Axios

President Trump's sudden decision to cashier his choice for director of national intelligence, Rep. John Ratcliffe of Texas — five days after announcing the pick on Twitter — is a microcosm of how this White House works.

Catch up quick: First, months ago, Trump hears from conservative friends that Ratcliffe is a loyal guy — on Team Trump. Then Trump is blown away by Ratcliffe’s TV performance as he hammered Robert Mueller during his House hearings.

A gun shop's billboard in North Carolina labeling 4 progressive minority congresswomen "4 horsemen" and "idiots" is being taken down following backlash over the ad, CNN reports.

Why it matters: The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence notes in a Facebook post that threats against lawmakers, in particular minority Congress members, are increasing. Muslim Advocates tweeted that there are already multiple, credible assassination threats and attempts on the congresswomen targeted in the ad: Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Ayanna Pressley (D-Ohio).

President Trump announced that Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-Texas) would not be nominated to become the next director of national intelligence in a pair of Friday tweets, saying it would expose him to "months of slander and libel."

"Our great Republican Congressman John Ratcliffe is being treated very unfairly by the LameStream Media. Rather than going through months of slander and libel, I explained to John how miserable it would be for him and his family to deal with these people. John has therefore decided to stay in Congress."

Former U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley called President Trump's Friday tweet referencing a robbery at House Oversight Chairman Elijah Cummings' Baltimore home "so unnecessary" in a Twitter response.

Why it matters: Haley is the rare top former Trump administration official who left both on her own terms and in the president's good graces. Additionally, because she is often viewed as a potential GOP presidential contender in the future, her decision to directly respond to Trump — complete with an eye roll emoji —  is significant in a party that often chooses not to do so.

Rep. Will Hurd (R-Tex.) announced on Thursday that he will not seek reelection in his swing district.

Why it matters: Hurd is the only black Republican in the House, and the third Texas Republican to retire this week. He has been known to occasionally criticize President Trump, most recently over the president's racist tweets against 4 Democratic congresswomen of color, per the Washington Post.

Americans are increasingly likely to see China as a threat to the U.S., though they're sharply divided over the dangers from Iran, Russia and climate change according to a new Pew survey.