Axios

The financial fraud trial of President Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort entered its eighth day on Thursday with the special counsel's team presenting witnesses and evidence to illustrate how Manafort orchestrated a scheme to obtain millions of dollars and avoid paying taxes.

The big picture: This trial marks the first case that Special Counsel Robert Mueller has brought to court as a result of his probe into the 2016 Russian election meddling. However, the federal tax and financial fraud charges in dispute are separate from Manafort's time as President Trump’s campaign chairman. The proceeding is being closely watched by the president and his legal team as they negotiate a possible interview between Trump and Mueller.

Melania Trump's Slovenian parents, Viktor and Amalija Knavs, were sworn in as U.S. citizens today, according to the AP, after likely obtaining permanent residence through the very "chain migration" processes the Trump administration has tried to curtail.

Why it matters: Despite marrying into an immigrant family, Donald Trump has made toughening immigration laws and cracking down on illegal immigration a central part of his presidency. His administration has already made it more difficult to come to the U.S. legally, in addition to imposing harsher enforcement of laws for those who are here illegally.

An Army memo obtained by the Associated Press from last month directs high-ranking officials to immediately "suspend processing" discharges of enlistees in the special immigrant program, which can provide an expedited path to citizenship.

The backdrop: When the AP first broke the news regarding immigrant discharges last month, it was not immediately clear if the decisions marked a change in Army policy. But retired Army Reserve lieutenant colonel Margaret Stock, who was a part of the creation of the immigrant recruitment program, told the AP that the memo serves as an "admission by the Army that they've improperly discharged hundreds of soldiers."

With his constant commentating and public negotiating, Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani is setting up unmeetable expectations for special counsel Robert Mueller — a kind of insurance policy with the president's base.

What he's saying: The former New York mayor told Fox News' Sean Hannity in an interview last night that the investigation should be "over by September," and that Mueller's case "isn’t going to fizzle. It's going to blow up on them." He added, "[T]here's a lot more to what they did that nobody knows about yet ... a lot more to the obstruction of justice, to the collusion, to the fake dossier."

One Australian drug company — with only one (failed) product in one (failed) clinical trial — just keeps tripping up current and former House Republicans.

Driving the news: Federal prosecutors in New York indicted Rep. Chris Collins yesterday on charges of insider trading, stemming from the sale of shares in a company called Innate Immunotherapeutics.

Here's how badly the country has fractured over President Trump: He has a near-universal approval among Republicans, while three in four Democrats want him impeached. But it's not like the last few presidents united the country, either.

The back story: It wasn't always this way. Republican Dwight Eisenhower had 49% approval from Democrats during his presidency, as did John F. Kennedy from Republicans. Now, that kind of support for a president from the other party has practically disappeared: Barack Obama had 14% approval from Republicans, and 7% of Democrats approve of Trump.

RiskSense, a cybersecurity startup that aims to help organizations prioritize different threats and vulnerabilities, has raised $12 million in Series B funding, according to the company. Spring Mountain Capital and NightDragon Security led the investment round.

Why it matters: RiskSense’s team has experience defending critical networks and its software-as-a-service platform aims to help organizations prevent malware and ransomware attacks. The firm is currently working with some states to try to prevent cyberattacks against U.S. election infrastructure, co-founder and head of corporate development Mark Fidel told the Albuquerque Business Journal.

The U.S. national deficit grew by 20% ($75 billion) over the past year, according to the latest report by the Congressional Budget Office, partially due to Trump's tax cuts as well as increased national spending.

Between the lines: Axios' Jonathan Swan has reported that there has been an ongoing tussle between debt-loving President Trump and his penny-pinching Budget Director Mick Mulvaney. Mulvaney has been privately pushing Trump to get more aggressive about cutting spending, but debt and deficits have, so far, only ballooned under Trump.

In July, 9,258 family members were caught crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally, according to Customs and Border Protection data released today — not quite 200 fewer than the month before and a record high for July since at least 2012.

Why it matters: The Trump administration's family separation policy does not seem to have had its intended deterrent effect. The numbers highlight the desperation of many migrant families, risking family separation to escape their plight at home. And while the overall number of arrests along the border were lower, they're in line with past years — with the exception of 2017's statistical anomaly.

The Senate Intelligence Committee has asked Julian Assange to testify regarding its probe of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, according to WikiLeaks.

Why it matters: Assange is currently facing expulsion from the Ecuadorian embassy in London and could be extradited to the U.S. if his asylum status there is withdrawn. He is a person of interest in the Russia probe because of WikiLeaks' role in publishing hacked DNC emails and claims by Roger Stone that he was in touch with Assange during the 2016 campaign. Per WikiLeaks, Assange is considering the offer, but only if the testimony conforms to a "high ethical standard."

Three members of President Trump's Mar-a-Lago beach club, led by longtime Trump acquaintance and chairman of Marvel Entertainment Ike Perlmutter, have secretly exerted sweeping influence over the Department of Veteran Affairs, despite having no experience in the U.S. government or military, reports ProPublica.

Why it matters: Documents obtained by ProPublica show that Perlmutter, along with doctor Bruce Moskowitz and lawyer Marc Sherman, spoke daily with VA officials and shaped significant policy and personnel decisions, including the nomination of now-ousted VA chief David Shulkin. Some of their advocacy reportedly served their own financial or personal interests, yet their status as informal advisers meant they were not subject to the same ethical oversight as government officials.

Rep. Christopher Collins (R-NY), one of the first members of Congress to support President Trump, was arrested on Wednesday morning for "charges tied to securities fraud," NBC News reports.

The details: Collins surrendered himself to the FBI earlier on Wednesday. He's being charged along with his son, Cameron Collins, and his son's fiancée's father, Stephen Zarsky. The case is related to Australian biotech company Innate Immunotherapeutics Limited, of which the congressman was on the Board of Directors, the indictment states.

A leaked Russian document obtained by Politico suggests that during his meeting in Helsinki last month with President Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin brought up a range of arms control topics, including the continuation of nuclear treaties, new weapons limits and the "non-placement of weapons in space."

Why it matters: The content of Trump and Putin's one-on-one meeting has been the subject of intense speculation, with the lack of transparency prompting some Democratic lawmakers to attempt to subpoena the American interpreter who sat in the room. The leaked document sheds some light onto the priorities Putin may have highlighted in the meeting.

This year's last special election left Democrats energized and Republicans worried.

The big picture: A U.S. House race in Ohio that should have been a layup for Republicans instead wound up too close to call with 100% of the vote in, although Republican Troy Balderson and President Trump declared victory.

Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley won Tuesday night’s GOP primary for the state's Senate seat in a crowd of 11 Republican candidates.

Why it matters: Sen. McCaskill has been considered a vulnerable Democrat since 2012 and Republicans are going all-in to help Hawley win and to reclaim this seat. The race is expected to be very close in November in a state President Trump won by nearly 19 points.

Polls have closed and the battle between Republican Troy Balderson, 56, and Democrat Danny O’Connor, 31, will be over soon.

Why it matters: Ohio's 12th district should be a dream for the GOP — it’s solidly Republican and overwhelmingly white. But it's considered competitive for the first time in decades. If Republicans can’t pull of a win in a race like this they should be worried about what’s in store for them on Nov. 6.