President Trump is requesting that a lawsuit accusing him of violating the Constitution's Emoluments Clause be dropped, CNN reports, although the president is "still is absolutely immune," according to the filing.
The big picture: The Emoluments Clause "prohibits federal officeholders from receiving gifts and payments from foreign states of their representatives," per CNN. Trump is being sued both as an individual and as president in two separate suits, and is requesting that the claim against him as an individual be dismissed. According to CNN, the judge previously allowed the lawsuit to focus "payments made by foreign officials for services at the Trump International Hotel" in Washington.
The bottom line: Bornstein said during the campaign that he wrote the letter himself, per CNN, but on Tuesday he recanted his earlier claim by explaining Trump "dictated the whole letter. I didn't write that latter. I just made it up as I went along."
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi told the Boston Globe on Tuesday that she isn't going anywhere if the Democrats take control of the House in November.
"We will win. I will run for speaker. I feel confident about it. And my members do, too...It's important that it not be five white guys at the table, no offense. I have no intention of walking away from that table."
The big picture: Axios' Alexi McCammond reported in April that while some Democrats have been vocal about wanting new leadership, the "last thing the Democratic Party needs is a leadership fight." And Pelosi's ability to raise millions for the party makes it hard to replace her.
President Trump’s longtime doctor told NBC News that three men raided his New York office last year in February and seized 35 years of the president's medical records.
The details: Harold Bornstein reportedly said a Trump bodyguard later turned White House aide, a Trump Organization lawyer and a third man carried out the seizure, which left him feeling "raped, frightened and sad." NBC News reports that it occurred after Bornstein told The New York Times he had prescribed a medicine for Trump to stimulate his hair growth.
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein responded to reports that House lawmakers had drafted articles of impeachment against him, saying "the Department of Justice is not going to be extorted" at an event at the Newseum on Tuesday, adding "[t]hey can't even resist leaking their own drafts."
The context: The Washington Post reported on Monday night that the draft articles written by conservative allies of the president, led by House Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows, were recently finalized. One author called them a "last resort." Rod Rosenstein oversees special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation.
EPA administrator Scott Pruitt's security aide, Pasquale “Nino” Perrotta, is set to appear before the House Oversight Committee, reports ABC. Perrotta — who resigned from the EPA on Monday — told ABC he plans to "fully cooperate and answer any and all questions" from Congress.
The big picture: Perrotta is the latest Pruitt aide to leave the EPA amid scrutiny of the administrator's travel and security spending. Axios' Jonathan Swan and Ben Geman reported that Albert "Kell" Kelly, a top aide on toxic waste cleanups, is also leaving.
The New York Times obtained a copy of the questions special counsel Robert Mueller submitted to President Trump's lawyers and among them was this subtle bombshell: "What knowledge did you have of any outreach by your campaign, including by Paul Manafort, to Russia about potential assistance to the campaign?"
Why it matters: The old saw is that good lawyers don't ask questions they don't know the answers to. The phrasing — outreach to Russia rather than outreach from — suggests Mueller may have reason to believe the Trump campaign requested Russian assistance in the campaign.
More than 60% of likely midterm voters think that legal immigration levels should be cut, according a new poll given to Axios by NumbersUSA, which advocates for lower levels of legal immigration.
By the numbers: One million new immigrants are admitted every year with lifetime work permits. 49% of respondents said the yearly number should be reduced to 250,000 or fewer, 11% said it should be 500,000 or fewer and 4% selected 750,000 or fewer.
James Comey told me last night during an hourlong, onstage conversation that President Trump should submit to an interview by special counsel Robert Mueller, but is skeptical that will happen.
What he said: "[I]t is hard in almost all investigations to imagine getting to that without some interaction with the subject. But whether [Mueller] gets it or not, I hope he's free to get to the truth."
The Department of Justice filed complaints on Monday against 11 members of the "caravan" from Central America, charging them with illegally entering the U.S., CNN first reported and Axios confirmed with a federal law enforcement official.
Why it matters: This is the first major action on Attorney General Jeff Sessions' "zero tolerance" policy he announced last month. "Illegally entering this country will not be rewarded, but will instead be met with the full prosecutorial powers of the Department of Justice," Sessions said in a statement at the time.
The Trump administration is debating whether to cut off abortion providers such as Planned Parenthood from Title X family-planning funding, a move that would potentially force the organization to choose between losing the funding or ending abortion referrals.
What's new: Two sources have told us that Kellyanne Conway went to see President Trump on Friday to try to ensure he follows through on his campaign promises to end federal funding for Planned Parenthood — with the money redirected to Women's Qualified Health Centers — so long as the organization continues performing abortions.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement acting director Thomas Homan is retiring, despite being nominated to lead ICE permanently, the Wall Street Journal's Laura Meckler and Alicia Caldwell first reported.
Why it matters: Under Homan's leadership, ICE arrests rose and changed Obama-era policies that prioritized undocumented immigrants with criminal records for arrest. But one person familiar with Homan’s reasoning told the WSJ that "the prospect of a tough, partisan confirmation process persuaded him to leave the agency now."
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari met with President Trump on Monday to discuss the U.S.' economic, strategic and diplomatic partnership with Nigeria.
Why it matters: Trump's relationship with African countries has been mired in public and diplomatic scandal, and his meeting with the president of Africa's most populous country presents an opportunity to make amends.
Richard Painter, longtime Republican and former ethics lawyer for President George W. Bush, announced on Twitter Monday that he's running for U.S. Senate as a Democrat in Minnesota.
Driving his decision: President Trump. Painter, a frequent critic of Trump on cable news and social media, said on Twitter that his decision to not only run for office but to run as a Democrat is attributable to Trump and "the broken system that got us where we are today." "Americans are fed up!" he added.
Adult film actress Stormy Daniels (Stephanie Clifford) has filed suit against President Trump for "irresponsible and defamatory statements,” her attorney Michael Avenatti said Monday.
The details: The complaint alleges that Trump's tweets, that showed a sketch of a man she claimed had threatened her to keep quiet about her alleged affair with the president, mocked Daniels. She's seeking damages in excess of $75,000. The document claims the president knew his tweets would cause Daniels to be "subjected to threats of violence, economic harm, and reputational damage."
President Trump said Monday that pulling the U.S. out of the Iran nuclear deal would send North Korea the "right message" ahead of planned talks with Kim Jong-un. He added that what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said today, in regard to Iran's nuclear ambitions, has proven that he's been 100% right.
Yes, but: Despite Trump slamming the nuclear deal as unacceptable, he said his administration will make a decision on whether to pull out on or before May 12, noting that they're still open to negotiating a new agreement.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in, asked about his chances of winning the Nobel Peace Prize after his summit with Kim Jong-un, told reporters, "President Trump can take the Nobel prize, all we need to take is peace," reports AFP.
Yes, but: Throughout this process, the South Koreans have been highly complimentary of Trump, intent on keeping him onside as talks progress. As optimism grows in South Korea, Moon's approval ratings have spiked to 70%.
Big picture: Trump has always been quick to turn to Twitter to weigh in on the news of the day. One of the ways he likes to taunt media is to declare the news or a chosen media outlet "dead" or "dying."
The Clinton family has made sporadic and often subdued appearances in the 18 months (538 days) since Hillary Clinton lost her presidential election. But we're about to see a lot more of them this spring.
Why it matters: This family has been on the national stage for 26 years — all or most of the lifetime of anyone under 50. Chelsea Clinton, now 38, was 11 when her father, Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton, announced his entry into the race for the Democratic presidential nomination in October 1991. He was 45 then; is 71 now.
The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) gave Axios the details behind its $60.2 million buy on initial ad reservations in 13 key cities ahead of the 2018 midterm elections.
Why it matters: This is a massive ad spend for an outside group this early on in the election cycle, and comes right on the heels of the Congressional Leadership Fund's $48 million announcement earlier this month — signaling just how competitive these conservative groups anticipate this election cycle to be. The 13 target cities reveal which House Republican seats conservatives are most concerned about.
Some Republicans, antsy about the energy on the left heading into midterms, say Congress needs to pass more conservative legislation this year to bolster the case for why voters should keep the GOP in office.
The catch: They can't agree what it should be. Maybe conservative priorities like regulatory reform or spending cuts, maybe something pragmatic like infrastructure reform. If they can't figure it out, conservative voters could get disenchanted and stay home in November — costing Republicans the House and maybe even the Senate.
