PRESIDENT TRUMP’S ANNOUNCEMENT ON IRAN NUKE DEAL

President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that the U.S. will pull out of the landmark nuclear accord with Iran, declaring he's making the world safer but dealing a profound blow to allies and deepening the president's isolation on the world stage. 

"The United States does not make empty threats," he said in a televised address from the White House Diplomatic Room. 

Trump said the 2015 agreement, which included Germany, France and Britain, was a "horrible one-sided deal that should never ever have been made." He added that the United States "will be instituting the highest level of economic sanction." 

Trump's decision means Iran's government must now decide whether to follow the U.S. and withdraw or try to salvage what's left of the deal. Iran has offered conflicting statements about what it may do and the answer may depend on exactly how Trump exits the agreement. 

The Iran agreement, struck in 2015 by the United States, other world powers and Iran, lifted most U.S. and international sanctions against the country. In return, Iran agreed to restrictions on its nuclear program making it impossible to produce a bomb, along with rigorous inspections. 

Trump spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron and Chinese leader Xi Jinping about his decision Tuesday. The British foreign secretary traveled to Washington this week to make a last-minute pitch to the U.S. to remain in the deal, according to a senior British diplomat. The diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the British objective will remain to uphold and maintain the deal.

If the deal collapses, Iran would be free to resume prohibited enrichment activities, while businesses and banks doing business with Iran would have to scramble to extricate themselves or run afoul of the U.S. American officials were dusting off plans for how to sell a pullout to the public and explain its complex financial ramifications. 

In Iran, many were deeply concerned about how Trump's decision could affect the already struggling economy. In Tehran, President Hassan Rouhani sought to calm nerves, smiling as he appeared at a petroleum expo. He didn't name Trump directly, but emphasized that Iran continued to seek "engagement with the world."

WSJ: TRUMP LAWYERS TO DECIDE BY MAY 17 ON TALKING TO MUELLER

President Trump’s attorney Rudy Giuliani said on Tuesday that he wants the parameters of an interview between the president and special counsel Robert Mueller to be set by May 17, which is the one-year mark for when Mueller was appointed to probe possible ties between the Trump campaign and Russia's efforts to influence in the presidential election.  

"You need a sort of action-forcing event. I think that's a good one for us, is the special counsel," Giuliani told NBC's Kristen Welker. He added that the deadline is tentative, and an actual interview would not happen by that date.

Giuliani said the parameters should include written questions and the questions should narrowly focus on the investigation. Trump said last week that he would "love" to speak with Mueller but only if he would be "treated fairly." Giuliani told The Hill last week that the president's legal team was "several weeks away" from determining whether Trump would agree with an interview with Mueller.  

A NEW POLL HAS TRUMP DOING BETTER IN ONE MEASURE THAN OBAMA DID IN ALL 8 YEARS

A new poll from CNN finds more Americans think the country is doing well and also shows President Trump getting more approval for his handling of various issues. 

The CNN/SSRS poll finds Trump’s overall approval rating underwater, with 41 percent giving the president positive marks and 53 percent disapproving of his performance. 

But on specific issues, the numbers are at least moving up for Trump. For example, 40 percent of Americans approve of Trump’s handling of immigration, up from 36 percent in the poll's February results. Similarly, 42 percent approve of his handling of foreign affairs, compared to 39 percent in March.  

Fifty-two percent approve of Trump’s handling of the economy, a 4 point boost from March. The White House has often pointed to unemployment numbers and the stock market as indicators of Trump's effectiveness. Last months' jobs report found the unemployment rate falling to a low of 3.9 percent. 

The poll, conducted May 2-5, found 57 percent of people believe the country is doing fairly well or very well, up 8 percentage points from February. Meanwhile, 40 percent of people think the country is doing badly.

Americans Are More Anxious Than A Year Ago, Survey Finds

Feeling particularly anxious over the past year? You are not alone. Anxiety levels among Americans rose sharply compared to last year, according to a new national poll by the American Psychiatric Association. 

This year’s national anxiety score, derived by mean scores on a 0-100 scale, is 51, a five-point jump since 2017. 

While more Americans are anxious than last year in all five areas (health, safety, finances, relationships and politics), the greatest increase was in anxiety about paying bills. 

Nearly three-quarters of women, nearly three-quarters of young adults (18 – 34) and nearly four in five Hispanic adults are somewhat or extremely anxious about paying their bills. 

Women are more anxious than men, and also had a greater increase in anxiety than men between 2017 to 2018. When asked to compare their anxiety to the previous year, 57% of women 18-49 years reported being more anxious, compared to 38% of men the same age.

Older Americans also see this gender gap – 39% of women 50 and older and 24% of men 50 and older say they are more anxious now than this time last year. Overall, nearly four in 10 people (39 percent) say they are more anxious than they were last year.

APRIL WAS BEST MONTH IN HISTORY FOR U.S. BUDGET, ACCORDING TO CBO FIGURES

According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) figures, April was the best month in history for the U.S. budget. The federal government took in a record tax haul in April, leading to its biggest monthly budget surplus. 

The government collected $515 billion and spent $297 billion for a total monthly surplus of $218 billion. The previous record was $190 million, which was set back in 2001.

The CBO analysts have said that they will have a better idea of what’s behind the surge as more information comes in but at this time they have said that it is due to individual taxpayers having higher incomes, leading to them paying more in taxes. 

“Those payments were mostly related to economic activity in 2017 and may reflect stronger-than-expected income growth in that year,” the CBO analysts said in their monthly budget review. 

April is always a strong month for government finances, with taxpayers filing their returns for the previous year and settling what they owe. This year receipts jumped up 13 percent compared to last year.

BERKELEY TASK FORCE BLAMES CONSERVATIVES FOR LEFTIST VIOLENCE

A University of California Berkeley task force is blaming conservative students for destructive protests on campus. 

The UC Berkeley Commission on Free Speech claims that conservative students are to blame for last year’s destructive leftist riots because they invited speakers to campus who were “likely to incite a violent reaction.” 

The report was filed on April 10 by a Commission of Free Speech that Chancellor Carol Christ created in October of last year to “analyze events featuring external speakers” on campus in the wake of a series of disruptive protest against planned appearances by speakers such as Ben Shapiro, Milo Yiannopoulos and Ann Coulter. 

The task force states that while there is “plausibility” to the claim that Ben Shapiro’s visit was intended to “broaden the political discourse” on campus, many of its members believe that “Milo Yiannopoulos and Ann Coulter only came to the university in pursuit of wealth and fame.” 

According to the document, the commission was formed in October of 2017 following a wave of protest against conservative speakers who were invited to lecture at the university. 

The commission specifically highlights the difference between the polite reception Ben Shapiro received when he visited campus in April 2016, compared to when he spoke on campus in September of 2017, that cost the university around $600,000 in security. 

The report goes on to contend that all of the events that sparked protests last year, “at least some of the 2017 events at Berkeley can now be seen to be part of a coordinated campaign to organize appearances on American campuses likely to incite a violent reaction, in order to advance a facile narrative that universities are not tolerant of conservative speech.” 

A spokesperson for UC Berkeley told Campus Reform that the report does not necessarily reflect the school’s official commission and its recommendations must still be evaluated by the administration. 

“It has been only a few days since the report was completed and delivered to the Chancellor and her leadership team. Given the importance of the issues covered by the report, they intend to take the time necessary to carefully review and discuss the commission’s findings and recommendations. AS part of her commitment to transparency and engagement, Chancellor Christ will keep the campus community informed about her plans to ensure our University maintains its unwavering support for Free Speech. And just to clarify, the views expressed in the report are those of the commission and don’t necessarily represent the perspectives of the Chancellor or her administration.”

MAN WHO WRESTED RIFLE FROM WAFFLE HOUSE GUNMAN RAISES $227,000 FOR VICTIMS

Two weeks ago, James Shaw Jr. who wrestled an assault rifle from a gunman at a Nashville Waffle House restaurant on April 22 started a GoFundMe page to raise $15,000 for the shooting victims. Just two weeks later though, Mr. Shaw’s GoFundMe has raised more than 15 times that amount — about $227,000 as of Monday night.

The news release distributed Monday said the GoFundMe campaign would close on Sunday. It noted that the Nashville office of the wealth manager UBS would coordinate donations to victims and their families free of charge. Mr. Shaw, 29, has been lionized for his decisive action in the wee hours of April 22. 

That morning, a gunman, identified by the police as Travis Reinking, opened fire at the Waffle House, fatally shooting four people and wounding several others, including Mr. Shaw. Mr. Shaw, an electrician, had seen a young man move toward the building gripping an AR-15 rifle and squeezing the trigger repeatedly. And when the firing paused, Mr. Shaw, who had just been seated, saw a chance to intervene while the man reloaded his weapon. 

Mr. Shaw scuffled with Mr. Reinking, seized his rifle and hurled it over a countertop, forcing Mr. Reinking to flee the restaurant. Mr. Shaw suffered a graze wound from a gunshot and a second-degree burn on his right hand when he grabbed the barrel of the rifle. Officials said later there would have been greater bloodshed had Mr. Shaw not acted.

State legislators, the Nashville Predators and even a minor-league baseball team have honored Mr. Shaw in some form or fashion.

Mail Time!

• I feel 'the swamp' is trying to carry the Mueller stuff at least through the mid‐terms…what say you?
• Mr. Bill, your thoughts on the chance of a firing of Jeff Sessions and Rudy taking his place? This has become SUCH a mess. Things in our country need fixing. And WOW you next to Sarah Sanders, step in the right direction.
• Hi Bill,
I have written to you before, saying that I have very little faith that the IG's report on the FBI will ever get to the public. They will trot out excuse after excuse until it no longer matters whether they release it or not. The present delay thing, smells very 'Fishy' ! It's been months since it was completed. Why suddenly now do they need to hold it back? We keep hearing that it's coming, but it never does. It's obviously too damaging to the FBI.


Word of the Day: Bumptious