Axios

The U.S. Travel Association's Travel Trends Index shows that international travel to the U.S. grew by 4% in April, beating expectations for the month, per the AP. Any reactions to Trump's proposed travel bans would have shown up in April data, so this could indicate they may not be influencing people's travel decisions as much as some expected.

Why it matters: International travel boosts the U.S. economy, and this could signal that fears of a Trump-effect on travel were overblown. Plus, this reverses what happened between December 29 and February 1 when interest in travel to the U.S. dropped 17%, according to Hopper. (A map on that here.)

Russia planted a fake news report that contributed to the diplomatic crisis between Qatar and several of its neighbors, including Saudi Arabia and Egypt, CNN reports. Per CNN, the goal appeared to be to cause rifts between U.S. and key allies.

What Qatar says: The hack "undermines Qatar's reputation" and "does not support the unity of the region." The Qatari foreign minister said the FBI has confirmed that false comments attributed to its ruler were inserted into a May 23 article from its news agency. The comments were critical of Trump and favorable toward Iran.

Trump's role: He took credit for the diplomatic changes in tweets that also suggested Qatar was funding terrorism. The comments came despite the fact that Qatar hosts one of the largest U.S. military bases in the region.

The Kremlin has issued a denial, and the FBI, which reportedly sent a team to Qatar to investigate, declined to comment.

The National Security Council, the Pentagon, and the State Department all expected President Trump to endorse Article 5, NATO's collective defense agreement, at last month's NATO summit. Here are the words they expected to hear, but didn't, via Politico:

"We face many threats, but I stand here before you with a clear message: the U.S. commitment to the NATO alliance and to Article 5 is unwavering."

Why it matters: The decision to omit this sentence sent an ambiguous signal to other NATO members about Trump's commitment to Article 5, the cornerstone of the alliance, particularly as he continued to challenge them over defense spending.

Eric Trump's annual charity golf tournament, which has raised more than $11 million for St Jude's Children's Hospital, generated more than $1 million in revenue for the Trump organization, Forbes reported Tuesday.

Despite Eric Trump repeatedly claiming he was able to use Trump National Golf Club in Westchester County, N.Y. for free, his charity was actually billed amounts that golf experts told Forbes far exceeded what would be normal for a one-day tournament. Two sources with direct knowledge told Forbes it was Donald Trump who insisted his son's charity be billed.

Forbes also reports that the Donald J. Trump Foundation "apparently used the Eric Trump Foundation to funnel $100,000 in donations into revenue for the Trump Organization."

Why it matters: President Trump's foundation has faced previous accusations of self-dealing, and questions have repeatedly been raised over the murky relationship between it and his for-profit business. The Washington Post's David Fahrentold is back on the case after today's story.

Sean Spicer repeatedly declined to say President Trump has confidence in Attorney General Jeff Sessions — after Trump's tweets yesterday questioning key Justice Dept. decisions — saying instead that he had not discussed the matter with Trump. Key takeaways from his Tuesday briefing:

• Will Trump watch Comey's testimony? "The president has a full day Thursday."
• Can Trump's tweets be considered official WH statements? "They are considered official statements by the president of the United States."
• On Qatar's diplomatic crisis: "This issue is not new. There's been tension among Qatar's neighbors for quite some time."
• On health care reform stalling in the Senate: "We just don't have time to waste. Obamacare continues to collapse."
• On the alleged leaking a confidential NSA document by contractor Reality Winner: "While I don't want to comment on any specific case or allegation, I think it's important to note that any disclosure of classified information is a threat to national security."

Top lawyers from at least four major law firms turned down requests to represent President Trump in the ongoing Russia investigation, per Yahoo News.

Their reasoning: Potential conflicts of interest and existing commitments caused some of the rejections, but the big thing was a worry that Trump simply wouldn't listen to their legal counsel. Additionally, firms were worried about a prestige hit from representing a controversial president in such a fraught political climate. A lawyer with White House ties told Yahoo:

"The concerns were, 'The guy won't pay and he won't listen.'"

Go deeper: Jonathan Swan reported Sunday that top lawyers were put off by the idea of working under Marc Kasowitz, who is leading Trump's legal team, both from a pride standpoint and because they believe Kasowitz "plays to Trump's instincts" and has the wrong experience.

"The Trump effect: Everyone's thinking of running for president" ... WaPo's Karen Tumulty and John Wagner survey the insanely broad potential field of 2020 Democratic nominees, and gathered some juicy quotes from top Dems. Highlights:

Jennifer Palmieri: "How can you possibly tell someone they shouldn't run for president? There's no one on the planet who you can tell, 'That's crazy..."David Axelrod: "It is more expeditious to put together a list of Democrats who are not thinking they are running for president in 2020, than ones who are."Joe Trippi: "[I]t's only a matter of time until a Donald Trump runs as an independent and swamps both parties..."Why it matters: "Going into 1992, the party's biggest names... took a pass on the race... Instead, the nomination went to a little-known governor from Arkansas, Bill Clinton."

A year after the UK's working class was a primary factor in Brexit, it appears to be key to how big a victory Prime Minister Theresa May will win in snap elections on Thursday. While she is taking fire after last Saturday's terror attack in London, that's why, even though polls say her Conservative Party will retain a majority in Parliament, May is attempting to persuade the working class that she is truly on their side.

May's key target: The "Jams," or the "just about managing," her administration's soundbite for the working class.

Why it matters: This election is May's attempt to win a mandate for her own particular brand of conservatism — an attempt to bridge the gap between traditional globalism and the populism that powered Brexit, reflected in her two oft-repeated mantras: "strong and stable" and "Brexit means Brexit."

The Indian Health Service has battled mismanagement and underfunding for several years, and it's unlikely President Trump's administration will lend a helping hand soon.

The bottom line: The IHS network of hospitals and clinics exclusively treats Native Americans who are in federally protected tribes, and many tribal leaders have traveled to D.C. to beg Congress for help to improve a system they say is riddled with substandard care. Congress is attempting to pass legislation to help employee recruitment and retention within IHS. But don't expect larger meaningful changes to the system, considering Trump's 2018 budget would cut IHS funding by $56 million.

Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Sanders announced Monday that President Trump "will not assert" his executive privilege to block former FBI Director James Comey's testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee Thursday.

Immediately after her announcement, the White House press office released an official statement confirming that although Trump has the power to block Comey's testimony, he has chosen not to in order to "facilitate a swift and thorough examination of the facts sought" by the committee.

Flanked by Secretaries of Transportation past and present, President Trump kicked off a week of infrastructure announcements today with an "air travel revolution" — a plan to privatize the nation's air traffic control system via an independent non-profit entity spun off from the Federal Aviation Administration.

Why he's starting here: A White House aide said the administration viewed the ATC privatization plan as "low hanging fruit" because House Transportation Chair Bill Shuster, who was in attendance for the White House event today, already had a plan ready to go.

Honestly, they didn't know what the hell they were doing. A total waste of money. President Trump on Obama administration attempts to fund the nation's air traffic control system

Seven foreign nations — Saudi Arabia, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Libya, Maldives, Yemen and Bahrain — cut diplomatic ties with Qatar on Monday, as well as suspending sea and air travel to and from the country, after accusing the nation of collaborating with militant groups in the region, reports the BBC. Qatar has called the decision a "violation of its sovereignty" and said it has "no basis in fact."

Tillerson weighs in: Hours after the split, the U.S. Secretary of State urged the Gulf nations to work out their differences, and emphasized the importance of the Gulf Cooperation Council remain unified.

Why it matters: The diplomatic move could have U.S. implications, as American forces have a series of bases in Qatar, including an air war command against ISIS and its U.S. Central Command headquarters, which oversees all American military operations in Afghanistan and the Middle East.

President Trump's speech to NATO leaders last month included an explicit endorsement of the alliance's Article 5 collective defense pact all the way through its final draft — with an apparent ad-libbed deletion by Trump during its delivery, according to Politico Magazine.

Who worked hard to get it in: Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, national security advisor H.R. McMaster, and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

Why it matters: Even with his disruptive leadership style, there's been a persistent mantra in Washington that the steady leadership of Trump's foreign policy team can normalize his most dangerous impulses. But this episode shows that Trump's desire to be different can upend even the United States' most crucial military alliance.

President Trump lashed out at the courts on Twitter Monday morning for being "slow and political" and "watering down" his original executive order banning citizens of six Muslim-majority countries from traveling to the U.S.

People, the lawyers and the courts can call it whatever they want, but I am calling it what we need and what it is, a TRAVEL BAN! The Justice Dept. should have stayed with the original Travel Ban, not the watered down, politically correct version they submitted to S.C. The Justice Dept. should ask for an expedited hearing of the watered down Travel Ban before the Supreme Court - & seek much tougher version! In any event we are EXTREME VETTING people coming into the U.S. in order to help keep our country safe. The courts are slow and political!

In the East Room at 11:30a.m., President Trump will joined by executives from major airlines as he kicks off "infrastructure week" by unveiling his plan to reform the nation's air-traffic control system.

The most consequential provision: privatizing air-traffic control by transferring that power from the FAA to a non-profit entity, funded by user fees, over three years.

Why this matters: Trump is getting behind the single biggest priority of Bill Shuster, the Republican House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee chairman. If Trump delivers this controversial privatization for Shuster, he can expect the chairman's loyalty and support on many of his other infrastructure priorities.

A quick primer on the Trump-Russia storyline, broken down by the details we know and the questions still unresolved.

Palmer Luckey, a founder of Facebook-owned VR company Oculus, has stealth a new company working on surveillance technology that could be deployed on country borders and military bases, according to a report from the New York Times. Peter Thiel and his VC fund, Founders Fund, are said to be planning to fund the venture.

"We need a new kind of defense company, one that will save taxpayer dollars while creating superior technology to keep our troops and citizens safer," said Luckey in an email to the Times. Luckey has reportedly discussed border technology with Trump advisor Stephen Bannon and recently met with the secretary of interior.

Why it matters: Luckey and Thiel are part of the small part of Silicon Valley that backs President Trump, and the only two who have been public about it, investor Marc Andreessen recently told Axios's Dan Primack. Thiel made headlines last year when he donated to Trump's campaign and spoke at the Republican National convention, while Luckey's support for anti-Hillary Clinton organization was made public last year and reportedly led to his eventual departure from Facebook.