The Hill's Morning Report — Sponsored by CVS Health — Women rack up primary wins on Tuesday | North Korea threatens to walk from denuclearization talks | Pennsylvania elections results | Progressive triumphs in Nebraska’s 2nd District | Trump team to mark Mueller’s year of investigation on offense | Cambridge Analytica under new scrutiny | Repercussions after violence in Gaza | US returns to Iran sanctions | Trump’s midterm pep talk to his party | Haspel clinches enough Senate backing to lead CIA | Warren steals the show at liberal conference

Sponsored by CVS Health Women rack up primary wins on Tuesday | North Korea threatens to walk from denuclearization talks | Pennsylvania elections results | Progressive triumphs in Nebraska's 2nd District | Trump team to mark Mueller's year of investigation on offense | Cambridge Analytica under new scrutiny | Repercussions after violence in Gaza | US returns to Iran sanctions | Trump's midterm pep talk to his party | Haspel clinches enough Senate backing to lead CIA | Warren steals the show at liberal conference   © Pa. Supreme Court and http://www.pasenate.com/redistricting/   Welcome to The Hill's Morning Report, and happy Wednesday! This daily email, a successor to The Hill's Tipsheet, is reported by Jonathan Easley and Alexis Simendinger to get you up to speed on the most important developments in politics and policy, plus trends to watch. (CLICK HERE to subscribe!)   There are no women currently in the Pennsylvania congressional delegation. That's guaranteed to change in November.   Pennsylvania candidates faced off for the first time under the new congressional map last night after the state's Supreme Court struck down the old map, ruling that it had been gerrymandered by Republicans.   The redrawn map gives Democrats several new pick-up opportunities as they seek to flip 23 seats and win a majority in the House. Here's a quick rundown of the key primary races from Tuesday.   Pennsylvania Senate: Rep. Lou Barletta (R), a close ally of President Trump, will face off against Sen. Bob Casey (D). Casey is one of 10 Senate Democrats up for reelection in states Trump carried in 2016.   Pennsylvania's 1st District: Multi-millionaire philanthropist Scott Wallace (D), a former aide to former Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter, plowed millions of his own money into his campaign and it paid off. He'll face GOP Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick in the general election. Hillary Clinton won the newly redrawn district by 2 points in 2016.   Pennsylvania's 4th District: Backed by national women's groups, state Rep. Madeleine Dean cruised to victory over former Rep. Joe Hoeffe in the Democratic primary. She will be favored to defeat Republican Daniel David, who ran unopposed in the GOP primary.   Pennsylvania's 5th District: Attorney Mary Gay Scanlon (D) will meet Republican Pearl Kim, a former state deputy attorney general, in the November election to replace former Rep. Pat Meehan (R). Meehan resigned amid sexual misconduct allegations.   Pennsylvania's 7th District: Allentown solicitor Susan Wild won the Democratic nomination and will face Marty Nothstein in November. Democrats believe they can win the seat last held by former Rep. Charlie Dent (R), who recently resigned. There will be a special election later this summer to fill the rest of Dent's term.   Pennsylvania's 14th District: There will be no comeback for Republican state Rep. Rick Saccone, who lost the special election for the old 18th district to now-Rep. Conor Lamb (D) in March. Republican Guy Reschenthaler, a state senator and Iraq War veteran, defeated Saccone in the primary and will face Democrat Bibiana Boerio in the general election.   There was also an interesting primary out west…   Nebraska's 2nd District: Liberal Kara Eastman edged out former Rep. Brad Ashford (D) by about one thousand votes. Ashford is a former Blue Dog Democrat, while Eastman has support from progressives. She will go up against freshman Rep. Don Bacon (R), who defeated Ashford in 2016.         LEADING THE DAY ***BREAKING*** Three consequential stories pertaining to the Russia investigation: The Justice Department and FBI have opened investigations into Cambridge Analytica, the data firm used by the Trump campaign (The New York Times)...Trump's attorney Rudy Giuliani says the president will use the one-year anniversary of the Mueller probe on Thursday to call for an end to the investigation (Bloomberg)...Judge rejects former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort's motion to dismiss charges (Reuters).   INTERNATIONAL: North Korea: The Hill — A June 12 meeting in Singapore between Trump and Kim Jong Un was thrown into limbo on Wednesday after North Korea denounced military exercises between South Korea and the United States as a provocation and called off high-level talks with Seoul. The North's Korean Central News Agency said the Max Thunder drills between the South Korean and U.S. air forces are a rehearsal for invasion of the North.   Reuters: North Korean official says country will rethink U.S. summit if pressured to abandon nuclear program.   White House reaction: The Trump administration is continuing to prepare for a June meeting with Kim. "We are aware of the South Korean media report. The United States will look at what North Korea has said independently, and continue to coordinate closely with our allies," said press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.   >Reuters: For North Korea, Trump national security adviser John Bolton — a known quantity in Pyongyang dating back to the Bush era — has become an issue. >Reuters: Separately on Tuesday, North Korea said it would join international "efforts for a total ban on nuclear tests." The government, which is believed to have tested six nuclear weapons, has said it will dismantle its only known nuclear test site this month ahead of the meeting with the United States on June 12.   Israel: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the U.S. defended Israel's decision to kill dozens of Palestinian demonstrators at the Gaza border as the U.S. opened its embassy in Jerusalem.   >CBS News: Netanyahu defended the Israeli response to protests in Gaza and blamed Hamas for the deaths and violence. >The Hill: Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, lauded Israel for its "restraint." She blamed Hamas for making the "lives of Palestinians miserable." >The Hill: The U.S. blocked the adoption of a United Nations Security Council resolution drafted by Kuwait calling for a probe into the violence that broke out on the Gaza border. >The Hill: The Palestinians recalled their envoy from Washington to protest the move of the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.   Ben Shapiro — News media's anti-Trump, anti-Israel fervor. Dana Milbank — Nothing says 'peace' like 58 dead Palestinians. Iran: The Hill — The U.S. adds the head of Iran's central bank to a sanctions list. The Hill — Trump's decision to exit the nuclear deal with Iran could have broad economic consequences for U.S. allies as the administration reimposes sweeping sanctions on Iran, which were lifted in 2015. European nations are seeking to fend off U.S. penalties. Reuters: Europe and Iran sought a common front on Tuesday to save the nuclear deal without the United States, although some diplomats doubted privately it can survive the reimposition of U.S. sanctions ordered by Trump.   CONGRESS: The president gave Republican senators a midterm elections pep talk at a closed door meeting on Tuesday, The Hill's Alexander Bolton reports. Trump expressed confidence in the face of daunting political headwinds.   Takeaway: Senators have told the press that the White House should apologize for the official who disparaged ailing Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) but none raised the issue with him on Tuesday.   Senate rules: The Hill — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who joined his conference in a meeting in the Capitol with the president on Tuesday, suggested he's not going to change filibuster rules as they apply to the president's nominees. "The attitude of the Democrats seems to be better. That's the best way to solve the problem, to get back to some degree of normalcy," he said.   House leadership race: The Hill — Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) has been talked about as a possible successor to House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), although most GOP lawmakers don't believe the former Freedom Caucus chairman can amass the 218 votes needed. But if Republicans get wiped out in the November midterms, Jordan's fortunes with his colleagues could change.   Tax lobbying: The Hill — The alcohol industry is pressing Congress to make permanent the excise tax relief the sector secured in the new tax law.   Farm bill, puppies and animal welfare: Lawrence (Kansas) Journal World — A potential farm bill provision is under fire based on concerns about state preemption tied to agriculture products and even puppy mills. Humane Society of America lobbies Congress on farm bill issues, including puppy mills.   SPONSORED CONTENT Sponsored by CVS Health Learn how our pharmacists are going well beyond providing medicine to helping make it more affordable by using digital tools to identify prescription savings for consumers. Read More   IN FOCUS/SHARP TAKES ➔ WHITE HOUSE & ADMINISTRATION: Gina Haspel will be the next director of the CIA and the first woman to ever hold the post.   Three Democrats – Sens. Mark Warner (Va.), Heidi Heitkamp (N.D.) and Bill Nelson (Fla.) – announced Tuesday they would support her nomination. Heitkamp and Nelson are up for reelection in states Trump carried in 2016, as is Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.), who said he'd back Haspel a day earlier.   The Hill: Warner vote clears path for Haspel nomination.   The Democratic support essentially clinches the confirmation for Haspel, who could see a floor vote as early as this week. Haspel had to overcome questions about her involvement with detention and interrogation programs in the years after Sept. 11.   Elsewhere within the administration…   The Hill: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is lifting the hiring freeze on the Foreign and Civil services imposed by his predecessor, Rex Tillerson. Pompeo has been on the job for only three weeks but morale at Foggy Bottom is up considerably under his leadership.   Morale is not great at the Environmental Protection Agency under Administrator Scott Pruitt. He's returning to Capitol Hill this morning, the first time senators will question the administrator at a hearing since the deluge of spending and ethics controversies began in March (The Hill).   Already at the center of a dozen investigations, Pruitt learned his emails are now being examined by the EPA watchdog (Politico).   Even Republican lawmakers are piling on the embattled Cabinet member. © Twitter   The Washington Post: The Department of Homeland Security prepares to hold immigrant children on military bases. The Hill: Trump administration eliminates top cyber post.   ➔ POLICY: A brief roundup…   Health Care:   The Hill: The ObamaCare wars are back, with each party seeking to blame the other for expected cost hikes on the exchanges. The Hill: Republicans are pressuring the Trump administration to defund Planned Parenthood or reinstate Reagan era restrictions before the midterm elections. NBC News: Nation's most restrictive abortion law challenged in court.   Immigration:   The Hill: Frustrated Trump tells lawmakers he wants action on border wall, immigration. The Hill: Appeals court skeptical of allowing Trump to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Democratic whip Steny Hoyer (Md.): Democrats are open to funding the wall in exchange for a deal on DACA.   Trade:   The Hill: Boeing trade case sets up U.S. to impose tariffs on the European Union. The Wall Street Journal: Mexico doesn't see North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)  talks wrapping up before deadline. The Hill: U.S. businesses asked the U.S. trade representative for protections from Trump's tariffs aimed at China. The executives lobbied the administration during the first of three days of planned hearings.   ➔ CAMPAIGNS: The Democratic presidential candidates have begun their 2020 auditions. The field will be massive and several of those potential candidates spoke at the Center for American Progress Ideas Conference in Washington on Tuesday, including Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.).   The key takeaway from The Hill's Niall Stanage - Warren stole the show.   Meanwhile, national Democrats have launched a last-minute spending spree ahead of the June 5 primary elections in California to ensure they're not shut out of what they view as winnable races.   Ford O'Connell: The two topics that will help the GOP keep a majority in the House.   The Hill's Lisa Hagen and Ben Kamisar report on the Democratic push in three Southern California districts that Hillary Clinton won in 2016. The fear is that the divided fields could cost the party in the jungle primaries, in which the top two finishers move on, regardless of party.   OPINION The Senate should confirm Gina Haspel as CIA director, by Jen Kerns, opinion contributor to The Hill. https://bit.ly/2jXXCtW   An immigration policy proposal, by former White House chiefs of staff Mack McLarty and Jack Watson, opinion contributors to The Hill. https://bit.ly/2IL5LQp   WHERE AND WHEN NAFTA and North American Competitiveness: A U.S.-Canada Conversation at 8 a.m. at the Newseum, sponsored by the Canadian American Business Council. Panelists include Reps. Erik Paulsen (R-Minn.) and Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.), both members of the House Ways and Means Committee. Moderator is Bob Cusack, editor-in-chief of The Hill.   The House meets at 10 a.m. for morning hour and at noon for legislative business.   The Senate meets at 9:30 a.m. and resumes consideration of Mitchell Zais, nominee to be Education deputy secretary. The Senate Intelligence Committee expects to vote on the nomination of Gina Haspel to be CIA director. The Judiciary Committee holds a hearing about the shuttered U.K.-based political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica, and the future of data privacy.   The president meets with President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan during a working lunch. This afternoon, Trump participates in a photo opportunity with the White House News Photographers' Association award recipients, after which he hosts the California Sanctuary State roundtable.   First lady Melania Trump remains hospitalized at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. The president made his second visit in as many days on Tuesday and told reporters that his wife is "doing really, really well" following treatment for an unspecified kidney ailment. She is expected to be discharged soon. © Twitter     ELSEWHERE > Twitter to implement changes meant to crack down on trolls, by Ali Breland, The Hill https://bit.ly/2rMjcGf   THE CLOSER And finally … "I think your soul is your relationship with other people," journalist and novelist Tom Wolfe once said. He died Monday in New York at age 88.   In an obituary, The New York Times observed that the man known for his white suits and faux spats was a keen observer and journalistic innovator: "His talent as a writer and caricaturist was evident from the start in his verbal pyrotechnics and perfect mimicry of speech patterns, his meticulous reporting, and his creative use of pop language and explosive punctuation."   The Washington Post's David Von Drehle, eulogizing and confiding, concludes that there was only one: "Wolfe made writing of the most difficult order look deceptively easy, and luminously fun, to the delight of readers and the embarrassment of all who tried to copy him."   Twenty years ago, with his 1987 satirical novel "Bonfire of the Vanities" still a part of New York literary conversations, Wolfe sat down with CBS's "60 Minutes" and observed that business executives, at least at that moment, left a small footprint in American society.   "I think it would be wonderful if business leaders would weigh into not only political questions, but moral questions," he told CBS. "Right now, they're afraid to do it." © Getty Images   Suggestions? Tips? Intriguing pix to share from around D.C. and the Capitol? We want to hear from you, and please encourage friends and colleagues to SUBSCRIBE! Jonathan Easley jeasley@thehill.com + Alexis Simendinger asimendinger@thehill.com   To view past editions of The Hill's Morning Report CLICK HERE To receive The Hill's Morning Report in your inbox SIGN UP HERE Morning Report Sign Up FORWARD Morning Report 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 ©2018 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc.

DAILY DOSE: Raw Truth

A parable is to truth as clothing is to a person. Truth is simple, it has no clothes, no neat little box to contain it. But we cannot gras

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Daily Dose

Print · Read Online Raw Truth By Tzvi Freeman Truth is simple, it has no clothes, no neat little box to contain it. But we cannot grasp that which has no box. We cannot perceive Truth without clothing. So Truth dresses up for us, in a story, in sage advice, in a blueprint of the cosmos—in clothes woven from the fabric of Truth itself. And then, when we have finally come to a firm grasp of that teaching, Truth switches clothes. It tells us another story—entirely at odds with the first. It tells us new advice—to go in a different direction. It provides another model of how things are—in which each thing has changed its place. The fool is confused. He exclaims, "Truth has lied!" The wise person listens, he is patient, and through his labor he hears a third voice, one that brings harmony to these opposites he has learned. Until he discovers that Truth is a simple, pure light no box can contain. And so, it belongs in all places, at all times. Sefer Hasichot 5749, vol. 2, pp. 509–511; Likkutei Sichot, vol. 22, p. 10. By Tzvi Freeman From the wisdom of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, of righteous memory; words and condensation by Rabbi Tzvi Freeman. Subscribe and get your dose daily. Or order Rabbi Freeman's book, Bringing Heaven Down to Earth, click here. Print Page   ·   Read Online   ·   Discuss   ·   Share on Facebook This email was sent to: tweatsho.email004@blogger.com Change email address · Manage Subscriptions · Going on Vacation? · Unsubscribe Tip: To ensure that our emails continue to be delivered to your inbox, add subscriptions@chabad.org to your address book or "whitelist" it in any filters or anti-spam programs you may have. © Copyright Chabad.org, all rights reserved. Privacy Policy Chabad.org · Ask the Rabbi · Contact Us · Donate

News Alert: Elizabeth Warren steals show at 2020 audition

View in your browser     Elizabeth Warren steals show at 2020 audition Democratic jockeying for the 2020 presidential race was on full display Tuesday as a host of likely contenders addressed liberal activists in Washington. It was Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) who ultimately won the day with a full-throated assertion of the need for Democrats to hew closely to a base she characterized as “angry and scared” about President Trump’s impact on the nation. Read the full story here           Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up for News Alerts     Forward News Alerts     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.

Overnight Energy: Pruitt to face Senate panel | Grassley might ask Pruitt to resign | Interior to use drones to fight wildfires

View in your browser     PRUITT ON THE HILL: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) chief Scott Pruitt is returning to Capitol Hill Wednesday morning for a hearing. The event at the Senate Appropriations Committee's subpanel with authority over the EPA is ostensibly for Pruitt to answer questions about his requested budget for fiscal 2019. But it is also the first time senators will get to question Pruitt at a hearing since the deluge of spending and ethics controversies involving him started in March. It's Pruitt's first appropriations hearing since June 2017, and his first Senate appearance since January. While Democrats say they're eager to grill Pruitt, the anticipation and drama leading up to the hearing pales in comparison to April 26, when he faced two subcommittee hearings in the same day in the House. "I've got a lot of questions. The question is, how do you cram them all in within five or 10 minutes," Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), a member of the Senate panel, said Tuesday with a grin. "I'm going to be asking him both about environmental policies he's pushing and issues regarding betrayal of the public trust," Van Hollen continued. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), a strong supporter of Pruitt's agenda, said other lawmakers are likely to ask questions about his controversies, so she won't use her time for that. "At this point, I think those questions are probably going to be raised," she said. "I'm just going to concentrate on policy."   Grassley threatens to ask Pruitt to leave: Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) threatened Tuesday to become the first GOP senator to call on Pruitt to resign. The threat was over "hardship" waivers that the EPA has been giving to fuel refineries to allow them to avoid complying with the federal ethanol mandate. He warned in a call with reporters that Pruitt had better stop giving them to refineries owned by big companies. "Well, they better, or I'm going to be calling for Pruitt to resign, because I'm done playing around with this" he said. Grassley argued that waivers violate promises by Pruitt and President Trump to keep the annual federal ethanol mandate at the level Congress called for in 2007, which is currently 15 billion gallons. His state is dominant nationally in corn production, and the ethanol mandate has significantly ramped up demand for corn to create the biofuel. He fears the waivers will chip away at the mandate and hurt Iowa. "Trump was elected with an agenda, Pruitt was not elected, and it's Pruitt's job to carry out the Trump agenda," he said in a call. Grassley reiterated the threat later Tuesday in a tweet. "I've supported Pruitt but if he pushes changes to RFS that permanently cut ethanol by billions of gallons he will have broken Trump promise & he should step down & let someone else do the job of implementing Trump agenda if he refuses," Grassley wrote. Read more.   Dems on another Senate committee also want to see Pruitt: Six Democratic Senators sitting on the Environment and Public Works Committee are calling on Chairman John Barrasso (R- Wyo.) to ask Pruitt to testify on his ethics and travel controversies. The Democrats, who sit on the Senate committee tasked with overseeing EPA, feel that they too should have a chance to question Pruitt over a cascade of scandals that have recently plagued the agency and the administrator. Pruitt is slated to testify tomorrow about the EPA's fiscal 2019 proposal before the Senate Appropriations subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies. "My only disappointment is that it's not before the Environment and Public Works and my hope is that before long it will be because there is plenty to talk to him about," Tom Carper (D-Del.), ranking member of the environment committee, told reporters Tuesday. "It's not just concerning to Democrats, it's also to a lot of Republicans. And maybe sooner rather than later they'll find their voices." Carper and the five other senators wrote in their letter to Barrasso: "Administrator Pruitt's testimony, viewed in the most charitable light, depicted a chief executive who has failed to exert any oversight over his staff as they have, as he testified, spent exorbitant funds and made impactful personnel decisions without his knowledge or approval," the senators wrote. "His ready willingness to pass blame on to everyone around him, including career staff and his top political aides, shows that he is either unwilling or unable to lead." The senators noted that Pruitt has yet to testify before the panel on this year's or next year's budget, and they accused him of offering testimony that had been contradicted by earlier testimony and documents in his previous appearance. Read more here.   INTERIOR TO IMPLEMENT FIRST DRONE PROGRAM TO COMBAT FIRES: The department announced Tuesday that it will sign four contracts with U.S.-based companies that will give Interior the ability to use "fully contractor-operated and maintained" small drones to aid in wildfire operations, search-and-rescue missions and other emergency situations in the U.S. "This contract reinforces our commitment to partnering with industry to provide our employees with the latest technology in carrying out their responsibilities as stewards of our nation's public lands while also ensuring their safety is paramount," Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said. "This capability is key to implementing our new and aggressive approach to combating the threat of large wildfires." The $17 million contract will help supplement the manned firefighter fleet by operating in situations dangerous to first responders, such as dense smoke situations. Infrared sensors placed on the drones will additionally provide the department the opportunity to collect and analyze the effectiveness of wildfire suppression and retardant. The effort is a collaboration between Interior and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service. Read more here.   ON TAP WEDNESDAY: Pruitt will testify before the Senate Appropriations Committee's Interior and EPA subcommittee. The full House Appropriations Committee will vote on the chamber's proposed spending bill for the Energy Department and water development programs. The House Science Committee will hold a hearing on using technology to combat climate change. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee will vote on Trump's nomination of Francis Fannon to be assistant secretary of state for energy resources. The House Energy and Commerce Committee's environment subcommittee will hold a hearing on proposed legislation to change the EPA's New Source Review permitting program. The House Natural Resources Committee will vote on six bills within its jurisdiction.   OUTSIDE THE BELTWAY: A federal judge overturned an attempt by Oakland, Calif., to block a coal export terminal from using the city's port, SFGate reports. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau faced protesters supporting Kinder Morgan's proposed TransMountain pipeline project, CTV reports.   IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Check out Tuesday's stories... -San Francisco lawmakers propose bill banning plastic straws -Interior Dept. moves forward on drone program for wildfire combat -Senate Dems call for new committee hearing on Pruitt's ethics concerns -Republican senator threatens to call on Pruitt to resign -Watchdog: EPA can do more to find emissions cheating after Volkswagen scandal -London may implement 'car-free' days to combat pollution: report     Please send tips and comments to Timothy Cama, tcama@thehill.com; and Miranda Green, mgreen@thehill.com. Follow us on Twitter: @Timothy_Cama, @mirandacgreen, @thehill         Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up for Energy Newsletters     Forward Energy Newsletters       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.