That seems to be the message of this new TV ad from Obama-aligned super-PAC Priorities USA Action.
THE FEED
Parliament has taken over the Brexit negotiations, issuing yet another reprimand to Theresa May
Britain’s Parliament grabbed control Monday of the government’s efforts to leave the European Union, challenging the country’s political traditions and inflicting on Prime Minister Theresa May a rebuke not suffered by any recent predecessor.
Parliament passed an amendment giving itself the power to vote on alternatives to the government’s Brexit plan. Its attempt to take control of the process came as Mrs. May prepared for a last-ditch effort to persuade lawmakers to support her withdrawal plan, which has already been rejected twice by huge margins.
Parliament’s attempt to take control was led by Oliver Letwin, a veteran Conservative lawmaker, and is driven largely by fear of leaving without an agreement, a rupture that could leave ports jammed and cause huge economic dislocation. A “no deal” Brexit remains the default option if the deadlock in Britain continues, and the risks of it happening by accident are increasing.
mueller time
Intelligencer Chat: Will We Ever See the Full Mueller Report?
Though the president, for once, supports transparency in the Mueller report, Mitch McConnell says otherwise
JUST NOW: McConnell blocks Schumer measure calling for Mueller report to be made public
—@StevenTDennis
impeachment
The Impeachment Option Grows Dim
Now here’s where we could use some leaks
Breaking: @KenDilanianNBC reports that the FBI is prepared to brief the Gang of 8 on the findings of Mueller’s counterintelligence investigation into Trump (i.e. whether the president is under the influence of a foreign power)
—@JuliaEAinsley
identity politics
The GOP’s Cynical New Identity-Politics Play
Mayor Pete might have some major momentum
South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D) surged into third place in a poll of the Iowa caucus released Sunday.
Eleven percent of likely Democratic Iowa caucusgoers surveyed by Emerson Polling said they would pick Buttigieg to be their 2020 presidential nominee.
Overall, Buttigieg placed third behind Former Vice President Joe Biden, at 25 percent, and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), at 24 percent.
Buttigieg, who has formed an exploratory committee but has not officially declared, was polling at 0 percent in Emerson’s January survey of Iowa, which shows his recognition and support have grown significantly in the last few months.
His performance in Sunday’s Emerson poll was boosted by placing second in the 18-to-29-year-old demographic, with 22 percent. Sanders led that category with 44 percent.
marijuana legalization
Excellent Weed Legalization Bill Dies in New Jersey Senate
cityscape
The De Blasio Climate Plan Is Big, Ambitious, and Very Vague
The federal government continues to fail Puerto Rico
The federal government provided additional food-stamp aid to Puerto Rico after the hurricane, but Congress missed the deadline for reauthorization in March as it focused on other issues before leaving for a week-long recess. Federal lawmakers have also been stalled by the Trump administration, which has derided the extra aid as unnecessary.
Now, about 43 percent of Puerto Rico’s residents are grappling with a sudden cut to a benefit they rely on for groceries and other essentials.
Puerto Rico will again need the federal government’s help to stave off drastic cuts to Medicaid, the health-care program for the poor and disabled, as well as for the disbursement of billions in hurricane relief aid that has not yet been turned over to the island.
The island would not need Congress to step in to fund its food-stamp and Medicaid programs if it were a state. For states, the federal government has committed to funding those programs’ needs, whatever the cost and without needing to take a vote. But Puerto Rico instead funds its programs through a block grant from the federal government, which needs to be regularly renewed, and also gives food-stamp benefits about 40 percent smaller than those of states.
basta!
Michael Avenatti Flew Too Close to the Sun, Now Faces Federal Charges
Stormy Daniels has some words for Avenatti
Big news if you hate New York City traffic
NEW: @carlHeastie says Assembly Democrats are ready to move forward on congestion pricing.
—@ZackFinkNews
In British politics right now, there are no winners
More on Michael Avenatti’s arrest
Authorities charge Avenatti threatened to hold a news conference on the eve of the NCAA college basketball tournament to reveal damaging allegations against Nike unless it paid his client $1.5 million and agreed to hire Avenatti and another lawyer for $15 million to $25 million to conduct an “internal investigation” into the purported allegations. Authorities did not disclose the identities of Avenatti’s client or the other lawyer cited in the charging documents.
The charging document said that Avenatti proposed another alternative to hiring him to conduct an investigation — “a total payment of $22.5 million from Nike to resolve any claims (the client) might have and additionally to buy Avenatti’s silence.”
Shortly before the charges were unsealed Monday, Avenatti tweeted that he planned to hold a news conference Tuesday “to disclose a major high school/college basketball scandal perpetrated by @Nike that we have uncovered. This criminal conduct reaches the highest levels of Nike and involves some of the biggest names in college basketball.”
New Jersey once seemed well on its way to legalizing weed. Not anymore.
A monthslong effort to legalize marijuana in New Jersey collapsed on Monday after Democrats were unable to muster enough support for the measure, rejecting a central campaign pledge from Gov. Philip D. Murphy and leaving the future of the legalization movement in doubt.
The failure in the legislature marks one of the biggest setbacks for Mr. Murphy, who despite having full Democratic control in the State Senate and the assembly, had faced constant party infighting and had struggled to bend the legislature to his progressive agenda.
But the legalization effort had fractured the Democratic Party with some African-American lawmakers arguing that marijuana would be a public health menace to their communities.
mueller time
Will the Mueller Fizzle Help Elect Trump in 2020?
Now he’ll never be president
JUST IN: Federal prosecutors announce charges against @MichaelAvenatti, alleging he tried to extort Nike, threatening to release damaging about the company, if Nike didn’t agree to pay millions to him and a client.
—@stevenportnoy
bipartisanship
House Republicans Accuse Dems of Sabotaging Bipartisan Bills
Bronx Congressman Jose Serrano has Parkinson’s, won’t seek reelection
Although this disease has not affected my work in Congress, over the last few months I’ve come to the realization that Parkinson’s will eventually take a toll, and that I cannot predict its rate of advancement.
Because of this uncertainty, I do not intend to seek re-election in 2020. I do intend to serve the remainder of my term in the 116th Congress.
An early morning rocket strike in central Israel wounded seven, and now…
We have just started striking Hamas targets throughout the Gaza Strip.
—@IDF
the national interest
Trump Is Bullying the Media Into Falsely Exonerating Him of Russia Corruption
Politics
An important clarification on timing
NEWS: From @LauraAJarrett Roughly three weeks ago the special counsel’s team came to brief Barr/Rosenstein on the investigation and said Mueller would not be reaching a conclusion on obstruction of justice, per a source familiar w/ the meeting. Barr’s finding was not made in 48h.
—@abbydphillip
An unexpected retirement, but probably a seat Democrats will hold next year
Wow
New Mexico Sen. Tom Udall announces he is retiring after 2020
—@burgessev
New Mexico Sen. Tom Udall announces he is retiring after 2020
Two Parkland survivors recently took their own lives, and now this tragedy
Heartbreaking: Jeremy Richman, whose daughter Avielle was killed in the Sandy Hook school shooting, found dead at the town hall in Newton. Police said it appears he committed suicide.
—@capitolwatch
mueller time
Advisers Worry Trump May ‘Overreach’ on Mueller Victory Lap
scams
Scammers Phished More Than $100 Million From Facebook, Google
The next step, naturally, is to investigate the Clintons
Graham pivots to Clinton emails, Loretta Lynch
“Was it just a tarmac meeting or was it more? I believe there was more there”
—@burgessev
“Was it just a tarmac meeting or was it more? I believe there was more there”
A not-uncommon perspective on Barr’s letter
Wow, here is @PreetBharara on ABC speaking about Mueller punting on obstruction: “So my first reaction was it seemed to be an abdication of responsibility.”
—@KenDilanianNBC
Newt Gingrich raising the important questions
Should the New York Times and Washington Post give back the Pulitzer Prtizes they won for exagerrated and hysterical reporting on President Trump and Russia?It would not be the first time both papers had to returnPul;itzers for false reporting.
—@newtgingrich
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