SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:55 P.M. ET: 

A GOOD STAND – FROM THE HILL:  The Hill said Tuesday it is pulling out of future White House Correspondents' dinners without “major reforms” to the event following the controversy that erupted over comedian Michelle Wolf’s performance at this year’s dinner on Saturday.  “The Hill, which has participated in the White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) dinner for many years, does not plan at this time to participate in the event moving forward,” James Finkelstein, The Hill’s chairman, wrote in a letter dated Tuesday to Steven Thomma, executive director of the White House Correspondents’ Association.   “In short, there's simply no reason for us to participate in something that casts our profession in a poor light. Major changes are needed to the annual event,” the letter states.  That is a good statement, but let's see if the adolescents in the association can be brought under some kind of control.  This is a parenting issue.

CONDI ON BOARD – FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER:  Leaving the Iran nuclear agreement isn't that big of a deal, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Tuesday.  "The allies love this deal, and I certainly hope that in their meeting with President Trump that [French President Emmanuel] Macron and [German Chancellor Angela] Merkel talk about ways to improve the deal if we're going to stay in it," Rice said on Fox News.  "But if we get out of this deal, it's going to be just fine," she said. "The Iranians, I think, will try and stay in because they do want that investment eventually to start flowing."  Rice added that she would not have signed the Iran deal, and that while there is an argument to be made for staying in it to maintain U.S. alliances, there's no real argument to stay.  "I would probably have stayed in for alliance management purposes, but I have no argument," she said. "If the president decides to pull out of the deal, I have no argument with that."  Her reply surprised journalists, who thought she would take the standard diplomatic line.  She should be commended for her common sense and independence.

THE CAMPUS CLIMATE – FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER:  Washington University in St. Louis is allegedly selling stuffed dolls of the controversial Cuban revolutionary Che Guevara at its on-campus bookstore.  Red Alert Politics obtained a picture of the doll, apparently resting on a bookshelf in the campus store, according to a student who wished to remain anonymous.  “Selling a Che Guevara doll in our bookstore truly isn't that shocking considering the lack of intellectual and political philosophies that are ‘tolerable’ for our campus, sad as it is to say,” the student told Red Alert Politics, adding that the incident is indicative of the campus culture as a whole.  “Professors are not only quick to make personal statements regarding their individual political orientation but they also openly express disdain for anyone who voted for Trump,” the student commented. “I have, for this very reason, remained a ‘closet conservative’ for over six years at my university so as to fly under the radar and ‘escape’ with my second diploma.”  A story repeated on campus after campus.  The so-called guardians of the First Amendment in the press corps are remarkably silent and indifferent.

May 1, 2018