NATIONAL

“The House speaker is the personification of the split inside the Republican Party caused by Trump’s stunning rise.” – Politico

“After months of running a campaign railing against the Washington political establishment, Donald Trump – now the presumptive Republican presidential nominee – sat down opposite GOP leaders Thursday morning with nothing less than party unity on the line.” – Fox News

“A local Fox station in Oregon conducted a poll of likely Oregon voters last week. The sample was taken from May 6-9th – which is to say, all surveys were conducted after both John Kasich and Ted Cruz had dropped out of the race. The poll tested the Democratic primary (Hillary leads Bernie 48-33) and a general election matchup between Hillary and Trump (Hillary leads again, 43-32). – Red State

“It’s good practice for teams, businesses, and even political parties to learn as much from failure as they do from success. That was the principle Republicans applied after losing the White House in 2012, when under the leadership of Chairman Reince Priebus, the Republican National Committee launched the Growth and Opportunity Project to study how the party could be more competitive. In the 2014 midterm elections two years later, that study and the changes Chairman Priebus implemented as a result paid off in spectacular fashion. At every level from state legislatures to the Congress, the Republican Party is today objectively the strongest it has been in generations.” – Washington Times

“On Fox’s OutnumberedWednesday, co-host Meghan McCain argued that ‘millennial women are gonna flock’ to Donald Trump.” – Mediate.com

“Hillary Clinton says Donald Trump’s tax agenda was ‘written by a billionaire for billionaires‘ and will benefit the wealthy at the expense of middle-class workers.” – RealClearPolitics.com

“Sen. Ted Cruz said Tuesday that he plans to run for re-election in Texas, putting to rest speculation that he may step aside to prepare for another run at the White House in 2020.” – CNN.com

“At a campaign rally in Spokane, Washington on Sunday night, Donald Trump gave a preview of his strategy for countering Hillary Clinton’s ‘woman card’ attacks.” – RealClearPolitics.com

“The great shrinking of the middle class that has captured the attention of the nation is not only playing out in troubled regions like the Rust Belt, Appalachia and the Deep South, but in just about every metropolitan area in America, according to a major new analysis by the Pew Research Center.” –The Washington  Post

“George Zimmerman said Thursday that he will auction off the firearm used in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin.” – The Blaze

LOUISIANA

“Freeport-McMoRan Oil & Gas and Offshore Specialty Fabricators will cut a combined 99 jobs in southeast Louisiana in separate layoffs. The cuts are the latest as low oil prices continue to weaken the region’s energy industry.” – NOLA.com

“Lafayette Deputy Marshal Captain Clay Higgins will be hosting a press conference at 7pm on Wednesday May 18th. The event will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn near the Cajundome in Lafayette, Louisiana. Both the press and the public are invited.” – Chad Rogers/The Dead Pelican

“For years, I traveled the state to share my vision for a more prosperous Louisiana.  I assured you that, as governor, I would refocus our attention on priorities here at home by putting Louisiana first. Today, I still have that vision, and while it might not seem like it, Louisiana’s brightest days are ahead of us.” – NOLA.com

“State and local education officials in New Orleans are set to discuss recently passed legislation that will return control of more than 50 public schools back to the local school board.” – WWLTV.com

“A day after House Appropriations chairman Cameron Henry unveiled plans to fund TOPS by shifting money around in the state’s budget, Gov. John Bel Edwards criticized the moves as ‘irresponsible’ and ‘reckless.‘” – WWLTV.com

“Medical marijuana advocates have won a significant victory in their efforts to jumpstart Louisiana’s medical marijuana program.” – KATC.com

“A West Baton Rouge grand jury determined Wednesday there was not enough evidence to formally charge a reserve Addis police officer in connection to the accidental shooting that killed his wife. ” – WAFB.com

“A rotational soldier died Tuesday following a live fire training exercise at the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk.” – KPLCTV.com

“Inspectors general around the country are calling on lawmakers in the House to restore funding in next year’s budget for Louisiana’s inspector general.” – WWL.com

“Calling all long-lost relatives of Prince! Ads placed in Louisiana are asking those who might be related to the late pop legend to identify themselves.” – Us Magazine