TOM COTTON WON'T BUDGE — On anything. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) stakes out hardline positions on everything from immigration to criminal justice and federal spending and then waits for his fellow Republicans to join him.
He won't say that he's not running for president in 2024. And Burgess points out that Cotton could offer an interesting alternative to former President Donald Trump: a candidate who isn't interested in courting or collaborating with Democrats and also isn't afraid to take a swing at Republicans. Don't miss Burgess' look at the unyielding Arkansan after a wide-ranging interview. PORTMAN PRESSES UKRAINE WEAPONRY — Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) crossed into Ukraine over the weekend while visiting the Ukraine-Moldova border crossing at Palanca on a trip that also included Stuttgart, Germany, and Bucharest, Romania. Portman, as a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and co-founder of the Ukraine Caucus, has been a vocal supporter of strong U.S. support for Ukraine's defense against the Russian invasion. "Based on my briefings and discussions this weekend in Germany and Eastern Europe, including with senior Ukrainian officials, I believe the administration should immediately provide artillery to Ukraine that can more effectively counter the Russian weapons," he tweeted. Portman wants the Biden administration to provide Ukraine the MLRS mobile rocket launchers its government has requested. Officials told The Wall Street Journal that the administration plans to provide Ukraine with the guided-rocket system that has a range of more than 40 miles. The move would boost Ukraine's firepower against the Russian invasion in the Donbas, but would not equip them to hit targets deep into Russian territory and expand the scope of the war. "We are not going to send to Ukraine rocket systems that strike into Russia," Biden told reporters on the South Lawn on Monday. EAST vs WEST IN NEW YORK CITY — Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) privately tried to convince Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) to abandon her longtime district and run in the freshly redrawn NY-10, but she wasn't letting that fly, reports Nicholas Fandos at The New York Times. "She said basically the opposite, and so it was an impasse," Nadler told Fandos. As for retirement rumblings…both lawmakers balked. "I've never been more effective," Maloney told Fandos. Nadler's response to possible retirement: "No. No. No. No. No. No." A great dissection of a fraught member-on-member primary matchup: Maloney vs. Nadler? New York Must Pick a Side (East or West) THE GOLDEN STATE, IN PROFILE — Two deep dives from the West Coast this weekend, one on L.A. mayoral candidate Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.) and another on Sen. Alex Padilla's (D-Calif.) drive for reelection: — How Karen Bass went from South L.A. activist to mayoral hopeful, from Benjamin Oreskes at The Los Angeles Times — Alex Padilla is a heavy favorite to keep Senate seat. Why is he campaigning so hard? from Tal Kopan from The San Francisco Chronicle More California: The suspense in California's June 7 primary election is in races far down the ballot, from Phil Willon and Seema Mehta at The Los Angeles Times PREMIUM CONCERNS — Obamacare could come back to bite Democrats. The $1.9 trillion pandemic aid package signed by President Joe Biden last year temporarily boosted financial assistance under the 2014 health care law. But there's a cliff approaching, with that increase set to explore at the end of the year, which will trigger a big increase in premiums. The timing of the premium increases is of particular concern to Democrats: notices would go out about the price hikes just before the midterm elections. Peter Sullivan has more from The Hill: Worries about coming ObamaCare premium spikes intensify | 
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