ECONOMY/RUSSIA INVESTIGATION/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Probably only President Donald Trump could simultaneously preside over the best economy in half a century and bring the nation closer to a constitutional crisis than it has been for almost as long. Only Trump could spend days accusing President Barack Obama of doing nothing to stop Russian election meddling and then call the operation a ‘hoax’ after talking to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the man who engineered it. Only Trump could have a 56% approval rating on the economy — often the most important barometer of presidential popularity — but an across-the-board rating that is 10-12 points lower. And only Trump could claim he’s a paragon of transparency while suing multiple entities to prevent scrutiny of his affairs and obstructing congressional oversight on multiple fronts. These head-snapping events help explain why the country is so deeply divided and why the 2020 election this far out is impossible to call — despite an economy that, against all odds, goes from strength to strength. Orchestrating the disruption this week, as always, was the President — inciting outrage, tearing at governing norms and demanding credit for wins real and imagined.”
–Stephen Collinson, “The economy is booming, but Donald Trump can’t stop talking about Russia,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, May 3, 2019 3:36 am