The Trail 2016: Hell breaks loose

by Jonathan Easley - 05/25/16 5:59 PM ET

Welcome to THE TRAIL 2016, your daily rundown from The Hill on all the latest news in the White House, Senate and House races.

Democrats are officially in disarray following The Hill’s bombshell report that Senate Democrats are discussing whether Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, should step down over her handling of the nominating process.

In quote that drove Wednesday’s news cycle, one Democratic senator told The Hill’s Alexander Bolton: ““There have been a lot of meetings over the past 48 hours about what color plate do we deliver Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s head on.”

To be sure, Democratic senators lined up to voice their support for the embattled DNC chief. And House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi and others stepped up to defend their colleague.

But the genie is out of the bottle on this story and it will likely not go away any time soon. Certainly the Sanders campaign won’t be lending a hand. Campaign manager Jeff Weaver all but called on Wasserman Schultz to step down in an interview on CNN.

Meanwhile, Wasserman Schultz’s emboldened primary challenger Tim Canova is talking tough, saying that if she’s counting on Clinton supporters to save her, “she’ll be sorely mistaken.”

Republicans are piling on, with the Tea Party Express the latest conservative group to “endorse” Wasserman Schultz in the primary fight.

Check back at The Hill all night and into the morning for news and analysis on this and everything related to 2016. Julian Hattem will have the latest on Clinton’s ongoing email-server controversy. And Amie Parnes will have the latest on Clinton’s VP search.

Also, Niall Stanage will have a surprising look at Bernie Sanders’s involvement in the 2008 Democratic primary.

And Jonathan Easley will have a report on how Libertarians are brimming with optimism heading into their weekend convention in Orlando.

RACE TO 1600 PENN

DRIP, DRIP, DRIP: The Hill’s Julian Hattem reports: An internal watchdog told Capitol Hill lawmakers on Wednesday that Hillary Clinton and her senior aides did not comply with the State Department’s record-keeping policies. The inspector general said Clinton took steps to make sure her personal email account was not “accessible.”

CLINTON ON THE DEFENSIVE: The Hill’s Julian Hattem reports: The Clinton campaign sought to minimize blowback from the watchdog report, saying her email and server set-up were not unique within the State Department.

WISHFUL THINKING: The Hill’s Ben Kamisar reports: Donald Trump says the controversy over Clinton’s private email server will force her out of the race.

NOT THERE YET, PART I: The Hill’s Jonathan Swan reports: A RNC official told conservative business leaders at a private meeting that Donald Trump would not dictate the party’s platform.

NOT THERE YET, PART II: The Hill’s Cristina Marcos reports: House Speaker Paul Ryan is still not ready to endorse Donald Trump.

SPOILER ALERT: The Hill’s Niall Stanage reports: The Green Party suddenly has a chance to have an impact on the outcome of the general election.

ODDS AND ENDS:

BEHIND THE SCENES: The Hill’s Jonathan Easley reports: Reince Priebus’s right-hand man is a young woman working her first election cycle as the RNC’s chief of staff.

GUEST APPEARANCE: The Hill’s Paulina Firozi reports: The woman who accused Bill Clinton of rape is fine with Donald Trump having used her voice in a political campaign ad.

FIRST 100 DAYS: The Hill’s Ben Kamisar reports: Hillary Clinton promised to send an infrastructure plan to Congress in her first months in office.

BACK AND FORTH: The Hill’s Jesse Byrnes reports: Elizabeth Warren is hitting back at Donald Trump, accusing him of spreading “conspiracies and lies.” The remarks come after Trump referred to Warren as “Pocahontas” and called her a “hypocrite” on housing.

POLL POSITION

BADGER PRESIDENTIAL: The Hill’s Jessie Hellmann reports: Hillary Clinton leads Donald Trump by double-digits in Wisconsin.

TAR HEEL PRESIDENTIAL: The Hill’s Lisa Hagen reports: Donald Trump holds a narrow lead over Hillary Clinton in North Carolina.

DAILY TRUMP

TROUBLE ON CAPITOL HILL: The Hill’s Mike Lillis reports: Minority lawmakers are bashing Donald Trump for having cheered on the housing market collapse in the 2000s.

OOPS: The Hill’s Rebecca Savransky reports: One of Donald Trump’s aides accidentally emailed a Politico reporter asking for dirt on the Clintons. The email was supposed to go to a contact at the RNC.

ELECTION FUEL: The Hill’s Devin Henry and Timothy Cama report: Donald Trump is seeking to make inroads with the fossil fuel industry ahead of the general election.

HINT, HINT: The Hill’s Naomi Jagoda reports: Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) has introduced legislation that would require presidential nominees to release their tax returns. The bill comes as likely GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump continues to refuse to release his tax records.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Gov. Martinez does not care what Donald Trump says about her.”

— New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez’s spokesman responding to criticism from Trump who said at a rally on Tuesday night that she’s not doing her job. Martinez is one of the most popular GOP governors in the country and, until Trump’s remarks, was viewed by many as a potential VP pick.

CONGRESSIONAL CAMPAIGNS

DEAD HEAT: The Hill’s Lisa Hagen reports: Incumbent Sen. Richard Burr (R) and Democratic rival Deborah Ross are running neck-and-neck in the battle for North Carolina Senate.

MONEY WATCH

FUNDRAISING WORRIES: CNN reports: Donald Trump’s allies are worried the fundraising deal he struck with the RNC will benefit the party more than the candidate.

WHAT WE ARE WATCHING FOR TODAY AND TOMORROW:

(All times Eastern)

Donald Trump will appear on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” at 11:35 p.m. today on ABC. On Thursday, he will address the Williston Basin Petroleum Conference in Bismark, N.D., at 2 p.m. From there, he’ll rally supporters in Billings, Mont., at 6 p.m.

Hillary Clinton will address the United Food & Commercial Workers International union conference in Las Vegas, Nev., at 1 p.m. on Thursday. She will hold an organizing event in San Jose, Calif. at 4:30 p.m.

Bernie Sanders will rally supporters in Lancaster, Calif., tonight at 10. On Thursday, he’ll hold a rally in Ventura, Calif. at 4 p.m., one in Pomona at 10:30 p.m., and then appear on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” at 11:35 p.m.

TWEET OF THE DAY

The protesters in New Mexico were thugs who were flying the Mexican flag. The rally inside was big and beautiful, but outside, criminals!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 25, 2016