The Hill’s 12:30 Report

by Cate Martel - 04/26/16 12:30 PM ET

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WHY CAN’T WE BE FRIENDS? … WHY CAN’T WE BE FRIENDS?!: Via The Hill’s Amie Parnes and Jordan Fabian, tensions linger between Vice President Biden and Hillary Clinton at a time when Biden could be very helpful on the campaign trail. Why: Observers say Biden and Clinton have found it difficult to get past the tensions that bubbled up last summer as Clinton’s presidential campaign wavered and Biden considered running against her. The problem: Biden is popular with white, working-class voters and could be very, very helpful for Clinton when she needs to unite the party in the fall. http://bit.ly/1Nwid48

It’s “Acela primary” Tuesday, which makes me wonder two things: Is there wine? And can we please have a version of the quiet car today? Filing from a steamy D.C., I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of what you missed this morning — and what’s on tap for the rest of the day. Send comments, story ideas and upcoming events to cmartel@digital-stage.thehill.com, @CateMartel and on Facebook.

ACELA PRIMARY DAY: Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are poised for big wins tonight in states along the East Coast. And Ted Cruz and John Kasich will test out if their “split the vote” alliance can work. Trump obviously doesn’t think so. Here’s what The Hill is watching for tonight, via Jonathan Easley: http://bit.ly/1QyqhvP

REPUBLICAN DELEGATES AT STAKE:

Connecticut: 28; winner-take-all if they hit 50 percent — Trump is in good shape for every state today, especially Connecticut.
Delaware: 16; winner-take-all
Maryland: 38; 14 of them are winner-take-all; rest are by congressional district
Pennsylvania: 71; 17 winner-take-all; 54 completely unbound (!) — These 54 unbound delegates could decide if Trump gets the nomination.
Rhode Island: 19; proportional above a 10 percent threshold

DEMOCRATIC DELEGATES AT STAKE:

Connecticut: 70; awarded proportionally
Delaware: 31; awawarded proportionally
Maryland: 118; awarded proportionally — This is Clinton’s safest bet
Pennsylvania: 210; awarded proportionally — Sanders’s campaign manager called this state a must-win
Rhode Island: 33; awarded proportionally

DELEGATE COUNT:

Republicans:
Donald Trump: 845
Ted Cruz: 559
John Kasich: 148

Democrats:
Hillary Clinton: 1,944 (including superdelegates)
Bernie Sanders: 1,192 (including superdelegates)

SCOOP — AMERICORPS VOLUNTEERS HELPED WOMEN GET ABORTIONS: Via The Hill’s Sarah Ferris, AmeriCorps volunteers helped young women get abortions, directly violating federal funding rules. How: Volunteers helped young women with transportation to/from abortion clinics and also helped with emotional support. The problem: That is directly prohibited in the federal grants that help fund the program. http://bit.ly/1rwPPFG

{mosads}YEAH, A SHIELD MAY NOT BE A BAD IDEA: Via The Hill’s Jordan Fabian, the United States is readying a “shield” to protect itself from “low-level” threats from North Korea, which has conducted multiple nuclear and ballistic missile tests this year, according to President Obama. Oh. Notice in Obama’s statement: The comments suggest the U.S. is moving ahead with plans to deploy a new missile defense system in South Korea. http://bit.ly/1qPFN1t

TRAILER RELEASED – OH I AM PUMPED TO WATCH THIS: The first trailer of “Weiner,” the documentary about Former Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.), has been released. This looks amazing. http://bit.ly/1XUKe5S

RELEASED THIS A.M. — TRUMP BREAKS 50 IN A NEW POLL: Donald Trump is above the 50 percent mark nationally in a new NBC News/SurveyMonkey online poll. Trump has been in the mid 40-percent range since last month. Ted Cruz lost 2 points in the latest poll to fall to 26 percent, while John Kasich is at 17 percent, also down 2 points. http://bit.ly/1XUGgKG

EITHER WAY, THIS WON’T BE PRETTY: Via The Hill’s Mike Lillis on the ground in Baltimore, Democratic voters in Maryland head to the polls on Tuesday to decide the fate of two of the party’s most promising stars. Reps. Chris Van Hollen and Donna Edwards are vying in the Democratic primary to replace outgoing Sen. Barbara Mikulski, and the stakes are enormous. Here’s what that race looks like: http://bit.ly/1SpJLs2

VIRAL IN MEXICO — FISHY? NOT FISHY? YOU DECIDE: Last week, the Mexican president posted photos of visiting a petrochemical plant that exploded. The photos quickly went viral because of a theory that he was photoshopped into the backdrop. Here’s an investigation into the photos. See for yourself: http://bzfd.it/1VOdEp5

NOTE ABOUT D.C. LIBRARIES: As an FYI, all libraries in D.C. are closed today for staff training. http://bit.ly/24huqOs

NOTABLE TWEETS:

Politico’s Seung Min Kim
Monday in the Senate http://bit.ly/1pBnOuA

Bloomberg’s Jonathan Nicholson
Tornadoes are becoming like snow forecasts in DC, enough to have school districts canceling school … http://bit.ly/1Sxnd5l

Time’s Ryan Teague Beckwith
Challenge for DC/NY journalists: Name an Amtrak line other than the Acela. http://bit.ly/1qPJRP5

ON TAP:

The Senate is back and voted on amendments to an appropriations bill at 11 a.m.

12 p.m. EDT: Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) hold a press conference to call for the FDA to ban powered caffeine.

3:30 p.m. EDT: Rep. Susan Brooks (R-Ind.) moderates a bioterrorism panel focusing on public-private partnerships to fight infectious diseases like Zika, Ebola and Anthrax.

4:45 p.m. EDT: Vice President Biden swears in Education Secretary John King in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, D.C.

6 p.m. EDT: Georgetown University is holding a launch event for the Baker Center for Leadership & Governance. Speakers include Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation’s Sonal Shah, who is the former director of the White House Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation. Details: http://bit.ly/1pBrzAk

6:30 p.m. EDT: The House votes on suspension bills.

7 p.m. EDT: Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) and Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calf.) speak at the Generation Opportunity millennial policy forum at George Washington University.

8 p.m. EDT: The polls close in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island.

8 p.m. EDT: Hillary Clinton holds an Election Night event at a convention center in Philadelphia.

8:30 p.m. EDT: Bernie Sanders holds a rally in Huntington, W.Va.

9 p.m. EDT: Donald Trump gives remarks at the Trump Tower in New York City.

10:30 a.m. EDT tomorrow: The Senate Foreign Relations Committee will hold a hearing on strategic challenges and opportunities in U.S.-China relations. Info: http://1.usa.gov/1UdBrgg

WHAT TO WATCH:

11:35 p.m. EDT: Chris Wallace of “Fox News Sunday” will be on the “Late Show with Stephen Colbert” tonight.

6 a.m. EDT tomorrow: Donald Trump joins MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”

8 a.m. EDT tomorrow: Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) will join MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”

NOW FOR THE FUN STUFF…:

Today is National Pretzel Day!

POPULAR ON SOCIAL — JOHN OLIVER ON PUERTO RICO: On “Last Week Tonight,” HBO’s John Oliver had a popular segment on Puerto Rico. Watch: http://bit.ly/1TuBOkv

THAT IS A BOLD MOVE, DUDE: The Coast Guard rescued a man attempting to run across the Atlantic Ocean in a giant bubble. Oh, also, this wasn’t the first time the man tried this feat. You have to watch the video: http://bit.ly/1rx0W1d

RAINBOWS ARE COOL. I GET IT: The Washington Post’s Maura Judkis has an explainer of the phenomenon of rainbow foods that have gone viral. Bottom line: It’s cool and looks captivating on Instagram. http://wapo.st/1MW8x30

And with that, here is a DCist list of the best local snacks in D.C. you have to try. I’m looking at you, “Toll House Mini Chocolate Chip” at Fine Sweet Shoppe. Bookmark this page, immediately. http://bit.ly/1SMlqyL

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