Gov. Walker Refuses To Hold Elections GOP Could Lose, Trump Says 'Trade Wars Are Good,' And Failed Clean Coal Plans

March 2nd, 2018 Top Stories --------------------------------------------------------------- [Scott Walker Refusing To Hold Elections GOP Might Lose]( The Gist: In late December, two Republican lawmakers stepped down from the Wisconsin legislature to join Gov. Scott Walker’s administration. In a remarkable break from precedent, Walker announced at the time that he would not hold special elections in their districts, leaving 229,904 Wisconsinites without representation for almost a year. Walker’s office has said it’s not worth the cost or effort to hold the votes, since regular congressional races will take place in November. But Democrats and their allies say Walker is just scared to lose. [SEC Dropped Inquiry Into Financial Firm That Gave Kushner Cos. $180M Loan]( The Gist: The Securities and Exchange Commission late last year dropped its inquiry into a financial company that a month earlier had given White House adviser Jared Kushner’s family real estate firm a $180 million loan. [Trump Insists ‘Trade Wars Are Good, And Easy To Win’ After Imposing New Tariffs]( The Gist: President Donald Trump on Friday insisted “trade wars are good, and easy to win,” a bold claim that will likely find many skeptics, including those on Wall Street and even some Republicans. From The Reporter's Notebook --------------------------------------------------------------- The Senate left DC on Thursday having taken no action to address gun violence, and Mitch McConnell says not to expect any next week either. But Democrats are trying to seize on the momentum created by a groundswell of activism following the Florida school shooting and are hoping President Trump doesn't walk back the promises he made Wednesday to support several gun control measures. [TPM's Alice Ollstein spoke]( to several senators who are desperately hoping Trump can push Republican lawmakers to back policies like stricter background checks for gun purchases. But, pointing to the White House's abrupt reversal on DACA just a few weeks ago, they remain skeptical he'll hold the line this time around. Agree Or Disagree? --------------------------------------------------------------- Josh Marshall: "My impression is that a 'secret' level clearance doesn’t get you access to a lot, certainly not a lot of the stuff that routinely traffics in and out of the West Wing and National Security Council. So we should consider the distinct possibility — probably the likelihood — that Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump losing their security clearance has seriously disrupted the current working of the White House. Maybe it’s for the better. I mean, it’s almost certainly for the better. But a lot of people likely just lost the ability to do the jobs they’d been doing for many months or more than a year. [That’s a big deal](. It’s likely it will drive even further the disruption, instability and general organizational chaos that has already been escalating in this most chaotic of White Houses." Say What?! --------------------------------------------------------------- "This meeting was not about gun control." - White House adviser Kellyanne Conway [insisting]( that the White House meeting on Wednesday in which President Donald Trump floated several gun control measures was not about gun control. BUZZING: Today in the Hive --------------------------------------------------------------- From a TPM Prime member: "They wouldn't be doing this if their pollsters told them all will be OK without it. The GOP faces an existential threat: The American people. This case is an attack on those people. Even with an uberGOPer Judge I doubt it flies." Related: [Meet The ‘Experts’ Kobach Is Using To Defend His Voter Fraud Claims In Court]( Have something to add? Become a [Prime]( member and join the discussion [here](. What We're Reading --------------------------------------------------------------- D.C. Public Schools Graduation Rate On Track To Decline This Year ([The Washington Post]( How America's Clean Coal Dream Unravelled ([The Guardian]( [unsubscribe from this list]( | [update subscription preferences]( | [view email in browser](