Tipsheet: Dem presidential hopefuls flock to Trump country

View in your browser     Dem presidential hopefuls flock to Trump country By Amie Parnes   Potential Democratic presidential candidates are campaigning for the midterms in states that President Trump took from their party’s column in 2016, testing the waters for the next presidential election. The so-called “invisible campaign” has begun with would-be candidates including Sens. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) checking out the political landscape while campaigning for congressional candidates.  Read the full story here     The Memo: Trump's legal moves roil Washington By Niall Stanage President Trump’s whirlwind moves on the legal front are causing turmoil, creating consternation among some Republicans even as other supporters embrace the newly aggressive approach. Read the full story here     Trump gives freewheeling, political address to NRA By Ben Kamisar President Trump gave a red meat address Friday to the National Rifle Association’s (NRA) Leadership Forum, criticizing “gun-free zones,” reiterating his calls to arm teachers and school staff, and expressing confidence about this fall’s midterm elections. Read the full story here       Judge in Manafort case pushes back on prosecutors By Katie Bo Williams   A federal judge in Virginia on Friday expressed deep skepticism that charges against former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort are genuinely related to special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into alleged collusion with Russia. Read the full story here     2 former advisers to Comey leave FBI By Jesse Byrnes Two key advisers to former FBI Director James Comey are leaving the bureau. Former general counsel James Baker and lawyer Lisa Page, who both advised Comey at pivotal moments, resigned on Friday. Read the full story here     Economy adds 164K jobs in April, unemployment lowest since 2000 By Vicki Needham The U.S. economy added 164,000 jobs in April, a modest number that was less than expected as the nation’s labor market maintains a steady pace of growth.  Read the full story here     House Intel report: McCabe said agents who interviewed Flynn 'didn’t think he was lying' By Olivia Beavers The House Intelligence Committee on Friday released a newly unredacted section of its final Russia report detailing testimony from former senior FBI officials about the probe into former national security adviser Michael Flynn and his contacts with a top Russian diplomat. Read the full story here     Giuliani seeks to clarify Trump, Cohen comments By Max Greenwood Rudy Giuliani released a statement Friday intended to clarify his earlier remarks that President Trump repaid his personal attorney, Michael Cohen, for a $130,000 payment to adult-film actress Stormy Daniels. Read the full story here     Vice president's physician resigns By Jordan Fabian Vice President Pence's doctor resigned Friday amid the controversy over President Trump's failed nomination of Navy Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson to serve as secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Read the full story here     Trump: Troop withdrawal from South Korea 'not on the table' By Ellen Mitchell President Trump said Friday that reducing the number of U.S. troops stationed in South Korea is “not on the table” in upcoming talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Read the full story here     White House must never allow an investigation to distract from goals By former White House staffer Bradley Blakeman OPINION | The key to governing in times of an investigation involving the president and those around him is to compartmentalize operations. The president and the White House staff must deal with an investigation with the least amount of disruption or distraction to their governing agenda. Read the full story here     Trump wins the first round in US-China trade war By Michael Pillsbury OPINION | Two books written by President Trump in 2000 and 2015 help to explain why he has been remarkably secretive about the instructions that he gave to two Cabinet members and his three closest White House economic advisors for two days of talks in Beijing.  Read the full story here     The New York Times: Trump Is Said to Know of Stormy Daniels Payment Months Before He Denied It By Michael D. Shear, Maggie Haberman, Jim Rutenberg and Matt Apuzzo President Trump knew about a six-figure payment that Michael D. Cohen, his personal lawyer, made to a pornographic film actress several months before he denied any knowledge of it to reporters aboard Air Force One in April, according to two people familiar with the arrangement. Read the full story here     The Wall Street Journal: U.S. Probes Cohen Over Cash He Built Up During Campaign By Michael Rothfeld,  Rebecca Davis O’Brien, Mark Maremont and  Joe Palazzolo Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, gained access to as much as $774,000 through two financial transactions during the 2016 presidential campaign as he sought to fix problems for his boss, public records show. Read the full story here     CNN: Trump's NRA speech comes with an eye to 2018 By Stephen Collinson   Everything and nothing has changed since the last time President Donald Trump addressed the National Rifle Association convention. Read the full story here     The Washington Post: As a willing warrior for Trump, Sarah Sanders struggles to maintain credibility By Ashley Parker, Josh Dawsey and Philip Rucker   The West Wing shouting match was so loud that more than a dozen staffers heard it. Read the full story here     Bloomberg: Trump Team's Trade Mission to China Lays Bare Yawning Divide By Saleha Mohsin  and Andrew Mayeda President Donald Trump’s top economic advisers are returning home from Beijing with little more than glaring proof of how far apart the U.S. and China stand on trade issues. Read the full story here         Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up for The Hill Tipsheet       Forward this Tipsheet     You might like         Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  |  Email to a friend  |  Sign Up for Other Newsletters   The Hill 1625 K Street, NW 9th Floor, Washington DC 20006 ©2016 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc.