The Hill’s 12:30 Report

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The Hill’s 12:30 Report: Sanders, Clinton fight worries Dems | Latest on Texas Air Base shooting | 43 most insane campaign moments | Bernie and the pope | National Empanada Day!

DEVELOPING THIS MORNING — SHOOTING IN SAN ANTONIO: Local authorities are reporting an active shooter situation at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio. At least two people are dead, the Bexar County sheriff’s office tweeted. A post on the base’s Facebook page said that there is a “real world active shooter situation” and advised people to call 911 to report suspicious activity. http://bit.ly/23p0hw8

It’s Friday! And because the universe hates us, there might be snow in D.C. tomorrow. COME. ON. I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of what you missed this morning — and what’s on tap for the rest of the day. Send comments, story ideas and weekend plans to cmartel@digital-staging.thehill.com, @CateMartel and on Facebook.

COOL YOUR JETS, GUYS. EYE ON THE PRIZE.: Via The Hill’s Alex Bolton, Democratic senators are alarmed by the tough rhetoric coming from presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, worried the hard feelings will trickle over into the general election. So maybe those “you’re not qualified to be president” lines may not have been the best move. Evidence: A new poll shows one-quarter of Sanders supporters said they wouldn’t vote for Clinton in the fall. Notably worried: Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.). http://bit.ly/1S7mrky

BUT WAIT, SANDERS EASED UP A BIT TODAY: On “Today,” Bernie Sanders backed down on his claims that Hillary Clinton isn’t qualified to be president, saying “of course” the former secretary of State is qualified. Here’s the back and forth: http://bit.ly/1UNrkzK 

SOMETHING EVEN SCHUMER AND CRUZ CAN AGREE ON: Via Roll Call’s Niels Lesniewski, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-Texas), Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) have introduced legislation to recover artwork seized by the Nazis during the Holocaust. Note: This announcement came just one hour before Cruz toured a matzah bakery in New York. The Republican presidential candidate is spending a lot of time in the state ahead of its upcoming primary. http://bit.ly/1S1dwy7 

{mosads}QUICK PIT STOP IN IRAQ: Via The Hill’s Julian Hattem, Secretary of State John Kerry made an unannounced visit to Baghdad, Iraq, for an update on the fight against ISIS. This was his first trip in 18 months. Outcome: Kerry announced that the U.S. will be giving nearly $155 million in new humanitarian aide to support people affected by ISIS. http://bit.ly/1SEHYeW

BECAUSE IT’S FRIDAY: Let’s reminisce about the 43 most insane moments of the 2016 campaign. Think: Trump giving out Lindsey Graham’s cellphone number, Trump comparing Ben Carson to a child molester, Carson pronouncing “Hamas” as “hummus” and Reince Priebus “Reince Pubis” and Hillary Clinton barking like a dog. Wow, I love my job. But as for the future of our country, send help. http://bit.ly/1Sjua93

SCOOP — CONSERVATIVE ANTI-TRUMP AD ON MEDICARE: Via The Hill’s Sarah Ferris, the influential conservative group the American Action Network will spend $2.3 million on ads attacking Donald Trump’s call to let Medicare negotiate drug prices — a perennial Democratic proposal. http://bit.ly/1VE6Qs1

BERNIE IN THE (POPE’S) HOUSE: Four days before the New York primary — and the day after the Democratic debate in Brooklyn, Bernie Sanders is taking a break from the campaign trail to visit Pope Francis at the Vatican. Why: The pope is hosting a conference on social, economic and environmental issues. http://bit.ly/1qzP0eE

 

NOTABLE TWEETS:

Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) (ouuuuch)
Wow – Ernie Els had as many putts on that green as Donald Trump had positions on abortion this week. Sad! http://bit.ly/1Xle1o8

Tribune DC’s Lisa Mascaro
By the way, the dome may be back, but Senate is still undergoing renovation. #metaphor http://bit.ly/1RIyaEk

The New York Daily News’s Jennifer Fermino (Dayyyyyum!)
I think Kasich is enjoying the Bronx http://bit.ly/20dTEek

 

ON TAP:

The Senate is out until Monday; the House is still out until Tuesday.

12 p.m. EDT: Hillary Clinton holds a roundtable on “Growing jobs and raising incomes” in Buffalo, N.Y.

12 p.m. EDT: John Kasich holds a town hall in Fairfield, Conn.

3 p.m. EDT: Donald Trump will hold a press conference at the Trump National Golf Club Los Angeles. He defended his light campaign schedule on Twitter: http://bit.ly/1TFUIa4

3 p.m. EDT: Bernie Sanders holds a rally in the Brooklyn, N.Y.

4:30 p.m. EDT: Vice President Biden speaks at the University of Colorado for the It’s on Us Week of Action campaign targeting campus sexual assault.

5 p.m. EDT: Susan Sarandon campaigns with Bernie Sanders in Brooklyn.

6 p.m. EDT: Hillary Clinton campaigns in Rochester, N.Y.

6 p.m. EDT: John Kasich holds a town hall in Syracuse, N.Y.

Friday evening: Vice President Biden will speak at a private event for Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.).

This weekend: Ted Cruz and Ohio Sen. Rob Portman (R) speak at the Republican Jewish Coalition’s spring meeting.

Saturday: Ted Cruz is the only Republican presidential candidate to address the Colorado State GOP Convention in Colorado Springs.

11 a.m. EDT Saturday: John Kasich holds a town hall in Rochester, N.Y.

4 p.m. EDT Saturday: John Kasich holds a town hall in New Rochelle, N.Y.

6:30 p.m. EDT Saturday: John Kasich speaks at the Rockland County GOP Lincoln Day Victory Ball in Pearl River, N.Y.

3 p.m. EDT Sunday: Donald Trump holds a rally in Rochester, N.Y.

5 p.m. EDT Sunday: Terry and Dorothy McAuliffe holds a barbeque fundraiser with Hillary Clinton in McLean, Va.

 

WHAT TO WATCH:

Sunday morning: Bernie Sanders joins ABC’s “This Week.”

Sunday morning: Bernie Sanders and John Kasich join CBS’s “Face the Nation.”

Sunday morning: President Obama joins “Fox News Sunday.”

 

NOW FOR THE FUN STUFF…

Today is National Empanada Day! And to celebrate, here are the 15 best places to get empanadas in Washington, D.C. http://4sq.com/1PYBc1t

WHAT A BOLD STRATEGY: Here are companies who use Twitter in a bold way to respond to customers and readers. Thanks for the listicle, BuzzFeed. http://bzfd.it/1qxUBBK

WHAT IS ANGERING FACEBOOK — NETFLIX UPS ITS PRICE: Starting in May, Netflix is increasing their monthly price, even for users who are grandfathered into the old rate. The gist of reactions: people ain’t happy: http://yhoo.it/1S7qo8U

WEEKEND PLANS — FIREWORKS ON THE WATERFRONT: The National Cherry Blossom Festival is hosting a day of activities, including a firework show on the waterfront. It goes from 1–9 p.m. EDT. Info: http://bit.ly/1MZ5N4y 

And with that, continue to send me your predictions for the GOP nomination for my poll. I’ll compare these results in July. Let’s see how many readers can correctly guess! 😉

Have a great weekend. Monday. Same time, same place.

 

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