SPOTTED: A.G. BILL BARR walking in to Hank’s Oyster Bar on Sunday night for dinner with his wife and daughter. … ROD ROSENSTEIN riding his bike late Sunday in Bethesda.

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP was delivered a massive political victory Sunday. BARR wrote Capitol Hill saying ROBERT MUELLER found no evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. That was the central question of this investigation, and we now have the answer from Mueller — via Barr — a man whom both sides called honorable and who both sides said should be allowed to do his job to its conclusion.

DEMOCRATS ARE NOW OPERATING IN A POLITICALLY TIGHT SPOT, and many of them are beginning to privately admit that. They are going to demand access to the full Mueller report — something Barr indicated he is open to, with some redactions — but in addition, some Democrats are going to push for the underlying paper, the material Mueller used to make his determinations. And they want Barr to talk about why he didn’t pursue obstruction charges.

THE BIG QUESTION DEMOCRATS WILL FOCUS ON … BARR said Mueller left “unresolved” whether TRUMP obstructed justice, and he and Rosenstein determined there was not sufficient evidence to bring obstruction charges. This, of course, is the gaping hole that Democrats will plunge right into: how and why Barr — a political appointee — came to that conclusion. He seemingly took just 48 hours or so to decide that the evidence wasn’t sufficient — and Democrats will desperately want to see the report, and hear from him why he made the decision he made. Barr’s letter

WAPO’S ROZ HELDERMAN and JOSH DAWSEY: “That has left the question of Trump’s actions — which included the firing of FBI Director James B. Comey, the public attacks on his attorney general Jeff Sessions, the regular cries of ‘witch hunt’ and the taunting of witnesses — as one that will now be wrestled with in the political arena.

“The obstruction question, as a legal matter, came down to whether the special counsel had evidence that Trump acted with ‘corrupt intent’ as he demeaned and demonized the investigation. ‘Proving intent is genuinely difficult, because it requires you to get inside someone’s mind — and divining intent is art, not science,’ said Chuck Rosenberg, a former U.S. attorney in Virginia and former counsel to Mueller.” WaPo

— NYT’S MIKE SCHMIDT (@nytmike): “One of the main reasons for a special counsel is to remove political influence from an investigation. In this case, the special counsel refused to come to a determination on obstruction and then the two top DOJ political appointees made the call.”

IT’S CONTINUING … HOUSE JUDICIARY CHAIRMAN JERRY NADLER (D-N.Y.) said he will call Barr to testify: “In light of the very concerning discrepancies and final decision making at the Justice Department following the Special Counsel report, where Mueller did not exonerate the President, we will be calling Attorney General Barr in to testify before @HouseJudiciary in the near future.”

— SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI/SENATE MINORITY LEADER CHUCK SCHUMER’S JOINT STATEMENT: “Attorney General Barr’s letter raises as many questions as it answers. The fact that Special Counsel Mueller’s report does not exonerate the president on a charge as serious as obstruction of justice demonstrates how urgent it is that the full report and underlying documentation be made public without any further delay. Given Mr. Barr’s public record of bias against the Special Counsel’s inquiry, he is not a neutral observer and is not in a position to make objective determinations about the report.”

DEMOCRATS have spent years praising MUELLER, saying his work was beyond reproach, and the Congress should follow his lead. Democrats certainly run the risk of beating this drum too loud for too long in the face of evidence that indicates there is no there there, they tell us privately. The political cost of dragging this on is skyrocketing for Democrats, so the leadership has the incentive to keep their investigation tightly focused on discrete, answerable questions.

BUT … THE UNCERTAINTY over all of this ensures that this is one of the central issues for Congress for the next several months. Leave aside Trump business dealings, internal White House machinations and other investigations, committees are going to want to probe Barr, Mueller and how and why this happened.

TRYING TO MAKE SENSE OF THINGS? … READ THIS: DARREN SAMUELSOHN and JOSH GERSTEIN: “What just happened? The questions behind the Mueller report”

— GARRETT GRAFF in Wired, “Mueller Says No Collusion, Barr Raises a Million Questions”

TOP-ED — NEAL KATYAL in the NYT, “The Many Problems With the Barr Letter: By unilaterally concluding that Mr. Trump did not obstruct justice, the attorney general has made it imperative that the public see the Mueller report.”

NEXT UP … JOHN BRESNAHAN and HEATHER CAYGLE: “Battle over Mueller’s probe moves to Capitol Hill”: “Two things were quickly clear: first, the end of Mueller’s exhaustive two-year probe means the political war over whether to impeach President Donald Trump — a battle that has already begun to consume Congress since Democrats took control of the House in November — is only just beginning; and secondly, Mueller gave both sides enough to keep pounding their own message for weeks and months to come.

“Trump may have escaped any criminal charges from Mueller’s probe, yet impeachment is clearly still on the table as far as many Democrats and progressive outside groups are concerned. For Republicans, the message from the Mueller report was clear and insistent – ‘The country needs to move on.’ Meanwhile, Democrats immediately countered with ‘Release the whole Mueller report.’ The struggle is now over which side wins that messaging war with the American public.” POLITICO

— “Pelosi wins breathing room on impeachment after Mueller findings,” by John Bresnahan and Heather Caygle

FROM 30,000 FEET — NYT’S PETER BAKER, “A Cloud Over Trump’s Presidency Is Lifted”: “For President Trump, it may have been the best day of his tenure so far. The darkest, most ominous cloud hanging over his presidency was all but lifted on Sunday with the release of the special counsel’s conclusions, which undercut the threat of impeachment and provided him with a powerful boost for the final 22 months of his term. There are still other clouds overhead and no one outside the Justice Department has actually read the report by Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel, which may yet disclose damning information if made public. …

“Emboldened and angry, the president can now proceed with his administration without the distraction of new search warrants and indictments by Mr. Mueller’s team or the worry that the special counsel might charge Mr. Trump’s family members or even uncover a smoking gun that would prove that his campaign collaborated with the Russian government to elect him in 2016.” NYT

— WAPO’S JOSH DAWSEY, ASHLEY PARKER and PHIL RUCKER: “[A] feeling of euphoria swept over the White House staff Sunday as aides celebrated the end of the Mueller investigation, according to a senior White House official, who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe internal discussions.” WaPo

THE POLITICS GOING FORWARD FOR TRUMP: This whole episode — costly and cumbersome as it was for Trump world — fits neatly into the contours of his political strategy. He can now say that the government — the swamp, the deep state, take your pick — spent two years trying to overturn the results of the 2016 election and couldn’t. Mueller and his gang of Democrats, Trump can say, even had to come to the conclusion that he did nothing wrong. When Democrats continue to investigate him as the election draws near, Trump can try to paint them as out of control. More from Anita Kumar and Gabby Orr on Trump’s post-Mueller reset

— THE VICTORY LAP: @realDonaldTrump at 4:42 p.m.: “No Collusion, No Obstruction, Complete and Total EXONERATION. KEEP AMERICA GREAT!”

BLAKE HOUNSHELL, “Trump Didn’t Collude With Russia. So Why Does He Love Putin So Much?: The Mueller report has settled a great mystery of the Trump era. But only one”: “We should all be aware of the dangers of confirmation bias, the bad habit of interpreting evidence to fit our pre-cooked conclusions. That’s been a major peril of the Russiagate story, and I’m sure I’ve been guilty of it on occasion. News outlets have hyped and torqued up stories about purported links between Trump and Russia that have evaporated on close inspection. Even carefully reported and cautiously written scoops have been subject to overheated interpretation once they landed on Twitter and cable news. (Baby cannon, anyone?)

“But there are also many aspects of Trump’s behavior toward Russia, both as a candidate and as president, that remain baffling. His obsession with that Kremlin bogeyman, NATO. His failure to disclose his pursuit of a hotel project in Moscow even as he ran for the White House, and his subsequent lying about it. His real estate business’ many years of heavy reliance on Russian money.” POLITICO Magazine

EVERY STORY on the front page of the NYT is Mueller-related. NYT A1

Good Monday morning. QUITE THE ONE-TWO PUNCH: Nikki Haley and Paul Ryan are speaking at the Asian Leadership Conference in Seoul on May 14 and 15. Details

NEW … NETANYAHU CUTTING TRIP TO U.S. SHORT … NYT’S MIKE IVES: “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel cut short his visit to the United States on Monday, hours after a rocket launched from Gaza struck a house in central Israel, injuring seven people.

“‘In light of the security events I decided to cut short my visit to the U.S.,’ Mr. Netanyahu said, adding that he would fly back immediately after meeting President Trump ‘in the coming hours.’

“While in Washington this week, Mr. Netanyahu had been expected to address a policy conference organized by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, known as Aipac, on Tuesday. His appearance at the conference has now been canceled.” NYT

WAPO’S PAUL KANE: “Hoyer delivers strong defense of U.S.-Israel alliance in veiled rebuke of Rep. Omar”: “House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) delivered a strong defense Sunday of the U.S.-Israel alliance and directed a thinly veiled rebuke to a fellow Democrat whose remarks sparked charges of anti-Semitism that roiled the party’s new majority.

“Hoyer, a longtime ally of Israel, came down squarely on the side of standing with Israel at a time when younger Democrats and some contenders for the party’s 2020 presidential nomination criticize Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s rightward shift and his moves closer to President Trump and Republicans.

“‘I stand with Israel, proudly and unapologetically. So, when someone accuses American supporters of Israel of dual loyalty, I say: Accuse me. I am part of a large, bipartisan coalition in Congress supporting Israel. I tell Israel’s detractors: Accuse us,’ Hoyer said at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s annual conference at Washington’s Convention Center.” WaPo

TRUMP’S MONDAY — The president will meet with Benjamin Netanyahu at 11:45 a.m. Netanyahu is cutting his White House events short, so the schedule is in flux. The president will have a photo op with the 2018 Stanley Cup champions, the Washington Capitals, in the Oval Office at 3 p.m.

THE HOUSE DEMOCRATIC MAJORITY — “‘Now we’re in charge’: Dems freeze out GOP on bipartisan bills,” by Melanie Zanona and Sarah Ferris: “During the last two sessions of Congress, Democrat Bobby Rush and Republican Richard Hudson introduced legislation together to improve workforce-training programs. But this year, Rush altered the language to the bill and stripped out a previous key element: Hudson.

“‘He reintroduced it, and he’s added all this money to it, and didn’t consult me,’ the North Carolina Republican said. Hudson is among several frustrated Republicans who have lashed out at their Democratic colleagues in recent days, arguing that Democrats have shut them out of the legislative process by refusing to work cooperatively on bills — including some they once co-authored.

“Republicans claim Democrats, at the direction of their leadership, are determined to deny GOP incumbents any big victories heading into 2020 on a host of issues — from prescription drugs to immigration reform — and are dropping the bipartisan approach they seemed to promise during the last election. Democrats have one response: Welcome to the minority.” POLITICO

MARKET WATCH — REUTERS: “‘Flashing amber’: Global stocks tumble, bonds rally on U.S. recession risk,” by Swati Pandey in Sydney: “Investors ditched shares on Monday and fled to the safety of bonds as risk assets fell out of favor on growing fears of a U.S. recession, sending global yields plunging.” Reuters

THE LATEST ON BREXIT — “Brexiteers mull gamble to remove Theresa May,” by POLITICO Europe’s Tom McTague in London: “For the Brexiteers, it’s stick or twist time. With members of parliament poised to wrest control of Brexit from the government, senior Conservative Euroskeptics held talks with Theresa May Sunday in a last-ditch bid to resolve the crisis without a full-blown Tory civil war.

“After EU leaders last week imposed a new, hard deadline of April 12 — by which time the U.K. must either agree May’s deal, walk away with no deal or ask for a long extension to Article 50 — the choice facing Conservative Brexiteers has quickly crystalized. They can either stick with the deal to avoid something worse imposed by parliament or gamble everything on no deal, even if this may come only after a long delay and a general election under a new Tory leader. The answer to this question, which will likely be settled in the coming days, could shape British politics for decades to come.

“The only thing that appears certain, after a tsunami of devastating headlines Sunday about Tory MPs turning against their leader, is that the prime minister’s days now look numbered.” POLITICO Europe

FOR YOUR RADAR — “Second Parkland shooting survivor kills himself. Here’s what leaders are doing about it,” by Miami Herald’s Monique Madan

SPOTTED: Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández and his delegation having lunch at Cafe Milano on Sunday.

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Hugh Hewitt is joining the Richard Nixon Foundation as CEO and president. Hewitt, who was hired as a researcher and helped build and open the library 40 years ago, will continue to host “The Hugh Hewitt Show,” his weekday radio show, write columns for WaPo and appear on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

ENGAGED — Matt Mittenthal, senior director of communications for BuzzFeed News, on Friday proposed to Laura Nahmias, co-author of POLITICO New York Playbook and a reporter for POLITICO New York. “[W]e met when I covered state politics and he was press secretary for attorney general Eric Schneiderman, but he asked me out when he moved to BuzzFeed two years ago. He proposed out on Long Island, and secretly invited some of my friends to come out and celebrate with us for the weekend.”

BIRTHWEEK (was yesterday): Jeanette Manfra, assistant director of cybersecurity at CISA … (was Saturday): former European Commission President José Manuel Barroso turned 63

BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Daniella Gibbs Léger, EVP for communications and strategy at CAP. What she’s been reading recently: “This was a few months ago, but it stuck with me — an article on D.C.’s opioid epidemic. I have been struck how the coverage of the crisis over the last few years seemed to focus mostly on those struggling in rural areas.” Playbook Plus Q&A

BIRTHDAYS: Sofia Boza-Holman, director of strategic media for VP Mike Pence … Michael Ortiz, head of public affairs at Roivant Sciences, is 36. He and his wife recently welcomed Lola … Nick Kalman, Fox News politics producer, “celebrating by watching his Yankees lose to the Nats” (hat tips: Dan Knight and Arlette Saenz) … former Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) is 61 … Golin’s Meredith Shiner … Emily Schillinger, VP of public affairs for the American Investment Council … Jessica Emond … Aaron David Miller is 7-0 … Naftali Bennett is 47 … POLITICO’s Arthur Allen … AP political editor Steven Sloan … Apple’s Chad Bolduc … Alissa Rooney, director of media and PR at Oxfam America … Andrew Revkin … Debbie Kirsch … Christopher Hale is 3-0 … Marnee Banks, chief comms officer at the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership and a Jon Tester alum … Katey McCutcheon, press secretary for Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) … FT’s Henry Foy …

… Lauren Aronson, a principal at Mehlman Castagnetti Rosen & Thomas … Sarah Badawi … Peter Friedman … Patrick Bailey, chief counsel for gov’t affairs at Senate HSGAC … Suzanne Helman … Grant Dubler, LD for Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), is 3-0 (h/t wife Lisa Dubler) … Anna Brower … Dawn Ennis … Nelson Reyneri … Danielle Engel … Kristen Atwood … Kate Mente … James Gelfand … Laura Rusu … Thom Loverro … Trout Kinney … Nina Kiersted … Gloria Pan … Anthony Garrett … The Boston Globe’s Felice Belman … Lane Hudson … PBS’ Pete Van Vleet … Lauryl Dodson Jackson … Danielle Craig … Andrew Okuyiga … Stina Skewes-Cox … Nick Kimball … Kevin Luiz … Chas Danner, weekend editor at N.Y. Magazine … Sarah Eyman … Doug Bellis … Kristin Nicholson … Traci Siegel … Mike Monroe (h/ts Teresa Vilmain)

• Anna Palmer @apalmerdc
• Jake Sherman @JakeSherman
• Daniel Lippman @dlippman

View all our political and policy newsletters