Welcome to The Lid, your afternoon dose of the 2016 ethos… Here at The Lid, we’re celebrating National Pi Day by continuing to cover an election that is irrational and seems to go on forever. #mathjokes
Get The Lid straight to your inbox each afternoon -- click here to sign up.
‘16 from 30,000:
Unless you’re paying particularly close attention to the 2016 race, you may have missed that Hillary Clinton has needed to walk back two comments in four days. It was just Friday afternoon when Clinton issued astatement apologizing for her remarks about Nancy Reagan’s legacy on HIV/AIDS. On the day of former first lady’s funeral, Clinton had praised Reagan and herhusband for starting “a national conversation” about the disease, a claim thatwas swiftly refuted by advocates who accuse the Reagan White House of sweepingthe crisis under the rug. Then, this morning, Clinton again had to do somecleanup after saying at a town hall that her plans to overhaul the coalindustry would “put a lot of coal miners and coal companies out of business.”Neither are likely destined to be game-changers in a primary race that’s been largelydivided on the relatively specific and static issues of banking, trade andtrust. But here’s our point: In a Trump-less world, either or both of thesestories would have probably taken up much of a news cycle on cable. But in ourcurrent media environment, it was barely a mention. It’s a break that bothDemocratic candidates are catching at the moment, and it says a lot about themedia atmosphere right now.
POPPING ON NBC POLITICS
- Sarah Palin canceled campaign stops for Donald Trump in Florida after her husband was in a snowmobile accident in Alaska.
- Bernie Sanders told NBC News' Chuck Todd on Monday that Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump is enticing supporters to commit acts of violence by offering to pay their legal fees.
- Marco Rubio told reporters he plans to win Florida tomorrow and continue his campaign.
- Ted Cruz suggested on Monday that it would take Donald Trump shooting somebody in New York City to not support the current front-runner in the general election if he becomes the Republican Party presidential nominee.
- Campaign embed Shaq Brewster compares rallies for Ben Carson and Bill Clinton.
- And from First Read: It’s a scary time in American politics.
FOR THE RECORD…
“Well I can give you one example where I would no longer support Donald Trump. If, for example, he were to go out on Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, I would not be willing to support Donald Trump."
Ted Cruz on supporting Trump if he becomes the GOP nominee.
TOMORROW’S SKED
It’s primary day! Democrats and Republicans go to the polls in Florida, Ohio, Illinois, North Carolina and Missouri.