Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) told reporters on Wednesday that he will make a "major announcement" in Indiana at 4 p.m. ET (Today).

Hoping to keep the media spotlight focused on his longshot campaign to wrest the nomination from Trump after losses in Tuesday night's primary, Cruz told reporters on Wednesday morning that he hopes Indiana voters will back his "positive, optimistic, forward-looking, conservative campaign."

The Republican presidential candidate did not elaborate on what his announcement would entail, but it has been reported that Cruz has been vetting vice presidential candidates, most notably Carly Fiorina.

Bill Kristol, the editor of the Weekly Standard (the publication that reported that Cruz was vetting Fiorina) predicted on Tuesday that Cruz would announce his running mate this week. […]

H/T: TalkingPointsMemo (TPM)

Trump rejects new adviser’s push to make him ‘presidential’

Frustrated with Manafort, the GOP front-runner shifts some power back to campaign manager Lewandowski.

Donald Trump is bristling at efforts to implement a more conventional presidential campaign strategy, and has expressed misgivings about the political guru behind them, Paul Manafort, for overstepping his bounds.

Trump became upset late last week when he learned from media reports that Manafort privately told Republican leaders that the billionaire reality TV star was "projecting an image" for voters and would begin toning down his rhetoric, according to the sources.

Now Trump is taking steps to return some authority to Manafort’s chief internal rival, campaign manager Corey Lewandowski. […]

H/T: RedState

And there's this…….

'Trump will never change,' campaign manager Corey Lewandowski said Tuesday. “The motto of the campaign has been and continues to be: Let Mr. Trump be Mr. Trump.” […]

RedState Reader:
Couple of observations.

One – the professional leeches that comprise the GOP consulting class usually wait until about a month or so before the general election to start subverting their own campaign in a bid to maintain credibility for their next failed enterprise. Evidently even Donald's inner circle can see the gigantic handwriting on the wall clearly enough to know that if they do succeed in winning the nomination it will mean that they have booked a ticket on the Titanic. So the rats are leaving the ship before it hits the iceberg and starts sinking.

Two – this is more proof that, far from hiring the best people, Trump hires some of the most incompetent, corrupt and useless people in the history of business or politics. That's what happens when your top priority is hearing what you want to hear and being constantly worshiped and adored. That's how you end up with so many failed businesses and bankruptcies.

It's also how you end up before the NY Supreme Court, as his lawyers are today, defending the "great people" he hired for Trump University, when those "great people" had no credentials other than their own bankruptcies. Surprised to see that isn't getting much play today, but then it shouldn't be surprising by now. It will get more than enough attention if Trump does end up hijacking the nomination. […]

And I am in total agreement with you on Sanders. He's done. Many of his supporters may not want to hear it but it's the truth anyhow. I expect that most of them will come around by November and cast their vote for Hillary (much like Hillary's supporters did in 2008 for Obama) recognizing full-well what's at stake.

Okay so….a few more thoughts…………

1. Apparently, Cruz continues to secure 2nd-round delegates (banking on there being a contested convention that will deny Trump the nomination) even as Cruz continues to lose primary after primary to the Donald.

"The parallel universe where Cruz is beating Trump"

Trump is falling short in hunt for loyal delegates, and it’s about to get worse.

Excerpt:
Donald Trump has earned more than 9 million votes in the Republican primary and amassed a lead that puts him on the brink of clinching the GOP nomination. But in the shadow contest for the delegates to a contested national convention, he’s getting obliterated by Ted Cruz. […] – Kyle Cheney & Katie Glueck, Politico writers

2. Regardless of what Cruz says, the Indiana primary next week (May 3rd) will serve as a defining moment. If Cruz loses that primary too but continues to secure delegates for the 2nd-round ballot – well then we'll know that the GOP convention is most-likely going to be an epic train-wreck.

3. Kasich is done. There was a time when it made sense for him to stay in the race for awhile. But that time has come and gone. Any notion that he's somehow going to "win" the Repub nomination at their convention as the "consensus" candidate is fantasy if not down-right delusional. He should go home. Now.