Subject: POLITICO's 2016 Blast, presented by Qualcomm: Kasich’s out — Trump’s rebranding begins — Inside Cruz’s final days — 5 things you need to know
From: "POLITICO's 2016 Blast" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 4 May 2016 14:51:41 -0600

By Henry C. Jackson | 05/04/2016 04:49 PM EDT

KAS CLOSED: DONALD TRUMP it is, then.

JOHN KASICH is ending his presidential campaign. The decision makes him the last of Trump's GOP foes to leave the 2016 field. Kasich had been set to soldier on - he was scheduled to talk to reporters in Washington, D.C. today, before embarking on a series of finance events, POLITICO's Daniel Strauss reports. And as recently as last night, he had vowed to fight until the end.

One sign this was a last minute decision: He released a (Blast note: Fairly poor, as these things go) Star Wars-themed ad. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6c2d35d0c3f919d5835a8a86ed0749f699e54c5c0ffe0868849500b53503f0f0 

But by this morning, he was on his way out. Kasich's withdrawal came hours after Trump delivered a decisive win in Indiana and TED CRUZ left the race. After abruptly clearing his schedule, Kasch announced a 5 p.m. eastern press conference in Columbus, Ohio. Read more at: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6c2d35d0c3f919d50d9571b12cec4919bd29b55ebf76066d29efa21a58f06963 

Happy Wednesday. The GOP party is just ending (or just beginning) but your 2016 Blast is same as it ever was. And May the fourth be with you. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6c2d35d0c3f919d55972dab7161dde1db00acc7318b0172c0cf9a140218ee521  (Every day, but especially today.) Henry C. Jackson (@henrycjjackson) is here to guide you through the day's campaign news, so send your tips, complaints and hot takes to [email-masked]. 

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Here are four more things to do we're watching today. 

2) REBRANDING: Welcome to the rebranding phase of DONALD TRUMP's presidential campaign. Hours after more-or-less securing the Republican presidential nomination, Trump struck a conciliatory tone, announced he'd begun to vet vice presidential candidates http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6c2d35d0c3f919d5b5c76e22f6c04a49a637b46de0464edfc9b7a9d9e78e3303 and generally eschewed some of the bombast that has characterized his run to date - at least in regards to anyone not named HILLARY CLINTON. His campaign declared she had "truly never been vetted before." The question, of course: How long will it last? Even in the afterglow of victory on Wednesday, he couldn't resist calling columnist George Will a "loser." So there you go. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6c2d35d0c3f919d5eb2c4de6b75d4756b7fef2905de5b8b7f0a365185fb76ba2 

3) END OF THE CRUZ: POLITICO's Shane Goldmacher and Katie Glueck deliver a must-read on the end of the TED CRUZ campaign - an effort that ended, in part, as Cruz considered a political future beyond 2016. Their story is chock full of details, from Iowa caucus night, when Cruz's campaign circulated reports BEN CARSON was leaving the 2016 race, to tough decisions ahead of a fateful loss in Indiana that, it became clear, was always going to be Cruz's last stand. In the end, Cruz found that what had once been his rationale as a candidate - the distrust of the Washington GOP establishment - became one of his biggest obstacles in overcoming DONALD TRUMP. And the question is where it leaves him
 going forward. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6c2d35d0c3f919d53387df0d4e028882a831dd0579ef435a722a34304a5b9ed0 

4) TRUMP-MAS MORNING: The realization that DONALD TRUMP will be the Republican nominee prompted a fair amount of freaking out among Republicans. Some, as POLITICO's Eli Stokols reports, signaled that they would be looking toward HILLARY CLINTON. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6c2d35d0c3f919d5801700cd95c213ac6efd5ff32e55f2d0dedd210255d5ae08 And POLITICO's Nolan D. McCaskill reports that Republicans of all sorts - even conservatives like Rep. Louie Gohmert - expressed worries about what Trump's nomination would mean. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6c2d35d0c3f919d536fe8778f2dd01eaf8d03cd260248912ac15c0d26b617921

5)  HEY, STILL BERNING HERE: HILLARY CLINTON was focused on DONALD TRUMP today http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6c2d35d0c3f919d5e07c37416c556c47b2e078187bf63db33d091e66aac376f1 and eyeing swing states. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6c2d35d0c3f919d5c273a2072ca239499ff8c17b0febb62b167d75ad2fd9a69c But, uh, hey BERNIE SANDERS won last night's Indiana primary ... As POLITICO's Glenn Thrush reports, Sanders' victory probably won't change the arc of the Democratic nomination. But Clinton is going to have to see him off somehow. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6c2d35d0c3f919d5d510aaa1dc4c0dacdc75bef68631c28c75b19d1f8e2d959c And Sanders' victory gave him a swell of momentum after what had been a tough week of staff cutbacks. It was enough that Sanders could pledge, in an interview with NPR today, that he would stay in the race until the end. "I
 think it is good for the United States of America, good for the Democratic Party, to have a vigorous debate, to engage people in the political process," he said. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6c2d35d0c3f919d5136a79e04b1aaef21bafb6d331312b650c12b79f9fb32923 

TRAIL MIX: Elsewhere on the campaign trail, HILLARY CLINTON can be deposed, pundits got so very much wrong about DONALD TRUMP. TED CRUZ had a rough night. Democrats want to continue berning and the Rolling Stones want Trump off of their cloud.

COMING ATTRACTIONS: A judge says that HILLARY CLINTON can be deposed in the investigation of her emails. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6c2d35d0c3f919d569115cbfc81d27fbc0db89d8a7785a22be80c2c886eb3d82 

TAKE THE GARLAND: With DONALD TRUMP's nomination at hand some Republicans say the Senate should just move forward with Merrick Garland's Supreme Court nomination. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6c2d35d0c3f919d58f61d210f37c9d3aa8a1cd4e94b1c439a332193c6a70ec60 

TRUMPED BY TRUMP: An impressive, but not nearly definitive, list of bad predictions related to DONALD TRUMP. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6c2d35d0c3f919d579dfd8a4bda358176dc01c651f62443dea8bdb8c25050dfc 

VEEPSTAKES: A look at the attributes DONALD TRUMP wants in a vice president. (CBS) http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6c2d35d0c3f919d5d283ac0c7dccf0766f4406251968207f05b11c1baa32e287 

CAN'T ALWAYS GET WHAT YOU WANT: The Rolling Stones have asked DONALD TRUMP to stop using their music at events. (Time) http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6c2d35d0c3f919d539436d6e8a810a2517d8ab2c24bfa558af2a73fb26339bdd 

INJURY TO INSULT: TED CRUZ accidentally bumped and elbowed his wife, Heidi, during his withdrawal speech last night and it went viral. (US Weekly) http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6c2d35d0c3f919d58c6d927c4ee01dc86d13f37a3eccf00e0c7310d1168d970d 

LET IT BERN: More than 50 percent of Democrats want BERNIE SANDERS to stay in the race until the end. (USA Today) http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6c2d35d0c3f919d5368d4aca6e9cd606a747be0257b5993d4c157bec582fd0ec 

WHAT'S NEXT: BERNIE SANDERS heads to West Virginia. HILLARY CLINTON is in California. 

THEY SAID IT: "Republicans must know that there is absolutely no chance that we will win the White House in 2016 now." - RedState managing editor Leon Wolf with a measured reaction to DONALD TRUMP securing the GOP nomination. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6c2d35d0c3f919d58b3dd3089699e8055c6a0c5f41b6fe0a8f3eb49f64518e50 

MAGIC NUMBER: 13. That's HILLARY CLINTON's lead in a new CNN/ORC poll for a general election matchup vs. DONALD TRUMP. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6c2d35d0c3f919d539285285e9bb875fd258913795342719c6be96c9abe69b0a 

FOLLOW @POLITICO'S politics team: @PoliticoCharlie, @POLITICO_Steve, @PoliticoAlex, @anniekarni, @GlennThrush, @EliStokols, @katieglueck, @schreckreports, @gdebenedetti, @Hadas_Gold, @ec_schneider, @kyledcheney , @theodoricmeyer, @MarcACaputo, @PoliticoKevin,@mikeallen, @dlippman, @Danielstrauss4, @henrycjjackson, @shanegoldmacher,@KristinPolitico, @PoliticoScott, @Patrick_C_Reis

There you go - now you're caught up on the 2016 race. TBNR. Pizza is finger food, and we'll see you back here tomorrow.

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