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For the Record: Cruz gets primary custody of Indiana, Kasich gets alternate holidays

Five contests tomorrow -- but we pretty much know the outcome: more wins for Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, unless several polls are way, way off. The #NeverTrump movement looks to divvy up the remaining states several weeks after they should have, Hillary looks to bring everyone back under the Big Tent, and Donald Trump Jr.

Five contests tomorrow -- but we pretty much know the outcome: more wins for Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, unless several polls are way, way off. The #NeverTrump movement looks to divvy up the remaining states several weeks after they should have, Hillary looks to bring everyone back under the Big Tent, and Donald Trump Jr. insists that his dad is serious about building the wall, deporting millions, banning Muslims, and forcing John Kasich to change his name. Here's everything you missed this weekend ... 

Step 1: Divide. Step 2: Conquer. Step 3: Brawl in Cleveland

Ted Cruz and John Kasich have made it official: They're splitting up the remaining primaries in an effort to deny victories to Donald Trump. The split gives Indiana over to Cruz's campaign, while Kasich's campaign will focus on New Mexico and Oregon. Both Cruz and Kasich are resting their hopes now on a contested GOP convention, and both sides need Trump not to take Indiana's 57 winner-take-all delegates to keep their dreams alive. Trump is the favorite right now in the Hoosier State (as is Hillary Clinton on the Democratic side) but Cruz fares better when Kasich isn't in the running. 

Of course, this truce is over if and when Trump is unable to clinch the GOP nomination, and both sides are working the angles to win after the first ballot. Cruz picked up a key victory in the Kentucky delegate battle over the weekend, and Kasich secured the support of Indiana's delegates last week. This week's five Northeastern primaries won't settle the nomination, and neither will Indiana's contest. It's all going to come down to California's winner-take-all Republican primary on June 7, marking the first time that California Republicans have been relevant in decades.

Charles Koch: I could back Hillary. Sanders: Ehh ... 

Your daily reminder that the 2016 campaign is really, really weird: Billionaire Charles Koch, featured prominently on dartboards throughout Democratic National Committee headquarters, says there's a chance that Hillary Clinton will make a better president than either Donald Trump or Ted Cruz. In an interview with ABC, Koch called Trump's plan to deport Muslims "reminiscent of Nazi Germany" and said that Cruz's plan to carpet-bomb Syria was "frightening." Hillary was super-stoked about Koch's potential backing

 

 

So if even conservative mega-donors are lining up behind Hillary, it's going to be a cakewalk to win over voters in her own party, right? Bernie Sanders doesn't think so. Asked on ABC's This Week if he'd bring his legions over to Clinton's side if she wins the nomination, Sanders said he "can't snap my finger and tell people what to do. But what I will do is do everything that I can to make sure that somebody like a Donald Trump or some other right-wing Republican does not become president of the United States." Jill Stein is awaiting your call, Bernie. 

Sunday talk show roundup

"I think what he's trying to say at these rallies is that if he was just politically correct, people wouldn't be there." GOP Chair Reince Priebus, ABC's This Week

Late last week, Team Trump made the case to GOP insiders that Donald Trump was playing a character at his rallies -- his actual persona being much more muted. On This Week, Priebus seemed to imply that the only reason anyone showed up to a Trump rally was the same reason anyone watched A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila: morbid curiosity.

"No, I think that's to be taken literally. " Donald Trump Jr., CNN's State of the Union

CNN's Jake Tapper asked Trump's son if building the wall and deporting 11 million undocumented immigrants was part of the act. Apparently not!

"We are in this race. We are not writing our obituary. We're in this race to California, and we're proud of the campaign we ran." Bernie Sanders, NBC's Meet the Press

In the span of three sentences, Bernie insisted he's still in the race, then referred to his campaign in the past tense.

"And today, according to this poll, I lead Donald Trump 26 to 22." John Kasich, CBS' Face the Nation

Great news, Kasich fans! Your candidate is now leading in New Hampshire! Two and a half months too late, but still.

More from the campaign trail

  • Gary, Indiana didn't recommend Trump for a gaming license in 1994, but they kinda hoped he'd fix up their abandoned Sheraton anyway (Indianapolis Star)
  • Sen. Elizabeth Warren stars in her own comic book; could still become sidekick for Clinton or Sanders (Detroit Free Press)
  • Sen. Sherrod Brown, on the other hand, says he has zero interest in being the Dems' #2 (USA TODAY)

Both probably taste better than appletinis

Lemonade mixed with cigarette ashes. Coffee that's 3% boiled shrimp and 70 parts Bacardi. Bad Lip Reading's Clinton-Sanders debate has recipes for the latest Dadaist mixed drinks.

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