Axios

Police reports and call logs relating to U.S. immigrant youth shelters examined by Pro Publica reveal "hundreds of allegations of sexual offenses, fights and missing children."

The big picture: Pro Publica reports that in the last five years, at least 125 reports of sex offenses have prompted a police response. There have been an additional 200 similar calls from other shelters, but they don't clarify if the reports are related to unaccompanied immigrants specifically.

Think back to the wild conspiracy theories that once floated through your head, or the minds of friends and critics of President Trump: collusion with Russia ... Hidden hush money ... Shady business dealings that only insiders like fixer Michael Cohen knew of — and they'd never tell.

The big picture: Trump has done almost nothing to dispel these theories since taking office.

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.