Trump Presumps, The “Straight” State

The Numbers: After sweeping five northeastern Republican primaries yesterday, Donald Trump said, “I consider myself the presumptive nominee.”

The billionaire businessman won Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island by margins between 58 and 64 percent, but he’s still short of the 1,237 delegates he needs to win the nomination on the first convention vote.

Trump crowed and offered little policy. While praising other candidates for getting out of the race when they weren’t winning, he dumped on Ted Cruz and John Kasich for staying in. “I think they’re hurting the party because they have no path, zero path to victory. And we’re gong to win on the first ballot.”

In her victory speech after winning Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, Hillary Clinton praised Bernie Sanders and absorbed part of his message while looking beyond to the the Democratic nomination. She said, “We agree wages are too low and inequality is too high. Wall Street can never be allowed to threaten main street. We should expand Social Security, not cut or privatize it. We Democrats agree college should be affordable to all and student debt shouldn’t hold anyone back. We democrats agree every single American should and must have quality affordable health care.”

Bernie Sanders won Rhode Island, but he’s too far behind. He’s the Democrats’ voice of conscience, but unlikely to be their voice of leadership.

Penalty Flag: A Texas grand jury has indicted unemployed quarterback Johnny Manziel on charges that he hit, restrained, and threatened his former girlfriend in a hotel room and in his car last January. Manziel is the 2012 Heisman Trophy winner known as “Johnny Football.”

The NFL could also choose to suspend Manziel, but since he was let go by the Cleveland Browns last month no one has picked up the wild partying QB who’s throwing away his career.

The Straight State: Defending North Carolina’s new “bathroom law,” state Sen. Buck Newton told supporters of his bid for attorney general that, “I am not worried about how I am judged by some people at another rally. I am worried about how I am judged by the man upstairs.”

Newton was a prime mover of North Carolina’s law that allows discrimination against homosexual and transgender people on religious grounds, and assigns people to bathrooms based on their birth gender. He said the law is to protect women and children from sexual predators in bathrooms. Newton finished his speech saying, “Go home, tell your friends and family who had to work today what this all about and how hard we must fight to keep this state straight.”

Sour Apple: Apple announced that for the first time in 13 years, quarterly income fell. Sales of the iPhone dropped and the company doesn’t have anything else to sell that matches the phone’s popularity. Apple stock dropped nearly 8 percent in after hours trading, but it’s still the most profitable company in history.

Probate: The sister of the late pop star Prince filed court papers saying her brother died without a will. He may have set up his estate for a big battle. Minnesota law says his fortune goes to his one full sister and five half-siblings.

Measured Diagonally: Kelly Ripa reappeared on her morning talk show yesterday joking that, “Our long national nightmare is over.” Ripa disappeared from Live: Kelly & Michael last week after she was abruptly told her co-host Michael Strahan was leaving for Good Morning America.

After cooling down for a couple of days, Ripa said yesterday, “I didn’t want to come out here and just, like, say something I might regret. So what transpired though, over the course of a few days, has been extraordinary — in the sense that it started a much greater conversation about communication and consideration and, most importantly, respect in the workplace.”

Ripa said she was disappointed by ABC’s decision to keep her in the dark because her show is “family.” If the television business is family, it’s the Borgias and Ripa may have wielded the sharpest knife. Strahan is now leaving next month, instead of September as planned.

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It's Been Said

"Christians, get out and vote, just this time. You won't have to do it anymore. Four more years, you know what, it will be fixed, it will be fine, you won't have to vote anymore, my beautiful Christians. I love you Christians. I'm a Christian. I love you, get out, you gotta get out and vote. In four years, you don't have to vote again, we'll have it fixed so good you're not going to have to vote."

  • Donald Trump courting the vote of the Christian right

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