| | | | | |  | | By Anna Palmer, Jake Sherman, Eli Okun and Garrett Ross | Presented by |  | | | THE CHASM BETWEEN THE PRESIDENT and pretty much everyone else in Washington is growing, as DONALD TRUMP seems more alone and isolated with his thoughts, and detached from the overall political conversation in the Capitol, and the rest of America. ON CAPITOL HILL, the president's party is beginning to rally around some overhaul of the laws governing police conduct. Top lawmakers like Sens. JOHN CORNYN of Texas, MITT ROMNEY of Utah and TIM SCOTT of South Carolina are busy working up a police reform plan. House Democrats are almost ready to pass their own sweeping package. BUT IN THE WHITE HOUSE, the president is busy broadcasting a conspiracy theory that people find so alarmingly baseless and in poor taste that the party's top lawmakers are treating it like it's the physical manifestation of the coronavirus itself. THE THEORY -- that a 75-year-old man shoved by police amid protests in Buffalo was a violent antifa foot soldier -- is so zany that Republican senators not only find no need to comment on it, but are refusing to physically view the tweet in public. Gone are the days when lawmakers twisted themselves in pretzels to defend the president. Now they just move on, as if he hardly exists at all. What actually happened … Trump's tweet BURGESS EVERETT -- our senior reporter who covers the Senate -- has the tweet printed out, and senators are treating it as if it's a bar of radioactive substance, refusing to read it in the presence of other human beings, and certainly declining comment on it. SEN. CORY GARDNER (R-Colo.) declined to look at the tweet because he was worried about getting to the Senate floor for an outdoors bill, BURGESS reports. SEN. JOHN THUNE -- the No. 2 Senate Republican from South Dakota -- said, "Well, I mean it's a, it's a, it's a serious accusation, which should only be made with facts and evidence. And I haven't seen any yet." (h/t to the Hill pool on this quote) CORNYN -- up for reelection in Texas -- said he wouldn't comment on the tweet. THE PRESIDENT seems aloof, paralyzed and utterly confused by the moment. And, for the first time in years, Hill Republicans are stepping in to fill the vacuum, crafting policies and embracing politics without the president's approval. NEW THIS MORNING … NEW JERSEY GOV. PHIL MURPHY joined us for a Playbook Interview this morning as part of our "Inside the Recovery" series to talk about the aftermath of the protests and coronavirus pandemic. Highlights: -- WHAT REFORMS ARE NEEDED: "I think we've made a decent amount of progress in our state, and I would not, you know, you never pat yourself on the back, because this is a work in progress, but I signed, for instance, any shooting involving a member of law enforcement has to be adjudicated and investigated in an independent fashion. It's one of the most forward-leaning laws of its kind in America. "Our attorney general is updating our use of force, which hasn't [had] updated parameters in 20 years. We're now going to license each member of law enforcement at all levels and go through a whole process for that. So I think it is a mosaic that needs to be properly put together, and the anger and outrage is completely understandable. It's high time for action." -- PROTESTING DURING COVID: "I don't think you have any choice right now. As long as you do it peacefully. Please wear a mask. … Try to keep social distancing. … I would ask rhetorically, what's the alternative? 'Folks, we need you to stay inside. You can't step out of your house, gather and protest against systemic racism right now in America'? I don't want to see what that looks like. So while I know this is not a clear-cut answer, the fact of the matter is people are angry and they deserve to be heard. They need to do it peacefully and as responsibly as a health care matter as humanly possible." More from Sam Sutton on Murphy planning to announce guidance on large-scale events -- HOW MUCH $$ AND WHEN NEW JERSEY NEEDS RELIEF: "We're going to need a lot," Murphy said, noting that the tri-state governors had put forward around $150 billion. "And by the way, it's smart. It's smart at every level, including it's smart politics on both sides of the aisle. The last thing we need right now is for unemployment to go any higher." -- ON TIMING: "I don't want to marry myself to it, but I would say certainly by July." Watch the full interview Good Tuesday afternoon. | | | | A message from Blue Cross Blue Shield Association: Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies are committing $3 billion to support the fight against COVID-19 by: Removing patient costs, supporting health care workers and aiding local communities. More about how BCBS companies are enhancing access to care. | | | ANOTHER ONE -- "Newly released video shows N.J. trooper fatally shooting unarmed black man during traffic stop tussle," by WaPo's Meryl Kornfield: "New Jersey's attorney general released police dash-camera footage Monday that captured the fatal shooting of a 28-year-old unarmed black man by a white state trooper last month. Maurice Gordon of Poughkeepsie, N.Y., had been pulled over by Sgt. Randall Wetzel on May 23 for allegedly speeding. Then, his car became disabled in the left shoulder of the Garden State Parkway in Bass River, N.J., according to the attorney general's office, which is investigating the shooting. "While they waited for a tow truck to arrive, Wetzel told Gordon to sit in his police cruiser to stay out of the way of traffic. … After 20 minutes of sitting in the patrol car, Gordon unfastened his seat belt and appeared to get out of the car. Wetzel then yelled 'Get in the car' several times while they seemed to tussle outside the cruiser. The attorney general's office said Gordon twice tried to enter the driver's seat of Wetzel's patrol car. The first time, Wetzel pepper-sprayed him, and during the second instance Wetzel pulled Gordon out of the driver's seat and, during a struggle, shot him six times." WaPo -- "Officer Who Violently Shoved Protester in Brooklyn to Face Charges," by NYT's Ashley Southall: "A New York City police officer surrendered to face criminal charges on Tuesday, over a week after he was recorded on video shoving a woman to the ground and cursing at her during a protest against police brutality, the police commissioner and law enforcement officials said. "The Brooklyn district attorney's office plans to charge the officer, Vincent D'Andraia, with misdemeanor assault, harassment and menacing over the May 29 incident, one law enforcement official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss an open investigation." NYT SIREN … VOTING ISSUES AGAIN IN GEORGIA ... AJC: "New voting machines cause lines and problems on Georgia election day," by Mark Niesse, Greg Bluestein and Tyler Estep: "Poll workers said they had difficulties turning on voter check-in computers, encoding voter access cards and installing touchscreens. Voters waited in lines for hours at various precincts across DeKalb, Fulton and Gwinnett counties. … "Some poll workers said they were being trained on the job after being hired at the last minute. Hundreds of Atlanta-area poll workers quit before the election because of the risk of the coronavirus pandemic." AJC -- @bluestein: "It's not noon yet, and my texts are filling with calls for county elections officials to resign. Candidates are demanding voting hours be extended tonight." THE WALK BACK -- "'We don't actually have that answer yet': WHO clarifies comments on asymptomatic spread of Covid-19," by Stat's Andrew Joseph: "A top World Health Organization official clarified on Tuesday that scientists have not determined yet how frequently people with asymptomatic cases of Covid-19 pass the disease on to others, a day after suggesting that such spread is 'very rare.' "The clarification comes after the WHO's original comments incited strong pushback from outside public health experts, who suggested the agency had erred, or at least miscommunicated, when it said people who didn't show symptoms were unlikely to spread the virus." Stat COMING ATTRACTIONS -- "Dan Bongino expected to testify at House police brutality hearing," by Betsy Woodruff Swan: "Trump ally and frequent cable news commentator Dan Bongino is expected to testify Wednesday in a high-profile House Judiciary Committee hearing on police brutality, according to a communication reviewed by POLITICO. "The combative Fox News personality was included on an informal list of witnesses sent to staff of committee Democrats last night. He was listed as one of the Republicans' witnesses. A spokesperson for committee Republicans declined to comment, and Bongino did not immediately respond to multiple requests for comment. … Bongino, formerly an agent in the U.S. Secret Service, is an outspoken defender of law enforcement. In a recent Fox and Friends appearance, he said defunding police was 'catastrophic.'" POLITICO | | | | JOIN TOMORROW AT 4 p.m. EDT - WOMEN AND COVID-19, SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS IN CRISIS PART II : What if Hillary Clinton had won in 2016? Join Women Rule editorial director Anna Palmer for a virtual interview with Curtis Sittenfeld, author of "Rodham," to discuss the novel that reimagines Hillary Clinton's life and political career without a marriage to Bill Clinton. Curtis will also share the process of releasing a book in the midst of global pandemic and how she is working with independently owned bookstores struggling as a result of this crisis. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | WAPO'S ROBIN GIVHAN: "Congress's kente cloth spectacle was a mess of contradictions": "The stoles read as a vague and confused declaration by legislators that they stood together out of respect for the African-ness of their fellow citizens. What they needed to emphasize with their stagecraft is that this is a particularly American issue -- a defect woven into our own country's fabric." PRIMARY PREVIEWS -- "5 things to watch in Tuesday's primaries," by Ally Mutnick, James Arkin and Steven Shepard: "Democrats could land a familiar name as their nominee for a contested Senate seat on Tuesday, while primaries will bring Republicans closer to assembling their field of candidates for their uphill effort to dethrone Democrats' House majority. … "In total, five states are holding primaries on Tuesday, though much of the voting is taking place via mail ballots. Polls close in Georgia and South Carolina at 7 p.m. Eastern Time, in West Virginia at 7:30 p.m., in North Dakota at 9 p.m. and in Nevada at 10 p.m." POLITICO -- NYT: "It's America's Bluest House Seat. How Is This Man a Top Contender?" by Shane Goldmacher: "The single most Democratic congressional district in America could next be held by a Democrat who opposes abortion rights, has a history of endorsing Republicans and making homophobic remarks and is still considering voting for President Trump in November. Welcome to the South Bronx, the domain for decades of the Rev. Rubén Díaz Sr. … "Now the former state legislator is seen as the front-runner in the 12-person contest, with Mr. Diaz's recognition in the community delivering an advantage in a race where progressive alternatives are fracturing the vote. His prospects in the June 23 primary have put Democratic officials on edge. If Mr. Díaz were to win, he would create a headache for the party and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, handing an otherwise reliable Democratic seat to an apostate who would gleefully buck party leadership." NYT INSIDE THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN -- "Trump gets the 2016 band back together as he tumbles in polls," by Anita Kumar: "President Donald Trump, increasingly nervous about the direction of his campaign as he struggles in general election polls, is considering bringing back more loyal aides from his successful campaign in 2016, according to five Republicans who speak to the president. "He wants lobbyist David Urban, a former senior adviser who was pivotal in helping him win Pennsylvania, to play a more prominent role. He is considering re-hiring Susie Wiles, who managed his Florida campaign but was unceremoniously fired last year, to help him win the nation's largest swing state for a second time. … And officials have mentioned bringing back lobbyist Bryan Lanza, who was former deputy communications director, too. … "Trump remains frustrated about the leadership of campaign manager Brad Parscale, himself a 2016 loyalist who served as digital strategist and is now running his first presidential campaign, the five Republicans say. Specifically, the president has continued to complain that Parscale is burning through too much money too quickly, two of the people say." POLITICO K STREET FILES -- "Trent Lott fired from top lobbying firm," by Theo Meyer: "The lobbying firm Squire Patton Boggs has fired former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, one of Washington's most prominent lobbyists. The firm gave no reason for the Mississippi Republican's sudden departure and declined to answer questions about it. "Mark Ruehlmann, Squire Patton Boggs' chairman and global chief executive, said only that the firm had 'decided that it is the right time to make a change in the leadership' of its public policy practice. … Asked whether it would be accurate to describe his departure as a firing, a Squire Patton Boggs spokesman reiterated that the 'firm's leadership decided to part ways with Senator Lott.'" POLITICO | | | | HAPPENING TOMORROW AT 9 a.m. EDT – "A WORLD TRANSFORMED" PART III: AN INTERVIEW WITH DR. RAJIV SHAH: Join Global Translations author Ryan Heath for a virtual interview with Dr. Rajiv Shah, president, The Rockefeller Foundation and former Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to discuss the Foundation's work in expanding Covid-19 testing, the role that philanthropy and partnerships can play in recovery, and lessons learned fighting the spread of Ebola while serving in the Obama administration. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | THE KIM CUT OFF -- "North Korea cuts off all communication with South Korea," by AP's Hyung-Jin Kim in Seoul, South Korea SANCTIONS UPDATE -- "U.S. Sets Plan to Expand Sanctions on Tankers, in Bid to Pressure Venezuela," by WSJ's Ian Talley and Bradley Hope: "The Trump administration, expanding an effort to choke off oil and fuel trade between Iran and Venezuela, is readying new sanctions against dozens of tankers while pressuring companies associated with those vessels, according to people familiar with the plans. "The U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control is preparing to add as many as 50 tankers to its blacklist for working with Venezuela's Maduro government, one of the people familiar with the plans said." WSJ MODEL SHIPS … AP: "Amid U.S. tension, Iran builds fake aircraft carrier to attack," by Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates: "The faux foe, seen in satellite photographs obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press, resembles the Nimitz-class carriers that the U.S. Navy routinely sails into the Persian Gulf from the Strait of Hormuz, its narrow mouth where 20% of all the world's oil passes through. While not yet acknowledged by Iranian officials, the replica's appearance in the port city of Bandar Abbas suggests Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard is preparing an encore of a similar mock-sinking it conducted in 2015." AP HMM -- "Environmentalists Targeted Exxon Mobil. Then Hackers Targeted Them," by Nicole Hong, Barry Meier and Ronen Bergman: "Three years ago, several environmental groups noticed that they had been receiving suspicious emails with fake Google News articles and other links related to their climate-change campaign against Exxon Mobil. The emails came from accounts that impersonated their own colleagues and lawyers. "Those phishing emails have now led to a federal criminal investigation into a sprawling hacking-for-hire operation that for years has targeted the email accounts of government officials, journalists, banks, environmental activists and other individuals, according to people briefed on the inquiry. … Details of the hacking campaign were made public on Tuesday in a report by Citizen Lab, a cybersecurity watchdog group at the University of Toronto. The report said that thousands of people on six continents had been targeted by phishing emails for at least four years in the same operation." NYT … The report BEYOND THE BELTWAY -- "Trump administration makes it easier for hunters to kill bear cubs and wolf pups in Alaska," by WaPo's Darryl Fears: "Hunters will soon be allowed to venture into national preserves in Alaska and engage in practices that conservation groups say are reprehensible: baiting hibernating bears from their dens with doughnuts to kill them and using artificial light such as headlamps to scurry into wolf dens to slaughter mothers and their pups. "With a final rule published Tuesday in the Federal Register, the Trump administration is ending a five-year-old ban on the practices, which also include shooting swimming caribou from a boat and targeting animals from airplanes and snowmobiles. It will take effect in 30 days." WaPo … The rule | | | | A message from Blue Cross Blue Shield Association:   Removing patient costs, supporting health care workers and aiding local communities. 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