Axios

President Trump got his triumphant 4% economic growth moment today, and he threw together a surprise speech to celebrate on the White House's south lawn.

The big picture: This is the best quarterly growth since 2014. Trump claims we're on track for 3% this year, and previously promised rates that are even higher (and rather unlikely). Former president Barack Obama enjoyed four quarters of 4%, but his highest year topped out at 2.9%.

Philadelphia won't allow U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to use its arrest database after Aug. 31, the AP reports. Mayor Jim Kenney, a Democrat, accused ICE of wrongfully using the database to locate undocumented immigrants even without criminal records.

"We’re not going to provide them with information so they can go out and round people up.”

The big picture: This comes as some progressive Democrats, led by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, have latched on to an "abolish ICE" campaign. Republicans have just as quickly used the phrase as a political weapon against Democrats. Meanwhile, Trump's efforts to defund "sanctuary cities" such as Philadelphia are currently blocked by a federal judge's injunction.

Gym memberships and fitness class fees could become tax deductible under a new bill proposed by Rep. Jason Smith (R-MO).

But, but, but: The benefits would not extend to those who exercise via paid smartphone apps or streaming services.

President Trump suggested on Friday that his former lawyer Michael Cohen "is trying to make up stories ... to get himself out of an unrelated jam" regarding taxi cabs.

Why it matters: Cohen's legal troubles are no secret — Trump mentioned them when he distanced himself in April, saying federal investigators were "looking at his businesses ... and I've been told I'm not involved." A significant portion of Cohen's business records, including ownership and management of taxi companies, is "under the microscope of federal prosecutors," the New York Times reports.

The July 26 federal court deadline for the Trump administration to return more than 2,500 migrant children (aged 5–17) to their families has come and gone, and it is clear that the administration has fallen short of full reunification. According to a July 26 California district court filing, the administration has reunited only slightly more than half (1,442 of 2,551) the separated children with their families.

The big picture: The debate around family reunification failure is often perceived as one between restrictive and open immigration standards, but that is not the central issue. Rather, the question is to what extent the U.S. government should uphold a standard of competence and a commitment to basic human dignity in carrying out all its policy positions.

President Trump unleashed a series of tweets Friday morning, accusing his former lawyer Michael Cohen of lying "in order to get himself out of an unrelated jam" and denying that he had any knowledge of Don Jr’s 2016 meeting with a Russian lawyer.

"I did NOT know of the meeting with my son, Don jr. Sounds to me like someone is trying to make up stories in order to get himself out of an unrelated jam (Taxi cabs maybe?). He even retained Bill and Crooked Hillary’s lawyer. Gee, I wonder if they helped him make the choice!"

In a special preview for Axios readers, here's a new analysis by David Wasserman of Cook Political Report, unpacking the GOP's daunting math:

"With 102 days to go, Democrats remain substantial favorites for House control. A big reason: Republicans are defending 42 open or vacant seats, a record since at least 1930." (After the March victory by Democrat Conor Lamb in Pennsylvania, Democrats need to flip 23 seats to take the House).

President Trump's approval rating among five key voter groups shows how tough it will be for Republicans to keep control of the House in the midterm elections.

The bottom line: The most important group to watch will be the #NeverHillary independents — a group that narrowly disapproves of Trump's performance, according to a new Axios-SurveyMonkey poll. It's also not a good sign for Republicans that Trump's disapproval ratings are high among suburban white women. The other subgroups lean pretty much the way you'd expect.

Michael Cohen, former personal attorney for President Trump, claims Trump approved "going ahead with" the 2016 Trump Tower meeting, in which Donald Trump Jr. and other Trump campaign officials met with Russians to offer the Trump campaign dirt on Hillary Clinton, reports CNN.

Why it matters: Cohen's claim contradicts denials by Trump, Trump Jr., their lawyers and administration officials who say then-candidate Trump was unaware of the meeting until he was approached about it by the New York Times in July 2017. Cohen said he is willing to testify in the Mueller investigation, but does not have any corroborating evidence other than his claim.

The Trump administration has reunified 1,442 of the original 2,551 migrant children between the ages of five and 17 with their parents by the court-ordered deadline of today, according to the latest court filing.

Of the 103 migrant children under five, all eligible children have been reunited with their families, leaving 47 who have been deemed ineligible. The chart below displays what we know about where the children are, based on the latest court filings from the Justice Department:

President Trump is now threatening to investigate Twitter for allegedly silencing conservatives, tweeting today:

"Twitter 'SHADOW BANNING' prominent Republicans. Not good. We will look into this discriminatory and illegal practice at once! Many complaints."

The big picture: High-profile conservatives have complained for years that their videos are made ineligible for advertising on YouTube, their accounts or tweets are minimized on Twitter, and their posts are removed on Facebook.

President Trump's "deal" with the EU on trade is more a fragile ceasefire — no significant territory was gained or lost, no white flags have been raised, and the president's trigger finger remains itchy. Crucially, though, the guns have gone silent.

Why it matters: Looming over the White House meeting yesterday between Trump and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker was Trump’s threat of a 20% levy on auto imports that would hit EU countries like Germany (and U.S. consumers) hard, and could lead to a full-scale trade war. That threat is now on hold while the sides negotiate.

Sen. Claire McCaskill’s team was targeted with spear phishing attempt from Russia’s intelligence unit around August 2017, according to The Daily Beast. Sen. McCaskill claims the attack wasn't successful, according to her statement on the attempt.

Why it matters: This is the first publicly identified target of the cyber attacks Moscow has launched in the buildup to the 2018 midterms. McCaskill is a vulnerable Democrat running for reelection in Missouri, a state where President Trump beat out Hillary Clinton in 2016 by almost 20 points.

President Trump misled a roundtable at an Iowa community college today, telling them "we just opened up Europe for you farmers," when in reality his Wednesday deal with the European Union doesn't come close to fulfilling such an extraordinary claim.

Why it matters: Aside from the EU agreeing to purchase more soybeans, agriculture is not covered by yesterday's deal. The EU insisted farm goods be excluded so only "non-auto industrial goods" are part of the negotiation towards zero tariffs and zero subsidies.

Allan Weisselberg, the executive Vice President and chief financial officer of the Trump Organization, has been subpoenaed in the Michael Cohen probe, the WSJ reports.

Why it matters: Weisselberg has been serving in that role for decades and has oversaw the most intimate matters of the organization and the Trumps’ finances, including President Trump’s personal finances. He has been linked to the payments made to the two former Playboy models who claim they had sexual encounters with the president, which raises questions about whether campaign finance laws have been violated.

House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) said Thursday that he agrees the Justice Department should comply with congressional requests for information related to the Russia investigation, but that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein's slow-walking of documents does not warrant impeachment, Politico reports.

“I don’t think we should be cavalier with this process or this term. Number two, I don't think this rises to the level of high crimes and misdemeanors, which is a really high standard."

Why it matters: This comes a day after GOP lawmakers, led by Rep. Jim Jordan and Rep. Mark Meadows, introduced articles of impeachment against Rosenstein.

Congressman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), founder of the House Freedom Caucus, has just sent a letter to his colleagues announcing that he is officially running to replace Paul Ryan as Speaker of the House, Axios has confirmed. The Daily Caller's Robert Donachie was the first to report the news.

The state of play: Several leaders of the conservative movement called on Jordan to announce his candidacy in May, arguing that House Republican leadership "has utterly failed" and "proven that it’s part of the Swamp," and that Jordan is the solution.

The government has more than 100 recordings made by Michael Cohen, The Washington Post reports, of conversations featuring "matters that could relate to Trump and his businesses and with Trump himself talking."

Why it matters: A Cohen recording leaked to CNN on Tuesday illustrated the strain between Cohen and President Trump. As Axios' Jonathan Swan reported, the "leaking of the tape is, in some ways, more important than the contents of the tape itself. ... Cohen has totally turned against Trump."

Friends of Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump tell us they have the strong impression they are now preparing to stay in D.C. as long as the president does, meaning they'll outlast almost everyone in the West Wing.

What we're hearing: A White House official with direct knowledge of the situation told Axios that in recent months, Jared and Ivanka have spent a good deal of time with the president in the private dining room adjoining the Oval Office and in the residence.