Subject: First Draft on Politics: Alternate Paths Might End in Indiana
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Date: Tue, 3 May 2016 07:23:23 -0400

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Tuesday, May 3, 2016

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Tuesday, May 3, 2016

Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont speaking at a rally in Fort Wayne, Ind., on Monday.

Sam Hodgson for The New York Times

Alternate Paths Might End in Indiana

By MAGGIE HABERMAN

Good Tuesday morning.

For Donald J. Trump’s aspirations to become the Republican Party’s presidential nominee, Tuesday night’s results in Indiana could be, finally, the end of the beginning.

Nearly three months after Mr. Trump won the primaries in New Hampshire and South Carolina, if he wins on Tuesday night, he could effectively lock in a path toward achieving the 1,237 delegates needed to clinch the nomination by the beginning of June.

Mr. Trump’s main remaining rival, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, has described Indiana as a crucial state. He has maintained that there is still a path forward even with a loss, as most public polls suggest is likely, and he has vowed to keep going until California votes on June 7. But even Mr. Cruz’s allies acknowledge that a loss would effectively obliterate any remaining path.

The anti-Trump forces, which once roared loudly, appear to be petering out. For the most part, groups opposed to Mr. Trump did not start buying television airtime to run ads against him in the relatively cheap Indiana markets until the last two weeks, giving him room to make a push with voters at a string of rallies in the last few days.

A win in a state with a more conservative electorate, whose governor endorsed Mr. Cruz, would allow Mr. Trump to look toward the convention and leave his mark as planning gets underway now, and for the general election.

As for the Democrats, Hillary Clinton and Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont appear to be in a closer contest. Mr. Sanders, despite laying off hundreds of campaign workers and facing a substantial delegate gap, might feel emboldened by a win. Still, Mr. Sanders’s path is also essentially gone, short of a vast amount of support from the superdelegates whose backing he once frowned on.

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What We’re Watching Today

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Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Sanders will spend Indiana’s Election Day in the Appalachian region. Mrs. Clinton will hold a discussion on substance abuse while in Charleston, W.V., which votes on May 10,  and she will give a speech on the economy while in southeastern Ohio. (The state voted in March.) Mr. Sanders will hold rallies in Kentucky, which holds its Democratic primary on May 17.

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Mr. Trump will give an election night news conference at Trump Tower in Manhattan.

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President Obama and Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. will meet with Secretary of State John Kerry, who has been working in Geneva to restore a partial cease-fire in Syria.

Eric Thayer for The New York Times

Donald Trump’s Foes Fear Indiana Primary Could Be Decisive Blow

By ALEXANDER BURNS

Mr. Trump appears poised for a victory there that would put him on track to seal the Republican nomination.

Sam Hodgson for The New York Times

What to Watch For in the Indiana Primaries

By JONATHAN MARTIN AND NATE COHN

Donald J. Trump and Hillary Clinton are hoping for knockout blows over their opponents, Ted Cruz and Bernie Sanders, in Indiana on Tuesday.

Experts Warn of Backlash in Donald Trump’s China Trade Policies

By BINYAMIN APPELBAUM

They say that his proposals are more likely to deepen the United States’ economic pains, particularly if China or other targeted nations retaliate.

First Draft

Ted Cruz Confronts Donald Trump Supporters in Indiana

By MATT FLEGENHEIMER

Mr. Cruz tried to change the minds of Trump supporters who were protesting his appearance outside a campaign event a day before the Indiana primary.

First Draft

John Boehner Was ‘Enthusiastic’ About Obama Video, White House Says

By MICHAEL D. SHEAR

White House officials said that Mr. Boehner was a good sport when they called to see if he would help produce a comedic video for the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on Saturday.

Stay tuned throughout the day: Follow us on Twitter @NYTPolitics and on Facebook for First Draft updates.

Ty Wright for The New York Times

First Draft

Hillary Clinton Cashes In on Donald Trump’s ‘Woman’s Card’ Comments

By AMY CHOZICK

The Clinton campaign has produced its own hot pink “Woman Card” and other merchandise, capitalizing on the Republican front-runner’s remarks with its best three-day fund-raising haul so far.

Ty Wright for The New York Times

First Draft

Hillary Clinton Hears Wrath of Coal Supporters in West Virginia

By AMY CHOZICK

As she toured a health and wellness center and then conducted a round-table discussion, protesters stood in the rain and chanted, “Go home!”

Sam Hodgson for The New York Times

First Draft

Hoarse but Energetic, Bernie Sanders Presses for Votes in Indiana

By YAMICHE ALCINDOR

The senator held three rallies to court Indiana’s voters, who go to the polls on Tuesday, and emphasized the state’s importance in his push to win the Democratic presidential nomination.

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

First Draft

Hillary Clinton Raised More Than Bernie Sanders in April

By AMY CHOZICK

With the Democratic nominating contest entering its final stretch and her sights set on the general election, Mrs. Clinton raised roughly $26.4 million in April, more than the $25.8 million raised by her rival.

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Donald Trump Says He Has More Foreign Policy Experience Than ‘Virtually Anyone’ in Race

By MAGGIE HABERMAN

Mr. Trump said he dealt “with leaders around the world” in his business after being asked about President Obama’s recent mocking of him for a lack of foreign policy chops.

On Washington

Now, Dennis Hastert Seems an Architect of Dysfunction as Speaker

By CARL HULSE

Mr. Hastert’s admission of abusing boys has prompted a reassessment of his tenure, and he emerges as a deeply flawed leader.

Virginia Republicans Weigh Court Challenge to Voting Rights for Felons

By JESS BIDGOOD

Gov. Terry McAuliffe restored voting rights to over 200,000 felons and was criticized by Republican lawmakers. Their planned lawsuit could delay the order.

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Resettling the First American ‘Climate Refugees’

By CORAL DAVENPORT AND CAMPBELL ROBERTSON

A $48 million grant for Isle de Jean Charles, La., is the first allocation of federal tax dollars to move an entire community struggling with the effects of climate change.

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What We’re Reading Elsewhere

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Mr. Trump, The Associated Press reports, “has so far ignored vital preparations needed for a quick and effective transition to the general election,” leaving him to “tap into the resources of the party’s establishment” for logistical help, “even as he rails daily against his party’s establishment as corrupt.”

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The Daily Beast found video from 1998 in which Mr. Trump told Fox News that President Bill Clinton was a “victim” in the accusations of sexual conduct against him, and disparaged the women making the accusations as “unattractive.”

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And Reuters writes that Mrs. Clinton “met with coal and steel workers in the Appalachian region on Monday in an effort to win over blue-collar voters in a part of the country with strong support for Republican Donald Trump.”

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