Why the John Kasich-Ted Cruz Alliance Didn’t Work

Donald Trump‘s California kick-off was marred by scenes of violence Thursday night, as protesters smashed windows, stomped on police cars and scuffled with Trump supporters. The incidents have become all-to-familiar and are likely to continue as Trump moves closer to the GOP nomination. At his California rally, Trump showed no signs of adjusting his rhetoric to appeal to the broader electorate, repeating many of the same incendiary statements that have become a staple of his stump speech—including a debunked story of General John Pershing shooting Muslims with pig’s blood.

The alliance between John Kasich and Ted Cruz is proving to be more of a distraction than a benefit, as the two candidates face questions about their tenuous truce daily and still lob barbs at one another. Kasich appeared at an Indiana fundraiser earlier this week, even though he’s no longer campaigning in the state, and Cruz leads Kasich in a new Oregon poll—a state that the Texan traded to the Ohio governor.

As his pathway to the nomination evaporates, Bernie Sanders is turning his focus to the Democratic platform, but he’ll face the same obstacles that have plagued his presidential run. Hillary Clinton will control all the key convention committees, making Sanders’ legacy play less likely to succeed.

John Boehner blasts Cruz. Rubio warns on Zika. And Fiorina’s missing California network.

Here are your must-reads:

Must Reads

Bernie Sanders Looks to Promote His Ideas at Democratic Convention

But he’ll run into a familiar foe—Hillary Clinton [TIME]

Clashes Follow Trump Rally in California
Violence following front-runner’s event [Associated Press]

Trump Begins California Campaign With Raw Performance in O.C.
No pivot to being presidential [LA Times]

Cruz’s Latest Fight With Fellow Republicans Is a Reminder: Many Don’t Like the Guy
The GOP outsider needs the insiders [Washington Post]

Larry Wilmore Is Not Joking Around
The 2016 White House Correspondents Dinner comedian is sharpening his barbs, mostly for use on Trump [Politico]

Sound Off

“There is no alliance. Kasich and I made a determination where to focus our energies. Where to focus our assets, where to focus our resources.” — Ted Cruz on his alliance with John Kasich

“Sometimes both Josh and I probably have our disagreements with the press corps, and feel picked on or misunderstood, but the truth of the matter is—and I’ve said this before—what separates us out in part from a lot of other countries in the world is we’ve got this incredible free press that pokes and prods and calls into account our leaders.” — President Obama addressing college reporters at the White House

Bits and Bites

Boehner Calls Cruz “Lucifer in the Flesh” [Stanford Daily]

Koch-Linked Vets’ Group Targets the Debt as Security Issue [TIME]

Ted Cruz Says He Doesn’t Actually Have an Alliance With John Kasich [TIME]

Trump Repeats False Pig’s Blood Story at California Rally [TIME]

Carly Fiorina’s Missing California Network [Politico]

It’s Time To Freak Out Over Zika, Marco Rubio Warns GOP [Huffington Post]