Biden widens Q Poll lead, nicks Trump on economy

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Joe Biden gives Trump a nickname: 'President Tweety'

Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden takes a page from President Trump's playbook; Peter Doocy reports.

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On the roster: Biden widens Q Poll lead, nicks Trump on economy - Pompeo refused interview in fired I.G.’s Saudi probe - Oregon Republicans pick Walden replacement - Feds warn California on lockdown rules - No vaping, please 

BIDEN WIDENS Q POLL LEAD, NICKS TRUMP ON ECONOMY
Quinnipiac University: “Former Vice President Joe Biden leads President Trump 50 - 39 percent in a head-to-head matchup in the election for president, according to a Quinnipiac University national poll of registered voters released today. That's up from the 49 - 41 percent lead Biden held in an April 8th national poll, but the change is within the margin of error. Democrats go to Biden 88 - 5 percent, Republicans go to Trump 87 - 8 percent, and independents go to Biden 47 - 36 percent. … 42 percent of voters approve of the job President Trump is doing, while 53 percent disapprove. … Voters are split on who they think would do a better job handling the economy, with 48 percent saying Biden and 47 percent saying Trump. In April, Trump led Biden on this question 49 - 44 percent. Voters also say 57 - 37 percent that Biden would do a better job than Trump handling health care compared to 53 - 40 percent in April.”

Trump to stump in Michigan - Fox News: “President Trump will head to Michigan on Thursday to tour a Ford Motor Company plant that’s producing ventilators for hospitals in the battle against the coronavirus pandemic. Ford repurposed its manufacturing plant in Ypsilanti and teamed up with General Electric to quickly manufacture ventilators as well as personal protective equipment (PPE) used by health care workers and first responders on the front lines in the fight against the outbreak. The trip will be the latest stop on a tour the president kicked off earlier this month to thank businesses producing PPE and important medical equipment. He made similar stops at a medical equipment distributor in Pennsylvania last week and two weeks ago at a facility in Arizona that is manufacturing surgical masks.”

Threatens to withhold federal aid ahead of visit - NPR: “President Trump on Wednesday escalated his rhetorical campaign against an expansion of mail-in voting amid the coronavirus pandemic by threatening federal funding to two states with Democratic governors. Trump appeared to be set off by an announcement the day before from Michigan's Democratic secretary of state, Jocelyn Benson, who said her office will mail an absentee ballot application to every voter in the state for August and November elections. Trump narrowly won Michigan in 2016, giving him the Electoral College votes needed to become president. Trump is expected to visit the state on Thursday to tour a Ford facility that has been repurposed to make ventilators. In a tweet Wednesday, Trump falsely claimed the state was sending ballots, not ballot applications, and said its federal funding was at risk. The president wrote: ‘I will ask to hold up funding to Michigan if they want to go down this Voter Fraud path!’”

Craves bigger venues - Politico: “The Trump campaign has an order from the president: Find a way to get him back on the road and into megarallies to re-energize his base. In recent meetings with top campaign officials and White House aides, Trump has questioned why he’s avoiding campaign events if it’s safe for him to travel in his official capacity. The president visited two medical supply facilities in Arizona and Pennsylvania this month and will tour a Ford ventilator factory in Michigan on Thursday. The official White House travel replaced what would have otherwise been a much busier campaign season for the president, who held three rallies in three days at the end of February. Before the end of this month, the Trump campaign hopes to organize a series of virtual events featuring the president, who has eschewed the digital campaign trail while others involved with his reelection court voters and train supporters during nightly live streams and online briefings.”

Biden denounces left-wing anti-Semitism - NYT: “Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. told donors on a call on Tuesday that it was important to condemn criticism of Israel that drifts toward anti-Semitism, including on the political left, even as he acknowledged that he had ‘gotten in trouble’ for such calls in the past. ‘Criticism of Israel’s policy is not anti-Semitism,’ Mr. Biden said. ‘But too often that criticism from the left morphs into anti-Semitism.’ Mr. Biden, who was answering a question about anti-Semitism on the left in the United States and England… The remarks came as Mr. Biden works to unite the Democratic Party and appeal to progressives, especially younger ones, who viewed him with suspicion during the primary race. … Mr. Biden did not cite any specific examples of anti-Semitic comments on the left or specifically identify individuals or groups that he was concerned about.”

Team Trump lining up doctor testimonials - AP: “Republican political operatives are recruiting ‘extremely pro-Trump’ doctors to go on television to prescribe reviving the U.S. economy as quickly as possible, without waiting to meet safety benchmarks proposed by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to slow the spread of the new coronavirus. The plan was discussed in a May 11 conference call with a senior staffer for the Trump reelection campaign organized by CNP Action, an affiliate of the GOP-aligned Council for National Policy. A leaked recording of the hourlong call was provided to The Associated Press by the Center for Media and Democracy, a progressive watchdog group. CNP Action is part of the Save Our Country Coalition, an alliance of conservative think tanks and political committees formed in late April to end state lockdowns implemented in response to the pandemic.

THE RULEBOOK: MAKE IT OFFICIAL 
“[As a fundamental article of republican government, it] was incumbent on the convention, therefore, to define and establish [suffrage] in the Constitution.” – Alexander Hamilton or James Madison, Federalist No. 52

TIME OUT: COLA COLD WAR
VinePair: “In 1959, at the American National Exhibition in Moscow, Donald M. Kendall, a 30-something executive of the Pepsi-Cola Company, poured a fateful cup of cold Pepsi. The recipient, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, had just been engaged in the infamous ‘Kitchen Debate’ with the visiting U.S. Vice President Richard Nixon. Hoping this pour would prove worthwhile, Kendall’s business acumen would cement the Soviet Union’s love for the beverage… At the Moscow event, Americans showcased cars, dishwashers, televisions, and, at Kendall’s booth, Pepsi soda. Kendall, a friend of Nixon’s, told The New York Times, ‘I went to Nixon the night before, at the embassy, and told him I was in a lot of trouble at home because people thought I was wasting Pepsi’s money coming to a Communist country.’ Kendall knew he ‘had to get a Pepsi in Khrushchev’s hand.’ Nixon made it happen. The ensuing photo of Khrushchev holding a cup of Pepsi was a publicist’s dream.”

Flag on the play? - Email us at HALFTIMEREPORT@FOXNEWS.COM with your tips, comments or questions.

SCOREBOARD 
PRESIDENTIAL POWER RANKINGS
(270 electoral votes needed to win)
Toss-up: (103 electoral votes): Wisconsin (10), Ohio (18), Florida (29), Arizona (11), Pennsylvania (20), North Carolina (15)
Lean R/Likely R: (186 electoral votes) 
Lean D/Likely D: (249 electoral votes)
[Full rankings here.]

TRUMP JOB PERFORMANCE
Average approval: 45.4 percent
Average disapproval: 51.4 percent
Net Score: -6 points
Change from one week ago: ↑ 0.2 points  
[Average includes: Quinnipiac University: 42% approve - 53% disapprove; Gallup: 49% approve - 48% disapprove; CNN: 46% approve - 51% disapprove; CNBC: 46% approve - 54% disapprove; Monmouth University: 44% approve - 51% disapprove.] 

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POMPEO REFUSED INTERVIEW IN FIRED I.G.’S SAUDI PROBE
NYT: “Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declined an interview request for the State Department inspector general’s inquiry into whether the Trump administration acted illegally in declaring an ‘emergency’ to bypass a congressional freeze on arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, according to three people with knowledge of his actions. Mr. Pompeo chose instead to answer written questions from investigators working for the inspector general, Steve A. Linick, who was fired by President Trump on Friday. That indicates that the secretary of state was aware of Mr. Linick’s investigation and the specific lines of questioning about Mr. Pompeo’s decision last year to resume the sales of bombs and other weapons, which had been stalled since 2017. Saudi Arabia has led Persian Gulf nations in an air war in Yemen that has resulted in large numbers of civilian deaths.”

Services of longtime aide also under investigation - Kansas City Star: “Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s treatment of a longtime aide from Kansas who worked for him at the Central Intelligence Agency and then the State Department was under scrutiny by an inspector general recently fired by President Donald Trump, government sources familiar with the matter [said]. The State Department inspector general, Steve Linick, was looking into the role of Toni Porter, Pompeo’s senior adviser, and whether she as a political appointee was conducting Pompeo’s personal business on government time, two sources said. Porter did not register a complaint herself to the inspector general. Rather, the investigation into her role was triggered by multiple complaints on the IG hotline, one of the sources said.”

Pompeo denies wrongdoing, sorry he didn’t fire I.G. sooner - NYT: “Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday defended his recommendation to fire the State Department’s inspector general, saying he should have done it sooner. Tersely responding to questions from reporters at a State Department briefing, Mr. Pompeo called it ‘patently false’ that he asked President Trump to dismiss the inspector general, Steve A. Linick, as retaliation for the opening of inquiries into his potential misuse of government resources. Mr. Pompeo said he had been unaware of those investigations when he made his recommendation to the president. He refused to give his reasons for wanting Mr. Linick removed, citing personnel privacy issues. But of his request that Mr. Linick be dismissed, Mr. Pompeo said he ‘frankly should have done it some time ago.’”

OREGON REPUBLICANS PICK WALDEN REPLACEMENT
Roll Call: “Republican primary voters in Oregon chose a former soldier who starred as himself in a Clint Eastwood movie … Former state Sen. Cliff Bentz won the GOP primary in Oregon’s 2nd District on Tuesday in the race to replace Rep. Greg Walden, the only Republican in the Beaver State’s congressional delegation, who is retiring after 11 terms. With 70 percent of precincts reporting, Bentz was leading a crowded 11-candidate field with 32 percent of the vote when The Associated Press called the race. Bentz will be the heavy favorite in the deep-red, rural district that backed President Donald Trump by 20 points in 2016.”

FEDS WARN CALIFORNIA ON LOCKDOWN RULES
LAT: “The U.S. Justice Department issued a letter Tuesday warning that California could be violating religious freedoms in its plan to reopen the state after the coronavirus stay-at-home order. The letter from the Justice Department’s civil rights division to Gov. Gavin Newsom listed several objections both to the original order and the plan to slowly reopen the economy. The Justice Department questioned why religious work was not considered ‘essential’ while other sectors, including the entertainment and e-commerce industries, were allowed to continue operating. Federal officials also criticized the reopening plan for allowing restaurants, shopping malls, offices and manufacturing facilities to open under the state’s Phase 2 while religious institutions could not reopen for in-person services until Phase 3, which would occur later.”

Anatomy of a conspiracy theory - NYT: “There have been plenty of jaw-dropping digital moments during the coronavirus pandemic. … Yet none of those went as viral as a 26-minute video called ‘Plandemic,’ a slickly produced narration that wrongly claimed a shadowy cabal of elites was using the virus and a potential vaccine to profit and gain power. The video featured a discredited scientist, Judy Mikovits, who said her research about the harm from vaccines had been buried. ‘Plandemic’ went online on May 4 when its maker, Mikki Willis, a little-known film producer, posted it to Facebook, YouTube, Vimeo and a separate website set up to share the video. For three days, it gathered steam in Facebook pages dedicated to conspiracy theories and the anti-vaccine movement, most of which linked to the video hosted on YouTube. Then it tipped into the mainstream and exploded.”

PLAY-BY-PLAY
Pergram: Congress' 'parliamentary distancing' in the age of coronavirus - Fox News

Senate committee authorizes subpoena in Hunter Biden probe - Politico

Declassified Susan Rice email shows Comey suggested ‘sensitive’ Russia info not be shared with Flynn - Fox News

Samuel J. Abrams: ‘What If College Students Simply Don't Return in the Fall?’ - The Dispatch

AUDIBLE: COVID, BUT MAKE IT FASHION
“Like everyone in politics this spring, Pelosi is dealing with an unexpected fashion question: When the mask is suddenly the message, what kind do you wear? For the Democratic speaker of the House, the answer is clear: one that goes with your outfit.” – An excerpt from the Roll Call article, “A definitive guide to mask fashion on Capitol Hill.”

FROM THE BLEACHERS
“In all this talk about Senate races, the general consensus has been that Dems have about 10 pickup opportunities, while the GOP has 2. I was wondering, why hasn’t the Minnesota Senate race gotten any attention? President Trump lost Minnesota by about a point last time around, and if he can manage to flip it, can’t he drag a Republican along with him?” – Akiva Neuhaus, Miami

[Ed. note: Certainly Minnesota was on our Senate watch list two years ago. While Amy Klobuchar had no trouble winning another term, it was an open question whether Sen. Tina Smith, appointed to replace Al Franken, could impress voters in her first run. In a better year for Republicans the race between Smith and state Sen. Karin Housley might have been a close one. But while Smith didn’t match Klobuchar’s 24-point victory, she did end up with a comfortable 10-point margin. Now Smith is running for a full six-year term. It would be quite unusual for voters, barring the revelation of some huge scandal or other intervening event, to turn out an incumbent who they had overwhelmingly supported two years prior. Republicans certainly hope to make Minnesota competitive at both the presidential and senatorial levels this year. For the Senate seat, Republicans seem to be lining up behind former Rep. Jason Lewis, who won in a traditionally Republican suburban Milwaukee district in 2016 but got bounced after one term. Lewis is a mega-MAGA talk radio host who is hoping to ride Trump’s coattails. But so far that doesn’t seem to be happening. There’s not a ton of data, but what we do know is that like Democratic Gov. Tim Waltz, Smith and Klobuchar seem popular and Trump has been getting low marks for his job performance. In 2000 and 2004, Republicans came similarly close to a Minnesota win as they did in 2016, but those gains never solidified. We will certainly keep an eye on the race, but for now, Republicans will need a significant shift in the race for it to be considered competitive.]

“Just trying to understand your standards for your Presidential Power Rankings. On the same day that you list Arizona and its 11 Electoral College votes as a ‘Toss-up,’ you share two articles and polling that scream to at least nudge Arizona to a ‘Lean D.’ First was the US News headliner ‘Poll shows Biden pulling away in Arizona,’ that shared a poll that has consistently shown Biden leading Trump by 7 points in Arizona, where he has ‘repeatedly led Trump in state polling since February 2019, with just one exception.’ Next was the Arizona Republic headliner ‘McSally Now Trails by 13 in Arizona Poll,’ that similarly noted that Republican Senator McSally is trailing Democratic challenger Mark Kelly by 13 points with ‘independents breaking more than 2-1 for Kelly.’ I trust you greatly, and will always let you call the balls and strikes in the game of politics. I was just wondering if you were watching your own pitches today.” – Ken Levine, Lionville, Pa.

[Ed. note: It’s going to take a heckuva lot more than one poll to convince me that a state that has gone Democratic on the presidential level just once in the past 60 years is going to switch. Polls are great and we gobble ‘em up here. But election forecasting is about a lot more than polls. Certainly the incumbent’s consistent disadvantage in Arizona should be cause for Democratic enthusiasm, as would the party’s performance in 2018 there. But this is a state with deep, deep Republican roots -- this is Goldwater country. It’s important not to over interpret one poll, especially so far away from the election.]

“I may be a bit premature in this thought, but it struck a chord with me. [Tuesday’s] newsletter featured this ending word from Charles: ‘[Obama] leaves office as he came in: a man of the left, but possessing the intelligence and discipline to suppress his more radical instincts.’ – Charles Krauthammer. What one sentence description of the current president would Mr. Stirewalt write as his term rounds 3rd base and heads for the plate?” – Alex Vigil, Sacramento, Calif.

[Ed. note: I’m bad enough with deadlines, don’t give me one so soon! And even if Trump gets turned out this year it would be too soon to say.]

“I love your analysis for its even-handedness, historical perspective and appreciation for the idiosyncrasies of our political culture. This has made it terribly disappointing to see that you’ve lumped the state of Maine into one Electoral College ‘prize’ in your Power Rankings. While the state’s two statewide electoral votes would certainly rank as Likely Democratic, I know you are aware that, along with our Nebraskan friends, we award our remaining electoral votes by congressional district. The vote associated with our Second Congressional District is as much a Toss Up as that of any state you have listed in that category - and could be the deciding factor in one or two conceivable permutations of results!” – Dustin Brooks, Portland, Maine

[Ed. note: Oh, we see you, Mr. Brooks. And while I would hate ever to leave someone terribly disappointed, I’m afraid we’re not ready to complicate our rankings for the peculiarities of two states. Both Nebraska and Maine have each split their electoral votes one time, Nebraska in 2008 and Maine in 2016, since the early 19th century when the practice was common across the country. And both certainly might do so again this time. While Mainers and Nebraskans are proud of their unusual methods, and we have no desire to slight either, we will wait until such a split might become a matter of material interest before we start listing “Maine statewide,” “Maine 1st District,” and “Maine 2nd District.” That’s a lot of pixels and potential distraction over .18 percent of the Electoral College at a point when one in five electoral votes are still up for grabs. But we will not neglect the good people of Lewiston and Omaha when we get closer to a final tally.]

Share your color commentary: Email us at HALFTIMEREPORT@FOXNEWS.COM and please make sure to include your name and hometown.

NO VAPING, PLEASE 
9News: “Researchers studying penguins faced an unintended side-effect of their work when they went ‘cuckoo’ after accidentally getting high off the animals' excrement. A study from University of Copenhagen researchers published this week found that fresh king penguin guano stimulated the production of carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide, otherwise known as happy or laughing gas, which is used for sedation and pain relief. Professor Bo Elberling contributed to the study and said that after a few hours of working on site at South Georgia, a mountainous island in the southern Atlantic Ocean, researchers would go ‘completely cuckoo’ due to the high levels of the chemical. ‘After nosing about in guano for several hours, one goes completely cuckoo,’ he said. ‘One begins to feel ill and get a headache.’ … Penguins favourite foods are krill and fish, which both have high levels of nitrogen due to phytoplankton absorbed from the ocean. After the flightless birds pass the nitrogen as waste, it sits on the ground where soil bacteria coverts it to nitrous oxide.”

AND NOW A WORD FROM CHARLES…
“But given the contemporary state of hyperpolarization — the liberal Republicans and conservative Democrats of 40 years ago are long gone — the supermajority requirement today merely guarantees inaction, which, in turn, amplifies the current popular disgust with politics in general and Congress in particular.” – Charles Krauthammer (1950-2018) writing in the Washington Post on April 6, 2017.

Chris Stirewalt is the politics editor for Fox News. Brianna McClelland contributed to this report. Want FOX News Halftime Report in your inbox every day? Sign up here.