General
Satellite images may show reprocessing activity at North Korea nuclear site: U.S. researchers
David Brunnstrom, Reuters
Satellite images from last week show movement at North Korea’s main nuclear site that could be associated with the reprocessing of radioactive material into bomb fuel, a U.S. think tank said on Tuesday. Any new reprocessing activity would underscore the failure of a second summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Hanoi in late February to make progress toward North Korea’s denuclearization.
TSA Agents Say They’re Not Discriminating Against Black Women, But Their Body Scanners Might Be
Brenda Medina and Thomas Frank, ProPublica
Dorian Wanzer travels frequently for work. And almost every time she steps out of an airport body scanner, security screeners pull her aside and run their fingers through her hair.
SEC’s Lone Democratic Member Expected to Step Down in Fall
Dave Michaels, The Wall Street Journal
The only Democratic member of the Securities and Exchange Commission is expected to leave government later this year, paving the way for a more conservative tilt on some regulatory decisions. Robert Jackson Jr. is expected to join New York University Law School for the fall semester, according to a university spokesman and an email from the institution’s dean, Trevor Morrison.
Modern Monetary Theory, explained
Dylan Matthews, Vox
Modern Monetary Theory is having a moment. The theory, in brief, argues that countries that issue their own currencies can never “run out of money” the way people or businesses can.
White House & Administration
As Mueller report release nears, White House prepares robust response
Katherine Faulders, ABC News
While President Donald Trump and the White House are uncertain about what exactly will be revealed in special counsel Robert Mueller’s report when Attorney General William Barr clears its release to the public on Thursday, sources say they are preparing an aggressive response. Sources say the initial response will look much as it did when Mueller first transmitted the report to Barr late last month, which was expressing relief over Barr’s general conclusions.
Trump moves to resist House inquiries, setting up fight over congressional subpoena powers
Tom Hamburger et al., The Washington Post
President Trump’s attorneys and the White House are moving to resist a growing number of congressional requests for information, increasing the likelihood of a protracted legal fight that could test the power of congressional subpoenas. The building battle will shape how much material House Democrats will be able to obtain about Trump’s policies and personal finances through multiple investigations launched by various congressional committees.
White House Rebuffs Lawmaker Demand on Decision to Oppose AT&T Deal
Ben Brody and Billy House, Bloomberg
The White House is refusing requests from two key House Democrats to produce records related to concerns about potential political interference by President Donald Trump in the government’s decision to sue to block AT&T Inc.’s $85 billion acquisition of Time Warner. The refusal is the latest escalation in tensions between Trump’s administration, which unsuccessfully opposed the combination, and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler over the disclosure of information to Congress.
US to allow lawsuits over properties seized by Castro’s Cuba
Deb Riechmann and Michael Weissenstein, The Associated Press
Stepping up pressure on Cuba, the Trump administration will allow lawsuits against foreign companies doing business in properties seized from Americans after the island’s 1959 revolution, a senior administration official said. The move marks a change in more than two decades of U.S. policy on Cuba.
Trump Stirs Alarm That He May Be Giving China a New Trade Weapon
Shawn Donnan and Jenny Leonard, Bloombreg
High on the list of President Donald Trump’s priorities as he tries to close a trade deal with counterpart Xi Jinping is making sure China faces consequences if it doesn’t live up to its promises. Yet in pursuing that goal Trump may also be giving China a new cudgel to use on American companies and striking another blow to the international rule of law.
New Whistleblower Protection Office Is Under Investigation for Retaliating Against Whistleblowers
Eric Katz, Government Executive
The Veterans Affairs Department’s watchdog is investigating a new office created by President Trump early in his administration that was designed to protect whistleblowers from reprisal but is now facing allegations of aiding retaliation against them. VA’s Office of Inspector General is leading the investigation from its new Office of Special Reviews, which the IG created to conduct “prompt reviews of significant events” and examine allegations of senior VA employee misconduct, an IG spokesman said.
U.S. open to new path towards removing Sudan from terrorism list – official
Patrick Werr, Reuters
The United States will consider new ways to remove Sudan from its list of state sponsors of terrorism if it sees a fundamental change in its government and a commitment not to support terrorism, a State Department official said. The U.S. government added Sudan to its list of terrorism in 1993 over allegations that then-President Omar al-Bashir’s government was supporting terrorism.
Senate
GOP senators double down on demand for Clinton email probe documents
Jordain Carney, The Hill
A trio of top Republican senators are doubling down on their demand for the Justice Department to hand over information on the handling of the probe into Hillary Clinton’s private email server. Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) — the chairmen of the Judiciary, Homeland Security and Finance committees, respectively — sent a letter Tuesday to Attorney General William Barr arguing that now that special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe has wrapped up, the department should hand over the requested documents.
House
Democrats could subpoena Mueller report redactions as soon as Friday
Karoun Demirjian, The Washington Post
The House Judiciary Committee is expected to subpoena the Justice Department for special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s complete report as soon as Friday, according to a spokesman, as Democrats prepare to fight the Trump administration for access to the attorney general’s anticipated redactions. Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) has refrained from issuing subpoenas for the report and the testimony of individuals questioned during Mueller’s investigation — including former White House counsel Donald McGahn and former White House communications director Hope Hicks — until Attorney General William P. Barr releases the report Thursday.
GOP congressman warns fellow Republicans: Be careful messing with Ocasio-Cortez
Lesley Clark, McClatchy DC
A Kentucky Republican congressman is warning his colleagues that if they mess with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, they could be inviting trouble. “A lot of Republicans are making a mistake picking on her,” said Rep. James Comer.
For Democrats, Ilhan Omar Is a Complicated Figure to Defend
Sheryl Gay Stolberg, The New York Times
When President Trump tweeted an edited video portraying Representative Ilhan Omar as playing down the 9/11 attacks, it took less than three hours for Senator Bernie Sanders to rush to her defense and declare her “a leader with strength and courage.” But when a Fox News anchor described Mr. Sanders on Monday night as “a staunch supporter” of Ms. Omar, the senator balked.
2020
Seth Moulton tapes 2020 launch video
Mike Allen, Axios
Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) was spotted in his hometown of Marblehead, Mass., taping for a presidential announcement that’s expected within a week, according to a source close to Moulton. The big picture: Moulton’s key issues will be foreign policy, national security and defense.
Biden, at Hollings Funeral, Talks About How ‘People Can Change’
Jonathan Martin, The New York Times
Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. on Tuesday remembered Ernest F. Hollings as “a giant in this state and nation” who evolved to “write the great story of our times.” Speaking at the funeral of Mr. Hollings, the former South Carolina senator who died this month at 97, Mr. Biden hailed his longtime friend and former colleague, a one-time segregationist, as the embodiment of this state’s growth.
Gillibrand backs challenger to antiabortion House Democrat
David Weigel, The Washington Post
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York is endorsing a Democratic challenger to Rep. Daniel Lipinski (D-Ill.), making her the first presidential contender to wade into a down-ballot Democratic primary. At a Democratic Party event in Chicago, Gillibrand endorsed Marie Newman, a liberal activist who narrowly lost to Lipinski in 2018.
A Long Talk With Jay Inslee
Gabriel Debenedetti, New York Magazine
Voters, says Washington governor Jay Inslee, the only climate-first candidate in the 2020 presidential race, “are thirsting for information about the candidates.” It’s early on a Thursday, and Inslee has already appeared on both TV and radio this morning in New York, after headlining a CNN town hall late the night before in Washington.
John Walsh, former U.S. attorney, joins Senate race against Cory Gardner
Justin Wingerter, The Denver Post
Former U.S. Attorney John Walsh said early Tuesday that he is running for U.S. Senate, becoming the second Democrat in as many days to join an ever-growing field of candidates. In a campaign kickoff video posted to social media, Walsh recalled his time growing up in Colorado, his six-year tenure as the top federal prosecutor in the state and his charity work.
GOP Ramps Up Senate Super PAC Machine
Lachlan Markay, The Daily Beast
The Republican Party’s outside spending apparatus is kicking into gear ahead of efforts to flip some key Senate seats in next year’s election and defend a pair of vulnerable incumbents. The GOP’s top donors are already stepping up to finance the effort. In February, Illinois industrial supply magnate Richard Uihlein wrote a half-million-dollar check to Americas PAC, a leading Republican super PAC focusing on key 2020 senate races, according to a Federal Election Commission filing this week.
Roy Moore leads in early 2020 Alabama Senate poll
Howard Koplowitz, AL.com
He is still on the sidelines, but ex-Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore would be the frontrunner in the 2020 Republican Senate primary a little less than a year out from the contest, according to a poll released Tuesday. The Mason-Dixon poll of 400 registered Alabama voters who identify as Republican showed Moore with 27 percent support, followed by U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Huntsville, at 18 percent, and the only declared candidate, Republican Congressman Bradley Byrne of Fairhope, at 13 percent.
Not a Single Human Being Donated to Embattled Rep. Chris Collins’ Campaign
Lachlan Markay, The Daily Beast
Not a single human being donated to Rep. Chris Collins’ (R-N.Y.) reelection campaign in the first three months of 2019. Collins, who is facing federal securities fraud charges, brought in just $5,000 in the first quarter of the year, according to a filing with the Federal Election Commission this week.
States
Fundraising dries up for Virginia’s three tainted leaders, but not for their fellow Democrats
Laura Vozzella, The Washington Post
Fundraising took a dive for Virginia’s top three Democrats after they were mired in separate scandals early this year, but Democrats running in legislative races still raised substantially more than Republicans, according to first-quarter fundraising reports released Tuesday. Gov. Ralph Northam and Attorney General Mark R. Herring have raised $2,500 and $17,250 respectively since admitting in the first week of February that they had worn blackface as young men.
Congestion Pricing Is Coming to New York. New Jersey Wants Revenge.
Emma G. Fitzsimmons, The New York Times
New York and New Jersey are neighbors, but they have not always treated each other in a neighborly way. Their proximity and pride have led to plenty of fights — over who can lay claim to Ellis Island (both actually), which state has the best pizza (still raging) and the proper way to get gasoline (solo vs. full service).
Advocacy
The Rematch: Bernie Sanders vs. a Clinton Loyalist
Elizabeth Williamson and Kenneth P. Vogel, The New York Times
The bad blood started early. In 2008, Neera Tanden, then a top aide on Hillary Clinton’s first presidential campaign, accompanied Mrs. Clinton to what was expected to be an easy interview at the Center for American Progress, the influential group founded by top Clinton aides.
Mining project on federal lands hires former Interior head
Ellen Knickmeyer and Matthew Brown, The Associated Press
Former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has a new job: a more than $100,000-a-year post with a gold-mining firm that’s pursuing project approvals involving the federal agency that Zinke left fewer than four months ago. Zinke told The Associated Press on Tuesday that his work for Nevada-based U.S. Gold Corp., which focuses on mining exploration and development, would not constitute lobbying.
Opinions, Editorials and Perspectives
Bernie Sanders Is the Howard Schultz of the Left
Eric Levitz, New York Magazine
He is an independent who insists that the American people are far less divided than the American Congress. He claims to speak for a silent, bipartisan majority that longs for common-sense solutions to our nation’s problems — and is sick and tired of the media’s divisiveness and triviality. Despite his longtime ties to the Democrats, he holds both parties responsible for the public’s declining faith in government.
Research Reports and Polling
YEMEN CRISIS: The case for ending U.S. military support of the Saudi-UAE-led coalition’s intervention
Enea Gjoza and Benjamin H. Friedman, Defense Priorities
The outcome of Yemen’s disastrous civil war has little bearing on core U.S. interests—on the safety and material well-being of Americans. In fact, aiding the Saudi and UAE-led military campaign actually harms other U.S. interests. The Saudi-UAE-led military campaign has inflicted vast suffering on Yemeni civilians.
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