Ted Cruz visits the Mars Cheese Castle in Kenosha, Wisconsin, yesterday. (Reuters/Jim Young)
THE BIG IDEA:
— Assuming Ted Cruz wins the Wisconsin primary tonight, expect most of the media coverage to focus on the increasing likelihood of a contested Republican convention.
— Cruz is trying to win a clean sweep of all 42 delegates from the Badger State. Last-minute attack ads against John Kasich are part of an effort to run the table. Delegates are apportioned by congressional districts, and there are one or two (of eight total) where the Texan believes he’s within the margin of error with Trump.
Polls show most of Kasich’s supporters in Wisconsin would pick Cruz over Trump as their second choice. “Kasich’s folks would be inclined to go with Cruz,” says Marquette pollster Charles Franklin. “There’s very little evidence that they’d go over to Trump.”
Kasich wants to win some delegates to show that he’s running a credible campaign. He’s eyeing the district that includes the liberal college town of Madison – which is represented by Democratic Rep. Mark Pocan.
John Kasich signs his autograph yesterday after a town hall at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)
— The Ohio governor has begun to argue that it is “mathematically impossible” for Cruz to win a delegate majority. “He needs 102 percent of the delegates going forward,” Kasich said of Cruz at a short press conference outside Theodore Roosevelt’s old home on Long Island last night.
The 102 percent numbers came from a Wall Street Journal story, with more nuance than Kasich offered. The Journal also said Trump needs to get 66 percent of the remaining bound delegates left to be awarded, which will become a heavier lift after Wisconsin.
“Cruz has been awarded 463 delegates and must take 102 percent of remaining bound delegates to reach 1,237,” Reid Epstein writes in the Journal, “though his campaign believes its total is higher because of private commitments made by unbound delegates and delegates now tied to candidates who have suspended their campaigns.”
— There are other counts that show Cruz could technically still win outright, but it’s hard to imagine anyone pulling away decisively with the race as muddied as it has become:
There are 802 delegates left that cld be bound. Trump is 468 delegates away from having 1237 bound; Cruz is 768 away from having 1237 bound.
— Taniel (@Taniel) April 4, 2016
“The hope of putting Cruz out of outright contention for the first ballot comes in New York, where 95 delegates wait to be assigned, and an average of polls collected by RealClearPolitics puts Trump 32 points ahead of the field,” David Weigel, who is traveling with Kasich, explains. “A result like that would end Cruz’s ability to reach 1,237 in pledged delegates, unless a deal were worked out with a defeated candidate whose delegates are currently adrift.”
— Trump and Cruz each believe they are hurt most by Kasich staying in the race.
Trump thinks the Ohio governor could siphon off enough delegates to prevent him from securing the nomination.
Cruz believes that he can win a two-man race because Trump has a ceiling of support that is somewhere under 50 percent, and polls show most Kasich voters would settle for him over Trump.
Kasich believes that, if he dropped out, Trump would probably get enough delegates in the upcoming Northeastern primaries to clinch the nomination.
— Kasich also thinks that neither of his rivals could win a general election and that anything could happen in a contested convention. (Even if he’s very likely to come into Cleveland having only won his home state of Ohio.) “Cruz is saying ‘he’s taking my voters.’ Trump is saying ‘he’s taking my voters.’ Yeah, they’re right. They’re both right,” Kasich said. “I’m taking both of their voters, because we’re going to continue to do well.”
— After staying out of the fray for months, the Ohioan has shown a new willingness over the past week to hit Trump and Cruz more directly and forcefully. This could make him a much more consequential player during the three months leading up to the convention. Yesterday in New York, for instance, he called Cruz “a smear artist.”
“We have one guy with no experience and the other guy whose experience amounts to shutting down the government and calling the majority leader a liar,” said Kasich. “How do we go to a convention and we pick somebody that can’t beat Hillary?”
WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING:
Kris Jenkins hits the game winning shot in NCAA Men’s Final Four. (Bob Donnan-USA Today Sports)
— A game for the ages: Villanova beat North Carolina in the NCAA title game. Forward Kris Jenkins hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer in the last sixth-tenths of a second, bringing the score to 77-74. “With 4.7 seconds left, an almost equally dramatic, hanging, three-point shot from North Carolina senior Marcus Paige had tied the game at 74-74,” Chuck Culpepper reports from Houston.
Donald Trump greets the crowd after speaking at the Milwaukee Theatre last night. (Photo by Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)
— Trump finally outlined how he would force Mexico to fund his 1,000 mile border wall as president. In a two-page memo written to The Post’s Bob Woodward and Robert Costa, “Trump says he will threaten to cut off the flow of billions of dollars in payments that immigrants send home to Mexico, an idea that could decimate the Mexican economy and set up an unprecedented showdown between the U.S. and a key diplomatic ally … Entitled ‘Compelling Mexico to Pay for the Wall,’ the memo is the latest attempt by Trump to offer more specifics about his proposal at a time when he faces tough head winds. The memo includes rationales for a number of potential intimidation tactics, including increased trade tariffs, the cancellation of visas, and higher fees for border-crossing cards.”
— Trump’s national lead dipped only slightly after a rough week, according to the NBC News/SurveyMonkey tracking poll. While the real estate mogul still leads the Republican field, his national lead dropped by three points, from 48 percent to 45 percent. Cruz is at 28 percent, and Kasich is at 18 percent. Trump also fell four points with voters who identify as conservative, dropping 50 to 46. Cruz, meanwhile, only moved up 2 points from last week. Meanwhile, Clinton continues to lead the Democratic contest nationally by 9 points.
— Maryland’s Democratic Senate primary remains very much up for grabs, with voters sharply divided across racial lines, according to a new Washington Post/University of Maryland poll. Among all likely Democratic primary voters, Donna Edwards leads Chris Van Hollen 44 percent to 40 percent. But likely black voters favor Edwards by a nearly 3-to-1 margin. And more than twice as many white voters support Van Hollen as back Edwards. “While Edwards leads among women, that split has racial underpinnings as well: Van Hollen leads by 23 percentage points among white women, whereas Edwards holds a 51-point lead with black women,” Rachel Weiner and Scott Clement report.
GET SMART FAST:
The U.S. Navy intercepted 1,500 AK-47s, 200 RPG launchers, and 21 .50 caliber machine guns that the Iranians were sending to Yemen. (Reuters/U.S. Navy)
U.S. Naval forces confiscated an Iranian weapons cache, the third seizure in the last two months. Navy officials believe the weapons were in transit to Houthi rebels in Yemen. (Dan Lamothe)
Air France is resuming flights from Paris to Tehran this month. (Sarah Larimer)
The Supreme Court rejected a conservative challenge to “one person, one vote,” unanimously upholding a Texas law that counts all residents, rather than just eligible voters, in legislative districts. A decision the other way would have shifted political power away from urban areas toward more Republican-friendly rural areas. (Robert Barnes)
A White House report warns that deaths from extreme heat, longer allergy seasons and mosquito-transmitted diseases could spike in the coming decades as a result of climate change. (Brady Dennis)
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg rebutted Trump’s hits on the alliance after meeting with President Obama, pointing out that NATO has been a “steadfast U.S. ally in Afghanistan” since September 11. (Karen DeYoung)
At least five federal agencies are weighing whether to withhold funds from North Carolina in response to its newly-passed bill that preempts protections for LBGT individuals. Josh Earnest said the White House has not issued specific guidance, but emphasized that “ensuring Americans are not discriminated against because of who they love … is something Obama feels strongly about.” (Juliet Eilperin)
The Treasury Department took new steps to curb tax-avoiding corporate inversions, issuing aggressive new rules to stop U.S. companies from moving overseas and potentially threatening Pfizer-Allergen’s $160 billion merger. (Renae Merle)
African Americans are routinely under-treated for pain compared to white patients, according to a disturbing new study from the University of Virginia. Researchers quizzed medical students on inaccurate differences about the two races — for example, that blacks have less sensitive nerve endings or that blood coagulates more quickly—and found half thought “at least one” falsity was true. (Sandhya Somashekhar)
A Mississippi landlord evicted a husband and wife after finding out they were an interracial couple. The man returned the couple’s rent money, saying he “doesn’t allow black and white shacking.” (The Clarion Ledger)
SCOTUS granted cert to hear a case of alleged racial bias by a juror, determining (likely in the fall) whether discriminatory comments deprived a man of his right to trial by an impartial jury. (Robert Barnes)
A top official at Duke issued a public apology in an effort to end a sit-in over racial issues, but protesters said they won’t leave a university building until three administrators have been terminated. The executive vice president was accused by a contract employee of hitting her with his car while she was trying to enforce parking restrictions before a football game, and calling her a racial slur. The administrator, who is a white man, denies this but said he could have been more civil to the African American woman. (Susan Svrluga)
Americans for Prosperity, part of the Koch political network, launched a $1 million ad campaign supporting Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.). (Matea Gold)
EMILY’s List is spending $1 million to boost Katie McGinty in this month’s Pennsylvania Democratic primary to take on Pat Toomey. The first spot highlights her life story.
The Kremlin responded angrily to reports that close associates of Russian President Vladimir Putin were involved in secret offshore transactions totaling about $2 billion. “There is nothing concrete,” said a Putin spokesman. (Michael Birnbaum)
A Singapore man pleaded not guilty after being extradited to the U.S. for his role in illegally exporting bomb components that were later found in Iraq. (Spencer S. Hsu)
Violent gun battles in the Republic of Congo forced thousands of residents to flee the capital, as government forces and rebel groups battled over a disputed election. (Reuters)
Kesha said she was offered “freedom” from her binding record contract with Sony if she agreed to publicly recant rape claims against her producer. The pop star responded in a furious Instagram post, saying she would “rather let the truth ruin her career … than lie for a monster.” (Caitlin Gibson)
Disney’s COO, widely seen as heir apparent to Bob Iger, abruptly said he’ll step down next month. Some on the board reportedly did not feel he was up for the CEO job. (Christopher Palmeri)
A technician at Disneyland Paris died inside the theme park’s haunted house, likely due to electrocution. Park officials closed the exhibit until further notice. (BBC)
Five people died in eastern Tennessee after a sightseeing helicopter crashed and burst into flames. (WBIR)
Politico CEO Jim VandeHei is leaving the company “within the next two weeks,” scrapping earlier-announced plans to stay put through November’s presidential election. Three other senior managers are also planning to leave early. (Paul Farhi)
A new map of the clouds is helping scientists predict the locations of animals and plants – including those in remote areas. (New York Times)
MORE ON THE DEMOCRATIC RACE:
— Sanders managed to outraise Clinton for the third consecutive month. Hillary announced she raised $29.5 million in March, compared with Sanders’s $44 million. Bernie continues to get virtually all of his money online. Hillary continues to depend on high-dollar events for her lifeblood. Donors will need to give up to $353,400 to get into an upcoming Clinton fundraiser with actor George Clooney in California, for example. HRC starts April with $29 million in cash on hand for the primary. The Sanders campaign did not disclose its number. (Abby Phillip)
— Clinton and Sanders finally agreed to hold a New York debate on April 14 in Brooklyn after days of posturing. CNN will host the debate. Wolf Blitzer will moderate. (John Wagner)
— Sanders continues to falsely claim he has released his full federal tax returns. “While Sanders rejected Jake Tapper’s assertion that the public has no access to all of Sanders’s tax returns, we have no evidence he has released any other federal income tax return than the Form 1040 from 2014,” Post Fact Checker Michelle Ye Hee Lee writes. “A 1996 article in the Vermont publication ‘Seven Days’ detailed Sanders’s 1995 tax return, when he was mayor of Burlington. Sanders reported $125,843 in total income … The publication’s scathing article notes that Sanders had dismissed the idea of charities in his early days as mayor — and that view was confirmed in his 1995 tax return, which showed Sanders donated just 1 percent of his income ($1,369) to charity.”
— Actor Tim Robbins, stumping for Sanders in Wisconsin, said Clinton’s victory in South Carolina was “as significant as winning Guam” because no Democrat will ever carry the state in a general election. Philip Bump explains why this is a bad argument: “Robbins’s real point — the real frustration of the anti-Clinton left – is, ‘why do these victories have so much significance?’ In other words: Why are these lopsided wins in the South so important, when Clinton and Sanders have played to ties in so many other places?”
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT TODAY’S PRIMARY IN WISCONSIN (Polls close at 8 p.m. CT/9 p.m. ET.):
Sanders sings Woody Guthrie’s This Land Is Your Land during a campaign rally in Milwaukee. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
— The Narrative: Both front-runners are playing defense. “A loss for Trump in particular could reset a Republican contest that has been dominated by his outsider candidacy and outsized media presence,” write Jose A. DelReal, John Wagner and Anne Gearan. “Sanders winning Wisconsin win would give him fresh momentum and credibility for his claim that he can catch Clinton in the delegate count.”
— Trump seems to be fading in Wisconsin, and he’s not generating excitement or drawing big crowds.
An hour before the Trump event starts, Milwaukee Theater is barely half full with no lines outside pic.twitter.com/lsSm6qW6rH
— Betsy Woodruff (@woodruffbets) April 4, 2016
— The Upshot’s Nate Cohn argues that Trump’s struggle in Wisconsin is more the result of demographics than momentum. “All considered, the model-based estimates make Mr. Trump a five-point underdog, with a 40-35 edge for Mr. Cruz,” he writes in today’s Times. “To get a sense of whether Mr. Trump really lost ground after his controversial remarks, the key number to watch is 35 percent: the expected share of the vote for Mr. Trump based on the results so far. If he falls short, he has lost ground because of momentum, not demographics.”
— Local newspapers are urging residents to be prepared for record voter turnout, despite forecasts for rain and snow. The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports the state issued 214,500 early voting ballots as of Friday – more than double the 94,000 ballots issued in 2012.
The higher turnout is expected to benefit Sanders, who continued to add last-minute stops. “If there is a large turnout, we win,” he said at a Monday rally, according to The Capital Times. “If there is a low turnout, we will likely lose.”
— Things are looking good for Sanders in Janesville, Paul Ryan’s hometown, after he hosted a series of last-minute campaign stops there. The Gazette Extra says Sanders has support from voters of all ages in the area. “I know I’m an older white woman. I should be for Hillary,” said former judge Judy Robson, who added “Sanders appeals to me more.”
— “No longer a candidate, Scott Walker’s presence still looms large in both party’s contests,” by John Wagner and Jose A. DelReal: “Walker’s endorsement of Cruz appears to have bolstered his prospects against Trump in the Republican race … Meanwhile, the two Democrat rivals are using Walker as a punching bag, criticizing his anti-union policies and spending priorities. ‘When you want to think about a [Sanders administration], think about Walker in reverse,’ Sanders said. … What’s more surprising is that Trump has repeatedly attacked Walker … ‘People are saying, ‘He shouldn’t be fighting the governor, the governor’s popular,’ said Trump. ‘First of all, he’s not popular … I think I made him unpopular in the state. And the fact is, [he’s] doing very mediocre.’”
— In his closing argument, Sanders hit Clinton pretty hard on labor and trade. “I am not a candidate who goes to the unions, goes to workers, then leaves and goes to a fundraiser on Wall Street,” he said. “I’m glad that she’s going around the country talking about the need for more manufacturing. Well that’s a great idea, but maybe she should have been there 20 or 30 years ago when we started hemorrhaging manufacturing jobs in this country largely because of the disastrous trade policy.” (John Wagner)
— Demonstrating her nervousness about the tightening race in New York, Hillary sharpened her attacks on Bernie’s gun record. She told a group of Empire State legislators that many criminals get their guns from Vermont. Clinton is trying harder than ever to cast Sanders as a gun-loving NRA ally. ( Capital New York)
— Meanwhile, trying to save his wife from getting blown out in Wisconsin, Bill Clinton campaigned in Milwaukee. He spent the final day urging voters to appreciate his wife’s brand of pragmatism. “You’ve got to do the stuff that works,” the 42nd president said. ( Journal Sentinel)
— Clinton manager Robby Mook pre-spins the campaign’s expected Wisconsin loss in a memo that says Hillary still has “a nearly insurmountable lead among both delegates and actual voters.” (Medium)
Clearest sign the campaign thinks they will lose WI: Clinton will not have a campaign event tomorrow night while Wisconsin results come in.
— Dan Merica (@danmericaCNN) April 4, 2016
— Interesting historical context: The Badger State primary has been a very good bellwether since 1972. “No state in the nation can match Wisconsin’s record in backing the eventual Republican and Democratic nominees in the modern primary era,” the University of Minnesota’s Eric Ostermeier writes on his Smart Politics blog. “Wisconsin is one of nine states to back every Republican presidential nominee since 1972 and one of just four states to back all but one on the Democratic side.”
The only instance in which the Wisconsin primary winner did not go on to win the nomination since 1972 was in 1984, when Gary Hart narrowly defeated Walter Mondale in the primary.
“Despite Wisconsin holding its primary during the middle of the calendar in recent decades, it has hosted several meaningful, closely decided contests. Five Democratic winners were victorious by single digits (George McGovern in 1972, Jimmy Carter in 1976, Gary Hart in 1984, Bill Clinton in 1992, John Kerry in 2004) as well as two Republicans (Ronald Reagan in 1980 and Mitt Romney in 2012).”
MORE ON THE REPUBLICAN RACE:
— “Cruz leans on allied super PAC as nomination fight rolls on,” by Matea Gold and Sean Sullivan in Green Bay: “The only inkling that this was not an ‘official’ Cruz event were staffers wearing ‘KTP’ badges. They worked for Keep the Promise, a Cruz-allied super PAC that has effectively served as an extension of Cruz’s official campaign … Cruz has appeared at nearly 20 KTP-organized rallies as a ‘special guest,’ in an arrangement that takes advantage of federal rules governing how campaigns and PACs interact. KTP’s move into event production shows how super PACs allied with 2016’s presidential candidates have expanded portfolios beyond television campaigns. The big-money groups, which are not allowed to coordinate paid strategies with candidates, have taken on policy research and field organizing, seeking new ways to bolster their favored candidates.”
— This could be fatal in a general –> Madison Capital Times, “Cruz in Wisconsin: Roe v. Wade not settled, ban abortion with no exceptions,” by Jessie Opoien: “Cruz took questions from Fox News host Megyn Kelly and audience members at a town hall event Monday … Early in the event, a woman who described herself as a moderate, pro-choice Republican told Cruz she’s afraid if he becomes president he will outlaw abortion entirely. Cruz said he wants to see people’s hearts and minds changed on the issue. He argued laws should be changed at the state level, not through judicial decisions. He also said he believes the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision is not settled law, calling it an example of judicial activism. Kelly then noted that Cruz doesn’t favor exceptions to allow abortion in cases of rape or incest.”
Full quote from Cruz: “When it comes to rape, rape is a horrific crime against the humanity of a person, and needs to be punished and punished severely. But at the same time, as horrible as that crime is, I don’t believe it’s the child’s fault. And we weep at the crime, we want to do everything we can to prevent the crime on the front end, and to punish the criminal, but I don’t believe it makes sense to blame the child.”
— “The GOP’s (other) convention nightmare,” by Politico’s Alex Isenstadt: “Republicans, already girding for their most tumultuous convention in decades, now have another fight brewing: a divisive battle over gay marriage on the party’s official national platform. … Both sides are mobilizing in anticipation of a bitter clash over whether the party should embrace a more moderate approach against same-sex marriage or maintain a hard line against it. Some of the GOP’s biggest financiers are helping bankroll the American Unity Fund, who launched a behind-the-scenes effort to [promote same-sex marriage among convention delegates], asking them to adopt language supporting it. Social conservatives, alarmed at what they view as an effort to topple a central tenet of their movement, are also gearing up. Last week, Family Research Council president Tony Perkins secured one of Louisiana’s slots on the platform committee. Perkins is expected to take the lead in litigating efforts to change the party’s position. ‘We’re prepared for the fight,’ said Ed Martin, president of a leading evangelical group. ‘It’s hand-to-hand combat.’”
— Trump met privately with leaders from nearly a dozen interest groups during his trip to D.C. last Thursday. “Former lobbyist and Bush staffer Nicholas E. Calio was in attendance, [who] is now the president and chief executive of Airlines for America, a large trade group,” the New York Times reports. “There was also Juanita Duggan, the president and chief executive of the National Federation of Independent Business, who served in the first Bush and Reagan administrations … Hope Hicks, a spokeswoman for Mr. Trump, said that the candidate’s adviser, Senator Jeff Sessions, had arranged a meeting with people for whom he has ‘great respect.’”
— Trump has assembled a privately funded security and intelligence force with a far wider reach than other campaigns’ private security operations: tracking and rooting out protesters, patrolling campaign events and supplementing Secret Service protection, Politico reports. From Kenneth P. Vogel and Brianna Gurciullo: “Dozens of activists marched into a Janesville hotel, demanding a Trump event set for the following day be cancelled. Within minutes, members of Trump’s advance security team were in the lobby, circling the room and filming protestors. As they chanted ‘build communities, not walls,’ former FBI agent Don Albracht ripped a sign out of one protester’s hands, jutting his phone within inches of her face … The Janesville fracas is only one example of aggressive tactics Trump’s security has been using to tamp down protests.”
WAPO HIGHLIGHTS:
Chuck Grassley hosts a town hall meeting last week in Ocheyedan, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
— “Chuck Grassley sticks to Republican script on Supreme Court nomination,” by Kelsey Snell in Rock Rapids, Iowa: “Despite massive pressure from Democrats, the Judiciary Committee chairman is sticking steadfastly to his vow not to hold hearings or a confirmation vote on Garland before November’s elections. … For Grassley, 82, the political calculus is pretty simple … Conservatives have posed a problem for Grassley in the past. Six years ago, when he was last up for reelection, he faced an uprising from the right for trying to craft a bipartisan health-care plan with then-Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.). Grassley abandoned those plans in summer 2009 and is not keen on facing another conservative insurrection in 2016. ‘I’m not surprised with the pressure I’m getting now. But it’s a lot more fun to have it come from the Democrats than it is from Republicans,’ Grassley said Tuesday as he headed for his car at the end of one of nine meetings with Iowa voters in two days.”
Right-leaning groups are backing up the senator more than left-leaning groups are attacking him: The anti-abortion rights group Susan B. Anthony List is buying television and radio ads and the Judicial Crisis Network has spent over $750,000. … On the other side, liberal group Justice Not Politics, led by a group of female Iowa politicians, intends to spend about $100,000 on ads that urge voters to call Grassley and demand he hold hearings.
Columbine killer Dylan Klebold (AP Photo/HO)
— Be vigilant and careful –> “The strange seasonality of violence,” by Michael S. Rosenwald: “Mass-murder researchers and terrorism experts do not like turning their calendars to April. For them, it marks the beginning of what one calls ‘the killing season.’” April is the month of the Oklahoma City bombing, the Boston Marathon bombing, the shootings at Columbine and Virginia Tech in 2007, as well as Waco’s attack and a stabbing in Pennsylvania. But why would April, with cheerful tulips and spring sunshine, trigger so much extreme violence?”
Some say warm temperatures could actually be a contributing factor, “stirring action” among the depressed and socially isolated. “You have these people coming out of hibernation with anger peaked and ready to go,” said Professor Adam Lankford, adding that rage may build [by seeing] people out in groups. “That highlights discrepancies between socially healthy individuals and those who aren’t.”
Another factor is the desire to pay “homage” to other violent anniversaries: On April 19, 1992, the FBI stormed a compound to capture the Branch Davidians sect leader, [killing] 76 people … And two years later, Timothy McVeigh blew up a federal building in Oklahoma City on the same day. “Terrorists consider dates to be very important and symbolic,” said Lankford. “The more attention you bring to a certain date, the more it can snowball. Columbine shooters Harris and Klebold plotted their attack for April 19, saying they wanted to carry out an attack ‘bigger than Oklahoma City.’”
SOCIAL MEDIA SPEED READ:
Check out Nationals MVP Bryce Harper’s hat:
Bryce Harper for President pic.twitter.com/KVUZqmFjax (via @misterschafer)
— Dan Steinberg (@dcsportsbog) April 5, 2016
Trump promoted this photo op from Wisconsin:
Ted Cruz put his foot down (he ducked when his daughter tried to put a cheesehead on him):
Citing Dukakis, @tedcruz declines cheesehead hat. Aren’t you a courageous conservative? Says “Not that courageous.” pic.twitter.com/Zwu4XmDSLU
— Todd J. Gillman (@toddgillman) April 4, 2016
That didn’t stop Scott Walker from picking up some cheese curds while campaigning with Cruz:
Ted Cruz, leaving a gelato shop after a cheese store in Wisconsin, agrees with reporter when asked that: “We need to arm the cheese Kurds.”
— Teddy Schleifer (@teddyschleifer) April 4, 2016
In anticipation of dueling Milwaukee events tonight, #BernForceOne once again touches down next to #TrumpForceOne. pic.twitter.com/tsQWRLdBhP
— Danny Freeman (@DannyEFreeman) April 4, 2016
Flight attendants from Bernie Sanders’s chartered jet are snapping photos of Donald Trump’s plane, which is parked nearby in Milwaukee.
— John Wagner (@WPJohnWagner) April 4, 2016
Sanders is getting murals in Williamsburg, N.Y.:
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand campaigned with Clinton upstate:
John Lewis and other lawmakers paid tribute to Martin Luther King Jr.:
48 yrs ago today, my friend, my brother, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot and killed in Memphis, TN. The light of his life still shines.
— John Lewis (@repjohnlewis) April 4, 2016
We’re getting close to the premiere of HBO’s film about the Clarence Thomas confirmation hearings:
The countdown is on. #Confirmation airs in 12 days on @HBO. https://t.co/60RLTo9gqX pic.twitter.com/e2VnbJvPC3
— kerry washington (@kerrywashington) April 4, 2016
Here’s a shot of Paul Ryan in Israel:
tfw you’re visiting Israel and low key runnin’ for prez. pic.twitter.com/mxDd16DFKv
— Matt Fuller (@MEPFuller) April 4, 2016
Ryan’s spokeswoman said the buzz about him emerging from Cleveland as the nominee is “dumb.” (She’s right. It’s wishful thinking from the GOP establishment and has little basis in reality…)
Guys – 2016 has already been silly enough. This talk is dumb. Let’s move on.
— AshLee Strong (@AshLeeStrong) April 4, 2016
Cory Booker hung out with Ellen DeGeneres over the weekend:
Hackers with Anonymous are targeting Trump:
Anonymous forces Trump websites offline for hours: https://t.co/B2a7Q73De1 pic.twitter.com/FhoYkRslLb
— The Hill (@thehill) April 4, 2016
Scott Baio, ie. Chachi on “Happy Days,” is trying to rally fellow Trump supporters:
Check out this! @realDonaldTrump I’ve started the “give the Trump name” #TrumpMovement pic.twitter.com/7cGSgCSaTH
— Scott Baio (@ScottBaio) April 4, 2016
Monday was apparently #NationalHugANewsPersonDay. Here’s how one D.C. editor responded:
#NationalHugANewsPersonDay is trending. I am not leaving the office.
— Ryan Teague Beckwith (@ryanbeckwith) April 4, 2016
Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) will have a third grandchild come fall:
Franni and I are overjoyed to welcome our third grandchild this fall—a girl. https://t.co/QafgXQUM1z pic.twitter.com/ImCqDJHQZy
— Sen. Al Franken (@SenFranken) April 4, 2016
Oops, that’s not Maryland:
Dear @Walmart I want to inform you that you’re selling UMD shirts with the state of Massachusetts on them. pic.twitter.com/RjzK4CdOHH
— Samantha Ficco (@Samficco) March 30, 2016
Walmart said it will pull the t-shirts from stores:
Update: Walmart apologizes for Maryland T-shirts featuring the Massachusetts outline, will pull them from stores https://t.co/xNe5HNHCwv
— Scott Allen (@ScottSAllen) April 4, 2016
HOT ON THE LEFT
“Mexican Flag Atop Trump Tower in Vancouver Should Get The Donald’s Attention,” from Huff Post: “The Donald definitely didn’t approve a Mexican flag that flew briefly from the top of his Trump hotel and tower project in Vancouver. Diego Saul Reyna, a steel framer, hung the flag from the top floor of the project which is under construction, to show Trump how vital Mexican workers are to his business … ‘From the concrete pouring, finishing, drywall, taping, wood forming and general labor, Mexicans were there, building it,’ Reyna said. ‘The comments Trump has made about us, did not stop us from doing the high quality work we have always done, in our home country or when we migrate to North America. ‘The flag was a reminder that in Canada we are united and Mexicans are not criminals,’ he said. ‘We are bringing positive things into society.’”
HOT ON THE RIGHT
“Student accused of violating university ‘safe space’ by raising her hand,” from The Telegraph: “A university student was threatened with being thrown out of a meeting after being accused of violating ‘safe space’ rules – by raising her hand. Imogen Wilson, 22, was subject to a ‘safe space complaint’ over her supposedly ‘inappropriate hand gestures’ during a student council meeting. Wilson spoke out against safe space rules becoming ‘a tool for the hard left to use when they disagree with people’ … According to association rules, student council meetings should be held in a ‘safe space environment,’ defined as ‘a space which is welcoming and safe and includes the prohibition of discriminatory language and actions.’ This includes ‘refraining from hand gestures which denote disagreement.’
DAYBOOK:
On the campaign trail: Here’s the rundown:
Clinton: Brooklyn, N.Y.
Sanders: Laramie, Wyo.
Cruz: Milwaukee, Wis.
At the White House: President Obama meets with Secretary of Defense Ash Carter, then the Combatant Commanders and Joint Chiefs of Staff. Later, Obama holds a dinner for the group. Vice President Biden is in Pittsburgh midday delivering remarks for the It’s On Us Week of Action against sexual assault.
On Capitol Hill: The Senate meets at 10 a.m. for work on the FAA reauthorization. The House is not in session.
NEWS YOU CAN USE IF YOU LIVE IN D.C.:
— “After one of the top five warmest Marches on record, April is throwing back at us the nasty cold and wind.” The Capital Weather Gang forecasts: “Northern and western suburbs wake up to freezing or sub-freezing temperatures this morning. Irritating winds make for an unpleasant commute with wind chills in the teens and 20s, lifting into the 30s by midday. Afternoon actual temperatures manage to reach highs in the middle to upper 50s, thanks to full sunshine. Winds [will] slowly slow down by late afternoon.”
— Sadly, the rest of this week’s forecast doesn’t look much better: Freezing temperatures are likely during the next several nights, followed by the possibility of SNOWFLAKES this Saturday. This is mid-winter type cold, so find your hats, gloves and heavy coats.
Jayson Werth slides into A.J. Pierzynski to score the tying run in the ninth inning against Atlanta. (Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post)
— The Nationals won their season opener, beating the Braves 4-3 in 10 innings. (Chelsea Janes’ spot story; Tom Boswell’s column)
Braves fans booed Bryce Harper as he walked to the plate for his first at-bat, and he homered, hands at his side as he rounded the bases. Harper has hit four Opening Day home runs by age 23. The major league record, for those of all ages, is eight. (Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post)
— D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser’s appointee as CEO of St. Elizabeth’s Hospital has resigned just one month after getting the job amid questions over his qualifications, including a brief stint leading a hospital later deemed unsafe by federal authorities. (Fenit Nirappil)
— D.C. council members are introducing a “tampon tax bill” that would exempt feminine hygiene products from sales taxes, seeking to end what activists say is an “unfair tax” on women. (Aaron C. Davis)
— Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) vetoed a bill that would allow parents to block children from reading books containing certain “explicit” material at school, calling the proposal “unnecessary.” “School boards are best positioned to ensure that students are exposed to those appropriate literary and artistic works that will expand students’ horizon,” he said. (Jenna Portnoy)
— A wounded man was found inside the Bureau of Labor Statistics, prompting investigations as to how he got inside the building. The man, who was not identified, was taken to a hospital for treatment. (Victoria St. Martin)
— Professors at American University sparked controversy by ruling that an “All Lives Matter” flier on campus was a “statement of intolerance.” (Susan Svrluga)
VIDEOS OF THE DAY:
The Washington Free Beacon knocks Sean Hannity for the softballs he lobs at Trump:
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Melania Trump introduced The Donald at his event in Milwaukee last night, speaking for just one minute and reading off a script:
The GOP released a video explaining how the convention will work:
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Funny or Die released a satirical ad for Bernie Sanders, directed by David Lynch. Watch here.
Mark Ruffalo recorded a 4-minute video explaining why he supports Bernie. “Sanders comes to us in a moment of crisis of credibility in the American political system,” the “Spotlight” star says to camera. “People feel like they have given up on the system, and that is exactly what the bad guys want us to do.” He dialogues with documentary filmmaker Matthew Cooke.
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Bernie is on TV with a 60-second spot featuring Diplo’s “Revolution”:
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John Oliver mocked Trump over his statements about nuclear weapons:
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Watch Robert Kennedy announce Dr. King’s assassination on April 4, 1968:
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