Faced with hyperinflation, crippling food and medicine shortages, limited electricity and an oppressive dictatorship, around 5,000 Venezuelans a day are fleeing to surrounding countries.
Big picture: This is the new global migration crisis, with an estimated 1.5 million Venezuelans having left the country between 2014 and 2017 — and even that estimate may fall short of the true number. “The situation in Venezuela keeps sinking further and further, and the expectation is that the numbers will absolutely increase," Cynthia Arnson, director of the Wilson Center's Latin American program, told Axios.
Michael Cohen is in trouble. NBC's report that federal investigators "monitored" the phone lines of President Trump's longtime personal lawyer [NBC initially said Cohen was wiretapped] — and intercepted a call between Cohen and the White House — is the latest in a string of reports that reveal the broad scope of the federal government’s investigation.
Why it matters: Things are closing in, rapidly, on Michael Cohen. The repercussions will be felt heavily in the White House, as Cohen, Trump's "fix it" lawyer, is heavily intertwined in Trump’s professional, political, personal, legal and family life. He is, as Axios' Mike Allen put it, "the man with secrets few others hold."
House Chaplain Rev. Patrick J. Conroy, who was abruptly dismissed by Speaker Paul Ryan last month, will stay on as House Chaplain according to a statement from Ryan.
In a letter to House leaders Thursday, Conroy — who has held the position since 2011 — rescinded his resignation following the outrage over his ouster,reports the Washington Post. He said: “I have never been disciplined, nor reprimanded, nor have I ever heard a complaint about my ministry during my time as House chaplain."
Rudy Giuliani's bombshell comments about Stormy Daniels prompted a President Trump tweetstorm today.
Why it matters: Now representing Trump in the Mueller probe, Giuliani — who has a reputation of being a brawler — may be creating separate legal woes for Trump.
The West Virginia Senate primary has become a lot more interesting thanks to Don Blankenship, one of three Republican contenders, who has railed against government and even high-profile Republicans with vulgar and personal insults.
Why it matters: Although conventional Republicans are hoping to force Blankenship — who's fresh out of prison after his involvement in a mine explosion — out of the race, he's found a following among Republicans who share his hatred for the establishment and appreciate his brashness.
Rudy Giuliani, one of Trump's latest additions to his legal team, told Fox News' Sean Hannity that Trump personally reimbursed Michael Cohen the $130,000 he paid to adult film star Stormy Daniels promising her silence.
Why it matters:Trump told reporters in April he was unaware of the payment to Daniels. "He didn't know about the specifics of it...but he did know about the general arrangement," said Giuliani.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Wednesday the Department of Justice will send 35 prosecutors and 18 judges to the southern border to tighten efforts to prosecute caravan migrants entering the country.
The details: The Justice Department added that “prosecutors to handle the prosecutions of improper entry, illegal reentry, and alien smuggling cases, and additional immigration judges to handle the adjudication of immigration court cases that result from the crisis at the Southwest border.”
President Trump's White House legal team went through a shakeup this afternoon as Ty Cobb announced his retirement, opening the door for his replacement, Emmett Flood, a partner at Williams & Connolly.
Why he matters: Flood is likely to get buzz because he was part of President Clinton's legal team during his impeachment proceedings — though he didn't play a prominent role, per the NYT.
The backstory: ICE and the Justice Department reached a settlement with the craft retailer last July that included the forfeiture of the artifacts and a $3 million fine. Hobby Lobby has ties to the recently opened Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C., donating millions of dollars worth of artifacts to the museum — though the museum claims that none of the forfeited artifacts were meant for its collection.
Three IT companies filed a lawsuit on Tuesday, which called for an injunction on U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service's (USCIS) recent policy changes that increased scrutiny for H-1B employers who send their workers to third-party worksites, claiming USCIS overstepped its authority.
Big picture: This comes as the Trump administration seeks ways to cut back on H-1B visas, and has called for increased scrutiny of certain H-1B employers. It also comes as the Trump administration continues to face litigation — and often injunctions — on many of their immigration policies.
The argument: In February, the administration changed guidance on priorities for the next round of grants that will come from the program, putting a new emphasis on abstinence and “natural family planning” without mentioning contraception, per NPR. Planned Parenthood argues contraception was the whole point of the program and that the administration is violating the purpose of the law while backing a politically-driven focus on abstinence.
Senator Elizabeth Warren is the frontrunner in a new poll for the 2020 New Hampshire Democratic presidential primary, reports the Boston Globe.
Why it matters: Warren has said she's focused on retaining her Senate seat and has no intentions of running for president, but this poll shows she may have enough support if she chooses to run. Warren leads former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Bernie Sanders in the poll.
The big picture: Despite considering himself "the least supportive of criminal justice reform" among his Freedom Caucus colleagues, Meadows said the Collins-Jeffries bill "seems to have found a sweet spot."
President Trump, on his first visit to the State Department, participated in the swearing-in ceremony for Mike Pompeo on Wednesday.
What to expect: Pompeo is inheriting a host of pressing diplomatic issues at State. Among them include the imminent withdrawal of the U.S. from the Iran nuclear deal and preparation for a meeting between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
A new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll, taken after Admiral Ronny Jackson withdrew his name for Veterans Affairs secretary, says 62% of voters believe President Trump's White House is being run chaotically, while just 32% of them believe it's being run very or somewhat well, per Politico.
The state of play: Overall voters who believe the White House is being run on chaos increased from 54% in March, with just 34% of Democrats and Independents believing things are run well. However, Trump still has strong support among Republicans, with 68% of them believing the Trump White House is being run well.
Texas and six other states filed a lawsuit against the federal government Tuesday calling for an end to the DACA program, which provides legal status to hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children.
Why it matters: The lawsuit is technically against the Trump administration, but it has already tried to end the DACA program, only to be met with nationwide injunctions. Even if the judge rules in Texas' favor, those injunctions remain in place. Only the Supreme Court can change things now, according to immigration attorney Leon Fresco.
President Trump will be “triggered” by the bleak leaks about the extent and intrusiveness of Robert Mueller’s investigation, and is likely to become more aggressive as he feels more threatened, sources close to the White House tell me.
What we're hearing: “His instinct is always to be on the offensive,” one source said. “This was a wake-up call to the president that will embolden him, in a lot of ways. As he sees this becoming more serious, his instinct is to punch back 10 times harder.”
Tech companies are moving too slowly to remedy under-representation of African Americans in their ranks, senior members of the Congressional Black Caucus said Tuesday on a swing through Silicon Valley.
Why it matters: Regulation of the tech industry looks like more of a real possibility in the wake of Facebook's privacy controversy. If Democrats win control of the House in November, many of these representatives will be in a position to spotlight this issue — and even promote legislation.
