Holder briefs media, Joe Miller's back, Schatz has a manger, telepathy saves horse

National Journal

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WHAT'S NEWS

  • At an off-the-record meeting with reporters yesterday, AG Eric Holder "expressed concern" about DoJ's handling of recent investigations of various media outlets but "stopped short of offering any concrete changes to the guidelines" for such investigations. Five outlets -- Politico, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker and The New York Daily News -- sent representatives to the meeting (Politico). More outlets will sit with Holder today.

  • The GDP increased at an annual rate of 2.4% in the 1st quarter of the year, reflecting an increase in private inventory investment and a smaller decrease in gov't spending (BEA).

  • In an interview, Mitt Romney said he plans to re-emerge to "help shape national priorities," including campaigning for candidates in 2014 and writing a series of op-eds or a book. Next week, Romney will host 200 friends and supporters at a mountain resort in UT (Wall Street Journal).

  • NM GOV: Ex-Susana Martinez manager/ex-asst. U.S. Commerce Sec. Jamie Estrada has been charged with 12 counts of illegally intercepting communications sent to email addresses associated with Martinez's campaign account (Albuquerque Journal). The indictment lists emails including receipts for iTunes purchases sent to Martinez.

  • CO GOV: Sec/State Scott Gessler has dissolved his re-election bid and filed paperwork to form a gubernatorial campaign cmte. He expects to make a final decision on whether to run in 1-3 months (Denver Post).

  • IL GOV: State Treas. Dan Rutherford (R) will announce this weekend he's running for governor (AP).

  • AK SEN: 2010 GOP nom. Joe Miller "says he wants to be clear: he's running for U.S. Senate" (AP).

  • HI SEN: Sen. Brian Schatz (D) has hired Clay Schroers as his campaign manager. Schroers managed Rep. Dan Maffei's (D-NY) race in 2012 and has worked as an aide to then-Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann (release).

  • DC: Ward 2 councilmember Jack Evans (D) will announce his candidacy for mayor on June 8 at the corner of 14th and Q (Twitter). He'll be the 3rd councilmember in the race.

  • The DCCC is launching print and online ads in newspapers at 6 universities located in GOP-held districts, accusing Republicans of raising interest rates on student loans. The ads will run in districts held by Reps. John Kline (R-MN), Gary Miller (R-CA), Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA), Steve Southerland (R-FL), Rodney Davis (R-IL) and Joe Heck (R-NV) (Hotline reporting).

NUMBER BRUNCHING

  • A new Quinnipiac poll out today shows 52% of Americans have a favorable view of Hillary Clinton, and 40% see her in an unfavorable light. Clinton leads Sen. Rand Paul and ex-FL Gov. Jeb Bush by 8 points in trial heats, but Paul and Bush both lead VP Joe Biden (release).

OUR CALL

Hotline editors weigh in on the stories that drive the day

• The lesson to take away from Joe Miller's candidacy in Alaska and Paul Broun's campaign in Georgia is that national Republicans still aren't riding herd over the activist class. The lesson to take away from empty GOP fields in states like New Mexico, Colorado, Iowa and Oregon is that it's getting harder to convince good people to run for office.

• CA-52 already looks like it'll be one of the most interesting congressional races of 2014, and San Diego's KPBS demonstrates why in one very interesting map. In about two-thirds of the precincts Rep. Scott Peters (D) carried over Brian Bilbray (R) in 2012, Carl DeMaio (R) also beat Bob Filner (D) in the mayoral race. Peters has more cross-party appeal than Filner, but it will be interesting to see what this map looks like in a year and a half.

HAIR OF THE DOG

FRESH BREWED BUZZ

  • "I have no interest or aspirations on doing anything other than being the best governor I can be for the State of New York." -- Andrew Cuomo (New York Daily News)

  • Dante Stephensen, the newly named Fulton Co. chairman of ex-Rep. Bob Barr's campaign, "created our nation's oldest Jazz Supper Club. His club is an 18th century sailing ship tied to a quay wall and seats 300 on 13 leves in a large gym-sized building he build. ... The ship is rimmed by an 18,000 gallon moat with turtles and live crocodiles" (BarrCongress.com).

  • The SC Senate ethics panel heard testimony that state Sen. Robert Ford spent campaign funds at The Lion's Den and Badd Kitty, two adult stores, and to buy Cyvita, "pills used for male enhancement that haven't been approved" by the FDA (AP).

  • "The right to keep and bear arms is granted by God and protecting from government aggression by the Constitution" -- Rep. Steve Stockman (R-TX) (Houston Chronicle).

  • Whitey Bulger's defense team has included ex-Gov. Bill Weld, FBI chief Robert Mueller and Boston Herald columnist Howie Carr on its potential witness list. The murder trial, which begins next week, is expected to last 18 weeks (Boston Herald).

  • "A team of researchers seeking to solve the mystery of aviator Amelia Earhart's 1937 disappearance say a sonar image taken from just beyond the shore of a remote Pacific island could be a piece of wreckage from her plane" (Reuters).

  • "Iowa rodeo clown gets prison for growing marijuana" (Quad-City Times)

  • "Horse stuck in ravine rescued through 'telepathy'" (Seattle Times).

SWIZZLE CHALLENGE

  • As apparently everyone already knew, Joe and Jill Biden and Chris and Mary Pat Christie all went to the University of Delaware, making them Double Dels (Funny, Paul Kane didn't know that one).

  • The winner is Neil Bhatiya, and here's his Swizzle Challenge: "A lot of Presidents (13) have attended law school, but only one has attended medical school. Name that President, and the reason he didn't finish." The 1st correct e-mailer gets to submit the next question.

NJ'S EARLY BIRD SPECIALS

SHOT...

"Your print pool was chauffeured in Chicago in motorcade by a 26-year-old Indian American unemployed aspiring economist and rapper who told us his stage name is, no joke, 'Rhymes Priebus'" (WH poll report).

...CHASER

"Steele: GOP needs 'hip-hop' makeover"

Reid Wilson, Editor-in-Chief

Steven Shepard, Executive Editor