The Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) division of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement used data obtained by court order from Facebook to track down a suspected child predator in New York, internal documents obtained by the Intercept revealed.
Why it matters: The initial report, which Axios initially covered in this space, insinuated that ICE habitually used Facebook data to track down immigrants. But the HSI part of ICE also investigates "illegal movement of contraband across the U.S. border" and "the distribution and production of child exploitation material that typically crosses multiple state/country boundaries," according to an ICE spokesperson.
U.S. Army veteran Miguel Perez, who was convicted on drug charges after he delivered cocaine to an undercover officer, was deported to Mexico, CNN reports. Perez served two tours in Afghanistan, and has said that his experiences there led him to alcoholism and drug addiction.
Why it matters: Perez's deportation follows Trump and Sessions' push to deport undocumented criminal offenders. His family, supporters and Sen. Tammy Duckworth had argued that his service should earn him the right to stay in the U.S. legally and to receive mental health and substance abuse treatment.
A new Brennan Center for Justice report projects the predicted Democratic takeover of the House of Representatives is nearly out of reach, blaming Republican gerrymandering. “Even a strong blue wave would crash against a wall of gerrymandered maps," the report says.
Our thought bubble: Democrats say that drawing districts is something Republicans do very well, but calling that advantage insurmountable is a bit hyperbolic.
Stormy Daniels has filed a defamation lawsuit against President Donald Trump's personal attorney Michael Cohen for suggesting she lied about an affair with Trump more than a decade ago. The suit, filed by Daniels' lawyer Michael Avenatti in California on Monday, also demands a jury trial.
Timing: This comes a day after Daniels' 60 Minutes interview, where she detailed her alleged affair and the $130,000 payment she received from Cohen to keep quiet. The White House had repeatedly denied the accusations.
White House Deputy Press Secretary Raj Shah told reporters during Monday's White House press briefing that President Trump "strongly, clearly, and consistently has denied" adult film actress Stormy Daniels' claims of a 2006 affair and subsequent intimidation to keep her quiet. He also would not address whether Trump had seen Daniels' interview with Anderson Cooper on CBS' "60 Minutes" last night, saying, "There are clips of it playing all over in the morning news shows."
Passing the buck: Shah also refused to comment on the $130,000 payment made to Daniels by Trump's personal lawyer, Michael Cohen: "False charges are settled out of court all the time. You have to ask Michael Cohen about the specifics."
On Sunday morning, Trump tweeted: "Many lawyers and top law firms want to represent me in the Russia case...don’t believe the Fake News narrative that it is hard to find a lawyer who wants to take this on. Fame & fortune will NEVER be turned down by a lawyer, though some are conflicted."
Reality check: Trump's legal team is down to two core lawyers, including his personal lawyer Jay Sekulow, who works from outside of the White House with a team of helpers, and Ty Cobb, who works from inside the White House and represents the institution as well as the president. Top Washington lawyers, including Ted Olson and Emmet Flood, have reportedly declined to join Trump's legal team.
Trump's red line on Russia is Vladimir Putin. The president is loath to criticize him by name or call him out in one-on-one conversations. But he has taken some tough steps against Russia that his predecessor didn't. An example: sending lethal arms to Ukraine.
Why this matters: It's part of the Trump paradox. He still believes the U.S. and Russia have plenty of shared interests and wants to mend the relationship. He also thinks the only way to do this is by building a warm personal relationship with Putin, according t0 people who have discussed the issue privately with Trump. But this dual-track strategy — be nice personally and tough administratively — becomes more fantastical every time Trump authorizes a harsh action against the Kremlin.
Just this morning, President Trump touted recent economic successes under his administration: "The economy is looking really good. It has been many years that we have seen these kind of numbers. The underlying strength of companies has perhaps never been better."
Yes, but: Economists are ringing alarm bells that a recession may soon follow. Mark Zandi, Moody's Analytics' chief economist, told Bloomberg that 2020 is a "real inflection point." In the short-term, some economic forecasters believe the American economy will experience historically low unemployment and rising wages, but those developments could bring rising interest rates and decreased government spending in the years to come — eventually sparking an economic contraction.
"The head of the United Nations food agency warned [today] that the relocation of Islamic State group members from the Middle East to Africa could trigger a massive new European migrant crisis,"AP reports: "David Beasley, executive director of the World Food Program, said many of the militants who fled Syria amid the collapse of the Islamic State group's self-described caliphate had ended up in the greater Sahel region, a belt of semi-arid land spanning east-west across Africa."
Why it matters: "He said he has warned European leaders that they could face a far larger migrant crisis from the Sahel than the Syrian conflict generated if they do not help provide the region with food and stability."
"This past week has certainly seemed like one major story per hour. But before we get carried away, let’s remember one of the gold standards for a time when monumental stories occurred almost simultaneously. Within three days in late January 1973, Richard Nixon was sworn in for a second term, Lyndon Johnson died, the Supreme Court handed down Roe v. Wade and the U.S. agreed to a Vietnam peace accord. With no hindsight, it’s impossible for us to know yet what was the most important thing that happened this past week in March 2018. But with 20/20 hindsight, historians of the future will be able to show us what it may have been — and, if history is any guide, this may turn out to be something that we are not yet even aware of today."
Rep. Ryan Costello (R-Pa.) told MSNBC’S Kasie Hunt on Sunday evening that he will not seek reelection this year as he's facing an uphill battle in a newly-redrawn district in the suburbs of Philadelphia.
The backdrop: Costello had filed to run in the GOP primary for the state's 6th congressional district in May. But his district was transformed by the recent redrawing of the state's congressional districts after the state Supreme Court ruled that the prior GOP-crafted map was unconstitutional. The new map is expected to make elections more competitive and put several Republican-held seats in play for Democrats this year. For example, Costello's district went from +1 Clinton in 2016 to +9 on the new map.
