Victoria Jones created and edits Quick Morning News. She is chief White House correspondent with Washington DC-based Talk Media News, where her insight and analysis are made available to over 400 news talk radio stations around the country and internationally.
• Donald Trump on Tuesday crushed Ted Cruz in Indiana, ejecting the Texas senator from the race, and declaring from Trump Tower in NYC that he will lead the GOP to victory in November. “We’re going to win in November,” a triumphant Trump announced from his campaign headquarters (couldn’t even show Indiana respect by announcing from the state that gave him victory)
• “Ted Cruz – I don’t know if he likes me or he doesn’t like me – but he is one hell of a competitor,” Trump said of his last fierce competitor whom he had dubbed “Lyin’ Ted,” in a fairly low key victory speech (why would it matter whether Cruz likes him? oops forgot – utter narcissist?)
• But evidence of division was everywhere among establishment Republicans as they digested the reality of Trump leading the party. Some conservative leaders were planning a meeting today to assess the viability of launching a third party candidacy to compete with him in the fall (ultimately gonna fail)
• The Republican establishment had many, many chances over many, many months to take Trump on and bring the bully down before he became unbeatable. But they were afraid of his big mouth. They were frightened of being attacked publicly on TV and on Twitter. Words. They were afraid of his words. That’s all. A bully’s taunts won him the nomination. Lame
• Gov John Kasich (R-Ohio) is now the only other Republican left in the race. But Kasich has won just one primary – his home state – and trails Trump by nearly 900 delegates. Kasich pledged to stay in, with his campaign manager saying the governor would continue to “offer the voters a clear choice for our country.” (this is becoming a sad joke now)
• No candidate since the dawn of modern polling has entered the general election with the sort of toxic image Trump has in the eyes of large groups of voters. Probably facing the country’s first female major-party nominee, Trump has disapproval ratings as high as 70% among women – the majority of voters
• With 98% of precincts reporting, Trump led with 53.3%, compared to 36.6% for Cruz and 7.6% for Kasich. With the victory, Trump now has at least 1,047 delegates. Cruz exits the race with 565, while Kasich has 152. Trump needs 1,237 to clinch the nomination
• On Tuesday, Sen Ted Cruz (R-Texas) ended his campaign for the GOP presidential nomination, his loss in Indiana extinguishing any chance of denying Donald Trump the nomination. “Together we left it all on the field in Indiana,” Cruz told supporters in Indianapolis as cries of “Nooo!” rained from the crowd (how long until he endorses Trump?)
• “From the beginning I’ve said that I would continue on as long as there was a viable path to victory,” Cruz said with his wife Heidi at his side. “Tonight I’m sorry to say it appears that path has been foreclosed. With a heavy heart but with boundless optimism for the long-term future of our nation, we are suspending our campaign.” He didn’t even mention Trump (gagging, probably)
• Campaign manager Jeff Roe stood alone in the back of the room, watching Cruz speak. Other workers stared at their phones. Some staffers had flown up from Houston last-minute on Tuesday. “You’re a great man, Ted,” one man in the audience shouted. One man appeared to wipe tears from his eyes after the speech and audience members across the room embraced
• Cruz had already been mathematically eliminated from clinching the delegate majority but hoped to force a contested national convention. Had he succeeded in his quest, Cruz would have been the first U.S. president of Hispanic descent, although he often downplayed his heritage on the campaign trail
• Cruz argued he was the only true conservative in the race, building on his reputation in the Senate where he clashed both with Democrats and members of his own party. But he ultimately couldn’t compete with Trump’s appeal among white, working class voters who were drawn to the billionaire’s outlandish approach to politics (Cruz was also sour – Trump no picnic)
Sanders Upsets Clinton in Indiana(Politico, AP, me)
• Bernie Sanders upset Hillary Clinton in Indiana’s Democratic primary Tuesday night, giving his campaign another reason to carry on to Philadelphia even though he has little chance of overtaking Clinton for the nomination. With 98% of precincts reporting, Sanders leads 52.5% to 47.5%
• “I know the Clinton campaign thinks this campaign is over. They’re wrong,” Sanders told AP after his win. “Maybe it’s over for the insiders and the party establishment but the voters today in Indiana had a different idea.” (Clinton campaign is getting really irritated that Sanders won’t drop out and start “uniting the party” – they think he’s doing damage)
• Sanders predicted he would achieve “more victories in the weeks to come” in West Virginia, Kentucky, Oregon and California. The Vermont senator acknowledged that he faced an “uphill climb” to the Democratic nomination but said he was “in this campaign to win and we are going to fight until the last vote is cast” (Trump is loving this)
• “I’m really focused on moving into the general election,” Clinton told MSNBC ahead of the results. “And I think that’s where we have to be, because we’re going to have a tough campaign against a candidate who will literally say or do anything. And we’re going to take him on at every turn on what’s really important to the people of our country.”
• Sanders said he had no intention to drop out of the race. “They [Republicans] will go into areas that I have chosen not to go into. They will be talking about emails. They will be talking about the Clinton foundation.” (Trump is already mentioning Sanders quotations that he plans to use in ads against Clinton- Clinton is salivation over Trump quotations)
• Only slightly more than half of Democrats voting Tuesday called Clinton honest and trustworthy, according to early exit polls. Clinton lost blue collar white voters by 30 points in Indiana. And 73% of self-identified independents backed Sanders – in fact, she has a problem nationally with independents, who back Sanders over her (NYT, me)
• Sen Ted Cruz (R-Texas) erupted and exploded on Donald Trump Tuesday after Trump said Cruz’s father Rafael had associated with Lee Harvey Oswald not long before the assassination of John F. Kennedy, citing a National Enquirer story. Trump is a “pathological liar,” an “utterly amoral” man and a “narcissist at a level I don’t think this country has ever seen,” Cruz told reporters
• “Heidi isn’t pretty enough for him. … Donald is a bully. …Bullies don’t come from strength, they come from weakness. … There’s a reason Donald builds giant buildings and puts his name on them everywhere he goes.” (naughty parts size? – this all happened earlier in the day – a last, dying gasp before Cruz lost Indiana and joined the ranks of beached GOP 2016 failures)
• “Donald Trump is a serial philanderer and he boasts about it,” Cruz said. “I want everyone to think about your teenage kids. The president of the U.S. talks about how great it is to commit adultery. How proud he is, describes his battle with venereal disease as his own personal Vietnam.” (no – said he didn’t get VD, actually, when on the Howard Stern Show)
• “I should go ahead and admit that, yes, my dad killed JFK. He is secretly Elvis, and Jimmy Hoffa’s buried in his backyard,” Cruz told reporters. “This is not a reasonable position; this is just kooky.” Cruz pointed out that Trump is friendly with the Enquirer’s CEO, David Pecker, and said he “has used” the mag “to go after my family.” (Rafael Cruz has had a pass – said some nuts stuff)
Trump’s Conspiracy Rant
• “His father was with Lee Harvey Oswald prior to Oswald’s being – you know, shot. I mean, the whole thing is ridiculous,” Trump said earlier on Fox News, citing an Enquirer story. “What is this, prior to his being shot, and nobody even brings it up. They don’t even talk about that. That was reported, and nobody talks about it.” I mean, what was he doing?” (reported ie in a tabloid lol)
• Trump’s tangent followed his rebuke of Rafael Cruz using the pulpit to court evangelicals for his son. “I implore, I exhort every member of the body of Christ to vote according to the word of God … and I am convinced that man is my son, Ted Cruz. The alternative could be the destruction of America,” Rafael Cruz had said (word of God? Raf is pretty out there that Ted’s anointed)
• Trump said, “I think it’s a disgrace that he’s allowed to do it. I think it’s a disgrace that he’s allowed to say it.” (um First Amendment? – ah – that’s gonna be gone under Trump…) “You look at so many of the ministers that are backing me, and they’re backing me more so than they’re backing Cruz.” (apparently true)
• In a statement made after Cruz’s diatribe, Trump said: “Over the last week, I have watched Lyin’ Ted become more and more unhinged as he is unable to react under the pressure and stress of losing, in all cases by landslides, the last six primary elections.” Rafael Cruz called Trump’s claims “ludicrous.” (well, he would, wouldn’t he, either way)
• Asked if he could still support Trump as the GOP nominee, Ted Cruz declined to answer… (off the pot, Teddie, it’s time now)
• Gov Rick Snyder (R-Mich) will greet President Obama on the tarmac in Flint today. Snyder will participate in a briefing with Obama and federal officials about the water contamination crisis. The governor will stress “the need for additional and ongoing federal support to address the initial failure at all levels of govt.” (ie he wants cash and is under pressure)
• Snyder initially appeared to brush off a meeting with Obama. “I’ve got a pretty full schedule next week,” he told the Detroit News. But Monday, he said he hoped to sit down with the president and Flint Mayor Karen Weaver (D) – who will also meet with Obama. “I guess his schedule got a little freed up, huh?” WH spox Just Earnest snarked Tuesday
• Flint is struggling to update its water infrastructure after widespread lead contamination sickened residents and made the water unusable. Lead leached from old untreated pipes after the city began using Flint River water while under state management (ie Snyder) in 2014. The city has switched back – but the problem isn’t solved
• Obama will receive a briefing from federal officials at the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan in Flint, hold a roundtable discussion and deliver a speech to Flint residents at Northwestern High School. Earnest indicated Obama won’t announce any major new federal assistance but would highlight what his admin is already doing to help
• Asked by a reporter to comment on allegations that Flint was ignored because it’s a poorer, primarily black community, Earnest said, “I think the fact that something like this happened in a community that is so economically disadvantaged is something that troubles the president.” (wouldn’t be surprised if Obama is pretty outspoken today)
• President Obama is poised to declare the first-ever national monument recognizing the struggle for gay rights, an area in Greenwich Village, NYC, as soon as next month, which commemorates gay pride. Federal officials will hold a listening session on 9 May to solicit feedback on the proposal (WaPo)
• ISIS militants killed a Navy SEAL in northern Iraq Tuesday after blasting through Kurdish defenses and overrunning a town in the biggest offensive in the area for months, officials said. He was the third American to be killed in direct combat since a U.S.-led coalition launched a campaign in 2014 to “degrade and destroy” ISIS. SecDef Ash Carter called it a “combat death.”
• The SEAL was identified as Charlie Keating IV, a former Phoenix high school star distance runner and the grandson of the late Arizona financier involved in the 1980s savings and loan scandal. Gov Doug Ducey (R) ordered all state flags be lowered to half-staff from sunrise to sunset today. Keating was planning to be married in November, and was close to his grandfather
• ISIS insurgents occupied the town of Tel Asqof at dawn Tuesday but were driven out later in the day by the Kurdish peshmerga. A U.S. military official said the coalition had helped the peshmerga by conducting more than 20 air strikes. The official said Keating was killed “by direct fire” while on a mission to advise and assist local forces in Iraq
• In mid-April the U.S. announced plans to send an additional 200 troops to Iraq, and put them closer to the front lines of battle to advise Iraqi forces in the war against ISIS. (creep creep creep) The militants have been broadly retreating since December, when the Iraqi army recaptured Ramadi. Last month, the Iraqi army retook the nearby region of Hit
• But U.S. officials acknowledge that military gains against ISIS aren’t enough. Iraq is beset by political infighting, corruption, a growing fiscal crisis and the Shi’ite Muslim-led govt’s fitful efforts to seek reconciliation with aggrieved minority Sunnis, the bedrock of ISIS support (so that’s all good, then)
Larry Wilmore Responds: “Ni**a” (Daily Beast, NPR, me)
• Why close with that – calling President Obama “my ni**a?” at the WH Correspondents Dinner on Saturday night? Wilmore: “It was a creative choice, definitely. … Part of it, and I’ll be honest with you, I’m offended every time the president has been insulted in so many ways. And to me it goes back to years and years of what we’ve faced in this country.”
• “…When I think about that particular word and how it’s been used against our people, for me to be able to turn it on its head and have almost a private moment with the president on stage, kind of like a public solitude, where he knew what I was talking about.” – – –
• ” – – -Usually that’s something we only do behind closed doors. But to do it in public, I thought, would be a strong way to end. And I knew it would be controversial and I was ready to accept the fallout from it. …That embrace [Obama’s] at the end was so nice, it just felt so genuine. He was nothing but classy the whole time, and the First Lady.”
• “I’ve been called that word in my lifetime – the ‘er’ version – and I made a distinction between the use of ‘ni**er’ against us and the use of ‘ni**a’ that we’ve used on each other. On Monday night, I said we conjugate the slur. … The one is ‘er’ is unmistakable – it’s an attempt by white people to dehumanize and denigrate and demean black people, to make them less than human.”
• How the routine went? “It was very surreal … I could feel the resistance in the room almost immediately. I kind of realized early on that the tone of what I was doing did not match the room. But then I also realized there’s not much I can do about it now, because this is what I’ve prepared.” (the reviews will be rewritten in a few years to say he was brilliant; he was)
