CORNYN, exiting a meeting in McConnell’s office, re: next steps on Kavanaugh: “Next order of business will be a motion to proceed to the nomination tomorrow at noon.” CORNYN: “There’s essentially going to be a supplemental background investigation” that’ll push the Kavanaugh nomination “no later than one week.”

McConnell says he’s negotiating with Schumer on a package of judges they can agree to fast-track to a vote. McConnell isn’t endorsing the Schumer-Flake plan to rename the Russell building after John McCain, and prefers to leave it to the “gang.”

“The way we have approached this kind of thing in the past has been on a thoroughly bipartisan basis.”

Sen. Bob Corker characterizes Trump's farm aid proposal: "You have a terrible policy that sends farmers to the poorhouse, and then you put them on welfare, and we borrow the money from other countries."

"It's hard to believe there isn't an outright revolt right now in Congress." MURKOWSKI isn't happy Trump wants to "single out" farmers for aid, saying his tariffs threaten Alaska's seafood industry. "What about the manufacturing sector? What about the energy sector? The oil and gas industries?"

"Where do you draw the line? I've got some real concerns."

NBC/WSJ POLL: Donald Trump’s approval rating has risen to 45%, with disapproval at 52%.

Among Republicans, 88% approve.

That’s the highest intra-party rating of any president at this stage since the dawn of modern polling, except Bush post-9/11.

wsj.com/articles/donal… NBC/WSJ poll

35% of Americans have a positive view of the Republican Party.

And of the Democratic Party? 34%.

“This was a very constructive few hours that we spent together,” Trump says, standing with Putin. "I’m sure we’ll be meeting again in the future, often.” Trump-Putin handshake in Helsinki.

NEWS: Trump announces he's nominating Brett Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court. 53-year-old DC Circuit judge, former Bush White House staff secretary, worked on Ken Starr's team in the Bill Clinton investigation. Trump says Kavanaugh is committed to "equal justice under the law."

Susan Collins tells @jaketapper: “I would not support a nominee who demonstrated hostility to Roe v. Wade.”

Key word: DEMONSTRATED. If Trump picks a known pro-lifer who quietly preserves that option, she may vote yes. Clip and save: @SenatorCollins tells @jaketapper she doesn’t think Neil Gorsuch would vote to overturn Roe v. Wade.

McConnell on Trump’s decision to support the Texas lawsuit that would invalidate Obamacare:

"Everybody I know in the Senate, everybody, is in favor of maintaining coverage for preexisting conditions. There's no difference in opinion about that whatsoever." To unpack this: McConnell's repeal bill (all Rs cept Collins/Murkowski/McCain voted yes) kept ACA preex rules re guaranteed issue & community rating, but let states waive regs forcing plans to cover these 10 "essential health benefits"; critics say that weakens preex protections.

NEW: Donald Trump writes a letter to Kim Jong-un canceling the June 12 summit in Singapore. Three weeks ago, 18 House Republicans signed a letter nominating Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize over his efforts to bring peace to the Koreas.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

External Tweet loading...
If nothing shows, it may have been deleted
by @RepLukeMesser view original on Twitter

Trump: "We're taking people out of the country — you wouldn't believe how bad these people are. These aren't people. These are animals."

He says the U.S. has "the dumbest laws on immigration in the world." Stephen Miller speaks at the "sanctuary state" roundtable, telling Trump "it's just an endless honor" to work for him and be a part of his crackdown, "even in any small way."

Comey is on Colbert James Comey on Colbert, asked if he wants to say anything to Trump:

"No. He's tweeted at me probably 50 times. I've been gone for a year. I'm like the breakup he can't get over."

James Comey said there’d be “corrosive doubt” if the FBI under a Democratic administration simply said it won’t prosecute Hillary Clinton, hence he decided to made the critical public statement about her. Asked why he spoke publicly about the Clinton probe but not the Trump-Russia investigation, Comey says it’s because the former “was public” while the latter was not and the FBI wasn’t sure if it had anything.

NEW: In the wake of the Trump tax cut and recent spending hike, CBO says the 10-year deficit will be $1.6 trillion larger than projected in June.

cbo.gov/system/files/1… It's hard to overstate what a dizzying turnaround this is from the "debt crisis" rhetoric that dominated Washington from 2009-2016, led by Republicans and accepted for some years by Democrats.

External Tweet loading...
If nothing shows, it may have been deleted
by @sahilkapur view original on Twitter

So. The White House is currently advertising Trump's mysterious 1 p.m. news conference on the omnibus as a “bill signing.” New White House guidance moments ago 👇

"UPDATE: In place of the press briefing, the President will now have a press availability at 1:00PM."

Revealing breakdown via @PewResearch—the key divide in partisan affiliation isn't age, it's race.

assets.pewresearch.org/wp-content/upl… The #MeToo movement in action: 70% of millennial women identify as Democrat, up 14 points in the last four years.

Spoke with a bunch of House Republicans in the last hour and they widely shot down @realDonaldTrump's proposal to raise the age to buy a rifle from 18 to 21. Rep. Mark Meadows rejects Trump's idea to raise the rifle age to 21:

"I don't think that that has any legs."

Why not?

"It just doesn't."

Trump now on Janeane Pirro’s show:

“There is no collusion. No phone calls — I had no phone calls, no meetings, nothing.”

“I don’t want to sound braggadocios. I was a far better candidate. She was not a good candidate. She went to the wrong states.”

He then lists states he won. Trump goes off on Democrats over Russia while phoning into Pirro’s show:

“We have to bring the country together, Janeane. And what’s happening is this and other things are ripping it apart.”

#UsToo panelist at CPAC. "Nothing has been worse for women than the hookup culture and abortion, which enables it." Crowd applauds. Mona Charen says at CPAC she's disappointed in Republicans for backing "credibly accused child molester" Roy Moore. "You cannot claim that you stand for women and put up with that."

Crowd member yells: "Not true! Not true! Not true!"

Smattering of boos and applause.

Marion Le Pen takes the stage at CPAC. MARION LE PEN: "Our freedom is now in the hands of the European Union."

CPAC CROWD: Boooooooo

Now up at #CPAC: @VP. Mike Pence at CPAC: "2017 was the most consequential year in the history of the conservative movement."

"We will not be gaslighted into thinking we're responsible for a tragedy we had nothing to do with," NRA spokeswoman @DLoesch says at CPAC.

Crowd applauds. NRA's Wayne LaPierre is now up at CPAC:

"Each and every member of the National Rifle Association mourns the loss of the innocent... As usual the opportunists wasted not one second to exploit tragedy for political gain."