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--> A midday take on what's happening in politics and how to have a sense of humor about it.*

*Ha. Haha. Hahah. Sniff. Haha. Sniff. Ha--breaks down crying hysterically.

The Hill's 12:30 Report: Impeachment talk stalls work in Congress | Pelosi tries to fend off the impeachment push | Buttigieg would support impeachment proceedings | McConnell demands vote on disaster bill before break | Tillerson told lawmakers Putin out-prepared Trump at talks | Trump fires back at 'dumb as a rock' Tillerson | How Harris aims to rejuvenate her campaign | Chef José Andrés on Capitol Hill

IN THE WHITE HOUSE

It's called 'natural talent.' Look it up.:

Via The Washington Post's John Hudson and Josh Dawsey, "Former secretary of state Rex Tillerson Rex Wayne TillersonGary Cohn: 'I haven't made up my mind' on vote for president in November Kushner says 'Alice in Wonderland' describes Trump presidency: Woodward book Conspicuous by their absence from the Republican Convention MORE told members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee that Russian President Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich PutinNavalny released from hospital after suspected poisoning Ex-Trump national security adviser says US leaders 'making it easy for Putin' to meddle The Hill's Campaign Report: GOP set to ask SCOTUS to limit mail-in voting MORE out-prepared President Trump Donald John TrumpBiden on Trump's refusal to commit to peaceful transfer of power: 'What country are we in?' Romney: 'Unthinkable and unacceptable' to not commit to peaceful transition of power Two Louisville police officers shot amid Breonna Taylor grand jury protests MORE during a key meeting in Germany, putting the U.S. leader at a disadvantage during their first series of tête-à-têtes."

When Tillerson said this: Tuesday. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel Eliot Lance EngelHouse panel halts contempt proceedings against Pompeo after documents turned over Engel subpoenas US global media chief Michael Pack The Hill's Morning Report - Sponsored by The Air Line Pilots Association - Pence lauds Harris as 'experienced debater'; Trump, Biden diverge over debate prep MORE (D-N.Y.) had requested that Tillerson meet with a bipartisan group of lawmakers.

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Why Trump was not as prepared as Putin: The U.S. expected a short meeting, but it ended up lasting two hours and covering a wider range of issues than officials expected.

Reaction from Trump -- he called Tillerson 'dumb as a rock':

President Trump tweeted about The Washington Post report that Russian President Vladimir Putin was more prepared than Trump, slamming his former secretary of State Rex Tillerson. http://bit.ly/2WkxWg8

Trump's tweet: "Rex Tillerson, a man who is 'dumb as a rock' and totally ill prepared and ill equipped to be Secretary of State, made up a story (he got fired) that I was out-prepared by Vladimir Putin at a meeting in Hamburg, Germany. I don't think Putin would agree. Look how the U.S. is doing!" http://bit.ly/2I1qxt1

Yeah, but -- from The Washington Post report: "In the past, Trump has downplayed the importance of preparation, saying his gut instinct and ability to read a room are paramount for a successful summit." https://wapo.st/2M15AmT

It’s Thursday. So close to the holiday weekend! I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Send comments, story ideas and events for our radar to cmartel@thehill.com — and follow along on Twitter @CateMartel and Facebook.

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HAPPENING RIGHT NOW

Hahahaha — the mad dash to DCA has begun:

Saw one member taking off his tie as he walked off the House floor. #jetfumes https://t.co/cNvkE4rSCU — Melanie Zanona (@MZanona) May 23, 2019

LATEST ON IMPEACHMENT TALK

Just now -- Pelosi did not hold back on Trump:

Speaker Nancy Pelosi Nancy PelosiHoyer: House should vote on COVID-19 aid — with or without a bipartisan deal Ruth Bader Ginsburg lies in repose at Supreme Court McCarthy threatens motion to oust Pelosi if she moves forward with impeachment MORE (D-Calif.) just said she thinks President Trump is egging on Democrats to start impeachment proceedings against him as a tactic to distract from his administration's scandals. http://bit.ly/2VGkRct

In Pelosi's words: "There's no question: the White House is just crying out for impeachment. That's why he flipped yesterday, because he was just hoping."

On her accusation of a cover-up: "He's a master of distraction. ... That's something he does well; to distract from problems that he has he tries to change the subject," she said. "And while he tried to say it's because I said 'coverup' -- we've been saying 'coverup' for awhile."

On Trump's behavior: "I will not take responsibility for his irresponsible behavior because we're pointing out the truth to the American people." Pelosi later said: "Maybe he wants to take a leave of absence, I don't know." http://bit.ly/2YIFeHY

Ouch: "I pray for the president of the United States. I wish that his family or his administration or his staff would have an intervention for the good of the country." Watch: http://bit.ly/2JB4BIl

Livestream of Pelosi's remarks: https://cs.pn/2wdOdol

Is it too early to declare 2019 a wash?:

Via The Hill's Alexander Bolton, "House investigations of the Trump administration and the prospect of impeachment are crowding out hopes for legislative progress on Capitol Hill, creating a poisonous atmosphere that makes it all but impossible for the White House and Democrats to work together." http://bit.ly/2QkHRN0

The straw that broke the camel's back: Yesterday during a scheduled infrastructure meeting with congressional Democratic leaders, President Trump stormed out after a three-minute speech about how the House investigations are preventing real legislation. Trump blew up the meeting shortly after Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) accused Trump of being "engaged in a cover-up."

Keep in mind: Legislation tends to slow down in the second half of an election year, but it is already surprisingly slow in this off-year. http://bit.ly/2QkHRN0

TRUMP SPOX SAYS THE WALKOUT WAS NOT PLANNED:

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sarah Elizabeth SandersSarah Sanders on Trump's reported war dead criticism: 'Those comments didn't happen' Sarah Sanders memoir reportedly says Trump joked she should hook up with Kim Jong Un McEnany stamps her brand on White House press operation MORE Sanders said on CNN’s “New Day” that President Trump’s impromptu walkout from the meeting with Democrats was not premeditated. Sanders said Trump “absolutely” intended to stay and talk about infrastructure. “That was what yesterday was supposed to be about until Nancy Pelosi had a closed-door meeting to talk about the impeachment of the president, which is ludicrous on so many fronts,” Sanders said. Watch: http://bit.ly/2M8CPoy

TIDBIT ABOUT INFRASTRUCTURE WEEK:

The Atlantic's White House correspondent Elaina Plott tweeted, "As someone who reported recently that Infrastructure Week was no longer a joke, I will be the first to confirm that it is, in fact, still a joke." http://bit.ly/2VFXDDv

HOW NANCY PELOSI HAS FENDED OFF IMPEACHMENT TALKS -- WELL, FOR NOW...:

http://bit.ly/2EtfZlh

THIS A.M. -- MAYOR PETE SAYS HE SUPPORTS IMPEACHMENT PROCEEDINGS:

During a live interview with The Washington Post's Robert Costa this morning, Mayor Pete Buttigieg Pete ButtigiegThe Hill's Morning Report - Sponsored by Facebook - GOP closes ranks to fill SCOTUS vacancy by November Buttigieg stands in as Pence for Harris's debate practice Hillicon Valley: FBI, DHS warn that foreign hackers will likely spread disinformation around election results | Social media platforms put muscle into National Voter Registration Day | Trump to meet with Republican state officials on tech liability shield MORE said "of course" he supports the impeachment proceedings. "As to when and how the House goes about launching those procedural steps to get the inquiry up and running, I'm going to leave that up to the House," Buttigieg said. http://bit.ly/2HwOEAC

IN CONGRESS

Don't make me turn this car around:

Via The Hill's Jordain Carney, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Addison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellFEC flags McConnell campaign over suspected accounting errors Poll: 59 percent think president elected in November should name next Supreme Court justice Mark Kelly: Arizona Senate race winner should be sworn in 'promptly' MORE (R-Ky.) warned that the Senate will not leave for Memorial Day break until the chamber votes on disaster relief legislation. Keep in mind: Negotiators have not come up with a bipartisan agreement yet! http://bit.ly/2WoqvV5

McConnell said on the Senate floor: "The Senate will not adjourn this week until we have voted on legislation to deliver long-overdue relief funding for communities that have been hit hard by natural disasters."

Timing: "He added that negotiators have to reach an agreement on Thursday if it's going to pass before lawmakers leave for the Memorial Day recess, but 'one way or another, the Senate is not leaving without taking action.' "

New bill -- do you have a warrant, sir?:

Sens. Ron Wyden Ronald (Ron) Lee WydenDemocrats call for declassifying election threats after briefing by Trump officials Read Democrats' report countering Republicans' Biden investigation Top GOP senators say Hunter Biden's work 'cast a shadow' over Obama Ukraine policy MORE (D-Ore.) and Rand Paul Randal (Rand) Howard PaulRand Paul says he can't judge 'guilt or innocence' in Breonna Taylor case Overnight Health Care: Health officials tell public to trust in science | Despair at CDC under Trump influence | A new vaccine phase 3 trial starts Health officials tell public to trust in science MORE (R-Ky.) reintroduced legislation that would prevent searches of electronic devices at the U.S. border without a warrant. http://bit.ly/2M2JCQA

Co-sponsors: "Sens. Ed Markey Edward (Ed) John MarkeyDemocrats shoot down talk of expanding Supreme Court Schumer: 'Nothing is off the table' if GOP moves forward with Ginsburg replacement Democrats see fundraising spike following Ginsburg death MORE (D-Mass.) and Jeff Merkley Jeffrey (Jeff) Alan MerkleyThe Hill's Morning Report - Sponsored by The Air Line Pilots Association - Trump, Biden renew push for Latino support Sunday shows - Trump team defends coronavirus response Oregon senator says Trump's blame on 'forest management' for wildfires is 'just a big and devastating lie' MORE (D-Ore.) are co-sponsors of the bill and Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) is set to introduce companion legislation in the House."

For context to the bill: "A watchdog report last December found U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers searched 50 percent more electronic devices in fiscal 2017 – 29,000 devices among 397 million travelers -- than they did the previous year, when they searched 18,400 devices from 390 million travelers."

ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL

Kamala Harris Kamala HarrisHarris faces pivotal moment with Supreme Court battle Nearly 40 Democratic senators call for climate change questions in debates Joe Biden has long forgotten North Carolina: Today's visit is too late MORE 2.0:

Via The Hill's Amie Parnes, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), who has struggled to break through the news cycle and move up in the polls, is entering a new phase of the race to try to build momentum. http://bit.ly/2JY2c9N

How she plans to do that in the coming weeks: Make the case that she can actually beat President Trump.

What to expect: http://bit.ly/2JY2c9N

Op-ed: http://bit.ly/2wbCSVV

NOTABLE TWEETS

Spotted on Capitol Hill:

Just ran into my favorite chef @chefjoseandres chatting with @SenKamalaHarris in the Dirksen Senate Office Building pic.twitter.com/EtWAViYnTE — Bill Clark (@billclarkphotos) May 23, 2019

Trending -- this will make you smile:

It has over 5 million views so far.

Watch if you’re having a rough day pic.twitter.com/txyLAAQ1te — Paul Stys (@paul_stys11) May 21, 2019

Watch: http://bit.ly/2YJCr14

ON TAP

The House and Senate are in. President Trump and Vice President Pence are in Washington, D.C.

9:30 a.m. EDT: The Senate met. The Senate's full schedule today: http://bit.ly/2JAjo5P

10:45 a.m. EDT: The House voted. The House's full schedule today: http://bit.ly/2Wisx9o

11 a.m. EDT: President Trump met with Energy Secretary Rick Perry Rick PerryEnergy secretary questions consensus that humans cause climate change OVERNIGHT ENERGY: Democrats push resolution to battle climate change, sluggish economy and racial injustice | Senators reach compromise on greenhouse gas amendment stalling energy bill | Trump courts Florida voters with offshore drilling moratorium OVERNIGHT ENERGY: Trump signs major conservation bill into law | Senate votes to confirm Energy's No. 2 official | Trump Jr. expresses opposition to Pebble Mine project MORE.

2:30 p.m. EDT: Vice President Pence meets with USAID Administrator Mark Green Mark GreenOn The Money: House panel pulls Powell into partisan battles | New York considers hiking taxes on the rich | Treasury: Trump's payroll tax deferral won't hurt Social Security House panel pulls Powell into partisan battles over pandemic GOP lawmakers want answers from Disney on Mulan, China MORE.

WHAT TO WATCH

10:45 a.m. EDT: Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) gave a press briefing. Livestream: https://cs.pn/2VLAejY

11:30 a.m. EDT: House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy Kevin Owen McCarthyMcCarthy threatens motion to oust Pelosi if she moves forward with impeachment Kate Schroder in Ohio among Democratic challengers squelching GOP hopes for the House McCarthy's Democratic challenger to launch first TV ad highlighting Air Force service as single mother MORE (R-Calif.) gave a press briefing. Livestream: https://cs.pn/2VYxqoJ

3:15 p.m. EDT: President Trump gives a speech in the Roosevelt Room on "supporting America's farmers and ranchers." Livestream: http://bit.ly/2QhRtbv

NOW FOR THE FUN STUFF...:

Today is National Taffy Day.