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First Read's Morning Clips: Dems steer clear of impeachment talk

A roundup of the most important political news stories of the day.
Image: Nancy Pelosi
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) joins fellow Democrats from the House and Senate to introduce a new campaign to retake Congress during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on May 21, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

MIDTERM MADNESS: Dems steer clear of impeachment talk

Democrats are largely steering clear of impeachment talk, notes the Washington Post.

Meanwhile, Republican leaders are telling embattled incumbents to do what they have to do when it comes to distancing themselves from Trump, writes the New York Times.

Most experts think that it's too early to predict the impact of the Manafort and Cohen bombshells on the midterm elections.

AK-GOV: The biggest issue in the governor's race might be the permanent fund dividend.

AZ-GOV: Democrats are trailing Doug Ducey badly when it comes to fundraising.

CA-50: Duncan Hunter is under indictment. He'll probably win in November anyway.

FL-GOV: Florida insiders don't view Adam Putnam as a favorite anymore — but Gwen Graham still is.

MN-SEN: The Mollie Tibbetts case is becoming an issue in the Senate race.

ND-SEN: The North Dakota Senate race is putting health care issues front and center.

NJ-SEN: Is Bob Menendez in trouble?

TX-SEN: One of us(!) writes up our latest NBC/Marist poll, which shows Beto O'Rourke just four points behind Ted Cruz.

WI-GOV: It's a dead heat in the Wisconsin governors race.

WI-SEN: A Marquette poll shows a tight race between Vukmir and Baldwin.

TRUMP AGENDA: “Calm” for now

Our White House team looks at the president's state of mind as aides brace for a potential meltdown.

Trump said this morning that Michael Cohen worked for him "part time."

Documents in the Cohen case indicate that other members of Trump's circle may have been involved with hush money payments.

The Washington Post: "Inside Trump’s orbit, there is a debate: Some confidants see this week as an unsettling inflection point. Others see yet another round of problems that are vexing but not a danger to break Trump."

Cohen prosecutors say he worked with David Pecker to bury damaging stories about Trump.

What was Trump talking about when he cited campaign finance violations by the Obama campaign? NBC's Jane Timm has a fact check.

One of the Manafort jurors says that there was one holdout who prevented conviction on all counts.

Trump is claiming that the stock market would crash if he was impeached.

And the Mollie Tibbetts case is Trump's new rallying cry.