1/ The Supreme Court ruled that a law subjecting immigrants to deportation for some “crimes of violence” is unconstitutionally vague. Justice Neil Gorsuch – Trump’s pick for the Supreme Court – joined with the court’s liberal justices, providing the swing vote for the first time in a 5-4 ruling that invalidated the federal statute. (CNN / Politico / USA Today)

2/ The Senate will not take up legislation limiting Trump’s ability to fire Robert Mueller. “I’m the one who decides what we take to the floor,” Mitch McConnell said, “that’s my responsibility as the majority leader and we will not be having this on the floor of the Senate.” McConnell’s statement comes about a week after Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley said his panel would take up and vote on the measure during a meeting on April 26. A handful of House Republicans have also endorsed legislation that would protect the special counsel. (The Hill / Washington Post / Politico)

3/ Trump rejected a new round of sanctions that would have been imposed against Russia on Monday. Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters that “a decision will be made in the near future,” and Trump has now decided to not move forward with the sanctions. She added that Trump “has been clear that he’s going to be tough on Russia, but at the same time he’d still like to have a good relationship with them.” (New York Times)

4/ Trump’s National Economic Council chairman said Nikki Haley “got ahead” of herself in announcing new sanctions on Russia. Larry Kudlow insisted there was no confusion within the administration about the sanctions. Trump signed off on the sanctions package, but changed his mind following the airstrikes in Syria. “Russia sanctions were a part of the agreed-upon plan going into the strike and going into the weekend,” said a senior administration official. “As recently as Saturday that was reconfirmed as part of the plan.” (CNN / Politico)

  • Haley responds: “I don’t get confused.” (New York Times)

5/ A broadband adviser chosen by FCC Chairman Ajit Pai was arrested last week and charged with fraud for tricking investors into pouring more than $250 million into an Alaska-based fiber optic cable company. Elizabeth Pierce used forged contracts with other companies to guarantee investors hundreds of millions of dollars in future revenue. Pierce stepped down from her role as head of the Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee in September of last year. (Wall Street Journal / The Verge)

6/ Fox News pledged “full support” of Sean Hannity after it was revealed that he had an “informal relationship” with Michael Cohen. In a statement, the network said it “was surprised by the announcement in court yesterday.” (Reuters / CNN)

  • Sean Hannity has been represented by two other Trump-connected lawyers: Victoria Toensing and Jay Sekulow. The duo, acting as “Counsel for Sean Hannity,” once sent a cease-and-desist letter to a radio station based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Sekulow is Trump’s personal attorney working full-time on the response to Robert Mueller’s inquiry. He recently announced he was hiring Toensing to join him, but reversed course due to unspecified conflicts. (The Atlantic)

7/ The Trump campaign paid $66,000 to Keith Schiller’s lawyer, Trump’s former longtime bodyguard. Schiller’s lawyers, Schertler & Onorato LLP, received a single payment in January, despite having left his White House job in September. Schiller testified to the House Intelligence Committee in November that someone made an offer to send five women to Trump’s hotel room in Moscow during to the 2013 Miss Universe pageant. Schiller said he turned down the offer on Trump’s behalf and that no women ever came, as far as he was aware. Federal election law allows the use of campaign money for legal fees, but only if the fees are related to a matter connected to the campaign. (NBC News)

8/ Stormy Daniels and her lawyer unveiled a forensic sketch of the man she said threatened her seven years ago to keep quiet about her alleged affair with Trump. She is offering a $100,000 reward for information about the man she described as handsome and fit with sandy brown, slicked-back hair, about 5-foot-9 to 6 feet tall, and in his 30s or 40s. (USA Today / The Daily Beast)

9/ Trump has been advised not to back a candidate in the race to succeed outgoing House Speaker Paul Ryan. Trump wanted to endorse House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, but his advisers are concerned that an endorsement could complicate his future relationship with the next GOP leader. (ABC News)

10/ Scott Pruitt upgraded his official car to a larger, customized SUV with bullet-resistant seat covers. The first year’s lease of the Chevy Suburban cost $10,200. (Washington Post)

11/ Trump said the U.S. has had “direct talks” with North Korea at “extremely high levels,” adding that the U.S. was reviewing five locations for a one-on-one with Kim Jong Un. Trump is tentatively scheduled to meet Kim in early June. (Politico / Washington Post)

12/ North and South Korea are reportedly set to announce an official end to their 68-year war. Pyongyang and Seoul have technically been at war since the 1950-1953 Korean conflict ended with a truce – and not a peace treaty. While meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at Mar-a-Lago, Trump said the two Koreas “have my blessing to discuss the end of the war.” (CNBC / Associated Press)

poll/ Roughly 7 in 10 Americans support tougher U.S. sanctions on Russia, while nearly half say Trump has done “too little” to address Russia’s alleged violations of international law. Meanwhile, 52% say Trump should invite Putin to the White House in order to help improve U.S.-Russia relations; 42% oppose the invitation because they feel it would give Putin legitimacy. (Washington Post-ABC News poll)

poll/ 32% of all Americans have a favorable view of Robert Mueller. 30% view him unfavorably and 38% say they don’t know enough to have an opinion. Among Democrats, Mueller’s favorability is at 56%, while 49% of Republicans have an unfavorable impression of the special counsel. (NPR-PBS NewsHour-Marist poll)

Notables.

  1. Ryan Zinke refers to himself as a geologist, even though he has never held a job as a geologist. The Interior Secretary has used the credential to justify everything from shrinking the Bears Ears national monument to making decisions regarding coal revenue, seismic activity, climate change, and endangered species, as well as fracking and drilling. (CNN)

  2. GOP Congressman Charlie Dent will resign and leave office in May. Dent initially announced his resignation last year and said he planned to stay on until the end of his term, but has now decided, “after discussions with my family and careful reflection,” that he will instead leave office next month. (The Hill)

  3. Sandy Hook parents are suing Alex Jones for defamation. The right-wing conspiracy theorist who operates Infowars has repeatedly claimed that the parents of the 20 dead children are “crisis actors” and that the shooting was “completely fake” and a “giant hoax” perpetrated by opponents of the Second Amendment. The parents are seeking at least $1 million in damages. (New York Times)

  4. The IRS Direct Pay system went down on tax day and is still down. Direct Pay is the service that allows taxpayers to make their payments online. “This service is currently unavailable. We apologize for any inconvenience,” the website reads. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said online tax filers will get extension after the website outage. (USA Today / Fortune)

  5. Trump requested an extension to file his 2017 taxes, as so “many Americans with complex returns” do, Sarah Huckabee Sanders said. Trumps returns will be filed by the Oct. 15 extension deadline. (New York Times)

Last year today: Day 88: Strategic patience.