Mar 18, 2019

House Judiciary plans hearing on white nationalism

Protestors at President Trump's visit to Pittsburgh's Tree of Life synagogue last year. Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

The House Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing in the next few weeks focused on combating the rise of white nationalism in the U.S. with planned testimony from FBI and DHS officials, reports The Daily Beast.

The big picture: News of the committee's plan comes days after mass shootings at mosques in New Zealand left 50 dead. The shooter in those attacks called President Trump a "symbol of renewed white identity and common purpose" in his manifesto.

Go deeper: House to hold first hearing on gun violence prevention since 2011

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Jonathan Swan

Exclusive: Trump's "Deep State" hit list

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios. Photos: WPA Pool/Getty Pool, Drew Angerer/Getty Staff

The Trump White House and its allies, over the past 18 months, assembled detailed lists of disloyal government officials to oust — and trusted pro-Trump people to replace them — according to more than a dozen sources familiar with the effort who spoke to Axios.

Driving the news: By the time President Trump instructed his 29-year-old former body man and new head of presidential personnel to rid his government of anti-Trump officials, he'd gathered reams of material to support his suspicions.

Go deeper40 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Alayna Treene

Exclusive: Anti-Sanders campaign targets black South Carolina voters

Courtesy of The Big Tent Project

The Big Tent Project, a Democratic political group focused on promoting moderate presidential candidates, has sent hundreds of thousands of mailers bashing Bernie Sanders to black voters in South Carolina who voted in the state's 2016 primary.

Why it matters: Sanders' rise to the top of the pack, as dueling moderate candidates split their side of the vote, is worrying many in the Democratic political establishment who fear a socialist can't beat President Trump.

Go deeper40 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Jonathan Swan

Inside the fight over FBI surveillance powers

Carter Page. Photo: Artyom Korotayev\TASS via Getty Images

Over the past year, President Trump has told senior administration officials, including Attorney General Bill Barr, that he wants a major overhaul of national security surveillance powers and the secret court that approves them.

Behind the scenes: In one such discussion last year about the need to reauthorize government authorities to surveil U.S. citizens, Trump went so far as to say he'd rather get rid of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) altogether.

Go deeper41 mins ago - Politics & Policy