Middleboro Review et al

SENATE cash dash — HEALEY’s gun ban upheld — New hires for WARREN and MOULTON 04/09/2018 07:26 AM EDT By Lauren Dezenski  ( ldezenski@politico.com ; @LaurenDezenski) with Brent D. Griffiths ( bgriffiths@politico.com ; @BrentGriffiths) GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS.  And we're one week out from the best day in Boston: Marathon Monday. CASH DASH, GOP SENATE CONTENDERS EDITION -  Two Republicans battling for their party's nomination to take on Sen.  Elizabeth Warren  this fall have announced their quarterly fundraising numbers. The timing is especially important: Massachusetts Republicans will gather at the party's state convention in Worcester on April 28, so this is one of the last, best chances for campaigns to show signs of viability. Beth Lindstrom , a GOP campaign operative, reports this morning she raised $303,000 in the first quarter of 2018 - coming from 6,800 donors across all 50 states, at an average of $85. Her final cash-on-hand amount is no...

Trump is following through on his ‘America First’ mantra. Why are some people so surprised? Donald Trump exits Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport last week. (Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP) BY JAMES HOHMANN with Breanne Deppisch and Joanie Greve THE BIG IDEA:  Deploying  the National Guard to defend the border with Mexico while  instructing  the military to prepare to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria and  starting  a  trade war  with China are entirely consistent with the “America First” creed that President Trump laid out as a candidate. Anyone shocked by Trump’s most recent moves on foreign policy, trade and immigration either wasn’t paying attention during the 2016 campaign, has a short-term memory or selectively listened to hear what they wanted to hear. The press was criticized after the election for taking Trump literally but not seriously, whereas his supporters took him seriously but not literally. Once ag...