White House Correspondents Dinner & Trump's Latest VP Thoughts

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Good morning,

The look that’s dividing the internet: Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) showed up to the 2024 White House Correspondents’ Dinner — a black tie event — with a black tie… hoodie. Even Vogue is weighing in.

As ‘Watch What Happens Live’ would ask: Fashion or Trash, Hun?

Have a good one!

Mosheh, Jill, & Lauren

🇮🇱 GAZA CEASEFIRE & HOSTAGE NEGOTIATIONS CONTINUE AS WAR APPROACHES 7 MONTH MARK

President Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke yesterday, reviewing ongoing talks to secure the release of hostages together with an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

Israel has accepted the US-drafted plan that includes additional humanitarian aid, a 6-week ceasefire, more movement for Palestinians, and several hundred Palestinian prisoners released, in exchange for several dozen Israeli hostages. Biden told Netanyahu on the call that the onus remains on Hamas to accept the latest proposal.

PROOF OF LIFE
It comes as the Hamas terror group has been releasing proof-of-life propaganda videos of some hostages— including two Americans— over the past week. Israel, meanwhile, has vowed to launch a new offensive in Rafah, where over one million displaced Palestinians are taking shelter.

The propaganda videos show three men, two of them American-Israeli citizens (Siegel + Goldberg-Polin), who have been in captivity for over 200 days. American officials are not sure why Hamas is now just releasing proof of life videos, but they believe it is a ploy to put pressure on the Israeli government to make additional concessions.

In recent weeks, protests have grown in Israel calling on the government to do whatever it takes to ensure Hamas releases the remaining 133 captives seized on Oct. 7. It is believed that 100 are still alive.

NEW HOSTAGE DEAL
Hamas has said that they will not agree to any deal without a complete ceasefire, while Israel has refused to end the war until Hamas is defeated. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is returning to the Middle East this week to try to broker a deal.

WHERE THINGS STAND: MIXED MESSAGES
- Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said talks have “effectively stopped” with “both sides entrenched in their positions.”
- Egyptian officials say Israel is willing to consider a limited truce in which 33 hostages (women, elderly and sick) would be released by Hamas, instead of the 40 previously under discussion (which Hamas said it did not have).
Hamas rejected a deal from earlier this month for a six-week ceasefire with Israel releasing hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for 40 hostages held in Gaza.

RAFAH OPERATION LOOMS
The IDF sees the city of Rafah as Hamas’ last major stronghold in Gaza. There have been increased Israeli airstrikes, and new tent encampments to move displaced Palestinians.

NPR reports that the offensive will center around five areas in Rafah where officials say remaining Hamas tunnels and militant hideouts are located.
The White House has said it will only approve of an Israeli operation if the IDF can find a way to avoid significant civilian casualties and ensure the more than 1 million displaced Palestinian civilians in Rafah have a safe place to go.

🇺🇸 TRUMP & BIDEN WORRIED ABOUT RFK JR. & AGREE TO DEBATE

We have been telling you about Democratic concerns about RFK Jr.’s presidential run taking votes away from President Biden. This past weekend, Donald Trump went after RFK, as some polls show he may be taking away a number of voters from the GOP side.

TRUMP TURNS ON RFK JR.
Trump vented on his Truth Social platform that RFK Jr.’s goal is to actually aid Biden’s chances of re-election. Trump and allies had been praising Kennedy’s run for several months, as initial polls showed him taking a bigger bite out of Biden.

“RFK Jr is a Democrat ‘Plant,” Trump wrote. “A Vote for Junior’ would essentially be a WASTED PROTEST VOTE, that could swing either way, but would only swing against Democrats if Republicans knew the true story about him.” Trump added that he would rather see Biden re-elected vs. RFK, Jr.
Kennedy dismissed Trump as “unhinged” (see his full response above).
WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY: RFK Jr. is getting about 8-12% in recent national polls. But he is only on about seven or eight states’ ballots, and the deadline for others is quickly approaching.

Bottom line: Both Trump and Biden now perceive Kennedy as a threat, over fears that he could siphon off enough votes to swing the race. Super slim wins in 2020 in Wisconsin, Georgia, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Arizona have Democrats worried third party candidates in a few states could make all the difference this year (like in 2016).

TO THE DEBATE STAGE
RFK Jr. is demanding a direct debate with Trump. While that is unlikely, Kennedy could qualify for the three official scheduled fall debates if he hits 15% in the polls.

Meanwhile, Biden broke his silence on debates in an interview with Howard Stern on Friday, where he confirmed that he WOULD debate.
Trump reacted to Biden’s new public willingness to debate by saying “everyone knows he doesn’t really mean it,” then threw out several evenings this week he would like for it to happen.

A dozen news organizations released a public letter earlier this month urging Trump and Biden to participate in televised debates before the Nov. election. Biden had been vague about the topic, saying in March that whether he debated Trump “depends on his behavior.” Back in 2020, Trump and Biden debated twice.

ON THE VP SHORTLIST
Meanwhile, Trump’s potential VP list apparently is getting a bit shorter.

North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, who launched his own failed long-shot White House bid, is getting more attention in Mar A Lago — Trump reportedly likes Burgum’s potential appeal to moderates.
Then there’s South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem. She was once high up on the list. But, her extreme anti-abortion positions, coupled with the new revelation in her autobiography that she shot her 14-month old dog in a gravel pit, are not helping her chances.
Here’s how a couple nearby Democratic governors reacted to the news:

📝 HOW WORDS UNITE OR DIVIDE AMERICANS

Speaking of politics… here’s some of the language that’s dividing and uniting Americans.

Dividing Americans: "MAGA,” "2nd Amendment" and “billionaires,” show the most polarization among Americans.
Bring people together: 9 in 10 Americans — across the political spectrum — view "honesty," "responsibility," "freedom" and "American national parks" as unifying words.

Ipsos' president of polling and societal trends, Cliff Young, says that using divisive language can win some political races, but once elected those candidates "can't govern effectively through polarization.”

HOW VOTERS FEEL
A Gallup poll shows how this election’s divide brings some unlikely consensus: over a quarter of Americans believe that neither candidate would be a good president. A Times/Siena poll from Feb. summarized how voters were feeling about the upcoming rematch in just one word. Hint: Optimists are in the minority.

⏳ SPEED READ

🚨NATION

📌 Best jokes from the White House Correspondents Dinner (Colin Jost + Joe Biden) (WASHINGTON POST)

📌 Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters arrested at campuses as colleges crack down on encampments (NBC NEWS) One university has shut down classes until the fall due to protesters occupying several buildings (SF GATE)

📌 Trump and DeSantis meet to 'bury the hatchet' after 2024 primary fight (ABC NEWS)

📌 Harvey Weinstein hospitalized after his return to New York from upstate prison (AP)

🌎 AROUND THE WORLD

📌 US intelligence believes Putin probably didn't order Navalny to be killed this spring (REUTERS)

📌 Israel working to block potential International Criminal Court arrest warrants (TIMES OF ISRAEL)

📌 Australians call for tougher laws on violence against women after killings (BBC)

📌 Russia arrests more journalists (THE HILL)

📌 US State Department blasts new Iraq anti-homosexuality law as human rights threat (NBC NEWS)

📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH

📌 Musk courts Chinese officials to seek approval for Tesla's self-driving technology (AP)

📌 Why more working-age men in the US have stopped working (BUSINESS INSIDER)

📌 Google tries to throw out ad tech antitrust case before trial (BLOOMBERG)

📌 Louvre considers moving Mona Lisa to new, exclusive space (NPR)

🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

📌 Selena Gomez: Getting off Instagram was ‘the most rewarding gift I gave myself’ (CNBC)

📌 Florida mayor blasts cop for treatment of 'frightened' Gisele Bündchen who cried over paparazzi during traffic stop (CBS NEWS)

📌 Emma Stone wants to be called by her real name: ‘I can’t do it anymore. Just call me Emily’ (FOX NEWS)

📌 Nicole Kidman given life achievement award by American Film Institute (GUARDIAN)

📌 Colin Jost jokes about married life with Scarlett Johansson (PEOPLE)

🗓 ON THIS DAY: APRIL 29

1967: Aretha Franklin released her version of the Otis Redding song, ‘Respect.’
1974: President Nixon announces the Watergate tapes would be released to the public in response to a Watergate trial subpoena issued in July 1973.
1992: Riots erupt in Los Angeles after four LAPD officers were acquitted of any wrongdoing after beating Rodney King in a traffic arrest.
2011: Prince William married Kate Middleton in a ceremony with 1,900 guests, while a million spectators lined the streets of London and an estimated two billion people around the world watched on television.