Tipsheet: Dems face difficult choices on resources in battle for Senate

View in your browser     Dems face difficult choices on resources in battle for Senate By Alexander Bolton   Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer (N.Y.) is facing pressure from vulnerable incumbents and hopeful challengers about where to spend the party’s limited resources in this fall’s midterms. Read the full story here     The Memo: Trump prizes loyalty over experience in Cabinet By Niall Stanage President Trump’s approach to administration appointments, which often seems to put loyalty and personal chemistry ahead of experience, extends far beyond White House physician Ronny Jackson, his pick to become the next head of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Read the full story here     GOP tax message hits a snag By Naomi Jagoda and Niv Elis   More than three months after the passage of the GOP’s tax-cut law, new surveys suggest that many people don’t think they are getting bigger paychecks, which could cut into support for Republicans in this fall’s midterms. Read the full story here     Sessions declines to appoint second special counsel By Brandon Conradis and Jacqueline Thomsen Attorney General Jeff Sessions revealed in a letter to lawmakers Thursday that he had declined to name a second special counsel to investigate allegations of surveillance abuse within the Department of Justice (DOJ), despite pressure from the Republican Party for him to do so. Read the full story here       Ingraham apologizes amid backlash over Parkland student criticism By Rebecca Savransky  Fox News host Laura Ingraham apologized Thursday over a critical tweet she sent out the day before about a Parkland, Fla., shooting survivor, as at least eight advertisers pulled their spots from her program. Read the full story here     Trump rushes to embrace 'Roseanne' success By Jonathan Easley President Trump is embracing comedian Roseanne Barr, whose rebooted television show is a surprise hit that’s being hailed by the media for its portrayal of a working-class family in the Trump era. Read the full story here     GOP, vet groups react with caution to Trump VA pick By Rebecca Kheel Senators and influential veterans groups are withholding judgment on President Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), a Navy doctor with no experience leading a federal bureaucracy. Read the full story here     White House: US 'will deal with' Russia's expulsion of diplomats By Max Greenwood The White House vowed Thursday to "deal with" Russia's decision this week to expel dozens of American diplomats, declaring the move a "further deterioration" in relations between the two countries. Read the full story here     Trump bids farewell to Hope Hicks By Jordan Fabian President Trump on Thursday said goodbye to longtime aide Hope Hicks, who is leaving the White House at the end of the week.  Read the full story here     Pentagon: Trump, Mattis discussed using military dollars for border wall By Ellen Mitchell President Trump and Defense Secretary James Mattis have spoken about the possibility of using Defense Department funds for a border wall between the United States and Mexico, a Pentagon official confirmed Thursday. Read the full story here     Increasing voter turnout will strike at the heart of the NRA By Ellen Kurz OPINION | The most powerful person in Florida politics is not the governor. It’s not a U.S. senator or even the speaker of the state House. It’s Marion Hammer, the lobbyist for the NRA. Read the full story here     If the Trump-Kim summit fails (or never happens), war is guaranteed By Harry J. Kazianis OPINION | Knowing that President Trump has tapped John Bolton and Mike Pompeo to join his administration, the president could very well be preparing to make the ultimate of choices, and could be leaning towards an attack if America’s summit hopes are dashed. Read the full story here     The Wall Street Journal: More money? For Betsy DeVos, that’s just one of the problems By Michelle Hackman   Congress just gave Education Secretary Betsy DeVos everything she didn’t want: a bigger budget and a guarantee that certain department offices wouldn’t be cut. Read the full story here     The Associated Press: Protests block streets after funeral for man shot by police By Don Thompson A standing-room-only crowd packed into a church Thursday to celebrate the life of a 22-year-old black man who was shot to death by Sacramento police, prompting angry protests in California’s capital city and a resolve to force changes in police departments around the country. Read the full story here     Washington Post: In an age of Trump and Stormy Daniels, evangelical leaders face sex scandals of their own By Sarah Pulliam Bailey As white evangelicals have been some of President Trump’s staunchest defenders, a handful of their leaders find themselves contending with a problem all too familiar to the commander in chief: a sex scandal. Read the full story here     The New York Times: Veterans Affairs shake-up stirs new fears of privatized care By Nicholas Fandos   President Trump’s dismissal of David J. Shulkin, the secretary of veterans affairs — and the nomination of a Navy doctor with no known policy views to take his place — has brought renewed focus to an increasingly contentious debate over whether to give veterans the option of using the benefits they earned through military service to see private doctors rather than going to government hospitals and clinics. Read the full story here     Reuters: Hawaii lawmakers approve medical aid in dying for terminally ill By Steve Gorman Hawaii would become the seventh U.S. state to legalize physician-assisted suicide for terminally ill patients under legislation passed by the state Senate on Thursday and sent to the governor. 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.