WHAT'S BREWING
SUPREME COURT OVERTURNS 'BRIDGEGATE' CONVICTIONS The U.S. Supreme Court threw out the criminal convictions of two associates of former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie involved in the “Bridgegate” scandal in a ruling that places new limits on the kinds of political acts that can be prosecuted. The justices, in a 9-0 decision, sided with Bridget Anne Kelly and Bill Baroni, both of whom were convicted for their roles in a scheme to engineer traffic chaos on the world’s busiest bridge to punish a local mayor who refused to endorse Christie’s gubernatorial reelection bid. [Reuters]
MICHIGAN GOV. SUPPORTS BAN ON GUNS IN CAPITOL Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) said she would support a ban on weapons inside the state Capitol building following a dramatic protest against her coronavirus stay-at-home order by people carrying assault rifles. Whitmer said lawmakers should not be intimidated when they go to work during the pandemic. Michigan's GOP-controlled legislature is meanwhile seeking to take away executive powers, without approval from Whitmer or voters. [HuffPost]
ONE OF TRUMP'S PERSONAL VALETS TESTS POSITIVE FOR COVID-19 A personal military valet of Trump has tested positive for the coronavirus, rattling with White House. “We were recently notified by the White House Medical Unit that a member of the United States Military, who works on the White House campus, has tested positive for coronavirus,” deputy White House press secretary Hogan Gidley said. “The President and the Vice President have since tested negative for the virus, and they remain in great health.” [HuffPost]
DEVOS MOVES TO QUIETLY PROP UP PRIVATE SCHOOLS During the last week of April, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos made two under-the-radar moves to help bolster private schools. First, DeVos launched a $180 million competitive grant program that will give states access to money from the coronavirus stimulus bill. Second, DeVos released guidance on how another stream of education funding should be doled out among schools. Public school groups say this new guidance takes critical funds away from public schools at a time when they need it the most. [HuffPost]
BOLSONARO MARCHES BRAZIL TOWARD POLITICAL CRISIS Far-right Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro is imploding. “So what?” he told reporters last week, about the mounting coronavirus death toll. Nightly protests, during which Brazilians bang pots and pans from their rooftops and balconies, have intensified. Bolsonaro’s approval ratings are at their lowest, and governors who rode his coattails have abandoned him. Brazil’s Supreme Court is investigating claims of impropriety, and nearly half of Brazilians now support Bolsonaro’s impeachment. [HuffPost]
NEVER DO A DISCOUNT COUP There are many striking and absurd details about the haphazard and sure-to-fail coup former Green Beret Jordan Goudreau attempted to carry out against socialist Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro early Sunday. But none of those details is as astounding and revealing as one particular nugget in The Washington Post’s deep-dive into how exactly the entire episode came about: Top officials in the Venezuelan opposition were initially attracted to Goudreau’s plan because he offered to do it on the cheap. [HuffPost] | 
