Former CIA Director John Brennen called President Trump revoking his security clearance an effort to "suppress freedom of speech" for his critics in a tweet.
President Trump will sign an executive order expanding the "Buy American" rules so infrastructure projects such as roadways, pipelines and broadband can be included in its provisions, reports CNBC.
Why it matters: The rule strengthens the requirement for federal agencies to use U.S. sourced goods and services. However, there are legal questions concerning the rule leaving those affected by it wondering whether the executive branch of the government can require vendors to source specific products, and how much it could raise costs for the government.
President Trump has revoked the security clearance of former CIA Director John Brennan due to "erratic conduct and behavior," according to White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders at today's press briefing.
Why it matters: Sanders said that Trump was using his "constitutional authority" as president to revoke Brennan's clearance — something that has never been done before, according to Lawfare. Trump is also "evaluating action" regarding the current and former clearances of several other former intelligence and law enforcement officials like James Comey, James Clapper, Michael Hayden, Sally Yates, Susan Rice, Andrew McCabe, Peter Strzok, Lisa Page, and Bruce Ohr.
As Omarosa dominates the news cycle with her bombshell claims and recordings from the heart of the Trump administration, some of the most salacious stories from her new book "Unhinged" have been challenged by those who allegedly witnessed them happen.
Why it matters: Similar to the backlash to the potentially unethical reporting contained in Michael Wolff's "Fire and Fury" earlier this year, the lines between fiction and fact may be similarly blurred in Omarosa's tome.
Congress — which is arguably more gridlocked than ever — is actually doing a pretty decent job so far at the task that's eluded it for years: passing spending bills.
Why it matters: It might seem like a low bar, but it's better than waiting until the last minute, like Congress usually does. And passing individual spending bills, at least in theory, gives much more scrutiny to the process of deciding how federal dollars get spent than passing one giant funding bill hours before the government shuts down, as Congress is prone to do.
In private conversations with President Trump before his first Omarosa eruption, advisers counseled him to hold his tongue.
What we're hearing: Several told him to ignore her and that engaging would only boost her book sales. Trump said privately that First Lady Melania Trump had advised him to stay above it. But they knew he wouldn't be able to resist.
Minnesota state Rep. Ilhan Omar could become the country’s first Muslim woman and Somali-American to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives after securing the Democratic nomination for the state’s 5th district in the Aug. 14 primaries.
The details: Omar, a refugee from Somalia, won the six-way race to replace Rep. Keith Ellison, who was the first Muslim to be elected to the U.S. Congress. It’s a safe Democratic seat, making her the favorite to win.
Former Michigan state lawmaker Rashida Tlaib, who is also Muslim and won the Democratic nomination last week, will run unopposed for a House seat this fall.
Minnesota state Rep. Jim Newberger and state Sen. Karin Housley on Tuesday advanced to the general election after winning their respective Republican primary races.
The details: Newberger will run against incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who is seeking a third term in the Senate. Meanwhile, Housley's special election win has set her up against incumbent Democratic Sen. Tina Smith. The election will decide who will serve the remaining term of embattled Democrat Al Franken, who resigned in January amid a string of sexual misconduct allegations.
President Trump tweeted this morning that he was glad his Chief of Staff John Kelly fired "that dog" Omarosa Manigault Newman, who released a tape this morning in which members of Trump's staff discussed how they might respond to rumors of him being recorded using a racial slur.
The big picture: This is not the first time Trump has invoked a "dog" metaphor to insult someone, but its direct use to attack a woman of color has prompted Twitter outrage and debate from prominent figures on both the right and left.
The Trump campaign has filed an arbitration action against former White House staffer Omarosa Manigault Newman, citing a breach of her 2016 nondisclosure agreement after her release of multiple secret recordings of Trump administration and campaign officials, per The Washington Examiner.
There are a lot of interesting candidates to watch in tonight's primaries across Minnesota, Wisconsin, Connecticut and Vermont.
Why it matters: Even if all of these characters don't win their races, a look at who they are gives insights into some of the candidate trends we've seen in the 2018 cycle so far — like women candidates and others who would make history if elected.
Billions of dollars from teachers' pensions have been invested into private prisons that have detained captured undocumented immigrants near the southern border, according to a new report from The American Federation of Teachers.
Adapted from an American Fedration of Teachers report; Note: General Dynamics’s core business is not operating private prisons, but is included because it has contracts with migrant shelters; Table: Axios Visuals
President Trump escalated his continuing war of words with former White House staffer Omarosa Manigault Newman on Tuesday, calling her a "dog" in a morning tweet.
"When you give a crazed, crying lowlife a break, and give her a job at the White House, I guess it just didn’t work out. Good work by General Kelly for quickly firing that dog!"
The big picture: As one former senior White House official told Axios' Jonathan Swan over the weekend: "She may be the purest of all the Trump characters. ... She may be the most Trumpian. She knows media, she knows about physical presence, like Trump does...that's why I think he's rattled."
We've identified the five most competitive House races in the country, and they're all seats held by Republicans.
The races in Iowa, Florida, Texas, California and Maine — all considered true coin flips — will help determine whether Democrats will win control of the House in November, according to conversations with more than a dozen Republican and Democratic pollsters, strategists, analysts, and operatives.
Why it matters: The 2018 midterms battlefield is changing every week, and this list shows the uphill battle Republicans will face if they want to keep control. There are a lot of close races, but these ones are especially close, and some haven't gotten the attention that analysts say they deserve.
Eight out of 10 Americans say 3D-printed gun blueprints shouldn't be available on the internet — a rare consensus on gun policy that cuts across party and ideological lines, according to a new Axios/SurveyMonkey poll.
The big picture: The latest poll shows Americans are still more divided on other gun issues. A slight majority disapproves of President Trump's overall gun policies, and his approval rating on guns is similar to his overall job approval rating.
