President Trump endorsed Brian Kemp, Georgia's Secretary of State, on Wednesday for Georgia's primary election as a Republican candidate for governor, saying he's "tough on crime, strong on the border and illegal immigration."
President Trump, in an interview with CBS News’ Jeff Glor, said that he told Russian President Vladimir Putin Monday that he was “very strong” on the fact that “we can't have meddling” in our elections, despite failing to confront him on the issue during their joint press conference.
I let him know we can't have this, we're not going to have it, and that's the way it's going to be.
— President Trump
Why it matters: There's no way to verify Trump's account of what he said, since he met with Putin in private. But here's what Trump said in public about Russian election interference: "I have great confidence in my intelligence people but I will tell you that President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today."
President Trump's proposed military parade will cost around $12 million — just $2 million less than what the now-cancelled military exercises with South Korea would have cost, which Trump has described as "tremendously expensive," CNN reports.
The details: The parade, scheduled for November 10, will "focus on celebrating veterans and involve US troops in period uniforms as well as US military aircraft but no heavy vehicles like tanks in order to prevent damage to infrastructure," according to CNN. Officials note that the cost is a planning number and is subject to change.
All 55 eligible states and territories have now requested election security funds from Congress as of Monday, according to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission.
Yes, but: The $380 million Congress allocated is not enough to upgrade the electronic voting machines that don't provide a way to double check that election results are accurate. Few states have shared plans for upgrading security measures ahead of the midterms.
At Wednesday's press briefing, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said that President Trump responded "no" to taking questions in a press conference earlier that day — not to the question of whether he believes Russia is still targeting U.S. elections.
Why it matters: When asked whether Trump does believe that Russia is an ongoing threat to the U.S.'s election security, Sanders said, "[h]e does believe they would target U.S. elections again" adding, "certainly, we believe that the threat still exists." When pressed on why Trump has seemingly reversed his position on this issue twice this week, Sanders said that she was "interpreting" the president not "reversing" his position.
Rep. Jim Jordan was interviewed Monday by the law firm investigating sex abuse allegations that a wrestling team doctor at Ohio State University allegedly committed, some of which is said to have happened while Rep. Jordan was a coach, per the AP.
What he said: His spokesperson Ian Fury told the AP Rep. Jordan reiterated his public statement, which is that he was not aware of the abuse when he was a coach, despite allegations from wrestlers that he knew. Fury told the AP, "you know, the story stays the same because the truth doesn't change." Rep. Jordan has said victims deserve to see justice if abuse had occurred.
Federal prosecutors said in a new court filing that Maria Butina, the Russian national indicted by a federal grand jury Tuesday for her role in a covert political influence operation, is a serious flight risk and should be held in jail until her trial.
The big picture: New details in the case against the 29-year-old Butina reveal a tangled web of deception and meticulous coordination with Russian officials — including the FSB intelligence agency and Russian oligarchs — that dates back to at least 2013.
A majority of Trump voters said that they were at least somewhat worried about MS-13 targeting them or their families and 85% believe that the violent gang is a serious threat to the United States, according to a new HuffPost/YouGov survey.
Why it matters: Trump has repeatedly used the gang to validate his administration's "zero-tolerance" policy at the southern border and the need for a wall. While the gang's actions are indeed vicious, its members prey almost exclusively on immigrant communities in small, specific areas of the U.S.
In yesterday’s press conference with President Trump in Helsinki, President Putin expressed concern for the plight of Syrian refugees, suggesting that Russia aimed “to overcome humanitarian crisis and help [them] to go back to their homes.” That rings hollow.
