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Top Stories
Florida Agency Abruptly Drops Gun Club Suit After NRA Enlists GOPer
The Gist: In the culmination of a more than 15-years-long battle, a Florida water quality agency sued a Tampa Bay-area gun club last year for failing to prevent spent ammunition from ending up in nearby wetlands. But after the National Rifle Association’s top-flight lobbyists brought in a powerful GOP lawmaker involved in setting the agency’s budget, the regulatory body abruptly dropped the suit, according to a report.
The Sordid, Incredible Mess That Is The Virgin Islands Republican Party
The Gist: A Saturday meeting of the Virgin Islands Republican Party is perhaps the perfect distillation of just how off the rails things have gotten. There are interloping Michiganders, competing slates of delegates, direct mail schemes and years worth of petty, intra-party shenanigans all on the cusp of boiling over into a potentially contested convention in Cleveland.
Top Trump Aide Resigns Amidst Campaign Staff Reorganization
The Gist: Donald Trump’s field director, Stuart Jolly, resigned on Monday after Trump reportedly ordered a reorganization of campaign staff heading into the remaining primary contests.
From The Reporter’s Notebook
Rep. Steve King (R-IA) scolded pro-immigration activists Monday outside of the Supreme Court building, where justices are considering accepting President Obama’s executive actions on immigration, TPM’s Sara Jerde reported. Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) also held a news conference, Politico reported, where he said that it was “ironic” that people come to the U.S. for better opportunities, but “and yet once here, they want us to be like the country they came from, where they don’t enforce the law evenly across the board.”
Agree or Disagree?
From a TPM reader: “What we are seeing is people who usually vote in general elections, and for Republicans, but otherwise are disconnected from the GOP apparatus, showing up for Trump. In other words, he’s dragging some usual suspects from November into the primaries who don’t usually vote in primaries. So far we don’t have hard data on this, but it’s what appears to be happening. This is consistent with what GOPers are seeing, because they don’t really understand who these Trump voters are simply because these voters aren’t party regulars. But they’re not non-voters, either.
BUZZING: Today in the Hive
From a TPM Prime member:“I have never, in my entire life, found or voted for a perfect candidate. Obama is damned close, Sen. Boxer has been close, Rep. Pelosi has been close, but even they have done things that frustrate and disappoint me. Part of that can be attributed to their own personal personality quirks, but also policy positions they have taken that differ from what I would prefer. Yet, I recognize on the latter issue, some of that is simply a reflection of political reality, be it that my preferences may not align perfectly with which way the public winds are blowing, or other political compromises that are an unavoidable part of any democratic process. So, what I want are smart and capable representatives that are essentially on my team, and more inclined to be amenable to liberal public persuasion than conservative public persuasion. In other words, when I voted for Obama, he wasn’t publicly in favor of gay marriage, but I knew he was at least sympathetic. And so, when the winds of public opinion shifted, he was quick to jump on board. (By contrast, we see how most of the GOP is still resisting.) So, I don’t get hung up on single issues. To use a sports analogy, not all star athletes are great at everything. Lionel Messi, one of the greatest soccer players in the world, is reputed to not be all that skilled with his left foot. But I’d sure as hell want him on my team for all of the other assets he brings to bear.”
Related: Clinton knocks Sanders: Americans can’t “hold out for the perfect.”
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What We’re Reading
272 slaves were sold to save Georgetown. What does it owe their descendants? (The New York Times).
The secret shame of middle-class Americans (The Atlantic).
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