Obama’s standing among political independents is more than twice as high as either Biden’s or Trump’s. Unlike Biden or Trump, he also has the near-universal backing of his own party.

“Forty-one percent are ‘cost insecure’ — meaning either they don’t have access to good, affordable care or were recently unable to pay for care or medicine they needed.”

“But the Senate has taken no concrete steps toward advancing a bill, and GOP senators and aides said this week it was becoming clear any ‘Reconciliation 3.0’ would be a House-led effort. Multiple Senate Republicans — including members of leadership — say they don’t currently see a path that could marshall 50 votes behind such a measure on their side of the Capitol just months before the midterms.”

“Those three things have been at the center of the debate around how to approach Iran for years, dating to the 2015 agreement that the US, under President Barack Obama, and other great powers signed with Iran to limit its nuclear program.”

“Not only that: Trump had repeatedly cited those issues as reasons why Obama and past presidents had failed so badly in containing the threat posed by the regime in Tehran.”

“Trump has privately complained about Thune—in particular about his inability to pass the stalled SAVE America Act—but he personally likes him, according to White House officials. While Trump harps on the bill, he hasn’t criticized Thune publicly. Nor has he called for the removal of Thune as leader. Such a move would trigger a revolt from members, one Republican senator warned.”

“No part of life in the United States has been untouched by Donald Trump’s relentless weaponization of the Justice Department. This is a cautionary tale about how, once a president amasses such power, future presidents may never relinquish it.”

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“After the Trump administration released the text of the arrangement on Wednesday, some Senate Republicans reacted with fierce criticism, skepticism and alarm. Prominent members of the GOP’s old guard from outside Congress also sounded dubious notes. And even some of president’s allies in the conservative news media voiced concern.”

“The so-called memorandum of understanding is now in effect, a US official said. It was unclear if Iran had immediately begun taking steps to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz.”

“It starts with the resumption of Tehran’s ability to reap billions of dollars in oil sales, lifting pressure on the struggling regime even as negotiators prepare to begin haggling over a far more lengthy and critical document: the one Mr. Trump insisted in an interview on Sunday will arrest Iran’s nuclear program for the next 15 or 20 years.”

“Mr. Trump blindsided his supposed allies in the Senate on Wednesday with a rocket of a social media post from across the Atlantic, tying together a host of his pet peeves about the Senate while yanking his new nominee for national intelligence director from his confirmation hearing just hours before it was to occur.”

“It was an extraordinary move from a president whose own party controls the chamber, but just the latest sign of a major rupture between Mr. Trump and G.O.P. senators as the midterm elections approach.”

Politico: Trump escalates his war on Senate Republicans — and senators are striking back.

— Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), in a statement.

Said Trump: “I mean, they have to have some, because other people have some. You got to have some.”

He added: “Well, what am I going to do? Am I going to let Saudi Arabia have missiles, but they can’t have them? Doesn’t work that way, you know, it doesn’t work that way, and missiles aren’t the problem. Missiles, they hurt a little location, but they don’t blow up the planet.”

“Mr. Pulte has used his current post as a top federal housing official to help with Mr. Trump’s campaign of retribution against his perceived enemies. Lawmakers are worried that Mr. Pulte could find ways to weaponize the spy office even in just a few days on the job.”

“Now, the president is turning to a pot of money Congress approved last year for the U.S. Secret Service.”

“The Reflecting Pool now evokes the joy of a Green Bay Packers victory. Or a high-school prank. Or St. Patrick’s Day in Chicago. It most certainly is not the gleaming American-flag blue that Trump’s repainting of the pool was supposed to produce.”

“That project—the one that cost taxpayers at least $16.4 million and came with a nanobubbling system that promised to kill off algae growth—is hidden under 18 to 30 inches of swamp water dense with scraggly plumes of algae.”

Said Van Hollen: “If you are asking me whether I think Democrats need to shake things up, you bet I do. It’s pretty clear operating that from within the confines or the halls of Congress is not a successful recipe for actually getting change.”