Pentagon and White House officials have started coordinating a parade to showcase America's military strength, per the Washington Post, after Trump said he wanted "a parade like the one in France." The Pentagon confirmed the report.
Why it matters: Per the Post, costs associated with such a parade "could run in the millions" after shipping "tanks and high-tech hardware to Washington." Trump said he was inspired by Paris' Bastille Day Parade last year, and told French President Emmanuel Macron that the U.S. is "going to have to try to top it."
Senators blasted Uber over their handling of a 2016 data breach and how it might affect a cybersecurity incentive program used to hide the breach from the public at a Senate Commerce Subcommittee hearing Tuesday.
Why it matters: The breach affected 57 million users worldwide, including 25 million in the United States. Uber opted not to notify the consumers whose data was stolen, instead paying the hackers to delete the data which was potentially in violation of many state breach notification laws. The fact that it took years to notify the public "raises red flags in this committee," said Senate Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, Insurance, and Data Security Chair Jerry Moran (R-KS).
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with Pope Francis on Monday night for "an unusually long 50 minutes," in which they discussed their shared opposition to the U.S.' recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, per the Wall Street Journal.
Why it matters: Pope Francis has reiterated the Vatican's support for a two-state solution, and Erdogan called the topic his "top priority" for their meeting, the Journal reports. President Trump has come under fire from other world leaders for his decision with Jerusalem.
Worth noting: This was the first trip of a Turkish president to the Vatican since 1959.
Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said Tuesday that President Trump "isn't looking for" a shutdown, despite the president saying about an hour earlier that he'd "love to see" one. "The only people that have caused a shutdown are the Democrats," said Sanders.
Why it matters: The government runs out of money at midnight Thursday if Congress fails to pass a funding bill. They could pass another short-term bill, extending their time to hash out their differences, but Sanders said Trump is looking for a long-term deal.
Arizona Republican Senator Jeff Flake made a blistering rebuke to President Trump saying "treason is not a punchline" on the Senate floor Tuesday. The president called Democrats "un-American" and "treasonous" for giving him a cold reception at last week’s State of the Union address.
The backdrop: Trump's remarks came during a rally in Cincinnati, Ohio on Monday when he touted his tax plan and claimed that the African-American unemployment rate stands at the lowest rate ever. GOP lawmakers applauded the black unemployment rate claim when Trump mentioned it during his first State of the Union address, but Democrats did not — most notably members of the Congressional Black Caucus.
Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey confirmed in a statement released today that he will reclaim his spot as the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Just days ago the Department of Justice dropped its corruption case against Menendez.
Why it matters: This is all good news not only for the senator, but also for the Democratic Party, which will now (likely) be able to keep its safe New Jersey senate seat as Menendez runs for re-election without the distraction of an ongoing corruption trial.
During a White House roundtable on MS-13 with Homeland Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, lawmakers and law enforcement officials Tuesday, President Trump said he would "love to see" a government shutdown if Democrats don't support his immigration plan:
If we don't change it let's have a shutdown ... and it's worth it for our country. I'd love to see a shutdown if we don't get this stuff taken care of.
President Trump is gearing up to release his infrastructure plan — $1.5 trillion on projects over 10 years — on Monday, CNBC reports, citing a White House official.
White House Chief of Staff John Kelly told reporters on Capitol Hill he doubts President Trump will extend the March 5 deadline, when work permits will begin to expire for DACA recipients, reports the WashPost. Should protections end, however, Kelly said dreamers are "not a priority for deportation," per the AP.
Go deeper: Kelly said he was uncertain whether Trump had the authority to extend the program, since President Obama established DACA by executive action and not by law. Trump rejected a bipartisan bill pitched by Sen. Chris Coons and Sen. John McCain yesterday that would give permanent legal status to Dreamers.
What insurers get: Industry's main gift would be the extension of a provision, from 2018 to 2027, that prohibits the federal government from kicking out Medicare Advantage plans that have the worst quality ratings. This "delay in authority" originally appeared in the 21st Century Cures Act. The bill also would expand telehealth benefits and extend plans for people with special needs.
Taking to Twitter Tuesday morning, President Trump seized on a car accident that killed Indianapolis Colts linebacker Edwin Jackson and his driver Sunday, to blast Democrats' stance on immigration. Police believe Jackson was struck in a suspected drunk driving accident by an undocumented immigrant who has been deported twice, per CNN.
Carter Page, a former Trump campaign adviser at the center of the Nunes memo controversy, told Fox News' Laura Ingraham that the alleged FISA abuses in the document were "even worse than [he] could've possibly imagined." The memo accuses the FBI of using the Steele dossier to obtain FISA wiretaps against Page without disclosing the fact its creation had been at least partially funded by the DNC and the Clinton campaign.
Yes, but: Page was on the FBI's radar as an individual working as a foreign agent years prior to the dossier's release. In 2013, Page wrote a letter to an academic press saying, "Over the past half year, I have had the privilege to serve as an informal advisor to the staff of the Kremlin in preparation for their Presidency of the G-20 Summit next month."
Top intelligence and law enforcement officials warn that the release of a memo alleging FBI surveillance abuse could cause spy agencies to start sharing less with Congress, AP's Deb Riechmann writes.
Why it matters: This development would stem the flow of information through government entities and risks weakening Congress' oversight of intelligence agencies.
House seats held by Republicans generally have significantly lower foreign-born populations than those held by Democrats, a likely indication of why the two parties are so far apart on immigration — especially in the lower chamber.
Why this matters: The clock is ticking on protections for immigrants brought to the U.S. as children, and Congress isn't close to a solution. It's obviously members' job to reflect the interests of their constituents. When the majority of a district's voters don't have any skin in the game, meeting in the middle can be tough.
A California federal judge's injunction on the termination of DACA initially seemed a victory for the left, but it has complicated DACA negotiations on the Hill. Some Republicans are taking advantage of the decision to soften the March 5 deadline.
The bottom line: The injunction, won last month by California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, allows DACA renewals to continue — so that's what will happen if no deal is reached by March 5. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has appealed the order, but until the Supreme Court's decision, DHS will continue to renew DACA visas.
