Axios

After his security briefing this afternoon, President Trump made his first public comments on his decision to ban transgender individuals from the United States military since his tweets announcing the policy, saying that he has "great respect for the community" but his choice was the best decision for the military in "a very difficult situation."

It's been a very confusing issue for the military, and I think I'm doing the military a great favor.

President Trump continued with his rhetoric regarding North Korea on Thursday, saying the totalitarian country has to "get [its] act together" or it will be in trouble "like few nations ever have been" just before a security briefing with Vice President Mike Pence, National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster, and Chief of Staff John Kelly.

Trump expounded on his "fire and fury" comments from earlier this week, saying, "If anything, that statement may not be tough enough."

A new poll published in the Washington Post found that 52% of Republicans would support postponing the 2020 election if President Trump requested it to "make sure that only eligible American citizens can vote". It also found 56% of Republicans would support a delay if Congressional Republicans were in support.

• Other takeaways among the Republicans surveyed: 68% believe illegal immigrants voted, 73% believe voter fraud happens somewhat or very often, and 47% believe Trump won the popular vote.
• Keep in mind: The poll asked respondents questions about voter fraud before asking about the postponing the 2020 election. As Business Insider editor Josh Barro tweeted, "the poll was designed to produce alarming results..." and find correlations between beliefs in voter fraud and postponing.
• We've seen deeply partisan polls before. During the 2016 campaign, The Hill reported that a majority of Democrats would support canceling the 2016 election in favor of Obama remaining in office for a third term.

The relevant poll questions, via WaPo:"If Donald Trump were to say that the 2020 presidential election should be postponed until the country can make sure that only eligible American citizens can vote, would you support or oppose postponing the election?""What if both Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress were to say that the 2020 presidential election should be postponed until the country can make sure that only eligible American citizens can vote? Would you support or oppose postponing the election?"

Governor of Guam Eddie Calvo praised President Trump's "fire and fury" threat against North Korea.

" I want a president that says that if any nation such as North Korea attacks Guam ... that they will be met with hell and fury," Calvo said on Fox News last night.

He encouraged the people of Guam to not panic, saying threat is no different from those in the past, that this is "about the third, fourth threat made by North Korea specifically to Guam."

Here's one of the most intriguing — and consequential — theories circulating inside the White House:

• The generals, the New Yorkers and Republican congressional leaders see themselves as an unofficial committee to protect Trump and the nation from disaster.
• This loose alliance is informal.
• But as one top official told us: "If you see a guy about to stab someone with a knife, you don't need to huddle to decide to grab the knife."

The theory was described to us in a series of private chats with high-ranking officials:

The United States has expelled two Cuban diplomats from Washington after U.S. officials stationed at the American Embassy in Havana "reported incidents which have caused a variety of physical symptoms," per the AP.

• The details: Some Americans posted at the embassy in Havana — who lived in housing owned and maintained by Cuba, as do all foreign diplomats — experienced mysterious symptoms that reportedly include potentially permanent hearing loss.
• The cause: Though the investigation is still occurring, American investigators believe there's a possibility that the Cuban government — or someone sympathetic — may have placed devices that emitted sounds outside the range of human hearing inside or around the homes of those affected.
• Why it matters: Trump already cancelled some portions of the détente that began under the Obama administration, and these allegations could cause the relationship to deteriorate further.

Wisconsin isn't projected to break even on its $3 billion incentive package for a proposed Foxconn plant for at least 25 years, per a legislative analysis, Reuters reports.

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has been saying this investment will bring jobs and be good for the economy. Foxconn claims it will employ 1,000 people this year, and more in future.

Why it matters: The cost of the deal has already led to criticism, and this projection will provide more fuel to the critics. Democratic Rep. Peter Barca has already said it shows legislators need more time to examine the deal.

In a tweet on Wednesday, President Trump claimed his order to renovate and modernize the U.S. nuclear arsenal is responsible for it becoming "far stronger and more powerful than ever before."

Why it matters

He may not be responsible for how strong the American nuclear arsenal stands today. The assertion that it's already been modernized during Trump's presidency "is misleading at best, considering the process could take years," The Washington Post's Philip Rucker and John Wagner wrote Wednesday.

The FBI raided the home of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort last month with a warrant to obtain documents for Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe, per Carol D. Leonnig, Tom Hamburger and Rosalind S. Helderman at The Washington Post.

• The timing: The raid came in the predawn hours of July 26, the day after Manafort's appearance in front of Senate Intelligence Committee staffers.
• What was seized: The scope and significance are unknown, though WashPost cited "people familiar with the search" said Manafort had already provided some of the documents to Congress. "Mr. Manafort has consistently cooperated with law enforcement and other serious inquiries and did so on this occasion as well," Jason Maloni, Manafort's spokesperson, told Axios.
• Why it matters: It raises the possibility that Mueller is trying to build a more expansive case against Manafort — unconnected to the 2016 election and possibly tied to his foreign lobbying — in order to flip him against other top Trump team members.

President Trump's advisor and military analyst Sebastian Gorka told Fox and Friends Wednesday morning that the threat from North Korea is comparable to the Cuban Missile Crisis and that this is the time for the country to fully support the administration's decisions.

"These are the trying times," he said. "During the Cuban Missile Crisis we stood behind JFK. This is analogous to the Cuban Missile crisis, we need to come together."

The number of monthly deportations during the first five months of President Trump's administration is below those recorded during any year of Barack Obama's presidency, per Politico.

• By the numbers: U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement deported about 16,900 people each month from February through June. Obama's slowest year came in fiscal year 2016 with 20,000 deportations each month while his peak was in fiscal year 2012 at 34,000.
• Other tactics: Even though deportations are down, the Trump administration has greatly increased the number of illegal immigrants picked up via arrest rates and removal orders.
• The impact: Immigration courts have seen their caseload expand by almost 100,000 during the current fiscal year as a result of the Trump administration's policies, significantly adding to a backlog that began during the Obama years.