The Trump administration

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indefinitely extended an order allowing U.S. officials to turn away any migrants crossing the border without arresting them or allowing them to file for asylum. Officials said the restrictions are related to addressing the spread of coronavirus, not to achieve President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda, and the extension came as the Trump administration also prolonged restrictions on nonessential travel across the U.S. border with Mexico and Canada for another 30 days.

• A leaked Department of Defense draft memo said the Pentagon should prepare for the real possibility of a COVID-19 resurgence and the prospect of a vaccine not becoming available until next summer at the earliest. The memo contrasts with the public posture of Trump administration officials, including Defense Secretary Mark Esper, who recently said the Pentagon would “deliver by the end of this year a vaccine at scale to treat the American people and our partners abroad.”

• Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the economy risks “permanent damage” if states remain shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic. Also in testimony before a Senate panel, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said a $454 billion program designed to lend to small and medium businesses will be ready to launch by the end of the month amid concerns about the pace of relief fund disbursement.

• Trump issued a letter threatening to permanently cut U.S. funding to the World Health Organization and reconsider America’s status as a member if it does not “commit to major substantive improvements” within the next 30 days. In April, Trump temporarily suspended U.S. payments to the WHO, which account for about 15 percent of the agency’s budget, after criticizing its handling of the coronavirus outbreak, and his letter came as WHO member countries were meeting about the pandemic.

• Trump told reporters he has been taking the antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine for about 10 days as a preventive measure against COVID-19, drawing criticism from medical experts. While Trump has cited anecdotal evidence to publicly claim the drug has benefits against the coronavirus, the Food and Drug Administration has pointed to research warning it could cause serious heart problems for COVID-19 patients.

• Steve Linick, the recently ousted State Department inspector general, was probing Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s emergency order that allowed the Trump administration to fast-track an $8 billion arms sale to Saudi Arabia last year, as well as allegations that he made a staffer walk his dog, pick up his dry cleaning and schedule dinner reservations, among other personal errands, according to congressional sources. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), who has pushed for IG protections, sent a letter to Trump calling for full explanations behind the dismissals of Linick and intelligence community inspector general Michael Atkinson, who was removed from his post last month.

• The Trump administration said it plans to pull out of the Open Skies Treaty — an accord between more than 30 countries allowing them to conduct observation flights over each other’s territory — within the next six months, citing alleged violations by Russia, though Trump hinted he could reconsider the decision if the Kremlin makes a deal. The administration said the imagery collected during the flights — which benefits America’s European allies — can be obtained more efficiently from U.S. or commercial satellites.

• Marshall Billingslea, who joined the Trump administration last month as the senior envoy on arms control, is planning to meet with Russian counterpart Sergei Ryabkov to begin negotiations on a new accord to limit Russian, Chinese and U.S. nuclear warheads, according to U.S. officials. The inclusion of China is viewed as ambitious by the foreign policy community, since the current 2010 New START accord, set to expire in February, only includes the United States and Russia.

• The Department of Health and Human Services said it would provide up to $1.2 billion to the drug company AstraZeneca to develop a coronavirus vaccine, the fourth and largest vaccine research agreement that the Trump administration has disclosed. The agency said it was collaborating with the company to make at least 300 million doses, some of which could be available as early as October, sooner than estimates from many medical experts, who expect a mass-produced COVID-19 vaccine to be unavailable until next year at the earliest.

• Trump threatened to withhold federal funds from Michigan and Nevada if they proceed with efforts to expand vote-by-mail, accusing the two states of being engaged in voter fraud and acting illegally. Trump, who has threatened to cut off funding for states before but hasn’t always followed through, did not specify which money he was looking at withholding, but Democrats on Capitol Hill and state elections officials have been pressing for more funds to safely hold the November elections.

• Attorney General William Barr said he does not expect federal prosecutor John Durham’s examination of the origins of the Justice Department’s Russia probe to lead to a criminal investigation of former President Barack Obama or former Vice President Joe Biden. Trump and some of his allies have suggested without evidence that Obama and Biden, now the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, acted illegally to spy on his 2016 campaign.

• Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray ordered an internal probe to determine whether employees engaged in misconduct during the course of the investigation into former White House national security adviser Michael Flynn. The examination follows a similar review by the Justice Department, which found there was insufficient basis for agents to have interviewed Flynn, who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his conversations with the Russian ambassador before the Justice Department asked a judge to dismiss the case.

Congress

• In a 49-44 vote, the Senate confirmed Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-Texas) as next director of national intelligence. It marked the first party-line vote for a DNI since the office was created after Sept. 11 attacks, but enshrines the first full-time leader of the office since Dan Coats resigned last summer.

• In a voice vote, the Senate confirmed Kenneth Braithwaite to be the new Navy secretary. Braithwaite had previously served as Trump’s ambassador to Norway and is a retired rear admiral.

• Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) was named acting chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee after Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) stepped down from the post amid a federal probe into his stock trades.

• In a party-line vote, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee voted to subpoena documents from the consulting company Blue Star Strategies as part of an investigation into the Ukrainian energy company Burisma and Hunter Biden, a move that comes as Senate Republicans are expected to focus on probes related to the presumptive Democratic nominee ahead of the election.

• The Supreme Court temporarily blocked the House Judiciary Committee from receiving secret grand jury material gathered by investigators in former special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia probe, giving the Trump administration until June 1 to file a formal appeal in the case or the temporary stay would dissolve.

2020

• Biden faced blowback after telling a prominent black radio host that “if you have a problem figuring out if you’re for me or Trump, then you ain’t black,” and later apologized during a conference call with black business leaders. On a phone call organized by Trump’s campaign, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, the only black Republican in the Senate, characterized the initial comments as race-baiting.

• Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said the party is not considering holding a virtual convention in August, which Democrats are discussing, but party leaders are looking at paring back the event.

• The Senate Leadership Fund, closely aligned with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), booked $10 million in Montana television to support Republican Sen. Steve Daines as he faces popular Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock.

• Cliff Bentz, a former Republican state senator in Oregon, won the Republican nomination in the race to replace retiring Republican Rep. Greg Walden in Oregon’s 2nd District and is viewed as the heavy favorite to win in November. In the state’s 4th District, Republicans nominated Afghanistan veteran Alek Skarlatos to take on Democratic Rep. Peter A. DeFazio, whom the National Republican Congressional Committee has identified as a target in November.

• The House is set to be in session on Wednesday and Thursday, for the first time under new rules allowing for proxy voting, with a bill to extend government surveillance powers on its agenda. The Senate is not not set to return until June.

• The Trump administration is considering extending the deployment of more than 40,000 National Guard members working on coronavirus relief through July, according to four sources, which would help guard members qualify for federal retirement and education benefits that they are currently set to fall short of based on the June 24 cutoff.

• Congress is mulling an agreement on legislation that would double the amount of time businesses have to spend loans obtained through the Paycheck Protection Program to 16 weeks and extend the June 30 deadline for program applications to Dec. 31. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin voiced support for extending PPP’s deadlines, but legislation would need to be approved by both the Senate and the House, which is expected to take up legislation to alter the program’s time frame this week.

• Some Senate Republicans are pressing Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to begin moving on another coronavirus relief package in the coming weeks, with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a close Trump ally, among those pushing for the inclusion of infrastructure spending, something McConnell has resisted.

• Trump floated the idea of rescheduling the June G7 Summit and holding it in person.

1) Trump administration declassifies full Susan Rice email sent on Inauguration Day
Betsy Woodruff Swan, Politico

2) Leaked Pentagon memo warns of ‘real possibility’ of COVID-19 resurgence, vaccine not coming until summer 2021
Haley Britzky, Task and Purpose

3) COVID-19 continues spreading into counties with strong Trump support
William H. Frey, Brookings

4) GOP fronts ‘pro-Trump’ doctors to prescribe rapid reopening
Michael Biesecker and Jason Dearen, The Associated Press

5) Swing-state Republicans warn Trump’s reelection is on shaky ground
Alex Isenstadt, Politico

6) As White House pushes firms to reopen, new report says much of bailout stimulus money remains unspent
Erica Werner, The Washington Post

7) What did eight weeks and $3 trillion buy the U.S. in the fight against coronavirus?
Howard Schneider, Reuters

8) Supreme Court temporarily blocks Mueller grand jury material from being turned over to House
Pete Williams, NBC News

9) Trump keeps his staff in flux with White House musical chairs
Nancy Cook, Politico

10) Jane Roe’s Deathbed Confession: Anti-Abortion Conversion ‘All an Act’ Paid for by the Christian Right
Cassie Da Costa, The Daily Beast