Interestingly, it is strong Republicans and conservatives who don’t want a family feud,” says Marist pollster Lee M. Miringoff. “There is a solid consensus among GOP rank and file that the nominee should at least be someone part of this year’s primary process.”
— MSNBC joined CNN in banning Trump ally Roger Stone from appearing on the air. The provocateur had taped an interview for “With All Due Respect,” but the cable channel edited it out. (Politico’s Hadas Gold)
— Stone threatened to release the hotel room numbers of delegates who switch from Trump to another candidate in the case of a contested Republican convention. “We’ll tell you who the culprits are,” he said during a radio interview. “We urge you to visit their hotel and find them.”
— “Could Republican Convention delegates be bought? Legally, maybe,” by CNN’s Tal Kopan and Gregory Krieg: “Buying votes is illegal. But it turns out buying delegates might not be. There are laws prohibiting bribery of elected officials and campaigns, but there isn’t much governing what private citizens serving as convention delegates can take in exchange for their votes. And RNC rules are also quiet on what can be done to curry favor with delegates. … ‘There aren’t many rules or laws on this issue,’ acknowledged South Carolina GOP Chairman Matt Moore, ‘it’s a slippery moral and legal slope.’ Per FEC rules, there are some limits. Delegates are not allowed to accept funds and contributions from corporations, foreign nationals, labor organizations or government contractors. But individuals are expressly allowed to raise funds for their travel to the convention and expenses there, as long as they are not provided by prohibited sources. That is no small token: The California Republican Party says potential delegates should expect to pay $3,000 to $6,000 on convention expenses alone.“
— “Trump campaign in disarray,” by Politico’s Ken Vogel, Ben Schreckinger, and Eli Stokols: “Since March, the campaign has been laying off field staff en masse around the country and has dismantled much of what existed of its organizations in general-election battlegrounds, including Florida and Ohio. Last month, the campaign laid off the leader of its data team, Matt Braynard, who did not train a successor. It elevated his No. 2, a data engineer with little prior high-level political strategy experience, and also shifted some of his team’s duties to a 2015 college graduate whose last job was an internship with the consumer products company Colgate-Palmolive. Some of the campaign’s data remains inaccessible.” Trump responded to the article by attacking Politico on Twitter.
— Could Mississippi turn blue if Trump is the nominee? A Mason-Dixon poll shows HRC within three points of him.
— “Trump Settled a Real Estate Lawsuit, and a Criminal Case Was Closed,” by The New York Times’ Mike Mcintire: “For Trump, it is a long-held legal strategy and point of pride to avoid knuckling under to plaintiffs in court. But Trump made an exception when buyers of units in Trump SoHo, a 46-story condominium-hotel, asserted they were defrauded in the struggling project. Trump settled the case in 2011, refunding millions …The backdrop to the unusual denouement was a gathering legal storm, threatening to cast a harsh light on [his business practices]. And hovering over it all was a criminal investigation into whether the alleged fraud broke any law … Trump SoHo is one of several instances in which his boastfulness — a hallmark of his career and his campaign — has been accused of crossing the line into fraud.”
— Susan B. Anthony List President Marjorie Dannenfelser called Carly Fiorina “the only choice for vice president” in a piece for The Blaze.
The front page of today’s Boston Herald:
A+ headline work, Herald pic.twitter.com/OoErYTzGeN
— Lauren Dezenski (@LaurenDezenski) April 6, 2016
THE SCOTUS FIGHT:
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) meets with Merrick Garland at her Capitol Hill office. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
— Republican Sen. Susan Collins urged confirmation hearings for Merrick Garland. The Maine senator said she is “more convinced than ever that the process should proceed” after meeting with Obama’s nominee to replace Antonin Scalia. (Mike DeBonis)
— Garland has now met with 14 senators. Besides Collins, he’s sat down with Harry Reid, Pat Leahy, Chuck Schumer, Bob Casey, Amy Klobuchar, Joe Donnelly, Ben Cardin, Mark Kirk, Al Franken, Kristen Gillibrand, Susan Collins, Jeanne Shaheen, John Boozman and Joe Manchin.
Today, Garland will meet with Dick Durbin, Dianne Feinstein and Sheldon Whitehouse.
Tomorrow, he will meet with Heidi Heitkamp, Richard Blumenthal, Sherrod Brown and Chris Coons.
Meetings with five additional Republicans are planned, per White House spokesman Eric Schultz: Garland will have breakfast with Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley, plus sit-downs with Kelly Ayotte, Rob Portman, Lisa Murkowski and Jeff Flake next week.
— The Des Moines Register’s editorial board excoriated Grassley for refusing to hold hearings. The largest paper in his home state says he has “effectively neutered” the Supreme Court and slowed the pace of rulings. “Senator, this seat needs to be filled,” the board wrote, “regardless of whether the presidency and your own seat is up for grabs in November.”
Elena Kagan arrives for Antonin Scalia’s funeral mass in February. (Reuters/Carlos Barria)
— Elena Kagan praised John Roberts for trying to seek consensus and avoid deadlock. “All of us are working hard to reach agreement,” the Obama appointee said during an event at NYU on Monday. “I give great credit to the chief justice, who I think in general is a person who is concerned about consensus building, and I think all the more so now. He’s conveyed that in both his words and his deeds.”
Funny: “Once a nominee is confirmed to replace Justice Scalia, Justice Kagan will be relieved of a task assigned to the junior justice: answering the door when there is a knock during their private conferences,” Adam Liptak writes in the New York Times. “‘Sometimes people forget things,’ she said. ‘Their glasses. Their coffee. They forget their aspirin, which they discover in the middle of conference they really need.’ A member of the court’s staff delivers the missing item and knocks. ‘I have to immediately jump up and get the door,’ she said. ‘And literally, if I don’t jump up to get the door, nobody gets the door.’”
MORE ON THE DEMOCRATIC RACE:
— Sanders struggled to offer details on how he plans to break up the big banks during a cringe-worthy interview with the New York Daily News’ editorial board. (Our Chris Cillizza called it “pretty close to a disaster.”) The transcript set off a wave of criticism from commentators and Clinton allies. His campaign has since released a statement clarifying specifics about how he’d go after Wall Street.
Austan Goolsbee, who led the Council of Economic Advisers during Obama’s first term, criticized Sanders’s lack of detail on how he would break up the banks:
If main policy is break up banks/reg wall st how can you not even know what’s legal or what regulators do. Sanders interview is disturbing
— Austan Goolsbee (@Austan_Goolsbee) April 5, 2016
kudos to NY Daily News for pressing sanders on details of his Wall Street “plan”. wow did he not have details.
— Austan Goolsbee (@Austan_Goolsbee) April 5, 2016
Honestly, how many debates have we had? And it takes NY Daily News Ed board to figure out there is no real answer to a follow up?
— Neera Tanden (@neeratanden) April 5, 2016
There’s also this:
Tomorrow’s front page
Bernie’s Sandy Hook shame – defends gunmakers against Newtown kin suit https://t.co/ZNSpQFQqxM pic.twitter.com/NEQOafWU0A
— New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) April 6, 2016
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) slammed Sanders for this comment on gun manufacturer immunity:
Bernie is a friend, but this is really bad. Dems can’t nominate a candidate who supports gun manufacturer immunity. pic.twitter.com/JEgXQhlnAA
— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) April 5, 2016
Let’s be clear – supporting restoring liability for sellers is not the same thing as restoring liability for gun makers.
— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) April 5, 2016
For Sanders to say that the Sandy Hook families should be barred from court, even if the weapon was negligently made, is wrong.
— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) April 5, 2016
Democrats cannot nominate a candidate who believes that toy gun makers should be held to a higher legal standard than real gun makers.
— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) April 5, 2016
And if this isn’t Sanders’ position – if he supports full return of liability for sellers and makers, then he should clarify immediately.
— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) April 5, 2016
SOCIAL MEDIA SPEED READ:
Sarah Palin accidentally called for “condoning” racism, instead of condemning it!
Fun fact: Cruz’s watch party tonight is at American Serb Hall, where in 1972 Hunter S. Thompson dropped acid and covered George Wallace
— Betsy Woodruff (@woodruffbets) April 5, 2016
Clinton appeared on “The View”:
We got that selfie with @HillaryClinton! @WhoopiGoldberg @candacecbure @JoyVBehar @paulafaris #HillaryOnTheView pic.twitter.com/VDZS6m4ykd
— The View (@TheView) April 5, 2016
Michelle Obama posted this Instagram video with Steph and Ayesha Curry:
Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) asked Jerry Greenfield, the co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s, to offer a Hillary flavor as a balance to the “Bernie Yearning” flavor unveiled in January:
Just pitched Jerry of @BenandJerry’s on a new flavor: The HRC – Herstoric Raspberry Chocolate! cc @HillaryClinton pic.twitter.com/SbJ3KWVyEv
— Barbara Boxer (@BarbaraBoxer) April 5, 2016
Jerry said he’ll use his “best ice cream judgment.” Bernie has a flavor, RT if you agree HRC should have one, too! pic.twitter.com/zXnv44Qxng
— Barbara Boxer (@BarbaraBoxer) April 5, 2016
#Elections2016 pic.twitter.com/8log2Lw9iO
— Hostess Snacks (@Hostess_Snacks) April 5, 2016
This kickstarter campaign wants to bring Trump and Sanders cereal to your breakfast table:
These Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump Cereals Are Your Next Go-To Breakfast Food https://t.co/EjcGJjdhDt pic.twitter.com/GAtxxba2zF
— OBSERVER (@observer) April 5, 2016
Speaking of food, Dale Earnhardt Jr. shared his favorite sandwich:
Making my favorite sandwich. I swear it’s delicious. @Hellmanns pic.twitter.com/sK5XeHxVi9
— Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) April 5, 2016
John Dingell had a characteristically good response:
I’ve had a mayo sandwich too, but it was during the Great Depression. Race over to the store and find peanut butter. https://t.co/yiRwMRJr6Q
— John Dingell (@JohnDingell) April 5, 2016
Sanders supporter Tim Robbins is on defense after saying Clinton winning South Carolina is like “winning Guam”:
No disrespect to voters of SC or Guam. Was making a point about MSM anointing HRC after SC primary. No surprise ABC took it out of context.
— Tim Robbins (@TimRobbins1) April 4, 2016
Beyonce talked to Elle about “Formation” and the police:
Beyonce: “Formation” isn’t anti-police https://t.co/1FvpsOyDG9 pic.twitter.com/pRXcy1rXfk
— Hunter Schwarz (@hunterschwarz) April 5, 2016
GOOD READ FROM ELSEWHERE:
Ted Cruz has his makeup touched up during the taping of an interview with Megyn Kelly on Monday. (AP Photo/Andy Manis)
— In an interview with Variety, Megyn Kelly talked about how she’s “survived Trump,” and the constant onslaught of his attacks since August.
On being attacked by Trump: “I think it raises real First Amendment issues … I’ve seen what’s happened with Michelle Fields and in my own world, there’s another side to this behavior. It poses real risks to the person under attack.”
Are Trump’s attacks different because she’s a woman? “I think the language is very different when he fights with women … One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned in the past 10 months is women have a long way to go.”
On Trump’s “hand size” comments: “I haven’t seen the reaction shot. There was definitely a moment where Bret Baier and I looked to each other and laughed, [like], did that just happen?”
On whether she’s been supported by Fox News: “I have. Fox has been in a tough position … They care about me and they are not afraid of a fight, but we’re in unchartered territory.” But will she remain after the election? “I’ve had a great 12 years here. I really like my show, and I love my team. But you know, there’s a lot of brain damage that comes from the job.”
On the “meanness” of this election cycle: “I think one of the biggest stories coming out of 2016 when the post-mortem is done will be the media–what role they played, how they treated candidates, how they allowed themselves to be treated. We’re going to have to engage in a lot of soul searching about that.”
HOT ON THE LEFT:
“Wisconsin Students Face Hour-Long Voting Lines, Voter ID Confusion,” by ThinkProgress: “While dozens of Wisconsin students stood waiting to vote, the longer wait was for same-day registration, especially important for students who tend to have a new address every year. Students who did not have a Wisconsin driver’s license or passport had to wait in yet another line to acquire a voter ID, since Wisconsin’s law does not accept student IDs. For thousands of out-of-state students who can’t use their driver’s license, the law presents an additional burden…. And not many voters knew about the new voter ID law, [since] the Republican-controlled legislature did not budget any funds for educating residents about requirements.”
HOT ON THE RIGHT:
“Do Reporters Know They’re Giving Money to Sanders and Clinton?” From Politico: “Journalists covering the election may be unknowingly donating to Sanders and Clinton, creating a conflict of interest rarely disclosed by media groups … The donations occur through the 700,000-member Communications Workers of America—the umbrella union for guild journalists … The CWA has been one of Sanders’ biggest contributors throughout his career … And in December, following a vote by its members, the union endorsed the avowed socialist in his contest with Clinton for the presidential nomination.”
DAYBOOK:
On the campaign trail: Here’s the rundown:
Clinton, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh
Sanders: Philadelphia
Trump: Bethpage, N.Y.
Kasich: Marietta, Ohio (State of the State address)
At the White House: President Obama has no public events scheduled.
On Capitol Hill: The Senate meets at 10 a.m. to continue work on the FAA bill. The House is not in session.
QUOTE OF THE DAY:
“Saying I did nothing wrong is a stretch, but saying I’m innocent is correct.” – Defensive end Greg Hardy, who remains unsigned in free agency, denied during an interview with ESPN that he struck his ex-girlfriend when he played for the Carolina Panthers
NEWS YOU CAN USE IF YOU LIVE IN D.C.:
— Bumpy temps continue. The Capital Weather Gang forecasts: “It’s another chilly start, with morning temperatures working their way through the 30s and 40s. But temperatures get a bit of a boost by the afternoon, thanks to mostly to partly sunny skies and breezes increasing to near 15 mph from the south. Highs should reach the upper 50s to near 60.” Showers threaten late tonight and much of tomorrow as well, though there’s a chance that tomorrow’s Nats home opener isn’t a total washout. Friday looks to be the calmest day of the next few, with another blast of cold and some wind for our weekend.
— Residents can breathe a sigh of relief: Metro announced lengthy line closures will NOT be needed to repair the rail system, putting the kibosh on last week’s proposed six-month repair plan. General Manager Paul J. Wiedefeld said damage can be repaired in “less disruptive” ways. (Katherine Shaver and Robert McCartney)
— The D.C. Council voted to keep Sanders on ballots in the District, passing a highly unusual rule after Democratic Party officials incompetently failed to meet a deadline certifying his candidacy. (Aaron C. Davis)
— The Capitals lost to the New York Islanders 4-3.
— The Wizards lost to the L.A. Clippers 109-114.
— A D.C. administrative law judge was charged after assaulting a colleague who reportedly knocked on his office door too many times. (Peter Hermann)
— Maryland’s police accountability bill has hit a stumbling block as lawmakers argue over whether the measure should require that citizens get seats on Baltimore’s police review board. (Ovetta Wiggins)
— The IRS closed its national headquarters for the week after a basement fire forced an evacuation of the building. The agency took pains to stress that this will not affect the processing of tax returns. (Martin Weil)
— The Washington Teacher’s Union is claiming victory after a court reversed the termination of a member. Officials say not so fast. (Perry Stein)
VIDEOS OF THE DAY:
Clinton talked about sexism and the election on The View (she also called Megyn Kelly a “superb journalist” here):
[embedded content]
.@BernieSanders jokes that he “can’t use the word ‘yuge’ anymore.” https://t.co/2Rvthtneyt https://t.co/tkFRFMh3lM
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) April 6, 2016
Check out 12 times Trump’s town hall with Sean Hannity felt like a campaign rally:
Here’s one of the many bizarre sections of Palin’s stump speech for Trump in Wisconsin last weekend:
Watch Larry Hogan break a board that said “partisan gridlock” (click for video):
As anticipated: @LarryHogan does Taekwondo. Breaks boards that said “partisan gridlock.” pic.twitter.com/DA2FEk7P2b
— Erin Cox (@ErinatTheSun) April 5, 2016
Anthony Anderson said his mom blew off meeting Obama to play bingo:
[embedded content]
Jorge Ramos talked about Trump and chastised the mainstream press for not challenging him earlier:
[embedded content]
The actor who plays Chris Darden on “People vs. O.J. Simpson” said “why not” give Simpson parole (he also suggested people should forgive Mark Fuhrman):
[embedded content]
Finally, watch a time-lapse of Earth’s horizon from the International Space Station:
Let’s block ads! (Why?)
Read More
Powered by WPeMatico